Taking Refuge - Discovering Buddhism (14 February 2008)

0:00 Well done. There you go. Can't keep a good nun down. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:27 handle improvements, but not the loss of money. yeah. Luckily, I've been backing it up. I managed to back it up again today. Report an error in the passage at 0:27 Highlight the passage at 0:27

0:46 it's five years old. We've been sort of like looking at it and going, we're going to have to get another one. But I kind of thought maybe I'd eat another year out of it or something. Report an error in the passage at 0:46 Highlight the passage at 0:46

0:55 happens when people can ask me. Report an error in the passage at 0:55 Highlight the passage at 0:55

1:02 Yeah, that's how it works. Here we go. Report an error in the passage at 1:02 Highlight the passage at 1:02

1:09 What do we do? So we did a tarifuja today. And so we left it up just for everybody's enjoyment because it looks so pretty. Report an error in the passage at 1:09 Highlight the passage at 1:09

1:22 Is there anybody that wasn't here last week? And I haven't gotten around to send you anything, right? I'm so behind on everything. And I'm going to be more behind than now on. So look what I have for you. It's just the hard copy. I was like, I bet there's somebody there who's going to need it. homework-free and the notes, right? That would be bad. There you go. Report an error in the passage at 1:22 Highlight the passage at 1:22

1:55 looked at it again and I was like, I thought somebody's going to need this. I'm just going you know what, Tom, could you get me a white book? Sure. I went to school in England and I have this idea that everything can be saved by a good cup of tea. And it usually actually works really well. Report an error in the passage at 1:55 Highlight the passage at 1:55

2:24 Thank you, Amy. Report an error in the passage at 2:24 Highlight the passage at 2:24

2:47 I thought he was just having problems with word, you know, and then it just began to become clear to me. Report an error in the passage at 2:47 Highlight the passage at 2:47

2:55 But then it was a little bigger than that. Alright, so let's just do a short motivation. Give my mind and my body a chance to calm down. You guys just humor me. Report an error in the passage at 2:55 Highlight the passage at 2:55

3:19 Belly breaths and just really imagine whatever has happened already today in the conversations we've just been having. Wondering where the heck I was. Report an error in the passage at 3:19 Highlight the passage at 3:19

3:34 Any tension, problems, sluggishness, nervousness. Report an error in the passage at 3:34 Highlight the passage at 3:34

3:42 Just imagine it just floating away in that smoke out of the chimney. Report an error in the passage at 3:42 Highlight the passage at 3:42

3:56 And reaching your breath. Just imagine that oxygen going into your body and enlivening you, giving you fresh energy, awareness. Report an error in the passage at 3:56 Highlight the passage at 3:56

4:35 start on a short meditation on the breath. Report an error in the passage at 4:35 Highlight the passage at 4:35

4:41 in the level of your belly or chest or nostril. Let's Report an error in the passage at 4:41 Highlight the passage at 4:41

4:49 try to hold your attention as firmly as you can for a few counts of time to Report an error in the passage at 4:49 Highlight the passage at 4:49

· · · silence, 4 minutes

9:09 recollect the world. Report an error in the passage at 9:09 Highlight the passage at 9:09

9:16 I'm going to try to use it as much as we can to overcome the afflicted thoughts that keep us from our goal lifetime after lifetime, Report an error in the passage at 9:16 Highlight the passage at 9:16

9:33 cause it from wandering since life after life. It's due to them that we create that karma, that they're my things as mine. Report an error in the passage at 9:33 Highlight the passage at 9:33

10:01 And tonight especially, may we listen to these teachings with this mind of aspiration, wanting to obtain these qualities ourselves. It's the Buddha taught that it's completely possible for each one of us. And Report an error in the passage at 10:01 Highlight the passage at 10:01

10:38 through that, not only are we able to reach our own goals, our own potential happiness, Report an error in the passage at 10:38 Highlight the passage at 10:38

10:47 but we'll be able to lead every other being into this nice state. Report an error in the passage at 10:47 Highlight the passage at 10:47

· · · silence, 1 minute

11:30 Actually, let's do it once. I want to get us used to doing the refuge in bodhicitta. So let's do refuge in bodhicitta first on page 7, number 3 on the left-hand column. We'll do it in English. Let's do it in English once and then in Tibetan twice, which is useful to know when you're in Geshe-la's classes. Report an error in the passage at 11:30 Highlight the passage at 11:30

11:57 That's the one you use. You guys are probably already humorous. I go for refuge until I am enlightened to the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Supreme. By 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 11:57 Highlight the passage at 11:57

12:20 Chodam Sakhi Chodamma Jamsha Bhardhu Dangi Kapsuchi Dagi Chodam Yengi Phe Sanam Phi Jolapenshir Sange Duparsha usually you let the umze just say the first Two syllables. So I'll be the only time. If it was Keshwa, you'd let him do it. San-dei Chodang-so-ki-chan-am-la. Keep going. You're right. Chodang-so-ki-chan-am-la. Jang-shu-bar-du-da-ni-kyap-su-chi. Report an error in the passage at 12:20 Highlight the passage at 12:20

13:05 Da-gi-chan-yen-di-pe-so-nam-di. love and cheer sang de jiu karsha That's the way a lot of Tibetan prayers are done where you let the teacher say the first couple of words. I'm telling you that and then you can help the people around you because nobody in America gets that one. Report an error in the passage at 13:05 Highlight the passage at 13:05

13:32 Okay, so now we'll just do His Holiness is One at Once. 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 Buddhist presence, I generate the mind of full awakening for the benefit of all sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 13:32 Highlight the passage at 13:32

13:57 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 13:57 Highlight the passage at 13:57

14:17 So did anybody have any questions that came up for them? Seems a little dark, that's why I looked up. Seems like a little dark in here, but I think it's just my own mind. Does anybody have any questions that came up for me during the week or in the class last week about the benefits on meditating? Report an error in the passage at 14:17 Highlight the passage at 14:17

14:41 It's aimed at you. Report an error in the passage at 14:41 Highlight the passage at 14:41

14:48 In the essential Buddhist practice reading, can you talk a little bit about... Report an error in the passage at 14:48 Highlight the passage at 14:48

15:02 It says tranquil, but I have a feeling it's also called calm abiding. Oh, yeah. What was the first thing you said? Well, if you could just talk a little bit about it. No, but you said it says... It says tranquil abiding. Oh, tranquil abiding. I'm guessing it's the same as Lama. Yeah, Tibetan is Sine. The Sanskrit is shamatha. It's the highest level of concentration. Report an error in the passage at 15:02 Highlight the passage at 15:02

15:31 Single pointed concentration. So it's the highest level of it. And they say the mark of whether or not you've attained it, which almost seems beyond what I can even imagine, is that you can keep your mind on the object and the object remains clear and vivid without any effort, without Report an error in the passage at 15:31 Highlight the passage at 15:31

16:02 any movement at all in your body. You know, your eyebrow doesn't even move in that amount of time. And in addition, so that's not even enough. If that was enough, we'd all just like roll over. But in addition, you have attained what's called the pliancy, the bliss of mental pliancy and the bliss of physical pliancy. Report an error in the passage at 16:02 Highlight the passage at 16:02

16:27 So your body and your mind are flexible and light and subtle and blissful. So it's not like you're spending that four hours. With your knee in ultimate pain, you know. It's amazing actually. And that bliss of pliancy, of course, allows you to keep going. So it's like if you can get to the point where you generate that, then you can, they say that once you can attain, once you attain a level of calm abiding, you could meditate literally for days and weeks and even longer, much more than we can even imagine doing. Report an error in the passage at 16:27 Highlight the passage at 16:27

17:10 And, what's more, we need that level to directly perceive emptiness. Yeah, so we have to get to that level. And the basis of attaining that level of concentration, does anybody know the three higher trainings? So the highest level training is wisdom, well the higher training is wisdom, and that's referring to the direct perception of emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 17:10 Highlight the passage at 17:10

17:41 And that's based on this level of concentration. So what is all that based on? Anybody have a guess? It's the first of the higher trends. I'm looking at Morgan, thinking ethics, morality. People never get that one either. And a lot of people want to skip that one because it's kind of boring, right? We want to get to the juicy stuff. Yeah, so that's why the Buddha really... Report an error in the passage at 17:41 Highlight the passage at 17:41

18:13 Advise people to join and become monastic. It's not because they outfit so cool. It's to simply have a foundation for doing our mind. And it's easier if you're not worrying about all the crap you've been doing. So that's really what it's coming from is just cleaning up your actions with body, speech and mind so that you're not so obsessed by it when you're trying to meditate. Report an error in the passage at 18:13 Highlight the passage at 18:13

18:40 It's really kind of practical. So a lot of the valid morality that you see, and even in the time on virtues, the Buddha was simply trying to get us to the point where we could attain these high, deep levels of concentration so that we could directly perceive emptiness, so that we could get it to get out of here. Report an error in the passage at 18:40 Highlight the passage at 18:40

19:01 It wasn't at all from any standpoint of like how to live, you know, like a lifestyle thing. It was like totally from this standpoint of life. What's going to get you enlightened fastest? Yeah, that's very interesting, isn't it? I just find that so interesting. And it is, it's like kind of skipped over a lot when you're learning meditation. Report an error in the passage at 19:01 Highlight the passage at 19:01

19:25 It's like, actually, before you even sweep the room and raise the offerings and sit down and the posture and all that stuff, we've got some flowers going on between them. Report an error in the passage at 19:25 Highlight the passage at 19:25

19:37 Before all that, it's like you've got to really work on cleaning up what you're doing with your mind. Well, first of all, as Rubina always says, zip your lips and keep your hands to yourself, right? I know I do too. So you just start with how you're behaving with other people. Report an error in the passage at 19:37 Highlight the passage at 19:37

19:57 Clean that up and then start to course yourself as well. And then also then how you're thinking about other people. You know, and then you can start thinking about trying to meditate. So if we're having trouble meditating, then that's where we're going to look. It's not like you necessarily wait, but you do simultaneously. Because if I waited until I simply appeared, I'd never be able to sit down. Report an error in the passage at 19:57 Highlight the passage at 19:57

20:26 No, that's a good question, though. Report an error in the passage at 20:26 Highlight the passage at 20:26

20:30 Anybody else? Report an error in the passage at 20:30 Highlight the passage at 20:30

20:35 This is our senior seminar, so we can have all the questions. I have to get you the title of that book too. It's here. So let's, after class. Yeah, I saw it the other day. So let's, yeah. My, my, the synapse between my mind and my hand actually being able to email people seems to be lacking this term. Report an error in the passage at 20:35 Highlight the passage at 20:35

20:53 So I apologize. I just had a question for you about the Report an error in the passage at 20:53 Highlight the passage at 20:53

21:03 path or the progression that you went through in deciding. to take up a monastic life as far as your practice that's a funny this question came up at lunch that was a practice just Report an error in the passage at 21:03 Highlight the passage at 21:03

21:23 I'm becoming increasingly aware of the world of distractions and I'm not sure that I'm ready to give them all up, but I'm just becoming increasingly aware of... Are you married? No. Okay, I was like, I'm going to divide somebody's family. But do you have kids? No, actually, I don't have kids, but I'm sort of a father figure for two kids. Okay, so kind of like foster kids, yeah, because I know, I think you're talking about that. Report an error in the passage at 21:23 Highlight the passage at 21:23

21:52 Right. Okay. But in any case, just the progressions that you went through in thinking about... Report an error in the passage at 21:52 Highlight the passage at 21:52

22:06 concentration and being able Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I don't have wisdom, and I certainly did at the time that I thinking about getting ordained. And I think everybody that you ask who's ordained will have a different story. I think actually that would be a lovely collection of stories. And in fact, in that, there's a book that has some great meditations in it that's called Spiritual Friends, and it's months and months in the IMI, which is the of months and months within the FUT, to use yet another. Report an error in the passage at 22:06 Highlight the passage at 22:06

22:43 collection of letters. And I think the stories of the different monks and nuns is just as interesting as their meditations actually. I actually think it would be really interesting to have all these people's stories. And all of the stories are completely different as to why. Report an error in the passage at 22:43 Highlight the passage at 22:43

23:05 That being said, and so I think a huge part of everybody's decision also has to do with past life imprint. The kind of imprints that you've made in your past life. And I remember personally thinking at the age of six that I wanted to be a nun. I have no idea where that came from because we weren't Catholic and I didn't even, I think I had one uncle. Report an error in the passage at 23:05 Highlight the passage at 23:05

23:29 My father's best friend wasn't even truly an uncle. Who was Catholic, but I didn't even have any dealings with Catholics. But that was the only kind of nun I'd ever heard of or seen on TV. Thankfully, the flying nun was in. Report an error in the passage at 23:29 Highlight the passage at 23:29

23:44 She seemed pretty cool. She was my role model. But, you know, I just knew from an early age that it totally appealed to me. And even when I got ordained, a friend said, You were already a nun. You just finally have the outfit and everything. It just kind of was what I already was. So there's that level going on too where you're just like, yeah, this really makes sense and it feels comfortable and all that. Report an error in the passage at 23:44 Highlight the passage at 23:44

24:12 But in terms of once I really connected with the Dharma, for me, I remember a key moment where one of my teachers... He was talking to another student, and you might have heard this story before, and she was a nun, actually, and she decided to go to med school. And she told him that. And usually in our culture, that's a really great thing, you know. And he just paused and just said, oh, that's too bad. And I was shocked. Report an error in the passage at 24:12 Highlight the passage at 24:12

24:44 And I know he did it for a purpose, too, although, to be honest, I've never talked to him about it. But I... Felt like he was just saying there's so much else she could be doing with her life. Like she didn't need, like that was the conventional way to help people and she had in her hands how to move beyond suffering completely. Report an error in the passage at 24:44 Highlight the passage at 24:44

25:06 And at that point I was studying to be a midwife. I was a late midwife in training. And I think if I had been a late midwife I would have stayed a late midwife. But at that time I remember seriously thinking. Report an error in the passage at 25:06 Highlight the passage at 25:06

25:21 Ten years of study and practice of being a midwife or throw myself into this. And I just felt like that made more sense at that moment, that gesture in my life, especially considering my age. I was in my late 30s when I met really connected with the Dharma. And I just felt like I had lost a lot of time. Especially because I had lost a number of friends and I kind of had that kind of urgency. Report an error in the passage at 25:21 Highlight the passage at 25:21

25:44 At that point, I'd lost a really good friend that year. And I just was like, no, I'm just going for it. So within about a year of that time, I really felt sure that was what I wanted to do. And so, I mean, I don't know if that answers your question, but it really, to me, it just sort of felt like I kind of just did an assessment, you know, with all my low self-esteem and everything else. Report an error in the passage at 25:44 Highlight the passage at 25:44

26:08 But I just felt like, you know, I'm not a major meditator. I'm not a major scholar. I never thought that I would become a teacher, actually. I thought I wasn't capable. And so I just was like, what can I do that's going to earn a lot of merit and get me in life really quickly? So I went for this one because I felt like at least in this life in my remaining years, which of course now my late 30s seem really young, you know, I thought at least I can purify a lot and accumulate a lot of merit. Report an error in the passage at 26:08 Highlight the passage at 26:08

26:41 And they say actually, being my James, it requires a lot of merit. To keep the robes on and keep the vows, but also creates a lot of merit. I mean Rinpoche often says just one hour holding these vows. I mean it's like almost mind-boggling when I think about how unfortunately I have to almost be eight years, you know. So I'm just like, cool. And I've never looked back. Report an error in the passage at 26:41 Highlight the passage at 26:41

27:06 I just felt like just perfect fit. Great for my mind. Totally makes sense. And I just so easily would have just been. Lazy. I always made this joke to Michelle, it's sort of like you have this dream about, you know, getting a bookstore in Belenus and just kind of kicking back. You know, it's just not an option anymore, but it sure sounds good sometimes. Report an error in the passage at 27:06 Highlight the passage at 27:06

27:26 So for me, I really did. I just sort of logically looked at what I thought my options were and then talked about it with my teachers and talked about it with Trace Sancho Rinpoche and my mom was like, go for it. Report an error in the passage at 27:26 Highlight the passage at 27:26

27:40 So for me, it made sense, I think. I still can't meditate really well. But, you know, I have great faith for the next life. Does that, does that happen to your question? Yeah. Did you always have that? I think I have enough for you. If I did, I think I would be quite as attracted to food, the New York Times. Report an error in the passage at 27:40 Highlight the passage at 27:40

28:03 My computer. Although I have to admit, when we were doing the opening meditation, I honestly did open and just smile and just think, okay, this is a great way to get used to impermanence. I'm thinking about my computer. I'm like, you know, it's a lot easier than somebody dying. So if it gets me closer to being able to accept somebody dying a little better than I've done, then... Report an error in the passage at 28:03 Highlight the passage at 28:03

28:32 You know, crash away. Take it on for all sentient beings. Yeah. And then what reconnect? I don't think I am renounced. I Report an error in the passage at 28:32 Highlight the passage at 28:32

28:52 think that's a brilliant question, by the way. And I think I ponder that. Just what, I guess you would like it to be more of a, both specific things happen that remove self-doubt and then I could carry on, you know. I think my friend's death, big time. Yeah, but that was also like the, I don't know, I don't know, it's like the fifth death in a fairly short amount of time too. Report an error in the passage at 28:52 Highlight the passage at 28:52

29:19 Yeah. And just hers was completely senseless. I mean, as far as I was concerned, she was a really, really lovely person, gave herself really selflessly, 27 years old, died in a car accident, had brought into life a thousand babies. You know, had really brought in a lot of babies. She was also studying. Was on her way for more training, actually, in El Paso. Something about her death just hit home. Report an error in the passage at 29:19 Highlight the passage at 29:19

29:50 And also, of course, where my mind was, because I had met the Dharma and studied it pretty intensively. I had taken refuge. I had studied it pretty intensively. Once I took refuge, you know, I think I told you this, I, like, jumped in the deep end and it just never... Never went to hell again, I don't think. But there's something, I think my mind was right. So her death hit at that point where I was like, it totally brought home that much of renunciation. Report an error in the passage at 29:50 Highlight the passage at 29:50

30:19 You know, whatever. I mean, I am not a renounced person, but there's some, I think for me to even get her being, you have to have some level where you kind of get those a little bit. Report an error in the passage at 30:19 Highlight the passage at 30:19

30:32 But I think, I think that one, I think it's probably. That's the key one. And having really strong teachers during that six month period where it's just like my timing. So all of that was good timing, you know, all of that was karma. Report an error in the passage at 30:32 Highlight the passage at 30:32

30:49 But also, you know, karma, you create karma because it's like opportunities come and you still have the opportunity to not take them. You know, I think some people could have had a situation arise where they lost a really good friend, they had a certain amount of dharma and then they decided to take a couple of really good classes. Report an error in the passage at 30:49 Highlight the passage at 30:49

31:07 You know, like their reaction might not have been to go to India for a year. You know, I mean, you have choices along the way. Karma sets up certain conditions and things and you can decide how far to jump. And then somebody else could have taken that and gone to Tibet, you know, and you know what I mean? Like, so somebody else could have gone even farther with it or gotten ordained that year, you know. Report an error in the passage at 31:07 Highlight the passage at 31:07

31:32 So I think there's some leeway within. There is free will, you know, it always comes up with every Copan course, is there a free will? And that's the free will, I mean, we have conditions, we have karma, we have these situations that we set up through previous actions and karma ripens, but then what do we do with them? Report an error in the passage at 31:32 Highlight the passage at 31:32

31:53 And that's where the freedom still lives, you know, Report an error in the passage at 31:53 Highlight the passage at 31:53

32:02 hugely renounced at this point. Hope to be there before I die. See the way I'm sucking this tea down. Still thinking that permanent lasting happiness is in every job. Report an error in the passage at 32:02 Highlight the passage at 32:02

32:27 Those are good questions. Report an error in the passage at 32:27 Highlight the passage at 32:27

32:33 So upcoming, I just want to make a couple quick announcements. Venerabina is teaching two Tuesday nights. So the Tuesday night class just ended. The daily practice class just ended. I think? Report an error in the passage at 32:33 Highlight the passage at 32:33

32:48 And so now on Tuesday nights we're going to have Vena Rubina first teaching Becoming Your Own Therapist, which is about working with your mind. Report an error in the passage at 32:48 Highlight the passage at 32:48

32:58 And then that's next week on the 19th. And then the week after that on the 26th she'll teach on Why Me. And I'll be the poster girl holding my dead laptop about karma. So that one should be a great one in terms of if you've got, especially if you've got it. She's expecting it to be a lot of the same kind of questions. If we have any understanding of karma that's a little deeper, we could attempt to stump her. Report an error in the passage at 32:58 Highlight the passage at 32:58

33:28 So bring your questions like your most complicated, I've never gotten this aspect of karma questions. And then Friday night this week is Venable Ninjay on attachment. Report an error in the passage at 33:28 Highlight the passage at 33:28

33:44 And Friday night next week is part of the same. Disturbing Emotions series is Venable Janshub from Rajapani who's going to be doing Arrogance and Pride. That should be good. Report an error in the passage at 33:44 Highlight the passage at 33:44

34:01 You're so proud. No, yeah, that's the thing. I mean, I'm the one who set up the speaker series, aren't I? Everybody can kind of see what's going on in my mind. Actually, I'm thinking about doing like a speaker series. I was looking at Mia, I was like, Report an error in the passage at 34:01 Highlight the passage at 34:01

34:20 Like six in a row on depression or something. We had like a huge group on depression and they didn't get what they wanted the first night. So now we're thinking, I definitely want to do like a day long on depression. I think it's like epidemic in our culture. But I may just do another whole series on it. Anyway, Venable Ninja who's talking on Friday night is also the next day going to give a little talk on her leading pilgrimage in Tibet, which she did last year. Report an error in the passage at 34:20 Highlight the passage at 34:20

34:50 Reminding folks about that. It's just the Saturday morning. It's not a day long. And she's going to attempt to show some. Together, two non-technical people are going to attempt for her to show some slides of that trip. So hopefully that will work out. Anyway, at the end of the last class, we covered those four main principles of karma fairly quickly. Report an error in the passage at 34:50 Highlight the passage at 34:50

35:15 Should I go back over this again? Do people want to hear them again? Yeah, okay. I thought it might be a good place to start, especially because it's so important. Karma is definite. Karma is definite. Sometimes you hear karma is certain. If you do something positive, you'll get a positive result. If you do something negative, you'll get a negative result. Report an error in the passage at 35:15 Highlight the passage at 35:15

35:42 No good action you ever do will cause you pain. No wrong action you ever do will bring you pleasure. Report an error in the passage at 35:42 Highlight the passage at 35:42

35:56 And when you think about it in the conventional or the natural world, it's like a lemon seed can't give you an apple tree. And we get that from that standpoint, you know. It's the same with these mental seeds. Even though, and this is always the problem with karma, there's this lag time. And that's where it gets really, really confusing. It's like different karmas ripening so closely together that it really looks like... Report an error in the passage at 35:56 Highlight the passage at 35:56

36:32 I'm trying to think of some result. Well, not just the thing about the taxes, you know, if you lie on your taxes, but when you lie for a business deal and that company makes money. Actually, I had this conversation with somebody just this week, and she was saying, well, you know, if my mom hadn't done that, then she wouldn't have made the money that she did, and then she wouldn't have had that money to give away, give to charity, which is what she's done with it. Report an error in the passage at 36:32 Highlight the passage at 36:32

37:01 And I said, actually, though, if she had the karma to have that money come to her, it almost didn't matter what she did conventionally to get it. That may not have netted her that money. What she did to conventionally get it, which includes, I think, going to court and things like that with family, could actually net her something else. Report an error in the passage at 37:01 Highlight the passage at 37:01

37:22 It could actually be a negative karma. I don't know. And so it's kind of hard to say conventionally versus ultimately. What netted her that? Ultimately, if we believe in karma, what netted her that windfall is her generosity in past life. Of course, considering the fact that she has given a lot of it away, it will probably do the same next life. And possibly, because she's given a lot to us, it will get a positive result in this life because it's such a powerful object, which happens a lot with karma too. Report an error in the passage at 37:22 Highlight the passage at 37:22

37:54 You can increase how effective it is. by the objects and by your motivation. Karma increases is number two, and this is the scary one I think in terms of purification. It's certainly the reason why you want to purify. Report an error in the passage at 37:54 Highlight the passage at 37:54

38:13 The results are always bigger than the cause. Report an error in the passage at 38:13 Highlight the passage at 38:13

38:19 And we again can think about seeds with trees or seeds with plants. Seeds are always smaller in the natural world. Seeds are always smaller than the plants that they produce. I mean, always across the board, I think, I can't really think of one that isn't, maybe there's something weird that's like a huge seed, but for the most part you can think about, especially think about a seed of a tree, like an acorn from an oak tree, how huge the difference is there. Report an error in the passage at 38:19 Highlight the passage at 38:19

38:47 And they really use that one a lot as an example. And that's really important to think too when you're receiving the results of the karma, right? That sometimes it's just... Some small act that's gotten really big. But then they also say really to think about it that nothing is so, no virtue is so small that it won't net you pleasure, you know. Report an error in the passage at 38:47 Highlight the passage at 38:47

39:11 So even if you just think, oh, it's just a little thing, you know, for me to help after class or something like that. Oh, Brian! Welcome home! No, no, it's okay. Good to see you. Good to see you. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 39:11 Highlight the passage at 39:11

39:27 Bye-bye. Sorry, this is why we are actually positive. Oh. But this is why, yeah, like just some little way of kindness, some little random act of kindness, right, can actually net you an enormous positive result. Especially if you think about what's going on in my mind, why I'm doing it, you know, if I'm doing it to get enlightened, for example, to help all sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 39:27 Highlight the passage at 39:27

39:54 Or if I'm doing it to, Please my guru's holy mind, or if I'm doing it to help spread the Dharma, or if I'm doing it, the bigger your motivation, in other words, the better. And again, no negative act is so tiny that you get away with it. Report an error in the passage at 39:54 Highlight the passage at 39:54

40:13 And that one's really important to know too, like no little slip of the lip, which I think is the hardest to speech. Report an error in the passage at 40:13 Highlight the passage at 40:13

40:25 So even a tiny moment of anger can cause vast suffering later. Report an error in the passage at 40:25 Highlight the passage at 40:25

40:32 Number three is if you didn't create the karma, you won't experience the result. Nobody else causes your suffering and nobody else causes your pleasure. Report an error in the passage at 40:32 Highlight the passage at 40:32

40:43 And you can't cause somebody else's suffering or pleasure. And that's important to think too. It's true that you can own if you feel like... this is like open house. Report an error in the passage at 40:43 Highlight the passage at 40:43

41:04 So it's true that you can take responsibility if there's something in your speech that could have been more skillful, or if you had, you know, maybe something in your actions that could have been more skillful, but ultimately you can't take responsibility for how another person reacts to what you do. Report an error in the passage at 41:04 Highlight the passage at 41:04

41:21 You can only own so much, and then it's... Then you've got to draw the line. So you've got to be clear about that. Guilt doesn't help anybody. Report an error in the passage at 41:21 Highlight the passage at 41:21

41:35 But from the other point of view, you know, so this is the sort of the negative way of saying it. If you didn't create the karma, you won't experience the result. If you want to see a result, you have to create the karma. That's the positive way of saying it. And that's also really, really powerful to think of. Even if you just want to have another human rebirth. Report an error in the passage at 41:35 Highlight the passage at 41:35

41:57 You have to create the causes. You can't just get it by being a nice guy, generally. You've got to actually, there are specific causes, you have to know what those are and you have to actually create them. It's like what I was saying when Uncle Sarah said, if you want a cup of tea, you have to keep the water, which I love. If you want to get enlightened, you have to create the causes too. Report an error in the passage at 41:57 Highlight the passage at 41:57

42:19 Like it's not just going to happen because you think it's a cool idea. So there's actually things we have to do. It's like attaining calm abiding. If I want to actually attain this level of meditation, I have to start with showing up every morning and sitting down and doing it, even if it's crafty meditation. Report an error in the passage at 42:19 Highlight the passage at 42:19

42:38 Because that's part of how you plant the seeds. It's like just showing up and doing my work. And that could take lifetimes. And just being okay with that. Then doing all those other things, purification, accumulating merit. Like really looking, if I want to go to Paris, I figure out what it is I need to get me there, right? And how I get there? The same with this. The method is all clearly spelled out and we just actually have to do the work. Report an error in the passage at 42:38 Highlight the passage at 42:38

43:06 Karmically, we can't get there any other way. And number three, number four, sorry, is karma is never lost. It never completely disappears. So even if, you know, sort of again, like even if you've done this little tiny act and you think maybe you got away with it because nobody saw you. Nobody read your mind while you were in your room. It doesn't work that way because your mind actually records it. Report an error in the passage at 43:06 Highlight the passage at 43:06

43:35 It's much more like you've got this permanent mp3 player attached to you that's like jotting it all down. She made it back! Report an error in the passage at 43:35 Highlight the passage at 43:35

43:51 So, yeah, I mean this, I think... um... Report an error in the passage at 43:51 Highlight the passage at 43:51

43:56 It's just like you do get, you do start thinking at some point that maybe you got away with something because you don't see any evidence of it and maybe you did it 20 years ago. But they actually say most of the karma that we experience in this life we actually created in prior lives. It's actually very rare for us to create and experience karma in the same life, except if you're going for enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 43:56 Highlight the passage at 43:56

44:23 If your motivation is bodhicitta, meaning... For the sake of all beings, to help all beings. Like that's fast, right? Even just having that aspiration they say is so huge because you're saying, I'm not just doing this for David's sake. I'm not just doing it for you guys' sake, all of your sake. I'm doing it so that all beings will always be happy and will never have suffering again. Report an error in the passage at 44:23 Highlight the passage at 44:23

44:49 That's so huge. It's creating so much positive karma that it can ripen in this life. And that's actually how tantra works. It's like your tools are so powerful. It's like the difference between a pack of matches and nuclear fission. Report an error in the passage at 44:49 Highlight the passage at 44:49

45:08 Which is why it's so dangerous, too, if you get into it too soon. Because you are playing with this enormous bomb, basically. But it can be a rocket to you getting enlightened. That's why. The proper teachings and the proper, if we're the proper vessel, we can gain enlightenment in one lifetime. Although the fine print is, don't expect to do anything else, basically. Report an error in the passage at 45:08 Highlight the passage at 45:08

45:34 I mean, it's like totally all you're going to do day and night, but you can definitely do it. So does that make sense? Does that make more sense? Yeah. Okay. So we just were reviewing the four principles again. So you know this already, right? You're ready to stand up and give a presentation on the floor? Report an error in the passage at 45:34 Highlight the passage at 45:34

46:00 So tonight we're going to talk about the qualities of the Buddha's body, speech and mind and activities, I guess, as part of body. Report an error in the passage at 46:00 Highlight the passage at 46:00

46:10 Because that's when we're taking refuge, that's one of the aspects that we're taking refuge in. stuff. Report an error in the passage at 46:10 Highlight the passage at 46:10

46:15 in is in but And so of course it helps for us to know what they are. And some of them are kind of wild for us to read about, especially I think the first, I actually took out one because it was almost like too wild to get our minds around. But when I said it last time I offered this class, Peter was in this class, Peter Montur, and he just said, I was talking about the Ushnesha, which is this, you know, on the Buddha's head, this... Report an error in the passage at 46:15 Highlight the passage at 46:15

46:52 This protrusion, I think it's sometimes also called. Were you in that class? Did you do the refuge class last time? That's how I was describing it. And not only is it this protrusion, but apparently, and this is the part I took out this time, it actually turns clockwise. Report an error in the passage at 46:52 Highlight the passage at 46:52

47:11 He just sat there and he just goes completely, dryly and loudly, might I add. And I'm saying this is the mic, Peter, in case you're listening. He said... Report an error in the passage at 47:11 Highlight the passage at 47:11

47:22 that's interesting and then he proceeded to make a joke about how you can make orange juice for all the other food I was like you know she's pretty kind of careful I know that's empty So I'm mentioning that because it is indeed one, but I took it out of the main list because I was kind of like, no, this is a little too weird. Report an error in the passage at 47:22 Highlight the passage at 47:22

47:48 But I'll tell you that just in case. So in case somebody mentions it, you can kind of go, oh yeah, that's wonderful. I had always heard the hair curls in the same way. Yeah, well there's that, the hair curls on there. In addition to it. In addition. And I got that one from a bit of O 'Neill, who's not one to come up with anything too outlandish on his own, so I trust that he had a good source on that one. Report an error in the passage at 47:48 Highlight the passage at 47:48

48:10 Anyway, so, but one of the reasons that we study it, it's kind of like... It's again like thinking if I want to go to Paris, I'm going to look at some good maps of what it's going to be like when I get there. So I'm not totally surprised. I know that the signs will be in French. I know some basic ideas about what the weather is going to be like and things like that. This is the same idea where we are looking at what these qualities are with this idea that we can actually attain them. Report an error in the passage at 48:10 Highlight the passage at 48:10

48:41 Like it's totally possible for ordinary beings like us to... Do the work and actually get these qualities. All of us, it's said, have what's called Buddha Nature, which is this... I mean, actually, the way it's taught, it's actually considered to be like a lineage, just the way it translates Rick in Tibetan. Report an error in the passage at 48:41 Highlight the passage at 48:41

49:07 And it... It's said that, I mean like sometimes it's taught in other traditions, like in the Enigma tradition, it's taught that it's actually like a seed, it's like a seed that becomes Buddhahood. But it's really important in our tradition, it's more like this potential. The potential is there because karma and emptiness work. Report an error in the passage at 49:07 Highlight the passage at 49:07

49:34 That's really what causes our Buddha nature. It's true for every mind that exists that all minds have Buddha nature. So we actually all have this capacity to become enlightened. And nothing can change that. We have different levels of obscuration. We have different levels of karmic obscuration. Obscuration is just karma. Report an error in the passage at 49:34 Highlight the passage at 49:34

49:55 So we have different levels of it to plow through, to purify, to transform and things like that. But we all have the ability to develop the same qualities. So sometimes you say, sometimes you hear it said that once a Buddha is enlightened, that they have what's called the 32 major signs and the 80 minor signs. Report an error in the passage at 49:55 Highlight the passage at 49:55

50:19 See you guys later. Bye. Report an error in the passage at 50:19 Highlight the passage at 50:19

50:31 Anyway, Report an error in the passage at 50:31 Highlight the passage at 50:31

50:35 so these 32 major and 80 minor signs. can I help you? I love you, I love you. hopefully this weekend. Anyway. Report an error in the passage at 50:35 Highlight the passage at 50:35

50:40 Um. They say that when the Buddha manifests to teach the Dharma, which not all Buddhas do, there are some that don't teach actually, but when they do they manifest as a fully ordained monk and they manifest these 112 signs. And they say that their body is mind-blowingly incredibly beautiful. like like it's not It's impossible for us to even imagine how amazing it is to be able to see in this form. It's basically Buddha's nirmanakaya. Report an error in the passage at 50:40 Highlight the passage at 50:40

51:20 And most of us don't have that karma to see the Buddha like this. And they actually say that actually there are Buddhas everywhere. There are Buddhas filling this room. There are Buddhas everywhere, but we just don't have the karma to see that. And if we're lucky, when you think about it, we might see our teachers as really wise beings. Report an error in the passage at 51:20 Highlight the passage at 51:20

51:48 It's really hard for us to actually see them as Buddhists, but they could well be. And I always feel really fortunate that I'm able to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama as, first of all, as existing in my lifetime. It's pretty amazing. And then secondly, as this incredibly wise being. But even to see him, as I think most Americans probably do, as a really nice grandpa kind of guy, that's still positive karma working. Report an error in the passage at 51:48 Highlight the passage at 51:48

52:15 My mom probably saw him that way. You know, pleasant, nice smile, you know. And that's a certain karma. Because not all beings see him, some people see him as a real pain in the butt. You know, he's not inherently existent in any way. Report an error in the passage at 52:15 Highlight the passage at 52:15

52:32 But we just don't have the karma to actually see him as a being made of light with the Ushnisha, with all the marks and signs of a complete Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 52:32 Highlight the passage at 52:32

52:45 But there are many that actually believe and probably many that actually do see him that way. And even people that we know probably see him that way. I have a feeling that Geshe-la probably sees him that way. He's cleared enough. He's definitely started with his ethics and his stability of mind. We talked a little bit about the three higher trainings. The stability of mind that he has is just like a rock, Geshe-la. Report an error in the passage at 52:45 Highlight the passage at 52:45

53:11 And I have no doubt that when he looks at his Holiness, he sees a completely different being than we do. But we're getting there. So they say, yeah, so there's some of these marks and signs. You know, they say that the skin, or rather the flesh of this body is actually made of gold and white, so it's not solid. Report an error in the passage at 53:11 Highlight the passage at 53:11

53:40 But they're quite tall. They have long arms. They have curly, they always say blue-black hair. They have that one long... Curled hair that Karen was just talking about, that's white, and it's coiled, and it comes to here at the forehead. They always describe these long ears, and you can see the long ears in the paintings and also in the statue. Report an error in the passage at 53:40 Highlight the passage at 53:40

54:17 And you can sometimes, if you look at teachers' ears, you can see these longer ears than normal, and they're kind of like, huh, what's that one all about? Report an error in the passage at 54:17 Highlight the passage at 54:17

54:27 The ushnisha. you know, and so on. And it is kind of odd. We're just going to go through some of them. We're not going to go through all 112. But I think it's useful to kind of know that, I mean, all of these are karmically caused. They didn't come from nowhere. They aren't just interesting shapes of things. Like nothing is without a cause. Report an error in the passage at 54:27 Highlight the passage at 54:27

54:52 And so talking about what karmically caused it, I think it makes it a little bit easier to relate to. And also thinking about, in a lot of the cases, there are reasons for this. Especially when you think about this countenance of this incredible beauty. They say that the Buddha, when the Buddha actually walked on the surf, this historical Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha, that his body was so dazzlingly beautiful that people were just in awe. Report an error in the passage at 54:52 Highlight the passage at 54:52

55:23 People were inspired to follow him just because of his beauty. And it's not like conventional. Beauty in terms of like, you know, like Angelina Jolie. Although, like, if you think about somebody like that, conventionally speaking, they say karmically, if somebody is sort of an ordinary being, if indeed that's what she is, if somebody is an ordinary being and that you have beauty, that also is karmically caused, and that's caused by morality. Report an error in the passage at 55:23 Highlight the passage at 55:23

55:52 So having practiced morality in her past life, met in her in this beautiful face. Clearly she practiced some other things, because she has great wealth, she has respect, she has keen intelligence, she got lucky with a cute partner, she's got some great kids, you know, I mean, things have come together for her. Report an error in the passage at 55:52 Highlight the passage at 55:52

56:10 Karmically speaking, there's plenty to rejoice in. Just looking at that, it's like, wow, that's kind of cool, like these things really came together for her. How did that happen karmically? And thinking about it and rejoicing in it, it's actually great. The Buddha having this kind of beauty... It's to simply draw beings in. I mean, it actually makes sense. And they actually say this is like a good thing for us to want because if we want to spread the Dharma, if we want to help beings, actually having a pleasing countenance is useful. Report an error in the passage at 56:10 Highlight the passage at 56:10

56:40 If somebody is like hideously ugly, like, you know, you might, if you maybe weren't paying attention or if you really were listening to their voice and their voice won out, then you still would probably listen to them, especially if they were on, you know. online or something, you know, see what your face looks But drawing people in, it doesn't mean you have to be conventionally beautiful as a teacher, but to draw people in, it helps. Report an error in the passage at 56:40 Highlight the passage at 56:40

57:04 And so that's actually a quality that's useful in a teacher. Makes sense, I mean, I think. So sometimes they have these qualities like this, where there's a, you know, in the end, especially a fully enlightened being, that is just so incredibly beautiful. But they say that... They actually tried to paint his portrait at the time that he was alive. And the artist was so dazzled that he couldn't paint. Report an error in the passage at 57:04 Highlight the passage at 57:04

57:33 And so then they tried to do this. He kind of fell into a swoon. So then they tried to do this thing where the Buddha actually thought maybe he could paint him through a cloth, not look at him directly. And he still apparently just couldn't concentrate. So none of these paintings that we have with the Buddha actually were done at the time of his life. Report an error in the passage at 57:33 Highlight the passage at 57:33

57:53 But still, we have ideas. And I think probably in time, it's like actually these modern tankas, in a way, really, like this one I think just is so mind-blowingly beautiful because all the gold, right, which really adds that sense that it really is made of light. So we're getting closer. All of these tankas are somebody's depiction based on somebody else's seeing enlightened body of Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 57:53 Highlight the passage at 57:53

58:22 So they say that one of the signs is on the palms of the hands of the Buddha and on the soles of their feet are these thousand spoke Dharma wheels or Dharma chakras. Report an error in the passage at 58:22 Highlight the passage at 58:22

58:35 And the karmic cause for this, which I think is very interesting, is greeting the Guru. So when the Guru comes to teach, going out to greet them, escorting him or her to the throne. So there's all these kind of elaborate... There are ways that we do that now. If you've ever been here, like when Rinpoche comes, or even Geshe-la now, when Geshe-la comes, we try to always greet him with the conch and the incense and lead him up. Report an error in the passage at 58:35 Highlight the passage at 58:35

59:04 And the first day that he taught the Jarcho on Sunday morning, we let him down with the incense. And he joked and laughed and all and tried to dismiss us. But from our side, we want those Dharma chakras. You know, we often will all go to the airport, even if all Rinpoche is doing is sort of coming in and going straight to Aptos. Report an error in the passage at 59:04 Highlight the passage at 59:04

59:26 We'll all go and greet him, even if we just go down to the airport and then get back in the car, you know, so we just see him. It's actually a lot of fun, but you're gaining great merit from it too. So greeting gurus when they arrive in a respectful way. Report an error in the passage at 59:26 Highlight the passage at 59:26

59:44 And, um... They also say that if you offer service selflessly to others, this also results in these Dharma chakras. Report an error in the passage at 59:44 Highlight the passage at 59:44

1:00:04 And the Ushnisha, which it does spin according to the Venomal Dina. I haven't seen that elsewhere, so I do find that very interesting. It's made of the Buddhist radiant flesh, so it's not... Flesh, the way ours is, it's made of light. The bodies are completely made of light. And when you get into the tantric teachings, you actually hear these terms like rainbow body, clear light body, illusory body, which are all different levels of attainment. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:04 Highlight the passage at 1:00:04

1:00:40 And I think rainbow body, Lama Yeshe, I like to use that one a lot. I think it really gives us an idea of what it might look like, you know, when we see rainbows. It's light, it seems substantial, but then like you get closer and it kind of, where did it go? And I think that's a lot of what that is supposed to look like. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:40 Highlight the passage at 1:00:40

1:01:03 So completely made of solid light and visualizing it, of course, you spend a lot of time visualizing what not only, especially in Tantra, of course, that'd be light to have your own body made of light. And I say it's just a simple difference of karma. I have the karma to see this, you know, kind of chunky white skin going on here, you know, and they have the karma to see this, you know, pure light body. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:03 Highlight the passage at 1:01:03

1:01:35 So it's, you know, it's completely made of solid light. Solid light, that's a good term. And they say the cause of this is always visualizing one's guru on the crown of one's head. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:35 Highlight the passage at 1:01:35

1:01:51 This is the cause of the Ushnisha. And visiting temples and monasteries and engaging in spiritual practices, such as Tarapha. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:51 Highlight the passage at 1:01:51

1:02:10 The teeth of the Buddha are perfectly aligned and straight and have no gaps. Unfortunately, my own teeth do not fit this. Perhaps. She kind of just led today. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:10 Highlight the passage at 1:02:10

1:02:27 thing, I think, from far too much Tetley in this lifetime. The cause of this is speaking honestly for three countless great eons and never having been devious of anyone. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:27 Highlight the passage at 1:02:27

1:02:45 Now, never is used loosely here because the Buddha was like us. The Buddha started out as an ordinary being. They'll often use these words like never and always and limitless and they're just to simply say it's a lot. you know. Three countless great eons. Actually, in the Liberation of the Palm of Your Hands, it actually takes time to explain what a kalpa is and all this whole thing. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:45 Highlight the passage at 1:02:45

1:03:11 And I just am always like, you know, it's a lot. Like, it's just a long time. And that's really okay for me to know that. Like, really get it down to the numbers. It doesn't work for my mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:11 Highlight the passage at 1:03:11

1:03:23 The eyelashes, and this one they often describe, you know, when you're memorizing like a visualization, they'll describe these different points. And this is one, the eyelashes are long and beautiful, and they say, and I was thinking about that as I was reading this today, it was like, hmm, they say that the cause of this is regarding others without the three poisonous minds, Report an error in the passage at 1:03:23 Highlight the passage at 1:03:23

1:03:49 as well as working hard to develop the wisdom that distinguishes right from wrong. So discriminating wisdom, that's what that means. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:49 Highlight the passage at 1:03:49

1:04:03 The Buddha is also said to have a very long tongue, which comes from always speaking kindly, encouragingly, and treating others gently, being constantly considerate of others. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:03 Highlight the passage at 1:04:03

1:04:23 Why would we ever see it? I don't know, they keep it under control. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:23 Highlight the passage at 1:04:23

1:04:29 We don't often, because they're usually kind of in meditative, I think, we don't have that many pictures of them where they're teaching. And then they might have their mouth open. That would lure them in on you. Have you seen his... I should be careful, I'm going to be with Peter in a special hell for those who make jokes about the movie. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:29 Highlight the passage at 1:04:29

1:04:54 I think the main idea of just like looking at all these different... Every one of them is karmically caused. Every action that we do creates these, especially if we're going for enlightenment. If it's in our mind, if our motivation is to go for enlightenment, they all net all these different marks and signs of a fully enlightened Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:54 Highlight the passage at 1:04:54

1:05:21 And, you know, I mean, it is true when you look at somebody, if you look at somebody that we can see, that we have the karma to see, life is holiness. If you really watch him, if you've ever watched him when he teaches, he really does just shine. He's very amazing looking. And he really does, I also think he has this incredible voice, which we're going to talk about in the speech next. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:21 Highlight the passage at 1:05:21

1:05:45 Not all of our teachers have a sort of conventional good looks, but once you connect with them, there's something about them where you just think that they're totally beautiful. I totally think Lama Zopa Rinpoche is just beautiful when I look at him. He's totally beautiful. But some people don't. Some people are like, what's with the little Sherpa? Report an error in the passage at 1:05:45 Highlight the passage at 1:05:45

1:06:04 You know, they just don't relate to that at all. Actually, I had a friend who saw a picture. sorry, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:04 Highlight the passage at 1:06:04

1:06:13 There's that one picture of him at the Lotto cave. Oh, when he's young? No, no, that's the George Harrison one, yeah. The one that's up in my room, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:06:13 Highlight the passage at 1:06:13

1:06:25 No, no, it was like 10 years ago, actually, in 98 when he was there. And it's just a nice shot, you know, and it was publicized and all that stuff. And I remember I got back from India and I had it sitting up and I was standing with a friend until I figured out kind of what to do. And he was like, what's up? Report an error in the passage at 1:06:25 Highlight the passage at 1:06:25

1:06:41 Is that Lama Tsongkhapa? He knew who Lama Tsongkhapa was. He's really good friends with me and really good friends with Tendon Chokyi. Both of his best friends became nuns. But anyway, he's like, is that Lama Tsongkhapa? And I was like, yeah, it's Lama Tsongkhapa. It's like a coat. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's actually a cape. That's a cape. That's a good looking picture. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:41 Highlight the passage at 1:06:41

1:06:59 Yeah, yeah. And he's like, he's a good looking guy. And it was just funny because I hadn't heard anybody say that about Lama Tsongkhapa before, but it's true. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:59 Highlight the passage at 1:06:59

1:07:11 But yeah, it's that same idea. I think it's just, you know, when you connect, it's like, I mean, for those of us who have a close relationship with our mothers, I know Venmo Neal has used this one too. It doesn't matter what they do or say, especially as they age, they just look totally beautiful to you. And our teachers do the same, you know, our teachers do the same. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:11 Highlight the passage at 1:07:11

1:07:31 They just look totally beautiful to us and they totally just reflect this quality. And they lift our minds just saying that. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:31 Highlight the passage at 1:07:31

1:07:42 And is it inherent? No, it's not. It's because we have the karma to see them that way. So those people that have the karma to see His Holiness as, you know, a friendly old grandpa, that's their particular karmic disposition. So the qualities of the Buddhist speech. They say that the Buddhist speech has 64 qualities. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:42 Highlight the passage at 1:07:42

1:08:07 And one of them, and I like to think about the teachers who... I've spent time in their presence. Whether they're actual Buddhas or not, it sort of gives you an idea to get your mind around some of these things. You may not be able to see their Ushnesha, but you can hear their speech when you think about that. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:07 Highlight the passage at 1:08:07

1:08:23 One of them is when the Buddha teaches, whatever he says goes straight to the mind. It's sensible. There's a lot of, what do you call them, adjectives? Yeah, adjectives. I was an English writer, I don't know why. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:23 Highlight the passage at 1:08:23

1:08:43 Sensible, perfectly correct, very clear, harmonious, encouraging, and pleasing to hear. Sounds like a loneliness. I'm like, whoa. Tames our mind, never harsh or cruel, refreshes, energizes the body, soothes the mind, makes the heart happy, and gives rise to happiness and bliss. That's pretty amazing. It's clear in all its detail, logical, pertinent, to the point, with no redundancy or unnecessary repetitions or hesitancy. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:43 Highlight the passage at 1:08:43

1:09:20 So you can tell I'm not a Buddha. Sorry, I was eating that, I'm like, hmm. And that's not just humility going on. It's majestic, goes from topic to topic without break, unconceited. Exhilarating and contains all languages. That one I'm not so sure. When the Buddha speaks, it can be understood in whatever language one speaks, which I think is pretty cool quality. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:20 Highlight the passage at 1:09:20

1:09:52 So, you know, I guess we don't just spend as much time on Tibetan, but it might help us until we get there. And they have debates about which language the Buddha actually spoke, you know, there's all these arguments about it, you know, but... They say it doesn't even matter because once he was enlightened, once he spoke, everyone could understand whatever he spoke. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:52 Highlight the passage at 1:09:52

1:10:18 And they say it's always free from nervous haste. Another reason why you know that. Sorry. Chains hostility and clears away ignorance. And so, yeah, you can totally hear these qualities. I think I have the karma to hear when I listen to His Holiness. Sorry. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:18 Highlight the passage at 1:10:18

1:10:35 I mean, I think just the timbre of his voice is incredibly beautiful. It's just like this beautiful, deep, sonorous kind of voice. He speaks quickly, but really clearly. You know, he doesn't lose anybody. He can actually say in just a few words an incredible amount of material, but he makes it sound really simple. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:35 Highlight the passage at 1:10:35

1:11:01 And I've noticed, too, it's interesting, especially if you receive, Deeper teachings from him, and then you go to the public talk too, just for kind of fun. And he just, he's completely different. The way he interacts with people, the, you know, just the way, the way he, what he chooses to say, the fact that he tries to do it in English mostly, which makes him a lot more accessible. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:01 Highlight the passage at 1:11:01

1:11:28 The deeper teachings, he'll never, he'll rarely do that in English, he'll always do it in Tibet, because he feels like he can go faster and deeper. But he corrects everything that Chokyi says, like really strongly. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:28 Highlight the passage at 1:11:28

1:11:46 I actually went to this teaching of his, I guess about, actually probably about 10 years ago, down in L.A. where he was teaching two different texts simultaneously, which he does sometimes. He actually did this again at Madison last year. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:46 Highlight the passage at 1:11:46

1:12:01 And it was just incredible. I mean, he was teaching, and he could tell you exactly where he left off and everything and what each one meant and how they related. And he was like, let's do that. And then he'd just like move to the other one. But it wasn't ever confusing. You were able to follow him. In between, while it was being translated, he'd be joking with this cliche and this one and like poking him and like waking that one up and testing that one, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:01 Highlight the passage at 1:12:01

1:12:22 And then you just come back and just like hit again the minute Tupanjimpa finished and correcting Tupanjimpa too. I mean joking, like the whole thing was just jolly and light and yet you had covered like these two really deep texts. And you know, I mean most of us were just getting an imprint but those geshes in the front row, they got it. You know, like it just went into them. It was amazing. It was just incredibly wonderful to see. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:22 Highlight the passage at 1:12:22

1:12:45 And the whole thing was just so light. So the qualities of the Buddha's mind. And the main one, of course, is that the Buddha's mind is omniscient, knowing all things all the time. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:45 Highlight the passage at 1:12:45

1:13:04 But they say there's two interpretations of omniscience. The Theravadan tradition actually view it that if the Buddha wants to know something, then he or she directs their mind to something at a specific time and place. Like in other words, whatever the Buddha wants to know, they can know it. The Mahāyāna tradition says a Buddha mind is everywhere and knows all things without any effort, without any thought, simultaneously knowing everything in every moment. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:04 Highlight the passage at 1:13:04

1:13:35 I know, it's just, it's kind of, it's like fog, it's like fog throughout San Francisco's streets. That's kind of the way I envision it, where it's just, it's everywhere all at once, you know, touching everything. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:35 Highlight the passage at 1:13:35

1:13:51 So, I mean, they say, and I think this is a very interesting example, like the Buddha could look at this table and they could see what the energy of this wood and everything else that went into this, I'm just thinking about the wood, what the energy of this wood would have been before it became a table, Report an error in the passage at 1:13:51 Highlight the passage at 1:13:51

1:14:13 you know, so they could see like where this, what the tree was, where it was from, without conceptual thought. Just knowing where that seed came from and then that seed, that tree that created that seed before it, where it was, it would know that whole history just about this table. And after this was destroyed, where every bit of that sawdust would go. Like just without thoughts and not like, you know, just would know. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:13 Highlight the passage at 1:14:13

1:14:48 And knowing the same for, of course, all beings. Knowing our minds. Knowing our past, knowing our past karma. So not just our past, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:48 Highlight the passage at 1:14:48

1:15:07 Yeah, Report an error in the passage at 1:15:07 Highlight the passage at 1:15:07

1:15:13 so I mean... Yeah, yeah. So they say that they know our minds in every moment and for all beings and for every... I'm like, who's talking about this? didn't mean that he was talking about food. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:13 Highlight the passage at 1:15:13

1:15:07 getting off of the whole fardust thing. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:07 Highlight the passage at 1:15:07

1:15:24 For all beings for all time, it's almost like inconceivable to us what they can conceive. And they say actually these qualities for ordinary mind are inconceivable. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:24 Highlight the passage at 1:15:24

1:15:38 But this is what mind does. And what we're simply getting finally is that we all have this capacity because we all have mind and that it's simply obscured and limited now. That's all. And once those limitations are removed... This is what mind does and the fog can go out. It's like, then mind can melt. Well, I was just going to say when you were talking about the table, for some reason I got this sort of flash that what happens is that he's seeing the table removed from saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:38 Highlight the passage at 1:15:38

1:16:13 It is our illusions about seeing it sort of as a table. He's not really... He doesn't have those labels. It may be a table right now or in a certain way, but it's just, that's... It's just energy. Yeah. I mean, it's like him and, what's his name, who came up with the whole physics theory? Report an error in the passage at 1:16:13 Highlight the passage at 1:16:13

1:16:36 Close. No, no, before him. Einstein. Einstein, yeah. Didn't he do the theory of religion? Yeah, about the whole energy, this energy just changing shape and form. I mean, this is really what this is. Yeah, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:36 Highlight the passage at 1:16:36

1:16:52 Yeah, so I mean, they say too that with this mind, this omniscient mind, that there's a conventional nature and an ultimate nature of every single thing that exists, and that they can know them simultaneously, again, without effort, without conceptual thought. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:52 Highlight the passage at 1:16:52

1:17:19 And that's unique to Buddhas. It's possible for Arhats and Arya Bodhisattvas to directly perceive emptiness and to have that, be able to perceive ultimate reality when they're in deep meditative equipments. But Buddhas are able to directly perceive ultimate reality and also know what it is that we're seeing. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:19 Highlight the passage at 1:17:19

1:17:47 With our conventional reality, which is why they can work with our little minds, you know, and they get kind of what it is that we're seeing. It's like when you have... Or you're babysitting kids, or you have kids, and you're watching them, and you kind of know what it is that they're thinking when you see that, you know, if you ever watch like a little kid, like a two-year-old, and you see he's got his mind on the truck, and he's going to go take it out of his brother's hand, and you know what he's thinking. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:47 Highlight the passage at 1:17:47

1:18:14 Because you've been there for one thing, right? So the Buddha's the same, the Buddha sees us, and they totally have compassion as we're like, you know, because to us, that's what they are. I mean, to them, that's what we are. We just haven't fully formed yet, you know, we just have some observations to get through. Yeah, but only a Buddha, only a fully enlightened mind can dwell in both at the same time for all phenomena that exist. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:14 Highlight the passage at 1:18:14

1:18:43 But they also say that this other great aspect of Buddha mind is great compassion. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:43 Highlight the passage at 1:18:43

1:18:54 And part of that one is, I mean, for us it's pretty easy. We can generate compassion when we see, you know, somebody who doesn't have any funds and is on the street or somebody who's really, really sick. Somebody in the news whose house has been destroyed or something like that. But that's just gross suffering as far as the Buddha is concerned. They actually understand. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:54 Highlight the passage at 1:18:54

1:19:20 They directly perceive emptiness, right? So they understand that things don't exist the way we think that they do. So they're able to see all beings. They see the suffering of all beings. The whole fact that somebody is born in saṃsāra means that they will have to die. It means they'll have to age, if they're lucky. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:20 Highlight the passage at 1:19:20

1:19:39 It means they'll have sickness, they'll have pain, because they've created that karma. So just taking a body is suffering. You know, just... Just the nature of saṃsāra and of this body itself is suffering. So they see all beings as equally suffering. So all beings are worthy of compassion. They don't have any difference the way we do. We might be like, well, this guy could use that five bucks, but forget it. We're going to give it to Morgan. Go and get a job. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:39 Highlight the passage at 1:19:39

1:20:10 Actually, some of us will do that with two different street people. This one's nicer or something. And so we just have this sort of limited idea, even with people we love, our love is limited. Like really wanting their happiness is still wanting them to have nice clothes and a nice job and a nice house, like really limited samsaric, you know, ways of happiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:10 Highlight the passage at 1:20:10

1:20:36 But the Buddha is just like, their love is completely pure. What they want for us is basically enlightenment itself. So they want for us more than we even want for us at this point. Because they know it's possible. And they know it's totally possible for each one of us to simply do it and get that kind of lasting happiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:36 Highlight the passage at 1:20:36

1:21:01 And we're still going for the little fire truck, you know. And they see that and they're kind of like, come on you guys, we're going to get this together. But they totally love us. I mean, I'm putting words in their mouth. They don't think that. They never get discouraged and they never judge us in that way. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:01 Highlight the passage at 1:21:01

1:21:20 The qualities of Buddha's enlightened activities, which is the way that they are in the world, actually. So when we create, when we do a certain action, our karma, it's called lei in Tibetan, the Buddha acts and they create what's called enlightened action, or chin lei in Tibetan. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:20 Highlight the passage at 1:21:20

1:21:47 And we just learn actions in life. I remember seeing it and getting outside. Karen and I are doing this phone Tibetan class. It's very exciting, actually. I highly recommend it. Yeah, it's great. It's really cool. This guy, David Curtis, Tibetan Language Institute. I'm sorry, Leia's... Leia's tip is... Our action? It's just karma. Okay. It just means karma. It's Report an error in the passage at 1:21:47 Highlight the passage at 1:21:47

1:22:22 everything in it. And Chinle is enlightened action. So action and karma are the same word. Karma is just the Sanskrit word. It really means any movement of the mind, which of course, and everything that that movement of the mind creates. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:22 Highlight the passage at 1:22:22

1:22:44 Enlightened action is Chinle. And everything that they do, which of course none of their actions are ordinary actions, but everything they do, speech with that age speech. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:44 Highlight the passage at 1:22:44

1:22:58 Net positive results. There's no way for any of their activities to produce any kind of suffering or confusion or harm or anything negative. Only bliss and happiness and perfection. When they try to do these things, it's possible that we don't have the karma for something to actually manifest in the way that they hoped, but then they just keep trying different ways. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:58 Highlight the passage at 1:22:58

1:23:29 As long as we have some karma to receive it, which we keep trying to create, right? I mean, that's part of what we are doing is creating the karma to keep receiving teachings, to keep connected to the Dharma and all that stuff. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:29 Highlight the passage at 1:23:29

1:23:44 But the enlightened body, speech and mind are constantly and spontaneously, so again, without any effort or conceptual thought, acting for the benefit of beings in a myriad of ways. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:44 Highlight the passage at 1:23:44

1:24:00 Countless ways they say, I don't know, maybe that time, maybe in this way actually it's true, maybe it is countless in this way. So whatever it is that we need, if it actually would benefit our mind, then enlightened body, speech or mind could help us. I mean they say this is that thing, you know, that Buddhists can manifest in any form, animate or inanimate, waiting however long it's necessary. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:00 Highlight the passage at 1:24:00

1:24:31 Knowing everything about us and knowing every potential that we have and what seeds are there that could ripen. So they can't actually do the work for us and they can't create positive karma but they can see what our stories are and help some of the positive stuff come to the front. Those planes hit the runway first. They can't create that karma for us if it's not there. So they can't come in there and be my emails. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:31 Highlight the passage at 1:24:31

1:24:59 They can't save us. They have to, you know, we have to have something in our stores for them to work with. And if we don't, then they, you know, try to help us by, you know, being an old lady who needs help crossing the street. I mean, like, whatever it is that's going to help us get closer to that, you know. So we have, say we have this imprint to want to receive Dharma teachings, but we have so many obscurations, we can't even make it to the Dharma center. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:59 Highlight the passage at 1:24:59

1:25:25 I mean, haven't you had days like this where it's just like... We had people last week on Friday who almost left because they circled for 25 minutes and couldn't find any parking. And I thought afterwards probably five or ten of them didn't come in because they circled and they just were like, forget this. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:25 Highlight the passage at 1:25:25

1:25:41 If it was their first time especially and they were just kind of like, oh forget it, let's just go to dinner. That's a karmic obstacle. We don't see it as that. We're just like, I just decided to go to dinner. But that was like there just wasn't enough merit there for those people to connect. And if that was their only time. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:41 Highlight the passage at 1:25:41

1:25:58 It's possible that was the only time in this lifetime. It's really like that. It just may not be quite enough. You know, we talk about the dark ages of Buddhism not being available, and it could be as simple as somebody walking by the Dharma center and getting a cell phone call and just not even seeing it. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:58 Highlight the passage at 1:25:58

1:26:17 For them, they could live in the neighborhood for years. I know people have said that, where they've lived here for years, and they're like, how long have you been here? They just never even saw it. They just didn't come and see it. I walked by this fire every day. Interesting. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:17 Highlight the passage at 1:26:17

1:26:38 So, they say that the most direct way that enlightened activity benefits us is when enlightened mind manifests as a human. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:38 Highlight the passage at 1:26:38

1:26:52 And, of course, in a way that shows us the Dharma. So like a qualified spiritual teacher. And in the class of the spiritual teacher, we talk about what a qualified spiritual teacher is. And it's, you know, there are a list of qualities for a fully qualified teacher. And when you think about it, the most powerful and direct way that Buddha Mind can help us is through using this speech of the Buddha and teaching us how we can... Report an error in the passage at 1:26:52 Highlight the passage at 1:26:52

1:27:26 Inspiring us, how we can get enlightened ourselves. So we were talking about the lion's roar of a Buddha, and it's basically what affects our mind and wakes us up. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:26 Highlight the passage at 1:27:26

1:27:37 And they do that through teaching. And they do that through manifesting as these great masters. So I'm not talking about just people like me. I'm talking about the people that kind of take a breath away like His Holiness. That's Artura Rinpoche. Thumbs up Rinpoche. People that we look at and we see these amazing qualities, even with our own limited karma, and that inspires us. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:37 Highlight the passage at 1:27:37

1:28:06 And then we actually receive their teachings and their teachings inspire us and inspire us to act. So they can't make us practice. They can't make us study. But if we have the karma there and our mind's open to it, then they can come up with amazing ways to... To help us plug into these teachings, basically, and get the energy. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:06 Highlight the passage at 1:28:06

1:28:39 So, I mean, learning how to meditate, sometimes they may manifest in the form of another student talking about their meditation practice. And we all just think it's just somebody blabbling on in class, including me. And it could be a Buddha. It could be a Buddha manifesting as this ordinary student. You know, I'm having a hard time with this one and that really helps Jane because she's been having that trouble too and she's like, well, that's in a while, maybe you should bring that one up. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:39 Highlight the passage at 1:28:39

1:29:08 You know, they can do these tricky things, which is of course why we have to be really careful about how we think about people and how we speak about people and how we judge people because it could well be a Buddha or a Bodhisattva or somebody else who has those high levels of attainment and are just trying to help us get enlightened. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:08 Highlight the passage at 1:29:08

1:29:28 So they're coming up with all these creative ways to do it. So Lama Tsongkhapa says in his long run, he says, you know, it's really, really important for us to reflect on all these different qualities and become more and more familiar with them. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:28 Highlight the passage at 1:29:28

1:29:49 And to deepen our refuge by thinking about these qualities. Actually one of the refuge... His commitment is to remembering their qualities to go for refuge three times a day, three times in the morning, three times at night. And by remembering their qualities, they're talking about these kind of qualities. So it's not just their niceness, you know, it's actually, it's that twirling-ish nisha. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:49 Highlight the passage at 1:29:49

1:30:16 The coil. I forgot the details. I remember reading about that coiled hair, too. Apparently it goes really long. Chef. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:16 Highlight the passage at 1:30:16

1:30:24 And that was a bit much for me too. You know, some of this is like you look at it and you're like, and you don't want it to become comical. So you just, I kind of shelled it, you know, like, okay. So I took out the Ishnisha for that purpose, but you know, I'm sure there's a difference. The qualities of the Dharma is the last one. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:24 Highlight the passage at 1:30:24

1:30:46 So here we're talking about not just the Dharma jewel, which are the realizations of the, um, that, um. Buddha's teachings, but the teachings themselves, because the teachings themselves, the teachings that come through in the Sujus and Tantras are actually a reflection of an enlightened mind. It's what the Buddha, especially the historical Buddha, but also really any of the Buddhas, when you think about masters like Nargajuna and Janakirti and Lama Tsongkhapa, their writings also are reflections of an enlightened mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:46 Highlight the passage at 1:30:46

1:31:22 And if we practice these, then we can actually attain these same qualities. And so when you start thinking about the refuge, when we get to the section on the refuge precepts, you can really understand why we treasure Dharma so much, why we take care of Dharma books. It's really not a good idea, for example, to just put this on the ground. Because these words reflect enlightened mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:22 Highlight the passage at 1:31:22

1:31:50 And more importantly, you think, this could get me enlightened. What's in this book could actually get me enlightened, which is pretty powerful. They actually say it's really, really good for you to think about that if you're like wrapping it up and taking it somewhere, like going on retreat or something. I just had a shawl and I sort of wrapped it around it. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:50 Highlight the passage at 1:31:50

1:32:11 It's really good to think, I'm not just packing my shoes. I'm packing this text that could get me enlightened. It's really, it's that hallowed, it's that holy. That's why all the Tibetans have these text covers and things like that. And we're supposed to, we're not supposed to just throw this into the pack. You know, our six-time book is the same. It becomes like a Dharma book. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:11 Highlight the passage at 1:32:11

1:32:38 And so we cover it with something to protect it from truly ordinary things in our bag. And from dirt and things like that. Or our shoes, if we throw our shoes in there. So it's just that because we're getting it, that these teachings could transform. These could be the very ones that transform my mind into this amazing being made of light that can manifest in whatever form necessary to have thought-being. I mean, it's really mind-boggling when you think about it. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:38 Highlight the passage at 1:32:38

1:33:06 Um, so, um, And, I mean, it's also, I think, really, really important to remember that Shakyamuni Buddha started exactly like us. He was a completely ordinary being like us. He didn't start out enlightened. And this is really a basic teaching of Buddhism that differs from Christianity and Judaism. There's no God that's out there that's separate from us that's making anything happen. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:06 Highlight the passage at 1:33:06

1:33:35 There are enlightened beings, and a lot of people don't get this part. Enlightened beings were all ordinary beings who gradually accumulated the causes and the karma and purified the negative aspects and the aspirations to get enlightened. It was a method. They had to follow the path. They progressed slowly. They worked on their minds. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:35 Highlight the passage at 1:33:35

1:34:03 Their minds exactly like ours. They had all the same delusions. Which is important to remember too. They got jealous, irritated, impatient, judgmental, you know, all those same qualities and they just worked with their minds. Because mind is essentially pure, they were able to remove all those delusions, entertain enlightenment. And that, I think, is one of the most inspiring things to keep remembering. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:03 Highlight the passage at 1:34:03

1:34:31 The main quality, I mean they say that the quality is just like with everything else. The qualities of the Dharma are limitless. But the main qualities of the Dharma are that it has the ability, when we understand it, to eliminate all wrong understanding, all disturbing thoughts, all negative states of mind, and to do so in a gentle, skillful way. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:31 Highlight the passage at 1:34:31

1:34:59 It ends all suffering. It's a pretty great quality. It brings about all good qualities. And it leads us to develop every single kind of wisdom, including, of course, this direct perception of emptiness that we've heard about talking about. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:59 Highlight the passage at 1:34:59

1:35:19 So, I mean, the Dharma is vast because it has all these amazing qualities of being able to just, I mean, since mind itself is vast, it encourages us to have love and compassion for ourself, but then to extend it to every single living being without exception, which is... A vast motivation. I mean, our ordinary mind tries to say it's just completely insane and impossible. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:19 Highlight the passage at 1:35:19

1:35:51 And enlightened mind is like, of course it's possible. This is what mind does and mind does it very well. Of course, Saki is kind of waiting for everybody to come and have a break. Maybe you guys take a five minute break because maybe he's waiting. I might order a tea. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:51 Highlight the passage at 1:35:51

1:36:10 I'm sorry. And then we just finished, actually. That's it. Just the end. Just a few more words on. And then you get to ask questions. Stretch your life. You'll give us something to do. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:10 Highlight the passage at 1:36:10

1:36:26 You just hit read to the point. I guess I don't need that. Actually, if somebody could get me a drink of water, that would be great, too. No, this is actually totally... I start my computer crash. Are you sure that it's really dead? This guy looked at it today and he doesn't think it's worth trying to, but you know, Rochelle was saying that we should probably... Oh, you said you'd backed up your heart, I thought. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:26 Highlight the passage at 1:36:26

1:37:05 Yeah, so I have all the files. Yeah, no, I know. And I just had this really strong feeling to do that, so I started doing that just with a memory stick. And then I got a second one, and so I was always doing, like, the two, and so I was able to thank you. I was just drinking all that tightly and I'd be up on that, trying to figure out how to save me. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:05 Highlight the passage at 1:37:05

1:37:32 I carry one of those things all the time. Yeah. Yeah, I just, it's funny, I just had Amy get a bigger one, and so I just got back to that, and actually I was able to back it up again today too. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:32 Highlight the passage at 1:37:32

1:37:46 It was interesting too, we had this dog that lived here when we first moved in. I don't think any of you guys ever know. It is a cat house. It is a cat house now. When we first moved in, we had two dogs actually, Marissa had a little dog, Sugar, there's a Lhasa Apsu. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:46 Highlight the passage at 1:37:46

1:38:07 Karen knew both of these times. You remember Sugar too, right? Sugar is the one who was always like walking out into Oak Street. I know. Every time because we would always leave the door open and she just walked on out. And she was also kind of freaked by all the energy and the people and stuff. Yeah, Sugar didn't do it. Yeah. And Ruby, there was a nun that lived here named Kathy, Kathy Loeson, who worked for... Report an error in the passage at 1:38:07 Highlight the passage at 1:38:07

1:38:33 And at first we were trying to really pack a lot of people in the house. So Kathy and I shared a room. So Ruby Bodhicitta was my dog too. She became my dog too. And Ruby Bodhicitta died last night. And she's been, she's like the most amazing dog. Everybody who met this dog. I mean, I actually announced that in the kitchen. And one of them was like, oh, like we all, I mean, like all these people's reaction when they hear about it's just. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:33 Highlight the passage at 1:38:33

1:39:01 Heartbreaking. I know Karen's going to start crying again. Don't even start. Don't get me going. Okay. I know. And she's been active, almost actively dying. She's definitely been dying in dying process for like two years. So we've had all this time. She's been this miracle dog. I've gone up there. We've like stayed up all night during prayers. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:01 Highlight the passage at 1:39:01

1:39:18 And then she's like, okay, you know. And Jack did this thing. She's at Jack and Judah's house now. When Kathy left, she left here with Jack and Judah who run our study group out in Marin. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:18 Highlight the passage at 1:39:18

1:39:30 And one night in the middle of the night, Jack got up and he thought she had actually died. And he was like, ah. So he started doing prayers and, you know, mantras and everything. And then she just got up and was like, what? He was like, oh. And this kept happening. Like, we'd all go out, you know, any number of times. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:30 Highlight the passage at 1:39:30

1:39:50 I don't have a car, so I'd go out on the ferry and I'd do this whole pilgrimage and I'd stay up all night with Ruby Bodhicitta and she'd just be like, you know, totally fine. So finally she was at the end. They said it was like it was really hard. But it was really interesting when she actually passed, Emily called me last night, told me all this. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:50 Highlight the passage at 1:39:50

1:40:09 She lives up there. She said that there's a Geshe who's staying with them, Geshe Sheriff from Copan, who's just been visiting, and another Montserrat from Ricochet's house, who was just visiting. And they both... Walked back in the door right as she started actively dying and sat down and started doing prayers with her. So as she was passing away, she had two monks doing practice. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:09 Highlight the passage at 1:40:09

1:40:36 I mean, it's just amazing. I know. She's just, she's been blessed by Rinpoche, Bodhicitta, the name Bodhicitta came from Rinpoche. Is this a teacher's cup or is it Geshe-less cup? All the blue and white ones are Geshe-less. I mean, are teachers. Yeah, I know. Oh, you don't need to get me more. Oh, somebody, Jane got a... Oh, I thought you wanted a hot water. All right, I'll drink it. No, it's okay. Oh, I didn't understand. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:36 Highlight the passage at 1:40:36

1:41:04 It took me all that time. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:04 Highlight the passage at 1:41:04

1:41:10 She might have wanted the hot water. Here, bring me the hot water. Okay. She did want the hot water. Developing equanimity. But I can put this back. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:10 Highlight the passage at 1:41:10

1:41:19 Yeah, I'm working on a dungeon. This looks like me at morning puja. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:19 Highlight the passage at 1:41:19

1:41:29 By the time the morning puja is done, I always have to have all my things spread out. I've got tea and water. I want to thank you guys, that's very nice. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:29 Highlight the passage at 1:41:29

1:41:42 So, just a little bit more on Dharma. They say that... You have like three glasses. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:42 Highlight the passage at 1:41:42

1:41:26 for the tiny morning coaches Report an error in the passage at 1:41:26 Highlight the passage at 1:41:26

1:41:48 I mean, they always say that every single being wants to be happy, wants to avoid suffering. And actually, if we can actually remember that, even though it seems really, really simple, it actually protects our mind from thinking that there's any differences at all between us and anyone else. I mean, it actually cuts through those seeming differences completely. And that's Dharma. I mean, that's a Dharma teaching. And Dharma teachings are like that. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:48 Highlight the passage at 1:41:48

1:42:15 Dharma teachings are... Total protections for our mind. Even if we don't fully understand them, like even if we don't have a direct perception of emptiness, just having a little taste of it cuts our mind, or remembering impermanence and death, cuts our mind from doing the crazy things that we normally do when our mind gets into these cycles of anger and aversion or frustration or whatever. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:15 Highlight the passage at 1:42:15

1:42:44 So the Dharma is... Vastly powerful and inconceivable, they say. Qualities of the Saṅgha. And this is talking, of course, about the serious practitioners who have developed genuine realizations and qualities. They may not be, you know, Saṅgha. If somebody is a Saṅgha Jewel, they wouldn't necessarily have attained Buddhahood, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:42:44 Highlight the passage at 1:42:44

1:43:26 So they wouldn't have fully developed their mind. But they would have definitely attained certain levels of realization like renunciation, Report an error in the passage at 1:43:26 Highlight the passage at 1:43:26

1:43:37 loving kindness, compassion, possibly bodhicitta, generosity, morality. They might have had, if they were a true Saṅgha jewel, Report an error in the passage at 1:43:37 Highlight the passage at 1:43:37

1:43:52 they would have had the direct perception of emptiness. So it's amazing when we think about it that, I mean, just to know somebody, think about just knowing somebody who had true renunciation, who truly got it that there's no happiness with saṃsāra that's worth all this crap that we go through. They really got that, like Lama Zopa says, that saṃsāra is like you, star of the paper. We don't do that. Like, I totally buy into it, you know, like, these are pretty much, you know, or, you know, I like the packaging of this book, you know, I still am buying into it, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:52 Highlight the passage at 1:43:52

1:44:33 I still like a really good movie. I still love The Sunday Times, you know. I still love a really good Caffitelli. I haven't gotten it that, you know. That saṃsāra is in its nature suffering and it's just going to lead me into more suffering, the more attached and graspy and the way I see that is inherently real and the way I see the I who's enjoying it is inherently real and all that stuff. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:33 Highlight the passage at 1:44:33

1:44:55 If you just knew somebody who just had gotten that and could help you get it, think of how amazing that is. And that's really what saṅgha is as far as we're concerned. It's just serious practitioners on the path who can help us. And so for that reason, it kind of makes sense. It's again, it's like you want to go to Paris if you know somebody who's gotten, even to France, even to the beginning of the tunnel, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:44:55 Highlight the passage at 1:44:55

1:45:21 You know, somebody at least has ridden Air France, you know, and gets you to that part of the airport. It helps so much, like logically, if you just think of it practically. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:21 Highlight the passage at 1:45:21

1:45:34 So, I mean, they can help us because they know what's worked for them and they know how to, You know, to guide us. So just from that standpoint, I always kind of think it sounds a little, to me it sounds a little hokey to call them nurses, you know, in that analogy. For some reason I've never liked that. Like it somehow seems kind of, although now that I'm close friends with a couple of nurses, I'm much more impressed by nurses are pretty amazing beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:34 Highlight the passage at 1:45:34

1:46:00 But something about it always sounds a little funky. But when I think about it in terms of the fact that they are... Currently getting what I want to get. So they're putting it into practice right now and they're actually attaining these realizations right now. And we can see them, we know them, we may not recognize them. You know, I might look at somebody who works here and think that they're an ordinary being. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:00 Highlight the passage at 1:46:00

1:46:29 But if I, you know how you can really tell, I mean remember like Tiziana, you see somebody who's got these amazing qualities. And just gives and is so selfless. It's so inspiring for you. Like you wanted to just be bitchy and complaining and then you see this person who's like, oh no, you know, I'll stay until midnight cleaning up the entire kitchen, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:29 Highlight the passage at 1:46:29

1:46:52 And honestly just doing it with a happy mind. It completely changes what you find yourself capable of. I mean I sort of, I feel like, I got an email from Tim, one of our students who's doing the master's program in Italy. And I asked him to go say hi to her. I said, tell me how she is. She's doing a master's program here. He's like, well, she's working for the center. She's doing a master's program. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:52 Highlight the passage at 1:46:52

1:47:17 He's like named all the things, but she's really happy. And it's just, it's, I mean, you see these people and you just think, wow, it is possible. And it's all about me, like, turning my mind in that direction and just deciding to go for it. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:17 Highlight the passage at 1:47:17

1:47:34 So, yeah, I think that's really why the Saṅgha becomes a guide for us, because we begin, they seem more possible for us to relate to than these images, you know, and the Oceania and the Dharma talks and that stuff. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:34 Highlight the passage at 1:47:34

1:47:53 Because you can remember her when she was, like, that little cute blonde hair. Cutting off that long hair, I know, I actually cut that off for her. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:53 Highlight the passage at 1:47:53

1:48:03 Yeah, I know, it was interesting. Yeah, that's true. Although, yeah, I think she was already something amazing. I had actually brought this because I wanted to read a quote about the sign-up. This is Gishisopa's version of his commentary, actually, his commentary on the Lama and Shantideva. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:03 Highlight the passage at 1:48:03

1:48:28 At this point, I think it's going to be a five-volume set, and he's only written three volumes, so we pray he makes it through. I think Honorable George is helping him with that right now. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:28 Highlight the passage at 1:48:28

1:48:40 And this is Volume 3 that was just released. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:40 Highlight the passage at 1:48:40

1:48:45 No, this is Volume 1. Volume 2. Volume 3 is out now. I think it's out. Yeah, I see advertisers. I keep wanting them to order it. Yeah, well, maybe we'll just ask them a little bit, yeah, like a couple. It's amazing. His writing is really lively and quite clear. I'm falling in love with all of them at this point. Anyway, he said, the Saṅgha teach the Dharma, practice the Dharma and think about the Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:45 Highlight the passage at 1:48:45

1:49:14 They are a field of the Dharma, they hold the Dharma and they rely upon the Dharma. They venerate the Dharma. They engage in the activities of the Dharma. The Dharma is their sphere of activity and they are the wonderful practitioners of the Dharma. They are naturally honest and naturally pure. Compassion is their subject and they are endowed with compassion. They always embrace solitude. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:14 Highlight the passage at 1:49:14

1:49:36 They are always absorbed in the Dharma. They always perform virtuous actions. This is how you should think of the Saṅgha. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:36 Highlight the passage at 1:49:36

1:49:48 These are Arya beings really. These are the Dharma jewels really. And he says, this quotation presents some of the Saṅgha's pure qualities at the Arya level, but more generally it is explained in the basket of the Vinaya and various Himayana and even some Mahāyāna Sutras that ordinary practitioners who truly follow the teachings of the Buddha are the Saṅgha. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:48 Highlight the passage at 1:49:48

1:50:11 In other words, the Saṅgha are those individuals who fully commit their lives to attaining emancipation or enlightenment, fully commit their lives. So think about that. To achieve their goal, these people strive to keep pure ethical conduct to the best of their ability. These are people who understand the teachings and practice them seriously. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:11 Highlight the passage at 1:50:11

1:50:31 The primary examples of such individuals are, of course, fully ordained months and months. So we're just representative of that. So that's why when you hear people calling everyone that comes into the Buddha Center Saṅgha, I think it sort of weakens them. Fully... They're fully giving their life to emancipation, meaning liberation and enlightenment. I mean, that's a huge thing. There's not that many of us that are here that could honestly, I mean, we probably wouldn't if we really were that. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:31 Highlight the passage at 1:50:31

1:51:00 We wouldn't even admit it to anyone. But, do you know what I mean? I think it's a seriousness and a sincerity of practice that you don't see just about everyone. But when you see it, it really inspires you, I think. And I think just about anybody I've ever known who's done a really long retreat is like that. It's like you're just going for it. And you're just willing to basically give up everything to try to attain these qualities of Buddhist body, speech, mind, practice. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:00 Highlight the passage at 1:51:00

1:51:32 It's pretty amazing. And there are people doing that, even as you speak. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:32 Highlight the passage at 1:51:32

1:51:40 So any questions? And your meditation this time is going to be contemplating these qualities. And I think I left in the Ujnasha on the homework, so... can contemplate that one Report an error in the passage at 1:51:40 Highlight the passage at 1:51:40

1:51:54 they have any questions? Report an error in the passage at 1:51:54 Highlight the passage at 1:51:54

1:52:03 got one? Yeah one. A slight one. You can get one for me. I hear what you're saying about the Saṅgha, and I know that that's right, that it's important to believe in that fully ordained Saṅgha, but it's nice to have Saṅgha Saṅgha too. You know, the regular saṅgha, the regular people that are trying. Yeah, yeah. No, I think also it's really important to realize that not everyone who fits the description that Geshe Tsongkhapa gave has to be a fully ordained Lama Rinpoche. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:03 Highlight the passage at 1:52:03

1:52:46 Some of the people I was just thinking about when I was thinking about Lama Rinpoche are late people. He's just saying that I think just to represent, in the same way that statues represent the Buddhist body, we just sort of represent. Because it's like Morgan can say, okay, look, she gave up any kind of clothes except that thing. She gave up any kind of hairstyle except that thing. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:46 Highlight the passage at 1:52:46

1:53:09 So there's something represented in the various aspects of my appearance. But there are genuine Saṅgha, meaning those who are really serious practitioners and really have attained some level of realization and lay ordained, like a married, you know. Moms, like I mean they don't look any different than the rest of us, but we know when we reach those qualities, when we see those qualities in somebody, and it inspires us and that's really, and they're everywhere. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:09 Highlight the passage at 1:53:09

1:53:42 They're, they're, so I just like to keep your eyes open for them. I just wanted to say, um, a couple weeks ago Saturday I came in, and I came in just to drop something off, and, um, Report an error in the passage at 1:53:42 Highlight the passage at 1:53:42

1:53:59 Amy and David were cutting up things for the Dharma bird. And I thought that that was really inspiring because I haven't known David long. But it was just like, David's like, yeah. Oh, wow. It's like, I'd like to meet him. It's like, I'm good. You know, it felt good. I'm good. I'm good. I think I'm good. Like a little song. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, a little song. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:59 Highlight the passage at 1:53:59

1:54:29 That day you were definitely a little sad. We had a bunch of people who were supposed to come and it was like David. It was a one person Dharma party. That was great though. It's true. That can be incredibly inspiring. Or you know when you have an event and everybody's exhausted and suddenly like one person will step forward and be like... Report an error in the passage at 1:54:29 Highlight the passage at 1:54:29

1:54:41 It's been over and over, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:41 Highlight the passage at 1:54:41

1:54:56 No, I can help. And then it just stays to the end. It's just so impressive. I sometimes wonder who those people are. See, Dave is just pretending to be like the third one. He's like asking the key questions and all that stuff. Yeah, it's on the ruse. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:56 Highlight the passage at 1:54:56

1:55:15 You know, you gave yourself away with a Scotland shirt, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, I know. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:15 Highlight the passage at 1:55:15

1:55:26 It's funny, actually, you know, have you guys ever met Yangtze Rinpoche? Yangtze Rinpoche? He's a director and a main teacher at Maitripa up in Portland, which is a Buddhist university. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:26 Highlight the passage at 1:55:26

1:55:41 And he's Senla's, Venable Senla's brother, so Venable Senla came and taught in Lama. She also is translating in one more time. She's going to translate Chidri Rinpoche, actually. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:41 Highlight the passage at 1:55:41

1:55:52 But anyway, that's her brother. And he's wild, if you've ever seen him. I mean, he's youngish, he's in his 40s actually, and he's a ricochet, he's a full gachet as well, brilliant. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:52 Highlight the passage at 1:55:52

1:56:06 But he's huge, he's really tall, he's got these enormous hands, he's really kind of wild in appearance, you know. He does a joke, he said once, of course I'm putting this on, a friend said, a friend said once, he said it looked like... The Buddha was trying to emanate and kind of just didn't quite get that right. It was like, maybe I'll fit in now. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:06 Highlight the passage at 1:56:06

1:56:31 You know, like sitting with all the other kids, you know, like, why did they pick me out? How can they recognize me? And he does look kind of like that. And you said really tall. He what? You said really tall. Yeah, totally, yeah. No, he's wild. He's wild, yeah. And he's just... The way he talks and his fingers are really long. But his English, he teaches in English. He's from this younger generation of Rinpoches. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:31 Highlight the passage at 1:56:31

1:57:08 I think that it just blows all away. There's Lang Rinpoche and Trisha Rinpoche and all these reincarnated amazing llamas that taught. And now they're all in their 20s, 30s, 40s and hitting the scene. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:08 Highlight the passage at 1:57:08

1:57:24 Yeah, he's got all these really young followers, you know, 20s and 30s that just kind of gave up everything and like just doing this program with them. And it's really kind of inspiring to see. It's like it's just a whole different thing. His English is very much in the one of the yeshies, if you haven't heard one of the yeshies. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:24 Highlight the passage at 1:57:24

1:57:41 That really kind of wild, yeah, because he came with Copan, he's been a lifetime of Copan, so he's got that kind of Copan English. He always, he says, I'm sorry about my Copan English, you know, but it's great to just be able to get the teachings direct like that, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:41 Highlight the passage at 1:57:41

1:57:57 Anyway, quality is his body speech and mine. So let's dedicate, if you guys don't have any more questions, here's your homework actually. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:57 Highlight the passage at 1:57:57

1:58:07 I made four copies and then I did the original, so. you want to send it to me? Nope. No, so most of you will have... That's another long one. Sorry, David. No, I don't get that. Yeah, but now I know you're the plant. You're the enlightened plant. I'm never going to believe in your complaints again. No, I can't. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:07 Highlight the passage at 1:58:07

1:58:31 I'm constantly in the light. Thank you for that hot water. Ushnisha. You know, it took me about two years before somebody told me what that was called. I was like, I thought it was just protrusion, you know. So now you think the French can impress all your French. You thought it was hair? Report an error in the passage at 1:58:31 Highlight the passage at 1:58:31

1:58:53 Well, they do say a top knot. Yeah, they do say sometimes. Isn't one of the long-life deities Yishnish? It does sound familiar, yeah, in Sanskrit, right? One of the three. Yeah, but there's a Tibetan one for it, too. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:53 Highlight the passage at 1:58:53

1:59:11 It's really him. Maybe that one has a really good assumption. Must agree to like her. Anyway, okay, so let's take a moment to dedicate. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:11 Highlight the passage at 1:59:11

1:59:27 I'm just thinking, just spending, we're probably the only six people in this city who have spent the evening contemplating the enlightened body, speech and mind of a Buddha. It's pretty impressive when you think about it. And this is a pretty progressive city. And we have just spent... Two hours doing just that, which is very amazing. So all those seeds have been planted in our mind. And we haven't had a lot of room for negative thoughts, so all we've done is create this amazing positive energy. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:27 Highlight the passage at 1:59:27

1:59:58 So let's dedicate that to all of us being able to actually attain and realize those qualities ourselves. As the Buddha said, it's totally possible for us to do. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:58 Highlight the passage at 1:59:58

2:00:26 me show up. You know what? Could you just leave it? I'm just fine. Do you want to have one tomorrow morning? Report an error in the passage at 2:00:26 Highlight the passage at 2:00:26

2:00:38 I'll turn that off. You've been the entire evening relaxing. Yeah, I'll turn that off. Actually, do you mind hitting pause? Here, pause. Yeah, I'll, yeah. sure what will happen in the morning, but, sorry. You sure you won't? Yeah, no, you can help Okay. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:38 Highlight the passage at 2:00:38