The Realm of the Pretas (Page 65)
9 p.m.

Maybe it is good, in place of reading books, as I read, you visualize—sorry to continue your problems. But people who become neurotic, nervous by meditating ... well anyway, by meditating, when this anger arises ... anyway, I think it is worthwhile to try to visualize as I read. When I mention pretas, you should pretend, imagine that you are a preta.

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Also try to feel that your body is very heavy, that you find it difficult to walk, difficult to carry, like an old man or old woman.

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Like those dirty waters that we see in the cities, full of rubbish things. Even if you find water, the protectors do not allow you to enjoy it, do not allow you to be near the water. They chase you away from the water. Even if you have been feeling hungry for many hundreds of years and experiencing extreme suffering—hunger, thirst, and besides that, having much fear.

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It takes much time to find food—for some pretas it takes eons. Even if they find food or water it is very dirty. Even if there are no hindrances chasing them away from the water, the water is terribly dirty. Or, as the preta sees a lake from a far place, and it has such longing for the water because of thirst for hundreds of years, as it runs the lake dries up, or all of a sudden becomes dirty. Even if the preta finds a little drop of water or even if it finds water without all those hindrances, it dries in the mouth because of poison, not going through. Even if it goes into the stomach it feels like throwing matches in petrol or kerosene. All of a sudden the whole thing becomes fire—just like this, even a little drop of water goes into the stomach after eons of thirst, and instead of ceasing the problem it causes burning in the stomach, flames coming from stomach, much burning and flames coming from the mouth.

Because of feeling extremely hungry—some eat their own flesh by peeling the skin.

Animal Suffering (Page 66)

Also visualize yourself in the ocean, visualize yourself in the form of an animal, a snake, a fish, whatever it is. There are all kinds of fearful animals, and think that you are under the ocean with many other animals who will attack, and you are trying to escape, and you feel hungry and thirsty and feel so much fear. Whatever you visualize, put yourself in the form of an animal, as a big snake who is a fish, trying to escape from the enemy who will kill you, and finding it extremely difficult to find a safe place, the mind always in fear, great fear, besides the physical suffering, think.

Also think that you are attacked by other animals, the enemy, and killed or eaten, and suffering such. Also think that you are attacked by hundreds of other different kinds of animals, that there is no way to escape, and it is very frightening.

Now think about those worms crawling on the ground that are attacked by hundreds of ants—yourself put in the place of the worm crawling on the ground being attacked by hundreds of ants, and they are biting all over you, grasping you and eating all over you, over all sides. It is extremely difficult to escape from those ants, they never allow you to be free, no matter how strongly you desire it. The bottom, all the sides of the body are being eaten, and you move very much because of the unbearable suffering. Visualize also the ants as very big—not small, the way we see them—like the size of an elephant. And think that you can no longer move, that there are wounds everywhere, pieces of flesh taken off, extreme suffering. Also think that those big ants cut your body in pieces and take it away, and that you become very terrible looking.

If you find it difficult to get an idea, think how you find it when a little bug bites your body, and then figure out how this small pain from being bitten by tiny bugs compares with that of a worm being eaten by ants.

Think of yourself still as a worm, and chickens are eating you, putting their beaks in your body in different places, pecking, the beaks going through the body with incredible suffering—it is happening, it is not new to us. Just like when a chicken kills a big worm—they peck in different places and cut the worm to pieces and swallow it. Put yourself in the place of the worm, the chicken putting its beak through you, with much fear and suffering.

If you find it difficult to get an idea, think about how you find it, what your experience is when a small tiny needle goes in the flesh. Then by figuring out from this, think about how it is for the worm with the chicken putting its beak through its body and being cut into pieces with its beak. And also visualize the chicken swallowing the pieces into its stomach.

Now visualize yourself as a bird on a tree, having nestlings in the nest, but there is much wind blowing, storming, the tree is moving extremely, there is lightning, and you are extremely frightened. It is very foggy, storming, there is very strong hail dropping, and you find it very difficult to escape or hide, being very worried about the nestlings, and extremely frightened. It is also completely dark. Also think, even in the daytime, even when there’s no storm, also visualize yourself as the mother bird, having great fear about being attacked by other birds, think also about the daytime. Even if it’s the daytime, you are the mother bird, flying round in far places to find food, and extremely worried about the nestlings being attacked by other birds, animals. And you find it extremely difficult to find food. And also you have great worry in your mind, also feeling hungry, also aware of the danger of being attacked by other birds, being scared, and always being worried about the babies. Now think as yourself as the mother bird, attacked by another bird, eaten or killed by another bird, taken away by a big bird, held in its beak, to such a far place, and eaten by the other bird. And during those times, think that as the mother bird is attacked by the other bird and taken away in the big bird’s beak, the mother is extremely worried about the babies and for her own life.

If you find it difficult to visualize yourself and feel the suffering, then think as if an eagle or big bird were coming down and putting its beak on your head—how frightened you would be. Try to visualize it, the bird taking the flesh from your head. First visualize this, and then put yourself as the mother bird, attacked and taken away.

And think now of yourself as the baby bird, feeling extremely hungry, the mother has been killed and taken away. You continually make noise, and feel much hunger and thirst and such fear, so much fear of being alone, and missing your mother. You miss your mother extremely, your mind holds only the picture of mother, and thinking about when she will come back with food. The whole day passes, much time, and the suffering is greater and greater. You are frightened of other birds flying around.

Now think of the wild animals, such as the deer that are chased by the hunters, extremely frightened. Put yourself in the form of a wild animal, such as a deer attacked by hunters. You are extremely frightened, the hunter shoots you, and you feel extreme pain.

Now visualize yourself as a buffalo at a butcher’s place ready to be killed. You sleep in the mud, in a muddy place, not knowing you are going to be killed, deeply ignorant. Think that now the butcher is cutting your neck with a heavy big saw, hitting you on the neck and it doesn’t cut, hitting many times and you experience extreme suffering. Your legs all are bound by ropes.

Now think of yourself as a fish, being cut into pieces by a knife, experiencing extreme suffering, so you try to run away to escape, but you have no control. Everything is controlled by the person, the killer, and you never have the choice to escape.

Also think about this animal that is used for oil, a seal. Think of yourself as that animal. People catch you and put you into extremely hot oil, without any control, you are completely controlled by the people and suffer extremely in this hot oil. Think that you are drowned in the hot oil. As the person put you there without any control, however much you do not desire this, however much you have the desire to escape away. You are so frightened, put inside. You are completely drowned in that hot oil in the big pot, suffering extremely—try to feel the extreme suffering of the heat.

If that is difficult, think about how you feel when you put your finger in hot boiling water and figure it out from that.

Now think of yourself as a pig, and your legs and whole body are bound by ropes. At your heart they put such a long needle, a long knife at the heart, and they stir it at the heart. You make much noise, being completely controlled by the person, having no choice. Then you have great pain, and as the body cannot move, they put grass on top of the body, and kerosene, and burned you before death—try to feel this.

Think of yourself as a camel—put yourself in the place of the camel carrying such heavy luggage, going in the dust and feeling extremely thirsty and hungry and having such heavy luggage and going all day. You are in such a desert place where there’s no water, and also having pains in your backside, many pains and wounds. And a man is beating you with sticks, not letting you rest. However extremely exhausted you are, there is no way to escape. You are extremely ignorant, dumb.

This is the way of giving the meditation for us westerners. Anyway, this way we then get the idea about how to meditate on suffering. Otherwise, no matter how clearly it is written in books, we find difficult to experience this meditation.

Dedicate the merits, “May I quickly achieve Guru Shakyamuni and lead all and every mother sentient beings to the enlightened stage due to the merits of observing the precepts, and listening to the teachings and meditating.”

Then as you go to bed, the other meditation on the death process is also useful sometimes. Visualize yourself as Guru Shakyamuni lying down, the right hand under the cheek closing the right nostril with the fourth finger—there is a reason—anyway, your two legs stretched straight with the left hand along the thigh. And at the same time think, “As Guru Shakyamuni passed away in nirvana, may I also pass away in nirvana, for the sake of sentient beings. And as Guru Shakyamuni showed the example of impermanence to sentient beings and from this example enlightened so many sentient beings, may I be able to do like that as well.”

Think like this and also visualize at your head, nearby your pillow, Guru Shakyamuni, very bright, very shining. Then either you can sleep in this way—or as you visualize Guru Shakyamuni at the place where there was a pillow, he absorbs into you, and as he absorbs into you, your mind became one with his holy mind in the form of emptiness, all-encompassing space, and the feeling is infinite happiness, and you are devoid of the self-existent “I,” the wrong conception—like this. And then as you are concentrating in this state, try to fall asleep without being distracted by other things.

Before doing this think; “In order to attain Guru Shakyamuni for the sake of sentient beings I am going to sleep with Guru Shakyamuni’s yoga meditation.” If one always sleeps in this way, it makes the mind get into the habit of sleeping in this way and the mind becomes conscious of Guru Shakyamuni, and it also helps the mind to have less hindrances to sleep due to the power and blessings from Guru Shakyamuni’s mind.

It is also possible that in dreams, some fearful things happen, and you remember yourself as Guru Shakyamuni and control the fearful things, the hindrances, the mischievous actions. You can control the hindrances during the sleep, not only in dreams. This also helps at death time because the mind got so familiar, so in dangerous times you can easily remember and it helps a great deal to protect from suffering. Totally, for enlightenment.

Day 17
December 2
5am

Before taking today’s ordination, in order for it to become a pure Dharma action, the action should not have any defects of the evil thought of the eight worldly Dharmas. Just even that is not enough—in order for it not to become a Hinayana action it should be possessed by the Mahayana impulse of bodhicitta. Therefore think briefly, something like this, “Myself and all sentient beings, infinite numbers of sentient beings that cannot be counted by our limited mind, have been suffering in the six samsaric realms in countless times from beginningless lifetimes. It is definite that we will be endlessly circling round in samsara and experience the sufferings again and again as long as we are under the control of delusions and karma and having wrong conceptions, mainly thinking of non-self-existing things as self-existing. All future sufferings we will experience in the samsaric realms, if we could perceive them, is a very frightening subject, almost the heart comes out of the mouth. If we are afraid of even little sufferings, little problems which arise in this temporal life, the future sufferings are unimaginable and beyond comparison to those of this temporal life.

“Guru Shakyamuni and others received enlightenment by gradually following the path, having met gurus and received teachings, and by following these precepts. Therefore, we also, even if at the moment we are ordinary living beings, if we do similar practices as they did, and follow the path with right understanding, these will definitely be beneficial for us to become enlightened, and also to be able to enlighten infinite sentient beings. Therefore, it’s not enough to release ourselves from samsaric suffering, because all sentient beings are objects from whom we received all our perfection and happiness. Therefore, we are responsible to release them. As most of them are in terrible suffering, they have to be guided, saved from suffering—this is needed as quickly as possible, even at this moment. At present we do not have the knowledge and power to do it—who has this? Only the enlightened beings. Therefore, we must become enlightened. Now, we can’t even understand our own mind, let alone being able to read others’ levels of mind. Therefore, to be enlightened as quickly as possible the best method is to follow disciplines, the path of the precepts. Therefore, I am going to take Mahayana ordination.”

Visualize the person granting the ordination as Guru Shakyamuni, surrounded by numberless buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats.

(Ordination Ceremony)

If the precepts are not followed well, there is a great danger. For instance, a story that happened in previous times, about breaking the precepts—in a place where Guru Shakyamuni was giving teachings in India, one day, in the teachings among the disciples there was one living being who came in the form of a king, with such high materialistic powers, and great possessions of jewels. So Guru Shakyamuni discovered that this living being amongst the disciples was not serious, and told him, “Listen carefully, you made a wound in the teachings of the previous Buddha Woson.” This buddha had descended and founded the teachings on earth a long time before that period—it has been a long period, so many hundreds of human lives, between the degeneration of that Buddha’s teachings and Guru Shakyamuni coming. So he said, “You made a wound in that buddha’s teachings, you should not make a wound in mine. So listen carefully, in your real form.”

So, the next day the person came in his serious body—his real body is that of a snake—and his head was in the presence of Guru Shakyamuni but his body and tail were very far away in the villages. He was very fearful looking, and the disciples were scared and escaped away. But Guru Shakyamuni, “There is nothing to be afraid of, this is the living being who came yesterday.” The snake had a tree called elidama growing on his head, the roots were in his brain, the rest growing out. This was such a big tree, many arm spans in height, not only one hundred or two hundred, but a very long tree. As the wind blew the tree, the roots moving in the brain caused him incredible suffering, pain in the head. So Guru Shakyamuni explained to his disciples, “The reason that he’s suffering like this is that when he was in the period of the previous Buddha, called Woson, he was a monk. One day he was going around a tree that belonged to a group of monks or a monastery, and his head touched the branch of the tree and he got angry and broke off the branch. He didn’t confess well, and death occurred before confession. So from that little karma, from the anger and breaking the tree, he was reborn as a naga with such a long body and the tree growing out of his head. So breaking that precept was small but the result brought so much suffering.”

So, make three prostrations—when you make prostrations you can usually visualize as in the book. But now, the physical introduction.

Putting the hands together has much meaning, according to the vehicles of the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. It can have the symbolic meaning of the two paths in each vehicle, and so by completion of the two path one can achieve enlightenment. It also symbolizes the two holy bodies. Putting the thumbs inside symbolizes offering jewels—you cannot prostrate with empty hands.

Put the two feet together. Before, there was one boy who made such fantastic prostrations, in the early course. It should look very respectful.

First, the hands go on top of head—this is to arrange the cause to receive the topknot holy sign of Buddha’s holy body when we are enlightened. It is not only Guru Shakyamuni who has all these holy signs; generally when any sentient being reaches enlightenment, he received this body with the holy signs as Guru Shakyamuni has. Each sign has a different cause, so we must create the causes when we are following the path. Putting the hands on the head arranges for us to create that perfection of the holy body when we receive enlightenment. Then at the forehead—this arranges cause for wisdom hair—this is also a holy sign of holy body—which can be pulled out, and it naturally goes back in. So making prostrations here (at the forehead) arranges this. Then putting the hands at the throat arranges holy speech. Some do three, some four (also at the heart) with the hands. These are all to arrange that knowledge and to purify negativity of body, speech, and mind.

Then you go down—your feet, knees, hands, and forehead have to touch ground. This is called the five-point prostration. It should be ... as much as the body covers the ground, the person creates merit equal to the number of atoms that are under the body, in the ground, in the earth, to receive high enjoyments. Put your hands on ground with the thumbs in—it should look respectful.

Prostrations are to purify pride, to diminish and destroy the negative mind of pride. Of course they also help you to purify any other negative karmas and negative minds. Getting up quickly symbolizes getting up from samsara quickly, auspiciousness to get out of samsara quickly. Repeat this three times to purify negativities of body, speech, and mind.

This is just the physical discipline of prostration, but one shouldn’t be only concerned with the body, without thinking of the objects to whom prostrations are made. Visualize Guru Shakyamuni as the essence of all buddhas, bodhisattvas, arhats, holy beings, and protectors. Even though you don’t fully understand, it helps—there is such existence of such holy omniscient mind. Just as on the earth there are greater knowledgeable minds existing, there is such omniscient mind. Just because one didn’t achieve this yet doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. As on earth there are greater knowledgeable minds that can’t compare with ordinary minds, who can read others’ thoughts and foretell the future, from this example, if you have wisdom you can figure out that there must be the existence of such holy minds that see all past, present, and future existence, and read all sentient beings’ minds at the same time. If you reject this you have to reject all minds, even the knowledgeable minds that exist on earth now and that you haven’t achieved.

“The bodhicitta of the son of the Buddha,” this is from the holy teaching of the great bodhisattva [khunu Lama] Tenzin Gyaltsen —”The son of the king (means the Buddha), which is the place from where all benefits and happiness arise, if this can be compared to material jewels…” If I repeat again, “The bodhicitta of the son of the king, which is the place from where all happiness and benefits arise, can it be compared by material jewels?”

This means wish-fulfilling jewels. In ancient times like this, there were such precious jewels—and putting the wish fulfilling jewel on top of a banner, whatever temporal needs you had, you intuitively received due to the power of the jewel. But even though that jewel had that power, bringing success and temporal needs, whatever the person desires, even with that value, still it is incomparable to bodhicitta. Because that does not bring enlightenment, that does not cause one to receive all the realizations of the path and enlightenment, that does not cause one to cut off the cause of samsara, even though it brings all the temporal needs, as the person desires. Therefore, it is called, “the wish-fulfilling jewel.” Why can it not compare with bodhicitta? Because bodhicitta is much more precious, more important, more precious then the external jewel, because bodhicitta brings enlightenment more quickly, and through this one can cease the cause of samsara and enlighten other sentient beings.

So it is greatly worthwhile to be able to receive this most important, most valuable enlightenment—the ultimate peace-granting jewel, bodhicitta—it is better to try and receive this rather than to receive the limited, material wish-fulfilling jewel. Even though we don’t have the material wish-fulfilling jewel, we have met the Mahayana teachings and have the wisdom to discover what is positive and what is negative. If we are in such time, if it is not limited from our side, we are in such a time and place and we can receive any profound Mahayana teaching, and the Vajrayana teachings, the most profound teaching. If it is not limited from our side, from our understanding, there are many possibilities. So in such a precious time it is most important to try and cultivate this pure bodhicitta. It is important to start even from now, this moment, since we don’t know how long we can exist with this human body—a month, a year, we are not definite. It is important even to try once in a day, try to cultivate, plant the seed in our mind, plant an impression. We are that fortunate, compared to most of the sentient beings whose chances are limited.

So briefly talking, “The attachment to the temporal happiness and higher samsaric pleasure is the source of suffering and keeps us in the bondage of suffering, so it needs to be cut off. However much we can make this temporal life happy and receive a happy life in future, all are in the nature of suffering, just like living in a fireplace, burning, finishing oneself, not recognizing it; suffering much, but not recognizing it. And it’s not enough for oneself to be released from this. It is necessary to reach enlightenment, to guide other sentient beings from suffering by leading them on the path in return for their kindness. To be able to do this, it is necessary to completely achieve the graduated path. For this, it is necessary to continually practice. That depends on correct and full understanding of the graduated path. Therefore, I am going to listen to the Mahayana teachings on the graduated path.”

The listening subject of the graduated path, if it is divided in three, there are the paths of the lower, middle, and higher beings, and we are in the path of the lower being.

According to the outlines we have finished so far—”The Perfect Human Rebirth,” “The Usefulness of the Perfect Human Rebirth,” down to “Death is Definite.” As there was continuity of the mind before rebirth, there is continuity after death, so if you check up for each individual, “Will I take a better path, or where will I be reborn?” If it is checked through the karma we create—even in one hour, more negative than positive karma is created. It is the same in day, one year, for the whole life. It is the same as this life, from the time we are born until the present, and it is the same in previous lives, more horrible karmas have been created. Even though we think we are pure and didn’t create much negative karma in this life, we created so many heavy negative karmas previous lives. So as those are stronger, after death it is more definite that we will be reborn in the suffering lower realms. Do we perceive the actual time of death? That we don’t perceive, so, “The Actual Time of Death is Indefinite” and “At the Death Time No Other Methods Can Help.” Even if we are definitely going to be born in the suffering lower realm and suffer there for eons and eons, no other external methods can help. What can help is the inner method—not the negative mind but the development of the pure mind that is achieved through Dharma practice, that which starts from the first stop, purity of the evil thought of the eight worldly Dharmas.

Besides the fact that it is more definite that we will be reborn in the lower suffering realms by checking through karma, besides that, even if we try to practice Dharma, we do not do such practice for the whole life, or the whole day; only for such a small time in our life. Even if one practices, it is made impure because of the evil thought of the eight worldly Dharmas. So, it is extremely difficult to have pure practice in life. Therefore, for all these reasons, it is more definite that we will be born in the lower suffering realms.

As Nagarjuna said, “The remembrance every day the sufferings of the narak, cold and hot.”

Nagarjuna is the great philosopher; he has his own autobiography as has Milarepa; very interesting, how in such a short time what great knowledge, realizations he received, many things.

Therefore as he instructed with his experience, it’s really very helpful to remember this at any time—when you walk, eat, sleep, at any time, it is so useful to remember. Especially in such dangerous times when there are many problems of negative minds arising—pride, jealousy, anger, greed—anytime, this is so useful. So first of all, you are unconscious of doing some other thing, following negative mind; then as you remember suffering of the naraks, all of a sudden you feel hate, so there is the desire to avoid negative actions and you don’t follow negative mind; because of fear of the suffering of the narak realms, you think, “I must be careful.”

Sometimes put a question to yourself, like you are two people, put a question to yourself. “Which would you like, to be born in the suffering lower realms such as the narak stages, and suffer in many of those stages terribly, for many eons, would you like this? Or would you like to never be reborn and suffer?” You put the question to yourself, which one would you like. Of course, you will always say, “No”—to answer there is no problem. The Dharma wisdom asks the negative mind this, so the negative mind says, “No, I don’t want to be born and suffer.” So the Dharma wisdom says, “If you don’t want to be born in the lower suffering realms and suffer, which is the result of the action you are doing right now, if you don’t want to suffer for eons, don’t create that action.” Dharma wisdom says this. The Dharma wisdom who asks this question is you. Then you say that you don’t want to be born and suffer. Then the Dharma wisdom says, “If you don’t want to experience the suffering result of being reborn and suffering in those stages that are created by the negative action, created by the person following the negative mind…” The Dharma Wisdom says, “If you are scared, if you don’t want to experience the suffering result, don’t create this negative action, don’t follow the negative mind. Such negative mind is the source of suffering. So if you never want to be reborn and suffer in those suffering realms, it is better to kill, to destroy, to extinguish the negative mind.” To think frequently like this is very useful. Perhaps sometimes you may understand about following the negative mind, being a servant to the negative mind, and you may answer, “It’s in the future, I don’t have to suffer now, it’s okay.” You are a servant to the negative mind, following the negative mind like this. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. So, you may give an answer like this. Then your Dharma wisdom should explain, “When will you care for the time? It is nonsense: just because of time, you making a choice like this is nonsense, because the subject who will suffer the result of these negative actions is only you, not another person. As you suffer now, you will suffer in the future; you, the same person, the same mind.”

There is the existence of past and future lives. We cannot contradict the worldly, relative, existence that exists for the logical, relative mind, that is created by the logical, relative mind. If this is contradicted, then—anyway if I say simple, clearly—what object we are calling the “present”? That we should know—not past and future, but the whole present. This is something a little complicated, not knowing the object we call “present.” For instance, if you are going back to the West after one year, you cannot say “I will go back to the West in this moment.” For the same reason, saying, “I will go back to the West in this present second,” cannot be said. That would also be funny, like you are intoxicated. But the time you are going back to the West is after this present second, the time comes after the present second. Therefore there is a time after the present second. The time that comes after the present second is the future of the present second, this time is the future of the present. So now there’s a future because there’s a future of the present. If you say there’s no past existing, that all time is present, if you think so, then this is the same as the other one—your present birth from your mother’s womb should be in this present moment, would be in this present moment. This is not true, because at this second, this minute—why aren’t you taking birth from your mother’s womb in this present second moment? You are over fifteen, twenty, thirty, over sixty, so how can a sixty- year old person be born in this present second from the mother’s womb? You are over those ages, so your birth was before this moment, before this present day, before today. You were born before today. So there is past and there is a time before this second, before this minute; there is a time before today. So that time that exists before today is past. The time that exists before this moment, before this day, this hour, this second, is past—so there is a time before the present, before this present second, minute, hour, today. So anyway, there’s a future of the present, and there’s a past of the present.

Question: It’s only because you say there’s present that past and future exist?

Answer: Yes, I said that.

Question: But I didn’t.

We cannot say also like this—if you say no past and future exist, only present, then it should be said like this, the same complicated thoughts—today, this day should be called ... if so, following this wrong conception, this complicated thought, there wouldn’t be any present. So someone asks, “Is this moment, is this morning, is this yesterday morning, or tomorrow morning?” So someone who believes that all is the present, the person who thinks this believes that as the time goes—you see, for instance, like this. Since we were born from the mother’s womb as we were in that day, in each of those days, we counted present, present, present—so we think the whole time is present, no past and future. If so, then there wouldn’t be any past and future, all would be past. I know there are so many of our friends thinking like this. Then all the time would be past or all the time would be future. If asked, “Is this morning yesterday morning or tomorrow morning?” what would be the answer? Because if the person says, “This is tomorrow morning,” because of thinking yesterday that this is tomorrow morning, or if the person says, “This is yesterday morning,” because of thinking this tomorrow morning—this is complicated, that’s why ... anyway, this is a good example of checking in order to realize the absolute nature of time.

This talk happened because someone brought a book saying there’s no past and future, only present. Just a conversation, thank you.

Also, the wisdom mind, your wisdom mind should say that it is the same person who will suffer, even it is suffering now. It is you who will have to experience the suffering that will have to be experienced in the future, you, the same person. And also, saying, “It is in the future,” but the future is many things—the future of this second, the future of today, the future of this present life, many things. So when you think of the future, you think so long, but it’s not like this—there is the future of this second, of this minute, of this hour, of this day. So you are not sure when you will experience this suffering result, the cause of which was created by you following the negative mind. If you think like this, it is very useful.

Also, when you dedicate for the hells, the animals, the pretas, the hot and cold narak stages, try to think like this when you try to imagine the different sufferings—this has this cause or this cause, as in the book, killing other beings, criticizing and so on. Or think, “I have definitely created all of these causes in numberless previous lives; nothing is left that I have never created and also I may create more in the future.” Then try to meditate that you are suffering in these stages as it is the result of the karma created in your present life, and the karma that you may create in the future.

Question: In your discussion of time, you only talked about the relative and not the absolute.

Answer: First you have to know the relative object. If you don’t, how can you discuss the absolute nature?

Question: Is it important to think of external example in meditating on the hells, such as the red-hot iron ground, or just the mental suffering?

Answer: The feeling you are trying to receive, feel stronger, is in your mind; but why do we have to remember, visualize, the examples within our mind now, to think this? We are trying to achieve the meditation in an easy way, by meditating, getting the experience in our mind. It can be that without need of actual physical suffering, without the need of the present body, going to the suffering of the naraks, we are trying to take the easy way. But since most of our minds are limited, and it is difficult to experience the example, it is sometimes important to suffer. Like pastime experience we don’t remember, so the sufferings we experience in the present days are so useful. Don’t think they are ridiculous. This is another example, of feeling hot and cold as you feel now, which you can increase in your mind, a greater feeling of cold and hot, from which you can figure out the suffering of the incredible, infinite suffering beings who are born in those stages—if those sufferings are in form they are infinite.

Question: Is it best to take the easy way or the difficult way to achieve these realizations?

Answer: It depends on the people. People who have no chance or fortune to understand these subjects—whose minds are far away from understanding these subjects, whose minds are not ready for these subjects, whose minds are disgusted with these subjects—it depends on those people—we are taking the most easy way. Also, it depends on the beings, such as animals, beings suffering such as those in the narak stages, we are taking the easy way.

There may be one or two people here who take the easier way than that, without needing much time in training in the meditations.

When you meditate—like last night with the animals—you are trying to make suffering in your mind. You were not an animal last night, but you were trying to understand the suffering, experience the suffering in your mind, how great it is, without being an animal. Same thing with the narak stages. Also you can watch.

So, when we meditate on those suffering realms—first, it will be very effective, if before you do the visualization, you think of the different causes of these different narak stages. Think that you have created these in previous lives, and if you have created them in this life, and also remember that you may create them in the future. Then think as if you are dying right now, and being reborn there. Now visualize, and in this way it will be more effective. Why more effective? When we visualize, we experience these realms in the mind, and the stronger it is felt, the more upset we feel with the negative karmas that we created in countless times, as the meditation is made on the result of those negative karmas. We feel more upset, and more repentance for those negative karmas created in past lives and the present. The more we feel this, the more it helps a great deal for the future from now on. The more we continue this meditation, the more we have the stronger experience of these meditations in the mind, the more aware we are of not creating those karmas in the future.

There is a possibility, there are methods to cause oneself to experience the suffering results of the bad karmas in a short time, which might otherwise take many eons to suffer. Through certain methods, instead of experiencing them in long time, we can experience them by getting a little sick, and finish that karma—there is such a possibility. But to do this, there are many ways to try. Either we can finish the long period of eons of experiencing the suffering result of the bad karma by getting sick for a short time, or by not experiencing a single suffering, completely stopping the negative karma—there are many ways. It depends on how strongly you practice the method. To do these methods and to practice powerfully, to stop experiencing the negative karmas, or experience the suffering results through short period of sickness, all those things depend on powerfully practicing the methods. That depends on feeling upset, feeling repentance for the bad karma that was created numberless times in the past lives. The thing is this—you may purify like this, but if you don’t have strong repentance, feeling strongly upset with the bad karma you created in previous times, if there’s not this strong repentance, then even though you try, even though you think, “I have created so many bad karmas in previous lifetimes so that I may experience the suffering result in the future,” and try to purify by certain methods, that would be like this—for instance, if you get a wound, and you put on the medicine to heal it, but as it itches, you scratch, so again you put on medicine, and again it itches and again you scratch, always like this. If you don’t have strong repentance, you may still carry on creating negative karma. Just like we who try to mediate and do some good thing—there’s no realization, no experience of the suffering lower realms achieved by meditation, there’s not that strong fear of suffering these results. Even though one knows that there are suffering results that have been created by the negative karma, even though one thinks that by creating negative karma the suffering result will come, if one doesn’t have the experience of the three lower realms there is no realization. He may purify, but he may not be careful in future action. That is the lack of not having strong repentance for the negative karmas, and that is the lack of not having the experience of the meditation on the three lower realms. A good example is when we wash puppies they run in the dust and put dust all over their bodies. A second time we wash them, and again they run in the dust—it would be like this example. So repentance is very important. To have the energy to be careful in the future actions and to not create any more, and to have strong repentance for the past negative karmas, it is necessary to experience the suffering of the three lower realms—it is so important, very important.

It is the same thing when we meditate on, experiment with the suffering of the pretas. First of all think that such things as miserliness, avarice, stealing other living beings’ possessions, or hindering other living beings’ charity—because you have miserliness you don’t allow it—and also such things as calling other people names, giving nicknames, “He is like a preta.” This creates much bad karma—it is not difficult, just saying a few words, but the result is so heavy, it causes you to be born in that realm.

There are many examples—in previous times a monk said very rude words, “I will put you in this wood.” No reason of the Dharma to help him, just with cruel mind saying, “I will put you in this wood.” So just by saying that, after that life he was born in the shape of wood. There are all kinds of things, not definite—sometimes as a pillar, born as a pillar; there are all kinds of things, such as a broom. Karma is so strange, like when we see all kinds of different insects, many different shapes. That is because of all different kinds of karmas created.

Question: You can be born as a broom or a rock, without mind?

Answer: It has mind, otherwise how can it be born?

Question: How can you find out which trees or rocks have mind?

Answer: With the power of the Dharma practice.

So when you have the experience of the preta realm, first think about the cause. Then think, “Of course I did create the karma in countless previous times, and I may create it in the future, and the suffering result will be to be born in that realm.” This way is very effective because it is for sure that we created the karma, and it is for sure that we will experience the result. Whether we believe in it or not, it is for sure. So it is wise, useful, to know the future suffering, to discover it before you get into real dangers. This is clever, try to discover it before you get into real danger. Until you are in real danger, not thinking about it before is not wise. Like this example—we, many people, don’t want to think of death because we are scared, so we try to forget it. This is a completely useless thing that always stops the person from seeking method. He thinks it’s a good scheme, but it only takes him further from the method. So when the death comes, there is no time. Before we are born in the narak realms, just before the suffering, we karmically remember all the negative karmas we have created, and we suffer in different places, and no matter how much we think suffering is terrible, it’s of no use. So to know the danger is clever—this is one purpose for meditating on this.

Generally there are all kinds of sufferings for the pretas, but totally, like this :

1. Outer hindrance
2. Hindrance of the food
3. Inner hindrance

1. Even after long periods, eons, thousands of years of suffering feeling hunger and thirst, even if they find food, the karmically created protectors chase them away or hinder them from getting food.

2. Even without the outer hindrances of those yamas, the karmically created protectors, even though they receive the food, they see the lake or food as very dirty, or dried, or disappearing. Besides hunger and thirst and feeling tired, there is much mental suffering. If you find this difficult, try to visualize when you feel hunger or thirst, when you make a trek and you feel thirst for many hours. No matter whether the water is clean or dirty, you don’t care, you just want water, even if you are usually so careful—try to remember these things, it is very helpful. So from this we figure out, we make it bigger many thousands times. Then imagining oneself as a preta, try to make the experience of a preta, how it is.

3. Even if they get food, it is difficult to put it in the mouth because they have tiny mouths, like the eye of a needle. So even if a drop goes into the mouth and into stomach, which is enormous, it disappears, goes nowhere, nothing helps. And besides that, it can be like putting a match in kerosene. Even if some fortunate preta gets food in the stomach, it never makes the stomach full because it is so wide.

And they have such big heads and long hairs all around, really very fearful looking, with a very awful face and colors. It’s like this—the body is like this—the tree that has vines around it and then you cover it with skin, and when it dries you can see it like an old man’s body, seeing all the veins—like the tree is covered with dried animal skin, looking very dry. And when they walk, they find it very difficult to carry the body. And when their legs meet together they make a noise like two stones coming together, with sparks—very fearful looking. Like a terrible old man with many wrinkles, and a very tiny neck knotted two or three times, so even if they get food, it is difficult to go through. There are so many sufferings. Why does the body look so dried? Because for so many years they don’t get water. But karmically they can suffer for a long time. For example, some persons get some epidemic disease; some die soon. Others suffer for a long time without dying soon.

The place of the preta is not definite. There are places where most of them are situated, but they are also in different places, not exact.

In previous times, one highly realized yogi, called Sangye Yeshe, with his psychic power, with his mental control, went to see the place where there are great numbers of preta. He met one female preta who had 500 babies, and her husband had gone to the human country to find food. It took twelve years for the husband to find food. So during that time she had the 500 children, and they suffered extremely, not finding even a drop of water. She told this yogi that they were in such great suffering. Then she asked this yogi to give a message to her husband, if he met him, to bring food as quickly as possible. The yogi said, “In the human place there are all kinds of pretas. I will not recognize which is your husband.” The preta explained the physical signs of her husband—one eye was blind, and his body was injured, not well. The great yogi tried to see the preta in the human place, and finally he met this preta whose eye was blind. That preta said, “To go back to that place is so far, and I have tried to find food for twelve years,” and he showed the food he had found in twelve years—a piece of dried spit that he had kept in his hand for twelve years, taking best care if it. “I’ve been keeping this,” he said. You see, it’s not easy for them to even get this—it’s so crowded, there are so many pretas—we don’t see what’s happening there. How did he get it? One monk who kept precepts purely spat and said some prayers—there are mantras to say when one spits—he dedicated to the pretas, and so many pretas crowded to get it. That was how he got it and since then preserved it.

Just as in this example, we are also definitely going to have a similar life, and to have such difficulty finding a drop of spit. This is not a new life to us, this is very old, only because of death and rebirth and ignorance, we don’t remember—therefore we always think we are a new living being.

Also, another time there was one monk who was keeping the thirty-six precepts of a lower monk. His mother had died twenty-five years ago. One day, this monk saw a fearful preta, and became so frightened and started to run away. So the preta said, “Don’t run away.” The monk asked, “Who are you?” and the preta said, “The loving mother from whom one son was born is me. I was born in a preta realm that is devoid of food and drink. It has been twenty-five years since I died. I didn’t see even a place that has water, how can I see food, I didn’t even see water.” Then this young monk wont to see Buddha and asked him to dedicate, to say prayers. As Buddha dedicated and prayed as requested by the son of that mother, this preta—you see, without depending on her creating merits it is extremely difficult to be born in an upper realm from a lower realm—so as the young monk requested Buddha to pray, the preta died, and was born again as very rich preta. This is the skill of the Buddha, the method. So she was a very rich preta, and had six times greater miserliness for her possessions, and she never made charity. The son slowly, by skill, slowly he tried to take a piece of cloth from her by playing tricks, and offered it to the Buddha for her sake. But the mother preta felt a great loss, so even though the cloth was offered to Buddha, she slowly went and stole the cloth back from Buddha. This was done many times, again offered and stolen.

Also, in another time, there was one monk who was keeping the 253 precepts. He had such very nice robes, and was very attached to it. After his death he was born as a preta wearing something like this robe. Anyway, his miserliness caused him to be born as a preta even though his past life was a monk.

Then, when you meditate on the animal realm, experience the animal suffering. The way we did last night is the way to experience the suffering.

And sometimes also thinking like this—about the animals born in trees and rocks where there’s no place to go, such as in bamboos. There are so many things. In corn there are so many animals born, also in beans. Visualize yourself as born in the form of an animal in that food, so tight; there is no way to move, it is dark for a long time, and when the corn is ground you are afraid much suffering, and there is no way to escape. I often see many animals in food, many tiny insects, maybe because of ... when people eat food, I find more animals. Maybe it’s bad. So much suffering. At the moment, when the sun is hot it is unbearable, we want to go in the shade or use an umbrella. When it is so cold, we wear a blanket, jacket, or sweater—this is nothing, really nothing compared to animals, not even talking about the narak stage. So put yourself in these positions, suffering for long time, ground or cooked with sand, no way to escape—born there, die there. Also, animals in trees and rocks, eaten by mountains, rock mountains, all around rocks, nowhere to move, nowhere to go, for a long time.

If that is difficult to think about, think about how when someone puts us in prison, where there is no door, or the door is locked or a fence is around us, even if there is meditation, eating food, how much we worry and cry. If we are born as those animals, there is so much suffering. When the animal is born there, in such a specific place, it is purposely for suffering, not for enjoyment, happiness. Why? Because the animal has created the karma to be born there, to experience the suffering result of the karma created by the animal himself. The karma forced that situation; it is not because the animal wishes to be there, never like this—people may think this but it’s wrong, that animal made the choice to be there.

Like this—you must have more ideas, as you have seen animals in your life. If you use the examples of the sufferings you have seen, then the trips you made were worthwhile, the sufferings of the living beings you saw can be used in the experience. Also, it’s very good, as you are going round to the different places, as you see the different problems of the living beings, try to put yourself into it. “They are suffering like this”—like one dog attacked by many others, being killed by being bitten all over, no one helping him, then think—”They are suffering like this now; at this moment, I am a human being and they are a dog. But I also experienced that in countless times in my past lives. Also there are many other negative karmas that will bring that kind of suffering again, the karma was created but result has not come yet. Also I may create those karmas again. At the moment I am born as a human being but soon, because of these karmas, it is definite that I will be born as a dog and suffer like this.” Put yourself in that situation, with other dogs attacking. This is useful, then anything you see becomes a teaching. Actually, you are using the view that you see to destroy ignorance, this helps to destroy ignorance. How? As one is scared of that—the karma was created and the result will be experienced—then because of the fear, the person becomes afraid of negative actions and doesn’t want to follow attachment, the negative mind, which comes from ignorance. So the person seeks the principal cause, and as he finds it he tries to destroy it, the ignorance, so he seeks the method. So wherever you go you can see what the people do—fighting, cheating each other—what you see is nothing you didn’t do before. Then like this, you are meditating, meditating walking, looking at things, you are in practical meditation. Totally, you are making the life worthwhile, meaningful.

Question: If there is no change from the suffering of being trapped, no relief, how do they feel suffering?

Answer: One doesn’t have to have remember being out, doesn’t have to remember the experiences being out of that, to suffer there.

And, as you have meditated this morning, whatever is finished, continue the rest of the meditation tonight, on the perfect human rebirth and after finishing, meditating on the sufferings—but don’t rush it, take time, do it slowly. That way it’s better, there is more meat, rushing is not neat; anyway, not that helpful as when you do it slowly, take time. And as you finish the suffering lower realms, meditate on refuge and karma. But always in the morning, start with the perfect human rebirth meditation, and in the evening on what is left. This morning I saw a note that someone wants to meditate on Guru Shakyamuni, so I am happy—I rejoice that there is such a person.

The reason I am spending more time, not going so quick—I can go so quick, read quickly—but I am very interested in making longer explanations on the first part of the meditation because understanding, having feelings, understanding more of those basic meditations helps a great deal to understand the middle part of the meditations more quickly, and that helps to understand and feel the higher part more quickly and strongly. So this makes much more sense, as you remember the words there is a feeling—one person who had contact with Mao has a kind of feeling when he talks of Mao, but another person who had no contact and didn’t see him, just heard the name, “Mao,” has no feeling. The one who knows the evolution of holy mind, how it exists, sees that there is something there, but for the one who hasn’t, it’s like talking about the horns on my head.

6pm

First check up what thought you have, what you are thinking. Think about what motivation you have to meditate. If it is the motive wanting to meditate totally in order to gain the happiness of this life and not being concerned for the happiness of the future life and the ultimate peace, if there is such motive as that, it is negative, it is the evil thought of the eight worldly Dharmas. If the meditation is made with this, besides not becoming the cause of happiness, it becomes the cause of suffering. So think, “The attachment that is attached to the temporal life happiness and even to higher samsaric pleasure is only a cause of suffering. All the samsaric happiness, whatever samsaric happiness there is, is all in the nature of suffering, like poisonous honey. We are always thinking of the present, temporal life effect, perceiving and seeing the present effect, the pleasure, by the limited understanding mind, and being ignorant of the future effect of that enjoyment—as the person enjoys the sweet taste of the honey without seeing the effect of the poison. So, there is nothing to be attached to in the samsaric pleasure, no reason to be attached for two reasons—this is being attached to the cause of suffering, and that pleasure is in the nature of suffering—enjoying it only brings a suffering result. Therefore, there is no reason to be interested in it and to try for it. The most worthwhile thing is ultimate peace.

“So, it is not enough for oneself to receive the ultimate peace; there are infinite sentient beings in suffering who are objects of my past, present, and future happiness and perfection, and also they are much more precious and valuable objects than wish fulfilling jewels—from these most precious sentient beings I receive enlightenment. So I am responsible to repay them. What is their utmost need? To release them from suffering as they are in terrible suffering. To fulfill this success I do not have the capability. Who has the capability? Only the Buddha has it. Therefore I must achieve enlightenment to have this capability. Therefore, I must achieve the graduated path. Therefore, I am going to meditate on the graduated path.”

So visualize Guru Shakyamuni while the mantra is recited, and also the light coming through making purification. The essence of the light is Guru Shakyamuni’s infinite supreme powers and compassion and knowledge and you are receiving it. As you are receiving the light, think that all delusions—wrong conceptions of self-existing “I” and self-cherishing thoughts, the impure dualistic mind that projects the impure view, and all other delusions—are in the form of darkness and are completely destroyed by this knowledge light, nowhere existing neither out nor in, and think that the body is like crystal and full of this light of knowledge.

Those who feel that, “I don’t have faith or belief or understanding in holy objects, faith in Guru Shakyamuni, I don’t have faith or understanding in the existence of past and future lives, I don’t feel those things, and I don’t have love for sentient beings”—as the hindrances that stops these things is the negative mind, the delusions, the delusions rooted in our mind since beginningless lifetimes, this hindrance has to be purified, needs purification. What is missing is purification. So by visualizing Guru Shakyamuni as perfectly as possible, with the light coming, the “l” absorbing—those who feel that concentrate on Guru Shakyamuni for a longer time and also pray to Guru Shakyamuni. However, even if the person doesn’t have faith now, at present, as the purification is made without waiting for the faith, strong faith or feeling, by continually doing this, saying mantras and visualizing, it is definitely possible that the mind will slowly change as the blessing takes root in our minds. Gradually faith and devotion will arise stronger and stronger, gradually. Also, at the same time the other realizations, the understanding of other meditations will progress, at the same time as the devotion progresses. These things are something we have to create. Devotion, realizations, and understanding are something we have to create; these are things that we will receive in our minds, mental things. So we have to create it; we should not discourage ourselves.

(Meditation)

First, with the Guru Shakyamuni that you have visualized, make the absorption. Then the Guru Shakyamuni seated on the top of your head becomes oneness. Now, out of that emptiness, out of that state, a large throne, lotus, moon, sun, and yourself as Guru Shakyamuni arise, with a holy body in the nature of light, and your body, speech, and mind becomes oneness with his holy body, speech, and mind.

Day 18
December 3
5am

For the action of taking ordination to become a Mahayana ordination, the individual motivation must be the pure motive of bodhicitta, the pure thought avoiding the worldly Dharmas. Therefore, try to cultivate bodhicitta in a short sentence, but one that contains the whole graduated path.

“The attachment that is attached to only the happiness of the temporal life and even to the higher samsaric pleasures is only the source of suffering, and the destroyer of ultimate peace and enlightenment. Therefore, there is no reason to follow the attachment to the happiness of this life and the higher samsaric happy life that we will receive in the future. All those happinesses are only in the nature of suffering. Therefore, besides not being reborn in the three lower realms, we must try to get out of samsara, the bondage of suffering. Even just achieving this release is not enough. We are equal—as I desire happiness, all sentient beings desire happiness, and as I do not desire suffering, all sentient beings do not desire suffering. So there is no reason to take more care of myself than other beings. As most of the sentient beings are living in terrible suffering situations, not having the wisdom eye to understand Dharma—what is negative action and what is positive action, and the results of the actions, the results of the karma—and have not met Dharma. And besides not meeting the Mahayana teachings, they often create the causes of suffering.

“As I have that much freedom, chance, and also the wisdom eye to be able to distinguish what is prohibited and what is permitted, so I am responsible to guide them from suffering. As they are objects of my past, present, and future happiness, I must repay them. The most beneficial way of repaying the sentient beings is causing oneself to receive enlightenment, and that is disciplining one’s body, speech, and mind, subduing the unsubdued, untamed actions of body, speech, and mind. The best method for that is following the precepts.”

There’s a way to take eight precepts without taking Mahayana ordination, but taking eight precepts with a Mahayana motivation creates more benefits and merits than just taking eight precepts from the object, without visualizing infinite buddhas, bodhisattvas, and without having pure Mahayana thought. Compared to the Mahayana ordination, that other one has much less merits and benefits. It is fortunate that we are in such a time in which we can give or take such valuable ordination; this is such a valuable time, being able to take the most beneficial Mahayana ordination.

Visualize the person granting the ordination as Guru Shakyamuni and surrounded by buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats.

(Ordination Ceremony)

Always try to remember yourself as a servant of sentient beings, as you are the best servant of sentient beings. Always during the day, frequently try to remember, as you see people and animals, that there are suffering beings in the narak, preta, animal, sura, and asura realms, great numbers of sentient beings beyond our thought, most of them in such terrible suffering; and at the moment, physically, you can’t help them by going there and taking them out, like taking a prisoner out of the prison—there’s no way to do that, so the best way is to discipline yourself, keep the precepts and discipline your body, speech, and mind on the basis of sentient beings. Keeping the precepts with the sentient beings as the object means abstaining from harmful actions to sentient beings. Frequently try to remember that you are keeping the precepts for the sake of the beings in the narak, preta, sura, and asura realms. For each of them that you see in front of you, think that you are working for them. This way you cannot break the precepts, because you will feel guilty if you break them, as you are keeping the precepts for infinite sentient beings and then breaking them. This is very selfish, breaking the precepts after talking about how to help those sentient beings. Thinking like this is very helpful for us not to break precepts.

Also, whatever suffering, whatever problems that are happening such as hunger or anything else during the day, think that you are experiencing this suffering for other sentient beings, for other’s happiness. You feel joyful, glad that it is worthwhile to get sick by working for sentient beings, greatly worthwhile to get sick by working for infinite sentient beings rather than getting sick working only for oneself. Just like this, try to think about we who are attached to the relatives and friends—we work for people to whom we are attached. When we work for them, in spite of the difficulties, problems, we don’t care—we only think of the other being’s kindness that we too received and we are only concerned to make those others happy, not caring about the difficulties of body, speech, and mind. This is very common, many worldly people do this, but this action has not much benefit and is not even creating merits, because the mind is attached to them, and mostly the work is done with the evil thought that is attached to the happiness of this life, even if it is done to repay those relatives and friends. Just like this example, we do these things, but the benefits are limited, also because the numbers of people are small. So, if it is worthwhile to surmount hardships working for relative and friends, why is it not worthwhile to experience difficulties working for sentient beings by keeping precepts, meditating, for the sake of sentient beings? This is greatly worthwhile. Getting sick, having trouble, finding difficulty due to samsaric action, this is usual for us. To get sick working for sentient beings is so rare—maybe once in a life for a few Westerners.

From the holy teaching of the great bodhisattva, Tenzin Gyaltsen, “The water trees, by giving the result, they finish. But bodhicitta, by giving the result it increases.”

This means that the water trees, the trees that grow in dependence on the element of water, as we enjoy the result of the fruit that is brought by the tree, it doesn’t increase, it decreases. But it’s different than bodhicitta, the inner all-wish-granting tree; bodhicitta is different. The more we enjoy the result given by bodhicitta, the more it increases. This always causes the result to increase. There is a big difference. Therefore, what we should understand is this—we should not only rely on the external result, the external enjoyment of those results with limited understanding mind, and we should not only live on relying on the external results received from trees or from external crops. As this experience has no beginning, we should end this work, we should try to end relying on these enjoyments. By ending the need for external enjoyments, the work for external crops finishes, and this brings the result of enjoyment, that work is finished. And it’s more precious, more beneficial to work for the inner crop, the inner all-wish-granting tree, which continually brings the result when we enjoy it, unlike the external crops. By living and relying on the enjoyment of the result given by the inner all-wish-fulfilling tree, bodhicitta, it causes us to cease, to end the external enjoyments that rely on the external crops. Also, this all-wish-granting tree, bodhicitta, causes us to cease the meaningless work, the beginningless work for the external crops. Then when should we try to achieve this all-wish-granting tree, that inner tree of bodhicitta, when should we start to try to achieve this? If you plan after a few years, five years or even one year—it is not certain that we can do it, if we will still exist in that time—even in one month, it is not certain if we still have the chance to practice it. Also tonight or tomorrow, is not certain what will happen—it is more definite that we will not have time to practice it, to study it. Therefore it is necessary to do it right away, to try to practice right away, as we have the time, the chance, as we met the precious Mahayana teachings, as our mind is capable in this time. If the motivation of listening to the teachings is possessed by the Mahayana thought, then even hearing one or two words, whatever it is, it all becomes Mahayana action, great profitable meaningful action. Therefore, if it is even one hour of work, it is necessary, important to do it with this motive. So think as we said this morning, briefly think like this, “It is not enough not to be born in the lower suffering realm and to be born in the upper realm after death; even releasing myself from suffering is not enough. Most of the sentient beings are in incredible suffering, and they are the objects from who I have received all my past, present, and future happiness, so I must repay them. Therefore, I must achieve enlightenment in order to lead them to enlightenment. To do this I must remove all wrong conceptions and purify my negative karma. To do this I must achieve the graduated path. Therefore, I am going to listen to the Mahayana teachings on the graduated path.”

For those who went through, who studied and meditated on the graduated path, just by hearing this short impulse there is a feeling of the whole graduated path. For this person it’s like seeing the whole teaching. The whole of Guru Shakyamuni’s extensive teachings are included in the Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, written by great yogi Atisha. Guru Tsongkhapa wrote a commentary to that called The Graduated Path to Enlightenment. Those who meditated on and studied that, who have quite a deep understanding of the meanings of this “graduated path to enlightenment,” by hearing this short impulse, this person can feel the whole thing.

So the listening subject is divided into three—the paths of the lower, middle, and higher beings. Now this is about the path of the lower being—the outlines of the subjects of the meditation. So far we have finished, “Perfect Human Rebirth,” “The Usefulness of the Perfect Human Rebirth,” “The Difficulty of Receiving It,” and “It is Very Fragile and Impermanent.” We have also finished “Death is Definite” and “No Other Methods Can Stop Death.” The reason it is necessary to be afraid of death is because the mind’s individual birth is created by the mind, by the individual mind that was existing before. So just as the mind doesn’t cease at death, as it splits from the body and continues—death is just the mind splitting from the body. That time when the life finishes, the end of the human life, is called death—because the life is the combination of mind and body. That is the meaning of “life.” So the mind continues after death. The different place that we will take rebirth is according to karma, the person’s previous action. So our minds, where will they take rebirth, where will we be born? Since we are not out of the circle of death and rebirth, since we were reborn without choice and since we die without choice, as long was we are in this circle, it is definite that after death we will have to be born in one of the six realms, the three upper realms or the three lower realms. This is already decided according to our karma, the decision is already made according to our karma. So, will we be born in the upper or lower realms? It is more definite that we will be born in the lower realms for many reasons—so many negative karmas were created in the previous lives and in this life, more than good karma, even in a day or a month. And we who want to practice Dharma only give small amounts of time to the Dharma practice. So, for so many reasons—also we try to create merits, but we destroy the merits—there are so many dangers. So merits are collected gradually, like a drop, not even continually, just sometimes. Because our negative minds are so uncontrolled, and our negative minds arise so easily, and we follow our negative minds so easily, so as they arise the merits created in previous times are destroyed, nothing existing, no result, nowhere existing, and they become empty, useless—that is, if the merits are not dedicated. Even if they are dedicated, because of the negative mind that arises, the result of the actions becomes hindered, and it is difficult to experience the result of the merits quickly. When the negative mind such as anger and heresy arises, it postpones, it puts off the result so far, so that we do not experience the result of the merits for a long time, like sometimes for eons. So there are so many dangers. For many of these reasons it is more definite that we will be born in the lower suffering realms. And still, is the time of death definite? No—it is not definite when we will be born in the lower suffering realms—tomorrow, one year, two years? Not sure. Among us, after the death of all of us, some are born in the preta realms, some are born in the narak realms, some in the animal realms. We are not excited now, at the moment we don’t feel anything, no fears, nothing. According to our individual karma there are all kinds of things—some will be born in such incredible places, having incredible lives. Since we don’t try to do something with the karma that we created, it is definite that we will be born in those lower suffering realms, it is only a small matter of time. It is not happening now, but it is something that is definite as long as we don’t do something with the karma we created—those future sufferings are definitely going to be experienced, it is only a matter of time.

So, death time is like sleeping, and then as we go to the intermediate stage it is like dreaming, and as we go to the lower realms it is like waking suddenly and suffering there.

According to the individual karma, some are naraks, some are pretas, some have to be born as animals and experience suffering. If our future lives were a subject that we could see, it would be very frightening. We wouldn’t care about the works of only this life. We would only be concerned about arranging a way to stop that rebirth as quickly as possible. So, that energy is supposed to be received through meditation on suffering, on the suffering realms, and through understanding and meditating on karma. Otherwise, there’s no way because of attachment and following the negative mind and laziness. There is no fear that causes us to make arrangements to not receive a suffering rebirth in the future. Anyway, as the number of people we are here, a certain number are going to be reborn as animals, a certain number of us will be reborn as pretas, and some will be reborn in the narak stages.

Also, when you meditate on this, first think of the causes that you have created in hundreds of previous lives, and you created them in this life remember them, and also think that you will create them in the future. Then think of the suffering result and meditate as if you were born there—in the narak, the preta, and the animal realms.

In regards to animals’ suffering, there are all kinds of suffering animals on the human earth. Also, there are places where there are many animals, such as where there’s no light, complete darkness, such as the Atlantic, completely underneath. But besides talking about the different animal sufferings, even the animals who are in the country, around people, if we talk even about even their suffering there are all kind of different sufferings that they experience. Wandering dogs is one example. Whether it is cold or hot they don’t have anything to manage it—if it is cold, they cannot put on more clothes; or if it is hot, with the skin and hair, how much they suffer. Most of those animals they don’t have daily life food like we people have—food at a certain time, all set up, arranged ahead of time for today, tomorrow. Most of the animals don’t have freedom, choice, like that. Even if they try and find food near the house, they get killed or beaten, many things. Not only beaten and killed, but called named, “Such an awful dog”—even harmed with speech, besides physically—”This horrible dog.” Anyway, they have much worry, much fear of being attacked by people or other animals. They always have this fear, they are never safe, living a secure life. Wherever this dog goes, it is always scared of what will happen, worried that it will be attacked by people and other dogs, besides feeling angry and other things. It is not certain that you will not be born like that in one or three years, walking around your house. There are many examples of people who died and were born as animals around house. Now, at the moment when we look these animals, as soon as they are seen by people they are killed. The people have hate for that ugly shape and want to make non-existent. Soon we will be born in such an ugly shape that no people like, and as soon as they see, they want to kill it—such as snake, many things.

One example—I think this was in India—in ancient times, a yogi was begging in the family house and he saw the son who was eating meat, had a baby on his lap, and a dog eating bones beside him. The story is this—that son’s father and mother both died. The father was reborn as a cow and was killed, and that was the meat that he was eating—the cow whose past life was his fathers’. The dog that was chewing bones in front of him was his mother in his past life. The baby that he was keeping on his lap was his enemy in the past life. So the enemy was born to him as his child, and he held the enemy on his lap, while eating the meat of the cow whose was his father in its previous life, and giving the bones to the dog who was his mother in his previous life. This yogi perceived this with his psychic powers. Besides this there are so many other stories.

Also, even the place in India where we lived for eight or nine years, in the Tibetan refugee monk camp, there were so many dogs outside. There were so many bells ringing there. There were groups of monks in the houses and at food times they rang the bell, or for other schedules. So there were so many dogs and there was a big bell at the wide platform. There were four sects of monks and they all came to make pujas and debate on the philosophical teachings written by the Indian pandits (actually, this is a form of checking meditation), the general number is 1000 or 1500. So there was a big bell on this platform to call for puja. When the bell rang, the dogs made a crying, weeping noise, as if they were being killed or beaten. They didn’t usually make this noise, but only when the monks rang that bell to call for pujas. That is because those dog’s previous lives were monks who didn’t keep their precepts properly during their past lives, so they were born as dogs outside the house. There is clear proof that the monks fed the dogs—that’s why there were so many. The Indians often tried to get rid of them, they came with guns and took them away, but the monks protected them or the dogs came back. So thinking of these examples is very frightening. Otherwise, there’s no reason for the dog to cry when he hears the bell. But there were strong imprints—maybe the monk didn’t want to go to puja, didn’t like it there, and when he heard the bell ...

The most powerful karma that causes rebirth as an animal is calling people names, and disrespecting the Dharma and those who are giving Dharma. There are so many examples. In previous times, one man saw a monk and he called that monk a name—”He’s jumping like a monkey,” he complained. So just by saying this, that karma caused him to be reborn as a monkey 500 times—because the person that he called a name was a higher person. Why he is higher? Because his body is precious. Why more precious? Because he was keeping 253 precepts. Therefore, he was a holy object. Therefore, as that is a holy object, the result of the karma has to be experienced many times—it is very dangerous, negative karma that we create with holy objects. But holy objects do not definitely have to be in the form of monks—they can also be laypeople, or animals. They don’t have to especially be monk, or have great names such as “Rinpoche” or “Lama.” Even someone is called “crazy” it’s not certain, even if someone is called “mad.” But there is too much to talk about on that subject, so there is no need to go farther. So one has to be very careful. Since our mind is not completely purified, and we don’t have the knowledge to perceive the holy beings, and we can’t see who is holy and not holy, who are bodhisattvas and not bodhisattvas, who are buddhas and not buddhas—we have to be careful in all actions. Negative mind causes us to create negative actions, but there is the danger of creating very heavy negative karma since my mind doesn’t perceive what he is thinking. My mind doesn’t even perceive its own nature. Maybe he is a bodhisattva or a buddha. I’m not sure, so I should be careful, it is better not to create the cruel action. This is very helpful, this is one of the methods that causes you to have a good personality and good behavior and not create problems with other people, and not to create negative karma with other living beings as the object. This helps a great deal to not create heavy bad karma.

Such as in this example—some people may know about this, some may not know—just one example, I think the name is in “The Lineage of the Teachings”—Asanga (Page 5). This highly realized pandit was trying to attain the buddha called Maitreya, the buddha who will descend to Earth from Tushita and will do exactly as Guru Shakyamuni did—taking a princely life and all those twelve events, doing austerities retreat—as Guru Shakyamuni did, he will do—and showing the form of receiving enlightenment at Bodhgaya. So anyway, this highly realized pandit, Asanga, tried to attain this buddha, Maitreya. He spent twelve years there but he still didn’t attain it. First of all he spent three years and came back from the cave, his mind discouraged. But due to some example he saw on the way—someone was cutting rock with a thread—he thought, “If the thread can split the rock, why can’t I attain Maitreya?” So he went back, but after three years nothing happened, so he came to the village. He saw something else—a water drop making hole through a stone, little by little. He saw this example and thought, “If water can make a hole in the rock, why can’t I achieve Maitreya?” So this gave him courage, but after three years he still didn’t attain Maitreya so he came down. On the way he saw a bird that had a nest in a hole in the rock, and as it flew, its wings tore out the rock. He thought, “If soft wings can wear down the rock, it is silly that I can’t attain Maitreya,” so he went back for another three years. But still he didn’t achieve Maitreya, so he came down. In the village he saw a dog with a wound on its bottom, full of worms. And all of a sudden due to seeing that dog he had such strong, extremely strong, great compassion—caring for others more than oneself, such strong bodhicitta. So then he cut the back of his calf—he wanted to pick off the worms, but they would have nothing to live on over there, so he cut his leg for them to eat. To lift the worms with his finger would hurt them, so he did it with his tongue. It wasn’t a dog, actually, but he saw it as dog because his mind was not purified. And as he did this action with strong bodhicitta and compassion, it became a big purification, a powerful purification, so after he did this, the dog appeared to him in the form of Maitreya, its manifestation changed. Asanga felt a little upset and complained, “Why did it take such a long time?” Then Maitreya said, “I was always in your cave,” and showed proof—when Asanga was in the cave he used to spit, and Maitreya showed it to him. Then he asked for teachings, so Maitreya asked him to hold his robes and with psychic powers, high realizations, Maitreya took this highly realized pandit to the pure realm of Tushita, and he received the teachings. There are five different divisions of teachings given by Maitreya to this pandit Asanga. It’s not one or two books, it’s many subjects—it took fifty human years according to human life to explain all these teachings, but in that realm it only took one morning. What I want you to understand is that even though it looked like a dog, it wasn’t a dog. Like if a person plays crazy, we don’t say he’s crazy.

So, to emphasize—as this meditator’s mind wasn’t purified, even though he was like that, meditating all those years, so our mind is far away from that. So we have to be careful with any other being.

As the great bodhisattva Shantideva said, “Being born and suffering in the lower realms, even in 100 times 100,000 eons, those lower beings do not hear the words of the higher beings, the happy beings.” (The happy beings are those born in the upper realms, and those born in the lower realms are recognized as unhappy beings.)

So being born in the lower suffering realm, it is not possible to hear even the sound of the happy beings, of the beings born in the upper realms, even in 100 times 100,000 eons. Such beings born in those realms are lower suffering beings who die there and keep being born there for a long time, even that many eons. What he is explaining in his teaching is that at the moment we are not born in those realms, as are those suffering beings who don’t even hear the words or sounds of the beings in the upper realms, the happy beings, even in 100 times 100,000 eons. So what he is trying to explain is that before we are born as those suffering beings, it is important for us to destroy ignorance, to not follow ignorance; that’s the quickest and best way—to destroy ignorance.

To destroy ignorance there are many different levels of methods. Like the example of a patient whose disease is changing—then also his treatment has to change. Also, sacrificing such beings as animals is very dangerous to make the cause to be born as an animal and to be sacrificed by other people. People who sacrifice also think that it is one method for peace, they also think it is a method, but that does not mean it is correct. Generally, whatever method that we are using, trying to do, if we are not foolish, since we are not like animals, it is necessary to check up on the benefits of the method. The most important thing is to check the future benefits of the action. There are some methods of which we do not recognize the usefulness of the present practice—that does not mean that the practice, the method, is useless, dangerous. What we should discover is the effect, the result that it brings in the future, by continuing the method. For instance, if one does not check or think about the future effect, but only cares about this method, what this subject does to the mind, only concerned with the present thing, this isn’t a very highly skillful method—not checking the future effect, the benefits that will arise in the future, that can be gained and achieved from the method. That can be discovered either through logic or through the enlightened being’s quotations, the enlightened being’s words that are explained with his experience and his understanding. Also, there are many other past stories about continuously following the methods such as the practice on the graduated path. They have gradually made the experiment, gradually achieved the result.

For instance, if one cares only for the present, what it brings, if one only cares for the present problem, not checking the greater future benefit that this method brings, then for instance, in the cases of the great yogis Milarepa and Naropa, their methods of purifying negative mind were not living in luxury places and so forth. There is always much struggle; they went through many physical sufferings, even these great yogis who achieved enlightenment in one lifetime, or in the intermediate stage after death. There’s not enough time to tell about all their holy practices, their methods of practicing Dharma. But as most people know, the great yogi Milarepa went many times through many difficulties and had to experience much hard work. He built and rebuilt the tower many times, and even though there were big wounds on his backside like an animal has, he was still obliged to continue work. If he had thought, “This is much problem, this is bringing me much suffering,” and if he had decided not to do this work given to him by his great guru Marpa, thinking, “This never helps me, it only causes problems to my mind and body,” he wouldn’t have achieved enlightenment in one lifetime. But he had such a wise, skillful mind, only concerned with the future, what it would make him, by continually suffering this as he was instructed by his great guru Marpa. Even the mystical wife of his guru Marpa tried many times to help him and felt much compassion for Milarepa. She sort of felt upset that Milarepa was suffering like that, doing those works by himself, even with wounds, and not receiving teachings. However many times she asked Marpa to give teachings, his guru Marpa continually let Milarepa do those hard works. Once the mystical mother, without asking Marpa, sent him to one of the disciples of Marpa, another great yogi, to receive teachings. Anyway, Milarepa continued whole this thing, he continued without caring for the present mental and physical troubles that the work brought. Finally, the total result of experiencing all those troubles for working was that he received enlightenment in that lifetime. Comparing that work and meditating on this, what Milarepa did is an incredible thing. So meditating on this graduated path is a much more happy, pleasant way of doing Dharma practice, without need of the sufferings that Milarepa experienced. Without going through those, we are trying in the simple way.

So therefore, remembering those examples, things like this, is important. No matter how you understand—even though you don’t understand now, you feel as you meditate or read, not understanding, finding problems, not receiving realizations right away. This is not a skillful method. Just because of this, not wanting to practice, or not wanting to understand, generally is not recognized as skillful method.

Anyway, however, if the practitioner’s mind, if the aim of the practitioner’s mind is not long enough, nothing can work. I mean, it is extremely difficult to escape from samsaric suffering and receive ultimate peace. If we cannot do that, if we don’t try for that, to achieve this, no matter whatever other action or method is done, it doesn’t help for that, it is of no value.

I left something out—the sacrificing. In ancient times, the father of one family sacrificed animals. They used to have a big stone at the back of their house, and they used to sacrifice animals there. Later on the father died and was born as a cow or buffalo, and was sacrificed by the son. Then again he was born in a similar shape and sacrificed six times by the son. To understand the evolution of karma is so interesting and very helpful—as much as we understand, is that much more helpful. It makes our mind conscious, gives us an idea of how it works.

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Mungalipu is the closest disciple of Guru Shakyamuni. Usually in tangkas you see two arhats standing—Mungalipu is the one who had the high achievement of psychic powers. Mungalipu performed this with his psychic powers, magic powers, to prove, because explaining may be not strong enough for those disciples, those two monks. He had such high magic powers or psychic powers to perform such things.

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The reason they can’t eat and they vomit is because of worry, that they would have such a rebirth. Even we people are worried, we cannot eat or sleep as usual—but what we worry about is different.

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Because they were so worried they asked Mungalipu if they would be reborn in the lower suffering realms.

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He replied that, “Until all delusions are ceased, you two will be in samsara.” That means sometimes in the upper realms, sometimes in the lower realms. Because it is not enough, one life’s work, just becoming a monk and creating merits, if the delusions are not ceased. Even if the result of that good karma, of taking precepts and creating good karma, brings the result of living in the upper realms and having enjoyments, after this, the being has to experience the lower realms. If one doesn’t try to stop delusions and continually try to stop being born in the lower suffering realms, then it is possible to be born there.

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These are notes taken from past courses.

Anyway, so by continually experiencing and meditating on the suffering lower realms, when you—the definition of having had the experience of the lower suffering realms is having the feeling at that time just like in the example of those two young monks—feeling scared, frightened. Now for us, this life is like talking about a dream, something that is not serious. But as you continually meditate on this, as I explained in terms of the animals, you see it as more and more serious. You find it more and more serious, real, as you have further experience, continually doing the meditation. Then, when you have the experience of this meditation, then you are very frightened, like those two boys. Right away you want to do something, to arrange some way to not be born there and suffer. Also, you see the suffering as very close, very close. There’s great energy and great will, right away, this minute, this second, you want to do something, to make some preparation to completely stop being reborn in those lower suffering realms and suffering. Such strong desire not wanting to be reborn there and suffer because of the extreme, horrible, unbearable sufferings is because of this experience, arises from this experience.

Therefore you want to find, to seek, perfect refuge.

For instance, like this, a similar example—let’s say I am guilty, I am a criminal, I did something wrong, and am going to be punished. I broke the law of the country. So according to my criminal action, I am supposed to be killed at the court or something, and it is definitely sure that I am going to be killed. I am at the court, and I see another person being killed. As I see the other person being killed because of his guilty action, I become so extremely frightened, so much afraid, so right away I want to do something, to find some top person, who has the power to help, who has no criminal actions, who is not guilty, who does not have any of these problems, but who has power and control and can make a change, can guide me, can help me to not be killed. So right away I want to take refuge in such a person, a person who has power and who is not guilty. When I eat food, when people offer tea, whatever, even though it does go through, it gets stuck because of the fear, the worry. Just like this—when we feel the longing, the strong desire to find someone perfect, and the wish to seek refuge right away, as quickly as possible, to make sure that we will not be reborn as a person with that experience, we have received the experience of the worry of the future sufferings. Even we find it difficult to enjoy food, differently from before. At this time, the person has the experience of this meditation, the person has received this experience. It is necessary, since there’s that much suffering. For instance, like this, taking oneself: we are not born in that realm at this moment, but it is definite, in a time, that we will be born in that suffering realm. So do we want to be born in that suffering realm and suffer? So, we don’t want that! So how to stop that rebirth and the experience of that suffering? From our side is there’s any method, any power? No, we don’t have any power. So, do we have the power to guide? We don’t have the power to guide ourselves from those rebirths without depending on another object. By ourselves we can’t guide ourselves, we can’t stop our rebirth and suffering. So, now this causes us to seek refuge. It is necessary to seek refuge because we are powerless to guide ourselves from suffering without depending on another object and we have fear in the suffering if we are not free from it.

Seeking refuge is the most important thing, not only so that we will not be reborn in the suffering realms after the death, but also that we will never be reborn in the suffering realms in all of our future lives. So we should seek refuge.

Who has that power, who has that great power that can guide us from suffering, from rebirth in the lower realms, from the sufferings? The ultimate refuge is the Enlightened One. This is the perfect object of refuge because—why it is the perfect refuge object? He himself is released; he has not one tiny, slightest defect of samsara. Another way of saying is that he has not the slightest delusion and not even the slightest self-cherishing thought, and no existence of even the slightest impure, dualistic mind. He has finished all his works, completely finished, he has gained the highest self-support, he has completed the whole path, which means realization—not one tiny realization is left, there is nothing that has not been achieved by the Enlightened One. He has great, infinite power to work for sentient beings without depending on superstitions and effort. Just as the moon reflecting in all the different waters on the Earth—the reflection of the moon arises on all lakes and waters of the Earth without effort—so the way the enlightened power works for each sentient being is like this, effortless. So this is the ultimate refuge, the most perfect refuge object.

Why is it that the lower arhats who are just out of samsara, who have only achieved the cessation of samsara, who have not received bodhicitta not the ultimate refuge? Because they still have not eliminated the wrong conception of the self-existing “I.” Therefore, the arhat has not finished his own work. His own work is not completed because there is still self-cherishing thought, and the dualistic mind is not completely purified. Also, as his own work is not completed, working for other sentient beings is also limited, not extensively pervasive like the enlightened being’s actions. So even the arhat is not the ultimate refuge—even though he is out of samsara, he is still not the ultimate refuge object. So beings living in samsara, how can we rely on them completely? The power of their guidance is limited because they themselves are living in ignorance, still in samsara. So, any beings living in samsara are not objects worthy of our refuge—we cannot rely on them with our whole life, cannot depend on them with our whole life. There are many beings, such as Vishnu, Laxmi, those higher samsaric gods who are more powerful than ordinary spirits. Even those, as it is explained in the teaching of the great yogis and the teaching of the Buddha, even those beings are also in samsara, those samsaric gods. They may give temporal guidance but not ultimate guidance, because they are in samsara, they are also not out of ignorance, as we are not. So anyone going in samsara, as we are, is always limited in their power, more so than the arhats who are out of samsara. It’s like this—we, all of us people, all drown in the quagmire and ask each other, “Please guide me from the quagmire, release me.” Just like this, it is the same thing taking refuge, completely relying with our whole lives on those samsaric beings, those samsaric gods. Anyway, they don’t have the power that arhats have to guide us from the suffering of the lower realms.

Also, there are many other spirits like those samsaric gods who can give temporal, material help; sometimes maybe they can bring temporal success like work and business. There are many spirits who can help like that, but they cannot be objects of the whole refuge because they cannot solve the whole problem. So, maybe there are not that many people in the West taking refuge in spirits, giving the whole refuge completely and relying on the spirits. Anyway, there’s nothing to trust in the samsaric gods or spirits. We can never trust that they always help and never hinder. Also in Tibet, there are many spirits who can give us temporal help, then after they betray us, and we get sick or many things happen. Families in certain places have spirits that can harm people that they don’t like; also they can give temporal help. We should not surrender to these because they are not objects that can solve the whole problem.

For instance, in Tibet—there are many example, but one example—one Tibetan man had a goiter, and he was on his way somewhere, I think a place that is after Lhasa. He had to spend a night on a mountain on the way. Usually in Tibet on the mountains where there are spirits situated they build up stones and put flags on the top, and as they pass these places on the road, especially the laypeople say some words. So the man slept in one of these places and that night the spirits had a meeting, an invitation of meat, sharing the most. Maybe they couldn’t find the meat, so as man was sleeping there, without any idea of what would happen, the spirits took his goiter away. When he woke up he was extremely pleased that he didn’t have the goiter. So he got home and there was another man there with a goiter. This man had belief and trust in this first man’s experience, and he went to sleep in the same place. But the spirits of that place didn’t enjoy the goiter, so they put it back and they put the other one on top of the first one, so this man ended up with double. Therefore, there is nothing to trust in these temporal helpers. One reason is because these beings do not have the achievement of the impartial mind and compassion. The reason for telling this story is to say that there is nothing to trust in, and no reason to rely on or to completely take refuge in any being that is not out of samsara—the worldly gods who are not out of samsara.

6 p.m.

So, the worthwhile object in which to living beings who desire liberation, who desire the release of the samsara should take refuge is Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Chandrakirti, who had great achievement of shunyata, absolute true nature, and who wrote many commentaries, many teachings on Madhyamaka, the Middle Way, said in his teachings, “The three, the Triple Gem, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, are the objects of those who desire liberation, the release from samsara, to be unbound from samsara.”

The release from the bounds is the meaning of nirvana, is the meaning of liberation. Binding is the meaning of samsara and unbound is the meaning of nirvana, liberation. Even in this subject what is the object that is bound, and what binds—there are many things to think about. So, as this great pandit pointed out in this teaching, ignorant beings know where to take refuge and are not misled, led in the wrong way, don’t make mistakes—these three are necessary to have, to the three objects we have to rely on, just as a patient who has to rely on the doctor, medicine and nurse. The sickness cannot be cured without medicine even if there is a doctor. So they have to rely on the medicine too. Then it is also necessary to have a nurse to help the patients take the medicine, and other things. So the Buddha is the Doctor, the Dharma is the medicine, and the Sangha is the nurse.

(Page 60)

Milarepa’s quotation.

Totally, what he is saying is this—after understanding and fully realizing the eight restless stages and impermanence and samsaric suffering, being scared and not doing anything, not trying to achieve any methods, the right methods that cause us to be released from suffering is silly. To seek the right method, the person must take refuge in the founder who has shown the right method. To seek the right method one has to rely on someone who shows the right method. Without relying on a founder, there is no way to achieve the right method; without taking refuge, without relying on the founder, there is no way to achieve the right method.

For instance, a patient who does not have belief in or does not rely on the doctor, who doesn’t have confidence in the doctor, will not take the right medicine that was given by the doctor. Anyway, it is the same thing—if you have fear, if you are scared, it is necessary to make this beneficial, not just saying, “I’m scared, I have fears,” and doing some other things that don’t help to stop suffering and only create more suffering. This is silly, this is foolish. So it is necessary to take refuge. We have no perfect method, so, to release ourselves from suffering it is necessary to take refuge in the founder of the right method, in the founder who has the right method. As we suffering beings take refuge in Buddha, it is also necessary to take refuge in Dharma and Sangha.

Paragraph 4

1. The delusions that are rooted in greed, ignorance and hatred.
2. The more subtle ones, the impressions left by the delusions (nyon dip). She.dip are the very subtle obscurations.

Paragraph 5

Sincere practice—achievement of realizations.

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Cannot be an object of ultimate refuge, even if he has that much psychic power, if he does not have the Buddha’s power.

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The Sangha is the helper to attain the refuge. What refuge? The real refuge, the Dharma.

So totally, the total knowledge that Buddha has, the knowledge that makes the Buddha the object of ultimate refuge is this knowledge—completing one’s own and others’ purpose, one’s own and others’ work. His great compassion is equals for all sentient beings, to every and all sentient beings. This means as he has great compassion to one sentient being—just as he has great compassion for me, he has great compassion for every and all sentient beings. No matter how the sentient being looks, whether it’s a creature, a human being, a samsaric god ... whatever it looks like—beautiful, awful, rich or poor—he has equal compassion for all the sentient beings, he has equal compassion. For oneself or fro the man who criticizes, who complains how awful he is, what a liar he is—the compassion that he has for this person criticizing Buddha is exactly the same as the great compassion he has for me, unbiased. The samsaric worldly gods and worldly beings who can give much temporal help don’t have such power—these gods always help those who admire and make offerings to them, and hinder those who don’t believe in or cause trouble to them. They are partial, so there is nothing to compare to Buddha’s great compassion. Just that unbiased great compassion that the enlightened being has, that great knowledge having unbiased great compassion, without impartial mind, retaliating.

And working for each and every sentient being without depending on who helped and benefited, or who didn’t benefit or help. The worldly gods are the opposite of that. The ordinary people’s help and work for other people is not equal, is always partial. They help, do the work for those who help them, and they don’t give help or do the work for those who don’t benefit or help them. But the Enlightened One helps and works for every and all sentient beings without depending on sentient beings’ helping him, without depending on retaliation—that those sentient beings helped, those sentient beings criticized, without depending on anything like this. And enlightened beings are extremely pleased when you controlling your own mind, subdue your own mind. “Offering of attainment” means subduing one’s own negative mind, body and mind. This is the best offering to them, better than material offerings.

So, any being who has this knowledge that I have briefly mentioned, this total knowledge, is a buddha, is a perfect being, even though it is not called “Buddha.” Like this—if Buddha or the Enlightened Being, or Perfected One is not himself completely released from delusions and sufferings, then he cannot guide other beings from suffering, just as the example that was given before. If he does not have equal compassion for each and every sentient being, then all suffering sentient beings would not receive his help. Some sentient beings would receive help, some sentient beings wouldn’t receive help if he had no unbiased, equal compassion, or if he has partial compassion, which means thinking that some sentient beings are closer and holding some sentient beings farther away, like our mind, our present mind can do. We give help to those who like us, admire us, and help us, but we don’t give help to those who criticize us. So like this, if there’s such thought, for example, some people don’t receive help even though they are suffering. Also, if he has no unbiased equal compassion, he can’t guide all sentient beings because he has partial compassion. He can guide sentient beings because he is completely released from all the delusions, the defecst, the illusive mind. He can guide all sentient beings from suffering because he has unbiased, equal great compassion. He can guide all sentient beings from suffering because he makes the action, he works for each and all sentient beings, without depending on whether the sentient beings helps him or not. Because of this reason, all sentient beings are guided by him. So if we take refuge in him, he can guide us—because of this total knowledge. And also, what pleases him does not depend on material offerings as it does for the worldly gods and ordinary people. Ordinary people are not much interested to know that a person has realizations or is making pure practice of Dharma—it is extremely rare to please others in this way. Usually we please them by material gifts, material offerings, not by enlightenment, disciplining one’s body, speech, and mind and keeping it pure. By achieving the path, by completing the Dharma practice, by completely achieving the whole path as he experienced it, we can receive all the realizations, the stage of enlightenment. If you follow, take refuge in the Dharma, in the method that was shown by him, it is definite that it can guide us from suffering. It is definitely possible because he became enlightened by following that path, by taking refuge in the Dharma. By following a Dharma method he received enlightenment. So it is logical. Also great numbers of sentient beings received enlightenment by following the path shown by Guru Shakyamuni. Also, these later beings, also they have shown the path, so it is logical. So if you take refuge in the Dharma as shown by him and correctly follow it, there is no such danger that it may betray or cheat you, cause problems or sufferings—no danger.

So, as we can take refuge in Dharma, we can take refuge also in Sangha. Sangha is the helper for attaining the Dharma, and those who pure practice Dharma can rely on Sangha also. There’s levels of Sangha like this: the actual Sangha is one who has the achievement of the full realization of the absolute true nature, who has the achievement of the fully-seeing path—that is called Sangha. But also, four monks living in the precepts, that is also called Sangha. One monk is not called Sangha. When there are four ordinary monks it is called Sangha. The noble beings who have the achievement of the fully-seeing path, because of the realizations, can be called Sangha. Guru Shakyamuni is the Buddha, and also his omniscient mind is the Dharma. Usually it is explained like this—Dharma, the cessation of suffering, is achieved by following the true path. The true path, the full realization of absolute true nature is also Dharma—the true path, which means the realization of absolute true nature, which leads to the cessation of suffering. There are levels of the cessation of the delusions of suffering—so all these are Dharma, cessation of suffering and true path. So Guru Shakyamuni also has achievement of that cessation of suffering and true path, so he is also Dharma.

Sangha is the one who attains the cessation of suffering and the true path, so Guru Shakyamuni is also Sangha.

So tonight at this time, do the visualization of Guru Shakyamuni, and try to remember the knowledge of the Buddha that I briefly talked about, and the meaning of Dharma and of Sangha, and think that he is also Dharma and Sangha. Visualize the light coming from his holy body and purifying all the negativity of body, speech, and mind. Besides thinking that it purifies all negativity of body, speech, and mind, this light also purifies all negative karma that I have been creating in relation to the object Buddha, the object Dharma, and the object Sangha. We have created much negative karma in relation to the object Buddha, the object Dharma, and the object Sangha. Usually when we create negative karma it is in relation to the object sentient beings or the object holy beings. So as you remember Guru Shakyamuni is the total Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, also remember the negative karma that you created in relation to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

(Meditation)

Do the absorption from the throne, lotus, sun, moon, and Guru Shakyamuni, and visualize that it comes down to the center of your head and absorbs into you, and as it absorbed you, your wrong conception of the self-existing “I” and the dualistic mind, the whole thing became completely empty, those old views nowhere existing, and your mind became oneness with Guru Shakyamuni’s holy mind in the form of emptiness and in the nature of infinite happiness. Wherever there is your mind covering you become oneness; the holy mind that you become oneness, wherever that is covering, there is also holy speech and holy body.

From the emptiness visualize a large throne and lotus, sun, moon, and yourself as Guru Shakyamuni ... seated, very beautiful, shining with a body of golden light. Think also that your mind, speech, and body become oneness with Guru Shakyamuni’s holy body, speech, and mind; indestructible.

Day 19
Tuesday, December 4th
5 a.m.

The action of taking ordination should be possessed by the Mahayana impulse, and besides this it should be possessed by pure thought—that which is detached from the happiness of this temporal life. Therefore, try to make the action of taking ordination be possessed with these things by this condensed way of thinking, brief impulse, “The attachment to temporal happiness and the higher samsaric pleasures is the source of samsaric suffering. Therefore, there is no reason to continually follow those negative minds. However much we make this present life happy or receive a happy samsaric life, it is only in the nature of suffering. Therefore, there is no reason to have interest to be attached to it. Totally, there’s not even a little samsaric pleasure that we have not experienced countless times. There is no tiny suffering that is left in samsara that we have never experienced, we have experienced these samsaric sufferings countless times. Also, there is no samsaric highest pleasure that we never experienced—we have experienced these countless times. Also, there is no heavy samsaric suffering that we never experienced—these have been experienced in numberless previous lives. Therefore, nothing of the samsaric experience is new to us. Therefore, even for this reason, as it is nothing new, there is no reason to be attached. Also, there is no reason to be attached to the samsaric happiness because being attached to the samsaric happiness, experiencing the samsaric happiness with attachment, causes us to suffer in the first place.

Releasing oneself from samsara is not enough. As infinite number of sentient beings are objects from whom we received our past, present, and future happiness and perfection, they are in suffering and not having met the Dharma and are missing many things. So we must lead them from samsara. First we must become enlightened. First we must discipline our body, speech, and mind by purifying the negativity of body, speech, and mind. The most practical way to do this is by following the precepts.” Therefore think, “I am going to take Mahayana ordination.”

Visualize the person granting the ordination in the form of Guru Shakyamuni surrounded by numberless buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats, think that you are taking the ordination in their presence, and repeat the prayer.

(Ordination Ceremony)

9 a.m.

From the bodhicitta teachings of the great guru, bodhisattva Tenzin Gyaltsen, “Bodhicitta should be acquired to help, to benefit all others; to be the guru for all others, bodhicitta should be acquired.”

Repeating again, “To benefit others bodhicitta should be acquired; to be the guru for others, the founder of the teachings, the founder of the path, bodhicitta should be acquired; to be a friend of others, bodhicitta should be acquired.”

If the action of benefiting or helping others is done with bodhicitta—besides not harming others by that action and being a greatly profitable action—it is a more beneficial action. Also, if one becomes a guru with the achievement of bodhicitta, the teachings—there’s no danger of misleading, no danger of leading someone into the lesser vehicle while the disciple has the chance or the fortune to follow the great vehicle. Also, the importance is that the disciple receives bodhicitta quicker, as the techniques, the teachings of bodhicitta, are shown.

being a friend of others with bodhicitta, there is no problem of causing them danger, no problem of causing confusion, causing harmful actions to other beings. Ordinarily, with worldly friends, because of the partial mind, even if we help some people, we cause problem to some other people.

Therefore, even to be a friend of others it is a great help, and useful to have the achievement of bodhicitta. Anyway, this important, precious, and pure thought of bodhicitta is necessary to be achieved by us while we are born as perfect human beings, perfect human beings who have the chance to practice, to listen to teachings about it.

Therefore, it is necessary even to start the practice of that as quickly as possible, because we are not sure how long we will exist. It is indefinite whether tonight or the next life that will appear first—it is more definite that the next life will appear than today’s night. Therefore, if I haven’t had a chance to train the mind in this pure practice, this pure thought, it is necessary, it is important, even if there is only one hour left to exist. Therefore, it is important to start right from this moment. Therefore, t it is necessary that the action of listening to the Mahayana teachings be possessed by this pure thought.

So, as I went through it this morning, there is no need to tell more. Think briefly like this—”I must achieve enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings in order to release them from suffering, besides myself being released from samsara. Therefore, it is necessary to fully achieve the whole graduated path. Therefore, it is necessary to fully understand the whole meaning and complete the practice. Therefore, I am going to listen to the Mahayana teachings on the graduated path.”

So, going through the brief outlines of the meditations that we have finished so far—”Perfect Human Rebirth.” (Actually “Beginningless Mind” and “Possibility of Enlightenment” are included in the graduated path, but usually the way of giving the explanation of the meditations on the graduated path that are given by the Tibetan lamas to the usual people is different, not exactly like this. First they give the explanation of the guru practice, then secondly perfect human rebirth—the door of the path, guru practice, and then the perfect human rebirth, and then like this. Also, that is the way the outlines of the meditations are set up in the Tibetan texts for the meditators. It is like this, but I preferred—anyway, this is the way I set it up, according to what I think, what I felt from the European people. Because the thing is this—basically it is the same human being but the understanding is different, the basic understanding is different, the root is different. Like the root of the tree.)

“Perfect Human Rebirth,” “The Great Usefulness of the Perfect Human Rebirth,” “The Great Difficulty of Receiving the Perfect Human Rebirth,” “The Perfect Human Rebirth is Impermanent and Fragile,” “Death is Definite.” Because at death time no other method can stop death, cease death, and after death we are more definite to be born in the lower suffering realms than to be born in the upper realms. We are more certain to go that way, even though there are many other possibilities, many other ways to die, many more peaceful, better forms of death. Even though there are many better possibilities, better paths, we are more certain to take the black path, which is to go to the lower suffering realms, even though there are many beings, fortunate, virtuous human beings, practitioners, taking the easy way at death time.

The highest practitioners, the most knowledgeable, the highest practitioners, stop death, cease death. The middle ones do not have suffering at death time, and the third group of practitioners do not have any worry at death time, are not upset at death time. According to the practitioner, like this. Some practitioners at death time, instead of going to be reborn in the lower suffering realms under the control of force by their karma, many of those practitioners are invited at death time by many gods and goddesses with prostrations, with all kinds of music, such as bells and drums, cymbals, and many other interesting kinds of music, and also incense, very scented, sweet smelling incense, and many goddess. They make prostrations and they invite them to the pure land. They come to invite the practitioner at death time or as the person is in the intermediate stage. There are also those like this—this is the experience of many past practitioners, meditators. Those practitioners never have worry or suffering at death time. Those practitioners are waiting for death like they wait for a picnic, like ordinary people go on a tour in another country. It is exciting. For these practitioners it is not suffering, it is like going for a picnic; more than a picnic.

Also many times, also in Tibet, many retreaters, meditators, achieved the vajra rainbow body, which means that there is nothing left, no body, no corpse can be seen in the cave, in the place. It all dissolved. Many times this happened in Tibet—those are very high practitioners. And the cave is full of sweet smells, many good vibrations. Many times this happened.

Anyway it is good to try one of those as I have mentioned, the three levels of practitioners, how they go through death. Making that kind of tour is the best tour. If we want to make a trip, in place of spending our whole life making a trip on earth on a physical level, the best trip is to make a trip at death like those practitioners.

So at the moment, for us, it is more definite that we will be born in the lower suffering realms. And the actual time that we will be born in the lower suffering realms is not definite. We have definitely created karmas to be born in the narak, preta and animal realms—not just once or twice but in many previous lives. So, if we don’t work something our with the karma, don’t do something with those karmas we have created before, and also if we don’t try to stop creating negative karma in the future, then we are definitely going to be born gradually in all those three lower suffering realms. So, as we are fortunate at the moment, we are fortunate that we didn’t meet the time to be born there and suffer—at this moment we did not arrive in that time. Let’s say right at this moment the time to suffer there arrived—how strongly we would desire to find refuge, to be secure from suffering. At this time no one can rescue us, no one can save us, because the karmic power and the power of the Buddha is equal, so in such a time, if we are in such a time, suffering in those realms in a second, how strongly we desire to take refuge. But even if there’s such a strong desire to seek refuge, there’s no savior, in that time there’s no savior saving from suffering. Therefore, in that time, from all directions, from all the ten directions, up and down, from all the directions, even we suffering beings try to seek a savior, try to seek refuge, and cannot find savior to save us. The method is finished, there isn’t any means. In that critical time, the method is finished. Therefore, thinking of this, thinking of such uncontrolled, miserable situations—even if there’s the desire to seek refuge there is no savior, the power of karma is very strong. So before coming to the time, it is necessary to be clever, skillful, to be careful. So the way to be careful not to be reborn in such suffering stages is to seek refuge in the holy objects in order to save us from the danger of being born in the suffering realms. The person cannot be saved from those dangers. We, for instance, cannot be saved from danger—however much the family has power, however much the government has power—we cannot be saved, they cannot save us from such danger. Even if all the countries becomes one country, all the countries that are on this earth becomes one country and make just one powerful country, still there’s no power to save us from such danger.

So, the holy object who can save us from such danger of the suffering of the lower realms are those three holy objects, Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Those are the holy objects that never betray, never cheat. Those three holy objects never causes any danger or problem by following them, by taking refuge in them.

Another way of saying this is the founder, the method, and the helper—Buddha, founder; Dharma, method; Sangha, helper—the helper to achieve the method. The way to be careful and to be clever is to seek the refuge ahead of time, before the danger. It is necessary not to make mistakes in seeking refuge, it is extremely important to find or to receive a perfect holy object for seeking refuge. It is necessary that the object in whom we seek refuge be perfect and holy, not a misleader. A misleader leads us to suffering—the misleader leads, and the person follows with the expectation of peace, but what he receives is suffering. It should not be like this—he should not be a misleader, a founder of a wrong method or a wrong helper; it shouldn’t be like this. So first, it is extremely important to seek the right object, the object which is perfect for putting your life in it. It is necessary to check how this works—does it cause you to release from, does it guide you from such dangers as the sufferings of the lower realms? And it is important to check whether the method is perfect or not, whether the method has perfect power to guide you from those dangers. Discovering this depends on the founder, whether the founder is perfect or not, whether he has achieved that power or not, whether he is living in that power or not. Because the method has to be shown, whatever power the method has must be shown with his experience, if he has the power that the method has.

So it is necessary, before putting your whole life, completely relying, it is necessary to check the founder, as he has the achievement of the power to guide you from suffering such as the suffering of the three lower realms. It is necessary to check the knowledge, the achievement of his knowledge. Anyway, so totally talking, in regards to a being such as Guru Shakyamuni, there is not one tiny danger in taking refuge, completely relying on such enlightened being. This is because he is the true founder, because he has the achievement of all the powers, great knowledge, compassion, and they can be achieved through his methods. How can that be proved, that he has achievement of the power, infinite knowledge and compassion, that he has the real, the perfect ability to guide us from those dangers, not only the temporal sufferings but the great danger, the suffering of the three lower realms? That has proven by his followers, by his followers who have the same achievement of great power and knowledge and compassion, who attained this by correctly following the methods shown by Guru Shakyamuni. And also, the third followers, also they did this same thing, they also had the same achievement of the power, knowledge, and compassion. So it is proven that Guru Shakyamuni was the true founder, as they had the same achievement as the second person, who achieved enlightenment after Guru Shakyamuni. Like this it is proven—through experience, not only through words. Therefore, Guru Shakyamuni is the true founder. Why he is the true founder? Because his teaching is the true teaching, because the method shown by him is the true method, the pure method. Is not like—something is there, there is Buddha, something is there in the sky, without any explanations— whatever it is, how it come, it happened, with no explanation of the knowledge, it is there, something we cannot become—it is not like this. Holy mind, Guru Shakyamuni or Buddha—so far these are the names that we know. Actually, there are great numbers of different names of Buddha—many. Like this—I think it is good to say through this prayer (Page 19). Shakya (caste), Tubpala (control)—means Shakyamuni, same.

There are about different names but it is like this: lama— guru; tonba—founder. So there are about seven names like this, and all the names start from guru. So actually, like this—that is the actual guru? The very first name, guru, what is that? The actual, the absolute guru is omniscient mind, the holy omniscient mind, that which can also be called Vajradhara. So that holy mind, that Vajradhara appeared as Guru Ton.ba; Chom.den.de; to.shin.sheg.pa; da.chom.pa (which means arhat, but literally, “the one who destroyed the enemy, delusions.” This is the meaning of arhat). One way is like this, according to the Hinayana, arhat. He is called da.chom.pa. So, this holy mind is also da.chom.pa. Dzong.pe.sang.gye—fully enlightened. Pal.gyal.wa. Shakya.tub.pa.la—as in the book. The rest of prayer—as in the book.

So all that is, all we are making offerings and prostrating to, all that is the holy omniscient mind.
Some may think, “He is talking too much, too much hung up on Guru Shakyamuni. There are so many manifestations, why he doesn’t mention something else?” Some may think this. Guru Shakyamuni is just one manifestation, just one different name, like I have many different names in different places, but I am one person. It is just a matter of different names. I had name given to me by my parents, then by lamas who gave ordination, then by others according to the place. There are different names, different names and different ways of looking. For instance, one person, when he was a sweeper in the bathroom, at that time he was called “sweeper.” Then when he carried food in a hotel, he was called “bearer.” Then he becomes the “manager” of the hotel. Then he becomes, if he is educated, there are different names—”professor,” and so forth, according to his occupation. Then when he is educated, “minister.” Then “president.” So now, it’s one person but the name is given according to his occupation and way of looking. But it is one person, all one person
.
So anyway, this holy mind, Guru Shakyamuni, is just one manifestation of the holy mind, to subdue, to control sentient beings’ negative minds and delusions, in order to enlighten them. So there are numberless manifestations of the omniscient mind, the number of which are beyond the objects of our mind—so like this. So now some people may think, “How can we become Guru Shakyamuni, achieve Guru Shakyamuni? It is ridiculous talk, such an impossible thing.” It is not like this—it is definitely possible, this does not mean he no longer exists—not like this. There is no change, there is no such time that he does not become Buddha, that he passes from this stage, even if all the sentient beings achieve Guru Shakyamuni. Our achieving the holy omniscient mind, that in itself is achieving Guru Shakyamuni. However, there are many different aspects of Buddha, wrathful, peaceful—achieving the holy omniscient mind is achieving all the buddhas, all the enlightened holy beings.

Because there is no such thing, no such Guru Shakyamuni that is different from the holy omniscient mind, because there is no such other enlightened being that is different from the holy omniscient mind—different or separate.