The last time we were on a general subject, particularly relating the approach of our attitudes and the nature of samsara, and to recognize the state where we are living, last time. And now, today we will be going into much deeply into the reality structure of our nature. Now bodhisattva path, as we heard about bodhisattva path, now bodhisattva path in general is called the awakening state of mind. That is the reality of our mind, the reality, primordial reality, the fundamental reality

[01:06]

of the state of the mind is called the awakening state of bodhisattva, bodhisattva path. But it seems that due to our lack of strength inside, we are paralyzed in a state of samsaric nature. And we do not have this ability, wisdom, insight to how to cut this chain of karma, which is causing the experience of life, causing the all different experiences, whatever experience we are going through at this stage. So we seem to have lacked the insight, the wisdom, how to cut it through.

[02:06]

But it does not mean that insight is not there in us. The insight is there in us, it is fundamentally there, it is not a question that we have to go and buy that insight from a spiritual tradition. The spiritual tradition shows that what is inside us, and so therefore spiritual tradition is not something that can be made by somebody's idea, it is not something which is only taught in a particular tradition, it is a question of universal experience, which is experience of everybody, in fact. And when we lack that insight, we do not experience that insight in us, then we go through many

[03:10]

fabrications, and we seem to be living in ideas and philosophies and fabrications instead of relating to the reality of the nature. And due to that many discrimination also arises, different schools come into being, and some show truly tremendous insight and some are fabricated also. So many things happen when the profound insight in ourselves is not understood and not experienced, we lose the track of our insight, we become insanity somehow, we somehow do not have any ability to cut it through and abuse ourselves constantly all the time by pushing ourselves or by repressing ourselves or trying to enforce some kind of different situation, simply we do not have the strength, ability and knowledge and insight.

[04:11]

But it does not, as I said, it simply does not mean that we do not have it there, we have it there, it is just there, it is very alive all the time, the insight, the openness is always there. But due to the tremendous fabrication, tremendous collections of our grasping duality, which forms like a tremendous big cloud in the sky, and we are not able to see the nature of the sun which is inside, behind that cloud. So we lack the strength, the energy which is fundamentally always shining, we simply we are not able to see that shining part and therefore we are not able to take the delight into that nature that we could perform, we could be the Bodhisattva naturally.

[05:18]

It's kind of become like a law enforced on oneself at this stage to become a Bodhisattva. There is no delight in Bodhisattva and a person who wants to take a Bodhisattva may ask, am I ready for that or not? Because there doesn't seem to be a natural delight, a natural state to be a Bodhisattva. But also it doesn't mean that if you ask that question you are not potential to be a Bodhisattva also. There is no need for discouragement, but it's a step that how we have lost the ability, the strength of delightful in that state, the state of open space, the state of freedom,

[06:19]

the state of absence of that confusion is the state of Bodhisattva. So, but being a Bodhisattva is the path of enlightenment of all the enlightened mind. Without being a Bodhisattva, this path of Bodhisattva which is characterized, which is labeled in ten different stages, ten different wounds, ten different stages, there is no way of attaining realization without being on the path of Bodhisattva. It's the path of the insight, it's the path of the cutting through, it's the path where one sees oneself, where one builds the inner insight relationship and where you do not bend down, you do not surrender to every mental gossip,

[07:21]

you do not surrender to your grasping, you relate to your insight, you keep the presence of your awareness throughout all the time as much as you can in meditation and in non-meditation state. That's the path of Bodhisattva. The strength, one works on that path, requires tremendous ability, strength in oneself to see that and to have that presence. To have a presence and understanding of this Bodhisattva stage, one will require knowledge, one would, in order to require knowledge, one would begin a teaching and then analyze into that teaching and then actualize that teaching into being. And then one would experience the delightful state of what is the mind of Bodhisattva.

[08:27]

So, on a relative level, the Bodhisattva stage is categorized or levels, there are ten levels of Bodhisattva. But Bodhisattva stage is not the ultimate stage of enlightenment. Bodhisattva stage is still not for you to celebrate your ultimate enlightenment. One still has to keep on going. You just can't stop that and that is like your ultimate graduation. You did not fully graduate yet, just being a Bodhisattva. You still have to go. But the process of Bodhisattva, the Bodhisattva itself does not see itself as being pride. Though there is a delightful pride in the natural state of itself,

[09:32]

but it's not the pride of the ego where one always takes the ego manifests, the state of territorial, the state of ownership, the state of domination, it is not there. That existence of experience is simply totally absence in the state of Bodhisattva. But it's a path of tremendous challenge where you begin to have a complete understanding of yourself and accept yourself, and it's a path where you begin to have a relationship with yourself, which means you have an insight and that insight is delightful. That insight is the love, kindness and compassion we can say to ourselves.

[10:35]

And now that does not mean the person who is on the path of Bodhisattva would try to escape or try to ignore the fact what we are living through. The Bodhisattva is a very lively, would accept however the situation is there and work with that, which means the Bodhisattva is open and willing to work with our neurosis, work with our jealousy, work with not only of oneself but for others. The openness, the space which Bodhisattva has the strength to share and to allow every being into the space has that strength because of seeing the original state of oneself is a total absence of the fear.

[11:41]

It's a strength of tremendous, like a state of, it's not something grasping obstruction. It's a stainless sky, it's like a force of invisible force. So Bodhisattva naturally have, knowing that original state of oneself does not have the fear of one's own attainment but would include everyone in the space and therefore on the path work for oneself and for others. So both will go together, which means the Bodhisattva would work, is willing and working with our aggression, with our jealousy, with our hatred, all five poisons as well as every problem we have is working with them. It's not a path of escape, it's not a path where we try to ignore those very fact of life experience.

[12:51]

It's a fact that where we openly admit it ourself and then work with that for oneself and for others and able to have the prajna, the wisdom which sees that inside, which has the ability, strength to see that inside which cuts through that, through that ignorant states, through that chain of karmic chain reactions. So Bodhisattva understanding and experience the space, the delightful, delightful is extremely great into that state. So it is not hard for a Bodhisattva to manifest oneself as a Bodhisattva because Bodhisattva do not take it as some kind of, it's part of the space of Bodhisattva to benefit and to work

[13:55]

and to bring the nourishment, the nourishment of enlightened state to every being. So Bodhisattva do not see that as some kind of job that Bodhisattva has to do that. It's not something that if I don't try to be that then I may lose the job. It's not like that. Thank you. So there is a natural delight in being a Bodhisattva.

[14:56]

Now how does one become Bodhisattva? One becomes gradually, step by step. There are people, those who have done tremendous practices in their previous life, those who have worked a great deal of time, put great deal of dedication in their many lifetimes and it's like cherishing that spiritual quality in this life. Those, they have natural strength of compassion and it's very easy for them to work and to manifest their charismatic quality of being a Bodhisattva. For them it's not something imposed upon them of such a practice. It's very easy for them to manifest that. That is coming from the previous life. Blessing, the connections, the energy of the state from previous life.

[15:58]

And now for those, certain people, those who have never practiced that before, it's very hard for them to even to think of being a Bodhisattva. Because it looks, one cannot take the delight. One who can take the delight of being a Bodhisattva is a sign of great deal of work on the path of Bodhisattva in previous life. And in this life we are able to cherish that in our life. That is a sign of connection of the previous life. So if a person do not have those experiences, does not know how to cherish that Bodhisattva state, it does not mean that you are not potential for that state. It simply means that one has to work more gradually on the path of Hinayana. One may have to work on the path of Hinayana. One may have to discipline oneself more.

[17:08]

One may have to do more Vipassana meditation. One may have to do more Samatha meditation. One may have to actualize more disciplinary practices. And then the result, outcome of that practice will lead to the stage of Bodhisattva. It's a living experience. It's not something, Bodhisattva is not a fantasy idea. It's a very living experience how Bodhisattva is. And therefore it has to be very living. And person who is willing to work on the stage of Bodhisattva, certainly that kind of challenge you take, of course is seeing a certain extent of insight in yourself. Something you cherish in yourself, taking the delight of following the path of Bodhisattva

[18:13]

and seeing the benefits, seeing the positive and tremendous qualities of being a Bodhisattva. And certainly we can cherish that. We can cherish into that delight. And I can say nothing greater is there than the path of Bodhisattva which could eliminate our confusion, pain, suffering. All this crazy phenomena of this mind could be totally eliminated on the path of Bodhisattva. It does not mean many people seem to have wrong idea that Bodhisattva means now I take this vow and now I'm going to be tortured or I'm going to be like working a lot of time for others, especially to those I don't like. It's okay if I work for somebody else I love, that's fine. But that's not the principle of Bodhisattva.

[19:13]

It says love everybody. And especially the one who we hate, we don't like, they're the one who needs more. And you hesitate. Should I be a Bodhisattva or shouldn't I? Am I ready for that or am I not? Many doubts and questions will certainly arise. But we have to calculate the outcome of that on a long process, on a long term. It's important to see the long term result than trying to see immediate experiences. One of our short sight limitation is the immediate experience which we expect. And that is not the path of Bodhisattva. Bodhisattva do not look on the immediate experiences of the path. It's a path where one sees, of course there are different stages of mind.

[20:19]

Some have experience from their previous life, which is very strong. They have less problem of being Bodhisattva. They are naturally Bodhisattva. But some have to kind of discipline themselves on the path, understanding the qualities of Bodhisattva. One cherishes that, one takes the delight, and then is totally open and honest on working on that path. So that takes some kind of disciplinary action. But at the same time, the basic intelligence that being a human being, we have the gift of being a human mind, a human being. We can see what the consequence, what the benefit on that path, and on that mind of Bodhisattva. So one has to be ready to work with oneself. And of course, I know that all of you are,

[21:24]

nobody is dishonest to oneself. Everybody is honest to oneself. But once in a while, what we lack is we lack some skillfulness, we lack some insight, and we need the help of spiritual friend, we need the help of the advice of the teacher, and our willingness to practice. And those are something very important ingredients, very important instrument to stimulate ourselves to the inspiration on the path of openness, which is the path of Bodhisattva. Bodhisattva is an open path. Bodhisattva is not a narrow path. It's called the open path. The open path means opening in and out, opening from deep inside our mind to the most open state of the space, to externally our expression. That is how Bodhisattvas are.

[22:26]

Bodhisattvas are not confined to this school or that school. They are not confined to this style or that style. It's a state of sanity which is there all the time, and it could be unexpected. We cannot expect the actions. It could be timely action. It could be timely teaching. It could be whatever is necessary needs to be performed. That kind of ability, the skillfulness, the truth, to see that will come from the inside of that state of awareness, the state of Bodhisattva. It cannot be created. It is not a state of smartness. It's not a state of cleverness. It's not a state of trying to be clever, trying to show cleverness. It is not a state of like that. It's a natural inside state where one can cut through when the time is needed.

[23:32]

One can cut through those states where we can open our mind, open our state. So it's very important. It's the heart essence of the teaching of Buddhism. So you see, one has to understand very carefully what it means. Once you understand, then it's not difficult to do it. And then one could have a delight. One could cherish that on the path into a full experience, into a completeness. When you actualize that, it will manifest in your life. But we don't seem to understand many of the times. It is not a question in the West. It's a question in the East also. When people take a Bodhisattva path, they think, Oh, now it's going to be very difficult. Now from today, I'm completely dead. I've sacrificed myself for others. Now my problem starts.

[24:32]

I shouldn't have done this. It's too late. The Lama already given me a name also. And you don't want to... So you become trapped in a gap. You didn't know to go to the other side or you don't know to go to the other side. So you become lost. Doesn't know what to do. There's a lack of understanding and lack of experience. So those have to be overcome. Now it's a very... It's a path of openness. Means a path of attaining. Attaining the state of happiness. So it is not something, you know, I can explain to you in a few words. And it's not something we could describe in books. Into certain kind of number one law this and number two law this and number third law this.

[25:35]

You know, it goes... It has infinite language, to put it that way. It has infinite language. Because of different states of being. But it is working on the true state. Wherever there is a bodhisattva, let it be in human dreams or let it be in animals' dreams or let it be in any planets. The basic work of bodhisattva is a direct involvement with the present material of our state of mind. Which means the bodhisattva works with our aggression, desire, jealousy, hatred. This present of ourself and others working fully into the state and how to eliminate and how to become free from the experience of pain and suffering. And for that it requires tremendous prajna, wisdom, the insight.

[26:35]

And that insight is seen inside ourself with the instruction. And our willingness to work with that requires a new face in our life. It's a new dimension in our life to follow up. And for that it's called the path of the spiritual realization. Now, as we know that our life is, our lives are spending every day, is going on every day. And we are constantly working and playing in the framework that our mind, habitual mind has set up. There doesn't seem to be any cutting through insight and how to cut through that.

[27:37]

Even we want to get out of that. There is nobody who wants to live in this dimension of tremendous pain and suffering and uncertainty. But somehow it seems like a tremendous drug is there which does not allow us to awaken this state. This is what we need, the support of awakening, which means we are willing to work for ourselves and for others. And we dedicate ourselves for working for ourselves and for others. Now you are breaking up your limits. Because when you have the strength to work for others, naturally you have to break your limits. Especially when you take the vow to help your enemies and everybody. Many of your concepts, your limitations which you have beautifully set up has to be changed. And now you just cannot remain in that state.

[28:40]

And now something new challenges. And you do not know at this state what that could be coming, what the outcome of the result will be there. But certainly the result will be a very opening stage. You could understand that. It would not be something confining and more and more the way we used to habituate our mind and to keep this mind into that stage. It would not be like that. It would be a tremendous opening on the path. So Bodhisattva action and Bodhisattva path is not confined to one tradition or this tradition. It is a universal language. It is the nature of our mind. So it is very universal. It does not mean that there is only Bodhisattva in the school of Buddhism. Or there is only Bodhisattva in such and such place.

[29:44]

The Bodhisattva can be everywhere. And their actions can be from unexpectedly. Sometimes it can be very gentle and sometimes it can be extremely rough. Because Bodhisattva would not just sit down and try to please you. That is not a Bodhisattva. One would just sit down and would try to please you. Of course it is part of the action of Bodhisattva. But it is not always that ultimate communication. The communication is the Bodhisattva. Bodhisattva who is the Bodhisattva is the enlightened state of mind. And on that enlightened state of levels there are ten stages of enlightened levels. And the ability, the insight the Bodhisattva has, this tend to cut the beings, those who did not understand and those who are not awakened,

[30:44]

how to cut it through. So it could be very different, different. And because the insight is such spacious, it is like the panoramic view of San Francisco city from an airplane. You would just see where is the garden, where is the washroom, everything at the same time. But in an ordinary state one would not have that view of the entire place at one glance. But Bodhisattva can see. It is like seeing by one of those machines where we can see our inside body, what is wrong and what is right, where there is ailment and where there is not. So Bodhisattva is just going to work directly wherever it is. So that is how tremendous power and blessing is there, so that we can work with everybody in that power, in that strength.

[31:46]

And without obtaining that state, without attainment of that state, one would not know how to do. Then try to be like a Bodhisattva. Not a Bodhisattva would be a little dangerous. That would be, I think, quite dangerous, which is happening today. And because there is no cutting through. The main thing is there is no cutting through. It is like entertaining your fear. It is not necessary always to have a presence. The Bodhisattva will not look to the situation which will try to please the other person all the time. Keep on, you know, smiling or try to tell you the best thing. It could be very harsh. Sometimes it could be the total opposite action, what one would think as compassionate. And according to the time, according to the situation,

[32:49]

it could manifest in many different, different states. And they are unlimited from their stage. But since Bodhisattva itself has cut through, eliminated that grasping, the fundamental cause of the suffering is the grasping, so therefore it is like a tremendous big space where everyone can cherish and dance and celebrate in that space. So when Bodhisattva cut through, then naturally there is a space where one celebrates. The delightful nature of the awareness, enlightened mind, is experienced by each time cutting through. And that is a sign of a Bodhisattva. One who can do that, after each moment you experience that openness, that's a sign of a Bodhisattva cutting through. But when there is a tremendous confusion, and a lot of fear develops,

[33:49]

and after sometimes, of course, nothing could be seen immediately, but there are times when immediate action, very powerful, striking action, can make an immediate experience also, there are moments. But usually it will take a long time, it's going to take some time to have a strong experience in our mind, to see that whether we are on a path of cutting through, or whether we are on a path of collecting. That you will experience in time. If you are on the path of cutting through, your practice, your teacher, and your whole process of your mind is cutting through, you will experience more space, more openness, and more delight. And you will not be subjected to a particular idea, or notion of something, this is something great, and this is something bad.

[34:53]

The idea of all duality will dissolve at a state. And more opening and insight qualities, the awareness of the Buddha nature, enlightened state, will manifest. And there is more happiness, more joy in oneself, and also the ability to work with others in helping their problems. And that is the sign that you are on the path of true inner spiritual path. Spiritual path means our very inside, the state of our mind which is free from all fabrications, from all neurosis, from all the, which we are confined at this stage, which we are imprisoned at this stage, from being free, which is the opposite of spiritual nature. Now spiritual nature is absence of this experience. The absence of this fear, the absence of this uncertainty,

[35:58]

the absence of the hesitation. Even hesitation is a big obstacle. Hesitation will come even on the path of spiritual, when a person is about to attain a very strong realization, the very subtle hesitation will come at that stage. And that is where you need the blessing and powers to cut it through. It's like having an axe in your hand, and now the final blow you need to cut through the hesitation. And once that hesitation is cut through, there is explosion, there is suddenly an explosion of joy at the first enlightenment stage of Bodhisattva. It's like a tremendous, it's like the experience of dawn, awake, coming out of that night, darkness, and you are starting to see the flowers, the garden, the light and everything.

[37:03]

And before it's like the state of the hesitation, which is like dark. And hesitation at this stage is pretty much, it's kind of the fear of enlightenment. It's the fear of enlightenment where all your boundaries, the borders of the duality is breaking up. The borders of duality start to break up, and then now you kind of feel that you are lost in a way. Because now the grasping, the true nature manifests, the insight manifests also very strongly. There is not a total loss of your insight. It never is like that. But the profundity of the open is so strong, that even your very little insight before cannot even hold such a strong openness, that insight.

[38:06]

So when that border started to break up, then a fear of enlightenment comes, that a total freedom, when the total freedom comes, you become free from all sides. You become free from in and out and secretly. So the beginning, before fully completing, stepping on that stage, before touching the ground of the first buddhi, one may experience that, am I getting lost or what's happening? Now that is the experience that is not the experience of the insight, it's the experience of the subtle hesitation or obscuration. Subtle hesitation of duality, still the duality is there. So you do not know at that stage what to do. So, anyone who can break through that, will make a stepping success.

[39:08]

One would then, it's like an explosion. If you break through the explosion of tremendous joy, explosion of that insight, at last you'll see it. And if you hesitate, and you step back, then again you are put back into that, again confinement of this present state of mind. Now the question is, how can we break through that? That is very important. How can we break through that? Because certainly you are going to be reaching there. You will be reaching, and probably you are hanging around that stage. You must be just watching around, and kind of being close, and then again try to catch it, and then again you hesitate. And now what do we do? How do we recognize that? And how do we cut through that?

[40:10]

So, for that, the path of all Buddhas, in the past, the meaning of all Buddhas, because there is a state of duality. Duality is the relative. You see, the relative mind. And we, because of true separation, we separate the relative bodhichitta and ultimate bodhichitta. Even the bodhisattva actions are taught in the language of duality, where it says a relative bodhichitta and ultimate bodhichitta. There is no such thing as relative bodhichitta at the final state. At the ultimate state, there is no such thing as two separation. The relative bodhichitta and ultimate bodhichitta is one. But somehow, relative bodhichitta is a stage which we can play,

[41:17]

which we can learn to create situations for reaching the highest state of enlightened mind. We learn to be generous. We learn to be tolerant. We learn to be open. We learn to be all six parameters. Generosity, tolerance, morality, concentration, wisdom, and, yeah, kind of those actions, and mental training, mental training, mental training, so that we can reach the state of ultimate bodhichitta. Mental training is very important, you see, because some people think, well, I do not need mental training. Why do I need? I don't care for mental training.

[42:21]

All I need is a straight drink. I just need suction, just drink my suction, you know. Have the glass of suction, drink it, Mahamudra, drink it, that's it. I don't need. But I think it's important to have a straight drink. If you are not strong, you could die there. You have to make, prepare to have a straight drink, which means if you have never tasted sake before, you start to put some water and then, and slowly, slowly you can gradually go farther and farther, more deeper and deeper. You just have a big bottle of sake and put it straight in your mouth, and it depends. And I can see mostly there is a great possibility of falling down. Great possibility of falling down.

[43:22]

So mental training is extremely important, so therefore, because we need a mental training, our whole life is a journey. It's a journey. The relative bodhichitta is a journey, the training. Every day we train our mind, even we, all our state of patterns, our mind patterns are training. This is called training. What else there is training? We used to think of some people as such and such kind of character, such and such personality, and we would try to regard ourselves into such, orientate ourselves into such situations, and try to go to learn cooking, or try to go to learn, you know, jogging, or things like that. These are all my training. So now the teaching shows the extraordinary insight

[44:23]

that how we can cut through, that is the main thing, the essence of the teaching, how we can cut through this chain. The chain of pain, the chain of uncertainty, the chain of fear, constantly coming from one side to the next, and moving and spinning around all the time, and all different situations, which is so rich in front of you, so rich distraction, so rich display of mind. How do we understand it? And if you think that you can just have a straight drink, and that's all you need, then that means that from that moment on you have no fear. But if you still have uncertainty, and if you still do experience fear, and if you still do have a rejection to certain things, and accepting certain things,

[45:26]

that still means that the straight drink didn't work. That means that it has benefited. Sure, I'm not saying it has not benefited, but sure you still do need some mental training, because you still have certain beliefs. So Bodhisattva path is shown on that basis of reality, the way we go through the relative stage and the ultimate stage. So the practice of Six Paramita is practice relatively that we become kind, we share our feelings, we share our understanding. Even though this is a big play ultimately, there is nothing to entertain a play, there is no reason to support a play, it's just stupid always feeding that play. It's just a waste of time, a waste of energy. But there are moments,

[46:28]

because everyone is living in this language, and being a Bodhisattva one has to be, one has the insight and sensitiveness and understanding how to talk in that language. Like the example I said before about that insight, how it can be seen, how it can be understood, that requires realisation, and that requires the wisdom, insight, to have that situation seen truly, how it can be cut through. So we need to use our energy in a better way. It's important. We need to use our energy in a better way until you have come to the state of full insight of the Bodhisattva stage.

[47:29]

Otherwise we can never attain to that stage. We could constantly living in the stage of paranoid and on so many distractions, all the things, you name it and it has it. The samsara has it. Even more than you can name it. A lot of new things will be invented and will be coming on. So it's an endless chain of experience we will go through. And I think it's very important to use our energy for something for goodness, something for our good and something for everybody's good, and not trying to act that ultimate great being. Because that has to be natural experience. It cannot be a superficial experience. It's important, even in the path of Bodhisattva,

[48:34]

Bodhisattva is not stuck. It's not stuck on eternalism and illicit. Bodhisattva is not stuck in both ways. The Bodhisattva creates the situation, presents the situation, talks in their language and cuts it through. So the cutting through is like the prajna, the wisdom, which is the insight, I would say, the insight. But in ordinary sense there is no cutting through. What happens in our state of mind, we constantly feed that situation, we constantly support the situation and we try to make it very colorful and then we are freezing, actually. Constantly we think that we have contributed to a society, but actually we have contributed to samsara, not to openness. And now we need to, in order to attain the state of insight,

[49:39]

where we can cut through, it's very important to go through the mental training path. So relative Bodhisattva is not taken seriously, but is taken as something important, it's not the ultimate. You do not live in relative as ultimate. You take it as something too important for your health, to be healed, but it's not taken as like the ultimate. If you take relative as the ultimate, then one is trapped. So therefore the six paramita, paramita means across, across the ocean of suffering. The across transcends, it transcends the duality. Bodhisattva is aware of the space around it. Bodhisattva is not simply trying to work with a person and trying to... If a person simply tries to work with a person,

[50:42]

and simply feed each other, that's not a Bodhisattva. That's an ordinary style of making someone, entertaining somebody. It's like a party. But Bodhisattva's communication is not like that. The Bodhisattva, important for the Bodhisattva to manifest as a human being, and talk in their human language, and to... and the whole teaching is based on that language. And what the teaching directs is the essence inside, the essence which we all have. So actually Bodhisattva and teachers, on the path of Buddhism, I can say that it's like a babysitter. It's like someone to take care of the babies, truly.

[51:45]

Has to pretend all this thing all the time. And, you know, so it requires tremendous patience. Now that kind of patience, it may seem like if someone just works without any opening, then it's very hard. One cannot be a Bodhisattva. After two days you will exhaust all your energy, and you're finished dead. But Bodhisattva naturally seeing the space of insight, naturally seeing that the awareness is totally such a space of openness, there is no such notion as trying to be patient. It is part of itself. It's delight. It's like, as I said, it's not a job to be a Bodhisattva. It's just like the open expression itself is all the time that state of communicating and benefiting beings into their language.

[52:50]

And that is the nature of our mind. That's the nature of all of our mind, that we have that quality, we have that extraordinary insight. Such a great nature is the friend of all the nature, all the beings. Shantideva said it's the friend of all the beings. It's the friend to ourselves, friend to others, and not really understanding the stage, we could never understand ourselves, and never understand others. So, very important to practice, practice the great Patrul Rinpoche, the great, all the great Buddhas in the past have gone on this path and attained Realization. And we should, if we are to help ourselves and attain Realization, we should follow that path of Bodhisattva, and then we could attain the stage of Bodhisattva.

[53:54]

Which means we may have to change some patterns. We may have to be less selfish. There is no choice, you have to be less selfish. Because if we are to open ourselves, we cannot be state of claustrophobia. We just cannot let ourselves be filled all the time with our interests, with our grasping, with ourselves. You know, then it's just, you cannot reach that state. All this stuff is there. And now we need how to make this stuff into better use. And if we can make this stuff a better use, then we can heal. So it's important to know how to make this, how to transmute this energy for a better purpose. And then eventually this energy will support in our ultimate stroke of cutting through.

[54:57]

So it's a very important path in the Mahayan tradition, on the path of Realization. And the world practice of Vajrayana, the world practice of Mahamudra, the experience of ultimate Realization of Mahamudra and Dzogchen can be only realized if the person can practice on the path of Bodhisattvayana. And if it's understood, then we can attain that state. Until that, it becomes extremely difficult. You know, how you can become enlightened when you are doing everything for your ego's interest? You think that you want to attain... Your ego does not have the ability, the quality to see, to cut it through. Ego does not have that quality because it's a false experience.

[56:06]

The false experience cannot give us an experience of true nature. Only the experience of insight, the flesh experience of enlightenment, once in a while we have, and through the teaching which we understood, we know that that is what we are. It's not something alien. Bodhisattva path is not something alien. We feel that very deeply inside. We feel that it is really our true nature, but somehow we don't understand why we can't do that. And some feel that they can do it more, and some feel they can do it less, but nevertheless everyone feels that's very how we are, and what we wanted to do. And now why we can't do, simply because we did not train ourselves in that stage. And therefore, all this suffering, we have trained ourselves how to suffer more actually.

[57:07]

It kind of looks funny, but it seems to be like that. We train ourselves how to close up, how to suffer more, how to create all kinds of distractions, instead of cutting through the distractions. So we need to think very carefully how we are conducting, and how we are behaving and relating to ourselves. It requires a tremendous inside investigation. It's very important to investigate our life, how we are going through and what we are doing. Are we still feeding our ego? Does it mean the ego will shred more and more and become like a huge mountain? And then after some time, everything which we will be doing, they would not even have the space of insight to experience.

[58:11]

We will become completely like, no wisdom is left there, no knowledge is there to heal ourselves. And if we are to cut that root of the suffering, then we would have the delightful, the tremendous opening, and the absence of fear. You just cannot even think at this stage what that absence of fear experience would be like. It has no limitation. And it has the natural strength of cutting through to the other beings, helping them, healing them from the root, and healing oneself from inside, directly, until the total state of Buddhahood, where we will finally graduate. Then we can celebrate in the space of Buddhanity. But Bodhisattva do not celebrate on the path of Bodhisattva.

[59:15]

Bodhisattva still is working with one's own subtle phenomena, because Bodhisattva also has a subtle emotion. It's like a state of mind, which is a cup of coffee being poured out, being drank, and a cup of coffee being there. A cup of coffee being there without drinking, is like the state of the samsara, where all the solid material of the neuroses are there. So it's very hard to see that and cut it through. But Bodhisattva state of mind is now, the whole coffee is not there, but yet it smells. Immediately, yet the coffee can smell. You can smell the odor of the coffee. So they have the subtle emotion still left,

[60:16]

which is the path of purification, on the path. But having attained such a subtle state, there is a tremendous space, because the world grows obstruction, the world grows phenomena is totally dissolved. So the subtleness have a tremendous insight. Even at this stage we have certain insight stage, and when that obstruction is gone, then how much deep experience we experience. When we do meditation, when the pit instruction, you see, when your teacher gives you the pit instruction, and you actualize that pit instruction, then you experience how do you feel, how do you experience. So much opening stage. And when again we get back to our old habit,

[61:16]

and we do not have the mindfulness, we do not have the awareness to cut it through, then again we build up again this world. Again we build up the same old pattern, which keeps on recycling all the time. So we need to stop the recycling. We need to, in order to experience a true energy, a true peaceful and a blissful energy, we need to stop the recycling of the ego, and then the world material, what we are seeing, this world energy, becomes the energy of the true joyful, the true happiness. The whole energy at this stage is pretty much crazy. When we do not see that, it becomes very crazy. You know, everything comes after a certain stage.

[62:19]

People even develop a state of mind, because once that ego becomes very, very sensitive, you could have many misunderstandings in communication. That you could project things which is not true, even in a relative sense. You could project things like, if someone has no hate to you, but you think, oh, they hate me. And if someone has no bad feelings for you, you may think that they have a bad feeling to you. And this is too much sensitiveness our ego has built up, and too much, we have cherished our ego so much. We have taken a delight in our grasping mind so much, so therefore the price we pay is that misunderstanding, and fear, and uncertainty we live. So it's very difficult. It's really a very difficult stage, but it's not difficult if we are willing to work,

[63:20]

to cut it through, that the whole energy, the whole confusion, transforms into insight. The whole confusion transforms into insight. Now that's the other side of the Bodhisattva stage. So Bodhisattva stage is not the stage, is not the ground of suffering. What is the suffering ground? It's the grasping ground, not the opening ground. The opening ground has a light, has an insight, and has a tremendous energy. The whole energy which communicates, the energy which expresses, the energy which feels, the energy which we develop, which we create, they all become insight energy, and that insight has joy in nature. But when we, why we do not experience that, because we are constantly forcing ourselves, we are not training ourselves

[64:21]

to cut through that hole. We are not cutting that state. So I see it's so important, how we need to train our mind, and at the same time meditate. Train our mind in our lives. One should not escape from the life. The Bodhisattva does not escape from the life. The Bodhisattva, when you take a vow of Bodhisattva, you have dedicated yourself to work with the people, to work with the beings. And now what, how you can be, how you can achieve the state of Bodhisattva for beginners, who have followed the path of Bodhisattva, by the presence of the awareness, that constantly insight, you have the, you hold the insight that you are willing, and you see the qualities and reason to change yourself.

[65:21]

And you are working on that path, that you dedicate yourself, even it hurts your ego, even your ego does not like once in a while, but you step over your ego, you crush your ego underneath the feet. It's called the crushing of the ego style. Important for a meditator, crushing the strategies of the grasping illusion. Because if you pay so much concern to illusion, it will tell you everything. And then, you know, after some time, you would not even know how to move also. So much claustrophobic, so much short-sighted we become. So this, in meditation and Bodhisattva, is constantly crushing, constantly crushing the ego strategies, constantly crushing whatever it comes, which is going to feed that confusion. So you go, step over it, and crush it, you know, so satisfactorily.

[66:23]

Then you open one space. Then the space will open. But if you hesitate, the hesitation will be coming. At the beginning stage, one would try to hesitate even crushing that state. Or should I? Or shouldn't I? Or maybe not this time, next time. But as long as the awareness is there, you may not do it one time, or you may not do it second time, but third time, you are definite to crush it. And for that, one needs the awareness on the path, how one is willing to work, and one is humble in working. Bodhisattva has no pride inside. Bodhisattva sees oneself as a friend. Bodhisattva himself is as a friend, or herself is as a friend to oneself, and sees others as a friend too. Because Bodhisattva sees the main communication lies in a total communication.

[67:27]

The communication cannot be developed in a distance. So on Vajrayana path and Mahayana path, a teacher is a teacher and a friend also, where it has to be a total space of purity communication, where the student has to be intimate to the teacher, as a friend, as we become intimate to our friend, we tell everything to our friend. Similarly, teacher should be also related from that point of view, otherwise you can never understand teaching. If you are to hide something from yourself, and then you will be living in your fantasy all the time, you will never get the mutual work, the mutual transformation will never take place. So it requires complete communication, where you explain where is the ailment, whether in your heart, whether in your lungs,

[68:29]

and the teacher as a doctor and as a friend will tell you what kind of food to eat, and how to take proper exercise and proper care, and then when both things come together, and then we cut through that. And of course the teacher as a Bodhisattva will give you the medicine of cutting through. And that's very important. And then our friends, our human society, our community, is become a friend to ourselves, because there is nothing a Bodhisattva will hate, because Bodhisattva sees that if the other person gets angry or something wrong, it's not the fault of the other person. Because that condition, that mind which has been used from lifetimes to lifetimes, continuation, recycle of that process, of such a negative attitude and negative motivation,

[69:30]

is not something one likes to experience, but one has no choice because one is trapped inside, frozen there. So a person will get an anger reaction to somebody who is both frozen, but the unfrozen state would never get angry. It would be a cutting through at that stage. So the unfrozen state is like the sky, and the frozen state is like the wall over there. On a wall when you throw something, it will definitely make a stain, but in a space it would not make any stain. So that is what is called spiritual friend. Spiritual friend needs so much opening. Spiritual friend is like the pure sky. But of course it's hard to find the most pure spiritual friend. We have to understand. Understanding is so important.

[70:33]

When you understand, you understand yourself, means you understand entirely yourself. You understand your mind, you understand your feeling. As much as the feeling you have for yourself, the feeling is for the others also. And the special insight that the other person is not really getting angry by its own choice, because here the other person believes that if they express that anger, or have no control in expressing that anger, then we think that one is doing it for a good reason. But one does not see that that will create more friction, more resentment, and more pain in the others, and on the long term it will reflect back to ourselves. But a bodhisattva can see that. So when a bodhisattva sees that, bodhisattva becomes like the mirror. So when the other person shouts, the bodhisattva is like the space,

[71:33]

and the other person is able to see one's self, and then one cuts through that. And that's how you need, we have the responsibility to ourselves and to others. This is how much we have to insightly think carefully. So we need a lot of understanding and training, and cutting through practice. If you're going to react just the same as the other person, never the fight will end in this world. Then always there will be a reaction, and there will be a fight. So one has to be space. And if you become space, the other person can also relate to you, to you much better. Then they will understand that they can see themselves. You see, like you become like the mirror. They can see that, well, I've been doing such thing, and it's not really the good thing. I don't feel good about it. And the other person has shown so much space.

[72:37]

And not as superficially, but insightly felt that you cannot, you cannot fool around yourself and fool others. And that compassion, that insight, is so strongly in the bodhisattva stage. Not fooling around. But also the person who reacts does not think that they are fooling around, but simply the insight is totally lost there. One cannot see that it is fooling around. So it's such a, that's called, that's why it's called obscured. That's why it's called obscuration, and free from obscuration. If there's a bodhisattva who's a mirror, who's really that, and the other person is being very belligerent, attacking, doesn't the belligerent person,

[73:39]

the war-like person, need some sense of insight himself or herself to look in the mirror and to see that reflection? Because for a long time, insight is there, you see. There is the insight. Insight is fundamentally the enlightened nature, is the insight. The quality is there. But the circumstance is not produced to see that. So bodhisattva is the circumstance all the time. The circumstance to see oneself. The whole action of bodhisattva is the circumstance to see oneself. So when you stand in front of the mirror, you naturally see it. To seeing is the circumstance, is the mirror. So mirror creates the circumstance to see yourself all the time. Similarly, the person who is very belligerent, whatever you say, you know, the bodhisattva becomes like the mirror to see itself. But sometimes this other person,

[74:41]

this very confused, war-like person, is so obscured that when they look in the mirror they see their own projection. I mean, they don't see what's really there. They don't see themselves clearly. Yes, that's something, you know, that's why bodhisattva has a natural strength of patience. Has to talk in a lot of different ways. I think there's a dangerous situation. The war-like person is really ready to attack. The bodhisattva is not fighting back, not reacting. Yes. Being clear. What happens? It's not the end, you see. It's not the end. Because the strength of the bodhisattva, bodhisattva takes birth to liberate one being, even for one million lifetimes.

[75:44]

They have to come to their very place where that being is in every planet on this universe. They were born there, the connection is there. So it says that it's better to create an enemy to a bodhisattva than creating a friend to an ordinary. Because you make that connection and the bodhisattva will, the bond you create, the energy of communication, the meetings you create, it's like a bond. It has a reaction. So constantly bodhisattva has the patience to go through every different suffering, you know, for others. For every different suffering, they have to work and to take birth and the whole thing they have, and as I said, it's the natural ability and tremendous compassion of the nature of seeing oneself and there is no such, even someone kills you,

[76:45]

you really do not feel bad. Because you're not dead. It's a physical change. That much tolerance, put it in a relative word, that much patience bodhisattva has. So bodhisattvas, many times they give their hands they give their eyes, those who don't have. They give their organs, different parts of their organs. They take sickness of other people. They have the power, the strength, the mind has the strength to take the sickness of other people. And many things they can take it, even they go through that experience, they do not mind, because seeing the prajna nature, seeing that awareness of the wisdom, and they can hold it. But not seeing that inside one cannot hold. One cannot hold the pain at all without the inside. So of course bodhisattvas are tortured by ordinary beings.

[77:50]

It's true in a relative sense. There are many different phases in the history if you look and many things have happened to them, but yet they have, it's like a, it's an unconditioned love, you see. That's the love of a bodhisattva. And the unconditioned love arises, the natural state of the awakened state has an unconditioned love. There's a tremendous insight, a tremendous clarity, the whole energy is an unconditioned love pervading all the time. So no matter what crazy you jump on the head of a bodhisattva, you do everything, you know. He's just like the mother, who has no choice than taking everything from the child. So mother's kindness, as representing all the time in the teaching, shows that how much love, unconditioned love they have given.

[78:53]

Of course, bodhisattva love is even far more profound than mother's love. Mother's love because one is born out of that mother, but the mother does not love everybody. A mother would love only a father and a mother would love only their children, but would not love every other being. The bodhisattva loves everything, whether it's human or whether it's an animal, whether it's a creature, as long as we respect the environment, it's a state of dignity, respect and a clear insight realization. Excuse me. So it's a very, it's a attainment of bodhisattvahood and a path of bodhisattvahood for beginners is different. When you are beginners, of course, there's so much limitation. You cannot even think that,

[79:54]

okay, if a bad person confronts a bodhisattva, how the bodhisattva would react? It's better for a bodhisattva to get a weapon and shoot him and kill him. No, it would not be like that. You know, bodhisattva, there's a place in Nepal called Namo Buddha, where bodhisattva has given his body to the tigress and her children. They have no food to eat, so bodhisattva gave his body. And in Chittesh, those are the practice of six paramita. Within the generosity, wealth, we give our wealth, food and clothes, whatever we can. And the highest generosity is healing the mind of somebody. It's the greatest generosity. Nothing is greater than cutting through that stage. Total cutting through that, in any means. And bodhisattva is not going to warn you that I'm coming.

[80:58]

It could be a very unexpected situation. Sometimes gentle and sometimes totally shocking state. And it really does not have any specific structure because the inside love will talk to your language. That's important. That's the bodhisattva ability. No one can talk to their language ability. Only a bodhisattva can talk to the ability language of their being. And cutting through. Because it's not a feeling entertainment state. It's a cutting through state of space. The whole space is a cutting through stage. And that's how our nature is. That's how our enlightened mind is. This is how an enlightened mind is. Relatively, all the expression, all the energy which we have at this stage, so much display of these situations,

[82:01]

become the source of inspiration of healing and love and opening and benefiting beings. And tremendous joy in oneself. In oneself seeing that total dissolving absence of fear and absence of duality. And for others, the benefit of healing them and the insight and that far-reaching wisdom which will lead many lifetimes. They can see that certain people will get enlightened after 100 lives. And they can even see that what circumstance should be presented to them. Should a peaceful circumstance be presented to them? Or a wrathful situation should be presented to them? If it's a wrathful presentation, important, even they may do something strange at this stage. But they can see the effect of that in the next 20 years. And after the next 20 years, the situation they will get involved will lead to something faster point.

[83:02]

Like Manjushree, the Manjushree one time gave teaching to, I guess, 500 Arahants. He gave teaching on the total open state of emptiness. And 500 Arahants got so scared and they died. And then Buddha, Shariputra asked Buddha, why Manjushree did that? And then Manjushree, Buddha said, because those 500 Arahants, I think they are not Arahants, they are Hinayana followers. Those 500 Hinayana followers, if they just get stuck to their belief of that limited enlightenment, they would get stuck for millions of years. And by Manjushree giving them a teaching

[84:08]

on such a powerful state, and having the connection, and creating the doubt in their mind that it may be right, when the doubt comes, you lose your standpoint. You think it could be right, and it could be wrong. That's how a doubt can create. The power of the doubt can create it could be right and it could be wrong. But it also opens the possibility, the karma, the possibility of it could be right. And that is also a strong inspiration at that stage. And so, all these 500 went to the lowest realm for a while. Because of the immediate reaction, they were so scared, and they thought that was not a true teaching. Because their mind simply wasn't open as was Manjushree. But then they knew that it's not going to take them long to come back being a human being again,

[85:08]

because of the tremendous positive karma in before. And Manjushree saw that after coming as a human being, they're all going to follow the path of Mahayana. And that total realization is going to attain from the path of Bodhisattva here. That kind of foresight they have. So, there is no Bodhisattva without the foresight. Bodhisattva has the foresight. So, of course it's a tremendous patience, generosity, and all this teaching, which we hear in the human language, do have this limitation. It does have this great limitation. When we hear generosity, we just think that, oh, you have to give everything your possession. And when we think morality, we think, oh, one is to become a monk, or nun, or renunciate. But that does not mean it. That is a relative way of renunciating.

[86:11]

But actually, what is morality means? A stainless purity of your mind is called the pure morality. When the mind is totally absent from the stains of duality, that is the ultimate morality. There is no other morality than that. And if we can be in the presence of the state, every moment to moment, we are perfectly in the state of morality. But to play, to show a morality, we can become nuns, we can become monks, we can try to be very pure, we can be very puritanical. So they are saying that when someone takes certain vows, there is a danger of being puritanical. So don't be puritanical. Just be it. Just be it. That's important. But then again, after some time, we go back to spiritual materialism. That we tie to the spiritual materialism is we think that,

[87:12]

oh, this is something. I'm great. And I have that, wow, I'm special. And who are you? And this kind of border, the boundary experiences, comes to a dualistic mind. That shows the state of mind is not enlightened. That shows the state of mind is still existing in a realm of struggling, rejection, and then acceptance. The mind is not stainless. There are stains over there. It's not a stainless realization. It's not the total morality. One may think it's morality, and if one sees a realized hidden yogi, or yogini there, who has that presence of the state, all the time, and there's someone very specifically dressed in a particular wow style, and in a very flashy manner, oh, who are you? And that kind of limitations

[88:15]

are a great deal in our world. Great deal. Mostly we judge from external look. We do not know to see what is the inside. That is the biggest limitation in the state of the mind. So it's important not to judge how we look, and it's important when you take a bow, when you commit yourself to doing something, just simply do it. You do not have to feed your ego. There is a spiritual pride, the spiritual pride that we cherish, we have a delightful, but that pride is not the ego's pride. There's the delightful energy of that mind itself. There's a delightful experience of itself. There's a difference. It may look very similar, but there's a big difference to that. One is the natural state of mind, which is experiencing tremendous insight and cutting through, and you take delight in that. And then the other side is like

[89:18]

the spiritual materialism, where you think you have certain vows, and now you're very special, and others are not. The others are also on the path. Everyone is on the journey. As long as we have not fully attained Buddhahood, it is not the graduation state. So everyone is a student. Everyone is on the path of journey. So everyone is a friend. And each one should be honest, and each one should be helping each other, because each one has a lot of works to be cared upon, healing all five poisons inside. But if we have none of those, then it would be very different. But as long as it is there, the idea of friendship is there. And Bodhisattva friendship is even far more deeper, because it's unconditional friendship. And it is even much more closer

[90:21]

than the friendship you have in an ordinary state. The ordinary state friendship is not a total friendship. It's a friendship of certain language, certain karmas, certain chemicals, what you talk in the West, certain chemicals. Chemistry. Chemistry, sorry. Chemistry. Certain chemistry seems relating to your chemistry. And that's ordinary style of friendship. And it has condition, and those chemistry cannot last forever, it can change. And when they change, you lose your friendship. You don't have a friendship then. That's the ordinary style. And it has great deal of limitation. Already there is a big distance. So there is no total enjoyment, there is no celebration over there,

[91:21]

because no matter how much we try to think we are close, we are very distant. And for that one has to repeat so many times. You know, we feel that automatically. These are the old relative mind, how you express this, you know. All the time one goes through this experience. So if someone loves somebody, one has to say hundred times, I love you, I love you. Just to make sure that the distance, you think the distance will become closer and closer, until it totally merge into one big explosion, you know. But it doesn't happen like that. And then after sometimes, when the chemistry changes, then even you would not be talking to each other, you know, or just hitting the total opposite way. So the whole, the question of our true joy and happiness is a very big question. We have, you know, we really seem to be abusing ourselves and not putting really into the root of the matter

[92:25]

what is really taking place. And that is why Dharma is so important. It is showing our inner qualities and to actualize that inner qualities, we have to have mind training and meditation so we can open ourselves and then we can really see, experience something which we have never experienced before. So the first stage attainment of Bodhisattva is called the explosion of joy, the explosion of insight, which you have never seen before. That makes you feel like making, you know, it's like making love to the whole world at one time. So much connection. It's like a complete inseparable state, inseparable state of communication. At the same time, it will be very cutting through. Cutting through is a natural quality of Bodhisattva. If you are with a Bodhisattva, you cannot expect a Bodhisattva not to cut you. It will cut you in every way. In the most, it does not have to be in a spiritual style

[93:26]

because the whole nature is insight, purity. So it will be cutting through in many different aspects. Sometimes it could make you feel, see yourself in certain stage which your conditioned mind will say is not really nice to you but that's the way. Really, it's a tremendous strength. It would not look how you feel in certain ways. The Bodhisattva would not wait for you how you feel. It's just what is needed to you will be given and would not try to wait for you whether you are pleased or whether you are not pleased because you will experience that by yourself after some time what is the path opening. And in all...

[94:13]

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