Нагарджуна, курс 1 — Мудрость Арьи Нагарджуны, курс 1: Восемь невидимых (2018, Аризона), занятие 9

[Speaker 2]
It seems to me that often times we are taught the stories of the great masters because they are teaching in themselves, right? So, Arya Nagarjuna protected his monastery by breaking his monk's vows, right? Because it was, you know, it sounds like a life or death situation.

They would have starved. And then he was reprimanded for this. But isn't it a Bodhisattva vow that supersedes a monk's vow that you must break prescribed rules, is it?

If it saves someone or if it's for a higher purpose. So, could you talk a little bit about that? Why it seems contradictory, the moral of the story, that he was sent away for so long if our Bodhisattva vows say something else?

[Speaker 1]
Yeah, good question. This is just from my personal experience. If you make a decision, which you're supposed to do, we have three sets of vows.

We have Pratyamoksha vows. In my case, monk's vows. Then you have Bodhisattva vows.

And then you have secret vows. You have three sets of vows. And supposed to be, if this one requires you to save people's life, requires you to do alchemy, make gold out of iron, which is against the monk's vows, then you're supposed to do this one, okay?

And then if your secret vows require that you break this one, you're supposed to do it. And Tsongkhapa, there's a famous line where he says, you are not only not—he said, don't use the word break your monk's vow. He objects to calling it breaking your monk's vow.

He prefers to say, you have fulfilled your monk's vow, you see, when you break it. Okay? So, that's his viewpoint.

Now, I think when you make a decision like that, and this has come up in my own life, when you make a decision like that, you kind of have to respect the repercussions. If people criticize you, if these people criticize you for making gold, right? And they even kick you out of the monastery or something.

I think, as a bodhisattva, and I've given it a lot of thought, right? You kind of have to respect that. I think you have to respect— their responsibility is to run a monastery.

And if all the monks have partners, or if all the monks were doing alchemy, then this institution would fall apart. So, I think even though in this vows, me for example, I'm required to try to find a partner to practice. But I—if I do, then either you have to keep it very secret, which is difficult in the internet this, or you have to accept the consequences of this group who criticize you.

And you kind of have to say, okay, thanks, you know, and I respect you, and I understand, and I have to do this. I feel this is correct, but I'm okay. I understand that you have to do what you have to do.

So, you have to do what you have to do, and I have to do what I have to do, and I still love you, you know. And so, I think if you choose to keep a—fulfill a vow by breaking a vow, you have to be calm about the consequences. There will be consequences in this group, and you have to be kind of—you have to think ahead, you have to understand this is going to come, and you have to almost support it.

And you have to do what you think is right. And so, I think—yeah, and one more thing, you know, I read another biography since I taught you that one, and I keep trying to find out where he saw emptiness directly. Maybe it was a past life, because there's not much in the scriptures.

There are predictions that he will reach the first bodhisattva level, which is seeing emptiness directly with the bodhisattva's intention. So, there are predictions that he will do that in this life. He will reach—Rabtu Gawa is called Perfect Happiness, and it's the name of the first of the ten bodhisattva levels.

So, he—when he was kicked out of the monastery, according to one author, which is, I think, Tse Chok Ling, who was a teacher of one of the Dalai Lamas, and many centuries ago. And he wrote a beautiful two-volume history of all the Lam Rim teachers. And it's very, very beautiful.

And parts of it have been translated. We should translate the whole thing when we have time. Yesterday I had meetings from I don't know what.

Anyway, all day, till night. So, in there he says, when he got kicked out of the monastery, the monks made a deal with him. And they said, if you build a lot of temples and monasteries, then you can come back.

That's your confession. You have to build—I don't know how many—you have to build many temples, and then you can come back. So, apparently that's when he really felt he needed a lot of help from the Nagas, from the dragons.

And so, according to that biography, the reason he became the god, you know, is he got kicked out of the monastery. So, then I would go to the Tantric version, okay? Now we go to Tantra, okay?

So, in Tantra, one of our vows is to believe it's a big plot. And you're supposed to be—you know paranoid where you think everyone's trying to hurt you? Like, someone offer you a coffee and you say, thank you, and then you don't drink it because you think maybe there's poison, you know?

Like, maybe Andriana's trying to poison me, you know? Then this is called paranoia, right? But Tantra is a positive paranoia, okay?

Like, oh, maybe Andriana put nectar of deathlessness in this cup, you know? Who's a Buddha in this room? Who's hiding, you know?

Who's the one? There's one Buddha in this room, you know? And you're supposed to be a little bit sus—you're supposed to be always suspicious in Tantra, you know?

Especially on the airplane, you know? People who don't look like Buddhas, and pigs at Diamond Mountain, you know? You're supposed to be suspicious in a good way, and that's a good sign.

Then you're practicing Tantra. So, I bet Nagarjuna said the guys who kicked him out of the monastery were trying to help him to go to a higher place, and this is very good with ex-husbands and ex-wives. They are pushing me to a higher place, you know?

They kicked me out of the house because they want me to find a higher happiness. You know, this is a nice Tantric logic. Everyone's a Buddha, and they're trying to—every time they hurt you, they're trying to get you to do something better.

So, don't resist, you know, when someone pushes you out of the monastery. Look ahead and see where— why did Buddha push you out of the monastery? What are you supposed to do?

Maybe you're supposed to go to the Land of the Dragons and get the scriptures and write some books. You see what I mean? Now you have time to write books, you know?

So, I'm sure Nagarjuna being a high Tantrica thought of it that way. So, on a lower level, you have to respect that these people have to keep their institution. And on a higher level, maybe they want you to do something more beautiful, okay?

Okay, take a break. Yes? Absolutely.

Going and coming. And it's about flat feet, right? Can you step all in one place?

Where is the going? Okay? The gone is easy.

It's Highway 10 two weeks ago or something. And going to go is easy. That's Highway 10 later today.

But, where's the going? That seems a little bit difficult, right? And so, Nagarjuna gives us the teaching about the foot.

And where's the line of the present moment? Where's the going? Okay?

It's not in the heel, because the heel went down already. And it's not in the toes, because the toes are going down later. So, where's the going now?

Where's the going now? So, we had a ... that was an easy one.

And the rest are all much worse, and very difficult to understand, especially if the text is carved wrong. So, the first one is about names, okay? The first ...

the next argument about going and coming is all about names. How do we give names to things? I was thinking maybe they should call this chapter an investigation of names, because after the easy first proof, the other proofs are not easy.

They get worse and worse, okay? More and more difficult. So, I was thinking ...

you know, we have a translation team, and they are translating I think 18 books right now. The goal is 108 books. And when I was a kid, my stepmom had a set of books called The Great Books.

And I think it's 150 books or something. And they're all printed the same way. And there's Shakespeare, and there's Milton, and there's Locke, and there's people like ...

all famous Freud. People like that. So, that's stuck in my mind.

It's still in her house. She's 93 ... 90 now.

And I always want to steal these books, because they look so nice. It's a ... so, I have this dream to do the same with Buddhist books, to have ...

we call 108 Buddhist books. So, we have a goal to translate, and also include Geshe Michael's books in there, all the books. I did about 30-something books.

So, I like to have a set. One set. And actually, the first one was finished this morning.

This is ... yeah, this is Gina. Gina made this one by hand as a sample.

And this is the Commentary to the Heart Sutra. Choney Lama's Commentary to the Heart Sutra. And Sugeng in the Singapore team, they are doing a Chinese version in Asia.

They're printing it in Asia. So, I'd like to thank Gina. She did all this work, yeah.

And the publisher is Katie and Venerable Jigme, and I'd like to thank them. And the company that makes these books was incorporated in recent ... last few weeks?

Anyway, it's going to open on January 1st. It will open on January 1st. So, everything's ready.

So, now I start to use those translations, because we have about, I don't know, in the world we have, I don't know, 60 translators, and they are doing nice work, and I like to start using pieces from their translations. There's a perfect piece from the translation of Venerable Utpala, who was here yesterday. She's a Buddhist nun, and she translated Choney Lama's Commentary.

It's called DTAR CI. DTAR CI means How to Do Emptiness Meditation. So, her whole book is about how to do emptiness meditation.

She's about halfway finished. And there's a part from Master Asanga, okay, from Arya Asanga, which I think, if I teach it to you first, then the second chapter of Nagarjuna is easier, okay? So, I asked her permission to use her book, and I think it's panned out already?

And it's called Master Asanga on How We Name Things. How do we give things names, okay? And Asanga has three discussions about how we give things names.

And the book is called Mahayana Sutra Sangraha, something like that. It's one of his books, okay? And here we go.

There's a verse, which you can't understand. You have to read the commentary, okay? So, here's the commentary.

There are three logics about how we give things names, okay? And it's important to study how we give things names. There's a very beautiful Christian writer.

What's his name? C.S. Lewis, who talks about when he was a kid, his family has a kind of knife for cutting fish, you know? So, he lived in England.

They eat a lot of fish, because it's an island, right? Like Indonesia. So, then he went to his friend's house.

He was about six years old. And they have a knife. And he said, what's that?

They said, this is fish knife, you know? Then he said, no, no. This is not a fish knife.

They said, no. The guy's mom said, this is a fish knife. His friend's mother.

This is a fish knife. He said, no, no. It's not a fish knife.

Why? It's not what we call fish knife in my family, you see? So, we do this every day.

We do this all the time. Do names belong on the things that got the name, okay? Or is it artificial?

Is it natural to call this thing a fish knife, and you don't call this thing a fish knife, you see? Is it natural? Does the name belong to that knife?

Okay? And you think it's all not very important, Geshe-la. This is not very important, okay?

But, Geshe-la, when he comes to the temple from his house, secretly likes to play rock and roll, even during the quiet time. And then different people get in the car, because we see someone, we say, get in the car, we give you a ride. And then, I say, listen to this, you know?

Jimi Hendrix playing all along the watchtower, right? Then I said, listen to this, you know, wow. And I'm like, wow, yeah.

I call this the ultimate music, you know? Then I look, turn around to see how much they enjoy it, and they're like, you know? And I'm like, you okay?

They're like, oh yeah. Should I turn it down? Oh, no, no, no.

It's perfect, you know? Then I'm like, no, you don't like it, right? They say, no, it's, it's interesting.

Bengali always say that. He's so polite. If you want to learn polite, learn from Bengali.

Every time I do something like that, he's like, oh, Geshe-la, it's very interesting. And, okay. Then it names the, the name, it means the name I put on the song, is not the name he put on the song.

You see? The name, excellent music, doesn't belong to the song. I put the name on the song, and the word song doesn't belong on the song, okay?

So, there are three problems. If the word song belongs on that sound, then there's three problems. A sangha says three problems, okay?

If you, if you learn them, then we can go back to Nagarjuna, and you can finish homework six, OM MANI PADME HUM. What's OM MANI PADME HUM mean? Yeah, but it means, maybe, I hope so.

In the monastery it means, I hope so, you know? Are we gonna have a good dinner tonight? OM MANI PADME HUM.

It means, I hope so, okay? Okay, Veronica, we're gonna have a good dinner, right? OM MANI PADME HUM.

Definitely. Okay, so here we go. When you give, when you see something shaped like this shape, okay?

And when you give it a name, coffee cup, does the name belong to this thing, okay? Naturally, naturally, okay? And there are three arguments about it, okay?

So, he starts with debate. This is Choney Lama explaining a sangha, three reasons why names are not natural, okay? So, first one, think about this thing with this special shape, okay?

Coffee cup shape, right? Are you saying that when we call it coffee cup, that action doesn't depend on a name, okay? When I call it coffee cup, are you saying to call it coffee cup does not depend on the word coffee cup?

Because if it's natural, it should be like, I'm a coffee cup, I'm a coffee cup, okay? Or did I put the name on the thing, okay? Who put the name on the thing, okay?

Got it? Who called Jimi Hendrix good music? And does it sound good to everybody if I put good music on Jimi Hendrix, okay?

Somebody made me pork kanji the other day, and they're like, how do you like it? And I'm like, mmm! I didn't say lie, okay?

Alright, so, is it coffee cup by nature, by definition, okay? Is it coffee cup by definition? Then the other guy, okay, when we do translation, we put the other guy in the italics, well yes, okay?

Next line, next line, go down, go down. Yeah, he says, yes I agree, you don't need a name when you call it coffee cup, okay? I'm changing it to coffee cup, alright?

You don't need a name, okay? We didn't ... if you agree, can you ...

can you think coffee cup without the name coffee cup, okay? When you see it, and in your mind you think coffee cup, okay? Do you need the word coffee cup or you don't need the word coffee cup?

Okay? Then he said that, he said, yeah, you don't really need the word, your mind calls it coffee cup, your mind thinks the coffee cup, okay? You don't need the word, okay?

So, he said I agree, next line, right? Section 119. Yeah, well then, section 119, next section, next section.

Yeah, yeah that's true, when I think this is a coffee cup, I don't have to use the word coffee cup. When I think this is a coffee cup, I don't have to use the word coffee cup, okay? Then he says, so, the first moment you look at it, do you think coffee cup?

Or, do you have to look at the shape first? Which one? Do you have to look at the shape first and then think coffee cup?

Yeah, okay. If coffee cup was inside, you wouldn't have to wait, you just, first moment you look at it, it was a coffee cup to you, okay? What really happens is you check the shape, and you say, that looks like what my mom called coffee cup, then you say coffee cup, you see?

You compare it to what your mom said is a coffee cup, that's the problem with the fish knife, okay? Maybe your mom calls coffee cup and what the other kids mom calls a coffee cup is not the same thing, okay? Okay.

Alright, next one. It's not true that you can say that this is a coffee cup automatically, because first you have to think this is coffee cup, okay? The idea, this is a coffee cup, has to happen before you say coffee cup, right?

Before you say coffee cup, this is coffee cup, you have to think this is coffee cup, got it? Okay, before you say this is coffee cup, first you have to think this is coffee cup, but you cannot think this is coffee cup before you say coffee cup. Before the word coffee cup, you cannot say this is coffee cup, but if you don't have the word coffee cup, you can't say it's coffee cup, understand?

Okay? In your mind, you say this is a coffee cup, but if you don't know the word, how can you say this is a coffee cup? Okay?

So, if coffee cup, if this is always called coffee cup and not chashka, or not kayu, or some other language, then ... how do you say in Espanol? Sasa?

Sasa. Tasa. Tasa.

Yeah, okay? Alright. Okay, so that's what he's saying, if it was natural, in the first moment you look at it, before you see the curve, before you see the color, if the name is in it naturally, you should think coffee cup.

But it takes a moment, doesn't it? First you look at the thing, and you check the shape, and you check the color, and then you think about it in your mind, yeah, what did my mom call this? Usually your mom's fault, okay?

What did my mom tell me to call this? Oh, she said call this coffee cup, okay? So, how do you see coffee cup in the first moment, if you don't have a word for coffee cup?

How do you think coffee cup before you have a word coffee cup? If the word coffee cup comes later, after you see it, then how can you see coffee cup? What you're doing is not possible, okay?

Your mind doesn't say coffee cup in the first instant, your mind says round and white, then the mind thinks about, then the mind says this is coffee cup, right? But to put that name on it, first you have to identify what is it, but while you're identifying what is it, your mind has to say coffee cup, before you say coffee cup. Something's wrong, okay?

That's all, something's wrong. If it's coffee cup by nature, something's wrong. The moment you look at it, you should say coffee cup, but first you have to check the shape, you know, this is ...

this is not coffee cup, okay? Why? Geshe-la, it's square and it's kind of wet right now, understand?

Okay, then how you know it's not a coffee cup? Oh, I check, it feels different from coffee cup, it has a wrong shape, I don't want to call it coffee cup. Oh, so this one does have the correct shape, yes, for what?

For coffee cup. Oh, so you decide it's a coffee cup before you call it a coffee cup? Yeah, then I call it a coffee cup.

Oh, okay, so you call it a coffee cup, and then you call it a coffee cup, understand? You think coffee cup, and then you call it a coffee cup, right? Okay, good.

Before you have a word, you have a word, how's that? It's impossible, what you're doing is not possible, okay? When you look at something and you say this is coffee cup, you're basing that on its shape, okay?

And first you have to think of it as coffee cup, and then you call it coffee cup, but while you're thinking of it as coffee cup, you're already using the word coffee cup before you have the word coffee cup, got it? It's not possible what you're doing, it's not possible what you're doing, okay? If the name is in this thing, it's not possible what you're doing, okay?

Alright, second one, then the other two are easier, and they are what Nagarjuna uses, okay? The other two are easier, and they are what Nagarjuna ... they seem easier, but I think if you think about names, you will see it's not so easy, okay?

So, here's the second one, alright? And he's using syllogism, he's using classical Buddhist proof. You take an example, you make a statement, you give a proof, and you give a example, okay?

Like this, you ready? So, there's ... two thousand years ago, in India, Hinduism was popular, okay?

Hinduism was popular, and they have a god named Powerful One, Ishvara, made the whole world, okay? Ishvara. Ish means wish in English, okay?

Vara means to choose the best, okay? He gets what he wants, therefore he's called Powerful One, Ishvara, okay? And he has another name, Shatukrata, which is Shakra, which means a destroyer of a hundred cities.

He can destroy a hundred cities in one minute. He's so powerful, he can destroy Guangzhou, New York, like this, okay? He's called City Destroyer, okay?

And, he's also called the person with a thousand eyes, okay? Miktongchen, the person with a thousand eyes. So, he has three different names, like Nick, or Nicholas, or Mr. Lashaw, okay?

Three different names, right? Nick, Nicholas, or Mr. Lashaw, okay? So, Ishvara has these three different names, okay?

Are you saying, does those names belong to him naturally, okay? Are you saying that he got those names naturally? No one gave him those names, we don't give him those names, he deserves the name naturally, okay?

Got it? Well then, if he does, okay? Next argument, section 122.

By the way, that's why we put section numbers in our translations. You can say, we're arguing about number 122, okay? Well, if that's true, then if there's three different names for Nick, there should be three different Nicks sitting there.

Why? Because his name is natural. His name is natural, okay?

What one name is given to, if it's natural, if it's always correct, then there should be a different person for a different name, okay? Everything should have its own special name, if names are natural, okay? If there's two words ...

tasu? Tasa? Tasa?

Yeah, if Tasa is the natural name for this, then if I decide another name, like cup, I will need a second cup, because his name is Tasa, okay? That's his name, and his name is natural, okay? So, if I have ...

want to call it cup, or chashka, or kayu, what's a ... base? Base?

Base. Base. Okay, okay, I'm trying.

Okay, cup in Chinese, if I ... now I need another cup, you see what I mean? If I call it cup in Chinese, then I ...

if it's not base, then I need another cup. If I call it cup in Chinese, I need another one, you see what I mean? Because its special name is base, okay?

Or cup. So, okay, understand? His special name is for him, because it's natural, okay?

If you call him another name, it's gonna have to be another cup, okay? Alright, now the opposite is also true, okay? The opposite is also true, which is 124, okay?

Which is 124. So, if there's two people named John, okay? If there's John Brady and there's John Smith in the room, if there's two Johns in the room, actually there are two JBs in the room, there's a JB over there, and there's a ...

these guys are from JB, Johu Baru, right? So, if there's two Johns in the room, and they have the same name, because that name is natural to one thing, then two people become one. Opposite of Ishvara, okay?

Ishvara, because he has three names, like Nick, Nick, Nicholas, and Mr. Laksha, if the name is natural, if the name belongs to them, then there should be three Nicks, okay? If the person in the back seat doesn't like my Jimi Hendrix song, and calls it interesting, and I call it divine music, okay? In that case, if the name belongs to the thing naturally, there should become two Jimi Hendrix's, there should be two Jimi Hendrix's.

One whose music is divine, and one whose music is ... interesting. Got it?

Then there should be two Jimi Hendrix's. If names are natural, okay? Now, if names are coming from me, if names are coming from me, and if the music is coming from me, then that's okay.

One person can say interesting, one person can say divine, and there can be one song. There can be one song, with two opinions about the song. Got it?

Okay, and if there's a cricket in the car, crick, crick, little bug, make noise, right? He hear Jimi Hendrix, right? And he says, oh, there's a girl cricket in the car, you know?

Tried to call to me, you know? This is mating sound. This girl wants a boyfriend.

You see, Jimi Hendrix's song, if it's coming from me, doesn't even have to be a song, okay? It doesn't even have to be a song. If I'm a different life form, then it could be frightening thing.

It could sound like, I don't know, car horn, to me, right? Some music I hear today sounds like that, to me, okay? So, in Buddhism, in Nagarjuna, we have to learn to say, to me, to me, okay?

To me what you did didn't seem so cool, okay? It didn't seem so cool, you know? Or to me, this doesn't taste that good.

It's important in Buddhism to say to me, okay? You have to use Nagarjuna in your life, okay? Don't insist Jimi Hendrix's best music, okay?

Anyone who drives in this car must listen to Jimi Hendrix, unless your name's Veronica, then you have to listen to Jimi Hendrix in the car, okay? Understand? Okay?

Now, now we can go back. So, the two easy ones here are, if the name is natural, and two people have a different opinion, or they hear different, then there should be two songs. An interesting song, and a good song, okay?

Or, if the name is natural, and Nick gets three names, then there should be three Nicks sitting there, got it? Then there should be three Nicks sitting there, okay? Are you guys passing around these things already?

For the kitchen and ... oh, okay, just to let you know, we're passing around two red envelopes, one is for the working staff here, who clean your house and things like that. So, if you made a big mess, put extra money in, okay?

And we will give it to them, okay? Okay, got it? Now we can go back to Nagarjuna.

Why? Here we go. Here's the homework question, the last homework question on six, okay?

Here's the last homework question on homework six, and then you can finish this course. You're gonna do seven from Thailand, you're gonna do eight from Diamond Mountain, you're gonna do nine from Guadalajara, right? There we are.

And you're gonna do ten whenever I have time, good luck. Okay, and then it'll be time to do next year's course, you see? So, you'll get a little bit of Nagarjuna every month or two, okay?

Alright, number nine, last homework question, homework six. We asked our opponent in the chapter on going and coming, please tell us, what does it mean when you say, in the act of going, going, okay? Not ...

what? Gone, not going to go in the future, but we asked the other guy, okay? What does it mean going, okay?

What does it mean to say going? And he defined going as walking, okay? He says lifting up your foot and putting down your foot, foot after foot, this is walking, okay?

So, what is going when you're talking about ... not in a car, you know, going from ... walking from here to there, how do you ...

I'm gonna go home to my retreat cottage, well, how do you define the going? Lifting my foot, putting down my foot, lifting the next foot, putting down the next foot, this is going, okay? Stepping is going, okay?

Got it? The guy says what's ... what's walking?

What's ... sorry, what's going? What's the act of going?

What's the act of going? And the answer is, it's the action, okay? I used a different word, okay?

He asked me, Geshe-la, what is the act of going, present tense, not past, not future, what is going? And I say, it is the action of stepping. So, act is more kind of theoretical, right?

Act, going, going is like an idea, right? Then what's the actual action? You can say what's the actual action?

Oh, put this leg up, then put this foot up, then put this foot up, stepping is going, hot and burning is fire. So, it's the same problem we have with definitions, it's the same problem ... names?

And we're very ... okay, we're going to be swimming in the ocean, I hope the ship comes from Choney Lama, okay? Now you're thrown into the middle of ...

you know, you're out near Hawaii, okay? And you are ... oh man, Geshe-la, I don't get it, okay?

Oh, name problem is the same as the definition problem, okay? Well, what? Well, there's a name, fire, okay?

Which is substantial or insubstantial? Not substantial, you cannot touch fire. Fire is an idea, okay?

Fire. Fuego. Fuego?

The fire is an idea. Well, how do you define it? Then you go to the thing you can touch, oh, hot and burning, okay?

So, the definition is substantial, it's concrete, it will burn your finger. But if I say fire, it's not like everybody runs out, that's just a concept, okay? What's defined is fire.

The definition, hot, burning, get out of the room, that's substantial, okay? The definition is substantial. Normally we think the opposite, oh, definition is in the dictionary, you know?

That's not going to burn my finger to touch the definition in the dictionary. So, what you learned is, the definition is the real thing, and the idea is not the real thing, the thing you're defining is not the real thing. Now, names are the same, okay?

Names are the same. The act, the act, the word is going, okay? The act is almost like fire, got it?

You okay? You with me? Going, going is like fire.

Stepping is like hot and burning, got it? What's the definition of going? Oh, put up your left foot, put up your right foot, put up your left foot, put up your right ...

the action, okay? I used a new word, is going, got it? The definition ...

sorry, what I'm defining, the act is going, what defines it is stepping, the action. In English, act and action, and the word for action in this ... in the woodblock was misspelled every time, as path.

I mean, if they said fish it would be okay, okay? And then it was ... but, some of them were correct, some were path, okay?

Anyway, it took me two days, I wasted two days, and I you know, Choney Lama drank too much, okay? Okay, got it? I'll say it again.

Someone come up to you say, Jenny, what's going mean? What's the act of going mean? And you say, oh, that's ...

you put up one foot, put it down, put up the second foot, put it down, it's a stepping, it's walking, this is definition of going when you're talking without a car, okay? It's similar to fire, and hot and burning, okay? So, when you say fire, and hot and burning, which one is kind of more real?

Hot and burning, which is not so real? Fire. Now, when I say going, and stepping, which one is more real?

Yeah, stepping is more real, and walking is kind of like an idea, going, sorry, going. Going is an idea, stepping is the real thing, okay? But, stepping is what we call going.

Are you comfortable? Stepping is what we call going, okay? Got it?

Now, Nagarjuna says impossible, that's a bad definition of going, that's a bad ... you cannot define going as stepping, because names belong to their things, and if there was a going, and if there was a stepping, there would be two people going, because one of them is stepping, and one of them is going, because a name fish knife belongs on one kind of knife, and the knife at your friend's house is not what we call fish knife, and Jimi Hendrix music is always good, understand? Okay?

Got it? Got it? If name belongs to that thing, there should be two things, okay?

If stepping belongs to going, there should be two guys on the road, one is stepping, and one is going, one is good Jimi Hendrix music, and one is interesting Jimi Hendrix music, got it? If it's not coming from you, there should be two Jimi Hendrix's in history, one was playing interesting music, sorry, it's right Nick, he's left-handed, one is playing interesting music, and one is playing divine music, okay? Got it?

And, if the word stepping belongs to that thing, then if you define the going as stepping, there should be two people there, walking, got it? If one is stepping, and one is going, by himself, not from you, then there should be two guys there. Are you glad we went to a Sangha first, or it made you more confused?

Which means, okay, if Nick has three names, there should be three guys sitting there, and Aaron's gonna have extra work. Good work and bad work. Okay, got it?

Understand? If we call him Nick, and Nicholas, and Mr. Lasha, okay, from his side, then each name has to be unique, and there should be three Nick's there, okay? And, if we call, if we define going as stepping, there should be two people on the road, because that name belongs to a different one, you see?

Each name belongs to its own thing. Got it? What's the use of study...no, you have to sit with it, okay? You have to sit with it. Imagine if the words were all misspelled, and it made sense, I mean, almost made sense. Imagine Nick did...anyway. Okay, now, just for your interest, if you care, the word for action is BYA BA, and the word for...sorry, the word for act is BYA BA, and the word for action is LAS, okay? I'm Yeah, later. Okay, so the action is called karma, LAS, okay? The act is called BYA BA.

Okay, let me see if there's a...in the Sanskrit here. Yeah, look it up. Mmm...yeah, he doesn't use it. It's Choney Lama using it. Okay, you want to go deeper? Okay.

Then he tried to explain, the guys tried to explain, no, no, no, there's not two guys on the road. Yes, names belong to things. Yes, names belong to things.

But, that doesn't mean there's two guys there. One is stepping, and one is going. Understand?

It doesn't mean there's two guys there, he says. They would say, why you say that? He says, oh, going is an act of going, and stepping is an action.

So, act is more theoretical, like fire, and action, stepping is more concrete, like hot and burning, understand? You okay? Okay.

Then the gardener says, oh, and that's why there's not two guys? The guy says, yeah, it's the act we define as the action. Going is stepping, got it?

The act we define as action. Going means stepping. Hey, if there's one guy going, who has his name naturally, and there's a second guy stepping, sorry, and if there's a person who has stepping naturally, then there's got to be two guys.

One guy's going, one guy's stepping. Then the guy says, no, no, no, try to get it Nagarjuna. Yeah, they deserve their name, the name is automatic, the name is natural, the name is natural.

The first one is the act, the second one is an action. Oh, one name act, one name action, yeah, okay, there's still two guys. Got it?

You okay? This is a bad one to tell your family why you came to Arizona. Well, I was flying, but I wasn't going.

Because, if I was flying and going, there'd be two airplanes, you understand? One is flying, one is going. No, no, but which is the act?

The act is flying, what's the action? Oh, traveling through the air. Oh, so there's two planes, one is flying, sorry, one is going, and one is flying, got it?

Understand? If the name belong or nothing, Geshe-la, what's the use of all this? It's so you don't get upset at Ben Gomi when he says Jimi Hendrix is interesting.

Okay? Understand? How can ...

you shouldn't get upset at Ben Gomi, he has a different perception, he has Chutoy perception, I have Pen perception, understand? And everybody has different karma, everybody has different seed, okay? The fact that we see the same room is lucky, you see?

Was Geshe Michael's talk today interesting? No. I thought it was interesting.

No, it wasn't. I'll tell you, you're wrong. Is it possible for anyone to be wrong in the seed system?

No. Every opinion is valid, because every opinion comes from seeds. That's what they see, that's what they see, you know?

Then, okay, I'll show you a favorite self-existent name strategy. I don't like this guy in our group, this guy talks bad, he always talk impolitely, you know? Then you go to another person, you agree right?

He talks impolitely right? The other person says, no, I don't know, I kind of like what he does, you know? Then you're like, oh, you didn't see what really happened.

Then you go to another person, you find another person, this guy talking politely right? Oh yeah, he talking politely. Then you say, okay, you're on my side, you have correct perception.

Then you find another one, do you think he's talking politely? Oh, it's terrible. Oh, right, oh, join us.

Then ... then you have four people think the guy talk impolitely, then you go to the person who didn't think about it, or the person who think they're polite, he talks politely or he has a reason to talk like that, and you go to them and say, look, now we have a vote. Four people say he talk impolitely, one people say no.

So, it's impolite, it has to be, everyone agree, everyone agree, is that proof? No, then some people have the same sin, some people don't have the same sin. Maybe somebody doesn't care, he talk blah blah blah, yeah, I know, didn't you hear him?

Yeah, I heard him, doesn't it bother you? No, I didn't think about it, I just kind of, yeah, I was doing something else, I was trying to translate something. You know, please don't come to my house and try to talk to me about this guy, I'm busy, it doesn't matter to me, you know, didn't do anything to me, you see?

So now, if you understand Nagarjuna, in theory, you should be more relaxed, phang song, right? Re-la-ha ... re-la-ha-te?

Re-la ... re-la-ha? You should re-la-ha-te.

Yeah, just chill out. Chill, okay? It's not true that everyone will put the same name on Jimi Hendrix that you put on Jimi Hendrix Geshe Michael, so don't think we're stupid, don't think we don't have ears, you know, don't think we don't appreciate music, okay?

We just don't hear it that way, we don't have those seeds, got it? There's many foods like that, right? There's many foods like that.

Did you like what they're serving for dinner? No. Why?

I don't like it, so it's bad. I put the name bad, I put the name bad on the food from the kitchen, yeah, and then you go try to find other people who agree with you, right? And if someone says, I kind of enjoyed the food, then you say, you don't get to vote, I'm looking for people who vote my way, you know?

You see what I mean? This is human nature, this is human nature. So, what's the use of saying that names don't belong to things naturally?

You can have a more peaceful world, okay? Less trouble. You will appreciate that everyone is giving names to things from their own seeds, okay?

And everyone has different seeds, so then you're less fighting, okay? Less trouble. Then you respect other people's wrong opinion about Jimi Hendrix, right?

No, you can say, okay I understand, you see it a different way, you know? Maybe I should fix my seeds, you know? Maybe I should work on my seeds, okay?

Got it? That's the punchline of nāgārjuna, maybe I should work on my seeds. I would also like to learn to hear Jimi Hendrix correctly, or see this person's speech as not impolite.

You see what I mean? You fix your seeds, okay? Alright, we're done with that homework six.

I thought you ... I got a request from someone to do a short review of the whole week, just so you know what happened while you're asleep on the different days, okay? So, Tim, I can go till 12.15, right?

Okay, half-hour review of the week. Let's see how far we get, okay? And I'm ...

actually, I'm just going through the homeworks, okay? And maybe you can help me, okay? So, I'll ask a homework question, and you can yell out your answer, knowing that it's correct because it comes from your seeds.

Not. Okay, number one, what's the one event in nāgārjuna's life which defined his life? He saw emptiness directly, and he got called the Arya.

What's the earliest book we are ... okay, in history, what's the earliest book we are using for this course? Wisdom, okay?

Wisdom. Of the four books, okay? I'll give you ...

Wisdom by nāgārjuna, 1,800 years ago, okay? 1,800 ... 280, okay?

What's the Chow? What's the Chow? Not too early for Tung Chow?

You guys don't know. I'll tell you right now. It's the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Eastern Han Dynasty, okay? All right, Eastern Han. Han ...

yeah, okay, Tung Han. Tung Han Chow. Okay, what's the next book?

Next, after that. Yeah, the Ocean of Emptiness. The real name is the Ocean of Proofs, okay?

But, it's proofs for emptiness, so ... I get to call it Ocean of Emptiness because it will sell more books. Okay, third book we're using?

Yeah, Choney Lama's Ship. Okay, and then ... he also wrote a small commentary called ...

kāne. Kāne means difficult points, which ... I will use if you want to go deeper, okay?

It's shorter and it's more controversial, okay? All right, then what commentary was most famous in between? Chandrakirti, called Entering the Middle Way.

What's the Middle Way? Yeah, it's wisdom, nice. You guys are ...

you must have learned something by accident. What's the first thing ... don't look at your homework, come on.

You're just like me in the school. We write everything on our hand. Teacher asks a question, we're like ...

You didn't do that in China? Come on, be honest. Okay, what's the first thing Choney Lama covers?

Yeah, how to bow down to your teachers. He bowed down to teachers. Okay, I'm not going to do the six books, but they all have a special purpose.

Let's do the six books. Nick wasn't here, and his book is there. First book is wisdom, and these are the six logic books of Nagarjuna, because there are other books that are called discourses, teachings, and there's other books that are called praises.

There are three groups okay? So, this is the book of proofs okay? First one, proofs that objects that we see are empty okay?

That's wisdom's job, mainly wisdom's job. Second one, the state of mind, which is called smashing things to dust, the state of mind which understands that, can lead you to happiness okay? If you understand that the name you give to the music is your name, and not other people's name, you will be more harmonious with other people okay?

Alright, third one, 70 verses on emptiness. Things are empty, but still they can do what they do okay? Coffee still tastes good, it's empty okay?

I have friends from China and they're like, I can't stand that stuff, the Tibetan word for coffee is burnt tea. They're like, how can you drink that stuff you know? Okay?

Yeah. Defeating every argument, this is a cool one, then my Lama will say, oh the other five aren't cool. What's defeating every argument?

What's the subject? Proofs, proofs don't come from themselves okay? Proofs prove things, come from you okay?

The power to prove something is not in a reason. We should go to Vincent's tonight, because I feel like going to Vincent's tonight. That's ...

is it logic? Yes. Is it logical?

No. Okay? Not all logic is logical okay?

Alright, if the reason comes from its own side, it's a good ... it will always be a good reason, but it's not okay? Even logic comes from you okay?

Alright, sixty verses on reasoning, which is next text, number five, what's the main subject according to Choney Lama? It's the two extremes, to talk about the two extremes okay? Either things exist the way they look to me, or they don't exist at all.

If Jimi Hendrix music is not divine, then it doesn't exist okay? There's no other choice, there's no other choice okay? Got it?

Alright, number six, String of Precious Jewels, Ratnamvali, then that idea that there's a middle way is the key to nirvana and Buddhahood okay? So, those are its structure. By the way, when you're preparing for a debate ground in the monastery, you try to find some little point which is controversial, and actually, many years ago these were called the five books on logic, why?

Yeah, Ratnamvali is ... yeah, like a ... it's called ...

it's considered a Dham, Dham Ketsok, it's a discourse, it was a ... spoken to a king. It doesn't belong in this list, but later it got put in the list, because it's so famous, it's so wonderful.

I'm not teaching it because I'd rather teach the original, wisdom, but also, so many people teach it that I think you can get it somewhere else okay? I don't think you can get a good explanation of wisdom very easily okay? Alright ...

I'm gonna ... the title of this book is Wisdom, what's the Sanskrit for wisdom? Prajna.

Then the next word is the name, wisdom, it's the quotation mark, Nama, Nama, okay, then these are root texts, Mula, what's root mean? It's the root of the other five books, and all other books on emptiness that came afterwards, all ... all books in Tibet, in China, in Japan, in Korea, in Vietnam, all the books on emptiness come from this one okay?

If they teach emptiness they come from this one okay? So, it's Mula okay? If you have trouble remembering this word?

In English we say, money is the root of all evil, Mula okay? Mula is the root of all evil. Okay, Madhyamaka, Madhyamaka, yeah middle way, Madhya means middle, like medium comes from that okay?

Karnika? Poetry, yeah poetry. The Garjuna prefers short and sweet okay?

I think the Garjuna would love Jimi Hendrix, in my opinion. Last question on the first homework, what's the goal of studying wisdom? It goes back to the first question, it goes back to the first question, I want to be the next Arya.

Arya Vivian, or I don't know, Arya Rhea, or Arya Jerome, I want to be the next Arya. Okay, got it? Alright, that's homework number one.

15 more minutes okay? Homework number two. I'll just start asking you a quick question okay?

What's the vision that Choney Lama used to have when he was a little kid which is important for us? Yeah, yeah, like all the Buddhists are flying to the West and he's like, hey where you going? They're like, we're going West.

He's like, can you stop for a while? And they go ... they go inside of him.

I believe because he will bring this wisdom to the West. I believe it's a very strong prediction of that okay? Alright, what's the two traditional ways to start a scripture?

Number one, you should bow down to the lineage okay? And he bows down to Buddha, he bows ... the translator bows down to Manjushri okay?

I think, I don't think in ... he bows down to Buddha. Why?

For two reasons. He taught dependent origination with ginger, with emptiness yeah okay? Lots of people taught the Wheel of Life, but Nagarjuna did it with jalapeno okay?

With special taste okay? With emptiness okay? Got it?

Alright, then we had the four qualities of a good book okay? Or a good video, or a good song. Number one, it should talk about something important okay?

Then you ... just based on that you can throw out YouTube. Never mind okay.

Number two, it should have an immediate goal. We want to teach you about dependence with ginger okay? What's the ultimate goal?

It should ... if you study this book, if you learn about dependence with ginger, you should ... yeah, take you to Nirvana and Buddhahood okay?

But only if there's a connection between the topic, and the short-term goal, and the long-term goal. If a book doesn't have those four qualities, don't waste your time okay? You will be 65 and you say, what happened?

What happened? I just was at Diamond Mountain, and now I wasted all that time. Don't say that okay?

Don't be in that position to regret your life okay? I saw a beautiful thing on the ... I heard in the newspaper ...

they asked people in the nursing home, what's your biggest regret? And 80% said, I didn't try to do the thing I was dreaming to do. I didn't ...

that's my biggest regret. There was some dream I had, and I was too busy, or I thought it's not possible, and now I regret. I think if I could have tried, maybe I could have done it, and now I don't have chance anymore okay?

So, don't be like that you know? Study, meditate, see emptiness directly. Don't regret in the nursing home, it's too late okay?

At that point, only thing you can do is help younger people to get girlfriends ... right? You can still do something, just be old.

Okay, trick question, how does Nagarjuna describe dependence? Yeah, without ... without a seed there's no tree, but without the tree the thing cannot be called a seed.

Okay? That's okay right? No big thing.

Right? Without going, you can't say there's somebody going okay? Without somebody going, you can't call it going.

Everything's dependent okay? And they are not happening sequentially okay? In this case, the tree is not happening after the seed.

It can't be happening the way you think. The way it looks is wrong okay? You made the tree, and you made the seed.

Okay? Right? Okay, I don't have to say anything.

Alright, now I like this one. Here's ... I'm gonna read the whole question, because it's an important question.

It's one thing you can say to your family when you get home. Why you spend so much money? In wisdom we are examining many different proofs of why things are empty.

How do the attitudes of a person who's a bodhisattva, and a person who is not a bodhisattva, and this kind of applies to your book Nick, how do they differ about these proofs? Yeah, the non-bodhisattva is like, just prove it once Nagarjuna, that's enough. We don't need 27 different proofs okay?

It's getting a little bit crazy okay? I don't need all this. I believed you in the first chapter, so can I just drop the other 26 and go see a movie tonight?

Okay? And then Nagarjuna says, are you a bodhisattva? The guy says, well yeah.

He says, well then you need 27 chapters. Why? Because your student might need it.

Because your student might need it okay? You might find a chapter 25 student, you might have a chapter 19 student, you might have a chapter 12 student. So, a bodhisattva gets ready for their future students okay?

So, you learn them all. We've had many proofs of emptiness you know? I can tell you from this seat, when I teach proof number one, three people over there go, and the rest of people are like ...

and then when I teach a different way, three people over here are like ... and then the other three are like ... So, it means different proofs fit different people.

If you're interested to help people, learn all of them. It's not just for you, your study isn't just for you, it's for other people also okay? Learn how to cook different dishes, even if you don't like them.

I cooked the momo for 25 years and I couldn't eat it. Okay? For the monks, I cooked the meat for 25 years and I didn't eat it.

Okay? You make somebody else happy okay? Alright?

Okay, cool. What thing all the chapters are called? An investigation.

I like this new word, I think Colin came up with it, I don't remember. He came up with it around here somewhere. Call it an investigation okay?

Okay? Dude, is anybody going? Is anybody coming?

Did anything cause anything else? Did anything get caused by anything else? Okay?

Got it? Okay, they're all called examinations. What does ...

and I'm, now I'm not going to go through the homework in order, so you'll have to think. Using the example of the husband in the kitchen, what does the word ... what are the two meanings of the word peace in the first verse?

Nagarjuna says, if you use this eight invisibles, you can reach peace. Yeah, in the immediate ... immediately, she's going to feel better, the wife is going to feel better.

She walks in the kitchen, she opens the door, the husband says, you're an idiot, you're a phantom, and then, if she remembers, which usually all of us can remember, three days later ... okay? You know that.

Oh, I shouldn't have called him stupid back. Okay? So, in the immediate, there's more peace in the kitchen, you see?

She's ... she wants to say, no, you are stupid, and it's true right? It's always true about husband, but she keeps her mouth closed, because she doesn't want to make more stupid husband.

Okay? Got it? That's the short term.

In the long term, they will have a smooth marriage, they will have a better marriage. He will change, he will change, because she's changing the scene. Okay?

The kitchen itself is an example for nirvana. The marriage succeeding is an example for Buddhahood. Okay?

In the short term, you can stop anger in your heart. In the long term, you can change into an enlightened being. Okay?

Cool? All right, mmm ... I like this one.

I thought it was one of the coolest ones. It was small, but it was very interesting to me. ,GAG PA MED PA, ,DROD MED PA, ,'GAG PA MED PA SKYE MED PA, Why does Nagarjuna start with the eight invisibles, with there's no stopping, and then he says there's no starting.

Why does he go backwards? Yeah, if things come from themselves, then stopping can come before starting. If every elephant has six heads, then boogers are hard when they first come out.

I mean, there's no connection, then anything can happen, you see? If one impossible thing happened, then everything is crazy. Okay?

If coming ... if the husband come from his side, then fish will fly through the kitchen. Okay?

Anything possible. Okay, got it? Then stopping can come before starting.

Okay, good. Yeah, okay, let's go to the other homework. We have a few minutes.

I'm just getting last torture for you. I'm not gonna go through all the chapters, it's too difficult, okay? But you got it, right?

It's not difficult. There's a logic to the whole book on logic. It's not easy, but it's there.

Okay, this is my last one Tim, because it's the most beautiful one. In the second verse of Wisdom, and by the way, did I tell you that? If I have time to translate it, I could give you a translation of the whole thing, okay?

It's up to you. Yesterday I was like, I'm more important than ... anyway, okay.

Things don't come from themselves, things don't come from something else, things don't come from balls, things don't come without a ... by the way, they usually say without a cause, okay? What's the famous nickname of this proof?

Yeah, Sliver of Diamond. Okay, last ... in the monastery they have last Geshe question, it's always the same.

Every Geshe who ever existed since ... I don't know, the Geshe started ... the name started a thousand years ago.

So, so here's the last ... who wants to explain, why is it important, the idea of a sliver of diamond? Who has the courage to end the whole week?

We need a microphone, Mr. Joel. Good luck Diamond ... Dragon Warrior.

What's it? Little Grasshopper. Grasshopper?

In Panda. In the movie. Okay, go.

Then I'm ... then we're done and we can do a mandala and then Tim's gonna hand out more birthday cake I think.

[Speaker 2]
The Sliver of Diamond is stating that every, every instance of a diamond is exactly like every other instance of a diamond and in the same way every, every emptiness is the same as all other emptinesses.