At the end of this month, from June 27 to June 29, we have the great honor of welcoming the venerable Geshe Jampa Gelek for a new visit. He will offer a series of teachings and empowerments, graciously and generously given through his immense kindness, at the Mosoaia White Tara Center near Pitesti, Romania.
Each year, Geshe Jampa Gelek honors our country with his presence, providing teachings, vows, and empowerments. We feel incredibly fortunate to attend these sessions and to be in his presence. Geshe Jampa Gelek is one of the two resident teachers at Lama Tsongkhapa Institute in Pomaia, Italy. Born in 1966 in Tibet, he completed his studies with high honors at Sera Je Monastic University in India. Currently, he teaches one of the highly complex topics of the Mahayana study program, the “Ornament for Clear Realization,” at the Lama Tsongkhapa Institute.
During his visit, Geshe Jampa Gelek will give an introductory teaching on one of the main Buddhist concepts—Karma. This public lecture will be held at Casa Cartii in Pitesti, providing an invaluable opportunity for attendees to gain insight into this fundamental aspect of Buddhist philosophy.
What is an empowerment and why is it important?
In Tibetan Buddhism, empowerment, or “wang” in Tibetan, holds immense significance as it involves the transmission of spiritual energy and blessings from a teacher to a disciple. This ritual ensures the continuity and purity of the tradition by passing down the blessings and teachings of the lineage from one generation to the next, thereby linking the disciple to an unbroken chain of realized masters. Additionally, empowerment serves as an authorization for disciples to undertake advanced practices, indicating their readiness and permission to engage in them
An empowerment is designed to bestow spiritual power and initiate transformation within the disciple. The ritual includes visualizations, recitations, and symbolic gestures that plant the seeds of enlightenment and awaken the inherent potential of the mind, for we all have it. It also connects the disciple with specific deities or enlightened beings, which is essential for the practice of deity yoga, where practitioners visualize themselves as these deities to cultivate their enlightened qualities.
The process of empowerment typically includes elements of purification, which help remove obstacles and negative karma, thereby preparing the disciple’s mind to receive higher teachings and realizations. Furthermore, receiving empowerment signifies a commitment to the path and the specific practices and vows associated with it. This establishes a sacred bond between the teacher and the student, highlighting their mutual responsibility to uphold the integrity of the teachings.
What empowerments will be conferred?
The Romanian Sangha will receive two empowerments: Avalokiteshvara Empowerment, and Manjushri empowerment.
A few words about each of them.
The Avalokiteshvaraempowerment is a profoundly significant ritual that connects practitioners with Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. This empowerment is crucial as it helps practitioners cultivate and enhance their own capacity for compassion, a central tenet in Mahayana Buddhism where developing bodhicitta, the compassionate wish to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, is of high importance.
Receiving this empowerment also bestows the blessings and protection of Avalokiteshvara upon the recipient. Such divine protection aids in overcoming obstacles on the spiritual path and supports the practitioner in their daily life and practice. The ritual itself facilitates spiritual transformation, where visualizations, mantras, and meditative practices are employed to plant the seeds of Avalokiteshvara’s enlightened qualities within the practitioner’s mind-stream.
Moreover, participating in the empowerment has a purifying effect, cleansing negative karma and mental defilements. The compassionate energy of Avalokiteshvara is believed to have healing properties, benefiting both physical and mental well-being. The empowerment also grants the practitioner permission to engage in specific meditative and ritual practices related to Avalokiteshvara, such as the recitation of his mantra, “Om Mani Padme Hum.”
The ceremony ensures the transmission of teachings and blessings from the teacher to the student, maintaining the purity and continuity of the lineage, and establishing a sacred bond between the disciple and the lineage of teachers who have transmitted these teachings through the ages.
The Avalokiteshvara empowerment is a transformative experience that significantly impacts a practitioner’s spiritual journey. It offers a deep connection to the qualities of compassion, provides spiritual blessings and protection, and supports specific practices aimed at developing an enlightened mind.
When it comes to the second empowerment, that of Manjushri, the ritual bestows blessings and protection from Manjushri upon the recipient. These divine blessings are believed to aid in overcoming obstacles and obscurations on the spiritual path, providing support and guidance in both spiritual practice and daily life.
Spiritually, the empowerment initiates a process of transformation. It involves visualizations, recitations, and symbolic actions that plant the seeds of Manjushri’s enlightened qualities within the disciple’s mindstream. This helps to awaken the innate potential for wisdom and clarity within the practitioner.
Additionally, participating in the empowerment serves a purifying function. It is believed to cleanse negative karma and mental defilements, helping to clear the mind of ignorance and confusion. The wisdom energy of Manjushri is also considered to have healing properties, promoting mental clarity and cognitive sharpness.
The empowerment also grants the practitioner permission to engage in specific meditative and ritual practices associated with Manjushri.
The event is co-organized by White Tara Center in Mosoaia and The Garden of Maitreya Research Center in Bucharest. Alexandra Grigorescu and Veronica Anghelescu will be your hosts.
White Tara Center at Mosoaia, Arges County, Romania
During the beautiful month of May, Romania experienced an extraordinary spiritual event with the honored visit of Khenpo Karma Wangyel. His Excellence Khenpo-la serves as the resident Khenpo for Europe within the revered Yeshe Khorlo Nyingma Tradition. Appointed by the esteemed Gangteng Rinpoche, Khenpo-la has been living in France since 2011. This visit marked his inaugural journey to Romania, bringing along a wave of enlightenment and profound teachings that touched our hearts.
Khenpo-la conducted an extensive and enriching four-day teaching series, meticulously focusing on the nine Jhanas. These teachings were comprehensive and well-structured, as they illuminated numerous Buddhist concepts, providing a wealth of knowledge to practitioners at all levels. Among the many topics discussed were the Turnings of the Wheels of Dharma, the Four Noble Truths, and the 16 aspects of the Four Noble Truths—areas that are often less familiar to Western practitioners but are fundamental to a deep understanding of Buddhist philosophy.
One of the highlights of Khenpo-la’s teachings was his exploration of the vehicles of the hearers, solitary realizers, and bodhisattvas. His profound insights into the path towards Buddhahood provided attendees with a clear understanding of these vehicles, helping to demystify the complexities of these paths. Each Jhana was meticulously examined from four different perspectives, ensuring that the teachings were well-rounded and accessible to all attendees, regardless of their prior knowledge or experience. This particular aspect was something I appreciated profoundly, as many of us attendees here, in Romania, are without any doubt… beginners.
Khenpo-la delivered his teachings in Tibetan, a language rich with the nuances of Buddhist thought, and that I feel privileged to also study and speak. I felt immensely grateful to assist my translating colleagues in this significant task. Special recognition goes to the Lotsawa, Andrzej Rybszleger, who joined the sessions via Zoom, providing an invaluable service by ensuring the teachings reached a broader audience.
Additionally, my friend Mihai Rapcea played a pivotal role in this event. Mihai not only provided Romanian translation for non-English speaking participants, but also was instrumental in inviting Khenpo-la to Romania, sponsoring his stay and managing many other intricate logistics of his visit, to which I was very happy and honoured to participate.
Khenpo-la’s presence in Romania was a true blessing… a touch of grace. His wisdom was shared with graceful simplicity and clarity, demonstrating a profound care to ensure everyone comprehended and benefited from his words. His ability to convey complex doctrines in an accessible manner was deeply appreciated by all of us.
The visit of Khenpo Karma Wangyel has significantly strengthened the bond between Romania and the Dharma. The teachings he imparted have sown seeds of wisdom and compassion that will undoubtedly grow and flourish in the hearts of those who attended. The profound impact of his visit is a testament to the timeless relevance and transformative power of the Dharma; we remain hopeful for his return in the near future.
His teachings have not only enriched our understanding of Buddhism but have also fostered a deeper connection to the path of enlightenment. The Romanian Buddhist community looks forward to welcoming Khenpo-la again… we hope, in the very near future! It feels as though we have only just begun.
In conclusion, Khenpo Karma Wangyel’s visit was a momentous occasion for Romania. It provided a unique opportunity for practitioners to deepen their understanding of Buddhist teachings and to experience the profound wisdom of a highly esteemed teacher. The success of this visit is a testament to the collaborative efforts of all those involved, and it marks the beginning of a promising new chapter in the spiritual journey of the Romanian Buddhist community.
Veronica Anghelescu
In the photo: Khenpo Karma Wangyel and Mihai Rapcea
A Little Story, a Cozy Town and a Most Wonderful Teaching
A trip. Mid-May, I had the great joy of being able to attend one of the teachings of my spiritual Master, Geshe Jampa Gelek, in Treviso, Italy. It has been a most noble time, spent in this beautiful Italian city, and I am grateful for every hour spent there.
I reached on Friday morning, and since I had some time, I could explore a bit. As I wandered through the narrow, winding streets, I was captivated by the city’s tranquil charm. The picturesque canals, lined with lush vegetation, reflected the vibrant greenery, creating a peaceful oasis in the heart of the city. The air was fresh and clean, and the streets were almost deserted, as most people were likely at work, leaving the city to those like me who sought its quiet beauty.
Titian! My steps led me to the magnificent Treviso Cathedral, a place I had long yearned to visit. Inside, I encountered the Annunciation painting by Titian, a masterpiece that has mesmerized art lovers for generations. Standing before this incredible work, I felt a profound connection to the artist I have adored for so long. It was an experience I will cherish forever and for the description of which… there really aren’t enough words.
Eager to delve deeper into the cathedral’s treasures, I visited the adjoining museum. Each artifact and artwork told a story, adding layers to my understanding of Treviso’s rich cultural heritage. My exploration then led me to the crypt, a quiet and solemn place that seemed to whisper tales of the past. However, as I wandered deeper into the crypt, I realized with a start that I was accidentally locked in during the lunch break.
A crypt. Initially, the cold and humidity of the crypt unsettled me, but soon I decided to embrace the solitude. I let go of my fear and allowed myself to simply be present in the moment. Those two hours became a time of quiet contemplation, a rare opportunity to reflect deeply amidst the echoes of history surrounding me.
Eventually, I was freed from my temporary confinement, and I emerged back into the sunlight with a renewed sense of calm. I decided to return to my hotel on foot, taking my time to soak in the beauty of Treviso. The facades of the houses, so diverse and meticulously maintained, spoke of a community’s dedication to preserving its heritage. Each building, each church, and each neoclassical structure told a story of architectural elegance and historical significance.
As I strolled through the streets, I felt a profound appreciation for the delicate balance Treviso strikes between past and present. The city’s ability to honor its history while embracing the future is truly remarkable. My morning in Treviso was not just a journey through a beautiful city, but a journey through time, art, and personal reflection.
Venerable Geshe Jampa Gelek and his suite (Venerable Raffaello and Translator Davide Lionetti) arrived late on Friday evening, and they were hosted by the lovely Cristina, my colleague from the Master Program at Lama Tsongkhapa institute, in her wonderful house situated a little outside Treviso, in a most charming landscape. My heart rejoiced at seeing my spiritual master once more. Geshe Jampa Gelek is one of the two resident teachers at Lama Tsongkhapa Institute in Pomaia, Italy, where he teaches the Master Program, among other lectures. Currently just finishing an extensive presentation and commentary of the Ornament for Clear Realization, Geshe-la is a rare jewel of wisdom and compassion in our world and we are very fortunate to be able to attend his teachings, online and in-presence.
Guru Puja and Teachings at Zero Branco. We reunited the next day in the morning for the Guru Puja ceremony held at Lama Tzong Khapa Buddhist Center at Zero Branco, a little village with a most interesting name!
Zero Branco has a rich history that dates back to Roman times. The village’s name is believed to be derived from the Latin word “securis” (meaning axe) and “blancus” (white), reflecting the area’s historical connection to woodcutting and the presence of the Brenta River. The Center’s director, honored Danilo Ghirardo, had carefully prepared the room for the ceremony and the teachings that we were blessed to receive from our venerable Master, Geshe Gelek.
Dreamtale. The teachings of the two days centered around Nagarjuna’s Dreamtale (it. Racconto del Sogno, tib. རྨི་ལམ་གྱི་གཏམ). The main concepts discussed in this remarkable text are emptiness (śūnyatā): Nagarjuna’s central philosophical concept, which asserts that all things lack inherent existence and are empty of self-nature; then, interdependence (pratītyasamutpāda): the idea that all phenomena arise in dependence upon causes and conditions, highlighting the interconnectedness of all things; and last, but not least, mind and perception: an exploration of how the mind constructs reality, emphasizing that our perceptions are not necessarily reflective of true reality.
The intention of this article is not that of going into the depth and detail of this text, but to highlight some of the most beautiful, most heart-warming excerpts of the teaching given by the Venerable Geshe Jampa Gelek.
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When we talk about the word mind, someone’s mind, we mean the person in general; some people make a clear distinction between me and others, between themselves and others, therefore between me and others. So what happens in this way? We feel attachment to ourselves, aversion to others or in any case attachment to those we feel close to us and aversion to those we see as far away, this attitude of far, close, me and others, therefore attachment and aversion. So what is said in the text is: I will not do this way and therefore without acting, without having this way of thinking, I will see all the sentient beings just like me; the sentient beings are me, they are myself, in the sense that they are equal to me in desiring happiness, they are the same as me in not desiring suffering.
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Sentient beings should not be harmed. For example, when someone harms us, our parents, peers, or children, we feel sad and experience something we don’t want. We talk about accepting these harms we receive. The meaning here is that when someone causes harm to us or our loved ones, we suffer and are unhappy. Similarly, if we were to harm others, they would suffer in the same way.
On one hand, it is about accepting the damage done to ourselves and those around us. On the other hand, it is about not responding in kind, and refraining from causing harm to others. In mental training, a similar principle is taught: to take upon oneself the evil done to oneself and not to hurt others.
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With an attitude of benevolence and patience towards sentient beings who commit serious negativity, and with constant respect for them, one refrains from committing the slightest negativity. But what does this mean in practice?
Consider someone who commits a truly bad action, a crime that is typically punished severely—something we regard as a very serious offense. When someone commits such an action, the practice recommended here is to meditate on patience. This involves not only refraining from anger and retaliation but also cultivating a wish for the person’s happiness. Instead of seeking revenge, one generates thoughts like, “May this person be happy, may they feel joy.”
So, on one hand, you practice patience, and on the other hand, you foster a desire for the well-being of the person who wronged you. If you cultivate this mindset consistently, you won’t harm this person or anyone else in the slightest.
Patience involves getting accustomed to enduring small irritations and problems. By becoming used to minor annoyances or small harms done to us, we gradually develop the ability to endure more significant wrongs. For instance, if someone is causing us minor problems, we start by meditating on patience, learning to endure these minor evils. Over time, this practice strengthens our capacity to handle more significant and severe harms.
Therefore, the practice is to meditate on and cultivate patience, beginning with small irritations and gradually building the ability to endure larger and more serious negative actions. This way, we train ourselves to maintain a peaceful and benevolent attitude even in the face of significant adversity.
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When we are born, our first connection to life begins in our mother’s womb, marking a phase where we entirely depend on her. Upon birth, our dependency extends to other sentient beings. Initially, our survival hinges solely on our mother, but as we grow, we rely on a broader community. For instance, to have clothes, we need people who make and sell them. Without these individuals, obtaining clothing would be nearly impossible.
In fact, almost everything we possess depends on others. It’s exceedingly rare to have something that doesn’t involve someone else’s effort. Our very existence and ability to sustain ourselves are intricately linked to others. If we had to live entirely independently, without relying on anyone else, survival would be impossible. We depend on others to live and thrive in this world.
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Most of our problems arise from dividing ourselves from others. This division leads to attachment to ourselves and aversion to others, or attachment to our own perspective and aversion to the perspectives of others. It is from this basis that all problems emerge.
Conversely, if we think of ourselves and sentient beings as the same, viewing them as part of us or just like us, we foster a sense of unity. The opposite of this mindset is to consider oneself as the most important, a perspective we have held from time immemorial. By thinking of all beings as just like us, we cultivate the opposite attitude, considering others as important. With this way of thinking, we can quickly achieve positive results and happiness. Without it, we will find neither goodness nor happiness.
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It is said that even a small thought of benefiting others results in a benefit to oneself. Practicing small acts of kindness towards others benefits us in return. Conversely, even a small amount of harm done to others causes significant harm to us. When we benefit others, even slightly, we receive some benefit. When we harm others, even slightly, we receive some harm.
Thus, all our happiness and suffering depend on whether we have been beneficial or harmful, or if we have harbored thoughts of benefiting or harming sentient beings. Our happiness or suffering is directly influenced by our actions and intentions towards others.
I am going to end this article with a beautiful excerpt from Nagarjuna’s Dream Tale – a short fragment in Tibetan and English – timeless wisdom on which to meditate.
བདག་དང་སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་བདེ་སྡུག་མཚུངས།
བདེ་སྡུག་མཚུངས་པ་ཅན་ནི་གཉེན་ཡིན་ན།
I and all sentient beings are equal [with regard to] happiness and suffering.
Being equal [with regard to] happiness and suffering, we are family.
A few words about the translator. As a learner (still) of Tibetan language myself, whenever I see a fellow translator doing the impeccable, most difficult work of translating from a Dharma Master, I am in awe of their skill and insight. Davide Lionetti is no exception; moreover, he is one of the best translators I have ever witnessed. Sincere congratulations, Davide, it is a privilege to have met you!
We extend our profound gratitude to Venerable Geshe Jampa Gelek, to director Danilo Ghirardo at Treviso Center, to all the participants and sponsors who made this possible. Until we meet again!
Kindly visit the website of Lama Tsongkhapa Center in Treviso and consider attending the teachings and events, as well as supporting them financially:
In present times, we could say that Romania is a fortunate country, with many Geshes from Tibet, India and Nepal coming to provide teachings for our local Sanghas. Over the past 10 years, with the exception of the Covid Lockdown, there hasn’t been a month without a honored guest among us.
Romania is a predominantly Christian country, with the majority of its population being followers of Orthodox Christian Confession. However, other religions have their focus groups and followers; we all live in an atmosphere of mutual respect, understanding, and growth. We have had the opportunity to organize many intercultural dialogues, where Buddhist teachers met and discussed with the representatives of the Orthodox Christian church, in formal, academic settings. Ideas where exchanged and discussed, debated and analyzed. Apart from what individualizes each religion, we have often seen and agreed upon the fact that we have many things in common – which are cherished and treasured. All religions have a moral and ethical code of conduct, and the similarities between Buddhism and Christianity are worth being investigated and observed, and – why not? – followed by both parties.
Each religion has three points of focus: the ritual, the corpus of texts and – last, but not least – that which we feel. Each person finds a rightful, appropriate place within those paths. As the Romanian philosopher Mircea Eliade stated, religion is more than a product of culture and history; religion involves “the social man, the economic man, and so forth”, but those elements, “those conditioning factors do not, of themselves, add up to the life of the spirit.”
Just like each person finds a way to live, enrich and valorize their spiritual life and experience, I too have found my place in the field of studies, translations and transcripts. My mind is inclined towards theorizing; this inclination has resulted in a life of study and two doctoral degrees. My path is Buddhist; in my present field of study, I have dedicated my energy to transcribing teachings and making them accessible to the public wanting to be acquainted to the general principles of Buddhist philosophy – especially to the people living in non-Buddhist countries.
The Teachers visiting Romania often choose topics of general interest, which allow the public to take the first steps into the Buddhist philosophy. It is often fascinating to see the amount of questions received at the end, the curiosity of people who get acquainted with such a different way of thinking. The teachings are important and precious – a treasure that I am to transcribe and keep safe, so that those gems of wisdom reach as many people as possible.
A study I have conducted in the past six months among my fellow students have shown me the fact that people at large prefer to have written texts. An oral teaching is a gift; from my point of view, its written expression is no less valuable, as it is able to reach those who, for various reasons (logistical, medical or otherwise) cannot listen.
In the vast tapestry of human existence, the threads of religion weave intricate patterns, each unique in its colors, shapes, and textures. From the ancient wisdom of Hinduism to the monotheistic principles of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and the philosophical teachings of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, the world is adorned with a rich tapestry of diverse religious traditions. At the heart of each of these traditions lies a central figure, a guiding light, revered as the main master or founder. Yet, amidst this diversity, there exists a unifying thread that binds them all together: compassion.
I truly believe that compassion serves as the common language that transcends the boundaries of creed, culture, and geography. It is the essence of empathy, the driving force behind acts of kindness, and the foundation upon which moral and ethical principles are built. While the rituals, beliefs, and practices may vary widely among different religious traditions, compassion stands as a universal virtue, recognized and cherished by all.
In Buddhism, the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, emphasize the cultivation of compassion and loving-kindness towards all sentient beings. The concept of compassion is central to Buddhist ethics of all paths, urging practitioners to alleviate the suffering of others and cultivate a deep sense of empathy and understanding.
Similarly, in Christianity, the life and teachings of Jesus Christ exemplify the importance of compassion and selfless love. The parable of the Good Samaritan, in which a compassionate stranger aids a wounded traveler regardless of their differences, serves as a timeless reminder of the universality of compassion and the call to extend kindness to all, regardless of creed or background.
In Islam, the concept of Rahmah, or mercy, lies at the heart of the faith. Muslims believe in a compassionate and merciful God, whose attributes of compassion and forgiveness are reflected in the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. The Qur’an calls upon believers to show compassion towards all creation and to emulate the example of the Prophet in their interactions with others.
Judaism teaches the importance of compassion through the concept of Tikkun Olam or “repairing”, fixing the world. Rooted in the belief in a compassionate and just God, Jewish tradition emphasizes the imperative to act with kindness and compassion towards others, seeking to alleviate suffering and bring about positive change in the world.
In Hinduism, the principle of Ahimsa, or non-violence, is closely intertwined with compassion. The Bhagavad Gita teaches that true wisdom lies in seeing all beings with equal compassion and acting with kindness and empathy towards all living creatures.
Even in non-theistic traditions such as Taoism and Confucianism, compassion occupies a central place. Confucian teachings emphasize the importance of Ren, or benevolence, which encompasses compassion, kindness, and empathy towards others.
Beyond all the boundaries of organized religion, compassion resonates with people of all backgrounds and beliefs. It represents the impulse that drives individuals to lend a helping hand to those in need, to comfort the grieving, and to stand in solidarity with the oppressed. In a world often divided by differences of faith, culture, and ideology, compassion serves as a powerful unifying force, reminding us of our shared humanity and our interconnectedness with all beings. We could say that while the world may be adorned with diverse religious traditions, each with its own main master or founder, compassion stands as the universal language that bridges the gap between them. It is the golden thread that runs through the fabric of human experience, binding us together in a shared commitment to kindness, empathy, and understanding. In embracing compassion, we honor the teachings of our respective traditions and embody the highest ideals of our share.
Thank you very much everyone for coming today evening. I’m happy to be back, this is my second time here.
Today’s topic, as you are aware, is about how loving-kindness, compassion, and respect can cultivate our own well-being, and how through such practice we can cope with the adversities better; let us all engage in a short mindfulness breathing exercise, so that we can bring our mind in the moment, in the present and trying to quiet and settle our mind.
So make yourself relaxed, comfortable.
Try to straighten your back.
Feel the weight of your body on the chair.
Breathe in and out normally.
Watch it mindfully, being aware you are present now.
Then we can contemplate and reflect on giving our precious time to listen, to engage in discussion, reflection, contemplation.
May all of these become causes and conditions to develop our inner pursuit of loving-kindness, compassion, and goodness.
The topic that we are going to discuss, loving-kindness and compassion, is one of the fundamental ideas of Buddhist teaching, Buddhist philosophy and practice. However, to practice and meditate on loving-kindness and compassion, you don’t necessarily need to be a Buddhist. Anyone can apply this meditation and practice.
Normally, when we think of loving-kindness and compassion, sometimes there is misunderstanding or misperception about what that loving-kindness and compassion mean for well-being of others, we tend not to take our own well-being into consideration. But when we practice true love, loving-kindness, and compassion, not only are we able to be of more help, more benefit to others, and thereby help to others, but also, it’s a source of our own well-being.
The research that has been done over the last 15-20 years clearly shows that even when people are meditating for 10 minutes a day, even for just 3 weeks, it benefits them on many different levels. Certain research shows that when you meditate on loving-kindness and compassion, that brings about a change in your brain, it affects a certain area of your brain, which has the function of empathy and happiness.
Some other research shows that – through such meditation, your stress level reduces, and people who have post-traumatic disorder will experience a decrease in their distress, there were very clear effects of reducing the anxiety level. And of course there is a decrease of anger. Finally, when you meditate on loving-kindness, compassion, especially when someone has been meditating for a while, it shows a decrease of distress when you see the suffering and of others. It shows a clear decrease of the feeling of discomfort; when we have strong attachments to our friends, family, let’s say, when we see the suffering of our loved ones, it can create a great discomfort, it can be very overwhelming. But when someone practices true loving-kindness and compassion, the attachment reduces, even you feel their pain, you see and you feel their pain and suffering, you don’t get distressed, and you don’t get overwhelmed by such feelings.
So meditation on true loving-kindness and compassion helps us build resilience and sense of inner strength to deal with suffering and pain of ourselves and suffering and pain of our loved ones, dear ones, or anyone. Compassion helps us grow our resilience and the feeling of facing when those around us are suffering.
Research shows that, when you are angry, when you have such kind of hatred and overwhelmed by anger, it affects your immune system. So definitely it’s very harmful for our physical well-being if it actually destroys our immune systems. Also, when we are overwhelmed by such negative feelings, such as anger and hatred, then you lose your intelligence and correct judgement in that moment. When people are strongly overwhelmed by anger and hatred, more than 90% of the negative effect in such situations is just imagined.
So, not only does it hurt our physical well-being, but it also hurts our emotional well-being. We all know what it feels like when you are very strongly overwhelmed by those emotions. Also, it’s our experience that when we are overwhelmed by such strong emotions such as anger, hatred, even if we try to sleep, we cannot sleep well because our mind is too occupied by thoughts about that. Even if you try to do something, whatever you are trying to do, you cannot concentrate well because your mind is too occupied by again thought that is related with those emotions. Even if you try to have some enjoyment, good food, being in a good, nice place, in the right weather, you don’t enjoy these because your mind is too occupied or overwhelmed. So it takes away all our enjoyment, all our peace in that moment.
Whereas loving-kindness and compassion is the counteracting, the opposite force. When we don’t have anger and hatred, when we are in a state where we are experiencing and feeling love, compassion and gentleness, our mind is much calmer, more peaceful, we are able to concentrate better.
Also, I have been told by some of my friends who have some health issues like diabetes and blood pressure. When they experience anger, if they check their sugar level or blood-pressure, immediately they can see that those levels go up, and they have a feeling of frustration or even of anger and they check their blood sugar or blood pressure again, the values increase.
I think that there are enough studies and experiences that show that meditation on love, compassion and kindness brings forth clear results. When someone engages in meditation or practice, when they are able to develop a sense of true love and compassion towards someone, they automatically become more understanding of others, of their suffering, pain, feelings. And also, studies and personal experiences clearly show that practicing this meditation of compassion and love and increases their sense of concern, their sense of more empathy towards others’ problems,
So when you have that feeling of understanding, then definitely, in any kind of relationship, you will have a better connection. At least from your side. Of course, any kind of relationship is from both sides. There needs to be effort from both sides. But even if there isn’t effort from both sides, even just from one side, it still helps to make the relationship better. The Dalai Lama has often shared that, he finds so much inner strength and inner resilience, inner peace, through this practice of love, compassion and gentleness, despite him, the citizens, the Tibetan people going through so much pain and suffering, But you can see he doesn’t feel any kind of bitterness at all. Despite all things that he went through, he is able to keep his mind calm, peaceful, not having anger, hatred. Therefore, the practice of loving-kindness, compassion really helped him, for his physical well-being and emotional well-being, and to be so joyful, cheerful, jolly and happy in life despite all the challenges.
What this shows is: if you choose to follow the path of loving-kindness, compassion, and you put effort to do that, you don’t have to be so bitter, so angry, so frustrated. So it depends on what we choose when we are faced with such a difficulty, challenge, or problem: whether we try to choose, to follow the path of cultivating loving-kindness and compassion, or we choose not to follow it, and instead follow the path of bitterness, anger, and frustration.
So just like Dalai Lama is able to keep calm, peaceful, and not have those kind of frustrations, bitterness and anger, we also have the same potential, if we decide to follow the same path and if we decide to make effort to do that. Also, there is one story that the Dalai Lama often shares, about one monk, that was in prison for more than 10-15 years, and tortured during this time. At some point, he was released and then he and came to India, to discuss with His Holiness; the monk told him that there had been a couple of dangerous while he was in prison; he said that there were two things he was afraid of in prison.
The Dalai Lama asked him what kind of danger he had had those couple of times. And the monk replied. there had been a couple of times during those all this time, when he had been in danger of losing compassion for those who were torturing him. So all these two years, not just one day, one week, one month, but 10 to 15 years, constantly tortured for no crime that he had committed. Still, he was able to keep his compassion. So again, he had the choice to live those 15 years with so much bitterness, anger, hatred, but he decided not to go in that direction, but to practice loving-kindness and compassion, even for the very people who tortured him.
And because he decided to put more effort towards cultivating love, compassion and he was able to do that, he didn’t have to also experience all the mental suffering and pain, which is worse than physical torture. On the other hand, when our mind is tortured by bitterness, frustration, anger, hatred, not only it takes away our mental peaceful, calm, mental joy, happiness. Not only that it takes our peace, joy, mental calm, but sometimes it can take our own life, end our own life, and also take the life of others. That is how harmful or how strong is such mental torture.
It seems loving-kindness and compassion are even more needed in our present time than even before. New technologies are developing in every area. It is possible to misuse it and abuse those technologies and, and if there is not enough compassion, loving-kindness, the chances to misuse it, abuse it, increase. They can destroy someone’s life, someone’s family or country, or the world that we live in; if there is more loving-kindness, compassion, then we will not misuse them.
We use it for, to reduce the suffering and to relieve the suffering of the beings in the world. But if we don’t have that loving-kindness-compassion, then we might use those to create more suffering and pain and problems in the world. We should use them to try to reduce or even eliminate the suffering of those on the other side.
Loving-kindness and compassion are something that we all can practice, meditate on, and that we all can cultivate and improve.
Our fundamental quality is by nature altruistic and compassionate. And so, since that is our fundamental basic nature, the seed is always there. If we nurture it, if we take care of it, it will flourish; it is something that we don’t have to develop from zero, the seed is always there. Our capacity to be altruistic is always present, and we can easily access it.
Research also seems to indicate that the basic nature of human beings is altruistic.
If we really believe, it is possible to cultivate and improve our loving-kindness and altruism. Conviction is important to inspire us to practice. When you don’t feel it is possible, when we don’t have the conviction, then we are not inspired; when we don’t have these inner convictions, when we don’t internalize this understanding, then we are not so motivated and inspired to practice, our practice becomes kind of half, not fully dedicated. And I think it is the same in everything that we do when we are not convinced of something that can be achieved. Then it’s hard to put our full heart, everything into that.
So then, after the break, I’m going to talk a little bit about meditation itself on loving-kindness, compassion and then I will open for any questions.
Okay, so we are going to resume.
So as many of you might be aware, there are many different practices of meditation. You are probably aware of mindfulness meditation. Most mindful meditation practices focus on breathing, on rising and falling of our abdomen. So basically it is a meditation practice to improve our concentration and to help us to be in present, in moment, here.
And of course, as a part of that practice, when any thoughts arise, we learn to be aware of, and not to get involved in them.
The meditation of loving-kindness and compassion is slightly different. During this type of meditation, we reflect upon and contemplate the suffering or pain of others. We try to feel the pain and suffering of others. After contemplating, after thinking about someone’s pain and suffering, you feel pain and suffering in such a way that it becomes unbearable as your own pain, your own suffering. And so how will you react when you have your own pain and suffering, unbearable? You want to get rid of that pain and suffering immediately, as soon as possible. And not only do you have the wish to free or reduce or relieve the suffering, but you will also try to do that.
Thus, we develop this aspiration, this wish to attempt to be free from the pain, suffering, problems, you want to do something yourself.
And when we start, we always start with someone who is very close to you, most dear, most close to you, where you can feel compassion more easily. In a way, you don’t have to put so much effort to feel that compassion. And then, more neutral person in your life who is neither someone very close to you, that you are very attached to, nor someone you dislike so much, that you call enemy, or someone you dislike very much, nor neither of them, but who is more kind of neutral. You feel more neutral towards that person.
So here you must put a little bit more effort, compared to the previous one. But still, it wouldn’t be so extremely difficult to feel compassion. If you contemplate the suffering of others and you feel the pain and suffering, and you feel as though it is almost like your own pain, unbearable, regardless of who that person is, so unbearable, wish for that person to be free from that pain, suffering, problem.
If we don’t know the person closely, it will be difficult to know exactly what kind of suffering that person has, and to feel it in our soul. We can use our reasoning mind and see as long as they are in samsara, as samsaric beings, we all experience suffering.
Some of my friends often ask: when you go and visit different places, what differences do you find?
And my answer – that is how I feel, in any part of the world I go to, people are the same. Everyone has similar pain, problem, sufferings. Some currently have more problems and pain, some have a little bit less this time; next time when I visit, the one who had less before, now has more problems, more suffering; in general, all people have, in their everyday life, suffering and pain of all kinds.
Sometimes, from outside it seems that a person is fine. In general, if you don’t talk about the pain and problems of a person from outside, that person seems to be fine. Seems that person’s life is happy, everything seems just fine.
But when you get to know them closely and when they are more open to discussing feelings, what’s going on in your life, then everyone has more or less the same, same, same suffering, same problems, same pain. When people open up, I start to see that they have problems. In most situations, people always have the same problems. With that understanding, even if you don’t know this specific suffering or problem, we can still think and contemplate.
Sometimes they have health issues just like everyone else. Some have a little bit more worse health issues than someone has. But still, we all go through some health issue, at some time in our life.
Also, there is no relationship that is perfect. If it is not a relationship, it is perfect. Whether it is a husband, a wife, whether it is a boyfriend, girlfriend, whether it is children, parents, whether it is colleagues, every relationship… there is not one relationship that is perfect. Not in samsara. Even though sometimes we feel when we are in that challenging period, similar and we believe that other people have good relationships, and we think “Why me, why my family, why are we struggling with that?”
But if you really discuss, everyone has similar situations, challenges, difficulties.
And so we can apply that with all other problems, suffering, pain that we experience and then contemplate that that person, even if it is not so obvious to us now, most definitely they are also going through problems, suffering, and then try to cultivate a wish for them to be free from that suffering, pain and cause of suffering and pain.
And then, next, try to feel the same compassion for someone you have conflicts with, someone, the most difficult person in your life. And that is not going to be so easy; that requires a lot of effort and a lot of practice and meditation. Here, sometimes we might have to think a little bit more than before.
Sometimes, I think, even though we see the pain and suffering, it might be difficult for us to feel the pain and suffering. Due to so many negative feelings, we sometimes build a wall, where we see it, but we cannot feel it. Therefore, sometimes, to see and feel the pain and suffering of that person, maybe we might have to perform an analytical exercise, in order to break down, to dismantle that shield. To destroy the walls of the mind, you will have to analyze more.
So, first step is to really understand that the person you dislike or that you have conflict with, are just like everyone else, myself and everyone else, they want to be happy, and they do not want suffering. So, instead of focusing on the differences, we try to feel this oneness, this sameness on that fundamental level that we all are same, we are equal as human beings, as sentient beings.
And just as we have the right to be happy and to not suffer, that person has the same right not to suffer and to be happy. That person is also saying they are trying to protect their happiness, their well-being. That’s all they are trying to do, to protect themselves and bring good to themselves. When trying to do that, the way we do that, sometimes it hurts and harms someone. People don’t always want to intentionally hurt and harm that person. It’s more about how can they protect their happiness, their well-being. And so then, they think of how to do that in a certain way. And when they do that, then it might hurt and harm someone in that way.
So, if someone is being harmful, hurtful, whether to yourself, your family, friends or anyone, many times it is just… they are trying to protect their own well-being, their own happiness. Everything that these people are trying to do is to protect themselves, to defend themselves, to generate good for themselves and their families and in this process, it is possible to hurt those around them.
If we can feel that, if we understand, then we don’t have such a strong negative bad feeling towards that person; our negative feelings will be less powerful, or they will diminish. We will have less anger, fury and resentment, then that wall – that we have built up – will start to dismantle and get destroyed; our mind will become more spacious; then, we will be able to see their pain and suffering more clearly, because our mind will no longer be so biased, so subjective. And then, try to feel the pain as though it were your own pain, your own problem. And if you can feel compassion for this most difficult person in your life, then it will be much easier to feel compassion for all other beings.
And also as a part of our meditation and practice, that is what we should more focus on: to be able to have compassion even for those who make our life difficult, who do not make our life easy. And if we can feel compassion for them, then even their harmful, hurtful actions won’t make you upset and angry. So then if their attitude, if their actions and behavior do not disturb and agitate you, then, you suffer less. But in the end, if my mind is kind of disturbed and agitated and angry by someone’s actions, behavior or attitude, then, by that agitated, then because of this mind I will suffer a lot; it will create a strong potential for me to act more aggressively, more harmfully, to be more violent towards others and thereby bring more suffering and pain and suffering to the others.
Sometimes we might feel that anger is good because it can protect us and our family, but anger never protects you or your family. It makes you more vulnerable, more dangerous to us and our families. But if there is something that protects you, your family and others. If there is something that can really protect us and our families, it is love and compassion.
Therefore, we start with those three different people, and then we try to extend that same compassion to all the beings, We must understand that – as long as we are in samsara, as long as we are under the control of karma and delusions, we continue to experience problems, suffering, pain, again and again. The potential is always there. Even if we are not experiencing any significant problems, suffering is there. If you are in prison, even if someone is not torturing you now, give you a relief from being tortured, still since you are in prison, you still suffer. It’s still a prison. Sometimes for us, it’s like when we are being tortured in a prison, we feel suffering. And when we are not tortured, for the moment, we feel like we have no problem. Everything just seems fine, and we forget that we are in a prison.
The Buddha says that – when we are the slaves of our mind, our mind itself becomes the slave of our own afflictive emotions; you are a slave, you are a prisoner of that delusion, of your own karma. So if we understand that – even though someone does not have an obvious suffering, who is in good health, who seems to be doing quite good in their relationship, financially who are very secure and good – they are still suffering, because they are still overwhelmed by their delusions and karma. If we understand that, then we can feel compassion even for those.
So through such reasoning, we try to understand and feel the suffering of all the beings, and then cultivate the compassion through wishing them to be free from each and all sufferings, not only one particular suffering, but all the suffering and the cause of suffering, all the potentials, all the negative karma, all contaminated karma, and all the delusions.
Then, we generate the desire to free all beings from suffering, regardless of the context in which they are in, to free them from these delusions and karma. We expand this thought to everyone in Bucharest, everyone in Romania, everyone in Europe, all the world; slowly, like that, we train the mind. We expand this thought not only towards all the human beings, but all the animals, all the beings that can be seen and unseen, all the beings.
If you want to be more specific, you can think of a particular person and recite a prayer your mind: “May they be free from the sickness and the cause of the sickness. And may they have good health.”
In the same way, if someone is dealing with some suffering, pain, because of certain challenges in their life, again, same thing, feeling their pain and suffering and wishing them to be free from the pain and suffering of such a difficult problem and so forth, wishing them to have a stable and good relationship and causes of stable and good relationship, financial security; we wish them to acquire the causes and conditions that will lead them to be free from future problem and sufferings, negative karma, the contaminated karma and the delusions.
We want to free ourselves from these sufferings in our relationships and financial situations, but we also want to free ourselves from the deeper causes of illusions, of karma, and the contaminated karma that led to the manifestation of these sufferings. We wish them to be free from all the obscurations that are obstacles for them to achieve the true ultimate happiness – which are, virtues and positive state of mind, spiritual realization, and to achieve the ultimate happiness of fully awakened state.
So I think that is a little bit about this type of meditation, the practice itself.
Geshe-la, you are a person who traveled a lot in many countries and gave teachings to all sorts of people. And I was wondering what did you notice to be the greatest problem of people everywhere? What is the most important source of suffering and of problems for people everywhere in the world?
Basically I noticed the same as Buddha said: attachment. And of course that attachment comes along with a lot of frustration, a lot of fear, a lot of anger. Those are the problems that I see most. When I go to Nepal, India, people are frustrated and upset with so many things: political system, or the situation of the country. I go to USA, same thing. People are very upset and angry with politics, the systems, the situation of the countries is not good. Same in Europe. Every place I go, people have the same complaints, same problems, same sufferings.
People in, let’s say, India, Nepal, they think… America is the place to be and they aspire to be there and they pay a lot of money, they risk their life to go there, and then on the other hand there are a lot of Americans who feel that is the place to be is India, Nepal, this is… always not being happy and satisfied with where you are and your situation. Everyone wants to go where they are not. As long as, because of the attachment, you always want better and more. And when we don’t get that, then we are frustrated. Millionaires are frustrated because they cannot make more money. When the government says they have to pay one percentage, two percentage more tax, they are extremely unhappy, they are extremely frustrated, they are extremely angry.
Similarly, poor people are not pleased with what they have. They feel they need more to be happier. They are not happy and satisfied with their life and everything because they want to be in the middle class to be more secure. Once they arrive there, they want to be on the upper path. And that never ends.
I personally know people who are millionaires, but who feel more insecure than many poor people.
Until we work with our attachments, we can never reach a point where we feel safe and protected. So that is the same problem, suffering that I see all over the world.
There is another question, Geshe-la. I was thinking about the technique of applying what you have taught us: to meditate on love and compassion which is very important; my question is what happens when our minds are, let’s say, in a turmoil or, let’s say, drawn into something that’s like 70%, 80% made up of attachment, anger, desire again, ego, identities, conflict because that’s how we are most of the time. How to have a mind full of compassion?
We should try being more mindful and, whenever we notice any kind of negative feeling, bad feeling, instead of giving space and time for those negative thoughts to spread in our mind, to keep them under control.
And so when we start doing that more and more, with the mindfulness and conscious effort at the very beginning, then just like you are training your physical body, then slowly, slowly, your mind gets used to it and then when it comes, you don’t have to put so much effort in getting that kind of rhythm, that kind of action by itself easily.
to make it observe and stop those thoughts and it will enter in a sort of rhythm to bring things to the virtuous. If you get used to it, familiar with that, then the body itself, without putting effort, it kind of goes naturally towards that direction.
Same is the training of the mind, you know. At the very beginning, we have to be more alert, more mindful, more conscious. And then whenever any of those negative feelings arise, we try to, immediately try to apply, apply the antidote, the practice. And then, slowly, slowly, our mind getting used to that. More humility, more accustomed, and then, then when such negative thought comes, your mind starts to respond in that way, without having put so much effort.
And for the initial mind it is harder to do this exercise of observing negative thoughts, negative emotions. But then, slowly, you get used to it and as soon as you see a good, you immediately find it, as soon as you see an emotion, you apply the antidote, you practice, and it will be easier and easier to bring the mind where you want it to be.
For example, let’s say when you have anger and then start to feel negative about that person, wishing that person bad, when you have that kind of feeling, with mindfulness, immediately recognize that: “Oh, there is that bad feeling, negative feeling of anger and wishing someone bad.” Instead, try to put effort to wish that person good, instead of wishing that person bad: “May they have happiness, may they have good health, may they have everything.” So you try to put effort to feel, even though you don’t naturally feel that way; put effort to feel that way. And slowly, slowly your mind gets used to that, and then every time you start to feel a little bit bad, your mind starts to respond or react; instead of wishing bad, wishing good. And then in that way, compassion, loving-kindness, come more easily.
For example, if you see a person you don’t understand, and you feel anger, as soon as you notice that these emotions come to you, make the effort to start generating good thoughts for this person, wishing them to be happy, to be well, to be in peace. At the beginning, it will be difficult, it will take effort, like when you go to the gym; with time, your mind will start to get used to it. Little by little, it will be easier, easier.
Because we are in samsara, because we are not free from the samsara, because of our karma, because of our delusions, sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes we do things that we are not very proud of. In such situations, we need to be patient with ourselves, because we are all in this complicated situation and we are all the same as everyone around us.
I think the most important is we have to understand and accept where we are now: we are ordinary sentient beings in samsara, with delusions and under the control of karma. So we are born to make mistakes. If we don’t grow up, it means we are in Buddha. Even the Bodhisattvas – even they make some mistakes.
Can we do anything to increase the peace in the world, in this situation, in the present situation, through our own action?
Of course, I think there are so many ways through which we might be able to contribute. The most important thing is that we work with our own mind, so that we don’t get angry and upset with those whom we blame, who are the cause of the turmoil, of the sufferings.
Whenever there is conflict like this in the world, whether it’s in the Middle East, whether it is in Russia, Ukraine or other parts, different people have different views. Who is to blame for all this? They might have different views about that, but we shouldn’t have anger, hatred and bad feeling towards those whom we might believe, or think are the root of the problem. When that happens, instead of creating better environment for peace, we create environment for more conflict.
What we have to do is to try not to put ourselves in a camp and not to generate negative emotions and not to judge the context. Those who claim to be fighting for peace often end up taking guns themselves and starting to kill.
What we can do is to try to ask for more dialogue, more balance. We can try to put pressure on all those people who lead us, to try to balance the situation, not to go in one direction.
It is not easy to practice but that is the only hope we have for ourselves and for the world. Hence why you are here. Thank you.
Simultaneous Translation from Tibetan: Lotsawa Thubten Sherab
Transcript and edit: Veronica Anghelescu
Alexandra Grigorescu: So, dear guests, welcome again to Pitesti Cultural Center. We are very happy to receive you here with your wisdom, with your knowledge, that we are expecting for you to share with us. Thank you and welcome your staying here. Thank you. Nowadays, we tend to forget the value of the soul, of morality, we forget to love nature, phenomena and beings, we forget to be humble.
The refuge we have chosen is that of money, of pleasure or pleasure of senses, the fact that it contradicts the essence of the immortal life we have, the essence that is nothing but the seed from which the soul is born and later the infinite light. All our actions, guided by instincts and self-centeredness, lead us to karma, to suffering in this world and to rebirth in the lower realms, where there is more suffering, comfort, and the teachings of the great religions of the world. Dharma generates a positive purpose in life, it is the practice of religion, it is the proof that we give to the universe that we do something for our salvation, not only waiting for others to do it for us, while we are fighting for our own pleasures and we are immoral. Dharma is the teaching that guides us on the path to enlightenment. The mysteries of Tibet fascinated generations throughout time, and it is clear that in an esoteric society, that the Tibetan people have opened up and decided to pass on the keys necessary for the initial journey.
Today I have chosen to ask some questions and I will start with the first question. And we hope that until the end of the show we will understand what these mysteries are, we will get to the point where we will be able to answer them.
We face many problems and sufferings in life. Where can we find a refuge?
Geshe Jampa Gelek, transl. Lotsawa Thubten Sherab: So to answer this question, I would say in our life we have different types of human beings, those who believe in religion, those who do not believe in religions, and then all encounter, as the question says, all encounter some problems and some sufferings. So when this happens, I think the good solution, authentic solution is to rely on authentic refuge; from a Buddhist point of view, one can find an authentic refuge. And what is that authentic refuge? This authentic refuge refers to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. And Buddha is considered in Buddhism like a guide.
A.G.: Guide, or deity?
G.J.G.: Guide.
A.G.: Guide. Like from somebody who shows the path.
G.J.G.: Yes. So, Buddha is considered a guide in Buddhism. And then, the Dharma is considered as the real refuge – Dharma being the teaching. The Sangha are the people who help on the path. So in Buddhism we compare these three refuges in the following way. So we take the example of a doctor. The doctor, in this case, is the Buddha. And then we have the Dharma which is like considered as the medicine, because Buddha gives the teachings, and that teaching is the medicine. But then that teaching alone is not enough. That teaching has to be practiced. The nurses in the hospital are necessary to help the doctor, to give help to the patients.
Dharma is a method to make us happy in this life, and to also provide happiness for the future. The Dharma helps us to calm our mind. While we live, we prepare ourselves to have temporary happiness and future happiness, ultimate happiness. In the future, Dharma prepares us to have temporary happiness and permanent happiness. Ultimate happiness. So for this, the Buddha said: I simply show the path to you. You are the one who chooses to walk on it, or not.
But then, I also should say that when Buddha gave teachings, he always had two levels of meanings: provisory meaning and definitive meaning. So this means that the Buddha gave teachings always according to the need of different levels of beings. So therefore, sometimes, the teachings need some interpretation. And sometimes the words are directly acceptable.
A.G.: The words?
G.J.G.: The words are directly acceptable, as it says. It is exactly the same as a wise doctor who knows how to treat the patients. Because the doctor who is wise, he gives a certain medicine; if another patient comes, then the doctor may not give the same medicine. So the doctor gives different medicine for the sake of the patient. So this is why we have the two levels of meanings in the Buddhist teachings. Definitive meaning and provisory meaning.
A.G.: How can we know in this context, in which the teaching is so precious, and we want to follow an authentic teaching, how can we know, how can we make the difference whether the teaching is authentic or not? And how can we know that we are on the right path, which is not in the current context of the multiple religious sects that have appeared around us? The one that suits us in the current context of the multiple religious sects that have appeared.
G.J.G.: So, to know if the teaching of the Dharma is authentic or not, we can have three factors. The three factors are the following. First thing is to know if the teaching is mentioned in one of the 100 volumes of Buddha’s words. There are 100 volumes.
The second factor is to know is to know if it has been investigated and if it has been commented upon by an Indian Master from Nalanda Monastery, from Nalanda Monastery in India.
The third factor is to know, to see if the yogis have meditated and if they have had some realization.
Regarding the final part of the question, how to know if it is the right path or not… at the end of the day we should be able to ascertain whether it is true from the point of view of reason. We have scriptural proof, and we have reasonable proof. So we can base our understanding on reason, the logic.
We know that in the world there are so many religions. We cannot say this is the best, this is difficult to say. Whether something is best or not, it is a question of the personal need, because each person has different tastes, different kinds of needs. So, for some, a particular religion is necessary. And for some others, that religion is not necessary. So, therefore, at the end, it’s all a question of the needs of each individual. For this reason, the religions are exactly like medicines. You know, there are different kinds of medicines in the pharmacy. And these medicines are good for some people, and some are not good. So in the end, all medicines are good. So in the same way, the religions are also necessary, you know, for each individual’s needs.
For example, the Buddha taught the theory of selflessness. And the Buddha taught us about the lack of anger. And about emptiness. But then, Buddha said, no, this is not the best teaching, because there are some people for whom this teaching is not suitable. So for those people, Buddha gave different other teachings, according to the needs of those people. So I think all religions are completely positive. For this reason, we have to have respect to any kind of religion on this earth.
A.G.: In our daily life, when we participate in the rituals, is it more important to examine our thoughts, our speech and the way we act, or to be more attentive to those around us? Also: is the mind our cause of happiness and suffering, or are those around us guilty of our suffering and our joy?
G.J.G.: First of all, in Buddhism, it is said that the purpose of the Dharma is to change our mind, but not to change our body. So this means the main point is to observe our own mind.
A.G.: To observe, you said? Observe?
G.J.G.: To observe. To see ourselves. And to improve our mind. And then we develop a certain mental quality. The Buddha said, if the mind is subdued, there is happiness. But if the mind is not subdued, then there are sufferings.
A.G.: Which is the solution in order not to generate negative energy through our souls, through our mind and of course through our deeds?
G.J.G.: To answer the question, Buddha simply said that we should be fully aware, to look at our own mistakes. But then, regarding the faults of other people, we should behave like blind people.
A.G.: Blind. This means… So you mean to be blind to the mistakes of the other one?
G.J.G.: Yes. In Buddhism, we have one thing called the delusion. So the delusion means a wrong thought. And this wrong thought always sees objects in the wrong way. Therefore, all our problems in samsara, in our life, come from this wrong attitude. So therefore the solution is to resolve all our past delusions. So, we should come to try to solve it, because the solution is a long way.
So this means the delusion is a wrong thought, therefore it is something that we can remove. And to remove that, we need to have an antidote. That antidote is the right thought, the correct mind. And the correct thought always has a valid support. So when that valid support is improved more and more, then we overcome the delusions. In Buddhism, we say that our main enemy is inside, in ourselves.
A.G.: Our way of functioning is to run away from suffering and to seek the pleasures and joys of life. But is this correct?
G.J.G.: We have a type of happiness that is temporary. And then there is everlasting happiness. We know that the happiness that we have in our society is only temporary. And to have the real happiness, the everlasting happiness, we have to overcome our ignorance, to eliminate ignorance; then, we become completely free of all kinds of sufferings.
The happiness we have in our life is not a real happiness. The happiness we have is only a question of a changing of the temporary sufferings. So, people think that when we have some kind of happiness, we think oh we are happy, we believe like this. But when that happiness transforms in suffering, then we have another kind of feeling. So at the end, you know, the real happiness is not there.
Now, what does the changing of suffering mean? It means, you know, in summertime, for example, when it is very hot, then we suffer. So then, we come to a cold room, a cold place. So the suffering of heat is now changed into a happiness of freshness, and after a while, it becomes another suffering. Being in the cold place slowly, slowly we are cold, and we suffer again.
So the bottom line is, all types of happiness we have in samsara are not true, not real. If they were real, then we should be always experiencing happiness all the time. But unfortunately no. We first have heat, we feel happiness, then we are cold, we have another suffering, so it’s always changing. All contaminated happiness is suffering. For this reason, Buddha said that anything that is free, is happiness. Anybody who is under the control of something, is suffering.
The fact that we are born in samsara is because we are forced by karma and delusion, which means we are not free of the power of this karma and delusion. We are not free.
A.G.: How important is it to have a spiritual leader, a guru to guide us on the spiritual path?
G.J.G.: So let’s say we have, you know, our present life and future life. So already for the present life we need a teacher. To learn mathematics. To learn drawing. And so on. So these are all visible things. Even for something physical, we need to depend on the teacher. So this means for the future life, where we have to deal with our mind, then we need definitely more, you know, a teacher in that case, because it’s something more important. How to master our mind? We need a guide.
A.G.: Can the luminous nature of our mind be a guide on the way? Can we trust it?
G.J.G.: So, first of all, when the question says, “the luminous nature of mind” – it talks about what the mind looks like, how the mind is. So it is a non-physical object that moves from past life to present life. And the nature of the mind is that it has that has a lot of capacity. At the same time it has many many adventitious stains, like temporary coverings. And these temporary coverings are not inseparable.
There are many layers of the mind. Many coverings. And these layers are removable. So, when they are removed, the mind itself is completely clear. We can explain this with some examples. Gold – the metal – remains hidden underground for a long time. Therefore, it is dirty. But then the nature of the gold is always clean. So this means the dirt and the gold are separable.
Also, for example, another example is the water. Water is dirty when it is stirred. When it is stirred, it has dirt, dust. But if we no longer stir it, water becomes calm and clean by itself.
Then the third example is the space, the sky. The space is, you know, is clear by nature. But it may be temporarily covered by many kinds of clouds. So this means that clouds and the skies are separable.
A.G.: What is the solution to open our heart to really love others?
G.J.G.: We have this term in the Tibetan Buddhism, bodhicitta; this bodhicitta is very precious in Buddhism, we say. And why it is precious? It’s because it always considers the other people more important than ourselves. And also, when we open our heart to other people, also the other people appreciate so much.
When a person generates bodhicitta, we say that it becomes a Bodhisattva. And this Bodhisattva knows that we are all the same – in the sense of wanting happiness and wanting to avoid sufferings. And therefore, the Bodhisattva is always aware of helping other beings. Then, the Bodhisattva also knows that selfishness is damaging – what is selfishness? It is the attitude of always thinking about oneself, only one person, oneself, himself, or herself. Whereas when they generate bodhicitta, the bodhisattva thinks of numberless sentient beings.
For this reason, Shantideva the great master from Nalanda monastery, who was a Bodhisattva, said as the following: all happiness in this world comes from altruism. All sufferings existing in this world come from egoism. People have strong ego, saying all the time, I am, all the time.
A.G.: How can we transcend duality?
G.J.G.: So before talking about transcending the duality, we have to know what duality means.
Duality is of three types. One type is the duality of conventional appearance, conventionality. The second type of duality is the object of negation – when we talk about ultimate truth. Then we have third type of duality, and this refers to the appearance of a subject and object.
So to transcend these three dualities, when one has that realization, that mind is absorbing only emptiness. And there is no appearance of any of these three dualities. None of these three dualities. It is too technical a discussion and it should be developed in a separate session.
A.G.: As I see it… we should see ourselves as one with everything that surrounds us, not separated, and then we will be free of all the three types of dualities. To escape of our ego, in conclusion.
G.J.G.: Yes, more or less.
When ignorance is present, we always think that the things exist from their own side. But in reality, all phenomena are arising only by depending on others. So there is the understanding of emptiness.
A.G.: So, thank you again to everyone, thank you to the sponsors who made this wonderful meeting possible. Thank you for participating. It was very interesting to share, to receive from your wisdom and to share with us from your wisdom.
On this earth, there are people who do not accept religion, and those who do. But at the end of the day, what all people on this earth want – is happiness.
I want to say that we, as human beings, are very special compared to other creatures, other living beings. We are exceptional because we have human intelligence. And with this intelligence that we have as human beings, we can do so much. We can learn so much. And also, we can understand so much. And this is only possible with human understanding, with the human consciousness. This means our human mind has great capacity.
Then another aspect that I want to present is that we have happiness, and we have suffering. When we talk about happiness or suffering, we have to know that these exist at two levels. One is at the level of body consciousness, physical consciousness. Then, another level of happiness and suffering is at the mental level. So, the mental sensation and body sensation are those two things. For many living beings, such as the animals and so forth, they experience a lot of suffering that is related to their body consciousness, the physical consciousness. As for human beings, we don’t experience only that. We experience something more. On top of the body consciousness, we also experience the sensations of mental consciousness.
So this means we, as human beings, go through more complicated, more complex sensations, more complex happiness, more complex sufferings also. The animals have only limited capacity, and that is enough for them. So we, as human beings, have more mental capacity, but also more happiness and more suffering.
Human beings produce many material objects, many technological objects. And then… regardless to all these developments, we always want extra, always more and more stuff, more and more happiness. So the developments of material objects do not really change our sensation.
So this means that, for human beings, it’s something to do with the mind. No matter how rich you are, no matter how rich or poor people are, it doesn’t really matter so much; the mental level of suffering, mental level of happiness does not change a lot. It’s very subtle, you know.
Human beings have so many thoughts, conceptual thoughts; our mind is constantly thinking this and that, which creates extra suffering on top of the natural sufferings. You know, this is why many times, we as human beings, due to not knowing or because of not knowing how to take care of our mind, then we have more suffering and, unfortunately, more unhappiness.
Then, you know, people often ask the question: why are we born? What is the purpose of our life? That question is in our mind, you know? So, at the end of the day, we ask the question, what is the purpose of being born?
This is a very important question. So the answer is that – if we are born as human beings, the purpose of our life is to establish the cause of happiness. This is the purpose of our human life, the one that differentiates between human life and animal life. Otherwise, if we don’t do anything, if we don’t reduce suffering, if we don’t search and establish the cause of happiness, then at the end, it’s like we become like the animals. This is why, as human beings, we have this purpose, we have this responsibility to make something better. So this means we have to know what the mind means. To establish the cause of happiness, we have to also understand how the mind works, and what is the nature of the mind. So we have to learn these subtle things so that we develop, we improve the quality of our mind.
So now I will share with you a little bit of my own experience as a Buddhist monk. I’ve gone to monastery to learn about mental functions, about how our mind works, the different aspects of minds, the minds and mental factors. So I’ve learned this subject for about 40 years. I’ve been quite fortunate, I managed to have less tension, to have less stress – not only through learning about the mental nature, but also through teaching this subject to people, to the Westerners and to my students in India and Nepal.
So, from my point of view, when we learn what the mind is, how the mind works, and so on, it really is helpful.
In the Buddhist texts, we talk about two categories of phenomena, or two classes of phenomena. First, we have phenomena that are compounded: what does it mean? Compounded phenomena represent any object or any phenomenon that is produced through different compositions of different causes and different conditions. So, anything that is produced from many conditions and causes is called a compounded phenomenon. Our consciousness, our mind belongs to this category.
Then there’s a second category of phenomena: uncompounded phenomena: a phenomenon which has arisen, which has come into existence, without depending on causes and conditions; the mind or the consciousness does not belong to this category.
So having said this now, on the flip side of the compounded phenomena, we have three categories: one division is called the form, the other division is called the consciousness, and on top of this, again, there is a third division called the non-associated phenomena – objects which are neither consciousness, nor form. So within these three, we can say that even ourselves, as a phenomenon, we belong to one of them.
What is mind? What is consciousness? Consciousness is not a physical object. It is completely free from being a form. It is just that which experiences. It is a mere experience. It is a mere perception. When we first start learning a philosophical topic, we ask ourselves, what is the mind? Then we are explained that within the mind, there is clarity and there are perceptions. So it is something clear and it’s just the mere effect of knowing. This is the mind; we cannot show the mind. It is something non-physical, yet it has the power to recognize. It has the power to know something. It has the power to feel something. So this is the mind. And this mind is the mind that we all have.
Our human mind is much more developed, compared to the mind of those animals. This is why our human minds create many more sufferings than the sufferings of the animals. Animals don’t have this complex mind. So they live at a very simple level. So what I’m saying is the mind needs also more care. We need to take care of it more. If we don’t take care of it, then the mind always goes on and on with so many complex sufferings and unhappiness. This is why, as a human being, we have the task of improving, making this mind better.
When they talk about form, scientists know much more than, a Buddhist philosopher. They’ve developed, they’ve learned what the world is, they’ve studied everything that is to be known in the world. But then when they come to talk about the mind, then they really don’t really know so much. They don’t even know what the mind is. So this is why we, as followers of spirituality, have this burden or task to learn more about this, and to take care of the mind.
OK, now, the main point here is, you know, OK, to say, oh, there’s mind, of course, it’s easier. But then now to prove how the mind exists and in what way, this is the main question now here. So in Buddhism we say like this:
The mind exists. Why? The mind exists because our present life exists. Our present life exists because we have come from a past life. That past life came to us, or we came from the past life to here, through one state called the intermediate state. Intermediate state means a state that is between the past life and the present life. And this in Tibetan Buddhism we call the Bardo state.
The Bardo state is a state where our consciousness is moving here-and-there, up and down, traveling throughout the whole universe to find a place to be born; after a long, long time, the mind suddenly finds a specific union where a female and a male person make love. In the union, there is the unification of the eggs, the woman ovule, and the man’s sperm. So, at that time, if there is no consciousness, nobody can take a rebirth at that time, because the rebirth comes only from the entering of the part of consciousness at that moment.
In this way, we are born, we grow, we become adults; we have an ordinary mind, and then this mind then has its own quality, its own characteristic. So, the quality of a mind is that it gains certain knowledge once one has familiarized or acquainted oneself with the past objects – which means, if the mind has familiarized itself with something in the past, then the mind is able to remember things, to know things without any limit, because the mind has no physical limit; the more we familiarize ourselves with things, the more we learn. Because if we have familiarized ourselves, then the mind remembers and knows without any future effort. This is the quality of mind.
So what I’m saying is the mind really has its own special quality, its own spontaneous quality, that once the mind has known something in the past, it has a very spontaneous acquisition of quality without further effort. The more we learn, the more the mind can learn more. It’s not like physical exercise. At level of physical exercise, what happens? We all know, at the Olympic games, when people do the long jump, they always need future effort. For example, someone, man, or woman, in the Olympic game, they make the long jump. Maybe in the beginning, they make five meters jump, you know. Maybe then again, next time, next year, they will make six-meter jumps. But at certain point, somebody’s reach is maybe 10 meters, let’s say, after that, it’s impossible because that is the maximum limit. So this is the quality of physical, the physical level is limited. After we reach some kind of limit, we cannot do more. This is the point.
The mind, once it has learned, it doesn’t need effort. Also, I can take one more example. When we do, when we boil water, you know, you all know how it works. The temperature, the maximum temperature is at 100, 100, 100 degrees. When that level is reached, what happens? The water disappears. Or the water boils. More than that, there’s no other, you know, there’s no other miraculous result. That is the limit and that’s finished. So either the water disappears or the water boils and there are no other stages to go through. Whereas with the mind, we learn, we learn and learn. After a hundred years we learn, and the mind still has more and more ability. This is the special power of the mind. So, as a human being, we can always learn, and there’s no limit. This is the point.
So at the end of the day, what I’m saying is: once the mind learns and knows all, then everything becomes easy, you know. You know, people usually say, oh, this is difficult, oh, this is easy, you know. So, all this, at the end, all this is a question of, question of acquaintance, question of familiarity. If we have the familiarity with some subject – like mathematics, maybe singing, maybe dancing, if we familiarize ourselves, everything is learned, everything is possible, you know? So all this difficulty or easiness is a question of how long, how much familiarity we have. So if the mind learns, the mind is able to just go on and on. So even the great Shantideva in the Buddhist texts would say like this: there is nothing that doesn’t become easy if we familiarize ourselves with this.
We always find excuses saying: oh, this is difficult, I cannot learn, but this actually is just a question of getting used to it. If we get used to it, everything is possible. So it’s a question of just training and familiarity.
Another particularity of the mind is that – when our sense consciousness manifests, only one sense consciousness is active. When one sense consciousness is active, the other sense consciousness cannot arise simultaneously. This is not possible; while one of them is active, the other becomes dormant. Dormant means like sleeping. So the other sensory consciousnesses are a little bit in a dormant position. So that is the way our mind works you know from day to day or from moment to moment. One moment one sensory consciousness is active, it’s manifesting. The coming moment another kind of sensory consciousness is active, and the past one maybe remains dormant. So this is also another point of view about the mind, how it works. So this means, oh, we cannot say all sensory consciousness are active simultaneously. This is not possible.
Why do we have suffering? The suffering does not stop. And now the question: why do we have stress? Why do we have worries? Why do we have a mental lack of serenity? Why do these things happen? And the answer is, as a human nature, unfortunately, I should say, unfortunately, our minds keep producing more and more thoughts, like, or extra thoughts.
So when these things happen now, what is the solution? Otherwise we say this and that, but then we always need a remedy. So what is the remedy to calm down, to reduce these sufferings, or these worries, these like stress we have? What should we do?
One technique, from Buddhist point of view, is to do a meditation on the breath. The breathing meditation. It’s a simple technique. It doesn’t need so much knowledge. During that time, during the breathing meditation, you don’t think of anything. In that way, your stress and your preoccupations, they subsidize, they become very inactive. So if these mental creations become inactive, that means also our stress and our mental tensions and stress also become inactive. So if they become inactive, this means we have less suffering, less problems at that time. At least, not for the whole life, but at least for that moment, for that day, it is reduced. So this is the one solution that I would propose, you know, from my experience.
Breathe in – breathe out. Why do we do this? What is the purpose? The purpose is, when we calm our mind, when we try to reduce the busy-ness – (usually our mind is always busy: this and that, this house, and my works, and the woman, and the man, and all this relationship) – when we focus our mind on the breathing, at least during that time, the mind becomes what we call neutral, the mind takes neutral position – neither unhappiness, nor happiness. The mind rests in a neutral state. So, when the mind is neutral, then somehow our mind is ready to do a prudent meditation.
If we say, oh, I want to do fast, fast meditation doesn’t work. We must start from a neutral position, like driving a car. When we drive a car, we have to put the gear in a neutral position. Also, we put the mind in a neutral position. In that way, we control our mind.
And then, when the mind is ready, then we can go or we can do another level of meditation, a higher level of meditation,
But then also, when doing the breathing meditation, if you are not calm, if you are not peaceful, it’s difficult to do the breathing meditation. So to do the breathing meditation, the body has to be kept in a certain position. And for this, in Tibetan Buddhism, we have one particular topic called the seven-point body posture of Buddha-Vairochana. Because when we do the meditation, if the body is put in certain position or posture like that of the Buddha-Vairochana, then it is a very positive condition. It’s very favorable for meditation to be better. If the body is not in the right position, if you work, if you move, this is just impossible. This is why a certain position is necessary.
When we maintain these seven-pointed body posture, why is this so important? The answer is, it is important because when the body is correctly positioned, it helps the body channels also to be in the correct position. If the body channels are correctly positioned, it is important for the mind-flow. The mind flows very easily when the channels are correctly positioned. We have different kinds of channels. The growth channels, the subtle channels and so on. And within the body we also have gross consciousness, and subtle consciousness. So the point is, when the body is correctly positioned, it helps the channels to be to be in a good position.
The first posture is called the full vajra position, or half vajra position so this means: crossing the legs out to each other and then sitting down, this is a full vajra position. And half vajra position is the usual way that we sit down with one leg a little bit open. So, in sutra we have this posture with the full or half vajra position. And what is the purpose? What will we get? What will we obtain as a result of this? And the answer is, if we keep this position, it helps us attain the four levels of results in Tantra. Tantra is another complex subject. So to have that as a result, we already make some kind of connection, some kind of you know a cause. So when we take this full vajra position or half vajra position we create the cause to have those Tantra results in the future.
Then, the second position or posture is the two palms joined at the level of the navel in a mudra. Mudra is a Sanskrit term. When we join our two palms at the level of the navel, with the two thumbs join up, then this helps us to have a single-pointed concentration in the future. To gain concentration is great, but then, you know, even at a physical level we need to create some kind of condition, you know, some kind of small cause. So by doing this, it helps us gain equal placement realization in the future. So, the point that we join the two thumbs, you know, at the level of navel, is also to create the condition to have the realization of tummo.
Tummo means inner fire, inner heat; we don’t have tummo right now, but we create the cause and condition to have tummo realization in the future. This is the point.
Then, the next position is to keep the back spine straight. The spine has to be straight, like a bamboo; what is the purpose? And the purpose is, we in the Tibetan Buddhism, we say that we have the so-called central channel. So the central channel also becomes straight by keeping the spine very straight. So if that central channel is straight up, like a bamboo then that means that allows our wind to flow easier.
And then, the next position is to or leave our lips in a natural position. That means that our lips, upper lips and the lower lips, the mouth, shouldn’t be mortified, no? Or to leave our mouth as it is. At the same time, also it is suggested that our tip of the tongue slightly touches the palate. The tip of the tongue touching the palate. In that way, the mouth is kept in a very natural position so that it is favorable to have a long meditation without becoming thirsty time. But if we keep this position in this way, the swallowing of the saliva also becomes less.
Next, have the head slightly bent forward. By keeping this position, we create the cause to have a particular result in Tantra – the realization of verbal isolation in Tantra. This is one kind of realization in the future in the tantra. So to have this, we then try to make this position. So this is just making a favorable condition. This is all.
Then the next position is the position of keeping the eye view, towards the tip of our nose in a natural way, so that our eyes are not open wide. Because if our eyes are totally open, then of course we have so many distractions, seeing movements, objects, people moving around, maybe cars, and so on. So the meditation wouldn’t be good. At the same time, the purpose of keeping the eyes slightly open is to avoid falling asleep. Because sometimes people think they meditate, but maybe they are sleeping. So this is also another thing that we should be careful of. So the eyes shouldn’t be completely closed. Also in this way, the recommendation is that we look at the tip of the nose, and in that way, the meditation is kept under our control. In this way, we also avoid the obstacles called excitement and drowsiness: mental excitement means mental sleeping and. So these obstacles would be removed when we have this position. The two shoulders must be equally positioned. In that way, somehow, keeping the shoulders in the same position and also trying to have some kind of small space under our armpit. Our armpit, you know, if there is some space then maybe it makes the body always fresh without again any energy to fall asleep. So this is the purpose of this last body position.
When we maintain this body-position, somehow it also creates some kind of positive energy for other people. If other people see you, they at least maybe feel positive, or maybe thinking, this person is doing meditation, we don’t disturb, we let them do it. If somebody really does things in a proper, good way, sitting, doing meditation in a proper way, somehow it creates serenity. It creates peace and serenity even for other people.
While doing the breathing meditation, it is also possible to add another practice called the practice of Tonglen: this literally means giving and taking. What are we giving? While we exhale, or breathe out, we imagine that we share, that we give our happiness, our good energy, our positivity to the others who are in need. And when we inhale or breathe in, then we take. What do we take? There are people who really have big pain, lots of suffering, obstacles, and so forth. So then we try to reduce those, to help them, at least in the imagination, you know, to take their sufferings to ourselves, by means of our breath.
OK, then now when we do this practice called Tonglen, of course we are not really doing, you know, at realistic level, we are not really doing things. No, we are not really giving. And we are also not really taking. But then what is the purpose? The purpose of this is to mentally improve ourselves. Everything is a question of training. Everything is a question of learning.
When we practice Tonglen, mental giving, giving, giving, giving, or taking, taking sufferings, somehow it intensifies or it helps psychologically, it prepares us to be able to also physically do it one day in the future. So, when somebody does this kind of Tonglen meditation, especially people who do social service, people who do nurse job, people who do doctors job, people who do anything that is social, it makes their mind much better. Maybe somebody is doing social service but not happily. They only do this to do their job, earn their living, but they don’t really do it with happiness. But if one does this Tonglen meditation, it makes the mind very happy to help more, to do the nurse’s job with a very happy mind. So this is like some kind of a way to prepare ourselves, to make our mind better and improve it and so on.
There are many ways to practice. The first way is to practice meditation.
In meditation, we have two kinds or two types. One is analyzing meditation, and one is stabilizing meditation. So concentrating or stabilizing meditation means that we try to focus our mind on one single object, on one single-point object without any other focus. This is the second type and it is called Shamatha.
Within the first type, we meditate but at the same time our mind moves, our mind investigates, our mind analyzes. This is called Vipassana. And then some people say: oh, no, the analyzing meditation cannot be meditation, this is not good, this analyzing means it’s not meditation, this cannot be meditation. Some people say it. Some people think or say, they say only the second time is the good one, because it focuses only on one single object, this is meditation. Some people say, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really make any difference because we just said that there are two types, but then we don’t have to follow all those different kinds of statements. We follow certain scholars, certain philosophers who are competent. For example, among all the Tibetan yogis, there’s one yogi called Lama Tsongkhapa. So, he said that there are two types of meditation.
What does meditation mean? What is it? What is the meditation? What is the meaning? The question, you know? And the answer is meditation means to become familiar, to familiarize, to become familiar, the mind, our mind become becoming familiar with something. This is the meaning of meditation. So meditation is not different from familiarizing yourself with something.
Shamatha is stabilizing meditation. One tries to put the mind on one object, and then not thinking of anything. This is the Shamatha. Or we also can say this, we can call this the calm abiding. Calm abiding is the literal translation of the Tibetan word shi ne. Shi ne is a Tibetan word, shamatha is a Sanskrit word. So calm abiding means that one abides calmly with stability, stabilizing. So this means, in the end, what we need most of the time is the calm abiding. If we have the calm abiding first, then we can do the analyzing meditation quite easily. And this is why we have the Vipassana. Vipassana is the fact of analyzing subtly, the subtle things, like this and that, what is this, what is that, mentally checking. So, if we are given the option, what we should realize first, or what should we do first? The answer is, first we should gain the shamatha. Because without the shamatha, we cannot have a proper vipassana. Somehow the mind is running here and there; the mind is distracted. So if the mind is distracted, it’s just impossible to start analyzing meditation or Vipassana. This is why it is recommended to realize first the calm abiding or Shamatha, and once you find that is quite strong, once made it like stable and firm enough, then we can, you know, go to the Vipassana side.
Now, to help ourselves, how do these two things work together? To help us, we can take one example, very practical.
Imagine a large aquarium with fish. If the water is moving, then it’s not so easy for the fish to move. But if the water in the aquarium itself is very stable, not moving, then it’s also very easy for the small fish to move inside in the water. So this means we need to make sure that there is no wind, that there is no movement of the water pushed by the wind or moved by somebody. So is the mind. We have to make sure that a state of calmness has been acquired, that the stabilizing meditation has been done. When the water is calm, without turbulence, then all the small fish inside can really swim without any difficulties.
In our society, in the West, in the East, everywhere, people are attracted by Shamatha meditation. Why? The reason is very simple. Because all people enjoy the lack of agitation. All people are looking for some kind of peace. Peace is found through the Shamatha meditation by blocking all the different kinds of excitement, agitations. So then, somehow, when people find that peace, at least during that time, people find some kind of happiness. People find the equilibrium in themselves by blocking all the different kinds of colliding thoughts, the mental moving. Many of the problems in our life, as we said before, come mainly from the mind. The mind is not calm, the mind is out of our control, the mind has some kind of tension, the mind has some kind of preoccupation due to work, due to relationships, due to this and that. So whenever the mind is out of control, then unfortunately, peace is not there. But when people find themselves in a program of Shamatha meditation, they all go. So to find peace for some days is also good enough for them. So this is why stabilizing meditation is important in this sense. When people have gained some level of mental peace and mental stability, then there is space to gain some kind of more wisdom, to gain insight into the possibilities to make the wisdom sharper, by analyzing the nature of phenomena. How does the mind function? How does the mind work? So, this kind of analyzing, analyzing this kind of movement, this kind of sharpening of wisdom, this comes easily if the stability of the mind is accomplished. If the mind itself is never stable, if the mind itself is agitated, then analyzing is out of question. It’s just very difficult. So to be able to make that part, the wisdom of sharper, we have to push, try to put effort to have to gain this mental calmness, the calm abiding.
Having said this, the next level of understanding about the mind is to ponder over the conceptual thought, the mental consciousness, the gross consciousness. Gross consciousness refers to the sensory consciousness: our eye consciousness, our body consciousness. So, we say in Tibetan, the consciousness of the five doors. Five doors of what? Not the doors of our house, but the door of our sensory door. Sensory door means the door of our eyes, the door of our nose, the door of our ears, and tongue and so forth. So, there are five sensory doors, and each of these has its own respective consciousnesses. And these five sensory consciousnesses are gross consciousnesses, gross or coarse consciousnesses. Why? Because these only perceive something physical. And on top of that, the forms of the physical objects are only present time. This is what is realized by the gross consciousness or the sensory consciousness.
The next level of consciousness, what we call the subtle consciousness, is referring to mental consciousness. Mental consciousness means something subtle, something that we cannot see, yet it is there in ourselves. So this mental consciousness doesn’t only capture the present, but also the future objects. It deals with the past objects, you know, conceptual thought or memory, remembering past objects, past times, yesterday and so forth. So this is the function of the mental consciousness. The mental consciousness has a much deeper level of work and function to do. Whereas the sensory consciousness only deals with the present, right now. We see now, we hear now, or we sense now with the nose, only with the present time. Whereas the mental consciousness has a much vaster movement: present, past, future. So this means the more we deal with consciousness, the more subtle realization we gain about the subtle of the subtle mind.
What does it mean? It means our thinking, our thoughts, are consciousness, and not something related to our senses. The subtle mental consciousness, the subtle conceptual thoughts, they are related to our brain. So when the brains are clogged, these conceptual thoughts, some of them do not function. So this subtle consciousness can function as long as the brain is healthy. But if some of them are damaged, then there’s some difficulty.
When we meditate on the mind, more and more, the subtle mind becomes subtler. When we die, during the three days after the last moment of death, the last three days, the extremities of consciousness manifest and that is what we call the death’s clear light. So that is the most subtle consciousness, or the most extremely subtle consciousness, that continues from one life to the next, and next life to the next life, and so on.
When people die… unfortunately, we all have to die, okay? So don’t worry about this. So so when we die, all our gross consciousness stops, okay? Gross, subtle, everything stops. Only the extremely subtle consciousness remains. So for an ordinary person, the extreme levels of consciousness only appear at that time, at the last moment of death. But for somebody who has practiced yoga, who is doing good meditation or deep meditation of tantra and so on, then these people, they reach some kind of level of realization called isolation. Mental isolation, the clear light of mental isolation. So when a yogi reaches that level without dying, he can make his extremely subtle mind manifest. This is also possible. So there is no need to die to have extremely subtle mind to manifest. So if somebody becomes a yogi and somebody has reached a level, it is also possible for this external sort of mind to manifest. But usually, for ordinary people, it’s only possible when they die.
So according to my knowledge, from what I’ve learned, the study of mind is very, very vast. It’s not something you study for two days, two, three days, two, three years. It’s really deep. So the science of mind is very profound. Different levels of mind, different levels even within the subtle, different levels of subtle consciousnesses. And when the mind becomes subtle, they realize different levels of objects. When the mind grows, they realize different levels of objects. So each level of mind, depending on which level they are, subtle or gross and so on, realize their own So, this means, you know, in the Buddhist study of the mind, there is a complex way of learning, you know. Usually we call this just simply the mind and its functions. This is the topic, this is the name of the topic, you know, mind and its functions. So this means, mind itself is one and the function is one thing. So the function and mind, and between these two, there are many divisions. Subtle mind, gross mind, and divisions of that mind. And the mind becomes these mental factors. So each of these has its own objects and functions and so on. So it’s really a subject of a long time.
So the mind is so subtle, so hidden, that we cannot really judge. If we talk about body and speech, something more gross, more visible, then we can give our opinion. Oh, that woman is terrible. Oh, that man is fantastic. So we can judge just by seeing the actions of the person’s body and speech. Because we see, we see, and we hear. So the body and speech are, something very simple, something very noticeable. But the mind, no. The mind, we cannot judge anything. We cannot infer someone’s state of mind. We cannot say he’s good or bad on the basis of mind, because we just don’t see. Because it’s too subtle, it’s too complicated.
This is the difference between the functions of the body and speech and mind. So this all means, to have a good heart or to have a bad mind or negative mind – all this depends on the person’s behavior. So, for that reason, we say it is important to know how to behave mentally, inside. In that way, people will learn it slowly, not immediately. We cannot judge immediately, but in the long term, it is possible to know something also from the mind.
So, as I said before, you know, with the mind we don’t have an immediate judgement, but with time, slowly, we realize how the person is. With a person, by living together, day by day, week by week, we realize how the person is. Because we don’t see his mind right away, we “see” the mind after a long time. After a long time, we see that person, how he is, how she is. When somebody has a good mind, when somebody has a good heart, slowly we realize. We don’t see right away, but after some time we see how the person is, then we say, oh, she’s a fantastic woman, a very good-hearted woman, because she shows the compassion. So then this is the mental quality, the mental quality of mind.
When we talk about love and compassion, we also have some confusion. Oh, this love and compassion. What does love mean? What does compassion mean? But in fact, if we think carefully, it’s very simple. Love means that we wish other people happiness. This is the meaning of love, you know. And then compassion means that we wish the other people not to have suffering. So, love and compassion… are very tricky, no? Depending on how we see it, both are always regarding other people, but one is related to suffering, one is related to happiness, no? When you want other people to have happiness, that is love. When you want other people not to suffer, this is compassion. So this is, of course, a quality of mind, the mental qualities are shown by living the life together with the people. Then we can say, oh, she is good, he is bad, or this and this and that. So this is possible only by experiencing the life together with the person. For example, when we talk about love and compassion, it is actually based on some kind of logic. It’s not just, I develop compassion, I develop love, just like this in this space. We generate love and compassion on the basis of some kind of reason, you know. We generate love because we somehow, we all, doesn’t matter, you know, if it is animal, if it is human being, we all want happiness.
So me, observing people around the world, news and so on, I see that people who have too much egoism, too much selfishness, they ignore the people around, they ignore the environment, they destroy the environment for themselves, they even destroy people. So this is, of course, unfortunately, the consequence of strong selfishness. But at the same time, we have worked on themselves. We have, let’s say, developed compassion. We have developed good heart, love. So then they share, they take care of other people. They take care of sick people. They take care of all the old people. So then they really have concern for other people. On top of this, these people so think of environment because they know that if they do something for the environment, this creates happiness for the people. So depending on how we move, if we have too much selfishness, then the result is always negative. But if we have the positive side, you know, loving and good heart, then the outcome is always quite positive. This is my observation.
Now I want to tell a short story now. I have one student coming from Tibet. He’s my good student, who was a monk, who came from Tibet. We have lived together. We have shared our life. I helped him. And then he has been a monk. And slowly, slowly, he has moved away from India, from the monastery. This means he is not a monk anymore. He is a layman now.
So, okay, then what happened now? He met someone, a Thai woman, and got married. So then they had children, of course. Then in America, you know, things are not free. People must work with sweat, you know. So he had their children. So then the mother from Thailand, she was quite busy with the children. She couldn’t go to work. And himself was the only man or only person, you know. So then one day, days two, the woman, my student, the Thailand woman, one time, one day, one time in one year, they went to Thailand for vacation to see the family of the Thai woman. So there, you know, the Thai woman, you know, they arrived there, and they saw the family, you know, the sisters married to rich men, hotel managers, hotel owner, I don’t know, real estate business and so on. So then, oh, my student, ex-monk, realized, you know, there’s such a big difference. And he even told the wife, saying, oh, my darling, all your sisters are very rich, you know, all these big men, they’re like businessmen, you made a mistake to marry me. I am poor.
Then, his Thai wife gave him a very, very touching answer. She said: “Oh, my darling, I am very, very happy with you. So I’m happy because you give me love. For me, this is what I need.” Such a, like, beautiful answer, you know. So this made my friend very happy. This is the real meaning of life. So this is something I think is true. If there is love, the rest is… okay, more or less, not perfect, but psychologically and mentally there’s so much peace, so much harmony. So I think this is really, I think, very good and important for life, you know, in terms of peace and happiness.
I tell you this, because since we live in a society, we all need human warmth, human respect, and human love. So this means, in order to receive this human love and warmth, we have to make the calls. We have to give our love to them. We have to share our life with them. We have to give our trust to them. So if we open our heart, if we share this with them, then, you know, automatically also the other people will also care for us. So wherever we live, we need to have this human warmth and human care, human love, And for this, we have to provide the cause.
The Garden of Maitreya 