Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 47-minute public talk, Lama Yeshe addresses an audience of Western practitioners on the Buddhist approach to anger, compassion, and ethical living. He contrasts the Western psychological view of releasing anger with Buddhism’s emphasis on understanding and communication rather than suppression or explosion. He explores the mechanics of anger as a repeating karmic habit and suggests a morning dedication to controlling reactive emotions. Moving to Right Livelihood and ethical action, he explains how right attitude—understanding cause and effect—leads to wholesome conduct, and argues this operates not through belief but through natural consequence. He addresses questions on managing resentment in relationships, tackling paranoia and ego-driven sensitivity, recognising projections onto others, and the unconscious roots of delusions. He closes with practical Buddha teachings on compassion in eating and the impossibility of perfectly “pure” food, grounding ethics in sympathetic awareness rather than impossible purity.
File metadata (for organising)
File: lama-yeshe-lying-and-dying-sydney-03-sydney-public-talk-lying-and-dying
Teacher: Lama Yeshe
Collection: Lying and Dying (Lama Yeshe — Sydney)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Words: ~3,944
You know, to to help other people is most difficult things in the world, isn’t it? Or that you do, then if you do that one, you have no time to go. I think so. Yeah. Thank you.
Any other questions maybe? Mhmm. Compassion. How do we actually stop our anger and try and develop compassion for people who might think are harming us and causing us problems, sometimes very difficult? First of all, you know, put us for the view.
When you have anger, you have anger, try not to explode. You know? But this is a complicated subject. Again, know, if I say it this way, you know? Because the West or psychology, they explain, if you have anger, you have to you better to explode, to release, instead of, you know, repress.
You heard that one? Too conflicting now. So this time maybe to contemplate this, you know? No. No.
I think it. This is two things. I think this is not complex. For example, you are my boyfriend, isn’t it? Now we look situation I think.
You develop some complex, and not satisfied what you did, you know, little bit uneasy. But still, I try and maybe control, you try and control. But still, there is something not right, you know, uneasy. We cannot communicate freely. So for that situation, we’re not going to explore maybe, you know?
You know what I mean? Bang, bang, bang, you know. No. We said, William, I have to tell you something, you know? We we we make situation, sit down, you know?
I have to tell you something, you know? I feel something, really. And I don’t know what it is. How you feel? Me too?
You know, so we we talk about we talk about. That way, I think, psychology point of view, Buddhism, Buddhism, that way agree to, you know, to open, you know, to spread. Or maybe, you know, express maybe a different way, know, maybe a little bit say, hey, you listening? You know what I mean, you know? How are you listening, you know?
How are you learning? You listening? Not big deal, isn’t it to me? Explode many different ways, but not big deal. So that way, you know, our, you know, delude, you know, this is sorry, disappear, we spread, you know.
But however Buddhism, better not angry with those folks, not hurt, with anger, not acting, no good. Because, what I would understand? If you, you know, with angry, you know, each time you angry, you repeat your angry energy, you know. You know what I mean? You put it into a computer, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, you know.
So this energy has, you know, ability to react again, again. Tibetan Buddhism we call sometimes karma. Sanskrit is always karma. So it’s no good, you know. It’s no good that we have.
So as much as possible to control is good, but explain is something else, know. The thought is something else, but not that way, only, you know, way. And the other way, you know, simply way, as I, we have conversation already, that simple way is, know, each day, each day morning you go, morning you wake up, you strong dedication. Today, all these living beings who are who are walking around me or in this planet, everybody in me, same thing as me, you know, want don’t want angry, don’t want unpleasant situation, but we suffer repeatedly. Unbelievable.
Myself in an angry situation. Poor me. It’s true, you know. When you are angry, you are poisoned. You destroy your pleasure.
Destroy your pleasure. It’s so silly. So, so today, okay, my determination is I never want to react. Anybody, anybody, even somebody, you know, normally, you want to tell, you’d go and express that. Today I just go like woo.
If he healed me, I said, I’m wooed. This is the one technical. You emanate as woo or breathe, stone, very good. That will go some technical, you know. But other way, if somebody take always advantage, you know, you want an advantage, advantage?
That’s something else. You know, in order to, you know, he’s taking advantage, his greed reminds you, you may have to punch, you learn something. You know? That’s something else. I think this is the unworthy, you know.
Sometimes, Western people sometimes vague, you know, sort of you know. When we say words, they take as unchangeable character, know. Maybe you know, Himalayan monk words are like God, know, the word, you know. No, no, you know. So therefore, if somebody take advantage, know, it’s not good.
Know, you have to learn. Maybe you’re not angry, you say, hey, you learn something, you know, not, know, sort of, you know, that take advantage, you know, and by accepting I control. No, that’s wrong. I mean, you understand, that is quite a big subject, know. Okay?
Alright. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. Then?
Yeah. Then something else? Yes? Right Livelihood? Yeah.
Well, first of all, Right Livelihood is a correct right attitude. Isn’t it? Right attitude, right thinking, right thinking. Well, well, what do mean, you have the sense to discriminate which action of body, speech, mind is, you know, wholesome one. Result gives you satisfaction, or which action of your body, speech, mind is an unwholesome one, which brings results, confusion and, you know, unhappiness.
By recognizing this category, one becomes mindfulness of one body, speech, mind, and that is, I think, that way becomes Right Livelihood, I think. You know, of course you can say you cannot kill, you cannot kill mine, you cannot steal where? You know, Buddhism, we have have this. I’m I’m sure all of you know, you know. That’s right.
Those are the from come from right attitude. Right attitude. Right attitude. But anyway, you know the wrong thinking, wrong concept lead to wrong actions. And then result is miserable.
That’s why Buddhism, that the good bad, understanding you understand, good bad, the effective result, know, cause, effect, this thing is not something you believe. And this is important one, know. This is the, I think if I explain better you understand life like good, you know. If you understand it that way. Good, bad, know, if you do certain things, you know, with you know, all the egotistic mind, which is instead results in unhappy and brings conflict and miserable.
This is not something you believe You believe, then it comes. You don’t believe, not come. Not like that. Many westerners, they understood that way, you know. No, that’s misconception.
What did you talk about? You know, if you mind, you know, attitude such a way, you know, forcefully this mind attitude lead to your sudden action, resulting in a miserable reaction. It’s a scientific evidence. You don’t need to believe. You don’t need to believe at all, I tell you.
All of is very important thing. For example, I mean, you know, for example, in the West, many, you know, the people are non believer, you know, non religious person. He doesn’t have any religion. Maybe he reject almost. But in some, in his conscience, in his, you know, in his conscience, he is guilty.
Why he guilty? Even though we don’t believe, guilty comes from? I don’t know. Well, not come from belief. It is come from his wrong thinking.
This is I know, I think you people know, I know many people, you know, who are not believers, but inside proof of, you know, guilty feeling. Why? I want you people to know that is it. That is it. Why?
He don’t believe religion, you know. He don’t believe anything, anything. But he has guilty feeling what he did. That means he accepted. That means is that he accepted.
If he did bad action, you know, the result coming in his life, he accepted himself. That’s why, who doesn’t believe that each of us, whether we reject our spiritual growth or other we accept, doesn’t matter. The spirituality is always existing within you. Okay. Okay, that’s all, you know.
It’s just, you know, I reject, I don’t want to accept my nose. My nose is with me anyway, isn’t it? Oh, same thing. The spirit growth or conscious growth, you know, the reality of inner world is always with me. Whether I reject or whether I accept, it doesn’t matter.
Oh, so therefore, therefore, therefore, what I’m saying, Right Livelihood. Right Livelihood means the, you know, individual. We are responsible, better. We are responsible, our own action of body, speech, mind. That’s all.
Simple, know. Simple. If you put your thought right attitude and you have to do right, you know, there’s no reason come guilty people at all. There’s no reason come confusion and dissatisfaction reality. There’s no way.
Therefore, Right Livelihood is a related word, but you know, I feel it’s so important you know, as much possible to have God-like or the whole. You know, even you reject God like or related idea, miserable comes. That’s what even Western psychology they talk about, you know, that human, you know, Carl Jung, he talk about that human being has, you know, always existed the quality of spirituality. It has to develop. Or if we neglect, then full of confusion.
Remember Carl Jung, he said, you know, even he said, or even worse than you know, the man. Oh, so those are similar, know, that spirit tends to grow, it’s not something you believe, you know, then come. No. You know, the interdependent life force is, that’s what we call karma. That has to accept it, that has to accept it, it is there, you know.
Yeah. Okay, then, another question? And I never know unemployed because I reckon that being unemployed is the best way to be a meditator. Other people make me feel guilty and they call me a parasite. I would say, No, I’m not a parasite.
Sometimes I want to strike back at them, no? And I would say, I’m not a parasite, you’re a parasite, you’re a brain blodger. Who do you think is right? Well, me. Not sure.
Not sure, that one. You know? Very important to me because Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. No. What do you mean? You you repeat again.
It’s interesting for me. Very interesting. You repeat again. I’m I’m Slowly. I won’t go to work.
You you not go I I don’t have a line with it at all. Yeah. You’re go work. I can’t work. No.
You never work in your life? I used to work, so I grew out of the house. And now you need to stop. Yeah. And I I collect I collect welfare from the government.
Understand here. And? Yeah. That is a very subtle question. Answer.
No, no, no. No, it isn’t. No, no, no. Your question is very clear. For me, clear clear.
But answer it in order to answer that one, I should meditate more. You know, you know, because Buddha, you know, one time somebody asked Buddha, he said, that answer is sanity. Sanity is the answer. True. Buddha answers sanity.
So I think today well, in other words, maybe my answer is sanity, or in order to verbally answer, I have to meditate more. I understood what you are saying, know. Understood, dear. I understood very clear, you know. Thank you.
Great, thank you. Excuse me, okay? Thank you, dear. Okay. Thank you.
Grateful. Clear. Really? Well, yeah, most most time craving is a concern. Overestimate what you overestimate the quality.
You know, absolutely. I want you to think about, this is the really, you know, I understood the truth, any kind of craving, you know, desire comes, there is something you overestimate, quality you put in on that object. That way you become craving. If you understood, you maybe you, I think it’s a suggestion, you look into that craving object. If you want a minute you can can come onto that, it changes suddenly.
Their appearance change. And the appearance changes, concept also changes, like this, they go like this. Then, you know, the magnetic, the energy of craving is changing. That’s all. Yeah, I think that’s the best way to do.
You know, any kind of you, you have, you know, sort of craving desire on the object. The state of thinking, you know, now this is very important also delicate, you know. Where to penetrate? Where to penetrate is, should not think that all we’re thinking, you know, we’re thinking is, in that, you know, polluted way of reasoning, you know. You don’t see what I mean?
Polluted reasoning. Reason is absolutely so little valid. You don’t tell me. So stop that one, that way of thinking, stop looking really, you know, sort of beyond the appearance of this atmosphere. You know?
Almost not just, you know, by then, you know, sort of determination, hope there, penetrate there. You know, suddenly you are aware of changing. My goodness. Know, one minute I think this way, this object this way, now the change, the reality changes, you know. So when the reality changes, they build up the, you know, the inside, you know, the model, mirror with glass, then easy control.
Yeah? Good. Thank you. Alright. I think that is very important.
Understanding, you know, one have to recognize one’s, you know, the projection, one’s projection given on this object is recognized firstly. When you recognize it, then it changes. Yeah. Yeah. Alright.
Thank you. Yeah. No question? Because you’re too attached to yourself. You too attach yourself, you know.
True. Your ego is so pretty sensitive. It’s true. Sometimes we all do it, not only you. No, it’s not a big deal, you know.
Everybody is suddenly pointing in a paranoia you know, big sensitive ego you know. So then maybe he killing me, maybe he beating me, you know, you understand. But that time watch you know, you’re thought interpreted that you are going sort of, you know, these things are just you paranoid, know. In other words, you paranoid, you know. Okay?
Think about it, change subject of your mind. You know, don’t make only you, you, you conversation. You know, then conversation me, me, me, me, then get more fear. You will change that, you know, another subject. You have other things.
You know? Then easy going. Or in other words, you can do simple exercises, you just breathing, yourself breathing. You know? Very simple, you don’t need anything to do, just contemplate on your own breathing and at least eliminate your fear.
I believe You know, the fear is me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, think so. So you build up concrete, you know, concept of you, that’s why you’re paranoid. Yeah, that’s true, know. This is no mistake. Okay?
And any fear, any fear losing losing you know yourself, it comes from you build up you know such you know, sort of concrete you know, of yourself. Basically, this, you know, are also, you know, in our situation, then you get fixed. Right. Yeah. Not only you, you know, we all do, know.
Sometimes we all do. Other times we don’t, that’s all. The same thing you do, you know. Yeah, maybe, you know, I don’t keep you. Maybe yeah.
How do you feel the resentment? Resentment of what? You. What does it mean? For example for example, let me clear, you know, resentment of what some people did for you, what what do you mean?
What sense? Whenever you think of a certain other person, you feel anger or you feel you have not been treated justly or fairly and therefore you resent it? That depends. I think that depends. Sometimes, you know, for example, let’s say you and me print, know?
Isn’t it? Well, sometimes, you know, maybe I felt, you know, that you are not sort of, you know, justified, you know. You’re just taking advantage of me, you’re not reasonable with me, know, something like that. Maybe I feel that way, you know. But that is not necessarily realistic, isn’t it?
Not necessarily realistic what I’m thinking. Perhaps, you know, my ego wants too much attention from you, you know. So, you know, I’m expecting attention, you went there, you know. I didn’t get attention. Well, I didn’t mean that, you know.
You understand? That’s the way it is, you know. So never show, never show, you just make sure, you know. Also he not, you know, justified, we must have some explanation instead of angry, you You communicate, you know. What I’m saying, many times we each other feel, you know, negative.
It’s not necessarily realistically, that one, that one. What I’m saying, you know. Communicating? Yes. Yeah.
Basically. Through ego. Yeah, exactly. Okay. That is, that is, that is, yeah.
That’s right, know, That’s why many times we each other say, you know, oh you are not right, you don’t love me enough, you didn’t pay attention enough. It’s all true, know. Other people paying but you know, maybe you miss you know. Well really you know there is many factors, I think you try to be check out with your ego you know. Even you know somebody, maybe somebody is always you know sort of paying attention so much that one day not paying attention you freak out you know.
You understand? But then you know, sometimes you know other people also have depression, isn’t it? You know, so you have to accept other people’s problems too, isn’t it? Don’t you think? Ah, that’s why I think it is very important you know.
I’m not here to, you know, today I do good things for you, maybe I like to do but my lack of ability or I’m suffering today, know, understand. That makes you, you understand? I’m not good today. So you have to accept, you have to have compassion for me. I think so.
If you and me build up relationship, you have to accept my miserable side, you have to accept my pleasure side. Give me time space. I’m joking. Reasonable judge, reasonable valid, another way of saying it. One has to be reasonable, you know?
One has to refer, you know? You mean to each other, we should be, you know, sort of, business, you know? Sometimes if my attachment is so strong, I feel you are like God or Buddha. And also questioning, you know, what is the attitude in it? You question it, you know.
Your mind, way of perceiving, introducing reality, you question it. You not just go zoomed by that, you know. I think very necessarily, you know, we we we question our own concept, our own, you know, ideas. You know, don’t think I always survive, you know. You understand what I mean, you know?
The first one, mistake, first one over estimate, first one under estimate. Then there is space to judge, to act, you know? Alright? Thank you. Yeah, okay.
Now you talked about suppressing or overcoming the benefits of the delusions. How do you go about overcoming the habits of the delusions within the unconscious mind. Overcoming delusion from the unconscious level of the Yes. Well, one way, one way is You go into deep meditation, then you can go into your unconscious, you know, you can go yourself, your wisdom can go into the, you know, unconscious level, you can tap, you know, that way you express. I think that is simple, know, it’s true.
That’s why the meditation is like meditation it means, many people think meditation is like sort of sort of play a game, you know. Meditation means something you go beyond normal and beyond sense of sense of gravitation, you know, beyond going beyond the sense, reach, you know, really deep conscious or unconscious, and the thing really, you know, a bottom of, you know, ocean or consciousness, That’s why we need a lot of, you know, meditation. Thank you. Welcome. Yeah.
Thank you. Yeah? What about food? Food. Oh, look, I eat too much.
Food. What do you mean? Food, what about food becomes desire or you mean food? Desire for food? Desire for food?
Almost if there is no pure food in the world nowadays. Well, for example, know, I mean, the sense, know, for example, let’s say now that many people eat in Australia muesli, isn’t it? Muesli. Muesli. Yeah.
Now many people think that You know, many people think that, you know, the muesli is pure, you know. I’m not sure. First of all, the muesli comes from the farm. The farmers, you know, you know, how they work on the farm. You know, that it takes so much labor, in order to cultivate the farm, They have to kill, you know, many insects.
You know what I mean, you know? I think you know. Oh, oh, the Dutchman who discovered the microscope, he said, in a drop of water, in that drop of water, more insects than all Dutch men. You know, all Dutch men. He is good example, I think, you know.
He talked about the scientific fact. So therefore, really, from my point of view, Buddhism also we say, you know, because when you become a monk, I tell you Buddhism, first they give you the strainer, water strainer, Water strainer, you know? Say, this water strainer, you know, the when you what the teacher gives you. This water strainer is whenever you use water, because water is always you have to touch your life, you know? Every time you drink, because Buddha’s teaching is a characteristic of compassion, therefore, you know, we should as much as possible to protect the insect.
You know? So same thing. As much possible we do, isn’t it? As much possible. Buddha said as much possible.
Otherwise, you know, denial, we have an explanation. Almost Buddha said, only thing is, through the obvious, you can see, that is you can do. But, you know, beyond your senses, there are so many beings dying through this, through this air. You know, now the air coming in is going from here to there. So they’re dying because of my existence, isn’t it, you know.
That’s why be careful. I’m not sure. You know, therefore, it’s actually, you know, what I’m saying is, even if you just say you take it pure, but still, you know, we should have sympathetic, you know, and that this, you know, movement is come to, you know, killing millions of insects, you know. Remember, Buddhist point of view is that human being and, you know, as well suffering, and the chickens and also all those also suffering. Remember, remember, mosquitoes, all those also suffer.
So that, you know, suffering in a concern of compassion is full. So I’m not sure. Alright. Yeah. Thank you.
Okay. Sure. So when you eat muesli with compassion, very good, you know. Yeah. Okay.
So now I think maybe enough no question. I think thank you so much all all of you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.