His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche’s Puja Teachings – February 12, 2023

His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche ascended the Dharma throne, and expounded on “Scroll 56, ‘The Buddha Speaks of Entering Womb Treasury Assembly’ (Chapter 14, Section 1)” of the Ratnakuta Sutra.

“Sutra: ‘Also, when that sentient being, which is in the intermediate state (“bardo” – after death and before one’s next birth), wants to enter a womb, its mind will get distorted. If the “bardo” is a male, its love towards the mother and its hatred towards the father have arisen. If the “bardo” is a female, its love towards the father and its hatred towards the mother have arisen.’

In prior section of the sutra, this has been mentioned. Shakyamuni Buddha spoke of it again here. In the quote, the word ‘intermediate’ in the term ‘the intermediate’ means ‘intermediate state’ or ‘bardo.’ When a ‘bardo’ desires entering a womb, ‘its mind will get distorted.’ There are many mentions in sutras about the term ‘getting distorted.’ Its meaning is that there are no meditative states in one’s mind; the person does not view clearly the law of causes and conditions or understand ‘all Dharmas (phenomena) are in Emptiness.’ He or she does not know all these Dharma principles. Hence, this person can only use his or her own consciousness to judge things. This is the way you live your life now every day. Thus, it is said in sutras that you are distorted in your mind, and it means you think of truth as illusion or things being illusory as being real. For example, at times, you feel embarrassed that there are some things which cannot be done obviously but because of the ways of people and of the world, you go ahead handling those things a little, considering that it is all right for acting on them.

It is like the narrative that a disciple spoke of just now. I did not know about it at all. I told you a story before. At that time, I was not a Rinpoche yet, and it was in Yunnan, China. Someone knew that I had been practicing Esoteric Buddhism, and he said that he had also been doing the same. He wanted to transmit to me some pith instruction. Before he started opening his mouth, Acalanatha – a fierce guardian – made my look become very harsh with my whole body jumping up and driving that person away.

My telling you this story today is to let you know this: do not think it is nonchalant to touch the person’s prayer beads (Translator’s note: This is from the disciple’s narrative). Will something happen by touching those beads just a bit? Yes, there will be. What kind of the issue will there be then? It is that your mind is not pure. You do not concentrate or are not singled-minded in learning Buddhism from your guru. You just do things in ways that are customary and personal, and live a good life. In such ways of living, you will not master your practices forever.

Here is another example. I gave a book about Venerable Milarepa to my son to read. He talked to me the other day about an occurrence mentioned in the book; I almost forgot that story. Marpa’s Mother Buddha – his wife – had seen continuously that there were no transmissions of the Dharma from Marpa to Milarepa. She then wrote a letter, stamping it – secretly – with Marpa’s seal, and asked Venerable Milarepa to go to another great practitioner to do practices. Milarepa learned a Dharma method there, conducted retreats, and received empowerments as well as pith instruction. However, after retreats had been conducted, there were no signs whatsoever shown on Milarepa to indicate that he had gone through practices. This Dharma-transmission practitioner felt that it was strange, and he said to Milarepa, ‘As Marpa sent you here, it should not have been that there are no signs shown on you.’ Because Milarepa was a great practitioner, he said, ‘No, Marpa did not send me. It was his wife who wrote the letter, stamping it with Marpa’s seal, and sent me here.’ What is the meaning of this incident? It is that without your guru’s consent, if you go to anyone to….Well, I do not want to scold people now. You think this was quite a fun, right? Coming here to learn Buddhism is irrelevant to the ways of people and of the world. If you want to live with those ways and be a good friend with your Dharma brothers, then, please, leave this place! In here, we do not propagate ‘the Dharma of the human world;’ we spread, and teach you, the Dharma methods that can absolutely get you liberated from birth and death in this life. Even if there are nothings for you to be able to accomplish that, so long as I am still in this mundane world, I will certainly help you achieve that goal. Nevertheless, what use will it be if you do not believe in me and the Dharma? It is like rushing to hospitals for emergency treatments, and so forth. There were many disciples of mine who were not in such emergencies when they passed away. Some of them had even known in advance about the time of his or her own death.

Why are you so difficult to teach? You live your life with a distorted mind all the time. You are self-righteous, thinking that you are clever, amazing, and incredibly competent. If today, on my expounding the Ratnakuta Sutra, there have been errors or deficiencies or have not been in accordance with the Dharma principles, I believe His Holiness would have exhorted me to do something. Not only had he not done that but also had publicly told you that I have been expounding the Ratnakuta Sutra. Then you think it is the way it should be ‘As you are a Rinpoche, you are to ascend the Dharma throne to expound the Dharma every week, and only then will you have the offerings that we make to you.’ There is no need for you to give me a penny; I do not need your money. This is my job – teaching you the Dharma. Nonetheless, you are distorted in your mind constantly. You do not listen; even after you have been told about things during my teachings, you still do not listen! Among those three people who were mentioned in the disciple’s narrative just now, only one person refused immediately to what that particular outsider wanted. The other two people even held that person’s prayer beads as requested. What for? Did they try to see what was going to happen? Did they want to see what gimmicks that person would play on and whether the gimmicks would be useful to them or not? Only when the pain, from the strong pressure from that person’s hand pressing on these people’s back, was felt, did they discover that it had turned out they had been ‘fixed’ by that person and his acts. If there had been no pain on their back, they would have still thought about the person that ‘he has been nice to me.’ I am exhorting you now that you really do not need to learn Buddhism. There are so many things that have already been seen by you with your own eyes, and yet, you do not believe in the Dharma. There are practitioners who still need some surgeries, or dialysis for kidney problems. Now, many of my disciples’ medical issues have not reached that level. Still, why is it so difficult to teach you?

Yesterday, a disciple who had taken refuge in me for 11 years implored me for liberating his mother. She never met me before while she was alive. It was because the disciple had been very busy and had only come to implore me for help after his mother had passed away. At a result, the day of her death was not ‘right’ – not fitting the schedule of a Chod performance here. She died on a Saturday, and the next day, a Sunday, was a monthly puja-day for performing the Chod; she missed the chance to be liberated on that Sunday. Her son, the disciple, needed to wait for another week to implore me for liberating his mother. All these types of things occur because you yourself mess them up.

If you have not made up your mind to be liberated from birth and death, this life of yours will go by very quickly. Do not think that ‘I am still alive. A very long time is needed for me to feel getting liberated. My turn for that has not come up yet.’ There are a little over 1,000 members in this Center with all kinds of people here, including those being weird or bizarre. Not to mention an outsider being able to allure you, someone in the Center can do that too. Why did those two people hold that outsider’s prayer beads? Because they could not forgo the temptation. These were their reasons: ‘I was not alert and cautious. I did not know what gimmicks he was playing on. When he told me to hold his prayer beads, I did that.’ Now I just helped you two answer the ‘why’ on your behalf. So, if you have not made changes for yourself, and want to get me to solve your problems, there are nothings that can be done for me to help you.

Hence, it is a ‘bardo’s mind that is distorted. What does the term ‘getting distorted’ mean? It means the ‘bardo’ does not enter a womb in accordance with its vows. Rather, it enters a womb according to its consciousness with what are ‘stored’ from acting on various deeds in its past lifetimes. Thus, when it wants to enter a womb, before that happens, its mind gets distorted. Why does it want to enter a womb? Because it has seen things it likes. It then enters the womb. When it does that, as it likes what it has seen, it will find the thing it likes the most. It is like that many people say, ‘I will come back to this world by my vows.’ Why had Shakyamuni Buddha expounded a sutra about a womb twice? It was because He wanted to tell you that if you make that kind of a vow, there is still nothing that can help you to grasp the outcome for yourself. There will be distorted and dreaming thoughts for the ‘bardo.’ If it wants to be a male, it could become a female; if it wants to be a female, it might turn out to be a male. Even if it wants to be a human, the result may end up an insect.

Why do we need to chant mantras every day? It is not to let you be healthy or to have supernatural powers. Instead, it will get you chanting mantras continuously when your ‘bardo’ enters a womb. Everyone thinks that ‘My chanting of mantras every day will make me healthy, let my family being better, get my husband listening to me, or make my luck being changed to be better.’ If you think these, do not learn Buddhism. Go to temples to worship some gods or deities. You might get what you wish for quicker this way. They will definitely give you some things, and then take these things back, depending on what they see in what you can give them back in return; that is all.

We have been learning the Dharma or doing our practices every day. Do not think that the learning or the practicing is just for this short life of a few decades. If you are ill, go to see a doctor. Why are you ill? Because your life is not in order or is with misconducts, usually. When people get old, they will get sick more or less. I am 76 years old now, and I have a few physical issues somewhat. I dare not say that my lifestyle is very strict and cautious but I am very disciplined. You are not disciplined and you mess things around all the time.

Therefore – as stated in the sutra quote – after the mind of a ‘bardo’ gets distorted, why does it obtain a male’s form? Because it sees the mother and its love towards her is arisen. The word ‘love’ here does not mean the ‘bardo’ loves this mother; it is that the ‘bardo’ gives rise to passion and desire towards this female’s form. Such eroticism is brough forth from past lifetimes. So, when the ‘bardo’ has this concept of ‘love’ towards this female’s form, the hatred in its mind towards the father has arisen. Then in this way, the ‘bardo’ gets a male’s form. If the ‘bardo’ obtains a female’s form, it is because ‘its love towards the father and its hatred towards the mother have arisen.’

Sutra: ‘A “bardo” created much of its karma in past lives, and such acts give rise to delusional thoughts with a mind of false or negative views in explanation. A “bardo” has a feel of coldness, thinking of a strong wind, a heavy rain, clouds, and fog. Or, when it hears the noises of crowds, it has thought such a chillness. In accordance with the superiority or the inferiority of its negative karma, a “bardo” also produces ten types of forms of illusion.’

If a ‘bardo’ was used to create much of karma in its past, it will have many weird or bizarre thoughts. The phrase ‘a mind of false or negative views in explanation’ means not explaining all phenomena in accordance with the Dharma. It is that a ‘bardo’ uses false views (erroneous views) to explain occurrences. It will have ‘a feel of coldness,’ think of ‘a strong wind, a heavy rain, clouds, and fog,’ and even hear the ‘noises of crowds.’ When ‘it has thought such a chillness,’ following ‘the superiority or the inferiority of’ its karma, it ‘also produces ten types of forms of illusion.’ This is just because that according to the thinking of the ‘bardo,’ or ‘the superiority or the inferiority of’ its karma, ten kinds of unreal forms are arisen.

Sutra: ‘What are these ten types of forms? They are such thoughts: “Now I am entering an abode,” “I want to ascend a high pavilion,” “I am ascending a hall on a platform,” “I am ascending a bed-seat,” “I am entering a hut of grass,” “I am entering a house of leaves,” “I am entering a bush,” “I am entering inside a forest,” “I am entering a hole on a wall,” or “I am entering a gap on a fence.” Nanda, when a “bardo” has thought such a thinking, it enters the womb of a mother.’

So long as a ‘bardo’ gives rise to any of the thoughts just described, it feels a coldness. Seeing ‘a strong wind,’ and ‘a heavy rain,’ it perceives that there are lots of clouds and much fog. When a ‘bardo’ hears many people’s voices, it senses the crowd is too noisy, and wants to find a place to hide itself. Of course, it is in accordance with the karma of a ‘bardo’ – meaning how many good or negative deeds it created in its past lifetimes – that it ‘produces ten types of forms of illusion.’ This means a ‘bardo’ will see ten different kinds of phenomena appearing in front of it. It is not that these ten types will appear together at the same time. They are generated by this ‘bardo’ and ‘the superiority or the inferiority’ of the karma that it created in the past.

Hence, a ‘bardo’ will think that ‘Now I am entering an abode,’ ‘I am entering a house….,’ ‘I want to ascend a high pavilion,’ ‘I am ascending a hall on a platform,’ or ‘I am ascending a bed-seat.’ For Indians, when they do not sleep on a bed, they sit on it. The sentences of ‘I am entering a hut of grass’ and ‘I am entering a house of leaves’ refer to a place made of grass and a house made of leaves, respectively. The phrases of ‘entering a bush’ and ‘entering inside a forest’ mean to hide in, say, a jungle or a thicket. A ‘bardo’ will even hide in ‘a hole on a wall’ or in ‘a gap on a fence.’ The Buddha then said to Nanda, ‘Nanda, when a “bardo” has thought such a thinking, it enters the womb of a mother.’ This means as long as any of these ten delusional thoughts arises in a ‘bardo,’ it enters a womb.

Sutra: ‘You should know that “being born” is called “kalala.” It is from a father’s sperm and a mother’s blood, and is not from other things. It is the convergence of the causes and conditions of the parents’ sperm and blood. Such a convergence is an affinity for consciousness and is relied on and abided in.”’

Here, the Buddha gave the explanation one more time. He said, ‘Nanda, at this time, so long as a “bardo” has this kind of thought, it will enter a mother’s fetus,’ meaning the womb of a mother. The Buddha told Nanda that ‘You should know that “being born” is called “kalala.”’ ‘It is from a father’s sperm and a mother’s blood, and is not from other things.’ The meaning of this is that there are no other things added to get a ‘bardo’ into a womb. ‘It is the convergence of the causes and conditions of the parents’ sperm and blood. Such a convergence is an affinity for consciousness and is relied on and abided in.’ After the getting-together ‘of the causes and conditions of parents’ sperm and blood,’ this ‘convergence is an affinity for consciousness and is relied on and abided in.’

Sutra: ‘It is like relying on a bottle of curd to be “entered” by “drilling” a device with a human’s effort. If the “drilling” has not stopped its moves and turns, the butter will be obtained and coming out of the bottle. If anything differs from this has been done, there will be no butter appearing. You should know that the impurity of the parents’ sperm and blood will also make the body of a “kalala” the same that it will not appear – not to be born.’

The Buddha used an analogy here. We do not make cheese so it is very difficult to explain the example described. What He meant was that it was like a bottle containing cheese, and it is impossible for a human entering the bottle. If the butter in the bottle cannot come out, it will not be possible for a human to turn and move the bottle either.

Sutra: ‘Furthermore, Nanda, there are four analogies. You should listen well. It is like that by relying on green grass, a worm is born. The grass is not this worm and the worm does not leave the grass. However, the worm relies on the grass and because of the convergence of the causes and conditions of the grass and the worm, the worm is then born with its body in color green. Nanda, you should know that a father’s sperm, a mother’s blood, and the body of a “kalala” are also the same.’

Shakyamuni Buddha made an analogy here. He said, ‘Nanda, there are four analogies. You should listen to them carefully and clearly.’ ‘It is like that by relying on green grass, a worm is born. The grass is not this worm’ and the worm is not mixed grass either. ‘However, the worm relies on the grass and because of the convergence of the causes and conditions of the grass and the worm, the worm is then born with its body in color green.’ This statement means this: Nevertheless, because after ‘the convergence of the causes and conditions of the grass and the worm’ occurs, the womb obtains a body and its color is the same as that of grass. Then, the Buddha said to Nanda, ‘Nanda, you should know that a father’s sperm, a mother’s blood, and the body of a “kalala” are also the same.’ This means today, getting this body of yours is just like that worm which attaches itself to grass. Yet, the worm is not grass because it adheres to the grass. The womb is born and is in color green. For us humans, our body is also like this.

Sutra: ‘The convergence of causes and conditions gets great seeds and roots born. It is like that by relying on cow manure, a worm is born. The manure is not this worm and the worm does not leave the manure. However, the worm relies on the manure and because of the convergence of the causes and conditions of the manure and the worm, the worm is then born with its body in color brown.’

All of you know that there are worms coming out of manure often. If such worms are not born in the manure, they will not possibly be grown and coming out. Thus, an analogy again was given here. There were two types of them described, one being grass and the other, manure.

Sutra: ‘Nanda, you should know that a father’s sperm, a mother’s blood, and the body of a “kalala” are also the same. The convergence of causes and conditions gets great seeds and roots born. It is like that by relying on a date, a worm is born. The date is not this worm and the worm does not leave the date. However, the worm relies on the date and because of the convergence of the causes and conditions of the date and the worm, the worm is then born with its body in color red.’

In this way, an analogy is mentioned again. Some worms are born from dates. The date is not the worm but the worm does not leave the date either. ‘However, the worm relies on the date and because of the convergence of the causes and conditions of the date and the worm, the worm is then born with its body in color red.’ This means the color of the worm is the same as that of the date.

Sutra: ‘Nanda, you should know that a father’s sperm, a mother’s blood, and the body of a “kalala” are also the same. The convergence of causes and conditions gets great seeds and roots born. It is like that by relying on curd, a worm is born with its body in color white. I have expounded extensively even with the subject of “the convergence of causes and conditions gets great seeds and roots born.”’

It is explained here once again that ‘a father’s sperm, a mother’s blood, and the body of a “kalala” are also the same. The convergence of causes and conditions gets great seeds and roots born.’ The ‘bardo’ is born from a root which is grown out of a seed. ‘It is like that by relying on curd, a worm is born with its body in color white.’ The Buddha had ‘expounded extensively even with the subject of “the convergence of causes and conditions gets great seeds and roots born.”’

Sutra: ‘Furthermore, Nanda, because of relying on the impurity of the parents to have a “kalala” appearing, the earth element presents itself with a nature of firmness; the water element becomes manifest with a nature of wetness or moistness; the fire element manifests a nature of warmth.’

Here, the Buddha explained the four elements of earth, wind, water, and fire. The earth element appears and its characteristic is firmness. This element refers to our flesh, skin, and bones, and is called ‘earth.’ There is the mention of ‘the water element becomes manifest with a nature of wetness or moistness.’ The water element is about all the blood, endocrine, and fluids in our body, and its feature is wetness or moistness. On ‘the fire element manifests a nature of warmth,’ it means when our energy arises, its attribute is warmth.

Before a person passes away, these few phenomena will occur. He or she will start feeling cold. If you had family members, not being my disciples, who had passed away, and before they died, they would suddenly tell you that they were very, very cold, even after being covered with quite a few blankets. Sometimes, unexpectedly, they would tell you that they were very, very hot, and even after air conditioners or electric fans had been turned on, they still felt the heat. The water element in their bodies had started been disappearing. In some cases, when the water element began to be gone, those people at a death bed would feel very thirsty, wanting to drink water continuously. They had finished the water which you obviously had just provided to them, they would still want more of it. Also, their skin would become very dry. See, when a baby is just born, their skin is – by the saying of Taiwanese – ‘very pretty.’ As people age, their skin becomes drier and drier. Is it so? No matter how skin-care products have been applied, they will not be effective. The commercial claim of ‘rejuvenating yourself’ is false unless your water element has returned. Applying skin-care products is just making the water element ‘walk’ a little slower. What does this mean? Such products seal your water element, which should be used and be gone in, say, one second, but because of this seal, the duration might be two seconds. This will make you age slower. The saying that ‘applying these products will get your skin tighter,’ is not true. There is no such a thing. The Buddha had spoken of this subject very clearly here. In fact, it is like this in reality too!

After people get old, their skin will be sagging. This is because the earth element in their body starts to soften and is not firm anymore. Why do the elderly fall often and break their bones? Because their earth element begins to soften and is no longer firm. So, before an old person passes away, this person’s body is either very soft or very hard. When a person stops breathing and dies, his or her body cannot be lifted. If someone, a woman, weighs 50 kilograms, and if you are her husband and want to lift her, you can definitely do it. If she dies, with a weight of 50 kilograms, you certainly cannot lift her. It is because the earth element in her body has changed. Actually, this is quite a scientific matter.

Why will people, before passing away, talk nonsense or get their minds distorted if they do not have the blessings of the Dharma? This is also relevant to the four elements of earth, wind, water, and fire, as mentioned in the Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha’s Fundamental Vows. No matter how much studies of cranial nerves have been done, it is of no use. Why? This is because that when one is dying, the extent of the fire element (meaning our energy or ‘thermal energy’) is reducing. Once that level is in progress, the blood flow cannot circulate upward, and then the cranial nerves will not have been nourished. Without the nourishment, such nerves will begin discharging its ‘electricity’ – carrying on its functions – disorderly. Or, the nerves will stop their functions and then sometimes act distractedly again. What follows is that the water element is reducing too. Therefore, the fluids in the brain are also decreased. All these will make this person start getting insane.

Hence, why do we say that the chanting of mantras will reduce chances of getting dementia? It is because when we chant mantras, we will stimulate our internal organs to function. For example, when I chant the Great Six-Syllable Mantra, after chanting about half round of my prayer beads, I will feel warm all over my body. This happens frequently. Do not say, ‘I wish I could feel warm when chanting the mantra.’ You simply turn on a heater then. On chanting mantras, if you want to reach my level, you must conduct retreats, and only by conducting them you can have the opportunities to chant the way I do. This is because that besides chanting mantras, I have also learned the Dharna method of Anuttarayogatantra (Highest Yoga Tantra), and that is why there is such an occurrence that I feel warm when I chant that mantra.

Sutra: ‘The wind element becomes manifest with a nature of lightness and motions.’

When the wind element appears, a person’s body will show ‘lightness.’ This does not mean the person becomes light on weight. How is this explained? It is to describe that young people will move quickly and old people will be slow in their movements. This is what ‘lightness’ here means. As our body can move, its movements need, besides the elements of water, fire, and earth, ‘qi’ to push them forward. If there is not enough ‘qi,’ body movements are of course slower. Thus, whether one is ill or dying, one’s breath will get shorter and shorter or faster and faster. What is the meaning of this? This happens because the wind element is gradually reducing. In western medicine, a doctor will help cover such a patient with an oxygen mask or by intubating a nasogastric tube, wanting vigorously putting oxygen into the body. This will not be useful because the patient’s ‘qi’ is reducing continuously. If there is no ‘qi,’ the fire element cannot be driven forward; when it does not move, the water element cannot flow either; when the water element stops flowing, the earth element will start softening naturally.

Sutra: ‘Nanda, if the impurity of the parents gets the body of a “kalala,” and if there is only the earth element but no water element, such a body will be dry, and will all be scattered. It is like holding in one’s hands dry food-powder, ashes…., and so on. If there is only the water element but no earth element, such a body will be separated and scattered.’

Shakyamuni Buddha spoke that ‘if the impurity of the parents gets the body of a “kalala,” and if there is only the earth element but no water element, such a body will be dry, and will all be scattered.’ This means if a ‘kalala’ enters a womb, its consciousness is in. Nevertheless, ‘if there is only the earth element’ but the water element does not appear, ‘such a body will be dry’ and be scattered. For some women, after they get pregnant, the conceptions are not ‘formed’ into a body in their womb. Such a situation is indicated in the quote.

In some cases, after there being a conception for a woman, an embryo will be scattered suddenly. This quote describes this kind of occurrence. It happens because ‘there is only the earth element but no water element.’ As there is no water element appearing, such an embryo will be dry and be broken. The quote of ‘It is like holding in one’s hands dry food-powder, ashes…., and so on’ means it is like holding the ashes of, say, burned straw, in one’s hands. There is another quote that ‘If there is only the water element but no earth element, such a body will be separated and scattered.’ This means if there is only the water element but no earth element, this embryo will leave, or be scattered – not to be ‘implanted’ in the womb.

Sutra: ‘It is like oil dripping into water. Because of the water element, the earth element does not scatter, and because of the earth element, the water element does not flow. Nanda, for the body of a “kalala,” if it is with earth and water elements but not element of fire, it will get rotten, like a meatball being in a dark place in summer months.’

Even if a ‘kalala’ gets a conception or enters into a womb, and even if the body has elements of earth and water, but not the fire element, ‘the body will get rotten.’ This is because the fire element will drive the other two elements forward to continuously function. From the perspective of science, if you do not have the fire element, meaning energy, in your body, the bodily cells will not keep on growing or dividing. If there are no cell divisions, cells will become rotten. In the phrase of ‘like a meatball being in a dark place in summer months,’ the term ‘summer months’ refers to the months of the summer. This phrase means it was like putting a meatball in a shad in the summer.

Sutra: ‘Nanda, for the body of a “kalala,” if it is with only elements of earth, water, and fire, but not element of wind, it cannot grow to have immense functions.’

Here, Shakyamuni Buddha mentioned the subject further: Even if there are ‘elements of earth, water, and fire, but not element of wind,’ the body cannot grow; such an embryo will not grow. Even if the three basic elements – earth, water, and fire – have appeared, because there is no wind element to drive forward these three elements, the body will not grow. From the viewpoint of science, this cell is no longer active and will die. (Translator’s note: Rinpoche then turned to Disciple Ye and asked her a question.) Doctor Ye, you had seen these situations when you developed cells in a laboratory before, right? (Doctor Ye responded: ‘When we did the cell-development work, if we did not provide enough nutrients, including oxygen, on the cells, they would completely be dry and die in approximately a little more than 10 hours, or in 24 hours. There was nothing that could be done to get the cells to grow continuously.’) Therefore, Shakyamuni Buddha was more scientific than scientists. If you, Doctor Ye, do research and write a dissertation about this, I guarantee that you will get a Nobel Prize. Work hard on such kind of a research then; you scientists do not understand this. (Doctor Ye answered: ‘Yes. I will do the research. I am also imploring your blessings.’)

Sutra: ‘All these phenomena exist because they are from prior karma. Affinities are formed by changes with one another of such karma. When the affinities have same characteristics, they are brought forth and respond together, and consciousness is then obtained and arisen. On things, the earth element can hold them, the water element can embrace them, the fire element can stabilize them, and the wind element can make them grow.’

‘All these phenomena exist because they are from prior karma. Affinities are formed by changes with one another of such karma.’ The Buddha said that all these matters have been caused by prior karma, and ‘affinities are formed by changes with one another of such karma.’ On the sentence of ‘On things…. the water element can embrace,’ the word ‘embrace’ here is like in the meaning of ‘embrace and take.’

Sutra: ‘Nanda, it is also like that there is someone, say, that disciple, around. If he mixes or blends sugar carefully, and then blows air into it to make it grown and immense, then its inside will be empty, becoming void, like the root of a lotus.’

Shakyamuni Buddha talked about an Indian dessert of the time – He would talk about anything. He mentioned an example that it was like that there was some disciple who knew how to make sugar, and he blew air into it to make it become large. However, its inside was empty ‘like the root of a lotus.’

Sutra: ‘The growth of karma from the inner body’s great seeds of elements of earth, water, fire, and wind is also the same. Nanda, it is not that the impurity of the parents gets the body of a “kalala.” It is not from a mother’s womb either, and it is also not from the karma. Neither the causes nor the conditions get this body. It only exists because of the convergence and the gatherings of these kinds of affinities.’

Here, it is explained again why some fetuses do not grow. It is because ‘the growth of karma from …. elements of earth, water, fire, and wind is also the same.’ There is a mention in the sutra quote that ‘Nanda, it is not that the impurity of the parents gets the body of a “kalala.” It is not from a mother’s womb either, and it is also not from the karma. Neither the causes nor the conditions get this body. It only exists because of the convergence and the gatherings of these kinds of affinities.’ Its meaning is that the growth of fetuses does not rely only on the parents’ sperm and blood, nor does it depend only on a mother’s womb.

The quote ‘it is also not from the karma’ is just what it indicates that the body of a ‘kalala’ does not appear because of the karma. This is also shown in the sutra quote: ‘Neither the causes nor the conditions get this body. It only exists because of the convergence and the gatherings of these kinds of affinities.’ This means a body can only be produced by the convergence and the gatherings of the affinities with the elements of earth, wind, water, and fire. How do such affinities come about? It is relevant to one’s own practices in past lifetimes. Originally, I did not want to talk about this, but now I will mention it a bit.

When we practice Tantra and give rise to the stage of visualization in sequential order, why will there be changes on Action Tantra and Performance Tantra? This is because when we are in visualization, we visualize the yidam as a rainbow, not an ‘object.’ Nevertheless, our ability to get such a visualization is through our own elements of earth, wind, water, and fire. If you do not have these four elements, and if you rely only on your consciousness, you cannot visualize the yidam. You must need these components, or factors – the elements of earth, wind, water, and fire, and only then can you visualize this yidam.

This means a yidam also possesses the elements of earth, wind, water, and fire. If a practitioner practices Action Tantra, Performance Tantra, Yoga Tantra, and Highest Yoga Tantra and has really attained accomplishment, the body of this practitioner will change. How does it change? For instance, from our birth to the time we get old, we have consumed the energies of our elements of earth, wind, water, and fire every day. We practice through this kind of bodhicitta – now we are emphasizing bodhicitta – and it is not for our own good. If one practices with bodhicitta, one’s elements of earth, wind, water, and fire will increase naturally. Of course, the word ‘increase’ here does not mean replenishing these elements to the level of what you had, like when you were just born, unless you have mastered practices of Highest Yoga Tantra, the highest level of practices. Then you will attain a Bodhisattva’s Dharmakaya (Dharma-body) – you will have all the elements.

Why will the practices of Tantra be able to make one healthy? Because the yidam’s elements of earth, wind, water, and fire have integrated with you. That is the reason that your health gradually becomes better. Even if you do not practice Tantra but practice methods of Exoteric Buddhism, and if you have not mastered the practices of bodhicitta, all the force of capability of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas cannot integrate with you. It is absolutely impossible. Such a force cannot be gotten either by someone’s blessings with prayer beads. So, everyone needs to be clear about many things. Do not be muddled to do certain matters in ways that are customary and personal. If you have been blessed by someone who has an impure mind, you will be impure in your mind accordingly. Some people think, ‘Will it be so serious?’ It is not a question – it will truly be very serious.

Sutra: ‘Only then is there a fetus.’

Only when there are all these things occurring, can a fetus truly exist. Hence, as one can well imagine that even if a ‘kalala’ enters into a womb, whether there will be a fetus appearing is something not necessarily certain.

Sutra: ‘It is like a new seed that has not been damaged or spoiled by wind or the sun. Being firm with no holes, it is appropriate to be stored or be lifted. The seed is put into a fertile farmland, and both are with moisture. Only if there is the convergence of the causes and conditions, are roots and stalks formed, and branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits will grow in sequential order. Nanda, such a seed is not separated from the affinities that are combined with roots, and so forth, to get produced. In these ways, you should know that it is not just because of having parents and is not only having the karma, with other affinities as well, a fetus being born; the parents’ sperm and blood and the convergence of the causes and conditions are needed to occur, and only then can this fetus exist.’

Here, it is explained again about a fetus being born that ‘it is like a new seed that has not been damaged or spoiled by wind or the sun.’ ‘Being firm with no holes,’ – having no holes damaged – it is stored in an appropriate place. ‘The seed is put into a fertile farmland’ – a good farmland – and it is ‘with moisture.’ ‘Only if there is the convergence of the causes and conditions, are roots and stalks formed, and branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits will grow in sequential order.’ Thus, for this seed to be produced, it also needs many kinds of the ‘convergence of the causes and conditions’ to get together, and only then can roots, stalks, ‘branchers, leaves, flowers, and fruits,’ be grown ‘in sequential order,’ meaning they are to grow in sequential stages.

The mention ‘Nanda, such a seed is not separated from the affinities that are combined with roots, and so forth, to get produced’ means the seed does not leave all kinds of ‘convergence of the causes and conditions’ ‘to get produced.’ There is this description too in the sutra quote: ‘In these ways, you should know that it is not just because of parents and is not only having the karma, with other affinities as well, a fetus being born.’ The explanation is just what have been described that therefore, we should also know ‘that it is not just because of having parents, and is not only having the karma, with other affinities as well, a fetus being born.’ Its meaning is that if today, there is a fetus appearing, it does not rely only on parents lying with each other and doing some movements; it does not depend only on causes and conditions or the karma either. Rather, it requires all the factors being combined together to get a fetus existing.

The final part of this sutra quote is that ‘the parents’ sperm and blood and the convergence of the causes and conditions are needed to occur, and only then can this fetus exist.’ This means the parents’ sperm and blood are also needed to be combined together to get the fetus born.

Sutra: ‘Nanda, it is like that for seeking fire, a person with discerning eyes puts a sunstone in sunlight, and places dry cow manure on top of it, and only then is fire produced.’

This quote means it is like that a person, who has discerning eyes, wants to seek fire. So, he puts a sunstone in sunlight, and places dry cow manure on top of it, and then the fire is produced.’

Sutra: ‘In this way, you should know that the parents’ sperm and blood and the convergence of the causes and conditions are to be relied on, and only then can a fetus be born. The impurity of the parents gets a “kalala,” which is called a “form”.’

The phrase ‘which is called a form’ does not mean the parents are very sexual; without physical desires, there will be no births. The word ‘form’ is the appearance of a shape or physique. (Translator’s note: In Chinese, the word ‘form’ is pronounced as ‘se,’ which also means ‘sexual.’)

Sutra: ‘Sensation, perception, functioning, and consciousness are the names on mental qualities of “form,” and these are spoken of as “names-form”.’

This quote explains that form, sensation, perception, functioning, and consciousness are the names of a physical body. Hence, we call them ‘names-form.’

Sutra: ‘This gathering of the aggregates of detestable “names-form” is to get born into existences. Even if there is just a small amount of such existences, I do not praise them for a moment. Why is that? It is because being born amid existences is to endure great suffering. It is like that a little stool or filth will also smell foul.’

All the form, sensation, perception, functioning, and consciousness get together. The ‘gathering of the aggregates of detestable “names-form” is to get born into existences.’ What does ‘detestable’ mean here? It refers to the gathering of these ‘names-form’ and it will create negative acts. Where are they? When we are born, our births are not in accordance with our own vows, but with our karma, which has good one and negative one. In other words, when form, sensation, perception, functioning, and consciousness can get together, such a gathering is according to your good and negative karma. Nonetheless, the negative karma is heavier. This is because good karma is better. If you would have that, you would have been born in the Land of Amitabha. You would not have been on this Earth, unless you have come back to this world by your vows. If that is the reason that you are here in this world, that, of course, is not a subject in the scope of this discussion.

Those who come back to this world by their vows know very clearly where they would be born. They would have mentioned it before they left their prior lifetime. For example, they would have said in what year and what location they would have to be born, or what type of society their parents had belonged to. These people would have written down such things. If nothing is written, and they claim that they have been reincarnated from someone, all these kinds of talks are nonsense. All of us are people of ‘being reincarnated.’ None of us is not. If a person says that he himself or she herself is reincarnated from the Land of Amitabha, the person talks nonsense too. It has been stated very surely in the Amitabha Sutra that so long as one is born in the Land of Amitabha, there is no retrogression on the person. One of the ‘three non-retrogressions’ is ‘no longer reincarnate.’ You cannot come back to this world unless you have attained the fruition of a Buddha. However, there is not a Buddha in this world now; thus, claiming one being returned to this world is nonsense. Yet, there are still some people who listen to this, holding that person’s prayer beads for blessings. Are they foolish or what?

I have told you countless times that it has been mentioned in sutras quite definitely that after Shakyamuni Buddha left the mundane world, it will take 5.67 billion years for Bodhisattva Maitreya becoming a Buddha. In those 5.67 billion years, there will not be a Buddha existing. This indicates that there is no Buddha coming to this world from the Land of Amitabha either! For those of you who held that particular person’s prayer beads, what are your Chinese zodiac signs? You even held that man’s prayer beads! I can only say this to you politely: you are curious babies. You wanted to see whether what he was saying was true or false. If you were capable to know that, you could simply come up here to sit on the Dharma throne and teach. What did your behavior demonstrate? It showed the ways of people and of the world – you felt embarrassed if you offended people.

I have told you about my story. Because my root capacity is different from yours, in that experience, a yidam showed itself on my body to drive the person, who wanted to transmit a Dharma method to me, away. You do not have that kind of capability! No matter how much I have said to you, they cannot get through your mind. I really do not want to propagate the Dharma anymore; that is so, truly. You will occasionally get issues occurring from time to time. Even His Holiness has told me that I have performed many Dharmas for you. Then why do you still behave these ways?

In sutras, those who are difficult to get liberated are called ‘Icchantika’ in Sanskrit. All of you are ‘Icchantika.’ ‘Icchantika’ refers to those who cannot be liberated. There are those who cannot even be liberated by Shakyamuni Buddha. So, I am accepting such situations too that I cannot liberate you. How can there be people who are so difficult to deal with?

When the Five Aggregates get together, the term of ‘names-form’ is produced, and we call it ‘existence.’ The quote ‘Even if there is just a small amount of such existences, I do not praise them for a moment’ means even if this ‘existence’ is just in a tiny bit of amount, ‘I’ – referring to the Buddha – ‘do not praise’ such situations.

‘Why is that? It is because being born amid existences is to endure great suffering. It is like that a little stool or filth will also smell foul.’ Shakyamuni Buddha meant if you have not mastered practices to get liberated from birth and death, you will then come back to this world by following your karma, as you think you have the trait of ‘being existent.’ When you get that thought, you are at the beginning of suffering. ‘Even if there is just a small amount of such existences,’ a praise will not be given for a moment. It is like stool, even when there is just a very little of it, it smells very foul. What does this mean? Even if we are born, we are in negative mode too. This is because we think that we have the ‘existence’ – with this body and with this consciousness.

Of course, in order to satisfy this body of ours and the five things – form, sensation, perception, functioning, and consciousness – in the body and the mind, what do we start to do? We start creating karma and vices as stated in the Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha’s Fundamental Vows that ‘All our thoughts generate karma and vices.’ Why? Because we want to satisfy this ‘existence.’ Even if you have been practicing very well or maybe in a prior lifetime you had practiced quite well, so long as your ‘bardo’ wants to enter a womb, and if this concept of ‘existence’ is very slight and lasts a very short time, Shakyamuni Buddha would not praise it. Even if the time of ‘being existent’ remains a little short, as long as it is amid existences, meaning the Five Aggregates of form, sensation, perception, functioning, and consciousness getting together, and you think you have the ‘existence,’ it is the beginning of suffering – a great suffering. It is like that even there is just a little stool, or a tiny bit of it, it will smell foul as anyone who has stepped on dog poop knows. Even if it has been cleansed, the remaining part of it will still stink. That is the concept here.

Therefore, there is a saying that ‘all existences are suffering.’ What does it mean? What have we sought for in our life of decades? We have sought for our ‘existence,’ right? It is like those fools who held that person’s prayer beads, and the reason that they did that was exactly seeking ‘existence.’ What kind of existence? It is a thought like this: ‘Ah! He is a good person; he is easy to talk to.’ They did not have their own standpoints.

From the second our ‘bardo’ enters a womb, it starts to seek ‘existence’ and thinks that it has that. In fact, such ‘existence’ is unreal. How does this come about? When you, as a human, die, on form, sensation, perception, functioning, and consciousness, besides consciousness being still remaining, all the other four are gone and they are all unreal. Yet, ‘being unreal’ does not represent that we do not need to do our practices. Rather, as you are very clear that the ‘existence’ of the body is unreal, you use this unreal ‘existence’ to practice diligently. You will master your practices to understand certainly about the true ‘existence’ and what is called ‘being unreal.’ Then, later, even if your ‘bardo’ enters a womb or is born in the Land of Amitabha, you can truly be liberated from birth and death.

Why are we, as humans, unable to get liberated from birth and death? Because we think we have ‘existence.’ We have the ‘existences’ of our sons, wealth, spouses, and so on. Even if we know now that we are about to die, we still do not want to; we want to live one more day because we think we have this ‘existence.’ Is that ‘existence’ in the form of living for an extra day yours? No, it is still not yours. Not to mention putting you lying in a coffin after you die, once you stop breathing, in less than one second, all things are not yours.

Why have we had so many troubles in this life? Because we have continuously sought things having ‘existence’ or things about form, sensation, perception, functioning, and consciousness. You want to have your feelings; you want this and you want that. Even practitioners are all like this. Hence, everyone becomes living in suffering constantly and is unaware of it. People still find joy in their suffering; they thought that they lived their lives very happily. They think today they have come here to learn Buddhism and hope that it will make themselves happy – this is also a form of ‘existence.’

In the later part of the sutra, there is a section which mentions that an elder who went to a gathering and asked about the Dharma. On that, Venerable Ananda asked the elder for advice. Do you know what the elder answered? He said, ‘I do not have great compassion and I have no joy.’ This means if one has not attained great kindness and great compassion from one’s practices, how can one have the joy? All of your joy has come from the ‘mischiefs’ made by form, sensation, perception, functioning, and consciousness. It is like that you feel wonderful for drinking a glass of wine; it tastes so great. Nevertheless, this feeling of ‘tasting great’ will last less than one second and be gone. What happens next is that the alcohol ‘attacks’ – affecting badly – your liver, stomach, or heart. How foolish you are! We want fame; we want wealth; we want the feelings of things. These are all just for perception and there are no ‘existences’ on them.

We have been controlled in all our lives by this ‘existence.’ Thus, Shakyamuni Buddha scolded us very abominably that it is a stench, smelling fouler than stool. You still do not think it stinks and continue seeking things having the ‘existence.’ This does not mean you are to stay out of things in the world; rather, you need to understand clearly why you were born here. It is because that in your past lifetimes you had not been clear about things, and that is why you are back to this world. You have been given an opportunity again to surely understand things in this life so that you will not repeat the same mistake of coming back here – again. You say you want to return to this world; this is easier said than done. What is your reason based on? In accordance with the sutra of getting into a womb expounded by Shakyamuni Buddha, very complicated causes and conditions are needed, and only then can a ‘bardo’ enters a womb! You keep on saying that you want to come back to this world to liberate sentient beings, but if you have not attained bodhicitta and let it appear in this life, it is impossible for you to get sentient beings liberated. You can only come back to this world by following your karma. Then it means you have been full of nonsense and have messed things around.

What have been explained in this section of the sutra are to make you understand very clearly that through the sutra of getting into a womb, Shakyamuni Buddha taught us that the so-called getting a conception is just the beginning of suffering.

Sutra: ‘In this way, you should know that if being born amid existences is in a small number of happenings, it is also called suffering. On these Five Aggregates of form, sensation, perception, functioning, and consciousness, they all have various attributes as “arising,” “abiding,” “growth,” and “decay.” The “arising” is suffering. The “abiding” is sickness. The “growth” and “decay” are old age and death.’

Now, Shakyamuni Buddha explained here about the suffering of birth, old age, sickness, and death. He said that because we think we had been born – ‘abiding’ being the meaning of stopping and ‘growth’ being that of relying on the Five Aggregates which being depended upon by us to live our lives – from the start of the second when our ‘bardo’ enters a womb, this desire of ours to rely on the Five Aggregates has not stopped growing; even right at the second before we die, the desire is still growing and does not stop.

After ‘growth,’ there will be ‘decay.’ Once one is born, it is the beginning of suffering. One also wishes to remain continuously in this mundane world and never leaves it. Yet, that is impossible unless one has mastered the practices on the Undying Body. (In Esoteric Buddhism, there is such a Dharma method, but it has now been lost and not been passed down.) There is this in the sutra quote: ‘The “abiding” is sickness.’ You want to remain here in the world but your health will certainly get illnesses. This is because the elements of earth, wind, water, and fire in your body will definitely have deficiencies occasionally, and then you will begin to get sick. There is another mention in the quote that ‘The “growth” and “decay” are old age and death.’ When we constantly seek ‘existence,’ such a desire of seeking it continues to grow. We will do many things that are distorted and ignorant to satisfy our own desire. When it is fulfilled, we begin to age. When our health is decaying, then it is death.

Sutra: ‘Thus, Nanda, who in the ocean is to give rise to the “flavor” of love? Lying in a mother’s womb is to take this severe suffering.’

This sutra quote starts with this question: ‘Who in the ocean will give rise to the “flavor” of love?’ When we – our ‘bardos’ – lie in the mother’s womb, that action is actually very toilsome. Such a suffering is something we cannot get while we are alive. This is because when you are in the womb, if your mother eats spicy food, you will ‘feel’ it so spicy; if the mother eats icy food, you are in an Ice Hell; if she does things full of nonsense, it will be like that you are hitting by a sledgehammer; when she is angry, it is like you are being burned by fire, feeling very painful; when she scolds people, your whole body seems to be pricked by a knife; when she eats meat, it is like sentient beings are biting you and it is quite a suffering. All of you do not know about suffering.

Sutra: ‘Furthermore, Nanda, in this way, you should know that for those that enter a womb, a large number of them stay in the womb for 38 periods, each having seven days. During the first seven days, the fetus lives in the mother’s womb, and is like being “straight” or being “paralyzed,” lying in stool or filth. It is as if the fetus has been placed in a pot.’

Shakyamuni Buddha said that ‘for those that enter a womb, a large number of them stay in the womb for 38’ weeks. Shakyamuni Buddha’s ‘bardo’ did not enter a womb; He was born from His mother’s armpit. Padmasambhava’s ‘bardo’ did not enter a womb. Because of this reason, both of them had not gone through this pain of birth.

For the majority of occurrences, ‘During the first seven days, the fetus lives in the mother’s womb, and is like being “straight” or being “paralyzed,” lying in stool or filth. It is as if the fetus has been placed in a pot.’ When the fetus is in the womb and has not yet been born, it is like that it is paralyzed in the mother’s stool. Although the stool does not enter the womb, the fetus is in front and the large intestine is behind. So, when the stool passes through, the fetus will feel that rumble, like a train passing through a tunnel. If the mother is affected with constipation, then the fetus will be surrounded from behind by the stool and smells the odor every day. It is as if the fetus is being cooked in a pot. It is because at the beginning of having entered a womb, the fetus cannot endure the mother’s body heat and feels there is a fire burning every day.

Sutra: ‘The fundamentals of a body and consciousness live together in one place. They are in intense heat and torment, taking the toil to the utmost. This is called “kalala,” and its form is like a porridge liquid or curd whey. During the seven days, the ‘kalala’ is tormentedly cooked by internal heat. The earth element with a nature of firmness, the water element with a nature of wetness, the fire element with a nature of warmth, and the wind element with a nature of motions will only then become manifest.’

It is explained here about what is called ‘kalala.’ It is ‘the fundamentals of a body and consciousness’ living together. This means some ‘bardos’ have ‘the fundamentals of a body’ but the consciousness does not enter the womb. For example, there are miscarriages early for some fetuses, which will then have no consciousness; in some cases, ‘the fundamentals of a body and consciousness’ are together in a fetus. ‘They are in intense heat and torment, taking the toil to the utmost. This is called “kalala.”’ These statements refer to situations that when fetuses are growing, they seem to be in torment and in intense heat, and take all the toil completely. ‘This is called ‘kalala,’ and ‘its form is like a porridge liquid or curd whey.’ This describes the form of a fetus before it takes a shape of a human, and that form ‘is like a porridge liquid or curd whey.’ This sutra quote ends with this: ‘During seven days, the ‘kalala’ is tormentedly cooked by internal heat. The earth element with a nature of firmness, the water element with a nature of wetness, the fire element with a nature of warmth, and the wind element with a nature of motions will only then become manifest.’ This refers to the fact that during the first seven days, although a fetus does not have a form yet, its fundamentals of a body and consciousness already exist.

Some people will say that as a fetus has not formed yet, removing it from the woman’s body within the first three months is a nonchalant matter. These people think that there is no form yet for a fetus at this point. However, Shakyamuni Buddha explained very clearly here that when a ‘bardo’ really enters a womb, during the first seven days, its fundamentals of a body and consciousness, which had been brought forth from past lifetimes, are already together. If, when the time comes that you have a fetus removed, it will be strange to say that it does not ‘fix’ you. Hence, for those of you who have done it, including those having had miscarriages, you need to watch out for yourselves.

It is very hot in the womb during these seven days because there are cell divisions in it continuously. Thus, the fetus feels very hot and ‘is tormentedly cooked.’ During these seven days, the elements of earth, wind, water, and fire begin to appear gradually.

Sutra: ‘Nanda, during the second period, lasting seven days, the fetus lives in the mother’s womb, lying in stool or filth. It is as if the fetus has been placed in a pot. The fundamentals of a body and consciousness live together in one place. They are in intense heat and torment, taking the toil to the utmost. In the mother’s womb, a wind arises on its own, and is called ‘universal touch.’ It is generated from prior karma. When the wind touches the fetus, it is called “arbuda.” The form of the fetus is like a thick curd or coagulated butter. During these seven days, the fetus is tormentedly cooked by internal heat. Then, the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind become manifest.’

It is explained here about a fetus in the second period, lasting seven days. In the mother’s womb, the fetus sleeps in stool or filth, and ‘the fundamentals of a body and consciousness live together.’ ‘They are in intense heat and torment, taking the toil to the utmost.’ This sutra quote continues. ‘In the mother’s womb, a wind arises on its own, and is called “universal touch.” It is generated from’ your ‘prior karma.’ Shakyamuni Buddha described that ‘the fetus is like a thick curd or coagulated butter. During these seven days, the fetus is tormentedly cooked by internal heat. Then, the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind become manifest.’

Sutra: ‘Nanda, during the third period, lasting seven days – I am expounding extensively about the fetus as before – in the mother’s womb, there is a wind called “the opening of knife-holder.” It is generated from prior karma. When the wind touches the fetus, it is called “pesi,” meaning “knot.” The form of the fetus is like an iron chopstick or an earthworm. During these seven days, the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind become manifest.’

During the third period, lasting seven days, it is the same as mentioned before. However, as the fetus is ‘in the mother’s womb, there is a wind called “the opening of knife-holder.” It is generated from prior karma.’ At that stage, ‘the form of the fetus is like an iron chopstick or an earthworm. During these seven days, the four elements of earth,’ wind, water, and fire ‘become manifest.’

Sutra: ‘Nanda, during the fourth period, lasting seven days – I am expounding extensively about the fetus as before – in the mother’s womb, there is a wind called “inner door.” It is generated from prior karma. This wind blows and hits the arrow-like fetus, and the action is called “health-south.” The form of the fetus is like a shoe’s mold or a warm stone. During these seven days, the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind become manifest.’

During the fourth period, lasting seven days, the fetus is about the same as what have been described before. What does the Chinese character, 楥, mentioned in the sutra quote, mean? (Rinpoche asked a disciple the question.) (This disciple, a professor of Chinese Literature, answered, ‘I will check the meaning of this word when I get home.’) I have now been exploring a matter, which is this: why had Shakyamuni Buddha needed to expound this sutra on a womb one more time? Could the reason have been that those people, who wrote down the sutra, had gotten it wrong in their memories or there were special meanings in the contents of the sutra? I am not sure about these because I have not read the later part of the sutra yet. I believe that what had been expounded in that part should be the key points. I think the reason that Shakyamuni Buddha emphasized so strongly on the matter of entering a womb should be that He was telling us that entering a womb is not something which is happy, comfortable, and at ease. There should be much suffering to go through, and only then can a birth occur. By going through so much suffering, before one is born, there will also be many accidents, and the like, happening which are very difficult to grasp. All these are relevant to the karma of the parents and the child. So, Shakyamuni Buddha went out of His way to speak of this subject. There must be many relevances existing to our practices.

For instance, in the later part of the sutra, it has been mentioned about how many bodily channels a person has. If those, having been learning medicine, do studies from this aspect, they should also be able to see all the sickness and pain in a human body start occurring with bodily channels. If these channels have a good energy flow, there will be no sickness. However, although there are very advanced microscopes that have been invented now, no one could have been like Shakyamuni Buddha to speak so clearly about how many bodily channels a human has, and no one else is able to know when and what will happen to a fetus either. The contents of the two sections expounded by Shakyamuni Buddha are very distinct. There are not any doubts about them.

I think although this sutra of getting into a womb seems irrelevant to monastics, it is actually relevant to them too. This is because that if, in this life, you cannot transform Five Aggregates – form, sensation, perception, functioning, and consciousness – into Five Wisdoms in your practices, I guarantee you will certainly come back to this world by entering a womb. Your returning to this world does not mean retuning as what you are now, a human; rather, such a returning is at the mercy of your karma. Why did Shakyamuni Buddha introduce Amitabha to us? The reason is that there will only be a few people who can get themselves liberated from birth and death in this life, and for your safety as well as not letting you reincarnate again, the Buddha made a point of introducing Amitabha to us. You are still full of nonsense, still thinking that you will have a future lifetime and, in it, you can do well again on whatever you should have done. Shakyamuni Buddha had told you about this matter. If you have a very good memory, once your ‘bardo’ enters a womb, it will know things will start to be abominable. It will think about this every week continuously until it becomes a human body – you – to be born. Then, when you are born, your face will look like a bitter melon because of having a feel of being miserable.

Therefore, our understanding or realization of sutras is that anything Shakyamuni Buddha spoke of are surely relevant to our practices or to our getting liberated from birth and death. He absolutely would not have said certain things casually that are to do with the ways of people and of the world – the ways you are familiar with. Although the Buddha understood the ways of people and of the world very well, when such ways had been ‘given’ to Him, like having been encountered by Him, He used the occasions to expound the Dharma, and did not tell you that you definitely need to act on the deeds explained. Today, we have been learning Buddhism, and if you think such a learning is just to implore me for peacefulness, protection, and blessings, it is all right – pay a separate fee then. It is reasonable, right? Why do I not say how much it will cost on each class of the Dharma teachings at each puja? It is very popular out there to charge a fee on a crash course. I do not do that; I just expound the Dharma to you constantly.

I have been telling you so many things and it is not because I want you to make offerings to me; rather, the reason is just that you need to know such matters. After listening to so many talks from me, you still have not gotten them through your head. You still think you have been listening to stories or myths in that they are irrelevant to you; you yourself will not be like what have been described in the stories. Nevertheless, Shakyamuni Buddha spoke of this very clearly: the concept of ‘majority.’ Contrarily, all of us are in this ‘majority.’ Are you qualified to be born from an armpit? No, you are not – that is impossible to happen; are you qualified to become a lotus and be born from it? No, you are not – that is impossible to occur.

All of you ‘smell foul’ because now you are still thinking about what is happening in your home. Why did many people leave me and the Center here? Because they were not prepared to get liberated from birth and death. It was not because I am strict. Today, I teach this Dharma method to you not because I am strict; rather, I do it in accordance with what had been taught by the Buddha. I have already said it very politely. I did not say that you smell as foul as stool whereas the Buddha made the scolding directly. Although those young people need to work very hard for gaining businesses, properties, wives, husbands, or having children, I support all these aims as I am a layman. Nonetheless, for these people, you need to understand that the results of such desires are derived from your causes and conditions.

It is like the situation of a disciple of mine who is an internet celebrity. How proud this disciple is of herself! When she got a new car, she posted it online immediately for others to see; she was afraid if she did not do it, people would not know about her status. Are you (the said disciple) rich? If you are, then make an offering to donate money to support our monastery’s construction project! Are you proud because of having money? Why did your mother’s leg become lame suddenly? Because you are proud of yourself! If you do not learn from what had been taught by the ancients, what do you want to learn then? People need to refrain themselves a little. Do not think that ‘I want to show my new car off for people to see so that they will know that I am successful of being an internet celebrity.’ What is the term ‘success’ here? The success is demonstrated by a few million times of views on the internet, the so-called rate of click-view. This is actually very silly. If there is one click by someone, it is equivalent to the notion that you owe that person something once. You will need to repay this person the ‘debt’ in next lifetime. Do you think that you do not need to repay it? Do you think you are very pretty, very articulate, or the things you sell online being very amazing? I am a little more old-fashioned. When someone clicks the view-sign once, you owe the person once. You will not know how to repay that person in next lifetime.

Nowadays, the more advanced science has become, the more opportunities there are for people to create karma. When science had not advanced before, people did not know what it could do, and they had fewer opportunities to create karma. At that time, even if we wanted to scold people, we needed to do it face-to-face. There is no need for that now. One can just type words into an electronic device and then scold all people, and such a scolding can include a few dozens of thousands of, or a few million, people. Hence, being in the Age of Dharma Decline, one is to be cautious on everything. This does not mean making money this way is wrong. Rather, do not have a proud attitude, really, to the extent that others start watching or examining you closely. Then, when there are issues, do not come to me and cry, imploring me for my help. On any things, we need to do some hidings and are not to be too proud of ourselves.

It is not necessarily a good thing if one achieves success at a young age. Young people need to learn about life experiences so that they can hold on things when they are old. When one is young, if one is proud of oneself and likes to show off or boast about things one has, the person’s good fortune will be used up when he or she gets old. Today, if you are able to gain fame, what does it mean? It means you have good fortune. However, if you use it in these types of areas, you will know in your old age that you had been wrong in your youth. Why are so many people miserable at their old age? It is because they felt incredible for having a bit fame when they were young, and they have since worn off their good fortune. Your ability of having fame or wealth comes from your good fortune. If you do not refrain yourself a little, being afraid that if you do, others will not know your status, you will then ‘consume’ your good fortune unceasingly. Do not think that if you chant mantras 2,000 times a day, you will have good fortune. I have been practicing the Dharma so toilsomely; even so, I dare not say that I have good fortune. What do you think who you are, saying you have good fortune? You do not listen to what I have said, or scolded, to you. As a Buddhist, you need to act like one. Why do you not propagate the Dharma through a website? Because you think your life is important. Of course, one cannot live without a life either.

Everyone needs to understand, remember, or pay attention to, what have been mentioned in sutras. Those mentions are not stories. You do not come here to listen to stories; you come here for listening to the Dharma. Do not say that it is irrelevant to you, absolutely. For those present, if you were not born from your ‘bardo’ which had gotten into a womb, raise your hand to let me see it. (There was no one in the audience raising his or her hand.) Since there was none who was not born from a womb, everyone had gone through such suffering to be born. Do you still want to suffer again? If so, you are to continue making great efforts for not listening to what I have been teaching you! Shakyamuni Buddha did not speak of this subject to intimidate or threaten us. What He did was to tell us that life is too short and there is nothing that is worthwhile for us to keep. Let us take the advantages of our still having the body, time, money, and spirit to allocate a little more time each day to do our practices. Do not think that ‘I will rely on Rinpoche’s performance of the Dharma to help me. I am relying on Rinpoche.’ Even I will pass away too.

What do you practice on? It is not the type I practice on. I have been very toilsome doing my practices. Then what do you practice on? You need to listen to the Dharma I expound, to amend yourself on your own behaviors. Do not be stubborn and refuse to realize your errors, or do not be nonchalant on things. You will think, ‘Will there be issues if this is done only once?’ There are certainly no issues now, but there will be when the matter of getting liberated from birth and death appears later. See, if things occur, according to what have been mentioned in the sutra, do people involved in such occurrences suffer or not? Now, I will not ask you to sleep with stool; sleep beside a public restroom then. Everyone tries it. If you can, it means you are prepared to come back to this world because you are not afraid of the smell of foul. Who can sleep in a restroom? No one can unless it is someone’s profession, doing work on a restroom; then there is nothing can be done on that. If it is not your profession, finding a public restroom in a park casually for you to sleep in, you will run away from it after on night. Are you prepared to sleep this way? Are you not afraid? Have you not determined to do your practices? Why have you not implored the Buddha, Bodhisattvas, Dharma Protector Achi, and your guru for blessings? Are you still imploring me for making you earn more money so that you can make offerings to me? This is nonsense. I have never implored the Buddha and Bodhisattvas for making me earn more money in order to make offerings to His Holiness. You do not listen to what I have said, or scolded, to you. I really admire such a ‘vajra brain’ of yours.

Doctor Ye, is there a ‘vajra brain’? (The doctor answered: ‘I am reporting to Rinpoche. Indeed, there are people who are very stubborn or are very difficult to communicate with. In my experiences, if I talk to someone three times about something but the person cannot accept others’ opinions, I ignore that person first by putting him or her aside from my mind.’) Is there a problem in the person’s cranial nerves? (The doctor responded: ‘No, it is not that. Some people are very stubbornly prejudiced on self-views.’ You are an expert on brains. I am asking you if there is an issue of that person’s cranial nerves. If one of those nerves has been removed, will he or she be less obstinate? Do you not study brains? (The doctor answered: ‘If it is from the perspective of medical illnesses, there are indeed some people whose logic of thoughts and mode of discharging ‘electricity’ of the brain are different from those of ordinary persons. These kinds of people are really, really very difficult to communicate with. They totally cannot listen to what others talk about.’ Which part of the body is it that propels the discharge of ‘electricity’ of the brain? (The doctor responded: ‘Where such an electrical wave coming from is indiscernible.’ It is indiscernible. Thus, this is a way of cheating by having a certificate of a profession.

The Buddha spoke of it very clearly. What is our brain? The Buddha did not say that the brain functions as our ‘thoughts.’ Where is the ‘body’ in our practices of methods on ‘body, speech, and mind’ – thoughts, words, and actions? (A monastic answered: ‘On the head.’) Why is the ‘body’ of ‘body, speech, and mind’ on the head? Because it is the signals of the brain that execute commands, telling us that our body moves. Hence, it is ‘body’ being on the head. What is it to command the brain to move? If it is in accordance with the Dharma principles, our consciousness commands our brain. There is energy in consciousness. The energy generates electrical waves and sends signals to consciousness, which then lets the brain inform us that our body is in motions. So, where do stubborn people come from? They come from their consciousness in that it has been severely ‘polluted’ and cannot be changed, therefore, their thoughts and behaviors are distorted. All of you have a distorted mind. What this means is that now you have distorted what the Buddha had spoken of or what have been expounded by me; you do not believe in our teachings. Can you not reverse this attitude so as to believe in them? Now, you have been distorting your mindset – you do not believe in us.

Why is your mind distorted? Because you have been using the principles by which you experience life to listen to the Dharma. There are many physicians nowadays. Nevertheless, have they ever explained very surely that a fetus sleeps with stool? No, they have not. They will say to the woman, ‘Congratulations! You are pregnant. This fetus is growing well. It is very good.’ They will talk of some nonsense. Have they talked about the suffering of this fetus? No, they have not. Those who have given birth know that their doctors do not say about the fetus’s suffering. The words uttered by doctors are just ‘Congratulations! Congratulations! Whether it will be a boy or a girl, it is all right.’ The physicians do not have the ability to see such a suffering.

Today, your distorted ways will harm you. We just talked about distorted thoughts that they are brought forth once a ‘bardo’ enters a womb. That is because that our habits have been set and been accumulated through lifetime after lifetime. It will be very difficult to amend these habits. Why are there many methods in the Dharma or in Esoteric Buddhism to help you? Because they are to make your mind pure. The word ‘pure’ here does not mean to make you become clean. Rather, it is to make your distorted thoughts stop – not to move – in a split second. This is to recover your pure, original essence. If that essence appears, you can have feelings and perceptions, and will continue to listen to and accept the Dharma teachings. Those negative thoughts of yours will then gradually not exist anymore. If you want to resist the idea, or oppose making efforts, to have a purified mind, thinking that you are not wrong with a thought of ‘there is not a thing I have done wrong,’ there will be no feelings and perceptions for you on the teachings of the Dharma.

For those who left me and the Center here, all of them said, ‘I had not done anything wrong. I left because Rinpoche had been too strict.’ I am not strict! My expounding the Dharma is in accordance with sutras. Did I invent a new practicing method? Well, I did; I invented this: I do not accept some disciples’ offerings made to me as a punishment for myself. I have expounded sutras to you not to tell you stories, not to let you live a good life or to increase your good fortune. Rather, my teachings are to make your consciousness stop its turbidity, smelling foul like stool, and only then can the pure Dharma get into it. After the pure Dharma ‘enters’ your consciousness, whether you can accept and use it or not is what you will still decide later. If you do not make the determination about it, you will still live your own life.

It is like a disciple whom I just mentioned that she has taken refuge in me for 11 years. She is still living her own good life. So, her mother had not seen me once before she passed away. This is because the disciple thought her mother would not have died and she had been very busy so that she did not have time to bring her mother here to see me. All of you behave like what she did. People who are stubborn were not born this way. Besides what a person brought with him or her at birth, there are still other things that the person possesses, like the education given by this person’s parents and education obtained from home, schools, or society. When adding all these things together, he or she gradually develops such habits of having distorted thoughts and behaviors. After those have been set, it will be very difficult to get the person back from a distorted mind. Why do we call this era the Age of Dharma Decline? Because the people, including monastics, whose ‘bardos’ repeatedly enter a womb are ones with profound and heavy karma. If they do not have heavy karma, what do they come to this world for? At least, they will be in the Heaven Realm or the Land of Amitabha. What do they come to this world doing these things for? It is very toilsome.

On the Dharma I am expounding today, there are very few opportunities to be heard in other Buddhist centers as speaking of such Dharma subjects will offend you, and make you fearful too. You think, ‘I do not learn Buddhism for this. What do you expound this to get me listening to it for? This is not what I want.’ Contrarily, these are what have been mentioned in sutras. How many years have I been teaching the Ratnakuta Sutra? (A monastic answered: ‘Five years.’) In these five years, have you heard the mentions in this sutra that it will get you rich? (All the attendees responded, ‘No, there are no mentions of it.’) What have been taught in the sutra then? They are about practicing the Bodhisattva Path to get liberated from birth and death. I have spent five years teaching you this, and you still cannot reverse your distorted mind. I quite admire your endurance, personality, and attachments to things. If you use this kind of mindset on attachment to learn Buddhism, you would have attained Buddhahood a long time ago; then, would you still have muddled along here in this world? How can people be so stubborn? You do not fear things in heavens or on the earth – you fear nothing. I admire you. My scolding to you is done today; I scolded you by making use of the name of Shakyamuni Buddha! Let us now practice the Dharma Protector Achi ritual!

Look at this last phrase in dedication prayer contained in the Dharma text of this ritual: ‘….not to get the suffering of reincarnation.’ This means if you have not decided to renounce the suffering of reincarnation, and if you practice 10 million times of Dharma Protector Achi ritual, it will be of no use – she will not bless you. Do not think that ‘I will implore Dharma Protector Achi for help.’ Go ahead; implore her! It is written in this Dharma text very distinctly that ‘….not to get the suffering of reincarnation.’ All the things you have done now are preparations to reincarnate. Hence, in this Dharma text, these have been mentioned: ‘You protect and support the teachings of the Buddha. Adhering to the Dharma principles, you fulfill sentient beings’ wishes.’ The meaning of this quote is that if what you implore Dharma Protector Achi for are not in accordance with Dharma principles spoken of by the Buddha, how can she fulfill your wishes? If you say that ‘I implore the Buddha for making my business get better,’ you will not have it. The Buddha did not speak about this because you have not been poverty-stricken yet. Or, if you say that ‘I implore Dharma Protector Achi for letting my child study well in school,’ your wish will not be fulfilled. The Buddha also spoke of this very surely. Doing well academically is relevant to whether or not the person had practiced the Dharma in his or her prior lifetimes. If not, praying repeatedly for this wish being fulfilled, the supplications are not based on the Dharma principles. No matter how many times the wish has been implored for, it will not be fulfilled.

In the Dharma text, it has mentioned what will happen if one does not repent, and in this section, it also stated about visualization and ‘sitting still.’ All the descriptions are for matters about our practices. In aspiration prayer contained in the early part of the Dharma text, this has been mentioned very plainly: ‘Up to places below the Heaven of the Thirty-Three and above the four great inhabited continents and Iron-enclosing Mountains (Cakravada-parvata), you are the first of the Twelve Goddesses of Tibetans, and possess all abilities and agile activities.’ The so-called all abilities refer to helping sentient beings get liberated from reincarnation. The phrase ‘agile activities’ means the Dharma activities she handled were done very quickly and cleverly, and would not have been acted on slowly; rather, she did them immediately. Therefore, if you want to implore Dharma Protector Achi for help, you need to do what is mentioned in the last line of aspiration prayer that ‘….making me achieve attainment in creating the activities and aspirations of the Dharma.’ If what you implore for are not about such activities and aspirations, who will pay attention to you? Dharma Protector Achi will not. Because you have taken refuge in me now, you can also be called disciples of the Drikung Kagyu Order. When you practice the Dharma Protector Achi ritual, she only helps you in that there will not have accidents in your home. For other things, as you do not implore her for them in accordance with the Dharma, you will not get your wishes fulfilled. I know many of you have implored her haphazardly for what you want. These are obviously not written in the Dharma text but you will request a whole lot of them to Dharma Protector Achi.

It is stated very clearly that ‘making me achieve attainment of creating the activities and aspirations of the Dharma.’ Why could I attain the accomplishment when I wanted to preside over the Great Amitabha Pujas? What kind of events did I do? It was the kind of Dharma activities. When I got the Great Amitabha Pujas organized, did I take money or any fees? No, I did not. Did I appear on television shows? No, I did not. There were no fame and profit for me. Thus, I ‘achieved attainment in creating the activities….of the Dharma.’ I had been made in attaining accomplishment. If you want Dharma Protector Achi to help or support you, you need reasons. You are not to implore her for unaccountable things with a casual manner, like seeking help from gods or deities. She is not an ordinary Dharma protector of the mundane world. She is one for the supramundane. She herself is a Great Bodhisattva, and has her own pure land. For example, there are many Dharma texts on Dharma Protector Achi ritual. I only give you one text now. On other texts, I will not give them to you. If I do, there will be of no use because you will not be able to master the practices. Similarly, I have a Dharma text on the empowerment of the Dharma Protector Achi ritual. Why have I not granted you this empowerment yet? There are some lamas in our Order who have been practicing Dharma Protector Achi ritual all their lives. They do the practice every day. You will say, ‘What is it about a Dharma protector?’ A Dharma protector is most important in our learning or practicing. Without a Dharma protector, there is nothing for us in that area.

It is like that last time when I performed the Chod, I ‘saw’ Bodhisattva Skanda bringing a group of monastics to come here. You will feel that it is strange. Why was Bodhisattva Skanda the one who brought those monastics here? Because Bodhisattva Skanda is a Dharma protector of Buddhist temples. So long as these monastics have not broken away from monastic precepts very outrageously, have made offerings to Bodhisattva Skanda every day, and have recited sutras in the temples, even though they have not made vows to be reborn in the Pure Land, or have not mastered their practices of Zen School in attaining enlightenment of getting liberated from birth and death, at least Bodhisattva Skanda will protect them. When the time comes, if there is someone who can help them, Bodhisattva Skanda brings them over for the assistance. Why does Bodhisattva Skanda not get them liberated? Because there is no such a Dharma method in what this Bodhisattva has practiced on.

When I performed the Chod in Japan, I also ‘saw’ one of the Four Great Deva Kings bringing a group of people to let me liberate them. After the performance of the ritual was completed, I told those who had organized the puja to check the direction where that group of people had come from. Indeed, there was a temple with the statues of the Four Great Deva Kings in it. Do not think that getting sentient beings liberated can be done casually. Many people feel that ‘You know how to get a person liberated. When I implore you to do that, you need to do it.’ There are many people naming their pujas as ‘puja of transferring consciousness.’ For me, if I could not have the task done, I would not have dared to call my pujas as that. Once I have it written like that, I need to take responsibility. Hence, on the matter of the Dharma, please, you need to understand clearly about it. It is a very important thing in your life, more important than your wealth, your fame, getting a wife or getting married. Of course, do not follow me as an example on your marriage. To me, my marriage was a failure; it was a success too. Why was it a success? Because if it was not, today, I could not have done my practices. Therefore, I feel I have succeeded in my marriage. To women, this situation is certainly, ahi….(Translator’s note: The guru sighed.)

Before, there was a believer of His Holiness. Once, His Holiness came to Taiwan, bestowing, and presiding over, a puja called ‘Treasury of Kagyu Tantras,’ a very great Dharma method. It seems that he only transmitted this method twice in his life. In the puja, I sat at the front of the audience, and it was His Holiness who had made a point of letting me sit at the front. That believer came up to me and said, ‘Dharma brother, you have been divorced before. Yet, do you still come to attend a grand puja?’ I am now a Rinpoche; I do not know where that person is. This is what ‘a distorted mind’ means. Am I a sinner because I have been divorced? I do not know. On sutras I have read, there is no such a mention. As the Buddha did not speak of it, I certainly do not commit a sin. It was just that the affinity of that marriage came to an end. Maybe the Buddha thought that I should not have had a marriage as I need to lead, and guide, so many people. If there is a marriage for me, it will be quite a troublesome matter. I am talking about myself, not you; do not misunderstand me. If I were married, it would have been impossible for me to conduct retreats in any ways that had been required or to do things however I had wanted. Those of you who are married know definitely that when you want to participate the puja on Lunar New Year Day, you need to explain this to your spouse and family members: ‘Do not worry. When I come back, I will absolutely have offering items for you to eat, and they will give all of you advantages.’ Only then can you come to attend the puja, right? I am helping you to say this now. All of you act this way. There is nothing that can be done to help you on this.

In the Ratnakuta Sutra, there is a section mentioning that, really, the laity can do practices. There is even a part in the sutra stating that Shakyamuni Buddha spoke of a certain layman that the merits of this layman were greater than a monastic. This is because he observed both the precepts of the laity and the precepts of monastics very well. We need to observe precepts and such observations are not done superficially. The most important precept is ‘mind precepts,’ and it is very significant whether your mind observes precepts or not. In Tibetan Buddhism, why has it been valued so much that a guru must be listened to? It is because that if a guru can ascend a Dharma throne and expound the Dharma, this guru absolutely possesses some precepts and merits and does not act casually. If you listen to your guru’s teachings, you are the equivalent of being in his great sea of merits. If you do not listen to him, you will then live your own life. Well, you live your life, and he lives his. This is a matter quite clearly understood.

Today, I have talked to you a little more on various subjects as time is passing day by day, and I feel more and more anxious to teach you urgently. I can see that you have not made up your mind to get liberated from reincarnation; that really makes me so anxious. I will not come back to this world again, like some people saying that they will. As I will not return, when the time comes, there being this group of people – you – remaining in this world, I truly do not know what to do about it. This is especially so because once I am in the Land of Amitabha, as I have great supernatural powers, I will see you every day from that Land; what can I do then? So, please, you are to determine that you want to get liberated from reincarnation. Do not rely on your luck. Do not be nonchalant, thinking getting liberated from reincarnation is not very important. This is most important in learning Buddhism. Without this subject, it means what the Dharma the Buddha taught us is not important. If there is no such a teaching, the Dharma would have been the same as non-Buddhist religions; we would have just learned them, and it would have just been all right for us. Then, what have we been learning the Dharma for?

Thus, everyone needs to understand not to lose your ways in the learning of Buddhism. It is not for knowing the ways of people and of the world. As every one of you practices under the same guru, when you see certain Dharma brothers’ behaviors are not in the right ways, you need to be on your guard and be alert immediately. Do not come to talk to me about the matter afterwards. To put it simply, if something has not been said by me but the other person did it, you need to be alert about the person and the act he or she did.”

« Previous - Puja Teachings - Next »

Updated on March 25, 2025