Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 28-minute talk, Lama Lhundup teaches the practice of the four immeasurables—equanimity, love, compassion, and joy—as the foundation for developing an enlightened mind. He explains how attachment to those we perceive as close and aversion to those we hold as distant block our path to Buddhahood, and shows how visualizing light from objects of refuge purifying these mental habits gradually dissolves these divisions. He then introduces the exchange-of-self-and-other practice: giving our happiness to all beings and taking their suffering upon ourselves, particularly in moments when attachment or anger arise in us. The talk concludes with a Q&A session where practitioner questions about the logic and practical application of suffering-exchange are answered with concrete examples—including how to work with a spouse’s anger through patient compassion and honest communication about mutual need for inner change.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 10 HY.mp3
UUID: 1f99f4f5-6825-4f05-a5dd-7badd00d09de
Teacher: Lama Lhundup
Collection: Helping yourself helping others (Lama Lhundup)
Date: 1987 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 28.0 minutes
Words: ~1,933
What is it that prevents us from attaining Buddhahood? It is because we hold some near and holding some near we have attachment. Hold some as distant and in this way we have hatred. Therefore, in thinking may myself and others be separated from this attachment and hatred, we practice the four immeasurables of equanimity immeasurable of love, immeasurable of compassion, immeasurable of joy, and immeasurable of equanimity. So, these are the four immeasurable with respect to the first immeasurable equanimity.
So each of these four immeasurables has these four aspects. So in the practice of immeasurable of equanimity, seeing that we hold some near and have attachment, others we hold as distant and have hatred, we make supplication, wishing that may myself and all sentient beings be separated from hatred having attachment for some and hatred for others. And in answer to this supplication, light comes down from the object of refuge down into us and all sentient beings. Light purifies from this light entering our body and all the sentient beings’ bodies, all our hatred and attachment and negative actions are expelled and we receive the blessings of both ourselves and others receive the blessings of immeasurable equanimity. So again, we should cultivate, we meditate on the, a little on the immeasurable of equanimity and then when we think about that all sentient beings are being tortured by suffering and we make requests to the object of refuge and in answer to this supplication, immeasurable light comes down to ourselves and all sentient beings. It eliminates any hindrances and obstacles are removed, are expelled, and we then imagine that we have actually developed great compassion for all sentient beings, that ourselves and others have developed great compassion.
So we meditate on immeasurable compassion for a little while, then we think about the fact that those sentient beings want happiness, that do not have the happiness that they want. So we make supplication to the object of refuge. Again, light comes down to ourselves and all the sentient beings dissolves into us and it eliminates, and by the power of this light, any hindrances or obstacles to the development of great love are eliminated or expelled and then we imagine that we have actually developed great love. So we meditate on great love for a while, and then we again make supplication to the object of refuge. We’re thinking that wish that all sentient beings might attain happy rebirths and liberation.
And in answer to our supplication, immeasurable light is radiated from the object of refuge, dissolves into us and all sentient beings eliminate any obstacles, hindrances to the attainment of happy rebirths and liberation. And then we should think that myself and all sentient beings have attained happy rebirths and liberation. And we should develop a great joy realizing that our wish has been granted. So we all sentient beings ourselves develop immeasurable joy. So, if we explain great compassion and great love in detail, then could explain it in terms of giving and taking.
So, if we want happiness, not only if we want happiness for this life, for future lives, then there is no other cause, no other way to bring about that than meditating on the mind of enlightenment, bodhicitta. So the greatest training, the greatest cause, the greatest method for it is meditating on the mind of enlightenment. If we meditate on the mind of enlightenment, any obstacles will decrease. If we don’t have the mind if we don’t have the mind of enlightenment, if we don’t meditate on the mind of enlightenment, then there’s no it’s meaningless to meditate on various deities. In order to develop, improve the mind of enlightenment, have to meditate on love and compassion.
So, the speed which we will achieve Buddhahood is completely dependent upon the degree or the strength of our mind of love and compassion. In the west, definitely, all the various Especially in the West, you know, we are extremely busy people. We have many activities, and we also have many difficulties in our relationships. Therefore, because of this point of view, in this consideration, we definitely must meditate on the mind of enlightenment. Meditate on love and compassion.
If we meditate on love and compassion, rather not liking most people, we will like most people. So liking liking liking others, our mind becomes happy. Happy. Developing this happy mind, give away this happiness to sentient being. So, we should think that in giving away our happiness to others that all sentient beings now have happiness.
And we should rejoice and that all sentient beings are happy and it creates great joy for us. Then we should, you know, beings are suffering, hell beings, etcetera. Sentient beings all have problems and we should take on the sufferings of all sentient beings and dissolve them into ourselves. So, you know, whenever we have we have a desire arises, attachment, for example, we develop anger, then immediately we should think that any sentient beings who are experiencing this anger can only bring suffering. And therefore, we should develop compassion for these sentient beings who are going to suffer because of their anger and take on that.
But these sentient beings, they have any method for getting rid of their anger and therefore out of compassion we take on the suffering of the sentient beings and dissolve it into our self. By taking on the anger of other sentient beings, this completely destroys the anger that we were generating before. Our anger will not increase. So so, likewise, you know, we can apply this in many cases. Whatever happiness that may arise for ourselves, you know, we give this as generosity.
We it to other sentient beings. Whenever we experience any suffering, then we can say that there’s any unwanted suffering that we experience. The cause of our unwanted suffering, the cause of our suffering is self-cherishing. When we experience some suffering, we think of other sentient beings who are experiencing a similar type of suffering and they too don’t want this suffering but they have no method to get rid of it. They have no method to get rid of it and therefore we develop great compassion because of this so we take their suffering upon ourselves and we dissolve it into ourselves.
If we practice this consistently, giving away our happiness taking on suffering, then we will only be happy. There are no times when we’re going to be unhappy. Do you have questions now? Lama, one friend of mine raised the question that if we take the if we take the suffering, if we, in our minds, take the suffering from somebody else, are we not taking a valuable experience from it? And and, really, is it possible to take the suffering anyway?
In other words, is is it not good for the person to have that suffering and perhaps we perhaps we should leave the suffering with them. What is the purpose, in other words, of this taking of the suffering? Anyone you can see suffering, you can check. But but you cannot just just you training. Just training.
Just you take. And you you have renounced. You have renunciation, then you can offer a training. So it’s better. So it is it doesn’t really change that person’s suffering.
It just it benefits one’s own ability and therefore one’s ability to help. Yeah. Just just now, we’re not in a power. Yes. You have power.
You have power. That’s something. Because the old one is just very unhappy about the suffering. He just wanted somebody to help. You know?
Beat the dog. Yes. Outside. Very sad. So then, this lama said, ah.
You know, just the just, you know, I heard something like that. You know? So then just this this this servant. Oh, this is laughing. What happened?
You no. You can at me. So just he checked. Then he’s you know, there’s a man who beat the dog. So they he took he took that suffer.
Dog suffer. So his own backside, you know, you know, come out, you know, Right. The power is possible. Mhmm. There’s someone that is constantly angry and and constantly criticizing somebody, how how does one take on that suffering when it when it actually sort of is confined to a particular environment?
Like, in my own situation, my wife is very angry and very critical of me and can’t understand why I come along and listen to talks with Lama and so forth. How how do I take on that suffering in order to help her understand it a bit more? Mhmm. Or is there another way to approach? No.
You you you can just, you know, sense your strong compassion to her. And you can think very kind. You know, very kind. You know? So because she teach you how to practice patience, You know?
Because anger brings so much suffering. So this means you must don’t do anger like me. So just this means you be patient. So he teach me patient. He’s become my teacher.
So you can also, he just many times, so many kind for me. Many kinds different lifetime, so many kinds of help for me. So, this especially, why this my own karma, my own karma, my self-cherishing thoughts. Negative action brings, she just easily make, you know, anger. So my fault, not her fault.
So you think like that. So then not too upset with her. My mistake. You know? So really it’s my mistake, not her mistake.
So then So then just you can just so you can do it, you know, just visualize over there. Just check. You know? Just helps your mind, you know? So just so then you so much sending the compassion very you know?
You know? Your power, the compassion, the love sending to her. So then even though she just blah blah blah, you’re not upset. Now this coming anger won’t affect you. You know?
So I’m sorry. So you said, miss me? She said, I’m shocked. Yeah. When when I do react perhaps in a way where don’t to her anger and try and remain, you know, calm with it, then, I mean, I don’t I’m not responding in the way she expects me to respond.
So I guess that’s very confusing for her that I’m not responding angrily back. And yet sometimes I’m holding that anger inside myself Mhmm. Knowing the destructive powers that anger has. Mhmm. Yeah.
Just yeah. You can just explain just your honest, you know, compassion to her just then just you can, you know, strongly bring forth your compassion. So just while we sit together, we like comfort and success together. You do like this, how we can be happy? So you do need change, I need change.
Whatever you like, I do. So you never become sad, you always be happy. How I can happy? Whatever you like, I can do. But the how I can make real.
Your mind didn’t change? How? I even though I said it every all the time I walk, it’s telling you you’re not satisfied. Meantime, you need your mind to change. Why we stay together?
Some people like success and happiness. So your mind doesn’t change how? So you you do need change. You be happy. So you can explain it like this, you know.
Just not just religion. Just like this. When she accept, she oh, she realize. Yes.