Lecture 5 & Lecture 6

Lecture 5

THE WRONG CONCEPT OF PERMANENCE

Practicing awareness, we should look at things as they are, not just looking at them in a hallucinated way, seeing things that don’t exist. We should look at these causative phenomena, such as ourselves, our own body, our life, our possessions, the people surrounding us—friends, strangers, enemies and so forth—we should see that these things are causative phenomena, being in the nature of impermanence. Being aware of things as they are, realizing the nature of these phenomena as they are, we give ourselves freedom, we give ourselves liberation, real freedom, real liberation. We free ourselves from the whole entire sufferings, from all problems. We free ourselves from all the causes of the problems, which is within the mind.

The other way, the concept of permanence—apprehending these things in completely the opposite way, as permanent—is the basis of life’s problems. It’s the basis for all those other problems to arise. This concept itself is the cause of problems. This wrong conception itself produces other disturbing thoughts, anger, attachment and so forth, and therefore it becomes the basis for creating many harmful actions or negative karma—actions that result only in suffering. This becomes the producer of so many of those negative karmas, those actions.

This wrong conception is the creator of so many of the problems of life, the sufferings of samsara. There’s a huge difference in the effect depending on whether we look at these things according to their nature or whether we look at them in the wrong, hallucinated way, seeing them in a way that doesn’t exist, as permanent—as a permanent I, a permanent life, permanent things, seeing the surrounding people as permanent, the objects as permanent. We think that it’s always going to be like this, as we see it now, as it appears now, but this is not true. All these things appear to our hallucinated mind as unchangeable, even though they are causative phenomena and are changing within every second, by being under the control of cause and conditions. That’s why all this decay happens, why things perish or are stopped—because of cause and conditions. Even though this is the nature of these phenomena, to our hallucinated mind they appear as permanent, and then our own mind believes that these are true.

This concept becomes our greatest obstacle. Even if we know that a meditation practice is something useful, beneficial to our own mind, to our own life, something that is needed, still we are unable to develop it. Even if we think that Dharma practice is worthwhile, beneficial, for ourselves and for other sentient beings, somehow we are unable to practice, unable to begin the practice, unable to continue, unable to develop. This concept of permanence blocks us, stops us from doing all these things.

Even if we try to practice meditation or practice Dharma, it stops it becoming pure. What interferes with all this is this wrong concept of permanence, looking at impermanent, causative phenomena as permanent. Believing this concept cheats our life; following this wrong concept of permanence cheats our life. We ourselves follow this wrong concept, we cheat our own life. We cheat our own life. That’s what makes life empty.

Here, we’re not saying that seeing permanent phenomena as permanent is incorrect. Emptiness, space and so forth, are permanent phenomena, and so to see them as permanent is correct. We’re not talking about this here. We’re talking about seeing impermanent phenomena as permanent. These impermanent phenomena appear to us as permanent and then we believe in that appearance. This is the mind that cheats our life.

This concept of permanence doesn’t allow us to open our heart to a new method, to a new way of life, to seek a spiritual path. It doesn’t allow us to open our heart to the spiritual path, to the right path, to Dharma. It doesn’t allow us to open our heart, our mind to right path to happiness, to liberation, to full enlightenment. It makes the mind closed, narrow; it gives us a very limited view of life. It gives us a very limited view of what happiness means, a very limited view of peace of mind. It even gives us a very limited view of the method to achieve happiness. There is no space in the mind to look for other methods. So, even the method we choose is a complete hallucination, completely the wrong method, one that only leads to problems, only leads to suffering. The mind itself gets stuck on it and there’s no space to go beyond that concept, to hear about and learn other methods. This wrong concept of permanence, apprehending impermanent phenomena as permanent, doesn’t allow us to open our mind

FACING DEATH WITHOUT THE DHARMA

I heard about a Japanese boy in America—I think in Santa Cruz. I think maybe he had cancer, I’m not sure, but he suddenly came to know he was going to die. He got very upset with the world, so angry with the world. “Why do I have to die? Why do I have to die?” He got very angry with the world. He was breaking things; he was breaking tables, he was breaking the objects around him. He was so upset, thinking that the world cheated him.

He was a young, intelligent boy but somehow, I guess, he never thought about death, he never thought about this part of the phenomena, about death, the fact that we have to die and we have to make preparations for death. We have to study about death, to learn about death, and to make preparations in order to not have suffering at death. Even though we have to experience death, we don’t have to suffer at death, to have a suffering, unhappy death. We can have a beneficial death.

So, anyway, even though he was young and intelligent he didn’t really get to think about the real part of life, what is really needed for ourselves, what is really needed for our own life. It seems the way he thought was that the world cheated him. I think it has some meaning. I think, if we relate this experience to the ordinary experiences of our daily life for us ordinary people, I think this has some meaning. As I mentioned, for us, the surrounding people and the material possessions, our own life, body and so forth, even though their nature is impermanent—changing within every second, by cause and conditions—they don’t appear this way to our mind. They appear as something concrete, something permanent.

I think the way this Japanese boy thought is related somehow to this, to these kinds of hallucinations, these appearances of life. Somehow, rather than putting the blame on himself, pointing to his own mind and its wrong concepts, he put the blame on the outside. Rather than pointing to his wrong concept as that which cheated him, to his wrong conception, to the hallucinated mind, he blamed external things. If he had pointed to his own mind, he could have also understand the solution, which is to not follow that wrong concept, not to listen to that wrong concept, that concept of permanence. But instead he just put the blame on outside phenomena, on the world around him and because of that he died with much anger.

I’ve heard many stories of people who have cancer. A student at the Vajrapani Center in Santa Cruz, a nurse who looked after dying people, told me the story of the Japanese boy. I’ve also heard from nurses and other people who deal with cancer patients, how so many people get angry, saying, “Why do I have to die?” In this way, even at the very end of life, rather than having a calm, peaceful life, in the very last part of life [there is so much suffering.] Even if in their earlier life they suffered so many problems, on and on, even if they spent most of their life having problems, at least at the very end of their life, they should have some peacefulness, to die with some peace of mind. However, besides their whole life being spent that way, even at the very end of life, they die with a lot of anger.

All this is because, having not studied during their lifetime, they always resented death. While they had the time and the capacity; while they were young and physically healthy and there was no mental degeneration; while there was intelligence to learn, they didn’t study. They were not like many old people, who have lost their memory. They didn’t have these problems, but while they had the time and opportunity they didn’t get to study about death. They didn’t get to study about death and they didn’t really get to learn about their own life. And so they always resented those very important points of life which have to be understood. It doesn’t help by just simply rejecting them; that doesn’t solve the problem. Not thinking of it doesn’t solve the problem.

They didn’t get to make any preparations for death. They didn’t get any work done to make death beneficial, beneficial for themselves and for all sentient beings. In other words, they weren’t able to make death a happy experience, rather than a terrifying experience. They weren’t able to become a good example for other sentient beings, an inspiration for other sentient beings, rather than depressing them. They didn’t get to learn, to practice, to work for, to prepare for death while they were young and healthy and everything. They didn’t get to open their heart; they didn’t get to open their mind to those things, to those parts of the spiritual practice.

Then, suddenly, finding out that now they had to die, they think, “Why me? Why do I have to die?” I’ve heard this from many people who take care of these patients with cancer, AIDS and so forth. Not having done the meditation, they didn’t get to study Dharma, they didn’t get to practice during their life, so when they come to know that now life is going to end, they become so angry. They are unable to use the news as a practice, as a meditation to create the cause to achieve not just temporary but ultimate happiness, to achieve full enlightenment, the cessation of all the mistakes of the mind, and all the qualities of realizations. They are unable to use the death experience for that, in order to free every sentient being from all the obscurations, sufferings, and lead them to peerless happiness, to full enlightenment.

To simply accept impermanence is the nature of phenomena cuts down emotional problems, giving that much peace. So, for them, even at the very end, life ends with violence, violence within their mind, violence to their own life. Basically, their life is cheated by this wrong concept of permanence, this hallucinated mind.

THEre IS NO ANGER WHEN THERE IS AN UNDERSTANDING OF IMPERMANENCE 

We just have to concentrate a little bit to see all these causative phenomena—our own life, our body, our possessions, the surrounding people, all these things—are changing within every second. 

[Meditate]

Because these causative phenomena are changing within every second by cause and conditions, these things can be stopped at any time—including our own life, our own body, all our possessions, the surrounding people, friend, enemy, stranger. All these things can be stopped at any time.

[Meditate]

Not only are these phenomena in the nature of impermanence, they and all existence, while existing, are empty from their own side. All of existence, while they exist, appears as real, existing from their own side, existing by themselves—all these are empty, all these are a hallucination, all these are empty. While all these exist—subject, I, action, object—while all these things exist, they are empty from their own side. While they exist, they’re completely empty from their own side.

This is the second reason. There is not only the first reason, impermanence, that these phenomena I mentioned before are in nature of impermanence; not only that, all existent things, while they exist, they are empty from their own side.

Therefore, there’s no basis at all for anger to arise, for ignorance to arise; there’s no basis at all for the dissatisfied mind, attachment to arise. For all these other disturbing thoughts, there’s no basis, there’s no reason.

When we look at these phenomena according to their characteristics, according to how they are, suddenly there’s no reason for anger, ignorance, the dissatisfied mind, attachment, and all the rest of the disturbing thoughts to arise. When we reflect on their characteristics or their nature, the nature of their existence, the nature of these phenomena, it’s complete nonsense for wrong concepts such as ignorance, anger or attachment to arise. We see it’s complete nonsense. It’s unreasonable, complete nonsense; it’s childish.

When we leave our mind out, in the view of the hallucination, the wrong conception, at that time it looks like there’s reason for anger, attachment, those disturbing thoughts, but when the mind is not following the wrong concept, when the mind is brought into reality—when we focus the mind and bring it to the reality of things, of existence, there is no reason at all for these wrong conceptions to arise. Suddenly these wrong conceptions are stopped when we bring our own mind to this understanding, to this awareness of the reality of these existent objects.

With this concentration we see all these existent objects as such. The prayer, the Heart Sutra, the Essence of Wisdom, says all phenomena, starting from the I, all these things exist but at the same time are empty of existing from their own side. So, as much as possible, with that meditation or with that awareness, we go over the prayer, which becomes a meditation on the ultimate truth, in order to realize the ultimate truth so that we can eliminate the cause of the suffering. We can only eliminate the cause of suffering and the whole, entire suffering by developing this wisdom, this particular wisdom, the wisdom realizing the ultimate truth of the reality of the I, of all existence and so forth.

THE HEART SUTRA RECITATION

I prostrate to the Arya Triple Gem. Thus did I hear...

[The group recites the Heart Sutra; Rinpoche chants Lion-face Dakini prayer.]

Chant the first verse, the first stanza, then recite quickly.

THE MEANING OF LIFE IS TO BENEFIT OTHERS IN THREE WAYS

As I mentioned the day before yesterday in regards to the benefits of offering to sentient beings, first we’re going to go over what is the meaning of human life. What is the meaning of human life and how each of us has universal responsibility, how we are all responsible for every sentient being’s happiness, to free them from all the sufferings and to obtain happiness for everyone. Each of us is responsible for that, starting from the nearest sentient being, the nearest person, the family, and extending to all the rest of the sentient beings. Each of us is responsible all their happiness, for both their temporary happiness and ultimate happiness—not just their temporary happiness but especially their ultimate happiness.

I’m going to go over the benefits of giving only external help, giving benefit to others, comfort, happiness, by giving only external help, with external means. And starting from there, the different levels of benefits that we can offer. What is more important? To cause them to have long-term happiness, or the previous one, giving only external help, material help, causing them to have some short-term happiness and comfort?

Causing them to have the happiness of future lives, even though it’s temporary happiness, is still long-term happiness, whereas the previous one is just to do with this life, just one lifetime’s comfort, which means some years, some months, a few days, or even some hours. But here, the second benefit, causing the happiness of future lives, is long-term happiness, even though it’s temporary happiness. Therefore, this one is more important than the first one.

The second benefit is more important but the third one, causing them to have ultimate happiness, to lead sentient beings to liberation, is more important still. To cause them to have liberation, to completely cease the cause of suffering that is on their mental continuum, making it impossible for them to experience suffering again. To free them from the cause of the entire suffering of samsara, the defiled aggregates that join us from one life to another life, to this suffering realm, to be free forever from this whole, entire suffering and its cause and to bring all sentient beings to ultimate happiness. This is more important than the previous one, causing the long-term happiness of future lives, which is temporary.

The even more important benefit we can offer the sentient beings, more important than even the third one, is to cause them to cease completely all the imprints left by the disturbing thoughts and to cease even the subtle imprints which are left on their mental continuum, to cease them all completely. In this way their mind is completely free from all the obscurations, the mistakes of the mind, which has two aspects: the disturbing-thought obscurations, that mainly interfere with achieving liberation, ultimate happiness, and the obscurations to full knowledge, the subtle imprints, the subtle obscurations, that interfere with the mind being able to see all existence directly. This is the main interference, the main obstacle to causing the mind to be perfected in all the qualities of all the realizations and achieving peerless happiness, full enlightenment. This is what is called full enlightenment, great liberation. Bringing sentient beings to this peerless happiness, to full enlightenment, this is the greatest benefit. This is the greatest benefit to sentient beings.

These are the answers to the question, “What benefit should I offer other sentient beings?” “How should I help other sentient beings?” The whole of the lamrim, the whole graduated path to enlightenment, the whole of the teachings, the whole meditation practice, the whole subject of this course, is the answer. That is the answer how to benefit others, and even concerning our own happiness, how to live our life.

Already the main talk of the last few days has been basically how to live our life. A simple way to understand it is how to live our life, how to make our life most beneficial, most meaningful. Whatever different style of life we live, we need to know how to make it most beneficial, most meaningful toward ourselves and especially toward all sentient beings.

All the teachings of the graduated path to enlightenment are an elaborate, essential answer on how to benefit other sentient beings, how to help other sentient beings. It is a very extensive subject. To be able to help others, to be able to benefit other sentient beings, we should avoid giving harm to other sentient beings. If we give harm to other sentient beings, we can’t benefit them. This is a very extensive subject, to avoid giving harm to other sentient beings and to benefit other sentient beings. Even though this is the very essence of the whole practice, the whole of Buddhadharma, the teachings of the Buddha, the very essence of the whole of meditation, it’s still a very extensive subject. To abandon giving harm to other sentient beings and to benefit other sentient beings is a very extensive subject. The whole lamrim, the whole teachings of the graduated path to enlightenment is contained in this. The whole teaching of the Buddhadharma is contained in this—to stop giving harm to others and to benefit other sentient beings.

THE THREE LEVELS OF PRACTICE

Before mentioning that, as far as the teachings revealed by the Omniscient One, by the kind, compassionate Shakyamuni Buddha, there are three levels of teachings. The teachings of the Lesser Vehicle path were revealed to those sentient beings who have less capacity, or a lower level of mind. The Lesser Vehicle teachings, that path is revealed, taught to them. For those who have a higher capacity than them, the teachings of the Great Vehicle or Mahayana were taught by the Buddha.

Within those teachings there is Sutra and Secret Mantra. So, among those disciples who have an even higher level of mind, with more intelligence, more merit, more capacity, for those who have more capacity of mind, from the Mahayana teachings, the teachings of the Secret Mantra was taught. Among those who have the highest capacity of the mind, the teaching of Secret Mantra was taught to them by the kind, compassionate Guru Shakyamuni Buddha.

To avoid giving harm to other sentient beings includes abstaining from outside conduct, by abstaining from committing those negative karmas, those harmful actions on the object, sentient beings. All that part of the practice is contained in the first teaching, the first instruction, to not give harm to other sentient beings. That is the main emphasis in the Lesser Vehicle teaching. From these three levels of teaching, avoiding giving harm to other sentient beings is all included in the Lesser Vehicle.

Then from the Mahayana teachings, there is the path of gone beyond, the Paramitayana, the Sutra teaching, and the teaching of the Secret Mantra. These two teachings are contained in the second instruction, to benefit other sentient beings. Both the Paramitayana teachings and the teachings of the Secret Mantra, that are taught to the beings of highest intelligence, who have the highest capacity of the mind, are included in the second instruction, benefiting other sentient beings.

So the whole path—the Lesser Vehicle path, the Paramitayana path and the Tantra or Secret Mantra path—is all included in this: avoiding giving harm to other sentient beings and benefitting other sentient beings. It’s a very extensive subject.

WE NEED TO ACTUALIZE THE WHOLE LAMRIM

And as far as the essence of the whole Buddhadharma, the lamrim, the teachings of the graduated path to enlightenment, this again comes in three divisions: the graduated path of the lower capable being, the graduated path of the middle capable being and the graduated path of the higher capable being.

The first instruction, to not give harm to other sentient beings, is included the teachings of the graduated path of the lower capable being and the middle capable being. This part of the teachings is included in the first instruction, to not give harm to other sentient beings.

Then the teachings of the higher capable being, that part of the lamrim, that subject of the graduated path of the higher capable being, is contained in the second instruction, to benefit other sentient beings. So again, the whole entire essence of the Dharma, the lamrim, the graduated path to enlightenment, goes into these two instructions: to not give harm to other sentient beings and to benefit other sentient beings.

To be able to abandon all the harm to other sentient beings and to be able to offer all the benefit to the sentient beings, we have to actualize all these paths. We have to actualize the entire lamrim, the whole graduated path to enlightenment, otherwise, there’s no way to do all these things.

At the moment we can’t help, we can’t guide, even one sentient being perfectly. We can’t enlighten even one sentient being; we can’t lead even one to the peerless happiness, the cessation of all the mistakes of mind and having all the qualities of the realizations. We can’t do perfect work, perfect help, perfect benefit, for even one sentient being.

One thing is because there’s no compassion. And even if there’s compassion, there’s no perfect power, there’s no perfect wisdom, so there’s a limitation in understanding. We can’t see the level of the other person’s mind; we can’t see the other sentient being’s karma, what kind of karma, action, this sentient being has created in the past. And so as well as having a limitation in understanding the level of the other sentient being’s mind, their action, their karma, we can’t see what method needs to be revealed that fits the other sentient being’s mind in order to bring them from happiness to happiness to enlightenment. Right now, what is suitable? So, there is a limitation in the wisdom, a limitation of understanding the methods.

Then, there is a limitation in the power to reveal the suitable methods, the unmistaken methods, to sentient beings. Because we ourselves don’t know what the right path is, there’s no way to reveal other sentient beings’ right path, to save them from the cause of suffering, and from the whole, entire suffering. In order to free them, we need to reveal the right path, the path that definitely leads to that goal. If we don’t know it, there’s no way we can help even this one sentient being, to bring him to the ultimate happiness, the cessation of the whole, entire suffering and its causes.

For example, when the mother is in danger of being drowned, her armless daughter or son can’t rescue her. They can’t immediately go there and save the mother from being drowned. There’s a limitation in the capacity, so we can’t perfectly help even one sentient being.

Therefore, in order to offer the greatest benefit to other sentient beings, to bring all sentient beings to the peerless happiness, to full enlightenment, first we ourselves should achieve full enlightenment. First we should achieve full enlightenment. When we have achieved full enlightenment, at that time, we have completed the mind training of compassion for all sentient beings as well as having completed the wisdom training, directly seeing all the past, present, future existences, and there’s perfect power to reveal the methods.

THE QUALITIES OF A BUDDHA

A buddha, a fully enlightened being, has completed the mind training in compassion. The amount of love and compassion an enlightened being has is many hundreds of thousands of times greater than the love and compassion we have for ourselves. No matter how much love and compassion we have for ourselves, a fully enlightened being’s love and compassion is many hundreds of thousands of times more. Comparing a fully enlightened being’s loving thought of compassion—how much that enlightened being has for us—and what we have for ourselves, it’s much more, hundreds of thousands of times more. There’s no comparison. When we become enlightened, we have that amount of compassion toward all sentient beings.

Then, when we have an omniscient mind we can see, we can read, every sentient being’s mind; we can see all the different levels, the capacities, without the slightest mistake. The omniscient mind sees every single method that fits each sentient being, to gradually to bring them to full enlightenment.

It’s mentioned in the teachings that people tested the Buddha by collecting trees from various parts of the world and chopping them into very tiny pieces, cutting them up into very tiny pieces, and then putting the pieces in the ocean and stirring for hundreds of years, for a long time. Then, somebody took out each tiny piece and asked the Buddha where it came from. The Buddha could explain exactly from which country, from which place, from which part of the tree, that tiny piece came from. He could see and explain everything exactly.

There are so many examples of the Buddha’s life story in the teachings proving to other sentient beings that the Buddha has an omniscient mind and is able to see all the past and present and future, all existence, every single existence, directly, without the slightest mistake.

Then, also, by having perfect power, to guide even one sentient being we are able to manifest in various forms. With the holy body, holy speech and holy mind, with even each pore, we are able to manifest in various forms. Even in one second, each beam that comes from the holy body liberates numberless sentient beings and leads them to happiness. It frees them from suffering and leads them to happiness, even in one second. Even to guide one sentient being, a buddha manifests in so many different aspects.

Of the twelve deeds, while the Buddha was performing the deed of taking birth in India, in other worlds the Buddha was living in the teachings and then in other worlds, he was passing away. In yet other worlds he was performing the deed of living the life of austerity. So while the Buddha was doing one action here, in other different universes he was performing different actions.

When the Buddha was revealing the Dharma, each person heard according to the level of their mind. To one disciple, the Buddha revealed the teaching of impermanence but another disciple heard teachings on emptiness. How many thousands, billions, of sentient beings there are listening to the teaching, they all heard according to their level of mind, exactly the one that fits. He has perfect power to guide other sentient beings.

The point is this. How is it possible for this mind of ours to become an omniscient mind? How is it possible? It even looks impossible for this mind to live life without attachment, so how is it possible? Even that is difficult to understand. How can we live our life without attachment? Even that is difficult to understand, difficult to figure out. But it looks like that, it looks like it’s possible, because this mind has a clear light nature. The nature of the mind is buddha nature. That is buddha nature. That is buddha nature, and our mind has all the potential to be like that. The clear light, the nature of the mind is buddha nature, so therefore this mind has all the potential to become like that, to be developed. Even during our life, sometimes our mind is in a very bad state, sometimes it’s in a good state, with a more positive attitude, more patience, more compassion. In this life, even in one year, even in one month, even in one day, the mind changes, the state of mind changes.

At this time, the reason we have this precious human body is because this mind has all the potential. That’s why we have received this precious human body, which has all the opportunities to develop, to achieve any happiness we wish.

So, I’ll stop here.

 

Lecture 6

MEDITATION ON IMPERMANENCE AND EMPTINESS BEFORE THE HEART SUTRA

Friend, enemy, stranger and so forth, all these causative phenomena are changing within every second, because they are under the control of other cause and conditions.

[Meditate]

That’s quite interesting. Because of their impermanent nature, they are changing within every second, decaying. These causative phenomena, within every second they are decaying. They don’t last.

[Meditate]

And because of this reason, these things can be stopped any time. We cannot trust that they can exist all the time; that every day they will continue to exist. We cannot trust that they exist, every day.

[Meditate]

With the previous concept, the concept of permanence, before we meditated, before we brought our attention onto the nature of these causative phenomena, while we held the concept of permanence, there was suffering in our life. With that result there was only samsara. With this thought, the thought of impermanence, looking at phenomena according to their nature, there’s peace in the mind, freedom. There’s the result, liberation, ultimate liberation.

[Meditate]

We are giving ourselves human rights. With that, we are giving human rights to ourselves. By freeing ourselves through meditation, through the realization of impermanence, we’re giving ourselves peace, giving ourselves liberation by becoming free from the whole, entire suffering and causes. We free ourselves from the confused mind. We protect ourselves, we guide ourselves with the practice of awareness of impermanence and death, with the realization of this meditation.

[Meditate]

Then, the next [meditation] is that all existence—I, action, object—all existence, while they exist they are empty from their own side. While all these things—I, action, object, everything—exist, at the same time they’re empty from their own side. That they appear to exist from their own side is a hallucination. It’s completely empty. These truly existing things cannot be found if we analyze. These things cannot be found there if we analyze, therefore they don’t exist. These things do not exist as they appear to—real from their own side. All these things are not true. So, just concentrate on this.

[Meditate]

The I is like that; the action is like that; the objects are like that. They are all empty from their own side. Nothing of this is real from its own side. 

[Meditate]

So, while these things exist, at the same time they are empty. They are empty from their own side. Therefore, there is no reason at all for the deluded mind to arise, for anger, ignorance, and the dissatisfied mind of desire, attachment, to arise. There is no basis for these things.

So, as much as possible with the same awareness, we go over the different phenomena that have been explained, trying to look at them as empty, looking at their ultimate nature. Going through the prayer, going through the different phenomena, again we meditate, meditating by looking at their nature, which is empty from their own side.

[The group recites the Heart Sutra in English.]

I prostrate to the Arya Triple Gem. Thus did I hear...

THE PRAYER TO THE LINEAGE LAMAS

Without [merit] it’s not possible to have realizations, just as only by planting a seed in the ground, without minerals, without water, without the necessary soil and protection from the obstacles, the seed alone can’t produce the crop. Simply reflecting on the teachings, meditating on the path, just knowing the teachings of the path and then just meditating on them, that’s not sufficient. It depends on the necessary conditions, accumulating merit, with practices such as the seven-limb practice, the mandala offering, then pacifying the obstacles through confession and so forth. We need to pacify the obstacles, to purify them through the practice of confession and so forth. By using the various practices of purification, such as Vajrasattva, prostrations to the Thirty-five Buddhas and so forth, by confessing our downfalls, we receive the blessing of the guru within our own mind.

Receiving the blessing of the guru is like how the crops are nourished by the rain. If there’s water or if there’s rain, then the crops, the plants, can grow well, otherwise they remain dry and can’t grow. To be able to use the mind, to be able to change it, to transform it into the path, to make it possible to generate the realizations of the graduated path to enlightenment within our own mind, depends on receiving the blessing of the guru within our heart and then creating the other necessary conditions by accumulating merit and pacifying the obstacles, the negative karma, the obscurations.

More explanation might come later but here I’ll just introduce why these prayers are recited. This particular prayer, the following prayer is The Requesting Prayer to the Lineage Lamas. This is from the kind, compassionate Buddha, the fully enlightened Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, who is the founder of the present Buddhadharma, who revealed the extensive path, the method, and the profound path, wisdom. The graduated path to enlightenment has two aspects: the extensive path and the profound path—method and wisdom. The extensive path is the method side. 

Starting from the founder of the present Buddhadharma, the kind, compassionate Shakyamuni Buddha, from Guru Shakyamuni Buddha then down to my root guru, His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche, and other gurus, from whom I have received the commentary of the lamrim teachings and the commentary of the Jorchö, the preparatory practices, which enables us to generate realizations, which gives the necessary skillful means to generate realizations of the graduated path to enlightenment within the mind. From the heart, we make a strong request to the lamas up to our gurus—those who have completed the whole path to enlightenment, those who have gone through the path, those who have completely pacified the obstacles and generated the realizations of the graduated path to enlightenment, the profound path and extensive path—we make a strong request within our own mind and in the mind of other sentient beings.

The last verse is repeated twice. With the first request particular obscurations are purified. From the common path, the particular obstacle for wisdom is the concept of true existence, ignorance. The concept of true existence is purified. From the common path, the main obstacle to actualizing the method, bodhicitta, is the self-cherishing thought. So those two fundamental obstacles are purified, and from [the uncommon path] Highest Yoga Tantra, the main obstacles—the impure, ordinary appearances, the ordinary concepts and the subtle dual view—those things are purified.

With the first request the general obscurations and then these particular obscurations that interfere with generating the method and wisdom aspects of the common path and the particular obstacles that interfere with generating the method and wisdom from Highest Yoga Tantra are all purified. Then, with the second request, you actualize the whole graduated path to enlightenment, and in particular from the common path of method and wisdom, from the method, you actualize bodhicitta, the altruistic wish to achieve enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings, as well as the wisdom realizing emptiness, and then from the Highest Yoga Tantra, the extremely subtle wisdom, the clear light and the method, the illusory body. These things are generated within your own mind.

The result of these two paths, method and wisdom, is the dharmakaya and the rupakaya. After that, you generate within yourself that which is in the holy mind of the merit field. It’s also a replica; it doesn’t matter. This is the basic visualization, the meditation that goes with The Requesting Prayer to the Lineage Lamas.

This requesting prayer to the lineage lamas is called The Requesting Prayer Opening the Door of the Supreme Path. It was composed by Lama Tsongkhapa. I don’t remember a hundred per percent but maybe the place he composed it was his hermitage, the cave, Wolka, where Lama Tsongkhapa did many hundreds of thousands of prostrations or mandala offerings on the stone. In the hermitage, the cave, Lama Tsongkhapa did many hundreds of thousands of prostrations to the Thirty-five Buddhas. Maybe it was composed there, I don’t remember a hundred percent.

This requesting prayer is regarded as very precious, very blessed. Uncountable numbers of practitioners of the graduated path to enlightenment have generated realizations by doing this, by doing the Jorchö preparatory practice, which includes this special requesting prayer, this very blessed, very precious requesting prayer to the lineage lamas composed by Lama Tsongkhapa. By doing this practice every day they received the blessings of the gurus, then by receiving the blessings of the gurus they were able to generate the realizations of the graduated path to enlightenment. Through this, uncountable numbers of the practitioners of the graduated path to enlightenment have completed their Dharma practice, completed the path to enlightenment.

With the second repetition you can also visualize that the replica absorbs into yourself. You can also do that.

This is how the practice is done. Those who are familiar with this practice should make a strong request. The main thing is to purify all the obstacles with nectar beams then generate realizations of the whole path to enlightenment, developing all the qualities that are needed to free all the sentient beings from all the sufferings and obscurations and lead them to full enlightenment. That is the main point, the main aim. You are trying to visualize the qualities, the realizations, that you’re trying to achieve.

So, at the moment I’ll say that much.

When we recite the refuge and bodhicitta prayers, we say, “To the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, I go for refuge until I achieve enlightenment.” As I mentioned yesterday, the Buddha, or enlightened being, is one whose mind is completed in having compassion for all sentient beings as well as having perfect power to guide sentient beings to peerless happiness, to full enlightenment, and having the omniscient mind, fully, directly seeing all of existence, even in every second, in every split-second. In every split-second the omniscient mind can see directly every single existence—all the past, present and future, all together, seeing everything all together, seeing everything at the same time. The mental continuum is completely free from all obscurations, all mistakes of the mind. Because of that the mind is able to function like this.

CONVENTIONAL AND ABSOLUTE BODHICITTA

We ordinary people can’t see what’s going to happen even this afternoon, even in the next hour. Even in the next hour we can’t tell what’s going to happen. To recognize a disease we have to go to see a doctor, we have to rely upon somebody else, even to find out about our health. We can’t even see the things inside the body; we don’t understand them completely. Even those very gross phenomena in the body we can’t see clearly.

We can’t see what’s behind us, can’t see what’s at our back side. We can’t see what the back side of the head looks like. For the front, we also use mirrors. Even for the front we have to see by taking refuge in the mirror. If the shopkeepers didn’t sell mirrors, if the companies didn’t make mirrors, I think it would be very difficult to be able to judge.

A buddha has two aspects, the conventional buddha and the absolute buddha. The absolute buddha is the omniscient mind, that wisdom, the omniscient mind, the dharmakaya. That is the absolute buddha. And then the conventional buddha is the truth for the all-obscured mind. That is the rupakaya, the form which that wisdom, the dharmakaya, manifests into. That is the conventional buddha. When we take refuge, we rely upon the absolute Buddha and the conventional Buddha, the absolute, the enlightened mind and the conventional buddha, the conventional enlightened being.

CONVENTIONAL AND ABSOLUTE DHARMA

Then, there is the conventional and absolute Dharma. The wisdom directly perceiving emptiness, the true path and the true cessation of the sufferings, the delusions, the obscurations, that is the absolute Dharma. The conventional Dharma is the scriptures: the Tripitaka or the three baskets of teachings or the teachings of the lamrim, the graduated path to enlightenment. That is the conventional Dharma.

The Dharma is the actual refuge, like the actual medicine that allows us to recover from a disease, that fights the disease, that cures the disease. We are cured from a disease by taking the medicine. Similarly, the actual refuge is the Dharma, that which removes all the causes of suffering within us and within sentient beings. It is the mind or it is on the mind. The Dharma is that which completely separates the mental continuum from the cause of the suffering, the disturbing thoughts and action, karma. The Dharma separates the consciousness from this, making it pure, separating it from the mistakes of the mind.

What actually removes the obscurations, the delusions, is the wisdom directly perceiving emptiness, which is called the true path. The true path, the true cessation of suffering, here particularly means the wisdom directly perceiving emptiness. This is the main one that removes the defilements, the obscurations.

THE FIVE HINAYANA PATHS

Actually here, within the Dharma, the actual refuge, comes the whole path to liberation, to the liberation of the Lesser Vehicle path, and the whole path to great liberation, full enlightenment. The whole path comes here.

Without bodhicitta, without the altruism to achieve enlightenment for sentient beings, we just generate the renunciation of samsara and then enter the Lesser Vehicle path. There are two types: the hearer-listener and the solitary realizer or self-conqueror. These are the two types of Lesser Vehicle path to achieve liberation for the self. The difference is that the solitary realizer has accumulated more merit than the hearer-listener.

There are five paths to achieve liberation for the self. Each of these paths for the hearer-listener and solitary realizer has five categories [?] to achieve liberation for the self, the complete cessation of all the disturbing-thought obscurations and the whole, entire suffering.

The first path is path of merit. That means that during its duration, by entering the path the very first time, we accumulate merit. To enter in the path, first we have to generate the renunciation of the whole, entire samsara, the whole cycle, the defiled aggregates that circle from one life to another life. These present aggregates, the association of body and mind, which are defiled, being under the control of the karma and delusion, join, circle to the next life’s aggregates, then they circle to the next life’s aggregates. The continuation of these aggregates circles from one life to another life like this. This gross body itself doesn’t go to the next life, but the aggregates, the consciousness, circle to the next life, joining from the previous.

These aggregates, which are defiled, which join to the next life’s aggregates, this cycle is called samsara. They are that which become the basis for all problems: death, old age, sickness, rebirth and so forth, the whole entire problems.

However, by not having the slightest attachment to this, to have the determination to be completely free from this, from this samsara, from this cycle, from these aggregates—having generated this realization, then we enter in the first path of the Lesser Vehicle path, the path of merit, the first time through, accumulating merit, which is why that path is called the path of merit. This is the realization that the meditator has. This first path has three categories: the small path of merit, the middle path of merit and the great path of merit.

Then, after that one, through concentration, we actualize the path of conjunction [preparation]. When we have achieved the great path of merit, before actualizing the path of conjunction, during that time we realize emptiness. We have to have the realization of emptiness in order to enter in the path of conjunction.

This path of conjunction has four levels, four categories: heat, tip, patience and supreme Dharma. Before the actual flame comes that burns the wood, there has to be heat. There has to be heat, then through heat the flame comes that can burn. The first category, heat, is similar to this.

The third path, the right-seeing path, is the wisdom that directly perceives emptiness. That is the actual one that during this time burns the delusions, the disturbing thoughts. So, this path of conjunction is preparatory, this is a kind of sign of the preparation to actualize the right-seeing path, to actually, directly, burn the delusions, the obscurations. This second path, the path of conjunction, has four categories and after achieving the second one, tip, it’s impossible for heresy to arise again, heresy in connection with the Three Jewels, with karma and so forth, thinking that such things are not true. Before this level, there’s a possibility for heresy to arise, but after this level, heresy never arises. So, it’s called “tip.”

After that, the third one is patience. Before that, there’s no confidence to never be reborn in the hell realm, to never be reborn in the hungry ghost realm, as a spirit, to never be reborn as an animal. There’s no confidence before that. It is possible, due to strong good karma, that for example in one life we create much good karma, positive actions, having a kind-hearted mind and then at the time of death, we don’t have to worry about being reborn in the lower realms. We are confident to receive a better human or deva rebirth in the next life. But that doesn’t mean all future lives are going to be like this. It doesn’t mean in all future lives we will never be reborn in the lower realms. It just means that we have the confidence that in the next life we won’t be reborn in the lower realms. But there’s no confidence that in all future lives we will never be reborn in the lower realms. But here, if we achieve this third category of the path of conjunction, patience, then we have full confidence that from now on we will never be reborn in the lower realms. Even if we are still not completely free from death and rebirth, from here on there is full confidence, there’s no fear of being reborn in the lower realms.

After having completed these four categories, we join the right-seeing path, which is why this second path is called the path of conjunction. It allows us to join to the third path, the right-seeing path.

Then this right-seeing path has the duration of equipoise meditation and then the duration after attainment. After attainment? The subsequently attained duration.

The equipoise meditation also has two: the uninterrupted path and the liberated path. Within the equipoise meditation, there are two aspects: the uninterrupted path and the liberated path. Then there is a path that is neither of these two, which is the wisdom realizing emptiness, which is in the mental continuum of that meditator. Then there’s a path which is neither the equipoise meditation nor the subsequently achieved duration, such as the realization which is within that meditator’s mind of the four immeasurable thoughts.

During the uninterrupted path, this wisdom which is in equipoise meditation becomes the direct remedy to the disturbing-thought obscurations, which are to be abandoned during the right-seeing path.

Due to doctrines we have wrong views, disturbing-thought obscurations, such as the concept of true existence. There are [also] simultaneously born [wrong views] which are views we are born with from beginningless rebirths, such as the concept of true existence. So, due to wrong doctrines, we have these beliefs, then the simultaneously born concept of true existence. Here, during the right-seeing path, the disturbing-thought obscurations are removed, that is, the wrong views that happen due to wrong doctrines. There are about a hundred and twelve disturbing-thought obscurations and they get removed or abandoned by this right-seeing path. This is how much delusion gets removed by this path.

Then, through equipoise meditation during the third path we achieve the fourth path. This is how the mental continuum transfers from the right-seeing path to the path of meditation. It is called the right-seeing path because this is the first time emptiness is perceived directly.

In the same way, through equipoise meditation, the mind is transferred to the path of meditation, and again there is the duration of equipoise meditation and the subsequently attained duration. Then, within the equipoise meditation, again there are two types, the uninterrupted path and the liberated path. The uninterrupted path is that which becomes the direct remedy to the delusions, but the liberated path is the one that actually removes the disturbing-thought obscurations, those which are to be abandoned by the path of meditation.

The disturbing-thought obscurations that are abandoned by the path of meditation are the simultaneously born disturbing-thought obscurations, such as the wrong concept of true existence that has been in the mind from beginningless rebirths, the wrong concept that we are born with.

This path of meditation removes, I think, the sixteen disturbing-thought obscurations. Then after that, by completing this path, we achieve the path of no more learning. By completing this path, we have completely removed the disturbing-thought obscurations, the seeds, all together. By having completely removed even the seeds it is impossible for delusions to arise. This cessation of the whole, entire suffering and causes, the disturbing-thought obscurations, which exist on that mental continuum is liberation. That is nirvana, the sorrowless state.

THE FIVE MAHAYANA PATHS

By actualizing the renunciation of samsara as a preliminary, if we then generate bodhicitta we enter the Mahayana path, the Great Vehicle. The categories of the path, the path of merit and the path of conjunction, are similar to those of the Lesser Vehicle path. 

A bodhisattva who has achieved the first Mahayana path, the path of merit, who has completed the small path of merit, the middle path of merit and the great path of merit, this bodhisattva is able to directly see numberless buddhas. Wherever the bodhisattva is, outside or inside the meditation room, he is able to see buddhas in their nirmanakaya form, in the holy body of the supreme transformation.

From the path of conjunction, the mental continuum of the meditator transfers to the Mahayana right-seeing path. That is similar to before, with the equipoise meditation in two aspects: the duration of equipoise meditation and the subsequently attained duration, and two levels: the uninterrupted path and the liberated path. When the meditator achieves the liberated path, after having abandoned the disturbing-thought obscurations which are to be abandoned by the right-seeing path, he achieves the first of the ten bhumis. The first bhumi starts from there.

During the Mahayana right-seeing path, he not only removes the hundred and twelve disturbing-thought obscurations, but also the subtle obscurations, the obscurations to full knowledge, those obscurations that interfere with the mind fully seeing all the existence, directly seeing. These hundred and eight subtle obscurations are removed by the Mahayana the right-seeing path.

When the mental continuum transfers from there to the Mahayana path of meditation, then it’s the same thing. The sixteen delusions and then the hundred and eight subtle obscurations are removed by the Mahayana path of meditation. This is also similar in the equipoise meditation having duration of equipoise meditation and the subsequently attained duration, and two levels: the uninterrupted path and the liberated path.

As far as the ten bhumis, the meditator will reach the eighth bhumi, at which time the disturbing-thought obscurations are completely removed. Therefore, from the first bhumi up to the seventh is called the seven impure bhumis. Then the last three—eight, nine and ten—are called the three pure bhumis. Bhumi is Sanskrit for “ground” so we can say the seven impure grounds and the three pure grounds. The last three are called pure because the meditator’s mind is unstained by the disturbing-thought obscurations.

By completing these eighth, ninth and tenth pure grounds, the very last one on the path of meditation is called the concentration like a vajra. This is the direct remedy to the subtle obscurations so at this stage the meditator has completely removed the subtle obscurations, the obscurations to achieve omniscient mind. At that time the mental continuum is free from all the disturbing-thought obscurations and subtle obscurations, so the mental continuum becomes the omniscient mind, the dharmakaya. That is what is called enlightenment, that mind that is completely free from all the obscurations and completed in all the realizations.

THE LOWER AND HIGHER TANTRAS

According to the lower tantra, there are two paths, with wisdom is called not having a sign and the method side is called having a sign. Meditating on emptiness with the yoga practice of the deity is the yoga of not having a sign, whereas without meditating on emptiness, the yoga of the deity is called the path having a sign, which is the method. So in the lower tantras method and wisdom are both needed to achieve enlightenment, the dharmakaya and rupakaya.

In the Highest Yoga Tantra, there is the generation stage and the completion stage. The generation stage is like this. Before practicing tantra, we receive the four initiations from a qualified vajra master, which definitely plants the seed of the four kayas on the consciousness. It makes the mind a receptacle to meditate on the generation stage and the completion stage, to meditate on the path of the Secret Mantra. Without receiving an initiation that plants the seed of the four kayas, the mind cannot become a receptacle to meditate on the path of Secret Mantra.

During the generation stage, through visualization we use death, intermediate state and rebirth to achieve the three kayas, the dharmakaya, the sambhogakaya and the nirmanakaya. Doing this practice of the generation stage leaves a potential on the mind to achieve full enlightenment with the three kayas and it leaves the potential to purify the ordinary death, ordinary intermediate state and ordinary rebirth, the suffering death, the suffering intermediate state and the suffering rebirth. It leaves potential to purify these things. It also makes preparation, during the generation state, to achieve the path-time three kayas, the path-time dharmakaya, the path-time sambhogakaya and the path-time nirmanakaya.

So, practicing the generation stage sadhana of all the Highest Yoga Tantra deities has these benefits, these advantages, on the basis of purifying the impure concepts, the impure appearances.

Then during the completion state, we actualize the path-time dharmakaya, the path-time sambhogakaya and the path-time nirmanakaya. The completion stage path-time dharmakaya, sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya are the ones that actually stop, that actually remove the ordinary death, ordinary intermediate state and ordinary rebirth. The completion stage is the one that actually stops the suffering death, the suffering intermediate state and the suffering rebirth. By achieving the path-time three kayas, we then achieve the result-time three kayas, the dharmakaya, sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya. Then, without the slightest mistake we are able to do perfect work for all sentient beings, by manifesting in innumerable numbers of forms, according to the minds of the sentient beings.

CONVENTIONAL AND ABSOLUTE DHARMA AND SANGHA

All of these paths are contained in the Dharma: the true cessation of suffering, the actual refuge, Dharma. These contain all these paths, including the whole path to enlightenment. So, the Dharma that we take refuge in is not just the subject of the four noble truths, not just the subjects that only reveal the four noble truths, not just that.

In tantra, the generation and completion stages, which completely cease the gross mind, completely cease the dualistic view—all that is contained in the Dharma. The true path to the cessation of the suffering, all that is included in this.

Absolute Dharma is the true path that reveals the wisdom directly perceiving emptiness. In the Sutra Path this is the gross wisdom, in the Tantra Path, the subtle wisdom. Then there is the cessation of suffering, of the obscurations. Conventional Dharma refers to the scriptures, which explain the whole path, so we take refuge to both conventional and absolute Dharma.

Then, in order to completely pacify the obscurations through the actual refuge, the Dharma, we need to rely on the Buddha. Just as in medicine, in order to take the medicine we have to go to see a doctor to tell us what medicine to take. In order to get the right treatment we need to rely upon the doctor. It’s the same here, we have to rely upon the Buddha, who revealed the path, who revealed the Dharma. That’s why taking refuge in the Buddha, relying upon the Buddha comes here. The Buddha is the one who revealed the path.

Then, the Sangha. There is the absolute and the conventional Sangha. We take refuge in the absolute Sangha and the conventional Sangha. The absolute Sangha are the ones who have the realization of the absolute Dharma, the true cessation of suffering. The conventional Sangha are four fully ordained members living in pure vows but who don’t yet have the realization of the absolute Dharma. That’s conventional Sangha. The Sangha is the one who is the helper, like the nurse, helping us actualize the actual refuge Dharma within our own mind. When we take refuge we rely upon both the absolute Sangha and the conventional Sangha. It’s like that. That’s why we respect the Sangha, how they are involved. This is one reason.

Anyway, I didn’t get to finish the prayer. Sorry.

So, I’ll stop here.

VAJRASATTVA PRACTICE

At this time, before going to bed, I thought it might be very good to do prostrations or to do the Vajrasattva mantra, to recite the mantra at least twenty-one times slowly, with intensive meditation. Also for the new ones to learn the mantra, by chanting slowly. This way the new ones are able to learn the mantra by heart.

The Vajrasattva meditation-recitation is the most powerful practice to purify all the obstacles, not only for the success and happiness for this life, for long life and health, to not have disease or to recover from disease—it’s not just for these things. This is a very small, very limited purpose. It’s not just for this, but especially to actualize the whole graduated path to enlightenment, to purify all the obstacles.

Doing the Vajrasattva meditation-recitation is one solution for happiness. The other one is to create the cause for happiness. This one is to purify obstacles we have already created, the negative karma, the negative actions, which brings problems, which results in problems blocking us from developing the mind. Failure in business, disease, relationship problems, all these life problems that we have gone through so much and that we are continuously experiencing, are the result of the ten nonvirtues. They are the result of committing the basic negative karma, such as the ten nonvirtues.

The other solution for happiness is to purify the cause of problems that we have already created. What to do is to purify. There is a solution. There is a solution. The solution is to purify them, before we experience the result, before we experience relationship problems, before we experience cancer, AIDS, before we experience untimely death, life shortage. This is just to give an idea, but the main point is to purify the obscurations that interfere with achieving realizations, to achieve enlightenment for sentient beings.

The second method is the Vajrasattva practice. The second method, the second solution, for happiness, is a practice such as the Vajrasattva practice. 

Please generate a motivation of bodhicitta, thinking, “I’m going to take this oral transmission of the Vajrasattva mantra in order to achieve enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. In order to develop the mind on the graduated path to enlightenment, my mind needs to be purified, therefore, I’m going to take the oral transmission of the Vajrasattva mantra.”

[Rinpoche recites the long Vajrasattva mantra twice.]

If you recite the long one twenty-one times, it has power to stop the negative karma multiplying day by day. Then the short one is OM VAJRASATTVA HUM. Sometimes OM VAJRASATTVA AH, but His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche advised that it is more comfortable to recite OM VAJRASATTVA HUM. You recite it twenty-eight times in order to stop multiplying today’s negative karma, to stop it becoming double tomorrow, then triple the third day, then a mountain the size of the earth. If you recite the short one twenty-eight times it doesn’t become like this; it doesn’t increase.

Then say, “May I achieve Guru Vajrasattva’s enlightenment and lead all sentient beings to Guru Vajrasattva’s enlightenment.” Please dedicate the merit in this way.