Affiliated with the FPMT

Day 3
Sunday November 18th
9 a.m.

Visualize Guru Shakyamuni as you tried this morning, in your presence, the height straight from your forehead—if you make prostration lying full length on the ground, that distance away. Each of these things has much explanation, but according to time we can try to explain. Also, visualize the light rays, which are the essence of all the infinite knowledge of his holy body, speech, and mind, and infinite supreme powers and compassion, and yourself receiving them—especially the great knowledge to understand the subject of the meditation. As you are thinking this in the mind think the prayer lama tonba and so forth, and the mantra. (Pages 19 and 20)

The highly realized Indian pandit Shantideva, Guru Shakyamuni’s follower who had great achievement of bodhicitta, said, “This perfect human rebirth is extremely difficult to find. To again find such a highly meaningful perfect human rebirth it is necessary to create the cause in this present lifetime. If no benefits are created in this lifetime how can it be possible to receive such a highly meaningful, perfect human rebirth again?”

Actually just this quotation can be explained many ways—it contains many subjects.

So the most beneficial, most wise, skillful method, the most useful cause, is the training of bodhicitta, the practice of bodhicitta. As this holy being said, the practice of bodhicitta is the quickest cause also to receive the final goal, enlightenment. And the practice of bodhicitta is also the quick method to get out of samsara and the cycle of death and rebirth. And the practice of bodhicitta is the quick method, also it is the best cause, to receive the highly meaningful perfect human rebirth in the next lifetime. Besides bringing more quickly and easily all those future goals, even in this lifetime it is also beneficial to the person himself and also to other living beings.

Also the whole other practice, the whole other meditation such as Vajrayana meditation, would be transcendental, beneficial, and useful if done on the basis of the practice of bodhicitta. Just like a box, a metal box which has many decoration of jewels, gold, and diamonds—because of all those decorations, all those jewels, that iron box becomes rich. But without those decorations the box won’t look rich; it looks very simple. But with all these it becomes very rich, expensive, and precious. Without the decorations the metal box cannot be precious. So it is the same thing, any other meditation done with bodhicitta is like this—it is very powerful, rich, useful—like the much decorated box. It is the same thing—this practice makes life highly meaningful and perfect and holy, just like the box. Therefore, it is important to keep the box, as it is very precious.

Just as this example, it is important to make the practice on bodhicitta as we have the chance. And it is important not to waste time, the life, while we have chance to create such powerful cause in such short time, such meaningful cause in such short time, with the practice of bodhicitta. So therefore it is necessary that the action of listening to the teachings be possessed by the motivation of bodhicitta.

So think, “I am going to listen to the profound Mahayana teaching in order to receive enlightenment for the sake of sentient beings.”

So we finished Mind is Beginningless, How is it Possible to Receive Enlightenment, the Lineage of the Teachings; the Importance of Right Impulse, and came to the necessity of the checking meditation.

Paragraph Two

The example (the armless rock climber) looks interesting, quite funny. For the person who listens to the teachings or reads the Dharma book to understand oneself, not to judge something, by planning to make oneself pure, holy, and realizable, and discover, for those reasons, it is necessary to discover all the hindrances, the vices, the negative parts that one has, which hinders enlightenment and ultimate peace. So for that reason first we have to discover our mistakes, recognize our mistakes, in order to stop the vices. Without recognizing, how can we stop the negative actions of body, speech, and mind, and the negative creator? We can’t discover intuitively, without making study, making practice, without listening to the Buddhadharma. So with such plan, such desire, such thought, if with such expectation one reads a book, listens to a teaching, the subject that you read or listen to becomes effective to the mind, becomes useful. With this expectation, as you listen you can discover your mistakes, your wrong conceptions that are the negative creator, the destroyer of your peace. So to stop the negative creator it should be discovered; without recognizing the thief there is no way to kill the thief. If there is a thief in amongst us, then if someone wants to kill the thief, without recognizing the thief here he may kill a friend or another person, which causes danger, which is meaningless. So it is the same thing—without discovering the negative creator, there is no way to make yourself pure, positive. So with such expectation, wanting to be pure, then one can, from the Dharma, discover one’s rubbish, the wrong conceptions, just as you find spots, ugliness on your face by looking at the mirror. So when one listens to teachings, reads books, the Dharma should be used as a mirror to check up on oneself, to check up on what’s ugly. The purpose of the mirror is not to keep yourself ugly, the purpose is to make yourself perfect, good.

Also, as the subject comes, those people who heard the subject many times should not have pride, thinking, “I know that subject, I have heard that, what’s the use of hearing it again and again and again, I know that.” Pride arises; pride is the opposite of Dharma practice. If one is practicing Dharma one should not have pride.

Even if you heard the subject of the graduated path a hundred times, if there is no change in your actions, if your mind is not clean, it shows you didn’t practice the teachings, didn’t listen to the teachings correctly, didn’t use it as a mirror. So as you listen you should be conscious of your mind and actions.

If your mind has knowledge, lives in the discipline as the Dharma explains, then you should rejoice in it. This is a point when you can feel happy, pleasure, you can rejoice. But you shouldn’t have satisfaction in only that; it is necessary to progress until enlightenment is reached. And if you discover as you listen to teachings the mistakes, the wrong action, wrong thoughts which contradict the Dharma, interrupt your Dharma, then your responsibility after discovering this is to make it clear, to abstain from those wrong conceptions or negative actions. For this reason listening to Dharma is necessary.

It is necessary to check up, instead of allowing pride to arise, if you have the realization of the meditation or not. If there isn’t the realization it means you have to listen and practice it. Even if there is the realization, the subject is not something you avoid, throw out, or have to forget. Still it is necessary to progress, to make progression.

Anyway, it is totally like this—as long as the person does not practice the graduated path, there is no way to get out of suffering or receive enlightenment. As long as the person does not follow such a path the person has always to be in suffering and confusion, continually. So either the person is in suffering, the mind in an illusive state, or enlightened—there are only two ways; there’s no place for the person to be indifferent, between those two, not being in suffering and not enlightened—there’s no such place for the person to be.

Paragraph Three

The whole practice is the practice of the graduated path for the three levels of intelligent beings.

1. Actually the samadhi meditation is general. It is not a specific meditation that is only in the Buddhadharma. It is also in other religions, the common term is “samadhi.” But for those who practice Buddhadharma, it is not sufficient to practice common samadhi alone, to reach enlightenment, to get out of samsara. It should be done at least on the basis of the refuge. For the Mahayana practitioner even that is not enough, it should be done with bodhicitta to reach Enlightenment, so that is why this is put in the practice of the higher intelligent beings.

2. Such as the three trainings: conduct, concentration, and wisdom.

3. And understanding of impermanence and death, and so on

(Page 45)

This is some method that was practiced by some ancient mediators, yogis. This is to have some idea of how to recognize the hindrances to the meditation and how to treat them, how to solve the hindrances when we make meditation.

2. The Drowsy Mind

This is, for instance when we do retreat or in the daily meditation the mind is drowsy, sinking, like dipping in the ocean, not having clear thoughts, feeling darkness. Then this technique that was practiced by such great yogis can be helpful.

Concentrate that the mind is in a drop at the navel. Then it is in the tube, and the drop shoots out the tube. When it is very high the drop splits and the mind becomes one with space.

It is like this—when you are in a room for a long time, feeling drowsy, not having clear thoughts, sinking down, then you go and look into the sky or stand on top of a mountain, and then the meditation can become better than before. As this example works so can it work just visualizing that you are doing this with the mind—the physical body not coming out of the room, just making it with the mind.

So the graduated paths are those we have to achieve to reach enlightenment and are rooted in the path of the lower being, which depends on the realization, fully realizing the perfect human rebirth. So this is the first checking meditation.

(Page 46)

As the highly realized Tibetan yogi, the transformation of the Buddha of Wisdom, Guru Tsong Khapa said, “Please grant blessings to realize the perfect human rebirth, which received once is extremely difficult to find and greatly meaningful and easy to decay, and that for the thought wanting to take the essence to arise unceasingly all day and night.”

(The thought of taking the essence means working for enlightenment. For instance, for people working in an office, taking the essence day and night is a monthly salary. For Dharma practitioners it is enlightenment. So what he means is practicing Dharma day and night.)

The reason why I take such a holy being’s quotations and words is because it is effective to our minds just to remember their words, because their words are said with their realizations, not just with an empty mind. So their teachings that are said with their experienced realizations are very tasty and very effective, like medicine to cool the suffering of the mind. So as this highly realized yogi who had the achievement of the graduated path said: to have the energy, the capability, and the essence to work day and night, it is necessary to have the knowledge that the perfect human rebirth is highly meaningful, difficult to find and easy to decay, perishable. To have this realization it is necessary to fully discover the perfect human rebirth. So therefore, as he experienced, as he practiced in that way, we are also trying to receive the experience to follow the experiences that this great yogi has achieved.

THE PERFECT HUMAN REBIRTH

The six samsaric realms are the human, sura, asura, preta, animal, and narak realms. There are many other sentient beings who are not human beings. There are many others; our not discovering them or seeing them doesn’t mean they do not exist. There are many beings that most of us don’t see that can be contacted by great yogis, saints, and even by some ordinary human beings. Just because we don’t see them doesn’t mean that we can contradict this fact. As we said yesterday, we cannot contradict others’ experiences.

Also, there are many different worlds of living beings that we don’t see, don’t perceive, due to the karmic obscuration of the mind. Anyway, more explanation will come as we go further. If we have the understanding of the mind as beginningless, the clear understanding, then it makes sense when we meditate on just the words of the first sentence—if we clearly understand that the mind is beginningless, just this thought circling and suffering in the six samsaric realms can give a big shock to the person, that he intuitively has to renounce attachment; a shock that makes him intuitively not be attached to the objects of the senses. It has big sense, it has big meaning.

As we read the book, all the people here have different feelings according to the intelligence and the level of fortune, level of collection of merits, which means fortune. As I talk each person would have different feelings, different sensations. The checking meditation on the reason why the mind is beginningless comes first. If the person has no understanding of the evolution of mind, that mind is beginningless, the rest of the meditation doesn’t make any sense, like a heavy rock, a big mountain, the rest of the subject seems useless. They may prefer other fairy tales, like children’s stories; they may prefer these more than seeing these meditations.

Anyway, it is important that if you still don’t have the idea that the mind is beginningless that you think on it—the more clear this idea is, the rest of the meditation makes that much more sense.

Anyway, we don’t have interest in the Dharma but it is necessary, as we have the wisdom, to check whether it is true or not, whether it is really existent or not, through study and practice. Actually practicing, studying this subject, practicing this method, these meditations, actually we are studying science, learning science—inner science not exterior science; studying science in order to discover the inner existence that is not the object of the sense of the eye. We are studying science to fully realize the inner factor, suffering and cause of suffering, ultimate peace and the cause of ultimate peace. These are not the object of the eye, so without relying on such method, the practice of the Buddhadharma, just going around the whole world, there is no way to fully discover the inner factor, even if the person spends his whole life from childhood seeing different mountains, different trees, just going around. Even though he does that, to do that he is not free, there is a problem, he is not free—there are many places that he is not free to go, to make the external trip. That is the lack of not having full, deep knowledge of the science of the inner factor, not having the complete achievement of the knowledge of the inner factors. Even though the person thinks this is the way to develop wisdom he is not free. This is simple; this can be our experience.

So through the complete achievement of the knowledge of the science of the inner factor, at the same time one also achieves knowledge of the outer existence. At the same time, without relying on all the physical trips.

Question: Would you please repeat that ?

Answer: Repeat in what way? ... I think I forgot.

Anyway, as we completely achieve the knowledge of the inner factor, inner existence, which means fully discovering the whole inner existence, that which is not the object of the eye sense, at the same time we achieve this we can completely achieve the knowledge of the outer existence. For instance, one example—we can never make, never find, make the perfect research, checking like the scientist, checking the outer existence to discover what it is, how it is; we can never make that research to find the cause of death and rebirth in the outer subjects. The principal cause for why animate beings have to die and be reborn can never be found in the outer object, no matter how many eons we spend, without relying on the inner science of Buddhadharma. There is no way to be the scientist discovering the cause of death and rebirth in the outer objects without knowing the Dharma—we can never find it—in the food, in the house, in the mountain, in the corpse, in the dead body. It can only be found in the mind, so we have to study, so one have to study the science of the mind, the inner factor, completely study the inner factor. For instance, the reason why in ancient times beings could live one thousand years but now beings cannot—what is the reason for that? In past ages people lived for one thousand years, but these days people can’t—what is the reason for that, life getting shorter?

Question : How do you know that people lived one thousand years?

Answer: That’s easy, it is very clear. There are many logical histories of those such as the original human beings, the ancient beings, how they lived on the earth, what personality of mind they had. It is all clearly explained in the Buddhadharma as the Enlightened One clearly sees it. Besides that, the evolution of the earth, the original human beings’ minds is also clearly explained, besides the past, also our future, as it is. As the Enlightened Being Himself clearly saw and explained, so did his followers, the great meditators, through the achievement of the higher graduated path. As one reaches the higher and higher on the path, that much more the person’s mind and wisdom develops. So as that happens he sees the past more and more, deeper and deeper, and the same with the future. This knowledge progresses as the person goes higher and higher on the path. This is not only one person’s experience, this is many people’s experience, the numberless buddhas. Even in the present age it is the object of the mind of the great saints, the mind that is non-dualistic and purified.

Rinpoche: So why don’t people live for 1000 years?

Answer: The age of degeneration of mind.

Rinpoche: Why is there degeneration of mind? First of all, how does degeneration of mind do this?

Answer: Because of the lack of consciousness of mind in individual beings, but stretched over many large numbers.

Rinpoche: I think it is very deep—I didn’t understand.

Answer: Too many people producing bad karma on this earth at present.

Rinpoche: But how does it make the life short?

Answer: It affects the lifespan.

Rinpoche: But how does the karma affect the life, making it short?

Answer: I didn’t raise my hand.

Rinpoche: No, but I raised my hand.

Answer: I don’t know.

Rinpoche: Yes, thank you so much.

So think as we did about the meaning of the dedication prayer and repeat this: Gewa di.yi ... (Page 156)

3 p.m

Like we did this morning, visualize Guru Shakyamuni seated on a throne, lotus, moon, and sun, with rays coming to you purifying the obscurations to enlightenment, and say the prayer and mantra.

Actually, the “graduated path” does not mean a specific teaching written by one specific guru or pandit. The whole path, the graduated path, is shown by Guru Shakyamuni. Guru Shakyamuni has shown 84,000 divisions of teachings in order to dispel the 84,000 delusions of the sentient beings, and that whole teaching is included in the graduated path, is the explanation of the graduated path. Therefore, these coming meditations were explained by Guru Shakyamuni, and were achieved by Guru Shakyamuni and his followers, the great realized pandits. And the Tibetan gurus have also experimented with these meditations through practice as these pandits have shown. So we are not doing something separate that was not experienced by Guru Shakyamuni or the ancient holy pandits. It is possible for us to have the experiences of these meditations if we do them correctly and practice them. It is a matter of decision of mind, depending on that. Also, through the study of this science of the inner factors we can discover the principal cause of death and rebirth of animate beings, that which scientists cannot discover only on the material level, through only the study of external science, the science of external factors. We can also clearly discover this through the study of the science of the inner factor. We can find every answer as we discover new existence. “New existence” means new for the mind that starts to discover, existence that exists there already although our ordinary mind does not perceive it. So through the practice of this kind of science we can discover all those existences that are beyond the matter, not seen by the ordinary limited mind, and can find the whole answer, every answer.

The Eight Freedoms (Page 46)

1. The narak realms; in English, “hell.” The Tibetan term is nyal wa. It is only creation of ... if you created karma with the delusions, the creation of the karma projects and brings the creation of the hell for that person. As each individual has created karma with delusion that projects such a suffering realm, such a suffering place, each one suffers in that suffering stage. If there is no delusion or karma created by such a delusion that projects such a suffering stage, for that person there’s no hell. If he has no delusion or karma created by delusion, for him there’s no narak stage, for him there’s no hell. And such a suffering state can be under the ground and also in the world here; it is not definite. But more explanation will come afterwards.

For instance like this, if we talk a little bit. We may think there’s no such thing as this, there’s no such suffering state like hell, rejecting it, reasoning it, because it is not seen by me in the world. However, the reason that we don’t see it as we see countries when we travel is because the time for us to be born in those states is not ripe. The karma makes the time ripe, so at that time the person is born in the state of his own creation. From his own karma he is born into such a state and suffers. Just like this, another example: when there is a terrible war or a terrible explosion the negative mind creates karma and karma makes the time ripe, so when the time comes the place changes, and what comes is a lot of hindrances, a lot of dangers, so many things happening from the sky, from everywhere, and people suffer and worry, which wasn’t the case before. This completely changes the whole place. If someone asked those people who suffer, “Will there be a miserable situation like this?” before that war and those terrible times, those people wouldn’t believe it because it’s in the future and they don’t perceive it. They may reject it because their mind is limited, and they can’t perceive the future due to obscuration.

Just as this, there are many different realms that the present mind cannot see due to limitations. For instance, many common people believed that Tibet wouldn’t be overtaken by the Chinese. Many people believed that because their understanding was limited. The mind that has the capability of perceiving the whole future and what is going to happen sees as nonsense what the others reject as ridiculous. The reason there is so much suffering going on in a certain country is the same thing. They are fighting each other, even now at this hour, there is much suffering, killing each other—the situation is completely the opposite of us, like earth and sky. That is because time is not ripe, the time didn’t come up. The karma to experience such suffering under such conditions didn’t ripen. We may have created the cause to experience such suffering in the future, but the cause has not yet been experienced. We are not under such suffering conditions now, even though we have created the cause, karma, to experience such suffering; that is because the karma or the cause of such suffering created by the delusions is not yet ripe. The suffering is like the fruit that hasn’t ripened yet. It is like the seed to bring the stem and the fruit—as long as we have the delusions and the action of the delusions that causes us to experience such miserable situations, although it has not yet ripened the fruit is on the way. The karma has not ripened yet, so we are not in such a situation at this moment. Therefore, we are talking about freedom that we have at the moment.

So as we have time, such short free time, it should be used in the most beneficial way, to cut out suffering. It is not sure—for instance this year we are taking the meditation course, something like this, but next year under some miserable condition, we may be dead, finished—who knows ? We always think we will live longer. Anyway, totally we don’t know what will happen in the future because we don’t perceive the cause, the karma we created, or what we have in our minds—we don’t realize it or recognize it, we are not conscious, aware, and not realizing the future happenings.

So anyway, if you are in such a place, in such a terrible place with too much distraction, there is no freedom to practice Dharma or listen to such a precious subject, to meditate. Life finishes under such worries, such useless fears. If you are born in the narak stage, the time only passes in suffering. In those stages of the hot and cold sufferings, because of the karma, if you are born in those states even a tiny hot suffering is unbearable. If all the fires on earth were made one and compared with that, they still could not compare, because that tiny suffering is incredible, thousands of billions of times hotter than fire in the human world. Even a tiny hot suffering is much greater there than on earth—this is a creation of the karma. Just like this: some people have to be in a country even if it is that hot; they have to spend their life there. There are cold places. However terrible the place is, the people have to live there. This is our experience. Some countries are terribly hot, some are cold—this also is a creation of the karma of the beings who experience that. But when there’s no delusion, when there is no cause of samsara, we are out of karma, and out from the control of ignorance. For that person there’s no hot or cold, that person is out of suffering. Even if the country is hot for this mind it is not hot, because for this mind there is no reason to suffer from that experience, for that person there is no cause of suffering.

The best change of the condition is changing the mind, making change inside. Making change in the mind is the best way of changing the external conditions. For the person who does this there is change in the external conditions, for him there is no hot—this way it is quicker. It is possible, quicker, easier, and more practical this way than without trying to change the inside, and instead trying to change the outside condition. What I mean is, only relying on the external change, believing that it is only caused by the external condition is not a practical method because it cannot last—even though we can change the condition it won’t last, it won’t always work that way. Even if it’s possible to change the external condition, some problem will arise after some time.

So totally, if we are in hot, boiling water it is impossible to meditate. Also, if we are asked to meditate with a red-hot needle put into the body, it will be impossible because of the suffering. So if we were in such a suffering state as a narak realm it is impossible, because even the tiny suffering of that is greater than all the sufferings on earth in the human realms, it is impossible.

Therefore, since we are not in such suffering on the human earth, and especially not in such a suffering state, there is freedom to practice Dharma. This is one freedom.

2. Pretas. Pretas are also suffering beings who live under the earth and on the human earth. And also their suffering of feeling hungry and thirsty is much greater than our feelings of hunger and thirst. And besides these there are many more sufferings. If we are born as a preta, our whole life finishes like this, feeling hungry and thirsty and experiencing other sufferings. The body of these spirits is very ugly, very fearful looking. Anyway, more explanation will come later.

Like the narak beings, these beings’ feeling of hunger and thirst is much greater than ours. Our feelings of hunger and thirst is incomparable to theirs. Their suffering is not for one or two days, but for ages—so how can one practice Dharma or meditate, feeling hungry? This is our experience. For instance, if we don’t have food in one day, we cannot think anything, we can’t meditate, it is unbearable to us, we cannot do other work. In one day of feeling hungry we have not experienced the suffering of a preta being. They experience this suffering for long time, without choice or freedom, due to karma. Our hunger and thirst is nothing compared with them—it still is pleasure.

If you can’t meditate even with this small suffering of feeling hungry, how can it be possible to practice Dharma or meditate if you are born as this being who has such unbearable suffering?

So the second freedom is not being born as a preta, and for that reason we have the chance to practice Dharma.

3. Animals. Usually when we see animals we don’t try to discover their mind, what their experience is, what they think. We often judge their bodies. In this way, we can’t discover their experiences, what they are thinking. What are their worries? If at the moment you are a dog, let’s say, there’s no freedom to listen and to understand Dharma and practice, there’s no way to communicate such subjects—it’s impossible. Generally, if one explains the whole suffering of the animals it is infinite, it is something that cannot be finished explaining because the suffering is so immense.

Depending on the type of animals, there are different problems. Totally, the problem of being an animal is being foolish, deeply ignorant, dumb, and the suffering of being eaten one by one. Even among the small creatures, always there is another creature who kills one; even among the middle sized animals, there is always one who kills another; even among the big sized animals, there is always an enemy who kills another. Animals always have some other enemy to attack them. The animals flying in the sky or crawling on the earth always they have suffering of being dumb, being ignorant—even if we talk they do not understand the words, and they feel cold and hot, and feel hunger and thirst.

These are the general sufferings of the animals. This is just to have idea of the sufferings of animals, but there is much to say. If you try to talk about the details of the animal sufferings, if you really understand the sufferings of animals, it is a subject that will make you scared to be an animal even for a minute.

Anyway, as an animal, it is impossible to practice Dharma, to meditate, to study Dharma, to teach Dharma—it is impossible. There’s no way to understand the meaning of Dharma. So the face that we at the moment have not been born animals and have the chance to practice Dharma is a freedom. This is one freedom.

If I tell all the details then it doesn’t go quick, so as we go further more explanations will come.

4. Gods. There are different types of gods. These gods are called “gods” because their enjoyments and pleasures are much higher, much more transcendental than ours. However these gods do not have omniscient mind, are not out of samsara—these beings are still in samsara, still experience death and rebirth, and still have ignorance. But their possessions and enjoyments are much richer, much more transcendental than ours.

There are some gods who are conscious at birth and death, but in-between are unconscious for eons, as if they were sleeping for a long time. No matter how long their lives, in that state, in that reality, for eons they are unconscious. So there is no freedom to develop the mind, to practice Dharma, to meditate, to reach enlightenment, to understand suffering—their whole life is unconscious except at birth and death. We are lucky not to be born as this kind of being; therefore we have the chance to practice Dharma.

Also some gods have very rich possessions; for example just one god has many thousands of goddesses. Anyway, the pleasure they have is much higher than ours. They don’t have to depend on food, and their food is not like ours—they enjoy only nectars, not food like ours that grows from the earth, that makes kaka. Everything there looks very rich—even their palaces are all formed of jewels, and their palaces and their bodies shine with light. It is not like the human world where there can be rich and also poor things. In the human world there are all different kinds of things—here everything looks very rich, so there’s no way to see any examples of suffering. Therefore their minds are too distracted by the rich objects of the senses, always distracted by them, so there is no way to practice Dharma. Even though they’re not cognitionless, their minds are always distracted by the rich objects of the senses. Because of this they have no freedom to practice Dharma.

For instance, just an example: if we have many possessions, so the mind is always distracted by thinking of objects such as other people, the apartment, many things. As there are so many possessions that the mind is concerned with, we are so that easily distracted by the object of the senses. So it is very difficult to find time to check up yourself, to check your own mind: it is extremely difficult, always the mind is occupied by some other thing, occupied by the work of the temporal life. As in this example, those beings who have such a long life but spend that life in that way, always distracted by the objects of the senses. And also, some gods are cognitionless for the whole lifetime. In these situations it is extremely difficult to remember the necessity of Dharma practice and to find the time to practice Dharma.

So our not being born as those beings is a freedom to practice Dharma.

In the same way, those who read books read books of great yogis like Milarepa. Because these beings spend their life in simple way doesn’t mean they are foolish, not knowing how to make the life materially rich. One basic reason that they live in such an ascetic way is to have less distractions, so their minds are not distracted by the objects of the senses. Their ascetic life is spent in Dharma practice, with correct realizations. Many people try to spend their life in that way—by trying to make things materially simple, but not really realizing what really simple is. They try to spend their life in a simple way, like the ancient yogis did, but their minds are empty. So what it brings is only confusion.

6 p.m.

I will read the part about the visualization of Guru Shakyamuni again so you will have a clear visualization.

(Page 17)

This is the benefits of visualizing Guru Shakyamuni and correcting the wrong conception that visualization is distracting, that any visualization is distracting—this is the wrong conception that only harms oneself, cheats one.

“The imagination” is one’s mental projection.

There is much to talk about for each of these benefits. How one becomes closer to him, and how this protects one from evil creations and temporal life dangers, and decreases negativities. By visualizing Guru Shakyamuni in that perfected form, with all those signs of his holy body, just by seeing the holy body, each small part symbolizes having infinite supreme knowledge. Because of the knowledge that each small part of Guru Shakyamuni’s holy body has, this helps for purification.

His holy statues in which each part symbolizes his supreme knowledge helps to decrease the negative mind and helps for purification. That is why even the precious statues of this holy being are called “seeing and releasing” holy body, or statue. This means that just by seeing it, it helps to release us from obscurations. As it purifies the obscurations, it makes us closer to him and to the enlightened stage. Seeing the holy perfected beautiful body gives us the desire to achieve a perfected holy body like that, a holy body that has no defects of sufferings. Also, by seeing his holy body, even just by seeing the symbolic idols of Guru Shakyamuni, the desire and interest to seeking his knowledge that is symbolized by even a small figure or statue arises. Seeing each of the figures that have infinite supreme knowledge causes us to seek the method to achieve it. This makes us follow the path.

Anyway, this is just very brief explanation of the benefits. But actually, the benefits of meditating on Guru Shakyamuni is extensive, there are many benefits. This is just to have some idea of how it is meaningful to visualize Guru Shakyamuni.

“Rainbow light”—a rainbow has colors, but the light of Guru Shakyamuni’s Holy Body in the visualization is golden. There is a purpose for it to be golden.

The “aura”—also visualize the aura of light around him, steaming to all the realms of sentient beings and purifying their negativity and their obscurations. Numberless Guru Shakyamunis come out to work for sentient beings, through the rays that emanate from each atom of his holy body, the tiniest part of his holy body. At the same time also countless numbers of Guru Shakyamunis return to his holy body, absorbing through the rays after finishing working for sentient beings.

Visualizing like this arranges auspicious causes for us to achieve the enlightened stage of Guru Shakyamuni, and, like him, work for sentient beings intuitively, in countless billions of different manifestations.

Like this. For instance, as Guru Shakyamuni gives teachings in one place, in another place he takes a birth such as a prince at the same time. In another place he shows impermanence or suffering nature to sentient beings; in another he takes the form of passing away for other sentient beings; and also he gives different sermons, different Dharma subjects, in different places for different levels of sentient beings at the same time.

So visualizing like this arranges the auspiciousness, when we are enlightened, to be able to work for sentient beings like this, intuitively.

When we ordinary people wear clothes, they always touch us—there is no way to keep the clothes on the body without having them touch us. But for the Enlightened Being it is different.

This “atom” doesn’t mean substantial atom but means the tiniest part of his holy body.

(Page 18)

“Skandha” means the aggregates of the person, the aggregates of the living beings.

Also there are different nectars—the undying, long-life nectar that prevents death; the nectar of preventing sickness; the nectar of transcendental wisdom preventing the delusions; the nectar of purifying the skandhas that stops the suffering of the physical body.

So those who can visualize this, visualize also other beings.

Absorption.

Those who have visualized other holy beings should absorb these into Guru Shakyamuni.

Guru Shakyamuni comes down onto the center of your head and absorbs into you, and your body, speech, and mind become oneness with Guru Shakyamuni’s holy body, speech, and mind. Try to clearly visualize yourself in the form of Guru Shakyamuni, seated on the throne, lotus, moon and sun.

So now yourself being in the form of Guru Shakyamuni, make the breathing meditations.

If there are physical problems during the meditation time that are distracting to the meditation, such as catching cold, pains on the legs and the backside, and feeling hungry, you have to use some means to treat them in order to spend the time in meditation. Otherwise you might spend the whole time thinking of the problems, “I’m hungry,” or thinking of the pains. The mind is like the dial of the problems. So the whole thing depends on the mind—problem or peace—the projector or creator is the mind. So we have to treat it, turn the dial of the mind, turn it—if you leave it at the place, there is no change in the problem. If you think it is a great trouble to you, the more you think and care about it, it gets bigger and bigger. It can happen like this. If you try to think of the trouble, you may feel it getting bigger and bigger, you may find more pains.

Generally, for the practitioners there are so many techniques, different methods for solving the problems. But it is also good to think like this, a simple thing, solving the problem: “What incredible suffering I would experience if I were under the ice mountain, if I were inside the ice mountain. What incredible suffering I would experience if I were now in the ice mountain, what terrible suffering I would experience—it would be impossible to meditate—as those sentient beings suffering like this. If I were in the ice mountain at this moment how terrible, how incredible the suffering would be. So I am lucky, fortunate that I don’t experience that suffering now, and have the chance, having met the method, the ultimate peace, the cessation of suffering; how lucky I am having met the ultimate method bringing the ultimate peace, the cessation of suffering.

“And if I find this little problem unbearable, then if I were in a suffering place such as those suffering beings in the cold ocean, in the ice mountains, this suffering would be extremely unbearable, much greater than this problem. As long as I am in the suffering realm, in samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth, it is definite or sure that I will continually suffer and experience the problem. Besides this little problem, it is definite that I will experience the different numberless samsaric sufferings.”

“So it is not only the present suffering that I have to experience (catching cold or whatever problem it is) not only this suffering that I have to experience. As I have created many causes of many greater sufferings than this to continually experience in the future, so it is worthwhile to sacrifice, to experience the suffering for stopping all these greater future sufferings and attaining the methods which bring the ultimate peace, the cessation of suffering.”

If you think with feeling like this, it will be useful and it affects your mind—before you see the trouble as if it’s important. But with the method, your feeling of the suffering would decrease, become smaller, you would see it as not important anymore. Then as you see the problem as little, no more paying attention to it, you find more time to spend in meditation. Otherwise you may spend more time on the problem and make it bigger. So if you can think with these kinds of methods, it can help the problem to become smaller. Not only with cold, but also with pain and other problems.

There are also many other techniques. We have to treat this by using different techniques, different methods, otherwise every time as long as we are in samsara, these problems will continually arise. So if you are going to wait to practice Dharma and meditation until the samsaric suffering stop, it is impossible. This is the problem we are practicing Dharma to get out of and without practicing Dharma there is no way to get out of samsara, and there are more problems that will have to be experienced until we achieve the Dharma practice. So it is important to know that this is not the only time.

Day 4
Monday November 19th
9 a.m.

The great realized bodhisattva, the ancient yogi and pandit Shantideva said, “Such great, powerful, numberless [negativities] cannot be overcome by other virtues without bodhicitta—being willing to receive enlightenment for the sake of sentient beings.”

As this holy, experienced yogi said, the most powerful method to purify the most powerful negativities we have created in many previous lives is the practice of bodhicitta. So it is wise, as we have the time and the freedom to purify such powerful, numberless negativities that have been created more quickly, the practice of bodhicitta is of the utmost need. Therefore, before listening to the subject, in order to make the time beneficial, try to have the positive impulse, “I am going to listen to the Mahayana Teaching to receive Enlightenment for the sake of sentient beings.”

The listening subject is the graduated path, the meditation about the eight freedoms. (Page 46)

The great Madhyamika philosopher who had great realizations of the absolute true nature, Nagarjuna, said, “The states of a narak, preta, animal realm, barbarian, long life god, heretic, and the states of the time or place in which there is no order of Buddha (no descent of Buddha) are unfree states. Also imperfect organs.”

As we talked yesterday, for instance, if you are in a big pot of hot burning water it is impossible to think of, to practice, to listen to Dharma, because the suffering never allows it, the suffering is incredible. So not being in such unfree states at the moment, we have the chance to practice Dharma.

If we are born as a preta, for many eons we have to suffer; our life has to finish feeling thirst, hunger, and many sufferings—not for one day, or two days, but for many ages. For instance, in the present, even if we don’t have the incredible sufferings they have, we have little problems—even if someone talks Dharma, we can’t pay attention, can’t meditate. So from this we can figure out what terrible suffering it is.

For instance, the animals—there may be animals who can imitate the word, but they don’t know the meaning. You can’t explain the meaning to animals—if you try to tell an animal such as a dog, “You will cease taking the rebirth as an animal,” the dog can’t understand no matter how much you try to explain. The mind is so limited, terribly limited, deeply ignorant, extremely dumb and foolish, not understanding the meaning, no way to understand the meaning—it’s impossible. But we have the mind, the wisdom to make it understandable, so we have such a precious chance.

For the long life gods, take one example—in previous time there was a disciple of Guru Shakyamuni, and arhat called Sharipu. He was one of Buddha’s closest disciples. And there was another person called “the king of the medicine.” When this person saw Guru Shakyamuni’s disciple, even though he was riding an elephant, even though he had no time to come down slowly, to show respect he jumped down from the elephant, showing so much respect. Then in his next life he was reborn as a sura. Sharipu with his psychic powers went to preach to this person. But when he saw Sharipu, he only pointed his finger and went to play, his mind distracted by the pleasure of the enjoyments. He didn’t pay attention to Sharipu because his mind was attached to the pleasure of the enjoyments. So no matter how much Sharipu tried to reach him, he couldn’t show him the Dharma, and had a hard time preaching to this king of medicine who was reborn in the sura realm.

Question: Is it possible for these beings living on different levels to influence their karma? For example to become human or to become Buddha?

Answer: It depends on the realm. The realm where it is most possible to make the greatest advantage is the human realm, especially this human realm in which we are now existing. There are many human realms. In such realms as the narak, preta, and animal, it is impossible. Also in the other upper realms it is extremely difficult—just as in that example, the mind is greatly distracted, no longer respects, no longer pays attention. That shows the realm that is an unfree state for practicing Dharma.

The reason that I’m talking about these different things, these freedoms, the whole thing is this—we have the freedom, we have the jewel but we don’t recognize the jewel as precious, so we waste the jewel. We are wasting this precious jewel.

Question: Can we help these beings anyhow?

Answer: That is the whole purpose. If you can’t help ... I think that is what we are planning. It is definitely possible to help any other being, but first it is necessary to help yourself to be free of confusion, to be free from ignorance. So then, through this you get freedom, control, and complete understanding of the different methods that fit those different living beings. As you have the complete understanding of the different methods that fit their minds, and the complete understanding of the different levels of their minds, there’s no confusion, no problems arising—one can help with free mind, and that help never harms any other being, never becomes the cause of problems. But at the moment, before cleaning ourselves, before getting out of the problem ourselves, it is extremely difficult to help all living beings as the enlightened being does. And, for instance, in the world, many people try to help without understanding the methods, without having wisdom, but it becomes the cause of problem and confusion. That is because of not having achieved freedom within one’s mind. Without achieving freedom yourself, without cutting off your own confusion, your own problems, your own obscurations, it is difficult for any of your actions that you think are helping to never harm other beings. It is like this—for instance, if you are cleaning the floor with a dirty broom it makes the floor dirty instead of clean. If you clean it with a dirty duster the dirt from the duster will get on the floor. But purifying yourself, making yourself ready and capable to help other sentient beings, that is helping other sentient beings. Because your main aim is to release, to guide other sentient beings from suffering. Since that is your main aim, every action that you do for the purpose of achieving control of your own negativity is for the purpose of helping other sentient beings, it is work for other sentient beings and that is the best way, the most correct way to be able to help other sentient beings. Therefore it is necessary to practice Dharma. So the purpose of practicing bodhicitta is only that, to guide, to help to release other sentient beings from problems.

Every action that you do with bodhicitta especially, no matter how great or small, even breathing out, if you do it with this holy beneficial thought, it helps other sentient beings because you are doing the action to purify your negativity in order to enlighten them. So then that action that you are doing is the cause of enlightenment. Enlightenment can’t be received with the aim for oneself alone, but only with the aim of others. Enlightenment cannot be received with self-cherishing mind—it is impossible. So action done with bodhicitta is the best, quickest cause for enlightenment.

It is totally this—the more purification we do with this aim, the closer we get to the freedom to help sentient beings. The actions that we do, breathing with that pure thought, can definitely help all sentient beings. For instance, just one example—if in one country there are thousands of beggars and refugees under miserable conditions—let’s say I want to help them by collecting money, for example, I want to give them 1,000,000 rupees. The collection of 1,000,000 rupees depends on the collection of one rupee. Without the one rupee I collect, the 1,000,000 cannot be collected, so I go to each door and collect one rupee. As I do this, it seems impossible that this one rupee will help them. But as I collect them, the amount gets bigger and bigger, and finally I have 1,000,000 rupees and I give it and then it helps. So of course the one rupee I collected each day—or one paise—is useful for them—of course it is useful.

So the merits that we create with virtuous actions, at each time this is like collecting 1 paise or 1 rupee. When we collect the 1,000,000 that they need, or when we complete the collection of merits that is enlightenment, like the 1,000,000 it is sufficient for them.

Collecting merits is not something that has no end. It has end, purification has end, because the obscurations, the mental hindrances, have end. That’s why the Dharma practice has end. Whenever we gain the complete merits, we also gain enlightenment at the same time. That is the final time of the Dharma practice, meditation practice. Therefore, for complete achievement of Dharma practice, we should not have small heart, small mind, thinking that we will achieve it easily without going through physical and mental difficulties of practice, without experiencing physical and mental difficulties. Such expectation and thought only disturbs our practice, makes it unsuccessful, discourages us. Thinking, planning that final goal is the utmost need, we should think, “Working for that is the meaning of my life, no matter how much trouble has to be experienced.” We should think, “It doesn’t matter, I must achieve the final goal, the most perfected goal, enlightenment, no matter how long it takes to be able to achieve.” If we practice with such impulse, then whatever hindrances arise in the meditation, we don’t feel discouraged, feel a disturbance, because we have already planned for that, so when it comes we don’t get shocked. For example if we plan to help another person, we think, “No matter what trouble comes, I will experience it with gladness in order to make him happy and comfortable.” So when the trouble and disturbance comes, you don’t get shocked, so when the problem arises you don’t get discouraged, you still work with gladness to make him happy. It is the same thing with Dharma practice, working for the supreme goal, enlightenment.

Just one example - if we plan to climb over Mount Everest, the highest peak, during which you have to go through many dangers, you plan from America. Even though there’s not a comfortable road, you really want to get to the top—that is your biggest hang-up, that comes into your mind more than anything else. It is your greatest thought—thinking no matter how it is difficult, by bearing the difficulties, climbing, making the trek, feeling cold, and experiencing many other dangers, planning to climb to the top of Mount Everest with such strong desire in spite of all the dangers on the road. As you are on the trek, no matter how much difficulty you find, falling down, getting wounded, getting sick, the strong desire to get to the top makes you to carry on, to experience the difficulties. That pushes you to get to the top. But if you didn’t plan from America, if you planned to make the trek easily, if you were not expecting any difficulties on the trek, then you would find many troubles, such as an avalanche in the way. Then the mind would get discouraged, thinking, “Oh, I can’t make it,” and start to go back. It is the same with Dharma practice; if the mind is not wise, knowledgeable, so you stop your own Dharma practice, your own progression. This happens many times. This just came by the way here, but has to be kept in mind because there is a long way to go.

5. A barbarian is one who has no understanding of the Dharma, no faith in the Dharma, in the truth, no faith in the existence of past and future lives. Ff we are born as a barbarian we do not have the chance, there is no chance to practice Dharma, to seek the true method. So it is fortunate that we are not barbarian.

6. This is a mistake (as printed in the book). Number six is being dumb (a fool, or deaf), being unable to communicate, mute. The “imperfect organs” is part of the 10 opportunities. If you are dumb it is difficult to discuss Dharma, to develop the wisdom. For people who cannot communicate, it is extremely difficult, no matter how much we try, how much compassion we have, very difficult for him to communicate in Dharma and develop the understanding. Also it is extremely difficult to teach Dharma. For these beings, even worldly life is extremely difficult. So we have the freedom of not being fools, or deaf.

7. Heretical beings have wrong realizations, wrong understanding, thinking, “There’s no such thing as karma, no such thing as reality.” Instead of realizing existence, they have the wrong realization believing it doesn’t exist, which is the complete opposite of what is true. To the heretical mind, past and future lives do not exist, which is the opposite of factual existence. This is one of the greatest hindrances to ultimate peace, to our final perfection. Why is disturbing to peace and the whole perfection? This mind does not allow us to create merits, to create good karma and practice Dharma, because this mind thinks there is no reason to do this, doesn’t believe in the purpose of such actions. Also this mind sees this life as just one, thinks that we are born without purpose. This mind is an extreme hindrance to the creation of any cause of ultimate perfection and happiness, because the cause of ultimate peace and happiness depend on creating merits, creating good karma, and virtuous actions.

Anyway, things such as this heretical mind ruin many other future lives. Like the example we discussed before, when the main source of electricity stops, all the lights in other countries go out, become black. This heretical mind makes many future lives black, no peace, because most of the actions it creates are negative actions. This mind doesn’t discover what is the positive and what is the negative action, what is pure and what is negative—it cannot discover. Anyway, if our mind is not heretical it is one freedom, because it allows us to practice Dharma and gives the mind room to collect merits.

8. Here there is no possibility—if there is no teaching, there is no possibility to practice Dharma. For instance, in the ages of the world, in the existence of the world, there are many eons—a certain number of eons. In all those eons there is no existence of Buddhadharma. In certain human ages the Buddhadharma exists, but not in all human ages.

In the existence of the universe there are about twenty eons that are called “middle eons”—about twenty of these middle eons. The very first human life is numberless (“numberless” means the number is too much; so it is called numberless). Then the human age decreases. Only when it comes down to 80,000 human years does the Buddhadharma appear. And that human age decreases down to 100. After 100 there is no existence of Buddhadharma; it is a black age, a dark time, down to human age of ten. There’s no light of the Buddhadharma. So it is only between the ages of 80,000 and 100 that there is Buddhadharma.

So the human age we are now in is the last. There are not many humans that are over 100, on average. This is the last, so we are extremely fortunate that we met the Dharma at the very last. Thinking like this can be very effective for the mind. Thinking like this we can discover the precious freedom that we have, to not feel lazy in the practice of the Dharma, to not feel discouraged and laziness.

From the time when the average human age is ten it then increases up to 80,000 again. But then in that time there is no Buddhadharma; only on the way down from 80,000 to ten. Not on the way up, because the mind is much too distracted by the desires; the mind is not ready.

So it is very fortunate to be in the place where the Buddha has descended, where there is Buddhadharma—even just to be there and just to hear, even not to practice is very fortunate—this plants many seeds to be able to work on the Dharma in the future lifetimes.

So this is one freedom.

When you meditate on this subject, you should think like this, “From beginningless previous lifetimes until this present life, even when I wasn’t born in the narak stage (When you think of each name you have to have a mental picture, otherwise it has no effect on the mind. Just using the words has no effect, like the people talking of “God” and the “Holy Mind.” Because the meditation is intended to benefit the mind, to make the mind pure, it is good to make the meditation as effective as possible.) and experiencing suffering that cannot be measured even by the Omniscient Mind, I was born in the suffering preta realm. Even when I wasn’t born in the suffering preta realm, I was born in the suffering animal realm. Even when I wasn’t born in the suffering animal realm, I was born as a long-life god, in the unfree state of a long life god. Even when I was born in the human world, I was born a perfect human rebirth—I was born many, beginningless times as a barbarian, which is an unfree state. Even when I wasn’t born as a barbarian, I was born as a foolish or a deaf human being—unable to speak, dumb, many times. Even when I wasn’t born a fool, many times I was born as a heretic. Even when I wasn’t born as a barbarian, a fool, or a heretic, I was born in a time and place where Buddha did not descend and there was no existence of the teachings.”

So in this way you can discover how much we suffer. Even if many times we were born in the human realm, we are mostly born with a birth in which we have no freedom to practice Dharma. By thinking like this, you can discover the freedom of the present human life; you become more aware, more realized, and discover the precious freedom of the precious human life.

The explanation of the suffering of the narak, pretas, and animals are in the following chapters, but you can read the first meditation on the sufferings so that when you read the first meditation you have an idea. For example, if I saw a picture of America, when people speak of the U.S. I have a mental picture. Like this, so it would be helpful if you read. Also it would be more effective.

The Ten Receptacles (Page 47)

2. That “center” means where there are celibates who observe the thirty-six and the 253 precepts. The thirty-six precepts are taken by both men and women. The 253 precepts are taken by men, and 365 are precepts are taken by women who take the highest ordination. For men, the highest is 253 and for women, 365.

A central country is the place where these celibates exist. Because of this there is the possibility to take ordination—the lineage of the ordination exists. If there is no lineage, even though the person knows the teaching of the lineage, if he hasn’t the ordination, he cannot give it. So it is fortunate to be where there is that lineage of the ordination.

Because one essence of the teachings is the ordination (within the teachings there are sutra and tantra teachings), when there is no existence of these ordinations, the teachings of the Sutra has degenerated, then there is no lineage of these ordinations. So the existence of the Sutra Teachings depends on the existence of the Lineage of the ordination. For instance, if you are in a country, no matter how strongly you desire to take the ordination, to quickly purify yourself, to make powerful practice, if there’s no person giving ordination there is no way to receive ordination.

3. Generally, depending on how the organ is imperfect, the person can still practice Dharma, depending on what kind of imperfect organ. But for taking ordination, it is necessary for the organs to be perfect. There are many reasons.

If the person is missing legs or hands or something, many ugly things, this person cannot be ordained. There are many reasons for this—it may give the wrong feeling or the wrong influence to other people. Before the abbot gives ordination there is always, as a rule, a particular way of giving it, as was shown by Guru Shakyamuni. First the person taking ordination has to be questioned about all the organs. If this is perfect the ordination can be given without danger to the abbot breaking his precepts and creating negative karma. The purpose is totally for the development of the teachings, for the increase of the teachings—so the purpose is really the ultimate peace of beings.

Question: What criteria are there for perfect organs?

Answer: You know “organ”? You know “perfect?”

Question: What if after the ordination the person falls off a cliff?

Answer: That’s okay. This applies to before the ordination.

Question: But he should be able to see the person’s karma, being spiritually higher.

Answer: Yes, he should see, he should see.

4. The worst negative actions among the negative actions, those that cause one to suffer for many eons in the worst suffering stages. Beings who have created such extreme negative actions in the lifetime cannot be ordained.

Question: Didn’t the Buddha say it is possible to reach enlightenment without becoming a monk?

Answer: You have to go through the disciplines, even if you don’t become a monk. The whole purpose of becoming a monk is involved in following the disciplines. The whole purpose is that, even if you don’t become a monk. You still have to follow the disciplines that purify the obscurations, otherwise there is no way to achieve enlightenment. And becoming a monk is easier for Dharma practice in this way; there are less distractions to your mind because of the ordination that you took from the abbot, the vow that you made, what you promised to do and not to. Your mind has made a decision to do and not do certain things. So because of this there is much less distraction, and it is quicker to achieve the meditations and quiet the mind.

Question: Is it possible without ordination?

Answer: Without becoming a monk? One doesn’t have to become a monk to be enlightened. Women can receive enlightenment.

Question: Why emphasize that the holy beings have to be males, gurus, and so forth?

Answer: That depends on the mind and the karma—why there are more men, less women. That depends on the condition of the mind, karma, the conditions created by mind and karma.

Question: Are you saying then, that if a person has bad karma that person could be born as a woman? Does this come from the philosophy that women originally came from men, as explained in this book (page 25).

Answer: This could be possible; why cannot this be possible? This is talking about a physical thing—first man and then woman. This is happening in the world at the present time. But if you are thinking of mind, you cannot say that woman’s mind originally came from man’s mind.

Question: Is there anything in the Dharma that says that women are spiritually inferior to men?

Answer: It depends on the individual person, anyway.

(Page 47)

5. If there is no belief in Dharma, in these divisions of the teachings, then the problem is that even if one can expound well, even if one can remember many volumes of these teachings by heart, if there’s no belief in it, the person doesn’t practice—if there’s no faith in the Dharma it’s difficult for the person to practice.

Many people can talk about Dharma without faith, without practicing it. Why is there no practice even though the person can talk about many volumes of teachings, why is the person not living in the practice? One thing is not having faith and belief, not fully discovering the suffering nature, karma, and death and rebirth. So the person doesn’t seek or practice the method. Just giving lectures, expounding, and talking with speech about many volumes of these teachings—only that does not mean practicing Dharma. People can teach in the universities without practicing, without making their own experience the subject. So anyway, without practicing, only knowing the words cannot solve the problem. The whole point is that, for instance, reading the prescription of the medicine cannot cure the sickness, confusion, or headache. After reading, the person should take the medicine in order to cure the sickness. The sufferings that cannot be cured by external medicine have to be cured by the practice of the Dharma teachings.

So having belief in these teachings is the fifth receptacle.

6. Beings in such period and place where the Buddha has descended.

9. Besides the existence of the living realizations of the path, such as the graduated path, from your side you must follow the path of the Buddha’s teachings.

10. For instance, if this is missing it is difficult to continue the Dharma practice, for the Dharma practice depends on many things, conditions, your situation. If the guru doesn’t have enough compassion it is difficult to receive teachings.

Also it is fortunate to be in such a place where you don’t have to worry much about your temporal, material needs, in a place where you are helped by other people, so that you don’t have to spend time on work and can spend more time on Dharma practice.

In Tibet, until it was overtaken by the Chinese, the monks didn’t have to worry much about the temporal needs as they always found benefactors, and the people had much faith and looked after them. Whatever food was finishing or whatever else it was, the family offered them. Life was very easy in Tibet for the monks and nuns. Even if they went to beg, they often received—there was no problem of being kicked out; it was very easy. So anyway, also in ancient times, in India it was easy. In that way the practitioners, those who seriously practiced, didn’t have much worry in terms of the temporal needs. In ancient times in India, the bhikshus who were Guru Shakyamuni’s followers begged, and then they went back and spent their time in practice, in meditation, and then they came down again to beg. Those were fortunate times. If people didn’t have enough compassion they wouldn’t give it, they wouldn’t look after them.

Also many European people who are practicing write to their parents and friends in the West and ask for help when they have trouble, and they send. If those people didn’t have compassion, help wouldn’t be received. They get financial help with the temporal needs because of others’ compassion. So it is fortunate, and so you find the freedom, the chance, and the time to practice Dharma without working. Having time to practice Dharma is the freedom, it’s freedom.

In some countries it’s impossible, extremely difficult to go and beg—the person may be kicked out or put in prison by police. It’s difficult to have such freedom. In ancient times it happened in Tibet, India, and Ceylon, and also in Thailand.

That’s why those people who have these freedoms are fortunate, anyway. Receiving things easily without working is the result of previous good karma. And begging to spend the life in the practice of Dharma with sincere mind, for sincere practice, is not foolish, it is not foolish. Because with sincere mind, with pure practice, the mind is not attached to the happiness of the temporal life, and even though he’s begging, the pure practice makes his life meaningful, and he’s trying to bring great advantage. But the person who is just begging, being lazy, whose mind is not detached from the happiness of the temporal life, that is not meaningful, that is the opposite, that is causing suffering to himself. Because for that action there is nothing to look at, there is no beneficial result, in the present time and also in the future lifetimes.

So, during meditation time think like this—this is checking meditation. “From beginningless previous lives until the present life, even if I received birth in the human realm many times, I wasn’t born in the center of a religious country, or with perfect organs, or I created the extreme negative actions, or didn’t believe in the teachings, or I was born in a dark period in a place where the Buddha had not descended, or no shown the teachings of the Buddha, or the experienced teachings did not exist, or I did not follow the path of the Buddha’s teachings, or did not receive the kindness and compassion of others. Many times I was born in the human realm but missing these opportunities.

“And, even if I was born in the human realm and in the center of a religious country, I was born with imperfect organs. Even if I was born with perfect organs and in the center of a religious country and in the human realm, I created the extreme negative actions. Even if the extreme negative actions weren’t created, many times I didn’t have faith in the Dharma, many lives I didn’t have faith in the Dharma. Many times I was born in the human realm in the center with belief in the Dharma, but I wasn’t born during a non-dark period or in a place where Buddha had descended.

“Even if I received the first part of the opportunities many times I wasn’t shown the teachings of the Buddha. But even though many times I was shown the teaching of the Buddha, and received the first part of the opportunities, the experienced teachings, the living realizations of the graduated path that originated from Buddha did not exist. Even if they did exist and I had the previous receptacles, I didn’t follow the path of the Buddha, so therefore I didn’t receive the perfect human rebirth. Even though I followed or tried to follow the path of the Buddhadharma and had the rest of the opportunities, I didn’t receive teachings due to my situation.”

For instance, many people want to practice Dharma, also they want to follow the method of ultimate peace, but they don’t get the temporal things taken care of so they miss this. Or if they get these things they miss the Dharma. Many people practicing Dharma cannot complete the Dharma practice because of the interruptions, because of the mind being distracted in taking care of the temporal needs. “Temporal needs” means food and clothing that support the body, that support the life, that cause the life to exist. These things are called “temporal” because they only help the present life and they don’t last—so they are temporal. Many times, even though we were trying to follow the path and having the first part of the receptacles but not having the support, so many times there were interruptions—we had to work, do something, so it was difficult to make progression, or it degenerated, even though we met Dharma, we were trying.

Think about this during the meditation time—this is how to meditate, the meditation technique to receive realizations more quickly. What I have just explained is not in the book, but it makes us see clearly the perfect human rebirth that we have received. If we practice, if we do like this, it will be successful and we are experimenting. If we are not practicing, not doing, what I am saying is just words.

So think anyway, as we meditate on these subjects, we can discover what is missing and what we have received, and also the think about the eight freedoms. The more opportunities you discover you have, the more you should rejoice, like you count money in the purse, like a person who is not sure how much money he has, then checks in his purse and finds that he has 1,000 dollars, and rejoices. It is not from some other person, it is from himself—he is rejoicing himself, discovering with his own wisdom. These opportunities are more precious than money. There’s no way to compare the material possessions to these freedoms and opportunities. Anyway, more explanation will come afterwards.

In the world there are many millionaires but who have many things that they have collected, that they have built up, who do not have all the eight freedoms and ten receptacles, who do not know Dharma, who do not know who they themselves are, or the nature of their mind, their own nature. They spend daily life for great ignorance and hatred, just as an animal like a dog that is outside your house. Also the dog spends his life for greed, ignorance, and hatred, also doesn’t know Dharma, also doesn’t know that mind is beginningless, also doesn’t know his own nature, or karma, doesn’t recognize peace, doesn’t recognize suffering nature. In regards to that you can see the same thing—however rich the person is, the aim is the same thing—the dog outside his house and the millionaire inside—the aim is the same thing, how to make this short life. The dog also worries about the same thing—how not to catch cold, how to get better food—the dog also tries the best way he knows how. The aim is the same, how to make the present life happy. So you see, if you check up in this way on the dog and the man inside, the only difference you will see is the shape—one has four hands and a tail, the other is like that. This is a subject that can really upset you, it is something that if you really think about it can make you cry. The only thing is, because the dog has different shape from the human body, it is kept outside.

Anyway, so during meditation you have to start, first of all you have to get these numbers, 8 freedoms and 10 receptacles in the mind, you have to remember, starting from the title, “Perfect human rebirth” and “The 8 freedoms and the 10 receptacles”. Also the following explanation after the 8 freedoms, the explanation of the 8 freedoms. If you read well the explanation, then when you meditate on just the number then it is easy to meditate.

When we meditate on this subject we should not hurry, we should not rush, we should spend time, we should meditate slowly. Like this—if a person who cooks food in the kitchen rushes the food becomes some cooked, some not cooked, has bad taste, and is not practical. But if he takes time food becomes well cooked, tasty, and so on. It is the same thing with meditation—if you take time you see clear each point, what you have, what is missing, what’s the problem of missing one of the opportunities, what is the good of having this, what is the result of missing this, what is the suffering, what is the perfection of having it.

And also, this is the way of having the experience of this meditation. Meditating in this way is called “checking meditation,” checking what you have, what is missing, like the person checking money. Also, when you meditate on this it is useful to remember other beings who have not received the eight freedoms, who don’t have all ten receptacles, and who have many problems. By thinking of other beings’ sufferings in missing these things, freedoms and opportunities, you see that they are suffering and you check up with yourself— “I don’t have that problem, I don’t have that freedom or that receptacle missing. If I had that freedom or receptacle missing how I would suffer the same problem.” You do this by checking the example of the problem of the other being.

For instance, like this—one Western person who has such longings to practice Dharma, for whom that is the most important thing in his lifetime, the only thing he needs, more than anything else, but he has no guru, or he is controlled by some other people, or he has to go back to the West for something or he has to go to the Army, and he has such great worry, as he has to go and is controlled by other people. This is just one example, but as I give this example you have to find many others, so you see clearly the freedoms and opportunities that you have. And as you see clearly the other person’s problems, that way you make yourself happy and create much energy to practice Dharma. It is very useful to meditate in this way. Or get kicked out of the country!

Question: Can you practice Dharma in the Army?

Answer: Difficult, very difficult. If all of your action in the Army is Dharma, if you make it Dharma, then it is good. If you can’t make it Dharma, if you don’t have the power to make it Dharma, then it’s impossible. But if you have the power then you are creating enlightenment, even if you are in the army.

So, the quickest way of experiencing this meditation depends on your skillful wisdom, on the checking meditation you use. The more sharpening wisdom you use, or checking meditation you use, that much more quickly you receive the realization of the meditation.

Totally this—how great suffering, how great a problem to be born in an unfree state and have opportunities missing. How good, how profitable to have the freedoms and opportunities you have, how good it is not to be born in those unfree states. So by frequently using the checking meditation, by frequently observing, by checking, you discover your human rebirth to be perfect, your perfect human rebirth to be precious, more and more each time as you continue the sharpening checking meditation.

When you have the realization of this meditation, what you feel in the mind is this: like a beggar who has nothing finding a diamond or precious jewel, how much he would be pleased. Like that feeling, that extremely pleased feeling. Maybe he cries when he finds the jewels. But anyway, such a strong, happy feeling arises within the person with his perfect human rebirth. Until such a time when you have this experience you have to continue the meditation.

So, tonight, you have to meditate on this subject. It would be good, before, to go through it so you can remember it during the meditation.

How is this Perfect Human Rebirth Useful? (Page 47)

1. By making Dharma practice in this life, one can receive enlightenment in these periods of time.
(c) In tantric practice (there are 3 divisions, 3 yanas) there are four different aspects of tantric teachings. So through tantric method one can make the life longer.
(d) And through the highest and most profound tantra one can reach enlightenment in one life, as did Milarepa and other great Tibetan yogis, who absorbed the rainbow body in the lifetime, through the mahaanuttara yoga tantra.
(e) With this perfect human life one can reach enlightenment in three years.

3. An arhat has attained the achievement of the cessation of samsara.

6. Also through the practice one can become a long-life god who has higher enjoyments, power, controlling many other worlds.

7. Also by creating good karma, morality, and charity, one can be born as a rich person in the world in the future lifetime.

These are just a few ideas of what can be achieved by Dharma practice resulting from this perfect human rebirth. This is not all, there are many things, there is too much.

6 p.m.

First cultivate the pure impulse to make the meditation positive and beneficial. Think, “I am going to meditate on Guru Shakyamuni and begin the meditation on the graduated path to enlightenment, to enlighten myself in order to enlighten all other suffering sentient beings.”

Visualize Guru Shakyamuni, starting from the throne.

Those who don’t know how to visualize Guru Shakyamuni or how to meditate on the graduated path think: how do you see your own “I,” how do you perceive your own “I?” Those who received the explanations on the perfect human rebirth and have done the visualization of Guru Shakyamuni before, meditate on that. Then it doesn’t waste time.

At the same time, visualize light coming from Guru Shakyamuni’s holy body, which in essence is the supreme knowledge and power of his holy body, speech, and mind, and purifying as it comes into your body just as when you switched on the light in a dark room it completely dispels the darkness instantly, purifying all the delusions and wrong conceptions of self-”I” and self-cherishing and dualistic mind, so that these are nowhere existing anywhere in your body. This day, which is when we first start the meditation on the teaching of the graduated path is a most precious time, so also pray from the heart with feelings to Guru Shakyamuni, to his omniscient mind, like this: “Please continually grant blessings to me to be able to fully understand the profound meaning of the graduated path to enlightenment by receiving all the teachings, and receive the whole realizations starting from the perfect human rebirth up to enlightenment, by completing the whole practice in this lifetime.” Totally, pray to achieve the stage of enlightenment in this lifetime and for blessings that any hindrances to your Dharma practice will never occur, and that your mind will become one with Dharma. Then think that Guru Shakyamuni has accepted to grant the blessings. Also think that he is pleased that you’re facing enlightenment, that you are starting to follow the practice of the graduated path. He is extremely pleased.

Actually, any time that we create virtuous actions it often pleases him, it often pleases any holy being, but there’s a reason we are visualizing like this—in order to help ourselves.

Again recite the mantra ten times with the visualization of the purification, with light coming from his holy body.

First do the breathing meditation, nine times, purifying from the right nostril with the light of knowledge coming from the holy beings. Then vice-versa, then both nostrils, three times each. Then meditate on the perfect human rebirth. If you don’t remember, if you can see, you can look at the book without distracting other people.

(Meditation)

As you repeat the prayer think that you are dedicating the merits as follows. “May I become Guru Shakyamuni quickly in order to bring every and all sentient beings to his enlightened stage due to these merits, the merits of meditating and listening to Dharma with pure impulse