December 3, 1993

Looking for a problem, we cannot find it

Last night I mentioned that the meaning of life, the purpose of living, is to cause others happiness and to eliminate their suffering, whether it is one living being, one person, or many. Whether we serve one or many, the purpose of living is to free everyone from all their sufferings and to bring them every happiness. Therefore whoever we serve, whether it’s one person or many, we should live our life with this attitude of bringing them happiness and eliminating their problems. Then, even if it is for one day, our life has meaning. Even if the length of our life is just one hour, it has purpose. Even if the life we have is just for one minute, it has purpose. With this new way of living, with this healthy attitude to life, whatever length of life we have with this precious human body—whether we’ve got one day, one hour or even one minute—living the life with this thought to benefit others gives our life meaning. There is purpose for living even for one minute. 

Therefore it is ridiculous to feel we are overwhelmed by some problem in life. We might have a situation that the mind has labeled “problem.” Our mind has changed in some way, and we have this concept that it is a problem; we have made up the concept of “problem.” Then, because we have made up this concept “problem” we find the problem. As long as we don’t create the concept that this is a problem, then there is no problem. 

Because some change has happened in our life that is the opposite to what we expected or wished for, simply because of that, we feel there is a problem. We hadn’t expected this new situation, this change of circumstances. For example, if we feel something has changed in the relationship we have with somebody, a friend or companion, and we feel we are no longer together with that person, we did not expect this change to happen and we didn’t want it to happen. Our mind can’t handle the fact that this has happened—either the other person’s change of attitude to us or physically separating—and because we believe this is a problem, because of that concept, we see it as a problem. 

The problem that we see is something that has come from our own wrong concept. If we were to look for the actual problem, we wouldn’t be able to find it. What is the problem? When we look for problems in our life, we cannot find them! [Rinpoche laughs] Other than labeling them a problem. By analyzing what is a problem, it is not about whatever change might have happened—the change of our friend’s attitude to us or even the distance or closeness of their physical body—it comes down to our own mind, the concept we have created in our own mind, that this is a problem. Thinking this way is our own attitude but we believe this to be true. 

However, when we search for the problem outside, we cannot find it. It comes down to our own thought, our own concept, and the fact that we believe that concept. That is what makes life difficult; that is what makes it suffocating. 

I would not say that there is no suffering, because then there wouldn’t be any happiness either. [Rinpoche laughs] I would have to say we couldn’t receive any happiness, any peace, if suffering didn’t exist. Generally, we are not talking about the suffering or happiness of one particular being. We are not talking that way. We are not talking about one particular place or person, just generally. If suffering didn’t exist then happiness also wouldn’t exist, peace wouldn’t exist. 

It is this concept, this particular way of thinking, that is unskillful. Why? Because the effect of this concept is to not have happiness or peace. The effect of this concept is to disturb our mind, making it unhappy. Therefore this concept which receives the label “problem,” when we analyze it, we cannot find the problem outside. It comes down to our own thought, this concept that affects our mind, robbing us of happiness and peace. That concept that labels the situation “problem” is unhealthy; it disturbs our own mind. Other than that, outside we can’t see a problem. Maybe you can see one! I am not aware of it. [General laughter] 

So anyway, the point I am trying to make is that when we don’t make up the concept “bad” we then don’t believe the situation is bad, and without this fixed concept interpreting it as bad, we have freedom. When we see that the idea of “bad” comes from our own concept, we see the problem comes from the way we interpret it. Another way of putting it is that the problem doesn’t come from outside but from our own concept, from our own mind. When we recognize this, seeing how our mind has built up this concept, we have freedom in our life to have peace and happiness because we have the freedom to change the concept. We can change our attitude to life. When we change our concepts we stop seeing problems in our life. 

We see impermanent phenomena as permanent and believe it

It depends on how we are use our mind. One way is to use it unskillfully so that things become problems. That way is not reality. There is another word, maybe a clearer way of explaining it. Or maybe the clear way is becoming unclear now! [Rinpoche and students laugh] I thought it was clear but it’s gone unclear. The way we use the mind, the way we make it function, is against reality. It is a hallucination that is the opposite of reality. 

This hallucination includes our life, our relationships with our family, friends, enemies, material objects, the five sense objects. These are constantly changing within every second; they don’t last. Even within a second they are changing because they are under the control of causes and conditions. Because of this subtle impermanence, these causative phenomena can perish or be stopped at any time. 

Any samsara perfection, any samsara happiness—relationships, material possessions and so forth—can be stopped any time. A relationship changes from life to life but even within one life, it changes from year to year, month to month; it can even change within the same day. We begin a relationship, then in the same day it changes. We can begin a relationship in the morning, becoming friends with somebody, feeling we are inseparable, and in the evening we don’t want to see them at all. [General laughter] We don’t like the way they look; we don’t want to hear what they say; we don’t want them around. 

This is because rather than using the mind to perceive things according to reality, we use it to think the opposite of reality, against the nature of things. Although all things are impermanent, we expect everything to be permanent, to never change. These things, these samsaric perfections, are causative phenomena and so their nature is impermanence, but we use our mind to think they are the opposite of their nature, totally contrary to reality. 

The question arises, why does the mind apprehend an object in this way, seeing impermanent phenomena as permanent? How does the appearance of permanence happen? It doesn’t come from outside; it comes from our own mind. How? The appearance of permanence, the projection of permanence, arises due to imprints left on our mental continuum by past hallucinated minds. The concept of impermanent phenomena as permanent is a projection. It’s not saying that the concept that apprehends permanent [phenomena] is a hallucinated mind. It’s not saying that the concept which apprehends that which is permanent as permanent is a hallucinated mind. It’s not saying that. The concept that is a hallucinated mind is the concept that apprehends an impermanent phenomenon as permanent. 

These wrong concepts of permanence are on the mental continuum, left there from mistaken minds we have had in the past. It’s like having taken a photo of people or mountains. The image is imprinted onto the negative, the roll of film in the camera. Then when all the conditions come together—the film is processed and it is put in a machine and projected out with electricity and all that—the image can be projected onto a TV screen or a movie screen. Not a screen, but maybe we can use a curtain on the wall to project what was imprinted onto the negative film of the camera due to all these conditions. 

Like this, that past hallucinated mind, the wrong concept of permanence, has left an imprint on the mental continuum that it is then projected. This hallucination, this appearance of permanence on the impermanent phenomena, is projected and we let our mind believe that is true. Then, again, we create the wrong concept, the hallucinated mind, and having the appearance that these impermanent phenomena are permanent, we believe that it is true as it appears. 

All phenomena are merely labeled

On top of that, all phenomena—I, action, object, friend, enemy, stranger—the whole of phenomena, in reality what they are is nothing except what merely labeled. All these phenomena are nothing other than what is merely labeled by the mind. Therefore all these things are empty. 

The I is not empty of existing at all, but the I is empty of existing from its own side. It is not space, but it is like space. As well as that, action, object, problems, happiness, virtue, nonvirtue, enlightenment, hell, nirvana, samsara—the whole thing is empty of existing as real, real in sense of existing from its own side. Everything is empty, not space but like space. 

This is the reality. This is the reality of exactly how things are, and this is what we have to realize. We have to realize things as they are in reality. So again, when another projection of permanence comes, we have to think what kind of projection is coming. If you are lining up [for a cup of tea] is there a projection of permanence coming, a projection of an independent, inherently existent appearance coming, a permanent tea coming? There are many things! 

The other thing is this huge hallucination [of the projection of an inherently existing] I, action and object—all these things are merely labeled by the mind, are empty of existing from their own side. On all these phenomena that are merely labeled by the mind, there is not even the slightest reality, not even an atom that exists from its own side, not even the tiniest, tiniest thing. There is no inherent existence on any of these phenomena that exist in mere name. While there is no inherent existence on even the slightest atom, while all the phenomena are empty like this, empty of existing from their own side, our mind projects, it decorates the hallucination of inherent existence, of independence. And we let our mind believe that what we apprehend is true. 

Although this is the fundamental reality of all phenomena, of life and so forth, the problem is when we let our mind think something that is the opposite of reality. We let our mind apprehend what is against its nature, against the reality of life, of phenomena. We believe the hallucination to be true. We mistakenly think that the hallucinated appearance is the reality, that this is the nature of phenomena, whereas it is the complete opposite. Our belief and reality are completely contradictory. 

These hallucinated thoughts are the ones that produce problems in life; they don’t allow us to have peace in our heart. Instead of that, the effect of these wrong concepts, thinking in this way makes our mental continuum unpeaceful, bringing us suffering. We are constantly torturing ourselves with these concepts, which are wrong, which are totally against reality.

Learning to see problems as beneficial

This is becoming very long! But the point I was trying to make is that this all starts from not really having analyzed the problem, not having realized what the problem is. Thinking this way, we let our mind mistakenly think that this way is the problem and that there is no other problem than that. In other words, [we don’t see there can be another perspective], that we can change how we view the situation and establish the thought of liking what has happened [rather than seeing it as inherently bad]. By thinking of the benefits of the problem, of this change that has happened—in other words, by viewing this change as positive—instead of only looking at the shortcoming, we stop seeing it as a problem. In this way, we achieve happiness, peace in our life from within our own mind. 

On the same seat, on the same chair, on the same cushion where we sat before, believing we had a big problem in life, something as big as a mountain pressing down on us, suffocating us, now we realize there is no problem coming from outside, that it has been created by our own mind. The problem didn’t come from that person or that situation but from our own mind, from the fact that we haven’t changed our mind. We have held the fixed concept that this situation is “bad” and generated the thought that dislikes this situation. 

This is the point I was trying to make but it took such a long time! There is no greater loss than this. There is no problem outside. It is simply our own mind making that concept of “problem.” The problem is merely labeled by our mind. We believe it to be a real problem but it’s just our way of thinking. Holding such a concept that has been merely labeled by the mind as real, we can even commit suicide. 

I’ll repeat it once more. Because of having met some problem that is simply to do with our own way of thinking or our own concept—the problem which is merely labeled by our own mind—we commit suicide. That is completely ridiculous; it’s a great loss. This basically stems from not having the attitude in life that we are here to serve everyone, to free them from all suffering and to obtain every happiness for them. It comes from the lack of this attitude. 

With this attitude, no matter how long or how short the rest of our life is—even if it is just an hour or a minute—our life has great purpose. There is great meaning in life, even if what is left is just an hour or even a minute. There is enjoyment in life with this attitude; there is happiness and peace. We can see the meaning and purpose of our life. The purpose of life is not narrow; it’s not small thing. It is like the limitless sky because—whether we survive for a thousand years or even a day, an hour or a minute—the purpose is to free everyone from all suffering, to obtain happiness for all the numberless living beings. Therefore the purpose of life is like the limitless sky.

[Blessing the tea offering]

Maybe we can recite a mala of the Compassionate Buddha’s mantra by generating compassion toward all samsaric suffering sentient beings whose minds are obscured. Then those who need to go for pipi can go and those who don’t need to can recite some mantras.

I am one, others are countless

We are going to recite some mantras with the meditation. If we already had strong renunciation of our own samsara, feeling that it was so unbearable being caught in this samsara that is only suffering in nature, like we are caught in the very center of a fire—if we already had that sort of feeling, then we could use ourselves as an example and generate compassion by thinking like this. “Others are numberless whereas I am just one. I am one person experiencing the suffering of samsara, being caught in samsara, but there are numberless other beings who are similarly suffering in samsara.” Then we could generate compassion using that thought.

However, this way of generating compassion toward others—using our own suffering as an example—doesn’t happen because we are not aware of our own suffering. Because we are not aware we are suffering in samsara, we can’t generate compassion for others by reflecting that they are likewise suffering and they are countless. This way to generate compassion is not possible because we are not aware that our own samsara is in the nature of suffering. From the lamrim teachings, we have not realized the graduated path of the middle capable being.

However much we might believe we are the most important, the most precious person, we are just one living being, and no matter how many problems we might have, they are nothing, even if we believe they are the greatest problems ever. And even if we have liberated ourselves from the whole of samsara and achieved everlasting happiness for ourselves, being completely liberated from the whole of the suffering and its causes, karma and the delusions—the three poisonous minds of ignorance, anger and attachment and so forth—we have only achieved this liberation for one person, just for ourselves. That’s nothing. It’s nothing to be so excited about. It’s not a great achievement. It’s just one person—this I, myself—that’s all.