Jewel Heart Podcast

Can we improve ourselves? And if so, how do we do it? The Buddhist goal is to become a Buddha, but our goal right now should be to become a better person as we move closer to that ideal. In this lesson, Rimpoche teaches us how to recognize our delusions, which we all have but tend to deny. Our delusions are anger, attachment, hatred, fear, laziness, wandering mind, and ignorance. It is important to examine the ways these manifest in our life and how we reinforce them through habitual patterns. We improve when we begin to intervene in our habitual negative reactions.

As we die our awareness shrinks and our consciousness becomes very subtle. At that point, we lose control, so either our negativities or our wisdom will take over. At death, our Buddha nature may or may not be activated. Moving from static Buddha nature to growing Buddha nature is the basic principle of transforming negativity. In this lesson, Rimpoche lists the signs that Buddha nature is activated, even though obstacles, or delusions may be present. Because of our negative habitual patterns, it is hard to overcome our delusions. Rimpoche reviews negative habits and their antidotes, and contrasts eastern and western types of laziness.

The Buddha taught that there are two truths: relative and absolute. They are sometimes called: “conventional and ultimate truth.” In this lesson, Rimpoche explains the necessity to embrace both truths, because it is through relative truth that absolute truth is revealed. Also, Rimpoche explains the concept of dependent origination, or dependent arising, that everything is dependent on causes and conditions. Our positive qualities and experiences, as well as our negative qualities and experiences are dependent on the causes and conditions that we have created. Therefore we have room to play. We can alter our habitual patterns (the causes and conditions of our negativities) and create the positive experiences and qualities we desire.

In this lesson Rimpoche discusses the importance of Mahayana motivation in everything we do. “It is not what you do but why you do it.” In Mahayana practice, we dedicate everything we do for the benefit of all beings. He also answers questions such as: What makes a thought negative or positive? What are uncontaminated and contaminated actions? and, Why are delusions such as anger so harmful? Rimpoche discusses in detail the delusion of attachment and the subtle differences between attachment and love. According to Rimpoche, attachment is the most difficult delusion to rid from our minds. It is important to look into ourselves and see in what ways attachment mixes with and overpowers our love.

In this lesson, Rimpoche talks about anger and its antidote, patience. Anger has the same negative effect on our minds whether directed at a living being or an inanimate object. Anger, which creates a rough mind, is very difficult to get rid of. Jealousy can be a form of anger: for example, we can feel angry that someone has something or someone we want. Rimpoche discusses whether anger can be a force for good, for example, as a catalyst for social justice. He questions Western psychology’s emphasis on the ability to get angry as a sign of psychological health. Rimpoche takes questions and answers from the audience and discusses ways to handle anger when it arises. He then introduces the delusion, pride.

In this lesson Rimpoche discusses doubt, one of the root delusions that causes us trouble. Doubting the four Noble Truths, doubting Buddha, dharma and sangha, and doubting karma are what this root delusion is about. Doubt is a major obstacle for practitioners because it blocks our opportunity to develop spiritually. But, Rimpoche emphasizes, the antidote to the extreme of constantly doubting is not the opposite extreme of blind faith—something, which the Buddha himself warned against. Rimpoche recommends “intelligent faith” instead of “blind faith.” When we engage in Buddhist practice in order to overcome our delusions, it automatically builds up our positive nature. But if we continuously doubt the core teachings of the Buddha, we undermine our practice, and we will not make any progress towards reducing our delusions.

Rimpoche reviews the five wrong views: 1. Jig Ta, or looking at our collection of impermanent skandhas (form, feeling, discrimination and volition within the individual, plus the senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch) and viewing that collection as a solid, fixed “me.” We see “me” or “I” as permanent and independent of the skandhas, when there is no such independent ‘I’ there. This is the wrong view, the direct opponent of wisdom. 2. Having the view that while alive, we are permanent, and when we die we will disappear—the two extremes. 3. Holding our wrong view of a self-existing self as superior to other views. We cling to this wrong view which prevents wisdom from entering our minds. 4. We practice dubious spiritual rituals and extreme spiritual discipline and insist we are correct in doing so. This is wrong understanding. 5. We reject karma, taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths.

Rimpoche continues the discussion of ignorance, the root of all delusions. The direct opponent to ignorance is wisdom. This wisdom is the wisdom of knowing the fundamental true nature of reality, which is “solving the mystery of life.” For achieving wisdom, Buddha presented the concept of non-existence. He did not mean we are not there. Rather, we exist relatively, which allows us to function, but in an absolute sense, we do not exist. So to achieve wisdom, we have to destroy our self-existing thoughts, because from there arises “I, Me, My” giving rise to all negativities. Rimpoche introduces the first two of six factors that contribute to the growth of delusions: base, and conditions. Our delusions grow from a karmic imprint, like a seed, which is the base. Secondly, the base, the imprint on our consciousness, only grows when it is connected with external causes and conditions.

Delusions destroy your mind and morality. Morality means protecting yourself from negativities by keeping vows and commitments. When delusions come up within you, they go against your personal commitment to being good, your personal commitment to being a pure being, your personal commitment to clearing the obstacles inside. Negativity not only destroys the individual and the individual’s mind, it also destroys his or her moral conduct. Delusions are enemies of those seeking liberation. When our mind meets a delusion it “wakes up” and connects to negative karma. Our sufferings in samsara are nothing but the creation of these delusions. Rimpoche explains lucky, unlucky and immovable karma along with types of rebirth associated with each.

Rimpoche explains why it is absolutely necessary to have a daily practice in order to put into effect the things he discussed during this series of talks. He recommends saying a series of short prayers and mantras and meditating as you say the words. The words you say must be strongly backed up by your own thoughts. Rimpoche introduces a simple practice that everyone can do on a daily basis. It includes the refuge prayer, saying mantras, seeking inspiration from Je Tsong Khapa, and a dedication. He then gives advice on how to meditate on the Lam Rim points.

What is spirituality? There are so many different ideas, yet none of them are wrong. Is the purpose of spiritual practice to feel better, or is it to be better? In this talk, Gelek Rimpoche addresses the specific Buddhist goal of freeing ourselves from negative emotions and suffering and introduces the limitless potential of the human mind.

Karma, the combination of intention and action is more difficult to understand than the Buddha's central insight of emptiness. Whether it is the individual karma arising out of our intentions and actions or the collective karma we create as a society, without our awareness it determines the course of this life as well as future lives. Understanding how this works is essential to spiritual progress.