The Spiritual Teacher - Discovering Buddhism (part 5)

0:28 Alright, so let's just start with a little meditation on the breath for a few rounds. Just to let our minds arrive in this room, let go of any conversations you've just been having and whatever happened in your work day today, whatever it took for you to get here today. Any incidents with drivers, parking spaces. And let's start with some nice deep cleansing breaths. Report an error in the passage at 0:28 Highlight the passage at 0:28

1:03 Again, allowing each in-breath to let yourself become more present. Every out-breath to let go of any distractions. And Report an error in the passage at 1:03 Highlight the passage at 1:03

1:28 then mentally review your posture. Report an error in the passage at 1:28 Highlight the passage at 1:28

1:35 Find your focal point for watching your breath for a few rounds. And you can count your breath or not, but just the main thing is to just try to keep returning your awareness to that breath. No matter what pulls you away from it. So whether it's internal in your mind or external sounds in the center or sounds in the street, just keep placing it back on the object. Report an error in the passage at 1:35 Highlight the passage at 1:35

2:02 And we'll just go for a few minutes. And Report an error in the passage at 2:02 Highlight the passage at 2:02

· · · silence, 3 minutes

5:02 as your mind begins to calm down and start cultivating a motivation for tonight's class, Report an error in the passage at 5:02 Highlight the passage at 5:02

5:23 that any insights or understandings that we may get tonight, Report an error in the passage at 5:23 Highlight the passage at 5:23

5:33 that they can help us transform our minds. Into fully enlightened minds so Report an error in the passage at 5:33 Highlight the passage at 5:33

5:46 that we can actually help others perfectly. We'll know what to do. We'll have the capacity. That's really all that a Buddha is. They have perfect capacity, perfect means, perfect methods to help every living being. We'll Report an error in the passage at 5:46 Highlight the passage at 5:46

6:23 start with the opening prayers on Report an error in the passage at 6:23 Highlight the passage at 6:23

6:35 page 8 of the White Prayer Book. Report an error in the passage at 6:35 Highlight the passage at 6:35

6:46 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. Report an error in the passage at 6:46 Highlight the passage at 6:46

7:14 And dispel the miseries of the world 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. Report an error in the passage at 7:14 Highlight the passage at 7:14

7:38 As long as space remains, as long as sentient beings remain. Until then, may I too remain and dispel the miseries of the world. 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. Report an error in the passage at 7:38 Highlight the passage at 7:38

8:10 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 8:10 Highlight the passage at 8:10

8:28 A quick check in, see how you guys did with the meditation this week or contemplation or anything else that we talked about. Because last week's class was a little, could be a bit much for most Westerners. But I just always feel like, you know, these are texts that are... Talked about, really discussed for the rest of your dharmic life. And so to have a chance to kind of spend a whole class just going through them is useful. Report an error in the passage at 8:28 Highlight the passage at 8:28

9:01 Does anybody have any questions or anything? Report an error in the passage at 9:01 Highlight the passage at 9:01

9:07 If it suddenly pops into your brain later, you can ask it. Did you have any? A comment. Oh, Report an error in the passage at 9:07 Highlight the passage at 9:07

9:19 there you go. Report an error in the passage at 9:19 Highlight the passage at 9:19

9:23 It's related. But I was kind of contemplating whether or not to go to the Long Life Puja on Sunday. And then I remembered, well, why wouldn't I want the cause to have children Rinpoche around in the future? Then it wasn't really a choice. Were you there? Yeah. I came late and I was over in the other room next to the TV. Report an error in the passage at 9:23 Highlight the passage at 9:23

9:43 Yeah, I know. I mean, really, why wouldn't we ever? I know. It's surprising, actually, that people don't go. But actually they say, you know, our requesting gurus to live long is actually karmically has the effect of... Allowing us to live along and to remain connected to them. So it actually benefits us. But they kindly agree to it and go through the whole thing and wear the little panda's hat and all that stuff. Report an error in the passage at 9:43 Highlight the passage at 9:43

10:08 And we all hand them all these gifts. Then they give them all to the next person. It's the whole thing. But very true. I just remember that one class where about creating the causes for teachers. Totally. Yeah, it wasn't really a choice. Of course I would go. Yeah, yeah. And to that connection, creating the causes for the connection with Him to continue. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 10:08 Highlight the passage at 10:08

10:36 Because I remember actually when Kirti Sintra Rinpoche was manifesting, passing away, you know, he had liver cancer for some time before he passed away. And Lama Zopa Rinpoche, like kind of near the end, had us all reading the long life prayer, like over and over and over again. And it was clear, you know. Report an error in the passage at 10:36 Highlight the passage at 10:36

10:56 To the ordinary perception. But then we began to realize that actually what he's doing is just helping us create the causes to stay connected to him in his next life, you know, and to be, so we don't lose that connection. So it's actually, there's always like this sort of twist on whatever you see and to not always take it at face value, you know, it's like a long life push, it isn't just a big party, you know, soak. Report an error in the passage at 10:56 Highlight the passage at 10:56

11:22 It also has the same effect of when we practice silk a couple times a month. Anyway, it's on the Tibetan calendar. Report an error in the passage at 11:22 Highlight the passage at 11:22

11:35 We are creating the causes to remain close to our gurus, to help all their obstacles, I mean to remove all of the obstacles in their projects and activities, and then also to get closer and closer to them, remain close to them, and stay connected to all the lineage Lamas all the way back to Shakyamuni Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 11:35 Highlight the passage at 11:35

11:54 So it's like, it's actually, it's all about making that connection with the whole... Guru tree that's up there, right above Lama Zopa's head there. So, which includes like Nargajuna and all the masters, you know, Master Atisha, Master Saṅgha, Shantideva. Report an error in the passage at 11:54 Highlight the passage at 11:54

12:14 Yeah, so anyway. So I wanted to make a couple of announcements about stuff that's coming up. Oh gosh, I was going to hand out. Anyway. Report an error in the passage at 12:14 Highlight the passage at 12:14

12:31 The next two Discovering Buddhism classes, I think I announced it, but I'll announce it again. Death and Rebirth will be starting on October 23rd on Tuesdays. Report an error in the passage at 12:31 Highlight the passage at 12:31

12:47 We're going to have a couple of Venema Rubina's teachings in between, so that's what the little gap is. We'll have one more class in here. This is our second to last class. Next week will be our last class. And then there will be two teachings by Venema Rubina, and then the new series begins. Report an error in the passage at 12:47 Highlight the passage at 12:47

13:07 And then Karma, All About Karma, begins on Thursdays beginning on the 1st of November. And I don't think there's any lag time in that class. I think there's just, I guess, jumps right in. And both of those are seven-week classes and they'll both finish before Christmas. But I think we'll do a combined practice day in January for those two. And then also just to remind you that... Report an error in the passage at 13:07 Highlight the passage at 13:07

13:38 Venerable Renee's Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga retreat that I think they decided to market as called something else. Report an error in the passage at 13:38 Highlight the passage at 13:38

13:49 That's going to be on Friday night the 28th and Saturday the 29th. I think it's going to be an incredible thing and I really highly recommend it, even if you can only come for part of it. First of all, to make the connection with Venerable Renee, if you haven't already. And with Lama Tsongkhapa, if you haven't already. And with Guru Yoga, which you will tonight actually begin. We're going to talk a little bit about Guru Yoga. Report an error in the passage at 13:49 Highlight the passage at 13:49

14:16 But especially as a kind of continuation of this class, I think it's a good one. Also coming up in October, Venerable Ninjay, who has done two four-plus year retreats. Report an error in the passage at 14:16 Highlight the passage at 14:16

14:37 Is going to come up and lead a day on the 21 Taras on Saturday the 13th of October. And she's going to use a teaching, she's going to use her notes from a teaching that Lama Yeshe gave. So that's kind of cool. Yeah. Which I don't know has ever been published. So she was like looking for it and then she emailed me and said I found them. Report an error in the passage at 14:37 Highlight the passage at 14:37

14:59 So I was really excited about that because I think it'll be cool. I won't be here for that. Her TA will be Karen, as one would guess. Or this one student who's just heavily into Tara. Report an error in the passage at 14:59 Highlight the passage at 14:59

15:15 It's the 13th of October. It's on the website. And I have to change the date on the calendar. Emily's new class on the Heart Sūtra will now begin on the 26th of October on Friday nights. Report an error in the passage at 15:15 Highlight the passage at 15:15

15:34 It's on the website as the 19th. I have to change that. Or maybe, hopefully Keisha's changed it, but if not, I'll change that. Report an error in the passage at 15:34 Highlight the passage at 15:34

15:45 It's not a bad idea. You could email and then she can send you a form if you want like that. Or I don't know if she's got them here tonight. She definitely will have them next week. But somebody like literally just called and wanted to. I think people are starting. I think that one will be a pretty full house, I think. Report an error in the passage at 15:45 Highlight the passage at 15:45

16:10 And next week we had talked about if you guys can do it coming starting class at 630. Can you guys all do it? Okay. You won't be here. Oh, God. It'll be really small. Oh, right. There we go. So Chad's replaced by two people. And in the place, now what do they do when there's somebody? Roland is always really good at that on TV shows. Report an error in the passage at 16:10 Highlight the passage at 16:10

16:39 I have like the face of somebody else who's replacing somebody for tonight's show. It'll be Peter and Lois for tonight's show. Okay, I don't know whether Brett will come, but anyway, at least we'll have some other people. Yeah, I wanted to show that film, I mean the words of my perfect teacher. Report an error in the passage at 16:39 Highlight the passage at 16:39

16:59 And it's Jack and Judah's film, so I could probably loan it to you afterwards if you're really, really careful with it. Yeah, it's a good film. And it also, I think because it's a modern situation that is kind of, clearly his students are struggling with some of the stuff that we've been talking about, like really visibly. Report an error in the passage at 16:59 Highlight the passage at 16:59

17:17 So I think it's good. And we can, we probably won't have a long time to discuss it afterwards because it pretty much will take the remainder of the class. I'll talk a little bit in the beginning of the class and then, but still we can talk a little bit and then we can also talk. Well, we can't talk so much at the practice day, can we? Oh, well, we'll see. See what kind of questions you have. It's probably not that kind of a film that you're going to have like a lot of questions. Report an error in the passage at 17:17 Highlight the passage at 17:17

17:43 It's more just like interesting to see it depicted because it's not something that you see Tibetan, the whole Tibetan Lama thing being depicted. And he's quite modern, actually. He's very funny. I'm actually going to... Find some more quotes from him about guru yoga at the beginning of class too. I was going to find it for tonight, but just the way he writes is very funny too. So I was going to hand out some possible... Report an error in the passage at 17:43 Highlight the passage at 17:43

18:13 He's here! Hey Brett. We were just talking about how class is going to start a little early next week, 6.30. And I'll talk for a little bit, but then we're just going to watch a film together called The Words of My Perfect Teacher. Have you seen that? No, it's not Sir Kenzi Rinpoche. Report an error in the passage at 18:13 Highlight the passage at 18:13

18:34 And Chad can't be here for that class. But in his place, we're bringing back Peter and Louis. No, it's okay. Actually, I may just announce that we are going to watch it if other people want to come. I think I may just invite other DB students, I think, rather than doing an all-out bulletin or anything like that, because I don't know what copyright things there might be. Report an error in the passage at 18:34 Highlight the passage at 18:34

18:57 So we're not charging anything for it. Report an error in the passage at 18:57 Highlight the passage at 18:57

19:01 So the practice day, which is now combined with the presentation, I mean with presenting the PATH practice day on the 27th. Report an error in the passage at 19:01 Highlight the passage at 19:01

19:14 the, well, anyway, the The format for the practice days, I always do them the same way. At some point I may change that, but I always think it works out really well. We usually try to do the morning in silence, and I kind of just do guided meditations based on the classes. Report an error in the passage at 19:14 Highlight the passage at 19:14

19:33 From this one, I'll choose several meditations and from presenting the path, I'll choose several meditations that people have done for homework. So there's some familiarity with those. And even if you've never come, like some people, Keith especially, who works far away and only is able to come on Saturdays, will come and he always gets something out of it. Report an error in the passage at 19:33 Highlight the passage at 19:33

19:54 So it's not like you have to be really familiar with the meditations. So the morning we just kind of do a series of those and I just kind of tell you when a good stretch break is. You know, so it'll be like 20 minutes and then it's okay to stretch and then 20 minutes and then okay to stretch. So you don't have to sit solidly for two hours. But I do like the silence, to keep the silence as much like a little retreat morning as we can. Report an error in the passage at 19:54 Highlight the passage at 19:54

20:20 And then right before we break for lunch, we do a little bit of discussing about... You know, people's experiences with the meditations or whatever. And then actually, instead of the potluck thing, I think we're just going to do the cafe. Report an error in the passage at 20:20 Highlight the passage at 20:20

20:40 So I don't think we need to do the whole list of figuring out who's going to bring what and everything. I think people can just, we can just get it from the cafe. Report an error in the passage at 20:40 Highlight the passage at 20:40

20:50 She'll know that it's happening and we'll have a better idea who all is coming, so she'll make sure she might want to do additional things for sale. Probably we'll just do that. Yeah. Because we decided it's a little too confusing to have all these other foods sort of around. So we decided to do away with everything except the cafe foods at this point. Report an error in the passage at 20:50 Highlight the passage at 20:50

21:10 Although she may do some sort of deal there. And then in the afternoon what we usually do is the Discovering Buddhism program has these videos. Report an error in the passage at 21:10 Highlight the passage at 21:10

21:23 Well, I'll still call them videos. But they're just like 27 minutes for each of the classes. And so what I usually do is in the afternoon while we're eating dessert, we watch the one for the class that we're doing. So for this class, there's one for the teacher. And then by that time, now you've done a full two months on it. So like all the things that people talk about have more meaning for you than watching it at the beginning because people are talking about what it means to have a teacher, It means, you know, in their path. Teachers are teaching about a teacher, things like that. So those qualities and things like that you would recognize. And they try to bring in, they're actually really nice, nicely made videos, surprisingly. Report an error in the passage at 21:23 Highlight the passage at 21:23

22:06 I mean, not surprising because she's actually a good filmmaker. The production value is quite nice. I used to show them to my mom all the time. It's sort of like entertainment tonight for Buddhism. They're just nice little sound bites, you know, 27 minutes at a shot, usually introduced by Richard Gere or Keanu Reeves, you know, so it's kind of like... Report an error in the passage at 22:06 Highlight the passage at 22:06

22:26 So because we're combining them, we'll probably watch the two together, but not necessarily the beginning of them both because the beginning is always the same. Report an error in the passage at 22:26 Highlight the passage at 22:26

22:37 So we'll watch those two together. And then student presentations begin. And so people choose like a 10-minute, something from the class that you're in. And if you're in both classes, you can try to combine something if you'd like. And so I was going to hand out presentation topics. What I think what I'll do is just email it to you. Report an error in the passage at 22:37 Highlight the passage at 22:37

22:58 And then that way you have more time to think about it. These are sort of ones that either I've thought of or the program has thought of. And then you can wait, since it's quite a while away now, and see what comes up. For those of you that are doing both classes, you can see if there's something that you'd like to try to combine from the two. Report an error in the passage at 22:58 Highlight the passage at 22:58

23:21 You know, you might be able to talk about, for example, karma, how karma affects both things or something like that. You can usually tie karma into just about anything. Report an error in the passage at 23:21 Highlight the passage at 23:21

23:33 Peter does. Peter usually does that one. Or you can take a meditation and lead it. So sometimes they aren't like a simple presentation. Sometimes it's like taking one of the meditations that we learned and leading the group, which is always what I would fall back on because everybody has to close their eyes and they can't watch you. Report an error in the passage at 23:33 Highlight the passage at 23:33

23:52 This is always my secret. And again, it doesn't have to be a major thing. Especially if that many people come from the other class, this may be the biggest practice day we've ever had. Report an error in the passage at 23:52 Highlight the passage at 23:52

24:07 But, you know, even if you have eight to ten people, you don't want to take too long because then if all the discussion's happening and stuff, it could go on for a couple of hours. So we will have somebody being the timekeeper or something with this one, I think. I mean, it's one thing if you have four people. Then we could just go on forever. Report an error in the passage at 24:07 Highlight the passage at 24:07

24:26 But if you have a lot of people, then we want to keep it moving. Anyway, it always ends up being a really, really nice way to end the class. It always feels like a good way to close the class, and people always get a lot out of it. So, you know, just another advertisement for it. So tonight we're going to talk a little bit about the role of faith. Report an error in the passage at 24:26 Highlight the passage at 24:26

24:49 So really coming into this idea of more of devotion rather than relating to the spiritual teacher, even though we shy away from that word. Report an error in the passage at 24:49 Highlight the passage at 24:49

25:02 This word faith, there isn't really this idea of blind faith at all in Buddhism. Report an error in the passage at 25:02 Highlight the passage at 25:02

25:15 It's something, well we talk about, first of all you have to remember that we're talking about somebody that you have spent quite a bit of time checking up. Somebody who you have decided is a qualified spiritual master according to the lists and watching them over a long amount of time and so forth. And then you are developing a certain attitude or a certain state of mind that is called faith. And like everything else, it's not left up to our imagination what faith means. Report an error in the passage at 25:15 Highlight the passage at 25:15

25:52 It's quite defined. There's going to be a list coming in a few minutes. Report an error in the passage at 25:52 Highlight the passage at 25:52

26:00 The way that it's taught is that you can cultivate faith by concentrating on the good qualities when the tendency, our normal tendency, is to look for faults. Our normal tendency in all beings is to look for faults. Our normal tendency in looking at ourselves is to look for faults, actually. so. Report an error in the passage at 26:00 Highlight the passage at 26:00

26:20 So This is like beginning to change this attitude that we normally have for all beings and starting to concentrate more on the good qualities that we know we found, right? We've seen them because we were checking up, we were looking for them. So it's not like we're creating those good qualities. We're trying to see what drew us to that teacher to begin with. Report an error in the passage at 26:20 Highlight the passage at 26:20

26:48 Concentrating on them and allowing ourselves to develop this attitude of faith based on them. Master Asanga defines faith, this is a big one, if you write it down, which you can also say is believing or trusting in something, as, quote, the constructive mental action of focusing on something existent and knowledgeable, and knowable, sorry, and knowable, Report an error in the passage at 26:48 Highlight the passage at 26:48

27:20 Considering it either existent or true, and considering a fact about it as true. It's kind of a, yeah, it's like a mouthful. Report an error in the passage at 27:20 Highlight the passage at 27:20

27:33 It's actually, so it's a mental action, so it's a movement of the mind, it's a mental activity, faith is. So it's not like something in our hearts, which sometimes we have this idea that faith is like this emotional heart thing. Well, remember that within Buddhism, the heart and mind are really considered one and emotions are really considered thoughts. Report an error in the passage at 27:33 Highlight the passage at 27:33

27:56 They aren't really this separate kind of gooey, warm, trickly thing that's happening over there somewhere. It's like something that we've thought out. So this is something, this implies that there's this element of certainty about it. There's this something that exists. And there's something that's knowable and considering a fact about it as true excludes blind faith or presumption. Report an error in the passage at 27:56 Highlight the passage at 27:56

28:26 There's no such thing as blind faith in Buddhism. So Master Saṅgha gives three ways of believing a fact to be true in relating to how one gains faith with the spiritual master's good qualities. And they are translations of Tibetan, so they sort of sound a little weird. One of them is called clear-headedly, with a clear head. Report an error in the passage at 28:26 Highlight the passage at 28:26

28:58 And that's pretty much how it sounds. Having examined the teacher's behavior and character, we focus on the good qualities while believing clear-headedly that the teacher has them. Report an error in the passage at 28:58 Highlight the passage at 28:58

29:12 The more we do this, the more we cleanse our minds of disturbing emotions and attitudes towards our mentors, such as arrogance. Report an error in the passage at 29:12 Highlight the passage at 29:12

29:20 Doubts and things like that. Remember again that you are applying this to somebody that you've already chosen as your guru. So this isn't talking yourself out of doubts and things while you're still trying to figure out if this person is your teacher. This is once this person is your teacher, how to cultivate faith. Report an error in the passage at 29:20 Highlight the passage at 29:20

29:46 The side effect of this is also that you stop focusing so much on the things that you perceive as faults. Which is some way that we tend to, we spend a lot of time focusing on faults, or what we perceive as faults. Remembering, of course, that we might not have, we might not be able to see completely clearly. We still have obscurations, we still have karmic obscurations. Report an error in the passage at 29:46 Highlight the passage at 29:46

30:16 So we may actually see something as a fault, like, you know, a shrill voice or something like that, which is simply... skillful means. They might, you know, like Lama Zopa Rinpoche has this tendency to not always be the most easy to understand of all teachers for beginning Westerners. And many people will, you know, react with all this stuff comes up, like anger, frustration, you know, like they don't understand or whatever, impatience and things like that. Report an error in the passage at 30:16 Highlight the passage at 30:16

30:53 And the more that you get familiar with his style of teaching, he teaches in a very circular way. So he'll start, wherever he starts, he always comes back full circle. And it's very skillful, it's very interesting, but you have to develop, his name says it all, Zopa means patience. So he's forcing you to develop patience while he teaches you about the Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 30:53 Highlight the passage at 30:53

31:15 It's actually very interesting. But you have to have a certain amount of patience to be able to get the message. And some people just... Bale. So some people could see that as a fault, that he, you know, sort of doesn't teach in a linear method and tends to speak in this kind of little quiet voice and even coughs a lot, things like that. Report an error in the passage at 31:15 Highlight the passage at 31:15

31:39 And then, you know, others have a student who have been studying with him for 30, 40 years. For one, it may not see those as faults. So we just have to be aware that whatever we see as a fault could be our own perception. Just keep your mind open to that. It could be a karmic perception, which can change, which can change very much. It's very interesting now when I go to a teaching by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Report an error in the passage at 31:39 Highlight the passage at 31:39

32:04 I do remember to have caffeine. But you just feel yourself... fiend. Report an error in the passage at 32:04 Highlight the passage at 32:04

32:11 Let go of time. You just let go of time and you just think, all right, this is fine. Whatever it's going to happen, you know, I'm just I'm here for the duration. I'm just I'm going to just stay. And it's like this this mental release. It's actually very interesting and it's great. It's always just like this kind of, you know, moment of just like, great, this is fine. You know, I have to make sure that I'm comfy. Report an error in the passage at 32:11 Highlight the passage at 32:11

32:36 You have to make sure that you sort of plan ahead of time, but you do, you just let go. That's the only way you can do it. You can't do it with any idea that he better be finished by, you know, 11.30 or 12.30 or whatever, or I'm going to get to work tomorrow, oh my God, you know, like all those panicky things. Report an error in the passage at 32:36 Highlight the passage at 32:36

32:54 You won't be able to focus, you just have to let go of everything and then just ride the teaching. It's really interesting. So the first one then is this clear-headed. Report an error in the passage at 32:54 Highlight the passage at 32:54

33:07 Examination or this clear-headed way of believing a fact to be true when we're figuring out this type of faith actually. It's a faith that's clear-headed. The second is a faith that's based on reason. And this is where we recall the good qualities that the teacher has that we've seen in the teacher. And we remember that these came about for the teacher based on karma. Report an error in the passage at 33:07 Highlight the passage at 33:07

33:45 So they have attained these qualities through their practice, extensive practice of the Dharma. This is actually a way that we gain not just faith in them, but faith in karma and faith in the Dharma. So we can see the effect of practicing the teachings. The teachings are embodied in them. Report an error in the passage at 33:45 Highlight the passage at 33:45

34:17 And the third is faith with aspiration. This is where we focus on these good qualities and believe that we ourselves can attain them if we apply effort. Report an error in the passage at 34:17 Highlight the passage at 34:17

34:33 So this is how we actually encourage ourselves to develop joyful effort or enthusiasm for practice. It's like that same thing that we keep in mind when we prostrate, you know, that Chuck Sello, I want what you have. Thinking about the qualities when we're prostrating, rather than just prostrating, you know, without anything in our minds, just doing the simple act. Report an error in the passage at 34:33 Highlight the passage at 34:33

34:59 The whole idea of it is bowing down to a quality that I admire, but also that I want, you know. know, so. This is a way of concentrating on their good qualities. For example, Geshe-la's stability of mind and wanting that quality ourselves. And based on reasoning, we can think, well, Geshe-la applied the teachings on how to develop calm abiding and things like that and was able to, you know, by working with his teacher and by... Report an error in the passage at 34:59 Highlight the passage at 34:59

35:34 Purifying negative karma and accumulating positive karma, he was able to develop the stability of mind. So that's how you could kind of look at a quality in your teacher and apply these different kinds of faith. Report an error in the passage at 35:34 Highlight the passage at 35:34

35:52 So then there's this, I always throw out these quotes because these quotes are just amazing. There's one from what's called the Ten Teaching Sūtra. Which I don't know. I had another translation of that, so I don't know. But anyway, it's on the idea that we should develop respect for our teachers in order to remember their kindness and generate faith. Report an error in the passage at 35:52 Highlight the passage at 35:52

36:16 And Tim, you'll probably recognize this one. I've wandered for a long time through psychic existence, and they search for me. I've been asleep, having been obscured by delusion for a long time, and they wake me. They pull me out of the depths of the ocean of existence. I have entered a bad path and they reveal the good path to me. They release me from being bound in the prison of existence. I have been worn out by illness for a long time and they are my doctors. Report an error in the passage at 36:16 Highlight the passage at 36:16

36:44 They are the rain clouds that put out my blazing fire of attachment and all the rest. Report an error in the passage at 36:44 Highlight the passage at 36:44

36:53 So that's also an idea to think about once you have a teacher and you start having some faith in the fact that you have been trapped. Through your own karma and delusions in psychic existence for a long time. And now you have this amazing connection with a teacher who can get you out. Report an error in the passage at 36:53 Highlight the passage at 36:53

37:20 Or as something I was just reading by Tsongkhapa Rinpoche, they can actually get you out of the coffin of the casket of psychic existence. He uses a casket and he actually brings out a casket in his teaching to show people what we're trapped in. Report an error in the passage at 37:20 Highlight the passage at 37:20

37:38 So then there's also a teaching that Lama Zopa Rinpoche gives, and there's actually a version of it. He's given this teaching in many forms. This next part, I actually took notes during a teaching that he gave at Kopan in 98. But in, I think it's reading 2, I think. Did you guys read reading 2? Anyway, it's one of the binder readings for this class. Report an error in the passage at 37:38 Highlight the passage at 37:38

38:07 I think it is. Report an error in the passage at 38:07 Highlight the passage at 38:07

38:14 The one where he's talking about how to use what you see as faults as a way to increase your devotion or your faith. The kindness of the guru. Yeah, I think it is. I think it's the Binder Reading 2. At any rate, you'll be reading Binder Readings 3 and 4 this week, so it'll be in one of them. Report an error in the passage at 38:14 Highlight the passage at 38:14

38:39 But anyway, he says this teaching, he actually heard it originally from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, which it must have been a teaching for Tibetans because I had never really heard His Holiness teach that much about Guru devotion to Westerners. I think because he knows that we get freaked out by it. Lama Zopa actually does. And he says that even though it sounds a little weird for a teacher to talk about it, He says if our motivation is out of compassion so that the student knows from the very beginning what they're looking for, how to create the causes to have this kind of relationship, how to be a good student, how to relate to a teacher once they meet them and so forth. Report an error in the passage at 38:39 Highlight the passage at 38:39

39:26 If our thought is of compassion and that's our motivation, then that's fine. So that's why he feels like it is okay to teach these teachings. But he said one thing to think about is, actually I'll just, I think actually this is pretty much a direct quote, so I'm just going to give it to you. He said, this ordinary aspect, meaning showing faults, is the only way I can see the Guru. He's so precious and kind to manifest in this form like this. Report an error in the passage at 39:26 Highlight the passage at 39:26

40:00 My mind is so obscured, I can't see anything. But this present form, having mistakes, so it's the only way to guide me. If he appeared in perfect form, I wouldn't be able to see him or receive teachings from him. If he appeared too imperfectly, I wouldn't want to receive teachings from him. In this ordinary form, I see him as just ordinary enough, and I am able to receive teachings from him. Report an error in the passage at 40:00 Highlight the passage at 40:00

40:23 This is due to his kindness to me. So when these thoughts arise and you see faults and mistakes in the Guru, you think, this is due to my own karmic obscurations and also due to the kindness of the Guru. He can't reach me any other way than showing this aspect, how kind. He's doing this for the benefit of my ordinary mind. Then you can say this over and over or even do a mala of how precious, how kind, like a mantra. Report an error in the passage at 40:23 Highlight the passage at 40:23

40:48 And at the same time, you contemplate him washing you clean of these deluded thoughts. This purifies your mistaken view and makes it actually virtuous. You're turning your own delusions into the cause for cultivating guru devotion. And you can think how unbelievably kind he is to show this aspect for my benefit. Report an error in the passage at 40:48 Highlight the passage at 40:48

41:08 Without the guru, I'm totally lost. There's no way to receive guidance, oral transmissions, commentaries, vows, initiations and so on. All of these things I need to attain liberation and enlightenment. He's doing this so I can achieve all the benefit of full guru devotion all the way up to enlightenment. Not only do gurus possess jewel-like qualities, but they are causing me to attain jewel-like qualities too. Report an error in the passage at 41:08 Highlight the passage at 41:08

41:33 This leaves your mind calm and peaceful. Report an error in the passage at 41:33 Highlight the passage at 41:33

41:39 So, this is, it's something that I think it's a little bit much for Westerners to think about because it still sounds like what we're trying to do is to Talk ourselves into the qualities and that's why I keep trying to underscore that we have already spent probably years checking up this person and that the thing that drew us to them in the first place were these qualities and what we're trying to do at this point is to actually continue to see those qualities and not you know how it is like when you're You're first drawn into a relationship with somebody and you only see qualities. And then within a few days, I was going to say months or years, but usually it's sooner, you begin to see faults. Report an error in the passage at 41:39 Highlight the passage at 41:39

42:39 And then often, if a relationship goes bad, you're only seeing faults. You no longer can see any. And sometimes if a relationship goes really bad, like during divorce things, especially if there are kids and stuff and it gets drawn out and this horrible breakup, all you can see is the faults. You can't even remember why you ever liked this person, much less love them. And it's really possible for us to do that with gurus too. Report an error in the passage at 42:39 Highlight the passage at 42:39

43:07 And so that's sort of the lesson is that, yeah, we can be really drawn. And for the first couple of years even. Sort of have the honeymoon phase where we're all excited by them and we're all like surrounded by, you know, others of their students and everybody's kind of all excited and everything. And then it gets hard. You know, you're continuing to work. You're continuing to work on your own mind. It's not always pretty. It goes on for a long time. Report an error in the passage at 43:07 Highlight the passage at 43:07

43:35 I mean, we're talking about a relationship with a teacher that could span as much as 30 or 40 years of your life. So how to keep it strong. So these are techniques that our teachers have used to keep their faith, respect, devotion strong in the face of a world that basically doesn't even appreciate this particular teaching, much less support it. Report an error in the passage at 43:35 Highlight the passage at 43:35

44:09 So it's kind of... You can see why this method came about. And these are methods, actually, that the Tibetans used, and it was supported in that culture, actually. And it was supported at the time of, you know, in early India, to respect teachers. But still, you know, mind changes. Mind gets bored. Mind doesn't want to do hard stuff. And that part's the same, no matter you're talking about it. Report an error in the passage at 44:09 Highlight the passage at 44:09

44:40 Ancient India, ancient Tibet or modern Tibet or modern America. It's the same. We get tired, we get lazy, we blame, we get resentful, we don't feel like doing something. So it's easier to not do something if you find fault with whoever it is who told you to do it. So that's what it's more about. You're more likely to follow the instructions of a teacher if you admire them. Report an error in the passage at 44:40 Highlight the passage at 44:40

45:09 If you still remember why it is that you chose them to be your teacher to begin with. And that's one of Lama Zopa's teachings from that same teaching, which I'm currently meditating on every morning. There's like so many, like one sentence. You can just look at that one sentence and just think about it. And I remember this one sentence is like, once you develop Guru devotion, it's so easy to follow the Guru's advice. Report an error in the passage at 45:09 Highlight the passage at 45:09

45:34 Without it, it's so easy to have a billion reasons not to. It's so easy to just be like, or even to admire it and think it's a great idea, but think maybe in 10 years. Maybe later when life calms down, whatever. But to actually just take the time to really follow the advice right now, which is if we chose a teacher to help us get enlightened, that's what we have to do. Report an error in the passage at 45:34 Highlight the passage at 45:34

46:02 We don't necessarily know that we have tomorrow. We don't necessarily know we have in 10 years. So we've got to take advantage of the moment right now. We don't know that we have the karma to stay connected with that teacher even if we are alive in 10 years. So a lot of these teachings are about how to, as Lama Zopa says, get maximum profit out of our relationship with the girl. Report an error in the passage at 46:02 Highlight the passage at 46:02

46:30 So do we have any questions so far? Report an error in the passage at 46:30 Highlight the passage at 46:30

46:37 Well done. I saw one forming. What's the difference between refuge and devotion? Report an error in the passage at 46:37 Highlight the passage at 46:37

46:48 Geshe-la always says that refuge is sort of like reliance. Reliance upon. Report an error in the passage at 46:48 Highlight the passage at 46:48

46:57 So it's like when you say that you're going to take refuge in the Guru, Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha, it's that you're relying on them, meaning... Relying on the methods basically that the Buddha used to get enlightened. That means applying the teachings, even when it's difficult. That means basically applying the teachings on karma. Report an error in the passage at 46:57 Highlight the passage at 46:57

47:22 It's kind of a drag, isn't it? So if bad stuff's happening to you, to remember I created the causes. I can't. Scream at that person for cutting me off on my bike. I can react, but I then have to think about it afterwards. And that may not be so easy. But that's more like relying. So you're deciding, you're relying based on understanding the situation that you're in. Report an error in the passage at 47:22 Highlight the passage at 47:22

47:57 I'm relying on the teachings of the Buddha, the observations of the Buddha, and I'm applying those into my life, and that's refuge, really. Report an error in the passage at 47:57 Highlight the passage at 47:57

48:09 Devotion. Devotion, I think, has an element of this faith and respect for this being that's based kind of on these different levels. So you're clear-headedly checking it out. your Report an error in the passage at 48:09 Highlight the passage at 48:09

48:27 Your reasoning out, your reasoning your faith out. And then you also have this based on understanding how karma works. So the reasoning ones, so there's your common denominator is karma. How did they get the qualities that they have? So the first one is you're seeing the qualities. Second one is you're remembering karma in relation to their qualities. Report an error in the passage at 48:27 Highlight the passage at 48:27

48:51 And then thirdly, you are wanting those qualities too. Report an error in the passage at 48:51 Highlight the passage at 48:51

48:58 So, I think devotion is, it's like, it's based on all of those things, but there is this level of, Report an error in the passage at 48:58 Highlight the passage at 48:58

49:16 I don't know exactly, actually. I mean, I'm definitely relying on his methods, if I, you know, so that element's the same. Report an error in the passage at 49:16 Highlight the passage at 49:16

49:28 I think it's actually, they say in some ways it's something that, We actually discard later, and we'll talk about this a little bit, how the guru is like the bridge, the outer guru is like the bridge to our inner guru, our inner wisdom. But right now, it helps our minds to have this outer guru who embodies all these qualities that we want. It helps us to see what that looks like in a person, what the qualities that we... Report an error in the passage at 49:28 Highlight the passage at 49:28

49:59 I admire so much about the Buddha, what they look like in a person. But ultimately, we won't turn to an outer guru. Ultimately, we will develop our own wisdom. Not disrespecting all of our teachers up to that point, but this devotion is almost like our training wheels, in a way. We won't need it forever. But on the other hand, when I look at... Report an error in the passage at 49:59 Highlight the passage at 49:59

50:27 His Holiness, He still has devotion for His teachers. So part of that in Lama Zopa, of course, still has devotion for His teachers, and Geshe-la still has devotion for His teachers. And part of that, I think, is them showing us how to have devotion. But part of it is, and part of it, I think, is just gratitude for all that their teachers have brought them. Report an error in the passage at 50:27 Highlight the passage at 50:27

50:51 But I do think, ultimately, we won't need it. I think it's sort of our way in. I mean, in a way, I remember actually early on thinking that, you know, for those of us who aren't as keen of mind, and I consider myself one of those beings, like sort of working with Guru Devotion from an early level allowed me in in a way that I think if it was all... Report an error in the passage at 50:51 Highlight the passage at 50:51

51:24 Heavily intellectual stuff I probably wouldn't have been able to do. But I could recognize qualities that I wanted and I recognized for whatever karmic reason the being who was going to get me there and I could trust him in a way that I'd never trust anybody else. So all of those levels were there and it's not to say that I realized Guru Devotion at all or I'd be enlightened. Report an error in the passage at 51:24 Highlight the passage at 51:24

51:54 I do recognize how something about that trust and that faith, it pushes me farther than I would push myself. And I don't know if this is helping at all. Judging by the quizzical look on your face, perhaps it's not. I don't know. I don't know, really, the difference. I haven't heard that question posed before. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 51:54 Highlight the passage at 51:54

52:23 Yeah, but not as a fourth jewel as the embodiment of the other three. So there is a huge relationship there. I mean, I think you're on to something. You could probably do a thesis on it. Presentation. That would be perfect. It just seems like it creates the same feeling in both of them. For me, I don't know. For me, refuge is more reasoning. Report an error in the passage at 52:23 Highlight the passage at 52:23

52:36 Presentation. Report an error in the passage at 52:36 Highlight the passage at 52:36

52:49 I have heard people do it with more devotion, but I think that there's a little bit of fault in that because I think you can sort of see, that's why I always try to say that when you're taking refuge, it's not like the Buddha, the Dharma, the Saṅgha are going to come flying in like superheroes and save the day. Report an error in the passage at 52:49 Highlight the passage at 52:49

53:07 It's like you are relying upon what did the guru, the guru has, the guru. What did the Buddha use to get out of this mess? First of all, you're recognizing I'm in a mess caused by karma and delusion. And then you're saying, okay, the guru, I keep doing that, the Buddha has transcended this. The Dharma is his teachings on how. And the Saṅgha are those people that have put those into practice. So it's actually quite... Report an error in the passage at 53:07 Highlight the passage at 53:07

53:39 For me, when I take refuge, that's why I kind of talk you guys through it. And in the preliminaries, I try to make you think about it a little bit rather than, in fact, in this class, I don't even do the refuge prayer, because I think you can get really caught with, like, the refuge. I take, you know, Namagurbi and Namabuddhiya, but what does it mean? What's happening in your mind when you're saying those words? That's what's happening in your mind, is thinking. Report an error in the passage at 53:39 Highlight the passage at 53:39

54:04 I am in this mess of psychic existence due to karma and delusions. I've created this mess. How am I going to get out of this mess? Well, there's somebody who's done it. So it's both of those things. I use recognizing the mess as what they teach as fear. Report an error in the passage at 54:04 Highlight the passage at 54:04

54:24 Because if you really got the mess you were in, you probably would be fearful. But I think a lot of Westerners are kind of freaked out by the word fear. I think if you really got the mess we were in, the fact that we've created all these deleted states of mind and we follow these states of mind and then create negative karma and that negative karma ripens and we have no idea when we leave, even not leaving this room, we have no idea that this building won't collapse on us right in five minutes. Report an error in the passage at 54:24 Highlight the passage at 54:24

54:49 And that's because of negative karma ripening. So actually there is an element of fear and it's actually quite intelligent to have that fear. But most Westerners are kind of freaked out. So I use the term recognizing the situation we're in. And that's the first element of refuge. And the second element is trust that the three jewels are how you can get out of this mess, basically. Report an error in the passage at 54:49 Highlight the passage at 54:49

55:16 So for me it's a bit more reasoned. That one is. But you can also enter the relationship with the teacher with a pretty reasoned approach. Yeah. Yeah. But then it does get a bit more devoted. Report an error in the passage at 55:16 Highlight the passage at 55:16

55:32 You know, because as you have more gratitude, as you recognize how important that relationship is for getting you personally enlightened, you know, not anybody else in this room, but me personally, compared to the Buddhas who have taught like billions of beings, and I'm still here. You know, so clearly it hasn't been quite enough. I need the individual guru that I have a relationship with to say, well, this is, you know, the entire Lama room is good, but for you, you should meditate on this for one month and this for three months and this, you know, like that. Report an error in the passage at 55:32 Highlight the passage at 55:32

56:05 Like I need that kind of personal instruction. That's how this reaches me. That's the bridge between the Buddha and me. And then they say that the guru becomes the bridge for me and my own wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 56:05 Highlight the passage at 56:05

56:19 Yeah. Does this help? Yeah. Yeah? I think it's an ongoing. I mean, I think we could probably... Actually, that's a great idea. We should ask Ben and Rubina to teach on refuge and... She wouldn't call it graduation, probably. I don't know. But anyway, devotion. Yeah. Yeah. It's a good question. I haven't heard it before. So... Report an error in the passage at 56:19 Highlight the passage at 56:19

56:53 Anybody else? Well, what do you do if you found this teacher, you develop this faith, you're working on strengthening the faith, and all of a sudden your teacher asks you to do something that feels really wrong? Report an error in the passage at 56:53 Highlight the passage at 56:53

57:11 Any answers? Yeah, you've been checking out for 10 years, you've been working with this person for 15 years, and then all of a sudden they ask you to do something that feels either immoral or... Illegal or any guesses? Report an error in the passage at 57:11 Highlight the passage at 57:11

57:40 Politely explain why you can't do it. Exactly. Yeah, that's exactly it. Respectfully and politely, even uses the right term, refuse to do what the teacher has instructed. But with what mind? Clear. Still respecting them. Still realizing that I might not be understanding what's happening here. They might be testing me, first of all. Report an error in the passage at 57:40 Highlight the passage at 57:40

58:09 To see if I would have enough guts to say no. Because there's actually some story, and I don't know enough of it to try to tell the story, but I just remember where a teacher was, you know, to all of their students, they asked, you know, told them to go and, like, do something illegal. I forgot what it was. Robbing something or other. And so they all went except one person. And that was the one who said no, you know. Report an error in the passage at 58:09 Highlight the passage at 58:09

58:31 I can't do this. It's illegal. It goes against the Dharma. Because that's your big question. If this is something that goes against my understanding of the Dharma, I can't do it, and this is why. And the teacher is like, you know, I can't believe the rest of you guys figured out that you shouldn't do this. So it was totally a test, as the other ones are running back with the stolen goods. Report an error in the passage at 58:31 Highlight the passage at 58:31

58:56 But, yeah, so it could be a test. you know. Report an error in the passage at 58:56 Highlight the passage at 58:56

58:59 It could be that you're just not understanding the request. It's possible that you're just misunderstanding what he said. There could be any number of things. He could be trying to teach you something about your own mind and your own fear of breaking the law or something. So you just try to stay respectful and open in your own mind even as you politely and respectfully decline to do what he's telling you to do. Report an error in the passage at 58:59 Highlight the passage at 58:59

59:28 And if he continues to want you to do these kind of things, it's really okay for you to no longer receive teachings from this person. But again, this is somebody who you have taken as your guru, so you have to stay respectful in your mind. So you don't want to diss them to other people. You don't want to, you know... Report an error in the passage at 59:28 Highlight the passage at 59:28

59:53 Just even in your own mind, disrespect them. To try to keep that idea that you might not fully understand what's going on. But if this person has any of the qualities that you once saw in them, to try to remember that you might not be seeing things clearly right now. And so just to try to stay respectful. So these things come up a lot in the old stories. Report an error in the passage at 59:53 Highlight the passage at 59:53

1:00:18 I don't hear about them so much in the modern day stories, but you definitely hear about them. And like the stories of Milarepa and Naropa and Tilopa and so forth. And so not necessarily for them to do illegal things or immoral things, but definitely for them to do really, really hard things, like, you know, build and rebuild and rebuild. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:18 Highlight the passage at 1:00:18

1:00:43 Yeah. Are you reading it now? It's like, yeah, that's right. So, I mean. Especially when you talk about this story, the story of Melarepa and Marpa. And Marpa really manifested wrathfully. It is really important to remember that one of the things that we're signing up for when we take on a guru is in one of their main jobs is to help us eliminate the negative qualities in our minds. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:43 Highlight the passage at 1:00:43

1:01:14 One thing that they do is, I mean, it's sort of like one of their biggest jobs is to push our buttons because it helps us look at where our ego like arises and where our sort of yucky stuff comes into play and comes up and it's really uncomfortable actually. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:14 Highlight the passage at 1:01:14

1:01:35 So The thing to remember again is like why did I take on this relationship to begin with? I want to get enlightened. I can't get enlightened with this enormous ego or this enormous arrogance or this enormous swelled head. I can't be a Buddha for the benefit of all beings and be totally self-centered. So if I have... Report an error in the passage at 1:01:35 Highlight the passage at 1:01:35

1:01:58 Elements of being self-centered, which we all do, or being prideful, which we all do, or being, you know, willful, or being stubborn, or being, you know, whatever these different things are, then he or she's going to point it out. They're going to figure out exciting ways to point out. Or fearful, which is of course one of my big things, which is just a form of aversion. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:58 Highlight the passage at 1:01:58

1:02:23 So one of the things they do is they put you in situations where... You know, this has to arise and you have to work with it and you have to figure out, you know, either you will see that you are not as much of this thing as you thought you were, you know, they'll develop your strongest qualities beyond what you ever thought you could do, or they'll help you dismantle the sort of negative stuff that you want to get rid of and they'll help you dissolve it. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:23 Highlight the passage at 1:02:23

1:02:52 And that's where a lot of this trust comes in too. It's sort of like finding a really good therapist. If you're going to kind of take a walk through your yuckiest stuff, you want somebody that you can trust, that you feel safe with, that you can kind of do this work with. And gurus are very much like that. So a lot of these stories from the great masters and their disciples, Report an error in the passage at 1:02:52 Highlight the passage at 1:02:52

1:03:23 We have to remember, first of all, that these are, of course, famous stories because they're unusual. Like this didn't happen all the time where somebody, it wasn't like an everyday occurrence where somebody would make somebody build and rebuild a tower 16 times until their entire back was a blister. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:23 Highlight the passage at 1:03:23

1:03:42 These are like the greatest of the masters. And their disciples became the greatest of the masters too, right? So they were actually successful. They actually attained not just mastery of the Dharma, they actually, in most of these cases, attained enlightenment in one lifetime, like Milarepa. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:42 Highlight the passage at 1:03:42

1:04:05 So actually, they were really good disciples and they were really good masters, even though from the outer look, it might look really scary and heavy, what's happening with Marpa and Milarepa. Have you finished reading it? Report an error in the passage at 1:04:05 Highlight the passage at 1:04:05

1:04:20 Well, I'm going to give away some of it. Well, there's a part in that particular story where, and I think we talked about this a little bit already in one of the other classes, but, you know, where he's so rough with Melarepa and Marpa's wife even is like, you know. Comes to his aid and gives him her jewelry to go and request empowerments and things like that. Because he refuses to give him any teachings or empowerments. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:20 Highlight the passage at 1:04:20

1:04:49 And he'll have a teaching and then kick him out of the room and stuff like that. Well, I mean, clearly he knew what he was doing. And finally, after she just keeps getting in the way, she's trying to, because she's seeing it with ordinary eyes. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:49 Highlight the passage at 1:04:49

1:05:05 And he finally, you know, says, well, wait a second. I mean, I think it's like way at the end, like when he finally does give him a teaching, he breaks down and says, you know, there was so much negative karma that Milarepa had created by using black magic. And I mean, he was responsible for the deaths of 16 people or something like pretty heavy in this lifetime, much less prior lifetimes for him to even have been drawn to doing black magic. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:05 Highlight the passage at 1:05:05

1:05:32 So in order for him to get enlightened in one lifetime, he had to do amazing purification. So he came up with this whole way of treating him that forced Melarepa to really not just prove that he was really hungry for it and that he was willing to do this, that he was willing to do everything necessary to get enlightened, but also so that he could actually purify all this negative karma. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:32 Highlight the passage at 1:05:32

1:05:57 So you have to read the whole story in all of these. Parts of one of these crazy stories, try to read the whole thing and try to remember that it comes into context and that it has a happy ending. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:57 Highlight the passage at 1:05:57

1:06:12 Like in all of these cases, they actually turned out amazing, you know, like all of the stories. After he, you know, he rides him so hard, he's basically then just like spend the rest of your life meditating, you know, and like sets him off to go. do what we all know that Melaripa was quite good at. But, you know, he had to get there first. these aren't, you know, We aren't trying to find a teacher to show us how to do something really ordinary. We're trying to find somebody who can teach us how to do something beyond ordinary. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:12 Highlight the passage at 1:06:12

1:06:52 The stories that we hear... Our beyond as well. It's like taking us outside of this regular ordinary world. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:52 Highlight the passage at 1:06:52

1:07:05 So, Report an error in the passage at 1:07:05 Highlight the passage at 1:07:05

1:07:09 yeah, okay. We'll take a quick break in a minute, but I just wanted to mention the four ways that we can generate respect by remembering the kindness of the Lama. So this has to do with... Report an error in the passage at 1:07:09 Highlight the passage at 1:07:09

1:07:32 Another way that we can cultivate this sort of feeling of faith or devotion or reliance or trust in their ability to lead us there, this is kind of looking at all the different ways that they are kind. Now this is actually after you, it's hard to do if you don't have a teacher. This is a hard one to contemplate, so I'm not giving this to you as an assignment. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:32 Highlight the passage at 1:07:32

1:07:57 But once you develop... A relationship with a teacher, it's a little easier. And the longer you have a relationship with a teacher, the deeper you can go with it. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:57 Highlight the passage at 1:07:57

1:08:08 But basically, the first one is a lot to do with what I was just talking about. Consider that the Guru is kinder than all the Buddhas because your Lama is working for you. You have a karmic connection with them. All the other Buddhas came and left, and the only one working for you right now is your Lama. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:08 Highlight the passage at 1:08:08

1:08:33 And if you look at some of the words from the Guru Puja, you know, it's like that. A lot of these words come up, you know, it's sort of like I'm left behind. And actually the words to the prayer for Kirti Sanchar Rinpoche and Riva Rinpoche to come back, basically to send their reincarnations back are all about, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:33 Highlight the passage at 1:08:33

1:08:58 Please remember your kindness to us. It's like you've left us like this baby left in this barren land without anyone. It's all these kind of same ideas of like, this is the one who, this is all well and good, but I don't have a direct connection with Manjushri. Some of the teachers actually did. I don't. And maybe that changes with time with my karma. My karma becomes... Report an error in the passage at 1:08:58 Highlight the passage at 1:08:58

1:09:24 pure and pure and I'm able to actually perceive him and he's actually to come to me but right now it's through my teacher that I can connect with him so my teacher is like the way that I'm going to be able to receive all the teachings of Manjushri or Shakyamuni Buddha and so forth so The second is think about his or her kindness in teaching you the Dharma which is the very thing that will stop all of your suffering forever. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:24 Highlight the passage at 1:09:24

1:10:03 And think about his or her kindness and blessing your mind. They've changed the very nature of your thinking. And this one's especially true the more that you have a relationship with a guru. Think about what your life was like before you met them. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:03 Highlight the passage at 1:10:03

1:10:27 You can really, you should see changes. If you don't see changes, something's wrong. You should see changes even from just... When you actually engage with the Dharma, you should start seeing changes in your life. But definitely once you engage in a relationship with a teacher. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:27 Highlight the passage at 1:10:27

1:10:48 And the fourth one is reflect on his or her kindness in using material goods to gather disciples. This is the fourth method. It's kind of an interesting thing. It's actually skillful means that they use sometimes. Material goods, using material goods. Sometimes they'll give like little gifts and things to draw people in to connect with the Buddha, with the Buddha's teachings. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:48 Highlight the passage at 1:10:48

1:11:14 But they'll also make material sacrifices for you. When you think about, I remember some of the stories that one of my teachers told me about, like right after a lot of the Tibetans came into India from Tibet. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:14 Highlight the passage at 1:11:14

1:11:31 And they just had nothing. I mean, the system in Tibet, and I think it's still true actually at the monasteries, if you choose somebody to be your teacher, if they accept you as their disciple, they are forever responsible for you, like materially as well. So often that would mean, you know, this Geshe or something would have like... Report an error in the passage at 1:11:31 Highlight the passage at 1:11:31

1:11:56 Four billion monks and everything, like sleeping in their room, because that's literally the only place for them. So they would just take them all in, you know, and then, you know, it's sort of like they just began to think, it became like family. And they'll often refer to their Lama as, you know, both mother and father. I mean, Lama Tsongkhapa often says that about Lama Yeshe. And he did take him on, you know, he didn't have anyone else, and he took him on. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:56 Highlight the passage at 1:11:56

1:12:22 So materially... They use, they become responsible. And they also are willing to give up materially so that you have enough. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:22 Highlight the passage at 1:12:22

1:12:37 And sometimes using material gifts and things like that to draw you in is sort of like, it's like we're little kids in a way. It draws us in, you know. Actually, Rinpoche does that sometimes. They'll buy ice cream for everyone and stuff. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:37 Highlight the passage at 1:12:37

1:12:54 It's very cute, actually. And it makes everyone happy, you know, and then, you know, we're all like, we're willing to sit up for the teachings or something, you know. It's almost like we're like little kids. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:54 Highlight the passage at 1:12:54

1:13:08 So we try to develop this constant mindfulness about our teachers' kindness. It's like, it's part of developing that awe that we talked about a few classes ago. It's like this sense of profound respect and love. So in that sense, devotion involves love in a way that you don't really love the three jewels in that way, I think. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:08 Highlight the passage at 1:13:08

1:13:37 I think there's an intimacy with a guru, actually. And I don't mean sexual intimacy, but I just mean an intimacy in... Like having a teacher that you sit in the same, even if you're sitting in the same room with a thousand people, but usually you have some time that you're sitting just with them and they're giving you personal instruction or something, which is different than the Buddha Dharma Saṅgha, you know? Report an error in the passage at 1:13:37 Highlight the passage at 1:13:37

1:14:04 So it's not like I don't have that same, I have gratitude for the Buddha Dharma Saṅgha, but I'm not sitting in the same room and they aren't necessarily like, you know. Knocking heads with me. They certainly aren't giving me ice cream. There's something. I rely on them, but yeah, that level of love. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:04 Highlight the passage at 1:14:04

1:14:30 Yeah, there's like a personal connection, I think, that plays into the devotion. Yeah, sure. If your Lama has passed away, can you still have devotion for them? Yeah, I think you do. I mean, I have strong devotion for Ruber Rinpoche. there's something. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:30 Highlight the passage at 1:14:30

1:14:45 And Kirti Sintra Rinpoche, but especially Riva Rinpoche, I think. Yeah, I mean, I can still totally burst into tears thinking about how kind he was, not just even to me, but also just to all beings to stay for so long with us and to really demonstrate bodhicitta in a way that made it come alive to me. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:45 Highlight the passage at 1:14:45

1:15:08 And, you know, it wasn't just a word and stuff. Yeah. So if you've never known a Lama personally, can you have devotion for them? Report an error in the passage at 1:15:08 Highlight the passage at 1:15:08

1:15:16 Um... You know, maybe the refuge part is sort of a generic, you know, conceptual thing, whereas the devotion is more about a personal, sort of heartfelt... I don't think it's a generic conceptual thing. I think you can have, like, a real experience of refuge, but I do think it's based on reasoning. Yeah. Guru devotion, I think... Report an error in the passage at 1:15:16 Highlight the passage at 1:15:16

1:15:40 Well, I think you can have a... Even if you don't have a personal relationship with, like, His Holiness. There's something about His Holiness which is a karmic thing. It's not an accident that His Holiness has the face He has, that He has this very, you know, the twinkling eyes and the sonorous voice and the, you know, like all the elements about Him, His giggling quality and stuff. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:40 Highlight the passage at 1:15:40

1:16:07 I mean, it's all karmic appearance that He's able to reach people who might not come to Buddhism in any other way. Even if they don't become Buddhist, but they get an imprint. So is there an element of devotion? I think so. I have friends who think he's great just from reading Time Magazine and watching PBS. They don't necessarily have an ongoing guru relationship, but they're drawn to him and they don't know why. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:07 Highlight the passage at 1:16:07

1:16:35 And I think there's an element of devotion that begins with that. Now what you do with that... Whether you would enter into a relationship. And I know people that have decided that His Holiness is their root guru. Even though to most of us we'd be like, well why would you choose somebody who's... But you don't choose necessarily. And the thing that's interesting is that that may be the totally perfect relationship for that particular student. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:35 Highlight the passage at 1:16:35

1:17:02 And they may receive teachings directly from him. How would I know? I've heard interesting stories where people actually get in to see him alone. You would never think. You're just like, he's so busy. Karma is powerful. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:02 Highlight the passage at 1:17:02

1:17:21 That sort of gives you a little bit more faith in karma, too. Maybe not devotion for it. Anyway, let's just take a break because I think this is a good place for it. Unless somebody else has a question. why wouldn't, you know, it just. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:21 Highlight the passage at 1:17:21

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:17:56 So I wanted to just do a little overview on Guru Yoga and we're going to continue this a little bit next week too and this will also be your homework for the next two weeks actually. So tonight's homework or this week's homework is actually the same homework for both. I'm going to go ahead and just give it to you, I think, what I do with it. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:56 Highlight the passage at 1:17:56

1:18:22 What I did is I did, look at that. Is he a good kid or what? He wants the merit. I did, for the contemplation, you could actually take the contemplation as a meditation if you want. And that's just on the qualities of the disciple that we talked about. So you could use that as a meditation. And then second, so the next thing is this meditation, that's it, that whole page there, really through almost the end. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:22 Highlight the passage at 1:18:22

1:18:56 is a meditation on Shakyamuni Buddha that's really a form of guru yoga. So you can do that as a meditation. And this way you can alternate. This meditation on Shakyamuni Buddha is quite extensive, and so it might take a little more time for you to set up and all that. Limited time one morning you might decide just to contemplate on several of the qualities of the disciple, for example. And so this way it kind of alternates because there are two different kinds of meditations. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:56 Highlight the passage at 1:18:56

1:19:24 One is really you're contemplating the different qualities and whether you have them and if you don't, what do you do to get them? And then the other one is visualization big time. You're really, you know, you're setting up the whole thing and all that stuff. So I thought we could actually do that meditation tonight as our ending meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:24 Highlight the passage at 1:19:24

1:19:44 But I just wanted to say right before just a couple points about guru yoga. So guru yoga actually comes out of the tantric teachings, so we won't be able to go into it in a lot of detail in this class. But we can begin practicing certain elements of it right now. And Prabhupada Rinpoche actually says the best form of guru yoga and probably the best form for us right now is serving a teacher using those three methods that we discussed. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:44 Highlight the passage at 1:19:44

1:20:14 You know the three different methods, making offerings to them, serving them, and the hardest one, the most important one, following their instructions. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:14 Highlight the passage at 1:20:14

1:20:27 And he said if we just do that, we don't need to do any other meditation or practice ever, which shows you how hard it is to do that. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:27 Highlight the passage at 1:20:27

1:20:41 However, I'm going to give you another meditation. um... Report an error in the passage at 1:20:41 Highlight the passage at 1:20:41

1:20:45 Just until, of course, you can do that one perfectly. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:45 Highlight the passage at 1:20:45

1:20:50 So guru yoga is one of the ways that we can begin not dwelling on the faults that we might see and instead dwelling on the teacher's qualities or good points and allowing those to sort of inspire us. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:50 Highlight the passage at 1:20:50

1:21:11 um... And they say, actually, that, again, dwelling on anybody's faults, and this is true for everyone, including ourselves, dwelling on our own faults does nothing but hurt our own mind. If that's all we're doing, if we're just paralyzed and we're not actually doing something about it, it's not to say we shouldn't recognize our own faults and then try to... Report an error in the passage at 1:21:11 Highlight the passage at 1:21:11

1:21:34 You know, work with them and, you know, eliminate the ones we have to eliminate and correct the ones we need like that. That's actually useful and constructive, but that's not usually the way we do it. It's usually more like, I'm a horrible person, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Or Chad's just annoying and talks all the time and I can't, you know, like we just focus and we just get kind of like, they say like chewing a dog, chewing a bone. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:34 Highlight the passage at 1:21:34

1:21:56 It's just like, and we haven't like brought up this to Chad. I'm just dissing him to. Tim or whatever, you know, I mean, that's more normally, I'm not really dissing into Tim. No, it's okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:56 Highlight the passage at 1:21:56

1:22:13 It was an example. I was actually dissing into Brett, but no, it's, we tend to focus on faults and everything around us, basically, not even just people, animals, environment. And this is actually called Keeping Ordinary View. So in the Introduction to Tantra class that we just did in the spring, which was the final of the Discovering Buddhism series, we talked about this is like a really big thing that you deal with in Tantra is trying to eliminate this ordinary view. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:13 Highlight the passage at 1:22:13

1:22:55 And as Geshe-la, our Geshe-la would say, what's ordinary view? Seeing the faults in each other. And seeing them as real and inherently existent, right? Not seeing them as just my karmic perception, but believing that everything I find annoying about Brett is concrete, unchangeable. He's always been like that. He always will be like that. All of it's true. It's totally you. I've known it since I first met you. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:55 Highlight the passage at 1:22:55

1:23:27 Geshe-la says, ordinary view is seeing the faults in each other. Seeing the faults in our environment, seeing the faults in ourselves, seeing the faults in the world and then dwelling on them, just stuck, like chewing that bone to death. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:27 Highlight the passage at 1:23:27

1:23:43 So Tantra begins to allow us to cultivate what's called peer view, beginning with ourselves actually. We begin to see ourselves as a deity. We begin to see our environment as a pure land. We begin to see each other as pure beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:43 Highlight the passage at 1:23:43

1:24:07 So guru yoga is a profound method of bringing these two views together. I mean, because actually, it's true, we are deluded right now, but yet we do have. Some inner wisdom. We do have Buddha nature. We're both right now. So how do we unite these two or how do we connect these two? And so Guru Yoga is one of the ways that we connect and we begin to connect with our own inner wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:07 Highlight the passage at 1:24:07

1:24:38 So this practice actually helps. It comes actually from lower Tantra and it does begin to dissolve this ordinary. The conception of ourselves and our reality and our environment and everyone around us, especially our teachers. This is, which limits us, right? That's one of the things that we talked about in the introduction of the Tantra. One of the things that happens with this ordinary view, if we keep an ordinary view of ourselves and our environment and our teachers, that's the result we'll get. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:38 Highlight the passage at 1:24:38

1:25:12 Like everything will just stay ordinary. So this practice actually allows us to kind of begin to dissolve that ordinary view. So the key points of Guru Yoga is that you set up a visualization where you see the Buddha as exactly the same, of the same essence or the same nature, they say, as your guru. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:12 Highlight the passage at 1:25:12

1:25:35 And they often describe it as like in, you know, one union with your guru. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:35 Highlight the passage at 1:25:35

1:25:46 And then we do a certain number of our regular preliminary practices to prepare our minds and then we ask for inspiration from this guru slash Buddha and then we receive it and that sort of helps us dissolve the ordinary way that we see reality. So you just sort of build this visualization and then you receive these qualities sort of pouring into you in the form of light. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:46 Highlight the passage at 1:25:46

1:26:16 And then you do this final meditation on Shakyamuni Buddha, who is the Buddha that we're using in this particular one. You can use any Buddha, but I just chose that one. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:16 Highlight the passage at 1:26:16

1:26:28 So part of what it does is it reminds us that it's totally possible for us to have these qualities. It's totally possible for us to attain and develop these qualities and that we have the seeds of them right now. It's completely possible. And so in that way it is inspiring. That's what the blessings thing is all about, is we do get inspired by seeing these qualities in our guru and in the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:28 Highlight the passage at 1:26:28

1:26:55 So this is really the whole purpose of it. At the end of every guru yoga, whatever one it is, the guru actually dissolves into you. And that's a sort of reminder that your own mind... It's the Buddha, where basically it's getting you connected with your own inner guru. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:55 Highlight the passage at 1:26:55

1:27:26 So this is again talking about the bridge that the outer guru plays to get us to recognize that we actually have the seeds of all these qualities right now in our own mind. We just have to recognize them, and we get so easily distracted by everything else that's going on. We forget to look at... And develop our own qualities. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:26 Highlight the passage at 1:27:26

1:27:51 So why don't we just start? Unless anybody has any questions? Okay, I wasn't sure if that was a knowing smile, like you actually had a question or... And this practice of Guru Yoga, at first it helps us connect with thinking these, you know, that we can actually... Attain these qualities ourselves and sort of building our enthusiasm for the practice and also giving us hope that we can, giving us some trust in the fact that we can. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:51 Highlight the passage at 1:27:51

1:28:33 And then once you connect with the guru, it also... It keeps you connected so it deepens your relationship with the Guru and you're constantly dissolving the Guru or the Buddha into you. In Tantra also you have a relationship with a particular deity or manifestation of an enlightened energy like Tara, for example, or Medicine Buddha or whatever. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:33 Highlight the passage at 1:28:33

1:28:57 So you're also, all of their qualities you're absorbing into you, into your own mind and letting them dissolve into your own mind. So this is repeatedly. Um, um, This whole image of taking these qualities, recognizing these qualities and allowing them to become one with your own mind. And then ultimately in Tantra you're also of course dissolving. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:57 Highlight the passage at 1:28:57

1:29:19 You know, we'll do that, a little bit of that too at the end. You're dissolving your ordinary view of yourself at the end too. And so there's that, you're letting go of that repeatedly every single time you sit and you do a lot of guru yoga. Even if you don't do it well, you're doing a lot of it. And so you're constantly dissolving yourself all day long, you know. And the whole idea is to dissolve this limiting, constricted little view that we have of ourselves, that baby mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:19 Highlight the passage at 1:29:19

1:29:46 Lama is talking about allowing us to then have this big, big, big mind that we actually have. We just keep it really small. So the preliminaries are actually part of this one. So you don't have to do any separate preliminaries. It's just all part of this particular meditation. So you just start with maybe taking some nice deep breaths. And I'm going to go through it a little quicker than you have to at home. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:46 Highlight the passage at 1:29:46

1:30:13 But you first just want to allow yourself to come to neutral, so you might want to just start with a short meditation on your breath just to let dissolve any of the things that you've just been thinking, any conceptual thoughts, and just let yourself become really present. And Report an error in the passage at 1:30:13 Highlight the passage at 1:30:13

1:30:50 let your mind quickly scan over your body, and especially making sure that your spine is extended and your shoulders level. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:50 Highlight the passage at 1:30:50

1:31:00 That you feel comfortable. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:00 Highlight the passage at 1:31:00

1:31:09 And you just start with imagining yourself surrounded by all living beings. So you can imagine just sort of this ocean of living beings spreading out. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:09 Highlight the passage at 1:31:09

1:31:25 You can imagine just for a moment the kind of suffering that they are facing. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:25 Highlight the passage at 1:31:25

1:31:37 And also how their wish for happiness is exactly the same as yours. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:37 Highlight the passage at 1:31:37

1:31:48 This is the one way, as His Holiness always points out, that we are exactly the same as all beings, no different. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:48 Highlight the passage at 1:31:48

1:32:04 You can think about their dissatisfaction or maybe physical or mental pain, but Report an error in the passage at 1:32:04 Highlight the passage at 1:32:04

1:32:17 also their hopes and dreams for this life and Report an error in the passage at 1:32:17 Highlight the passage at 1:32:17

1:32:27 all the things that might make them happy. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:27 Highlight the passage at 1:32:27

1:32:43 Try to feel your own connection to every one of these beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:43 Highlight the passage at 1:32:43

1:32:52 Remember to include some of those that you might be having problems with. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:52 Highlight the passage at 1:32:52

1:32:59 You know, the vast majority of all living beings we don't even know. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:59 Highlight the passage at 1:32:59

1:33:13 And then imagine in this space in front of you, just above you, is Shakyamuni Buddha, Report an error in the passage at 1:33:13 Highlight the passage at 1:33:13

1:33:23 completely made of glorious golden light. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:23 Highlight the passage at 1:33:23

1:33:34 His essence is the energy of pure, unconditional, compassionate love and wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:34 Highlight the passage at 1:33:34

1:33:47 His face is peaceful and smiling, and he radiates love to you and to all the surrounding beings, Report an error in the passage at 1:33:47 Highlight the passage at 1:33:47

1:34:07 non-human. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:07 Highlight the passage at 1:34:07

1:34:15 Imagine that he's seated on a lotus topped with two radiant discs, the sun representing wisdom and the moon representing bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:15 Highlight the passage at 1:34:15

1:34:31 The lotus is sitting on a throne made of gold adorned with jewels and supported by snow lions. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:31 Highlight the passage at 1:34:31

1:34:44 He's wearing the saffron robes of a monk and he's sitting in cross-legged vajra posture. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:44 Highlight the passage at 1:34:44

1:34:54 The palm of his right hand is resting on his right knee. And what's called the earth touching mudrā. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:54 Highlight the passage at 1:34:54

1:35:07 His left hand is resting in his lap in meditation mudrā, holding an alms bowl. And Report an error in the passage at 1:35:07 Highlight the passage at 1:35:07

1:35:17 that alms bowl is also filled with nectar. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:17 Highlight the passage at 1:35:17

1:35:26 Again, remember that he's completely made of golden light. Everything about him is made of golden light. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:26 Highlight the passage at 1:35:26

1:35:43 Imagine that his face is radiant and that he smiles on you and all beings without exception. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:43 Highlight the passage at 1:35:43

1:35:54 Pure light shines from every pore of his body. Spreading out to the entire universe. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:54 Highlight the passage at 1:35:54

1:36:17 Imagine the whole universe filled with light. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:17 Highlight the passage at 1:36:17

1:36:29 And take a moment now to take refuge. Remembering especially that he started out like we did. He was exactly like us. He was an ordinary being with faults and problems. And he practiced until he was able to transform his mind and his whole situation. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:29 Highlight the passage at 1:36:29

1:36:59 So just like we talked about, he was able to get out of this mess entirely. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:59 Highlight the passage at 1:36:59

1:37:07 The Dharma is His method, the teachings, the actual realizations and the Saṅgha are those serious practitioners who put this into practice. They can also guide us. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:07 Highlight the passage at 1:37:07

1:37:31 Taking refuge is remembering this, recognizing this, Report an error in the passage at 1:37:31 Highlight the passage at 1:37:31

1:37:39 some element of trust or reliance upon this as a method for me. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:39 Highlight the passage at 1:37:39

1:37:52 And generating bodhicitta is remembering that all other beings are exactly like me. They have the same kind of suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:52 Highlight the passage at 1:37:52

1:38:07 They have the same kind of delusions. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:07 Highlight the passage at 1:38:07

1:38:14 And they have even more ignorance because they haven't connected with the Dharma at all for the most part. They don't know anything about karma. And I can't leave them here. So it's this idea of wanting to remove their suffering, Report an error in the passage at 1:38:14 Highlight the passage at 1:38:14

1:38:36 wanting to get enlightened as the best method to removing their suffering and bringing them happiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:36 Highlight the passage at 1:38:36

1:38:58 Then we do the seven limb prayer, the seven limb practice, beginning with thinking of a quality that the Buddha has that you want, that you bow down to. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:58 Highlight the passage at 1:38:58

1:39:18 Maybe it's his wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:18 Highlight the passage at 1:39:18

1:39:28 And the second step is to make offerings. What would you give for that quality? The Buddha's wisdom is completely omniscient. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:28 Highlight the passage at 1:39:28

1:39:41 He knows all there is to know. And he said that mind knows and all we have to do is... Perfect our minds, remove any obstacles, any hindrances, and our mind just naturally can know everything. So what would we give to know everything? Report an error in the passage at 1:39:41 Highlight the passage at 1:39:41

1:40:04 And when you think about it in those terms, you don't want to just offer a few flowers, you want to offer an entire sky full of flowers. You don't want to offer just a few lamps, you offer an entire heaven filled with lamps, or an ocean filled with incredible gifts, jewels. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:04 Highlight the passage at 1:40:04

1:40:29 I imagine everything vast. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:29 Highlight the passage at 1:40:29

1:40:43 And the third step is confessing, so thinking about some specific thing that you've done that you regret, understanding how karma works, not wanting it in your mind, not wanting that poison in your mind, even if it's a tiny thing, Report an error in the passage at 1:40:43 Highlight the passage at 1:40:43

1:41:03 and letting that go. Not because the Buddhas care what we've done on a day-by-day basis, because they know that we're impure at this point. But not wanting that to poison our own mental continuum anymore. Not wanting to feel the effects of that ripening. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:03 Highlight the passage at 1:41:03

1:41:27 It's like literally seeing it as poison in our mind's dream. Let's get rid of it. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:27 Highlight the passage at 1:41:27

1:41:49 And the fourth step is rejoicing. And here you can just take a moment to rejoice in something you've done. Like maybe it's coming to class tonight when you're tired after work. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:49 Highlight the passage at 1:41:49

1:42:04 Maybe it's having done your meditation today. Just to feel really happy about something that you've done or something that somebody else has done. You can also rejoice in the amazing things that our teachers do. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:04 Highlight the passage at 1:42:04

1:42:19 Whatever the Buddha did to get enlightened, we can rejoice about that too. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:19 Highlight the passage at 1:42:19

1:42:39 And then we ask the Buddha to stay and we ask the Buddha to teach us. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:39 Highlight the passage at 1:42:39

1:42:47 Neither of these things can they do unless we ask and so we have to ask. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:47 Highlight the passage at 1:42:47

1:42:56 So teaching us could be formal teachings or it could be anything that we pick up. Any book, any person we're next to on the bus, anything that happens to us at all can show us our own mind and that can be a teaching. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:56 Highlight the passage at 1:42:56

1:43:24 This is really the best way, the biggest way that Buddhas reach us is through teaching us. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:24 Highlight the passage at 1:43:24

1:43:40 And then we dedicate the merit from doing this prayer to our own enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:40 Highlight the passage at 1:43:40

1:43:52 And then you do what's called the prayer of the three great purposes. And I'll just read it. And you see it as a heartfelt request for blessings and inspiration. They say that this prayer is really, really good to do before any meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:52 Highlight the passage at 1:43:52

1:44:12 I'll actually just do a condensed version of it. So first you're requesting to be free of all misconceptions or wrong conceptions as you study, as you meditate. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:12 Highlight the passage at 1:44:12

1:44:31 And then you're asking for all realizations. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:31 Highlight the passage at 1:44:31

1:44:38 So not only to understand correctly, but to deeply understand so that it's irreversible in your mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:38 Highlight the passage at 1:44:38

1:44:48 And then finally to be free of all hindrances. Inner, meaning within your own mind, doubt, confusion or outer. So that you always have the perfect conditions to study, practice and so forth. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:48 Highlight the passage at 1:44:48

1:45:11 So imagine that Guru Shakyamuni Buddha is very, very pleased with your requests. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:11 Highlight the passage at 1:45:11

1:45:22 then imagine that he... Shrinks to the size of a tiny bird's egg and comes above your crown, facing the same direction as you. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:22 Highlight the passage at 1:45:22

1:45:36 Remember that he's completely made of pure light. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:36 Highlight the passage at 1:45:36

1:45:44 And then imagine from his heart that light flows down through the crown of your head and into your heart, and from your heart into the hearts of all the people surrounding you. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:44 Highlight the passage at 1:45:44

1:45:58 And as the light touches your heart, the light of your own spiritual essence is ignited. And you're filled completely with the light of your Buddha nature. Your own physical body is transformed into light. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:58 Highlight the passage at 1:45:58

1:46:17 Your very thoughts become an expression of your spiritual being. And you're completely filled with this powerful light. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:17 Highlight the passage at 1:46:17

1:46:30 And it begins to pour out of you into the hearts of each and every one of the beings surrounding you. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:30 Highlight the passage at 1:46:30

1:46:41 Flows into you. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:41 Highlight the passage at 1:46:41

1:46:57 You sit for a moment and just experience this exchange of pure luminous wisdom light energy. From the Buddha into you and all the beings surrounding you and between you and all the beings surrounding you, all other living beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:57 Highlight the passage at 1:46:57

1:47:25 And imagine that the Buddha is very pleased and he sends even stronger radiant light into your heart and into the hearts of all the beings around you and this light completely transforms your negative habitual patterns, especially your mental patterns. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:25 Highlight the passage at 1:47:25

1:47:46 Your dissatisfaction, your criticism, your judgments, your ordinary view. Imagine it dissolving any sense of separation between you and all other beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:46 Highlight the passage at 1:47:46

1:48:08 Imagine it dissolving all dualistic thought and Report an error in the passage at 1:48:08 Highlight the passage at 1:48:08

1:48:15 you become the perfect expression of your own compassionate Buddha nature. You're Report an error in the passage at 1:48:15 Highlight the passage at 1:48:15

1:48:25 light, blissful and filled with a sense of peace and clarity. And Report an error in the passage at 1:48:25 Highlight the passage at 1:48:25

1:48:47 for a moment we can recite. The mantra of Shakyamuni Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:47 Highlight the passage at 1:48:47

1:48:54 The Report an error in the passage at 1:48:54 Highlight the passage at 1:48:54

1:49:14 light Report an error in the passage at 1:49:14 Highlight the passage at 1:49:14

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:50:30 that you've been sending out comes back into your heart and Report an error in the passage at 1:50:30 Highlight the passage at 1:50:30

1:50:37 imagine that Shakyamuni Buddha dissolves into light and that light flows into you through the crown of your head. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:37 Highlight the passage at 1:50:37

1:50:47 And your body, speech and mind become utterly one with the body, speech and mind of the Buddha. You Report an error in the passage at 1:50:47 Highlight the passage at 1:50:47

1:51:00 experience tranquility and bliss. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:00 Highlight the passage at 1:51:00

1:51:15 And then take a moment to dedicate the merit from this meditation and from this class of being able to actualize our Buddha nature, Report an error in the passage at 1:51:15 Highlight the passage at 1:51:15

1:51:30 being able to actualize our true potential to become enlightened beings ourselves so that we can perfectly benefit every living being without exception. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:30 Highlight the passage at 1:51:30

1:51:46 And to finding the teacher who will help us get there. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:46 Highlight the passage at 1:51:46

1:52:03 You can end your meditation and I think we should at least do His Holiness' Long Life Prayer. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:03 Highlight the passage at 1:52:03

1:52:18 Actually we'll do His Holiness' Lama Zopa's and Geshele's. Page 7 on the right hand side towards the bottom. We'll do it in English. In the land encircled by snow mountains, you are the source of all happiness and good. All-powerful Chenrezig, Tencent Gatso, please remain until saṃsāra ends. You who uphold the subduer's moral way, who serves as the bountiful bearer of all, sustaining, preserving, and spreading Manjana's victorious doctrine, that's Manjushri, who masterfully accomplishes magnificent prayers, honoring the three jewels, Savior of myself and others, your disciples, please, please live long. And Geshe-la's is on page four. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:18 Highlight the passage at 1:52:18

1:53:08 We pray to you, Nawang Takpa, our peerless spiritual friend, you who holds the stain and extend the stainless system of Lama Tsongkhapa, renowned as the Lord of Speech. May you, our protector, have a long life, stable like Mount Meru. May your enlightened activities always be a shining lamp for the world, dispelling the darkness from the minds of your disciples so the fruit of definite goodness will ripen quickly. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:08 Highlight the passage at 1:53:08

1:53:37 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:37 Highlight the passage at 1:53:37

1:53:42 So just a reminder that next week's class starts at 6.30. I'll try to remember to send out a reminder email, but somebody might have to remind me to send out a reminder email. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:42 Highlight the passage at 1:53:42

1:53:55 I'll go stick it into Yahoo tonight so I get that reminder email. I guess one of the best inventions of the modern age is having calendars send you emails to remind you of stuff. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:55 Highlight the passage at 1:53:55