Vdocuments - MX The Words of My Perfect Teacher by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche San

THE WORDS OF MY PERFECT TEACHER - by Dzongsar
Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche (San Francisco 2000)

(Tib. ཀུན་བཟང་བླ་མའི་ཞལ་ལུང་, Kunzang Lamé Shyalung; Wyl. kun bzang
bla ma'i zhal lung)
2nd year of 4 years teaching (transcribed from audio

recording)
http://www.khyentserecordings.org/namo/Dzongsar_Khyent
se_Rinpoche.html
bla ma'i zhal lung) ...part 1/17
This is the second part of Dzogchen Longchen Nyingtik ngondro’s teaching. Those
who have some knowledge in Nyingma tradition; I think many of us somehow,
maybe it’s our past karmic life, karmic link with the masters, Dzogchen masters and
the teachings. But anyway many of us have inclination or we have inspiration to
practice the Dzogchen and somehow because Dzogchen is kind of, I don’t know,
among many, many pith instructions or the oral transmissions or different kinds of
transmission, somehow Dzogchen is one of this popular, trendier thing to do, thing to
practice.
And I can see reason why also – because of its simplicity, straightforwardness and at
times very outrageous. And also the Dzogchen teaching itself; in the Dzogchen
tantric teachings, I am talking about the source of Dzogchen teachings - even the
tantric text itself claims that as time degenerates, the path of the Dzogchen becomes
even better. This is somewhat, somehow quite encouraging because time is
definitely getting maybe rougher, and if the teaching works better than ever, that’s
very good.
This comment of Dzogchen masters or the teachings saying that stating or claiming
that the teaching works at the end of the, I mean during the degeneration,
degenerated time, is not just a pure, sort of mm, method to win the people’s sort of, I
don’t know, attention. In fact, it has a very quite a sophisticated logic behind this. For
those who know a little bit of tantric teaching, you would recall that the four tantras of
Vajrayana Buddhism is taught not only to the four types of disciples; disciples who
are inclined, more inclined with Brahma, Brahmin kind of mentality or Brahmin kind
of, Brahmin oriented. Those who are very mm, sort of cleanliness oriented, and; it
sounds VERY MUCH actually us, like politically-correct oriented and health
conscious and that kind of thing. And to them actually the lowest tantra was taught,
the Kriya- tantra, which requires bathing and you know strict, very, you know clean
and very wholesome and very; almost nothing can go wrong, sort of very less, less
risk.
And then also the tantric teachings state that those who should have less or
untouchable; you know in India there’s four different castes. The untouchable
mentality, that’s very wild, eats everything, does all kinds, you know things, and to
them, the highest tantra is taught, Anuyoga tantra. Now this is as stated in many of
the Dzogchen tantric sources.
And not only that, Dzogchen teaching is also taught according to the four different
kinds of time; four different times, sort of divided by you know, sublime time and then
not that so sublime, and then degenerated and very degenerated time. And again for
different time – during the most sublime time actually, the tantric teachings stated
that the highest teachings such as Atiyoga would not work. Eh, there’re hundreds of
reasons but more obvious reasons are during the sublime time, people don’t have
that obvious strong emotions, aggression. So it was almost; it’s not, not a matter of
not being necessary, okay.
In fact, it’s quite, you know if you recall last year’s teaching on the precious human
body – according to Buddhist cosmology, it’s believed that few kalpas ago we,
human beings, we had our time and the situation, situations were really, really
perfect. And that time we didn’t need sun and moon. We had our own light from our
body. And even the size of our body was supposedly very big and life spans are like
eighty thousand eons and so on.
And Buddhist prayers actually; there’re Buddhist prayers that actually pray as a
Vajrayana or Mahayana practitioner so that we will not reborn during that kind of
good time. In fact even the Shakyamuni Buddha, for instance – Buddha’s
appearance in this earth was not chosen during the good times. It was chosen when
the human beings are going through a hundred’s life span, where there is suffering,
where there is you know, emotions and so on.
So anyway, Dzog-pa Chen-po or Atiyoga is I guess with some very good motivation
and some, just because you happen to be here; for some because we are such a
lazy oriented person, we’re looking for a supposedly very quick and straightforward
method. Anyway we’re all here aiming for the practice of Dzogchen. And for that we
need to do ngondro, the preliminary; and we have chosen the most beautiful, the
most elaborated eh, sort of commentary by Patrul Rinpoche.
I was recently reading in Australia because I thought behind my mind, I thought

maybe because Patrul Rinpoche wrote this for the nomads in Tibet – some of the
analogy might not work for people like here, you know like Bay Area, San Francisco
people. But I was very wrong. In fact I realized a lot of things, apart from few, those
nomad examples very much used as some of the examples – as an example for
some of the things that we do. So basically you know, I don’t know, while some of
you came from different places to listen to this, I’m not doing much, I’m going to just
read ‘Words of My Perfect Teacher’.
Maybe the one thing that is, that might, that may be worthwhile, that is, that may be
something that we do that is worthwhile - like during the afternoon, what’s it, last
time? - We do ‘lung’, the transmission of the actual book. Maybe that’s good
because as Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, one of the, one of my teachers and also
someone who passed away recently; I don’t know, some of you, you may know. He
said which is very, very powerful. I thought his remark was very powerful. He said at
that at the moment Dzogchen lineage blessing does exist alive. He even said very
vividly, visually. He said at the moment, the Dzogchen teaching’s blessing like a
vapour of dakinis’, eh, what do you call it? – Esteemed breath, the vapour is still not
yet sort of faded; and it is at this point we should really practice and receive
teachings. And that’s quite a powerful remark.
I, I don’t, most of the explanations that I will do, I will give you is actually very, very; it
doesn’t do the justice. You should just read the book. It’s easy to understand. I’m not
going to tell you anything that is not in here. Probably I will but that or if I did, it’s all a
mistake if I did something I said. But if I do the ‘lung’ since I’ve received this
transmission from many great masters, it might help you to keep that power of the
lineage, that transmission.
So this ‘Kunzang Lamé Shyalung’ or Words of My Perfect Teacher has mainly two
parts – the Common Foundation, the common teachings and Uncommon
Foundation. I have a little bit of doubt. Maybe we can only finish, we can only finish
the Common Foundation this time. And we will have to wait for the Uncommon
Foundation from next year, starting from the Refuge and Bodhicitta, Vajrasattva and
so on. But anyway, let’s see how it works.
So we are doing, we had been doing the Common Foundation, which is a very,
again advanced method, Vajrayana method of training the mind. Now as Jamgon
Kongtrul Rinpoche wrote, as Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye wrote in his ‘Calling the
Gurus’, at the end he wrote; this is something that you should really read. I think you
will find this in Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s book called ‘Journey without a Goal’
probably, I think towards the beginning of that. There’re three things that I like to
share, I think which is quite important.
One thing he said is (Tibetan phrase); that’s a quite an important thing he said in
‘Calling the Gurus’. He said, he’s praying to the gurus – bless me gurus so that my
dharma, dharma practice will sort of persist and reach to the end; so that my dharma
practice will go on and actually reach where it should reach; it sort of, so that I will
FINISH practicing dharma, so to speak, okay. I thought that’s quite important
because most of us, I mean generally speaking in this world, to get an inspiration to
practice the dharma is SO difficult, isn’t it? – So difficult. How many of us here, how
many of us, that’s very little and so many millions out there. They, some of them
have not even heard Buddha, let alone Patrul Rinpoche, or let alone ‘Kunzang Lamé
Shyalung’ or Dzog-pa Chen-po. So it’s very few of us is interested. And even though
some of us like you and me are interested, have some inspiration to practice the
dharma – to KEEP THAT WAY, ALL THE WAY until the end – is so difficult.
Practice the dharma diligently or even non-diligently all the way until the end is so
difficult. We, we are not stubborn enough when it comes to this. We are not, we’re,
we do not persist enough. We, I don’t know, we are not PUSHY enough, I guess.
Normally we are pushy and stubborn and all of that; we put so much emphasis on
this but I don’t know somehow we; yeah, we lose our inspiration.
Interest in the dharma practice only happens when there’s a lama or there’s some
kind of retreat. But then, you know it’s kind of SO DIFFICULT because there are so
many things that we people like us need, do not even go through, which you people
go through; I mean you have to pay tax, insurance, isn’t it? Telephone bills; those,
for those you need to work. And when you work, you don’t get a job in the
mountains; you have to get in the city. And in the city, there’s all this ‘THINGS’ that is
distracting you that is making you not persist with the dharma practice. So it’s very
difficult, but at the same time, don’t forget the good news I’ve told before – during the
degenerate times Dzogchen works BETTER (laughter). This is something you have
to keep in your head. It’s something really you should not forget.

I mean even people like us, me, born in the Buddhist family, from the ten directions
or the ten sides of me, mentally, physically I was GROOMED AND BRAINWASHED
AND FED AND DONE EVERYTHING BY THE BUDDHISTS (laughter) – still my
mind is not always on the dharma. About ninety-nine percent is usually on the
worldly matters. If this happens to me (laughter), what chance do you have? (Huge
laughter);
But I eh, I don’t know; this is quite, quite; I’ve, I have talked to even recently, very
recently I’ve talked to some of the lamas, Tibetan lamas – that the Tibetans are
losing their interest in the dharma. If there is, it’s usually very fear-oriented. Buddha
is almost treated as a god for rain, for harvest, for business and so on - not really for
enlightenment. And the rest; the interest, even the practice of Buddhism in the West
is growing. And this alone is a very, very, very good proof of karma and
reincarnation, I think. I personally think, but that’s my personal sort of thinking.
I think like Buddha said in the past, you know, Buddha was asked by one of his
disciple monks. He said – you know during the degenerated time, a monk might not
able to keep all the vows, what then? Then Buddha said - those monks who keep all
the vows intact during his time, during the Buddha’s time and a monk, during the
degenerated time, which breaks all the vows except one or two – they will have
equal merit on the path.
Likewise, I guess the renunciation of the Tibetan monks or you know practitioners,
so-called; and I think many of the renunciation, renouncing week-end for instance
like this, you know, there is a little bit of renunciation, isn’t it? I mean there’re so
many really good things to do out there (laughter). - Renouncing mm, I don’t know,
ideas, commitment with your, you know non-Buddhist husband or wife, whatever.
REALLY it takes a lot of energy, it takes a lot of hard work; I, I, I should say maybe
it’s equal, maybe it’s better even.
So anyway, we have this to really; you know a lot of people have, many of us have
inspiration to do the dharma, but to keep that ALL THE WAY is difficult. Now and we
have to do that. We have to keep THAT intact. And what do we do? This is where
this book comes in. This is when you need to hear more about and MORE like
“Words of My Perfect Teacher”, especially the first part, the Common, Common
Foundation.
And second thing that, another, another thing that Jamgon Kongtrul wrote in that
book; and in that “Calling the Guru” He said (Tibetan phrase) – THAT’S a very
special again. There’re two things that as a dharma practitioner, there’re two things
we should be able to reach. Forget about enlightenment. It’s so difficult, maybe too
far, far out there; such a high aim, maybe not possible, but at least two things that we
should be able to reach within this life-time. I’m not talking about rainbow body and
all that (laughter).
When you die, as you die, you should be able to reach to a state where you have no
regret of not, of not, not having practiced. This is one thing we should manage to
reach. You shouldn’t regret – oh, I haven’t done dharma practice at all. If you reach
that, hey, I mean if you, if you manage to at least a little bit, not regret – that’s quite
good.
And also the second thing is; this is not during eh, when we’re, when we are dying
but as we live, this, you and me, you know as we roam in this world, one thing we
should, as a dharma practitioner, as a dharma practitioner. - What makes a good
dharma practitioner, huh? As a dharma practitioner, we should – two things - okay.
Within this, it has also two kinds of subcategories. We should be STRONG enough
so that the conditions will not step over you; the conditions, whatever the conditions;
that’s one thing. And on the top of that, if you can actually manipulate or mm; sort of
defeat the conditions, circumstances – that’s even better.
But at least, we should not let the conditions and the circumstances defeat us. This,
this is a very, very, very, very profound thing that Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche said.
And we let the things defeat us quite a lot. And many times, as Shantideva said in
his book; some of you may remember – during the patience, he said – you know if
somebody beat you with a stick, why are you blaming with this? – Somebody who is;
if you blame, if you must blame, you should blame for having a soft body,
YOURSELF; partly it’s because of your soft body that when somebody hit you, you
have pain. If you don’t have the soft, sort of very vulnerable and sort of, then you will
not have pain. It is very, very right, you know. These great panditas of the past like
Aryadeva, Shantideva – they’re, they are very, sometimes almost very childish kind
of remarks are so profound.
Not being, yeah, not letting the conditions bother us at least, defeat us if possible.
But we always lose, and mainly because we put so much emphasis on comfort, and I
don’t know, right situation. We put so much and more we do that, the more we
become vulnerable. That’s why conditions always win, you understand. It’s like
driving in the traffic, isn’t it? As soon as you want to get somewhere fast, traffics are
there, red lights are more, green light never exists, you know, things like that. Or you
lose your teeth; it’s that first attitude sort of.
If you, if you are not in a hurry, then I don’t know, somehow you know like if you are
driving, it doesn’t bother you. It’s like that; not letting the conditions bother you or
defeat you. That’s one thing that we must be able to reach. We should really
examine ourselves. Since this is kind of long project; within let’s say three years I
think will take, including, including this year – let’s check after third year, whether we,
how many conditions can we defeat or how many times we do not let the conditions
defeat us. We should check. It’s something good, you know, good thing to do.
I mean people like Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche – they are saying, you know, I mean
there’s, there’re prayers like ‘let the emotions be’, you know ‘transforming the
emotions as a path’, ‘transforming the what – best circumstances in the path’, and all
that. Anyway there’re many ways to explain but if you not let the conditions defeat
you, that’s already quite a good way to transform the circumstances and the
situations as a path. You have reached quite a good level. This is one thing.
And now, in order to gain that kind of strength so that conditions will not defeat us
but hopefully we will defeat them. What do we do? Again we need teachings like
“Words of My Perfect Teacher”, at least this first half, the Common Foundation, okay.
And then another thing Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche said (Tibetan phrase) – this I find
it incredible again; another incredible, very profound remark Jamgon Kongtrul
Rinpoche said. (Tibetan phrase) - “gnyen po” is the antidote; “rang ‘gyur” is like you
know a general or even a king. He sits on a throne and he sort of directs everyone.
He knows what he’s doing. Situation is very chaotic, but usually the king sits on the
throne, very calm, unmovable. And then everybody rely on him so when they look at
him – sort of not nervous, very steady, majestic, heavy; then everybody also gain
some kind of confidence – oh, looks like not too bad, you know. That’s what it’s
mean by (Tibetan phrase), almost like not losing your territory, not losing your seat.
‘Gnyen po’ is antidote; for instance love and compassion meditation that we do. We
are supposed to do, anyway. Love and compassion meditation, patience, what else?
There’re so many antidotes that we have. I mean there’s so many pleasures, so
many defilements. But we are also given by the masters all sorts of antidotes, right.
We have them but most of our antidotes are not, are not adopting that ‘rang gyur’
attitude, which the king is doing. Our, our antidotes are very nervous; our antidotes,
always in doubt, not even there most of the time. Our, the antidote doesn’t have
enough strength.
So difficult; this is why if you are angry, you cannot just rely on reading Shantideva’s
book and sort of solving that problem. It doesn’t work; might, might even make you
angry more because it also brings a little bit of guilt in you. I’m a Buddhist, I’m a
Shantideva, you know, disciple. I’m not being able to do this, like that.
So we, we need to sort of rejuvenate, sort of boost these antidotes that we were
given; so that our antidotes will always work at the right time, the right situation. And
for that, again the Common Foundations are necessary. So these are the reasons
why; you know this is a, THIS BOOK IS A MANUAL FOR PRACTITIONERS WHO
ARE QUITE SERIOUS PRACTITIONERS, you know. So Common Foundations that
we have been going through are mainly to develop these things.
Basically, I mean; where were we? We were on the “Faults of Samsara”, right and
the Human Realm – yes. With these teachings, what’s happening? It’s that the
purpose of this teaching is not only to tell us how terrible these god realms and
hungry ghosts and all that; this is not the purpose. The purpose is for us to change
our kind of value, valuing system, you know the value; how much value we put on
what kind of things. You know we put value on certain things. And Patrul Rinpoche
and all these guys are saying that – if you want to be a serious dharma practitioner,
then we really should change the certain sort of ways or the valuing system that we
have.
Basically this, I mean in this section we are going through how so-called samsara
does not have any value. It’s completely futile, completely futile. By doing so, then
you will have, you will see value of the dharma practice. And by seeing the value of
dharma practice, not only you will have joy practising dharma; but you actually will
PERSIST this all the way. So that no matter what kind of conditions arise, you will
not give up; so the conditions will not defeat you. And by doing that, you gain much
more control over your own mind, so that the antidote that you have will always
ready to function. They’re all, they are not rusty. The antidote that you have, you are
given are always at the right time, the right situation.

And we have covered the three lower realms and we are beginning with the human
realm. Well, as I said earlier, the book itself not that difficult. It’s not Madhyamika
philosophy; something we have to, you know, ponder and argue research. It’s very
straight forward, but we’re doing ourselves a great deal of benefit by talking about it
and thinking about it because in this degenerate time, even having this kind of
conversation which has, which has the subject of how samsara has no value, is very
rare. The moment you walk out of this house, every advertisement, everything that
you see – there’s so many, there’s so much value on samsaric things – how cheap,
how fast, how great, how comfortable they are and so on.
So I will, yeah we are very fortunate. But I’m very fortunate that I have the
opportunity, opportunity to sort of talk about this. I’m sure Patrul Rinpoche and all the
great Dzogchen masters of the past and the present and the future will be very
pleased. See I’m very religious (laughter), okay.
So the suffering of the human beings – we, we can go quickly on this one. Eh, but
some of the categories are quite interesting. Well, the three main sufferings –
suffering of change, that’s, even though I mean we do go through lots of suffering,
somehow we don’t know suffering. I mean obviously this is why Buddha, Buddha
Shakyamuni, he chose the first subject to talk about this, suffering, no suffering,
that’s what he said. So some of this categorization is quite good, if it, yeah, I think it’s
such a skilful way of the past masters why they categorize sufferings like that.
For instance, suffering of change - wherever we go, wherever we dwell in this

samsara and whatever we experience, of course mainly we are here talking about
happiness. You know, partying, lying on a sundeck, going to a very nice coffee shop,
having a very eh, dream-like mixture, it’s almost like…what do you call it, this mix,
mix, blender? Yeah, having, going through experience of eh, what do you call it –
blending, mixing? Mixing, yeah, mixing anxiety and yeah, anxiety – I’m just trying to
go through the list of what we feel when we are in love (laughter). What do we feel? -
Anxiety, expectation, what? - Confusion, chaos – sometimes organized though; and
all of this, things like that.
Whatever we are going through, one thing that is for sure is that none of this lasts.
All these things change. They are always changing. At the end, none of them
remains completely still; they have changed. I mean EVEN THEN WE STILL DON’T
REALIZE doing it. I mean how many times we have changed husbands or wives, or
boyfriends or girlfriends? We STILL don’t realize that this new one is going to be the
same (laughter). Maybe you don’t know this so much; I know this very well (huge
laughter). We never realize this, isn't it funny? We actually think – ah, this is a
different one. This one is a very special one. But anyway (laughter); and none of
them lasts. This is so true; none of these last.
Relationship, money, position, power, attention, friendship - maybe some of them

last longer than others. That’s the only thing that we have. Some of them last longer
than the others. That’s ALL WE HAVE, NOTHING ELSE. Well that’s it, the first
category of suffering (laughter).
And then suffering, suffering on, suffering of suffering, or suffering on the top of
another suffering –that again we go through so much. Most of our activities, most of
our sort of planning our livelihood – are very much suffering of suffering. We, yeah
there’s so many.
Now the third suffering is something that we should really think about. I don’t know
some people translate this as all-pervasive suffering. How does it translate here?
What? (Response from audience) – Suffering in the making – eh, that’s quite
interesting. (Another response) Yes, the suffering of everything composite…yeah
‘sdug bsngal’, ‘sdug bsngal pa’, hmm. This is actually quite a, I mean maybe it’s not
the right time to mention but you know, this is, THIS suffering is quite a big one, is
quite a pervasive one – all pervasive suffering, some people call it, which is (Tibetan
phrase) – I guess so. I mean even the tenth bhumi bodhisattva’s meditative state of
mind also has this suffering. This is why even the TENTH bhumi bodhisattvas are
objects of compassion by the Buddha.
As long as it is a phenomenon that is you know, sort of compounded phenomena,

then that compounded phenomena is suffering. There’s a very good reason – why?
You know compounded phenomena are dependent phenomena. Dependent
phenomena means uncertain; you have to depend on something and if that
something is not working, then that, the first phenomena, one what? - You know it’s
not independent; it’s dependent phenomena, its compounded phenomena.
I mean in the commentary by Patrul Rinpoche – it’s very well, very clear here. In fact
he eh, he also covered all the – very easy way to understand this suffering. He
actually emphasized that most of so-called happiness that we have, in reality they
are all compounded phenomena and therefore they are also suffering. Not only they
are the suffering of this life, but they are maker of the cause of suffering for the next
life.
So therefore ye; and then the eh, suffering of birth that we have to go through. I
guess many of us must have forgotten how we suffered when we’re born. Anyone
remains? - No. Well if you read the commentaries, kind of everything very, very
descriptive. Like when you are eating, when you are drinking - when the mother is
drinking or eating something hot or cold, the pain or the suffering that you, who’s
inside the mother’s womb, that you have to go through.
And when you; and then suffering of old age - as Patrul Rinpoche said – after we’re
born, after we’re born, after we get birth, after we, I mean after we’re born in this
earth, most of the time we will then slowly engage into samsaric duties, samsaric
work, samsaric phenomena. And then slowly, unconsciously, obviously somehow
one day, you have already gotten OLD.
Old age is big suffering isn’t it for many of us? Yeah I’ve been thinking about it, about
this more and more now (laughter). One almost wishes that everything that has
happened until now is like a rehearsal. If it has been a rehearsal, it will be really
good, you know to go back and start everything really nicely (laughter). Actually
things that; you know sometimes when we wait for busses or planes to or when we
wait for something like for instance when we wait until the movie starts - the film
starts at 3.30 and then we’re there around 3. And then we’ve somehow fill up this
gap between, from 3 to 3.30 – it’s amazing that we actually have the courage to sort
of ‘kill’ the time. Isn’t it? – Amazing, so precious you know this time is so precious,
but we do, don’t we?
We, we WAIT; over we have half an hour, let’s go have something or let’s do
something. We sort of fill up this gap; it’s so courageous to do - amazing because to
think of it, this time will never come back.
And then of course, we do lots of hiding our age; all of that - yeah, going through
middle age crisis. Most of us here, as I see, yeah we’re kind of already on the top,
most of us. And many of us actually reach; you know life is like this – most of us here
already and we are now walking down. And read the descriptions of them, you know
suffering of old age by Patrul Rinpoche – incredible, incredible - goodness, when we
get ignored, when we’re referred as old …
And then the suffering of sickness: because again this body, because this body is
compounded phenomena because this body is made out of elements, different kind
of elements. When one or more element dysfunctions, when one or more elements
clashes then we go through pain - physical pain or even mental pain, all kinds of
suffering.
And then the suffering of death: when your body is thrown to the bed even though
you wish to eat or drink; no - even though you see food, you know food or drink, you
actually don’t feel like eating. And because somehow you know death is very near.
There is a very strong but stay, yeah strong but kind of underneath depression that
death is very near. And losing dignity; you lose your dignity because you know that
you are soon not going to function as a human being. And you’re also already been
visited or welcomed by all kinds of delusion that more, that specially comes during
the near-death situation. I mean when it’s, as you’re going closer to you know death.
then you go through all sorts of delusion.
Even though you’ve, you own lots of possessions; you have not even a single power.
You don’t even have a power to take even one single thing. Even though you cannot
really take anything; you do not let them go. And these possessions, they do not
follow you. And somehow as you die, your mind recalls some of the non-virtuous
things that you have done in the past and this enhances your regret.
And then another suffering that we go through – the fear of meeting hated enemies;
that’s what we are now. I don’t think we have to go through this obviously, I mean
generally speaking. But unconsciously we are always in fear of meeting something
unpleasant. Fear of meeting enemies such as someone might scratch your car,
someone might what do you call it, eh? – Burglary, yeah; yeah things like that.
And then also the fear of losing loved ones; now this, we have quite a lot. Read
some of these Milarepa’s songs in this session – they are so beautiful. Suffering, the
fear of losing loved ones – this is one of the standard sufferings that we have.
Generally we, sentient beings, we’re always attached to one’s own family, relatives,
ideas, religion, group, race. And, and we are not, even though we may not have
obvious anger we, we do not really, we’re not really open or compassionate to
others, enemies, other religions, other ideas.

And then we have the suffering of not getting what one wants. In this samsara there
is not a single being who does not wish to have happiness. Yeah, there’s not a single
being who does not wish to have happiness. Everyone wish to have happiness. But
happiness as you wish, as we wish; yeah actually having happiness as one wishes is
VERY difficult, almost non-existent - partly because we have different kinds of
happiness that we are looking for. Everyone has a different version of happiness.
Everyone has, is insatiable, not simple.
And then we have the suffering of encountering what one does NOT want. In this
samsara all the sufferings that we have talked about - there’s not even one sentient
being who wish, wishes to have suffering. But even though they may not wish to
have this, MANY of us go through this pain and suffering. So these are the sort of
outline of the human sufferings.
Let me quickly go through the asura and god realms also. I think we can do that.
Now let’s say if we’re reborn in the asura realm. Even though asura realm is as
wealthy or as comfortable as god realm, almost as; because the asura realm,
because one of the main causes is in the past life you have so much jealousy, and
out of jealousy you’ve engaged in lot of non-virtuous actions - and because of that,
the effect of jealousy and envy still continues.
So within the asura realm also, there is constant conflict with each other even though
there’s a lot of wealth, there’s a lot of comfort or whatever, power. Somehow the
habit of jealousy is strongly there. And not only within the asura realm, they are very
jealous or envious of god realm; and often it is said that they wage war between the
gods. And generally because the god realms are more higher sort of realm, also
gods are much more powerful –asura realms always get defeated.
And if you see in the Buddhist paintings on the, of the wheel of life, you will notice
that asura realm, between the asura and the god realm – there’s usually a war, a
scene of war. And the cause of this war is a tree, wish-fulfilling tree. The root of the
tree, it actually grows in the asura realm but the tree is so big it sort of, it gives the
flower and fruit in the god realm. This is actually a very symbolic teaching again.
Somehow asura people, they are also very, because they, one of their; they are very
POWERFUL, much more powerful than human beings. And many of the, among
many causes and conditions that, that sentient beings get reborn in the asura realm
is actually because of lot of virtuous actions also. And but there is a lot of jealousy,
jealousy habit pattern. In order to symbolize that - we see the actual tree, the wish-
fulfilling tree, growing in the asura realm as if they own it. And they actually have it
because of their past good karma. But their karma is NOT GOOD ENOUGH, that
they don’t have the fruits and the flowers, even though they take care of it.
They flower this tree, they put what you call it, fence and all that; but when it gives
birth to flowers and fruits – it’s the gods who don’t do anything to this tree but they
enjoy – just indicating there’s even higher karmic deeds that gods have created,
symbolic.
So it is many, there are many stories told by the monks, arhats, Buddha’s disciples
who happen to visit asura realm and how they saw in the asura realm that even the
ponds and waterfalls are all blood because they fight too much. Anyway lot of
wealth, lot of power, and a lot of supernatural power also, but because of their
jealousy, there’s constant suffering.
And then the last of the six realms, the god realm - generally the cause and condition
to make you reborn in the god realm because it is all virtuous action – therefore in
the god realm, you will find a lot of wealth, a lot of happiness. In fact during the
lifetime, during the god’s lifetime, you will not hear suffering or experience suffering
at all. But because it’s such a pleasurable place, such a beautiful place – there’s so
much joy, parties and all of that - you get carried away by ‘nyam nga’; nyam nga is
distractions.
There’s a problem of distractions. They, they are always constantly distracted. Even
though there’re, what do you call it? – Eh, mortality or eh, lifespan; even though most
ordinary gods, their lifespan is one eon, but they don’t even, they don’t even feel like
a moment. One eon is nothing because they are too happy. They want more.
So when the death comes, as the death comes, when the, when the power of their
past lives’ virtuous actions and the intention is exhausted, then of course you will not
remain because god realm is also compounded phenomena - so it’s impermanent.
It’s just very, very long happiness, that’s all. And when you reach to a level, a stage
where you have to stop being god and being god – then that is the time that you, I
mean the god suffers most.
In fact, some commentaries I saw that their suffering, the level of suffering that the
gods suffer - is seven times more than the ‘naraka’, the hell realm. But during those
seven days, usually seven days they suffer - but their seven days is but for some of
them, seven days is for us seven eons. Well, when they reach to that stage where
they have to, they know; you see they also have some kind of not only omniscience,
clairvoyance. So they themselves know they’re going to do. But their clairvoyance
gets distracted all the time by the joy and the pleasure so they don’t concentrate.
In fact it is believed that god, the King of the Gods, Indra – he was, he is a great
bodhisattva, you know. He has made sure that when the gong that wakes up the
gods you know, gods and goddesses in the god realm – that it, it makes a sound that
says that ‘all compounded things are impermanent’. But I guess even then, many of
the god realms, like we human beings, even though there’s a dharma, not many of
them hear it.
Anyway when they come to this stage, usually the gods have such a very radiant,
strong light issuing from their bodies, that light will reduce. Their radiant or majestic
quality, colour of their body will deteriorate or degenerate. Usually gods can sit on
what they call it - god's mate - like a mat or god's mat or like a seat. No matter how
long you sit there - for eons after eons you can sit, you'll never feel unhappy - sounds
very California, I find (laughter). It's like a description of a sofa seat, I am sorry.
And when the death comes, no matter how long you sit, you will always be bothered
by some kind of unobvious eh, message of death, some kind of depression. And the
god realms, gods - they have flower ornament. And these flower, fresh flower, fresh
flower ornaments - they never rot. But when the death comes, just about seven days
before, these flowers will begin to rot. And then similarly, their clothes; no matter how
long they wear, they never get dirt. Then they begin to change, they begin to change
that. Gods never sweat; then they begin to sweat - things like that.
And then gods, gods are also very uncompassionate and uncaring, I guess. Only
when they are joyful and having nice time, they all gather together and throw parties,
whatever. Gods are known for being very big party people. But when they know that
somebody's going to die, when the death is marked on someone - then all the other
gods, because they don't like talking about death, they don't even want to do
anything. So they pretend they don't see you or even the closest friend of yours
might throw some flowers at you and say that - make sure that you when you die,
you might be reborn in the human realm, then you will accumulate more merit and
come back - things like that.
SO, no matter where we are in these six realms, we cannot find happiness. This is
why as a practitioner, dharma practitioner, follower of the Buddha, one must go, try
to go beyond this six realms. This is big REMARK here, because many of the
practitioners; those who are following 'thirtikas', some of the non-Buddhist schools -
this is according to Buddhism, so it could be a prejudice, so be careful here. But
anyway since I'm Buddhist and very, what do you call it - staunch Buddhist, is it?
Yeah, yeah staunch Buddhist, I would say.
Many of the thirtikas or non-Buddhists - they misunderstand between some of this

higher realm of gods as nirvana. The Buddhist teachings and the teachers always
warn you not to dwell on that. And there is a story for that; this story, maybe I should
tell you. Some of, I'm sure you can read this here, yeah. Some people don't have
books...

Buddha's brother - his name is actually 'Joy' - joy, isn't it? - ‘Gau” (a.k.a..Nanda)
yeah. He's, he's very, very much in love with his own wife and she is also very much
in love with his wife, I mean him, him. So they are very much in love together, with
each other. Buddha, you know compassionate and omniscient, not like other
bhiksus; you know like other bhiksus, you can only request them to, if someone
requests for ordination, then you can give ordination - even, even that with certain
qualifications.
But with the Buddha, because of his omniscience, he would know who is, has
ripened for you now bhiksu ordination, becoming monk basically. So he, from his
omniscience, he knew that it is time that his younger brother gets ordination, but this
younger brother, who is also newly-wed, enjoying very much. So much then when
Buddha Shakyamuni came to Gau, you know his brother's palace, outside the
palace. And you know he's a prince, they, of course Buddha's brother's also a prince.
And he sent, he was thinking of sending some, some of his ministers, what you call it
- attendants, to offer the alms, you know offerings.
But it, the moment he hears, you know the Buddhist monks have this called ‘klasse’
– it’s like a stick that has a small bell on the top. It’s a traditional Buddhist monks’ …
eh, in the old days they use this. And because in the, in so many, many, many
lifetimes when Buddha was a bodhisattva, he has never told lies – because of that
power, even the sound of that klasse, that stick, especially, especially the Buddha’s
stick – when his brother who is inside the room, hears this, he couldn’t bare just
sitting here. He had to go out, like eh, he cannot ignore this.
So, of course, his wife is saying – no, don’t go; because they are embracing each
other all the time. And in fact, she says – okay if you must go, then come back. And
the time for coming back is like she would put her saliva on the, on his forehead and
before this saliva dries he has to come back (laughter). It’s that, she’s that attached.
And then he went, offering the alms. And then Buddha said – well, it’s time for you,
you know get ordination and all that. So again similar reason; Buddha never told lies
in the past. He had to obey; he had to, no choice. So he went to the temple. He was
there so brooding about missing his wife and all that. And in fact, he was trying to
sneak out of the monastery. And then what did Buddha say? Okay let’s go for a
walk. So he took his brother together and went for a walk.
And then Buddha took to the hell, eh, where is it? - Mm, somewhere near Mount
Kailash. And there they saw this white monkey, what, what do you call it? Monkey,
yeah monkey, a type of monkey. And one, one of the, this monkey’s eyes is also
missing and Buddha said – who’s more beautiful, your wife or this you know
monkey? Of course you know his brother said – of course, my wife, she’s so
beautiful and all that.
Then Buddha said – okay, let’s go more and then they walked for more. Then
Buddha took his brother to Tushita heaven and then so many palaces and gardens
and all sorts of beautiful, incredible. Then Buddha went to one palace and it’s such a
beautiful palace; like incredible that something he has never seen in his life. And in
the centre is an empty throne and empty sort of bed, surrounded and by all these
beautiful goddesses. And they are all doing arrangements like putting flowers and
you know, cleaning the tables and all that.
And then Buddha, he asked these goddesses – what are you guys doing here? Oh,
these goddesses then said – you know in the earth realm, there’s someone called
Gau, who is Buddha’s, you know brother. He’s now, he’s now ordained.as a monk;
and as part of this merit when he became monk – when he dies, when he’s reborn
as a god, and this is his palace and we are going to be his courtesans., like that. And
then Buddha asked later – who’s more beautiful, these girls or your wife? And he
said – OF COURSE, these girls.
So then he back to the human realm and he was, you know VERY GOOD monk
(laughter). He didn’t break any vows, nothing. He was very, very good. And then
Buddha summoned all the, what the monks and asked, told them – never eat with
Gau, never drink with him, don’t talk with him. When he comes in, you people go out;
when he goes out, you people come in. Just don’t mingle with him at all because his
motivation, his aim and your aim and your motivation is totally different.
So this happened and then of course he gets so sad because everybody’s ignoring
him, and he actually went to Ananda, who is also his cousin. And even Ananda was
ignoring him. And then he was so sad, he went to the Buddha and asked –
everybody’s ignoring me, what to do?
And then Buddha said – okay, let’s walk again, go for a walk. And then he took to the
hell realm. And then there’re so many hideous, dangerous looking hell realms. In one
section, there’re all these various scary looking monsters, hell guardians preparing a
big what do you call it, ‘cauldron’? Yeah, hell fire and all that and the Buddha asked
– what are you doing? Oh, these hell guardians, they said – you know there’s this
Buddha’s, there’s this Gau, someone who is at the moment a monk and he’s going
and as part of that, he’s going to become god. And then he’s going to remain as god
for like for a few hundred kalpas and after that he’s, you know sort of bad karma, bad
karma waiting list, sort of (laughter). It’s going to throw him right down here and we
are preparing for that.
And then of course, Gau, his brother changed his mind. The Buddha was trying to
say that we have to get out of these six realms. It’s a very good story, I think. That’s
it for tonight and tomorrow we will do some ‘lung’ and some more explanations,
okay. Do you want to ask some questions? Do you have some questions, yeah?
I find who dares to ask. Questions are like rabbits, you know (laughter) lots of
unsterilized rabbits. If you have one female and one male rabbits – you wait five
days and there will be like SIX, and next you have FORTY, you know. So questions
are like that. One should not ask too many questions, okay, okay.
Student A: Eh, I don’t understand the difference between the first kind of suffering,
the suffering of change and the third kind, the sort of suffering anticipating. The
reason I feel confused …
Rinpoche: The first one is talking more about the result, the impermanence itself
changes; but second one is both the result and the cause. As we, as we come, as
we compound two things.
Student A: The, the suffering in the making? (Rinpoche: Yes) - Is about the result
and the cause (Rinpoche: Yes) and the suffering of change is just the result?
Rinpoche: Result, usually like getting old or changing like the weather, spring, winter
like that. (Student A: Oh, I see) But all-pervasive suffering, even this with making, as
we, as we do something like mm, like making food according to this, is also suffering.
Student A: Okay, just you talked about that associated with suffering of everything
composite; that I thought had to do with impermanence in particular?
Rinpoche: Yes, it’s like compounded things are like a cause and the result is
impermanence, is it? (Student A: I see; thank you.) Yes…
Student B: In the suffering of not getting what wants …
Rinpoche: You don’t understand that? (LAUGHTER) How many times did you
bleach your hair? (LAUGHTER)
Student B: It’s a lot of minutes, I don’t know. It says a single spark of merit is worth
more than a mountain of effort; and this some, it make me think of the subtle effort in
‘shinay’.
Rinpoche: Yes, it can be. Usually virtuous actions are much more powerful than
non-virtuous. You know, it’s very, also logical because non-virtuous is not our nature.
We have the ‘buddha-nature’. Virtuous actions are actually much more of our nature.
Student B: It seems the effort is so subtle. Effort, this effort to make a single spark of
merit – it’s worth more than a mountain of effort and yet the effort …
Rinpoche: I think does it explain; is there a story behind that? I think there’s a,
there’s a king, right or is it here or maybe the next chapter? Eh, there is a king,
what’s his name? - Malindunandana, something like that? No, he was a
chakravartin, a very powerful king. And he was a very, very, very poor man and he
saw Kashyapa Buddha. And he was begging somewhere, and as a result of
begging, he only got what - five grains, right? Someone gave him five grains or
something. As soon as he saw Kashyapa, he was so overjoyed, he threw that to
Kashyapa. Five, six grains, I think; and two fell on Kashyapa’s head and then four fell
on Kashyapa’s begging bowl. And because of that devotion and inspiration, when
he, he was born again, he was a king – forgot the name.
And he ruled; he was the only chakravartin who ruled god realm, asura realm and
four continents of the earth. And he was, he was actually past life of Shakyamuni
Buddha; and Shakyamuni Buddha told this story when someone asked him about
the fault of pride. He was, he became very proud that he managed to conquer all and
that and then afterwards he fall.
Student B: So this speaks to a mind that doesn’t seek for what one wants...
Rinpoche: Well, then of course the merit becomes more strong. The merit is not
stained by all kinds of delusion. The lesser it’s stained by delusion, the more
powerful this merit becomes; more indestructible merit becomes.
Could have done the same thing to another person, he would not achieved that
much merit, but because he did it to Kashyapa Buddha. It also depends how much,
what - the merit also becomes more stronger, the object to whom you are offering or
engaging with is if he or she is special. Then the merit becomes stronger because
this person to whom you are engaging with because if he, if he or she is enlightened
being, then they would know what to pray, what to aspire. Whereas a beggar,
ordinary beggar don't know that, okay.
Yes, Mandak, Mandaktri, he's called Mandaktri, a previous reincarnation of the

Buddha who became extremely powerful through the power of his past merit, but lost
his power due to some evil thoughts. I think it was pride when he lost his power.
Student C: Speaking of pride, eh, you've said we should not let circumstances
defeat us, which is my current problem. Eh, and then you spoke of, I believe you
used the phrase - not losing your seed which Trungpa Rinpoche used to talk about.
For us ordinary people, how do we do that and not invoke our pride? To me, that is...
Rinpoche: Not to lose which one, the second one?
Student C: Not to lose your seed; you talked about the antidote to, you know we
need to persist in our practice.
Rinpoche: See sergic, you mean...? (Assistance from audience)
Student C: Seed, you said; you said something; the way you translated it is 'not
losing our seed'. (Rinpoche: Yes, yes, mm, seed, yes) and so to me it sounds like a
very prideful position for an ordinary person to have. (Rinpoche: Yes, yes) Well?
Rinpoche: Well, no, no, it’s a...you can be very humble – that is your seed; you don’t
have to lose that seed. And if you don’t manage, if you manage to not lose that
humility seed, then you can be quite confident of it.
Student C: But it’s too deep.
Rinpoche: It is.
Student C: How do you know when you, how do you know when you cross over-
into pride?
Rinpoche: Okay, different stages need different answers, for that. Normally for the
beginners, if anything that gives you a little bit of satisfaction, then usually there’s
something wrong (laughter) – you understand. On the second stage if some, if
anything that gives you a little bit of inspiration, then that’s good.
Student C: And beyond?
Rinpoche: Ah, I think beyond is, sort of you know they don’t really about results so
much.
Student C: Thank you.
Student D: Sir, I’m just a little stuck, I’m wondering if you can help? The section on
fear of losing one’s loved ones: I feel like intellectually I usually can feel things like
attachment, and feel like intellectually I understand it even if I can’t practice it.
But I couldn’t even intellectually quite get that one because I felt like I have so many
teachings about how you’re supposed to venerate your parents and use them as a
ground for being able to practice and being able to open.
And so the whole section – I get feeling like I don’t want my parents to feel that way
about me, you know; that it’s like you see all the stories like Milarepa and so on …
Rinpoche: You can still venerate. None of this is not venerate and all that.
Student C: It does; sir, it says how you know, when you’re born, your parents just
make, parent you the most terrible way because they’re trying to make you into them
…
Rinpoche: Eh, when you’re born what; can you repeat that again? How, how you go
to the suffering and all that? OH, this is quite different. This is not like Freudian, no,
no, no (laughter).
It’s just describing general suffering. It’s not; even the parents went through this, you
understand. Their parents went through that too. So normally all human beings go
through this suffering; you see here the interest is to introduce us that everything in
every level, in every situation, whatever we do – is suffering. That’s their interest
here. They do not pick up something and say that this is not a suffering here, alright?
One should not have grasping, craving, attachment to everything – that’s our aim.
Student D: So I guess the bigger question is how do you have a relationship or sort
of respect or intimacy on any level, I mean parent, friend, lover ... without this
attachment like what’s, what’s the quality of it?
Rinpoche: It depends again, different stages. I would say…okay, are you talking
mainly of the parents or just anything, anybody?
Student D: Anything applicable, (Rinpoche: Friends?), anything yeah, friends.

Rinpoche: Friends, yeah; okay friends and loved ones – we should respect, we
should value their phenomena. We should respect their phenomena. We should try
to put our feet in their shoes as much as we can.
And then we should not become, we should not become the food for their emotions,
isn’t it? - Because that way, you are not helping them. So this is why I’m saying
different stages may be first you do respect and all of that and then as you yourself
become better, you check – am I feeding their emotions? If I am, then maybe I’m
doing them more harm; why not I go inside my room and do a good shamatha
practice and dedicate them this merit to your friend, because in the long run this will
be helping.
Student D: Why are they your friends if you don’t have any attachment to them?
Rinpoche: Oh, from the worldly point of view, no; then they are not a friend. Yeah,
from a spiritual point of view, eh, you are supposed to learn no difference between all
these friends and strangers. That’s our aim. And for more, for very, very you know
from the Vajrayana’s point of view, you only have one virtuous friend. And that’s all;
one or two anyway, virtuous friend, and then this virtuous friend …you see it will
come here.
They will even say – you know what’s this friends or parents of worldly, they’re
saying; worldly, worldly parents and worldly friends or worldly parents – what did
they give you? They taught you how to be worldly, how to like praise, dislike
criticism, they basically taught you how to ‘chain’ yourself. Not only they chain
themselves, they chain you also.
Now, again okay that’s one thing. Another thing, they also said this – mother sentient
beings, they are so, so kind. They’ve given us so much, but not of their wisdom
though, out of their attachment. They give so much for us. They shed their blood,
they shed sweat, everything. So don’t you have to repay them?
Yes, we have to by unchaining them, dismantling their chains. So that can invoke
you know straight forward talk to, you know very skilful lying and all of that. That,
that’s a very big question, you have asked a lifetime question here. Ask me again
and again and I will tell you it’s time. What do you think?
Student D: Good, thank you.
Rinpoche: Okay, let’s go.
So towards the end of eh, the third; okay wait, there’s two main, main sections of
categories – the common, which is, which are the Common Foundation and
Uncommon Foundation. And within the first section, Common, Common Foundation,
we have four methods of turning our mind from samsara, turning our mind away from
samsara.
And last night we talked about Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche’s, some of the comments
in his “Calling the Guru”; stressing how important it is to learn, to value this spiritual
path, spiritual value. And also understand the futile or no-value in so-called samsaric
life, so that our mind will turn into the dharma – so that conditions will not defeat us,
so that our antidote or our practice becomes effective when it is necessary.
Within the four schools of, four lineages in Tibet, you will find similar teachings.
There are actually like four, several; eh, within, within each school, there’s lot of
teachings and lot of books and quite popular books. Each school has their own sort
of favourite or most popular teachings on the preliminary of the foundation teachings.
I think it’s good to read the others also.
When ‘Words of My Perfect Teacher’ is mainly favoured and popular among the
Nyingma school although many of the practitioners from the Kagyu tradition and
Sakyapas in the past; I don’t know these days because nowadays people are very
sectarian so they may not read so much. But in the past definitely people read. I
know within the Sakya and Kagyu tradition, people read also ‘Words of My Perfect
Teacher’.

And within the Sakya School, there’s also a very extensive teaching. It’s called
“Snang Gsum” - Three Perceptions; it's wonderful, again of course it’s a preliminary
teaching, Mind training teaching; divert our attention more to the spiritual values and
spiritual things from you know, instead of dwelling our attention to worldly things. And
it’s very skilfully done by categorizing all the perceptions, our perceptions into three
categories – impure perception, pure perception and experiential, experiential
perception. It’s very, very skilful ways of the great Sakyapas.
There are again a lot of documentaries, documentary and there are lots of teachings
on this. Actually there's also a very good translation I have seen within the mm, in
English, commentary actually written by Dezhung Rinpoche. I think that's one book
that those who are seriously thinking of practising the dharma should read this.
Three Perceptions - it's called; very, very good.
Impure perception - when we talk about impure perception, we are talking a

perception that's coming from deluded mind. And then pure perception - when the
delusion is completely purified what you see then totally different way of looking at
things. And experiential perception is from, as you sort of embark to the pure
perception from you know, impure perception. As you sort of depart from the impure
perception to, towards the pure perception, what happens then, you know in
between that? What kind of experience you get?
It's a very wonderful way of categorizing; and then within the Kagyu tradition, there’s
Gampopa’s (Sonam Rinchen), the Dakpo Targyen, Dakpo Rinpoche’s eh, I think
roughly you can translate as ‘Jewel, Jewel Ornament’. It’s very, very, very important.
In fact it’s a, it’s a very special text, that it could; it is used, it has, it was used by
many, many philosophy schools as a, almost like a bridge between theoretical study
and practice. Just, just aft, just before you begin practice after you finish the Buddhist
philosophy study then as a, as a bridge between the theory, theory and practice.
Many scholars of the past favoured Dakpo Targyen or the Jewel Ornament by
Dakpo, Dakpo Rinpoche or Gampopa. And this is one of the main disciples of
Milarepa.
And then of course, how can we forget ‘Lamrin’? The great Tsongkhapa’s incredible
work – mm, so special, the gradual path to enlightenment, step by step, carefully
guided. Every attention is given, very detailed, and very, very Kadampa’s method-
oriented, sort of very down to earth. And as you can find in some, some parts of the
‘Words of My Perfect Teacher’, it’s like; Lamrin is another teaching by Tsongkhapa
like what do they call it in? I think in, in the West, they have this expression called
what - ‘opening the can of worms’ is it? (Laughter) It’s like that.
It’s like that. It really opens a lot of faults. It’s, it’s like digging the fault. And Lamrin,
as you go through the Lamrin, you will notice that not even a single fault is spared.
Every single fault of human beings is sort of dug out. It’s such an important book.
And as a follower of Shakyamuni Buddha, you know even though we may not be
able to read all, at least one or two. And especially if you want to, you know
appreciate the greatness and the compassionate skilful means of the past masters.
You should really read like I would suggest to as many of you to read, especially I
can see a lot of what do you call it? Staunched is it? Staunched Nyingmapas and
Kagyupas here; you know stubborn, conservative, narrow-minded (laughter); I can
see a lot of this here.
Eh, I am a student of Trungpa Rinpoche or Sogyal Rinpoche or, therefore I am a

Nyingma or Kagyu or, things like that. And also maybe I think I would suggest you do
read Lamrin. You should really read Lamrin by Tsongkhapa - special man this one -
something that we cannot ignore and the ‘Three Perceptions’.
I am sure the Lamrin is translated, of course. FPMT would never leave it alone
(laughter). Is there a good translation of Lamrin? Must have (response from
audience), pardon? (Someone in audience: Liberation in the Palm of the Hand) Is
that Lamrin? That’s all? It’s never translated…oh. (Response from audience) Oh
well, we have to wait until September then. That’s a shame because that’s a very,
very special. Some people, MANY people in Tibet – they spend all their life just on
Lamrin.
Well if you don’t want to do anything, if you have, if you, if you; I mean I can
understand. If you, if you feel like you don’t want, you don’t want to do anything with
these Tibetans, because Tibetans you know – I understand completely that
(laughter). You know they, as much as they give you their wisdom, their whatever,
wisdom that’s actually is not really owned by Tibetans themselves; but I don’t know
somehow they feel it’s theirs. Anyway as much as they transfer this to you, I have
also noticed constantly they give you a lot of their ‘dirt’, their sort of problems.
If you have, if you don’t want to do anything with those, then don’t read these Tibetan
books. Stick with words by, works by people like Shantideva or Atisha Dipamkara. I
mean you don’t need anything. Bodhichar, Bodhicharyavatara – that’s all you need.
THAT’S, that’s the complete, that’s the quintessence of Lamrin, that’s the
quintessence of Three Perceptions, that’s the quintessence of eh, Kunzang Lame
Shyalung. It’s very SPECIAL.
But many of you, now that you have, especially we Vajrayana students; we, we like
doing, you know chanting mantras. We feel that, well this is quite understandable,
we feel that we have to do something – chant mantras or prostrations or mandala
offering. THAT you may not find within the Bodhicharyavatara. But actually I
shouldn’t say that because you’ll find it in a very, very bigger level; I mean
Shantideva’s, I don’t know whether some of you recall, he said – a bodhisattva must
first begin to learn vegetables, and then slowly learn how to give up their limbs. So
there’s like a hundred thousand prostrations, probably more.
So, anyway we, we’re at the end of the third section of the Common foundation and
we have just discovered roughly the six realms. The six, we introduced the six
realms purely, it’s not; you know the purpose of introducing the six realms here is to
make you realize that no matter where which realm you are, that you will find no
happiness. Everything is covered by suffering. Yeah, this is what, that’s the main
purpose.
And by knowing that where, wherever, whichever realm we are in, that we, that’s
only suffering; then gradually we will learn to have real, sort of revulsion from the
heart, you know kind of genuine renunciation mind will grow. And then you will have
no interest in this life, so-called life. You’ll, you’re, your interest, your, I don’t know
how to translate this one – it’s a very good expression. But “Tshe ‘di blo yis thongs”,
“tshe blo thongs”, “tshe ‘di blo yis thongs” – ‘tshe ‘di’ means this life; ‘blo’ means
mind; ‘thongs’ means give up. Give up but it has this connotation not to give up
putting so much of value to this life. This is, this will appear.
I mean THAT is very, very necessary; I mean even, even if you are practising
Theravada; that’s very necessary. Now many of us, I presume we have taken the
Mahayana path, right? Now as a Mahayana practitioner, if you claim yourself as a
Mahayana or Vajrayana practitioner, you are not supposed to practice the dharma
for your own enlightenment. You should not CARE! I mean I hear people saying –
my dharma practice is not good. I can never get enlightenment.
You know people worry about, people worry or people sort of demonstrate or brag
about their humility, you know sort of (laughter) like – no, no, no I can never reach
enlightenment judging from my behaviour. WHO CARES? (Laughter) You should
NOT CARE; you should not care about your enlightenment at all. You are practising
the dharma for OTHERS! - Other people’s enlightenment, not yours. You can be as
dilige.., you know even if you become deluded and suffering in the samsara doesn’t
matter. That’s what you’re supposed to do, right?
So it’s a very BIG attitude. It’s a very special attitude. But even if we may not reach
to that level, okay even though okay, thus, that’s not possible. That’s almost: “I can’t
do this; I, I have to care about my, my enlightenment. That’s the only thing that
keeps me in Buddhism, you understand because I believe vaguely there is
enlightenment, so-called enlightenment. Logically I can understand that is possible
and that’s what I want; and that’s why I am here, still within, within the Buddhist
path”.
If I genuinely have to adopt this attitude – ‘I don’t care about my enlightenment but
for the others’ - it’s going to be very tough; it’s going to be very tough. But let’s say
we are more Hinayana-oriented which, which we ARE actually. Most of us actually,
although we have such a big mouth of practising Vajrayana or Dzogchen even, we
are actually all sort of BARELY qualified as a very, very, very, very low class
Hinayana practitioner. Now if you, even for that, one thing that you have to learn is to
give up putting value on the samsaric things.
There are some interesting stories in, in the book; you should read. Eh, you know
these Kadampa practitioners; these are something that you will find in the Lamrin
quite a lot. This is very, you know in Lamrin, Tsongkhapa’s Lamrin, you will find this
a lot.
You know once a Kadampa student practitioner and this practitioner, this dharma
practitioner, Kadampa student – he went to Reting Monastery, kind of very holy
place. And there he was doing, going round the Reting Monastery and he met his
master, Kadampa master. And Kadampa master said – ‘Oh, mm, I, I’m very happy
that you are, you know going round monastery which is very good. But maybe you
should practice dharma’.
And then the student thought – well I can see that this is a bit too distracting. Maybe
what my master wants me is to read sutras, so he went inside the library and he was
reading sutras. The master came, the master came and he said – ‘I’m so happy that
you’re reading sutras but maybe you should practice the dharma’. And then he
thought – well maybe I should meditate. That’s actually better than you know reading
sutras and he did that. And the same thing happened.
And then at the end, he gave up and he asked his master – but I have tried
everything like making offerings, doing meditation, reading sutras, chanting mantras,
prostrations; you still keep on saying ‘practice dharma’ as if I have not done
anything. So what am I supposed to do? Then the Kadampa master said – ‘You
have to give up putting value on this life. You have to give up this, yes, seeing so
much value in this life. Until you do that, you are not a dharma practitioner’.
I don’t know if you, some of you’ve heard Sakyapa’s very popular and very, very
revered teaching called “Parting from the Four Desires” and in it actually, the first
parting from the desire is – ‘If you have attachment to this life, you are not a dharma
practitioner’. It’s a very important remark. And I mean it’s all in the text; many of you,
I can see many of you have the book. But I just want; I want to draw your attention to
some of the parts.
There is also quotation of Padampa Sangye. It is quite beautiful; he said – ‘All these
possessions that we have, they are like mist so don’t, don’t think they are permanent
that they will last. They will not last. They will go away like a mist. All this fame – they
are like echo. Don’t think they are real. They are like echo, therefore don’t put
attention; don’t put effort in collecting and becoming famous in collecting fame. All
these jewels and ornaments – they are like rainbow. They look beautiful but they
have no essence. They are completely sort of made out at different times in different
situations. And this, actually many more which this Kadampa’s quotation I wanted
you to draw, put some attention into that quotation.
So in order to practice genuinely, we now know that the first thing, the first and the
most important thing is to understand the futility aspect of the samsara. And so in
order to understand the futility aspect of the samsara, we have to understand the
fault of this samsara. Therefore we meditate upon the fault of samsara again and
again, completely opposite; you see normally, normally what we do is we always
meditate even we may not use the word. We always learn, we always think about the
goodness, the value, and I don’t know, glory and good aspect of the samsara. But
this you do the opposite. You have to think about the fault of this samsara again and
again.
By doing so, by understanding the fault of samsara then it brings lots of other
benefits. It gives you; it will gradually develop a certain trust in cause, condition and
effect. It will also bring love and compassion for those who have not understood the
fault of samsara; you’ll automatically have love and compassion. All the enlightened
qualities that come during the path will also gradually mature and arise within
yourself. Therefore the Lord Buddha also decided of all his teachings, the first thing
among the Four Noble Truths, the first thing he taught was the truth of suffering. And
he said – know the suffering.
And that is also a key method to combat or to overcome this ego, that ego, yeah this
ego that is like a source of all sorts of craving and grasping and all the emotions.
That's it; that's the third of the Common, third category of the Common Foundation.
Now the Fourth and the last: now that's legendary karma - action, cause and; action,
cause and result. I like to later on mm, you know anyone of you asks me questions
because this subject is very big subject. We can talk about this for days. I still
somehow, I don't know this is a big, maybe I'm very, very wrong.
Somehow I feel in the West, people have quite a good foundation of understanding
when we talk about emptiness; of course not practically but at least intellectually.
They can, it, the message gets through. Somehow you know the philosophy of
interdependent reality, the philosophy of emptiness, the, the Buddhist philosophy of
selflessness even - even though egoless-ness is something we cannot REALLY
practice, we cannot really put into action, at least people can buy this idea, you
know. Oh, well it makes sense.
At least the doubt or the questions that I hear can tell that there are; you know it's,
it's, I guess you have the same similar expression. We say you know - a little
knowledge is sort of dangerous - you understand. When it comes to the emptiness,
the safe thing; I feel it's quite safe with emptiness and interdependent and all that,
because many Westerners, not only Westerners but just everyone - they have no
idea. So that's quite safe. It's quite safe; they've no knowledge.
But when it comes to KARMA, I even read some in the, some of the dictionaries or
some of the thesauruses, and you can hear from the pop songs people use word
'karma' You can read even in the New York Times these days in articles. We can
often hear from these big Hollywood stars talking about karma. And then as I hear
from the dharma students talking about karma, asking questions about karma. And I
don't know many times I feel karma is still not really gone through. The study of
karma is not THERE; and that’s quite dangerous. Because that's a really, one of the
most important, fundamental Buddhist view.
If you cannot accept karma, then karma or if you cannot understand karma, then you
will not understand a lot of things. You will not understand the rest. I give you a good
reason for this one. You know we talk about devotion, right. I'm, I'm not, this, this is
also not coming from me, okay originally, I'm not creating this. I actually read just
before I came, I wanted to prepare something to talk about karma. So I read some of
the Saha, Saraha's doha - 'doha' is song. And I'm actually, based on one of his
songs, I'm saying some of these things.
You know we talk about devotion a lot within the Vajrayana practitioners especially.
And the EXERCISE of the devotion, the practice of the devotion, the manifestation of
devotion, as I see it using Saraha's doha, as a key to examine - I can see many of us
have lack of understanding of cause, condition and effect. And that's very
dangerous. Saraha's doha said; he's introducing the, he was introducing what, what
is devotion.
In his doha, he said - Devotion, the root of the devotion or the epiti... or the essence
of devotion - what is it? It's TRUSTING cause, condition and effect. That's VERY
IMPORTANT, I think. Actually Saraha was a great scholar also. Mm, I mean, I don't
really blame you so much because what's happening is this.
This is going to be a problem again and again. As we go through this journey of

Buddhism, journey of this spiritual path; mm, ideally we need practice and a bit of
theoretical studies, okay. As we talk last year (pause), okay, let's say I'm the vajra
master okay. And if I'm not selfish, only interested in someone else's enlightenment,
then I go around and look for disciples or a practitioner to whom I will share the
instructions, the teachings. And as I do look that, I'm supposed to be looking for two
kinds of disciples, two kinds of practitioners.
One - classic term is disciple of superior, superior faculties, disciple who has superior
faculties; now THAT is someone who actually at least has mastered the philosophy
of cause, condition and effect. Let’s say mm, a disciple who thinks – ah, they can’t
have you know like I don’t know ex-tirthikas, ex-, some, some ex-scientists or I don’t
know someone who believes, who used to believe that the world is created by an all-
mighty Creator but then later using your own logic and your own wisdom, you realize
that maybe not really the, you know, fact and you search more. And then you come
to this kind of, you know more, MORE UNDERSTANDING on cause, condition and
effect. That’s, that’s one type of disciple.
Another type of disciple is you may have no background on this kind of education, no
knowledge. But just because you have certain karmic link which will be taught later,
that you trust this person. Whatever he says; even he says fire is water, water is fire,
you trust. Complete sort of; it’s almost like a blind trust but ACTUALLY they are
equally…now don’t think. Many people seem to think nowadays because it’s a term,
you know it’s a term, term – the words that we use always deceive us. You know
people, when people talk about disciple, disciple of superior faculties, we always
think – Ah, that’s a difficult-to-get, that kind of disciple.
But blind faith, you know not really blind faith but the second type of disciple’s kind of
easy to get but that’s not true. They are equally difficult to get. Both are not possible,
not too many these days because the first, first kind of disciples – they don’t have
ENOUGH TRUST, enough eh, intellect to understand the whole cause, condition
and effect. The second type of disciple, we have but they have instead of having
complete trust, they have sceptical mind, and this and that. They have their doubts
you know; so it’s very difficult to get.
I’m saying this as some kind of a background to one of, some of Saraha’s songs.
Anyway as he said, the devotion is trust in cause, condition and effect; and I think it’s
VERY IMPORTANT. If you, if you, if someone asks you a question – What is
devotion? No, actually what is the word ‘faith’ means in English, can someone tell
me? – Faith; does it have a bit of blindness in it, yeah? How about devotion? Yeah,
(students respond), yeah; well when you exercise this, of course there is some
attachment, I guess. But you know it’s like; you know I always use this example - it’s
like cooking an egg again.
You have water, egg inside, fire, gas, whatever - cause, condition; no obstacles –
nobody you know taking out the egg every few seconds (laughter). What do you do?
Then what kind of trust do you have? Okay, no obstacles; fire, water, water is boiling
- you trust the egg is going to be cooked. THAT, according to Saraha, is the devotion
– trusting in cause, condition and effect.
Now, cause, condition and effect – if you understand this three, then so-called this
devotion, this, the devotion you see like Kagyu, Kagyupas – they always recite. What
do they recite? Devotion is the head of the meditation or something like that, yeah;
then you will know. It’s really, many people as they recite – ‘Devotion is the head of
meditation, therefore you know kindly bless me so that I have more devotion’.
I don’t know, somehow out of my impure vision, I feel that people are referring to
some kind of a faith. That’s what – I lack faith. When they say faith or devotion, I
don’t know I have a feeling some people, many people are referring to some kind of -
NOTHING to do with understanding the cause, condition and effect. So please really
this Saraha’s doha is a very, I think it’s a very important thing, especially the modern
people, scientifically-oriented people like us should hear. Don’t you think?
You know this so-called four seals or four mudras the Buddhists talk about, which is
like; which, which are the four things that makes you Buddhist? If you don’t have one
of them, you are not, you are not Buddhist. And I would say the essence of this ‘four
seals’ is actually believing in or trust; believing in or accepting the law of
interdependent reality – that everything is interdependent. If you are accepting that, if
you accept this FULLY, okay, then you are a follower of the Buddha. You may not
call yourself a Buddhist but you are a follower of the Buddha.
Because based on this accept, COMPLETE acceptance of interdependent reality,

you will; compassion fits there, love and kindness fit there, understanding of
emptiness fits there, devotion fits there. Now I’m stressing this because CERTAIN
amount or certain level of understanding the interdependence is you know possible.
But to FULLY accept that EVERYTHING, every phenomenon, every single
phenomenon – they are all interdependent reality, within the interdependent reality is
quite difficult.
Maybe some scientists have managed to reach that, maybe, I don’t know. But I don’t
know somehow their seemingly lack of compassion and lack of loving kindness
doesn’t seem to tell me that they actually did understand the interdependent reality.
And INTERDEPENDENT REALITY IS EMPTINESS, isn’t it? It is, it’s the, it’s the
other interpretation of ‘emptiness’. Now we are talking about; okay this is the Fourth
Foundation, the Fourth Common Foundation. And this, even though it comes as part
of the foundation, this is an actual teaching on interdependent reality – I think one of
the most fundamental foundation teachings on interdependent reality. So this is why
it’s here, before you do the Uncommon Foundation, understanding karma or the
action, cause and result.
Think about some questions and you have maybe like five minutes break and you
come back. And yes, ask me questions as if you are not a Buddhist, you understand.
Don’t be afraid that you are violating a karma, you understand? Ask as, as if you
really you know you do not believe in cause and condition and effect. You
understand this is eh; yes we’ll see in five minutes.
(After the break) Seeing, seeing you and me together is quite a good example of
karma actually (laughter)
Student A: Altogether; Rinpoche, I’m, as one of your flunky students; eh, I, I hope
you are not grimacing, I hope you’re smiling (laughter). (Rinpoche: Okay) I, I feel a
bit like a fly stuck to a frying pan with oil on it, and losing its wings and its body parts.
And I mean you’re like a breeze from the last year. I come back with the same kind
of issues and problems. I mean work things; I don’t want to get into that here. But it’s
like; I mean I’m so kind of, on some level, out of control by the cause and conditions
around me that I mean on a practical level, I’m having tremendous troubles sleeping
because eh, I, I’m, I’m frightened, anxious and nervous, and all this.
Rinpoche: About karma?
Student A: Well, I mean it’s even MORE IMMEDIATE than that because I mean it’s,
it’s that; maybe it’s the experiential category we’re talking. Maybe I am not lucky.
Maybe I’m not even that lucky that I’m in the experiential category. And so I mean I
do manage to do a little bit of practice. Once in a while I think about things but eh,
but I’m having trouble sleeping because the kind of morass that I’m stuck here, you
know it’s like sinking in tar.
And I mean when it’s in such an immediate level frankly that I mean I’m having
trouble sleeping and functioning. I’m having trouble extricating myself. I keep fighting
myself losing more body parts. Eh, do you have any suggestions for me, someone
TOTALLY OUT of control, you know? I mean what do I do with this? I’m even
having trouble contemplating in this condition.
Rinpoche: Okay I will talk to you about this. (Student A: Okay, thank you.)
Student B: Rinpoche, I have two questions and a request. But quick first question:
as an ex-scientist, why do they always pick on the scientists? (Laughter) What’s the
karma there (laughter)...?
Rinpoche: Do they pick up? Eh, actually they find friends in scientists. I mean they,
they feel comfort with the scientists, actually many of them, as they know more.
Student B: Okay; and so this, this is my question on karma. Eh, in some of the
teachings, at least my understanding – it’s been said that when you pray for
someone else, have compassion for someone else, there’s merit for you and also
merit for the other person, saying doing tonglen or something like that. And yet it
seems like that from a karmic standpoint – I think this is where I have a
misunderstanding. If you know you pray for me right now, and say you know - Jay
Wye show enlightenment or be enlightened - I’m still not enlightened. So it seems
like, what, what; how is karma and prayer got together? Why can’t someone, when
you pray for somebody, it...
Rinpoche: That’s a good question, related to karma, yes – very many different levels
of understanding, this one. For instance, for one, you have, you have a certain
karma to help someone like me praying for you. You know we talked about this some
other times. It’s almost like if someone like me is praying for you, yeah, we’re talking
about merit; it is actually your own good karma of the past that created me who is
praying for you. This can happen, I mean this, this is it.
But does not mean that you should not offer your gratitude; you should not offer your
gratitude to me. If you are skilful, even after you know that it is your karma, good
karma that create someone who’s having a good wish to you – now that if you want
to have more good time, you should, you should still offer your gratitude towards me.
That way you accumulate more karma. Yeah, we have to talk like this more, then I
will have some kind of base, okay.
Student B: Just, just quick request; maybe you were going to do this; eh, you know I
would like to follow this path. I listen to your teachings from last year and you talked
about increasing your value to the dharma. Well, maybe my value wasn’t so good
because I wasn’t here last year and I was wondering if you can give the ‘lung’ from
the beginning for those of us that were not here …
Rinpoche: Yes, some people ask me. Eh, mm, I don’t know, I will see but I will give
you at least the complete Longchen Nyingtik root text ngondro, complete; that’s
easy, okay. But with a little bit of arrangement, yes definitely. I’m not supposed to
refuse anyway to (laughter) you know it’s just the timing. We can arrange some
timing.
Student B: One of your students says you a fast reader (laughter). Thank you.
Student C: Eh, I think I have two parts. One is as a Buddhist and, and then not as a
Buddhist. Eh, the, the question about that, eh, in terms of your saying that if you
don’t understand karma, it’s so dangerous – is that because then you won’t be
mindful or careful?
For example if you’re boiling the egg, I mean it will only come out right if you pay
attention to the amount of time that you don’t, you know burn the pan and the house
on fire. That you would do that; you could do that, I suppose because of past karma,
right.
I mean when you were talking about in relation to devotion, I think a devotion having
to do with generosity. I mean that you feel eh, a connection or link, even a
recognition or like a re-cognition, something or someone and so then eh, you want to
devote yourself to them.
But again if you didn’t understand karma, that you could do it in some sort of stupid
way like what maybe if you do with compassion like what Trungpa Rinpoche used to
call idiot compassion, could do it sort of stupid way if you didn’t understand karma.
Rinpoche: Mm, I’m not so clear but anyway you know many people talk about karma
and we all know a little bit. I think many people go through guilt for killing
cockroaches in the house because you have a little bit of understanding of karma.
And but because you don’t have enough understanding, all you go through is guilt
and that’s about it, you understand.
What we have to do, we have to really understand THOROUGHLY. But that’s quite
difficult. In order again you see to understand thoroughly karma, you have actually to
reach to certain level. This is the tricky part. When I’m talking, yeah…
Student C: I’m sorry. You have to understand that every, in the sense every step
you take has an effect, a ripple, somewhere, somehow, affect something else.
Rinpoche: Yes, every motivation, every, even you think; yeah every thought has a
karma, yes.
Student C: So, so that there’s kind of balance thing …
Rinpoche: Well there is a concept so-called neutral karma, but that’s usually a strict
practitioner would also consider that as a mm, negative karma because you are
wasting your time.
Student C: Okay, but the thing if this is involved in what you’re talking or not, I have
a lot of trouble with; which in a way every time I hear it makes me want to run the
other way from anything to do with Buddhism is this whole karma rebirth thing –
about someone is poverty-stricken or gets hurt or terrible disease because of you
know harm in another life. I mean this is strong but it really makes me sick.
Rinpoche: Yeah, but the thing is maybe what you to know is that can, what you
need to know is the aspect of karma that is, that can be destroyed, that can be
transformed, changeable. That’s the aspect that many people don’t know.
Many people actually think, you see especially this like Hollywood film stars, when
they talk about karma, I can see they’re talking about what ‘fixed’ destinations. That
is not at all. What do they call it? Yeah, pre-destinations or (Audience: It’s like
destiny or fate) well, eh, FATE, yes, fate; fate or it’s everything mm, predetermined,
is it; predetermined or not? But if you understand the karma, you are in the middle.
You will not say everything is predetermined or you will also not say everything is not
predetermined. Everything is INTERDEPENDENT.
Student C: Okay just really quickly; like if you have a baby born with AIDS, and his
mother had AIDS, whatever, is it …?
Rinpoche: What’s this mother? Did you say something about mother?
Student C: Well, the, the mother had AIDS. Well the baby born to the mother so
there’s a karmic connection, the baby had AIDS. My understanding …
Rinpoche: Eh, I didn’t answer; I mean can you, can you rephrase this again? I didn’t
hear properly, eggs or …?
Student C: AIDS, yeah, like HIV, AIDS …
Rinpoche: Oh, okay, AIDS not eggs – AIDS (laughter), I couldn’t hear properly
(laughter). (Student C: AIDS, yeah) Okay, yes.
Student C: Right, the baby has HIV, HIV-positive, eh, the mother HIV-positive
whatever. One interdependent reality is that this is the mother and it affects the baby
but the statement if I understand properly when I hear people say that this baby has
AIDS because of what it did or didn’t do in the previous life.
Rinpoche: Right, and then go on.
Student C: Well eh, is that, I mean it’s just like sort, should I say it - is that true?
Rinpoche: Yes, it is true. It has to be. Everything is dependent so this, this disease
cannot come just out of the blue.
Student C: But then how …?
Rinpoche: That should be more unfair, isn’t it if, if it came out of the blue?
Student C: No, I don’t, I don’t think so. (Rinpoche: Why not?) Because I just think
that there are; it’s, it’s like a bumper sticker, you know just random acts of kindness,
random acts of violence, but I mean you can’t affect things. It’s like I mean showing
it’s like the Beatles’ song – I love you, take as equal to the love you make.
Okay so you’re compassionate, and you do loving-kindness meditation and then you
can. But a baby who’s born into a situation, I mean born sick you say from a previous
life, the baby can’t undo the karma, it’s going to die.
Rinpoche: Oh no, there’s a past life; you see, that’s the whole thing. This is why
people like Freud are stuck. They have no past-life notion. This is why they think
they have to blame somewhere and then they usually end up blaming the parents.
Something must have gone wrong during the parenting when the child was, you
know, still a child; when this person. That’s as far as they can go.
Whereas Buddhists – there’s a whole list of past lives. Remember the Gods – this
wait-list karma. If you have not done anything with that karma, it’s there waiting eons
after eons. And when the time comes (Rinpoche snapped his fingers), it will ripen.
And when it ripens, if it is a bad karma, you know you will think why I, I have to go
through this?
But the thing is you are not omniscient. You don’t know what you have done in the
past, things like that. I mean the story will come later. I mean even the Buddha,
according to Theravadas, even the Buddha once as he was walking in the forest,
there was a small what eh? Thorn, poked him, hit, poked his feet and he told a story
of when he was a guide in an island and how he had to kill someone and so on.
And there was this story of Nagajuna, if you read. Nagarjuna was a great you know
master; he’s one of the eighty mahasiddhas. And he was, he achieved a certain level
where no weapons can cut him. (Tibetan phrase) I don’t remember his Sanskrit
name but one of the princes in India, his, his father yes; the prince wanted to
become king. And his father never dies because his father is blessed by Nagajuna
that until Nagajuna dies, his father will live, something like that.
And since he’s very anxious, he asked his mother what to do. Mother said that you
better go and ask Nagajuna or even kill Nagajuna. And he tried, it didn’t work. And
then Nagajuna afterwards – Look, it wouldn’t work if you hit me with a knife or
whatever; but if you really want to kill me, you should hit, slash eh, kusha grass. If
you wave that at my neck, my neck will be cut instantly. And this is because like
millions of lifetimes before as he was cutting a grass, he killed one insect or
something, you understand. And this is something; this is one karma that he forgot to
sort of purify or whatever. I’m sure these are all very symbolic teachings and all that
but still that’s how karma is understood.

Karma, if you are, you know basically it’s this, this example I always use right? A
drop of water like this; if you have no time, if you have no wind, fire, air, space – if
you don’t have all the other elements, this drop of water, as a scientist, okay as non-
Buddhists – you have to believe that this drop of water will not disappear, wouldn’t
you ? Why would this drop of water disappear or degenerate? - Because there is
other elements that’s disturbing it; somebody to drink you know, that’s why it’s
becoming you know non-existent or transforming into something.
But if there is none of these factors like sun to dry, wind to blow, a goat to lick this
you know, drop of water; it will remain as a drop of water for eons after eons. As a
scientist, I think you have to believe that.
Student C: Thank you.
Rinpoche: But earlier we were talking about something – what was it? Eh, yeah this
predetermination is it? And the determination – this is something we should touch a
little bit because this is where I think many people seem to also have a little bit of
because I think many of the Western interpretation of karma seems to fall into both
of them actually – predetermination or no determination. I don’t know somehow they
seem to fall into both categories.
Until recent, I thought ‘no determination’ - not, not predetermined is okay. But I, the
way some people interpret it – I will let you interpret later – I didn’t like that so much
so that I thought maybe we shouldn’t fall into that category also anyway.
Student D: Rinpoche, eh, you mentioned, mentioned that teachers look for two
types of disciples; one with superior faculty, and one, a second type with blind trust.
And when I spoke to you for my refuge interview, eh, I present myself as a person of
blind trust and you threw me out, and said you wouldn’t give me refuge.
Rinpoche: And then …
Student D: And then that cause a great deal of doubt and consternation in MYSELF
because I thought I was doing something wrong. Because I thought blind trust was
incorrect. So why, why do you do that? (Laughter) I’ve, I’ve been living within this;
I’ve been living with this for eleven years, so you know.
Rinpoche: I don’t remember doing this (laughter), didn’t it?
Student D: What you said, what you said – Why you want to take refuge with me?
Everybody says I’m crazy. They said this and they said that, I don’t care because I
trust you, you know. So I was upset when you threw me out and said you won’t give
me refuge; and I cried all night; so I hope you feel bad about that (laughter).
(Rinpoche: Okay) So, so there’s no explanation like I mean is it wrong to trust? It’s
not wrong to trust?
Rinpoche: Well, I guess you have a certain karma (laughter) sort of to trust
someone who would eh, eh, sort of stir your system of trusting.
Student D: Okay but for other people; I’m thinking for other people. It’s not wrong for
them to come up and trust you? It’s just my particular karma?
Rinpoche: Let’s see (laughter).
Student E: Rinpoche, I like to ask you about eh, non-theistic notion of karma,
because I think part of what is difficult for many of us is that our interpretation of
karma is connected with our upbringing in this culture. For example the Christians
have a sense of Judgement Day and that at end of time, you will come before God
and be judged according to your past actions and you either go to heaven or to hell.
And so there’s a sense that there’s a record-keeper, that someone is keeping score
or report card.
Eh, or sometimes I think notions of karma might also be very mechanical; so that you
might say if you kill an animal, you will have bad karma. And the understanding of
why you have bad karma seems often might be kind of, almost like a giant clock
mechanism, somewhere all the clock pieces are working and it’s almost like
mechanical notion – which I wonder if that’s actually …
Rinpoche: Like if you do bad to him, he will do bad to you.
Student E: Yeah, but you can also see that sometimes doesn’t happen so quickly so
maybe the clock is an antiquated clock. In any case, I like to explore with you what is
a non-theistic, in other words if no one is running the clock, if there is no person who
is keeping the report card, how does this work? If it’s correct to say that killing an
animal might bring you bad karma, how does that work that bad, bad karma results
from killing the animal?
Rinpoche: Well this will come more; I mean the whole chapter or the section we are
going to talk about karma. That’s very good - keep this in your mind but as for now
it’s, well it’s again the karma itself. You see some karma becomes stronger than the
others so, I don’t know how to put this properly; it’s going to come.
When the certain karma comes and it’s also so much to do with your motivation and
the dedication, how you dedicate this. And dedication also could; if you okay let’s say
if you form a karma that is so strong, a very what eh, with a very sober mind, and not
making any mistakes with the object to whom you are relating with. And then finally
when you have the dedication; I’m not talking about the prayers, but even your wish
to harm someone and satisfaction when he or she is finally harmed something like
that. This kind of cause and condition could sort of postpone or make the other minor
karmas wait until this karma ripens and functions and exhaust. So this way, the
karma, karma decides itself sort of.
But then let’s say you do something good; let’s say Vajrasattva meditation but maybe
not, not, not the best way of doing. But somehow you concentrate on one bad karma
that you have accumulated. And this gets destroyed but you forget the others; and
then on this place come the next. It’s a very, really very well organized actually, very
well organized.
Student E: I’m trying to explore what’s the difference is between a sense that there
is some being who cause this organization, in other words, why is it that when you
do Vajrasattva meditation that this results in good karma? Why would that happen if
it is not some being who is keeping track and arranging this? How does it happen
that this is good karma?
Rinpoche: Yes, that’s a very big classic question that has been asked within the,
what eh, Buddhist schools. And I would just quickly go through. You see this is why
like Hindus, in some cases they believe, you know atman and all sorts of qualities.
They believe in sets which actually sort of are like storage that brings the karma
towards your life.
Anyway the certain schools like Vaidya school of Buddhism, they actually believe
there is a so-called, an entity called, in Tibetan they call it (Tibetan phrase) – not
wasted; a quality of ‘not wasted’. They believe that there is an entity but this notion is
defeated by higher Buddhist schools such as Chittamatra Buddhist School who
believes such thing, such kind of entities never existed.
Only mind; the mind is the holder and the creator or the possessor or the vessel of
all this karma. Well a more classic term, mind is a bit too obscure term; they call it
‘alaya’, ‘all-ground’, they call it. But truly existing, notion of truly existing alaya of this
mind is also defeated by Madhyamika School, supposedly the highest Buddhist
philosophical system. They say there is no such thing as a truly existing entity.
Relatively or conventionally we can accept that but there is no alaya truly existing.
So there is a lot of debate on that but anyway for now, we say it’s the mind based on
Chittamatra School. It’s the mind or the alaya that’s doing this thing. And according
to THIS, what we do is we get rid of this mind; and when we get rid of this mind, then
we get rid of all the karma, karma debt, karmic link, all of that.
And then you are completely naked, naked. When we talk about naked, we’re talking
about, you know disrobing, sort of you know taking off your clothes; and the clothes
happen to be the mind. And who is it that’s wearing this clothes? It’s, well many
different terms. More standard term is buddha-nature, and Mahasandhi or Dzogchen
term is ‘rigpa’, the awareness.

If you, Tibetan word ‘sems chen’; sems chen means one who has mind; Tibetan, this
word ‘sems chen’ is what the West has translated as sentient beings, okay. It’s a
very interesting term because when we say one who has mind, then you all must
think there must be an entity who is holding the mind. Now if you ask most of the
masters, just to answer your question, although it’s very, very difficult to answer
because you need a lot of explanation – they usually say it is the buddha-nature that
is like a vessel for the mind at the moment or the one the one that wears the mind.
Really has got nothing to do with buddha-nature itself, that’s why it’s called liberation,
freedom. As long as there is a cause, condition and effect, you are within the, you
know chain. When you are completely free from this chain, then that’s what we call
nirvana, isn’t it? But this will come; I hope this if, if it doesn’t satisfy you, you can
come and ask again, okay. Yes.
Student A: Karma is cause, condition and effect. And what I, what is the – I
understand it theoretically once it’s rolling but what is the initial cause?
Rinpoche: Mm, that’s a very big question again. See when you say ‘initial’, you are
asking an ultimate question. You are asking, you are touching the subject of genesis.
Whole philosophy, whole book is written on that by Chandrakirti for instance.
Chandrakirti’s dharma, Chandrakirti’s Madhyamakavatara – there is a complete
discussion about where the things arise from. Self, other, both, neither; and then
each of these four, he went through DETAILED arguments defeating opponents who
believed things are arising from the self and other, and both and neither. Many of
them are Buddhist schools; some of them are Hindu schools.
If you, generally to answer your question, on the relative level, you see on the
relative level, there is no, you know; okay on the ultimate level, first of all, eh, this
school, this, yeah this school which this text is based on, Madhyamika school, do not
accept the idea so-called ‘initial’ because that’s just an idea. So they have all kinds of
answers. They can, they will answer you like dependent on different times you know;
at times they will answer you – It starts now, this minute. It can, they can also say it
has no beginning. That’s the usual answer actually. There is no beginning. There is
an individual end but there is no beginning.
Student A: Thank you.
Rinpoche: Okay, but that’s a very good, very important question. Probably that also
is very related to this so-called determination and pre-determination, wanting to know
the genesis, the first cause.
Student B: This is much more of a basic question here. Eh, at the risk of bragging
about my humility here, eh, I want to confess that I really don’t understand karma.
And it caused a lot of problems for me on the path because I’ve been trying to
practice for a while here. Eh, and I think one of my difficulties is trying to grapple with
the understanding of karma is coming from a Judea-Christian culture. And being,
being Jewish and understanding, trying to understand karma with that background;
so there is a lot of eh, sense of judgement that I have that I want to be deserving of
the guru’s blessings.
Guru yoga is my main practice. I want, I want to be able to eh, not feel a sense of
deficiency and accumulate enough so that I can eh, receive the blessings of the
lama or refuge from the lama or an understanding. And, and it’s from a sense of,
having a sense of deficiency; maybe that it caused me a lot of difficulties with karma
because I have a sense of there being sins that I have still with an understanding of
karma or there’ve been judgement. I think that may be different than really
understanding how interdependence functions.
Rinpoche: This I need to know myself actually. Okay in Christianity and Judaism, in
many traditional religions, in fact all religions, they believe in good deed. They
believe, they believe in sort of bad deeds, non-virtuous actions. Okay mm, in many
religions, they believe that stealing is not good, stuff like that. Now when they say
this, when they make this kind of judgement, okay – you should not kill, you should
not steal – on what basis they are making this kind of judgement, I want to know?
Actually this is an important question, you know.
On what basis, why, why is it even considered BAD? Can, can anyone, can, what?
(Response from one student: “God told Moses”). Yes, so, so that may be one reason
because God said so. (Another student responded – ‘As you reap, so shall you sow’)
- Pardon? (Student: ‘As you reap, so shall you sow; sorry, as you sow, shall you
reap’) As (Student explained) – that even the Buddhists might say. That’s, that’s a
very similar retort.
Student B: It’s like what goes around comes around.
Rinpoche: Yes, that, that Buddhists can also say to a certain extent, but that there’s,
I have a feeling there’s a different motivation or different explanation behind that.
WHY, why what you plant, you will have, why?
Student C: I will say grace, that’s the Catholic’s belief. (Rinpoche: Pardon?)
Catholics believe you will die in a state of grace so that it’s almost like; so you don’t
have to understand how.
Rinpoche: Mm, I’m sure it’s much more sophisticated than these things (laughter).
You’re, you are a very prejudiced Buddhist (laughter).
Student D: In Judaism, there’s a saying that if you, if you save one soul, you save
the world; if you hurt one person, you hurt everyone. It’s very interdependent; it’s not
just about God.
Rinpoche: If you save one soul, do you save all the souls? On what basis are they
saying this? This is what I need to do. I mean every religion, not only religion; every
human being wants to be good, and not; everyone, that’s everyone, that’ okay. The
ACTION, I’m not judging, it is the philosophy. Why, why did it say so, you know?
Buddhists, Buddhists tell not to kill. Christians say that, Judea, Judas, Jews say this.
What do you call it, Muslims say this. Hindus say this but...
Student E: Archaeologists say this; it’s awkward. That’s what you need groups - that
groups need to gather as one. In order for groups to gather as one because it
creates social disorder, it creates unrest.
Rinpoche: See that is something that, I don’t know that is also something you can
almost, there’s a little bit of eh, similarity with Buddhism – that’s interdependent. Just
like if you are not, if you are harming others, you are harming yourself sort of, you
know. There, there’s a little bit of independence but I think it is the basic philosophy –
why? Because this, yeah it’s a very big difficult subject.
Because otherwise I always find this, this, this concept ‘devotion’; you know when
people practice devotion – I have devotion towards my guru. I mean normally
everything is fine but I just feel that there’s a certain sense of – Okay he can do
something bad, but I must have devotion. Now that’s right; that’s what you’re
supposed to do in the Vajrayana.
But that devotion ITSELF has to be based on the philosophy of cause, condition and
effect. And if you do that, then nothing can go wrong, even if you believe that your
master or your Buddha, is doing completely ridiculous things – you still have
devotion – that are fine. Wait; oh, yeah, you want to say something, yeah.
Student F: In the Western tradition, there are different philosophies within a matter
of date whether one is safe with what works and then because you done things
which God will look upon you favourably. And then another idea eh, that is started by
Martin Luther that the important thing is to have faith in God and then you will be
saved, no matter what, what you did if your faith is strong enough. But if you have
faith in God and you were not doing the good things as an expression, that...
Rinpoche: See a Buddhist would also; a great Buddhist philosopher would use this
similar method. The method doesn’t matter. I can tell, you know I can tell one of my
friends and say – No matter what this lama does, you should have faith. That’s a
method. That’s just a method. But it is the philosophy behind the method we have to
think about. Okay, all these, yeah...
Student E: Thank you for making it easier to come up and ask questions about
karma by, you know encouraging because it’s intimating to ask about such a
fundamental thing for me anyway. And I think there’s kind of resignation that
happens, maybe because of my lack of understanding or deep understanding of
karma, sort of this shallow karma cause and effect. If you could talk a little bit about
what you think or what you see it’s missing in the understanding, which you talk
about you saw? We kind of missed it.
Would you talk about a little bit about what is missing and maybe also how in daily
life, we can eh, attempt to carry a deeper understanding of karma? You know bring
into our mind so while we’re living. It’s not just so – Oh, that’s karma; you know how
to change it, how to kind of be with it.
Rinpoche: One thing that I see; I don’t know, personal judgement again. I have a
feeling that many of us in the West, in the East, both, we think, okay. We have a
certain feel towards the karma, you understand? Oh, you know bad karma. (Student
E: It dominates, dominates us.) Yeah. That actually tells me they do not understand
the karma, because karma is SO changeable and it’s in your hand. Why should we
be afraid? In fact, if you understand karma because of karma you should actually
relax.
If it is for someone else’s hand, then you should be worried. But it is in your hand. No
matter what kind, how big amount of karma you have created, bad karma let’s say –
you can do something about it. And it, the thing is it is CHANGEABLE. It is
destroyable. It’s something you can purify if it is bad karma. Yes.
Student E: How are habitual patterns related to karma or bad karma?
Rinpoche: Very much, very much. You are, you are asking the really right questions
here, one after another, yes. Habitual pattern is like a; actually it is that not only the
karma, this is the thing – they are like the, like the chicken and egg, isn’t it, yes? You
know like karma, habitual pattern - habit pattern is karma and it is also the cause of
karma, it’s the result of karma. One habitual pattern, okay, is; it IS the karma. It is the
cause of karma, cause of the next karma. It is the result of the past karma, things like
that.
Student E: Eh, can you then suggest maybe a simple, very extremely simple way
(laughter) when in your day-to-day doing a thing to have a better awareness of
karma, not just kind of typical New Age resignation kind of thing.
Rinpoche: Well supposedly that there is, tonglen is supposedly the best, really. I
think it is because you are, you are not really, you know what you’re doing; you see
the Buddhist karma also depends so much on the motivation, not so much like a
Hindu you know, so much on the motivation. When you do the tonglen, you are
exercising your motivation, so the whole earlier system of karma is changing.
Normally you would, you know try to push away the suffering and in the process of
doing so, you create a lot of bad karma. But this time as you are doing the tonglen,
you are saying – Yes, come, more, you know. Normally you are clinging to your
happiness, and in the process of doing that, you know fear of losing the happiness,
hope of getting more – you create more bad karma.
But as you are doing tonglen, again that system has changed. Now you are trying to
sort get rid of your happiness as much as you can to the others. That’s supposedly
very, very good. But anyway habitual pattern, karma, they will, you know they,
they’re very related.
Student E: But if, if you do tonglen, you maybe don’t have to go through all the
habitual patterns and figure out that you know, can you just use tonglen in the sense
of a shortcut? (Rinpoche: Pardon?) Is tonglen a shortcut? Well if you sit around and
think about all the habitual pattern – now this is happening, okay. Are you sort of
saying tonglen...
Rinpoche: Well, awareness is something that we have to really get used to. It is, it’s,
that’s you know, it’s not that eh, - DO TONGLEN basically, you do tonglen (laughter).
Student E: Thank you.

Student F: I have two questions; one of them has to do have to do with the concept
of blaming responsibility for karma. When I looked at my past lives, which I don’t,
don’t know on a regular basis because I don’t have awareness of them. But let’s say
I can look at my past lives. Say I kill in my last life and I’m afraid the karma in this life
is acting out the karma I created then. I feel very strongly detached from what I did
then, so I feel it’s not fair for me to blame myself for having killed somebody else
then. Yet at the same time I’m responsible for this karma.
And I guess my question is eh, what we’ve done in past lives is coming back to us
and yet we have no awareness of it and no connection with it and it feels very
removed. How much responsibility? I, I’m having trouble understanding the sense of
responsibility we take for karma which was created in lives which we have no
awareness and no connection...
Rinpoche: Oh, you are very responsible of the past karma.
Student F: But in terms of our perception, I have a hard time...
Rinpoche: You can’t kill someone because someone kills you. It’s that what you are
asking?
Student F: I don’t think I’m asking a very clear question. I guess what I’m saying we
have karma coming from events and lives which I personally have no connection to,
and I’m confused as to how, in my mind to take responsibility for things which I have
no awareness and no connection to. And I know the karma is going to do for me, the
karma is going to continue acting out; but in terms of my maybe intellectualization …
Rinpoche: But you are not only; it’s just that you are not eh, connection NOW. You
have had connection with it. You just, something big happens, so-called death and
birth in between – that’s all (laughter).
Student F: So it’s unimportant for my mind, it’s (Rinpoche: What?) unimportant for
my mind to make any kind, for my mind, for whatever to make any kind of eh,
emotional connection to this because karma is going to take care of it anyway. I
shouldn’t worry about it?
Rinpoche: I didn’t get it. Can you …
Student F: Should I assume that my karma from past lives is going to affect in this
life and just leave it at that. Should I have some understanding …?
Rinpoche: No, no; no, no, your karma could; not could, it’s DEFINITELY going to
influence you; therefore before it influences you, you influence the karma. That’s the
whole understanding of karma. And it is POSSIBLE; YOU CAN DO IT.
It’s not like pre-determined. You can definitely. You can cut, you can change, you
can postpone, you can shift here and there. You can do everything. It’s all in your
hands.
Student F: Okay, and my second question; mm, eh, my second question has to do
with something I remember vaguely that talks about if a butterfly flaps its wings here
on the other side of the world, there is a hurricane. And it’s the concept of cause and
effect, not karma; just simple cause and effect. How much effect my actions have,
how much effect should I imagine about bad or good thing having on the world? Or
in other words, how do I place my actions in the world? Does this make sense?
Rinpoche: That you wait until, you know. I actually teach; maybe there’s something
as an answer to you.
Student F: Okay, thank you.
Student G: Rinpoche, I want to ask a question about differences between tangible

causes and effects, and intangible causes and effects. That is like you give the
example of the egg being boiled and something tangible, we can examine
scientifically. We can understand because it’s tangible; we put our hands on it, we
know. And then with intangible causes and effects, we have eh; personally I can see
the result, the intangible result of intangible causes like practising tonglen to purify
motivation. But how is it intangible causes lead to tangible results?
Rinpoche: Because again they are dependent; they are interdependent. Actually this
brings something important because you know it’s not that we do not understand
karma at all. We DO, it’s just not enough.
Like as you said, certain things, certain cause, conditions and effects we can accept.
But as we go further and further, more subtle ones we do not understand, we cannot
accept. That’s why; okay it’s like egg. We are like an egg. First of all; okay we’re like
an egg and cooking is like dharma practice, for instance.
First of all, none of us even believe that we are; is there a word ‘cook-able’? – Yeah,
cook-able, we do not believe that. See there is a lack of understanding of cause,
condition and effect. It’s so hard to accept that we are cook-able (laughter). For that
we take refuge hundred thousand times; that actually the first thing you do to
understand, understand that we are cook-able. That’s why we do refuge. That’s the
BASIS of refuge.
You know in the Refuge, you say – I take refuge to the Buddha. Of course, as a
method, we have the Buddha on the shrine and all of that. But the innermost Refuge
is understanding that I have the buddha-nature – that is the real refuge. When you
accept that, then you accept that you’re cook-able.
Student G: I have one more question. That is how does karma attach to sentient
being, like we say if I perform such an action, the future is coming to me? Me,
specifically I carry the burden of that, actually.
Rinpoche: How does…?
Student G: How does karma, how does it attach to the sentient being in the way we
talk about – the burden of the action being carried by that individual? Not the act
doesn’t affect other individuals of course, but the actual burden of the action is
carried by the individual so that if you commit an action such as killing someone,
then that is going to ripen for you specifically rather than someone else, how does it
work?
Rinpoche: Mm, again I think this will come here. So wait, and if I didn’t, this
afternoon if I didn’t, if I have not covered this, you can ask again, yeah. (Student G:
Thank you)
Student H: Rinpoche, people have asked such big questions. This is more of a little
question. Eh, when I go to visit my family, and we have this very nice family
gathering and there’re little children around; and everybody’s speaking about family.
And I see these relatives of mine who don’t have a particular spiritual practice – they
have a very good life. They are very happy, enjoying things. I know the teachings tell
me the reason why they are having such good fortune now is due to merit
accumulated in the past and that without some kind of motivation of practice that this
might eventually run out and circumstances will change.
But I thought when I go home; I think why I’m involved in all of this? Why I don’t just
be like them, relax and just an ordinary American life? So my understanding of
karma is not so good.
Rinpoche: Mm, this is what you become when you have too much information
(laughter). But it’s too late now; you already have (laughter) and also later you will
know we don’t know whether it’s also because of good karma. This is anything you
would know. Sometimes when people have nice time, it does not mean that it’s
because of their good karma. So this we will know later. (Student H: Okay, thank
you)
Student I: Rinpoche, this question may be related to what Kerry just tells us. I
wonder this which perplexes me for years – cause, condition and effect in the god
realm, because I think logically, at least I did; I’ve been stranding here thinking a lot
because I was going to ask this. But logically you would find yourself in the god
realm because of virtuous actions; actions which are part of virtuous actions have
led, have brought you to a form and kind of realm.
But it has seemed to me that, that would include motivation, that past virtuous
actions would have included motivation to bring benefit to all beings. So there is
always a paradox for me that when you take this form, you seem to forget that this
motivation it seems because you can become so distracted and caught up by all too
much intensity of pleasure of happiness, and it seems...
Rinpoche: Are you talking about the god realm?
Student I: The god realm that if, if your past aspiration help although there is a
paradox for me too, because the highest aspiration would be not to reborn there.
And not want to be reborn in there and not to want to be reborn in the god realm
because there is too much risk that you will lose your merit because …
Rinpoche: You don’t want to be reborn as a dharma practitioner that we are talking
here of course. If you want to follow the dharma practice, then you do not want to be
reborn in the god realm.
Student I: Yes, that’s very clear, that part is very clear. But how, how does it come
about in cause and conditions that when you are in that realm; is it because although
you have past virtuous actions, you haven’t been clear about why you have been
doing. You haven’t had the motivation for the benefit of beings. You haven’t clearly
enough; or I don’t know how, it’s always been difficult in even knowing how to put
this.
Rinpoche: I don’t know; I’m not so clear with your question. Anyway you know –
cause of being reborn in a god realm is definitely virtuous deeds. But it’s not
necessarily out of dharma. That’s quite different. (Student I: That’s exactly, yeah) A
virtuous action such as not killing but dharma is totally different. Dharma is like,
dharma has not killing but dharma is beyond all much more than not killing, okay.
Student I: That’s exactly, yes; but I wondered, thank you.

Student J: Rinpoche, that's a problem, at least I define this as a problem anyway. I

keep bumping against in practice. It came up when I was reading the chapter on the
defects of samsara. Eh, this may be the best way I can describe it. In the Sang
attributed to Milarepa, on page 90 or 91, the very last line he says - In short practice
without remembering death, any dharma is useless.
And I have been thinking about that a lot lately. And you know especially as I
practice, meditating and I start to think - Wait I am not remembering death. And I
wound up doing the same thing with bodhicitta actually too; generate bodhicitta and
going on to practice. And then I realize - Wait I don't have all beings in mind; you
know I've forgotten bodhicitta, I've forgotten death. I’ve forgotten all the things I am
supposed to practicing for and...
Rinpoche: Think one and you think all. They are all related. One will bring all the
others. I would say, I would suggest Adam, if you are a beginner, think about the
death, impermanence actually more than anything else.
Student J: And then is it okay to make a crazy request. You described yourself as a
slightly crazy lama here this morning and maybe (Rinpoche: Someone did this, and
then) Laughter – I thought you accepted that; would you offer refuge to everyone
here as a part of coming to this teaching?
Rinpoche: Oh, let’s see what we could do. How about this Now can you hold on until
like after lunch. Definitely you can come back. Yes we will have the lunch break. We
will come back maybe like 2.15. How’s that, 2.15? And then after lunch, we’re
usually dull so we won’t do the teachings but I will do the transmission that you can
just listen (laughter). And then around 3 I will start to teach again. We will try to cover
the karma.
That was good – the question and answer which was very necessary for me sort of
know what to say because I know there is some; I know and I actually believe that is
a little bit of misunderstanding going on. But I almost cannot pinpoint what, what is
the real misunderstanding. Actually we should talk slightly more before the teaching
again okay.
What I will do is, I don’t think this time we can start from the beginning. I will start; I
will continue reading from the point where I left last time. But towards the end when
we finish this text, reading whole text, if we still have time then those who miss, I can
read it from the beginning. So if you have just joined this time, you have missed the
human realm before this break. We should continue a little bit more, discussions on
the cause and conditions and the karma.
Because not only the devotion, even the concept of blessing – you know grant me
blessing so that I can do this and that, I have a feeling these terms are very
obscuring to me. Blessings – what is it? Is blessing something that you don’t have to,
you would think that someone else creates this for you, is it? What is it, blessing?
What is the concept of blessing?
Student K: May I say that I feel it’s the transferring an energy to a person to
energize them …
Rinpoche: Is it? Okay do you think, do you feel that it is something that you didn’t do
it? It’s something that God, or whoever guru, he does it. Only he can do it and then
you are asking him, saying like – Well I can’t do this. Can you do this to me?
(Student K: Yes, yes) (Laughter) Do you think so?
Student L: Has to be, has to be a relationship…
Rinpoche: Yes, of course; you have to at least ask, he wants to give you; this I
know.
Student L: And you also has to have openness, so there has to be something, there
has to be a way you can receive it. Sometimes you receive; sometimes you are
unable to, then …
Rinpoche: Okay, the concept of blessing is also something that will; your
understanding of blessing will also become better if you understand more about
cause, condition, effects and karma, I think.
Anyway this morning, things that we discuss; I don’t think we can actually, let me,
unless we actually have you know; I remember asking someone to actually write
questions, really ridiculous, simple, can be completely fresh and innocent questions
about karma. Because every time when we talk about karma, we also get tangled
with all sorts of philosophy and all kinds of religious backgrounds, I guess. That also
makes us understand less.
It’s quite simple in one way. The function, the process of the karma and the way it
manifests is quite difficult, I mean quite difficult to understand. THAT actually no one
understands, only I mean someone like, someone enlightened like the Buddha could
understand.
Eh, it’s like the story of Shariputra. You know, Shariputra not understanding a lay
person’s eh, merit that he has in his very, very, very many lifetimes before he has
actually accumulated merit. But Shariputra, even he was among the Buddha’s
disciples, he was referred as the supreme of prajna which means he actually knew
also a lot of things in the past lives and so. But he failed to see that. The only, only
completely enlightened being could tell what particular incident of the result of a
karma is caused by which past life or this life’s action.
Of course if you go through that, then it becomes very difficult. But mm, my
understanding of the, sort of misinterpretation, not really misinterpretation but maybe
not enough interpretation, incomplete interpretation of karma in the modern world -
seems to be that mm, people think, people interpret karma as a more predetermined
instead of, predetermined phenomena like if you had accumulated bad karma in the
past then…There’s many things that; okay, one if you’re going through suffering,
then usually we think that this is because of bad karma, isn’t it? That’s one thing we,
we should not jump into conclusion because we don’t know. It maybe because of
good karma also, you know; that’s one thing.
Another thing; eh, somehow when people talk about karma, people think about – Oh,
I have to go that right, because of my karma. I have to go through that. That’s also,
that’s not the right way interpreting karma because I mean I think what you have to
think is remember when we, when we, when I brought the analogy of cooking the
egg – that’s one very important factor is, remember I was telling you ‘no obstacles’.
If you have; okay there’s water, there’s boiling, there’s fire, there’s everything;
someone’s boiling it even, but I have stressed and this actually you should underline
– IF THERE IS NO OBSTACLES, then the egg would be boiled, the egg would be
cooked. This needs to be underlined because if someone, even if all the conditions
are perfect, you cannot say for sure it’s going to be cooked. You cannot really say
that, because what if someone comes and puts more cold water or ice, or something
like that. It can delay the cooking of the egg.
What if someone picks up the egg and take it out. It can also cause not cooking at
all; so things like that. I’m talking about analogy. So many things can happen; so it’s
changeable. It’s very, very changeable, and it’s in your hand. No one, even Buddha
himself said he can tell you how you can manipulate or how you can change but he
can’t really CHANGE IT for you. You have to do it by yourself. It’s your own
responsibility.
Because for me sometimes I feel that when people talk about you know sort of fixed
karma, then people also feel a little bit, begin to feel a little irresponsible. I think this
is very, very tricky, we’ll see. I thought she was asking like that. Were you Chrissie?
(Yeah) Eh, that you can do, you can really change a lot, but of course again eh, don’t
be too; okay too impatient or don’t have.
Mm, okay there are situations like this – the egg you boil, a lot of hot water, there’s a
fire. And then in two seconds, it’s going to be cooked – now you want to change.
That’s bit too late, isn’t it? Right; many people think, many people think that way
also, I understand. This is why karma is quite difficult; needs, I need to hear your
doubt because there is so much information, I don’t know what to tell you, what is it
that’s really not getting through?

The example that I; was it yesterday or today? I’m completely spaced out. Did I say
something about Mandrika, the king, once he was a beggar; he begged and he got
five grains and he threw them – yes that was yesterday, right? Yeah, six grains; yeah
in this, in his case, we can use this as an example.
The amount of him offering is very little, just six grains. But that didn’t matter. Of
course, I don’t know what exactly happened. I’m only doing the guessing. I guess as
a beggar, the six grains must be very important for him. Some, so that, that make the
six grains very precious for him and it’s a big sacrifice.
The object to him he offered, Kashyapa Buddha, I think so Kashyapa Buddha, made
it much more special. But according to the Mahayana, it was not special enough. He
didn’t do it right actually. He only dedicated, he, he only did it for personal comfort,
personal whatever, eh gain. That way he only reached the chakravartin’s state. He
should have dedicated this merit for the sake of all the sentient beings.
You see the motivation plays a big role in the bodhicitta which is the supreme
motivation. Therefore Mahayana always emphasizes us - always should have the
bodhicitta, always. So yeah, ask me before the break like maybe ten minutes, you
can ask some questions, yeah. Related to the karma, yeah did you want to ask this -
oh, many questions (laughter), yes.
Student A: Rinpoche, I have a question about purification of karma. Eh, when we

have eh, activities we remember from this life, and eh, eh, we think of them, we
regret them, we make strong determination not to repeat them and purification
practice like Vajrasattva.
From the things in this life that I regret, I can only assume that I have mountains of
activities from other lives that I would regret, that I would want to purify. Yet I can’t
bring those to mind. How does purification work for activities, negative actions that
we have done in previous lives that we have no memory of?
Rinpoche: Oh, that was something that Lucy asked earlier, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it that
we do not feel responsible to something we were not, not aware of?
Student A: I feel responsible; just I don’t feel aware (laughter).
Rinpoche: Yeah, that’s GOOD ENOUGH. Actually that’s good enough. You don’t
need to be aware of; endless, endless and maybe you better not. (Tibetan phrase) I
forgot the expression. It’s a Theravadan expression. It’s a beautiful, says – If you can
put all the bones of all your past lives, it is seven times higher than the mountain, eh
Mount Meru. If you can gather all the tears that you have cried, it is seven times
bigger than all the oceans put together.
Something like that you know and all you need to do is to have to know that you are
responsible for your own karma. And that’s why in places like confession or
purification practice like Vajrasattva, it even says that non-virtuous actions that I
have created deliberately or that I have, you know that I have created without my
knowledge. It actually includes that of the past, present and the future. Even the
future ones you can purify. Yes that’s and the Vajrasattva is very important again.
This is also again basically interdependent reality, the philosophy of interdependent
reality, philosophy of cause, condition and effect.
If you make offerings of butter lamps to the past, present and the future, all, all the
Buddhas of the past, future and the present, if you put them all together and make
each of them a butter lamp offering – you have so much merit. But Vajrasattva’s
tantra says – All this merit put together is NOTHING compared to ONE-TIME
RECITAION without even visualization of Vajrasattva mantra. You can purify.
(Student A: Thank you)
Student B: Rinpoche, you said that no one can do for you but the Buddha can show
you some methods, and one of those methods is prayer. (Rinpoche: Yes) So then
how does prayer work?
Rinpoche: Because actually you’re doing it.
Student B: Yeah, that was going to be kind of my question. What is the correct, kind
of most effective way to pray and how to think about praying?
Rinpoche: Eh, praying or supplicating...
Student B: To Padmasambhava, to Tara...
Rinpoche: Yes; well generally you’re exposed. Ah, there’s so many like which will
come here as part of this teaching. Vajrasattva is considered very, very special and
also of course Padmasambhava’s Guru Yoga practice; eh, it’s endless. Okay basic
one; the basic, basic purifying is by exposing your past, present and the future
misdeeds, motivations by exposing your ego. That’s the basic one.
And then on the top of that, if you want to more fancy or more quicker or whatever,
then you have Vajrasattva. It has all this cleansing with the visualization. It’s kind of
good; it has visualization of clean, cleaning everything and even visualizing the bad
karma as in the form of pus and blood and the charcoal coloured liquid and the
animals and so on, understand?
And then there is even better than that one, probably the most supreme supposedly.
The supreme way of confessing or purifying is by understanding, that’s quite difficult;
by understanding so-called karma is not truly existent. Remaining in the emptiness –
that’s very difficult, that’s a very difficult one.
So I would suggest what you, which will come in the Vajrasattva, if you are still alive
(laughter), we, we pray Vajrasattva, Vajrasattva cleanses us; and Vajrasattva then
dissolves into you. And then after the dissolution of Vajrasattva, we then stay for a
while, and watch this state of non-existence of karma, non-existence of the agent of
the karma, the, the what, one experiences the karmic result and all of that. And we
try to remain in that level, okay.
Now in the Atiyoga and especially in the Vajra, Vajrayana, there is another method
that is another aspect of this third, third; the third way of purifying is quite difficult. But
because Vajrayana is such a great method, very skilful and very easy so to speak, it
has actually come out with a very good idea which has the equal blessing or the
effect of doing the third type. And easier by mixing your deluded mind and wisdom
mind of Padmasambhava again and again - by doing that you are actually doing the
third one. That’s the very special method of the Vajrayana which the other schools
don’t even begin to have the idea about.
Student C: Rinpoche, I understand that how I am here now is because of my karma.

And I understand karma can be transformed or purified but how is it anything other
than my karma that leads me to try to purify or transform?
Rinpoche: How is it?

Student C: What else is there than my karma that is leading me to try to purify
karma?
Rinpoche: Yeah that’s your good karma.
Student C: But where, but it’s all; so where is my choice? (Laughter)
Rinpoche: Ha, that’s interesting; that’s interesting way of thinking, yes. You have a
choice because you can, you can enhance, extend, encourage this kind of karma
more than the other. Well we, we; one thing that is one state of no choice, okay; that
is we don’t have choice of not being affected by karma - THAT we have no choice.
That is we can say predetermined also. Even that I would not know; individually I
would not say that because if you practice, you can be free from karma, right, okay.
But the choice is between the bad karma and the good karma. You can choose to
have that.
Student C: But doesn’t that come from my karma how I make the choice?
Rinpoche: Yes, so for instance do you want to have, do you still want to go, do you
still want to practice eh, Longchen Nyingtik ngondro in next life? You’d better get
used to this, even hear this or even you touch this head, things like this. Yeah touch
the body, what we call liberation through touching; then eat it, liberation through
tasting, do that. This is why we practice so that next life you can say I have no choice
but I have to read “Words of My Perfect Teacher” (laughter). (Student C: Okay, thank
you).
Student D: Eh, my question is a little more basic. Yes, we have a change of karma...
Rinpoche: Pardon, actually ask me basic question; it’s much better.
Student D: Change of karma – it makes sense to me that when you see the karma
whatever previous lives come to fruition and put you into this situation. Is it the way
you change your karma the way is how you relate to that situation? Where you go
about your habitual pattern and cleanse the situation or push it away like switch it
around from here to death. Does it make sense?
Rinpoche: Mm, no; can you say that again?
Student D: Eh, how is it you change your negative karma or even to cut, I mean
negative karma from past lives into positive karma? Is it when it comes to...?
Rinpoche: How, how you change from bad to good? (Student D: Yeah) Oh, many
methods; by having good motivation, by purifying it, by – oh, so many. Eh, which is,
that is a whole sort of section that’s dedicated to deity called Vajrasattva; by
visualizations, by acknowledge, by acknowledging, by going against your hang-ups,
habitual pattern, inhibitions, by exposing the ego, insecurity, all kinds of this.
(Student D: Okay, thanks).

Student E: In addition to the misinterpretation of seeing karma as fixed by fate, I’m

wondering if sometimes we go the other extreme and see it as complete total
individual responsibility with all the blame and guilt that tend to go with it. We look at
the baby that’s born with HIV and when we hear a Buddha’s saying – that’s the
baby’s karma; that’s saying the baby is to be blamed and a bad baby who deserves
to die and so forth.
And seeing it in those terms, I don’t believe in that. I don’t want to believe in that and
I’m wondering maybe we’re forgetting the emptiness of self and the impermanence
of self. So the question is to what extent is a person in this life responsible for the
result of karma accumulated in a previous life?
Rinpoche: Mm, this is very interesting. Let’s, let us go back one by one. What is it,
the word ‘deserves it’? (Audience response: Justice)
Student E: Justice, yeah, I think it ties in with the Western idea of justice. I think
sometimes karma is seen as…
Rinpoche: The egg is cooked. We will say – Oh well, the egg deserves it, sort of
(laughter). Well, this is a very; this is again maybe a fundamental difference between
the Western thinking and…This word ‘deserves it’. What is the, what is the difference
between ‘deserving it’ and ‘earning it’?
Student E: I think it ties with this idea of punishment in Western religion that if you’re
bad during your life, you will be punished by going to hell.
Rinpoche: But somehow I feel that punishment always have someone there doing
this punishment. You know I tell you, the fundamental thing we should not forget is…
(Pause). Yes, your idea of emptiness was good. Let me clarify that a little bit more.
You see Buddhists, first of all; I think it’s wrong to only think that first you create bad
karma and then you suffer. At times it might work like that, but at times it doesn’t.
You see first of all, in a much more profound level of Buddhist interpretation of hell,
the very anger or the aggression is - when a person who has so much anger, the
person’s reflection of the phenomena is the hell. So in this case, where does the
notion ‘deserves it’ and ‘earn it’ fit in? I mean, I don’t know where we can use the
word ‘deserves it’ because it’s not. It’s his reflection, it’s his or her phenomena.
Someone who has that emotion, that kind of karma, that kind of negative emotions –
wherever this person goes or dwells or being reborn, changing of course, will go
through this kind of experience. It’s a (pause); this concept of deserving, ‘deserves
it’, it’s quite new to me.
Student E: Could, could it be eh, seeing karma as a system of cosmic justice instead
of a system of delusion?
Rinpoche: Mm, karma is delusion; system of what did you say?
Student E: Cosmic justice; I think there eh, maybe some, sometimes Hindu ideas of
karma interpreted that way…
Rinpoche: There’s not really a court or someone who decides, that’s the thing. There
is no witness; you are the only witness. (Audience: There seems to be a law) What?
(Audience: There seems to be a law…) Law; what does law mean? Please tell me,
interpretation.
(A short period of discussion between different students in the audience for a while)
I see there’s a really big fundamental difference in here. This will take some time, I
think, but anyway it’s good that you brought up. This is; yeah as you said, it’s not
only that extreme. Somehow also you see there’s so-called karmic link and karmic
debt. There’s so much karmic link. Why we, you and I are talking? Why you’re not
talking with Monica Lewinsky? (Laughter) You know, you understand?
Student E: I didn’t know she had a workshop (laughter).
Rinpoche: There’s, there’s that, there’s a karmic link and karmic link is a very
beautiful word but it is karmic debt also. Karmic link itself is a karmic debt. By your; I,
I don’t know, I’ve explained this to you many times before also. As soon as I stand
up – you stand up (laughter). And you are trying to show some kind of respect and I
am very much in karmic debt with you. How many are people here? About hundred,
two hundred; two hundred times five hundred is what? (Answer from audience: ten
thousand)
For ten thousand lifetimes I have to get up every time (laughter) you come, you
understand. But if I am clever, tonight or right this moment, I can dedicate your merit
of standing up and I stand up, knowing that this is their appreciation, their respect to
me, and by doing, standing up then they will gain some merit. May this merit remain
with them until they achieve enlightenment. Not only I deposit a bit more in my
karmic bank, and because based on the karmic link between you and me, it will also
help you – because of the karmic link. That’s why the teaching is helping.
You see for instance, if you and I have no karmic link, no matter what I teach you,
you will not understand. Remember the story of Milarepa. Milarepa went, Milarepa,
this great master went to Lama Rongton Lhaga, who is the great Dzogchen master
and he gave Dzogchen teaching. And the first time, first night when he met, he gave
the Dzogchen teaching, the complete. Nothing happened, nothing.
The next day, Lama Rongton said – You and I have no karmic link. You go and meet
Marpa Lotsawa. As soon as he heard Marpa Lotsawa, there was all his hair stood
up, tears in his eyes and as soon as; Marpa not, he didn’t give right away teachings.
He was sort of almost torturing him all the time but he got everything. Based on
karmic link, things were; so important to understand this one, this dependent arising,
cause and condition and all that, okay.
Student F: I’m not sure how like deserving something come into this? But we’re
going to be talking about the ten virtuous and non-virtuous actions and all have
correlations to come. For example being generous; and it seems that the mix-up a lot
of times happen with Westerners confusing why and how? So if I’m very comfortable
materially; eh, maybe I excel in the stock market or something and that’s how I got
money, but that’s not why. The ‘why’ is because I was generous.
And it seems that, that distinction helps me very much.in the ‘why’ is always the case
if you are generous, the ripening effect is always the case that you will receive. But if
you invest in the stock market, it may go up and it may go down, that’s ‘how’. You
see I think the why and how is really helpful in understanding karma. (Rinpoche: I
see)
That but, but I have one question for the why and how doesn’t really answer and
that’s – Why is the karma increased if you commit a karma, it gets bigger, the effect
gets bigger?
Rinpoche: Oh, it’s a part of your motivation. It depends so much on your motivation.
Some, some, not all the karma become bigger. Some eh, like if you want to really
harm someone, and wish that this someone would have all kinds of absolute
unhappiness – that’s quite a heavy motivation. And that, unless you cut this with
producing some obstacles to this, you will have, this karma will multiply.
Student F: I mean it stays in my mind stream and it just multiplies…
Rinpoche: Stays within your so-called ‘alaya’ or the mind; it can stay very
unconsciously for a long, long time. But when the time ripens, it can happen again.
Now…
Student G: A break? (Laughter)
Rinpoche: I have a karmic problem with not understanding your; this person’s
question; so please help everyone (laughter). Okay I’m listening.

Student G: Eh, okay, in this ground alaya…

Rinpoche: What? (Laughter)
Student G: In this ground alaya, (Rinpoche: Okay) we have these

potentials, let’s call them seeds. And when all the causes and conditions
come together which are many, for those seeds to manifest, then they
manifest. So it has to have not only soil, but water and sunshine and
right amount and timing of each – this potential. So these are like the
facts of karma (Rinpoche: Mm). And then we’ve have confidence in this
result. When these facts come together, the results will manifest; mm
okay. On this basis; eh, okay let’s say for instance I have a seed of
junkie habit.
Rinpoche: What’s that?
Student G: Junkie, drug habit, addiction yeah; so I have this potential

and I go to Paris on holiday. And when I’m in Paris, I see the Eiffel
Tower, and because of this potential, I look at the Eiffel Tower, I think
“Ah, hypodermic” (laughter).
Rinpoche: What’s that?
Student G: Needle, a needle; a needle for my junkie habit. I can a shot,

I can get high. Yeah, okay that’s scenario one (laughter). Scenario two:
now that we also have to bear in mind, it’s a result of karma. Of course
everything is like a roller. If I kick over a crate, everything is a result of
karma, it’s a non-stop stream, yah; so the fact…
Rinpoche: Okay wait; Jodie can you listen to this carefully.
Student G: The fact that I find myself in Paris at all is a result of karma.
And then I find myself by the Eiffel Tower is a result of a karma. Okay,
scenario A.
Scenario B, very similar, very subtle difference, not because; I’m saying
now the first one was because of the junkie habit I was attracted to go to
Paris so I project my vision of the hypodermic onto the Eiffel Tower.
Scenario B, because of karma I find myself in Paris at the Eiffel Tower
and therefore the karmic potential of the hypodermic has the opportunity
to manifest when I look at the Eiffel Tower.
Now which comes first and does it make any difference which way it
works around?
Rinpoche: Jodie, can you interpret this? (Laughter) Can you
please…what? (Background feedback)
Student G: Chicken or egg?
Rinpoche: Chicken or egg? (Laughter)
Student G: Classic English expression; which came first, chicken or the

egg?
Rinpoche: They’re interdependent so they came together.
Student G: They are interdependent when you look at the result. When
you look at the causes, you have to say that Paris comes first…
Rinpoche: The cause is the result of another cause.
Student G: Yes, I said that in the beginning, but it’s not what I’m asking.
Rinpoche: Okay, what is it that you’re asking?
Student G: What I am asking is that you can say the result of previous
karma link to this…
Rinpoche: What is a previous?
Student G: Previous, before (Rinpoche: Okay) was I found myself in

Paris. And then there’s the other seed of the junkie habit have the
opportunity to manifest. Okay it come like that OR the other way round.
The other way round is that because of the junkie habit, I was attracted
to go to Paris so then I can run my movie of the hypodermic onto the
Eiffel Tower rather than finding myself in Paris first and then having the
opportunity to run the movie. (Laughter) Do you understand the
difference in the questions?
Rinpoche: I’m trying to think about this (laughter).
Student G: Do you know the reason that I ask?
Rinpoche: No, no, can you ask this to Jodie and Jodie will in the next
session - she will interpret this.
Student G: Okay; I just tell you the reason that I ask, because in one
way it appears to me ultimately, there is no difference in cause which
you have one chance to influence from one side and from the other.
That’s why I ask.
Rinpoche: That’s interesting but you didn’t have to go through all that
junkie business (laughter).
Student H: Rinpoche, can you hear me? (Rinpoche: Yes) Is it

dangerous to talk about karma?
Rinpoche: No, no, not so bad. (Student H: Never?) Yeah (Student H:

Never ever?) Pardon (laughter) no, no, it’s not dangerous at all.
Student H: Is talking karma too? (Rinpoche: Yes it is) And so when

does knowledge become an obstacle?
Rinpoche: Every knowledge is obstacles, you know but at the moment

most of the obstacles, they are used (Student H: Used?) - as a step. It’s
like going upstairs. The stairs is not your bedroom; as you, your
bedroom is upstairs, you have to use it.
Student H: I guess what I’m asking is how do I confess all my karma, all
of it?
Rinpoche: Well, you don’t have to; you know there was one gentleman
who asked this question. You don’t have to be aware of. If you can, of
course, but you should feel responsible. (Student H: Sir?) Responsible
for what you have done in the past and in the future.
Student H: Thank you.
Rinpoche: Maybe we should have a break. Is that okay? Is it okay?
(After the break) So now we will go through the actual, the chapter of the
Karma and actions, the principle cause, principle of cause and effect. I
hope some the discussions we had this morning and earlier afternoon
has created some kind of background. Because if you are only reading
the manual, especially when we; you see there are different texts, you
know. These texts are like a practice manual.
So if you are not, especially; I think it works for nomads for instance
because the nomads – they don’t think other things; they don’t, they
might not you know they’re, for instance maybe like during the Patrul
Rinpoche’s time, the nomads are very devoted. They don’t ask
questions, they don’t in different things. So just a mere practice manual
like this is good enough, but for many of us, I don’t know fortunately or
unfortunately we’re, we sort of have certain information. We have our
background, difference of background. We have certain knowledge but
not enough, not complete, sometimes a little misunderstood.
So I can see if we read this manual, practice manual straightforward

without a little bit of background understanding, fundamental
understanding, you might almost; take especially this chapter as almost
like a theistic, a very theistic teaching. You can’t do evil actions. You
must do good, things like that. It’s very theistic you know, theistic. But I
hope at least you have a little different approach towards this outline.
The actual outline is not that difficult to learn; it’s just difficult to practice.
Negative actions to be abandoned -the first; and anyway Patrul

Rinpoche’s saying here – Wherever we’re, wherever we’re reborn, we
are thrown by karma. Yeah, before that I want to, I’ve been trying to get
this quotation of Chandrakirti which might also give you a different,
which might give you a good background.
I don’t remember the actual shloka very, I don’t remember completely

but Chandrakirti said something (pause). He said something like –
Those who are ignorant, they will develop, okay they will accumulate
negative, negative bad karma and then they will go to hell. Those who
are ignorant, eh, he said those who are ignorant, they will accumulate
bad karma and they will go to hell. Also those who are ignorant, they will
accumulate good karma and they will go to heaven.
For those who are wise, they will try not to engage with any karma and
they will be liberated, you understand. It’s, I, I can’t; maybe tomorrow I’ll
remember these verses. This should give you the idea of karma, sort of
just different parts of understanding of karma. Karma is important. It’s
VERY IMPORTANT to understand. But when we, in the process of you
know understanding the karma and trying to be good Buddhists, we tend
to think – being Buddhists is, ultimately being good Buddhists mean
getting rid of all the bad karma and do only good karma. But according
to Chandrakirti, sounds like it is not. That does not make you the perfect
Buddhist or at least Mahayana practitioner. You are supposed to liberate
from the karma.
Okay, anyway wherever you’re reborn, it’s cause and condition by your
karma, not necessarily past life, but the past moment, past days. No
creator or entity is deciding this. No one is sending you, no one has the
right to do this, no one has power to do this. Nobody is deciding where
you should go and where you shouldn’t.
Also it’s not that out of the blue you sort of appeared here, you know sort
of without any cause or condition or effect. You sort of suddenly appear
and you suddenly have eh, I don’t know, a million dollars or you
suddenly eh, on a wheelchair the rest of your life or it’s not, it’s not just
suddenly sort of happen that way. This is why for practitioners like us,
one must get accustomed to purify bad karma as much as possible and
accumulate good karma, okay.
Because by accumulating the good karma gently, gradually then we

know that one day we even have to purify that good karma also.
Because if you don’t; if you don’t, the bad karma, you will never reach
that level.
So then negative actions to be abandoned; killing or taking life. What is,

yeah I think mm, (pause as Rinpoche goes through the papers). Taking
life – the deed or action of taking life, perform based on the aggression,
sort of motivated by aggression. Motivated by yeah, aggression such as
hating enemy and because of that you kill your enemy. Desire because
you want to eat someone else’s flesh and or wear someone else’s skin,
fur, whatever. Then because of that desire you kill.
Also you can perform killing out of your ignorance like some of the
tirthikas, some of the non-Buddhist schools who believe that by killing
horses and goats, it can please gods, you know like sacrifice, all that.
Sacrificial you know pujas.
Now there’s one point here which I underline; the Patrul Rinpoche’s
saying, it’s very, very true. Many of us think that well; many of us in this
room, we don’t really kill – this is what we think; that we actually directly
don’t really kill. But Patrul Rinpoche’s saying that is not really true. Most
of us are directly or indirectly involved with killing.
Of course, when, when we talk about killing, we are not only talking
about killing of a human being. Because for a Buddhist, a big human
being, between a big human being and a small insect like ant – there’s
no difference, they are both sentient beings. And this is one section that
you should read actually. It’s a very good scolding towards the lamas
especially. Yeah, I will not read because I’m too embarrassed.
Ah, the issue on vegetarian and non-vegetarian is very much touched
here. Patrul Rinpoche never ate meat. And many lamas in Tibet, they
eat meat; and they have all kinds of excuses – poor Tibetans not having
vegetables, stuff like that. But there were a lot of vegetarians, you know
in Tibet. Next time you should argue the Tibetans, lamas,,,
Of course the Vajrayana explanation about you know mandana and bala
and all that; that’s something that’s beyond here. Vajrayana never gives
permission to eat meat. What Vajrayana did was Vajrayana was
stressing us to not to have preference between dirty food and clean
food. At times, I feel that there’s a little bit of untimely teaching because
you know Tantra, Tantric teachings were first originated in India. In India
there was such a big Brahmin culture and the Brahmin, Brahmins, they
really look down at meat and meat-eater.
And this is why in some of the highest Yoga Tantras, you see in the
feast and stull like that – wine and meat. But such substances are used
to teach us the non-duality, but anyway this is not the time to talk about
it. I’m just mention, mention this to you as a preview of deeper and
higher understanding of Vajrayana.
FINITO…THE END OF SECOND YEAR OF FOUR YEAR TEACHINGS
Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, The Words of My

Perfect Teacher, San Francisco, 2000 - 2nd year of 4 years
teaching (transcribed from audio recording)
http://www.khyentserecordings.org/namo/Dzongsar_Khyent
se_Rinpoche.html
Dedication of Merit –
ge war di yi nyur du dak

Through this merit, may I quickly
orgyen lama drub gyur ne

Accomplish the level of the Oddiyana Lama and
through that
dro wa chik kyang ma lü pa

May all beings, without exception,
de yi sa la gö par shok
Be established at that level.

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THE WORDS OF MY PERFECT TEACHER - by Dzongsar

Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche (San Francisco 2000)

2nd year of 4 years teaching (transcribed from audio

I was recently reading in Australia because I thought behind my mind, I thought

THE WORDS OF MY PERFECT TEACHER - by Dzongsar

THE WORDS OF MY PERFECT TEACHER - by Dzongsar

For instance, suffering of change - wherever we go, wherever we dwell in this

Relationship, money, position, power, attention, friendship - maybe some of them

As long as it is a phenomenon that is you know, sort of compounded phenomena,

THE WORDS OF MY PERFECT TEACHER - by Dzongsar

Many of the thirtikas or non-Buddhists - they misunderstand between some of this

THE WORDS OF MY PERFECT TEACHER - by Dzongsar

Student B: In the suffering of not getting what wants …

Yes, Mandak, Mandaktri, he's called Mandaktri, a previous reincarnation of the

Rinpoche: Not to lose which one, the second one?

Rinpoche: See sergic, you mean...? (Assistance from audience)

Student C: But it’s too deep.

Student C: And beyond?

Student C: Thank you.

Student D: Anything applicable, (Rinpoche: Friends?), anything yeah, friends.

Student D: Good, thank you.

Rinpoche: Okay, let’s go.

THE WORDS OF MY PERFECT TEACHER - by Dzongsar

Impure perception - when we talk about impure perception, we are talking a

Eh, I am a student of Trungpa Rinpoche or Sogyal Rinpoche or, therefore I am a

This is going to be a problem again and again. As we go through this journey of

Because based on this accept, COMPLETE acceptance of interdependent reality,

Rinpoche: About karma?

Student C: So, so that there’s kind of balance thing …

Student C: AIDS, yeah, like HIV, AIDS …

Student C: But then how …?

THE WORDS OF MY PERFECT TEACHER - by Dzongsar

Student C: Thank you.

Rinpoche: And then …

Rinpoche: I don’t remember doing this (laughter), didn’t it?

Rinpoche: Let’s see (laughter).

Rinpoche: Like if you do bad to him, he will do bad to you.

THE WORDS OF MY PERFECT TEACHER - by Dzongsar

Student B: It’s like what goes around comes around.

Student E: How are habitual patterns related to karma or bad karma?

Student E: Thank you.

THE WORDS OF MY PERFECT TEACHER - by Dzongsar

Rinpoche: Oh, you are very responsible of the past karma.

Student F: But in terms of our perception, I have a hard time...

Rinpoche: I didn’t get it. Can you …

Student F: Okay, thank you.

Student G: Rinpoche, I want to ask a question about differences between tangible

Rinpoche: How does…?

Rinpoche: Are you talking about the god realm?

Student I: That’s exactly, yes; but I wondered, thank you.

THE WORDS OF MY PERFECT TEACHER - by Dzongsar

Student J: Rinpoche, that's a problem, at least I define this as a problem anyway. I

Student L: Has to be, has to be a relationship…

THE WORDS OF MY PERFECT TEACHER - by Dzongsar

Student A: Rinpoche, I have a question about purification of karma. Eh, when we

Student A: I feel responsible; just I don’t feel aware (laughter).

Rinpoche: Because actually you’re doing it.

Rinpoche: Eh, praying or supplicating...

Student B: To Padmasambhava, to Tara...

Student C: Rinpoche, I understand that how I am here now is because of my karma.

Rinpoche: How is it?

Rinpoche: Yeah that’s your good karma.

Student C: But where, but it’s all; so where is my choice? (Laughter)