Developing Bodhicitta - The Good Heart

0:00 And I'm Carol, and unfortunately Venable S.K. left us already, so I'm filling up tonight. And let's see, I think this is our last class. And why don't we begin with a little meditation. Did Venable S.K. take you through Tonglen meditation, the giving and taking? She did, but it was quick and at the end of the last class, but that'll be nice again. Okay, why don't we do that, just because this class has been focusing on bodhicitta, and what we're going to talk about tonight are the six perfections, and the first of those is giving, and when we think about a giving, you know, the tunglan is a meditation of giving happiness and compassion and joy to others, and then taking their sufferings upon ourselves. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:57 It's a nice motivation and good way to start our class. So just begin by getting yourself into a comfortable position. You can have your legs crossed or half lotus bullets, whatever's comfortable for you. Chair is fine. The main thing is you'd like, it'd be good to have your back straight but not stiff. Report an error in the passage at 0:57 Highlight the passage at 0:57

1:22 Yeah, I just wanted to make sure it's going. Yeah, it's going. Okay. Yeah, I mean, we can even start it. Yeah. So, um. So having your back, your spine straight, but not stiff. Kind of imagine it as a row of coins. And then your shoulders relaxed, your head tilted forward slightly. Report an error in the passage at 1:22 Highlight the passage at 1:22

1:48 You can have your right palm on your left with your thumbs touching. You can rest your palms on your knees, whatever is more comfortable for you. It's good to have your elbows out so that the air circulates. Report an error in the passage at 1:48 Highlight the passage at 1:48

2:06 And then just breathing at a comfortable pace, not too deeply, not too lightly. Report an error in the passage at 2:06 Highlight the passage at 2:06

2:15 You can have your eyes open and looking at the floor about three feet in front of you. Or if that's difficult, you can just close your eyes. But just be a little bit extra alert if you close your eyes because there the danger of falling asleep arises now. Report an error in the passage at 2:15 Highlight the passage at 2:15

2:41 Just letting go of only the sights around us, the sounds. It's Report an error in the passage at 2:41 Highlight the passage at 2:41

2:51 turning our attention to our breath. Report an error in the passage at 2:51 Highlight the passage at 2:51

· · · silence, 10 minutes

12:31 Probably, Report an error in the passage at 12:31 Highlight the passage at 12:31

12:49 I don't know if Report an error in the passage at 12:49 Highlight the passage at 12:49

12:56 we talk about who this refers to these. It gives us the definition of these perfections because they're called Gandhya, because they refer to enlightenment in the state. Report an error in the passage at 12:56 Highlight the passage at 12:56

13:14 The six perfections are said to be of the bodhisattvas. The bodhisattvas are beings who are Report an error in the passage at 13:14 Highlight the passage at 13:14

13:24 beyond, say, ordinary beings. They're beings who work. solely for the benefit of others. They really, they've taken this enlightened Report an error in the passage at 13:24 Highlight the passage at 13:24

13:35 basic wish to free from... So for us, you know, I mean, part of it first is getting our minds around that attitude because it's really It's hard when you think about, you know, so many lifetimes that, you know, barring not even just this lifetime, but what we've done for countless lifetimes is really thought about ourselves. Report an error in the passage at 13:35 Highlight the passage at 13:35

14:15 That's Report an error in the passage at 14:15 Highlight the passage at 14:15

14:18 samsaric existence. It's about making ourselves happy, finding satisfaction. That's why we're dealing with all of the afflictions, which make us, you know, the mind of attachment chases after things and our ignorance makes us... We don't think that we can actually find satisfaction in worldly things. And then, you know, anger arises. Report an error in the passage at 14:18 Highlight the passage at 14:18

14:51 We don't get what we want or we get something we don't want. So we're kind of dealing with these delusions. And in the midst of that, though, we have this Report an error in the passage at 14:51 Highlight the passage at 14:51

15:06 bodhicitta. We actually have this Buddha potential, Buddha nature within us. You just have to realize it, Report an error in the passage at 15:06 Highlight the passage at 15:06

15:18 nourish it, develop it. You know, some of the ways we do that are our study, you know, actually learning about these, about the teachings, about this path. But then the other side is actually practicing. It comes in to help train our mind because, again, we have so many, so much, I guess, so many karmic imprints. Report an error in the passage at 15:18 Highlight the passage at 15:18

15:50 It's difficult. We can't just, you know, like intellectually we might see the logic of all this and say, that's really great, but... Once we're driving in a traffic jam or something, or we're confronted with something really terrible happening, we quickly fall back to the delusions kind of take over. Report an error in the passage at 15:50 Highlight the passage at 15:50

16:12 And so it takes a very, sort of a complete effort. And some of this effort, we talk about practices to create, to generate merit, and those help us along the path of, of developing our intellect and developing our practicing capability. And then some of the practices we do are for purification. So we can purify karma that would potentially be an obstacle or create an obstacle for us to realize this now. Report an error in the passage at 16:12 Highlight the passage at 16:12

16:50 So the six perfections, these tasks of the bodhisattvas, are also tasks that we can work at. that we can Report an error in the passage at 16:50 Highlight the passage at 16:50

17:04 Strive to do, and they include the giving, which we'll talk about in a little bit more detail. Giving, ethics, or sometimes called morality. Patience, joyous effort, sometimes it's called enthusiastic perseverance. It's really about how we develop our practice, how we focus on our practice. Concentration. Report an error in the passage at 17:04 Highlight the passage at 17:04

17:36 And then wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 17:36 Highlight the passage at 17:36

17:42 So if you've read this handout, there are different types of giving. The main part of giving, in terms of the bodhisattva, I mean the six perfections and this bodhisattva mind, lies the real, the important part of the giving has to do with our motivation. So we're always to realize this perfection of giving, the perfection of generosity. Report an error in the passage at 17:42 Highlight the passage at 17:42

18:09 We have to train ourselves in this motivation of giving without attachment, giving joyfully, giving with this motivation of bodhicitta, ultimately giving so that we may help someone along the path to attain enlightenment. Giving so that we attain enlightenment for the benefit of others. If you think about it, it's taking on a very big responsibility. When we say that we're going to practice bodhicitta, we are essentially saying, yes, I am determined to attain enlightenment, not for my benefit, but for all others. Report an error in the passage at 18:09 Highlight the passage at 18:09

18:54 For others because if I don't, who will? I think Lums Over Rinpoche often talks about when he does dedications, he'll say about giving by myself alone, I will take this on. So ultimately, I take on this responsibility by myself to benefit, you know, to make this happen for others. So we talk about, in terms of the generosity, there's material giving and giving the Dharma, giving protection and giving love. Report an error in the passage at 18:54 Highlight the passage at 18:54

19:30 And again, with all of these, some of the things to remember, you know, when we're just giving material things. It's important how we give. So we have to give with kindness, with respect. I remember years ago, there was a project in Bodhgai in India, and it was around one of the big Buddhist holidays, and there were a lot of Western students there. Report an error in the passage at 19:30 Highlight the passage at 19:30

19:58 And there was a day organized to offer food to a lot of the beggars, people who just, you know, have basically nothing. And we said, and Lam Tsongkhapa Rinpoche. It came to the people who were organizing and said, you know, very important that you give like you're serving royalty. So it's not just like handing something, throwing something at you or just putting it out. Report an error in the passage at 19:58 Highlight the passage at 19:58

20:23 Remembering what, you know, just that this precious being is just what we're doing. You know, this is our commitment to this person. It doesn't matter if this person, you know, is the... Report an error in the passage at 20:23 Highlight the passage at 20:23

20:36 Mayor of the town or the lowest beggar. But to really offer remembering that this is another sentient being, giving with respect and kindness. And it's something that I think we can get kind of drawn up with or caught up in the numbers. Like, oh, it's just, you know, just pan things out and it doesn't matter. And we have, it's... Report an error in the passage at 20:36 Highlight the passage at 20:36

21:07 It's sort of the conventional view, the view that would look at, well, you know, the benefit here is that these people have to eat, so just get them the food. But what we're really doing is we're giving with this bodhicitta motivation. And this potentially, I mean, this transforms what we're giving, essentially. Report an error in the passage at 21:07 Highlight the passage at 21:07

21:27 And it's not only benefiting the person we're giving, but also ourselves. And again, it's this motivation. To personally attain enlightenment for their benefit. So if we drop that side of it, then we don't get the benefit, and they don't either because we're not reaching our goal. So kind of looking at it in that way. And then this Report an error in the passage at 21:27 Highlight the passage at 21:27

21:59 is very nice here in terms of what was written there. Now there are also some other readings. I don't know if you got the handout, like the six perfections, I guess you dropped in. This page 21 through 25. Report an error in the passage at 21:59 Highlight the passage at 21:59

22:19 And this kind of covers much the same points of the giving of property, the giving of dharma, the giving of refuge, so protection, saving one's life, protecting. protecting animals and other creatures, then giving them love. Report an error in the passage at 22:19 Highlight the passage at 22:19

22:56 The purpose of Report an error in the passage at 22:56 Highlight the passage at 22:56

23:09 this practice is to train our minds and to keep us from harming others because here with this bodhicitta motivation the point is to benefit others. And so it's by again, it's the purpose of Report an error in the passage at 23:09 Highlight the passage at 23:09

23:24 Refraining from any non-virtuous actions that we ensure that we aren't going to be harmful by our virtuous actions, we create the causes to realize this goal of bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 23:24 Highlight the passage at 23:24

23:39 And the working to benefit others helps in both a direct sense but also in terms of keeping our motivation set on the On the bodhicitta view of doing this again to attain enlightenment for others. Report an error in the passage at 23:39 Highlight the passage at 23:39

24:12 So Geshe Rafton mentions about protecting our body, speech and mind, that our minds are a little bit like naughty children or something. So that we're trying to rein in our three doors, the speech and mind and our actions. Report an error in the passage at 24:12 Highlight the passage at 24:12

24:39 Genshi Rafton also mentions about protecting others, so the same way we protect ourselves, so that if someone is going to kill an animal, trying to teach this person that, you know, that's a negative action, to try to help others refrain from harmful actions, and Report an error in the passage at 24:39 Highlight the passage at 24:39

25:05 then basically to perform skillful actions, to do the positive actions. Do you guys have any questions at any time? Report an error in the passage at 25:05 Highlight the passage at 25:05

25:17 Have you heard about the six perfections before? Report an error in the passage at 25:17 Highlight the passage at 25:17

25:25 I have. Report an error in the passage at 25:25 Highlight the passage at 25:25

25:29 I always find it interesting because within the Buddhist teachings there are so many different ways of looking at how we can practice this path. Report an error in the passage at 25:29 Highlight the passage at 25:29

25:44 You look at the six perfections and wow, this is just such a nice little collection. and then this is probably a problem. Report an error in the passage at 25:44 Highlight the passage at 25:44

25:49 You know what I mean? So... So then patience. Patience is a really powerful one. So this is a calm state of mind that really reigns in our anger. So the three types of patience are the patience of not getting angry and retaliating when we're harmed. Patience of accepting difficulties and the patience of understanding. Report an error in the passage at 25:49 Highlight the passage at 25:49

26:23 And practicing the Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 26:23 Highlight the passage at 26:23

26:30 It's one thing, you know, sometimes we're in a situation where things are very calm, things are going well, and it seems like, gosh, it's very easy to practice this path. But then when things stop going well, that's when you really get the challenge of practicing. So sometimes there are stories about, oh, Western students going off. Report an error in the passage at 26:30 Highlight the passage at 26:30

26:59 and doing retreats in India, places, you know, where you're out, from people, and it's just, can get really focused, and you feel like you're really accomplishing a lot, and then you come back, and, you know, you have somebody step on your toe, and, you know, steal your bag, and whatever, and then the next thing you know, you've lost your patience, you've lost your composure. Report an error in the passage at 26:59 Highlight the passage at 26:59

27:22 So. What this practice of patience is about is really taking, say, you know, The focus and the calm that we find when we're on our cushion and bringing that out to our daily lives. So that whether we're in the workplace or with friends or in any situation, we tap into that mind of patience. And it's definitely something that we just, the first step is the mindfulness, being aware that we've lost our patience. Report an error in the passage at 27:22 Highlight the passage at 27:22

28:01 Being aware that maybe, you know, We have Report an error in the passage at 28:01 Highlight the passage at 28:01

28:08 reacted in a way that's not very patient and then making a determination to kind of catch ourselves and react with patience next time. Report an error in the passage at 28:08 Highlight the passage at 28:08

28:25 Patience is really the antidote to anger and little by little we're able to really alter how anger arises in us. And it, this is, um... Report an error in the passage at 28:25 Highlight the passage at 28:25

28:36 And Report an error in the passage at 28:36 Highlight the passage at 28:36

28:40 maintain, and begin to cultivate this patience. And it's wrapped in, it says, you know, it talks about patience when we're suffering and how we can start with developing patience with small sufferings. And then you kind of work up to bigger things. And then the third type of concentration is the patience of keeping concentration. Report an error in the passage at 28:40 Highlight the passage at 28:40

29:16 And that concentration in the other text is called the practice of understanding and practicing Dharma. So if we don't Report an error in the passage at 29:16 Highlight the passage at 29:16

29:28 cultivate that kind of patience, then we won't really have a chance to deepen our Dharma practice and to develop it. Report an error in the passage at 29:28 Highlight the passage at 29:28

29:43 And then the next perfection is the perfection of joyous effort. Sometimes it's called the perfection of energy. Sometimes it's called enthusiastic perseverance. Report an error in the passage at 29:43 Highlight the passage at 29:43

29:59 a mental factor that takes delight and virtue in doing this. do you have a question? Yeah, I just wanted to see what was the name and how they told it as you were saying sometimes. Yes. Report an error in the passage at 29:59 Highlight the passage at 29:59

30:16 It says, yeah, it says. This Report an error in the passage at 30:16 Highlight the passage at 30:16

30:24 is kind of interesting because there's the laziness of procrastination and sometimes Report an error in the passage at 30:24 Highlight the passage at 30:24

30:37 it's uh Report an error in the passage at 30:37 Highlight the passage at 30:37

30:43 um So sometimes, you know, that's the kind of, an antidote for that is remembering impermanence or remembering the precious human rebirth, the fact that, you know, we could die at any time. Report an error in the passage at 30:43 Highlight the passage at 30:43

30:57 Because if you think about it, a lot of times you just procrastinate. Our Dharma practice, thinking that, well, there'll be time later, there'll always be time, and the teachings tell us that there's not always time. So that's one type of obstacle to joyous effort. So joyous effort overcomes that obstacle. Report an error in the passage at 30:57 Highlight the passage at 30:57

31:29 And then the, uh, uh, And it's interesting to me that it's called laziness because it's the laziness of attraction to meaningless activities. So we can be very busy in our conventional lives, you know, and just so busy doing all sorts of things. But it's considered a laziness from a Dharma viewpoint. And it's just, when you think about it, our minds are so well-tailored to focusing on saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 31:29 Highlight the passage at 31:29

31:59 So we can become just too busy to even set aside time for our Dharma practice. And before we know it, our lives are ending. We've wasted this opportunity. Then there's also what's called the laziness of discouragement. So where we feel that we don't have the capabilities, we're not good enough practitioners, that we're not capable of developing this. Report an error in the passage at 31:59 Highlight the passage at 31:59

32:32 And the fact is, you know, if we think about Buddhists, you know, past Buddhists, that they did everything that we've done and, you know, every possible negative action and yet they still, they overcame the ignorance and so effectively we all have this Buddha potential, this nature, this capability. So it's just, in a sense, it's the mind sort of playing tricks on itself again to sort of, to Report an error in the passage at 32:32 Highlight the passage at 32:32

33:17 get around the diamond, essentially, to kind of keep us in this samsaric existence. There's also, in the Geshe-Rapton text, there's a kind of energy that protects us, when he talks about energy as opposed to turning it, joy is never perfect. um, there's, There's this energy that protects us from tiredness. And, you know, there's a whole, if you think about, I don't know about your experience, but I know my experience is often, you know, sit down to meditate and the next thing you know, you know, I'm dozing off or something. Report an error in the passage at 33:17 Highlight the passage at 33:17

33:57 So you just have all of these obstacles, essentially, to overcome. And the good news is that as we identify them and work with them, we can overcome them. This perfection of joyous effort is what takes us further along the path, brings us to Report an error in the passage at 33:57 Highlight the passage at 33:57

34:33 a place where our Dharma practice becomes joyful, becomes something that we really look forward to. And then along that same path is concentration. Because now the concentration refers to being able to abide one pointedly or single pointedly on an object of virtue, whether meditating, you know, without being distracted. Report an error in the passage at 34:33 Highlight the passage at 34:33

35:01 Excuse me. And this is to really, we need to cultivate this capability in order to free ourselves from sonic-like existence. And as we develop this concentration, Report an error in the passage at 35:01 Highlight the passage at 35:01

35:22 We also experience, we begin to experience more of this joy in our meditation in this concentration. It said that, you know, meditators who can begin to really focus single pointedly become, they experience great bliss just in that exercise, that kind of practice. Report an error in the passage at 35:22 Highlight the passage at 35:22

35:51 And so... Our effort, essentially, our joyous effort gives way to developing this concentration, which then, again, kind of reinforces the joy of the practice. Report an error in the passage at 35:51 Highlight the passage at 35:51

36:07 Another question. So, you know, how in the lamrim, they have bodhicitta, like at the end of the lamrim, bodhicitta, concentration, calm body and emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 36:07 Highlight the passage at 36:07

36:21 So I see here that the last two points in the six perfections are actually concentrating on wisdom. So are they the same as of the long rim or there is a different approach in the six perfections? No, actually it's just, I don't know, maybe actually say it's a different approach because it is concentration and wisdom is basically the wisdom realizing humdiness. Report an error in the passage at 36:21 Highlight the passage at 36:21

36:45 So I think what might be different in the long rim is just sort of the, The stages, with the six perfections, sometimes they're just out there as the six actions we want to develop, the six perfect actions, as I said, like these bodhisattva tasks, so that they're not necessarily, they're Report an error in the passage at 36:45 Highlight the passage at 36:45

37:14 presented all at once, but then again, it actually does make sense to take them one at a time, because Like the generosity and the morality. Without those, we're not really able to go on to develop a concentration in wisdom. So it is very similar. I mean, it's effectively the same kind of approach as Lama Rinpoche. Report an error in the passage at 37:14 Highlight the passage at 37:14

37:56 And they also talk about the sixth perfection in the lamrim, right? Right. Oh, yeah. And it is, actually these are more, I mean, in that respect, they are higher trainings. Report an error in the passage at 37:56 Highlight the passage at 37:56

38:09 Maybe they're, you know, sort of a little further on in the lamrim, because when we talk about the six perfections, we're talking about these actions in their perfect... It is in their sort of gone beyond form. So it's with this bodhicitta motivation. So that if you talk about your basic lamrim when you're starting, you haven't necessarily met this bodhicitta attitude yet. Report an error in the passage at 38:09 Highlight the passage at 38:09

38:37 So this is kind of taking those lamrim, the lamrim path and joining it with bodhicitta. So it is in that sense a more advanced practice. Report an error in the passage at 38:37 Highlight the passage at 38:37

38:51 And, you know, that step beyond that perfection. Report an error in the passage at 38:51 Highlight the passage at 38:51

39:05 So, in terms of the concentration, I noticed this paragraph that says, you know, we need to overcome the five obstacles by applying the eight antidotes and graduating the nine mental states. Report an error in the passage at 39:05 Highlight the passage at 39:05

39:18 Clearly, you can see it. It's pretty delineated. And I think, I guess, has given some talks on Sunday morning talks. For a while, they're very detailed and you can't find these in some of the literature. Probably, I can't, I don't know if I can think of a book, sort of a book that focuses on these, but the teachings are very specific and it's similar to, you know, when we talk about within joyous effort and overcoming, like, You know, the laziness and procrastination and the laziness. They're techniques that kind of point out the five obstacles of, like, it might be dullness and mental wandering. Report an error in the passage at 39:18 Highlight the passage at 39:18

40:16 And you kind of go through and examine each of those. And you meditate, like... Keeping in mind these potential, like the five obstacles, then there's an antidote to apply for each obstacle. So if you're getting more dull, and then there's also one of the obstacles is excitement. So if you're too excited when you're meditating, there's an antidote to calm you down. So it's that kind of a practice. Report an error in the passage at 40:16 Highlight the passage at 40:16

40:43 So when you get to the point of really developing this perfection of concentration, um, A lot of developed guidelines to help us to know how to sort of monitor that progress in the mind. Report an error in the passage at 40:43 Highlight the passage at 40:43

41:06 And then finally Report an error in the passage at 41:06 Highlight the passage at 41:06

41:11 when we talk about perfection of wisdom, understanding selflessness, understanding the selflessness of objects as well. And this is really when we realize emptiness, That's when we become free from saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 41:11 Highlight the passage at 41:11

41:37 It says that the root of saṃsāra or cyclic existence is this ignorance of believing in an inherently existing self. Report an error in the passage at 41:37 Highlight the passage at 41:37

41:53 And that can be pretty hard to grasp, this whole thing. But I think one way that kind of brings one thing. Okay. Um. Report an error in the passage at 41:53 Highlight the passage at 41:53

42:04 Or a way to look at it, to kind of bring it home, is to think about how things exist and how the mind grasps at things. Like, you know, maybe an object, a desirable object, like, say, a new car. And the mind goes to that object putting more on that object than it is. You know, it's like, if I had this, then I'd be happy. Okay? And what's, you know, what, What we're really doing there is that there's an ignorance in the mind that equates having an object with ultimate happiness. Report an error in the passage at 42:04 Highlight the passage at 42:04

42:48 If I had what I desired, then I'm going to be happy. The nature of saṃsāra and what we know from years of experience, lifetimes of experience, is that when we get what we want, You know, it isn't lasting happiness because things change all the time. And mainly because things don't exist the way we think they do. Report an error in the passage at 42:48 Highlight the passage at 42:48

43:12 What the mind does is it kind of says, ah, this object means happiness. And so it sort of places, it looks at, kind of defines that object as existing in such a way that it could bring lasting happiness. Okay? Nothing exists that way. And we don't even exist in the way that we appear very solid and very sort of disconnected when in fact we're an integral part of this samsaric world. Report an error in the passage at 43:12 Highlight the passage at 43:12

43:49 So our existence is dependent upon the things around us, dependent upon our karma, our causes and conditions that brought all this stuff together. So... Sometimes it's easier to look at the wisdom realizing emptiness in that kind of a view. The first line of this is my own ignorance, just thinking that conventional things could bring ultimate happiness, that they could bring ultimate satisfaction. Report an error in the passage at 43:49 Highlight the passage at 43:49

44:31 And just realizing that that's not at all the case. It's not at all how things exist. And then you can take it to a step of, you know, looking for the self. You can, I don't know if you have done these meditations with Ventusangi Kadro, but you can do a meditation on emptiness where, you know, just you sit with the mind and you look for the self, you know. Report an error in the passage at 44:31 Highlight the passage at 44:31

44:57 Is the self the mind? You talk about my body, so does the mind own the body? You know, you can get into a whole, you can kind of break down and sort of get at this mindset that we have and realize that it's a lot, it's really just a mindset. It's what we call, I don't know, do we call it ego? Whatever, but it's what we call I and what that entails. Report an error in the passage at 44:57 Highlight the passage at 44:57

45:30 That's another way to kind of try to get a glimpse of this emptiness. Ultimately, by applying these six perfections, developing our concentration, and then using that concentration to meditate on this empty nature, the emptiness of ourselves and of all things, we're able to actually Report an error in the passage at 45:30 Highlight the passage at 45:30

46:01 To realize this emptiness without a doubt. And once we realize emptiness, it's not that it, you know, Report an error in the passage at 46:01 Highlight the passage at 46:01

46:10 how can I put this? It's, that's actually the key to freeing ourselves from this cyclic existence. So our hearts are beings who haven't realized emptiness. They aren't subject to this, you know, rebirth and cyclic existence again. But you can see that to realize, to experience that kind of an effect. It's a very deep understanding. Sometimes we think, as we do our meditations, we get little glimpses. Report an error in the passage at 46:10 Highlight the passage at 46:10

46:49 Maybe a panic arises when you realize that the I doesn't exist so solidly. It becomes a little disturbing. we you know. Report an error in the passage at 46:49 Highlight the passage at 46:49

47:03 the other things, you know, you begin to look at on rising and how things are all And that's a great venture into that practice. But realizing emptiness, when we talk about bodhisattvas, they never get fooled again. We kind of have a glimpse and then the next thing you know... You know, the mindset of treating things, you know, the way we saw them before, going after, you know, when we realize emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 47:03 Highlight the passage at 47:03

47:46 I Report an error in the passage at 47:46 Highlight the passage at 47:46

48:06 read that the practice of emptiness of mind is not considered meditation in Buddhist practice. So I don't know if you could tell me a little more about that. Report an error in the passage at 48:06 Highlight the passage at 48:06

48:20 Yeah, because I know in other places, other stuff that I practiced before, they teach you to, First, concentration, which would be one point in this, right? Yes. And then they tell you, okay, go further, completely empty your mind and keep this state. Yes. Okay. I think maybe, I'm not sure what you're reading or what that source was, but one of the things, I mean, because we're looking at, like, within Tibetan Buddhism, It's a Mahāyāna path. So the idea, I mean, you could look at, you know, your concentration meditation, and that is a tool, you know, to develop this calm-abiding, single-pointed concentration. Report an error in the passage at 48:20 Highlight the passage at 48:20

49:13 The next step within, to take that, you know, to the next step is to do this wisdom realizing emptiness. Now, it's not in the sense of considering all things just... Empty is non-existent kind of thing. So it's sort of like you've got the extremes of nihilism, where nothing exists, and eternalism, where everything exists. Report an error in the passage at 49:13 Highlight the passage at 49:13

49:42 So it's really the middle way, recognizing the pitfalls of both of those. So from a Buddhist perspective, we're saying things don't exist as they seem. they exist independent dependent upon the Each other of dependence upon causes and conditions. However, from the eternalism side, we can say that they're empty of this inherent existence. Report an error in the passage at 49:42 Highlight the passage at 49:42

50:10 So putting those two together, if you call that, I mean, that's a meditation on emptiness. So it's not just necessarily negating things. And that is the next step. I mean, to attain liberation from saṃsāra, that's a necessary step. Now, beyond that, that's a step to liberation, but not to enlightenment. I mean, it's a step on the way to enlightenment, but it's not achieving enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 50:10 Highlight the passage at 50:10

50:37 So, from, say, a Mahāyāna path, you would look at a being who, you know, say, realized this perfection of wisdom. Although, actually, I shouldn't say it, because if you're looking from a Mahāyāna viewpoint... Realize that perfection was a means now that we also have this bodhicitta motivation. So you are looking at, potentially, you're looking at enlightenment because you not only have this liberation from saṃsāra, you also have this bodhicitta motivation of attaining enlightenment to benefit others. Report an error in the passage at 50:37 Highlight the passage at 50:37

51:12 So it's a, you know, it's this, again, this gone beyond with wisdom. Conventional wisdom, if you were following more of a, like the... Hitting out a path where we talk about individual liberation. The steps would be more from when we were talking about the Lamrim path. So putting, say, the bodhicitta motivation aside, but going through these steps of karma and generosity, morality, concentration, wisdom, we would reach this point of liberation, but we would still need to take, You know, to now look at the Mahāyāna view, to look at the picture of what about bodhicitta, what about other beings? So to take that full step to Buddhahood. Report an error in the passage at 51:12 Highlight the passage at 51:12

52:04 So it might depend on what kind of, you know, where, what sort of a practice it was, whether it was more of a, like a Theravāda practice where you're looking more at individualization, or say the Mahāyāna practice where you're... I'm really concerned about enlightenment for all beings. Well, you know, what I was asking actually was, there's a practice of meditation where you start with, you just point, you know, your mind is focused on one point, right? Report an error in the passage at 52:04 Highlight the passage at 52:04

52:44 One concept or like a candle, you know, light of a candle or just on that thing. And then they take you... To completely empty your mind of thoughts. So in Buddhism it's not considered meditation. So I was just wondering, why, how is that seen? Because my experience is that when I was practicing that, in meditation I never gained any sort of bliss. Report an error in the passage at 52:44 Highlight the passage at 52:44

53:14 So I didn't like super development, concentration at all, but then when I started practicing that... Oh, okay. I'm sorry. Report an error in the passage at 53:14 Highlight the passage at 53:14

53:20 Actually what I experienced is that my mind went into this emptiness. My mind would just complete all thoughts and whatever I was thinking about, left. And then I was in this emptiness. And then in this practice that I was doing, the next step was dwelling in this emptiness in your mind where there's a voidness in your mind. Report an error in the passage at 53:20 Highlight the passage at 53:20

53:42 There's no concept now of thinking of nothing. And you stay in that state. But then somewhere here I read... I think in one of the classes we showed that that was not considered beneficial. So is that, I don't know. No, that is actually, yeah, from a Buddhist perspective, the teachings would say, what is the point of that? Report an error in the passage at 53:42 Highlight the passage at 53:42

54:03 I mean, concentration is important and we do focus on an object, but you go past that. So just to dwell in this, you know, a sense of voidness, it doesn't develop your mind. You know, we talk about even breathing meditation. And breathing meditation is good to start with, but you need analytical meditation, you need more than that to accomplish a Buddhist path. Report an error in the passage at 54:03 Highlight the passage at 54:03

54:26 So that's where... It's also considered, it ends up being, it's by definition impossible to say that it's a meditation on, or to say it's nothing, because it's a meditation on nothing. There's still a subject and an object, and the object is nothing. Because you're still aware of yourself. If you were, you're aware that you're meditating on nothing. Report an error in the passage at 54:26 Highlight the passage at 54:26

54:57 So it's just an intermediate step. Even in non-Buddhist meditation, there are Satchitananda says, Oh, that's very nice. You've spent all of your time meditating on nothing. know. I don't know. I don't But you know what? I did reach some bliss that way. It's very nice. Yeah, it's like, wow, it's just like, it's a moment of happiness. Report an error in the passage at 54:57 Highlight the passage at 54:57

55:25 Which I guess, I mean, because I'm a beginner, right? And I haven't realized anything. So for me it's like blissful. But then I hear, I learn that only with this kind of one point that you reach that bliss. But you're not too attached to that because I use a way. In the middle, it's something you find in the middle of the way. Yeah, we have to be careful about that. I mean, you know, you can kind of get caught up in, you know, a blissful meditation or something, but then you have to look to the benefit there and what have you accomplished. Report an error in the passage at 55:25 Highlight the passage at 55:25

55:58 I remember His Holiness the Dalai Lama one time, years ago I was giving Dzogchen, and I remember it said, sort of sternly, I'm not sure if it was in... But at one point he had said kind of sternly that, you know, emptiness is not nothingness. You know, if you imagine yourself in the, you know, that's, he said, that's like ridiculous. Report an error in the passage at 55:58 Highlight the passage at 55:58

56:23 You know, and if you think about what we, when we talk about the mind and about this place between, you know, things existing permanently versus things not existing at all, and if you imagine a voidness, it's... You know, it's the mind kind of playing tricks and defining things. It's not really looking at how to, you know, as you were saying, that the mind is part of this meditation and the object of the meditation and the mind is watching the mind and looking at how we perceive really. Report an error in the passage at 56:23 Highlight the passage at 56:23

57:03 Because this is what it's all about. We have really this very selective perception of things. Kind of color everything we see. Report an error in the passage at 57:03 Highlight the passage at 57:03

57:15 You can play this little game. Report an error in the passage at 57:15 Highlight the passage at 57:15

57:22 see a face and, know, the mind wants it to be recognizable. You think it's somebody you know, and then when you get close, you realize, oh, no, I just, you know, kind of look like that person. But we're always kind of, you know, are an object. You see something in the distance, and want it to be something you recognize, and then you get Report an error in the passage at 57:22 Highlight the passage at 57:22

57:53 It Report an error in the passage at 57:53 Highlight the passage at 57:53

58:01 covers the level we wanted to go into here with the six perfections. And one of the things I wanted to find out is we had planned a practice day for this Saturday. And are you planning to come or how are you doing? Report an error in the passage at 58:01 Highlight the passage at 58:01

58:27 Well, I want to come, but I work now. Yeah, I know. I'm trying to get someone to work for me, but then I talk to the manager. I mean, this guy said, yes, yes, yes, but tell the manager to make sure because we have the new manager. was all. Report an error in the passage at 58:27 Highlight the passage at 58:27

58:44 Anyways, so he started saying yes. So I'm going to try to convince him to say yes on that, but I don't know yet. I don't think there's enough people to practice there. Report an error in the passage at 58:44 Highlight the passage at 58:44

58:56 Shuki had asked me to check, I think she emailed people too. I got a test for some Saran Naran just to answer a few questions. Oh, because you didn't come? I didn't come. Yeah, so... I think it was cancelled. I think it was cancelled. It was cancelled? Yeah. So I'm sorry, the bar was cancelled. Although if people from that class wanted to come one, I don't know if it would be from the people. Report an error in the passage at 58:56 Highlight the passage at 58:56

59:24 I don't know. Yeah, so if you can get a list of people... What I'll do is I'll check with her and I'll email you because I think it probably isn't looking too promising. She, I think, actually You know what, I'm not sure I can reach her because I think she's in retreat right now. But she was going to email me if she got responses. I think she may have emailed me in the classes. Report an error in the passage at 59:24 Highlight the passage at 59:24

59:50 This class started out huge. It was packed. And it was people spilling up. And then the holidays hit. All four of us. So it's, it's just, it's the most dramatic, shrinking. The holidays do that. The holidays do that. Yeah, yeah. Well, um. Because it just doesn't, you don't want anyone getting through your job. Report an error in the passage at 59:50 Highlight the passage at 59:50

1:00:21 I do. I don't want that job anymore. But I have to be smart and I need the money stuff. Yeah, definitely. But what we might do is maybe with the next class we'll try to, you know, just combine a practice day. That's one of the things, January is probably a better time. Well, I think wisdom is coming. Yeah. So to combine the two would be ideal. Yeah. Well, you can do two classes, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:00:21 Highlight the passage at 1:00:21

1:00:50 That's Tuesday and a Thursday. Well, you think it's the... True, true. Well, the practice days are nice. I mean, sometimes people come who haven't even attended the class. Give me an excuse to take that. All right, then. Well, what we'll probably do then is not have a... I don't even think it's on the schedule, actually. It's a Saturday. So, just as long as... Report an error in the passage at 1:00:50 Highlight the passage at 1:00:50

1:01:19 If you are all ready to go, then we can do it, but I understand. You're real quiet right there. I'm just a bit tired. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:19 Highlight the passage at 1:01:19

1:01:31 Anyway, Report an error in the passage at 1:01:31 Highlight the passage at 1:01:31

1:01:35 like I said, I will talk to Chucky. I'll email her and we'll see about maybe doing some combination with the next class grouping. Before I took this class, I thought bodhicitta was loving, compassionate. tired. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:35 Highlight the passage at 1:01:35

1:01:53 At a higher level, but it's more the intention to become a Buddha to benefit all sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:53 Highlight the passage at 1:01:53

1:02:04 I got very confused by the two before taking the class. Now, did you talk about the bodhisattva vows at all? Because that's one thing that may come up in the future. Exactly what he was saying. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:04 Highlight the passage at 1:02:04

1:02:21 When we talk about bodhicitta and this enlightened attitude, enlightened mind, it's also one way to practice that is to take what are called the bodhisattva vows. And when we do that, generally we're taking, sometimes called the wishing vows, and then there are the actual vows. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:21 Highlight the passage at 1:02:21

1:02:44 The actual vows, you know, there are 18 root vows. I think or something, 46, yeah, secondary vows. But oftentimes we take the expiring or wishing vows. So that's like another step on this path. And what we do is the bodhisattva vows are really unlike, say, the individual liberation vows where you would take vows of... Report an error in the passage at 1:02:44 Highlight the passage at 1:02:44

1:03:20 Not to kill, not to lie, not to steal, those sorts of vows. These are vows that have to do more with the mind and with our attitude. And we take the bodhicitta vows as sort of a first step, taking the aspiring or wishing vows as the first step to really develop, sort of planting the seed for this bodhicitta motivation. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:20 Highlight the passage at 1:03:20

1:03:47 um, what's... What's very nice about these kinds of vows as well is that you can refresh them and renew them yourself. You can take them, daily retake them. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:47 Highlight the passage at 1:03:47

1:04:02 It's all about really developing this motivation and bringing it to a point where it's always in our minds, where it's our waking state, our waking motivation. It's just a matter of practice and time, but we're all in it. And in all that, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:02 Highlight the passage at 1:04:02

1:04:21 What I was going to say is that those vows are more like something to keep in mind and to practice. I mean, more like a time-consuming, I don't know how to say this, but I mean, it's like you take those vows, but it takes time to be able to actually do them. Because I took the vows, right? I took the booklet, I'm studying them, and it's like constantly you're doing stuff that is supposed not to be. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:21 Highlight the passage at 1:04:21

1:04:48 And if you don't think about it after a while, you just are. And even the fact of thinking that, oh, this is what I'm doing. I'm not keeping my... I mean, before you didn't even know, you know, did the mind even think about those things? So it's still a powerful, you know, it's a very powerful, positive action. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:48 Highlight the passage at 1:04:48

1:05:12 It's also, there's a vow that you can generate bodhicitta. like times a day or something, but you It's not like facing Mecca six times a day. After a while, it's just always in mind, constantly regenerating. Everything you do is towards that goal. So that you don't have to stop everything and consciously do it as you become it. At the beginning of it, you have to remember it. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:12 Highlight the passage at 1:05:12

1:05:45 Because I can see how Pratimoshavals are More like a real vow when you say, I don't know, it's just easier because he's probably only five and he's like so big like not killing. Right. But even more so, you know, when you take refuge vows, you know, which it's oftentimes you take kind of much vows or some of the lay vows as part of your refuge vows. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:45 Highlight the passage at 1:05:45

1:06:09 But, you know, when you take those vows, you take a commitment to remember your refuge. Six times a day. You know, so, you know, that's a first step. And so it's similar along those lines now, remembering your bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:09 Highlight the passage at 1:06:09

1:06:26 In all its, I mean, one of the most, you know, the most important, I shouldn't say important, but there's the vow, the bodhicitta vow of not giving up. Your bodhicitta, not giving up that attitude. So that's really at the crux of what we're trying to generate here when we're talking about really taking this mind and just making it, you know, even just having the wish that it becomes spontaneous. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:26 Highlight the passage at 1:06:26

1:07:00 It gives us sort of an experience of what we're really looking for, what we need to do, you know, what the bodhisattva mind is. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:00 Highlight the passage at 1:07:00

1:07:18 It's a lot of body cheating, I'm going to go wrong. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:18 Highlight the passage at 1:07:18

1:07:27 really appropriate to dedicate unless you've got more questions or anything else. Wait, the program has failed mine, so. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:27 Highlight the passage at 1:07:27

1:07:44 at the yellow sheet. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:44 Highlight the passage at 1:07:44

1:07:55 Let's just read the, let's go read in English the first four. Paragraphs on that, starting at the top. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:55 Highlight the passage at 1:07:55

1:08:09 Really setting our motivation here, thinking about what this really means, this bodhicitta mind, this bodhicitta attitude, taking that to heart and Report an error in the passage at 1:08:09 Highlight the passage at 1:08:09

1:08:35 really developing the strong wish that it becomes spontaneous, that this becomes our mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:35 Highlight the passage at 1:08:35

1:08:48 Through the merits of these virtuous actions, may I quickly attain the state of the Buddha. And lead all living beings without exception into death and life and state. May the supreme jewel bodhicitta that does not arisen arise and grow, and may that which has arisen not diminish but increase more and more. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:48 Highlight the passage at 1:08:48

1:09:11 Just as the brave Manjushri and Samantabhadra too realize things as they are, also I dedicate all these merits in the best way that I may follow their perfect example. I dedicate all these groups of virtue, with the dedication raised as the best, by the victorious success of one-on-one of the three times, so that I might perform the double books of the duties. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:11 Highlight the passage at 1:09:11