BDW 6 «Алмазный Путь Арьи», занятие 1

Autotranscript · BDW6, Malaysia, Class 1

03.08.2026 / processed with Claude (AI) for Irra / Dharma · Malaysia · BDW6

Date: 8 July 2026 · Malacca, Malaysia · duration 1 h 12 min

Teacher: Geshe Michael Roach

Translation into Chinese: Stanley (consecutive; the Chinese translation was not captured in this recording)

Source audio: ENG/CH Arya's Diamond Way with Geshe Michael Roach - Class 1 (July 8, 2026)

⚠ Warning

This is an automatic transcript of the audio recording, roughly processed with Claude on 3 August 2026 by Irra Dzhabali. It is not an authorised record of the teaching. Speech recognition and speaker attribution may contain errors. Please check against the original recording.

[]

Host: Alright, yeah, that's, how about, okay, oh, that's even better.

Geshe Michael Roach: Okay, thank you. It's okay? Okay, good. Alright, so I hope you got a reading. If you don't have a reading, find a reading.

Yeah? Okay, they got it, yeah. You will get more after Grandpa writes it. I'm just underwater. And we finished the first few pages.

Okay, and there's the museum. Okay. Okay, good. Page four. On the bottom.

Gina! Guess not cutting diamond. Nice. She wrote me. She said, you missed the reading.

You missed the picture. Thank you. This is Geshe-la. So, this picture is Grandpa cutting a diamond. I was in the diamond business for 19 years in Manhattan.

And honestly, we built the largest diamond jewelry company in the world. And I think there's over 10,000 companies of generally that level. So, I always tell my friends, either I understood something or I'm very lucky. And I think, if there's a chance that understanding emptiness will help you be successful in your life, then I think it's worth the time to learn about it. And that money, again, I never took money.

Nineteen years, I took the bus to New York. To New York and back is almost four hours a day. And we made a lot of money, but I never bought a car. But I was able to make donations. And most of the early money for John's project came from the diamond company.

So, personally, I would say, even if you're not Buddhist, and even if you believe there's nothing after death, it's still smart to learn about this system. And, like my boss said, who knows? Maybe something ... maybe it will help you after you die. So, our company does not cut diamonds.

And, why I joined the diamond business, we'll talk about it. But, when you see emptiness directly, and when you come down, within two or three minutes, you start to think, how can I remember what I saw? And there's nothing in this world that is really close to shunyata. Then you start to think, what's a good metaphor? What's the closest thing in this world?

And every Arya, whoever lived, understands this is a diamond.

——— Slide 1 · Diamonds sprinkled throughout the teachings ———

[]

Geshe Michael Roach: And, in Buddhism, we have many diamonds. So, I will introduce you to Rob Haggerty. Some of you went to his classes. He also has a Chinese name.

Host: So, now ...

Geshe Michael Roach: I forgot the question. Okay, if you can ... tell me ... Okay, here's the easy question. In the Vajrachetika, in the Diamond Cutter Sutra, how many times is a diamond come in the Diamond Cutter Sutra?

Zero.

Host: Zero. Zero. Yeah, exactly.

Geshe Michael Roach: Zero. And, not only diamond doesn't come in that sutra, cutting doesn't come in that sutra. Then there are some countries where they call it the Diamond Sutra. But, if you're an Arya, you're like, oh ... No, no, no, no, no.

Diamond Cutter, Diamond Cutter. Ibai. Sanskrit for Diamond Cutter Sutra. Name. Name of the sutra.

Host: Maybe. Hold on. Yeah, it's Vajrachetika.

Geshe Michael Roach: Yeah, $100. Rob, wait. He's going to recite two lines of some scripture.

Host: Anything you like. Any scripture. Yay! Yay!

Geshe Michael Roach: That's hot. Okay. So, Vajrachetika. Ibai. Why Vajrachetika?

Why Chetika? Why cut the diamond? Why call the book Cutting the Diamond? Why is this book called Cutting the Diamond?

Host: Oh, diamond is the hardest thing on earth. And when we learn about diamond cutter, when we learn about diamond cutter, the knowledge is stronger or is it harder than the diamond itself, that it can even cut the diamond. Yay! Yay!

Geshe Michael Roach: Okay, cool. So here, if you look between the fingers, you can see the small raw diamond. People ask me, did you do blood diamond? Then my company doesn't buy or sell rough diamond. We only use cut diamond, which we buy in Europe or we buy from India or Hong Kong.

So, I never went to buy diamonds in Africa. But after I was already vice president, I really, really want to learn how to cut the diamond. And it's very, very secret. They will not teach you. And I had to pay a lot of money to some guy to teach me.

Rob knows the guy. You can believe he charged me a lot. And I cut diamonds after work at night. Start around 8 o'clock, go to almost midnight. In the diamond district, upper floors.

And one day, finally I understood how to cut. There are some secrets how to cut correctly. Suddenly, I saw it. And I cut it perfect, and I showed it to my teacher. He said, now you understand diamond cutting.

I said, yeah. Then he said, so quit the business now. Selling diamond is a good business. Cutting diamond is dirty, hard work. They don't make much money.

But it was useful to know. If you go to that Mongolian temple someday, there's a tiny, tiny monk's house behind the temple. There's a dirty, dirty basement. And I bought a diamond cutting machine. I put it down there.

And secretly, I used to cut the diamonds. Then, sometimes the diamond falls off, and it hits the diamond wheel. Diamond wheel is 3,000 RPM. Then the diamond will go ... And someday, if you don't have enough money, go to that little house.

Go to the basement. Try to find all the diamonds I lost. So finally I quit, because I was losing too many diamonds. You ask how to recognize an Arya, for example. Honestly, they would be ...

They would be obsessed with cutting diamonds. That's one sign. Alright, next picture.

——— Slide 2 · Apples & oranges, Xiaomis and rockets ———

[]

Geshe Michael Roach: There's an old couple with some fruit. Then there's a Xiaomi electric car. And there's a rocket ship. Okay, and so recently we came to China. Hangzhou.

And we get teaching in Hangzhou. And I need a ride from the hotel to the teaching place. And I came out of the hotel. Hotel is crazy. There's some rich guy.

He got us one night room on an island in a lake in Hangzhou. And you have to walk across the wooden platforms to get to your room. Very expensive. Very exclusive. And very full of mosquitoes.

Sometimes those rich people really suffer to be rich. Then we come out to the parking lot and there's a bright yellow Xiaomi, this car. And Stanley's like, Geshe-la, I rented the car just for you. Because I want to show Americans what a real car looks like. Then we got in, it's all ...

And I'm like, I need one of these. We stop at the car dealer. I said, I'll take one. I don't care how much. He said, you're not allowed to take it to the United States.

Then I'm like, dang. So, really beautiful car and great electricity. It charges in eight minutes. You can drive it for the rest of your life. It's amazing.

But a rocket ship. Now that's the way to go from New Jersey to New York. In a rocket ship. And actually there's no ...

Question from the audience: Where'd you get that?

Geshe Michael Roach: Yeah. Yeah. Xiaomi is unbelievable. But a rocket ship is ... If you could get a private rocket ship, you can't drive Xiaomi from Hangzhou to Rimrock.

It's true. But rocket you can take. I'd rather have a rocket. Then ... I taught Diamond Way twenty ...

two years ago? Something like that. Twenty-two years ago. I taught it for how many years? Six years?

Six years? Something like that. Seven years. And we did a good job. And I translated many great Diamond Way classics.

We keep saying 15,000 pages. I don't know if that's correct, but I think it is. It's a lot. Something like that. 10 or 15,000 pages.

And I did homeworks for every class. I didn't quite finish the work. It was too much. I finished teaching it, but I never had time to finish all the translations. So, that's a really, really good Diamond Way course.

It's a Xiaomi Diamond Way course. By the way, my teacher took me ... there are two tantric courses in Tibet. My teacher was the vice president of Gyumay Tantric College in 1951. And my debating teacher became the head of Gyumay Tantric College.

You want to hear ... Can I tell grandpa stories? Okay, when you get to be grandpa, you like to tell stories. So, my teacher, Tenzin Trinle, became the abbot of Gyumay Tantric College. Then John Brady got a very good input center in the same village.

And those ladies, excuse me, they kick ass. And they really type amazing. For 20, 25 years, now they're on the third generation. So, there's the grandma, the mom, and the kid are all working together. That Gyumay Tantric College has a very famous set of books.

It's the 12 most secret books of Diamond Lake. And I couldn't get it. They wouldn't let me look at them. And when my teacher became the abbot, we were there, I think. We went and offered him tea and cookies and tried to bother him.

Then I said, you know, Rinpoche, these 12 books set from Gyumay, very famous. Now you became the abbot. Can I just type it? Then he big smile. He's a very kind and very gentle person.

Then he's like, no way. I told the ladies, there's like 20 ladies there. I said, I was hoping to get these 12 books. Then about six weeks later, in those days, no internet. They will send a disc to America from Asia.

When the disc comes, I have to check what's on the disc. 12 books are on the disc. By the way, someday I'll teach you what's in the 12 books. But it's about the Buddha, his partner practice with his partner. Then I wrote to the ladies.

Wow, you know, how you get these books? Then they wrote me back, ladies have way. But, I don't know. Okay, anyway, this picture here. In English we call apples and oranges.

Do you like apple? Yes. Do you like oranges? Yeah. Usually people like apple more or they like oranges more.

In English we have an idiom when we say these two things are completely different. We say it's apples and oranges. Then that that old Diamond Way course is apple. And I debated at the Tantric College. And our course is better by a hundred times.

Really. Jendak (?). Okay. In 2,000 years nobody made a course like that. So, if you get a chance you should study it.

And I have students who are teaching it. But, that new course is rocket shit (?). Okay, and it's amazing. So, if it's me, I like apples and oranges. But it's completely different.

And my plan is to teach it for the next two years in different ways to different groups. If I have to leave this world, I would like to finish that. Just two years. Okay? And that's what I'm starting today.

So, have fun. Alright. Next name. Yeah. Everybody was studying Gibson's translation, right?

Yeah, hi. Good translation of The Whole Path. And that book is very famous. I think that's the book Tim was reciting, I think. Yeah.

And it's a wonderful, wonderful preparation. Mainly you have to learn the six perfections to prepare for Diamond Way. And so far we finished four. Okay, and what I'd like to teach you this week, we will begin learning the sixteen parts of emptiness. This was the first teaching the Buddha gave in this world.

And it has strong connection to Diamond Way. So, in Sanskrit, Diamond is Vajra. Say Vajra. Vajra. I like this word Vajra.

Vajra means power. And all English, normal English comes from Sanskrit. And then we say there are cardnate. Cardnate means English word which came from Sanskrit. So, the root for Diamond, Vajra, is Vaj.

It means extreme power. 100. Okay, what's the question? Joy Chen, you always have to let me ask the question. Just kidding.

What's the English cardnate for Vajra? Especially my mom will say the same thing.

Host: It's vegetable. Yay!

Geshe Michael Roach: In the ancient times, they believe vegetable has extreme power. I believe croissant has extreme power. You too, it's getting weird. So, anyway. But in the ancient times, they will say vegetable has extreme power to help your life.

And Vajra means powerful. Vajrayana. Diamond way. Vajrachetika. Diamond cutter.

Vajradhara. Holder of the diamond in the secret way. Vajrapani. Diamond in the hand in the secret way. And you have to ask yourself why they keep talking about Vajra?

What's so important about diamond? And we're going to answer that question in this week. As far as the book which we were ... Gibson's book we were reading to prepare for this transmission. I would say the most important thing is the presentation of the six perfections.

By the way, one very important thing. Geshe-la, in English some people say empowerment, some people say transmission. What's the difference? So, in October we will have empowerment transmission. And why is the two names?

Okay, empowerment means mainly you are empowered by the teacher. And specifically you are empowered to do certain practices and you are also empowered to teach. So, you will get many empowerments inside the empowerment. I remember one of the early empowerments I got. And I remember the year because I had just joined my company.

1981. And I remember because I had to go get the empowerment a few weeks after I started working. And I remember telling people about my new job. I didn't know at that time I will be in that prison for 19 years. But I remember it was about 5,000 people I think.

And I was about number 4,000. And the teacher said, I don't know what's going on. No idea what's going on. And there's no explanation. And I remember someone translated something and gave us a copy.

And there was a vow. We're supposed to take a vow that we cannot do sexual misconduct. Which means you cannot have sex with another person's wife or husband. But the translator made a mistake saying you cannot have sex. And I met a guy like 10 years later.

His wife was very upset. Understand? He kept the vow. So, I made a promise to myself if I ever give empowerment, I will clearly tell the student what the hell is going on. And I really believe that.

So, this empowerment in October, I translated the whole empowerment into English and Chinese. I put it together from many ancient sources, including we found the original, the very earliest records of this empowerment, and it was first given by a nun. Inside the empowerment there's a short sadhana. Sadhana means daily thing you can recite. To become that female Buddha.

And it was written by a nun who was a Buddhist. I don't know, almost 2,000 years ago. And that copy is handwritten copy found in Dunhuang. And I don't think anyone has translated it before. How long is it?

Just one? Over 600 pages. The empowerment text is 650 pages. Okay. So, I have an idea.

We will have three days empowerment. I take hammer and hit you on the head for three days. That's what happened to me. Just kidding. For two days before that, I will teach you the whole empowerment in English, translated into many languages.

So, before you sign the contract, you get to read the contract. And there's no problems with your husband or your wife. Because we translated correctly. So, you will get the whole package. So, that's a three day ceremony.

And it's fun, we do many different things. We did in March for a small group, main group in Dragon's Head, branch group in Kyoto. It worked very well. Geshe-la, you sure that Tantra's blessing will go over the internet? Yeah, I tried it, don't worry.

It's fine. Then earlier in the week, two days training for ... we have a small helper's group. Because there's many, many activities, many things you have to do. And each activity is a separate empowerment.

And different kind of ... you can say permission is a translation for empowerment. Personally, I prefer the word transmission. So, empowerment means you have permission to do this thing, this thing, this thing. Including you have permission to give empowerment to other people.

To me, transmission means some kind of blessing that I receive from my teacher are passing on to you. And you can't see it, and you can't buy it, you just get it. I prefer to call it transmission. Because I did get the transmission. Especially touching a diamond.

And I would like to pass it on. Okay. Okay, next picture. Before that. Yeah.

Okay, so I wanted to review ... By the way, I'll review for like 15 minutes. What we studied before. And then I'll take questions for 15 minutes in the first session each day. The first session.

The first session of the two sessions. So, you can start thinking of short questions. I'm happy to answer this. I don't care what question you ask. I can twist it to something useful.

This is what we learned in Geshe.

——— Slide 3 · First of the six, moving beyond tuna fish sandwiches ———

[]

Geshe Michael Roach: Okay, alright. So, I think a good background in the six perfections is a great way to go into transmission. So, the writing here says first of the six. Moving beyond tuna fish sandwiches. So, when I was growing up, maybe Nick, you're the same, I don't know.

I never learned to cook anything. When I was growing up in my home, in my family, until I went to college, I never cooked one thing. Then in my generation, right John? Our parents teach us to open a can of tuna fish. That's how much cooking we know.

Then when I was at Princeton, after the school year finished, the cafeteria is closed. And I have to work. I was working. I was driving truck. So, I will stay for two weeks, drive truck, and eat out of tuna fish can.

Then when I got to Mongol temple, my teacher, he refused to take money. So, he said, don't give me any money, but you have to cook. Then I'm like, we should buy a lot of cans of tuna fish. Then he's like, no, no, no, no. You have to learn how to cook.

I think that was the most difficult thing to become a monk. It was cooking. I cooked for eight years. Three meals a day. I was the worst cook in history.

But, I believe it was important for touching the diamond world. So, I was only with my teacher for about two months before I touched the diamond world. But I was already working really hard to cook for him. I do the gardening. Ellie and me used to shovel the snow.

That was before global warming. There used to be white stuff come out of the sky. Big and deep. And we would shovel for hours. So, I was basically slave.

But I believe that giving first perfection it really helped me to touch the diamond world. Helping your teacher is extremely powerful karma. If you're interested to see emptiness, giving in the sense of giving service to your teacher, there's nothing more powerful. To collect that karma, you have to have a teacher. So, really, to touch the diamond world, I would say you have to serve a teacher.

And obviously, that means you have to find a teacher. And that's a long, long subject. But basically, look for a good person. Sometimes famous person is not a good person. And try to find a good person.

My teacher is like my father. For many years, when I was going to New York to work, I don't want to tell everybody I'm a monk. So, they said, do you have family? Do you have wife? No, I live with my father.

Grumpy old man, that part is correct. So, for many years, they thought I live with my father. So, try to find a good teacher. Should be a good person. They should know what they're talking about.

I'll tell you a funny story. That's my job, okay? I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. We have fruit trees. The economy of Phoenix, Arizona used to be fruit.

Dates and oranges. Then we have every house, my house, we had eight orange trees. We were on a ... close to a busy street. And it's impossible to eat all the oranges, there's too many.

So, the kids have permission to throw them at each other. And we develop a special system there's a big fence and a busy road and the friend will watch over the fence and we will sit behind and he'll say, now! And you throw the orange like that. And then hit the car. Then we hear ...

Then we hear ... And then you go ... And then you go ... Then, the best car to hit number one goal New York or New Jersey. We don't like the New York people.

They always drive black car in Arizona. We throw special oranges for them. Then, when I was trying to find ... I have to come back to America from here. Himalaya.

And I'm trying to find a teacher. Big, big teacher told me, go back with your mom, take care of your mom until she dies. Then, I'm looking for a teacher. Somebody said, the greatest teacher in the world is visiting America in a small Mongol temple in ... New Jersey.

Okay, 100. No guessing, Nick. What's a synonym for New Jersey?

Host: Yeah, yeah, good.

Geshe Michael Roach: I'm pit of America. Why? Why? All the oil that America needs comes to New Jersey by ship. And then they make gasoline at the port.

Newark. And stink very bad like armpit. And if you commute from Mongol temple to New York, you go through the armpit. The nickname is Cancer Alley. If you take the bus through there, you will get cancer.

So, anyway, that was my job. People said, if you want to study with that teacher, you have to leave the beach at Delmar, California and never surf again and live in New Jersey. And you have to make those decisions. I chose a teacher over California beach. And I'm extremely, I feel extremely lucky that I made this choice.

And I was in the New Jersey hell for 25 years. And I'm glad. And it was the right decision to follow my teacher and don't follow the beach. And now I went back to the beach. But you have to make choices sometimes.

I saw many old people on the beach. Looks like they're going to die soon. Sometimes I think that could be me. And I'm glad I chose New Jersey because the teacher was there. And I do believe to stay near your teacher is completely necessary.

That's my opinion. Okay, questions? No questions, I will go take a nap. Hello, grandpa.

Question from the audience: I would like to ask if... Sorry. I would like to ask if I could really become a planet traveler, would everyone in my world not suffer anymore?

Geshe Michael Roach: Jumper. Traveling through all the planets. Does it mean that in my world nobody will suffer after I become the planet traveler? Okay, good question. This is a delicate point.

The jing says, the scripture says, when you touch Diamond World, some people also become bodhisattva at that time. And some people do not. Okay, so in my case, I did become a bodhisattva on the same day. And that was maybe roughly less than half an hour after I come down. And again, I didn't talk about this for how long?

50 years. Rarely to close friends. And there's no way I can prove it to you. And I admit that. But it's true.

For me, that experience was to travel to all the worlds in the universe. And to meet each person directly. And each animal directly. And it's a very, very unusual experience. And you see the person or you see the animal face here.

In my case. And then you ... They always look ... They look as nice as possible. I mean, they are young.

All the frogs you meet are nice young frogs. But they look a little bit worried because they know they have to die. And they know they have to suffer in this life. And you don't talk. But you communicate.

And you are aware of their pain. And you are aware of their fear. And because you just touched emptiness, you know you are close to become Buddha. 490 years. Something like that.

If 70 years is normal. Then you communicate with them. And you are like, don't worry. This is a song. Hang on.

I'm coming. Is there a song? Ow. No. But you communicate without talking that you don't have to be scared.

I'm coming to take care of you. So, that's the experience that you have. And I would say in less than half an hour you meet every living creature in the universe. And there's levels of bodhisattvas before that. There's a thing called sugarcane bodhichitta.

Tastes almost like bodhisattva. But to really help people, all people, all creatures, you must touch diamond world first. Cool. Alright. Thank you.

Host: We have one more. Yeah, okay.

Geshe Michael Roach: He says eight minutes. No? Wrong? Okay, one more question I think.

Question from the audience: My name is Almira. I'm from Kazakhstan.

Geshe Michael Roach: Oh, okay, okay. Alright.

Question from the audience: I congratulate all who are near the teacher today. And my question is how to handle inner loneliness? I have close beloved people. I have the opportunity to buy something I want, but it brings happiness just temporarily. It doesn't fulfill this inner loneliness.

How do I manage this? Thank you.

Geshe Michael Roach: She can buy things, but they don't fulfill her inner loneliness.

Question from the audience: I can buy something. I have close people, but it is not so happiness. What I can do with my inner loneliness?

Geshe Michael Roach: Okay, answer. So, you know, I grew up Christian. And I remember there's a saying, and I love the church. I have a very great church. And I love to go to the church.

And I remember a great teaching in the church. Jesus said, if a person steals your sweater, then contact them. Excuse me, are you the person who stole my sweater? Yeah. Do you also need a coat?

I also have a coat. This is Jesus' philosophy. If people hit you on this cheek, then say, this one also available. You know, and I grew up with that. And to be honest, it seems too much.

It seems too far away. I cannot reach that. But sometimes I will remember. Sometimes if someone hurts me, I will try to give them even more. And the feeling after, if you develop that habit, the feeling is extreme happiness and the opposite of the loneliness that you talked about.

So, if you want to be really happy, keep giving, keep giving. Ridiculous things. You give somebody, I gave somebody a house recently. And they are like, do you have another one? I am like, no, even that one I have to pay for a long time.

But keep trying. Give more and more. And I swear you will be super happy. I am the happiest person I know. Except for my teacher.

Just keep giving. And you will feel deep satisfaction. Someone give you a small lunch, you feel deeply satisfied. See you later.