And much more workable, and much more clear, and much more powerful in its liberation. And you are able to reach the outer space in the Mahayana. You can say that. While in the Hinayanic level, you only relate to the local space. On the Mahayana level, you are able to reach the outer space. So when you begin to get to the outer space, before you have to break the wall of the local space. So there is always lots of, you know, the local people don't want you to go out of that. The locals, they don't give you visa that easy. You've been restricted too many times. And you really have to have that relentless state, or some kind of.

[01:07]

You need that brave, you need that. That's why the whole Mahayana perspective of larger vision, powerful wisdom, bravery comes here. Because they don't let you go out of that wall. You have been absolutely imprisoned in that local space. And they don't want to let you go. And when you begin to let you go, it's almost like getting into the outer space. It's so powerful that at the beginning you almost begin to have some kind of fainting experience. And which seems to be that nothing seems to be working at the beginning level. You take this great vision, the great larger vision, the precision, the skillful will, the life, the profound wisdom. Nothing seems to be working. Everything seems to be a big disaster. Because you are getting into the outer space where things become much more expensive. Now you are able to see the whole galaxies, the whole structure of the universe on the outer space.

[02:11]

Where in the local space we just see our room and our lights and that's all that we see. And now you begin to see what is outside this room. So in that way, that's how the experience of the Mahayana level takes place. So the communication becomes very precise on the Dzogchen level. It is called as it is. Like it was in its essence, fundamentally. Like it is now fundamentally. Like it is all the time. So in that way, at that level, a person is able to relate with the whole situation as it is.

[03:14]

As it is. So nothing is precise in relating as it is. Nothing is precise. When we relate with the deception, nothing is precise as it is. We don't see as it is of the situation until we get to the level of as it is. So that's where the whole thing comes. Seeing the situation as it is. Nothing comes powerful than on the other level. Some people may understand the terms nowness and take it to refer to whatever thought happens to be in their mind at the moment. Nowness should be understood as being the premieral insight already described. Nowness. Nowness should be understood. So the terms nowness, the term nowness is actually the essence, the very buddha nature.

[04:20]

The whole buddhas, the one thousand buddhas. Officially and unofficially we know that thousands of buddhas, you could say, also become enlightened. Not named as official buddha, but all those buddhas. The intrinsic awareness which they call liberation. Which is the very basic nature of all the buddhas. That state is called actually the nowness. But nowness doesn't mean that at this particular moment you have your whole egocentric views, and your whole ego's empire, and your strategies, and your plans, and what you want to have for tonight, soup or coke or whatever. If you take this particular thought as nowness, then it's wrong. It doesn't mean that. But you could think that particular coke, but if there is some kind of letting go that coke,

[05:22]

you are very close to that. As long as you don't get stuck with that particular coke. So there has to be some sense of basically, you know, as I said, that the awareness is so clear that no deception, it doesn't allow any deception. That's the power of the wisdom. That's the power of the sanity. It doesn't allow any insanity at all. So that's what is meant by nowness. The situation as it is all the time, that no deception takes place, reaches every moment. Particularly from a very early level of Mahayana practice, from a Bodhisattva level practice, one always brings that friendship all the time now. All the time here and now. And you do it now. If you don't do it now, then you're not a practitioner. You just become some kind of idea or some kind of person.

[06:26]

That's not the point. A practitioner has to be present and be as it is all the time, so in that way you are able to function that nowness in your life. Nowness should be understood as being the primal insight already described. The state of non-meditation is born in the heart when one no longer discriminates between meditation and non-meditation, and one is no longer tempted to change or prolong the state of meditation. All the time it's called day and night circle is meditation. There is no change at all at that time. No longer tempted to change or prolong the state of meditation. If you say, OK, I want to wake up from a meditation, there is nothing to wake up at that time in meditation. If you say, oh, I want to extend my meditation, there is nothing to extend in your meditation once the deception is liberated. And that's what we call, that's the way it is. And that profundity, that profundity.

[07:28]

So please do it. If you don't do it, it becomes like an empty word. Oh, that's the way it is. Oh, I can kind of get that's the way it is. You know, first of all, one has to get to the outer space to really see this. That's the way it is. So we have to have some sense of reaching the outer space experience in order to get that's the way it is. There is all-pervading joy, free from all doubts at that level. The true friendship, the true experience of the essence begins to take place at that time. So there is all-pervading joy, free from all doubts. This is different from the enjoyment of sensual pleasure or from more happiness, because sensual pleasure happiness is like very unreliable, it's very impermanent, it's very changeable, because one is all the time, it's a perception experience of the karmic situation which changes from time to time. And while a person has a sensual happiness, there is a fear all the time, and the fear is, I may lose this thing.

[08:30]

I may not experience this thing again. And then when can I get that experience back? So that deception, that fundamental deception come into our, take place into our whole life. Every moment to moment. So that's the main thing of Dharma, is to keep your sanity from every moment to moment. Don't allow that deception take place. It's the fundamental message of the practice. And you integrate that, you reach the inner space level completely. Many people have not seen the inner space level also. You see the inner space level, and then you have to kind of make breakthrough to the outer level, and then outer space, and then you get to that essence of the Dzogchen Dharma. So when we speak of clarity, we are referring to the state which is free from slut and doneness. Absolutely true. We can't be caught in a slut and doneness.

[09:31]

When we have a slut and doneness, we don't even see the inner space. How can we see the outer space? So the thing, the outer space, one needs some kind of clarity to see the outer space. It's like we, it's like a, you know, we need, in order to get to the, in order to get to the outer space, you know, we need to go through the whole training, first of all at the NASA, or in the cosmonauts in Soviet Union, or the American astronauts in NASA, and then, you know, you have very good education, and then you go through the whole training, and then finally you are put, you build those spacesuits, and then you are thrown outside with some, not with slut and doneness, but with some sense of cleanliness. If you go sleeping into the outer space, then there would be some problem. So you don't go with that kind of sleepiness and doneness in the outer space. So that clarity, you know,

[10:36]

so that clarity is very important, which is actually our scrupulence and our wisdom. And as I said again and again, sitting is your wisdom, and working with the situation is scrupulence. Bringing together with your bravery, you have to work with bravery, and you have to do it. How you get that bravery? When you're a practitioner, you take a break. When you're a practitioner, you see the result of your practice. So in that way, there's a blessing that we call. The blessing, how did that whole bravery, how did that whole scrupulence, how did that whole wisdom come to you? Through the blessing of the lineage, which is your own essence, fundamental mind, being introduced to you by the blessing of the lineage. So the lineage power and the devotion become very powerful, and when you work with that particular, you know, one-pointed wisdom and skillfulness, which actually represent the whole lineage. The lineage introduces you that wisdom and skill, which is your own self.

[11:37]

And once you recognize, identify yourself with the teaching, with the practice, then the whole situation unfolds. And you could say that is called a lineage holder. Lineage holder is one who holds the wisdom. It's a lineage holder. What else lineage holder is there? You don't see all kinds of people, you know, standing one after another. But of course, as a way of working, as a way of once to build the strength, when you do the Mundo practice, you do the whole refuge to it. There is a whole, clearly. But fundamentally, lineage means the essence of your mind, which has been introduced to you through where? Through the teaching of the lineage, which has been passed from teacher to the student, and student, and then from there to there, and then next to next, and next to next. And everyone has become a practitioner, and since they have all become practitioners, there is lineage holders. If there is no practitioners, then the teaching begins to fade away at that level.

[12:37]

The teaching doesn't seem to live long in the world. And since we are all practitioners, so please bring your practice into action. Some sense of meditation into action has to take place. This clarity, inseparable from pure energy, shines forth unobstructed. So, when the astronaut has the whole training, that whole training is that now they are trained, their wisdom and the wisdom, the strength, you could say on a certain extent. Of course, we wouldn't call it wisdom, because still following the deception, they have the fear. You could say on a certain extent, cosmonauts have seen outer space, but on a certain extent, no,

[13:39]

they haven't seen the outer space. They haven't seen the outer space from the bodhisattva level, because they still hold the deception inside. So they haven't seen the working out situation. But, as an analogy, yes, they have seen the outer space, because they went into the Columbus, and whatever the jet planes are, they went into that, so they have seen the outer space. But from a bodhisattva level, they haven't seen it yet, because they still have the notion of fear, in which the notion of survival, deception, has to be liberated on the bodhisattva level. In that way, we are talking, seeing the outer space, seeing something which one has not seen before, seeing the situation of the world more clear, that this world is not only, you know, the space which covers on your head, and only a couple of stars, and only, you know, the ground and the ocean. There are many more planets, and there are many more seas, and many more mountains, and many more trees, and many more people,

[14:39]

and many more cars, and whatever is there, they also cover Columbus in the outer there too, and to know that whole situation is like being in the outer space experience, which the bodhisattva brings that into, is the experience of bodhisattva. The bodhisattva is able to break the whole deception. So we are talking the outer space from transcending the deception level, when, you know, you should not literally take the astronaut as transcending the outer space, because astronaut go to the outer space on a literal way, but here we are talking about from an experiential way, because astronaut yet falls under the deception level, has not transcended the deception, have the fear, and, you know, even they are in the space, and they have the good old mind, you know, still going. So it happens, the whole thing is functioning to them as much as it functioned on the earth. Maybe a little different, of course. Every day is different, to a certain extent. Threatening situation takes different form, every day, as long as the deception is not over.

[15:39]

You go to see a movie, you still have threat, and that is, you think the movie won't be good, you know, and you get disappointed. And maybe, maybe, maybe your popcorn doesn't taste as good, just another threat situation. And then you come back in the evening, you think, you know, maybe something is not right in your house, your telephone is not functioning. You know, every day, that kind of fear, that kind of deception, that who, actually, who really is experiencing that? The whole notion of a very powerful, fundamental deception is there, which takes the whole thing into account, the whole thing into consideration. So transcending that, transcending that, it's like the outer space experience, and then getting to its situation, as it is. So that kind of pure energy shines from unobstructed, because its nature is always there, nothing has been obstructed in its nature. So actually it's called,

[16:41]

when the wisdom unshines, wisdom unshines, the whole phenomena becomes the dance of it. You know, the whole thing becomes teaching, the whole thing becomes cheerful, and clear, and precise, at that level of Dzogchen. It's a mistake to equate clarity with awareness of thoughts, and the colors and shapes of external phenomena. Yeah, so here the level of clarity is completely different. It's not like, you know, how smart you can think, and how bright the colors look like, or how clear the sunshine is there today, and you can see. Those are like analogies, and those are not actually meant by clarity. What clarity means, is seeing that whole deception, at that level, simultaneously, at the same time, there's a very powerful situation, which is bright. Absence of the confusion, there's a brightness, and that's called clarity,

[17:42]

which is fullness, something very complete. You see situation as it is. When thoughts are absent, the meditator is completely immersed in space of non-thought. The absence of thought does not mean unconscious. That's the thing. It does not mean unconscious. Or sleep, which is slug and darkness. Or withdrawal from the senses, which is like ecstatic practice. Withdrawal from the senses. The ecstatic does not engage to the senses, does not engage to the world. They create their own practice, their own practice, which is one of their own level of awareness, and they work accordingly to their level, so they're a little bit hesitant to relate with their senses. So they kind of withdraw, which is actually the experience of shamatha. In shamatha, one withdraws from the senses. The whole experience of the five senses become sleep in the alaya,

[18:43]

in the mind of alaya. And at the state, like, you know, the three points. If a person gets attached to the blissfulness so much, so much blissfulness, then one gets born into the form of desire realm. And too much, if one gets attached to the clarity, attached to the clarity, grasped to the clarity, then one gets born into the form realm. And then grasped to that, grasped to that, which is actually we could say here, which we could say here, which the senses, the senses started to completely dissolve, and actually it makes emotional balance in a certain sense. Now emotional balance, you know, you have to see, like, for instance, the depth of this room. The depth of this room, when the total experience of the, of the formless realm mind is attained, the whole senses floats to the bottom, goes to the bottom.

[19:44]

And when the whole senses goes to the bottom, then person does, person experiences an infinite spaciousness all the time, because that's how you experience that. The whole thing is underneath, it's undergrowth, underneath, it's nothing, everything is submerged, nothing is emerged on the ground. The whole ground is like clear, and you don't sense at all, you don't sense anything. Only thing you sense is an infinite spaciousness like that, you know, for a long time, because of that, because of that subtle deception of clinging to that state. Very subtle deception, clinging to that state. So you, for thousands of years, the power of that state, they can remain like that in the formless realm. Thousands of years they remain like that. And then they think they have got enlarged in a particular level, because they don't get angry. There's hardly any anger coming at all.

[20:45]

The whole senses is absolutely fallen around it. There's no anger, no desire, no jealousy, no hatred, it's just like, you know, it's like an infinite space, and that's the whole thing. There's a deception, so subtle, coming at that level. And then the person thinks, I've got enlightened, and then suddenly, after a long time, then the senses begin to raise up some kind of emotion arising, some kind of anger arising, some kind of jealousy arising, and then you suddenly think, oh, I've got enlightened, how this could happen? And at that time there's a tremendous heat to oneself, and that heat creates a very powerful, you know, impact, and immediately one falls down to the lower realm. One takes birth, like that. So, that kind of thing, the senses completely being, completely being,

[21:46]

it's not called the liberation of the senses, it's the senses being absolutely like, quieted down. It's like the water is boiling, and you put a cold water, and it's there, but the fire is still going on. It's very, it's like a simmering fire keeps on going on. That's the basic deception still there. But simply being unmoved by conflict, you see, the absence of thought does not mean unconscious sleep or withdrawal from the senses, but simply being unmoved by conflict. The three signs of meditation, clarity, joy, and absence of thought, may occur naturally when a person meditates. But, if an effort is made to create them, the meditator still remains in the circle of samsara. So, that's the thing. Many, many people having little experience of joy, they think, oh, I've connected with, you know, I've connected with this,

[22:46]

and I've connected with this. Now, this is like ultimate experience. Actually, one is just putting oneself into the home, into the refuge of the home. So, whatever comes, actually, don't take credit. Don't take credit. You just do your practice. You just do it. As a practitioner, do it, do it, do it. There are four mistaken views of the world. It is a mistake to imagine the world is merely empty without seeing the wild space of now-ness. Well, don't have to explain that. It is a mistake to see the Buddha-nature, Dharmakaya, in external sources without realizing that now-ness knows no path or goal. Like Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, he wrote the book, A Journey Without Goal. It's a mistake to seek Buddha-nature, Buddha-nature, Dharmakaya, in external sources without realizing that now-ness knows no path or goal,

[23:47]

because when the deception is liberated, there is no fabrication involved. The whole, you know, wanting to attain clarity, wanting to attain blissfulness, wanting to attain that, which is, as I said, as long as the tight bundle, you know, something you have the very uptight, fixated notion of wanting and demand, and you want to know that, you know, something very uptight has to be loosened up. Otherwise, your whole practice will not take place. So I say, please become a practitioner, be a simple practitioner, just do it. Don't become ambitious, just do it. You don't have to say your experience to the whole world, what you are and who you are. Just do it and be on the spot. That's the main thing. So, there is no fabrication involved. Knows no path or goal. It's a mistake to try to introduce some remedy for thoughts without realizing the thoughts are by nature what,

[24:48]

and then one feels like a snake reminds you. Now basically, to bring an antidote is a lower vehicle. A lower vehicle, from the Dzogchen's point of view, it is a lower vehicle remedy. When you have anger, you think about, you know, when you have anger, you try to think about a beautiful place. It's bringing a remedy for thought. So, in the Dzogchen, the anger itself, you do not hold to the anger. You also, at the same time, there is not one moment of deception involved at all. Because when this fundamental presence is there, there is no anger. There is absolutely absence of anger. The whole energy becomes liberated. And a person may not see the absolute absence at the beginning. He may see some partial thing. He may see anger arising.

[25:49]

And you see that because there is some kind of hurts. It hurts in a very subtle level, you can see. It hurts. And how does it get hurts? Because of some notion of your existence, of the image. Some notion of your, notion of survival. Some notion of deception still hanging around, which holds your image all the time. So, when it's come into contact with a situation, it seems to be really hurt. And that will be, you know, even on a, even, you know, like, as I said, the subtle, on the level of bodhisattva, for instance, the bodhisattva is absolutely liberated. The whole gross, gross emotion, but very subtle emotions still do exist on that level also. It is, but it is absolutely like the emotions, emotions are like, emotion does appear, but they are unworkable, you know, on the bodhisattva level. They see that, and it seems to be like that,

[26:50]

at the same time it's liberated. There is the experience of bodhisattva. It never functions because of the power of the bodhisattva mind. But yet, it keeps on working, you know. As it keeps on working stage level, which happens on the bodhisattva level. Bodhisattva, bodhisattva keeps on working, and that the deception has been so much liberated, that whatever the form take place, maybe it's very, very, very, very subtle, you know, some kind of acknowledgement taking place, but that acknowledgement is, doesn't, that acknowledgement, that deception is not able to take a place in bodhisattva. So all the time, the bodhisattva goes from one step to the next, reaching the first level of bodhisattva. Then it goes very quickly, you can say. It's very powerful. So, So, It's a mistake to try to introduce some remedy for thoughts without realizing the thoughts are by nature. What? And then one can free oneself like a snake unwinding.

[27:54]

It's also a mistake to hold a nihilistic view that there is nothing but the what. That is absolutely, you know, the most, most dangerous view, and the most sluggish view in the whole world is the nihilistic view, where there is nothing happening, you know, and it's absolutely a very powerful, very cloggy, and very clumsy, cloudy mind. Very, very cloudy mind. The nihilistic doesn't believe in any cause and effect. They think everything is empty. But it's very stupid. The nihilistic also plans for tomorrow. At least they think something is coming. If they absolutely think nothing is happening, then they should not plan for tomorrow. You know, they plan for tomorrow. They are afraid of their jobs of losing, you know, whatever. So, so, so that's, it's, you know, it's absolutely a very, you know, what we call, stupid.

[28:57]

It's also, no cause and effect of karma, and no meditator or meditation, you know. They say, oh, there is nothing to meditate, there is no meditation, there is nothing to work. Well, there's so much fear in one's own perception. You go and touch them, and they will get angry, and they will get frightened up, you know, and say, everything is empty. That's called nihilistic. Failing to experience the world which is beyond conception, those who have had a glimpse of realization must know this danger and study them truly. It's easy to theorize and talk eloquently about the world, but the meditator must still be unable to deal with certain situations. In the Mahatma's text it is said, temporary realization is like a mist, which will surely disappear. So, if you don't continue your practice, then temporary realization, temporary understanding, becomes like a patch.

[30:07]

Meditators who have not studied this danger will never derive any benefit from being in strict retreat or forcibly restraining their mind, nor from visualizing, reciting mantras, or practicing Hatha Yoga, as it is said in the Bhagavad Gita Sutra, A bodhisattva who does not know the real meaning of solitude, even if he meditates for many years in a remote valley full of poisonous snakes, 500 miles from the nearest meditation would develop overbeating pride. So, there are levels of things that take place very powerfully when the student practices the meditation. I think last summer in the retreat I told that this teacher, a great lama, a very great lama,

[31:19]

called Phamo Chöpa, Phamo Chöpa went to see Gachi Rinpoche. Phamo Chöpa, does anyone remember? Do you remember? Phamo Chöpa went to see Gachi Rinpoche. I don't remember his name. Anyway, Phamo Chöpa went to see Rinpoche and Phamo Chöpa explained about his meditation experience, you know, his realization. And he said he attained the first bhumi of bodhisattva to Rinpoche.

[32:19]

And Rinpoche said, Do you really attain the first bodhisattva? Yes, I did it. And are you sure of that? He said, yes. And your teacher said so? Yes, my teacher also said so. It was too early to attain our realization. So, he didn't say anything that night. And the next day, in Tibet, there is no bread. We eat barley, you know. We put the tea and put the barley and then we mix together and that's the breakfast. So, Rinpoche was having breakfast and he called Phamo Chöpa. And he said, last night you said you attained the first bhumi. Do you think you have attained that? Yes, I did it. My experience is very, very powerful with this.

[33:21]

And you believe that? Yes, it's very powerful. He was quite a great lama. And he said, listen, you know, your first bhumi and this piece of dough, I would appreciate this piece of dough. At that time, his whole aggression, the whole notion that he attained something was absolutely dropped and a very powerful experience arises. Like that, that's how it is introduced. His whole pride that he attained something was absolutely dropped. That a powerful student, that kind of, Phamo Chöpa was a high attainment. So, it is. At that time, it was such, you know, his status and he said, your first bhumi and this piece of dough, I prefer this piece of dough. He ate the piece of dough. So, like that. Thank you.

[34:25]

A bodhisattva who does not know the real meaning of solitude, even if he meditates for many years in a remote valley, full of poisonous snakes, 500 miles from the nearest habitation, will develop overwhelming pride. If the meditator is able to use whatever occurs in his life as the pair, good or bad, which means good circumstance or bad circumstance, his body becomes a retreat hut. He does not need to add up the number of years he has been meditating and does not panic when shock and thought arise. His awareness remains unbroken, like that of an old man watching a child at play, as it is said in Mahabharata, complete realization is like unchanging space. At that time, nothing can color the changed space. In the space, you can throw all kinds of colors, red and blue and white and yellow. It will always remain unchangeable and it can never stick. Whatever the shocking thoughts, emotions, whatever they are arising out, they are all liberated. Nothing can stay in our state of space.

[35:33]

The yogi or maha-adhi may look like an ordinary person, but his awareness is completely absorbed in now-ness. He has no need for books because he sees every phenomenon and the whole of existence as the mandala of the guru, in which we can see the lineage guru, or the essence of one's own mind, which is the very center of the enlightenment. For him, there is no speculation about the stages on the path. His actions are spontaneous and therefore benefit all sentient beings. When he leaves the physical body, his consciousness becomes one with the dharmakaya, just as the air in a vase merges with the surrounding space when the vase is broken. But when Punda Kempo passed away, at the time of his passing away, he gave his last teachings to the Queen Mother and to all the disciples in Bhutan. And he said, Now I'm leaving away. All of you have nothing to worry. I give all my last teachings, everything he advised. And he said, Now I'm leaving away. And at that time, it's like the,

[36:36]

exactly, it's like the vase is, when this vase is broken, then it merges with the outer vase. At that time he said, Now he said, The total liberation of the whole notion, notion, the liberation of notion, the liberation of dharma, this is what it's called. And he smiled and he passed. He said, Now I'm passing away. Don't freak out. He gave the whole teaching to every one of them, to his Queen Mother, to every, and he said, This is what it is. And then, the rainbow appeared at that time, because of the power. When the enlightened being, when the enlightened being passed away, when the enlightened being born, many different signs happened, and the kind of rainbows arises. It's like the whole element paid respect to that, because of the power. So at that time, they made it. So, and that's, how this Lord said,

[37:40]

Chö said, It's the ultimate view of the Dharmakaya. And for that, we should do a very good practice in our lifetime, and when we do a practice, these are not far away, these are right next to you, and you can do this, and if you are a good practitioner, this will happen, just by the practice. And your compassion, your friendship to you, your friendship to the world, your cool bodhicitta mind, you are willing to practice, bringing the skilfulness, bringing the wisdom, and just being practitioner, and your compassion, your devotion, are the most important thing in the practice. And that is the main practice for enlightenment. So, I think that's, yeah. Can I ask a question? Yes. What's the real meaning of solitude? What's the real meaning of solitude? Real meaning of solitude is your presence of your mind. Once you attain that realization, then no distractions. That's the real meaning of solitude.

[38:46]

Whatever the situation arises, wherever you go, you can call it, on a Vajrayana level, you can call it the palace of the deity, mudala of the deity. Whatever the situation arises, nothing overwhelms you at that time, nothing compresses you, you transcend that contraception. So basically, solitude. All solitude on an external level is to create, it's like going to the mountain and doing practice, it's like solitude. But solitude has to take in your heart, not outside. We can make a house, and we can sit inside, and we can wander all around. So from that point, solitude has to take in your body. Inside the body, mind, and the mind being present, that's called solitude. Rinpoche, I'm trying to understand the difference between one of the higher levels of Shinai meditation and more subtle levels in long-time meditation.

[39:51]

How would that relate, for instance, to the three levels of mind, where the meaning of the friend, of the mother and the child, of the unwanted, the snake, and the thief entering the empty room. Is there a relationship there? With what? With that and more subtle levels of Shinai and Lhaktung meditation. Yeah, yeah, of course. Shinai and Lhaktung together is able to work with those situations. Without the Shinai and Lhaktung, there is no reference point. Shinai and Lhaktung work with the situation. So it's a high level of skilful wisdom together with the Shinai and Lhaktung. Because Lhaktung has an abiding state, Lhaktung has a clarity, and the clarity has a stillness. Clarity has some kind of balance, you can say. And that balance is Shinai. And within that balance there is a clarity, which is the Lhaktung. So that works with the three levels

[40:55]

of the situation which arises. And in the Lhaktung meditation, if a thought arises, how does one experience that thought? How does one experience a thought? As I said, neither the movements, whether there is movements or whether there is stillness, whether it is unaffected. That's the Lhaktung experience. A very powerful compassion arises in Lhaktung because of seeing the equanimity of Simsara and Nirvana in the Lhaktung experience. Equanimity of Simsara and Nirvana. Equanimity. Which is to say that the whole notion is being liberated.

[41:56]

You described about being in that state perhaps for thousands of years where you are just in that bliss experience. Would that be like a level of an Arahant? No. An Arahant transcends that, because of some kind of level of Vipassana. That's just primarily by Shinai. There is no Lhaktung involved at all at that level. It's just Shinai practice itself can reach that level. Just by Shinai you can get full knowledge. Just by Shinai you can get... It has a clarity also. Just by Shinai you can... If you do lots of Shinai meditation, you can read the mind of other people. Can you define Shinai meditation? Shinai? No. Is that the same as concentration exercise? Yes. Samatha? Yes. Same. Samatha. Sanskrit. Samatha.

[43:07]

Like peaceful abiding. Shinai is called peaceful abiding. And Tibetan is Shinai. And Sanskrit is Samatha. And in English we call it peaceful abiding. And there are two kinds of Shinai. Sentient Shinai and Sement Shinai. Sentient Shinai is called substantial Shinai, and insubstantial Shinai. Or we could say target Shinai, or without target Shinai. Target Shinai is something you have, some kind of object. And one is without that. What is your version of solitude? Well, when I think about the Shinai and the solitude, I think about just being aware of the fact

[44:11]

that you're really always alone. And there's nothing that you can really hang on to. There's the presence. And we wouldn't say alone also, because it doesn't, you know, it... In the Vajrayana, in the Vajrayana, Vajrayana gyu, tantra, it says, you know, to look into outer and inner space also, that notion is a transgression. So, even the notion of alone is some kind of holding, and that is also transcendent. So, but on a very beginning level, yes, alone, staying alone, you know, solitude is... On a relative level, yes, a person go to the mountain, a person build a... stay in a hermit, into a retreat for three, four months, whatever, and that's we call solitude.

[45:12]

Yeah, that's, you know, that's... No matter you're surrounded by people, you're basically by yourself, you know. You're basically by yourself. That is some sense of... some notion of... some... that kind of alone, that kind of solitude has some notion of deception involved. Yes. Because there is some kind of fear there, some kind of, you know, some kind of separation there. The notion, there's a notion. Let's put it, one simple word, notion. How one attain the full rainbow body when the notions have been created. So, on a very basic level, the solitude is something where we stay in a hermit, we stay in a mountain and creates that kind of situation to be quiet. The whole situation we create it

[46:23]

to make that kind of development. So, any more questions, please? Let's... let's... yeah. You were speaking at break today about moon, sun and male and female energies. Could you repeat some of that for all of us? We usually think of the moon as related to the female energy. And... ... You were saying yesterday that when our mind starts to get dull in our meditation that we should make it brighter or lift it up. Do you have some suggestions about that? Well, that's a very good suggestion. Like that lama picture when you saw, you know, he said, sprinkle some water when you feel very dull.

[47:25]

Lift your mind when you feel kind of down and when you get too excited, then bring it down. Those seems to be very good technique, I think. Very good. Yes. Those will be very powerful because we are working from that level. So, it will be very powerful. Does that mean that the emotions, when you just see it as it is, you see through it? Like, does it have a translucent quality to it? Or does it just disappear because you raise your perception higher than the thing itself? You know, like hatred or... Yeah, on any workable level, you know. You could say there is some sense of translution.

[48:29]

Translution means transparent, right? Yeah. Something transcending and transparent. So, you no longer identify anymore with the object? Well, at the beginning there is a sense of identification which is a translution. The whole notion of translution is there. Translution is some kind of identification. Yeah. But after that, then the whole thing doesn't take place at the level of the liberation of the whole Dharma. At that time, then that particular emotion doesn't form at all. The emotion or that particular neurosis doesn't form at all because the whole notion of that separation, boundary, that wall, which is the deception, is absolutely clear liberated. Then the object and subject,

[49:33]

there is no object and subject at all. The experiences seem to be registered in the mind-body relationship, so... The experience seems to be registered as long as there is some sense of subtle duality is there. Yes. When the subtle duality is liberated, then perhaps that is transcended. At that time, that seems to be transcended. But as long as you have the subtle duality experiences, as you said, registered, but once the subtle duality is liberated, it is then transcended. Once you have settled that registration, there is no space. That's on a very ultimate level. Which for a bodhisattva of the tenth bodhi,

[50:36]

what is registered on their mind is a very subtle notion of getting enlightened, which is registered. And they have to ascend and liberate that notion. There is a separation, yet there is a distance, even. Very subtle distance. Very, very thin distance at that time. It's just so... It's only a matter of the closest, closest metric point, you could say. It's just like, you could see through it. The bodhisattvas see through it at that level. It's absolutely translucent, clear, and yet something has to be gone through. So something is registered there. And that register is saying, get enlightened. That's it. Is that because enlightenment then is a concept?

[51:41]

It remains as a concept somehow? It's too early to say that. If you don't have that notion right now, you wouldn't get anywhere. Yeah, like you have to set yourself on a course. Yes, as I said, clear reference point. And then as you start experiencing, then it's a whole different thing, and that happens. You have to have a clear reference point, as I said many times, clear reference point, which is gravitational level, which is atmospheric level. What do you mean by transplanting bodhisattva? A person who has never taken bodhisattva, never arisen bodhisattva, for the first time when there's a practitioner

[52:43]

or the student, begin to either take that bodhisattva from the lama, transplanting that, or begin to have that experience, arising state, at that time, transplanting the bodhisattva. Basically, the bodhisattva friendship, the potential is fundamentally in your mind. It's not that you have to buy it. It is something you have to transplant from outside, which is not in you at all. It doesn't mean that. But you need to kind of invoke, you need to kind of, you know, awaken, you need to be awakened into your kundalasita mind. That's more like transplanting bodhisattva mind, you could say. Bringing that friendship, putting that friendship in yourself, which we can do that. ...

[53:44]

No, there is no deception, there is no emotion felt at all. Nothing. On the ultimate level, nothing. But on a bodhisattva level, very subtle, yes, very subtle, but emotional is no more workable. That's the difference. Emotion is like, you see it, but it doesn't work. It's some kind of translucent experience, emotion. When you say it doesn't work, does that mean it's not expressed? No. If it's not expressed, you don't even know how the emotion of doesn't work will come. Because it's expressed and it doesn't work. You know, if it's not expressed,

[55:00]

then the question of doesn't work, first of all, would not come. Since it is expressed and not work, that's the part, which means the emotions become very, extremely light, transparent, because of the whole, you know, that basic fundamental deception, that survival has been liberated on an outer space level. So, so there is nothing bothers to bodhisattva. And as I said, it takes quite a while to break through that, from the local space to the outer space.

[56:03]

That seems to be the difference. Do you think it's harder to learn this when you start as an older person? Excuse me? Do you think it's harder to advance when you start as an older person? I don't think so. I don't think so. It has nothing to do with age. It is one's personal capacity. Because I was just thinking you have so many more accumulated experiences than, I mean, a bigger person, they have more conditioned responses now than they used to. That is possible. That can be. From one level we could say it's better to start earlier. It is always better.

[57:10]

But it doesn't mean that if you start later you don't, you're not going to get it. What's there to get? Huh? What's there to get? Well, that's the thing. It seems also that the accumulation of experiences gives you something to work on. Gives you something to work with. Yeah, it does gives. Take a minute. Yes? I had a doubt that your teaching, about the teaching, that it seems to have been designed for people who are going to live in monasteries when they turn six years old. It seems to be designed? That's your version. And sometimes I wonder, is it really possible for me to make any progress with just an hour or two a day,

[58:13]

a few retreats here and there? To really, you know, break through my conditioned state, is it really possible to even dream of working? That's up to you. You know, you have to deal with your space. If you don't have that friendship, willingness to work within the space, it's not going to happen. And it's your responsibility to make it happen. Whether in monastery, or whether in the street, or whether in the city, or whether in a pub, it's your responsibility. That's a fundamental friendship. The core, what is in the mind, has to come there. If you're not going to do it, it's not going to happen. Your teacher creates the situation. Sangha creates the situation. From that level, I guess,

[59:15]

on a city level, it is important to have some kind of organization level, which is very beneficial, that people can come and relate, do their practice. Dharma Hall, Dharma Sangha, Vajra Brothers and Sisters, all help each other, and the whole situation is created. It's become very helpful, very powerful. It works. It's very clear and precise and workable from that level. And if it's not there, then there's a danger, a danger of, not that you are a bad student, but because there's a very powerful distraction. So there's no some sense of resting support isn't there. So it has nothing to do with the monastery. It has nothing to do. Many great Mahasiddhas, if you read the history of Mahasiddhas, 80 Mahasiddhas,

[60:17]

they were just some were farmers and some were all kinds of livestock. They were not, they didn't spend in monasteries. Nobody even knew they were practicing. Because sometimes I go for days without seeing another practitioner surrounded by people that you can't really talk to. I think that's one of the, there seems to be that, from that level the Dharma Center, the organization level seems to be very helpful, very uplifting. The whole situation is created for students upbringing, uplifting of the wisdom and scrutiny. That seems to be important. I was told that what there is to get is that this is it. Does that make sense?

[61:18]

Yes, it does make sense. Now one has to actualize. One has to actualize. And some sense of friendship that, that notion of bodhicitta mind seems to be very important to transplant in ourselves and to work with that. As long as a person doesn't work with the bodhicitta mind, definitely a person is not going to reach to the level of Atiyuga. Because that fundamental responsibility does not take place. The skillful mean and wisdom does not take place when the person loses that transplant of bodhicitta. So you may seem to have it for one day or two days, a while during retreat. But once you get out of that place, once you go out from here, then again you are overwhelmed by the situation.

[62:19]

At that time, who becomes most helpful, who becomes most truly our partner, becomes our cool bodhicitta mind. If we lose our cool bodhicitta mind at that time, then nothing seems to be broken and nothing is clear. And everything is a disaster. So, that seems to be the main point. Working with cool bodhicitta mind. So practice is, one has to identify the practice with the life situations. As I said, if a student doesn't identify the teaching with one's own life situation, then there is always a conflict. Then, you regard the teaching as simply some kind of Vajrayana

[63:21]

idea, Prama Sambhava's idea, or Buddha's idea, or it's just simply the whole cool bodhicitta mind is something, you know, it's not part of you, it's something bringing from outside. There is always some kind of misunderstanding and some kind of error. And it's very important to put the clear reference point knowing the fundamental deception and seeing that you identify yourself with your situation clearly. And in that way, the skillfulness comes naturally. The skillfulness deals with those situations spontaneously. And at that time when the skillfulness comes, then the whole situation doesn't seem to be a hassle to you anymore. Everything becomes workable and reasonable. Whether you're in a monastery or not. You could do that all the time, everywhere. You could do that in the most outrageous places. What you could call outrageous

[64:23]

places. You could do that in a discotheque, from a pub, from wherever you are, until one finds one's liberation complete. Because nothing is lacking. But we may have to see to our own state of being, state of mind, how strong it is. Naturally, it would be much harder to practice meditation in a very powerful, distracted, overwhelming situation than practicing at your home, which would be much easier. But the main thing is some kind of awareness, a fundamental friendship has to be there, which is the principle. Unless the student doesn't have that, the student would not make any development. Please read the book. Please read the book. There are many books.

[65:25]

Read the books, which are called the Bodhisattva Avatara. There's a book called Bodhisattva Avatara. And then there are other Dharma books. Read those books and study those books and meditate on those, and then bring in a skillful interaction, and then you will come to know the Bodhisattva. Thay Sittu's book is good. It's called Way to Go. Way to Go? Way to Go. It's a Bodhisattva. Yeah, let me see. Thay Sittu has a good book. It's called Way to Go. Way to Go. It's a great book. You can order it. You can order it from Thay Lek Shambhala. Who was the author? Thay Sittu. Thay Sittu. Basically, there's a book called the Bodhisattva Avatara by Shantideva, which is the principal teaching of the Bodhisattva.

[66:26]

And it's been translated by Vengeshi. It's a wonderful book. That's the main book of the study. And then there are many other books. Read other books. Sit a lot. Sit a lot. Do a lot of practice. We are practitioners. Do a lot of practice. That seems to be the main thing. You read a lot and you don't do any practice, you're not going to do anything good at all. You're going to all be wasting your time. This whole thing is simply a lecture, simply one another thing which would not help. So then Thay sits a lot and

[67:34]

each person has naturally different developments of state of mind. Each person has slightly different state of mind. And it's very important to have that gravitational mind, have that atmospheric mind to begin with, a clear reference point. So please do breathing meditation. My advice is even before you jump into the space, first make your space suit well. Did you say to do the breathing meditation and then the absorption practice in one period more than the other? Is that what you're suggesting? Basically, I would just, you know, if we do it very well, first do the breathing.

[68:39]

Breathing for a long time. Breathing for a long time. And also sometimes if you find a great good stability, also look into the nature of the mind from the absorption point like what we went through. See, the first thing is to know how the mind looks like, how it is. It's a very powerful technique. But mostly, from a direct way of seeing, use the breathing. First, make the mind clear. Make the whole mind precise and clear, and then it's like you're well prepared for going into the space. One week, look at the mind and the next week, look at where it is and the next week, where it's going. But for the time being, before you go there,

[69:41]

you just do the breathing. Yes. That would be good. If I tell you from my heart, then do the breathing. But if I would just tell you like that, yeah, then do one week. If you get caught in a really hot situation where you just get angry and you know it's happening and you can't stop it, would it be a good thing to go and do a Chenrezig practice after that? Very good. Chenrezig practice is like one of the practices which transplants the coolness in the mind. Which is what? Chenrezig practice is transplanting the coolness of the mind. It's a very powerful practice. I would be very happy if those of you can do Chenrezig practice as much as you can. It's a very powerful practice. It's very good for our lives.

[70:44]

It's like a tremendous refuge. It's healing. It's the experience of that basic sanity. Everything comes through the Chenrezig practice. With your meditation and that practice it basically works together very powerfully. Is the emptiness that's spoken about in the Zen the same as this emptiness or is there a difference? There's a difference. It's very difficult to say. Your question will be an answer to your sentence. So,

[71:55]

I guess we can today end up here. Tomorrow we will do quite a lot of sitting. And and we our last day of our teaching and practice and and we have covered on many levels of facets of meditation and we have been not absolutely on the

[72:56]

complete outer space level but also some inner space level and also we opened the doors of the inner space level and washed out what is on the other side of the space, so to speak. And we haven't left anything and over the time when you do your practice you will understand those deeper parts of the meditation in your experience. So so I feel there is nothing I have left. I didn't hide anything. I didn't hide anything and at the same time as I mentioned again and again

[73:58]

and again, please transplant the core bodhisattva mind the notion of core bodhisattva mind and bring your wisdom and skill together and be practitioner and integrate that meditation into action. That seems to be the main thing for a practitioner main message for a practitioner. And when we miss our basic practice then we are not going to become a true practitioner. We are not going to digest the teaching of Buddhist teaching or as I said to identify the teaching of one's life situation. We are not going to identify the life situation of the teaching. And in that case there is always a conflict

[75:01]

and there is no benefit not because you have been a very bad student or you are a bad student or whatever simply there is some sense of laziness involved sometimes and there is some sense of some sense of obstacles or distraction, whatever that could happen it seems to be from a lack of core bodhisattva mind from that lack of friendship in oneself. So it's very important to transplant and work out and make it workable in your life. And that seems to be the main message and main practice for a student particularly on the Vajrayana level or definitely for a Hinayana level definitely for Mahayana level student definitely for Vajrayana which is even more intense at that time

[76:01]

so you are not going to throw away that whole teaching that whole lineage which has been passed to you which has been given to you as a package whatever so you are not going to just waste the whole thing you are going to integrate and bring that into action and able to digest the whole teaching so that there is no notion of confusion and doubt at all in your mind to put it simply. That seems to be the main thing for a student practice always practice sit a lot do your practice and work with your situation all the time with that skillful mean of discipline create the situation I think those are very important there is not much

[77:05]

to say but those are very important things which I want to tell you and practice seems to be the main thing the surviving of the teaching in the future will depend on the student existing student today on the planet, on the earth level if the student do not do a good practice then this teaching would not last long because the teaching is been holded by the student so the student become the we could call the symbolic of the teaching as a matter of fact knowing and able to relate with the life properly depends on student ability, depends on student exertion and student willingness to practice and to bring that workable in student life and bring that make it perfectly communicable

[78:05]

in our life in all kinds of situation is a fundamental responsibility of our basic sanity we are not bunch of people who want to try to convert people into Buddhism we are not interested at all that's not our aim what we are interested in is bringing about our basic sanity and able to live a basic good life not on a not as simply preserving the image of our deceptive nature image of the deception mind but transcend the deception transcend that confusion that fear and able to come out and able to shine in the world and able to shine in your own life seems to be the main thing which has been blossomed which is the fruit of that cool Buddhist mind which you function in yourself

[79:06]

and which you function outside as I said yesterday if you can't be a friend to yourself, you could never be a friend to other people how you can shine outside is when you begin to shine what you have inside then the other person, you create that environment, that atmosphere that gravity in the other person to see themselves and experience their own basic sanity which is the fundamental essence fundamental nature of all the beings in that way the teaching of Buddhism the teaching of our basic sanity can last long and that will be a great contribution for oneself and for others there is no hassle at all you just become precise and simple and clear you don't become some kind of fanatic so your practice

[80:12]

is the whole wisdom comes with your sitting practice so again please try to sit loud and start with your breathing and also sometimes look from the Dzogchen level, as in the breathing we are not simply on the Hinayanic level, the breathing we are doing is both using the wisdom and skill together from a Vajrayana level it's not Hinayanic level, the whole whole yanas are encompassed into the breathing practice and when the teaching begins to when the student did not have a good sitting meditation student does not pay attention to one's practice and that sitting comes through some kind of conviction born into yourself from that cool bodhicitta mind that you want to free yourself

[81:14]

from that chain of deception and when you have the clear conviction that you want to free yourself from the chain of deception naturally there is the skillfulness which brings for a student to buy a Zafu and then you also put the Zafu in a corner of your room or wherever or maybe in your office or whatever and then you sit and sit and sit and in that way gradually you begin to cut the chain of that deception and in that way the true essence of Buddhism can last for a long time on this planet when the student misses that then that's the beginning of the declining of the Buddhist teaching and there is a problem

[82:14]

today in Tibet also there is a problem today we face in Nepal in among there is there is a problem which I saw in Nepal and certain places in Ladakh and certain places in Tibet where people instead of sitting they seem to have lost the basic basic communication within oneself which really comes from the sitting which is losing of some sense of intelligence intelligence becomes somehow obscured on a certain level and people getting more involved in some kind of rituals people getting more involved in some kind of doing relative things

[83:15]

somehow which is more distraction a person gets caught oneself into more distraction all the time one can lose the essential point so so in that way there is some sense of degeneration happening but at the same time there are many great teachers those who are trying to preserve it a handful of great teachers those who are trying to preserve it in the best way they can but there seems to be a general some kind of atmosphere spreading where when the basic teaching fades then people kind of get distracted in more other things than getting into the inner sense of the teaching so and I guess many teachers

[84:20]

were concerned about that situation and people seems to pay more attention to external thing than getting into internal thing let's put it that way people seems to losing the essence inside and when the essence is absolutely lost then the teaching fades and after some time then naturally the idea of theistic manifests all the time which is very much dangerous on certain kind of certain kind of level so it's very important to to set and to plant that cool bodhisattva mind I think that seems to be one of the most important

[85:23]

message in the teaching that you are able to cut your whole deception your fundamental deception within yourself you are able to see that how you are giving into yourself in your deceptive experience you are able to see that how you can cut that deception within yourself which we call the source of the whole mandala the mandala is the ground of the confusion and it's the ground of the enlightenment this life is also a mandala each person's environment, each person's space, each person's situation which is not been created by anyone nobody created, there is no such power in the whole existence of the universe who creates your

[86:27]

space, who creates your existence there is no divine power or there is no such gods or no such buddhas or whatever who creates such situations you are the one who creates it you create your ego or you create your enlightenment whatever, so it's very important there is some kind of intelligence taking place all the time into a space, whether it's confused or whether it's clear something is happening all the time and it's very important to make it clear, make it precise and make it clear cut, you know from that deception, becomes one of these fundamental fundamental friendship commitment in oneself so the whole question of the skillful name, the whole question of the wisdom comes there and how you work with your situations how you work with the circle of life or how you work

[87:28]

with your all kinds of life situations let it be in your practice let it be in your work let it be in your cooking let it be in relating with a plant or making a garden or making anything, whether it relates with a garden, whether it relates with whether it relates with a game or whether it relates with your practice or whether it relates with some other person how you relate to that situation seems to be the fundamental communication in your life with your own intelligence. So, that's where the whole wisdom and the whole skillfulness comes, how to work with your situations. The situation is the mind situation, the essence situation, the life situations. So we need a sense of wakefulness, particularly in the Buddhist tradition. A sense of wakefulness is called the awakened state of the mind, which awakes from what?

[88:28]

Awakes from the darkness, awakes from that ignorance, awakes from the deception of that particular state, an awakened state of the mind. You're not called just, hey, someone will come and take care of you, rest. Actually, the notion of rest is pretty much like, you know, just don't worry, be cool, it's alright, it's a theistic notion. It's not a Buddhist, in the non-theistic notion. In the non-theistic notion, you're told to be awake. Personally, awake. Shantideva said, when you have this body, don't sleep for ignorant mind. No, it's awake. Awakens, awakened. You're not called, hey, everything is going to be fine, just rest. That's the notion of escape. And this thing doesn't work. Things are not clear. Things are never clear. It has never been clear with that. We rest so long.

[89:29]

We have rested and rested in all different kinds of things. And it has simply been distraction, simply been a deception. Awake, awake from what? Awake from the deception. There seems to be nothing. That's very important. And how do you awake? You need to have that fundamental responsibility. Taking some kind of pride and some kind of responsibility. Working with that intelligence, working with your mind. Working within yourself. Awaken. You need to have some sense of friendship at that time, which comes with a sense of bravery. Which comes with a sense of fearlessness in cutting that deception. So you need to awake. And how do you awake? Practitioner. Practitioner. Practice. That's the whole point. You practice. You bring the meditation into action.

[90:33]

That's how you awake. You don't awake just by thinking. Just by going to a spot and waiting there for all the buddhas to come and pick you up. On the highway 101. And hitchhike. When is that very special van going to come and pick you up? It doesn't happen. It has never happened. And it's never going to happen. It doesn't happen. You need to awake. And how do you awake? Practitioner. Just practice. You just do it. You just do it. You just do it precisely. You communicate precisely. You just do it. That seems to be very important. Awake instead of the mind. Awake. And when you awake, you see your whole situation. When you awake, you see the whole situation.

[91:36]

Now you're waking up. But when you wake up from the dream, you see the whole thing. When you awake, you see the whole situation. And when you see the situation, then you begin to work with the situation. Which is called the skilful mean. There is a sense of wisdom at that time. Some kind of willingness. Like going from your room to the dining room. That kind of bravery. Some kind of knowing the situation. That the breakfast is in the dining room. And you have the sense of fearlessly walking all the way there. Which is some kind of commitment. Some kind of friendship. And then you go there and pick your cups and spoons. And then you pour the water. And take the eggs or whatever the breads are there. And you begin to take it. And that's the sense of wakefulness. Which again gives a message there. The whole thing is a message. The whole thing includes a message.

[92:38]

Even on that level. So, that waking up, there is a sense of knowing the situation. And when you know that, we have to begin with some point at that level in which I call the reference point. You know, a clear reference point of working. And for the first level, on a skilful mean. On a skilful mean. There are whole nine yonas. From the very thin yonic level to the maha ati level of Dzogpa Chinpo. There has to be a skilful mean in working with the situation. If you go too deep without getting there, it's just going to confuse you more than anything. That's it. It's just going to confuse you more. You're not going to get what it is. You're not going to experience it. You're not going to open up. Because the situation is somehow... Because the situation is somehow...

[93:30]

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