Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 60-minute talk from a 2005 Hong Kong retreat, Lama Zopa Rinpoche uses vivid stories—a wealthy businessman whose success brought only depression, another who burned his cars seeking redemption—to show why external success cannot bring lasting happiness. He argues the missing ingredient is dharma motivation: the right inner attitude. He explains three motivations that transform any action into dharma: altruistic intention toward enlightenment, seeking liberation from saṃsāra, or aspiring to happiness in future lives. When paired with correct motivation, even ordinary work, eating, and sleeping become spiritual practice. He demonstrates how to reframe problems—sickness, loss, criticism—as opportunities to develop the mind and benefit others. Concluding with a dedication prayer, Rinpoche emphasizes that genuine happiness arises from mind, never externals.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 11 KR.mp3
UUID: 08c04254-7a2b-402c-92b9-b715b846df3a
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: z Kṣitigarbha Retreat Hong Kong (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 2005 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 60.5 minutes
Words: ~2,933
So, I know one friend in America who is a who who is known in the world for young people and old people, everyone in this world who knows. Very famous in the world. But you see that there’s there’s always fear in the life that something’s going to happen anytime. See, the reputation reputation will go down. Know, some something will happen, the the reputation.
So so there’s there’s always this, you know, this worry fear, see, sort of that in the heart, you see. So and and one way I saw I saw a video, I think I think the I don’t remember when I saw the TV or the movie in the airplane. In the airplane or the TV. So, one very rich person in the man in London. So, after so, so after he has all the wealth, then all the all this wealth, then somehow his mind has never been has never been happier and happier, more more peace, you see, inside.
So, more more more miserable and more more depression more depression. So, he doesn’t he doesn’t eat food, only drink maybe bottles of or something like that, alcohol. So, then you just rely on that. That’s the kind. There’s not other method.
The person doesn’t know Dharma, doesn’t know meditation, there. So you take refuge to alcohol. You see, many bottles sticks to something that one day you drink. So because of all this depression and happiness, you see, dissatisfaction. My life become more more dissatisfied.
So then he then he looked back. He looked back. He analyzed. He looked back. What made him the his life more more misery, more more dissatisfaction, depression?
He his own. You see, then he thought then he thought, oh, you know, he thought, become wealthy because by selling cars. So, he started his business by selling cars. So, became very wealthy. So, then his own way as a the antidote.
Instead, a person doesn’t know Dharma, he doesn’t know any teachings. So, he thought the way to revenge for revenge of the to heal the miseries. Because he became wealthy by selling car, then he bought a lot of small cars and shop. He had bought it out. So outside, a field or yard.
You know, he is So he put all the cars there and he put the cars and he set fire with his body there, you see. Then he lit up the cars so that he’d be a warning to buy a certain car. So I think he thinks that the root of his problems. So I think he buy more cars burning. So that is, you know, what he thinks is problem to see.
But he does not find the root of problems in the mind, and he thinks outside, you see. So he thinks that car is the root of his problems. So anyway, that because it doesn’t know Dharma. It’s happening without Buddhist teachings. So like that.
So so the so in the world. I saw in Time magazine that many people stories there who are regarded more successful person in the era in the world, who make the most money. That means who make the most money. That means who make the most money. This world is not saying that it’s more money. So, anyways, that who benefited most to others. Simply he’s not talking about that. He said, who made more money.
Most successful person in the world who made the most money. But then then but then talk about their own personal lives full of disasters. So much depression, unhappiness, full of fear, and all these things. Can’t cope, you know, can’t breathe, do anything, you see. Like that.
So, there are many stories that comes. Anyway, so so here, so like this. So like this. Along with this along with this professional, external profession, one learns from school, college, then along with that, then you see, then how to live a life, they say, that inwardly, also mind. So, you see.
So, that’s So, So, it just added along with that is the attitude. You see, attitude of your life, dharma. The bodhicitta, you know, altruistic, enlightened mind can be. Then you are then your professional work, activities, whatever, say, director or company or whatever, sector or whatever. Of company or whatever, sector or whatever, see.
Then all these activities of the jobs bring cause of the attainment of enlightenment for sentient beings. You see? Of course, that one become cause of happiness of all sentient beings. Once again, cause of enlightenment. Okay?
Sort of that. Then the of course, of course, that one brings incredible fulfillment, not just satisfaction, like fruitful. You see, your heart filled with joy, you know, happiness. You see, benefit of something. You see, like that.
You see? So, of course, I see, from that from that down, your mind will mold the attitude of life. See? So now, next one, that out along with this profession that we have done a job. Okay?
So all that then motivation of life, you see, become, say, the the say, thought, the determination to be free from saṃsāra, detachment to saṃsāra, saṃsāra happiness, professional. Seek seeking liberation seeking liberation for ourselves. So, the the become have actions, you are able to please, become cause, then become cause of liberation for oneself. Okay? So then along with along with these profession professions that they will learn from, know, the external profession, learn from college, university, so forth.
Your attitude of life, doing jobs, doing business. Even not bodhicitta seeking enlightenment person thinking, not even seeking ultimate happiness for yourself, liberation, but happiness in future lives. Seeking happiness in all the kinds of future lives. So, you see so So, with that, doing prayer, see doing meditation, eating well, sitting, sleeping, doing job, it becomes — all these become cause of happiness in each life. Okay?
All those actions become even this third one, all this action maintaining the samaya, eating, walking, sitting, all become dharma, all become good karma. Dharma, virtue, results on happiness. Happiness, it doesn’t result in enlightenment, liberation from saṃsāra, but a happiness in future lives. Okay? Happiness, the coming future lives.
So, because that motivation, seeking happiness in future lives, as I mentioned before, to put that, that is dharma. That motivation dharma, virtue. Okay? So, that’s So, along along with these professions, you have dharma in your heart. Even this even this third one, only seeking happiness from one side, seeking not ultimate happiness, but seeking temporary happiness, happiness of the coming future lives.
So, that attitude is detached, detached to this life, detached to this life, this life happens. So, therefore, attitude is dharma. So, you are doing all these professions. Even with this attitude, it’s still dharma. So, you are living life with dharma.
You are doing all these professional professional things, jobs, creativity, with dharma. So so there is a there you find you get satisfaction. You get satisfaction in happiness in the heart. You see, your heart is not empty. So the peace, happiness, you know, satisfaction.
Okay? So that’s so the so the with the attachment, see the only happen at this time. Now, with this, then during even during prayer, even the subject of Dharma, during prayer, meditating, eating while considering all this, then you see, Even the external profession that you’re doing, nothing, everything becomes negative karma, you know, did not become Dharma. Even even the sitting prayer, even meditating did not become Dharma. They become non-virtue. Even the eating, the job, doing jobs, whatever, all these become non-virtue, negative karma because that motivation is non virtue.
So, this is desire, clinging to desire. So, by form of desire, you never get, you never get happiness, You never get satisfaction forever. So, that’s why. So, that’s the root of the problem is this desire. You see, going to this life.
See that. So why so many people in this world come to this like, there’s a very high rate in countries like Sweden or many Japan or young people. So many people are suffering with relationship problems in the world. You know, there are so many certain relationship problems, one another in the whole life goes like that. All this, that’s from this desire, clinging to this life from that.
So, you see, because you never because, you see, even though there’s so much profession you learn from college, university, but you see, how to say, attitude of your life, to live the life inwardly, living with dharma, the attitude of of dharma. So it’s not there. So therefore, then that’s why I didn’t like you say, from this desire, it brings so many problems. See? I’m gonna go on and on.
So, the I’m not going to go on on on all night on this matter. All night on this matter. In the tomorrow’s analysis. Anyway, so so you see so here, important, you see here. So, how to live life?
Not sufficient at the external profession. You need you need to have to live life inwardly from your mind. Living with that. So, the three motivations I explained before is Dharma. So, if you end up this, then you are you see, you are learning how to live life or in.
Are living life in Dharma, you know, meditation. So like that. So this way, whatever you do, all good karma. Even doing business, when good karma, promote your pure motivation. So, you see it like that.
Not only reciting prayer and meditation, those actions become Dharma, even those other things, eating, sleeping, now we’re about to sleep. If I allowed you Well, I don’t know. So if I allowed to say, if I stop earlier, then of course, more more. So anyway, so next thing is to ask you to sleep. Right?
So anyway, so it becomes dharma. You know? So, like that. So, So, you can see if you have any of those motivation, attitude life is any of those from three that I mentioned, then you see you are achieving happiness all the time from your mind. Happiness doesn’t come from outside.
Happiness comes from your mind. You see, you are achieving happiness all the time. Your pain cause happiness all the time. You are eating happiness all the time. You see?
So all of that. So, you see, from where problem comes, is from your mind. From your from where the happiness comes, including enlightenment is from your mind. You see, day to day life. Day to day life, moment of moment, peace, happiness come from your mind, depending on of course, there’s past karma.
Experience the past needs karma, experience past good karma, experience happiness. Experience the past negative karma, problems arise. But even your problem, for example, if you have a person, let’s say lost business or cancer, something. But if you know how to think, if you think a positive way, you see, if you put a positive label on having the sicknesses or lost business, if you put positive level by thinking about the benefits of this problem, having lost business, benefits of having sicknesses, the greater benefit that you can develop your mind and path to enlightenment. You use the sicknesses to get out of saṃsāra.
So, she uses sicknesses. The advantage is, you know, it it makes it to practice and, you see, inspires you to free from saṃsāra. Can cause happiness to all sentient beings. So, there are seven things, benefit you get from having the problem of lost business. I think the benefits, then you see positive, you put a positive label, then you have happiness.
Even though experience a result of past negative karma, but then this moment, this life, this moment, you think positively, then you have you see, it is happy, you know? You see, it become happy. It turns, it turns from being unhappiness. So here, you see, can see happiness, how happiness come from mind. You You can make a lot anytime, you can make a lot happy.
You know, anytime. You see? Example like this. So so that’s why so that’s why practicing Dharma is so the most important in the life, you see, term that, you know, to to anybody who wants happiness. So I stop.
So I’ll just read one page. So today is Buddhist birthday, so just read one page for auspicious. Okay? It may become two page. It might increase gradually.
Anyway, this page is very short. Bring all the sentient beings into your heart and then freedom from all the suffering to cause all the happiness into enlightenment. By me, then to be able to do that, therefore, need to complete, need to complete, let’s say, need to complete the collection of merit, you see, for that to to achieve the two kayas, body of wisdom, body of virtue, you see. So so to complete that, for that, now I’m going to take all the submission of the So pay attention to each every single word with prayer that by exercise path that revealed by this meaning, the path that is revealed to actualize one’s heart, then may I able to each word I listen to be most beneficial to all certain beings Immediately cause the actual realization. When I reveal this, it will to the sentient beings.
So, to dedicate like that. And then each word I listen, it liberates me from the oceans of saṃsāra and suffering. You see? So, to recognize that. So this this is big print.
There’s a text, different text from Beijing print and also printed and also printed. Yeah, this was print. So then the page is little different. So this is a different print. So at the beginning of the so three pages done.
So then the fourth page on the on the first one. The first as a fourth page. In the house of the leaders of the whole world and in the house of the terrorists and all the people who have who are taught to harm others. May I I able to offer unlimited vast benefits like teachings of Buddha? Like Lama Tsongkhapa, by having the same quality within me as Lama Tsongkhapa has now in all the lifetimes, in every second to be like that.
So from this time he explained to me. From this time he explained to me, now on, whatever action I do, eating, walking, sitting, sleeping, doing job, meditate, doing. And whatever life I experience, happy, unhappy, healthy, unhealthy, poor, having a sickness, poor or rich, whether I become poor, whether I become rich, whether I to receive praise or criticism, whether I’m living whether I’m living or dying, whether I’m in the deva realm or whether I’m in the lower realms, in the hell realm. All these experiences of my life and all the actions, whatever I do from now on, made it become most beneficial to all sentient beings. To every single sentient is most beneficial.
Whatever happens to my life. The most important thing is to be most beneficial to others, to sentient beings. That is the purpose of my life. Not so much what happens to my life, to be most beneficial. Whatever happens to me, but most important, to be beneficial to others.
So, what is that most beneficial? My actions upon my experience of life, what happened to me, then whatever I do from now, it is most beneficial, it becomes most beneficial. What is that most beneficial? That’s to be able to all these become cause, these causes, all certain beings to become enlightened as quick as possible, about myself being enlightened. That which appears real, existing from its own side, and not merely imputed by the mind, believed to be true by the ignorance.
But when the view of the wisdom, that is what the wisdom realizes is totally empty, total nonsense. Real one, existing from its own side, and believe it’s true. But the wisdom, dharma wisdom, the wisdom realized in this, see this is in this eye, totally No, that’s This I which appeared like that and believed by ignorance, is totally non-existent and empty. Enlightenment, that appeared, real one, sense existing from the side, view of the ignorance, and believe that’s true. But what wisdom see realizes that’s true, that one is true.
May all the sentient beings who also appear are really one in the sense existing from their own side. The view of the ignorance and believe that’s true, what wisdom realizes that total non existent, empty. To that Buddha’s holy kaya state, which appears as real, existing from its own side. In the view of the ignorance, we believe that is true, but wisdom realizes that. What wisdom realizes that’s total nonsense indeed.
The real one that says existing from its own side, in the view of the ignorance, and we believe ignorance apprehends that it’s completely true, but wisdom realizes that totally non-existent and totally empty. May I actually be able to follow. To complete the path to the heart of the family members.
Then in the house of all of us here, in the house of all the student benefactors of this organization, and in the house of all those who sacrificed their life to the organization and doing service to us in the and it has everyone in this world. So it must be a good omen. Thank you. Thank you very much.