Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Using the image of a concentration camp line — each person slowly approaching a door from which no one returns — Ven Jampa Gendun anchors this 19-minute commentary on a sharp question: when everyone must die, what justifies cherishing some and resenting others? He opens with a Lama Zopa Rinpoche quote on training the mind to see even harm and adversity as beneficial conditions, then contrasts this with the eight worldly dharmas — the compulsive chase after pleasure, gain, praise, and their opposites — as habits that prevent deeper change. He walks through three reasons all beings are equally kind: as former caregivers over infinite lifetimes, as unique contributors even when acting as enemies, and as fellow mortals all approaching the same door. Part of an ongoing series on equalizing self and others.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 08 HMA 1997 02 05.mp3
UUID: fce544d9-61e9-46d0-88ec-af5e127d586b
Teacher: Ven Jampa Gendun
Collection: The Heart and Mind of Awakening 1996-1997 (Ven Jampa Gendun)
Date: 1997-02-05
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 18.8 minutes
Words: ~2,630
Helps us to grow, which anything which helps which acts as a catalyst for some solitary change in our life, some beneficial change in our lives. Anything which teaches us which presents us with an opportunity to learn is kind. Anything which presents us with an opportunity to learn is kind. Anything which which helps us to grow is kind. You know, we it’s difficult to appreciate that fact, but may that may in fact be the case.
You know, we can change the entire personal significance that the meaning that we attribute to such people in our lives, even when the external facts remain the same, remain unchanged. You know, though through simply shifting our point of view, the enemy, rather than being conceived of as an obstacle to our happiness, can be seen as indispensable for our happiness, our ultimate happiness. I’m not talking about your temporal happiness. You know? That they they are in fact it is our enemy who contributes most to our ultimate happiness, perhaps in the final analysis, even more so than the people who are we’re close to in terms of one’s ultimate happiness.
It is the enemy who is our who is our greatest teacher, our greatest friend. Instead of this is a quote by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. I’m talking about the necessity of the enemy. Instead of recognizing all the harms caused by living beings and non living beings as suffering, you can become you can become habituated to recognizing them all as beneficial conditions and the causes of happiness. First of all, gradually you are able to recognize the small harms as supporting beneficial conditions.
The more you are habituated to the recognition of them as pleasures, as beneficial conditions, the more you are able to recognize even great problems as pleasures. Even the greater serious problems you are able to recognize as beneficial conditions necessary for your happiness. You are able to see the conditions which disturb you, even the conditions which cause big problems, as greatly needed for happiness. The other way is to see conditions as harmful but not needed. Here, in this case, they are greatly needed for happiness.
It is the nature of the mind to get addicted or habituated to certain ways of seeing things. If you get habituated to recognizing all the conditions that harm you as sufferings, after some time almost everything that appears to you becomes the cause of unhappiness. Almost everything that appears to your sense of hearing, sense of sight, sense of taste, is unsatisfying. So, you know, in in this in this quote, Lama Zopa says, you know, the other way the the other way is in terms is operating our lives on the basis of, you know, what I call the generally called the eight worldly dharmas or the eight principles of ego’s world. The you know, our compulsive pursuit for for pleasure, our compulsive avoidance of pain, compulsive pursuit of of gain and fame and praise, our compulsive avoidance of of of loss and notoriety and criticism.
Now this is These are the eight principles by which we operate in our life, and this is not the way of solving our problems at a deeper level. This keeps us from ever really solving our fundamental problems. And here we’re trying to go beyond these dysfunctional principles and develop an even minded attitude towards friends, strangers, and enemies, you know, understanding that now the point is that each in their own way is contributing to our welfare, are equally contributing to our happiness. You know, we we can still we can still prefer to associate with our friends, those we like. But nevertheless, we can have an unconditional positive regard for everyone.
You know, we can appreciate them each in their own unique way. And their friend does not contribute to to my happiness in the same way that strangers do. Strangers don’t contribute to my happiness in the same way the enemies enemies do. The way they contribute to my happiness is quite unique to each of them. But nevertheless, the fact can still remain that they are contributing to my welfare, that they are all equally kind in bringing about my ultimate happiness and my temporal happiness.
They’re all contributing to my welfare in a very unique way. The person who’s working in that factory turning causing this this fan to keep turning, the enemy who who makes me grow, who helps me to develop tolerance, You know, it really cuts through my my my complacency and thinking, you know, that I’d actually achieved something in terms of my mental development, you know, that takes me back and makes me want to work again, to begin again. And, of course, my friend who is kind to me very in a very immediate and direct fashion. But they’re all they’re all giving me something. They’re all supporting me somehow, either in temporal terms or ultimate terms.
So trying to see you know, I guess, trying to we have to reframe in term we have to begin to work with transforming our our present way of viewing in terms you know, present, we we could care less about the stranger, but we appreciate them, their kindness, can’t we? I think I think it’s realistic, and I think it enhances our life and helps us to grow. And we we at present, we don’t even want to even think well of our our enemy, and that we only want to think of them having problems, of being, you know we take pleasure in that. But we can, you know, if we are sincerely trying to go beyond these eight worldly principles where we’re if we’re not if we’re not completely overwhelmed and governed by the pleasure pain principle, if we see our our welfare in in a vaster perspective, in a in a in a more ultimate sense that we that is necessary to grow, to develop ourselves, and ways of developing our tolerance, for example, developing a tolerance and really developing some kind of compassion, not just for our friends, but also for our enemies, people who cut through our our our narcissism and egotism, who, you know, that we can begin to appreciate them, but not in the same way, but we can begin to appreciate even the kindness of our enemies.
We that they’re uniquely contributing to our welfare. I think that takes a shift, some change in their way, some kind of transformation, but this is part of the path. This is very much a part, and it’s a part of growing, not to stay stagnant and and keep, you know, be caught up and overwhelmed by these eight principles of ego’s world. Only loving those who would bring us pleasure and having, you know, only having aversion for anyone who brings us pain. You know, we and then finally, the third part of this.
Look at this. This is fairly short. So, again, we’re looking at, from our own side, equality of all others from our own side. First from the first point was that from our own side is that they all equally benefit me over infinite past lifetimes in being people who have been kind to me, who have had my welfare in mind, who have shown me great care in the past. But even when they weren’t these caring even when we weren’t in this relationship of of a care provider toward me, even when they were strangers, even when they were enemies, still they’re equally kind, each in their own unique way.
And then thirdly, that that we and all others are equal in the face of death. You know, we you know, as we’ve seen in terms of ourselves, it’s definite that we’re going to die. And what is true of each of ourselves is true of everyone else, whosoever is equally true of all. All that is born is doomed to decay. Death is like the the great leveler of all things.
And we, you know, we we I used this image of waiting in a in a in a camp, a concentration camp, and we’re all in this line, and that door opens from time to time, and a group of people go in and the door closes, and those people are never seen again, and we’re all in that line in one way or another, and we’re all going to take a shower one of these days. The same outcome is going to be for all of us, and the line is continually shortened. The door opens, the group goes in, the door closes, and the line moves closer, and the door opens, and a group goes in, the door closes, and the line moves closer, and it’s continually coming shorter. We’re all continually approaching that door slowly but surely, for sure, everyone in that line, no matter who they may be. You know, what is the what in such a situation and we talked about, you know, how we might have different feelings for all these various people in this line.
What is in in such a situation, what uses is our attachment? What uses our aversion? You know, what what uses our indifference? You know, we’re all in the same line, and we’re all going to walk through that door. Of what use to all of these feeling beings, and that’s primarily what we all are, do not want to die.
Everyone in that line is exactly the same. But nevertheless, we are all aware that we are going to die, our very impending death, that we’re all going to walk through that door one of these days, you know, all the same, all the same, exactly the same, no different in that way. You know, in that in that light when we can gain that kind of perspective, you know, how how insignificant the superficial differences amongst ourselves that we that we focus upon and that we magnify. And at that moment, in the face of the universality of death, you know, how how how petty the mind that discriminates amongst us simply because you make me feel good, you don’t make me feel good. I I’m going to, you know, bring you close to me and cuddle you.
I’m going to hate you when we’re all going to die anyway. In this mind, this, you know, is continually shortening. You know, how less than meaningless our attachments to someone who’s going to die while we too are going to die, how less than meaningless our aversion towards someone who’s going to die while we too are going to die, and how meaningless our indifference towards someone who’s going to die, and we too are going to die. And why we’re here, why we’re here, why we’ve got the opportunity. Opportunity.
Why not go beyond these these these reactive patterns which keep us bound, which which act as dividers amongst ourselves? And while we’re here, while we have an opportunity. The beloved shall become nothing. The hated shall become nothing. I too shall become nothing.
All shall become nothing from dust to dust to to dust again. We are all equal in that. No difference whatsoever. So that’s looking at the equality of others from our own side, that all living beings have been equal in terms of their kindness toward ourselves, and those over the infinite number of rebirths have all been caregivers to ourselves. And even when they weren’t caregivers, that they were equally kind to ourselves as both as not only friends, but also strangers and enemies.
You know, I think we can work with that, and I think it’s really useful to work with that. You know, it’s not it’s unusual, isn’t it? I think this way of framing strangers, especially that of enemies. But it goes against a great deal of our education, but our education thus far hasn’t gotten us very far. And I think if we can appreciate what is trying to be gotten at here and how it might enrich our lives and enrich our relationships.
And we I think we can begin to work with this. When you when you you’re driving home and, you know, maybe you have to get some petrol, And if this what would you do if that petrol wasn’t there? But this person’s kind. Sure, they’re doing it for money, but still you’ve got what you wanted. That’s kind.
You don’t know what their intention was, but what does it matter when we should be concerned most with how we’re responding, that we’ve gotten very much what we want. You know, all of the various services that are provided to ourselves daily, we can begin to appreciate. And that we can I think we can make that shift if we habituate ourselves to that perspective, and it is just as valid a perspective as our present one, which hasn’t gotten us anywhere, which doesn’t work, which doesn’t benefit us in any way? This benefits, you know, there’s a pragmatic basis for this for this working toward this, that there’s going to be some greater use, and two, with our enemies. Rather than wanting to only hurt our enemies and wanting them to that things go wrong for them.
And maybe if we can if we can see the the trials that we’ve been through with people over the course of our life, and through our own experience, how how maybe we become a better person in some way because of that, and focus upon those moments in the course of our life, and the necessity for growing, and the growing in terms of tolerance, in terms of real love and compassion, and the lessons that we learned in adversity, the inner strength that we develop, the skills that we that having to extend ourselves, having to to develop our skills in relating with difficult people in difficult situations, how we become a better person for having done that and carrying over into the rest of our life. And then finally, you know, the very fact that that everyone in this room is going to die, and what is the use? And it’s it’s said What is the use of holding these grudges of not forgiving? What is the use of hold trying to hold on to people when you know you they’re they’re they’re inevitably, you’re going to have to let go. What is the use of just feeling indifferent, as if it didn’t matter when this person’s going to die, while we have the opportunity?
We’re trying to form a basis for opening our heart, for the awakened heart. These are all trying to contribute to that, that to make the mind open and to open the heart and leave it open as much as possible. So next week, we’ll we’ll look at the the third of within these three threefold division, looking at it from the ultimate level, which is again supported by three reasons, the equality of self and others. So we’ll dedicate the creative potential that we’ve accumulated. In the land encircled by snow mountains, you are the source of all happiness and well-being.
Powerful Chenrezig, Tenzin Gyatso, please remain until the end of cyclic existence. May I quickly become an awakened spiritual master and lead each and every living being to that awakened realm through these skillful actions. May the supreme jewel, the awakened heart that has not arisen, arise and grow. And may that which has arisen never diminish, but increase more and more. Thank you.
So would you like to get a cup of tea? I’ll have a discussion. Have a good week.