Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Can one person’s compassion genuinely benefit millions? That question anchors this 46-minute address at Buddha House in 1991, in which Lama Zopa Rinpoche speaks before introducing honored guest Khensur Rinpoche. Lama Zopa opens by arguing that no external condition removes suffering because its cause lies entirely within the mind — illustrated by a TV-channel analogy: one mental shift moves instantly from misery to contentment. He then makes the case for Dharma centers as an answer to world peace, linking renunciation, emptiness, and bodhicitta to liberation. A pointed critique of Western culture follows: missing education in compassion and karma, he argues, explains why social problems persist despite material progress. The session closes with a warm introduction of Khensur Rinpoche and an urgent exhortation to study while access to a qualified teacher remains.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 01 KR 1991-03-16.mp3
UUID: 1f314f69-8120-47a7-b0e0-77d179d9b6a8
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Khensur R and Lama Zopa (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1991-03-16
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.7 minutes
Words: ~3,910
So I would like to say thank you very much, and I’m very happy to meet all of you. So, Actually, I have nothing much to say. Maybe I have more things I have maybe I have more things to say if you close your ears. I’m sorry. If if nobody listen, then maybe I have more things to say.
So I really wish that that the center Buddha House can benefit as extensive as possible towards other sentient beings. So there’s two ways, material way of benefiting other sentient beings and especially benefiting other sentient beings. But the most important thing that is special way benefiting for other sentient beings. Benefiting towards benefiting is the other sentient beings’ minds, and that is the most important one. So So as myself and we all had great day members, members of the organization, people had great wish, so we succeed.
So you see to the most important the most important one that is to have qualified teacher. It’s to to have, you see, our most qualified teacher. That is the very root of the success. And that is the very root of the progression. Whether we want to do something for our own happiness or whether we want to do something for the happiness of other sentient beings, to obtain happiness for other sentient beings.
So that is the very root. So so it’s very gratifying that, you know, that as I requested to come to Australia for the Dharma house and to teach. So Rinpoche is kindly accepted. So I think that’s first of all, that’s a great success. The first the first first important success is that.
So that is a so I think unbelievable kind and yeah. That’s see, from the heart, I think. So so I think I’m very happy to hear that many good programs that has been happening at various subjects. Which is the essence of that that is set up for one person graduate practice for one person to achieve enlightenment. The most important teaching.
Then the the other teaching that which is which is more detailed explanation of the bodhisattva practice. The training in the bodhisattva path teaching. You know? And this is the very important teaching to learn, to practice, and then subject. Of course.
So without understanding that, no way that we can liberate ourselves from the saṃsāra. No way that we can liberate others from the saṃsāra without understanding without understanding that subject, without realizing that. So in any way, so the various programs that as I was planned by Kimball, that and also introductions introductions are given by elder students and by by So anyway, all those different academic activities to benefit for other students, I’m extremely happy to hear that. And that’s very good exam I think it’s a very good example. Very good example, offering different level of teachings as there are people who have different level of mind, who need a different approach.
So I mentioned that even others, not only the centers in Australia, but also the many other centers in this organization, It’s a very good example for them to get an idea of how to use the different ways, how you can learn teachings or different ways how you can benefit for other sentient beings. With the also the lecture in the city, which gives opportunity for some sentient beings to, you see, make Dharma or to come to know that there’s such a meditation center. So many so many times, you see people, you see, even though they have great interest and they want to do something for their life, they want to make their life meaningful, but they don’t know. Many times, you see, they don’t know where they should go, where, you see, to learn, to practice. So many times is there are people who need to be told, who need to be guided.
So so as that program is done like this, so it helps for it is the opportunity, say, is offered to them. The opportunity is offered to them in this way. However, So I thought it is also a very good example for many other centers in this organization. Excellent example. So I I don’t need to explain much.
So as you are as as many of you have been taking teaching for a long time and taking extensive teachings. First of all, For the medicines, external things, nothing can nothing can, you see, remove the cause of the suffering. Because why? The cause of the suffering is not outside. It is within the mind.
It is the mind. It is the mind or it is within the mind. You see? So therefore so therefore, you see, externally, how much is done? You see, only that cannot sort of cannot give that alone cannot give satisfaction in the life.
That is clear. That is clear from our own experiences. It’s clear. It is clear, you see, by looking at the world, by looking at others, by looking at our own lives, it is clear. You see, that external you see, has it however, satisfaction doesn’t come from our side.
That’s clear. It has it has to come from with no one’s mind. It has to come from it has to come from the happiness satisfaction has to come from our own mind. Our own mind. That as our own mind creates the our mind has created happiness.
So you see So the moment the moment that’s the moment or the second when one stop following the desire, that is there is the satisfaction. One finds satisfaction right there. The second, the moment, second, one stop following the desire, you see, Right there, one one finds satisfaction, one finds happiness in the life. So you see, is is a one way one way of thinking, immediately there’s happiness in the life. One way of thinking, you see, one way of thinking, life is in a great sorrow.
Life is, you see, in the mountains of mountains of problems. But we see one just just you squeeze the pot. You see, just you see it like the TV, you know, the channel. This way, way, they like the TV channel. So one, lever turning, I say, lever turning is it gives another station.
Then lever turning that way gives another station. One is a one is entertainment. One is a, you know, full of wars or fightings. So however so like that so like that, you see. So like that.
So one you see, one way of thinking one way of thinking, there’s suffering in the life. One way of thinking, we see, there’s satisfaction, happiness does not suffer. So it’s complete. It’s complete to do with our mind, happiness, happiness and suffering. It’s completely to do with our with our own mind.
So, however however, to so to obtain not only temporary and special ultimate happiness or the special happiness fully enlightened, it’s all to do with the mind. So but we have to know how to but we have to know how to with your own mind, how to achieve these things through through one’s own mind. So however so anyway, the conclusion what I’m that is why I’m saying this is so you see, concerning so we always have question how to benefit other sentient beings. How can I help. I want to do something for other sentient beings, for the benefit of their life.
What can I do? What can I do? Something meaningful. So to really benefit to really benefit to being means to benefit to their mind. So eliminating, you see, so you see the cause of suffering, which is within their mind, which is which is the mind, which is within the mind.
So in this way so this way, you see, then only then they have opportunity to experience happiness. Only then they have opportunity to experience ultimate happiness. So through change of their mind, then change there’s change in action. Then this way, there is a then there’s a change in their life, which is from suffering to happiness. So so now what does that?
Now what does that? You see, that to eliminate the cause of suffering that which is not outside which is within the So there’s nothing else left. It it’s only it is only. You see? It is only.
So now, therefore, ask, you see, to help in that case, you see, to liberate all sentient beings from all suffering by eliminating the cause of suffering, which is in the mind. To do that, ourselves also, you see, to help in that, ourselves also need to be an example, ourselves also need to practice. Practice. And then through our own experience is the best way to help others in the meantime. So how about so So therefore, in the world in the world, there’s nothing more in within one’s own life or in the world, you see.
There’s nothing more important. And then it’s Dharma, Dharma practice. Dharma study, Dharma practice. Concerning happiness for self or concerning happiness for all sentient beings, for everyone. Then so therefore, to do this to do this, there’s need teacher.
There’s need other people organizing, place, teachings. They need many things, you see, for your own for our own progression, for ourselves to be qualified to benefit others in the future. So therefore, and now you see comes how important it is the meditation center. You see, and also, the other thing, so without generating renunciation of saṃsāra, you see, there’s no way that other sentient beings can receive liberation. Nowhere other sentient beings can receive liberation.
You see, without realizing emptiness, there is no way other sentient beings can receive liberation. No way that they can eliminate the root of saṃsāra. And without actualizing bodhicitta, there’s no way that they can proceed to be enlightened and the appearance happiness, you know, the state of mind that which exceeds all the mistakes of the mind and which is perfect in all the qualities, all the the qualities of realizations. So no way that one can achieve this highest happiness, the full enlightenment. So you see here, the meditation center that you see Tibetan Mahāyāna Buddhism, which is a complete teaching.
You see, there is a complete teaching of Buddha. You see, this offers, you see, all these opportunities for others. So so you see, our our self studying our self studying, and you see the say, doing the service develop to continue to develop the meditation center, we’re all together benefiting other sentient beings. You see, team to achieve liberation, you see, to say, to achieve, you know, to cease this to cease the suffering towards, to achieve the happiness, especially, you see, ultimate happiness, liberation, full enlightenment. So other sentient beings are receiving these opportunities.
How you see? Able to hear, able to practice, able to achieve this result or able to succeed these wishes. So as I normally said, oneself alone cannot do everything. So we need we need, you see, help of many people. It’s the help of many Dharma friends, you see.
You see, teacher and you see, secretary, sir, and the director, you see, the the the person who handles finance. So there are many things that you see. With with the help of many people, then you can extensively then you can extensively benefit from so many other sentient beings and you can continue. And so you see so you see, we all offer together together these benefits, leading sentient beings to the full enlightenment. Knowing, bringing them to the end of the whole entire, you see, the true suffering and true cause of suffering, and even the subtle imprint left by ignorance.
So therefore, you see, extremely worthwhile worthwhile thing to extremely worthwhile thing to attempt for. Especially if you’re questioning what can be done to to our own to one’s own life. You see how to benefit other sentient beings, you see, if you are questioning, if you are concerned, if you have this concern. Do benefit others in benefiting others, you see. Benefiting benefiting to to the mind the mind of other sentient beings.
And that is I see. That’s the only dharma. You know? So so if you you remember the benefits if you the benefits of our own work, service that we’re doing, you see, benefits what other sentient beings they receive. The benefits of what other sentient beings they receive.
From the center, it’s all that came from each individual person, each of effort. You see? By coming to the center and understanding karma, understanding karma and with that they stop. And that means you see, virtuous practice. And this way this way, they have that many opportunity, you see, to obtain happiness and to stop as a result of sufferings.
By taking, for example, the vows, lay vows, you know, those eight precepts, five precepts, so forth. And then then you see, by coming to the center, you see, they hear teachings on bodhicitta. Then they each time they were when they mentored on bodhicitta, they accumulate infinite merits. And they do the actions. They you see, they do the actions out of bodhicitta, which means each action become cause of enlightenment.
You see? Each each action what they do, that that is done out of bodhicitta, you see? Each of the action brings themselves to enlightenment, you see. Become cause become cause to its enlightenment. So all these are benefits of the center.
You see, each time when they generate the motivation of bodhicitta, each time they do actions out of bodhicitta, they accumulate infinite merit. Oh, this is oh, this is what we are offering, what we’re giving to them. And each time each time when they meditate on emptiness, each, you know, even a minute second when they meditate on emptiness, so much obstruction, so much even if five uninterrupted karmas, even they get purified. So all these able purifications even while maintaining emptiness minute to second. So these are I see bringing closer to liberation to enlightenment is this benefits what we’re offering.
You see, incredible deep benefit. So so you see, by understanding dharma, they have so much opportunity to accumulate cause of happiness with, you see, depending on the sentient beings and by depending on the holy object to make offerings to. You see, by understanding by understanding karma, then you see, with the holy object, they have an incredible opportunity to accumulate merit. Each time they accumulate merit with Dharma wisdom, what they received at a Buddhist meditation center. This is this is what we are offering to.
This is our contribution, what we’re offering to them. Let me see. So with the your with one’s own effort that that we put here, you see, physical with the body, spirit, mind, you see, the work service that we do, however, the material contribution, see, the financial contributions, however you see, whatever we do, I think even say, giving Dharma talk, Whatever we service what we do, you see. However, with the help of the teacher, so many other Dharma friends, so you see, altogether we offer and this this this is the infinite benefits to the sentient beings. You see, each day each day, you see, offer some we offer, see, all the merit what they accumulated by understand dharma, all the merit what they accumulated, you see, by understand dharma coming to the center, this is what we’re offering to being.
We’re giving, you see, so much cause of happiness for these sentient beings. So this is what we should realize or should remember. Realize or should remember benefits of our work and we should rejoice, you see, and you see, and then live happy life. So that’s the main point. The the importance of Dharma, and then what’s the best way to benefit benefit for sentient beings?
The answer is is the meditation center, our own practice. The other thing the other thing is there’s so much emphasis, you see, emphasis in the world. There’s so much emphasis material material progression in the world. This is so much you see. Because and and there’s no and and there’s no emphasis is to develop compassion.
As much as this emphasis are to to have external development, there is no emphasis to develop compassion. Is it that there is no emphasis to develop compassion, to develop a mind. There’s no emphasis in that. So how you would what I’m whatever how about what I’m saying is that in the Western culture, there’s missing compassion and karma. These two important education is missing in the Western culture.
Because of these two important education missing, so that’s why they could not find answer to the problems. You see? So the problem goes on and on. It’s in the society. You see, the problem goes on and on.
Even the even though there’s some answer I made it up, but it doesn’t really help. So so for for example, so first of all, you see. So there’s no emphasis of compassion In the western science, there’s no emphasis of compassion. You see about the government from the government. You see?
So therefore, that’s why there’s so much problem in the world. No matter how much other other educations are being developed, you see, the problem is goes on and on. So so you see, why one person why one person become so dangerous to the world? You see, kills many millions of people. This is without count this is without counting the animals, creatures in the water, on the land, you see.
This is only human being. So then that’s that is basically lack of compassion. So if one person has compassion, how great benefit how great benefit peace that it brings to the world, that it brings to other millions and millions of other sentient beings. If one person has compassion. So the positive the positive way, you see, that only one person can benefit so much the world like this.
The negative way as it as it happened historically, historically, you see, so many millions and millions of people got, you see, received harm from one person. So even one person if even one person is able to able to generate a compassion, there’s incredible benefit to the world, the peace the world receives. So therefore so therefore, you see, you can see now how important it is, you see, to have to say, important it is dharma center. You see, this becomes answer for the this becomes the answer. This becomes the answer.
You see, this becomes service. This becomes the answer for the world peace. This becomes, you see, answer method. See, this becomes the cause, see, to develop the mind, compassion for all things. So actually, so you you see now how compassion is extremely important.
How it is extremely important not only for one’s own benefit, say, happiness, but for the sake of less sentient beings, how compassion is so important as there’s numberless reasons, numberless, you see, yeah, numberless reasons, you know, because numberless sentient beings. So therefore, you see, the dharma center become sacred. You see, very important sir I said, very important to say, service. Very important service. So it it becomes service to the world.
It becomes service to government. You see? Service for human beings, mankind, you see, service for all the creatures, other sentient beings. So the compassion, just by talking, there’s need to combat just by talking, there’s need to compassion. Just just repeating the words compassion, one cannot develop compassion.
You have to one has to develop by state is a step by step. Then the study and practice. And benefit others in the ministry to develop good heart. So now, so you see, one can see how important it is the Dharma centers, as a great service. How to become a great service, you see, most important, you see, for the sentient beings besides besides one’s own development.
Then now all these all these depend on root. As I mentioned in beginning, you see, having qualified teacher. So So here, our colleague Khensur Rinpoche. Well known, highly qualified in all the five treatises, the sūtra teachings.
Not only that, you see, tantra teachings. So That that there are so many you see, there are so many well educated I mean, other in the East, you see, that has. But you see, that has kindly accepted our compassion then to come here in Australia. So has a great concern and compassion to me and the organization. That by leaving all those other disciples, who are so eager to receive teachings and learn from such a potential teacher.
So So as I mentioned, beginning of seat, so everything so much depend on that. So this, we succeed. While we have this precious opportunity, you see, precious opportunity is to be with, meet, say, to meet and to study, is a perfectly qualified master teacher, a virtuous friend, you see, then it is extremely important that we that we without cheating, without deceiving ourselves by ourselves, without our own conceptions, you see. That is, thought, and then you see the desire, the clinging, some sort of projections, belief in permanence. You see all these things without achieving ourselves with these wrong views by ourselves, very important as much as possible to make the time to study, to take as many teaching as possible, various teachings, however, to study, to learn, and practice as much as possible.
So first of all, you see to have a clear, deep understanding of Dharma so that our practice becomes correct and clear and deep, so that realization comes by that, you see, unmistaken and easily one achieve with less mistakes, with less difficulties. More one, more Dharma one knows, more extensive, you see. More means we know, easier to achieve liberation, you see. Less time it takes, less difficulties. So similar, also we can benefit for the sentient beings extensively and deep.
We can convey the you see, are clear, clear, logical, clear, deep in the mind of others. It can benefit, you see, greater. So that is very important. Is very important. Why?
Because as we know, our lives are subject to impermanence, to death. So therefore, therefore, this opportunity is not long time and very short. Generally, human life is very short, and this opportunity is very short. So so I would suggest that to not listening to the concept of permanence, you see, listen to the eight worldly dharmas, worldly dharmas, without listening to those things. And then, you see, to study Dharma as much as possible.
And then practice as as we can. That type, what it means, in the conclusion to live the life day and night with a positive attitude. The very heart of that is with with the altruism, with the you see, thought to benefit for other sentient beings. However, to live the life for other sentient beings, you know, as much as possible. So if you so our present life, our present state of the mind, what is easy or difficult, you see, is the result of past lives.
So in this life, you see, if you study more Dharma, more we are able to practice.