... I'm just joking, but anyway... how many lifetimes it takes... when I can achieve enlightenment, how quickly I can achieve enlightenment, the whole question is dependent on individual practice. How much one is able to do, able to practice accumulating merit, how much, and the practice of purification and the training the mind in the path. How much one is able to do. Depending on that, if that is little, if that's not continual, if that's very weak, the practice of accumulating merit, making purification and training the mind in the path, if that is weak, then if that is not continual, then it takes that much time to receive enlightenment. How much the person is able to do, how much the person is able to continue, dependent on that, enlightenment is that much close, his mind is that much closer to enlightenment.

So if one wishes to achieve enlightenment rapidly, without taking much time, what is the best method, what is the best solution, best method? What one should do? The best method that is to put the whole effort, completely concentrate to the bodhicitta. Put the whole effort to train the mind in bodhicitta. If one practices well bodhicitta, one achieves enlightenment that much quicker. As one practices well, bodhicitta, if one is able to generate bodhicitta quickly one can achieve enlightenment quicker.

If one has generated bodhicitta, of course, no question. Even if one has not generated bodhicitta, even with just the effortful bodhicitta, the motivation of bodhicitta, besides the action of breathing that one can accumulate infinite merit, that one can make, that one is able to, that one can purify unimaginable obscurations in such a short time.

Even when you clean the room, with just the motivation of bodhicitta alone, thinking: I'm purifying the sufferings, the cause of the sufferings, unsubdued mind and karma of the sentient beings, visualizing the garbage and dirt, whatever you are cleaning, in that essence. Even just removing the garbage, the brooms, even just one action of moving it, with the motivation of bodhicitta, in that short time one accumulates infinite merit and one purifies unimaginable obscurations, the negative karmas.

Even one makes charity, one single rice, one grain of rice, to an ant with the motivation of bodhicitta, thinking to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings, if you make charity one small grain of rice to the ant, again in that short time, one has accumulated infinite merit, cause to achieve enlightenment.

As the number of atoms, the sand grains of the Pacific Ocean, that much number of Buddhas one make offering, that much number of universe as the number of the sand grains, that much number of universe filled with all precious jewels and make offering to that much number of Buddhas, for that much number of eons, eons which equals to the number of the sand grains of the ocean, one making offering. What you offer is numberless universes full of jewels, equal in number to the sand grains, what you offer is that, whom you offer is Buddha. The number which equals the sand grains of the ocean. That much number of eons. But still, the merit that you make charity one single, one tiny rice to one sentient being, ant, the benefits of making charity of one tiny rice can never compare the making offering the numberless universes filled with jewels to incredible number of Buddhas who equal the number of sand grains of the ocean, that merit is so little according to the merit giving that charity one single rice to the ant. The merit what one has received by making charity of one single rice to the ant is infinite. Because the person makes charity with the motivation to benefit all sentient beings, for each of the sentient beings, so the number of the sentient beings is uncountable. So, as he motivated for the benefit of each of the sentient beings, so therefore that's how he accumulates by doing the charity, even though to object one sentient being, one tiny rice, one grain. But why he is able to accumulate infinite merit is because of the numberless sentient beings.

It is said in the sutra teachings, one person making offering of universe filled with jewels which equals the number of sand grains of the ocean to the Buddhas, which equals the number of the sand grains of the ocean, and the person who simply puts palms together like this, motivating, "I'm going to generate bodhicitta for the benefit of all sentient beings," simply thinking like this and person who makes that much universe full of jewels, making offering to that much number of Buddhas, that merit is so little according to the merit that one has accumulated by simply thinking that I'm going to generate bodhicitta for the benefit of all sentient beings and putting palms together like this. This merit can never compare to the other merit, the making that much offering to that much number of Buddhas.

So when one makes determination that I'm going to generate bodhicitta for the benefit of all sentient beings, just in that moment, right in that second, one has accumulated infinite merit which equals infinite space. Right in that short time one has done, one has purified unimaginable obscurations. So even if one hasn't generated bodhicitta there are incredible benefits. So no question if one has actually generated the realization of the bodhicitta. Even with the motivation bodhicitta alone, one can make this life, one can make this precious human body, the perfect human body, can make highly meaningful even in such a short time while one is cleaning the house, while one is cooking, while one is talking, while one is working, while one is walking, eating, drinking, each action that one can make highly meaningful, beneficial for oneself to all the sentient beings. That one transforms all the actions, every single action, oneself to receive enlightenment and all the sentient beings to obtain happiness, to achieve enlightenment. Each single action becomes cause of the happiness of the sentient beings. So even with the motivation alone one can make actions highly meaningful like this, for oneself and for all the sentient beings. So no question if one has actual bodhicitta generated. Every single breathing action becomes cause to achieve enlightenment, always becomes cause to benefit the sentient beings.

So even one wonders, what's the best method to make purification, again, the answer is the best method that is to train the mind in bodhicitta. Even one wishes to accumulate extensive merit quickly, if one wonders what's the best method, again the answer is the best method is bodhicitta, to practice bodhicitta. With the practice of bodhicitta, in one day, one hour, one minute, even one second, one can make the precious human body highly meaningful, beneficial for all the sentient beings. Not only beneficial to obtain happiness for oneself, beneficial to obtain happiness for all sentient beings.

Actions done, work that is done without the motivation to obtain happiness for the future lives, without motivation to achieve the nirvana, the release from samsara, without the motivation to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of the sentient beings, the works, activities, that which are done only for the happiness of this life, only with attachment clinging to the happiness of this life. All those works which are done only for the happiness of this life, only for the sake of this life, all those works are non-virtue because the motivation, all those actions are non-virtue. How? The motivation, the thought of these actions is non-virtue. It is attachment clinging to the happiness of this life. So because of that, action done with that thought, that unsubdued mind, the non-virtue. And also it has only suffering result, so the action, those activities are non-virtue, meaningless work.

So, only concerned of this life, concerned of only this life and working only for the sake of this life, that is not, nothing special quality of a human being, because even the creatures, the animal, the flies, the worms crawling on the ground, the ants which run up and down, which keep so busy, the fish which keep so busy in the water, the birds who keep so busy flying around in the space, they all have this thought, thought of this life, wishing: if I can be happy, if this life can be happy. The thought of happiness, they have in the depth of their hearts, all the time, constantly what they think, what they concentrate, this life to be happy. How can I make this life happy? The happiness of this life is the main, that's the only goal. Kept in the depth of their heart. So they always have the thought wishing, how can I be happy? Always. Then attempting for that. So the creatures who are crawling on the ground, who are keeping so busy, the animals, birds who are keeping so busy flying around, all those are, they keep busy with the thought of happiness of this life. Inside the very depth of their heart. Then they go back and forth and they keep so busy. They try to go seek the means of living. So therefore only being concerned of the happiness of this life, only working for the happiness of this life, this is nothing special quality of human beings.

Making preparations for the happiness of future life, attempting to achieve ultimate happiness, nirvana, the enlightenment, the creatures, the animals, they don't have this thought. To make preparation, to obtain happiness for future life, they don't have this thought. Having the thought, not so much concerned about the happiness of this life, more concerned about the happiness of the future life, then creating the cause of the happiness of future life, specially attempting to achieve ultimate happiness, those are qualities of a human being. Those works, any work that is done, any activity, any action that is done by thinking for the happiness of beyond this life, all those actions are the meaning of the human life.

So therefore, by understanding what is the meaningless work, what is the meaningful work, what kind of motivation makes the action meaningless, what kind of motivation, thought, makes the action meaningful. The conclusion, any action that is done, any action of bodhicitta mind that is done with the thought, with the attachment clinging to the happiness to this life those are non-virtue, cause of suffering, confusion. Any action that are done which are not possessed by the attachment clinging to the happiness of this life, those are Dharma. Those actions of body, speech and mind, any action that we do in our daily life which are not possessed by attachment clinging to the happiness of this life, all those are Dharma, those are cause of happiness, those are virtue. And those are meaningful actions. The other ones are meaningless actions.

So by understanding the definitions of these, it is extremely important the precious human body with is qualified with eight freedoms, ten richnesses, with this we can achieve the three great meanings. Without wasting this perfect human body and can make it, as there is a possibility to achieve these three great meanings, utilize this. Make it meaningful, to achieve the happiness of the future life, the life beyond from this and make it useful to achieve the ultimate happiness. Try to make it meaningful even an hour, a minute, second without wasting it, by understanding that one can achieve great meaning even in such a short time. By understanding these things, do not waste the highly meaningful precious human body.

The precious jewel which grants all the wishes, by recognizing it, the jewel that you have found, that you have in your hand, by recognizing the value of that, that it grants all the wishes, use it, if you pray to that, if you use it, that it can grant all the wishes. The precious wish-granting jewel that you have found in your hand without throwing that in the garbage. By recognizing the value of that, then use it to receive all the wishes, to fulfill all one's own wishes.

This precious human body is much more precious, no way to compare the value of this and the value of the wish-granting jewel, even one universe full of jewels, full of wish-granting jewels, even if one possessed that much, even if one possessed the universe full of wish-granting jewels, that alone cannot help. Cannot stop taking rebirth in the realm of the suffering transmigratory beings. That alone cannot help oneself to be free from samsara, from the suffering realm. That alone cannot help to receive enlightenment, to be free from binding oneself to the blissful state of peace. That alone cannot help, cannot benefit. But this precious human body which is qualified of eight freedoms and ten richnesses, can save oneself from the rebirth of the suffering transmigratory being and can benefit, with this one can be free from samsara, with this one can achieve enlightenment by, without oneself being bound to the blissful state of peace.

However, the greatest meaning of the human life is to train the mind in the bodhicitta, the loving compassionate precious thought for enlightenment. In order to receive bodhicitta, in order to generate bodhicitta, what one should do? What preparation one should do, in the mind? One should generate the mind that renounces samsara, one should generate the realization, mind that renounces samsara. In order to generate the realization, the mind that renounces samsara, one must realize how the samsara is in the nature of suffering. One must realize the shortcomings of samsara and then in order to be free, to be liberated from samsara one must recognize the cause of samsara and one must cut off the root of samsara, the root of the suffering, the unsubdued mind and the karma. Within the unsubdued mind, the very root of the whole suffering, the ignorance believing the true existence, this one must cut off. One must cut off this. One must eradicate completely.

As the highly realized Lama Tsongkhapa, who is the manifestation of the Buddha of Wisdom, Manjushri, as he said in his teachings, "If one does not reflect well the suffering of samsara, the perfect thought of seeking liberation doesn't arise. If one does not reflect the evolution of samsara, there is no way to know how to cut the root of samsara the sufferings." Like this, it is extremely important to know these important points.

So I think I will stop here.

[Dedications]