Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 97-minute teaching, Lama Zopa Rinpoche frames a long life initiation for Lama Tsongkhapa by asking: what makes human life valuable? Drawing on extended nature examples—tigers hunting, skunks defending themselves, birds strategizing—he shows that self-interest and harming enemies are not distinctly human; insects excel at these behaviors. The real distinction lies in redirecting one’s entire motivation: away from seeking happiness for oneself in this life, toward benefiting others and achieving liberation. He then teaches Nāgārjuna’s core principle: any action motivated by attachment to this life’s comforts becomes non-virtue and causes suffering; that same action, if motivated by detachment from immediate pleasure and directed toward future lives, liberation, or enlightenment, becomes virtue and produces genuine peace. This shift transforms all activity—working, eating, walking—into dharma practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2005 06 05 1 TAIWAN LTK LONG LIFE 1.mp3
UUID: bf6319b5-99c1-4f1b-a94d-a541e7be6f62
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: z Taiwan (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 2005-06-05
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 97.2 minutes
Words: ~5,251
So I don’t know what to say. Good morning or good evening. Not sure what the time is. Yeah. So actually, it’s time to finish the initiation.
It’s time to time to finish the initiation. So to do the Amitayus, the long life initiation. For the main purpose of granting or taking the Lama Tsongkhapa long life initiation. That is because purpose of our living is to benefit of other sentient beings. Very meaning of our life is to obtain happiness for other sentient beings.
Benefit or benefit for other sentient beings. That Working for oneself, seeking happiness for oneself, cherishing oneself, That is not special thing about him. That’s not a special, say, activity of human beings. That’s not that that just that is not doesn’t fulfill the purpose to be human being or to have this precious human body. That even the, say, those ants, those very tiny ants, those very, tiny insects, Those large elephants, those are the largest animal in the ocean, the whales, tigers, pigs, they say.
Even those vicious snakes, even those vicious animals. So they’re expert and the the same. The attitude of cherishing eye, seeing happiness for themselves, and they’re also expert. And they’re also very political, you know, expert in the, you see, how to achieve happiness for how to achieve happiness for this life, how to achieve happiness for oneself. They have their own politics, you know.
Tigers have a lot of politics. I saw in TV that they don’t expose, you see. At the beginning, they don’t expose. They make don’t make any noise, and they hide they hide in the grass, pretending that they don’t exist. They’re not there, you see.
Then those then these pitiful deers, this this these pitiful pitiful deers, those were humble animals. Then they don’t know, no idea that there’s an enemy there close by. They have no idea, you see. Then the tiger, they wait in the right time. They wait in the right time, you see.
Close by right time to catch. Then when this came the right moment, then the run to sit. As they bite in the front as they bite in the front or backside. If it’s a large animal, they eat it. They climb they climb the backside and they bite.
First of the father and mother, main one of the family run and then climb from backside and with the, say, with the claws and they bite, you see. Then when the animal lost power, kind of much then lay down then up or then all the children comes after the animal lay down. Then whole family comes. All the children come, then they eat. Within an hour, finish.
Maybe some left bones, like that, you see. So they are very expert. They are experts and so clever they say, basically, how to working for this life, to achieve happiness. So that And in the ocean, there’s one animal. Hypselodoris.
I don’t know the name. I know which one. I think the corn shell animal. I think the lobster, they start to the lobster, they start to eat the the red one, you see. Normally, I say they go to eat it.
Then this animal, that the animal produce some black stuff, you know, to protect to protect the to confuse the lobster. Send some black stuff, spreads out like some black stuff. So the whole thing become whole thing become dead to your dark to the other. They lost the other. The enemy cannot see.
But, also, I think I think I can’t run much. So it just made it obscure. Makes the water the clear water that you can see through, makes it kind of dark, can’t see through, so it may confuse the the lobster, the the enemy. So does that yeah. So you see the sorry that.
The human being doesn’t have even that. The human being doesn’t have even that method, you see, from produce something from body to other to no seed. So then there’s a the then there’s the skunk. There’s I was in TV, skunk. The tiger the tiger comes to eat the skunk.
The skunk is only this size. Yeah. On on this size. Of course, tiger, you know the size of the tiger. So this the tiger comes to eat the scum.
And then then the skunk shoots the smell from the tail. I guess from the tail. Should the smell. One or one or two the target is a little bit distance, you see. So I think it has to be also right time.
You know, because I heard that the the can shoot only six times. So then you run out of the fuel, see. So then the target will hit. So I think it has to be be careful. It has to be skillful.
Has to be safe to the energy. See? So I think so the so shoot to one or two time, but entirely. But when the tiger come close by closer, quite close, you know, they keep on shooting. Then the tiger couldn’t stand, you know, the tiger.
It became too much for the tiger. Even the eyes kind of When somebody spread to you, you see how it happens to your eyes. So anyway, but then Tiger then Tiger, as he goes, returns back. Then then he look at the back. He look at the back.
Then he become well, Tiger went back. You see, I was unable to harm. Then this kind of feel like kind of feel like high. High or the you know? Thing.
Then he doesn’t run away but he’s he feel that he conquered the tiger, I think. So that so they’re they’re full of stories like that. So then one time I saw that I don’t know what the name of the animal. One small animal. One small one.
Has quite a sharp some mouth, you know, the face like that. Very small. Little bit of height under this bell. Okay? Snake snake can.
Snake cam. This small animal. He beat the snake. So he beat the the snake’s, you know, the nose. As you remember, snake’s nose and mouth, you see.
So he he had a sharp teeth. So he, you know, beats this a bit few times. Then the snake went back. The snake got some marks. They went back.
There’s some small animal. This snake went back just from, you know, bit some there. Then then he cleaned his mouth. So they are very good in the say, they harm the enemy, you know. They’re spurred in harming the enemy, have to achieve happiness for himself.
human being doesn’t have a sharp tooth like that, you know? Very tiny sharp tooth doesn’t have unless somebody has long nails showing there. So that is it. That then The snake the snake, they’re very expert. They’re they’re very expert to get food.
So one time there was one insect there was one maybe the same maybe the same animal, I think, same type. But this is a small one. They turn this side. Busy eating something. Of course, this that the small animal cannot see.
There’s enemy coming from behind. So snake came from behind. Yeah. Came from behind. But then, you see, he then grabbed other part of body.
He grabbed specifically the neck. When when this when the snake grabbed his mouth, see, of course, neck to neck hand. So snake, you see, grabbed the neck of the animal, you see, this part. They can’t do anything. Of course, can then otherwise, he can use his very sharp teeth.
So the the snake is very expert how to, you know, how to kill, it’s hard to get the food. There, you know, it’s also there’s also politics. You see, from coming from behind without knowing the without being seen by the by the by the animals. That’s their their skill, their politics. So like that.
And then I heard the story that this happened in Tibet. There was one very good practitioner monk living in the hermitage. He spent it seems it’s been it seems he spent much time, you know, during the breaks outside watching the birds, you know, animals, how they’re living their life. So outside of his hermitage, there’s a tree and a tree There’s the skunk. Nest, there’s a nest of skunk on the top of the tree.
So the one one baby of the skunk, I think bird came while the mother’s skunk as well. Bird came maybe howl or something came to the baby. So the skunk mother thought the monk the monk must have killed her baby. So so the skunk so skunk, when they entered through the door of the monk, the hermitage room, entered in. Then entered in, so came through the door, came in.
Then at the altar, there’s altar, so the skunk should smell. You know, where the monk’s altar is, should this bad smell. So the whole room filled with bad smell. So with that. So one day, the bird the hawk and the bird came to take the, you know, to take the bird to take I mean, to to to say, to catch them.
But then the skunk mother realized, you’re not a monk. It is bird. So so the the the bird came wanted to, you know, to catch the scum’s babies. So this so then the scum the scum’s waiting, you see, waiting to harm the bird, the hawaii. They’re waiting there always to catch it and always to grab that bird, you see.
So one day this hawk came He was waiting to come back, you see. So the hawk came and then he grabbed grabbed the bird’s neck, you know. Then I think might be has beaten. Then then the bird dropped on the ground. You see?
Then then this skunk came one day, came through the door of the hermitage door, came through the door, and he went to the altar. He moved his tail like this back and forth a few times, the smell stopped. So he realized, you know, it wasn’t the monk who killed the baby, it was the bird. After so after realizing that he came inside one day and then moved the table, not table, but tail at the altar, you know, few times and then the smell stops. So was there at first.
She said, you know, you know who who is how to harm to the enemy, you know, harm to enemy. And you see, I say, you know, they help the one who, you know, say friend or the one who help. Say, you know, to to help me and to harm the enemy. You see, not only say, that’s not to say. That’s not only human being, that’s the animal that they consider that they’re expert in that.
Then similar. The similar that so one day, there’s a bird there’s nestled bird on the tree. And There’s another bird coming to eat the egg or the baby or something like that. Then but this same bird you see. So there’s a danger of the snake coming up to eat the eggs.
For the mother, the bird mother, you see, made a lot of noise, made made a lot of noise from there, calling the it’s the same bird who was coming to the high cliff, living in the high living in the quite high, you know, mountain or the rock. Living high up. So it made a lot of noise. The snake start to come up to the tree to eat the egg. So the mother bird made a lot of noise.
They went up, went up to the rock. And then the other bird came down, and then you see, here’s the bird nest. So here so the bird met, you know, with beak by putting made a few holes around the tree. So after after that, that’s the bird before it come to harm. But then this time, this bird, you know, made noise and went up there, somehow made noise.
Then this other bird came down. As it met a few met a few holes around. So then snake went up but could not pass through that. Somehow snake could not pass through that, come up and go down. So that see, even as a that is it was enemy before, but then afterwards, this bird asked for help and then it did help, you see.
So like that. So I think there must have so many so many amazing stories. You see in it you see you in TV but also I think that. So this monk also this monk also watched their lives, how they how they live, how they behave, like that, you know. So therefore so therefore living the life just for oneself, just for yourself to achieve your happiness and to solve your own problem, that’s not that say, not a pro not a meaning of a human life.
That doesn’t fulfill purpose of why you have taken a human body this time. Nothing special that the all these animals, those insects, are expert, you know, achieving, obtaining happiness benefit for themselves and to harm the how to attack, harm the enemies. They even just no matter how small small small harm to big ones, able to harm the big ones and do not have to do that. So that, you know, the helping those helping the friends or those those who will help you and harming the enemies. So, however, you see the the goal, you know, working for working just for one working for just one self.
See. So there’s nothing special. So so if you live the life only with this attitude, nothing special from the nothing special from these insects, All these vicious animals, pigs and tigers and snakes and so forth. Then what happens? You have taken human form, but, See.
He would have taken human form. Didn’t it fulfill the purpose? Didn’t make it I don’t know how to say the exact word. Didn’t make didn’t make it worthy. Didn’t didn’t make worthwhile being human being.
You didn’t make you didn’t make you have taken human body but you didn’t make it worthwhile being a human being. So you have taken has taken human body but the attitude and the attitude and actions, you know, exactly the same as that. There’s nothing special than the nothing higher or special than the lower realm, the suffering tons of migrating animals, you see. So like that. Then especially, you see, received eight freedoms On top of that, not just of having human body but having freedom to practice Dharma, not not not being born in hell even, freedom to practice Dharma, not being born as a hungry ghost, having freedom to practice Dharma, not being born as animal, having freedom to practice Dharma.
Not being born in a border region, having freedom to practice Dharma, not being born as a long-life god in the form realm those forms even. We have no opportunity to practice Dharma, no opportunity to practice Lamrim, renunciation of bodhicitta, right view, leave aside practice of with no opportunity how many years they live in the form of in that realm like deep sleep. Only awareness birth and the death, but between like deep sleep. No opportunity to practice renunciation which is which makes to enter in the path, which is liberation.
bodhicitta is meant to enter in the Bodhisattva path, which is enlightenment. The right view was meant to cut the root of saṃsāra, able to see the cause of saṃsāra delusion, karma liberated from the ocean of saṃsāra. So the gods do not have all this opportunity. So freedom to practice Dharma without being a long life not being born as a long-life god, worldly god. Not being heretical not necessarily from birth time.
Sometimes you can become a heretical latter. Can one came Buddhist before, then afterwards it become heretical. So not necessarily have to be so from birth time. Not being not being heretical, having freedom to practice Dharma, and then, say, not being born in the time where in the world where Buddha hasn’t descended the so time Buddha disappeared and so reveal Dharma. See?
So the opportunity to so they have opportunity to practice Dharma. And then the see, not being mute. So I have freedom to practice Dharma to understand the words, meanings of Dharma, not being mute. So not just that we have precious human body, but we have this but we have this but we have received earth freedom. So that.
To practice Dharma. So therefore now now you can see. As Nāgārjuna explained in the Precious Garland, the actions born from ignorance, anger attachment, and non virtue. From that, all the suffering might be able to happen rises. The actions born from non-ignorance, non-anger, non attachment are virtue.
From this all the happy migrated beings rises. So this is it looks like it’s it it looks like a normal simple thing. But if you think well relating to relating to the definition what is Dharma, what is not Dharma, relating to one’s own daily activities and one’s own attitude, then we don’t want to see very clear how it is so important to think well and to practice. So as I often mention that Of course no question actually done with anger is non virtue. Say, cause which results only suffering.
There’s no question. And there’s also ignorance ignorance of karma. Oh, say, not not ignorance, not know, dharma, not know karma. So action done with that results, say, suffering. Then there’s action done with attachment which results suffering, which results from only suffering.
So here, the attitude of life here, the attitude of life that which is detached from this life that which is detached to this life, but but attachment seeking seeking future life happiness. You see, future is some sort of pleasure. So that motivation is the virtue. Even though it’s attachment is see even though it’s attachment but that is you see, seeking not seeking happiness in this life but seeking happiness in future lives. So it’s detached to this life, to this life pleasure.
So therefore it is a virtue and actions done, you see, praying, meditating, doing jobs, the eating, walking, sitting, sleeping, so forth. With that attitude detached to this life, but we see the attachment, seeking happiness in future lives. So that that attitude is a virtue. So all these actions become virtue which results on happiness. Results on happiness, happiness future lives.
But the action, not only eating, walking, sitting, sleeping, doing job, so forth, even including praying, the action, meditating become non virtue that if if it’s done with the attachment as an done with attachment cleaning to this life To to this life pleasure, you see. And these actions results on a suffering. More reasons. There’s more reasons. So general definition this non virtue results only suffering.
Okay. The more specific things more specific things to discover. That is you see, I also mentioned past two. That living the life with this attitude only seeking happiness, you know, only seeking happiness, seeking only one’s own happiness. Not only that, but happiness this life.
See, clinging, grasping. I see this happen this way. So You see, the experience is that you you can never achieve such you can you can never get inner happiness, peace from that. You can never achieve inner peace, happiness. You can never achieve satisfaction from that.
Inner peace, happiness, the satisfaction you can never achieve you can never get satisfaction from that. So always living life with this attitude, only seeking happiness attachment seeking happiness just as in life. You see, whatever you do, if you want to become billionaire, zillionaire in this world, can’t find happiness, can’t find satisfaction. Your in your heart will be always empty, always filled with dissatisfaction, misery, unhappiness. Besides, there’s no fulfillment, you know, feeling worthy of one’s own life.
You know, my life become more meaningful someday, you know, that you can rejoice. Oh, my life is going meaningful. You see, there’s no fulfilling. As a result, you see with the living life with this attachment, seeking happiness in this life, you see, as as we hear all see in Time Magazine, see here we hear all the time, others’ life stories that who become billionaire and zillionaire, but so much unhappiness. As a result, you see, in the life, in your heart, so much unhappiness, more unhappiness built, increased.
So much depression, more the external. If you achieved, you gain external success as, you know, become most famous in the world of power, influence, wealth. But you see but in the heart, instead of increasing more peace and happiness, more more depression, more unhappiness. You see, more and more depression. This this, you see, you hear so many times that people other others who succeeded, who had great success externally, but lived but but you see, instead of increasing peace and happiness, develop increased depression and unhappiness in the life.
There’s so many committed suicide or, see, committed suicide, you know, the you’re so much when the problem is so much, you don’t know what to do, you’re suicidal. So that comes to the point. Or the or end of life in prison or doing doing say, doing some unrighteous things, killing others, some unrighteous things, stealing, so forth. Then end up life in prison or disgrace. After all that, after all this put effort so many years, you know, have education then have education then you see, it is a power of the family of wealth, all this.
Then at the end, it’s the end of life prison or bad reputation, filled the filled bad better news, bad reputation filled the world. So that’s so that’s so that is the result, you see, that that mistake in your life, the way of living life, the attitude of the attitude of life, motivation of life. So the mistake, why the life end up with some of the with even greater problems, all this bad reputation, you see, in the world, have all this. So result of that, is the attitude dissatisfy mind. So that’s so unhappiness usually no matter how much externally one try, there’s no it’s always the heart is empty, missing something.
Always think one eye can be happy. Yeah. Like that. So more unhappiness build, you see. So that so that’s so you see, that’s the that’s the discovery, the result, the effect, what happens to your life.
Not only what Nāgārjuna said, what only Buddha said in teachings. The logic, the you from others’ life story, your own life experience, you can understand. You see, problem what that attitude causes. You see, just, you know, just the the you see, attached to life attached to life is there. Just the attachment.
The minute when they cling to this life is solved the problem. That solved the confusion. That that itself is the opening door for all the problems engaged in killing and suppose you want to achieve happiness for yourself. So, you see, you know, the killing, stealing, adultery, all the relationship problems, you know, sexual conduct, so forth. So many the negative karma and righteous actions when engaged.
So what makes to that is by this by this attitude, you see, the attachment clinging to this life. So this is so this is not only about the teaching by Buddha or by Nāgārjuna said, you know that. That you are that one’s own life experience if you analyze, if you check back, if you check, you know, your own life experience up to now, but following that, what happened? And due that, then what happened? What problems you faced?
What unrighteous action one is engaged? Nobody forced you, but one you see, you have freedom but you want to commit it. So all that. And then we see others’ life other people’s life in the world from that basically, how much they suffer even they have external success, you know. Whole mistake is because of their attitude.
The mistake and the attitude of life is there. The attachment, the clinging to the side. So doing doing the activities with that attitude, you see. So it’s not just on a non virtue result suffering result suffering in a life after this, not just on that just on that cause and effect. But what experience you get from that in this life, no happiness, only problems.
You see, so many it leads to so many problems, hundreds, thousands of problems, you see, it is it starts. So so therefore so so what Nāgārjuna is saying, you see, what what is said in Milarepa’s life story or what is said in Dharma. You know? If you practice Dharma, how much happiness, peace there is. You know?
You can so psychologically, you can you can understand. So so you change your attitude. You see, the cut this, the negative emotional, this disturbing negative emotional part. They are, say, clinging to this life.
See, it’s so then by cutting this, you are free from all those hundred thousands problems of this life. That see, because you are free from the root of the problems, this attitude. So then all the branches, hundred thousands of problems of life, you’re free. If you don’t have to suffer. So that’s why practicing Dharma, the life has so much peace and happiness.
What in Milarepa’s life story or in the Lamrim teaching, life story, those are pure yogis, lamas. So that say, the basic thing is that. That including business. So in the beginning, you have so much success. Because you have because you have so much success, At the same time at the same time, you see, you practice Dharma.
Means again change your attitude of life. You see, instead of seeking happiness life, seek happiness in future life, liberation from saṃsāra, enlightenment, happiness for others. But then you see, with that attitude, then whatever you do, your actions become dharma, virtue. You see, if it’s a seeking happiness to others, seeking enlightenment, your actions, you see, aging, working, sitting, doing job, so forth, all these become cause of enlightenment besides praying or meditating. So but but since see.
But not changing the one’s mind. So not practicing Dharma. Not changing your mind means not practicing Dharma. Not changing your mind into you see, the the detached mind to this life but seeing happiness in future life, liberation of saṃsāra, enlightenment, seeking happiness for others. So positive mind.
So that’s the mind become positive, you see, pure attitude. So that’s dharma. Then you all your actions will be which will become dharma. Virtue results only happiness. So especially the attitude seeking happiness others, seeking enlightenment, they become cause to you because cause to you achieve.
Say, full enlightenment, cause of happiness of those sentient beings. So that’s say So but mind did not become Dharma, those positive attitude. And then only the negative attitude, you know, attachment only cleanses. Right? So then you become non virtue, even praying, meditating.
And then as your world increasing having external success but at the same time practice Dharma, collect merit at the same time, then there’s continuity. You see, there’s continuity also you have success. So without that, what happens is you’re just living you’re just living the path little merit. You’re just living on the past little merit, collected that happiness. You see, having some wealth.
So you’re just living on that. So more your success your past merit finishes. More you have comfort in a luxury life more comfort you have a little merit to collect the past finishes. You see, gets more finished. Bring them less and less.
So you’re donating extra. So one day, then you see, one day then collapse Their whole life is the whole in the whole the whole business collapse. You see? Then before, billionaire, millionaire, but one day, you worried even the rent paying rent for the house. You see?
Paying rent for the house. Even the normal things that you don’t do you normally you don’t have to worry about. Then one day it will become even even those things become concern. So it’s like that. Then nothing is working.
Everything got stuck. So the little merit was collected in the past. So I said future. Collected in the past. So finish.
So then what is left is only the karma. Result of the result of ten the the ten non-virtuous actions, what it was done in the past. So what is the only what is that that that is left. So then so many then so many problems arise. Very difficult very difficult to get out of that problem.
You try so hard, nothing is working. So so these things happen to so many people in this world. So like that. So for the whole thing as a even those problems can misrule mistake come from the attitude is not become virtue, not become dharma. So if you become dharma, you everything what you do is become dharma and always you you always you collect good luck merits in the life, you see.
So there’s a prosperity, life to life. There’s inner prosperity, outer prosperity in life to life. You see it’s like that. So you can enjoy the happiness from life to life. You can benefit more and more to other sentient beings.
So So the the definition of dharma that is it. What is dharma? What is not dharma? Any as Nāgārjuna explained, any activity that is done with the is done with worldly concern, the attachment, cleaning to this life. So that’s not dharma.
That’s worldly dharma. Not holy dharma, worldly dharma. Any activity that is say, that is done possessed by the contaminated or possessed by the attachment, clinging to this life. That’s the that’s not holy dharma. That’s the worldly dharma.
Non virtue. The same. Non virtue. All the dharma, non virtue. Negative karma.
Then any action that is done with a mind unbound by the attachment that clings to this life, That is that is holy dharma. That’s holy dharma. That’s not non-virtue. So that’s good karma, virtue, not non-virtue. So here, one thing you should understand.
Negative karma is very vast. Negative karma doesn’t mean only you kill people or say you kill people or stealing or something, you see. Of course, of course, of course, stealing is quite extensive subject. However, you know, if you go into details, however, it’s a normal people think, oh, I’m, you know, I didn’t do anything. I didn’t harm people.
You know? I didn’t, you know, I didn’t do anything. You see. I didn’t didn’t do stealing or didn’t. See.
I I didn’t do anything with karma. You see, many, you see, thing like this that one didn’t get I haven’t done those things, so I I have I see that therefore I haven’t created the karma. But not but but without knowing definition of negative karma, without knowing what is negative karma, what’s not negative karma, without knowing the definition of definition of, you see, non definition of virtue and non virtue, without knowing that.