So, comesta.  

So before the talk we are going to, one of the teaching the Golden Light Sutra, which I will be transmitting the lineage, the blessing, which came from Buddha, Omniscient One, Compassionate Omniscient One, that has been transmitted unbroken, which has unbroken lineage from my guru, Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche. I have about twenty-five gurus and, who is one of them that, who is a great spiritual master, great scholar and highly attained, whose qualities like limitless sky, realizations, understanding of the Buddhadharma.

So this Golden Light Sutra, it has, from the Buddha’s teaching, about maybe hundreds of volumes, from that, the Kangyur, there’s elaborate version, a middle version and shorter version, there are three. So this is the short version which I am going to recite, transmit the lineage of this teaching which came from Buddha.

So before that, so paying some homage to the Omniscient One, kind compassionate the Omniscient One, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. So, that and then the heart, the very essence, the very heart of Buddhadharma, called Three Principal Aspects of the Path to Enlightenment.

So first I would like to say that it appears, I think many of you here are old students and, old students, I think, old students before this birth, old students before this birth. Anyway, so many years ago and maybe also who have met Dharma a few years ago or somebody also quite new to Buddha’s teachings and there may be also, could be also new ones, who just maybe first time to hear Buddhadharma.

So however, the purpose we are gathered here is for happiness, is to achieve happiness, either for oneself or to be able to cause happiness for others. So, whichever religion one follow or practice, the wish or the aim is same, happiness, to achieve happiness. How many different, how many hundred thousands or billions of religion that there is in the world, their goal is the same, peace and happiness. Even for these insects that, those tiny insects, ants or very tiny insects that you hardly can see with the eye, even these very tiny insects running around keeping busy, they’re doing this for happiness, to achieve happiness in the life, including the tigers, elephants, crocodiles, mosquitoes, elephant, ant, elephant, mouse, anyway, so everybody is working for, doing something to achieve happiness, whether by eating grass or by eating other animals, by eating grass, plants, like the monkeys eat fruit, climb over the trees to eat fruit or the tigers, the tigers they hide in the grass, as if they don’t exist there, as if they’re not there. Then when they really planned well, to get it, to get it, when they really planned well, to catch the right time, they know the right time to capture, which one to capture, which one you can catch. Or even which part of the body to grab, whether here, here, from back side climb and bite, then after some time the animal cannot function any more, fall down, then…. Or some bite here, from in front, bite here, they know everything what to do.

They haven’t gone to school, they haven’t gone to university, or college, to, there’s no tiger university, or college that, train how to kill those, those pitiful animals, deers and zebras, the buffaloes, those who don’t kill other, they don’t eat other animals. Anyway, they know exactly how to do, where to bite, here or something, it’s right, the right place where the animal that, no matter how big, can’t do anything, can’t do anything. So, they are very smart, they have their own politics. They are very expert in their own politics, how to get food. Achieve their happiness. Very expert. So even the mouse, they are very expert, they are so expert in how to achieve happiness for themselves and to harm others. They are very expert, mouse. So anyway, maybe I tell a story.

Many years ago at Kopan, in Nepal, so maybe people may not be aware of Kopan, name Kopan. So this is the monastery where, the main monastery from where the FPMT organization started. The main monastery where my master, Lama Yeshe, kinder than all the three-time buddhas, who take care of me for many years, who founded this organization. So this monastery built. So there are about nearly, say, there is nunnery and a monastery. Nunnery, I think, maybe nearly four hundred nuns, mostly from Tibet, because there’s not much opportunity in Tibet to learn. So mostly came from Tibet. Then about three hundred monks, like that. So anyway, that is the present time.

Anyway, many years ago, in my room, in the monastery so when I was staying there. So Lama and myself we had one benefactor, one nun, the African American, who has been a school teacher for many, many years, who we call Mummy Max. And so after the first disciple, our very first Western student, who’s a Russian, her name is Princess Rachevsky, her father was a king and there was a revolution happened in Russia then they left Russia, they lived in France, but she grew up in France, I think. Then lived in America, many parts of the world, and all kinds of life she had. So after, just before she died, this other African American, the nun, called Mummy Max, she took care of us and then after the very first Russian, the first student, Western student, Russian, the nun, she went to Himalayan mountains to do retreat, Lama sent to do very long retreat, in the Himalayan mountains there, a great lama from Nyingma, Kyabje Trulshig Rinpoche who is also, from whom I received also teachings. So at his monastery, did long retreat, Lama sent.

So she did the retreat and she passed away in meditation state and, at that monastery and then Rinpoche, Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche, who is the founder of that monastery, Rinpoche said that she is in the pure land of buddha, the deity called Vajrayogini. Rinpoche said that. And I checked with another lama, one very high lama in South India from Sera Me, Targye Rinpoche, who is regarded one of the Kadampa Geshe Potowa incarnation, he’s very highly respected and very old aged lama, so before Rinpoche passed away, I had the chance to go to see to receive blessing. So I asked Rinpoche where she is born, so Rinpoche said, did divination and said extremely good where she is born, extremely good.

Then I asked, I have one benefactor, one old mother from London, who took care of me…. There was another one who took care of me for seven years when I was at school or, India, different places, I had TB so she benefacted me for seven years. I never met but she sent letters and money to buy some more extra food and she sent clothing, she sent money to one nun, one English nun, I think who is the first nun, I think, ordained by Domo Geshe Rinpoche, I think, one lama. She is, I think, the first nun, she is the follower of His Holiness Karmapa, her name is Sister Vajra. So that old lady, who is a member of Buddhist Society in London, she sent money to her and made set of robes to me and sent. So that was my new dress on New Year or those special days to wear.

And anyway, she already passed away. There was avalanche happened Darjeeling, because Darjeeling is very wet, a lot of rain. So where she was staying, she had a new house built, a very nice house, new cottage was built, and then avalanche happened. So everybody screamed her, please get out, but she didn’t, couldn’t come out quickly. I think she was packing her money and things like that. So I think what happened was, got late to come out, so then the whole house collapsed. So people found that, if she come out immediately then it was good but, but I think she was packing up. So whole house collapsed on her by holding suitcase here in the hand and umbrella. So I think, maybe if she come out quickly, she would be lived longer. So anyway, that story helps impermanence, very important meditation, very important meditation the nature of life, the nature of the life, the reality of the life, impermanence and death.

So however, this old lady who took care of me for many years when I was studying at Buxa, for eight years, extremely hot place. So she passed away and then her cousin, also living in London, took care of me for some time.

I don’t know why I am talking this story. Huh? It’s disappeared. Why I am talking is gone.  I’m not sure. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Anyway, come back to….  

Oh, now I remember! I asked this old lady, member of the London Buddhist Society, her name is Rachel Levy, who took care of me for, that Lama and myself, we have some better food in Buxa, to buy, a little bit of money to buy. So this, from her, medicine, everything from her.

So I asked this lama, where she is born. Then the lama said, at present, at the moment it is very good, at the moment it’s good, the high lama said, ?Tagyab Rinpoche, at the moment it’s good but seems maybe not so good, near future. So that’s the story.

So anyway, so going back, so Mummy Max, the second benefactor, the student, so she bought for one, she bought one very, very thin zen, very thin. The aim is to go to the Japan, and she said that Japan is very hot. So of course, other than the statues, buddha statues there in my room but that’s only most precious, that’s the only new thing in my room, a very thin zen, not complete, maybe half. So that’s the only new thing I had in my room, in the drawer.

So what happened was, under my bed, the, Lama came, Lama Yeshe came, I don’t know how Lama find out that there was a mouse in my room, but Lama found, anyway. So then Lama asked one man, he was cook that time, he was my same class in Buxa, he was leader of my class, but anyway, then he disrobed, he changed his life, so he was cook at Kopan. So he, so Lama asked him to bring a stick and chase the mouse away from my room. So he came with the stick and chased under my bed, like this. So there was a mouse made nest under my bed, under my bed they made nest, I think, must be their home.  

So there was one mouse came out, I saw went out, then I went after him, I don’t know, him or her, anyway. Went after him and then the mouse went over the, Kopan monastery, two stories, so it jumped on the vegetable field that belonged to monastery, because Lama used to like vegetable gardens, himself, say, sometimes pour water, with the gardeners. So anyway, jumped down. So I saw he jumped one floor down.

Then what happened was, one day, I took the drawer, I pulled the drawer, there was the zen, this one, the only new thing that there is, kind of precious thing that there is in the room, so it’s folded many times. So what happened, mouse came back, so hole is like this. The mouse came back, he ate, he made a hole right in the center, so when you stretch out the zen, many holes. It’s very interesting.

Mouse very small like this, very small like this, but knows how to, knows what the person cherishes, because among the room, in the room, among the possessions, what the person cherishes and exactly targets. So I thought it’s very interesting. I think that was very helpful. I think it’s very helpful to destroy my attachment, clinging to this zen, the mouse helped to destroy my attachment, I think. I mean, actually if I think well, if I did recognize, then that’s what it is, that’s helping to destroy the attachment, that gives all the problems in the life. So….

So anyway, so what I was saying before, it’s like that. There was story that Kadampa Geshe, I don’t know, maybe Khamlungpa, I think. It is said that he smiled only three times in the life. He smiled only three times in the life.  So what caused him to smile, I don’t remember, but one of the story is anyway, that while he was meditating in the hermitage, the mice were keeping so busy, so busy and then he look at, while he’s meditating, mice keeping so busy, round him, then look at them, so the mouse, so there’s wall and then mouse was carrying, they have stolen one turquoise from somebody, from some family, turquoise. I am sure this again, this is something what the family cherished, most. So anyway, they’re trying to bring up, collect, I don’t know, I mean, they can’t eat that turquoise and they can’t wear. That’s very interesting why they take the turquoise, anyway, that’s very interesting. It’s not medicine for them.  

So anyway, so the Kadampa Geshe Khamlungpa, I think, might be. So one mouse lay down, so there’s a crack in the middle, not crack, gap, space, between the wall and the wooden, the floor. So what they did is, one mouse lay down, like a bridge. Then this mouse pushed the turquoise on the backside, the backside of the mouse who was laying down. One lay down like this, the other mouse pushed the turquoise back to reach on the other side, in the hole. From there they can carry on the roof or somewhere.

So the lama saw this, so this is one time he smiled, he laughed. Yeah...So they are very expert, and they know how to harm, they know how to harm back. Yeah, they keep in mind and harm back. It’s incredible. Even they don’t have a human body, go to school or college, like that, but they, yeah. Like that, there are so many stories like that.

And anyway, doesn’t matter, I think since I am talking these stories, so I think, another story. One lama, one monk in Tibet who is a meditator living in the hermitage. So he lived in hermitage, doing meditation but then he checked all these animals how they, about their life, like research, checking on the animals their life, what they are doing.

So I think one time, the animal, I think maybe skunk, the one who gives bad smell, skunk, I think. So there was a nest on the tree, nest of the skunk on the tree. So what happened was, one day a bird, hawk, or I’m not sure, the bird came, I think, maybe there was an egg or something, I’m not sure. So while the mother skunk’s away, I think, I think maybe skunk, I’m not sure, that, seems the animal has a long tail, a long tail with lots of hairs, looks like that. So they came back, missing.

So the animal thought, the meditator in the cave maybe took away the baby, or the egg. Then slowly came inside the, slowly came in the hermitage, through the door, and then, at the altar, he went at the altar and bed, sent this very bad smell, at the altar. So gave very bad smell on the altar, I think he’s shot, shot, what do you call, so very bad smell.

So then one day, he actually saw the bird coming to, saw the bird coming to take out the baby, so then he realized that, then he realized, it’s not the meditator, it’s this bird who took the baby. So then one day he came inside, he came through the door, quietly, came and then went to the altar, he moved his tail, like this, like this, like this, and the smell went away. The bad smell which is at the altar went away. Went away.

So they are very expert to harm the enemy and to help somebody who, help you and to harm back, revenge to somebody, they’re very expert. So this lama realized, that he took as teaching, that is not real meaning of life, real purpose is something, something else than that, even the animals they are expert in this. So purpose of human life is not just that, the lama, the meditator realized. So then he realized the purpose is to change the attitude, to develop the mind in the path, to overcome the anger, desire, ignorance, these things, and to benefit others.

And also the lama saw, he, he examined how the animals they are living, how they are doing. Outside on the tree, the bird, this bird made, laid eggs in the nest. So before these birds and another bird living high up on the rock, they were fighting, attacking to this bird who laid the egg, made nest on the tree, outside of this lama’s hermitage. So one day a snake is coming up to eat the eggs. And then this bird saw that danger. So then screamed very loudly and then went up on the rock and somehow made noise there and then the other bird who used to fight, come down to fight, came down, came down and the tree is like this, so there’s nest is on top. So down below here, this bird which came down from high up on the rock, made holes around with the beaks, made holes round and then left. So this snake that comes, somehow because of this hole snake couldn’t go up to eat the egg. So the bird, which is enemy before, but then somehow when this danger, this bird saw the danger, kind of I think, made a lot of noise, went up, then the other bird came down, made the holes round, the snake could not come up to eat the egg. So, before enemy but then also help.

So I think, so the lama found very interesting just watching the nature, the animals their life, like that. Even the animals they help others. So which means the human beings of course, full of opportunity to help, so must help other living beings.

So anyway, so going back. So since everyone, including us here, everyone what we wish, any being’s wish is happiness, including the person who commit suicide, looks like choosing the, it looks like choosing the pain, the suffering, looks like, but actually the person is looking for happiness, even the person who commits suicide, because there is a problem in the life, so much depression or, there is a problem in the life, that person doesn’t know how to deal with it, can’t bear it, cannot bear it. The person has no method in the life how to deal or how to overcome that. So can’t stand for that. So then the person think, no other solution, no other method, so then only thought what comes in the person’s heart, in the mind is that to kill oneself. Only that thought comes, nothing else. Then, by killing oneself then thinking, then thinking peace, then you don’t have that relationship problem or business problem or whatever it is, something very bad that is going to happen to you that you don’t want to experience, something. So think if you kill yourself then you don’t have to experience that. So it’s peace. So you don’t have to experience that, so therefore it’s peace. So that’s what the person thinks. Person doing, even commit suicide is doing to achieve happiness. Even killing oneself, person using that as, using that as a means to achieve happiness so that you don’t experience those relationship problems, whatever it is, business problem or unbelievable huge amount of money that you have to pay back or debts, whatever, or danger to, caught or prison, all these.

But that, not well thought, not analyzed, didn’t, but no knowledge of what the mind is, what the mind is. There is a body and a mind, what the mind is, without clear knowledge of what the mind is and that, if the person is questioned, if the person is questioned, Do you really know, a hundred percent do you realize there’s no life after this, that the mind does not continue, the consciousness does not continue, after the death? When the consciousness separates from the body, do you really know, I mean, do you realize, do you really see it hundred percent that the consciousness stops? [Rinpoche snaps fingers] When the death happens consciousness [snaps fingers] ceased, do you really see it, do you really realize? Not just intellectual belief or somebody explained. From your side do you really see it, do you realize? I mean, cannot answer, cannot answer.

If you think properly, straight mind think, it becomes a question. The real answer is, “I don’t know.” That is the sincere answer, the sincere from the heart, with the straight mind, the answer is, “I don’t know, I don’t know at the death time what will happen to the mind. I don’t know.” That’s the very sincere answer, very sincere answer. Or you feel naturally, even you believe intellectually, even you believe intellectually there’s no reincarnation, there’s no karma, no cause and effect, even you intellectually believe, that’s what you intellectually believe, but your heart doesn’t say that. Your heart, the natural, your heart, feeling, something is very, something very heavy thing going to happen. There’s something waiting. So there are people like this. I saw, I heard.

Then there are other people, not necessarily religious person following some faith but feeling at the time of death, at the time of death feeling, something very positive, very positive, something, you don’t feel any danger, any risk, totally opposite to the other person. The person feels something, there is great happiness, there’s something very good thing going to happen, you feel that. Even though you are not religious, particular follow a faith, but feel, something very positive, good future, good future, something is going to happen, something great happiness, something very positive, no fear at all. Some very good thing is going to happen. So, your heart tells.

So that’s the result of karma. Those are the people, there’s no particular faith following religion but lived their life very sincere, say, lived a good life, sincere and especially good-hearted, good hearted, generally doesn’t want to harm others, and always they want to help, be kind to others, so lived the life like that, even though there’s no particular religion.

So, your actions, how you lived the life that affects to your mental state, it affects to your mental state. It affects one’s own mental state, that the end of the life is something very positive, something very, something great happiness, there’s so much light in the life, no darkness, your journey to next life, something very happy thing, full confidence.

The other one, lived life so much with the selfish mind, the anger, or with the selfish mind and desire, all these, lived life so much with that, not a kind person, generous, not kind person to others. Then your actions affect to your mind, to your life. So near the end of the life you feel this something, even intellectually you believe there’s no other life, even intellectually you believe, but your heart tells you something very bad thing is going to happen.

So anyway, so this is the nature, what your heart tells, that is reality.

So however there’s nobody, there’s no one who has, who believed the philosophy or who follow those philosophy that there’s no reincarnation, that there’s no karma, or the cause and effect, action what one does, one’s own attitude and one’s own action, the positive attitude, positive action, result happiness. Negative attitude, negative action, result suffering, this life and other lives. So who do not, say, believe in this, so anyway, so there’s nobody who realized that there’s no reincarnation, that there’s no continuity of mind after this life, there’s no continuity of karma, cause and effect, who realized, there’s nobody. There’s nobody. But who realized that there is continuity of consciousness, continuity of karma, cause and effect, so what you do? Your actions of this life, positive, negative, has a negative effect, suffering and happiness life after this, not only in this life, but life after this. So there are who realized this, they are numberless. And there are so many people born, developed from the past through meditation, whatever, you are born with in this life with that power, can see yours, can see others’ past, future lives.

Then there are other people who through meditation, through development, meditation, able to have those clairvoyance, can see your past and future life, can see others’ past and future lives, through meditation. Even the, there are ordinary clairvoyances you can achieve through mantra, say, through substances, power of substances, through mantras, and the better quality clairvoyance is through, by achieving the shamatha, calm abiding. By actually, when you actually proceed in the path to liberation, the bodhisattva’s path or lesser vehicle path, when you proceed in the path then, higher and higher path you actually achieve then your power of foresight, the clairvoyance, able to advanced, see more and more past, able to see more and more the future, like when you enter in the Paramitayana, Mahayana path, Paramitayana path, the path of merit, preparatory path, right-seeing path, path of meditation, no more learning. When you achieve the right-seeing path, the exalted path, then there are ten bhumis, ten grounds, to be achieved, which starts from the third exalted path, the right-seeing path.  So by achieving the first bhumi, you are able to see a hundred lifetimes in the past and able to see future a hundred lifetimes as well. Then when you reach the second level bhumi, able to see one thousand lifetimes in the past, one thousand lifetimes in the future, yours and others. So through the, by actualizing the path then you see deeper and deeper the future and also the past, yours and others.

It is said that after achieving the, by the meditators, their experience, after achieving the shamatha, calm abiding, the mind becomes so calm and clear, so extremely calm and clear that almost you can count the atoms, the sand, the dust, the sand or dust of the mountain. When the mind, through meditation, when the mind becomes so clear, after achieving shamatha, calm abiding, so forth, on the basis of that.

So anyway, what I’m saying...so when the mind is, especially when we enter in the path, those level of path, then able to develop more and more greater insight, foreseeing, the capacity of foreseeing.

So your own mind, even though you are not believing before, but through meditation you develop your mind in the path and you see, even your own valid mind can see it is wrong, before your belief that there’s no reincarnation, there’s no continuity of consciousness after life like this, that you believed before, your own mind after you developed the capacity of your mind, clarity, then your own valid mind can prove what you are believing before is wrong, not only that others’ valid mind, numberless other beings, their valid mind can see past, future life, that see your way of thinking is wrong, not only they see that, especially the Omniscient One, who has completed all the understanding, those beings who have completed, whose mind is completed in the understanding. They directly able to see all the past phenomena, at the same time present, at the same time future, the omniscient ones, there is nothing more to develop the mind, to discover something new. Not only they see, their valid mind, omniscient mind can see that you see way of things wrong, not only that. Then numberless other unenlightened beings, their valid mind can see, those who can see past, future, they can see your mind’s wrong.

So what I was saying before, even your own mind, when your mind is developed, you can see, you can prove, with your own valid mind you can see the previous you thoughts, your concepts, were wrong.

So anyway, what I’m saying? I was talking about the person, even the person who commits suicide, it’s done for happiness. Think you kill yourself then nothing’s going to happen but that is total wrong view, there is no, after that there’s no suffering, that’s total wrong view.

So, as I just said, as I just mentioned, that, in short, in brief, like the grain, the rice, the rice grain, it has its own continuity of rice, like that. Then the corn, corn came from another corn, it has its own continuity. Doesn’t come from, put it this way. The chili, hot pepper, chili, it comes from its own continuity, it doesn’t come from raisin, sweet. Raisin doesn’t come from chili. Raisin is sweet, it has its own continuity.

So same, body has its own continuity, substantial phenomena, form, color, shape. Mind has its own continuity; it doesn’t come from the continuity of the body. Mind which is formless, because formless, no color, no shape, nature of the mind which is clear, the clear light, clear, perceiving object, which has that nature, which can do that. So it has its own continuity like those other examples, chili and raisin, rice and corn. So the mind, the conception that is taken on the fertilized egg, it had its own continuity before, before conception is actualized, before the mind took place on the fertilized egg. So there is a continuity, there’s continuity of that mind before the birth. So this body is the continuity of that fertilized egg, the sperm and the egg, also combined. So two are totally different continuities, totally different continuities. And it has a totally different principal cause, the nye len, the body has its own nye len, the principal cause, which is substantial color, form, like that, and the mind which has its own principal cause, which is, no form, no shape, no color, but which is nature of clear, perceiving object.

Then the other thing is, those are two preliminary reasons, then third, about the reincarnation, continuity of the consciousness, those consciousness exist before this life and after this life. Then, due to habituation, due to habituation, also that proves the reincarnation, there’s continuation of consciousness life before this and life after this.

That, in my case, I don’t have other, not particularly that I can remember past life, but what I think is that, when I do meditation, there are certain things, certain experiences or certain things, I am not talking about realization, just certain experiences, so that makes me to believe that there is past life. When I meditate, certain experiences, that did, did meditate in past lives. Not that I can remember this and that.

And, so in one family there is a child who has very selfish nature, born with very selfish nature, then there is another child, in the same family, born very good-hearted, very good-hearted, very compassionate nature. But this child, if this child see another child being beaten, if this child sees some other child being beaten, this child can’t stand that and cries, even though he- or herself is not beaten by, somebody else is beaten, some other children, not necessarily one’s own brother, sister, not necessarily, not in one’s own family but somebody, just in the street or somebody, seeing and the child cries, just seeing that, because can’t bear, because so much compassion. Then that other child is totally opposite, so selfish, no compassion at all, no sympathy or no feeling for others, in the same family.

So it shows this, the two different, two children who has different characteristic, different characteristic of mind, shows that not came from the parents’ mind, not that. It shows completely the, one who is so selfish, same, who has so much pride or so much anger or so much desire, all this, born like that, that’s habituation of the life before this, habituation of the mind, life before this. And the one who is so compassionate, so much loving nature that is born, the child born with that quality, always kind to others, always want to give, always want to give to others, want to, like to give things to others. So that child’s quality of that mind, again due to habituation life before this, habituated in the good heart, like that.

So for example, I think might have mentioned also in the past but anyway, my mother, who became a nun, ordained by His Holiness Dalai Lama’s tutor, His Holiness Ling Rinpoche, with many other Western Sanghas, monks and nuns. So she passed away and reincarnated, not at the hermitage, Lawudo, where the first, where I built the monastery there, at the same time master Lama Yeshe, while he was building the monastery at Kopan, near Nepal, Kathmandu. So reincarnated next hermitage which I think takes fifteen minutes to walk, something like that, that’s where we get the water to Lawudo hermitage, that has water stream, when there’s a lot of people at Lawudo, when there’s less people then there’s small water streams around, so can get from that.

So as far as my mother’s reincarnation, there was no need argument. It’s very clear from the child’s side, so clear, so much he can remember of his past life. That’s exactly what, the child does exactly what my mother used to do.

So when the child was brought to the monastery first time, so my brother, I have one brother who lives, who is younger than me, married and have already a few children and he lives in Kathmandu. So went up there to inaugurate, to meet the incarnation, to inaugurate So he did some celebration. He invited my mother’s incarnation at Lawudo, the monastery.

When he entered the monastery, so first he went to His Holiness’s throne, those carved, table and like that. So he went to take blessing, bowed down. Then there was one small throne where I usually sit, so he goes there, bows down, I think, maybe to the altar. So this is how my mother used to do normally when she entered in the gompa. And then when she finished inside then she go round, she go round the temple outside seven times, go round, circumambulate, for ?some time. So when the incarnation came, he did exactly the same.

And my mother had a prayer wheel, this size, just before she passed away the prayer wheel was, it was suggested for her to have prayer wheel next to her bed, just so that she can turn. So of course, my mother liked prayer wheels so much. So the incarnation every time he comes to Lawudo, he grabs the prayer wheel and every time he offers khatag to the prayer wheel before he leaves, before he go back at his home.

And he remember all the animals. We have some animals at Lawudo that my mother took care and she never gave to people. The animals is increasing because the baby make, baby, baby, baby, so my mother didn’t want to give the animals away. Of course there’s a lot of work. You have to go, you have to go very far, to collect the dry leaves from the forest, up there it’s either you go down very steep or you go up, much of it is like this. So life is very hard. So you have to collect dry leaves from the forest to put inside the house for the animals so they can be, when they lay down, keep warm. So there is so much work to do, collect the grass for the winter, all this, so many things. So my mother didn’t want to give animal to the other people because she is scared that the other people will sell to the butchers and they will be killed. So she just took care of every animal, so increased more and more.

So anyway, so this child could remember some of the cows, their names, the cows.

Anyway, one amazing thing that is, there was one Sherpa man, my mother’s very close friend, called Ang Phurba, who lived in Kathmandu. So my brother together they came to see the incarnation. So they went to the hermitage where he lived. So the minute when they, the minute Ang Phurba sat down when he went in the house of the incarnation, in the house, and the minute Ang Phurba sat down, then the, my mother’s incarnation’s mother, so pouring like, so in Solu Khumbu, there is custom, you offer wine or tea, whatever it is the person drinks, usually normally wine, chang. So anyway, so the incarnation, I don’t know how old, maybe less than four, I think, maybe three or something. So immediately able to call the name, Ang Phurba, immediately called the name and say, please have, please have. The mother’s pouring the wine or chang, maybe chang probably. So the incarnation, “Ang Phurba, please have, please have.” So this Ang Phurba then grabbed him, the incarnation, and Ang Phurba cried, cried. It became too much for him.

And then the incarnation could recognize all the family members, there’s no shy, immediately talk. Other people, then, very shy. Even the, before my mother passed away, she came down from Solu Khumbu to Kopan, so she spent some time, every day go down to Boudha, the great stupa, all-encompassing wish-fulfilling stupa. So my mother used to go round to circumambulate the stupa. So from the nunnery, the one, the main nun who runs the nunnery, take care of the nunnery, she helped to accompany my mother and to go round, circumambulate like that, for something like three months. So then when the incarnation came to Kopan, able to remember this nun, who helped for her for three months to circumambulate stupa, accompany. Other nuns he felt shy, like that.

And then my mother, during my mother’s time there, she had the shirt, old shirt, so she took the plastic buttons out, collected in a bottle because in the past, many years ago, when I was in Solu Khumbu, like that, it’s very primitive, there’s no kerosene, there’s no coffee, no sweet tea, no sugar, very primitive. The light, when you travel, the light you use those bamboo, dry bamboo for, if you go nighttime outside, like that or, in the house when you make food, there’s no light, so you use pieces of the tree, juniper tree or the, not that one, something else, I don’t know, maybe pine tree, I think, some piece of that which has this some kind of sticky thing. So you light that, you light that with a flame, so put in the wall, where there’s a hole, put there, then you can see the food. So anyway, very primitive. So that time, the plastic buttons, like that, that come from Kathmandu, however, the plastic button is regarded very precious, very precious the plastic buttons or spoon or the, you carry the spoon here tied with the, like something very precious. So anyway, because you can’t get, they don’t make in Solu Khumbu.

So anyway, so my mother, I think, continued still the same, these plastic buttons, kept in bottle. So then after the incarnation came, then my sister used these buttons to make shirt for the incarnation. After the shirt was put on the incarnation, after the shirt was put my mother’s incarnation, then the incarnation said, “Oh, these are my buttons.”  “These are my buttons.” So, so many things could remember.

So I think the reason why she can remember, why so clear, why so clear mind that is, such clear memory, I think it’s a small, a small part of benefits of reciting OM MANI PADME HUM, because she, the year when she came down, that time Lama was still there, so she told me that, she used to go on the roof and then try not to distract the mind, close the eye and make sure the mind don’t get distracted, then chant OM MANI PADME HUM. I don’t know what she meditated, I have no idea. But closed her eyes, closed at least, very tightly, and then try to not distract her mind, not allow mind to be distracted. So she told me that she used to recite 50,000, every day 50,000 OM MANI PADME HUM. So half, 100,000 OM MANI PADME HUM, so half. So she said, she used to recite that every day but now, because of old age, like that, couldn’t do that much. This is before she passed away.

So I think, reciting OM MANI PADME HUM has skies of benefit, but I think this is a tiny bit, tiny bit of benefit from that, this such clear mind, can prove the incarnation without any doubt, from the child’s side. Can tell so many things. Anyway, yeah...great sad thing I that, I think, maybe didn’t get done enough pujas, merit, to have the incarnation, I think, so passed away very young time, didn’t get to do, collect, maybe didn’t get done enough pujas to eliminate the obstacles, so I think passed away young time. If it happened to be in the hand of a great lama, teacher, it will be so good, the character, the personality. So anyway, so that happened. So anyway, like that. That’s just talking the story ?or the very nearest one, the mother.

In the case of Lama Osel, how the Lama, Lama Yeshe, how he treated the different students, how he treat, for some wrathful, the advice, even when Lama Osel was, I think, maybe I think maybe, I don’t know, four years or five years old, like that, at Dharamsala, I think the first time, first time came to Dharamsala that was very young, I think. Anyway, treated exactly, that particular student treat, talk, treat similar way as how the past life used to talk, advise to that person, like that.

And then many places happened that, when Lama Osel came he immediately run, and the particular room that where Lama Yeshe stayed. He entered in the house, then the first thing he run in that room and then he lay down on that bed, like this. So he did that, the house in America and also other students’ houses, Italy, different places. I was quite surprising. And sometimes what he says is quite like past life Lama Yeshe, or his advice or what he says, things like that.

The behavior, when Lama was very young, when he came to Kopan, did the inauguration, and I was there. So during those times, the way of conducting exactly same as past Lama Yeshe. Lama eats orange, Lama Yeshe did that, not early times but later part of his, one or two years, later part of his life, Lama Yeshe ate orange, then he suck the juice and then put the stuff on the plate. So when Lama Osel came at Kopan, that young time, did exactly the same. Sucked it, sucked juice, put the stuff on the plate, exactly the same.

Then the white one, the white one, pishu, this round white one, the round white one, Lama always used that round, I don’t know what it’s called…. Huh? [Ven. Roger: Pistachio.] Pistachio. Always have, Lama eat that then, then when Lama Osel came, he like that very much.

And then another one is momos and thugpas, in the past Lama used to, Lama Yeshe himself used to cook, momo, thugpa, the Tibetan food, to cook, very fast, very fast. And Lama Osel the same. Thugpa, momo and thugpa. And he liked tsampa, he liked tsampa very much. So when he was at Kopan for inauguration, so we had lunch upstairs, the day of the inauguration, after that is done we had lunch upstairs with the rest of the brothers, sisters. There was no father and mother, but just the children.

So I was eating tsampa, so I offered to Lama Osel. So he liked. So he took then he again stretched out his hand. Then I gave another one. He took back and he stretched out. But the other, the brother, sisters, I gave them, I gave everybody but they never asked for the second. They kept quiet.

So I definitely believe, from the food, from the, somebody who like Tibetan food, definitely the past life is Tibetan. That’s for sure. Actually, I think, the food, who like very much Tibetan tea, the butter tea, salty butter tea. Anyway, so there are many things like that. In the meetings what he said, things like that.

So anyway, so even we, even oneself doesn’t have clear mind to see past or future life, anyway, even one can’t see now but others, numberless of others, even unenlightened beings can see your past and future life. Then also when your mind becomes more clear, more clear through meditation then you yourself able to see your past, future lives.