Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 38-minute teaching, Lama Zopa Rinpoche uses a cascade of animal stories—clever ants scaling buildings, birds calculating the precise length of stick to extract worms from trees, fish shooting insects from branches with water-bursts—to illustrate a core distinction in the Lam Rim path. He explores the ordinary capable being: someone whose entire focus is securing happiness only in this life. Each creature, he shows, is remarkably intelligent at this single task, yet spiritually indistinguishable from such a human. He even shares a personal anecdote about a mouse at Kopan Monastery that took revenge for being chased by gnawing holes in his prized shawl. The teaching then contrasts genuine capable beings—those whose minds turn toward future lives, liberation, or enlightenment. Suited to practitioners already grounded in Lam Rim structure.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 26 2005 04 14 YAMANTAKA.mp3
UUID: 1e2c1962-8dbe-476b-a99d-28cca9d32742
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: z Malaysia (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 2005-04-14
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 37.8 minutes
Words: ~2,967
So today so, anyway, I do the introduction then probably preparation maybe difficult tonight. Maybe it happens in a dream in a dream. That’s okay. So here. To get some idea, the three scopes of the path: the higher capable being, lower being.
So the peep so the la the fourth the fourth one, the person who, you see, who live life, I said, whose attitude is only seeking happiness. Seeking seeking happiness is only this life. So no matter how much that person’s intelligent expert, however, you see, it’s not actual capable of being. No matter how much that person has education, how vast education the person has, intelligent in the world. However, their attitude when you see seeking happiness on this life.
Then you see a goal. Yeah. And after that, you know, goal is just to achieve only happiness. This is like nothing. Nothing else.
So that one, you see, that one is not actually capable of being. It’s ordinary capable of being as Lam Rim explained. Ordinary. They they that capacity is ordinary. The capacity is you used only for to actually happen in this life.
Happiness for one soul. And even that, just on this life. So so that that is that is nothing special. Nothing transcended. Nothing special from the, say, the as as far as attitude and action, you see, They, know, they’re working for this life.
This you know, happen in this life. Just on that. And no difference from you see, nothing’s so that that person’s human life, nothing become nothing special from pig or the, say, ants ants were keeping so busy running up and down, back and forth, you see, round, running back and forth, back and forth and ups and downs, up and down, circular. Anyway, so the ants were getting so busy. Not not slightest there’s no slightest differences between that.
The the ants ants, they don’t have eyes, I think. They don’t have eye. Right? What I heard is they don’t have eye. So, anyway, ants or worms or the so the chickens or the the sheeps and goats and so forth.
All those all those creatures, no differences at all. Nothing nothing I said nothing higher. Shape the body you see, body, human body. But I see the attitude, the way of living life, the attitude, Their action, no different no no differences. That ants are very clever.
They’re also they are very smart to it should happen to walk for this life, you know, so smart. They even even very high buildings, they can come up, you know, go and go into the kitchens. Get get into the kitchens. What a kitchen is? Get into the kitchens.
What is best food? Get into that. Get into that. Anyway, so they are extremely smart. There are also birds.
Oh, I see. The I saw in TV on that. See, it must be up. Yeah. Think.
There’s a old there’s old tree growing like this, you know, little bit leaning. So, you know, where the branch is growing, there’s some maybe there used to be branches, I’m not sure. There’s a hole. There’s a hole. So but and there’s a hole under.
I think some part where the branches you grow, there’s pieces of sticks. This much length of sticks, you know, together grown. So there’s a bird there’s a bird the bird takes off with a beak with a beak, breaks the stick. This this size of stick breaks the stick. That then then put the stick in the in the beak.
You know? Beak. Beak. Yeah. You know, put it like this.
So then then the then it puts then puts inside the hole. The tree on this, then there’s a hole where. I think maybe wet, there’s usually branches growing there or not. And the but there’s a hole. But then the bird stand there and put the stick, you know, put the stick in the hole.
It puts a few times like this. So what is this inside? There’s a worm. White worm. Something this side.
Very inside. So you see, the worm’s head is a kind of brown, maybe thick, you see. So the stick, maybe that goes from here so that it doesn’t go through, you see. Tight two, three times. Then I think it goes to the body.
But then then it pulls out the worm, white worm, come, you know, comes out with a stick, you know, going to the body. Then you test the worm, it flies away. So it’s so it’s that’s incredible. You know, the stick is there. The karma of the worm, you see?
Stick is also there. There’s a few sticks. I mean, like this. So I think he breaks that one in exact length and put through. Exact length he breaks and put through.
It’s a the bird, you see. The worms are very inside. A little bit quite deep inside. That’s they they they are very skillful, you know, to, you know, to walk, I say, to achieve happiness in this life, you see. Then then I saw another one that that there’s a I think I think river river I think very wide river.
Maybe a lake. I think it may be river. So there’s two the next two grove. And one branch comes out of that. So and then, you see there’s a there’s a very small insect on the branch.
Maybe this size, you know, insect on the branch. So the fish down fish down there, he can see this insect on the tree. So he spit the fish spit water, you know, from the from the mouth, from the mouth, spit spit water, shoot up off the tree. You know, I don’t know how he sees it, but shoot the water in from the mouth. You know, you can imagine the fish mouth, you see.
Like this. So anyway, shoot the water in there. Look at quite distance from here or there. Then shoot water up there. So what happens?
The in insect get water. The insect when the insect get water, insect can’t, you know, can’t stand on the tree. You see? So the insect falls down. So the insect insect falls down, this fish insect as the insect falls down, this fish never catch up.
That’s unbelievable. So smart. You know? What I can do? Get food, you see.
And then but the the same insect same insect there, It is not the enemy. I think this may be what is maybe the one the hands like this. Turtle doesn’t steal trees. Dragonfly. Dragonfly.
Dragonfly. So the insect insect is there. I mean, branch is quite long. Then the dragon is quite far. And he he shoot some glue.
He he from far distant, shoot the glue over the inside. Completely covered by the glue, you know, from from far. What? So I think, you know, one of those anyway, of those animals. So shoot it.
There’s some glue spread from distance on that. Amazing. I have one story. They must be in Tibet. So there was one meditator.
I think a very good meditator. So so the you know this animal that that the long tail? Aren’t you monkey? No. The big tail, but the animal is a small.
Skunk. So the skunk has baby on the on on the tree, maybe nest or something. So actually, the bird came to the baby, you see. But the skunk thought the meditator who lived in hermitage must have taken the baby away. So the skunk came one day through the door and at the altar, no, I thought, one who produced bad smell.
Skunk. Skunk. Skunk. Yeah, skunk. So came through the door one day and at his altar, he shot he showed bad smell.
So the bad smell so bad smell stayed for filled the whole room with bad smell for quite some time for quite for many days. So one day, the school saw the bird coming to catch coming coming down, you see, to kill the other baby. So he saw come. So so what he did? So he realized he realized that it wasn’t the meditator.
It’s the bird. So he came up. The skunk came came through came through the door, and then he moved the tail at the altar like this, like this, like this. The smell is gone. Then he he waited for the bird to hump back.
So so the bird bird when the bird, the other bird, know, to the baby came and he was waiting to come back and turn it back, you see. So they he he the the skunk grabbed the that bird came down, neck, and then the dead that bird fell on the fell on the dead fell on the ground. So this is meditator. He’s watching the he’s this meditator is watching all these animals in the forest, how they’re doing. So how they’re you see, how say, you know, their life, how to, you know, how to how to those who help, they help.
Then those who harm, they harm back. Then the back. So this they’re watching. Then there was another story that This next one, have forgotten a little bit. Sorry.
Beginning, I think, there’s there’s another bird. He lives on the tree. And the bird which lives on the they were up high on rock. So they were enemy. I’ve forgotten the the part story.
Enemy. So one day one day, snake. One day, snake. The the bird live in a tree. See?
The snake come up. Snack coming up. So the bird who lived there before used to be enemy with the bird living on the rock. So then this bird made so much noise when the snakes start to come up. This bird made a lot of noise and then went up there, and the other bird came down came down.
So what happened was the other bird met a hole. You know, the other bird the the the bird who had problems lived there. So the other birth from the this bird went up there, you know, then this other bird who lives high on the rock came down and met holes. Hole here, hole here, hole here, hole here. You know?
So the snake the snake unable to come up because of this hole can’t can’t come can’t come through can’t go pass through that. Some of the technique. So other bird who was an enemy before, but this bird made a lot of noise when it’s nice to come, then went up there. Then this other bird come down, made this hole around, you know, who was in enemy before. And then is unable to go up.
Yeah. This meant to us many stories how the animals, you see, they harm each other and you see also into the but then also help like that. So like that, you see who harmed oneself to the child’s bank. However, the, you know, the friend in me, however do say, even the animals, they do that and they’re very intelligent in obtaining working for the site, obtaining happiness of site. One so one time at the Kopan Monastery, in the old Gompa.
So I was staying in one small room upstairs. So the mouse mouse, they make nest in the end of my bed. So Lama used to Lama used to come to my room and said asked one person called Chunpi who was my class leader before at Buxa. So he was called. So Lama asked him to chase with a stick, chase in the bed, the mouse.
So he did that. So one mouse came out mouse came out from my bed. They went out. Then I went I went after that to check where his mouse goes. So he he jumped over the field.
So then after one month, two months, I had most the most precious one in that my room. So one Zen. Zen is a shawl, the one that you wear on top. Very thin one. So it was made to wear in Japan.
It says Japan is very hot. So we have one student, one benefactor. The very first one is a Tibetan nun, you know, the one who took care of Lama and myself for students. Then second one is an African African American. She used to be a school teacher, American school teacher for, I think, many many years.
So she bought this material to wear on top. So this is only pressure thing I have in the in the room in my room. I mean, other than statues, just other than materials. So this was folded very nicely this way and this way. This way there.
So many they put in the drawer. This is all the new thing that’s there. So so one day, I took the I don’t know what. Not that I need to wear, but I think just took this took that zen, which is for a minute. Suddenly, you spread out, Then the mouse the mouse came back and took revenge to me.
Revenge to me. So he ate. He made a hole in the zen. So he made so when you spread out many holes. So actually the mouse came back.
And you see, you can see what the thing that you chase most. So you have. Yeah. So yeah. So the this mentality, it seems like many stories like this.
Very amazing stories. You know? What animals can’t you know? How they what they can’t do. So means what human being does is nothing special.
You see? You know? Somebody harm harm me back. You know? So so so so it’s nothing special.
So that so that’s the ordinary ordinary capable being in the Lam Rim teachings, you know, teachings. So not actual capable being. So when you change your mind, when you when you are the attitude we’re thinking, is it higher and special? And then so then, you see, seeking happiness of this life, seeking happiness of future life, seeking to be free from saṃsāra, seeking liberation, then leaving behind the self-cherishing thought. Then seek enlightenment for sentient beings.
So these are so these are capable beings. So that So maybe say, maybe tonight we we stop there and maybe preparation. Maybe have some dream. Anyway, so maybe we do tomorrow. So yeah.
May the bodhicitta be generated in the hearts of all those who have lost family members, in the hearts of all the students in this area of organization, and several of us, all those who are serving, all those who support the organization, and all those who sacrifice their life in service to Sangha, to Dharma, to the Buddha, to this organization. And all the rest of sentient beings may they generate bodhicitta without delay in a second. May the bodhicitta be generated in the hearts of all beings. May the bodhicitta be generated in the hearts of all sentient beings in this world. And third, may the bodhicitta be generated in the house of especially in the leader in the house of the leaders of the world.
Every country without delay in a second. So if the leaders and many millions of people in each country, they then they will have so much peace and happiness. They’re they’re guided in the correct path to peace and happiness. And third, as a as a along with that, they made the bodhicitta be generated in the hearts of in the hearts of of terrorist or the people who are those who have harmful thoughts to harm other sentient beings, who create a violence. So may the bodhicitta be generated in the heart of all of every one of them without delay the second.
And those whose heart of bodhicitta is generated, may it be increased. Due to the three time merit collection by myself and others, may I be able to offer limitless benefit to Sangha, to Dharma, to the Buddha like Lama Tsongkhapa by having the same quality within me as Lama Tsongkhapa has from now on in all my future lifetimes. Due to the past, present and future merit that is made. May all sentient beings who see me, touch me, remember me, think about me, dream about me, even seeing pictures of myself.
Just by that, may it cause the sentient beings to immediately purify negative karma and never ever get upon lower realms and immediately heal their sicknesses, spirit harm, freedom from spirit harm, and find faith in the Triple Gem and actualize bodhicitta immediately. And may all their wishes be succeed immediately through the holy Dharma. May all their holy wishes may may I say may all their wishes be succeed immediately. May nothing become negative karma. It become only holy Dharma.
And it’s even meditative enlightenment as quick as possible. But completing the path. There would exist but do not exist from their own side. That which are totally empty. May the I who exist but do not exist from a side who is totally empty.
Achieve enlightenment. Buddha wisdom. Enlightenment which exist but doesn’t exist from its own side which is totally empty. Lead all lead all the sentient beings who exist but do not exist from their own side, who are totally empty. To that, Yamāntaka Vajrabhairava’s enlightenment, which exists but doesn’t exist from its own side and is totally empty.
By myself alone who exist but do not exist from my own side and is totally empty. I dedicate all my merit in the same way. Three times, I dedicate their merit. We do the prayer to spread the the spreading Dharma, particularly Lam Rim teaching.