1 00:00:10,570 --> 00:00:13,450 Welcome back everybody to the Denver's Ocean podcast. 2 00:00:13,450 --> 00:00:15,450 I'm here again once again with Joseph Wagner. 3 00:00:15,610 --> 00:00:19,410 And today, a recommendation coming from one of our listeners 4 00:00:19,810 --> 00:00:22,650 is to talk about this teacher student relationship. 5 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:26,880 This can be an incredibly complex and vast subject, 6 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:31,080 particularly in the Vajriana, where the guru's very important 7 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:34,920 central part of how we practice and how we approach it. 8 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:37,800 So I'm looking forward to getting Joe's thoughts and 9 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:42,520 advice about how all of this can work for us and how we can 10 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:46,120 really navigate it in this modern world. 11 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:48,840 It's kind of so separated from where this stuff comes from. 12 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:51,840 Yeah. Hi, Damian and hello everyone. 13 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:57,480 It's kind of, it's not only a big topic, but a complex topic 14 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:02,240 and maybe we'll try to make it as positive as possible, but 15 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:06,680 there's some aspects to it that it's different than from when I 16 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:08,520 got started as a Dharma practitioner. 17 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:14,000 So when I look at the the difficulty of connecting in an 18 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:18,560 independent and face to face one-on-one way with an 19 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:20,720 accomplished teacher these days, it's harder. 20 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:23,800 It's harder than it used to be. So some part of it might sound 21 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:26,760 negative, but we have a, a hopefully a way of working 22 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:30,800 around that. So when I think about this, I 23 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:34,480 mean, Davajiana is all about your guru, right? 24 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:38,920 I mean, in there's different relationships with your teacher 25 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:40,880 depending on the vehicles, right? 26 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:44,080 In most of the vehicles, you have more a relationship, more 27 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,040 like a spiritual guide or a Kalyanamitra. 28 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:51,040 You're not really worshipping or prostrating to them as the 29 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:53,440 Buddha. That's only in the Vajrayana. 30 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:56,920 Even if your teacher's an amazing, amazing Zen master or 31 00:01:56,920 --> 00:01:58,720 whatever. I came from the Zen tradition, 32 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:02,680 and in the Zen tradition you, you meet some amazing people. 33 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:05,520 I mean, Wejwe Fasher, who I studied a little bit with in 34 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:07,400 Taiwan, was like an enlightened Buddha. 35 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:11,120 As far as I can tell, Sheng Yan Fasher is my first Buddhist 36 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:14,560 teacher. And those guys are amazing, but 37 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:16,520 you don't see them in the same way. 38 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:20,480 You don't frame the relationship in the same way as you do in the 39 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:24,200 vajriana, where the teacher is the Buddha, the teacher is the 40 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:28,080 Dharma, the teacher is the saga. And that that's a little 41 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,800 different in our, in the style. So we'll talk about, you know, 42 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:35,360 how to relate, I guess, and, and how to find a teacher and, and 43 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:38,120 what to do when you found one. Like what are you supposed to do 44 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:40,320 next? I guess how did you how did you 45 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:44,920 find your first teacher? Well, my first teacher was when 46 00:02:44,920 --> 00:02:47,480 I decided that I was going to practice Tibetan Buddhism. 47 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:50,320 And so back in the early days of the Internet, I just went to it 48 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:53,840 and said Tibetan Buddhism Seattle and Sake Monastery came 49 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:56,000 up. And so I went there and took 50 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:58,680 refuge with dogs in room shape right away and received 51 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:03,240 empowerment etcetera, etcetera. So it all started like that and 52 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:05,880 then shortly after I met Keeling Ramsheh and I got to know him 53 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:09,160 very close and in personal way, and he's guided me now for 20 54 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:12,400 years personally. So as you said, that sort of 55 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:17,560 thing is hard to find anymore. It does exist, but it is 56 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:20,880 difficult to find. But the way that I understand 57 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:23,960 Guriyoga, the most important thing is that it's a skillful 58 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:27,640 means, right? Like everything in Buddhism, 59 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:32,720 except for the nature of mind itself, Buddha nature itself is 60 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:36,640 just a method, right? Even the most highest, loftiest, 61 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:40,680 most magnificent tantric methods are methods. 62 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:42,400 They're skillful means. They're boats. 63 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:45,560 You know, I studied Buddhism in college some, and the one of the 64 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:48,960 first metaphors that the Buddha taught that struck me so 65 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:52,520 strongly was that the Dharma is a boat you use to cross to the 66 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:54,000 other shore. And once you get to the other 67 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:56,320 shore, you don't carry it on your head, right? 68 00:03:56,320 --> 00:04:01,040 So recognizing that these are methods, these are tools, so we 69 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:03,400 don't have to get too heavy-handed about them. 70 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:07,520 We can recognize them as something that we can use in our 71 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:10,360 path to help us. And if they're not helping us, 72 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:13,200 then we need to change our relationship to the tool or 73 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:15,120 change the tool we're using, right? 74 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:18,360 And that I think that that's a great way to start looking at 75 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:21,120 the guru concept. Very well said. 76 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:24,400 Yeah, that's that's very good. I think that we can go. 77 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:28,080 When you're getting involved in this, you do need a teacher. 78 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:31,240 I know people who are like, yeah, my teacher is like Trump 79 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:32,600 Rinpoche. And they're like, oh, did you 80 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:35,120 have a lot of close contact? No, I never met him, but he's my 81 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:37,080 guru. OK, fine. 82 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:39,880 And I get that. I feel like my teacher in part 83 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:41,960 is the Dalai Lama, but I've never met him. 84 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:45,800 And so I get that. But it is good to have a human 85 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:48,960 teacher, even if the teacher is not someone you can see as a 86 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:51,040 Buddha like you were supposed to in the vajriana. 87 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:55,040 If you need a human who can relate to you, they don't have 88 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:58,720 to be super enlightened, right? That's not, that's not 89 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:00,200 necessary. They just have to know more than 90 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:01,800 you. And that relationship's called 91 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:04,160 like Kalyanamitra, like a spiritual friend. 92 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:09,440 But that before we even talk about that, the number one thing 93 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:11,120 to remember is what the Buddha said. 94 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:15,080 What did he say? He said be a lamp unto yourself. 95 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:19,240 And that is what is most important because as Damien just 96 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:22,560 pointed out in a beautiful way, even the teacher student 97 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:27,520 relationship is a, is a method. It is not absolutely necessary, 98 00:05:27,840 --> 00:05:29,600 right? It is not 100%. 99 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:32,160 You can't do it if you don't have a teacher that that isn't 100 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:33,720 true. There's so much material out 101 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:35,200 there. You can start a meditation 102 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:40,200 practice today based on what you find on YouTube, by based on 103 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:43,360 what you find at the library. You know, there's so much 104 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:46,720 material out there that you know, you can learn how to take 105 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:48,240 refuge. You can learn how to sit. 106 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:51,280 You can you can do all that stuff and you can make real 107 00:05:51,280 --> 00:05:55,440 progress without having any human teacher it. 108 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:57,720 But I still think it's it's good to have one. 109 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:00,680 But the main thing is we got to be a lamp unto ourselves, 110 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:04,680 especially now when I got started in the Bajriana, that 111 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:07,760 was 1993, I've already been practicing Buddhism for maybe 112 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:10,760 five years. I had a Korean teacher, I had a 113 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:13,520 Western person I was relating to as my teacher. 114 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:15,880 And then I had a Chinese teacher in Taiwan. 115 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:19,200 I had, I was not even interested in Bajriana, as I've told this 116 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:22,960 story many times. It was the power of Toku Urja 117 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:24,800 Nirbuche. When I saw him that did it, I 118 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:28,600 just went in there and I asked a question that had nothing to do 119 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:33,440 with being my teacher and, and he, he blew my mind, just his 120 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:35,800 presence. And I was from then I was like, 121 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:38,360 I'll do whatever you say, just tell me what to do. 122 00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:41,680 And I got lucky that at that time there weren't that many 123 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:43,560 people interested. You could have a private 124 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:45,720 relationship. I got to go back and see him a 125 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:49,240 couple times and get some teachings and empowerments, but 126 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:53,240 that is super rare and that isn't going to be possible for 127 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:55,120 most people. You know you're interested in 128 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:58,120 Toku origin, so you look up his son and who do you find? 129 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:01,040 You find Soku Urbache. And Soku Urbache has got a 130 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:03,040 couple books on the bestseller list. 131 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:05,640 And when you try to sign up for his retreat, you can't even go 132 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:07,560 because you have to be there right at the moment, like a 133 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:09,800 concert to be able to be able to go. 134 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:12,720 And when you go, you can't even see him because he does to see 135 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:16,640 people privately. So it can be very difficult to 136 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:20,200 have what we think of as like a traditional relationship. 137 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:25,000 So what I recommend is you got to take part of your mind off 138 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:29,040 and have that act as your guide in this. 139 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:33,760 You have to be like, OK, So what do I do until I meet that person 140 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:36,760 who's going to blow my mind or take me under their wing or 141 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:41,040 whatever? And and you can do all kinds of 142 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:43,120 stuff. You can go to retreats, whether 143 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:46,040 it's a with a teacher like Keelan Ribuje who's still 144 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,080 available. You know, you could still have 145 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:51,120 the relationship that Damien has with Keelan Ribje right now. 146 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:53,360 He's a long chanted tick lineage holder. 147 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:57,720 He lives it outside of Seattle. And if you feel a connection to 148 00:07:57,720 --> 00:07:59,280 him, you could make that connection. 149 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:02,600 Onion Ribje in town here, Choji Riboche in Denver. 150 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:06,240 Those, those guys are like, they're not as famous if you 151 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:11,240 choose someone like the Dalai Lama or Chokanima, I mean, 152 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:13,400 maybe, but it's going to be tough. 153 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:16,880 So you got to be a little bit judicious with your, you know, 154 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:18,840 who you want to connect with, right? 155 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:22,040 You know, And then hopefully you'll be able to make that 156 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:24,080 connection. So before I go any further, I 157 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:27,760 want to say if you do want to meet a teacher, the one thing I 158 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:31,920 found to be the most powerful is making daily aspirations that 159 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:35,400 you can meet your karmically destined Lama, comically 160 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:40,240 connected teacher. And all that is required to do 161 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:42,600 that is you've got your session, you do all your stuff. 162 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:45,040 And at the end of your session, when you're, you dedicate the 163 00:08:45,040 --> 00:08:48,000 merit, then you make prayers, aspirations and the aspiration 164 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:50,720 is may I meet my comically destined lama who can guide me 165 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:53,000 on the path. May I meet that person. 166 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:55,920 May I have the the merits and the connection to be able to 167 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:57,440 receive teachings and feel faith. 168 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:00,880 That's all you have to do. You do that enough and things 169 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:03,600 will start to align. The world will start to align. 170 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:07,040 This has been my experience over and over and over. 171 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:08,760 I can even tell a story about it later. 172 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:10,720 But Damien, what do you think about all this? 173 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:14,800 Yeah, well, the way I look at it is I have different kinds of 174 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:16,840 teachers, right? Like I have I've received 175 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:21,360 teachings from like sake treats in and some of these high lams 176 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:25,120 garden room and, you know, maybe get a chance to meet them and 177 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:26,600 receive an empowerment or whatever. 178 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:29,720 But in general, they're kind of like preceptors, right? 179 00:09:29,720 --> 00:09:33,040 Like they have a lot of power. They're really amazing llamas. 180 00:09:33,680 --> 00:09:36,200 And so the empowerments that I've received from them I hold 181 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:39,200 very dear. Like it's a special important 182 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:42,720 ritual, but they're not really like part of my path and they 183 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:44,840 don't know me, right? Like they don't know my name. 184 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:48,000 They wouldn't recognize me. And then I have like a layer 185 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,640 down like Keelan Rimpoche and contact rigs and Chempo 186 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:53,120 Rimpoche. These are llamas who know me, 187 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:56,160 who've given me teachings and empowerments and I feel blessed. 188 00:09:56,160 --> 00:09:58,560 And they also I can have interviews with them once or 189 00:09:58,560 --> 00:10:02,080 twice or three times a year and some kind of connection. 190 00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:06,000 And then I have teachers like Joe who I talk to all the time 191 00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:10,360 and have, you know, guidance with and bounce ideas off of and 192 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:14,160 get to speak with more casually. I see all of those as really 193 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:16,280 important. The ones that are really, really 194 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:19,040 high up, they're easier to see as Buddhas, right? 195 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:22,480 Like they're just the Buddha. I don't have to like be around 196 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:25,800 them while they're doing ordinary activities and I can 197 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:28,440 easily lose my faith in them. So it's really nice. 198 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:30,880 You can see Garcha and Rimsha is a straight Buddha because you 199 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:34,400 just never see him make an error and he just seems magnificent. 200 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:37,560 And it's just, and that's really good for your faith and practice 201 00:10:37,560 --> 00:10:41,040 to have somebody like that. And it's actually helpful that 202 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:44,080 you're not so close, right? Because it'll help to preserve 203 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:46,800 that faith. Then it's good to have a llama 204 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:50,600 who's part of the lineage, who you could get some advice from 205 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:53,840 about the practices you're receiving and a little bit of 206 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:56,560 guidance if you kind of have difficulty. 207 00:10:57,160 --> 00:10:58,920 Somebody who knows you personally. 208 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:02,400 Because there's a certain energy thing that happens in that 209 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:04,960 relationship that I think is really vital. 210 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:10,680 And then having somebody, often a Western person who understands 211 00:11:10,680 --> 00:11:15,520 your culture and language and isn't like Tibetan and isn't 212 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:18,120 disconnected, who can kind of give you guidance and help you 213 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:21,680 like navigate all of this stuff in your day-to-day anymore. 214 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:25,640 All of those things I think is like super helpful and important 215 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:29,920 to have and totally possible to get, you know, like it's not out 216 00:11:29,960 --> 00:11:32,800 of a range. Of possibilities definitely for 217 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:38,640 everyone who's hearing this the 1st and the the bottom are 218 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:41,360 definitely possible. All you have to do is be willing 219 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:43,840 to travel guard troops is alive. He lives in Arizona. 220 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:46,880 He is Buddha the Dalai Lama comes and gives teachings. 221 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:50,400 He's, I don't know how much he's travelling now, but you know, 222 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:53,800 Lord calm about these guys are huge and you might not be able 223 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:56,600 to have a personal relationship, but you can connect with that, 224 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:58,920 what it looks like at the end of the path. 225 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:02,840 You know, that is definitely possible. 226 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:06,560 You just have to avail yourself of a, a plane ticket, you know, 227 00:12:06,560 --> 00:12:08,960 and maybe you have to go to India, but maybe not, you know, 228 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:10,240 maybe you can just go to Brooklyn. 229 00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:12,800 You never know. There's lots of llamas out there 230 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:16,680 and in that category like soak your and Buchez and the Minjur 231 00:12:16,680 --> 00:12:18,560 and Buchez. These guys are amazing. 232 00:12:18,560 --> 00:12:20,920 It's very tough to see them privately and have like a 233 00:12:20,920 --> 00:12:24,640 personal conversation and to get them to connect with you. 234 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:30,400 Now I will give a piece of a secret oral instruction maybe if 235 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:33,640 you do. Now I've been very, very lucky 236 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:36,560 with meeting a lot of llamas. I had good relationship with 237 00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:38,760 Tolkuwarjun. I spent a lot of time in Tibet, 238 00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:42,040 all this kind of stuff. I just been lucky If you have 239 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:45,000 the opportunity to have a one-on-one with someone like His 240 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:47,480 Holiness Socket treason and talk about the old one or the new 241 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:50,080 one. But the the old guys like really 242 00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:53,600 amazing some kind of thing. Then you got to do the 243 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:56,360 following. You got to say, Rubiche, please 244 00:12:56,360 --> 00:13:00,760 accept me as your disciple. And if they say OK, even if they 245 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:04,480 never see you again, you got this energetic link with a real 246 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:07,240 Buddha. And that is, I feel that so 247 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:10,800 strongly with so many of my teachers, even ones I didn't 248 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:13,240 have the opportunity to study deeply with. 249 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:16,080 I did do that with Saki trees and I did do that with Llamanor. 250 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:18,960 So you know, it's closer to Telgorjan and those guys, but 251 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:22,880 take that opportunity. Don't waste that chance. 252 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:26,040 If you get an interview with odds and payload or one of these 253 00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:29,400 Hotshots, you don't have to be like, Hey, will you come over to 254 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:31,280 my house and have a have a cookout? 255 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:34,680 You can just say, please accept me as your disciple. 256 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:37,600 And if they say yes, you made a connection. 257 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:40,640 And that connection is as long as your faith is intact, it's 258 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:43,880 unbreakable. So that's like a someone told me 259 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:47,120 that years ago and it works. I always do it whenever I get a 260 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:49,880 chance, you know, whenever I get a chance to find promise. 261 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:54,160 The second part to that is what is your instruction for me, 262 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:56,480 right? The the other thing to ask is 263 00:13:56,480 --> 00:14:00,960 instead of sometimes, I mean, you can ask personal question or 264 00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:03,760 a specific question, but sometimes more helpful to say 265 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:07,400 what is your instruction for me? And then just leave it open 266 00:14:07,680 --> 00:14:11,360 because that I I've done this with llamas and it tends to stay 267 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:12,760 with you for the rest of your life. 268 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:15,960 That is very good. And I I, I'm glad you brought 269 00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:17,600 that up because I didn't say that. 270 00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:20,120 Yeah, if they do say like, you know, if you get that chance to 271 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:23,120 ask, say what is your personal advice for me? 272 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:25,920 That's all you have to say. What should I do next or how 273 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:27,640 should I proceed? I did. 274 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:33,360 I've done I've had many very powerful experiences with asking 275 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:36,680 that exact question. Maybe most powerful with with 276 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:40,720 Adi Rimichay, who's a student, a teacher of, of Tony Rimichay. 277 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:45,280 And you know, he was in prison with Garshian Rimichay, like 278 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:49,080 he's an enlightened Buddha. And the last one of the times I 279 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:52,000 saw him in Tibet, we were finishing up and I just said 280 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:53,360 that exact thing. I said Riboche. 281 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:54,920 I mean, there were a couple people there. 282 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:57,040 I wasn't alone, but I was kind of leading in. 283 00:14:57,040 --> 00:14:59,800 And when I said Riboche, what is your advice for me? 284 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:03,640 And he was like, he got so psyched and he gave a whole 285 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:05,960 bunch of advice. People started crying. 286 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:09,640 I started crying. I heard someone who was not 287 00:15:09,640 --> 00:15:11,480 connected with our group. There were a couple people, 288 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:14,440 students of Choke Niramche. Choke Niramche was acting as our 289 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:16,200 translator. It was very funny. 290 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:21,440 But anyway, he, one of the students was like, who are these 291 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:24,240 guys? That was what he said. 292 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:26,680 It was like that's, that is a really good advice. 293 00:15:26,680 --> 00:15:29,240 Just then the Lum will say whatever. 294 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:32,880 And if in these super advanced masters, they see you, they 295 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:35,080 don't need to know like where you went to college. 296 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:38,600 They, they, they see you and they can, they can sometimes 297 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:41,200 give you something that literally you can take with you 298 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:42,880 and use for the rest of your life. 299 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:45,160 That's, that's like the highest level. 300 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:47,880 I just want to throw that out because once in a while you do 301 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:50,160 get a chance. You know, I know a guy who got 302 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:52,240 some teachings from the Dalai Lama. 303 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:56,600 Just he was leaving a hall and the guy was like, I got to see 304 00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:58,440 you and he was like, come tonight. 305 00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:00,920 And then he just when is that time with the Dalai Lama? 306 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:02,840 You know, so these things are possible. 307 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:05,360 So take the chance when you get there really bombed. 308 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:06,640 That's very good. Good. 309 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:11,080 So maybe we can say a little bit more about now. 310 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:13,920 Now you've done all these things which I think are crucial. 311 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:15,600 Yeah. You need to have empowerments. 312 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:18,240 You need to connect to a real llama for real. 313 00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:22,320 And you need to probably have a Kaliana Mitra, somebody you can 314 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:26,280 talk to somewhat regularly, maybe preferably a Western 315 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:29,640 person who's been on the path for a long time, longer than 316 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:33,640 you, who can really like help you negotiate this thing that I 317 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:35,440 think those are really, really helpful things. 318 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:39,280 And part of like what Denver's ocean and all that's about is 319 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:42,760 like it's a collective of practitioners and some are very 320 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:46,480 senior and some are very new. And we can help each other out, 321 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:48,760 right? So that that's a big part of it. 322 00:16:49,680 --> 00:16:53,360 But that aside, now we have this inner group. 323 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:55,760 How do we connect to that and what does that mean? 324 00:16:57,240 --> 00:17:00,400 Well, before we talk about that, let's talk about that middle 325 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:03,960 level, like a real teacher, someone for you, like Keelan 326 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:06,359 Rinpoche. I don't know your relationship, 327 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:10,000 but he's guiding you and he's a master, so he knows everyone 328 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:12,119 should try to have this relationship. 329 00:17:12,119 --> 00:17:15,119 Usually it's just hard to do it with the really famous ones. 330 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:17,760 So you have to be kind of like, you got to make a lot of 331 00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:20,560 aspirations and you've got to do what they say. 332 00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:24,119 When you meet one of those llamas, let's use Kilo Rimche. 333 00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:27,319 If he says, yeah, it'd be good if you came to such and such an 334 00:17:27,319 --> 00:17:29,320 event, we're gonna have you better freaking go. 335 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:33,240 When you go, they watch and they see you and they're like I said, 336 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:35,440 you should come. And then he came like, Rimche, I 337 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:36,640 came. What should I do next? 338 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:40,600 You do a couple of those and then they make the link too and 339 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:43,040 then you can have a relationship like you are very blessed to 340 00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:46,200 have with Riggs and Tempo Room. Jay. 341 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:49,920 That guys amazing and and he Howards almost no western 342 00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:53,400 students and then and he is thinking about you when he 343 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:56,200 thinks like western students. Well, I got that bald guy in 344 00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:58,080 Seattle. I know he's doing what I say 345 00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:00,080 right, because you knew when you go the next time you say 346 00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:03,520 Rinpoche, you told me to do some Tara Dantara, 2 million Tara 347 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:07,560 mantras, whatever they're like. Oh, OK, well, let's see if you 348 00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:11,840 and then you kind of not exactly impress them, but you you show 349 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:14,560 that you're serious and then you can build that middle 350 00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:16,240 relationship. I just didn't want to, you know, 351 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:18,680 leave that out. You got the highest llamas only 352 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:21,720 can usually get like an empowerment at best or teachings 353 00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:22,920 when they're traveling, whatever. 354 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:27,840 You got this middle grade llama, not middle grade, but central 355 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:31,000 kind of llama who's like guiding your path on an individual 356 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:32,840 basis. Maybe you see him once a year, 357 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:34,840 maybe you see him once a month. Who knows? 358 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:36,720 Maybe you only see him once every five years. 359 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:39,000 But they know you and they're working with you. 360 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:43,000 And then you've got any kind of Kalianaometra, someone who knows 361 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:44,960 more than you. You know, I got people like that 362 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:46,680 and when I have questions, I write them. 363 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:48,200 David Christensen's a friend of mine. 364 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:51,280 He's a great translator. He did a lot of retreat. 365 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:53,720 If I have questions, I can I can be like, hey, what do you think 366 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:55,680 about this? And he and he can give me that. 367 00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:58,120 He's like my elder brother in the Dharma. 368 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:01,480 So we do that, right. So but then what you're talking 369 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:05,800 about is like the whole nother thing that the so-called inner 370 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:08,640 guru. This is like really the center 371 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:10,760 part of the path, right? This is the most important thing 372 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:17,640 and when we please. Recognizing over time that these 373 00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:21,560 outer gurus are your inner guru, that that's a big part of it 374 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:23,480 too. So we're like, bring these two 375 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:25,840 together, yes. So that we start to, like, 376 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:27,720 connect to both in that same way. 377 00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:30,960 Yeah. Ultimately, no matter even if 378 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:34,240 you're someone like Eric Pemekunsong or Andreas 379 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:37,920 Kreschmar, who lived with Telkorjan for years, they lived 380 00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:39,920 in the same little retreat place. 381 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:42,080 They saw him every day for years. 382 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:45,680 What happened? Telkorjan passed away, right? 383 00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:50,160 He did die and those guys had to fend for themselves on some 384 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:52,720 level, you know? And this is same with us, right? 385 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:54,920 I was also a student of Tolgorjen and he died. 386 00:19:56,120 --> 00:19:58,880 So what am I really able to rely on? 387 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:01,480 Not the external manifestation of the guru. 388 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:04,880 If you get a chance and you can study with someone like that, of 389 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:07,680 course it's wonderful and you should bind them to yourself 390 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:11,000 with hoops of steel, like freaking Hamlet says. 391 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:13,880 But whether or not that's possible? 392 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:17,920 The ultimate llama is your own awareness, and that is what we 393 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:22,640 are getting the teachings for, is to recognize that part of us 394 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:26,640 which is also shining out of the llama and to become more and 395 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:31,840 more clear about what's our our ideas and our ego and our 396 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:36,520 confusion and all that stuff. And what is the actual essence, 397 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:39,800 the thing that the Buddha discovered that he said, I also 398 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:41,360 have. What is that really about? 399 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:43,720 And that's what the path is really about. 400 00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:46,040 It's not about doing rituals, it's not about going on trips, 401 00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:48,920 it's not about having a cool shrine, although all those 402 00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:52,480 things are fun and good. Or wearing llama robes or 403 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:55,920 getting secret teachings. All that stuff is very 404 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:58,480 interesting and can be helpful and can be beautiful. 405 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:00,360 But it's certainly not the point. 406 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:02,480 There's only one point, and that's recognized. 407 00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:07,280 Who am I, Who am I really? What is the nature of me, of my 408 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:09,560 mind? We could call it Rig Butt, we 409 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:12,280 can call it Sugutagar, but whatever. 410 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:16,440 But we better figure that out. And that whole process is the 411 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:21,080 discovery of the inner Guru. Yeah, well, and the, and this 412 00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:24,880 connection between the two, like one of the easiest ones, you 413 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:26,800 know, for me, I have Keeling Rumshae the same way. 414 00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:30,040 Like if I have a question come to my mind, I already know what 415 00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:31,880 he'll say. I don't have to ask him 416 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:35,600 questions anymore because I know exactly his answer to almost any 417 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:36,880 question. I can think of it. 418 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:38,240 And if I don't know, it'll come to me. 419 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:41,280 And it is your inner guru. Exactly. 420 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:45,000 But also this works really well for Garchingrumshae because he 421 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:48,160 has like 100 hours of teachings online. 422 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:52,160 So I guarantee, which I've done watched many hours of his 423 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:56,320 teachings, you start to know and you can ask Garchin Rabshay a 424 00:21:56,320 --> 00:21:58,240 question and you'll get your answer. 425 00:21:58,280 --> 00:22:00,560 Like you know what he would say, right? 426 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:03,920 Because these llamas, they're they, they have. 427 00:22:04,360 --> 00:22:07,880 And why do you get to know that? Because they are your true 428 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:09,840 nature and you're tapped into that. 429 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:16,120 And you by connecting to them, it kind of helps facilitate that 430 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:19,960 inner knowledge that you already have and gives it kind of a 431 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:22,920 little bit of a flavor and a form so that you can trust in a 432 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:24,360 little more. Beautiful. 433 00:22:24,360 --> 00:22:26,040 That's. Yeah, you're absolutely right, 434 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:29,120 Garchner. We can't talk enough about him. 435 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:31,880 He's in America. He's alive. 436 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:35,520 And he has been so generous. All these empowerments, all 437 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:38,960 these teachings recorded. There are hundreds of hours of 438 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:41,680 stuff. Our friend David Newman is now 439 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:45,120 organizing, I remember what they're calling it, like an, I 440 00:22:45,120 --> 00:22:48,880 think the archive project, which will archive all of Gartner 441 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:52,000 Boucher's teachings once he gave in Europe everywhere. 442 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:53,760 They're going to transcribe that stuff. 443 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:56,320 They're going to have notes about what he talks about in 444 00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:58,280 different parts of the video. That's all happening. 445 00:22:58,640 --> 00:23:00,120 Thank you, David Newman, for that. 446 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:06,360 And he's just someone who he's always the same. 447 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:10,280 He's exactly the same. You did you watch he's got maybe 448 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:16,120 10 or 15 different question and answer things on there and you 449 00:23:16,120 --> 00:23:18,080 watch that. And after you watch some of 450 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:21,720 those you, you know, just like Damon said, if you have a 451 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:23,560 question like, Hey, how should I handle this? 452 00:23:24,120 --> 00:23:26,040 You almost don't even have to finish asking. 453 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:30,560 You're like, I know what he would say, love your enemies or 454 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:34,240 whatever, you know, and we have that as a real resource. 455 00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:37,960 Everybody here, everybody hearing this can go right now 456 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:42,840 YouTube and watch Ghosh Rishi give empowerments, watch him be 457 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:48,240 amazing, be like a a living Buddha and still alive right 458 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:50,560 here. You can actually go to Arizona 459 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:52,360 and meet him or at least see him. 460 00:23:52,360 --> 00:23:54,840 I don't know if he's seeing people individually, but you can 461 00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:57,000 certainly see him in a little group with a couple other 462 00:23:57,000 --> 00:23:58,240 people. Wow. 463 00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:00,480 You know, I encourage people to do that. 464 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:03,880 The more you do that, the more it awakens your own Bodhi 465 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:08,240 Cheetah, which is that aspect of you that's already enlightened 466 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:11,000 or whatever, already awake. And that's what the whole Dharma 467 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:13,880 is about. The whole Dharma is about living 468 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:17,440 from there and not living from our ordinary ego and confused 469 00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:20,840 ideas about stuff. Yeah, and, and, you know, and 470 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:23,680 there's some controversy because Gartrem Che let's people take 471 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:26,160 empowerments and transmissions through recordings. 472 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:29,080 But the reason he says that is because you, the only 473 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:31,960 empowerment you ever received is always from your true nature. 474 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:34,240 It's not from another person, right? 475 00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:37,800 And and yes, it's important to make the link and part of what 476 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:41,920 happens, I think, because Gartrem Che is so pure that you 477 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:45,640 can watch him on a screen, even though it's not happening at the 478 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:49,320 moment. And he is just right overlaid 479 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:51,960 over your true nature and you just received the empowerment 480 00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:55,720 from your true nature directly. I have faith, you know, in him 481 00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:58,080 that he says that you can do that. 482 00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:00,000 So you can do that. That's how I feel. 483 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:04,760 But you know, like it's still really good to make a real 484 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:09,280 connection with a living llama that you know, if you can, but 485 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:13,440 just everybody that has this, it has YouTube, you can go get 486 00:25:13,520 --> 00:25:16,560 teachings, empowerments, etcetera from one of the 487 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:21,800 greatest living masters. Exactly, I just to riff off of 488 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:25,800 what you just said, it is important to have someone who 489 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:31,720 can keep you in line. Many of us have this. 490 00:25:31,880 --> 00:25:35,600 It's easy for the ego to get mixed up with your meditation 491 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:37,920 and all of a sudden you think I'm a Terton. 492 00:25:39,360 --> 00:25:42,600 I'm I'm enlightened, you know, I'm able to guide others. 493 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:46,720 This kind of energy very common. So you really need someone like 494 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:50,960 your relationship with your teachers who can keep you in 495 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:53,120 line. If you don't have that, it's it 496 00:25:53,120 --> 00:25:56,440 is possible to go astray. So really you should try to have 497 00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:58,920 all three of those right? Get teachings from the greats. 498 00:25:59,760 --> 00:26:02,760 Have a relationship with a llama who's a real lineage holder. 499 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:05,120 Usually they're Tibetans, but there are a few Westerners you 500 00:26:05,120 --> 00:26:07,200 know. La Molina is really amazing. 501 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:09,480 She's like someone you could actually meet. 502 00:26:09,880 --> 00:26:12,320 She was a student of Llama Wongdor and I think I have some 503 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:15,520 faith in her. And then having somebody in your 504 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:19,120 community in your saga who you feel you can learn from is 505 00:26:19,120 --> 00:26:21,920 always beneficial. And all three of those people, 506 00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:26,000 or at least the bottom 2, they can help keep you on in line. 507 00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:28,920 Because I know a lot of people who are like, check out this 508 00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:31,600 thing I wrote and you're like, you're like, what are you doing 509 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:34,280 here? Like, what's your motivation? 510 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:38,120 Sometimes it's fine. Sometimes it's like, so we want 511 00:26:38,120 --> 00:26:42,880 to keep ourselves in line and, and sometimes our pure vision of 512 00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:46,000 our self can kind of overwhelm the actual truth. 513 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:48,960 And we sort of like you see these people, like I meant, this 514 00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:51,120 is very dangerous. So you want to be a little 515 00:26:51,120 --> 00:26:52,960 careful. Good to have physical teachers. 516 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:56,360 I think it's important. And and to link to the lineage 517 00:26:56,400 --> 00:27:00,360 right, like this living lineage transmission, it's freaking 518 00:27:00,360 --> 00:27:02,240 amazing. You know, Keelingrup, she's the 519 00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:06,280 Tolku of 1, of Jigme Lingpa's 4 Hart sons and you know, and as a 520 00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:09,320 heart son himself of the fourth De Gerptian Rimche, etcetera. 521 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:12,640 So these teachings, it's so cool to know. 522 00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:15,600 These are directly coming from Longchempa and Jingmei Linkpa. 523 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:20,600 Mouth to ear all the way to me. There's nothing quite like that 524 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:24,480 magic, and it really has. Met Jill, Adriana and we should 525 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:28,000 all shoot for having that. You know, we're like, we're like 526 00:27:28,120 --> 00:27:31,000 pumping up Keeling Rimche. His his e-mail box is going to 527 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:34,520 explode. But yeah, there are real 528 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:37,480 teachers still out there. And you want to and you want to 529 00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:39,960 try to connect with them. And the way I personally think 530 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:42,640 you also want to connect with the ones you have a karmic link 531 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:44,520 with. So making the aspiration man 532 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:47,920 meet my Terra plaguey llama, my karmically destined teacher, 533 00:27:48,360 --> 00:27:50,560 that has real effects. Then you got to, of course, be 534 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:54,160 open, right and see where how it's going to happen. 535 00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:56,320 But it certainly all of us can do it. 536 00:27:56,480 --> 00:28:00,800 And the final plug for Garchan Ruba Jay, I, I was not close to, 537 00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:03,800 but I, I knew Adi Rumache who was in prison with Garchu 538 00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:05,880 Rumache. And I knew Tolko Urgent who was 539 00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:08,680 a friend, a childhood friend of all those guys. 540 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:10,600 They were all from this. They're all from Noncha and same 541 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:13,360 area of Tibet. Garchu Rumache is amazing. 542 00:28:13,760 --> 00:28:17,840 He is amazing, a true Buddha. Any practitioner who doesn't 543 00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:22,360 relate to him is, I think making a major mistake, that he is 544 00:28:22,360 --> 00:28:25,240 right there. He's in America, he's alive. 545 00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:30,440 So watching his stuff, you know, when he does live things, trying 546 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:33,160 to get on there, it is the smartest thing you can do. 547 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:35,120 You can feel it. You can feel the blessing, the 548 00:28:35,120 --> 00:28:37,680 heat coming through the freaking computer screen. 549 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:39,320 It's amazing. He's amazing. 550 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:41,520 And. We're not going to likely have 551 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:45,280 him in the body. Much longer no very old time is 552 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:45,920 now. We need to. 553 00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:50,320 If you get a chance, do it, do any connection you can have now 554 00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:53,880 do it, whether it's a live stream or in person or whatever, 555 00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:56,560 but make the connection. Have faith that he's an 556 00:28:56,560 --> 00:28:59,720 incredible teacher. And and like I said, I also 557 00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:04,600 second plug for Denver's Oak Chen or groups like it. 558 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:09,080 Having a community that you can touch in and actually talk about 559 00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:14,600 your path on a regular basis is there's no, it doesn't compare. 560 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:17,880 You can't, you know, going to go practice with your llama or 561 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:22,240 whatever isn't the same as this. Having other Western students 562 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:26,240 and other people who are trotting along with you who can 563 00:29:26,240 --> 00:29:29,760 relate to you, who you know, might listen to Led Zeppelin or 564 00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:33,520 you know, like have some kind of relationship to the zeitgeist 565 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:36,360 you're in, which sometimes the Tibetans, they can feel like 566 00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:40,720 totally different universe. It really is helpful to have 567 00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:44,680 that also right so that you you can really have that related. 568 00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:47,920 Connection, yeah, yeah. And you can make aspirations 569 00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:49,800 about that too. May I connect with the Sangha 570 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:51,560 that's going to support me where I can? 571 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:55,920 Welcome a group, you know like a meditation group online or 572 00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:59,440 whatever you know find one join ours what whatever you floats 573 00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:03,400 your boat find a way to have regular connection because Sanga 574 00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:06,280 like you. You might share this quote right 575 00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:08,920 now from the Buddha about the importance of spiritual 576 00:30:08,920 --> 00:30:11,560 companions, but. Yeah, we, we were just talking 577 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:13,240 about this. First of all, you gotta have 578 00:30:13,240 --> 00:30:15,440 Buddha, you gotta have Dharma, gotta have Sanga, right? 579 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:19,840 Can't have not have one. And secondly, was it Sabuti who 580 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:22,880 was saying like he got all inspired talking to the Buddha 581 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:27,840 and he said, he said, Lord, having spiritual friendships is 582 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:30,320 half the path. And the Buddha said, don't say 583 00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:33,320 that spiritual friends are the whole of the path. 584 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:36,040 That's like about sanga and we got to have that. 585 00:30:36,440 --> 00:30:38,600 We'll talk, we'll have a podcast about sanga sometime. 586 00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:41,800 That's good to do. Yeah, yeah, just being like, you 587 00:30:41,800 --> 00:30:44,960 know, able to WhatsApp Joe once a week or twice a week and 588 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:49,000 connect like this keeps me, you know, because I'm isolated, 589 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:51,120 right. Like I don't have any friends. 590 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:55,360 I really don't these. Days exaggerating. 591 00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:57,680 You do have friends, but I know what you mean. 592 00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:00,600 It is nice to have a connection. Yeah, so. 593 00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:06,040 Having Dharma companions, right? It is because it's so hard to do 594 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:07,400 it. Even in Tibet, they have this 595 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:10,440 saying, only the snow lions among us can do this alone. 596 00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:13,720 And, and I think that that's very, very true. 597 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:17,760 We have this inner guru and we do need to rely on it, but we 598 00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:20,440 need community. Humans are such social 599 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:23,640 creatures. We really are so influenced by 600 00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:26,800 our relationships of all kinds. So true. 601 00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:30,160 Well, once again, thank you for watching. 602 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:33,360 Thank you, Joe, for discussing this with us and helping us do 603 00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:35,200 this podcast. And thank you as always to 604 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:39,160 Ricky, who works behind the scenes to get these released and 605 00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:42,160 all of that. And last, a few weeks ago, you 606 00:31:42,160 --> 00:31:44,840 may have seen that we had an episode where we kind of 607 00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:48,320 introduced Eric Drew, who's a good friend and mentor of Joe's, 608 00:31:48,320 --> 00:31:50,680 and he riffed on some fun things. 609 00:31:50,680 --> 00:31:53,120 And you may have caught what kind of magic might come out of 610 00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:54,920 Eric. So we're hoping to get him on 611 00:31:54,920 --> 00:31:57,800 the podcast one of these days. So you can look forward to that 612 00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:01,720 in the near future, hopefully make aspirations and other than 613 00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:03,440 that we will see you in two weeks. 614 00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:05,280 Thank you.