Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 45-minute talk to Buddha House students, Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaches the foundation of Dharma practice: cherishing and working for others. He contrasts worldly peace efforts—material aid and political meetings—with the Dharma center’s approach of addressing root causes of suffering: delusion, anger, and self-cherishing. Even one person studying and practicing Dharma creates immense benefit across lifetimes, he explains. He shares a verse on Bodhisattva perseverance: willingness to bear hardships for eons to help even one sentient being. He then teaches the mind-training practice of exchanging oneself for others—recognizing that all beings, even those overwhelmed by anger and attachment, are the actual source of all happiness. This practice prevents negative karma and opens the quickest path to enlightenment.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 02 Tbhs.mp3
UUID: c40ff859-5c58-4e37-af45-6b2777f5d28c
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: y Talk to Buddha House Students (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 1985 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.1 minutes
Words: ~4,714
Meditation sessions, kind of sitting meditation, meditation teachings, concentrations, and and development thereby, by way of mind, those those like those meditators. And those yogis, you know, who are how they practice how they when they when they begin to practice Dharma, meditation, renunciation, even a container like that. This, you know, our using ourselves as servant to others, you know, to stop their problems and to do what we can do to help them as their limbs. I think this I think this is this is, I think, everything. Cherish others, know, working for others.
I think that’s the whole that’s that’s the key of that that is the I think from this from this is the real practice. You know? Real Dharma practice. You know? Real Dharma practice.
You see? One who cannot bear love for others, you know, you see, you know, the Mahāyāna, you know, Mahāyāna Mahāyāna Mahāyāna Mahāyāna is when one who one who can give up oneself for others. One who can bear hardships for others is called a Mahāyānist. Otherwise, one doesn’t receive the name. You know, doesn’t receive the name Mahāyānist.
Without the base, such attitude, you know, action, is helping you to say name Mahāyānist, you know, name is a label you can’t receive. It requires at the base, such as attitude and such, you know, actions, dedication for others. In the mind, we can bear hardships working for others. Even though no matter how hard it how hard it is working for others. You know, other sentient beings are so angry in nature, so impatient, controlled by attachment and disrespectful and doesn’t listen to doesn’t listen to Buddha, doesn’t listen to, you know, what Buddha says, and what what, know, what you know, hard hard to to listen good advice.
Mhmm. You know? Mhmm. Also, listen wrong wrong advice, and also, following wrong advice. Wrong direction, wrong actions.
So, so rare to do, so difficult to do in a virtuous action. So difficult to virtuous mind, so rare and very difficult, even in a very difficult to do. Very disturbed, very cruel mind. So you see, it’s very difficult to work for others. Therefore, to work for others.
You know? So how no matter how hard it is, you know, it is a noble deed. No matter how long it takes, you know, to tame them. Can you see? Having perseverance, having patience.
That is Mahāyāna. What’s called Mahāyāna is that. So you see, so that is so is it, you know, even though we don’t do it, even though, you see, we don’t do, you know, pujas, you know, playing music, reciting mantras, you know, prayers, know, and even even one doesn’t do, you see. These are the essential things. Serving others and dedicating one’s life for others.
As much as possible, you know, stop others problems and what we can do for them Especially this not just, you know, not just giving help for temporary happiness and giving food and clothing. Our Dharma center is actually benefiting benefiting others to cut the root of suffering and to achieve ultimate happiness. It’s not just temporal happiness but ultimate happiness. This is much more than what the countries do. They have many meetings, they have so many meetings for world peace.
And then their connotation of world peace and their connotation of, you know, doing peace is to not have poor countries to not have poor countries. And then to not have poor countries by sharing materials by sharing materials by sharing materials, like, know, build build factories and build that and build this, know. That’s the way the definition of world peace in meetings. As I remember from the non aligned, the meeting that I was in TV after mister Gandhi passed away. So they were talking about how to bring poor countries in the same level as the rich countries.
Anyway, you see, so that is just what they’re talking about. It’s just temporal thinking. They’re talking about ultimate happiness. They’re not talking about ultimate happiness. They’re not talking about the root of the they’re not talking about how to stop the delusions, how to stop the angers, how to stop the disrespect of mind.
They’re not talking about how to analyze ignorance. They’re not having meeting on that. They have a meeting how to have more materials. What is actually, what meeting what they’re supposed to should have is actually, what they’re supposed to actually, what meeting should subject of meeting supposed to be is, you know you see? Actually actually, you know, the nonaligned meeting is striving for harmony.
You see? Actually, the subject of what should be is about patience. Patience and, you know, the how to how to, you know, you see, have satisfaction. You know? You see, that’s the satisfaction.
You know? You see, that’s the that’s the central subject of the peace, to bring peace in the world, you know? You see? And to have satisfaction, the discontent, you know, has a discontent of being content and have less ignorance, know, more wisdom. You know?
Yeah. You know, wisdom, inner nature. Wisdom, you see? Wisdom Without wisdom, one cannot understand karma, what is the cause, and what is the cause of enlightenment.
You see? Yeah. You know, wisdom, you see. Yeah. Like this.
Then but then, you know, the meetings in the world that is done is is not on these measures. You can see. You know? So always is also what the meetings, they talk about is, know, only external. Always external.
So that they so it so that’s why how many meeting nonaligned meeting they do, you see, even they could really put in practice developing developing factories, all these things, giving necessary health, giving the billions of dollars, etcetera. That doesn’t end the confusion. Do you know that? So you can see that. So like that.
Now you can see how Dharma Dharma center is you see? You can see our all, you know, our meeting is on that. You see? Dharma Dharma center is about how to help others. You know, how to yeah.
You know? You see? You see? Our, you know, our meeting, our activities are much deep, much much you see? It’s to do with the root of the problems and the root of the happiness, you know, ultimate happiness, you see?
It has to do with that, you know, to establish the causes for temporal and ultimate happiness, you see, And the research itself to eliminate. There’s no comparison. Much deeper, we’re working the the core we’re working we’re working for the actual cause of the problems of sentient beings. You see, working, the understanding, you see? What we do is that that that that we’re creating a condition for we’re creating condition for the teaching, you know, and for people to come and learn us to teach, you understand?
You see, are touching, we are communicating, showing them, helping them to recognize the cause of problems, of suffering, and then you see explain them cause of the, you know, the Dharma and happiness. You see, an invaluable cause, understanding the cause, making to understand, keep, you know, and practice. So, you see, So now you can see one Dharma centers advantage one Dharma center’s advantage and the billions of meetings with the countries in India and in those political people, America and Russia and all that thing. Now you can see the big differences. They they advantage what they have, and the one Dharma center’s advantage what others get.
Now you can check. So now you can see the greater difference. You can see all others in the world meetings, all those things. See, effort, what they do is, know, even they’re giving material giving only material help. You see?
Giving material help is just you see, without that is without Dharma, you see? Giving material help without Dharma. You see? So it, you know, gives it gives some comfort, but that’s all. You know?
Just give some comfort. And the sentient beings, you know, sentient beings doesn’t have satisfaction. You see? It doesn’t have satisfaction. You see?
So, you see, giving some comfort, that doesn’t end the dissatisfaction. You see? You see? Mutual help mutual help doesn’t end the dissatisfaction. So that doesn’t end their main suffering.
So this dissatisfaction makes them to continuously be born in saṃsāra and to continuously, you know, have problems. Being poverty, again being poverty, all that. So being poverty, you know, being born again, I assume you’re being poor, you know, being poor, you see, has no end as long as they don’t stop dissatisfaction. Cause the main cause, the dissatisfaction. As long as they don’t stop that, there’s no end that result in their being poor.
Starvation, no food, no clothing, no home, all this has no end. So you can see so you can see the Dharma. You see Dharma centers’ helpfulness. You can see working working for the root of problems, very root of problems straight. You see?
So by by by you see, by giving teachings, you know, by opening the Dharma wisdom eye to others, know? For them, they they practice, control the mind. So in this way, that by one it controls the mind, you know, controlling and ending, simply ending this, the billion lifetimes, you know, you see you see, as long as you see, as long as they don’t end this dissatisfaction, which the problem being poverty, you know, starvation, all these thing, you see, like, Africa and all that thing, like, Indian families, all that thing, It’s they will they will suffer endlessly. Endless, you know, with birth, endless, countless sufferings. So it is the Dharma centers, you see.
Yeah. You see, by giving teaching, you know, you have to control the mind. All the methods you need to control the mind and distracting thoughts, you see. That’s actually the satisfaction. That’s the solution.
You know? Okay. So, you see, cut you see, cut off, you know, control that, you see. This is straight mind. That delusion is by cutting off that delusion, by controlling that.
By doing one time work, So you see, the center, know, even there’s only one person coming at the center to do meditation practice, see, to hear Dharma, There’s unbelievable amazing benefits you see, the first one receives for his or her the full temporal wishes and ultimate happiness, enlightenment, up to enlightenment, you see. So each time when the course starts, they may have thirty people, twenty people, even five people is unbelievable, unbelievable benefit. So no question when there’s ten people, fifteen people, forty six, seventy even there’s many hundreds of twenty, ten, it’s unbelievable. So we should feel this joy, we should remember these benefits, what we offer to others. We should remember this again.
We should remember all the time, again and again, especially when we have hardships in work, not at completion, very hard. So I have found one verse in my in my old prayer book just by chance. So this, thought, might be may be helpful for us to get perseverance or, you know, to bear the hardships, you know, working for other cherishing. He said in the teaching, Dorje Chang teaching by Maitreya, the son of the victorious ones who has stabilized the supreme perseverance.
When the multitudes of the sentient beings seem to be rapid, even for one virtue of other sentient being, which means other sentient being to come to you, even one virtue. So even to commit to one virtue for other sentient beings not for others, my misery. Even to even other sentient beings to accumulate one virtue, I won’t get upset. I won’t get sad. Even for even millions, thousands of aeons.
What I’m saying is this, the Bodhisattvas, those who are stabilized in perseverance, have very brave mind. To bear the hardships for others, you know? And when other sentient beings’ minds are extremely hardened, you know? Then you see, not only other all other sentient beings to come into one virtue, but I think even one sentiment to come into one virtue. You see, when you see this possibility, you see, that you can help, that you can benefit others.
So even though it takes even though for you it’s you see, takes know, tax, you see, one million eons, a thousand eons, thousands of eons, even though it takes that much time for you to for you to cause even one sentient being to one virtue. You see? The you see? The bodhisattva, you know, doesn’t get upset, doesn’t worry, Extremely happy. What I was saying is extremely instead of worry, extremely happy.
You know? Extremely happy. Seeing this seeing that the the the the is writing and to cause that one to even accumulate one virtue. So to cause that, you know, to benefit, say, to do such a work for others, even that taking one million, one thousand eons, so happy. Still happy.
That’s what he’s saying. So this is, you know, you see, this is what we should keep in our heart, this verse, especially especially we who work at the center. So you see, it says, once in the network, one verse, even though it takes one million, one thousand eons, you know, doesn’t get upset. Doesn’t get upset. To cause that to happen that for you to help, That’s something that that that much another time.
That’s what I said. So happy. So happy that one can get opportunity or can cause the one sentient being to one virtue. So you see, the centers the centers, you see, the center is established and you see it didn’t take even one moment to bring one person to virtue, it didn’t — this center for that didn’t take one million thousand aeons, didn’t take it. So since the center started, so many people here was able to benefit.
Okay? But the this for for general, the the, you know, other workers, the list that that I names the member that I mentioned, also particularly I want to emphasize for the Douglas, particularly I’m emphasizing these things kind compassionate director, Douglas. I would like to say thank you very much for his sincere work for others and you know, it’s a fulfilling of my wishes. I remember you little bit just into I think I I don’t wanna I think I had a few words with you. I think yeah.
I heard that you are a long-time friend. Dorian’s friend. Sorry. Dorian’s friend.
Friend. And also particularly I want to mention Dennis, know, I met you, so we had lunch at Kappa after I think during the course. So all your great help in the center, donate so much to buy the house. So this of the subject is particularly also to Dennis Kenny. That’s all I’d like to say.
Thank you very much. Their dedications. So you should feel resolved in this by remembering as I mentioned here. So one more word is So every day, When we see even we don’t feel kindness of the animals, but at least we should feel kindness by human beings. K?
You see, without this without this one sentient being, this suffering sentient being, you know, the suffering, suffering, the the suffering, attachment, completely controlled by selfish the the demon of the self-cherishing attitude, completely overwhelmed, you know, completely overwhelmed anger, complete, you know. Okay? Nose and eyes and ears red, and with fists, even fists, and piercing shaking. You know, like that. Completely completely angry.
Okay? Who is completely overwhelmed by delusions like this one? So such a sub, you see, on this on this suffering sentient beings. Okay? On this suffering sentient beings, On this one, this one, which complete overwhelmed by anger.
On this, you see, this suffering sentiment. Okay? You see, from Buddha, then Dharma comes. Okay? The Buddha reveals him.
Okay? Dharma. So there’s Dharma in realizations. Okay? Of the path, and then this is you see, words expression.
Okay? Understand the words. Revealing the path. Okay? The Dharma comes.
Dharma From Dharma, then sanga comes. Okay? From the Dharma, Sangha which arises. You know? Okay?
To free from the three lower realms. How much need to come we create? I see. That we can that but you see, with the refuge, we can by relying on Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, we can get purified. Even even even millions of people million people would kill.
How many whatever have been completed, it we can get we can can be purified. Then by the way, I a refuge. That come see, so the three refuge comes from that comes from this sentiment, which can be overwhelmed by anger. Okay? So now, also, the karma, you know, the permanent virtue.
You know, our permanent virtue is, you know, that you see. The Dharma is the action of Buddha. It’s There’s two types of action Buddha. We can that is blocked completely that is only blocked only Buddha, possessed by Buddha, and that is within our mind. One action Buddha.
That’s the virtue. Okay? So from this Buddha’s action, you see the virtue, is the virtue comes, from this, all our happiness comes, temple and ultimate. So now you can see all our three times happiness completely came from this this person who is completely overwhelmed by anger. Okay?
Completely overwhelmed by self-cherishing attitude. You can think even like this from this husband who is completely overwhelmed by anger or completely overwhelmed by self-cherishing. See from this, you see, you see, so now you can see the things. Without him, there’s no compassion. Without this seven being, there’s no compassion.
Without this suffering being, or the wife, you know, okay, this person. You see, without this, you know, without this object, there’s no compassion. Okay? Suffering being, without this object, suffering being, there’s no compassion. There’s no virtue activity within our mind.
Okay? But then that way, you see there’s no good karma, but there’s no way that we can experience the good things in no way or anywhere, none of the good things. Okay? So now all the good things, all the time happen is completely come from completely, thing. Suffering from same thing.
This suffering from the same suffering from thing. Okay? Fine. Like this. So all happiness comes from each of these sentient beings.
Now now you can see how, you know, how how we are completely dependent on each kind in each kind of each sentient beings you can see, including temporal happiness, enlightenment. As I mentioned, from compassion after enlightenment, a Buddha, so like that. So I’ll become a Buddha, it’s same thing. Now you can see clearly, okay? That’s what Bodhisattvas say.
By depending on these, I become enlightened. So therefore I should look at I should look at him with sincerity and thorough loving kindness in that manner. So this verse, we should practice all the time, you know, especially as we work in office and at at the center at the center, you know, among the members and also other other with other cherishing as much as possible. Remember this verse. Okay?
So when you remember the when you look at him with the awareness of kindness, always you look at like how the mother looks at her only beloved child, always be smiling, Always always a very always a very loving eye. You know? A very loving eye. You know? You know how how you know how it looks, the loving eye?
You know? But I’m sure you I’m sure you can. I’m you see right there. It’s how the mother cherishes the heart of her only child. Like that, you see, we should get others into certain things by being aware of the kindness.
Okay? So this is one practice, which emphasize, especially among the members. Okay? Not any people. Then next one.
Next verse, which I emphasize, you know, very important. Fundamental practice. Okay? Doesn’t matter whether we do meditation or whether we do prayer or not, you know, whether we do prostration or not, okay, whether we keep mala or not, okay, whether we have statues in our house or not. Cherishing oneself is this door of all the degenerations.
Cherishing others is the base of all the qualities, all the good qualities, which means all the realization, all the perfections, all the ultimate happiness, all the temporal happiness, all the perfections, all the good things. Therefore, PIS grant blessings to, you know, the the the yoga, the practice of the yoga. The yoga exchanging oneself for others, you see, to be the central practice. You see? You see, if we if we are able to keep this exchange of oneself for others as a hard practice as a hard practice, essential practice, then you see, we’re able to take it.
We’re able to we’re able to, you see, achieve. That. You see? That’s the quick that’s the most profound and quick way to achieve enlightenment. So by the way, since we achieve the, you know, greatest, let’s say, highest attainment, since we have to achieve the highest attainment, we have to achieve also liberation, we are able to achieve today.
Even the a perfect human body next life, perfect rebirth, perfect enjoyment, body. This lower attainment, we have to take. But can, by the way. So you see so you see now, even in this life, if you do this, there’s there’s there’s peace and harmony in the center and the organization and the family. You know?
So everything is all whatever you wish. See? Whatever you wish, you you see, help from receiving help from others, others and neighbors. You see, all the wishes get fulfilled. All the wishes get fulfilled.
You know? All your wishes get fulfilled. Every single wish get fulfilled from this practice, exchange oneself for others. So when you do the practice of exchanging oneself for others, you don’t create any negative karmas. You see?
It stops creating. Even mentally, it stops creating that karma. Literally it stops creating that karma, you know. It stops the rising delusions, so that one doesn’t create that karma, okay? One doesn’t create that karma, you know.
So when this negative action doesn’t happen, so then you see, you don’t get. So you see, you have a healthy result, good result. Healthy result, good result. So you have a healthy life. This this itself is a yeah.
Check exchange once for others. Exchange oneself for others. You know? Working for others. It’s always the greatest puja, you see, to prevent obstacles, to prevent negative karmas.
You see? Through past negative karmas. You see? One does not only not accommodate the negative karma, but it also purifies past negative karmas.
Okay? So therefore, one one has you know, one gets a very healthy result you know, with good result. So this one doesn’t not it’s that delusion is analyzed, does not create any karma. So in that way, you see, you don’t get sick. And I’ll give you another example.
If I give if I give you a similar example, you don’t get sick in this life and next life. You don’t get cancer, you don’t get heart attack, you don’t get headache, you don’t get toothache, diarrhea, you don’t get what else? Here, you all those unsettled things that may happen. It does not happen. You see?
All those unsettled things doesn’t happen. So when the when those things does not happen, you see, you don’t need to go to hospital, you don’t need to have surgery, you don’t need to buy medicines. You don’t need to purchase. Don’t need to purchase to get a couple of things to get a cough sickness. You see?
Or to prevent the interference, you don’t need to do pujas. So you don’t need to spend, you see, don’t need to spend for doctors, psychologists, you don’t need to spend for the pujas. You see? You see? All these extra things.
Yeah. All these all these worries. Extra stuff does not want us to experience. So you can see now, all the expensive life all the difficult life, all the expensive life comes from clearly karma, all expensive life. And we get karma means life very expensive, tremendous troubles, very expensive.
You know, to, you see, to stop the trouble. You see? So that that came from this telling thoughts, know, the selfish attitude. So selfish attitude makes life, you see? Yeah.
You see, it’s expensive. It makes a lot very very expensive, you see? You know? You see, wanting to be the most wealthy, wanting to be the most wealthy person, you know, wanting to have the biggest reputation, you see, like that. Most, how say, most handsome or most irritable.
So you see, the subject of one thing. Most makes life very expensive. So how you are you see? You see, you see, if you stop the negative karma, if one doesn’t create the negative karma, if one doesn’t do that, you see, it’s it’s so many you see, one doesn’t need to experience all those troubles in many lifetimes. So one you see, one that so so many lifetimes, you know, one that doesn’t, I say, doesn’t, yeah, stops much worry.
You see? That, you know, worries of yeah. Worry is empty. Is it being so expensive, all those things does not happen. This thing does not happen.
So it’s a very simple thing. It’s a very simple thing. From now on, if you want to be healthy in all the future lives, example, just one thing. Oh, you see? Just we ought to do it.
Just stop that negative karma. So you see, there’s a healthy life. There may means so many lifetimes. There’s a healthy life. You see?
It it stops all unnecessary worries. That one not doing that negative karma stops so many worries in many many hundreds of billions of next lives, You see? So by doing that one good karma, know, so all So now that’s by following the self-cherishing attitude, negative karma creates negative karma. By stopping following the by, you see, by cherishing others, then one doesn’t create negative karma. You see?
So now you can see how important, how incredible important it is today. Always, you know, always, you see. The what do you know what do you how how much what do you know little or what do you know all the scriptures by heart? You know? Or what do you know what do you know all this Dharma?
Or what do you know very little Dharma? Yeah? So this this exchanging oneself for others, you know, cherishing others, you see, as as much as as you see, however, they’re cherishing others, putting oneself last, you see, as much as possible. Practice is this is the very hard, you see. This is the heart practice.
You can see now. It’s important. This is the main key. Okay? Then then another verse, you know, thought training, you know, when we have problems, how to deal with it.
The previous verse is also thought training to deal with many problems. And also this last one, what Guru Puja says, maybe a little bit. The whole in the whole, you know, the whole place and the sentient beings means, you know, drown you, the whole place, and also the sentient beings, you know, the whole, you see, you know, filled with completely filled with the result of negative karma. Means means the whole place means the whole place is you know, everything turned out against your wish. Even the place completely disastrous.
There’s nothing slight interest around you, the place. Everything everything was everything was complete opposite to you. You know? Complete desired undesirable place. The whole thing disturbing to you.
And even the same thing is around, anybody who around you, you know, only a nuisance to you, any burden like this. Then that’s the best. Even you get you get downpours of unwanted suffering, so many thousands of problems.