So how to develop compassion. I’ll just mention here, at this point, that we should understand the different types of suffering of samsara; the different types of suffering of the sentient beings.

The hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, and even the worldly gods, the suras and asuras—all those who are in the desire realm—have the suffering of pain, depression, loneliness. They have all these mental sufferings, the worry and fear, and all the physical sufferings of hunger and thirst, hot and cold. They have the suffering of death, the suffering of old age, the suffering of sicknesses, and the fundamental suffering, the fundamental problem of our life, which is being unable to get satisfaction. That’s the fundamental suffering or problem in our life.

We are unable to find the desirable objects at the beginning. There is so much worry and fear. Even if we have found [the object of desire], even if we succeed, another problem starts. There is another problem after that. We could not get satisfaction. So all that. Then there’s worry, fear, separation, whether it’s from our friends or whether it’s from our material possessions, all that. All these things are the suffering of pain.

There’s another suffering of samsara.¹ It’s the samsaric pleasure which doesn’t last, which is temporary and doesn’t increase. The more we continue with the action, the pleasure doesn’t increase, it only decreases. It doesn’t last and it doesn’t increase—these two things.

Why? Because that feeling is only suffering, but our mind labels it as “pleasure.” It appears as pleasure and we are attached to that pleasure, but that feeling is only suffering. Another suffering stops, the previous suffering stops, and the new suffering begins due to change. Another action compounds that second suffering, but it is smaller, it is unnoticeable, so it is labeled pleasure and appears as pleasure. Then we cling on to that, we are attached to that, and that causes us again to die and be reborn, to circle in samsara. That is one type of suffering, which we need to realize.

There is a third [type of suffering.] There are sentient beings in the form realm and the formless realm who don’t have the suffering of pain or the suffering of change. We also have compassion for them. In this way we have compassion, not only for those who experience the suffering of pain or the suffering of change, the temporary samsaric pleasure. We need to have compassion for all those beings.

Even in the formless realm, they do not have those two other sufferings, but they have the aggregates, consciousness, their mind. They don’t have a body, but they have mind, so they are under the control of karma and delusion, which has a suffering nature. The contaminated seed of delusion is in the nature of suffering, so we’re able to develop compassion also for those beings.

In this way, we generate compassion for all the suffering beings. Then, because we’re able to generate compassion for all the suffering beings, our actions to liberate others, every one of them, are not limited. Our actions are not limited—helping some sentient beings and not helping others—not like that. Our actions are to help every suffering being, to liberate them all, even the highest beings. To bring them to enlightenment, like that.

One understanding is the suffering and the other one is the kindness of others. Here, I’m talking about how to develop compassion by understanding the suffering of others, those different levels, those different types of suffering, and how they’re kind to us, how they’re kind, precious.

With these two reasons, we are able to develop compassion, we can feel compassion. This is just a brief explanation, like that.

Just before we start meditation, because I mentioned when there are difficulties in life, even when we’re serving others and so forth, here, I conclude one thing is how our mind labels the situation—negative or positive, good or bad. If we put a label of “bad,” if we interpret something as bad, then by believing in that, it appears bad, we see bad. Okay?

But if we think about the benefits of the problems or difficulties, this helps us to finish our past negative karma. Think, “These difficulties are a result of my past negative karma, the negative actions that I did, and from this, the effect happened, so this finishes the past negative karma.” By accepting that, by thinking that way, then it becomes positive. Here, the problem doesn’t become negative, it becomes positive.

One great meditator, the Tibetan lama, Kadampa Geshe Kharag Gomchung, said this. So this advice is very beneficial. There’s not much time to go through this, so I just wanted to mention it.

Even this small suffering finishes the past negative karma, the past evil deeds that we have done. It finishes that negative karma and we will have happiness in the future. This will finish the past negative karma and in the future, there will be happiness. Because of that, in the future there will be happiness, therefore, rejoice in the suffering, and feel happiness with the problem. So there’s that advantage to having problems. This is the advice of this great Tibetan meditator, this Lama.

Or learn patience by thinking, “This is for me.” Develop compassion for these people by thinking, “They’re helping me to develop compassion.” So things like that.

There’s an example given about the person who beats us with a stick.² Normally we don’t get angry with the stick, we get angry with the person. Why not the stick? Because the stick is used by a person. The stick has no freedom, it is used by a person. We get angry with the person [but we should get angry with the stick.]

Use the same logic here. This person has no freedom at all. He is totally overwhelmed by anger, by delusion, by the hallucinating mind. He is totally overwhelmed by delusion, the obscuring, disturbing negative attitude, the anger, completely, therefore he has no freedom at all. The person is totally used as a slave by the delusion, the anger, thus he is only the object of our compassion. This person is only the object of our compassion.

Therefore, how to use [the situation] to develop compassion, if there’s somebody who is angry with us, who abuses us or whatever. Whatever harm that person did, we can use that situation to develop compassion within us. This is the most priceless thing that we can do. It will bring happiness not only to ourselves, but we can bring temporary and ultimate happiness, all the happiness up to enlightenment, to ourselves, to our family and to all sentient beings.

Think, “This person is helping me to develop compassion, this priceless quality in my mind.” Think like that about the benefits of the problem. Now, this makes it incredibly, unbelievably positive.

The other way to develop compassion is when somebody does something to harm us. When that person doesn’t help us to succeed, but does the opposite, we should think, “In the past I gave such harm to him.”

The great Indian saint, Shantideva, mentioned,³ “In the past, I gave such harm to other sentient beings. Therefore, this time, I receive harm from others. And by this, didn’t I make the sentient beings get lost in the hole of the hell?”

What it’s saying is that there’s a reason why this person is harming us this time. The reason is because in the past, we treated that person the same way. That becomes the reason for this person harming us. It is a consequence, a result, of our past action, our harm to others, to that person.

Think, “I caused this person to harm me. I caused it. The person is now in human realm, but because of this negative karma, the negative action of harming me, I will cause that person to get lost, to reincarnate in the hole of the hell realm.”

It means that person is a human being now, but when that person dies, instead of reincarnating in a higher, better rebirth, he will be reborn in the hell realm. We caused that person to do that, so he should not be the object of our anger at all. There is no way to get angry with the person at all. We only need compassion and to help that person. How can we help protect this person from anger? How can we save them so they don’t reincarnate in the hell realm? We can use the situation to develop compassion.

One thing here is to label [the situation as] positive so we don’t feel frustrated by this disturbance to our mind. The other one, we should manage, we should practice, all those things that are the cause of success.

If we have a lot of merit, good karma, then however we wish, it will happen. [Rinpoche snaps fingers] It will happen that way even more than what we think; even more than what we’re looking for. It will happen even more. So it’s very important to attain the cause of success.

I’m going to give a few examples of the cause of success. Even for non-believers who don’t believe in reincarnation, karma, all these things, like the life after this, even those who don’t believe in that. This is the practical cause of success in this life.

If we don’t have merit or good karma, then we will have many difficulties. We won’t be able to label [situations] as positive when the difficulties come. We won’t be able to label them as positive, then we will suffer and many difficulties will arise in our activities. Whether serving others or even [working] for our own happiness, many obstacles will arise. So I will mention a few simple things that anybody can do.

One thing is this. When others harm us, then we can practice forgiveness to them. That’s very important. That’s very important. That brings peace and happiness within us and we don’t hold a grudge. That brings so much peace and happiness, and it makes the other person very happy.

In this way, if we’re able to practice with people one-to-one like this, with those who harm us, then this is how we can bring world peace. By practicing one-to-one with someone, if we’re able to forgive them, we can bring peace to our family, to our country and to the world.

Historically in this world, one person who had influence because of not practicing forgiveness, by not practicing patience and compassion; that one person killed many millions and millions and millions of people, and tortured children and old people.

Here, those things won’t happen to us. In this life, we don’t give problems to others and we don’t harm so many living beings, and of course, if we think from life-to-life, about the numberless living beings, we don’t harm others.

The other thing that’s very important for world peace and for the happiness of all sentient beings—not only to bring peace to this world, but also to the [universe]—if we made some mistake, if we did some harm to others, we must apologize. That’s very important. We must apologize immediately. This brings happiness and peace within us and it makes the other person so happy. We bring peace to ourselves and to others. This is how we can start bringing world peace.

The other thing is to rejoice. In our life, whenever we see something good happening to others—if somebody has a very beautiful house with swimming pools, or if somebody has a beautiful or expensive car, a Mercedes Benz or a Rolls Royce. Anyway, I can’t think of their names, a limousine or an expensive car.

Or if somebody has found a friend or whatever, if we see good things happening, we always feel good, thinking, “Oh, how good it is! How wonderful it is! How good it is!” We try to feel happiness. If we hear somebody has great success in business, we rejoice.

We rejoice if somebody has won a lottery, winning a million dollars or a billion dollars or something like that. Also in business, if we rejoice, then we create good karma from that, and from that positive action and positive thought, then we create the cause for that. Sooner or later, we will have much more than what the other person won. If it’s one million, we will have so much, sooner or later, from this karma. We will have so many millions of dollars or so many billions of dollars—more than what the other person achieved.

If we can rejoice every day in whatever good things we see happening to other people, we will have success. If we always practice rejoicing, then we’re creating the cause of success all the time and we will have much greater success. The result will be much bigger than what the other person achieved.

Just in short, why? Because karma is expandable. If we rejoice in wrongdoing, for example, if somebody killed a person, an enemy, and we rejoice in that. If we don’t like the people of one country, then each time we hear those people are killed, we rejoice. We’re not in the war, we didn’t do the killing, but we rejoice that those people were killed, even if it’s one person. This creates the same heavy negative karma as having killed someone. We haven’t killed that person, we didn’t do the action of killing, but as far as negative karma, it’s the same. If we rejoice and we feel happy, then we get the same heavy negative karma as having killed that person.

Like that, if a thousand people or a million people are killed, the people that we don’t like, if we rejoice, then we get the same heavy negative karma as having killed a hundred people or a thousand people or a million people. We get the same heavy karma.

Due to this negative karma, we will be killed in a hundred thousand lifetimes. In the future, we will be killed for so long. We will have to experience the consequences if we rejoice in wrongdoing. There’s a story of karma explained in the teachings.

[Rejoicing] is the most important one, among those. This is a very important cause of success, how to create the cause of success. This way, doing hospice work or social service, whatever the activity, it becomes very successful, with no difficulties, as we wish. Or it becomes even more than what we wish for, more than what we could understand or achieve.

Rejoicing is something anybody can do—any different religious people, anybody, can do this. It’s the same as the previous ones. They are all the same. Anybody can do that to cause success. Without particular faith in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, you can do all this practice. You can do it whatever religion you are.

The other one is a very important cause of success in our daily life. The key thing in our daily life is when we’re able to help somebody, to cause happiness to others. Wherever we are, not necessarily only with the family, but also with the animals, with the human beings, with anybody, enemy, friend, stranger; in the office or at home, outside in the street, wherever. Whenever we’re able to help somebody and to cause happiness, that’s very important.

We must keep our mind on this in daily life, wherever we are and whatever we’re doing. Always, always, always focus on this—causing happiness to others.

Each time in our life that we’re able to do this, it becomes the cause of success. As an effect, as a consequence, because causing happiness to others is a positive action, the consequence of this is success. Our wishes get fulfilled.

Whenever we help somebody and [bring them] happiness, that becomes the cause of all our wishes getting fulfilled. In this life, even if we don’t believe in life after this, reincarnation, that doesn’t matter. In all the coming future lives, we will have happiness, success.

I think without talking much about the details of karma, you can do this even without particular faith in Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, or in the founder of a religion. Even non-believers can do this.

Even non-believers can do this, for example in your life every day, when you make somebody happy, when you’re able to do something that the person likes. Let’s say, maybe when you drive a car—I’m not sure, as an example—when you drive a car and somebody wants to go before you. Anyway, something like that, even if it’s a small thing.

You offer the happiness to the other person, like that. Or if there’s only one seat, you let the other person sit down, have a seat. However, I’m just using that as an example.

When you do that, when you offer the happiness to somebody else, you are not following what you want and you think the other person’s happiness is more important than your own. You offer happiness to the other person, even if it’s one living being. Think, “That is the purpose of my life. That is the purpose of my life, why I survive, why I became a human being. That is why I survive today.”

We spend so much money on having shelter, building a house, and so many sentient beings died when the shelter was built. They were killed and a lot of people had to work hard.

And for this food, this plate of rice or whatever, so many sentient beings [suffered or died.] This rice came from another rice, and that other rice came from another rice. Numberless sentient beings—worms, insects, ants and mice— died in the field when the land was fertilized. Anyway, many human beings worked very hard, and a lot of other sentient beings died, suffered and harmed others for the food that we eat. And then the clothing.

Our experiences—food and clothing, all this— came from the kindness of many sentient beings, who suffered and died for this. Numberless beings [suffered] so we survive every day.

The purpose of all this—of having all this enjoyment, of living, of surviving every day, of being human— is to help others, to benefit others, even one. Whether it’s an insect, an animal or a human being, whoever, to cause happiness that the person wants or wishes for, what that person wishes for, their happiness. Thinking that fulfills the purpose of our life.

When we do that, whatever it is, whether it’s something we have to offer or something we do, it is according to that person’s wishes. When we do that, it makes the other person happy, it brings happiness to that person, and when he is happy with us that makes us happy. Right now, this is right now, this is right now, we achieve happiness for each other.

From this one action, we are making that person happy, then if he is happy, we’re happy. We accomplish two purposes—that person’s happiness and our own happiness.

This is now, today, this moment. But it doesn’t stop there. The benefit doesn’t stop there. We’re causing happiness to that person, obtaining happiness for him. This is good karma, this is a positive action. Therefore, it has a result, happiness. In this life and from life-to-life—whether we believe in reincarnation or not—we  have so much success from this one action. From this one action, causing one sentient being’s happiness, helping one person, we have a result, happiness and success. We will receive that from others. From life-to-life, for hundreds, thousands of lifetimes, we will have success. That’s the very long run to success because karma is expandable, so this happens. Now, this is a great future.

If we don’t do that and we follow the selfish mind, thinking “my happiness,” we follow the selfish mind and disregard the other person’s happiness. Whatever the activity is, we follow our own wishes, we follow the self-cherishing thought, the selfish mind, and we give up the other’s happiness. In that case, right now, that makes the other person unhappy and because of that, we become unhappy. Therefore it makes both people unhappy. Even if we get done what we want, we can’t [be happy] because the other person is angry with us. He is unhappy, so we can’t really have happiness inside our mind.

Now, at the present time, we are both unhappy. Now, this action [is motivated by] the self-cherishing thought. This action is done according to the self-cherishing thought and what we want for our own happiness.

That becomes nonvirtue, because our motivation is the self-cherishing thought, so it becomes nonvirtue. Also it is done with the attachment and clinging to this life, so it becomes nonvirtue. Because there is attachment clinging to this life, it doesn’t have a positive effect. The effect it has on our mental continuum is disturbance.

So then nonvirtue and from that, the result is suffering, not only in this life, but from life-to-life. We experience, from life-to-life, for hundreds and thousands of lifetimes, we experience [the result of] that harm to others, that negative action done with the self-cherishing thought.

I want to emphasize this. It’s very [important] to not have frustration. However, for things to be successful, according to our wishes, for things to happen, we need to create the cause of success.

I’m going to give you one mantra for success. There are many other mantras, but this is just one mantra. Those who have interest or who like, can take that, can get [the oral transmission.]

I have received the oral transmission [Tib: lung] of this, so you can get this from me. This is one mantra you can chant for success.

This is a mantra of the bodhisattva, the Essence of Sky.⁴ I don’t remember the Sanskrit. I have received the oral transmission recently, so I can do the lung of this mantra for those who want to receive it.

You can think, “I’m taking this lung to make my life most beneficial for all living beings, to cause happiness for them. Therefore, I’m going to take this lung, this oral transmission, this blessing of the mantra.” You can think that. Those who can think about enlightenment, of course, you can think that.

[Oral transmission]

This mantra is very short, but it has incredible power, success. Just by listening, even by listening and keeping this mantra with you, by reading, reciting, revealing it to others, or even by doing recitation every day, then all your wishes, whatever wishes you have, will  succeed. Whatever you pray for will succeed; whatever hopes you have will succeed.

This mantra also burns all your negative karma, all the defilements. It burns them and you collect great merit, unbelievable merit, therefore it has many benefits. There are many others, I think last time I gave two mantras. Last time when I was here, I gave two mantras for people who are working at the hospice. The people who are dying, just by seeing you, their defilements, their mind gets purified and they have so much benefit.

Even if you touch someone with your hand, if you touch the person or blow on them, even if they just see you, they get so much benefit. The people who are dying or sick get so much benefit. Even if the sickness doesn’t stop right now, even though you can’t stop their death, their mind is purified and they get so much benefit. The very, very heavy negative karmas of having killed one’s father, mother, or an arhat, or even having harmed a buddha, drawn blood from a buddha, or having caused disunity among the Sangha—this very, very heavy karma, the very, very heavy negative karma that causes us to be born right after this even in the lowest hot hell, and lasts for one intermediate eon, the heaviest suffering in samsara—even that gets purified the minute those sick or dying people see you. When they see you, especially, there’s no question if you touch them or they touch you, it becomes so meaningful.

That means they will get a higher rebirth. They will purify their negative karma and receive a higher rebirth, like that. They don’t have to reincarnate in the hells, as a hungry ghost or as an animal, in those realms. Without any words, just touching them, just when they see you, it’s so meaningful. This one mantra is even more meaningful for them than seeing a stupa or holy object. Your body become more like a relic, your body becomes like a relic. It becomes holy, even more than a stupa.

Last time, I explained this, but I don’t remember whether I gave [the transmission.] In a recent time, I have received the oral transmission for this. I have received it again, so I will just do the oral transmission.

[Oral transmission]

With this mantra, you will become even more beneficial than a stupa for sentient beings. Whenever they see you or touch you, it’s so beneficial and it purifies their mind of negative karma.

[Oral transmission continues]

Also if you make one tsa-tsa, it becomes ten million tsa-tsas by reciting this mantra. If you make one statue of the Buddha, it’s like making ten million statues of the Buddha, by reciting this mantra.

This time I have received the lineage. Last time, I think maybe I didn’t. I recited, but I wasn’t sure. That’s all. I don’t know how many minutes are left. The healing meditations for others and for yourself, I don’t know, there’s no time. I think you just choose from there, whatever.

[Tape ends]

Notes 

¹  The three types of suffering are: the suffering of suffering, the suffering of change and pervasive compounding suffering. [Return to text]

²  See A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, Shantideva, Ch. 6, v. 41.  [Return to text]

³  Ch. 6, v. 42 - 47. [Return to text]

⁴  Skt: Akashagarbha. [Return to text]