November 29, 1999

WE ARE ONE, OTHERS ARE COUNTLESS

The purpose of our life is not just to achieve happiness for ourselves, not just for that; the purpose of living is to benefit other sentient beings. There are two reasons we should work for others.

It’s difficult to come up with the two reasons! I got stuck!

However, one reason is because we want happiness, that’s one thing. The other one is because what other sentient beings want is happiness and what they do not want is suffering. So, others also need happiness. These are the two reasons.

As I mentioned at the beginning, the meaning of our life is to benefit others. Generally, in the world in democratic countries, unless the leader is a bodhisattva, [it can be dangerous]. If the leader is a Dharma leader whose main aim is to benefit others, with no thought of seeking happiness or power for themself, with only the thought of seeking happiness for others, that is different. Their attitude is seeing themself as a servant to the people, only seeking the happiness of others. Unless the leader is a buddha or bodhisattva with those qualities and skills and wisdom, it can be dangerous for the country. Instead of benefiting the country, the leader can be harmful to the country. For a democracy to work, to protect and help the population, the decisions have to be correct, and there is always the danger of making wrong decisions.

We ordinary people don’t have an omniscient mind, clairvoyance, so we judge things depending on what most people like. Without an omniscient mind, clairvoyance, with an ordinary mind, we can’t see into the future and so forth, so how we can make decisions about what most people like? There is no way to judge what most people like. But we can use that as a definition of whether that person is capable or that person is good or beneficial.

What do you call people you vote for? [Student: Candidate.] Candidate. There are a few candidates, and the public votes for the one they like the most, deciding who will be the leader of the country, the prime minister or president. As I mentioned before, because the public cannot see the future, their decision is not necessarily the best decision, the correct decision. Only when the future becomes the present and when the problem arises, you can see that, not before.

Here’s the main part of what I want to say. Whichever candidate the most people vote for is elected. Why? Because the decision of the majority of people is considered more important than the decision of the minority. The minority’s decision is not regarded as so important; the majority’s decision is regarded as more important. I’m not sure that this means it is the most correct decision but generally because more people choose that person, that decision is officially accepted.

Similarly, we ourselves are just one person, whereas others are numberless. Just as the vote of the minority is not as important as the vote of the majority, we are one person and all other living beings are numberless. Our wishes are exactly the same; we all want happiness and do not want suffering or problems, not even unpleasant dreams, not even discomfort in a dream. And we all have an equal right to obtain happiness; we want happiness and do not want suffering. This is in the nature of the mind, it’s within us, but we are one and others are numberless, therefore no matter how important we think we are, that is nothing. Even if we achieve ultimate happiness, total freedom from all the suffering and causes for ourselves, we are just one person. Even if we are able to achieve this, we are just one person. It’s nothing surprising.

THE HEAT OF THE HELLS

We might be in the hell realm. The reason I’m using hell, although some people might be happy in hell, they might enjoy hell, thinking hell is like a park, anyway, the reason I’m using hell is because there we experience the heaviest suffering, the greatest problems. Compared to the suffering of the hell realm, all the problems of human beings are nothing, they are great enjoyment in comparison. No matter how many problems there are, the life of a human is still great enjoyment compared the life of the animals, the hungry ghosts or the hell beings, especially the hell beings. The worst, the most terrible suffering we have is nothing compared to the suffering of those other lower realm beings.

For example, if we were to compare the combined energy of all the fire of the human realm to one tiny spark of the hell realm, to how unbearable it is, it is nothing. It is mentioned in the teachings that all the fire energy in the human realm that at the end of the world, when the world is disintegrated, when all the rocky mountains melt and get destroyed by this intensive fire which comes when the world starts to end, that is sixty or seventy times hotter than all the energy of the fire that is now in the human world. But one tiny fire spark of the hell realm is seven times hotter than the fire energy of the end of the world. Compared to the hell realm fire, the fire of the human realm is as enjoyable as a cool breeze; even a tiny fire spark of the hell realm is unbelievably hot.

Normal fire cannot melt rock but fire from a volcano can, turning the rock into saliva. No, not saliva! Lava! I said “saliva.” Maybe the lava running out of the volcano is somebody’s saliva! Anyway, the lava that runs down the mountain is liquid that is oneness with the fire. No other fire in the human world melts rock, but this particular fire, which is oneness with liquid, when it flows down the volcano and touches the rocks, those rocks, those very hard things, are melted because it’s so hot.

I remember, I went to where a volcano was erupting in Hawaii. A student who started a center there (which has now disappeared) took me to see the volcano. It was so hot and you could see the rocks that had melted. Things like that intensity of fire exist. That is one logic we need to understand.

There are eight immeasurable hot hells and eight immeasurable cold hells, and then there are the neighboring hell realms, sometimes counted as four and sometimes as six.

One of the neighboring hells is called the uncrossable torrent, chuwo rapme in Tibetan. Chu is water, but this is the same as lava, fire when it’s liquid. This is still not a major hell; it’s just a secondary, smaller hell surrounded by the major hells.

This is what we can see happening in some places in the world. It gives us an idea, allowing us to understand the suffering of the hell realm, of how the energy of fire can be so hot due to the karma of the sentient beings.

I saw on TV, (on TV not TB), I don’t know which country it was, maybe Africa, a volcano erupted, and stones and fire flew out the mountain and flowed down, pervading the forest. All the animals and insects living in the forest had no choice. It’s unbelievable how much they suffer when this happens.

Compared to the heat in the hot hells, contacting the hottest fire in the human world is like experiencing a cool breeze. So, no matter how many problems there are in human life, it is nothing. It’s great happiness if we compare it to the unimaginable sufferings of animals, hungry ghosts and especially hell beings.

USING PROBLEMS TO GENERATE BODHICITTA

These are good to compare to others who have much more suffering. When we compare our problems to others’ sufferings that are so much bigger, ours seem nothing. Ours is a life of incredible freedom, of great enjoyment.

Thinking this way also helps us to not be depressed. Usually, when the mind is so unhappy, we cannot practice Dharma, we are unable to meditate. And when we are too excited, when life has too much luxury, again we are unable to practice Dharma. If we don’t practice meditation to keep our mind stable, to always keep our mind in a state of peace and happiness, then whenever these two extremes happen, we are unable to practice Dharma. Both extremes become an obstacle.

Therefore, we can use various meditation techniques, such as thought transformation, so that whenever we encounter problems, we can use that problem to make our mind more aware of the sufferings of others, to generate compassion and loving kindness for other sentient beings, those who are devoid of happiness. Whenever we encounter a problem, we can use the experience of the problem to develop bodhicitta, the altruistic mind to achieve enlightenment for sentient beings.

By experiencing the problem to develop compassion and loving kindness for others, to develop bodhicitta, it becomes a path to enlightenment. We transform our experience of the problem into the path to enlightenment. Using the problem to develop loving kindness, compassion and bodhicitta for other sentient beings becomes the path to enlightenment and helps us cease the defilements, the negative karma, that block us from achieving enlightenment.

By experiencing the problem for others, whether it’s for one sentient being or for numberless sentient beings—even if it is just for one sentient being—whatever problem we encounter becomes a very powerful means of purifying countless lifetimes’ negative karma. And experiencing the problem for others, whether it’s one sentient being or many, becomes an unbelievably powerful means of collecting extensive merits.

Using the problem to develop bodhicitta for others within ourselves, we are making it most profitable because what we achieve by using the problem in that way is enlightenment. What we achieve from it is the cessation of all the gross and subtle defilements and the completion of all the Mahayana realizations, the ultimate goal being full enlightenment. That is what we get from that business of experiencing suffering for others.

This is the best way to transform problems into happiness. In that way, we are achieving the highest profit in our life. Among all the profits in the world, we are achieving the highest profit. We are making our life most beneficial with that.

By this thought transformation practice of using problems that we encounter to develop bodhicitta, by experiencing them for the benefit of others, we are making our mind most satisfied, most fulfilled, most happy. Deep inside our heart we have peace and happiness. It gives us incredible satisfaction knowing that we are doing the most worthwhile thing in our life, the best thing in our life.

Even when we are leading a luxurious life, experiencing comfort and pleasure, we use that to develop the two bodhicittas—conventional bodhicitta, the altruistic mind to achieve enlightenment, and absolute bodhicitta, the wisdom realizing emptiness. Even having comfort becomes the path to achieve enlightenment for sentient beings.

We use both ways, experiencing problems and experiencing comfort. We experience problems for others, and we dedicate our happiness for others. We share or we dedicate, we make charity of our comfort and happiness for other sentient beings.

Using happiness to develop the two bodhicittas, whatever experience happens to us, everything is transformed into the path to achieve full enlightenment, the cessation of all the mistakes of mind and the completion of all the realizations.

That means we don’t stay there being spaced out! After enlightenment we are not just stuck there being spaced out or blissed out. After that, we do perfect work for the numberless sentient beings equaling the limitless sky naturally, effortlessly, spontaneously. In that way, we can gradually bring the numberless sentient beings to enlightenment. Those whose minds are obscured, who are suffering and devoid of happiness, we gradually bring everyone to full enlightenment. Through this thought transformation we make the best use of our life, we make it the most productive.

WE ARE ONE, OTHERS ARE COUNTLESS (BACK TO)

What was I saying before this extra thing just came out?

So, even if we, this one person, is born in the hell realm, it’s just one person. When we compare the numberless other sentient beings born in hell, we are just one person, so there is nothing much to be upset about. 

And even if we achieve ultimate liberation for ourselves, that is no great surprise.

Because others are numberless, they are more important than us. Our own importance is nothing. By number, it is lost when we think of how others are numberless. How we are important is nothing, it’s lost, because others are numberless.

That’s one type of logic. That is normally how people in the world decide what is most important, and this is similar to that.

RINPOCHE AND MONTANA FISH

But maybe we still feel that we are very important, that we feel something here that makes us very important, maybe in this. [Rinpoche shows something] I don’t think this thing, anyway, but here. Anyway, we naturally feel we are very important, we are the most important, we are more important than others.

If the thought comes that we are important, when we analyze it, when we question it, what is the reason? When we look for the reason why we are more important than the numberless others, what is the reason? Is there a reason? Is there? Did you find some reason? Do you find some reason why you are more important than others?

Maybe you found some reasons during this course! Maybe you didn’t find a reason before but now you have! Has somebody found a reason? I think maybe you found a reason. Did you find a reason?

Student: Yes.

Rinpoche: Where are you from?

Student: Montana.

Rinpoche: In Montana, are there many people who found reasons?

Student: Yeah. 

Rinpoche: I think you might be the first one who discovered the reason.

Student: The reasons or reason? I guess, I don’t know, not really, I’m also part of the ecology. I trout fish though. I fly fish, I trout fish.

Rinpoche: Oh I see, you fish. Now is the perfect time to look for a reason.

Student: Like when I was in Montana? I have a close affinity to trees!

Rinpoche: Closer to trees!

Student: I dedicated my life to protecting trees.

Rinpoche: I think besides the trees, you are already very close to the pillar! I think this is a very important analysis, to decide whether the Montana fish are more important or you are more important. Now is the real best time to look for the reason, the best meditation.

Student: I see, my real reason? Because I think I have a special mission or dedication to protect forests, the trees, but I don’t know if it makes me more important than other people.

Rinpoche: I’m talking about the fish, the Montana fish. Now it’s a very good time, the Montana fish and you. Analyze whether they are more important or you. What’s your name, please?

Student: Daniel Honey.

Rinpoche: Daniel Honey. So, are all those Montana fish more important or is Daniel Honey more important than those Montana fish?

Daniel: Well, I like to eat them!

Rinpoche: Did you ever think what the fish like and what they don’t like?

Daniel: I let a lot of them go!

Rinpoche: After the hook or before the hook? You let a lot of the fish go, meaning after the hook or before the hook? 

Daniel: I take out the hook. After I catch them, I let most of them go.

Rinpoche: But they will go through a lot of pain though, so much pain.

Daniel: It might hurt them a little.

Rinpoche: In any case, let’s say you are swimming and somebody makes a mistake and thinks you are a big fish! And you get a hook in your mouth. Do you think that would be a lot of pain or very little pain?

Daniel: I don’t think fish have many nerves in the mouth.

Rinpoche: You don’t have many nerves?

Daniel: It probably would hurt, yeah, right.

Rinpoche: So, that research is very important. What happens to the fish, if somebody did the same thing to you, how would you feel? I think that’s very good research. There is so much research in the West; this is very important research.

Daniel: What about a barbless hook where you cut off the barb. The hook alone doesn’t hurt as much.

Rinpoche: I don’t have much idea. It’s barbless? It goes in without a hook?

Daniel: Yeah, right. Just the metal.

Rinpoche: I see, without this bit, with just the sharp point. Anyway, what’s your name, please? Of course, Daniel. Wouldn’t you dislike even a small discomfort, something stuck there like that? Right or not? Or would you enjoy it?

Daniel: Probably not.

Rinpoche: Anyway, thank you very much. Thank you for the good research. I’m very happy for the Montana fish. I think they will clap their hands! Anyway, they don’t have hands, so maybe they will move their fins. When you return to Montana, they will all do like this! “Now Mr. Daniel will free us. After coming back from the Kopan course, he won’t catch us. Now he won’t catch us” They will all be so excited, maybe they will make a big party when you return to Montana! Thank you so much.

THE DICTATOR OF SELF-CHERISHING TELLS US WE ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT

What I was saying before was that we feel like that constantly. Twenty-four hours a day, we feel we are more important than all other sentient beings. Among all sentient beings, we are the most important; among all the buddhas and all the bodhisattvas, among all sentient beings, we are the most important.

Spontaneously, we feel like this all the time. But if we make the research, if we ask the question, “Is that true?” If we question like that, whether our feelings are true, whether they are logical, we cannot find a single reason why we are more important than others.

Also, not just others but even with one sentient being, comparing ourselves with another person, who is more important? From our side, if we analyze, if we question ourselves, “Am I more important or is this person more important?” we cannot find a single reason why we are more important than that person, not one single, logical, valid reason.

Of course, we may be able to say, “Blah, blah, blah, blah,” but then all the blah blahs are not necessarily a valid reason. So, there’s no one single valid reason that we are more important than even one person. But this is exactly the way we feel, twenty-four hours a day. Thinking we are more important than the other is exactly the reasoning of the dictator who thinks they are more important than the entire population. “My happiness is more important than all the people in the country, than the population, than all the people in the world.” There is not one single, valid reason that proves that the dictator is more important than the whole population, than all the human beings in this world.

That is exactly the same as the feeling we have all the time, that we are more important than others. In that way, it’s like a dictatorship. The mind which feels like that is the egocentric mind, the self-cherishing thought. The self-cherishing thought is exactly like the dictator that people hate, the one everybody protests about. This ego, this self-centered mind we have is exactly like that.

A dictator is a dictator of one country, but this is the dictator of all sentient beings, thinking, “I am more important than all sentient beings, than all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, than anybody.” The self-cherishing mind is like a dictator to all sentient beings.

If others look at us and think of us, they feel that we only think of ourselves. Our survival comes from others. This precious human body, this perfect human body is due to the kindness of others. All the enjoyments, all the comfort, the shelter, clothing, food, drink, everything—every single comfort happens due to the kindness of other sentient beings, it is received from others. All this enjoyment, this comfort, every single thing we have received by the kindness of numberless other sentient beings who have worked for this, suffered for this, died for this, killed for this. Numberless sentient beings have died, some have killed and created negative karma and borne so much hardship and suffering for these enjoyments we have, for all this food and clothing, all this shelter, all these things, that we have received.

Our survival every day, every hour, every minute is totally dependent on the kindness of sentient beings, including this life’s parents. Our peace, enjoyment, comfort—everything comes from numberless other sentient beings. We have received [the enjoyments] due to the kindness of their existence, the kindness of their having suffered for this, having died for this, having borne so much hardship for this.

Now, these sentient beings look at us and they see that we are only thinking of ourselves, twenty-four hours a day. We are only thinking of our own happiness; we are only working for ourselves. For our whole life, we are doing the same thing, only cherishing ourselves, only working for ourselves. In the view of other sentient beings, it’s very sad; it’s something very ungenerous.

So, what I want to say is that it is the self-cherishing thought that controls us like a dictator, overpowering us, making us think that we are the most important, while there is not the slightest reason to prove that. Even comparing ourselves with one other person, there’s not the slightest reason to prove that we are more important than them. This selfish feeling is totally wrong.

Therefore, since other sentient beings are numberless, who we should cherish is others. Who are more important are others, not ourselves. Whom we should cherish is others; who we should work for is other sentient beings. Their happiness is more important than our happiness. For them to achieve happiness is more important. Therefore, who we should work for is other sentient beings.

WORKING FOR OTHERS IS THE DOOR TO ALL HAPPINESS

Now, let’s look at even one sentient being. Do we work for ourselves or do we work for this person? Do we cherish ourselves or do we cherish this person? Even one sentient being, whether it’s animal or a human being. Before I was talking by number, but now, even in this case, should we cherish this one sentient being?

Before I mention that, if we cherish this person, we can achieve enlightenment, we can achieve all the realizations of the Mahayana path, method and wisdom. We can achieve all that if we cherish this one person, this one sentient being. We can complete the two types of merit—the merit of wisdom and the merit of virtue—and we can achieve enlightenment, whether it’s an insect or a person, whoever it is. Cherishing even one sentient being is opening the door to skies of happiness.

That thought of wishing one sentient being to have happiness, even just one sentient being, is the door to all happiness. It is the door to all temporary happiness and to ultimate happiness, including enlightenment for ourselves.

Remember I mentioned the four happinesses that we cause other sentient beings: this life’s comfort and happiness; the happiness of all the coming future lives; liberation from samsara and full enlightenment. Our thought to bring one sentient being to happiness becomes the door to all this happiness: to this life’s success and happiness, to all our future lives’ happiness, to the cessation of the whole of suffering and its causes and to the highest liberation, enlightenment. Our thought to bring even one sentient being to happiness becomes the door opening all this happiness.

This thought cherishing this one sentient being, the wish to bring one sentient being to happiness, is the cause for us to have the infinite qualities of a buddha, a buddha’s holy body, holy speech, holy mind, besides having all the qualities of Dharma and Sangha. With our thought to bring even one sentient being to happiness, the benefit is like the limitless sky.

It’s a simple thing. This is just to give an idea, but we can go into great detail, looking at all the realizations and qualities of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, as well as all the temporary happiness and enjoyment we get from that.

With all this achievement that we get from our thought of bringing even one sentient being to happiness, with all the realizations and with enlightenment, we are able to cause numberless sentient beings happiness in that life and happiness in future lives as well as bringing them the cessation of all suffering and its causes and even bringing them to the highest happiness, full enlightenment. From this thought that we generate to one sentient being, as a result we are able to cause all this happiness for numberless other sentient beings. Just this is unbelievable. There is no greater profit we can achieve in life.

Now listen! Pay attention. All this benefit we get from the thought to bring one sentient being to happiness, and what we can offer numberless other sentient beings, all this we get from this person, from the thought to benefit this person, to bring this sentient being to happiness. We get all these skies of benefit from this sentient being, by practicing bodhicitta on this sentient being. In other words, this sentient being is giving us skies of benefit, and with that we can benefit all sentient beings. This one sentient being is giving us this opportunity.

Now we can see these sentient beings are the most precious ones in our life, whether it’s one insect or one human being. They are the most kind, the most precious ones in our life.

We think money is very precious. Nobody needs to explain how important money is, OM MANI PADME HUM, money! Everybody likes money; nobody needs to explain how important money is. Everybody knows money is precious, we all cherish it. We can see the benefits because of what we can do with it. We can have many chocolates or biscuits! Anyway, I’m joking! We understand the benefits of money, therefore everybody cherishes money.

People sacrifice their lives for money because they see its benefits. They give up their life for money. I’m not saying that is correct, but I’m saying they do this because they see the benefits of money, how money is precious.

It’s exactly the same here. Since I brought up this example, money, we can compare the value of one sentient being and mountains of diamonds. Diamonds are more precious than gold, when rocks and stones become diamonds. Maybe at that time something else would be more precious.

Anyway, one sentient being and mountains of diamonds, mountains of dollars. Even if every bill is a million dollars and there are mountains of it. And then there’s one sentient being. Which is more precious in our life?

The example can be anything that we like so much. It can be cars. It can be piles of antiques, it can be piles of broken cups or piles of old bones, if somebody likes bones very much! The example doesn’t have to be dollars or diamonds but anything that we like most; it can be mountains of chocolate or anything. So now, those great mountains of many millions of dollars, or diamonds, and this one sentient being, which is more precious in our life?

Without mountains of diamonds alone, even if we own that much, by depending on the existence of the suffering sentient beings, we can make the vow to not harm sentient beings. Because sentient beings exist, we can practice morality, which causes us to achieve not only the peace and happiness of this life, but a good rebirth in all the coming future lives and also liberation from samsara, as well as, by practicing morality with bodhicitta, that causes us to achieve enlightenment. By practicing morality with this suffering sentient being, we can achieve all this. We get all this benefit from this sentient being.

Even if we don’t have one single dollar or diamond, we can practice morality on this sentient being and, from that, we can achieve all this happiness up to enlightenment. Whereas even if we own that much wealth—mountains of diamonds or mountains of millions of dollars—there’s no way to practice morality on that, but because sentient beings exist, we can make charity and the same again, we can achieve all the happiness from that. And the same with patience and perseverance. All this is the same. With money alone there is no opportunity to practice charity to achieve every happiness. Like that, it’s same with the other perfections.

Even if we don’t have even a dollar or a diamond, we can practice loving kindness, compassion and bodhicitta on the object, sentient beings, the obscured suffering sentient beings, and we can achieve enlightenment. Sentient beings give us all these benefits, all the realizations of the path and enlightenment. We get all this benefit.

Without depending on these sentient beings, even if we have that much wealth—mountains of diamonds or mountains of million dollars—there’s no way to generate compassion, no way to generate loving kindness, no way to generate bodhicitta, so there is no possibility to achieve enlightenment. Without depending on the kindness of sentient beings, even just the existence of suffering sentient beings, just this alone, even if we have that much wealth, with that alone we cannot stop rebirth in the lower realms and achieve a good rebirth in the next life. And then no question, we cannot attain liberation from samsara. With that much wealth alone we cannot achieve enlightenment without depending on the kindness of sentient beings.

Therefore, all this wealth, no matter how valuable it is, is nothing. Even though before we analyzed it appeared more precious and the sentient being seemed nothing, now, after analyzing, the value of those mountains of diamonds and that many millions of dollars is nothing when we compare it to one sentient being, whether it’s an insect or a human being. The benefit we get from this one being is like the sky; it is so unbelievably precious. That much wealth is nothing.

There is no valuable material that can compare to one sentient being, that is of the same level as the value of a sentient being. Among all material things, a wish-granting jewel is the most valuable. This is the jewel that in the past wheel-turning kings with great merit got from the ocean. After cleaning them in three ways, they are put on top of a banner on the roof of a house, and on the fifteenth day, on those special days, by praying to them, a sentient being receives whatever enjoyment, whatever material possession they need. This is basically due to their merit and the power of the material thing, the wish-granting jewel.

This is the most precious thing among all material possessions, but, even if we had mountains of wish-granting jewels, even if the sky were filled with wish-granting jewels, it could never compete, it could never compare to the value of one sentient being. Even that many wish-granting jewels filling the whole sky is nothing when we compare the value of one sentient being, the benefits we can receive. All those wish-granting jewels are nothing compared to the value of one sentient being in our life.

The reason they use wish-granting jewels is because it’s the most precious thing among all material objects, and if we can find one, it is very easy to feel how precious it is.

Sorry, this is to get the feeling that even one sentient being is the most precious one, the most important one. When we compare ourselves and the other sentient beings, whether it’s an insect or a human being, they are the most important.

THE DISADVANTAGES OF SELF-CHERISHING

I’ll mention this, then I stop there. I’m not going to continue. I think I jumped without bringing in the beginning!

What happens without cherishing other sentient beings, when we are only cherishing ourselves? For example, even in one day of our life, what makes one day of our life completely empty is this ego, the self-cherishing thought.

If this ego, the self-cherishing thought, is there, it doesn’t allow us to have bodhicitta; it blocks bodhicitta, the thought of cherishing others, the thought of benefiting others, from arising. It blocks us seeking enlightenment for others.

Then, in all the activities within twenty-four hours, nothing becomes the cause of enlightenment. The ego, the self-cherishing thought, doesn’t allow any of our activities within twenty-four hours to become the cause of enlightenment, even if we are meditating, reciting prayers or doing a retreat, because it doesn’t allow bodhicitta to arise, the thought of benefiting others, of cherishing others. When everything is done with the self-centered mind, nothing becomes the cause of enlightenment.

Because of the self-cherishing thought, because of cherishing the I, attachment to samsaric happiness arises. Cherishing the I doesn’t allow us to have the thought of renunciation, to be free from samsara, from the whole of suffering and its cause, karma and delusions. Renunciation doesn’t arise.

Every activity we do twenty-four hours a day with attachment just becomes the cause of samsara. And not just that, because of cherishing the I, the particular attachment—the attachment clinging to this life—this nonvirtuous thought arises. Then, all the activities we do twenty-four hours a day, even the actions of meditation, retreat, saying prayers, everything becomes nonvirtue. Cherishing the I doesn’t allow any of those actions to become the Dharma. What happens is that everything becomes nonvirtuous. Every action only results in suffering.

If we live our life cherishing the I, this is what happens. Not only is this one day completely empty, but, due to the self-cherishing thought, we use this perfect human life only to create negative karma.

And not only that, due to this self-centered mind, attachment arises, which doesn’t allow us to take vows, it doesn’t allow us to practice morality, which is the main cause to have good rebirth in our next life. Because of self-centeredly cherishing the I, it doesn’t allow us practice morality, to take the precepts and therefore to have a good rebirth right after this one. It doesn’t want us to. It’s scared, it doesn’t want this.

Even if we try to practice morality and have a good, pure, ethical life, by cherishing the I, attachment arises, causing us to break the vows. If we are trying to do something good, the self-centered mind interferes, not allowing us to live in pure morality, blocking us from achieving a good rebirth and liberation from samsara.

And as I mentioned before, self-cherishing doesn’t allow bodhicitta to arise; it blocks compassion for others. That’s how it doesn’t allow us to complete the two types of merit and achieve enlightenment.

Even if we do fifteen or ten minutes of meditation, because of cherishing the I many other delusions arise, especially attachment. The objects of attachment come into the mind, interrupting the meditation. It doesn’t allow us to have a perfect meditation. Even during one mala of OM MANI PADME HUM, it disturbs our mind.

And other delusions arise due to cherishing the I. Even though we have plenty of time to meditate on the lamrim, to do sadhanas and to do commitments, mantras and so forth—those very precious mantras that purify so much, that collect so much merit and bring enlightenment—even though we have plenty of time, because all the other delusions arise due to cherishing the I, we are put off our practice. Attachment makes us think something else is more important, some work for this life, something to do for the happiness of this life, and we are put off our Dharma practice.

It puts us off doing a retreat, it puts us off studying the Dharma, it puts us off our daily practice, our meditation on the lamrim. Even fifteen or ten minutes of meditation, even five minutes, we find something else we think is more important, something happening in this life, not enlightenment, not liberation from samsara, not a good rebirth in a future life, or the happiness of other sentient beings, but the happiness of this life.

Every day, like that, our practice doesn’t get done. One day goes by, one week goes by, one month goes by, one year goes by. We have time to practice. Besides time for the job, we have time to do things in the morning or the evening. But even if we have no obligation, the practice still doesn’t get done; somehow something else becomes more important, some comfort or happiness of this life. Because of attachment, we think the pleasures of this life are more important than Dharma practice.

Cherishing the I, miserliness and attachment arise, which don’t allow us to make charity to other sentient beings, to make offerings to the Triple Gem. That’s how it interferes with achieving even the happiness and prosperity of this life, as well as the happiness of future lives, so no question of liberation and enlightenment.

We all know it is more difficult to get along with somebody who is very strongly selfish, and when we are more selfish, we find more problems with others. It’s not a problem coming from others but because our own self-cherishing thought is stronger, then we find conflicts. We have more disagreements with others, we have more emotional problems, more anger. The stronger the self-cherishing thought, the more anger. There is more disagreement because our attitude is only for our own happiness. Because doing what we like is the only thing, we are unable to accept others having it their way, we are unable to accept others’ happiness, others’ wishes.

There are personality clashes, like throwing dynamite onto a rock. We can see with our own lives that, when we are more selfish, we find more difficulties. We become more disharmonious with others, we find more difficulties with people.

But the times when we think more of others, we have better relationships, more harmony, more peace, less emotional clashes. There is less worry, less fear; we are happier, more peaceful, with a more open mind.

Wherever a selfish person is, even staying at home with the family, there is fighting every day, fighting with their husband or wife, with the children, with the parents. It is not a happy life; there is no peace or happiness. Not only is there so much unhappiness and anger in that person’s life, the people who are around that person are unhappy. It’s the same wherever they go, to the east or west, they never get along with other people.

This is because of self-centeredness. The result of self-cherishing is that so many people become their enemy. Wherever they go, when their behavior or way of speaking is done out of the self-cherishing thought, they do not think of the other person’s happiness or wish, so it becomes confusion. Just by seeing or by talking a little, they become the other person’s enemy, they are disliked. Maybe in the beginning others are nice to them, but after talking for one or two hours, they lose interest, they get bored or they dislike them.

A selfish person has more enemies. Whether they stay at home or go outside, there is no peace and happiness, neither in the daytime nor at night. When the person goes to bed, there is no happy mind, no peaceful mind; they cannot relax. Even when they get up in the morning, it’s the same; they cannot get up with a peaceful mind. There is so much tension with all this self-centeredness.

For the good-hearted person who puts others first in their daily life, it is just the opposite. This is not necessarily having a realization of bodhicitta but being a generally good-hearted, kind person. If that person is living at home, in the family, they make everybody peaceful and happy. Not only is there so much peace and happiness at home, wherever that person goes, even the people they meet in the street can feel that warm-hearted attitude. People want to see them, even unknown people. They feel the warm heart and they are happy to see the good-hearted person.

In daily life, it is very easy for that person to get help from others because everybody likes and respects them. Others feel that person’s kindness, warm-heartedness, and everybody wishes that person to be healthy and successful and to live long. When that person gets sick or has some difficulties, others are very concerned and help without even asking.

But for the person who is very selfish, self-centered, impatient, when other people hear they have problems, they feel happy, they rejoice. Instead of praying for them to get better, instead of helping, they rejoice in that person having problems. No matter how much that person needs help, other people don’t come to help. It is very difficult for that person to find a friend; they can only find enemies.

With this good-hearted person, everyone wants to help them; they find a friend so easily. People become friends with them wherever they go. At night, when that person goes to bed, they have a very happy, relaxed and peaceful mind, and when they get up in the morning it’s the same; they can get up and start the day with a very peaceful, happy mind.

I gave some examples during the session on karma how due to the self-cherishing thought we experience many problems in this life—relationship problems, disharmony, sicknesses and so forth. There are many problems we experience in this life related to the presence of the self-cherishing thought. Today’s problems relate to today’s self-cherishing thought, including sickness. Many problems arise from this life’s self-cherishing thought, as well as problems and difficulties that we experience that come from the self-cherishing thought, from past negative karmas.

Bodhisattvas who have the direct realization of emptiness do not have sicknesses. They are free from the sufferings of rebirth, of old age, sicknesses and death. Although ordinary bodhisattvas don’t have the self-cherishing thought, they can experience sicknesses and so forth because of past lives’ karma. It’s not related to the present life; it’s not caused by the present self-cherishing thought because there is no self-cherishing thought for the new bodhisattva. But in their past lives, out of self-cherishing, attachment arose, and then anger, and then they committed nonvirtuous actions such as killing, stealing, sexual misconduct and so forth. Then, they experience the result in this life. So, the problem is not connected directly to the self-cherishing thought in this present life because, for a bodhisattva, there is no self-cherishing thought. The problem comes from past lives’ self-cherishing. There are also problems that we experience in that way caused by self-cherishing thought.

Those actions—killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, telling lies, slandering, harsh speech, gossiping—can become virtuous if the motivation is strong compassion, bodhicitta for others. But because of the self-cherishing thought, those seven actions are transformed into negative karma.

Now you can understand what happens if you cherish yourself. It only brings suffering, only obstacles, even to our day-to-day life.

THE MINUTE WE CHERISH OTHERS THERE IS PEACE

An example I often give is this. While we are at home or in the office or even at the meditation center, while we are sitting next to a person or an animal or something, the minute our mind cherishes that being, thinking that they are more important than we are, the minute we are able to do that, we have peace in our heart, we have happiness, peace, tranquility in our heart.

If we cherish the I instead, there is no peace. The effect of cherishing the I is that there is a lack of peace, and when it becomes stronger the mind becomes quite uptight. We are not really happy, no matter what. Even though we might have some success, with a selfish mind there’s never really any peace in the heart.

So, while we are at home, in the office, in a restaurant, walking in the street, the minute we think, “I’m here to serve others; I’m here to bring happiness to other sentient beings,” the minute we think that, our heart is opened to others. With an open heart, we can smile at others; we are more relaxed. Before that, while cherishing the I, our happiness [was all the mattered]. We go on and on with, “My happiness, my happiness, my problem, my problem. I have this problem, I have that problem.” There is nothing else but our problems, like chanting, OM MANI PADME HUM, OM MANI PADME HUM! “My problem, my problem, my problem, I have this problem,” or “My happiness, my happiness.” Before we change our mind, there’s so much tension in our heart and it is difficult to open our mind to others. We can’t even smile at others because this self-centered mind is so tight.

Now … now the conclusion comes! Now, we can pack up the box, the suitcase. We should cherish others, benefit others, work for others. We should work for the happiness of all sentient beings because they want happiness and they do not want suffering, so we are working for the happiness of all living beings.

Remember, I mentioned the four levels of happiness, starting from our daily life’s happiness all the way up to enlightenment. For that reason, we must cherish and benefit others. We must do this with a good heart even for our own happiness, for our day-to-day peace of mind and all the success and prosperity of this life.

I’m not going to repeat this again because I have mentioned it before.

The self-cherishing thought is an obstacle to even achieving the happiness of this life. We can all think of many examples in our life and in others’ lives how the self-cherishing thought is an obstacle for that.

The best way to have day-to-day peace of mind, happiness, success and prosperity in this life, as well as long life and health, is to have a good heart for other sentient beings. This is the best way to achieve all these various happinesses; this is the best way to be healthy and have a long life.

The self-cherishing thought creates many negative karmas, and from these negative karmas come the various sicknesses and problems. And there is no question about our future lives’ happiness, all the way up to enlightenment. The best way to achieve happiness up to enlightenment is having a good heart, cherishing others. The best way to achieve even our own happiness is by cherishing others.

You can understand from what I introduced before about the self-cherishing thought, how if we don’t cherish even one sentient being, there’s no enlightenment. You can understand that.

This is the conclusion! For those reasons, for the happiness of the numberless other sentient beings and even for our own happiness, up to enlightenment, we must cherish others, we must benefit and work for others.

The other simple way to understand it is like this. How we think and behave, our manner of speech, our mental attitude, has an effect on the people around us, whether we are outside or inside. Depending on how we think, how we speak, how we behave, it has a positive or negative effect on others, making them happy or unhappy. But it doesn’t stop there. When they are happy or unhappy, that affects us, making us happy or unhappy. Do you understand? This is not talking about karma or reincarnation; this is just simple dependent arising.

Now here comes the conclusion! If we want to be happy, the simple thing is we have to make others happy, we have to have love and compassion for others, we have to benefit others. What that attitude contains is not harming others. One way of saying not harming others is benefiting others. We must do this if we want to be happy.

And because others’ happiness depends on us, on what we think of them, whether we respect them or not, whether we have compassion for them or not, we are responsible. We should practice a good heart, only benefiting others.

My previous explanation took many, many words but this one is very simple.

Actually, I meant this motivation for some other subject, but all the time went on the motivation, so the other subject didn’t happen.

DEDICATION

“Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me and the three-time merits collected by the buddhas, bodhisattvas and all the rest of the sentient beings, may bodhicitta, which is the source of all the happiness and success for myself and all sentient beings, be generated in my mind and in the minds of all the sentient beings without delay of even a second, and may the bodhicitta that is the source of all the happiness for myself and for all sentient beings, that which has been generated be increased.

“Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me, the three-time merits collected by the buddhas, bodhisattvas and all the rest of the sentient beings, may the Buddha of Compassion, His Holiness the Dalai Lama—the source of all the happiness and success of all sentient beings, the object of refuge for all us sentient beings—have a stable life and may all his holy wishes succeed immediately, as well as all those of the other holy beings and all my virtuous friends.

“Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me, the three-time merits collected by buddhas, bodhisattvas and all the rest of the sentient beings, in whichever universe, world, country or area I am or will be, just by my being there, may all the sentient beings who are in that universe, in that world, in that country, in that area never ever be reborn in the lower realms from the time that I am there, and may they immediately get liberated from all the disease, spirit harm, negative karma and all the defilements. May they actualize the whole path, especially bodhicitta and clear light, and may they achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible.

“And just by my being there, in that universe, in that world, in that country, in that area, may those sentient beings who are deaf, unable to hear; those who are blind, unable to see; those who are mental disturbed, possessed by spirits and so forth, may they immediately be free from these sufferings. May all those who are suffering from much depression immediately recover and may all those who are in a coma immediately recover. May all those who have cancer recover; may all those who have AIDS immediately recover. May all those who are always fighting and quarreling become harmonious; and may wars and all these things immediately stop. May all those who are experiencing poverty immediately have wealth and may all those who have obstacles to practicing the Dharma immediately be free from obstacles. May those who are devoid of a guru, a virtuous friend, be able to meet a perfectly qualified virtuous friend; may those who need teachings be able to receive teachings. May everyone receive the things they need, the things they want, even if they don’t know that they need such things as a guru and the teachings, the wisdom of Dharma and so forth. Even if they are not aware of what they need, may they receive the things they need. May everyone have perfect peace and happiness, just through myself being there in that universe, in that world, in that country, in that area.”

Like the compassionate white lotus that grows at that time, pray for yourself to become wish-fulfilling for all sentient beings.

“Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me, the three-time merits collected by the buddhas, bodhisattvas and all the rest of the sentient beings, may I be able to offer skies of benefit to all sentient beings like Lama Tsongkhapa, by having the same qualities within me as Lama Tsongkhapa has, from now on in all my future lifetimes.”

So, now my favorite dedication, my hobby, hopefully: “Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me, the three-time merits collected by the buddhas, bodhisattvas and all the rest of the sentient beings, which exist but don’t exist, which appear real from there but which are totally nonexistent, empty, may the I who exists, but does not exist, which appears real from there, from its own side, but which is totally nonexistent, empty, achieve Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment, which exists but doesn’t exist, which appears to me inherently existent, real one from there, but which is totally nonexistent, a hallucination, totally empty from there, not even the slightest atom exists from there, and lead all sentient beings, who exist but do not exist, who appear real to me from there but are totally a hallucination, not even the slightest atom [exists from there, to that enlightenment, which exists but doesn’t exist, which is totally empty, by myself, who exists, but does not exist, which appears real from there, from my own side, but which is totally nonexistent, empty.]”

[Break in tape]

Even in break times, as you are walking around, seeing people and animals, whatever, mainly focus on that mindfulness, the bodhicitta practice, practicing the mindfulness of the kindness of other sentient beings, how they are precious.

If there are different meditation sessions, maybe one or two sessions could be that, and then also at break times practice that awareness. In this way, it’s very, very good.

You can also do a walking meditation with this bodhicitta meditation, with a mindfulness on bodhicitta, thinking how other sentient beings are so precious, so kind, how all happiness comes from them.

While you are doing a sitting meditation (but you can also do it as a walking meditation) you can maintain a mindfulness of karma, how everything comes from your own mind. It’s the same meditation as when you are sitting but as you walk be aware of how everything around you—all the scenery, the forms, sounds, smells, tastes, everything—comes from your mind. This way, you not only hear the words but it’s something that goes in your heart. Meditating like that makes it something deeper than mere intellectual understanding, so that’s good.

Thank you very much.