Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this three-minute session, Amy Miller introduces foundational Tibetan Buddhist practice by asking students to examine their motivation for engaging with the course. She explains the importance of intention-setting in the tradition, and walks through merit dedication — the practice of directing positive energy generated from practice toward one’s ultimate aim. She then outlines the highest motivation in this path: reaching full enlightenment not for personal happiness alone, but to gain the unlimited capacity to serve all beings. This motivation is called Mahāyāna, the universal vehicle. Miller invites students to reflect on whether their own motivation aligns with this expansive aspiration, and concludes with a dedication blessing the time together for the benefit of all sentient beings. Suitable for anyone beginning the course.
File metadata (for organising)
File: amy-miller-nutshell-no-details-1-03-session-motivation-copy
Teacher: Amy Miller
Collection: Nutshell no details (Amy Miller)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Words: ~384
One of the most important aspects of Tibetan Buddhism in particular is to look at our intention for doing something. Ask yourself, what is your motivation for listening to this course, for wanting to participate in this course? So in this tradition of Buddhism, we’re always trying to set a good motivation for whatever activity it is that we are about to do. And following the activity, we then dedicate all the merit, all the positive energy that we’ve created from doing that activity. And we basically invest it in our maximizing our potential as humans.
So, basically, reaching a place where we no longer suffer and where we’re ultimately happy. And the reason we’re interested in reaching that place, basically full enlightenment, is when you are fully enlightened, and this will be discussed further in the course, when you are a Buddha, a fully awakened one, you have an unlimited ability to be of service to all other beings. This is our highest motivation in this tradition. So let’s just start by take a moment to reflect on your motivation. And see if it’s possible to bring your motivation in sync with what we would call a Mahāyāna motivation, a motivation in Tibetan Buddhism.
Mahāyāna is a Sanskrit word that literally means greater vehicle or universal vehicle. And, basically, we’re trying to end our suffering so we can reach a state of full enlightenment to be a benefit to all beings in the universe. It’s a very expanded capacity. Take a moment to see if your motivation differs from this motivation, if you can bring it more into alignment with what we call Mahāyāna motivation. So may this time together be of benefit to all beings as much as possible, helping us to open our hearts, explore the nature of our minds so we we may be of greater benefit to others.