Discovering Buddhism - Taking Refuge (20 August 2009)

0:07 you are. am. Report an error in the passage at 0:07 Highlight the passage at 0:07

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2:02 sure he's warm early. I will. Report an error in the passage at 2:02 Highlight the passage at 2:02

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8:02 So Report an error in the passage at 8:02 Highlight the passage at 8:02

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8:47 let's just start with just a little meditation on the breath. Were you here on Tuesday? Okay, so you can only, that's right, I think we had talked and you said you can only do Thursday, so we'll see how that goes. I can send you my notes, but let's talk after and I'll write down, yeah, sure. Report an error in the passage at 8:47 Highlight the passage at 8:47

9:06 Because it was a little flunky because it's three of them on Tuesdays. So just take some nice deep belly breaths and let go of the day. If you Report an error in the passage at 9:06 Highlight the passage at 9:06

9:23 have any conversations we're just having, Report an error in the passage at 9:23 Highlight the passage at 9:23

9:30 imagine taking in a nice deep belly breath and just imagine it washing away everything that might keep you from being 100 % present or at least 75. Report an error in the passage at 9:30 Highlight the passage at 9:30

10:06 And imagine with each fresh intake of breath that you're breathing in. Pure concentration, pure awareness, pure alertness. Report an error in the passage at 10:06 Highlight the passage at 10:06

10:37 We'll just start with a short meditation on the breath just to bring the mind to neutral. So try placing your awareness either on the level of your belly as it expands and contracts with each breath or the level of your nostrils. So just finding a little patch of skin inside the tip of your nostril and focusing on the air as it passes over. Report an error in the passage at 10:37 Highlight the passage at 10:37

11:04 That patch of skin then goes back out. Just Report an error in the passage at 11:04 Highlight the passage at 11:04

11:18 keeping your mind there as much as you can. Every time your mind wanders off of that breath, just gently but firmly placing it back on the breath. Report an error in the passage at 11:18 Highlight the passage at 11:18

11:30 Just take a few minutes to do that. Try to count to 10 or 21 without losing it. Report an error in the passage at 11:30 Highlight the passage at 11:30

· · · silence, 2 minutes

13:50 Think about our motivation for being here. Report an error in the passage at 13:50 Highlight the passage at 13:50

13:57 Lama Yeshe says, refuge isn't something that you say like a prayer. It's something that you do. Do it moment by moment, state Report an error in the passage at 13:57 Highlight the passage at 13:57

14:11 of mind. It's this continual process of infusing our mind so we know what to do, how to act, how to be in this world. Report an error in the passage at 14:11 Highlight the passage at 14:11

14:26 And if we know what to do and how to act, then it protects our mind and protects us from committing non-virtues. Report an error in the passage at 14:26 Highlight the passage at 14:26

14:38 That's really what protects us. Report an error in the passage at 14:38 Highlight the passage at 14:38

14:45 Let's motivate this class to each one of us. Being able to generate this mind of refuge, to understand it, to get closer to it. And slowly, slowly to begin to generate it. And then to generate it on a daily basis so that we have it when we need it. When we're scared, when we're alone, going through any kind of challenges. Report an error in the passage at 14:45 Highlight the passage at 14:45

15:12 We're dying when somebody we love is dying. All the big stuff. When we really need a strong, strong refuge. May Report an error in the passage at 15:12 Highlight the passage at 15:12

15:29 whatever comes from this class plant the seeds for us to develop this mind of refuge. Report an error in the passage at 15:29 Highlight the passage at 15:29

16:00 Which is page 8. Report an error in the passage at 16:00 Highlight the passage at 16:00

16:12 With Report an error in the passage at 16:12 Highlight the passage at 16:12

16:20 a wish to free all beings, I shall always go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha until I reach full enlightenment. Inspired by wisdom and compassion, today in the Buddha's presence, I generate the mind of full awakening for the benefit of all sentient beings. As long as space remains, as long as sentient beings remain. Report an error in the passage at 16:20 Highlight the passage at 16:20

16:46 Until then, may I too remain and dispel the miseries of the world. So Report an error in the passage at 16:46 Highlight the passage at 16:46

16:59 first I want to actually make an announcement. We got these great little cards today. This is my very, very good friend, Tenzin Chokyi, whose name sort of sounds like mine, but not quite. Chokyi versus Chikyi. Report an error in the passage at 16:59 Highlight the passage at 16:59

17:16 She is becoming the resident teacher at Vajrapani, which is our sister center in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It's a retreat center. There are two centers kind of near Santa Cruz. One is almost a little bit more like a health and healing, bed and breakfast-y one. That's Atlanta Medicine Buddha. And then Vajrapani is definitely... Report an error in the passage at 17:16 Highlight the passage at 17:16

17:42 A retreat center. It's like back in the woods. It's definitely got a whole different feel. It's in the Redwoods. They're both really great, and you should make a point to going to them. So she's going to be their main teacher, at least in their season, which is in the summer because, of course, off-season the road goes out. Sorry. Report an error in the passage at 17:42 Highlight the passage at 17:42

18:03 So she's just arriving there. She's been traveling, I think, for really like the last year. She also teaches in... But. Report an error in the passage at 18:03 Highlight the passage at 18:03

18:11 The summer in New Zealand, which is our winter at Mahamudra Center. I think it's Mahamudra. No, it is. Yeah, it's Mahamudra Center in New Zealand. And she also teaches some of the introductory courses in India, in Dharamsala and in Okaya. She's just great. So she's doing a couple classes that are coming up. Well, not classes. They're like weekends, weekend retreats. One of them is about how you do a retreat. Report an error in the passage at 18:11 Highlight the passage at 18:11

18:41 It's called Turning Inwards, Instructions on Personal Retreat. It's the weekend of September 11th through 13th. And the second one is Awakening Compassion. It's all about the bodhisattva vows and living sort of on the bodhisattva path. Both of them are going to be brilliant, I can guarantee you. You will absolutely adore her. She's just wonderful. If you can't go, I'm just telling you because we got these today and also we got a note from Elaine that registration is low. Report an error in the passage at 18:41 Highlight the passage at 18:41

19:08 And even before I saw that note, I was like, oh my god, I'm totally going to bring this up to all the DB students because I just feel like if you guys have never done retreat, this is your perfect way in because it's like short. So it's not too scary. They have great accommodations. They have wonderful food. They'll totally take care of you. She'll just envelop you in warmth and love. Report an error in the passage at 19:08 Highlight the passage at 19:08

19:30 And she's also hysterically funny. Report an error in the passage at 19:30 Highlight the passage at 19:30

19:35 And she also has huge amounts of experience that she teaches from. She has done probably about eight years of long retreat. I mean, she's done two different retreats. funny. Report an error in the passage at 19:35 Highlight the passage at 19:35

19:49 And so she's really teaching from a gut level in a whole different way. But she will be coming up here too. We've invited her to come for an intro course and a course, more like an intermediate course on the Heart Sūtra. So she will be up with us in October. I think both of them are in October. First weekend and maybe last weekend or something like that. Report an error in the passage at 19:49 Highlight the passage at 19:49

20:12 I think it's on our website already. But if you get a chance, it would be a really, really nice way in there. So I'm just put them there. If you guys want one, take one. There's also more out in the lobby. I just want to make sure to mention that every class. So any questions about anything that we said on Tuesday or just any questions that have come up for you since class two days ago? Report an error in the passage at 20:12 Highlight the passage at 20:12

20:45 Yeah, could you pass Christine the mic? I have to taste this peppermint tea that I've heard so much about. It's more of a mind. I was rereading the notes and it came up even though it's more of a mind. Does it sound like it's in? Does it sound like it's in? This one's on. Am I not talking? Yeah, you're not doing the lounge lizard thing. Report an error in the passage at 20:45 Highlight the passage at 20:45

21:09 There was one part in the notes where it seemed like it was implying that if you got rid of all the delusions, your mind is clear in knowing. Does that mean that... yeah. Report an error in the passage at 21:09 Highlight the passage at 21:09

21:20 It is innately omniscient? It's not innately. Well, that's a good way to look at it. It's innately capable of being omniscient. That's what really the capacity is there because mine's MO is that it likes to know, right? We know. We know very limitedly now. We have this very narrow little area that we work with in our mind. Report an error in the passage at 21:20 Highlight the passage at 21:20

21:41 But it has the capacity. That's what it does. That's what it likes to do is know. And right now it's just blocked by all this sludge. Karmic debris and obstacles and things like that. So it's not that we are already Buddhists and we just have to clean the windows. Report an error in the passage at 21:41 Highlight the passage at 21:41

22:03 But the capacity is there. The potential is there for us to be omniscient and to have. It's like if you have a wide open field. Report an error in the passage at 22:03 Highlight the passage at 22:03

22:19 It has the capacity to be a lot of different things, but it's sort of like, what is it actually going to end up being? Or in this center, this building has the capacity to be a lot of different things. And karmically, actually, that's true, too. Like, nothing is predetermined, but there are a lot of potentials that are there, and which ones are we going to ripen first? So it's kind of like that. Report an error in the passage at 22:19 Highlight the passage at 22:19

22:38 So the capacity is there. It has that. We all have the potential for a mind that is... Able to know all because mind knows, but currently we aren't able to because it's blocked. So if we clear the delusions, then there's still more work to do to increase the wisdom? Only slightly, yeah, yeah. Definitely, I mean, yeah, you're doing both, right? Report an error in the passage at 22:38 Highlight the passage at 22:38

23:04 You're purifying and accumulating merit, and when you're accumulating merit, you're doing positive things. But when you're eliminating the delusions, if you eliminate all of your... Gross delusions. That's what nirvāṇa is. That's what liberation is. And nirvāṇa is just Sanskrit for liberation. You are liberated from saṃsāra at that point. You become what's called an arhat. It's actually very far beyond having a direct perception of emptiness because you need that too. Report an error in the passage at 23:04 Highlight the passage at 23:04

23:37 But you're not enlightened yet. And the strongest, subtle... The delusion that you still have is this delusion of believing in this inherently existent self and grasping to that. On some level, you still think, I'm an Arhat, and you still are clinging to that. Report an error in the passage at 23:37 Highlight the passage at 23:37

23:57 They say it's like a subtle form of self-cherishing to be working towards your own liberation and not working for all other beings. So that's a block that's not allowing you to see. That all other beings need to be liberated too. So they say that people then can kind of enter into this blissful state for eons until the Buddha finally comes up and kind of goes, Christine, you've spent a lot of time in bliss. Report an error in the passage at 23:57 Highlight the passage at 23:57

24:23 There are a lot of suffering beings, you need to get out there and help them, something like that. So there's all levels of delusions. And even in our little baby minds, we can begin to see, like when we first get... so yeah. Report an error in the passage at 24:23 Highlight the passage at 24:23

24:40 And we start working with our minds. We start working with the really big obvious ones. They actually say that's the way to do it. Hey Gina. That's okay. They say that it's really best to start with the biggest, your biggest illusions first. And at first that's almost all you can see. You know, it's kind of overwhelming. Like whatever your personal flavor is and everybody has a different one. And sometimes we all have the same ones. Report an error in the passage at 24:40 Highlight the passage at 24:40

25:08 And then after a while, then they start getting more subtle. But they still need to be worked on. You still need to be, like, analyzing them and all that stuff. But it starts getting more subtle. And even the big one might still be there, but it's more subtle. And you know you lost it, or you know you got really jealous, or you know blah, blah, blah. Report an error in the passage at 25:08 Highlight the passage at 25:08

25:27 But not everybody else knows, because they don't know the state of your mind. Yeah. It's very interesting. It's like gross, subtle, subtle, subtle, subtle, subtle. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. We're just doing questions. Report an error in the passage at 25:27 Highlight the passage at 25:27

25:45 So I know it's not the same thing, but I just wondered if you could talk about how taking refuge or doing refuge is different from attachment. Is it because of the object being perfect or is there enough, like you're, like to go to that, those things. Yeah. Attachment. It has this attachment, all the afflictions, but especially when you're talking about what they call the three poisons, the three main ones, which are attachment, aversion and ignorance. Report an error in the passage at 25:45 Highlight the passage at 25:45

26:15 They have this thing where they exaggerate something about the object. So attachment exaggerates the good qualities. Think about when you first get involved with somebody, right? And all you can see, how wonderful this person is, and you're boring all your friends with it. And then at some point, if you begin to break up with that person, all you can see is the negative. It's the same person, but your mind is doing that, and so aversion does that. Report an error in the passage at 26:15 Highlight the passage at 26:15

26:44 So attachment is, what Refuge is doing is, Refuge is you're looking at the situation that you're in and deciding you're not going to do it anymore. It's kind of more like that. So it's not so much that you're like reaching out and grabbing at something. But it's important to know the refuge objects are important because they give us the inspiration and the methods to get out of this mess. Report an error in the passage at 26:44 Highlight the passage at 26:44

27:10 It's more like that. Yeah. And actually this came up recently. Oh, it was in the Demystifying Tantra study group. We were talking about, one of the people was talking about guru devotion, what's the difference between guru devotion and attachment and we were talking about the word devotion. It can become attachment. And you definitely see that. You see people like sort of grasping onto the guru's feet when he's trying to like leave or, you know, get on a plane or something. Report an error in the passage at 27:10 Highlight the passage at 27:10

27:41 And then sometimes you see yourself doing it too. But that's just because our minds are so habituated towards ordinary beings. You know, that's how we are with ordinary beings. So then we like flick it onto the guru. They usually then turn it right around in your face and like teach you with it. They will do something to teach you. Devotion is more about understanding the qualities of the guru. Report an error in the passage at 27:41 Highlight the passage at 27:41

28:09 I'm getting off subject, I know, but it is something that comes up because of this attachment thing. It's like you get to know what the qualities of the guru are. Report an error in the passage at 28:09 Highlight the passage at 28:09

28:18 It's very similar, I think, actually with refuge. You get to know the qualities of the object, in this case the refuge objects or the guru. and then you Use that trust to help you get out of the situation that you're in. And eventually there won't be anything external to your own wisdom. Like we use it as a bridge that there's an external, you know, person with little funny robes on and a little panted hat and all that stuff, you know, and they're talking sometimes in other languages and all that stuff. Report an error in the passage at 28:18 Highlight the passage at 28:18

28:48 But they're just reflecting our own stuff until we have the wisdom to not need an external. And the same is really true for the refugee objects. That was definitely Rinpoche speaking through me because I had no intention of talking about that one today. Anybody else? Report an error in the passage at 28:48 Highlight the passage at 28:48

29:13 You keep having these loud conversations during our class too. We're going to have to talk about that at the beginning. Report an error in the passage at 29:13 Highlight the passage at 29:13

29:24 Okay, we're going to get right into that actually tonight. We're going to talk about... Oh, so Maria wasn't here last week and Samantha wasn't here last week, right? And then we've lost several people too. Who knows? But anyway, I just wanted you guys to have a chance to say hi because we go around the class in the first class and say who we are. And so everybody, this is Maria and everybody, this is Samantha. Report an error in the passage at 29:24 Highlight the passage at 29:24

29:50 So welcome to the class. And you're going to just try to come on Thursdays. Probably, I wonder if the two... Medical people are only coming on Tuesdays. We're going to end up with two separate, and then a couple people that go between. Report an error in the passage at 29:50 Highlight the passage at 29:50

30:07 Okay, well, welcome. So when you receive any kind of a traditional teaching on refuge, like if Geshe-la is teaching about refuge, which he will indeed on the 30th be doing, the main thing that they talk about as your traditional causes, the two... The causes for taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha are kind of interesting. And so it's definitely worth starting right out with. They are fear of our own future suffering. Report an error in the passage at 30:07 Highlight the passage at 30:07

30:40 Yeah, that's usually the Western reaction. And trust that these objects of refuge or faith, they say, or confidence that these objects of refuge can protect us from this suffering. So it's fear and faith or fear and trust. Which immediately, Westerners, like the hair kind of bristles up. The Kool-Aid, the fear of the Kool-Aid starts happening again. Gina begins moving backwards out the door. Report an error in the passage at 30:40 Highlight the passage at 30:40

31:10 You brought it tonight, right? Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 31:10 Highlight the passage at 31:10

31:16 Exactly. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 31:16 Highlight the passage at 31:16

31:23 Fear is number one. Fear of our own future suffering. Good, good. Report an error in the passage at 31:23 Highlight the passage at 31:23

31:29 Confidence in our own future suffering. That's the one thing I can believe in. No, fear of our own future suffering and trust. This is only two items, Kara. You can't have missed that one. Trust or confidence that these objects of refuge can protect us from that suffering. So when we say this word fear, it's not talking about this kind of neurotic fear that... Report an error in the passage at 31:29 Highlight the passage at 31:29

31:54 I personally, that many of us have. It's talking about building some sort of intelligent fear based on understanding karma and how karma works and that the result of negative actions is suffering. So we just spent a whole class talking about that. But basically it involves some amount of study on our part. We need to do some study of how karma works. Report an error in the passage at 31:54 Highlight the passage at 31:54

32:19 We need to do some experiments in it and so forth. But it's sort of like, I liked this example, and so I started using it after I heard of it. I think it was Sanghi Kadro who used this one, Kathleen McDonald, the one that wrote How to Meditate. She said, when she was here actually teaching Refuge, she said, it's sort of like when you're learning how to drive a car, and they show you those movies about what could happen if you drink and drive, or if you drive under the wrong road conditions, or you're not fully aware. Report an error in the passage at 32:19 Highlight the passage at 32:19

32:51 Then dangerous things can happen. They use fear in that way. They try to make us understand the impact that we have hurtling through space in this 2,000-pound vehicle, or much less than that if it's a smart car. Report an error in the passage at 32:51 Highlight the passage at 32:51

33:08 So they show films and things like that. I don't know if they still do this. They used to show films and stuff of what could happen, especially with teen drivers, right? Um. Report an error in the passage at 33:08 Highlight the passage at 33:08

33:19 Make the teen drivers feel so bad. But I think it's a good example of how you can use a sort of educated fear to have you develop a safe driving, basically. And in this case, it's helping you develop this mind of refuge. This first level of refuge is talking about this fear of... So this first one, it has three parts, but I didn't break it up that way. But this first level of refuge is worrying about your own future suffering. Report an error in the passage at 33:19 Highlight the passage at 33:19

33:51 Like just knowing that the results of my negative actions and my mind being as unsubdued as it is, and we often get little hints of that, that there's still much work to do, then if I were to die in that kind of moment. Of having my mind be completely out of control. Then if I have any faith in the Buddhist teachings at all, my mind could get thrust into some suffering rebirth. Report an error in the passage at 33:51 Highlight the passage at 33:51

34:20 Even if I don't have any faith in future lifetimes, I can still see how the results of an unsuddued mind can be a lot of chaos in this life. Just even just in this life. Sometimes even just in this room. In this moment. Report an error in the passage at 34:20 Highlight the passage at 34:20

34:37 So the first level of refuge is just having fear for oneself suffering, just my own future suffering and wanting to have more positive rebirths. Kind of still just focused on myself and not even really trying to leave saṃsāra, just trying to get a good deal maybe next time. This doesn't come up so much, I don't think. Report an error in the passage at 34:37 Highlight the passage at 34:37

35:03 Well, it kind of does. I think it kind of comes up with some Buddhists who have been Buddhists for a while. But I think it's more in a Buddhist country. Like in Tibet, I think this would come up a lot where people would just try to create good karma and have a lot of money next time or something like that. You know, just try to have maybe a good position in the society next time. Report an error in the passage at 35:03 Highlight the passage at 35:03

35:23 But they aren't necessarily going for liberation or enlightenment. The next one, the next level is starting to get at that. That saṃsāra itself is damaged. We keep trying to perfect it, but it's always going to have suffering. It's got suffering built in. Because we ourselves are products of our karma and delusions, and the realm itself is the product of karma and delusions, it is inherent. Report an error in the passage at 35:23 Highlight the passage at 35:23

36:00 There's that word. It is imperfect by nature. So then we get, because saṃsāra, when we talk about saṃsāra, we're really not talking about a place called saṃsāra. We're talking about the condition of this being forced to take different rebirths based on our karma and delusions. Like over and over again, we just keep taking rebirth based on karma and delusions. Report an error in the passage at 36:00 Highlight the passage at 36:00

36:25 So it's always kind of imperfect. And so once we get that and we have this sort of eye that there's something better than that, then we take refuge with this trust that the refuge objects, the Buddha, especially the Dharma, are the methods to get us out of saṃsāra altogether. But we're still just thinking about ourselves. Like we haven't quite gotten to that wider one. And so the highest kind of refuge is what's called Mahāyāna Refuge. Report an error in the passage at 36:25 Highlight the passage at 36:25

36:58 And that's taking refuge so that we, I mean, sometimes I'll literally pray, may I become the refuge for those beings who have no refuge. Which sounds a little arrogant, actually. But it's basically wanting to make your, it's wanting to become a Buddha. It's wanting to have the capacity to do something for them, to get them out of suffering, to get them out of saṃsāra, this condition of the chaos of the mind and the karma and the delusions. Report an error in the passage at 36:58 Highlight the passage at 36:58

37:35 So that's the highest form, is wanting to develop our minds and our... Taking refuge with this thought of developing our minds and getting out of saṃsāra altogether and getting enlightened for the sake of all living beings so we can end their suffering completely. We can end saṃsāra. Sometimes they say, until saṃsāra is empty. They'll say that. Until saṃsāra is empty. Report an error in the passage at 37:35 Highlight the passage at 37:35

38:04 Until all beings are free. Um, so the, The biggest fear that it's talking about when we talk about this word fear is fear of the suffering in the lower realms. But really there is suffering, you know, when we get into the different levels of suffering. And I've talked about this in other classes, so some of this will be a review, but there's different levels of suffering when... Report an error in the passage at 38:04 Highlight the passage at 38:04

38:28 This word dukkha is translated, often it's translated as suffering, but it's sometimes translated as dissatisfaction and it's this baseline dissatisfied mind that kind of moves through life and is not able to be content. You know, it's not able to be happy. We keep trying to be happy and we, you know, try to create the conditions for our happiness on a conventional level and it just keeps not working because the mind itself isn't. Report an error in the passage at 38:28 Highlight the passage at 38:28

38:57 Doesn't have the capacity to be happy. There's always some aspect of it that's happy for half a second and then begins thinking, oh, but what if I had that bike? Or what if I had that guy? Or what if I had that apartment? Or what if I had that job? It just begins to needle. But it also, I mean, that very subtle level of suffering can also be quite gross as well. Report an error in the passage at 38:57 Highlight the passage at 38:57

39:22 There's all these different levels of suffering. There are definitely the kinds of suffering, what they call the suffering of suffering, this gross level of suffering that we all think of as suffering of pain in the body or cancer or a car accident. All of those things are also suffering and definitely they are considered sufferings within saṃsāra. But then there's also this suffering of... Report an error in the passage at 39:22 Highlight the passage at 39:22

39:51 Um, um. Taking rebirth in all these different realms that are just completely profoundly suffering, like the different realms of saṃsāra that we began to discuss slightly in the last class, that are taught, you know, what are they called, the lower realms, so the hell realms, the spirit or preta realm and the animal realm, which have a lot more gross suffering. Report an error in the passage at 39:51 Highlight the passage at 39:51

40:19 Than the human realms overall, although the human realms, of course, also have gradations and there are some humans that live permanently in suffering, you know, from the moment of their birth into the moment of their death or in suffering. And even in the upper realms, the so-called higher realms, the god realms and the demigod realms, they are still subject to karma and delusion. Report an error in the passage at 40:19 Highlight the passage at 40:19

40:42 So they still suffer. There's still a level of suffering. It's just not as gross a level of suffering. But the second level of suffering is actually what's called the suffering of change, where it's kind of like what we think of as happiness. It's what, you know, we. We think that we have found happiness and then it begins to suddenly change. You know, like we have the perfect cup of tea and then it just gets cold or it's a little too strong. Report an error in the passage at 40:42 Highlight the passage at 40:42

41:12 It's not actually, Kara, it's very nice. Or, you know, we walk into a room and we love the room and then all of a sudden we start really not liking the, that's dukkha, the wallpaper or the lighting or the direction towards the street. you know, or you, it has, um, been a review, you She talks about when you get into a relationship and you just adore the person so your mind is filled with this attachment and then you start noticing that they talk with their mouth full and that they laugh in this really funny way. Report an error in the passage at 41:12 Highlight the passage at 41:12

41:46 You don't like the way they eat their eggs. It's just like the tiniest little things start going wrong. That's the suffering of change. Or you could use the example of... When you feel cold and so you turn on the heat and then you start feeling really hot and so you turn it down and then you start feeling cold, which happens a lot I think in San Francisco houses. Report an error in the passage at 41:46 Highlight the passage at 41:46

42:07 It's just like this constant, you can never quite get it just right. So that's a much more subtle level of suffering and we laugh about it because I'm using examples that don't probably change your life too much. Report an error in the passage at 42:07 Highlight the passage at 42:07

42:21 That's just one thing within the course of your day and we actually have billions of those little moments that we're trying to find that happiness and it's like subtly shifting throughout the day. Even on the very best days, you know, it's sort of like people win the lottery and then they find out that they have to share it with 48 people or something. You know, there's like always something that's not quite perfect, you know. Report an error in the passage at 42:21 Highlight the passage at 42:21

42:47 But then there's the third level of suffering that the Buddha observed is actually the most subtle, and that's what's called all-pervasive suffering. And that's just having a body and mind that's created by karma and delusion. So that's that base imperfection that's just there. The fact that we have to die, for example. Report an error in the passage at 42:47 Highlight the passage at 42:47

43:08 The fact that we have to age first and then die, if we're lucky. Report an error in the passage at 43:08 Highlight the passage at 43:08

43:15 You know, the fact that things just degenerate. You know, things are impermanent. That very fact of its impermanence is because it's created by karma and delusions. And we keep trying to make it work, even after we've studied for years and years and years about how saṃsāra works, you know, and I'll speak for myself. Report an error in the passage at 43:15 Highlight the passage at 43:15

43:36 You just kind of want to find, like, the perfect Dharma center. Or, like, people, you know, you see people where they find the perfect Dharma. husband or wife you know still thinking that somehow you can make saṃsāra work and then there's the almost the shock when that person isn't perfect because they're just a human being and their their mind is just as saṃsāra because ours is unless they're a Buddha um Report an error in the passage at 43:36 Highlight the passage at 43:36

44:04 So, this... This is the fear, is the fear of that kind of suffering. So it's kind of a funny word. I don't particularly, I haven't been able to figure out a different one and I have played around with different words. In some ways it becomes like really, like Geshe-la lately has been teaching in the Wednesday night class. He's been really, really quite heavy with the you're going to die thing and his over and over. Report an error in the passage at 44:04 Highlight the passage at 44:04

44:31 You are going to, I mean, it's just like, you know, the fire and the brimstone thing. I think it is to help you get to that level of like, if you do have any trust in these teachings, you know that we do have really good conditions right now and we won't always have them. And why do we think we're going to hang on to them? I mean, it really, that's what I'm hearing. It's just kind of like, Chikki, wake up. Like, you know, you don't, you're not going to have this forever. It's like that, you know, like we have these perfect conditions right now and it won't last. Report an error in the passage at 44:31 Highlight the passage at 44:31

45:03 And most likely it won't be nearly as good as this. Because it's much, much easier for us to create negative karma than positive. So how do we get out of this? How do we get out of this suffering? Report an error in the passage at 45:03 Highlight the passage at 45:03

45:18 Different levels of suffering, different realms of suffering, different types of suffering. We need a method from somebody who knows how to get out of this suffering. So this is why we turn to somebody who knows. And really what taking refuge is about is... Report an error in the passage at 45:18 Highlight the passage at 45:18

45:39 Understanding the teachings and then remembering to apply them. It's going to come up over and over and over again. Taking refuge isn't some sort of a magic pill. You go to the ceremony and it's done. You don't have to do anything again. Actually, that's when the work starts. Because you are then committing to really trying to apply the laws of cause and effect. Report an error in the passage at 45:39 Highlight the passage at 45:39

46:03 Trying to understand cause and effect, how what I do has some effect and if I do something positive, if I push myself and I try to create the qualities that I'm looking for, that it will have a positive effect not just now but in the future. You're saying that in some way, you're making some statement. The same is true of course for your negative actions and trying to remember that. Report an error in the passage at 46:03 Highlight the passage at 46:03

46:29 that, you know. Throughout the day trying to check up on your mind and catch yourself when you're veering off and you're forgetting because that's really what it's all about. It's almost like we're training ourselves constantly. We're getting back on the bike and we're just like riding it again until we have some like blowout and then we get back on the bike and we try again until we have a blowout and it's really like that. Report an error in the passage at 46:29 Highlight the passage at 46:29

46:51 I mean it's not any prettier than that. That's really what practice is. Um, so Understanding karma is really, really important to refuge, I think, which is, of course, I actually think, no, I think actually that is right. I think karma does come before refuge. Sometimes you see it taught refuge first. I think Emily in the lamrim, it must come refuge first. Report an error in the passage at 46:51 Highlight the passage at 46:51

47:22 But I think it's so important to understand karma before you take refuge because otherwise you don't have that fear. Of what could possibly happen to you. You have to understand on some level that what you do has an effect on how you're going to spend your next lifetimes. Even if you don't fully believe it yet. Just to have some awareness of that and some, I would say, profound awareness of that. Report an error in the passage at 47:22 Highlight the passage at 47:22

47:50 Because otherwise none of this stuff is going to matter to you. So a little bit about karma, just that... Things that happen to us aren't random. According to the Buddha, we created the causes for them. So within Buddhism, really there's no external creator God. It's simply us creating our experiences through the actions that we do, good and bad, and then those actions create karma, and then that karma ripens, and that karma ripens as our suffering or it ripens as our pleasure from the tiniest to the most. Report an error in the passage at 47:50 Highlight the passage at 47:50

48:26 extreme of either. The most blissful happiness and the most horrifying pain come from our own karma according to the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 48:26 Highlight the passage at 48:26

48:42 And so that is what creates our reality and until we have eliminated the causes for that karma, and actually Geshe-lo was also talking a lot about that too, the delusions are the base cause of saṃsāra because the delusions are what get us. It gets us into trouble to begin with. Even if we were fortunate enough to have removed all of the negative karma, we were like really profoundly purifying day and night, sincerely, with our mind and our body. Report an error in the passage at 48:42 Highlight the passage at 48:42

49:12 So, you know, it's not just saying the mantras or, you know, even falling on the floor in repeated prostrations. If our mind isn't really present, it's actually, as Gashala says, you know, probably not much use. Report an error in the passage at 49:12 Highlight the passage at 49:12

49:29 That's the way he always says things very understatedly. So even if we were fortunate enough to remove all of our negative karma from beginningless time, if we haven't done any work on our minds, we'll just run out. We'll get up from the floor from our great purification session and run out and scream at somebody or, you know, obsess about something or whatever. We'll start creating new karma immediately. Report an error in the passage at 49:29 Highlight the passage at 49:29

49:55 So it's like we really have to be working on those two levels simultaneously. So recognizing the situation that we're in, recognizing our suffering and the potential for it, recognizing what causes our suffering and having some fear of that whole condition of saṃsāra, and then developing faith that these objects actually are the ones who have the power, have the capacity to protect us. Report an error in the passage at 49:55 Highlight the passage at 49:55

50:23 That's what the second one is. So how do they protect us? You know, are the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha Mighty Mouse? You know, are they Superman? Are they going to swoop down and save us from ourselves, basically? Unfortunately not. I mean, you kind of knew this was coming. Buddhism is very, very real. It ends up being us who do it. But the real, I mean... Report an error in the passage at 50:23 Highlight the passage at 50:23

50:48 The different levels of refuge. The real refuge in the ultimate sense is the Buddha because we know the Buddha's story. We know the Buddha was like us. We know that the Buddha was able to enlighten himself. Nobody came in and enlightened him. He actually did the work. He was quite diligent and quite energetic in his practice. He gave up everything and just went off and did these really ascetic practices for years. Report an error in the passage at 50:48 Highlight the passage at 50:48

51:18 God enlightened and then eventually began teaching us the methods. But the real refuge that we're taking in the Buddha is not in his story, although it is useful for us to know. It's really in the results. That pure mind that is completely free of all faults. Report an error in the passage at 51:18 Highlight the passage at 51:18

51:44 um... Has developed every quality that's possible. That, what they call the Dharmakaya. The true Buddha jewel is the Dharmakaya. It's perfect mind. Report an error in the passage at 51:44 Highlight the passage at 51:44

52:00 And the relative Buddha jewel, I should say. So this is the, you know, when we talk about Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha, there's a difference between Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha and Buddha jewel. Dharma jewel and Saṅgha jewel. So this is that difference. The true Buddha jewel is actually this fully awakened Buddha or perfect omniscient mind, the Dharmakaya. Report an error in the passage at 52:00 Highlight the passage at 52:00

52:30 The relative Buddha is talking about any representative of that mind or that body or that speech. So if you see a stupa, if you see a tanka, if you see a statue, we're supposed to look at them as though they are the Buddha themselves. Which is a mind training owl in and of itself. Rather than thinking, oh that's really pretty, I like the blue he chose. Which is what we do, right? Because we're just used to seeing things as artwork. Report an error in the passage at 52:30 Highlight the passage at 52:30

52:56 They really have been consecrated when they have a consecration of a statue or a tanker or whatever. What that ceremony is about is the Buddha actually then inhabiting it. So the Buddhas are actually here within these. That's what we're supposed to train our minds to believe. Report an error in the passage at 52:56 Highlight the passage at 52:56

53:18 But that's the relative, the actual or the Dharma jewel is, I mean the Buddha jewel is this mind, this pure omniscient mind. The Dharma jewel is talking about, I should say, the relative Dharma is talking about the teachings, you know, the texts or the DVDs or whatever, the actual, getting those actual teachings. Report an error in the passage at 53:18 Highlight the passage at 53:18

53:45 The Dharma jewel itself is talking about the actual realizations in the minds of those beings, including Buddhas, who have especially attained, you know, when we're talking about the Four Noble Truths, they've attained actual cessation. You know, they've actually had a direct perception of emptiness, at least, or they've become an arhat they've actually attained. Report an error in the passage at 53:45 Highlight the passage at 53:45

54:12 Liberation completely from all afflicted states of mind. It's the realizations of the Buddhist teachings in mind. The actual Saṅgha jewel are those beings with those realizations. Report an error in the passage at 54:12 Highlight the passage at 54:12

54:26 So we're just the relative. The relative Saṅgha is people wearing this. We're not the actual Saṅgha. And I usually try to change it when I see sometimes people use a capital S for us and it's actually not accurate. According to my understanding and definitely lots of schools of thought. The relative saṅgha are us because we sort of are representing that. Report an error in the passage at 54:26 Highlight the passage at 54:26

54:53 We're representing somebody living according to the spiritual teachings and all that. But most of us haven't had a direct perception of emptiness. Most of us are using these vows and this life, this particular practice, which is really all it is. Very profound practice, but we're just using it to get enlightened. But we aren't already enlightened, and most of us don't even have that high of realizations. But you can still respect the relative saṅgha because we represent something. Report an error in the passage at 54:53 Highlight the passage at 54:53

55:27 It's what we represent, actually. So I think I went a little bit ahead of myself, but that's a really important aspect right there, is just the different levels of... of the Three Jewels. I did, I bounced ahead to the objects of refuge, but that's okay. So what actually protects us? That's what I got off, I'm sorry. Report an error in the passage at 55:27 Highlight the passage at 55:27

55:54 What actually protects us is developing this mindfulness of karma and what are every action of our body, speech and mind, the impact that it has on our life and lives. Report an error in the passage at 55:54 Highlight the passage at 55:54

56:10 That's what actually begins to protect us. And that's what Lama, yes, she was talking about when he was talking about doing refuge. You know, doing it moment by moment, day by day. And it doesn't mean that we are, you know, that we attain that instantly when we have the ceremony. You know, you don't walk out and you're suddenly like, you know, so much clearer and more aware. Report an error in the passage at 56:10 Highlight the passage at 56:10

56:32 It's just that you have your marching orders. Geshe-la will go through all the various... Refuge commitments and then, you know, and the lay bells for those people that are taking the lay bells. And then he always says, you know, now that you know them, you know, we rejoice just like we do with the eight Mahana precepts. Report an error in the passage at 56:32 Highlight the passage at 56:32

56:51 You always take a moment where you really rejoice that you did it. And he's like, but now that you know them, now you have to keep them. It's like, oh. So that's really what protects our mind because we are developing. This mindfulness, which is really just awareness of how karma works, how what I say, what I think even, and definitely what I do impacts my life now and all my future lives. Report an error in the passage at 56:51 Highlight the passage at 56:51

57:23 That's really what mindfulness is. Mindfulness, it's the same state of mind that we try to bring in when we're meditating on the breath. So remember when our mind goes so far off. We're just like thinking about what we're having for dinner afterwards or, you know, what are we doing next week or whatever, getting on a plane. And then we're like, oh, and bring it back to the breath. Report an error in the passage at 57:23 Highlight the passage at 57:23

57:43 That's mindfulness. And the more we strengthen mindfulness, we really need mindfulness on the very first level of meditation because our mind does keep going way off object. We're just completely, you know, wandering around and we keep bringing it back. It's kind of like a form. Sometimes people will use the term recollection. It's remembering the object. Report an error in the passage at 57:43 Highlight the passage at 57:43

58:01 And it sounds funny because it's like how much memory do you need to remember the breath? But honestly, we can't keep our mind on that object. And that's the same skill we need to develop with. Beginning to develop this mind of refuge is really trying to steep our minds in these teachings and remember them because otherwise there's no way that we'll remember them when we need to remember them if we don't begin now like starting to work with them. Report an error in the passage at 58:01 Highlight the passage at 58:01

58:32 So when we talked about in the last class the way that at the moment of your death This particular type of karma called throwing karma can ripen, which would be this really powerful karma that throws your mind into the next rebirth. And they say, there's actually a teaching that says once you take refuge, that you can't be reborn in the lower realms. Report an error in the passage at 58:32 Highlight the passage at 58:32

59:02 A lot of people see it as sort of a contract, a guarantee signed by whoever your Lama was or whatever. Again, it's not something magical. What happens is if you are really doing refuge, so you're not just walking out of the ceremony thinking that you're set and you don't have to do anything ever again, then if you can protect your mind throughout your life, then of course, If you're able to go into that state of refuge, say you normally go into refuge, which we're supposed to do once we take refuge, we're actually supposed to recollect our refuge at least a certain number of times in the morning and at night. Report an error in the passage at 59:02 Highlight the passage at 59:02

59:47 And so we do that by doing a refuge prayer or something like that, which they always build into other sadhana so that you don't even have to remember that you have that commitment because it's just there. I mean, it's like we just shoot ourselves in the foot every time. But anyway. Report an error in the passage at 59:47 Highlight the passage at 59:47

1:00:02 But if we are constantly familiarizing ourselves with this mind of refuge, when we do hit scary times, or even when we're just really sick with a lot of pain or something like that, then our mind kind of automatically goes to refuge, and we're not as upset. And at the moment of our death, then our mind is already taking refuge. We already are entering this state of sincere refuge, and so our mind is in a positive, virtuous place. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:02 Highlight the passage at 1:00:02

1:00:26 It's kind of not really rocket science. Our mind just doesn't have the capacity to hold really negative thoughts and really virtuous thoughts simultaneously. So if we can be holding a virtuous thought, then we aren't going to go into total chaos and freaking out because we'll already have some comfort and we've already developed this practice. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:26 Highlight the passage at 1:00:26

1:00:48 That's really what it's talking about. It's not so much that saying some words are going to protect you. Although it might be helpful for your mind if your friends come and say refuge with you and they're like, Christine, come on, calm down, remember. It's okay and that'll remind you and so then your mind can go back onto the refuge object and you're okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:48 Highlight the passage at 1:00:48

1:01:08 But we have to develop the habit in a lifetime when things or conditions are good. Otherwise it'll never happen at that moment. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:08 Highlight the passage at 1:01:08

1:01:17 And Lama Zopa Rinpoche said that it's not just thinking about the refuge object, but really anybody that inspires your mind or anybody that kind of brings that kind of inspiration to your mind. So it could be your teachers, it could be practitioners that you know, your Dharma brothers and sisters, it could be monks and nuns, ordinary monks and nuns, it could be like His Holiness the Dalai Lama, you know, like it could be any, like, so if you, if like thinking of the Buddha just leaves you cold. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:17 Highlight the passage at 1:01:17

1:01:48 And you just don't have that stronger relationship with the Buddha and you haven't really, you know, done any practices like that. You can think of somebody that does and that warms you hard and that makes you smile and think of that person. And that actually kind of calmed me down because then I thought, well, I just think of Rinpoche. But, you know, just think of somebody like that who inspires your mind and train yourself to kind of think of that person when you're scared and that person represents the Buddhas. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:48 Highlight the passage at 1:01:48

1:02:16 They just represent it in a way that our karma allows us to see. So it's not like the Buddha swoops down and saves us. Sorry. It always comes back to our own mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:16 Highlight the passage at 1:02:16

1:02:28 So I went a little bit ahead and I was talking about the objects of refuge. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:28 Highlight the passage at 1:02:28

1:02:35 When we, I'm Report an error in the passage at 1:02:35 Highlight the passage at 1:02:35

1:02:42 going to go back to, so His Holiness the Dalai Lama actually talks about how if you have developed a really strong refuge, it actually gives you the courage to know. How to act and how to choose a sort of ethical life. Even in a culture, for example, or a worldview like ours, where living an ethical life is actually sometimes laughed at. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:42 Highlight the passage at 1:02:42

1:03:08 He said, otherwise if we don't have refuge, then our mind becomes very bold to do non-virtue, to sort of see what we can get away with, which is kind of... What our culture is like. And then when we take refuge, when we have this really strong mind of refuge and we kind of know according to the laws of karma, because really all of morality in Buddhism is based on the law of karma. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:08 Highlight the passage at 1:03:08

1:03:33 That's what it's all about when I say morality. If we understand that creating negative karma is poison in my body, in my mind. It actually affects me. Then I don't want to do it and it gives me more courage, and I think I've talked about this in the karma class, to sometimes have to stand up and say, I can't do this because... Report an error in the passage at 1:03:33 Highlight the passage at 1:03:33

1:03:58 You know, you were talking about having to go to your workplace when you were asking if the different office supplies were available to take. Yeah, because it becomes important, you know, even a little thing like that of not just helping yourself to, you know, all the binders and pens and whatever. And I've definitely worked at places that have huge, you know, storerooms of things and you're just thinking, great, you know, but then all of a sudden you become a Buddhist and you're like, Oh my God. So then you have to, it's almost like they laugh at you. Totally. I've had my old boss too. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:58 Highlight the passage at 1:03:58

1:04:36 I mean, I told you guys that story about how when... And I've told this story many times when right after I had taken, literally the day after I had taken lay vows, and one of them is not to lie. And I worked in a tax office and a tax client came in and wanted us to lie, which you'd be horrified at how often that happens. Wanted us to sort of beef up her numbers, change her numbers. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:36 Highlight the passage at 1:04:36

1:05:01 And I really thought about it and I went into the bathroom and I was like, oh my God. And then I went in there and I talked to her and I was just like, I can't do this. I just took a vow. Like, I mean, I'm sure it sounded like I was like, like, let me give you some Kool-Aid. I'm changing my name. I'm sure that was in her mind because she was like completely non-religious at all. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:01 Highlight the passage at 1:05:01

1:05:20 And she just like, she heard it. I was really shocked, actually. She was like, you're right. So it does give you that courage because I wouldn't have before. I mean, and I actually said I just took a vow, which must have been so bizarre. But it actually did give me the strength to go against something that I felt was non-virtuous. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:20 Highlight the passage at 1:05:20

1:05:41 Not that I disliked the person or that I even had any judgment about that. I just knew I personally couldn't be involved. And I didn't feel like even with her lack of Buddhism, she wanted to be involved either. And she was actually able to hear me on that level. So I actually think that's interesting. And that is part of what refuge does. It almost is like it shores up your mind, like your strength of mind, your confidence. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:41 Highlight the passage at 1:05:41

1:06:06 That's why I kind of like that word confidence more than faith to me. And so a lot of times I'll replace that. So here's your first real list. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:06 Highlight the passage at 1:06:06

1:06:19 Four reasons why the Buddha is a reliable refuge. And this is actually, this is what your meditation is going to be. this Report an error in the passage at 1:06:19 Highlight the passage at 1:06:19

1:06:28 Weekend. Because this class is so ridiculously short. So it has four points. And it talks, and of course within the four points there's going to be a subset, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:06:28 Highlight the passage at 1:06:28

1:06:41 The Buddha is fearless. I'll give you the points first and then we'll go in and beef them up. So save room if you're writing these down. The Buddha is fearless and there are four points that I back that up. And then... Report an error in the passage at 1:06:41 Highlight the passage at 1:06:41

1:06:57 The Buddha is able to teach what's suitable to the minds of each person. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:57 Highlight the passage at 1:06:57

1:07:07 The Buddha has compassion. Number three, the Buddha has compassion for all living beings with complete equanimity. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:07 Highlight the passage at 1:07:07

1:07:17 I'll read it twice, so don't worry. Chris is like freaking out over there. It's the way I sound. I'm like typing. I know that everyone is so annoyed when I'm doing it on my computer. I don't know how anybody else is taking notes because he goes so fast. The Buddha works for the sake of all living beings without bias is the fourth one. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:17 Highlight the passage at 1:07:17

1:07:39 And there is a difference between three and four. I used to get confused by those. That's why I love... Teaching these classes because I get to go into the stuff that doesn't make sense to me and try to make it make sense to me. And then I get to try to explain it to you. And then when you go, huh, then I know I have to keep figuring out different ways to come back to it. It's actually really useful. Sometimes people just present this like with no explanation at all. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:39 Highlight the passage at 1:07:39

1:08:02 And you're like, huh? Okay, so the Buddha is fearless. I remember actually this being one. I was like, so what? You know, like, that's great. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:02 Highlight the passage at 1:08:02

1:08:15 But this one actually is quite juicy. And that's why this is actually the one that you're going to, I think you're actually looking at all of this this weekend. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:15 Highlight the passage at 1:08:15

1:08:26 The Buddha, because the Buddha has completely overcome his own fears, it's possible for him to help us overcome our fears. So that's really, really huge. And how has he overcome his fear? He's completely subdued his mind. He's transformed his mind completely. Fear, we're not going to get into that in this class, but fear is really a product of ignorance. The kind of ignorance that misperceives how things actually exist. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:26 Highlight the passage at 1:08:26

1:08:55 I like to explore what fear is because I have a lot of fear. It just happens to be one of my favorite flavors of mental affliction. But I like the others too. They've all served me well. But fear... If somebody's had a direct perception of emptiness, just that, just that. If they've been able to have that experience where they understand the nature of reality at this gut level, not at a study level or intellectual level, already. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:55 Highlight the passage at 1:08:55

1:09:30 They have overcome fear because they see how things actually exist, even if they only can see it when they're in deep meditation, which is true for those people who have had a direct perception of emptiness. The minute they come out of it for any amount of time, things still look the same way. For somebody who has actually become an arhat, has actually eliminated all those afflicted states of mind completely except the subtle ones, they have even less fear because they understand things in a way that we don't. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:30 Highlight the passage at 1:09:30

1:09:57 They don't have those afflicted minds. Clouding their minds. For somebody who's fully enlightened, they definitely are fearless. But this isn't necessarily just talking about general fear of, you know, the boogeyman or whatever, putting in too many calories, whatever it might be that makes us fearful. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:57 Highlight the passage at 1:09:57

1:10:20 Talking in public, how's that one? So they give four subsets with this one. And these four, they're worded in a funny way, but bear with me. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:20 Highlight the passage at 1:10:20

1:10:36 Because the Buddha is fearless, I think this fearlessness is really talking about confidence. This is what I'm getting at. So the way that they phrase it is funny, but I'll give it to you. So did anybody miss, okay, so when I gave you those first four, I didn't repeat it and I meant to repeat it. Do you guys need to hear it repeated? Report an error in the passage at 1:10:36 Highlight the passage at 1:10:36

1:10:56 Yes, okay, so let's do it. So the four reasons why the Buddha is a reliable refuge without any meat to them, just the skeletal. The Buddha is fearless. The Buddha is able to teach what's suitable to the mind of each person. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:56 Highlight the passage at 1:10:56

1:11:17 The Buddha has compassion for all beings with complete equanimity. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:17 Highlight the passage at 1:11:17

1:11:26 And the Buddha works for the sake of all beings without bias. I'm trying to cut the unnecessary words. Assume that they're working for living beings. Cut out living. Okay, so for Buddha is fearless, it has four points. The Buddha is able, and all of these start the same way. The Buddha is able to fear, so you can just do the little, the Buddha is able to fearlessly proclaim his own realizations having all qualities and skills. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:26 Highlight the passage at 1:11:26

1:12:00 Just say his own realizations. He's able to fearlessly proclaim his own realizations. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:00 Highlight the passage at 1:12:00

1:12:09 So what is that getting at? It's not like he's arrogant. It's not like he's just coming from an ego place. He's able to say what he knows what he knows. He has an omniscient mind. He knows what he knows, and he knows that he knows all, and that what he knows is unmistaken, and he can act from that place. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:09 Highlight the passage at 1:12:09

1:12:34 He has that confidence because he has those capacities. Completely. There's just no doubt. They say that the one affliction that you get rid of when you have a direct perception of emptiness, which is lifetimes away from full enlightenment, is that it eliminates all doubt. You get it at a gut level that not only how reality exists, but that the Buddha was right. At that point, you're like, oh, wow, all these teachings. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:34 Highlight the passage at 1:12:34

1:13:05 They say that it's just like this myriad of these realizations come to you within the first few hours after you have that realization. Well, he's gone beyond that. He's actually become enlightened. He's actually become omniscient. So he knows what he knows, and he knows that he knows it. So he's fearless. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:05 Highlight the passage at 1:13:05

1:13:23 He's confident. He can speak with that confidence. So that's the first one. It's a fearless proclamation of the truth. I think it's interesting that they say this proclamation word, but that's the way they teach it, so I left it in there. Proclaim. I think it's sort of like he states, he can say, he can say. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:23 Highlight the passage at 1:13:23

1:13:44 Proclaim, I don't know, it's a word we don't use. The Buddha can fearlessly proclaim the cessation of mental obscuration. Getting back to those mental obscurations. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:44 Highlight the passage at 1:13:44

1:13:57 Every single one has been ceased completely, so they are completely, they're gone. So when he can talk about that, he talks about it with confidence. He has the experience of a mind that's completely free of them. He can speak about that in a way that I can try to understand it. I can try to lead you and make up little meditations where we imagine it. But I don't really know what it feels like. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:57 Highlight the passage at 1:13:57

1:14:26 You know, if you... If you really know what it feels like, it's sort of like the difference, were any of you there when Chodron Rinpoche was doing the teachings on Mahamudra? And he talked about the mind and meditating on the mind the way that I might talk about baking a cake. You know, it was like with that kind of, you know, it was very, I was like kind of bowled away. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:26 Highlight the passage at 1:14:26

1:14:50 I was just like, wow. I mean, it just, it felt so experiential. And so kind of chatty in a way, you know, like how I would talk about making a cup of tea. He was talking about meditating on the mind. And that's the kind of confidence that you get from getting enlightened. I mean, you have no worries. You don't even have, you know what I mean? Like it's all the things that normally would make it difficult for us to teach, or personally speaking, make it difficult for me to teach, I would be free of if I were. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:50 Highlight the passage at 1:14:50

1:15:24 Enlightened because my mind at this point, the very first one, I have all those qualities and I am free of all the obscurations, the second point. And I can teach about that. I can tell you what that's like. The Buddha can fearlessly proclaim what others need to be free of. And of course we all do that anyway, right? But we don't do it from any state of wisdom. This one's really talking about... Report an error in the passage at 1:15:24 Highlight the passage at 1:15:24

1:15:55 Because he knows what those particular delusions lead to, how even the delusions that this culture might not even see as negative, Report an error in the passage at 1:15:55 Highlight the passage at 1:15:55

1:16:10 then he can actually speak with this incredible confidence and clarity, understanding that actually anger is a really poisonous thing in our minds. You know, actually... Attachment is a really dangerous delusion, obsessive attachment, not attachment to your two-and-a-half-year-old, but attachment that we obsess, that kind of addictive attachment, which actually almost all attachment can lead to. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:10 Highlight the passage at 1:16:10

1:16:42 It's like a level, a difference of degree. That's really all it is. And they liken it to this proclaim, This ability to proclaim what is dangerous and what is non-virtuous and what is virtuous with this confidence, they liken it to a lion's roar. They use this term like the lion's roar. And if anybody has ever gone to any teachings by His Holiness, I think it's really like that. He never comes off as arrogant. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:42 Highlight the passage at 1:16:42

1:17:18 He's always just saying. You know, just sharing this, and he always makes a little joke at the end, like, if you got anything out of it, you know, great, and if not, you can just throw it away. You know, he's always very, you know, very lighthearted about that. But he teaches from this very confident, strong, sometimes very strong place, very precise, very clear. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:18 Highlight the passage at 1:17:18

1:17:43 I mean, probably no teacher is... Maybe Chok Rinpoche is a little bit like it, but that very, very precise, clear, confident way. And he instills confidence in the teachings. When you hear him, he comes from that very confident place. Like he's just stating what he already knows to be true in a very gut way. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:43 Highlight the passage at 1:17:43

1:18:06 Very much like that. Those moments of the teachings when Chodron Rinpoche was talking about the mind. It's very much like if you're talking about something that you intimately already know how to do. You don't have to, like me, I'm like terrified I'm going to give you the wrong information. I have all my notes, you know, because I don't want to mess this up, you know. If I were enlightened or even had had a direct perception of emptiness, that I wouldn't need to because I would be talking about basically what I did in France, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:06 Highlight the passage at 1:18:06

1:18:34 I know that. I don't have to look back at any notes to know what I did in France, you know. I was there and I experienced it and it's a gut level experience, you know. And this would be the same confidence that we would each have. I mean, you can imagine the difference of being able to, how much more we can help people with this level of fearlessness. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:34 Highlight the passage at 1:18:34

1:19:00 And the fourth of these four points is that the Buddha is able to fearlessly proclaim all the opponent forces that we rely on to purify. Because he's used them, he knows how they work. So this is referring to the four opponent powers. Which I could be really bad, and I could call on somebody and ask them to say them, but I won't. But Chris does. You know? Do you know? Report an error in the passage at 1:19:00 Highlight the passage at 1:19:00

1:19:27 Wait, you had to speak into the talking stick. The talking stick. Four opponent powers that you use to purify a negative act. So there's regret, reliance, Report an error in the passage at 1:19:27 Highlight the passage at 1:19:27

1:19:48 remedy, and resolve. Got it. Woo-hoo! Round of applause. And you could say that fearlessly because you've used it before, right? It definitely helps the more you've used it. Yeah, no, that's true. Because you're speaking with that confidence, you know, you've used it before, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:48 Highlight the passage at 1:19:48

1:20:10 Even better if you had actually become enlightened due to those particular methods and then you actually could see how it was purifying your mind and, you know, you'd have that confidence too. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:10 Highlight the passage at 1:20:10

1:20:24 Yeah, so these are the four points. So they just support the first one, that the Buddha is fearless. So it's really talking about his, this fearlessness is talking about this beyond a shadow of a doubt, gut level experiential understanding of his own mind, his own experience to get there, how he's purified and the danger of... Report an error in the passage at 1:20:24 Highlight the passage at 1:20:24

1:20:51 Unsubdued, afflicted states of mind. He knows those things the way we know whatever it is that we know intimately. Keep that to yourself. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:51 Highlight the passage at 1:20:51

1:21:03 But with that same level of knowledge, with that same intimacy, which I think is very interesting. I found that very interesting. The second point, because he has this omniscient mind, he's able to teach what's suitable to the mind of each people. Each person. All the teachings that come up in the sutras and the tantras were taught by the same Buddha and they were taught to different audiences or different groups of people or different disciples and they were taught for different levels of understanding. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:03 Highlight the passage at 1:21:03

1:21:37 Sometimes people use them to prove that the Buddha contradicted himself but the Buddha didn't contradict himself according to the... Report an error in the passage at 1:21:37 Highlight the passage at 1:21:37

1:21:49 The Mahāyāna school, anyway. The Buddha didn't contradict himself. He simply was speaking to the different levels of mind. And they compare it, I don't remember who was comparing it, I think it might have been Venerable Neo, was comparing it to the way that you might explain day and night to a two-year-old versus a six-year-old versus a twelve-year-old versus, isn't that perfect? Report an error in the passage at 1:21:49 Highlight the passage at 1:21:49

1:22:13 Versus like a, you know, sixteen-year-old versus a... 20-year-old, you know, you would use different terminology, you would explain it in a different way, and it would make sense and there would be some truth to it, some validity to it, but you would have to describe it in a certain way. Another way that I've heard this described is like the difference between when we start studying math or science, we don't immediately go to quantum physics, you know, we start with like sort of the general math in grade school and then we... Report an error in the passage at 1:22:13 Highlight the passage at 1:22:13

1:22:47 Begin doing some trickier maths in junior high and high school. And then if we keep going, we might do some really tricky maths and sciences in college. But all of that is sort of repairing our mind. And also because our mind wouldn't be able to grasp it without the foundation stuff. So some of the teachings in the sutras. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:47 Highlight the passage at 1:22:47

1:23:11 That were made for minds, were purposefully for minds that couldn't grasp, especially the more profound teachings on emptiness. That's usually where they would have fallen immediately into nihilism and they wouldn't have been able to grasp anything else and so they would have lost it. So they say that that's just his skillful means. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:11 Highlight the passage at 1:23:11

1:23:33 And that omniscient mind allows for that level of clairvoyance to know the minds of the people that he's teaching to. And with an omniscient mind, you also know not only their mind at this moment, but their past mind, their future mind, their potential, their past karma, what karma is about to ripen. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:33 Highlight the passage at 1:23:33

1:23:56 You have this level of understanding that's beyond anything. Because they actually say, you know, Geshe-la, whenever he's teaching about sort of the different high levels of attainment, he's like, clairvoyance actually isn't that high a skill, which is kind of frightening. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:56 Highlight the passage at 1:23:56

1:24:12 But he's definitely done it to me. Especially if I begin, like instead of typing the notes for a class, I begin doing a to-do list. And all of a sudden I look up and he's just like, I know, it freaks me out. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:12 Highlight the passage at 1:24:12

1:24:28 But yeah, so I mean, I guess clairvoyance, we begin getting the more powerful our concentration gets. It's very common to be able to... To be able to read other people's minds. I think part of what, I of course have no, I can barely read my own, but there's a lot happening there and it's quite interesting to me. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:28 Highlight the passage at 1:24:28

1:24:53 But they say that that is one of the things actually that begins happening when you have a direct perception of emptiness. Also that you can read the minds of others, but you don't have any real control over it yet. So it's kind of like these weird little hits of... And then there's different levels of clairvoyance. There's actually within the Buddhist teachings, there's all these different levels of clairvoyance and they all have different names and stuff like that. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:53 Highlight the passage at 1:24:53

1:25:20 So it's a fairly common thing. Well, once you're a Buddha, because your mind is omniscient and omniscient just simply means knows all, then you know all in that way too. You know, you have this profound clairvoyance in mind. So you know what's suitable. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:20 Highlight the passage at 1:25:20

1:25:39 I think that one is a really, I mean, when I, of course, look at this, I'm just like thinking about it as a teacher. It would be so wonderful to know. You can kind of guess by people's faces, like kind of where they are, but sometimes you have no idea. And then in a good way, sometimes people surprise you, but then in a bad way, sometimes people kind of freak out and then disappear. And if I had some level of understanding their minds, it would actually be so, even if I didn't have true clairvoyance, it would be so helpful to be able to know how to teach. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:39 Highlight the passage at 1:25:39

1:26:09 The Buddha has compassion for all beings with complete equanimity. So this one they say, the Buddha loves us more than we love ourselves, which I think in the West is like more profound. I mean, in the East they say the Buddha loves us more than our parents. I think in the West it's like the Buddha loves us more than we love ourselves, which sometimes we love ourselves a lot and sometimes we actually don't love ourselves. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:09 Highlight the passage at 1:26:09

1:26:35 So it can be only that powerful. But the Buddha wants... And I say the Buddha. It can be a Buddha, all Buddhas, because there are more than one. The Buddha is looking for our ultimate happiness, whereas we're often just concerned with happiness of the moment, which sometimes is coming with a lot of debt, you know, a lot of karmic debt, a lot of payback. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:35 Highlight the passage at 1:26:35

1:27:06 We're just trying to be happy right now. And the Buddha actually is looking for long-term happiness for us. So it's very, very possible for them to do those things where they show up in different forms to try to help us. Because if their main goal, their sole purpose for existing is to get us enlightened, there is nothing stopping them from... Report an error in the passage at 1:27:06 Highlight the passage at 1:27:06

1:27:35 Emanating these bodies, appearing in some form to help us, even if that one that is helping us lives with us for years. It doesn't have to be just the lady on the bus. It could be your mom. It could be your daughter. It could be your best friend. It could be somebody who you love very much who dies young and inspires you to do something with your life. It can be any of these things. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:35 Highlight the passage at 1:27:35

1:28:03 you know, um, because And it's not that they're doing that to the detriment of anyone else because they have the ability to do that simultaneously with as many beings who have the karma for them to do that with. So it's not like they're just choosing to only work with Courtney and ignoring the rest of us while we just continue to suffer and grow old. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:03 Highlight the passage at 1:28:03

1:28:26 Because they're able to show up in that form for us as well. Whatever form would help us get further and further, closer and closer to our own enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:26 Highlight the passage at 1:28:26

1:28:35 So, um... And the Buddha has complete compassion. This is also part of this. They have complete compassion for us no matter how horrible we are, how negative we are, how hateful we are, how much harm we cause to ourselves and others. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:35 Highlight the passage at 1:28:35

1:28:54 They don't judge us from that standpoint. They just have this completely perfect non-declining compassion for all beings all the time. It doesn't mean that there's like this whole hog acceptance of, you know, you know, suicide bombers or something like that. But there's huge compassion for suicide bombers or for anyone who is committing suicide or for anybody who's doing anything that's profoundly harmful because they know what that suffering, what intense suffering that will bring in that moment and also for lifetimes and lifetimes and lifetimes and lifetimes and lifetimes. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:54 Highlight the passage at 1:28:54

1:29:33 That that being will just basically be unable to ever turn that around. It'll take them a long time to be in the same situation where they could. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:33 Highlight the passage at 1:29:33

1:29:48 So they say, so there's this analogy, it's quite a beautiful analogy actually. They say that the Buddha mind is like a moon that reflects on any body of water spontaneously without effort instantly. So it doesn't matter if it's like... The ocean or mud puddle or a little tiny bit of water in a cup. It doesn't matter whether the water is clear or murky. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:48 Highlight the passage at 1:29:48

1:30:12 There's no picking and choosing. The moonlight just shines everywhere. And Buddha Mind is there for all of us, guiding us, inspiring us, teaching us, no matter where we are, who we are, what we've done. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:12 Highlight the passage at 1:30:12

1:30:30 But we have to, at some point, again, it comes back to us. The only thing that stops them, because this leads to that question, well then how come we aren't all enlightened if they're all so God darn powerful and they're all shining that light on us? Because unfortunately, what the Buddha observed is it's not like somebody else can do their work for us. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:30 Highlight the passage at 1:30:30

1:30:57 It all still depends on our karma and delusions. And if we have a hugely deluded mind, we aren't open to it. If we have the karma even for a moment to be open, they'll grab that moment. And they might plant a seed that then will ripen, but it might take a while to ripen. Because the law of cause and effect or karma still operates. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:57 Highlight the passage at 1:30:57

1:31:22 And they can't change that. They can't make us. Practice harder. They can't force us to apply the teachings, but they can rejoice like hell when we remember. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:22 Highlight the passage at 1:31:22

1:31:38 So they can try, and they try all the time, and that's all they're doing. That's really all they do is emanate all these bodies. They have these great powers to do that, but they can't. change our mind for us ultimately we still have to change our mind we still have to create the causes to be close to them we still have to create the causes to actually you know the condition so that our mind is actually able to receive these teachings and that the teachings will go somewhere you know and not just be lost you know like seeds The fourth one, and then you guys get a quick break. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:38 Highlight the passage at 1:31:38

1:32:19 The Buddha works for the sake of all living beings without bias, whether they help or harm. Buddhas are working spontaneously for everyone, and it doesn't matter if we're Buddhist or not. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:19 Highlight the passage at 1:32:19

1:32:35 And they say to imagine that sort of the image of the Buddha with, and the Buddha actually demonstrated this in the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha actually demonstrated this in this lifetime. He had this cousin, Devadatta. And of course he had many admirers, very close disciples. Devadatta was always out kind of conspiring against him and trying to trip him up and taking his disciples away. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:35 Highlight the passage at 1:32:35

1:32:59 And when he was a little kid, really trying to hurt him and stuff like that too. And then of course he had these other disciples who just adored him. So they say it's kind of like this image. Imagine a Buddha flanked on either side by these two people, one speaking only wonderful things. Giving him gifts and praising him and the other one screaming at him and insulting him and trying to harm him. And he just has completely equal compassion for both of them because it's not based on that. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:59 Highlight the passage at 1:32:59

1:33:27 There's no difference. And these minds that they're describing here, this is the mind. This is Buddha mind. This is enlightened mind. This is the kind of mind that we have the capacity for but definitely that we can take refuge in. So any questions and then we can take a break about anything. Or if you just like, if it's some mundane one, like you missed number three or something like that. That's okay too. I'm Report an error in the passage at 1:33:27 Highlight the passage at 1:33:27

1:34:00 still a little confused about the difference between three and four. Can you say? So with number three, this is talking about the Buddha having this love for us. Okay, how do I describe this? Report an error in the passage at 1:34:00 Highlight the passage at 1:34:00

1:34:26 Even if... Report an error in the passage at 1:34:26 Highlight the passage at 1:34:26

1:34:40 I think it's where the Buddha is actually caring for us even more than we care for ourselves. And even if we don't want this lasting happiness for ourselves, and even if we don't, the Buddha has no ulterior motive. It's sort of like that one. The Buddha has no ulterior motive. He has compassion for us. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:40 Highlight the passage at 1:34:40

1:35:11 Even if we don't have compassion for ourselves, it's kind of a little bit more like that. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:11 Highlight the passage at 1:35:11

1:35:19 The Buddha, for number four, it's Report an error in the passage at 1:35:19 Highlight the passage at 1:35:19

1:35:28 kind of like even if we don't believe in the Buddha. So it is slightly different. Even if we don't believe in the Buddha, even if we don't believe in karma, even if we actually, you know, he has, in his... From his side, he still works for us without bias, whether they're actually actively helping or harming him or whether we're actually even practicing the teachings. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:28 Highlight the passage at 1:35:28

1:35:59 From his side, he just sees us as sentient beings needing help. I don't know. There is a lot of similarity between the two, but I think it's... Anybody else want to step in about the differences between these two? Report an error in the passage at 1:35:59 Highlight the passage at 1:35:59

1:36:27 I think it's a little bit like a karmic relational thing. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:27 Highlight the passage at 1:36:27

1:36:34 I think there's a lot of similarity actually, but when you use that analogy about the moon shining on all the different kinds of water, it's sort of like it doesn't even matter what kind of a mess we are, that he loves us. I think it's like he loves us more than we love ourselves so that he is actively working to help us. He meaning all Buddhas. All Buddhas are actively working to help us. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:34 Highlight the passage at 1:36:34

1:37:04 But they can only help us to the extent of our karma and our delusions. And then the fourth one is whether or not we are, you know, when they talk about that image of being flanked on both sides, it's almost like... Whether or not we even love him. It's kind of like that. It's like from our side. Three seems to be kind of more from his side in a way. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:04 Highlight the passage at 1:37:04

1:37:37 We could be just completely dull and still he cares for us. We're just like, you know. And still that compassion is sort of showering down and they're still looking out for us and they're still trying to find ways to help us. And then number four is kind of like even if we, you know, think of how many people are actually highly opposed to Buddhism in this country alone. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:37 Highlight the passage at 1:37:37

1:38:06 It's kind of like he would still work for them. You know, he would still. So this is actually you're taking it a step further. It could be I could adore the Buddha or. You know, in the case of somebody else, I could actually work against Buddhism. And look at the Chinese, you know, I could be like actively destroying Buddhism as much as I possibly can. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:06 Highlight the passage at 1:38:06

1:38:31 And he still wants to work for the sake, because that's where they phrase it too. Three is talking about compassion. The Buddha has compassion for all living beings. The fourth one is the Buddha works for the sake of all living beings. So it's like almost like how he engages in. And for their welfare, I don't know. This is what I'm getting, so, you know. Yeah, no, I think it takes time. I'm still trying to figure it all out. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:31 Highlight the passage at 1:38:31

1:38:57 Just think how much better I'll be when I get enlightened. Yeah, Chris. So when you were talking about the different emanations that the Buddhas can provide for us, and also that, you know, the Buddha teaches for different levels of mind. So, you think it's probable that maybe the Buddha emanated as figures of other religious traditions, such as Jesus? Report an error in the passage at 1:38:57 Highlight the passage at 1:38:57

1:39:34 Because there's a lot of people that get a lot of help from Christianity. Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. I mean, some teachers I've heard say that it's totally possible that, and when I look at, you know... The words of Jesus, all the red words in my particular Bible when I was a kid, as you can find them easily, they're incredibly profound and also quite radical. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:34 Highlight the passage at 1:39:34

1:39:57 And they aren't always what's in the teachings of conventional Christianity. You know, like, leave everything and follow me, you know, and all that stuff. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:57 Highlight the passage at 1:39:57

1:40:08 Quite profound and quite deeply compassionate and, you know, totally could be a bodhisattva if not a Buddha. And then but when people bring that up with Geshe-la, he said very, very, very possibly could and also possibly not. You know, he's not he's not entirely convinced either way. And it's like, fair enough. I mean, he comes from this tradition of debate. And I think he's just kind of like, let's just keep our minds open. But I'm not going to say one way or another, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:08 Highlight the passage at 1:40:08

1:40:36 But yeah, I don't see any reason why not, because many, many people, my brother included, have been quite helped by Christianity. Definitely turned his life around. I think he's been a good guy because of him. A good dad, a good husband, a good brother, a good son. So it worked for him. It worked for his mind. And he happens to be one of those Christians that's not running around trying to convert other people and being mean about it. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:36 Highlight the passage at 1:40:36

1:41:01 He's just living his life. So I think it is quite possible. There's also some really progressive radical Christians who are Catholic workers. The Catholic Workers Group and stuff like that who do amazingly good work, like the Mary Knoll sisters and stuff going down into Central and South America. So people do amazing things out of, you know, this actual, it's very similar. I think, who was I talking about? Report an error in the passage at 1:41:01 Highlight the passage at 1:41:01

1:41:28 I think it was Mary. Maybe it was actually Katie, because Katie and Michelle went to this assisted living place on Monday night, and Katie gave a talk. They called and they wanted, yeah, they did it, yeah. And it was, so I heard the different experiences, but Kitty was talking about this profound love of Jesus Christ and a couple of the people that were there and this one Greek woman was quite concerned about her, you know, and really wouldn't let her go until she, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:28 Highlight the passage at 1:41:28

1:41:58 I told her that she believed in Jesus Christ and she said, you know, afterwards she said, you know, of course I believe in him, I just don't necessarily think he's the son of God, but I believe that he could very well be a bodhisattva or a Buddha, but she didn't say that to the little Greek old lady. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:58 Highlight the passage at 1:41:58

1:42:14 But she said, yeah, this devotion is so similar to the devotion that we try to cultivate for a guru or even for a Buddha, but they haven't ever met. unless it's the same way that we meet through habituating our mind with the qualities And I think that's true for a lot of religions too. And I think His Holiness tries to look at the different religions and the commonalities between them rather than focusing so much on the differences. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:14 Highlight the passage at 1:42:14

1:42:48 And so I think these kind of cross, you know, religious talks and stuff like that are so useful. But I don't see any reason why not. Why wouldn't they manifest in these different ways? To try to help people whose minds maybe just wouldn't work with some of the other teachings. Who knows? Report an error in the passage at 1:42:48 Highlight the passage at 1:42:48

1:43:13 Anybody else? You look like you're close to a question. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:13 Highlight the passage at 1:43:13

1:43:22 You guys want to take a break? Five minutes. Just five minutes. And then we'll just end. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:22 Highlight the passage at 1:43:22

1:43:42 Oh, that's what you're thinking about. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:42 Highlight the passage at 1:43:42

1:43:54 Well, the baseline is still compassion, gaining confidence in your own path without throwing it at somebody else, having respect for their path. I Report an error in the passage at 1:43:54 Highlight the passage at 1:43:54

1:44:14 mean, those things, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:14 Highlight the passage at 1:44:14

1:44:35 I don't want to read about this in the paper, okay? Oh my gosh, it's like a whole new way to deal with it. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:35 Highlight the passage at 1:44:35

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:44:24 explain it, but clicking into place in my brain. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:24 Highlight the passage at 1:44:24

1:44:40 She kept mentioning a certain Buddhist nun by the name of... She Report an error in the passage at 1:44:40 Highlight the passage at 1:44:40

1:44:53 just Report an error in the passage at 1:44:53 Highlight the passage at 1:44:53

1:45:20 heard nun, right? She actually Report an error in the passage at 1:45:20 Highlight the passage at 1:45:20

1:45:33 lived there a lot. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:33 Highlight the passage at 1:45:33

1:45:41 Actually, though, when I was growing up, when the... did tell you said, but I Report an error in the passage at 1:45:41 Highlight the passage at 1:45:41

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:45:36 funny for me. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:36 Highlight the passage at 1:45:36

1:45:45 Not so much the Christianity I was raised in, but definitely the Christianity my brother and sister-in-law got into. Well, actually my mom to some degree. Catholicism was even out there, you know. I don't even know. I guess, yeah, yours was like straightforward with us. It was just like an unstated suspicion. And I thought they were really cool. My best friend was, one of my closest friends was. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:45 Highlight the passage at 1:45:45

1:46:15 I was Catholic and I just thought I would go with her and they had like the incense and the nuns and like this whole other thing and like the little altar boys and like so many different robes and things like that and I was like this is really cool. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:15 Highlight the passage at 1:46:15

1:46:40 Were you raised Catholic? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was raised Lutheran so it was like I always wanted to be. Like we got rid of all the fun things, you know, and then we tried to create our own and we're like. No, like let's just do what they're doing. They're doing it so much better. So any questions, any last questions about any of this stuff? Report an error in the passage at 1:46:40 Highlight the passage at 1:46:40

1:47:04 Did you think of another one? That was good. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:04 Highlight the passage at 1:47:04

1:47:15 So I'll just lead you then. I'll just lead you in your homework and that way you've already done it today. And then you only have to do it like a couple more times. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:15 Highlight the passage at 1:47:15

1:47:29 Pre-occupy. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:29 Highlight the passage at 1:47:29

1:47:34 Okay, so we're going to think about the four reasons why the Buddha is... know. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:34 Highlight the passage at 1:47:34

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:47:41 A reliable refuge. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:41 Highlight the passage at 1:47:41

1:47:47 So just take a moment to kind of calm your mind. This is only going to be a short meditation. We'll just go for like 10 minutes. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:47 Highlight the passage at 1:47:47

1:47:57 But the more that we can understand why the Buddha is a reliable refuge in whatever form we see the Buddha, whether we see it in this form of the historical Buddha or if we think about the fact that literally there are infinite Buddhas, all these different... These teachings have been around for 2600 years, so a lot of people have used them to get enlightened. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:57 Highlight the passage at 1:47:57

1:48:25 I say Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are everywhere. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:25 Highlight the passage at 1:48:25

1:48:35 So we spend a lot more time on the Buddha. If the Buddha becomes a worthy object of refuge, then the others follow more easily. Dharma becomes a worthy object of refuge, because of course the Dharma is his teachings and the realizations of his teachings. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:35 Highlight the passage at 1:48:35

1:48:52 Saṅgha becomes a worthy refuge as those who practice his teachings. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:52 Highlight the passage at 1:48:52

1:49:03 So the first is that the Buddha is fearless. He's completely overcome all his fears and he's done this through mastering and subduing his mind, which he's done through reasoning as well as through these profound meditations or meditative eco-poison emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:03 Highlight the passage at 1:49:03

1:49:32 And if he's overcome his own fears, then he's able to help us overcome our fears. He's able to protect us from our fears. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:32 Highlight the passage at 1:49:32

1:49:47 If he hasn't overcome his own fears, if somebody is still full of fear, then they can't really help us with ours. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:47 Highlight the passage at 1:49:47

1:50:11 And then without talking about those four points in detail, but just remembering how that fearlessness can manifest in this form of confidence. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:11 Highlight the passage at 1:50:11

1:50:22 He's done the work. He can teach us and show us the way with confidence. He's got it at this gut level without any confusion or doubt. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:22 Highlight the passage at 1:50:22

1:50:35 He knows what he knows. And he knows how to show us how to do it. Because he knows how we could fall off and how we'd mess up. He knows our minds. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:35 Highlight the passage at 1:50:35

1:50:58 Until we get enlightened, we might be really well-intentioned and really want... the best for others but we don't really know Report an error in the passage at 1:50:58 Highlight the passage at 1:50:58

1:51:08 And so we can make a lot of mistakes. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:08 Highlight the passage at 1:51:08

1:51:13 once we do it ourselves, then. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:13 Highlight the passage at 1:51:13

1:51:18 The Buddha is Report an error in the passage at 1:51:18 Highlight the passage at 1:51:18

1:51:31 skillful at freeing others from fear because he's able to teach to the different levels of his listeners or his students or his disciples. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:31 Highlight the passage at 1:51:31

1:51:48 He sort of in some ways gets into the emptiness of the teachings themselves. They aren't fixed in some solid way. People with all different levels of mind can use them. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:48 Highlight the passage at 1:51:48

1:52:09 And the Buddha taught everything that's out there called Buddhism and it's sometimes very different and it all works. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:09 Highlight the passage at 1:52:09

1:52:25 There's only a tiny few people who can understand the profundity of emptiness immediately. Most of us have to understand it slowly. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:25 Highlight the passage at 1:52:25

1:52:43 Again, thinking about how we might explain day and night to a two-year-old or a six-year-old or a fifteen-year-old. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:43 Highlight the passage at 1:52:43

1:53:09 The Buddha has compassion for all living beings with complete equanimity. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:09 Highlight the passage at 1:53:09

1:53:18 Buddhas have no ulterior motive. They aren't trying to do anything for us except get us enlightened. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:18 Highlight the passage at 1:53:18

1:53:37 Our deluded minds just seek this short-term or temporary happiness because that's what we know. And that's because we think that's all there is. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:37 Highlight the passage at 1:53:37

1:53:52 We don't remember the faults of that happiness that it will degenerate and leave. So Report an error in the passage at 1:53:52 Highlight the passage at 1:53:52

1:54:06 they say the Buddha loves us more than we love ourselves. And Report an error in the passage at 1:54:06 Highlight the passage at 1:54:06

1:54:26 this way the Buddha's mind, enlightened mind, is like a moon shining on every body of water simultaneously, whether it's big or small or murky or clear. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:26 Highlight the passage at 1:54:26

1:54:41 No picking and choosing, no aversion, no attachment. It's just trying to help us all by guiding us in whatever way it can. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:41 Highlight the passage at 1:54:41

1:54:58 At first we're so resistant, but the more we generate even a tiny bit of refuge, our mind begins to soften and open. And that actually creates the conditions for the Buddha to touch our mind, to affect our mind. And Report an error in the passage at 1:54:58 Highlight the passage at 1:54:58

1:55:21 they can appear in whatever form we need, most need, at that moment. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:21 Highlight the passage at 1:55:21

1:55:33 And some of us may have already had experiences with people in our lives that make us think maybe that person was a Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:33 Highlight the passage at 1:55:33

1:55:45 There's actually a practice of imagining that all of those people were Buddhists. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:45 Highlight the passage at 1:55:45

1:55:57 Tenzin Chokyi talks about developing this mind that's pronoid rather than paranoid, believing that everybody is actually working for your benefit, that they're all Buddhists trying to get you enlightened. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:57 Highlight the passage at 1:55:57

1:56:18 And the Buddha works for the sake of all living beings without bias, whether they help or harm, whether they're Buddhist or not, whether they hate Buddhas, hate Buddhists, trying to destroy all the teachings. They're Report an error in the passage at 1:56:18 Highlight the passage at 1:56:18

1:56:42 just suffering sentient beings as far as he's concerned. And he just keeps working for them day and night. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:42 Highlight the passage at 1:56:42

1:57:02 We just dedicate any merit that we may have created by contemplating this a little and by this class. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:02 Highlight the passage at 1:57:02

1:57:14 clearer, or even if we had more questions come up. dedicate any merit we may have created to each of us being able to generate this mind of refuge at some point in this life or in our next life. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:14 Highlight the passage at 1:57:14

1:57:33 When we're afraid, when we're stressed out, when we're worried, when we face our own deaths, when we face the deaths of others. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:33 Highlight the passage at 1:57:33

1:57:57 Use that refuge. As the method to gaining enlightenment for ourselves and all living beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:57 Highlight the passage at 1:57:57

1:58:22 So, Tuesday. Next class, Tuesday. And I'll get you your binders. I did order them. We'll probably get them tomorrow. We will have them by Tuesday. Then you have a little bit more time to read, so that's okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:22 Highlight the passage at 1:58:22

1:58:43 I forgot, and I did a... It's actually... It should have been a front and a back, and I printed it to... I printed it from my computer instead, so I did it, two pieces of paper. It's wasteful, I apologize. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:43 Highlight the passage at 1:58:43

1:59:12 The little, yes, we do, and I'll bring out the refuge, it's actually a little tiny booklet. Yeah, I Report an error in the passage at 1:59:12 Highlight the passage at 1:59:12

1:59:24 forgot what the other one is. Liberation, I know it's on your hand. We actually do have some copies of Liberation now for sale in the bookstore. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:24 Highlight the passage at 1:59:24

1:59:35 Liberation, refuge and rituals, and suggested texts are old path, white clouds, and spiritual. We do have spiritual friends. I was just noticing that yesterday. I don't know if we have old paths like clouds, actually. But, yeah, I think liberation is the other one. Liberation is the one that everything's in. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:35 Highlight the passage at 1:59:35

2:00:19 Sorry for helping out. I said, are you sorry for helping out? Report an error in the passage at 2:00:19 Highlight the passage at 2:00:19

2:00:26 You leave tomorrow, Gina? Report an error in the passage at 2:00:26 Highlight the passage at 2:00:26

2:00:32 And the first part is work, and the second part is work. And the family. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:32 Highlight the passage at 2:00:32

2:00:46 Oh, both weekends. Yeah, so my dad's in South Florida. So I'm kind of bookending. Oh, how interesting. Yeah, so I'm going to attempt it this weekend. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:46 Highlight the passage at 2:00:46

2:01:00 dad crunched his motorcycle. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:00 Highlight the passage at 2:01:00

2:01:07 Oh, my God. It was interesting, that's what happened with my mom, because it was her 85th, I had already taken off like two weeks to just be with her. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:07 Highlight the passage at 2:01:07

2:01:32 It is kind of weird. And actually I've heard this story many times. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:32 Highlight the passage at 2:01:32