Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 40-minute teaching, HH Sakya Trizin establishes loving kindness and compassion as the foundation for both personal peace and world peace. He argues that individual defilements—desire, hatred, jealousy—are the root cause of all suffering, and that inner transformation through mind training is essential before outward change is possible. He distinguishes loving kindness as the wish for all beings to have happiness and compassion as the wish to relieve their suffering, emphasizing that these qualities must extend beyond oneself to include all sentient beings. The talk pivots to address audience questions on attachment-free love, refraining from non-virtue, contact between realms, women teachers and dakinis in Tibetan Buddhism, tantric transformation of desire, karma and fate, and the relationship between mind and matter. Throughout, Sakya Trizin stresses that virtue accumulated in this life remains the only support at death, and that taming the wild mind through Buddhist practice is the path to permanent freedom from suffering. Suited to general audiences and practitioners new to Buddhist ethics.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 02 1988 05 26 FfK.mp3
UUID: 4e9fa683-5acc-40c2-9a28-61b02f07a1d9
Teacher: HH Sakya Trizin
Collection: Freedom from the Known (HH Sakya Trizin)
Date: 1988-05-26
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 40.2 minutes
Words: ~3,792
That we think is ourself, but that is the wrong thing. We must think of others. One is a oneself is a minority. Oneself is a one person. When we think of terms of others, others are many.
So one and many, the many is more important. And so, therefore, we must think of all the other sentient beings, all the other living beings to think of their sufferings and to think of their conditions. And so in this way, by developing our qualities of the mind that we could establish the seed of the real happiness, the seed of the real peace. Once you have the real peace, the seed of the peace and happiness within oneself, then you can give the peace and happiness to others and peace and happiness to to all of us. Of course, many people talk of peace, the world peace, etcetera.
But unless and until that inwardly, each individual counting as a one, each individual must develop the qualities of the mind. Without developing our quality each individual qualities of the mind, the real peace and happiness would not come. The real peace have to come through spiritual practice each individual through each individual. And when one’s own mind discard these defilements and the non virtuous deeds that creates suffering for oneself and to others and to to to the countries and to the world. It actually came from the the people’s mind.
It is the people’s the defilement mind that who makes all these terrible weapons, all these terrible poisons that are harming our individual person, individual sufferings, and all the problems of the world today. So, therefore, now to establish the real peace, real happiness have to come by developing our each individual’s mind and mind that we must develop the qualities of the mind such as like the loving kindness and compassion. The loving kindness, according to our teaching, means our wish to have happiness to all living beings. And this which is not just mere words, not just mere words, but the sincerity that not just for oneself, one should not think of in terms of oneself. If you think of all the oneself, then all the problems arise.
All the problems that the sufferings that we have due to the thinking of all the time oneself. When you put the the self as the number one, the self as the the head, then all the problems, all the sufferings will rise. As when you have the self, then, of course, you have a desire to one’s own side, and you have the hatred for others and so forth. And due to this, then, of course, all the other sufferings such as, like, competitions and jealousy and etcetera, the defilements other part of the defilements will rise. And due to this then, all the suffering will cause.
So, therefore, one must should not think of just oneself, have to think of all others. And when you have this kind of loving kindness, then not only oneself will have the peace and happiness, but all others, the real happiness could be established. Whether one is following any religion or not, whether one is following a Buddhist teaching or not, to have a loving kindness is very precious. It is very valuable to all mankind, to all whole universe. When you have all these defilements of hating and hatred and jealousy and desire, etcetera, not only oneself will also be in problems, but also other peoples will have problems.
And also the whole community, all society, all country, all the problems, it is very clear that all of these problems are rising actually individual persons fault their fault of the mind realize this. So, therefore, we must do every efforts to reduce our thoughts of the mind and try to develop the quality our qualities of the mind. And through this way, that even in a worldly way, even in a ordinary way, ordinary life, that when one has the loving kindness and the compassion compassion means according to our teaching, actually, wish to focusing on the individual sentient being who is suffering and then wish for he or she to be free from the suffering is called the compassion. So when you have these two things, the loving kindness and the compassion within oneself, then oneself will be happy, and all your family will be happy, and your neighbors, and your society, your country, and as a world as a whole that the good things will happen. And then, spiritually, also, according to the Mahāyāna, the Buddhist Mahāyāna teaching, the root of the of the teaching is the loving kindness and the compassion.
These two are very important. When you have the loving kindness and compassion, all the other qualities will naturally rise. So that it is very important for at this moment when we have everyone is trying of course, everybody wish to have a happiness, but they do not know the method. Although everybody wish to have a happiness, but the thing that they are creating thing that they are doing is creating more sufferings. So for this way, first that one must know the suffering, then one must avoid the causes of the suffering, and then one must seek the the the higher goal permanently free from the suffering.
And so in order to reach there, that one must practice the path, path where once can tame our wild mind. Our wild mind that is so much involved with the defilements. That our mind which is so easy to involve with the defilements. So that we must try every way and think the defilements, the impure mind are the cause the real cause of suffering. So therefore, we must try we must always we as as a ordinary person difficult to remove the defilement straight away.
It is not easy thing to remove to to remove desire, to remove hatred, to remove ignorance is not easy thing. But at least one must look this impure mind as as a bad thing, as a enemy. And then when you see this and so the first step is to to recognize the the defilements are the cause of all sufferings and that in order to remove the suffering that we must look, we must recognize these as the our greatest enemy. Ordinary enemy can can kill you, but when he kills you, it means just to to lose one life. But the defilements can not only cause sufferings in this life, but many many lives to come.
In continuously in lives to come can put you in immeasurable sufferings. So therefore there’s no greater enemy than the defilements. So the defilements that we must see as our greatest enemy and we must try our best to to control or the true at least to know that this is the greatest enemy, and we must win from this inner enemies. And the the virtuous things, the good things, the loving kindness and the compassion are the greatest friend, the greatest help that we could seek. In this the present life, no matter how rich one is, how powerful one is, but it is only a temporal thing.
Very few people lives after the one hundred years old. So the even the longest time that you can enjoy or you can have your wealth and the power and the prosperity is after the hundred years time. So eventually, of course, everything is going to lose. I mean, the time of death that you have to leave even behind our very precious body that which we care so much, which we take care, which we think as a very precious, also have to leave behind. The only continuity of the your mind alone keeps going.
So at that time, the only thing that you will carry with you, the only help, the only light that’s carrying with you is the virtuous deeds, the the right actions that are created through loving kindness and compassion. So therefore, this is the greatest help. Even one has countless friends, nobody can help you at the time that when one is leaving this world. But the virtuous deeds that one has accumulated while one is living is the the the real help, the real friends that can help you at that time. So, therefore, the lord Buddha’s teaching or put it all together in in essence is to avoid one should not do the the sinful things or the non virtuous deeds, and one should perform the virtuous deeds, and one should tame our mind, the mind that is so much involved with the defilements and this is the Buddha’s teachings.
And so in this way, even one is not believing in any teachings, but but when you have the loving kindness and the compassion, it is a good thing for oneself. It is a good thing for others. It is good thing for the society. And religious wise also, it is the root of all the path and which then eventually can permanently free from all sufferings. And it is the seed it is the root of to attain the ultimate enlightenment.
So in this way that I now conclude my talks, and I wish that everybody will have some benefit what I have said and wish everyone to have successful obtaining their wishes. Sheets were made available at the beginning. So if anybody has a question that they’ve managed to write down, could you please pass that to the the aisle members. How can one learn to love clearly and with compassion, but without attachment to the love or the person thing loved? How can one learn to love clearly and with compassion but without attachment to the love or the person or thing loved? Mhmm.
The love here means not just for one’s own circles or one’s own circles, but it means to all sentient beings, all living beings. But that to beginners right from the beginning to do this is difficult. But step by step, first to one’s own surroundings, one’s own one’s own friends and so forth, and which then eventually such feeling, the close closeness feeling should be able to carry with all living beings. How does one read non virtues without restrictions, without suppression? Non virtues is the actions that are created with the defilements and it is difficult for us, but at least that by knowing that it is the source of all the sufferings, cause of all the sufferings.
And nobody wish to have a suffering. So if one really do not wish to have a suffering and then to to avoid the cause of suffering. Of course, there’s no cause, then there’s no result suffering. Your Holiness, do beings existing in realms other than the human realm, for example, hell realms, hungry ghosts, have any contact with or impact upon our own human realm through thought transference or some other medium? Mhmm.
Oh, there are many great stories. Actually, the Lord Buddha’s own authentic sermons described the lives of hell realms, hungry ghost realms, and deva realms, and demigod realms, etc. Not only he describes but many of his disciples in order to convince them how the law of karma, the cause and effect is working, that he has took them to these different realms and shown them their conditions. Your holiness, what is God? God in our tradition that we according to the Buddhist teachings we have the gods.
There are many gods. It is not the the god, the one who is the the supreme higher god that other traditions describe. It is the gods means the heavenly beings, the beings who are above human beings, higher than human beings, the realms that exist higher than human beings and there are many different levels in in numerous numbers. Why cannot the Tibetan lineages provide for full ordination of women? Why cannot women become a lama?
This barrier causes a major blockage in interest for Western women. Mhmm. Actually, are many great women teachers in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. It is not just that well known to the western world. There are many many great women masters in every lineage.
Our own tradition. For example, from my own tradition, my grand aunt. She was a nun and have practiced very high stage and obtained very high realizations and gave innumerable teachings and has very many followers. Many monks and lamas are also her followers and that she is the many important major teachings holder. And even in present condition my own sister, I and my sister both had the same kind of training, same kind of spiritual training, same kind of retreats and the practice that we have gone through.
Three questions in this particular request to your holiness. It’s actually a continuation of that question. Think it’s how do you see the role of women in Tantric Buddhism? Are there great Sakya women who lead in the practice of Buddhism? Mhmm.
And third part, how important are dakinis in the Sakya tradition? We I have already replied this questions as in our tradition that It is just not known, but actually there are many great practitioners, women masters such as one that I have just described and there are many many in other traditions also course. Dakinis are the deities that are important. Every plays very important role and there are many dakinis also has actually dakinis are sort of a general word that there are many many different levels and it’s important of course in every vajrayana teachings. Regarding tantric practice, how does one transform sexual or any other desire I.
E, channel it into one’s practice? I mean, for example, the bad things also can transform into the good things. For example, the poison is bad, and if you take the poison in the wrong way it can kill you. But with the methods, the poison can also become a medicine. In certain ways the poison can also become a medicine that cures many disease.
Many of our medicines that modern medicines that we eat have a poison. But when it is used in the right with the right method that it can cure many disease. So similarly the defilements, the desire is bad when it indulges as it is, but there are many methods, many way of removing it, many way of transforming it. For example, if the root of the tree the poisonous tree, if there’s a poisonous tree and one way to remove that is to cut that tree. If you cut that tree that it will fall down but still the root of the tree remains there.
So although it is only temporal methods so there are certain methods to do like this to cut the poisonous tree. And the second, the another method is instead of cutting the tree that one can put hot water in the deep root. And by pouring this even though you don’t cut the tree but it dries from the root and that can the tree can fall down and will be completely broken. So similar in another kinds of dealing with the defilement is in this way. And the third kind of dealing is that the poisonous tree instead of cutting it or instead of digging the root or instead of pouring the hot water etc.
That you use medicines, use certain other methods to transform this poisonous tree, very dangerous tree into the medicine, into a nectar and so that it is very helpful. If one’s suffering is one’s fate, then is it ignorance that we surrender and or fight our fate? And why? Fate. Yes.
Fate. Fate. If the suffering is If one’s suffering is one’s fate Uh-huh. Then is it ignorance that we surrender and or fight our fate? And why?
Yes. This as far as I understand that the the law of karma, if everything is, of course, karma and that is already set, it means, isn’t it? Then there’s no way to how we can fight with this is that? So for this actually there are two types: the karmas that are already ripened, in the ripening stage. For example the crop when it is at the already ripening stage, when it is at the time of harvesting then you can’t change anything whether it is growing nicely or not nicely or whatever time that it is grown, then when it reach at that time the harvesting then one could not change.
So similarly there are karmas that are already at ripening stage such as our physical body, the present physical body which is only the product of our previous karma whether it is pretty or ugly or healthy or unhealthy or whatever it may be that you cannot change so much. But when the crop is just in the beginning, when you’re just planting the seed, how it will grow is depends a lot how much care that you take. So similarly the the karmas that are yet to resolve, yet to ripen, yet to ripening stage, yet to reach the ripening stage that you can change. For example, if there is one man has created a non virtuous karma, a very bad one, but it is yet to reach the ripening stage then one can by creating another karma very strong opposite to this virtuous karma in this way that it can remove the effect of the non virtuous karma. Your Holiness, become virtuous and conquer vices.
We need a source of power. What is your source? Do you see God as the source to refill the battery of the soul? That is to fill the soul with purity. Mhmm.
The main help have to come from one’s own side through the teachings of the Buddha and through the understanding, more understanding, more insight wisdom, more wisdom through study and contemplation and meditation of the general life that will create a strong power to to reduce the negatives. Mind is non matter. How can it influence matter? What is the mechanism by which karmic latencies are destroyed? Karma.
So I think it means for karma that has not yet ripened, how can it how can we destroy those those the tendency for that karma to be fulfilled? So it’s really following what you were what you were saying then, I think. I see. Yes. Mind is not matter.
How can it influence matter? The mind and matter are two completely different things, but it is the mind is the more most important. It is the one it is like our physical body and the outside things are like our like a servant. Mind is like a boss. It it is the mind that everything that we do, the whole temporal and spiritual, everything, the root lies on the mind.
It is the mind who decide everything. So mind is most powerful thing. And if that we can tame then of course all the outside problems related to the matters also can be solved. Behalf of the Buddhist Education Foundation and Buddha House, I would like to thank your holiness for giving this precious teaching tonight. I would like to thank the Buddhist Sangha, the Buddhist monks and nuns for being here.
I would also like to thank on behalf of the Buddhist Education Foundation and Buddha House for co hosting this event with the Buddhist Education Foundation. Buddha House was started in nineteen eighty two by students of Lama Yeshe. Buddha House is part of the FPMT, the foundation for the preservation of the Mahāyāna tradition. Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual head of the FPMT and Buddha House. For those who would like to make contact with Buddha House, if you could please look in the phone book under Buddha, you’ll find relevant phone number.
I’m not sure. Maybe there there could be a pamphlet here as well. I’m not sure on that point. But if you could check at the desk on the way out, I’m sure that that information can be given to you. The Buddhist Education Foundation is a non sectarian organization which was set up by in nineteen eighty six to bring Buddhist teachers to Australia.
Actually, is a handout which is available at the desk on the way out if you’d like to find out more information or to contact the Buddhist Education Foundation. I’d like to mention that tomorrow night, his holiness will be speaking at Wattle Park Teachers Centre, four hundred and twenty four Kensington Road, Wattle Park. His Holiness will also be giving a weekend course at Wattle Park. These courses are suitable for beginners and more advanced students of Buddhadharma. The title for the weekend course is a compassionate way of life.
So again, if you want more information, could you please check at the desk? On Sunday night at eight PM, there will be a talk given by his holiness, which will be at the meeting hall at 25 Flinders Street. This is on exploring the changing face of Tibet, aspects of history and current politics. His Holiness will be teaching at a number of centers around Australia between now and the beginning of August. He will be giving a number of weekend courses.
I’ve been asked by the Wollongong Center to especially mention their their course, so I feel that I would like to do that. But I I would I would draw attention your attention to these pamphlets if you would like to check the dates and the the particular topics being taught. There are other weekend courses. And in fact, there is a one month course being taught at a Tibetan style Gompa near Kyogle, and that is the Lamdre teaching for which the Sakyas are famous. For students of, if there are any students here of his, there’s actually a letter that has sent to us.
So if you could please see Linda, who’s to His Holiness’s left. Perhaps, Linda, if you could stand up. Letters will be available for you to to read. Also, if you could possibly help with the request for helping needy Tibetan monks and children, there is a handout which is also on the table at the entrance way. We would appreciate any assistance that you may be able to give.
After the dedication, those wishing to receive His Holiness as blessing, if you could please move to this side of the hall and come down to the front here, receive His blessing and then leave via that way might help with the flow. So now we’ll have the dedication. And if anybody wishes blessing.