Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 44-minute teaching, Lama Zopa Rinpoche reframes the path around kindness and responsibility. He begins by meditating on how our mother—and all sentient beings—suffered for us, then challenges the notion that material gifts repay gratitude, since beings have been wealthy and powerful in past lives yet remained trapped in saṃsāra. True repayment is practicing Dharma to develop bodhicitta, the wish to attain enlightenment for their sake. He contrasts this with ordinary beings who want happiness but create suffering through anger, attachment, and ignorance. Using vivid metaphors—a child singing while a tiger attacks the mother—he emphasizes personal responsibility: those with teachings must liberate all beings. The talk concludes with practical guidance on moral discipline and vows, especially one-day precepts for lay practitioners.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 32 WWNN.mp3
UUID: 448bc859-bb74-4807-9039-36fcc80ba069
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: 44.5 minutes
Words: ~2,975
For the child, you see? So now if that child now if that child, as he grows up, after all that trouble after all that trouble, what is fear? You know, doesn’t it come up for that child? After all this, if the child lives good life, you know, beneficial life, at least, you know, not giving harm to others to the mother, to the others, at least. Then, that’s what So otherwise otherwise, so pitiful to mother, you know, unbelievably pitiful.
The the, you know, parents, so pitiful, You know? So that one, those that what we see which we see to other people, that one should bring on oneself. So now should put oneself, you know, let oneself. I’m shooting it that way. So my mother has been suffered so much for me like this, you know, so many years.
Then if one has however, think you see. Even even one feel, oh, I have practiced Dharma. I have done this, that. Okay. Even that’s not enough.
I’m not enough. Okay? And it should have should realization, bodhicitta, in the heart. Even one has that, that’s not enough. One should achieve the tantric realization.
The tantra realization. So that’s not enough, one should achieve enlightenment. You see, to to repay kindness. So, you see, beginning things beginning things, you see, after remember, after in the general old kindness, now now what I have done, what what from my side, what I what benefit I have done, you know, towards towards parents, towards other siblings, what I have done. Some something, you see, something that is has been really beneficial, what I’ve done.
So then you should think like that. Giving food and clothing a house or giving material a lot of that’s not the best way to repay kindness. Because they themselves have been millionaires a number of times in the past life. They have been king. There were realms, human realms.
That did not that alone, that did not free them from the vast suffering of saṃsāra. You know? So that’s not that’s not the truth. So But the best way to repay kindness. Best way to repay kindness, as I have just mentioned before, is seek to develop the mind, to practice Dharma, especially bodhicitta.
So, you see, more how how it is? How it is? If you have realization of shunyata, then you can, you see, then you can experience, you can benefit that much by explaining if your bodhicitta can benefit that much deeper. You see, same thing as an illustration. Now, higher the realization you have, more understanding you have so that you can so that, you see, you can more understanding you have, you know, so therefore, you can benefit more to to them.
So, however, completing Dharma practice in achieving enlightenment, Then in this way, one has omniscient mind. They can see every single parent and all the sentient beings, single characteristic and all the pleasure, talk to enlightenment, all the means can be revealed in the right time according to their mind. Can reveal, can like this can perfectly guide them, one can perfectly guide them without mistake. So, you see, by revealing with your own experience, again, by revealing the path, then see what you want to see, experience, you can reveal a complete path. In this way, it can cease completely the cause of suffering or the mental stains.
Then that’s how you can lead to happiness and enlightenment, the parents or siblings. So this is the best way to repair kindness. The present present life, you know, the other the parents. I think I left out I left out this point. No.
I understand. So after after meditating, you see, after the four types of kindness, the person like mother, then you see, you should think, you know, the father also happened. The father also happened. Like that. All the sentient beings.
Know? All the sentient beings. Now here, you see, mainly developing bodhicitta by having the preliminary realization, the generation of loving kindness by realizing the kindness of the loving kindness, compassion. By realizing kindness, the sentient beings being mother and kind. Each time they bring mother, you know, mother and then, you see, in those times being kind.
So, you see, now, like this present, Lama dharma, every friend, enemy, everyone, you see, every sentient being, naraka being, every each naraka being, peta being, animal being, this sūtra, asura, each human being, everyone, I think, have been have been like this, mother, mother, and kind, number of times, the four ways, you know, kind, number of times. You see? But the same. Don’t think to have a kindness. However, you see, now the example that you can remember in this life, you know, somebody that even even you don’t even you didn’t say mother, you even you cannot recognize mother, you know, somebody somebody took care of you, then that should be used.
And that can be used as an example of kindness, you know, trust every single thing. Somebody that you feel most kind, you know. So, you see, and then think all something being happening like that kind to me. Okay? So the love of kindness comes.
As as you mentioned on kindness, it comes. The same thing brings warm, but mentoring mother, kind, feeling warm in beauty, seeing them in beauty. Thinking in beauty. Teachings does not mean nothing to do with the physical beauty. The warm, you know.
Then think that generating the great loving kindness. Loving kindness. The sentient beings, you see, what they want is happiness, but they’re ignorant in the cause of happiness. They’re ignorant in the cause of happiness. You know?
Doesn’t know the cause of happiness is virtue. And then, what they want is happiness, in practice, what they do is always they run to create negative karma. Always keep busy, you know, always run to create always run to create negative karma. Following the anger, following the attachment, you know, ignorance, like this. The attitude, you see, the attitude, the attitude is see, worldly concern.
Nothing else to think about except happiness this life. Okay? Happiness this life. So every movement is done body, speech, mind. Every single action is done for that, for the happiness out of the worldly concern, for the happiness of life.
Every single action that is done out of the world of concern is plants seeds in one of this person’s mind as a cause, all this non virtue, as a cause to be born in the lower realms. Okay. Those who are going by airplane, those who are going by car, those who are in the shop, those who are in the house, those who are on the water, are in the water, human beings, creatures, whatever different form it is, okay, like this. This is The hope is happiness, but the practice. Action, what is done is non virtuous action.
So like this. Noting can destroy the you see, even on the top of that. Only even some merit is accumulated, some good karmas, merit is accumulated, only destroy arising anger, heresy. Only like this. As I explained before, even Devoid of temporary happiness, even those who have temporary happiness, devoid of ultimate happiness.
Devoid of the happiness of enlightenment. Think this, how they devoid of happiness, think with them, think what they do in action, what they want, what they do in action. How wonderful it is to evolve this mother sentient beings, they have happiness and cause, and I will cause that by myself. Others think they are suffering. So I didn’t get to go through the two types of suffering.
But you heard many times each time the lamrim teaching was given. As it explained in the three principal path teachings by Lama Tsongkhapa, they are continuously experiencing the suffering, That two types of suffering often, even those who don’t experience the suffering of changes, some sort of pleasures, experiencing the pervasive compounding suffering, being under the control of karma and delusion. Even there’s no growth disturbing thought observation, but obscured with the subtle obscuration, things like this. Then no matter how much not wish out suffering in the action. And then, you see, they always create they’re immersed in the cause of the suffering, you know?
Okay? Unable to see, unable to abandon to abandon the negative karma. And then even they know the cause the self from the negative karma, lazy to abandon. Okay? How wonderful it would be if this mother sentient being?
It’s free from all the suffering’s cause. Then I will cause them to be free from all the suffering cause by myself. Generating great compassion. Now, then next, Yeah. The mother sentient beings, okay, are devoid of the guiding teacher.
The blind the virtuous teacher. You know? And they are blind to the Dharma wisdom eye. And then they are possessed by the the kleshas, the demon. They are possessed by this, the demon, the three poisons of the mind.
You see? Completely overwhelmed by the demon of anger, the demon of attachment, the demon of ignorance. So they themselves have no freedom at all, at all, completely overwhelmed, used as a slave by the demon, completely possessed by the three poisons of mind and the demon. And constantly being experiencing the sufferings of the three types of suffering. Then each on each movement, each each step, you know, each step, okay, step they do, they make, which means each movement they do with the bodhisattva’s mind, each action, what they do.
Like each action with the body speech mind what they do. It’s like strolling over the cliff’s edge, strolling along the cliff’s edge to fall down the precipices of the lower realm. All actions done, as I just explained before, basically from attachment to what is concerned. So all this innate karma, every single thing what they do, every single they have done with this attitude. So every single movement what they do is like standing over the cliffs to fall down, which causes us to fall down in the precipices of the lower realms.
So like this. I So like this. So beautiful. I, me, also there. This time, I myself have received perfect human birth, which is all the opportunities to practice the complete path to enlightenment.
Then I have the virtuous teacher. I have guide, the guiding teacher, virtuous teacher who can reveal the whole path to enlightenment. And then, you see, and Dharma wisdom eye to know what is the cause of happiness, what is the cause of suffering, what is right and wrong. If I want to benefit for all sentient beings, to free them from all the obscuration, sufferings, to lead to enlightenment, I have the opportunity to do this. So therefore, you see, it’s it’s my responsibility completely, you know?
You see, this is my turn, you know? And my see, my this is completely my responsibility, is I have all the opportunities to do this, to to benefit all beings. When the mother is when the mother is in when the mother is in trouble, you know, when the mother is in trouble, The daughter or the son, I, who cherished who, you know, who have been kind to me, you see, mother who is nice to me, who cherished me, who can, you know, yeah, kind to me. If I don’t help, see, if I don’t help the mother, who’s to help? Who’s to help?
It’s my see, it’s the child’s I think the child, you know, the daughter’s son’s responsibility, you know, to to help the mother. So it’s my responsibility. it’s only myself, not others, who can help the mother. That is like when the mother being attacked by a tiger, then they sit at a child Who might have cherished being so kind? Who gave everything?
I think it’s now It’s like yeah. I think see standing on the tree when down down there on the ground, when the mother is in danger, she will attack. Mother is being attacked by tiger, and the child is on the, you see, on the top of the tree and singing, you know, singing, not helping the mother. Okay? Like this.
So so even there are many even there are many Buddhists, bodhisattvas, but but this is, you know, completely my own responsibility. Yeah. So now, you see, I cannot guide it. Yeah. So this time, you see, you should feel that, the parents, enemy, friend, or everything.
But they’re starting from this house. At least now, now they’re starting from this house. People here, Then all the people in this city, all the sentient beings here, then, all all the rest. See, to lead enlightenment to, you know, to free completely each one from all the obscurations and sufferings, you know, to do that to to cause and to cause that to, I say, to cause that by oneself alone. I will do it by myself alone.
Okay? So this is the breath, you know, the special in attitude. Okay? Now I cannot guide, you know, even once in a blink, okay, If I achieve enlightenment, then even its lead uncountable numbers of sentient beings in the path to happiness. So fully understand the mind, the perfect power, compassion towards everything.
Unimaginable qualities, are immeasurable. Buddha has immeasurable qualities, you see, or the holy body of the spirit of the mind. Guides, you see, perfectly without such mistake. So, therefore, I must achieve enlightenment. Keep it over the stages.
One feels this only when one thinks the reasons. When one does meditation, then this is called the contrived bodhicitta. When one, without thinking of the reasons, without doing the meditation, spontaneously want to feel, naturally want to feel, mind in that nature, that characteristic, and that is spontaneous bodhicitta So this is the by having this this has been presented as entering into the Mahāyāna path, one is entered in the Mahāyāna path. Then one becomes the fortunate being, the Buddha’s son. So now, after having bodhicitta, obviously, what one should practice is the six paramita, the bodhisattva’s deeds.
However, now, I think So we listened. Oh, now the conclusion that heard the lamrim teaching so many times again, again, again, again. So now the conclusion, as explained in the teaching, purpose of listening and teaching is to get them some practice. It is important in the Lamrim, the clear realization of the Lamrim. So like this, So to be able to do some practice, you know.
So that is abandoning negative karma, practicing the good karma. As teaching began, the essence of compassion, the mind is differentiated by great compassion. And there’s a comparison towards everything and then, you see, not giving harm. So So as I mentioned, other thing in the retreat course, So one is responsible of happiness of all sentient beings besides oneself in this world. So therefore, one takes a vow, see, to not kill, you see.
Now, one makes a vow on object every sentient being in Buddhism. Object to object to every sentient being. When one makes vow to not tell lies on object to every sentient being without discrimination. Like this. So it benefits.
Now, everyone takes one vow. You see? Now, it is taking on object everything. Yeah. To not do harm killing on object every single being.
So therefore, one harm becomes less to every sentient being. As long as one is living in this vow, one harm becomes less for all sentient beings, you see, more happiness, one more happiness increased for all sentient beings. So like like the king, then as well as all others, you know, all others like this, with each of them. Like this. There’s big differences, big big differences, you know.
And there’s big differences towards the other sentient beings. Besides oneself, it makes big differences towards other sentient beings, numberless sentient beings. Whichever need karma is, but take a vow you see, to abandon and not taking the vow. So therefore, that is one thing. Happiness or other sentient beings is one thing.
That one is responsible. Now, thing, then there is a I think without morality, there is no hope for good rebirth in the next life. But that doesn’t that doesn’t make everyone have to become a monastic. You know? And the whole world have to become monastery.
You know? Monastery? It doesn’t mean that. It doesn’t mean that. Mhmm.
And as the, you see, as the lay person’s practice, know, we see those who are not capable to do them, there’s very much practice to do as a lay. So now the eight Mahāyāna precepts, this twenty-four hours, which is for twenty-four hours, one day. So I think this is even somebody whose mind is so uncontrolled, you see, So uncontrolled, know, whose life is much disastrous, you know, so uncontrolled. At least, you know, this one day’s vow, one day’s at least the one-day vow. This is a very good try.
The fifteenth, Tibetan thirties before the new moon, the day before the new moon, and fifteenth, especially those Buddhas, four special Buddhist days, and then moon eclipse, sun eclipse. And those days, you see, merit increased a million times, you know, million and a koti. A million of billions, in a time, you see, it increases on those days, even everyone, you see, and we know that one accumulate. So it’s that, meaning, in in other times, the life the life having disaster, you see, cannot do cannot do meditation, cannot do does not time to do meditation, cannot do retreat, things like that, cannot do much practice, then at least this can be tried. Especially on these days, it’s excellent.