The Happy Path (Audio and Unedited Transcripts)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Bendigo, Australia 1991 (Archive #877)

Lama Zopa Rinpoche taught on the merely imputed I, the benefits of altruism and compassion, how to transform problems and the five powers, during two evening discourses in Bendigo, Australia, in August, 1991.

Click here to read edited transcripts of these teachings.

The Benefits of Problems

…we got this comfort, living in the comfortable house, so this enjoyment came from, we received this enjoyment by the kindness of so many, numberless beings, including human beings.

Now same thing, food what we eat, this one rice, this one rice came from a field, so the field has to be fertilized, so many times work, there's work done in the field, so there are many ants, many rats, many, many creatures, many sentient beings who also want happiness, who don't want suffering, like us, exactly the same, but so many of them had to die, then many other beings had to kill them have to do negative action of killing them, so after all that then this one rice came. Then came in one's own plate so, so many beings suffered, died for this one rice.

Now this one rice came from another rice and that rice came from another rice so, when we think like this, continuation of the rice, one rice came from another rice, that rice came from another rice, that rice came from another rice, so for each one how much beings they suffered, died and killed. So therefore now, inconceivable numbers so therefore this one rice, there's no way that we can eat this without thinking at all of other sentient beings, without thinking to help these beings who have suffered so much worked for this food, without some thought to make, to do something, to benefit something for them, there's no way that one can eat this one rice, thinking only my happiness. So becomes extremely cruel when you look at, let's say, that oneself, if you look at from their side, that yourself is all those other creatures, people, and then look at back at you, with what motivation you eat the rice, you eat this food. Then eat only thinking of my happiness so then you can see how that is so upsetting so cruel or so selfish or so upsetting. So, like that.

So like this, same thing, even we drink one cup of water, tea so there are many insects that we can see only through machines, so there are many, so again so many have to die, have to suffer so this enjoyment, a cup of tea, this food, one plate of rice, one bowl of soup, so this came from so many beings suffered and died and other beings had to kill, so then that's how we got this enjoyment, this comfort, by eating this. So all this enjoyment, comfort we receive by the kindness of other living beings. Without them, we cannot get this comfort, enjoyment.

Same thing with the dress. So again so many beings, they died, suffered if you think of the evolution of the cloth, from where the cloth came, so many cloths came from animals, like silk and so forth. So so many suffered, died and killed so by doing negative actions, the killing them, so then that's how then finally this cloth came, that's how one got the comfort keeping warm, comfortable, and which keeps healthy. So therefore every single enjoyment, comfort that we have, from morning until night in day-to-day life, twenty-four hours, everything came by depending on the kindness of other living beings. Not just comfortably came, it's by numberless of them suffered, died, killed. So therefore no way that, how dare we can live without generating compassion, without some thought to make this life beneficial at least those beings from whom we received all this comfort, who gave all this comfort, enjoyment, so there's no way to live our life even one day only with the thought of cherishing oneself.

So therefore now you can how incredibly importance of generating compassion for other sentient beings and now, because the happiness of, the individual person's happiness comes from the good heart, as I just mentioned before when we change the attitude from the self-cherishing thought, when we change the attitude how incredible joy there is in the life, all of a sudden you find happiness while you are walking in the road the same place.

So, like this, if one has compassion there is so much happiness in one's own life, harmony in the relationship, it brings so much success. So the person who has good heart even the person doesn't cling, doesn't look for reputation, other people to recommend how you are good and this and that even one doesn't look for that, if one has good heart, compassion the reputation it comes naturally, without effort it comes and this reputation is very safe, it's not the reputation that, one become very wealthy, become very famous by wealth, then after some time, then find that person the way of obtaining wealth is completely wrong, by cheating others or by harming others. Then after some time the person become completely black, after many years of reputation then this person becomes completely black. So now here the developing compassion even the reputation comes naturally and this is very safe reputation to become famous.

Then by having good heart, even one is at the family, everybody loves that person, then even one go outside, other people like, there are many people who like oneself and wherever one travel there's always people who become friend to you, you find so many friends, very easily other people become friend, they can see your home, they can see your good personality or warm heart, good vibration, they can see that you are reliable person they can see immediately you are warm-hearted person, reliable person, so anybody, people find very easy to rely upon you, so all these are benefits of compassion, the good heart. So life is easy, so this way everybody helps to oneself especially when one is sick or when one needs help, the people are so happy to help.

Now the person who has very strong selfish mind because of that then very impatient very strong anger, because of the very strong selfish thought then very strong anger rises because of that, becomes very impatient and also very strong attachment, that, very dissatisfied mind. So there are many, then very easy to rise jealous mind, pride, so all these other disturbing thoughts rise very easily and very strong and then doesn't get along with other people, very difficult to get along with other people and doesn't get along in the family, doesn't get along even outside, so wherever one travels many enemies, everywhere one makes enemies, rather than becoming friend, so after one day, after one hour the other people become enemy. So however even one wishes, even one is asking for help everybody they complain that person how this person is bad, selfish and this and that, so everybody they talk to not help they don't like to help.

So the person who has good heart, warm heart, compassion, caring others, even you don't want help, even you don't ask for help, the people wherever one go, people come to ask whether you need help. So however success comes naturally like this, so wherever one go, wherever one live, so whether one live alone or with people, with anybody, there's always happiness and so even one doesn't have comfortable, rich house, even one lives in the huts built with grass or something, very simple, even one doesn't have, what one drink is only water or something, very simple food, but there's much happiness in the life.

So compassion is the source of happiness in the individual person's life, the compassion is the source of happiness for the family, the compassion is the source of happiness in society, the compassion is the source of happiness in the country, compassion is the source of happiness of all living beings, so therefore that's why the compassion becomes so precious.

Then by having problems so it helps to develop compassion then compassion for others who have problems and then, by having problem it destroys the pride, arrogance. So pride is one problem, one obstacle to develop our qualities, the most important quality to develop our education, the most important education, to develop our inner good quality of our mind to develop our mind, so this is big obstacle, pride. Having pride is a mistake so therefore, it's obstacle, so this destroys the arrogance, pride.

And then so having problems makes to be careful, to be cautious in creating the cause of the problems thinking in the wrong way, negative thoughts and negative actions, which brings problems, so one becomes careful in this and then one is very happy to transform the mind into positive attitude, positive way of thinking and positive actions the cause of happiness, so one is very happy to transform the mind and actions in the positive, which is the cause of happiness. Then, so there are many others, the benefits of the problems, it makes, then you study the cause of the problem and the method and therefore it helps to develop wisdom. So besides this, there are many other benefits that I'm not going to go over this, that how it is so helpful to develop one's own realizations or the good quality of the mind. For example like this, so if one has disease, then such as this problem, then one can use the disease to purify the cause of the disease, so there is a meditation, meditation is a psychological way of thinking to purify the cause of disease the disease can be used as a broom to, as a vacuum to clean the garbage, same, you can use the disease to clean the cause of disease, you can use as a vacuum. Then the problems, so it is said in the teachings, that disease is a broom purifying the obscurations, the negative actions, obscurations, the cause of the disease.

Then the sufferings, the problems is the manifestation of the ultimate truth. So the problems, disease, whatever, relationship problem or whatever, the problem makes, it helps you to meditate, to realize the ultimate nature of the problem, because the problem is manifestation of the emptiness, the ultimate truth. So, [pause] so like this, how the problems are the manifestations of the ultimate truth for example the AIDS the disease, AIDS. So when this, when there's the virus or when there's cells there's no capacity, degenerated, the power or the capacity to protect you, to keep away the disease, so, I'm not I don't know the details about it, but so there is something there, some change in the cells that degenerated the power which protects you away from the disease. However so first of all the AIDS is not suddenly that hundreds of people, doctors or scientists suddenly all together labeled AIDS, it's not that. Whoever it is, first time, whoever it the doctor who discovered this, somebody made up this label, AIDS, at the very first. So however had discovered this thing there, change in the cells or this degenerated, no power to protect from, keep the disease away this reason or this particular change there, so first one person, doctor or whoever it is, one person made up this label, saw this change and then made up this label, AIDS. it's an idea, it's a name, AIDS is a name made up, the person made it up this label so then this person who is educated, who is respected by others, then other people followed that person's idea the label that this person created up. So then everyone has been using this label, to that change of the cells then everyone has been using the label, AIDS. It's an idea, the concept.

So, now you can see, there is no AIDS came from its own side, without mind labeling AIDS, without doctors or scientists, whatever without, specially the first person who, like for example Bendigo. There's one person made up the idea, made up the label Bendigo depending on this valley or this city, then place, then when, as soon as this earth is evolved, at the same time Bendigo came into existence, that's not the way of existing Bendigo. As soon as this earth happened [snaps fingers] immediately Bendigo that did not happen. Bendigo happened much later, so much later. Is it Aboriginal name or white people? 1850, so anyway, Ian says Bendigo was labeled in 1850.

So anyway, Bendigo much later, 1850, somebody made up the label Bendigo, so it's just an idea. So Bendigo came from the mind of the person who made up the label, so there is no real Bendigo existing from its own side. There's no inherently existent Bendigo independent Bendigo, inherently existent Bendigo, which means Bendigo existing without depending on this place and the person's mind, without depending on those two, there's a real Bendigo existing from its own side, independent one, that is not true, that doesn't exist, that is not the way Bendigo exists. The way Bendigo exists is by depending on this place and the person who labeled Bendigo, depending on those two then Bendigo came into existence. So Bendigo is empty of inherent existence, Bendigo is empty of existing from its own side. So that is the ultimate nature of Bendigo, that is the reality of Bendigo. Bendigo that which is empty of existing from its own side.

So now we talk about, now we go back to the AIDS. So so you can see first one person merely labeled, by seeing this change in the body then that person made up the label, AIDS. So just made up the concept or idea AIDS, so it's just an idea, a concept. So person made this label and then believed in that, person made his or her own idea and then believed in that, so that's all what it is, what the AIDS is. So you can see now, similar, the independent Bendigo, Bendigo something real one from its own side, that's not true, that doesn't exist, that is empty. Similar, the AIDS what appears to us when we talk about AIDS, when we hear, when we think what appears to us is something real one from its own side, something true, something real AIDS from its own side unlabeled by the, nothing to do with the mind unlabeled by mind, independent. So appears to us like this and we believe in that, so that is, all that is not true, all that is completely false, all that is completely empty, right there, all that is completely empty just there, it doesn't exist right there. So this is the, there's no AIDS from its own side, so this is the emptiness, this is the ultimate nature of the AIDS, this is the reality of the AIDS. There is no AIDS from its own side, that is completely empty.

So, empty, it's completely empty, what it is, it is nothing other than what is merely imputed by the mind, by the doctor's mind, by the patient's mind what is merely imputed by the patient's mind, by the doctor's mind. So now you can see, the AIDS is empty, the AIDS is unified of emptiness, empty of existing from its own side and existing by depending on that change in the cells, losing the power, that, and the mind of the doctor or the patients who labels, who makes up this idea, this label, AIDS. So, the AIDS is empty existing from its own side, empty of independence and dependent arising, empty but existing by depending on that particular change of the body and the mind which labels. So you can see now AIDS is a manifestation of emptiness, AIDS is a manifestation of the ultimate truth.

So now here I'm using the example AIDS, ultimate nature of the AIDS, what really AIDS is, what really it is describing the change in the body, that alone is not full explanation of what AIDS is that itself what is normally explained, the change in the body, that alone is not full explanation of AIDS that doesn't explain what really AIDS is, doesn't explain. The reality of the AIDS. So, the reality is it is nothing other than what is merely labeled by the mind, so this is the full explanation if somebody asks, What is the I? So same answer, so what is the I, so you just change from the AIDS to the I, then you analyze in the same way as AIDS so, the same answer it's the same explanation, just change the name from AIDS to I, the self. So the I is nothing, the I, the self, is nothing other than what is merely imputed by the mind. So so that is full explanation of what is the I, now here this is full explanation of what really it is the AIDS.

So therefore now you can see, this is the, the AIDS is a manifestation of emptiness, so same thing the problem is a manifestation of emptiness. So the problem makes you to analyze, to meditate, what really it is, to see the truth, the very reality what really it is, it makes to meditate, to see. So in this way so normally the way we think is completely wrong, AIDS something nothing to do with your mind uncreated by the mind, that something which is not labeled by the mind something real one, something real true one from its own side, independent, so that is completely false, that appearance is completely false, that is completely empty. So therefore the belief in that is completely false view.

So even by thinking this, by meditating the reality of the AIDS, this problem, even by meditating this, immediately it cuts down the psychological problem all this big fear and worry as if there's something real problem there, something true, something real from its own side so immediately it makes to see that is completely empty doesn't exist. So it cuts down all the psychological worry, fear all that part hallucination it cuts down it cuts. And then meditating in the ultimate nature of the problem, like AIDS, cancer or whatever it is like this, any problem, meditating in that nature, it's a very, very powerful meditation that it cures, it removes, it purifies the mind, the cause of AIDS, cause of cancer, cause of any problem, it affects the root, that which is in the mind, that which is the mind, that the wrong conception, the ignorance not knowing the ultimate nature of the AIDS, ultimate nature of I, ultimate nature of things, not seeing the real truth of things, that mind which is hallucinated of everything.

So, this is the root of all these problems, so meditating in the ultimate nature of the problems and so forth, so it completely heals, completely eliminates the very root of problems that which is in the mind, completely eradicates. So this is regarded one most powerful meditation.

[recording ends]

If one can do this meditation this is really very powerful, quick way of healing, of healing even the disease. Then it stops immediately you can see there's, through this meditation you can see immediately the problem is stopped the problem that you think so serious, immediately you see false, so like that.

And then there are many other benefits of problems, so by knowing all the benefits of problems then when you reflect, when you think of benefits of problems then then you start to establish thought of like…

 

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