Discovering Buddhism - Intro to Tantra (21 July 2011)

· · · silence, 8 minutes

7:41 We're just sitting, standing there. Report an error in the passage at 7:41 Highlight the passage at 7:41

7:52 It's been a while. I Report an error in the passage at 7:52 Highlight the passage at 7:52

8:22 didn't recognize your hair. This is like old home week. Wow. Oh my gosh. So Sarah's an old DB student. I shouldn't say an old. She's a DB student from long ago. And Jess is an old student from having a teen who's now really a teen. Report an error in the passage at 8:22 Highlight the passage at 8:22

8:41 A little kid program and then our teen, I ran a teen program for years. How old is he now? Oh my God. And he was in my very first DB class. It was Jess and Evan and Peter. And I think Chad maybe was the fourth or something. It was like just those four. He was like 11 or something. Yeah. It's great to see you, Jess. Report an error in the passage at 8:41 Highlight the passage at 8:41

9:09 So we're actually going to start with the meditation that you guys had as your homework two weeks ago. So it's Precious Human Rebirth. So those of you that have been around, you may recognize it too. And hopefully those of you that have been in the class will recognize it because hopefully you've been doing it. Report an error in the passage at 9:09 Highlight the passage at 9:09

9:28 And if not, this will be your first time and that's okay too. So we're actually going to do two meditations in tonight's class. So I'm going to sort of move us along fairly quickly. But we're going to start with Precious Human Rebirth and we're going to end with bodhicitta. All in one class. How's that? Report an error in the passage at 9:28 Highlight the passage at 9:28

9:47 So get comfy. It's kind of a little bit longish. It's not so long because I'm sort of chopping it a little bit, but just make sure you're comfy. You might want to stretch a little bit and let go of your day and Report an error in the passage at 9:47 Highlight the passage at 9:47

10:10 just take some nice deep belly breaths. Report an error in the passage at 10:10 Highlight the passage at 10:10

10:25 And you can visualize if you want, breathing in white light, breathing out black light or black smoke, or Report an error in the passage at 10:25 Highlight the passage at 10:25

10:36 you can visualize that with each breath. You take in and it sort of dissolves all the little obstacles in your body and your mind, wherever you feel tight, constricted, anxious. Report an error in the passage at 10:36 Highlight the passage at 10:36

10:54 Imagine that it dissolves all that away. Just take a few minutes to do that. You Report an error in the passage at 10:54 Highlight the passage at 10:54

· · · silence, 1 minute

11:45 can imagine in the air in front of you, a little above you, is Shakyamuni Buddha. You can imagine him. The way he looks in statues or pictures that you've seen. This is the historical Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 11:45 Highlight the passage at 11:45

12:08 But imagine that his body is made of light. Report an error in the passage at 12:08 Highlight the passage at 12:08

12:23 And if you can't visualize him, just know that he's there. And know that he embodies all the qualities of enlightened mind. Report an error in the passage at 12:23 Highlight the passage at 12:23

12:48 So we're going to do this meditation on having a precious human rebirth. And really what it's about is recognizing what you have right now. Report an error in the passage at 12:48 Highlight the passage at 12:48

12:59 So we're going to go through sort of... Reminding you of all you have right now to be thankful for and to use in your spiritual practice, in your spiritual journey. Report an error in the passage at 12:59 Highlight the passage at 12:59

13:22 So we start with just recognizing the situation that we have right now. Report an error in the passage at 13:22 Highlight the passage at 13:22

13:36 Does anybody know how to go out there and push the DMD button? Jessica, you want to do it real quick? I'll sit, I'll wait. I turned it off for the meditation, but somebody must have turned it back on. Report an error in the passage at 13:36 Highlight the passage at 13:36

13:48 Do it anyway. Report an error in the passage at 13:48 Highlight the passage at 13:48

13:57 You did it on both? Great, thank you. Report an error in the passage at 13:57 Highlight the passage at 13:57

14:14 So start with recognizing the situation that you have right now. Report an error in the passage at 14:14 Highlight the passage at 14:14

14:21 You have a human life. You have intelligence. Report an error in the passage at 14:21 Highlight the passage at 14:21

14:30 You have strength in your body. Some of us more than others. Report an error in the passage at 14:30 Highlight the passage at 14:30

14:39 You have some inclination to do spiritual practice. So not just interest in coming or interest in hearing about it or listening to it, but some interest to actually put these teachings into practice. Report an error in the passage at 14:39 Highlight the passage at 14:39

15:04 And you're free from being involved in any extreme negativity. In other words, you're not in a situation where you're in a gang or living in a world where corruption is really normal or that you're surrounded by war or something like that. Black market. You're free of that. And Report an error in the passage at 15:04 Highlight the passage at 15:04

15:32 you live in a place and a time where the Buddhist teachings still exist. Report an error in the passage at 15:32 Highlight the passage at 15:32

15:41 They say that there will be times like the Dark Ages. Where no Dharma is available, no Dharma exists in the world. Report an error in the passage at 15:41 Highlight the passage at 15:41

15:55 But that's not true here. Not only does it still exist, but people are still gaining experience and freedom by putting these teachings into practice. Report an error in the passage at 15:55 Highlight the passage at 15:55

16:14 There are still places to go to receive authentic teachings from authentic teachers. Report an error in the passage at 16:14 Highlight the passage at 16:14

16:26 There are still people around who support these teachings and support Dharma centers. Report an error in the passage at 16:26 Highlight the passage at 16:26

16:42 And for some people... Those dark ages exist right now because they don't have the karma to even see the centers that do exist. They go right by this center every day and they never see the signs. That's kind of a form of having a dark ages right in your own life. But all of you guys saw the sign. You guys are in here. So you're free of that. Report an error in the passage at 16:42 Highlight the passage at 16:42

17:14 And here, especially in Northern California, especially in the Bay Area, There's so many good teachers and teachings, Report an error in the passage at 17:14 Highlight the passage at 17:14

17:25 and there's still people here who devote their lives to spiritual practice. Report an error in the passage at 17:25 Highlight the passage at 17:25

17:42 So first, you start with just recognizing all the blessings that you have, and these are called richnesses. Report an error in the passage at 17:42 Highlight the passage at 17:42

17:58 And if you spend some time going through all the richnesses in your life, then you realize that there's absolutely nothing to stop you from gaining liberation. There's nothing standing in your way. Report an error in the passage at 17:58 Highlight the passage at 17:58

18:13 It's only a matter of making the effort. Report an error in the passage at 18:13 Highlight the passage at 18:13

18:37 If we think about all the human beings in the world, in all the various countries and circumstances, out of all those people, how many of them even live in a place where they can meet the Dharma or hear words like enlightenment or liberation? Report an error in the passage at 18:37 Highlight the passage at 18:37

19:08 Of all the living beings in those places where Dharma can be found, how many ever hear the teachings? Report an error in the passage at 19:08 Highlight the passage at 19:08

19:20 And of those, how many have the interest to practice? Report an error in the passage at 19:20 Highlight the passage at 19:20

19:29 And of those, how many have the time and freedom to pursue that interest? Report an error in the passage at 19:29 Highlight the passage at 19:29

19:41 And of those, how many have found a teacher with the qualities that they want for themselves? Report an error in the passage at 19:41 Highlight the passage at 19:41

19:53 And of those who have met their teachers, how many of them have recognized it? Report an error in the passage at 19:53 Highlight the passage at 19:53

20:06 And of those who have all these things, how many are actually pursuing and practicing the teachings? Report an error in the passage at 20:06 Highlight the passage at 20:06

20:18 How many people out there are actually devoting their lives to liberation and enlightenment? Report an error in the passage at 20:18 Highlight the passage at 20:18

20:27 How many even think that enlightenment might be possible? Report an error in the passage at 20:27 Highlight the passage at 20:27

20:38 Even in this city where so much is available, how many people have really settled down to do the work? Report an error in the passage at 20:38 Highlight the passage at 20:38

20:56 When we stop and think about it, the situation that we find ourselves in is extremely rare. Report an error in the passage at 20:56 Highlight the passage at 20:56

21:06 We've met the method that Shakyamuni Buddha used to get enlightened. We've connected with the teachings in this life. So what are we going to do with it? Report an error in the passage at 21:06 Highlight the passage at 21:06

21:26 People all around us are suffering from sickness, old age, dissatisfied mind, mental and physical disease, sadness and death. Report an error in the passage at 21:26 Highlight the passage at 21:26

21:43 And we've come into contact with the teachings that tell us that they can actually stop these sufferings forever if applied consistently and wholeheartedly. Report an error in the passage at 21:43 Highlight the passage at 21:43

22:01 So how can I not try to pursue them? Report an error in the passage at 22:01 Highlight the passage at 22:01

22:10 Are there some opportunity to stop the death of all living beings? To stop war, famine, disease. And I don't even try. How unfortunate that would be. Report an error in the passage at 22:10 Highlight the passage at 22:10

22:36 It's said in the teachings that a precious human rebirth comes about only with causes. The causes of having practiced generosity, morality, patience and especially making prayers. Report an error in the passage at 22:36 Highlight the passage at 22:36

22:55 So I prayed to receive this life. I prayed to have this opportunity. I prayed to have this view, to meet these teachings. Report an error in the passage at 22:55 Highlight the passage at 22:55

23:15 I prayed for a method to fulfill my deepest longings, to perfect my mind. Report an error in the passage at 23:15 Highlight the passage at 23:15

23:27 So all those causes and conditions have come together. In this life, all my prayers have been answered. Report an error in the passage at 23:27 Highlight the passage at 23:27

23:39 So what am I going to do with it? Report an error in the passage at 23:39 Highlight the passage at 23:39

23:53 So take a moment to ask Shakyamuni Buddha in front of you to Report an error in the passage at 23:53 Highlight the passage at 23:53

24:01 bless you, to recognize this precious human life, this opportunity you found. So you can use it to the best of your ability. Report an error in the passage at 24:01 Highlight the passage at 24:01

24:12 Again, recognizing that nothing stands in your way. All you have to do is make the effort. Report an error in the passage at 24:12 Highlight the passage at 24:12

24:35 And imagine that Shakyamuni Buddha is very pleased and promises to remind you of your precious human rebirth all the time. Which means now you have to keep an eye out of those reminders. Because they may come in different ways. Report an error in the passage at 24:35 Highlight the passage at 24:35

24:57 And imagine that Chakyamuni Buddha now shrinks to the size of a tiny bird's egg and comes to the crown of your head, facing the same direction as you, Report an error in the passage at 24:57 Highlight the passage at 24:57

25:15 and melts into golden light, and that descends into your heart, inseparably mixing with your mind. Report an error in the passage at 25:15 Highlight the passage at 25:15

25:29 So your body, speech and mind are completely pervaded by all of his enlightened qualities in the form of his golden light. Report an error in the passage at 25:29 Highlight the passage at 25:29

25:49 Lama Yeshi always says, It's like pouring water into water. No separation. Report an error in the passage at 25:49 Highlight the passage at 25:49

26:07 And imagine for a moment that you're transformed into a being made of this pure golden light, abiding in this world solely for the purpose of benefiting others. Report an error in the passage at 26:07 Highlight the passage at 26:07

26:21 This is your true potential. Report an error in the passage at 26:21 Highlight the passage at 26:21

26:29 Imagine what this would actually feel like. Report an error in the passage at 26:29 Highlight the passage at 26:29

26:44 And then imagine that you find yourself again on your cushion in your ordinary form in this class. And take a moment to motivate. Report an error in the passage at 26:44 Highlight the passage at 26:44

26:59 Tonight's class only be for the benefit of others and for your own enlightenment for their sake. Report an error in the passage at 26:59 Highlight the passage at 26:59

27:23 And then as you're ready, you can end your meditation and open your eyes. And we're going to start with the opening prayer, which Report an error in the passage at 27:23 Highlight the passage at 27:23

27:50 is on page 8, Report an error in the passage at 27:50 Highlight the passage at 27:50

27:56 unless you have my book, in which case it's on page 9. Report an error in the passage at 27:56 Highlight the passage at 27:56

28:04 With the wish to free all beings, I shall always go for refuge. To Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha until I reach full enlightenment. Inspired by wisdom and compassion, today in the Buddha's presence, I generate the mind of full awakening for the benefit of all sentient beings. As long as space remains, as long as sentient beings remain, until then may I too remain and dispel the miseries of the world. Report an error in the passage at 28:04 Highlight the passage at 28:04

28:50 going to start with. With a little bit more on renunciation that we didn't get to cover in the last class, but I thought I could just start if you'd like, if anybody has anything that they wanted to bring up or anything. Hi, it's nice to see you again. Anything that they wanted to bring up about anything that might have happened on the break or any questions or comments about the reading or anybody has anything? Report an error in the passage at 28:50 Highlight the passage at 28:50

29:21 Do we have that? Oh yeah, there's a mic right next to Jeremy. Yeah, I'll record this mic. Does anybody have anything? Report an error in the passage at 29:21 Highlight the passage at 29:21

29:35 No, everyone's just stunned into silence. Report an error in the passage at 29:35 Highlight the passage at 29:35

29:41 Well, all right, I'm going to start and then you, I'll open it up for questions in a little bit too. I'm just going to finish up a little bit on renunciation. What we're doing right now is, so this is the fourth class. of this series And so we're sort of going through the preliminary practices to entering tantra and especially looking at them from a tantric point of view. Report an error in the passage at 29:41 Highlight the passage at 29:41

30:09 So we're looking at them from the point of view that Lama Yeshe takes in Introduction to Tantra. And so the three principal paths, renunciation, bodhicitta and a correct view of emptiness are the baseline requirements. To do any tantric practice, at least to have some familiarity as to what they mean. So if some Lama ever asked you, what are the three principal paths, then you can say renunciation, bodhicitta and correct view of emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 30:09 Highlight the passage at 30:09

30:39 At least say that much. I'll be really embarrassed if I'm standing near you and you say you have no idea. This has happened before. Guest teachers come in, like Tenzin Chokyi or something, and they'll say, what are the ten non-virtues? And everyone will be like... Report an error in the passage at 30:39 Highlight the passage at 30:39

30:55 It's like, come on you guys, I just told you last week. So renunciation, I like to spend more time on renunciation even than the other two because I think it gets the worst rep in our culture. It sounds like we're going to put on a hair shirt and sit in the closet and beat ourselves up and not be able to do anything fun or eat anything fun or wear anything fun or go anywhere fun. Report an error in the passage at 30:55 Highlight the passage at 30:55

31:22 And that's not it at all. Renunciation actually, Lamieschi actually calls it, I think he calls it emerging. Hey, Marcelo, nice to see you. This is old home week. We saved your seat. No, no, no, it's okay. We just finished meditation. And we named you president while you were gone. Report an error in the passage at 31:22 Highlight the passage at 31:22

31:48 So I think that, hey. So I think that Lamaeshi calls it emerging and it translates often into definite emergence and I like that better than renunciation because it's really determining to get out of liberation. I mean to get liberated, to get out of saṃsāra. So I feel like that's a more accurate depiction of it than renouncing because I think in our culture renouncing has this whole idea of giving up everything fun. Report an error in the passage at 31:48 Highlight the passage at 31:48

32:20 And so Lama actually keeps underscoring that with like you don't have to give up anything, you have to change your attitude. And so we have to stop seeing all that fun stuff or whatever it is we're doing as, you know, the root of all of our happiness. And that's where we get into trouble. And especially grasping at it as something more than it is, which is what the attached mind does. Report an error in the passage at 32:20 Highlight the passage at 32:20

32:46 The mind of attachment just creates all these... Additional layers of projections and it throws them onto these things. So if I loved chocolate cake, which I don't right now because it doesn't like me, then if I'm attached to it, then I'm going to project all of this delicious quality to it that isn't necessarily there, in fact isn't there at all. Report an error in the passage at 32:46 Highlight the passage at 32:46

33:13 and so And we do that with everything. So we do that with the other person that we're in love with. We do that with the new car. We do that with the new job, the new apartment, the new whatever it is we're attached to. All of these things come up that exaggerate and distort that object. And then we are really attached to it. Report an error in the passage at 33:13 Highlight the passage at 33:13

33:37 And then we're also really upset when we... Those projections fall away. Those projections of our own making fall away. So Renunciation, so actually His Holiness talked about this a lot in D.C. too. He was talking about not engaging so much in sensory pleasures, at least not seeing them as the cause for our ultimate happiness. Report an error in the passage at 33:37 Highlight the passage at 33:37

34:09 And Lama Yeshe also says, Um, so Report an error in the passage at 34:09 Highlight the passage at 34:09

34:14 And I think I read this quote to you too, although I think I sent it out. This is one of my favorites actually, don't believe what your senses tell you. Which is hard, it's really hard. I think our culture is really big on the senses, right? So it's really big on making things really beautiful and shiny and bright, you know, because they want to sell it to us. Report an error in the passage at 34:14 Highlight the passage at 34:14

34:37 And so Shakyamuni Buddha is basically saying, no. We have to look within. If we want to find lasting happiness, if we want to realize our ultimate potential, if we want to eliminate our own suffering and get out of this realm of suffering, then we have to stop relying so much on this external sensory pleasures for ultimate happiness. Report an error in the passage at 34:37 Highlight the passage at 34:37

35:03 But it doesn't mean we have to give them all up. So he's not saying that. That is a sūtra teaching, I think. That's why this comes from the sūtra approach, right? This idea of giving up as a way of building our concentration and being able to get enlightened. The tantra approach means you can still enjoy them, but we have to give up our grasping. That's the mind we have to give up. Report an error in the passage at 35:03 Highlight the passage at 35:03

35:31 We have to give up our grasping and all those expectations and all those distortions, but first we have to kind of look at them first and understand them. So with a lot of Buddhist teachings, we're learning like sort of what we have to give up, and we're going to do this a lot in the emptiness section too, but we don't want to sidestep the first step of actually seeing how we currently see things. Report an error in the passage at 35:31 Highlight the passage at 35:31

35:55 I think a lot of times we want to go right to the advanced view of how things should be without seeing how we're doing it now. So we have to spend some time noticing what we do with our pleasure, what we do with the object of our pleasure, how we grasp, how we distort. So that's a useful thing to just start doing now. Anytime you're sitting down to eat or to... Report an error in the passage at 35:55 Highlight the passage at 35:55

36:24 Watch a movie or something that you enjoy doing. Don't stop doing it. Just look at your mind. Just like, how am I distorting this? It doesn't mean you have to stop and go in your room and just turn all the lights off. It just means just to bring awareness to how it is that you are engaging with that object. Report an error in the passage at 36:24 Highlight the passage at 36:24

36:42 Just starting to just bring that awareness in. Because we're undoing lifetimes of incorrect ways of engaging with reality. So it's going to take a while, so it starts really slowly with just bringing it up whenever you notice yourself enjoying something. The opposite is true, of course, too. When we hate something or have anger towards something, we also exaggerate its quality. So you can also do that. You can also examine that. Report an error in the passage at 36:42 Highlight the passage at 36:42

37:08 But in this case, we're looking at... Attachment, because we're looking at that grasping, grasping quality. So according to the Buddha, this attachment pollutes everything that we enjoy. We just keep ourselves from, well we keep ourselves wanting more and more and more. It's like that attachment makes us all addicts to some degree. Report an error in the passage at 37:08 Highlight the passage at 37:08

37:40 As Rabina used to always say, it's just a question of degree. Basically, we're all addicts. And I think that's really true. It is just a question of degree. And in fact, it gets stirred up constantly because of our culture. Our culture is really a culture of addicts. I mean, I don't really watch TV, so if you watch TV, it's actually frightening to see the way things are sold and how it's like digging us. Report an error in the passage at 37:40 Highlight the passage at 37:40

38:08 At a gut level, it's wanting us to want more and more and more and more and more, even if we just got something yesterday. So if we buy things, we want more. If we eat things, we want more. If we have sex, we want more. If we drink things, we want more. If we go somewhere, we want more. Whatever it is that we're doing that's pleasure-based, it's like we always want more and more and more and more. Report an error in the passage at 38:08 Highlight the passage at 38:08

38:30 And because somehow we think that happiness is going to be in those objects, we're still looking outside of ourselves. It's actually logical if you can realize what it is that we're doing wrong. Some people actually do live here, so they're allowed to come in. Report an error in the passage at 38:30 Highlight the passage at 38:30

38:47 The last two people kept going when they walked in. More people moved in while I was gone, so it's kind of this interesting situation where I don't even remember who lives here anymore. Report an error in the passage at 38:47 Highlight the passage at 38:47

39:00 I mean, honestly, like four people moved in. answer. Report an error in the passage at 39:00 Highlight the passage at 39:00

39:02 while I was gone. Five people moved in while I was gone. So it's like, oh wow, you leave here or not too? That's interesting. Report an error in the passage at 39:02 Highlight the passage at 39:02

39:13 Definitely feels a little out of control. Report an error in the passage at 39:13 Highlight the passage at 39:13

39:18 The whole point of tantra, or the whole point of Buddhism in general, but especially of tantra, is that we have this unlimited capacity. Report an error in the passage at 39:18 Highlight the passage at 39:18

39:33 To enjoy things and to enjoy them in a way that we've never known that we were capable of, actually. And so renunciation, I mean, it's like just because of the vastness and the purity of our mind and the fact that if we didn't distort everything, it would be quite possible to just enjoy everything at the same level of bliss, which is the way the llamas do, you know, which is why His Holiness is always so happy. Report an error in the passage at 39:33 Highlight the passage at 39:33

40:01 Lama Zopa Rinpoche is so happy, even recuperating from a stroke. He's like giggling wildly. Most of us probably wouldn't be having such a good time. But for them, it's like they can enjoy everything, even hospital food, with this sort of blissful delight that we only have when we're getting our way. Basically right now we only have that blissful delight if we're getting our way, if we're getting what we think we want. And so renunciation is getting it that we're basically settling for much less than we could be getting. Report an error in the passage at 40:01 Highlight the passage at 40:01

40:41 It's understanding that. It's not an intellectual understanding. It's actually getting it at this really gut level that we're settling. And we don't want to do that anymore. We want to get out of this. Report an error in the passage at 40:41 Highlight the passage at 40:41

40:54 We recognize the situation that we're in and we want to get out of it because we know what's possible. So when we're talking about renunciation, it's got to have that aspect of wanting to get out but also knowing that out of this, outside of this, that there's something else possible for me in my mind, me right now in my mind, that's so much better. Report an error in the passage at 40:54 Highlight the passage at 40:54

41:18 And what I'm settling for right now is... Getting up, putting on my clothes, going to work, riding the bus, going home and doing that for 65 years and then dying. Report an error in the passage at 41:18 Highlight the passage at 41:18

41:31 Maybe that's not good enough for this precious human rebirth. So that's really what renunciation is a lot about. It's this really jazzed kind of mind. So it's not a mind of... Report an error in the passage at 41:31 Highlight the passage at 41:31

41:49 Pushing away or aversion or anything like that. It's this mind of awakening. It's really the step of taking the leap of getting out of this mess. Report an error in the passage at 41:49 Highlight the passage at 41:49

42:02 And also, again, I had mentioned it last class, but it's not just that grasping attitude, but that grasping attitude actually acts like this intoxicant that dulls our minds too. So it's like that baby on the breast. image that I brought up you know that she's just you know all that she wants and then she That's why people fall asleep watching TV. Or even worse, clicking. Report an error in the passage at 42:02 Highlight the passage at 42:02

42:33 They're not even really watching anything. They're trying to find something better than what they're watching. And just falling into a stupor afterwards. Or eating so much that they just fall asleep. Report an error in the passage at 42:33 Highlight the passage at 42:33

42:45 Or taking the food even into bed with them and falling asleep. And this happens, you know. Actually, we had somebody that lived here that was just so horrifying to me. I was just like, wow, that's really intense. And I know that that's not, you know, so unique. Just that idea of just wanting so much pleasure that you just fall into a stupor afterwards, you know. Report an error in the passage at 42:45 Highlight the passage at 42:45

43:08 So we kind of look at also how renunciation is linked with refuge because... Report an error in the passage at 43:08 Highlight the passage at 43:08

43:20 Refuge helps us keep our eye on the prize, right? So refuge really helps us in every moment of every day if we're doing refuge the way Lama Yeshe always says, doing refuge, not just taking refuge like once in the morning and then, you know, forgetting about it, but actually trying to constantly live in that mind of refuge, of relying on the Dharma especially, which is the main refuge, which means applying it. Report an error in the passage at 43:20 Highlight the passage at 43:20

43:46 When things go south, you know, instead of just like, you know, forgetting about it until you happen to go home and read a book or something like that or come to a class. Oh man, I should have done that today when I was yelling at somebody. So it's like constantly keeping it fresh in your mind and it just, it's a mind training practice. Report an error in the passage at 43:46 Highlight the passage at 43:46

44:08 So refuge is a mind training practice and that strengthens our goal. of enlightenment which is basically keeping our eye on the prize and so that feeds into this mind of renunciation Report an error in the passage at 44:08 Highlight the passage at 44:08

44:25 So, in both cases, it's like our eyes are wide open and we're really trying to understand our situation very, very clearly and sort of break out of the situation that we find ourselves in by using the teachings of the Buddha, especially the... And those practicing and the Buddha himself, which is the three gems. Inner refuge, again, remember I had mentioned that too. Report an error in the passage at 44:25 Highlight the passage at 44:25

44:54 Inner refuge is where we already see ourselves in this resultant state. So that's very tantric. We already are taking refuge in our potential enlightenment or our potential direct perception of emptiness or our potential bodhicitta or whatever it is, knowing that we ourselves will attain it. So we're taking refuge. It's almost like a super confident way of taking refuge, too. It's not just like, oh, you're so wonderful. Report an error in the passage at 44:54 Highlight the passage at 44:54

45:22 I'm so glad you did this. I don't have to. Come save me. It's not like that. It's like I'm taking refuge in all those qualities that I will attain myself in this life. I mean, you're really, you know, you're just kind of going for it. And it may be contrived, but that's okay. Again, that's a very tantric approach, too, faking it until you make it. Report an error in the passage at 45:22 Highlight the passage at 45:22

45:43 It's really okay, because what it does is it builds your confidence. You will attain these qualities. There's something to be said for that, kind of like, I will do this. Report an error in the passage at 45:43 Highlight the passage at 45:43

45:55 It's just a matter of time. Report an error in the passage at 45:55 Highlight the passage at 45:55

46:01 And again, just remembering that all of these things, when we talk about refuge, when we talk about renunciation, and then of course we're going to be talking about bodhicitta tonight, and we're going to be talking about having a... A correct perception of emptiness. All of these are actual realizations. They aren't just the intellectual understanding of the words. So you might understand the words, and maybe you've understood several teachers saying the words, and so now you think maybe you already have the realization. Report an error in the passage at 46:01 Highlight the passage at 46:01

46:29 Test it. Are you happy all the time? Do you have this super confident mind of moving towards this? Because most likely you're just understanding the words, but it's not really, it hasn't shifted your life yet. The realizations will shift your life. So, yeah, so that's kind of the test on that. Any questions about renunciation or refuge or anything that I was just saying? Report an error in the passage at 46:29 Highlight the passage at 46:29

47:04 Actually, I would rather not, because I'm allergic. Yeah. I just, I don't like this kind of incense. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, sorry, but yeah, these are actually set out for a puja. Yeah, so this isn't really for lighting, but that kind of incense actually will make me start coughing, so yeah. I like Japanese and Chinese, but not Tibetan, sorry. Anyway. Report an error in the passage at 47:04 Highlight the passage at 47:04

47:34 I know, I think it's just from having breathed in too much of it ever, you know. It's sort of the hazards of my job. Report an error in the passage at 47:34 Highlight the passage at 47:34

47:43 I know, believe me, it's terrible. Pujas and stuff. And there's like parts of Soak where they light it and they like sit near me and they're like, just anyway. Any questions about anything so far? Report an error in the passage at 47:43 Highlight the passage at 47:43

47:59 Quiet. Oh, the D.C. for His Holiness' teachings. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was great. It was really great. Yeah, yeah. It was great. It was very, very hot. It was very long. But it was great. Report an error in the passage at 47:59 Highlight the passage at 47:59

48:19 Any questions? Report an error in the passage at 48:19 Highlight the passage at 48:19

48:24 My group's very quiet. Okay. Well, let's talk a little bit about bodhicitta and then we'll have a break. Report an error in the passage at 48:24 Highlight the passage at 48:24

48:35 So bodhicitta, bodhicitta and Zhang Sem is the Tibetan, literally translates as enlightened mind or the mind of enlightenment. Sem is mind, bodhicitta is also mind, bodhi and Zhang. Translate as enlightenment. It doesn't mean that we're already enlightened. It means that we have a mind wanting to get enlightened. That's how it kind of translates out. So it often is defined as a mind wanting to become a Buddha for the benefit of all beings. Report an error in the passage at 48:35 Highlight the passage at 48:35

49:08 I think it's really stronger than that. Sometimes it's also a mind that aspires. That just sounds like on a good day, right? That would be nice, you know. This is like this mind that kind of like grabs you and takes off. So it's this really, really powerful, confident, vast mind that wants to get enlightened so that, as the tool, as the method, so that you can be able to benefit all beings. Report an error in the passage at 49:08 Highlight the passage at 49:08

49:36 So the main goal is wanting to benefit all beings. Getting enlightened is just simply the best way. That took me years to figure out, so I like to say that right away because I didn't actually get that. So I really like to state that a lot in classes because I feel like that gets lost in the translation sometimes. We don't want to become a Buddha for any other reason than that it's the best method to be able to help the most amount of people. Report an error in the passage at 49:36 Highlight the passage at 49:36

50:07 That's the only reason. So that's the only reason that you should ever, ever, ever enter Tantra. So this one's really important. It's really important for us to understand. That we would never ever enter the teachings on Tantra unless we had some semblance, contrived or not, of bodhicitta. Because Tantra is simply a faster way of getting enlightened, right? We don't want to get enlightened faster just because we're tired of waiting. We want to get enlightened faster because we can't bear that they're suffering for another second. Report an error in the passage at 50:07 Highlight the passage at 50:07

50:46 And when I say they, I mean all living beings without exception. So it's this huge mind. It's enormous, this mind. It's almost, like Ben and Rubina also always says, it's almost insane how big this mind is because it encompasses every living being. So all humans, all animals, all spirits, all insects. You know, it's almost insane. Report an error in the passage at 50:46 Highlight the passage at 50:46

51:13 How many beings are encompassed by it? And we have to grow into it. We have to train our mind repeatedly, consistently, but we can do it. And Lama Yeshe often will say, if you care about one living being, if you have ever cared about anybody, just one living being, so much that you would take on their suffering for even a moment. Report an error in the passage at 51:13 Highlight the passage at 51:13

51:39 That means you can do it for all living beings. You just extrapolate. You just grow it. So if you've ever had that for any being, even for a minute, and I think many of us, if not all of us in this room, have had that experience. Report an error in the passage at 51:39 Highlight the passage at 51:39

51:58 It doesn't even have to be for a human. So it doesn't have to be. I think many parents will experience that if a child is sick. I think many of us. Also we'll have it for our parents if a parent is sick or a lover is sick or a best friend is sick or in pain for some reason. But you can also have it for an animal and it counts. It doesn't matter what that living being is. You can have it for an insect if you really literally had that feeling that you would take on that being suffering. Report an error in the passage at 51:58 Highlight the passage at 51:58

52:31 Then they say basically that's proof that you can then have it for all living beings. You just have to take the time and the energy and the effort to grow it. That's really all it is. So bodhicitta, if you don't mind, I'm going to just wait and take your question after. Report an error in the passage at 52:31 Highlight the passage at 52:31

52:51 Bodhicitta is, they say, the single most powerful mind possible as an ordinary being. yeah. But each. Report an error in the passage at 52:51 Highlight the passage at 52:51

52:58 and it's a complete 180 from Where we are now, which is basically we still have at our core this mind that really cherishes ourselves. And that mind is called, I mean the Tibetans called it, they coined this term called self-cherishing mind. Sometimes I just use self-absorb because I think self-absorbed is easier to understand in our culture, I know. Report an error in the passage at 52:58 Highlight the passage at 52:58

53:30 The word cherishing just sounds somehow too sweet or something, but it's true. We do cherish ourselves quite a bit. But self-absorbed or selfishness is basically the opposite of bodhicitta. So in order to develop bodhicitta, we have to reduce the mind that cherishes ourselves first and foremost. In order to diminish that mind, we have to grow bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 53:30 Highlight the passage at 53:30

53:55 So they're like these two minds that are at war with each other in our minds. So it's very interesting. And bodhicitta is based on compassion, which the Buddha defined basically as wanting to take away the pain of another. So compassion is really straightforward in that way. We have to always ask for definitions in Buddhism because sometimes words are used and we think we know what they mean. It's not just sympathy for somebody. Report an error in the passage at 53:55 Highlight the passage at 53:55

54:28 It's really wanting to take away somebody's pain. Just one person. Great compassion is wanting to take away all living beings' pain. But simple compassion is simply wanting to take away somebody's pain, anybody's pain, even your own pain. Love is wanting to give happiness to another. Report an error in the passage at 54:28 Highlight the passage at 54:28

54:50 So bodhicitta is based on these two minds. So when we're doing the practices to develop bodhicitta, we are trying to develop the minds of love and compassion and then we grow them out. That's basically the steps. And again, I'm just sort of presenting the ideas of bodhicitta, but there is another whole class that spends eight or nine weeks on just what bodhicitta is and how to grow it and gives you the methods. Report an error in the passage at 54:50 Highlight the passage at 54:50

55:17 Because really there's no shortcut to growing bodhicitta in your own mind. It's like we have to, we just have to do the steps. That's what it really takes. Report an error in the passage at 55:17 Highlight the passage at 55:17

55:28 So bodhicitta grows out of renunciation. Because they are basically the same mind and only the object is different. Renunciation recognizes the suffering in saṃsāra for me and that I want to get out of it. And bodhicitta sees that, oh yeah, everybody else is in the same boat and I want to help them get out of this mess too. So it's basically recognizing the same thing but... Report an error in the passage at 55:28 Highlight the passage at 55:28

55:59 Renunciation is recognizing it for myself. Bodhicitta is recognizing it for everybody else. So you can only develop bodhicitta if you've developed renunciation. So we need to develop renunciation. Another advertisement for developing renunciation. There are two levels of bodhicitta. What's called wishing or aspiring bodhicitta, which is having this wish to become enlightened. Report an error in the passage at 55:59 Highlight the passage at 55:59

56:26 And then the second one is called Engaging Bodhicitta, where you go beyond the wishing. You just start doing it. You start doing whatever is necessary to get enlightened, including taking the vows and also including working on the different bodhisattva activities like the Six Perfections and things like that. Report an error in the passage at 56:26 Highlight the passage at 56:26

56:46 So they often compare that to, you know, thinking about maybe going to Paris. You're buying some books and thinking about it and talking about it with your friend and watching those little videos you can get from the library and stuff. And then engaging is when you just buy the ticket and you start packing your bag. Report an error in the passage at 56:46 Highlight the passage at 56:46

57:06 You set the date. I guess I should have done that first. I bought the ticket. I guess I set the date. And then you start just heading there. So that's really the difference between them. And actually, I mean, to some degree. Wishing bodhicitta is necessary because it begins to allow our minds to sort of develop this powerful thought. But engaging is when you really start doing the work. Report an error in the passage at 57:06 Highlight the passage at 57:06

57:32 You start really getting behind it. And there are some benefits of bodhicitta beyond enlightenment, which is, of course, you cannot get enlightened without bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 57:32 Highlight the passage at 57:32

57:45 But also, in the meantime, it's important to think about everything that you... Get on the path before you get enlightened. And one of them is this attitude of, I call it sort of the juice of the practice. I mean, it's sort of like the fuel of the practice. It gets us out of our own self-absorption, which is, of course, the direct opposite of it. Report an error in the passage at 57:45 Highlight the passage at 57:45

58:15 And it gives our energy practice. It allows us to sort of be more disciplined and work harder and things like that. And I, so whenever I, I think about, you Any of my teachers, and I see how hard they've worked to become what they are now, I know it's bodhicitta. I know that their level of bodhicitta is just so much stronger than mine. Report an error in the passage at 58:15 Highlight the passage at 58:15

58:37 Whenever I see self-cherishing in myself, it's usually in the form of laziness and things like that. That's how I usually see it. If I want to beat that laziness, if I want to overcome that... That self-absorption, I had to develop my bodhicitta. That's what it feels like to me. But also, without it, especially in Tantra, if we don't develop bodhicitta in Tantra, that clinging continues even to our practice experiences. Report an error in the passage at 58:37 Highlight the passage at 58:37

59:14 So we have a good meditation and we're like... Boy, that was great. I have to do it again. I'm going to have another really great meditation today. Again, we're forgetting. Our eyes are off the prize, right? We're forgetting that we're actually doing this to benefit all beings. We're just having a really blissful experience, and it's really fun, and so we want to do it again for that. And what that does is it causes all those good experiences to disappear. Report an error in the passage at 59:14 Highlight the passage at 59:14

59:40 So we sort of are shooting ourselves in the foot a little bit with that one. So we definitely want to work on that one. And then... One really cool thing that bodhicitta does is it causes us to keep creating merit or good karma all the time without any interruption. So even if you're asleep or distracted, which is one of my favorite things, I love that. I love that distracted too, just the thought of like this bodhisattva like sitting there kind of distracted. Report an error in the passage at 59:40 Highlight the passage at 59:40

1:00:08 And like all this amazing merit, like just... Producing all around them. It's like the opposite of pig pen. It's like golden clouds all around them. I really love that. Or sleeping. And all the stuff's happening. And they say every action that you perform with bodhicitta, even the most mundane, like watering the plant or whatever, it's done with this baseline motivation to become a Buddha for the benefit of all beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:08 Highlight the passage at 1:00:08

1:00:36 So all of those actions become a cause for enlightenment. we have. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:36 Highlight the passage at 1:00:36

1:00:40 So I'm going into the kitchen to get a cup of tea becomes I'm going into the kitchen to get a cup of tea for the benefit of all beings. So like every little tiny thing, I'm going to take my trash out and I'm going to do this with this motivation for the benefit of all beings, just because it's always there. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:40 Highlight the passage at 1:00:40

1:00:56 It's just always a part of your mind and your motivation, your attitude. So everything you do, every action, and so of course definitely every virtuous action. If you're helping in a Dharma center, if you're feeding the hungry, that all becomes bigger than just that virtuous action because your motivation is so strong. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:56 Highlight the passage at 1:00:56

1:01:23 And it allows us to purify these huge stores of negative karma, which no other mind really can do that. And of course, all that negative karma is the cause of our own suffering. So it's sort of like by the way, as Rinpoche always says, we also get happier and end our own suffering too, even though that's not really what we're doing. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:23 Highlight the passage at 1:01:23

1:01:44 That's not really our main goal, but it's sort of by the way that all happens. And of course it allows us to get enlightened. Oh yeah, that. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:44 Highlight the passage at 1:01:44

1:01:59 So... um so Report an error in the passage at 1:01:59 Highlight the passage at 1:01:59

1:02:02 So when you're doing the meditations on bodhicitta, you reach this point where you know that you want to get enlightened because it is the best method or the only method that's going to allow you to help all those suffering sentient beings that you can imagine, only because you know quite a few of them. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:02 Highlight the passage at 1:02:02

1:02:22 And then you can imagine that all of those sentient beings that you know are everywhere around you that you don't. You can imagine their suffering. We see them on the news and so forth. You sort of get overwhelmed because you want to help them and you can't now. When you look around, you see that you can't even get yourself out of suffering right now. I don't know about the rest of you, but just in today, there's suffering, much less in my whole life thus far. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:22 Highlight the passage at 1:02:22

1:02:53 So how can I help all sentient beings? I don't have that kind of skills. I don't have that kind of power. If I look around me and I want to know who does, then I can see only fully enlightened Buddhas have the kind of capacity that I want to have. So then I realize that that's what I have to do. When you are doing these meditations on bodhicitta, you actually have to. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:53 Highlight the passage at 1:02:53

1:03:19 Arise that motivation, that strength of mind, that courage. I think it's one of the most courageous states of mind that there is to just go, yeah, I'm going to do it. I am going to do whatever it takes, no matter how difficult it takes, no matter how long it takes, no matter how much help I have or not, no matter whether sentient beings actually even like me. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:19 Highlight the passage at 1:03:19

1:03:41 You know, right? Because you're having this great visualization of you helping all living beings. Well, they may not really appreciate it. I hate to tell you. And you have to be able to be willing to just push on anyway. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:41 Highlight the passage at 1:03:41

1:03:55 And so at first... We sort of contrive this mind of bodhicitta. We sort of imagine what it would be like and we try to hold it for a moment, just to hold on to this mind that would be so powerful and so strong, wanting to work for others. His Holiness kept calling it the altruistic mind, this mind really working for the benefit of others. But then with training and with practice, it actually becomes a realized mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:55 Highlight the passage at 1:03:55

1:04:25 It becomes a mind that you have without any, spontaneously it's just there all the time. You wake up in the morning, it's there. You go to bed, it's there. You dream, it's there. You get together with friends, it's there. You don't change in your outer appearance as a bodhisattva. So it's not like you stop, you disengage from the world. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:25 Highlight the passage at 1:04:25

1:04:46 Some of you guys could be bodhisattvas and none of us would know. I mean, unless we had clairvoyance. So bodhisattvas aren't somebody. Once you become enlightened, it's a little harder to hide. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:46 Highlight the passage at 1:04:46

1:05:00 But of course, you have the power to hide it if you wanted to. But bodhisattvas are simply ordinary beings who have generated this amazing mind and then strengthened it. And so you still could be holding a job. You could be engaging in the world. But your entire mind has changed to the extent of your motivation for living. Your motivation for living isn't to pay the rent and buy new clothes and get a new car. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:00 Highlight the passage at 1:05:00

1:05:27 That's shifted somewhat. So Shakyamuni Buddha actually saw that this tiny little mind, this mind of self-absorption or self-cherishing mind as the Tibetans call it, It keeps us tiny and it keeps us in saṃsāra and it keeps it impossible for us to recognize and to realize this potential that we have to get enlightened. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:27 Highlight the passage at 1:05:27

1:05:58 This really huge, vast mind of bodhicitta. So it's kind of the opposite of bodhicitta. Bodhicitta is like this big, vast, opening mind and self-cherishing mind is this little tight mind. Payment children used to always say one of the first steps with awareness is always to see where you're holding. You know, like if you're upset, she's always kind of like, where are you holding? Report an error in the passage at 1:05:58 Highlight the passage at 1:05:58

1:06:24 I remember doing this once in retreat and I would kind of observe. And it's like sometimes your belly gets tight or your heart gets tight. It's like this kind of tight little constricted mind and it's usually at root. Self-cherishing. Almost always self-cherishing is there somewhere. Bodhicitta is like the opposite. Bodhicitta is like this opening. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:24 Highlight the passage at 1:06:24

1:06:47 And so Lama Yesha actually calls it opening. I think he calls it heart opening or opening the heart. Yeah. Because he's talking about like wide open, you know, opening our motivation, opening our heart, opening our outlook, opening, you know. It's a sort of wide open state of mind where we're taking everything that we're doing and we're dedicating 100 % towards the benefit of others. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:47 Highlight the passage at 1:06:47

1:07:20 So we're no longer thinking, well, if I do that, what's in it for me? Who's going to take care of me? Who's going to look out for me? Because once we get to the point where we can do that, It's actually, again, sort of by the way we are taken care of. People actually want to be around you more when you have this open mind. It's like the opposite of what we're thinking. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:20 Highlight the passage at 1:07:20

1:07:43 We're kind of like this. We're pulling it like this, and the people don't actually want to be around you very much because you're like that all the time. But then all the people that are like this, then we all want to hang around them, right? We think about somebody like Renee or something, and we're like, oh, wow. It's like this big heart. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:43 Highlight the passage at 1:07:43

1:08:03 And so we all just sort of like hang around, you know, and just kind of like our little eyes are His Holiness. You just want to be in His presence. And even if He's not paying attention to you personally and He's just sitting there doing prayers, you're all just like, ah, you know, just because it's like this goodness. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:03 Highlight the passage at 1:08:03

1:08:21 He's like just sort of, you know, erupting goodness. So that's opening the heart. That's what He's talking about with Bodhicitta. It's opening this mind to bodhicitta. And it's this huge antidote to self-pity mind, too. Self-pity mind, of course, is simply Lamyashi's way of talking about that mind that always thinks the victim, the mind that thinks we're a victim all the time. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:21 Highlight the passage at 1:08:21

1:08:49 And he saw this a lot in his Western students, more so than he had seen in the Tibetan students who have their own problems. But this mind that I'm... It's always just stuff is happening to me that I have nothing to do with and poor me. That's self-pity mind. And so bodhicitta is like a huge antidote to self-pity mind as well. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:49 Highlight the passage at 1:08:49

1:09:16 And allowing us to see all those qualities that we may not even think that we have. And so, and I think part of it too is if you're focusing on... Bringing happiness and taking away the suffering of other living beings, it does get you out of yourself. Even just helping one other living being gets you out of yourself. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:16 Highlight the passage at 1:09:16

1:09:41 If you're just for a moment not just focusing on your own problems, but just trying to help one other person or one other animal or something, it just drops that really fast. So imagine working for all other living beings. You don't have the... It's just this huge freeing capacity of bodhicitta. And bodhicitta is not this overly emotional state of mind or sentimental state of mind, but it's just really calm and spacious and courageous state of mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:41 Highlight the passage at 1:09:41

1:10:21 So it's a very clear-headed state of mind. So we might go through, when we're going through the methods of developing bodhicitta and we're focusing on, with one of them, you are thinking about a suffering sentient being. And so you might have an emotional reaction to that, but you don't stay there because you have... Report an error in the passage at 1:10:21 Highlight the passage at 1:10:21

1:10:48 Then you're trying to develop compassion where you want to take away that being suffering. So you're using that as a starting place, but you're not just sitting there wallowing in that being suffering. That would be kind of a depressing meditation. You're supposed to be developing this mind that allows you to do something about it. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:48 Highlight the passage at 1:10:48

1:11:09 I mean, that's the whole point with bodhicitta is that you actually want to be able to do something to change the world. I mean, that's really why we want to develop bodhicitta. That's why we want to become enlightened. That's why we want that capacity and those skills so that we can actually do something to change the reality for all living beings, including ourselves. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:09 Highlight the passage at 1:11:09

1:11:29 And that's why we start with a prayer like His Holiness is prayer. Even though we aren't there yet, you know, at least I'm not. Maybe you guys all are and you're just humoring me. But just repeating those words makes us strong. It reminds us, oh yeah, I want to take away that. This is why I'm here. It may take a while at the end. It's kind of like, as long as space. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:29 Highlight the passage at 1:11:29

1:11:53 It's like, okay, that's kind of a long time. I better just get with it and just kind of strengthen my attitude a little bit. And then it also takes you out of... Your own insignificant little problems, but otherwise they just sort of obsess you, and they usually are pretty insignificant. Even if they tend to be big in your life, in the scheme of things, they actually are insignificant. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:53 Highlight the passage at 1:11:53

1:12:15 If you remember, as His Holiness always says, that you are one and they are limitless. You know, it goes back to what we were talking about. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:15 Highlight the passage at 1:12:15

1:12:25 I think a couple classes ago, if we imagine a scale, how many beings would it take to really equal us currently? Would it be 1-1 or would it actually be everyone else in us? Maybe that's about equal with the amount of energy I give to myself. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:25 Highlight the passage at 1:12:25

1:12:46 Any questions so far? Did you want to, Steve, pass him the microphone. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:46 Highlight the passage at 1:12:46

1:12:57 I don't know, tap it, tap it. Probably not. Underneath, yeah, push it. so, um, Report an error in the passage at 1:12:57 Highlight the passage at 1:12:57

1:13:03 Like, push it in. There, I think. There, yeah. You scared yourself. Well, sometimes this is really overwhelming. Like, it's so much for me to internalize and integrate. And you had mentioned that understanding or integrating bodhicitta in your life was a real struggle, or it was a challenge. Can you talk more about your personal transformation? Report an error in the passage at 1:13:03 Highlight the passage at 1:13:03

1:13:32 How you got to where you are today about that? Actually, I don't feel like it has been a huge challenge. I think other things have been a challenge. For me, and I think a number of us in the room, I think a lot of times students are drawn by one thing to Buddhism. I think a lot of us came to Buddhism, came to Mahāyāna Buddhism because of bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:32 Highlight the passage at 1:13:32

1:13:57 We didn't have it, and I still don't have it, but I was drawn to it. I knew what I wanted to become when I grew up. That part was clear. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:57 Highlight the passage at 1:13:57

1:14:07 So for me, I was really drawn to it. And then a lot of times people are drawn by the emptiness teachings, and so that's why. They come, and a lot of times people are just drawn by a peaceful mind. So meditation might be the thing that they're drawn to. So I think all of us sort of have our thing that drew us in, but for a number of us, that thing was bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:07 Highlight the passage at 1:14:07

1:14:28 Even if we didn't understand what it meant or how to grow it in our own minds, we were drawn to it. And so I was definitely drawn to it. So for me, bodhicitta... Report an error in the passage at 1:14:28 Highlight the passage at 1:14:28

1:14:43 It was one of the strongest teachings that drew me in and still is, but it doesn't mean that I have attained even the tiniest amount of bodhicitta, but I just keep working at it. I just see now that it's going to take a little longer than I first thought. But yeah, I think the opposite of bodhicitta, the self-cherishing mind, I think... Report an error in the passage at 1:14:43 Highlight the passage at 1:14:43

1:15:07 It's sort of disheartening sometimes to see how strong that is and then that can be discouraging and we just, we don't have the time to be discouraged by that. We just have to kind of, you just, because you can use that discouragement as a reason not to do anything and that's not going to help yourself or anyone else. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:07 Highlight the passage at 1:15:07

1:15:27 So it's kind of like... That's another form of self-cherishing, actually, to just fall into that discouragement. It doesn't mean that you can't ease off a little bit and go to a movie or relax and read a People magazine or something like that. It's just kind of with this awareness that you need to take a break and that now you're going to just jump back up and do it again. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:27 Highlight the passage at 1:15:27

1:15:52 It's kind of like that. So encouraging yourself and then re-encouraging yourself and re-encouraging yourself. And for me it's being in the presence of teachers like His Holiness the Dalai Lama. That's how I kind of re-encourage myself. If I get overwhelmed or if I get exhausted or whatever, then I just make lots of time that I go and see teachers or I take time for a retreat. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:52 Highlight the passage at 1:15:52

1:16:18 Those two things really encourage me a lot to just keep it on, keep going. Does that help? Yeah, because you can't, this is all, I mean we're talking about like lifelong practices, you know, and we're, you know, I'm introducing it in a nine week course, you know, but basically it's, you know, so it's kind of silly the way it all is, but it's, I'm introducing these practices so that we can get into the tantra and I want to do it that properly, so I'm kind of trying to get in through, by way of these. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:18 Highlight the passage at 1:16:18

1:16:52 these But the practices themselves are lifelong. Renunciation is lifelong. Bodhicitta is lifelong. Really developing a correct view of emptiness is lifelong. And we just kind of do them all simultaneously. And then we also do Tantra on top of it. That's kind of the way it is now in the West. And that's okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:52 Highlight the passage at 1:16:52

1:17:13 that, you know, that's, you know. His Holiness understands that. That's why He's willing to give an empowerment to a group of 20,000 people who maybe three and a half are really qualified. That's okay. He's just trying to help us get there. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:13 Highlight the passage at 1:17:13

1:17:30 You had a question too? Right behind you. Hi. I'm Dorji. My question is, could you please remind us what is Buddhism? you know so Report an error in the passage at 1:17:30 Highlight the passage at 1:17:30

1:17:45 What is Buddhism? Buddhism is just sort of after the Buddha lived and got enlightened and then passed into Paranirvana, his disciples and their disciples and their disciples and their disciples all tried to practice whatever he was able to teach them in the 50 years that he taught and eventually they began to call it Buddhism. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:45 Highlight the passage at 1:17:45

1:18:09 But he didn't set out to create Buddhism. He wanted to get enlightened. So that he could benefit all living beings. And so those teachings became the root of what's now called Buddhism. Just like Christianity, I mean Christ didn't necessarily want to start a religion either. So Buddhism, according to the Buddha, he just wanted us to get enlightened so that we could take away our own suffering and take away the suffering of others. That was all he really wanted. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:09 Highlight the passage at 1:18:09

1:18:37 So we call it Buddhism now, but I don't think it was his intent to have a religion and call it Buddhism. I don't know, hopefully that helps. I don't have a definition of what Buddhism is. I think it encompasses the Buddhist teachings, but unfortunately it probably encompasses other things too now, just like Christianity does and Judaism and Islam and things like that. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:37 Highlight the passage at 1:18:37

1:19:01 I think they all kind of encompass other things too. They become more dogmatic. Wasn't it, didn't His Holiness actually this time say, he said, I have to be willing to give up. Even Buddhism, if I'm too attached to it, too. So I thought that was really cool, yeah, that he said that. Yeah, so I like that. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:01 Highlight the passage at 1:19:01

1:19:24 Something along those lines, yeah. Christy? Report an error in the passage at 1:19:24 Highlight the passage at 1:19:24

1:19:34 I probably know this, but I can't explain it to myself. How do you relate the three principle paths with the three higher trainings? Oh, yeah, no, good question. They're both sets of three. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:34 Highlight the passage at 1:19:34

1:19:56 So the three principal paths are renunciation, bodhicitta and the correct view of emptiness. The three higher trainings are actually the method used to attain nirvāṇa or liberation from saṃsāra. So they actually pertain to number one. But of course they're also... Because the three higher trainings are the higher training in ethics, the higher training in concentration, and the higher training in wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:56 Highlight the passage at 1:19:56

1:20:29 So the higher training in ethics is basically any way that we discipline our lives and our minds. But especially the Praty Moksha vows, which would be either lay vows or nation vows, like that. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:29 Highlight the passage at 1:20:29

1:20:47 But really basically any way that we discipline our mind. And then that acts as the basis for us to attain concentration because we're not always thinking about all the things that we've done wrong. I mean that's really basically the underlying intent of having a disciplined mind is that then when we try to develop concentration, we're able to sit because we're not so distracted all the time. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:47 Highlight the passage at 1:20:47

1:21:13 And you develop mindfulness and introspection in order to keep your vows. You have to develop the same mindfulness and introspection to be able to meditate. So they really feed into each other. And you can't possibly have a direct perception of emptiness if you don't know how to meditate. So boom, boom, boom, they sort of feed into that. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:13 Highlight the passage at 1:21:13

1:21:32 So yeah, they're sort of separate but also related to the three principle paths. So then they add up to like a basis for renunciation. Yeah, to some degree they add up to a basis for renunciation. They definitely are helping you gain liberation from saṃsāra. But of course one of the ways that you gain liberation from saṃsāra is having a direct perception of emptiness. So it's connected with a correct view of emptiness too. So yeah, yeah, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:32 Highlight the passage at 1:21:32

1:22:07 Because remember renunciation... You're not out yet. You're just developing the mind that wants to get out. And liberation, you're out. So, yeah, so they're connected, but you're, you know, like, you want to get out, but you haven't figured out how to get out yet. Or maybe you have figured out, but you haven't done it yet. That's a good question. It's a good test. Anybody else have any other questions? Report an error in the passage at 1:22:07 Highlight the passage at 1:22:07

1:22:35 Did you have a question? Are you just scratching? Yeah. It looked kind of like it was going. All right, why don't we take a break? Report an error in the passage at 1:22:35 Highlight the passage at 1:22:35

1:22:46 So five minutes or something. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:46 Highlight the passage at 1:22:46

1:23:03 david's not here know he floating yet i did he yeah on a cruise this big old cruise you sent me an email to take them to It Report an error in the passage at 1:23:03 Highlight the passage at 1:23:03

1:23:31 was nice to see you again. kind of a leaf Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:31 Highlight the passage at 1:23:31

1:23:39 Oh, good. Yeah, she did come in a couple times. Yeah. She came in for the drop-in meditation. She said she was going to try to do class, but so far I haven't seen her. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:39 Highlight the passage at 1:23:39

1:24:00 At this point, not, but we're working on it. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:00 Highlight the passage at 1:24:00

1:24:10 Or call. Oh, or call. Or call. Okay. Well, you know, the problem is that we don't always, we don't have anyone who's just like... I can just drive by or I can Chandler. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:10 Highlight the passage at 1:24:10

1:24:30 oh there you go yeah yeah and that's always fine Thursday night you're pretty most likely I mean unless it's a break between classes Report an error in the passage at 1:24:30 Highlight the passage at 1:24:30

1:24:40 So how was Peru? Report an error in the passage at 1:24:40 Highlight the passage at 1:24:40

1:24:56 you go. All right. you later, Sarah. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:56 Highlight the passage at 1:24:56

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:25:35 me in D.C. too. That's my home. Oh, boy. It's gonna work, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:35 Highlight the passage at 1:25:35

1:25:59 you're almost done, it sounds like. And you can crash on it, and then hopefully you get a little break. Yeah, but just when you're anxious, And with her, too. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:59 Highlight the passage at 1:25:59

1:26:17 just talking to you today, Report an error in the passage at 1:26:17 Highlight the passage at 1:26:17

1:26:24 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:24 Highlight the passage at 1:26:24

1:26:31 Thank Report an error in the passage at 1:26:31 Highlight the passage at 1:26:31

1:26:37 you. discovering a lot of them, but I'm trying to fly. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:37 Highlight the passage at 1:26:37

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:27:16 know, the time that you're invested to, like, visit everyone. You feel like you don't really get to suspect all the time. You know what I mean? But this is, like, a really perfect script. We're out. That's just a quality time. We're out. We're out. We're out. We get to connect with them and have some special bonding. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:16 Highlight the passage at 1:27:16

1:27:36 It's not going to be so, like, really Thank you. They all kind of also came together and met each other, and my sister and all these friends. It was just so beautiful. It was so nice. It was really, really nice. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:36 Highlight the passage at 1:27:36

1:27:58 It was grounding me, helping me feel connected. It gives me a lot of strength. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:58 Highlight the passage at 1:27:58

1:28:30 Thank you. and like strength and calmness and like clear ahead of this. And just a few, you know, have that too and also make sure that you're ahead of the future. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:30 Highlight the passage at 1:28:30

1:29:13 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:13 Highlight the passage at 1:29:13

1:29:42 I think it's like a discussion. It's like it's going to affect the It's kind of threw my world up. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:42 Highlight the passage at 1:29:42

1:30:00 I know, even though you're the divorce craziness, which I understand, but it's almost like you're able to, maybe it's just because I've got to focus on it. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:00 Highlight the passage at 1:30:00

1:30:13 Thank you. is, you know, and I'm born, you some cool things. Thank you. I can definitely feel it, like, you know. That is so amazing. That's, like, raw. And, you know, like, you're like, she's just good. I was really, she's just bizarre. Yeah, yeah, I mean, it's just a little. I don't want to go to the sister. I'm editing the center. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:13 Highlight the passage at 1:30:13

1:30:43 There's, you know, the level where I'm pushing myself. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:43 Highlight the passage at 1:30:43

1:31:17 So she's on the meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:17 Highlight the passage at 1:31:17

1:31:22 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:22 Highlight the passage at 1:31:22

1:31:47 I can give you the same. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:47 Highlight the passage at 1:31:47

1:31:53 yes, yes, yes, and they said it feels, you know, yes, that's what I have to use Yeah, because then, though, and so Report an error in the passage at 1:31:53 Highlight the passage at 1:31:53

1:32:09 yeah, no, I didn't. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:09 Highlight the passage at 1:32:09

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:32:40 Thank you. yeah, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:40 Highlight the passage at 1:32:40

1:33:05 Right, right. to you. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:05 Highlight the passage at 1:33:05

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:33:52 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:52 Highlight the passage at 1:33:52

1:34:19 No matter how bitter. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:19 Highlight the passage at 1:34:19

1:34:25 Okay, Report an error in the passage at 1:34:25 Highlight the passage at 1:34:25

1:34:41 so I also wanted to note that Yeah, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:41 Highlight the passage at 1:34:41

1:34:50 Even though bodhicitta or having a mind of bodhicitta is supposed to be our main motivation for practicing tantra, Lama Yeshi points out also that the purpose of practicing tantra is to enhance your bodhicitta too. So in all of the meditations or visualizations that we do in tantra, as we're visualizing ourself as an already enlightened being, We're always doing the activities to benefit all living beings in those visualizations. So we're sort of practicing to become a Buddha based on this mind of bodhicitta, but it also builds the mind of bodhicitta at the same time. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:50 Highlight the passage at 1:34:50

1:35:29 So it's not like you just wait. Until you actually have bodhicitta before you can practice tantra, because the tantra practices themselves will help us enhance that. Whatever mind, whatever little bit we have, it'll make it bigger. And if we don't have any, it'll grow it. It's kind of like that. It's like that prayer that we do at the end of class. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:29 Highlight the passage at 1:35:29

1:35:52 So any other questions? We're going to do a meditation tonight on Tonglen. And for those of you that are familiar with... Meditating on Tonglen, it's one of the main meditations that we do to develop bodhicitta. It's in two of the methods, two of the three main methods to develop bodhicitta, the combined method and then Shantideva's method of exchanging self and others. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:52 Highlight the passage at 1:35:52

1:36:24 But I want for those of you that have done it at least a few times, I want you to pick somebody new. If you always pick the same people that you love, don't pick them. Pick somebody that maybe is a stranger to you that you don't know that much about at all. Like just kind of like take it on a leap. Like pick somebody like that. And if you feel really brave, pick somebody that you have a really challenging relationship with. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:24 Highlight the passage at 1:36:24

1:36:50 Maybe don't pick somebody who hurt you severely yet, although that's really, really powerful to do, but you want to sort of build up to it. But just pick somebody who maybe annoys you. Maybe keep it a little bit juicy, but maybe not so difficult that you have to stretch yourself so far. That you just want to stop and go home. So don't do that. And if you've never done the meditation before, don't worry about it. I'll lead you through it and you can pick somebody then. But I'm just sort of putting it out there that if you have done it before and this is a familiar meditation, stretch your mind a little bit and pick somebody who's a little more tricky for you. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:50 Highlight the passage at 1:36:50

1:37:38 So this will also be your homework for tonight. I mean for this week, not tonight, probably too late, but you never know. If you can't sleep, get up and do this meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:38 Highlight the passage at 1:37:38

1:37:56 And Tonglin is, it basically translates into taking and giving, or giving and taking, but we usually do it as taking and giving, taking on the suffering of another and then turning around and then giving them whatever happiness we can imagine giving them. So this meditation is a way that you can just build this mind of bodhicitta as your own mind. And if you have any little bits of bodhicitta already, it'll grow those, it'll make those stronger. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:56 Highlight the passage at 1:37:56

1:38:31 So stretch a little bit. We're going to do this meditation and then you can ask questions at the end of it. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:31 Highlight the passage at 1:38:31

1:38:48 If you need to stretch your shoulders or your neck Report an error in the passage at 1:38:48 Highlight the passage at 1:38:48

1:38:56 or if you need to take some nice deep belly breaths and let go of... All the thinking and talking and whatever you were doing on the break. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:56 Highlight the passage at 1:38:56

1:39:09 You can do exactly what we did at the beginning of the class. Imagine breathing in white light. Imagine breathing out black smoke. Or imagine breathing in sort of a fresh curiosity, alertness, awakeness. And then imagine that just sort of moving its way through your mind and body and dissolving away all your sluggishness, your distraction. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:09 Highlight the passage at 1:39:09

1:39:35 Anxiety, whatever emotional states are within you that aren't helpful. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:35 Highlight the passage at 1:39:35

1:39:59 And if it helps, you can also follow your breath for a round of ten, just to strengthen your concentration a little bit. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:59 Highlight the passage at 1:39:59

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:40:50 So begin with picturing your person in front of you. If you've never done this meditation before, then start with somebody that you know really well, that you care very deeply about. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:50 Highlight the passage at 1:40:50

1:41:05 And as I said before, if you have done this meditation, imagine somebody new, somebody different, somebody you've never tried Tonglan on. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:05 Highlight the passage at 1:41:05

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:41:44 Whoever it is that you visualize in front of you, try to imagine a little bit of the pain and suffering that they go through. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:44 Highlight the passage at 1:41:44

1:41:54 Maybe they have some physical pain in their body, some illness, some worry. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:54 Highlight the passage at 1:41:54

1:42:15 And start with generating a feeling of compassion, the way... The Buddha defined compassion as wanting to take away that suffering. Just feel for a moment that you want to remove their suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:15 Highlight the passage at 1:42:15

1:42:48 And then imagine on your breath, actually removing their suffering, all of their suffering, their body and mind, in the form of smoke if you'd like or whatever form works for you. Just imagine that it comes from their body, through their nostrils and out of them. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:48 Highlight the passage at 1:42:48

1:43:44 And don't forget any behind. Make sure you've got it all. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:44 Highlight the passage at 1:43:44

1:44:15 And then take a moment to make a really strong determination to use their suffering to wear down and eliminate, diminish your own self-cherishing mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:15 Highlight the passage at 1:44:15

1:44:40 Remember, this is that term that the Tibetans coined that just basically means our self-absorption, our selfishness, the direct opposite of. This mind of bodhicitta that we want to develop. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:40 Highlight the passage at 1:44:40

1:45:04 Sometimes I see it as my laziness. Sometimes I see it as my self-absorption. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:04 Highlight the passage at 1:45:04

1:45:17 That's what holds me back from realizing my greatest potential. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:17 Highlight the passage at 1:45:17

1:45:33 So for this meditation, imagine looking at your own heart and thinking about something specific that you've done in the last couple of days, or even today, that's really self-absorbed. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:33 Highlight the passage at 1:45:33

1:45:55 There might be laziness about your own practice. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:55 Highlight the passage at 1:45:55

1:46:08 And maybe just being so self-absorbed you can't really connect with anybody else and their problems. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:08 Highlight the passage at 1:46:08

1:46:28 And imagine that state of mind taking the form of something hard that imprisons your heart. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:28 Highlight the passage at 1:46:28

1:46:52 And then slowly we breathe in that person's suffering in front of us. Again, you can imagine it as black smoke. You can imagine it in whatever form works. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:52 Highlight the passage at 1:46:52

1:47:06 Knowing that as you breathe it in, it just begins to steep. That hard, crusty surface of your heart. And Report an error in the passage at 1:47:06 Highlight the passage at 1:47:06

1:47:23 in an instant and flash of light, Report an error in the passage at 1:47:23 Highlight the passage at 1:47:23

1:47:31 that hardness is just completely gone. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:31 Highlight the passage at 1:47:31

1:47:40 Your heart is free. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:40 Highlight the passage at 1:47:40

1:48:03 And become aware of this glowing white light of bodhicitta that's now filling you up from your heart outwards. It's like this limitless spring of love and compassion inside of you that's been freed. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:03 Highlight the passage at 1:48:03

1:48:28 And if you have any understanding of emptiness, Of the way things actually exist. You'll know that even that selfish mind isn't inherently existent. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:28 Highlight the passage at 1:48:28

1:48:41 That's not you either. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:41 Highlight the passage at 1:48:41

1:48:57 Just rest in this vast stillness of your own pure, clear, loving mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:57 Highlight the passage at 1:48:57

1:49:13 And then feel like you want to give that person in front of you total happiness. And whatever form might make them happy now, all the way up to them getting enlightened. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:13 Highlight the passage at 1:49:13

1:49:30 So as we begin to breathe out all that goodness from our heart, imagine it taking the form of whatever they need most. So if they need help, helpers, imagine it taking that form. If they need a home, a loved one, peace of mind, good health, a job, whatever it is that they need, imagine it being encompassed by this amazing sparkling white light that you're breathing out. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:30 Highlight the passage at 1:49:30

1:50:04 And just take a few breaths to imagine breathing out to them everything that they need right now, tonight. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:04 Highlight the passage at 1:50:04

1:50:39 You can imagine giving them all your best qualities. If you're able to stay calm in a crisis, you can give them that. You can give them your sense of humor. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:39 Highlight the passage at 1:50:39

1:50:58 So imagine breathing them full of all good things. And imagine them filling up and overflowing with total happiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:58 Highlight the passage at 1:50:58

1:51:19 And imagine that... They're completely filled with this white light and they're completely happy and totally at peace. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:19 Highlight the passage at 1:51:19

1:51:36 And now imagine being able to fill them up with the teachings, the Buddhist teachings. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:36 Highlight the passage at 1:51:36

1:51:48 Imagine that they're able to transform their own minds. They're able to gain realizations on the path. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:48 Highlight the passage at 1:51:48

1:51:57 They're able to develop bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:57 Highlight the passage at 1:51:57

1:52:03 They're able to become an Arya being, have a direct perception of emptiness, Report an error in the passage at 1:52:03 Highlight the passage at 1:52:03

1:52:11 gain liberation and full enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:11 Highlight the passage at 1:52:11

1:52:24 Imagine that they're now fully transformed into a being of light. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:24 Highlight the passage at 1:52:24

1:52:38 And let yourself feel really, really happy. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:38 Highlight the passage at 1:52:38

1:52:57 And end the meditation imagining that you're just so filled with this love and compassion that it just begins to pour out of you in all directions in the form of this white light. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:57 Highlight the passage at 1:52:57

1:53:15 And as far as your mind's eye can see, all living beings are filled with this white light, filled with all good things, all happiness, all peace. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:15 Highlight the passage at 1:53:15

1:53:26 And imagine it all coming from your heart. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:26 Highlight the passage at 1:53:26

1:53:55 And we dedicate the merit of this meditation to being able to generate the minds of renunciation and bodhicitta so Report an error in the passage at 1:53:55 Highlight the passage at 1:53:55

1:54:11 that we can use those minds to benefit others and ourselves. So we can liberate ourselves and others from saṃsāra and find lasting happiness. We Report an error in the passage at 1:54:11 Highlight the passage at 1:54:11

1:54:31 also dedicate to Joyce Muller. Who passed away on July 2nd. And we dedicate to Max Villanueva, Karen's husband who passed away last week. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:31 Highlight the passage at 1:54:31

1:54:52 And to Karen. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:52 Highlight the passage at 1:54:52

1:55:04 And in your own time as you're ready you can end your meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:04 Highlight the passage at 1:55:04

1:55:14 I'd like to just say a dedication prayer. I think it's on page 7. I know we'll do it on page 6. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:14 Highlight the passage at 1:55:14

1:55:29 We'll do the second one in the right hand column. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:29 Highlight the passage at 1:55:29

1:55:36 May the supreme jewel bodhicitta that is not arisen arise and grow. And may that which has arisen not diminish but increase more and more and then down and do the one for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In the land encircled by snow mountains, you are the source of all happiness and good. All-powerful Chenrezig, Tenzin Gyatso, please remain until saṃsāra ends. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:36 Highlight the passage at 1:55:36

1:56:05 And we'll do the final one. I dedicate whatever virtues I have ever collected for the benefit of the teachings of the sentient beings, and in particular for the essential teachings of Venerable Lobsang Chokyi to shine forever. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:05 Highlight the passage at 1:56:05

1:56:20 Salama Tsongkhapa. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:20 Highlight the passage at 1:56:20

1:56:26 So thank you. I have a couple of quick announcements. In case you haven't heard, Venerable Chunyi is not doing her workshop this weekend. She was supposed to come and do a workshop on addiction, so that's totally a bummer. She's not coming. Geshe-la is resuming his commentary on songs of experience, Lama Tsongkhapa's songs of experience on Sunday, which is basically the lamrim. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:26 Highlight the passage at 1:56:26

1:56:57 Everyone's welcome to come to that. It's 10 o 'clock on Sunday morning. And then 12.30 on Sunday after the talk, we're going to do a little farewell party for Charles, who's stepping down as SBC. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:57 Highlight the passage at 1:56:57

1:57:12 And so that'll be at 12.30 on Sunday. So everybody is welcome. Please come. And then also His Eminence. Sakitrizan is coming as a response or, you know, it's a joint request from all of the Bay Area FPMT centers on the evening of Tuesday, August 2nd. He's coming to LMB, but it's a joint thing. So I'm just starting to mention it so that people can be thinking about if there's any way they can go to that. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:12 Highlight the passage at 1:57:12

1:57:48 It would be great if we could get, you know, some TCL interest up. And carpool down and stuff like that. Yeah, it's just south of Santa Cruz. Yeah, SoCal. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:48 Highlight the passage at 1:57:48

1:58:04 Oh, good. Okay. Yeah, good. So we can talk about it. But there also, I guess I'm trying to get clear because I haven't been part of the planning, although I guess I am now. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:04 Highlight the passage at 1:58:04

1:58:21 I'll find out sort of if they need people and then I'll try to bring that information back to you guys and just if anybody is able to help in any way before or during or after. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:21 Highlight the passage at 1:58:21

1:58:33 Then on the very next day, just to make things even more intense, the very next day, August 3rd, is Wheel Turning Day, so it's a Buddhist holy day. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:33 Highlight the passage at 1:58:33

1:58:46 Commemorating the Buddha's first teaching, the Four Noble Truths. And again, Geshe-la has said he will offer precepts if there is a new student who has not taken precepts. And if anybody is interested, I can talk more about what precepts are. But they're basically a 24-hour set of vows. So you take them in the morning and you hold them to the following morning. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:46 Highlight the passage at 1:58:46

1:59:07 And that's what they are. He'll only give them if there's new students. Trying to dig up some new students so that we can all take them from Geshe-la again. It'll probably end up being sometime around the same time as last time, which I believe was 5 a.m., so before dawn. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:07 Highlight the passage at 1:59:07

1:59:26 So that's on the 3rd, some more information coming on that. And then just a practical housekeeping thing. Since I'm the volunteer coordinator here, I'm needing some help, especially on... The desk on Wednesday nights because that's David's night and he's gone for a month. Thursday nights because Eleanor's gone. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:26 Highlight the passage at 1:59:26

1:59:52 And some Saturdays because Liza's gone a lot this summer. So if anybody is interested in learning... Report an error in the passage at 1:59:52 Highlight the passage at 1:59:52