Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 46-minute teaching, Lama Zopa Rinpoche explores what the world needs now: the transformation from a selfish mind to genuine compassion for others. He begins with a striking argument about the roots of selfishness — tracing it not as a new pattern but as a continuity of consciousness stretching back beginninglessly, continuously harming countless beings. This foundation establishes why this present moment matters: the precious human life offers a rare opening to interrupt that cycle. He then guides the practical path drawn from the Lamrim, moving into extended prayers on the four immeasurables (equanimity, loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy), with particular emphasis on extending these toward those we find difficult. The teaching closes with the power of emptiness wisdom to cut the root of suffering, and concludes with instructions on bringing correct motivation to teaching and listening.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 04 WWNN.mp3
UUID: 5b4ca408-e022-4056-b253-8c7099308684
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: y What the World Needs Now 1987 Audios (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 1987 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 46.4 minutes
Words: ~1,979
Not having changed attitude. You know? So having had one had has been giving harm to others to to others towards others. You see, one at another. You know?
You know, with the body, speech, mind, you see, you know, constantly, you see, having given one has been giving so much harm to others. So like this, you see, the self part did not begin with it did not begin with this with this body. With this with this selfish attitude did not begin with this, you know, with this present body. You see, why we why we are we are born with the selfish mind in this life? Because there was continuation because there was continuation of selfish mind before.
If if there was no continuation of selfish mind, you see, before take before conceiving on the mother’s on the on mother in mother’s womb on the fertilized egg, you see, there wouldn’t be reason at all why we’re born with selfish mind, Why we cannot be born with the good heart, cherishing others? Why we are not born like this? There there there are children even the even the mother has a good heart for their but but but their but their child, you know, you see, some child is very selfish. You know? So that proves their mind, you know, that is a direct kind of mind did not came from that mind is did not came from that mother’s mother’s mind.
You know? Dominates. There are many stories that can make that as a that dominates. That is proved by the experience, you know, given the children have a different character mind than from the mother.
Different character mind. So, however So, you see, that is where we are born with the selfish mind because we do not change our attitude in the past lives. Similar, the reason why we are why why today today, you know, from this morning to the twenty four hours, why we are with why we are saying, why they are selfish minded today? That was because there was continuation there was continuation of selfish mind yesterday. So that that so that is Like this example, you see, similarly, you see, for this present life, selfish mind is renewed from past life past life selfish mind.
So, like, in this life, selfish mind kept giving a lot of harm to other other sentient beings. So in past life, selfish mind gave a lot of harm to other sentient beings. You see? So like this, you see, the continuation of like like this so like this, you see, continuation of consciousness did not have beginning. Continuation of the selfish attitude selfish attitude did did not have beginning did not have beginning.
So so as it did not as it did not have beginning, so, you see, the selfish mind has been giving harm to has been giving harm, you see, to inconceivable numbers of sentient beings from beginning of time until now. So, again, if you don’t see while we have this precious human body, all the opportunities are to to see to change this attitude, which is a which is which is all the opportunities to change this attitude. You see, from selfish mind, to bodhicitta, cherishing others. The loving kind of compassion thought, bodhicitta. If you don’t change, if you don’t make if you don’t if we don’t make it possible to change, you see, in this life while we have while we have this precious human body, you see, it’ll it’ll continuously, you see, give harm to to to to us other sentient beings.
Yeah. Like this. So therefore, you can see how incredibly important it is, you know, to, you see, to practice a good heart, to change the attitude. By the extensive by the extensive reason, you see, every other sentient beings, every other, you see, the suffering, pitiful sentient beings. You see those whose minds are unskilled.
So I think it’s I stop here. The view the about, you know, the view of the the Buddhist or the the view of the view the Buddhist, you see, that that’s the dependent arising. So that I will spend tomorrow. So I stop here. If you have a, maybe, question, maybe maybe one or two questions.
Something which I know. Tonight is just brief, you see, the why it’s so important by the reason by the reason, you see, of they practice good heart compassion, you see, by reason of happiness for self. If if want happiness in the life, you know, then as the main reason, you see, the most important the main reason is others. Others need, you know, The ones that are responsible of all the happiness, and others need you to have compassion towards them. So the in that infinite that infinite reason that why we should have compassion.
You know? For how to now we have to know how to, you see, how to develop compassion. So that comes that, you see, very clearly explained in the you see, precisely, say, in the steps explained in the teaching of the Lam Rim, especially the graduated path to enlightenment. K? So we have to do listening, reflecting, meditation practice on this.
So this way, then we are able to that that we know how to develop compassion. Otherwise otherwise, compassion just saying compassion compassion does not come. There are steps to develop the mind. Due to the three time merits accumulated by me, by all other sentient beings, may the ultimate good heart for bodhicitta, the precious, the loving compassion thought, be generated within me in the mind of other sentient beings. And those who have generated it, may they be developed.
Can can you hear can you you hear my words? Yeah. So When we recite the Heart Sūtra, the essence of wisdom, then everybody meditate and concentrate in the meaning. However, even concentrate, even the sound of the words. It leaves great imprint The meaning is the absolute truth.
This is the main essence of wisdom is the main that’s the main the method, the main remedy to cut the root of all the sufferings, all the to cut the root of all the problems. It makes it impossible to rise again the cause and it’s it’s a result, you know, the problems. Yeah. So Therefore, even just by even just having heard one time in the life, the words of the the words in the teaching, the essence of wisdom, even just once in the life. Even that met the human life, you know, having taken this precious human body, you see, it became highly meaningful.
Even didn’t even the person didn’t understand the meaning, having didn’t understand doesn’t understand the meaning, even able to recite once or able to hear once, that met even by that person has done great preparation to escape from the saṃsāra. I prostrate to the Three Jewels. Thus have I heard at one time. I go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, until I attain enlightenment. Due to the merit of my charity and so forth by me, may I achieve enlightenment in order to benefit all sentient beings.
I go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and I try to achieve enlightenment. Due to the merits, having done charity and so forth by me, may I achieve enlightenment in order to benefit all sentient beings. How wonderful it is if all the sentient beings, if they abide in in equanimity, being free from the anger attachment, discriminating some sentient beings closer and far, May they be free from ignorance. I will cause them to be free from ignorance. Please, Guru Buddha’s blessings to be able to do this.
How wonderful it is if all the sentient beings, if they abide in equanimity, free from anger, attachment, discriminating some sentient beings closer and some far. May they abide in equanimity. I will cause them to abide in equanimity. Please, Guru Buddha’s blessings to be able to do this. How wonderful it is if all the sentient beings abide in equanimity, free from anger, attachment, discriminating the sentient beings. May they abide in equanimity. I will cause them to abide in equanimity. Please, Guru Buddha’s blessings to be able to do this. How wonderful is this with all the sentiments?
They they have all the happiness and cause of happiness. May they have all the happiness and the cause. I will cause them to have all the happiness. Please give us kind of blessings to be able to do this. How wonderful it is if all the sentient beings have all the happiness and cause of the happiness.
And they have all the happiness. I will cause them to have all the happiness and cause. Please, Guru Buddha’s blessings to be able to do this. How wonderfully do they evolve the sentient beings if they have all the happiness and cause of happiness? I want to particularly remember the being human dislike, you know, enemy human recognize as enemy.
I think particularly particularly to the prayer on him, to the particularly to the meditation on him, generating the four four, you see, immeasurable thoughts. The thought of equanimity, Loving kindness, compassion, joyfulness, particularly on that sentient being who dislike who dislike you and who badly who badly treats you. Our maybe I have all the happiness and all the cause of happiness.
I will cause them to have all the happiness and the cause. Please, Guru Buddha’s blessings to be able to do this. How wonderful it is if all the sentient beings are free from all the sufferings causes. May they be free from all the sufferings and the causes.
I will cause them to be free from all the sufferings and the causes. Please, Guru Buddha’s blessings to be able to do this. How wonderfully this evolved sentient beings are free from all the sufferings and the causes. May they be free from all the sufferings and causes. I will call them to be free from all the sufferings and causes.
Please, Guru Buddha’s blessings to be able to do this. How wonderful it is if all these attendants are free from all the sufferings and are cause for the sufferings. May they be free from all the sufferings and causes. I will cause them to be free from all the sufferings and causes. Please give us kind of blessings to be able to do this.
How wonderful it is with all the sentient beings. Cannot be separated away from the temporary happiness and ultimate happiness. May they not be separated away from the happiness. Our consciousness cannot be separated away from all this happiness. Please, Guru Buddha’s blessings to be able to do this.
How wonderful is it if all the sentient beings are not separated away from the temporal happiness and ultimate happiness. I will cause them not to be separated away from this happiness. Please, Guru Buddha’s blessings to be able to do this. How wonderful is it for all the sentient beings to not be separated away from the temporary happiness and ultimate happiness. May they not be separated away from this happiness.
I will cause them to not be separated away from this happiness. May I attain enlightenment. Because I hold all mother sentient beings in mind, pervading infinite space. Therefore, I am going to practice the graduated path to enlightenment. The teaching there’s a way of listening teaching, and there’s a way of explaining the teachings.
Explained, you see, disciplines and motivations, explained in the teaching of the graduated path to enlightenment, and as well as the benefits. So by by doing these things by doing these things then, by following these things, having the correct motivation and the righteous conduct of explaining and also listening. So it