Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 30-minute teaching, Lama Zopa Rinpoche overturns ordinary logic about winning and losing. He opens with a striking paradox: if you give victory to others and accept loss yourself, in reality you win—by defeating your actual enemy, the self-cherishing mind. Rinpoche explores how this selfish thought blocks enlightenment and genuine happiness, while the willingness to sacrifice for others cultivates bodhicitta, the compassionate intention to free all beings. He explains why defeating delusions, not competing with others, is true achievement, and how Dharma practice becomes a remedy for disturbing thoughts. The teaching builds toward the five Buddhist paths to liberation and preparatory stages of meditation. For serious practitioners.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 02 1991 08 07 LC.mp3
UUID: 8cb09a64-6300-451a-a769-ac24986bab73
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: y Love and Compassion (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 1991-08-07
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 30.1 minutes
Words: ~2,663
It’s it’s it’s challenge or is it, you know, that it’s like a, you know, it’s like a, you know, the gambling, the it’s like a gambling People get so excited to win over somebody. People get so excited, you see, to defeat somebody, and you win and the other person defeat, you see, lose. So excited. You see, spend the whole spend the whole life to spend the whole life to the to to train. However, so here in here in this case, you know, here the the most the the real, the the the best, the the the all those outside all those outside, you know, all these all these things, normally, is regarded as a victory.
And, you see, you see, loss to others and, you know, they need to see victory victory to oneself. With other sentient with other sentient beings with other sentient beings, normally normally in the world, what we think is victory and loss. So the loss that other people, you know, take loss, you want to take the profit, you see. So in in the in the reality, Is it give the loss to somebody, to give the loss to others, and take that victory to upon oneself. You see, in the in the reality in the reality, those normally what is done in the world, is it about on the ordinary beings, you see, normally, you know, people in the world.
So those things, you see, reality. In in the reality, you see, one is taking loss and yeah. Reality, you see. In the reality, you see this, one take the loss if one take the loss and offer the victory to others, In the reality, one actually, who wins is you. You you win, and you are the one who wins in the reality.
You see, if there is something is something to choose, win and loss. So you so you offer to win to others in who lost or to myself. In this way, in reality, you are winning. In reality, you’re winning because you are able to develop your mind. You’re able to destroy your selfish mind.
This way, you’re able to destroy the selfish mind. You’re able to win over your selfish mind. You’re able to develop it. You’re able to develop. That is that is spiritual development.
That is able that is the self-cherishing — you’re you’re able to defeat. You are able to defeat the self the self-cherishing thought that which constantly harms that which constantly harms. Doesn’t give any real does not which doesn’t allow to give to generate any realization, you know, in the mind and, obviously, always in the constantly interfering to obtain happiness. Especially ultimate happiness, you know, the especially, full enlightenment. That is the highest happiness,, full enlightenment. Never give any rest.
Never give any rest. You know? Rest and freedom, you see, in one second. In one second, you see, not giving never never any freedom to oneself. You see, constantly harming.
So, however, you are able to, you know so one is able to defeat you are able to defeat the selfish mind that which harms to you and to every sentient being, either directly or indirectly. So that is an analogy to develop the mind and then to be able to benefit more, which interferes to generate altruism and to develop altruism. It’s a method of wisdom, which interferes. So it it it interferes to benefit others. It interferes, you know, to, you see, to to be able to, okay, to develop more to able to offer more and more extensive benefits for others.
However, you see this, which brings all the undesired, all the obstacles, all the undesired things in their life. So, however, Every every single is a discomfort that we experience Even even the smallest discomfort, even in the bad dream, even even night, in sleeping time, bad dream, or any of the smallest discomfort, unpleasant thing, then greatest obstacle that we doesn’t allow to achieve, you know, fully enlightenment, the fearless happiness in in in order to in order to enlighten all sentient beings. So the biggest obstacle that would that would doesn’t allow you to that doesn’t allow you to you to, you see, to have all the realization, all the cessation, all the realizations, and to to be able to enlighten all to be able to enlighten all sentient beings. So the biggest obstacle. So so do you see Able to defeat this through this, you know, by offering the victory to others and taking the loss oneself, one is able to, say, defeat the inner, say, the real demon or the the, you see, the chronic disease or the the the mental chronic disease, the inner, you see, the self-cherishing thought.
However, you see, that which that which brings a bad reputation, that which brings criticism, that which must lose, that which fail which must fail in the success, you know, everything that we brings that we bring all the obstacles. So able to defeat this, and this is the this is the best it’s it’s a winning, say, real, you know, real winning. It’s inner winning, you see. Then through this, then one is able to generate bodhicitta altruism to all sentient beings, which makes possible that besides Buddha nature, then this one is possible that you to enlighten all sentient beings, free and free everyone from all the self and bring to fearless happiness, full the full enlightenment. So so it next to develop, you see, the mind.
So, however, in the reality, you see, one wins and then, you see, like this. However so here so yeah. So most important so most see, the most important you see, thing to challenge or to, you see, the competition to be in the life or competition or you see? You see, the yourself and delusion. You see?
You see? The best competition, the best achievement is that. You see? Then, you see, with delusion that is it with the especially with the self-cherishing thought. Then, you see, one try to win over that all the time.
You see, that defeats the self-cherishing thought, and you you try to win. That’s the best best, most profitable, that which makes life most meaningful. And so more one is able to win over the self-cherishing thought, is the selfish mind, you’re able to become more useful for other sentient beings. And will become more useful, more beneficial. You see, your heart is more opened.
Your your heart is much more opened. They’re much more opened towards towards other sentient beings. More one is able to defeat the self-cherishing thought. More one is able to keep away from self-cherishing thought, more one is able to free one from free one from from the self-cherishing thought. One is able to open heart.
It’s that much more, you see, towards towards, you know, the the guru, the Three Jewels, and towards all the kind kind, you see, precious sentient beings who are source of all ones from past, present, future happiness. So one is able to open heart to everybody and able to make able to offer one’s own life more able to offer one’s own life that as that much more with sincere heart, you see, you know, for others happiness, for others enjoyment, or for others, you see, you see, the happiness. For others, means of for others, means of living. For others, happiness, temporary, ultimate happiness. So, however, so the best Best competition.
So, really, the in in our life, whom we should really compete or challenge is delusions, the creator of the sufferings and the and then delusions. Is that right? So Dharma so what is so therefore, what is Dharma? Dharma practice. Dharma practices. You see?
One once our mind once our mind becomes a remedy, becomes remedied with the disturbing thoughts. Then when the mind becomes remedied with the disturbing thought, then, you see, like medicine, then that becomes dharma. Once one one one’s action, body, speech, mind becomes a remedy for delusion, then that can become Dharma. You see? And when one one one one’s mind one one’s mind and energy, the attitude in our everyday life and the action of body’s mind work what we do in our everyday life, when it becomes a benefit when when they become beneficial for death — when this, when in our everyday life, the mind, attitude, and our actions, when they become beneficial for death, you see, when the death when benefits for death means when the death comes, no need to worry.
When the death comes, that you are that is it. When the when the death comes, of course, you know, the the highest one is the highest one is the highest one is the that one doesn’t have to experience death. You know? And then to to not experience in death, Do not experience death, which means that you don’t have to experience rebirth. You see, the death caused by karma and delusion, karma and disturbing thoughts, and and send a send a rebirth.
So for that thing, one need to realize, You see? Wisdom. Wisdom directly perceiving emptiness. You have to become an Aryan being. You see the higher bodhisattva, the Aryan bodhisattva, see, we achieve the right same path and path of meditation of the great vehicle.
So the first thing is that first one is an Aryan being, higher being that who see, the first one is who doesn’t have to experience that. The first iron being is that first Aryan being, the transcendental being, is that the meditator is the practitioner who achieved the right seeing path, the wisdom direct perceiving emptiness, that bodhisattva. You see? That then that one doesn’t have to the has a spiritual, you know, body, and and that one doesn’t doesn’t experience, you see, the death, doesn’t experience as the, you see, death caused by a common delusion, doesn’t experience and doesn’t experience all these, you know, and these things, you know. So that’s an experience.
That means that’s an experience. But so free from this, you know, circle of death and rebirth, you see, these, you see, from these true sufferings. So then even that is not possible even that is not possible, then from the five paths, you see, from the five paths. Now here, is it the five paths to, you know, to liberation, to the lower nirvana, the lower liberation, you see, liberation just from the true self and the true cause of suffering and just from the saṃsāra. That, you see, has five parts. And then, it’s the which is not the full enlightenment, also it has five, it’s the the Hīnayāna vehicle.
You see? Five Hīnayāna vehicle, and you see? The five-path structure. However, the first one is The path of, you see, merit. So here, the first part, path of, you see, merit that that has three.
Part of the lower part of merit, middle part of merit, and then great part of merit. So, is it as a minor part then? You see? On the basis of his actualizing the renunciation of the thought, you see, the the the, you know, the time that you see, and the thought that we determine, you see, which is analysis or, say, to be completely free from, you see, from the saṃsāra, from one’s saṃsāra, the suffering, circling the suffering realm. So this is now called the determination to be free or renunciation.
And then you see, one generation of bodhicitta. So then, this one is able to generate Bodhicitta, then that time one enter in the Mahāyāna part. So then, you see, so the part, the first one, path of merit, there’s lower part of merit, middle part of merit, higher part of merit. Then the path of the higher part, the higher preparatory path of meditation. On that time, then one sees that time, then one sees Buddhas, one sees even the statues, even the even the, you know, the statues, absolute Buddha, know, say, one see Buddha, one see Buddha’s in Nirmānakāya form.
What is it? Wherever one is? Wherever one is? One is? So many Buddhas in Nirmānakāya form, actually able to see.
Then, the second stage of the preparatory path, it is heat. Then for so one is heat, you know. That means so before, you see, producing flame before producing flame, which burns, you see, the garbage or, you see, which burn which burn the garbage or, you see, You see? The wood. You see?
So first, it cannot burn immediately. It has to be heated. It has it has to be heated. You see? It has to be heat first.
Heat. You know? So then after after it become hot, then it can be burned. So like that, you see, it is close. It is near it is close.
This material is close to, you see, to realize the wisdom directly perceiving emptiness that which and that that the wisdom directly perceiving emptiness, which actually become directly immediately as a, you know, burning burning the obscurations, you know, the mental stain. You see? So this is about to achieve. So therefore, this is this is near to that state. So therefore, it’s called heat.
Then the tip stage of the the path, preparatory path heat and point. The point point, and then why this is called point? Because, you see, here, beyond from these things, one doesn’t get heresy. You don’t get heresy to karma. You don’t get you don’t get heresy to the Buddha, to the Dharma, to the Sangha.
You see, the You see, one doesn’t get heresy. Beyond from distance, one, you see, heresy never rises. But but before this but before this, it does possibly you see, before. But before beyond from this, then it’s the last. It’s the last. After achieving the path, specifically the path, the point, then normal negative actions.
This sort of stuff this end. So before that before that, even even one has a very strong faith in the even one has a very strong faith in the the Four Noble Truths or the reincarnation of these things. But but but because, you see, one hasn’t achieved the stability that is obtained by exercising the path. So it’s possible because of past life imprint, because of past time, past heresy left imprint of the mind. So it’s possible, you see, even in one life, even in the same life or another life, to heresy to rise heresy in these things.
So therefore, when one exercises the preparatory path, second one, then you see, that’s the last time to rise heresy. So beyond this, you know. So after achieving this wisdom, one does not experience heresy. So when one achieves this, then we achieve this, one is beyond from heresy, you see, one will achieve the second stage, preparatory path. Then, the third one is patience.
Here now, patience. So, when one achieves this past patience, then that time, one has got then one has got, you see, definite. One becomes definite to not be born, to not reincarnate in the lower realms, or hungry ghost, animals. One becomes definite. One has, you see, also one becomes this mental state is become definite, you see, by achieving this, you become definite.
You see, It cannot be born in the lower realm. So this patience then. Oh, the last one. So, anyway, so it is four stages, you see. Then one is a beginning part and where is the third path, the right seeing path.
Then that bodhisattva, as I mentioned before, has a spiritual body and doesn’t experience all these things. So so the before before even before before becoming free completely free from disturbing thought of situation. The