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 Compassion

So before the actual discourse tonight, just before the topic, which I mentioned last night to speak on, before that just one more from last night's subject, the stress, about the stress, one more point, one more solution, from the different points which I mentioned last night in regards eliminating the stress.

So one thing is that, one solution is that to be content, that is one solution. The stress happens because of with different types of thoughts with different types of way of thinking or thoughts, so some stress is helpful that, it can be prevented, the mind being content. When one makes one's own mind content, it can free one's own mind from the stress. For example, so strongly attached or clinging that more, to gain more wealth or more reputation, so then worry, fear of not having that builds up stress. So, in such that cases then thinking, Oh, this is enough. Oh this is good, what I have is fantastic, so good, there are many people who have much less wealth than me. There are many people, there are millions of people starving, like Ethiopia, those countries, not even having food to eat even for one day so there are many ways to think like that. So by thinking of others who have unbelievable problems than us, than oneself so so even those people in the countries who don't have job or even much worse than that where there happened famines, many diseases, many famines, homeless and there are so many who are in a terrible situation so many of these places there are thousands of dying by different disasters and not having the means of living. So however by thinking of those things, by thinking of those other living beings, or the human beings, who have much more problems, then rejoicing oneself how good it is, how fortunate I am, how lucky I am. So trying to achieve content, satisfaction in this way, trying to give to oneself satisfaction, peace of mind in one's own heart.

So this cuts off, so when we are able to make our mind content, when we give satisfaction to ourselves the peace of mind in the heart, so this then cuts off suddenly all that worry, fear, unable to get more or better, more reputation or more wealth, so all that worry, fear, it cuts off which builds stress. So in certain cases this helps. For example, many millionaires, so even they have wealth that which can last five hundred years or a thousand years if they live, there's enough to live on, but however even though they have that much, mind think not enough, mind think, I want to be better than somebody else, I want to be better than some other rich person, some other millionaire I want the best, I want to be the most rich in the world so however this goes on and on, then because so many times, it is nature that you cannot live the life always in the success, going up and up, up that doesn't happen all the time. Some, a few people could live the life however in that life can go like that, it's possible, but many times build up, build up, build up then after some time then completely collapse completely collapse, some disaster happens, then completely collapse. So like that for example nowadays you see in the TV and many times you hear, you see in the TV people experiencing like that goes on and on and on and then after some time collapse. So those are, so so after some time, so collapsed down, even one has to worry of the daily expenses, after becoming millionaire then collapsed down then even one has to worry about the rent or the daily living expenses. So however like this, so therefore these are the shortcomings…

…So however now, so there's one solution for stress, so the content, to make one's own mind content to make one's own mind satisfied by thinking of others who have more problems, then even the worst ones, there are so many, thousands, millions, so many, so then we rejoice what I have now, education, the enjoyment what I have, job that I have, how fortunate I am like that. So this gives much happiness in the heart, and there's joy in the life.

Then other thing is, so in case if one failed in business or in education or didn't succeed or some problem happens, so then to think, so how this happened, there must be a reason to happen this, whatever the unsuccess, failure, whatever happened in the life, there is a cause for that, there is a reason for that. However in the past that one did some unwholesome action, in unskillful way with unskillful thought some negative thoughts, unskillful thought then did some unskillful action that harming to others disturbing others, causing others to not succeed. So things like that these actions left imprint on the consciousness and then then imprint that is left on the mental continuum, the consciousness, then this imprint manifested, so what I'm experiencing is the result of the past action done with my own mind, the unskillful way of thinking. So with unskillful thought, unskillful action, that which harms others, so this is the result of that. So therefore so so the conclusion what I'm saying here is accepting the situation, for example, there's one lady in Sydney, one psychologist, I think she must be quite well known psychologist, so she wrote, I think she wrote many books on how to eliminate depression, how to stop depression, she wrote many books, so when I was in Adelaide, during the retreat, I called it a "retreat" but actually I was watching lots of TV and listening to the radio in the afternoon, so I called it retreat.

So retreat from the distraction of, the retreat away from the distraction not letting to watch TV listening to the radio, so anyway retreating from that. Anyway, so one day was a whole program on how to stop depression, one afternoon. So this one student from Buddha House, one who comes for meditation, called Caroline, she does the radio, the government radio, so she interviews many people in the afternoon, that was her time to do her job. So she was interviewing many people, psychologists or professors, many different people in regards depression. So she interviewed this lady who wrote many books, so this lady said, so she asked what is the main technique, Caroline asked, What is the main technique to stop, what is your main technique to stop depression? So this lady mentioned, she answered that, when you have depression that you should accept, one should accept the depression, I am deserved, that's what she said, I am deserved to have depression because I am weak. So she said, she wrote many books, but those books are mainly referring to references, but the very essence of the technique to stop depression is to accept it, rather, what she meant is similar to what I said yesterday at the beginning of the talk about the stress, rather establishing dislike on the depression then you establish the thought, like, you change your concept on the depression, change the concept, change the idea, change the interpretation. So it's similar what I was trying to explain last night at the beginning of the talk.

So this is what she said, accept the, rather than rejecting, one accept the depression and I am deserved, because I am weak, I am deserved to have depression because I am weak. The only point, that is very good, first to accept the situation is the first step, that is same, that technique is the same when one has, same thing, AIDS, cancer or any specially which doesn't have medicine, then the situation that one has to go through, relationship problem or something that one has to go through, this is the first step, to accept is the first step.

But now, that alone is not enough, not sufficient to solve the life problem. We have to look for the method what you can do to never experience the problem again. The second very important thing is that. First thing is to accept, that's the first step that makes big differences in the life, that cuts a lot of worry and fear, cuts down so much psychological problems, makes the pain, whatever the problem, makes much less. basically you can have physical pain but the mind is very happy, one can have AIDS, cancer, any of these, whatever it is, one can have physical pain but mind can be extremely joyful, happy, that the life is very happy, even though there are these problems. The problem depends a lot psychology way of thinking so if one is not skillful you can make the problem very big, such a tiny, something which doesn't make sense, childish or something very, doesn't make sense, you can make it mountains like a balloon first it's nothing, then you blow it gets bigger and bigger. So like that, if one doesn't know how to think, if one doesn't know the psychology, proper way to think, how to deal with the problems, how to think correctly, how to handle problems how to transform the problem in happiness, how to make the problem beneficial, not only for oneself, but for all other living beings.

However they are like this, if I maybe just go over, just briefly the benefits of problems. So by having the problem if you think of benefits of problems rather looking only negative, if you look at the qualities or the benefits what you learn from the problems, the improvement of life, the development of the mind that you get from the problems. So this way, reflecting the benefits of the problems that is the way how to establish the mind of like, because usually, always we think of some benefit, why do we like money, why? Because there's benefit. Anything that we like we think of benefits and then we like it. So anything that which has benefit, that which we understand benefits, anything that which we see benefits, anything that which we make the benefit, that it has benefit however we like.

So now same on the problem, if we reflect the benefits of the problems, then the thought of like comes, enjoying the problem comes, so therefore, something, relationship problem or some kind of disease, even which has no cure or no medicine, anyway, since one has to go through this, why not, why don't I make it worthwhile, why don't I make it a happy life enjoyment, since one has to go through there's no point to use that problem to depress oneself, there's no point. So, as it is mentioned by one great saint, great pandit, one Indian great saint called Shantideva, who has completed the whole path who is completely free from death, rebirth, all the life problems, free from anger, free from ignorance, free from attachment, all these problems, who is completely free, very highly attained saint, Shantideva, so there's a text written by him, how to live the life, how to enjoy the life, how to look after yourself, how to make your life most happy, most beneficial, how to enjoy one's own life how to make everything meaningful so that scripture says that, sorry I don't remember word by word, it's all disappeared from my mind. Anyway the essence is what he says, what this great saint advises is that if if it is something that you are able to manage, there's a method to eliminate your problems, something that is manageable then why don't you try? Rather staying being depressed and being worried and not trying the methods to stop the problem, so that's useless. The other thing, even it doesn't have solution, even there's no method, even it's unmanageable thing what's the point to be worried? What's the point to be upset? Even it's unmanageable thing. For example, the sky, you can't make the sky earth, you can't make the space, earth form, this formless phenomenon, space, you can't make it form, substantial, so if you worried of, I can't make the space substantial form, so that's useless , so being worried of that completely useless.

So the great bodhisattva or the great saint the Shantideva, this great holy being he is saying, he is advising that, if it is something unmanageable what is the point to be upset? Because what it is saying is, it's better to accept the situation because being upset that doesn't help, doesn't give peace of mind, it only makes more depressed. So therefore what he's saying is that better to accept the situation.

So however the benefits of the problems like this that for example, if one has cancer then you get incredible compassion for all others who have cancer. Immediately you have so much sympathy, so much compassion for all those other people who have cancer because you know how that is so undesirable, the fear or the terror, the fear, how it is so undesirable, how incredible you have to face the life you know very clear your own feelings, your own world. So therefore it become very clear for you how other people feel so then as you have so much renunciation or wish to be free from this so when you look at, when you think of others who have the same problem naturally the compassion rises you feel their problems, you feel so many others who have cancer, same problems, so you see very clear, you feel, how it is so unbearable, that brings worries and fear.

So, so much compassion rises, and then the thought comes, what can I do for them? So thought comes, rather so much concerned of I, I, my cancer, my this, my problem, then the thought comes, because so much compassion rises then that you want to dedicate your life for them, who have the same problem, you want to do something worthwhile for them. So even one, even there's not much you can do but whatever there's something to do, even there's no real medicine or something that immediately that cures, but whatever that cuts down worry, fear, or to calm the mind, something whatever you can do the person want to do. So this, for many people when they get this problem, that so much compassion rises for them and then always want to do something for them. So same thing again, person who has AIDS, then feels the same way like this. But, so that is quite common, because the reason I'm telling this is because I met quite a number of people who have these problems and who feel this way. So, the other person who doesn't have, doesn't experience this problem then many times, rather rising compassion to those people who are experiencing these life difficulties, then sometimes, rather rising compassion to them and serving them, helping them there's rejection. So there's a difference psychologically, person who has a problem and person who doesn't, didn't go through the problem, doesn't feel compassion to them and rejection.

So however so if there's compassion, if we are able to develop compassion in our heart that means we don't give harm to everyone, to every living being, even including the creatures, and that means we give happiness, peace to everyone. For example, in the world, one person not having compassion to the others, not practicing compassion many millions of people get killed, by one person's power, that happened many times historically on this earth one person did not practice compassion, so millions of people got killed by one person's power. So it all came from the mind, all this millions of people, but here we are not counting animals, creatures, who died under bomb, many ways, in the water, outside on ground, in the space, without counting the creatures, who also want happiness, who do not want suffering, same, as human being, so we are not counting those just human beings, which normally comes in the newspapers general estimate how many people got killed, like that, so so all this comes from one person not practicing compassion, one person who has power did not practice compassion, so all this harm, all the rest of the beings receive harm from that person.

So you can see if this powerful person on this earth, this one person who has power, so much power, practiced compassion, all this rest, millions and millions of people would have much happiness, wouldn't receive all these harms, tortures. So you can see now, therefore that is an example, so like this, every person, each of us is responsible, including family, including the person with whom we live together, eat together, work together the family, parents, all, including the family, nearest people, nearest living beings, including them then all the rest of the living beings, each of us is completely responsible their happiness. So it's all to do with our mind, it all depends on our mind, each of our minds, how we, if we practice good heart, compassion, everyone, out of this compassion there's no, there's no action of harm coming out of this compassion. What action comes from this attitude, good heart, compassion, no harm, and on the top of that even benefit, help towards others.

So therefore so everyone's, so for example each of us if we practice compassion everyone do not receive harm from us, they have happiness, they receive happiness peace from oneself. And if one does not practice good heart, compassion, everyone receives harm, if one follow the egocentric mind or the self-cherishing thought, then from that anger rises, then jealous mind rises, many other unhealthy minds rise many other disturbing thoughts rise, then gives a lot of harm to other beings directly or indirectly, then life to life. So therefore each of us is completely responsible everyone's happiness, starting from the family, everyone's, people who are at home, outside, in the shop, in the road, East, West, wherever, we are responsible, everyone, human beings, animals, everyone's happiness, so therefore compassion become unbelievably important, so precious, because that is the source of all the happiness, that gives happiness, that brings joy in the life, happiness, meaning to the life, satisfaction in the life that is, if there's compassion even there's some problem, some failure happened but there's joy. If there's compassion towards others, if there's concern to other sentient beings, thought cherishing other sentient beings so even there is some problem, disease, such as this disease even something incurable, cancer, AIDS or whatever those diseases, whatever problem there is, it become nothing important, it doesn't bother, nothing important, because your concern is every human being, the whole family, so you are thinking of the majority so therefore you, the one person, become nothing, how much problem there is, doesn't bother, doesn't disturb much.

So because you are, psychologically, because of compassion, think of the majority, the family, the whole world, all the living beings ys. So there's no time to think of oneself, there's no time to work for oneself, there's no time to, oneself is only one being ys. There is only time, only concern is all the rest who are numberless, all the rest human beings, all the rest living beings, who also want happiness, don't want suffering, like oneself, but they are numberless. So the concern is them, which are numberless, they are so precious, so important.

So, for example, the democratic, the majority of people what they want is much power so therefore, the others who are numberless they also want happiness, don't want suffering like oneself, they don't want, they want you to have compassion to them, they want you to help them, they don't want you to have anger towards them, they don't want them to harm them, so this is what they want. So, they are numberless, but I is just one, no matter how much problem it has, just one. So it's completely lost when you compare the others, numberless, who are so precious, so important so therefore when one has compassion, cherishing other sentient beings, so there's only time for other sentient beings, starting from the family only time for others, that's only what one cherish and for whom one work for, there's only time for others.

However for example like this, now when we cherish oneself in our daily life, When I can be free from my problem, when I can by happy, so when one think of only this, day and night, constantly while one is walking in the road, being in the house, constantly only thinking, I, I, I, when I can be happy, when I can be free from my problems? So when there's strong self-centered mind or the egoistic when one become obsessed by the self-cherishing thought there's tension, the mind, your heart is tight, tension. Then because the mind is tight and that makes, that causes the physically tight that's what makes stress. So now you can see very clearly from where the stress comes when the mind is so tight like this, it makes physically tight so then you get pain in the back and so forth, pain in the heart and so forth ys.

So, the nature of the self-cherishing thought is like that, it's a painful mind if you analyze, it's a painful mind. So immediately you change this attitude immediately think, Oh, what is the meaning of my life, purpose of my life? Purpose of my life is to pacify, to free everyone from the problems and causes of the problems, that which is within their mind. And to obtain happiness and cause of happiness that is causing their mind positive and their actions, positive beneficial attitude and beneficial action that which results in happiness. So purpose of my life is to free everyone from all the problems and causes and to obtain happiness and causes, this is the purpose of my life, so I am not here just for myself, to obtain happiness for myself, I am here for everybody to serve, to bring happiness to everyone, so this is the purpose of my life.

So while you are walking in the road suddenly you remember the meaning of your life and then think, I am here for everyone, I am here for these people who are in the shops, shop-keepers and people who are buying, people who are going in the road, people who are in the car traveling, everybody who are in the, all the birds and the dogs, cats, all those animals insects which are around, I'm here for everybody my life is for everyone, I'm here for everybody, purpose of my living is for everybody, to obtain happiness for everybody so I'm here to serve everybody. So when you think like this as soon as you think like this, as soon as you change your attitude from cherishing oneself to cherishing others, as soon as you change the attitude immediately there's a release in your heart, the tension goes away, the uptightness is loosened, it goes away. There is a feeling in your heart, there is a feeling of free, much space in your heart, there is a feeling of free so this is what is called opening the heart towards others, not closing the heart not closing the mind, opening the heart towards others to pacify their suffering, to obtain happiness for them.

So immediately there's peace of mind, immediately there's joy, immediately there's enjoyment in the life. With the previous attitude, there's no enjoyment in the life, life is painful, uptight, much stress and so much expectation, worry unable to receive, unable to obtain, even one has obtained, still no satisfaction, so all these things happening, so that's what creates unhappiness in the life, so it all came from the mind, one's own mind.

So immediately while one is walking in the road you notice, life is not happy, you suddenly change your mind, suddenly you found happiness in the life, there's great enjoyment in the life, and suddenly you see the purpose of life, the purpose of living, suddenly one see the purpose of eating food, why I am eating, why I am wearing dress, why I am living in a comfortable house why I am spending so much money for me, there are so many people on this earth that doesn't have even one dollar, so many who doesn't have no money starving, dying, but why I spend so much money to take care my body, to take care of myself. So now, now, with this attitude there's a purpose why I'm doing all these things why I am going to college, why I am going to university, why I am studying, why I am doing this job, so now with this attitude you have very wide, your reason of living the life, the reason of doing all these things, learning all these things, going to school, college, university, making so much expenses to take care of oneself, now there's infinite reason because the attitude is to serve to everyone free everyone from the problems, causes, to obtain happiness and causes, to everyone, so for that reason then doing all these things so reason is infinite, so therefore, now with this attitude there's incredible joy, you see your life meaningful, doing something for others.

So with the previous attitude only working for self, among these numberless human beings, numberless creatures, suffering creatures, all these different beings, numberless beings in the water, numberless beings in the earth, so much suffering, so much problem in the space, then among all these, then not thinking, among all these, leaving out all these things, then only thinking of oneself, the I one person so now, but at the same time everything, every enjoyment, every comfort that we have, this came from others, by kindness of other living beings that, for example, the house, the enjoyment, comfort that we have living in the house, this came by the kindness of other living beings. So when the house is built…