Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Using the analogy of a child progressing from kindergarten to prime minister, Khensur Rinpoche opens this 87-minute Lamrim session by arguing that a qualified teacher is the root cause of all achievement, worldly or spiritual. He then presents Mañjuśrī’s three conditions for quick realization: accumulating merit while purifying negativity, praying to one’s guru and personal deity, and meditating on what one’s teacher has taught. The bulk of the talk covers the six preparatory practices: cleaning the meditation space, setting up representations of Buddha and Tārā, arranging offerings, and preparing the cushion — including drawing a swastika beneath it and placing kusha grass on top. Rinpoche gives detailed guidance on the eight-point meditation posture and a breathing technique for clearing anger and attachment before generating bodhicitta.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 05 LR 1998 08 25.mp3
UUID: 4ab85bc2-5467-406b-90c8-83bd8426ab7a
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Lam Rim (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1998-08-25
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 87.8 minutes
Words: ~6,416
So yesterday a person called Rob or Robin, is it? Rob. Rob. Rob. Rob, we sit in this place and he said that they’ve been teaching in a place which near somewhere near, it’s called a place called Semaphore, something like that.
And it’s been very successful and now I think the couple of, few of students from Semaphore have attend, attending teaching here today which is I’m just very happy to hear about that. So we have been dealing with the great outlines of the Lamrim and we’ve been up to the fourth one which we’ve been up to we’ve finished the three part, three main outlines of the great Lamrim, our graduated path. So now we are here Today I shall teach from the fourth outline which is the stages of leading the students by means of the actual instructions. So, the fourth third one is the fourth one and it has two subdivisions which are the it has two divisions or two parts. The foundational part how to follow a spiritual teacher and the stages of training your mind once you have followed the spiritual teacher.
So, in these days there are many Geshes, in West, and in the teachings teaching in centers or centers in the West and for myself I’ve been teaching at Buddha House almost for nine or ten years something. And so this this part which is this the foundation of how to follow a spiritual teacher, this topic or this particular outline or this chapter is not mainly taught or not I mean, it has been taught but not really haven’t taught through the details in all the centers and as for myself I have taught this topic in Buddha house or in this center but not for a long time and not really details, alright? But so today I mean I will I sort of explaining quite detail about this particular art lens and thought it’s quite helpful for students to know about to to understand this particular teaching properly. So actually, this particular chapter or outline, the foundation of the path how to follow a spiritual teacher and the stages of training your mind. Once you have followed the spiritual teacher it’s very, very important.
It’s very important considered or it’s actually a very important topic in the teachings but and we have not been it had not been taught through detail or like very extensively because some person of the first stages are like beginners. We used to call person of first activity or person of first level, but it actually means the beginners. Some people, they got misunderstanding when teacher taught I mean, go through detail go details through this through this particular topic. So this is how it it has not been taught detailed to the person, I mean, who are at the stage, person who are already beginner or at the level of the first stage or who are at the first level, alright? So, but when a student or example, they increase or develop in their practice or their teaching and then this has been and then they can quite understand properly or very correctly about this teaching because some there is a possibility for a beginner or a person of first level to get misunderstanding about this particular topic.
So, the first, I’m going to give you an example, I mean, teach through giving example because if you give an example, then it’s a bit easier to understand. So therefore, I mean, I will start with start this topic with giving with the example now. So, I mean, so if so if I teach if I tell give some example, then you people can understand easily, you know? So yeah. It’s a bit tricky example.
Rinpoche has been taken example as a prime minister of a country. Alright? So, some someone wants to become a prime minister of a particular country And to become a particular, like a very good and to become a very good prime minister in a city, sorry, in a country, the first the person has to present all the qualities need all the qualities to become a proper or a good prime minister. For that, from his childhood, he or she has to join the school and join the school and study all the and study there and then finish all the like do all his graduation in the unis, college, unis, etc. And by having a proper knowledge, then sooner or later, and he, I mean, he become, is quite qualified to become prime minister and then he become, and if he has a, I mean correct or as the right amount or correct qualities to become a prime minister, then he or she can not only serve his country very well, they can also help others countries and will become more helpful for both oneself than others.
So, and so that that that person has become a prime minister, a very like good prime minister and being very service I mean serviceable to the country. But but but he had I mean, he had become that a good prime minister because and it’s due it’s because of that he had studied very well from his childhood, from the, first, like, kindergarten to the and until his graduation, his unis, etcetera. But but so he the one reason is that he had studied he I mean, he he have he had studied very hard I mean, hard during his, time in school or uni. And but main things, the root, the root, the root cause is like that, that it is not just okay for him to go, I mean, join this uni and, but just join, I’m going to school and joining school up to the uni or kindergarten to uni, it’s not necessary that he or she become a qualified student or etcetera. But to become that educated or to become well educated, I mean, the root cause is, it’s entirely depend on his or her teacher in uni or if he or she has a qualified teacher or a good teacher, then the student will naturally become a very qualified and good student.
So, this is from the point of like worldly concern or from the point of ordinary. I mean, it’s now a worldly or non-religious history. So this example is being taught through the point of just it’s not religious. It’s about this worldly concern on the way of this worldly concern. So so and if you take that example to a religious to the religious type of example, then that prime minister could be like a Buddha or the bodhisattva or Arhat means which are liberated beings, alright?
And so and among this and the Buddha is the main thing main one. So Buddha, bodhisattva, and arhat beings are very helpful for both oneself and for others. And they have become very powerful and very beneficial for all the sentient beings. But from the beginning they are just like a little child who first joined the school and finally become enlightened or sorry, finally become a prime minister. So Buddha and Bodhisattvas are like that.
First they have enter the Dharma and then practice and study sincerely through the old paths and grounds and finally become very they become Buddha, they become enlightened Buddha and bodhisattva or arhat and become very I mean, benefit beneficial for all the sentient beings now. So, the first, I mean, primarily the Buddha or Buddha and bodhisattva arhat beings are same as us or they are just ordinary being. And then they enter the Dharma and met with the qualified teacher or spiritual teacher, guru or sublime guru. And by and then from those teachers or from those guru and they learn through the paths and grounds and then later they just put all the teachings in the practice and meditate in. So meditate all the teachings and being able to achieve certain realization and finally they become a Buddha.
But from the beginning they are just the same as us and also it’s like a little kid or child who first joined the school and to become a prime minister. So it is so example goes it’s very compatible because a child goes to first join the school and they become a prime minister and Buddha Buddha beings, they first become just an ordinary being and enter the Dharma and follow all the instructions of their I mean, meet with a good qualified teacher and then they study all the teachings and then finally become able to become enlightened or liberated beings. So, whether it is for like a Dharma or it’s in the worldly concerns, but it’s same that one really needs or one really or one should seek a qualified teacher. Teacher and a teacher, so the most important thing is to meet with the proper teacher. Meet with the teacher and that teacher should be very qualified teacher and who can who love to teach and who have a capability of teachings to give teaching and never and can bear all the hardships to teach.
So and it’s aware with all the qualities. And so whether it’s a worldly concept or Dharma, so the root or the main thing is one one one really need to meet with the one should really have should have a qualified teacher. Is having qualified teacher is very important. So, yes, it’s two words. In terms of in terms of of in terms terms of Dharma, we say one when one practice or like or one one should meditate, alright, one should meditate.
But in terms of the worldly concerns, they said that a person to have to have experience to have experience. And so these two words are not unrelated to each other. In this ordinary language we say to have experience. And in terms of Dharma we use it like to do, to meditate. So a good practitioner or good meditator good meditator, they divide their work into two terms means which is they do they divide it all their time in two which is what to do during the meditation session and then they, for them they have, and the things what to do during, between the medit, so sorry, what to do in the meditation session and what to do between the meditation session.
And they practice through these two points. Yeah. So dividing the their practice into two is not we told what to do in the meditation session and what to do between the meditation session. So if we’re gonna give an example like, so what to do in the meditation session is like at the moment we are in our class, we are doing studying and this is I mean this time is we are in the meditation session and between meditation between meditation session is like I mean after after the end of this class you go out and have tea and get back to your room and I mean do some works or what, like I mean have your dinner, these are, those time are between the meditation session. So the great practitioner has divided their time into two which is what in the meditation session and between the meditation session.
So, a good or a great practitioner to be in in in one’s lifetime, they divide they still divide those two into eight. Like, they divide that in the meditation what to do during med in the meditation session, they divided that into four, and then they divided that between the meditation session into four means divide. And these two into four four means eight. Alright? So so if we talk about the division, how we divide those two in the meditations, two sessions into eight is not say, one or one wake up at four thirty early in the morning and then do meditation up to five thirty and then have a break and prepare for breakfast, etcetera.
These are the two sessions now which you have. So four thirty to five thirty it’s your meditation is in the meditation session and then and after five thirty it’s a break for I mean it’s a break and then that that time is your between the meditation session. Alright. The dead one is the first bit or first part. Four thirty to five thirty is meditation.
In the meditation session you do meditation and then a break. So this is the first part. Have got two already. And then the second thing, second one is, and then again you start your meditation at seven till ten ten a. M.
And then and then finish and finish that bit at ten o’clock and then have a break. It’s the which is between the meditation session and now two two parts now. And then after ten you have your lunch break, like prepare for your lunch and etcetera. And then restart, again restart your meditation at one thirty to three thirty and this is the one, it’s also, yeah, that one is the one beat, alright, the third part. So, yeah, you I mean, again, you start your meditation at one thirty to three thirty and then have a break between that time.
And then again, the fourth fourth session is you start your again, start the meditation at seven PM until nine thirty PM. So, this is this system or this is how the great meditator of the Tibet, both the India and Tibet, they divide all their, I mean, they divide whole, I mean, daily routine or whole their day in this divide whole they divide the whole single day in this, I mean, this session or this four bit, and then turn it to and extend it to a week, a month, a year and a whole lot. So and they deal with this between the meditation session and in the meditation take this divisions or like divisions of their day in whole life. They practice this this system in their whole life and then final become Buddha or become enlightened being. Alright?
This is how I’m like great scholar, great meditator of Tibet, Indian Indian and Tibet, they do meditation their whole life. Uh-huh. Yes. And I hope that many great meditator I’m Australian in future, there will be many Australian great meditator who follow this system. And I hope that I hope to have many become many Australian many Buddhas Australian Buddhas in future time.
At this time, many Yogis are visiting Australia, but in near future, hope that many Buddhas will visit Australia. So, I mean, we said like worldly experience or Dharma experience. So, if you experience about the worldly concern or if you’re experiencing about this world concerning this world, it’s not this is not so hard because, I mean, the concern experiencing the world, these things are very, very gross, alright? And and it’s very easy to experience it, I mean, what what what you like. But if you’re concerned about the religious or do the religious practice and then experience about the teachings, then it is very hard because teaching itself the teachings are very subtle and you can’t cannot easily experience the teaching.
So, for that, the great scholar Tsongkhapa has asked a question to the Mañjuśrī, asking you that, how can I generate or get a quick experience of the Dharma? And the Mañjuśrī has answered that to to have quick experience about the dharma, to have that one should present with three conditions. The first condition is to gain certain realization. One should need to accumulate, get to merit and it should purify purify all the negative actions. So, I mean, the first bit is to accumulation, accumulating the great store of merit and purifying your all the negative negativities.
And the second condition is one should one should very often very often, you know, very often pray to one’s personal, to one’s guru and who bless you all the time and then and also request prayers. One should pray for your one’s personal deity. The second bit is to requesting or pray, praying for you, yeah, pray for your one’s one’s school or spiritual teacher and personal deities. Third condition is to once you think about once think about the teachings which your teacher has taught and then put them all into practice and then meditate on it. So third thing is to meditating and concentrating on what your what one’s spiritual teacher has taught.
So if one have present all these three conditions then one can easily gain gain certain, one can easily gain realization where easily they can get realization. One sows a seed and if the seed has all the manure and the waters actually then like fertile soil and then the seed will just sprout very quickly and grow quickly. So likewise if one have all this include present with these three conditions then one can easily gain realizations. So, every week one goes, one just elevates it, one goes up and up and up. Very good.
It’s like It’s like without without water the seed will seed seed will I mean, seed won’t grow. And even if seed has water but there’s no heat then it so it won’t grow as well. So it won’t grow either. So to grow a seed once you present with all the conditions like manure, fertile soil and then water heat, etc. So, and then having present all the necessities to grow a seed, then the seed will grow properly and very easily.
So, these are just external examples, but these sort of examples are very important and very helpful to us. We can bring them in, just take those examples within yourself and then we can take all these examples to oneself and then think about teaching like it’s like all the qualities or manure, water, and extra like having three conditions and then one can generate realization very quickly. It’s so we those examples are very important in our daily life. So, to have those three conditions which taught by the Mañjuśrī Mañjuśrī, what? Right.
To Mañjuśrī has to to have that courage to generate or to gain those three conditions one should, one need to practice in this following, following, yeah, following outlines like, to to, once you train in the preparatory, six preparatories and then to train in the actual practice and then the conclusion. And so, what whatever we do, we have like preparation and then we have actual whatever teaching we do, we have first the preparation and then the actual teaching and then the conclusion. So for the final is like, at the end we’re just in the conclusion as we are just rejoicing all the things what we have gained from our practice or from our work. The preparatory and then actual part and then the conclusion. So, the first practice is the preparatory practice and the second is the actual practice and third practice is called the conclusion.
So, the first, the preparatory practice had six parts or six divisions and the first is to cleaning one’s practice or one’s surrounding. And it’s like the keeping so cleaning one’s place or one’s surrounding is like cleaning one’s meditation where where you meditate like your room or your house and clean clean and then so clean means So, it’s a room which has been good relative and worse to worse. It’s like clean your so clean your room and house for med where you meditate or a meditation room and not not not just enough to clean one’s room inside one’s room also one need to clean the surroundings as well. It means in wet where we call qi means to collect all the like dust in once and then tormas just throw it off, not make it clean. So like in Tibet or in Tibet we don’t have vacuum cleaner.
So we just have a cleaning system. You need to use the brooms, you The reason why we clean our room or house and surroundings before one do the meditation is because, like, for example, if you take an example, like, if when someone invites or like a great people is visiting to our place, we, I mean, it’s very obvious that we clean our rooms, surroundings, etc. It’s like, so when we do our meditation, when we do meditation, all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas come to your place to support in your practice. So and because of that so these are very, like, very holy beings are coming to your place to help you in your practice. For that reason we need to keep your room or place and surroundings very meditation place and surroundings very clean.
If it’s very dirty or not clean then instead of accumulating merit we get negative I mean, accumulate negative things because it’s not worthwhile for those holy beings like Buddhas and bodhisattvas to come to your like a dirty place or it’s an unclean place in your place. Also, in your meditation room, one one one, it’s good it’s it’s good to have a, like, a statue or representation of Buddha, like, statue of Buddha because Buddha is the source of our teachings or source of our Dharma. And then to generate a compassion or, like, bodhicitta, then one needs like statue or like a picture of the compassionate one which is Avalokiteśvara and and then to have a wants to have a quick or like very if one seeks a very quick blessings or quick blessings, then one needs it’s very important to have statue or like posters, pictures of Tārā. So it’s like so I mean to do meditation one really needs to have those pictures of Buddha Śākyamūni and then those holy beings. And it’s not worthwhile to keep all those, I mean the representation of all those holy beings in a very dirty place, you know.
So think that this is the one reason that one needs to clean or keep one’s meditation room very clean. And then not only that and So this is the first bit, alright? The first bit is, So from the six preparatory practices, the first one is to set up representation of enlightened body, speech and mind after cleaning your place of practice and surroundings. So this is the first of the six preparatory practices. And so it’s, so we’re told that it’s very important to clean one’s meditation, place of meditation and the surroundings.
And then it’s not okay by just setting up the representation of the statues or this body’s speech and mind. And then as you have seen here, we need to make offerings like cake, biscuits, fruits and then incense, etc. For those in front of, to make offerings for those representations. Alright? And it’s like, you know, when you invite a great person to your room, it’s not just worthwhile to leave the person with an empty mouth or we need to serve lunch or etcetera.
So likewise we need to serve, I mean make offerings with those representation. And which is the second of the six preparatory practices. The second one is acquiring offerings without deceit and set them up beautifully. So if you make a very good and proper, correct offerings in front of, sorry, offerings to those representation and you will accumulate great store merit but it’s sure that they won’t take it away. And then after making offerings, those representation, they will take it down and eat and then due to the they have blessed all the offerings we made to them and then we take those, we take those blessings, sorry those offerings that we just eat by ourselves and then through the power of their blessings, of those offerings and taking those offerings we feel happy or yeah.
We feel happy now. Some people says offering is very good because they first just make, I mean, set up the offering like altar, they just make, say some prayers and then the main thing is that they know that they can have all the offerings later at the end of the prayers. Some people they said, making offering is very good and great. And the third of the six preparatory is having sat down on a comfortable cushion in the eight point physical posture or in any comfortable position, take refuge and generate the altruistic intention with a very virtuous attitude. So the third preparatory is one need to have a proper cushion for the meditation and that cushion should be slight higher at the back and then have like slope in the front.
Because it is because that when, if you have that kind of soft, I mean soft, I mean good meditation cushion, front is bit lower or like it’s a slope in this shape, then if you sit quite, I mean like for a long period on that kind of cushion, you won’t get any problems or pains in your ankles or knees. So, if one does a very long meditation or doing meditation for a long time and want to do for, to do, to, or want, wanted to meditate for a long time, So, we talk about one need a cushion or rather. On the floor where you put the cushion, one should draw a swastika or a clockwise, which turns clockwise, because it represents that Buddha made, Buddha become enlightened in Bodh Gaya on the vajra throne, alright? vajra throne, because vajra is considered to be very strong and then without sitting on that vajra seat, Buddha become enlightened on that vajra seat and it’s I mean he has to be meditated on that vajra seat because other particular like he can’t because there are other like thrones or a place without that vajra seat, the place cannot be strong enough for him to become enlightened, alright?
For that Buddha became enlightened on that vajra seat and drawing a swastika underneath our cushion is to represent your meditation throne or a cushion or place as a vajra seat, but we are not allowed to use that vajra seat underneath, alright? But we use that swastika to represent that our place is, that you yourself is on the vajra seat. And above that drawing or Swastika, one should place a, I’m sorry, I don’t know the exact name for that grass which is called, in Tibetan we call it kusha, alright? Kusha? What?
So it’s just, I mean in Tibetan we call it kusha. So is it the same in English? So it’s alright. Alright, so people here call it kusha, alright? So above that swastika, one need to place the kusha which face inward, alright?
The kusha should be face inward to you, I mean direct opposite to you. And then that kusha is to signify that Buddha on the vajra throne, Buddha used that Kusha on the vajra root because it signifies to have long life for that particular meditator. And there are also two other reasons to put in that cushion underneath your cushion, alright? The one thing is that it also, it has been said or told that by placing that kusha underneath your meditation cushion or on your throne is not, then it get rid of or it stops all the obstacles which are coming, yeah, which get, I mean which, so it’s alright, yeah, which get rid of all the obstacles which are coming to the meditator and not only that, it also means that know that kusha leaves, it’s not, it is not proper leaves but there are some little nodes on that kusha, which are not mixed to each other, they are just very straight. And it also means, so when one meditates on that particular seat or who have a kusha on their seat, then one’s mind.
When one meditate, know, one’s mind will never be mixed with each other. It goes very clear. I mean, one can meditate very clearly or without any mixing a topic one up to down, because one meditation will become very clear. So, before one do the meditation, one should one first do three prostrations to the statue of Lord Buddha and the hand should be gestured in this way but not in the flat, flat, alright, so one should be bent both the thumbs inside and then place it once at your forehead and then at the throat and then at the heart and two, three, prostrations to Lord Buddha before a meditation. And after having done that three prostrations then sit on your meditation cushion.
And, and then after that three, having done the three prostrations, once you are seated on your meditation cushion. And your, it is good if, I mean actually one need to sit on the, watch your posture, watch your feet and the left, left left leg goes in and then the right one go out. You know, like, it’s a watch your posture. Alright? And do you understand what I mean?
And and then once, yeah, the left should be in, alright? Sorry, I mean, you can’t demonstrate. And then, and one’s back should be very straight like Pain should be very straight and then hand should be in this posture, in this position or this posture, that left goes beneath and right, I mean like fingers or palm up and then touching your thumbs each other to the navel or something like that. So and then let your let our lips or teeth in the normal position, alright? Not too close tightly or not too loose, it’s just in the normal position.
And stick or place your tongue at the upper palate. So, one should keep your mouth. So, one should keep, keep one’s lip or teeth in a normal position means not close tightly, close it, just most likely open to once your lip should be slightly open because it is to pass the wind slightly open because we need to pass the wind out, out and in, or inhale or exhale. So if you say it’s because, and everyone is just made fun of jokes, if one, I mean, close their lips and then if that meditator has, I’m gonna block nose, alright, then and then he then he closed his mouth then he had problem with breathing. It’s good to leave your mouth slightly open to breathe and then then like placing your tongue touching the upper palate is to, if one, when, if you place, so when one meditates for a long period then I mean it’s quite very useful to touch or place your tongue at the upper palate then one cannot easily become thirsty or have a thirsty of water, alright?
So it is to avoid the thirsty or thirst, so to avoid the thirst one place that tongue touching the upper palate and so on. Then also if you place your tongue touching the upper palate then, you know, while when you do a long meditation, you know, saliva will come and and so the Alright, I’m just checking. Alright, so I want you keep your teeth in a normal normal position. And also, one should not bend one’s neck, mean, very down or I want you not to be raised up, alright. It should be slightly bent.
I think it’s okay, like this much and it should not be closed. If you close the eyes during meditation then there is a chance of getting sleep. So slightly open and also focusing or looking at on the tip of your nose, something like that. Looking at your nose, tip of the nose. Nice.
And keep the both shoulders straight. And give a space between your arms, right here, because it’s to pass the wind through. If you touch your arms or hands to your body then there is a danger of, I mean, could become very hard and then danger of sleep as well. So, skip a bit space between your arms to pass the wind through, no? I’m not going on my knees sleeping.
So, if you touch then there is a chance of sleeping. If you sleep then, instead of meditating you are just sleeping in this way. And then I want you to look at one’s mind and check that whether it is your mind is located on a positive thing or looking or one’s mind is at the negative side or one’s mind is at the like a neutral state, neither in the positive action nor in the negative action, it’s in the between. So one should check the way your mind is. So, before meditation one need to check where your, where one’s mind is.
And if one finds that your mind is on like a desire, hatred or anger, then one should really, one should get rid of that anger attachment confusions from your one mind and then do the meditation. If one finds that mind is with the anger, desire, anger and the hatred then one should really need to get rid of those desire, hatred and anger. So if one finds that one mind is with the desire, hatred and anger or the other ignorance, like with negative actions, then one should really get rid of those desire, hatred and angers. And so, to get rid of, so one should really, one should skillfully get rid of those desire, hatred, and anger from one mind, and the way, the way, so the way is, the way to get rid of those desire, hatred, hatred, and anger is that when one, say when one breathes during the meditation, and to think that when one exhales that the, imagine that one pass the air or breathes and exhale through the right nostril, and thinking that when you just exhale the breathe, when exhale through the right nostril, think that all the, imagine that all the, just the hatred and anger in your mind will pass like a, with the appearance of like a bit dark in appearance, like dark color that just goes like that.
And disappeared in a certain distance. And when one inhales, imagine that one inhales through the left nostrils and through that, and just thinking that, imagine that a white rays, a white ray from the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas enters through your left nostril and then slowly dissolves in one’s mind and then imagine that one’s mind is completely purified or become very clean or tidy. And then do that respiration, that respiration or like imagine passing all those, I mean breathing through, exhaling through the right nostril and inhaling through right left nostril. Do this practice once, sorry seven times and then eleven times and then fifteen and then it’s good and in and you can also do it and practice it for twenty one times. So, through this practice, I mean inhaling through this respiration practice then one can one can purify one’s mind from those tendencies like desire, attachment, anger, and then one’s mind after that, through this practice one’s mind will become very pure and come in a neutral state or it becomes very workable.
And then after, when one wants to become positive or become serviceable, then one can, and then through that one generates the bodhicitta. Thinking that, I mean for the sake of sentient beings I must attain the Buddhahood and to attain, therefore I shall practice all those, practice the teachings of Buddha. So and then, so, yeah. So after this practice one can purify one mind and then generate this bodhicitta in your mind. So this is why we call it skillfully get once you skillfully get rid of those desire hatred attachments in one’s mind is, mind through that practice.
The reason why we use the skillfully is like, say when one, it is like that, for example, say it’s very cold winter in a room and there’s only one cushion left, alright? There’s, I mean, room with a very, room with a single cushion in it and one person has already sat on the cushion. And then so because of its winter, so you enter that room and it’s one cushion and one person has already sat on cushion, and you want to sit on that cushion, but if you just ask him or her, Please let me sit on this cushion, he or she will know she won’t listen to you because it’s very cold and you can’t sit on the floor. And the themselves want to use the cushion. So instead of asking them just to get out of the cushion or something that you can use a trick like, Oh, there’s something happening at the side of your house, on the road, something like that.
And then the person, the person may come like, oh what is it? Like they just come out and just sat on it. So this is how we said it skillfully. Alright. Skillfully.
Okay. Alright, we’ll stop here today. We’ll keep five minutes for questions. Actually, I was very sorry. The Rinpoche has mentioned the kusha, and if it’s not possible, we can also use the durva.
No. No. I mean, I forgot to answer. Rumbasil did mention two. There are two.
Yeah. But I I mean, I forgot to mention that the second big one, which is the kusha. No. I’m sorry to say, I mean Rinpoche did mention two kinds of grass which can be placed above the swastika under your meditation cushion is, one is the kusha and second one is the durva in Tibetan, I don’t know, which has lots of nodes, is it? It joins, it’s very long and it joins each other.
It’s found down near the river. Yeah, Creeping grass. Creeping grass, I don’t know I mentioned. So it’s because it is like that kind of rice is very long, joined each other. So it means it is to have long life for the meditator, it represents something like to have long life for the meditator.
With the grass joined to each other in very long creeping ground, grass. Yes, there’s different kinds of grass. It’s a kind of rice which is very, very long. So, alright, this is the end of our class.