Rinpoche's Online Advice Book: Respect, Kindness and Compassion for Others

Rinpoche's Online Advice Book: Respect, Kindness and Compassion for Others

Date of Advice:
January 2023
Date Posted:
October 2024

Rinpoche advised how to attract more people and volunteers to the Dharma center.

Artwork by Lama Zopa Rinpoche

My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling ones,

Thank you for your kind letter and offering. I am sorry there wasn’t time to meet in Bodhgaya.

Regarding how to bring more people and volunteers to the center, the first thing is that your motivation should be exalted, having bodhicitta, being totally dedicated to achieve enlightenment for sentient beings. Think, “We must achieve enlightenment, therefore we are working for the center to benefit sentient beings.”

When people come, you must show respect. Physically respect others and be kind to them. Your speech must always be respectful, sweet, admiring, praising others. You need to be respectfully kind, with a mind in compassion and devotion to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

If you have compassion, loving kindness for sentient beings, and if you show kindness to sentient beings, then people will come. When they see that you treat them just as you treat yourself—when you treat others [with kindness and respect] then they will also treat you like that.

So then other people will come, not suddenly in one day or in one second, but gradually they will come, by seeing the change, by seeing the freshness, like dirty cloth being washed, like that.

Please try this.

With much love and prayers ...