During this week-long retreat, titled as Daring Steps: The Bold and Gentle Heart of Compassion in Tuncurry and online, Rinpoche was asked to teach on the Mahayana and the 37 Practices of the  Bodhisattvas by Ngulchu Thogme Zangpo (transl. by Adam Pearcey/Lotsawa House).

S o m e  N o t e s

PART 1
Introduction: The book Daring Steps – Bodhicharyavatara – Bodhisattva – Lasting happiness for everybody – Jataka story of the Bodhisattva in a hell realm – A training in universal kindness and compassion in every walk of life – We should all be bodhisattvas – Transformation, not work
Homage: Homage to Avalokiteshvara, understanding both the ultimate and relative, both wisdom and compassion – Buddhas are the source of all good things, because they know the causes of suffering and happiness. We need to learn from them. – Listening, reflection, meditation – Samsara is a continuum of solving problems, and that’s OK
Q&A: Perfectionism

PART 2
Point 1: Samsara – 3 types of suffering – Prince Siddhartha’s search for the ultimate solution – Self-transformation – Samsara is our main problem; the samsaric state of mind with ignorance, unclarity, and negative emotions – Ultimate goal is enlightenment for ourselves and others – The grandest aspiration, a very long term goal – “3 countless aeons” – Can also help us live and die a little better today – Death of the young Spanish lady – Learn to practice through study – Precious human life – Story about the man who had lots of problems
Point 2: 3 major mind poisons: attachment, aversion, ignorance – Story of a Lama who gave away everything except the golden Buddha statue  –  Story of a couple who lived together for 10 years, then married and divorced – There is nothing you can hold on to – Less aversion, less attachment is much better – “Everywhere is my home”
Point 3: Solitude – Looking in – Solitude of body, speech and mind – Teaching in the countryside and the city: in the city it is bouncing back, in the countryside it goes in.
Point 4: Of course you have to take care of your life, family etc. But it’s all changing, it all comes and goes.  Even your body. – Use what you have in a good way. If you lose it, that’s OK. – Story of a man who lost everything. – You can’t make everybody happy.
Q&A: 1. Conflict between leaving one’s family and being a bodhisattva for everybody’s sake? – Sometimes you have to choose one in order to help the most. 2. We are so wrapped up in suffering. How can we overcome our suffering? – We need to know there is a lot of suffering in samsara. Anything can happen. Then we are prepared. Don’t expect everything to be good. Story about Rinpoche’s family becoming refugees, chased by the Chinese army. 3. Is there a correlation between these 37 Practices and the 37 Mandala offerings? – No correlation.

PART 3
Point 5: How we are influenced by others – Good sangha –  Story about a Bollywood hero, one of the Khans – Competition vs friendship – Jealousy vs community
Point 6: Gewe shenyen: a positive friend, a good influence – A good dharma practitioner should be like that – Be attentive of our association, reduce the negative and increase the positive – Association = by whom you are influenced. That could even be your enemy! – Value the positive people in our society. “We kill the living saints and worship the dead.”
Point 7: Taking refuge not in a God or a Creator, but in Buddha, a great teacher, who shows us the way to follow in order to transform ourselves, and in the Dharma, his teachings and his experience, and the Sangha, those who have studied the Dharma and have experience of it. – We shouldn’t expect everybody to be perfect. Seeing your teacher a Buddha does not happen in the beginning, it happens in the end. – What Milarepa said to Gampopa –  What you look for, you will find. The more you see good in others, the warmer you will feel within. – Nowadays we only see darkness around us in the world, no hope for the future.
Point 8: The first of 3 Trainings: Conduct – Refraining from negative actions – The 10 negative actions of body, speech and mind  – Act a little bit kinder and with a little bit of mindfulness
Point 9: The 3 yanas are not 3 different things – Shravakayana is the foundation and the ground for everybody – Avoiding the negative and accumulating the positive will make you a better human being and bring about a good rebirth – But the root of samsara is not uprooted and you are not totally free – Complete liberation is possible, however, and it’s necessary. Understanding this is renunciation. – Very high, deep level: looking for the liberation from samsara
Point 10: Not only thinking of your own liberation, but of a complete enlightenment for everybody  – Bodhichitta, the bodhisattva’s aspiration

PART 4
Point 10, continued: Lasting peace and happiness for everybody – 4 Limitless Wishes – Changchub Sempa, the Warrior of Compassion, “Braveheart”, the one who never gives up – The longest journey begins with one small step – The man who went prostrating from Kham to Lhasa to Kathmandu to Bodhgaya – Start small, work on yourself and build up your wisdom first, help others step by step – Story about the enthusiastic new bodhisattva – The precious bodhichitta
Point 11: Exchanging one’s happiness for others’ suffering, tonglen – “I am” is the root of samsara – Aversion and attachment – Holding on to “me” as something separate from everything else – “I want happiness” makes the samsaric state of mind – Crush that “I” by saying: I want all bad things that nobody else wants, and intentionally give away all the good things – A training to change our habitual tendency – Story of the zen monk who had to pay to be insulted – Let go of attachment and aversion – Am I one?
Point 12: Everybody is under the influence of their negative emotions, so nobody can be perfect – Buddhas hate the mind poisons but they love beings who are under the influence of them – Understanding this, I won’t lose my compassion – Dedication: a story about Jamgon Kongtrul of Shechen during Rinpoche’s escape from Tibet
Point 13: Fear of losing the compassion towards one’s torturers – It’s not good for you to become overpowered by your negative emotions – The real problem is not the person, but the mind poisons controlling him/her
Point 14: When somebody is saying bad things about you – Story about Geshe Langri Tangpa and the son – Story of an old lady in Berlin
Q&A: 1. How to let go of past insults? – Such things happen all the time in the world. Only thing we can do is to understand this is samsara. There is nothing called justice. Innocent people can be charged of crimes. Don’t suffer from that too much – maybe past karma. No use holding on to it. Purify all the negative karma. There’s nothing else you can do. Feeling angry or hurt doesn’t do any good. Keep your mind free. 2. Young and stupid, I killed small animals. How to purify that? – Dedicate whatever positive you do to those that you harmed. Pray that the harmed animals will have a positive rebirth and life because of your positive actions. Make this karmic connection. Any connection with a bodhisattva is very powerful and good, even a negative connection. Story of Kaundinya.

PART 5
Point 15: In situations when we feel hurt and unappreciated – Don’t give up kindness and compassion – People create causes of suffering for themselves, so they need our compassion – Bodhisattva’s root commitment is never to give up on anyone – Understanding samsara is key – Take the challenges as a training – Story of a Sufi teacher
Point 16: Confronting such situations is the test – Story of Atisha and his attendant
Point 17: Instead of naturally feeling aversion, turn and look in: am I also overwhelmed by negative emotions? – I don’t need to react like that – Don’t hate the person, hate the negative emotion
Point 18: When things go bad with you, take on everybody’s suffering – I’m helping people by taking on all their negative things – Tonglen – Nothing is permanent; good things happen, bad things happen; use it all well – Stories of Rinpoche and his family as poor refugees in India, and how well they did eventually – Optimism: you can always do something to improve a little – With a good heart
Point 19: When things go well, don’t become puffed up with arrogance
Point 20: The real practice is to let go of everything that is obstructing my kindness and compassion – Reacting with anger will not bring anything good – All wars start with small things first and eventually escalate – Somebody has to stop – Story of King Ashoka and the man who threw his sword into the river – Don’t revenge, remain openminded
Q&A: 1. Harsh words vs telling the truth? – Humour, and making things lighter, is a good way of resolving things. They way you say it matters, too. Show your good intention. 2. How to know if it’s OK to use aggression to prevent worse things? – 4 enlightened activities: peaceful, enriching, powerful, wrathful. Bodhisattva can use any of them, with a good intention and bodhichitta. Using force can also be a compassionate action. Gesar of Ling, the army of Shambhala.  But every war in this world is always said to be “fought for everybody”, so take it with a pinch of salt. There are Jataka stories where Buddha killed people, but it was always with a genuine good intention. 3. Story of a woman inmate who practiced kindness and was seen as too soft. – Sometimes you have to pretend you are like others in the community in order to be accepted, but don’t give up your kindness and compassion. Story of the king and the rain water that made everybody mad.

PART 6
Point 20 continued: Aversion – Story of the Wise Shepherd
Point 21: Attachment develops into addiction – Wisdom and discipline: you know the consequences and based on that you act in a wise way
Point 22: Ignorance – Materialist view: mind is a function of the matter; no life after life – Out-of-body experiences – Matter is made of many things and finally there is almost nothing there – We cannot experience anything without our consciousness – Beauty is in the eye of the beholder – Nature of the mind is ungraspable and nondualistic – Samsaric experience is built on ignorance – Being natural, you can experience the awareness that is nondual, clear, boundless, uncreated, and without grasping, without struggle – Dharmakaya, dharmadhatu, emptiness and aware, manifesting all the time – We are now addicted to the dualistic experience, but if we transform aversion, attachment and ignorance in this way, we are free from samsara
Q&A: 1. Sem and (rigpa)? – Philosophically you can divide things in many ways. Here it’s more simple. We cannot experience other than the consciousness. That consciousness is not two. In deeper level of meditation, we just relax naturally, not contriving. Slowly it becomes clearer that our experience is clear and nondual. “I” is just a habitual concept. With this clarity, there is no aversion, attachment, fear etc. There is only compassion, free from grasping. But for the time being, a little less attachment and a little less aversion is our practice.  2. Who is it that aspires to subdue the mind? A natural process? Is it like in a dream? – As long as we have the habit of aversion and attachment, we have a strong concept of dualism. First, try to reduce aversion and attachment. But complete transformation can only happen with the right view, with wisdom. We have to start where we are, with our very dualistic mind. Then slowly advance.

PART 7
Point 23: Aversion and attachment are pointless, but we don’t understand this – Stability  of mind – Impermanence of wealth, fame, power etc – Degenerate times vs continual improvement: measuring the amount of possessions or measuring satisfaction – Greed has no end
Point 24: Aversion and attachment are exhausting – Impermanence is a fact but we don’t really understand this – Story of Rinpoche’s first visit in Europe – Story of a Lama in Denmark and the man who lost his wife – Story of the lady who wanted to kill herself – Everything is comparative – Everything is impermanent, so we need to live well today and treat each other as best as we can – Story of the man who had a son and a horse – Story of the king who lost a finger
Q&A: 1. Osho said indulging in whatever it is we crave could lead us to lose the interest in it. –  Addictions cannot be satisfied. But too much restriction won’t work either; then you want to do it even more. Story of Rinpoche’s father. 2. Things mentioned in points 12-17 could be traumatic? – These things are very extreme. But even in such extreme situations we should not lose our practice.  We expect samsara to be good and then become traumatized by even small things. It’s important to understand that very bad things happen in the world. Tell children how the world is; they should know that. Then they can deal with it. 3. Any other stories of how great masters have displayed the bodhisattva activity? -During Mao’s time, many Lamas were killed or imprisoned, and Buddhism was destroyed, as well as all signs of Tibetan culture. But they couldn’t eradicate the Dharma.

PART 8
Point 25: 6 Paramitas: Generosity – Giving without expecting anything in return – Know the ideal, but practice at your own level, step by step – Generosity is the first paramita because it is the intention to help – Transformation is possible, anything can be improved – Story of Anathapindika – Give what you can give happily and without regret – Training, not forcing
Point 26: 6 Paramitas: Shila (ethics, discipline, good conduct) – Do less harm, do more good – First you have to know what is good and what is not – Then allow yourself to do the good, not the bad
Point 27: 6 Paramitas: Patience – The strongest positive action, because hatred is the strongest negative action – Forbearance – Count to 10 – Definitive Vinaya (a book): Anger is like fire; attachment is like water; ignorance is like earth
Q&A: 1. 3 types of patience? – Patience against anger and hatred; Forbearance; Tolerance 2. Can you be ”over-patient” and taken advantage of? – How to be in a good way by myself in any situation vs how to do it in connection with other people. What is the most useful and beneficial way to act at the time. Sometimes I need to be wrathful or even fighting, but not with hatred and anger.  Overtaken by anger you cannot fight well. You need to be skilful and clever. Sometimes you need to pretend to be angry. Use your wisdom, not emotion. 3. With no threats like those mentioned in these points (having the head chopped off etc), how can I develop my patience and other paramitas?  – There are murders and horrible cruelty everywhere in the world. But in this text these examples of extreme situations are to say that even in such situations you should not lose your bodhichitta. The practice is to train in kindness and compassion.

PART 9
Point 28: 6 Paramitas: Diligence – Tib. tsöndru: Joy in doing positive things – Helping others will reduce your self-centeredness and make you happier – Story of a depressed lady with a disability – Anything that becomes a burden cannot be maintained. With joy and knowing why helping is useful, your inspiration and diligence will grow. – Laziness, the opposite of diligence – 3 types of laziness: laziness, busyness, low self-confidence
Point 29: 6 Paramitas: Meditation – Shamatha (shiné) and vipashyana (lhaktong) – To make your mind pliable is the purpose of shamatha, to see clearly  the way things are is the purpose of vipashyana – These two eventually need to be together – 4 stages of shamatha – Up to liberation from samsara
Point 30: 6 Paramitas: Wisdom – Vipashyana – Compassion is the opposite  of the 4 mind poisons , wisdom is the opposite of ignorance – Story of two lovers – The focus of love is the other,  the focus of attachment is myself – Kindness alone can’t be perfect without wisdom, without wisdom you cannot end the samsara – Transcendental wisdom is knowing the nature of yourself and everything – Vajra: Indra’s weapon that can destroy anything but cannot be destroyed – Something that is not there cannot be destroyed – The true essence of our awareness is dharmakaya – Beyond the 3 conceptual spheres: subject, object and the action
Point 31: 4 additional things a bodhisattva has to practice: Introspection, looking in – I cannot transform others, but I can work on myself – As you watch yourself, if you see you need to change something in yourself, just do it – Dharma practice is not about time, it’s about mindfulness and awareness
Point 32: 4 additional things a bodhisattva has to practice:  Not to criticize others – Even if your criticism is true, people take it badly and that creates discord – If you are skilful, maybe you can say it in a nice way – Story of Rinpoche’s colleague
Q&A: 1. Love and attachment to our children? – Story of the most beautiful child of the world. It’s good that people love their children. There are not so good parents also. Mother is just like any other person, cannot always do right. Many parents sacrifice everything for their children. Story of the 24/7 job. 2. There is no omnipotent God. What is the purpose of prayer? – Buddhism is not an atheist religion, there are beings like gods. But there is no creator. Everything arises from interdependence, from causes and conditions.  You are responsible for your own transformation. Prayer has effect, but it also depends on many conditions. You first do something positive and then dedicate that, with all other positive actions and aspirations of all beings, as the support for your prayer. Bad dedications can have effect also. Prayer is a wish from your heart, so it starts something, at least for yourself. If all the world has the same prayer, everything is changed already. The Power of Prayers (a book): a research on the effect of prayer. 3. Should there be different preliminary practices for the people in the West? – The traditional Tibetan way, ngöndro etc, can be very foreign for Westerners. If you understand it and see it as a skilful method to work on you, it can be useful. If you cannot connect with it, it becomes a cultural thing, a ritual. Story of the black cat. People have differences and so there are many methods and skilful means. Ourselves need to see what is the most suitable for us in order to transform mind poisons and develop compassion and wisdom.

PART 10
(Rinpoche first gives a short explanation of a blessing ceremony, rabne or rabtu nepa, that was performed that day. Then he goes to the text.)
Point 33: Concerns especially monastics and dharma teachers – Attachment to sponsors – Story of a Lama, a student of Chatral Rinpoche
Point 34: Be careful with communication – ”Words have no sharp edges but they can slash somebody’s heart into pieces” – Nice and kind words can have a very helpful effect – Story of a letter of a primary teacher – Often the problem is hurt feelings, and kind words can help – Calm down and be nice
Point 35: Mindfulness – First, understand that negative emotions are not useful – Be aware of what is happening within, and remember what to do at that time – The quicker the easier
Point 36: How to train to help others – Look in – Ajanta cave paintings – Whatever you do, be mindful, and see whether it is beneficial for others, or not
Point 37: Dedication – After every session of study and practice – Once dedicated, the merit can’t be destroyed – Together with every positive action of all beings – Stronger with wisdom: free from holding on to subject, object and the action – 3 sacred principles: bodhichitta, wisdom, dedication
Colophon:  Showing humility – Apologizing for the mistakes – Dedication