Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Using the image of a parent whose child has just been saved by a doctor, Ven Jampa Gendun opens a reflection on gratitude: what is the most authentic response, regardless of the doctor’s motive? In this 7.7-minute closing session, he works through the equality of kindness from friends, strangers, and enemies — the taxi driver and car-builder deserve appreciation just as a close friend does, while enemies, he argues, are the very teachers who develop our tolerance and capacity for genuine compassion. He then turns the question inward: why, after all our effort, does ultimate happiness still elude us? The session closes with a dedication of merit framed as “giving insight away” so it cannot feed pride or ego aggrandizement — a brief but pointed instruction on not letting practice become self-congratulation.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 03 HoM 1993 04 07.mp3
UUID: b9d0b315-b3dc-4244-bbc9-6c77ada7bb55
Teacher: Ven Jampa Gendun
Collection: The Heart and Mind of Awakening (Ven Jampa Gendun)
Date: 1993-04-07
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 7.7 minutes
Words: ~749
You know, if dependency upon our friends, dependency upon our enemies and the strangers, in the sense that they’re all in their equality of kindness toward ourselves, Our happiness is dependent upon friends is quite readily seen. But it is difficult to appreciate the kindness of strangers, the kindness, and especially so the kindness of enemies. This takes some training. Not brainwashing, but training. Being able to see the same facts in a different light.
You know, in the case of a stranger using the image of a parent whose child has just been saved. Is saved by the doctor. And you know what would be your most authentic reaction? So it’s not the money which would concern us. It’s because we got what we wanted which we determine on the quality of our reaction.
And what would be the healthiest, most authentic, most profound way of responding. A sense of gratitude, a sense of thankfulness, appreciation, no matter what their motivation might be. You know somehow it seems if the idea of freedom, the idea of ceasing to remain a victim involves choosing how I wish to respond irregardless of how I’m being acted upon. There’s real power there. There’s real strength.
There’s real that the real sense of freedom. Why must I always be bound with how I interpret others’ motivations, intentions to be? You know it’s not to say that we are to be serendipitous or what would you say? That we are to not see the reality of the situation. But when there are alternative choices, then why not choose the pragmatically most useful to ones that would benefit?
You know, if a taxi driver were to take you somewhere to have a sense of appreciation, you know that I got where I wanted to go very readily and easily because this person was here, because somebody built the car, as opposed to simply having a sense of indifference. It doesn’t matter, taking it all for granted, thinking that they do it just for the money. In the case of enemy, it is an enemy who makes us strong. You know, that helps us develop the courage of tolerance, who is able to teach us what real love and compassion might be all about, who shows us where we’re really at. So our ultimate happiness is you know, why haven’t we found ultimate happiness yet?
Why are we still struggling? All this blood, sweat, and tears that we’ve expended over the course of our life, all the hours and worrying, the stress, trying to figure out how am I going to find this bit of happiness, how am I going to get rid of this problem. Why hasn’t it worked up to now? We’re still involved in the same struggle. Maybe an alternative attitude might be useful, Might be therapeutic.
When next week we’ll talk about right now, will be next week. Next time. We’ll talk about from the ultimate point of view, equality of others from the ultimate point of view. So we’ll stop there. So we dedicate the creative power.
Now this is you know, we we are are empowering ourselves. We are getting unstuck. And some movement, some kind of development of perhaps a new point of view which is very powerful, is very liberating. Liberating. So we can’t allow that to become simply another element in this recursive compulsive patterns that we’re involved in.
You know, trying to somehow not allow it to sustain our problems or maintain our problems or extend our problems through the development of pride, through the development of possessiveness, miserliness, the sense of I’m doing well for my self, aren’t I? Everything is going well for me. Not allowing what we’re achieving to become self defeating, an element simply of our own ego aggrandizement. So we give it away. We don’t hold on to it.
And then it can be turned against us. It becomes a factor of our liberation. May I quickly become an awakened spiritual teacher and lead each and every sentient being to the enlightened realm through these skillful actions. May the supreme jewel of the awakening heart that has not arisen arise and grow, and may that which has arisen never diminish, but increase more. Thank you.
So I won’t see some of you for a few weeks. Have a good have a good break. See you soon. I’d like to get a cup of tea. We’ll have a discussion.