Jetsunma greets the KPC Sangha as many students return from Palyul Retreat in New York:
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Rebirth?
The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “AA & Buddhism”
Now why am I worrying about this? Am I thinking that maybe most of you in this room are alcoholics? Yes! Yes, I am. But maybe you don’t drink. Let’s see how that works.
In samsara, we have the same condition. According to the Buddha’s teaching, we are actually taking rebirth again and again and again, unfortunately, not with the prevailing idea that one finds in new age metaphysical thought these days. Most new age metaphysical thought says that we choose our parents and we choose our circumstances and we’re all in a learning situation, and that sort of thing. The Buddha teaches us that, in fact, we experience rebirth due to ego clinging, due to desire. It isn’t like a conscious choice where somewhere up in heaven, wherever that might be, or wherever these little unborn creatures are, we look down, parting the clouds of course, and pick a couple of parents out of the 4.8 billion thinking: ‘Those would be nice,’ or, ‘I think I’d like to beat them up today,’ or whatever our particular situation, ‘I’d like to go hungry so I’ll choose those.’
The Buddha doesn’t indicate to us that that is the way it actually is. The Buddha indicates to us that we experience desire, and that desire is the cause of all suffering; and the suffering takes the form of experiencing rebirth under certain conditions. In effect, it is our addiction to samsara that causes us to be reborn under certain conditions. It is true that we tend to come to parents with whom we have a very strong karma, or previous cause and effect relationship. Vibrationally, the parents will be somewhat like us. Now before you all attack me with clubs and sticks, it’s true. I know that you have spent years and years blaming your parents for everything, and I hate to tell you it’s true. We are like our parents in some way.
Now, it’s true our parents might have beaten us to a bloody pulp, and maybe we don’t do that to our children. And our parents might have been judgers and blamers and things like that or cold people, and perhaps we work very hard not to be like that with our children. But if we are really honest and really look at ourselves, we will find ourselves somewhat, in some way, vibrationally like our parents. You cannot be born of a mother with whom you do not have a common vibration. It simply wouldn’t work. Metaphysically, you would dissolve in the womb. It would never happen in the first place. So there is a likeness there. And there is no point in blaming your parents for what happened to you. The best thing to do is to look at the condition and content of your own mind, and learn something that way.
Now, what has led us to be reborn as we are is a series of cause and effect relationships based on the assumption of self nature as being inherently real. With that assumption, automatically and at the same instance that assumption takes place, we distinguish self from other. In distinguishing self from other, we automatically react toward self, toward other, with attraction, repulsion, or neutrality. Now, neutrality sounds like the best way to go, of course. But in samsara, neutrality comes about after this goes on; which means to say you weigh out attraction, you weigh out repulsion, and somewhere in the middle of it, you’re just like eh, who cares. But it’s still part of the same coin. In a sense, attraction is one side of the coin. Repulsion is the opposite side of the coin. And neutrality may be the coin on its side, if you’ll think of that. But they are part of the same thing. They are reactive.
Since time out of mind, we have always been reacting with attraction, repulsion or neutrality due to attraction and repulsion. And it all has, as its root, one of the three poisons. And that poison is grasping or desire or greediness. Desire. We take rebirth due to ego-clinging. We experience continuum; and you can only experience continuum as a self because self is that which seems to move through linear time, and that is the experience of continuum. That’s what we have. We have that condition and it underlies everything, every internal subtle and gross process, every single one. It is that grasping that causes rebirth. Simply that.
Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo All rights reserved
Astrology by Norma: Retrograde Mercury
The planet Mercury appears to go retrograde, to turn around and travel backwards, for three weeks approximately four times a year. “Don’t sign, don’t buy,” is the usual warning for the retrograde Mercury period.
“Don’t sign” refers to contracts of all kinds: a home purchase, rental agreement, lease, marriage document, etc, anything that you hope will work out. Contracts or agreements “Come to nothing,” under retrograde mercury.
“Don’t buy” refers specifically to any kind of machine you expect to be operational- a car, computer, television, you name it. Machines won’t work, they are lemons. The tricky troublemaker will get you if you ignore this warning. “It doesn’t matter,” a woman said as she bought a blender that ended up not working! If you must buy, save the receipt!
What can you do if you want to sign a contract or make a purchase during retrograde Mercury? There are two options: first, you may sign or buy if you negotiated the deal previously, if you considered the matter seriously in the past. Next, you can stall until Mercury goes direct.
Relationships that begin during retrograde Mercury “Come to nothing.” You meet your dream person, everything is perfect, then learn he/she is married, newly escaped from prison, moving to Saudi Arabia or something else that’s a deal breaker.
What’s good about Mercury retrograde? You’re cautioned to avoid brand new undertakings, but you have a second chance to handle something that didn’t work the first time around. You get a “do-over” where you need one: you can go back and clean up a mess, fix something from the past. It isn’t often we get a second chance in life, but retrograde Mercury presents that opportunity on a platter! It’s a great time to fix things, repair problems, relationships, to make amends for the past.
Watch for the retrograde Mercury dates, avoid new beginnings and clean up past mistakes and you will be happy with the results.
Mercury will be retrograde two more times in 2017. Mark your calendar!
August 13 to September 5, 2017
December 3 to December 23, 2017
Astrology by Norma THE ECLIPSE!
People are talking about the upcoming solar eclipse on August 21 which will be visible in the United States as it sweeps across the country between Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee and South Carolina. Thousands are reserving rooms and buying viewing glasses and souvenir items: t-shirts, mugs, posters, etc. in anticipation of the event.
But apart from the carnival-like atmosphere, the “Be there or be square” vibe, how will the eclipse affect your life? We know what the physical eclipse means for people but what does the eclipse mean for you personally?
In astrology an eclipse operates like a spotlight that shines a light on a specific area of life, one that will be of special importance for you until the next eclipse of the same kind. The Solar Eclipse- the eclipse of the Sun- on August 21, 2017 occurs at 28 degrees 53 minutes in the constellation of Leo. People born on or near August 21, November 21, February 21 or May 21 of any year will be strongly impacted by the eclipse as it contacts your natal Sun. Expect changes in your status, health and relationship with important men in your life, and plan on a new life direction.
The effects of the eclipse will be apparent between August 21, 2017 and February 15, 2018, when the next eclipse changes your focus.
If as you drive down the highway you turn onto highway 405, your direction changes and this determines where you’ll go and what you’ll see next. A Solar Eclipse changes the direction of your life in the same way. You head in a new direction and focus on different scenery. Using solar charts, here is the new focus of attention for each of the twelve signs.
ARIES: Your thoughts turn to love, children, sports and self expression. Fun is a major focus and you’ll make a definite effort to improve your game in these areas.
TAURUS: Your attention turns to home and family. A move, buying a new house, making home improvements or spending special time with family members is promised.
GEMINI: Learning is on the menu. You’ll sign up for classes, begin a teaching regimen,
buy a new car and have a new focus on neighbors or siblings.
CANCER: Money is on your mind. How to make it, spend it, take care of it. You’ll spend time planning ways to improve your income, possibly finding a new source of income.
LEO: The spotlight is on you, so make sure you’re ready to be seen. Pay attention to how you look, dress and present yourself. Fix anything about your body or personality that needs fixing.
VIRGO: The urge to withdraw and contemplate is strong and it’s important to spend time on your own, thinking about your life and possibly healing from an injury. Circumstances encourage inward time, and helping those less fortunate is highlighted.
LIBRA: Friends, groups and goal setting are important now. How well do you fit into groups, who are your new friends and what you would like for the future? These things engage your mind. Set goals!
SCORPIO: You become a public figure in a way that’s unusual for private Scorpio. How do you present yourself, what is your reputation, how will you function as a leader? You are considering these issues nowadays.
SAGITTARIUS: Higher education, foreign travel, publishing and increased communication with others is highlighted. Legal matters come to the forefront. You may go back to school!
CAPRICORN: Hidden matters, death, support from others, investments and recuperation from a setback are important. Estate planning and helping others round out the mix.
AQUARIUS: Partnership, marriage and how you connect with others is most important now. Dealing with the public is highlighted during this time, and your social and diplomatic skills are on display. Brush up!
PISCES: Health matters and the work you do occupies your time. Your work skills are important, and a brand new skillset comes into being. Employees make a strong impact on your life, as do pets. A new dietary or health regimen is important.
Let’s Get Practical
The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo offered during a “Good Heart Retreat”
How can we possibly move in the direction of encouraging spiritual centers, churches, whatever, to take responsibility for the community around them without prejudice and without distinction? Let’s say, as Buddhists, we would be interested in the welfare of the Baptists in Poolesville, or the Catholics or the Jews, or anybody, or the people that don’t have religion. What kind of plan would it take? What would we have to implement to encourage that? What kind of power could you wield to get the attention of other spiritual organizations to ask them to join you in participating? Relatively speaking, we’re the new kids on the block. I mean who’s going to listen to us? If they were going to listen to anybody, they’d probably listen to the big religious names in this country, whatever they are. So why would they listen to us? Well, actually, I think about the worst thing that we could do is preach about it. I think that if we do that we’ll never be able to accomplish our goal. It seems to me that the best way to try something like that is quietly and humbly, and maybe even invisibly. Slowly, slowly, slowly. Simply finding ways to take care of your community.
I found out a couple of years ago that there was a family in Poolesville, just two people that one of my sons told me about, a mother and a son; and they had nothing to share with each other for Christmas. They were the kind of family where they have money for the electric bill and a certain amount for groceries, a certain amount for rent; and beyond that there is no discretionary income. So there was no way to save up for Christmas, which here is so abundant. You know, we’re not even Christians and we’re so abundant with Christmas. We love it. We think it’s a beautiful holiday, and we love the spirit of it, and we give each other gifts, and that sort of thing. But here were people who couldn’t even celebrate their own religious holiday, except in a spiritual way, I guess, for they had literally nothing to give one another. And so, actually, I’m not saying this to pin any medals on myself, but the reason why I’m telling you this is because it was easy for me to do. It was like no big deal. I had a bunch of stuff. One thing I’ve got a lot of is stuff. Stuff comes to me. I don’t know how stuff comes to me, but it comes to me a lot. Particularly, the little crystal candy dishes. For some reason, for years and years and years, my Sangha would give me crystal candy dishes. I have enough crystal candy dishes to supply an entire crystal store. So I have stuff, and I’m deeply appreciative of all the gifts that I get and I say thank you very much, put it away for somebody else, because someday I’m able to share some of that with others. It doesn’t mean you don’t get the merit. You all still get the merit, don’t worry. In fact, you get more merit.
So I put together a package of stuff for this family, and I was able to share some of the gifts that we had that we didn’t really need. And it just also so happens that this woman was the same size as I am, so I gave her a lot of clothes. So that was really great, and what happened was these people came and they spent some time with us. The karma’s not there for them to become Buddhist, but I was never expecting that. I don’t care. What I do care about was for them to be touched by a little bit of love and to look at our community and say, ‘Wow!’ Now that’s something, isn’t it? That’s something—to take care of a family in your community because they don’t have something and you do. That’s a powerful statement. You don’t have to talk about it. You certainly don’t have to preach about it. You simply have to do it.
Not all of us have a lot of stuff like me. You may not have that glorious karma that invites all those candy dishes or ducks into your house. I used to get ducks a lot, too. One of my teachers used to call me Duckie. So I got ducks you wouldn’t believe. All kinds of ducks. You may not be fortunate enough to have stuff like that, but supposing you knew how to get it. Supposing you had friends that had stuff. Or supposing you had connections with stuff. Or supposing you had an abundance of courage to where you could walk around to people that have more and say, ‘Would you share with the people that have less? Would you help us with this? We’d like you to know that your neighbor a few doors away is not having such an easy time. Would you help us with this?’ Just a simple request, yes or no. All they have to say is no if they don’t want to do it. What if we thought that way as a community? And what if we made no secret of the fact that we intend to take care of this piece of the world? You know, we could start a trend. It’s interesting to me that if you look at the media now and you look at films, you look at books, you look at what’s in the news, what’s noteworthy, Buddhism actually has become quite a fad. Who’d a thunk it! It’s become quite popular. The movie stars and the musicians are liking it now. You know what that means! We’re in.
What if this idea became a trend? It’s not so unthinkable that this could happen. Being not at all practical, being a little dumb about how things work in the world, I don’t see any reason why not. Don’t bust my bubble. I don’t want to hear that ‘no way to get there from here’ crap. What if our community could be a visible presence, like a visible good heart, that all could partake of? We’re talking about overcoming the poisons in our own mind-stream. We’re talking about demonstrating the Buddha’s teachings, the Buddha’s statement of the equality of all that lives, of the need for all beings to be happy, of their difficulty in attaining happiness. What would be so tragic about walking our talk? Why couldn’t we do this?
It seems to me that people of another faith might not be interested in giving to a Buddhist temple. Why should they? They’re doing their thing, and we’re doing our thing. Everybody’s so separate. Wouldn’t it be something if a number of community churches and temples could gather together and make some kind of non-profit organization through which funds could be funneled to mutually benefit and blanket the entire community without regard to race or religion? I don’t think it’s so impossible. The thing is there have already been studies that have shown us that in this country alone, there’s enough money to feed the world. Poverty doesn’t have to exist. We have the power now, immediately. What if the Buddhists in this country became available, really available to their community? And what if it started a trend? And what if it continued and grew?
I’d like to see that happen. And what I would like to do is to have some of you who are inclined to perhaps think of some different plans, ways to work stuff like this out. Let’s start toying with the idea. Let’s start playing with it a little bit, just to see what we can come up with. Let’s find ways that we can be available to our community without discrimination, and without ever requiring of anyone that they change their religion or anything like that. Let’s just think that as a spiritual people, as a spiritual community, the buck stops here. To me that is one of the most outrageous and gorgeous dreams that we could aspire to together. I think it’s really cool. If there’s any reason why it can’t be done, please don’t tell me, because I want to fly just like the bumblebee. I don’t want to hear it.
So let’s start tossing that idea around as a spiritual community. We have smart people here. How many of you are professional smart people in this group? Come on, don’t be shy. Okay, so you professional smart people, I’m kind of dumb. I don’t know anything very much. I don’t know too much about this world, so you’re going to have to find a way for dumb little old me to express this dream. You people who know about organizing stuff, which if any of you looked at my closets, you know I don’t know anything about it. You know about organizing stuff and you know about making foundations and you know about talking to other people, and you know about what kinds of formats we could use to spread this idea. So as part of your good heart effort on a communal level, why don’t we start thinking like this? Start pushing this idea around; start playing with it a little bit. Let’s build a big fantasy about this, and let’s do it. What could happen except we go broke? We’ve been broke for so long we wouldn’t even notice. Hey, I’ll sell my candy dishes. But I’m just dumb enough to not know why we can’t do this. And so I think that, as usual, I have the dumb, impractical, unrealistic idea and you get to make it happen.
Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo All rights reserved
Anything Is Possible: Advice from HH Penor Rinpoche
The following is an excerpt from a teaching given by Kyabje His Holiness Penor Rinpoche at Palyul Ling in New York:
This tradition starts with the Ngöndro Four Foundations, and goes all the way to the great perfection Dzogchen Treckhöd meditation practice. This Dharma teaching on the Four Foundations itself is inconceivably profound. If you have devotion, inclination and faith in this Dharma and do proper practice, then even though one may not have great signs of realization or miraculous activity, at least one will not be scared of dying.
For all the disciples who engage in the Dharma practices, it is most important to have devotion and then pure perception. We mainly concentrate on the Guru Yoga practice, because until we attain complete enlightenment, one must rely upon the master. That is why we pay more attention to it.
There are many other teachings relating to generation and completion stage that you might not understand or might be confused about. Although I don’t have any experience or any kind of realization, I have received all these instructions from my master and everything is in an accomplished state. That is why with all these teaching instructions that you have received, you should always try to carry through practice properly. Don’t pay so much attention to this present life, because there is not much real benefit.
With the intention of liberating and leading all sentient beings to enlightenment, and then from the core of one’s heart try to carry through the Dharma practice. All phenomena by its nature is emptiness, and from emptiness the samsara and nirvana phenomena arise. So don’t just have impure perception. If one understands the interdependent nature, anything is possible.
As explained before when we think of emptiness, we should not understand it as complete voidness. The nature of phenomena and the nature of mind is emptiness. Since everything is emptiness in nature, that is why everything arises. The nature of emptiness is appearance and the nature of appearance is emptiness. That is why appearance and emptiness are non-dual. It is not like a separate identity. All is within one’s mind. Nothing is external.
[chants OM BENZAR GURU PEDMA SIDDHI HUNG]
It is important to always maintain a very positive discipline.
Kaliyuga – Pay Attention
The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Love Now, Dzogchen Later”
Remember I used to give this old teaching years ago about how being enlightened doesn’t mean you are suddenly too stupid to catch a cab?. Remember I used to? You know that suddenly you don’t become blissed out somehow. His Holiness personified that.
When I went to India, I stayed there for a while. His Holiness used to have this white car that looked like a beetle, a Volkswagen, on steroids, you know, kind of kind of roundish and puffed out like it had muscles. And that was his car, and he would drive it. And he was very spontaneous, very different from the way he is here in America, like terribly spontaneous. Like one morning he came to my house, looked in the window(there is only a cloth covering the window), and it was like 5:30 a.m. “Ahkon Lhamo! Wake up! We’re going to town!” “Okay, alright. We’re going to town.” So, we went to town. We bought stuff, went shopping. And he said, “You Americans, you like shopping, uh? I just want to go back to bed. I didn’t say that to him, but you know. So he was like that. And we would drive. He would do a lot of driving. His favorite thing was to drive his car. And when he would drive, he would talk excitedly. And his hands would be all over the place. If you’ve ever been in a car in India, the traffic is so terrifying. But you know, hey you can steer my ship anytime you want to. So, he’s driving the car. He’s talking. And His Holiness when he talks, he has like a funny accent lisp thing where he spits if he’s talking really excitedly. So I’m in the back and I’m getting showers of blessing. And I’m thinking what is this fabulous karma I have that I’m in the back seat with His Holiness getting this shower of blessings; and I was just holy spit all over me. So I was really happy. I didn’t have my coffee that morning, but that worked. So I knew him well enough to know that he didn’t change his ways very easily, even though he is spontaneous. He is flexible. He is awake.
It was hard for me to understand how he could go from being very protective of Dzogchen to suddenly handing it out year after year. And it made me think a lot. And I thought, ‘That is His Holiness telling us these truly are degenerate times. And that in these times, there is so much spiritual sickness that only the most powerful medicine can work. The most powerful Dharma medicine can work.’ And of course there are the teachings that Guru Rinpoche himself has given that said that in the future in times of great darkness Dzogchen would be the method that would cut through darkness. And so I thought to myself, ‘You know, most people may not be thinking that, may not realize that. But that’s what his giving this out means. That this is something important, something to pay attention to.’
And then I began to,… Well, I talked about it with my teachers. I talked about it with other lamas that I had been connected to at that time, and studied on it myself a great deal and realized that at the monastery there is shedra and there is a different subject in every year of shedra. It’s kind of like in a college where you have a semester; then you wait a year and then you have a semester. And it’s kind of like that. So when you’re ready, between the times that you are entered into a specific solid learning semester, they have the elder monks and other Khenpos and other lamas that are constantly there at the monastery keep the monks in line and keep them progressing. They don’t let them get out of control. They don’t let them get sloppy. They don’t let them get, you know, non-virtuous. They don’t let them lose their way. They watch them. It’s a communal family that works well together so that students can progress from year to year. And even that is different from the old days, and I mean the old days when in order to progress to the next step, you had to accomplish the step before. In other words, if you were given Ngӧndro to do, you had to complete your Ngӧndro.
Nowadays you get promoted whether you complete it or not. And it is a dangerous position in one way. Well, it’s not dangerous because you have His Holiness’ blessing; but it is a dangerous position in one way because you don’t have time to do the five accumulations, and they are so important. They are so important. That many Vajra Guru mantras, that many prostrations, that many vows of Bodhicitta, that many Vajrasattva, that many of all the countables, the mandala offering. They are so needed to stabilize the path. So needed to stabilize one’s mind. And to go on to the next phase before finishing the baby steps is a difficult thing to do. And the reason why it is happening now is because these are difficult times. It’s a rather explosive combination, don’t you see? Difficult times and not having the underpinning that you need.
And then after Ngӧndro, students would usually practice the Three Roots and that would mean you would have the Lama deity, the Yidam deity, the Dakini deity and protectors. And for the Three Roots, Lama, Yidam and Dakini, you would have to do 100,000 accumulations of each. Bare minimum. Usually it was a million of each mantra. And that’s what they call accomplishing mantra, when you do like a gazillion of them. Nowadays we think it means accomplishing mantra when we say I’ve done this mantra. I do it everyday. Therefore I have accomplished it. How many have you actually done? 25,000. I’m sorry. I don’t think so. Back in the old days, it was more like 100,000 or a million, depending on how the lama taught you to practice.
Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo All rights reserved
Calling to the Guru – Yeshe Tsogyal
The following is an excerpt from Mother of Knowledge translated by Tarthang Tulku
Yeshe Tsogyal is calling out to Guru Rinpoche as he prepares to leave Tibet to tame the land of savages:
The sun that warms the land of Tibet,
shining over both gods and men, has set.
Now who will warm us, who are totally naked?
The luckless Tibetans have lost their eyes.
Now who will lead us, who are blind and alone?
Our hearts have been torn from our breasts.
Now who will guide the mindless corpses?
You came here to benefit beings.
Why couldn’t you stay just a little while longer?
Kye Hud! Orgyan Rinpoche!
A time of thick darkness has come to Tibet:
A time when hermitages are empty;
a time when the Dharma throne is vacant;
a time when vase initiations are no more.
Now we can only guess as to the nature of the teachings;
now we must look to books for teachings;
now we can only visualize the lama;
now we must use images as his substitute;
now we must rely on dreams and visions;
now a grievous time has come!
Cultivating Virtue, Pacifying Poisons
From a series of tweets by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:
I have always felt a good way to purify rage, is to film oneself doing it. How even an attractive person becomes ugly, and repulsive.
If one cannot give respect, one will never receive respect. All people have the right to dignity and respect.
If one lies, is unethical, hurtful, selfish, causing harm, one cannot expect to ever be truly happy!
To meditate, recite Dharma, practice kindness, generosity, to teach Dharma in order to increase the Sangha, this is meritorious, happiness follows.
If one resents or is angered or jealous of others prosperity or funds…They will never have enough, and their bank will be empty.
Rage is an addiction. It must be immediately pacified so the habit will not escalate, thereby making progress on the path.
I find if one reacts to rage with goodness, a kind heart, and compassion, one remains untouched and joyful!
If one lies, is unethical, hurtful, selfish, causing harm, one cannot expect to ever be truly happy! If one is often sick or very sick the best remedy is loving, kindness, helping others who are sick, and praying for all beings to be free of suffering.
To those whose past is a harsh burden I say – you can change! With effort and cultivating a wholesome and loving mind!
Never gossip. It will always come around and smack one in the head. And one’s storehouse of merit will be lost. Most non-virtue is habitual, so one can only change from the inside. Be persistent and brave! Soon one’s whole life will transform!
© Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo
Party Anyone?
The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Take Control of Your Life”
First there’s contemplation. We should think like this. All sentient beings are suffering, yet they are all Buddha. How is it that the Buddha was different, that he was not suffering? The Buddha said the difference is, “I am awake.” Therefore, I will practice in such a way as to become awake like the Buddha. Or we can also look at the suffering of sentient beings and we realize that every one of them wishes to be happy exactly like us. We’re so similar; we have different cultures and different colored skin, but we are so similar in that we all wish to be happy. And so the Buddha teaches us that in order to have happiness, we should cultivate a pure and virtuous mind with pure and virtuous deeds.
Now as a young person in a materialistic culture where’s there’s lots of Pepsi Cola and dancing and beautiful people and spring break from college happens on the beach in a bikini and you know, the hallmarks of our civilization, we look at that and we think, ”Pure conduct? Virtuous thoughts? How’s that gonna be fun?”
Well, here’s the problem: You see those young beautiful bodies on the beach, and you think, “Ah, once I had that, was like that.” And then you see they’re all dancing and having a good time and you think, “Ah, for a party. I haven’t had a party in such a long time. How wonderful to be that young and beautiful and have a party.” And then you watch them drinking and you think, “Ah, I used to drink once. That was great!” Because that’s what we were taught. We were taught that we should party and be happy. And that’s what you do with your left over money after you spend all your life making it. These are the things that we’ve been taught.
But the Buddha says, “Well, you have that wonderful body now, but every minute it’s changing.” And for those of us who have been there, and done that, seen that and watched it go, we look at that and we go, “It went fast. Man, it went fast. And you know, I put some effort into that.” And then we think about all the drinking, and that was fun for a little while until we became alcoholics and then it wasn’t fun anymore, or until our stomachs couldn’t take it anymore and then we discovered something. We’re drinking poison! It’s not good for us. So our society doesn’t teach us anything. It teaches us to bang into walls and hopefully from that we may learn something.
Copyright © Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo All rights reserved