23 It Is Never Too Soon To Cultivate Bodhicitta

Olaso. So this afternoon we turn to the culmination of this whole series of discursive meditations we’ve been doing in the afternoon starting with self directed loving kindness, moving right on through to the extraordinary resolve, [Tibetan 00:22] and now bodhichitta. And when we listen to the definition of it, it sounds like it’s very religious, very esoteric, very abstract frankly to achieve perfect enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. I’d like to just bring this right back down to the ground, right down to the root, to our fundamental desire, most basic desire, primitive, primal desire. Desire we share with, in common with all sentient beings, and that is if we’re suffering, especially if it’s blatant, it’s evident, that’s the first thing that catches our attention, in my experience anyway. If I’m really in pain physically or mentally that’s what captures my attention more than anything else, and I want it to go away. Yeah, so I think I have a lot of company.

[01:16] But then imagine you know, it’s one of those surges, one of those upheavals of pain or suffering, mental suffering that arises, and like a wave imagine it comes up but then it does subside and I get my wish, I was suffering and now I’m okay again. There’s this nice phrase in Tibetan [Tibetan 01:35] which means, whew. That’s what it is, [Tibetan] is your breath, as [Tibetan] is - whew releasing. So if you’re suffering we tend to contract, don’t we. When we’re suffering, fight or flight, but we contract and we may hold the breath, we’re feeling like that, you know, and then [deeply exhales]. Relief, it’s a breath of relief. A release of breath of relief, we all know that yeah?

[02:10] But then there’s something nagging at the back of the mind that doesn’t give us satisfaction, I mean I’m just speaking first person here, you see whether it resonates. But I’m not satisfied, the suffering is over, the drama, the climax you know, the big problem is over. But then there’s something nagging in the back of the mind and that is - maybe it will come back. [soft laughter] And maybe it will come back worse. And therefore I’m not really content because it could at any time,and I have so little control over anything that I’m kind of looking around. Where is it going to come from next? You know, so I’m not at ease. I’m ill at ease. Because I don’t feel safe. It’s nice that that bout or that upheaval of suffering or pain is over, but I know I’m vulnerable. I mean we just know that and so I don’t feel at ease, I don’t feel like I can really totally totally relaxed. So I’ve been telling you relax, relax, relax. You might as well tell me I can’t. [laughter] Until you tell me a way to be totally free of suffering in the future as well, then I can relax. Because until then I need to be - as they say in fencing, en guarde [with a French accent]. I need to be careful, I need to watch out. Don’t know where it’s coming from, could be a little old lady, they can be dangerous. They look so innocent on the outside, they can be very dangerous. Never know where it’s coming from.

[03:41] And so that wish to be free of suffering isn’t going to be satisfied, until I don’t have to be anxious anymore, because I don’t want it to come back, right. So there’s one wish.

[03:55] But of course also something happens, especially when the, kind of that blatant suffering subsides and we find out that there’s such a thing as pleasure. Physical pleasure, mental pleasure, and - I like that. I like it. I want it. And then on occasion we get it. You know, whatever seems to give us some pleasure, physical, mental, maybe a combination of both, we get it. Then we’re happy, then I’m happy. I got what I wanted. I wanted some pleasure and I got it. But then there’s again a nagging in the back of the mind. I may lose it. [chuckles] How long can I hold on? Who’s going to take it from me, or will I just get old? How can I hold on to this? I want to keep it? But I’m afraid I can’t. Other people I can see some of you are really getting old, I’m afraid I might one day too. [Laughing] I wouldn’t like that. Because old people don’t have nearly as much fun as young people. [amused laughter] So, I can’t really be happy and at ease, at rest, unless I know I can be happy and not lose it. Because if I lose it, I’m going to be right back to where I was, and I wasn’t happy then. If I’m not happy, then I’m not happy and I’m not getting what I wanted because I got that flavor of - I can be happy but then I don’t have it any more. I want it back. But I don’t want to lose it, right. And I think this is primal. When the Dalai Lama said; our most primal energy or urge, urge, is caring, and then we say well what do you care about? I can say well for starters this.

[05:50] If I’m suffering I care, I can’t help it, I don’t want to suffer and I don’t want it to come back. And if I find some happiness I want to keep it and it actually, I’d like more. I’ve noticed that too. That if I get happiness I see well this is good but maybe it could be better. Maybe it could be a bit better. And I like it better. I like better. And wherever I am I like better. Right? I don’t think I’m alone, right? So there it is, I think we’ve just defined the sentient part of sentient being. And we human beings with our big frontal cortex with our exceptional intelligence, way enormously beyond anything we possibly need for survival and procreation, gives us a lot of imagination about overcoming suffering and finding happiness. We find the great works of architecture, of engineering, of technology, of art, of philosophy, or religion, so many of humanity’s achievements and accomplishments are just showing our incredible ingenuity, our creativity, but it really boils down to one thing or two things, freedom of suffering.

[07:02] So Francis Bacon, one of the great giants of the scientific revolution, together with Descartes, with Galileo, Kepler and others. But Francis Bacon was actually not a scientist, he was an, he was in law, in the law, but actually a very deep philosopher and a very creative thinker about this new philosophy, this experimental philosophy that was coming up, which we call science. He was, his ideas were very influential, the New Atlantis, he envisioned what could, he saw something was happening. He saw something was happening, like a Steve Jobs who thought you know, computers might catch on. Or the next one I’ve been hearing in the wind and I think it’s probably true, virtual reality might just catch on, might just catch on. Might, it might just turn out to be the greatest escape that human beings have ever invented for themselves, to escape from a reality they don’t like to go into a completely make believe one that seems incredibly real. So in any case Francis Bacon was one of those, he saw this could catch on, this natural philosophy, this experimental philosophy. And then he was envisioning - what’s it good for. Why should we do it? Because he was a deep thinker and he thought a lot about this and I must say I think he was in many respects quite an admirable thinker. He like everybody else of his generation, all the pioneers of modern science, were all Christian. They’re all Christian. And by and large pretty devout. Descartes, Galileo, Kepler, theologian. Kepler was a theologian, Copernicus was a theologian, they were pretty religious, they were very religious people.

[08:33] Newton was very religious. And so this is a major drive going on there and so Francis Bacon, also. And to cut it short here, he envisioned what could this natural philosophy, this experimental philosophy be good for? And he said well, and I’m paraphrasing here, there are great scholars of Francis Bacon and I’m not one of them. But what I recall from my reading was - we suffer a lot because of nature, from plagues, from drought, from famine, from just natural catastrophes, acts of God, but just nature. Nature was not a warm and cuddly place that you know that you cordoned off and you go and watch the deer. Nature was a place with wolves and scary things, it was threatening. And that was in Europe let alone when the Europeans came over to North America. Then it was really pretty scary. And he said; you know the more we can understand about the natural world, the more we can protect ourselves from it. We can feel safe, safer than we have in the past. And moreover we may use this new natural philosophy to find greater happiness. And of course what he meant by that was exactly hedonic happiness because he like all his Christian fellows didn’t look to science for eudaimonia, they already had Christianity for heaven’s sakes. They had fifteen hundred years of Christianity, that’s a long track record of emphasis on eudaimonia, which had, at least since the time of Augustine, was a very important theme in Christian theology, adopted from the Greeks. And so there it was, it was a rather lofty vision that we should use this what we call nowadays science, we should use this for the benefit of humanity, that we can be freerer from suffering find greater happiness. And he meant exactly hedonia.

[10:15] Because for religion they were covered, they didn’t need to invent a new religion they had one they considered was perfectly fine as it was. But they were suffering in the hedonia part, you know. And bear in mind this was also, I think it’s easy to forget, this was right in the middle of this, this psychosis of the witch hunting era from fourteen hundred to 1750, right in the middle of that. Where it was really terrifying a lot of people. If you have a mother, you have an aunt, you have a wife, you have a daughter and they display some unusual ability - be afraid, be afraid. It was tens of thousands perhaps hundreds of thousands of women, you know, executed because of they suspected, and better safe than sorry, kill them. Because it’s probably demonic possession, you know. In the midst of that, to the notion of disenchanting nature, which Descartes did and Newton did very very well, of just giving us a nice clean slate on the outside world, of matter and motion. Following law like activity, which like - whoa if that’s all it is, okay it’s still a scary place and there are still earthquakes and hurricanes and drought and famine but we can get on top of that, and science can help. But man when there are demons out there, how does science help that? How do we protect ourselves from that? I think it was freaking them out, that’s my interpretation. Freaking out a lot of people, and that was for a lot of Europe and of course it went over to America. I don’t think Australia got much of this, maybe none. No, you were fortunate. But we got a bit of it in the early 17th century in North America. So there it is.

[11:54] Well coming back then, science is a response. All of science is a response and I think it is now in the 21st century, even though theology is kind of pretty much unhinged from science, and so forth. Science still, is still a noble attempt, in many many ways to free us from suffering, to protect us from suffering and to enable us to find greater hedonic well being. That’s good, that’s good, I have no criticism, at all, nothing, I’m grateful. I find this a very useful, but a kind of nuisance sometimes, but my cell phone - yes useful, I like.

[12:26] And so we come back to this basic desire. I want to be free from suffering and not have to be anxious about the future. And that is I want to be continue to be free of suffering and I want to find happiness. And what happiness I find I want to keep. I don’t want to be anxious about losing it. And I’m afraid I will. But it’s not only that, I want to be happier. I don’t know that that’s common for all sentient beings but I think it is common for many many human beings, and I’m certainly one of them. So now, I think I’m going to ask a very deep question. Which I don’t think is asked very often. Why? Why? Why do we have this aspiration? If we look into evolutionary biology we come up with two motivations, survive and procreate. Again I would say, why? What’s the big deal? You survive, you don’t survive, you’re not going to survive after a while anyway. It’s a lost cause. So why do you want to survive longer? We’re only talking about years or decades here. So what’s the big deal? You die when you’re 20, you die when you’re 15, you die when you’re 90, what’s the big deal? You’re going to die anyway. So why this lust for life? This sometimes monumental drive to survive, to battle cancer, to battle the odds, to overcome great adversity and survive. We’ve seen countless narratives of individuals and communities who just show staggering courage to survive, right. Why? They’re going to die anyway. What’s the big deal?

[14:05] And to procreate? Well okay, but what’s the big deal? I mean how many species would really care if all of the human beings suddenly vanished? [laughter] And I thought about it and what I came up with, dogs. [laughter] Not cats. I don’t think they would, they would say - oh no food, I’ll handle it. I’m on it. They go feral about overnight, you know, but your, I saw one of these dogs, my stepdaughter has one, they’re little puff ball of fur. Have you seen this one out there? You know this one cannot survive on their own. It’s a little puff ball, it looks like a toy, you would be looking for a key on the back of it. I saw one today they’re incredibly cute but they don’t quite look like they’re even canine. They look like they’re fur that walks around in a really cute way. [laughter] That little creature will not survive on its own. And so if the woman who owns that dog dies, that creature will be very sad. Because food suddenly has vanished and that little dog, that’s about the end of its hunting instincts. [laughter] When they die you know, they’re going to be out, that will be it. So dogs will miss us. But all the other creatures, I think they would all phew [deep exhalation] thank goodness they’re finally gone! Really, I’m serious, you know. All of them will breathe a sigh of relief if we’re gone. We think our presence here is pretty important but I don’t think any of the other species except for little poodles and you know, the cocker spaniels and so forth. They’ll miss us, but then they won’t survive. So they won’t miss us for long. You know, then they’ll be gone they’ll go extinct, you know But why? Why?

[15:57] [Alan exhales] Why do we wish to perpetuate? Why do we wish to keep it going? It’s not all that pleasant. Aging, sickness and death is no fun. So why, where’s it coming from? The desire to be happy. Where did it come from in the first place? I can easily imagine evolution taking place with no feelings, just a program, just a program. Food, go after it, eat. Suffering, run away. No feelings at all, I can imagine that. That’s a program, you can program robots to do that you don’t have to give them feelings. Give them a program. If something endangers them have them fight back or run. That’s a program. They don’t need any feelings for that. So what do we need feelings for? And I just don’t see any answer in evolutionary biology. Why we should have feelings, or some are even asking why do you have to be even conscious? A robot doesn’t have to be conscious to get by. Just program it. It doesn’t need to be conscious. All it needs to do is respond to stimuli, unconsciously, mindlessly. Robots can do that. No need to introduce either consciousness nor feelings. But we have both. All sentient beings have both. And so I just do not see an adequate explanation looking purely at biology. Why any species would want to perpetuate itself or survive, except - we just do. But that’s not an answer, that’s just observing something that’s there but it gives no explanatory power. So very briefly, I have tremendous admiration, respect for Darwin and for Alfred Russel Wallace, the co-discoverer, developer of the theory of evolution powerful, great explanatory power, that’s what it’s good for. Great explanatory power to understand us as humans, as homo sapien sapiens, in our animal nature. Because if you look at our bodies then we’re definitely primates. We rather look like naked chimps, probably not as attractive as them from their perspective. But nevertheless you know [chuckles] it’s all relative right?

[18:09] Those tall skinny naked chimpanzees, they’re just disgusting, let alone when they get old then it’s really disgusting. [laughter] I think an old chimp looks much better than an old human being. Don’t you think so? When was the last time you saw a pot bellied chimp? When? Really? [laughs] You know they tend to keep their figure pretty well. In any case, in terms of our animal nature we certainly know we have a lot in common with other primates, other mammals, other warm blooded creatures, and then other animals of all kinds. A lot in common. But I just do not see evolutionary biology providing any, having any explanatory power. Really, at all. To explain what is utterly distinctive and unique about our species. Our intelligence for starters. I’ve spoken with world class biologists they’ve never given me any explanation that was satisfying. Why do we have so much more intelligence than we possibly need? I mean we’re talking about orders upon orders upon orders of magnitude. The intelligence, the creativity, our powers for virtue, our capacity for virtue, for selflessness, so okay you’ve explained this in animals but I’m sorry that’s not the whole story. Get real. So now we ask the question again. Why do we care? And I’m going to give a hypothesis.

[19:31] Buddha nature. It’s a buddhist term, okay, how about pristine awareness? How about primordial consciousness? That that’s the source, that’s the root, that’s the fundamental ground of both and they’re inextricably intertwined and non dual. Consciousness and caring. We are aware of ourselves, our environment, and we care. And I think it’s wisdom and method. And it’s right there in the buddha nature. And I think that’s the source. It’s the only source that actually makes sense to me. It has explanatory power, and of course all sentient beings have it. But we human beings, especially human beings having a precious, fully endowed human life, with the eight types of leisure, the ten types of endowment. Then we are able to really fully manifest that which is distinctive and magnificent, and tremendously high potential about being a human being. That we can use this exceptional intelligence, this imagination, our ability to pass on lineage of knowledge, twenty, you know, two thousand years old, 2500 years old, three thousand years old, actually able to pass that on from generation to generation. Chimpanzees don’t do that, dolphins don’t do that. No other species does that. This conveying of culture of knowledge, of heritage, of wisdom, and learning and having the potential to grow from generation to generation and from decade to decade, individual life.

[21:06] So if we consider that as a working hypothesis, this is actually not just some theological belief. I’ve never actually heard some, maybe I have, I can’t even remember. Whether I’ve heard some lama say this is the source. But I think it’s kind of obvious it is. But now to turn that into something empirical, something that we can actually put to the test of experience, make useful, and not just have an abstract religious belief. Let’s imagine that’s the case, working hypothesis, imagine that. That the very root of our desire to be free of suffering and to remain free of suffering which is to say to find liberation from suffering and its causes. And the desire to find happiness and greater happiness and will continue to want greater happiness until there is no possibility of anything higher. And not want to lose it. Because who wants to go on a big vacation and then just be broke at the end of the day? That’s not satisfying. So we want a level of happiness that just opens so it can’t be any higher. And we don’t want to lose it, I think that’s built in. that’s primal, that’s right there in our fundamental desire for happiness, those two.

[22:10] But of course we’re not, none of us human beings and many other warm blooded creatures as well, are not just after our own well being. It’s normal for human beings to care about at least some other human beings. It’s normal. It’s actually, there’s a biological imperative. Mothers, most mothers don’t have much choice about whether they care for their children. There are some deviants, some you know, they may have serious problems, but they don’t care. But we all know parents, mothers especially, but parents, fathers, often, I think it’s more normal than not. Naturally, spontaneously, effortlessly care deeply about their children’s well being, that they’re free of suffering, that they find happiness. And it’s not at all uncommon as we all know for parents to be willing to make major sacrifices of their own well being for the sake of their children. Nobody raises their eyebrows and says - oh how amazing. It happens so often that we think well they’re really good parents. But no nobel prize, they’re just really good parents. And not only for one’s children but for one’s loved ones. It could be very dear friends, spouse, partner, mate, very common. Love of parents is not universal but it’s common. Siblings, especially in traditional cultures the strong sense of the identification with, the affinity, the sense of my family, including extended family. Mexico one hundred years ago, I think. Yeah, Mexico 100 years, extended family, the big houses, and having, this is the family, this is the family and auntie is taking care of the kids, and here’s. That was common, that wasn’t just Mexico. It was Tibet, it was everywhere. You know big houses. Not because they’re all rich, but they consider probably three generations will live there, right.

[24:10] And so the sense of kinship, and the sense of your blood family, your biological family, but then also in tough environments like Tibet, a tough place to live, you know. High altitude and all of that. I’ve know many many Tibetans who were raised in Tibet and this sense of identity with, kinship with the people of your village, from your region, very strong, very strong. So you’re from Kham, yeah but from what part of Kham. Oh well I’m from [Tibetan town 24:40] ah my uncle is from [Tibetan town 24:43]. You’re from that region of Kham. Very common. Strong identity oh, you can tell that immediately, oh but we speak the same dialect. We don’t just speak the Kham dialect we speak [Tibetan 24:56] dialect. And then we know. I think in England for a long time, still to some extent, still the same. You know the town, you might even know what part of the city. If it’s London you know what part of the city, and there’s a kinship there, right. And so this is all biological. But now as his Holiness Dalai Lama has said, and I think it’s so, so important and deep and true. And that is - all right we have a biological imperative for the great majority of us, to care for someone beyond ourselves, okay, beyond ourselves, it could be also for our pets, our livestock, our flock, our, you know, that also. To a certain extent, then to our, the sentient beings we own or are taking care of or are in charge of family, livestock, of course women were regarded as possessions for a very long time, they still are in some parts of the globe. It’s biological.

[25:52] But then there’s a point where biology stops. It’s where, you’re not part of my region. You’re not part of my group. You’re on the other side, right. And now that natural, spontaneous effortless, biological imperative of caring, has now tapered off. And if the other side threatens my side, me, or anything I identify with, my possessions, my herds, my family, my, then let alone empathy, uh sorry, here’s my gun. Get out of the way or die. That’s normal, and chimpanzees do it, wolves do it, we share that. And so as the Dalai Lama has said okay the biological goes this far and then it stops. It just goes cold, right. Because there’s the other side and the other side may be a threat, probably will be sooner or later. When food gets scarce, oil runs out, water runs out, natural resources run out, medicine runs out. So that’s the story of humanity. So his Holiness has commented then - where does dharma come in? And dharma comes in where we take that natural urge, that natural flow of caring that comes effortlessly and it is which is biologically conditioned, and then here’s a phrase you’ve heard of before, break down the barriers. It goes this far, but then it stops. Okay, well then start practicing loving kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, equanimity, and start breaking down the barriers. You’re a demolition crew. To break down the barriers of my side and your side until my side is just getting bigger and bigger and bigger, until all the barriers are down and then it’s all my side. Not mine as in I’m the most important, it’s just that there’s no other. That we’re all family, and we’re all of the same family. I’m in charge but this is my family, right.

[27:52] And that’s where this immeasurable loving kindness and compassion comes in, the barriers are down. And dharma does that, biology won’t get us there. There’s no evidence it’s even moving us in that direction. Biology says it’s fine, the barriers are just fine, take care of your side. But Dharma says, the boundaries are artificial, and they are not conducive to your well being. If you want to find, if you want to satisfy, if you want to satisfy that primal desire to be free of suffering and to remain free of suffering, and that primal desire to find happiness, keep it and find more, then this is not a good strategy. I mean history has proven it. This doesn’t work out very well. These strong demarcations, my side your side, look at the history of Europe. It’s a history of warfare. Including now, right. It’s a history of warfare and all based on my side, your side. We’re Danes, we’re not Muslims. We’re English, we’re not anybody else. [laughs and laughter] We are English, I say that, I say that with affinity, I’ve got a lot of English blood in me. But there it is.

[29:10] So coming back to bodhichitta, we have to wrap this up. Bodhichitta seems, I’m really going to be coldly analytical now. Bodhichitta seems the logical conclusion of our primal desire. If you’re serious you want to actually fulfill it, what Tsongkhapa call the eternal longing [Tibetan 29:33] of the Lam-tso nam-sum , Three Principles of the Path. Fulfill your eternal longing, my child. You remember it? It’s right towards the end. Fulfill your eternal longing, my child. Brings tears to the eyes, because he totally nails it. This is your eternal longing. You’ve always wanted to be free of suffering and forever free of suffering and we call that liberation. We call that moksha, we call that nirvana. And you’ve always wanted to be happy, but happier and happier until there is no upper limit and you never want to lose it. And that’s called bodhi, and that’s called awakening. Whew.

[30:14] But we already sense even biologically that none of us exist as an island, none of us is independent. We know that on some level maybe on many levels. In which case just following the straight logic of it, if I want to be free and I want to find such fulfillment, it makes no sense logically to pursue this for the sake of myself alone, because I don’t exist alone. Never have, never can. My very being here, right down to the core of being a sentient being, right down to the core of the buddha nature is non dual from everybody else’s buddha nature. [inhales] So has to take into account everybody else. And that means literally everybody else. There can’t be demarcations even my solar system and your solar system. My galaxy your galaxy. Increase that technology as we’ve seen in science fiction and you’ll have galactic warfare. The andromeda versus the milky, way you know. That’s awful. [chuckles] Damn you Andromedans! And of course they just ridicule us, you know like we are all eating milky ways. Stupid, hedonic chocolate fanatics, you milky way stupid, stupid people.

[31:38] But one can imagine, you know, just imagine hedonic going [sound] galactic and then you have galactic warfare, we’ve that in science fiction. Only thing that’s preventing us is we don’t have enough technology yet to starting intergalactic warfare. We would though if we get a chance. Because they probably won’t even look like us. Terrible. So bodhichitta then, number one, for our own well being, for our own sake, to achieve complete and irreversible freedom from suffering and its causes. And to achieve the highest possible, that is to say - boundless sense of well being that is absolutely fulfilling, that comes only at the realization of dharmakaya. You will not be satisfied until you’ve come there. You won’t be satisfied even if you achieve nirvana, something will stir you, you won’t be satisfied. Something will stir you, you’re not finished. So if you want to take that primal desire and actually fulfill it, well dharmakaya is the only thing that will do it. But of course then you’re not alone, because we do care about others, we can’t help it. And it’s only a matter of where the boundaries are drawn. But you know, it goes out. And so if we wake up to the fact that the boundaries are all artificial and we will find our own fulfillment if and only if all those boundaries dissolve, and the sense of caring goes out unimpededly in all directions, then we’ll be satisfied, fully satisfied only with the realization of sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya. And that is to be effortlessly able to serve all sentient beings until they are all free and each one’s brought to enlightenment. And our fundamental desire won’t be fulfilled until we’ve realized the three bodies, dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, nirmanakaya. Until then we’ll still be restless.

[33:34] So I see bodhichitta is not just kind of like some little thing of Mahayana Buddhism, some peculiar little religious thing, I see it as primal, fundamental, cosmic. So when Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey was teaching us I remember early on I saw the enormity of it, I mean it’s kind of obvious - I’m going to achieve perfect enlightenment of a buddha for the sake of all sentient beings, I saw the enormity of that. And it’s rooted in this absolute reversal of caring for others more than oneself. And I was intimidated by it. I just thought this was so high, I don’t think I’m ready for that. And Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey said; Never too soon. Never too soon to cultivate bodhichitta. Do not think it’s too high. Start cultivating it today. Take the bodhisattva precepts now. You’ll never regret it. And it’s never too soon. Because this is the only ticket out of town. [laughter] The only ticket out of samsara. That completely and irreversibly frees. Never too soon. Olaso. That’s my little introduction to bodhichitta. Let’s cultivate it. This will be a guided meditation. [class readies for meditation]

[35:40] Meditation bell rings three times.

[35:57] With the aspiration of bodhichitta, and applying that to practice in engaged bodhichitta, let this be your motivation for settling your body, speech, and mind in their natural state.

[37:43] Let’s draw on now, our ride with the momentum, by catching a wave, ride with the momentum of the prior cultivation of the Four Immeasurables, great compassion, great loving kindness, great joy, great equanimity, right up to and including the extraordinary resolve to free all sentient beings without exception from all suffering and the causes of suffering and to bring each one to their own sublime, perfect fulfilment. Right there on the edge, it’s right there on the cusp of bodhichitta. But if we make a promise we must have some clear idea if we’re to take it seriously, for anyone to take it seriously, there must be some strategy. How are you going to do it? That’s quite a large pledge you’ve just made. So how could you possibly carry through with that resolve? And the answer is evident. There is only one perspective from which that can be a realistic resolve and that is the perspective of our own buddha nature. And there is only one manner in which that can be taken seriously and brought to its culmination and that is to fully unveil our own buddha nature and manifestly realize perfect awakening, as a means to carrying out that pledge.

[40:07] As we explicitly bring forth bodhichitta I invite you to bring to mind the first of the four questions in our initial loving kindness practice, and that is what is your vision? What is your vision of your highest well being? Your greatest possible fulfilment from within? And consider that that may be realized if and only if, you fully realize your own mind as dharmakaya. The fulfilment, the perfection of your own self interest, your own welfare. Envision it. Aspire for it.

[41:46] And then bring to mind if you will, the fourth of the four questions in that initial motivation, and that is, what would you most love to bring to the world? And consider that there cannot possibly be any finer offering, than to relieve all sentient beings, every sentient being from suffering and its causes irreversibly, and to bring each one along the path and to the culmination of the path, of their greatest joy, their greatest fulfilment, their perfect awakening. And arouse this aspiration.

[43:39] So I would suggest that the most sublime aspiration for our own well being that can be conceived is the aspiration to fully realize the mind of a buddha, one who is perfectly awakened, and the most sublime conceivable aspiration for the sake of others is this extraordinary resolve. What could be higher than that? And then to explicitly arouse this aspirational bodhichitta then unite these two aspirations into one. The most perfect of all aspirations, and that is to aspire to free all sentient beings from suffering to bring each one to their fulfilment and in order to do so achieve perfect awakening yourself. One unified aspiration or motivation, arouse this now if you will. The union of wisdom and skillful means.

[47:03] But then to move from the aspirational bodhichitta to the engaged, or the venturing bodhichitta, setting out on the path. Oh, we need a path, we need a strategy. How are you going to go about it? How will you achieve such perfect awakening? Of course the path is very clear - the six perfections, all motivated by bodhichitta, there’s the path. From generosity to wisdom. And the question was raised to me not long ago, which is faster? Which is faster, to seek one’s own liberation, simply to become an arhat, or to achieve buddhahood? And the answer is very clear. And it’s uniform through all schools of buddhism, it’s much faster, if you’re in a burning house, it’s much faster to get yourself out first, and be well clear of it. And so to arouse this aspirational bodhichitta, with the shepherd like bodhichitta, the infinite patience, the infinite compassion, being willing to liberate all sentient beings before yourself. The helmsman like bodhichitta, to be willing to carry everyone with you on the same ship across the sea of samsara. But what about the king-like bodhichitta? Not out of selfishness or self centeredness or the prioritization of one’s own well being over the others, but out of sheer logic once again. How can I possibly lead everyone else to a place I’ve never been? How can I bring them to the culmination of the path, if I’ve not reached that culmination myself? To be most effective, in leading others from suffering I must be free of suffering. To be effective in leading them to perfect awakening I must know the path from start to finish and be able to guide others with the wisdom of a buddha, the compassion of a buddha, that’s the most practical. But we’re all aware too, of Vajrayana, of Mahamudra, of Dzogchen where the whole notion of three countless eons are almost unimaginably a long period of time. To achieve enlightenment by way of the Sutrayana, this is collapsed into a very very short time, even one lifetime. To achieve the enlightenment of a buddha in one lifetime or just a few perhaps even conceivably shorter than the time it takes to achieve our own individual liberation. The motivation for this cannot be one of impatience or simply back to me first. If it is, one is utterly an unsuitable vessel for Vajrayana practice in general, for Mahamudra and Dzogchen in particular. It’s a non fit, it doesn’t go.

[51:06] To arouse a sense of urgency. To see the urgent imperative of becoming enlightened as swiftly as possible, to meet the urgent need of the world, to be freed from the darkness of ignorance, of craving, hostility and all the damage we’re doing to each other and our whole home. The sense of urgency may be overwhelming. Three countless eons is fine for me, but it’s not fine for everybody else, they can’t wait. So it’s only with this motivation, this urgent sense of compassion, that the bodhichitta needed for Vajrayana practice is aroused. And this brings us back to strategy. Individually now for everyone here in the room, everyone listening by way of podcast. As you envision swiftly achieving enlightenment, the perfect enlightenment of a buddha, what’s your plan? What’s the path that can swiftly bring you along to such awakening? So that you can make good on your promise perhaps even in this lifetime. And if not, the momentum will be so strong that this motivation will carry you right through the bardo and right into the next life with such momentum that you will carry through and come to the culmination of the path swiftly. What’s your plan? What’s your path?

[54:03] You’re going to need a lot of help. Not only in terms of instruction and guidance, you will need blessing. Massive waves of blessing. So with each in breath, as you have done before, call forth to all the enlightened ones, your gurus, your all the manifestations of the enlightened ones, the buddhas and bodhisattvas. Calling for a wave of blessing coming in from all sides, above and below, converging upon you with each in breath, purifying all that needs to be purified, enriching all that needs to be cultivated. Granting you the boons of the mundane and supreme siddhis, with each in breath imagine it. Because you are wanting what they all want for you. You are in complete synch now. In complete harmony, with the wishes, the aspirations of all the buddhas for you. Here is a reality based motivation, it has the full support of all the buddhas, imagine that to be too…With every out breath imagine proceeding along the path, here and now, reaching your own fulfilment. Imagine reaching that fulfilment, imagine your mind as the dharmakaya, and with every out breath, breathe out the light of the emanations of sambhogakaya, the nirmanakayas, serving the needs of every sentient being for as long as space remains and for as long as sentient beings remain until everyone is free and everyone is fully awake. Imagine it.

[59:05] Release all appearances, aspirations, and rest in your own awareness.

[59:40] Meditation bell rings three times.

[1:00:54] Olaso. So let’s return to the text. And again I’m going to move briskly. So where it seems we left off if I am right, correct me if I’m wrong, with the line It is necessary to make going for refuge part of one’s mindstream because as Dampa Sangye says - dedicate your intellect, heart, and home to the triple gem, blessings will arise by themselves, oh people of Dingri. Did I read that before? Anybody remember? Seems a bit familiar, anybody remember? No? Okay, this is, there was a mistranslation here. Clearly there are different ways of translating it but he says the three, dedicate the three, and to say heart and soul doesn’t cover three, okay. So we need a bit more specific than that. And the term [loh Tibetan ] often means intellect, I think that’s what it means, your big human intelligence but also your heart your big heart. And then the term [dang, dang Tibetan], one meaning is - chest, I can’t see a whole lot of meaning in that one. But the other meaning of it in the Tibetan, in the Tibetan dictionary was home, your home. Which is kind of symbolic of all your possessions. So and for many people it’s their biggest possession. So in other words dedicate everything. Your intelligence, your heart, your possessions everything, dedicate everything to the triple jewel. And by so doing, blessings will arise by themselves, by themselves. [Tibetan 1:02:36] means by themselves. Oh people of Dingri . Accordingly the Guardian, the Great Protector Shantideva, he says or he writes in his Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, When they’ve aroused awakening mind even for an instant those tormented by bondage in the prisons of samsara. [inaudible clamor from the class] We have covered it, yeah? ? Did I miss something? [many voices from the class speaking at once] Oh, okay, then I have to go back to the pdf. Sometimes something vanishes when I’m editing. So I’m going to go to the pdf right now. No I’ve got the pdf right here. Thank you, boy that was a quick correction. Okay. Okay, it’s not coming up, so I’m going to have to go back. I’m just using a, let’s try this. So I must have erased something when I was editing it. Happens once in awhile. So, oh yeah. According okay. Now I’m on the original pdf. So, when they’ve aroused okay, and then.

[1:04:05] So When they’ve awakened the arousing mind for even an instant those tormented by bondage in the prisons of samsara will be called children of the sughatas and will be saluted I remember reading that before. [multiple voices speaking from the class, the last thing we read was - so says the archer Saraha, if it’s manifest what’s the point] I remember that yeah, except I changed that translation, okay we can take a little while. I’m trying to find, but I picked up in the right place, correct? I’m sorry we’re wasting, I didn’t pick up. [No] Okay that’s, so tell me where did I pick up. I need a line that I can find in the text. [several voices continue to speak at once] I need one person to say, because getting twelve at the same time does not help. . Moreover if it’s manifest, okay that’s all I need. If it’s manifest. There we go, ah and now I see yeah, the hash mark. I had two hash marks, an earlier one which is now antiquated, okay. Now I’m happy.

[1:05:20] So Moreover the Treasury of Doha says, right, If it’s manifest what’s the point of meditation? dhyana, which often just means meditation. If it’s hidden, you encounter only darkness. So this is cool, I remember this one now. Yeah, got it.

[1:06:00] Okay good we’re back on the same page. Now I have to go faster. So I’ve wasted some time. If it’s hidden what he’s referring to here of course is your buddha nature or this primordial nature, okay. If it’s manifest, if it’s already obvious, if it’s already there then you don’t need to meditate. Enjoy being a buddha. But if it’s hidden then you encounter, then you’re in the dark. It may be of the clear, it, that is buddha nature, rigpa, may be of the nature of luminosity or clear light, but if it’s hidden you’re in the dark. So you encounter only darkness. The connate nature, The connate nature is neither real nor unreal this will be quickly in the commentary. I think this is a better translation. That connate nature is neither real nor unreal. So that’s from Saraha. And now the commentary from Panchen Rinpoche.

[1:06:51] This says -if the nature of the connate primordial mind is revealed by the power of meditation then what is the point of meditation involving investigation? okay On the other hand if the primordial nature is hidden, then you encounter only the darkness of ignorance. That essence is neither real in the sense of being truly existent, nor unreal, in the sense of it being totally non existent. This is a theme that comes up everywhere in the Mahamudra and Dzogchen literature. And that is -when you’re going to this level of, this dimension of reality, the connate primordial mind, indivisible from dharmadhatu, dharmakaya indivisible from dharmadhatu, it is literally and by its very nature inconceivable, it does not fit into any conceptual category. So if you wonder is this real? No. Is it inherently real, does it exist by its own inherent nature? No, that’s very clear in the prajnaparamita sutras. Everything from elementary particles up to dharmakaya, does not exist by its own inherent nature. Very clear. So it’s not real in the sense of being inherently existent but then you say, unreal? You mean it’s not there? If it’s unreal by that you mean it doesn’t exist? No, not that either. It’s neither real nor unreal, it transcends these conceptual categories, entirely. And then we continue.

[1:08:21] The Doha of the Treasury also says, since it’s separate from meditation since it’s not something you grasp with meditation, it’s not something you cultivate with meditation, What is there to think? How can you explain the ineffable? All beings are deceived by the seal of becoming. the seal of becoming of course this refers to samsara, this ongoing flow of becoming, birth, aging, sickness, death, the whole schpiel. All beings are deceived because all these appearances are illusory, everything seems to be really out there, and we set into motion, scurrying after those things out there that we think will make us happy and we scurry away from those things out there that we feel will give us pain. No one holds fast to the primordial nature, among deluded sentient beings we’re just deceived, we’re deluded by the seal of becoming and therefore we don’t find our own ground. Moreover The Treasury of Doha says, no tantra, no mantra, nothing on which to think or meditate. This is now straight, bonafide Mahamudra and it’s as Panchen Rinpoche said earlier - this assumes you’ve done your preliminary practices. You’re accomplished in stage of generation, accomplished in state of completion and now you’re coming to this culmination where there’s no, you’re transcending it, you’re to the, among the four empowerments you’ve come to the fourth empowerment, the word empowerment. You might recall when you receive the fourth empowerment there’s nothing to be done. Right. There’s no ritual, there’s no nothing, it’s just there, and that’s Mahamudra.

[1:09:57] So, No tantra, no mantra nothing on which to think or meditate. All those cause your mind to be confused. So all these activities, of studying and practicing the tantras, reciting mantras, thinking about this, contemplating this, meditating on that in order to achieve something we’ve not achieved, all of those are being done from the perspective of a sentient being. And sooner or later you have to give it a rest. That’s quit practicing and see if you’re a sentient being. Dissolve the very notion, even conventionally that you’re a sentient being and see what’s left. And then there’s no, then, now we talk about Buddhahood with no meditation.

[1:10:39] The naturally pure mind is polluted by meditation. polluted in the sense of veiled, it’s as in a non lucid dream. If you’re still identifying yourself in that dream as the person in that dream, right, you don’t know you’re dreaming, but you’re still operating as if this is who you are, this dream persona, and you’re striving diligently to achieve something you haven’t achieved, you’ll never wake up. You’ll never become lucid. With every moment of striving you’re reaffirming I am this person in the dream, and you’re not even thinking I am the person in the dream, you just think I am like popeye. I am that I am. [laughs] I am. What else would I be? This is me. That’s all there is too me, I’m a sentient being. And I want to become a buddha. But as long as you’re still operating out of that perspective, you’re always, it’s like you know a greyhound racing after the iron bunny. You never catch it because you can’t be operating out of the dream and be lucid at the same time. You have to release at some point, release all striving.

[1:11:51] Abide in your own bliss and don’t make yourself miserable. This is Saraha, be careful people will love to take this one out of context I tell you. [laughter] Oh California, this is California dharma, this is Malibu dharma. Right? This is definitely Santa Barbara dharma, abide in your own bliss, don’t make yourself miserable. There’s joy in eating, drinking and sex. Always again and again, fill your chakras. By a dharma such as this you’ll transcend the mundane world treading on the head of worldly confusion move on, where mind, wind and mind no longer move. Where sun and moon do not enter. The minds of the ignorant will find relief. The archer has taught all these pith instructions and moved on. There’s context there [laughter] I’ll just leave it at that, there’s context there. [chuckles] Let us explain thank goodness we have this great monk, this great monk Panchen Rinpoche he’s going to come and set us straight in case we’re thinking oh boy oh boy just what I wanted to hear. He’s going to bring us back, okay. Let us explain the passage a little very quickly he said wait a minute, stop right there, you know. I’ll explain don’t get carried away.

[1:13:07] The natural primordial connate mind of clear light, is known as the ground dharmakaya. We speak of ground rigpa, path rigpa, fruitional rigpa. Ground rigpa is ground dharmakaya. It is that which has always been there, primordially beyond time. And this natural, primordial connate mind of clear light well, it’s called by that name, it’s also called by the name - ground dharmakaya. When that is directly experienced it is free of investigation, analysis, and articulation. [Tibetan phrase 1:13:42] It transcends the intellect this unmediated realization of rigpa [ Tibetan] translates as the intellect, [Tibetan ] and that is it transcends articulation by way of words and thought, and by its very nature, it always will, always has been. No one, even if you’re buddha captures the nature of dharmakaya in a thought, nobody can do it. So what is the use of meditation if that’s the case? If this is the whole point, this is finally the point, to wake up, what’s the whole point in a lucid dream? To wake up and not just make a better dream. If that’s the whole point then what is the use of meditation involving investigation and analysis? If it’s contrary to the fruition then why don’t we just dispense with it from the beginning? Which many people would like to do and do.

[1:14:39] What is to be said of this? Since they have not ascertained this by the power of meditation, all beings are deceived by the seal of becoming. And that is he’s saying as long as we’re enmeshed in our sentient beingness, enmeshed in this desire realm, or any of the three realms and we are reifying. We just do this naturally, we reify everything, environment, ourselves, the causes of happiness, the causes of suffering, we’re deceived by the seal of becoming and we remain deceived unless we actually do practice meditation, to overcome the deception, to wake up. So there’s a role for meditation. Despite their being deceived no one else can seize or steal so every sentient being, they’re deceived, they’re not even aware of their own buddha nature, but no one else can seize or steal their natural primordial mind. So nobody else can have it, it’s not competitive. Number one you don’t need two. One is quite enough. But it’s yours eternally, even if you’re unaware of it.

[1:15:50] For all sentient beings of the three realms in general and womb born beings of the six realms in particular. That’s kind of a big deal, this womb born, there are different types of birth, this is one, of course human beings are that. For all sentient beings but specifically those who are womb born, at the time of death, the appearance, spread, and near attainment, as well as the clear light, arise, okay. Those of you who have studied well you know exactly what this refers to. It’s the [Tibetan phrase 1:16:22] the appearance of this white, this white sheen in the dying process all your five physical senses implode, you stop breathing, the mind collapses, and purely in the mental domain there’s a phase in the dying process and you getting quite far along in that process where there appears just a whitish sheen, a pale sheen they say it’s like the sheen of the moon when it’s just, just beneath the horizon and it casts a pale sheen on a clear night sky. It’s a metaphor, that’s all one can do. But that’s referring to the appearance. [Tibetan phrase] and that is the spread, the expanse, and this is the reddish sheen, this refers to a subsequent phase of the, and all of this is indicative or the symptomatic of the convergence of the pranas into the central channel and coming into the heart chakra. On their way, this white appearance, after all the sensory appearances has vanished, dissolved into inward the whitish sheen, the reddish sheen and then the so called near attainment.

[1:17:34] And that is, that’s when your mind entirely and irreversibly dissolves into the substrate, substrate consciousness. It’s called the dark near attainment and that’s where everything goes blank. All appearances vanish. And for most people they just pass out. Just as if you were deep in non lucid dreamless sleep, you just pass out. And so you come to the final chapter of being alive and you fall asleep. [laughter] Such a shame. But that’s when you’re dead. From a Buddha’s, but if you had a Buddhist doctor who had clairvoyance and was watching your death trajectory, when you get to that point they say, died at two ten, that’s when you’ve now slipped into the substrate consciousness, your mind’s finished, your brain will not support the generation of that mind again, it’s now irreversibly brain dead, if that’s in fact the case, right, but that’s when you’re dead.

[1:18:22] But then following that then comes the clear light of death. This arises spontaneously and Panchen Rinpoche says for all sentient beings and specifically the womb born beings, he says all four of these. Now I’ve heard one great lama say well that clear light of death, actually the clear light of death, this is rigpa and its spontaneous emergence or manifestation of rigpa. I’ve heard one great lama say oh that’s true only for those who have had some taste of it, some realization already, if you’ve had no realization it won’t arise. And yet here’s Panchen Rinpoche saying well, says, he said what he just said. So my own sense is, just my interpretation, this may be more of a nominal distinction than anything else, and that is if you’re an ordinary sentient being you’ve just spent your time pursuing hedonia and then you get old and you get sick and you die, you have the white sheen, the red sheen, the black out, and as far as you’re concerned the next thing you’re aware of is you’re scurrying along in the bardo. Because the clear light of death appears but you don’t notice it, you don’t recognize it. So what’s the point of saying it appears if you’re not even aware of it? You know you just don’t get it. So as far, if you gave a, if you wrote - Dear Diary, when you’re well into the bardo, what was it like dying? You wouldn’t include - oh and then the clear light of death arose but I didn’t notice it. [laughter] It would not be a journal entry. Right. Whereas if you’re an accomplished Mahamudra practitioner, stage of completion, Dzogchen, you’ve had some taste but maybe not very very, you know accomplished, but you’ve had some taste, then dear diary halfway through the bardo you describe - well there was the white, the red, the black out and then the clear light of death came up but I couldn’t hold it and then oh here I am scurrying along. So there may not be any real difference there.

[1:20:10] So, but that’s what comes next. And the whole idea is prepare yourself well. And Dudjom Lingpa, aka Padmasambhava, describes actually how you can evaluate the depth, the level of samadhi, of the yogi while he or she was still alive relative to how many days they abide in the clear light of death. Quite interesting. It’s a seven to one ratio. One day, seven days - that kind of thing.

[1:20:37] So although, so these will arise. Although they appear thus, ordinary individuals those untrained are unable to transform them into the path of course the whole idea of this is you transmute everything especially explicitly in Vajrayana, and we’re still in Vajrayana territory here. The whole idea is to transform everything while you’re alive, while you’re dying, and the final death process itself - transform all of that into the path. So when you, when this, this mother, this mother clear light arises, this mother clear light of death arises effortlessly, spontaneously, the child clear light of your own prior realization, recognition of rigpa comes together, the two are united and then you’re able to sustain it. And these are the yogis who remain for days sometimes even weeks in the clear light of death. That’s how they are manifesting it outwardly. But for ordinary people with no training well they come completely unprepared, and to mind this is just one more of innumerable disadvantages of the materialistic worldview. It gives you no chance at all for preparing for actually what [is] death except, be prepared to be surprised. But you didn’t even get that preparation, you’re just completely left in the dark. So when experiences start to happen, you’re just confused. That’s not a very nice thing to do to anybody. So. [laughter] Tsa!

[1:22:08] Not only that most desire realm beings enjoy joining the two sexual organs. This is a monk talking about sex. [laughter] This is very antiseptic. There is no romance, no roses, no poetry, this is just like getting their two organs together, that’s what they’re really doing you know from the monastic perspective this is really accurate. [laughter continues] Let’s enjoy the poetry of this. most desire realm beings enjoy joining the two sexual organs and talking about sex, though they have no knowledge of the point of great biss and though they’re settling for this, that lasts for minutes or longer, depending [another burst of laughter] and then it’s over, and then you’re tired, and then you miss the whole point of great bliss. How that too can of course be transmuted. As it says in the Treasury of Doha, in this house and that house they talk about it, [more amused laughter] nowadays we say on this channel and on that channel they show it. But the point of great bliss is completely unknown. So they’re getting the leftovers. The tawdry leftovers, of what could be great bliss and all they get is, you know, well we all know about that.

[1:23:54] So When a yogin has made emptiness an object of that primordial mind that has the essential nature of great bliss, So once again this is very Gelugpa, but it’s very useful also. And that is - nominally speaking there is, still even when you are dwelling in rigpa, nominally speaking, when you’re viewing that from outside of rigpa you can still meaningfully speak, what is the object you’re aware of? You’re aware of emptiness. With what are you aware of emptiness? What’s the subjective awareness? It is - great bliss. [ Tibetan 1:24:39] , it is emptiness and bliss, or bliss emptiness [Tibetan] , bliss emptiness, [ Tibetan] . This is the stage of completion experience. This is very common terminology. So When a yogin has made emptiness the object of that primordial mind that has the essential nature of great bliss, one simply rests there, one simply rests there without engaging in any conceptual elaborations regarding good and bad. Now’s the time for non meditation, for no investigation, no analysis - you’ve earned it, you’ve earned your rest. But it took a lot of work to get there.

[1:25:07] With respect to the arising of such a realization of Mahamudra, when a person has trained before on the path, in previous lives or earlier in this life and has made the winds the vital energies enter and be purified in, it’s [Tibetan 1:25:24], [Tibetan] means enter and [Tibetan] means purified. When because of your prior training in either past lives or past lives plus the earlier part of this life, you’ve really become adept at drawing those vital energies into the central channel where they enter and they are purified there, when that, then even if one rests, as it were, without thinking about anything, and focuses on anything, you direct your attention anywhere you like, one will directly perceive the clear light Mahamudra. It will arise spontaneously, because the energies have come into the central channel, into the indestructible drop or bindu in the central channel, in the heart chakra. Therefore even without deliberately meditating on anything or thinking about anything whatever you attend to you perceive the clear light Mahamudra. Which is to say you perceive all appearances as being nothing other than the pure effulgence of rigpa. Everything is rigpa. Everything is a theophany to use a term from Christianity, from Buddhist, from religious studies, a theophany and that is everything is a display of the divine. Like a symphony - a theophany. But it’s theos, it’s the divine everywhere. And everywhere, from your perspective in the center of your mandala, everything is, everything is a pure realm. Everything is divine. There is nothing from your perspective that arises that is impure, that is nothing other than pure unmediated displays of rigpa. Welcome home.

[1:26:57] So that person, such a person, who has such an extraordinary degree of spiritual maturity, that person is designated by the early Kagyu masters and I can also say Dzogchen masters as a interesting translation I’m not going to change it a simultanaeist, simultanaeist I simply call them simultaneous individuals, but that makes it shorter. A simultanaeist, well we’ve had a bit of indication of that on a lower level, it was Bahya. A simultanaeist, or simultaneous individual this comes up in the Vajra Essence and so on, is one who simply hears the teachings [snaps his fingers] and then realization is instantaneous. They hear, [snaps his fingers] boom they get it, you know. So Bahya, you saw the full discourse the Buddha gave. It took what one minute? Bahya heard it and [snaps fingers] he was an arhat, boom. That’s about as close to simultaneity as you get in the whole Pali canon. So he was the fastest. Well we find many cases in the Vajrayana especially, you find it in Chan, you find it in Zen, you find it in Vajrayana, you find it in Mahamudra and Dzogchen, you find it also outside of the buddhist tradition. Where there is just some catalyst, it is Nairopa being struck in the face with a sandal by his by his Mahamudra mahasiddhi, mahasiddha master, Tilopa. And simultaneously [snaps fingers] achieves awakening, right. In a dream you can have the analog of that.

[1:28:31] One friend of mine who is quite adept at lucid dreaming, he told me of a dream of his. He was one of eight week retreatants and in his dream he met his teacher, he’s in a non lucid dream, right, and his teacher just said, do you know this is a dream? [snaps fingers] And he became lucid. That’s simultaneous, within the mini context of, do you know this is a dream? And then [snaps fingers] it stirs and you become lucid. Okay, it can be that simple. It can be the verse, you know. So this happens on little tiny level of going from non lucidity to lucidity. It happens on a much vaster level of Bahya’s just hearing this short quintessential talk and becoming an arhat. And then we have cases of people [snaps fingers] just instantaneously becoming vidyadharas. You know, they just seem to be leaping there but that’s because they’ve brought such enormous momentum to the path, they hear it and they’re over. So that’s simultaneity, they hear the teachings [snaps fingers] and they instantly gain realization.

[1:29:28] This first occurs in the epitomy, a person who has the residual karma this is the leftover karma that I spoke of earlier. The momentum that I spoke about in the meditation we just had. a person who has the residual karma of training is said to be a simultaneist. So how to become a simultaneist? Meditate well. Build up the momentum, so that if you’re not a simultaneist yet, you will be. So this is a very important point. In the Dzogchen context here, as we have so often, there are people of sharp faculties, medium faculties, and dull faculties. But it’s not like there are tall people, short people, and middle sized people. If you’re, if you’re thirty years old and you’re short, you’re going to be short the rest of your life. And then shorter, right. If you’re tall, you’re going to be shorter, but you’ll still be tall relatively, there is nothing you can do about it. There’s just tall people, middle, and short. It’s not like that. And that is - practice well and you will move from the status of being a person of dull faculties, to a person of medium faculties, because you build up more momentum. Continue practicing and you will become a simultaneist. It’s all a matter of momentum. But not some people having a better buddha nature or just somehow being an upperclassmen, you know, superior. There is no such thing, buddha nature is buddha nature.

[1:30:45] So The omniscient Je, Je Tsongkhapa says, in his Illuminating Lamp his commentary on The Five Stages of Guhyasamaja f, it is apparent that for one who is experienced in making the winds enter and be purified in the central channel, whatever object may be the focus, the vital winds gather in the central channel. This makes the same point as the previous passage. To manifest the Mahamudra of this path, disciples who are not simultaneists must certainly meditate on the inner fire, they should cultivate now we’re in the context of Vajrayana, they should cultivate tummo and other topics. like the Six Yogas of Naropa , The exalted Mila says that by first meditating chiefly on the Six Dharmas of Naro, in accordance with the oral tradition of Naro and Marpa, Mahamudra will manifest. so this is classic, he’s drawing from the Kagyu tradition. How do you contextualize Mahamudra? On the basis of the Six Yogas of Naropa . And very much including tummo. Let’s continue even though it’s a tiny bit past six, let’s go on just a little bit more.

[1:31:46] Mahamudra is the fortress of the view. Naro’s Six Dharmas of the Fortress of Meditation, where you’re doing something. All those six yogas entail doing something. The profound path of method or skillful means is the Fortress of Conduct. The spontaneous actualization of the three bodies dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, and nirmanakaya is the Fortress of the Fruition. The culmination of the path. The dharma lord Sapan, Sakya Pandita, agrees with those who praise and exalt Mila’s Cone of Inner Fire. The text is very literal it says [a tung, short ah, or short a], it doesn’t really mean anything in English. I mean one can imbue it with meaning but what it’s referring to, anybody’s who’s been trained in yoga in the tummo, the [a tung] is actually a cone, as a visualized cone. And you visualize this at your navel chakra, I won’t say anything more. But that’s what it’s referring to, this cone you visualize which is going to be the fountain, the well spring of this tummo, fire. Okay, that’s what he’s referring to. So the short a doesn’t really do much. Cone is what actually what you’re visualizing.

[1:33:03] So Guidance in the so called Six Yogas of Naropa says Sakya Pandita, guidance in the Six Dharmas of Naropa was nothing but instruction until Mila. What he’s saying is Mila really brought this to life. He really brought it out there by way of his disciples and so forth. It became a very powerful, very central, very transformative practice, emphasized especially in the Kagyu tradition and then other traditions like the Gelugpa picked it up from them. Also, Je Gampopa, one of the two principal disciples of Milarepa, says that - by meditating first on the inner fire, tummo, a great many practitioners have manifested the primordial mind and so forth by practicing tummo the vital energy brought into the heart chakra they’re dissolved into the indestructible bindu at the heart, that manifests the primordial mind of clear light and lo and behold you manifest primordial mind, it’s a direct route for doing so. And then you can rest in Mahamudra.

[1:33:58] Accordingly with respect to the meditation on mantra Mahamudra taught here that is Mantrayana or Vajrayana taught here, it is necessary to receive The Four Empowerments and also train in the Generation Stage, the Completion Stage and the common paths. The Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind, renunciation, bodhichitta, vipashyana and so on. The epitome teaches a person who is a novice is taught as a gradualist. where you meditate on the lamrim, Gampopa’s lamrim, which ever lamrim you like, you cultivate the common, the common preliminaries then you go onto the Stage of Generation, you gain accomplishment. Stage of Completion, accomplishment and then you’re ready for Mahamudra. That’s the gradual path. This person is designated as a gradualist, thus most of the great adepts, or siddhas of this path also entered into the empowerment lineage of the various unexcelled yoga tantras. So Highest Yoga Tantra, the dharma lord, Sakya Pandita teaches Narotapa , Nairopa made empowerment and the two stages the chief dharmas. So they’re really embedding the Mahamudra within the context of Highest Yoga Tantra, a vajra, Vajrayogini very, very strongly emphasized. with the exalted Milarepa teaches, oh people, oh people who say I [chuckles] this is cool. This is one of his dharma songs. These are just flowing spontaneously from his own intuitive wisdom. Oh people who say I so any of you who are still grasping to yourself, you know. listen if you’re still one of those people, anybody falling asleep at this point?

[1:35:30] Listen you sons, daughters, have the fortune of the divine dharma, the sacred dharma, the gateway is empowerment and blessings, the blessing is instruction in the profound hearing transmission. the aural, a,u,r,a, l transmission in a similar fashion, Sakya Panditas Differentiating Three Vows says, my Mahamudra is the gnosis arising from empowerment and is the self emergent gnosis arising from concentration of the two stages. Stage of generation, stage of completion. Accordingly there is no disagreement among the views of all qualified pundits and siddhas, all qualified scholars and adepts, who are well versed in Vajrayana and its relationship to Mahamudra, they know this is the case. If you disagree you’re wrong. They all agree, there’s, they speak in unison here. And that finishes our brief discussion of Vajrayana. He’s going to spend the rest of the text, coming back, or we are sutra, Sutrayana approach where empowerment is not necessary. You don’t have to practice stage of generation, completion. So instead of being embedded in the Vajrayana context here it’s embedded in Sutrayana context. And that’s what he said he would emphasize, so we’re only, oh a little bit more than one quarter of the way throughout the text. So the rest of the text is all going to be now an explication of the stages of practice of Mahamudra within the sutra, the Sutrayana context. And that’s where we end today. Olaso. Very good.

Transcribed by Kriss Kringle Sprinkle

Revised by Rafael Carlos Giusti

Final Revision by Cheri Langston.

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