Sunday Morning Dharma Talk - Bring it On! (Transforming Problems)

0:06 I'm Scott and I Report an error in the passage at 0:06 Highlight the passage at 0:06

0:17 teach meditation classes on Thursdays and Saturdays and also every once in a while. Usually if no one else is available, I'll give some kind of a teaching. The ordinary, this spot is filled by art by the teacher. In case you know, I'm done. Report an error in the passage at 0:17 Highlight the passage at 0:17

0:40 Closer? Farther away? Higher? It sounds pretty good to me, but you're not getting a good level. Report an error in the passage at 0:40 Highlight the passage at 0:40

0:53 Closer? Report an error in the passage at 0:53 Highlight the passage at 0:53

0:58 Oh yeah. Usually I don't use a microphone. I don't Report an error in the passage at 0:58 Highlight the passage at 0:58

1:09 even see it right now. Good? Better? You like it? Okay. Okay. So anyway, just to introduce who I am. They're very big on explaining how you arm Report an error in the passage at 1:09 Highlight the passage at 1:09

1:39 yourself. Most of what I know is from classes here with Geshe-la. He's given a very thorough education in the course of the last 12 years. And also augmented by teaching at the Rajapani Institute, which is an amazing place to go if you want to get more into meditation practice. Report an error in the passage at 1:39 Highlight the passage at 1:39

2:01 So sometimes I like to joke I'm a part-time. Report an error in the passage at 2:01 Highlight the passage at 2:01

2:09 but maybe the benefit of getting some teaching from a person like me is that I can relate to me very easily because we're kind of at the same level. So Report an error in the passage at 2:09 Highlight the passage at 2:09

2:23 anyway, today the topic is on transforming problems. This is one of the unique practices to Tibetan Buddhism and this and some other practices are actually not that easy to find out about. Report an error in the passage at 2:23 Highlight the passage at 2:23

2:53 fortunate to have access to these which are sometimes called the ear whispered tradition for obvious reasons, because you'd hear about them whispered only after you studied for a long time. Report an error in the passage at 2:53 Highlight the passage at 2:53

3:07 now our teachers have made them accessible to everybody. The benefit is that we have access to use them. Probably the drawback is we may not realize how special they are and how rare they are. So I like to just mention that these were things that were only offered to people in very special circumstances when they were spiritually ready for them. Report an error in the passage at 3:07 Highlight the passage at 3:07

3:28 The nice thing is though they're so useful. What we're talking about today is transforming problems. I originally led this session on New Year's Eve and Report an error in the passage at 3:28 Highlight the passage at 3:28

3:42 What it is in a nutshell is a way of ultimately that we're not just ready for problems. It's helpful to expect problems in life rather than to expect that everything will go perfectly for us. Because when you expect everything will go perfectly for you, your mind is generally not aligned with the reality. Report an error in the passage at 3:42 Highlight the passage at 3:42

4:05 Whereas when you expect problems to occur, then no matter what happens, you're happy. Because if they don't occur, you're pleasantly surprised. And if they do, you're completely ready to face them. But the thing is, these teachings actually go beyond that. Even if we were only trying to do some practices today to be ready for problems, that would be great. Report an error in the passage at 4:05 Highlight the passage at 4:05

4:26 But that's not all we're doing. We're actually trying to cultivate a mind where, believe it or not, you are actually excited for problems in your life and almost wishing for them to occur because what these teachings show us is that problems can actually be a kind of . Report an error in the passage at 4:26 Highlight the passage at 4:26

5:09 All of a sudden, realize. Report an error in the passage at 5:09 Highlight the passage at 5:09

5:16 that you hadn't been thinking of, maybe even the day before, if you were just going about your life and enjoying your daily pleasures. then when a problem occurs, you realize, wow, so many other people are having this problem, and your heart doesn't have to, obviously. There's times when people have problems, and it actually increases their delusions, and they think, why me? know, sometimes you hear about people who are Christians, and And then... Report an error in the passage at 5:16 Highlight the passage at 5:16

5:43 then somebody dies. Report an error in the passage at 5:43 Highlight the passage at 5:43

5:52 Shantideva, Shantideva, Shantideva, it's a mistake in you Report an error in the passage at 5:52 Highlight the passage at 5:52

6:07 very clear on these points that Buddha doesn't guarantee that you won't have problems if you become a Buddhist. It's not a guarantee that you'll get well, that you'll become a perfect writer and so it is a guarantee of, if you practice... And according to the Buddhist teachings, is that you can have a positive state of mind throughout whatever happens to you. Report an error in the passage at 6:07 Highlight the passage at 6:07

6:30 Whatever difficulty occurs, happy and you can remain focused on helping to the greatest extent rather than, well, you know, sorry. And Report an error in the passage at 6:30 Highlight the passage at 6:30

6:43 you can see that in people like the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans. You know, the Dalai Lama had a million of his people die due to... You Report an error in the passage at 6:43 Highlight the passage at 6:43

7:00 could think of a lot of other responses he could have had besides... a lot of compassion. Thank you. see in other countries, like very few countries who have been, you know, attacked and overrun by another country, choose to be incredibly forgiving and non-violent. Most have a massively violent, you know, uprising that most of us would consider, in our normal minds, would consider justified. Report an error in the passage at 7:00 Highlight the passage at 7:00

7:27 it's because of these type of trainings, you know, very specifically these type of trainings, where think that the problems that occur in in my my life. life are beneficial and are a way for me to become a Report an error in the passage at 7:27 Highlight the passage at 7:27

7:46 So gradually we learn that, like you said, that it's possible that problems can't bother you. And realizing that the true source of happiness is in your mind, external conditions, again that's one of the key messages of the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 7:46 Highlight the passage at 7:46

8:04 And through this class, so that's just an introduction, so through this session what we're going to do is actually look at very specific techniques to do that. It's very easy to say. Report an error in the passage at 8:04 Highlight the passage at 8:04

8:19 that's not really a teaching on how to transform problems. And I haven't yet said anything actually that is of a real practical use, just to kind of hint that there could be something of practical use. So the rest of the session is actually to go over those details of things you can actually do in your mind problems occur. before we do, there's ordinarily what we call some preliminaries teaching. Report an error in the passage at 8:19 Highlight the passage at 8:19

8:45 We want to learn really huge ones, but it a little bit helps to calm our mind, to just do a tiny bit of quiet meditation just for a couple of minutes, also to sit down. So if you can, just rest gently. Everybody's in sort of a reasonable posture for meditation. Straightening your spine really helps. Then you can look down at some spot on the ground. If you like, you can kind of half close your eyes or just your eyes in any way you like Report an error in the passage at 8:45 Highlight the passage at 8:45

9:32 or on your diaphragm. Report an error in the passage at 9:32 Highlight the passage at 9:32

9:38 And as you try to focus on your breath. Report an error in the passage at 9:38 Highlight the passage at 9:38

9:43 Other thoughts and also feelings and thoughts Report an error in the passage at 9:43 Highlight the passage at 9:43

9:51 and memories. Report an error in the passage at 9:51 Highlight the passage at 9:51

9:55 There's something very helpful for concentrating. It's actually not to push away those thoughts and also not to pull thoughts forward but simply to let them pass by and realize your mind is actually deeper and you aren't your thoughts, you don't need to identify with your thoughts. Thoughts are something that pass through your mind and if you let them be by following the distance, well... Report an error in the passage at 9:55 Highlight the passage at 9:55

10:21 Thank Report an error in the passage at 10:21 Highlight the passage at 10:21

· · · silence, 4 minutes

10:33 very, very beautiful. Report an error in the passage at 10:33 Highlight the passage at 10:33

· · · silence, 5 minutes

15:05 that's the purpose of Dharma and the purpose of our lives, create the true cause of happiness. Report an error in the passage at 15:05 Highlight the passage at 15:05

15:30 to the Buddha's actual teachings because it leaves your mind open to explore. But the Buddha's teachings are a very rich question. Report an error in the passage at 15:30 Highlight the passage at 15:30

15:40 this is the answer that Tibetan Buddhists have come up with, and most Buddhists, is that the purpose of life is to create the true cause of happiness for our soul. Report an error in the passage at 15:40 Highlight the passage at 15:40

15:56 thing actually is falling down. It's funny. fell all the way down. Report an error in the passage at 15:56 Highlight the passage at 15:56

16:05 that better? Report an error in the passage at 16:05 Highlight the passage at 16:05

16:10 So Report an error in the passage at 16:10 Highlight the passage at 16:10

16:14 now, a little bit about Our current time. Tibetan Buddhism says that we live in what's called the quarreling age. So they say it's an extremely difficult time on earth when violence and greed are everywhere and there are many obstacles to practicing Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 16:14 Highlight the passage at 16:14

16:32 I think many of us might agree with this statement. So even after encountering Dharma, they say that in a time like this we still find it extremely difficult to continue to succeed in our practice. They say inner and outer obstacles will pour down like rain. So that might make you feel discouraged, but that's why today we're talking about this thought transformation. Report an error in the passage at 16:32 Highlight the passage at 16:32

16:57 That's why it's essential to practice and to learn about what we call Mahāyāna thought transformation. And these are the techniques to take what we ordinarily consider obstacles in our life and transform them into fuel for us to attain enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 16:57 Highlight the passage at 16:57

17:14 And they say that actually if you use these techniques... Report an error in the passage at 17:14 Highlight the passage at 17:14

17:22 there's many methods, and we're going to go over a few and apply them to problems past. We actually did this on New Year's Eve, so it was kind of a nice dividing line. We would say, let's apply them to problems that we had last year. fact, it's early enough in the year that we can just use the same language, you know. So we'll apply them to problems from the previous year, then anticipating in the coming year, You're You're welcome. Report an error in the passage at 17:22 Highlight the passage at 17:22

17:49 welcome. The same kind of problems happening and even trying to transform our minds so that we might even look forward to encountering some obstacles so that we can try the techniques. Because you know once you learn how to do something, it's kind of like once you learn Kung Fu or something, you want to find someone to fight. Like when they teach you how to fight, that's why you find guys at bars picking fights with people because they already know how to fight. Report an error in the passage at 17:49 Highlight the passage at 17:49

18:18 so then they want to go someplace so they can get in the fight and test out their skills So a lot Report an error in the passage at 18:18 Highlight the passage at 18:18

18:52 of what I'm teaching comes out of a great book. Lama Soka Rinpoche called, I think it's called Transforming Problems. So we all experience harm from other beings. We experience illness and various events and circumstances in our lives that we see as problems or obstacles. As long as our mind is conditioned to identify these experiences as problems, we'll only find... Report an error in the passage at 18:52 Highlight the passage at 18:52

19:24 More and more people and more conditions disturbing. So small inconveniences will cause us greater and greater disturbances the more that we see them as problem. I'm sure you've seen this in your own life. So once you start getting a little bit annoyed, say that your food is just not quite hot enough. Report an error in the passage at 19:24 Highlight the passage at 19:24

19:48 Gradually it increases and increases to the point that you get extremely angry if your food is slightly cold. Sometimes... You know, if we start to judge people's appearance slightly, slightly, oh, I don't like that shirt very much, I don't like the way he looks, then gradually it leads towards us being very disturbed. Report an error in the passage at 19:48 Highlight the passage at 19:48

20:08 Even if someone looks a little bit strange, we'll just glance someone on the street and think, oh, I don't like that guy. When we're waiting in line, you know, the more and more we have an annoyed attitude, the more we'll actually just be more and more frustrated. Report an error in the passage at 20:08 Highlight the passage at 20:08

20:26 And then of course sometimes people have opinions that are different from our own, so if that bothers you, then it's a downhill slide where then even people who have slightly different opinions from you start to get a bit upset. Report an error in the passage at 20:26 Highlight the passage at 20:26

20:43 So the root of the problem, the true cause of suffering isn't the problem, it's not the circumstance, but it's what we call our self-cherishing mind. The mind's nature is to become addicted to certain ways of seeing things. It's like a downward spiral. Our anger gets greater with smaller and smaller problems and we create more and more negative karma. Report an error in the passage at 20:43 Highlight the passage at 20:43

21:08 And that's the biggest part of why our problems tend to go into a downward spiral because if we get angry and frustrated when we have problems, from the karmic point of view, we're creating the causes for more of those same problems and more suffering. Report an error in the passage at 21:08 Highlight the passage at 21:08

21:24 So you might have experienced this yourself and if not, I'm sure you've met people. People who are angry at everything that appears to their senses, everyone they encounter and everything they see. And this state even has a name in Buddhist teachings, in Tibetan Buddhist teachings, called all appearances arising as the enemy. Report an error in the passage at 21:24 Highlight the passage at 21:24

21:49 So have you ever experienced that yourself? I certainly have. I often find a good example is when every song on the radio sounds awful. Report an error in the passage at 21:49 Highlight the passage at 21:49

22:02 Have you guys ever seen it? You're in the car. Like when you're in the car driving and you're flipping stations and no matter what station you put it on, every song sounds terrible. You're like, I hate that song. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And then you've had the opposite. You've had other days too when every song sounds fantastic. Report an error in the passage at 22:02 Highlight the passage at 22:02

22:24 You know you're in the car and you're like, oh, that song, that song, that song. Report an error in the passage at 22:24 Highlight the passage at 22:24

22:31 And it's not due to the songs. Report an error in the passage at 22:31 Highlight the passage at 22:31

22:39 the bad day and good on the good day. It's actually your state of not mind. Report an error in the passage at 22:39 Highlight the passage at 22:39

22:48 it's a great lesson that it's your mind that's in control of how you experience circumstances. It's not the circumstances themselves, because the same song could sound awful on one day and on another. Similarly, on some days everybody's face looks beautiful. Report an error in the passage at 22:48 Highlight the passage at 22:48

23:15 So you probably have some friends who act in that positive way frequently, that whatever they encounter, they see in a positive light. Report an error in the passage at 23:15 Highlight the passage at 23:15

23:27 I know some people like this. My brother's wife is very much like this. She doesn't even hear insults. Someone will say something negative about her and it's like it just doesn't compute. Her mind is just not designed to hear. Report an error in the passage at 23:27 Highlight the passage at 23:27

23:48 it's up to just feel kind of confused. You know, I can see her just, are you saying, you know. And it's such a beautiful, I really admire people like that, know, for whom it's, they've cultivated this so long that it's just natural that. Report an error in the passage at 23:48 Highlight the passage at 23:48

24:04 you don't see an insult as a problem. Because for many of us, that's our main problem. We have sickness, obviously, and people die. in our daily life, most of our problems are through these interpersonal relationships at work and so on. Report an error in the passage at 24:04 Highlight the passage at 24:04

24:18 So if you can manage to overcome even this one, where you stop seeing sounds as disturbing, you know, sounds from a moving mouth hitting your ear, you can really become much more, much more happy in life. But even before that, just to think about people who are like this and take a look at that person. First of all, they're undisturbed. They're quite happy even through difficult circumstances. Report an error in the passage at 24:18 Highlight the passage at 24:18

24:43 But also... Everybody seems to love these people. Usually these are the people whom we want to be around the most. They're also the people who are usually the happiest to see us. So how can we become that way? So for skillful meditators with well-trained minds, all appearances arise as a friend or as a teacher. Report an error in the passage at 24:43 Highlight the passage at 24:43

25:06 Everything appears as bliss, as a manifestation of emptiness, which we'll talk about a little bit later. The ultimate nature of all things. Report an error in the passage at 25:06 Highlight the passage at 25:06

25:17 And so skillful meditators are unhindered by problems. So Report an error in the passage at 25:17 Highlight the passage at 25:17

25:26 when we perceive a problem, if we remember the benefits of having problems and approach them with the practice of Mahāyāna thought transformation, our problems become desirable. Instead of hindering us, they become good and useful. Report an error in the passage at 25:26 Highlight the passage at 25:26

25:44 I'd like to note that, as a side note, that these teachings aren't meant to encourage us to accept situations that we could get out of. Report an error in the passage at 25:44 Highlight the passage at 25:44

25:53 I think a very good example is an abusive relationship or an unjust situation that we could right through our own action. So these kind of teachings of transforming your problems don't contradict working to right wrongs in the world. So instead the teachings teach us how to be happy through all circumstances, whether we're being harmed or benefited and to use all situations to bring us towards enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 25:53 Highlight the passage at 25:53

26:25 There's a great teacher named Shantideva, who we used to call Master Shantideva, and he said if you can do something about a problem, why worry? If you can't do something about a problem, why worry? So this is the first concrete technique we'll examine today. Up until now we were just thinking of the benefits of doing this and how nice it is that some people can do it. Report an error in the passage at 26:25 Highlight the passage at 26:25

26:48 And that's typically how these Tibetan teachers begin. You kind of go into why it's useful because then it makes you encouraged to practice. But now we hit our first example of what we could actually do. So no matter how much you worry about any external problem, and no matter how irritated you become, your irritation can't make the problem go away. Report an error in the passage at 26:48 Highlight the passage at 26:48

27:10 So Report an error in the passage at 27:10 Highlight the passage at 27:10

27:14 it's very useful to think about that for a moment. So eventually with a strong motivation, understanding the benefit of these practices, you become like an experienced horseman or an athlete or a driver or a... Report an error in the passage at 27:14 Highlight the passage at 27:14

28:03 The thought of being enjoyably excited about problems in your life could arise without even considering the reason why. So let's meditate on this for a moment. It's easy to let words like this slip away quickly, you know, like platitudes, but you can meditate on just this one statement for years to understand its meaning more and more deeply. Report an error in the passage at 28:03 Highlight the passage at 28:03

28:32 So let's just do that our own, just for, you know, again, very short, two minute meditation. But just let your mind wrap around these words and try to determine what it means towards you. There are actually literally dozens or maybe even hundreds of interpretations of this simple phrase. If you can do something about a problem, why worry? Report an error in the passage at 28:32 Highlight the passage at 28:32

28:58 If you can't do something about a problem, why worry? Report an error in the passage at 28:58 Highlight the passage at 28:58

· · · silence, 3 minutes

31:32 When I was sitting there. I realized that most of the time worry seems to be in the future because in the middle of something you're usually too busy to worry. Report an error in the passage at 31:32 Highlight the passage at 31:32

31:50 And most of the worry that I see is something that I'm worried about either happening or not happening or something and it actually isn't. Report an error in the passage at 31:50 Highlight the passage at 31:50

32:18 it's happened, and then you try to figure out how you're going to remedy it or something. Report an error in the passage at 32:18 Highlight the passage at 32:18

32:27 else have something? I really think there's hundreds of different thoughts that arise from Report an error in the passage at 32:27 Highlight the passage at 32:27

32:37 Actually, I had the thought that concerns, Report an error in the passage at 32:37 Highlight the passage at 32:37

32:43 we'll say, that we might have about the future are actually projections of our past and they don't take into consideration that things could be different. You know, we just are kind of fixed like, oh, it's going to be like it's been. We don't really believe in change. Yeah, that's great. There's a common tradition. Report an error in the passage at 32:43 Highlight the passage at 32:43

33:11 tradition is teaching that every moment is new. Report an error in the passage at 33:11 Highlight the passage at 33:11

33:17 think you're having the same problem over and over, but actually it's different. Especially in a relationship, you're like, oh, that again. Actually, it's a new moment, a new experience with a new possibility for change. Report an error in the passage at 33:17 Highlight the passage at 33:17

33:51 so useless to worry, if you can do something about a problem, you can do it without ado. I think you see this in doctors and nurses a lot, they have a very no-nonsense attitude about helping people because it's their job every day. They don't really brag about it, fairly immune to praise or criticism. Report an error in the passage at 33:51 Highlight the passage at 33:51

34:14 I think that's the kind of attitude, you know, for someone who has to... It's their job to help people all day long. I think they're quite good at cultivating this. Report an error in the passage at 34:14 Highlight the passage at 34:14

34:28 any other insights? So Report an error in the passage at 34:28 Highlight the passage at 34:28

34:36 we need to prepare well before we meet with miserable conditions since being able to use them as a basis for virtue and happiness is extremely difficult. Report an error in the passage at 34:36 Highlight the passage at 34:36

34:47 So to transform problems into happiness, it's not sufficient simply to see that problems help your practice of virtue. That alone isn't enough. have to clearly recognize that our problems are actually necessary conditions for our practice of virtue, that we can then derive continual, stable happiness from this. Report an error in the passage at 34:47 Highlight the passage at 34:47

35:16 to think about the actual causes of our suffering. desire are the disturbing emotions that become the causes of our problems. It's not external conditions that are the causes. Report an error in the passage at 35:16 Highlight the passage at 35:16

35:32 First it helps to become mindful of our anger. As soon as anger begins to arise, we need to recognize it. And then consciously and systematically, it helps to recollect its shortcomings. Report an error in the passage at 35:32 Highlight the passage at 35:32

35:46 So anger never brings the slightest benefit or happiness to you or to others. Anger brings only harm. It makes you unhappy, disturbed, even vengeful and vicious. Report an error in the passage at 35:46 Highlight the passage at 35:46

35:59 And then anger leaves an imprint on your mind so that when you meet similar conditions... Report an error in the passage at 35:59 Highlight the passage at 35:59

36:10 the same way that a human heart stopping would end life, anger destroys the heart of merit and cuts off the life of liberation. Report an error in the passage at 36:10 Highlight the passage at 36:10

36:21 the heart, there's no life. Without merit, there's no happiness, no liberation, and no peerless ultimate happiness of enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 36:21 Highlight the passage at 36:21

36:33 again, it helps to think about the shortcomings of anger because that's a frequent response to a problem and to realize that anger actually only creates... Similarly, with desire, as long as we cling to and follow desire, there can be no lasting happiness or peace in our hearts. With the mind of desire, something is always missing. If we examine our minds at any one moment, we can see that we more problems. Report an error in the passage at 36:33 Highlight the passage at 36:33

37:07 I really have this feeling that something is missing. And for most of us it's true all the time. It's a little bit sad to talk about. Report an error in the passage at 37:07 Highlight the passage at 37:07

37:18 But it helps to get a realistic view of our mind. Again, it's really this anger and the desire that are the causes of our suffering and not problems themselves. Report an error in the passage at 37:18 Highlight the passage at 37:18

37:29 So just to be realistic, let's just look very briefly, just one minute meditation. Let's look into our mind and see what is it that you believe is missing. Thank you for Report an error in the passage at 37:29 Highlight the passage at 37:29

· · · silence, 2 minutes

37:43 have something that you believe, if I got this, I would be happy. Report an error in the passage at 37:43 Highlight the passage at 37:43

· · · silence, 2 minutes

40:02 I feel that very strongly. So there is an alternative, and that's to leave the mind in its natural, undisturbed state. You don't need to follow thoughts of this is a problem, that's a problem. Without labeling difficulties as problems, you can leave your mind in its natural state. Report an error in the passage at 40:02 Highlight the passage at 40:02

40:25 So that's one way to just let circumstances be whatever they are without saying that is a problem. me. Report an error in the passage at 40:25 Highlight the passage at 40:25

40:32 Of course things are happening and sometimes things cause some benefit to you and other times things cause some harm. But you can just continue your active labeling and attachment to seeing things as actual problems. Report an error in the passage at 40:32 Highlight the passage at 40:32

40:51 So now let's get a little more hardcore into the benefits of problems. So there's a Mahāyāna teaching that reads like this. It's not good to be wealthy, it's better to be poor. If you're poor and experiencing hardships... we can accomplish the Buddha Dharma. beggar's body is the aim of the Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 40:51 Highlight the passage at 40:51

41:13 not good to be praised, it's better to be criticized. It's not good to have comfort, it's better to have discomfort. So when we're praised, Experiencing problems the blessing of the Guru. Report an error in the passage at 41:13 Highlight the passage at 41:13

41:32 may not seem intuitive. Report an error in the passage at 41:32 Highlight the passage at 41:32

41:37 let's try to dig into that in detail. when we're praised, we have a good reputation or an important position, a danger that we lose the Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 41:37 Highlight the passage at 41:37

41:52 when desirable conditions arise and we're happy, because everything's going exactly the way that we want it to. Report an error in the passage at 41:52 Highlight the passage at 41:52

42:04 the passing of those desirable conditions, we're in danger of losing the Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 42:04 Highlight the passage at 42:04

42:13 then when the desirable conditions inevitably pass, we meet the opposite of the undesirable situation, there's also the danger of losing the So Report an error in the passage at 42:13 Highlight the passage at 42:13

42:33 it's only this thought that can stop that suffering. Only that thought that can quell the unhappy mind. Report an error in the passage at 42:33 Highlight the passage at 42:33

43:05 So let's try to practice some of these methods of thought transformation so that when we have problems we can think that's terrific and not get it. Report an error in the passage at 43:05 Highlight the passage at 43:05

43:18 So one way to use problems is to train your mind in what we call renunciation. I know some of you are older students but other people may have less experience with bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 43:18 Highlight the passage at 43:18

43:31 So if you don't have problems you don't want to be free of psychic existence. Report an error in the passage at 43:31 Highlight the passage at 43:31

43:40 So renunciation is this feeling that I want to be free of this. Report an error in the passage at 43:40 Highlight the passage at 43:40

43:48 and kind of difficult world for you of uncertainty. when you have a problem, it's quite clear that they help you to have that wish, that they help you to generate renunciation. Report an error in the passage at 43:48 Highlight the passage at 43:48

44:03 help us demonstrate so clearly. Some of you may not be familiar with this term. Saṃsāra is the cycle of desire. desire and dissatisfaction, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. It's fueled by karma and delusion. So by renouncing saṃsāra, we renounce our habitual grasping, our unhealthy minds. So problems help us drive away from saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 44:03 Highlight the passage at 44:03

44:36 Saṃsāra is not necessarily a place, you know, like Chicago saṃsāra and San Francisco's Nirvāṇa or something like that. But it's this... Report an error in the passage at 44:36 Highlight the passage at 44:36

44:49 Stay driven by this grasping, unhealthy mind. Report an error in the passage at 44:49 Highlight the passage at 44:49

44:59 So remember what they call these eight worldly dharmas. They are seeking pleasure and avoiding pain, seeking fame and avoiding disrepute, seeking gain and avoiding loss, and seeking praise and avoiding blame. Report an error in the passage at 44:59 Highlight the passage at 44:59

45:19 Now when we hear those, we're taught that those are the ineffective ways of living a life. And yet I think for most about that basically describes our world view or maybe our dominant world view. So Report an error in the passage at 45:19 Highlight the passage at 45:19

45:40 all these things are said to be the opposite of Dharma practice. So Report an error in the passage at 45:40 Highlight the passage at 45:40

45:50 it's very helpful to think about these. Again, you don't want to get to a point where you have a kind of self-hatred or anything like that. But just to be realistic about what's driving us in our life. So again, another very short, like two-minute meditation. I think it's helpful just to see what's driving our actions, so to think about our seeking pleasure and avoiding pain, seeking fame, avoiding disrepute, seeking gain and avoiding loss, seeking praise and avoiding blame. Report an error in the passage at 45:50 Highlight the passage at 45:50

46:24 This is a form of mindfulness just to be aware of what is actually driving you without judging it, just honestly looking in your mind and seeing how we drive ourselves each day. So another minute or two. thinking about these eight worldly darkness. Report an error in the passage at 46:24 Highlight the passage at 46:24

· · · silence, 2 minutes

48:34 then on to another problem. Report an error in the passage at 48:34 Highlight the passage at 48:34

48:39 see how you can use your problems as this of fuel for your meditation. Report an error in the passage at 48:39 Highlight the passage at 48:39

· · · silence, 1 minute

49:52 a problem. Report an error in the passage at 49:52 Highlight the passage at 49:52

50:08 using that problem, to generate renunciation. Report an error in the passage at 50:08 Highlight the passage at 50:08

· · · silence, 1 minute

51:41 That's a feeling of devotion and respect towards beings who have gained control of their minds, like the Buddha and the Dalai Lama and other beings like that. Report an error in the passage at 51:41 Highlight the passage at 51:41

51:54 So problems can help remind you of your refuge. If you think of all the sufferings that you've experienced, then you can think that the only refuge that gives you perfect protection from them is what we call the three jewels, the Buddha, the Report an error in the passage at 51:54 Highlight the passage at 51:54

52:14 Dharma, the Buddha's teachings. In the Saṅgha, the community, the spiritual community that help us support each other and continue the teachings. Report an error in the passage at 52:14 Highlight the passage at 52:14

52:27 So because saṃsāra pleasures and reliefs are only temporary, they're not reliable refuge. You know, some people take refuge in a hot bath. You know, you have a hard day, so you take refuge in a hard bath or you have Report an error in the passage at 52:27 Highlight the passage at 52:27

52:55 a very hard day, but then the refuge is their little bar at home. you know, pour themselves. And, you know, and it's not, actually, it does provide a temporary relief. Like, people do actually feel, and they wouldn't do it if it didn't, if it didn't help in some way. Some people have a cigarette. You know, that's a refuge of the cigarette. Watch TV, et cetera. So, go to a movie. all those things do, in fact, help you to relax and to forget your problems. Report an error in the passage at 52:55 Highlight the passage at 52:55

53:25 But the problem is, at most, At most, there they're are a temporary refuge. And quite often they have very negative side effects, especially with drinking and smoking. But also anything that you cultivate that I have to have this thing in order to solve my problems, because then when you don't get it, oh, I didn't get my bath, I'm angry. Report an error in the passage at 53:25 Highlight the passage at 53:25

53:45 Or even if you're attached to meditation, it can happen. I've done that before, I get very angry, like, oh, this person's in my way, I have an appointment this morning and I can't meditate. So you get angry because you can't meditate. Report an error in the passage at 53:45 Highlight the passage at 53:45

54:00 So the problems can help you to remind you of your true refuge. Because samsaric pleasures and relief are only temporary, they're not reliable refuges. So we can think that no matter what problem occurs in my life, I'm going to only rely on this triple gem, the Buddha, the Dharma and the Saṅgha. Report an error in the passage at 54:00 Highlight the passage at 54:00

54:27 And if you're not a Buddhist, if you're someone here who has a different belief like a Christian or Muslim or... you know, someone who knows why I'm pagan. Report an error in the passage at 54:27 Highlight the passage at 54:27

54:40 can also see your problems driving you to that in the same way it doesn't have to be the Buddha but if you are a Buddhist then this is typically what it drives So now let's try to make it practical. practical, just for, again, how would I actually do this in real life? How do I prepare for it every day? So again, really quick, like a one minute meditation. Report an error in the passage at 54:40 Highlight the passage at 54:40

55:02 Let's think of some problem from last year. And think how that problem can drive you towards refuge. you're into Buddhism, it was quite likely for this room, think about problems can drive you towards recalling the Buddha and his teachings the Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 55:02 Highlight the passage at 55:02

55:27 of the spiritual community. Report an error in the passage at 55:27 Highlight the passage at 55:27

· · · silence, 1 minute

56:10 can imagine someone handed $100 bill, say you sneeze, somebody handed you a $100 bill, and then you kind of blow your nose into the $100 bill and throw it away. That's sort of when I do this meditation, it's kind of what I feel, that I've really squandered an opportunity, like the problem that occurred was something that could have driven me to an initiation, to refuge. Report an error in the passage at 56:10 Highlight the passage at 56:10

56:36 yet I use it in exactly the opposite way to be more cause of suffering. So it's quite stupid. I can feel quite stupid throwing away a $100 bill with a bunch of snot on it. Report an error in the passage at 56:36 Highlight the passage at 56:36

56:47 So in order to prepare, Imagine having a similar problem in the future and imagine immediately recalling your refuge when that problem occurs. Wow, this problem reminds me that there's no worldly refuge I can rely on. The only true refuge is the Buddha. There's Report an error in the passage at 56:47 Highlight the passage at 56:47

57:35 so many techniques. There's another one which is using problems to eliminate pride. What is pride? It's so nice with Tibetan Buddhism because it has precise definitions for all these words. Pride focuses on the problems of others and exaggerates our own good qualities. So Report an error in the passage at 57:35 Highlight the passage at 57:35

57:57 when you realize that you yourself have many problems, pride doesn't arise. Recognizing your own suffering eliminates pride and causes compassion to arise towards others who, like us, are suffering in some way. Report an error in the passage at 57:57 Highlight the passage at 57:57

58:18 Pride is a big cause of our problems, so try to come up with a problem from last year that was caused by your pride. It should be quite easy because pride often makes it so that we don't directly confront somebody to apologize or to forgive instead Report an error in the passage at 58:18 Highlight the passage at 58:18

58:48 of being quite grateful. Oh, thanks for pointing out that I have this problem. That's very nice of you. It's quite rare that we say that. Usually our pride arises and we kind of lie. So then it causes another problem. Then we're creating more. Then we lie and say, oh, I don't have that problem, even though we know we do. Report an error in the passage at 58:48 Highlight the passage at 58:48

59:13 So imagine this problem from last year, caused by pride, and how if you eliminated your pride, you wouldn't have had that. Report an error in the passage at 59:13 Highlight the passage at 59:13

59:24 Again, very brief meditation. It's Report an error in the passage at 59:24 Highlight the passage at 59:24

59:47 funny how humbling it is to do. The Report an error in the passage at 59:47 Highlight the passage at 59:47

1:00:04 real problem is my pride. It's not that small circumstance. Now, Report an error in the passage at 1:00:04 Highlight the passage at 1:00:04

1:00:17 to be prepared, imagine the problems occurring next year, the same type of problem. And imagine instead of pride arising, imagine using the problem to diminish and eliminate our pride. instead of becoming a fuel for anger. This Report an error in the passage at 1:00:17 Highlight the passage at 1:00:17

1:00:40 is Report an error in the passage at 1:00:40 Highlight the passage at 1:00:40

1:01:04 a very powerful and very fun practice and very easy to do. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:04 Highlight the passage at 1:01:04

1:01:18 It's nice because then you're not as focused on yourself. You really don't want to be angry at yourself or feel guilty. It's kind of self-hatred. These techniques are meant to be applied gently and realistically and not with a hammer. that makes you angry at yourself. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:18 Highlight the passage at 1:01:18

1:01:38 sometimes it's helpful to use this other method that's more external where you think. Let's rejoice in all the good qualities of beings. So there are mundane qualities you can rejoice in, like beauty, seeing any attractive person or thing. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:38 Highlight the passage at 1:01:38

1:01:58 You see, we know that beauty comes from the karmic cause of patience. So knowing that, we can be very happy when we see, for example, an attractive person and think, oh, they must have been so patient to become so pretty. so pretty, so attractive. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:58 Highlight the passage at 1:01:58

1:02:33 karmic cause of which is teaching others. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:33 Highlight the passage at 1:02:33

1:02:38 so on. Those are the ordinary qualities that people have that we can rejoice in. it's much more powerful when you rejoice in the qualities of great beings like the Dalai Lama. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:38 Highlight the passage at 1:02:38

1:02:50 let's try right now. The dialogue is alive and it's doing something right there. Let's rejoice in whatever he's doing, whatever it is, it has to be beneficial. He's probably praying for us, to be honest. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:50 Highlight the passage at 1:02:50

1:03:08 You know someone once asked the Dalai Lama, who is your greatest influence? And he said, every single person I ever met. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:08 Highlight the passage at 1:03:08

1:03:17 And he really meant it, like very realistically, you know, he just doesn't discriminate, he's just inspired by the beauty of all human beings and their potential. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:17 Highlight the passage at 1:03:17

1:03:29 So you can rejoice in the Dalai Lama's attitude, that he has that attitude. You can rejoice in everything he did last year, hundreds of teachings and meeting statesmen and working for peace. And Report an error in the passage at 1:03:29 Highlight the passage at 1:03:29

1:03:45 then rejoice in everything that he's going to do this year, all his plans, his teachings, working with scientists, trying to help the Tibetan state. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:45 Highlight the passage at 1:03:45

1:04:05 So there's a lot more techniques. We're not even going to get through them all. It's kind of amazing, you know, because we've already done, I think, three techniques. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:05 Highlight the passage at 1:04:05

1:04:13 There's so many. So we can use problems to purify negative karma, when you have some conviction that there is karma. So problems come due to the ripening of karma. I Report an error in the passage at 1:04:13 Highlight the passage at 1:04:13

1:04:37 think it's everything that occurs is due to our own previous action. There's no problem that is occurring to us or that has occurred to us that isn't caused by ourselves. And again, it's not a reason to kind of beat up on yourself or feel angry or guilty, but it's just a realistic point of view. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:37 Highlight the passage at 1:04:37

1:04:56 So when problems occur you can think maybe I need to purify, remembering that I still have this big bank of negative karma accumulated from my past actions. You can avoid the ripening of negative karma by cleaning it. So they say great yogis and teachers are happy when bad things happen to them, when they encounter difficulties, because they know that they're exhausting their karma. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:56 Highlight the passage at 1:04:56

1:05:26 And as that's happening they know that that's fantastic. My karma ripened in a way that didn't kill me. My negative karma ripened in some lesser way that didn't immediately kill me. So I don't have to experience its result again. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:26 Highlight the passage at 1:05:26

1:05:43 And they also say that great yogis actually get nervous when good things happen to them because they say, oh no, this is exhausting. My negative karma just did something great in the past and it's ripened merely as a nice piece of cake. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:43 Highlight the passage at 1:05:43

1:06:02 instead of my enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:02 Highlight the passage at 1:06:02

1:06:07 there are ways not to, not to say you should have all this kind of neuroses as things are happening in your life, because there is a way to make the most of everything that happens to you, and that's through a technique, what the Dalai Lama calls universalizing your experience. So, when something positive happens, can say, oh, may everybody have a beautiful sunset, may everybody have delicious cake. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:07 Highlight the passage at 1:06:07

1:06:32 You see, this is like the guilt-free, guilt guilt-free-free. gourmet or something, right? Like, may everybody enjoy this delicious cake. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:32 Highlight the passage at 1:06:32

1:06:42 similarly, when negative things nobody be yelled at by their boss, may nobody have tons of debt, may nobody out of a job. So Report an error in the passage at 1:06:42 Highlight the passage at 1:06:42

1:06:59 again, let's try this in meditation. about the problems from last year. Think how fantastic it is that that karma ripened and that you don't have to experience the result again. Then Report an error in the passage at 1:06:59 Highlight the passage at 1:06:59

1:07:47 try to think of having similar problems in the near future. And imagine yourself instantaneously when Report an error in the passage at 1:07:47 Highlight the passage at 1:07:47

1:08:00 it's exhausting. You created some negative karma in the past. It's exhausting itself now. As long as I don't get angry. It's Report an error in the passage at 1:08:00 Highlight the passage at 1:08:00

1:08:27 possible also to use problems to train your mind in compassion and loving kindness. We just hinted at it slightly. counteract the neuroses of freaking out about us causing all of our own problems. But there's a more kind of deep systematic approach to compassion and loving kindness. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:27 Highlight the passage at 1:08:27

1:08:47 very difficult to feel what problems are like to others without having them ourselves. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:47 Highlight the passage at 1:08:47

1:08:55 Problems help us to generate love and compassion. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:55 Highlight the passage at 1:08:55

1:09:04 experienced that, especially. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:04 Highlight the passage at 1:09:04

1:09:12 why very often you notice that become spoiled. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:12 Highlight the passage at 1:09:12

1:09:22 they don't encounter enough problems to help to balance them as a person. not to say that you need to have massive problems. You can also just imagine them and think Report an error in the passage at 1:09:22 Highlight the passage at 1:09:22

1:09:36 when they do occur to you, you can use them as fuel to generate love. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:36 Highlight the passage at 1:09:36

1:09:43 again, let's do this meditatively, experientially, rather than just a lecture. You know, the reason we do this with the meditation is that the Buddha said you can study Buddhism your whole life and you'll have no benefit unless you put it into practice. that's why instead of just having a lecture and then kind of make a crapshoot, if anybody will remember or practice, then at least we do a tiny bit of practice together so we know we've actually turned it into... Report an error in the passage at 1:09:43 Highlight the passage at 1:09:43

1:10:08 So in this Report an error in the passage at 1:10:08 Highlight the passage at 1:10:08

1:10:16 meditation, just again for a couple minutes, imagine problems from last year. You can let them just come one after the other. And consider others. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:16 Highlight the passage at 1:10:16

1:10:49 who actually became homeless of their financial problems. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:49 Highlight the passage at 1:10:49

1:12:24 Imagine encountering some of these same problems, and imagine that now, as they occur, we universalize the experience. We might even feel happy or smile as we take on this problem for the benefit of all sentient beings and think, as I experience this financial trouble and debt, may nobody be destitute and homeless. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:24 Highlight the passage at 1:12:24

1:12:51 There Report an error in the passage at 1:12:51 Highlight the passage at 1:12:51

1:12:56 is a sickness, may nobody be sick, lose their limbs, come back to AIDS. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:56 Highlight the passage at 1:12:56

1:13:19 is maybe one of the easiest and most powerful. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:19 Highlight the passage at 1:13:19

1:13:26 of, bitty arguments you can kind of make with a lot of the other techniques. Or you can say, oh, I don't completely have refuge, or believe in renunciation. But one is so powerful because you can't deny that other people are suffering in the same way. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:26 Highlight the passage at 1:13:26

1:13:44 few of us are so heartless that we don't wish these other people to be free of these problems. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:44 Highlight the passage at 1:13:44

1:13:54 I think Report an error in the passage at 1:13:54 Highlight the passage at 1:13:54

1:14:00 if you can... session is probably the most challenging. universalize your problem. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:00 Highlight the passage at 1:14:00

1:14:12 that are suffering the same. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:12 Highlight the passage at 1:14:12

1:14:26 one last technique, and it's considered a kind of nuclear weapon thought transformation. happiness and suffering manifestations of emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:26 Highlight the passage at 1:14:26

1:14:44 is an explanation of how things exist. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:44 Highlight the passage at 1:14:44

1:14:49 one sense, it's quite simple, and for people in our culture, it's quite intellectual. And in another sense, it's quite difficult because it's hard to realize. It's simply the idea that nothing exists independently from its own side, that everything is comprised of parts and the parts comprise of parts and so on, that everything has causes, even if you don't believe in karma, even if you just think of the world of physics and our universe. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:49 Highlight the passage at 1:14:49

1:15:20 Everything has a cause. emerges from nothing. And that's what we're talking about here, is that the problem is actually entirely a mental construct. and a mental label upon a series of parts and that happened over time, that all of a sudden we wrap up into this package, a kind of illusion that causes us unhappiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:20 Highlight the passage at 1:15:20

1:16:03 So we label our experiences as problems or we can label them as beneficial conditions for enlightenment. The Report an error in the passage at 1:16:03 Highlight the passage at 1:16:03

1:16:16 label that we put onto things seems to exist from its own side, independent of our mind, but in reality nothing exists from its own side. Nothing exists independently. Everything is empty of existing from its own side. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:16 Highlight the passage at 1:16:16

1:16:34 what it means is that there's no point at all in becoming attached or angry in response to anything that occurs, because our experiences are empty of existing in this way. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:34 Highlight the passage at 1:16:34

1:16:46 don't have to experience this ordered sequence of events a problem. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:46 Highlight the passage at 1:16:46

1:16:54 can totally abandon disturbing thoughts. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:54 Highlight the passage at 1:16:54

1:16:59 teacher, Renee, he says, on the ultimate level, Problems are there to remind us that they don't exist. You know, it sounds funny. What's the purpose of a problem? But that's one way of looking at it. So the problem is a kind of friend to help remind us that it doesn't actually exist in the way that we think it exists. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:59 Highlight the passage at 1:16:59

1:17:25 And that's because if you look for the problem, you don't find it. So again, let's not take that as some kind of platitude or faith, but let's actually do a meditation. meditation to see if it's true or not. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:25 Highlight the passage at 1:17:25

1:17:41 think it's helpful to think about someone criticizing you. I think we all have this. mean, is there anybody who doesn't have this problem with some people in your life you, pointing out your faults or out things that aren't your faults? Report an error in the passage at 1:17:41 Highlight the passage at 1:17:41

1:17:56 anybody can raise their hand and say there's not someone who's criticizing them? Okay, And this will be helpful. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:56 Highlight the passage at 1:17:56

1:18:07 Okay, so let's really do this though. Get a little bit more into a meditative state and think of this person in front of you, one specific person who criticizes you. Let's Report an error in the passage at 1:18:07 Highlight the passage at 1:18:07

1:18:28 look at this from the point of view of emptiness. There are lips moving. The person's vocal cords are vibrating. Some energy in their brain. Because Report an error in the passage at 1:18:28 Highlight the passage at 1:18:28

1:18:45 of it, the air vibrates and comes out. It Report an error in the passage at 1:18:45 Highlight the passage at 1:18:45

1:18:51 excites the air. It touches our eardrum. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:51 Highlight the passage at 1:18:51

1:18:58 that's converted into electrical impulses that reach our Report an error in the passage at 1:18:58 Highlight the passage at 1:18:58

1:19:19 probably found it in lips. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:19 Highlight the passage at 1:19:19

1:19:29 in the air without the air we wouldn't hear the criticism so is it the air's fault that we have this problem Report an error in the passage at 1:19:29 Highlight the passage at 1:19:29

1:19:43 senses to blame, shall we be mad? Report an error in the passage at 1:19:43 Highlight the passage at 1:19:43

1:19:50 hearing, we wouldn't hear the criticism. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:50 Highlight the passage at 1:19:50

1:20:03 So we find the problem in a specific cell, and Report an error in the passage at 1:20:03 Highlight the passage at 1:20:03

1:20:16 we're taught to look at all the parts comprising something, and to Report an error in the passage at 1:20:16 Highlight the passage at 1:20:16

1:20:22 think realistically we can't find the problem in the lips, in the vocal cords, in the pain cells, or in the pulmonary clots. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:22 Highlight the passage at 1:20:22

1:20:33 So we can't find the problem in any one of them. And it would be equally absurd to say the problem is all of them put together. Because where would it come from? If it's not in any of them, how could it be in all of them? Report an error in the passage at 1:20:33 Highlight the passage at 1:20:33

1:21:11 So think of some other problems. Where Report an error in the passage at 1:21:11 Highlight the passage at 1:21:11

1:21:21 exactly Report an error in the passage at 1:21:21 Highlight the passage at 1:21:21

1:21:27 is that problem? Is it at the bank? This Report an error in the passage at 1:21:27 Highlight the passage at 1:21:27

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:22:10 is Report an error in the passage at 1:22:10 Highlight the passage at 1:22:10

1:22:43 very Report an error in the passage at 1:22:43 Highlight the passage at 1:22:43

1:23:21 good Report an error in the passage at 1:23:21 Highlight the passage at 1:23:21

1:23:30 practice. Imagine Report an error in the passage at 1:23:30 Highlight the passage at 1:23:30

1:23:41 as these things occur. mind can label those interdependent however it likes. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:41 Highlight the passage at 1:23:41

1:23:11 try to imagine next year. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:11 Highlight the passage at 1:23:11

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:23:42 that see their true empty nature. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:42 Highlight the passage at 1:23:42

1:23:48 so solidly. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:48 Highlight the passage at 1:23:48

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:25:05 there's a little bit of time if anybody has any questions or comments. There's definitely a lot of to go over at once. Question Report an error in the passage at 1:25:05 Highlight the passage at 1:25:05

1:25:35 about purification and how we're supposed to rejoice when something that we label negative happens. And we can say, well great, this won't occur again. But to me that doesn't seem to always be the case. Oh yeah, yeah, no, it's just that particular karma. You know, just that one seed. Sorry if I misspoke. It's just that one seed. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:35 Highlight the passage at 1:25:35

1:26:07 So we just know that one karmic seed that we planted. But you can be happy about that. I mean, you know, we'd be really happy if we thought we've existed everything. but still it's good to be happy in that, okay, comic scene is exhausting. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:07 Highlight the passage at 1:26:07

1:26:25 least I don't have to experience it again. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:25 Highlight the passage at 1:26:25

1:26:33 it's an antidote against more negative karma. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:33 Highlight the passage at 1:26:33

1:26:40 is one of my favorite moments. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:40 Highlight the passage at 1:26:40

1:26:45 that attitude, it kind of depends what suits your mind the best. Because for some people, thinking about karma is what would be the most powerful antidote or very powerful. for those people to think, oh, okay, I've Report an error in the passage at 1:26:45 Highlight the passage at 1:26:45

1:27:03 everything the Buddha taught is practical for a specific purpose. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:03 Highlight the passage at 1:27:03

1:27:10 so the purpose is so you don't get angry and you don't create more negative karma. that thought benefits. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:10 Highlight the passage at 1:27:10

1:27:19 you don't, we would already be free of suffering, you just every time the one type of problem occurred. Thank you Report an error in the passage at 1:27:19 Highlight the passage at 1:27:19

1:27:39 very much. There are two questions that I had. One is, you talked about Emptiness and the problems and how they manifest in our mind. How do we respond when there is an injustice in the world? That isn't something that, how do we respond to both holding that and that concept of emptiness? And then the other one was, if the problem is, let's say intense physical pain in our body. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:39 Highlight the passage at 1:27:39

1:28:20 we're experiencing that pain. Yeah, it's very important, obviously, not to use these techniques as some kind of weird brain. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:20 Highlight the passage at 1:28:20

1:28:35 of the, some teachings that are like that, you know, that try to pretend everything's. In fact, I was raised a Christian scientist, you know, and I think there's a kind of a wrong way, I think there's a very positive way to practice Christian One of the things I was taught was, you know, you can heal yourself and you don't go to the doctor. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:35 Highlight the passage at 1:28:35

1:28:56 but that can easily slip into blaming people for their problems and thinking, oh, you're sick because you're like that. yeah, it's really important. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:56 Highlight the passage at 1:28:56

1:29:07 So in terms of injustice in the world, you Report an error in the passage at 1:29:07 Highlight the passage at 1:29:07

1:29:15 know, someone asked the Dalai Lama about this. I said, you know, isn't it really helpful to get angry when there are problems in the world? Because that gives me so much energy. You know, look at all those people angry, marching, changing, you know, on and by Wall Street and so Report an error in the passage at 1:29:15 Highlight the passage at 1:29:15

1:29:30 What the Dalai Lama said was, he said, yeah, anger does give you some energy to benefit the world, but it has a very, very severe side effect. It's kind of like, say you want to get the most done in your day you possibly could, what would be a good way to do that? Report an error in the passage at 1:29:30 Highlight the passage at 1:29:30

1:29:56 you probably get like five times as much done that day as another day. Why don't you do that? Because of the side effects. has such severe negative side effects on your body and your mind and your relationships that you don't do that. You work at a normal pace. You get as much done. So what the Dalai Lama said is there is another way to motivate yourself, which is compassion, which is side effect free. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:56 Highlight the passage at 1:29:56

1:30:19 So motivated by compassion, you you can can be be driven driven. to benefit people in the world. Now you ask a kind of complicated question, because I guess part of your question is, if you think your things are empty, how can you care about them? How can motivated in that Report an error in the passage at 1:30:19 Highlight the passage at 1:30:19

1:30:38 Emptiness is not an understanding that things don't exist. It's just understanding the way that they actually do exist, which is in this much more... And you know, I have no realization of emptiness, so obviously I'm just talking. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:38 Highlight the passage at 1:30:38

1:30:57 teachings I've had. contemplation. um... Report an error in the passage at 1:30:57 Highlight the passage at 1:30:57

1:31:06 understand how problems really exist in the world. Like, for example, the war in Afghanistan. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:06 Highlight the passage at 1:31:06

1:31:24 not actually a card, you know, that's a real thing that happened in the world, it's not, you know, we're not denying its existence, when you meditate on the emptiness of that experience, what you realize is the endless chain of cause and effect that led up to it, you stop seeing. Because we tend to kind of reify that experience, like, how could that guy do that? You know, you might tend to blame him or blame culture, but if you meditate on that experience in the concept of emptiness, you see how it's in this infinite web of cause and effect. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:24 Highlight the passage at 1:31:24

1:32:05 It isn't so solid, and there are even ways to transform that. Depending on how you look at that situation, it can become a cause for more anger and more war. violence, it could become a cause for more peace, and and so on. So that's one of the aspects of the emptiness of that situation is that it's open to interpretation. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:05 Highlight the passage at 1:32:05

1:32:32 That experience might very well become the cause for ending that war. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:32 Highlight the passage at 1:32:32

1:32:41 doesn't mean it wasn't an awful thing, but you can see that. From a point of view of emptiness, you just start to see that. From an ant's perspective, they don't even know anybody was killed or anything. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:41 Highlight the passage at 1:32:41

1:32:58 it as an experience that one person was killed by another. then other beings don't even have a mind to perceive it in that way. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:58 Highlight the passage at 1:32:58

1:33:09 So if everybody sees things differently, Report an error in the passage at 1:33:09 Highlight the passage at 1:33:09

1:33:21 really, really understand the emptiness, according to my teachers. Emptiness makes it so much more possible to change your mind and to change the world because you realize that actually anything can be transformed into anything with right and a mental attitude. So emptiness, a correct understanding of emptiness from my, according to my teachers, will actually help you to accomplish much more in the world because you believe that you can really see how anything is possible and even the worst, worst events can actually be transformed. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:21 Highlight the passage at 1:33:21

1:33:56 personally like for you personally you can use that to for all the ways all the ways but you see how you see how it gets a little complicated because from the context of emptiness all of a sudden it pushes you into every one of these other techniques the in the context of emptiness again you see how many different interpretations are for situation and how interdependent they are and then you start to recall all these other techniques too you're saying Report an error in the passage at 1:33:56 Highlight the passage at 1:33:56

1:34:22 It's a little scary because you do see that even the most violent thoughts and experiences can actually become actually cause of positive things. I remember you asking this, you know, more than once when we have meditations. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:22 Highlight the passage at 1:34:22

1:35:00 can these violent thoughts or experiences become actually something positive? The reason it's possible is because of athletes. then the method is all the different methods that we work out. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:00 Highlight the passage at 1:35:00

1:35:14 that a reasonable answer? Does that make sense? Is there anything still unsatisfactory? It doesn't Report an error in the passage at 1:35:14 Highlight the passage at 1:35:14

1:35:27 change our... This sort of ethical framework that we would use to go and say that this is an unjust... Oh yeah, of course, of course. The thing is, there's this subtle difference. There's these two things. One's called anger, which is seen as very, very harmful, although you could do positive things with it. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:27 Highlight the passage at 1:35:27

1:35:52 Still, the effect on you is very, very bad. And the effect on your family, too, and your friends can be very bad. That's why you see... A lot of the world's activists actually end up kind of imploding their life, like this Julian Assange is a great example, although obviously I don't know what's in his mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:52 Highlight the passage at 1:35:52

1:36:09 But it's quite likely that what happens with him, people like him, is that actually you have this great wish to help the world. You create all these ways of doing it, but then your lack of wisdom leads to pride. leads to me thinking, I'm responsible for this. I'm the guy. going to write the book. I want my name on it. I need to do even more. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:09 Highlight the passage at 1:36:09

1:36:41 the pride ends up. might help you to actually accomplish the big thing you want to accomplish, but these people often end up getting divorced and having a lot of court cases and things like that. Your pride and your ego kind of destroy a lot of the merit you've created by helping the world in your personal life, in your relationships. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:41 Highlight the passage at 1:36:41

1:37:04 in general, it's not really worth kind of destroying all your merit order to help the world, because you can actually actually do do both. both. they say, there's this phrase I bet you've heard called have no hope in the fear. don't know if you've heard that. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:04 Highlight the passage at 1:37:04

1:37:28 not mind and not have too big of an ego and not destroy your personal relationships around you. hope that you're going to succeed no fear that you won't. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:28 Highlight the passage at 1:37:28

1:37:39 so it counteracts ego and small-mindedness at once. if you can have that kind of attitude, like the Dalai Lama, then you can do a lot in the world and still maintain your relationships and not have a huge ego. So it seems very subtle. from the Buddhist perspective if you... It's better to tame your mind first. This is actually one of the differences I think between Buddhism and Christianity because in Christianity it's seen as the action itself is what matters. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:39 Highlight the passage at 1:37:39

1:38:11 So if you go out and help the poor, that's fantastic. But from a Buddhist point of view, if you go out and help the poor and think I'm so great, I'm the greatest one and it's me and I'm going to become famous for this and everybody should thank me, then you might as well not have done that. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:11 Highlight the passage at 1:38:11

1:39:05 But if you have to choose between those two options, I think from a Buddhist perspective, because anger is seen as so, so, so severe. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:05 Highlight the passage at 1:39:05

1:39:15 mean, there's many teachings that say it would be better just to die right now than to get angry. Like that anger destroys a million years of positive karma, I think it's one moment of anger. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:15 Highlight the passage at 1:39:15

1:39:32 It doesn't mean you don't. I mean, look at the dialogue. He's doing it all the time. But look how patient he is with China. He's kind of like with a bad child. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:32 Highlight the passage at 1:39:32

1:39:40 like, no, that's not the case. We're not trying to separate from China. we would like religious freedom and political freedom. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:40 Highlight the passage at 1:39:40

1:39:51 don't want to kill any Chinese. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:51 Highlight the passage at 1:39:51

1:39:56 they say about him, no matter how many mean things they say, he's just, you stern. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:56 Highlight the passage at 1:39:56

1:40:06 that was a long. This Report an error in the passage at 1:40:06 Highlight the passage at 1:40:06

1:40:17 weekend we had a teaching with John Landau. It was really nice. And one of the things that he spoke about was how we also need to have the compassion not only for the victims of the crime, in particular the one you just cited, but also compassion for the perpetrator. And of course that sounds difficult, right? But since you were talking about techniques today, what technique would be applicable? Report an error in the passage at 1:40:17 Highlight the passage at 1:40:17

1:40:52 To have compassion for that guy. Well, the thing is, once you get used to this Buddhist way of thinking, your mind tends to go more to the perpetrator. I know it sounds weird and it almost sounds wrong, but from the Buddhist perspective, he is the one that's going to suffer the most from this action, so far beyond anybody, a trillion times more. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:52 Highlight the passage at 1:40:52

1:41:22 You know, because of like the negative karma of, you know, killing a little girl, like six little girls, you know, it's so, so, so awful. But for those people that died, from a Buddhist perspective, I mean, this is where, you know, your worldview comes in, because you may not regret this worldview. But from a Buddhist perspective, those people that died, it's over. I mean, that's, they're already in the bardo, they're moving to some other state. And, you know, wherever they're going is very, already very, very strongly determined by the way they live their life, the karma. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:22 Highlight the passage at 1:41:22

1:42:08 you know, enormous suffering right now. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:08 Highlight the passage at 1:42:08

1:42:23 Because he's created so much negative, like enough negative karma to produce like a billion years of suffering, like a billion years of being killed again and again, burnt and sliced and shot and so on. And mentally too, even from a conventional point of view, his life's not going to be happy. It's not like this action brought, like this crazy what he did. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:23 Highlight the passage at 1:42:23

1:42:44 Somehow out of an insanely misguided sense that killing 16 people would make him happy, he went and did this. Obviously, he's figuring out right now that didn't, right? That action didn't cause him any happiness. And his life is going to be tormented for the rest of his life and the karmic influence it created. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:44 Highlight the passage at 1:42:44

1:43:09 So, like, I found after being sort of permeated with the Buddhist worldview that that's, you know, my prayer to, you know, very, very strongly towards that person and what he did. And also, you know, so much towards, you Report an error in the passage at 1:43:09 Highlight the passage at 1:43:09

1:43:29 know, but it's, again, the most suffering is going to be... Report an error in the passage at 1:43:29 Highlight the passage at 1:43:29

1:43:36 That's a Buddhist view. Does that make sense to anybody else? What do you think, Jen? Report an error in the passage at 1:43:36 Highlight the passage at 1:43:36

1:43:48 That makes perfect sense. I enjoy watching the news so that I can practice. Because automatically the compassion arises for the victim without thinking too much. You really have to train your mind and karma and all of these other things. to practice also seeing that, and it is true, it's absolutely true, the perpetrator is always the one that's going to the most. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:48 Highlight the passage at 1:43:48

1:44:26 know, that's where we really need that. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. be able to do something like that, suffering mind that they would have even had prior to doing that has to be extreme. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:26 Highlight the passage at 1:44:26

1:44:47 So it's just realistic to think that way. But to do so, you know, Buddhism is very, it's almost like anarchic, you know, in the way that you have to go against the way like you mentioned wisdom a lot. Like you have to really cultivate a state of mind that is the most beneficial to you and the world. Whether or not you'd be criticized for it, whether or not it fits in with, you know, a very famous people say. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:47 Highlight the passage at 1:44:47

1:45:20 say, you know, you should do it in your life, in your mind. So it's not for everybody. It's quite a radical point of view. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:20 Highlight the passage at 1:45:20

1:45:54 But I think for each of us, you know, the Buddha said, you have to verify this stuff for yourself. See the effect it has on your own mind and see if it's true. I found it to be the case, you know, for myself. But it may or may not be for you. And make sure, you know, don't just take it as a hard line. If for some reason that thought is harmful to you, then, you know, the Buddha says, put it aside. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:54 Highlight the passage at 1:45:54

1:46:17 This technique doesn't work with the emptiness or the, you know, having all your compassion for the perpetrator. just put it aside and do other techniques. It doesn't mean you have to say it's wrong, definitely like, it's not the right thing to do. I love it because it's great if you're kind of a little bit of a rebellious person in Buddhism because it helps you to be, to really think for yourself and to not just, you know, Report an error in the passage at 1:46:17 Highlight the passage at 1:46:17

1:46:50 quite an adventurous and curious way to figure out how the world really works and what are the root causes of that. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:50 Highlight the passage at 1:46:50

1:47:13 Yeah, Janet. Sorry, I forgot your name. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:13 Highlight the passage at 1:47:13

1:47:19 that's right. General Palma. Janet just took coordination. Palma. One of the things that I try to remember too is like a lot of times we'll see something horrific like that happen with this person and we think, how could that person possibly do that? Report an error in the passage at 1:47:19 Highlight the passage at 1:47:19

1:47:43 But, I mean, I know in the past, not now, but in the past, I killed like, you know, a thousand ants, you know, just kind of running my finger over them or doing something because it was in a place where I didn't want them or I didn't like them or it was, you know, getting into something that was mine, you know, and so that's, it's like... Report an error in the passage at 1:47:43 Highlight the passage at 1:47:43

1:48:11 kind of disturbance it's a small disturbance just is the same but exaggerated and grown so you can kind of understand from your own experiences how you can expand that kind of disturbance and make it so big that they actually kill people as opposed to insects or bugs oh yeah So that's a way that I use also to kind of Settled that, how could they possibly do that? Report an error in the passage at 1:48:11 Highlight the passage at 1:48:11

1:48:44 Yeah. Yeah, no, it's good to come to terms with that. Yeah, as me too, you know, I remember, especially before becoming a Buddhist, I remember, you know, spraying poisons and killing, like I just cringe thinking about it. You know, it's so awful just to kill thousands of lives. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:44 Highlight the passage at 1:48:44

1:49:04 I mean, just think of that mind. I probably, almost all of us have done that. You know, how dare you walk across my counter. I will kill you. Okay. But that is, I mean, if you can kill something just because it's, I mean, it's not like anything bad happens, even if you ate that ant, it would benefit you. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:04 Highlight the passage at 1:49:04

1:49:23 So, but Report an error in the passage at 1:49:23 Highlight the passage at 1:49:23

1:49:28 you know, this is the self-centered mind. Once you start thinking the external things. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:28 Highlight the passage at 1:49:28

1:49:58 mean, there's so many more, like, extreme things you can do on the positive side. You know, like, why not desert? Why not put down your arms and say, like, I'm not fighting anymore. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:58 Highlight the passage at 1:49:58

1:50:09 better example to humanity. He would suffer less doing that. But obviously, you know, people are guided by their delusions. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:09 Highlight the passage at 1:50:09

1:50:23 that was a lot of meaty discussion. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:23 Highlight the passage at 1:50:23

1:50:30 let's do a tiny dedication. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:30 Highlight the passage at 1:50:30

1:50:37 thing we know about virtue that it becomes a cause of happiness. instead of the virtue we created from today's session and meditation becoming a cause merely for ordinary happiness like a nice or... Report an error in the passage at 1:50:37 Highlight the passage at 1:50:37

1:50:58 live, even a nice rebar. Let's dedicate all the merit so that it becomes the cause of our ultimate enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. When we dedicate merit like this, it means that anger can't destroy it. So that's something we can feel quite confident and happy about. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:58 Highlight the passage at 1:50:58

1:51:20 So may all the merits that we created by meditating today on ways of transforming problems into the path to enlightenment. May it only ripen as a cause for my ultimate enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:20 Highlight the passage at 1:51:20

1:51:34 May love and compassion grow in my heart and in all of ours and in everybody else. There are some people in whom actually no love comes in this lifetime. And in those may it sprout and grow. And especially may I remember whatever aspects of this teaching. or help, may I be able to apply them as problems occur, even try a little bit to look forward to problems, to think, oh, I'm a little bit excited. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:34 Highlight the passage at 1:51:34

1:52:09 Thanks everybody. because now I can one of these techniques. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:09 Highlight the passage at 1:52:09

1:52:18 and see if it works too, so that I stay happy through that experience rather than angry. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:18 Highlight the passage at 1:52:18