DEFECTIVE VIEW

[Rinpoche and students recite Prayers Before Teachings]

A star, a defective view, a butter lamp flame,
An illusion, a dew drop, a water bubble,
A dream, lightning, a cloud:
See all causative phenomena like this.

Look at all the causative phenomena like a star, a defective view, rab rib. Defective view. Look at everything in that way, all the causative phenomena and in particular our family, friends, enemies, particular objects of attachment, anger and ignorance, our enjoyments and our body. Look at them all as rab rib. Recognize them as a defective view. We have been believing in these things, this rab rib, from beginningless rebirths, not only from this morning, not only from birth, but from beginningless rebirths.

As I mentioned yesterday, to use everyday language, [we believe in] a real I, or as more specifically described in the philosophical teachings, a truly existent I, existing from its own side or existing by itself. [That’s what we believe,] but if we look for it, we cannot find it anywhere. It’s nowhere in the world; it’s nowhere in existence. We cannot find it anywhere. We believe it is there, not outside the body but inside the body. We don’t believe the I is on top of our head or under our heels, or in our shoes or under our shoes. We believe it is inside the body but if we check, as I mentioned yesterday, it is nowhere. We cannot find it anywhere.

Western scientists—those experts—should be able to realize this and announce this to the Western countries. They should be able to reveal the reality of life, what is the truth, the truth of I. They should realize this themselves and teach others, but that has not happened yet. It is very obvious if we look for it. If we analyze it, we cannot find it. Sorry for the expression on my face! It’s like that. It’s a big surprise, a huge surprise!

Seeing this brings great agitation and fear, because we have been believing [in this real I] not only from this morning, not only from birth, but from beginningless rebirths. We have been holding onto this real I as it has appeared to us and we have totally believed in it, totally entrusted in it. Our mind has become so habituated to that wrong view, so unbelievably habituated, from beginningless time.

The Buddha, the Omniscient One, with compassion for every sentient being, embracing every sentient being, has taught dependent arising. There is gross dependent arising and subtle dependent arising. I, action, object; hell and enlightenment; samsara and nirvana; problems and happiness; all these things exist. It is not saying they don’t exist; they exist.

It is not that nothing exists, like Zen Buddhism says. I don’t know whether Zen Buddhism accepts nirvana or not. I don’t know. I haven’t got to discuss whether because nothing exists there is no nirvana. All these things exist, but they exist in mere name. They do not exist in the way they appear to us and the way we apprehend them to exist and believe they exist. They do not exist in that way. They exist in mere name, merely labeled by the mind. Merely existing cuts the idea of no existence at all. It’s not that from the object’s side there is no existence, not at all. It cuts that completely.

That is the main thing we have to know, to meditate on and to experience. We have to see the reality, not just believe it. There is nothing from its own side, not even the size of an atom. There is nothing from its own side; it is totally empty. That’s the reality. Everything exists in mere name. Everything gets born in mere name; everything exists in mere name; everything ceases in mere name. The cause happens in mere name; the effect happens in mere name—everything happens in mere name. We experience suffering in mere name; we experience happiness in mere name; we achieve enlightenment in mere name.

The way these things appear, including the I, the second we apprehend them that way, we totally entrust in that, like while we are dreaming we fail to recognize that it is a dream but totally believe it. It not only appears in that way but we also totally believe that everything is true. Only when we wake up, we realize it is not true.

Of course, practitioners—especially practitioners who practice Dharma and who practice tantra, Buddhist tantra and not Hindu tantra—recognize a dream as a dream. When we do not recognize a dream as a dream, the dream appears real and we totally trust it, like the mirage we believe is real water. The example is that. We don’t recognize it is a mirage so we believe it is real water. There are many examples like that. Hell and enlightenment; samsara and nirvana; problems and happiness; all phenomena appear as real and we one hundred percent entrust that they are real. That is rab rib. All those are a hallucination; that is rab rib. The first meditation, kar ma, a “star” is about emptiness. The second one is rab rib, “defective view.” The objects of attachment, our family and friends, or strong anger for the enemy and examples like that, possessions, our body, all are rab rib. Rab rib is an incredibly profound meditation.

LIKE A BUTTER LAMP

The next one is like a butter lamp. A butter lamp is made depending on many things, on many causes and conditions. And a butter lamp changes hour by hour, minute by minute, second by second, even within a second. According to the Mahayana, there are three hundred and sixty-five shortest moments in the snapping of a finger. According to Vasubandhu—sorry! Not Vasubandhu but Vaibhashika—there are sixty-five shortest moments in a second. But things change even within a shortest moment by being under the control of causes and conditions. The cause changes, so the result changes. The nature is like that. It changes; it doesn’t last even within a second.

Like a beautiful flower or a beautiful body—something we get attached to—it changes. Attachment arises and because something appears to us now as real beauty, we really entrust that it is really true, not being aware of the future. We are not aware that even in the next second, it will have changed. We think it is going to be like this forever. We think this beautiful body or beautiful flower is going to be like that forever. Our concept of permanence is that it is going to be like this forever. We never think of the future, of all the wrinkles to come. With the flower, the color changes, it becomes old and dark, but we don’t think of that. We don’t think of the wrinkles. We entrust in what is only now, what we see; we entrust it is going to be like this forever. Then, we get attached the person’s body or the beautiful flower.

But we only have to think of the very rough changes, the gross changes, how the shape changes, how the thing kind of gets old, whether it’s a body or a beautiful flower. The color changes and the shape changes, and then the body becomes hanging. [Rinpoche gestures to his face sagging] I don’t know, I can’t say much about the nose, but hanging, all the hanging, you know? Wrinkles and… You see that later everything changes. Now, what we see seems really beautiful from out there. But the more time goes by, the more things change. The flower becomes a bad color, dark, and the body—we can think about how the body is going to change in the future, going from what looks beautiful today to something that totally changes and decays. The more we can remember the decay, how the body will look, the more we are able to control our attachment. We can do that when we think of this decay, especially the way the complexion changes, when we think about what comes later.

From what we see of how things change, we will see it is just a very short time; it does not last. Things change from day to day; they change by the hour, that happens; they change by minute, that happens; they change second by second, that happens; even within a second they change. While we are looking at something, it changes. The nice flower or nice body, it changes. Even within a second it gets older, it decays. It is so subtle that we don’t notice it. We have a concept of permanence. Permanence is kind of a hallucination. Just as we have a hallucination of true existence, similarly we have a hallucination of permanence. There is permanent beauty. But while we are looking at it, it is becoming decayed, minute by minute, second by second, within a second.

[When somebody is dying,] once the consciousness leaves, if the body is not in the ice cream—not in the ice cream, I mean not in the ice box—there is a terrible smell. When it’s put in an ice box, maybe we don’t get the smell. Is there a smell even though the body is in the ice box? Once the consciousness leaves, the smell is terrible, like rotten meat. There is the smell of death, but there is another smell once the consciousness leaves, like rotten meat. I’m just expressing this for fun. It’s really amazing. Sorry my talk is getting longer and longer, longer and longer and longer. It’s like rubber, you pull it out like a rubber band.

Once in a hotel in Delhi, there were some Indian businesspeople in the room next to mine. Because I happened to be there, they asked me questions. They suddenly asked one question about attachment, how when you have such strong attachment to the body—I think they maybe meant girls—how it is difficult to control the mind and relax. The problem they had was that it was difficult for them to control the mind and have real peace in life, so they asked that question. So, I think at that time I mentioned that they should think of what is inside the body. They can still analyze what is outside, but inside the body there are things like the skeleton, the pieces of flesh wrapped with veins, the liver, the brain, the intestines and the bowels with kaka inside. They were very surprised. They had never thought about the inside. They never went inside, so they were very surprised. Attachment cannot arise while we are thinking about the inside of the body.

I think I’ve expanded the subject!

It’s like the magician who illusions the audience with mantras and substances, with all kinds of things that are not there, that are not true. The magician illusions the senses of the audience and creates all these hallucinations that are not there. All causative phenomena are like this, illusioned, in particular relating to all the objects of attachment, to the family and possessions, as well as the objects of anger, the enemy. All these are like an illusion. Sorry, I’ll tell you now.

This is another meditation I’ll tell you, just from this verse. Ignorance, our ignorance, is like the magician. It leaves a negative imprint on the mind. Just as the magician uses certain materials to illusion the audience, mantras or whatever, ignorance, like the magician, leaves a negative imprint on the mind. The ignorance—there are many ignorances but this one in particular—holding the I that exists in mere name as real, as it appears real due to the negative imprint left by ignorance—this ignorance holds it as true. That is the root of our samsara, of all our suffering and depression.

I went through the suffering of pain, the suffering of change and pervasive compounding suffering. The negative imprint left by that ignorance projects the illusion that everything is real. On the basis of the merely labeled object, it projects the real object. What is merely labeled by the mind is projected, like you put a roll of film into a projector and project it on a movie screen. Like that, the negative imprint left on the mind projects “real” onto the merely labeled things, onto the merely labeled I, the merely labeled action, the merely labeled object, the merely labeled enlightenment, the merely labeled hell. It projects it and makes it appear real to us. That is an illusion. [The sense of being real] is created by, illusioned by, our ignorance, which is like a magician.

That is also a very good meditation to do in daily life at certain times, seeing ignorance as like a magician who creates everything—the real I, the real everything, thus illusioning the audience to view that which is not there as real. Right now, how you think you are, how you see me, how I see you, the whole thing is not there, not even one atom is there, but this particular ignorance creates everything, projecting or decorating onto the merely labeled things the illusion that makes everything [seem] real.

We live our life with this belief and we are always worried about something, especially that something is going to happen to this real I. Our whole life we are worried, “When I can be happy?” “When I can be happy?” like Tibetans recite the Chenrezig mantra OM MANI PADME HUM. In the West, the mantra daytime and nighttime is “When I can be happy?” “When I can be happy?” It’s not when the merely labeled I can be happy but when the real I can be happy.

Because of that, we don’t see the suffering of the world; we only see our own suffering. If we go to the market, we only see our own suffering. Even if we are walking, we only see our own suffering, we don’t see the suffering of the world. It’s like that. Then, like that, we live our whole life in suffering, with no positive mind to bring happiness to ourselves and to others, with no Dharma practice, no positive, virtuous way of thinking, no way of thinking that solves suffering and brings happiness in life.

We have no way to have the most beneficial thought, which is to benefit others, to cherish others, to have bodhicitta. We don’t know that. Bodhicitta is the thought that brings the happiness of this life and of future lives, all the happiness up to enlightenment. Bodhicitta brings every happiness up to enlightenment for all the numberless sentient beings: the numberless hell beings, the numberless hungry ghosts, the numberless animals, the numberless human beings, the numberless suras, the numberless asuras. I’m not just talking about this world, I’m talking about the numberless universes. Like this world, there are numberless universes. I’m talking about the sentient beings of the six realms. Bodhicitta brings them all the happiness up to enlightenment.

But if we have not met the Dharma, if we have not met the Mahayana teachings, we just don’t know. We have no idea what we can do with our mind for both ourselves and for the numberless sentient beings. We have no idea that it brings all happiness up to enlightenment—temporary happiness, ultimate happiness, liberation from samsara, the blissful state of peace, and enlightenment. If we have not met the Mahayana teachings, we have no idea.

That is why we are so unbelievably fortunate to have met the Mahayana teachings, that we are able to hear the Mahayana teachings, that we are able to begin to practice with that bodhicitta motivation from the beginning. That is so important.

OK. To go back.

LIKE A DEW DROP, A DREAM, LIGHTNING, CLOUDS

The next is like a dew drop, like water dew. A dew drop can pop and fall to the ground at any time. That shows impermanence, the impermanence of causative phenomenon. These things, especially those to we have much attachment for—our possessions, our body and so forth—are in the nature of impermanence. They can cease any time.

I’m sure you have heard the story. Somebody was getting married when he was shot and he had to go to hospital. Maybe he was not that injured, the bullet went somewhere, but he had to go to hospital. Then he went back and joined the wedding again. I think this was recently. There are people who got married yesterday and died today. We can never tell.

Kyabje Denma Locho Rinpoche, the great lama, said that a water bubble looks very nice but it can be popped at any time. Any beautiful object like a beautiful body, any material possession like the body, might be something beautiful but like a water bubble it can pop at any time. Like that, all causative phenomena are impermanent. The water bubble is to remind us of the nature of impermanence.

Then, like a dream. As I told you, we see things [as real] but they are not there. All these real things are not there. It appears and we believe in that appearance a hundred percent but it is not there in reality, even the size of an atom.

And like lightning. Again this is about impermanence. [When there is a flash of lightning,] for a very short time, we see things and then they are gone. We don’t know when we die. We are a human being, we have our family and all these possessions, but when we die they will all be gone. We don’t see it like that at present, but at death what we have is gone. Our precious human body is gone; we have to leave it. Our family, whatever we have, it happened and then it is gone. Like lightning, it is gone. That happens at death, especially at death.

Even if we have not met the Dharma, we still might think we should live more positively, our life should be more positive, healthier, but then why don’t we? Even if they have not met the Dharma, many people feel this. “I should have lived a better life, a healthier, more positive life, with a good heart, most positive to myself and to others. I should not have done those negative things.” It can happen even without the Dharma. That thought can arise. But then they have no time; the human life is finished.

Then, like clouds. While we are watching the clouds, they are changing. While we are watching, they are there and then they are gone. We see there is a cloud, and then the next minute when we look it is not there. It’s like that for all causative phenomena, in particular those things we are attached to: in particular our family, our possessions, our body.

The main thing is the Buddha’s teachings. Because of the cause of samsara, we have been experiencing the oceans of suffering of samsara from beginningless rebirths. By meditating on emptiness, we recognize that this wrong view, true existence, is a hallucination. Through meditation, we recognize the hallucination as a hallucination instead of believing it to be true. There are many examples to remind us of impermanence, that causative phenomena are in the nature of impermanence, especially the object of attachment, all these things, such as our possessions, our body and so forth. We meditate on this to cease the cause of samsara, ignorance, to cease the cause of anger and attachment, and to achieve nirvana, the blissful state of peace forever. Not only that, to achieve peerless happiness, the total cessation of the obscurations and the completion of all the realizations, sang gye. With this wisdom, directly seeing emptiness with the great support of bodhicitta, we directly cease the subtle obscurations and achieve enlightenment, the state of omniscience.

OK, we can meditate on this. Meditate to be able to actualize the realization of the path to nirvana, the path to enlightenment.

[Rinpoche slowly recites kar ma rab rib… and dedication verse while the students meditate]

[Rinpoche and the students offer mandala and recite the refuge prayer and Rinpoche recites some auspicious verses]

Yesterday, you asked a question, so I just wanted to clarify it. Generally, what I told you yesterday, that is one thing. I’m sure everybody faces the same thing, not right away in your case, but someday you will. For example, you have many prayers and commitments, which of course is all meditation, but then somebody dying needs help. Somebody is dying or they are having major problems, something very critical and you have to go to help. If you do that, you might not be able to do your commitments and prayers.

In that case, His Holiness said that because you are doing prayers for others—it’s not supposed to just be for you, for your self-cherishing thought—if something very crucial happens and somebody needs your help, and in helping them you don’t get to do your prayers, His Holiness said that’s OK.

I’m just saying that. It’s not your case [now] but I’m just giving an example. His Holiness says that because the prayers are for others, that’s OK. If you go to give help to somebody who is critically ill and don’t do your prayers, that’s OK. But if it is due to laziness, for your own pleasure, to play or watch TV, and you don’t get your practices and prayers done, that is a great loss for yourself.

I’m giving you that [advice]. I said prayers but that is just a story to help you understand. It is not necessarily prayers, but it shows that the best thing is to live your life for others, not just for the I. We have been living our life for the I from beginningless rebirths, but we are still in samsara. We are still not free from the suffering of pain, the suffering of change and pervasive compounding suffering. So, when we live our life for others, that is the best thing. In that way, our life becomes easier, less complicated. When it is for the I, we find it difficult to help others. When our mind is for others, when we live the life for others, it’s very easy. It’s a very happy, very easy way of living our life; it solves a lot of problems. When we keep the I, all the problems come, like showers of rain.

THE MIND AND EMPTINESS

Any more questions? I wanted to clarify his question because it is useful for others. Yeah.

Student: There is a merely labeled I, so what is this true I that is not inside the body or the aggregates, not outside? Why is it coming from one life to another? 

Rinpoche: That is the merely labeled I. Coming from one life to another is merely labeled consciousness, not a real one, but the merely labeled consciousness. That is the basis, then the merely labeled I is on the merely labeled consciousness, the basis. So, the merely labeled I goes from one life to another. Next?

Student: You can’t find the I in any of the five aggregates, but why can’t you say the I is the sum of the five aggregates and that is the true I?

Rinpoche: Can you repeat again?

Student: I can understand that my feeling is not I, my perception is not I, and none of each of the aggregates is the I, but why can’t you say the I is the sum of the aggregates, all the aggregates put together is the I?

Rinpoche: I explained that yesterday. There are many faults, many faults. One thing you have to remember is if the aggregates, the collection of the five aggregates, if that is the I, then the I is the receiver and the aggregates are what is received. [The aggregates are] what is received, and the I is the receiver; those two do not exist separately but they exist differently. They exist differently but they don’t exist separately. The aggregates are the possession, what the I possesses. The I is the possessor; the five aggregates are the possession, what the I possesses. Those two cannot be one. Those two do not exist separately, but they do exist differently. Possession and possessor exist differently. So the mistake arises that what you possess becomes you. The five aggregates become you. That becomes very funny—your possession becomes you. You are the possessor, so then there is no way your possession becomes you. It’s not possible. You understand? You have to remember that; it is very helpful.

Otherwise, yes, it is very easy to think that the I is all five. No, not even the five. There are many defects, many shortcomings on the basis of what I mentioned yesterday. It is almost like, as I mentioned, the owner of the house and the house. The house is the possession, what is possessed. So the house is the owner, the possession is the possessor. You are saying the house is the owner, it becomes like that.

Anything else?

Student: The mind is empty and the mind can realize emptiness. Is there a difference between mind and emptiness?

Rinpoche: Emptiness. Mind is the conventional truth; emptiness is absolute truth. The emptiness of the mind is absolute truth; the mind is conventional truth, the truth for the all-obscuring mind. They are not separated; the emptiness of the mind and the mind are not separated. The mind is empty. Not the mind is emptiness, no. Mind is empty, empty of true existence, of existing from its own side, of existing by its nature, of being empty of real mind. Mind is empty of real mind. Mind is not empty of the mere existing mind, but mind is empty of the real mind. Okay? Okay.

Student: I worry that if we students are not correctly established in this correct view of emptiness, we might fall into a nihilistic view. How can we prevent that?

Rinpoche: You need to study. You need to receive continuous teachings from a qualified teacher. Not only us here, but in Tibet many famous meditators fell into nihilism. You need a lot of merits, you need a lot of good karma to see the middle way devoid of nihilism and eternalism. Even in Tibet, many famous meditators fell into either nihilism or eternalism. Finding the middle way is very difficult. You need to continuously study the unmistaken teachings on the absolute truth, emptiness. I say the term “unmistaken teachings.” That is very important—the correct teachings. There are many teachings from different meditators that explain their view, but they are not necessarily correct. So, you need to study continuously from a qualified teacher.

Then, you are able to see the middle way devoid of nihilism and eternalism. You have a lot of veils, of negative karma, a lot of obscurations. So, studying alone is not enough. You need to purify those obscurations that obscure the mind. It is like a light that shines to eliminate the obscurations. It is like a small mirror that gives the reflection of a whole city, if there is no dust. If you clean the dust, the mirror can give a reflection of the whole city. The mind is colorless, shapeless, so to be able to see emptiness, the middle way, you need to purify it, like cleaning the dust from the mirror.

Therefore, you need to constantly purify, not just for one month. You need to constantly strongly purify and to collect merits, with a single-pointed request to receive the blessings of the guru. Through that, when you study and meditate on emptiness, you can realize it.

For example, Lama Tsongkhapa asked Manjushri what the quick way to actualize lamrim realizations was. Manjushri is all the embodiment of all the buddhas’ wisdom. So Manjushri answered to have a realization of the lamrim, purify the defilements and collect extensive merits—these two things. Purify the defilements means generally doing a Vajrasattva practice or something like that, but, of course, it is not only that. There are many ways, such as prostrations by reciting Thirty-five Buddhas prayers or working very hard for sentient beings with compassion, with a sincere heart, even if you are doing service for others, like deformed children or older people. There are many ways of working for others with a good heart, with compassion. Dedicating your life to doing hard work for others is great purification.

As I gave the example yesterday, when you asked a question, what is your name? [Student: Michael.] Michael asked a question then I gave the example of the monk and the lady with leprosy. When she asked him to carry her, he got incredible compassion, without the thought of even getting the disease, how that was such strong purification. Then, when he was carrying her across the river, all the negative karma that blocked him from seeing her as a buddha, an enlightened deity, all that was purified. From projecting the ordinary, incredible suffering person, very dirty, he could now see a deity, the enlightened being, Dorje Phagmo. Then, without crossing the river, just halfway across, she took him to a pure land. I think maybe he got enlightened before his guru, a great yogi. I gave this example about the power of compassion yesterday. Really, like a mother taking care of her most beloved child, taking care of sentient beings, bearing hardships, that is unbelievably great purification.

I gave the example of Getsul Tsembulwa [?], how it is incredible purification when somebody bears hardships offering service to the monastery. There are many ways to purify. The most powerful way is fulfilling the guru’s wishes—not all the gurus in the world but your guru with whom you received a Dharma connection—fulfilling the advice and wishes of the guru, whatever pleases the guru. That is the most powerful purification—doing what pleases the guru. That is also the quickest and most powerful way to collect extensive merits. That is the quickest way to achieve enlightenment, the quickest way to achieve realizations, the quickest way for all mental development to be successful and to achieve enlightenment. So, there are many different ways, not only Vajrasattva [practice].

The other one is single-pointedly requesting the guru. Even if you don’t have a realization seeing that guru is all the buddhas—the past, present, and future numberless buddhas, the ten-direction numberless buddhas—even if you don’t have that realization, if you meditate with quotations and logic, by meditating on that, sooner or later, you will be able to realize it from your side. So, it is so important to request with your heart [for the guru] to grant the realizations, to bless your mind to receive all the realizations to enlightenment. Then, you will receive the blessings of the guru. Then, gaining realizations comes very quickly. You might think you won’t make it in this life, that it will take many lifetimes, but if you really practice like Manjushri said, then realizations happen.

Something that you cannot hope will happen. Thinking your mind is so selfish, you cannot hope to cherish the numberless sentient beings like a mother cherishes her only child, how could that be possible? You think your mind is so selfish, you cannot understand how you can even cherish one sentient being. But if you practice what Manjushri said, sooner or later the mind changes. By receiving the blessings of the guru, it changes. You achieve the realization. I think Kadampa Geshe Torbulwa [Tsembulwa?] said that what is difficult to achieve you can achieve in even seven years because the mind progresses, the mind changes. For example, people in the West think that unless you have attachment, how can you have a life? You think like that in the West. But [you can,] as Manjushri explained with these three things.

Then, number four is meditating on the lamrim, meditating on the path to enlightenment. With the three things before as support, you then meditate on the path. Then, you can see your attachment becoming less and less; then you are free from attachment forever. This happens, even though at the beginning it seemed impossible.

Tea.

[Rinpoche and the students recite the tea offering verse]

Up to six o’clock? [Ven. Roger: Twenty past five.] Six o’clock.

THE MOTIVATION FOR LISTENING TO THE TEACHINGS

Lama Yeshe’s teacher, his guru, from Tibet, and my teacher, is a professor, Geshe Sopa Rinpoche, who taught at Madison University in America for I think twenty or thirty years, or something like that. What do you call him, a professor? Geshe Sopa Rinpoche is an expert, an outstanding teacher, known in the greatest monasteries, Sera Mey, Sera Je, Drepung Loseling and Ganden, and to so many of the thousands of monks in each college. Each college has a top expert, maybe five, six or seven top experts that everyone knows, but Geshe-la is an outstanding teacher known in all the monasteries in Tibet.

So, this is his explanation of the twelve links, how we circle in samsara. He gave this teaching many years ago in Switzerland in a meeting of the most learned ones in Switzerland. I don’t know if [teachers from] outside came or not, I wasn’t there. I thought to explain this on the basis of what Geshe Sopa said. Geshe-la is very learned and compassionate; the way he teaches is very effective for the mind. So, I’ll start from that.

The first thing today is the bodhicitta motivation. The purpose of listening to teachings is not just for happiness of this life, to get power or reputation, or anything of this life. If it were for that, listening to teachings would become a worldly activity, nonvirtue, the cause of the lower realms. The action of listening to teachings and the mind listening to teachings should not be worldly concern, attachment to this life, it should not be that. It should not be looking for reputation, power, the things of this life. The purpose of listening to teachings should not be for the happiness of this life. And listening to teachings should not be for the happiness of future lives in samsara. Listening to teachings like that becomes the cause of samsara, so it should not be that.

Listening to teachings should not be in the service to the self-cherishing thought, to achieve liberation from samsara for ourselves. It should not be like that. That becomes an obstacle to achieving enlightenment for sentient beings. It only brings problems. Listening to achieve liberation from samsara, for us to be free from samsara, becomes the cause of lower nirvana, so it should not just be that. The motivation should not be for the self-cherishing thought.

The motivation should be bodhicitta, benefiting not just one sentient being, not just our family or our friends, but the numberless sentient beings. As I said before, I’m not just talking about the hell beings in this world, in this universe. There are numberless universes, so every hell being, for them to be free from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and to bring them to enlightenment. Then, listening to teachings is for every single hell being within the numberless universes with the numberless hell beings. Not one hell being is left out. We are listening to teachings for every single hell being, to free them from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and bring them to enlightenment by ourselves.

Then, we are listening for the numberless hungry ghosts. There are numberless universes and numberless hungry ghosts. I’m not just talking about this world, this universe, no! There are numberless universes, numberless hungry ghosts, and nobody is left out; not one hungry ghost is left out. We are listening for every single hungry ghost in the numberless universes to be free from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and to bring them to enlightenment.

The purpose of listening to the teachings is for the numberless animals. I’m not just talking about this world, even though the animals in the oceans, under the earth, in the bushes, those tiny flies, the ants, are numberless, even just in this world. In the bushes, inside the trees, even in this world. I’m talking about the numberless animals in the numberless universes, without leaving out one ant, one mosquito, one rat, one spider—not one animal is left out. We are listening for every single animal to be free from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and to bring them to enlightenment.

Then, the purpose of listening to the teachings is for the numberless human beings in the numberless universes. I’m not only talking about this world. That is very important. Maybe [we think human beings], including ourselves, are only this universe. There are numberless universes with numberless human beings, and no one is left out. For example, we are not listening to teachings for some human beings, while leaving out other human beings, such as our enemy.

[We are listening to the teachings] to free every single sentient being from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and bring them to enlightenment, and then to free the numberless suras and asuras in numberless universes from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and bring them to enlightenment by ourselves alone! For that reason we need to achieve enlightenment, to achieve the omniscient mind; for that reason we are going to listen to the teachings. That is the motivation.

Bodhicitta is incredible, unbelievable. No sentient being is left out; there is no sentient being we fail to benefit. When we meditate on bodhicitta, not even a tiny insect is left out; it is for everyone. Remember this. Remember this. I won’t repeat this every day, but remember this. Have this awareness, remember how to achieve enlightenment, and then listen to teachings. When we meditate, when we eat, when we walk, when we sleep—whatever activity we do—any activity done with bodhicitta means it is done for every sentient being. We dedicate our life to every sentient being, to free them from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and bring them to enlightenment. And it is for this reason we are doing whatever activity it is—walking, eating, sleeping, meditating, studying, working.

Each time we think in that way, when we do actions such as listening to teachings for sentient beings, when we do anything for sentient beings, we collect limitless merits, merits more than the sky. It’s unbelievable. From that, we achieve enlightenment and we are able to benefit numberless sentient beings, freeing them from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and bringing them to enlightenment. We are able to do all this.

It is mentioned by Lama Atisha in Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment,

Although someone may totally fill with gems
Buddha-fields equal in number
To the grains of sand on the Ganges
And offer them to the Guardians of the World,

Yet should anyone press his or her palms together
And direct his or her mind toward bodhicitta,
His or her offering would be more especially noble;
It would have no end.³

When it talks about the benefits of bodhicitta, the Ganges is not the Indian river Ganges, it is the ocean, the Atlantic Ocean. This was in Pabongka Rinpoche’s notes, when he received teachings from his guru, I don’t remember his name, Dagpo Lama Rinpoche or something like that. The number of sand grains of the Atlantic Ocean, that many universes filled up with the seven types of jewels and offered to jigten kyi gonpo, which means the Saviors or Guardians of the World, (which means the buddhas)—we offer to the buddhas that many universes equaling the number of sand grains of the Atlantic Ocean filled with the seven types of jewels. Then somebody puts their palms together and simply generates bodhicitta, “May I achieve enlightenment for sentient beings.” This one is called kyepar pagme, which means “extraordinary.” This one is exalted; it is much greater than the universes equaling the number of sand grains of the Atlantic Ocean filled with seven types of jewels and offered to the buddhas. If we put our palms together [and think], “May I achieve enlightenment for sentient beings,” this is far greater than making this offering. The benefit has no end, as Lama Atisha says. Simply putting the palms together in this way is limitless. You have to know that.

For example, if we generate bodhicitta, when we go around a stupa or a gompa, each step becomes incredible purification and collects more than skies of merits. As we go around the stupa, with each step with bodhicitta we collect merit, good luck, more than the sky. It’s amazing! It’s the happiest life. If we are thinking to live a happy life, we should live our life with bodhicitta. That is the happiest life, not only bringing us temporary happiness but also ultimate happiness, enlightenment, and ultimate happiness to the numberless sentient beings, with not one left out—not one ant, not one mosquito, not one red bug jumping. What is it called, that bites? [Ven. Sarah: Flea.] Not one flea left out. [Rinpoche hears something] What? [Student: I didn’t say anything.] But your mind is talking!

With bodhicitta motivation, when we are eating food, each spoonful of food is for the numberless sentient beings with not even one left out. When we are eating or drinking tea, with each spoonful of food we collect more than skies of merit if we do it with bodhicitta. Say, we are eating a big plate of rice with bodhicitta, because it is bigger, we collect more than skies of merit. It’s unbelievable.

Sleeping with bodhicitta, with each hour, with each minute, we collect merits more than sky. You have to know that. It is the same with every action we do. We have to get the idea of how to live our whole life with bodhicitta.

So, today John led the equilibrium meditation? You led the equilibrium meditation? That is the basis for the meditation on bodhicitta. Otherwise, what happens is we do not have that realization. If we cannot place our mind in equanimity for every sentient being, our compassion, our loving kindness is only for those we like, for example, cats. We don’t like spiders, we don’t like snakes, we only like cats! We only like certain people, our friends, not the rest, so there is no loving kindness and compassion for the rest of the sentient beings, only the people we like, those who praise us. Without the equilibrium meditation, it becomes extremely partial, extremely limited. Doing the equilibrium meditation gives us a chance to realize that all sentient beings have been our mother and have been kind, [and from that we are able to generate] loving kindness and actualize bodhicitta. From there, we are able to generate the rest of the path, the six perfections, and achieve enlightenment for sentient beings.

OK? I will start.

THE BUDDHA’S GREAT COMPASSION AND HIS MANTRA

Geshe-la says the purpose of Shakyamuni Buddha descending in the world is to liberate sentient beings from the suffering of samsara, meaning from the oceans of samsaric sufferings. That also includes us. Don’t think sentient beings are out there somewhere without us being included. No. Sentient beings include us, and Shakyamuni Buddha descended to the world to liberate everyone from the oceans of suffering of samsara and bring them to liberation or the state of omniscience. So, that includes us. There is no other purpose at all, only that.

I will mention this. Do you recite TADYATHA OM MUNE MUNE MAHA MUNAYE SVAHA? I’m not going to go through the words. I explained LA MA TÖN PA CHOM DÄN DÄ in Bendigo, so I’m not explaining it here, but I want to say this. When we recite this, [it means that] Guru Shakyamuni Buddha renounced the I to help sentient beings, including us. He gave up the I, where all the suffering arises from. He gave up the I and cherished the numberless other sentient beings including us. The Buddha cherishes us a hundred thousand times more than we cherish ourselves.

With that bodhicitta, he cherishes the numberless sentient beings. He practiced the six perfections, including the perfection of charity, giving away his limbs, his eyes, making charity of even his whole body. For three countless great eons he made charity of himself for other sentient beings. That includes us. He did it to free us all from samsara and bring us to enlightenment. For that, the Buddha made charity of his body to sentient beings for three countless great eons.

Once, in India, he was in meditation on a mountain. The king’s wife had received teachings from him or something. I don’t remember completely. After that the king went to him and asked him what he was doing. The Buddha replied he was practicing patience. So, the king cut off the Buddha’s hand, his limb, and again asked him what he was practicing. Then he cut of a leg, then another. He cut off all four limbs, so all that was left was the torso. After that the torso was thrown in the garbage dump. But even with his body, the Buddha was able to make charity for the thousands and thousands of ants. This was not the only time he did this. He made charity for three countless great eons for all sentient beings including us.

The Buddha did this for us, making charity like that with bodhicitta. He totally dedicated for us to be free from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and brought to enlightenment. The Buddha did that for us. Not only practicing morality with so many hardships for three countless great eons for sentient beings and for us, he also renounced anger and practiced patience for three countless great eons for sentient beings and for us. And the Buddha practiced perseverance, and was able to suffer in the lowest hell for as many eons as there are drops in the Pacific Ocean. He suffered in hell for sentient beings, including for us. The Buddha practiced perseverance for three countless great eons.

The Buddha practiced meditation, samten, firm contemplation, for three countless great eons for sentient beings and for us. And the Buddha practiced wisdom for three countless great eons for sentient beings and for us. And the Buddha completed the merits of wisdom and merits of virtue for sentient beings and for us. And the Buddha achieved the state of omniscience for sentient beings and for us. For us. That is unbelievable kindness!

He taught the Dharma for sentient beings and for us, giving the 84,000 teachings of the Lesser Vehicle teachings, the Mahayana sutra and the Mahayana tantra. In the Lesser Vehicle path, he revealed the four noble truths, showing how we can be completely free forever from suffering and the true cause of suffering and we can attain the true cessation of suffering by actualizing the true path.

Then, with the Mahayana sutra path, we practice bodhicitta and the six perfections for three countless great eons and we achieve enlightenment for sentient beings. Then [by practicing] Mahayana tantra, we can achieve enlightenment in one lifetime. [By practicing] the lower tantra, you can achieve enlightenment in one [extended] lifetime. If we only practice Mahayana sutra, it takes three countless great eons. It takes so much time. We can achieve enlightenment but it takes an unbelievable length of time, meaning sentient beings have to suffer for such a long time. Therefore, with unbearable compassion, seeing sentient beings suffering for such a long time, it is mentioned in lower tantra, it is more skillful in method and wisdom if we can achieve enlightenment in one life. We don’t need to practice for three countless great eons, we can finish in one life. Then, with Maha-anuttara Yoga Tantra [Highest Yoga Tantra] we can achieve enlightenment in one brief lifetime of degenerate times. The Buddha revealed all these teachings without the slightest mistake. He revealed all these teachings for sentient beings—for us! That is the second thing the Buddha did for us.

With the thought of appreciation for the Buddha’s kindness, like the sky, with this feeling that the Buddha became enlightened for us, with a compassionate mind, with a loving smile for us, then recite TADYATHA OM MUNE MUNE MAHA MUNAYE SVAHA, the Buddha’s name mantra.

I’ll mention this now. The benefit of reciting this once is that we purify the negative karma we created over eighty thousand billion eons. It’s unbelievably powerful. This is mentioned in the Kangyur, the Buddha’s teachings. We don’t normally hear that much, but in the Kangyur it is mentioned. So, when we recite one mala, two malas, three malas, it is amazing, amazing! Like Chenrezig, the Compassion Buddha, we can do extensive benefit for sentient beings.

That comes from Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s mantra. And Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s unbelievable benefit to the sentient beings also comes from the mantra. That also means that as we recite the mantra often, we are able to do like [the buddhas] and achieve enlightenment. The benefit to sentient beings is unbelievable. And we are able to achieve tantric realizations by reciting this. There is no turning back; our life always goes toward enlightenment. There is no returning to the lower realms. That is one unbelievable benefit it has.

When we recite the mantra we say TADYATHA OM MUNE MUNE MAHA MUNAYE SVAHA. It’s MUNE MUNE not MUNI MUNI. Kyabje Khunu Lama Rinpoche, the great bodhisattva, corrected us. Many texts have MUNI MUNI. Sanskrit is not like English that everybody learned in Tibet; only very few lamas learned it. Sanskrit is a well-known language, but mistakes sometimes happen.

So, with great devotion to the Buddha, being close to the Buddha we feel from the heart by thinking of the benefits, as I explained, and we recite TADYATHA OM MUNE MUNE MAHA MUNAYE SVAHA. OK.

This is without explaining LA MA TÖN PA CHOM DÄN DÄ. I think I’ll stop here.

DEDICATIONS

[Rinpoche and the students offer a mandala]

“Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me, all the three-time merits collected by numberless sentient beings and numberless buddhas, may bodhicitta, the source of all the happiness up to enlightenment for me and for every sentient being, be generated in the hearts of every hell being, every hungry ghost, every animal, every human being, every sura being, every asura being, every intermediate state being, including myself, without delay of even a second. For those who have generated bodhicitta, may it be increased.”

[Prayers in Tibetan]

The most important prayer, for the teachings of the Buddha to last a long time and for sentient beings to achieve enlightenment. It is very important for His Holiness, the Buddha of Compassion, to have a stable life until we are free from samsara and for all his holy wishes to succeed immediately.

[Long-life prayers for His Holiness the Dalai Lama]

“May Lama Tsongkhapa become the Mahayana virtuous friend for all the students, including us here, for our family members who are already dead or are still alive. May Lama Tsongkhapa be our Mahayana virtuous friend in all our lifetimes, and may we never be separated from the pure path that is admired by all the buddhas.”

This is to actualize Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings within our hearts. Then we pray for the world.

“Due to all the three-time merits collected by me, all the three-time merits collected by numberless sentient beings and numberless buddhas, may the wars that are happening now and in the future be stopped immediately, may all the disease, spirit harms and famines, all the problems, be stopped immediately, the danger of fire, water, air and earth, including all the global problems—may all these things to be stopped immediately, and may perfect peace and happiness prevail in everyone’s hearts by revealing Dharma, by generating loving kindness, compassion and bodhicitta in their hearts. May the Buddhadharma—from where sentient beings receive peace and happiness—last forever. May they meet the Buddhadharma and achieve enlightenment quickly. May sentient beings be able to actualize bodhicitta, cherishing other sentient beings. May I myself be able to cherish all mother sentient beings more than the sky filled with wish-granting jewels, and may I be able to free them from samsara and bring them to enlightenment.

“Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me, all the three-time merits collected by numberless sentient beings and numberless buddhas, may any sentient being who sees me, who hears my name, who remembers me, who even sees a picture of me, just by that may it immediately pacify all their suffering and may they achieve all the happiness including enlightenment.

“Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me, all the three-time merits collected by numberless sentient beings and numberless buddhas, all these merits that exist in mere name, that do not exist from their own side, that are totally empty from their own side, due to that may the I, who exists in mere name, who does not exist from its own side, who is totally empty from its own side, achieve buddhahood, which exists in mere name, which does not exist from its own side, which is totally empty from its own side, and lead all the sentient beings, who exist in mere name, who do not exist from their own side, who are totally empty, to that buddhahood, which exists in mere name, which does not exist from its own side, which is totally empty from its own side, by myself alone, who exists in mere name, who does not exist from its own side, who is totally empty from there.

Thank you very much.

[Long-life prayer for Lama Zopa Rinpoche]

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Notes

³ Vv. 16 and 17. See studybuddhism.com/en/tibetan-buddhism/original-texts/sutra-texts/lamp-for-the-path-to-enlightenment. [Return to text]