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 A F A C I L I T A T O R ’ S G U I D E T O When the Iron Bird F lies chronicles the unlikely advent of Tibetan Buddhism into America and its capacity to influence and offer effective m ethods for dealing with life's challenges, whatever the background. This is an important documentary that emphasizes Buddhism's ability to adapt to cultural environment while maintaining its basic integrity. Tibetan Buddhism has now expanded into so many countries and wherever it lands, it remains relevant, applying itself as a potent m edicine to the condition of suffering which as a human family we all experience. ~Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo Facilitator’s Guide written by: Helen Berliner, M.A. in Buddhist Studies, meditation instructor since 1975, and author of Enlightened by Design, she is currently a senior teacher a t the Mindrolling Lotus Garden retreat center in S tanley, VA. With additional m aterial by: Gavin Kilty lived fourteen years in Dharamsala, India a nd studied at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics. He works full time as a Tibetan translator and language teacher. He currently coordinates the social n etwork of ‘Old Dharamsala Wallahs,’ a group for Westerners who lived in Dharamsala in the s eventies a nd eighties. © Copyright 2013 Chariot Productions & Pundarika Foundation 2
WHEN THE IRON BIRD FLIES STUDY GUIDE Table of Contents I.
What the Buddha Taught [Four Noble Truths] .......................................page 3 II.
How Buddhism Came to Tibet................................................................page 5 III.
The Three Yanas ....................................................................................page 7 IV.
The History of Buddhism in the West, Essay by Gavin Kilty ....................page 9 V.
Four Reminders ...................................................................................page 12 VI.
Topics for Contemplation & Discussion ................................................page 14 VII.
Simple Instruction for Sitting Meditation .............................................page 18 VIII.
Glossary of Tibetan Buddhist Terms .....................................................page 19 IX.
Teachers Appearing in the Film ............................................................page 24 X.
International Sangha Websites and Resources.....................................page 25 XI.
Bibliography.........................................................................................page 28 XII.
Audio/Visual Resources & Dharma Archives ........................................page 30 XIII.
Transcript of the Film ...........................................................................page 31 3
I. WHAT THE BUDDHA TAUGHT [FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS] The Buddha was not a “Buddhist.” He was born into a royal family in India some 2,500 years ago and named Prince Siddhartha. After his first encounters with birth, old age, sickness and death, he became dissatisfied with palace life and set out to find an answer to the question of suffering. He sought spiritual teachers and took up various contemplative practices; on the shores of the Nairanjana River he practiced various forms of asceticism. Not satisfied with the results, he finally sat down under a tree—
now known as the Bodhi Tree—in Bodh Gaya, until the answer dawned. It was then that he became free from suffering; and it was then that he became known as the Buddha, or “Awakened One.” Enlightenment has to start somewhere; it starts with the natural tendency to move toward happiness and away from suffering. ~ Dungse Jampal Norbu Having attained enlightenment, or liberation from suffering, the Buddha sought a way to communicate this experience to others. He realized that this was best done in terms of one’s own experience. He understood that fundamentally all sentient beings desire happiness and freedom from suffering. Yet without exception, all human beings experience four basic challenges: birth, old age, sickness, and death. Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, sickness is suffering, death is suffering, association with unpleasantness is suffering; dissociation from what is pleasant is suffering; getting what you don’t want and not getting what you do want is suffering. In brief, the five aggregates subject to grasping are suffering. ~ The Buddha Faced with these basic facts of life, the Buddha first taught Four Noble Truths: 1. Suffering: All human beings experience suffering—not just obvious or extreme suffering, but a subtle quality of discontentment in every moment. Rich or poor, young or old, in sickness or good health—this is something we all share. 2.
The Cause of Suffering: The Buddha realized that the cause of suffering is habitual grasping and fixation based on a notion of a solid self. Continuing to live our lives in these habitual ways creates a cycle of suffering known as samsara. Samsara means “to spin”; it is the perpetual spinning of suffering depicted in the Tibetan Wheel of Life. 3.
The Cessation of Suffering: Understanding its cause, we see that suffering ends when we let go of attachment to ego and its habitual tendencies. 4.
The Path: The actual path, or “way,” to liberate oneself and others from suffering takes the form of various methods used to train the body, speech, and mind out of selfishness, the root cause of suffering. In this way, we naturally go beyond “my suffering” to the liberation of others as well. The Four Noble Truths are the foundation of a genuine understanding of the Dharma and Buddhist path of practice. 4
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II.
HOW BUDDHISM CAME TO TIBET The Buddha’s teachings, known as “Buddhadharma,” have never been limited by cultural or geographic boundaries, evidenced by today’s study and practice of Buddhism in the West. To the extent that thoughts go on occurring to beings, There is no limit to the yanas or approaches of Dharma. ~Lankavatara Sutra From its beginnings in India, Buddhadharma (the teachings of the Buddha) spread throughout Asia. At the same time it suffered a decline in India. This process was capped by the 12th and 13th century Muslim invasions of India, which eradicated Buddhist centers of learning and practice, particularly in northern India. Meanwhile, however, the teachings had traveled to Southeast Asia; to the North through the daunting Himalayas; and to the far-­‐eastern lands of China, Korea, and Japan. Along the way they entered Tibet, the Land of Snows. Three great kings shaped Buddhism in Tibet: Songtsen Gampo (c. 617-­‐698), Trisong Detsen (c. 790-­‐844), and the 9th century king, Tri Ralpachen. From a visionary perspective, these three kings were seen to be emanations of three aspects of the Buddha, namely Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri, and Vajrapani; and their efforts to establish Buddhadharma in Tibet were viewed as the Buddha’s enlightened activity. Thus they were known as the three great “Dharma Kings.” Songtsen Gampo, the 33rd king of Tibet, along with his two Buddhist wives, the Nepalese princess Bhrikuti and the Chinese princess Wencheng—built the earliest temples and brought the first representations of the Buddha to Tibet. Songtsen Gampo mandated the creation of the first Tibetan alphabet and the translation of many teachings from Sanskrit into Tibetan. It was during his reign that the Buddha’s “Ten Virtuous Actions” became a kind of constitution, or ethical guide, for the people of Tibet. The second great king was Trisong Detsen, the 38th king of Tibet. Said to be an emanation of Manjushri, he invited great Buddhist scholars and translators, such as Vimalamitra, to the Land of Snows. The monk Shantarakshita, Abbot of Nalanda University, was invited to establish the first monastery there. And when Shantarakshita, the “Protector of Peace,” met with insurmountable obstacles while constructing the monastery Samyé, he in turn asked the king to invite the Indian tantric yogi Padmasambhava to Tibet, to subdue obstructing local spirits and to securely plant the Buddhadharma there. So in the 8th century—over 1,000 years after the death, or paranirvana, of the Buddha—
Padmasambhava brought the Buddha’s teachings from India into the vast and 6
challenging land of Tibet. Known in Tibet as Guru Rinpoche, Padmasambhava, the “lotus born,” famously tamed the local spirits and won the minds and hearts of the people through his teachings and manifestations of realization. King Trisong Detsen and his wife, Yeshe Tsogyal, became foremost disciples of Padmasambhava. The third great Buddhist king, Tri Ralpachen, was a grandson of King Trisong Detsen. Said to be an emanation of Vajrapani, he ruled Tibet from 815 to 838, when forces threatened by the spread of the Dharma assassinated him. He is known for having built one thousand temples, and for inviting many Buddhist scholars and translators to Tibet. However his reign also ushered in a period of persecution of Buddhist teachings. With the assassination of Tri Ralpachen, the study and practice of Buddhism in Tibet fell into disarray—but in the 10th century renewal came. Due to the efforts of teachers, practitioners, scholars, translators, three major (the Kagyu, Gelug and Sakya) and many minor schools of Tibetan Buddhism evolved in addition to the original Ancient, or Nyingma, school. 7
III. THE THREE YANAS The flowering of spiritual realization in Tibetan Buddhism was, from earliest times until present, a three-­‐stage process of training the mind. The first stage is based upon the foundation teachings on the Four Noble Truths, which enable one to liberate oneself from suffering by understanding its cause and cessation. Even a driven, dissatisfied, and/or unhappy mind has the potential to attain freedom from suffering and realize its full potential—namely enlightenment. The second stage recognizes, through study and the practice of meditation, the basic empty nature of everything: oneself and others—and emptiness, itself. Emptiness is not a void. As is said in the Heart Sutra: Form is emptiness, emptiness itself is form. This deconstruction of the delusion of a solid “self” gives rise to compassion and the aspiration to help others; and from that, the Bodhisattva Path. The third stage realizes emptiness and energy as an expression of wisdom and compassion, which is embodied in a physical teacher. Seeing this gives rise to devotion and the determination to realize one’s own basic potential—thus leading to the fruition of the Buddhist path. We could say that taming is related to the Hinayana path of practice; transformation is related to the Mahayana path; and transcendence is related to the Vajrayana path. All three lead to training the mind. ~Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche These three stages—and their diverse teachings and skillful means—came to be known in Tibetan Buddhism as the three yanas: the Hinayana, or “narrow path”; the Mahayana, or “greater vehicle”; and the Vajrayana, or “indestructible vehicle,” also known as Tantra. At heart, however, their sole purpose is the attainment of a state of simplicity, clarity, and kindness through taming and training the mind. From the 10th to the 20th century, the three-­‐yana studies and practices were variously taught in all the major lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. And there came from these lineages countless realized beings and the flourishing of Buddhadharma in Tibet. This abundance of spiritual riches arose from ground that was tamed, seeded, and stewarded by Padmasambhava. Then, after more than fifty-­‐five years in Tibet, Padmasambhava took his leave—leaving behind pith instructions and teachings for his sorrowful disciples, so they could find their own way to ultimate realization. Upon departing he said: 8
The love of Padmasambhava has no rising or setting [but will always be there]. My compassion for Tibet will never be severed [even after I have departed]. For my children who pray to me, I am always in front of them. For people who have faith, there is no separation from me. It was the great spiritual master Padmasambhava who also prophesized that the Tibetan people and their religion would come to the West– When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the face of the earth. ~ Guru Padmasambhava of Tibet, 8th Century [References for this section: History of the Dharma, by Dudjom Rinpoche; Words of My Perfect Teacher, by Patrul Rinpoche; A Concise History of Buddhism, by Andrew Skilton; and Masters o f Meditation and Miracles by Tulku Thondup.] IV. 9
WHEN EAST CAME WEST: Thoughts on the Transmission of Tibetan Buddhism to the Western World ~Essay by Gavin Kilty The counter-­‐culture decade of the 60s was experienced differently around the world. For many of us in the western world it was a magical time of vision, of inner and outer exploration, of seeking new spiritual paths, and of breaking free of what we perceived to be the stifling establishment of our parents’ generation. In faraway China, revolution was also in the air but it was carried out very differently. “Peace and Love” did not really play a part in China’s counter-­‐cultural attitudes. Neighboring Tibet fell victim to the aggression of the Chinese “people’s revolution” when in 1959 it invaded that country. Subsequently, during the years of the so-­‐called Cultural Revolution, a peaceful and happy nation, that had bothered nobody for centuries, was battered and brought to the point of extinction—all in the name of equality. Thousands of Tibetans fled their beloved homeland to seek refuge in neighboring India. At the same time, the cultural revolution that was happening in the minds of many young people in the West led them to seek out spiritual paths in far off India. Thousands took the hippie trail to the East. Many traveled by the famous “magic bus” that wound its way from Istanbul to Delhi. In their explorations of the Indian subcontinent, they inevitably came across the Tibetan refugees who were desperately trying to set up new institutions, such as a government, monasteries, and settlements. For many westerners there was an immediate attraction to the Tibetans and their Buddhist way of life. Those who were refugees from a capitalistic West saw hope and salvation in the Tibetans who themselves were refugees from a communist China. The Tibetans, to their eternal credit, willingly imparted their Buddhist knowledge and experience to these young seekers from the West This meeting of the two cultures—one a seeker of the spiritual, the other a seeker of material safety—was a seminal and highly fortuitous coming together that would initiate one of the most important transmissions of a spiritual tradition in the 20th century—that of Tibetan Buddhism to the West. It was fitting and auspicious that this transmission should begin in India. This ancient country had been home to the Buddha and many other great spiritual leaders. Moreover, centuries earlier a similar meeting and transmission had taken place. At that time the Tibetans were the seekers. They had traveled to India to search for gurus and masters who could impart to them the great texts of Buddhism. Many of these Tibetans were translators, who names are revered even now in Tibetan society. They brought these precious teachings back to Tibet where they were disseminated to a willing audience. The rest is history. Buddhism spread throughout Tibet. After a while it took on a particularly Tibetan flavor, although the essential ingredients that traveled from India and Nepal were never lost. There are many parallels in these two transmissions. Both involved the efforts of pioneers who translated Tibetan texts, brought them back to their countries, set up 10
institutions, monasteries, and worked to settle the teachings in their new home. However, eighth century Tibet was a very different time. The ancient Tibetan kings took an active interest in establishing Buddhism in Tibet, and with their absolute power there was much they could do. Royal patronage helped set up institutions, and decrees were issued ordering the standardization of translation terminology. Although there existed a prevailing non-­‐Buddhist religion known as Bon, the decision from on high that Buddhism was to be the new state religion meant that its resistance was short-­‐lived, but not without its influence. In the modern western world authoritarianism in the form of those on high telling us what religion to practice, how to practice it, what is and what is not its pure form, and so on, is discouraged. Generally, we allow individuals the freedom to decide for themselves—an important feature of democracy. Moreover, there is an individualistic streak in the western mind that encourages independence of thought. Deference is regarded with suspicion. So how will Tibetan Buddhism fare in the modern world? Despite the general liberal, and even libertine, attitudes in the West, the form that Tibetan Buddhism is taking in the West is to a large extent still determined by the parameters of the particular Tibetan tradition in which it originated, and by those Tibetan teachers who have made the journey to the West in order to disseminate the teachings. There is still something very Tibetan about Tibetan Buddhism. This ensures that the tradition remains unchanged while it finds its feet in its new home. Therefore, although we do not have the same authority-­‐led culture as in eighth century Tibet, it seems that for the most part that authority is being exercised by the Tibetan teachers in the West, and by Dharma Centres who mould themselves in a Tibetan image. Nevertheless, there have been some suggestions that now, some forty years after the initial transmission began, we should be searching for ways to develop our own “Western Buddhism.” Such suggestions have even been made by Tibetan teachers themselves. There is some wisdom in that suggestion. Buddhism, especially Tibetan Buddhism, is very popular in the West these days. It has more and more exposure and consequently more people want to find out about it. These people were not part of that great hippie trail in the 60s and many have never been to India. They are not familiar with the rituals, traditions, prayers recited in Tibetan, prostrations, elaborate offering ceremonies, and so on, found in traditional Tibetan Buddhism. These external aspects may have the effect of turning people away from Buddhism, thereby preventing them reaching the inner essence of Buddhism, which is the Four Truths, the training of the mind, the development of love and compassion and so on. The outer aspect of Tibetan Buddhism is immediately apparent, but it is the inner aspect that is the most important. However it takes a lot of confidence and not a small amount of insight to start to make changes to a solid tradition that has been built up over a thousand years or so, and which is backed by the wisdom of many a great Buddhist practitioner. First it has to be decided which traditions have been culturally acquired and can be put aside, and which are essential or at least beneficial to practice. Could some be replaced with western 11
equivalents? If, for example, the prayers were recited in Western languages, would something be lost? Some say the prayers, especially those composed by Tibetan masters, chanted over the centuries carry special blessings, and that to recite them in Tibetan brings greater benefit. Others say that to recite in a language you don’t understand is meaningless. Some people say that the form of Buddhism in Tibet, and even in ancient India, particularly suited the eastern mind, but now it should be adapted to suit the western mind, by opening its doors to western psychology. Others say that the problems that affected the ancient East are essentially no different to those of the modern West, and that the methods for dealing with them do not need to be changed. Some say we are westerners and that any spiritual path we follow should be in keeping with western values and attitudes. Others say that our western values have failed us and we need the wisdom of the East to help us out. There is also a view is that there should be no deliberate attempt to “modernize” Tibetan Buddhism. They point out that attempting to shape Buddhism to fit in with western values is to run the risk of watering it down by editing out the unpalatable parts, and that Buddhism will become subsumed into the New Age culture, or simply adopted as the latest fashionable spiritual path, becoming just another consumer product in the spiritual marketplace. Lamas are given glossy write-­‐ups when advertising their latest course or retreat, teachings become expensive and out of reach of those who are financially strapped, tantra is promoted as a quick path to mystical experience, Tibetan Buddhism spawns its own range of designer products such as meditation cushions, rosaries, and so on. Personally, I think that Tibetan Buddhism in the West will find itself, at least for the immediate future, held by tradition-­‐based conservatism as well as straying to an over-­‐
liberalization. That seems inevitable. However, Buddhism is a flexible religion that allows for a certain amount of shape shifting. It lends itself to be molded and adapted to suit the needs of its followers. I think this can be seen even now in the countries in which it has taken hold. People are of types: Some value the power of the intellect, and make full use of it to make choices and to resolve doubts. Others value the power of experience over other forms of knowledge. Others believe strongly in the power of ritual. There are those for whom devotion is the key. Tibetan Buddhism accommodates all these types, and it has the flexibility to appear to them in an appropriate form. Therefore, I think that the responsibility of those who were part of that great transmission of Buddhism from Tibet to the West, and also of those who came to it in their own countries, is not to overly intervene or to overprotect but to keenly watch over its development and growth, and not sit back when rampant abuse or contamination of the doctrine occurs, or when the efforts and accumulated wisdom of centuries of Indian and Tibetan masters are perverted for materialistic and selfish ends. I believe that such self-­‐regulation coupled with the flexibility of Buddhism will ensure its survival, even in this unregulated, anything-­‐goes western world of ours. ~ Gavin Kilty, Lama Tsongkhapa Institute, Pomaia, Italy, 2012
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V. THE FOUR REMINDERS Reflecting on the preciousness of human existence and the strength of impermanence, all else become insignificant…. In the mini-­‐
second before crashing your car, which worries would you hold? Then you see that all those hopes and fears were not necessary. You see the insignificance of things. Contemplating impermanence and karma, in the face of things being so fragile, how can we not be aware of the importance of not misusing this life? ~Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche [The following teachings on the Four Reminders are excerpted from This Precious Life by Her Eminence Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche.] There are four thoughts that, when contemplated carefully, are said to transform the mind. They are sometimes called the Four Reminders because they remind us of the basic facts of life. In this way they help us to set priorities, and they act as “antidotes” when these priorities are forgotten. This is how the four thoughts bring about change: 1. Contemplating the Preciousness of Human Existence—brings an appreciation of our human body, mind, and potential. With exertion, we can actually create the cause of genuine happiness and benefit for others. 2. Contemplating Impermanence—brings a sense of urgency about not wasting that potential and of exerting more effort. 3. Contemplating the Suffering of Samsaric Existence—enables us to not conceptualize selflessness and exertion. Whether we read about it or actually experience it, the pain of sentient beings should turn our minds toward exertion and effort. Contemplating both impermanence and suffering brings a strong motivation to create the fundamental ground of good karma. With a ground of good, positive actions, we can attain happiness and the cause of happiness for others and ourselves. 4. Contemplating Karma—develops awareness and helps us to understand the intricacies of a mind that continually slips back into habitual patterns. We may aspire to selflessness and freedom from habitual conceptualizing, but just talking about them is not enough if we lack the awareness to put these things into practice. Contemplating karma, we realize the need for the support of constant mindfulness and awareness. We also understand the importance of aspiring to compassion and freedom from suffering for all sentient beings. It is not just about saving ourselves or escaping from samsara. It’s about the exertion we put into bringing all of our human endowments to fruition in order to be of benefit in the world. 13
These teachings are not meant to lead to paralyzing fear or a solidification of samsaric suffering. Instead, they enable us to create positive circumstances from adverse circumstances. Because our effort is experiential and non-­‐conceptual, we can put that effort into the right path, the path of genuine compassion. Compassion arises for all sentient beings who, through a single moment of ignorance, are stuck in painful situations that they don’t want but continue to create. These contemplations don’t need to be sequential or even particularly Buddhist. The Four Reminders bring the mind back again and again to the ground of awareness, which becomes stronger. When habitual patterns strike, awareness is there and we can go on our way maintaining even greater awareness. 14
VI. TOPICS FOR CONTEMPLATION & DISCUSSION All happiness in the world Comes from wishing happiness for others. All suffering in the world Comes from the desire to have happiness only for oneself. ~Shantideva 1. Contemplate the Four Noble Truths: suffering, the cause of suffering, cessation of suffering, and the path. From your own life experiences, how do you understand and describe the Four Noble Truths? • In the film, how does Khandro Rinpoche define the ‘basic quality of suffering that we all have’? Is Robert Chender’s approach similar when he describes the First Noble Truth as ‘a quality of all pervasive dissatisfaction’? • Why is selfishness—with its grasping and clinging—seen to be the root cause of suffering? • From this point of view, what is the ultimate remedy, or cure, for suffering? • How would you define ‘ego’? The seed of happiness is to completely let go of attachment to ego. It seems a little contradictory to find happiness for oneself by forgetting oneself. [But] it seems to let go of that attachment would be absolute joy. ~Dungse Jampal Norbu Namgye 2. All sentient beings want to be happy and to avoid suffering. But ego’s habitual self-­‐
cherishing creates a perpetual cycle of suffering called ‘samsara.’ • What is the role of the mind, or thoughts, in creating happiness and suffering? • What is the benefit of training the mind? Why is meditation such a good way to train the mind? • What does Geshe Kelsang Wangmo mean in the film when she says her main obstacle is ‘self-­‐grasping mind’? • How does the inherent nature of one’s mind differ from thinking? Consider the view of the bodywork taught by Reginald Ray in the film. Meditation practice in the Buddhist tradition is about “changing your mind,” which means transcendence of mind. When the ordinary mind goes from a state of ignorance to awareness, absolute truth can arise unimpeded by the sense perceptions. This is the intention of meditation practice. ~Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche 3.
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In the film, Choegyal Rinpoche says, “The Cultural Revolution, destruction of Tibet, (was) actually proof for us of the real value of Buddha’s teachings.” What do you think he means by this? 4. Discuss Reginald Ray’s view that the experience many in the West are having of the increasingly unpredictable nature of life in contemporary society is a way to “open the spiritual gate.” 5. Think about the distinction between genuine Dharma, as you understand it, and culture. • To what extent are cultural customs—e.g. gender roles, leadership and economic opportunities—shaped by ego’s habitual patterns? • How do these issues relate to study, practice, and realization? • What role do they play in shaping the various forms of practice—and do some traditional forms have a timeless, universal quality? • What does Alan Wallace mean when he says, ‘Buddhism can’t remain a museum piece. It has to fully integrate into western society’? • How does this relate to Lama Tsultrim’s statement, ‘It can’t remain Tibetan Buddhism forever–it has to become the Vajrayana tradition as it’s expressed in the West.’ Do you agree? Why or why not? The purpose of all the different forms of teaching and learning, practices, sadhanas, rituals, and so on is to provide a path to the realization of inner essence, which is absolute truth. ~Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche 6. What are the benefits of Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche’s translation school, and the work of E. Gene Smith and the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center’s digital archive of Tibetan teachings, in the transmission of Tibetan Buddhism in the West? 7. Discuss Chokyi Nyima’s view of the importance of tradition and the memorization of texts in the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism when he says,“Tradition is very important...Everything needs to be within yourself”? 8. Contemplate the following lines: My dream-­‐like form appeared to dream-­‐like beings to show them the dream-­‐like path that leads to dream-­‐like enlightenment. ~The Buddha • This verse is recited in the film during Tsoknyi Rinpoche’s teachings at the month long retreat in Crestone, CO. What do you think the Buddha meant by it? 16
• What is your experience of the dream-­‐like nature of reality? 9. Buddhist teachings do not hold that states of mind originate in the brain. However, for better or worse, the brain certainly affects our states of mind; likewise our states of mind affect the physical organ we call the brain. The scientific term neuroplasticity describes this relationship. • How does neuroplasticity relate to the traditional Buddhist approach to personal transformation and ‘changing your mind’? • What are some of the effects of meditation on the brain as described in the film? 10. Roger Ash Wheeler states in the film, “Yes, the mind does have the capacity to change.” We also see Bridget Bailey undergo big life changes when she enters retreat. How does her journey relate to his statement? What do you see as the transformation she makes? • What do you think Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel statement, “the point of practice is to engage our life” means in the context of retreat? • Consider the other characters in the film and the journey their lives take: Geshe Ani Kelsang, Fleet Maull, Wendell Garrett, among others. • Do you see changes from practice manifesting in your own life, or those of your friends? 10. Gavin Kilty’s essay in this guide discusses his 60’s generation “seeking new spiritual paths, breaking free of what we perceived to be the stifling establishment of our parents’ generation.” How do you experience the spiritual quest, and the cultural environment in which it exists today? • What is your relationship to the poles he describes happening to Tibetan Buddhism in the West: ‘tradition-­‐based conservatism and over-­‐liberalization’? • What teachers and views in the film do you feel most aligned with? Which do you not? Contemplate why. • Is a genuine Western Tibetan Buddhism possible today? What do you think it would it look like? 11. How is Enlightenment defined in the film? Is Enlightenment as discussed in the film relevant in today’s world? Do you think Enlightenment, as it could manifest now, would be the same as the Buddha’s Enlightenment? • Consider Lama Yeshe saying: ‘You don’t know the nature of your mind’–and Dungse Jampal Norbu asking his father to show him the nature of mind. • What do you think the nature of mind means in this context? 17
12. What is the relationship between “The Me Program” [Fleet Maull] and the statement that “All compounded things are impermanent” [Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche]? • Do you experience this relationship in your own life? 13. Matthieu Ricard suggests that dharma and meditation can be applied widely throughout modern society to great benefit: in education, jails, many professional situations–and we see through Fleet Maull its application in hospice. Another well-­‐
known area of East-­‐West collaboration is psychotherapy. What other secular applications of Buddhism do you see in contemporary society? • What do you think are the most helpful ways Buddhist philosophies and methodologies are currently being applied? • In what ways do you see the potential for “watering down” the teachings as Ethan Nichtern of the Interdependence Project (NYC) talks about in the film? 14. Do you agree or disagree with Anam Thubten’s statement that “Perhaps the Western Buddhist teachers would have a easier time to communicate with Westerners because they all share the same cultural language, value system, and even philosophy too”? 15. Contemplate this statement made by Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche: The only remedy, to me, at a global level and individual level, is this new revolution of care: interdependent care. That revolution could possibly save one's own life. And we, as human beings, could save the planet. • How does selfishness and ego’s self-­‐grasping relate to the well being of the planet? • How could the practice of altruism help to change the future of the planet? • What is Bodhicitta? What do you think Gerardo Abboud means when he says, ‘It’s not mere compassion, it’s the energy of compassion that spreads out and things change’? • How does His Holiness exemplify this ‘energy of compassion’? Discuss other examples of individuals who exemplify the same energy. Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive. ~Dalai Lama XIV 18
VII. SIMPLE INSTRUCTION FOR SITTING MEDITATION When asked the way to enlightenment, the Buddha himself said: Meditation. ~Anam Thubten It is always best to enter into the practice of meditation with personal instruction from a teacher. You can begin, however, by following these simple guidelines. The practice of sitting mediation works with three basic aspects: Body, Speech, and Mind: Body—refers to the physical meditation posture. Sit in crossed-­‐legged seated position on a cushion. You may have seen meditators in full-­‐ or half-­‐lotus posture (with one or both feet resting, soles turned up, on top of the thighs). If you can work with this posture, that’s good but not necessary. To support concentration, the most important thing is not to be in pain. It is also important for the spine to be straight, but not rigid. The hands rest palms down on top of the knees, and elbows and shoulders are relaxed. In the beginning, you may want to close the eyes as you begin to pay attention to the breath. But once your mind has settled, it is good to open the eyes, keeping the gaze relaxed and slightly downward. All the senses are open but not necessarily engaged in or distracted by whatever presents itself. One small detail: the mouth is slightly open—
so slightly, the lips may not appear to be parted—with the tongue resting lightly behind the upper teeth. This relaxes the jaw and neck and allows the breath to flow easily. If you have any physical problem, please sit on a chair with your feet on the floor and apply the rest of the points of posture. Speech—refers, here, to the breath. As you sit in meditation, allow your attention to rest on the breath, gently bringing your awareness to the breath as it comes in and goes out of your body. Do not try to control or change the breath. Relax. When the breath ends, the in-­‐breath will take care of itself. There are many ways to work mindfully with the breath: these including counting, following in-­‐ and out-­‐breaths, and so on. But the most basic approach is to just be aware of the breath without altering it in any way…just breathing in and breathing out…mixing the breath with space. Mind—will go about its business as you follow your breath. The approach here is called “touch and go.” As thoughts, feelings, and other sense perceptions (sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations) arise, just notice (touch) what arises, and then put your attention back on the breath. If you like, you may label whatever arises as “thinking” (silently, to yourself) before returning to the breath. The point here is to be aware of your body, breath, and mind—without getting stuck or carried away or distracted. In this way, habitual ways of perceiving and being in the world are ventilated. The mind becomes more open and thoughts, emotions, and other sense perceptions loosen their grip. You don’t have to turn away from your life to realize the teachings; you have to turn towards your life. ~Reggie Ray 19
VIII. GLOSSARY OF TIBETAN BUDDHIST TERMS Avalokiteshvara – The deity beloved to Buddhists as the embodiment of infinite compassion. In Sanskrit, "Avalokiteshvara" means "the lord who looks upon the world with compassion." Blessings – In Tibetan, literally “splendor waves” or “gift waves,” conveying the sense of radiant atmosphere that comes toward one when opening to the teacher and lineage. Buddha – “Awakened One”, Sanskrit for an individual who attains complete enlightenment. When we speak of “the Buddha”, it refers to the one who most recently discovered the path to enlightenment, Prince Siddhartha, who lived in India in the 6th century BCE and became known as the Buddha Shakyamuni upon his enlightenment, Buddha nature – The essential nature of all sentient beings; the potential for full enlightenment. Since all beings have Buddha nature, they have the potential to become Buddhas through spiritual practice. Bodhicitta – Sanskrit for “mind of enlightenment” or “heart of enlightenment”. Commonly translated as “Awakened heart,” it is the principle of loving -­‐kindness and compassion, which cuts through selfishness and gives rise to thoughts and conduct that benefit others. Bodhisattva – Sanskrit for “one who exhibits bodhicitta.” “Bodhi” literally means blossomed in Sanskrit, and “sattva” means a heroic mind. Thus Bodhisattva refers to those who commit themselves to the path of developing compassion and loving-­‐
kindness in order to liberate all sentient beings. Compassion -­‐ The determination to free all sentient beings from suffering arising from the egoless insight that “I” and “others” are not separate, and that the suffering of others is not different from one’s own. Devotion – In Tibetan Buddhism, the relationship between teacher and disciple is of paramount importance as the teacher is the tangible representation of the Buddha and his teachings. Devotion to the teacher is made up of faith, love, trust, respect and a longing for the wisdom the teacher can transmit. Dharma – This is a Sanskrit term most commonly used to refer to the teachings of the Buddha. Specifically, it refers to the wisdom or “truth of things as they are” underlying or inherent in the teachings. Dzogchen – Tibetan for “great perfection,” it refers to the highest teachings which emphasize natural ease and the direct or intuitive perception of reality rather than fabricated effort and rational analysis. 20
Ego – The notion of a truly or intrinsically existent, independent self or that which we call “I”. Fixating on this belief is often called “ego-­‐clinging” or “self-­‐grasping.” Thus it is the cause of suffering and the obstacle to liberation from suffering. Egolessness – The absence of independent or intrinsic existence, either of oneself or of external phenomena. Egolessness is a fundamental tenet of Buddhism and is one of the “Three Marks of Existence”, the other two being suffering and impermanence. Emptiness – a rough translation of the Sanskrit and Tibetan terms sunyata and tongpa-­‐
nyi, that refers to the infinitely open basis of experience out of which all things arise and that is beyond our ability to capture through words or concepts. In the film, Gene Smith looks up the word tongpa-­‐nyi in the database of the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center and finds it referenced in almost 1,000 texts, which demonstrates how important tongpa-­‐nyi is in Tibetan Buddhism. Enlightenment (freedom, liberation) – Knowing reality as it is. Synonymous with Buddhahood, it is the complete realization of the innate potential or Buddha nature that is inherent in all sentient beings. Four Reminders – Four thoughts which one contemplates in order to turn the mind toward reality as it is: the preciousness of a favorable human birth, the reality of death, the unerring law of cause and effect, and the pain of confused existence. The Four Reminders are contemplated by monks and nuns before beginning any daily practice. Four Noble Truths – The subject of the Buddha’s first teaching and often considered to be the foundation of all Dharma teachings. The Four NobleTruths are: (1) The Truth of Suffering (sometimes translated as Dissatisfaction) (2) The Truth of the Origin of Suffering (i.e., Ignorance). (3) The Truth of the Cessation of Suffering (i.e., Enlightenment). (4) The Truth of the Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering (the Eightfold Path). Geshe – In Tibetan, meaning “virtuous friend.” This word is used for the highest degree of Tibetan Buddhist monastic education. The degree is emphasized primarily by the Gelug lineage, but is also awarded in the Sakya and Bön traditions. Guru – (Sanskrit) Spiritual teacher and guide. The guru is of central importance in tantric Buddhism, as the one from whom a practitioner directly receives the teachings, initiations, blessings etc. Hinayana – Sanskrit for “narrow” or “lesser,” this refers to the foundation of the spiritual path, and emphasizes investigating mind and its confusion. Impermanence – the core Buddhist belief that all phenomena are subject to change and 21
decay. In Buddhist philosophy, impermanence is one of the Three Marks of Existence, the other two being suffering and egolessness (lack of inherent existence); the reason why futile attempts to create permanence cause further suffering, and why the “me project” mentioned in the film never works out. Interdependence—the interconnectivity of all phenomena generated by impermanence and karmicly conditioned relationships of cause and effect. The idea that all things in existence are connected. Sometimes referred to as dependent origination or dependent arising. The Dalai Lama describes it as “that which arises in dependence upon conditions, in reliance upon conditions, through the force of conditions.” Karma – Sanskrit for actions. The law of cause and effect according to which all experiences are the result of previous actions, and all actions are the seeds of future experiences. Liberation – see Enlightenment. Lineage – An unbroken chain of direct transmission of teachings from master to disciple. Mahayana – Sanskrit for “great” or broad, this refers to the stage of the spiritual path that emphasizes universal Buddha nature and the wisdom of egolessness and compassion. Manjushri – The deity in Buddhism who is associated with transcendent wisdom. Manjushri is often depicted wielding a flaming sword in his right hand, representing transcendent wisdom, which cuts down ignorance and duality. Mantra – (Sanskrit) Literally “mind protection.” A mantra is a combination of sacred seed syllables or a verse which both invokes and embodies in sound the qualities of a specific deity or aspect of enlightenment. A mantra protects the mind from ordinary perceptions and conceptions. Meditation – A method to familiarize oneself with one’s mind and mind’s essence by first resting calmly and freely without being disturbed by rising and dissolving thoughts and emotions. Through this process one reaches the state of insight into the nature of reality. Mind – Key concept in all Buddhist teaching which distinguishes between thinking mind and mind essence. Thinking mind is the dualistic state that gets caught up with or absorbed in perceived objects, believing whatever one happens to think. The nature of mind also refers to undeluded mind, the fundamental nature, the Original Face, Buddha nature. 22
Neuroplasticity – Also known as brain plasticity, neuroplasticity refers to changes in neural pathways and synapses which are due to changes in behavior, environment and neural processes. Neuroplasticity has replaced the belief formerly held that the brain is a static organ.
Offering scarf (katag) – A common part of many Tibetan rituals, such as welcoming, farewells and congratulations, katags are traditionally offered as a mark of respect. Pointing out (the nature of mind) – A direct introduction to the nature of one’s mind by a qualified master. Prayer Flags – Found only in Tibetan Buddhism, prayer flags are pieces of fabric in five symbolic colors, imprinted with prayers, mantras and/or images of deities. As they flutter, they are believed to bless the surrounding environment with their prayers Prayer Wheel – A cylinder mounted on an axis, and filled with paper scrolls on which are printed large numbers of mantras. Spinning the cylinder is believed to be similar to saying the enclosed mantras aloud. Prayer wheels vary from small and hand held, to large ones mounted in rows in walls. Retreat – withdrawing from everyday activities in order to undertake intensive spiritual practice without distraction. Retreats can be done individually (solo) or in a group. The exact practices vary between the different schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Rinpoche – A Tibetan honorific term for teacher, Rinpoche literally means, “precious jewel.” Samsara – Sanskrit for “cyclic existence” or repetitive confusion. Traditionally it is described as consisting of birth, death and rebirth, being propelled by negative emotions and the karmic force of one's actions and characterized by suffering, impermanence, and ignorance. Sangha – Sanskrit for “one with virtuous motivation,” this refers variously to followers of Buddhism, to Buddhist monastics (nuns and monks), and to those who have realized the Buddha’s teachings (“noble sangha”). It also means a community of practitioners who study with a Buddhist teacher. With Buddha and Dharma, Sangha is one of the Three Jewels in Buddhism to which a practitioner goes for refuge. Shantideva – An 8th-­‐century Indian Buddhist scholar at Nalanda University who was the author of the Bodhicharyavatara, commonly known as “The Way of the Bodhisattva”. Sentient beings – In Tibetan, drowa ‘groba, literally “movement,” signifying a mind and holder of that mind experiencing the intensity of samsara, while longing for happiness. 23
Tantra – Sanskrit for “continuity,” this refers to Vajrayana teachings and practices. Ten Virtuous Actions – Consist of abandoning the ten negative actions and practicing their opposite, in three categories– Body: (1) The Abandonment of Killing: (2) The Abandonment of Stealing: (3) The Abandonment of Sexual Misconduct; Speech: (4) The Abandonment of Lying; (5) The Abandonment of Divisive Speech; (6) The Abandonment of Abusive Speech; (7) The Abandonment of Idle Speech; and Mind: (8) The Abandonment of Covetousness; (9) The Abandonment of Harmful Intent; (10) The Abandonment of Wrong Views. Tibetan Wheel of Life – A traditional representation of the samsaric cycle of existence. The diagram is said to represent inner psychological cosmology and functions as a map to internal processes and their external effects. Vajrayana – Sanskrit for “indestructible” or diamond-­‐like path, it refers to the highest Buddhist teachings which emphasize the clarity and direct aspects of phenomena. Sometimes called “Tantra,” Vajrayana was the form of Buddhism most practiced in Tibet. Considered the most direct path to Enlightenment, the Vajrayana path relies on an unbroken transmission of teachings from teacher to student, ritual practices, and emphasizes the role of devotion for a practitioner to fully awaken. Vajrapani – One of the deities of Buddhism. He is the protector and guide of the Buddha and represents the power of all awakened ones. His special power is to destroy human delusion. Yana – Path or vehicle. Yogi (masc.) or yogini (fem.) – someone who practices tantra. Often refers to someone who has already attained stability in the natural state of mind through tantric practice. Yogis and yoginis can be both monastic and lay practitioners. IX. TEACHERS APPEARING IN THE FILM Tsoknyi Rinpoche Anam Thubten Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche Phakchok Rinpoche Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche Lama Tsultrim Allione Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel Geshe Kelsang Wangmo Fleet Maull Reginald Ray Gerardo Abboud His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Togden Yogi Achos Tashi Lama Choegyal Rinpoche Rita M. Gross Matthieu Ricard Lama Thubten Yeshe Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche Jann Jackson Khamtrul Rinpoche B. Alan Wallace Richard Davidson Geshe Kelsang Damdul Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche Robert Chender Khandro Lhamo Tseringma 24
X. INTERNATIONAL SANGHA WEBSITES AND RESOURCES The following is a list of websites of the sanghas shown in the film, and related international sanghas. 25
The Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project; a work-­‐in-­‐progress to gather the oral history of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche; www.chronicleproject.com/ Chogyur Lingpa Foundation: conducting h umanitarian projects d ealing with h ealthcare and education under the guidance of Phakchok Rinpoche. http://www.cglf.org Dharmata F oundation: center for practice and study of Buddhism in Point Richmond, CA, formed in 2005 under the d irection of Anam Thubten, as a container for the international spiritual community following the teachings of Buddha and lineages of great Buddhist masters. http://www.dharmata.org Dharma Ocean Foundation: to embody and offer to others the unique path to enlightenment taught b y Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche; creating a living continuity of the practice lineage. Reginald Ray, d irector. www.dharmaocean.org www.dharmasun.org : online Tibetan Buddhist teachings and resources; s elected teachings b y Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche ( e.g. Saturday Talks); as well a s Buddhist Advice and teachings on Buddhist classics b y other qualified teachers. www.dharmasun.org Gampo Abbey: monastery of S hambhala International offering residential programs for monastics and lay practitioners; including the Söpa Choling Three Year Retreat Center; and Vidyadhara Institute. http://gampoabbey.org The Gere Foundation: Its mission is to a lleviate suffering and advocate for the p eople of Tibet. http://www.gerefoundation.org/ His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama: the official website of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan p eople. www.dalailama.com/ Institute of Buddhist d ialectics: for higher education of Tibetans in exile, combining traditional Tibetan disciplines and modern Western subjects. h ttp://www.ibdindia.org The Interdependence Project (IDP): a s ecular approach to Buddhist study and practice, combining mindfulness and interdependence with activism, arts, and media. http://theidproject.org Karuna-­‐Sechen: overseeing h ealth care, education, and social s ervices for underserved populations of India, Nepal, and Tibet; founded in 2000 by Matthieu Ricard. www.karuna-­‐
Shechen.org 26
Khoryug: the enviromental protection initiative of His Holiness Karmapa XVII. www.khoryug.com. Mangala Shri: the Mexican sangha of Phakchok Rinpoche. http://www.mangalashri.com Mangala Shri Bhuti: under the spiritual guidance of H.E. Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche; d edicated to bringing b eings to liberation from suffering through the study and practice of Buddhadharma. Included h ere are the d harma a ctivities of Elizabeth Natthis-­‐Namgyal; Dungse Jampal Norbu Namgyel; and the Guna Institute Shedra and Vairochana’s Legacy Tibetan Translators d egree program located in Bir, India. http://www.mangalashribhuti.org Prison Mindfulness Institute: founded by Acharya Fleet Maull, author, consultant, dharma teacher and social activist and founder of the Prison Dharma Network. www.prisonmindfulness.org Mindrolling Lotus Garden: established in 2003 b y H.E. Mindrolling Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche to provide a b eautiful, inspiring environment for p ersonal retreats and the s tudy of Tibetan Buddhism. www.lotusgardens.org Naropa University: a Buddhist-­‐inspired liberal arts university and recognized leader in contemplative education, in Boulder, Colorado, offering undergraduate and graduate programs. h ttp://www.naropa.edu Pundarika Foundation: manifesting the timeless wisdom and compassion of Dharma in the modern West, under the guidance of founder, Tsoknyi Rinpoche. http://www.tsoknyirinpoche.org Rangjung Yeshe Institute: an international university for Buddhist Studies, founded b y Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, accredited through Kathmandu University; offering courses in Buddhist philosophy and Tibetan, Sanskrit and Nepali languages; combining traditional Tibetan Buddhist teachings with a modern p erspective. h ttp://www.shedra.org Spiritual Care Programme: an international program for non-­‐denominational education and care for living and d ying inspired b y Tibetan Buddhism and the teachings of Sogyal Rinpoche in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying; with d edicated centres of care in Germany and Ireland. www.spcare.org Shambhala International: a global community for practice and study of Buddhist and Shambhala teachings with an emphasis on creating enlightened society, under the spiritual leadership of Sakyong Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, www.shambhala.org; http://www.mipham.com/ Siddhartha’s Intent: under the direction of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. http://www.siddharthasintent.org/ Tara Mandala Retreat Center: guided by Lama Tsultrim Allione, in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. www.taramandala.org 27
Tergar International: making the ancient practice of meditation accessible to the modern world, under the guidance of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. http://tergar.org/ The Triratna Buddhist Community: formerly the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO), founded in London in 1967. http://www.lbc.org.uk/fwbo.htm Tushita Meditation Centre: an international centre for study and practice of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism, in Northern India, founded in 1972 b y Lama Thubten Yeshe. http://www.tushita.info Zopa, Lama, and Lama Yeshe—http://www.fpmt.org/teachers/yeshe/jointbio.html 28
XI. BIBLIOGRAPHY This informal bibliography offers a selection of books authored by those featured in the film, and readings related to discussion topics. Please visit the authors’ websites and the “Audio/Visual Resources and Dharma Archives” list below for more. Allione, Lama Tsultrim: Feeding Your Demons, Little, Brown and Company, 2008; Women of Wisdom, Snow Lion, 2000 Chodron, Ani Pema: Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and C hange, Shambhala, 2012; No Time to Lose, Shambhala, 2007; Start Where You Are, Shambhala, 2001 Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche: Present F resh Wakefulness: A Meditation Manual… North Atlantic Books, 2004; The Bardo Guidebook, Wisdom, 2004 Dalai Lama XIV, H.H. Tendzin Gyatso, Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World, Mariner, 2012; The Art of Happiness (Anniversary Edition), Riverhead, 2009 Davidson, Dr. Richard: The Emotional Life of Your Brain, Hudson Street, 2012; The Mind's Own Physician: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama… (co-­‐editor), New Harbinger Publications, 2012 Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche: Uncommon Happiness, North Atlantic Books, 2009; Light Comes Through, S hambhala, 2009; It's Up to You, Shambhala, 2006 Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche: Not for Happiness, Shambhala, 2012; What Makes You Not a Buddhist, Shambhala, 2008 Fields, Rick: How the Swans C ame to the Lake, Shambhala, 1992 Gere, Richard, Pilgrim, Bullfinch Press, 1997 Gross, Lopon Rita, Buddhism after Patriarchy, S tate University of NY Press, 1992; A Garland of Feminist Reflections, University of California Press, 2009 Kessel, Brent—It’s Not About the Money. Harper One, 2009 Khandro Rinpoche, Jetsun: This Precious Life, Shambhala, 2005 Mattis-­‐Namgyal, Elizabeth: The Power of an Open Question, Shambhala, 2010 Maull, Acharya F leet: Dharma in Hell, Prison Dharma Network, 2005 Mipham, Lama Ju, Ways of Enlightenment, Dharma Publishing, 1993 Mipham Rinpoche, Sakyong Jamgon—Running with the Mind of Meditation, Harmony, 2012; Ruling Your World, Three Rivers Press, 2005 Patrul Rinpoche. The Words of My Perfect Teacher, Yale University Press, 2010 Phakchok Rinpoche, Keys to Happiness and a Meaningful Life, Lhasey Lotsawa Publications, 2012 Rahula, Walpola. What the Buddha Taught, Grove Press, 1974 Ray, Reginald: Indestructible Truth, Shambhala, 2002; Touching Enlightenment, Sounds True, Inc., 2008 Ricard, Matthieu: Happiness: A Guide…, Little, Brown, and Company, 2007 Shantideva (trans. Padmakara), The Way of the Bodhisattva, 2006 Smith, E. Gene: Among Tibetan Texts, Wisdom Publications, 2001 Thubten, Anam: The Magic of Awareness, Snow Lion, 2012; No Self, No Problem, Snow Lion, 2009 Trungpa Rinpoche, Chögyam: C utting through Spiritual Materialism, Shambhala, 2008; Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Shambhala, 2007; Born in Tibet, Shambhala, 2000 Tsoknyi Rinpoche: Open Heart, Open Mind, Harmony, 2012 Wallace, B. Alan: Dreaming Yourself Awake, Shambhala, 2012; Stilling the Mind, Wisdom, 2011 29
30
XII. AUDIO/VISUAL RESOURCES AND DHARMA ARCHIVES Dharma Ocean Download S tore—for the teachings of Reginald Ray, spiritual d irector of Dharma Ocean. http://store.dharmaocean.org/downloadstore/index.cfm Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center Library–Founded b y E. Gene Smith, the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center is d edicated to the preservation, organization and dissemination of Tibetan literature. http://www.tbrc.org/#home Great Path—offers a comprehensive set of audio and video teachings of Ani Pema Chödrön. www.pemachodrontapes.com/store Kalapa Recordings—See Shambhala Media. Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive—archiving and disseminating the teachings of Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. http://www.lamayeshe.com/ Learn Out Loud audio books: Internet's largest d irectory of audio/video learning resources, including the Dalai Lama XIV. http://www.learnoutloud.com Mindrolling Lotus Garden: audio/video and transcribed teachings from Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche’s international tours. www.Lotusgardens.org/teachingsonline/ Shambhala Archives: one of the largest collections of Tibetan Buddhist teachers in the West, including Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. http://www.archives.shambhala.org/ Shambhala Media: for the teachings and culture of Shambhala and Sakyong lineage. https://www.shambhalamedia.org Shambhala Publications: independent publisher of books and audio for enlightened living. www.shambhala.com Sounds True—for audio/video titles about spirituality, including Ani Pema Chodron and Reginald Ray. www.soundstrue.com Tara Mandala: audio/video teaching archive of Lama Tsultrim Allione. www.taramandala.org This is Buddhism coming to the West and we should rejoice in our good fortune. And we should probably do something with that good fortune. ~E. Gene Smith 31
XIII. TRANSCRIPT OF THE FILM [00:00:07.25] Music begins
[00:00:16.29] (background sound)
[00:00:21.20] (background sound)
[00:00:58.09] When I was a little kid I always was interested in "What is this all
about?" (laughs) you know the big questions.
[00:01:07.03] Sometimes I'd wake up very early in the morning and just sit outside
because it was so quiet.
[00:01:13.11] Sense of loneliness, sense of isolation, sense of running out of time ,
that's always kind of been in the back of my mind.
[00:01:32.02] I wouldn't say any of us were Buddhists then.
But we were slowly evolving into something that was, was Buddhism.
[00:02:59.20] Everything has two sides, so unfortunate side is we lost country,
fortunate side is dharma went all over the world.
[00:03:27.24] I grew up in Tibet, do you know where Tibet is?
[00:03:30.05] (woman) Tibet, China?
[00:03:31.20] Ah, Tibet, yes
[00:03:32.13] (woman) Yes, Yes
[00:03:50.10] To a certain degree maybe we were just too comfortable, up there in the
mountains, in the Land of Snows and doing your own little thing over there
[00:04:01.25] To be sort of shaken out of that state, to investigate furthermore
something is good for the Tibetans also.
[00:04:12.23](Oy yay yay.) How are you?
[00:04:19.04] No place to sit
[00:04:24.10] Como estas?
Bien
[00:04:28.06] This is the action man.
[00:04:39.01] Anyone would have mentioned Buddhism 10 years ago, I'd be like
whatever...you know..Let's go party.
32
[00:04:48.24] When I started reading about it, I thought it was really depressing, it
was like, suffering, the cause of suffering. I'm 19, from New Hampshire. I wasn't
really thinking about suffering very much, so I thought no, I don't think I'm interested
in Buddhism.
[00:05:10.22] It seems a little odd that a tradition that's been hibernating in the
Himalayas could be so relevant to a modern Western lifestyle but fundamentally it is.
[00:05:22.16] Well because it’s dealing with the same exact issues.
[00:05:27.24] You know? Why am I so sad?
[00:05:36.18] However the civilizations over the last 2,500 years have changed, the
human emotions and human neuroses in essence has not changed.
[00:05:49.13] The Buddha asked all these questions like, the Buddha's main question
was how do you find happiness in this? Old age, sickness, death, uncertainty,
suffering.
[00:06:09.20] It was a totally incredible thing for me to come in contact with a
tradition that 2500 years ago, a normal person, like us, decided that he was really
going to take a serious look at this question of suffering.
[00:06:29.04] (talking to child) You’re going to spin around at the party?
[00:06:30.27] I was born into a place of profound privilege, I mean just mind-blowing
good fortune, you know, in the world I was born into, so you know, we didn't really
have any problems.
[00:06:47.00] And yet we still suffered.
[00:06:51.27] When I was like 17, I ran away from home, and I pretty much was a
street kid for about 4 years. There was times when I was hitchhiking in the desert or I
was just totally alone and going through really hard times, you know, I'm on the side
of the road just getting rained on, you know, probably then was the first time that I
actually thought anything about you know, how I relate to other people, how can I
help other people, and how we're interconnected and all that stuff.
[00:07:21.17] You know, definitely at that point, you see people, they got all this
stuff, and it's like, "well, shoot, I ain't got nothing, I'm pretty well fine, you know," I
mean like... what's up with that? Really kind of made me question some things.
[00:07:33.04] (Tibetan conversation)
[00:07:41.05] I don't even think being a nun is the best thing for everyone, it's just for
me, individually, it's just very helpful
33
[00:07:51.22] My greatest obstacle? First, understanding Tibetan culture, that was
really difficult and getting used to it, and being able to feel comfortable, and being a
woman has been very difficult. At the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics, in my class, I
was the only woman, so it was very, very lonely sometimes, extremely lonely.
[00:08:20.01] When I was first locked up in that jail, literally when the cell door
slammed shut, it was like, just a kind of total awakening to all the denial I'd been in
about so much of my life, and my son was 9 years old at the time and I was just
devastated by the decisions I'd made and how I'd let my teacher down, and my family
and the community and so forth, and it was just like undeniable, and so I just became
driven to radically change everything.
[00:08:58.04] It doesn't matter what role you play or what condition you are in,
because conditions are very unreliable, sometime the Universe is smiling upon us,
and sometimes it changes.
[00:09:18.02] That whole world is learning that there's no certainty, no security.
[00:09:23.14] ["a cascade of selling swept over the markets, by just after 3 o'clock,
investors were just dumping shares"]
[00:09:30.02] Everything 's happening so fast, it's unbelievable.
[00:09:36.05] The illusion of control that we've had in modern western culture is
largely disintegrating, and the experience of reality we have of now, where you don't
know what's going to happen next.
[00:09:49.08][ "Unbelievable display of Mother Nature's it's frightening, it's also awe
inspiring, .."]
[00:09:57.17]Other cultures have had that, I mean, that's just the way it's been
throughout all human history.
[00:10:04.26] And that does open the spiritual gate.
[00:10:10.21] To imagine Buddhism taking root in the culture of the 1950s, or early
1960s - impossible - there was just this monolithic American culture it was
unquestionable, it was successful, it was unchallenged.
[00:10:35.09] It really did feel to me from the time I was about 4 or 5 that I had
somehow gotten dropped into the wrong family.
[00:10:44.15]Whatever we've been told is the truth, the way the world functions, what
we are, all the givens, through childhood, at some point are dissonant with something
inside of us.
[00:11:01.06] When I was quite young, when I was 15, I remember becoming aware
of being aware. One night I was sitting out on the roof of our house at the lake, I was
listening to the pine needles, the white pines there, dropping onto the roof.
Something changed for me about life.
34
[00:11:24.17]I mean, that's how people were back then, they were coming out of a
very strict sort of world, and this just was a seismic shift that was happening for
people.
[00:11:56.03] We were part of a generation of people who basically said "I want out."
[00:12:02.08] That impulse was certainly selfish, it wasn't "I want to save the world"
it was "I want this suffering to stop inside of me."
[00:12:14.05] India was kind of flavor of the month. The Beatles had just been, and
everyone wanted to go to India, and Baba Ram Dass and Timothy Leary and these
people had popularized this whole idea of eastern spirituality.
[00:12:29.18] I was not going to India for tourism, I was really looking for
something. I really was fed up with western culture, I said "I really need something
new."
[00:12:44.24] Then I heard about these buses that you could get on and go from
England to Nepal...drive… to all these countries that you know you wouldn’t think
about driving through now, like Iraq and Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan...
[00:13:20.21] We didn't think about the dangers, we didn't think about the risks; it
was what we had to do, we had to do.
[00:13:30.13] I had absolutely no idea about Hinduism or Buddhism, nothing really.
Then on the way, I met one American, and he been already with the Tibetan lamas in
Nepal and he was talking to me a lot about Kathmandu, Nepal, and all the Tibetans,
and the Tibetans and the Tibetans....
[00:13:52.01][Newsreel: "High in the Himalayas, Tibet's religious tradition is
personified by the Dalai Lama. These are films of the Dalai Lama taken in less
troubled times."]
[00:14:07.28] ["News now reaches the world that 20,000 Tibetans have risen with
him against their Chinese overlords."]
[00:14:17.06] ["Two days after the Lhasa uprising, the Dalai Lama escaped from his
palace. The Dalai Lama's escape sparked an exodus of refugees as tens of thousands
of Tibetans followed him into exile."]
[00:14:33.23] (not in English)
[00:14:37.05] In 1959 he came from Tibet.
[00:14:42.03] It took almost one month all (the) time walking. We walked all the
way.
[00:14:51.07] And then sometimes we came through snow mountains, day and night,
on horses.
[00:15:04.00] Sometimes we were caught by Chinese army and put for a short period
in prison.
35
[00:15:21.19] When the Dalai Lama left Tibet I was still in high school and somehow
I heard the news on the radio that he had left Tibet and entered India and somehow
there was some sense that this was something special.
[00:15:35.11] ["Thousands crowd the railway station in New Delhi to welcome the
Dalai Lama"]
[00:15:44.04] ["Speaking in Tibetan the Dalai Lama charges that the Tibetan people
are being exterminated, that their culture and religion are being stamped out."]
[00:16:10.17] Actually, the Cultural Revolution, destruction of Tibet, actually proof
for us of the real value of Buddha’s teachings.
[00:16:45.04] When I first arrived in Dharmsala I struggled up the hill with my
rucksack. I came to a large rock on which were written the letters Om Mani Padme
Hum - but I didn't know what they were.
[00:17:01.04] If we go down to this, through here...oh, look at that.
[00:17:07.12] I lived in there.
[00:17:09.29] Dharamsala in those days was really just flattened tin cans and little
shops, people selling their old clothes and stuff.
[00:17:20.09] It was a one horse town. There were no jeeps, there were no cars.
[00:17:25.04]This is the Tibetan amala who I loved, that's me.
[00:17:30.02] It was really the Tibetans that got me, the main thing was just the
warmth of the people, that feeling of joy, and I could not figure it out, because most
of them had lost everything. Some of them had seen their own families killed in front
of them.
[00:17:50.10] They were working on roads. That was what I found amazing about
Tibetans. It was the ability to adjust from being a prince or a nobleman, to having
nothing.
[00:18:10.08] We found that all of our preconceptions, the things we had been trained
as children as to what was proper, what was desirable, were not desirable.
[00:18:26.13] Then I became close and attached to Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and
spent, I don't know 13 years non-stop with him.
[00:18:33.19] There's a Tibetan expression that you cannot stand parting away from
someone, like Khyentse Rinpoche.
36
Even like, in the day, just to go away from him you felt you were missing something
very precious. And that's not very common in life.
[00:18:53.23] When I got to Kathmandu I heard that there was this lama there named
Karmapa. I was really fascinated by him and started going to see him and so well I
thought “he's a monk, I should become a nun, that would be following his example”.
That was really why I became a nun.
[00:19:19.10] When I went first time to Nepal and first time I met the Dharma, that
was in Kopan Hill.
[00:19:28.13] There was a lama teaching and this lama was Lama Thubten Yeshe
and he would teach in English.
[00:19:36.07] You cannot just jump such inner freedom sort of like.. like.. you cannot
jump like this…
[00:19:42.16] He had this kind of odd English, that he'd learned from hippies.
[00:19:50.02] Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa first taught Westerners in '71.
[00:19:57.03] And it just started to blossom - these Westerners climbing up the hill,
over rice paddies to get up there.
[00:20:11.11] We had a month of teachings and then contemplating on these
teachings.
[00:20:17.09][ You know, since you were born, you know, ok you say, you know, my
mind is that that, my mind is that… You've no idea what is your mind. Isn't that
silly? Everyday using my mind that blah blah blah blah - but you don't know what is
your nature of your mind.]
[00:20:38.21]And that was a shock for me, because I had never thought that you
could have wisdom, you know, like, without thinking, and I was sick of thinking, I
was completely sick of my thoughts and my mental state, and I was looking for some
breakthrough.
[00:20:59.15] So that really gave you the opportunity to work with the nitty gritty of
the mind. I think that one of the big realizations for me during that month was “Yes,
the mind does have the capacity to change."
[00:21:37.05] We’d read quite a few books about Tibet. Tibet was somewhere very
kind of remote, but then the news got around among the people that there was going
to be a lama, was going to turn up in Kensington. To have a lama turn up was quite
extraordinary, cause we'd never imagined that would happen.
37
[00:22:02.19] Well I was in the market for a teacher, and an old friend wrote to me
and said "I'm coming to Los Angeles with this great teacher and you must absolutely
must see him." He spoke in a downtown, really shabby old Embassy Theater, I think
it was called, and he walked on the stage, and I was electrified.
[00:22:24.15] Sit on the cushion, but don't make a big deal about that now you are
going to meditate. Just sit down. And relax.
[00:22:38.28] When I met Trungpa Rinpoche, I probably cried for 2 hours.. . um, a
sense of having met something that was so deeply precious to me and not having any
idea why.
[00:23:01.08] Trungpa swept through American just like a rocket. He starts travelling
all over the country.
[00:23:12.07] He teaches right away, all the time.
[00:23:18.23] He knew when the Chinese invaded Tibet, it wasn't just a question of
taking the teachings out and putting them under your robe and getting the hell out of
the country; it was a question of bringing that living wisdom to a brand new
culture thousands of miles and a completely different language away.
[00:23:40.28] And giving up, opening, surrendering from that part of you actually
plays a very important part because finally you begin to actually let go of your
aggression, and you begin to hear much better and see much better when you give up
more and more of this uptightness holding you back.....
[00:24:02.20] A Dharma that was not some kind of specialized cloistered monastic
Dharma, but a Dharma that was fully integrated with society and with life.
[00:24:16.13] He dove into Western life, he drank, he smoked, he broke all the rules.
[00:24:23.23] People were always so outraged by him.
[00:24:28.10] He was a fantastic artist, as a calligrapher, as a flower arranger, as a
photographer, as a writer, as a poet, and that was one of the things that was
enormously attractive about him.
[00:24:49.04] The interesting point is in Tibetan tradition, there's no word for artist.
[00:24:56.02] And so he was immediately working with a new energy, the energy
that said "Okay, tell it to us, give it to us, tell us what to do, we'll make it happen."
[00:25:12.22] And he had every confidence that we would get it.
[00:25:27.01] I spent a lot of time in some kind of retreat context and also traveling
with him. And then I'd go off and be a crazy person. Smuggling cocaine in South
America. It was actually coming back from Japan, with Trungpa Rinpoche, that I got
38
pulled aside. I knew I was either gonna go on the run or I was going to prison for a
long time at that point, and he told me I should stay and face it, and he said that even
if I was in prison for a long time I could still practice and I could still work with him
as my teacher.
[00:26:01.24] It wasn't until years later in prison really that I was able to finally do
what he'd been asking all of us to do for a long time which was really do the practice
and really integrate it so that we weren't just trying to get this contact high from him
but to really be able to generate that within ourselves.
[00:26:29.25] I remember when I came back from India and I wanted to go to a
Tibetan place and the only place in the entire country was in Freehold, New Jersey.
And then you think about what there is now.
[00:26:59.28] It was as easy as putting "Buddha and Los Angeles" on Google search,
and a couple centers came up.
[00:27:40.29]I've always my whole life been against real estate. I grew up with these
great teachers, never owned anything. And always these teachers telling us
"Pambhasambhava said if you want to go down to the hell realms, have students and
a monastery. " That's how we grew up.
[00:28:04.07] Even this place, none of us have any clear idea of how it happened.
[00:28:10.29] A very strong group of people that were friends. We started a little
group and we just practiced and studied together.
[00:28:18.06] Rinpoche would come, she came back yearly and the students became
more and more and then it became known as the Baltimore Retreat.
[00:28:24.11] And they ended up paying a lot of money for every rental place that
the retreats were held.
[00:28:29.12] I said we're paying so much rent, we're doing so much work, why don't
we find some place permanent?
[00:28:45.18]And then they called me to come and look at the land, there was no
strategy, or no something anything ....it just happened we walked in through the door,
there was a husband and a wife who were living here. It was a hot day, there was a
nice swimming pool. There was a horse stable which they envisioned to have retreat
rooms over there.
[00:29:05.01] You have to get the zoning board to give you an ok, and then you have
the whole county council. The zoning board meeting, one of the members said, "Can
you tell us how Buddhism relates to our Lord Jesus Christ?" So I gave a little talk,
impromptu, saying we're all basically looking for openness, compassion. The next
meeting - and the place was packed - there were people who had strong objections to
39
us being here, but by and large everyone there, they all said "No, this is about
religious freedom. You have to let these people here." At that moment I said "I'm
proud to be American."
[00:29:49.25] Since then it's been done, and we've been having our annual retreats
over here.
[00:30:22.17] I do liken the sort of spread of Dharma from India to Tibet that
happened between the 7th and the 10th century to when it went from Tibet via India
to the West. Marpa, and the great translators, they did make the arduous journeys to
get to India; they walked for days and months even and they went back again and
helped spread the Dharma.
[00:30:50.25] I mean these guys had it tough, you know, but they did it. They did a
good job of translating it from Sanskrit into Tibetan, and did it without Microsoft
Word or any other kind of editing processes.
[00:31:05.21] Most of my training so far is in Tibetan- Tibetan grammar, a little bit of
history, some Dharma, little bit of debate, it's just getting started.
[00:31:23.18] Me, I got the easy way, you know. Dictionaries on my computer, all
kinds of stuff.
[00:31:38.25]It's astounding to think that, you know, a year ago, we couldn't read a
line of Tibetan. Kongtrul Rinpoche was with us and he taught us the letters, he
taught us how to say the sounds, he taught us how to write the letters.
[00:31:55.06] One thing that I thought I can actually do to help the Buddha Dharma,
transplant it in the west, is to train a group of students to become Dharma translators.
[00:32:15.28] I thought since I'm going to be giving the traditional training to my
son, you know, why not sort of invite some of the students to join him.
[00:32:29.15] The last time that I went to see His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche,
he told me "Your son, regardless of whether he becomes a monk or a lay practitioner,
make sure that he becomes a teacher of the Buddha Dharma."
[00:32:50.14]My upbringing was nontraditional. I was 10 years old. He was in the
living room, and I walked up to him and I was on the floor, I kneeled and I said "
What is, Dad, what is the nature of mind?" And he said, okay, "I'll show you. So look
at me. Look at me very closely." A few seconds passed. A few more seconds, I
started saying "what should I be looking for? What's going on ?" And suddenly he
shouted, flat out in my face, one massive cry and my mind was - it felt - my body was
paralyzed and my mind completely cleared of everything. Just out of pure shock.
And he said, "See, that's it. That's it."
40
[00:33:53.23] Mom do you know that herb packet?
[00:33:56.04] What herb packet, honey?
[00:33:59.16] We didn't push him in the Dharma, Rinpoche also wanted to give him
Western education, and then give him a choice of what he wanted to do after school.
[00:34:12.11] Actually it was a very logical choice...to not go immediately into
college and to go to the Himalayas to study.
[00:34:31.24] If I'm going to go on the route to a Western education, I want to at least
have the seeds of happiness.
[00:34:51.03] To me Tibet is like, for I guess a thousand years almost, you had all
these brilliant masters, every generation produced these legendary meditators and
scholars.
[00:35:05.25] It just staggers the mind to imagine the combined willpower and brain
power that was directed towards the single goal of developing spiritual technology for
freeing the human mind.
[00:35:26.19] You probably had more books in Tibet than you did in any other
society. They were manuscripts, so there was maybe one or two copies in the entire
country. But they contained teachings that would disappear if that one copy was
disappeared. So we began a project in India...Tibetans would come in, they'd say "I
have this manuscript." We'd say "Okay, we'll buy 20 copies of it." So they took it out
and they had this old technology where you'd have the glass plates. And these books,
then, became the basis of what we studied. But there was a problem. They're
disappearing, they're fading. Then I decided well why don't we do something else.
So, we put it on the web. We've got over 10,000 volumes
[00:36:33.22] that anybody can download. The word for emptiness is what's called
"tong-pa nyid" , "tong-pa nyid ". Where do we find "tong-pa nyid"? See, it's found
in 966 texts.
[00:36:56.15] If we look at this expansion of Buddhism coming out of Asia and then
we see Buddhism has already evolved. It has not stayed static any where for the last
2500 years, it's always assimilated, adapted for the particular cultures and so forth.
Now it's adapting to world culture.
[00:37:13.07] The point of east-west meeting was, I feel, not only religion, not as a
religion, but simply the science of mind and western science.
[00:37:30.11] I've had the conjecture that looking at brain changes associated with
meditation is something worth doing for decades. It is quite remarkable how close a
parallel there is between our modern understanding of neuroplasticity and the
Buddhist notions of transformation.
[00:37:56.11] In simple terms neuroplasticity means that the brain can change in
response to experience.
41
[00:38:01.18] I'm just going to line up, come straight down....and the first sensor...be
sure the midline is set correctly.
[00:38:10.21] For meditation, for example, prefrontal cortex is one of the main areas
that we look, left and right.
[00:38:18.18] Our brains are constantly being shaped, wittingly or unwittingly, and
we can leave the shaping of our brains to happenstance, or we can take more
responsibility by actually training our mind in a way which will promote more
healthy qualities of mind.
[00:38:44.26] They did my brain test ...they invited me to America to do
braintest...and finally my picture came out on the National Geographic…on the cover.
[00:39:02.05] And so now we see, as in this Mind and Life meeting with his Holiness
the Dalai Lama, we see the traditional Buddhist teachings are brought into a
completely modern contemporary context.
[00:39:13.25] [Alan has talked in detail about what he presented as the...]
[00:39:18.12] This is a time when the Tibetans also can benefit from the strength of
western culture.
[00:39:25.05] Religions are always changing, and there's a huge change when you
cross a cultural frontier.
[00:39:30.23] There's always the core in the Dharma that brings me back. But there
are cultural influences that put me off.
[00:39:40.17] Particularly around some women’s issues.
[00:39:44.06] There's a lot of denial and ignoring, because it's painful to know that
the religion you've given your life to has this really major flaw.
[00:39:56.06] The male privilege of Tibetan Buddhism traditionally - it's incredibly
intense.
[00:40:01.11] Male chauvinism is one of the oldest habitual patterns in the world.
And I don't think it's going to go that easily.
[00:40:12.08] You look even here in this Western community- for this ceremony
there's not a single woman in the front row. When you set up your whole system so
that women don't end up trained well enough to sit in the front row, there's a problem.
[00:40:30.13] Right now, there's no Geshe degree for nuns.
42
[00:40:39.29] Geshe is basically a degree that monks get, usually monks, yeah
monks get, when they have studied the main five texts. There's a lot of debate about
giving that title to nuns who are now doing the same studies.
[00:40:56.25] It's really...it contradicts Buddhism. It's not helping Buddhism. It's
actually interfering Buddhism. And these are the sort of the cultural habits, if
possible, should go.
[00:41:10.22] That is one of the major things the West has to offer Tibetan Buddhism
is a new way of seeing women and a way of examining the cultural influences on the
Dharma.
[00:41:20.28] Because we perceive true existence, because of that very powerful
mind, ignorance, it colors all our experiences..
[00:41:26.16] I've traveled so much in the world , and I have seen that until and
unless we give equal opportunity in terms of education, in terms of anything for
women, you’re not going to achieve very much.
[00:41:43.04] So you could say with karma, of course, strictly speaking, karma is
action, the action that ...
[00:41:52.04] Buddhism must fully integrate into the 21st century. We can't just take
it as a museum piece.
[00:42:06.18] The system doesn't port over perfectly, the system that they set up
there...it doesn't mesh perfectly with our society.
[00:42:14.04] Everything seems to be very flashy, you know, coming from this like
Wow - these paintings and stuff like that.
[00:42:21.18] When I first came and saw all these white middle class Americans
bowing to this Asian man, I'm, like, this is so weird.
[00:42:31.22] The form of - like the religious form - like, why is it you have
offerings. It was an irritating quality of it, where I always have to look at the chart.
That's what I mean - I have to look at the chart - it's not integral to my being.
[00:42:51.12] These questions of how much is culture and how much is Dharma.
Definitely distinctions need to be understood by the student. I would really
encourage the students to really do this - but I would think Western people are
wasting their time when they are ironing the scarf...trying to unfold them and fold
them. That's a bit of a waste of time.
[00:43:29.14] Even I thought before tradition isn't - I thought, not that important,
tradition. Now when I really look and look, tradition is very important. Like,
43
example, memorizing the root texts. I thought, many westerners are "Why do we
need to memorize the text. It's too much energy - in West we do not do this
anymore."
[00:43:54.26] Chokyi Nyima, the whole kind of thing he has going on, is this idea of
scholar-practitioner, and he emphasizes that in every teaching he gives.
[00:44:02.23] When we grow up we really - the teachers said if you don't remember
the root text you're empty. Anybody asks any questions, "Wait wait where's my
book.. sorry today I can't say anything because my book is not here, my notebook is
not here." Everything has to be within oneself.
[00:44:20.15] I like challenges, so this kind of thing where you can just like,
practically, it's a very pragmatic religion, you can work on yourself in a way
everyday, every moment of your life.
[00:44:31.05] [(Music/lyrics) Be Present, Be Now, Be Awake, No matter how. Be
one, you're free to give. Stop illusions, and learn to live.]
[00:45:08.13] Less intensity, ego might not like it. So when you have high, top, peak
intensity, ego is so enjoy.
[00:45:17.03] Coming to the Dharma it's no problem, you can come from anger, you
can come from jealousy, you can come from woundedness, you can come from
curiosity, and you can come from anything - you can come. Once you come, then
you have to be open. You cannot hold on one thing, you have to be open-minded.
Then you see how the path goes.
[00:45:47.17] As Buddha said, um,
[00:45:51.26] my,
[00:45:52.20] my form,
[00:45:58.29] my dream-like form appeared to dream-like beings to show them the
dream-like path that leads to dream-like enlightenment.
[00:46:09.08] One more time... I love that - it's like nectar for me.
[00:46:13.15] My dream-like form appeared to dream-like beings to show them the
dream-like path that leads to dream-like enlightenment.
[00:46:42.17] I'm in Mexico. I’m wearing the Mexican style of dress to show where I
am.
[00:46:56.03] I travel with Rinpoche mostly when he travels to the west, which
means Europe, the Americas, so I get to be in a very close proximity with Rinpoche,
and not only listen to the teachings but also see how Rinpoche puts the Dharma into
everyday life.
44
[00:47:17.18] I can be staying in my student house, or friend's house, or hotel, I try to
act like I'm sitting in my home.
[00:47:27:00] “Stylish hair”
[00:47:27.05] You go into that.
[00:47:28.00] UhHuh
[00:47:28.10] You ask a question, I answer, so all the time you feel connected with
me.
[00:47:36.26] Whatever limitations we might have as to our space, our mind - this is
how I am , this is how I deal with things - when you are with these people, they sort
of like ask you or do things to move you away from that comfortable point, right?
[00:48:01.00] It’s intense. It's just their way of manifesting their wisdom, it's just
about being natural all the time.
[00:48:11.10] Thank you very much, I enjoy a lot.
[00:48:13.17] Rinpoche does a lot of his activities quite spontaneous
[00:48:18.18]and so I was thinking that we were going to be late, you know, in the
morning...Rinpoche is calm, as he always is, and calms me down, of course.
[00:48:33.15] So good to have you here.
[00:48:34.24]Yes, thank you.
[00:48:36.29]We're almost ready.
[00:48:38.05]Okay. Five minutes more? Uh Huh.
[00:48:41.02]Yeah
[00:48:41.23] In the 21st century, how to teach, you don't have to change teaching,
you don't have to change the meaning of teaching. It's just a matter of how to present.
[00:48:50.20] Welcome. I would like to introduce meditation.
[00:48:57.05][Music: We exist In a state of perpetual interdependence...
samsara...welcome to the interdependence project?]
[00:49:10.14] Honestly, if an American's only option was to study completely
traditional Tibetan Buddhism then I don't think many people would be interested in
Buddhism.
[00:49:18.15] [I haven't registered, we came to the Open House last week..]
45
[00:49:20.16] At the same time, what we found with the Interdependence Project is
that people want teachings to be accessible and relevant to their life. They don't want
them watered down.
[00:49:29.08] Welcome to the Interdependence Project. Mindfulness practice is the
basis of what we'll be talking about for the next 10 weeks.
[00:49:39.06] Perhaps the Western Buddhist teachers would have a easier time to
communicate with Westerners because they all share the same cultural language,
value system, and even philosophy too.
[00:50:00.16] I started out being very conservative as a Dharma teacher. But I
actually am starting to feel that it's not very good for Western students to try to
encourage them through a path that has so much form. And the reason is that their
lives are already so packed with form. It wasn't that way in Tibet. In Tibet there was
a lot more space as a culture but in the West it is, every minute is filled with form, so
to give them more form doesn't really seem to work that well.
[00:50:35.24] So we're going to do a practice now that involves breathing in to the
lower belly. Feel the space opening.
[00:50:47.13] In breath.
[00:50:50.23] Filling the lower belly, medium to full breath.
[00:50:55.11] Through the body work what we find s it gets Western people out of
their heads.
[00:50:59.19] [Notice the sense of emptiness...]
[00:51:01.27] And when you live in your body in that way, it's so much more
compelling and liberating than thinking.
[00:51:15.09] I knew I really wanted to do this retreat center...From the age of 19, I'd
always been asking permission to my teachers. But I felt that I had a different
experience as a Western woman and that I needed to honor that. I had to make my
own decisions and my own mistakes and see what happened. At least here at Tara
Mandala.
[00:51:52.25] There's a certain neo-generation of people that really realize they don't
want to go into the corporate world and that they want something substantial and
inner.
[00:52:03.29] [ I got there, but then it's like my heart stopped again and I can't do
anything]
[00:52:08.16] And those people are attracted here and then they become practitioners.
46
[00:52:27.24] I'm kind of a funny combination of being very traditional and at the
same time very experimental.
[00:52:39.26] Angry, sad, fierce
[00:52:45.00] Angry and sad and fierce.
[00:52:49.22] It can't be Tibetan Buddhism forever. You know it has to become the
Vajrayana tradition as it is expressed in the West.
[00:53:02.03] But I always struggle with these questions because I have such a
respect for the tradition. I love it. I don't want it to be harmed or diminished. And I
want to make sure the depth is happening.
[00:53:20.16] Tara Mandala, that's my primary goal - is depth practice.
[00:53:28.15] It seems Sangha is like family. Every Sangha, every community have
their own personalities.
[00:53:41.21] Basically there's something for everybody.
[00:53:46.00] My love of Buddhism is one of first memories that I have.
[00:53:55.10] I believed for a long time to be spiritual that you be very serious and to
not enjoy life. So I had lots of those concepts and ideas that I had to drop.
[00:54:11.18] And then the way I'm teaching, I let go of a lots of beautiful forms.
[00:54:19.02] It requires tremendous sense of our effort, activities to have lots of
images - big altars, so I'm quite lazy and also in some sense minimalist.
[00:54:36.02] It's not me delivering another lecture, this is about going inside. Open
our heart and be honest to ourselves first.
[00:54:49.02] One of the questions that we might like to ask is : "Why am I not free
right now?"
[00:55:00.04] So I let go of lots of forms and focusing more on the heart of Buddhist
teachings which is very profound yet very simple.
[00:55:27.00] The foundation is the Four Noble Truths - there is absolutely no way
you can get any understanding of the Dharma without it really being sort of
squeezed from the essence of a thorough understanding of the Four Noble Truths.
[00:55:44.04] What are the Four Noble Truths? In four words, there's suffering, the
cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path.
[00:56:18.00] From the Buddhist perspective we're all trapped in this sort of wheel of
existence called "Samsara."
47
[00:56:30.03] The idea is -this is sort of the First Noble Truth- that life is suffering.
[00:56:35.10] Going about things in the old ordinary way will lead to suffering
period.
[00:56:44.17] …Productions
[00:56:47.23] I feel like people spend so much time focusing on -like - their career or
their bodies or what they look. Hello!!! People spend such little time focused on our
minds.
[00:57:04.28] Today is my last day of work. I'm going to meet my other friends for a
going away drink and dinner and it's going to be really fun and I just can't believe that
I'm actually doing this, its actually happening. And I hope I don't screw up and miss
my flight or anything . I need to cancel my Equinox membership. I need to…
[00:57:26.25] The First Noble Truth is a quality of pervasive dissatisfaction, let's
say. Agitation and discomfort are inevitable. Suffering is inevitable. We're all going
to die. We know it intellectually , yeah sure, I'm going to die. But, tonight?
[00:57:55.10] How do you feel about me going on retreat?
[00:57:57.01]Ummmm I think you’re going to turn into the Unabomber.
[00:58:02.18] Can I have a drink on my tab?
[00:58:04.02] My teacher used to always say "Listen to the sound of sadness and the
heightened resonance of laughter."
[00:58:15.26] Suffering is like that.
[00:58:18.02] I would define suffering as a condition of the mind that involves an
inaccurate perception of reality which leads to disturbance that is in the mind and
the brain and the body.
[00:58:38.13] At times it seemed like I was having a great time. But I was really
depressed really in the back of my mind all the time.
[00:58:49.24] What I call new epidemic is alienation, loneliness, depression,
disconnected feelings. Everything in the kind of pragmatic world, it's all taken care
of. In one's mind, lots of suffering.
[00:59:15.12] The inner experience of my sort of inner engine racing through my day
at its worst can be incredibly painful. I can move into a mode where I feel like I'm
actually perpetuating the problem, like I'm really making it worse, and so I go and I
feel like I'm feeling bad and then I don't want to feel bad so I kind of reject the fact
that I'm feeling bad which means I'm not really being present with what I'm really
feeling which is feeling bad. And then in the meanwhile I don't want anybody on the
48
outside to know that I'm suffering. So I try to keep a really cool look "Okay,
everything's fine, you know, there's no problem."
[00:59:52.04] So, you know, I've got my children and my wife and my colleagues that
I work with and not to mention people that are sharing the road with me as I race
down the street in my car feeling this way.
[01:00:02.20][Two screenings on one night ]
[01:00:08.22] About like 6 months ago I was applying to business school and I just
really couldn't do it and I realized that I really wanted to do something else with
my life.
[01:00:22.20] So I'm going to be gone for five months.
[01:00:25.12] [Background: long black sweater things - body sweater, body sweater,
yeah]
[01:00:28.25] And I'm going to be doing a retreat by myself basically in the
mountains.
[01:00:35.02] I'm going to go before I have kids and a house and a mortgage. I'm
gonna go and really focus on myself before it gets too crazy.
[01:00:44.08] For human beings it's very good to understand subtle discontentment in
every moment.
[01:00:51.19] That's the whole quality of suffering that we all have.
[01:00:58.18] And so when Dharma says "Everything is suffering" it's that that you
are looking at .
[01:01:08.06](music)No I want to sing a song I know the words to.
[01:01:15.17] The combination of speed, of instant gratification, it's very painful and
all my struggles up to that point and even today deal with the fact that I want things
to be fixed in a certain way.
[01:01:32.13] You're entitled to be happy all the time, I mean that's the fundamental
message of America , I think, the American dream. If you get more, you'll be
happier. If you get different, you'll be happier. And that if you're not happy
something's wrong and we can fix it. We'll fix it with a product, we'll fix it with
medication, we'll fix it with entertainment.
[01:01:55.18] The expectation that if we just try harder we can hit the pleasure button,
you know, and we'll get the M&M that's going to fall down the chute. It really is very
compelling way to spend one's day, you know, from one thing to the next.
[01:02:14.29] And it's not okay to be restless, to be empty, to be bored, to be sad,
to be angry, it's just not okay.
49
[01:02:25.24] I've been in this place. I say you only you focus to yourself and your
suffering and your suffering is the most biggest in the whole world wide. We have a
thousand people dying by hunger, but you don't see that as suffering. Definitely is
focus to your ego. Who taught that? Buddha Shakyamuni taught that . In his
teachings. You want to reduce your emotion , then reduce your ego.
[01:02:57.23] This is my 16th year at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics. The first
10 years I really struggled.
[01:03:05.27] All these studies they're like an analytical meditation where we have to
go through - we analyze we analyze , like how does that apply? and how does that
really work? And, you just totally apply it to your own life. There's just no way
around it.
[01:03:21.10] All the difficulties I went through, I mean of course there were a lot of
external circumstances like when my classmates didn't treat me the way I wanted to.
In the end it was really my self -grasping attitude that was in my way, I mean , it was
like I got angry and yeah, it was totally that. So my main obstacle has always been
self- grasping mind.
[01:03:44.07] I'm my own biggest obstacle is what it comes down to, you know. It
gets discouraging, you know, especially when I first started learning Tibetan and it's
hard and I'm just like "No one understands me" and you know, whatnot...the
wandering brains and my thoughts and everything - you know, it's just me, you
know.
[01:04:01.28] It's just like so much preciousness in your life, then any small scratch,
any small thing, may be a small hindrance, you cannot take it, you want to preserve
"me" perfectly. But there’s no perfect.
[01:04:22.16] And I think the culture has grown so much into emphasizing “Your
needs, your life, your fulfillment “ over anything and everything being served.
[01:04:39.17] And then we have suffering because it doesn't work. Because you have
impermanence and the "me " program never quite works. It never works out.
[01:04:48.18] If only we realize that all compounded things are impermanent we
would not shop as much as we are shopping now. And because of that the earth is
going down the hill. Ecology has a problem. World is going crazy because of the
economy. And all because, we forget .
[01:05:27.18] In this culture, we don't want to talk so much about the impermanent
reality.
[01:05:34.07] So, all talking about solid reality.
[01:05:36.19] [Investors also poured into gold which rose 61 dollars Monday to hit
a record of more than 1700 dollars ]
50
[01:05:45.28] We think world is permanent, beautiful, something but then, it's not
like that.
[01:06:06.08] So our minds have a natural tendencies that you like to go into black
and white. It's not really black and white.
[01:06:21.02] Things are not the way they seem. And that's the basic issue, that's
what Buddhism is all about: things are not what they seem.
[01:06:31.29]Okay
[01:06:35.02] I’m going to give you a big virtual hug.
[01:06:37.19][Ohhh, Virtual hug]
[01:06:39.20] And then I'm like incommunicado on Sunday.
[01:06:44.19] [Okay, be sure you got that]
[01:06:45.19] Okay, yeah.
[01:07:12.16] How do we get happy now? That's the Third Noble Truth.
[01:07:18.03] Some people say, "Oh, Buddha never spoke of happiness." But the
whole Four Noble Truths is about the absence of happiness and how to get rid of that,
so what do you get in the end? Genuine happiness.
[01:07:54.07] There's certain moments as a practitioner, there are times that I can feel
very....very, very good, very very free somehow, very free.
[01:08:07.25] Enlightenment, I don't know, I don't know.
[01:08:14.09] There’s view and then of course practice that's why Buddhism was very
important like that….
[01:08:22.10] The seed of happiness is to completely let go of the attachment to the
ego.
[01:08:29.21] And it seems a little contradictory to find happiness for oneself by
forgetting oneself.
[01:08:43.26] It seems to let go of that attachment would be absolute joy.
[01:08:52.11] And then you already received all the blessings.
[01:08:56.15] The inner work that you do if you really engage with the Dharma, I
believe strongly now, that that is true happiness, it comes from within you. It
genuinely comes down to how you are and how you see the world and how you
choose to respond. And you have your episodes, and explosions and revert back to
the past but you get a way of looking at that.
51
[01:09:35.13] I'm assuming that enlightenment is when you are absolutely free from
all kinds of fixation, obsession, paranoia, judgement.
[01:09:53.10] That stuff is extraneous to who we are. Do you know what I mean? So
whatever it is that is extraneous falls away, there's this natural way of being.
[01:10:49.18] The most amazing miracle, the best fun that we should not miss...in this
journey called human life is actually that - coming across this extraordinary openness
inside you, the sudden realization in which everything is suddenly clear.
[01:11:24.20] We do experience this all the time. It's the quality of just being present
in our body, right now. The point of meditating is to notice them.
[01:11:51.26] I'm in this cell block with 5 cells, 2 men to a cell and it's just chaos radios and tv and yelling and screaming and fights. I couldn't sleep. I was having
nightmares. My mind was constantly racing through all these scenarios of how I
couldn't have gotten caught and what I could have done...my mind was just crazy.
[01:12:13.01] But I was sitting. I remember one night I would say I'd been sitting
probably 4 or 5 hours, and my mind just kind of stabilized in a very powerful way.
Even at that moment there was just absolute chaos. But my mind wasn't moving. My
mind wasn't being moved or drawn to any of it . And at that moment, there was a
tremendous sense of confidence that arose, that no matter how difficult this prison
journey was going to be, that I could do it.
[01:12:49.18] Buddha himself actually said, when he was asked what is way to the
Enlightenment, he said "Meditation."
[01:13:01.23] In the beginning, you might like to pay attention to breath. Simply
notice that you’re breathing in and breathing out.
[01:13:17.05] And whenever you notice yourself thinking, whenever you realize it,
label that as thinking, but then gently bring your attention back to your breathing.
[01:13:29.27] So you can close your eye, open eyes, doesn't matter .
[01:13:36.09] You get space or not space doesn't matter, you let go. You say now
I'm going to think spaciousness, rest there like that , that's it.
[01:13:46.17] The meditation practice develops then you see the Buddha’s teaching
become alive.
[01:13:52.11] The spacious around you becomes a whole like universe space - like
looking to your blue sky.
52
[01:14:00.06] In Sanskrit one of the translations of the word meditation is
familiarization. Virtually all forms of meditation involve the meditator becoming
more familiar with her or his own mind.
[01:14:12.27] Why does my mind work that way when I could - wait, what do I have
to do to change it so it's not making that same mistake over and over again, getting
me into trouble and making things lousy.
[01:14:24.11] I know when I do this other thing, things get better and things are
expansive and I'm happier and everyone else around me seems to be happier. So, just
literally mind-training .
[01:14:39.08] It's a practice. And I think it's a really good word for it .
[01:14:57.08] Over and over again, daily.
[01:15:03.05] The more you do it your mind and your body literally like it… like
food, like oxygen. And look forward to it.
[01:15:19.21] The reason why I'm in this path and why I wake up everyday and I
think about meditation and I think about sitting and I actually do it is because this
very moment I want it to be one of openness.
[01:15:38.12] You sit for 10 minutes a day, that's great, you sit for 30 minutes a day,
that's great, you sit for an hour a day, that's great. What if you sit for 3 months?
[01:15:56.18] I don't know how the "me" that was (like) in New York in a great
apartment, going out every night, smoking, drinking, whatever....I don't know how
that person had enough "chutzpah" - I don't know - something - to be like "I'm
leaving everything I know."
[01:16:18.03] In the beginning it’s very tumultuous, usually.
[01:16:23.18] It's like you can't relax with more than 10 percent of your mind. So
you're kind of still managing your experiences. Then after some time you can
experience maybe 20 percent. It's like you relax a little bit more. Then maybe 30
percent. And then you go through periods that are very, very difficult.
[01:16:47.19] Sometimes after a while you can just completely relax and let - it
doesn't matter what - happen.
[01:17:05.21] I just came in from the snowstorm, and that's my teapot going off - and,
I'm going to make lunch now.
[01:17:17.18] We think again we're leaving life but I really think the point of practice
is to engage our life. But I think when we're busy we don't actually engage our life.
So we need to actually sit down and be with our mind in this intimate kind of way.
53
[01:17:32.28] There's no external input, you know, there's nobody there, there's no
guy not looking at you in the right way. There's no approval or disapproval from
your boss, there's no, parents to say anything. And for me for the first three weeks, I
just cried.
[01:17:57.12] I had everything I could possibly need. It was just me. And yet I was
in despair.
[01:18:14.01] But I've realized that the source of all my pain and suffering comes
from inside. And it comes from my mind. And that's the same for everybody. And
that means that we all do so much unnecessary suffering.
[01:18:42.09] You know if you can show that short term, four, eight weeks, half an
hour a day, already makes significant change in your heart, in preventing depression,
so this is a great service. And then much longer - 10,000, 50,000 hours of
meditation, there are deep changes in your brain, the functioning of your brain.
[01:19:09.18] When we examine these long-term practitioners, we do see that their
brains are different in from the get go.
[01:19:19.23] With these long term practitioners, it's just a kind of stable bedrock of
equanimity.
[01:19:27.10] There's a kind of panoramic awareness where you're able to just take in
the large presence of the moment.
[01:19:48.10] For me from the point of view of practicing all of this, it's how
naturally and easily can I continue to let go and let go and let go and open up to what
I'm really feeling without judgment, without some big story, without some big
effort.
[01:20:50.06] Then people might consider more seriously our bringing this in a
secular way as His Holiness recommends. In education.
[01:21:05.02] In jails
[01:21:06.04] (So I'm going to play you the beginning of the chanting).
[01:21:10.00] All kinds of professional situations.
[01:21:18.03] Where my practice is meeting my professional life more and more
even with my most anxious clients, just being there and helping them breathe.
[01:21:28.11] (This shows you definitely have enough so let's prioritize things that
give you joy in the present moment rather than trying to build more for the future
that may never come.)
[01:21:37.10] So it's very powerful for Western people because you don't have to
turn away from your life to realize the teachings. You have to turn towards your life.
[01:21:53.15] Ah, my life right now is, you know, like "Bees Knees", right ?
[01:22:01.06]I guess part of it is that I'm comfortable with it now.
54
[01:22:10.06] If you stick with it eventually something, something's going to happen.
If something's not happening then you have to do the reflection, like "Yo, what's
going on?"
[01:22:23.21] You know, there's not too much other things (you know ) that
complicates life at least at this point.
[01:22:31.25] I'm just doing what I want to do.
[01:23:12.06] Today on the occasion of the IBD Rima Geshe graduation ceremony I
would like to take the opportunity to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart.
This event I feel is an invaluable symbol of educational privilege and opportunity for
women. And I greatly appreciate the opening of this new door for women who have
completed their studies in Buddhist philosophy.
[01:23:48.00] Happiness is kind of a, a funny word or loaded word, but for like the
last 9 years of my time in prison my abiding state of mind became one of tremendous
cheerfulness and joy which was kind of bizarre, I had to keep it to myself.
[01:24:05.21] Kind of the burden of our whole "me" thing kind of dissipates or falls
away altogether at least for a second or two. And, we're just there. And, there's no
problem.
[01:24:21.28] One thing I'll say is that all the hospice training in the world doesn't
prepare us to lose our loved ones.
[01:24:29.16] I often joke, that you got through the floodlights and the watchdogs
and everything and we still found our way to each other.
[01:24:38.24] Most of us keep all these little defenses up or these little parts of
ourselves that, you know, "you can't go there, Dharma, that's my territory. " Denise
couldn't do that . When she found out she was faced with dying, she just let it in.
[01:24:51.16]Anger and fear will absolutely do you no good.
[01:25:02.03] For the last several months our home just became a retreat center and a
practice community.
[01:25:23.07] Denise died in 2008, September 3rd. When you see it in these kind of
"rubber meets the road" situations, you really get this tremendous confidence in how
powerful the Dharma is, how transformative it is.
[01:26:06.20] So when I started I knew that some transformation would take place. I
had no idea the depth to which. I think what happens is, you break down what seems
real and what is real. And what I think you get to, or try to get to, is that the only
thing that's real is that you're aware. By far what you give up is absolutely no
55
comparison to what you gain. It's like - completely pales in comparison. Even though
my hair was pretty.
[01:27:08.01] Mommie.
[01:27:14.21] I really think Dharma helps people.
[01:27:17.05] Daddy.
Baby.
[01:27:20.10] Actually helps them in their lives
[01:27:23.00] I'm so happy that you're all here. It's so sweet of you to come.
[01:27:28.15] Imagine that a cure for suffering has been found. And think for a
minute what a big deal that is .
[01:27:39.18] This may be the time in which Buddhadharma can do the greatest good.
And also the time when there is the greatest need.
[01:27:48.04] Because it actually gives us skillful means by which we can transform
our own suffering and increase our capacity to stay present in a world that may
become much more challenging.
[01:28:09.28] What's really needed is relatively realized people - at whatever level of
realization- out in the world showing up and being helpful.
[01:28:41.29] I think the future of Buddhism is really in the West.
[01:28:48:00] Future teacher. Future teacher. Future teacher. Future teacher. Future
teacher .
[01:28:52.01] Dharma is a healing path not a fixing path, (you know ) and a healing
path, I think, has more to do with our ability to bear witness.
[01:29:08.12] Bodhicitta is you’re acting, thinking, selflessly for others.
[01:29:14.16] Whatever I'm struggling with, you know, the magic of knowing that
you can transform that moment.
[01:29:22.21] The person who cuts you off on the freeway and the grocery clerk
who's kind of chomping her gum and ignoring you when you say "hi". You just have
no idea .
[01:29:31.29] It's not mere compassion. it's like a kind of energy of compassion that
spreads out and kind of influences people, and things change.
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[01:29:48.26] If you have more love, it's better. If you have healthy love, even better.
If you have compassion, that's better for you , better for others. If you have an insight
that when your conflict comes inside of you, you know how to let it go that's also a
good thing.
[01:30:06.15] This is Buddhism coming to the West and we should rejoice in our
good fortune. And we should probably do something with that good fortune.
[01:30:49.09] The only remedy to me in a sort of global level and an individual level
is this new revolution of a care, (you know) interdependent care.
[01:31:08.17] And that revolution could possibly save one's own life.
[01:31:19.17] And we as a human being, can save the planet.
[01:31:27.07] We are forced to be enlightened. Otherwise it would drive us crazy.
[01:31:37.12] From now on I will ask you to sit now and then in silence and ask this
question: "Am I ready to let go of everything?"