Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 86-minute Sunday teaching, Geshe Kyab tackles how to understand and respond to the problems that appear in our lives and in the world. He opens with a concrete question: why do bad things happen everywhere, from personal health and family troubles to global news crises? His answer is karma—not as punishment, but as a natural law of cause and effect rooted in our own and collective consciousness. Geshe Kyab walks through how karma operates: how past actions condition present circumstances, why conditions matter as much as karma itself, and why understanding this gives us genuine agency. He illustrates with everyday examples—meeting strangers and feeling inexplicable warmth or discomfort toward them, the Adelaide student who stopped driving to avoid accumulating anger—and contrasts Buddhist perspective with theistic views of divine punishment. He then pivots to practical response, quoting Śāntideva: when trouble strikes, first search for solutions; if none exist, accept it and move on rather than spiral into blame and despair. He emphasizes that real practice means daily meditation, restraint from unnecessary distraction, and taking genuine responsibility for our actions. The teaching closes with how Buddhist centres should function—not as monuments but as places where people learn and transform. Intended for newcomers to Buddhist thought and practitioners seeking to deepen their understanding of karma and personal responsibility.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2017 01 29.mp3
UUID: d573b61f-26a0-4933-8cc1-397d568a574c
Teacher: Geshe Kyab
Collection: Geshe Kyab Beginners Buddhism Sundays (Geshe Kyab)
Date: 2017-01-29
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 86.6 minutes
Words: ~8,756
Good morning everybody. Please join in the mantra please. Thank you. Today my class is how to fix the problem. You know, there are so many problems out there within us, so also the out there around the world.
First thing is individually we have many problems. Health problems, family problem, sickness, for instance. Sometimes our mind is up, sometimes our mind is down. There is no balance, up and down. Depression, stress out.
Then, if you go a little further, problem with a neighbour, a problem with friends and family. Then within the state, you’ve got Then the country itself has so many problems, especially politics. Isn’t it? Then the international. If you watch television news, there is no such news you can watch.
Every time when you turn on the television, there would be something bad going on around the world. So it’s very important to understand why this is happening, why all these bad things, you know, and who designed it, who built it, who created it. I don’t know the other religion, maybe it’s God punishing us. I don’t know. Maybe that’s only the answer, that God punishing us, if you do believe in God.
But here is the Buddhist perspective. Need to talk about the problems arise within the person, so is the outside environment, or politics problems, or whatever it is. All these things come from our consciousness. Your consciousness, my consciousness, their consciousness. When does this consciousness create this problem, when does it depend?
Many times in the past lifetime. So at this point, we need to talk about the karma. That’s called action. The karma, the action. Nobody can skip from the karmic results.
Absolutely not. Which is understandable now, when you watch television, something is all the time going on out there. You maybe have not that much problem at the moment, but of course, you do sometimes get these problems. At the moment, when you watch television, maybe you are okay. You are at peace, you are calm, but many things, bad things are going out there, isn’t it?
But it’s a matter of time. It happens to you also. So that means it is related to your own karma, their karma. In the past lifetime, we accumulated so many negative karmas. Now, we are having all the results.
But it is very difficult to understand the karmic results, how we cause all these bad results, until you really listen to the teachings about the karmic law of cause and effect, so then I think it will help you to understand all these bad results happen to be because of my own karma. So some of the karma may be the collective karma, you know. So some of the karma that the karmic results happen to be because we all together accumulate a certain karma, which Buddhism calls collective karma. So that’s why now we all are having the same problem as bush fire. Let’s say in Australia, here in a bushfire, that area bushfire.
People who live in that area, they may have some collective karma to get the bush karma, not here in the flat area, I’m talking in the mountain. When I say collective karma, not necessarily everyone, you know. A certain group of people, ten group of people can have collective karma, or fifty groups of people can have collective karma. Hundreds or thousands or millions is dependent. Now I’m talking here one example, bush fire, let’s say.
That area in the hill, people who get this bush fire, and then after that, there are sometimes house, you know, would be burned out. House will be burned. So those area, when they get this problem, bush fire, I think the people who live in that particular area where is the bush fire, they must have some collective karma. Bush fire is not karma. Bush fire is just the nature.
It’s just the, you know, modern nature, just you know, sometimes things like that happen. But then after bushfire, people get hurt. So that is now we need to talk about the karma. Not like just fire. Bushfire is the karma.
No. Bushfire is mother nature disaster. So is the storm, hurricane, earthquake. After all these disasters, people get hurt from the earthquake, from the storm, from the hurricane, from the fire, then we need to talk about karma. karma is mainly the feeling hurting.
The main thing is here is when you get hurt, then we need to talk about the karma. When you feel good, happy, also we need to talk about the karma. The same applies to the positive side and the positive side. As a human being, once you understand the particular karma, the same kind of idea, you need to bring it in another way. This way you need to progress.
You know? Teachers cannot teach you each of the atoms about the karma. When teachers teach you one particular karma and they give you one example, then now your side as a human being, you need to find out the same idea you can able to apply the order also, the things and events, whatever it is. So it’s the same idea. So now here is the bushfire, it’s not karma.
After bushfire, when people get hurt, then we need to talk about the karma. That group of people accumulated certain negative karma in the past lifetime, so now they are having the karmic results, but not the people who live here, in the flat area, in the city area. Why? Because they have no karma, bush fire karma they accumulated. So that’s why they don’t have here this karma.
Or maybe they may have may have bush fire karma, although they are not yet getting the results. Why? Because maybe there’s not yet. I’m giving you some possibilities. Maybe not yet condition arises.
Not yet condition arises. In order to meet the condition, here people need to go and stay in the hill, then you can get bushfire. So see, I’m not saying everyone. I’m not saying that. Just possible.
Same thing like, you had a karma to get the accident, car accident, let’s say. But then now, you have no car yet. So then how can you get a car accident, let’s say? Until you a car, then you drive. That’s a condition now.
See? Condition is very important. Then maybe you may get some accident, you may get some your tyre, maybe the puncture, you know. So these things are going to happen until we get the car. You know?
So otherwise, no car, and there is no car accident karma. So what point I am making here is the karma and condition must be karma needs condition to reach. That’s my point here. Get the results. Without condition, karma cannot give you the results.
So then the condition, if you don’t want the karmic results, then our condition must be avoided. See? That’s what we can do. Then you will not get that karmic result. And then on top of that, you can also purifications, or you can also confess.
Then that karma is going to be wiped out. And those conditions also, because conditions, you avoid it. For instance, I heard it here in one student. I don’t know, maybe all students. I don’t know their names.
That person stopped driving around Adelaide. Do you know why? Because when he drives, he becomes impatient. See? When he drives, because there are so many crazy drivers, you know, he becomes more frustrated and impatient.
He cannot be intolerant. So he didn’t want to accumulate negative karma. So now he stopped it. Why he stopped it? He stopped that condition to get angry or frustrations.
He stopped it. See? Otherwise, he will be continually driving, continually accumulating, getting because of the negative karma, getting angry, frustrations, and intolerancy. I think it seems to be that person is really thinking to practise. So now that person stopped driving around Adelaide, so he rides buses and the trams, I don’t know, maybe Uber, I don’t know.
Whatever is. The point is why that person stopped driving. Because when you drive, you need tons and tons of patience. I know I was driving. It wasn’t easy for me also.
All the time, vigilance, awareness. Otherwise, you lose your mind. Especially the United States, people are very impatient, you know. When you are in a red light, you are in front of many cars there. When red light turns turn green light, you’re supposed to drive.
But I was told, before you drive, look at the left and right, then drive. Sometimes a crazy driver like this. I do that. Even though green light, look at the left and right, dry. Then when green light like this, backside, like that.
See? Sometimes you feel like inside, you know, why? You feel some kind of frustration. Sometimes you lose your mind. That’s exactly the this person stopped driving because of all this negative karma that has been accumulating.
So now that person wanted to stop. I hope you understand what I was saying. Because condition, he tried to really avoid the condition to, eventually karma raise, give the results. Of course, they must be doing some purification practice also. Like that, some people have no karma to get accident.
Even though their drives, they don’t get accident. It depends. karma is very complicated. It’s very, very complicated. Still, you know, I’ve been meditating, subtle karma, subtle level karma, it’s very difficult to understand.
It’s very complicated. Why? Because of the karma, you cannot see it, you cannot touch it, only you can explain and you can just believe into it. But karma does exist, absolutely exists. karma does exist.
Many people doubt, or maybe karma is just Buddhism and Hinduism just made it. But karma does exist. I will give you one example why does karma exist. For instance, sometimes when you go to the area that you’ve never been before, strange area. And when you meet some strange people, you know, let’s say there are two people.
When you they are totally the strange people for you. You are a stranger for them, and that person is stranger for you like that too. But when you see one, you feel something that very pleasant. You know, you feel pleasant, sometimes you feel like talk that person even though they are totally stranger, that person is. You feel very pleasant.
But then another person is same stranger you’ve never seen before, when you meet them, it irritates. It’s not so comfortable, you know. I don’t know. Some kind of insight of your mind, not so pleasant. So now my question to you is why these two feelings happened.
Both person, this person and that person, stranger. You are stranger. You saw this this one, you feel pleasant. You saw this one, not so good. See?
Why? You never, you know, speak you have not communicated both of these people just first time you saw. Maybe some religion may say God did it, you know. But in Buddhist perspective, that is the very much relevant. It’s your karma.
This person that you saw, you feel more pleasant because of the previous lifetime. This person, you may have some good karmic, good relationship in the past lifetime. So now this lifetime, when you met the person, you feel very pleasant. But this one is the past lifetime did not have good relationship. Now when you meet them, you feel little, you know, irritates.
You feel not so pleasant way of how he or she talks, or you know, both same standards. That’s exactly the karma does exist. Yes, I’m proving you. Just the example. See?
Otherwise, how this feeling, two different feeling what what was the causes of these two different feelings? We need answer, isn’t it? We need answer. Not that that person was doing something for us. Absolutely not.
These are just conditions. It’s from your own mind projection. One side is the very pleasant projection, one side is unpleasant projection like this. But your mind is your mind. I don’t think you have two different two separate mind like this.
One is here, one is here. No. Just one heart, one mind, one brain, but two different projections and two different feelings. See? Then then these people are the totally stranger.
You are totally stranger for them. So that’s exactly the karma does exist, really. This is the only way we can say karma does exist. This is the karma. Otherwise, what?
Why? Why is this happening? Or maybe this man is more nice looking, but this is also nice looking too. You know, but this has nothing to do with nice looking. They are just conditioned.
They may involve a little bit way of talking things, but the main thing is that now here is that you are not talking to them, they are not talking to you. Remember, you are just seeing sometimes when you just get some experience when you go sometimes in the Rundle Mall area, when you look at that, and just look at seriously, some people you feel pleasant, some people you feel like this. So that’s why I’m talking about it. Okay? If you look at it that way, karma does exist.
karma does exist. I think if you do believe in karma, maybe the fifty percent, your life will be much easier. Then you can accept when things fall apart. You can accept it. Acceptance is very important in Buddhism, but then acceptance in western countries is very difficult.
So that’s a big problem if you don’t accept certain things. Of course, remember, you need to when things fall apart, you try to find the solutions to solve the problem, which is very, very important. After all, there’s nothing we can do for it, you need to accept it, you need to move on. So this point is the hearer is the I mentioned this before also, there is a remedy when trouble strikes, what reason is therefore dejection and if there is no help for it, what use there in being said. Another translation is, if there is a cure when trouble comes, what need is therefore being sad, and if no cure is to be found, what use is therein sorrow.
So this is exactly the saying, when things fall apart, whatever is it, the first thing is we must find the solutions. Instead, why it’s me? Oh my god. Oh my gosh. Oh my heaven.
Why it’s happening to me? Childish. Absolutely childish. Grow men and women. Also, as a human being, it’s very shameful to do that way.
Why it’s me? Why it’s me? Such a very arrogant, such a selfish, why it’s me? Not it’s only you. We all get problems.
Instead of doing that, vigilance, mindfulness, find the solutions. Or you may need to talk to someone, or you may need to go to I don’t know what problem is. There are many, many, many, many problems. You may need to go to the doctor, you may need to go to the psychologist, or you may need to go to some spiritual masters, or you may need to do some prayers and pujas, or rituals, or maybe you may There are many, many, many, many, many different solutions. I think mostly you can be able to solve the problem.
Problems. But many people, they don’t do that. What they do, they panic. They don’t slow down, they panic. They don’t think strictly.
And they’re already very much strong and fearful. Then sometimes anxieties take over it. See? Then then they they are not confident. If you are not confident, then you cannot think strictly.
Problem here, not there. Here. Just mental. Excuse me. Now I have a problem nose here.
One minute. Yeah. Maybe small creature went inside my nose. I’m sorry not if I kill you. So the problem is the way of how you are thinking.
See? This verse, I read it from the Śāntideva’s book, way of the bodhisattva. I think if you really wanted to solve the problems, if you really wanted to do this practice, good to memorize this one. If there is a cure when trouble comes, what need is being That means same thing, there is a remedy when trouble strikes, what reason is therefore dejection. Same thing, different translation.
Meaning is when things fall apart, first thing is to search the solutions, then solve the problems. Many times you can be able to find the solutions. Yes. But then, after finding the solutions, if you couldn’t find any solutions, my next two lines, and if no cure is to be found, what use is therein sorrow, same thing, another translation is, and if there is no help for it, what use therein being said? If you couldn’t find the solutions, then what can you do?
Accept it. That’s my point here. Now, accept it, move on. Don’t stay same place. You have to move on.
That’s what you need to do. If you stay there, you got the problem. Then now, that’s the many that that is the many people like that, you know. They couldn’t accept it. Then years and years already passed, still they are mourning.
Depression, stress out. Or what can you do? It’s already history. You cannot go past and clean things, there’s nothing you can do. You have to move on.
Then don’t make those mistakes again. That’s the only thing we can do, isn’t it? I think this practice is very, very important. See now, look at all these solutions. Solutions are there.
Sometimes you can find some solutions from the external, and mainly the solution is here in the way of how you think, way of how you perceiving things. And the main thing is the which is the main thing here is accepting. It’s very, very important. You need to accept. Of course, first try to find the solutions.
Once you solve the problem, you’re happy. That’s it. Good. Then, if you couldn’t find the solutions, what can you do? As a human being, we need to do something, isn’t it?
You need to go through some pain. No pain, no gain. In order to gain something, you need to go through some pain. If you didn’t want, or if you really don’t want any suffering, any pain in the future, but then now, you need to behave well. You need think straightly.
Thinking is very important. Try not to accumulate negative karma. If you do, then same, you know, these cycles again in the next lifetime. Same thing happens. Then again, same thing.
Again, same thing. But then then now, think you must stop now. This is the opportunity. human as a human being, this is the really great opportunity. Many times people don’t think.
People do it without thinking. Even though simple simple work, they don’t think. They just do it. And after all, everything is a mess up. That happens.
If you do believe in God, God gives you this great mind. But if you do believe in karma, your karma gives you beautiful results as a human brain. So now you need to utilize. Otherwise, human brain and human is not only just becoming rich and famous. It’s not against becoming rich and famous.
Of course it’s okay, but that’s not only the purpose. The purpose of being human being is to do something, good things now. Not only just yourself, others, do something. Make this life meaningful, you know. Then gradually, next life, next to next life, then we will be more progressed.
We eventually achieve enlightenment. That’s only. But we all to behave genuinely, not just showing some kind of a, you know, you know, just showing things. Not like only faking around is negative. If you do these faking things, even though the, you know, spiritual side, you wouldn’t be happy.
One way or another, people will know what what kind of a person you are if you’re faking around. We must be genuinely showing our aspect. Yeah. Sometimes when you do that, you could get hot, but truth is truth. All the time better.
You know? True is the truth. Truthfulness is most important. If you lie, cheat, doing bad things, you may be able to hide sometimes. Eventually, it will come out.
Especially when karma comes, nobody can hide from the karma. karma is like a hidden camera. You cannot hide it. Every moment, any actions you do, karma is already taking the pictures. Good or bad, whatever is it.
Eventually, karma will give you the results. And you should you shouldn’t be blaming anyone. This is your action. Your own action. You are the one who accumulated karma.
That’s only you. You harvest what you plant. You sow, what you reap. You harvest, what you plan. No pain, no gain.
It’s understandable. That’s their which is the westerner expression. It’s all about the karma. You harvest what you plant. You reap what you sow.
Sanskrit. The same thing. Results are according to their If you cause happiness as a karma, the result will be happiness. If you cause suffering and pain, the result will be suffering and pain. It’s understandable.
If you plant the apple seed, the result will be apple, delicious. If you plant strawberries, sweet, delicious. But then if you plant some poisonous seeds, the result will be poison. Marijuana, all these poisons, you know, these weeds, all poisons, like tobacco. When you plant tobacco, this substance can eventually grow these leaves.
Eventually, this tobacco harms people because people smoke. So that’s very important to understand. Once you understand the results and causes, is no indefinite result from indefinite causes. Not like this. It’s totally the indefinite result, causes, and results like that.
And the good causes cannot raise and give you bad results? No. Absolutely not. So the bad results cannot come from the good causes? No.
This is totally contradictory then. But then, if you do not understand this karmic relationship, sometimes people may people may say, which is the one of my teaching, why bad things happen in good people. Isn’t it? Sounds like good people should not be having any bad results. That’s almost like that.
Only the bad results are almost designed for the bad people. Absolutely not. Good people can get bad results, bad people can get good results, but although who was the judge? Who was judging bad people and good people actually? Who was judging that?
Who who was the leader of this judgment that’s saying bad people, good people? I wouldn’t say that. I would like to say maybe their actions, bad actions. Some people take bad actions, some people take good actions. There’s really not good and bad people.
Every people are wonderful. Sometimes we call evil beings. There’s no evil beings. Sometimes some people may act as evil, so that’s why we call evil being. Every human creatures are wonderful.
How can we say the evil human being and good human being? Buddhist perspective, being born as a human being is very precious. And how can you see evil? They sometimes they act as evil. Yes.
They behave badly. Yes. So that’s why we label them bad people and good people. Isn’t it? So that’s a mundane perspective.
We label like that. But generally speaking, every human beings are beautiful, wonderful. Sometimes some human beings act badly because of their tendency, their habit, how they grow, and what advices and teachings they received. So that’s why according to that perspective, and sometimes people become behave differently than other people, you know. Other than that, just people’s perspective, they all are wonderful people.
There is no evil human beings. No. But mundane perspective, we talk about bad people and good people like that. You know? Who knows really the who is the bad people or who is good people?
Some people maybe pretend to be good. After all, maybe they are the one who are acting badly. Who knows? Maybe they are hiding something, you know. This happens often.
Sometimes when you look at this, some people look like nasty. After all, inside they are such wonderful. But we judge people looking at their skin and, you know, their actions, whatever what they show you. This is what we do, unfortunately. We judge people, you know, without having any knowledge of that person.
We just judge people. Very easy to judge. But before you judge, are you really the good good judge? You have to think about yourself. How you’re behaving before you say or or, you know, judge someone.
First of all, check yourself, your own mind, your own behavior. Are you faking around? Or are you are you really humble or honest? That’s what we need to do. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be progressed, we wouldn’t be developed.
Nothing. So Buddhism means everything is mind training. All these teachings are considered as Dharma mirror, which I said before, showing us the old folds, you know, like a mirror. So you need to fix it. When you have something in your face, when you look at the mirror, you can fix it.
You can put some these powders, things like that, you can hide it, which is you can fix it. But you cannot fix that until you see the mirror, isn’t it? So that’s why all these teachings are Dharma mirror. So if you learn that way, then there will be some progress. There will be some development.
Otherwise, ten years before you are like that, ten years after the same, again ten years, there is no progress, nothing is happening, there’s no insight that you are developing, nothing. People may say, oh, he or she was good people, so maybe you liked only that people’s nice work. No, that’s not important. The important thing is that you have to check how much really you are learning and how much progress since you become Buddhist or you have been coming here. That’s what you need to check.
Ten years before, ten years after, five years before, five years after, you have to check how much you really developed. If there’s not that much development, you need to put effort. Okay. Now I will take some commitment to develop myself. Otherwise, my life is going to be like this.
Then one day we we will die. It’s very sad. You couldn’t get a chance to practice. Isn’t it? So this is where I think we need to really look at ourselves, and then develop get some progress.
You know, mentally, spiritually, we need to grow. Otherwise, we have such a beautiful centre here. For what? Just show people, oh, we have a big, big Buddha house. All these thankas, all these beautiful thangkas.
For what? To get some help. To to get some, you know, to help other people. Also get some help yourself to otherwise, then why? Spending so much money and hard work.
The centre is not only just to show how much money you have, the main thing is that you need teachings, which you have here. Then the student needs to follow the teachings, instructions, then improve yourself. Then I think wonderful. You have a beautiful centre, and you have also teachings, and you are now practising the teachings. There is a progress also.
Wonderful. Otherwise, what can what is worth it having big big there are some centers in Florida, Thai, big big big properties. So many lands, beautiful temples, few monks there, no teachings, only they looked like a wealth improvement like that. I asked the monk, and he said, no, they have no teachings. I asked him, I did the Four Noble Truths several times.
Yeah. They have no teachings. Only do some prayers. It’s very wasted, isn’t it? Otherwise, if they teach people how wonderful, then something people can be able to hold on and practice.
And they are very generous also. Each of the Thai monks I saw in their room, one of the monks took me. One monk has the same thing like me, other monks also. So many robes. Sixty, seventy, eighty robes are like this.
Each of the family brings one I don’t know, a sudden even and they’re offering this robe, you know, to to the monk, which is very much offering. They they like offering things. And one monk has a oh, there’s stacks. Sixty seven robes, I asked him, and you wear every day different ones. He was laughing, no.
But this is what they give you. His lifetime is obviously enough. But this is this year, next year he will get again the same thing. We get robes every year, one pair of robes, same thing like that, which is enough for us. What I’m saying is they’re very much offering, but then they have no teachings.
Center is so big, so beautiful. Point is the having center, you need to help people. How can you help people? Through the teachings. Many of the FPMT centers, I think that’s a great thing, you know.
Because of the kindness kindness of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, which all, you know, teachers are everywhere. They give teachings. Some centers are small, some centers are big centers, but teachings are there. Only students need to learn the teachings, and then they do meditation, then develop oneself. That’s one of the wonderful things in the FPMT, I think.
We have some centers, nice, but not teach that much. My centre is small, we rent it, but every day, almost something is going on there all this year. One week, four or five teachings. Teaching, teaching. But we have small centers.
But many, many teachings. That’s what it’s supposed to be, isn’t it? To help people. Help people as much as we can. Then people will understand the karma, people will understand the karmic results, then people can able to stop the not accumulating the karma.
Otherwise, if you don’t teach them, they wouldn’t know. And then then then they do think they are doing things that are only negative, you know. It’s sad. And every day, every morning, meditation is very, very important. At least, I don’t know how much you understand the meditation, least do this breathing in and out, one hundred and eleven or one hundred and eight, in and out, one, In and out, two.
Just sit down. Do this. Focus on the breath. This will also help you. This will calm you.
Then if you do a sudden meditation meditation as a calm abiding, or a vipassana, then the next thing you can do is edit those meditations also. But doing things is very important, not only having ideas, no. You have to take action. I would like to do it now. You have to put this in a routine, a daily basis.
You cannot just wait. I will going to do it tomorrow. I will going to do it this afternoon. That is not good. That’s called laziness.
See? Then tomorrow comes tomorrow. Then comes tomorrow. This happens. When you feel to do, stop, turn off your cell phone, just do it.
That’s the most important. But if you can, make a routine, then also another thing is daily basis. Morning here to here, this is my practice time. Have small altar, just do it. Just meditate or just take the action.
This will help you also. Otherwise, thinking only negative, distracting things. What is worth it then? Cumulative, more negative karma. On top of that, already have so many negative karma.
Then now, on top of that, many negative karma is life lifetime. No, no, no. You don’t want that. You are good people. You are good people.
Do take action. Take some commitment. Like this. Enjoying life is important. We need to enjoy our life sometimes.
Traveling, going to here, there, of course, why not? But then every all the time, enjoying traveling things and eating outside, only running here, there, no good. It’s not really pleasurable also. Not really it’s very much distraction. It distracts, you know.
Sometimes good, but then all the time, all this, you know, running here, there, I think that’s not good for a practitioner. If you’re a practitioner, you need to be locked yourself sometimes. You need to be locked. I mean, when I say lock, it doesn’t mean that somebody come and lock your door and you live inside. That’s not my point.
You need to lock yourself. That’s my point. Meditate. When you meditate, you’re supposed to be locking yourself. Because you are focusing on one object, or you are analyzing one object, that means that’s it.
All these distractions arise. Are locking them. Locking them. Just this one, focusing. See?
That’s what you need to do sometimes. In order to be successful doing that, so that’s why this running here, there, so you know, all these things you need to control. Otherwise, distraction. When you try to meditate, all these things will be pops up, pops up, pops up, pops up. You cannot focus the object.
Meditation means to control the distraction. But then if you don’t meditate regularly, then you will be all the time distracted. See? Then you are not meditating at all. You are pretended to be meditating, but actually you not meditating.
Zero. Then that’s it. If you cannot control the distraction, see? Distraction arises because of our desire. So that’s why detachment comes.
Contentment comes. As much as we can content. Detachment. Some of the things are really not necessary. Detachment.
Content. This will help you. Which is also the it’s called renouncing. Give up. So this is the point, Lama Tsongkhapa’s, the three principal aspects of the path.
Renunciation is very important. We’ve got to be renouncing. Renunciation is not only the monks and nuns job. Renunciation is to everyone, you know. But but how much you can able to renounce?
That’s individual for individual, you know. We we are not saying you must give up everything. No. You have to check it out yourself. If you renounce something, then you can gain something.
For instance, today, although we have some people there, because you renounce, give up going somewhere as a Sunday, sometimes people go shopping around this and that. You renounce those things to come here, then now you are gaining something. You are hearing some goodness because you up the driving here, there, or or the going to the beach, you know. Just an example, I’m just giving you an example. If you renounce big one, you gain big one.
If you renounce moderate one, you can gain moderate one. Even though if you renounce small one, you can gain small one, which is good. Big rock. There’s a big rock and moderate stone, or then small one. In winter, snow falls.
Each of these rocks gets sudden snow. Big rock gets big snow, moderate gets moderate snow, small one gets small snow, which is good. And then there is no rock, zero snow. That means doing nothing. Doing nothing, no meditating, no renouncing, zero, no snow.
See? Otherwise, something, something, something is there. Okay? Thank you very much. Now, questions?
Go. Yes. If you can, that’s better, but that person was difficult to do that. That’s why avoid it. That’s good also.
At least he avoid it. Yes. If you can, he can develop patience while driving, he can develop the patience, he can, you know, he can practice. For some reason, maybe he couldn’t do it. He thought better to avoid that one.
But this is not the black and white. Okay? Not like black and white. Some people can able to practice when they they are driving, when they get upsetness, they can able to deal with it. Some people, difficult.
Least that person was avoiding that, which is good also. But it’s not necessary to in order to avoid the impatience and the frustration, and to avoid driving. That is I’m not saying that. These are the some possibilities I’m saying here. Do you understand?
Of course, it is better, as I said. Some people can be able to practise. They can drive and deal with it when things fall apart. Some people cannot do it. You cannot apply everybody the same, you know, people to people, individual to individual.
Actually, that one was there. I was giving you an example, avoiding condition. Maybe you are misunderstanding. Condition. Avoiding condition.
If we avoid the condition, we will not going to get the results. That that is my point. But it not necessarily be avoiding driving in order to practice patience. Of course, though he or she not driving, still sometimes gets angry. But good thing is that that part of the anger is gone because he or she wasn’t driving, which is a good one.
If he couldn’t practice, that’s a point. Anyone? Bad things happen in children? Same thing. It is same.
You know, children are the problem is the when you say children, we are only concentrating the now, they are young. But remember, they also came from their past life. We all, know, once upon a time children, yes? But we are not just children like this, we came from past. Past lifetime, during their lifetime, they accumulated sudden negative karma, but now, when they were born here, sometimes even young age, they get sudden problems.
For instance, if you kill human beings, or if you kill animals, if you kill insects, many many killings, not just one. If you kill many of these killing things, then your life is going to be shorter. That’s one thing. So maybe some unfortunately, sometimes some children, they die at a very young age, very short life. Maybe their past lifetime, they may kill kill many many sentient beings.
My own sister, she passed away when when she was just five years old. So, you know, so we accept it. You know, what can you do? Of course, my mother was very painful, but she understood the karma. So what can you do?
There’s nothing we can fix it. Of course, we talked to the doctor, monks, everything we did, but then finally she passed away. So that there is karma comes, there is no children or the adult people. It’s the same applies, but unfortunately, the we love our children. Sometimes it’s very difficult to accept.
But this has nothing to do with the individual who couldn’t accept it, but that’s his or her problem, you know. There’s nothing problem with the karma. karma is the all same thing. What, you know so even though children can able to, you know, the to teach them about confessing and maybe some purification, although they don’t need any confession, any purification this lifetime, because this lifetime I don’t think they did any wrong, they are just children. But they may have many karma in the past.
So if they do some purification things, in our society, children also do these kind of things. But Westerner of society, you don’t do that, you know. But we do because we apply we treat children same as like an adult karmic perspective. There’s no different for that. They also need to do some purification, and they need to do some confessing things.
Not for this lifetime, but the past. Maybe their life may get longer. If they accumulated so many killing karma in the past lifetime, that particular this one is. That means that this lifetime, their life may be shorter. But then if they confess, if they do some purification practice, maybe their life may get longer.
It’s possible. But it’s difficult when children come. I know, it’s very difficult, you know. But karma is for everyone. There’s karma we cannot discriminate karma children and adults, even the animals.
Same thing, animals also, you know, they are also accumulating karma. Same thing. Only the difference is the children is the only it depends how old are they, and maybe it’s a baby, maybe possible. But even the children, little bit older children may accumulate karma in this lifetime. Especially nowadays, children are growing very quickly.
They become ten, twelve, thirteen years old, they are almost like an adult. They do everything like an adult people. Maybe they are accumulating some negative karma, but then small one like a five, four, five, six years old, they are very baby now. I don’t think are accumulating any negative karma, I think. But they do have many negative karma carry on from the past.
Yes. That’s what will say. Yeah. You can buy net. Net, small net.
I had it one in the United States. Do you have a mini mosquito net? Do you think it is a big problem? Yes. Why?
What is that, I didn’t hear? Malaria? Don’t like killing anything, but in this instance, I don’t see that I have much choice. Nobody enjoys mosquito. Me either.
You know, of course, I mean you you you, so then now you are asking me, is it okay to kill? That’s what you are asking me? Can you say it again, what about Buddha House? Can you you say it, repeat it? Yeah, but yes, that’s true.
Actually it is true. They do the United States also, every month the apartments and office send some people to the pest control people. They call it pest control, yeah? Pest control? Yeah.
They sprayed the they called pest maker or something. They sprayed around the apartment to control the ants and the cockroach, like that. But I don’t allow it. In my flat, I don’t allow it. It’s actually mandatory.
I said, don’t you don’t want to come here and do that. I’m controlling my ants. Although I have not that much many ants. But that’s what I do was the when I see some ants, Florida is very hot, you know, then I put some of this sugar, play with the sugar outside of the my patio, buranda, side of the I live there. All ants goes there, doesn’t come inside.
They go there. There are many things we can do, but we are lazy. We only like to do things easier one, just kill them. That’s it, you know, sometimes. But generally speaking, sometimes you said that turmeric is difficult.
I know it’s very difficult. But once you kill, it’s a kill. It’s killing. What can we do? Of course, there are purification practices, whatever you need to do, you need to do it.
But killing is killing. So the same thing with mosquitoes, as much as we can try to not kill them, just let them get out. I had one net. When I see something like this, I just hold my that net and bring outside just throw out like that. And and and maybe sometimes not knowing when I do, I may like I may kill, I don’t know accidentally, I don’t know.
Otherwise, but but Buddhism, we cannot excuse. There’s no excuse for that, you know. So everything is the individual to individual needed to be decided what you want to do. You know, but there’s no permission you can get it kind of a situation. Even though situation is so bad, sometimes killing is the killing.
Yeah. Yeah. That is not an ordinary man. That that person is not an ordinary man like us. So this one is the story about the when Buddha, Śākyamūni Buddha, before he became Buddha, he was a trader.
He went to business overseas with four hundred five hundred people, including himself, and they went to get some trades from the overseas by big big boat. When they are coming back from there, bringing many many things from the overseas, and then there was one man who was thinking so badly to kill all these four hundred and ninety nine people, take out all these goods, things, all these, you know, those trade things from the boat. But then Buddha was also part of this trade, but Buddha was a great bodhisattva. He had clairvoyance. And his clairvoyance, he saw this man going to kill the four hundred and ninety nine people.
Then now, Buddha was thinking, I need to save this four hundred and ninety nine people, as well as I need to save this man’s future also. So that’s why now the best thing is I can kill this man to save four hundred and ninety nine people, so it’s also I can save his future also. If he kills four hundred and ninety nine people, next life is going to be the hell realm. So that’s why this bodhisattva killed this man. But they have this power.
They can justify that way, because the bodhisattva do have such a great compassion. Once you develop this great compassion, you can do those things. But we, the ordinary people, do feel compassion, but we have no great compassion yet. That makes it very different. Also, a bodhisattva can stay here in this earth with us.
They can have all these pleasures, this will not affect them. Like one of the books also give you the example, like a peacock and a crow. Peacock. Am I saying it right? Peacock, that bird?
Peacock is like a bodhisattva. Crow is like an ordinary human being like us. Peacock can live poisonous jungle, can eat all these poisonous plants. But all these plants will not going to affect peacock. They will not going to die.
Instead of dying, their feather will grow. Same as oh, okay, next one is the crow eats those poisonous plants, crow will die because crow has no strong digestion to digest the poison. Now peacock is like a bodhisattva. Bodhisattva can stay with us here, all these crazy areas, although these are considered as poison, but this poison will not affect them. They can transform as a medicine.
But ordinary people like us cannot transform as a medicine, we will get hurt. Why this is different? Because Buddhists have great love and great compassion, they can be able to really transform all these poison as a medicine. Same thing like that Buddha’s previous. The bodhisattva killed one person, he justified because of the great compassion.
So he saved all these four hundred and ninety nine people, their life, and also he saved this man’s future also. All these heinous, I shouldn’t say heinous, all this such a tragedy act, he took it. I will take it. Because he can able to transform a positive. I think that’s what you’re talking about, I think.
But we, the ordinary people, cannot do the same as a bodhisattva because we have no compassion. Until you develop great compassion, then you can do it. Same thing, some people ask me, abortion, euthanasia to kill animal, you know, that’s a grey area. Those are people who ask me, of course there’s no permission to do that. Instead, let them die naturally because the animals are dying painful, but because of their own karma, it’s good to die naturally than just making them easier.
Who knows, when you give them injection, inside maybe they are very much fear ful than just physically having some pain. But if you look at this way, it’s very painful when an animal dies. I saw some of the animals in the United States. It’s difficult. They are so beautiful, you know, they are like baby.
But we have no great compassion. How can we do that? Some people say I feel very sympathy, I feel very this how you say, empathy, but that’s not enough. Because eventually, one thing is also the euthanasia for me is the can you do this same act as your own baby? I think people may say no.
But that path is like your baby. You can do this path, but you cannot do your own human baby. So then now your mind is two things here. You are discriminating. See?
If you have compassion, you will not be discriminated. You will do the same thing. You think this is baby too. But mostly we don’t. And now you’ve already discriminated animal, this is human baby.
That’s the problem here. Also, animals are sometimes better than our children. Animals are so much there. They really give you kind of unconditional love because I’m finding this from my own cat. Older cats are not like a dog, you know.
But, you know, they have something, some kind of quality, they love you. Kind of unconditional love. Your children may love you when you give them some money or if you buy some things. I love you mom, I love you this. Other times, I don’t think they will say that.
Mostly condition. Some maybe yes. Mostly condition. This is very, very common in the United States. I saw one of these young child, he was saying, I love your mom.
When when his birthday time, you know, do you say this often, I love you, my mom, even though she wasn’t giving you any gift? No. Only when she gives a gift, I tell her, I love your mom. He was very honest. Why?
Why should I be saying I love you her all the time? Why you are saying now? I want to understand because she was giving me a gift. But even though she wasn’t giving you a gift, but after all she was your mom, you need to say this, I love you. No.
Only I feel said, this young person said to me, only I feel I love to say I love your mom. When she gives gift, that’s exactly the condition. See? I checked because this is very common. I love you, mom.
I love you this, you know. Usually people do. So the animal is not like that. Doesn’t matter. Even though sometimes, some people they beat dogs, but still a dog comes to you, just do like this, they do this kind of thing, see?
A little different. So that point is the euthanasia is also the we need to be careful, you know. So is the emotion also. Emotion is also the you are not killing this baby, unborn baby, his part of the baby. Also, you are killing your own part of the baby too, because baby is both from man’s side and mother’s side.
You’re killing this baby, half of this baby is your part, your own body dear. You’re killing your own body also, because of the anger towards the man. Difficult. These are very, very difficult to give answers, and can you justify these kinds of things or not? Everything is individual to individual.
There’s no one particular order that says, this kind of situation, do it. Not in Buddhism, because there’s no law like that. It depends what the individual wants to do. It may be very, very difficult. One of the I think from Dalai Lama’s book, maybe I’m misunderstanding that.
Anyway, everything is the individual that needs to be decided on what you want to do. If something is really, really not necessary, not to eat. Otherwise, I don’t know. Okay? Yeah.
Now, dedication. Dedication. Can you look at the Page one hundred twenty, please. One to zero. Lord Buddha, make me an instrument of your peace.
There is a hatred, let me sow love. There is a injury, a pardon. And there is a discord, unity. There is a doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.
There is a sadness, joy. There a darkness, light. Our divine master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand. To be loved as to love.
For it is giving that we are received. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. It is dying having practice that we are born to internal life form. Happiness to happiness after fully enlightened. May all beings effortlessly attain the transcendent, blissful state of omniscient Buddhahood.
Thank you very much.