ACI 5 «Как работает карма», занятие 3

Class Three: Three Kinds of Karma, Four Kinds of Good Karma



You know what makes it virtue and non-virtue and what is virtue and non-
virtue and then where does motivation play the part. I don’t really like the
translation virtue. I think, when I think of virtue I think of the cardinal virtues
like patience and ah, you know...{gewa} means good deed more or less. The
tibetan word for for virtuous is {gewa}, okay, {gewa}. I used to get it mixed up
with {dewa}, {dewa} means happiness {gewa} means virtue. Okay so don’t get
them mixed up all right and this is the definition of {gewa} okay. This is the what
{gewa} is. This definition comes from Chim Jampey Yang is at the end of your
reading. Chim Jampey Yang was a thirteenth century Sakya scholar and he..
you know as far as I can see he was the greatest abhidharma scholar in Tibet,
you know, as far as what we have left in this...of writings and it’s a fantastic
commentary and if we ever get to study the whole thing it would be nice. No-
one’s ever tried to translate it, it’s very long, very difficult to read, it’s just
beautiful it’s a masterpiece so, you know, people say “Which sect do you belong
to?”. Sometimes I don’t know [laughs]. It’s a great, it’s a great masterpiece. So
say {du reshi la} [repeat] there’s one word missing here. {du reshi la} means {du
reshi la} means “in the short term”, “in the short term.” Okay. What is the
opposite of that?

[student: in a long time]

Okay, in a long time all right. So in the short term...{nammin} say {nammin}
[repeat] {nammin} [repeat]. {nammin} is a very very important word. If you’re
a buddhist you have to learn it. You know, it’s related to a sanskrit word
{budgetey} which means “to cook something” and it means karmic cooking, it
means...{nammin} means a...the result of cooking, you know that result which
comes out after time. So a {nammin} doesn’t happen when?

[students: In a short term ]

Right away. Nagarjuna says it is very unfortunate that when you crush a bug
your own ribs don’t start breaking. They will but later and there’s this time lapse
which we’ll explain when we get to the mental side of karma which comes in this
course. But he said it’s very unfortunate you know that when cut a...when you
stab somebody with a knife your own skin doesn’t open up and start to bleed. If
it did we wouldn’t we wouldn’t be here probably. Actually, it’s worse than that,
you will be cut many times, it would be a big...it’s one of the nasty things about
samsara in that it doesn’t happen right away. Therefore it confuses us and
therefore we still do those things. Okay so {nammin} means “karmic result”
okay. Some people say ripening which is a good translation and {min} also does
mean ripening like a ripe fruit is called {minba}. A blister which is ready to pop is
called {minba} ripe. {yidu ongwa} {yidu ongwa} means “desirable, attractive“. It
comes from two words {yi} means “mind” {ongwa} which means “come” and it
means you know it it pleases your mind, it comes to your mind {yidu ongwa}
{dewa ngongwa} {dewa} means “happiness” it can mean physical or mental.
There’s two kinds of {dewa}. {[unclear] dewa} in [b: Abhidharma] means
“physical pleasure” and {[unclear] dewa} in [b: Abhidharma] means “mental
happiness” so that word...it’s hard to use...I don’t if there’s one english word that
covers good feeling physically and good feeling mentally.

[student: Bliss]

It’s not bliss, there’s a different word, it’s not that strong. It just means wellbeing
or comfort but mental and physical. {dewa ngongwa} {ngongwa} means to
experience {ngongwa} means to experience. {dang} means “and” {tendu} means
“ultimately” as opposed to {reshi} which meant for the time being, okay, in the
short term. So {tendu} means “ultimately” {dukngyel dukngyel} is {dukkha} in
sanskrit suffering and that can be physical or mental. I think suffering more
covers both than than pleasure covers both mentally and physically right, I don’t
know. You can suffer in your mind and your new body. {dukngyel le} means
“from” {le} means “from”. {kyoppa} means “to protect” save you, okay.
{nyangde} is the tibetan word for “nirvana” {nyangde} means “to pass beyond
all sorrow” and it’s the tibetan translation for the word nirvana, okay. {topje}
means “it brings you” and that’s the definition of {gewa}. {gewa} means good
deed, good karma. All right so I’ll give it to you in plain english all right.
[laughter] I do the tibetan so I can waste time [unclear] finish everything in
twenty minutes. Good deed is defined as something which in the short term
brings you a pleasant experience, that is a desirable karmic result.

[student: Pleasurable]

Yeah experience, a desirable karmic result. It’s in the last part of your reading,
you don’t have to write the whole thing and which which ultimately protects
you from suffering by bringing you to nirvana and that’s the definition of virtue,
of a good deed.
[student: When they say short term, they don’t mean very short term like it
means like...]

Well there’s three...you should know this is not in your homework or anything,
but I I mean...we’re not going to get to this because the fourth chapter to the [b:
Abhidharma] is huge right. There are three kinds of {nammins} there are three
kinds of karmic results. One is called {tong gyur gyi le} {tong gyur gyi le} means
“things you see in this life” and as I’ve said many times, this is the basis of the
secret teachings. Secret teachings are based on the concept of {tong gyur gyi le}
that if you were to perform some incredible virtue in this life, you could see the
result in this life before you die. Then there’s {kyene nyong gyur gyi le} which
means “to be experienced in the next the very next life”. And then there’s the
the third kind is that which is experienced in the second life and on. So you’ve
got three periods. One is this life, number two is next life and number three is
next next life and beyond, could be many many lives. We’ll talk about a little bit
about that like, you know, if you do one karma today can it hurt you in ten lives
or just one life or. And if you...can you do ten karmas today which only hurt
you in the next life and not in the next nine lives, we’ll talk about that, the [b:
Abhidharma] talks about that. So that’s the...

[student: The categories for this three, I’m sorry, what was under...what
category]

Those were the kinds of karmic results. They can come in this life, later in this
life, they can come in your next life your very next life or they can come out in
any life after that.

[student: Is there any very general rule to know which...]

Generally more powerful more sooner they ripen and as we spoke about in the
last course, depends greatly on your mental state as you die. I spent last night
with Alan and it was the first time I did it, a lot of the students have done it many
times but he’s finished I mean that’s it, can’t think straight, can’t remember
anything, can’t walk, he was a student in this class and then it makes me think
you know we’ll all be like that. He just got it sooner you know, he was the first
and there’ll be number two, number three, one of us, you know and it’s very
much you know...wants you to...it’s it urges you to practice if you see him, he
was one of the most intelligent people I knew, you know, and that’s it he can’t
do it now.
[student: Did he recognise you?]

Dimly, like for five minutes during the whole night, you know. It’ll come to us,
we just have to...the karma which threw us into this life is finishing, it’s on its...it’s
in the process of wearing out and it will wear out and we haven’t done anything
extraordinary to make it continue so, its it’s where we will go. Okay, so {gewa}
and and the important thing is that what what decides whether something is for
the time being or ultimately you see what I mean. Is every good deed you do,
does every good deed you do contribute to your nirvana?

[student: You’re talking about the difference between desirable samsaric results
versus desirable ultimate results]

Right. That’s the basic thing. I mean normally your good deeds especially if
they’re done with ignorance and not dedicated to Buddhahood, just lead to a
short term result which wears out like our own body like our minds right now,
these classes will end, you know. There’ll be a last class, there’ll be a last time
that we’re together, it will come. The the deeds we did to have these classes will
wear out and that’s a that’s a samsaric result basically. Your your body is that
kind of result it will wear out and and when it wears out after that, the energy
that gave it to you is gone, its finished. It depends on what new ones you make,
so..

[student: So the only only the ones that they are good karmic results that it
doesn’t matter how awful they are I mean, as long as they are made under
ignorance they’re not]

Ignorance are not dedicated.

[student: Not dedicated]

Dedication means, you know, you as you do it you wish that it would help all
sentient beings and that it would make you a Buddha and that it doesn’t go to
some temporary, you know, getting hagendaas for the next five years or
something [laughter]. You know what I mean, in fact high arharts can purposely
do karma like giving medicine to someone and get extra lifetime result and then
they can decide to either use that or not to use that and or dedicate it to
something else. So it’s very important that you dedicate your good deeds, it’s
very important that you...first of all, ignorance means as you do a good deed, do
it by consciously knowing that while you’re doing it, you know the object is
empty, you’re empty, your goal is that you and the object in the future reach
some kind of permanent happiness. I mean you always should keep that in
mind as you do a good deed, otherwise, mostly, it just will wear out and and it’s
actually another kind of suffering, a suffering of change right.

[student: So yeah I mean like when we do the meditations and we do the
dedication, you know, somethings become almost rote you know. What I’m
trying to say is that how much is this is there that consciousness or is it, you
know, I mean a lot of times you may just dedicate and it...you’re just saying it it
doesn’t mean anything]

Yeah no. It has to be it has to be conscious and purposeful you know that’s the
main energy that makes it go towards a higher result.

[student: So how do you know if...]

You if you if you don’t consciously dedicate it but you say the words of
dedication, it will still have some energy towards your nirvana but not but not as
much as if you consciously dedicated it to that properly, thinkingly

[student: So that...I mean, I always wonder you know after the meditation and
I’m feeling very good alright, so I sort of know, you know, something has
happened for me, and then when I dedicate it to the world, it feels very much
like you know new world...wishing ev...you know, I don’t really see the energy
going out there I don’t really understand how that. Okay]

It has to do with ignorance and we’ll talk about that. How much ignorance is
there. We talked about it a lot at the end of the last class. The basic thing is just
remember, I mean nothing that you do good can ever get lost you know, the
perception of yourself doing good as you as you see yourself doing good and as
you do good, it it creates a seed in your mind it it must and it will and it always
will and and you can’t avoid it you know it’s the same for negative deeds for bad
deeds you know

[student: So meditation is doing a good deed then]

Absolutely, well it depends on why you do it. Some people meditate for for
pride that other people know that they’re meditating and that’s a bad deed. So it
depends on your motivation [unclear]. There’s a famous non buddhist saint I
mean you know he wanted everyone to think he was a great meditator. He got
this anger and this competitiveness and he took a very bad birth from that.
Yeah.

[student: I don’t really understand the whole concept of how dedicating your
virtue or karma or merit works]

We’ll talk we’ll talk about it. It’s not an [b: Abhidharma] subject necessarily but
we’ll get into it when we talk about the nature of how karma works which is the
name of the course. The name of the course doesn’t really take...doesn’t mean a
lot till we hit the mind only school okay. Yes mr [unclear]

[student: No I’ll save it]

Okay alright. So that’s the definition of virtue. Definition of non virtue. I’ll just
write the [unclear]. {nammin} [repeat] {yidu} [repeat] {mi-ongwa} [repeat]
{midewa} [repeat] {nyongwa ni} [repeat] {mi-gewa} [repeat]. {nammin} means,
what do you remember {budgetey}

[student: Short [unclear]]

A cooking, a karmic cooking alright, a karmic result. There are other kinds of
results flying around in the world. Karmic result is that thing that takes time it
takes time, it gets it gets caused, it gets planted in your mind a perception is, a
perception brews and then comes out later.

[student: What do what do you mean there are other kinds of results, other
kinds of karmic result?]

Well. Well for example we we describe in the [b: Vinaya] and in other and in the
[b: Abhidharma] in the second chapter there are five or six kinds of results, there
are many kinds of results. It doesn’t mean that...you had one in...we had a
[unclear] for example in the in the pramana course you know. Your mind at the
first moment of your in your mothers womb is a result, it’s called a direct result,
it’s also a karmic result so it it it means there’s different kinds of results not
every...ultimately every result you can say is a karmic result.           The [b:
Abhidharma] doesn’t agree with that but that’s a long story. Okay {nammin}
{yidu..yidu mi-ongwa} means “undesirable”.              {yidu mi-ongwa} means
“undesirable” unpleasant I’m sorry undesirable. {midewa} means “unpleasant”
and {nyongwa} means “experience”.
[student: What does {ni}mean?]

That. [laughs] So...and it’s referring back to the last definition, so it means that
deed which brings you a karmic result which is unpleasant, that is, suffering,
unhappiness. It’s hard to just...I guess suffering’s a good word, pain, pain is
another good word. That’s the definition of {mi-gewa}. That’s the definition of a
bad deed. I like the definitions, they have nothing to do with judgment or guilt,
you know. Nothing, nothing to do with that. It’s like if you do this it will hurt
you and if you do this it will make you feel good and that’s all. I I think it’s very
very nice. The reason to be moral in a most animal way is for your own self
interest, you know. Just do these things and you will be happy and do these
things and you will suffer and there’s no other being involved, there’s no other
people involved, there’s just you. You know, it’s what you decide you want and
that’s what you get, okay? Now we we we can’t see the karmic correlations and
that’s in the...you people who have studied pramana, remember the the laws of
karma were what? Were what kind of level of reality for us?

[student: Very hidden]

{shintu kok-gyur} {shintu kok-gyur} means?

[student: Deeply hidden]

Deeply hidden, not just hidden. Emptiness is on the level of hidden. Karmic..the
laws of karma are on the level of deeply hidden and you can only perceive that
how?

[student: [unclear]]

[student: By someone’s word]

Based on on authority okay. You have to establish that the authority’s authority
that’s why you can believe it but but you can’t, you and I can’t really see how
killing the roaches in our apartment is gonna lead to a lot of suffering for us.
You know, we we we don’t see it directly, we just can’t and a Buddha does. So
we have to [unclear] if you want to know what’s {gewa} and what’s {mi-gewa},
by definition, you have study this, the books. You have to study what the
Buddha said because that’s the only way you’ll get a really clear picture of what
you should do and what you shouldn’t do, and what is should mean. Should
means if you want to be hap..., you know, if you don’t want to suffer, you know.
So so you have to put a lot of, you have to put a lot of, I don’t know, how do
you say it? Trust or belief in in those books, you have to study the books on, the
first part of the whole [b: Vinaya], the whole first section of the buddhist canon is
is sixteen books explaining what’s gonna happen to you if you do certain things
and that you have to study them, you have to read them. And you have to
think that they are worth something, you know you can’t pick and choose, I
mean, if you do you’ll just suffer. You know, you have to follow what they say,
that’s all you can do. You can’t, even when it doesn’t feel like what you wanna
do, you have to distinguish between what you wanna do and what’s what’s
gonna actually bring you happiness and what will actually bring you, you know,
pleasure and and our our current ignorance. Ignorance is the state of thinking
that if you lie and get money, that’s the cause of the money. You know, or if
you lie. I lied this morning when was it, oh. [laughter] Somebody called me. I
was supposed to feed Alan at, I don’t know, eleven o’clock and I got wrapped up
in something. It was eleven thirty and somebody called and say ‘Did you feed
Alan?’. And I said ‘Oh well, you know, the other guy said something like I could
do it later or something’. He didn’t really say that.

[student: What?]

But it was just an automatic thing, you know. I’m thinking that will make him
feel better and me better, feel better but it’s not. It just, it’s unrelated to his
saying okay that’s alright, you know. The reason he said okay that’s alright has
nothing to do with my lie. My lie was not the cause of his saying oh that’s
alright. It had no connection. He believed me because I didn’t lie before and
because I lied now someone else won’t believe me in the future [laugher]
[unclear]. That’s the true cause and effect going on. How can I prove it?
Because sometimes when I make a lie it doesn’t work. That’s the proof. It’s a
very simple proof, it’s so obvious that it...you miss it. If if my telling a small
white lie was the cause of him saying oh it’s alright then, then it would always
work but it doesn’t always work. The other kind of relationship where I tell the
truth and then people believe me in...as a as a {nammin} as a karmic result in the
future, it always works. Something that always works is a law and something
that works half the time, you know, you lie you get a profit and sometimes you
lie and you go bankrupt, that’s not cause and effect. The lie had nothing to do
with making the profit and the lie had nothing to do with going bankrupt.
It...we just don’t understand the cause and effect. We we...and therefore we just
suffer and that’s that’s the whole point of karma, that’s the whole guts of karma,
you know.
[student: Well there are times when it appears to our limited perspective that
somebody’s doing something incredibly virtuous like trying to save someone’s
life and in the process they get killed. So is it?]

That’s why it can’t be the result of them helping the person.

[student: But if they didn’t try to help the person, they wouldn’t have been in the
line of gunfire or...]

They would have yeah, they would have died some other way at the same
moment. It’s it’s cool. [laughter] I mean but we can’t do it. You know, it’s
[unclear].

[student: Yeah, what do you mean by in the same moment, I mean, I don’t get
that?]

I mean, the [b: Abhidharma], the [b: Abhidharma] actually approaches this
question. They say “If the”. It’s exactly in the [b: Abhidharma], I could I could
read it to you, I could show it to you. It’s ah it’s the bardowa, if the person in
the bardo is meant to take birth as a certain kind of animal and that animal never
goes into heat during that certain month, what happens? It’s born into a similar
kind of animal that does. You see it’s it’s a, it’s called a {yowale} and it means
that certain, most kinds of karma will will divert to a the same result in a
different form if the conditions aren’t ready for that karma to ripen. So if the
person had never gone to help the person, he would have been hit by a car
anyway or something. You see this is in the [b: Abhidharma] stating [unclear].

[student: But, I mean, isn’t that impossible. Wasn’t it the person’s karma to die
being helped by this person and that’s it? I mean, you know.]

It’s, technically yes.

[student: But [unclear]]

But anyway the [b: Abhidharma] does say that.

[student: You were just talking about lies]

Yeah
[student: I know that a lot of us[laughter]who lie from time to time, do so with
the [unclear]]

What I’m saying is, all I’m saying is. By the way I’m starting to interrupt you
and I’ll let you talk but. What I’m saying is it doesn’t work. It’s dysfunctional. It
doesn’t really do...it only gives you...only the only thing that can come from a
bad cause is a bad result, that’s a law. That’s just true with fruits and and kids
and everything else, you know, if the cause is lousy the result must be lousy.
We’re just blind to it, we just...and we’ve been doing it so long we’re just used to
it, you know.

[student: So at any rate, we do lie a lot of times because by telling the truth
someone’s going to suffer a great deal, that’s the way we feel or at least we fool
ourselves into thinking that or that’s actually the case. So if they suffer a great
deal by us telling the truth, wasn’t from us telling the truth, it was from
something else and we shouldn’t necessarily be influenced]

That’s not, there, you are supposed to avoid, you know, at all costs...you’re not
supposed to upset people for example, you know. If if someone asks you a
direct question...if someone asks you a ind...a question which is not totally direct
and you know that a totally direct answer would upset them or hurt hurt them
badly, you’re not supposed to give that answer. Are you supposed to lie? No. I
mean try to change the subject, cough, go to the bathroom[laughter] I mean I
mean, do whatever you can, I mean, do whatever you can to avoid them. If
have bodhisattva vows, they take precedence over your pratimoksha vows.

[student: Pratimoksha is?]

Is like like swearing not to lie. So then you don’t break them. So a bodhisattva if
you gotta keep your bodhisattva vows for example, you must you must lie to
protect. The example is if if a person runs into your house and a mugger is
running after him and he says ‘did the guy run into your house?’, you say ‘no‘.
You know you look him in the face and say no and that’s ah it’s a higher level
morality but but that’s very very dangerous. You have to...it’s extraordinary
cases and we’re not extraordinary people. We can’t do even the unextraordinary
things, you know[laughs]. Everyone wants to be extraordinary, you know, no
one wants to follow the regular old rules, you know. Just, if you want to be
happy do do the regular old stuff, you know, and we’ll get into that okay. Okay,
what’s the ah...I have one more definition for you. {yidu eng} is the same one as
up there {yidu eng} means “a desirable result“. {mi ong} means what?

[student: Undesirable]

Yeah. {mi} is the negative in tibetan. {mi ong} means not desirable result,
undesirable result. {kyepa} means “gives you” , here. {dinyi} means “these
two” , these two. {le shenpay} means “other types than those“. {le} means
“karma“. Is the definition of what do you guess? What’s left after virtue and
non-virtue?

[student: Neutral]

Neutral karma, okay. {lung ma ten} means “neutral karma” , neutral karma.
And I’ll read, I’ll say the whole thing in english. By the way {lung ma ten} is a
great, is a very interesting word, okay. It means {lung du ma tenpa} and ah
{lung du ma tenpa} means “not clarified by the Buddha”. Now is everything that
wasn’t not, is everything that wasn’t clarified by the Buddha directly a neutral
karma. No. But what it means is, it’s just a tibetan word, it’s the buddhist word
for neutral and if the Buddha could speak forever about every kind of deed, he
wouldn’t clarify this as virtue or non-virtue. Then you could say it was neutral,
that’s what they are saying, okay. It’s not that the Buddha didn’t talk about it
necessarily. It’s not that he he didn’t cla...there’s lots of things he didn’t clarify.
In the [b: Vinaya], you know, [laughs] it’s huge but but that’s where the word
comes from. So, just so you...she looked like she wanted to know, okay. So
neutral karma means karma which is other than those two which give you
desirable or undesirable results, karmic results. That’s neutral karma. Neutral
karma is very much mixed up into, you know, ignorance which is not...where
you’re not doing anything particularly at the time. You know, watch...sitting
watching tv not thinking anything good or bad is is like a neutral karma.
Ig...you are blanketed in blissful ignorance and that’ s the, that’s what’s, that’s
what’s operative there, is is ignorance. Hatred and desire are pretty much
grooving in the other way, in the {mi gewa} in the [unclear].

[student: Even when you’re sitting watching tv, you’re still thinking thoughts
generating mental karma]

Yeah. Neutral, mostly neutral karma.

[student: Because it’s not hurting anyone or helping anyone?]
Mainly cause it’s not, I mean, in the in the [b: Vinaya], they say {[unclear]} that
means the main element of of morality is that it shouldn’t hurt, is that you don’t
is that you’re trying to avoid hurting other people or or yourself. For example
we’ll talk about it later, suicide is is a bad karma.

[student: So should you avoid neutral karma?]

You can’t. [laughs]Your mind is still...you should actually, for the time being it’s
a better thing to be able, well virtue is better but that’s why they say when you
get anger, if you don’t have the strength to go apologise to the person you got
angry to, well at least withdraw from the situation, at least leave it alone. That
it’s the Dalai Lama loves that quotation. I think it’s from Shantideva, which is
you know like “If you can’t stop hurting people...

[student: Don’t harm them]

At least don’t harm them”. Was it, is that how it goes?

[student: It says be...]

“If you can’t be good at least don’t hurt people”[laughs] It means be neutral, you
know, okay. So those are the three kinds of karma. Good good karma itself can
be divided into four kinds, okay.

[students: {dundam gewa}]

{dundam gewa}

[students: {dundam gewa}]

{dundam} means “ultimate”. That’s the word by the way in ultimate [unclear]
when we’re talking about emptiness in the higher schools. {dundam gewa}
{gewa} means what?

[student: Good deed]

Good deed, okay {dundam gewa}. What do you think is the ultimate good deed
in the abhidharma school?

[students: [unclear][laughter]]
[unclear] {moksha} liberation, okay, nirvana, alright. If you were in a debate in a
monastery, then this would be a good fodder for the day. You’d have to say
that this is not {gewa}, it’s not an action which leads to a karmic result which is...

[student: It’s a result]

It is the ultimate result, so but it’s it’s it’s {tapoa}. It’s nominally virtue, I mean it’s
it’s the best thing that can happen so we’ll call it virtue[laughs],okay. It’s not,
technically it’s not a a a deed which causes, you know, those things. It is the
thing that you get...

[student: I guess you could say it prevents you from doing bad deeds [unclear]]

That you could say, yeah. So that’s the that’s the first kind of good deed, alright.
Yeah

[student: Are talking about yourself reaching nirvana or helping others?]

In [b: Abhidharma] it’s mostly concentrating on yourself, yeah. It doesn’t say
Buddhahood and nirvana and Buddhahood are different.             Nirvana is the
permanent cessation of your bad thoughts which which you which causes you
not to have to take a birth, a suffering birth. You still will go on and then
Buddhahood is is when you remove both all your obstacles and and also become
omniscient, so that’s a different, okay. Say {ngowo} [repeat] {nyiki} [repeat]
{gewa}[repeat] {gewa} [repeat], yeah {gewa}. By the way in the [b: Abhidharma]
which you’ll read there are four famous examples for these and the first one is
it’s a healthy body. A good strong healthy body, it’s comparable to number one.
Nirvana ultimate virtue, right

[student: A healthy body?]

[student: I don’t understand how it relates...]

It’s just an example we’ll see why. Metaphor hows metaphor metaphor sorry
that’s better. {ngowo nyiki gewa} means “virtue by its very essence”. Virtuous
by essence. Virtuous by its very nature.

[student: These are you said three types of karma meaning good or bad karma,
or just good karma?]
I’m going to get to the bad also [laughs]

[student: So which is which?]

I’m going to give you four actually

[student: Which word is which?]

{ngowo} means nature. {nyi} means essence very very nature. {kyi} means by
by very nature and {gewa} means good deed. Okay, so good deed by its very
nature. There are five. There are fives things which are just by there very
nature are good deeds okay and I’ll give them to you. The first three are called
the three roots. Three roots of virtue.

[student: This is the first three?]

Yeah, of the five.

[student: [unclear] number two]

Yeah we’re all, we’re still in number two, I didn’t, your gonna get to number
three and four after your break, okay. So there are three kinds of mental
functions which are by their very nature virtuous. They can never be non
virtuous, okay and those are. I’m I’m making a bad translation purposely okay
and I’ll tell you why [laughter]. When you have a negative word in tibetan this is
also Chim Jampey Yang, you know that sakya great sakya scholar and it’s also
it’s stated in the [b: abhidharma] by Vasubandhu. When you have this negative
in tibetan, non non desire. He says that negative could be three things and you
don’t have to write these down. It could mean just a simple lack of desire. It
could mean something other than desire like happiness or feeling good about
what dinner you had and things like that. That’s also a kind of non desire, right.
So it it could be just that you don’t feel any desire right now. It could be that
your mind is on something else right now or it could be the active antidote for
desire. You know, it could be actively not seeing this thing in the wrong way
and therefore not wanting it in the way that you normally want it. So what,
which one do you think non desire is?

[students: Antidote]
It’s the antidote one. It’s not just that you don’t have desire at that moment and
it’s not that you’re just thinking about something else at that moment. Non
desire in abhidharma, as a root of virtue, as a kind of mental function, that is by
its very nature virtuous is, you know, not having...it’s it’s understanding and not
wanting that thing for the for the wrong reasons, that’s that’s non desire.

[student: Understanding what?]

Ultimately to have desire you have to misunderstand the object, you see. Desire
when it’s a trouble maker is involved with not understanding the object.

[student: So you understand the absolute nature of the object?]

If you want a beautiful girl to be your girlfriend, the best thing you can do is
keep your morality. It’s not an obvi...you know that’s that’s non desire. That’s
understanding [unclear] as something which when it moves into your
consciousness, stupid desire has to move out, okay. Now of course they’ll fight
for a while, you know. Stupid desire will come back and kick out non desire
[laughs]. That’s buddhist education, you know. As you go through your
spiritual education, there’s there’s a long period of very long period of...when
they’re both fighting and they’re moving in and out, you know. Okay, non
hatred is the same. That means to to want to avoid an unpleasant object. This is
by the way the the chick what is the rooster and the, the pig and the snake in the
middle if the wheel of life painting which you can see. You know, people say
hatred and desire. It’s more subtle than that. It’s some...if it’s gonna be the root
of the wheel of life, it’s gotta be more subtle than that. You know, I didn’t want
to rape anybody today and I didn’t want to kill anybody today but I had those
those animals in my mind all day long, you know. They’re not there not as
strong as as the word desire and hatred. You know, they’re almost like liking
and not liking for the wrong reason or with ignorance. They’re very subtle you
have them in your mind constantly. That’s why you’re collecting karma
constantly.

[student: So same explanation you see the selflessness and so you don’t]

[laughs] Wanting to avoid unpleasant objects, really. It’s not as bad as hatred
where you blow up at somebody and you want to choke them, you know. I
mean that’s what the words would imply. I I I don’t know about that translation
in this context.
[student: Same explanation as non desire, you see the selflessness and so you
don’t hate it]

Yeah yeah. You can dislike it but you know what to do to avoid it. You don’t
want suffering. I’m not saying you should enjoy it when the dentist is drilling
your teeth but but you understand the emptiness of it and you do what you
have to do, you...and I should say the guy at work right, the bad guy at work.
Of course it’s unpleasant. You should dislike someone who’s a...who’s trying to
stab you in the back. That’s a bad thing. How to get out of that is a different
story, you know. It’s not by avoiding him or hurting him or responding to him
violently or...that’s just doesn’t work, that’s not how to get rid of that guy. You
should want to get rid of that guy. I swear to god in tushita heaven there’s no
guys like that[laughter]. You know, really. It’s not like you reach some kind of I
don’t care attitude or something, it’s not like that

[student: You swear to god]

You know, whatever [laughter]

[student: If we say like you know stupid hatred]

Stupid hatred. Yeah, I like that.

[student: As opposed to righteous indignation]

Yeah, yeah okay. What do you guess the third one is?

[student: Wisdom?]

Non

[student: Ignorance]

[student: Non ignorance]

Non ignorance and it’s called wisdom, yeah. Actually no it’s called it’s called non
ignorance [laughter]. It’s called it‘s called {tig nun mepa} it is a negative. It is
called non ignorance. You know I translated, you know I translated this book
fifteen years ago and I translated this as as lack of and then...nowadays I think of
wouldn’t want it. I think non is better. It’s not a simple lack of emptiness. It’s
the active opposite of ignorance, it’s wisdom. And obviously that’s the root of
the other two in the same way that...which one is the [unclear]. That’s ignorance
right, yeah. In the same way that the pig is the cause of...in some good wheel of
life paintings, the rooster and the snake are coming out of the mouth of the pig.
I don’t know what...sometimes they’re in they’re in a circle. I don’t know which
one that is but the more, the older ones and the more correct ones, the the snake
and the and the cock are coming out of the pig’s mouth

[student: Cause cause he’s the root of those two]

huh

[student: [unclear]]

Yeah, cool

[student: [unclear]]

Oh cool [laughs]

[student: So so would say the...]

In the in the older paintings, sometimes they’re in a circle, that also has it’s own
meaning

[student: Would the translations of attraction and aversion, would you consider
those to be accurate?]

I I like them pretty well but maybe you should add stupid [unclear] [laughter]. I
mean between us, okay, I don’t want to see your next translation like that, you
know. Nobody will buy it. Okay.

[student: Two more?]

I’ll give you the next two roots and then we’ll take a break.

[student: You said three roots?]

Well that’s right. We had three roots of virtue and now I’m gonna give you two.
These are actually I shouldn’t call them roots.        These are in in the [b:
Abhidharma] presentation of the mental function, which we should learn
someday which is great, is called [unclear]. Anytime you have a virtue, anytime
you’re doing something good, these two are normally involved, okay.

[student: [unclear]]

They’re literally they’re called mental functions which are on the present in a
virtuous mind. I don’t know what you want to call them.

[student: The entire [unclear]]

These two that I’m gonna say now

[student: Okay]

Are always there when you’re doing something good, defined in the [b:
Abhidharma].

[student: Why do you put [unclear]?]

Cause cause I said I’m gonna give you five kinds of number two. I should have
said a,b,c,d maybe, maybe

[student: Cause there are three roots there]

A. There are three roots and then there’s two, what do you call, thoughts.

[student: What?]

Of virtue. These these two I’m about to give you

[students: Thoughts]

Are always there when you’re doing something good according to the [b:
Abhidharma] and they are d and e of number two. Is that better [unclear]?

[student: Yes]

Alright.
[student: Thank you]

No I like it. If you don’t do this accurate, if I if I didn’t fix it the way you said, you
gotta see the homeworks I get back, you know. And it’s my fault, you know.
{ngo-tsa} (repeat) {trel-yu} (repeat) {ngo-tsa} (repeat) {trel-yu} (repeat). I would
say for changing your character and your behaviour which is supposed to part
of the reason for these classes, you know. I mean if you haven’t changed your
behaviour or or character much in the last year or two

[student: Or twenty [laughter]]

Then the classes are pretty much a failure, you know. Sometimes I don’t think I
emphasise that enough, sometimes I feel guilty, you know that I do too much
scholastic stuff and not enough , you know, urging you to virtue, you know. But
these are two very useful ones, you know, if you have them, if you think about
them, if you meditate about them. If you don’t meditate at the end of your
homework, I’m not gonna take them anymore. I if if a homework comes in
without meditation time on it, I’ll give it back. If it says I was busy, you know. If
it says, you know, my dog died and I had to leave, I don’t mind, that’s okay but
if it’s just you didn’t think you had fifteen minutes to spend on it, you not never
gonna be a teacher. You’re never gonna be able to transmit anything to
anybody. You’re never gonna reach any spiritual five paths, cause you’ve gotta
be in meditation to do those and you gotta do that for at least, you know, forty
five minutes an hour a day. You you won’t get anywhere so, you know, I’m
serious about the last line. You really do have to do it, alright. Fifteen minutes,
come on, you go to the bathroom, I don’t care. Do it, I I used to do that, you
know. I used to tell my...I was in the mini...middle of this management meeting
Kylie knows they’re like five hours long and the vice presidents all talk and I
would just say I gotta go the bathroom. Nobody says you can’t go to the
bathroom, you know [laughter] and...

[student: [unclear]]

Go to the bathroom and put the seat down and sit down, you know [laughter].
Fifteen minutes come on. Twenty four hours that’s one percent. Alright {ngo-
tsa} (repeat) {ngo-tsa} means “to avoid a bad deed”, and I don’t know how to
say it exactly in english, but it’s it’s because you would be embarrassed by
yourself, shame. I translate it as shame.

[student: Because?]
It it it means that in a room with a guy’s wallet, with no-one else around and no-
one would ever know or when I used to be in a hotel room at the Princeton Club
and they had xxx movies on cable t.v. No-one would ever know, you know,
should I turn it on or not, you know. After a buddhism class [laughter]. I used
to struggle, I used to struggle with that and I used to fail sometimes [laughter]
and and that’s that’s called {ngo-tsa}. If if if you stop because you have the inner

[student: Conscience, right?]

[student: conscience?]

Well, when I get to the next one let’s see, okay. I I don’t know I’m not s...yeah
yeah I’m not sure. Anyway {ngo-tsa} means for reasons relating to yourself you
avoid a bad deed. That’s the definition of {ngo-tsa}, you know. In a room by
yourself out of your own self, what do you call it, esteem or something you you
avoid a bad deed that’s called {ngo-tsa}, okay. And {trel-yu} what do you guess
{trel-yu} is?

[student: [unclear]]

This way you avoid a bad deed because you’re afraid someone will find out,
okay. You’re you’re embarrassed by, you know, that’s where I don’t eat after
dinner if people are around but if they’re not around I might sneak a cookie, you
know. That’s {trel-yu} but not {ngo-tsa}, you know. I’m embarrassed to eat in
front of you guys but after you leave, you know, no {ngo-tsa}. That’s tough,
that’s {trel-yu} means “in front of other people”, that other people would find
out. I mean a lot of people will keep the morality just because they they’re afraid
if other people found out. That’s called {trel-yu}.

[student: But you’re not talking about doing good deeds, you’re talking about
avoiding bad deeds]

Yeah, it’s it’s defined negatively, it’s the word is {denbo} which means “to avoid a
bad deed”.

[student: So is not stealing a good deed? I thought being generous was the good
deed and not stealing was the neutral deed.]

That’s a good point but these are mental, these are these are mental functions.
These are are, yeah, it’s defined negatively, it’s not doing a bad deed because
because you’re embarrassed or you’re ashamed.

[student: Not doing a bad deed is different to doing a good deed]

I know it’s not as good as doing a good deed but these these two mental
functions are always there when you’re doing virtue that’s what they say. I
understand what you mean, to give is not not to steal. Charity is not not
stealing, it’s a different thing but but they’re defined this way, that’s how they
define it.

[student: Couldn’t you turn this around and say that you would do a good deed
because you want others approval or you want others to find out?]

They don’t they don’t define it that way, it’s defined negatively, okay. So that’s
the first two, we’ll do the second two after the break in about ten minutes, okay.

[student: Michael, when you said refuge to the three jewels [unclear]]

Where does, where does taking refuge come in the roots?

[student: No no no, when you said [unclear]]

I doubt that [unclear]. I don’t know what they were...

[student: unclear]

What’s that?

[student: [unclear]]

I don’t know [laughs], okay.

[student: Would you define not doing a non virtue as a virtue, is that how...]

That’s what she asks and apparently the [b: Abhidharma] does. That’s how they
define it. [unclear] Is what I call {kedrun} it’s this and and it is very important.
One of the greatest forms of virtue you can do is to avoid a bad deed when
you’re on the verge of it.
[student: Oh really]

Yeah

[student: Oh [laughter]]

If you were just about to do something you that you really have an impulse to
do and then your wisdom overcomes it, that’s a great virtue and I think that’s
the idea, you know. Something you would have done...that’s the whole point
you know of morality is that...morality means you get close to falling and you
stop. That’s that we’ll see it later with the non...with the...

[student: How about [unclear] making sure you don’t get close to it, isn’t that
morality too?]

It’s also a good deed

[student: What about when it’s not clear what’s virtuous? Like for instance if you
were working for a political party or something and you believed that they had
really good motivation and would help people but they wound up [unclear]
horrible things?]

We’ll talk about it. ([unclear]). There’s four elements of a karmic path which
means a complete karma and your somebody is virtuous, your motivation is
virtuous, your {jorwa} your application of your own effort is virtuous.
([unclear]) was bad, you know. What actually happened was bad. ([unclear])
which means were you happy about that {mushi} or not. Did you take pleasure
in the fact that they were screwing up people or or you didn’t you you regretted
it? So you only collected a quarter and a quarter of a karmic path is not very...in
those that circumstance wouldn’t be very...it’s like involuntary manslaughter.
[unclear]is a lot like court because a court is trying to be just, you know, and
that’s also true. You do collect some bad deeds. How did Nagarjuna die? Do
you know?

[student: [unclear]]

Somebody cut his head off. Why?

[student: Cause he had cut a bugs head off]
He had cut a bugs head off

[student: A what?]

He had he had accidentally cut a bugs accidentally cut a bugs head off in a former
former life. That’s how Nagarjuna died.

[student: I‘ve got a lot of lives to go]

You know I’m not, you know, I laugh and I say ah come on that’s too much but
it’s really the truth and I I don’t want to downplay it, you know. We have to be
that careful and if you are you’ll be happy and if you’re not, you won’t. Got to
practice. It depends on your ear. It is not either a k or a g. Depending on which
course is ahead one is the guinea pig and still figuring out what to say when I’m
doing the class.

[cut]

Ultimately virtuous. I mean nirvana is ultimately virtuous. Second one is
virtuous by nature of, it’s own nature. You know, it didn’t...there was nothing
else it has to be. Just by being itself is virtuous, okay and now we get to a thing
called {sumden} virtue, okay. {sumden} say {sumden} (repeat) {sumden} (repeat)
{sumden} is a very difficult idea. It means “a mental link” and your mind and
the functions going on in the mind are linked in five five different ways and
we’re not gonna get into that but what it means is that if you have in your mind
a very very virtuous thought, that thought itself is virtuous. But what about
your feelings at that time and what about your intelligence at that time and what
about your very awareness at that time?

[student: Actions]

They all...not the actions, we’re getting to that later. All of those mental things
going on in your mind at the same time as you have a powerful virtue are also
virtue because they are walked in the same room with that virtuous thought by
association [unclear] okay. {sumden} means “virtuous by association”. Yeah.

[student : Would it be possible to have a virtuous thought and then have the
following emotions be different than that, non virtuous?]

And that’s what we call ([unclear]). That’s ([unclear]) which means black and
white karma mixed and that’s an abhidharma discussion that they get later,
yeah. Just think of them as discreet. The virtue is virtue the non virtue is non
virtue.

[student: So feelings, what else?]

There’s there’s a lot of them but basically you can think of your capacity to feel,
your ability to feel, your feelingness, your feeling ability at that moment when
you have a powerful thought in your mind. You know your thinking to save
someone’s life then then all the functions in your mind become virtue by
association. They are not virtuous by themselves but because they are present in
your mind when that powerful virtue is present, they become virtuous by
association and that’s what {sumden} means, okay

[student: As functions rather than the contents of those things?]

Well

[student: Like you’re feeling, you know, I have a certain virtuous thought. My
feeling is virtuous by association]

Right

[student: Or my very capacity to feel]

It’s a good question. The capacity itself and I don’t want to get into it. That’s a
whole study of abhidharma psychology and that’s difficult. The ability to
discriminate which is going on in your mind. The ability to say this is Tom this is
Eric. If I’m If I’m If I’m teaching this class with an extraordianry virtuous
motivation and and that time I distinguish between you two, that function of
discrimination is also virtuous by association. It’s in the same brain as my as my
virtuous thought and just by good luck he’s also virtuous. Yeah.

[student: An example of it like rejoicing? If you do a really good act that’s one
thing and then being happy about it and aware of it and all that is [unclear]]

No different thing. That’s a different thing.

[student: I mean...]
{sumden} means mental functions, which are normally neutral, are coloured by
the virtuous thought that you have. They are like clear glass. Virtuous thought
is like a deep blue and the virtuous thought is put into the same area so all the
glass around the virtuous thought becomes takes on a blue hue and that’s
exactly the way {sumden} is explained. The the virtue is so good that the other
brothers in the same mind at the same time which are all neutral, take on that
tint of virtue and that’s called virtuous by association. It’s not a major concept, I
mean, you don’t have to be happy that your consciousness is virtuous when
you’re when you’re when you’re avoiding a bad deed but but it happens to be
true. It’s not one of the main points. Yeah

[student: It’s like driving is usually kind of neutral but if you are driving to go to
dharma class [unclear] aware]

It would be like that but {sumden} refers specifically to mental association, you
know. It’s only the association between mental things.

[student: So what if you can...]

Driving is an event. {sumden} means like if you’re if you’re very anger angry
then your actual perceptive ability, your awareness of self is influenced, is tainted
by that anger and becomes a non virtue, that’s what [unclear]. The the actual
awareness, the general mind, becomes tainted by association at that moment
and it’s not virtuous at that moment, [b: Abhidharma]. And the last one is...

[student: Michael, would it be accurate to perceive that as a link the chain
reaction because the primary thought is virtuous, there’s like a domino effect of
like hanging down to all associated mental malfunctions?]

It’s a good it’s a good question. Now when you say a domino effect, you’re
talking a progression in time. When I say by association, one of the five qualities
of association is that it’s simultaneous, you know. It’s not that you have a virtue
and then two three seconds later, the actual awareness and your mind
consciousness is virtuous. It’s it’s as soon as you have a virtuous thought,
because you must have awareness also going on at the same time, your mind
must be operating at the same time. The mind itself becomes virtuous

[student: So all mind...]

Because one function of the mind is virtuous.
[student: So all mind and mental functions are occurring simultaneously?]

All simultaneous yeah in a {sumden} situation. {sumden} means linked.

[student: I thought only one thing in the mind could be happening in the mind at
once [unclear] you‘re saying all those things are happening...]

Oh no not, when you’re talking mental functions and the main mind, they are
operating at the same time. It’s like the the engine on the ship and the and the
front of the ship and the side of the sh, they’re all operating at the same time.
There there parts of the mind actually. Okay {kun long} means “virtuous by
motivation“. {kun long} means motivation. This refers to verbal and physical
acts which are virtuous. They become virtuous by virtue of what?

[student: [unclear]]

You know, the thought that you do them with. There’s this famous story in
Tibet, I heard it in Dharamsala twenty years ago. I could I could visualise it cause
this happens in Dharamsala. You’re often walking up the mountain and the rain
storm comes during the monsoon, you’re constantly getting soaked and they
have all these Buddha images out on the stones, on the rocks, you know. So
there’s this story about a guy who...this poor guy he’s like all he’s got is a a a
[unclear] which is one of those towels that the Indian people wear around their
waste and they go round with nothing but that on and he’s got these sandals on.
So he’s walking by this Buddha image and it starts to rain and he’s got this...all
he’s got is that somebody should cover this Buddha image it’s getting wet. If he
takes his [unclear] off, it’s the only thing he’s got on, I mean that’s pretty
common in India. I tried to wear one once I couldn’t keep it up [laughter] and
and then he’s got his sandals so out of out of devotion he takes his sandal and he
covers the Buddha’s head with his sandal and it’s you know it’s a very virtuous
act. Then five minutes later this guys walking down a path, you know, and he
looks over there and some idiot’s put a dirty shoe on top of the Buddha’s head,
you know, and he goes over and throws it away, you know, and he they both
collected a huge virtue [laughter]. By {kun long} by by motivation. Same
different opp... opposite deeds same {kun long} same virtue. It’s a very famous
example. Okay, so that’s normally what you think of in when you think of
virtue. You know, when I say virtue when I say good deed, you’re thinking
good deed mostly by motivation but just remember there’s other things which
are good deeds just by their very nature. To be embarrassed . I think I think it
was, I don’t know, Socrates or somebody. He saw a young man and he he was
he blushed and he said that blush was a sign of virtue, you know. You you are
embarrassed about something, that’s a sign that you care that that you do
something right or not. That’s that’s virtue by by essence, you know. To be to
be embarrassed to do something wrong is is is just by itself virtue and then other
kinds of virtue like your consciousness, your very awareness are virtuous by
association and then some deeds of not lying or or trying to help someone,
trying to protect life, those are virtuous by your motivation and then ultimate
virtue is is nirvana. So those are the four [unclear]

[student: Do these include bad non virtues also?]

Yes, good question yes. I don’t think they include neutral, I’m not sure neutral
karma and by the way the the metaphors which are not on your homework or
anything okay, nirvana is like your healthy body. Virtue by very nature is like
they say it’s like a medicinal herb. It’s like a herb that has the power to cure
something and then virtuous by association is like the medium in which you mix
it, you know the liquid in which you mix the herb before you drink it. Like the
water, you know, in tibetan medicine sometimes you have to mix it into water
and then you drink it. You know, the water by itself is neutral but as soon as
you mix in all these herbs, the water itself becomes beneficial, medicinal. And
then the the last one, virtuous by motivation they say is like a mother who’s
milk is is is beneficial or medicinal because she’s been taking a lot of these tibetan
herbs you know what I mean. Like the outcome of that liquid going through
her whole system and coming out of as essence of milk, that milk itself has some
kind of beneficial quality to it and that’s that’s virtuous by motivation. That’s the
metaphor and then poisonous herbs are the opposite, you know, if you want to
talk about non virtue, then poisonous herb itself is what? What’s the ultimate
non virtue?

[student: Ignorance]

[student: Hell]

Samsara, suffering, suffering life, our suffering life is the ultimate non virtue,
that’s cool

[student: That’s the result though?]

Yeah but so is nirvana. You see it’s not a true non virtue. It’s it’s a metaphor.
It’s it’s...the ultimate non virtue and the ultimate virtue have nothing to do with
it really, it’s just ultimate goodness and ultimate evil. Ultimate evil is to live this
lousy life that we’re living, okay. That’s that’s the ultimate evil. That’s compared
to a poisonous herbs. What is...what is the second one? By by...

[student: By nature]

By nature, I’m sorry. Ultimate evil is is the sick body right and that refers to,
that’s a metaphor for samsara for this...for being locked into the kind of bodies
we have that has to degenerate. Then secondly, what was the second one?
Virtuous by by nature is the poisonous herbs. Non virtuous by nature is
poisonous herbs. Non virtuous by association is the the water in which you mix
the poisonous herbs before you give them to your enemy [laughs]. The water is
nothing, it’s neutral by itself but because it’s mixed in the same glass it becomes
non virtuous. And then the last one is what? Non virtuous by...

[student: Motivation]

Motivation. It’s compared as a metaphor of a woman who takes that drink and
then her milk harms her baby. The milk is...

[student: [unclear]]

Excuse me?

[student: Takes it for the purpose of harming the baby]

Yeah, you could say that. It’s a metaphor. They don’t say that but it’s just that
it’s the milk is like the the outcome or the milk is the, what do you call it?

[student: Result?]

It’s the consequence of the...in the way that a bad deed is a consequence of a bad
motivation

[student: But if if she was taking bad medicine without knowing [unclear]]

Yeah, no obviously obviously yeah. Well...

[student: So it has to be knowingly right or for the purpose of harming?]
Yeah it does it have to be

[student: The motivation]

Yeah motivation of a...non virtuous motivation has to be pretty much has to be
with with intent to harm except that there’s some kinds of ignorance which can
also be harmful but we’ll get into that. By the way, there’s a there’s a lot of
reading in your reading about motivation. It’s very difficult. I never got it one
hundred percent straight myself. [unclear] you know, cook it, it’s not in your
homework, I just I put it in there you could read it. It’s about the nature of
motivation, you know. It divides motivation into the motivation you have as
you enter an act and then the motivation as you continue an act and then there’s
different, ignorance plays a different role in each of those and that’s, I’m not
gonna get into it cause I don’t understand it myself completely and it’s not it’s
not treated in the higher schools that I know of much. So I’m not sure where
[unclear]. I I wanted to go over with you the ten non virtues with you in six
minutes just so you can...you can’t say you had a karma course and you never
heard the ten non virtues.

[student: The clocks three minutes fast, you have nine minutes]

Okay, good. You know I’ll take twenty anyway. {sokju} (repeat) {ma jin len}
(repeat) {ngo gyam} (repeat). Okay, these are the first three of the ten. They’re
all done through the gateway of your what?

[student: Body]

Body as opposed to your speech or mind. When you read the reading you’ll see
in the [b: Abhidharma] Vasubandhu says I like for example, how many {kleshas}
are there? How many bad thoughts are there? How many root bad thoughts?

[student: Eighty four thousand?]

There’s six root ones. There’s eighty four thousand total. There’s also eighty
four thousand bad karmas and and Vasubandhu says look if I got into them all,
the book would never end. I’m gonna give you ten, okay. The point is these ten
you’re doing all the time. We are doing all the time. If you’re if you’re who you
look to be which I don’t have a {tse-ma} about, you’re close to them or they’re
very likely I mean out of the eighty four thousand these are the top ten alright
and and, you know, if you do nothing else in the karma class, maybe we should
just do this for the ten classes, I don’t know but if you get some sort of increased
awareness of how, or some increased sensitivity, to when you are close to one of
these ten, that would be a great result in this class, you know. If you actually
changed as a result of this class that would be great, you know. Are they e...you
know, should you feel guilty or are they wrong, is someone gonna beat you up.
It’s not like that. These ten things by their nature will cause you suffering, must
cause you suffering, must get you in trouble. Never will help you, never do
them. If something good happens cause you did one of them, it had nothing to
do with them, you know. Just get used to thinking like that. Just avoid them
your life will be much happier, guaranteed hundred percent, okay. {sokju} {sok}
means “life” {ju} means “to cut” and {sokju} means “killing”. Obviously any
living being so therefore including who?

[student: Cockroaches]

Roaches and yourself, okay. Suicide is also included here. I mean, I’m not gonna
go into a big thing about all the different forms of all these but I I think it’s
important to say suicide and in the scripture it says {mi michapa}. {mi} means “a
a living a a human or a human”. {michapa} means “a an embryo a foetus”. So
according to Buddhism, a being is living at conception and to destroy that would
be would be killing, would be murder. So that’s that’s just so you know that’s
the buddhist viewpoint, alright. I think that covers two that you might wonder
about, okay

[student: What did {sokju} mean again. What cut?]

To cut life which means to kill

[student: Which ones but which ones?]

{sok} is “life” and {ju} means “cut”. What’s {dorje chupa}?

[student: Diamond cutter]

{dorje chupa} diamond cutter centre, yeah.

[student: Okay [unclear] can you explain it?]

Buddhism doesn’t say that plants have life. It was a debate in Japan much later
maybe thirteen hundred years later. You know, they started to debate. The
Japanese buddhists started to debate whether or not, you know, what’s his
name, lived in Kyoto, Saiygo started to debate it. But no in the classical
scriptures there’s no there’s not there plants aren’t considered life. They look
like life, they act like life and in fact in the pramana scriptures there’s an example
the way that leaves curl up and die when you cut the trunk is considered a non
{tse-ma}. So those of you who had the last class, to think that a tree has life in the
sense of conscious life because when you cut it it dries up is a is a error. In
according to Dharmakirti and so that’s that’s just, you know, a a a Buddha can
emanate as a tree and even in some extraordinary cases a very bad person can
imitate and look like a tree. Emanate, you know, take a birth as a tree and have
some kind of suffering. You read that in Dante it’s interesting you also read it in
buddhist sutra so that’s possible. But but in and of itself plant life is not life and in
fact in Tibetan and sanskrit words don’t they don’t say to kill a tree, they say dry
a tree and when a tree dies they don’t say die they say dry. So they don’t even
use the words life or die or live. {ma jin len} {ma jin len} {ma jin} means “not
giving”. {len} means “to take”, to take what is not given which means stealing,
okay. If you say it is to take what is not given is even more powerful. I was
with the Dalai Lama’s biographer one day and we were pulling a leaf off a tree
and we we both stopped {ma jin len}. Nobody gave us this leaf, you know. it
was, you know, it was in someone’s front yard, that’s {ma jin len}. I can’t think
of anything special to say about that except that, you know, not paying taxes is
{ma jin len}, you know. Social contract in which you’ve agreed, you know,
you’re expected...the the the custom of the country is very strongly considered
in buddhist morality. It’s not always correct but if the country says you can have
abortion, that doesn’t mean you should kill foetuses but if the country says you
really should pay your taxes and if you’ve agreed to take all the benefits of you
paying taxes and then you don’t pay taxes, that’s {ma jin len}.

[student: What happens if the taxes are used to [unclear]?]

If they’re used for violence, it’s your responsibility to at least to inform the
authorities that you don’t agree with that but you’re not, you know, you can or
cannot go to jail because you [unclear] but but you if you you really should
inform them that, you know, I prefer that my taxes don’t go for killing and I
don’t support the military effort that you’re using with my taxes. Even though I
feel that I’m not obligated to pay taxes, I want I want to publicly and formerly
tell you that I I don’t agree with that and I don’t want the karma of my taxes
going for that which is a karma, okay.          {ngo gyam} which is in the [b:
Abhidharma] by the way. {ngo gyam} means “sexual misconduct”. The main
one is adultery but it’s not limited to that. Homosexuality is considered {ngo
gyam} and there’s scriptural references for it. Masturbation is {ngo gyam}.
Having sex with your relatives is, you know, within a certain number of
generations is {ngo gyam}. Having sex in front of...

[student: Within a number of generations, you mean cousins?]

Well, there’s a certain, I don’t remember, I can look it up for you but like after
ninth cousin it’s okay or something like that. No what it means is there’s many
many kinds of {ngo gyam}. Consenting adults who are not married is not {ngo
gyam}, okay. In buddhism, according to buddhism, you don’t have to be
married to have sex in buddhism, it’s not a bad deed as long as and if if the girl is
under age or if if according to the custom of that country it’s it’s underage that’s
also {ngo gyam}. So those are all, that’s a long list to have sex in the presence of
a Buddha image or a stupa or a church or a temple is {ngo gyam}. So those are, I
you know, I had many students who have all of these things. Any kind of sex
except for usual kind is also, like oral sex is {ngo gyam}. And that’s you know I
know that’s not the custom of the country and maybe it’s all many of the things I
have mentioned but I think you should know what the scriptures say and you
know I could show it to you and you know. Yeah.

[student : Is there any explanation offered for things like that? Can you look it
up on the computer maybe or?]

I’ve I’ve had people ask me, you know. They’ve asked me this on the basis that
it doesn’t harm anyone, then then isn’t it okay and the people are consenting and
everything like that. There’s a long...I I I know the scriptural references that, I
mean I can show you the ones where it’s not, it is {ngo gyam}. Are there
references where it explicitly say why it’s harmful? I can show you some oblique
references. I I haven’t come across anything in my own study which is not very
deep that that I could show you why it’s why it’s harmful but I would say that,
you know, just just off...my answer to that would be there is a lot of fine points
of morality that as I said at the beginning be aware of them and the Buddha
taught them, the Buddha knows. The Buddha can see that if you hurt someone
what’s exactly gonna come to you and certain points you have to you have, you
know, trust that what he says, you know. Can I show you scriptural references
of exactly what bad deed would come if you commit that, I’d have to work on it.
It’s probably in the [unclear] it’s probably in the [b: Vinaya] and within the next
years I’ll get through that and, you know, I’ll show you. I just tell you as friends,
you know, in in the scripture it says those things will cause you suffering. It’s
not that Buddha doesn’t like you or or he’s gonna punish you. The automatic
result of those things is that they will harm you so I I’m your teacher I have to
tell you that. I I can’t, you know, can I give you compelling arguments for it I I
really, some of them I can’t. I could find some scriptural references for you but
but it’s reported in the scriptures and and, you know, try and avoid it you know,
you don’t really have to do it, you know [laughter]. I’m just saying, you know,
try not as a as a friend I believe it would I believe in the scriptures, I believe it
would hurt you. I I can’t, you know, give you...some of them I can’t say. I’ve
seen the Dalai Lama been asked the same questions and in some cases he has to
sort of, what I would say as {trunden} which is interpretive answer, you know.
He has to say well maybe it wouldn’t be so bad or something like that because
the whole audience would freak out if he said well look you can’t do that but I I I
know you well. I can tell you’re looking at me like that [laughter] but I I I’m not
such a great expert of [b: Vinaya]. I I hope to be, I’m working on it and we’ll, I’ll
try to show you. I’m just...you should know what the scriptures say that’s what
they say. I can show you that, you know. And try, you know, it’s not such a big
deal. It’s not such a great loss. Okay, four [laughter]. [unclear] a lot of people
freak out cause they can’t change their habits and I and I know that, you know,
and don’t make yourself crazy, you know. Get the intention to to to change and
and think about and keep it in your mind to the point where it doesn’t make you
crazy and you don’t quit buddhism class cause you don’t agree with that. I mean
put it away in that thing okay I don’t agree with it right now, I’ll I’ll try to see
what I can do about it, you know, but don’t let it be the thing that makes you
give up buddhism or stuff like that. It’s not worth it.

[student: If if explained and clarified, it could be very helpful to a lot of people, I
mean, you know]

That’s right. That’s right. [unclear] okay. {dunma} (repeat) {dunma} means “to
lie”, okay. {dunma} means to lie. It’s kind of defined as giving a false impression
which is kind of more delicate right. You know to give the impression other
than the one you have is is

[student: I thought that was what was gonna happen with the communicating
karma where if you even communicate through body language, inference or
anything else, the wrong impression that that’s a negative]

Yeah, by the way, they then the scripture says, you know, if someone says to
you did you see joe smoe or today and you say, it’s not a verbal action but it’s a
it’s {dunma}, you know. It’s to, it’s to communicate by bodily action or by
words, they lie. So you don’t get out of a lie by [laughter].

[student: If if you try and present a situation, you don’t lie in the words
themselves but the way it comes out, it sounds like a lie. You know, It’s it’s the
person gets a different a complete different impression of it]

I have that problem when I write my resume, you know[laughter]. You know,
it’s not a lie but I know the person will get a different impression [unclear] what
really was and it’s and I I like attention and I like, what do you call it, peoples
admiration so I will imply something that’s not really true but I didn’t lie, you
know, and no it’s a lie, it‘s a misimpression. To give a misimpression is is lying.
I’m sorry I wish it wasn’t, okay. And it’s again it’s not like what are you gonna
lose if you give them up, suffering. You know, it’s it’s not that misrepresenting
your resume is gonna cause you any happiness, it cannot. It’s a bad deed, it
must cause you suffering. If you do get the job it’s cause something else you do,
there’s no connection but we do it, you know it’s weird, okay. {chumpa}
{chumpa} is not in the christian ten but it’s it’s to or I should say in the judao
christian [unclear] but it’s to it’s to split up other people by saying something.
It’s to alienate other people. You know, you say to John, you know, you don’t
know it but that guy that was here last night, he was talking about you and I
know you like him but...and by the way, it does not have to be a lie, it could be
the truth also but but your intention is that I should I want to alienate these
people

[student: Is that gossip?]

It’s a that’s coming [laughs]. It it well I call it divisive speech. It’s it’s...and we do
it all the time. When I complain about my boss to all my friends which I do
constantly, there’s this sort of deep subconscious thing where I want other
people to understand why I don’t like the person and I wouldn’t mind if other
people also didn’t like the person the same way I don’t like the person. You
know, there’s this is very common, it must be in the top ten. You must be doing
it all day long, you know, so watch for it. It’s it’s subtle. It’s just like you drop a
hint, you know, you say somebody says boy he’s a genius and you go yeah well.
That’s already {chumpa}, you know. Yeah

[student: If you have situation where, for instance, [unclear] it is true but
[unclear]]

You can still protect the person. That’s a different thing and somebody many
people have asked me that and that’s if it’s if it’s truly without any evil intent.
You know, you really want to protect...you know this guy thinks Hitler’s a nice
guy and you say well look he’s killed a couple of people, you know he probably
just wants to get you. That’s protecting someone that’s your it’s your duty to do
that. It’s your bodhisattva vows, you have to tell the person, right. What this
refers to is where you ‘re getting some evil glee about having other people agree
that your assessment that this is a bad person and so they don’t like the person
the same way you don’t like the person and then they’re on your side and that’s
that’s {chumpa} and it’s very common, we do it. And I find myself doing it all
the time and there’s no need for it, there’s no good result from it. Karmically it’s
a disaster and check it, it’s it’s one to watch out for. What’s that, I didn’t catch
that?

[student: She’s telling you the time]

[laughter] I hate it when Rinpoche keeps me late

[student: It’s only nine o nine [laughs]]

I’ll feel guilty if I don’t teach you these ten. Okay, {siktu} say {siktu} (repeat)
{siktu} means “harsh words”, oh stupid. I do it all the time as it’s supposed to be
jokes but it hurts peoples feelings. I do it all the time

[student: What is it again?]

Harsh words and the scripture says it can be a very nice, you know, I always
give the example in the grocery store when they say have a nice day and they
mean get the hell out of the way let me help...let me work on the next person’s
groceries, you know. That’s {siktu}. It can be a pleasant word, it can be a harsh
word but the intent is that it hurts the person

[student: To hurt other people. Not like swearing where you just...]

They say if you bang your foot and say shit, that’s {siktu}. [laughter]

[student: Can you do it to yourself?]

Yeah you can, you stupid...I’m not sure, by the way, I’m sorry. I I gave you the
wrong example I shouldn’t have said that. When you get angry about stubbing
your foot, that’s a bad you will get bad karma from that. It is a kind of anger, it’s
not {siktu}, it’s not a [unclear]

[student: How about if you get angry at yourself?]

If it’s if it’s stupid ignorant anger. You know, [b: Abhidharma], this is interesting,
the only negative emotion which is virtuous is regret. You see, to say oh my
god I shouldn’t have done that, I’m really a dumbhead, you know. I really
shouldn’t have lied, you know, it wasn’t gonna get me what I wanted anyway.
It’s disfunctional but that bad feeling about what you did is a great virtue which
implies that most other bad feelings are not too hot, okay, alright.

[student: All these are dealing with speech?]

Yeah all these four, which is why I wrote these four together are speech.

[student: Excuse me, [unclear]]

Doesn’t change it cause it’s first colour so...

[student: [unclear]]

This. It’s that flag on the...it’s called a {sapat}

[student: {sapat}]

{nakgyal} say {nakgyal} (repeat) {nakgyal} means “meaningless talk”. Talk with
no important meaning. Now there’s a lot of exceptions, you know, if you’re at a
party and it would be uncomfortable for everyone if you didn’t make small talk,
it’s not {nakgyal}. There’s a purpose for it, [laughs] okay

[student: Like gossip?]

It’s like gossip but if I say did you gossip today, you’d probably say no I didn’t
stand on my fence with my neighbour and talk about twenty people but did you
have {nakgyal} all day, probably thousands, you know. {nakgyl} means wasting
your time talking about nothing important. The worst kind of {nakgyal} is to
recite your daily prayers and think about something else. That’s it, that’s the
ultimate {nakgyal}. Seriously, that’s in the scriptures, that’s very heavy {nakgyal}
and that’s hard. Is it evil, are you a bad person, should you feel guilty? No no
no no
[student: But this creates bad karma, all of these things?]

It will hurt you

[student: So what kind of negative karma do you collect from this? [laughter]]

[unclear] understand rumours people [unclear] the rest of your life, I don’t
know. You know how that is. People calling you [unclear]

[student: Want to talk about the weather [laughter]]

[unclear] weather, man [unclear]

[student: When you say your prayers like sometimes your mind wanders
especially when you’re saying Tibetan]

You have to you have to...I’m not saying it’s you’re a bad person, I’m saying do
what you can to stop it. Don’t go crazy that’s disfunctional. You’ll do more bad
deeds, you know. In a comfortable happy way try to move away from it.

[student: Michael what is the what is the [unclear]?]

Guilt is useless. There’s no word in Tibetan for guilt. There’s no word, there’s no
such word, there’s no word in the buddhist scriptures for guilt.

[student: Regret?]

A healthy intelligent regret. The regret of a buddhist and of an educated
buddhist which you will all be by the time you finish these courses is is a
wisdom. You know, to to think I should I really did something stupid, you
know, I really shouldn’t have done that. I I now I put that karmic seed in my
mind, I have that perception I understand how the perception must go through
time and how that perception must come out and how I must perceive myself
suffering in the future. I did a stupid thing, you know. I’m a buddhist, I’m an
educated buddhist person, it was very stupid thing to do. It was a foolish thing.
I lied to get some money. No connection , you know, just..it not like you have to
feel guilty I broke your vows blah blah blah, it’s just a dumb thing to do

[student: What about talking about something daily like I should do better, I
should try better, I should...you know what I’m saying...]

That’s fine. That’s like a good intention but

[student: Does that fall into [unclear]?]

But this bad feeling, if the bad feeling doesn’t make you better then it’s not it’s
not a virtue, you know. The idea of guilt where you feel bad and you don’t and
it kind of keeps you down and depressed and you feel bad about you don’t have
self esteem and then you get worse, this is just useless, you know. You have to
in a happy comfortable way to the to the limit of your ability, move away from
these things but but then to take on to try to lift a weight that you can’t lift, you
know. To try to stop saying any meaningless thing at work tomorrow, you’ll
collapse, you’ll you’ll break down. It’s not a good thing. It’s not functional. You
have to do what you can, you know. Shantideva says give away vegetables,
don’t cut off your arm and give it away yet [laughs]. Okay, number eight, these
are all what?

[student: Mind]

Mental, okay and I’ll try to do it fast. I’m sorry [unclear]

[student: It’s okay]

I don’t have to work tomorrow [laughter]. Say {nabsem} (repeat) {nabsem}
(repeat) {nabsem} is “coveting”. Just as a way it’s said in the ten commandments
exactly.

[student: Coveting?]

Coveting which means to to desire in a bad way the things that other people
have. It is the root of jealousy. I have it, you know. If I meet a good buddhist
scholar, do I rejoice? Usually not. It’s like gee I wonder if he’s as smart as I am,
you know. That’s {nabsem}. {nabsem} is is wanting the good things that other
people have and be willing to do something bad to get it, you know.

[student: Does the component of being willing to do something bad to get it
have to be there?]

Yeah it does, it has a lot to do with it
[student: So just the...]

You know, if you never acted out is it still a karma? Yes. You know that {yikte
le}. It’s a movement of the mind. It is a mental karma by in and of itself.

[student: Even if you don’t think to do something bad to get it?]

Yeah, even if you don’t think

[student: So just thinking I really want that?]

Yeah, yeah. But mainly you will, that’s a very rare case where you don’t
actually have any more thoughts about it. If you really have a stronger
{nabsem} you’re probably going to do something but it’s not a mental desire.
Okay, that’s enough [unclear] {nusem}. Do you know {nabsem} is not like you
want a cadillac or you want a two hundred thousand dollar house. It can be
little, it’s mostly little things, you know. You’re jealous of someone elses good
qualities. They’re getting more attention than you are. They have a nice pretty
handsome boyfriend, you don’t, you know. It’s the little things.

[student: You must be willing to do something negative]

No

[student: You don’t have to?]

Not not necessarily, just a thought that that

[student: But you just said]

[student: That you wanted to do something bad to get it and you emphasised
that]

I did say that. Most of the time but no, not necessarily

[student: And perhaps [unclear]]

How about being kind of willing, how’s that? I don’t think...it does not have to
get strong enough that you actually do anything for it to be a bad deed, you
know

[student: But what happens if you see somebody else who has nice things and
you would like the same things? I wish I had the same things, you know. Not
necessarily that you don’t want the person to have it, you know what I mean?]

No, that’s true. Yeah [unclear] {nabsem} yeah

[student: That’s also {nabsem}?]

Yeah

[student: Gee [laughter]]

[student: [unclear] a lot of dharma knowledge and say gee I wish I had that
kinda knowledge]

So I could help people. That’s that’s a different thing. Obviously that’s...

[student: It depends on the object, the motivation and all that]

Yeah, a lot of different things. {nusem} {nusem} means harm harmful mind or
harmful intent or, you know, I asked a lama. It wasn’t very clear to me and I
remember I was I remember where I was. It was twenty years ago, he was in a
jeep, I was sitting next to him and said what’s {nusem}. He says it’s being happy
when other people fail and you know, I don’t have this evil intent where I wanna
go out and shoot people on the street but I do have this subtle pleasure when
people around me fail sometimes. And that’s very bad and so if it’s in the top
ten you must have it. It must be something that goes on in your heart during
the day. Watch out watch out. You don’t even know you have these ten, you
know. Hopefully, a week from now you’ll think you’re a much worse person
because you’ll notice them, you know. That’s a normal reaction to a class like
this but don’t worry about it. You’re just the same as you were when [unclear]
[laughter]

[student: [unclear] also include being happy when someone else something bad
happens to someone else?]

Yeah, yeah and it’s weird, you know, we have this destructive glee [laughter] in
us that even people, you know, like if my boss fails I sometimes feel kind of I
don’t feel so bad but it’s gonna hurt me too. Hurts her, hurts the company,
hurts me and still you kinda don’t feel too bad about it, you know. You don’t
take as much sadness out of other people’s misfortune as you do about your
own. That’s a bad sign, that’s {nusem}.

[student: [unclear] when Hitler fails we should be unhappy about it?]

Obviously, no

[student: When Charlie Chaplin falls down and you laugh]

No, that‘s that’s humour. I don’t, I know, you know he’s not, faking the act
really

[student: But what happens, it’s just a movie, what happens if somebody,
something bad happens or something]

By the way, when people bring to me these these these these moral quandries,
you know. They said to the Dalai Lama in Los Angeles if if a guy was pushing an
atomic bomb over New York city and you were twenty feet away and you had a
gun and he’s about to press it down, do you shoot or not and he says I’ll tell you
when it happens [laughter]. What it means is, don’t worry too much about the
extraordinary special cases. I’m talking about every minute of your office day
and you know it and i know it, you know. Ninety nine point nine nine nine you
know damn well when you’re being bad and you’re not happy about it. Doesn’t
make you feel good even now. Even before you understand the emptiness of it.
Just stop it, okay

[student: What happens if you you say it, you see something that happens to
someone where you say thank god it didn’t happen to me but you don’t rejoice
[laughter]]

 A bodhisattva would say I wish it had happened to me instead of them. Of
course that’s what the whole thing [unclear]

[student: You know, Michael, the idea of like going to a movie and seeing people
killing each other, Charlie Chaplin the example used, it seems to me that sitting
and there thinking it’s normal it’s okay, is planting the mental seeds]

Yeah it is. It’s it’s a it’s a dangerous thing to to to, you know, they do affect you
subconsciously. You have to be very careful, right. I think it’s one of the
diseases of our culture, you know, and I’m not gonna go prevent kids from
seeing movies but I I do think it doesn’t help. Okay {lokta} (repeat) {lokta}
means “wrong views” . In this case it’s the worst of the ten. Why? Because the
classic {lokta} is to think that you can ever do the slightest wrong deed and and
it won’t and nothing will happen to you and we think that all day long or we
wouldn’t do what we do. We have {lokta} implicitly throughout the whole day.
We really don’t believe that if we tell a small lie, you know, people won’t believe
us for twenty years in a future life, you know. We just don’t believe that. We
really don’t believe that if we if we hurt someone’s feelings that, you know,
somehow will affect us greatly for a long time in the future. We really don’t
believe that and so you gotta work on that. {lokta} is the root of obviously of all
the other nine. If you have {lokta} you can you will do the other nine so you
have to work on it. {lokta} is like the main enemy. Enemy number one. It’s not
really believing in karma and hopefully, my goal is to give you a convincing
argument when we reach the mind only section and the [b: Madhyamika]
section, that you will believe in karma and that I will start acting on it too, okay.
Alright, mister [unclear]. Sorry to keep you late

[prayer: Short mandala]

[prayer: Dedication]
941027-1.aaa
ACI Course V: HOW KARMA WORKS