Conflict With Others

Dear one,
Thank you very much your letter confessing and recognizing your mistakes. Yes, your motivation was not holy Dharma at all; it was the root of samsara. It began with jealousy and the three poisonous minds, and like small children fighting you were creating rainfalls of negative karmas. I realized all the problems, what came out, there is some cultural attachment [to] nationality, but one person wants to practice holy Dharma and to read the whole lamrim, Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand.

When you come to work at the center, that means not only meditation and studying holy Dharma, but even working for the center becomes Dharma. That means with guru devotion or with renunciation of this life, with renunciation of samsara or with bodhicitta, which becomes the cause of enlightenment, then right view, so all the actions become the antidote to samsara and its root, grasping at the I.

For example, the great yogi Milarepa in his earlier life, through black magic, killed thirty people upstairs, then downstairs maybe sixty or more horses were killed. But as the lama advised, if he practiced holy Dharma and followed Marpa, then he would become fully enlightened. Then because Milarepa was able to follow his guru Marpa exactly, by building towers, three times, only by himself, with not one single laborer helping him, he achieved the unified state of Vajradhara, in a brief lifetime.

You have to be sure you are not playing games, and not still only playing politics. Then it is better not come to work. This black politics looks like working for the center or for others from the outside, but if the work is mainly done for yourself, for power, reputation, wealth, then it does not become holy Dharma at all.

With much love and prayer ...

We have already cried like the limitless sky from beginningless samsaric lives, because of the shortcomings of samsara. The only way is to be free from samsara and to experience it for sentient beings, in order to bring them to full enlightenment. Ha ha, hi hi, ho ho.

Any action our mind doesn’t like, what we call harm, what we interpret in that way, and any benefit and happiness we receive from others, all came from oneself, it is caused by oneself. Any happiness and benefit that we think came from others has come from oneself, it is caused by oneself, by the virtuous thought, the good heart. Anything, bad or good—everything came from oneself.

Our mind is the creator of samsara, nirvana and enlightenment, and hell. Our everyday happiness and every problem came from ourselves, including depression. There are millions and millions of people in the West who are depressed and it all came from the self.

This is the most important Buddhist philosophy and on that basis, we practice the essence of Buddhism. When we practice the essence of Buddhism—the three principal aspects of the path—we understand that even the happiness we feel without reason is caused by us, and the depression, that we don’t know why it came, also came from us.

The biggest mistake is when we don’t think about karma, cause and effect. We think [harm] comes from another story and the biggest mistake is we don’t go farther than that. Usually we think it is caused by others and we don’t see that it is all caused by us.

The great yogi Marpa said to his disciple Milarepa, “If you want to achieve full enlightenment in one life, look at your mind without distraction from that.”

My most dear, most precious, most kind, wish-granting jewels,

Lozang Tenpai Gyaltsen said:

When the blazing fire of anger, the enemy of the life of virtue,
Burns the seeds of liberation without exception,
Please extinguish it with the strong continual water
Of the nectar of your great compassion, Arya Compassionate-Eye-Looking One (Chenrezig).

His Holiness the Seventh Dalai Lama, Kelsang Gyatso, said:

In the view of the mind stirred by spirit possession and delusions,
Even though you feel that pride is good, it is like a dancing act of craziness.
However many collections of vices looked down upon by the holy beings you have done,
From the depths of your heart confess them individually with fervent regret.

The old mother sentient beings, who have guided me with kindness again and again,
Have fallen into the midst of a burning fire of suffering.
Since I don’t have the capacity to guide them now,
Please bless me to quickly achieve enlightenment.

On the basis of the teachings of the Buddha, the present founder of Buddhadharma, Kadampa Geshe Chekawa said in his Seven Points of Thought Transformation,

Put all the blame on one.
Toward others, meditate on kindness.

Putting all the blame on one means to blame one’s own negative mind, the self-cherishing thought. This is what causes you to suffer; this is the creator of your suffering from beginningless rebirths up to now, and if you follow the self-cherishing thought, you will suffer continuously. You will continuously be stuck in samsara, experiencing suffering forever. The self-cherishing mind controls you; it has harmed numberless sentient beings in the past and continues to do so in the present. It has prevented you from achieving enlightenment, buddhahood, from beginningless rebirths up to now. As long as you follow this selfish mind, it will prevent you from becoming enlightened in the future and will continuously harm you and all other sentient beings. This is the great demon, the enemy—the self-cherishing thought.

WHAT IS THE SELF?

Even though there are numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas, why so far have we not become free from the oceans of samsaric sufferings? Why do we suffer continuously? Why are we not yet enlightened? Why do we continue to suffer and suffer? We have followed our self-cherishing as if it were our best guide, a god, our best helper. We have been led by the selfish mind, the great demon, doing exactly what it says, thinking, “This is me. This is I. This is what I want.” That is totally wrong! That’s not you, that’s not me, that’s not the I. The body is not the I; mind is not the I; both together are not the I. Yet there is no I that exists separate from the aggregates.

Of course, I’m not saying that there is no I. There is an I. But what exists is nothing other than what is merely labeled by the mind. So what the I is is most extremely subtle. We ordinary beings, like myself, never think we are acting for the merely labeled I. If, for example, when we got angry we were able to meditate right at that time—“What is I? It exists in mere name”—then there would be no place for our anger. It would totally disappear. It doesn’t go anywhere; it just becomes not existent. The place from where that anger arises, the I, would no longer be there.

Similarly, the moment that you think the I exists in mere name, right at that time you see the real I is one hundred percent not there. That proves to your mind, or identifies to your mind, that the false I is simply an illusion.

In the first moment, the mind focuses on the aggregates, and then that same mind merely labels, or merely imputes, “I” upon them. That is how we create the I. Then, in the second moment, the I appears back to our mind as if it existed from its own side, as if it existed by itself, as if it were truly existent, or, in everyday language, as if it were a real I. It appears that way because of negative imprints left on our mental continuum from beginningless rebirths by the ignorance that holds the I as real, as existing from its own side, as existing by nature. That is projected, or decorated, by these negative imprints.

Then, in the third moment, we believe, or we hold on to, this concept of an I existing from its own side as one hundred percent true. Just to clarify, not a permanent I existing alone and existing with its own freedom. Also, not an I existing self-sufficiently. Also, not an I existing from its own side completely without depending on the substance, the imprint, left on the seventh consciousness, the mind-basis-of-all, and then experienced as both the object and the subject, the knowing mind. It is not even that, the gag cha, the object to be refuted, according to the Cittamatra school of Buddhist philosophy.

The view of the next highest school, Madhyamika Svatantrika, is that the gag cha is the I that is not labeled by the mind but truly exists from its own side. According to the Svatantrika view, there is some existence from its own side but it is also labeled by the mind. Even that is not correct, but this is what they falsely believe. This is their right view.

But in the view of the highest philosophical school, that of the Madhyamika Prasangika, this is the actual gag cha, the object of refutation. Something that exists from its own side, even a little; something not totally from its own side but something from its own side, something small—that is totally non-existent according to Prasangika.

Realizing the total non-existence of that is the realization of the Prasangika view of emptiness. The wisdom realizing that is the only view that can directly eliminate the root of samsara, the ignorance that holds the I as real. Here I’m talking about the very subtle gag cha—that there is something from its own side, even though it is labeled by mind. Even that is totally nonexistent. That belief is the root of samsara, the oceans of suffering. From that, ignorance arises, attachment arises, anger arises, jealousy arises, pride arises, and doubt arises. From that, the six root delusions and the twenty secondary delusions arise, and then in all the details, the 84,000 delusions.

Thus, that wrong concept, the ignorance that believes something exists from its own side, is the true cause of suffering, the principal one. From that, delusion and karma arise, bringing about all the various samsaric sufferings: the heavy suffering of the hells, the heavy suffering of the hungry ghosts, the heavy suffering of the animals, the heavy suffering of the human beings, the heavy suffering of the sura and asura beings, the suffering of rebirth, the suffering of sickness, the suffering of old age, and the suffering of death. All that comes from there.

In Buddhism, a fundamental teaching is that on the four noble truths: true suffering, true cause of suffering, true cessation of suffering, and true path to the cessation of suffering. Why did the Buddha teach those? By realizing the true path, the wisdom directly perceiving emptiness, we eradicate the seed of delusion and karma, the cause of samsara. In that way, delusion and karma completely cease. As a result, suffering ceases, is no longer experienced, and we become arhats free from death. If arhats are free from death there’s no question that buddhas, who have eradicated even the subtle imprints of ignorance and achieved buddhahood, sang gye, the total cessation of obscurations and the completion of all realizations, have achieved freedom from death.

Other sufferings that we cease include that of meeting undesirable objects, not finding desirable objects, and separating from desirable objects once found, such as receiving half your salary after three months of receiving a full salary without doing any work. And even if we get the objects we desire, they fail to satisfy us.

There are also the three kinds of suffering of the aggregates: suffering of suffering, suffering of change, and pervasive compounding suffering. All these come from the ignorance holding that things, including the I, truly exist. Even sufferings such as diarrhea, a stomachache from eating too many eggs, a headache, wind disease (lung), and so forth come from that ignorance, the ignorance that holds that something exists from the side of the I, even a tiny, subtle thing not merely labeled by the mind, that something exists from there.

In his Lamrim Chenmo (Great Treatise on the Graduated Path to Enlightenment), Lama Tsongkhapa explained that the ignorance that holds the I, aggregates, and so forth as real, as not merely labeled, as self-existent in nature, then exaggerates objects as good or bad. As a result, attachment and anger arise. So, attachments and anger hold objects as good or bad—not only good or bad but really good or bad, existing from their own side. Because valid reasoning proves that the way these wrong concepts apprehend their objects is wrong, these wrong concepts can be eliminated. I’m just elaborating what Lama Tsongkhapa said to make it clear so that you can understand.

This reasoning is excellent for proving how we can realize the way we perceive everything is totally false. It is a great meditation for seeing what is true and what is false, for seeing why we continuously suffer in samsara by not knowing the difference between truth and falsehood. We believe the false I we apprehend to be true and the true I—that which exists in mere name, that which we do not see—to be nonexistent. Thinking that the I that exists does not exist is nihilistic; we don’t see it, so we think it doesn’t exist. Talking straight, this is the point and the most important meditation.

THE FPMT

I want to say that the FPMT is a religious organization, not a political one to hurt the world, to harm sentient beings. Buddhism differs from other religions in that it stresses compassion for all sentient beings in order to free them from suffering, and great compassion, where we take personal responsibility to do this by ourselves alone. The essence of Buddhism is not to harm sentient beings. That is so important.

Some person holding wrong views might seek to destroy the world because that is what they want to do, and since it’s democratic, if a majority supports that view we should let it happen, we should let that person do what they want, and it’s bad if we don’t. But at the same time, sentient beings want the world to last a long time and to live in peace, so we should protect them from that danger.

If, for example, a child is about to ingest a harmful substance that might even kill him or her, it’s the parents’ responsibility to protect the child and prevent that from happening. They can’t say, “Well, that’s what he wants, so let him do it.” You can’t do that; that’s crazy. While you want a long and healthy life, are you happy to be killed by someone who wants to kill you? Do you let it happen because it’s democratic? Is that correct? Generally speaking there are people in the world who think like that. Even if it’s rare, there are people in the world who, due to much suffering, are prepared to die.

Anyway, the FPMT organization’s function is, on the basis of not harming others, to benefit them as much as possible; to bring them happiness. That does not mean allowing everybody to just do what they want, to destroy the world. We cannot allow people to create the five extremely heavy negative karmas without break (tsam me nga): killing their father, killing their mother, killing an arhat, drawing blood from a buddha, and causing disunity within the sangha and create the cause to be born in the lower realms, in the hells, for numberless eons, which according to the sutra and tantra teachings is what will happen, just because they want to.

Say there are children at home and they don’t want to go to school. They want to stay home and play. Do the parents let them do that because that’s what they’d like to do? No. They get the children to go to school by cajoling them with sweet words and presents or by speaking wrathfully or punishing them, but out of heartfelt loving kindness and compassion. Parents do whatever they have to because it is important for the children to get an education so that they can get a job, make money, and survive in this world.

THE PRACTICE OF PATIENCE

As above, Kadampa Geshe Chekawa said:

Toward others, meditate on kindness.

Say, for example, a person is angry with you and tries to harm you with their body, speech or mind. When the Buddha explained how to attain enlightenment through the practice of the six perfections, he gave complete teachings on patience. Then, as a representative of Shakyamuni Buddha, our guru taught us how to practice patience ourselves. But we don’t practice patience with the buddhas, nor with friends or strangers. The only person who gives us the opportunity to put the teachings on patience into practice, to complete the practice in order to attain enlightenment, is the one we consider an enemy, the angry person trying to harm us. That’s the only one.

By practicing patience with our enemy, we can overcome our anger, complete the perfection of patience, and attain enlightenment, buddhahood, the total cessation of all obscurations and the completion of all realizations. In doing so we achieve the infinite qualities of a buddha’s holy body, speech, and mind. And even before we get there, we become higher bodhisattvas on the eighth, ninth, and tenth levels; for us, they are like buddhas.

Note: Rinpoche's advice continues. You can read the entire advice here.

I will just tell you straight from the heart, lamrim is the essence of the whole path to enlightenment. Lama Atisha was invited to Tibet to revive Buddhism when Tibet was totally destroyed in terms of misunderstanding tantra. When the Tibetans practiced sutra, they couldn’t practice tantra and when they practiced tantra they couldn’t practice sutra, like hot and cold. There were a lot of misunderstandings about tantra. So then Lama Atisha wrote the Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, containing all the teachings of the Buddha—sutra, the individual liberation teachings, jang sem, bodhicitta, and ngag [tantra]. All those extensive teachings were integrated into the lamrim, the graduated path to enlightenment, having three scopes or three levels of practice. This pacified all the wrong concepts about Buddhadharma in Tibet and thus revived Buddhism. It helped Tibet so much, and since then, numberless beings have become enlightened, up to the present time. They have become free of samsara and have actualized the path—the arya path, the ordinary path, bodhicitta, emptiness, renunciation and the root of the path to enlightenment, correctly following the virtuous friend.

For example, Milarepa, who is well-known in the world, became enlightened as a lay person. He became enlightened by practicing Dharma and not by Western knowledge, psychology, psychotherapy or whatever. Not like that, but by Buddhism. Milarepa’s uncle and aunt had taken all the jewels and possessions from the family after his father died, and his mother advised him to learn black magic. So Milarepa went to learn black magic from a lama. Then he spent seven days on the mountain. Up in that area he dug a hole and was doing retreat there [and used black magic to harm his uncle and aunt.] Big rocks came down from the mountains, wow, wow, and destroyed the house while the uncle and aunt were at a wedding. Many people, who were in the house dancing, drinking and so forth, were killed, and many animals, including horses, were killed downstairs. Upstairs more than thirty or thirty-seven people were killed and even more animals were killed downstairs. Then Milarepa became very unhappy.

The black magic lama sent Milarepa to Marpa, saying, “If you want to practice Dharma, go to see Marpa.” That is how he met Marpa, his guru. Milarepa had nothing, so he offered his body, speech and mind. Marpa took care of him and gave him food, clothing and shelter, and then gave him teachings. One time, but not on the first day, he made an offering of an empty container to Marpa and because of that, it is said in the story that he had to bear many hardships while practicing Dharma in a cave.

Milarepa just lived on nettles—in the morning, nettles, and in the evening, nettles. No chilli, no pepper. One day a thief came by and asked, “Where is the chilli? Where is this and that? Where is the salt?” Milarepa had only nettles for everything. He didn’t have anything else. He didn’t even have one rupee—a Nepalese rupee or a Tibetan rupee, any sort of rupee, whatever it was called in Tibet. He didn’t have anything at all, not at all. He had unbelievable hardships. Then his guru Marpa, an enlightened being, filled his pot with butter and made a light offering so that Milarepa would become meaningful in his life. Then for many years Milarepa did the practice. Exactly! He followed Marpa’s advice and wishes exactly! Because of that, he achieved all the realizations, all the tantric realizations, and he achieved enlightenment within a few years. This happened.

Just by remembering his name, it benefits us and is the cause of being born in the pure land. Remembering the holy name of Milarepa and reciting his mantra, we are able to be reborn in the pure land and to meet Milarepa; we are able to see Milarepa. It is said by the great holy being, Karma Ngawang Yonten Gyatso: “Highly actualized, enriched in all the qualities, the lama and perfect, Mila. Even by hearing the name, for seven lifetimes we will never be reborn in the lower realms, it is promised. At the moment, he is abiding in the King’s Rain of the Great Unification, which means full enlightenment, buddhahood; he blesses samsara and nirvana and brings all the stability, which means to the place, the world, and to all the moving sentient beings, every single sentient being. By making requests, he definitely guides us with compassion and he grants blessings of the great drops to everyone. Therefore, attempt to practice the supreme yogi-enriched qualities.” This is said by the great yogi Karma Ngawang Yonten Gyatso.

When Milarepa went to see Marpa, he didn’t give teachings for years. Marpa made Milarepa build a nine-story tower by himself alone. No laborers were allowed. When Milarepa finished building the tower, he had to tear it down and put the stones back where he found them. Then again, he had to rebuild the tower, and again tear it down. And again rebuild. This happened three times. Then Marpa’s wife, the secret mother, pushed Marpa to give initiation and teachings to Milarepa. Marpa listened, but his own wish was still for Milarepa to bear more hardships so that he could achieve enlightenment more quickly, in that life. Of course, Marpa was an enlightened being, manifesting the mandala and giving initiation and teachings.

Then Marpa sent Milarepa to the mountains to do retreat and Milarepa did exactly what his guru advised. Exactly! Because of that and due to bearing many hardships, Milarepa became enlightened in a few years. Even so, you have to understand, even from the early times, Milarepa was an unbelievably, most lucky disciple, in that he was able to bear the hardships and build a nine-story tower three times. He followed Marpa’s advice, and heresy never arose at all. No anger, no heresy. Not only that, initially Marpa didn’t give him teachings. When Marpa did give teachings and Milarepa came with the other disciples and Marpa saw him there, he immediately kicked him out. He scolded and beat him.

When there’s a perfect disciple and a perfect guru together, enlightenment happens. It is like with a dollop of tsampa we can make anything. It’s so easy. Like that. At that time Milarepa was such a fortunate disciple, and Marpa was an incredible guru, who knew exactly how to purify all the negative karma, all the heavy negative karma from many past lives and from which we have to suffer for eons and eons in the lower realms. He knew how to purify this and how to achieve enlightenment quickly. With a guru we can accomplish this. Nowadays, if the guru treated the disciple in that way, then the next day the guru would end up in prison or be killed.

This is one story and there are many holy beings’ stories. It’s very important to read the life stories of Lama Tsongkhapa, and many others, then you will understand how to practice Dharma. Nowadays people have no fortune and the guru could end up in prison or be killed.

So basically, the root of the path to enlightenment is perfectly following the virtuous friend. That is the first thing to practice and to have realizations of—seeing the guru as a buddha from our own side. To see this from our own side, that’s supposed to be the stable realization, then to follow the advice and the wishes exactly, whatever the guru advises. That brings us to enlightenment, enabling us to be free from all the wrong concepts and obscurations, and it brings all the right realizations.

What the people [at the center] are doing, what they are doing is kind of against that, against she nyen den tsul, perfectly following the virtuous friend, against that. So they are against Dharma.

What is Dharma? It seems it is never thought about and never analyzed. Then all the things, all the talks and all the works, are against Dharma. Everything that is against Dharma becomes negative karma, actions of body speech and mind done with the motivation of ignorance, not understanding karma and Dharma, not understanding the ultimate reality of the I and so forth. Then we live totally with attachment and anger; we do everything with that. All our actions of body, speech and mind become negative karma. All our talks become negative karma and all our writing, too. Everything becomes negative karma and the cause of being born in the lower realms. Not only do we create confusion and suffering in this life, but after a terrible death, there is the suffering of the lower realms for eons.

Even the human beings’ heaviest suffering is small compared to the hell beings’ suffering. The human beings’ heavy suffering becomes incredible pleasure, peace and happiness. The smallest suffering of hell is a billion times bigger than the suffering of a human being. We don’t know and people don’t know the future. They don’t know karma; they don’t know Dharma. That is what happens. Our actions don’t become Dharma—following the virtuous friends and their wishes, renouncing attachment and in particular, the attachment to this life, attachment to this life’s happiness. That worldly concern is the source of all the hundred, thousand, million sufferings. I promise. That’s why when we practice Dharma, real Dharma, when our practice becomes real Dharma, it brings incredible, unbelievable peace and happiness. We are so happy.

This is what it means to learn and practice Buddhism. It means this. In learning Buddhism there’s zhi den pa nyi, the base, the two truths, absolute and conventional truth, lam tak chey nyi, the path of method and wisdom, dre bu ku nyi, the result, what we achieve, dharmakaya and rupakaya. That’s what we need to achieve. It’s all based on Dharma practice, as I have explained, and what Dharma practice means.

Here, what the people [at the center] are talking about is totally opposite to holy Dharma. They are like small children fighting with each other and making noise. It’s like that.

Of course, if you have money you should offer it to all sentient beings, even to millionaires and billionaires, and not only to beggars. Offer everything to millionaires and billionaires if you have an endless amount. With no effort, if there’s money, you can give even to sentient beings who are millionaires or billionaires, as they don’t have satisfaction. However much they get, they want more. Due to dissatisfaction and desire, they think they don’t have enough and they want more and more. Hence, there’s dissatisfaction and suffering, when even physically they may have everything in the world. So, yes, you can give, you can make charity even to the millionaires, billionaires and so forth, and not only to the beggars.

But I tell you, when you are the director of a center, how would you do it? For example, with the little money of the center, would you give it to everybody and then let the center disappear? Or what would you do? I’ll give you another example. Of the many people working for the center, for some their heart is the center, so they want to protect the center and they want to develop it. Conversely, many people want to develop themselves and they become careless toward the center.

For example, someone who runs a country as the president or minister or whatever, may never think of helping the population, the millions. They never think about helping the people, freeing them from problems and bringing them happiness. They never think about that. They only think about how to get money from the people in order to develop their power, their influence, their family, all that. Their aim is mainly control. When they carry on like this, many problems happen in the country. Then the population doesn’t like that leader. They can see that leader and they don’t like them. Then fights start, civil wars start. In Syria and in so many countries that has happened. Do you understand? Their heart is not taking care of the people; it’s only for their own power and influence. If their heart is with the people, the population, to free them from suffering and to cause all the happiness, it’s incredible, incredibly pure. So much, so much, but that’s not happening.

I’ll give you another example. In one center, all the people and students criticized the director a lot, then one of the students who had previously criticized the director became director of that center. When he became the director, again all the others criticized him. It’s always like this. Just like that case, the criticism doesn’t become less.

That’s why I say, when you become the director, one of the motivations is: “I’m the director and I’m like a bodhisattva, like the Buddha, because I’m here to serve all sentient beings, to free them from suffering and to achieve all the happiness for them. I’m here to serve. I’m the servant.” It’s like the bodhisattva’s motivation. “I’m the one who receives all the complaints.” You accept that from the very beginning when you accept to be a director. “I’m the only one who receives all the complaints from people.” So when the complaints come, you know, as you’ve been expecting them every day. You don’t get shocked. When you receive a complaint, you can say, “Oh, I see.” It’s just by the way, like wind passing through your hair. You see it and it doesn’t really shock your mind. It helps so much. It helps very much, psychologically. It does not disturb your peace and happiness. You continuously have happiness.

When you actually become the director, when your heart is in the center and you don’t want to lose it, but to increase it, develop it, help the people and not bring problems, then you’ll understand. Then you will understand how it should be run. Otherwise it’s easy to complain.

When there’s a complaint, it’s important to hear both sides, not only one side. You should hear both sides, then decide. You have to use your wisdom, your Dharma wisdom, understanding karma. Then you need compassion—compassion is most important, to have compassion for sentient beings. If you want to develop your mind and you want to bring peace and happiness to the center and beyond, then you have to think in a big way and not with a very narrow mind. I’m sorry to say this ....

Note: Rinpoche's advice continues, with many quotations about compassion and bodhicitta. Read the entire advice here.

My most dear one,
Here is further advice. It’s basically the same as what I explained before, but now here it’s specific. As you know, the basic practice of Mahayana is to not harm others, because refuge in Dharma means abandoning harm to sentient beings—that’s a very basic teaching.

We should relate this to our life, where we are. We are at the center, therefore anything that brings disharmony and upsets people unnecessarily is not useful. We should not upset others so that they get angry and we should not create such situations; we should abandon them. This is the main thing.

As the Buddha said, and as we recite all the time before teachings:

Abandon any unwholesome actions,
Engage in perfect wholesome actions,
Subdue one’s own mind.
This is the teaching of the Buddha.

“Subdue one’s own mind,” the conclusion is that. The whole cause is pride, self-cherishing thought, attachment to this life. So what we do should become the opponent to this. Even prayer should not become the cause of samsara, but the cause to abandon samsara.

Kadampa Geshe Chekawa said,

Put all the blame on one (the self-cherishing thought),
And toward others, meditate on their kindness.

Of course, the kindness of the government is that they do whatever they can to protect the public, all the time. So the usefulness of our life is due to the kindness of the government, and the government exists due to the kindness of the public. Students learn from their teacher and this is the teacher’s kindness to the students, educating them. From what the students are able to learn, they are able to do a job. It is generally that way. And because of the kindness of the students, the teacher is able to make money. There is kindness to each other. Our whole life [is dependent on] kindness to each other.

The person who abuses us, who harms us, or the small insect—this mosquito or this flea—our compassion is generated depending on those beings, who have obscured minds and suffering. From compassion, bodhicitta is generated and the bodhisattva happens. From that, the Buddha happens and the Buddha’s actions happen. One is the secret actions—the actions of the Buddha’s holy mind. One is within us sentient beings—the virtues that we achieve.

All our comfort, all our past, present and future happiness, come from the Buddha’s actions, [which come from] our own virtuous thoughts and actions. So all our happiness up to enlightenment comes from that person who abuses us or from that insect. Therefore, like that, they are most kind, most precious. So, feel that for all sentient beings.

Think, “I receive my three times’ happiness from every sentient being—every hell being, every hungry ghost, every animal, every human being, every asura being, every sura being, every intermediate state being—therefore they are most kind, most dear, most precious, my wish-granting gem.” Every sentient being is most kind, most dear, most precious. This means the teacher there and the students at the center. This is extremely important.

Also, as you recite the Six-Session Guru Yoga every day, that text mentions generating the immeasurable thought of equanimity. Even that becomes the basis, wishing sentient beings to have happiness, generating the immeasurable thought of loving kindness. It’s also the charity of loving kindness—the Ratnasambhava samaya. So you need to generate loving kindness, the Ratnasambhava samaya, to the teacher there and the students at the center. Then there’s also immeasurable compassion, to free them from suffering, like that.

So these are basic practices of Buddhism. Without living in these practices, there’s no practice of Buddhism.

Doing translations, you should know this is liberating sentient beings from samsara, even from lower nirvana, and bringing them to enlightenment. This is what your translation is doing. Your translation is giving eyes to sentient beings, spiritual eyes, like the third eye, to see the two truths—the absolute truth and conventional truth (truth for the all-obscuring mind)—and the path of method and wisdom, and the goal of dharmakaya and rupakaya. So the [wisdom] eye can see all that. The benefit is incredible, incredible, unbelievable, there are skies of benefit, you can see now.

Please give your support for the center activities. You should know this is an FPMT center, this is my center. You can see if you’re not helping the center, you’re not helping me. It becomes like that. Whatever you do, remember this is the FPMT’s and my center. You may not be thinking that, but thinking more about the teacher, like that, so think you’re devoting to me. I want you to really care about the center, and you don’t need to separate from the center, especially even if students just follow you. Whatever event the center does, then join in that.

So this will be great, great, great, to not have any more disharmony.

Please, what I’m advising fits very well with the morning motivation prayer that comes before blessing the speech. This is the motivation for how to live life for sentient beings, so it completely fits—use yourself as a servant for the sentient beings. You have to think like that. That’s the proper way.

As the verses from the Bodhicaryavatara say, you can be used for sentient beings like the earth, which is totally used by sentient beings for their happiness. Water is used by sentient beings for their happiness, fire is used by sentient beings for so much happiness, and wind is totally used for all sentient beings’ happiness. You can be used like the sky, which is totally used for sentient beings’ happiness.

Then comes His Holiness’s verse,

As long as space remains,
As long as transmigratory beings remain,
Until then may I too remain
To dispel the suffering of transmigratory beings.

His Holiness often recites this verse after generating the wishing vow. You should think that.

Also, it is mentioned in Bodhicaryavatara,

By holding myself in high esteem
I shall find myself in unpleasant realms, ugly and stupid;
But should this (attitude) be shifted to others
I shall acquire honors in a joyful realm.

If I employ others for my own purposes
I myself shall experience servitude,
But if I use myself for the sake of others
I shall experience only lordliness.

Whatever joy there is in this world
All comes from desiring others to be happy,
And whatever suffering there is in this world
All comes from desiring myself to be happy.
- (Ch. 8, vv. 127–29)

That’s all. Thank you very, very much. I’m very happy that you fully accepted [my advice] before. You are a fortunate being, an intelligent being, so it’s a question of just paying attention. That’s all.

With much love and prayers ...

Of course I understand the young person’s situation and character. If the center can help that person, then that’s good—having the attitude to help and using any difficulties to develop the mind in Dharma, to grow one's own mind in a very positive way.

The world thinks mostly in only one way, so we need to be open to learning new ways; to think differently and not always put ourselves first. Buddha practiced the six paramitas for three countless eons and made tremendous sacrifices for others, and in this way achieved enlightenment.