Shiva creates more habitual things, which sticks, which always fits, and by which your mind is always tainted, or colored in some way. So, by our hard practice we should wash, you know, we should make our mind is mind clear and purified. That is, you know, more difficult practice. So this kind of, you know, stage, I don't think there is such a stage, you know, clear stage. This is first, this is the second, this is third, but it points out What kind of difficulty we have in our right thinking, or right activity?

[01:09]

It doesn't mean there is such a world, you know, desire world, or form world, or non-material world. In this chapter it says that... Buddha is speaking to his disciples and he says that they should evince the strength of great faith towards the Dharma. How do you evince... How do you acquire or evince the strength of faith?

[02:16]

Acquire. How we acquire? What? Faith. Faith. That is actually only one way, you know. If Buddhists put emphasis on faith, you may feel strange. So I'm trying not to say faith or belief. I'm trying. But actually, there is no other way. In this point, I think all religion will be the same. And it is that, you know, the other day I explained in this way, you know, eyes cannot see eyes, you know, although eyes can see many things, but

[03:39]

Eyes cannot see themselves. How eyes will know themselves is to put face in it. And that is, you know, not to be involved in dualistic idea. You know, when we say, Don't be involved in dualistic idea. It means that don't be involved in idea of object or subject. Actually, Buddhists put emphasis on this point. The difference between Hinayana teaching and Mahayana teaching is this point.

[04:41]

The view of substantiality, you know, is to put object in front of ourself and to say, yeah, it's a book. That is usual understanding, but is not real, is not complete, and is not real. When we say, yeah, it's, you know, this book, it means that Yeah, it's my mind. My mind is here, you know. My mind is looking at it. When you reflect on yourself, you know, your mind is projected in objective world. And you say this is my mind, but actually my mind, your mind is here.

[05:55]

not there. So my mind is not something which you can see, which you can understand. When you understand in that way, my mind, your mind is all over. Wherever you see something, that is your mind also. Do you understand? My mind is there. Nothing can be just objective. Things which we say is subjective and objective, and my mind is always working on it. In this sense, this is so-called essence of mind. Mind which follows, which is everywhere.

[07:01]

And mind which creates everything. And that mind is not particular mind to myself or to you. It is more big mind, it is not small mind. Because it is everywhere. What was your question? I lost your question. It was about how to acquire faith. Faith, yeah. Acquire faith. You know, that kind of mind, you know,

[08:09]

is not the mind which you can put, you know, as a... which you can take as a face of object, you know. Because everything is that mind, you know, is on everything or in everything, I don't know. But that mind is everywhere. Do you understand that mind? That kind of mind, to understand that kind of mind is just to, you know, That is it, you know. No need to explain.

[09:12]

But if, because you have always think, believe in something, in terms of here or there, or great or small, right or wrong, we must say something about it. this is the ultimate truth which we should accept. You may say, if we shut our eyes, even though we shut our eyes, things exist, you know. But that is some created idea by your mind. So, whatever you do, wherever you go, that mind follows you, even though you don't figure out exactly what it is.

[10:29]

So, the only way is to put faith on it. Then you will have, you know, freedom from everything. That kind of mind is essence of mind. That kind of understanding is real understanding of emptiness. Maybe you don't accept what I say right now. Maybe it takes time. Do you understand what I'm saying? This kind of teaching is not Hinayana or Mahayana.

[11:43]

It is ultimate truth. When Dota Sutra, knowing this point, says you put faith in it, means you should know this. Know this mind. This is essence of mind. Okay? Did you understand? So a Buddhist doesn't accept any kind of mind, except this mind.

[12:58]

We don't accept just objective being or subjective being. We don't say mind creates things. Things produce function of mind. Mind-like function. material first or mind first. We don't say so. Whatever it is, it is mind and materialistic, material and spiritual. That is. And we only discuss something which is both material and spiritual. This is the golden rule of Buddhism.

[14:10]

OK, I don't understand. The other thing I make out of what you say is that the answer to Ken's question is that in the West here, When we use the word faith, we usually mean something outside ourselves which we can depend on. Which would mean that if we had faith in the Lotus Sutra, we can trust the Lotus Sutra and the teachings. Or if we had faith in you, we can depend on you. Or if we had faith in our mother, we can depend on our mother. But from what you say, it doesn't sound that way. It has to do with the state of mind rather than trusting on something. But what that state of mind is, it's not clear.

[15:12]

Not clear. Maybe. Knowing can make it clear. The word faith is maybe not a good word. No. No, not at all good. So I don't like to use that word. face, you know. It seems to have something to put face in it, you know. It is not so, you know. All the things we see is just good experience of, you know, good means of suggesting the true ultimate reality. So, not only small vehicle, but all the teaching and all the being, whatever it is, it is good means of Buddha.

[16:26]

Who is Buddha? We don't know. It is not something we can describe. It is beyond description, but something we should, we have to, you know, believe in it. Without that, we cannot think, we cannot say anything, we cannot do anything. Nothing exists. So to find out that essence of mind is how to talk about the essence of mind is good skillful means of Buddha. So he's always talking about which is not possible to talk about. That is skillful means.

[17:32]

But it means by skillful means. So for Buddhists, there is no other teaching than skillful means. Whatever the teaching may be, that is just skillful means. Rishi, then all the teachings in Panishads, the Yoga Sutras, the Brahma Sutras, then they are all Buddhist teachings, aren't they? Yeah. If we understand in that way. I fell down and broke my leg, and that's also the Buddhist teaching. Not fair, yeah. Even though you die, there is Buddha's teaching. Yes, yes. So, skillful means, in other words, is very important.

[18:46]

Without it, we have no approach to that. Only approach is skillful means, because we cannot grasp that essence of mind. Only by skillful means we can grasp it. Yeah, skillful means, you know, by to transmit, we have nothing to transmit, you know. Do we not use understanding in a sense, do we not use the word understanding instead of faith? To have understanding is, it seems to me, is the word that we as the Buddhists use instead of having faith is to have understanding.

[19:54]

Understanding is it's necessary, you know, this kind of talk is understanding, you know. Also we cannot... unless you understand what I'm saying completely, you know, you may not understand Yeah, anyway, nothing wrong to believe in essence of mind. Nothing wrong with it.

[20:59]

If you don't understand, you should try to understand it. If you understand what I'm saying, you will understand there's no way to understand it. How do you feel then when you always ask us, do we understand? It always seems so tongue-in-cheek, like, like you don't want us to understand and that's understanding and it's like, it's like a something chasing its tail. And I always try to push that out of my mind. You know, What I'm saying is very logical, you know?

[22:06]

So I say, do you understand? Do you agree with me, you know? So far, nothing wrong with my statement. That is what I'm saying, you see? And the conclusion is, it is not possible to understand the essence of mind. That is my conclusion. And when I say, do you understand, means, is there any mistake in my way of thinking? Can we experience the essence of life? Yeah. Yes and no. Yes, but it is not possible to have full experience of it.

[23:17]

That is why we continue our practice. And that is why we enjoy our practice. because it is an endless trip. One after another you will enjoy various things. And there is no end, you see. But you feel very good. And you are not fooling. You are not fooled by anything. You have actual feeling in your life.

[24:22]

That is more, you know, our way of life.

[24:34]

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