Taking Refuge - Discovering Buddhism (7 February 2008)

0:02 Are we going to hit record? If the numbers are going, then it's going. So you must have hit it. So whatever you do there, you must be turning it on when you send it out. Okay. I didn't hit anything. See, because if they're moving, it's going. Report an error in the passage at 0:02 Highlight the passage at 0:02

0:25 Two seconds inside of when we're supposed to have started, and that's actually okay at this point. Thanks, Amy. So Report an error in the passage at 0:25 Highlight the passage at 0:25

0:46 remembering that when we prostrate, there's that element of aspiration. Not just honoring the three jewels, but wanting to aspire, wanting or having that aspiration to have, and that they have wisdom, the limitless wisdom, the limitless Report an error in the passage at 0:46 Highlight the passage at 0:46

1:10 scope of means. Report an error in the passage at 1:10 Highlight the passage at 1:10

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1:57 I Report an error in the passage at 1:57 Highlight the passage at 1:57

2:14 have no idea how I just got it. I just got it taking down the other setup. Report an error in the passage at 2:14 Highlight the passage at 2:14

2:25 It's right on the pad. You know, play that soft button. So it's like you put your hand in. Report an error in the passage at 2:25 Highlight the passage at 2:25

2:34 So hi. Is this your first time here? No, my first time. I didn't say that. Report an error in the passage at 2:34 Highlight the passage at 2:34

2:41 I mean, your first time in this class. Yeah. So we're in the class three, so if you decide that you would like to join the class, I can send you my notes and things for the first two classes. Report an error in the passage at 2:41 Highlight the passage at 2:41

3:03 So turn on the mixer, on the back of the mixer. Yes, on the back. No, this one first. Yeah, and then this one. And the back of it. Warm, warm, warm, warm. This one back here? There you go. And then on the top. You can also reach that one from the front. Or maybe not. Report an error in the passage at 3:03 Highlight the passage at 3:03

3:22 Oh, I see it. Okay. It's kind of like your, yeah, something on the right. Report an error in the passage at 3:22 Highlight the passage at 3:22

3:45 So, Lobsang Chokyi for everybody. It's about New Year. I think Chinese New Year as well. What is the expression? Lobsang Chokyi. Chokyi a lot of times is just used now as like a greeting, the general greeting, but it used to be more for just holidays. And for this is special. The special one is Lobsang Chokyi. Report an error in the passage at 3:45 Highlight the passage at 3:45

4:09 So we're missing Karen and Morgan, right? Ed here last week? Was Ed here last week? Anyway, I know Karen's really sick this week and Morgan's probably traveling. It's Report an error in the passage at 4:09 Highlight the passage at 4:09

4:36 kind of a wacky day because we have all these monks and nuns from around the world here because there is a... A big, you know, Venwa Munlum is the director of the IMI, which is the International Mahāyāna Institute, which is the foundation that Lama Yishu started for the Western monks and nuns in the Finti. Report an error in the passage at 4:36 Highlight the passage at 4:36

4:59 And so he became the director last year, and so he's having this conference this week down at the Medicine Institute. So he's invited all these monks and nuns, long-term monks and nuns. So today he rented a bus and we all went. On a tour bus around the city, it was very fun. You should see, more people were excited by us than they were by the sites, actually. The entire, of course, Geshe-la came. Report an error in the passage at 4:59 Highlight the passage at 4:59

5:27 It was, well, it was like 15 months in the straight. Anyway, so it's been kind of one of those days. So we'll just start with a short meditation, just to set our motivation. Report an error in the passage at 5:27 Highlight the passage at 5:27

5:41 Just mentally review your posture. It's a nice deep cleansing breath. Report an error in the passage at 5:41 Highlight the passage at 5:41

6:09 And just really imagine them cleansing you of any kind of distraction or blocks or sluggishness or inability to concentrate. Report an error in the passage at 6:09 Highlight the passage at 6:09

6:22 Just imagine breathing it out and just going off into outer space. And imagine breathing in crisp, aware, attention, presence and Report an error in the passage at 6:22 Highlight the passage at 6:22

6:42 this ability to sort of just drink in whatever comes from tonight's class. Report an error in the passage at 6:42 Highlight the passage at 6:42

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7:18 So last week we talked about Why the Buddha might be a reliable refuge and how a refuge actually protects us. Report an error in the passage at 7:18 Highlight the passage at 7:18

7:33 And of course, like everything else in Buddhism, it actually comes down to us. We have to actually do the work. We work on our own minds. We're Report an error in the passage at 7:33 Highlight the passage at 7:33

7:51 incredibly blessed to get these teachings and their unbroken lineage all the way back to the Buddha Himself. When Report an error in the passage at 7:51 Highlight the passage at 7:51

8:08 we listen to them with a good motivation, Luka is incredible, powerful. Method for transforming our minds. Report an error in the passage at 8:08 Highlight the passage at 8:08

8:24 And ultimately the work is there, working with our minds, moment by moment, Report an error in the passage at 8:24 Highlight the passage at 8:24

8:36 applying the teachings as best as we can, day by day, week by week, and Report an error in the passage at 8:36 Highlight the passage at 8:36

8:55 starting over again, every time we mess up. Report an error in the passage at 8:55 Highlight the passage at 8:55

9:04 Because as His Holiness always says, what else can we do? There's really nothing else to do. Report an error in the passage at 9:04 Highlight the passage at 9:04

9:18 So we listened to these teachings on Refuge tonight. With this mind to try to put them into practice as Report an error in the passage at 9:18 Highlight the passage at 9:18

9:35 much as we can in order to develop or strengthen our refuge so that we can actually benefit others and Report an error in the passage at 9:35 Highlight the passage at 9:35

9:46 so that we can find happiness ourselves. Report an error in the passage at 9:46 Highlight the passage at 9:46

10:05 I'm going to do an opening prayer which is on page 8. Report an error in the passage at 10:05 Highlight the passage at 10:05

10:15 And actually I thought we would do the refuge prayer as well. So we'll just say this one by His Holiness once. And then we'll do Refuge and Bodhicitta, which is on the page right before it, on the left-hand side. Report an error in the passage at 10:15 Highlight the passage at 10:15

10:36 With the wish to free all beings, I shall always go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha until I reach full enlightenment. Inspired by wisdom and compassion, today in the Buddha's presence, I generate the mind of full awakening for the benefit of all sentient beings. As long as space remains, as long as sentient beings remain, until then may I too remain and dispel the miseries of the world. Report an error in the passage at 10:36 Highlight the passage at 10:36

11:09 So I'll do Refuge in Bodhicitta. It's number three in the left-hand column. I'll do it twice in English and then that's in Tibetan. Report an error in the passage at 11:09 Highlight the passage at 11:09

11:20 I go for refuge until I am enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Supreme Assembly by the merits I create through listening to the Dharma. May I become a Buddha in order to benefit all sentient beings. I go for refuge until I am enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Supreme Assembly. The merits I create through listening to the Dharma. May I become a Buddha in order to benefit all sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 11:20 Highlight the passage at 11:20

11:50 SANGYE CHODAN SOGI CHODAN MA JANG SHU BAR DU DAL NI KAK SU CHI DA GI CHEN YANG GI PHAI SON AN GI DRO LA PEN CHI SANGYE DUPAR SHO So Report an error in the passage at 11:50 Highlight the passage at 11:50

12:20 does anybody have any questions about, I think, the homework? David looks like he's trying to remember what the homework was. I remember my question. Tell me your name again, sorry. Kai. Kai. Welcome. How did you find out about us? Report an error in the passage at 12:20 Highlight the passage at 12:20

12:44 a website or email, a friend? Yeah, a bit of a Report an error in the passage at 12:44 Highlight the passage at 12:44

12:55 well done. what's it? Grace. Okay. The first full weekend of June, 6, 7, 8, something like that. Wow. Yeah. You know, I visit the centers Mm-hmm. Report an error in the passage at 12:55 Highlight the passage at 12:55

13:32 Do you live here now? Yeah, I've been living here for the past couple of years. Oh, okay. You still have that Surrey, Colorado look about here right now. You've got your gear on. just said, many people are going on a year Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 13:32 Highlight the passage at 13:32

13:57 It was quite nice and I had to see the stoop well. I haven't been, so hopefully I'll go with some. You're welcome. Report an error in the passage at 13:57 Highlight the passage at 13:57

14:09 So did anybody have any questions? Did you remember it? We're trying to distract attention away from you, David. No, it's gone. It's gone forever. No, I've got it. It concerns precious human rebirth, which is kind of cheating and tying into Tuesday's class. It feels like it's a little there. Report an error in the passage at 14:09 Highlight the passage at 14:09

14:34 But when I stop and think of the blessings and just the good conditions that we talk about every day, about being here, about not being oppressed, not being jailed, all these things, how do we not put on robes and feel an incredible sense of urgency? Report an error in the passage at 14:34 Highlight the passage at 14:34

15:01 That's probably the point, isn't it? Yeah. I mean, it's the mindfulness. It definitely brings you right back. Usually the reason is that it's your detachment. Report an error in the passage at 15:01 Highlight the passage at 15:01

15:11 And karma. You know, not everybody has the karma for this particular way of life. You know? Yeah, I mean, that's really a huge one, I think, karma. Because a lot of people have a really strong motivation to or aspiration to. Karma's just not there. And that's really the way, I mean, Spence always looked at it that way. If somebody had just rode, it's like, you know, karma shifted. There's never like, oh, you know, bad people or something. Report an error in the passage at 15:11 Highlight the passage at 15:11

15:41 It's not like that at all. It's just, you need, apparently you need so much merit to not only desire to take roads, but to stay in them. And in the West, it's harder and harder and harder. I mean, people say. But I think my karma is just so strong that it's, there's never seemed like there was any... Report an error in the passage at 15:41 Highlight the passage at 15:41

16:01 You know, I don't think it's that difficult, you know what I mean? Like, it just made so much sense that, you know, it doesn't seem like I'm putting in, you know, like the way it sounds, yeah. It's like the difference between obligation and calling. Yeah, I suppose. Oh, you don't need to do that here. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 16:01 Highlight the passage at 16:01

16:26 Yeah, something like that. I think it's just... From the moment I met the Dharma, it just, it started as a seed and it just was like, you know, of course. Like you were saying, you know, sort of like, of course. But there's this part of me that didn't want to look at it and it took me a good, like a year and a half, I think, to really look at it deeply and I was going to retreat. Report an error in the passage at 16:26 Highlight the passage at 16:26

16:48 And then from then on it's going, of course, this totally makes sense. But that's not true for everybody. And there are so many other ways to practice that it doesn't have to be true for anybody, you know, everybody. I don't think... Report an error in the passage at 16:48 Highlight the passage at 16:48

17:01 Monasticism will ever be as huge here as it was in Tibet. I just don't think the karma is here for the West period. But I think we have to stay. We still have people in the room. So you can have renunciation. You can develop renunciation and not have this on. You can have renunciation and be the king of the country. Report an error in the passage at 17:01 Highlight the passage at 17:01

17:26 That's just what you do with your mind. It's harder, I would think, as a Canadian country. But yeah, I think there are a couple of meditations that I think their purpose is to really be like, wow, you've got this incredible opportunity, and you created this incredible opportunity, which I really love that, too. Report an error in the passage at 17:26 Highlight the passage at 17:26

17:47 It's not like, you know, thank you, Lord, you know, like that. I mean, there is the element of, you know, of the kindness of the Guru and things like that. But it's really about, we created the causes and conditions, and now we got our wish. It all came together, this lifetime, yes, go for it. So it really is about that kind of energy of when you're meditating on that, you're just like, wow. I start every day with some version of meditating on precious women and birth devotion. Report an error in the passage at 17:47 Highlight the passage at 17:47

18:16 There's a really good meditation in Spiritual Friends, which is a book of meditations by the monks and nuns of the IMI. Probably the person who wrote it was on that tour. But it's such a powerful meditation. And my friend Tenzin Shofu, who used to be my poster child for being an incredibly devoted lay practitioner until she got ordained, she did at least four years of long retreat before she got ordained. Report an error in the passage at 18:16 Highlight the passage at 18:16

18:50 So I would always hold her up as like... her recently. Report an error in the passage at 18:50 Highlight the passage at 18:50

18:51 Look, you know, you don't need to get a routine if that's not your calling yet. You can still be a really hard, earnest, sincere practitioner. Anyway, she, in one of the talks that she gave here, she mentioned that meditation and that once she found it, she used it as her motivation for every day in her retreat. Report an error in the passage at 18:51 Highlight the passage at 18:51

19:12 And so I started doing it and it really does that. Sets the fire under your practice, you're just like, yeah, what am I doing, wasting time? And it's not to say you can't take breaks, but it's just, yeah, use it. It's really quite a positive, precious human rebirth is really quite a positive. It should leave you feeling, you know, like, G.I. Jane, you know, like, going for it, you know, that's really, I think, or you're not doing it right, you know, so. Report an error in the passage at 19:12 Highlight the passage at 19:12

19:41 I think you must be doing it good. I remember Venema Renee once talking and saying, if we didn't die, if there weren't, you know, if we didn't have to die and if there wasn't future suffering, why would I have this on? I wouldn't have this on, you know. But we do. And there is, you know. And so, yeah. So those two meditations, I think, death and impermanence. Report an error in the passage at 19:41 Highlight the passage at 19:41

20:10 And precious human rebirth. But of course death and impermanence is, it lights a fire under you with more of a like, oh my god, it's kind of more like that than, you know. Precious human rebirth is kind of like, yeah, you know. So both of them are urgency, but a slightly different flavor. Report an error in the passage at 20:10 Highlight the passage at 20:10

20:33 Yeah, sure, sure. Anybody else? I'm Report an error in the passage at 20:33 Highlight the passage at 20:33

20:45 not sure there's a question. Report an error in the passage at 20:45 Highlight the passage at 20:45

20:49 First of all, I actually, when I... When these classes are coming around, I was a little bit disappointed that this class was on Thursday and my daily practice class was on Tuesday. Now it comes out. That's what I wanted. And having been in this class, I realized this class is really where I need to be. Report an error in the passage at 20:49 Highlight the passage at 20:49

21:12 This is sort of like a priori. This is before the practices you have to commit yourself to. In other words, not just walking around in circles or saying moshas, but committing yourself to your heart. Report an error in the passage at 21:12 Highlight the passage at 21:12

21:36 I've also realized how much of my own life has been taking refuge in everything but. committing your heart. Yeah, exactly. Report an error in the passage at 21:36 Highlight the passage at 21:36

21:46 It's very humbling, and I've actually been struggling a lot, I'm not saying this, but I don't think that's bad. I think that's, you know, sort of shows what I have to work on right now. No, no, that's it. Seeing the stuff that is changeable in our life is definitely not a bad thing. It's like totally, if we didn't see it, we wouldn't know what to work on. Report an error in the passage at 21:46 Highlight the passage at 21:46

22:11 We wouldn't have our game plan for the rest of our lives. I guess my question would be, a lot of times I find myself on the cusp of obsessing about something that I know I shouldn't obsess about and catching myself at that point and saying, wait a second, you shouldn't be doing this. Report an error in the passage at 22:11 Highlight the passage at 22:11

22:36 And having that struggle, are there things that you tell yourself at that moment? Shouldn't probably isn't a good word. Because that immediately is like, oh, you know. So like you're obsessing about things in a worry way or obsessing about things in an attachment way? Yeah, it could be attachment, anger. You know, I think about politics. I'll get up and go, well, why does this person think this? Especially right now. And, you know, I'll realize, you know, I shouldn't be spending all this time, you know. Report an error in the passage at 22:36 Highlight the passage at 22:36

23:12 I mean, there's lots of things you could apply. Yeah, I mean, that's a cool thing, I think, with Dharma is there's not one thing that's going to work for all minds. And not one thing that will work for my mind on any given day, even, you know, much less throughout my life. So it's just kind of like you create a toolkit and then you try this, and then you try this, and then you try this, you know. Report an error in the passage at 23:12 Highlight the passage at 23:12

23:38 We haven't gotten into emptiness so much. We will talk about karma tonight, and that's something you can also think about for just about everything. Death and impermanence is also a really good one. If you're obsessing about politics and you're like, oh, wait a second. First of all, I could be dead by sunup. This probably isn't what I'll think about on my deathbed. Report an error in the passage at 23:38 Highlight the passage at 23:38

23:59 And that one's actually a really good one to cut just about anything. Whether you're beating yourself up, whether you're complaining in your mind about somebody else, whether you're really super attached or obsessing at getting something. I mean, all of those things are just completely pointless in the end. It's not to say that we don't all, every one of us do that constantly, you know, but the reality is that it's just no, it's so unimportant in the end, you know. Report an error in the passage at 23:59 Highlight the passage at 23:59

24:27 So that one is really good to kind of, or if you're obsessing about another person, you might think, That person could be dead. Whether you're angry at another person. Especially with anger, it's a really good one to cut it. Attachment, you might just feel sad. Report an error in the passage at 24:27 Highlight the passage at 24:27

24:43 But if you're really angry at somebody and you just can't let it go, to actually think, look, if I found out this person died tonight or tomorrow, this would be so meaningless. There's no point in this. You can also think about if it's somebody who's... If you're angry at you or you're having problems with them or if it's something like that, you can think about the karma of a situation and I created the causes and now it's exhausting itself and that's great, so let's let it go. Report an error in the passage at 24:43 Highlight the passage at 24:43

25:17 Or you could do purification even. Purify the causes that are leading to the result that you're having right now. So if you're having the result of an incredibly annoying co-worker or... Report an error in the passage at 25:17 Highlight the passage at 25:17

25:31 If you're a housemate or neighbor or whatever, then it's just like, okay, let me purify that now so this is the end of it. And hey, why not even add on the bodhicitta thing of, let me take this on for all people with lousy neighbors in the entire world, you know, do it for all of them. You know, do something like that so you're doing practice. In a way, it's kind of a distraction, I think, for your mind, which is great. It pulls it out of that cycle of like, chewing the bone to death. Report an error in the passage at 25:31 Highlight the passage at 25:31

25:59 I mean, we could talk, there's a lot of different things you could do. We're having, I know, I think you can't do Friday nights, right? That's it, yeah. But we are recording those, that series of talks on Friday nights. And we're talking about working with difficult emotions. Um. Report an error in the passage at 25:59 Highlight the passage at 25:59

26:16 And Veneral Ninja is going to do attachment. And that one I think could be a really good one. Of course, clearly resentment this week. It depends on what you're obsessing about. Report an error in the passage at 26:16 Highlight the passage at 26:16

26:27 I'll take all seven. So we will record them and you can download those. And that one could be awesome. She could have a lot of other things. When you get into Tantra, then there are ways to transform those lousy feelings into things that are actually beneficial. And so then there's that too. Report an error in the passage at 26:27 Highlight the passage at 26:27

26:45 Yeah, I mean, you know, I would just try applying what you already know and then that doesn't work and try applying something else. You know, it's kind of like that. Emptiness is really the biggest one. They say emptiness cuts through everything. Report an error in the passage at 26:45 Highlight the passage at 26:45

27:03 I was like, where is she coming with this? Walking in here with the donation box. I don't have my wallet on. Cast the box around. Report an error in the passage at 27:03 Highlight the passage at 27:03

27:16 It's that North Carolina influence. To hear the robes. Right, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 27:16 Highlight the passage at 27:16

27:25 Yeah, so emptiness is, we haven't gotten into it so much, but emptiness really cuts everything, and that's where you start really looking at. Who is the I that's obsessing? Does that person even exist the way it feels like? And then also just analyzing every single part of that obsession. So if it's an object you're wanting, you can really analyze how it exists really. Does it exist in that solid, concrete, absolute way it feels like it does? Report an error in the passage at 27:25 Highlight the passage at 27:25

27:55 Is this really the best car in the universe? Do I really need to spend all this time obsessing about it and getting it? Is this person really the most annoying co-worker? And then analyzing how they actually exist in a far more spacious, fluid way. So emptiness, and it's also incredibly interesting to break it down like that when you're ready to do that, really dissect it. Report an error in the passage at 27:55 Highlight the passage at 27:55

28:21 How is the situation really existing? Because it's all just thoughts. And we're just giving it all this power. And I'm losing sleep and I'm wasting time at work. We just give it all this power and it's really just thoughts. Report an error in the passage at 28:21 Highlight the passage at 28:21

28:38 So that one can be incredibly powerful, actually, ultimately. Sometimes it's hard to get to that one. First you have to think of one to kind of cut it and the deaf one often will kind of stop you in your tracks. And the reality is, how do we know? You or this person could be dead by sun death or in the same accident. So yeah, those are just ideas. But yeah, it's kind of like you just create, over time you just create a tool bag for all the potentially difficult states of mind that we have all the time. Report an error in the passage at 28:38 Highlight the passage at 28:38

29:12 And then you just try to remember to actually pull them out, which is the hard thing. Does that help? Yes. Yeah. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 29:12 Highlight the passage at 29:12

29:24 If nothing else works, then you email, get down with friends and talk it through. Because sometimes, honestly, other people, just like with everything else, other people will think of things that you didn't try. Report an error in the passage at 29:24 Highlight the passage at 29:24

29:36 And so it's really useful. Report an error in the passage at 29:36 Highlight the passage at 29:36

29:41 Or just completely distract yourself and go visit somebody who's really sick. Like completely get yourself out of your own space, you know. That can also be a waker-upper, you know. It's like, oh, yeah. Things could be much worse than... an annoying whatever, or wanting a car, whatever. You fill in the blank. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 29:41 Highlight the passage at 29:41

30:06 you. you. Report an error in the passage at 30:06 Highlight the passage at 30:06

30:14 have to hold it up to your mouth like a lounge thing. Report an error in the passage at 30:14 Highlight the passage at 30:14

30:23 you a question or information about emptiness, you know, you analyze a different point, you realize that, Report an error in the passage at 30:23 Highlight the passage at 30:23

30:34 It's weird, I mean, I have a lot of... Anger, resentment. So it was sort of a disaster for me in my life. That's why I went away to Colorado with three months at Crystal for like three and a half months. And that was tough. You know, I struggled a lot, but I learned a lot there. It was sort of like a breakthrough for me, you know, my own inner barrier. Report an error in the passage at 30:34 Highlight the passage at 30:34

31:01 You know, somehow with Dharma, I don't like to meditate. I even hated to meditate, you know, because I was like, I can't sit without like a... Not hearing any thoughts. You know, you can come in a breath or recite as a Dhamma man or a Sūtra, but it just won't work. Somehow, after meeting a guru, Kenche, Franku Rinpoche, and that was just like unbelievable. Report an error in the passage at 31:01 Highlight the passage at 31:01

31:26 So like, opened the door completely for me, you know. And I started to meditate as well. Just like that, I don't even know why. And then I started to feel this sort of type of Dhamma joy. Report an error in the passage at 31:26 Highlight the passage at 31:26

31:39 like that. Coming back here, I just recently joined a Zen 7 day meditation retreat. In the beginning it was hard, but towards the middle part, when a Dharma master started keeping a Dharma talk while we meditated, I started to understand sort of everything now. I found the self that you called as mind. Report an error in the passage at 31:39 Highlight the passage at 31:39

32:08 And then understanding that emptiness. So after that I feel incredibly great and wonderful. And the reason I'm here today is because I didn't feel well. This is my third time in this Zen Center here. And prior two times was also because I didn't feel well. So I came in here to prostrate to the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 32:08 Highlight the passage at 32:08

32:31 You know, try to make myself also feel better. Also to redeem myself, because I know I do a lot of this stuff, by any way, by any way, you know, either your thoughts, what you say, your actions, everything. Report an error in the passage at 32:31 Highlight the passage at 32:31

32:46 I realize this emptiness. So right now, like I say, I'm very obsessed with something. I'm attached to one thing so strongly that it's so hard for me to let go. I know I have to let go. It's sort of like a wish, a hope since I was a little kid. Like I always want to be a doctor. So I'm applying for medical school now, my third time. I didn't go well. I'm so upset. Report an error in the passage at 32:46 Highlight the passage at 32:46

33:13 I'm very upset. You know, I tried everything that I could, do everything that I could, and something that I've always wanted is, and I remember when I was in Crystal there, I cried so hard, so hard, that when one of the Kenpo, one of the Lama there talked to me, He just asked, how are you? And I cry, cry, keep crying so hard. I cry so sad. He only looked at me and asked me, where's your sadness? He asked me that. Report an error in the passage at 33:13 Highlight the passage at 33:13

33:41 And I stopped crying. I was like, I look at him, I was like, huh? Where's your sadness? What do you mean? And then he's like, where's your sadness? And I was like, everywhere. And he was like, well, is this on your fingertip? Is this on the wall? I was like, no. So he let me alone and then... and I start meditating, think about it. Report an error in the passage at 33:41 Highlight the passage at 33:41

34:02 I finally found it. Just sort of going deeper and deeper and deeper to find why. Why is it that I wanted it so badly that if I don't have it, I'd be so sad and so angry and all that stuff. It's funny, I finally found it and realized that this sadness is something that I give it to myself. There's actually no sadness. Report an error in the passage at 34:02 Highlight the passage at 34:02

34:24 And I was laughing there so hard. I was like, oh my god, all this time I was so sad about something, you know. And I realized that I told myself, yes, I really want to help people. But then behind that, there was, well, I had to do my travel experiences, but I realized that I think I want to become a doctor using a sort of a give back to some family member relatives. Report an error in the passage at 34:24 Highlight the passage at 34:24

34:52 That's bad, because that's sort of the type of retaliation. You want to retaliate to somebody, not physically, but just sort of to make them back. So I said, oh, that's not what I want to become. And then at that time, I think Buddha. I said, oh my God, Buddha, are you so wise? You didn't even become a doctor last year. Report an error in the passage at 34:52 Highlight the passage at 34:52

35:09 They were getting into medical school, because that would be bad. Before I'm really helping people, I've already hurt so many people. So I changed my mindset and said, no, this is not what I wanted to do. So I started changing my mindset and everything like that. And after this seven-day retreat, I started to break through and understand emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 35:09 Highlight the passage at 35:09

35:29 So every time when things come up, like things didn't go well, I didn't hear any good news or even later, I said, oh, I'm sorry, rejection and all that stuff. I was able to be more calm and analyze it and also look at karma, everything like that. But I don't know why. Today I woke up this morning and I have to say my mind keeps thinking about my hands. And I try to distract myself in every way that I could. Report an error in the passage at 35:29 Highlight the passage at 35:29

35:56 And I think about emptiness. I think about other things, you know, also karma and like, you know, analyze that. Maybe that's just not a part that you have to take. It's harder. The doors are open there, you know, come down. But I try and try and try. That's why I'm here today. You have to remember that we've had these mental habits for limitless lifetimes. Report an error in the passage at 35:56 Highlight the passage at 35:56

36:29 So it's not going to be a sudden thing like that. It's amazing that you've had these great experiences, but they don't always last forever. It's a blessing of the Guru. That's what that is. Report an error in the passage at 36:29 Highlight the passage at 36:29

36:42 You've got your own karma and you've got to work through that and you've got to work with your own mind and it's just got to be day by day, moment by moment. It doesn't just disappear. Understanding it doesn't make it disappear. So it's just repeatedly applying what you know to the best of your ability. Report an error in the passage at 36:42 Highlight the passage at 36:42

37:01 And there's a certain level of patience and sort of steadiness of that practice. And not in the expectation that it's just suddenly going to disappear and that life is going to be all singing in glorious light and angels. At some point it may, luckily. But yeah, it's steady. It just has to be so steady and just keep trying. You just keep applying it. Report an error in the passage at 37:01 Highlight the passage at 37:01

37:32 And I don't know what the answer is for your own personal life because I don't have that kind of wisdom. If it's something that big and you've met a guru, why don't you talk about it with your guru? That's the kind of stuff I would bring to my guru. I would ask that kind of a question. I was going to prepare, even pep up a note. By the time I walked in the room kneels I was offering. Report an error in the passage at 37:32 Highlight the passage at 37:32

37:58 you just, there's no doubt. Close. Thank you, Michael. I'm sorry. By the time you go in there, you see him, he prostrate you, and he put a kata on you. And you kneel in front of him, look at him into his eye, and affect you. Somehow everything's gone. So that might be your answer. Report an error in the passage at 37:58 Highlight the passage at 37:58

38:21 Sometimes it happens that way. I have like this whole gnawing kind of question and then I go in and then it's like... Sometimes I have to answer and then it's not even worth asking. But if it is still gnawing at you, then write him a letter. my answer. Report an error in the passage at 38:21 Highlight the passage at 38:21

38:38 Yeah, I just do. And if you still don't get a response, then that's your answer. Or work a lot on purification. Just try to purify. Because this is a block. This is a karmic obstacle. And then we need to move on. But yeah, this is like a block. And so this is blocking you. And so you can purify it. You can just do any kind of purification practice. Meditating on emptiness counts for that. But apply those four clonic powers. Report an error in the passage at 38:38 Highlight the passage at 38:38

39:05 Do you know them? Regrets. For whatever caused this, since you're looking now at the results, right? So whatever causes, whatever negativities I've done in any of my lifetimes that are causing this current situation, because you're experiencing mental suffering, so it's a karmic result, you know? And then refuge and bodhicitta is reliance. So, you know, knowing what your foundation is. Report an error in the passage at 39:05 Highlight the passage at 39:05

39:32 Remedy, it could be any remedy, it could be Vajrasattva, it could be meditating on emptiness, it could be reciting the names of the Buddhas, reciting sutras, anything like that. Report an error in the passage at 39:32 Highlight the passage at 39:32

39:44 And then resolve, so setting a determination not to cause whatever... It's hard when you don't know exactly what the act is, but to try really hard for whatever amount of time you feel like you can do it to not cause mental suffering to another, because this is probably what caused this kind of thing. Report an error in the passage at 39:44 Highlight the passage at 39:44

40:03 Because you're experiencing mental suffering, somehow you cause mental suffering for someone else. So whatever, so it's really hard not to cause mental suffering for somebody else. So you might want to limit the amount of time that you say that, but maybe just say that day. So if you're doing that practice in the morning to just try that day to really not cause suffering for others around you, something like that. But it's a hard one because you're backing into it rather than the fact that you've just punched Charlie. Report an error in the passage at 40:03 Highlight the passage at 40:03

40:35 Then you know what it is you're purifying. This one you just know what the result is. But it's a block of some sort and you're suffering so it's clearly a karmic result. So then to do that and purify a little bit. And something might become clear after that. You might have to do it a few times. But that's what I would do. Report an error in the passage at 40:35 Highlight the passage at 40:35

40:58 You know, because it's stuck. You're stuck. And that energy is stuck. So that's the kind of energy it usually is when it's like a karmic thing. going to try to cheer myself and switch to how you think about it. Report an error in the passage at 40:58 Highlight the passage at 40:58

41:10 And that's good. You keep doing that. You know, keep thinking about emptiness as much as you understand it, maybe even reading more about it, studying it more. Report an error in the passage at 41:10 Highlight the passage at 41:10

41:20 Keep trying, you know, meditate on death and impermanence. You know, if I was going to die, if I found out I was going to die this week, this wouldn't matter, you know? Another question I was going to ask, every morning you wake up, ask yourself, today is my last day of your life. Am I going to do what I'm going to do today? And that answers no every single time. Report an error in the passage at 41:20 Highlight the passage at 41:20

41:40 So I'm like, something's got to be wrong. So am I going to do what I'm going to do today? Am I going to work and do the same thing over again? No, I don't want to do it anymore. But I have to be able to survive. I mean, they say to do that motivation if, you know, you can do it. This is my last day, but it's more like if this is my last day. Because clearly you do stuff to take a shower. I mean, if I really knew I was going to die, I might not want to waste that kind of time. Report an error in the passage at 41:40 Highlight the passage at 41:40

42:13 I might not bother doing the dishes. I might not. I just want somebody else to take the cats. I remember mentioning that to somebody who's a non-Buddhist and she was like, well, would you even do laundry? I was like, I got kids. So there's like, you've just got to more practically look at it. Like if I were to find out, say, you know, you could find out from me. Report an error in the passage at 42:13 Highlight the passage at 42:13

42:33 your doctor, you're going to die this month. I mean, we had this woman, a volunteer, whose mom just suddenly had a stroke and was going to die within hours, basically, for days. And it happens like that, without warning. So, I mean, you could do that same thought of like, wow, if I knew I was going to die this month, how would I live my life, you know? Report an error in the passage at 42:33 Highlight the passage at 42:33

42:55 It doesn't mean you have to quit your job, but how are you going to conduct yourself at your job? How are you going to be within the realm of what you're doing now in a way that is going to protect your mind and not cause you to create more negative karma and going to be kind to other people? Report an error in the passage at 42:55 Highlight the passage at 42:55

43:14 So how are you going to live fully in a way that is going to make a difference should you end up dying? That's really what this is all about. When you're thinking about your own death, you're trying to think about how to make your own life more meaningful. You know, so it's like that too. So it doesn't mean you quit your job necessarily. It might mean that ultimately. You might actually at some point go, no, you know, I do want to make a major change. Report an error in the passage at 43:14 Highlight the passage at 43:14

43:39 I don't want to do this anymore. But for the most part, it's kind of like, how can I live this day? You know, what kind of thoughts am I going to try to cultivate? What kind of mind, you know, what kind of words am I going to speak? You know, how can I help others today? How can I be more cherishing others and myself and things like that? It's more like that. So don't run out and put on the robes and cut my hair. Report an error in the passage at 43:39 Highlight the passage at 43:39

44:09 Anyway, so we still have some material to do tonight. So we're going to talk about karma. And we're going to talk a little bit about karma, just enough, just to make sure that we're all on the same page on karma. And then also talk about the eight benefits of taking refuge. it is. Report an error in the passage at 44:09 Highlight the passage at 44:09

44:26 So you get some lists, a couple of lists. But I think the karma one especially is a useful one. I think I repeat it just about every class that I teach because it's really useful for us to remember these aspects of karma. Report an error in the passage at 44:26 Highlight the passage at 44:26

44:46 And these four are actually the four things that make, the four factors that determine the strength of a karma. So it's not just, we're not just talking about the four aspects of karma. But rather, if we know that karma creates our world, and that we create karma due to our acts of body, speech and light, it's really important to know the middle light's not on. Report an error in the passage at 44:46 Highlight the passage at 44:46

45:15 It's really important to know the middle place. Okay, what's number two? It just suddenly seemed really dingy in here, like the light. Would you mind popping it, Charlie? It's in the middle. And then while he's up, I'll start naming. One, two, three, four. So it's the middle one, yeah. There we go. Yeah, there's definitely like, it just felt really kind of strange. Report an error in the passage at 45:15 Highlight the passage at 45:15

45:46 So these are the four factors that make karma a complete path. Because we create karma all the time, but we don't always have this full, complete package. A lot of times we're mindless, and that's really kind of how we create probably nine-tenths of our karma, to be honest. Report an error in the passage at 45:46 Highlight the passage at 45:46

46:07 But sometimes we aren't, and so this is the four. The factors involved. The first is the basis or the object involved. And in the example of killing, it would be the person that you kill or the animal that you kill. Report an error in the passage at 46:07 Highlight the passage at 46:07

46:25 I guess in the example of stealing, it would be the wallet. The second one is the thought involved. And there are three parts of this. Of course there are. Correct identification is the first one. So are you cognizing correctly? Are you actually seeing that it's Charlie? Charlie's the one I wanted to kill, so he's the right one. He's the right one. Report an error in the passage at 46:25 Highlight the passage at 46:25

46:55 I'm identifying him correctly. So I don't have anything else going on that's clouding my thinking or my ability to identify him. Report an error in the passage at 46:55 Highlight the passage at 46:55

47:05 Mental afflictions, this is the biggest one. Well, actually, that's incorrect. 2C is the biggest one. 2B is huge. Mental afflictions. Were you under the control of a mental affliction or klesha like anger, resentment, desire, attachment, hatred, jealousy, which of course we are often, right? Report an error in the passage at 47:05 Highlight the passage at 47:05

47:38 Probably, I mean always. If you're doing, if you're creating a karma, there's always some sort of mental affliction going on there. Report an error in the passage at 47:38 Highlight the passage at 47:38

47:50 Even if it's a mild case of aversion, you know, thinking a critical thought because I don't like the shirt that person has on. So it could just be that mild. It doesn't have to be like, you stole my hat on! You know, it's not like that. It doesn't have to be huge and dramatic. It just has to be... Remember, the definition of mental affliction is anything that disturbs the mind. So that's a huge variety of... Report an error in the passage at 47:50 Highlight the passage at 47:50

48:19 So 2C is the biggest one and that's your motivation. Report an error in the passage at 48:19 Highlight the passage at 48:19

48:30 Did you actually have the motivation to kill? Report an error in the passage at 48:30 Highlight the passage at 48:30

48:37 Was it premeditated? Accidental? Report an error in the passage at 48:37 Highlight the passage at 48:37

48:43 And with karma, honestly it is like 95 % your motivation. So if my motivation is compassionate, even if I'm misguided, the karma is much. Less if I'm killing somebody because there's this thought, you know, like euthanasia, for example. Is it really benefiting that person? I don't know because I don't have that wisdom. So that's where it actually could be playing out in a negative way. That person could be going straight to the hell realms and you're like, sorry, Nellie, you know, but in your mind you're trying to help. Report an error in the passage at 48:43 Highlight the passage at 48:43

49:27 People do this all the time. But we don't have the wisdom, unfortunately. To make a decision like that. Report an error in the passage at 49:27 Highlight the passage at 49:27

49:36 But, but if, yeah, if you, and also like if that goes back to that, you know, story, if there's three of us in the same room and we're all, if we all do the same act, there could be three different karmic results and that's just based on what was in our mind when we did the act. Or not, you know, I could be completely... Report an error in the passage at 49:36 Highlight the passage at 49:36

49:59 Smooshing the bug while I'm just leading it to talk to you. We do that all the time. And we actually, Lama Zopa Rinpoche says that sentient beings are everywhere. They're filling this room. We just don't see them. They're just everywhere. Spirits, intermediate state beings, insects that are too small for us to see. Report an error in the passage at 49:59 Highlight the passage at 49:59

50:21 So he says even doing this harms sentient beings. So we're just constantly, but there's no intention to. And that's a really huge difference. And then, of course, the person who kills the bug because it has two broken legs or something, and they're like, oh, I just can't bear enough to see that. Whether it helps the bug again is a completely different issue. And then there's, you know, I hate them, you know. And that's a completely, that's this huge negative motivation. Report an error in the passage at 50:21 Highlight the passage at 50:21

50:55 And that, of course, is... It's going to make a hugely different karma. So the thought involved, corrected identification, mental affliction and motivation. The third is actually undertaking the act. So up until this point you could have had, I've decided I want to kill Charlie. I know it's Charlie that I want to kill. Report an error in the passage at 50:55 Highlight the passage at 50:55

51:20 I am under this mental affliction of hatred, for example. And I'm motivated by that. I know that this is the act now that I want to take. This is my intention then to carry that through. Do I actually do it? People do that a lot where they're so angry at somebody or whatever, but then they just go home and sleep it off and get up and go back to work the next day. Report an error in the passage at 51:20 Highlight the passage at 51:20

51:48 So you think about, or you think, you know, I can't stand anymore, I'm going to have to, you know, have an affair with this person, and then the next day you're like, oh my god, what was that all about, you know? So it's just, you get through the first two, but you don't actually do the act. So undertaking the act is you start doing it. Report an error in the passage at 51:48 Highlight the passage at 51:48

52:07 So three is actually that you start doing it. You begin to do something, or you begin to say something, you begin to think something. Report an error in the passage at 52:07 Highlight the passage at 52:07

52:19 And you can still stop yourself at this point. You know, I go out, buy the gun, I buy the ammo, I even get them in my line of vision and then I suddenly... I can still stop myself and go, what am I doing, you know, I'm a Dharma teacher. And a bad shot. Not to mention, I'm scared of the loud noises. And I like Charlie. Completion is when you actually complete the deed and, in this case, the person is dead. Report an error in the passage at 52:19 Highlight the passage at 52:19

52:57 You've actually carried through on it. You really wanted that laptop and you started to take it and you actually took it. Completed that deed. You can no longer turn yourself around at this point. But you can purify it. And we've all done that before, right? And I'm using killing, which is of course hugely, probably, hopefully, many of you guys are acting on that kind of an act. Report an error in the passage at 52:57 Highlight the passage at 52:57

53:25 We do it with speech all the time, right? I'm always trying to work on my speech. You have all these things, so I'm irritated with somebody and I correctly identify that person that I'm irritated with. I'm under the control of anger and I'm motivated. I'm finally going to tell this person off and I start to do it. Report an error in the passage at 53:25 Highlight the passage at 53:25

53:51 And we've done that before, right? Where either we stop ourselves in the middle of it, or we see ourselves doing it, we can't stop ourselves, we yell anyway. So then we complete the act, but we can at least not rejoice that we did it. Like at least go, ugh, I can't believe I did that. And then do those four opponent powers. Regrets. And the sooner you can at least regret it, you cut that path, you know? Report an error in the passage at 53:51 Highlight the passage at 53:51

54:19 Because it's like with this whole package, it immediately then becomes this huge karmic thing that what's one of the elements of karma that we know, it increases. It increases over time. Every moment that we have a karmic seed in our mind stream, it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger. So we want to purify it as quickly as possible. Report an error in the passage at 54:19 Highlight the passage at 54:19

54:37 So the minute you have enough clarity in your mind to see, God, I didn't want to do that. That's poison. I'm just going to suffer. Yuck. You know, and then just do the four of my powers. Or at least regret. it, and then, you know, try to excuse yourself so you can go to the bathroom and do register for something. Report an error in the passage at 54:37 Highlight the passage at 54:37

54:56 You still get a karma if you don't have all four. We still get a karma even with the thought of like, you know, he's irritating, I just want to kill him, even if I don't do anything else, like I don't act on it, I don't want the ammunition, I don't do anything like that. Report an error in the passage at 54:56 Highlight the passage at 54:56

55:12 We still get a karma, but it's not going to be that full force of a full clinic path. And if all four come together, of course it becomes really, really powerful, negative karma, if it's negative. If it's positive, say I decided I'm going to help somebody, and it's Charlie, I want to help, so I correctly identify him, I have, you know, I'm under the control of a virtuous mind, I have a good motivation, I think about how I'm going to do it, and then I actually do it, and I complete the end. Report an error in the passage at 55:12 Highlight the passage at 55:12

55:43 That's a positive karma. So you can do all of these, and we do, with positive karmas. But you can see how to get a really powerful positive karma. It also takes some work to actually think it through. It's not just being a generally good guy and going to bed. So karmically creating the positive and having a really good rebirth takes some effort. Report an error in the passage at 55:43 Highlight the passage at 55:43

56:11 It takes some effort. There's another reason why we should really rejoice at the one we got this time. And so for most of our lives, we haven't done that. Most of our lives, we didn't know all these things and we weren't making that effort to actually do things in a positive way without harming other people. Report an error in the passage at 56:11 Highlight the passage at 56:11

56:28 We weren't actually thinking about what my motivation is for doing this. You know, because we do a lot of mixed carmens now at this point. I might help Charlie, but I'm kind of hoping that he'll help me back or that he notices. Or that, you know, Jane notices and thinks I'm really good. You know, our minds are mixed up at this point. We have negative stuff mixed up with the good stuff. Report an error in the passage at 56:28 Highlight the passage at 56:28

56:52 So I might do good acts and they're kind of, they aren't full force. Because I'm not really 100 % pure. Quite a bit less. Report an error in the passage at 56:52 Highlight the passage at 56:52

57:05 So anyway, what this has to do with refuge is... The stronger our refuge is, the more likely we are to apply the Buddhist teachings at a point where we're doing an act, whether it's catching ourselves in a negative act. What's going to catch us is understanding that there's some harm in the act that we're doing and that it's not something I want to do and that it'll poison my own mind stream and it'll create my own suffering. Report an error in the passage at 57:05 Highlight the passage at 57:05

57:34 So understanding karma, which is of course the main Buddhist teaching. Report an error in the passage at 57:34 Highlight the passage at 57:34

57:40 That's going to make us more likely to apply the Dharma at that time period. And then also, I think actually that is it. It's really just the stronger our refuge is, the stronger our understanding of the Dharma, the more likely we are at the time that we need it to reach into our toolbox and pull out something like this, to turn it around. Report an error in the passage at 57:40 Highlight the passage at 57:40

58:08 And that's the only thing that's going to shift. Are kind of where we are going now, which is not 100 % negative, but it's mixed at this point. And it's like this actually could straighten it out. And not only that, but it could actually create a paradise. I mean, that's the whole point, is to be able to become a fully enlightened being. Report an error in the passage at 58:08 Highlight the passage at 58:08

58:29 And we have to create the causes of that. It's like, as Venerable Sarah once said, If you want a cup of tea, you have to put the water on. You actually have to do something to get it. You can't just sit there and wait to start feeling a little lump on the top of your head and maybe see your arms start to turn golden. Report an error in the passage at 58:29 Highlight the passage at 58:29

58:49 It's not going to happen like that. You have to actually actively participate in becoming a Buddha. So, Charlie, did you have a question? I'm sorry, I think I was involved in my own death here. Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike. Sorry. He thought I was calling him Mike. I didn't have the correct identification. Report an error in the passage at 58:49 Highlight the passage at 58:49

59:16 I'm sorry, number four. After the actual act itself, or the start of the act, the fourth element of karma is the completion? Completion, yeah. I'm sorry. No, it's okay. So it's basis. Thought involved, which is, you know, correct identification, mental affliction and motivation. Report an error in the passage at 59:16 Highlight the passage at 59:16

59:37 And undertaking the act is three and completion of the act. You do it. I originally had learned that one that you had to rejoice because she said, no, you don't need to actually rejoice, but if you do, it strengthens it. So if you do a negative act and then you're like, yeah, I killed him or I stole that wallet or whatever it is, you know, it's mine, you know, that makes it just. Report an error in the passage at 59:37 Highlight the passage at 59:37

1:00:01 So much worse. But if you do a positive act and you rejoice afterwards, it also strengthens it. So that's a good thing to remember too. So if I, you know, decide I'm going to help Charlie put in his garden or whatever, and then afterwards I'm like, yeah, that was great. I'm so glad I did it. And I don't mean in any kind of prideful way, not in any kind of arrogant way, but just like, that was great. I'm really glad I did that today, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:01 Highlight the passage at 1:00:01

1:00:27 So it just strengthens it. It's like it strengthens the sea. It's like, they say it's like fertilizer. Rejoicing is like fertilizer for whatever you put in the ground, which is great if it's tomatoes and zucchinis, right? But it's not so great if it's ragweed. So if you've got a bunch of ragweed in there, it's just going to make it go out of control, or bamboo, or whatever. Kudzu. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:27 Highlight the passage at 1:00:27

1:00:49 Pretty good southern name. So the objects are refuged. And in this case, we talk, there's a lot of times you talk about Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha and then you also hear the terms Buddha Jewel, Dharma Jewel. And so there's a couple of different levels of refuge in terms of the actual refuge as well as what's called the relative or apparent refuge. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:49 Highlight the passage at 1:00:49

1:01:19 So I thought I'd do those, which is another list. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:19 Highlight the passage at 1:01:19

1:01:26 So the three jewels differ from the relative ones, but we have to know what they both are. The actual jewels, the actual things that we take refuge in are actually huge in a way. They're almost like more vast than our minds can comprehend. And so there are these sort of relative forms of them that make it a little easier for us to get our minds around it. And one example of that is with the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:26 Highlight the passage at 1:01:26

1:01:54 The actual Buddha, actually I should start, the apparent Buddha jewel, or the apparent Buddha refuge, I should say, the apparent Buddha refuge or relative is a term that you hear more often, is what's called the rupakaya, the form body of a Buddha, which actually has two parts. What do you spell that? Rupakaya, rupakaya is R-U-P-A form. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:54 Highlight the passage at 1:01:54

1:02:26 And kaya is body. So you can just have form body too. That's the physical body. That's the kind of body that beings can see. And that has two parts, the sambhogakaya and the nirmanakaya. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:26 Highlight the passage at 1:02:26

1:02:45 The sambhogakaya also can be called jewel body, enjoyment body. I Report an error in the passage at 1:02:45 Highlight the passage at 1:02:45

1:02:57 think sambhogakaya is actually enjoyment. Nirmanakaya is emanation body. So Sambhogakaya is the physical form that a Buddha takes so that it actually looks like the form of these sort of tankas that we see, especially the tankas where they are in consort with consort. But they say that... Only the highest level bodhisattvas can see those. We don't have the karma to see those. They could be in here totally filling the room and we're just like, you know, we just don't have that karma. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:57 Highlight the passage at 1:02:57

1:03:40 They say eighth level Bhumi and beyond. In other words, pretty high level bodhisattva is the only one that can see that. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:40 Highlight the passage at 1:03:40

1:03:49 So for the rest of us, they do these what's called emanation bodies, nirmanakaya, and that can be in whatever form we need. And that's... Often then considered not just the Buddha, this is a nirmanakaya of Shakyamuni Buddha's nirmanakaya, but also our teachers, gurus, especially once you reach that level where they are really gurus, where you really see them as embodying and light in mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:49 Highlight the passage at 1:03:49

1:04:24 But they say that Buddhas can manifest in any form that we need, at any time. That it might benefit us. So she could be a Buddha. We wouldn't know. We don't have that ability to know. She could be just coming to help us look at our mind and think about emptiness in a different way, you know? Same with the driver of the Muni bus that you happen to be on, who could say something to you that suddenly may, like you just start walking back to your seat and you're like, wait a second, you know? Report an error in the passage at 1:04:24 Highlight the passage at 1:04:24

1:04:56 The waitress. you know Report an error in the passage at 1:04:56 Highlight the passage at 1:04:56

1:04:57 You know, you just don't know what form they're going to take. The person that you're obsessing about, you know, it could be a co-worker. I mean, there's no reason they can't. If they can, if they have this ability to emanate in limitless possibilities for every being, limitlessly, there's no reason that they couldn't take 20 years off to help, you know, because it's just one of the bodies that they're shooting out. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:57 Highlight the passage at 1:04:57

1:05:22 So it's not like, you know, so why not? They decide to take a job at the same time as Charlie's taking his job so that they can sit next to them and really work on his mind, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:22 Highlight the passage at 1:05:22

1:05:36 And I mean that's the thing, that's with nirmanakaya. So that's Sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya and that's the relative refuge. So a lot of times when we think, I take refuge in the Buddha, we're thinking, I take refuge in Shakyamuni, right? I'm thinking, this guy looks like a monk. It might be kind of golden in color, but basically it's the historical Buddha. We'll often think that way. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:36 Highlight the passage at 1:05:36

1:06:03 But this isn't what the actual Buddha jewel is. The actual Buddha jewel is the Dharmakaya, that third body. Sometimes you hear the bodies of the Buddha broken down into three and sometimes into four. The fourth one is really just the emptiness of the Buddha's mind, so that one's not going to pertain here. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:03 Highlight the passage at 1:06:03

1:06:22 The Dharmakaya is the fully enlightened, omniscient mind of the Buddha that sees everything simultaneously, including conventional truth, ultimate truth, and pervades the entire universe. I mean it's this vast wisdom, perfected mind. Having only every quality of perfection and not having anything negative. So all harmful thoughts gone, all afflicted thoughts gone, just completely eliminated, like all transformed into positive. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:22 Highlight the passage at 1:06:22

1:06:59 There's nothing non-positive about it. So it's kind of hard to take refuge in that, you know what I mean? Like in our state, it's like, huh. But the reality is, is that's exactly what we want. Our mind is totally capable of that. Our mind is completely capable. I mean, it has all the elements in there now. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:59 Highlight the passage at 1:06:59

1:07:23 Mind knows. This is simply knowing perfectly all things without exception. You've removed every block, karmic blocks. You've gotten rid of all of them. You've purified everything. You've perfected everything. You've developed everything to the point where it can't be developed any further. That's what enlightenment is, is perfect mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:23 Highlight the passage at 1:07:23

1:07:43 So this is what we're actually taking refuge in. That's the Buddha jewel. The apparent Dharma refuge is the Dharma texts. You know, a lot of times people say the teachings of the Buddha, which is really what the Dharma texts signify. Sutras, tantras, commentaries even. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:43 Highlight the passage at 1:07:43

1:08:04 But the actual Dharma jewel, it's actually defined as the true paths and true cessations. In the minds of Arya beings, which are beings who have directly perceived emptiness. Aryas are anyone who has directly perceived emptiness. So you shift. When you directly perceive emptiness, your mind completely, permanently and irreversibly changes and you become a superior. That's what a superior is. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:04 Highlight the passage at 1:08:04

1:08:36 Arya just means superior. The rest of us are ordinary. And Buddhas are still superiors. They still have that shift. They're on the other side of the line. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:36 Highlight the passage at 1:08:36

1:08:45 So the actual Dharma jewel is the realization of those teachings in the minds of these highly developed beings. So that's hard to take refuge in too. Again, it's like you're taking refuge in a mind. It's kind of an odd thought, which is why we often think more about the relative, the teachings of the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:45 Highlight the passage at 1:08:45

1:09:11 But what's actually going to shift our life is having those realizations in our own minds. That's what actually changes reality. It's not just hearing the teachings of karma, it's realizing the teachings of karma. It's not just contemplating the teachings on emptiness, it's directly seeing reality as it is. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:11 Highlight the passage at 1:09:11

1:09:33 No barriers anymore. And they say the moment you directly perceive emptiness. Like within a short number of lifetimes you're out. And you can see that at that moment, like right after that moment. You actually see when you're going to get enlightened. You actually know that it's all true. Like you eliminate doubt once after all. You just know. So that's what we're taking refuge is. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:33 Highlight the passage at 1:09:33

1:09:58 I mean, it's so exciting actually when you think about that possibility and the fact that each one of us has that possibility within our own mind stream right now. So it's that when I say true paths and true cessation, cessation is just referring to the elimination of all mental affliction. And the only way that we can eliminate all mental affliction is through, once we directly perceive emptiness, slowly and methodically eliminating one by one with that new information. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:58 Highlight the passage at 1:09:58

1:10:30 So the path of seeing is directly perceiving emptiness. The path of habituation or meditation is... Is applying that in our own mind stream and eliminating every one of our mental afflictions and their inference and that's the path. So it's cessation and path, true cessation and true path. So it's just eliminating those forever, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:30 Highlight the passage at 1:10:30

1:10:55 So it's not the words, we're not taking refuge in the words, we're taking refuge in the actual method itself as it manifests, as it changes minds, you know. And the actual Saṅgha refuge are those Arya beings themselves, so those minds that actually have these realizations. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:55 Highlight the passage at 1:10:55

1:11:18 Which is also hard to take refuge in, right? It just seems like this sort of odd, vague thing. Although I think there is something juicy about it. But the apparent refuge, and you often hear people use this term for Saṅgha, or people wearing this. Does this mean that we're all Arya beings? I can tell you, I'm not. And it's not just being humble. It's hard because a lot of times people think that you're just being incredibly humble. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:18 Highlight the passage at 1:11:18

1:11:48 It's like, no, no. I'm actually telling you the truth. But once you become an Arya being, When you directly perceive emptiness and it changes your mind, when we see those Arya beings, we can't tell that. So actually any of you guys could be Arya beings, and I wouldn't know. I'm not a buoyant, so I wouldn't know. But it's hard for us to get our minds around it, so for now we take refuge in this relative refuge or this apparent Saṅgha refuge, which are monastics living the vows who represent these teachings and realizations. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:48 Highlight the passage at 1:11:48

1:12:27 We just are representative of them. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:27 Highlight the passage at 1:12:27

1:12:34 So often the difference, and this isn't even across the board, but this is the way I learned it, is that the relative versions of these things aren't capitalized. And the ultimate versions or the actual versions, the actual Dharma jewel is, and the actual Saṅgha jewel is capitalized. So an actual Arya being is a Saṅgha with a capital S. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:34 Highlight the passage at 1:12:34

1:12:59 But that's being all, that's all over the place now. So, you know, people will call it like me, Saṅgha. And I'll be like, no, no, let's edit that one down, lowercase, you know. But that's not across the board, so not everybody sees it that way. Did you have a question, David? I thought I saw a hand. When you Report an error in the passage at 1:12:59 Highlight the passage at 1:12:59

1:13:25 were talking about the Dharma jewel, is that the non-learner? The relative is the text and the sutras and teachings and everything, but the actual jewel is the non-learner. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:25 Highlight the passage at 1:13:25

1:13:42 That's actually the non-learner. Are you thinking about the path of no more learning? Is that what you're thinking? Well, it was like a term that was used in reference to the Buddha, the historical Buddha. It was like the non-learner. I think the path of nowhere learning is what you're... The fifth path is actual enlightenment itself. So that's not the actual enlightenment itself at this point. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:42 Highlight the passage at 1:13:42

1:14:08 The Arya being is... So there's... And this is another two that get confused. And I don't know whether that's true for you, but for me it's confusing because they both start with A. Arhats and Arya beings. And that might be closer to Arhat, what you're talking about. Arya can happen to any of us in 20 minutes if we have. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:08 Highlight the passage at 1:14:08

1:14:30 If we are able to concentrate deeply for up to four hours at a time, like, you know, without shifting our concentration at all. So we need that to have a direct perception of emptiness. But the moment you have that direct perception of emptiness, which could last us a little less 20 minutes, you come out of that meditation and Arya being, the shift is like that. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:30 Highlight the passage at 1:14:30

1:14:55 Now, you've had two paths before that, right? Path of accumulation and path of preparation. So you've been accumulating tons of merit, purifying, and we don't know how much of that was already done, right? Because I don't have any past life memory. I don't know what the rest of you, but so we just... Report an error in the passage at 1:14:55 Highlight the passage at 1:14:55

1:15:15 We carry on as though this is our only life, but in reality we have been preparing for a while. We don't know when that shift could happen and suddenly our concentration gets a lot better, like you're describing. Karmic seeds can suddenly shift, which is the cool thing. So that moment of suddenly becoming an Arya being is not so sudden. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:15 Highlight the passage at 1:15:15

1:15:36 In reality it's taken us lifetimes to get to that point. But it happens that way. In one lifetime it happens. And then from then on, for the rest of your lifetimes, until you attain enlightenment, and after you attain enlightenment, you are an Arya being. Arya being just means somebody who has directly perceived emptiness. So somebody who knows the nature of reality intimately, directly. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:36 Highlight the passage at 1:15:36

1:16:02 Gisela likes the word nakedly. Nothing in between you and it. That's great, huh? I'm never going to be able to say that in my life. Okay. So, but an arhat is then, after you have that, you've directly perceived emptiness, then you start over the next, the fourth path, which is quite long. Could take seven lifetimes, they say. Up to seven lifetimes. But of course, considering, compared to relative, you know, relatively speaking, that's pretty short, compared to limitless lifetimes. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:02 Highlight the passage at 1:16:02

1:16:37 Seven, okay. So then you are then applying your understanding of emptiness and you're repeatedly going back to that state and directly perceiving emptiness and using that to apply to, you know, stuff that's going on in your life. You come out of the meditation, you look around, you still, I still see you guys as out there. I still see things in the same way, but I don't believe it anymore. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:37 Highlight the passage at 1:16:37

1:17:02 All that doubt's gone. All that confusion's gone. I know how it actually exists now. I don't see it that way in my non-meditative state yet, but I have had that direct taste of the nature of reality, so I don't believe it at all for a minute. And I totally believe in the Buddhist teachings 100%. That doubt's gone. It's like, wow, he was really right. That's so cool. So then I'm just repeatedly going back into that meditative state, applying it onto my anger, my jealousy. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:02 Highlight the passage at 1:17:02

1:17:34 The traces of irritation, you know, because you hit the gross ones first and you go finer and finer and finer. Then it's just like a slight irritation in that Charlie shirt. I really don't mind your shirt. You know, the little tiny, you know, your attachment to that pen. You know, it's like it begins getting incredibly fine and you're just applying your understanding of reality. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:34 Highlight the passage at 1:17:34

1:17:57 Then you become an Arhat once you've removed all of this. Are you a Buddha yet? No. In some traditions, you would be as in Lama. You would be considered a Buddha. But in our tradition, you have to remove the subtlest traces, which is basically what's called the subtle, what do they call it again? Obstacles to omniscience, which are these subtle obstacles. And in the final levels of these upper paths of your practice, you're basically removing those final veils and then you're able to know everything. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:57 Highlight the passage at 1:17:57

1:18:32 If I do this, maybe you can look it up. But an Arhat is the in-between stage between... Is that a capital A response? Yeah, that's capital A. Yeah, so I think that a non-learner, although I haven't heard that phrase before, but I think the path, the fifth path, so you've had path of seeing, you direct it, you see emptiness, that's the shortest of all the paths. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:32 Highlight the passage at 1:18:32

1:18:56 You have that direct experience. The fourth path is the path of habituating yourself to that. The path of meditation, you're constantly familiarizing yourself with this experience of emptiness and applying it to everything and removing all your imprints and negativities one by one, negative states of mind, brain. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:56 Highlight the passage at 1:18:56

1:19:19 And then the path of no more learning is once you actually attain enlightenment itself. It's considered the fifth path, but really you've already gotten there. As though we were there to get to. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:19 Highlight the passage at 1:19:19

1:19:33 So, quick before I give you a break, eight benefits of taking refuge. And they often will give lists of benefits. See, I'm giving you loads of lists tonight, actually. They'll give you all these benefits to kind of encourage you and spur you on. You know, like in Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, there's an entire first chapter, the benefits of generating bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:33 Highlight the passage at 1:19:33

1:19:58 Because if you get all fired up about it, then you're going to read the remaining nine chapters. So they often will do this, I think, the benefits of calm abiding, meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:58 Highlight the passage at 1:19:58

1:20:11 Almost every one of the main teachings has the benefits, the benefits of meditating on death, the benefits of meditating on precious human rebirth. And they'll often counter it with the disadvantages of not meditating on death, which is basically... All of that reversed in a really horrible way and you're like, oh, you know. This one I don't think has the negative, I think it just has the positive. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:11 Highlight the passage at 1:20:11

1:20:38 So, the eight benefits of taking refuge. And I'm sure there are more. I'm sure there's limitless benefits of taking refuge, but this is the main one. You become what's known as an inner being. And actually... Corona was talking about this last Friday night when he was talking about the mind. When you take refuge, actually, when you enter the Buddhist path, in our culture we say become a Buddhist, but in Tibetan they don't have that term at all. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:38 Highlight the passage at 1:20:38

1:21:12 They don't say so-and-so is a Buddhist. They say so-and-so became an inner being. It's like you're making this commitment to work on your mind, to really do this inner work. You're getting it that this responsibility lies with me to do this work. And that if I want to be happy and I want to eliminate my suffering, it comes down to me. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:12 Highlight the passage at 1:21:12

1:21:37 I've got to do the work. So that's where the power lies. And getting that is actually what makes you an inner being, which is pretty cool. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:37 Highlight the passage at 1:21:37

1:21:49 So much of this stuff is. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:49 Highlight the passage at 1:21:49

1:21:53 So nobody else can make us happy. This is a huge one. Nobody else can make us suffer. That's even bigger. Except for me. And the way you can kind of prove it is like looking at, especially our teachers, the amazing teachers, but people who have experienced the exact same thing as you have and haven't gotten all the hits of it. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:53 Highlight the passage at 1:21:53

1:22:20 Just so aggravating, isn't it? But they haven't gotten into it. Sometimes they've experienced far worse. And even if you have like this, I just was reading this, I don't remember even where I was reading it. Somebody, oh I think I got a, you know, because I all often, because I manage the prayer list for the center. So I get emails, you know, from people who are saying, can you put so and so on? Report an error in the passage at 1:22:20 Highlight the passage at 1:22:20

1:22:44 And so somebody was writing an email and they said that this woman is 25 years old and had... Massive health problems her entire life, and yet still managed to have an incredibly happy mind, an incredibly happy life. And I just thought, that's just so inspiring, you know? And it just proves, you know, that you don't have to have wonderful things happen to you to have a happy mind. And having really horrible things happen to you doesn't mean you have to have an unhappy mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:44 Highlight the passage at 1:22:44

1:23:14 Like, we always think it's just this... Clear trail. I'm upset because you did this, you know, or, you know, he left me or he stole my car or whatever. And then you see somebody who doesn't do that when that same exact thing happens. I was with Amy Miller, who was this friend and also nun who was here this past summer and taught the first two of this cycle of discovery of Buddhism. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:14 Highlight the passage at 1:23:14

1:23:42 series. I was with her when she left the old Seijinling two centers ago. She went out to get in her car and it was gone. It had been stolen. And her reaction was so incredible. She was just like, oh, hmm, okay. It was really just like that. She was just like, alright then. Okay, you know, it just didn't... Report an error in the passage at 1:23:42 Highlight the passage at 1:23:42

1:24:13 She didn't really hold her back for very long. You know, granted it's an old car, but still it's a car, you know. And I was just really impressed. I was like, wow, that's cool. That's really neat, you know. She was getting ready to go to India, and in her mind she was like, one less thing to deal with, you know. So, but it was, I mean, it really just showed me, I'll get more worked up over lost keys, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:13 Highlight the passage at 1:24:13

1:24:36 I mean, it really, it's, you really can see that there is another way to be, and it starts with working on our own life. I'm looking at them and working with them moment by moment, day by day. It takes a while. It doesn't spontaneously happen. But we have to do it. There's really nobody else who can do it for us. Our gurus can't do it for us. The Buddha can't do it for us. We just have to take charge. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:36 Highlight the passage at 1:24:36

1:25:04 We have to own this one. This is our mind. This is my life. I'm not going to work on it. you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:04 Highlight the passage at 1:25:04

1:25:12 The second one is that you gain the basis for further vows. And actually taking vows is a really, I mean, you know, like the poster child, right? But taking vows is a really helpful way of subduing your mind. And that's actually something that we actually have to do is subdue our minds. Our minds are insane. I mean, our minds are really insane all the time. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:12 Highlight the passage at 1:25:12

1:25:33 And I can speak from experience. I have a very insane mind. And often in the West, taking vows is really seen, I think it's Lama Yeshi who actually said, you know, Westerners tend to think of taking vows as entering prison. And it's just, you know, it's not the truth that you gain so much benefit from taking vows. Even if it's one vow, you take one lay vow, you take the vow never to intentionally kill again. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:33 Highlight the passage at 1:25:33

1:26:05 Just that one, which hopefully most of us could do. You just are holding that. From the moment you take it, they actually say it's almost like an aura on your mind stream. It's there all the time because it's now your intention for the rest of your life never to intentionally kill. So it doesn't matter if you never have a situation arise where you don't kill. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:05 Highlight the passage at 1:26:05

1:26:32 You have that intention and it just permeates your mind all the time for the rest of your life. And they say that creates enormous positive karma. Which is really different than me encountering a couple of situations where I choose not to kill. Because then I only get that positive karma for those times. Which could be not that many for the rest of this life. You know, it could be five, half a dozen. But with the vow, for the rest of your life you've got this... Report an error in the passage at 1:26:32 Highlight the passage at 1:26:32

1:27:01 What they say, whether you're distracted, whether you're asleep, you know, you're always creating this positive karma. Just fighting holding this vow and keeping it, of course. Hopefully. The schedule always says, now that you've taken these vows, now you have to keep them. It's like, oh yeah. Everybody's all happy, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:01 Highlight the passage at 1:27:01

1:27:22 It's like, oh. So, that's immediate. I mean, that's an immediate effect of it. A long-term effect as well as immediate. The immediate effect, a lot of time of vows, is just increasing mindfulness. When you take the one day vows, like the eight Mahāyāna precepts, which is actually, if you've taken them before, this is a really good time to take them. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:22 Highlight the passage at 1:27:22

1:27:47 The point between Lobsang and Day of Miracles is supposed to be a really virtuous time. Everything, all of our karma has increased during this particular two-week period. But Genshala usually just gives precepts for the day on Day of Miracles. So I highly recommend it if you've never taken them before, that this would be a great thing to take them with him. There are eight one-day vows. You just take it from sunup to sunup. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:47 Highlight the passage at 1:27:47

1:28:12 And they include the five lay vows, basically, the no killing, no stealing. Actually, there's no sexual conduct period that day because you're just taking it for one day. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:12 Highlight the passage at 1:28:12

1:28:26 Lying, what did I say? So stealing, killing, stealing, sexual conduct. In this case, lying and intoxicants. And in addition, you are taking three others. So one of them is not, is a special one around your food. So you stop eating at midday. I usually just say midday rather than noon because it's too hard with life in a busy setting, but midday. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:26 Highlight the passage at 1:28:26

1:28:54 And then you also don't eat these, it's probably the same one, you don't eat what's called black foods, these foods that kind of disturb your energies. And so that includes meat, eggs, onion, garlic, and kind of interesting radishes. Radishes is a big one for me, but I think it's pretty big for Tibetans, so they always include them. Something about these things is said to affect your meditation. And so actually a lot of monastics. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:54 Highlight the passage at 1:28:54

1:29:26 I should say very highly attained gymnastics give up these things anyway. When you're in retreat, often you really notice the difference. In the city, I have to be honest, I don't notice a lot of difference with my meditation. But in retreat, I do notice with these things. I think then there's one about not sleeping on high beds. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:26 Highlight the passage at 1:29:26

1:29:51 And what that one's really about is pride. It's having a lot of pride. Yeah, and people get really caught up with the actual language and the spirit behind it, I think, is having a lot of pride. So it's not like if you have a high bed, you have to get off and sleep on the floor. People are, if you're like in a door of the Dharma Center, they're like, if I'm on the top bunk, you know, and it's like, yeah, but look at the bed you're on. You have a lot of pride about that one. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:51 Highlight the passage at 1:29:51

1:30:16 I'm missing one. Oh, then there's one that has like about 59,000 in it, and it's basically being frivolous. It's really about being really frivolous. So it's like wearing cosmetics, which is hard for a lot of people when they go to work. And that was, you know, but it's really about making yourself attractive. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:16 Highlight the passage at 1:30:16

1:30:34 So it's like kind of for no reason. You're just singing, dancing, playing music. This is where you realize what you're shaking refuge in. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:34 Highlight the passage at 1:30:34

1:30:46 So your food, this one is also good. Or sleep on that high bunk or any other. So yeah, those are the things you're giving up. I can't remember all the others, but cosmetic, oh, adornment, earrings and things like that, you know. So at Copan, at the one-month lamrim course in November, a lot of times people take precepts for the first time. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:46 Highlight the passage at 1:30:46

1:31:12 So you're not just taking it for one day. You're actually taking it for the final two weeks. So it's kind of a long amount of time if you've never done that. And you really start realizing how much you sing songs in your head and how much you kind of, you know, do the little, you know, dancey thing and how much you really are turning to food, especially at night, for comfort when you're a long way from home. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:12 Highlight the passage at 1:31:12

1:31:36 You know, just things like that. And so it's really about building mindfulness. I think the eight Mahāyāna precepts more than anything else is about Giving you that opportunity to look at how you normally waste a lot of time. It really frees up time too to not have that evening meal. It gives you so much more time and in retreat it just makes total sense. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:36 Highlight the passage at 1:31:36

1:31:57 I almost always do precepts in retreat because then it's just like after lunch you're just done. It's just open sailing the rest of the day. It's amazing how much energy you put into the evening meal. It's great. You just have so much more time. But any kind of vows that we hold, bodhisattva vows, tantric vows, they're all about bringing more mindfulness and they all do this added benefit of just increasing your virtue incredibly. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:57 Highlight the passage at 1:31:57

1:32:26 And they often say like, you know, with ordination, we were just talking about this today, I don't remember who I was talking about it with, but a lot of lamas are so used to if somebody has the aspiration to take robes. They'll let them take robes because that's such a rare thing, you know, especially in this day and age for somebody who want to take robes. But then often, you know, the person just robes within a day. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:26 Highlight the passage at 1:32:26

1:32:51 I mean, honestly, like a month, a year. I remember being I was talking about, I think they're, you know, like all, as she said, all the Italian, there's so many Italian monks at the beginning and like 30 of them, like out of 50, just robes. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:51 Highlight the passage at 1:32:51

1:33:08 And we're just kind of, you know, sometimes you're wondering, like, why do they okay this? You know, if they have this wisdom. We just don't see the benefit of even, you know, Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, even one day, even one hour in the house is so hugely virtuous that it's worth everything else. Which is just, we just don't have that concept. We just can't grasp. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:08 Highlight the passage at 1:33:08

1:33:34 How that can change your mind or what that even does for that person to have hell bells for three months for the rest of their life. What that does for their mom. You just can't see the purification that that person goes through. I think there's enormous purification. Have you ever seen a new monk or nun? It's like a pressure cooker going on. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:34 Highlight the passage at 1:33:34

1:33:55 There's just so much happening. And I think it's the bells. I think it's just the power of the bells. It's amazing. So, It doesn't mean you should run out tonight and take vows. It's just to give you a whole different way of looking. It's simply a method of working on our minds. And refuge is like that. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:55 Highlight the passage at 1:33:55

1:34:15 Refuge is a set of precepts, of guides, of how you're going to live your life in a different way. So when you formally take the step of taking refuge in a formal ceremony with a Lama, Report an error in the passage at 1:34:15 Highlight the passage at 1:34:15

1:34:29 You are setting up a whole different guideline for how you're going to live your life. You aren't taking vows. They aren't called vows. They're more like guidelines or precepts. But they still are. You know, your basic one is not to harm, not to intentionally harm again. So you're turning your mind in the direction of the Buddhism bodhisattvas. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:29 Highlight the passage at 1:34:29

1:34:54 Like you're heading yourself down this path, you know, of becoming an inner being. So, in order to take any of these higher levels of vows, you have to start with refuge. That's the basis of every other set of vows out there, except for the one-day vows. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:54 Highlight the passage at 1:34:54

1:35:12 The third one is, and then you get a break, you reduce mental afflictions and purify past negative karma. This is just through, again, reminding you that we're doing eight benefits of taking refuge. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:12 Highlight the passage at 1:35:12

1:35:28 You reduce mental afflictions, kleshas, delusions. I always call them M.A.s. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:28 Highlight the passage at 1:35:28

1:35:38 For Geshehl's classes, I have autocorrect set up. It's like C.A. So now when I try to type addresses and it's C.A., it's like comma biting. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:38 Highlight the passage at 1:35:38

1:35:50 M.F. is mental factors. You know, it's like the ones he uses all the time. It makes typing that much faster. So M.A.s, mental afflictions. SBS. So when we take refuge, how does this work? It's that same idea. Because we've decided to do virtue, basically, and avoid harm, which is what we do when we're taking refuge, right? It's like turning our mind in this direction. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:50 Highlight the passage at 1:35:50

1:36:20 I'm not going to follow this negative mind anymore. I'm not going to follow my negative behavior anymore. I'm kind of making this commitment just by taking refuge, just by... and he beats. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:20 Highlight the passage at 1:36:20

1:36:31 Relying on the teachings of the Buddha. So I can get one of those minds that I just described. This is what I want. I want to attain this kind of mind. In order to do that, it's sort of like, how do I get the body like, you know, I'm trying to think of somebody whose body is good. You have to start at square one. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:31 Highlight the passage at 1:36:31

1:36:49 You can't start at square one and immediately look like, you know, a major triple gold letter athlete. You've got to start with just going to the gym. For at least, you know, 40 minutes a day, you know, and you've just got to be sandy about it. And this is very much like that. We've got to just start with this. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:49 Highlight the passage at 1:36:49

1:37:09 So, but as we do this, just having this motivation to start and steadily work on our minds creates this amazing energy around purifying what we've already, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:09 Highlight the passage at 1:37:09

1:37:26 all that negative karma that we've already created. And also reducing the mental afflictions that we have, these negative states of mind that pop up all the time. So this is the complete opposite of this mind that just mindlessly, without awareness, indulges in disturbing thoughts, which is kind of the way we've been living for lifetime, after lifetime, after lifetime, and it hasn't really brought us any happiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:26 Highlight the passage at 1:37:26

1:37:50 We've just been, it's like monkey mind, I call it, you know, we're just mindless. And you see it, of course, when you're meditating on the breath, actually not even on your mind, just on the breath and your monkey mind is going all over the place. Normally, we just mindlessly follow it. Meditation is simply bringing it up into our face and going, wow, look at that, you know. It doesn't mean we're more of a person, it just means this is what our life has been. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:50 Highlight the passage at 1:37:50

1:38:15 We've been following this from lifetime to lifetime, indulging in every negative thought we've had. Sometimes really gnawing on it for days or months or years. You know, people who don't talk to a family member for 35 years until that person's dying or something. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:15 Highlight the passage at 1:38:15

1:38:33 So not understanding at all any of the karmic ramifications of that. But it's process, you know. Understanding this intellectually doesn't mean that we're going to suddenly run out and change our behavior. So that's why it's like we have to have... This understanding of how it all works and this sort of patience with the process because it takes time. His Holiness is always saying you've got to have a long view too. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:33 Highlight the passage at 1:38:33

1:39:00 This takes a long time. It's like you see the amount of time it takes for somebody to get off cigarettes. That's a habit. This is simply mental habits that we're trying to shift and trying to turn it around. So we have to be patient with ourselves but maybe not self-indulge it. Learn to see the difference between them. So the second part of this particular benefit is that we begin purifying all of our negative inference. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:00 Highlight the passage at 1:39:00

1:39:26 They say as soon as we take refuge. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:26 Highlight the passage at 1:39:26

1:39:32 And how that happens, how that works is that when we, and we have to be really conscious when you're taking refuge. Geshe always points that out. And that's really true for, of course, anything. You know, it's true for empowerment. It's true for taking any levels of vows. Taking the one-day vows, they always say, on this last repetition, really be aware of what you're doing and, you know, really think, okay, now I've received these vows. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:32 Highlight the passage at 1:39:32

1:39:58 And most of the time, of course, we're just like, what are we having for dinner tonight? You know, it's like our minds are just everywhere, so they have to tell us, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:58 Highlight the passage at 1:39:58

1:40:06 You have to be really aware right now. Because if you're not, you miss it. You never even took the vows. It's a huge question as to how many of us have ever even taken the vows that we're holding. I remember thinking really hard at the moment that I was taking it. I was really trying to be really aware of the vows as they hit me. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:06 Highlight the passage at 1:40:06

1:40:27 And I was. I can remember that moment just really clearly. I can just bring back that exact moment. You know, but... I don't think I've ever taken a single impairment. It's gone. So they say as soon as we take refuge consciously, sincerely, you know, strongly, we begin cutting this whole beginningless negative energy that we have, you know, mindlessly following our karma. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:27 Highlight the passage at 1:40:27

1:40:58 And so that's, you know, I mean, to completely purify it, we actually have to apply those four planet powers. But this experience of taking refuge or doing refuge or having this in our minds is completely opposite to the mind that created that negative karma to begin with. So we're shifting it 180, you know. And so that's how it begins to counter this energy that we've had since being in this time. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:58 Highlight the passage at 1:40:58

1:41:25 And every time we remember to cultivate refuge deeply and sincerely, it does the same. So it's a constant thing. It's not like it has to be one time that we took it really well. Then we get to go watch TV. It's just a constant thing of remembering what it is returning refuge is and how that refuge is going to help me at this moment, which is usually the main refuge, of course. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:25 Highlight the passage at 1:41:25

1:41:52 Taking refuge in the teachings of Buddha as they, what I like to think about is as they will be realized in my own mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:52 Highlight the passage at 1:41:52

1:42:02 So that's kind of a different version of that one, but you can do that too. We'll actually talk about that in different types of refuge, but it's that. So it's not just thinking about how wonderful it is in the minds of those other wonderful beings out there who are all, you know, have become Arya beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:02 Highlight the passage at 1:42:02

1:42:20 But it's that, those realizations will happen in my mind too. So why don't you take a quick break, and I'm sorry, I'm going a little bit late here. I just have a couple more of these benefits. Five to be exact. Yes, I do, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:20 Highlight the passage at 1:42:20

1:42:42 But a couple of them are really short, actually. And there's only one more list. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:42 Highlight the passage at 1:42:42

1:42:51 We can speak the break. I really can see how Microsoft Word, you know, the spell correct thing, a great thing for certain. It's perfect, I tell you. I mean, it means I can, I'm not that fast a typer. I'm fairly fast, probably medium. But that makes you really fast because it's just like C-O-N, you know, consciousness. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:51 Highlight the passage at 1:42:51

1:43:15 Autocorrect. Autocorrect is like the best tool. I never even knew it existed. Yeah, it's just priceless for Dharma. Because, you know, the same words come up all the time. Anything in business, I used to work for a company, Security Link from Ameritech, and it was just SLFA. Right, right, right. Stuff that you're using all the time, and you don't have to write it out. You don't waste that time. It's especially wonderful in class, though. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:15 Highlight the passage at 1:43:15

1:43:40 When time is of the essence, I guess it goes really fast, even with the translation. I don't know what would happen if we didn't have the translation, because that's kind of when I go back through and correct the spelling. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:40 Highlight the passage at 1:43:40

1:43:53 You know, you sometimes have those battles with word where your list of ten things decides to suddenly indent a cross, and you're like, what? and, you know, like Report an error in the passage at 1:43:53 Highlight the passage at 1:43:53

1:44:01 Hi, you know, I'm like fighting with it while he's translating the last word and I'm like, oh. It's always like at the last minute I managed to get it back over to the right place and then he zooms off on the next one. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:01 Highlight the passage at 1:44:01

1:44:13 Yeah, that blue blinking underline that just won't go back. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:13 Highlight the passage at 1:44:13

1:44:20 Yeah, and then yet you do get really obsessed by it. It's like why even deal with it at that moment, but somehow I just know. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:20 Highlight the passage at 1:44:20

1:44:33 Or you cut and paste and it decides that your 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 should actually be A, B, C, D, E, F. You're like, no, stop. I have a cartoon at home. It's just this guy who's saying, I'm cutting and pasting and nothing's happening. And there's like... 45 of him behind me with the same expression. It's like when you go to close the document, it's like you've placed a large amount of items. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:33 Highlight the passage at 1:44:33

1:44:58 I'm like, when? Where is my clipboard? I've never opened a clipboard. Gotta hurry back, Charlie. Okay. There's all these benefits done. I'm going to miss you on Tuesday. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:58 Highlight the passage at 1:44:58

1:45:19 Wow, we're so bad for you. Yeah, you know, it's a hardship. I'll have to bear sometimes. Is it a holiday? It's my birthday. Oh, well done. That's a great one. That was wonderful. Where are you going? I'm going to Waikiki with my sisters for a couple days, but we all went many years ago, and so we're going to go again to the temple on the other side of the island. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:19 Highlight the passage at 1:45:19

1:45:47 Yeah, yeah. The big humongous bell. Yeah, absolutely. It'll take a little more meaning this time and just slam that thing right in the nose. Oh, that's great. Yeah, that'd be fun. Oh, that's really nice. I'm going to miss the last day of class. Yeah. Yeah, the last class for that one. Yeah, it is. And then you're going to come, are you going to come and practice today at first? Yeah, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:47 Highlight the passage at 1:45:47

1:46:09 He's going to Hawaii. Wow. I know. And Chris, you're all going to rejoice. Yeah, I get that sense. No, it's great. How long are you going? Just a few days, just like three days. Really? Wow. Go for it. That's so great. That's so great. I did that once. It was a friend of mine, actually extended joking, one of her other incarnations. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:09 Highlight the passage at 1:46:09

1:46:35 She was working with the Navy on zero waste management in her other lifetimes before she became a meditator and a nun. So she was there giving me a talk and she was like, look, if you can get the airfare, just come and everything else I'll cover. You can use my rental car and stay in my room. So it was great. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:35 Highlight the passage at 1:46:35

1:46:55 I've still never made it back again and I had such a good time and everybody's like, oh, just skip Oahu. And I'm like, it was so much fun. Just all attitude and karma. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:55 Highlight the passage at 1:46:55

1:47:08 So for the same reason, number four is you quickly accumulate vast amounts of merit. And this is a lot because we just begin to have this kind of confidence in ourselves. We gain confidence in the teachings. We gain confidence that they begin to work. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:08 Highlight the passage at 1:47:08

1:47:26 It becomes easier for us to do virtuous things. Like we actually enjoy, I'm always making jokes, you know, nun's night out. It's like, let's go, you know, do extensive light offerings. You know, just like the weird things that you start getting really into on holy days. Coming up on Day of Miracles, we just start early in the morning and we're just going around the clock to try to create as much virtue as possible. And it's totally fun. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:26 Highlight the passage at 1:47:26

1:47:54 You just don't even think that it would be. It's just really fun. So your mind changes. Your mind changes about what's a good thing to do. You see the importance of it. It becomes easier and more fun. Number five. you know, okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:54 Highlight the passage at 1:47:54

1:48:12 This is a nice long window. You cannot be harmed. This one just has some background experience. I mean, background data on it. Because a lot of times people hear this one and they think, you know, yeah, exactly. Like you're protected from all harm. And you're not because you've created karma. So that karma will ripen unless you purify it. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:12 Highlight the passage at 1:48:12

1:48:36 If you purify every single thing you've ever done through limitless lifetimes with a completely sincere motivation and total concentration, then it will not and you will never have harm again. But, that being said... Pretty large caveat there. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:36 Highlight the passage at 1:48:36

1:48:56 Well, you know, they don't always spell that out, so I'm just trying to be real with you guys. Taking refuge protects us. From being overwhelmed by negative forces or influences. That's the rest of that whole thing. You cannot be harmed. And what it's talking about is we're developing a mind of refuge. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:56 Highlight the passage at 1:48:56

1:49:20 Things will happen to us because we've created the karma. So nothing that we're experiencing, it hasn't been created by our own negative acts now ripening in this form of this karma. But, um, So it's not saying that my body will never be harmed again. You know, this is really important. It protects my mind from harm. It protects my mind from further harm. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:20 Highlight the passage at 1:49:20

1:49:49 It sends me in this more positive direction. And the mind is, from a Dharma point of view, the most important thing. Because if you were to die tonight, what would go with you? Your subtle most mind. Not this body. So the fact that we identify with this body a lot, we see this body as me, but from a Buddha's point of view, this body is not me. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:49 Highlight the passage at 1:49:49

1:50:12 It's simply the vessel of the mind this time around. So actually from the Dharma point of view, this body isn't even such a big deal. And as we become higher level, as we become bodhisattvas and higher level practitioners, it becomes literally like that. You know, I mean, high lamas will often ask. You know, like His Holiness, you know, is it beneficial? Maybe I should just go ahead and die now and come back sooner. I mean, they really have, it's like exchanging an old pair of shoes. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:12 Highlight the passage at 1:50:12

1:50:40 Okay, it's probably more beneficial for me to just, you know, get a new body and get started again. I mean, it's really like that. They don't have that kind of attachment. We're like, oh, you know, if we have like my bruise, right? I needed all of you to know that before I could even start. I totally still identify with this body. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:40 Highlight the passage at 1:50:40

1:50:58 So damaging the body over a short amount of time is not such a big deal, but it's really important to protect the mind, and that's what refuge does. Refuge really, really protects the mind. So the more we protect our mind through taking refuge, the wiser we behave, the more skillfully we behave. And that actually does end up protecting our body as well. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:58 Highlight the passage at 1:50:58

1:51:26 So I was going to mention the four principles of karma here, but I'm not going to go into them. I'll just mention the titles of them. I can't remember which classes you guys have all taken, so I'll just say them and then we'll start with them next week. How's that? Karma is definite. Is this ringing a bell? Yes. How about you, David? Report an error in the passage at 1:51:26 Highlight the passage at 1:51:26

1:51:47 Okay. Karma is definite. If you do something positive, you have a positive result. If you do something negative, you have a negative result. If no good action you do will ever cause pain for you, no wrong action you do likewise will ever cause happiness, even though it seems like it because there's a lag time. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:47 Highlight the passage at 1:51:47

1:52:09 Lying on your taxes is not what's getting you, you know, a thousand dollars. A thousand dollars is coming to you because you created generosity karma. You're getting that money from that and that lying is yet to be realized. You have yet to have that negative result. Karma increases is number two, which I just talked about a little bit. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:09 Highlight the passage at 1:52:09

1:52:31 The results are always bigger than the cause. So a lot of times we're like, God, you know, what did I do? It was so horrible for me to, for example, have 25 years of really bad migraines. Well, it didn't even have to be that big. It could have just gotten really big because I never purified it. It could have been something minor. It could have been something like killing ants because they were in my kitchen. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:31 Highlight the passage at 1:52:31

1:53:00 And then it just manifested in this form over a long time because they got so big. Number three, if you didn't create the karma, you won't experience the result. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:00 Highlight the passage at 1:53:00

1:53:13 So that has the positive and the negative version of that. You know, if, if I, If I'm suffering, I create the cause. If I want to be a Buddha, I have to create the cause. You know, it's not going to be handed to me. I have to create those causes. I'm really the only creator of my reality, which is a huge thing to grasp. So sometimes we just have to repeat that one a lot. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:13 Highlight the passage at 1:53:13

1:53:43 And the fourth one, karma is never lost. It can never just disappear entirely. It always comes to us in some form. So even if we do that purification, you might experience some sickness or some headaches or whatever, but it's not lost completely. Even though at the end of every purification we really visualize, I'm clean, clear, light crystal, it's gone. It's more about, that's just to strengthen our mind about purification practice. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:43 Highlight the passage at 1:53:43

1:54:09 But it will manifest, if we're fortunate and it worked, what might have manifested as a really horrible rebirth, as total suffering. Will come to you in some lesser form, like as a headache or getting fired or something that, you know, like actually Keisha's point when I was like, oh, when I did my hand, you know, I was in the kitchen and she goes, wow, that's great. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:09 Highlight the passage at 1:54:09

1:54:35 You know, you just purified something that could have been much worse, like you could have broken your own hand or something, you know, or had an entire life without an arm or something like that, you know. And that's so much more pure of you because the reality is that it could well be a purification of something much bigger. So it doesn't disappear entirely. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:35 Highlight the passage at 1:54:35

1:54:57 So number six, I just mentioned that again because it reminds you when you say, the reason I brought up those four points on karma is to remind you that how do we get suffering and how do we, you know, if we're thinking that refuge protects us from harm. It's not in some magical way. It's simply that it protects our mind from doing harm. It's like that. Same with number six, you will not fall into lower rebirths. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:57 Highlight the passage at 1:54:57

1:55:25 It's not that it magically creates this hammock around you. It's simply that you begin to understand the relationship between cause and effect and you put it into action. So you're doing refuge. You're living the teachings. Hopefully beginning to realize those teachings. So that's how it keeps you, that's how it protects you from harm in this life and that's how it protects you from future lower rebirths. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:25 Highlight the passage at 1:55:25

1:55:53 And also remember how we talked about if you're on your deathbed and you take refuge really strongly, it just permeates your entire mind with positive, with virtue. And there's no way for the negative to arise. You've filled it with this virtuous thought. So in that way, it also protects you from taking another river. So you don't have that negative thought when you die of fear, anger, whatever, because there's no room for it. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:53 Highlight the passage at 1:55:53

1:56:17 You've just filled it with this amazing thought of refuge. Number seven, your virtuous purposes will be easily fulfilled. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:17 Highlight the passage at 1:56:17

1:56:28 So it's easier for us to accomplish all of our positive goals, both the short term and the long term. And again, that's not really so... It's simply like the stronger your refuge is day in and day out, the more likely that you are to practice. I mean, honestly, that's really how it works. So it's not like it's somehow magically golden dust is falling on you or something like that. It's simply the deeper the refuge, the deeper the practice, and so the more success. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:28 Highlight the passage at 1:56:28

1:57:03 And number eight is you quickly attain Buddhahood. See, there's the rub here. Then you really want to have strong refuge. So again, it's the same. Stronger refuge is stronger practice. The more quickly we, you know, progress on the path. So, you know, they traditionally, and actually that's what your meditation will be this week while you're in Hawaii. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:03 Highlight the passage at 1:57:03

1:57:34 But we contemplate these points. Just to get familiar with them and think about the reasoning of why, how these things work, and the correct meaning of them rather than that sort of fantasy one of Buddha flying in like Mighty Mouse and saving us. And do they make sense to us? Does it sound logical? Is there reason behind something? Or does it sound like just sort of somebody's story, in which case I need some more information? Report an error in the passage at 1:57:34 Highlight the passage at 1:57:34

1:58:03 So just reflecting on those. So does anybody have any questions about any of those? Or anything? Report an error in the passage at 1:58:03 Highlight the passage at 1:58:03

1:58:16 And while you're checking, I can make an absence as well. So, John Lando will talk about resentment on Friday night, and Venable Ninja on attachment next Friday night. Venable Rubina is going to talk about the Four Noble Truths on Saturday in her own unique style, so it'll be a different sort of format for the same teachings on... Report an error in the passage at 1:58:16 Highlight the passage at 1:58:16

1:58:41 The fact that we suffer and the fact that there is a cause of that suffering and the fact that we can cease that cause and the fact that that is the path. That's the Four Noble Truths and we called it the Four Steps to Happiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:41 Highlight the passage at 1:58:41

1:58:55 So that's Saturday all day. And you can come to any part of that. You don't have to come to the whole thing. Does that start at 10? 10.30. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:55 Highlight the passage at 1:58:55

1:59:05 Usually on a Saturday it starts at 10.30 because we have the meditation. We need to move those folks out. Leisurely manner. And then next Saturday, actually a week from Saturday, Venable Ninje, the same one who's giving the talk on the Friday night, is going to give a talk on her pilgrimage experience in Tibet. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:05 Highlight the passage at 1:59:05

1:59:24 She led Venable Urbina's LPP pilgrimage in Tibet last year. And she said it was just the most amazing experience. And so I asked her to give her just a little morning talk. It's just the morning on the 16th. And I think she's going to show some slides and things like that. So she's been to Tibet before, but something about this one she said was just really powerful. And also I think doing pilgrimage, you know, really holy plays is really, really powerful. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:24 Highlight the passage at 1:59:24

1:59:52 So I wanted her to speak a little bit about that because it's not something that we talk about enough. It's kind of one of those things that we don't talk about that much. Did you guys find any questions? Report an error in the passage at 1:59:52 Highlight the passage at 1:59:52

2:00:16 Speaking of lists, is there any place online where you have lists of your lists? No, but you know, Liberation and the Problem of Your Hand or the Lamrim, any of the Lamrim translations have lots of lists, actually. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:16 Highlight the passage at 2:00:16

2:00:36 We were talking about, in Morning Puja, we were talking about, it came up, the five poisons. And we've talked about three poisons, right? Attachment, aversion, and ignorance. And it came up with the phrase, the five poisons. And so then I was like, what's the five poisons? You know, in English. So I said, no, I've heard it before. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:36 Highlight the passage at 2:00:36

2:00:56 I think it's just with jealousy and doubt, I think, are the two extras. I think it's pride and jealousy. But anyway. So then I went seeking for the five poisons. But you can look in the back of liberation in the palm of your hand or liberation in our hands, whichever translation you look at. And there's literally the five of this and the four of it. You look at the numbers, you know, you look at four and five and six and ten. Yeah, it's interesting. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:56 Highlight the passage at 2:00:56

2:01:21 It's in the back of the index, yeah. The lamrim, chenmo, so there's a couple of translations of that out as well. And you can look in the back of that as well. Yeah. I mean, throughout the lamrim, in the galupa tradition, there's just loads of lists. And like I said, I think that they originally did that approach to be able to memorize it. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:21 Highlight the passage at 2:01:21

2:01:45 I think it's easier to memorize when you memorize ten of this, and then you flesh it out, you know, with more understanding of each thing. But it is funny, I mean, lists of five and four. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:45 Highlight the passage at 2:01:45

2:01:58 Yeah, so, but I don't know about online, although you can look. Yeah, actually, that's my next step, actually, to go online and just put in five poisons. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:58 Highlight the passage at 2:01:58

2:02:09 I don't know what you get online. I know, I know. No, you get some interesting. I have to look at the source. I always have to look at the source. Often it'll be like children's site. She often has a lot of really good stuff on her website. She has a lot of really good teachings, and I trust her, too, as a teacher. Because that's the scary thing about online. You can get some really... Report an error in the passage at 2:02:09 Highlight the passage at 2:02:09

2:02:28 You don't know who they are. You never heard of them. It's like what she said. Just some Joe Blow doing a blog or something. You're like, why am I trusting this person? I've never heard of them before. So as long as you trust that teacher. But she's, I must have, at some early on, somebody in her camp who... Report an error in the passage at 2:02:28 Highlight the passage at 2:02:28

2:02:45 Well, she's from Seattle, right? So Microsoft is up there, right? So she had somebody who really knew how to work her website in such a way. It's really nice. It's so accessible. I think it's just t-h-u-b-t-e-n-t-h-o-t-r-o-r-g. Report an error in the passage at 2:02:45 Highlight the passage at 2:02:45

2:03:06 Loads of stuff on preliminary practices. She does that how to do a prostration. She actually has a little downloadable. Perfect. Yeah, you saw it. Yeah, I went and tried to find it. Because I was telling the story on the Tuesday night class where I was trying to show all of it. This is my confession. My confession of the week. Report an error in the passage at 2:03:06 Highlight the passage at 2:03:06

2:03:22 I was trying to download it, and it just took a while, you know, so I kind of got bored. And so then I was online, so I'm already, so I'm coming into like entertainment tonight, and I'm just going into like these stupid goofy things, and my mind's just following, and I'm like reading about, you know, celebrities and stuff. Report an error in the passage at 2:03:22 Highlight the passage at 2:03:22

2:03:37 And all of a sudden, different children took over the entire laptop, and she begins doing this slow motion frustration, and it's just hysterical, I just was like, busted. Like, she saw me. It was pretty funny. So after that, they would have to go and... No, actually, I did it before. You did it before. Yes, I didn't know how to do it. It's so great. After the first class. Report an error in the passage at 2:03:37 Highlight the passage at 2:03:37

2:03:59 I love how she does that. That's so useful. So, T-H-O-N. B-T-T-U-B-T-E-N. T-U-B-T-E-N. Yeah. Children. C-H-O-D-R-O-N. It'll correct you probably on Google. Did you mean? Report an error in the passage at 2:03:59 Highlight the passage at 2:03:59

2:04:22 Yeah, but she's got lots of things. She's got, you know, kind of, you know, the six preliminary practices. We have them, hopefully, we have them on order now, but they're coming from India. There's this little booklet on six preliminary, or not preliminary, preparatory practices. Geshe was teaching on Sunday. It's George show. So we realized we got down to the wire and we didn't have anything to hand anybody. Report an error in the passage at 2:04:22 Highlight the passage at 2:04:22

2:04:44 And it was just helpful because it's just clear, simple. This is what it is. So at least everybody had something in their little hot hand while Gisha was talking about it. She's so helpful. So she just often has a lot of good things. She's a good teacher. She and her being are the same generation of being there for 30 years. Is she still in Seattle? Report an error in the passage at 2:04:44 Highlight the passage at 2:04:44

2:05:09 She has a Dharma Center in Seattle, but she is at Stravasti Abbey now. She started an abbey to live more traditionally as a monastic. And she has a community there, and they really live, you know, they live totally in support of the lay community who bring them food. That's the food they eat. So there's a trust level there beyond where I am. I'm like, please don't bring canned green beans. And they're just, you know, they just go for it, like whatever shows up. Report an error in the passage at 2:05:09 Highlight the passage at 2:05:09

2:05:41 I think it might give them guidelines. And I think that is in Washington State. And I don't know how far it is from Seattle, but you can look at that one, stravesty.org. You'll probably find that link on her website. Yeah. She's still around, actually, and if I can, I'll try to get her to come back again. She comes probably every couple of years here, especially if she's already in the area for something. Report an error in the passage at 2:05:41 Highlight the passage at 2:05:41

2:06:09 She's a great teacher, too. She's a good teacher. Really accessible. All right. Well, let's take a moment to dedicate so you don't lose all that. Running out and screaming at the cab driver. Report an error in the passage at 2:06:09 Highlight the passage at 2:06:09

2:06:24 So, just to take a moment to think how incredible it is that you just created all this merit by just discussing amazing things like refuge and working with our minds and the vows and ordination, you know, looking at emptiness, purification. I mean, incredible things we've just discussed. We just can't even really imagine how amazing it is. Report an error in the passage at 2:06:24 Highlight the passage at 2:06:24

2:06:21 don't know. Report an error in the passage at 2:06:21 Highlight the passage at 2:06:21

· · · silence, 1 minute

2:06:53 But the Buddha was saying that we've created such amazing positive karma that our minds are completely different than the minds that came in this door. Report an error in the passage at 2:06:53 Highlight the passage at 2:06:53

2:07:04 So we dedicate that merit that we've just created to being able to actually apply these teachings as many times as it takes, patiently, steadily, working to transform our minds, to protect our minds from doing more harm, and heading us in this direction of not only doing... more good, but taking great joy in doing that good, that we can benefit ourselves and all those around us. Report an error in the passage at 2:07:04 Highlight the passage at 2:07:04

2:07:56 Actually, I made that big deal on that Report an error in the passage at 2:07:56 Highlight the passage at 2:07:56

2:08:03 probably would have followed you to the airport. It'd be like, frustration. Those are the rules. I know. Report an error in the passage at 2:08:03 Highlight the passage at 2:08:03