Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this nearly two-hour teaching on Lojong (mind training), Lama Zopa Rinpoche gives a detailed commentary on the fourth precept and explores the twenty-two precepts of the Tibetan Buddhist system. He opens by stressing the importance of personal introspection: the teaching works only if we apply it to ourselves, not to others, and he cautions against the widespread habit of criticising family and friends while remaining blind to our own delusions. The core focus is the eight worldly concerns—gain and loss, pleasure and pain, praise and blame, reputation and disgrace—which dominate ordinary life and trap us in suffering. Rinpoche explains how attachment to wealth, reputation, and security creates fear and instability, and counsels instead a neutral mind that neither grasps at good fortune nor collapses under hardship. He teaches that misfortune is an opportunity to purify heavy karmas, and that all circumstances—whether raising children, earning money, or experiencing loss—can be integrated into Dharma practice. A challenging, direct teaching aimed at serious practitioners willing to examine their own minds honestly.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 12 Lojong.mp3
UUID: b173f6ee-a6b7-4ee8-afdf-0e78dc8af55a
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 3
Collection: Mind Training (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 3)
Date: 1990 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 100.7 minutes
Words: ~13,109
We started Dharma before, you know, anytime we started Dharma discussion or Dharma Dharma discourse, it’s always very beneficial to recite the you know, the great prayers with the remembrance of the Buddha Śākyamūni Buddha’s kindness, and as well as recitation of the Heart Sūtra and to offer long life mandala and offer the mandala offering. So all these aspects of the prayers play a great role in our Dharma practices to clear hindrances which obstruct us to engage in Dharma practices such like ignorant mind, delusions, including the the mental dullness. You know, whenever you start to listen Dharma, you feel sleepy. You know when it whenever you start to listen Dharma you feel boring. Whenever you start to listen dharma you use you know so many excitement you know thoughts comes in your mind.
Whenever you are there to listen to Dharma, there are so many different thoughts the plans of the future and different imprint of the deeds of the past, you know, just naturally it shoots like arrow in our mind. So those are the distractions, those are the obstacles, those are the hindrances. When we talk about the hindrances towards the Dharma, not necessary have to be spirit or somebody got a horn or tail or wing or whatever. All these are the hindrances. So this recitation of the various prayers, especially recitation of the sūtra, it dispels all those hindrances.
Then gradually whenever you listen dharma, it does instill a feel of joy and kind of like feel joy. Even you don’t understand but just participating in the session you feel so good, feel so relieved, you feel enlightened you know. So those are the blessing by cleansing the hindrances. So then even though the teacher maybe might not know how to explain, maybe teacher don’t have the right word to express the teaching or maybe the teacher totally mislead, you know, I mean, know, teach totally upside down, how to say, give misinformation But through the cleansing of the hindrances in your mind, you start to have a wisdom to receive the right explanation, easy to understand, You start to feel it makes sense in your spiritual practice and you start to feel it is helping eradicate it you know you start to feel that whenever you go to Dharma session, whenever you start to listen Dharma teaching you start to feel it is hurting my ego or this teaching is pinpoint or pinching my ego or pinpointing my delusion you know pointing my faults you know you start to feel that so these are the blessing you know because past Buddhas and past great Indian pandits such as Nāgārjuna and great the earlier Kadampa masters such as Atisha and the later new Kadampa masters such as Lama Tsongkhapa and many great masters of Tibet have always advised you know the teachings of the Buddha is to eliminate the delusion.
So whenever you listen teaching the teaching should directly pinpoint the delusion and fight with the delusion and able to you know able to how to say able to pinch able to disturb the delusion, to lessen the delusion, to eradicate the delusion and that is the Buddha’s teaching. And again the path great the masters have always spoken in their advices and teachings that whenever you listen Dharma teaching whenever you listen Dharma teaching you always have to listen for yourself you know the teaching you know the teaching bring in relevant to your own situation of your own inner disturbance which is ego or emotions you know so whenever you listen Dharma teaching we have to if if the teacher pinpointing about one of the delusion saying that anger is very bad anger is negative the action of anger is causing creating negative karma and it will bring suffering when teacher teach that you cannot interpret for somebody else next to you saying that all the teacher is actually teaching for her or him you know one have to interpret oh yeah actually he’s teaching for me he’s actually pinpointing my own anger is talking about me you know so if you if you ever have an anger or if you haven’t purified the deluded mind the delusions whenever the teaching teach such as like the disadvantage of anger one always should reflect within yourself then you have to understand the teaching is talking about my the teaching is pinpointing my faults my anger then when the teacher teach the advantage such as practice of patience then again you should reflect to your own self you know thinking that this advice this antidote is asking me to apply you know so like that then when when you listen to Dharma teaching if you if yourself already reached a stage of total eradicated the delusion such as anger then again you cannot make any judgment about somebody else next to you again you should judge yourself oh I’ve eradicated the anger so then you find the oneself reach a certain stage you yourself already obtained it the realization of patience then you should rejoice you should feel rejoice how wonderful that I have already eradicated the anger you know if I happen to have an anger now if I haven’t purified the anger you know you know as according with the teaching as according with advice of the teacher is it is unbelievable negative it is so so negative so how fortunate I am that I’ve already purified anger and how wonderful that I’ve achieved the practice of patience.
The same time that one should be the example to bring these teachings of the patient to other beings. So whenever you listen to Dharma teaching, the very initial motivation and a Dharma teaching you are listening You know you’re listening for your own eradication of delusions within yourself and to actualize the positive such as wisdoms within yourself so that only you can able to benefit others. Know, so, you know it is very relevant. It is very common in our case, our ordinary community. Whenever we go to listen advices or Dharma teachings we always like to emphasize on somebody else beside you but but we also never change we always hope others to change We ourselves never change you know like like I receive I mean I made a lot of consultation and I received a lot of emails you know and so far everyone is talking about others faults.
You know, are not they are they never talking about that. The problem they’re never talking about, the actual problem is within them. It’s not with others. You can see the ego is within you. You see the concrete pride and the egoistic mind is within you.
Yet you’re pointing others are so ego and others are terrible and others are wrong and right and this and that and make hundreds of comments. So that also is one of the problem. Even how great practitioner we may be, senior practitioner we may be, how long we have been in Dharma, but as long as one never reflected within one’s own mind and even how clever to project outside others problem or others whatever, is still baby practitioner you know it’s like we fail to practice the Dharma and that is the fail of purpose of listening Dharma learning Dharma you see so here you know we have to look in ourselves so the Lojong teaching is very straightforward always always pinpoint the problem parts you know and when we listen that we cannot wonder oh my husband has such kind of you know ego and problem and this and that you know he should come here and listen this teaching you never reflect yourself is the one that was supposed to listen this teaching but you’re listening but you already hoping your friend or family or your husband to come and listen this teaching it is not so much about me he has that ego he has that anger, he has that problem, he has all the wrong things.
It’s almost like you are totally white, totally pure. Again, if we think carefully like me it’s like that. I don’t know about you but like me I’m like that. I always you know see others fault, comment others fault you know and emphasize others fault but you never think for you never look into yourself. You know the great teachings volumes of text put in front of table and listen hundreds of teachings but somehow never never you know like like really Kind of like a digest within yourself by knowing the teaching is is to to to for you to eliminate the problems the delusions, you know, you see so here I don’t know whether I put nicely or not, but it’s the fact is like that.
The fact in us is like that’s the whole reason why problem never ends. That’s the whole reason why suffering cannot end. So the mind training teaching is about the purpose of listening mind training teaching, purpose of teaching mind training teaching, and overall purpose of Buddhadharma came into came into us is to judge ourselves you know judge ourselves whether we are whether we are doing the virtue part or whether we are in the negative influence so we have to you know we have to judge ourselves you know so if we are engaging in non virtue or negative emotions then again the antidote that Buddha have taught his advices to apply and to gradually eliminate. When there’s a progress of the virtue such as the practices virtue then one should again apply the Buddha’s own advice and teachings to enhance or to progress until we obtain the full enlightenment so that one can able to bring immense of benefit to numberless beings so so this is also our motivation today here okay so we continue from the text So page hundred and twenty three at the the last paragraph. So here, We are we are in the session we’re talking about the twenty two commitments of the mind training teaching so we reach up to the Fourth Commandment so we are today is on the fourth precept, oh what was it, sorry, twenty-two precepts you know we have completed the eighteen commitments we are now on the discussion on the twenty two precepts of the mind training teaching and as I mentioned earlier classes that the commitment is to sustain you know sustain the virtuous mind or virtuous aspect of our body’s mind and to overcome by practicing the eighteen commitments to overcome the negative influence of the body, speech, and mind.
On top of the practice of commitment then when you engage in the practice of the precepts, the twenty two precepts and that enhance our virtues, it will help to grow our qualities, knowledge, virtues and bring to the great perfection the state of Buddhahood by gradually know total eradicating the stages of the defilements. Here for bear whichever of the two arises for bear whichever of the two arises so here we have to know what what is the two you know that the to is referring to what so then the the explanation you know the below it says if you suddenly come into a great fortune do not become arrogant or become attached to it Make sure you do not fall prey to the mundane concern. So for bear whichever of the two arises. That is to refer to the virtue and non virtue. You know, for bear whichever of the virtue and non virtue arises, you know, so the so the title is that the two refer to the virtue and non virtue.
So then, mundane concern. That we also call the eight worldly concern. Why why we suffer you know so much in our life you know from the very day we take rebirth in this world then until you know as long as we are in saṃsāra as long as we we remain within the six realm state of the the existence why we suffer so much. So as an example to human being why we suffer so much in relation to you know in relation to our like, in a in a in a in a family relationship, in a wealth, wealth and possessions, fame and name, you know why we struggle so much about that is because of we are totally dominated by the eight worldly concerns because we are we our mind our emotion you know our entire aspect of mind is totally overwhelmed or totally you know kind of totally overwhelmed in eight different concerns you know we are constant concerned on eight different things so in short we are totally ever all the time, know, twenty four hours whenever our mind is awake and our concern is totally into the eight different types because of that we never can be liberated from the suffering because of that we never can be liberated from any kind of fear and agitation that comes in relation to our family relationship wealth and fame and whatever.
So what are the those eight concerns? Eight worldly concerns. So namely happiness and suffering. First one is happiness. Second one is suffering, third one is wealth, then poverty, then after phrases, criticism, good reputation, and bad reputation.
So you see now very clear. Now we look into ourselves. The moment we wake up in the day, we concern so much of our happiness. Almost our entire aspect of our mind is totally overwhelmed wanting happiness and do not wanting suffering because of that we experience up and down our you know in our physical level our mental level because we grasp so much on happiness when we do not achieve the happiness we suffer because we we we really do not do not want suffering and only want happiness this extreme mind you know even slight suffering comes to our life slight problem comes to our life we totally how to say like that like that no word totally burst up you know like almost like collapse entire aspect of your life you know even a slight problem comes to your life you know it can be easily solved but just since it’s a problem and even though it’s a slight problem just coming into your life you become totally impatient you know you become absolutely fear you know you you just overwhelmed with the fear and then due to that all sort of negative emotions come stress up your body pain mind pain then there’s even danger of jumping from the window you know it’s because of because of our concern our attitude is too into grasping happiness and and too into not do not you know accepting or wanting aspect of suffering which is totally lead by our misconception of our existing totally lead by our ignorance of our existing you know this kind of like extreme concern of happiness and to know one’s suffering is totally mislead by our ignorant mind.
Seeing that this life, this human rebirth, me, I, only have happiness. Shouldn’t have any suffering if any suffering come it’s like I shouldn’t be I should be unbearable then you make yourself unbearable when and I must have only happiness and when happiness come either you gain so much ego, pride until that you you you know, like, you know, this one cannot drop here. You’ll be like that. Like that. And once small guy come, when you start to look that, he falls down.
You see? It is like that. You see? So so it’s because of we so much too much concern of of our mind is like so extreme, you know, concern of happiness and do not want to know suffering due to that that’s why in our day to day life we suffer so much you know because we suffer so much you know so here the advice is the teaching advice us is to be a bit neutral you know don’t don’t don’t be too aggressive to wanting happiness anyway by understanding and by understanding that anyway in saṃsāra there’s no ultimate happiness then why I need to be so possessive of wanting happiness or wanting perfection in Samsāra why I need to eagerness so much on perfections you know why you call it? Lasting you know like a you know truth true happiness there’s no such thing in saṃsāra so we have to understand by understanding that you know if we don’t experience if we don’t achieve great happiness if we don’t achieve lasting happiness it won’t it won’t torture us much we still can survive our life you know at least there’s no extreme thought you see So again by understanding Samsāra, the nature of Samsāra, our rebirth itself whether we whether we understand or not is in the nature of suffering, in the nature of pervasive suffering.
It’s contaminated. It’s polluted. So how can you expect total freedom of problem? Total freedom of no suffering? Total freedom of suffering of physical?
Total freedom or no suffering of mental state. There’s no way. You know, so no way. It’s not possible. Not possible.
You know in Samsāra there’s no possible. So due to that reason, okay, it’s suddenly your hand cut by you know well cutting vegetable knife cut, okay you know it’s okay you know physically you pain but don’t your mind won’t won’t grasp too much of that pain you know when your mind don’t grasp too much you won’t rub much. When you don’t rub much gradually start to heal. But when you grasp too much you all the time look at this scar. You put this put that hundred different type of you know medicines then each medicine you know clash the wound get bigger and bigger possible if the wound don’t get bigger somehow it leave us such a terrible kind of like a toxin inside because so much medicine too many different type of medicine same thing when our mind some some problems come into our mind then you know we see hundred different lamas you know ask this Lama I know I have this problem what to do then after that again go to the another Lama what to do and the same question you know then then you go to hundred different doctors even the Chinese doctor in a western doctor so Chinese doctor give this medicine which clash with English doctor the medicine so but you take everything then you take the advice from all different people and up you total confused your hair also cannot come down stand.
The total confused is like like don’t know what to do then negative emotion come you start to blame doctor you start to blame the lamas they didn’t help me is The fact is you yourself totally confused because of you don’t understand the nature of saṃsāra you know but when you start to understand nature of saṃsāra even some difficulty comes into your mind say oh this is I’m still in saṃsāra this is nothing compared to nothing compared to you know the suffering in the hell realms or nothing compared to the suffering people in very very remote place in India or Nepal or even in Tibet or even in Africa you know there’s unbelievable suffering mentally torture physically torture you know it’s incurable sickness torture mentally they are like so much suffering of fear you know you know every day they need to they need to see guns you know that the bullet moving from through you know in front of their eye the ear, they are constant here of the gun shooting you know they have to live in the second of fear like in Israel you know and I remember I have one friend there he said that in front of his house you know every two day or maybe sometime one day three or four big bomb drops you know boom in front of his house almost every every day or every two days time I don’t but he said it is it is like that but they said it is like that so so if you happen to be there or you might migrate immediately to I don’t know Australia or somewhere else or maybe Himalaya in a cave you know you you cannot stand isn’t it but it’s depend on your mind like in our case once more problem come you know we have like hundred thousand reasons to run away but in Samsāra there’s no such a there’s no such a island there’s no such a place that you can run away from a problem in Samsāra there’s no such place you know but if you run away from problem you run away from the it will be concerned as long as you can run away from elderly concern wherever you are you are happy at least you are happy you’re kind of you feel protected you feel happy whatever time remain you’re protected you know as long as you have come out wherever you run it will come you know so during the Buddha’s time During the Buddha’s time Yeah, during the Buddha’s time there’s a true story relevant to this teaching one of the I think yeah one one one person you know the Angulimala, Angulimala, so he had to collect one thousand fingers from one thousand different people, you know. So there’s one guy, there’s one guy, he has the karma to be taken his finger, his thumb by Angulimala. But then he knew that Angulimala is chasing after him so he went he went he went to ask protection from Śākyamūni Buddha.
So Śākyamūni Buddha says okay you hide under my begging bowl so I have to hide under the begging bowl so hide under Buddha’s begging bowl is one of the safest place isn’t it can be safest place but when the Angulimala reached there yet even Buddha the the the begging bowl also have to flip up. It’s here. Know so your your your your karma is completed. It’s a definite. Even you hide under Buddha’s begging bowl, know, you cannot you can run away.
You you have to experience it. If your karma is definite. So the another story again whole village went into fire but there’s one person able to escape able to escape so he went to again his thing to do so when asked protection from one of the arhat, one of the very high realized you know practitioner the arhat is during Buddhist time so then he thought that hiding under the saffron robe will be totally protected because he also understands you know there’s many lines and the robes have many cuttings. These are symbolism of protections like kind of a what do you call the fence protections. So with that belief, with that faith, and also with respect to the arhat, he wanted to escape under, you know, hiding under the arhat’s saffron robe.
So so so he was hiding for for for maybe for some days. Some days, so he thought, okay, all the villagers are burned by fire, but except him, he’s free. Suddenly, the arhat’s, you know, the saffron robe was on fire. Somehow, I think it went to some older whatever. Suddenly, when when the fire burned, the the person inside burned.
The the person who escaped from the village, he burned inside there. He was burned inside the even in the cloth because he has he created the collective karma to experience to burn by the fire in that village. All the village who experience burn by fire is a collective karma of the entire village and it is definite karma. So you have a one to three days exception to complete by meeting such kind of condition but he was unable to purify so when the time comes he also burned even he hide under the saffron robe so like that so you see so so in the world in the samsaric world wherever you want to get a protection run away There’s no there’s no safe place. The only safe place is to eradicate the worldly concern. To eliminate the worldly concern, we should be free from worldly concern. We will be fearless. You know, the karma for us to live about eighty years hundred years some people for one hundred years Maybe nowadays longest is hundred and twenty thirty maybe in the world I don’t think human being live more than hundred and twenty thirty today’s time.
I don’t think so isn’t it? Most likely hundred and fifty whatever so it’s is the karma itself you know it’s what you call the natural karma which we have to go through such as birth and have to die you know so so within that period within that period if you want to live happy and protected very happy person and a protected person then we have to we have to we have to let go of the worldly concern once we let go of worldly concern We will be all the time happy whatever comes into our life. We will be very happy We’ll be very happy like that, you know, so it is so then the second one’s wealth and poverty You know, when we have wealth, you know, normally we we earn wealth for our security to feed us, to feed the stomach and to have a security in our life. Yeah it’s supposed to be protection for our life isn’t it? Wealth you work so hard earn so much money you know in one day you’re even not there to spend ten dollars you know even you must be earning maybe ten over thousands a month but in one month you’re not there to even spend maybe let’s say two or three hundred dollars and you say this is I need to keep for my safety and you have a permanent grasping that I might live until age of eighty, then you keep the account like in the safe deposit box, but because of the wealth there’s so much fear of losing the wealth You know because of wealth we have so much fear.
Fear of robbery, you know, even you wear nice nice thing, fear of snatch thieves, you know, then your fear of how to handle the wealth constant agitation to handle the wealth you know so so supposed to be protection supposed to bring happiness but that’s constant suffering. It’s not because of wrong to have a wealth, it’s because we don’t know how to manage the wealth. Because we manage the wealth with so much clinging, so much permanent clinging. We we we with with so much of, like permanent of the this wealth is ever belong to me. So when something happens, you know, billionaires during the crisis, the economic crisis, I don’t know, billion or zillionaires jumped from the window because of losing one million.
You know, he still has a billions, but because of losing one million he have to jump from the window so now what’s the point of life what’s the point of wealth you know he still have billions you see but just because of losing one million he had to he had to it cost his life You know it happened and how many ordinary businessmen maybe die during this period because of wealth because they are they’re clinging the grasping the permanent grasping wealth for themselves is so strong and because of that one dollar lose it almost like their life is totally burst up. They cannot take it. They conclude the life you know like that because of the grasping is too strong so the teaching here teach us to you can have wealth but you shouldn’t have a like kind of permanent thinking of that this wealth is ever mine that’s why in the practice normally there’s a recommended the moment you earn one dollar immediately your mandala offering to Buddha and the moment you earn one dollar immediately sincerely bring your mandala offering to Buddha then at least if in case loss you already rescued the merit and because of merit again the karma that create the positive karma to protect your wealth.
Even loss but you achieve the merit in fact you didn’t lost. Since you have a merit somehow compensate you somehow somewhere sometime will compensate you because of the merit you see when you see like that so same thing as before here the happiness yes we should we should always always You know, why call the we should always Say So before I use this word know the desire we should always desire for happiness Suddenly it sounds like desire is negative So here there’s another there’s a there’s a I’ve been I’ve been thinking over this two desire and desirous attachment Desire and desirous attachment these two words should be explained in different meaning Desire not necessarily can be negative Desirous attachment is negative is delusion Yeah, so we can desire for happiness. We we have a we desire to become Buddha You know we desire to have lunch We desire to you know sleep and wake up and shower you know so that desire is not necessary. It’s a negative. So otherwise we might think every desire is negative and that the action lead by desire can be negative then you know every single moment of eating you know like whenever you’re hungry you urge for you you desire for food it also might think it’s negative it’s not necessary.
I think it’s you know that’s my conclusion I don’t know whether I differentiate this too. Desirous attachment is a delusion. So in our life for our happiness we have a desirous attachment to our happiness. Because of that we suffer. You know when we do not get the desirous object which is happiness which is something good thing for you when you do not get that you get suffer you get you receive suffering but when your desires happiness is not necessary that you get you get the disappointment and just desiring happiness is not wrong so of course we should desire for virtue desire for happiness and of course we shouldn’t ever hope and desire for unhappiness isn’t it Isn’t it?
So here you know the early concern is the extreme thought, the extreme wanting, the desirous attachment towards the happiness, it should be abandoned. And the extreme the mind of defending suffering it is worthy concern you should abandon you know but as far as concerned with the Lojong practitioner when happiness come into your life you you take that the experience of happiness into a practice for the training of the mind The moment happiness come into your life, any happiness experience in your life, you immediately dedicate by doing the practice of Tonglen. Immediately you dedicate this happiness to other beings. You know the happiness to share with other beings. Whenever suffering comes into your life for the Lojong practitioner take into a practice of path practice of Dharma whenever suffering comes then you take other suffering onto yourself so that other beings do not need to experience suffering.
So by that kind of attitude, that kind of attitude is a neutral, not extreme attitude. It is a relevant attitude which is needed and that in saṃsāra that we can at least have a peace and happiness. So wealth is not the wrong thing to have a wealth, but we cannot have a desirous attachment towards the wealth, you know, and when we when we experience poverty, you know, and we shouldn’t have anxiety, which is again the extreme thought that you know bring about mental kind of what you call the sufferings you know depression you know when you lose money then you experience depression so the depression itself is negative you know which lead by the experience of poverty poverty even though you’re a billionaire but because of losing one million you start to feel you’re poorer and the worldly concept the concern of poverty bring depression and depression leads creation of even negative karma or killing such like a suicide happens so here the teaching asking us not to have a you know too extreme on the wealth and also poverty you know so then praises and criticism In our life, we always concern, we always wanted, and always hope, and always kind of urge for praises.
And we always defend or dislike even a slight criticism, slight kind of like negative input by others to you. Because we have this very extreme kind of mind, extreme kind of concern. Because of that we experience so much suffering. So by learning the mind training teaching, we should be kind of bit like a numb or mental state when people criticize you you know like if possible not even need to hear you know I even need to hear if in case you happen to hear somebody criticized with a very loud voice you should think oh this is a very powerful mantra a very powerful mantra is chanting right through my ear like they’re all my home like that you know just walk away it helps it helps you know of course there is such a practice when you practice the deity yoga then there’s a recommendation that whenever people scold you criticize or whatever whenever negative words comes to you. You should regard that as a the mantra of the speech of the deity There’s such a practice so you know there’s such a practice so for the mind training teaching We should also regard to the training of the mind whenever somebody scold you somebody criticize you you know said that is a very powerful mantra another way of practicing is oh in in previous lifetime I definitely have criticized this person therefore now karma ripen to me because I forgot to purify I was unaware to purify the karma that’s why now somebody criticizing me you know somebody criticizing me so therefore I must stop this karma if he criticize me now if I want to you know revenge or criticize back that means the karma will continue criticizing each other and the karma has a power increase means now the small criticism increase up to very big criticism heavy criticism not only heavy criticism but it can even lead to a you know huge problem you know because karma increases so therefore by understanding by learning dharma now somebody criticize immediately think this is due to my past karma so I must stop the karma here how do I stop Not to criticize bad rather regard that person as object of your compassion.
Rather you regard that object that person as object of your compassion by thinking you know due to his ignorance due to ignorance due to delusion he was totally dominated his emotion and he sees false in me and he criticized me You know, he don’t know how much negative karma he creating in that moment. You know, and that karma, you know, I’m sure he don’t know how to purify because he don’t know how to stop criticizing people. You don’t know how to stop criticizing people means you most likely don’t know how to purify the karma isn’t it? You don’t know how to look at ourselves look at myself if I don’t know how to stop criticizing somebody means I don’t know how to purify criticism such kind of karma negative karma. So you see now look into ourselves if we happen to criticize say wrong thing about say negative about somebody else that means we don’t know how to do even a purification practice.
We even don’t know the simple practice so called as a purification which is one of the most famous Buddhist practice one of the most crucial Buddhist practice you know and only there’s only two one is accumulation of merit one is purification of karma and these two you are you’re totally ignorant I practicing Buddhadharma for thirty years where I am. You should feel your shock. You should feel how come you know. How come you don’t know how to purify how come? Know you should feel that time didn’t you really shock yourself you know like it’s like like it’s unbelievable.
Thirty years in Buddha Dharma I even don’t know how to purify negative karma. Why? Because I still keep criticizing others. Keep creating the negative karma. If you really if we really know how to purify that means we will stop purifying or we will stop accumulating negative karma.
See it is kind of like that like kind of indirect message to ourselves you know so from here then we start to look into ourselves and and and how to say how to say degree what degree of practice that you have reached what kind of stage that you have reached in your practice maybe you might be a great scholar maybe you might be in Dharma for many many many years and you must have maybe hundreds of initiations or commentaries and you know that holiness, this holiness, that holiness, that mama, this mama, this lama so then you see where is your stage of your practice Look in ourselves. Where is the stage of my practice? Maybe because of too many holiness maybe because of too many scripture maybe spoil my my my precious human rebirth I thought I’m practicing but wasted entire rest almost like forty years already totally wasted I thought the holiness will able to purify my karma it’s totally wrong isn’t it Buddha said he cannot purify our karma So I’m sure holiness I don’t think so You know Buddha already says I cannot purify your karma you yourself have to purify You know then we thought what holiness help to us that the hundreds of lama who you to whom you meet help to accommodate merit for you.
It’s also wrong. Buddha said you have to create your own merits. I cannot transfer my merit onto you. It’s like pouring water in the glass to you. No.
No. No way. You know you have to be yours you have to work by yourself so you see so then then then we then we so this kind of analyze it then you will start to feel are you truly practicing or you just like showing off you just like a pretend very superficial and as a Dharma practitioner spending so much in Dharma and you happen to live a life in a superficial level is we that we call we cheated ourselves. We ourselves is the one cheated ourselves. So then that we rested our entire precious human rebirth.
So now here so another way like another aspect when you meet holiness when you meet many many lamas when you read many scriptures when you listen hundreds of teaching all the time looking to yourself and to to take those positive outer conditions to enhance your spiritual practice and to enhance the practice of purification so then yes we need many many holy beings many many holy objects otherwise there’s a danger you know we are too into physical like external kind of like a help but we never we forget about you know preparing for the internal help which is you yourself alone can able to you yourself alone can able to help you see so that is looking into ourselves Same thing in the relationship problem. Many people in today’s time have a relationship problem. We always blame to the partner and always blame to the partner. You know, do this, she did this, she did that, this and that, you know. Never, you know the fundamental never think of ourselves into ourselves you know so that’s a problem so anyway anyway there’s so much problem at least to live your life happily whatever stage you are is to practice karma, think on karma because in the past lifetime I have been his husband or her wife or husband or whatever children or brother whatever definitely we’re in the past my time and I did the similar action to him or her or know or her him so therefore the karma ripen and returning to me Now as a smart practitioner me I should stop the karma that’s the only solution that you can stop the karma.
How they stop? It’s not returning the karma, not not treating the same thing back, not taking revenge. On top of that, purify by applying different opponent powers. As I mentioned earlier, four opponent powers power of refuge, power of regret, power of power of regret power of antidote reciting the mantras or power of antidote or vow, the determination or the power from restricting oneself not to commit such a such negative karma so you see so you you you you come to the point that you you create new karma to experience such kind of difficulties at the same time you purify the negative karmic relation with this and that person in the past. So the relation with this being is completely pure.
Gradually you can able to purify such negative relation with every single living being through by purifying the negativities all the negativities which you have accommodated in the past by purifying it. So then one day you are free from no problem you know, no problem No financial problem. No relationship problem, you know You are you are you are somebody that you are so happy you are you’re perfect Whether you are single whether you are married whether you have children whether you don’t have children whether you’re monk whether you are lay you are somebody perfect you’re somebody is complete life complete life means a very happy life. Happy life. Some, you know, they thought getting married will be bring happiness, but that’s the worst.
You know? That that bring the disaster. Know? You know? When you are single you want to be you get married because you want more happiness but after getting married more suffering I see then after getting married oh the more happiness is being single then you’re single then again there’s a danger of having more more suffering because you didn’t practice.
You didn’t let go of the worldly concern that’s why you constantly suffer but if you let go of only concern when you if you if you have a family you’re most happy. If you are single perfect complete life. If you are Sangha complete life. If you’re a layperson also complete life. You’re young also complete perfect life.
All also complete perfect life. Even before last breath you know you have some holy dharma to recite from your mouth. Know you at least can hold something maybe even called mala, something is positive you know to hold. And in front in your room or somewhere have somebody who so called is an object of virtue you can you can host it and some people you know they cannot host even a one holy or sick they don’t know how to chant even one one mantra they are just waiting with a total fear for death You know in a long time about ten over years ago I was in Singapore there’s one place called Totak the present where the present Singapore Geisha live. So there’s a swimming pool and there’s one old lady maybe totally white hair full of wrinkles maybe earning ninety over eight years old you know I’m sure children’s grandchildren’s everybody do their own thing they like almost like whole day neglect her and she she she just she don’t know what to do she just circle the swimming pool go around swimming pool and go around sit there she cannot sit because like it’s like then after that one day we bring some kind of like a dessert so when to offer and almost the whole day actually nobody feeding her So later I mean we went to you know we give some dessert and we questioned the auntie, their family, oh our daughter you know get married with this you know sun god you know this many son many daughter grandchildren this and that everybody have busy with their life you know and including the maid torture her even the maid torture her when everybody go out the maid torture her you know don’t even give her food When she tried to report to the the son you know the maid is faster.
They rather believe the maid don’t believe the mother you know like that. Then so she said why I’m not dying now? She’d been waiting for past three years for death but somehow is the death is not come and not yet come you know. So she’s waiting for death you know and yet she has so much fear to face the death. And I’m just asking, say, you you you will be very happy to face the death?
I said, I scared. So much fear but waiting for that because nothing to do. Mouth don’t know how to even chant mantra. Mentally don’t know even to think one one positive object like a Buddha or whatever. Nothing, you know.
And and every day wear the same thing and same thing same routine she must be doing this for a few years I stayed there about one month and I saw almost every day you know and so how to say I don’t know why I’m saying this so you see so how important dharma in our life only you know like so you see so even was it so if you call complete life have a children’s and grandchildren’s and reach and whatever you know also you know it’s a total incomplete life totally incomplete life so complete life is about happiness happy life you know so as long as you are happy you know you have a happy kind of like a day to day life that is complete life whether you are single whether you are big family rich or poor doesn’t matter equally can be complete wonderful life but in order to actualize that we have to let go of the elderly concern like that so praises and criticism yeah so criticism praises so then yeah when when when people praises again problem ego you know when somebody praises then then then you start to feel the weight of praise and criticism When you don’t know the differentiate of the praise and criticism you don’t feel much pain when somebody criticize you.
When somebody start to praise then somebody start to criticize you then you really feel the pain heavier. See because we are too concerned. We have a we have overwhelmed concern on these two extreme kind of thoughts one places do not want criticism like that see Good reputation and bad reputation Same thing in our life. We have a so much Concern into a good reputation. We always want people to talk nice about you We always you know we always want to hear people to talk nice about you you know if somebody happened to talk bad thing about you you you suffer so much you know because of we concern we have a extreme concern only wish to receive good comment and because of that if somebody comment one single negative, if somebody use slightly heavy word it really hurts you.
You see so again if we really want to be happy that mind training teaching advise us to be neutral mind you know if people criticize you the person who criticize you observe your compassion You’d rather pray for him for as for yourself. This is due to past karma. I should stop the karma I should purify it You know when somebody praises you praise you. Oh, you know this again you should rejoice rather you should you know dedicate this this good fortune to to to to return to to him or her and dedicate for for for for able to bring you know what is it the ethical reputation to every single living being like that. So like that.
So anyway, here is to abandon or eradicate the worldly concern through the training of the mind. So this is the advice. And also, the intention of worldly concern, whatever practice you do, it will become a non Dharma. It’s not a pure Dharma. It will only become cause for saṃsāra, not for nirvana.
So let’s say with the concern of this very life’s happiness and do not wanting suffering, that you offer a candlelight to Tārā. It shows like a Dharma practice but it is a cause for saṃsāra. It won’t become pure Dharma practice. It won’t become a cause for liberation. So like that.
So if you suddenly come into a great fortune, do not become arrogant or become attached to it. So any good things come into your life, don’t don’t don’t don’t attach don’t don’t don’t grasp too much. Don’t attach too much. You know. If possible don’t attach at all, you know, don’t cling on it so that so that you won’t suffer, you know.
Since it’s the nature of saṃsāra phenomena, there’s no ultimate happiness will actualize in saṃsāra. Therefore, you shouldn’t be too excited when some good things happen to you. That, shouldn’t be too excited. The same time, when some good things happen to you, there’s a danger of enhancing one’s arrogance, the ego mind. When once you have an ego mind and whatever action you do based on the egoistic attitude, it become a very heavy negative action.
So so so to remember, you know, any good fortunes comes into our life. Don’t be too excited. Don’t be too grasp on it. Make sure you do not fall prey to a mundane concern. Whatever good things or bad things comes into your life, you know, not to concern too much, not to interpret too much, know, not to be too excited or not to be too depressed, rather try to learn to be neutral feeling, know.
Whenever happiness, suffering, wealthy, poverty, praises, criticism, good reputation, bad reputation, anything comes into your life, try to tame your mind and take that any kind of experiences as an object of practicing the mind training teaching. So then it says here you should take this fortune as a basis for your Dharma Dharma practice. So whatever fortune come to your life they say that you obtain lot of wealth then you take that as a basis of your Dharma practice Do more charity. Do help. Do charity to those you know unfortunate people you know charity.
You know you spend some money to liberate others life such as animal liberation. Visit more orphanage centers or some are very unfortunate people in the world there. Are so many. You should visit and you try to do some contribution because you have a lot of wealth. So that is again with not a concern of inwardly concern but sole purpose of freeing those beings from the suffering.
So same thing when we do animal liberation. If you do animal liberation for you to have a long life for this life it is not a Dharma practice. If you do animal liberation with the motivation of you wish to have a long life, do not want any sickness then you do animal liberation. That is not a pure Dharma practice. So if you want to do animal liberation you should do animal liberation with the intention of freeing the suffering in that being.
Freeing the danger of life in them because they are about to kill so you use your strength of wealth to rescue the animals from the suffering. Rescue those animals from the danger of life. Then it’s a pure Dharma practice that will create the cause for you and in relation to the animal to create a cause for nirvana free from entire suffering, entire Samsaric suffering and that naturally helps for you to prolong your life. But if your motivation is really concerned, you know is a kind of virtue but it is it has no great benefit about you are freeing somebody someone’s life but you’re not doing the ultimate purpose since you have the opportunity or potential to help ultimately and why why not we should do ultimate help rather than we just miss the ultimate purpose and do do the animal liberation for very very what you call the very small purpose you know so if you are a Mahāyāna mind training practitioner even when we do when we do my animal liberation you should solely do animal liberation for the benefit of that being to liberate from the entire suffering and in particularly right now liberate from danger of life and the suffering that have to go through in the cage like that you know so then then immense of benefit.
Same thing when you want to make donation to any charity purpose you know solely with the heart of liberating whatever problem poverty that they may have for that purpose not not to gain happiness for yourself not to lessen your suffering not to gain reputation because you donate so much money you know you know or not to protect you you know let’s say that you must be receiving so many criticism so in public you show off big donation so that people will give you some good reputation everybody concerned shouldn’t do that you know solely to liberate whoever asking donation liberate whatever problem they may have to liberate from that those suffering that is a pure Dharma and in that sense not necessarily even we have to think for next lifetime’s benefit as long as no concern of this very life’s benefit but you are solely to liberate that person. Remember in the path I said Dharma practice the motivation should be motivated for the happiness for next lifetime then become Dharma but as long as you motivate for this very life purpose then non Dharma even though it’s virtue non Dharma yeah we discussed that before but here let’s say making charity You didn’t think of purpose of next lifetime.
You didn’t think of the purpose of this lifetime just simply to liberate the suffering whatever suffering they may have. Make donation. Yes, that is Dharma practice. So that’s the difference. So some people who attract followers and material gifts become conceited, egoistic, conceited, so the ego by this.
They then despise others and do whatever come to mind. You must avoid such behavior. You know the moment you start to have a more followers then you you start to act funny and the more you and the more you have like you know people start to respect you and all like that But danger. Sometimes front, At the back, is terrible. It’s almost like, you know, like like like, what do call it?
Cat. Cat when about to catch mouse. You know? And you you watch National Geography when the tiger about to catch the deer, you know. So in our life especially dharma practitioner shouldn’t have this attitude, you know, you know, if you have anything bad thing to say sister for so that clear the karma.
If nothing to say don’t say at the back to anybody, not only to Geshe la to anybody you know of course not to Buddha you know in front of Buddhist good practitioner at the back you know do all the nonsense things. I’m Buddhist. I’m I bow to Śākyamūni Buddha. I practice compassion you know loving kindness. We even don’t know how to take care of our neighbor.
We neglect our neighbor. Know we abandon our neighbor but we say we practice compassion, bodhicitta, you know. So here the teaching all this should come out. The explanation of the teaching all this should come out you see so it’s like that so so same thing here me let’s say okay I just example here oh I sit in front of you face to you or sitting on slightly like you know like whatever cushion then people then I start to oh you know I still feel somebody up there you know then I start to do funny things negative things you know. If especially as a Dharma teacher happen to have that kind of like a mind, sure go to hell.
If there’s hell, sure go to hell. So you see. So same thing in our in everybody has followers, friends, know, followers you know. So when you have a more group of people then you try to do all the non negativities in relation to other, to offend other, you know to destroy other. So all these are negativities which is mind training teaching strictly advise us make sure remember shouldn’t do not to do all these things.
Like that isn’t it? So you say it’s really talking about myself isn’t it? So everybody have to think it’s talking about ourselves you know. I should think this is exactly advising to myself. You have to think this is advising to yourself like that.
So discuss all these behaviors you know. Likewise if you experience misfortune such that the only thing that seems beneath you is the water fall away under the bridge. You know, my late master Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, he all the time used to remind remind all the time used to remind the moment, you know, when I when but sometimes I receive like kind of like a some kind of gift or whatever, then I start to feel like, you know, I got it like that. Remember, under below you is only water. Don’t try to be somebody like that, you know.
Yeah. Like, you know, so then when when when when try to explain some some kind of achievement, say, oh, went to school, you know, or teachers say I’m very good, you know, this and that. Remember under you is only a water all the time try to let you to think you know you let you remind me remind yourself that was a noticing you are somebody superior somebody better you all the time should think that you are the the lowest of the all you know others are supreme superior you know so that’s right then the practice that long term teaching recommended is always think lower than you, below you is only water because we are not effort to think that nothing is below us because we still got some ego, you see. So you so there’s excuses. Just think that below us is just a water.
You know? And so it’s it’s like like almost like there’s nothing below us. I don’t know why they use water, but anyway is is even the lamas they use water even the teaching here also they said below you is just only water. So I’m sure that advice might might help help you to feel yourself lower, but that doesn’t mean what you call that doesn’t mean, what you call the self what you call Low that doesn’t mean low self esteem. That doesn’t mean that we should have a low self esteem.
We should have a confident, you know? But but means but here the teaching means you shouldn’t have an ego. You shouldn’t have an egoistic mind like that. But do not become depressed and demoralized. So so whatever misfortune happen happen to us, whatever misfortune come into our life then do not depress ourselves and do not discourage ourselves, you know, wondering how such an unfortunate person like me, you know, like what you know, we always express to why this happened to me, why, you know, all the time we question ourselves that why these things go wrong with me.
So we shouldn’t ask this question to ourselves. We rather should should immediately think that it’s true to my karma experience. Now I purify. I should learn to purify it. Tomorrow still can be the brighter day you know, because everything is creation of karma.
I rather put more effort to actualize virtual karma so that I can improve my life, you know, or I can able to overcome this problem. So you shouldn’t think that, you know, why and why and just sit there and depress and and and you know discourage oneself. Do not do not be so down because you are incapable of training the mind in particularly because mind training teaching sounds like like like like like quite tough you know so then you shouldn’t discourage yourself that you can unable to train one will always think that here you should think that you have Buddha nature you have Buddha nature you have the potential to become Buddha within one lifetime you know you you met the Mahāyāna teaching you met the Mahāyāna gurus you met the Mahāyāna conducive Dharma brothers sisters and this you know Dharma study centers so therefore I definitely can able to practice the mind training teaching. One should always have this courage. Instead reflect compared to the contrast in the degree intensity between the happiness of the higher realm and the suffering of the lower realm existing, the contrast between pleasant and unpleasant state of the human existing is not so immense.
So here, we as a human being remember this you know we as a human being whatever problem that comes to our life in any aspect in our life how difficult problem comes to our life when you compare the contrast between suffering experience of the lower realm, hell hungry ghost animal is nothing, nothing. The suffering in the hell realm, ghost realm is unbearable suffering and animal suffering with ignorance also unbearable even in animal there’s suffering with unbearable which is the suffering of ignorance. You know we think the dogs are like very cute you know very nice like look very happy but they have a constant suffering of ignorant and that suffering they can express, we can express but it’s a nature that exists in them, pets you know, dogs. So to the three lower realms, we human being the sufferings are nothing nothing so we always think that it’s how fortunate that all the bad karma ripen when I have this precious human rebirth. Well I well I know how to purify, well I can able to overcome by creating merits, by eradicating those negative karmas so that I don’t have to fall into three lower realm where I have to experience unbearable suffering.
We should think that whenever suffering comes to a problem comes online it’s purification. How fortunate that you experience this much you know compared to them nothing you know and this suffering can able to purify rest of the karma because I know how to do that how to purify that, by just thinking may all the karma ripen upon whatever negative, whatever difficult suffering experiencing me now, may all my past karma, may all my future karma, negative karma ripen upon this misfortune, completely purified. Have a determination, have a determination by seeing Buddha as real in front of you you know like really talking to him with a with a total conviction. Yes, I will definitely purify entire my karma. So I will never ever have to go to the three lower realms. You see so immediately relief immediately relief yes it’s not just comforting yourself definitely helps to purify it definitely purifies it depends on how powerful the power you apply if you’re able to apply four opponent powers forcefully yes entire rest of the karma can purify now you know it will fine now why we are using when we having misfortune the purification is for forceful why because there’s so many ripening why there’s so many definite karmas in our life from the beginning less lifetime until now there’s so much so many creation of definite kamas Definite karma means definite negative karma means must experience negative result must experience suffering.
Definite negative karma is to must experience suffering result someday must. So while experiencing suffering now and using your wisdom applying four opponent powers take entire karma definite karma entire karma in together with all the definite karma ripen upon this experiencing of suffering such as stomach pain and that what you call it that complete or that is sufficient to experience entire rest of the definite karmas because of that we are using this misfortune to purify the definite karmas Maybe the definite karma is to experience the hell for three kalpas to remain in the hell and experience tremendous suffering physically mentally yeah but now you’re experiencing just a stomach ache which you can still eat you can work you’re alright but some cramp some cramp but why definite karma must experience pain suffering yeah but that definite karma not necessarily must experience in the hell there’s no such must experience unfortunate suffering but there’s no must experience in the hell so it make it too different isn’t it make different here Must experience the result but not must experience in the hell only. You know, let’s say create a heinous crime of killing Arhat. Heinous crime means like heaviest karma, worst karma, worst negative karma.
Heinous crime of killing arhat. Worse karma of killing arhat, let’s say the karma is complete, definite to experience the result in misfortune realm. Let’s say definite to experience because the killing of Arhat is so intense. karma is so heavy. So the heaviest karma to experience in the hell.
Slightly lighter experience in the hungry ghost. Then slightly lighter than that experience in the, animal realm you see and that’s slightly lighter experience in the human realm like that yeah like that like that see so now here you compensate you compensate using this stomach ache as to purify the heaviest heinous crime we’re supposed to experience in the hell because that is the heaviest but now you are purifying using your stomach ache by applying forceful four opponent powers so you see that makes us such a great hope that give us such an enlightening hope you know otherwise karma teaching, karma says definitely karma you have to experience it. Then my past lifetime I’ve accumulated many heinous crimes that means I still have to go to hell because it’s definite karma you know supposed to experience it I still have to go to hell and so discouraging you know how much hard work you do the definite karma I still have to experience it. Where do you experience go to hell? Once go hell entire aspect is creation of negative karma therefore eons and eons have to live there or hopeless.
So now this teaching is telling us you don’t have to go there but you have to experience it you know and the experience can be stomach pain by using the forceful four opponent powers compensate to purify even the heaviest karma to experience in the hell so it’s very enlightening. Very enlightening. Very enlightening, very comforting you know otherwise like oh the teaching definite karma you know go to hell and that it almost make me no hopeful for me to enlighten this life and some people even can see their past life. Past life yes human being but not good. Rest of the life virtue maybe ten percent or a negative karma.
Then previous life or again say all human being let’s say you can see ten or twenty lifetime before all human being precious human being but the creation of virtue is only ten percent rest is negative karma and even that life maybe you happen to kill your father, mother, heinous crimes, you know and imagine when we are in misfortune realm in beginningless many many many lifetimes then how about we create only wrong things and that kind of like sense like no hope for us to really to become Buddha this lifetime. Know they almost like there’s no hope. See but the purification make us there is a hope. Bring a purification by this way you know that’s why whenever misfortune comes to our life must take the opportunity to purify the karma using four opponent powers especially to purify definite karmas those definite karmas so that those definite karmas let’s say you might live eighty years old age of ninety you might need to experience definite karma or experiencing cancer if you are your opponent power is strong enough you can purify that definite karma to experience cancer at the age of eighty by this present stomach ache just a gastric can purify it.
Stomach gastric ache can compensate to purify to experience cancer at the age of eighty which is definite to experience it but now because you know the opponent powers how to purify using since the definite must experience pain so now you use this stomach pain this misfortune to purify it or maybe who knows but you you might be so successful until the age of fifty you might have a billions but age of seventy you lost entire wealth. karma to experience losing of entire wealth. So scary you know and we can’t guarantee that that won’t happen. So so the smart practitioner right now let’s say you happen to lose your ring somehow misplaced your ring or somebody stole, the best opportunity to purify entire rest of the karma of losing lost wealth anything. In relationship once small problem occur once small argument comes that is the time to purify any definite karma to separation for relationship to purify now.
Say may rest of the karma, may entire unfortunate karma in relationship may ripen upon my simple argument with my partner. Know may ripen upon this may may this be may this experience may this argument be sufficient to purify the entire misfortune relationship problems. You can do it. You see So now this is just a few examples applied to every single aspect you know so it’s very very important such as unfortunate person like me Reflect compared to a concern. Okay then yeah when happiness come, when happiness encounter you, when some fortune encounter you, you know when you compare to the gods, nothing.
So it shouldn’t be too arrogant that you think that you are on the top of the world, know. You know, you are like, oh, only show money, know, only show the the very expensive bag and pull everybody out. You you go and sometimes you see they they show up with their bags you know. Pull people around you know. They work they don’t walk properly.
You know they don’t walk properly. They they like that like that. Think like whole world you you have, you know, no. You look at the gods. It’s it’s everything is like the moment you you want hundred bags is there, you know.
You want anything is there you want gold there diamond there you know everything whatever you want there even the foods you know the the things you know whatever is is like unplanted crops, you know the moment you wish just come you you wish friend friend comes You want thousand friends immediately thousand friends here all know very well each other very helpful. Number one you want solitary everybody disappear immediately you don’t even have to say go off and you know so compare to the gods a human being the count like fortune is nothing nothing compared to gods is nothing so therefore you look up there shouldn’t be too ego you again suppress your ego by thinking there’s somebody up there you know it have so much than us so you shouldn’t feel too proud Rather feel contented, happy like that you know respect the people around you like that you know. It’s unpleasant state of the existing internal. So without further distraction I shall I shall focus on my spiritual practice practices For this is the thought. Okay, so So whatever you know fortune comes me fortune comes so all the time, you know Make sure that don’t distract you with the ego and don’t distract you your practice with what you call the depression when things go wrong don’t don’t don’t depress and and and you you miss the ultimate purpose of practicing mind training teaching when something good fortune comes or you forget Dharma you know when somebody asks for dinner party you forget your sadhana you forget your everything Then you at the end you say, oh, you know, my day is so busy.
You know, my day is so busy. Then then go to then come to Lama, you know, when I have a so busy time how to handle my sadhana. You know, then ask this question, know. When my day is so busy then how to insert my practice? Then this question will come, you know, so it’s all our excuses because we are too fortunate because we are unable to use the fortune for practice of Dharma.
We are distracted by the fortune you know see so because of all this fortune too many friend you have to gossip too much so no you many hour wasted then at the end the blame is no time for practice because I’m so busy you know like that I’m sure my need to do business and this and that whatever but my training teaching is whatever action that you do in your daily life, your conventional life all should integrate in the practice of mind training means use that experiences or actions including working job use that as a training of your mind means eliminating delusions anger attachment hatred jealousy fear all those things use those opportunity to eliminate those delusion and even job, family use that opportunity to enhance your happiness means more contentment, more happy, know, more grateful, you know more enthusiastic in life you know and bring build more inspiration you know and take this opportunity to practice like such like six perfection like family you need to cook you need to help you know how busy you are you need to cook for your children as a mother you need to cook for your children so you got that as a object of you know that children as object of your compassion and to tame yourself in the practice of tame yourself in the practice of patience.
You know when you cook for children when you take care of children so much patient you need so much patient you need then you need to buy all the food materials. You should take that as a practice of generosity to to serve other being your children you know then, morality make sure you know don’t anyhow put, msg or additives and all everything you know cook properly who nice make delicious you know you know so it’s like your ethic like concern so much of the others health and at the same time you purpose you know or too much salt no good blood pressure you know too little also it needs some something some salt so concentration Oh, anyway, at the end, it is, life, myself, children, food, everything, lack of inherent existing, everything dependent arising. I shouldn’t be too attached. Shouldn’t be too you know, if food really goes bad even you try your best shouldn’t be too upset. You know, if food is too delicious, shouldn’t be too arrogant.
Neutral. Like a still water like this. Like a still water. You can see through still water. You really know exactly what’s happening but very still.
Very still. So our mind state, mental state should be like that. You know even a housewife mother can apply all these six perfection practice. Know so teaching never taught us to give up a job. Teaching never taught us to sit and give up a family.
Remain as a family remain your job but practice Dharma and there’s no separate time to practice Dharma and other than during the periods you see So for that the gurus have taught even if you are prosperous like a gods pray do not be conceited means to build up ego self centered you know the more and more money you have the stranger and stranger you become. The more and more calculated you become. The more money you earn the more and more calculated you become. It happens you know. And I have some poor people you know like what doesn’t matter or my home you know but then a lot of money one day they really you know so calculative you know every single cent you know it’s good but sometime sometimes maybe not nice for your ego grasping you know it enhance your grasping too tight you see that’s why only concern you see then one single cent lose suffer You see?
Like that is it? So even if you are prosperous like a god pray do not be considered egoistic, self centered shouldn’t be. Even if you become a destitute as a hungry ghost, know, even the worst stage come into your life, pray do not be disheartened. You know, never discourage yourself. So here It’s telling us do not ego, you know do not have an ego.
Don’t be self centered means practice Lojong Do not discourage means do not discourage from practicing lojong. You should continue to practice lojong. So here means whether you are poor or rich, healthy or misfortune whatever all need mind training teaching that’s the only way and all should practice mind training teaching in whatever stage life that you have all must practice mind training teaching and all should practice mind training teaching yes Okay. Thank you. We better stop here.
It’s overtime. Sorry. Page twenty four. Mandala offering of thanks. Thank you.
Good night.