Why do people suffer? The murders… suffering… diseases… new diseases… violence… – how much violence has started happening in schools! And old people… Children, and even adults, can’t control what happens. And economic problems… So many problems! Why? Everything comes from misunderstanding. Because of a lack of understanding of what is needed: what needs to be done, what needs to be followed.Karma comes from ignorance. Therefore, we need to explore what is happening, explore reality as broadly as possible, which will lead to incredible freedom – the freedom to avoid suffering, to achieve happiness, because if we understand the causes that lead to suffering and understand the causes that lead to happiness, it will make an incredible difference to life! However, you can have a medicine, you can know what kind of diet you need to follow, you can know what the cause of the disease is – and only have this medicine with you. That is, you can know the disadvantages, but not put your knowledge inside yourself – into practice. By studying Buddhism, you will be able to really study all the different kinds of phenomena in your life. You will be able to see very clearly what is right and what is wrong. You will see this in other religions as well. Recently, in the USA, at Harvard University, in Boston, a group of scientists conducted a special study, and they discovered that people who have compassion in everyday life have better health, while others who often experience anger and hatred are more likely to suffer from heart disease. This is how compassion brings good. These are psychological observations: people are more friendly, open-minded, and their health is better. We investigated this in different ways. They asked questions – a question about health, a question: “Can you kill a man who robbed your house?”, “Can you help a man who needs it – put him to live in your house?”. I don’t remember any other questions. And they came to the conclusion that compassion is very important. And they researched about different religions, what are the methods to develop compassion there. Different religions disagree with each other on different issues. And the researchers considered these different options. And they did not find a specific method for developing compassion in other religions – they came to the conclusion that it is in Buddhism. A group of students from California conducted a two-month, three-month meditation study on developing compassion. This is a method of generating Bodhichitta (the spirit of Awakening) according to the seven stages of causes and results, and a method of exchanging oneself and others. And this is the teaching of Guru Rinpoche. These were the latest studies on how having compassion helps solve problems. Buddhist practice is so fundamentally important. This will not allow harm to other creatures – in the family… and more than that, animals… and more than that, countless creatures. If your compassion is strong, great, then you will not cause harm even to these countless beings. They will get so much happiness! And not only temporary, but also the highest, ultimate happiness – in this and in the next life… complete elimination of suffering… The reasons for happiness are Buddhist Cessation… and the reasons for the Awakening. They will get it from you! All this happiness that they will find – what does it depend on? How? If you generate compassion, that is, just as you want it for yourself, then this happiness will arise. And if you don’t, it won’t happen. We are responsible to everyone for this, because everyone wants happiness. If there is no compassion, then there is a danger that we will cause pain and harm to others. If there is no compassion, then what conditions arise in this place? Selfishness, passions, obscurations. The result is harm to countless creatures. And not only in this life, but also in future lives. It’s the same, and it’s the same all the time. For life, for life, for life… Harming countless creatures… If things don’t change. If the same approaches remain. If selfishness is not replaced by compassion for others… Even if you look at history, can’t people learn from the examples of history, in which many of the greatest destruction and much harm occurred due to selfishness, lack of compassion? And we can also change the way we approach animals – which are eaten, which are fed, cared for, as if they show compassion – but are killed. They are fed special food, they are washed, all their impurities are washed out, warmed, cared for – and killed… If not right now, then when? If we don’t change our lives right now, completely transform ourselves, completely change our approaches, then when will we be able to do this?! Try to make your mind clear. Healthy, free from darkening thoughts. As in history, there were examples when, by practicing compassion, people could bring love and care to millions of people in this world. Like Mother Teresa. Like His Holiness the Dalai Lama. When people hear about such examples, or read, or hear, they feel joy that such a thing exists in this world. We can see how such education, study, and fostering cordiality turn out to be the best of all educations. It benefits countless living beings. Look at how it all depends on your condition, on the development of your heart! Further, if we do not talk about peace, even in the same family, in your family, it is most important to have compassion for each other. It’s the same with friends. It is not even necessary for two people to have compassion for each other in their relationship, it is enough if one person can have compassion – a husband or wife. When another person gets angry, you don’t respond, you remain in an unchanging state, unshakeable. And the person, without receiving an answer – abuse, irritation, and so on, stops. And so are other people to whom you do not return the irritation, anger. You bring peace, and other people get an example. They learn what it means to have cordiality, love for others. This is a Buddhist teaching on how to practice the spiritual path. That’s what’s so important! And not only religious people can practice this in their lives – any people! Anyone who wants happiness does not want problems or pain. In your relationships with people, in your family, you want to be loved and accepted. It’s the same with friends. You don’t want people to get angry at you. This is the key.
The practice of compassion. You study compassion as the main thing, you study how to make people happy. I’ll give you an example. Look at how it happens to people in the family, at work, with other people. For example, one person will put something here (he shows, putting a book on the table in front of him). Another person will put it here (shows it). They have an argument. This is a dispute of desires. A clash between desires. This is an argument about how to fulfill your desires. It is your self that dictates your actions. And you get angry because the other person doesn’t listen to you. At the same time, you create karma with your state of consciousness, with your speech. You try to stab or hurt the other with a word, maybe hurtful rude words. The other person does the same thing. Words that can affect the mind cause pain. Even if you don’t produce pain with physical actions, you produce pain with words. If you eliminate the “I” position, if you accept the desires of others and wish happiness to another, this can bring him maximum happiness. The person will feel happy. He will be happy because of you. It will make you happy – you will feel happy for him. His happiness and your happiness are connected. Your happiness comes from the happiness of another person. First, you need to open your heart, eliminate the “I” position, and accept what the other person needs. The consequence of this is the elimination of the “I”, concern for happiness, acceptance of the other’s worries. There are 2 advantages here – the happiness of another and one’s own happiness. The happiness of another is his victory, his happiness. Our happiness comes from overcoming selfishness, which brings us happiness. We gain 2 happiness points. And if you act following selfishness, egoism – for your happiness, because your “I” wants “my” desires to come true, the other person gets upset because his desires are not satisfied. Next, the other person starts to get angry – and you get angry too. It makes you unhappy. Because of the interaction between people, because of the interdependence, what happens is that you become unhappy. That’s how it all happens. This is a cycle. The interaction is cyclical. Then you get angry at the other person. In this situation, you are not practicing cordiality, you are being selfish. Everything you do, you do for your own happiness – but it leads to the other person’s unhappiness and to your own unhappiness. Your selfish desire for happiness for yourself does not bring happiness to anyone. This example makes you think about how important it is to practice compassion in everyday life. How important this is, because one’s own happiness and the happiness of others are interdependent. Our happiness depends on others. If cordiality is such a precious thing, and we will not have it in our hearts, we will not have this inner treasure, wealth, then what difference does it make how much money we receive, how much wealth we own, how many things we have accumulated?! The fear of losing, the worry that other people may take away what we have, generates suffering, dissatisfaction. If there is compassion, an inner treasure, then we use everything we have, all our possessions, and wealth to help – to provide support, food, clothing, and religious advice. For the benefit of countless living beings! The Buddha’s teaching is a source of happiness, it serves to overcome suffering. External things cannot stop the cause of suffering. Misconceptions lead to their emergence. Cordiality is an inner wealth. If there is property and wealth, love and cordiality lead a person to happiness. If there is no property and no fortune, love and cordiality also lead to happiness. People have different motivations, different desires, and aspirations. One motivation is to act to help others, the other is to act for oneself, because of personal predilections, greedy clinging to people or things, and this is not a virtue. Then all the wealth is used to create bad karma and only causes dissatisfaction in the end, causing mental problems. If we have cordiality, love, and if we have property, a high-level reputation, and fame, we use all this for good, for help. If there is no love, then the more fame there is, the more fear of losing fame and reputation, the more jealousy of others, the more obscurations towards others, the more reasons for suffering.
And the same in the future life… And in this life. If you have love and cordiality, then this is wealth, as life becomes meaningful. For example, many famous singers commit suicide in the world. Why?! If they were satisfied, happy, this would not have happened. Although they are known everywhere. Although other people consider them to be a symbol of success. But grief and worry push them to commit suicide. Because the heart is empty. Life is empty. It is polluted. In Mahayana Buddhism, getting rid of addiction to this life, fame, and wealth is cultivated. And fortunately, in samsara in general, in the entire cycle of existence. To happiness in the future life. The spirit of Awakening is cultivated – bodhichitta, striving for a state of Awakening for the sake of helping living beings. And the right views are the comprehension of reality. If you don’t have this experience, these insights, you need to practice meditation to gain them. Since there are many obscurations in our consciousness, there is no protection without Dharma – spiritual teaching. There is no cure for passions. Therefore, we turn to the refuge of the Dharma. Without love and cordiality, it doesn’t matter what kind of education we receive – at school, even if it’s a good school, or at an institute or university. Even if we have read a lot of books in all the libraries of the world, even Buddhist books. Even books by famous scholars – Indian pandits, great lamas of Tibet, Awakened Ones, yogis, teachers of Tibet, Mongolia – even if you would memorize all the texts – but if there is no compassion in your heart, there is a danger to all this knowledge. Pride may arise, which is the main obstacle for you to become better, to acquire the best qualities of consciousness. There is also a danger that you can use your education to harm living beings. If there is compassion, then even with a little education, it can be used for good. And that’s how life makes sense. Therefore, the conclusion is as follows. What is our goal? What do we live for? Not for wealth or fame or power – if there is no compassion, all this can become dangerous. So, just having a fortune, fame, and education is not the goal of life. If you have wealth, fame, and power, what are they for? To benefit others. Whether we are healthy or not, sick with cancer or something else, whether we are poor, gain happens or loss, whether our reputation is good or bad, fame or obscurity comes, whether we are born or die and reborn – no matter what happens, the main thing is to be useful, to benefit others. Even if we have cancer, we can help others. We can wish all those who have cancer karma to get rid of it. We can take it on ourselves – we want to take on their heavy karma. To save them. Take on their pain. Cheer for them. We can do this. The most important meaning of life is to be compassionate. That should be the goal. And that should be the goal in our hearts. in our ordinary life. When we go somewhere, when we eat, when we buy goods, when we do our work, everything becomes a beneficial reason to achieve Awakening! Because your thought becomes beneficial. Your motivation becomes the reason for happiness for all living beings! Whether we are rich or poor, healthy or sick, gain or loss, good reputation or bad, fame or obscurity, live or die – in everything… Even when we die, we can accept their death-the death of others-and wish them to achieve Enlightenment! This is the most beneficial. And this contains the essence of the practice of karma. Wasn’t I asked to tell you about karma? (He looks around. He’s waiting. He laughs.) If there is compassion, everything becomes good karma. Whether we eat, walk, work, or read prayers, it becomes good karma leading to Awakening. This is the ultimate success. What could be higher?! What’s more?! So, if we talk about karma, then we need to practice compassion. How can we make our lives meaningful? Get 24 hours of use… We must practice compassion. Who knows how long we’ll live… Maybe one year… How can I make my life more useful? Compassion. How to use this precious human body? – So easy!.. Bring happiness to yourself in all future lives? So easy!.. And liberation from samsara, the cycle – from all suffering – is so simple. And Awakening, the ability to bring everyone, all living beings, out of the ocean of samsara… With this human body… If this has already happened to you, then I have no words. That’s great! I’ll give you an example. Birds, chickens, dogs, turtles, crocodiles – even animals, if you explain to them the reasons for happiness and virtue: this is the reason that brings happiness as a result… If you show them what it is… No matter how many world epochs you explain to dogs, pigs, chickens, dogs, turtles, they won’t understand. But for us, since we have this precious human life, this precious body, if we explain for one minute what virtue is, that it is the reason that brings happiness as a result, we will understand. Because we have a human body. And we will understand not only the words, but also the meaning. Virtuous actions result in happiness. And non-virtuous actions – attachment, anger, envy – result in suffering. We’ll figure it out in a second! Absolute freedom will be revealed to us – freedom over all causes and results. Over my whole life. These are the reasons for the happiness of a lifetime. It is so easy to create reasons for happiness in our human life! And animals – dogs, pigs, chickens, crocodiles – find it so difficult. Some parrots know the words, but they don’t know the meaning of the words. So this human body is so precious! More than gold or diamonds. It takes us one second to study and understand what virtue is. And as a result, there is freedom over the causes and results in life. And at this time, when we possess this human body, it is extremely important for us to study the Dharma. After all, we understand what karma is in one second. One Teacher studied thousands of pages of Buddhist books in the past. He searched for various teachings, traveled to monasteries. And when he returned to a cave in Nepal, in the secluded area of Laudo, this Nyingma lama came across the text of a Spiritual friend, Geshe, from the Kadampa tradition (XI century), “Opening the door to the Dharma.” What was said in that text: our daily life is the same everywhere – we eat, sleep, walk… But the thought and motivation can be different. Compassion can be the motivation – then the whole life will be transformed! When you wake up in the morning, wake up thinking, “Happiness, I’m not dead!” Which means you have the opportunity to do good. The second thing to think about is: “I will generate compassion in my heart! I will focus on compassion.” And throughout the day, you can repeat the mantra, the incantation of the deity of compassion, Avalokiteshvara, in Tibetan Chenrezi, the Compassionate One: OM MANI PADME HUM is the six syllables of the wish for beings of the six birthplaces: hells, spirits, animals, humans, demigods and gods to get rid of suffering and find happiness, the highest happiness. You can recite this mantra, this incantation, and recite the rosary. So easy! How much benefit – and so easy! And from beginning to end, many times when we repeat OM MANI PADME HUM, generate compassion in your heart. It’s so easy to eliminate suffering in your life and create a lot of virtue! All birds, chickens, geese, sparrows… they would recite the OM MANI PADME HUM mantra (shows how the rosary is moved when reciting) – if, of course, their body would allow it… All cats, cows, dogs, crocodiles – even crocodiles! (opening his eyes, he laughs at the picture he sees) – crocodiles would also recite OM MANI – if the body would allow it! – even crocodiles! (he thinks again with his eyes closed, is silent)… If only my body would let me… And yet – the worship of the Guru. Honoring a Guru brings realizations… Meditation on karma, fasting, and meditation on the four truths are the lower path. Then the spirit of Awakening… Contemplation of emptiness… Then there is the practice of tantra. The stage of origin. The completion stage. If there are initiations, you can practice tantra. Then, in all everyday activities, such as eating and others, you contemplate yourself as a deity, making offerings to yourself in the form of a personal holy deity of contemplation… That’s how a lot of merit accumulates… And you comprehend the emptiness of yourself as a deity – inseparably… This is how Wisdom accumulates… And in the end, the Awakening… It’s so easy – on the basis of this precious human body, if you generate compassion in your heart, if you transform your life…
