Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 101-minute talk from Taiwan, Lama Zopa Rinpoche establishes the principle of karma—how non-virtuous actions lead to suffering and virtuous actions to happiness—and uses this foundation to explain why human rebirth is precious. Unlike animals, who cannot understand even after billions of years of instruction that virtue brings happiness, humans can grasp this truth in moments and thereby gain the freedom to create merit continuously. Rinpoche then outlines the three paths of Buddhist practice that leverage this human advantage: first, achieving happiness in future lives through lay vows and morality; second, seeking liberation from saṃsāra through the three higher trainings; and third, renouncing self-cherishing and pursuing enlightenment for all beings through the six paramitas. He emphasizes that wasting this rebirth by pursuing only worldly happiness makes human life no better than that of animals. The session includes detailed prayers and dedications for the benefit of all sentient beings, world peace, and the flourishing of Buddhist centers and projects.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2005 06 13 4 TWN 1c S.C.13th JUNE05.mp3
UUID: a06cbb97-22a2-41a9-90de-777d835f0090
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: Taiwan (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 2005-06-13
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 101.0 minutes
Words: ~2,808
So here what I’m here what I’m saying is that the cause of the action karma, is the cause and effect cause and effect, you see. So, like, for medicinal seed, medicinal plant, poisonous seed, poisonous plant, and so that the the the action of karma, which is negative, the non virtuous, then result on a suffering. The action, karma, cause, the virtue, then it result only happiness. So, continuing the continuing the question of what I was going to put, say, the debate before when I started, I know that would take time, so I think. So, however so if you explain this, these animals, cats and dogs and cows or pigs or chickens or turtles, however, if you explain for billions of years, they cannot understand.
The cause of happiness is virtue, they cannot there’s no way to understand. And what is the virtue? So, I think, you see, the action which results, you see, happiness action which results in happiness. So to make it more to make it to expand, you see, to make it more clear, motivated by non anger, non attachment, non ignorance. You see?
So so if we explain billions of years to them, there’s no way they can understand the word’s meaning. But but you see, us, somebody explained this correctly. You see, you understood within you understood within a minute. Within a few seconds, you understood this. You know, what is definite what is the meaning of virtue?
What is the definition of virtue? Within few seconds, you understood. So that is it. And that is it because what makes huge difference between those animals and the believe it even explain the economics, but you can understand it within a few seconds. Within a minute.
It’s because they don’t have human body, and you have us, one self has human body this time. So, this human body you see, by having this human body unable to understand the words and meanings, by having this human body, you see, unable to understand, you see, words and meanings, even that within a few seconds. So, that’s why this human body is so precious. Why, know, why in the teaching, talks about why this human body is so precious, even without talking about the, you know, every human condition is perfect in the body. Just just the human body, you see.
It was so precious. It’s why it’s so precious? It’s like that. From this example, you can understand how this member is so precious. So within a few seconds, you understood, you see.
You got the wisdom. You got the wisdom, dharma wisdom, understanding what’s the virtue. So that means you understand what’s non-virtue, so the opposite, you see. So, by having this wisdom, then twenty four hours, day and night, anytime, if you want to create merit, if you want to create your action, if you want to create virtue, if you want the action to become virtue, then you see, you make your motivation of the act you see, unstained by attachment, anger, ignorance. You see?
So, you transform into virtue, You have that understanding. As you have that understanding, have the freedom. Since you have the wisdom, you have the freedom. Day and night, anytime you want to collect virtue, you can do that. How many hours a day and night, how many times you say, how long you want to collect virtue, you to feed.
So, that achieve they achieve, say, the motivation detached to this detached to this detached to this life. Mhmm. Mhmm. And the second happiness is like Mhmm. You see, Then to to achieve that, then practicing the abandoning non-virtue, practicing virtue, so forth, you see, practicing morality.
For example, lay the five lay lay vows like that, you see. So, say, like this, with the human body achieving happiness in future life. You see? And then, with the I said, detach to saṃsāra, you know, leave the saṃsāra, I said, behind, detached to saṃsāra, and then seek liberation from saṃsāra, you see, for oneself. And for that for the success of that, then practice the three higher trainings.
Part of it. It’s like this attaining liberation, you see Mhmm. With the human body. Then renounce the self cherishing I, then cherish others, seek enlightenment for sentient beings. Therefore, then practice the six paramitas and so forth, the mind path to enlightenment.
So, that’s attaining. So, like this attaining this enlightenment. So practicing the the lower. Practice the middle path. Practice the the high practice the higher to achieve enlightenment.
To practice the middle to achieve to the higher to achieve So so not so when you see. So not engaged in this, you see. Those who are sitting or you see that not engaged as not engaged in this and engage only, you see, work only, I see, whatever you see only happening to life. Working so the only work to actually happen this life so that so that, see, all these animals, the expert doing that. All these animals, expert on that, the tigers or the how’s it?
Even the ants, the expert teach you the the mouse. However, others see birds, let’s say, all these creatures, they’re experts, which, you know, say, same motivation, they have same motivation is in their life. Only, I say, same happening in their life. And then, activity are only working for this life this life happens. So, even they do those, they are much more expert.
So, anyway, much more expert. So, therefore so therefore, in so therefore, you see, having all as a living life with this with this attitude of seek seeking happiness on on this this life and then working as a or working toward this happiness. So so exactly same as that, exactly same, the life become exactly same animal. No, nothing special differences. So, it did so it didn’t fulfill the purpose.
Why why, you know, have taken the human body? It didn’t fulfill the purpose. It didn’t give any special meaning. You see? We are born human beings, but it didn’t give any special purpose.
Didn’t give any special meaning purpose to the having this human body like that, you see. Father. So, anyway, didn’t make worthwhile. So, like that make worthwhile living that this way, didn’t didn’t make worthwhile to be human beings. Born as human beings but didn’t didn’t make worthwhile, See?
So however so ten are written here. opportunity to practise Dharma being born in the center of the religious country, but there’s four there’s four lineages, the same. The lineages of the vows, Bhikśunī and the Shramaneras, and that’s the there’s also female male that live in the vows. When there’s the vows preserved. I didn’t say, the opportunity to practise Dharma, if anyone wishes practice Dharma, you see practise Dharma this way, know, opportunity to see.
Having perfect human rebirth and then, since it’s an auspicious basis, opportunity to practice Dharma. Then, not following extreme actions. This is engaging in the five immediate karmas, see, not doing like that. Then, opportunity to practice Dharma. Mhmm.
Yes. Take to take vows, opportunity to practice the Dharma, and in particular, to take vows in one’s stream, you see, they can achieve liberation. That is it. No obstacle is yeah. To no obstacles to achieve liberation.
So, then teaching devoting to devoting to, say, Lamrim teaching. Main focus of the it’s arranged is mainly to tame the mind. Not not just, how say, counting number of the object of knowledge, you see, not that. But just mainly focus to subdue the mind. The subject is the way it’s arranged.
So so the text and the text comes, Dulwa’i Zhipa. This is the word having having faith to having faith, the teaching which subdue the mind. So that it sounds like but it’s not not talking. It sounds like Vinaya, the world, but it means which subdues the mind. So this is according to my root guru, Lama Trijang Rinpoche’s tradition.
Then, they have an opportunity to find Dharma because then the a time, you know, Buddha descended. Even though one cannot see Buddha directly, but they represent the Buddha, the guru, spiritual master, who teach teach Dharma, who guide the representative of Buddha. So, that truth is Then, way, opportunity to practice Dharma, then Buddha Buddha descended, but I see. Not only Buddha descended, but they revealed Dharma. So, they always impart Dharma.
Then, not only revealed Dharma, but it exists still exists in the teachings, so therefore, in this world, know, so therefore, opportunity to practice Dharma, one I say. Mhmm. And then, not just teaching that exists in this world, but from one side, it’s this time following to the teachings, so that’s opportunity to practise that. Then, the guru has compassion towards oneself. These are the teachings.
Also, other people have compassion, you see, then they benefit. They help they help you practice that. They help your living conditions and support the so that so when the center, for example, Dharma center, they set it up with compassion to other sentient beings, you know, to practice Dharma, so that includes in that way. So, benefactors, you see, are supporting the practice. So, I have an opportunity for Dharma.
During this time then, being distracted, you know, being distracted in the appearance of this life, by the appearance of this life, again and again, one after another, continuously, day and night, see. Know? On days, the second minute, hours, days, weeks, months, years, this is the most critical essence, which I mentioned before. Then then you attempting to go back again to the lower realm. You see, from where one came from where one came from where one came before, you see.
Before one came from there, we are now going back from the human realm, you see. So from the from the human realm. So this is like the return back empty hand to one’s country, you see. It’s like the empty hand from the jewel land, from the place which is jewel land, where it’s full of jewel, which is around jewels. You know, you can have so many.
You can have so many, but you didn’t do anything. You’re going to be emptying. So that’s unbelievable loss. Unbelievable loss. So so therefore, it’s saying here.
There is no more ignorant. There is no more ignorant than this. There is no greater loss than this. There’s no greater loss than this. Okay.
Playing cymbal for the neighbors. No? The person? Playing the cymbals with the the sound will go out. Playing the cymbals.
So that that’s we do projector press. They’re symbols, they’re symbol planes, you see. Which is my own trip symbol. Own trip. So they play Kunta, symbol of the lower tantric college.
So, I played my own trip, own trip, love the trip. Heruka Vajra, if you have a text, please open it. And the protectors of the Heruka Vajra. With the grace of the spirituality, all you and the vajra mind will open and come apart from the beginning, the breath of the now, completely purified. Those who have received the initiation, then you can do the meditation entering the heart.
And those who haven’t received the initiation, melt in the light, absorb between the two eyebrows and bless one’s body, speech and mind. And then this, there is no I created karma. There is no action creating karma. There is no need karma that is created. All that should be benefited.
Then those who develop their life, the organization, their services, just name, similar. And in the house of others, the. And then, the second may be particularly generated in the hearts of everyone in this world. Third, it may be generated in the spirit, especially in the hearts of all the leaders of this world, and in the hearts of all the terrorists, the neighbor anyone who has the vision for to harm others in their hearts without delay. Second, I mean, in those hearts, for this, the generated may be increased.
Offer limits to also living by having the same quality within me as has come now and in all my future lifetimes? May I become only your disciple, like your holy body, like your life span, like your entourage; by having made request to you and my I said, myself and Mhmm. May sentient beings make a lot of connection with me. Wherever we are in the virtual universe, world country, every place, house, May all the sicknesses, quarrels, wars, the poverty, the dangers of fire, water, earthquakes, all these may be immediately pacified, and nobody experience forever. May everybody generate bodhicitta, then have perfect peace and happiness, As well as inner, I say, outer prosperity, inner prosperity.
It’s about the realization part of enlightenment and it’s Did all the masters I have met, my mothers and brothers, and myself, all sentient beings, all the students benefited from organization, and those who have their love for our Dharma service. Also, may we always meet perfectly qualified Mahāyāna gurus, and to see only enlightened qualities in the guru, and from lifetime to lifetime and to fulfill the holy wishes immediately by to happen like this in all the future lifetimes. Did you order three times a little extra by me? Three times a little extra me. Was merely labelled by the mind.
That I was also merely leveled by mind. Achieved Now all the physical projects had to fulfill all his wishes. We succeed immediately. But the one needs and the media the five hundred Maitreya statues. The construct Now, without doing this, see.
As quick as possible, they have to construct the complete as quick as possible about this world in limited position, may it be most beneficial, may it be most beneficial also. Of course, purified the whole environment, of course, the collective self made it, and of it turns out what did you do in everyone’s heart in this world and bring it to enlightenment. Then bring to bring it to perfect peace and happiness in everyone’s heart. To play in the same day. To have this maybe to go to enlightenment school possible.
Quickest way to pure land, but made it handy. All the search what may may all the needs be received through the social service in different parts of the world. And the centers able to provide fund for those who are the dead and in need to to be able to. All the projects that centers have made with us in the. All the centers need to be the most beneficial all in the midst, include the Dharma of the center.
The most beneficial all in the midst all the needs. Okay? That all the to do with all the all the meditation center to be like that. No. Yeah.
They do. This world. And in the has for everyone in this world. May every single mantra we recite be multiplied one hundred thousand times. Then to actualize all the prayers with the Maitreya’s name and then the other So, we’re not Good morning.
Thought I thought you maybe you might be getting bored as well. I did leave a little bit early tonight. You might be getting bored as did leave a little early. Action. Action.
That’s this is too noisy really. No. No. I’m saying I’m saying that you’re maybe getting bored, so I just leave a little early. It’s simple.
Theater. Playing. Mhmm. Theater acting. Theater.
At the theater, you act. You act. Perform. Maybe you maybe you maybe you answer. Yeah.
Cool. When you enter the door, what do you think? You you do the practice entering the door? When you enter the door, you practice. Do what you think?
See it as the Buddha’s house. See it as the Buddha’s house. At your yes. Yeah. Yeah.
In the city of the sorrowless state, liberation. It can be liberation enlightened. Brings the medicine. Okay. Okay.
Maybe we can try tomorrow. We can try tomorrow. There’s one there’s one more day left to practice. There’s one more day left to practice. Right?
Or or two days? Two days left or one day is left? Two days. Oh, two days. Okay.
Yeah. I mentioned they will be able to give you a copy of the practice. So I’m gonna ask tomorrow, dear, tomorrow. So they never did the end of this practice. So I’m gonna ask a lot of that one.
Even next year. Okay. So good night. I was mentioned before I was mentioned before that part of the. That part of what I spend, of the.
It’s time to. Yeah. Laurie is checking with Rinpoche if she can make this as the cover or introduction to tantra.