Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. “Contentment is the greatest wealth” — this pivotal claim anchors Khensur Rinpoche’s 54-minute public talk at Buddha House (1989). Beginning from a single verse on subduing the mind, he traces human inequality — affluence and poverty alike — to past constructive and destructive karma, illustrated through a seed-and-flower analogy: effects always reflect the nature of their cause. He then weighs two approaches to happiness: external methods such as military power and wealth accumulation versus training the mind, arguing only inner cultivation offers lasting protection from suffering. A practical section shows how kindness cultivated in a marriage radiates outward to nations and genuine world peace. The talk ends with the doctor-medicine analogy for Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha as a framework for the spiritual path. Accessible to general audiences with no prior Buddhist background.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 03 1989 02 26 PT Topic Unknown.mp3
UUID: efe53671-6b28-4ef7-b8b8-7571dc1b0e0f
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Public Talks 1988-2003 (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1989-02-26
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 54.2 minutes
Words: ~3,362
All types of constructive actions, that we should refrain from destructive actions, and that we should subdue our mind. This is the doctrine of the Buddha. So in talking about the meaning of the single verse of the of that talk by the Buddha, from my side, you know, I’m going to talk about the the beneficial heart or altruism. Then if your side, listening to such a talk on altruism, then there can be a great benefit by this collection of us coming together, this joining together of the teaching and the listening of such an important subject. Much the opportunity to talk in this way that we’ve come here together, that we’ve gathered here, that you have some spiritual inclinations and therefore talking about such a rare subject as altruism, developing of a kind heart is extremely special and auspicious and it’s very appreciates this opportunity very much.
So we all can see for ourselves and we all know for ourselves that the vast varieties of sentient beings that there are in the world, various types of people that inhabit the earth. But if we were to subsume them, if we were to categorize them into two broad general categories, they could be collected into two. The first type that we can talk about are those who are very much are the, those who have gathered together about them, many types of pleasures. There are various possessions, houses, cars, various types of material possessions. They also concern with physical pleasures and with their own body.
Then on the other hand, we have those who are much less fortunate than those who have built up a great deal of material possessions who are experiencing a life of pleasure. There are those who live in poor types of housing, the homeless, those who experience a great deal of personal depression and poverty. Therefore we can make the rough categorization of the various types of people in the world as those who have a reasonable affluence and those who are very poverty stricken, both in the sense of happiness and material possessions. What is the cause? How did this situation come about?
It it is not without cause, but in fact, there is a an uncommon or unique cause for these these very this disparate situation to have arisen. So those who experience a great deal of dissatisfaction in their life, those who undergo a great deal of suffering, it’s on a material plane, for example, who have to, the homeless, those who have to, who are hungry, who don’t have proper housing, who don’t have enough clothing, or on a mental plane that is experiencing continuous dissatisfaction, pain, frustration, disappointment. These all are not without cause, but in fact they have a cause and this cause is attributed an evolution of unskillful or destructive types of activities or actions which they’ve created in the past. That in dependence upon destructive intentions, mentalities, that they engage in destructive actions. This present situation is attributed as by way of cause to these past unskillful mental states.
For the most part, we’re quite fortunate that the people who have gathered here together. Generally, we have we live in a comfortable home. We have plenty of good food to eat. That we have comfortable clothing, stylish clothing. That these are all a sign that in the past that we have engaged in constructive types of actions.
In fact that all these various types of material happiness that we experience as affluence has its cause in skillful actions and skillful intentions and mental states that we’ve generated in the past. So we all share in a very great fortune that perhaps we aren’t aware of this fact of being human beings. That we’re able to exercise our intelligence, that we have a great deal of wisdom. Based upon this, we can make use of our various potentials, our abilities to find the happiness that we’re all seeking. In combination with this ability and our intelligence, we can engage in various activities to bring about the causes to find the happiness that we want.
The Buddha would often emphasize this simple fact of the preciousness of being a human being. Innate intelligence, our extraordinary potential and abilities that we have, that it’s a very precious opportunity. If we are able to make use of these abilities and use of our intelligence, then there’s nothing that we cannot do. But even within this, the various types, even within the human kind, there are various dispositions, various distinguishing qualities amongst humans and themselves. That some are quite, or have the, some are rich, some are quite powerful and as personal qualities.
Some are very energetic, some have very beautiful bodies, some are quite intelligent, some have great wisdom. So all these personal qualities that each of us expresses are not without causing themselves. That they arise from a very unique type of cause. And we talk about these causes in the sense of karma, that we have created the actions of the tendencies whereby some of us are very energetic, some of us are very powerful, some of us are very, are able to contribute a great deal to the world and to ourselves. And these are all brought about by the process of karma or the mental and physical causes we’ve created in the past.
So each of the various characteristics that we may now possess, whether they each have their own unique uncommon cause, that Without such a cause then there would not be this distinguishing qualities of each of our characteristics. We can take a case of a flower. Various types of flowers depend upon the type of seed that we plant. If we plant a type of seed which is able to give, has the potency to give a white flower, then we would not expect a red flower to grow from a white flower seed. And likewise with a seed which has a potency to give growth to a red flower, we wouldn’t expect a white flower to come from them.
Therefore, there’s always the effect or the result is always in keeping with the nature of the cause. There’s a concordance. There’s a similarity between cause and effect. So, you know, even within the case of a single set of parents, their various children can have extremely different qualities, different natures. Sometimes one child might be very kind, very gentle, another might be very rough, might be very aggressive.
Of them may be quite intelligent, another one might be somewhat dull. And so even within one set of parents, the dispositions of the children can vary a great deal. So if we think upon these lines using this type of reasoning of a similarity between cause and effect, that if we have constructive qualities about ourselves, skillful qualities, wholesome qualities, then these must arise from a cause which is similar in type to those effects, those results. Therefore we can reason from this that we have created constructive states in the past, skillful actions, and now we’re experiencing the results of these. So, you know, whoever we may be, whatever our disposition might be, we are all very much the same from the perspective or the point of view that we all want happiness, that we don’t want to suffer.
That no matter who we may ask, no matter what type of person they might be. If we when ask them, do you want to be happy? They answer yes. Do you want suffering? They answer no.
We’re all very much the same from that point of view. So, you know, humankind has a very, has the significant quality of the ability to reason, to acquire knowledge, to make use of their knowledge, the factor of very powerful types of awareness and being able to apply these to the ends that they’re looking for, that they’re desiring. Now the fact is that we all want happiness, but none of us want to suffer. So we’re applying all our capacity as human beings to this one end of finding happiness, eliminating suffering. And we’re all implementing various methods to find that happiness, to eliminate the suffering that we’re experiencing.
So, in implementing the various methods that we’re coming up with to find the happiness that we’re looking for, to find peace and happiness, we can talk about the two broad categories of methods. There are the external methods of making use of those things outside of ourselves, making use of their potential as a source of happiness. And then there’s the, the other possibility of making use of internal methods. That is making use of our own, of improving our own mind as a method to find the happiness that we’re looking for. So there’s the one method of making use of external possibilities of types of external world as a potential to bring happiness.
So in seeking making use of externals methods to find happiness, It has, the situation has risen that, for example, there are many individuals who in seeking happiness only for themselves are, are overpowering, are making use of others at their expense. We see this, for example, in the development of, that some by developing themselves militarily, developing powerful weapons, are able to exploit other peoples for their own welfare. Others in seeking happiness for themselves develop, build, develop, build up their own store of, of affluence and their own, you know, seek to to create as much material wealth for themselves as possible. So, you know, these are in seeking personal gain as a means to find happiness for oneself. There are the individuals as was mentioned that those who seek power and status to, for example, militarily exploiting others, those who try to seek to build up their material wealth, their own influence at the expense of others.
These are as if these are a method of going, these are as a refuge, a method of protecting themselves, finding the happiness that they’re looking for. Nice. Nice. [Paldenshahr temple?] So by, for example, building up wealth for oneself, we can find some temporal happiness through this method if we make proper use of it.
For example, in becoming and engaging in philanthropic activities, helping the needy. If we develop an altruistic intention, a beneficial attitude, then then we can make use of our wealth in a to bring ourselves even temporal happiness. And even making use of one’s military might can can bring about certain temporal benefits, certain temporal happinesses. But even these methods of military might, for example, and great material affluence, even though they have potential to bring us some temporal happiness in the face of such possible situations as sickness, old age, birth and death. In the face of these, then they have no power to bring us happiness at all.
But on the other hand, if we were to make use of the effects of training of our mind, then we can affect bring about temporal happiness, for example, through developing, through cultivating, habituating our mind to the qualities of kindness or, and affection toward other. We eliminate a great deal of our dissatisfaction within life. So, we can we experience many different varieties of dissatisfaction. The separation of friends, for example. All the types of unwanted suffering of both our body and mind.
That usually, for example, when we suffer physically, this affects our mind and we end up suffering also mentally. Likewise, when we have mental problems, it affects our physical happiness also. So, in thinking about our suffering and the various, its evolution, how it’s brought about, the fact that karma becomes a real method to deal with our problems, a realistic approach. For example, when we experience some unwanted suffering, then we can understand if someone has actually trained their mind, come to a conviction in the operation of the law of cause and effect, then they can simply see that this present experience of suffering is a result of previous karma or previous actions that they enacted in the past. They don’t have anybody else to blame, they don’t have any other situations to blame, but in fact they created the cause of that is some unskillful action in the past has now ripened and they’re now experiencing the suffering effect.
And likewise, we can understand that if we want to create happiness for ourselves in the future, then we simply have to create the skillful, constructive types of causes in the present. So it’s the happiness that we’re able to create for ourselves is very much dependent upon our training, the training of our own mind. And basically, the way we can begin this training is through cultivating the attitudes of, for example, a kind heart, altruism, that is the thought to benefit others, and non harmfulness. So we can begin in this training of our minds within our own home between a husband and a wife. The wife treats the husband in a I think of a good a good translation.
In in a Well, the word literally just means smooth. But harmonious, a harmonious caring, yeah, that’s a nice word, a caring fashion and then the husband likewise treats the wife in a caring fashion. If there’s this harmonious type of relationship, then naturally a happy home is going to arise from such a situation and that the children will be benefited and you’re going to create a very harmonious, peaceful, happy atmosphere for yourself. So the reason that this particular wife and husband are together is the result of actions or karma that they created in the past. That this this is a very appropriate relationship.
So it’s very important that they try to work together to make it work. Know, that they not give in to harmful thinking, even in response to perhaps the emotional state of their partner, that they try to create a harmonious situation even though in the face of such a difficult situation, and they don’t return harm for harm. So in seeking to remain together in a harmonious situation, we have to expect some passing difficulties in the relationship. But, you know, we can try to, in expecting these, also understanding that there is a reason that you’re together and to try to maintain a harmonious relationship. That in the face, for example, the, that for various reasons, mental and physical reasons, the husband becomes upset his wife, that at this time the wife must be very mindful and aware that now, from my part, I have to be especially affectionate and especially caring at this time.
And likewise for either physical or mental attitudes which might arise, cause the wife to get upset at the husband, then the husband has to be more than usually caring, more than usually considerate at such a time in order to not to provoke disharmony. So it’s very necessary to to consciously express, you know, affection affection and love towards one another, and that to develop the attitude of mutually seeking to benefit one another, and that in this relationship together for a reason that’s appropriate and to benefit each other in this relationship in this way to create a happy, harmonious atmosphere about yourself. Depending upon creating this atmosphere about yourself, then you’re going to affect the entire environment in which you exist, and we can bring happiness and peace to the entire environment and to the extent of our entire country. So in this way affecting the environment or the atmosphere of our entire country, but this this type of way of, the necessity for this way of relating also extends to nations that are seeking to exist in mutual harmony with others, in mutual respect. This way in promoting this harmony between nations, then we can bring about real peace and happiness in the world.
That we don’t and this is the way that we can really destroy the military might that has arisen in the world. It’s only through these qualities of harmony, of mutual respect that we can overcome the powerful weapons which are being manufactured in the world today. And then we were talking about the other type of of the examples of building up an external of finding happiness is this way. This was through accumulation of material wealth, for example. That many people, they really expend all their time, all their energy, all their thinking toward this one end.
To create a great deal of go through a great deal of hardship and difficulty to to gain more and more material possessions and money. So such people who expend all their energy, time, and thinking toward building up more and more material wealth possessions. They go through a great deal of difficulty, hardship. They worry about how they’re going to get more and more. They end in the course of this they create a great deal of negative actions, destructive types of actions.
But they have to keep in mind that are in fact all of these things, these difficulties, these hardship, is it all worth it in the end? Is it actually bringing them the happiness that they’re looking for? That no matter what may happen, then someday they’re going to have to die and they’re going to have to leave everything that they’ve built up behind. That in, and even, and at such a time that all of this, that they’ve worked so hard during their life to, to gather together will be of no benefit. But even during their life, that what is the use of spending your life and worry and hardship if it’s not going to be a source of any happiness for you?
You know, thinking about how you want to live your life. And therefore, thinking in this way, developing the, cultivating the attitude, the training of the mind to become more and more satisfied with less. Know, the contentment is the greatest richness. Contentment is greatest wealth that we can possess. So, considering the capacity for external things to bring us happiness, we’ve listed just the two as by way of possibilities, that is finding happiness by way of military might and gathering together material possessions.
These ultimately cannot eliminate our feelings of dissatisfaction or suffering. The real method for finding happiness is the training of our own mind. So these various external methods ultimately aren’t able to protect us from dissatisfaction and suffering. That it’s through the, they don’t they don’t have this capacity to offer us any type of ultimate protection. It’s only the mind itself which has this this ability to offer us a type of protection from suffering.
So if we talk about the quality of protection, what is actually able to offer us some kind of protection from the unwanted sufferings that we experience and help us to gain happiness. If we’re talking about it from purely a spiritual point of view, then within the Buddhist context, we talk about the quality of protection that is the Buddha who is likened to, that is by Buddha we mean those who show the teaching, who teach the doctrine or the teachings themselves, is likened to, by way of analogy, to a skillful doctor. And then the Dharma, or the teachings themselves, are likened to medicine. And the spiritual community, or Sangha, is likened to nurses, and then we ourselves are likened to a patient. As a patient, if we’re sick, we go to a doctor.
Examines us, investigates what is the nature of our illness. And then, dependence upon his examination, he prescribes medicine and he also might prescribe, well, you shouldn’t eat this type of food, you should take care of yourself in this way. That the doctor cannot simply remove our suffering with his hand. Can prescribe some method of cure. So the medicine which the doctor gives is analogous to the Dharma, or the teachings.
And this is the actual method by making use of the Dharma, that is to say, taking the medicine, we can cure the illness.