Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 34-minute guided meditation, Ven Lobsang Namgyel leads students through a systematic reflection on interdependence and connection as a foundation for transforming the mind. He begins by examining how the body and all its sustenance arise from countless beings — parents, farmers, builders, doctors — tracing backward to see that individual survival is impossible without others. He then extends this reflection to the mind: language, compassion, and love all depend on others. Moving to the ultimate goal, he traces enlightenment backward through its causes — showing that Buddhahood arises from bodhicitta, the mind wishing to liberate all sentient beings equally, which in turn arises from universal compassion. He emphasizes Śāntideva’s principle that enlightenment depends equally on Buddhas and sentient beings, and that the highest offering to Buddhas is working for all beings’ welfare. The meditation culminates in a vivid mental exercise: imagining perfect happiness for all beings except one — perhaps someone you most dislike — then genuinely returning to save that final being. The session closes with a dedication of positive energy toward relieving suffering wherever it exists.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 18 Meditation Connection.mp3
UUID: 3cad7717-f056-4847-9ddd-0a18564d5fd3
Teacher: Ven Lobsang Namgyel
Collection: VenNamgyel Thought Transformation (Ven Lobsang Namgyel)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 34.0 minutes
Words: ~1,147
In this meditation we’ll try to strengthen our connection with others, appreciation for others kindness, our interdependence to other to others. Try to see if we can actually exist, if the eye can actually exist without others. If perfect happiness can actually come about without thinking of everybody else. Without wishing happiness, perfect happiness for everybody else. So we can begin by thinking of our body, a human body that we have now.
This body to which we refer as my body. Where does this body come from? Where do those two substances from which this body arise have come from? There is a father, a mother. Something that their body produced, create this body to which we call my body.
What about this body’s mind? This body grew and evolved depending on the food that has been consumed and has been transformed. Where does this food come from? Where are all those beings that worked for this food? All the way from the fields to the supermarket.
Well, all those beings that lost their lives and make it possible for this food to be produced and arrive to us, which allow ourselves to keep ourselves alive. Alive. Where are they now? And then all those other things we enjoy. How did they come to us?
Our houses, our clothes. What makes it possible to move around, go to faraway places, following our dreams and ambitions, How many beings involved in that? And then all those beings that help us to remain healthy, Those being that produce the medicines that makes us feel better so many times that perhaps even saves our lives. And then you can think of all those builders, nurses, doctors, farmers, drivers and all those beings that connected to them and make it possible for them to be alive and directly and indirectly support us. If we go on and on, does it seem like we can find an end to that amazing system that support us?
One being, me, myself. And that’s only on the physical level of keeping this body well and alive. And then what about what we know, the qualities of our mind, the language we speak, the experience of love, of compassion, compassion? How does it feel to really love or have compassion? This mind of altruism.
Isn’t it really great to feel that? Can these feelings or states of mind arise in dependence upon somebody else? And if you were able to include everybody or make everybody else as the object of those states of mind, Try to imagine the level of happiness that we can have. Not the slightest darkness, only love. So if you need, please can stretch your legs for a moment.
Adjust your posture. So we are in search of happiness, the most perfect complete happiness. Not temporary one but one that can last. According to the Buddhist teachings, enlightenment is the highest possible attainment, the most complete and perfect happiness available. So we can begin and ask where does enlightenment come from?
So enlightenment comes from the Dharma, it comes from transforming our mind, purifying our mind. Where does the Dharma come from? The Dharma comes from an enlightened mind. Where does enlightened mind a Buddha come from? A Buddha arise from generating bodhicitta within his own mind, the time before he or she attain the highest state of enlightenment,
This wish to liberate all sentient beings from all their sufferings and to lead them to perfect complete enlightenment together with the wish to attain enlightenment as quickly as possible to be able to do that. That is bodhicitta. That is the mind that the bodhisattva have. Where does bodhicitta come from? It comes from great compassion, from great love.
These two are: the wish for each and every sentient being without exception to be perfectly free from all suffering, and a wish for every sentient being without exception to have happiness. So bodhisattvas arise from generating this connection and this care for each and every sentient being, not leaving even one out. Leaving one out, there is no bodhicitta. There is no Bodhisattva. There is no Buddha.
No enlightenment. There is no Dharma. We cannot find a way out. And for us, if we wish to attain this state, would it be possible if we leave even one sentient being out? Leaving one sentient being out, we will not be able to follow the same path.
So each and every sentient being should be most dear to us. We think we’re benefiting them, but how much they’re actually benefiting us? So it’s said by Śāntideva that enlightenment comes or depend equally on the Buddhas and on all sentient beings. It will be completely wrong to worship the Buddhas, thinking that we’re pleasing them while ignoring sentient being sentient beings, ignoring even one. Lama Zopa Rinpoche said that the greatest highest offering we can make to the Buddhas is working for the welfare of sentient beings.
The greatest harm we cause to the Buddhas, is we do by harming sentient beings. Now for conclusion, we can try to imagine that we have been able to secure a happiness, perfect happiness, great bliss and abilities. And we have been able to liberate everybody else. There’s no one that is suffering anymore or will ever suffer. All are completely free in a state of enlightenment.
Except for one somewhere in some place. We still know that there is one left. And try to think that this one that left is the person that you most dislike just to challenge yourself a little bit, most dislike, or the person you think of as the most evil one. Everybody has experienced bliss. Not a single worry anymore.
Everybody is perfectly happy. And this one is left alone somewhere. Does it harm your perfect state of happiness? Does it make this sense of happiness incomplete? Can you let go and say, it’s okay, I don’t mind.
All of us are out. It’s only this one. And if you feel you would like to go back and save this one, last one, imagine in your mind that you’re actually doing that. Now gather whatever positive energy you feel you might have generated in this session. And dedicate it perfectly towards whatever state of mind you wish to generate, you wish to attain, whatever abilities you wish to be able to produce in your body and mind.
And then dedicate this energy to whoever you can think of. Offer them whatever they need, whatever they like. You can bring back your family and loved ones to mind. Dedicated for places where people are starving, where people are dying, where people are sick, extremely sick. To places where people are fighting.
Imagine that wherever suffering exists, you send your best wishes, you send this positive energy, this light.