Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 111-minute teaching from his 37 Practices of the Bodhisattva series, Geshe Kyab focuses on three practices centered on patience with adversity and mistreatment. He begins with practice sixteen—the patience of hardship—using the example of someone once cared for like a son who now treats you as an enemy, teaching that you should love such a person as a mother loves a sick child rather than retaliate. He then explains practice seventeen, instructing practitioners to regard anyone who insults or puts them down as a guru deserving respect and humility. Practice eighteen teaches transforming suffering itself into the spiritual path, understanding that pain arises from past delusions and karma rather than mere circumstance. Throughout, Geshe Kyab emphasizes that while these practices are extremely difficult, retaliation only perpetuates cycles of harm across lifetimes, whereas practicing patience stops the cycle and prevents future suffering. He weaves in practical examples, personal anecdotes from his own experience, and candid discussions about greed, desire, and the importance of balance in Buddhist practice. The teaching is pitched at practitioners already familiar with Buddhist concepts, with extensive Q&A addressing domestic violence, self-defense, and engaging with prisoners.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2017 05 02.mp3
UUID: 925c676d-e457-4026-9103-e71312ce9911
Teacher: Geshe Kyab
Collection: 37 Practices Tuesday (Geshe Kyab)
Date: 2017-05-02
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 111.1 minutes
Words: ~10,811
Good evening, everyone. Page thirty four, please. From the prayer book. I go for refuge until enlightenment. Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, may I assemble. May the practice of giving and other perfections, may I become the Buddha’s benefit to all sentient beings.
May all sentient beings have happiness and causes of happiness. May all sentient beings be free from suffering and causes of suffering. May all sentient beings never be separated from happiness that is free from suffering. May all sentient beings abide in equanimity, free from attachment for friends, hatred for the enemies. Reverently, I prostrate with my body, speech, and mind.
A pleasant cloud of every type of offering actually arranged. I declare all my negative actions accumulated since the beginningless time, rejoice in the merit of holy and ordinary beings. Please remain until the end of cyclic existence. Turn of the Wheel of Dharma for living beings. I dedicate all my own merits and those of others to great enlightenment.
Page ninety seven, please. Mantra please. Thank you. Okay, this class is thirty seven practices of the bodhisattva. We are at practice number twenty — oh no, sorry, practice sixteen, I think.
Weeks before, we talked about the few practices from the thirty seven, which are patience of unpleasant words or blame. Sometimes people blame you, people talk to you, unpleasant words, so we need to practice patience. This happens. The other one is the patience of harsh words. When people curse you, you know, speaking badly, So then, we need to be patient.
These were the practices from the last few weeks before I went to Kangaroo Island. Today is the patience for hardship, which is practice number sixteen. Yes, sixteen, out of the thirty seven practices of the bodhisattva. Mainly all these thirty seven practices are very important to practice daily life. However, some of these practices are extremely difficult to practice according to our living style.
How we live in this world. If you look at that point of view, I mean, of these practices are very, very difficult to practice, however, but there are some of these difficult practices, although it’s difficult to practice when you’re really supposed to be practicing when you meet that situation. But then, now this book is saying it’s good to practice before actually, really, you are facing some difficulties, something that you cannot practice. So that’s why before, even when you are in that situation, then we really need to practice, especially when you are calm and you are at peace. So this practice is to listen, then to follow the instructions, then to visualize how to do this practice.
There are some techniques and tools you can really do in advance. So then if you do this continually, then one day I think we can be able to really practice when you are actually feeling the situation, you know, some difficult situation, a hard situation, then you can be able to do it. Okay? But just listening a few times of this teaching, just doing a few meditations. It’s very difficult.
The reason why I’m saying this one is that our mind is already being, you know, bad habit. It’s a bad habit. Mostly, all this sense of consciousness you know, that we just, from the eye consciousness, we look at the objects, and we feel so much desire. In ear consciousness, also we hear some different, different sounds. Some sounds are beautiful, we are very much attached to those sounds.
Then the same thing, nose consciousness, when it smells some good odor, then we feel so much desire again. So is the tongue consciousness, and so is body consciousness, when you feel something, some tangible objects, something that when your body contacts something, you feel some pleasure, then you feel so much desire. If you look at that point of view, all our sense perceptions are they are objects, and sometimes it’s very difficult to control the mind, you know, because of all these seeing things, hearing things, smelling things, eating things, bodily feeling things, you know. Sometimes out of our control. So, because the main thing is the mental, mental is what we call the mind.
That mental or mind is already in a bad habit, bad tendency. That’s why the other consciousness, whatever the consciousness is here, and then mental consciousness is very happy. Very happy. Go ahead, do it continually. I’m enjoying.
All these other sense consciousnesses are considered as a slave of mental consciousness. Okay? That’s why the mental consciousness tells our sense consciousness. So that’s why the sense consciousness cannot stop looking at the beautiful objects. And so all the eye consciousness, ear consciousness cannot stop listen to music and all the different sounds.
So it’s the nose consciousness, tongue consciousness. We need different kinds of tests and food, so much desire. Or, Today I will eat Thai food, or, Tomorrow I will eat Italian pasta, or pizza. Or, Maybe I wish There is a Tibetan restaurant, I would like to eat Tibetan food. Or where is the Indian restaurant, I want to eat Indian food?
Because of this test consciousness, the food was so delicious, then the mental was so happy, saying, Hey, continually go. There must be some other restaurants also. Go ahead, you know. I was thinking to go to eat at a Lebanon restaurant. One time, when Mark was here, Mark knows food very well.
Actually, he cooks well also. Oh, Lebanon’s food is very delicious. I had it in Florida. Oh, yes, Mark, I’d like to go one day. You know, something like that mentally, you’re just wondering, you know.
Then when you go to eat, sometimes we like it, sometimes we don’t like it. Once you like it, next time you want to go there again. See? That’s crazy, isn’t it? For instance, in my own case, I love to eat Thai food.
That’s my favorite. Why? Because my tongue consciousness tested Thai food, and my mental was so happy. When my mental was happy eating Thai food, then I am happy. So that’s why now, since then, I’ve been craving or clinging to eat Thai food.
Sometimes it’s expensive. Very expensive Thai food is Norwood. It’s crazy, isn’t it? So much clanging or craving. So, I think because of all this practice Tokme Zangpo, this author, a Tibetan master, was unbelievable because of his own experience.
Then he put all the practices, together thirty seven practices in one book, then teaching us one after another very nicely. So, we are, yes, as I mentioned before, we are not yet bodhisattva. However, we can do slowly, But we have to do it. We have to take action. You cannot just say, Oh, I will practice maybe the next month or the next year.
No. As long as you are breathing, that much is you you need to do this practice. Because as much as we are breathing, that much as we are getting older and older and older. Sometimes we didn’t realize. For my case, I’m already in Adelaide.
More than six months, like this. How quickly? See? I wasn’t thinking, Why six months? I felt like I just came recently, but six months gone.
Like that. Today I received an email from one of my students saying, Wow, Geshe-la, was actually keeping my cat. I was asking her, How is my cat? So I got a reply from her saying, We miss your Geshe-la, but we didn’t realise it’s more than six months now. It’s already gone.
I’m without my cat for six months actually, you know. So the point was that she was saying that she was just a little bit sad and felt like, wow, there’s already been much time without my teacher. But we didn’t realize until you really accounted the months and weeks. Then they’re like that. But my point is that as much as we breathe, that much as we are half an inch or something, we are getting older, like this.
Then there is no forever you know, we can be able to live in this world. One day we need to leave this world. Nobody can stay forever in this world. This never happened before, never happening now, never will happen in the future, which is the way of life. But we don’t need to be fearful.
We are leaving this body, and we are now searching for a new body. Think about it almost like being a guest. When you are travelling, sometimes you may stay in the five star hotels. Some people are three stars, some people are two stars, like that. But then after you move to different hotels, different places, different hotels.
But now we have this five star hotel. This body is considered like that. Once we leave from here, we need to search for a new hotel, a new body. That means a new body. So whether we can have again the human body or not, it depends on our karma, you know, this lifetime karma.
That’s why all these teachings are very, very important. But if you do not believe reincarnation, no problem. Then that’s a different case. But here in Buddhism, we do believe reincarnation. Is somebody singing?
Outside? Oh, Okay. It’s Okay. It’s Okay. I thought maybe here somebody is singing.
Don’t worry. See now, the ear consciousness is just hearing the music. Anyway, I don’t want to go there. The point is this practice will help us not only just going to help us during our lifetime, but also this practice will help us when we are dying. See?
That’s very important. Remember, we have to live. We all, one day, need to die. But at the moment, if you do it now, or listen to the teaching, contemplate the teaching, if you practice it, then you don’t need to worry. So then you will definitely, again, the future, will get another five star hotel.
See? Absolutely. Because of this, you accumulated such a great karma. Now here, look at such a human body, and we obtain that because of the past lifetime, the man or woman, whoever it is, he or she, did so many good actions and deeds, so that’s why that person accumulated so many positive karma, so that’s why now we are born as a human being. So then, now, the future is the palm of your hand, like this.
My future is the palm of my hand. Your future is the palm of your hand. I cannot share, Oh, I have so many good karma. I accumulated so many merits. I will give you some of my merits on good karma, I would like to share with you.
Nothing, we cannot do that. It’s not like a food, you know, you cannot share. You cannot share like money. Money you can distribute and share. But karma and merits are totally the individual’s responsibility.
Okay? That’s why it’s very important to understand the practice. This thirty seventh practice is for me also. I’ve taught many, many times before, and I memorized these texts. But sometimes we get busy, and we don’t read them again and again.
Then now, because I’m giving this class to you, I read it. Then I’m having so much recollection of the teachings I received from my own teachers and gurus. So it’s very helpful, unbelievable, you know? It’s very helpful. It becomes more thoughtful if you listen to these teachings again and again.
Okay, now, if you look at the page there’s no page number, but practice number sixteen out of the thirty seven. I will read this first. Someone who taken care of like a son, and who then treats us like enemy. We should love particularly dearly as a mother does for a sick child. This is the practice of the bodhisattva.
That’s Tibetan. Dag lha ye shes rtogs, sems can. I have some problems today. Smell also, you know, some kind of allergy I have. I don’t know what that is.
Yeah. Cough and some kind of I’m drinking lots of water, I don’t know. It goes down in my throat also. So that’s a sign of getting older, you know? What can we do?
That’s your body telling you something. Hey, you are getting old. Take care of yourself. When you get older, little, little things happen. Sometimes headache, sometimes throat ear problems, sneezing, things like that.
Anyway, but these are not big problems. We shouldn’t be complaining. There are some people who have no heater, they have no beautiful lights like this. I remember in the monastery, when I was for the first time, we didn’t have no power at all, candles. But now, here, look at so many beautiful lights and computers, all of this, and feel, oh, I have allergies from this.
It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? So that’s where such a suffering of dissatisfaction. It doesn’t matter how much you are getting things, like your life, but still not enough. We need more and more and more and more. So that’s where we are.
Kind of, you know, very strange sometimes if you look at it that way. It’s very strange, but it’s all our mind, you know, of course. But then, what can we do When you have an allergy, we have to talk, we have to discuss, have to go to the doctor, we have to take medicines because your body is saying something, isn’t it? Some people in Florida have allergies from cats also. When they come to my room, I have to put my cat in another room.
Otherwise, when they leave, their nose is red. What happened? I’m sorry, Kishela, I couldn’t tell you. I have allergies from cats. Even though they are not touching cats, just coming into my room.
That’s why I need to do a vacuum before they come. Sometimes it’s like that, because of allergies from cats. How do you say Our bodies, you know, I don’t know what’s happening, kind of a chemical reaction. Anyway, this one is a very, very strong practice. Actually, the patience for hardship.
We should be patient. Someone who has taken care of is like a son, and who treats us like an enemy. We should love particularly dearly as a mother does a sick child. This is the practice of the bodhisattva. Okay, I think sometimes you can see a similar practice from the book named Verses of Mind Training.
But first of all, this one is saying this happens sometimes. Could be your children, could be your good friend, could be your partner or wife or husband. This happens. You take care of that like a son very much, dearly, but now we have a certain expectation that that person will repay kindness. That you help him, but instead of repaying kindness, sometimes that person treats you so badly.
Here, it says, it’s like enemy. However, even though they do something like that, if you really want to do this practice, should love particularly dearly as a mother does a sick child. You know, mother loves her sick child, especially the mother with only one child. When that child is sick, the mother is going to do anything that she can to protect and save that child, because after all, she is the mother. So the mother’s heart is very, very compassionate and very much loving.
Nobody can measure the mother’s compassion, really. It’s unbelievable. Similarly, we also need to practice if someone is treating you badly, even though you have great expectations from him, but he’s supposed to be treating you nicely, and repeating kindness, but instead he was treating you so badly, but then what can you do? If you do the same thing that he was treating you, which is my teaching on patience, then things are not good. Then it’s like revenge, retaliation, you know, you are retaliating.
So if you retaliate, then the next time it comes back to you. So that’s exactly what goes around, comes around and goes around means that. Somebody must stop it. So see. So now who’s going to stop it?
So we are the ones who need to stop it. Why do we need to stop it? Because we are the Buddhist practitioners. We are supposed to be Buddhist practitioners. That means we have responsibility.
We need to stop it. That person is not going to stop. He is already harming you. He is already hurting you. So now, our responsibility is to stop, not retaliate.
Instead of retaliating, this is here. We should love particularly dearly as a mother does a sick child. So if you do that, this is the practice of bodhisattva. But if you retaliate, this vicious act or violence is never going to be stopped. Continually, one life to another life, and that life to another life, continually we all suffer.
He will suffer, we are going to suffer. Because we’ve already accumulated such a vicious negative karma. That’s why we’ve got to be stopped now. Something like that happens. If you stopped it, then that part of this negative karma stops.
There wouldn’t be any results. So then, if you think about it this way, let’s say that now here in this room, we are almost fifteen or sixteen people. If I stop it, my is going to be stopped. Krishna and I stopped, same thing. Jain, Linde, like this.
Then, you know, within this room, fifteen or sixteen people stopped it. So that means fifteen or sixteen people already stopped causing future suffering and pain. Because we stopped retaliate. Instead of retaliating, we practiced this one dearly in love. We applied the love, we really generated love and compassion towards that nasty human being.
See? That part of the karma just stops there. So now, if you stop one like this, if you stop again, another, someone maybe treats you badly, then if you stop again this way So as much as you stop all these mental afflictions, then we are that much closer to enlightenment. This way, we need to improve. There is no shortcut to enlightenment.
There is no way achieving enlightenment within a few days or months or years, even though it’s a few lifetimes. No. It’s possible, some yes. Generally speaking, no. It’s not just achieving enlightenment within a month or a week.
No. It takes time. But then now, everything is up to us. How much you do practice, how much you are stopping the negative emotions or mental, sometimes translated mental afflictions or delusions. If you don’t, then you are constantly causing future suffering.
So that happens in cycles. That’s called a cycle. cyclic existence means that. Cycles like this. So that’s why all these teachings are telling us to stop, you know.
Don’t retaliate. Don’t act as how they are acting towards you. You must act differently than those nasty people who are acting towards you. Because you are the practitioner. You are the brave human being.
You are not the weak one, they are weak. They are fearful, you are not. Why? Because you are a practitioner. So see, you are kind, you are a compassionate being.
So it must be different. You have to differentiate that. But sometimes we forget. See? Sometimes we forget these things because we are so busy, or eye consciousness sees so many things.
They are clinging. Ear consciousness here clinging, nose, tongue, body, and mental is like this. Then all our sense consciousness and our mind become very busy. Then we forget all these teachings. That’s why repeating the teachings are very, very important.
Then you can hear this again and again. We need to repeat the teachings. Because just hearing one time or twice, you have no idea. Hundreds of times I’ve heard this teaching, but still, in some cases, I look like I’m new today. Something like that.
A hundred times I’ve heard this kind of teaching. But still, as much as you hear from different teachers, that much as you hear different, different, different, different teachings. So now all this comes in one very huge core of the teaching. That’s powerful, you know. But now this teaching is not only giving you from Tokme Zangpo, which is a Tibetan master, even though it has the same teaching.
I think I did this. The Verses of Mind Training. Same thing also, this teaching also teaches Excuse me. One of the Kadampa geshe. He taught us the eight verses of mind training.
And that the mind training teaching is also similar to this one. Now I need to find out first. Okay, I think here it is. Actually this is the book, Okay? Now here is the it’s a little small.
This is not so comfortable for me. I try to make this a little bigger one. What is happening? Okay, now, try to make this big. Can you see it?
A little small, you know? I’m not so familiar with Microsoft. I’m using Apple ones. This is not so familiar. It’s better?
I don’t know, I can make this bigger? Okay, it’s Okay now. Look at the Okay. It’s similar, almost the same. This practice of the patience for the hardship, how be able do this practice, this book also mentions Geshe Langri Thangpa.
If you look at the Verses on the Training of the Mind by Geshe Langri Thangpa, tenth to eleventh century. That lama was born until eleven twenty three. Look down there, verse I have here written down myself. When one whom I have helped, and of whom I have great expectation, treats me with unkindness. May I hold him as my supreme guru?
Unbelievable. See, that’s what Geshe Langri Thangpa was saying. This is what we need to do. If you just look at the words that they use here, it’s nonsense, isn’t it? It’s nonsense.
Who is going to do such a thing? But if you think carefully, if you are seeking ultimate happiness, you are really seeking enlightenment, then this makes a lot of sense. But then if you are only seeking temporary happiness, this is not for you. Temporary happiness is, as I said, we don’t need any teachings. But these are very, very extremely difficult to practice, but it makes sense.
Otherwise, somebody does something to you, you retaliate them, and after a it comes back to you. It is the same as the United States. They went there in Iraq when Mr. Bush was president. He killed many, many, many people.
Actually, the 1980s, think, Mr. Bush’s father, a big Bush one, I think he went to Iraq. I was in the monastery. The war, I don’t know what it was for, it was for oil, I have no idea. But for some reason, because of that, his son, Mr.
Bush, when he was president in two thousand, he went to Iraq. Yes, he killed many, many people there. But then now, they came after the United States on September eleven. What they did was they destroyed the center. Then now, again he’s sent back to many, many, how do say, army and soldiers to Iraq and those areas of Middle East, killed many people.
Now they come back to us. Look at how many times gunshots happened. Now around the world, it’s like this, ping pong. Of course those are totally politics. I mean politics is the politics.
But I’m just giving you an example. The answer is not retaliating. It’s absolutely not. Especially if someone is a practitioner, retaliation is absolutely not for the practitioner, especially the Buddhist practitioner. You should not be retaliating like that.
So, as you look at it down there, Gyalse Togme Rinpoche was also saying another thing, the Amazed Praise also. A son who is afflicted by devils may scold his loving mother, but she continues to show him love and concern. Similarly, when these migratory beings of the degenerate era abuse you, you, the compassionate one, regard them with loving kindness. It is totally the opposite, you know. Not like an eye for an eye.
Not like that. You are so aggressive. But now your side is totally the opposite of the aggressive. That is an antidote to anger, in the Buddhist point of view. Love is one of the top antidote to anger.
Means that. But if you just look at that point of view, love is an antidote to anger, how can I really practice love towards an enemy? They are enemies. They are hurting me and my family. How can I be feeling love to them?
If you look at just that word, or whatever it is, it’s impossible. But if you think, think, think, think it makes sense. Difficult. Absolutely difficult. It makes sense.
So that’s why all this practice, first of all, you need to understand. You know, it’s very important to understand. You need to understand the core of this practice, why we should be practicing like this. What for? All these different, different how do you say, the angles or pieces of the puzzle, you really need to understand.
Then you have to put all these puzzles together. See, that’s what we need to do. But just if you are only thinking just black and white, it’s not going to help you. Buddhism totally depends on the situation and the circumstances. That’s what we need to talk about.
Not just black and white, not like that. Here in the middle, there is all the time a middle path. Okay? So that is why it comes to balance. Desire also needs balance.
Buddhism, not denying or rejecting, totally not to have desired attachment, absolutely not. Then it’s crazy. How can we? Without desire, how can we survive? Even though without desire, how can we meditate?
Think about that. We need desire, but we have to understand good desire and bad desire. So that’s very important, see? Not like, oh, Buddhism is only give up, no desire. See, people just only black and white.
That’s a problem now here. So my duty is really try show you the right path and the right angle. This is my responsibility. So that’s why I’m saying not all desires bad. Not all desire is bad.
We feel some affection, desire within the family, within the two couples, two friendships, absolutely these are acceptable. We need to accept it’s important. Love is very important. Without love, nobody can survive. However, that love or desire actually, call love, but Buddhist perspective is attachment.
It’s desire. But it’s Okay. But that love or attachment also needs a sudden balance. See? That is exactly what Buddhism is saying.
Balance, balance, balance. If that love is not hurting you, if that love is sustaining your life diligently, peacefully, gently, that desire must be adopted. If that desire or the love is bringing you so much pain and problem, now you must think about it. Now you may need to practice detachment. So this way, you know, we need to maintain ourselves.
Otherwise Buddhism means everything is pessimistic, some people are saying something like that because they are not listening carefully. They are only listening to one side. They are not listening to both sides. That’s a problem. So that’s why this practice, not retaliating, is very, very important.
So I that if you stop retaliating and do this practice, then part in the future causes pain in suffering, you are not causing any more pain in the future. It stops. How powerful! As I said, now sixteen people are going to be stopped. That’s very powerful.
So that means we are really brave. We are not weak, not fear to fight, you know. People who are harming you, people who are insulting you, people who are criticizing you, people who are blaming you, they are fearful actually. They look like they’re not fearful, very aggressive, but inside they are feeling fear. They are weak.
Those people totally depend on the anger. Anger is their guru, really. Your guru is love and compassion. His or her anger is the guru. That’s what they depend on.
After all, they are not happy. Absolutely not happy. Who is going to be happy if someone is aggressive, if someone is short-tempered, oh, I don’t want to near that person. Absolutely not. Nobody wants to be near that person.
Who is going like around deer if someone is short-tempered? Even though cats and dogs, when they see it, they may jump away from person. That happens because animals understand. As much as you give love to the animal, if you pet them, if you hug them, they like you. Can see every day in the Victoria Park.
It’s so beautiful. Actually, people love animals, isn’t it? These dogs are running. When these men and women come, their tails are like this. So beautiful, because they are loving them, and they understand.
That’s the important love. If you don’t love them, they will not move their tails. Maybe their tails go down like this. Dogs do that. My cat, when they come in, she just jumps.
Although cats are not so same as a dog, they are a little bit like this. But she jumps from her bed, sometimes she sleeps on my bed, she jumps. And I said, Ramala, come here. She doesn’t come right away, but slowly she comes and pulls her legs like this, and she comes around my legs and touches like this, and her tails are hit. That’s her love, you know, the way a cat loves you, not like a dog.
A dog jumps you, you know. But anyway, they show you something, affection, I love you. That’s their saying. Why? Because you are loving me, I love you.
Animals understand, but then we are human beings, of course. If you love someone, they will understand you. They will love you. But if you are really aggressive, if you are really hurting, who is to love? Even though practitioners are not going to be retaliated, they may say, Bye bye, just go here.
Just live there. They may live. That’s what I do usually, when somebody is very short of I don’t want to be there. I say, Hello, how are you? Okay, okay.
Just move. That’s better. If you go sit there, talk, talk, talk, and it brings so many bad issues. Then she said that, she said, Oh, don’t go there. That’s what we need to do.
Sometimes, at some point of view, a difficult situation comes. When that kind of situation comes, what you need to do is get out from there. That’s the best thing to do. Say nothing. Move on.
The next one is seventeenth. If someone equal or inferior to us inattentment insult us, we should be humble towards him and respect him as a guru. This is the practice of the bodhisattva. So this one is talking about the patience of carrying burdens. Some people may be equal to you, or some people may be a little lower than you.
Some people, whoever is it, because of their prideful mind, sometimes people do really, do you say, of, nyatap means here is the translation, insults. So that’s what they call here. If someone equal or inferior to us, inattentment insult us. We should be humble. Different translation.
This one is the someone equal or inferior to us, the same thing. Attempt means insult us. So anyway, anyone lower than you, or the same as you, or someone is really the whoever is it, when they insult you, or put you down, sometimes people do that. So then when you meet such a person, instead of retaliating or getting angry, we should be humble towards him and respect him as a guru. That’s totally another very, very difficult to practice.
So now this one is saying, practice as that person, as your guru. So see. Now, the same thing also, if you look at the Verses of Mind Training, also mentioned down here. See? Same thing.
I have this one over there. Whenever I associate it with others, may I, from the depths of my heart, think of myself as the lowest of all, and of all others as supreme? Like that. So this is a little complicated. People do misunderstand.
Now when you are seeing the reading like these, the Verses of Mind Training, whenever I associate with others, may I from the depths of my heart think of myself as the lowest of all other as supreme. The reason why I am bringing you practice number, try to engage with practice number seventeen, because this practice is exactly what we need to do in order to cut out the anger, to reduce or minimize the anger, or to reduce the anger. Otherwise, if you retaliate or if you really take revenge, that person who really is insulting you or criticizing you, putting you down, same thing as I mentioned before, then it comes back again. You are causing future suffering. You are causing future unhappiness.
You are causing future many, many sicknesses. You’ve got to be stopped, as a Buddhist practitioner. Otherwise, you are going to be harming yourself, So you are that person. Not only are you going this lifetime, both of you, but continually one life to the next life, then the next life is continually going to harm each other. Remember, cycling.
Violence breeds. Cycle of violence means that it must be stopped once. Otherwise, cycles. When violence cycles, no one to blame. Only blame here, yourself.
You are the one who retaliated. When teaching like this was saying, stop retaliating, you didn’t listen. But then now, no one to blame. What people do blame, he said that, or did this, or we blame only others. Actually, no one can blame.
We are the ones who cause future suffering. So that’s why we will suffer. Instead of blaming others, blame only yourself. But that is very difficult, especially here in the West. Blaming is very difficult, isn’t it?
Only we can blame others. It is very difficult to blame ourselves. People, Buddhist practitioners, talk about it like that. But generally speaking, it’s difficult to blame ourselves, because our ego is so big. The only thing that sometimes we may feel the worst thing is that we may feel some guiltiness, which is one of the worst things than just blaming ourselves.
Sometimes we need to blame ourselves. I mean, in a nice way I’m talking about it, but sometimes it’s difficult, isn’t it? But Tibetan people, we blame. We also do have some examples saying, this finger, don’t point at others. And my teacher used to do, before you point at somebody else, my teacher said, do like this and put it here.
In the beginning I did not understand what he meant, bring the finger back and put it in my head. I did that. Okay, now what else? So that’s a you are. You are what?
You are the one who caused all suffering. Then I go, oh, okay. Otherwise I don’t know what he was supposed to say. Point your finger like this. I did this one.
Now you are pointing your finger to Lovesang. Yes? I said yes, because Lovesang was the one who made that problem. Now just bring it like this. And he said, Put it in your head.
I just like this. I waited for a while. What else now? Then he said, Now, again hit three times like this. I am the one who caused the problem.
See? That’s very true. But don’t do that usually, just like others. But the point is, this has nothing to do with guilt or feelings, or nothing like that. This is the practice of, am the one who causes.
That’s what I’m saying. Don’t know, sometimes when I say blame, this word in the West is huge. It’s very heavy, yes, here in the West. Our side is not heavy. It depends on how you blame yourself.
But if you’re blaming yourself, feeling guilty, then it’s totally negative. But now, what I’m saying here is that blame is that all these problems, I am the one who causes them. It’s a very spiritual perspective. If you blame them that way, it’s much better. But however, you must be trained first in order to understand what I mean by this blame.
We are not blaming very negatively, or aggressively, which I’m not talking about blaming like this. I’m talking about the blaming here is understanding the karma and relationship karma and its effect. That’s what I’m saying. Because if I am accumulating karma, I’m going to get negative results. But that negative result is whom to blame?
Me. That’s my point. See? That’s what I’m talking about here. Not like others.
That means all our goodness, all our bad things, unhappiness, hurtfulness from others, actually we are the ones who cost. That’s my point here. We are the ones who cost. So that’s why now we are having all these bad results. But now the question is, if you really don’t want these bad results in the future, that’s why we need to stop now retaliating.
That’s my point here. We’ve got to stop now. If you stop it, there wouldn’t be any bad results because you are not causing any more. You are not planting any seed, negative seed, and there wouldn’t be any sprout. No planting of seed, no sprout.
Once you plant the seed, there will be sprout. That’s my point. Comes something, isn’t it? So that’s why this second, number seventeen, is the patience of carrying burdens, which is one important practice we need to do. Number eighteen, when we are badly abused by everyone, maybe some kind of sickness like a plague with serious illness and in very low spirits, to never be downhearted, but rather to take oneself the unskillful deeds of other sentient beings, this is the practice of the bodhisattva.
Almost like this one is the Tonglen practice, talking about it. Patience of transforming into the spiritual path. This one is the patience of transforming suffering into the spiritual path. Almost like transforming adversity into the path of enlightenment. One out of the seven point mind training, I think.
Transforming adversity into the path of enlightenment. This is the particular practice like this. But this one is mainly the suffering. Here is the suffering. You are transforming suffering into the spiritual path.
So that’s why sometimes suffering is very Although no one wants to feel pain and suffering. No one wants. But If you try to understand the suffering and pain, then if you really ask some questions, why suffering and pain occur, why suffering and pain are happening, What is the reason? I mean, spiritual point of view. What is the cause of pain and suffering?
Then we will find the cause of suffering is the delusions and the karma. Delusions are the desire attachment, aversion, and ignorance. These are the delusions. Because of these three poisons, we are accumulating negative karma. Negative karma gives rise to negative results, pain and suffering.
So see now, that suffering, when you contemplate, when you feel suffering and pain, if you contemplate like that, then you are transforming this suffering into the spiritual path, in the path of enlightenment, if I say it another way. Because you understood this suffering is not just happening out of the blue. This suffering happens to be because of the I am the one who causes this suffering, taking action as those strong attachment, anger and ignorance. So that’s why I accumulated negative karma. Then now I’m having pain and suffering, unhappiness, unease feelings.
This suffering is not just like this, that somebody did it, or somebody just designed for you, or is pessimistic. Not like that. This suffering arises depending on so many other factors. The main factors are the karma and the delusions, which are the causes of suffering. So now look at the meditating suffering.
This helps you. Also, will minimize the pain and suffering. But I don’t mean when you are feeling some pain and sickness and illness, to take medicines. Of course, you know. Again, don’t think about it that way.
Oh, this is my karma. There’s nothing I can do for it. Just let it be. No. We have to take medicines.
We have to go to the doctor, whatever you need to do. But this will help you that you wouldn’t be that much fearful, or you wouldn’t be that much of the sadness, or you wouldn’t be that much stressed out or depression, because you practice. You have a certain understanding of my suffering and pain arising from the past cause in those attachment, anger, ignorance, jealousy, conceit, all of these negative affections that I had. So that’s why now my karma is giving rise to pain and suffering. So that is the benefit of meditating, suffering and pain.
So now exactly the patience of transforming suffering into the spiritual path is something like this. When we are badly abused by everyone, maybe disease like plague or any other serious illness in very low spirits, to never be downhearted, but rather to take on oneself the unskillful deeds of other sentient beings. Instead, really, downhearting oneself, but also doing more Tonglen practice. Visualising all this taking and giving practice, of the understanding of this relationship, the cause and effect. So this will help us to a certain degree.
Also this practice needs to be done in advance. We need to really visualise everything, all of these things. Then if you do this practice, then it will help you. Number nineteen is when one has a good reputation and the respect of many, with all the wealth of god of riches, see that such a fruit of saṃsāra is insubstantial, and do not take pride in it. This is the practice of the bodhisattva.
So this one is Number nineteen. This one is the patience of success and failures. See, it’s very tricky. Sometimes, This patience of success and failure helps us to control the prideful mind. Prideful mind is the negative in Buddhist point of view.
However, this needs to be also explained. Sometimes people do misunderstand. Generally speaking, how much or how too much your pride. A little pride is not so big a problem, especially if you are training, if you are in the school, or if you are training any education, it could be Buddhist philosophy, or any education. Sometimes, a little pride can help you to improve, keep going, keep learning.
But then, this pride is fully pride, then not good. Then because of this full pride, eventually harms others, then maybe you may downcast somebody who is not the same as you. You may look at them, you may do bullying things, or I am better than those people. They are nothing. See, then a big problem.
But having little pride when you are learning sometimes helps you. But also, that learning pride also needs balance. Otherwise, it becomes full pride. Then no good. Then absolutely negative.
So that’s why success and failure also need patience. Even though Buddhist practitioners so this one is now here, they put down wealth. And you know, the god of riches. Namtöse, there is one god in the god realm, very, very, very, very rich. We do kind of puja of this god to gain some wealth.
However, it doesn’t matter how much reach or how much wealth you have, these are not really prominent. Eventually, you have to leave behind when you are dying. There is nothing your wealth and money can do for you. Even though you pay millions of dollars to keep alive, nothing. The time comes, we have to leave.
So that’s exactly why you should be that much prideful then. Because of wealth, and your reputation, and richness, everything is just temporarily. Just temporarily. Only for one lifetime benefit. After this life, all these reputations sometimes don’t last long.
No. It just disappears very quickly. So is the wealth and money, sometimes, disappears very quickly. Eventually, once you die, your reputation is finished, your wealth is gone, your money is gone. That’s it.
Which is what I was saying. Then sometimes some people are so rich. One woman was so rich in Europe. I’m not saying rich. Rich, rich.
Very, very rich. She was dying. Of course, she must have some family, but at some point she wrote everything in her will to one of her dogs. Just a dog. That’s it.
Think about it. Of course, I’m not saying dogs should not have anything. Of course, dogs need dogs. But how many million pounds in Europe? One dog’s name.
I’m saying, that’s very crazy. Mean, there are so many poor people, even though within Europe, so many poor people. She can fly to Africa, India, and China also. Actually she doesn’t need to go there. Within that area there are so many children suffering from not having health care.
So many old age people are suffering from not having good nursing homes. In the United States, some of the nursing homes are, Oh, used to go there. So sad. I was saying, my mother is one of the luckiest grandmother. Surrounded by all my sisters, helping her, giving her food, bringing her to the hospital.
Although my family is not rich, but inside, they are very rich, they are taking care of my mother. But now in the United States, this nursing home looks so rich. These children, once their families get old, they put it in nursing homes. They have no time to really help their mother and father. But these nursing homes are business.
Everything is business. You can see smell, urinating, nobody is cleaning. But outside, beautiful building, but inside now, sometimes it’s not so good. Check around, you know, how they do, you know. It’s not my business.
But once you are there, just check it out. Look under the pillow, you know. Then now my mouth is just because I couldn’t tolerate it. Sister, nurse, can you come and look here? Oh, okay, we will do that.
Even though I wrote down a small article, it’s called something or other. So bad. I mean, it’s so sad, isn’t it? I mean, how money can build nicer nursing homes to pay all these free for all these old age people, especially poor people, rich people, they don’t need it. And there are so many animal shelters.
Why all these million dollars, million pounds for just one dog? Just for one dog. What I’m saying is that things like this happen. This is not our business, but it’s a little crazy actually, really. And in the United States, I read an article a long time ago, one lawyer, homeless, and St.
Francisco was sleeping on the street. One time he was a multimillionaire, now he looks so ugly. He stinks. He’s sleeping on the San Francisco street because everything is gone. Because when he had to weld money, he didn’t realize this was never going to run off.
Then traveling around the world, many, many having many, many women going to here, eating and buying so many expensive cars, and these boats, he bought big boats, after here and there, because of the tax and then insurance fraud. There are many problems, everything is going on. The government sees, he went to jail. After the jail he comes back, nothing. He’s homeless now.
Something like this happens. Sometimes wealth is important, money is very important. Without wealth and money, how can we have such a beautiful temple like this? But you need to manage well. Not only just I, I, and me, me, me.
We need to share with others also. Because every wealth and money comes to us, not that we are the only ones who did it, there are many people involved. Everything depends on the factors. Everything is coming from having this luxury life. How can we get this money?
Yes, we are the ones who accumulated good karma. Absolutely yes. And also there are so many other factors, so many people involved, for us to have a wonderful life. Depending on rising, isn’t it? Not that there is something that says, oh, this wealth is mine.
I don’t want to share it with you. This is just me, me and I. I. That is a problem, you know. Having wealth and money is important, but we give some donations to the organizations, monasteries, these poor areas, homeless shelters, nursing homes.
And then in adults, there is a children’s hospital. I read one article, now one of your nursing homes is going to be closed. The nursing homes that the government was leading, because I think somebody checked, like I checked in Florida, they found not so good, not so good at taking care of these elderly people. Now they are closing that nursing home. See?
Because of the greed is the big problem. Again, greed. We all need a certain greed. Yes, absolutely yes. We need that to protect ourselves.
But too much greediness is absolutely not good. That’s a big problem, you know. So now, that’s why this one is saying only the practice of the patience will help us. So it doesn’t matter how much you are successful, or failure, or reputation, or having so much wealth, but after all, everything is going to disappear. But the practice is the only thing that can help you when you are leaving this world to the next world.
Practice can only help you, nothing else. Everything is going to be behind. That’s it. You are leaving behind. Okay?
I think I want to leave now here. Go ahead for a break. Have some tea. Anyone, any questions? You are talking about practice number sixteen?
Yes. Okay. Quite not understanding. This practice is domestic violence. Yes, it doesn’t matter if it is domestic violence or if it is from violence from the international, from terrorists, whatever it is, practice is the same practice.
There is no excuse for domestic violence, should practice differently, or the other harm and hurtfulness that comes from the terrorists. It’s a different practice, but not like that. Both need to be the same practice, not retaliate, not taking revenge. But it does not mean that we shouldn’t be disgusted, we shouldn’t go to the police, we shouldn’t follow the laws. We need to do that.
But here, shouldn’t be retaliating. That’s what you’re asking me. Retaliating is something that is eye for an eye. Do you understand? That’s what I’m talking about.
You harm me, you hurt me, you beat me, how dare you? I will shoot you. I will kill you. Doing the same thing that you received from them. That is retaliating.
But it doesn’t mean that they’re calling police. Here is the number? Triple zero, yes; in the United States, nine one one. Of course, you need to do that. You need to protect your life.
This is what I’m thinking, but it could be very difficult. It is difficult, as I said, extremely difficult to practice not any one of us hopes to have this kind of situation. However, the point here is that if you retaliate, at the moment, you could win. You could win. A little pleasure.
But eventually, this retaliating is causing you future suffering. It continually cycles. Now, this more spiritual than just at that moment. At that moment, if you retaliate, sometimes people say self defense, they just kill them, maybe a little pleasure. But that pleasure doesn’t last long.
That is just temporarily. A little fixing temporarily solves the problem, but ultimately you cause huge sin. See? So we are focusing more on the ultimate level of this cause and effect, not just at the moment, the temporary one is okay. But even though if you are a practitioner, if you like to do a practice like this, somebody is harming you, yes, it’s very difficult not retaliate, however, but I cannot — I’m giving general teaching, but I cannot give you advice on how you do things like this and that.
I cannot do that. We are different. We all are individual to individual. I may do my practice differently, you may do your practice differently. This is one thing, generally speaking, good for all of us.
If you are really understanding retaliating is the cause of not only suffering at the moment, but also in future lives. If you don’t want that, that’s why you need to stop. It doesn’t mean that somebody is really treating you and it’s very dangerous for your life. You’ve got to do something, not the same act as he was doing, but you need to get out from there, or you may need to get help, you may need to call the police. Even though I saw one book, I don’t know which lama was saying, even though if you saw some nice do you say it?
Stick, strong, you know, hit his legs, not here, not killing them. Just hit it, he falls. Just run away from there. You can do that less than just hitting the head and killing them. That’s my point.
Better not to do that, but have something. My mother used to have because my biological father passed away when I was a young age. My mother married my stepfather, a very, very nice man. Sometimes my stepfather worked in the he was a nomad. Sometimes he didn’t come to the old village.
My mother lived in a village. She had a small shop with my aunt, they sell small things. And my stepfather, sometimes two days, he needs to live in the mountains to do things for the yaks. He was working with somebody else, a nomad. That’s why I am in the monastery, my two sisters are in school, and my mother is alone in our home.
And she was keeping I said, one day I found under the mattress. I said, What for this one? I just keep it. If the heat comes, I want to hit it. Or you may kill them.
Oh no, no, I’m not going to hit it, but I’m going to hit it somewhere for me to escape. That’s a good idea. She wasn’t thinking to kill, but she wanted to protect herself, self defense. Something like that. Keep it something like this in your home.
I’m just kidding. Yes, people get wrong ideas all the time, they do. That’s why we need to teach this repeatedly. Older people may understand, but some new people come, but they may misunderstand, which is good. But your question is good.
That’s why question and answer is important. In India, because so many Indian women are unbelievable, now many areas are learning how to do kung fu things, the martial arts, to protect themselves, which is good also. Even though you want to retaliate, this is a very nice way to retaliate. But here, the main thing is that the retaliation is that you did this for me, I will come back to life. Like an eye for an eye.
That’s totally the negative. That’s the main thing here. But you’ve got to do something to protect yourself. How can Buddhism not say, Oh, let them do whatever they want, just let them eat? Absolutely not.
I cannot. If someone does something like that, first I will discuss. I will say, Please. Even though more harm comes, I need to protect myself, or I may need to hit some punch to escape from there. I need to do that, but I will definitely not do the same.
I will not say any bad words, I will not to say whatever he was saying to me. I’m not going to do that. But I need to protect myself, because my life is important for many people. So see, that point of view, hitting him with a few punches, not a big problem. He’s a big guy, you know?
No problem. That’s what I’m going to do. Even sometimes animals. I had some problems with dogs. I just grabbed here.
I was very good for that. That’s what you need to do. When a dog comes, first of all, don’t run. Sit down there, just try to be ready if they jump. Several times I sat down and the dogs came and go.
That’s it. If you run, they chase you. But one dog, I was sitting there, jumped. I was very good, totally in my hand like this. Before he was like this, two ears were on my hand.
I just put it down. I punched like this a few times. Then, whoo! Then goes. He has to.
This big dog! Then people say, Oh, you need to sue this one. I said, Forget it. In the United States, everything is suing things. I can make a lot of money for those kinds but of course I’m a monk.
I said, Forget it. I’m so sorry for the dog, but I have to sometimes It’s a big dog, you know? It makes him a little pain and he’ll run away. You have to grab here. I learned this one.
A big dog comes, if it’s possible, to grab ears very strongly, and you have to put them down like this. Push, put them down like this. Otherwise, like this. Huge. This dog is a German dog, not a German shepherd.
What is that? Another one is No, no. It’s a German shepherd, and what is that? Another one is Doberman. Yes, Doberman.
Oh, they are scary. Oh, very scary dog. Okay, any questions? The dog is finished now. Anyone?
Go go, Natalie. I saw a film in Melbourne just last have any, I don’t know, contact with people Who are like that? Who who are who are taking drugs? Well, not not so much taking drugs, but the criminal people who were gangsters. Or somebody tried to harm me?
No, no, no, not to harm you. Did anyone you know how Venable Rabina Koten goes to prisons, and she works with people? Yes, yes. Had. Not in Miami, but in Columbia.
I went to several times. Most of these young, only men young men. Yes, the age of eighteen to twenty nine, I think. In that cell, one year I went several times. I was a little scared, actually.
I was supposed to talk to them about some meditation, but it was very funny. I had some students, mostly women, and Lina, is my translator from English to Spanish, and others are supposed to be, My God! But then, when we are in a huge room, I’ve never been in that jail cell and of course there are policemen also. Then, now they open the door and all these young men came, aged eighteen to twenty nine, or something like that. Mostly that age.
Very, very, very a lot of tattoos, you know. When they came from that door, all these women were on backside of me. They were supposed to protect me. I’m from now. I said, What is happening here?
You know? Well, all of are in my back and are supposed to be my guts, actually. And I was saying, No, no, no, no, no, no, no, don’t be. I was like, They came as like some fierce beast, remember? Very aggressive.
And all these hairs and all of these kind of rings here and there. Wow, they are working out very well. Some were very skinny, very, very poor, but mostly they were like this. I was like, Oh, okay, cheers. They came near me like this.
I tried to be brave myself now, you know, because all these women are looking at me. And most of these women are very young, also. Then I was trying hard to be brave. I had a bigger mala than this one. I just had it here, I have to be careful.
I just did mala like this, like this. I just made it, tried to be ready now. Who knows what’s going to happen next? Like this, you know. I just like this, and I just try to double do this one like this.
I say, sit down, please sit down. My translator will translate it. They just come like this. Sit down. They try to laugh also, and try to be fearful also.
They try to be ready for that. Who knows? They may grab the woman, you know. Then, of course, policemen are there also, a few policemen, but there forty five people this young, We sit down and wait. Then after everything calmed down, the police were also little heated, talking Spanish, said, Slow down, calm down.
Then Lina came and frowned, then I explained who I am. When I started talking, they all were very calm. Then I introduced myself to who I am, where I come from. When I was young, I went through some difficulties, and I lost my own country. Tibet is not anymore.
And they really liked it to hear, you know? Then I was giving some meditation, calm abiding. Not very like this, just generally meditation is very important. If you do meditate with calm abiding, once you achieve calm abiding, you can fly on the sky, you can go under the ground, you can get some kind of power, so and so. After everything was finished, they came to me to shake.
Smell. I did. Some people wanted to hug, and I said, Yes, I hugged. And some people ask the policemen if they want to talk to me. They said, Everybody is lying.
People who want to talk to me are lying. There are twenty five people who want to talk to me. Mostly they just left, one by one. One man came and said, This meditation, you do it at one time, after some time you can fly on the sky. I said, Yes.
Can you teach me? I said, Why? Once I achieve it, I will fly from the jail. That’s what were saying. Oh, okay, but it takes some time.
Maybe I will come next time. Mainly, I asked Lina to write down some mantras, just in case? You can say, Next year when I was there, this man was still there. He said, A little girl now. I asked him, Did you say mantra?
He said, Yes. But it takes some time. You cannot just fly right away. It takes some time. He was saying, Here is Mala also, you know, from the center.
But it was scary, but it was a great experience. Very good experience. I feel very happy. These kids were so young, they got something, maybe some kind of karmic imprint, isn’t it? Something.
Yes, I was a few times, not in Miami, but in Columbia, because Columbia is the mother of all drugs. Next question, anyone? Okay, no questions, then dedication. Are you asking me? Are very interested in talking about greed.
We all need a certain greed. I’m not saying stingy or greedy, but too much greed is not good. Without greed, how can we survive? Without desire, how can we survive? The same thing, we need a little greed.
Like a little selfishness, we also need it. But too much selfishness is not good, too much greed is not good, too much desire is not good. Without greed means then, I think sometimes is a big problem, I think. But I don’t know the word uses greed in English. In Tibetan we call it dod chags.
Dod chags means you need some Also, greed is also part of the desire. See? That means greed is also part of the desire. You need a certain greed to survive, to run your life. Totally no greed means then, for us, it’s a little strange.
Maybe something is wrong, but too much greed is another thing very wrong. That’s all. See? I could be wrong, but we need to research. Now look at the Buddha House Prayer book, please.
Page number thirteen. O glorious and precious root lama, make clear in the light of your well spoken advice. Exalted Kadampa tradition, essence of the Buddha’s teachings. Foremost holy Lama, to you Lord, Supreme. O Lama, please.
Thank you very much.