Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 136-minute teaching, Lama Zopa Rinpoche continues his commentary on the Lojong—or mind training—practice, beginning with Commitment Seven and proceeding through Twelve. He unpacks the subtle ethical and motivational dimensions of Lojong practice: abandoning expectations of reward for spiritual effort; recognising that self-interested practice becomes “poisonous food,” outer virtue masking inner delusion; refusing to follow delusion regardless of circumstance; avoiding malicious speech and retaliation; not harming others by exploiting their vulnerabilities, even spiritual ones, without bodhicitta. Throughout, Rinpoche returns to the core teaching: the self-cherishing mind is the true enemy, and all actions—even prayer, mantra, generosity, retreat—become causes of saṃsāra if motivated by ego. Realisation of emptiness and genuine bodhicitta (the wish to benefit others alone, excluding self) are the antidotes. The teaching includes extensive question-and-answer on the difference between Prāsaṇgika and Svatāntrika views of emptiness, with examples of how dependent arising dissolves grasping. Pitched at serious practitioners already familiar with Lojong foundations.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 09 Lojong.mp3
UUID: 0adbdf89-7682-497f-b996-9fb39190d348
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 3
Collection: Mind Training (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 3)
Date: 1990 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 135.8 minutes
Words: ~14,327
And mind. This should be done wholeheartedly with full conviction and faith to the Buddha. If you do not follow the karmic law of cause and effect, even you are a great scholar, but there’s no possibility in subduing one’s mind. Meditate and contemplate on Lojong is to bring perfection to one’s mind training so that one can actualize Buddhahood for the benefit of others. To summarize meaning of transforming attitude.
Mind transforming is happening within one’s mind, our mental state, but one’s speech must remain natural while changing the aspiration. Deconstruct the self-cherishing of self and increase the cherishing of others. Millions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas descended to rescue us, but we are still in saṃsāra because of this self-cherishing mind. Influenced by this ignorant mind and overwhelmed by negative karma, we are then indulged in negative actions. Lojong teaches us to cherish ourselves.
Lojong teaches us to cherish others without discrimination. Practices of cherishing others and your inner thoughts will be in the process of changing. Less delusion, grasping and self centered person, and more compassion. One does not need to change one’s lifestyle, but all changes must come from one’s mind. In the heart, one must be totally selfless.
It’s not appropriate to abandon your daily preliminary prayers once you have learned about lojo. Instead of purifying past negative karma, you will enhance the obstacles, you might enhance the obstacles to your practices. Realization and developing bodhicitta, loving kindness and compassion in oneself should be done without the notice of others. You should not project yourself as a great practitioner. One of the samayas is not to mention about one’s realization or they were degenerate.
Geshe la shared a story about Geshe Langri Thangpa’s realizations, who live as an ordinary monk and attain enlightenment within one lifetime, and all the signs of him being an enlightened being. Great Kadampa practitioners never changed their external aspect while gaining the marvelous training of Lojo. When one is disrespected and abused by others, that is the most appropriate time to look into oneself and measure the delusion in us. When no one disturbs us, we usually feel subdued. One must put effort to purify one’s anger or jealousy, and apply the appropriate antidote.
We must appreciate those harm givers by giving us the chance to practice Dharma. The fifth commitment, one must not speak of the defects or imperfections of others. Verbal and mental labeling and discrimination should be abandoned. One must show compassion and not in a form of pity. Example, you should express a positive mind when meeting sick people.
We should not speak of other spiritual or worldly defects. For example, someone with broken samaya, bodhisattva vows, five lay vows, precepts, etc. This applies to both verbal and physical. We should not speak about monks or nuns who have disrobed. It should not even be in our mind.
But an effort who has given someone their vows, such persons have the right to speak of the other persons, those who have received the vows, their mistakes. In conclusion, one should not speak or think of others’ faults. That’s only advantage in searching for faults in oneself, as this will provide perfection of one’s vows, practice, and not to commit new negative karmas. One should rather search good qualities in others. Even hell beings have good qualities.
Once you have established a relationship with your guru, for example, whom you have taken initiation, commentary, and vows from, only search for the good qualities of one’s guru. If one sees fault in one’s guru, immediately apply remedy by saying, it’s a reflection of my deluded mind. Once there is a doubt, one’s practice will degenerate. For example, gurus manifest illness or death to show us the nature of samsaric suffering. Gurus scold us with words like wrathful mantras to pacify our greatest ignorance and delusion.
Gurus ignore us and appear to neglect us to teach us detachment. Applying mind training should also apply to our spouse, parents, children, family, friends, members, Dharma brothers and sisters, etcetera. Apply mind training in every aspect of our lives and meditate on your problems. You will eventually find it easier in time to come. Mind training teaches us to see the positive aspect and respect everybody’s differences.
One should also not view the Theravada followers as lower than us. Nonbelievers should gain equal respect as well. The sixth commitment, it’s not appropriate to think of other shortcoming. That include criticizing Sanghas who represent the Buddhas and the vows they have taken. However, should you see faults in Sanghas, one must think they are in the process of training and wearing the Sangha robe.
Do not mock them as a Buddha. One should not discriminate monks via the food they eat and their actions. Geshe-la told the story about the crazy monk movie the crazy monk in the movie who had great realizations. Thanks. Thank you.
Thank you. Geshe-la, sorry. Today, is it okay to recite in English? Because I don’t have that sheet. No.
No. We we recite in English. Yeah. We recite in English. We’ll try to do it in another class.
Teaching prayers, page five. To the founder, the endowed transcendent destroyer, the one gone beyond, the full destroyer, the completely perfected, fully awakened being, perfect in knowledge and in good conduct. Sugata, knower of the world, supreme guide of human beings to be tamed, teacher of gods and human beings. To you, the completely and fully awakened one, the endowed transcendent destroyer, the glorious conqueror, the subdueer from the shakya clan. Our prostrate make offerings and go for refuge.
To the founder, the endowed transcendent destroyer, the one gone beyond, the foe destroyer, the completely perfected, fully awakened being, perfect in knowledge and in good conduct. Sugata, knower of the world, supreme guide of human beings to be tamed, teacher of gods and human beings. To you, the completely and fully awakened one, the endowed transcendent destroyer, the glorious conqueror, the subdue from the Shakya clan, I prostrate, make offerings, and go for refuge. To the founder, the endowed transcendent destroyer, the one gone beyond, the full destroyer, the completely perfected, fully awakened being, perfect in knowledge and in good conduct, Sugata, knower of the world, supreme guide of human beings to be tamed, teacher of gods and human beings, to you, the completely and fully awakened one, the endowed transcendent destroyer, the glorious conqueror, the subdueer from the Shakya clan, I prostrate and make offerings and go for refuge. When, oh, supreme amongst humans, you were born on this earth.
You paced out seven strides, then said, I am supreme in this world. To you who are wise, then I prostrate. The pure bodies formed supremely pure, wisdom ocean like a golden mountain. Fame that blazes in the three worlds. Winner of the best.
Lord to you, I prostrate. With the supreme science face like spotless moon, color like gold, to you, I prostrate. Dust free like you, the three worlds are not. Not. Incomparably wise one, to you, I prostrate.
The savior with great compassion. The founder with all-understanding. The field of merit, qualities like a vast ocean. To you, the one gone to blissfulness, I prostrate. The purity that frees one from attachment, the virtue that frees one from the lower realms, the one part, the supreme pure reality, to the Dharma that pacifies, I prostrate.
Those who are liberated and who also show the path to liberation, the holy field qualified with realizations, who are devoted to the moral precepts, to the sublime community abiding in virtue, I prostrate. Homage to the supreme Buddha. Homage to the Dharma refuge. Homage to the great Sanga. To all three ever devout, homage.
To all worthy of respect bowing with bodies as many as all wills atoms. In all aspects, with supreme faith, I pay homage. Do not commit any non virtuous actions. Perform only virtuous actions. Subdue your mind thoroughly.
This is the teaching of the Buddha. A star, a visual aberration, a flame of a lamp, an illusion, a drop of dew or a bubble, a dream, a flash of lightning, a cloud, see conditioned things as such. Through these merits, may all sentient beings attain the rank of all seeing, subdue the flood of faults, and be delivered from saṃsāra’s ocean, perturbed by the waves of aging sickness and death. Heart Sūtra. I prostrate to the aria triple gem.
Thus did I hear at one time, the Bhagavan was dwelling on Vulture’s Peak in Rajgriha, together with a great community of monks and a great community of bodhisattvas. At that time, the Bhagavan was absorbed in the concentration and the categories of phenomena called profound perception. Also at that time, the Bodhisattva mahasattva Ārya Avalokiteśvara looked upon the very practice of the profound perfection of wisdom and beheld those five aggregates also as empty of inherent nature. Then through the power of Buddha, the Venerable Śāriputra said this to the Bodhisattva mahasattva Ārya Avalokiteśvara. How should any son of the lineage train who wishes to practice the activity of the profound perfectional wisdom?
He said that, and the Bodhisattva mahasattva Ārya Avalokiteśvara said, Venerable Śāriputra, any son of the lineage or daughter of the lineage who wishes to practice the activity of the profound of wisdom should look upon it like this, correctly and repeatedly beholding those five aggregates also as empty of inherent nature. Form is empty. Emptiness is form. Emptiness is not other than form. Form is also not other than emptiness.
In the same way, feeling, discrimination, compositional factors, and consciousness are empty. Śāriputra, likewise, all phenomena are emptiness without characteristic, unproduced, unceased stainless, not without stain, not deficient, not fulfilled. Śāriputra, therefore, in emptiness, there is no form, no feeling, no discrimination, no compositional factors, no consciousness, no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind, no visual form, no sound, no odor, no taste, no object of touch, and no phenomenon. There is no eye element and so on, up to and including no mind element, and no mental consciousness element. There is no ignorance, no extinction of ignorance, and so on, up to and including no aging and death, and no extinction of aging and death.
Similarly, there is no suffering, origination, cessation, and path. There is no exalted wisdom, no attainment, and also no non attainment. Śāriputra, therefore, because there is no attainment, bodhisattvas rely on and dwell in the perfection of wisdom. The mind without obscuration and without fear, having completely passed beyond error, they reached the endpoint of nirvana. All the Buddhas who dwell in the three times also manifestly completely awakened to unsurpassable, perfect, complete enlightenment by relying on the perfection of wisdom.
Therefore, the mantra of the perfection of wisdom, the mantra of great knowledge, the unsurpassed mantra, the mantra equal to the unequaled, the mantra that thoroughly pacifies all suffering should be known as truth since it is not false. The mantra of the perfection of wisdom is declared. Therefore, the Bodhisattva, mahasattva, should train in the profound perfection of wisdom like that. Then the Bhagavan rose from that concentration and commended the bodhisattva, mahasattva, Ārya Avalokiteśvara saying, well said, well said son of the lineage. It is like that.
It is like that. One should practice the profound perfection of wisdom just as you have indicated, even the tathagatas rejoice. The Bhagavad had spoken, the venerable Śāriputra, the Bodhisattva mahasattva Ārya Avalokiteśvara, those surrounding in the entirety along with the world of gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas were overjoyed and highly praised that spoken by the Bhagavan. Page fifteen, praise to Manjushu. Obeisance to my guru and protector Manjushri, who holds to his heart a scriptural text symbolic of seeing all things as they are, Whose understanding shines forth as the sun, unclouded by defilements or traces of ignorance.
Who teaches in sixty ways with the patient love of a father for his only son or creatures caught in the prison of samsara, confused in the darkness of their ignorance, overwhelmed by their suffering. Your dragon-thunder proclamation of the Dharma arouses us from the stupor of our delusions and frees from the iron chains of our karma, whose powerful sword of wisdom hews down suffering wherever it sprouts appear, clearing away the darkness of all ignorance. I am treat you, oh, princely body is adorned with the one hundred and twelve marks of the Buddha, who has completed the ten stages, achieving the highest perfection of a bodhisattva, who has been pure from the beginning. O manjushri, all loving one, with the brilliance of your wisdom, illuminate the darkness enclosing my mind, enlighten my intelligence and wisdom so that I may gain insight into Buddhist words and the text and explain them. Thank you.
So before we we start the actual discussion in the lojong teaching, it’s very necessary for us to set proper motivation, we call the right motivation, to actualize this session of lojong class, to become a cause for liberation from the entire aspect of samsaric suffering, entire aspect of problems. So so therefore, the motivation one should express one should and express from devil devil one’s heart while having all the conducive conditions such as obtaining precious human rebirth, a human rebirth which possesses all the freedoms to practice Dharma and encounter all the conducive conditions such as meeting Mahāyāna gurus and as well as encountering the inspiring Dharma brothers and sisters, the Mahāyāna Dharma brothers and sisters, and the place where we conduct Buddha’s teaching through Lojong. So while obtaining all these opportunities and freedoms, if we don’t practice mind training teaching, then that brings about the delay of our liberation and enlightenment. When oneself delay to become Buddha, there’s numberless beings who have come in affinity with us and their liberation dependent on our liberation of becoming Buddha, that delays. And based on that, nonetheless, living beings prolong their suffering in Samsāra.
So by understanding this fact, I think that I must actualize fully enlightenment as soon as possible. So therefore, I need to accumulate extensive virtues, merits, need to do extensive purifications of past negative deeds. By engaging into the lojong practice, may able to become Buddha as soon as possible. So therefore, that reason that I’m going to, you know, I’m going to put some effort for this one one hour plus into this class. So why should think like that?
Thank you. So as stated in the Vinaya Sūtra by Buddha Shakyamuni himself, even in order to even to obtain higher rebirth, such as a human rebirth in next lifetime, in this present life, one need to practice morality, ethics, such as refuge vow or the five lay vows and the bodhisattva vows or tantra vows And whatever vows that one can preserve, then one should engage into the practice of six perfection, then conjoin with the always inspire to actualize higher rebirth. So as stated in the Vinaya Sūtra, like that, then even to obtain human rebirth, we need such a great requirement. We need to practice vows. We need to practice six perfection.
We need to and always, you know, pray and wish to obtain higher rebirth. Then to become a Buddha, to obtain the Buddhahood, definitely, you know, we require greater efforts, which is to to actualize different stages of the commitments and the vows in our life, such as the eighteen commitments of the Lojong teachings, are very necessary or very important to apply into our daily life. And at the same time, put one’s very bad very best effort to engage into the practice of six perfection. Then then at the same time, always tell oneself and express from one’s one’s bottom of heart that I must become Buddha. I must actualize Buddha.
If possible, I must actualize Buddha within this very lifetime. If possible, this very cushion, on this very cushion. So therefore, so these teachings come about. So we are on the discussion on the eighteen commitments, and we cover up to the the number six commitments. So we will continue from the number seven, which is on page one one nine.
The last paragraph. So I will follow from the text. So here it says, discard all expectations of rewards. So if I want to summarize the meaning of this commitment, then you can put in the word that abandon any hopeful result. Abandon any hopeful result.
Even in the form of practice of Dharma, such as the practice of six perfection, making charity. Even the practice to become Buddha also should be, you know, must say, shouldn’t expect for the one’s own benefit, not the selfish benefit like that. So then the the commentary stated that discard all expectations, such as respect for your mind training, either from material, gift, or service, fame, protections against harm caused by human, nonhuman, and this and future lives, including the attainment of a joyful human, the celestial existence, and the attainment of nirvana including the attainment of nirvana. The engagement in the practice of mind training teaching, not for the purpose of material gain, not for the purpose of fame that people might offer to you saying that, you you are a great practitioner of mind training teaching. I regard you as a great practitioner.
So you know you shouldn’t practice mind training teaching for that purpose. And you shouldn’t practice mind training teaching for the reason that you might obtain a lot of offerings, lot of gift, a lot of rewards. And you shouldn’t practice mind training teaching for that purpose. And also, you shouldn’t practice mind training teaching to gain service, like to obtain service by others. Also, not for the name.
Are great Kadampa yogi since you practice mind training teaching. You know, in the past, Kadampa great masters, because of mind training teaching, because of practicing mind training teaching, they were rewarded in the great name called Kadampa Gishis or Kadampa masters. Therefore I also to actualize those fame and name therefore I must engage in the Kadampa teaching or the mind training teaching then that’s the wrong motivation and practicing mind training teaching also shouldn’t be for the purpose of gaining protection from human harms. I practice my internal teaching so that I can able to protect myself gaining harm from humans, that also wrong motivation. And practicing my internal teaching also shouldn’t practice for the purpose of gaining protection from non humans, like such as spirits.
Thinking that if I practice mind training teaching so that I can able to eliminate, I can able to subdue the spirits or I can able to gain protection from the spirits. If you practice mind training teaching that way, also wrong motivation. And if you practice mind training teaching for the purpose of gaining higher rebirth in next lifetime such as human and god, also is the wrong motivation of practicing mind training teaching. Even if you practice mind training teaching for the joyful, you know, the attainment of the human special, you know, all the human goodness also wrong or wrong purpose. Even practice mind training teaching to actualize higher rebirth such as a human and perfect human rebirth in future lifetime such as a precious human rebirth in future lifetime even that also wrong motivation to practice mind training teaching.
Not only that, if we practice mind training teaching for the purpose of obtaining the nirvana, which is the freedom state within oneself alone from the saṃsāra exalin existing, that also wrong motivation. So somehow all are wrong motivation? Oh, yeah. Ensure that you have no expectation even even of the Buddhahood for your own sake. Okay.
Now I want I want everybody to explain this. You know? So rest, I take care. Yeah? So now this one word.
Ensure that you have no expectation even of Buddhahood for your own sake. So, you know, the motivation to practice mind training teaching, in order to actualize the realization in mind training teaching, to gain the ultimate benefit from engaging in the mind training teaching, The motivation shouldn’t even be to obtain Buddhahood, to obtain or to become Buddha for your own sake. So what is the interpretation of this word, this sentence? Thank you. Yes.
That’s the so here, it doesn’t mean that the the, you know, the motivation of practicing mind training teaching for Buddhahood. But here, it’s ensuring us that if the motivation of obtaining Buddhahood for your own self centered expectations or your self centered purpose, then that is a wrong motivation. So if you are engaging in the mind training teaching, the motivation should be is to actualize Buddhahood for the benefit of others only. For the benefit of others only. So if you engage in mind training teaching in that manner, not only mind training teaching, every single aspect of teaching that you engage to actualize Buddhahood should be intended to only benefit other beings.
Not even mention I and other beings or I and all living beings. You you have to skip I then you include entire rest of the beings And that helps us to help us to engage into the essence of the practice is to subdue or to to to purify the self-cherishing mind, which is the the the enemy, which is the the the greatest obstruction to us to actualize fully enlightenment, you know, for that reason. For where the demons to become aware of this? Okay. Do oh, no.
No. Do not do not harbor impatient what? Impatience and excessive expectations even for the meditative qualities. So do not cherish means do not cling, you know, or do not do not cling or do not impose, you know, the practice of mind training teaching even for the the attainment of the realization in meditation. Meditative qualities means the two stages of meditative qualities such as the analytical meditative realizations and the single pointed absorption, the meditative realizations can be in what’s it?
The meditated the two aspects of meditation on impermanent, death and impermanence, and even to the meditative the two aspects of meditation in emptiness. So the purpose of mind training teaching and to learning mind training teaching shouldn’t be for the purpose or even for that. For where the demons to become aware of this, so for for where the demons to be to become aware of this, they could create obstacles. So what do you understand from this? Why shouldn’t be all the mentioned motivations are wrong to a wrong motivation to practice Lojong?
The reason here is stated is that will make aware that will make the demons alert to harm us. You know? Why? What do you mean by demon here? Not not that scary one.
You know? What does the demon refer? The self-cherishing mind. The demon refer to the self-cherishing mind. To become aware of this, The self-cherishing mind will you know, when you express the expectation of realization or engagement of the practice in mind training and teaching for the purpose of gaining the including the highest expectation to become a Buddha even for the sake of others.
If that, you you cherish for that, that makes aware the self-cherishing mind to alert and instead of benefiting, it will disturb to actualize the success in the practice of the demolishing the delusion and deception mind. It’s quite confusing, but like that. You understand? Yes. Yeah?
Okay. Good. Actually, I am quite confused. Anyway, thank you. Thank you for understanding.
So even you even you exert strong effort with no loss of interest for a long time, but still get no result, do not become discouraged. So even if you try a long time, you know, with with such a great effort to tame our mind, to transform our, you know, emotional disturbance into a path or the negative emotions into a positive attitude or the suffering into happiness, never discourage ourselves. So you see, in our life, we have so much difficulties in family, you know, in business, you know, in in our life. Then after that, we met Dharma. So many of us practice Dharma some more than twenty years, you know, ten years, one year, a few months, But still, know, some kind of like you’re still almost the same.
Know, some your your mental attitude, the way of handling the day to day life, the emotion, there’s not much development. It’s almost still the same. So here the teaching advising us never to give up. Do not discourage because it is still benefits. The benefit is the effort that you have put learning Dharma always help to enhance the two aspirations, the ultimate bodhicitta and conventional bodhicitta.
By doing that, naturally accumulate extensive merit, naturally gain purifications. That’s how that can able to get closer to the perfection or the Buddhahood. So therefore, never discourage and never give up. Until now, you never see even a single sign of you gaining the realization and practice. So this is the number seven commitment, you know, to advise us to be aware, you know, what state we are.
And even we find out that we are still, you know, never progress in our practice, but still make sure to never give up. So did so the number eight commitment, discard poisonous food. You know, abandon poisonous food. So so here, discard poisonous food. So what is the interpretation of poisonous food?
Have you read any of the other commentaries, mind training teaching on Seven Point Mind Training, or you have I’m sure many of you have received the commentary on Seven Point Mind Training teaching. So how how how how how do you interpret the poisonous food? The Himalayan food, the the high cholesterol food, or too much chili food, or s m or m n MSG, MSG, or or or the poisonous refer to what? Give some suggestions. In some teachings, you know, they they use this word.
And before you come to class, if you happen to read the the the commentary below, also, you can able to answer. Little bit, but it’s not not not cover everything. The the poisonous food is referred to the delusion. The poisonous food referred to a delusion. You know?
Start from ignorant, you know, the self grasping mind, and all the six root delusions and including the twenty secondary afflictive emotions. The rest of the confusions, you know, including the superstitious mind, anxiety, all those are the poisonous food, including as I said the superstitious mind. Blind faith also poisonous food. Blind faith also can be poisonous food. It only concern is poisonous food.
That the food they are referring poisonous food referring for that. It’s not that they’re eating food. So poisonous food is referring for that. You see? So when we pray, let’s say when we pray to Tārā, you make a fruit offering, candle offering, flower offering, then kneel down and pray to Tārā with the Edwali concern.
Then it’s like you are, like, exactly extracting, eating poisonous food like that. Like poisonous food, very colorful, the taste so delicious, so much SMG, and a lot of chili, so delicious, looks so good, you know, but you don’t know inside is poison. You’re consuming you’re you’re just eating it like that. So the so exactly when we pray, when we, you know, practice in front of Tārā with the self-only concern, with the delusion, you know, then you you you know, when people see you or when people look at you, even yourself when when you think of yourself, you are kind of doing so much practice. You are so devoted to Tārā.
You are serious practitioner, but in fact, are creating the cause of Samsāra. That’s why it’s called as a poisonous food. We are consuming so called as wonderful Dharma, but in fact, becomes a cause of saṃsāra. So how not to be like that is to do the practice with no self interest, To do the practice selflessly. To do the practice without any self centered, as mentioned earlier, not even for the enlightenment for your own sake alone.
Whatever practice you do, you do with motivation, you do with mental attitude, even not for the sake of your own Buddhahood, then whatever form of practice you do, you will not become poisonous food. You become a delicious organic food. Organic food. It makes very clear. What I understand is really telling us what is pure Dharma and what is non Dharma.
As long as for one self centered purpose, it’s all non Dharma. Even thousands of candles you light, even millions of dollars you donate, which sound like generosity. Even meditate for ages in the cave. It’s assisting the self-cherishing mind of I, non Dharma, cause of saṃsāra. If we really want to practice, we totally let go of that part and do only for the other, not even mention I, yourself.
Then small practice, big practice, great practice, everything becomes cause for enlightenment. When causes become cause for enlightenment, all the temporary benefit such as prosperity, long life, would help all naturally come. All naturally comes. Even you didn’t pray for but naturally comes. So like that.
So it’s very clear. It’s very important statement. Very clear. So we have to always remember poisonous food. You know, it’s quite easy to remember.
So whenever we do practice, remember this poisonous food. You you have to be careful. Otherwise, it’s otherwise, it sound like Dharma, but it can be because of saṃsāra. You know? Because of so it’s a very important statement.
So missus Gunn, you want to say something? Yes. You’re right. Yeah. Yes.
You’re right. I agree with you. What are you doing? After three presidents, give me the list. You have to run away.
That’s a good question. Okay. I I think this is very important, you know, even like, you know, all of us, either senior or new or whatever, you know, to make a borderline border. You know, what is really dharma? What is non dharma?
Because everything sound like dharma. Turning the prayer wheel sound like Dharma. Putting so many statues sound like Dharma. Praying, praying, you know, so much chanting sound like Dharma. You know?
And making charity sound like Dharma. Receiving so many teachings, initiation sound like Dharma. Practicing lojong sound like Dharma. You know? This is like don’t you think that whatever we do here sounds like Dharma?
But when we really think carefully, many things is not really Dharma. Many things is a creation of cause for saṃsāra. There’s not much different than we’re just hanging outside, just in a different aspect only. Maybe some virtue, still cause of saṃsāra. The purpose for us to go under the guidance of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, know, Buddhadharma, is to practice Dharma.
And that Dharma, if we really want to do, the mental attitude, the motivation, whatever, the purpose that you’re doing, be initiated by selflessness. That’s why emptiness becomes so important. Emptiness helps us to eliminate the self grasping. The moment you eliminate the self grasping, it starts to you know, actualize the purpose, it start to, you know, express the purpose for others purpose. So therefore even in the Lojong teaching, even in this particular commentary, ultimate anime always disturb us, always harm us is the self grasping mind.
It’s the ultimate it’s the real enemy. Real anime is not outside. It’s inside within us which is self grasping attitude or self grasping mind. Always concern of I, always comfort the I, always disagree with others, but only agree with the I, I, I. So those are the grasping which is regarded as anime.
Particularly, the grasping, the independent grasping of non existent eye, that’s the worst one. Independent, independent grasping of non existent eye, seeing without dependent in any cause and effect, independently exists, know, its own side and that is the root. You know, so due to that, all sort of negative creations, you know, comes into our life and that’s how they will continue to suffer in saṃsāra. So here, poisoned food poisoned food is the hard burning of self interest in the depth of your heart. You see?
Means the the instinct of us is the heart burning, you know, hard hard burning of self interest. Hard boarding. Hard boarding. Hard hard hard boarding of self interest, you know, which always, you know, the which always fit for the interest of a selfish selfish of selfish of who selfish of I, the selfishness I, who always fit, who support, who always courage the selfish I is the harboring of self interest, which lies deep in our heart. We even cannot differentiate that with the wisdom, that with clear mind, which is Buddha nature.
We even don’t know how to differentiate that. So never fail to perceive the self grasping as an enemy. So how to rid of it? You know, there’s a way to rid of that that that problem is to always remind yourself. Always remind yourself this self grasping is the enemy, not a friend.
Not something is good. Self grasping is enemy, and it is the one that which bring harm to you. So always remember that, always tell yourself self grasping is no good. Self grasping only brings pain to me. Self grasping I should eliminate, purify.
Always remind oneself. Then in order to do that, one should learn about what really means self grasping. So in order to know, differentiate what really means self grasping, you start to practice the self-cherishing of others. When you learn about self-cherishing of others, you can start to clearly differentiate what really means self-cherishing of oneself. How difficult for us to cherish others, how much effort you need to put, but how easy to cherish oneself, and how many times self-cherishing brings about discomfort in our life.
But at the same time, the providing of self-cherishing others, the happiness that you receive in the long term, you know, is always has the great advantage of that. So by understanding these two differences, then try to practice and learn about perceiving this self grasping as the enemy. That’s the enemy in us. Therefore, it’s never fool to perceive self grasping as an enemy, or fail to let go of self-cherishing and the thought that grasps the substantial reality of things. Fail to let go of self-cherishing.
Even though we understand self-cherishing is not good, self-cherishing is harmful for us. It causes suffering in us, but there’s always difficult for us to let go. Always we have a difficult for us to let go the self-cherishing us. Always have a difficult for us to let go of self-cherishing mind. The root of the cause, the self-cherishing mind.
Very difficult to let go. So how to let go? There is a way to let go. So we have to learn about how way to let go. The way to let go is to understand the nature of impermanence of I, the nature of non existence of the self independent I.
The way to let go is the disadvantage of cherishing the non existent I and the advantage of cherishing others. Including understanding the advantage of cherishing others will bring the ultimate happiness, which is the liberation. And the disadvantage the ultimate disadvantage of cherishing oneself brings about no end of saṃsāra. So by meditating, by contemplating on that, one can able to eventually let go of self grasping mind. But when we don’t meditate that way, even how much we say the self-cherishing is bad, but somehow we will never let go.
In our day to day life, you know, we do many different practices but when things something trigger you, something like like just pinch, you know, somebody pinch you, somebody scold you or somebody take away your things then that’s the time that you struggle and that’s the time that you feel how strong self-cherishing is there. We do experience every day to day life. We want we do not get. Whatever we do not want, we get and we suffer. Whatever things that we want, when we don’t get, we suffer.
Whatever we do not want comes into our life, again we suffer. What is the reason? Because we are unable to let go of self-cherishing mind. That’s the reason. That’s the time that you can analyze how strong self sufficient mind is.
You can in fact analyze the degree of self sufficient mind in oneself when such kind of experience is experienced in our life, day to day life. Worse than that, the self substantial reality of things is even worse than self-cherishing mind. The substantial reality things refers to the independent existence of the phenomena. The perception which perceives the instinct independent existence of its own side, which is the false of emptiness, which is the opposite of emptiness. And that is even worse.
That is even worse. There is even greater enemy which brings about suffering in our life. Substantial reality of things means inherent existence. It’s referring to the inherent existence. Inherent existence which always lies in us.
Whatever we see, whatever we touch, we feel, we hear, the instinct expression from our attitude is self independent existence. As long as we don’t realize that, we will never realize emptiness. When all of us look at this cup, look at this mug, we never interpret in first instinct mental label, the perception label. We never understand this is definitely existing, isn’t it? The moment when we see this cup is there, the perception or the expression of perceiving Kapha that itself is substantial reality of things.
Means the inherent existence. Means we perceive the thing in the nature of inherent existence. That means the emptiness is very far. That means grasping is there. That grasping is so subtle.
It is in a subtle level. So don’t you think it’s how difficult for us to actually part, you know, be apart, you call apart, be separated from the grasping mind? So difficult. The moment, you know, the when we wake up, the moment you go and get your cloth, the dress cloth, the moment you see the moment you see the dress, we never we never realize we we never have a a kind of like a thought or is it the correlation existing of dependent arising cause and condition. It never interpret that way, isn’t it?
Immediately, clothe, dress, food, food. You know, see person like that. Know, just my my looking at you, you know, that perception, the way of perceiving is you exist from its own side. That’s it. You are totally exist from your own side.
I never ever in my instinct level, I never ever see you actually exist there based on cause and different conditions that’s why you are there. I never interpret that way. And those who realize emptiness, you know, the moment you open eye, might already start to see part and particle cause and conditions of of this existing of mind here. We never just see open mind, not like that. Open mind, not like that.
Immediately interpret. So because one can able to interpret the cause and conditions existent rather seeing the mic solidly independent there. And then when the mind suddenly breaks or when the mind stops, I won’t get angry. When the mind stops, when suddenly some some electricity problem, mind is mind stops, I won’t get disturbed because of the mic stop because I understand the correlation of cause and conditions, different factors already picture the existing in the base of causing conditions. But since I projected this self independent existing of mind, if something goes wrong, I might bang the mic.
You know, how dare you stop? You know? You know, it’s, you know, you know, in the middle of, you know, talking, you know, how can, you know, you blame that this mic is no good, you know. Then you start to even though, like, you start to express, oh, maybe the company, the mic, the brain is no good, all sort of thing, but it’s too late. Too late.
All become in the expression of frustration, which is in the expression lead by the self I would say lead by self independent existing. They are the what you call it? Inherent existing. So it’s a very very complexity, you know, to to really to to to to grab this point. Do you get something?
And this substantial reality of things in this text, this Lojong teaching, is referring based on the Prāsaṇgika Madhyamaka view. But in certain teachings, when you see a substantial reality of things can be interpreted emptiness based on the four different schools. But here it is referring based on the Prāsaṇgika Madhyamaka school. So this makes everything you do into cause of self existing because of what you call the inherent existing perception is exist within us due to that whatever relation with other phenomena is all creation of saṃsāra. It’s almost like no chance to create a proper dharma, proper cause of liberation.
So therefore, again emptiness comes in the picture which is so important. When you realize emptiness you really start to create a right cause for enlightenment. When you don’t realize emptiness it’s all most likely mixture and most likely cause of saṃsāra and even I mean very limit it become cause of enlightenment because we are always we do things in the perceiving the true nature of existence of the of the things, including Dharma. Even when we perceive Buddha, we see Buddha in the nature of true existence. When we pray to become Buddha, that also the prayer also become, you know, the perception is perceiving which exists in the nature of its own side.
Sure. Yes. Yes. How do we how do we defend it? To to always, you know, be mindful in the the understanding or dependent arising.
You know, dependent, you know, dependent on the cause and cause and conditions, part and particles, you know, everything like always always to remind oneself, whatever happens, whatever movement, you know, all a reason. The reason could be different causes. If something good thing happens, immediately, instead of grasping on the good thing, rather you reflect to the cause. Say, oh, this good thing happened because I created a good cause. Something bad thing happened.
Oh, this bad thing happened because I created a bad cause. So that will eliminate the grasping. Let’s say that some bad thing come into one’s life. If we don’t have emptiness understanding, dependent understanding, we will cling on that, we’ll grasp on that. How come this happened?
It’s so concrete, so real, so independent, so dead, always there. It’s kind of like ever existed there, ever existed there. In fact, one minute ago, it it it came into your life. The problem came into your life. It’s just one minute ago.
But the grasping interpret, grasping kind of make you feel that problem is existing almost like ages ago. You know, the the the suffering that you experience, the grasping that they interpret to you, the suffering is almost like it’s kind of like gifted to you, you know, from from from many, many lifetimes, you know. I like that. But when you start to understand the dependent existing, oh, I’d rather, you know, I’d rather go and find the cause. Why this happen?
So then you start to find the root to where the problem comes. When you go to find the root to where the problem comes, the problem actually is not in auto factor, it’s in you. And when you analyze the problem in fact the self grasping attitude, the ego. Then when you discover, Oh, it actually is me. I am the one who cannot tolerate this problem.
If I can tolerate it, actually it’s nothing. It’s mainly just a level of feeling. That’s it. If I interpret this feeling into an even joyous moment or exciting moment in life, then this suffering doesn’t even become suffering. It’s just one kind of experience in life, including death.
When death comes, never mind. It’s just one kind of role in life. Just one event, in just one event, changing of skin. Like how a snake changes the skin. Just one event of changing of the body, that’s it.
Because you already create accumulated this contaminated body, you just have to live. So it’s the same thing when you experience any sickness or mental difficulty. You understand the cause. The fundamental cause is self grasping, the self ego, this cherishing. So concrete, a permanent grasping of that problem, which has nothing to do with anybody caused by that.
That’s it. Like a kind of like a solid grasping of independent existence of the problem in you. Once you analyze that then gradually you start to find it’s just somehow it’s lack of understanding or dependent arising. That’s why I address so much. So therefore, I must eliminate this.
Therefore, I must think of emptiness. When you of dependence arising or emptiness, you will start to realize it’s just mainly labelled. The feeling is there but just mainly labelled. The process, the experience is there but it’s mainly labelled. That’s exactly what Lama Tsongkhapa stated that every single existence is in the existence of merely labeled.
Just merely labeled. That’s the word. Merely labeled. Exists but non exist. Exists in the merely labeled but independent of that suffering is non existent.
Independent of that enlightenment is also non existent. But merely labeled in the perfection, causal, causal, causal condition, yes, conventionally, enlightenment is there. So like that, you you get it? Oh, okay. When we want to go and find the root, this you have to go and find the self grasping press.
Then after that, then you have then you would discovering self grasping, then you should look for self-cherishing. After looking for self-cherishing, then look for the self-cherishing of I. After discovering self-cherishing of I, then look for self-cherishing of phenomena. So that’s the cause. But when when when this negative emotion come into our life, first, the self-cherishing of phenomena comes first, reverse way.
Then it establish self-cherishing of phenomena comes first, then self-cherishing of I is established, then some grasping established because cherishing and grasping has a different different different what do call? The the the heaviness. The saturation is more intense. Grasping is a bit more grosser level. So that’s how I interpret.
Anyway, there’s a two word, self-cherishing and self grasping. So my own kind of interpretation, understanding, cherishing is more kind of intense, more wider coverage. Grasping, yes, similar, but it’s just some different there, but lighter. So once you discover self-cherishing of eye, then one can able to spot self grasping of eye. Once you spot self grasping of I, then one can able to spot the ego ego egoistic ego ego ego ego ego ego ego ego grasping.
Once you establish the ego grasping, then one start to realize who helps to promote that ego. And the the promoter, in fact, is the anger, jealousy, you know, attachment, hatred, you know, the six delusions, twenty secondary delusions, or are the one, like a like a like a like kind of like a army who promote army who actually the battle battle who go for the how to say? Who company the the the the the the general, like that. You know? So once you discover six dilution, twenty secondary delusions, you start to roughly can able to able to have a wisdom to analyze the twenty secondary dilution.
Once you start to understand twenty secondary dilution, you start to capture the gross delusions. Once you capture the gross delusions, you can you you already kind of, like, encounter the the the the cause of the problem. Once you encounter the cause of problem, then either you want to use knife or hammer or whatever, then you can just chop. Something like that. Oh, sorry.
Not hammer. Not knife. How to say, versus emptiness dependent arising. So that’s what you call the antidote. Then again, to distinguish that how to eliminate that just by saying dependent arising it does it help?
Doesn’t. No. So once you discover that then you have to contemplate, you have to habituate dependent arising a consistent level until it becomes spontaneous in your continuum. Until it becomes spontaneous in your mental continuum. The day reasoning, it becomes instinct label of understanding the existence in the manner of dependent arising.
That’s the day you realize emptiness. Yeah. I think I think your your way would definitely help. Will definitely help. It’s one of the solution, you know, I mean, individual, you know, how you want to apply the antidote to eliminate the grasping mind.
You know, like, you can you can apply your way like that. But, of course, there’s also many other ways, you know, to to handle these emotions. But, of course, your way also, you know, is it can be can be done. I mean, that is good. Yeah.
Yeah. Because it’s this is, like, just a very, like, a very simple surface level of of understanding that oh, it’s there’s so many factors collation even to actualize food, even to consume the food. You know? Then by understanding that you try to transform those eating action in the manner of practice, like a generosity, you know, or in the practice of enhancing understanding of emptiness, I mean, you can do that. You know, it’s it’s very beneficial.
You can you can do that. But but the thing is that much more deeper level that you can you can you know, there’s you know, to to to meditate on emptiness in relation to any action, including eating food, There’s also much more deeper level way of practice. But of course, gesture of offering food is to accommodate merit by by, you know, offering to the, you know, the Buddhas. You know? Offering to the Buddhas to accommodate merit.
Yeah. Okay? Yep. Yep. No.
Offering food, you know, has many different ways to, you know, bring into practice. Offering food can become one of the very profound practice of generosity, very profound practice of you know, accommodation merit by making offering to the Buddhas and also eating food. You know, one can also to learn to to to discover the the the understanding of dependent arising. Even just to, you know, even just to actualize one grain of rice, you know, how many different factors that need to actualize, you know, have to come together. And also to to to understand to understand at least, you know, the the gross level that it is non it is not existing without any factor.
Because if we even grow one grain of rice, it dependent on noblesse beings. It dependent on many, many beings. You know? It dependent on the farmer. Dependent on the peep you know, the money that you earn.
Even the money also dependent on the company where you work, you know. Even that company dependent on many different factors, country and all sort of things. In fact, again, why you have a karma to actually consume this rice is dependent on the kindness of other living beings. So many beings sacrifice to bring this one grain of rice. Then to enhance the practice of compassion, practice generosity in relation to those being who sacrifice one grain of rice that which are consuming.
So it’s a vast practice. And even the the yoke of eating, you know, there’s so many practices can do. There’s no, like, kind of, like, okay. Only this much limit practice that you can you can actualize from the food offering. Just unbelievable practice you can do.
You know, unbelievable practice you can do. Label and merely labeled. Svatāntrika, the question is what is the different from label and merely labeled, you know, in relation to emptiness understanding. Svatāntrika Madhyamaka, which which is Mādhyamika school, which is the final school of emptiness. But within the Mādhyamika school, there’s a two school.
The first one is Svatāntrika Madhyamaka school, then the final one is Prāsaṇgika Mādhyamika school. So Guru Śākyamūni Buddha, Lama Tsongkhapa, Nāgārjuna, their view on emptiness is on Prāsaṇgika Mādhyamika school, you know, the emptiness. So Svatāntrika Madhyamaka school, in order to establish the existence of phenomena, they cannot establish the conventional existent phenomena, just mainly label. Yes, they do assert its labelling exist, but they cannot assert mainly labelling exist. Why they cannot assert mainly labelling exist?
Because it needs one factor from the object’s side in order to subject to label to actualize the conventional existing. So because of that, the one factor from the object side, from in order to say, from the mark side, one factor, one substance should exist from there so that I can impute, I can label this as So that mark conventionally really exists. But the final school, the Prāsaṇgika Madhyamaka school, if that’s the assertion of emptiness or dependent arising, then you fall into one of the extreme, nihilism extreme. If even one single factor exists on its own side, it’s already independent existing from its own side, already inherent existing, The conventional label of existential phenomena should be merely labeled. It means only labeled, only in the basis of labeling.
Nothing, not even one single subtle atom is existing from the object side. So that’s the reason I use the word called merely. So the merely distinguish, it differentiate the the view on emptiness from the Svatāntrika Madhyamaka school and Prāsaṇgika Madhyamaka school. That much different. Otherwise, same.
Alright. I like that. One single thing. Let’s say this one single thing can be very subtle atom. Let’s say for this one subtle atom, without one subtle atom, just simply say muck, muck doesn’t come.
There’s one single atom. Then yes, depending on many factors, many hundreds and thousands of atoms and the company, the way they make the mark, the designer or the color, the people, everything to come together, then yes, call mark and mark exist. You know, without having one single atom, just put it aside, say mak is the day there’s no way there’s no way you can actualize a mak. It sounds like quite real also, you know. It’s either the the way the Svatāntrika assertion on emptiness, the existence of the conventional label, it sounds like real.
It sounds like we are actually more familiar to that. We also think that something should be there. Otherwise, how to just, like, close your eye and muck. You know? Muck.
Oh, muck. Know? Like, it almost like like like grabbing in the darkness, you know, mainly using the the word. You know? You get what I mean?
So now but if you think carefully, yes, prasangika is still the right. Why is it right? Prāsaṇgika is so detailed. You don’t have to stuck on one single atom to be existing from there to establish the conventional existing. You don’t need nothing from there because the reality is that nothing is from its own side.
Even the atom, let’s say if you want to label as atom, one single atom, in order to actualize a form, you need something, isn’t it? There’s something that starts from where? Atom, isn’t it? All these solid things start from atom. No atom, no basis of atom.
How to actualize solid thing? Scientifically, it’s true, isn’t it? No single atom. How to actualize this solid thing? Must be something.
It must be something, isn’t it? So again, Prāsaṇgika said. Prāsaṇgika said no need such thing. Why? The fundamental thing is if you go to search, let’s say the subtle atom, how come the subtle atom exists from there?
Why not, if you don’t believe, why not you make the subtle atom also divide into part and particles. You also divide into like a hundred pieces and you go to find again, you go to find the self exist, the self established, the the the root atom. When you go to find, you also can’t find. Then they might say, oh, no. That one.
That the smallest one could be the one that which which self established from the object side. Then when you when you bring the the smallest atom into the table onto the table, again, that divide into small pieces and ask which one is the one. So, Prāsaṇgika might say you fall into a fall. You you trapped into a fall. You said only one single atom is necessary that you pointed that one single atom but down that one single atom become ten pieces.
Now you already established from the object side you have to establish ten pieces otherwise cannot actualize a mark. Before you say need one, now become ten. If the ten also divide into hundred, become hundred thing that you know actualize from its own side. So Prāsaṇgika said, Svatāntrika, you are shameful. You know, you sound like Mādhyamika, you know, who follow the middle path, emptiness, dependent arising, but you’re almost no different than Vaibhāṣika.
You so called non existent, inherent exist non existent of inherent, but in fact, your grasping is exactly grasping on inherent existing. Then, Prāsaṇgika tells Svatāntrika, you fall into nihilism. You fall inanalism. So you are no different. You go down.
No different than the Vaibhāṣika, no different. Rather you openly say, I assert self independent existing. Svatāntrika people say, no, no, no, How can there’s no self independent existence? It must exist by labeling. Only exists in the label.
So there’s debate like that. Headache. But in fact, this is the point that we have to that debate help us to actually find out the truth, find out the final view of emptiness. So again, you you can refer to Lamrim. I mean, I don’t know whether you call it wisdom chapter or where it talks about emptiness.
I mean, later in the lam rim class, you know, there’s also a section of, you know, study on emptiness. You know, should study that. Then there’s, you know, there’s various books which talks about emptiness, especially based on the Prāsaṇgika view. Then you try to read more. You try to research more.
Then in the in the in the class, we do more question answer. I think that’s the way to to learn, you know. Otherwise, there’s not much thing to put into a word to to to explain. So when we do very strong discussion, question answer, then maybe there’s a way to find out what exactly is. So then again, I give you an example, one of the teachers, Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang, more than eighty, ninety years old, And he been like everyday debating.
Everyday debating and never end the debate until today. He’s already age of, I think, nineteen ninety something. And he started very young age in Tibet, a great scholar, regarded one of the best scholar in emptiness understanding. He said like that. So if we don’t do any question answer, if we don’t have any question, I don’t know whether it’s a right good sign or not good sign.
I have no idea. Just something like that. Oh. Yes. They use, like, it’s just based on label.
Yeah. It has to be, like, combination of two factor. Label and from the object side. I don’t know exact word how to use, but it’s I mean, they can label, you know, label exist. The prasangika probably can say label exist, but the Svatantrika prasangika says labeling.
Prāsaṇgika will say mainly label so that’s the different. Labeling. So this makes everything you you do into a course of self existing, thus binding you evermore within self existing and giving rise to suffering. Since these are all, like, poisonous food, you must discard them. So we are here, isn’t it?
Yeah. Discard them. So we we we should discuss delusions, a self grasping mind. You know? So that’s the meaning of discard discard discarding the poisonous food.
So then then number nine commitment, do not maintain inappropriate loyalty. So again, this one is the is the, you know, the word they use this way, but the meaning, you know, is is is it’s difficult to, you know, get the meaning. You know? So here, anyway, it says, this means you should not re re refrain refrain from expressing condemnation out of disapproval of unjust act committed by the others committed by the others. So what do you get?
Do not maintain inappropriate loyalty. This means you should not refrain from expressing condemnation out of disapproval of unjust act committed by others. Okay. Before that, I would like to say committed by others. The others refer to what?
Once we get that, then we will get the meaning of this The unjust act committed by others is is is like you and you know, I, we and others. That other is referring to that other or something else? The others is not referring to the person. Are they referring to what? So I’m already clear, not referring to the person.
So what do you think? If he’s not referring to a person, so referring to what? The mind. Let’s say, the mind is I don’t think so. This means you should not refrain from expressing condemnation out of disobedience or unjust act committed by others.
It is quite common. In fact, it’s not quite common. It’s very common. I think even yesterday, I think Dakini’s talk and I think many of you have seen her directly with received advice. She always actually emphasized.
She do emphasize that. So anyway, others refer to delusion. Others here refer to delusion. So this means you should not refrain from expressing condemnation out of deceitful or unjust act committed by others committed by delusion. Therefore, whole conclusion meaning is do not follow delusion.
Both the delusion here, the delusion within ourselves and delusion within others. Any delusion he has referring to, do not follow any delusion. Do not just refrain from expressing condemnation, misblame or disapproval or unjust act as long as it comes from delusion. Should not reframe it. The tenth commitment: Do not torment with malicious banter.
Whatever tasks befall you, do not engage in malicious jokes that tear at others’ hearts or cause them to lose their composure regardless of their capability, avoiding insulting and speaking harshly to others, whether close or distant, good or bad. So I think this one is quite easy. Yeah. So the overall meaning is do not do not retaliate to verbal abuse. You know, do not retaliate to verbal abuse.
Whether it’s a close one or whether it’s, you know, distant, whether it’s bad or whether it’s good. You know, whether it’s you know like that you know so then so then number eleven the commitment is do not lie in abuse ambush. Do not lie in ambush. So here, do not harbor vengeance for wrong done to you waiting for an opportunity moment to retaliate. So it’s quite clear.
Yeah? So do not wait in abuse. Not wait in ambush. Do not wait in ambush. So can you give just one or two kind of examples for this?
Like, some one or two examples so that, you know, like, can relate easier for, you know, our day to day life. Okay. Why not give one example for the the ten commandment before going to the eleventh? Do not torment with the malicious malicious banter. So give me one example.
Maybe I can say one. In your heart, you think other person is useless, such a negative. You know, like, it’s like terrible, but in your speech, oh, you see, he is bodhisattva. You know, he is like a Buddha, you know, in front of people, you know, like like, you know, or or make fun of him with using all the nice words, sweet words, you know, that also can be, isn’t it? Can I give that as an example?
Is that okay? You know? So even that and also is hurting others. And somehow the others can feel that, you know, that you are a bit too much. Even you are on the press a bit too much.
You know? It’s it’s it’s it’s very unrelevant. You know? Instead of, like, being it’s it’s sarcastic. It’s okay.
So maybe something like that is okay. Okay. Then how about commitment eleven? Do not lie in ambush. Yeah.
I think that’s yeah. I can see that. So so do not so then, commitment twelve, do not strike at the at the heart. So what so then here the commentary. To both human and nonhuman, avoid delving into their weak points.
So it’s similar to what you said. With nonhuman, for instance, you should avoid uttering fierce like extracting mantras. In the case of human, you should avoid unearthing, for instance, their moral lapses in situation where many people are around. So that means if spirit is harming you, so chanting mantra to avoid them, it sounds like it’s not so right. You know?
What what what do you get? You read the commentary. To both human and non human avoid delving into their weak points. With non humans for instance, you should avoid altering fierce life, mantras. It sounds like that?
It it sounds what I say like that? Meaning, just now I said is like when when when a spirit harming you, then you take the advantage of chant the powerful mantra and try to chase them away. Motivation. We have a good execution. Motivation.
Yeah because you know like let’s say if you want to do a puja for a spirit harms you know we really check carefully when is the weakest point so then that day we perform the puja and chase away. Like Naga harm, we check the Naga day and that’s the day we choose to perform the Naga Puja. You know? So that means we should perform Naga Puja when not Naga Day. So you see, so this is the specialty of Lojong.
You know, all Lojong practitioners are like that. Is, you know, Whether it’s right or wrong motivation or action or dedication, as long as think to, so called as to offend or abandon other being, is non dharma. It’s non dharma. So, you know, in Oh, yeah. Lojong practitioner.
Yeah. I think Lojong practitioner. Need puja. That is the opportunity for their realization. When things go right also opportunity.
Things go wrong also opportunity. Things go wrong they become so happy. Things go right also they become happy. You see, so for Lojong practitioner, you know, that’s why when you when you when you hear the stories of the past great practitioners, those great Mahasiddhas are all Lojong practitioners who obtained their one lifetime realizations because of this much serious practice. That’s why called Kadampa.
Kadampa is there’s not even a single factor which cannot bring into a practice of Dharma. For us, it’s very biased. When times are good, Dharma practice. When times are not good, we hate Dharma. You know?
When times are good, what? Blessing, guru, this and that. When times are not good, blame the guru, blame the Dharma, you know? You know? You know?
Never really. You know? The long term practitioner is always, like, blame the delusion. Fight with the delusion. Rest because the delusion is the one harms sentient being.
You know? So so even, like, you know, even, like, chanting mantras, you know, finding a weaker point of other sentient being and try to eliminate them and to to to to to pacify them like such a spirit also wrong, also non dharma. That means it’s like like unbelievable, isn’t it? No. Not not unbelievable.
It’s a believable, but it’s so good, isn’t it? It’s like it’s amazing. So I then I think enlightenment is possible, you know. Otherwise, like, somehow it become even though say compassion, right motivation is sometimes it’s really like kind of bit of excuse, make us feel better and you know make us feel better but the point is to make sure the harm givers are destroyed. Then, you know, like enlightenment.
Oh, it’s, you know, for the make sure right motivation, you know, to be to make every single living being to enlightenment. Therefore, I want to you know, in lojong practice, the moment you mention I, you you finish. Wrong. Even for enlightenment, know, if you express for the purpose of self, it’s not pure. It’s a wrong motivation.
You only for the sake of others. The self have to be totally forget. But that doesn’t mean forget about your health, forget about yourself because you are one of the sentient beings. But you cannot like say I am sentient being, you know. You just say sentient being.
You just say all other living beings. Other living beings. The best is so called sentient being because when you say all other living being you know conventional word kind of like differentiate you are like a Buddha side. Again you know to become Buddha you will leave out one sentient being also obstruction. So best way to use is all sentient being so you are included.
At the same time we are secure of not becoming an improper motivation. So that’s why I that’s why I think that now one Puja’s chanting so when you start to you know start to think more on Lojong it’s almost like a bit frustrating you know Like like, you know, ask Puja. Again, you’re asking Puja. For what? And they come like, you know, it become like that you are too into.
You know? So I guess maybe, like, to live in, like, you know, our society like this, I think you shouldn’t be too much lojong. You should be a bit flexible. So they’re just joking. No.
That day, remember? The text says, if you are a lojong practitioner today and you already committed whatever prayer and practices in the past, because you found lojong practice today and you forget all the past practices wrong. But you’ll find Lojong practice today freshly. You don’t have any other commitment. You don’t need any other thing.
Sorry. You already have, you don’t abandon, but not necessary new things. Just stick on the practice, lojong practice. So is it clear? Yeah.
Okay. I mean, it yeah. We can interpret that way. But then what means by life striking? It means killing them or cause or or create a kind of, like, a to cause for killing, or it means is killing?
So what is the the the the border? What is the border of threatening their life? Maybe like like weakening their their their their their spirit is also threatening their life or not. Then that also cannot do it, isn’t it? Because when you Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. I mean? If they try to talk to somebody else Oh, also cannot. Also cannot.
Also cannot. Because because that’s why it’s like you know, the the question that we went through, choose the supreme. What? Just now? The question that just now went through.
Choose the supreme. You know? There’s one question you ask. Supreme, like, you know, there’s Principles. Oh, principle.
Bending principles. Bending principles to in order to make other happy. The question exactly that you asked is we should choose principle or that’s one another question which is related to this one. I say my answer is choose principle, that one. No, because just now we went through the question and answer.
Can you help to say the question and also my answer? Oh, I see. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, how to say?
Okay. Meantime. Yeah? Because Lojong practice is the practice which contains entire aspect of Dharma. Know, entire aspect of Dharma.
Yes. Everything, everything is Sahaja. Because it talks about the true awakening mind is the essence of the Lojong teaching, which is the emptiness and bodhicitta. No. No.
No. No. You can do Puja to help someone else help someone else, but not to not to not to not not to offend or not to harm or not to not to kind of like lower their not to not to weaken them, not to weaken the other being. What I’m I mean, of course, I I agree. Do puja.
Yes. You should do puja. No problem. But what I’m saying, I try to find because try to be so careful based on this this teaching. We we try to we try to make, like, very clean, clear.
You know? So so just now, the teaching is is it sounds like you never pray for yourself. You only pray for other. You never practice Dharma for yourself. You practice Dharma for only for reason for other.
If you make dedication, if you want to make a light offering, if you just mention your name, it doesn’t become lojong practice. Rather mention every other sentient beings’ name or somebody else’s name, then only become proper Dharma, proper light offering. Yeah, it’s bodhicitta. It’s actually is so that’s why you know it’s telling us to practice the real bodhicitta. Otherwise, like bodhicitta bodhicitta, but many ways there’s a danger of becoming excuse actually to to bring only benefit to ourselves.
We only we only say it’s beneficial for other, but in fact it’s always striving for oneself. So anyway, what I mean is based on the earlier question, strike the principle. Strike the principle. You know, the bodhisattva, the who has the clairvoyance to see the five hundred businessmen traveling traveling on the you know, across the the ocean. And the what you call the the the sailor, you know, has an intention to kill all the five hundred businessmen, you know, or to kill all the five hundred businessmen.
So but but but but no one aware of it. So the bodhisattva clever one saw that. So since the bodhisattva through clever one saw that, so he also travel on the boat and he saved five hundred lives and he killed the one sailor. Because of killing one sailor, he saved five hundred lives. But that doesn’t mean Bodhisattva never committed negative karma.
This bodhisattva committed negative karma of killing one person, but this bodhisattva committed virtue of saving private lives. So here he choose the principle you know you’re gonna find never mind it’s okay karma so you see so then also another story is okay the earlier story the Bodhisattva accumulated negative karma and he had to experience the consequences if he don’t purify have to experience the consequences but he also experienced the great amount of good consequences of saving five hundred beings life. At the same time, save the negative karma of killing five hundred beings for the sailor. Otherwise, the sailor will commit the karma of killing five hundred beings. Then there’s one monk, a fully ordained monk, deer and a hunter.
The hunter was chasing after the deer and the monk was standing at the T junction. And the T junction have a certain time there’s a block, you know, there’s no way to go further. So the hunter chased the deer and the deer went to the west direction, You know, and if he if so then the hunter came and asked the monk where the deer went, which direction did they went, only two directions. So if so he analyzed. If he tell the truth, he knows it’s a definite that’s going to cause life of the deer.
But if he shows the wrong direction, he creates the karma of lying. So he chose the principle or he chose there is a word. You know? Actually, just now the word very nice one there. The word.
You know? But, anyway, is it he choose the advantage. Disadvantage and advantage, you have to choose the advantage even though there’s a disadvantage but always have to choose them. Even though there might be a disadvantage but always have to choose the advantage aspect. So the advantage aspect is to save the life of the deer is greater merit than sacrificing experiencing the karma of lying.
Because the karma of lying is compared to participating to kill one sentient beings life is much more heavier. Because if he shows the right direction, he also participates for killing. You know? But if he lie means he only lie but save somebody’s life. You know?
Save one sentient beings life. So he have to experience a karma of lying. But at the same time, he save the negative karma for the hunter to experience negative experience of killing the deer. At the same time, the monk created the karma of saving someone’s life. So in our life, many things are like that.
In our life many things are like that. In our life you know two things come together. Know always like don’t know which one to do. So you have to check disadvantage and advantage. If you see more advantage choose advantage and we have to let we have to sacrifice the disadvantage part but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to commit any negative karma that doesn’t mean you will not commit any virtue okay okay another mantra here So no.
I think you have to interpret a little bit. And so what’s that? So here is referring without bodhicitta if you chant a mantra to subdue spirits and evils, evil beings or spirit or non human harm givers, it’s a negative karma creation. Wrong and shouldn’t do. But with bodhicitta, bodhicitta, then you chant the mantra.
Then it is alright to do. So I have to interpret that way. So that means without bodhicitta, and it is true, without bodhicitta by reciting powerful mantras most of the practitioners are born as very powerful spirits because the mantra is somehow got a power then lack of bodhicitta you cannot subdue delusion and that somehow when die you throw it into a spirit. It’s similar to Preta, but it becomes a wonder spirit. That’s why some spirit can be very powerful.
You know, like that. Without bodhicitta, even reciting mantra can be dangerous. Without Buddhicitta, if reciting mantra, you are accumulating some kind of level of power. Yes, you get some kind of like the you call mental power become quite strong, you know. But the consequence is there’s a danger of throwing oneself into at the time of dying overwhelmed with anger.
Mostly the powerful mantra is not much about attachment. The powerful mantra might bring the consequences without bodhicitta, might bring the consequences of anger, frustration. So there’s like even like tantric practitioners. Tantric practitioners. If you don’t have a bodhicitta practice, if you don’t practice bodhicitta seriously and do a lot of sādhana and do a lot of mantra practices, you know, there’s a danger of like you you become more and more impatient.
You become more and more like angry person. That’s there’s a danger. Because the mantra itself got power, but because of level of bodhicitta, it enhance the the the different system. And that makes you the nervous system become very very very sensitive. And that brings about frustration and that brings about the effect goes to the heart chakra heart chakra.
And that heart chakra activation without bodhicitta, it turned anger. It becomes very angry person, very frustrated person. Also like that. So mantra is definitely very powerful but must conjoin Buddhicitta. So that’s the advice here.
In the case of human you should avoid unearthing for instance the moral lapses in a situation where many people are around. Like, the criticism, you you know, you you you kind of bring them down, pull their leg, you know, like, kind of I think they’re just saying the pulling, not necessarily pull real leg, but it’s like criticizing the weakness of the people, especially where there’s people, you know, many people around, you know. So then then for that, even with the bodhicitta intention not supposed to do. Here you have to say even with the bodhicitta intention, even with the bodhicitta intention that you cannot moral lap what do call the moral lapses in the situation where many people even with the bodhicitta motivation. So we will stop here then we do question and answer a little bit okay thank you Yeah.
Okay. I have a very I’m not aware of that. There’s something related to this, I think, that I have to share. The Sattang Dalai Lama used to mention the safest mantra to recite is Om Mani Padme Hum, Chenrezig’s mantra. Safest mantra, whether you have bodhicitta or not, most effective mantra, really will bring a combination of merit and purification of karma to recite Om Mani Padme Hum.
Know, didn’t say Om Manipenya, recite Chenrezig’s mantra, the compassionate Buddhist mantra. Whenever you recite compassionate Buddha’s mantra, it never, you know, triggers into your mind for your own sake. It’s something to do with others purpose, beneficial purpose. Because it’s compassionate Buddha, you know, purpose. Let’s say Mañjuśrī.
They say, oh, I want to recite Mañjuśrī mantra. Immediately the self-cherishing comes to enhance my wisdom, my eye. You know? Oh, I want to recite Vajrasattva mantra immediately. Oh, I need to purify my negative karma.
I, the I comes. You know? Oh, I want to recite Tārā mantra for what? To enhance the speedy in maybe your goodness, well-being, my Dharma practice, I come. That’s such and such.
So he said, when you recite Chenrezig’s mantra, it’s like compassionate Buddha. Naturally reflects to the other beings. Somehow it’s naturally kind of it doesn’t kind of relate to the self grasping mind. So that’s what His Holiness says that if any powerful mantra that you wish to recite for any purpose, recite Chenrezig mantra. It’s it’s it’s it’s everything there.
You don’t need to go for this and that and also the mantras. I mean, this is normally, he’s not as very diplomatic. You call it diplomatic. It’s a nice word one, know, diplomatic. It’s a nice word.
Diplomatic. Know, he’s like very like that. So that’s what he used to say. But I yeah. I want to make clear.
I’m not saying that shouldn’t recite Mañjuśrī Mantra bad. I’m not saying that if you do for the pure Dharma practice then you have to base on Lojong teaching that you when you recite, you recite for the benefit of other than this of course. But you recite something for the benefit of the ego, your own self, then of course it it doesn’t bring great benefit. That’s the reason. What what do you want to say?
Not necessarily. Yeah, you can say that because like sort of high sukkatari deities you know because the power is so powerful you know there’s so much power so if you practice right away you know it really you know bring the the benefit of enlightenment so fast But if you miss the fundamental practice even though you call as you’re practicing Yamāntaka but you’re in fact you’re practicing something else And Yamāntaka is not the one that you by practicing his mantra throw you throw us to the wrong place. It is not like because we practice the wrong thing. That’s why we throw in the wrong thing. But we only say that we are practicing Yamāntaka, but in fact we are not.
No. So because of that reason. Similar. Yeah. self-cherishing, dzin is more is kind of like a the cherishing, the grasping is towards I, but it coverage including the aggregates.
Like like a person. This is like, you know, like like the I, the ego. Not only that but it’s like also coverage the entire formation aspect of a person. The cherishing is the object of cherishing is I but entire aspect of the person. The glass thing is the the egoic eye.
It’s it’s just pinpoint directly to the eye. It’s not necessary that the the whole formation of a person. So, like, dzin zin, dzin is more elaborate. Cherishing is like that, the I. Like that.
So there’s a little little. You know? There’s almost quite similar, but it’s little. There’s some difference. There.
No. It’s a small gross. Cherishing more subtle. Oh, the subtle self grasping effect is referred to the the the self-cherishing. Oh, no.
No. Not not okay. Don’t say okay. Yeah. Let’s let let me say that.
So then? Oh, ten level bodhisattva? Only before You mean you mean ten level bodhisattva? The the the the subtle of self grasping referring to the ignorant. It’s not referring it’s not it’s it’s the the name of for that actually is referring to the ignorant.
But we label as subtle self grasping, but actually is the the the the the the the ignorant, referring to the ignorant. Because the grasping entire aspect of grasping, the the what’s it? Entire, like, what’s say, the subgrasping attitude already by when you reach the eighth ground, you already already purified. Anyway, I yeah. That’s but but but there still can be debate.
Can can be can be if we can discuss more. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Thank you.