One must practice with the bodhisattva attitude every day. People can't see your mind, what people see is a manifestation of your attitude in your actions of body and speech. Pay attention to your attitude all the time, guard it as if you are the police, or like a maid cares for a child, like a bodyguard, or like you are the guru and your mind is your disciple.
You need to guard your attitude all the time, 24 hours a day. Doing whatever your mind says is very dangerous—even small problems can lead to suicide when emotions are involved. When we think, “This is what I feel, so I can do anything” it's usually what our delusions want, not what the bodhisattva wants. This leads to long-term harm.
Humility is important. Humility comes naturally if you are kind and forgive others. Also, you should rejoice when good things come to others. These are practical, good qualities for anyone in the world who wants to have a happy life. The point is to be humble, but when there's a need to clarify, to say something, you need to be able to say it.
A Dharma center or an office is a place for Dharma practice. When one goes to the office, dealing with people, one has to recognize that it's a place to practice lam-rim, the Three Principles of the Path, tantra, and the six paramitas. The six paramitas fit very well with daily life—they offer you protection. Everything is there.
If one doesn't put effort into this, then problems arise. Without this, things won't succeed, won't be smooth, and people won't support you. If people are happy, they will support you.
We have meetings in the FPMT, but that isn't enough. We have to really put it into practice at work, when we go back. At FPMT meetings all the nice advice is there, but when you go back to work, if you don't practice, all the problems come up again.
Think of home and office as practice. It’s a wonderful practice, a great challenge. Before you go to the office think, “I'm going to practice Dharma: the Three Principles of the Path, the six paramitas.” The office is a place for tantric practice—see everyone as the deity. Everything is in the nature of bliss. Nothing is boring or upsetting.
Don't get disturbed if you hear problems—our ears are made to hear problems. Hearing problems are like wearing earrings; they are different decorations for the ears.
Regarding the question about the confusion that arises when trying to see and accept everything in Dharmic terms and yet wanting to change negative things, you have to clarify this. If you don't, then the center/office can't develop. Be humble, but don't be dumb, otherwise you can't make the work better. Try to explain things within your practice, the lam-rim, then the mind doesn't become negative, and things go better, smoother. Think how all sentient beings are so kind, have all been our mothers, and shown us such great kindness, then respect comes. Think that Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha come from this person, all happiness in life comes from this person, he or she is so precious, then respect comes. Think that this person is cherished the most by numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas, like a beloved child; this person is like their heart. Then you dare not say any bad words to that person, you offer service, you offer as much comfort as possible, and you never dare to harm or hurt him or her.
We need wisdom to discriminate what needs to be said and not to be said and when is the right time. This depends on analysis. It's not easy because we don't have clairvoyance. Bodhisattvas say we need clairvoyance in order to benefit sentient beings. Even without omniscient mind, clairvoyance, it is our responsibility to use our intelligence to do as best as we can.
Try your best. It might not be perfect. We can't succeed every time, but sometimes we can.
