Lam Rim, 4 May 1999

So, Buddha Śākyamūni has stated the beings in the three realms. The three realms are stated on the ground and above the ground and then on the beings underneath, which in a sense is the which beings underneath, which is below us, are the bad migrations. Bad migrations, they are more than more in numbers. And so, beings inhabitants in those lower states are called the realms or the lower realms or the place underneath. Beings in the intermediate state or intermediate realms here, is the human realms.

And within the human realms here, according to our Tibetan system, are human beings in the southern continents and there are other human beings in other directions Like human beings in the eastern continents, west, south, and so forth. And beings above are called beings in the upper realms, which are called the gods of desire realms and gods of forms and beings in the state of who are in the first concentration, second, fourth and so forth. So, those beings are superior and called beings above. And they are called beings in the realms or beings in the saṃsāra here — is saṃsāra. And they are being called samsaric beings in saṃsāra or samsaric beings.

It is called because they are taking birth in the saṃsāra due to the influence of ignorance and action. So here the Buddha has stated that all those place and the beings in those three realms are impermanent and they change momentarily. Momentarily. So, stated that the life of those beings in the three realms are like the autumn clouds. Autumn cloud.

Because it’s called autumn cloud because we in India and Tibet during summer, lots of rains. During the autumn time, have very clear sky, blue sky. And we can see the clouds very clearly in the sky during autumn, and wind blows the clouds, and you can see that the clouds have been blown up very quickly. So like those clouds in the sky, the autumn sky, so like those clouds, our human, the beings in the three realms, life of the beings of these three realms are traveling, moving as fast quickly as the autumn cloud. So, here in Australia we have to say it in a different way or opposite way.

In winter it rains here and during winter time because of heavy rains and after spring and when winter finishes spring comes and during that we have a very clear sky, blue sky in spring And the sky itself is very clear during spring. So, it’s been stated that when it rains and the rain clears the sky, I mean, it washes all the substance or the particles in the sky. When rain comes, it washes all the substance. As a result, we have a very clear blue sky. And so in springtime in Australia we have a very clear blue sky and see the clouds very clearly.

Then because all the substance has been washed by winter rain, and so the wind can blow the clouds during the spring very easily or very fast because there’s no obstructions because all those substances which obstruct usually has been washed out during the rainy season. So, the time is the Indian time and Australian time seasons are opposite because here winter is the spring and the winter is the spring. It’s like in Indian streets, in Indian cities, streets are it’s like rush hour. And, like, in one street, they’re going in the car and truck bullock carts, and then human ducks, three wheelers, the rickshaws and so forth. Because of that, the movement of traffic is very, very slow.

Likewise, when the sky is filled up with those substances, clouds and so forth, and because of those substances or particles, they act as obstruction. It blocks the way of the cloud. And then, during the rainy, the snow is clear blue sky and the cannot I mean, wind cannot wash the cloud or blow the clouds very easily or quickly. So because of the rain — during the rainy seasons, the sky I mean, it cleans out all the particles and so forth, and then remains — keeps the very blue sky, the sky itself very clean and clear. And due to that, the wind can blow the clouds very quickly or fast.

It’s like the streets in Australia, because they hardly, I mean, you can drive very, very fast here. There’s no much happening in the street like it happens in India. So, Buddha stated the lives of the beings in the three realms goes or travel very fast, as fast fast as that autumn cloud. And then the death of those beings in three realms are like artists. It means those artists who play in doing their show and every moment they just come up with a new costume and then go out and then put a new one.

So it changes very rapidly. Likewise, the death of the human beings are like that. So those artists, they changed the costume very, say the very second show, just turned up with a new costume. Then during the second appearance, they appeared as a new costume. Likewise, at this time we come with this body and then without any rest, hardly any rest, very quickly we change this body and then get something else.

And so, like the artist comes with a new costume in the second show, likewise, in the second time or second stage, we come with a new body. So, the birth and the death of these beings are like these artists and we come — we birth with a new body and as as soon as it becomes old and then becomes old and very stiff, then we leave that body and take a new birth, take a new body that which process through death and comes with another one’s life. So we change this body to another body and then to another very rapidly. So, we call it there is no birth of new beings. This is clear, no newly birth of beings.

It means there’s no such a being who was just newly born. They have, in the sense that the being is the only one who travels from the beginningless times. And so, because of those processes, from the beginningless time, they will exist, and they take a birth and then die and they travel. So, it’s the same person. So, due to that logic, we say there’s no newly being person or newly being born.

So, the reason why we say that there is no newly being or new being is because, I mean, they die and then it’s the same person. It doesn’t mean that at the time that person dies, that’s the end of the being, the particular being. It’s not. Because after his death, he or she takes another new body or new form, but still the same person in that being who comes from the past, previous lifetime. So, because of that, there is no new being born or new being.

And so, the being is not like something, like an object which comes to an end, like a butter lamp. When you start, I mean, flames of butter lamp, when the butter exhausts or butter comes to the end, that particular butter lamp is over and we have to make a new butter lamp. But the beings are not like that. And it says, it also says that the life of the beings are like lightning in the sky. And that means the lightning lights.

So, I I can hardly see any — there is not much lightening in the sky in Australia, but in Tibet in autumn we have a lot. So, in Australia I have noticed that during winter, mean when the winter starts, from the beginning of the winter it makes some noise in the sky, like thundering noise. And then middle and it keeps raining, but in the middle of the winter there’s no lightning or thundering in the sky, and then when it comes to the end of the winter it makes some noise. So, the life of the beings are like the lightning in the sky. It’s just stayed very briefly or very shortly.

The life of the beings, they travel like the huge waterfall, very steep waterfall. When waterfall starts from the very point of the waterfall, it never rests until it touches the ground. So likewise, the life of the beings are like that. It never rests like the water. Since from the moment they were born or starting from the moment they’re born — until the end, till they die, they never stop.

They travel very fast like the waterfall. So all those containers — its contents means beings, and then the place where beings are, so both are impermanent and they change momentarily. And so by knowing this, one should meditate on the impermanence. So in the last couple of weeks we’ve been dealing with impermanence under the topic of the way of meditating on impermanence, and it has three roots, nine reasons, and a conclusion. And the three roots are the thinking about the certainty of death, thinking about uncertainty of the time of death, and the thinking that nothing but the teaching can help you at the time of death.

And then the three reasons of the first root is the we have finished the three first one. The first root has three reasons, and the first reason we have dealt with the first reason which is you will suddenly die because death will definitely come and nothing can stop you. And as for that, we have said that no matter what type of body or rebirth you take, you can’t avoid the impermanence or death. You can’t avoid the death through any skillful means or any reasons. And wherever you stay, can’t avoid the death.

And then we have also dealt with the second reason, which is you will certainly die because your lifespan cannot be extended and is constantly decreasing. In the sense that we said that we have particular karma and we have created particular karma in the past to stay this particular mind and the consciousness of our mind with this particular body. And so that karma has a duration or a limit time. Say, we might have created ten years or one hundred years to stay this body and the mind stay together for a certain time. And that we can’t make any additional time beyond the duration of the karma which is made by the karma.

And not only that, instead of adding years on that, we actually decreasing the duration of the karma during every moment. Every moment it passes, it decreases the duration of that body or mind to stay together. So as for her to prove this, the great master Śāntideva has stated that we cannot add any more years on the present on the duration which is created by the karma. Instead of adding years on that, we actually decrease that duration by counting years. And that year is decreased or measured by counting months.

And that month is measured by weeks. And week is done by the day and night. And through this process, we will come to say, and soon the time will come to say that, Oh, now this is the time to die. And now we come to the third reason, which is you will die without having found time to practice while you are alive. And so our life will come to the end without getting any opportunity or chance to practice.

So it is because, say the first twenty years of our life and we were young and then we can hardly remember or to remember the importance of doing practice. And then the next twenty years we’ll come to know it’s good to practice but we’re just saying I will practice, I will practice, and twenty years pass by. And so it would have been about twenty, forty years, it is gone. And then you start saying, oh, I haven’t done any practice. I haven’t done any I mean, any practice by saying feeling regret and through this regret, and one will spend ten years or fifteen years.

No. For example, if you take a day, say the morning, I mean you wake up early in the morning and then just wash and do your cleanings and everything, and after that go to work. And then during work you’ll be pretty busy with your work and then meet people and talk with them. Through this, I mean, you pass your day and then you can hardly have done any practice in that particular day. And then at evening you just come back home from your work and then examine yourself, look what you have done for the day.

Then you can hardly find any time or moment you have done any practice that particular day, on that day. And then you will do the same thing next day, and then the next day, and a month, and then a year, and then a year pass by. So through this reason, through this improving, this old list, you will come to know that you can hardly find any time to practice. So, I mean, you can examine yourself. Just say, I mean, how many years has gone by up to now?

I mean, how many years has gone by? And then check into your practice what you have done and see, I mean, how much good or the meditation or pure meditation you have done. Check yourself. And then so these are the past times. The past times is past.

And then if you check how many years left to you or for you, you cannot predict how long you stay. So through this, you will know what you have done up to now. And so by knowing this, now you should think very carefully and then try to make use of this time in good reason to use it for the practice of Dharma by seeing that Dharma is the only one which can help you to your ultimate goal. By knowing all this, one should try not to waste one precious time and make use of it. So, now we come to the second root.

So, the first root was thinking about the certainty of death. And the second root is thinking about the uncertainty of the time of death. And then, it’s come to the time the first reason is the time of the death is uncertain because in general the lifespan of beings in the world is uncertain. And in particular it is uncertain during this time of degeneration — means in general the time the life span or the life of the beings in this world is uncertain and especially this time means — I mean, this time is the time of five degeneration. It is — it is I mean, it’s it is uncertain as well. So, for that, the lifespan in general are uncertain because for here, the great master Vasubandhu has stated in Treasury of Knowledge, saying that beings in this world, from the beginningless the lifespan of beings are numberless.

It means they have very long lifespan. And that lifespan will decrease until the age of ten means the time in near future the time will come that if one stays ten years and people will go, Oh, he or she had a very long life. And since in particular, the lifespan is uncertain during this five degenerate era, it’s you must have noticed that, say, we see somebody that night and the next morning the person was dead. And we see somebody the next morning and then the evening he was dead. So it is very uncertain of of the person’s death.

So, it happened in our monastery in Sera in the past that there was a great geshe and during the during the debating class, I mean, night session, he was healthy so well and he was doing lots of debating. And the next morning we came to know that he was dead. Likewise, there are many people that die like this, and so through this we can say that the death of the person is uncertainty. It’s uncertain. So, if there is a certainty of death, then we are very lucky.

Then, say, suppose one will stay hundred years. And then by knowing as it is certain of one’s death in hundred years, then the person can first subdue during his early age, he can subdue all his enemies and then look after his relatives and earn lots of wealth and then had a party and enjoy for a certain time, say until the age of eighty. And then at the time of great aging, okay, now I have twenty years remaining and then I should practice so we can do such things. I’m very good at you. So, but it is not certain about one’s death.

So, because of that uncertainty, So we should start right away or right from this moment to prepare for one’s death. It is like, say, suppose you know that, say, one of the very powerful enemy is coming, approaching towards you, knowing that it’s definite that the very powerful enemy will approach you or attack you, But it is definite for that come, you don’t know when that enemy will come. Through this, and you will keep yourself very alert and right from the evening to tonight itself that, Oh, he may come tonight as well. So, you make all the preparation. Because, so you have to make all the preparations tonight itself.

Because if he comes tonight, then he might kill you. So to avoid that killing, protect yourself, have to make all the prearrangements. So likewise, and we have a great enemy called the death. And we don’t know. It is definite for that enemy to come, but we don’t know when it will come.

So we have to make all the arrangements to face that, to attack or to challenge that death. So you have to make right from this moment. And you shouldn’t think that I’m fine and I’m very healthy, I will not die tonight. You must think that I may die tonight, that enemy might come tonight itself. Likewise, I told you that before that Geshe was very fine at night and then we start the next morning.

And it could happen for us. It could happen to us as well. So we are very fine right now, but who knows? And once it was in Sera that I was seriously ill and admitted in hospital and very sick and just waiting to die or waiting for the death. And I see one monk there.

He was very healthy and then while I was in my sick bed and I heard about that healthy monk. He was walking up and down and managing things inside monastery. But after two days he died and I just came to know that, I mean, it means the healthy person died before me and I’m still alive. The monk died inside and then his student was died outside on the same day. So you can’t say that I won’t die because I’m not sick or I’m healthy.

And also you can’t say that I will not die because I’m young. Because you can’t say that because you can see many young people will die at a very young age, like at one or two years old they die. And it happened many that the mothers, parents, have to take their kids and their — towards the cremation ground. You can’t simply say that I will not die because I’m young. So you can’t simply say that I won’t die because I’m young.

Such a reason is the mistaken reason or mistaken one. And so by knowing this uncertainty of the death, one should always imagine that I might die tomorrow or day after or next year and the year after. And so through this of the uncertainty of death and make preparation, arrange beforehand. And then when actually, so if you have made all the arrangements before the death comes, then at the time it comes, there shouldn’t be any problem because you have made all the arrangements even if it didn’t come in years’ time. And that’s okay because you have lived the proper life or the religious stick with your practices and it will even become the longer you stay, the more your practice becomes stronger and it will be more benefit to you.

So in that case, we have to make cultivate all the arrangements for the next life before the death approaches or before the death comes. And so if you die without any preparation arrangement for the future lives, then you will face huge difficulties. And then the second reason is that the uncertainty of death is that there are many causes or conditions to die and very few causes or conditions to live. And that’s for the causes and conditions which are for the death. Saying the causes, there are many causes of death means, as for the causes of death, there are different types.

There are causes to death with the are beings who cause death and also non humans. That means non beings as well. Well, they’ve been said that there are eighty thousand different types of hindering spirits around us, spirit around us which do us always harms oneself — harm harm us and cause us to death, you know, cause us to die. There are many things to say like this. I didn’t say I remember.

And then other causes for death, without spirit here in the sense, non spirit, non beings, which in the sense, like houses collapse and car accidents and say, the food poison and so forth. Even those conditions or causes to keep you alive becomes the cause of death because food and those house cars are meant to be meant as a cause to make you alive or help you to stay alive, for example, food. Those foods also become causes to death because sometimes it can happen like food poisons, an example food poison which causes you to death, causes you to die, and also some medicines. Medicines are usually meant to help one, to cure one from one’s disease, but sometimes people make mistakes to consume or take the medicine in the wrong way, and then the medicine becomes poison and one dies. And the house is supposed to, I mean, is usually a shelter for oneself to live in, but it collapses about the car which makes your life easier to travel, brings you up and down.

But sometimes the car accidents and you die suddenly. So those conducive conditions can cause you to become converted into the causes of the death. So if I here, if we give an example here, say if you put four snakes in a container, one container, be sure that the strongest snake will eat the rest of the snakes. So likewise, those four snakes in the container in our body, are the main, say, those four snakes, are four elements, which are earth, fire, wind. So, sometimes when the four elements are not in a proper balance and one becomes more powerful and then that particular element destroys the rest of the elements.

So, for example, when the fire elements become stronger, then you get fever and feeling so hot. Yeah. And then, and by becoming, like, wind element becomes stronger, then we feel cold and get cold disease and, you know. So, when all four elements are in good balance, then we feel healthy and this is why we say, I’m healthy, I’m fine. And then when they are not in proper balance, and not in good balance, then we get sick.

So there are many conditions of death. If we have a very, very strong body then there is a little chance we can challenge those causes of the death. But the fact is we don’t have a good or a strong body because our body is very fragile and it’s like a bubble. So our body is very fragile and then and so it is very easy to destroy. So by this you should come to know that through this it proves the uncertainty of the death.

Here comes the so these are the three reasons to prove the uncertainty of the time of death. So the first one is the time of death is uncertain because in general the lifespan of being in the world is uncertain and in particular it’s uncertain during this time of degeneration. The second point is the time of death is uncertain because there are many causes of death and few which help you to stay alive. And the third one is the time of death is uncertain because the body is very fragile, like a bubble of water. So these are the three reasons to prove the uncertainty of the time of the death.

And that through this, knowing this, one should remember one should practice and remember the death. So the great masters like Shankapa has given many instructions about the impermanence and true about impermanence. But but but but by listening but still, but, I mean, we have listened. We have listened to all those instructions about the impermanence and so forth, but we still sometimes have the mistaken conception or perception which is holding impermanence, always holding that I will not die today or so forth. One shouldn’t grasp such kind of mistaken conception.

So if that happens then it is like one is returning empty from the land. So one has traveled to the place where it’s full of wishful dreams or precious stones, and then coming one went there to pick up, to take the precious stones. When one actually when one returned, comes with an empty hand. So it would one will happen like this. So we make sure that by listening all these instructions, make sure that one will not return empty hand.

I’m thinking. Yes. So we’ll keep five minutes for the questions. There’s some light. So it is not compulsory for you to ask questions.

There’s no question to you. It means you have understand understood very vividly or thoroughly. Okay. So as you