Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this nearly two-hour teaching on Lojong mind training, Lama Zopa Rinpoche establishes that the essence of all Buddhist practice is subduing the self-grasping mind and transforming it free from worldly concerns. He begins by framing the entire path—from refuge through tantra—as mind training, then systematically walks through the eight worldly concerns (gain and loss, pleasure and misery, praise and criticism, reputation and infamy) and shows how these contaminate even advanced practices like emptiness meditation. Using vivid examples, he demonstrates how a single thought of non-worldly motivation transforms a finite act—a hundred-dollar donation, a flower offering, an hour of practice—into a cause of liberation rather than saṃsāra. He emphasizes that lineage transmission is essential and cannot be substituted by video or books, illustrates this through the story of Asaṇga’s twelve-year wait to meet Maitreya, and stresses rigorous guru discernment before establishing the guru-disciple bond. Throughout, Rinpoche emphasizes mindfulness as the antidote, offering practical strategies to protect the three doors from worldly influence: closing one’s eyes before and after teaching, avoiding ego-reaction to praise or blame, and cultivating genuine compassion as the only reliable foundation for practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 02 Lojong.mp3
UUID: 67950431-32bc-451a-8c2a-0b7829b6213b
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 3
Collection: Mind Training (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 3)
Date: 1990 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 108.4 minutes
Words: ~12,604
Thank you, and I appreciate your you know, it’s New Year time. Almost like New Year’s Eve, getting to New Year. So supposed to be very busy at home, going back to hometown, and but still, you managed to come for the come for the class or, let’s say, discussion. I think it’s marvelous. We have a extra bonus merit.
Okay. So as, you know, we just recited the last four four lines of prayer, the Refuge and bodhicitta prayer, you know, that I go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha until, you know, that I have I until I obtain the enlightenment by the accumulation of merits, the two accumulations of merits, merit of merit, merit of wisdom, then they are able to bring great benefit to numberless beings. So So this is the motivation that we’re going to initiate our this very session so that this session will become Dharma practice, Dharma meditation, the act of virtue, act of meritorious deeds, which leave imprint in our mental continuum, which able to, you know, produce, you know, happiness in coming days as well as for all the future lifetimes until fully enlightenment. And during the teaching, when we recite, like, from me, I say, you know, that whatever merit that I accumulate by giving Dharma, you know, teaching Dharma, may it be beneficial to the numberless beings. Then when you recite, you know, whatever merit I accumulate by listening Dharma, that may it be, you know, beneficial to all the living beings.
So we’ll just recite it. So that’s all about our gathering here. So whenever when we recite them, we can reflect. And in fact, that itself is mind training, you know, from very from very starting, you know, the point that when we get into the practice of Buddhadharma is to to tame the mind, you know, including taking refuge, you know, getting inspiration to bodhicitta, engaging into the practice of six perfections for the accumulation of merits, inspiring our heart to learn about emptiness, and to actualize the merit of wisdom. All these are the mind training.
To tame our mind, to transform our mind, to subdue our ego, subdue our negative emotions, confusions, and to enlighten our innate self, enlighten our innate self to be as an awakened one, to be as a Buddha by ourselves. So that itself is mind training. So so in fact, all Buddhist teachings are mind training teaching. So end of the day, after learning Dharma, that practice that think to live a life with is mind training teaching. You know, to bring all the understanding of Dharma into our day to day life, to suppress delusions and enhance the mind’s, compassion, loving kindness.
It is about living a life with the teaching of mind training. Something like that. So when we start to when we when we start to see the value of this mind training teaching or value of the Buddhadharma in mind training teaching, then it kind of makes sense how important for us to engage into Buddhadharma practice, to engage into practice of refuge, to engage into the practice of bodhicitta, and to live a life, to live an ethical, virtuous life, it makes life so meaningful. Life is not just life is not just about only oneself. There’s so much meaning to share.
There’s so much happiness, so much good things can share, you with others. And that is not just one others, many others. And that many also, not just certain amount of number, it’s like numberless, you know, it’s numberless others. And that numberless others, not just your dear one, it is like all living beings, you know, including the the the beings that that, you know, conventionally so called as an enemy to whom you hate, conventionally, the beings that who we regarded, beings that do not know. You know?
So we start to, like, cherish all the living beings as dear as as dear as one’s loved one, as dear as how one cherish ourself. So so then one start to see our life is is a really wish fulfilling gem. You know? It’s a you know, we don’t really see there’s something outside gem that is really called as a wish-fulfilling gem. But in fact, you know, there is wish-fulfilling gem within us, which is our mind, our innocent mind.
It is the wish fulfilling gem who can able to fulfill entire being’s wishes and up to liberating them into fully enlightenment. So that makes the life is, like, so colorful. Life is so meaningful. Life is so so satisfying, you know, so so joyful. So then then even even even in case it encounter, like, maybe, like, conditionally, we encounter business failure or, your physical body tortured by any kind of sicknesses.
Somehow it doesn’t bother us. It doesn’t matter to you. Purpose of your life is to only think about others benefit. It doesn’t matter what things go wrong in you, but your purpose will never change. Your purpose will never change.
Whatever things go wrong in you, the purpose of your life will never change. Whatever things goes wrong, the purpose of your life never change. It’s in a one one never change, unchangeable goal is only to bring the enlightenment benefit to numberless beings. So then you also start to see that, you know, your world is, like, very big, very wide. If somebody don’t appreciate your benefit, but there’s somebody else who appreciate your help, your benefit.
It’s like, you know, so it’s every single corner there is a being who desperately need us, desperately need you to help them, to liberate them. You know? And you are motivated for that purpose. So every single corner you go in this world, every single aspect of life experiences you experience, your purpose is never changed. You’re always there to provide the help, and people do receive the help.
And that again of like shine the colors of your life. Then you feel confident, you start to feel meaningful, energetic, positive. Then due to the positive, energetic, confident, then it helps one’s health. Even though very little food to eat, the physical body can be very thin, you know, not much food to eat, but you’re very strong because your your your energy is totally nurtured, nourish nourish by all this positive the environmental energy, the inner environmental energy as well as the surrounding environmental energy, you know, then you start to have a, you know, better health, you know, happier life, then more even more beneficial. So I think so this is about mind training.
So this is about mind training. And and the dharma, like, I said a few times, like, is literally is literally means fixed. Fix the our mind. Dharma is about fixing the mind. Chos means fix.
It’s fixing the fixing mind. When you hear the word is but in fact, the meaning is written meaning is to fix the mind. So is mind training. It means also to to to fix the mind. Training the mind means fix the mind.
So so the essence of Dharma itself is about fixing the mind, training the mind. You know? So taking refuge also, training the mind, fixing the mind. Learning, Lamrim, training the mind, fixing the mind. Getting into tantra, learning fixing the mind, train the mind.
You know? Once you success training the mind, once you success fixing the mind, you enlighten, become Buddha. Something like that. Anyway, so now we go to the text. Page one hundred and fifteen followed by the the the last last time where we stop.
The last three words. If they if they are the the the last page. If they are if they are reinforcing it, You know, Whatever Dharma practice that we do, like learning Dharma, listening Dharma, analyzing on the Dharma understanding, meditating, and even engaging one’s body, speech, and mind into into into Dharma practice, if that is reinforcing the grasping grasping mind or grasping at the self, If if that is reinforcing or grasping, then you are striving solely out of the mundane concern eight mundane concern and and for the pursuit of greatness in this life. So so whatever pure Dharma that we want to practice, whatever Dharma that we have, we we we we want to engage, even listening Dharma, contemplating, even meditating, living life with Dharma, you know, Dharma in the form of puja, Dharma in the form of hosting statues, Dharma in the form of reading scripture, Dharma in the form of reciting mantra, Dharma in the form of making charity, a generosity practice like charity, Dharma in the form of, you know, you know, bring prostration to the Buddhas and gurus, Dharma in the form of expressing the qualities of the enlightened one, gurus, Buddhas, praising the guru, Buddhas, and Dharma in the form of contemplating in the meaning of emptiness, contemplating in the meaning of bodhicitta, loving kindness, compassion, Dharma in the form of know, Dharma in the form of, you know, whatever the object come into your contact, you know, try to see the lack of inherent existence.
Every single aspect of this, in order to be solely cause for liberation, it has to be free from eight worldly concern. It has to be free from eight mundane concern. You have to be free from any worldly concern. In order to be all those practices to be a solely cause, pure cause for liberation. Liberation from Samsāra and liberation after fully enlightenment have to be free from concern.
Once it condemned by the worldly concern, even meditation on emptiness becomes still the cause of Samsāra. It’s still under the influence of ignorance. As we discussed yesterday, even the obtainment of the happiness in human realm is due to the cause of virtue accumulation in the past, but it still initiated by ignorant, which ignorant the blind mind, which which unable to see the true nature of the existence of the I. So it only becomes a cause of saṃsāra, means we’ll continue to experience the suffering of pervasive and suffering of changes. So so now what are the eight worldly concerns?
You know? So the gain and loss, pleasure and misery, praises, and what you call the criticism or you can call disrepute or degradation or praises and criticism. Yeah. Then reputation and infamy. Reputation and infamy.
So so those are the eight main concern. So if one practice any form of Dharma, meditating on emptiness, with the motivation to gain certain kind of, know, certain kind of, like, some kind of fame to earn, you know, certain kind of, like, to to earn, you know, some realization so that you can you can impose to people that I have obtained a certain realization so that I can able to, like, you know, like, have more students, followers. So if you happen to meditate, you happen to go for retreat for that purpose, then it is even though you you you you meditate in emptiness for many months, but it can become it it will solely become cause of Samsāra, not the cause of liberation. Then or you you do meditation for the purpose of like, we try to do emptiness meditation, which is our meditation class, in order to gain a bigger, larger group than the other society with that intention, then if I lead the meditation, then it will slowly become a cause of saṃsāra, not for liberation. Same thing for the loss, for self-centered purpose.
Any practice you do for the purpose of loss, again, is cause of suffering of saṃsāra. And pleasure and misery. If we practice whatever practice, including meditation emptiness, practice to obtain just, you know, this very life’s sense of pleasure. You know? That maybe maybe this is a better life.
Yeah. The sense of pleasure, if I obtain certain kind of concentration based on emptiness meditation, that I will I will able to maybe fly from one mountain to another mountain. I can able to, you know, I can able to gain such kind of realization that none of the family and possessions would bother me. I will all obtain so much happiness in this life. Nothing to concern about liberation, but if you are just solely dedicated for this life’s pleasure, then again the practice becomes solely cause of saṃsāra, not for liberation.
That practice can bring definitely certain kind of happiness in this life, but it is introduced by the ignorant mind and it will not become cause for liberation. Same thing for the misery. Praises, you practice any meditation to gain praises from others, you know, try to, like, sit properly and, you know, try to say that, you know, I always do very advanced meditation, only emptiness, you know. The rest of the meditations are too simple. So so that with the motivation that people praise you that you are a great meditator or you go for a retreat for many, many years to gain praises from others, whatever the effort that you put in a retreat will become cause of saṃsāra, not for the liberation.
Same thing for the criticism. Then reputation. You know, try to that try to control yourself. Do all the wrong things when people don’t when people are not looking at you. Do all the wrong things, but try to be very disciplined when people are looking at you.
You know? Once you close the room, you you jump here and there in your room, but open outside, you’re very, like, you know, very calm, very distant, like that. So it’s to protect your kind of reputation and try to, like, prove to other that you are very practicing so much discipline, you know, based on such a meditation, even emptiness, then the cause of saṃsāra only will not become cause of liberation. Same same thing to the infamy. Do you got it?
Okay. Yeah. So so we cannot practice Dharma for the temporary gain or or we cannot practice Dharma for the temporary gain and loss, temporary pleasure and misery, temporary praises and degradation, and or the or or the criticism, or we cannot practice for the temporary reputation well, I mean, for reputation as well as the infamy. So it’s a very, very dangerous impact If we are not mindful enough, it’s very dangerous, you know, this worldly concern. Most of the time, you know, it accompanies us. Even, you know, when you when you want to when you want to help somebody with the advice or with with with any any any way you want to help somebody, that that the first thing that we have to make sure that it not polluted, not induced by worldly concern.
You know, once it’s introduced once it’s a mixture of worldly concern, then it is it is naturally introduced by ignorant. Even though the other person receives some kind of benefit, it will become a cause of saṃsāra. It doesn’t become a cause of liberation. So one wasted the greater opportunity. One wasted great opportunity of that particular action, such as giving, let’s say, the charity of one hundred dollar.
You have sacrificed your your your three meals in a day and give to one poor person one hundred dollars. It’s very good act. It’s a wonderful generosity. And the person the hungry person will receive food, you know, through your sacrifice of this hundred dollar. And that act can be can be so powerful act, even can become a cause of liberation, but just because of the worldly concern, you miss the greater opportunity and you you ended up a very limit kind of gain.
Just how to say? Just see was it just just able to just able to, you know, rescue the person from the hunger and and that’s it. Just just that much good act. That will produce happy result in in in this life or future life, but we miss the greater chance. It’s just a matter of one thought.
You still have to use hundred dollar, same amount of money, just because of one simple thought that you missed the greatest chance. So you see that so the so it makes so much different. So any act, it will come to, you know, puja. You know, it’s depend on individual. Whether somebody is influenced by worldly concern or not is not our designation.
You know? It’s yourself. And we have to make sure that you are not influenced by worldly concern. Sincerely make a prayer and chanting and dedication for enlightenment to bring greatest benefit to all living beings. You know?
Just only for that. You you you chant. You make prayer. And that accumulates so much merit that whatever problem that you may facing now, you’ll be cleansed. It’s, by the way, a cleansed.
And and whatever the amount of merit that you accumulated, it planted plant the seed for liberation. You know? And the enjoyment of the result of that act can enjoy up to enlightenment or up if you’re dedicated up to enlightenment go up to enlightenment. If up to liberation or up to liberation. And by the way, samsaric pleasure is naturally comes.
But if we miss to do that and influenced by worldly concern and just want to cure the sickness, you know, and just want to what do you call the you know, regain the business of this life. So your your one hour puja, it benefits you, but it benefits in very limited way. It’s due to your own attitude. It’s not because of the puja. It’s because of your own attitude.
Puja becomes very very limited kind of benefit for you. So whether the puja brings greater benefit great and limited benefit is dependent on your own attitude, your own way of motivation for that project. Something like that. So especially especially like when we share Dharma and especially some people who is very generous, it’s very dangerous, you know, like we try to especially to teach Dharma, you know, our main motivation, you know, we have to be very careful of not influencing by worldly concern. It’s so dangerous because you you gain praises.
You gain you know? Hardly people criticize you. People criticize you. You know? You know?
So so let’s say that the Dharma teacher let’s say, like me, if I teach, somebody praise me, you know, I gain happiness. I feel so much happiness and feel proud, feel kind of arrogant, feel proud. I was influenced by worldly concern. If somebody criticize me, I feel so bad. I feel like, oh, you’re you know, like, what?
You know? I thought I I I teach not bad, but people say very bad. It’s terrible, you know. So, oh, it’s like your ego was so hurt. This worldly concern, you know, because of the what’s the praises and criticism.
You know? You know? So I I I was unable it disturbed my emotion, both my praises and criticism. You know? So it’s the same thing to the others.
So it’s a so I have to be like like a stone. Like, you know, like, the mind is like a like a stone. I cannot praises also flat. Criticize also flat. You know?
It’s it’s like kind of kind of numb. You know? But that doesn’t mean that you don’t do any form of inspirational practice. But when you’re linked with others, when others’ comments come to you, you have you have to you have to your mind have to be like a numb. You cannot act like a numb, but, actually, you have to be like, nothing’s disturb your ego.
You know? So something like that. Oh, very easy. No. It’s no.
You you no. You’re pretending. No. You’re pretending. Like, if somebody, like, you know, somebody show up with black face, I start to worry.
Start to worry. It’s like or maybe my my my my teaching maybe, you know, didn’t really maybe it’s it’s showing kind of, like, expression that didn’t appreciate my my my my talk. So it’s it’s already that I have this feeling this feeling. So that means it’s it’s already the worldly concern is is there. You know?
Somebody says, I smile and I do like this, then I start to feel, oh, maybe I think my talk is not bad. Think you know? So so worldly concern. You know? Whether whatever reaction people people does before you teach, you solely teach with full, compassionate bodhicitta heart, you know, just to benefit.
And in the mean, you make sure that teach properly. At the end, that you just rejoice. You have done. You have already, like, broadcast the the, you know, the the message. You know?
Whether people hear or not hear hear the right thing or wrong thing, it’s the karma. It’s their karma. So so like that. So sometimes it’s good that, you know, before teach, close your eye and do the do the motivation. During teaching, also close your eye or rather look at the text.
You you you look you sometimes you look at the lamas. You look at the lamas. Sometimes they just straight look up there. You know? If they are opening the teaching eye, they will do like this.
They don’t really look. So so they they you know, motivation. Then after when when they keep teaching, like, sometimes they even don’t don’t move. Then yes. No.
No. We cannot ignore. We have to be mindful that we are not influenced by, you know, worldly concern. So so then at the end, you know, do do dedication. Close your eye.
Dedication. Then at the end, you know, send, like, just happy, ho, then go back. It’s quite you know, you’re not ignoring. You’re escaping. Try not to haunt by the worldly concerns.
Because when you interact the worldly concerns, it comes. See? So it’s a so it’s a very, very dangerous. So then in another way to to to practice in not to influence by worldly concern is if somebody praises you, you know, you you you it’s like it’s never never bring any effect to your mind. Ego.
Like, no more pride, I think. When somebody criticize you, you feel joy. The opposite way. You feel joy. No?
When somebody criticize you, you feel joy and thankful to the to the to the person who criticize. So this is also one of the way that how to deal with worldly concern. When criticize and yeah. When when you when you gain any loss, you know, anything to do with the other, you lost, you feel joy. You feel thankful to the other party that you make me lose.
You know, you make me lost. You make me lost. Thankful. Gain, no pride. Gain is gain, just just that.
In case of loss, you’re thankful to the person. Yes. Yes. So it’s yeah. That’s one of the one of the ways when people praise you, you know, you just, like, think of the Buddhas.
Think of the guru’s Buddhas. Due to your kindness that I, you know, that I can bring kind of good influence to other, so people are happy for me. And I dedicate this happiness to the person and to others. And this action of me pleases you Buddhas. So this is one of the ways.
And in another way is whenever people pleases you in good deeds, the time know, encourage yourself to engage more into, you know, that kind of good actions. You you you take as an inspiration, you know, inspiration. So there’s many different way to to deal with the worldly concern. So like that. Because this is the one of the most disturbing to to interrupt our practice to become a cause for liberation.
You mean, like, offering flower? So beautiful flower that you offer, spend so much money and so much effort. Let’s say, it’s to show off during Chinese New Year to people. It’s wasted all effort. It’s nice.
It’s beautiful. It does receive some amount of offerings. And people who have offering also gain some amount of merits, but it will not become just because of the motivation of decoration to make people to see nice and because of Chinese New Year. So then it’s just a very limit, you know, lose the greatest opportunity. Rather, you know, I’m offering to all the ten directions’ Buddhas this much flower and to spend about one hundred dollars but it’s manifest through the understanding of emptiness, through the understanding of selflessness, manifest infinite flower offerings to the infinite Buddhas, then you sponsor one flower over there.
It becomes cause of enlightenment, cause of liberation. And by the way, in this very life, you will achieve the karma of attraction, good attraction, like respect by others, you know, the beauty. Whenever people see you, feel see you as a respected, very, very positive, attractive, you know, attractive. Next lifetime, next life, immediate next life will achieve very beautiful figure, like beautiful body. So it’s it’s so on the way, all those, you know, the practice, all those gains will come on the way.
So it’s so it’s something like that. It looks simple, but in fact, it’s it’s lies this practice with every single act in our our our practices, our actions. Suddenly you can lose big chance. Just with that simple practice, with just that simple thought, will change the whole thing. One become cause of saṃsāra, one become cause of liberation.
It’s a big thing one way. So so, again, it’s all about mindfulness. Again, it’s all about mindfulness. Mindfulness to guard our three doors of the influence of worldly concern. If this is the case, you know, if if our practice is is in total influence by worldly concern, if this is the case, then even if you are observing ethical discipline ethical discipline with dedication, you have erred with regard to your pratimoksha vow lineage.
You know, it’s pratimoksha spiritual lineage. Means if you if your if your mind is condemned, polluted by the worldly concern, and even if you are practicing the Dharma, which is called pure lineage, like, you know, it came from unbroken lineage. Dharma practice is is so important to have an unbroken lineage, pure lineage, whether it’s extensive teaching or whether it’s just a simple oral transmission of mantra, whether it’s very lousy teaching or whether it’s very, very you know, it’s not a matter of how good the speaker is. It’s all about the Dharma comes from the the from the person. That person have to be blessed by the unbroken lineage unbroken lineage in order to to the to the person who listen the dharma, in order for the person to obtain the realization after enlightenment.
So lineage is, like, so important. So here, it’s like indirectly saying even how pure the lineage is. But if you are influenced by worldly concern, your practice will be weakened. Means, if you are not influenced by worldly concern, and on top of that, if your practice is unbroken lineage, means that enlightenment is so soon so so quick possible, possible to obtain very quick. So it’s it’s it has a direct and indirect meaning, you see.
So, you know, yeah, unbroken lineage in the sense that the the what’s it? The speaker, the dharma speaker, he or she have to receive from his master who has the the traditional lineage from his guru from that guru guru guru guru. Either up to Mañjuśrī, either up to Maitreya, or either up to any of the enlightened deities or Buddhas or either up to Śākyamūni Buddha. You know? So it have to come it the the lineage of teaching, the word passing to the to the ear of the practitioner have to come without any kind of interruption of of interaction of the lineage.
Let’s say, if I have a lineage, but my guru it’s only from my guru, but my guru didn’t have a guru. Maybe he can be a scholar. My guru can be a scholar. He’s a very stunning scholar, but he he do a lot of Dharma teaching, but he he never received from his guru. You know, he just learned academically, studied.
You know, he never received the lineage from the enlightened one or his guru, but he just create his own lineage. Then pass to me. Then if I pass to somebody, it’s a broken lineage, a broken lineage. You one can obtain the the realization up to that point only. From there, there’s no there’s no no knot tied to the enlightenment.
So every single Dharma teaching have to have a traditional oral transmission, traditional, you know, traditional in the sense that the way of teaching have to be directed from the Maitreya to to to you, Mañjuśrī to you, Buddha to you, or any of the other Buddhas to you. So so so then when you have that, even that guru will happen to teach you only one explanation of Om Mani Padme Hum or just happen to give you just one single oral transmission Om Mani Padme Hum, that is in fact enough source for your enlightenment. Then with that, then you explore your study, learn from the books, receive teaching from the other geshes or other teachers. You know, the thing is that your your your spiritual stream of mind is already tied a knot with the unbroken lineage master. So that is your your base.
So on top of that, then you add up knowledge through through learning from the books or through receiving teaching from any of the other, you know, like, the scholars or whatever. So then your enlightenment is possible because of that good lineage. Otherwise, how great scholar you are, you know, if you don’t have the unbroken lineage, it will somehow, it will stuck. Your enlightenment is not possible. Like, why, you know, people put so much effort to receive direct instructions, direct teachings from a person, gurus, is because of lineage, not because of the gurus are very good in teaching, you know, very good in speaking.
You know? There is a you know, some of the gurus, when you go, you will not understand at all. You know? They don’t you don’t know. You don’t know.
You you will be total kind of, like, confused, more confused to no? Even you listen for one, two hour, you will be total confused. You will not understand even a one word, but that is that is not not about. The about the the reason is to to actualize the the lineage. So, otherwise, you look in the book, so clearly explained.
And you can just read the book, and you can get all the knowledge, but that is not sufficient for your enlightenment. You know, watching video. You know, nowadays, most of the teachings are recorded in the video, including initiations are recorded in the video. And you play the the no. We play initiation ceremony on the TV and receive the initiation.
Not possible. You cannot. You must receive from a person. You know, the person who has the lineage. You must.
Otherwise, you don’t receive the lineage. You see? So lineage is like really like a knot. Oh, cannot. So this part cannot.
Even even, like, the vows or transmission lineage, commentary lineage, experiential teaching lineage, all this lineage. You know, even even you have so much strong motivation, but to receive from the TV, take from TV, or learn from books, you can’t help. You have to have a person in real life person. So that’s why in Tibet, there’s no lineage of fully ordained nun. You know, it used to have in the past, but then one during one period of time that interrupted, you know, the fully ordained nun unable to pass to any of the newcomer nuns.
So then after that, before passing, the all nun pass away. So after that, the whole entire the lineage of the fully ordained nun in Tibet is ceased and and cannot. So who have to establish that? Only Buddha can establish that. No one else.
human being cannot establish. Original human being cannot establish. Even you are very good in Dharma. The Buddha have established that. So that’s why a few years ago, the the international Buddhist nun community had a meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
And for some of the the Chinese community, the the nuns has the fully ordained lineage, but the Tibetan don’t have. So some of the Tibetan nuns kind of voice out that, Kundun, you are Buddha. You are Buddha, and you have the ability, realizations, and all the authority to establish the vow lineage. Even though we have lost the vow lineage came from Śākyamūni Buddha, it was lost. But you are a living Buddha and you can establish this lineage.
He said, within one fortunate eon it can only happen one time. So he kind of indirectly kind of he said even though he’s Buddha, but it had to be within one of the fortunate Buddha of the one of the thousand fortunate Buddha of the eon. So within one eon, there will be within this fortunate eon, there will be thousand Buddha descending in our our our universe. So Śākyamūni Buddha is the fourth one.
You know, before that, Buddha Kāśyapa, etcetera, you know, three. And now Śākyamūni Buddha, next one, Maitreya Buddha will come. Then after that, one of them is also Lama Tsongkhapa. He’s going to come into this world to turn the wheel of Dharma. We will meet him within the same era.
So one of them has the right. It’s not because of rule and regulation, but it’s because of the whole system of the vow lineage can never be established even the His Holiness the Dalai Lama. If if you are definite that the Chinese community has the lineage, then wonderful. You know? So we should, you know, pass.
But in Tibetan, we don’t have. And you cannot say I’m Buddha and establish new one. You know? So so so so so is it it it it is a very serious discussion. No.
No. The the lineage of the fully ordained vow. Lineage of the fully ordained nun. Much in Chinese even in nowadays, in Western countries, there’s many ceremonies of fully ordained the ordination programs, you know, Chinese Mahāyāna nunnery a lot. So they say is there is a the lineage, but but in Tibetan, it’s already lost lost.
You know, the Gelongma, the founder of the fully ordained nun lineage, know. I’m sorry. I’m not quite sure. Tibetan or Indian. So she sound like Tibetan name.
So anyway, She is a. Isn’t it? Unable to pass. So lineage is very, very important. So when we go to when we go to connect with the certain lamas, especially about initiation or the transmission, commentaries, especially on the commentary on the the yeah.
Commentary. Any commentary. It’s very necessary for us to observe, check first whether this guru has the the unbroken lineage or not. So that’s why, you know, every time during the initiation or teachings not most of the teaching, but mostly in the initiation, the guru will say that, oh, I received from this master, you know, my lineage of this initiation is from this master and that master. At least they will prove you that one or two masters, that’s who who is valid of the proper lineage.
So so you you will know. So even for you, let’s say you receive Medicine Buddha mantra oral transmission, and you really your power of healing has become much more powerful. So if somebody is sick and you wish to help the person, letting the person to create his own karma to cure since it’s more effective, then there’s more other lamas to give the oral transmission. So you can provide the oral transmission. So in order to establish that your oral transmission is proper unbroken lineage, you have to remember from whom you receive.
You know? And the best is you should remember at least two, like, from whom you receive, then your guru’s guru. Like, you know, most of the time, we hear most of the initiations, the teachings, let’s say, received from Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, you know, and many, like, well known, you know, tradition preserver great masters. And those great masters mostly receive from pandits. And those and those pandits receive, the junior pandits received from the senior pandits like Nāgārjuna, Asaṇga, Dharmakīrti.
Then those receive from the the closer the the the pandits to the Buddha’s life. Like, some of the teachings for Lama Tsongkhapa, he received directly from Mañjuśrī. You know? So Mañjuśrī taught him, then he passed to to the up to us. Like, such as Asaṇga, he received many of the scriptures, the philosophy scriptures received from Maitreya.
You know, when he was I think you know this story. When he was meditating to see Maitreya directly, you know, he wanna regard Maitreya as his guru. So he want to see him directly, want to communicate him directly. So he meditated for twelve years. He still couldn’t couldn’t see him.
So first day, he meditate meditate for many years, but about three years, he give up. You know, I I was single pointed, thinking of him, praying for him. You know, I want to see him, communicate directly with him. He never appear. He never even appeared.
One gleam showing just courage you show one thing right here. So he give up the cave. He went out, and he saw he saw that he saw that so so, anyway, this is totally a bit up and down. I’m not exactly the there’s about three occasions. So one occasion, he saw bird, you know, going in and out through the rock, through the cave.
Rock. You know? And in in order to enter to the cave, the hole is very small. So when he fly the the two wing wrap the rock. Fly out, wrap the rock.
So how many times wrapping? It already make a hollow and just nicely fit the whole bird or the or the wing can go in and out. So then he he saw that. He said, even such a fragile, you know, a wing can able to if you continue, can able to cut even rock. My my meditation, if I continue, I will sure can see my guru.
So he went back. So then I then meditated after three years, he come out he give up. He say, oh, I think it’s not possible. You know, I wanna try more than six years. It’s not possible.
I am going to give up. Come up. There’s one one place water dripping. So the water the the storm huge storm make a huge hole. Huge hole.
This constant dripping, and that make a hole to the the big stone. If water, you know, is like moisture, it’s it’s such a fragile, you know, liquid, can able to make a hole to the rock if it is constant, you make a hole. Me, if I continue, don’t give up and continue to meditate, I’m sure I will see my guru. So I need to make a Then after the the the then the last one, oh, it’s twelve years. Come.
You know? Still cannot cannot it’s not even a sign for him. Same same cave, same environment, you know? So he said, okay. Now I totally give up.
So he went went out of a cave. On the on the way, there’s one wounded dog. Wounded, completely tortured by leprosy and and wounds. So almost like and every single part of the body is a a germ, a maggot germ. What do call it?
Maggots. Maggots. Maggots. Maggots. Worms.
The worms. It’s like like a thousands of worms are, like like, boiling like that, know, eating the meat. And then the dog is, like, supporting, you know, still breathing. You know? So suddenly, he gains so much compassion, spontaneous compassion.
You know, he he he truly want to save the dog, but at the same time, he truly concerned the life of the maggots, life of the maggots. So he was struggling, how to handle. If I use my hand, the fingers are very rough. So it might it might either hurt the dog or either might kill the maggots. So he think, think, think, think.
The the most, I would say, moisture and also the the softness is is in my tongue. So he so but it’s so difficult, you know. It’s it’s so wounded and pus-ed and so difficult. So he closed his eye. Okay.
This is what I’m saying. He tried to, you know, lick the wounds. Then he opened his eye. It’s a robe. He’s licking on the robes. You know, like saffron robe.
So you look up. Maitreya. It’s Maitreya. You know? So Maitreya.
I’m sure he’s shocked. I think he must be screaming, crying, or whatever whatever. That’s why I don’t know. So so he say that, you know, why are you only appear today? You know?
So why only you appear today? You know? I’ve been I’ve been wait I’ve been meditating you for twelve years. He said, I’m all the time with you. I’m all the time with you in the same cave.
And the from very first day, I was there. The only thing is you have not enough merit and you you you you don’t have enough purifications so that you you are completely blind. You can’t see me. If you don’t trust, you look at my robes. All over is your spit.
Your spit. Yeah. In the cave, I think he must be, like, spitting everywhere. You know? So he said, if you don’t trust, you look at my robes.
It’s all over your spit. He said, I said, so so it’s still he he kind of, like, he still don’t, you know, don’t still don’t don’t don’t trust me. So then he says, okay. You carry me on your back, and you you you bring me along the village. Those who have a those who have a high merit, those who have a, you know, very high merit like like you can able to see Maitreya.
Those who have a lower merit, they can they can at least able to see one corpse being carried on your back. Those who don’t have total merit, they would they would not even see nothing. They would not even see nothing. So you carry me along the along the village. So so he was observing.
You know? So some some so so most people see nothing. You know? Some people see he’s carrying corpse like that. So so so that’s so then then after that, he was convinced.
He was convinced. Then Maitreya asked him to hold his robes. So then it’s like a dream, you know, suddenly reached to Tuśita Pure Land. Maitreya’s Pure Land.
And so the one the the the duration of one morning in the Tuśita Pure Land is the duration of five hundred lifetimes of human realm. One morning and five hundred lifetimes of human realm. So he received the five the the teachings on the five treatises of Maitreya, such as the Ornament of Clear Realization, etcetera, he received within that very morning. But, actually, in human realm, already cover five hundred lifetimes five hundred five hundred lifetimes. So when he then then after after he received all the teachings, so he came down to the to to to our world.
Then he he revealed he called to reveal. He revealed the teachings of this, and those are the teaching that what the philosophers in the monastery we study called Abhisamayālamkāra, the Ornament of the Clear Realization. One of the subject that in future we will study also the teachings on the grounds and paths, on the paths and grounds, you know, we will also study about that. So those are the main texts or teachings that, you know, with the the monks, you know, they study for twenty over years. So so those are the teaching, like, you know, like received directly from Maitreya, then to Asaṇga, then to his disciple, disciple, disciple, disciple, to your guru, your guru, to you.
So So, like, you know, he’s known as Atisha. You know, he’s very particular. You know, his concern is all about pure practice. You know, nothing else. Pure practice.
So in his case, you know, he deal this situation is like like, suppose that you are you are you are practicing under the broken samaya teacher. Means, like, let’s say that some of the guru some of let’s say, your guru used to be Dalai Lama’s disciple, but then due to the, let’s say, the complication of, like, the improper practices, And Dalai Lama asked them to stop, but they don’t want to stop. They are against the guru, and they are against the will of the guru. Then after that, the disciple has still come to, you know the disciple his disciple of the guru, he still come to receive Dalai Lama teaching. Dalai Lama, normally answer that you shouldn’t.
It bring the negative influence both to him, both to the even to the other disciples. So he’s, like, very particular. Here, the straightforward answer is better not. You will degenerate. You know?
How to say that? That’s why before regarding somebody as a guru, that is very necessary to analyze, check carefully. That’s like the one of the most popular example is Asaṇga. If you need to check for twelve years, you should you should analyze it. Even you need to wait for twelve years, you analyze it.
You meditate on the guru. You apply all sort of practices to learn about the guru. Then one day you really establish that guru is like is really pure, enlightened, is a connected karmic connection with you. Then on that day, once you establish the relation of guru disciple, then even he scold you, it become a most powerful dispelling mantra. Even the guru scold you, it become a most powerful dispelling mantra for obstacles.
Praises you, it become like a like a like a like gift of nectar. The guru praise you, you feel some kind of bliss, good, and that is like a like a equivalence of like a immortal nectar. Then then then even you receive one single word of Dharma, it is establishing of enlightenment. You know? So that so like that.
So that means even you have a proper guru lineage guru, but then you happen to engage into improper practice, then that that that will, I would say, pollute, that will obstruct your practice, and that might even delay your realization. That might delay your realize if not destroy, but at least delay your realizations. So that’s why it’s very complicated. But for your own practice, let’s say that in the previous times, that without not without your knowledge that you happen to connect with this particular guru, and and later, you know, you found out that the guru is not proper. So in that case, for your own benefit, the guru is still going to the merit field.
Guru is still have to regard as a Buddha. Once once you establish guru disciple relationship, from that very day on, how bad the guru is, how bad the guru act, how wrong things the guru does, you still have to regard as the Buddha for your own benefit, for your own special benefit. You always have to put in this the the the the the merit field and kind of worship. There’s one story. It’s a there’s one one one one one one monk.
You know? So after learning for many years in dharma, so then he was hoping to obtain certain realizations in guru devotion in order to actualize realization in the rest of the Lamrim parts. So he was very much inspired to gain realization of guru devotion, so he was meditating. Somehow, you know, there’s no effect at all. Like, you know, there’s there’s no sense or even kind of, like like a like a feel of good devotion.
You know? Something is very plain. So then even to seek advice from the senior practitioners. What happened with me? I know how to meditate.
I know the theory, but somehow the realization is not coming into my mind continuum. What happened? So then, he said, do you do you place all your gurus in your merit field and and and make offerings, make purifications, you know, do you place all your gurus without leaving out any one in your merit field? I said, yeah.
And he said, but in the monastery tradition, even the person who teach you alphabet, you know, somehow this little monks, like, somehow have a kind of regard as a guru. You know? Because who teach you the alphabet, in fact, can be can be maybe your roommates or some of the some somebody could be senior or whatever. And in most cases, they regard as a guru. They naturally regard as a guru.
So that little monk been regarding his alphabet teacher as a guru, but later he grow up, the alphabet teacher become like a lesser knowledge than him. And and somehow that he forgets about him as a guru, and he didn’t he forget to place him in the merit field. So that’s the obstruction. That’s the one reason that why he why he didn’t gain the realization. His practice is proper.
He’s doing this at the right track of the practice, but one thing is missing because he didn’t place the guru that who taught him only alphabet is missing to place in the merit field. So so so then he quickly immediately, the next session, he put he put, especially for the purpose of purification of neglecting the guru, he put in the central one of the main guru who teach the the alphabet or the main guru in the center, then he meditate immediately. He gained the realization. So so like that. So once you establish the guru, the guru-disciple relationship, for your own benefit, it doesn’t matter whether guru is ordinary, not ordinary.
For your own benefit, your own realization, you have to see a Buddha. You are a place in the merit field. You know, that’s it. You know? And always search for qualities, not for the faults.
If if you search for the quality, even even in case if you don’t find, but you will not encounter faults, it’s still safe. You know? But if you are cautious about one of one faults, somehow you will be even in unknown fault, you’ll be projected, the fault in the guru, and that is the obstruction that will obstruct for you to have a special pure connection with that guru. So in the practice of guru devotion, is you have to search for the qualities of the guru. If you remember one quality of the guru, then always try to meditate on that and expand that quality as seen as a Buddha’s own quality.
So then connect the him as a Buddha in separate form, same. And whatever Buddha has quality, since this Guru is a Buddha, so all Buddha’s quality should possess in this, and you start to see the the Buddha’s quality in your guru. You know? Then you can you can gain realization. But if we don’t put effort in that, then most danger is with the gurus that to whom that you you have to deal every day to day life.
Very dangerous, you know, to see faults. And most likely, it could be your own projection. You Even if it is not, the guru is really making a mistake. But for your own spiritual gain, you have to transform and see as a quality. And the practice is always think yourself, oh, this is just mainly projection of my mind.
Guru show Buddha no fault, but projection of my own fault. In Guru, that’s why I see this moment. So you you transform mind, and and and like that. Sorry. I think it’s a if a guru-disciple relationship is not established.
No. But but but they are, like, one of the most respected being or most respected object for you. And you can worship. You can you can maybe you can, like like, think of the person in the most in your your practice so that it it definitely helps so much, but still not not established. So it’s like Buddha.
No. We didn’t we never see him in a person. We never have a chance to receive teachings directly. That’s why in the because that’s why in the in the in the teachings, it’s still there better. Mhmm.
Guru is guru and Buddha’s quality is equal, but guru’s kindness is greater than the Buddha. Guru’s kindness is greater than the Buddha. Guru’s quality is equal as Buddha. You know? Kinder kinder in the sense is who who really passed the chain, the the the knot, the the spiritual realization to you.
So it’s because of that. Then in in also, there’s a teachings stating that you have to see guru is more precious than a Buddha. You know? You have to see guru more precious than the Buddha. You know?
I remember that text, but there’s, you know, there’s a few text stated that you have to see and especially in Guru Yoga practice, you have to see Guru more precious than the Buddha. No. You can you can you you can you can see that your gurus are manifestation of this person. Say that the person who passed away, who inspired you the most, say, whatever guru that you have, he is a manifestation of that that that that yeah. The present guru is a manifestation.
Your your connected guru is the manifestation of that guru that who who inspire you, who never met or will inspire you. Like, our guru is a manifestation of Śākyamūni Buddha, even if you are observing the ethical discipline with the dedication, you have erred with regard to your pratimoksha vow or lineage. Even if you are training the mind through study, reflection, and meditation, the practice has gone wrong, what do you call? Or gone astray, gone wrong, you know, gone gone mistake. So so, you know, how pure the lineage is.
But if you are in yeah. Your practice is dominated by worldly concern, you know, you can just simply regard the practice as wrong. On the other hand, if your endeavor at toppling the self-grasping, you are achieving the true purpose of ethical discipline with industry, and you are training the mind with skillfulness. So but in other hand, whatever practice we do, we always, you know, suppress. We always dominate the self grasping mind.
Then the whatever practice, including the simple ethical discipline like mindfulness, even that which is which which regard as a skillful means of mind training teaching. In this way, by giving rise to genuine mind training realization in your mind, you can likewise attain the full measure of Dharma practice. So in this way, so as long as your practice your Dharma practice is like like a like a subduing the grasping mind and try to practice without the influence of worldly concern, in this way, by giving the rise of genuine mind training realization in your mind, that is the the measurement that how well you practice the mind training. That’s the measurement. So the if you want to measure that how well you are practicing mind training, is to see how well you dominate the grasping mind and how well your mind is secure from the worldly concern.
Since this is the benchmark for mind training, whatever the Dharma practice has truly become a Dharma practice, so not just one single Dharma practice, but every single aspect of Dharma practice, as I mentioned including making puja, making offering, flower offering, etcetera. Including that, reflecting, listening, coming to class, etcetera. Every single thing. As long as that purpose of that act is become to subside, destroy the self grasping, and to protect your mind from the worldly concern, then that becomes the benchmark. That becomes the benchmark to determine that your practice become true Dharma practice.
So it’s very clear. Yeah. So so that here concludes. Here teach us all clearly, you know, how to practice Dharma. You know, whatever in from the very beginning, the refuge until the tantra.
Whatever we practice, we have to make sure that it always fight with the self grasping, self-cherishing mind, self grasping mind, and always practice without worldly concern, that that become a true Dharma practice, and you become a true Dharma practitioner. The master said this is the long arm of the scale on which the practitioner is weighed. So this is the long bar of the scale. So it’s it’s it’s like a scale, you know, like a scale with the skin. You know?
So it’s so the long part of the scale. You know? Body plates protecting the the skin of the what’s it? It’s it’s like a how do say? It’s like a how how do say it?
Long part of the scale on which the practitioner is weighed. But long long part of the scale. So it’s it’s like a it’s like a, you know, it’s like a protection. I don’t know. Inside is the the what do you call this the cylinder.
It is, you know, this bony bone, then protect cover with the skin. After that, then you can you can impute, you know, impute. This is a person, beautiful, ugly, etcetera. So, you know, whatever practice that has in our mind, it will be weighed or weighed. It will be weighed whether you are Dharma, true Dharma practitioner or not, whether you are practicing pure Dharma or not, is through the skin or, like, the the the outer appearance of oneself totally protected from the worldly concern and oneself, you know, always, you know, fight with self grasping.
Learn how to turn all your endeavors of body, speech, and mind into antidotes to self-grasping. So whatever Dharma practice that you have learned, whatever skill of transformation that you have learned is all to, you know, to to become antidote to the self-grasping, to destroy the self grasping, to to fight the self grasping, to eradicate self grasping. No. To to able to obtain the selflessness. Okay.
We stop here. Yeah. Oh, yes. Yes. Because he inspires us.
You know, he’s we we we we I think not necessary to put simply that because of his holiness. You know? Why we have because of, like, all trying to worship him. You know? It’s not because of that.
We have to put in our prayer book, you know, and we have to put in our house one of his pictures because he’s literally is is really inspiring. He’s so compassionate, and and he, in fact, is almost like the savior of Buddha Dharma in today’s such a difficult time. He’s the one who actually the light of wisdom, you know, which which which shine to the dark land, such as the west. You know? Like like, amazing.
You know? And his his Dharma advice is, like, so in in far-reaching. You know? It’s saying he introduced so many people to to the right path. You know?
So so it’s very inspiring, you know, to want to be like him. And and whether Tibetan is whether he’s saying the right or not, you know, people Tibetan said that he’s a compassionate Buddha, Chenrezig, enlightened. For me, it’s, like, really it’s somebody who’s really noble being. So I put in in my prayer book like that. But but it’s not because of, like well, you are Tibetan Buddhism, and you have to put his picture in his in our prayer book.
That is not the right reason. We have to understand the reason, isn’t it? It’s it’s really okay. Like like, one stage not here, but in in the earlier time in in Kopan, especially when I was quite young. Somehow, I I was very much inspired by Jesus.
Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ. The cross. Somehow, you know, like, you know, because many Westerners they visit, and they are actually background from the Christian. And they all the time talk about Jesus and how compassionate he is.
You know, he really, like, you know, put there and to sacrifice his life to save, you know, hundreds and thousands of people. But somehow, you know, leaves so much imprint. Then one day I went to Thamel, you know, the town. I go around and suddenly in the one shop, I saw Jesus made from a shell. You know, the body is what I said like this, you know, cross the shell.
This much. So I asked how much I want to buy Jesus. So he was quite interested. He he said, oh, you know, he he he first, he said, quite expensive. After that, said, I don’t can’t afford, but I like it very much.
Somehow he he give to me. He say, oh, you’re you’re very interesting. He say, I offer you. So I I put it on the altar. So I put on many years many years.
First of all, it’s amazing. You know? He really, like, he really can do something do such a thing to help people. You know? Amazing.
You know? So so inspire so much. So then I all the way bring to When I when I leave to Sera in nineteen ninety, I also bring I didn’t bring everything, but I somehow, I bring that one on the floor. So in Sera, I didn’t put on the altar, so I put at the my near to my bed, put that. So the the there are the philosophers, they are very mischievous.
You call mischievous, like, very naughty. Every single thing have a debate. Every single thing have a question. So they come and, you know, oh, you see, you’re you’re you’re a Christian. You’re a Christian.
Know, what? Christians, they they put you all the wrong things. And then, oh, I say. So so one day, literally, I have to take down, you know, to hide. There was so I feel there’s nothing wrong because it’s really inspiring you.
You know? I don’t take refuge, but it’s somebody inspiring me so much. I don’t know much. What do I know? After that, was inspired to buy a Bible.
And I really don’t understand because I my reading and I scared to I was worried to actually to to have to ask the monks to help me to read. So I have to put myself effort to, you know, try to read. And I really don’t understand most, but I can little bit understand. So, you know, I went up to that. So then also this but, of course, no way I will take refuge.
I’m very clear. So then Sai Baba. You know? So near Sera, Bylakuppe. I I got a gastric problem.
So I went to Tibetan medicine, eat medicine for three years. I went to Western medicine. Everything doesn’t help. Then I heard Sai Baba, the community service is very good. Free lodging, free food, free medicine, but good medicine.
So I was trying to influence one or two monks to company with me. Everybody reject. So then after that, I went myself alone. So I went to Sai Baba in Bangalore. I found the ashram.
So beautiful, so huge. And I see so many Nepalese come from Nepal, all the way in Bangalore to to yeah. Anyway, this part, I think the transcriber, no need to put in the book. No need to transcribe this part. So all the way to Bangalore.
And I I asked them. They said, woah. Everything free. You know, they some of them, they can’t afford in Nepal to do heart operation. They come all the way there, and they give a free heart operation free heart operation.
And there’s a there’s a one place that they treat gastric, place to treat kidney problems. It’s so beautiful, and all the the people, the volunteers are, like, so compassionate, so kind, and so welcoming. They have a certain principle, you know, hidden agenda. I I can understand. But at least they make you feel so good.
You know, they they really treat you like you are the most important from entire world. When you come there, you you are, like, you are you are sick, and you you want to you are asking some help. And just by talking to them, you already feel like you are, like, quite quite cured. You know? So good.
You know? So the reception is so good. So then so I I say I you know? So before I I I kind of decide to stay there, what? There’s one, you know, like, elderly man.
Very I think very, very knowledgeable man. You know, he just like just for me. There’s hundreds of people moving around, and he has hundreds of volunteers, but just me, you know, this one guy spending full time with me to bring every single corner, you know, that you, you know, explain to you about Sai Baba, explain to you how much they help people, explain to you that this is for you. You know? If you have heart problem, you come here.
We’ll treat for you. You have this problem. So at the end, I told them that my problem is gastric. So last section is about gastric. So this is the way I think you’re supposed to.
So if you like it, it will work. So first, you need to change whole thing in white color. So I I I yeah. I can I can change? So then you have to put a bed sheet in the the with saffron color, like, in the Sai Baba color.
You need to put a bed sheet like that. I don’t know how I don’t know how So I I fold up my my robes, put aside. You know? Then you have to drink only fruit juice. Then morning, I think two, three o’clock, if you wish to see Sai Baba, then you have to go into the hall, and you have to wait there.
You know? He he wants to clean. So so I also tried that. You know, I went inside, and I sit there, wait. So after that, when I went back to Sera, I tell everybody, you know, we are far behind Sai Baba.
You know? Our our practice could be whatever whatever, but our manners, our reception, you know. So I kind of, like, go everywhere. Like, like, like, said, it’s wrong. You know?
I said, reception is terrible. You You people should go, you know, go to Sai Baba center and should learn from them. You know? No? He said, so what?
Oh, you become Sai Baba? You know? You become Sai Baba. Last time you are Jesus, now you become Sai Baba. You know?
This and that. So then there’s one stage that they’re also very, really cautious because I went I disappear for ten days. You know? I stay in their center for ten days, and I feel the gastric is really, really cured. You know?
Well, it’s it’s a hell of a lot. And within the ten days, the reception is really, really good. And I think it’s necessary to practice. No? So anyway, so Sai Baba inspires so much about how to especially in organization, how to, you know, be receptive.
Be be you know? I find I’m sure there’s many others, but I encountered Sai Baba’s place. It’s it’s so and you can you can really can make people feel that it’s really like a home and people people naturally subdue. And otherwise, like, even for us, has to come to dharma class. Dharma class, time you’re hearing is already like many words are actually frightening.
You You asked to come and learn lojong. It’s like I I was I was I was complaining last time. I said I was complaining, oh, teacher, you shouldn’t teach because so discouraging. We already have so many nonsense and you are telling us more nonsense than what we have. And we realized that we have much more nonsense than what we realized in the house.
And it’s it’s it’s very frightening and it is discouraging. So maybe the whatever it is, I will not give up. My my training, I’ll continue. He said, yeah. There’s many thing we are not not knowing.
That’s why the teaching ask us to remind. You know? So it’s first time, know, very scary. Yeah. Then especially, like, teach about guru devotion.
Like, you sit there, people will naturally think that you are asking you to be obedient to you, listen to you, bow to you, pray to you, worship you, that. You know? But it’s these things, I think only I think, you know, the first thing is I have to make comfortable with a good reception, you know, like, nice feels first first first. So, anyway, those are things that it’s very, very nice. So from there, kind of get an interest to go to different places.
I go to Hindu temples or Sikh temples. You know? It’s a it doesn’t it doesn’t it’s a bar. It doesn’t change. I I never take the refuge under them, but it’s just so many good things to learn from them.
You know? So His Holiness the Dalai Lama is like that. Now I’m not saying that you know, I I’m I’m follow I I I see that that I wish that I can be like him. You know? He go to oversee, go to church.
You know? He prayed so much about church. You know? He go to Hindu temples everywhere. It doesn’t mean that we should go, but maybe to there’s so many things that