Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The image of gold hidden within shadow — and Asaṇga’s catalogue of Buddha nature concealed in nine forms, from honey surrounded by bees to a precious statue wrapped in rags — gives this 107-minute commentary its organizing metaphor. Ven Jampa Gendun opens with a guided rejoicing meditation, leading participants through their own past good actions and then through friend, neutral person, and enemy. He then examines the outer Lama relationship — the qualities to look for, the forms devotion takes — before pivoting to the key insight that outer devotion is a skillful means for uncovering the inner teacher one already possesses. Nāgārjuna’s verse comparing ordinary beings and Buddhas to warm and cold water from the same source anchors the argument that the gap between us is relative, not absolute. A brief Q&A covers having multiple teachers and the three motivations for seeking enlightenment.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 05 3PA 2006 08 28.mp3
UUID: a47968f5-2e25-474b-b3b2-e2a443b4b26c
Teacher: Ven Jampa Gendun
Collection: Three Principle Aspects of the Path 2006-2007 (Ven Jampa Gendun)
Date: 2006-08-28
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 106.8 minutes
Words: ~8,919
Okay. And in conclusion. Oh, well, you didn’t miss much. Actually, it’s good that we come. I think I appreciate your coming together as we do.
And, you know, and we have to be realistic in this this process of change. I think it takes time. You know, how much time is is probably proportionate to the the the focus of your energy and intelligence. But nonetheless, we keep reacquainting ourselves, refamiliarizing ourselves. I mean, that’s what I feel like I’m doing over time.
And over time, there’s I’m not quite the same person I was, you know, five years ago or three years ago, even one year ago. There’s something, you know, it’s hard to pinpoint, but there’s a different sense of quality about us. And you feel like, you know, something something has been left behind and something new has been created. And you do feel like there’s a that you’re on a journey, and you can take some kind of refuge in that. That you that you that you actually are creating the same kind of direction in your life.
And that’s going to take you somewhere in terms you have some trust in that. And you’re going to eventually find some kinds of solutions in your life. And then we, this world needs us all. It needs us all individually, but also collectively to help bring it to peace. It’s all our responsibility.
We ourselves are our own responsibility, but we’re also responsible for others. And so we’re doing great work, I think. I think it’s I find it I admire you for what you’re doing. I find it inspirational. So the the focus of our life becomes Buddha, and the the embodiment of wisdom, love, and compassion, and personal power, and their skillful and fearless expression in everyday life.
And we we do the work of actualizing Buddha by means of the Dharma and the the techniques, the trainings, the truth of things, the way things are in actual reality. And this process, this change that’s occurring, and we are creating a context, aren’t we? That’s coming together and just creating this kind of situation I have a spiritual community, you know, those who who inspire us and encourage us. And sometimes all I feel like is a is a coach at halftime in a footy game or something. You know?
Get out there. That’s all I do. That’s all I can do. Anyway, that’s that’s worthwhile, I think. And we continually try to raise the level of our motivation.
I feel I mean, many things I say, I I haven’t understood, but I have confidence. I have trust in the validity of what I’m saying. I’m sort of passing on what my teachers have told me. But I have some inkling in my heart somewhere that the more that we’re concerned with others, the more our journey is for the sake of others, the greater happiness, the greater success we will have along the way. So, ultimately, we have to orientate ourselves toward that so that what we do is done not just for our own sakes alone, not just for our own narrow needs and our own self concern, but for out of an ever widening concern for others.
Ultimately, we’re trying to and it sounds, perhaps at the moment, abstract and unimaginable, but to achieve perfectly complete enlightenment, awakening for the sake of all sentient beings. And that’s where we can choose. And it’s like a compass that’s always points to north. If we can somehow keep orientating in that direction and in the small decisions that we make along the way in our everyday lives, Some ways have them fit into this orientation that they that they aren’t in conflict. They aren’t taking us in the other direction.
That they somehow are supporting where it is that we want to go. Then we’ll arrive someday. That’s good enough. I go for refuge until I’m awakened to the Buddha, Dharma, and Through my practice, the generosity, and the other perfections, may I become a Buddha for the sake of all sentient beings. I go for refuge until I’m awakened to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
Through my practice of generosity and the other perfections, may I become a Buddha for the sake of all sentient beings. I go for refuge until I’m awakened to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Through my practice of generosity and the other perfections. May I become a Buddha for the sake of all sentient beings. May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May all sentient beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. May all sentient beings be inseparable from the joy that is without sorrow. May all sentient beings abide in equanimity, free from attachment for some and aversion toward others. So we’d like to stand up for a minute and stretch our legs. I put on a big clock.
I don’t pay any attention to it. So, we’re going to meditate on on mindfulness of breathing. Breath, we’ve talked about that, and talked about the two techniques that you can make use of, counting and noting the breath. So, So, you know, it seems almost trivial, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s stretching what was being talked about before, you know, with the right motivation, even bringing your mind back to the breath is a choice that you’re making.
Like, it’s it’s like, oh, it’s lots of little steps, isn’t it? Every time you bring your mind back to the breath, you’re making a choice about the type of person, the type of quality of mind that you want to develop, the type of life that you want to lead. I think we could say that. I don’t know. I hope that’s not too far fetched, but there might be something to it.
And then we can meditate again on rejoicing. As we did last week, we can we stop, you know, no matter what we do, if we if we don’t take notice or if we dismiss it, then we can we our attitude, the ideal, the image that we have of ourselves will not reflect the reality of what we actually are. We have to actually take notice. And a lot of us have a very negative self image and negative idea about ourselves. And this is a tremendous drawback, limiting self conception that we have about ourselves.
So but also rejoicing is the way that we can we can oppose our sense of jealousy. You know, we can we can we can find happiness in others’ fortune in what they achieve and who they are. I once asked the tutor to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This is when I many years ago when I first met Dharma in India. I said, what’s what’s the you know, I was pretty clever back then.
I said, what’s the easiest way to practice the Dharma? I was looking for an easy way out. And he said, rejoicing. And it actually is. You know, when you see somebody doing well, you see with someone happy, see someone practicing, see some see someone benefit another person, they say, that’s really wonderful.
That’s really great. And this will help you to develop that same quality within yourself that you yourself will begin to naturally emulate, begin to naturally act in the same way that you admire in this other person. So you have to watch what you rejoice in, of course. Hopefully, it’s beneficial. Hopefully, it’s useful.
So we’re going to rejoice in terms of what we’ve done ourselves, but also we’re going to look at others in terms of a friend and a neutral person and an enemy. So take a comfortable, firm posture and mainly, you know, a sense of stability in terms of your attitude, in terms of your posture, and with the back straight. And first, we’re going to begin by relaxing, getting in touch with the body. So bringing you awareness to the crown of your head, the scalp, the forehead, feeling the wrinkles smooth out of your brow. Your facial muscles beginning to soften.
Relax. Your jaw relax. Your neck, perhaps you’re turning your head gently your shoulders a few times, feeling the tension, beginning to ease to move down and out of your body. Your hands relaxed, your lower arms and upper arms. Your chest.
Your belly soft. Relax. Your pelvic area. Your buttocks. Upper legs.
Lower legs. Your feet. Just notice any tightness as any tensions in your body, bring your awareness to those areas and consciously relax, soften, feeling the tightness loosen, the solidity begin to disperse your body becoming comfortable, ready. Bring your mind to your breath. Just easy in and out flow of the natural breath.
If it’s helpful, using techniques of counting, noting the breath. We’re going to meditate on rejoicing. So begin with remembering something that you did more than one month ago, something that you feel good about, that was beneficial. Just even if it’s only something minor, still reflect on its significance, its value, and feel pleased with yourself. Congratulate yourself.
Don’t be afraid of developing pride. That’s okay. Feel good about yourself. Something you did one month ago. And we’re going to do the same, but now the time period is more than one week ago or less than a month.
More than one week ago, but less than a month ago. Something that you did that you value that you thought was a good thing, a kind thing, intelligent thing, a strong thing to do, and feel pleased about yourself and what you did. And, again, this time time period is before today up to one week ago. Before today, but prior Even if it’s something very small, bring it to mind. Be pleased.
And then finally, in terms of the period of time, something that you did today. Find something today and rejoice. Feel good about it. Feel pleased. Now we’re going to rejoice in others, beginning with a friend.
We call to mind a friend and think of something that they’ve done, some quality that they possess, something good that’s happened to them. You feel good about it. Congratulate them. It’s wonderful that you have this quality. It’s great that you did that.
I admire you. I’m happy that that good thing happened to you. Now bring to mind a neutral person, a stranger, someone you generally feel indifferent toward. And, again, think of some quality they may possess, something they did, something good that happened to them, and be happy about it. Congratulate them.
Be pleased for them. And then finally, bring to mind someone you have some difficulties with, some problems, someone perhaps you don’t like. And just for the moment, set aside your hard feelings and focus upon something good about them, some quality they possess, something that they did, some fortune that happened to them. As best you can, congratulate them. Rejoice in what they did, what they have, what’s happened to them.
Be happy for them. And then bring your mind back to the breath. And get in touch with your body, the feelings, sensations in the body. Slowly, in an easy, gentle manner, become aware of the surroundings. We’ve been talking about this first line, which Tsongkhapa pays homage to, to the Lamas, and we talked about the Lamas, what, what the significance of the Lama, helping us to gain some kind of confidence in ourselves that we can go beyond these perpetual cycles of dissatisfaction.
We can develop, we can change, we can become compassionate, wise people, and giving us the tools, the actual skills, the techniques, the methods whereby we can do that, but also acting as a as a model of the goal, kind of help us to inspire us to to feel this this is actually possible. It’s just not some kind of theoretic abstraction, some kind of religious fiction to make us feel better about ourselves, but people are doing it. And that we went over the various qualities of a lama and that the the in terms of ethics and wisdom and compassion, I think principally. And the the importance in terms of our empowering the lama as a means of breaking out of these these reoccurring patterns that we’re very much stuck in help us to get unstuck. And the the process whereby we do we devote ourselves.
But also that this this relationship, you know, the word Lama denotes more of a relationship than it is a title. No matter how qualified, no matter how famous the teacher might be, a Lama is someone who who who you trust, who inspires you, who actually helps you in practice to change. But even if we can’t find the highly, the fully qualified Lama, we can rely upon a spiritual friend, someone that we can seek some advice, we can give advice to ourselves. We, you know, someone who who inspires us and teaches us, whatever is necessary. But it doesn’t quite have the same quality.
There isn’t this emphasis on developing this sense of devotion. Now we have there there’s a certain caution. We have to be careful who that we develop such a relationship with and that, to ensure that they’re trustworthy, that they’re worthy of our devotion. It would be, it would only harm us to develop a great sense of devotion toward a particular teacher and in some way or another be betrayed somewhere down the line. So it’s better to to examine, to check up.
You know, Tibetans say that this may process might take ten years. That’s that’s fine. But in the meanwhile, we can we can rely on a spiritual friend or a Sangha, a spiritual community. But when you do find someone that you feel that you’re convinced that that there’s benefit to be gained through devoting oneself to this particular teacher, then we can devote ourselves in terms of our thought, that is to say, focusing upon, again and again, their positive qualities, develop recollecting their kindness again and again and again, developing a sense of gratitude. And in terms of speech, in terms of of our body, we can offer material objects.
We can offer our services, whatever the the Lama might need done. But most importantly is our practice. As I said, I think if the Lama is worthy of our devotion, then he or she will be most pleased by our practice, and this is the best offering that we can make, the best way that we can devote ourselves to our Lama. But, you know, up to this point, we’ve been talking very much about an outer Lama, you know, physical embodiment of person. But as we begin, I think, begin to cultivate or progress in the cultivation of, and begin to express our devotion to our Lama, we begin to understand that the Lama who we have come to respect, the Lama who we have developed a sense of gratitude, appreciation for all the very many kindnesses that they’ve shown to ourselves is not something completely separate from our own minds.
I think as our devotion deepens, we will, our Lama will be revealed as a reflection of our own inner Lama, our own inner teacher. This is a quote by Sogyal Rinpoche. Our Buddha nature has an active aspect, which is our inner teacher. From the very moment we become obscure, this inner teacher has been working tirelessly for us, tirelessly trying to bring us back to the radiance and spaciousness of our true being. Not for one second has the inner teacher given up on us.
In its infinite compassion, one with infinite compassion of all the Buddhas and all the enlightened beings, it has been ceaselessly working for evolution, not only in this life, but in all past lives also, using all kinds of skillful means and all types of situations to teach us and awaken us and to guide us back to the truth. When we have prayed and inspired and hungered for the truth for a long time, for many lifetimes, and when our karma has become sufficiently purified, a kind of miracle takes place. And this miracle, if we can understand it and use it, can lead it to the ending of ignorance forever. The inner teacher who has been with us always manifests in the form of an outer teacher whom, almost as if by magic, we actually encounter. This This encounter is the most important of any lifetime.
Who is this inner teacher? None other than the embodiment and voice and representative of our outer teacher. So, you know, the the the devoting ourselves to our through through thought and deed in terms of devotion, respect, and gratitude, making offerings in various ways, through by means of our practice. All of this becomes a profoundly skilled mean to as a means of devoting ourselves to our own inner teacher, to our own obscured and neglected inner guru, our basic intelligence, our basic caring, our basic decency, you know, to what we talked about before, this golden element within the shadow. Devoting ourselves to our spiritual master, we become the master of ourselves.
No one else, in fact, can be our master. The Buddha said in a compilation of his verses, you are your own master. Who else can be your master? As master of yourself, you are near to beyond sorrow, nirvana. So by devoting ourselves, you know, it’s as as if, you know, we can’t bear the divinity or we can’t we can’t get in touch with the golden element within inside of ourselves, our own basic goodness, our own basic intelligence and decency.
And we have to, as it were projected temporarily outside of ourselves. And this person, this outer lama makes available their hook where we can we can hang our golden element and devote ourselves to it. We can project it outside, but but it becomes a skillful way of beginning to recognize it, to begin to acknowledge it, and become aware of it with inside of ourselves. Devoting ourselves to our lama is in no way abdicating our responsibility for ourselves. It’s in it’s it is, in fact, a profound way of taking responsibility for ourselves.
A clip by Lama Yeishi, who I mentioned previous days on the to your left this altar on your left is the left hand picture. Don’t think the Guru is somewhere outside there. You are the Guru. You are the wisdom. To liberate yourself, that is that is what Buddha says.
I think Westerners want sometimes too much to see the outer Guru and not seeing the inner guru. Sometimes that also becomes, concept, too concrete, and therefore becomes a problem. Now, I want you to think clearly about this one. I truly believe that fundamentally my inner guru is totally responsible for whether I become good or a bad person. And I am responsible for the entire journey from the beginning up to the end to enlightenment.
Now I’m sure you’re thinking this sounds too confident. I make an example. Milarepa is a good example. First, he started with teachers and these things. Afterwards, he had to give up his books and he had to give up his Guru.
He went by himself. So who is his guru? He himself is his guru. This is a good example. At a certain point, you are truly responsible for liberating yourself.
I think so, really. Maybe I am deluded. Maybe I am selfish. But somehow, I feel I can only rely on I cannot rely on outside objects to be my guru. They already show us.
They already explained everything from the beginning to the end. They verbally told us already. To actualize it from beginning to the end is somehow up to me. It seems that I cannot have this Guru with me all the time. I am not married to him.
I am not his husband, communicating or not. Therefore, every human being, I truly believe this, if we let go and allow our inner wisdom to function, we know something. You cannot say, I don’t know. You do know. So, you know, one point, perhaps, in becoming in in coming to devote ourselves to our own inner teacher, we have to become have to recognize that there is a more basic ground to our being than the ground of ego, that we are something more than the captivating displays of our own ego, And this this impoverishing set of fictions that it keeps whispering into our ear, even now, telling you who you are and who you’re going to be.
No. We got it already figured out, more or less. We play a game of struggling for happiness. But in a way, it’s only we know about how much happiness we’re gonna get out of life. We know about how much success we’re going to experience in our life.
We’ve got it all planned. You know, too much success would be too much of a burden, and therefore, we sabotage even that. So we we we we’ve got our our our thermometer set at a pretty comfortable level of just enough suffering or just that we can take, but but not too much happiness, which we couldn’t bear. We this inner ego is whispering to ourselves who in we are. Don’t kid yourself.
Don’t pretend you’re somebody else. You know who you are and what you’re going to do and what you can expect from your life. We know that already. You know, we have to we have to believe in ourselves. It’s tremendously difficult, I think, because the world is telling you night and day that you’re somebody else.
And it’s the greatest struggle of our life to be all that we can be. And what we we don’t even believe it ourselves. We have to believe in our own basic goodness that within within the shadow, there’s there lies gold. Some kind of fundamental sanity, basic intelligence, a basic decency, some kind of strength at the at the at the fundamental to our being about who we are. It’s we all have at the bottom a wakefulness of a an unconditioned way of being, an intrinsic instinct toward wakefulness, and to finding ways to express that continuously.
That’s what we’re struggling with. Perhaps you are sitting at a kitchen table. You have finished breakfast, washed the dishes, and are ready to go for an appointment. But you are not in a hurry, and you sit there looking out of the window at the street. It is a warm day with high clouds.
People are walking down the sidewalk in a bright summer clothes, blue suits, a red and yellow dress, a white shirt. Some are moving briskly, almost urgently. Others are strolling. A horn toots. A bender cries his wares.
A child laughs. Suddenly, eyes catch a flag flapping in the breeze on the roof across the street. For a moment, your mind rests with the flag. A sudden flash of freshness, almost of joy, enters your state of being. Your mind seems suddenly fresh and open, your body relaxed and warm.
There’s a quality of lightness, humor, and almost timelessness. It’s very simple. Yet for the remainder of the day, you feel utterly refreshed for no good reason. This is the flavor of basic goodness. Unconditioned goodness is said to be the most immediate, intimate, and all pervading aspect of our everyday experience.
It is always there. It does not come and go. Our recognition of it may be fleeting, but it does not depend upon any particular circumstances. We may be in a very mundane situation such as I have just described, or in a more extensive, extreme situation. A sudden glimpse of unconditioned goodness is always possible.
Traditionally, such realizations are said to be most likely to occur spontaneously at a moment of sudden surprise, or they occur as a result of practice of meditation. Still, the glimpse of openness can come along at any moment. Such moments are a first step. If they are acknowledged and allowed to enter our state of being, then gradually our life begins to open out. We begin to cheer up and feel a natural wholesomeness and dignity.
If we do not acknowledge these simple experiences, then they are forgotten, and our life continues along its particular familiar grooves. So unconditioned goodness is not something that which we need to needs to be gotten. It’s not something which needs to be improved upon. It only needs to be recognized and to be acknowledged. We have to you know, there there there there are you know, when we talk about a path, the path is a way of organ is a metaphor.
And a metaphor is the way that we organize our experience in order to understand it better. So we have a sense of a journey, and that that makes sense, does it? I mean, I’m here now. This is where I want to get to, and I’m going to take these many steps to get there. But there’s there are other ways ways of organizing our experience, other metaphors that we can make use of.
And one of them that in addition to a path that Buddhism uses is the idea of a lotus. The opening, the revealing of a perfection that has always been. It never needs to be improved on or need to acknowledge and recognize and allow to flourish. So, you know, the the the lotus opens, and What has always been becomes revealed. And likewise, ourselves, what it there is an unconditioned goodness, a basic sanity, something quite right about ourselves, and it only needs to be recognized, acknowledged, and it it requires some type of discipline, some training to allow it to be revealed.
But nonetheless, it’s there, And we have to build some confidence in a in its its existence with inside of ourselves. You know, beneath the the the the something at the depth, like at the bottom of the ocean, beneath the the churning waves, something which remains unchanged by all the storms, by the ups and downs, by all the confusion of our minds. Beneath it all, within the shadow, lies some golden element of ourselves. We have to align ourselves. The Mahāyāna scriptures speak of those who are completely ready ready to open, and those who have the potential to open.
Those who have the potential are intellectual people who are interested in the subject, but who do not allow enough room for this instinct to spring out. Those who are almost ready are quite open minded, but they are watching themselves more than necessary. Those who are completely ready to open have heard the secret word, the password Tathāgata. Tathāgata means one that’s gone or it’s it’s the epithet of a Buddha. Someone has already done it.
Someone has already crossed over. It is an open path. It is possible. It is the Tathāgata path. Therefore, disregarding or therefore, disregarding how or when or why simply open.
It is a beautiful thing. It has always it has already happened to someone else. Why not to you? Why do you discriminate between me and the rest of the Tathagatas? You know, there there’s a saying, our Buddha nature is as good as any Buddha’s Buddha’s nature.
The I think the message of Christianity is that we have already been forgiven, and if we’re willing to open to that to that reality, we can find salvation. The the message, I think, of Buddhism is that we are all Buddhas to be, and we only have to open to that reality to find awakening. You know, Buddha nature is our birthright. Now beneath all the ups and downs of our thinking, these these moments of self affirmation, self denigration between beneath all of the confusion, all the negative thoughts, images that we have ourselves, and sometimes positive. We know beneath all the various conceptions, displays in ego.
There is within the shadow, the golden element ourselves as a Buddha. And that we are that the nature of who we are right now is no different than that of a Buddha. We are basically sane, caring, decent people just like them. So one of the great masters of of Buddhism is Nāgārjuna. And he he he emphasized, you know, this is the basis of the path, isn’t it?
This is where it comes it comes at the beginning. We have to believe that we have the basis for transformation. The the the the more confidence we have in this, the more willing we’ll the more open we we we are as susceptible to the teachings to bring about change. If we if we if we hold on to ourselves, it’s as if we there’s no space. We have to create the inner ecology of mind to to whereby to allow for change to take place.
And part of this is to have confidence in the teacher and confidence in ourselves and create this this this this therapeutic culture where we can bring about the kinds of changes that we want to make. It’s it’s a very I think it’s a very subtle process, but the but the means are there. So here, you know, we talked about the outer lama, who we have to have confidence in, who who is part of this lineages, who is who is transmitting this awakened worldview to ourselves, and we have to find a way to integrate it into ourselves and to find find how it resonates with ourselves, with our own Buddha, with our own potential for awakening. We have to believe in the teachings and the teacher and believe in ourselves. So emphasized that the the difference between ourselves as ordinary people and Buddhas as extraordinary ones is only relative.
It’s not absolute. It’s only a matter of degree. It’s not a matter of kind. No matter who it might be, you we can take it on you know? We have to overcome this this self impoverished image, this that we have of ourselves, or we can’t change.
You know, when we look at mother Teresa, when we look at the Dalai Lama, when we look at Nelson Mandela, it’s as if somehow they were of a different order of being, you know, as if they came from Mars in a way in a way in their thinking. You know? As if they their atoms. They have loving atoms and compassionate cells in their body and heroic nervous system. Somehow, they aren’t quite who we are.
We’re made of a different stuff than ourselves, but it’s not true at all. Not true at all. We have to not just know that intellectually, but we have to feel that to create the space to for to allow change to occur. So here is here’s Nāgārjuna talking about that this difference between ourselves as ordinary beings, how we how we how we how we presently conceive of ourselves and Buddhas, or we can bring it down to something much more tangible to Dalai Lama’s, to to mother Teresa’s, and Nelson Mandela’s, whoever. It’s not it’s only relative.
It’s not absolute. Just as water in summer is called warm, and that same water in winter is called cold, the person is snarled in nets of afflictive emotions is called an ordinary being. And when that very person is free of them, he is called a Buddha. So Buddha nature refers to this primordial wakefulness and the natural purity of our own minds. That there is within our minds, within ourselves a primordial intrinsic wakefulness, and our minds by their very nature are pure.
He compares this wakefulness to to here in this verse, like, he’s comparing it to wisdom. He calls it wisdom, and he’s comparing it to, like, underground an underground stream, underground water. Just as water which lies beneath the earth is uncontaminated, likewise, the exalted wisdom which lies beneath the afflictive emotions is uncontaminated. And there there are there are technical ways to talk about this. The technicalities get in the way of our feelings.
And then we can talk about natural Buddha nature. That is to say, the emptiness of our mind. That our minds are malleable. They’re open ended. Our minds are not fixed.
You know, we have the stuff of mind, and we can make of that mind according to our skills, according to the efforts, our abilities, or lack of them, what we will. It’s like clay. You know, we can make the clay of our minds something as transcendently beautiful as the Michelangelo’s Virgin and Child, Virgin and Child. Or we can make of our minds an ashtray. It has that dynamic, that quality, that that open endedness.
That there is also the natural purity of mind, you know, that that we are not the afflictive emotions, that they are what is called adventitious to the mind. They are not in the nature of the mind. No matter what identity we may hold to, however we may conceive of ourselves, this is not actually portray, reflect on who we actually are. So another another great master by the name of Asaṇga, he tries to tries to to describe how our you know, it’s it’s quite remarkable how something as precious and as As wonderful as the Buddha nature is, it’s not even apparent to ourselves, something that we already possess. It’s presently obscured by our own afflictive emotions and therefore is not apparent to us.
And this is the way he describes it. A Buddha within a decaying lotus, honey surrounded by bees, grain in its husk, gold within filth, treasure beneath the earth, the shoot of a great tree and a small fruit, a statue of a Buddha wrapped in rags, a future ruler in the in the womb of an ugly woman, a precious image within a clay mold. In just that way, obscured by the stains of adventitious afflictions, the element of Buddha exists in all beings. You know, though it might not be apparent to ourselves, and it probably isn’t. And each of us possesses the essence of Buddha, the essence of a supremely caring, decent, kind human being.
And beneath all the various fluctuating conceptions and identities that we hold on to, that we grasp to, that we identify with. Beneath all of that, we are all Buddhas to be. And that there’s a there’s a saying in in in Zen Buddhism, human nature is Buddha nature, and Buddha nature is no nature. That we that our minds are are by their very nature can be transformed, that they aren’t fixed, they aren’t intrinsically as they might appear to be. We have to appreciate our basic goodness.
We there is something some goodness. There’s something good about ourselves, something tremendously sane about our dreams, our aspirations. We we all notice at some deep level of ourselves, at our hearts, but we are afraid to admit it even to ourselves. We find it hard to to to acknowledge and to to bear the weight of the gold within, right within inside of ourselves, our own basic goodness. By basic goodness, I it is meant a natural goodness, a goodness which is not conditional, which is not dependent upon any particular way.
It is not a stance or a belief of any kind. It is not something we can contrive to be. Every stance, every posture, and belief we adopt, identify with, creates some inner division activating an opposite tendency inside of us, the shadow. If we try to be good, we will have to repress what we conceive of as our bad side. Basic sanity is not a stance that creates a shadow.
Rather, it is more like the radiance of the sun itself, unconditional because it is beyond both our attempts to be good and the shadow that these attempts to create. So the basis, you know, the basis spiritual path is said to be devotion to the spiritual master, to to the lama. But a deeper at another level or coincidental with that understanding is that this is the way, a skillful way, that we can begin to recognize and acknowledge and open to our own inner teacher, our own inner lama. You know, if we if we did not possess basic sanity, we would not be able to appreciate the necessity and the needs to change ourselves. To we would not see the need to grow, to develop ourselves.
And if we we would not somehow, if we if we do not possess this kind of innate intelligence, this kind of innate intelligence, this basic sanity, normality would be enough. Normality would be sufficient. But to be normal society is not to be healthy, and we understand it at some level, at some level of our being. It’s just not good enough. And that which recognizes it’s not good enough for you is your own basic sanity, your own intelligence.
Sanity, your own intelligence. Now if if we did not possess the potential to go beyond our suffering, we would we would not we would simply accept our lack in life. We wouldn’t despair. We wouldn’t feel depressed about our condition, the way where we find ourselves. It shows that we have some intelligence about ourselves in spite of how we might feel about ourselves.
We we would our minds would never turn toward achieving any type of something more than what we see about us. If we did not possess the element of Buddha, we would not despair of our suffering and thus neither want nor will nor strive for beyond sorrow. You know, this this start the starting of the path, when we begin this path, we have to relate with both the clouds and the sun. The clouds obscure the sun. But we can’t we we we can’t get hum up in the clouds.
The clouds are initially more predominant. They’re more apparent than ourselves when we begin to look within our own mind. But we but we also have to relate with the sun. The moment you try entangle to untangle the afflictions, you experience entanglement. You you begin to you you become aware of just how how closed off we are from our own intelligence, from our own kindness.
To become aware of and acknowledge our ignorance and our dissatisfaction is the way that we’ve become to become wise. To become aware of and acknowledge our ignorance and dissatisfaction is the beginning of wisdom. To become aware of and and this this awareness, this acknowledgement is a kind of is a kind of wisdom. A wisdom which is it’s like wisdom seeking greater wisdom with more more wisdom. Our confusion you know, we have confusion.
We have pain, and they’re like a mouth trying to tell us something about the way that we’re living our life, that somehow we’re living our lives unskillfully. The way with the way that we’re relating with reality is inappropriate to what it is that we want. So we have, you know, we have some wisdom to listen, to begin to understand and know. We are precious because we all have we are all we all have good nature, but we but we are are vulnerable because we are all confused and in pain. So at one time at one time, we have to be gentle with ourselves because we are confused and in pain, but but in in the same time, we also have to respect ourselves and and be courageous because we are all Buddhist to be.
You know, we’re we’re sick, but we’re we’re well enough to be sick. If we weren’t well enough to be sick if you’re not well enough to be sick, you die. We’re well enough to be sick and to acknowledge that sickness, but that’s the part that that’s the cloud, but behind the cloud is also the sun. There’s a great health about us. There’s something quite right about our dreams and our aspirations and who we can be.
So we have always tried to be the person that we thought we were. And and what we could not be, we can determine to become. Ultimately, we can all become Buddhas. But, conventionally, this kind of a mundane sense. We we have to we have to develop a coherent, stable ego before we can transcend it.
We have to be somebody before we can be nobody. We have to we have to work with the clouds before we can bask in the sun. We have to try to appreciate ourselves and who we really are, if only in a very mundane sense. We are all Buddhas to be. So we’ll we’ll we’ll with that idea that in terms of Trying to recognize and acknowledge and begin to feel that there’s something right about ourselves.
No matter what might be whispered in her ear otherwise, to the contrary. So many questions? I’ve got ten minutes. That’s why I brought my big clock. One lama?
Yeah. I think so. You too. Yeah. You can have many lamas.
I think Atisha had a hundred and fifty lamas. Atisha, one of the great masters who reintroduced Buddhism into Tibet after it degenerated. But, generally, you would have one main teacher, one main spiritual teacher. Yeah. Anybody?
Give me some feedback. How are you doing out there? Are you finding, is the way that we’re going okay? Is it satisfactory? Kind of a, yeah?
You’re being very patient. Sure. Would you like to see things change in any way? No? Any suggestions?
And this is for you. What can we is it okay. I won’t interrogate you. I I did ask one question. Yes.
Sure. Have an inkling of what the answer might be, but since no one else is asking me anything. You mentioned that if we didn’t have this sort of basic intelligence, we wouldn’t sort of feel like we need to be something more. We would be content with what we have, but with where we are. So Yeah.
Yeah. The vast majority of people are. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. The vast majority of people are. Yeah. That’s because Why do you suppose that’s the case? Well, I suppose it’s not the case.
I suppose it’s only the case of face value. Yeah. Because people, even if they don’t know where to seek for something more see, I thought of the question that I thought, even if people don’t know where to seek for something more, usually beneath the veneer of contentment, there’s still some kind of depression or dissatisfaction or or something going on. So that was my conclusion. I think it’s You don’t miss what you don’t have.
I think so. I think that’s very profound. You’re right. And it was Yeah. I think so.
I think that’s why models I think before we talked about the necessity of models, you know, we can see other possibilities. If we don’t have you if you thought the best you could do is our politicians, for example, then there wouldn’t be any inspiration or aspiration to be otherwise. Some people who who who see who value other things more than material things and so forth, who who who prize compassion and and wisdom. But we see them quite often, even in small ways in our everyday life. But I think you’re right.
Think people get tired and they they don’t there’s not an alternative, which is maybe they see them alternative or they know of an alternative or just the possibility of something different. So they kind of become very apathetic and accepting. And this become life is a bitch and then you die. And that’s about all it is. Full of sound and fury signifying nothing in particular.
So yeah. So you have to and if I mean, that’s later on, we’re going to talk about the this window of opportunity that our life presents us and how much we have to appreciate all that we do have, this opportunity that was presented to us. And that so I think this has this is all many of the this is all as a means to help us to get unstuck. So you begin to first, we have to believe that there are other other possibilities in a very real sense, and that I have everything I need with internally in terms of my in terms of myself, in terms of conditions about me. And then but it’s not going to last forever.
We’re all going to die, and I just do something now while I have the opportunity. And so this helps us. So all of this arouses some kind of energy and begins to focus our our our attention and tell we begin to make use of our resources. So it’s it’s quite a project, I think. It’s quite an undertaking.
Please. What do you think? I think you just gave it what do you think? I think so. Yeah.
I think so. We can we can we can remember that. I mean, it’s helpful, isn’t it? When your mind gets, you see, you look at this garbage mind or I look at my garbage mind to myself and it’s as if that’s all there is. And, you know, but maybe some you can some kind of glimmer of mindfulness comes and we remember that, you know, this is merely an appearance.
It’s not, in fact, a reflection of the reality. And that behind this, all these clouds, there is there is a sun, but it’s temporarily obscured. So maybe it inspires you to not you aren’t so overwhelmed. It’s it’s not it doesn’t weigh as heavy as it as it as it as it it might. Anyway, then we then we have to actually begin to work with the various methods to with the clouds.
But I guess I guess the important part here is as a basis to to to to not identify with the clouds. I think that there is a to always remember that there is a sun shining. It’s helpful. Are the skins? The banana skins?
What is banana skin? I haven’t eaten a banana in a long time since. Too expensive. It’s hard for but what do you think? So what is it?
What is the skin? So the karma and afflicted emotions. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
There there you know, this this when we talk about the awakened heart, the bodhicitta, there’s one way of describing there are many many ways to organize or divide it. And one of one of the divisions into three, and it reminds me of of what you’re just speaking of now. One type of so this awakened heart is the aspiration to achieve enlightenment. Okay? For the sake of all sentient beings, you I have to become a Buddha in order to benefit as many people as possible, all sentient beings.
So there is said to be three motivations, three types. One is called a kingly, king-like motivation where you have a sense of, well, I’m going to go ahead, like procession, and you’re you’re in the front, and you’re marching along, and all all the sentient beings are coming along behind you. Yeah. And then this is what’s called an or a boatman. It’s like, we’re all on the same boat.
Maybe that’s what you’re talking about. And we’re all I’m gonna we’re all in the same boat, and I’m gonna roll us across to, like, we’re all gonna go together. And the third kind is is called shepherd like. And shepherd like motivation is is like a shepherd who is leading not leading his sheep, but taking his sheep along. And he he he he gets his sheep to go first along the path.
You know? He follows behind his sheep. And it said the more willing that you are are to be the shepherd, that is that that you want all the sentient beings to achieve enlightenment before yourself. Paradoxically, you it’s like when they say it in the Christian bible, the the last shall be first. The more you wish other people to be happy to achieve awaken even before yourself, the faster that you will achieve enlightenment.
So it’s like a paradox in a way. So, you know, we we if we understand I mean, a Buddha is a tremendously skillful in his ability or her ability to be able to help others. And, you know, if if we we you know, what is the difference between the ability of, say, of someone who took a first aid course, someone who’s a nurse, someone who’s a GP, and someone who is a neurosurgeon if you have a tumor in your brain. You know? Sure.
The, you know, the the the the the the someone who took a first aid course might be able to put a bandage on your head, but they and they’re going to they they can help you in some preps in some small some small way, but they can’t give you what you really need at that time. So depending upon our skill, how much we develop ourselves to that same degree we can actually be of help to others. And the way that we can be a maximum benefit to others is becoming a Buddha. That’s what we mean by a Buddha. You know, as I’ve mentioned many times, I don’t know what a Buddha is.
But a Buddha, in one one way, one perspective, is someone who is has the ability, has developed the skills, has the experience, has the the know how to be of maximum benefit to others. And that’s what we want to become. So your motivation is compassion. I have to become a Buddha as quickly as possible in order to be a maximum benefit to others. So it’s not as if now you can’t it’s like a bodhisattva can’t stand to wait even a second longer to become before becoming a Buddha.
It’s not as if on the road to becoming a Buddha, you don’t help others, but you realize that your ability is limited. You can’t help as to the same degree as if you would developed complete capacity, you know, all your potential. And you therefore, this becomes like the the impetus behind you. You’re you’re practice. You’re practicing.
I have to become a Buddha as quickly as possible if I’m in order to have the greatest benefit to all sentient beings. So it’s not a matter of leaving beings behind. It’s not a matter of of of tolerating people’s suffering. It’s the suffering of other beings is so intolerable that you have to you have to. You have to bring it to an end.
You take personal responsibility, and that responsibility entails that you’d be able to respond. If responsibility has any meaning, you have to be able to respond. And the maximum and the Buddha is has the maximum ability to respond. I must become a Buddha as quickly as possible for the sake of all sentient beings. And this becomes motivation or the attitude.
I don’t know. Did that address your question? No. Yeah. Well, anyway, we’ve got time.
We won’t clear up all the questions tonight. Okay. So we dedicate this, the positive potential, the merit that we’ve created together in this way? May all beings everywhere plagued by suffering of body and mind attain an ocean of happiness and joy by virtue of my merits. May no living creatures suffer, commit evil, or fall ill.
May one be afraid or belittled with a mind weighed down by depression. May the blind see forms and deaf hear sounds. May those whose bodies are worn with toil be restored upon finding repose. May the naked find clothing, the hungry find food. May the thirsty find water and delicious drink.
May the poor find wealth, those weak with sorrow find joy. May the forlorn find hope, constant happiness, and prosperity. May there be timely rains and bountiful harvest. May all medicines be effective and the wholesome prayers bear fruit. May all who are sick and ill quickly be free from their ailments.
Whatever diseases there are in the world, may they never occur again. May the frightened cease to be afraid, those bound be freed. May the powerless find power, and may people think benefiting each other. Through these skillful actions, may I quickly become an awakened spiritual master and lead each and every living being to that awakened realm. May the supreme jewel of the three principal aspects of the path that have not arisen arise and grow, and may those that have arisen, may they never diminish but increase more and more.
In the land that circled by snow mountains, you are the source of happiness and well-being. Powerful Chenrezig Tenzin Gyatso, please remain at the end of cyclic existence. Thank you very much. Have a good week.