Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 95-minute teaching on lojong or mind training, Lama Zopa Rinpoche begins by explaining the power of motivation, showing how setting bodhicitta—the intention to attain enlightenment for the sake of all beings—transforms even ordinary activities into causes for enlightenment, whereas worldly, selfish, or limited dharma motivations waste this precious human life. He illustrates through the story of the businessman Norbu Sangpo, who later became Buddha Śākyamūni, how integrating dharma into daily business through sincere bodhicitta motivation led to enlightenment. Rinpoche then walks through precept thirteen of the lojong teachings, the six categories of misplaced understanding: misplaced forbearance (enduring hardship for worldly desires instead of dharma), misplaced aspiration (pursuing appearances and physical beauty rather than purifying karma and accumulating merit), misplaced savoring (dwelling on sensual pleasure and past grievances instead of studying and reflecting on dharma), misplaced compassion (pitying ascetics and practitioners rather than those caught in conditioned suffering), misplaced dedication (devoting oneself to wealth and friends rather than dharma as a privilege), and misplaced rejoicing (celebrating others’ misfortune instead of their virtue). The talk emphasizes how these misconceptions drain our brief human opportunity and offers practical antidotes: making pledges to adopt right interpretations and abandon wrong practices. Suited to practitioners familiar with lojong teachings and the Lamrim framework.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 20 Lojong.mp3
UUID: c12688d7-6fe9-42d6-9768-244bb111bf04
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 3
Collection: Mind Training (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 3)
Date: 1990 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 95.1 minutes
Words: ~12,593
So if we if we set the right motivation, even Dharma classes, even, you know, Dharma discussion gathering can become most powerful creation of cause for everlasting happiness, the state of enlightenment. We are able to set the right motivation, even this very session can become a very powerful tool, very powerful action for us to accumulate immense of merit, immense of good causes to bring prosperity in our life, to bring better health in our life, to bring happiness in our life, and gradually can even connect to everlasting happiness, which is the state of Buddhahood. So it’s very much dependent on how we set the motivation. So there’s different stages of motivation, worldly motivation, beyond worldly, Dharma motivation. So if we set a worldly motivation to complete this meditation, then we achieve just worldly benefit.
Just worldly benefit. And let’s say I’m listening Dharma, that very very precious, very powerful Buddha’s teaching, mind training teaching, is for purpose for me to get slightly richer, slightly better health, slightly, you know, gain more friends, then if possible, it will it will will will bring great benefit to actualize that that kind of benefit, but that much, you know, that much. You know? So to to to get better wealth, you know, to to have better health, you know, to have more friends, not necessarily that you have to practice Dharma. You know?
You work harder, maybe more money. You mix around with more people, more friends. You do more exercise, better health. So if you take Dharma, Dharma practice as a purpose of just to gain that much value benefit, then in the teaching it stated it’s a wrong motivation. In Lamrim teaching it stated it is a wrong motivation.
So then slightly better than that motivation could be beyond worldly, but there’s a very selfish motivation, you know, for oneself to obtain happier life this life and for oneself to gain happier life next lifetime such as higher rebirth, you know, to born as a human being. So in order to actualize that then, to receive Dharma teaching, to do Dharma practice, again, even though it’s a Dharma motivation, but it’s very limited, very limited, very small, very little, you know, Dharma motivate very, very you know, the motivation is is is, you know, what do you call, you know, what do you call the you know, compared to the potential that you have, it’s nothing. You know? It’s for nothing. You know?
So then slightly better than that, the motivation or middle capable being which teach from Lamrim, the three scopes. The middle capable being, the middle scope practitioner. Oneself to receive the Dharma teaching, to practice Dharma is for the purpose of actualizing freedom from saṃsāra world, the six realms rebirth, the saṃsāra. You know, to be free from entire aspect of suffering within oneself, to obtain liberation. And again, according with the Mahāyāna teaching, as Buddha taught, that also is a wrong motivation as a Mahāyāna practitioner.
Again dependent on the potential that you have, that motivation is very very small motivation, very small purpose. You know? For for for a little purpose, for a small purpose. So, again, regard it as a wrong motivation. Even though it’s dharma motivation, but as a Mahāyāna practitioner, it’s a wrong motivation.
So then what is the right motivation? The right motivation is bodhicitta motivation. The the the motivation which inspired by the the most vast, extensive, and most compassionate, you know, inspiration, which is called the bodhicitta motivation. bodhicitta motivation. So how to set that motivation?
How to set the bodhicitta motivation? How to motivate one’s Dharma session or one’s Dharma practices with the inspiration of bodhicitta is to cultivate a thought thinking. May I able to actualize fully enlightenment in order for me to actualize fully enlightenment within every single living being? For that purpose, I’m listening to Dharma teaching, I’m going to listen to Lojong teaching, I’m going to discuss on the Lojong teaching, I’m going to do this and that practices. So if you use this motivation, this simple Buddhist motivation, whatever virtuous conduct that you do in your day to day life, it become vast benefit, infinite benefit.
One will actualize the greatest benefit up to everlasting happiness, up to enlightenment. You know, this motivation will influence or will actualize whatever action that you’re going to engage as a cause to bring oneself to become Buddha. You know, not only that, it will become a cause to bring entire rest of the numberless numberless beings to become Buddha. Due to that due to that, all the temporary happiness such as to become rich, to become happier, if you need a healthy body, healthy mind, if you want higher level next life, if you want to be liberated from saṃsāra, all those things will come by the way. We don’t even have to motivate for that.
It will just naturally come on our way. Even we do not want also, it will come. If we happen to motivate, bodhicitta motivation. That is highest motivation, the greatest motivation. And all the past ten direction Buddhas such as Guru Śākyamūni Buddha, Buddha Maitreya, Buddha Akṣobhya, Buddha Tārā, you know, all the past Buddhas have obtained enlightenment through this motivation, through bodhicitta motivation, through bodhicitta inspiration.
All the past Buddhas in order to obtain Buddha, in order to obtain Buddhahood they need to accumulate three countless eons of merit. They have actualized the three countless eons of merit within a short period of time due to the bodhicitta motivation. Whatever action they engage, whatever virtue practice they engage, all the actions are initiated by bodhicitta motivation. All the past Buddhas become Buddha because of their engage into the practice of six perfection. Practice of generosity, practice of morality, practice of patience, practice of concentration, and practice of wisdom.
Six perfections enough? So, you know, all the past Buddhas, you know, they have obtained Buddhahood because of their engaged in the practice of six perfection. So when during the training in the path, their all engagement in the six perfection was initiated or inspired by Buddhism motivation. Not only that, all the past Buddhas during the training of the path they have practiced, they have cultivated all the Dharma practices emerged with the lojong practice, with the mind training practice. All the eighty four thousand teachings of the Buddhas have merged into the lojong practice and they actualize the lojong practice in the practice of six perfection.
That also initiated, motivated by bodhicitta motivation. Only the bodhicitta motivation. Whenever those past Buddhas during the training of the past like us, like us now before they become Buddha, well they are in the Samsāra, exactly like us, when they are suffering. Yet they meet Dharma, yet they meet bodhicitta teaching or Mahāyāna teaching, such as the lojong teaching. When they integrate Dharma into their their day to daily life, such as such as as Guru Śākyamūni Buddha’s one of the previous life as ordinary person.
The before he become a bodhisattva, the great businessman called Norbu Sangpo. So those of you who’s visiting Nepal this time, we’re going to visit the holy place. Norbu Sangpo, he’s a know, later he become a Bodhisattva. He’s a businessman. You know, he’s a you call it traitor?
Trading, yeah, trader from India, Nepal to Tibet, you know, even other parts of the world. So one of the most successful businessmen, you know, most successful businessmen. So whatever whatever you know, before he become Bodhisattva, he was he was ordinary person, simple guy, then he he he build up his business, become richer and richer and richer. At the same time, he build up his heart. At the same time, he learned Dharma.
He learned mind training teaching. He build up his heart also greater and greater, bigger and bigger. So one day by the way, whatever, you know, his time in business, he integrate Dharma into that. Means he integrate mind training teaching into that. You know, three principal aspect of path into that.
Whole lamrim teaching there. Whole Sūtra and Tantra into that. You know? With the motivation of bodhicitta. Let’s say you need to go for business today.
You know? Whatever the actions through my body, speech, and mind involved with the business, may those actions be the complete cause to actualize Buddhahood in me, and may that be the complete cause to actualize entire numberless sentient beings into enlightenment, for me to become Buddha. That much. So he cultivated this. He sincerely expressed from his heart, you know, not just on the note and read, not like that.
Not not like reciting sūtra, read, not like that. He expressed from his heart. He he really mean it, you know. Even though just a word expressing, but he really mean it. But he mean that much word.
Not many. Not much. Not even more than one prayer. Less than that. The Buddha said, may I I become Buddha?
You know? And that also to bring all living beings into the state of Buddhahood. And whatever action I engage be the cause for that. You see? So so so later, you know, you know, all his business, know, this motivation, later he he actualized great compassion.
You know? So he continue doing business. He continue his practice. Then one day he gained a spontaneous realization in bodhicitta. So then from that very on day, he was labeled or regarded or he was he became a person called a bodhisattva You know?
So then due to that, he’s a few lifetime later, he became Buddha. He became Śākyamūni Buddha. He became enlightened. So it’s so relevant to us. And this motivation is like it’s amazing, unbelievable.
And very few words. Know, the only thing is we have to express from our heart. We have to have to minute, you know, we have to minute. So so then without giving up our early life, you know, family life, job, you know, integrate this dharma. Then home so so meaningful.
So meaningful. You know, the constant accumulation of merit. Then we become one day suddenly, without our obvious notice, we already obtained compassion. Gain the compassion realization. Become become spontaneous in our mind.
It’s it’s become part of our our mind. Then time goes by, you know, bodhicitta is part of our heart, part of our mind. You know? No need any reason to to actuate that heart. Then time goes by, we already reached tenth ground.
You know? Well, tomorrow morning wake up, become Buddha. You know? If if we if we keep our life in this track, if we just even though it looks simple, but if we follow this, you know, and whatever action we do, so much benefit. You know?
Even though, let’s say, you are coming to this session motivated by bodhicitta, but you are coming to this session, whatever effort, it become a cause for happiness of others. So many all the other living beings. You are creating cause for all other living beings because of the motivation. Because of the motivation. So you see.
So so so therefore, you know, our motivation to practice Dharma, to do you know, to to become a good person and try one’s best to benefit other is all should be inspired by bodhicitta. You know, sometimes you you might need firmness, like like be like, lawful aspect in in your job line, you know, to to to subdue your your your fellow staffs. Even that should come with the bodhicitta motivation. You know? Your physical look bit stern, but overwhelmed with the bodhicitta.
You know? So if in you know, that would be most powerful way to change people. You know? That that is the one of the best strategy to change people’s life. If you want that person to follow your step, to listen to you, this is the best way.
You know, you express bodhicitta from the depth of your heart. You know? Even the actions say that I need to tell this word to this person because this fellow staff is not behaving. You know? You know?
So I need to tell this word. So may this word communication with this person, with this stuff, even that be the complete cause to actualize enlightenment within me, him, and the rest of the other living beings. So with with this motivation, naturally, you you are you won’t get angry. There won’t be any anger. You you are very calm yet stern because stern is neat.
You know? So you see? So similar. You know, look at Chenrezig. With all the face are peaceful face.
You know, they’re from the eleven faces. All the face are oh, no. All the face are peaceful except one face. It’s like, you know, like, lawful face. It’s a stern face.
So so even that image teach us, you know, the the stern face is necessary sometime if you know? But but it should be only overwhelmed with compassion. You know? You only express through compassion. You know?
You know? The entire aspect of your your your mind should be overwhelmed with the compassion, bodhicitta, then just one single aspect, you know, the expression should be stern. So then that’s the way that, you know, you can able to subdue other in a right way and subdue their mind and lead them into a right path. Then gradually, you know, one and others one and the person and everyone, you know, can able to bring to the enlightenment. So that’s that’s that’s how all the past Buddhas have practiced.
So maybe you’re also able to follow that. So therefore, we’re gonna listen. We’re gonna do the Lojong class like that. So then as I stated in the Lamrim, so I think many of you already attended the discovering Buddhist course, you know, Chinese, English. You know?
So so I’m sure you you you already know this the how to listen the Dharma, You know? To listen to Dharma. You know? Avoid the three three, you know, wrong way to listen to dharma. And apply the the six different mindfulness, the six different mental attitude to actualize the dharma.
So I don’t have to go through it because you know, because you already covered Lamrim. Okay, so now we go to the text, which is page one hundred and twenty seven. And precept number thirteen. So today’s the precept number thirteen is in relation to the Lamrim teaching. The practice of how to listen to the Dharma by applying the six different mindfulness or mental attitude by avoiding the three, the faults of listening to Dharma.
So this precept is very much in relation to that. So it says, do not apply misplaced understanding. So in short, the meaning is do not misinterpret. Do not misinterpret the Dharma or do not misinterpret any form of Dharma practices or any form of Buddhist teaching. Do not misinterpret.
Very dangerous if you misinterpret. You know, it is very very serious. So do not misinterpret. So there’s there’s six different guidelines. Six different guidelines through the Lojong teaching here teach us you know, to to be to be mindful of those, you know, to be mindful on misinterpreting, you know, those six different, you know, those six different areas.
Yeah? So those are so here it says, do not apply misplaced understanding or do not misinterpret. This refer to the avoidance of six misplaced understanding. Number one, if instead of enduring the hardship entailed in Dharma practices, you difficulties when seeking the object of your desire and nurturing your friend and subduing your foes, subduing your foes. So this is a misplaced forbearance forbearance, misplaced forbearance.
So, anyway, it’s very clear. Yeah? So instead of enduring the hardship, you know, so hardship in until means that the hardship that needed in the Dharma practices. You know, in Dharma practice, know, need a lot of hardship also. When when when when you refer to Milarepa, you know, I think we can’t we can’t follow his way.
You know? So much hardship that he went through during the practice of Dharma. We normally misinterpret that practicing Dharma should be very relaxed, very easy, very comfortable, but not necessary. Practice Dharma require lot of hardship also, you know, and have to go through many hardships. Know?
You know, it is true that even even for us to have gained interest into Dharma, know, needs so much reason, know, it’s quite harsh quite hardship, you know, just to gain some interest in Dharma. So after gaining interest in Dharma and to to to have the opportunity to practice also a lot of hardship, you know. So after gaining opportunity to sustain the practice, also a lot of hardship, You know? Then after learning all the Dharma, you know, sustainable practice, but if you want to upgrade, you want to be more serious, like want to dedicate full time to the Dharma, oh, unbelievable hardship. You know?
It’s it’s a unbelievable hardship. Then on top of that, while obtaining the special Shamatha realization, which is almost like not possible at all next lifetime, if you don’t become Buddha this lifetime, it will delay yours and yours. By knowing that, you want to dedicate full time in practice seriously or extremely hardship. You know, if you want to do that, you know, like so many comfort that you have to give up. There’s so many comfort, so many the object of your desire have to be avoided.
You see? So so much hardship. But then that’s the only way. Like if we follow exactly like Milarepa, then yes, one lifetime one lifetime Buddhahood is possible. But if we practice the way how we practice, you know, how I practice, quite impossible to become Buddha within one lifetime.
You know? You see, it’s quite quite impossible because I need I was totally engrossed with all the temptations. Know? Only temptations. You need good food for taste, good music for ear, good smell.
Know, if the meditation place is smelly, you won’t do meditation. You know? If the cushion is not comfortable, you won’t do practice. You won’t do meditation. You know?
You see? So it’s so much. So all the when to avoid all those desirous objects, you know, the temptation object, it’s a hardship for ordinary people like us, you see. But it’s need and worthwhile must, you know, then we become Buddha like Milarepa. Even even in our time, those who regarded obtaining fully enlightenment like the late master Geshe Lama Konchok, you know, during his twenty six years of, you know, serious full time retreat is like the hardship when you hear is like unbelievable, you know.
It’s almost like the human being can able to do that. You know? It’s almost like impossible like that. But they went through. That’s why they actualized total freedom from saṃsāra.
You know? So so like that. So instead of admiring, instead of engaging or adopting those hardships when it comes to Dharma practice. Instead of adopting that, we give up and rather rather we we we we give lot of what’s it? What’s it?
Oh, okay. Okay. So here it says, you forbear the difficulty when seeking the object of your desire. So forbear, you avoid those difficulties, those hardships, difficulties. When seeking the object of your desire, you know, our inner desire is to become Buddha.
Our inner desire, you know, our inner desire, you know, as I mentioned earlier, desire is not a bad thing. Desire is not a delusion. Desirous attachment is a delusion. Desirous attachment is a delusion. And whatever action performed or motivated by desirous attachment, it is a creation of negative karma, which introduced by ignorant mind, you know, and which is cause for saṃsāra.
But desire itself is not necessary, it’s negative. You know, to for us, we should desire to become Buddha. You know? We we we have a we have a instinct nature of desiring to become Buddha, desiring to to to to obtain everlasting happiness. You know, we have instinct nature, always desire, you know, happiness.
And we always desire what do call? We have an instant desire of wanting everlasting happiness even though we don’t say so, but we have an instant desire which is deep in our heart. The moment we we we take rebirth, you know, already there. And from beginningless lifetimes, already there. You know?
Right now, it’s inside us. Even though we don’t say, but deep in us, we want happiness. And that wanting happiness, that desiring happiness is in fact desiring or wanting everlasting happiness. You know, we will never want temporary happiness. We always, our instinct nature always want everlasting happiness.
You know? So since we want everlasting happiness, that wanting that desire is wanting Buddhahood. Even though we don’t say so, but actually we are inadvertently wanting Buddhahood because everlasting happiness only actualize when you become Buddha. Other than that, there’s no other place that we can achieve Buddhahood. So whether you are Buddhist or not, every single living being, including cockroach, also want to become Buddha, you know.
So there’s no there’s no scripture that say that, you know, that every single nature has a desire of becoming Buddha. There’s no scripture that says that. But through through a lot of analysis, you know, you analyze the the the mind, you know, you analyze yourself, and you analyze the the people, the beings around, you know, You know, they they have a nature of wanting happiness, and they have a nature of do not want suffering. It’s the nature of every single living being. And when you examine that carefully, detailed way, you’re able to establish every single living being in fact wanting to become Buddha, including cockroach, in fact, want to become Buddha because cockroach want happiness.
You know? You know, mosquito, dengue mosquito also want happiness. Why go and suck the blood? Because want happiness. And that wanting happiness is is not a wanting happiness for temporary.
It’s even though don’t say so, but it’s innately wanting everlasting happiness. And that everlasting happiness state is only when you become Buddha. So you see every single living being actually want to become Buddha, including other religious follower. Yeah. You see?
So so desire is not bad. Desire attachment is very bad. So so we have to distinguish that. But in most text, when you look at when you see the desire, if you translate just desire, we have to think twice. You know?
Sometimes like desire is wrong and not necessary. You know? Wanting to become Buddha, the desire is good. We need. You know?
So instead of, you know, putting some hardship to actualize the object of our desire, which is to actualize Buddhahood, analyzing happiness, we rather, you know, happy to put some effort, happy to give some time. I was happy to give some time. Happy to spare time. Happy to, you know, happy to go through some hardship for nurturing your friends, to securing your friends, samsaric friends. Such as instead of learning instead of, you know, like, if we are given two choice if we are given two choice, Your samsaric friend at eight o’clock sharp, there’s a drinking dinner party.
Then there’s eight eight o’clock sharp, Dharma center, your Dharma center call up, say there is a meditation, Dharma meditation. Most likely, we will choose the first one. You know, if if they if this will come, most likely, we will choose the first one. It’s exactly the same here. You know?
It’s it’s very fact. We will choose the first one. By choose choosing the first one because because of your friend, because of some, you know, friend relationship, because of this life purpose. You know you know, even though there’s some difficulty to say no, that today I cannot come to do a meditation, but you will you will dare to say that today I cannot make it a very busy schedule. But you are not there to say that to your friend that, you know, I cancel the the dinner party.
So it’s it’s very fine. You know? Very fine. If I have choice, I would also choose number one. You see?
It’s not like that. You know? So Buddha is teaching us, make sure that we should have a wisdom to, you know, not to not to what do you what do you call? Mischief. What do call?
Any nice word? My word only say mischief. Choose the right priority. Choose the right choice. Take the right choice.
Yes. Okay? Imagine your friend. Then subduing your what? Voice.
Subduing your voice means subduing your enemies. Subduing your enemies. You know? Or to subdue enemy, you need lot of hardship. Know, unbelievable.
I mean, you need a lot of hardship to subdue the enemy. Here, subduing is actually destroying the enemy, offending the enemy, taking revenge on the enemy. Know, subduing is subdue anime’s mind to virtue, not like that. Subduing means giving up, you know, chasing away, fighting, you know, to to win from the enemy. You know, so much hardship.
But people dare to put such effort to destroy the enemy, you know. Instead of instead of forgiveness, instead of, you know, what you call transforming your mind rather always find a always you know find a strategy to destroy the enemy. We put a lot of efforts you see. So again, all all these misplaced misplaced forbearance. Misplaced forbearance.
So the teaching teach us don’t misplace forbearance. So that means putting effort to destroy the enemy is wrong. You know? And if you’re given a choice, Dharma and worldly sensation, pleasure, and parties, you better choose Dharma. You know, so this is the teaching that work.
The teaching is trying to teach us. Then the second one, the second the second is if instead of aspiring to purify your negative karma as much as you can and accumulate merit as much as you can and strive to transform your thought as much as you can, Instead of doing that, you view the excellency of this life and admirable qualities and aspire to them aspire to them. This is a misplaced aspiration. So instead of aspiring to purify all negative karma. So Buddha always teach us, you know, we have accumulated negative karma beginning less lifetime.
So every day, at least do least do one purification practice before go to bed. He didn’t force us. He didn’t like say, give up whole worldly activity and whole day just sit there and do purification. Know, didn’t say. Guru also didn’t really dare to say.
Buddha also maybe not dare to say this to us, but he at least say purification is very very important because our life is beginningless. Most of our past life, we’re born into negative realms. On those in negative realms, we only accumulate negative karma. So we have countless eons of accumulation of negative karma. If we don’t purify that, we will never be free from saṃsāra.
Yeah? So the guru or the whoever the guru represent Buddha because Buddha statue, you know, we cannot talk directly. So guru represent Buddha and guru say, at least do twenty one times Vajrasattva purification practice before go to bed. Oh, very hard. You know, most of the time I forget.
You know, most of the time I forget. And before doing the Vajrasattva practice, I still feel I’m very fresh. I rather watch TV. So I watch TV. I watch movie.
After watching full movie, you’re so tired. I say, maybe I rest a little bit, then after that I will do morning morning six o’clock. One day gone, twenty four hour finish, gone, missed the purification on that day. Is it? It happens.
It happens to me. It happens to me. I’d rather do purification. Don’t talk about whole day, whole morning, you know. Don’t talk about one hour.
And that twenty one Vajrasattva practice is less than five minutes. It take it don’t even take five minutes. And that is Buddha’s advice. And that is Guru’s advice. But and you you also know it’s very important, but somehow you rather choose movie.
You know, rather choose movie, but the movie you put so concentrate. No. Normally, put full concentration, you know. When I put full concentration of movie, what? Up the moment movie off, I’m so exhausted.
Immediately. That’s the reality. That’s the reality of me. You see? Like that.
Yeah. So so instead of doing that, rather choose movie. You see? So now, instead of accumulating merit as much as you can, that Buddha have taught us, you need to accumulate three countless eons merit in order to become Buddha. You know?
So you better start from now. Otherwise, will be too late. So better start from now. Your your your all the senses are clear, you know, and health, physical health is okay, you can manage. At the same time, really have some time, you know, you really have, you know, one hour is you sure have.
You know, in one day, don’t say that you don’t have at all. You know, one hour, you sure have time if you spare time for dharma. So I couldn’t collect merit. Somehow, whole day, somehow, you know, gossip about others’ fault, you know, you make yourself so busy, call here and call there and talk about others’ fault, you know. That also not doing good, that also there, that also wrong, everything wrong.
Then check email, check that, then surf the net, what you call net, you know, wow. I was and I was gone. You know, you even forget to motivate. You know, total forget to motivate. You know?
Morning, the moment wake up or because I watched movie too late like me. So morning, you know, suddenly so when you wake up, you are shocked because it’s so late. Wake up so late. It is you shock. So you forget to do the motivation in the morning.
You’re supposed to do wake up, then, you know, motivate in the bed, then after that, Then after that, you know, we we discussed that before, isn’t it? But it’s not happening. But it’s not happening. You see? Somehow, whole day maybe he happened to do candle offerings, whatever offerings, and that also very rush, but no motivation.
Just simply do because if you don’t do, if somebody come, say your water bottle not offer. Because you worry for that. You’re not worried that you’re not worried that the precious human rebirth is so precious and my wasted. Your worry is if people happen to see my water bottle is half. You look at my room most of the time my water bottle if people don’t I never feel.
People don’t feel my water bottle always become half, half. That’s the reality. That’s the fact, you see. So so then day passed like that, know, January to now is what? September.
That that you know, the last week is October. Gone. Home. No. I forgot to motivate even one one day properly.
You see? You see? So and fortunately, they still not not die yet. Yeah. And hopefully that I can do tomorrow, but maybe tomorrow quite sure we’ll forget also.
You see? So instead of listening Buddha’s advice seriously, we are totally, you know, condemned or, you know, or or so totally, you know, controlled by, you know, the the the temporary sense of worldly pleasures, you know, so like that. So instead of accumulating matter as much as you can, then strive to transform your thought as much as you can. Buddha teach us, try your best to transform. Yeah.
When you listen to Dharma, when I read here, it sounds very relevant. And I think if tomorrow something goes wrong, later something goes wrong, I will apply this method and sure will work. I was convinced. But after class finish, mind training teaching fly over. Don’t know where.
Never comes. The problem is you. You never invite. You never put here, you know. Just read this glass.
The real problem come. The teaching no more there. You see? So suffer. Then upset, you know, angry.
You know? Everything’s bad because you can’t task on your mind. Yeah. So it happened. That also real thing.
You see? Instead of all this pack taking this practice seriously, rather we are so anxious and so excited and so into it viewing excellency of this life’s admirable qualities. You know? I’m sure, you know, how much time that you spend to to make up yourself. Yeah.
You know, buy shopping, you know, buy clothes. How much time you will spend? You know? Then maybe not nice to say, but then we put, you know, what do you call, makeup. You know?
How much time you you know? It’s a lot of time, isn’t it? You brush teeth. You know? I I remember.
I mean but this one, I’m not saying that we should apply. You know? Just simply wash throw you know, better wash properly. I remember when I was traveling with, know, when he take when he take when he wash his face. So, you know, No.
What was that? Before put water on the face, already soak everything together. Yeah. But that also that also he integrate into Dharma practice. He chant the mantra and and and take that as a part of I don’t know what practice, but, you know, he chant the mantra.
Toothbrush. You know? So so but I think I don’t know. We have to brush properly. Yeah.
So so, you know yeah. Anyway, his teeth are very good. You know? You look at his photos, and he has a best teeth. They’re very long, you know, very, very nice.
You know? You know? But sometimes we also we brush so much but still got so many hole. Need to go down this so many time. So sometimes also very much on karma.
Very much on karma. That’s why, you know, karma works here, you see. So so anyway, what do say? You know, how much? You know, we sit there, you know, for almost a half an hour.
I remember in the in the in the in the monastery, like, in my my time, like me. Not not others but me. You know? So when I I don’t wanna do memorization, I feel feel really don’t wanna do. So come out from the room and everybody memorizing.
You put your brush in a. Take half an hour. Just brush. Yeah. Sometimes we we just unnecessary.
We spend so much time with that. You know? So not only brush. After that, we have to make sure that some yellow thing can again, you know, do some other thing. I know you walk here and there.
So so much so so much time we we we use up. Okay? Then you wear clothes, you know, then, of course, you know, you look into mirror, I mean, twenty, thirty times, you know, and people in a human being look in the mirror. So I was looking out. That was looking out.
You know? They was looking out. That was looking out. You know? So, you know, we we we we’re so engrossed so much, like, almost like we give full heart total into, like, the kind of, like, you know, holy admiration.
So Buddha is telling us, it’s okay. He didn’t say, but he said, don’t put full time for that. It’s it’s not healthy. Say, it’s not healthy. The the the thing is Buddha know the truth.
You know? Buddha asked not to put through time because Buddha know the truth of our existence, our physical body. Buddha know the truth. The truth is impermanent, the decay of our physical body. You know?
The time will never hold back of not decaying it. It will just just go. You know? But so if we grasp as a permanent and we treat our, you know, physical level, you know, with so much grasping, that will also cause pain. That will also cause suffering.
So Buddha asking us not to, you know, not to too grasping on physical level. Rather, Buddha asking to transform our mind, you know, transform our mind. When we when we transform our mind, then even the physical level changes, we don’t suffer. But we don’t transform our mind when we see, you know, extra white hair or extra wrinkle. We start to have a worry, feel fear, feel feel feel bit no good, feel sense of, like, suffering, you know.
So you see? So Buddha’s advice. Yeah? Buddha is up to us whether we want to follow or not, but Buddha’s advice is is to try to transform your physical level, put more effort to transform the internal mind. So that that what he’s telling that’s what he’s trying to do.
Because he he can see through the nature, and he teaching us because we cannot see through that. We cannot see through our nature like how he see through. You know? So here, it’s up to us. If we believe in him, if we think he’s right, we follow his path.
Maybe he could be right. Quite likely it is right then. So that’s called the misplaced aspiration. Then third, instead of severing your severing your experiences of the Dharma through studying in learning, reflection, and meditation, you savor the taste of sensual desire and pursue it and you do you dwell on the relish memory of the past sexual experiences and triumphs over enemies. This is misplaced savory.
So instead of savory, you experience of the dharma through them. So it means instead of like, you know, like always like being mindful of what you have learned, you know In Dharma, the requirement, three things. Learning, what you call learning, reflection, and meditation is needed. This three things needed. In every aspect of Dharma practice these three things needed.
So first need to learn. Whatever you learn cannot forget. Whatever you learn you have to keep in your mental continuum as a memory and have to bring up to the reflection stage. Means when you reflect afterwards, after you learn, you can able to reflect on the learning, all the knowledge of the the learning. So once you are success in learning, you can able to reflect it.
Once you’re able to reflect, then the the continuum the memories, continuum understanding through learning to reflection, then only the meditation is possible because meditation comes the understanding of reflection into habituation. That’s called meditation. Okay. So so instead of, like, we’re putting effort to learn and keep in our mind, we just go to school then forget. You know, come to learn the techniques of mind transformation, then after that, we just put aside.
So that is wrong. Then learn then what do you call the reflect, but but but we never keep the reflection of the understanding of learning in our mind. Due to that, we cannot do meditation. If we cannot do meditation, we cannot gain the realization in the past. You see?
So after gaining meditation, we again cannot forget those meditation experiences, those not those experiences. If not if not, otherwise, it would degenerate. Let’s say emptiness meditation, bodhicitta meditation. You learn so much, you reflect on meaning so much, and you meditate so much. You have obtained some realization, but then you you start to there’s no consistent.
You give up. I mean, you you you pause for ten days, twenty days. After that, your your your your the degree of realization degenerate. You know? So even the practitioner who attended paths and grounds, those who are already on the paths and grounds, even then, if they don’t practice consistent level, degenerate.
It forget. It degenerate. After gaining a valid realization directly in us, if we don’t practice consistent, it will degenerate. You know, once degenerate, again, we have to practice from the beginning. You know?
So it’s like that. See? So therefore, asking us to, you know, be consistent in practices, both learning, reflection, and meditation. Instead of doing that, because that is for the that is for the ultimate purpose to become Buddha. Yeah?
That is the the all cause for all the happiness. But instead of doing that, rather, you know, you savor the taste of the sensual desire sensual desire sensual desire sensual desire Sensual desire is the, you know, like temptation, sound, taste, you know, smoothness, feeling. You know? Then mental temporary kind of the the the the desire of temporal temporary pleasure. You know?
Such as sexual pleasure, you know, like new very, very, like, very what do you call it? Some music is just wasting your time, like, kind of, you know, music, you know, or, like, gossiping always, like, you you know, you you you criticize other and gossip. You know? You know? And whatever information that you learn wrong things about other, you know, always keep in your memory.
You know? And even, like, death comes, you cannot let go of those memories. You know, the taste food, you know, like you you you attach to the so much of the taste. Even death comes, you know, at the time of last moment of the day, also you cannot let go of the taste. You know?
Then sudden feeling of, like, you know, the smooth cloth attached so much to the, you know, to the cloth. Dead comes, you cannot let go. Your possessions so much attached, dead comes, cannot let go. Then as I shared example in the past, you know, if you cannot let go, then you’re bugs bugs. You burn, you know, insect.
Let’s say let’s say now now the mooncake very famous. Yeah? So you you like mooncake so much, you know, then you you attach the mooncake. The mooncake put in the refrigerator, then you then you were dying. You cannot forget about that.
You know? Right? So then you’d be reborn as a germ in the mooncake. Know? So as I share the true story in the past, one master passed away.
He he was so attached to his position near his meditation place in the in the ground. So after he passed away, because of so attached, cannot let go. Because of that, he was born as a frog, you know, and and and covering the the the bit of money or whatever even though he’s a practitioner, good practitioner. But at the time of that, you you are unable to let go, unable to detach the possession. You’re born as a animal, you know, and born as a frog.
You see? So you attach to mooncake, you will be born as a germ That bacteria in the in the mooncake and that is then dangerous. Is it? So so like that. Is it?
So So you see, so you savor in the case of the sensual desire such like that. You know? So pursue it. You You you you you engross on it. And then not only that, you live with that.
You live with that. You know? You you call a dual is know, whatever. Dual. Dual.
Dual. Dual. It’s like live with that. You know? Like like part of your life.
Take part of your life. You know? Those those sense of distractions, you know, take part of your life, you know, live a life with that. You know? And not only that, relish is like like like you’re con you’re totally condemned and and totally, like, satisfied, like, like, whole mind is occupied with that.
In short, your whole mind is occupied with that. There’s no mind for other things. No mind for dissatisfaction. No mind for oh, what was that? Sorry.
Sorry. No mind for sense of, like, detachment. It’s, like, totally engrossed. You know? Yeah.
And those memories. You know? Yeah. So then not only that, in such experience like winning from the enemies. You know?
Like, always remember. He used to be my enemy, and I’m now a friend, but then somewhere in my mind, he used to be my enemy. You know? Always that there’s somewhere in my mind that you never let go. That he used to be my enemy.
You know? So in relationship, you know, in any relationship, children, parents, you know, husband and wife relationship. The negative imprint, the negative memories of the past is the one that destroy everything. Because one small mistake ten years ago, even today cannot forget. So many beautiful good thing happen, never remember, never express.
But once thing go wrong, you recall ten years ago the mistake. That’s what I’m calling. You remember ten years ago you did that? So that makes the relationship more tense. Then day to day, one small mistake, you know, bring up and make this a issue.
And all the good things cover. You know? So you see? Because, you know. Yeah.
So so so we but our nature is like that. We we we we are so into it. That’s why it’s so much problem. You know? So much so much problem.
So Buddha Buddha’s advising, the teaching is advising, we shouldn’t do that. We shouldn’t do that. Rather, put put more effort to learning Dharma, contemplating on Dharma, meditation on Dharma. Means not asking you to read so many scriptures, you know, like the monk sit there whole day, really, not like that. It’s telling us learn to transform it.
You know, Buddha’s teaching, advising us, you know, don’t engross on all this. Don’t involve too much all those suffering situations. Why not you let your mind occupied with some other thing which is called Dharma? Put some, you know, in in the family always fighting fighting, better come to class and listen dharma. You know?
Or go somewhere, discuss dharma. You know? If you feel very lonely, tell me you you don’t feel lonely. Read dharma books or or or go and attend some dharma lecture. You know?
Or whatever understanding of dharma, contemplate only. You know? Whatever you contemplate on dharma, never feel lonely. I experience it. You know.
The best, the conducive and and and you know what you call opposite of loneliness what? The word for opposite of loneliness, feel very jovious. Feel very cozy, not loneliness. Like you feel like, you know, something popular. Like, you eat no.
In your house, in your room, like, you want so lonely. But then, like, you feel like everything complete. Everything. You know, whatever you need is surrounding you. Contented.
Yeah. Dharma. You know? You you you at least, like, play the the dharma CD. You know?
You listen. Wow. You know? You you you don’t need any human being companion. Just just that.
You know, your heart is, like, so happy, so contented, so happy like that. You know? You don’t feel lonely. So then sometimes you sit there and contemplate thing, you know, to to analyze one understanding that you used to have some doubt. So you you you you try to, like, squeeze your brain with that, you know, wow.
It feels so good. But in our in our in our life, we don’t do that. In our life, we try to read when we feel lonely, immediately start to feel all the unnecessary thing of the past. Just sit there, then then cry. Then, you know, then then then after that, then then have to go to see depression doctor, you know, psychology, you know, psychiatrist, psychiatrist, You have to go and see.
You know? Now my mind, what, my mind become cuckoo. Now I feel like a cuckoo. People say I’m cuckoo, you know, because I’m unstable. You know?
You cannot think straight. You know? You cannot concentrate. And sometimes it happens because of the fields of loneliness also drive into that kind situation. Many people who have who have depression, in fact, they are driving one of the main cause is driving from loneliness in their heart.
Loneliness. Loneliness make you feel very negative. Make you think so negative. Yeah. Like, you are nobody.
You know, you are, like, you know, neglected by everybody. Nobody loves you. You know? Nobody cares about me. You know?
Yeah. Actually, your mind is the one thinking. You know? Oh, yesterday actually, yesterday, ten people say hello to you, but one person forget to say hello, only remember the person who didn’t say hello to you. I go to, you know, gathering.
Everybody ignore me. Instead, only one person ignore you. Ten people come and came and shook hands with you, but you only remember that. You know? But you say even, everybody ignore me.
Like that. You know? So you see? So it’s all our reality. Whether we like it or not, this is the fact.
So if you want to fix it, if you want to help other people who have that kind of problem, we should help other people. We met Dharma. We are so fortunate. We have so much merit to meet Dharma, such a solution. So we should teach others.
We should share with other people. You know? All of us here, all are straight. No cuckoo. Straight.
So we have to go and help. When people come and, you know, come with so depression, come with so sad, we should talk to them. Know, we have first of all, we have to be very very light. Isn’t it? Like, is it?
And the technique is like this. Is it you know? So first of all, in order to do that, we have to make sure that we don’t go into this kind of wrong misplaced savoring. We have to make sure that we don’t live our life miss, what what’s it, misplaced savoring. So savoring.
So so if you think it’s right, then we should follow Buddha’s Buddha’s teaching, you know, the advice here or the precept number thirteen. Try to try to give try try to give a lot of time for learning and reflecting and meditation and virtue. That will occupy your mind with so much happiness. You know? When you start to think virtual thing, you know, when you start to plan a project, virtual project, you are like you it it sound like a saint, but it’s like you are flying in the space.
It’s like your wall is, like, so wonderful. You know? So nice. You know? Oh, I say, I will work hard next year and if I earn that that my my money, I will go to Africa, you know, the one place very poor.
I heard I go and do, you know, charity, help them. Oh, I heard there’s one corner of the world that, you know, people have eye problem. I earn more money. I I what’s it? I take care of my health.
Maybe next year, maybe, you know, I hope I can go to help them. Like, they come, you know. Also, virtue. You know, that you wish to do something to beneficial to other is a virtue. You know?
So instead of like all the wrong thinking, rather think like that. Also thinking dharma. You know? In relation to ten virtues action or six perfection. So we think and think and think.
Means contemplate. Contemplate. If we don’t know how to think, try to learn how to think. This is learning dharma. You know?
So after that, make it part of your life. Wherever you go, you’re very positive. You’re very positive. You know? Everybody will start to say you’re very positive.
Know, you’re always positive. You people might start to say, question you know, ask question. How come you know you always like got a smile on your face? And people might start to say, you know, whenever you talk, you’re very positive, you know. How?
How? You know? You ask people sometimes people ask you, you know. So then that is the best time for you to teach them. Oh, positive.
Yes. I do. Like that. Like that. Like that.
This is the way of being positive. Yeah. I’m very happy. Then you give yourself as example. That’s the most effective way to convince them.
Not just simply say Buddha say so, you know. And say Buddha say so, oh, I see. Well, wait. If you give yourself example, they will they will at least try. When they try, they will sure get benefited.
Not like that. Most of the time we say Buddha say so. Buddha say so. Just leave like a history. You know?
You won’t apply much. You know? Oh, Buddha, I say two thousand six hundred years ago, maybe possible, but in my case, not possible. People give up immediately. It happens.
You know? It happens like that. So indirectly telling us, if you have any enemy, better forget it. Better forget about them. Don’t neglect, forget means don’t don’t recall the unpleasant time of, you know, the enemy.
And in the relationship, any difficult time happened in the past, just full stop there. You know, avoid. The way to avoid the antidote to avoid is learning Dharma. You know, wherever such kind of negative emotion comes in your mind, it disturb you, immediately just flip up, you know, just open your text. Just read it.
It helps. Or whatever teaching that you learn, just just just make you to think. It helps. Or just try to meditate one single, maybe emptiness, bodhicitta, whatever. It helps.
It it really helps. It it helps. Something like that. And for if instead of cultivating compassion for those caught in suffering and it is conditioned, you have compassion for those who undergo hardship as a part of their ascetic life and meditative pursuit. This is misplaced compassion.
So sometime, you know, especially in Nepal. Yeah. When you as a mom, when you walk around and the Nepali, you know, the the worker, you know, someone like construction worker, very hard life. And they say, oh, most of the time, if you if they see you’re younger, then they will say bye. It means brother.
If they see you’re slightly older than them, they will say dai. It’s like kind of older brother. Say, You have such a suffering life. Yeah? You cannot get married, isn’t it?
Yeah. Can you get married or not? You see? No. Oh, you’re such a suffering life.
Yeah. Yeah. Construction. Okay. All they carry rocks.
You know? The whole day morning in the boat, those are very poor one. The morning six to evening six work, and they they earn less than hundred rupees. It’s about less than two dollar, one you know, about two, three dollars like that. Two, three dollars or four, five dollars.
Yeah. And they have ten or a kids to feed. And sometimes I have two, three wives, you know, also have some. So like that. Then they come and ask, you know, you’re just carrying one mother in bed, nothing on the shoulder.
Just walk. Can I stop you and dai or bhai? You know? Can you get married? I say, no.
Oh, this is suffering life. So I say compassion. Compassion towards aesthetic life is referring to like that. And is there somebody, you know, know, let’s say in in our group, somebody went for retreat or somebody go all the way to India to receive teaching. Instead of going holiday in Europe and go all the way to India, such a poor place, you know.
Oh, so suffering, especially with South India. Brrr. Wrong compassion. Yeah. I went for retreat and I I know I did a very strict retreat.
And the room, you know, I cannot see outside outside, I cannot see me inside and close all the window, close the door for fourteen day, you know. I stay inside, I count the mantra, and then, oh, such a suffering. Oh, you’re such a suffering. Compassion to wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong object. As a static life like that.
So we say, Dharma, I’m sure you have heard many time. You know, I’m sure. That I I I didn’t hear, but you have heard I’m sure many of you have heard many time. If you’re a friend, those who are not practicing Dharma yet. So he said go to temple.
Go to temple? Oh, poor thing, like, almost like my support thing, you know, go to temple. Like like like, immediately they started being so negative that you are so suffering, you know, when you go to temple. You go to temple, only when you suffer so much then you go to temple. I’m sure you experience.
You know? Mhmm. Is it that? Or then, you know, oh, I I I practice Buddhism. Oh, you will get a lot of complain.
You will think that you are why you make yourself so suffering? Why you make you why you make yourself to control your life? I’m sure you have heard. Yeah. The practice Dharma is controlling your life.
Practice Dharma actually, is opposite. It’s actually striving freedom, not controlling. You know? And, actually, gain more happiness, more no no suffering. You know?
Okay. Yeah. I’m sure I’ve heard many like that. So it’s a wrong compassion. So as as like we know this teaching, we are practitioner, we should rejoice.
You know, we should rejoice. If somebody you hear you you hear that somebody went for very strict, very tough and very tough retreat or tough journey to strike Buddhadharma all the way for, you know, somewhere. When you when you hear the word that you we should come out from our mouth is rejoice, you know, such a fortunate, you know. When you happen to talk to that person, you have so much merit. You have so much may I may I also able to have such a great merit like you?
And we should say like that. No? It’s a way. It’s good. That should be the way.
You know? Instead of so sure. You you went Nepal? You went Nepal? Rather, you should go Bali.
More exciting, more happy, you know. Go all the way to Nepal, especially in December. Oh, you’re putting up. You know? It’s like, regarded you are such a poor.
Yeah. So much compassion. So it’s wrong compassion. Yeah. So it’s we should rejoice.
You know? Rejoice. So instead of cultivating compassion for those caught in suffering it is conditioned. Very sarcastic, this teaching. Caught in suffering, you know.
The caught in suffering means first is referring, you know, the compulsive, the teaching. First, the suffering referring to contaminated suffering, which is the samsaric nature itself. Contaminated suffering. We call pervasive suffering. The three sufferings of saṃsāra.
Pervasive suffering, suffering of suffering, suffering of change. Yeah? So pervasive suffering is we we we we are not aware of it. It’s within us. Every single phenomena existing within our within us, I, is suffering nature, nature of suffering or pervasive suffering.
So here referring those who are caught in suffering. So we should we should have compassion to the samsaric being. You know, that’s the right compassion. Then worse than that, not only that, caught into suffering of change. You know, suffering of change.
Yeah. Again, here, I’m just saying the reality, but, you know, maybe not not relevant to apply in your lifestyle here. Yeah. They they are like a single. You know?
They’re called single, isn’t it? Other girl other boy are single. You know? You know? I want more happiness.
That’s why I need to get married. You know? So I will definitely will generate compassion. Oh, you’re getting into saṃsāra of saṃsāra. So I use the word, oh, this poor person in my heart.
I won’t say from my speech, but from my heart, I would think getting into saṃsāra or saṃsāra. Samsāra is suffering. Now getting into marriage is double suffering. Okay? So saṃsāra is suffering.
But the person is very boring, you know, single, you know, I want to get married, you know, was so excited. So in fact, the reality is you’re getting into saṃsāra or saṃsāra. You see? So it’s referring to that. And why getting into that kind of conclusion is because of unable to differentiate suffering of change.
Suffering of change attached to the temporary happiness and which grasp that is the ultimate happiness, but that itself will turn into suffering. You know? Because the moment two person come together, one day have to depart. If the dead come, have to depart, isn’t it? At least.
So it’s it’s very painful. You know? And the nature of saṃsāra coming means it’s definitely to depart. Coming together is definitely to separate. And at the end of the life, we all have to separate.
We all come together. At the end of the day, we have to separate. We all, you know, busy. But then desire attachment, they are so engrossed to each other to come together. If they don’t practice Dharma or if something goes wrong, it like little crack or so painful.
Now little crack means a relationship little problem. Hell. So suffering. You know? It totally occur on you.
Very suffering. So and when that experience comes, it cause suffering of change. You see? So then so so like that. So here, you cannot take literally because this is here lifestyle.
So but the advice is must integrate dharma when you go into relationship. Must integrate dharma. Then you respect each other, treasure each other, behave or or take some kind of ethic respect, moral ethic, moral respect. Due to that, well, entire relationship, the life become very loving, very dedicated, you know, and very respectful and very and very happy. You know?
If that doesn’t happen or if that only happens somewhere if there’s a Dharma for in in both relation both person. You know, both person. Otherwise, if the husband do wrong, the wife suffer so much. If the wife preserve the Dharma, practice Dharma, husband do something wrong, wife suffer so much. If the husband practice Dharma, practice ethic, but the wife do something wrong, so much suffering.
Unbelievable suffering. You see? So here is we cannot avoid the ordinary life. Therefore but must integrate the Dharma. So therefore, in that if you integrate Dharma, integrate Lojong practice, then you will be very successful, happy relationship on that.
That is a suffering of change. Suffering or suffering, you know, every single living being, how healthy you are, you have some sort of pain somewhere. You know, all sort of pain, either here, either there, or somewhere unnecessary. Somewhere got some pain. So, you know, so because it’s samsaric being.
So so we we we, you know, generate compassion to those those things, Not for the practitioner who go to such a hardship practice like. We cannot get compassion. We cannot generate compassion to. Oh, poor thing. When such a hardship, you know, you shouldn’t be doing that.
You know, rather you should follow my path, you know, in saṃsāra. You know? Yeah. You see? Like this like, my grandmaster in my own eye, I I I heard many many people when they see the simplicity of his life, you know, wrecked and, you know, in the cave, you know, no purple cloth, but meditated.
People put pity on him. People feel really, like, quoting. You know? So why you make yourself suffer so much? You know, people people think like that.
But he’s in always in a bliss. You see? So. Suffering. You have compassion for those who undergo suffering.
Part of their oh, I see. Caught in suffering, and it is conditions. So suffering is a three type of suffering. Yeah? It’s referring to all the samsaric being.
So that means we should generate compassion to all the samsaric being, including the gods. They are in saṃsāra. They are also our compassion. Helping for sure. Yeah?
human being for sure. Then here, general compassion to those who are caught in suffering and it is condition. It is condition means condition referring to the cause. So this condition have to divide into two. One is a causal condition.
One is the the immediate condition. You know? So two. One is, like, the condition in the earlier cause, and one is the condition in immediate cause. So earlier cause, the condition for the suffering is ignorant.
karma. Past karma, ignorant, and delusions. Present condition, we act according with the delusion. Let’s say the anger, the ignorant mind and anger ask us to say wrong thing about our anime, that means we are following the delusion. If the ignorant mind ask us to, you know, go and fight with the enemy, we are following the delusion and we are creating the conditional karma or conditional cause.
And those things are object of our compassion. So that means if people do wrong thing, if people do negative action, we should generate compassion to them. You know? We should generate compassion to them. Something like that.
Yeah. But not for the like a Sangha life, the monks and nuns, you know, even though they might live very simple. You know? And they in fact, they’re supposed to live simple. They’re supposed to live simple.
You know? They they are they’re supposed to practice simple. You know? So the outer aspect, it looks like very like like almost like no no no home. No particular, like like, you know, your own home.
No no not many sets of clothes. You know? Not many types of shoes. You know? And not many type of whatever whatever.
You know? So then you feel like, oh, poor thing. You know? Become sangha. You know?
Like, oh, good thing. Very pitiful. Like that. We it’s a wrong wrong wrong compassion. Yeah.
We we shouldn’t. You know? Rather, we should rejoice. Oh, they’re striving Dharma. They’re striving they’re practicing renunciation.
You know? And especially the most simple one, you should rejoice more. You know? You should rejoice more. Amazing.
You know? They’re able to do such kind of practice. They’re able to have a mental strength and and and the support from the family for them to actualize this kind of practice. You should rejoice like that. It’s true.
You know? People’s compassion to them. So then fifth, if instead of cultivating dedication to Dharma practice as a privilege, you have a sense of dedication to such a endure as accumulating material wealth and nurturing friends and pursuing mundane goodness. This is misplaced dedication. You know?
So by dedicating one’s life, you know, like serving Dharma, serving Buddha. Serving Buddha means serving yourself honestly, serving other with with love and compassion. Know, if we are honest to ourselves, we will do virtue because virtue benefit ultimately to us. If we are not honest to ourselves, we will cheat ourselves. We will become our own cheater.
Means whatever negative karma we engage, in fact we are cheating ourselves. So we have to we have to dedicate to ourselves honestly with respect. You know? Do right thing and avoid the wrong things. You know?
So then let’s say, like, say, if any everyone of us, we have, like, different stages, different labels of service to Dharma. Service to buddharma to to save the buddharma and to flourish the buddharma. You know? Means to save the the practice of compassion and flourish the the practice of compassion, which is to bring the benefit of the six perfections to living beings. You know?
So for that, like, some take a, like, a responsibility of in charge of societies, like a Dharma center, like like like. Some take the responsibility of become a teacher. Like, we have a like, directors, FPMT members, or volunteers. Then, you know, Dharma lecturers, wonder leaders, you know, Dharma for kid teachers, and some, you know, whenever their free time, take care of Dharma shops. You know?
You know, when there’s even you all you know, you do your parts, you know, which is to to share that Buddha Dharma to other and to bring some benefit from Buddha Dharma to other living being to create more conducive for more opportunity to accumulate merit. You see? So when we get that kind of like a responsibilities or we get that kind of job, we should feel privileged. So teaching Buddha is telling us we should feel privileged. We should feel sense of some proud.
But that proud, not the negative one. Good proud. Good. Good. Well, feel good.
You know, if you rejoice. You know? Again, Dharma teaching teach us one of the very powerful practice is to rejoice in your own merit. You see? Rejoice in your own good deeds.
Object of rejoice in yourself. One is to rejoice in your own good deeds. So you should to for me to have such an opportunity is really do to my past would come, a really blessing of the Buddhas, and really do to my my positive action. You know? You know?
Then you dedicate. How wonderful, you know, the others also will follow my way. You know? And so many people, they they I mean, you people are too kind, you know, unbelievable kind. In Malaysia, you do it was a shock, you know, it’s too very kind and unbelievable kind.
So many projects are coming in, so many works. You are just happily involved and you’re doing you’re doing almost sometimes you give more time than your your home. And sometimes you you get into trouble with your family because you spend too much time in the center. And you you spend too much time serving almighty. Sometimes get into trouble also.
So don’t get in trouble, but it’s the right thing that you’re doing because and you should feel privileged. You should feel privileged. You should feel proud. Exactly here, I’m saying. And that’s called the right dedication.
If instead of cultivating dedication to Dharma practice as a privilege, so all those Dharma practice should be privilege. Instead of that, you have a sense of dedication to such an endure as accumulating material wealth. You know? So all those, you know, rest what we mentioned is like no sense, no use, no worthwhile, no merit. Rather, money is really powerful to bring happiness in me.
Rather, I just dedicate earn money, earn money, earn money, the rest I forget. So saying that shouldn’t be like that. Buddha see the the true Buddha can see through us. The ultimate benefit is you should engage into Dharma. That will ultimately will help you even though just putting so much effort in or I would say earning so much money is helpful, beneficial, but telling us not to be two hundred percent engrossed.
You should spare. You should share the time. That means balance. You see? So then nurturing friend, you know you know, same thing as I mentioned earlier, and pursuing mundane greatness.
You know? You only worry about this very life’s concern. You know? Just how to decorate the house. You know?
And, you know, like like just like like, there’s no sense of, like, a mental transformation practice. You’re like totally engrossed with your your your thirty years of your rest of the thirty years of purpose only. Not other than that. Not beyond this life. So then again it says it it will become a wrong dedication of your life and that might waste the precious human rebirth.
So Buddha advise us to spare time for Dharma. Means spare time to cultivate the Dharma in your heart. So then after that, number six, if instead of rejoicing in those from the Buddha to the sentient being who engage in virtue and enjoy his fruit, happiness, you rejoice when misfortune and disaster befall your adversaries. This is a misplaced rejoicing. So instead of, like, you know, rejoicing the virtues of oneself, virtues of others, but, you know, the achievement.
Like, any achievement, you know, let’s say on the altar, one new one more extra statue comes on the altar, you know, instead of like, how come again? Change? No good? Instead of, you should rejoice. Woah.
Rejoice. One more. One more holy object. You know? One more object for people to accumulate merit that you should rejoice.
Yeah. But then the the like, the gompa. If the gomba becomes smaller than that, then, yeah, you should complain. But the gomba become bigger. Wow.
Rejoice. But if gomba becomes smaller, yeah, you better complain. Good. You know, not enough space. You should have bigger spaces there.
So doing wrong thing, have to say, so Gompa becomes so big. We’re so special, so happy. Who are the joys? You know? You should rejoice.
You know? Then those people who are involved, like all of you, you know, who make such environment, you know, when you people, any one of you gain some praises, acknowledgement, or due to your merit, you start to gain some kind of fortunes, then everybody when you hear, you should rejoice. You should feel happy for them. You know? Instead of feeling happy for them, if you feel when they when when you hear something go wrong with them, you should, like, feel rejoice.
Oh, yeah. Very you know, I I knew it is very naughty, but now if something go wrong, yeah, good. I’m happy for that. You know, you say like that. It’s wrong rejoicing.
Wrong wrong rejoice, man. So we should rejoice in virtue and don’t rejoice especially to the enemies. When the enemies when you are somebody that who cannot get along with you and something goes wrong, we shouldn’t rejoice on their failure. We rather should take them as of your compassion and pray for them. Pray for their well-being instead of thinking that, well, good that they, you know, they’re going wrong like that.
So we shouldn’t do like that. So like that. So you should relate to these six misplaced understanding with appropriate antidotes. The appropriate antidotes are one top there. By applying appropriate antidote, it avoids all those misconceptions and mispractices I mean, wrong practices.
Uh-huh. And and adopt all those right interpretation of the teaching or the practice, then affirmation means make a pledge. Make make a make a prayer in front of Buddha or make a prayer in front of your mother, father. You know, normally, you know, like you pledge, you put your you know, some people they put the mother’s hand on your crown. Okay.
I will I will never do wrong like that. Buddha, whoever whoever is your object of trust, object of faith in front of them or in your heart or yourself, you make a pledge that I will strictly follow these six right interpretations of practices and avoid the misplaced practices. So, you know, it’s alright. So that conclude. That conclude.
Thank you. Any question? Time is over, but you have any question, you’re you’re most welcome. No question? Okay.
Thank you.