Universal Responsibility (Audio and Unedited Transcript)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
New York, 1990 (Archive #655)

An audio recording and unedited transcript of a teaching on compassion by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Columbia University, New York, on September 6, 1990. The edited version of this talk has been published as Chapter One in the book How Things Exist: Teachings on Emptiness.

(35352_ud.jpg) 2013-2014 LZR at SJ - photos by Bill Kane

So first, I would like to say thank you very much and I’m very happy to meet all of you, who are my brothers and sisters.

So, that, this time to meet each other and able to share something, something about precious human quality or, in regards, you see, obtaining the mind peace, the real happiness that which we need to achieve. However, to give some contribution, to help each other, discuss.

I don’t know much about Buddhism, I didn’t do studies, but like atom from the ocean, like atom or drop from the ocean, so you see, the little that I learned and what I heard, what I tried to practice, so, I’m happy to speak, to share, that. So during this time, as we meet each other.

So before the actual discourse, I’m going to recite some mantra of the kind, compassionate Shakyamuni Buddha.

[Rinpoche recites praise to Shakyamuni Buddha.] [pause]

[Rinpoche recites TADYATHA OM MUNÉ MUNÉ MAHAMUNAYÉ SOHA.]

[long pause]

[Whispered conversation, then another long pause.]

So we human beings, even the tiniest creatures, that which can be only seen by the machine, through telescope or through machines, including even those tiniest creatures, so all beings are exactly the same, doesn’t matter from which, from East or West, from where, from which planet, we are exactly the same, wanting happiness and do not want suffering, problems.

So now, for that reason the practice of the good heart, the compassion, is the most important in the everyday life.

First of all, no matter how many friends we have, even we have hundreds, thousands, how many we have, but if there is, if in this heart, if the good heart is missing, the warm heart, the kind-hearted mind, if that is missing, then there’s no satisfaction in the life. There’s no peace of mind in the everyday life.

So, as we need a friend, we also need to develop our mind. The most important, the compassion. The essence of the path, the essence of the right path, that which has greatest benefit for oneself, for all other beings is the compassion. [pause]

Without that, even one finds a friend, but the friend become enemy, depending how one’s own attitude is in the everyday life, in what way one keep the mind, compassionate nature or the self-centered ego, the self-centered, nothing else to think about except oneself, my happiness day and night. Nothing else to think about. So very self-centered or ungenerous mind.

So depending how much, practice, or how, depending on that, so there’s more harmonious, there’s better relationship, if one has compassion. More peace. So with compassion, everyone becomes friend, wherever one goes, wherever one lives, with whomever one lives, wherever one goes, everyone becomes one’s own friend. One finds friend everywhere. Even the person who is very cruel minded, even the person who is very selfish, very cruel minded, very ungenerous, that person becomes, if one has compassion, even that person becomes very kind to oneself and for oneself. Even that person becomes very kind to oneself. So that’s a result of compassion, the proper attitude.

This is a common experience. Even though that person is very painful to other people, but to this person, one who is warmhearted, who lives the life with good heart, very kind in everyday life towards others, loving, compassionate, having much concern towards others, even that, the other person who is normally very cruel, very ungenerous, even that person becomes kind towards this person.

Example, my teacher, Lama Yeshe, so here, many of the people here knows about, students and knows; some might not have met, but might have heard, however, he sees everyone as very kind. He sees everyone as nice. That is because, in my analysis, in my observation, it is due to his own good heart. So because of that the other person becomes also kind and good-hearted. It transforms also the other person’s mind from negative attitude or in other words, the other person’s mind gets blessed. Blessed, which means, in other words, transformed into positive attitude, kindhearted, from the very selfish minded, very cruel minded.

For example, in Italy, this saint, well known so you might know, Italian saint, the famous, Saint Francis, who happened, I don’t remember, I cannot recollect the time, but it happened at the same time as the great yogi, Milarepa, who achieved enlightenment, who became a buddha, who achieved full enlightenment within one life, within a few years by meditating in the hermitage on the Himalayan mountains according to his guru’s instructions, his guru Marpa’s instructions. So during that, this well known great yogi Milarepa, who become buddha, fully enlightened being, within a few years, in one life. So it happened at the same time this great saint, St. Francis, it happened at the same time of this great yogi in Tibet.

So however, the story is this, so in Italy, in one place, in the forest there was a wolf, a very dangerous wolf, harms, takes a lot of people. So St. Francis told the people in the city that, You should not worry about the danger of the wolf. I can go in the forest and can talk, I can speak to the wolf to not give harm.

So people told him, don’t go in the forest because the wolves might attack you. So St. Francis, no, he will go to tell the wolf to not attack the people. So St. Francis went in the forest and when he saw the wolf, the wolf, immediately, the wolf get tamed. The wolf, the mind became subdued, completely transformed from those, blessed.

As the wolf came in front of the saint, St. Francis, the wolf licked his feet and like a dog, when the dog meets, how the dog behaves, respects or behaves, shows humbleness or likes so much to the master, the owner who gives food. Instead of, this wolf instead of attacking to the St. Francis, so the wolf became completely, his mind became completely subdued and lick his feet, St. Francis’s feet.

Then St. Francis told the wolf, you don’t give harm to the people and I will give food for you. I will beg food from the city and I will give it to you. So the wolf, from that day, the wolf stopped giving harm to other people, attacking other people. St. Francis started begging food in the street and then gave, fed the wolf.

So there are many stories, there are full of stories like this. Those who develop the mind, human beings who were exactly the same as us, had all the problems as we have, but they practiced, they put effort to develop the mind, to transform the mind, train the mind in compassion towards all beings. Including the Shakyamuni Buddha, all those great saints in different religions, then all the three-time buddhas, all the three-time fully enlightened buddhas. Originally, same as us, they had ignorance, anger, attachment , desire, everything, jealous mind, pride, the ill-will, all these things. All these mental mistakes, all these mistakes of the mind. All these obscurations. All the rest of the other problems of the life.

But they just did not leave the life just in the problems. Why they become now different to us, towards us, that is because they put effort from their own side to develop their inner qualities, the quality of the mind, they put effort to develop the quality of the mind. They reduced the mistakes of the mind, reduced and quality, they put effort to develop the quality of mind. So the essence, such as compassion for all beings.

So therefore, if we have compassion, in our heart, everyone becomes our friend. Even that very cruel person who is cruel for other beings, even the very wild animals, poisonous snakes, or tiger, and so forth. However, no matter how much wild, violent they are, because of the power of this positive attitude, they cannot give harm and even they get, due to the vibration of the person, vibration or the blessing of the positive mind, even they change, even their life becomes better, attitude becomes better. They stop giving harm to other sentient beings.

So like those many stories, there are happened, one abbot of our college, there are three colleges in Lhasa, Sera, Gaden, Drepung, so these are the greatest monasteries, same as university, in Tibet. But university to complete the study of Buddhist philosophy. In other words, Buddha’s teachings. It doesn’t have language and those other things. Doesn’t have many other educations like the universities in the West. Just mainly practice and the study of the whole philosophy of Buddha’s teaching. That includes also philosophy of other religions, particularly in India, different religions like that. But mainly on Buddha’s teaching. So study and practice, so two things combined, for the development of the mind.

So however, there is Sera Monastery, Sera university, monastery, so this has two sections, Sera Je and Sera Me. So the college where I belong to is Sera Je. So this abbot, one extremely well-known or learned, very, very learned, well-known in Tibet. One of them who was able to escape from Tibet to India. One of the top, a learned monk. So he has a cat. Usually a cat when it sees a mouse, of course, immediately runs to attack. That’s normally how their life is or how they, way of thinking. So this cat was, even though cat was killing mouse before, but since this cat stayed with this abbot, since he took care of this cat, the cat’s mind changed. Even the mouse crawls around in the room, the cat never go to catch, never attempts to catch. Just relaxes.

So this is due to the person’s development of the mind, affected to the environment. It affected to the environment. One person’s development of the mind, how much it affects the environment, transforms the environment. It stops the negative, negativities, negative environment into positive. Negative energy, nonliving things, fire, dangers of fire, water, air, earth, nonliving things, and the environment, the beings, their negative thoughts, get transformed, become compassionate.

So this is again very important to understand. Very important to understand this point that environment, negative, positive, doesn’t come from its own side. It comes from the mind. The environment, negative, positive, harm or beneficial, for health, and so forth, it is due to, person who enjoys the environment, person who experiences the environment, it is came from the mind. It is related to the mind. The people who are experiencing the environment, who are living in that…

[End of Tape]

… take care of the mind, the mind that which is like a child, our mind, most, us ordinary beings, most of us ordinary beings’ mind is like a child. So you see, need to be taken cared, like a baby. We cannot listen to everything that the mind says. Like, for example, you cannot listen to everything what the baby says. You cannot do everything what the baby says. You have to analyze what the baby says, it’s worthwhile or not. Before one puts into the practice, we analyze what the baby says is how much valid, how much worthwhile. If it’s worthwhile, you do it. If it’s not worthwhile, if it’s harmful, stop it.

So similar, our mind is like a child, most of us, us ordinary, like myself, most of us ordinary beings’ mind is like a child. So, you see, there is danger, whatever the mind says if one does it. It destroys the life.

So, instead of profit, happiness and peace, there’s harm, to oneself, to other sentient beings. So therefore, we need to analyze, need to, by using one’s own wisdom, need to analyze, when the mind says something, how much valid it has, whether it has quality, benefits or shortcomings. So one has to realize these things. And then with that wisdom, then one directs the mind or one guides the mind, in other words, one guides oneself. One protects oneself.

So therefore, we need to develop wisdom. So it has become again so essential to develop wisdom. If we don’t develop wisdom, we can’t, life becomes confused, that is, you cannot judge. You cannot discriminate what is wrong and what is right to do. What is the wrong thing to abandon, what is the right thing to practice, to do, that’s beneficial for oneself, for all other beings.

So again, compassion is one thing, to develop wisdom is the second thing. So important in the life.

Now, in regards developing wisdom, especially the wisdom understanding the mind is the most important. Otherwise, there’s no way that we can escape from the problems and causes of problems which are not outside but within our mind. So among the education, education of the mind is the most important one.

So however, the, now the other thing, how much wealth one has, again, if there’s no compassion, good heart, if this is missing in our heart, again there’s no peace. There’s no satisfaction in the life. Even one owns everything what exists on this earth, still one cannot find satisfaction. Even one owns what everyone has, what every other human being has, even one owns everything, without developing, without doing something for the mind, without developing the mind, without the practice of the good heart, such as compassion, there’s no peace in the life. So as we need external things, wealth, we need to develop the mind.

Now same thing, no matter how much one has reputation or worldly power, worldly power how much one has, without doing something for this mind, transforming this mind, without practice of compassion, the good heart, again, there’s no peace. There’s no happiness in the day-to-day life no matter how much reputation one gains, worldly power what one has.

So and also, again, how much education one has, if developing the mind, the inner factor, the inner phenomena, the inner factor, developing the mind, the practice of good heart, compassion, if this is missing, again there’s no peace in the life. Even one has learned everything that exists in the world, everything, all the languages, everything, what education exists in the world, even one knows everything, even Buddhism, Buddha’s teachings, even one has memorized, can explain from the heart all the sutra, tantra, everything, can explain everything what is in the text, can explain by heart, but again if that much education one has, but if developing the mind, transforming the mind, the good heart, compassion toward other beings, altruism, if this is not there, again the same problem, again the life is full of problems. The anger, dissatisfied mind, desire, pride, jealousness, all these things. Even more education one has, the inner problems, the inside problems become bigger than before one was educated. More than when one was uneducated.

So therefore now, developing the mind, the study of the mind, developing the mind to have the wisdom, the mistakes of the mind and qualities of the mind, and to develop this. However, the essence, there are so many things to generate, there are so many paths, so many realizations to be achieved, but however, compassion is the very essence. This is the very essence. This is the most important.

So this, by having this in the day-to-day life, there’s much happiness. One can get up with great joy, with a very happy mind. One goes to work with a very happy mind. One lives in the family with a very happy mind, satisfied mind. One goes to bed with a very satisfied, happy mind. So it’s all the time have stability. There is stability of mind, life. And not only peace, there’s peace in everyday life for self, there’s peace to everyone. Others, they receive peace from you.

So therefore, now, practicing the good heart, developing the mind, become more important, more precious, more important than the friend. Practicing good heart becomes more important than wealth, than money. Practicing good heart becomes much more important than reputation, worldly power. The practicing the good heart, developing the mind, becomes more important than all other educations.

So this becomes, without this there’s no satisfaction, life is not grounded, or there’s no stability, there’s no peace. So by, so this becomes the most important thing, this becomes the first thing to remember in our daily life when we get up. When we get up in the morning this is the first thing, this becomes the first thing to remember, what to practice. The wish-granting jewel, that which grants all the wishes, that which fulfills all the wishes, the compassion, that which is one’s own mind. So, which is one’s own mind. So to practice this, to transform the mind into this, to develop this, there’s nothing, important, precious, nothing more important than this, in one’s own life, in our daily life. [pause]

So therefore, how the meditation is important. So here it comes, how the meditation is important. So meditation is the essential method to develop the mind, to transform the mind into compassion and to develop, as well as wisdom. The real wisdom has to be developed through meditation.

So again now, if one has compassion in one’s own heart, whether it’s one person in the family, husband, wife, whoever it is, even it’s, even with whom one lives together every day, even it’s one person. Because of the compassion, the production, the action what comes out of that is not harm, it’s benefit. Action what comes out of that attitude is not to give harm, first all, not to give harm.

So even if the other person is not practicing good heart, not meditating, constantly lives the life with the selfish attitude, with a cruel mind, constantly what this person does to you is only criticize, blame. Does nothing good, only harms. But you don’t give harm to that person, so that person has that peace, that person has that peace not receiving harm from you. The absence of that harm is peace.

So now oneself, if you, oneself, don’t have compassion, then, the anger and jealous mind, and so forth, dissatisfied mind, desire, and so forth, gives harm. Retaliates back to that person. So that person has more suffering, receives more harm. This one sentient being receives more suffering, so, even that person doesn’t practice at all, doesn’t do anything with his mind, with his mind or her mind, but you, the one person, practices good heart, there’s so much benefit to this person. Doesn’t receive the harm from you, so that is peace what this person is receiving.

So then gradually, if your mind is strong in the practice, in the good heart, stable, then you can cause the person’s mind also stable. This person, how it’s going to be, so his life or her life, mind, dependent to the companion, who is you. Dependent on your example, how that person’s life is going to be, whether life is going to be peaceful or suffering, very dissatisfied, how it’s going to be turned out, it’s dependent on your example, your attitude.

So if one’s own mind is stable and nature of compassion, putting all the effort, all the energy into this, to develop the good heart, in order to, not only for the happiness of oneself but especially for the happiness of other, for the peace of other sentient beings.

So, that, whose mind is, one’s own mind being stable, strong in this, in the practice, in the good heart, then that person who has a very shaky life or unstable mind, one minute down, one minute up, or so impatient or so selfish, so self-centered, however, can, with your example that person’s life can become better. Better attitude, better behavior, more peace in the life, less harm to the person, him- or herself, less harm to other beings, more benefit to other beings. So later, even this person’s life can, one can cause to become better. To have more happiness, peace.

So example, in Tibet, there happened two people. So one person is alcoholic, and one person is not alcoholic, who doesn’t drink.

So these two people went to Lhasa, the main, the largest city of Tibet, Lhasa. So the person who is alcoholic have met a friend who doesn’t drink. So this person later, who was alcoholic, by having met friend who doesn’t drink, this person became non-alcoholic. Who was alcoholic now became a non-alcoholic by having met this friend who doesn’t drink. The other person who was not drinking before, by going to Lhasa have met a friend who’s alcoholic, so the person who was not alcoholic before but now became alcoholic.

So, definitely we have responsibility, each of us we have responsibility of the environment. We have responsibility of the family. How their life is going to be turned out. Their happiness, peace. As I was mentioning before, even this one person in the family, so, like this example, we are completely responsible. It’s dependent on us. The environment, or the family, in the sense of talking small number, infinite sentient beings but talking small number, just one person or three people who are in the family, so we are responsible, completely responsible, their lives. Their attitude, their minds. The attitude, the way of living the life. Good heart or ungenerous. Living the life with harmful mind. So definitely we have responsibility. Like this, from this example, you can understand we are completely responsible.

So now, if one has compassion, one doesn’t give harm to this person. Even this person doesn’t practice from his or her own side, so there’s peace.

Now if there are ten people in the family, you are the only one who practices compassion, develop the mind, but, these ten people they don’t receive harm from you, so that is peace they are receiving.

Therefore now, how many millions of people in one country. If this one person who lives in this country has compassion towards others, these hoe many million people there are in this country don’t receive harm from you, so that is peace they are receiving from you. This is your contribution to the country, peace.

So now same in this world. On this earth, how many people, human beings there are, how many creatures in the ocean, on the ground, in the space, how much there are, all these other beings, now if one has compassion, all this rest human beings, all these other sentient beings, they don’t receive harm from you. So that is peace. Absence of, their body and mind not receiving harm from you is peace what they are receiving from you. So this is contribution to the world peace. This is a real practical contribution to the world peace, that you can do in everyday life, every hour, any minute, anytime. Day and night while one is eating, while one is working, anytime.

So while we have compassion there’s no action giving harm.

So now, not only that, by having compassion, you, the one person, not only stop giving harm, but on top of that it attempts to benefit, to help others. To cause others to be free from problems.

For example, a person who has cancer, knows how much, the people who have cancer, how much suffering there is. The person is aware, so there’s much compassion for those people who have cancer. Similarly, the person who has AIDS, there’s much compassion to those other people who have AIDS. Because knowing how the life is. So therefore, the person who has AIDS, cancer, wants, always, because of compassion, wants to do something, the person puts special effort for the cancer people. The person who has AIDS put special effort to do something, to help something, whatever’s possible, to have happy mind, by doing consultation, whatever, there’s special concentration on that. And, the effort is dedicated particularly to help people who have AIDS.

So like that, wants to help. Besides not giving harm to them, wants to help. So like this, so if there’s compassion, not only stop giving harm, but extra thing is to help, to cause others to be free from the sufferings.

So, so to this one person, what comes is help, what can I do? What can I do to pacify his physical sufferings, his mental sufferings, his or her. So concentrated to dedicate, to put effort, to help, physical problems, physical comfort, either, and his mental problems, to have peace of mind, the happiness.

So, the person does something, if there’s compassion, the person does something in the life to benefit others, physically and mentally. So therefore there’s peace, happiness to this person, to the ten family, the other ten members, and how many millions of people one country has, all these millions of people they receive happiness from this one person. From this one person who has compassion.

Not only that, all the human beings, all the creatures, all other sentient beings, who do not want suffering, who want happiness, all, they receive happiness, they receive help, benefit from this one person who has compassion. So, as you have compassion, so from you, everyone receive help, benefit.

So therefore, you, the one person, doesn’t have compassion, doesn’t practice compassion, then starting from this one person in the family, all the rest of the human beings, sentient beings, do not receive peace, which is absence of harm, and doesn’t receive help, benefit. So therefore, starting from the family, all the human beings on this earth, all the sentient beings’ their happiness dependent on you.

So each of us here is completely responsible for every sentient beings’ happiness. Each of us who are here is completely responsible all sentient beings’ happiness. Happiness, peace. So, starting from the one companion, the family. So it is completely in one’s own hands, in your own hand, starting from this one person, or the ten people in the family, however, starting from this, all the rest, whether their life going to, whether their life to have peace, happiness, to receive benefit or harm, is completely in one’s own hand. It’s completely up to you.

So besides that, yeah. So again, we can see from this that we have universal responsibility. That each of us has this universal responsibility.

So therefore now, becomes even more important, before I was talking only the happiness of oneself, but now here I’m talking the happiness of all the people, all the human beings and all the creatures, everyone, now especially, the numberless human beings, the numberless creatures, all these other human beings, living beings, to not receive harm, to receive happiness, peace, now this one person, ourselves, this one person, to practice, to develop the mind, to practice compassion, become utmost important. So crucial, so important, so precious, so precious, why? Because not only that you the one person has happiness, success, not only that but every other, every other beings they receive benefit. They do not receive harm, benefit, peace, so therefore, oneself, the one person, the compassion which one generates is so precious.

Then, the other thing, even in day-to-day life, so when our mind, in day-to-day life when our mind is a very loving nature, compassionate, very happy mind, then that makes also the environment happy. The family are happy. There is a smile on the face. There’s good, loving or compassionate face, vibration. As the mind is in nature of loving thought or compassionate thought, also the conversation, when one does conversation, when one talks, also the words are related to that. So there’s no harm. Even the conversation, talks, is to help others, to cause others happiness, to free others from problems. So even one talks it’s sweet, it’s good to hear. Very good to hear and even the, even by smiling, out of that thought, that positive attitude, makes the surrounding people happy. In the office, in the family, outside, so the surrounding people, depending on how one behaves, how one manifest, the environment or the people it makes them happy. So when one’s mind is very impatient in nature, the times when one’s mind is impatient in nature, very self-centered, very dissatisfied, self-centered, because of that then, so dissatisfied, when the mind is like this, my problem, my problem, like this, nothing else to think about, so then the mind is very tight, the heart, the mind is very tight and then also outside appearance very tight. So outside appearance, no pleasant appearance very kind of dark, sad appearance, so it makes the environment also kind of sad. So, the people that one meets, people who are around in the office, in the family, that one meets, who are around, around oneself in everyday life, so makes them also upset. Unhappy.

So also during this time, when the mind is in such a state, when one talks, there’s also difference. There’s no conversation, talk to cause others happiness, free from problems, like that. There’s no loving compassionate talk, that’s difficult.

So, even by this, how we behave in everyday life, the conclusion is that, the surrounding people, [even the animals, birds and dogs, however, even the surrounding creatures, their happiness, dependent, their happiness, suffering…

[End of Tape]

…how one is completely responsible, the happiness of the people and the creatures in the day-to-day life.

So this is the first part, it’s main emphasis how we are responsible other sentient beings’ happiness. So it’s very important to meditate on this, to feel this in everyday life. To feel this again and again, to remember, especially, for example, like this, when one goes in the street, in the family or in the office or in the street, so when one thinks of only me, me, me, I, I, I, only this, my happiness and my problems, only this, when the mind is nature of, when our mind follows the self-cherishing thought, the selfish attitude, so, here, the heart is very tight, there’s tension in the heart. It’s like, you’re not in the physical prison but you’re in a mental prison. A mental prison, when we follow the self-cherishing thought, the selfish mind, it’s like we put ourselves in the prison. So that time, there’s tension, tightness there. And there is no relaxation. Even physically try to relax but the mind, there’s no relaxation in the mind, no tranquility in the mind.

And there’s no, however, during this time, even we’re eating, even we’re eating $1000 food, you cannot find taste, you cannot enjoy the taste. With this attitude, even one has $1000 dress, the cost of dress, with this mind, the self-cherishing thought, but the mind is so dissatisfied and cannot enjoy. There’s no enjoyment. It’s like, [pause] there’s no enjoyment. Even one live the life, palace built with jewels, diamonds, gold, like this, that which has all the enjoyment, all the comfort, everything that one can make on this earth. There’s no, again, even one lives in such a place, house, apartment, palace, since the mind is living with, under the control of the self-cherishing thought, the egoism, under the control of the egoism, there’s no peace, no happiness. There’s no enjoyment. And stronger there’s the selfish attitude, there’s more, more easy to rise anger. Easier to rise anger and stronger. It’s all related to how much stronger the selfish mind there is. So that much easier to get angry and stronger anger, quicker to rise, and that much more dissatisfied mind. The dissatisfied, the desire, that much stronger. And when the jealous mind rises, stronger, easier to rise, stronger, so all other problems rises stronger and much easier.

So that’s how the self-cherishing thought, the egoism, constantly harms, constantly tortures us. Doesn’t give peace.

[Aside: Time to stop?]

So you see, now, when we live the life with the positive attitude, caring others, cherishing others, with altruism, loving compassion towards others, even there is no, even there’s only water to drink, there’s much enjoyment and happiness. Even the house where one stays, lives, even it’s just a simple ruined house, stone house or grass house, hut, there’s so much enjoyment in the life. So much peace.

So what I’m saying is this, so, while one is in the office, in the family, or even while one is walking in the street, immediately when one changes one’s own attitude, suddenly my life is not for me, my life is for other sentient beings. My life is for these people. To cause happiness, to pacify their sufferings, to cause happiness to them. This is the purpose of my life. My life is for others, to obtain happiness for other sentient beings.

So suddenly when you think like this while you’re walking the streets or in the office or the family, so suddenly there’s a release. When you change your attitude from self-cherishing thought to cherishing others, when we [microphone problem], when you change the attitude, suddenly you feel, you release, big release from the tension, the tension that which is in your heart. Like you’re, suddenly you’re freed from the prison, the prison of egoism, the self-cherishing thought. So suddenly there’s relaxation, there’s freedom, you feel the freedom in your life. There’s enjoyment. Suddenly you find enjoyment, happiness in the life, satisfaction. You see the meaning of the life, purpose to live. With this attitude there’s much enjoyment, so you look at the people, you enjoy, you have enjoyment, nothing to feel upset or hurt. So with this, one can look at the people, with, you become near, they become near to your heart. You become near to them. Even you don’t know the people, but this is what happens mentally. You become close to them. They become close to your heart. There’s a good feeling, the positive feeling, positive environment. Same thing in the family, in the office.

So like this, the suffering and happiness doesn’t come from outside. Suffering and happiness, the problems and happiness comes from our own mind, example like this.

So the second emphasis is this. So in the morning when one gets up, one remembers that I am responsible for all sentient beings’ happiness and to pacify all their sufferings and causes of suffering, which is within their mind. So one remembers the universal responsibility when one gets up in the morning and that depends on developing my mind. In the twenty-four hours practicing compassion, the most important one. Even though there are so many meditations, there are so many things to practice, but this is the most important. There are so many things to do in the life but this is the most important. Most beneficial thing, most precious, most beneficial thing for all sentient beings, for their happiness, besides oneself.

So then, so my life, so therefore, my life is not for my happiness, my life is for other sentient beings, to pacify all their sufferings, to obtain happiness for all sentient beings. So this is the purpose of my life. This is the reason why I have this precious human body.

Then, so to fulfill the work for other sentient beings, to pacify their sufferings, to obtain happiness for them, I need long life, healthy, so therefore, I put dress, I put this dress. So like taking care of the servant, taking care, you’re taking care, so taking care of the servant for, servant of all sentient beings. So taking care of the servant that becomes taking care of the masters, for whom the servant works. So they need servant, they need employer, the people who work, the employee, the people who own the company or who own the factory, or whatever, so they need worker for their success, for their happiness. So taking care of them is like taking care of the master or the other people. So taking care, this servant is taking care of the sentient beings, because this servant pacifies their sufferings, obtains happiness for other sentient beings.

So in order to obtain the works for other sentient beings, pacifying all their sufferings, to obtain happiness, I need to have long life, healthy, so therefore, I put dress. So this way, you’re wearing the dress not only for you, for the sake of all sentient beings. And then, when one eats food, again remember, I am responsible all the sentient beings’ happiness, to pacify all their sufferings and this is the purpose of my life to do this work, so again I need long life, healthy, so I eat this food in order to do service for other sentient beings. So the eating food becomes work for all sentient beings, for their happiness.

Then, when one goes to work, again one remembers the universal responsibility. Then particularly remember the people who employed you. Now people who employed you, if these people did not employ you, you wouldn’t have this comfort of, you wouldn’t have the, you cannot survive. If nobody employed you, cannot survive, everyday life to be human being, cannot survive, cannot become human being, that which one can hear and which one can understand the meaning of the words. That which is the definition of the human being. Which the creatures, even the parrot, they can memorize the words but they cannot understand the meaning. If one explains what means cause of happiness and cause of suffering, the definitions, there’s no way that they can understand the meaning. So, yeah.

And having all this enjoyment is by the kindness of these people who employed, who gave job. So remember, first remember the universal responsibility that I’m responsible all sentient beings, to obtain happiness for all sentient beings, pacify all their sufferings, then remember those people who employed, their kindness. And I’m going to serve for all sentient beings, particularly these people, and the people who receive the productions, because people, all those human beings and creatures who receive, they need the production, clothing or food or whatever, production. To build houses, whatever it is, they need all these things. So your doing the work helps to produce the enjoyments, comforts, that which helps for the comfort of that many number of human beings on this earth, that many creatures, dogs, cats, anyway, even the animals. So remember that, how your work benefits for how many sentient beings, your work benefits, brings comfort, enjoyment. Remember. So this doesn’t need particular faith. This is logical.

So, then by remembering, so, they need me for their happiness, enjoyment. So I’m serving, I’m doing this service. So in this way, one can go to work with much enjoyment, with much happiness, with satisfaction.

So if one goes to work from the house only thinking I, nothing else, only thinking of my happiness, my happiness, my problem, my problem, then there’s no enjoyment in the life and then very unhappy mind to go to work, during the work, very unhappy mind. So the whole day passes, unhappy mind.

So that mind which is under the control of the self-cherishing thought makes the life very boring, very tired, boring, exhausting, no interest.

So when one goes to bed, same thing, so again remember, I’m responsible for all sentient beings’ happiness, so my, so the purpose of my life is to serve them, okay? So therefore, I need long life, healthy so for that reason I’m going to sleep. So the sleeping is also done for the benefit of all sentient beings.

So, when one makes party, so first of all, yeah, so with this attitude, if one live the life from morning till night like this, all the actions, eating, drinking, sitting, sleeping, working, talking, everything becomes virtue, pure virtue. Virtue, pure virtue, why pure? Unstained by the self-cherishing thought, so it becomes very pure, not only virtue, but pure virtue. So with this attitude from morning until night, everything, whatever one does becomes cause, unmistaken cause of happiness. Unmistaken cause of happiness. It has only result happiness. So it came from your own mind, we transform our mind into cause of happiness. And that way we create happiness, this life and the life after this, even the highest enlightenment, even the highest complete happiness, peerless happiness, completed bliss, or happiness, the peace, the full enlightenment. So everything comes from the mind. We create from our mind.

So like this, so even when we do party, so if you do the party like, with any other attitude, so if you do the party with the attachment, desire, clinging to this life, the happiness of the reputation, and so forth, however, happiness, one’s own happiness, but even that only this life, so that attitude is, so that attachment is worldly concern or worldly desire. So, with that attitude doing party, because the motivation is nonvirtue, so all the actions become nonvirtue. The motivation is nonvirtue, therefore, all the actions become nonvirtue.

So now how we do? How we transform the party, the action of doing party into positive? To become the real cause of happiness? So, again remember the universal responsibility, that I’m responsible to pacify all sentient beings’ sufferings and to obtain happiness for all sentient beings. So for that reason, I need to develop my mind in the path, especially compassion, altruism. So to develop this, I need to accumulate merit. I need to create the condition, the merit, good karma, merit, to develop my mind for sentient beings, for the benefit of the sentient beings. So therefore, I’m going to make charity, cake or drink, tea, whatever it is, food, that one is serving for other people, giving other people. Therefore, I’m going to make charity to my kind sentient beings, my kind mother sentient beings, my kind sentient beings from whom I received all my past, present, future happiness.

So this way, doing party becomes Dharma. So with this attitude, from morning until night, our actions become Dharma. Virtue, positive action, unmistaken cause of happiness.

So now I stop here.

So tomorrow, I thought to talk, particularly related with the AIDS. Disease, how to transform, the disease to become the medicine, the disease, itself, to become the medicine to cure the disease, to purify the cause. However, the attitude towards to that. How to, while one has this disease, these problems, how to make it worthwhile. That is very important, how, so that way, life, that way we don’t waste our life. Makes the life highly meaningful.

So particularly on that, and more details about transforming problems, how to transform problems, different problems into happiness, and then how to benefit for other sentient beings. How to benefit for other sentient beings, different levels.

Then how everything, happiness, suffering, how everything came from our own mind, dependent our own mind. So therefore, we have great freedom. This way, this is the evolution, so we have great freedom to stop suffering, problems, to obtain happiness.

So something, a little bit just speak on that tomorrow.

So thank you very much, so I think .... Thank you so much.

[prayers]