«Дар освобождения», курс 19 «Ретрит благодарности», занятие 11

[Speaker 1]
We have enough time to finish, so here we go. I'd like to teach you about the seven good qualities of a higher birth, which we have. I'm teaching you from a book by a Tibetan Lama named Kyu Tsong about 300 years ago, but he's using a book by Master Vasubandhu.

So, I'm teaching you from Master Vasubandhu. He wrote Abhidharmakosha. He's the half-brother of a Sangha.

He's the half-brother of a Sangha. Someday I'll tell you this story. It's very beautiful.

How they were born. So there are seven. And here's the poem.

RIG GZUGS CHOR DANG DBANG PHYIR GZHER RAB DANG PHYIR RING NAS MED BYAS GSUNGS PA THAG YIN We'll do them one by one. He starts with number two. He's teaching them out of order.

What was number two? Let's look at the picture of the seven. What's the second one?

What's the picture? Yeah, I was born with a healthy body and enough resources to be... I can look good to other people and then they will join the path.

When you see the picture of the Shanghai team or the Beijing team, they are so handsome, like Jack, and they are so beautiful, like Jessica, then everybody wants to come and learn from them. So that's number two. GZUGS LAS PA Are you okay?

You can search for a number two. Okay, a little bit down. Right there, right there.

Good. GZUGS LAS PA NI means I have a good body. PHYIR GRUB PA LA NGES PAR GAL CHE It's very important for practicing the Dharma.

DE LA BRTAN NAS LAM MA SOGS KYIS THUB LA BDAG NAS CHOS NYIN GYIS SDOM GANG SDOD YANG YONG BA'I If you have a very good body, you can also have the strength to listen to Dharma. YOD GANG SDOD YANG SBYOR BA KYANG Atisha said something interesting. KHO BA GZUGS RDZAS PA'I LAM MA RNAMS KYIS THUB LA BDAG GZHAN THUB LA BDAG GZHAN When I came to my Lama, I was healthy, and I had a strong body.

He also said he's a little bit handsome. Then the Lama was like, oh, I think I'd like to have him as my student. So it helped to attract the teacher also.

So he was... The teacher said, this one looks good to me. He has a strong body.

He can work hard for many years. And I will teach him. So that's useful.

Then he does number one in the commentary, which is RIGS. What's RIGS mean? With a SA.

With a SA. That's why I said with a SA. It means a family, or a class, social class.

So RIGS MNAM PAR KHYEN PO ZHIG GI DBANG DU SONG STE NYOG PO SOGS CHE NAS BCUG GI PAR BYED DU GRO STE In India, there was a very strong division between social caste. If you were poor person or untouchable caste, you will never become a teacher. That's India.

That was ancient India. A Brahmin cannot touch an untouchable. That's why they're untouchable.

I was in India. First time I went to India, a bus, there was a flood, and a bus was carried away. I was there.

The bus was carried away by the flood, and there was a Brahmin, high class, in the bus, and he got out of the bus in the river, and he's drowning, and this untouchable guy threw a rope to him. He wouldn't take it, and he died. He died.

They're very strict in India. This is different class. We are lucky in China or America, we don't have this problem.

But in the old day of Buddhism, if you are born untouchable, you will not be a Dharma teacher for anybody except untouchable. It's better if you're born into a little bit like a prince. Most of the great Buddhist teachers from India in history were born as a prince.

Shantideva, Asanga, and Vasubandhu were born from a king. Jesus was born from a king's lineage. And then there are some more.

Lord Atisha, he was a prince. Because everybody will listen to them. Like that.

Even if you live in Shanghai or New York, if you are cleaning toilets or something, and then you try to give a DCI talk, and people say, what do you do? And you say, I'm cleaning the toilets, then probably the attendance won't be so good. Okay.

Actually, in reality, lower class people can be genius, and very beautiful teacher, great teacher. Of course, we know that. So sometimes, like Jesus took birth as a what?

A carpenter's son. My teacher was a carpenter's son. His father, my teacher's father made a very beautiful table for the 13th Dalai Lama.

Then that Dalai Lama said, can you be my personal carpenter? Then they got, what do you call? They became aristocrats.

They got to be minor people in the palace. Like that. So it can be any class is a good class.

But in general, if you're in America or China, or other countries, Europe, if you look like a nice business person, people will listen to you better. When I wear a tie, 1,000 people come. When I wear robes, 100 people come.

That's the world. So I wear a tie. I hate tie.

I hate tie. Okay. It's such a stupid thing.

Choke your throat chakra. Okay, number four. DBANG BCUG PHUN TZAM TSOGS PA MA SANGS NA TSO BA'I YOD CIG GI PHUNG NAS PHYIR DAG PAR BYAS'ONG ZIGS MTSUMS PA'I NYAN MA SOGS BYUNG SHING DE LA BRTEN NAS RANG GIS DGOS BA LA GZHAN GYIS NYAN PA'ONG So the fourth one.

He's going to talk about the fourth one. What's the photograph? I forget.

I think that's John Brady and Jenny or something, teaching in Beijing or something. I was there. Jengja, I took the class.

I remember. It was a great class. DBANG BCUG PHUN TZAM TSOGS PA means if you have some kind of authority, or you're like a leadership quality.

TSO BA'I YOD CIG GI PHUNG NAS Also, if you don't have any money at all, PHYIR DAG PAR BYAS'ONG To be a teacher, it's helpful to have some money. Why? You have to pay for everything.

Especially in the beginning. When I started in New York, I had six students. I was working full time.

I was living in a monastery two hours from New York. So I have to get up at like five o'clock and get on the bus and go to New York. Every day.

Four hours every day in the bus. I finished a good dictionary for Abhidharma. Then if you go like that, if you have some...

I have to pay for everything. Dharma teacher has to pay for everything. So I pay for the rent of the school.

I have to print the... Every week I have to print the whole ACI. It's like 200 pages.

So there's one monk staying, he's also helping my Lama. Baby monk. He's like 16 or 20 years old.

You met him in Singapore. BYAMS PA Now he's 40 or something, 50. So he sleeps...

I said, you have to sleep next to the computer printer. And I will print the classes all night. I will print all the pages all night.

It's like a thousand pages. You wake up every hour and you put paper in the machine. Then in the morning he's like, is everything printed?

Yes, yes, it's printed. Then I have a special backpack, put all the thousand, two thousand pages in there, take to New York. Nobody helped to pay.

I have to pay for everything. So this one, number four means, in the beginning especially, but also later. Generally you have to pay for everything.

So if you have money, you're a better teacher because you can rent a nice place. I rented a nice place. I rented the store for the three jewels.

I rented an apartment for the director. All of my salary from the diamond business was helpful. CHOS LO BAR BYED'ONG If you don't have any money, that's a problem.

You're going to have a problem to do Dharma. SRID TSUN PA'I NYAN MA SOGS BYUNG BZHIN And then people will respect what you say because of JO. SRID TSUN PA'I BYUNG BA LA LHAG TU RANG SRID SKAD PA'I BYUNG BAR DGOS PA So I put on this number four, it says, even intelligent people will listen to me.

That's a big part of number four. A big part of number four is, your JO made a special karma. Foolish people will listen to anybody.

Intelligent people will keep asking questions. Like we had a meeting with silver foxes yesterday and some people are like, wait a minute, wait a minute, how much money is that every month? Then me and Rob Resinger are like, well, you know, just, you know.

They said, wait, tell me exactly how much that is every month. Well, you know, maybe, well, the cabin is a thousand, but there's a road and there's insurance and there's the water. Three thousand a month, okay.

Then they're like, yeah, okay, you should have said that in the beginning. If you don't have three thousand dollars, if you don't have seven friends, we'll give you an outhouse of one house, of one cabin. So don't worry, anything you can give is okay.

Outhouse means toilet outside the house. In the winter, very exciting. You have to run there.

You have to do your business as fast as possible. The worst thing is the first moment you sit down and your bottom touched that thing. LHAG TU RANG GCIG BSKYED PA'I BYUNG BA DPA'I So I like it.

If you have this karma, intelligent people, foolish people will listen to everything, okay. Buddhist people should be a little bit like, tell me exactly how much that's going to be. They don't believe everything.

They say, prove it, prove it. So if intelligent people... And in Buddhism, it's a tradition to question the teacher.

You don't accept what the teacher says if it doesn't make sense. That's a Buddhist tradition. So you're supposed to argue with the teacher.

There was a lady in Toronto. I went to Toronto to teach in Canada. And there's this lady named Sade.

She's from Africa. She was sitting in the back of the room. And everything I said, she said, wait a minute, wait a minute.

What do you mean by that? Are you sure? And I'm like, in my mind, and I want to choke her.

But I'm like, yeah, it's okay. I explained everything one by one. Then I left.

I was so relaxed. I went to dinner afterwards in a restaurant. I said, this lady is crazy.

Then next day I went back to the class. She said, I'm moving to Arizona next week. I'm coming to learn from you.

I'm going to be your student. Then she came for seven years or something. Something like that.

And she learned everything. Then I said, why did you come here if you're so angry in the class? You question me.

She said, you're the only teacher who gave me a good answer. Every question I have, you gave me a good answer. So she quit everything.

She moved here. And she lived here for seven years or something. Now she lives in Vancouver, I think.

And she's a good teacher there. She's teaching. She's a good teacher.

Buddhist people, we like the people who want to know. They don't say yes, yes, easy. They say, wait a minute.

What's that mean? Explain that to me. I don't understand.

Why is that true? So in this DCI, ACI, you're supposed to be tough. Wait a minute, I have a question for you, Geshe-la.

Yesterday you said something different. Which is correct? Like that.

We like that kind of student. Tsongkapa was like that. So don't just say, okay, yes, Geshe-la, you said it, it's okay.

That's lazy. You should be tough. Wait a minute.

That's not what you said in Mexico. Then we have to decide. And we like it.

That's why we spend three, five hours a day debating the whole 25 years of Geshe course. You can't beat a Geshe in an argument. You can try.

So frustrating to live with my teacher for 25 years. I cannot win an argument, never, ever. He debates with 10,000 monks.

Then everything I say, I say, what's for breakfast? He says, I want egg. I say, but, he's like, you want to fight with me?

No, it's okay, it's okay. So you should be like that. You should be critical.

You should ask tough questions. What question comes in your mind, ask it. Don't be shy.

Don't accept what the teacher says. Ask, ask questions. And if they cannot give a good answer, then go someplace else.

Don't just accept it because the teacher said it. That's a lazy person's way. There is a Buddhist like that.

It's called, what's that called? BDE PA'I DZIN DANG Say BDE PA'I DZIN DANG They believe anything. Oh, Lama said, Lama said.

There's one famous Lama. He had three students. Then one day he said, I have a special request.

The three students are, yes Lama, what do you want? He said, I'm kind of short of cash. I owe Jigme some money.

Can you three guys rob a bank for me today and bring me the money? Then two of them said, yes Lama. Whatever Lama say, we will do.

They ran to the town and tried to rob a bank. One student didn't move. Then the Lama said, why are you not going to town?

I told you to rob a bank. He said, I think you are testing me. I think you are checking to see if we are BDE PA'I DZIN DANG, just do what the Lama say, or RIGS PA'I DZIN DANG.

We think about it. These are two kinds of students. Are we the smart student or are we the lazy student?

RIGS PA'I DZIN DANG means, Lama, I don't understand. I need more information. I can't accept what you said.

I love you. I love Buddhism. I love Tsongkhapa.

With my heart I love you, but I don't understand what you said. It doesn't make sense to me. That's a good Buddhist student.

Lazy student, yes Lama, I will rob a bank. Then later, he asked the third student, why you didn't go to town? He said, I don't understand Lama.

You taught us not to steal things. You taught us not to hurt people. Many people have their money in the bank.

If I rob the bank, I'm hurting many people. I don't understand. Then the Lama, they all, in the evening, the two came back and his friend said, you have three nice students.

And the Lama said, no, I only have one. Understand? Okay.

BYUNG BA'O PA GZHAN CHEN PO'I LTAR KHYAD PA RNAMS KYIS KYANG RANG GI TZIG THOS PA'I TSE GONG DE NAS ZHES BZHIN BYAG LEN DU BDE PA RDZAD PA YIN PAS So the wise people, the smart students will say, this teacher knows Buddhism and they are doing it also. Both. DE NAS ZHES BZHIN BYAG LEN DU BDE PA RDZAD PA YIN PAS GONG GI GANG LA NYAN DGOS Therefore, I will listen to what this Lama says if they ask me to support a cabinet or something.

DBANG PHYIR BAR DRAG PA'I GNYIS SKYE BA STOB CHEN GYI KYANG RANG GI THAL BA NYIN PAS And if you have some little bit authority, you're a good leader, not only intelligent people but also powerful people, we'll listen to you. So I don't have a lot of politically powerful students, but we did give some good programs in Brazil to the mayor of Rio de Janeiro. We taught the mayor of Buenos Aires.

His name is Macri. It looks like he will be the next president in the elections. He did the whole pen thing.

So if you have that karma, then powerful people will listen to you. I don't have much of that karma, but a little bit. DKA' BA NYON MED PEN THOGS BSLAB CHEN'ONG RTOGS DANG LDAN PA LA LUS RTOGS BSTAN THOGS NYID DKA' GNAS MED PA SOGS KYI SPYOD LA SBYOR ZAS PA DANG Powerful means your mind is strong, your body is strong, you don't get sick, your back doesn't hurt when you meditate, your knees don't hurt when you meditate, your bottom doesn't hurt too bad when you meditate.

SEMS THOGS BYANG CHOS KYI SEMS KYI SEMS DU GYUR PA LA STE And if you have bodhichitta, strong mind, then when you do dharma, you are doing it for all people. Your motivation is to help all people in the world. All right.

Somewhere in there we finished them. I think. Right?

[Speaker 2]
Yeah. Did I finish four? Wait a minute.

That's a long story.

[Speaker 1]
That's all he said about them. Okay, I guess the rest are clear. We have a few minutes.

I'd like to finish the four wheels. The rest are clear, the rest of us. Let's do the four wheels.

And then we're finished. I have several explanations. I'm just thinking the best one to give you.

Okay, we'll do this one. Who is that? Hang on one second.

Okay, this is a commentary on Lama Chupa, which is one of the three. It's in this book. It's what we did last Friday night.

And this commentary written by a Lama, I like his name, it's named Quicksilver. Because there's a good surfboard company called Quicksilver. There's a good band called Quicksilver Messenger Service.

But I like his commentary. It's very, very, very, very good commentary. When you study tantra, Chinkang Yudjombo, we will use his book a lot.

Later, at Diamond Mountain, you have to come and learn higher Buddhism. But we need a place like this. We can't do it in Shanghai or Guangzhou.

He lived 1772 to 1851. Then here's what he said about the four wheels. And then we're finished.

Then we have a wedding. Why does Geshe Michael spend so much time on the wedding? In the higher Buddhism, we say the man energy and the lady's energy are different and they match each other.

Like that, you see? It's like a woman has vitamin C and a man has vitamin D. If they practice together, if they have a good relationship, if they both do dharma together, if they both go to see the old person together, it's much more powerful, much stronger.

What are the two levels of tantra? I taught you. What's the first level?

But what do you do in the first level? But what do you... Yeah, you try to meet angels.

You try to meet them. That's first level secret teaching, tantra. Try to meet Buddha.

Try to meet an angel. Then second level? They will teach you...

The one you met in the first level will teach you to become like them. You need an angel to teach you... You need a Buddha to teach you to become a Buddha.

So first level, try to meet Tara. Try to meet Guan Yin. Try to meet Manjushri.

Try to meet Amitabha. Second level, they will teach you how to be like them. That's all of tantra, 100%.

It's a seven year course here. But everything is only two levels. One of the best ways to meet an angel is to try to have a relationship with another person.

And it's very challenging. It's not easy. Why?

They're coming from you. So they're always arguing, and they always want something, and they're always bothering you. They'll not do what you want.

They don't... You will need a hug, they not give you a hug. You know.

Why are they so difficult to live with? Because they are coming from you, and you're difficult to live with. Okay.

So, if you want to have a good person to help you, to bring up all your hard stuff, partner is perfect. Because you have to stay with them. They are your mirror.

They will show you all your problems. Immediately. Because they're coming from you.

So in this Buddhism, higher Buddhism, we use relationship to learn to live with an angel. We use relationship to learn to live with an angel. You can also do it with a Lama.

You see? So when I went to stay with my Lama, in your mind you say, now I'm staying with Buddha. I spent over 25 years in the same house with my Lama.

We are like old married couple. He's like... I'm like...

We know each other 100%. I know what he's going to say like 15 minutes before he says it. He knows what I'm going to say.

We're like, yeah. He's like, yeah. Okay.

Then... So when you move in with the Lama, and you say, okay, my Lama is a Buddha. I'm moving in with a Buddha.

Then a Buddha is always right. That's very difficult. It's very difficult.

25 years, extremely difficult. He kicked out every other American from the house. He kicked them all out.

Did they say something bad? He said, get out. Go away.

They have to move out. I watch him like... This guy just said one angry thing to my Lama.

Lama said, out. How long? The rest of your life.

I'm like... Then they will move nearby, and they will come to class, but they cannot come in the house. They cannot stay in the house.

So, it's very difficult to live with a Buddha. Because they're always right. Then...

When we do higher teachings, it's good to have a partner. Then in the higher teaching, you will say like, okay, from 11.30 to 12.15, my partner is a Buddha. Everything they say is correct.

For 45 minutes, my partner is a Buddha. It's very difficult. Immediately they start to do stupid things.

But this is how we train ourselves to meet an angel. Of course you have to make an angel to meet an angel. What am I talking about then?

Oh yeah, sorry. So the teacher whose commentary I'm using now, for the four wheels, he wrote a great book about tantra. And I'll teach it to you.

He was a great master of the Angel of Diamond. And that's our tantric lineage. And it comes down...

He was a teacher, teacher, teacher, to Pabongka, to Khyabje Tsultrim Rinpoche, to my teacher, to me, to you. Forty-three generations. Forty-three generations.

,RGYAL BA RGYAL ZER RIGS DANG, ,MTOR BA'I PHYIR, ,RGYAL BA YUM PHYIR, ,MTOR BA'I PHYIR RNAMS SBYOR MA, ,RGYAL ZAD DUR NA, ,RTOG PA'I ZHABS SU, ,DOD SANGS RGYAS YOD SHES, We have to ask them for help every two weeks. And we have to know all their names. ,RGYAL BA RGYAL ZER RIGS DANG, ,MTOR BA'I PHYIR RNAMS SBYOR MA, ,RGYAL ZAD DUR NA, ,RTOG PA'I ZHABS SU, ,DOD SANGS RGYAS YOD SHES, Like that.

So you are, I don't know, you are like 43. You are the 43rd generation. It's cool.

Your family is very old. I met the director of our Sanskrit book project in India, Santosh, right John? He came to Rome to meet with us.

John was freezing his arse off in another country with Connie. But anyway, I asked him, how many generations in your family studying the ancient jing, Sanskrit? He said five generations.

In the same city, Varanasi. We are 150 years. We didn't break this family lineage.

Your lineage is eight times longer than that. Ten times longer than that. Your tantra lineage started a thousand years ago and it has not been broken.

It's been passed on pure for 43 generations. Anyway, he's a big Lama in this one. Okay, number one.

What's the picture? What is that picture? Yeah, I'm in a good place and I have good friends to practice Dharma.

In Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Xiamen, Harbin? No. I have good friends.

I have support. And the place is comfortable. It has Khandaji...

I'm just kidding. Khandaji is terrible. We're going to get rid of Khandaji.

Khandaji is going to start serving salads and no chicken. That's my goal in China. THON PA RGYUD PA NI I live in a nice place.

Good support. I can get to retreat cabin in Diamond Mountain. I have lots of friends.

I have teachers. THON PA RGYUD means comfortable place. We covered it already in the Lam Rim.

There are, I think, five qualities of a comfortable place. We don't have time to do it today. Oh, because we're doing a wedding.

That's what I was talking about. I like to marry people and watch the fireworks start. It's so hard to live with another person.

And that can be your real Dharma teacher. So, you marry them, you have cake, everybody's happy. Then the hard work starts.

And you can learn a lot about yourself. Okay, second, SKYES BU DANG PAS SKYE BA'I ZHES NUS KYI BYAS SU GSUNG BA I have teachers. I found a real teacher.

I was so lucky I found a real teacher. He was tough on me. Tough.

He even hit me one time, hard. Boom. I was making fun of another monk, older monk.

And then he was standing next to me. And then, boom. I'm like, whoa, what happened?

He said, don't criticize the other monk. I'm like, that's the only time he really hit me hard. Okay, SKYES BU DANG PAS SKYE BA'I ZHES NUS KYI BYAS SUGS Number three, BDAG NI LAS DANG, MAN NAMS SANGS PA'I BRAS BU'I RLUNG LA YI GSUM BSKYED PA LA MTHONG BZHIN DU BCUG PA What's the picture?

I have a nice picture of our Moscow organizer, Anton, who came to China because John Foley helped him come, and Carol Foley. And I have some lady with an aura around her. Okay.

So, I enjoy doing good things. I'm lucky. You know?

I'm happy to do Dharma stuff. People say, where did you go last week? I went to America.

Oh, did you go to Las Vegas or Los Angeles? I went to Bui. What's Bui?

Dharma capital of the world. Then, what did you do there? We sit in the desert.

We sit and meditate all day. Go to class all day. Then they say, how can you do that?

I don't know. I just think it's cool. I enjoy it.

Then they say, you're a weird dude. You should go to Las Vegas. So, it means because of your past karma.

He says, LAS DANG BON LAM Because of your past karma and because of your past prayers, you have a joy and you enjoy Dharma. What's better, ice cream or Vasubandhu? Vasubandhu.

He said both. Okay, last thing. Then we're finished.

Then we can start the wedding. BYAS NGON PAR GSOS RNAMS RGYIS PAS MTHO RIGS KYI YON DANG BSTAN DANG BSTAN PA STE ZHIG DANG MI BRAL ZHING So, because my past life did many good things, I have all of these qualities. Eight, five, five, seven, eight, four, two.

Plus, if you add the who helped me, it's forty. I think. You can count it.

Probably Wang Xiao will correct me later. She's so sharp. Okay, so that's all.

Now, plan. My suggestion, okay? It's best to start tomorrow.

Don't wait. My suggestion. That's just my own suggestion, okay?

You can do what you want, but get the app, five-minute timer app. Bing! And take this book around with you.

It's small, okay? And every time you have some time, in the morning or in the evening, say, okay, I will do two. I will do two.

And set it for five minutes. And do the next one, that you didn't do yet. And then set it for five minutes and do the next one.

If you have a lot of time, say, I will do three. Or I will do four. And just keep the five-minute thing going.

Anybody can concentrate for five minutes. Because you feel happy because you know it's ending soon. It's like you got through Orit's yoga class.

She started the shavasana. You're like, ah! Okay.

So get the app. Have these two things. That's all.

I don't have any big advice for you, except that. If you keep doing this, you will have a happy mind. If you keep doing this, you will do this.

If you try to meditate for one hour, I can't do it. You can do five of them, or six of them. That way you can reach an hour.

These people say, I went to retreat, Geshe-la, we did seven hours meditation every day. I say, bullshit. Excuse me.

I did it for three years. I meditated in a cabin for three years. It's not possible.

Three hours maximum. If you're doing all day, three hours maximum. It's not possible to do seven hours.

You are sitting there thinking about your job, or your McDonald's, or Kanduji, or... You are not shimbhaka. You are not meditating for seven hours.

It's not possible. I don't think so. I like meditation.

I did it for over 40 years. It's not possible to meditate for seven. I don't think so.

Maybe if you're a Buddha or something. But if you do five, you will become a great meditator. Automatically you will do six, then you will do seven, then you can do eight.

But if you start with one hour, you're just going to waste your time. You're going to sit there and think about your work, or your husband, or your ex-husband. Start with five minutes.

It's my advice. After 40 years of meditation, I reached five minutes. I finally understand how to meditate.

Later you can build up. But start with five minutes. Go through this one by one.

And you will have a happy life. All right.