So the others who are numberless, their happiness dependent upon one's own attitude, the compassion, so therefore, so all the sentient beings generating compassion towards to oneself and oneself generating compassion towards all other sentient beings, which becomes more important or which becomes more useful is that, others having compassion towards oneself is one person, but yourself generating compassion towards others, the object is numberless. But you the one person whom you generate compassion is numberless, so, by this reason, first who should practice compassion, the others should practice compassion first or oneself should practice compassion first? So, oneself should practice compassion, you see, whether the other person practice compassion or not, first oneself should practice compassion, first oneself should begin the practice, compassion. So as I mentioned before the reason is because. So if oneself, the one person, generate compassion, that for how many the benefits are numberless, and if not, then for how many others that one become dangerous, one can harm, is numberless. So because of that reason, even the others doesn't practice compassion, but first, so who should begin the practice first? So first one should begin, oneself should begin the practice first whether the other person practices or not. So that's one conclusion.

So usually we say that Oh, he or she doesn't practice, why should I? Or he or she doesn't, so why should I? So that's common. But that is the philosophy, the other person, he or she, doesn't practice, so why should I practice? That is not coming from the wisdom, that is not the philosophy of wisdom, Dharma wisdom, that is the argument or the philosophy from the self- cherishing thought. The argument from the ego. So, this argument is not concerned well even one's own peace of mind or happiness, it's not concerned even one's own profit, in the case of karma, in the case of one's own attitude, negative, then actions are negative, then that brings result, problems to oneself. So it's not having thought well, one is thinking profit, it meant to be thinking some profit for oneself, so other person not doing it so why should I do? doesn't practice, so why should I do? That is argument according to ego. It meant to be kind of something, a profit for self, but actually in the reality it's a loss, because the ego's interpretation, the ego's way of thinking, with the philosophy, ego doesn't want to be hurt to ego, ego doesn't want to hurt the ego. For example, so it's the same, like that. So, the ego cannot accept that, according to ego, self-cherishing thought, the interpretation, according to the ego's definition of profit is to cause others to lose, according to the ego's definition of profit is for oneself in order to be happy, others suffering, others have to suffer in order to make oneself happy. Other have to lose, give the loss, the defeat, to others and take the profit, victory to oneself, so actually that's according to ego.

But in reality, according to the wisdom, that which knows, that which thinks the correct evolution of happiness and the correct evolution of problems, according to wisdom, in order to obtain happiness for self, letting others to suffer, giving the defeat, loss, to others and taking the profit oneself, so that is, according to the reality or according to the wisdom, Dharma wisdom, which knows what is right and what is wrong, which knows the evolution of happiness and the evolution of the suffering, that which has to come from one's own mind, the non-virtuous thought and action then that comes suffering, and positive thought, the virtuous thought or virtuous action, then happiness rises. So according to the wisdom that which knows what is right and what is wrong, which knows the reality, then according to this, it's a loss. Giving the defeat to others, the loss, and taking the victory for oneself, so in reality, giving the, the bad one giving to others and the good one taking on oneself, so according to Dharma wisdom, that is the loss. Because this means you are creating the cause, your loss, why loss? Why? Because in reality you are creating the cause to experience the result, problem, loss, for many, so much unsuccess this life and so much unsuccess thousands of years, thousands of lifetimes to experience unsuccess, to receive the defeat on oneself, the loss, unsuccess. So one is creating the cause for many thousands of lifetimes to have unsuccess, defeat.

So, the ego thinks only now, what the ego is concerned is only now, concerned only oneself, only one's own happiness, even that now, even that short time, very short time gain, but however, even one wishes, the way the ego does is, even it wishes many future lives to have, I mean what the ego wishes is only happiness for self, no loss, only profit for self, only happiness for self, only profit, this is what the ego wants but the ego is not skillful, the method what the ego uses to have success for self, to get profit, then is wrong, wrong method, defeating others, causing others to have unsuccess, giving the loss to others and taking the profit, the victory to oneself, kind of childish, it's like, what the ego does is, like this, it's meant to be taking medicine but in action, in the practice what one took is the poison, so like that. But this wish and aim is taking medicine to have always happiness, even though that is the wish but the method is wrong, in the method, in the action, one took the poison, with the wish and with the aim to benefit, but in reality, the result of that is completely opposite, contradictory to the aim and to the wish. The result of that is only loss. So thousands of lifetimes only makes to experience loss or unsuccess.

So however, so Dharma wisdom of the altruism, cherishing others, then offers the victory, gives the good things to others and if one has to choose, then offer the good one to others, then take the poor quality or the, however, the bad one, on oneself. So in this way, then, even while one is in samsara, this circling, the aggregates, this association of body and mind, this circling aggregates, while one is in this samsara, from this one action, offering the victory to others, then taking the loss upon oneself, then many, by doing, from this one karma, from this one positive action, then many thousands of lifetimes then one is able to enjoy the result, having success, the victory. So this one time giving the victory to others, taking the loss upon oneself, if one has to choose, then either give the bad one, the poor quality or bad one to others and take the bad one on oneself, so if there's choice then if one has to choose one or the other, then giving the good one to others, taking the poor quality or the bad one to oneself, so from this one positive action [snaps fingers], at the moment taking loss on oneself but that is actually gaining, that is actually taking profit in reality, because why? Many thousands of lives you will enjoy the result of success from that, by causing others to have success now, giving profit to others now, then many thousands of lives one will have profit.

So however, so part of the compassion, so therefore, so who should practice compassion first, so whether others practice or not, first one should practice compassion. So, like that.

So then, now the upsetness eliminates the arrogance, the pride, one the benefits of the problems that is it destroys the pride. There's also a saying, If somebody praises to oneself, then that makes, causes to rise greater pride, lifting up mind? Anyway, [pause] the thought of high, that you are high, [Sonam: Inflated, like a balloon.] inflated, yeah. [Kate: If the head swells with pride, then you can't walk in the door, because you're so blown up.] What did you say, flattering? Inflated? Yeah, that's right. The thought of inflated, inflated thought, maybe. Inflating or what?

So if one, the Kadampas, the great meditators, who attempt, who practiced the graduated path to enlightenment and who had experiences of the path, that, these are particular practitioners that any teachings of Buddha, any words from that, any words that you see, everything appears for them, whether it's text of Lesser Vehicle path or then the higher level teaching, the lower level teaching the Lesser Vehicle path or higher level teaching, Paramitayana, then even the highest, the tantra, highest level of teaching, taught by Buddha, tantra, so anything, so any teaching taught by Buddha or any words from that, everything appears for them as instruction for oneself to achieve enlightenment.

So, these meditators, the lineage lamas of this path, graduated path to enlightenment, those who achieved the whole path, who preserved the Kadampa tradition, that passed through the great pandit, great yogi, pandit, called Lama Atisha, who was invited from India, Nalanda, where there was the largest university, where there are fully distinguished, highly realized, highly attained, many yogis, so many hundreds, so Lama Atisha was invited from this largest monastery from India, by one of the Dharma kings in Tibet to re-establish Buddhism in Tibet when there happened corruptions, due to some, some people came from India, called pandits but they spread wrong practice or misconceptions, things like that, so there happened corruption in regards the practice in Tibet, that the people, these two aspects of teaching called tantra and, the high level of teaching, tantra, then the fundamental teaching, the sutra, so that time people found contradictory, if one practiced this then one cannot, they regarded as one cannot practice either sutra, if one practice sutra, one cannot practice tantra. So during that time in Tibet, people regarded as like hot and cold, that one person cannot practice both.

So however, a lot of misconceptions happened, so the king couldn't stand the degeneration so then invited this Lama Atisha in Tibet to re-establish, to make the Dharma pure, to re- establish. So the religious king, I think maybe Srongsten Gampo, I don't remember a hundred percent the name, so he invited twice. First time didn't get to invite, Lama Atisha unable to invite. Then, second time, the king tried to invite. So the king went to look for gold, upper place of Tibet, I think maybe near Nepal, somewhere, went to look for gold to make offering to Lama Atisha. So he went to look for gold. Then he was captured by one irreligious king, somewhere near, either in Nepal or upper place of Tibet somewhere.

And then the king's nephew discussed to this irreligious king that I will give you all this gold, so the gold piled up, so it comes up to the neck, so to free the king from the prison, so the irreligious king said that in order to free him I need even the size of the head. Then the nephew informed to the king, who was in prison. So the king said, so the king told to his nephew that please don't offer even one handful of gold to this irreligious king. Don't offer anything, that I will die in the prison, that I will give up my life in order to invite this great holy being Lama Atisha in Tibet to re-establish, to make the Dharma pure, to make the teaching pure. So, to invite him and to spread Dharma, so for the sake of the teachings then I will give up my life in prison.

Then the king gave message to, sent message through one Tibetan translator, who was sent by king to invite Lama Atisha, that please tell this to Lama Atisha that, so I came to look for gold to invite you to re-establish pure Dharma, pure teaching in Tibet, so I was captured by this irreligious king and now here I will give up my life for the teachings, for the sentient beings, so please guide in all the lives, to be able to meet in next lives, to be able to meet Lama Atisha in next lives.

So however, then Lama Atisha came in Tibet and then the teachings that handed down from Lama Atisha, so it's called Kadampa tradition.

So these Kadampa meditators they said that, this is their practice or their thought transformation, If one praises, it causes the inflated mind, the greater pride rises. If one criticizes, destroys straight away one's own mistakes.

So, in order to protect one's own mind, the praise, when somebody praises to oneself, in order to not become problem, to not become emotional problem, to not become life ups and downs, so when praises, then life goes up, then little bit later when somebody criticizes then again goes down. So however, to have stability of mind or stability of life. To have continual peace in the heart, however, the praise to not become obstacle to actualize the realizations of the path within one's mind. So that when somebody praises, you remember the shortcomings of the praise, the problems, the obstacles what it does, causing to develop, to rise problem, to develop problem, which becomes obstacle for attainment, to develop the mind.

So when there's praise, if you look at the problem that praise creates, one experiences from the praise, so if one look at the praise shortcoming, then there's no attachment, there's no clinging in the praise. Even you are hearing the praise but there's no attachment, clinging, so there's continual peace in the heart and it cannot interfere to attain the path.

So anyway, it is mentioned by Kadampa geshes that [Lenny: Rinpoche, if you offer somebody something like praise, but praise without -] Yeah, your offering praise to others is okay. So, that's a good one, to anybody, enlightened beings or sentient beings, to anybody. Even the most beneficial one is to praise the enemy, beneficial to one's own mind, to develop one's own mind, so that's regarded most powerful one. It's completely opposite to the ego, to praise to enemy, somebody whom you don't like, to praise that person. [Lenny: It could also be strategy.] What's that? [Lenny: Strategy, to confound them, to trick them, to get advantage of them.] What! [Sonam: To trick them into not be very careful so then you can attack them again.] Alle! No, that depends on your motivation. How you are doing it!

Sometimes, yeah, His Holiness used to say when he talks about the ten non-virtuous actions, the harshly speaking, there are four negative actions of speech, harshly speaking, His Holiness used to give the example, you speak very sweet but actually it's, outer looks very sweet, but actually it's other thing, so what His Holiness is saying is the same. As long as it hurt the person, whether it looks sweet or not. No what you are saying, I just remembered that, I'm just saying. But that depends on the motivation.

But the praise, when we praise sentient beings and specially enemy, we should do by remembering the kindness, you can do the praise because that is, when you praise the enemy, in some ways, you are offering the victory to the enemy and you are taking the loss, you are praising the enemy in front of other people, how good she is or he is, so actually, ego, one's own ego, ego doesn't like that, so, it becomes remedy to the ego…