Reflections on Christmas
This is the week of Holy Jesus’s birth, and I suggest that in honor of this special event we make some sort of celebration. But we should try to make it meaningful. It should not be some kind of physical sensation, bringing only more confusion and superstition to our mind.
For a Christmas celebration to be a good one, it must be of a truly religious nature. Jesus came to this Earth and presented his teachings, but worldly beings completely disregard this fact. For them Christmas means— first and foremost—shopping, spending money, buying presents and creating confusion. Such confusion is entirely of our own making. We have the power to make Christmas meaningful, peaceful and truly religious, but instead of using this power we succumb to worldly negative energy. We go shopping to buy presents, but generally this is not done with anything even resembling a loving attitude. We think, “I really must buy something for my sister because if I don’t give her anything, maybe she won’t like me anymore. Maybe she won’t give me anything either.” Or, “I better not get my friend a cheap present or I might not get anything valuable back from him next year.” Such thoughts are extremely negative, leading to nothing but further dissatisfaction. They are totally involved with egotistic and immature notions about what true happiness is. They have nothing whatsoever to do with religion.
True religion brings peace and satisfaction to the mind. Actions that arouse only confusion serve no religious function at all. They stem instead from a political mind that thinks, “If I give this, I’ll get that in return.” Such a mind is extremely immature and selfish. It delights when many presents are received and is depressed when expectations go unfulfilled. What difference, then, is there between such a mind and that of a small child? We consider ourselves to be grown up, but our actions and attitudes show us to be little different from our children. They exaggerate the importance of receiving gifts, and so do we. In fact, their exaggerated expectations—their mind of confusion and dissatisfaction—develops largely from watching us.
If we were to act in a consistently mature and meaningful way, our children would also become peaceful. We sometimes think that they are naturally berserk and that we are something special, but this is not so. Check up and see exactly what happens when a holiday approaches. We are the ones who create the commotion. The first thing that happens at the beginning of a holiday is that husband and wife, uncle and aunt and so forth begin to fight with one another. Can you imagine that? Be honest and investigate the truth of this. And nearly all their fights are over material possessions. This is especially true at Christmas time. I am not trying to be excessively negative; just check up and see if this is true or not. Holiday bickering has so much jealousy in it: “Let me see, what did you get? What did he get?” Such a dualistic mind is totally submerged in selfishness and wrong conceptions.
This deluded type of behavior is not common merely to one culture. It can be found everywhere. Similarly, the antidote to this confusion is not taught merely in Buddhism. All religions strive to counter unsatisfactory, confused attitudes and bring us peace of mind.
It is characteristic of materialistic people that they believe their happiness and frustration to be totally dependent on external phenomena and possessions. If they do not receive enough ice cream and cake they are despondent: “I feel so empty. This Christmas has been such a flop I could die!” They actually think like this. For them the success or failure of a religious holiday depends entirely on material things; that is why they are called materialistic. They cannot discover peace and happiness within their own consciousness and look instead for some external, physical sign of love. It does not matter how much they might profess to be spiritual; their minds are completely obsessed by the gross, material level of reality.
When we look deeply with penetrative wisdom into such things as our attitudes and behavior at Christmas, we are truly practicing Dharma. This is the true religious pursuit. Dharma study does not mean to think about something coming out of the sky from another world. It deals directly with such questions as our motivation—what we are thinking and feeling right now in the midst of our everyday life. If we do not make an attempt to control and transform the negative, confused minds of jealousy, greed and so forth, then there is no such thing as Christianity. There is no Buddhism, no Mahayana, nothing worthwhile at all. We must recognize the negative mind for what it is and then slowly begin to find a solution for the pain it causes ourselves and others. In this way our mind can be brought to a state of everlastingly peaceful realization. If we do nothing to correct our motivation and distorted ways of thinking, then Christmas exists merely for the ego. Although we are supposedly making a celebration for Jesus, what we are actually doing is completely degenerate.
Therefore, if you want to come to this Christmas celebration and bring a present, the best present you can bring is a peaceful mind. If you can make such an offering with true love for one another, that is enough. There is no need for too much physical preparation and activity.
Many Westerners have come to the East to study with gurus and lamas after becoming dissatisfied with the religions they found in their native countries. There then arises the great danger that when they return to the West they will speak harshly of their native traditions. This is not only a useless activity; it is also extremely harmful to oneself. From a psychological point of view, such discriminations and angry criticism are a sign of mental illness. Why? Because the source of all our problems is our own faulty mental projections. On the entire Earth there is no such thing as a self-existent, permanent “problem” independent of the mind experiencing it.
Therefore, since difficulties arise only because of the deluded way we view things, our emotional criticism of another religious tradition is completely misguided and psychologically unsound. It is a form of egomania to deny our own responsibility for what bothers us and instead place the blame on a completely inappropriate object.
Furthermore, Buddha himself set, as one commitment upon receiving an empowerment to practice his most profound tantra teachings, the vow not to disparage with hostility any philosophical or religious doctrine whatsoever. He knew that receiving such special initiations and teachings could lead to arrogance, and established this precept specifically to counter it. For these reasons, then, we should guard ourselves against all sectarian thought.
It is our habit to make constant comparisons between things. Our thoughts run to partisanship very readily. Whatever we identify as our own trip automatically becomes “the best,” and we feel it our duty to fight with anyone who holds a contrary opinion. This is the way in which a deluded mind naturally works. Our false feeling of superiority compels us to look down on anything we feel to be opposed to our beliefs. As a result, we often end up criticizing something merely because we do not understand it. This is nothing but a sign of ignorance.
For example, in the Bible it says that God created everything. Many of us might rebel at such a statement and react to it in a rigid and closed-minded manner. But perhaps we do so only because we are unable or unwilling to grasp its psychological importance and make the appropriate interpretation. Maybe it would be better for us if we could learn to interpret things less literally and be more flexible in our approach to ideas that are foreign or difficult to understand. In this way realizations would have a chance to grow. In terms of this example, we should understand that we Westerners have such a strong desire to be free and independent. “I want to take care of myself.” “I want to do my thing.” “I, I, I, I, I.” Even if someone offers us help, we reject it. Such a selfish misinterpretation of freedom is the cause of so many problems that it would be extremely beneficial to correct it somehow. Therefore, the teaching that says God created everything, including ourselves, can be a very effective antidote to our false pride. Our self-attachment lessens as respect for something greater than ourselves grows. This presents us with an alternative to respecting only ourselves and taking refuge only in our own petty ego.
We here have great respect for Jesus, and since so many of my students are from the West, we have decided to follow their custom and hold this Christmas festival. But we must try to make it meaningful. From the time we were born until now, how many festivals have we attended? How did we behave during them? How did they affect our mind? Check up. Because of materialistic concerns, troubles often came, didn’t they? For instance, when shopping for food and presents, we argued over the price: “How much did you say that was! That’s much too much. Don’t try to cheat me! Blah, blah, blah….” And at the actual party or festival itself we experienced the pains of overeating, disappointment and the like. In such ways Christmas has often brought us nothing but confusion. This is not a criticism of Christmas; I have great respect for Lord Jesus. It is we ourselves who are confused and therefore responsible for Christmas’s confusion. Jesus brought teachings to show us how to be peaceful. Out of respect for him, his birth festival should also be peaceful. If it is not, this clearly shows that we have not understood what he taught at all.
We may think that a proper show of respect, a true festival, depends on how much physical preparation we make. But only a very advanced and controlled mind can deal with external material without attachment. Ordinary minds quickly become involved in petty, selfish ego concerns.
Similarly, we think that the sign of a true religious teaching is that a large number of people profess to follow it. But it is not necessary for a true teaching to attract many people. Here again it is only the materialistic, political and confused mind that thinks the highest truth must have a big congregation, great temples or churches, many monks and nuns and so forth. No! These things in themselves are a sign of nothing. They do not determine the purity and quality of what a particular religion teaches. If such external criteria are used as guidelines, there will be no way to discover the treasure of everlasting peace existing within the mind of all sentient beings.
When Jesus was living on this Earth, there were no churches as such. His religion was not divided up into many groups and societies with people saying, “I’m a member of this sect; what denomination do you belong to?” Things had not yet tightened up to the point where the devoted seeker felt compelled to choose one path over another. In this respect, at least, the people then were much more liberated than we are today. Whatever they did in terms of their religion was done honestly and sincerely. Nowadays, however, when you ask someone why he or she follows a particular religious tradition, you are likely to hear, “Because my father did” or “Because that church is near my house.” It is ridiculous to follow a particular set of teachings for these reasons alone. Others belong to a certain religion because it has the largest congregation in town. This also has nothing whatsoever to do with the true spiritual journey.
One solitary being sincerely actualizing the everlasting peaceful path to liberation is more precious than a whole host of confused beings shouting, “This is my religion!” Such people may easily criticize the sincere seeker, despising him for holding beliefs contrary to their own, but this is only to be expected. The thoughts and actions of highly realized beings are often contrary to those of the multitudes. In spiritual matters, popular opinion counts for nothing. It does not matter how many people are engaged in building a church, temple or monastery; if they lack true religious feeling, their actions mean next to nothing.
I am not against religion. I like all religions. But religion must be meaningful, and for this to happen we must transform ourselves inwardly. We do not become more religious by constructing more buildings, wearing beautifully adorned robes or even by escaping into a mountain retreat. Without wisdom, these actions are meaningless.
An individual’s religion is the wisdom they have integrated into their consciousness. It is this and not the external trappings that is the true mark of religion. Religious art, for instance, is not religion. An image of Jesus or of Buddha is not religion. Religion is understanding. It is a completely internal matter.
Therefore, if our Christmas celebration is to be truly religious, it is important to remember who Jesus was, what he did and what he stood for. In this way we can understand how he benefited so many beings and why he has been such a positive force, not merely in his own time, but throughout the past two thousand years and up to the present day. Jesus had exceptionally great compassion. It is very good to check up on this fact and consider it deeply. If the thought comes to our mind, “I must gain his realizations and become as compassionate as he was,” then this is the most perfect basis on which to have a celebration of his birth. With this feeling in our hearts, a Christmas festival can be very meaningful and worthwhile.
Therefore, I request all of you who want to come here next week for the festival, please do not think materialistically. This week try to meditate. Isolate your mind from such distractions as worrying how to make your lives more comfortable. “What shall I wear?” “Where should we eat?” “Should I buy this one or that one?” Forget these things for a while. Instead, try to develop compassion and destroy selfishness. Remember that giving presents does not necessarily signify that you have overcome selfishness and have become a holy person.
There are so many ways to give, and to do so arrogantly, thinking about your reputation and so forth, has nothing to do with charity and true love. If you cannot give material things without miserliness or some other political consideration polluting your thought, it is better not to give at all. First train your mind. Try to be less attached to external things and work instead on your interior, mental training.
This week, instead of planning and partying, going here and there performing confused actions and meeting with confused beings—instead of all this, try to meditate. Even if you have never meditated before, try to meditate now on love. Ask yourself, “What does true love really mean?”
This is such a simple practice, but I think it can be extremely rewarding. It is not sufficient to say we know the meaning of love by thinking of our relationships with specific people such as friends, our husband or wife, and so forth. Giving presents to our family, for instance, is not necessarily a practice of religious charity or a sign of true love. Acting in a so-called loving manner only to these people can be a form of selfishness and have nothing to do with true love. True love is directed toward all beings without discrimination. Furthermore, the quality of any action is determined principally by the motivation behind that action, so we must be as aware as possible of the reasons why we are doing something for someone else.
Why do we give presents to those we like and not to those we dislike? Since this is the way we in fact behave, what is the reason for it? Also, we do not give presents to people who dislike us. Why not? When we are making up our mind whom we shall buy presents for, what is going on inside us? How do we make these decisions? Asking ourselves questions like this about actions we generally take for granted is very beneficial, and very revealing as well. It is not like trying to stump someone else with a difficult question, trying to gain advantage in a typically political way. It is questioning our own motivation, and this is a private, individual and completely internal process. So please try as much as possible to check up on your motivation.
We all agree that Jesus and Buddha must be holy beings. Yet neither of them made a practice of giving material things to others. Their principal giving was through showing the teachings on how to gain perfect realizations. Even when Jesus gave bread this was just a relative expression of his primary concern: leading people to a realization of the Holy Spirit within. He knew how to give bread in such a way that it would help others gain everlasting peace and happiness. After all, Jesus was not stupid; he knew what he was doing. He had a much higher level of understanding than any of us.
Our normal way of giving and of showing love to others is quite ignorant. The feeling that often rises in us while saying to someone, “Oh, I love you so much!” is one of heightened emotionality, generating much confusion and internal conflict. And the presents we give at such a time are not given freely, but mask some underlying, ulterior motive. Is this love?
If we are really intelligent and have gained some understanding, we can see that the essence of true religion is completely opposite to the way we have acted in the past. So now is the time to check up. This week, before we do anything, think what it would be like to act with a completely different motivation. What is the reaction in our mind to this suggestion? If we want to have a meaningful Christmas, we should think to act in a manner completely contrary to the usual. This does not mean, however, that we should alter our behavior on an external, physical level, but rather work on changing our mental attitude. In this way, the festival of Jesus’s birth can become truly worthwhile. Therefore, please try to keep these thoughts in mind and stay as alert as possible during the coming week.
Try to discover within yourself the meaning of true silence: the silence of a peaceful, satisfied mind. Do not be concerned if the lama’s lectures contain many words or just a few. Words are cheap; the best thing to do is think deeply about whatever you hear. It is sufficient to hold just a simple phrase in your mind—“How can I achieve inner peace?”—and question yourself about it regularly. If you give yourself enough time during the day to think about this, then sooner or later an answer will come.
Generally, our mind is like stone. Although we have listened to the teachings of so many religions and philosophies, they have never penetrated our consciousness. The words we have heard have done nothing to bring us a better understanding of ourselves and the world around us. I truly feel this is our situation.
If we had truly satisfying realizations, then it would not matter to us what the outside conditions were. We would always remain peaceful and happy. But we are not like this at all. For instance, if someone were to taunt us for some lack of knowledge—no matter how insignificant—we would immediately become upset. “Do you know how they make Coca Cola?” “No, I’m so ignorant; I don’t have even the faintest idea how it is made.” But who cares; what is the ultimate benefit of knowing how to make Coca Cola? Buddha discovered everlastingly peaceful realizations within himself, without having to know how to manufacture Coca Cola. Think about what is important.
Jesus also discovered the source of peace within himself. He did not have to build an atomic bomb to find this peace. But modern men, women and children are so completely hemmed in by their own unexamined opinions that they do nothing but make more confusion for themselves. They do not possess integrated minds. The incredible amount of schooling they have received has not been digested and no conclusions have been drawn. Their education has not enabled them to solve their inner problems and achieve peace of mind. We say that the modern person is so intelligent, but what good is our intelligence if we only use it to cheat one another?
I hope that you who have come a long way to listen to this lama’s words are not offended by the fact that I have not had pleasant things to say to you. Almost every word of mine has been a criticism. But I did not mean to imply that you people possess the negative qualities I have been talking about. However, if some of what I have said strikes a chord within you, then maybe you should check up. In this way you can grow beyond such tendencies. Whenever you feel confused, penetrate within and analyze yourself. Observe what is happening to you on the inner levels. In this way you will be able to draw integrated conclusions based on wisdom concerning your own behavior. Thus it may prove possible to gain some satisfaction from your life. Remember that Shakyamuni Buddha himself started off as a deluded being and eventually became enlightened by checking in this very same way.
Peace, satisfaction and security are primarily internal matters. Therefore, it is more important to be concerned with your own state of mind than to be distracted by society’s confusion. Do not think, “How can I possibly gain peace when so many countries are at war? Down with the oppressors!” In most cases, such thoughts are merely vain words. Instead of expending your energy in such a fruitless way, try to be peaceful within yourself. This is much more realistic—and has greater benefits— than superficial political talk. Besides being of no help whatsoever in changing the external situation, such talk only adds to your own nervousness and makes matters worse. It is ignorant emotionalism, completely devoid of knowledge-wisdom. On the other hand, if you gain some true inner experience of peace by checking on your motivation and training your mind you can share this peace with others. This will make a profound difference in the external situation, and will be the most effective way of bringing peace to the world.
We pride ourselves on being logical. Well then, if everyone were to become inwardly peaceful and fully satisfied, the causes for war would cease, wouldn’t they? Isn’t this logical? Choose any international conflict at all and imagine what would happen if the people on both sides were peaceful and inwardly satisfied. What would happen to the conflict? It is the height of ignorance to think that peace can be won by violent means. “We must have peace, therefore I am going to kill you.” How absurd! As I said before, the only way to gain true peace is by discovering your own inner, peaceful nature. This is the only effective solution.
Do not trust my words about this matter. Think about them and check up if they make sense or not. Use your wisdom and do not blindly accept what someone dressed like a lama tells you. Listening to a lot of words without coming to some sort of conclusion from your own experience and insight is a waste of time and only creates more confusion. You must integrate what you hear and bring it together single-pointedly. Be observant and have an open mind until you reach a satisfying conclusion. There is no place in this short life for the arrogance of mere words. Try to actualize your understanding and make it a part of your daily practice.
Thank you, and have a merry Christmas.
*****
Jesus has definitely blessed you because you are already blessed. I am sure there is a circular pattern, even astrologically speaking, to your relationship with him. It was necessary for Jesus to come at the time he did and give teachings. Furthermore, there must have been a special connection allowing you to receive realizations from these teachings, bringing blessings to your inner being, to your deepest level of consciousness. I am sure of this. You would never have gained fundamental insights if you had not prepared yourself in some positive way, laying a foundation with your own understanding. Do not think it is enough to look expectantly into the sky and Lord Jesus will give you something without any effort at all on your part.
Nowhere in Jesus’s teachings does it say that it is unnecessary to do anything to gain realizations. Nevertheless, many people have misunderstandings about this. They feel that there is nothing they can do from their own side to develop their mind. This is a great problem. God wants everyone to become pure and holy without making any discrimination between East and West, black and white and so forth. For me, “God” means to be without superstitions causing confusion in the mind. But to think, “I cannot do anything; I am powerless to help myself” only adds to one’s ignorance. Each of you has the power to create a peaceful mind and the power to create a berserk mind. The choice is up to you.
This does not mean that you have to do something physical. Rather, you should try to understand the nature of your mind. Only by using your understanding to actualize your own spiritual path can you ever reach the supreme goal of peace and happiness. Therefore, instead of attending the regularly scheduled classes between now and Christmas, you students should act. You have plenty of material already for meditation, so think deeply about all that you have heard. In other words, go into retreat—not physically, but within your mind.
When we see each other again on Christmas Eve for the celebration of Holy Jesus’s birth, let us do so in peace with a good vibration and a happy mind. I think that would be wonderful. To attend the celebration with an angry disposition would be so sad. Come instead with a beautiful motivation and much love. Have no discrimination, but see everything as a golden flower, even your worst enemy. Then Christmas, which so often produces an agitated mind, will become so beautiful.
When you change your mental attitude, the external vision also changes. This is a true turning of the mind. There is no doubt about this. I am not special, but I have had experience doing this, and it works. You people are very intelligent so you can understand how the mind has the ability to change itself and its environment. There is no reason why this change cannot be for the better.
Some of you might think, “Oh, I want to have nothing to do with Jesus, nothing to do with the Bible.” This is a very angry, emotional attitude to have toward Christianity. If you really understood, you would recognize that what Jesus taught was love. It is as simple, and as profound, as that. If you had true love within you, I am sure you would feel much more peaceful than you do now. How do you normally think of love? Be honest. It is always involved with discrimination, isn’t it? Just look around this room and see if everyone here is an object of your love. Why do you discriminate so sharply between friend and enemy? Why do you see such a big difference between yourself and others?
In the Buddhist teachings, this falsely discriminating attitude is called dualism. Jesus said that such an attitude is the opposite of true love. Therefore, is there any one of us who has the pure love Jesus was talking about? If we do not, we should not criticize his teachings or feel they are irrelevant to us. We are the ones who have misunderstood, perhaps knowing the words of his teachings but never acting upon them. There are so many beautiful sentences in the Bible, but I do not recall reading that Jesus ever said that without your doing anything whatsoever—without preparing yourself in some way—the Holy Spirit would descend upon you, whoosh! If you do not act the way he said you should act, there is no Holy Spirit existent anywhere for you.
What I have read in the Bible has the same connotation as the Buddhist teachings on equilibrium, compassion and changing one’s ego-attachment into love for others. It may not be immediately obvious how to train your mind to develop these attitudes, but it is certainly possible to do so. Only our selfishness and closed-mindedness prevent us.
With true realizations, the mind is no longer egotistically concerned with only its own salvation. With true love, one no longer behaves dualistically: feeling very attached to some people, distant from others, and totally indifferent to the rest. It is so simple. In the ordinary personality the mind is always divided against itself, always fighting and disturbing its own peace. Check up inside now and discover how you look at your neighbors. Visualize first a friend and then an enemy and see how your mind reacts. Instinctively we feel attachment for the one called “friend” and aversion for the one called “enemy,” but such reactions are the opposite of peace. They are negative and do nothing but produce suffering.
The teachings on love are very practical. Do not put religion somewhere up in the sky and feel you are stuck down here on Earth. If the actions of body, speech and mind are in accordance with loving kindness, you automatically become a truly religious person. To be religious does not mean that you attend certain teachings. If you listen to teachings and misinterpret them, you are in fact the opposite of religious. And it is only because you do not understand a certain teaching that you abuse religion.
Lack of deep understanding leads to partisanship. The ego feels, “I am a Buddhist, therefore Christianity must be all wrong.” This is very harmful to true religious feeling. You do not destroy a religion with bombs but with hatred. More importantly, you destroy the peacefulness of your own mind. It does not matter whether you express your hatred with words or not. Words do not mean anything. The mere thought of hatred automatically destroys your peace. Similarly, true love does not depend on physical expression. You should realize this. True love is a feeling deep within you. It is not just a matter of wearing a smile on your face and looking happy. Rather, it arises from a heartfelt understanding of every other being’s suffering and radiates out to all of them indiscriminately. It does not favor a chosen few to the exclusion of everyone else. This is true love.
Furthermore, if someone hits you and you react with anger or great alarm crying, “What has happened to me?” this also has nothing to do with a mind knowing the meaning of true love. It is just the ignorant preoccupation of the ego with its own welfare. How much wiser it is to realize, “Being hit does not really harm me. My delusion of hatred is an enemy that harms me much more than this.” Reflecting like this allows true love to grow.
That is all for today. I hope that what I have said helps make the celebration of Jesus’s birth meaningful for you, for this was the sole ambition behind all my remarks.
Thank you so much.
*****
I think we are very fortunate. We should rejoice and be glad mainly because we have this precious human body giving us the ability to discover, during this present lifetime, the Holy Jesus nature, or Spirit, within each of us. From a relative point of view, Jesus was a man who was born on such-and-such a day, looked like this and lived like that. Because this man brought us certain teachings, we observe Christmas to celebrate his birth. From an ultimate point of view, however, the significance of Christmas is that this very day we can realize this Holy Jesus nature within our own psyche, or mind. We can develop continuously and achieve the same type of power Jesus possessed. We can definitely do this. Do not think that Jesus and God are something else while we are only small, insignificant beings. There is no difference at all between the ultimate nature of Jesus’s Holy Spirit, the transcendent quality of God’s nature and the ultimate nature of our own mind.
At present our mind is clouded by false views and wrong conceptions and therefore is temporarily obscured. We do have the ability to see things clearly and accurately, but instead we are groping in the darkness of attachment, clinging to the hallucinatory world of our senses. Because of our obscurations, we have not yet discovered the Holy Spirit, the absolute true nature within our own consciousness. The true character of this consciousness, our human soul, is that it possesses knowledge enabling it to unite with the infinite true nature of God: the universal waking state consciousness. But we need to discover how to bring about this unification. It is definitely possible to do this and thereby achieve union-oneness with Jesus, with the immaculate nature of his Holy Spirit.
In relative terms, Jesus was just one man. But in ultimate terms, he is this ultimate nature of the Holy Spirit. That means that everyone—not only every human being, but every sentient being without exception—can reach his exalted level. There is not a single living creature who lacks this potential.
The Bible says that Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit—the Son of Man and of God. We can also become the children of God. We should not think that we are permanently caught in sin. There is not a single being who is suffering permanently, nor is there a single sin that is permanent. Only as long as our mind is polluted with defilements, with wrong conceptions about reality, shall we suffer. Suffering is not everlasting; all things are changing. The environment is changing and so is the character of our suffering and dissatisfaction. If sin were permanent, we too would be permanent. It is exactly the same as if a part of our body, our hand for instance, were permanent, never changing. Then again it would follow that we ourselves would be permanent. How lucky we would be; there would be no reason to worry about dying. We would be the first people on Earth to suffer permanently! But such a view is totally illogical, existing solely for the deluded mind. It is not at all in accordance with reality.
There is no human problem that cannot be solved. The idea of permanent sin and suffering only causes an agitated, guilty feeling which in turn produces neuroses and other forms of mental illness. A person laboring under such a misconception reaches a hopeless state in which ignorance and delusion become overwhelming. He or she has deprived life of meaning and has nothing to fall back upon but despair. However, as we develop deeper understanding, we receive more powerful realizations and thereby become purer inside. This results eventually in our attainment of the true power of God: the pure wisdom-knowledge power of love. In this way it is possible to achieve oneness with Jesus and be reborn in the Holy Spirit.
We have so many reasons to rejoice, blessed as we are with the freedom and opportunity afforded us by our humanity to enjoy and contemplate the effect of a life such as that of Jesus. We can understand his divine wisdom-love, seeing it as a force having nothing whatsoever to do with the gravitational force field of dualistic attachment. That is why I think we are so very fortunate; there is no doubt in my mind how fortunate we are.
Also, it pleases me greatly to see that all you many Westerners have come together here in such a feeling of oneness. There is no belief here that the lama has come from somewhere in the sky while you poor people have crawled out of the Earth. Nothing like that. We have come together from so many different countries that we are truly international. That is so beautiful: to be from such varied backgrounds and yet share the same feelings. This is reality, true compassion. Here there is no thought, “He is British; you are Tibetan; I am American. Each one of us is so different.” This very experience of oneness blesses you. So do not worry or doubt whether God is blessing you or not. This unified feeling itself is God’s blessing. There are so many reasons to be joyful that I am very happy.
Thank you all so much.
Questions and answers
Q. Do you have any special message for Westerners concerning the present Christmas season?
Lama Yeshe. The purpose of Christmas is for people to be healthy and happy. Therefore we should be concerned that the way we celebrate Christmas is organic and natural, rather than customary and concrete. We have to be more aware of the natural flow of things and not be restricted by old habit patterns. This flow relates both to our thoughts and to our physical actions. We should be aware of our body and mind and of the importance that they both be sound and healthy.
Q. Christmas, which is a celebration of a birth, is largely a children’s holiday. How does this relate to its more natural celebration?
Lama Yeshe. Jesus said that unless we become like little children, we cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. There can be a problem for people as to the connotation of this advice. I think it means that generally our body and mind are unhealthy because our ideas—what life is, etc.—are too concrete, too fixed. Thus to become more like children means to be more natural, to discover the natural reality of what we as humans can be and do, rather than being trapped in the fantasy world of our fixed ideas. Normally we ignore the natural and cling instead to a fantasy image of reality. This is an important point to recognize.
Q. In spiritual terms, then, becoming a child means being more natural. But for some people being natural means being neurotic. What about them?
Lama Yeshe. As I have been using the word, the meaning of “natural” is to be other than merely intellectual and dry. It means to be more organic, and this can be very profound. Children, for instance, have a certain kind of openness that we have all noticed. They don’t block themselves intellectually. Instead, they let their feelings flow. They show their bad side and they show their good side. In other words, they express themselves openly. But adults are often too controlled by their intellectual ideas. This type of rigid control puts too much pressure on the subconscious parts of the mind, not allowing them their proper expression. The results are unnatural: bad communication and cruel thoughts. Children, on the other hand, are different. If they are angry, they express their anger immediately. If they are happy, they come right out and say, “I’m happy with you.” This kind of openness is more natural and closer to our basic human nature than the artificial reactions of the neurotic mind.
Unsatisfactory relationships between adults develop because they block their natural energy in some way. This results in blocked communication. If, for example, a husband and wife are having a bad time, it is generally because their communication has become disconnected. In general, all types of neurotic and unsatisfactory behavior result from causes such as this.
Q. For people who have grown accustomed to blocking their energy, who have lost their ability to be open and direct, what is a good way to rediscover the more natural child within?
Lama Yeshe. The simple way is, first of all, to accept what they are rather than always wanting to be something else. People ruled by their fantasy intellect do not accept what they are. Therefore they are not really intelligent, because they are unable to discover their own internal good qualities. Instead, they look for such qualities externally, outside their own reality. This is like thinking, “I wish I were a flower.” But they would be much happier if they could see their positive qualities and learn to accept their reality as it is. This would be much better.
Q. You have talked about being born, or born anew, in the Holy Spirit. From a Buddhist point of view, what does this mean?
Lama Yeshe. In Buddhist terms, the beginning of such a spiritual rebirth is known as taking refuge. It can be explained briefly in this way. At a certain point in life a person gains a realization of the weak or undeveloped side of their own nature. It then becomes clear that this dark, shadowy, unfulfilled energy acts in a way that causes confusion and suffering to arise and continue. Seeing this cause and effect evolution, the person comes to seek the liberated—or Buddhadharma—qualities of true wisdom. The seeker takes refuge in these qualities, sincerely wishing to actualize this wisdom, or Dharma understanding, and to exchange old habits for something better.
Q. Then even for a non-Buddhist, entering any spiritual path is still a matter of taking refuge.
Lama Yeshe. Exactly. Whenever I conduct a refuge ceremony, I explain that the actual taking of refuge is the cultivation of a state of mind that seeks release from suffering and its cause. However, the specific, technical details of what is to be visualized during the ceremony should be whatever people find comfortable. They don’t have to use the traditional Buddhist figures. For example, if it is easier for them, they can visualize Christ.
Q. This raises a related question. Many people who consider themselves Buddhists feel great devotion to Jesus. Is this a contradiction?
Lama Yeshe. No, not at all. In fact, it is very beautiful. That is my feeling. Many people come to our courses who feel they are Buddhist yet have much devotion for the profound deeds, the bodhicitta actions and the divine qualities of Jesus. They have much respect for him. Also, many Christians come to these courses seeking some kind of method, contained in Buddhist meditational practices, through which they can exercise their own faith. This has often been my experience. Therefore, at certain times I have given the refuge ceremony in accordance with their own devotional experience.
The practice of taking refuge involves the visualization of a specific object of refuge, and I encourage people to use whatever they find truly meaningful for them. This object—in some schools of psychology referred to as an archetype—can be either Buddhist or from another tradition. For example, in 1975 I was with a group of Christians in Indiana who were very interested in the principle of refuge. They thought it would be worthwhile to have a method to channel their energy for spiritual growth, so I led them in a refuge ceremony specifically built around their devotion to Jesus. And recently in Switzerland, at a course where most of the two hundred people attending were Christian, we did the same thing. People received a very good feeling from this.
Q. Would you give a brief outline of a meditational practice that someone devoted to Jesus could do?
Lama Yeshe. As a daily practice, you could do the following. Sit, or kneel if you like, in a comfortable position, relaxed but with your back straight. In your mind’s eye, visualize Jesus before you. His face has a tranquil, peaceful and loving expression. A picture of the resurrected Christ or of Jesus teaching may be used as a model for this visualization.
Then visualize from the crown of his head much radiant, white light coming to your own crown. This white light is in the nature of blissful energy and as it enters your body it purifies the physical contamination, or sin, accumulated over countless lifetimes. This blissful, white energy purifies all diseases of the body, including cancers, and activates and renews the functioning of your entire nervous system.
In a similar manner, red light is visualized radiating forth from Jesus’s throat and entering your own, completely pervading your vocal center with the sensation of bliss. If you have difficulties with your speech—always telling lies, being uncontrolled in what you say, engaging in slander, using harsh language or the like—this blissful red energy purifies you of all these negativities. As a result, you discover the divine qualities of speech.
Then from Jesus’s heart infinite radiant blue light comes to sink into your heart, purifying your mind of all its wrong conceptions. Your selfish and petty ego, which is like the chief or president of the delusions, and the three poisons of greed, hatred and ignorance, which are like the ego’s ministers, are all purified in this blissful, blue radiance. The indecisive mind, which is especially doubtful and caught between “maybe this” and “maybe that,” is clarified. Also purified is the narrow mind, which cannot see the totality because its focus is too tight. As the light energy fills your mind, your heart becomes like the blue sky, embracing universal reality and all of space.
This three-part purification of body, speech and mind can be very helpful for anyone having great devotion to Jesus. If you are unable to visualize all of the above, you can concentrate merely on Jesus’s heart. From this center much blissful, white radiant energy comes to your heart, purifying all defilements. This is a simplified practice, but still can be extremely helpful.
You can conclude this meditation by visualizing a white lotus flower blooming in your heart. The compassionate figure visualized in front of you then sinks into your heart and manifests on this lotus seat. Afterward, whatever you eat or drink becomes an offering to this Jesus within your heart. If this meditation is done daily with good concentration and a pure motivation, it can be very effective in transforming your ordinary actions, words and thoughts and bringing you closer to the divine qualities of Jesus.
Q. Considering the many cultural differences between people, is it possible—or even beneficial—for there to be a unity of world religions?
Lama Yeshe. Yes, that would be very useful.
Q. Even with all the differences between people?
Lama Yeshe. Definitely.
Q. Then what would be the basis for this unity? Where would it come from?
Lama Yeshe. Unity—in an actual, realistic sense— would be for everyone to follow the teachings of his or her religion exactly as they were given. Why? Because disunity or lack of harmony arises when people do not practice the teachings, but only grasp onto dry, intellectual opinions of philosophical theories about them. That is what causes conflict and disunity. However, it has been my experience in meeting so many truly religious people from various traditions that all of those really actualizing the teachings they have received always come to a common conclusion. There is never any disharmony. This has been my repeated experience.
Q. How would you summarize the shared conclusion, the essential agreement, reached by such people? What is the one point on which all religions come together?
Lama Yeshe. That’s so simple: loving kindness and serving others sincerely. This is the essential teaching: to help others and completely destroy one’s self-attachment.
In Tibetan Buddhism, this compassionate attitude is called bodhicitta and is the very essence of our religion. I believe that all religions and all elevated systems of ethics agree that we should serve others and reach beyond our habitual attachment to self-gratification.
Because each tradition emphasizes the importance of such a selfless attitude, I think that every religion has a deeply beneficial quality. But nowadays when people study Buddhism or any of the other major religions, they concentrate only on philosophy and doctrine. They neglect to apply the key of method to their everyday lives. This is the problem. As a result of this neglect, the actual method originally taught is lost. Instead, people cherish their individual theories, philosophies and concrete ideas about this and that and have absolutely no idea how their philosophy or theology is linked to the reality of human existence.
True religion has to do with realizing the highest human potential. Therefore, we must research and rediscover the key of application, the effective methods for transforming the mind. Anyone can talk philosophy, but who knows how this philosophy is related to one’s inner potential? The key has been lost. This is why religions dissolve and become degenerate: lack of application to the problems of everyday life.
Q. You have said that when the Christmas season approaches, it often brings unhappiness rather than joy. In your words, children go berserk as a direct result of their parents’ influence. Can you elaborate on this?
Lama Yeshe. Parents have to be very aware of their children. They should try to comprehend how their minds work and what influences them. This is their responsibility. They should understand that the way they set up the home environment and behave between themselves has a definite effect on the children.
Parents generally agree that it is important for their children to receive a good education, but they often think this is solely a matter of schooling, of learning words and concepts. But education is not always through words; in fact, most of what children learn comes from watching the way their parents act. The parents set up a certain situation and the children copy what they see, rather than what they are told.
Therefore, if parents are truly interested in educating their children, they should take responsibility for the way they themselves behave, especially when the children are around. For instance, if all they do when Christmas approaches is think about buying this and arranging that—if the children hear them argue, complain and fight over such things all the time—what kind of effect does this have? It is completely ridiculous, of course, but this is often what happens. So parents should be aware of this tendency and try to be less involved in that side of Christmas. Instead, they should be more concerned with the deeper spirit of Christmas: the fulfilment of our unique human qualities, our inner potential. This should be their highest concern, not shopping and making mundane arrangements.
Q. You have said that true change results not so much from our outward activity, but from what we do internally, within our mind.
Lama Yeshe. Yes, and knowledge gained internally should not remain hidden within one’s own mind; it should be shared with others. To do this properly we have to explore other people’s minds and understand how they work. In other words, we have to explain whatever inner knowledge we might gain in a way that will be helpful to others. This type of education in inner reality is a true service. For example, if I want to help you, the best thing I can do is try to aid you in developing your own wisdom. True help would be to introduce you to your own reality, to let you become more aware and knowledgeable of yourself.
Q. In addition to developing our own mind and helping others develop theirs, aren’t there other things we can do to help, to bring about positive change? For instance, in the West we think that charitable actions, such as aiding the poor and sick, providing food and clothing, etc., are very important.
Lama Yeshe. That’s good, very good. It is important to do these things. We should be aware of others’ suffering and help in whatever way we can. The question is how best to offer this help. Only by organizing ourselves first is it possible to be of meaningful service to others. If we are completely disorganized, what kind of help can we give?
However, if we are too organized in a material sense, this also raises problems. Sometimes a charitable organization becomes so strictly ordered that its original purpose is lost. Therefore, the best type of organization is the internal one; how we order our mind is of the most importance. If what is happening internally is suitable—if our mind is well trained in compassion and wisdom—the proper external organization always follows. Yet even though such internal training is essential, we should not disregard outward activity, thinking it unimportant. It is important, but there must be a balance between inner and outer development if we really want to benefit others.
Q. You have suggested that the best way to prepare for Christmas is to meditate, to look closely at the kind of life we have led during the past year, instead of partying the way we normally do. But in terms of a Christmas celebration, isn’t there some value in partying, in having a good time?
Lama Yeshe. Definitely. This is a very important part of any celebration, especially Christmas. At this special time of year we should remind ourselves that by having our uniquely human qualities—those higher, more distinguished aspects of being human—we have the precious opportunity to be reborn spiritually. We can make new discoveries, go on new adventures. As we remember Jesus’s actions, his deeds of loving kindness and divine compassion, we recognize how extremely fortunate we are. In the comprehensive awareness of what he did, we are inspired to think, “So too will I!” It is with this joyous and enthusiastic spirit that we should come together for a Christmas party.
If we meditate in this way, the elevated or divine qualities within, which before were perhaps hidden and unconscious, are brought into conscious functioning. This process of awakening can be continuously developed if each year we perform such a meaningful celebration. It can become a celebration in which we rejoice for the opportunities we now have. For example, if I were a fish, I couldn’t think about how to develop my mind. But because I am human I have some kind of profound and unique quality that lets me communicate with the divine deeds of Jesus. I can take him as my example and develop myself in that direction. This is a true cause for rejoicing.
Q. The normal Christmas party has loud music and a lot of dancing. Can these also have a place in a Christmas celebration?5
Lama Yeshe. Yes, these things can definitely have great value. For instance, if when boys and girls are dancing together it is done as an offering to other people, to God or to Jesus, it can be of very high quality. If we think, “In remembrance of Jesus’s divine deeds I offer this dance,” it can be very beautiful, very joyful. It all depends on our attitude. It is only because we have a poor attitude that our partying becomes too extreme, and this type of extreme behavior is what ruins the quality of our celebration.
For example, if we are dancing in the memory of Jesus’s deeds, all our actions and even our objects of attachment can become offerings, and the resulting experience is transcendental. Everything is joyful, an expression of what Buddhism calls “divine pride.” I have seen parties like this. There was a lot of music and the dancing was unbelievable, yet the vibration was pure and joyous. Everyone was having a great time. The ordinary party, however, is not like this. It is very neurotic. Girls are trying very hard to become objects of attraction for the boys, and the boys are doing the same. The most this can lead to is worldly sense stimulation wherein there is no higher transformation of energy. But if we have wisdom we can make our lives an unimaginably blissful experience.
Thank you very much.
Notes
5 See also a teaching available on the LYWA YouTube channel, “Lama Yeshe teaches during Christmas in 1982.” It was given on Christmas Day at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa, Italy, and first published in Lama’s Knowledge-Wisdom (LYWA, 2023). Part 2 of this video, the afterparty, shows just the sort of loud music and dancing that Lama said was OK, above! [Return to text]
