Дебаты дьявола с ангелом, часть 12: Диалог о медитации и природе ума (2018, Аризона), занятие 1

[Speaker 1]
So, we always start a DCI program the same way. So, DCI is where we go teach business groups around the world and governmental groups. And we always start the same way.

And I was thinking I would like to start that way tonight. First of all, I thought you guys might like to see how we do it. And then secondly, it's very important for the text we're doing.

So, bear with me, most of you have seen most of this. But I think it's necessary that we're on the same page and we're speaking the same language, okay? So, here we go.

What happens at a DCI event is oftentimes I'll start by talking about a pen. You got a pen?

[Speaker 2]
Oh, sorry.

[Speaker 1]
Yeah. And this is how we do it, okay? And we start almost— we speak to 30,000 people a year on DCI and we always start the same way.

So, I'll tell people I'm going to help you understand our new system and I'd like you to give me answers to my questions. And I often say, don't be like the executives at British Airways that we taught. And they refused to say anything.

They just sat there like this. And so, don't be like that, don't be shy, okay? What's this thing?

Yeah, it's a pen. And if a small dog comes in here and I wave this thing in front of the dog, what will they do? Yeah, they will chew it.

And then I say, well, who's— does the dog see this as a pen? Then you say, no. And then I say, well, what does the dog see?

They see something to chew. And then you ask, well, who's correct? The person or the dog?

Both are okay. Why? Yeah, the dog can enjoy it and the person can like with it.

There was one person in Florida once who said—sorry, Vimala. Your parents are there, right? They insisted that the dog was wrong and that the human was right.

But that's just one person out of about 100,000. So, yeah, both are okay. Dog can enjoy, person can use it to write something.

Now the next question is, if I put this thing here and all the dogs go out of the room and all the people go out of the room, at that time, which one is it? Yeah, all around the world people will go like this, which means at that point it's nothing, okay? And people will say nothing, okay?

And then, so, then if I come back in the room and I walk up here and I catch sight of it, what does it become at that moment? Yeah, it becomes a pen again. If the dog had come in, what would it have become?

So, that proves something about the pen that somehow the pen is coming from me. Human nature is to believe that the pen is coming from the pen. There's something built into a human being when you're born.

There's a veil on the eyes and on the mind where you believe, you feel that the pen is coming from the pen. But in actuality, we just demonstrated, you know, indisputably, that it must be coming from you. Then it's useful when you teach the pen, if you have time, you can say, so, can I just close my eyes and wish that it was a big diamond?

If it's coming from me, can I just wish that it was something else? Yes or no? No.

Yeah, you can wish, but it won't change. Then sometimes when I'm speaking to a Buddhist crowd, I'll say, you can do mantras, you can say, OM MANI PADME HUM, and it's not going to change, you know? There's something else forcing your mind to see it as a pen.

And then that's... that you have a seed in your mind. According to Buddhism, you have a seed in your mind, because at some point in the past, I shared a pen with Alex, and when I put it in her hand, and I saw my hand open, then that planted a seed in my mind.

And that seed, you can call it karma, or you can just call it a mental seed, okay? When we teach DCI, we try to avoid Buddhist words. So, we'll just say it's a mental seed.

So, I have a mental seed in my mind. I've been carrying it around since I gave the pen to Alex. Maybe two weeks later, when I see this thing, this green thing, then the seed opens in my mind, and a small, luminous picture made of light, about this big, a pen about this big, comes out of the seed.

The seed cracks open. Karma. And a small picture comes out, and it superimposes itself on this thing.

Then I see a pen. The dog doesn't have that seed. The dog has a seed for...

a chew toy. Maybe they shared a bone before, I don't know. Okay?

But they have a seed in their mind, and when their seed opens, a small picture comes out. Those pictures are coming out at the rate of 65 per second. It's too fast to see.

Your reality is like a video on the internet. The video on the internet is 24 frames per second. Your reality is 65 frames per second.

But it also includes smell, taste, touch. You know, yours is more rich. But it's still just...

still pictures coming out of your mind. Seeds coming out of your mind. If you meditate a lot, you can see the seeds open, and you can see the pictures come out.

And after that, you believe all this stuff forever. But you have to meditate on a regular basis to see that. Okay?

So, then at a DCI program, we'll say that means that everything around you is coming from you. So, this school, the microphone, the words I'm saying, the person next to you, it's all coming out of seeds in your mind. You see?

So, in theory, you could make things the way you want them to be if you could learn how to plant seeds. Okay? So, in theory, you could have anything you want.

You could have beautiful relationships. You could have financial success. You could have good health.

You could have a peaceful mind. Your world would be more beautiful. In theory, if you understand how to plant a seed.

So, then I'll tell people, the second thing we do in DCI, the first night, is we say, so now I'm going to teach you how to plant a seed. There's four steps to planting a seed. Then I'll say, Scott, do you have a hundred dollar bill?

I have a hundred dollar bill if you don't. We have a special fund for this expenses. No, it's okay.

Okay, okay, that's enough. Then I'll take somebody in the audience. Okay?

I'll just go up nearby. Is that okay? Okay, you have to stand up.

And I'll just pick somebody at random in the audience. And I'll tell people, I'm going to show you how to plant the seeds from which your reality comes. Okay?

And there's four steps to planting a seed. And I try to pick somebody in the back that I don't know and who looks like they could use a hundred dollars. And...

you know, I try not to pick a friend of mine. So, it's somebody I hang out with because it gets kind of... Anyway.

So, I'll say step number one. And these come from the fourth chapter of the Abhidharmakosha. Okay?

It's the Shisampajor Tattva. It's very famous. So, step number one, you have to decide what you want.

So, tonight, I'm actually planting a thousand dollars. I have a hundred dollars, but I would like to change it into a thousand dollars. Okay?

So, nowadays when we teach it overseas, like we just got back from Russia, we'll tell them, this is not a demonstration, this is real, this is how I make my salary. You know? And because people will chase me with a hundred dollars.

They try to give it back to me. And I'll say, no, don't mess it up. You know?

I'm making money tonight. Okay? So, number one, what do I want?

What's your goal? And I want a thousand dollars. Okay?

I have a hundred, I want a thousand. Now, step number two, what? Yeah, I have to ask her, I need a partner.

You need a seed planting partner. You cannot plant a seed without a partner. You cannot make an echo without a wall.

Okay? So, I ask her, Mirabai, would you like to make some money tonight for free? She's like, I never had anybody refuse.

Okay. Third step is actually planting the karma. Okay?

And I ask her to raise her hand up. And it's... You know, nowadays I'll ask people in the audience to video it while we're doing it.

And they take it home and watch it. So, there'll be a thousand people with their phone recording it. And then they take it home and they use it all week.

You see what I mean? So, I put in their hand. I close their hand.

Now watch. One, two, three, day. And when I see my own hand open, my mind records it.

And then that becomes an impression on my mind. Sanskara, right? And then in about two hours, in the subconscious, that becomes a karmic seed.

Okay? That becomes a seed for a thousand dollars. Okay?

Then I wave goodbye. I say goodbye. Thank you.

And that's the second thing we always do at the start of a DCI talk. Then I say... Somebody in the audience who's clever will say, you didn't do four steps, you just did three.

And I'll say, well, yeah, that's the important thing. That if you don't know step number four, that seed could take years to open. And there's two problems with that.

Number one, I don't make my thousand dollars. Number two, then I don't believe the system, because I didn't get something back. I gave away a hundred dollars and nothing happened.

You see what I mean? So it's important that we do step number four, which makes the seed open faster. If the seed opens in the next few days, then I'll get some faith in this system.

You see what I mean? And if the seed doesn't open in the next few days, I will think it doesn't work. You see?

So, most people don't know the fourth step of a karma is that you must put water on it. It's like a regular seed. And the water is supplied through a special meditation that traditionally we do as you go to bed.

And you just relax, and you lay down on your cushion. Sometimes I'll do a full lotus up here and tell people... I'll say, oh, you think this is meditation, right?

That you have to do this, and then you have to go like this. And it's fun in a business suit. And then they'll say...

I'll say, no, no, this is a different thing. This is a different kind of meditation. You just relax, and you lay back on your pillow as you go to bed, and you just think about the mirabai and how she looked in the moment that you gave her the hundred dollars.

And you enjoy how she looked. And that enjoyment sends prana to the seed. And then the seed will open faster.

Okay? So, you guys know this whole step. So, that's two things we'll always do before a DCI program.

We'll go through the pen, and we'll go through the four steps. And it's important to do it tonight, because of where we're going tonight with the teaching. There's a third demonstration that we often do at this point to demonstrate a lot of different principles, and it's called the two husbands in the kitchen.

It has spread all over the world. I ran into like six people doing it in Romania. And some guy put a video online.

Anyway, it's crazy. So, I'm going to do the two husbands in the kitchen, okay? There's a joke that in Singapore, one night, twelve hundred people came, and a French guy came up to me afterwards.

He was very angry. And he said, you're getting old, you know? I said, I know.

He said, well, you taught the pen last year, and you taught those four steps last year. You forgot. I said, no, I didn't forget.

I taught them again here. Then he's like, why? I said, because you're not successful yet.

I have to keep teaching them. If you want me to stop teaching them, when you're happy and successful, and you have a beautiful family, then I can stop teaching the pen, okay? So anyway, here's the third demonstration that we always do.

I need two husbands. Scott's going to be one. Word's going to be one, okay?

These seem a little bit silly, but we're going to demonstrate the importance of them shortly, okay? So, I'm a normal working woman. I'm married to a guy.

I have two kids. Will you guys be my kids? Okay, not yet.

So, I have two kids. I have a job for an international company. I often work late, and I have to do the cooking, and I have to do the groceries, and I have to take the kids to school, and I have to make the money.

This is modern times. The husband used to do something, right? So, I'm coming out of work one night, and the boss grabs me and says, I need you tomorrow.

But they say it in that way, which makes it clear that they're going to fire you if you don't come in tomorrow early. Okay? So they're like, don't forget, you have to come in early tomorrow, right?

Like one hour early. And then you're like, yes boss, okay, I'll do it. But in your mind you're thinking, oh, this is going to be so difficult to coordinate with my kids, and get everybody dressed, and get them to school an hour early.

It's going to be really hard, you know? So you go to your kids, their bedroom, and you say, look, mommy has to go tomorrow early, one hour, and could you guys just be ready? Have your pajamas on, have your homework done, you know, all dressed.

You agree? Yeah, they agree, right? Okay, next day, you wake up an hour early, you come into their room, and they are fighting, and they are jumping on the bed, and they are screaming, and they don't have their clothes on, they still have their pajamas on, and their homework's all over the floor, and you say, you are the stupidest kids in sadhana, okay?

And they start crying because they heard you, right? Who else heard you? Yeah, you heard you, okay?

And that's karma. You see, how karma is planted in your mind, is you must see yourself do something, or you must hear yourself do something, or you must hear yourself think something, right? So, every word I say, you are—it goes like this, and it enters my eardrum, and it makes an impression on my mind, okay?

And then after about two hours, that becomes a karmic seed. Next week, I'm coming home, I bought the groceries, you know, I picked the kids up already, and I'm tired, I'm exhausted, you know, and I'm really tired, and I'm coming home, and I'm thinking, I'm starting to wonder why I have a husband, you know? Like, you know, but there's one thing he always does, he gives me hugs, he gives me really nice hugs, you know?

So, it's kind of worth it, you know? That's the one thing he does, which is good, you know? So, I come home, I'm tired, I'm looking forward to a hug, I open the kitchen door, and I go, You're stupid!

Then I get upset, you know? Like, I didn't do anything, and he calls me stupid, you know? I just opened the door, I didn't even say anything yet, you know?

I didn't do anything. Am I right? Is it right?

Is it right that I didn't do anything? No, yeah, right then I didn't do anything, but last week I planted the seed, right? So, it's not correct to say you didn't do anything, right?

Now, how can you prove that your husband is correct when your husband calls you stupid for no reason at all? Yeah, respond. Yeah, I'm not stupid, you're stupid.

Why? Well, who will hear it? You will hear it, and it will plant a seed in your mind.

Then, next week, with the kids, the seed will open, right? Again, and the kids will be back. And then you get mad at the kids, then you plant another seed, and then you go back to the husband and...

You're stupid! Okay, and it's like this, you see? I get mad at them, he creates...it creates him. You're stupid! I say, no, I'm not stupid, you're stupid. And then dad plants a seed, they're back next week.

Yeah, and it goes like this, okay? It goes like this, all right? So, how can the wife break the cycle?

[Speaker 2]
You're stupid! Yeah. Yeah, okay.

[Speaker 1]
That's good, that's all right, you know? Then be calm. Go to the toilet?

Look in the mirror and say, you're so stupid! Okay, got it? But don't answer him, okay?

Then sometimes I like to tell all the wives in the audience, look, between you and me, all husbands are stupid. But don't say it, because then your kids will act up next week, so just be chill, you know? Just calm down, okay?

Now, at this point I make a joke, I say, you're supposed to ask me why I have two husbands. Okay? Like...

Then usually people start laughing, you say, you know, weren't you wondering why I have two husbands in the kitchen? Okay? Now, these are two different husbands in the kitchen.

There's always two husbands in the kitchen. Okay, always. There's two husbands in your house.

Okay? There's always two, okay? But they're different.

This one, we can call... came from yelling at the kids. This one came from my feet.

Okay, got it? This one came from my feet, got it? This one, we can call him...

I didn't do anything. Okay? This is the...

I didn't do anything, husband. All right? Here's the...

I didn't do anything, husband. And here's the husband who came from my feet when they opened, like the pen, when I walked in the room. Okay?

So, now, when you teach it, you say, now, I'll tell you something amazing. One of these husbands really exists. And one of these husbands doesn't exist.

Who's who? This one comes from seeds. This one comes from my seeds.

Does he exist? Yeah, this one exists, okay? This one...

I didn't do anything. I just walked in and he yelled at me. Doesn't exist.

And then, if you want to be precise, what the Buddha said was, doesn't exist tonight, didn't exist in all the time up to now, and could never exist in the future. This husband, I didn't do anything, husband, is an impossibility. Complete impossibility.

Okay? Got it? Now, if you want to go deeper, and we were in Ukraine last year, and it's heavy there, it's heavy there.

They're at war. There are refugees in the audience from their own country, from three hours away, you know? And it's heavy there, you know?

And you say, you know, can we... When you get angry at the husband, okay? When you get angry that he called you stupid, right?

Which one are you angry at? This one? Who come from your seeds?

You cannot get angry at him. Why? You understand that when he yells at you, it's coming from you.

It's your fault. It's impossible to understand him and be angry at him at the same time. It's not possible.

If you understand that he came from yelling at the kids, you just feel some kind of regret. You're like, oh, I should stop yelling at the kids. But you don't get angry at him.

You're sorry for him. You're sorry that he's there. But you don't blame him because you're the only person to blame.

You understand that. So, you don't get angry, okay? But, when you do get angry, it has to be at Scott.

[Speaker 2]
Okay?

[Speaker 1]
When you do get angry, it has to be at one, at a husband, that you think, isn't your fault. It must be. It's impossible to get angry at this one because you understand he's coming from you.

But it's natural to get angry at this one because you think he decided to yell at you. You think it's him who decided to yell. You don't believe he's coming from you.

Okay, got it? Now... When you get angry, you get angry at this one.

But this one doesn't even exist. And it's the same with all enemies. All enemies in the world.

Corporate enemies, racial enemies, religious enemies, national enemies. You know? And if you live long enough, right, commander?

If you live long enough, you know, when I was young, the enemy was the Germans. And then it was the Vietnamese. Oh, Koreans.

Koreans? Then it was the Vietnamese. And then it was the Russians.

And then it was the, you know, the Arabs. And then it was the Chinese. And when you live over 60, every 10 years the government switches the enemy.

You see what I mean? Then you get suspicious after a while. You're like, but I thought the Vietnamese were the enemy.

No, no, they're friends. But, you know, and every... there's a different group you're supposed to hate every 10 years, okay?

But the thing is, they don't exist. Okay? So, every war that was ever fought, like in the...

This was heavy. We taught it in Ukraine, and people are like, you know, and every enemy that you hate doesn't exist. They don't even exist.

A hundred million people died in World War II by an enemy who didn't exist. You see what I mean? And then people are...

Okay? So, those are the three things. Now, for the Buddhists in the audience, okay?

Let's... Buddhist terminology. Let's load up these long words that confuse people so nobody understands.

Okay? So, first one. Where's the dependent origination here?

Yeah. The wheel started here, 12 links, right? Started here, went over to there.

And what's that called? You can call it samsara. Samsara.

You can call it the wheel of life. Or you can call it dependent origination. 因果.

You can call it cause and effect. Okay? So, that's cause and effect.

That's dependent origination. That's samsara. And that's the wheel of life.

And there's no other wheel of life. It's not a painting. And it's not a Buddhist philosophy.

Right? And dependent origination. Dependent.

Dependent. This eight syllable word. The wheel.

It's... How often do you have a wheel of life? How often do you set a wheel of life into motion?

No, I mean... Couple times a day. Maybe a couple times an hour.

You are doing something that starts these wheels. So, it's not like if you get reborn in the hell realm, you just started a new wheel. It's not like that.

You are spinning off new wheels with your kids every ten minutes. You see? And then they spin off other wheels.

And samsaras are going like that. Now, where's the emptiness here? Now, in this kitchen story, where's the emptiness?

Yeah. The fact that he doesn't exist is emptiness. Okay?

There's no other emptiness. Okay? Emptiness...

Everything you ever heard about emptiness is silly. And you can't use it. And it has no relevance to your life.

Okay? Close your eyes. Think about nothing.

Stare at black things for a long time. Watch your thoughts come and go in your mind. These have nothing to do with emptiness.

Emptiness means he's not there and he never was there. Okay? What's the gacca?

Where's the gacca? Gacca means what is emptiness empty of? What's the thing that doesn't exist when you say emptiness?

Emptiness means something you thought was there is not there. That's emptiness. Where's the emptiness here?

Sorry. Who's the gacca? Yeah, it's him, okay?

He's the imaginary thing that isn't there. Okay, got it? Very important.

Emptiness means emptiness of something, right? It's him. He's...

It's the emptiness of him. Okay? That's the gacca.

Now, where's the nirvana? Where's nirvana? In this story.

Come on.

[Speaker 2]
In the toilet.

[Speaker 1]
Yeah, in the bathroom. It's pretty good. Yeah, I would say that.

Yeah. Definition in Tibetan. Yeah.

It's when you stop getting angry because you understand where things are coming from. That's the definition of nirvana. Okay?

So, when she goes like this and she stops and she pauses then... she... she broke link number one in the Wheel of Life.

She attacked marikpa, avidyā, ignorance, and she's... she's shutting down the wheel. Okay?

And that leads to nirvana. That's nirvana. Okay, got it?

If you have a lot of time and you want to get fancy, where's the four noble truths here? Where's the four higher truths? Truth number one, what?

This is the first teaching Buddha ever gave. I'm sure all these Buddhists know. What's the first one?

Yeah, all things are suffering. Where's the suffering here? When he yells at her.

It's not fun to be yelled at. Okay, that's the truth of suffering. Wait, that's not a truth.

That's a sound. Shouldn't it be... truth...

four truths should be a statement, right? All things are suffering. Is that the first truth of the four truths?

Is it or not? No, it's the thing it refers to. Okay, got it?

The four truths are four facts. They don't mean this is that. It's not a statement.

There's not four statements as the four truths. That's a mistake, okay? Burning your hand is the first noble truth.

Got it? It's not like you have to stand there and say, I declare that my finger hurts. That's not the first truth.

Okay, the first truth is when the husband yells. Okay? Second truth.

What's the cause of the truth? Yeah, yelling at the kids. Planning.

Good. Okay. What's the third truth here?

It's possible to break the cycle. It's possible to end it. When?

When she refuses to answer. And what's the path?

[Speaker 2]
Wait for the path.

[Speaker 1]
Yeah, the path means really, literally, path means understanding. Okay? When she— when he yells, and she remembers the talk tonight, and she doesn't respond.

Okay? Then that's the path. That is the path.

So, in one incident, in the kitchen, you have all the Buddhism, but correctly, you know? It relates to somebody's real life. And that's what Buddhism was supposed to be.

I told Scott the other day, DCI is Buddhism. You know? We're trying not to be Buddhist in the DCI programs, but not being Buddhist is Buddhism.

You see, to teach someone not to yell back is the path to nirvana. Okay? So, you can teach Buddhism without mentioning Buddhism.

And maybe it's more effective. I don't know. 30,000 people come every year.

Maybe it's a better way. I don't know. Okay, sit down, you guys.

Thank you. Okay. Now, the problem with this teaching— So, we're going to do a teaching.

It's by the first Panchen Lama. Okay, there's two big lamas in Tibet. One is called Dalai Lama.

One is called Panchen Lama. And traditionally, they kind of rotate. So, when the Dalai Lama gets old, the Panchen Lama is young.

And when the Panchen Lama is old, the Dalai Lama is young. And they kind of take care of each other, traditionally. So, the first Panchen Lama lived about 400 years ago.

And his name was Lo Tsang Chukyi Gyatso. And he's on your cover of your reading. And he was an unbelievable great lama.

I like that he was a poet. I enjoy his poetry a lot. And he was an activist.

He did a lot of retreats. One time he was in retreat, and he got a note from his attendant that said, there's an attack headed our way. There's an army headed our way.

And you might have to break retreat. And he got angry. He said, what kind of army would have the insulting to break my retreat?

And he walked out between the two armies. And he said, if you want to kill each other, you got to kill me first. And he was already probably the most famous lama in Tibet at the time.

So, there's a beautiful story that both sides were afraid to kill him. And then he said, by the way, let me talk to the two generals, you know. And they came forward, and he sat down with them in between the lines, you know.

And he said, look, being a big lama is really financially successful. I've got bars and bars of gold, you know. I'll split it with you guys if you stop fighting, you know.

And he bribed them to stop fighting, okay? So, I really like him. I'm really attracted to him.

And... So, he's written great books of philosophy, very, very deep. He wrote very beautiful books of devotion.

Mama Chupa, right? The most famous devotional prayer in Tibet. He wrote it.

We do it a couple times. When we do retreats, we do it. It's the first prayer I ever went to.

They were doing Mama Chupa, offering to lamas, okay? But he wrote an extraordinary book called The Devil Debates an Angel. Okay?

It's called Dangdzin Shangdep. Say Dangdzin. Shangdep.

Shangdep means to have an argument. And Dangdzin means the devil, okay? And...

So, a devil debates an angel, okay? And my lama started it with us and then he didn't have a chance to finish it. It seems like it's difficult to finish.

And he never finished it. So, we studied it some. But I came back to it much later.

And it's very, very, very beautiful. And... When my personal friends asked me, could we just have a small, you know, intimate gathering at the elementary school?

And people can drive down from Colorado and stuff. You drove? You guys drove?

You took a... You took a... Oh, okay.

It's almost the same amount of time. So... I thought it would be sweet to do with my close friends because it's a little bit difficult, okay?

And... We keep starting it over again because I keep not having time to finish it. So, I have a proposal tonight.

I'm just going to review the whole thing up to now because if you're like me, this teaching has been spread out by eight years. And I always forget last year's teaching this year. And I could just keep forging on, but there is a theme going through the whole thing.

There's a... There's a logic to the whole thing. So, I worked on it.

I worked on a way to give it to you, the whole thing, in a logical soul, okay? And I thought we would do that. And I'd like to try to finish it.

If you guys have time and we can get back together more often, maybe, I'm thinking three times a year or something, we could finish it, okay? But it's up to you. And we can try to finish it.

By the way, are we supposed to take a break, Nick? Yeah. I'll think about it.

Maybe we don't take a break. Okay. But I wanted to give you an idea, a thought about this teaching, okay?

This is that classical thing where there's a devil over here, a little devil this big, and there's a little angel over here, and your mind is like... Like, I made a bet with Dr. Wu. He came to my house for dinner.

He's one of our main sponsors. And he said, do you need anything? I said, yeah, I need two million dollars by the end of the year for 31 projects, you know?

And he's like, well, I'll give you one. One million, you know? And I'll try to find the other million.

Then, at the end of the evening, I said, you're looking a little bit overweight, you know? And he said, yeah, but you are too. And then I said, well...

He said, let's have a contest during the last term. Who can lose the most weight? And he said, if you win, I'll give you the second million dollars, you know?

And I was like, okay, you know? And then I sent all my friends to his house with cookies and stuff. And...

chocolate. And then... I didn't eat anything.

I had... Veronica knows. I had watermelon juice for like three weeks.

And... I was like dizzy. But I remember one night, I went to the fridge, you know?

And I opened it up, and she keeps baking these beautiful cakes and stuff. And I'm looking at this cake, you know? That she made.

And this thought came into my mind. Somebody's talking on this side of my head. This side of my head is like, eh, eh, eh, no cake, million dollars.

And then suddenly there's this thought. I heard it in my mind, and it said, come on, a million dollars is not that much. You know?

What's a million dollars, you know? And I'm like, who's talking over there? You know?

And... I almost... I mean, my hand went out.

And then I'm like, wait a minute, that's not me. Who's talking over here? And so you get in...

you get these things and... you get pictures, right? On the internet or something.

They show an angel talking over here. The angel's like, oh, have watermelon juice. And then the devil's like, come on, your partner cooked you a nice cake, you're gonna not eat it.

What's... what's the big deal, a million dollars, you know? And...

So, we all have an internal conversation going on, okay? And that's what this book is about, okay? And...

he sets it in terms of meditation, okay? So, anyone who's done a three-year retreat, we have a bunch of people here who've done three-year retreat. If you've done a three-year retreat, you know that during a retreat, the conversation in your mind gets extremely detailed, you know?

This part's talking to this part all day, you know? But during your meditation, it's particularly, I don't know... the arguments get almost laughable.

It's like a comedy. It's like, well, what's the big deal about a million dollars? And this one's like, what are you talking about?

You know? And... when you meditate for a long time, if you stay quiet for three years, you become very aware of this schizophrenia in your own mind, that you have a good side of your mind and you have a bad side of your mind, okay?

And according to Buddhism, you cannot remove the bad side of your mind until you understand that things aren't there. The second husband's not even there, okay? According to Buddhism, it's impossible to stop anger permanently as long as you still believe the person you're angry at is even there.

You see what I mean? You have to understand he was never there to defeat anger. It's the only way you will ever defeat anger, okay?

So, this whole book, eight years of so far, is the mind in meditation, hiding with the mind in meditation, okay? Angel and devil inside of meditation. But I think, this is my big thing tonight, okay?

I think that the First Panchen Lama wants us to to be more aware of the inner conversation we're always having, okay? And not just in meditation. You see, I think he's written a book about meditation as a trick to get us to realize that we are talking to ourselves all day.

You know, there's always two people in your mind talking, right? I mean, same with you? Same as I have.

Do you have? And there's two parts of your mind. And they're in a constant conversation all day, right?

And, there's kind of a good side and there's kind of a bad side of your mind. So, there's a positive influence in your mind and there's a negative influence in your mind. So, I would not call this Mahamudra meditation.

I would call it internal conversations, okay? They get... they intensify when you're in meditation.

But they are present all the time. They are going on all day long, okay? So, what I wanted to suggest, first of all, that you...

as we go through the text, be aware that it's not just in meditation. Your mind is debating all day two things. Number one, how do I get what I want, you know?

Like, should I... should I go to his house or should I check on the internet or should I call this person? Your mind is talking to itself all day long when you want something, right?

And then when you don't want something, your mind goes into the conversation again, you know? Well, we were supposed to get that, but, you know, I lost more weight, but he didn't give me the million dollars. So, should I call him or...

or should I chase him or... should I write an email or... you know, should I kind of remind him or should I not?

Is it more cool if I don't remind him? Because he might feel bad that he's overweight, you know? You know, like...

your mind is weighing options. And you spend all day doing one of these two. You...

you are either calculating what I should do... you are discussing with yourself, what should I do next today to get the things I want. But you are also debating with yourself, you know, maybe I shouldn't do this or...

or how could, you know... how do I get rid of this problem I have? Should I say this or should I say that?

Okay, got it? So, your mind is already got the angel devil going since you were born, okay? This conversation, internal conversation is going on right now.

Feel like, is he gonna take a break? I don't know if he's gonna take a break. If he takes a break, should we stay?

I don't know. Let's check the refreshments, see if they're worth it. You know?

But yeah, but it's all sounding kind of weird. I thought it's gonna... You know, your own mind is having a conversation now.

Okay? So... there's a practice in Buddhism called drenpa and sheshin.

What's sheshin? What's sheshin? Sheshin is like...

I had an idea, Scott. We were in... I forget what country we were in.

We were in Germany. They had a nice monitor in the middle. They had two huge LED monitors and then they had a very nice monitor so I could see what I look like.

You know, I could kind of make my hair, you know, try to not angle it. You know... And...

sheshin means a monitor. Okay? So it says...

you can check how your mind is. You see? It's a part of your mind that's like a TV monitor that's focused on you.

You see? And you can see if your tie's straight. They're gonna take a photo, group photo.

So I look in the monitor, I can see if my tie's straight. You know? Or...

I can see if the booger's coming out yet or not. Or I can make it to the end of the talk without using a handkerchief. You see?

I can check the monitor to see what geshe-la looks like. Right? So we all have a part of your mind that meditators are supposed to develop purposely, which is a part of your mind that's a monitor of how your mind's doing.

So while you're in meditation, every few minutes you're supposed to look at the monitor and see what's the condition of your mind. Okay? That's called sheshen.

What's chenpa? But come on. That's a lousy translation.

Yeah, bring your mind back. I like to call it the tour guide. When you go to a museum and there's a thousand paintings, you know, you go to the Louvre, right?

We went to see Rodin Museum, right? Me and Veronica. It's nice to go with a guide cause they'll say, no, no.

Come on, there's a better one in the next room. You know, come on. Follow me.

You know, I know where the good stuff is. You see what I mean? So, these are two parts of your mind that a meditator is supposed to develop.

Okay? You're supposed to develop it in your mind when you meditate. Sheshen is a smoke alarm.

What do you call it? Smoke detector. When you start thinking about lunch during meditation, that part of your mind is supposed to go, beep, beep, beep, beep, you know?

It's supposed to say, Geshe-la, your tie is crooked or your bald spot is showing. You know, try to stand up straighter. It's a monitor where you can see yourself.

Okay? So, in meditation, in the practice of meditation, you're supposed to develop an internal monitor. Okay?

And when it rings an alarm, oh, Geshe-la, you're supposed to be meditating, but you're thinking about lunch. Then there's another part of your mind which is supposed to be the tour guide. Say, come on, this is not the good part of the museum.

Come to the good part of the museum. It's supposed to draw you to the better paintings. You see what I mean?

Or sculptures, right? So, the word tenpa means to draw, to pull you to the cool exhibit. You see what I mean?

So, you got to have both parts in your mind. Now, what I'd like to do this weekend, if you want, if you're interested, is apply it all day, to practice applying it all day. You see?

I would like to experiment with developing these two meditational tools to run in your mind from the time you get up till the time you go to bed. Okay? Got it?

Like, I would like to practice that. Okay. But, we're studying Mahamudra, okay?

Mahamudra is a special kind of meditation, a very specific kind of meditation. And his book is called the Chakchen Tsawa. It's the most famous book on Mahamudra.

It's the mother book of all Mahamudra meditations. And, I would... I would like to use his book, you see?

And, what it means is, what makes a meditation Mahamudra? What makes a Mahamudra meditation? Yeah, the object of the meditation is your own thoughts, is your own mind.

Okay? So, whenever you focus your meditation on your own mind, that's... we give it a special name, it's called Mahamudra meditation.

Okay? So, there's thousands of kinds of meditations, but when the object of the meditation is the blabla of your own mind, then that has a special name, Mahamudra. And it's very high.

There's a very deep tantric practice called Mahamudra. And there's... there's several Mahamudras, several famous Mahamudras, okay?

But, the main one is watch your mind and see if you're focusing on the first husband or the second husband. Okay, got it? At all times, during meditation, watch your mind.

Are you focused on something that's not even there? Or are you focused on something which is there? Okay?

And my Lama went off on this, you know, he taught it, I remember. I remember, you know, he said, your mind is wrong. Your mind is making a mistake.

The highest school of Buddhism, Madhyamika Prasangika says, you have never had a correct perception in your life. Okay? You have never seen a single thing correctly in your whole life.

Okay? It's amazing. So I'm like, and then I got upset.

I'm like, Rinpoche, there's a door to the toilet. There's a door right there. If I open the door, I get the pee-pee.

If I don't open the door, I don't get the pee-pee. Is it the door to the toilet or not? Or am I wrong?

And he says, you're wrong. And I said, well, you want me to pee-pee in the floor of the kitchen? What do you want?

You know, what's wrong about it? Okay? And he said, he said the coolest thing, he said, it's not that you're wrong about the door, there is a door there.

Okay, got it? There is a door there. But you have a feeling about the door that's wrong.

I'm like, what's my feeling about the door that's wrong? You think the door is coming this way, but the door is coming this way. Okay?

It's just a pen thing. Okay? Ignorance, avidya, misunderstanding, the source of all pain in Buddhism is that it's not that you don't see doors, it's how you feel about the door, and you feel the door is coming from the door, and you don't realize the world is a pen, and the world is coming from you, and you can have anything you want if you just share what you have.

You see what I mean? It's... If things are coming from you, then all things are possible.

You can have a beautiful partner, you can have a... as much money as you want, you can have a... good health.

At 65 you can do ballet, you know... You can have anything you want if things are coming from you. You can have anything you want.

You see what I mean? So, just try to understand that things are coming from you. Now, in the internal conversation that goes on 24 hours a day, right?

You can let the devil run loose, or you can invite the angel in. Okay? You can let the devil run loose, or you can invite the angel in.

Okay? What's the devil say? Okay, you're having trouble with somebody, right?

Somebody at work you don't like. Okay? There's somebody at work that you're having trouble with.

Okay? Now I'm talking Mahamudra. Okay?

So, you're supposed to watch your mind. You can do Mahamudra all day, especially if someone's really irritating you. It'll be automatic.

You think about them frequently. Okay? It becomes an obsession, right?

It becomes the theme of your day. You know, I don't like this person. This person is irritating me.

Okay? Then the internal conversation will start. Now, in a normal, untrained person, the misunderstanding of the irritating person is running loose.

The devil has complete control of the mind. And you're thinking of ways to get them, or to stop them, or to make them embarrassed, or, you know, how to... You know, you're thinking of different ways to get them.

Okay? The devil's controlling your mind. Okay?

Now if the angel steps in for two minutes, what's the angel say? This person's coming from you. Well, why?

You planted them. Well, how? You were irritating.

Last week. Understand? To your kids or something.

And you planted this irritating person. Okay, got it? Now, in dealing with irritating people, you have now, you have two choices.

Number one, do it the old way, you know? Try to talk to them, negotiate with them, try to get them in trouble with somebody. You know, you have a whole list of things you can try.

Okay? This is what you've done up to now. Ignore them, argue with them, put a banana peel on the floor of their room.

You know, you have all these options come to your mind, right? That the devil is... It's the million dollars, ain't so much money talker over here.

Got it? This just died. Hello?

I'll keep going, but you figure it out. Scott says it because I hold it in the wrong place, but I don't know. Okay, I'll try to hold it up here.

Then, if you're lucky, you go to the Mahamudra talk in Sudhana, and you learn to think differently, you know? The angel gets five minutes in your mind, you know? The angel comes in and says, Look, I agree the person is an asshole.

Excuse me. It's irritating. I agree they are irritating.

They really are. There's no debate about it. Your husband called you stupid.

I'm not saying your husband didn't call you stupid. I agree. Your husband did a bad thing.

I agree. But, what we disagree about is where he's coming from. Okay?

If he's coming from the outside, then okay, use banana peels. Okay? But, if he's coming from your mind, if he's coming from seeds in your mind, wouldn't it be easier to just tweak a few seeds?

You see what I mean? Okay, got it? Got it?

See, now you have a choice. Once you've studied Mahamudra, you learn to watch your own mind all day. And your mind, when something happens that you don't like, it'll give you a choice.

Hey, something's happening we don't like. What? The doctor didn't pay the million dollars.

Okay, what do we do? I think we should write an email or something. I don't know, just the devil talking, you know?

Then the good side of your mind, the angel's like, wait, calm down. Maybe you didn't keep some promises this week. Maybe if you kept some promises you could change the seed.

Maybe then the guy would keep his promise because maybe the guy is coming from you. Okay? That's the angel side, okay?

That's the angel when you have a problem, okay? Number one, when you have a problem. Number two, when you want something, okay?

I don't know, my husband doesn't give me hugs. He used to when we first got married. And then after about, I don't know, six months he stopped.

He started hugging his laptop more than me, you know? So, you want something. You want more hugs than you.

So, the devil's like, okay, bribe him, blackmail him, you know, tell him no more dinners if you don't get hugs. You know, this is the devil talking, okay? The devil's suggestions are only good if things were coming this way, okay?

But, the angel's suggestions are good if things are coming this way. Got it? So, the angel's like, no, no, wait.

Give your kids more hugs and you'll plant hug seeds. And then, since your husband comes from you, you will get more hugs, okay? So, the angel in your mind is suggesting different strategies when you're having a problem with somebody, got it?

And the angel in your mind is suggesting different strategies when you want something, when you want to get something. Okay, got it? Challenges and goals, okay?

There's a devil way of looking at it and an angel way of looking at it. And there's a devil way of looking at it and an angel way of looking at it. And why I'm talking about that is you are studying the most famous book ever written about Mahamudra meditation.

But I think he has phrased it as an internal discussion because he wants you to do it all day. Not when you're sitting on your cushion and, you know, you invite the angel in and you invite the devil in. I don't think that's the point.

Why did the first penchant lama, one of the greatest lamas of all time, why did he phrase this teaching as an internal discussion? And... I think he wants you to do it all day.

So, that's my suggestion for this weekend. Is... when we do meditation tomorrow, whoever's doing meditation...

Yeah, I mean... you could pick a challenge you have in your life or you could pick something that you want in your life and meditate on it tomorrow, okay? During the meditation time, you can...

you can start a discussion in your mind. Invite the angel and invite the devil, okay? And then have fun, okay?

Your eyes are closed. You are indeed Mahamudra meditation, you know? I would like to get more hugs out of my...

dork husband, okay? You know? So then...

discuss strategies with yourself. Okay? Discuss strategies with yourself.

In your own mind, make a list. Okay, what's the old way? Oh, well, we would tell him no more spaghetti dinners unless I get more hugs or no more hoochie-coochie at night if I don't get hugs all day, you know?

This is the devil talking, okay? If things are not coming from you, those are good strategies. Okay?

If the world is not coming from you, bribes and blackmail are good approaches with your husband. Okay? If the world's not coming from you.

But, if the world's coming from you, then giving your kids more hugs or, I don't know, being more friendly to people on the street is gonna plant seeds to have your husband do what you want. So then, my suggestion during meditation, you can have a conversation in your mind. Okay, pick one challenge in your life, pick a person who's giving you trouble, and pick someone that...

pick something you want, like, I want more money, or I want, I don't know, I want better health, or something like that, okay? And then, invite the angel and invite the devil and let him go at it. You know?

Hey, you talked for a while. Yeah, health! I heard there's a new doctor in Sedona.

She's both western, and she's got... and she's a naturopath, and she's got, you know, six people say she's good, you know? And she's got...

she knows all about, you know, blah, blah, blah, blah, you know? Expensive supplements that she happens to sell in the office. And, you know, these are all...

you know, let your mind debate it, self-existent, let the devil talk, okay? Then let the angel come in. Excuse me, I have another suggestion.

Oh, what's your suggestion? Maybe we could help some sick people. Maybe we could find some sick people.

Maybe we could just talk to people that we know, and try to find someone who needs a ride to the hospital once a week, and we could give him a ride once a week, and we could plant some health seeds, and then since the health of my body is coming from me, then my health will get better. You see what I mean? Got it?

Two choices. That's the angel, by the way, talking, okay? The devil is like, no, new supplements, ZZ vitamin, discovered in the Andes Mountains by frogs, you know, and...

you know, nah. And then this side of your mind is like, no, no, you can take those, that's okay, but first, help some sick people, you know, and then buy the Frog Andes stuff, and it will work. You see what I mean, got it?

So, what I want you to do, what I propose during the meditation, you have to think about it, you have like 12 hours to think about it. It's a lot of time in my world. Think about something you want, and think about something you don't want, and let the angel and devil talk in your mind, okay?

Let them go at it. Let them have a conversation, okay? And make these three days worth something, okay?

You're not studying another Tibetan book, the 236th Tibetan book you studied with Geshe-pa, you know, pick something you really want, or pick something you don't want, and then invite the angel and the devil into your head and have a conversation. And I have another proposal, which we're going to do some kind of exercise, right? Workshopping.

So, you will get a partner, okay? You will pair off. In the afternoons, which are useless for teaching philosophy, so you might as well do something else.

You pair off, then you be the devil and I'll be the angel, for something you want. And then we'll switch, okay? So, if I pair off with Chen Zong, you know, and she says, I would like to get more hugs from my partner, something like that.

You know, you have this goal. So, let's do a little acting? What do you call it?

A skit? What do you call it? Role-playing.

Yeah. So, you'll be the devil and I'll be the angel. You ready?

Okay. So, what are you looking for? Oh no, I'll be the devil, you'll be the angel.

What are you looking for? What do you want in your life? Just say hugs.

[Speaker 2]
Hugs.

[Speaker 1]
Yeah, so, I was thinking, you're cooking every night and this guy's not giving you hugs, it's obvious what we should do. You know? Just tell him you're too tired to cook, because he's too tired to give you a hug.

[Speaker 2]
Okay?

[Speaker 1]
Good? Then now you're the angel, okay? Yeah, that would work if it was coming from him.

[Speaker 2]
Then I should give more hugs and smiles?

[Speaker 1]
Yeah, something like that, you know? But don't forget you're talking to the devil, you're like— you gotta be condescending. Yeah, good idea, you know?

We've done that for years, you know? We tried to threaten hugs out of him, but did it work? You know?

Well, no, it didn't, did it? You know? And see, I want you to make— in your workshop, I want you to workshop roleplay angel-devil, okay?

So then—okay, you ready? Now I'm the devil, you're the angel, okay? So, you wanted hugs, right?

Yeah, so I would like to get my million dollars. And I'm thinking to write the guy or call him or, you know, send him an email or something. What do you think?

I'm devil now. You're angel.

[Speaker 2]
That's— You're gonna write a letter to him?

[Speaker 1]
Yeah, I mean, kind of hot, sarcastic, you know? Like, I think to take a picture of my stomach and send— just send it without any explanation. No, no, you're angel, come on, you're angel.

[Speaker 2]
You think that's gonna work?

[Speaker 1]
Yeah, I mean— well, actually, it doesn't always work, but it's what I'm thinking about.

[Speaker 2]
You know, you see, like this— Well, why don't you go and take the picture? That's good.

[Speaker 1]
No, sooner or later, she has to get around to planting seeds, okay? So, maybe you should keep your promises. Then I'm gonna say, yeah, but my promises are ten dollar promises.

His promises are million dollar promises. How many ten dollar promises are— I have to keep a hundred thousand ten dollar promises to get a million dollars, right? No, you're the angel, come on, come on.

A half a gram acorn creates a five thousand kilo tree. Get it? Keep a few small promises.

You get it, okay? You're not a very good angel tonight. Okay?

So, I want you guys to role play it tomorrow, okay? First you pair off, one's the angel, one's the devil, okay? And the devil has to give stupid self-existent solutions that don't work, and then the angel has to politely say, no, I think we should do that, okay?

Then we're gonna have a contest, angel-devil contest, and whoever gets the best one gets to have extra refreshments, or less refreshments if you're on a diet.

[Speaker 2]
Okay?

[Speaker 1]
Alright, now, I've been teaching this book for eight years, and if I go through the poetry, it'll go very slow, so I had a new idea. I'm just gonna go through the flow of ideas. I'm gonna teach you the flow of ideas.

So you're gonna get eight years review after refreshments. Okay? But it's gonna go like, zoom, and you'll understand it, and it will come out in your workshop, which means in your life, and isn't that the whole point of it, right?

Okay? Okay, I'm gonna do a review of what we did so far, but I'm not gonna read the verses. So I'm giving you verses, you take them home, you read them tonight, they're great if you can't sleep.

They put you right to sleep. So, you know, read the text on your own time, okay? And I gave you some more, you're gonna get about 60 pages of it.

Okay? Alright, I'm just gonna go, so don't look at the paper, okay? I just wanna give you a lightning review of the whole book, alright?

And we only have about half an hour, I'll continue tomorrow, okay? And I feel better because it's been so disjuncted, it's been so irregular, that I don't think... I also forgot what we said before, okay?

Alright, here we go. First is the title. Okay, this is the long title, you ready?

This is an argument which occurred one time between wisdom and her opponent whose name was, not the devil, it's called the tendency to think that things are real. And it all started when wisdom was identifying the word Mahamudra, okay? In three parts of Impressionist magic, okay?

So maha means big, mudra means seal, it's a big seal that a king has to stamp things, and it's very similar to the nuclear box codes that the American president has, okay? Like, the king of an ancient times was supposed to keep his seal at hand. And if, because if a document had a seal on it, you know, if the document said give this person a million dollars, it was good if it had the king's seal on it.

So the king was supposed to keep the seal nearby and never let it get out of his reach, okay? And it certifies things as real. Emptiness, angel teachings that talk about seeds and stuff coming from you, two husbands in the kitchen teachings, okay?

These have the stamp of emptiness on them, which means they're certified organic, true. You see, if a teaching is stamped with this idea of Mahamudra, which means the big stamp, right? Then it's real, if it's teaching emptiness, okay?

So that's basically the meaning of Mahamudra. Then later Mahamudra became a tantric word for your partner, your spiritual partner, because you were supposed to never let them go. They were supposed to be like the king's seal and you never, you know, lose track of them.

You keep them with you tight, okay? Right, V? Okay, agree?

Okay. The second verse is, every great Buddhist book starts out by honoring the Mamas of the lineage, okay? Like, you can't understand these things without a teacher, without a living teacher.

So, it's traditional, at the beginning of the book, he honors his teacher, okay? I'm just going to the verse, that's verse 2. Okay, verse 3.

He says, all Mahamudra practice, all great seal practice, all emptiness practice is divided into three parts of your life, okay? That's verse 3. Don't look at your, don't try to read it.

Read it at home, okay? Okay, all right. Now, first stage, which is verse 4.

Okay, I'm going, we have to do 170 verses. Verse 4. There's a natural Mahamudra, which is the natural state of your mind, which is that when you were born, you started to believe that things were coming this way, okay?

That's called natural Mahamudra and it's called a natural error. It's a natural error of the mind. The mind believes, when you're born, ants, fish, birds, you know, donkeys, they all believe things are coming this way.

It's a natural part of a living being's mind, okay? It's called natural Mahamudra. Natural mistake that we all make, okay?

And as long as you make that mistake, you have the devil in your mind. And as long as you are trying to solve the problems in your life, that way you will always have troubles, okay? You will never solve the problems in your life.

They will keep coming back, okay? Because they're coming from you, but you don't know. All right.

Verse 5. Misunderstanding that things come from you is the source of all human suffering. From breaking a fingernail up to nuclear destruction.

All trouble in the world is caused by thinking that things are coming this way when they're actually coming this way. That's verse 5. Verse 6.

The only thing that can stop human suffering is to understand that things are coming from you, okay? Verse 6. I'm just giving you...

You can read the verses at home, okay? Now, there's another version. Verse 7.

There's a second version of natural Mahamudra, which is called the clear line of death, okay? When you die, as you go through the process of dying, the inner winds reach a state of rest at which it's a very good chance to try to see emptiness, okay? So, every human being, once in their life, is very close to emptiness by accident, and it's at a certain stage in the death process, okay?

So, that's also... That's called secondary natural Mahamudra. During the death process...

I like to say it's like a New York subway, and they slow down, right? Before they get to Fourth Street Station or something. And then you have a few minutes to get off.

And then it takes off again. So, every person's... Every creature's mind, even animals, as they die, the train slows down for a few minutes.

And if you know what you're doing, you can jump off. But it's very hard to do, okay? Anyway, that's also called the clear line of Mahamudra.

Verse 8. That... You can learn to use that clear line without dying, if you learn to do Mahamudra meditation, okay?

So, there is a meditation where you learn to do what you can do at death, okay? Both of those are called Path Mahamudra, okay? So, there's a way to take the natural Mahamudra of the mind and jump...

use it as a path, okay? As a way to get happiness in your life, okay? Number 9.

The ultimate Path Mahamudra, okay, the second kind of Mahamudra, right? First is natural. Second is path.

Path is, you can do specific meditations to get the devil out of your mind, okay? There are specific meditations that make it too hot inside your head for the devil to stay, okay? And that's the goal of this book, you know?

We're going to try to learn certain kinds of meditation that make it impossible for the devil to talk in your head. Imagine that Geshe Michael can stand in front of the fridge and look at one of Veronica's cakes and not think, you know, a million dollars, not so much money. You understand?

Like, you can... What do you call it? Lobotomy.

You can cut that part of your brain out, okay? You can make your brain pure with these meditations, okay? Number 10.

When you get really good in Mahamudra and you can see emptiness directly, we call it the path of seeing, okay? And it's short, it's like 20 minutes. It takes many years to get there and it changes your whole being, okay?

Now, you can consolidate that understanding and make it part of your life and that's called the path of habituation and that's when you start using your knowledge of emptiness in the kitchen. Who's gonna tell me where's the emptiness in the kitchen? Scott, good.

Yeah, in a single word, okay? That the irritating person in the kitchen who decided to yell at me is not there and was never there, okay? Could not be there, okay?

No one in your life ever hurt you. No one. No such thing, okay?

In this system, they came from you. They came because you said something to your kids yesterday. Okay, got it?

So, that's called path of habituation. You get used to emptiness. So, don't think it's some kind of mystery.

Don't close your eyes and try to think about nothing. That's all complete hogwash. See, I don't have to use bad words.

It's just ridiculous, okay? It has nothing to do with emptiness. Emptiness means the husband in the kitchen who's not coming from you was never there.

That's all. Forget everything else you heard about emptiness. It's all wrong, okay?

If you understand emptiness correctly, you will be a happy, well-rounded, successful person. That's all, okay? If you understand that the guy yelling at you in the kitchen who's not coming from you was never there, you're gonna be a well-adjusted person.

And that's all. You'll be a super happy person. And you'll be...

You can make weird things happen. You can make people make million dollar bets with you if you lose 20 pounds. You see what I mean?

You can make weird stuff happen. I was talking about this in... Was it Ukraine?

Russia? I don't remember. And I got a text and I looked down at the text and I told the translator, you read that text to the audience.

And the text was from John Brady. I told him to go to Vietnam and ask some rich lady for a million dollars and she said yes. And there was a photo of John like...

And... For our college. As a donation to our college.

So I said, look, did I just get this message? She says yes. I said, read it to the audience.

So I just made a million dollars. We just made a million dollars. Just now.

And if you understand emptiness, you can make weird stuff happen. Then it doesn't become weird anymore. Got it?

You can even make your husband hug you. Alright? Which is harder than a million dollars.

Okay, next one. There's a part called... Verse 12, okay?

There's a part called The Path of No More Learning. That's where you reach nirvana. And that's defined as no one can upset you.

Okay? No one can upset you. Because you just laugh at them and say, you're not real.

You're not coming from me. You are fake. You're a fake husband.

You know? You're not a real husband. You know.

You can say anything you want. I don't care. Okay?

Got it? Say yes. If you don't say yes, I'll make you stay here.

I'll go home. Okay. Alright, last one.

And if you keep that up in the kitchen, with the husband, your body will change into a rainbow body. And you become a Buddha. And you are able to emanate to countless worlds in a few minutes time and help countless beings at the same time.

Okay? If you keep actively with knowledge shutting up in the kitchen, it actually transforms your body. Okay?

If you do it long enough, your body changes and you become a being who can help a billion beings at the same time. And that's what you really want. You know?

That's what you were born to do. Right? That's born...

I keep thinking Steppenwolf. Born to be... Born to be Buddha.

Okay? Like you were built for that. And you know it.

And you always wanted it. And you're hungry for it. You want to serve the entire universe at the same time.

That's your super inner dream. You know? Everybody has it.

And if you keep up on a day-to-day, moment-to-moment basis, that kitchen behavior, you cannot prevent your body from changing into an angel. It's not possible to stop it. You will become an angel.

Okay? Cool? Got it?

Now, segue time. Segue time. In the poem.

In this epic poem, which I believe will become one of the world's spiritual classics once it's translated well. It's really on the level of Dante or Shakespeare. I mean it is.

It really is. But it's more meaningful. You know?

Then there's a segue. Okay? Which is very clever.

The first pendulum is clever. Okay? And he says, those Buddha bodies that you're gonna get because you understand the husband in the kitchen, they are unreal.

They're also coming from your mind. The body that you're gonna achieve the hopes of your whole life, that body isn't real. Okay?

Because that body which serves people on a billion planets is also coming from 65 seats a second from your head. If the body's not real. Okay?

Got it? And to think it's real is the biggest mistake a human mind can make. Okay?

To look down at your body and say, this was given to me by my mother and this is made of chemicals and it has to die. This is... To think that way is the biggest mistake a human being can make.

Okay? That's verse 14. Okay?

15. Okay? Now, therefore, there's a prayer.

May I forever banish this kind of thinking from my mind. May I never believe that my husband's yelling at me because he wants to. May I always understand that it's coming from me.

May I root out the mental cancer of believing that people are coming this way. May I rip it out of my mind. Okay?

Got it? This is how the flow of the text. Next verse.

That part of... Aiyah. That part of the guy's mind says, Whoa!

Wait a minute. Wait a minute. You don't want to get rid of that part of your mind.

That's not so bad. Got it? The...

The part of the mind that he wants to lobotomy? What do you call it? Exercise?

That part of the mind stands up and says, Whoa! Wait a minute. I object.

Then the debate starts. Then the book starts. It's so beautiful, okay?

How did we segue there? Somebody tell me. What I did in Ukraine, I always put $500 on it.

For $500. No, but what was just before the biggest mistake? Yeah.

You're going to have a rainbow body. Wow! You know?

You're going to have a rainbow body. And if you think that body is real, that's the biggest mistake you can make. Okay?

Got it? If you think it doesn't come from your seeds, if you think you can't make a body like that, that's the biggest mistake you have. Let us all permanently, you know, cut this, surgically cut this kind of thinking from our mind.

And then there's this objection. From whom? That part of the guy's brain says, whoa, slow down.

You don't want to cut this part of your brain out. Okay? And then the fight starts.

Okay? And it goes on for many, many pages. It's a glorious fight.

Okay? But the guy stands up. Who's the guy?

Yeah. He... No, that part of your mind who believes the husband is bad and the husband has to be spoken to.

You know? That part of the mind stands up and says, whoa, wait a minute. Okay?

Now, verse 16. Wait a minute. Verse 17.

I have been your constant companion for your whole life. You can't cut me out of your mind. Okay?

I'm part of who you are. Okay? Like, I always took care of you, your whole life.

Without me, your husband would go, wow. He would say anything. You know?

I've always watched out for your best interest. It sounds like a senatorial debate on the radio. I've always watched out for you.

You know? You don't want to kick me out of office. I took care of you.

You know? This is the devil. He's like, I've been here forever.

You can't cut me out of your mind. You gonna cut your whole mind out? You know?

Okay? Verse 18. I'm like your father.

I'm like your mother who fed you your whole life. Who got you your clothes. Who got you your car.

Who got you your house. Competition. Fighting for what's your right.

It sounds just like that debate. I heard the debate on the radio. It sounded just, I'm the one who stood up for you.

You know? Without self-interest. Who's gonna feed you?

Who's gonna get you things? I've been like your mother. I've been like your father.

I got you every possession you have. You can't get rid of me. Okay, got it?

It's very beautiful. Okay? And, I brought you to the real three jewels.

Desire, hatred, and ignorance. Okay, got it? Like he corrupts everything.

Three jewels is the Buddhist trinity, right? Father, son, holy ghost. We say Buddha, Dharma, and the community, right?

The teaching, the teacher, and the community. These are the holiest things in Buddhism. Lama Palma created the three jewels in New York, right?

She called her... when? 25 years ago?

27 years ago? Outreach center, okay? It's called the three jewels.

This guy says, I'm the one who brought you the holy Dharma of the three poisons. Okay? The three animals at the center of the wheel of life, right?

Pig, rooster, and snake. Snake is anger, pig is... ignorance, and rooster is desire.

Okay, got it? He's corrupting. And it's kind of weird, I read a book, you should read a book by C.S. Lewis, great Christian writer called The Screwtape Letters. And, he wrote it during World War II. And, it is letters of advice from the devil to his nephew, who's been assigned to corrupt a young man. You know?

And then, he keeps messing up, and the young man keeps going to church and stuff. You see? And then the devil's like, sends him suggestions how to get him out of the church, and how to stop him from praying.

And then, after he wrote the book, C.S. Lewis had an extended period of depression. And he said, to put my mind in the devil's mind was painful. You know?

To write those letters of evil was painful to my mind. You know? And, this is very similar, you see?

The Panchen Lama has to think of what the devil would say. And he has to write it. And I can imagine it was distasteful, right?

Anyway, here we go. Now, the angel of wisdom makes her appearance, over here. I don't think this million dollars is such a lot of money.

Who's that? I guess it's the devil. And then she's like, come on, let's talk.

Okay, ready? Verse 20. She makes her first appearance, okay?

Wisdom, okay? Who understands the two husbands, and the pan, okay? But, the woman, who goes, oh, I don't want my kids to act up next week.

My husband is a fool, but I won't say it. Okay? Got it?

Got it? Wisdom appears in the mind. And now the debate starts, okay?

See how the flow is? Got the flow? He's like, you can't get rid of me.

I took care of you. Who's gonna, who's gonna make you selfish if I don't? You know?

Who's gonna make you get things for you? Who's gonna help you to watch out for number one without me, you know? You let this angel take over, you're gonna end up giving away all your stuff.

What's wrong with you? Okay, got it? Alright, she says, excuse me, where have you stayed my whole life?

And the devil says, in your mind. And she says, mind? What mind?

There is no mind. Okay, got it? She's like very innocently, she says, you've been in my mind?

What's that? Where's that? He's like, come on, your mind, man.

You know, where are you thinking? She says, no, that, that's just something that comes from my seeds. Got it?

What you see as your home is the second husband. Who's she talking to? The devil.

Okay? He, it gets hard in the, in the first few lines. Got it?

I'll say it again. The angel shows up and says, oh, you've been in my mind the whole time? You deserve to stay?

You've been taking care of me? Well, what's the address of my mind? Where's the mind come from?

Because he can't get it. So, when you hear a thought in your mind, it is popping out of what you said to people last week. Okay?

You don't have thoughts. You are listening to them. You are the listener.

Who's thinking them? They're just popping out of karma. They're popping, like the pen picture, but thought pictures.

Okay, got it? She understands that the devil doesn't even understand where he lives. Okay?

She's like, you don't live in my mind. I do. What's my mind?

It's the one where you think. I don't think. Thoughts pop out of karmic states from what I did last week.

There's no mind... There's no house where you live. You're second husband house.

Got it? Just say yes. I mean, he doesn't mess around.

He jumps right in. Oh, you stay in my mind? No you don't.

Okay, got it? And by the way, who's you anyway? Okay?

Who's the you who stays in my mind? Okay? My mind is thoughts breaking out of karmic seeds in my mind.

I don't think those thoughts. I listen to them. They are presented to me.

When I get depressed, I have to be depressed. Because I heard someone last week. You see, I have depressed thoughts popping out of mind.

I'm just listening to them. You can't stop a seed from opening. You see what I mean?

Got it? Then she says, and by the way, who are you that's living in my mind? Where do you come from?

And he thinks he comes from his side. He doesn't realize he's coming from his own seed. You see what I mean?

Even the devil in your mind doesn't understand what he is. Got it? Right off, she attacks him.

She lays the... Boom! She's like, innocently, right?

This is perfect debate style. Oh! You're in my mind?

Oh! And where do you come from? And where does my mind come from?

Who brought you in the mind? Okay, got it? She's like, attacking him.

There's a joke. What's this famous writer? Kill them with smiles and drown them with yeses.

Okay. Anyway. Okay.

Okay. So... So...

Who did you care for so well? Who did you take care of? Okay.

Was it me? Where am I come from? Okay, got it?

It's very beautiful. I think so, anyway. Okay.

Then the devil... Okay. You gotta listen to the devil's response.

Then we'll stop for tonight. By the way, there's heavy stuff in the first few pages and then it gets worse. Okay.

Okay. Then she says, Oh! This is devil now.

Devil talking back to the angel. He's not a stupid devil. The best devils are clever.

Okay? Real devils are clever. He's like, Oh!

So, I don't exist. Oh! Oh!

Oh! Oh, you belong to that nihilist school. You're the school that says everything's empty, so nothing exists.

Oh, is it? I've been waiting to meet one of you guys. Okay?

This is a classic enemy of Buddhism. Okay? Who misinterprets emptiness and says, If things are empty, then nothing matters and I can do what I want.

Okay? It's a corrupt viewpoint of emptiness that says, If the husband is not in the kitchen, right? Then I can kill people.

I can steal things. It doesn't matter. It's all empty.

You hear that sometimes, you know. I'm above morality. I understand emptiness.

Okay? Then he's like, Oh! Miss Angel, you must be in that school, right?

Because you say, I don't exist. Got it? Oh!

Gee! I thought I was dependently originating. I thought you Buddhists went around saying things come from causes.

Oh! Excuse me, you know. I didn't know angels thought we don't exist, that things don't exist.

Got it? It's a classic misunderstanding of emptiness to say, if things are empty, they don't exist. She accused him of not existing, right?

So, he says back to her, Oh! Gee! I thought you were a Buddhist.

But, you're just one of those people that says emptiness means nothing. Oh! Okay, got it?

Somebody nod. Chinsen's nodding, right? Okay?

He's being sarcastic back to her. Oh! You're not a Buddhist, huh?

You think emptiness means there's no husband at all. Right? Because you just accused me of not existing in a brain that didn't exist.

Good! Good! Okay.

Then, he says, But, may I quote to you Buddhism, I don't exist ultimately, but I exist nominally. In projections. I'm coming from seeds in your mind.

It's not that I don't exist. I'm dependent in originating. Isn't that what you used to say?

Okay, got it? Alright? You should be rowing if you're a real Buddhist.

You should be like, Ah! Okay. Never mind.

Okay. Now, here's this final thing. And for $200, somebody's gonna tell me what's up.

Okay, ready? That's how I get people to listen. Scott, I'll pay you back tomorrow for sure.

Okay. Now, here's the devil's talking. Oh, you want me to leave the mind?

Oh, you want me to leave this house? You want me to be the one to leave? Well, actually, I'm the person who believes that things exist through projections.

That's my position. Got it? Now, you're the one who has to leave because you say nothing exists in and of itself.

You say nothing exists self-existently. So, I think you will have to leave because I am Mr. Dependent Origination. So, we're incompatible.

We can't stay in the same apartment. You'll have to go. I'm sorry.

I'll say it again. Ready? I'm Mr. Dependent Origination. I believe even the devil has come from seeds and I'm surprised that you would take a position that nothing exists. Okay? Got it?

He's very sophisticated. But, you know, because you believe nothing exists ultimately, you will have to leave the mind. Okay.

I don't give money to anybody. Now, listen. Listen, you give me a good answer, you can go home.

And me too. He believes things are coming from karmic seeds. Dependent Origination.

Okay? It was the... The husband comes from the kids, right?

Dependent Origination. Got it? She believes the second husband doesn't exist.

The one who didn't come from me. Does one of them have to leave the kitchen? No.

Okay, got it? He's trying to trick her. I'll say it again.

He supports the idea that the husband is coming from how I treated my kids. And he says, unfortunately, we can't stay in the kitchen together because you believe the husband who didn't come from the seed doesn't exist. But is it true that they can't stay in the same kitchen?

They have to stay in the same kitchen. Who said that? That's worth a hundred dollars.

Okay, I owe you a hundred. Alright? That answer is worth a hundred.

That's a lexo lexo siddha siddha correct answer. She said they have to live in the kitchen together. Okay, got it?

Emptiness and Dependent Origination must get married. And they must live in the same kitchen. Got it?

He's twisting everything. Oh, you believe nothing exists. I believe everything exists.

You have to leave, please. Got it? Does she believe nothing exists?

In a certain way, she does. Things that are not coming from you are not in the kitchen. But does that mean there's no first husband in the kitchen?

No, of course not. They get along. The Scott and Word are friends.

Okay, right? Aren't you? Pretty much.

Pretty much. Got it? Scott doesn't not come from nothing.

Doesn't come from nothing. Nothing, okay? And Word comes from something.

And they can they can live quite well together. Got it? So, the devil's already trying to screw things up.

Got it? It's really cool. It's really cool.

Now, you want some controversy? She says dependent origination does not exist even nominally. She says, the angel says, the fact that Word came from the kid's seeds, right?

That also doesn't exist. Even even as a projection doesn't exist. It's true or false?

False. Everything exists as a projection. Okay?

But she says, cause and effect do not come from me. That's her answer. She starts from there.

But you have to come tomorrow to find out why she's not completely wrong. I'll say it again. She says, you think things come from causes, from seeds, from how you treat other people.

She says, no. Not even as a projection. Not true.

Okay? Got it? Now, that's a very bad position.

Okay? It's a very wrong position, but she takes it. Now, to find out where she's going with it, you have to come tomorrow.

Okay? Let's do a mandala. Is that okay?

Janice, you want to do a mandala? Loud.

[Speaker 2]
Okay.

[Speaker 1]
Yeah, now, this is an offering of a perfect world to celebrate the teaching. It's a tradition. That's all.

Think of the world as no more devils in the whole world.

[Speaker 2]
Okay. Okay. Good night.