Nothing is Real - Master Karma Tanpai Gyaltshen discourse

Ancient, old, great masters they developed very, very healthy wisdom, healthy thoughts, very wise, healthy thoughts against all this disappointment, against all this fear and suffering that everybody experience in this life to calm their disappointment, to end up that disappointment, to purify those disappointments and suffering and fear of Samsara, which everybody experience every day. So they give you a very wise, very smart thought. They say nothing's real, nothing's real.

So nothing's real? Oh, everything is happening, everything is shaky shaky shalalalala, but nothing is real. So the secret you realize, for example, one nice lady comes: “oh, I love you” she come smiling, maybe she will kiss you. This angel is not real. You know? I'm just dreaming about this lady, an illusion I've got now. So when it appears, you realize it is not real. During when she or he stay with you in any kind of relationship also you realize it's not real. One day she said: “oh, now I found another boyfriend or another girlfriend, go away”, realize this is not real also. So actually you have a secret knowledge. Realizing that nothing is real can never let you experience any kind of disappointment, fear and suffering. This is secret knowledge. Nothing is real. Let it be or let not be.

So we are born in this world in the form of a baby girl or boy, it's not real. Now we live in this world as men and women. It's not real. One day we say we die, we realize it's not real. So birth, life, death cannot even shake us. This secret wisdom, understanding of this “nothing’s real”, everything is like a dream, nothing is real, will protect you from all kinds of disappointment, fear and suffering. Ancient, old, great masters developed this secret knowledge. Nothing is real.

Can you do this? Nothing is real?! So you can enjoy a beautiful form, beautiful appearance. You can enjoy it, you can observe it, enjoy it without clinging, without fixation, because you know this is not real. Things which are going to cease, going to change the next moment or tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Those things are not real. These are like dreams.

So you can experience all kinds, you can enjoy all the appearances. When it appears, when it rests for a while and then when it disappears, all the time you can enjoy all the appearances, appearing, resting and disappearing, without involving yourself. and experience disappointment and fear and suffering. This is the art of wisdom. When they appear, when they rest for a while and when they disappear all the time they are not real.

The nature of all phenomena, when it appears, you let it appear. You have no fixation, or attachment. You realize this is not real. When it's challenging with you, we also know these are not real.

Not real, but opportunity is real because if you practice this wisdom of enlightenment, meditation through taking this great opportunity of this life, a life which is not real, but opportunity is real to practice meditation, practice the wisdom of enlightenment, you will reach free freedom forever, you will reach enlightenment. So opportunities like this gives us opportunity for our enlightenment, our purification, for our transformation, our realization.

Life is not real. If life is real, why do we have to change? Why do we have to die? Things which are subject to change, they say I'm changing, therefore I'm not real. The phenomena are already changing now evening, this evening, afternoon sun is setting down, weather changes, they say I'm not real. But we still cling on this time, summer, winter, autumn, spring, morning, afternoon, evening, night... we are clinging.

Our ignorant mind clings to everyone, as if everything is real. Part of the wisdom mind, wisdom of enlightenment that you can listen from your spiritual master, if you practice this wisdom of enlightenment, a clear judgment of wisdom of enlightenment, nothing is real.

Everything that appears is not real. It rests for a while, it's not real, and it disappears for a while. Life appears as a form of birth without reality, illusory life, dream-like, life appears from nothing. Life lives for nothing and death doesn't disappear in anything, everything is not real. 

So when you realize everything is unreal, then you have rest of mind, you have peace of mind. Otherwise you have so many conflicts, so many crushes. You live in a space where all the phenomena, all the elements are changing, which is like moving, but space is beyond moving, space is beyond change, because space realizes nothing is real. Everything is illusory. Everything is a dream life, everything is nothing. So we must have this realization that everything's not real.

When you realize everything is not real, you will enjoy everything, but you will not be involved in everything. You can have everything or you can have nothing, you will equally enjoy all that freedom in your heart.

If you have everything or you have nothing, it doesn't make any change, it doesn't make you any different. You can have everything or you don't have everything . You have everything, it is not real. And not to have everything is also not real, you just rest in a special nature of your mind. Special nature of the mind of peace, love, freedom and God nature. You rest in God nature and this phenomena which is changing, which is not God nature, you realize this is not real.

So you become one with God, not with these old obstacles, all the tsunami that is happening for all the changes, you don't trust them. Things which are subject to change, they are not real. I don't give my heart to any phenomena, any life which is subject to change, I don't trust them because these are not real. I only trust God, Buddha... I trust my divine nature which is forever peace nature, freedom nature, enlightenment nature, loving nature. I trust my divine nature. I trust everybody's divine nature which is loving nature, peace nature, God nature, Buddha nature, enlightenment nature. Any phenomena which is subject to change, I don't trust them because these are not real.

So your mind is forever in peace, nobody can shake you, you become an unshakable great meditator, or a great enlightened being. 

Every expectation brings endless disappointment. So we don't expect anything from any phenomena which is not real. Phenomena which are not real cannot fulfill your expectation. So if you have expectations from phenomena which don't have any existence, you are foolish. If you develop expectation towards phenomena which don't have a real existence, if you develop fixation, if you develop expectation, of course you will be disappointed because phenomena which don't have their own existence, their own reality, they can never fulfill your wish. So you know things which are subject to change, you know these things are not real.

You have a husband who came? Maybe you have children with you also. Then he went away. He was not real in the first place. When he came, he was not real. And when he went away, it was not real also. It was just a dream. You wake up in your dream, you realize that reality, that truth which is beyond change, and you are happy. 

So against all thoughts of all kinds of experiences, of all kinds of fears, sufferings and disappointments, you realize everything is not real, everything is not real, everything is not real.

In Germany you say keine angst. How do you say in Germany nothing is real?  Nichts ist real, keine angst (no fear). 

That's why in Buddhism, lamas, great masters when people are dying, people experience oh I'm dying, keine angst. Not real. Death is just your dream. Because you have so much fixation with life that's why you are afraid of death. Life never exists and death also never exists. Nichts ist real. Nothing is real. 

So now we are experiencing a life which doesn't have reality, we are experiencing a life which is not real. That's interesting. That's more happier, you know. When you see this life as real then you are OMG I have real life. But this is like film directors who make a whole film. Maybe some of us act like horror directors but when they watch their movies, they know it's not real, they laugh at them. The director of a horror movie knows it's not real because he's his own creation and he has no fear for his own creation.

So the secret knowledge is that whenever you experience disappointment, fear or suffering, you sit down and contemplate: nothing is real, nothing is real, everything is a dream of my mind, nothing is real.  

So if you stay in five minutes concentrating, focusing that nothing is real, you will be absolutely calm. You will be free from fear, suffering, disappointment or whatever you experienced before five minutes. After five minutes you will be at peace.

Because in our life there's many many disappointments, many fears and sufferings many big changes, many things are waiting for us, you know.

So you have to prepare yourself, you must have the realization that everything is not real. This realization which relies on that everything is not real will give you ultimate relief from all kinds of disappointment, fear and suffering. 

So to believe that everything is real is a source of disappointment, source of fixation, source of fear, suffering. Where else, when you realize nothing is real all the phenomena which are subject to change are not real. So you don't believe them, you don't give your heart to them and you don't expect anything from them. 

Just to realize everything is not real will make you an unshakable great being and free yourself from all kinds of fears, suffering and disappointments.

Om Ah Hung, Om Ah Hung, Om Ah Hung.

Meditate for 2 minutes that everything is not real.  Only your divine nature is real. Divine nature which is God nature, or Buddha nature, Enlightenment nature, peace nature, loving nature is real.

Other things which are subject to change are not real. No fixation, no attachment, no expectations to those all phenomena, all appearances which are subject to change, they are not real. 

We will realize the truth as it is that these are not real, it will give you ultimate relief from all kinds of suffering, fear and disappointment.

Once you say this is real, then you start to have a lot of expectation, you will have a lot of involvement and then each of the involvement and expectation towards phenomena which are not real will create endless fear and suffering and disappointment for you.

You will suffer. You will experience disappointment and fear and suffering for no reason but one reason because we are stupid. We are foolish to have fixation, to believe phenomena which are not real, it's not real, you think they are real.

Your fixation, your own thinking towards all phenomena which is not real, is the source of your suffering and disappointment. You put yourself in trouble by believing that this phenomena which is not real, there you thought these are real. And you have fixation, you have expectations. And then this fixation, attachment will develop countless fears and suffering and disappointments for you.

So all suffering, fear, disappointment is the punishment of our wrong thinking, of our ignorant thinking. Once you realize the truth, the truth that this phenomena which is subject to chance, they are not real. This is the truth. When you realize this truth, you are free from fear and suffering and you will never be disappointed. 

So, this is for your daily life practice, okay? Why do I tell you this now? This is absolutely useful for your daily life practice. Free yourself of all kinds of fear and suffering and disappointment. And of course you realize, you practice, you contemplate that these phenomena which are subject to change, are not real. You realize these are not real. And then you are at peace. Where else your divine truth, divine nature which is forever peace nature, God nature  or Buddha nature, Enlightenment nature is real. 

It is there since the beginning of time. Only we don't realize it is real. Truth is real. Our divine nature, which is forever loving nature, or God nature or freedom nature, enlightenment nature is real. It is absolutely rightful. It is your divine nature. You have to realize it. 

And the rest of phenomena which are not real, which is subject to change, when you realize these are not real, so that you don't expect from this phenomena which is not real.

If you expect, you will get all kinds of disappointment, fear and suffering. You will be a victim of your own misunderstanding, your own ignorance.

So this part, I tell you, I want you to practice this, okay? This priceless wisdom, by practicing it, will open your heart of enlightenment. You will be free from fear, suffering and disappointment. You will always be happy with yourself. 

Buddha Shakyamuni before he fled from his kingdom, because he realized this kingdom, this life, these servants, these jewels, these treasurers. Life is not real. Because we start to believe these are real. The time of death it will prove that these are not real. And you will experience endless fear and suffering and disappointment, because you believed phenomena which are not real, as real. Because of that, you will experience endless fear and suffering and disappointment. So, he knows, if you believe in this life, life will disappoint you at the time of change, time of death.

So that's why Buddha already knows life is not real. All the treasures, all the jewelry, all the kingdom, all the servants, countless servants, all this colorful phenomena of life is not real. 

So, in order to find the truth which is absolute real, absolute truthful, absolute nature, absolute essence, is to find that real phenomena real truth, the real nature of himself. He went to find the real truth. He went to the forest. And then after six years of meditation, he found the divine truth of himself. Divine nature of himself, and the divine nature and truth of everyone, enlightenment nature, forever peaceful nature, forever freedom nature , forever peaceful nature, forever perfect nature, forever God nature, forever Buddha nature he found after he renounced all phenomena, all involvement with which is not real.

When you realize the truth, when you realize nothing is real, then your heart is open with the law of peace, inner freedom. And then you go about smiling: what a great phenomena, what a great experience, what great beings around me, who are not real by nature, but they are around me. I'm so rich with all kinds of loving people around me.

Then you realize nothing is real. Because everything is impermanent. Everything is changing at every moment. That's why every meeting, every moment of meeting with other fellow beings is subject to smiles and celebration. Your heart will be free from fixation and attachment. But your heart will be full of love, full of peace, full of smiling. And you can enjoy every moment of life with a heart of smiling, with a heart of love. 

When you see everything is real, then you get fixated, then you get greedy, then you get aggressive, then you get selfish. You get completely useless, frozen.  

When you realize nothing is real. Yet we are here together for a short moment. After a short moment, we are going to separate. This moment when we are together, let us smile together, love each other, smile to each other, protect each other, care for each other. Then you're able to enjoy each moment of life. Each moment of meeting at a divine meeting with heart of love, heart of smile in heart.

You want to realize, if you want to purify your life, you must contemplate that this life is not real. This life is like a dream. This life is not real. All these relationships are not real. All the changes of the weather, change of time, change of all the appearance is not real. Life itself is not real. It's like a dream. So if you contemplate this, then you are purifying your life. Otherwise there was so much fixation on this life as the life is real. You have so much attachment towards this life. As life is real, then you have a lot of greediness, selfishness, a lot of anger, a lot of negative emotions. Because you think that this life is real. You will never be able to purify your life. You are never able to start a journey of enlightenment, towards enlightenment.

So this life is not real. All the relationships are not real. Okay? These all beings, we meet each other because we have some loving connection. We have a loving connection. That's why these beings which are not real, we meet each other to help each other, to serve each other, to protect each other, to enlighten each other. More than that these beings around us, they are not real also. We are not real. They are not real. Life is not real. It's like a dream. Life is like a dream. So in this way you can get rid of the fixation and attachment towards this life. Because you realize everything is not real. Then you start to practice renunciation. You start practicing purification. You start to start a journey towards enlightenment. Before death comes you have a chance to reach enlightenment. 

So purification of this life is to realize that this life is not real. This life is like a dream. 

So why life which is not real, life which is like a dream, why I have so much selfishness? Why am I so greedy? Why am I so aggressive? Why am I so selfish? Why am I so blocked? Why am I so negative? Because this life is not real. This beautiful life, something to enjoy moment by moment, appreciating each other, loving each other, serving each other. Life is beautiful when you don't have fixation and attachment.

When you realize life is not real because it's passing every moment, changing every moment. So when you realize that this life is not real then your heart is free to renounce. Your heart is free to practice the spiritual journey towards enlightenment.

So if you want to purify your life, you must realize, you must believe that this life is not real.

Because if you realize that this life is not real, all these appearances are not real, it will open your heart of enlightenment, heart of freedom, heart of peace, heart of love. Or if you think these are real, then you have real anger, you have real greediness, you have real selfishness, you have real ignorance, you have real fixation and attachment.

And all these negative thoughts which are led by a misunderstanding of the reality of this life will completely ruin your life, misguide your life, your life will experience great disappointment, fear and suffering. 

So the secret knowledge, as I told you before, that this life is not real, life is changing every moment, every second, every minute they're changing. This life is not real. So you have no use to have anger, you have no use to have greediness, no use of fixation, attachment, no use to have expectations towards a life which is not real. So then instead of your fixation, attachment you will enjoy life with no fixation, with no attachment, with no expectation, you will enjoy a spiritual life of love, spiritual life of freedom, spiritual life of inner peace and happiness, spiritual life of inner freedom and enlightenment.

So can you think that all the life that you experienced from childhood until now it looks like everything was real, in fact it was not real. That's why every time it's changing.

So please realize this life is not real. Can you meditate for two minutes that this life is not real? And then you forgive others. Why we develop so much fixation and attachment? Why we hurt each other? Why we have so much anger? Why we have so much conflict? Why we have so much anger? So much greediness? All this greediness, all the emotional suffering, fear, suffering - unnecessary.

Fear, suffering, disappointment and bad relationships with fellow human beings, happen, appear because of fixation, attachment, because of our wrong thinking.

So you start to forgive yourself. You start to forgive all the fellow beings that you know from childhood until now. You start to have loving compassion with all the fellow beings. You can start to forgive each other. Realizing everything is like a dream. So it's easy to forgive, easy you can bless them, easily you can send your blessing to them.

So this is how you purify your life. 

Sooner or later we are going to die. Life that we think is real will prove it's not real the moment it changes into death. When death comes, then life itself, the experience of death will prove that, okay, this life was not real. That's why I'm dying. So you can accept all kind of changes. You can accept death, you can accept sickness. You can accept all kinds of experiences. You can accept it because you know life is full of change, impermanent. It's like a dream. Then you are able to forgive yourself and forgive others and love yourself, love others and take responsibility for your liberation and liberation of others by contemplating everything is not real.