Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 109-minute teaching, Geshe Kyab guides practitioners through transforming everyday life into a meaningful spiritual path. He contrasts two approaches to meaning: the mundane pursuit of wealth and status, which benefits only this lifetime, and the Buddhist path of cultivating compassion and bodhicitta to serve all sentient beings across countless lives. The core theme is that meaning emerges not from changing external circumstances but from shifting motivation inward. Geshe Kyab walks through a complete day’s practice: upon waking, recognizing the preciousness of human life; during cooking and eating, blessing food and remembering sustained life enables service to others; while showering, cleansing negative karma; during work, raising motivation to genuinely help those you serve whether as doctor, nurse, cleaner, or office worker; while driving, practising patience; and before bed, reviewing actions with honest reflection. He emphasizes that ordinary jobs become transformative the moment intention aligns with benefit for others rather than ego. The teaching closes with guidance on deepening practice through meditation, the seven-limb ritual, vows, and sustaining a Buddhist centre. Pitched at both newcomers and established practitioners.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2017 01 31 Making life Meaningful – 31-01-2017.mp3
UUID: 2afdceab-9288-48f6-952a-3af6e707054d
Teacher: Geshe Kyab
Collection: Geshe Kyab Jan (Geshe Kyab)
Date: 2017-01-31
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 108.9 minutes
Words: ~10,602
Good evening, everyone. I think I missed it. What is happening? Okay, page two, please. I’ll go for refuge until I’m enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma, Sangha. In all my lives, I practice giving and other perfections.
May I become the benefit of all sentient beings? Beings. This book will be used. Page thirty-four, please. The Four Immeasurables. May all sentient beings have happiness and be free from suffering.
May all sentient beings abide in equanimity, free from attachment for the friends, hatred for the enemies. Reverently, I prostrate with my body, speech and mind, and present clouds of every type of offering actually arranged. I confess all my negative actions accumulated since beginningless time, and rejoice in the merit of all holy ordinary beings. Please remain until the end of cyclic existence, and turn the wheel of Dharma for living beings. I dedicate my own merits and those of all others to show great enlightenment.
Short mandala offering. This ground, anointed with fragrance, strewn with flowers. Adorned with Mount Meru, the four continents, the sun and the moon. Imagine this as a Buddha field and offer it. May all sentient beings enjoy this pure land.
This mantra, please. Thank you. Making life meaningful. This class is where you can learn how to make a meaningful life. What does mean a meaningful life?
How can one be able to make it? Here I am going to teach two different ways. Mundane side is how you can make a meaningful life. So it’s the spiritual side, especially the Buddhist. The spiritual side is how can you make a meaningful life?
Which one is the most important? Worldly or mundane, meaningful life is important? Or the spiritual Buddhist way of meaningful life is important. So these are the tonight, we need to discuss. Then also you can ask questions.
So I will give you the answers. First of all, I will start by giving a Buddhist perspective before you really try to make a meaningful life, there are a few things that are very important to understand. Why it is important to have a meaningful life. Why? First of all, it’s very important that we are as a human being, which is hugely different from other realms, like animals, hungry ghosts and hell realms.
Even though gods and goddesses, humans are one of the best rebirths one can obtain, which is indeed it. That’s very important to understand. The human being, that is the most important human being. Huge idea, huge — how do you say it?
Great life. It’s very important to understand. It does not matter whether you’re a male or a female, or rich or poor, or tall, or short. No. Just being born as a human being.
That is in the Buddhist perspective, it’s very, very important. Many Western cultures and traditions do not understand that. But Buddhism is very much deeply the Buddhist texts and Buddhist lamas, those great Indian masters, they teach you how important this human is. But it’s now up to you, you know, whether you want make a meaningful life or not. It’s up to us.
Because in the Buddhist perspective, our future is in the palm of our hand. When I say our, let’s say my future is the palm of my hand, your future is the palm of your hand. That means this is something that we all need to understand. Whether your future would be the great future or more reasonable, more meaningful or not, is up to you. It is not God or the Buddha that can make your future meaningful, But they can help you through the teachings.
If you do believe in God, let’s say Jesus, for instance. Says many wonderful things. If you do follow those positive things, your life will be meaningful. But here is the Buddhist perspective. Buddha taught us many, many teachings eighty four thousand scriptures.
Buddha taught us almost two thousand five hundred and fifty years ago. All these great teachings he taught us, he showed us the path that told us that if you follow all these teachings, different Dharma teachings, then you will gradually improve your path, and step by step, you will be one day like himself as a Buddha who attained enlightenment. But we have this great potential that we can be able to do that. Buddha had the same issues as we do. Before he became Buddha, he was a prince.
You know, he had some difficulties, and he wasn’t very happy even though he was born in a kingdom. He wasn’t happy. It’s a long story, but short. Make it short. Finally, he escaped from the kingdom because he was thinking. He was thinking and he understood human life — not one hundred percent, but he had this karma that understanding human life is very important. Although he was very young, and he was born in a kingdom, it’s hard to understand everything, but he had this karmic feeling that something is lacking in my life. Generally speaking, if you look at the Buddha, people who were born in a kingdom — what does that mean? Lacking something in his life. He was born in a kingdom.
Look at Prince Harry, for example. When they say, Oh, something is lacking in my life, all sides are lacking. What is lacking? He was born in a kingdom. Seems to be that automatically our mind is towards wealth.
Why is it lacking? But the Buddha wasn’t lacking wealth and money and all these things. Something is lacking. His feeling was that something is lacking in my life, because he was a a thinker. That is when he saw many different good or bad things outside of the kingdom.
Finally, he saw the monk. Every time he saw something, he asked questions to his chariot driver, and he gave him answers. He saw some sick people, people are dying, people are old. Many, many things he saw. Sometimes people are working very, very hard.
He asked why they do walk so hard? Why do they do that? And the chariot driver answered him, Because they need to work hard, because they need to make money to support themselves and their family. The Buddha said, Why am I not doing something like them? Because you were born in a kingdom, you don’t need to do all these things.
Then again, somebody was sick. People were sick there, and he saw what is that? What does mean sick? Sickness means your health gets worse and you get sick. Why am I not getting that?
Because you have so many doctors, you have so many medicines. So and so, then some people die, and he asks all these questions, but I feel like it’s not fair that I have everything. But now, the average people are working very hard, dying in sickness. He had this feeling, it’s not fair, you know, why I have so much not them. Then finally he saw one monk praying near the river.
He asked, Who is that man? Oh, person is a monk. What does it mean a monk? A monk renounces everything, gives up everything, and they do learn the teachings, and then their goal is to help other people who need their help. So that moment in the Buddha’s mind was kind of, in western words, something called him.
That’s it. This is what I wanted to do. That is exactly when he had this feeling, something was lacking. So now this is exactly the I have been really lacking now, to do something for others. But he didn’t realise until he met these conditions, these situations.
That’s it. Then the next day, I think, he escaped from the kingdom, then he became a monk, and he devoted himself to his teacher. Finally, he meditated, and he meditated. Then he attained enlightenment after six years of meditating. Then he taught us many, many eighty four thousand scriptures.
All his scriptures are meant to help other sentient beings. When I say help other sentient beings, you don’t need to go very far away. Sentient beings near you, your neighbor, your friends and family, or those small creatures, insects, or pets, dogs and cats, sometimes when we about sentient beings, some people just focus on somewhere very far away, they need to go and help. No. Sentient beings around us start from there.
Then you can just expand it. That’s what the Buddha was saying, Help other sentient beings. All his teachings are meant to generate the bodhicitta mind of enlightenment, compassion, love and compassion. So now, as a human being, the purpose of a human being is compassion, loving, cherishing others. These are our purposes.
The spiritual side is the same. Otherwise, becoming rich and famous is absolutely Okay. But these are not purposes, actually. Becoming rich and famous is good, but only for one lifetime. If you do believe only for one lifetime, if you do not believe life after this one, then becoming famous, becoming rich is very important because your perspective is life is only one life.
But here is the Buddhist perspective. We are talking about many, many lives after this life. Perspective to become rich and famous. That’s your good karma. In the past lifetime, maybe you did the practice of generosity, that’s why you became rich.
That’s a gift. Wonderful! But that’s not really enough because after this life, everything stops. That’s it. You cannot carry on everything to the next life.
That’s why the Buddha said, Okay to become famous and rich, but the main thing is, as a human being, to develop more compassion and love. These are the ways you can be able to carry on to next especially generating bodhicitta. That’s why the purpose of being a human being is really compassion. It’s very, very important. Even though you can feel compassion, one sentient being would be great, if it is pure compassion you know, and loving.
Not only just a pretend way of being loving, not only just showing, not really the pure, just showing real love. Just feeling I should say feeling real love, even though one person or one animal, would be great than just feeling this pity or sympathy. I think that’s a great thing be feeling real, genuine love. That’s why Buddhist teachings will give you all these different teachings unbelievable. In the beginning, it is a little difficult, but once you absorb all these teachings, to listen not only one time, but listening again and again then someday, all these teachings will stick to your mind.
Also, it’s not enough. You need to do more mindfulness practice. Contemplation is very important. Contemplation will help you to improve mindfulness — mindfulness of the advantages, mindfulness of the disadvantage, mindfulness of what should be cultivated or adopted, mindfulness of what should be discarded or avoided.
So these are the daily basis you need to meditate and try to understand. Then you start making a meaningful life. But still, you can do it. You go to work. In order to have a meaningful life, you don’t need to become monks and nuns.
You don’t need to be an audience or something like that. You can be just like you now, whatever your situation is, but you only need it inside. You can walk, or go to the office, whatever you do, just do it. But inside, you need to educate yourself. Insight education is most important than regular education.
Motivation is the first step. Motivation is the most important. You need to raise motivation, a bodhicitta motivation. Motivation should be helping others, mind of enlightenment, which is very, very important. If your motivation is pure, then let’s say you walk in the office, or you walk in the hospital, or you doctor, although you get paid, it’s Okay.
But if your motivation is good as a doctor, then whatever you do with your patient, everything is going to be positive. It depends on your motivation. Let’s say your motivation is not only just giving to sick people, if you’re a doctor or a nurse, medicines and things like that. If you raise your motivation: I’m helping these people, giving injections and medicines and surgeries, whatever you do, because I want to cure these sick people, so eventually these sick people can sustain his or her life so that they can do many good things for others. See that you are raising motivation, like real almost egolessness — you are not really doing things for sick people, giving medicines, injections, as a routine, or thinking this is my job.
I have to do this. Not like that. You are raising motivation, not thinking of it as a job. You are really helping them as these are the suffering sentient beings. I must help them.
I must cure them. So when you raise that kind of motivation, I think your doctor’s job, nursing job, becomes more positive. Then you regularly think, this is my paying job. Those come from the ego, but this comes from bodhicitta motivation. At this point, I think whatever you do with the sick people, everything becomes very positive because you have this kind motivation.
How wonderful! See, there are many ways you can do to raise motivation on a daily basis, whatever you do. When you are helping children, the same thing raise your motivation. Don’t think that this is just my job, paying job, I have to do. No, just raise motivation.
I want to help these children because these are our next generation. I want to at least help them to have a good life, a happy life, with bodhicitta. Eventually these children will grow. Then they can help many, many other sentient beings, as well as children. That’s why I want to help children.
Not only just like helping children with attachment perspective, no. That becomes more than a problem. Just focusing on helping children our next generation, teach them good things, you know, love and compassion. Teach them right and wrong. Teach them what is good and is bad.
How to speak positively, physically how to act positively. So is how positive thinking is. When you teach these things, your motivation is also the right motivation. At the same time, your actions are also wonderful. How beautiful.
Only you need a mindfulness on a regular basis, whatever you do with others. Doing things, you do the same thing. Helping children, working in offices or in the hospital, you do the same thing. Inside, here is something you can be able to change, which is the intention or motivation. Motivation is the one thing you need to raise. If you look at it from one side, it’s very simple, isn’t it?
But you need to raise motivation. Before that, you need to learn what kind of motivation you need to raise regularly, or your motivation is just to go and get a job and make money. Only to become rich, to support and your family. But now, your motivation is different. Whatever you do, still you will get the same salary per month.
You can support yourself and your family. This one is better than the older one, because your motivation is now very, very different. That’s why Buddhism is everything is motivation. Motivation starts with our world, then our world becomes more positive. My motivation affects your motivation.
Even though, let’s say, Geshe-la is giving these teachings, before I teach, as a teacher, a geshe, which is the title, a very high level title sitting on the throne, sometimes we, the teacher, can raise wrong motivation. Because when you see many students, you may feel some pride, Wow, I have so many students. I’m sitting on the throne. It could be. Possible.
So that’s why we, the teacher, before we sit down on the throne, I do take this prostration three times together. During the prostration, I raise many, many, many good motivations. My motivation was that whatever I was going to teach tonight, I was going to benefit my students who come here. I was going to benefit totally egolessness, totally from selflessness. I’m not thinking of my own name or pride, or how many people will praise me when I teach.
Not. Just thinking, raising my motivation to benefit my students who come here, who drive far away to listen to my teachings. So they spend many petrols driving cars here. Some people ride buses. They come here to listen to my teachings.
How can I raise my motivation free from ego? That’s why these are the things I do. Even though before I sit down on my throne, I do say a few words, which is very important. Why do I do this one? Then when I teach, my teachings will be sometimes maybe not so great, but still my teaching will be positive.
Otherwise, I’m raising motivation mixed with the ego, even though my teaching would be very great, but it’s not a benefit because my motivation was wrong. That’s why the same thing when students also listening to the teachings. The same thing you need to raise your motivation, as I want listen to Geshe-la’s teachings, not only to benefit myself or to become knowledgeable, but to benefit other sentient beings. Me and all other sentient beings — I want to benefit all sentient beings. If I do know the teachings, then I want you to help my friends and family, whoever wants my help, to benefit all the sentient beings.
Or, I want to become enlightened in order to benefit very vast sentient beings. There are many different ways you can raise motivation. The point here is that once you raise your motivation to help other sentient beings, or benefit other sentient beings, then you are on the right track. That is supposed to be like that. So see now, you are starting to make a meaningful life like this way.
There are many, many ways we can talk, but another thing is that I will talk now morning to evening. It means morning to bedtime, let’s say, before you go to bed. Now I will give you some practice, a very practical practice which we do every day. Every morning we wake up, we take a shower, we cook breakfast, some people may go to work outside, maybe jogging things. Some people after that, go to work.
After that, you take lunch, then maybe work, then maybe come back in the evening, and maybe watch some television, or maybe take some shower or hang around with your friends. Then finally you go to bed, which we do regularly, isn’t it? But you don’t need to change that. You can just do it as whatever you do regularly. But here, you can change it little bit.
Let’s say, once you wake up, this is another way to make a meaningful life. Once you wake up early in morning, the first thing is to think: how fortunate and lucky I am — I survived, I am alive this morning. I’m breathing, I’m walking, I’m moving. How many sentient beings this morning have already passed away? Sometimes, sickness, sometimes sudden death, but I am alive.
I appreciate that, you know. Forget about the past history, whatever was in the past. Don’t worry about it. It’s gone. But at this moment, you are alive, which is the one thing that is very important to understand.
Secondly, raise your motivation immediately. You don’t need to sit down on your bed, though you are walking or going to the bathroom. It’s Okay. Raise your motivation. Today, whatever I am going to do, whatever you do on a daily basis, I will benefit other sentient beings.
I will not harm any other sentient beings, but I will benefit other beings. Whatever I am going to do, you to think it to raise your motivation like this. Then, when you cook breakfast, during the cooking, say some mantras if you like it. It’s up to you. Otherwise, cook.
Concentrate and focus on whatever you for breakfast. During the cooking time, I’m cooking this food to eat myself because that’s what you’re cooking for yourself. Why am cooking this? To benefit myself. Why do I need to eat?
Because I need to eat, I need to sustain my life. Why do I need to sustain my life? Because if I sustain my life, I’m not only just benefiting myself, also I’m going to benefit other sentient beings. I’m going to help other sentient beings. Before you eat food, also bless.
If you like it, I don’t know. In the Buddhist perspective, bless. When you bless, the first thing is you need to bless by offering. If you are a Buddhist, offer to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. The kindness of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha is that you are offering this food before you eat.
You can also be blessed by offering this food not only just one Buddha, but all the Buddhas of the ten directions. All the Sanghas of the ten directions. All the bodhisattvas of the ten directions. I am offering this food. But if you do have the highest yoga tantric initiation, which is very different, then you need to do this food offering.
It’s called deity yoga offering. That deity is something that is close to you. Not only just the deity, but also the deity is your guru, the deity is your Buddha, guru, everything. Then you are offering that food also. At this point, are accumulating so much merit.
From this perspective, accumulating merit is very, very important. Merit does not fall from the sky. You are the one who needs to be accumulating merits. You have been doing that now, raising motivation and thinking. But remember, it is whatever you do every day.
It’s the same thing, only inside. Or let’s say when you take a shower, it’s same thing. When you take a shower, there are a few things you can do. Regularly, you may use so much water. Now think about it, there are no some places, but here, we are using so much water for one tiny body.
Use water as much as you need it. If something is unnecessary, don’t waste the water. If you think about other people who have no water, then you can be able to control the water, which is also good. You are thinking something right. Nowadays, the world, water is a big problem.
But sometimes we use water inside the top, so much water. Sometimes some people waste so much water. Think about some part of India, Rajasthan, there’s no water. Very difficult. Some part of those areas, they need to go to get water from very far away.
Very far away they need to get water, but here, look at how luxurious. The least we can to control the water, which is also what you are thinking about others, which is good, isn’t it? Also, if you are a Buddhist, when you are showering, at the same time you say some mantras. I am purifying my negative karma from the body, space and mind, especially bodily negative karma. When you say mantras, you are also purifying the negative karma of speech.
If you are raising the correct motivation, I am purifying the negative karma of mental, even when you are taking a shower. This water is considered as a blessing from the Buddha and bodhisattvas. But the same shower, you it regularly. Only here, you change a little bit. How beautiful!
Your shower has become more positive. When you walk, also concentrate. Walking is very important. Look around your walking path. Sometimes when you see small animals, don’t kill them, just jump over them.
We have no right to kill those animals. Leave them alone, on the grass. They will live on the grass. Jump over them, don’t stand. That’s another thing.
Have consideration for those animals’ lives. How beautiful. Each time you walk in steps, under your steps, how many earths are down there? So many animals down there. Millions and millions.
I don’t know how deep the earth is, but there would be so many, many, many animals. Millions and billions of animals, even though it’s one step. Then, if you think about each step, say some mantras when you’re stepping, then think about the benefit of those animals, other beings. If you say mantras, I cannot see you, but my power of the mantra will really send you some blessings. If you say a mantra loudly, surrounded by you, some non human beings can hear that mantra.
Also, they can be able to get some good tendency, good seeds. You are helping them. Mean, look at it, even though you are walking, if you think about it that way, saying some mantras and stepping each of the steps, there would be so many animals and other beings under your step down to the earth. Then you are really generating so much merit. But the same walking, you don’t need to do different walking.
No. Just the same walking, only you are mentally thinking differently. But be careful. I had some problems here because of many roads. Sometimes when you think that way, when you cross the road, this has twice happened.
Be careful because when you concentrate, sometimes it’s dangerous. The good thing in Victoria Park is only cycle may hit you. It’s Okay, not a big problem. But on the road, yes, I had this a few times, I was just thinking, I was crossing Swan Avenue to Victoria Park one time. Sometimes, you know, when you cross, you were focusing on one side and you didn’t realize the car was coming there.
Although they stopped you, you know, but still there are many crazy drivers. In Victoria Park, in that grass area, you can just close your eyes, even though you have no problem. I shouldn’t say close, sometimes you may kill animals, but that’s only. Other than that, there’s no problem with the accident or the cars. These are the working with the bodhicitta, I would like to say showering with the bodhicitta, walking with the bodhicitta, and eating food.
Before eating food, you do the blessing. Then you go to work, wherever you go. The same thing I mentioned before, nursing things, doctor, if you’re a doctor, or a nurse, or a psychologist, or whatever it is, if you raise your motivation to benefit those people, just for them. I really want to help these people from your heart, genuinely. I think you are very much worthy to be a doctor and a nurse.
Actually, doctors and nurses, their job is very, very important. They cure sick people, isn’t it? But also the psychologist is very, very important. Psychologists help people who have psychological problems. See, it’s very important.
Every job is very important. I’m not saying that some jobs are small. Job is very important. It doesn’t matter what job you do. Even though you do a cleaning job, it’s very, very important when you clean the apartments and the centres, people come in and say, It’s such fresh.
I think a cleaning job is the most important because when you come in, some people come in, you can see all the screens. Look at the Buddha house, they feel very fresh. Otherwise, you’re messing around, things are here and there, you feel this, you know. When you go to some people’s house, you smell everywhere. Socks are here, shorts are there, mostly men are like that, isn’t it?
They are very, very dirty sometimes, especially young men like that. Very dirty. Women are much better, in my experience, much cleaner than men. Shorts, and one sock is here, another sock is here. Can I see your socks?
Okay. He has two different socks. He lost one sock, now he’s wearing two coloured socks. Exactly what I’m saying. He lost one, you know.
One of his socks was in my apartment. One pair. Yeah, I gave him. So the point is to put things in. Then when people come in, it stinks, you know?
Smells. Eating food, sometimes three or four days ago, living here like that. Then you feel, but when you clean, fresh. How beautiful. So not just the cleaning thing is good for the people.
In Buddhist perspective, if you clean your house, and after you do this incense in every house, you’re purifying your house. Buddhas and bodhisattvas will be placed. When you practice, they will come to you. They will be placed. When Buddha and bodhisattva are placed, why do you need more than that?
But then your house is very dirty. Even the buddhas and bodhisattva will come there, and you are accumulating negative karma. You are offering all this smell, all these dirty things. Better to be See, that’s why the cleaning house and centre very, very important. Also, practice is when you clean dust or anything, at the same time you raise your motivation.
I’m cleaning the dust, and at the same time I’m also cleaning my sins and negative karma. I’m cleaning the dust, at the same time I’m cleaning my negative karma, past negative karma. This is not just I make it up. The sūtra says, dupam, timapam. There is one great master, when he was a student, before his teacher came, in ancient Indian times, he cleaned all the teacher’s house and courtyard with its surroundings, and outside. That’s the practice he did. When I’m cleaning the dust, I’m cleaning my negative karma. That was his mantra, nothing else. After he purified tons of negative karma, he finally became an arhat, because his motivation was right. The same thing we can do when you vacuum.
Say, I’m vacuuming, I’m sucking all the dust, at the same time I’m sucking all my negative karma. Then, throw it out. When you throw out, say, Om Ah Hung, finished now. Throw out all the dust inside the rubbish bin. So that’s what you purify.
That’s also how you vacuum your apartment or your flat becomes positive. The same thing you do every day, but only this one is positive because your state of mind is changed. Your motivation is different than it used to be. See now? Now, at all the working in office, cleaning things, nurse or the doctor, or any other jobs you do, or secretary, or whatever it is.
If you really think about raising motivation to benefit others, all your jobs and working things become more positive. Then come back, especially when you drive. Another practice you can do is when you’re driving, it’s not easy, isn’t it? Especially the rush hour. There’s so much rushing and people very much hurry to get to their home or wherever it is.
Sometimes people are very much impatient, isn’t it? But your side is just try to calm down, concentrate on the road, focus on the road. Just play some mantras or any good things, and also say some mantras yourself. Don’t get mad when they horn you in the backside. Try to be more patient.
Okay, I am a Buddhist practitioner, they are not practising Buddhists, that’s why they are mocking me. Let them do. I pray you, so your side is like that. Then your driving becomes more Come back to home, whatever you do, do it. Then when you go to bed, same thing.
Before you go to bed, you can just count this morning to evening how many positive actions and how many negative actions. I think in ancient Indian times, some of the monks they had those stones, black and white stones. A bunch of pieces of black stones, bunch of white stones, and they lived there on their table or wherever, and they meditate. In the morning, they mark the negative. If they remember one negative, they bring one black stone, one positive, one white stone, and again meditate this way.
Finally, they count how many negatives they are done and positive. If they are done more positive than negative, they dedicate all these positive benefits for all sentient beings. The negative things are they just say purification mantras, try to purify. If they did more negative, less positive, then they would do more purification than regular purification, to purify negative. And they would take this commitment, Tomorrow I will do more positive than negative.
In this way, the Asian Indian times, some of the lamas count these negative and positive actions before they go to sleep. I That’s great. I try many times, sometimes when you get tired, it’s difficult, but then you don’t need only stones, black and white stones. You can do in ways. I’m just giving you an example.
Some lamas did something like that. In ancient Indian times, maybe they didn’t have calculations, I don’t know. The point is that you can do without stones. You don’t need stones, you know. Less if you want, then get a bunch of these black stones and white stones.
Then you can count. When you do more positive, you will sleep well. You will appreciate yourself How beautiful. Then, when you sleep, at the same time you also do that with the bodhicitta. But when you sleep, there are many things you can do.
Newer people, it may be difficult. At that point, you can think about sleep. If you’re a Buddhist, then you can sleep. During the sleep, you can think about the lama’s kindness, Teaching is how important. You can also do analytical meditation, sleeping with meditation.
You can say some mantras. Also, for if you’re not sleeping regularly, this will also help you sleep. But if you are not Buddhist, still you can think about the goodness. If you are believing in God, you can say the kind ness of God, or Jesus Christ. How kind they are.
They came into this world, they helped so many people. Think about all these positive things, instead of thinking about negative things. When you do that, when you sleep, your sleep will become positive. Your dream will be positive. When you wake up tomorrow morning, the same thing as a routine.
How beautiful, isn’t it? Everything is becoming more positive. These are the few ways to make a meaningful life. But if you are a Buddhist, I think there are many prayers you can do, especially the refuge prayer is very, very important if you are a Buddhist. Buddhist.
Every day you need to do a refuge prayer three times, taking prostration three times, or nine times. So you need to follow the prayer book, what it says you need to do. Of course, the same thing applies to everyone. Buddhism and non Buddhism, motivation is the same thing. Raising motivation is to benefit all sentient beings.
Okay? Now I will give you a break for ten minutes, then come back. Okay. Now, these are the regular people that one can generate bodhicitta, whatever you do on a daily basis. But also, you can improve that.
You can be able to edit some of the meditations. Like in the morning, you can do some meditations, like a breathing meditation, you know. Learn how to do this meditation every morning before you go to work. Just do maybe half an hour or fifteen minutes. That’s also good to do.
But if you do have more time, you can also do the calm abiding, which is called mental quiescence, meditation, sometimes a śamatha in Sanskrit, or calm abiding is in English. And sometimes another translation is called tranquil abiding meditation. Tranquilize, to calm yourself. You can do that if you are interested. Of course, the vipassana, which is analytical meditation, but you need to learn.
See, there are many things you can edit on top of whatever you do on regular basis, if you want. If you are a Buddhist, I think the seven limb practices are very important. Prostration, offering, confession, rejoicing, requesting, supplication and dedication. These are the you need to learn. The seven limb practices are very important.
Even though you are not a Buddhist, still you want to do this practice, you can do it. You can learn, you can do it on daily basis. This practice can be done more detail, or you can also do it briefly. Everything is up to your own time and table. So if you have more time, you can do this practice.
Do more prostrations, do more offering things like water bowl offerings, so it’s food offerings, flower offerings, and light candles, like that. You have more time, otherwise you can just do this brief seven limb practice that does not need many, many offerings. Everything is up to your own time and table. non-Buddhist people can do this one. Buddhist people, I think, are supposed to need to do this practice.
The seven limb practice is very important. Then, of course, the other thing is if you really want to make a more meaningful life, then you need to practice renunciation. It goes up and up now. You can renounce giving up things, becoming monks and nuns, also taking some vows, lay vows. There are many different vows.
Even though lay people can take those vows, the first thing is that you need to take the Buddhist vows. Of course, you can do bodhisattva vows, tantric vows. Everything is your own desire, your own interest. But non-Buddhist people cannot take those things until you take Buddhist vow, because Buddhist vow is the foundation to take all other vows. Once you take the Buddhist vow, you can take the lay vows, and other vows like monks and nuns vows, bodhisattva vows, also the tantric, and these vows you can do.
Otherwise, you cannot, because there is no basic vow or foundation, which is very important. Now, you are stepping up to a meaningful life. Otherwise, it’s too much to do. I just like to do it regularly. That’s it.
You can just do a regular job, whatever you do. Only raise your motivation. Even though you are lifting something for others — I want to help others — lifting these things to benefit that sentient being, that person. If you’re giving some hand, if you’re a handyman, you do things for the people.
Also you can raise motivation. I’m going to fix people’s problems. For them to have not these kind of problems. I am a handyman, I know how to fix things. Of course, it wouldn’t be free.
You could get some money, but your motivation was good. You get money, and you get also merits. I think this one is going to be one bullet to the board. You do regular things, helping people, you get the salary. At the same time, you are accumulating lots of merits.
See how beautiful. That’s a very smart way we can do it. You don’t need to be Buddhist for doing these things. It’s very simple, actually. Only here you need to change something here.
That’s it. Only one you need to turn on this one. Something is turned on, which was turned off. Only I, I, me, me, me. Now you need to turn on that one.
Awakening, you know, like this. I think that your life is really, really meaningful. You will be more appreciated. Then you will be changed someday. You will become a more gentle and genuine human being.
Sometimes, your behaviour, or that people see you, people see you changing, a good way of changing, your kindness. Then people may ask you, What did you do that you are very different now than before? So now you can give them all these instructions. That’s it. This way we can change the world, or bring peace in this world, one person to another, another person to another.
This way we expand their love and peace. Otherwise, it’s difficult to bring peace in this world. Look at it nowadays in the United States. It’s crazy. So many bad things have happened since Mr.
Trump became president. So many people are suffering around the world. Already, when you look at the newspapers, not only within the state, but also in other parts of the world. So much suffering. He already closed the door to some of the Islamic countries.
Mean, scary the world is a crazy place sometimes, isn’t it? But we own our own mind. We own this own mind. You can practice, you can make what are called adversities into the path of enlightenment. You can do that, transforming adversity into the path of enlightenment.
Something is a disadvantage, but you can bring that advantage you can bring into the path of enlightenment. This is the opportunity, this is the chance that I can be able to practice now, even though so many bad things are happening in this world. You cannot just practice looking at people’s behaviour, what is going on there. You cannot practice like that. Practice is the individual.
You and I need to practice. Or if somebody is behaving well, I like to practice love, like to apply love towards him. If somebody is behaving badly, I don’t want to love him. That’s not the way you’re supposed to practice. Practice is supposed to be when somebody does not love you, somebody hates you, somebody harms you.
You’re supposed to be practising. That is the moment I call opportunity. This is the one thing that Buddhist teachings are saying. Enemy is your best teacher. Means that you can learn so many things from the enemies.
You can be able to practice patience. You cannot practice patience if the Buddha was with you. What can you learn? Nothing. Only the people that harm you, people that criticize you, people that talk bad things about you, then you can be able to practice patience. That’s why the main time that things fall apart in your life, you need to practice.
Otherwise, when everything is Okay, what practice do you need to do? If you are a Buddha, you don’t need to practice. You are already Buddha. Buddha is called no more learning. No more learning.
Everything is learned. We are not yet there. We need to learn. We need to learn many, many, many things. Buddha does not need to learn.
Means Buddha does not practice. Buddha has already finished. Sangye. Sang means to eliminate all obscurations. Ghe means to gain all knowledge.
Ghe knowledge. Ghe means to gain. That’s Buddha. Buddha gained all knowledge, Buddha has already eliminated all obscurations. There is nothing Buddha can practice and gain something.
Nothing. That’s the meaning of enlightenment being. We are not yet there. We need to learn. We have so many obstacles.
Sometimes, it’s simple, very tiny, tiny negative. Somebody says, Here, you hurt. It’s very uncomfortable. It irritates you, isn’t it? Even the very simple, small things, because we are very sensitive, too much sensitive, we hurt very quickly like this.
Why? Because our ego is much, much bigger than our body. That’s why. So that ego needs to be made in nice shape. Shape.
That’s all about Buddhism. Buddhist perspective is that the ego is the main problem. Once you make a smaller ego that’s the meaning of the practice. But that practice is the only thing you can do when somebody is really coming after you. Then you can challenge them now.
If you are a very egotistical person, then you couldn’t hold it, even though some people may take revenge. This too, many times. But if you’re really understanding the practice, then you’re saying, Okay, this is happening now. I must be vigilant, I must be mindful, must take care of my own mind. I must practice patience, tolerance, forgiveness.
These are all you need to do. It’s not easy for a beginner, but this is the only opportunity, this is the only solution in the long term. Short term, he hit me, I hit back. I won. Short term, but after all it comes back.
It comes back to you. That is exactly why violence is the cycle of violence. That’s it. It goes around something like that, as Westerners expressed. But somebody must stop it.
Who is going to stop it? We, the practitioner. We, the practitioner, to say, enough is enough now. I want to stop taking revenge or replying back. They don’t, because they don’t practice.
They don’t come to the Buddha house and listen to the Geshe-la’s teachings. I am coming here listening to the teachings. I must be different than those people. If I am not, what is it worth coming here? Is it worth Spending so many hours, what is for?
See? These things you need to analyze. It will help you. Really, those people are suffering, and they have no idea what does practice. They have no idea what does mean.
Sounds wonderful, but they have no idea how to practice patience. Have no idea how to practice tolerance. They have no idea how to practice forgiveness. Their side is everything is their revenge, retaliation, reply. These are what they learn.
Especially, I know, when two families children fight, if they lose, the father will tell you, Hit back. So this teaches regularly, isn’t it? Or society doesn’t teach you what these things are. Or society is saying, Don’t hit back, come back and tell me what happened. Don’t hit back.
If it hits you, escape from there. Tell me, your parents are going to deal with it. For Western Arab society, my understanding is that two people are fighting some family. If one comes and loses, the next time the father will tell you, the next time he hit back strongly, maybe bigger sticks or something. That’s a very bad way to teach children.
Children are already learning some violence in the beginning of their life. I’m not saying that children got hurt was good, and that’s not my point. The point is that parents need to teach children that these things are not good. It doesn’t mean that you should be teaching your children to let them do whatever they want. That’s not my point either.
But at least say, Skip. Run from there. Come to us. Tell us what happened before you hit them. Then when they tell you, you can go and tell their parents, because you have nothing to do.
Your son did not hurt or hurt, but you have the right to go to the police or whatever you need to do. Otherwise, if you hit each other, then eventually both lose. The point is that children need internal education when children are at very young age. It’s very, very important because their mind is very easy to shape when they are young. But after they grow older, it’s very difficult to shape them.
It doesn’t look similar to some the wood. Wood was very young, like those bamboo was very young. You can shape them very nicely, whatever shape you want. Once the bamboo gets old, you cannot do it. It’s very strong now.
You cannot shape it anymore. You have to live that way. There’s nothing you can do. When bamboo was very young, you can make different shapes. Here and there, which shape you want, you can be able to do that.
The same thing with children. Their mind is very immature. If you teach them good things, at the moment, they may not that much. But this is going to be good for their tendency. When they grow, this comes back.
See? They will understand the right and wrong. Okay? See, now, we all start from today, from tonight, making a meaningful life. Before you go to bed, just think about all these teachings that I gave you today.
Recollection. Tomorrow morning, start by waking up, just follow all these instructions. Maybe you couldn’t absorb everything that I was saying here, but you must have something that you may have already absorbed. Just do that one. You don’t need to do everything.
As I mentioned here, if you have no recollection tomorrow morning, at least something that you collected, something you remember tomorrow morning. You can just do it, which is also good. Then come back again next time, maybe you can hear more, and maybe you can make this more step up. Thank you. Questions?
Okay, then now what exactly you are asking me? I’m confused. Your mind is disturbing? Yeah. Because of his way of solving the climate?
That’s right. Okay, then you are saying the different ways of solving the problems of climate analysis perspective. That’s what you are saying. And now the question is which one is right and which one is wrong. Do you mean that?
Still I’m not understanding what exactly you are asking. Almost like a comment. I guess I’m just saying that if your technique is just analysis What is your name? Your name is Joe? Joe.
Joe, what I’m hearing from you is that, first of all, there are many, many suffering sentient beings out there. Many of those people have no idea does it mean be analytical meditation or what does it mean to stabilizing meditation. They have no idea whatsoever. They have a very different world than the people who come here listening to Buddhist teachings, trying to learn the analytical meditation and the stabilizing meditation, they have different kinds of understanding. Sometimes, some Buddhist practices, some Buddhist analysis, it depends.
I’m not saying everything. Some of the Buddhist analysis think they are not so comfortable with the mundane world. It’s not so comfortable. But it doesn’t mean that they are wrong and we are right. Many, many things you’ve brought up scientists many, many things scientists are very much right.
Then they decide. Buddhist science or analysis, whatever you call it, they are right, then we are. For instance, I’m not the Buddhist masters, even though the Dalai Lama mentioned this a few times. Vasubandhu, one of the great Indian masters, his book written down is the Abhidharmakośa. Mostly, the book is a Buddhist science book.
I was very interested, but that book, also measured the world. We are talking about a thousand years before he measured the world. And also there are some other things, you know. But then nowadays, the modern science, their measurement of the world, and the measurement of the world are totally two different things. But now, I’m in the middle, looking both.
I’m not going to the one side, Oh, this must be this one’s right. I am Buddhist. It is Vasubandhu, the great Indian Buddhist master. I’m not doing that. I am following this particular subject’s perspective in science.
Because I read it, Vasubandhu’s measurement of the world covers almost only inside India. If you look at that perspective, India is not only the world. India is part of the world. India includes Mount Meru and surrounding lakes. It sounds like world is only the world.
But that’s not true, isn’t it? Even though near India there is Bhutan, Nepal, also Bangladesh, and Southeast Asia, don’t go to America. America is very far. Americans are like aliens, let’s say. Even if you look at Southeast Asia, and now here in Australia, I mean But then, Vasubandhu’s measurement of the world, for me, is only India.
Now, modern science is much better. Their perspective is six continents, world is The world is six continents, like Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, South America, North America, takes seven continents. That’s the world. Vasubandhu focused on what was most important in Asia, only inside India. See, now, think the science is right.
So we have to analyse, even though sometimes Buddhist things are if you really bring or say things are because Vaiship Bandhu did not come in this world to measure the world. The main thing is that he came in this world to help sentient beings. Maybe he did this one briefly there, and at some point, this became the measurement of the world, something like that. For instance, that perspective is that science is very right, modern science is. There are things like that.
On the other hand, actually many in Buddhist perspective, science is wrong and Buddhist things are very much right. Especially when the analysis comes, I think Buddhism is very powerful. I’m not saying that I am biased toward Buddhism, but it’s the same thing that I am in middle now. I’m analysing both sides. Especially the mind and which is one topic.
If I could, I would like do one of my classes, mind and awareness, all about different consciousnesses and different minds. Buddhism is very, very tough, unbelievable, really, because we possess all this consciousness in the mind, but science cannot describe those things. Buddhism can be able to describe many different existences, not only matter existences Buddhism can also describe the form of existence, matter of existence, the existence of the consciousness, the existence of the non associated composite phenomena. There are so many details like that, but science has stops. Science can describe mostly form and matter perspectives.
Then science can be able to describe it. But something that they cannot see, and science stops there. But nowadays, little bit of science has become a little bit towards their consciousness. Because of the kindness of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, many great scientists nowadays do these science conferences. They talk about certain things, death kind of things, and also life after death kind of things.
Usually, science does not talk about these kinds of things. Reincarnation, things are forgetting. But science is becoming a little bit open nowadays. The point that sometimes some of the Buddhist topics are not so comfortable with science. Some of the scientific things are not comfortable with Buddhism.
Generally speaking, which one is right and which one is wrong? You really need to be in middle of that. And you need to analyse it. But you shouldn’t be analysing things like, I am a Buddhist. Everything that Buddhism says is right, whatever science says is wrong.
I cannot do that. I have to I am in this world. I need to go through the worldly law, what the law says in this world. We need to go through that, which is the best thing to do. Otherwise, if you are talking things, like science is saying something, if you’re saying, Oh no, that’s not right.
If you go to something else, strange things, then sometimes I think it’s a little bit over, how do you say, maybe blind belief in your own religion. It’s possible. Even the Dalai Lama was saying whether people believe in reincarnation or not, that’s not important. Buddhism does believe, Hinduism does believe, but many do not believe. Even the Dalai Lama was saying that.
But we do have evidence that some the reincarnation of these children did talk about their past. Even though one child near the Dharmasala, I think now she has two families, actually. When she was four or five years old, she was talking about how she died, and she was talking about her previous family, and she was also talking about her friend. Now her friend has already graduated, and she was just starting school. In her lifetime, they were in the same school.
That is very much evidence, one child was talking about all these kinds of things. But the point is sometimes it’s not so comfortable to analyze it with science, which is now your friend, the scientist, was talking about whatever he was talking about. They are talking about through the scientific perspective. We were talking about the analysis, the Buddhist perspective. Generally speaking, science and Buddhism are really the same sort of both analyses.
We are analysing more consciousness, but they analysed more of atoms, particles, and in a more form perspective, they analysed. Otherwise, it’s same for both analyzing things, actually. Science will not say this and that until they analyze, analyze, analyze, analyze, and then finally they say this and that. Buddhism is like that, especially Buddhists. Those four schools, like Vaibhāṣika, Sautrāntika, Cittamātra, Mādhyamika, all those four schools, they analyzed, analyzed, analyzed, finally, this is my school’s view.
That is my school’s view. Then finally, they just level it like this after analysing. Not like a scientist, they have so many computers or microscopes, all these things. No, they are only analysing just meditating. Science is just looking at x rays, microscopy and computers, and they analyse things.
Otherwise, they are both analysing, I think. It’s great. This is the one thing I understood. I don’t know if it’s true or not. I read it or I heard it.
Einstein said in one of his book, In the future, if any religion goes without science, it’s going to be Buddhist. That’s what I understood. Einstein himself said that. Einstein is like a Geshe among scientists, like Khensur Rinpoche, he is considered the greatest of all scientists. I think that happening now, actually, because of so many conferences.
Buddhist masters like His Holiness the Dalai Lama, even though my monastery nowadays, there are so many young monks that are becoming more interested in learning science. Some even came to Emory University in Atlanta, they studied there for two years. They got this scholarship. They went back, and now these young monks are teaching science to another young monk. Just a few years, happened because of the Dalai Lama’s kindness.
We had recently, even though not a month, a science conference in my monastery. I was very much interested. Even when I was young, I was very interested to learn all the scientific things, but I didn’t get the opportunity. Because my time in the monastery, everything was Buddhist, Buddhist, Buddhist, Buddhist, Buddhist, Buddhist, Buddhist, that’s it. Even though you were not supposed to read Bibles, I had to hide.
I had one Bible. I was reading sometimes English, but my English wasn’t good. Many dictionaries and writing, Tibetan dictionaries were very interested in learning. That’s why I learned even though I went to see movies, Ten Commandments. Some would say, Oh, you cannot go to see that movie.
That’s very much Christian. I said, No, I want to learn. Want to see movies. That movie is a very scary movie. Actually, it’s the first time I saw of western, how do say, mythology kind of movie.
But this helped me also, reading the Bible and watching that one. It’s good, actually. It helped me to understand the Ten Commandments and Moses kind of things, and all these exodus, the rate of the ocean or river, it opens up things like that, whether these are true or not. But it’s fascinating for me because I want to learn about the religion also. But in monasteries, no, I needed to hide my bible sometimes under the bush area because one day it disappeared, I don’t know what happened.
I had many marks there, you know. One day, because monastery was very much an old tradition at the time, you cannot read any other books, you cannot read any other comics. But I had many, many comics, because that’s where I learned English, you know. I hide everywhere. Sometimes I hide under the carpet like that, you know.
And my teacher is very smart. Sometimes he looks around and what things they have. I buy many, many comic books, only one rupee. One rupee is even though not one cent, I don’t know, but one One rupee at that time was big for us. I was buying those comic books to read English, to understand English.
This way, I improved my English. I didn’t have a proper teacher when I was young. If I had it, my English was much better than now. But, as I said, only Buddhist, Buddhist, Buddhist, Buddhist, Buddhist, Buddhist, But I was a little sceptical that I wanted to learn English also, because I knew English was still everywhere. I knew these things, but my teacher said, Oh no, no, only Buddhist.
Was difficult. I didn’t get the opportunity. But nowadays, these young monks have great, great merits. Our monastic school is very good.
Young monks speak English very well, and they have Tibetan English, now science. Unbelievable! They are learning Buddhist philosophy, they are learning science also. Great, isn’t it? Ten years, twenty years after, these monks will become great geshe.
They already know science, and they are also going to know Buddhist philosophy, both how beautiful, and they can be able to serve the world much better than now, I think. Science is very important. It’s very, very important. I’m too old to learn science now. I have too much to do here, teaching things, and I have no time to learn.
I wish that if I had a few years to go to some schools, I would definitely do that, but I have no time. Anyway, thank you very much. Thank you. Now, no questions? Dedication.
Page thirteen. Buddha House Education Prayer Book. Thank you very much. Wednesday, ten am, is meditation. At twelve thirty pm, open meditation.
Wonderful! On Thursday morning, ten am, healing meditation. Twelve thirty, open meditation. Six pm, Lamrim meditation. And at seven fifteen, Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, chapter number six, which is the patience.
If you’d like to learn more about patience, tolerance, forgiveness, and to reduce anger, this is the class you need to come to. This class is Śāntideva, the great Indian master Śāntideva. He composed Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. I’m doing chapter number six, which is the patience. There will be nine chapters.
Then Friday, eleven am meditation with Geshe Kyab, I will be here for Tai Chi breathing meditation, and Tai Chi breathing exercises. Twelve thirty p. M. Open meditation. Saturday is a Dharma for kids.
This calendar says. Then Sunday is nine a. M. Lovely meditation, eleven am beginner Buddhism classes. So see, Buddha House is packed with all these different meditation and teachings.
It’s wonderful. We have a million dollar centre now we are using every day for you, for you to come. If you don’t come, then one day we close this one. Someone may destroy the church, they may build some hotel or a restaurant. No, no, no, you have to come.
You must come. You must come, and we must sustain this Buddha house until many, many, many thousands of years, if we can sustain the Buddha house continually. Many, many lamas come here, give you many, many teachings. Many, many students will get better. Some of you may one day become teachers in the Buddha house, if you learn now, especially young ones.
It’s possible, so see, everything will come up in your hand, isn’t it? Okay? So we must acknowledge the kindness of the Buddha House, the volunteers, the board of directors, their kindness. Such wonderful. All these different days that people come and open the center for you.
Now only you are the one who needs to come here and do these meditation and teachings. Okay? To make a meaningful life. This is another way of making a meaningful life. Thank you.
Good night.