Discovering Buddhism - Developing Bodhicitta (1 May 2008)

0:10 We started last week with what they call the six paramitas, the six perfections. These are the activities that one engages in once one has bodhicitta. Well, actually not once one has bodhicitta, but as a bodhisattva on the path. Many of us who don't actually have bodhicitta can also engage in these practices, so it doesn't exclude the rest of us. Report an error in the passage at 0:10 Highlight the passage at 0:10

0:41 Does anyone remember what the six were without looking at their notes? Report an error in the passage at 0:41 Highlight the passage at 0:41

0:48 Generosity. You don't have to say them in order, but don't look at your notes. You can just guess two. I won't. Ethics. Report an error in the passage at 0:48 Highlight the passage at 0:48

1:10 Four. Report an error in the passage at 1:10 Highlight the passage at 1:10

1:25 Generosity. Ethics or moral discipline. Patience. Joyous effort. Perseverance. Report an error in the passage at 1:25 Highlight the passage at 1:25

1:40 Concentration. And wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 1:40 Highlight the passage at 1:40

1:49 These should. Be so familiar that at least you remember the six of them. Not so much that you perfected all six of them, but that you should at least remember which ones they are. Because they're pretty important practices to kind of integrate into your life. Does anyone remember the three types of generosity? Report an error in the passage at 1:49 Highlight the passage at 1:49

2:16 Giving material, Report an error in the passage at 2:16 Highlight the passage at 2:16

2:21 giving of the Dharma, protecting from fear. Okay. Do we understand those concepts? Report an error in the passage at 2:21 Highlight the passage at 2:21

2:34 And when we've... When we have perfected the practice of generosity, what does that mean? What is the mind that gives Report an error in the passage at 2:34 Highlight the passage at 2:34

2:53 without any sense of loss? There's no sense of loss. Okay? It's material giving. Protection from fear and dharma. Giving. Yeah, giving of the dharma. Report an error in the passage at 2:53 Highlight the passage at 2:53

3:23 Putting yourself in the way of a speeding truck so you could protect the cat. No, I'm just... Protecting Report an error in the passage at 3:23 Highlight the passage at 3:23

3:37 or saving others from danger. I mean, some of it's just talking to someone, it could be just talking to someone about their fear, you know, their fear of flying. Maybe it's just, you know, I mean, it's interesting because I know someone who has not ridden BART, cannot get on an airplane, can't even get on Muni for 20 years, and they're a student of Geshe-la's. Report an error in the passage at 3:37 Highlight the passage at 3:37

4:04 And Geshe-la, I just watched him, you know, he would go, And they would go for a walk together and then they would sit at the bus stop and just watch the bus go by. They didn't get on the bus, anything like that. They'd just sit there and watch the bus and see people get on and people get off. And slowly, slowly, over time, he got this person, this student, to get on the bus with him because they felt safe with him. Report an error in the passage at 4:04 Highlight the passage at 4:04

4:31 And eventually, they actually got on a flight all the way to India with Geshe Lama. So they did overcome a lot of fear. But they had 20 years of this kind of fear built up in them, which to most of us, it seems maybe unfounded, but it can be real to many people. And we all have our little fears. I don't know if it's fears, it can be phobias too, and I don't know how many someone can protect me from this, but I have this... Report an error in the passage at 4:31 Highlight the passage at 4:31

5:08 have this phobia of being horizontal in a confined space. Almost like I have no fear. I don't really have the same sensation. But put me in a... You know, like under, in a bed, even under a bed kind of situation. I mean, under beds is okay, but if I have to crawl any length of time to get to the other side or something like that, I totally, like, start to lose it. Report an error in the passage at 5:08 Highlight the passage at 5:08

5:52 And caves, caves can be really, you know, but caves are someplace where you have both. You can be very narrow this way, and I know I don't have fear that way. It's really strange, isn't it? I don't know where it comes from, but... Report an error in the passage at 5:52 Highlight the passage at 5:52

6:05 So it's protecting from fears and can be real fear too, real danger, you know, protecting someone from violence and domestic abuse situation, you know. Of course, again, we talk about being wise in these things. Okay, moral discipline. The perfection of moral discipline. The moral discipline or ethics is the mind of abandonment that turns away from harming others. Report an error in the passage at 6:05 Highlight the passage at 6:05

6:36 And this includes both actions of body and speech. So, actually, for those of us who have refuge, we already have a commitment of not harming. But this is the mind that tries to perfect its practice. Report an error in the passage at 6:36 Highlight the passage at 6:36

6:53 So, it turns away from what we call the ten non-virtues, which some of you might have studied in the class on karma. How many of you attended the class on karma? So you have some familiarity with the ten non-virtues, right? So here we're just... Putting a little bit of effort in practicing them, putting these into practice. And do we understand the basis for that? Report an error in the passage at 6:53 Highlight the passage at 6:53

7:23 Not just for our own karma, but here we're really trying to not harm others because our actions of body, speech and mind do harm others. Report an error in the passage at 7:23 Highlight the passage at 7:23

7:39 So there's three ways in which we do this. One is abandoning ourselves from those actions which what Report an error in the passage at 7:39 Highlight the passage at 7:39

7:54 we call Harm others or misbehavior. Another one is practicing ways in which we can, with our actions, integrate virtue, which is a little bit more obscure. And then the moral discipline of acting for the welfare of others. So in some ways these are kind of to be some of the latter, the second two kind of even, discipline of integrating virtue. Report an error in the passage at 7:54 Highlight the passage at 7:54

8:21 I don't see it so differently than joyous effort. I don't know. I'd have to really kind of think about that one. And then the discipline of acting for the welfare of others is almost like some of the generosity too. So that has some of that seeped in there too. Report an error in the passage at 8:21 Highlight the passage at 8:21

8:46 So when we talk about engaging in exact morality or ethics, do we understand really? So the mind gets familiar. When we talk about the perfection, so it's the mind that's completely abandoned, harming others. So it has complete control over all actions of body, speech and mind. Does that make sense? So no harmful speech, no stealing, no lying, no sexual misconduct, no killing, no harming, no mind. Report an error in the passage at 8:46 Highlight the passage at 8:46

9:35 Completely abandoned. So you do these things by becoming familiar. Again, it's like becoming habit, like now our habits are rather kind of all over the place. Report an error in the passage at 9:35 Highlight the passage at 9:35

9:47 So you just practice slowly and surely by putting these into practice, you know, paying attention when you open your mouth, paying attention to what you pick up, Report an error in the passage at 9:47 Highlight the passage at 9:47

10:03 paying attention to your will, covetousness. You know, being jealous of somebody else's possessions or their career or their fame or their money or whatever, or their country, having ill will towards, you know, their religion, their behavior, their actions. Report an error in the passage at 10:03 Highlight the passage at 10:03

10:36 I'm teaching actually a class up at Varin and now it's the subject of karma. So we're going over the ten non-virtues. Report an error in the passage at 10:36 Highlight the passage at 10:36

10:49 We don't have to go into a lot of deeds. There's also a way in which you can do these through vows, the five lay vows, which offer a certain protection for one's minds when one seeks to engage in not harming. So the five lay vows and then the monastic vows, and there are different levels of monastic vows. Report an error in the passage at 10:49 Highlight the passage at 10:49

11:18 are basically Basically, monastic vows where you have eight vows, which are five lay vows, except you have celibacy instead of sexual misconduct, plus you have three additional vows. And then there are 36 vows. And then I think for nuns, there's a probationary nun's vow. I'm not sure how many that is, but then there's monks. Report an error in the passage at 11:18 Highlight the passage at 11:18

11:47 Fully ordained monks vows, which are 253. Is that how many I have? Report an error in the passage at 11:47 Highlight the passage at 11:47

11:56 I think so. And I know them by heart. And then there's fully ordained nun vows, which are about 350. Those nuns, they were naughty. Report an error in the passage at 11:56 Highlight the passage at 11:56

12:17 Seeing as how we're at, well, we're kind of even split here gender-wise, so I could say get away with saying something, couldn't I? Report an error in the passage at 12:17 Highlight the passage at 12:17

12:29 Now, Report an error in the passage at 12:29 Highlight the passage at 12:29

12:32 you know, there's two different takes on this. The nuns would say that they only needed a hundred more, you know, they only needed a hundred. They just, Buddha gave them all the monk ones as well. But to tell you the truth, the Buddha, during the time of the Buddha, there was no culture for women to follow the religious life at all. Report an error in the passage at 12:32 Highlight the passage at 12:32

13:03 Still isn't pretty much in Hindu culture. I mean, there's very few women, although... So in India, 2,500 years ago, there was just no, especially following in a very aesthetic lifestyle, going out, you know, in small groups, alone, renunciates. Because, I mean, if you still, I mean, even to this day, the Indian society, it's very much geared around the male. Report an error in the passage at 13:03 Highlight the passage at 13:03

13:33 It's very much geared where the woman is, the wife, and if you're not married, then you're a burden. So there was no means of support, all those kinds of things. And so the Buddha at first, he was asked by, I think his stepmother, she wanted to become one of his followers. And I think the story is that Ananda... Report an error in the passage at 13:33 Highlight the passage at 13:33

14:05 That kind of agreed that the Buddha agreed to it, told her that the Buddha would, you know, so then the Buddha kind of agreed to it, but he didn't really want to. And the reason he didn't is because he knew there would be difficulties, extreme difficulties, and there are. Even to this day, there's still a lot of gender issues in most of the Buddhist cultures around spiritual stuff. Report an error in the passage at 14:05 Highlight the passage at 14:05

14:35 But it's getting better. Some of the vows really have to do with, even for me of the 250, some of the vows really pertain to a particular time and context and they're not really that relevant to the modern times. But they're also something you don't necessarily, you Report an error in the passage at 14:35 Highlight the passage at 14:35

15:02 can't really just decide to throw them out because it's a lineage that's come down. To break that lineage, you have to have some agreement, although the Buddha said you could change the Vinaya, which is a code of conduct for monastics. Report an error in the passage at 15:02 Highlight the passage at 15:02

15:24 In some of these, really, a lot of our vows actually have to do with all of you, because in your minds, I mean, our job is to protect your minds, keep you inspired in practicing the Dharma, in holding, you know, as examples of the teachings and what can happen if you follow the teachings. So we have a lot of responsibility in that respect. And so some mundane behaviors, although I certainly engage in a few of them, but we're really supposed to be careful. Report an error in the passage at 15:24 Highlight the passage at 15:24

16:02 To protect your minds. And so there are certain ones, even though we're not necessarily doing something wrong, it's inappropriate for us because someone, the lay people might construe something to be going on, even though there's nothing going on. And so a lot of vows were built around that, and especially with the women's vows. So it wasn't that the nuns were bad or anything like that. Report an error in the passage at 16:02 Highlight the passage at 16:02

16:26 It was just that it was better during that time to make certain rules. To protect the lay people from criticizing and abusing. And it was difficult too, I mean, for them to go on alms rounds to get food and support. It was just a whole new concept. And even these days it's still, you know, there's certainly not as much support for nuns as there is for monks in the traditional Buddhist cultures. Report an error in the passage at 16:26 Highlight the passage at 16:26

16:57 It's pretty much fairly equal footing in the West for monastics. Fairly equal footing, actually, to tell you the truth. It's getting better in the Tibetan system, certainly in terms of opportunities, but some of those century-old things take time to change. People are resistant to change. Yeah, I think in general. Okay. So, does that help? Report an error in the passage at 16:57 Highlight the passage at 16:57

17:49 So, integrating virtues. It says here, possesses bodhisattva vows. that it, for... Report an error in the passage at 17:49 Highlight the passage at 17:49

· · · silence, 1 minute

17:56 Here it's basically integrating all of the six perfections. And that's kind of what we said. It's like taking on all of them. So in some ways it's not so specific to just ethics. Acting for the Welfare of Others is really, again, dealing with behaviors Report an error in the passage at 17:56 Highlight the passage at 17:56

18:31 to benefit others. And this is Report an error in the passage at 18:31 Highlight the passage at 18:31

18:38 It can be benefiting others not just for this life but for future lives. Report an error in the passage at 18:38 Highlight the passage at 18:38

18:50 This is always an interesting one, especially with some of our teachers. There's a lot of behavior that's exhibited and sometimes leaves one puzzled, but it might actually have to do with future lives and not necessarily this life. It's a very obscure concept because most of us don't really relate to future lives. And so even from my perspective, I'm usually much more in the immediate, like if I can benefit somebody in this immediate, then I am even the perspective of, is it going to be beneficial for them in future lives? Report an error in the passage at 18:50 Highlight the passage at 18:50

19:36 I mean, it doesn't just come to mind naturally. It really doesn't. I mean, I do think, I at least stop to think, is it beneficial? Often, not always, you know, because rather than just like I think in the last week we talked about just giving money or different ways of helping or just even the thought to help or something like that. Report an error in the passage at 19:36 Highlight the passage at 19:36

19:56 It's not necessarily we're able to help or give, but whether it's beneficial. And now we need wisdom. And if you actually really have wisdom, you can actually have some clairvoyance to know whether the results of... The action of the moment, how it will lead down the line and whether it's going to benefit that person down the line in future lives. Report an error in the passage at 19:56 Highlight the passage at 19:56

20:23 It takes a bit of faith for this one. And so investigate carefully with your teacher when it comes to this stuff. Report an error in the passage at 20:23 Highlight the passage at 20:23

20:34 Okay. Report an error in the passage at 20:34 Highlight the passage at 20:34

20:40 So the next, are we any questions about ethical behavior? Abandoning the mind of harming others. Report an error in the passage at 20:40 Highlight the passage at 20:40

20:53 Killing. Stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, idle speech, ill will, no, I'm sorry, covetousness, no, it's ill will, covetousness, wrong view, no, what's the order? Report an error in the passage at 20:53 Highlight the passage at 20:53

21:22 It's covetousness, ill will and wrong view, I'm pretty sure, yeah, yeah, Report an error in the passage at 21:22 Highlight the passage at 21:22

21:37 okay. Report an error in the passage at 21:37 Highlight the passage at 21:37

21:46 Patience. Report an error in the passage at 21:46 Highlight the passage at 21:46

21:49 That's the next one. Report an error in the passage at 21:49 Highlight the passage at 21:49

22:13 So does anyone want to guess at what we mean by the mind of patience? Report an error in the passage at 22:13 Highlight the passage at 22:13

22:28 No. Report an error in the passage at 22:28 Highlight the passage at 22:28

22:34 That's one of the types. Yes. Okay. Patience is undisturbed mind. Report an error in the passage at 22:34 Highlight the passage at 22:34

22:49 It's funny. We don't have much patience, do we? Undisturbed mind. What disturbs the mind? Report an error in the passage at 22:49 Highlight the passage at 22:49

23:08 So the nature of patience is this undisturbed mind. No matter what harm is given. The mind is undisturbed. It takes a lot to develop that, doesn't it? It takes a lot of practice. A lot of practice. Report an error in the passage at 23:08 Highlight the passage at 23:08

23:27 Imagine the emails you get and to have undisturbed mind when you get those emails. Report an error in the passage at 23:27 Highlight the passage at 23:27

23:36 Or the customers, if you work in a customer service oriented field. Or if you have children or parents. Report an error in the passage at 23:36 Highlight the passage at 23:36

23:50 Undisturbed mind. Difficult one. There are three ways. We talk about patience. The patience of not being disturbed when someone harms us. The Report an error in the passage at 23:50 Highlight the passage at 23:50

24:18 patience of accepting suffering or enduring suffering. Report an error in the passage at 24:18 Highlight the passage at 24:18

24:27 And the patience of being dedicated to the Dharma. Of course, this one's one of those that they have to throw in there, but that's almost like joyous effort again, which will be the next one. But first two, Report an error in the passage at 24:27 Highlight the passage at 24:27

24:44 patience of not... Not even thinking anything when someone harms us. Report an error in the passage at 24:44 Highlight the passage at 24:44

25:00 Difficult, huh? Report an error in the passage at 25:00 Highlight the passage at 25:00

25:07 Someone slugged you. What are you going to do? Report an error in the passage at 25:07 Highlight the passage at 25:07

25:13 You might not necessarily slug them back, which is a start, because at least there you don't necessarily continue the cycle. Report an error in the passage at 25:13 Highlight the passage at 25:13

25:24 But most likely you're going to get upset at some level. Report an error in the passage at 25:24 Highlight the passage at 25:24

25:35 Imagine, Report an error in the passage at 25:35 Highlight the passage at 25:35

25:41 when was the last time you got angry? Report an error in the passage at 25:41 Highlight the passage at 25:41

25:46 How many days, weeks, hours, minutes? How often do you get angry? Report an error in the passage at 25:46 Highlight the passage at 25:46

25:55 What makes you angry? Report an error in the passage at 25:55 Highlight the passage at 25:55

26:10 What makes us angry? Somebody else? What they say when they criticize us? Report an error in the passage at 26:10 Highlight the passage at 26:10

26:22 What are the things that make us angry? Physical pain. Report an error in the passage at 26:22 Highlight the passage at 26:22

26:31 That's probably more of the next second type of patience of enduring suffering. Report an error in the passage at 26:31 Highlight the passage at 26:31

26:45 Well, you're volunteering to engage in those activities. So what are you angry at, yourself? Report an error in the passage at 26:45 Highlight the passage at 26:45

27:12 Well, all that hurts might not be anger. That may be just pain. Report an error in the passage at 27:12 Highlight the passage at 27:12

27:19 There could be anger, yeah. Yeah, there could be anger, definitely. A lot of people when, you know, anger comes up for a lot of people around death, Report an error in the passage at 27:19 Highlight the passage at 27:19

27:31 feeling that they've been shortchanged or something, you know, when they haven't dealt with things. Anger comes up. It's not necessarily, you know, coming from anyone else. It's just your own stuff. Report an error in the passage at 27:31 Highlight the passage at 27:31

27:51 What else? What makes you angry? Injustice. Ah, yeah, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 27:51 Highlight the passage at 27:51

28:04 If you're fair in the world, I was going to say just even in the world. This one catches us a lot actually. Yeah, we do have a certain view of the way the world is. And we don't have enough faith yet in karma and the law of cause and effect to know really certainly that those who are enduring the suffering have created the causes to receive the suffering. Report an error in the passage at 28:04 Highlight the passage at 28:04

28:29 Or that those who are perpetrating the suffering are eventually going to get the results of the suffering. We don't actually have that much faith in the law of cause and effect. Report an error in the passage at 28:29 Highlight the passage at 28:29

28:40 Which is, you know, I mean, it is a far stretch. There's no doubt about it. Because we don't see the direct connection often. And it doesn't mean that there couldn't be a more just world. Report an error in the passage at 28:40 Highlight the passage at 28:40

28:51 What was it this morning? I was at the, I was invited to give the... Moran Interfaith Council, I had to give a prayer, talk about prayer and then lead a prayer. Report an error in the passage at 28:51 Highlight the passage at 28:51

29:10 And the pastor that was there, the woman, Reverend, I can't remember her name now, she was talking about news bites and news and stuff because somebody brought up, I think, this issue of this pastor, Wright is his name? Report an error in the passage at 29:10 Highlight the passage at 29:10

29:32 She was talking about sound bites and she said, she came up with this thing that was really quite, I found, quite sweet and simple. Report an error in the passage at 29:32 Highlight the passage at 29:32

29:42 Respond, but don't react. Report an error in the passage at 29:42 Highlight the passage at 29:42

29:48 Which I think is kind of, you know, I think gives us some sense of which we can kind of take things in a social... Report an error in the passage at 29:48 Highlight the passage at 29:48

30:03 If you find yourself getting angry, Report an error in the passage at 30:03 Highlight the passage at 30:03

30:09 then, yeah. There's not much benefit. But you can definitely get disturbed mind. I mean, you know, it happens. It's going to take time to change it. But you notice it. You look at what it is. What is it that's disturbing our mind? Report an error in the passage at 30:09 Highlight the passage at 30:09

30:30 And there's a lot of, you know, these kind of social justice or, you know, I mean, even for me, I have a lot of standards Report an error in the passage at 30:30 Highlight the passage at 30:30

30:46 that I hold others to, especially as Buddhists. Or that we're all, you know, because we're practicing this, right? And so you hold others in your community accountable to maintain certain standards. I'm not talking about my students. I usually let them off pretty easy. Report an error in the passage at 30:46 Highlight the passage at 30:46

31:13 But I am talking about, you know, especially organizationally, you kind of have these. It's interesting because it's, you know, I mean, it's this kind of dilemma. You kind of confront, and what it really is, is you have these unrealistic expectations, forgetting that people are at the level they're at. Report an error in the passage at 31:13 Highlight the passage at 31:13

31:38 You have these expectations that they're beyond that level, and they may be, they're just not appearing that way to you. But then you get to see your mind gets disturbed. This is a big source of disturbance for my mind, often. Expectations. Probably my biggest source of frustration. And social justice and things like that. Certainly I remember our teachers actually telling us not to watch, this is around 9-11, not to watch more than five minutes of television and news in any one day. Report an error in the passage at 31:38 Highlight the passage at 31:38

32:24 I can certainly see the wisdom in that. And I will also tell you, quite honestly, I mean, to me, it's helped me so much to get my news off the Internet as opposed to watching TV. There's such a big difference in the approach. Report an error in the passage at 32:24 Highlight the passage at 32:24

32:48 But at the same time, I don't know if I'm out of touch with the way most people think because I don't know if the majority are still getting their information from the news, the television. If they are, then we might be in trouble. You know, because I'm usually getting a little bit varied source of information. So I'm thinking that I'm keeping things in perspective, but you never know. Report an error in the passage at 32:48 Highlight the passage at 32:48

33:18 But undisturbed mind, undisturbed mind, and it can go both ways. I mean, it can be disturbed for good, in some ways for good. You know, you don't want, you know, the Tibetans are getting tortured and repressed and there is a social justice thing there. Report an error in the passage at 33:18 Highlight the passage at 33:18

33:36 Disturb your mind. That's hard. Somebody's hitting you. You know, they got a stick. Report an error in the passage at 33:36 Highlight the passage at 33:36

33:49 They're beating you. It's hard not to get angry. It doesn't happen very often for most of us. I don't think there's a lot of physical violence most of us kind of endure, right? But we certainly do have people yell and criticize us. Maybe not yell even, but maybe a lot of criticism, right? That's probably very common in most of our lives, people criticizing us. Maybe, maybe not, Chad. Report an error in the passage at 33:49 Highlight the passage at 33:49

34:24 Yeah, that's probably true. We do our worst kind of critics. Report an error in the passage at 34:24 Highlight the passage at 34:24

34:33 I guess maybe in my role as director of something I get criticized a lot. Everyone has a different expectation of what you're supposed to be doing. Not everyone, actually. I get a lot of support, too, but I'm just saying it's like you're in a role where... You know, in a leadership role, then you're going to be criticized automatically. Now I kind of, I'm getting better at an undisturbed mind because it really is getting better. Report an error in the passage at 34:33 Highlight the passage at 34:33

34:58 Maybe this is really the training for patients. Report an error in the passage at 34:58 Highlight the passage at 34:58

35:04 But expectations, criticism, and our own self, we get angry at ourselves a lot. Report an error in the passage at 35:04 Highlight the passage at 35:04

35:16 But undisturbed mind, this is really, it's very beautiful in some ways to think of having that kind of mind. Report an error in the passage at 35:16 Highlight the passage at 35:16

35:31 And I don't know how many of you have a connection with Geshe-la, but I've been with him for nine years now and for several years now, day in and day out. Report an error in the passage at 35:31 Highlight the passage at 35:31

35:49 And I also think of what he's endured in his life from having, The story was that when the Chinese started shelling Sarah Monastery in 1959 and right at March when the Dalai Lama fled at the same time, they started to batala and they also went to Sarah and he was a monk at Sarah. They started shelling basically the bazooka guns or tanks or whatever they had. So the monks ran up the hill. Report an error in the passage at 35:49 Highlight the passage at 35:49

36:26 Geshe-la ran up the hill without, you know, they didn't have any understanding really what was going on or what was happening, but they ran up to, you know, without any intention of leaving, but once realized what was going on, Geshe-la left, didn't go back to get anything, tried to get, you know, they just went and they walked with like, I can't remember, it's a couple months, you know, I mean, they would get... Report an error in the passage at 36:26 Highlight the passage at 36:26

36:55 You know, they get protection and food and things like that from, but it was probably not, you know, especially Tibet's a very barren landscape. But walked out of Tibet, he took a very different route than the Dalai Lama did, but too much longer, I know that, his trip out. But I just imagine yourself like, Report an error in the passage at 36:55 Highlight the passage at 36:55

37:23 you know, today, okay, you're not going home. Report an error in the passage at 37:23 Highlight the passage at 37:23

37:31 And you better leave now, because none of us have been in that position. And I'm not sure whether his mind was disturbed or not, but at that time, you know, he might not have been, but probably had a pretty good basis. But then I think of all the other changes that have happened in his life, and I think of, you know, the fact that he's had different people take care of him and different people had to put up with my cooking and things like that, and he's an undisturbed mind. Report an error in the passage at 37:31 Highlight the passage at 37:31

38:03 You know, no matter what happens, it's there. He doesn't show any sign of discontent. He's always very happy, gentle, kind. He's amazing for me. I mean, he's an amazing teacher because this is how I learn and I need to develop. You know, if somebody puts down tuna fish sandwich in front of me instead of grilled cheese, I need to have undisturbed mind. Report an error in the passage at 38:03 Highlight the passage at 38:03

38:31 I'm learning. Report an error in the passage at 38:31 Highlight the passage at 38:31

38:35 It's not bad, though, when you get, I mean, when you, you know. And I look at some of the things, particularly now I'm being tested quite honestly in a very leadership role and the only way I'm going to survive is if I developed undisturbed mind. Report an error in the passage at 38:35 Highlight the passage at 38:35

38:56 Otherwise I won't make it. It's a good training ground but it's difficult. Undisturbed mind, patience. Patience. Patience for other ways of thinking, other ways of doing. Report an error in the passage at 38:56 Highlight the passage at 38:56

39:18 Even in our own culture, Report an error in the passage at 39:18 Highlight the passage at 39:18

39:23 other groups of people, other ways of thinking, other religions, Report an error in the passage at 39:23 Highlight the passage at 39:23

39:34 other cultures, undisturbed. Report an error in the passage at 39:34 Highlight the passage at 39:34

39:43 We just have to keep reminding ourselves of these things. Again, you just keep training your mind over and over again. You hear the teachings, you reflect on them. Report an error in the passage at 39:43 Highlight the passage at 39:43

39:57 You try to come up with examples of your own life where is your mind getting disturbed? You know, we know when our mind is disturbed. Then look at it. Can we change it? We might not be able to change the actual situation, the external situation. Report an error in the passage at 39:57 Highlight the passage at 39:57

40:24 Let's say we're in a crummy job and really the market's not very good right now. So we've got to stay in that crummy job. Report an error in the passage at 40:24 Highlight the passage at 40:24

40:38 You can change your attitude. You can change how you view it. It doesn't have to disturb your mind. So it takes practice, but slowly and surely. And these things do. I mean, you know, you guys haven't known me for many, many years, but, you know, I have seen in my own mind, it has gotten better. Report an error in the passage at 40:38 Highlight the passage at 40:38

41:05 I'm not saying I'm anywhere near perfected patience, but I can see where the practice has some benefit. I really can. And I think you can realize benefits within this lifetime. You don't have to talk about eons. And we can come to an understanding about how anger not only disturbs our mind, but it disturbs the others as well, doesn't it? Report an error in the passage at 41:05 Highlight the passage at 41:05

41:40 So no one really wins. Not one of us really enjoys our angry mind. I mean, that was one big lesson for me. I don't enjoy being angry. So when someone criticizes me, and even though they're not justified necessarily, they may not be justified, but getting angry is not a pleasant state of mind to have. Report an error in the passage at 41:40 Highlight the passage at 41:40

42:04 And if I'm angry back at them, it's not going to be that great for them either. They're not going to feel comfortable. What do they do? What happens? People avoid you. They don't want to be around you if you're just angry, do they? Report an error in the passage at 42:04 Highlight the passage at 42:04

42:23 People want to avoid you. Look at the angry people out there. People don't want to have anything to do with them. People want to lock them up mostly. Report an error in the passage at 42:23 Highlight the passage at 42:23

42:35 But, you know, that's not always an option. Report an error in the passage at 42:35 Highlight the passage at 42:35

42:42 And it's not, I mean, you know, when we think about the things, you know, I mean, it's really interesting sometimes when we think about the things that trigger people's anger. Report an error in the passage at 42:42 Highlight the passage at 42:42

42:52 And I've seen it. I've seen it myself. I've seen it in others, you know, and it's like, you know, and there are ways in which... Report an error in the passage at 42:52 Highlight the passage at 42:52

43:06 You know, you can just, I think sometimes maybe just shifted. It's interesting, like I was thinking yesterday, coming back from Marin, and I have this TransLink card. Do you know what TransLink is? It allows you, with one card, you can ride different transportation systems. And since I, what? Except Muni. But it does work on Muni. Report an error in the passage at 43:06 Highlight the passage at 43:06

43:38 And I've been using it. I had heard before I went to India, I'd heard it was supposed to be inaugurated in January. So when I came back in January, I just started using it, even though it somewhat said testing in progress, but it worked. It deducted my fare, everything. But when I come back from Burien, of course, I use it in Golden Gate Transit. And I, for some reason, I had the same bus driver. Report an error in the passage at 43:38 Highlight the passage at 43:38

44:01 I swear I had the same bus driver. Two weeks in a row, 22 Fillmore bus, about 8 o 'clock on a Wednesday morning. 8.30 on a Wednesday morning. And I go on the bus. It's there. It says $1.50. I ding it. I can see that it takes it off my total. And yet last week the bus driver argued with me that I didn't pay the fare. Report an error in the passage at 44:01 Highlight the passage at 44:01

44:35 And so it did somewhat disturb my mind, I'll tell you the truth. But I also realized, you know, I just kind of let it go. I said, you know, I'm sorry, but it did deduct, you know, what do you think I'm trying? I'm a monk. You think I'm going to cheat you? You know? But, you know, people's levels of trust. Report an error in the passage at 44:35 Highlight the passage at 44:35

45:01 So this week, pretty much the same scenario when I got on the bus again. And this time she refused to move. Report an error in the passage at 45:01 Highlight the passage at 45:01

45:14 So, you know, I mean, afterwards I was thinking I should have just sat down. I mean, would she have, how long would she have, you know. Report an error in the passage at 45:14 Highlight the passage at 45:14

45:26 She's saying it's not working. And apparently it's kind of in a test mode. Report an error in the passage at 45:26 Highlight the passage at 45:26

45:35 But it still is working. And the thing is, I mean, and I think of the situation, for example, it's like, okay. We have two situations. Either she lets go or I let go. Either she understands and she thinks it through clearly and there's no intention for me to cheat. Why would I cheat? Why would I make this up? But she's only got one way of seeing it. It's not working. Report an error in the passage at 45:35 Highlight the passage at 45:35

45:59 I don't believe you. I don't trust you. And even though half the people get on the bus without paying a fare, I'm going to go after you. Report an error in the passage at 45:59 Highlight the passage at 45:59

46:09 know she You know, I mean, it's kind of like, and it's my car to have this person in my face, right? But it's also on my side, it's kind of like, forget about the translating card. Report an error in the passage at 46:09 Highlight the passage at 46:09

46:23 You know, in this particular situation, with this particular person, just pay the fare for $2, which is what I did. I didn't have, I don't, I mean, one of the things that's nice about the translating fare, you don't always have to be carrying change around with you, you know. I mean, it's really very, very convenient. You can use it on bars, you can use it on things. So you don't have to always have this change around. But I just watched my mind. Report an error in the passage at 46:23 Highlight the passage at 46:23

46:45 I was, you know, I was aware, you know. I mean, it did disturb my mind. But I also was, you know, careful about how far I took it. I wasn't going to let it, you know, I could have been, but it's interesting, you know. But I think, you know, I mean, there are actual shootings that come out of this kind of thing, you know. I mean, you imagine the kind of minds that get, you know. Report an error in the passage at 46:45 Highlight the passage at 46:45

47:16 Does anyone in here have anger issues? Report an error in the passage at 47:16 Highlight the passage at 47:16

47:27 Riding your bicycle in the city against cars. Report an error in the passage at 47:27 Highlight the passage at 47:27

47:50 Yeah, you're the, yeah, Report an error in the passage at 47:50 Highlight the passage at 47:50

47:59 yeah. Report an error in the passage at 47:59 Highlight the passage at 47:59

48:04 I turned around and said, what? And as I turned around and to turn back, I fell off. Report an error in the passage at 48:04 Highlight the passage at 48:04

48:13 Yeah. Well, bicycles, I mean, I have to appreciate the city's made some efforts to make the city more bike friendly. But I also understand driving a car, it really is very difficult to kind of even like a motorcycle. I think I was driving today and I, you know, motorcycles coming up beside you, it's very easy to miss. Report an error in the passage at 48:13 Highlight the passage at 48:13

48:39 But, you know, and opening doors and things like that, I mean, it's understandable why people don't pay attention, and that's the reason for people to have to be, because they're just not trained well. Report an error in the passage at 48:39 Highlight the passage at 48:39

48:54 It's kind of like the toilet seat. Report an error in the passage at 48:54 Highlight the passage at 48:54

49:00 It doesn't really have to disturb your mind, but it makes it easy just to be, how is it? This is one thing I think... Never mind, we won't go into the toilet seat line. Report an error in the passage at 49:00 Highlight the passage at 49:00

49:19 But, stirred mind. Okay. And then, enduring suffering. That's another part of patience. When you have a headache, when you're going through physical suffering, you're sick with the flu, cold, infection, pneumonia, these things. Report an error in the passage at 49:19 Highlight the passage at 49:19

49:46 Enduring pain. This is a tough one, isn't it? Report an error in the passage at 49:46 Highlight the passage at 49:46

49:53 You know, it's funny when I get sick, I just don't, my mind doesn't, I mean, it's not like I practice virtue when I'm sick. My mind is totally like, I can't concentrate. It's not necessarily feeling sorry for myself, but it's just there's no focus, you know, and trying to think virtuous thoughts when you're sick is just, so I kind of. Report an error in the passage at 49:53 Highlight the passage at 49:53

50:16 A little bit freaked out about the thought of like, you know, what's going to happen when I'm actually dying? Am I really going to even think about the Dharma at all? I don't know. I mean, I have to, I don't know. Report an error in the passage at 50:16 Highlight the passage at 50:16

50:29 You know, you're lying in bed for a few days. You'd think it'd be a good time to practice the Dharma, you know, virtuous thoughts, but it doesn't work that way. When your body's emotionally, physically going through something, that's where your tension goes through. Report an error in the passage at 50:29 Highlight the passage at 50:29

50:46 And I'm doing that. I mean, we can get better at enduring it as adults. We can somewhat. But sometimes it's pretty severe pain that people go through. Report an error in the passage at 50:46 Highlight the passage at 50:46

50:56 It's difficult. Having an undisturbed mind. Report an error in the passage at 50:56 Highlight the passage at 50:56

51:06 What? We can help? Yeah. Actually, I find there's certain practices. The Tong Lin practice, I think, actually, to tell you the truth. And we did that one, right? That's giving and taking. It's very, very strong. Report an error in the passage at 51:06 Highlight the passage at 51:06

51:25 It's very strong practice for physical pain. And letting go, yeah. I think another thing, and I don't know if it works for major pain, but it does for knee aches and things like that when you're sitting. Report an error in the passage at 51:25 Highlight the passage at 51:25

51:41 It's a good technique. Sorry. Is to actually focus your attention on the exact point where the pain is coming from. Report an error in the passage at 51:41 Highlight the passage at 51:41

51:56 Because... Your mind can't, you know like how your mind can't stay in the breath? Your mind can't stay in the pain. It can't really find the point and by focusing on the pain too, it seems to kind of, it can move around or just disappear. You know, you can't stay focused on something else comes to mind. It can help with minor things like knees and stuff. I don't think it helps necessarily with persistent pain. Report an error in the passage at 51:56 Highlight the passage at 51:56

52:26 These are techniques when you're learning meditation, you can give hints on how to handle things because if you actually try to find the exact point where that's hurting in the knee, you don't, you can't, it's impossible. Report an error in the passage at 52:26 Highlight the passage at 52:26

53:05 I think with some of these things, the meditation techniques are really, really helpful. Report an error in the passage at 53:05 Highlight the passage at 53:05

53:22 Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 53:22 Highlight the passage at 53:22

53:25 Not having disturbed mind. Although the first one of not returning harm or not being upset when harm is given can also be part of the reason for emotional or mental suffering. It can be someone's harming you physically or emotionally. But it could not necessarily. They could overlap though, the one and two in that respect. Report an error in the passage at 53:25 Highlight the passage at 53:25

53:54 Because somebody's mentally abusing you. There's another source of that harm, whereas you could be just enduring emotional kind of stuff arising for you that's causing suffering, which many of us do. I mean, I think we do. I mean, look at our minds. We are disturbed, aren't we? Okay, do you think you want to have a break? Report an error in the passage at 53:54 Highlight the passage at 53:54

54:21 Okay, go ahead. Then we'll move to joyful efforts. Report an error in the passage at 54:21 Highlight the passage at 54:21

54:35 I didn't say you could have a break, Chad. Report an error in the passage at 54:35 Highlight the passage at 54:35

54:42 I'm going to give you some information about meeting there, and the afternoon session we'll have here. I'll at least, if we get finished at 11, have lunch down there, we could start at 1, which means I could maybe participate in the first hour of the session. Report an error in the passage at 54:42 Highlight the passage at 54:42

55:00 I'd probably have to leave by 2. Report an error in the passage at 55:00 Highlight the passage at 55:00

55:06 kind of interesting. Report an error in the passage at 55:06 Highlight the passage at 55:06

55:11 Some days my days don't stop and Report an error in the passage at 55:11 Highlight the passage at 55:11

55:18 I don't know where the energy comes from. But if I stop to think about it, I'll get crazy. The interfaithing, this would be a curious thing when we have a little bit of time, especially when we're talking about joyful effort. Report an error in the passage at 55:18 Highlight the passage at 55:18

55:34 But in Report an error in the passage at 55:34 Highlight the passage at 55:34

55:42 this interfaithing, there's a lot of references to God. And Buddhists don't really relate to God. But having Buddhists to come from a Western culture, we certainly understand this term and we certainly understand what it means. In terms of this, but I'm just kind of curious because when we pray to Buddha, is it the same as praying to God? Report an error in the passage at 55:42 Highlight the passage at 55:42

56:23 What? Well, no, I'm just, and there's no, I don't think, I'm not looking for a right answer here. I'm just kind of, it's like, what, you know, what is, what are people thinking? Report an error in the passage at 56:23 Highlight the passage at 56:23

56:44 I had a thought, well, wait a second. I still feel so conditioned to think of God when I pray. It's to God. I don't know. It's just from years and years. And I think, well, wait, now I'm on this Buddhist path, which I am committing to. Report an error in the passage at 56:44 Highlight the passage at 56:44

57:01 just been a very interesting thing for me to think about. Your prayers are to Buddha. Does Buddha just replace God? I think this is really probably very, I mean, it really taught, I mean, I think it's probably very pervasive in our culture here as Buddhism comes that we kind of just... Do we just kind of overlay God with Buddha? I don't know. What do people think? Report an error in the passage at 57:01 Highlight the passage at 57:01

57:51 Most Report an error in the passage at 57:51 Highlight the passage at 57:51

57:55 people don't pray to Jesus. They pray to God. Report an error in the passage at 57:55 Highlight the passage at 57:55

58:23 So do you pray for Buddha for one thing and God for another? that's the perception Report an error in the passage at 58:23 Highlight the passage at 58:23

· · · silence, 1 minute

58:26 I do but I need to think of the concept of Report an error in the passage at 58:26 Highlight the passage at 58:26

58:38 Yeah. know, it's my feeling. Report an error in the passage at 58:38 Highlight the passage at 58:38

58:44 has probably a lot of power but I mean not the way that people like they would like to become somebody yeah It's so weird that you should say that, because just this morning, I've been gossiping about the news, I turned on The Morning Show, which I've never watched, and Matt Lauer and Tim were reporting from Laos. Report an error in the passage at 58:44 Highlight the passage at 58:44

59:06 And they were walking into a Buddhist temple where the monks were meditating. And he was like, here is where the monks are praying to Buddha. And I thought, oh, that's... It just struck me as sort of the wrong way to put it. And I'm like, thank you, Matt. You just like... You just completely set back the perception of Buddhism again in America for however many millions of people. Report an error in the passage at 59:06 Highlight the passage at 59:06

59:27 Because for me, it's exactly what you just explained. It isn't so much a praying for redemption or whatever of the other qualities of that. worship is, it's more of a striving to become, have the qualities of it. But that's sort of what I was saying about people's perception of Buddha as being like a figure. Report an error in the passage at 59:27 Highlight the passage at 59:27

59:50 Well, I think I knocked that one out of their socks today. I don't know. I mean, the prayer we did was the four immeasurables, which has nothing to do with the conversation with God, but the other two certainly emphasize God. The question came up, of course, is, you know, as Buddhists we do not assert a creator God. Report an error in the passage at 59:50 Highlight the passage at 59:50

1:00:17 But in my mind, I think that for many Christians who think it through, this concept of God, as long as it's not a creator God, Report an error in the passage at 1:00:17 Highlight the passage at 1:00:17

1:00:36 well, I don't know, in some ways it might not be so different than... Our relationship to Buddha, the relationship to God, it might not be so different. Depends. Because even I think of, you know, in terms of our relationship to Buddha, for example, it's like, you know, we have a statue right back here, Report an error in the passage at 1:00:36 Highlight the passage at 1:00:36

1:01:10 a bunch of metal in a certain shape, but we call it Buddha and we prostrate to it. What is that, what is that all about? Report an error in the passage at 1:01:10 Highlight the passage at 1:01:10

1:01:35 Yeah. Certainly in the Christian, certainly in the Catholic. Buddhist dialogue, this one comes up a lot because, of course, and we even, as Tibetan Buddhists even further than Zen Buddhists, would assert that this is an emanation of Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:35 Highlight the passage at 1:01:35

1:01:54 Okay. But that only works in terms of emptiness, in terms of dependent arising, in terms of labeling anyway. But that's a difficult concept just to introduce to a Christian. What I did introduce... In terms of this aspect, in my mind, we all kind of, at least, what we relate to with our senses is another kind of form. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:54 Highlight the passage at 1:01:54

1:02:30 And so that's why Buddha makes it easy, a statue or a tongue or an image or something, or a person even, that we can say is a living Buddha. Because it's what we relate to the easiest. To relate to this kind of... Concept of an enlightened being, especially when they have no form. Well, in the Tibetan system they have the nirmanakaya and dharmakaya and sambhogakaya, which basically enlightened mind is formless. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:30 Highlight the passage at 1:02:30

1:03:08 It's energy. How do you pray to energy? Report an error in the passage at 1:03:08 Highlight the passage at 1:03:08

1:03:22 Well, I mean, mostly from, you know, I mean... It's interesting because it's, you know, again, it's from our side how we see it, how we place the value. Is it going to benefit us? Does it benefit us to have this relationship? And do we need something tangible with which to relate to, which is usually in the form of a form? Report an error in the passage at 1:03:22 Highlight the passage at 1:03:22

1:03:49 It's symbolic, meaning it symbolizes some qualities. That you might want to obtain yourself. But we pray for, I mean, some people do pray for good crops and things like that. I mean, it's similar to some of the Christians. That's why I bring them kind of like, it's interesting material for reflection more than there's necessarily a right answer. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:49 Highlight the passage at 1:03:49

1:04:16 Because I think, to me, some Christians, their concept of God is not so far removed because it's kind of this intangible, it's not this... necessarily creator and it's not so dualistic Report an error in the passage at 1:04:16 Highlight the passage at 1:04:16

1:04:37 we buddhists are very careful about it a little bit careful about our terms too we also don't say we also they talk christians talk a lot about unity Report an error in the passage at 1:04:37 Highlight the passage at 1:04:37

1:04:50 if everything is one and God is one and things like that. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:50 Highlight the passage at 1:04:50

1:05:03 Interdependence. Well, Report an error in the passage at 1:05:03 Highlight the passage at 1:05:03

1:05:12 there's no duality. No duality. There's no subject-object. But you have to be careful about all being one. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:12 Highlight the passage at 1:05:12

1:05:22 Now this is a little bit of a stretch off the topic. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:22 Highlight the passage at 1:05:22

1:05:40 But be patient with it. Be patient with it. Knowing that you took refuge in this situation here with Geshe-la, just be patient. before he discovered Buddhism. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:40 Highlight the passage at 1:05:40

1:05:57 Just keep understanding the teachings. Take teachings. You'll feel comfortable after a while. It's the same thing for me. There's no way that I can actually kind of just block out the fact that I was born in North Dakota and I grew up in the Midwest and went to school on the East Coast. I can't just ignore that part of my life, that those all had imprints on my mind to develop. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:57 Highlight the passage at 1:05:57

1:06:03 I mean, you're not, there's no way that, you Report an error in the passage at 1:06:03 Highlight the passage at 1:06:03

1:06:24 Into and integrate with my practice as a Buddhist. And you're just in a very beginning stage of doing that. So it's okay. It will come. It will be more comfortable. If it's conflictual, then, you know, just breathe a little with it. Allow it to form. Because if it's conflictual in the long run, then it's a mistake, probably. But if it's just, you know, getting used to some of this stuff and trying to... Report an error in the passage at 1:06:24 Highlight the passage at 1:06:24

1:06:54 Feel comfortable about how it integrates. You definitely should not have refuge and believe in a creator God. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:54 Highlight the passage at 1:06:54

1:07:10 It's new. It's new, yeah. That's okay. That's fine. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:10 Highlight the passage at 1:07:10

1:07:22 Yeah. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:22 Highlight the passage at 1:07:22

1:07:43 Yeah. Yeah. And how would I say it? They have to be part of a valid path, don't they? Because if they're part of your path, and if eventually you get enlightened, they're part of the path. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:43 Highlight the passage at 1:07:43

1:08:18 I don't know about the pieces of the truth. I think people, I mean, and Buddhism would certainly, I mean, certainly Tibetan Buddhism in the Nagarjuna's, I mean, in the Majamika Frasangika view would certainly assert. the the truth of Report an error in the passage at 1:08:18 Highlight the passage at 1:08:18

1:08:38 That this view of reality is independent arising and what we perceive as truth is rather elusive. So it's, you know, what people, you know, and they could argue that about a lot of people's... perception of what is real or not especially in terms of a creator god and especially in terms of just even this this room especially in terms of just this identity we have but But, you know, still in the end, I mean, it's like this is just one way of exercising mental activity to kind of in our search for truth. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:38 Highlight the passage at 1:08:38

1:09:30 And it is different for each one of us. And no two paths are... Report an error in the passage at 1:09:30 Highlight the passage at 1:09:30

1:09:38 And no matter what anyone teaches you in Buddhism, whether it's me or anyone else, there are no two paths that are exactly alike. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:38 Highlight the passage at 1:09:38

1:09:54 The teachings are presented to show you that this is a valid path and for you to investigate and apply. But Report an error in the passage at 1:09:54 Highlight the passage at 1:09:54

1:10:09 it's literally impossible for two people to arrive at Buddhahood following them. Same path. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:09 Highlight the passage at 1:10:09

1:10:20 So no one, just because one person is doing it that way, and they may be a good example, I'm not saying you shouldn't follow their example, but never believe in your mind that they're two paths exactly the same. Some people have a very black and white fundamentalist view, even in Buddhism, and it's impossible. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:20 Highlight the passage at 1:10:20

1:10:43 But you have to discern, you know, so you don't get led astray. But, you know. Teachings are presented to help you. And you have to use your wisdom, apply them, question, think, reflect. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:43 Highlight the passage at 1:10:43

1:11:00 Otherwise, if they don't make sense, you know, I mean, you know, really, I don't say reject them. I've learned from that, actually. One thing I would say is put it up on the shelf. Take it down another time. It might make sense later, but yeah, I... I'm not into fundamentalism, even in Buddhism. Okay. Now we talk about anger. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:00 Highlight the passage at 1:11:00

1:11:34 One of the reasons when we talk about patience, we should reflect on some of the benefits of developing patience and the disadvantages of not having patience. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:34 Highlight the passage at 1:11:34

1:11:56 So what do you think about some of the benefits of having patience? Report an error in the passage at 1:11:56 Highlight the passage at 1:11:56

1:12:05 Anyone got any ideas what one of the benefits are? Report an error in the passage at 1:12:05 Highlight the passage at 1:12:05

1:12:11 Calm mind, Report an error in the passage at 1:12:11 Highlight the passage at 1:12:11

1:12:15 just even in your external reality. Don't you think you'd have more friends? Report an error in the passage at 1:12:15 Highlight the passage at 1:12:15

1:12:25 Fewer enemies? You'll Report an error in the passage at 1:12:25 Highlight the passage at 1:12:25

1:12:32 have mental habits. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:32 Highlight the passage at 1:12:32

1:12:40 Not having regret at the time of death? Especially at the time of death. It's interesting, and certainly in the Buddhist perspective, sometimes a lot of our stuff comes up at the time of death. That has happened in our life. So, as Buddhists, we're always told to kind of sort through our dirty laundry before we get to the time of death. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:40 Highlight the passage at 1:12:40

1:13:07 Let go, you know, really, really practice and, you know, look at the stuff, regret, let go, move on. But really, you should have, I mean, actually, it's a very good practice to just check up. Do you have regrets today? You could die tomorrow. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:07 Highlight the passage at 1:13:07

1:13:29 And believe me, I had a very good friend die on Tuesday, who I was going to see in less than two weeks, have dinner with, who just got out of his car and had a heart attack. And he wasn't that much older than me, a few years, and I just talked to him on Monday, made a reservation for my room in Portland, and he's gone the next day. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:29 Highlight the passage at 1:13:29

1:13:56 Luckily, I think he's okay, but it can happen. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:56 Highlight the passage at 1:13:56

1:14:03 You know, not having regret is another aspect. And I think this comes up for us. Most of us, when we get angry in a moment, we certainly regret it a lot later, generally. The implications, the relationships, you know, how we've hurt people. You know, none of us really wants to be angry. And I mean, I know I've gone through periods where it's been very, very difficult. Can you imagine living in this house with all these people? Report an error in the passage at 1:14:03 Highlight the passage at 1:14:03

1:14:36 Trying to use a kitchen that everyone uses but no one cleans. And on top of it, I mean, it's not only just having a bunch of roommates, but then during the day you've got a bunch of staff and the public coming in. So imagine where you're going to get your sanity from. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:36 Highlight the passage at 1:14:36

1:14:59 Believe me, I've been angry because it wasn't within my control. I had no control over my environment. I was used to it. My own little studio apartment overlooking the city. Nice, lots of light, no traffic noise. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:59 Highlight the passage at 1:14:59

1:15:20 Outdoor, I slept outdoors in the patio. It was a nice little setup. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:20 Highlight the passage at 1:15:20

1:15:29 I'd go back in a heartbeat if it was really part of my path. I guess it's not, but I guess I don't have, I have some regret. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:29 Highlight the passage at 1:15:29

1:15:43 Anyway, but, you know, I mean, you know, You have anger. You think something should be a certain way, and it's not. And you're out of control in sometimes the environment. You don't control the environment. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:43 Highlight the passage at 1:15:43

1:15:57 And still even to this day, it's not like it's changed. I still live here. And in fact, it's gotten even busier and crazier. And there's still no one cleaning up in the kitchen. But what has changed is the way I deal with it. I'm not saying I'm perfect yet, but I certainly am not as angry. I just, there's no point anymore. But, you know, we have anger. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:57 Highlight the passage at 1:15:57

1:16:33 Things, you know, we don't always control everything. And I think this is really, really prevalent in our society. We have a lot of reinforcing of what is our lives are supposed to be and what they're supposed to entail. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:33 Highlight the passage at 1:16:33

1:16:53 From material goods to relationships to job situations, education, all these kind of stresses on our job. And we are probably, you know, it's funny because although we're one of the most developed countries in the world and most materially wealthy countries in the world, we're also one of the most unhappiest. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:53 Highlight the passage at 1:16:53

1:17:21 So anger is there. And you can see it. Like I said, was it last, was it two weeks ago when I went to see the 8th graders? I told you about that, right? Or did I? Oh! I didn't, you guys didn't, oh God, yeah, I was like, oh, here was my marine class. I was to ask, it was, yeah, actually it was a Friday, so maybe we didn't meet after that. I was asked to go visit two groups of 8th graders and talk to them about Buddhism. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:21 Highlight the passage at 1:17:21

1:17:55 And boy, it's tough being an 8th grader. It really is. It was interesting because the next day I went into the prison and I felt more compassion for the eighth graders than I did for the prisoners. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:55 Highlight the passage at 1:17:55

1:18:16 I mean, really. I mean, and I don't know. I mean, maybe just because I'm so familiar with some of these guys in the prison over many years, but it was really, I mean, you know, these poor eighth graders, I mean, they're just, they're totally overwhelmed. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:16 Highlight the passage at 1:18:16

1:18:37 And they have no respect. Their attitudes are just... And you know they're unhappy. And the pressure that's on them is like... They look to their friends and it's like, God, your friends don't necessarily have the answer. It's not like I have the answer, but, you know, I... Geez, you know. I don't know if I had any. I mean, we tried to talk about loving kindness. We tried to talk about, you know, your projections about... Report an error in the passage at 1:18:37 Highlight the passage at 1:18:37

1:19:09 Friend Enemy Stranger, I was trying to do a simplified version for 8th graders on Friend Enemy Stranger. I don't know, maybe I made some imprints, but it's an interesting experience. It was very, I mean, it was an eye-opener, maybe because I just don't have the habit of being with that age group. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:09 Highlight the passage at 1:19:09

1:19:32 It's got to be tough, and the teachers, I mean, it's a tough period for these kids. So developing patience. It's tough, you know. So we should look at both the benefits and then the disadvantages. Disadvantages of our angry mind, the regret. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:32 Highlight the passage at 1:19:32

1:20:00 You know, that doesn't even count what happens when we get angry and react with body, speech and mind and some of the negativities. Imagine killing or harmful speech and all these things. They all have results. So usually in a moment of anger we have very little control. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:00 Highlight the passage at 1:20:00

1:20:25 Very little control. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:25 Highlight the passage at 1:20:25

1:20:33 Really, when you're angry, no one wants to be around you. You lose friends. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:33 Highlight the passage at 1:20:33

1:20:41 Even though you're a nice person, still, if you're angry, people don't want to be around you. They just don't want to deal with you. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:41 Highlight the passage at 1:20:41

1:20:51 Even if you're justified. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:51 Highlight the passage at 1:20:51

1:20:56 The world's not fair. These people shouldn't be doing this. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:56 Highlight the passage at 1:20:56

1:21:03 You may be right. You may be absolutely right. But if all you have is anger, You're not going to get very far. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:03 Highlight the passage at 1:21:03

1:21:19 No one wants to hear it. Even if they know it's true, they're just as overwhelmed as you are with it, probably. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:19 Highlight the passage at 1:21:19

1:21:31 Anyway, okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:31 Highlight the passage at 1:21:31

1:21:38 Do we want to move on to joyful effort? Or do you want to wait until next week? Report an error in the passage at 1:21:38 Highlight the passage at 1:21:38

1:21:46 Okay. Joyful, oops. Joyful effort. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:46 Highlight the passage at 1:21:46

1:21:58 This is the mind that generates virtue. Mind directed to the act for the welfare of others. It's actually a mental factor and includes, it's the mind that takes delight with the practice of virtue. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:58 Highlight the passage at 1:21:58

1:22:28 Taking delight in virtue. God, it sounds a little Pollyanna, doesn't it? I Report an error in the passage at 1:22:28 Highlight the passage at 1:22:28

1:22:42 always kind of have a virtue and non-virtue and I Report an error in the passage at 1:22:42 Highlight the passage at 1:22:42

1:22:52 think sometimes terms trick me up. Virtue sounds very self-righteous sometimes. But when we define it really in Buddhism, virtue is really those actions which have a happy result. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:52 Highlight the passage at 1:22:52

1:23:14 Non-virtues are those actions which lead to unhappy result. So it's not like there's somebody saying this is good and this is bad or shame on you. It's just basically saying, if you want happiness, do this. If you want unhappiness, do this. The choice is yours. And if you don't do unhappiness, I mean, if you do this, you're going to get this result. If you do this, you're going to get this result. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:14 Highlight the passage at 1:23:14

1:23:51 There's not like, you know, I mean, it's quite different than a God that's saying this and this and you're going to be judged and whatever. It's similar in the ethics, meaning they're not that far apart in some of the major religions, but it's really about the result. So when we think about virtue, we have to think about that. Taking delight in those actions that will have happy results. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:51 Highlight the passage at 1:23:51

1:24:22 Taking delight in virtue is just, I don't know, for me it doesn't... The word virtue seems... I don't know. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:22 Highlight the passage at 1:24:22

1:24:39 Maybe I can thesaurus it here. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:39 Highlight the passage at 1:24:39

1:24:48 I can't even say good quality. And I don't like the word merit. Because I have to think of it in terms of results. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:48 Highlight the passage at 1:24:48

1:25:03 And quality, good quality doesn't really relate to results. Again, it's a judgment. Because this is really, in some ways you should kind of assess virtues and non-virtues without judgment. It should be more just, if it's this result, then it's, I mean, if it's this action, then it's this result. You should have no judgment about good or bad. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:03 Highlight the passage at 1:25:03

1:25:31 Because, in effect, virtue is good. There's no good and there's no bad, really. I mean, you don't have, you can't have bad without good. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:31 Highlight the passage at 1:25:31

1:25:43 You know, bad is just in relationship to good. Virtue is just in relationship to non-virtue. And even happiness is related to unhappiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:43 Highlight the passage at 1:25:43

1:25:58 So joyful effort, the mind that takes delight in creating the causes for happiness. That doesn't sound so bad. It Report an error in the passage at 1:25:58 Highlight the passage at 1:25:58

1:26:18 has to be strong and stable. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:18 Highlight the passage at 1:26:18

1:26:26 It needs some patience. In accordance with the great veil, in order to attain complete enlightenment, one must accumulate virtue over three countless eons. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:26 Highlight the passage at 1:26:26

1:26:44 I don't know. You know, they actually have a way. They actually have a way of classifying it into years and stuff, but, you know, just think of it as a long, long time. Because it's beyond comprehension anyway. I mean, we can't hardly think about the next life, much less many, many lives. I think, you know, within my grasp, I might think of my past life, and I might think of some past lives maybe going back in human history. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:44 Highlight the passage at 1:26:44

1:27:16 It's possible I lived, you know, 600 years ago in some... place on this earth, you know, something like that. It does have to be Report an error in the passage at 1:27:16 Highlight the passage at 1:27:16

1:27:43 armor-like, meaning we really have to protect this kind of joyful effort, because we can get discouraged. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:43 Highlight the passage at 1:27:43

1:27:53 And there's joyful effort in gathering what we call the virtuous activities. There's also joyous effort in working for the welfare of others, which is kind of related, but one specifically outward towards others and not just controlling our own minds. We're putting in effort. So these are really kind of also the antidotes to laziness and Report an error in the passage at 1:27:53 Highlight the passage at 1:27:53

1:28:24 looking at the different types of being lazy. And even like feeling sorry for oneself or feeling low self-worth, this comes under that. It's kind of interesting. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:24 Highlight the passage at 1:28:24

1:28:41 They usually talk about joyful effort as a form. They usually talk like low self-esteem. Oh, I can't do that as a form of laziness. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:41 Highlight the passage at 1:28:41

1:28:57 It's one form of laziness. The other form of laziness is filling your mind with activities. It's another form of laziness. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:57 Highlight the passage at 1:28:57

1:29:06 That's the one I'm really good at. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:06 Highlight the passage at 1:29:06

1:29:12 It's a lot easier to do a lot of activities than it is to sit on a cushion. And for some of us, maybe that's where we're at. It's okay. But I know it's funny. Sometimes I can have all these kind of reasons not to sit on the cushion, but then once I sit down on the cushion, I actually enjoy it. But I can think of how the mind just creates all these blocks. One of them say when you've got joyous, It's like you look at that meditation cushion and it brings you joy instead of thinking of your sore knees. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:12 Highlight the passage at 1:29:12

1:29:50 Do I really have to? Or going into morning puja with a mind of delight? Report an error in the passage at 1:29:50 Highlight the passage at 1:29:50

1:29:59 I used to do that when I was a small boy going to Catholic school. I used to enjoy going to church. I wonder what happened. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:59 Highlight the passage at 1:29:59

1:30:14 Anyway, I don't know. Okay, we have one more class. We'll talk about concentration and wisdom next time. One, two, three, four, five, six. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:14 Highlight the passage at 1:30:14

1:30:34 Your homework for next week is to take one verse of the four measurables and be ready to guide a meditation on it. You can take one of the four lines and Report an error in the passage at 1:30:34 Highlight the passage at 1:30:34

1:30:53 to guide a two to five minute meditation on that verse, a line. It can be, may all beings have happiness, may all beings be free of suffering, may all beings never be separated from bliss, or may all beings abide in equanimity, free of bias, attachment, anger. So you have to be ready to lead a meditation. I bet you one of you is glad you're not coming to class next week. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:53 Highlight the passage at 1:30:53

1:31:24 But don't worry, you could get called on practice day. Okay, so what? So four measurables on page 34. before one we begin the class with. The third one really means that the happiness that is free from suffering is kind of, and there's two ways of presenting, one of it is just pure love, this kind of blissful nature of love. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:24 Highlight the passage at 1:31:24

1:32:09 Another one is just enlightenment or nirvāṇa description. But it also, you know, the suffering of change. There's an illusion of happiness in the suffering of change. Would that be appropriate there or no? You can try it. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:09 Highlight the passage at 1:32:09

1:32:36 Okay. We spent the last couple hours here reflecting on the Buddha's teachings, covering the bodhisattva path, creating some imprints. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:36 Highlight the passage at 1:32:36

1:32:51 You know, challenging ourselves to see if these things make sense, see if we can apply them into our own experience, integrate them into our lives. These all are something we can rejoice in. All this activity certainly shouldn't bring any harm, and if it does, you better talk to me, but we can rejoice, I think, and dedicate that. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:51 Highlight the passage at 1:32:51

1:33:22 It's a time of... Unease, difficulties, change, anxiety in the world right now, economy's not doing well, price of gas is going up, there's a political game to see who gets to be in charge and all kinds of things, unresolved things right now. No one's really clear. Could get worse, could get better. There's hope. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:22 Highlight the passage at 1:33:22

1:34:00 But maybe not. So let's dedicate. So just even within our own minds, we realize that hope for all those qualities that we possess ourselves already, loving kindness, compassion, wisdom, so that all the obscurations and mental veils and afflictions that we possess kind of removed and we can really apply and let those qualities. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:00 Highlight the passage at 1:34:00

1:34:40 Blossom of loving, kindness, compassion, wisdom. So through our own example, we can inspire and offer hope to others and thus create a world of peace. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:40 Highlight the passage at 1:34:40

1:35:02 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:02 Highlight the passage at 1:35:02

1:35:07 And Chad, you have to stay after class. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:07 Highlight the passage at 1:35:07

1:35:19 I'll be teaching not until August. At least that's what I saw on the schedule now. It looks like... Most of June I'll be gone, and most of July I'll be gone. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:19 Highlight the passage at 1:35:19

1:35:37 I don't think I'm on schedule yet for June. Could be the end of June or beginning of July, but I don't know yet. But a class I think we talked about maybe in August. So, why not? Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:37 Highlight the passage at 1:35:37