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噶千仁波切2015.07.03於西雅圖對大眾的開示：讓生命具有意義 ~ 英文繕寫稿
Garchen Rinpoche: Public Talk - "Living a Meaningful Life"
(July 3rd, 2015 Seattle Teachings)
錄影連結 & 錄音下載：
Rinpoche: 0:00 ~ 01:15 T
Ina: 01:15 ~ 02:25 E
First of all, hello to all my friends who came here this evening. And I know that many of you are very busy. You have many things to do. But because you consider this very meaningful, you came here, even if that means to, even if that entails hardship. So I would like to thank you very much for doing that, because our gathering is indeed very meaningful, because in this world we have obtained a precious human body, and whether we follow the worldly system or the spiritual system, all that we do, all people do is try to find a way to be happy, and try to find a way not to suffer. That is really all we do, nothing else. We do in many different ways. But in the end, we really only look for happiness, and we try to eliminate suffering. So we can consider our gathering here like a meeting where we try to find together a way to bring about happiness, and to be free from suffering for others and oneself.
Rinpoche: 02:25 ~ 02:50 T
Ina: 02:50 ~ 3:24 E
So I personally actually do not have a lot of learning and many good qualities. But I do have a lot of experience when it comes to difficulties or suffering. And of the two types of system, I have some understanding of the feel, of the concerns of the mind. This is really all I have some understanding of. Apart from that I do not have much learning. But because I have much experience, and that is why my friends like to talk to me.
Rinpoche: 03:24 ~ 04:45 T
Ina: 04:45 ~ 06:15 E
So there is much we can talk about. But then there is one ultimate experience that is like ultimate purpose that we have. So this is what I have learned from my own experiences in life. And so that is whatever activity we do, we try to find a way to be happy, and we try to find a way to not to experience difficulties or suffering. So normal human beings, people do this based on the external world, so that is the world that we can actually see, the things that we can see in the external world, then the things that we can hear, that conversations and so on, and the various objects that we can touch with our hands. So that is the outer world. And so, on the basis of that, people, human beings use their intelligence, their wisdom to try to find happiness in this outer world of sight, of sound, and of touch. And on that level, in this regard, human beings really have been able to develop the world greatly. And however, there is only a single goal, a single intention behind that development. And that is because all people want to experience happiness and they want to avoid suffering.
Rinpoche: 06:15 ~ 08:05 T
Ina: 08:05 ~ 10:09 E
So, the outer world, we try to find happiness in the outer world, in the world we can see and hear and touch. Where, actually is if that failed Where do we experience the outer world? The one who experiences the outer world actually is inside, actually is the mind. So therefore in the spiritual system, we turn inward , and we investigate the mind. We look at the mind, so it is like the science of the mind, like from the psychology looking at the mind. And can give you many different names. Each religion calls it a different name according to their own custom. But it is the science of the mind, looking at the mind, the essence of the mind that experiences this outer world. And so I myself do not have much learning. I have not studied much about the various sciences, the sciences of the mind and so on. But however, in this world, I have experienced incredible suffering. And there is probably nothing that I haven’t seen or experienced. So I know about suffering in this world. And therefore, although I do not have much learning, and many good qualities, I have found some methods to overcome suffering, difficulties. And so when I think about it, I found that actually the outer development, the outer world is important. However, even though we developed the outer world, still on the inner level, without any choice of freedom, we still experience difficulties. And that is why the mind also is very important. To understand the mind, the way we think, how the mind functions. And this is how I gain trust in all those methods I found related to the mind. So it is because of my own personal experiences of difficulties, and also I have been able to overcome suffering, that I am able to maybe share some words of advice or help with others.
Rinpoche: 10:09 ~ 13:47 T
Ina: 13:47 ~ 18:20 E
So how we can understand the mind is, by first looking at the beings that we can see, for example, there is humans, human beings and the animals, these are beings that we can see, we can touch them, we can see them. They are objects. So when we observe humans and the animals, for example, their wish to be happy, their wish not to suffer is exactly the same. And so then it is important first to understand how these beings actually appear. Where do they come from? So first, there is the body of a human or animal that is created. Why do they appear in this way? Why do they have such a body? So there is a cause that leads to the birth of such a body, and then after having taken birth, in the middle, then when this body stays in the certain place. And in the end, various conditions that lead to the destruction of that body. So first it is first important to understand that what is the cause of our experiences in this life? What causes our experience of happiness and what causes suffering. So the causes come from within the mind. And the mind is something that nobody can see. So therefore we first try to understand the being, like the body of a being, for example, the human being. The body of a human being consists of the 5 elements. And actually the body of all life forms, of all the creatures consists of the 5 elements. So then when those 5 elements are in balance, that being experiences happiness. And when they are out of balance, then they experience suffering. For example, in this world, we can see there is much suffering related to excessive heat or cold and so on. So we need heat and cold, but then in this world, it gets too hot, it gets out of balance. Or it gets too cold, and then we need more heat and so on. So that is when the outer elements, when the 5 elements have become disturbed. And so then first we understand the outer level. The things that we can see, for example, the body of a human, the animal, and the world consisting of the 5 elements. And so, that is something scientists also can see, scientists as well as religious practitioners.
So that is when the outer elements, when the 5 elements have become disturbed. And so then also, based on understanding that, we can finally also begin to understand the suffering of those beings without a form, without a body. Because the disturbance of the 5 elements originates within the mind, so that is what causes the disturbance of the 5 elements, even if it is caused by beings without a body. So it comes from the 5 afflictions in the mind. And depending on which of the 5 afflictions is the strongest, we experience various types of imbalance, heat and cold and so on. So this is where all sufferings come from. The 5 outer elements that make up our body are very strongly related to the 5 afflictions in our mind. And these are very strongly related to the 5 elements on the outer level, and the outer world. So the inner and the outer are strongly related to each other. So the mind of any being that possesses the 5 afflictions, that these 5 afflictions directly affects the 5 elements that make up their body, and that affects the outer world. So again it begins, first of all, with the mind. First the mind becomes disturbed. And then that disturbance of the mind disturbs the body, so that brings the body an imbalanced state. And the imbalanced elements of the body then lead to an imbalanced speech, so we act out. And that leads to a lot of fighting and suffering in this world, and more and more conflict. So it is necessary to recognize that it all originates from an imbalance and disturbance of the mind within. And so then, understanding that, the science of the mind has emerged from understanding that, and then trying to find a method to purify this imbalance of the mind.
Rinpoche: 18:20 ~ 22:40 T
Ina: 22:40 ~ 28:30 E
So the cause of all imbalance comes from within the mind. And that is mainly the ego, the selfish mind. So when we try to understand the mind, how can we really understand the mind, because the mind is actually not an object that we can see or hear and touch and so on? That is why often we give the example that the mind is like space. So within the body we have the 5 elements, and so the flesh and bones and so on make up the earth element; the blood and liquid are the water element, the body heat is the fire element, the breath the wind element, and the mind is the space element. So we can understand the imbalance of the elements by looking at the space element that makes our body which is our mind. But then if we try to understand space, space is not an object of the intellect. We cannot investigate with the intellect. So that is what the spiritual path, the religions are doing. We are trying to understand the nature of this mind, which is like space.
So first we understand that this body consists of the 5 elements. Then we recognize that within the mind, we have the 5 afflictions. And then we recognize that the 5 afflictions in the mind and the body, the 5 elements are related to each other. And if there is an imbalance of the afflictions, if the mind is disturbed, then that creates illness and so on. And also that disturbs the outer elements and leads to heat and cold and so on. So heat and cold are things that we need, but not in excess. If there is too much heat, then we suffer. But also if we try to make it cooler, and if it gets too cold, again we suffer. So there needs to be a balance between heat and cold. And so likewise, there need to be a balance within the mind, a balance of peaceful mind. So when the elements are disturbed, then the body gets sick. Then we try to cure this with medical treatment. But then no matter how much we try to cure it, we cannot really resolve it, if we do not resolve the imbalance within our mind. And that is because we are habituated to this imbalance for a very long time that we cannot simply resolve that through the medical treatment. So the mind has grown used to being disturbed by the afflictions for a very long time. And that is why now our elements are out of balance. So there is an imbalance of happiness and suffering. There is too much suffering.
And so in the Buddhist view, we call that the workings of karma, cause and effect. In another religion like Christianity, you call the same principle “the Create of God”, for example. But it comes down to the mind not recognizing how the mind functions. That leads to all sorts of imbalances, and that leads to all sorts of suffering also on the outer level. And if we become disturbed on the inner level, then in the future we cannot avoid more suffering. So it is necessary to find the balance of the mind. And that means to create and develop peace and happiness, a peaceful and happy state of the mind. And the route of that, even scientists have acknowledged, is to cultivate love. This is what brings the mind to a state of peace and happiness. So even if a person would have all the money and all the riches in the world, if they have no love, they will never really experience peace and happiness. Then actually their wealth becomes a cause of more suffering. So love is really most important.
This is, what, for example, in Buddhism, we have recognized, that is the cause of all happiness, of all peace. And this is what all religions do share in common. That is what leads to the happiness temporarily and ultimately. And so now a human being has a human body. But this human body is just like a pair of clothing, like a dress that we will change one day. But the mind will never be exchanged. And so therefore, whatever we have grown used to, whatever we have habituated the mind to, this is where the mind will continue to go. So this is what we call cyclic existence, according to the Buddhist view. So therefore, wherever I go, whatever I do, I always stress the importance of love. That is most important, whether one is a religious person or not. So what we call the dharma or the religion. What is that really? The dharma really means to change one’s mind, to transform one’s mind, which means to bring some balance back to the mind, just like a balance between heat and cold. So it is not too hot and not too cold. So that mind is in a state of peace and happiness, and not to afflicted , not controlled by afflictions. So that is what we call in Buddhism a state of equanimity. A state of equanimity is this balanced mind of peace and happiness. So this is how I have personally understood that. So although again I do not know much about the various sciences and so on, this is what I would like to share with my friends to the best of my abilities.
Rinpoche: 28:30 ~ 33:30 T
Ina: 33:30 ~ 41:15 E
So that is the cause. Then of this body, of this life, and then there is a time that we spend in this world. We live in this world. So now in this world what we can see are the human beings and the animals. And our life span in this world is uncertain. If various favorable causes come together, then we will live for a longer time. And if unfavorable conditions come together, then we will only stay here for a short time. So, in the dharma, we call that “the workings of karma”, “cause and effect”. But that is just another name that we give the way things actually really function. How things naturally arise due to various causes and conditions. So these favorable conditions that lead to a long life, for instance, come from within the mind. And also the unfavorable conditions come from within the mind. And so depending on that, depending on what is stored in our mind, for this life time, we experience all sorts of different and great variety of happiness and suffering, and everyone to different degrees. So depending on the various conditions set up present within one’s individual mind.
So one’s experience in this life of happiness and suffering is the working of the interplay between the outer 5 elements of your own body and the inner 5 afflictions of the mind. And these afflictions are like the seed of a flower. So the flower is like this body. When this body dies, and it is like when the flower withers, then the seed still remains. And the seed will again grow into a flower in the future. So whatever is stored in that seed, whatever color of flower and so on will grow in the similar way again in the future, even if that flower, the body has died. So therefore, it is essential to find the right, the favorable conditions of causes of happiness within the mind, to attain freedom of the mind, not just the freedom of the outer level of the body. So in this life I have experienced much difficulty , so therefore I am speaking from my experiences. So once we have created the various causes of suffering, we experience suffering. We have those seeds, they are stored within the mind. And that will lead to both happiness and suffering for as long as we are alive.
And then third, that is the second point as long as the body lives in this world. And then third, is the various causes that condition that leads to the destruction of this body. So the body remains for however long it has the karma to remain. And then, in the end, one element dissolves into the other element and the body dies. So regarding the outer 5 elements, and also the inner 5 afflictions, they all have a subtle aspect, like an essential aspect. And they have impure one, the pure and impure aspect. And when all of these dissolve, it is like a candle being extinguished and a person dies. So we all have these two parts, the pure part of the element and the impure part of the element. And there is pure part of the mind and the impure part of the mind. The pure part, the pure aspect of the mind is the wisdom aspect of the mind. And the impure aspect of the mind is one’s own afflictions. So with the wisdom mind, what the wisdom mind does is it discerns between thoughts and qualities. It identifies the workings of the afflictions in the mind when they arise. It recognizes that the cause of happiness is love. And it recognizes that the causes of suffering are attachment, aversion, especially hatred and jealousy. And these afflictions are like the seeds of a flower within the mind. So the wisdom aspect of the mind knows clearly what to do and what not to do, what is right and what is wrong, and knowing that, you attain a true freedom, the freedom of the mind. And that is most important. Because in this world, all that we really want is to be happy. And nevertheless, we create more and more suffering.
So, we can see that even though the outer fields of science are developing, it creates ever greater imbalance of the mind in beings. And that leads to more and more suffering. So although we want to be happy, we create much more suffering through things that we do. So it is therefore most important not to find this freedom on the outer level, but on the inner level of the mind, to find happiness within the mind. And so finding happiness within the mind is a different way of viewing things, a way of thinking. And depending on the way we think about things, we can transform suffering into great happiness. That is skillful means. And mind that lacks any freedom, a controlled mind by afflictions, and that mind actually, through that way of thinking, we transform all happiness into suffering.
So that is my personal experience, because I have experienced incredible suffering in this life. And I’ve found that it is really a way of viewing things, how we view this world. And if we view the world in a certain way, there is a method to find happiness even in suffering, difficult circumstances. And that is because the suffering circumstance is not determined by the outer world. The outer circumstance does not determine our happiness. So on the outer level, it is more difficult to find whatever we want, to find the freedom, to have whatever we want. It is easier on the inner level, because it is only a way of thinking. Depending on our way of viewing things, we can transform an outer difficulty into happiness.
So that is a very special instruction. And through this instruction, I personally was able to tolerate much difficulty and also help my friends overcome their difficulties, because in the end, everyone suffers. There is nobody who does not suffer. Even the people who are very rich, they suffer. And also the people who are poor, they suffer from the lack of possessions and so on. So for the most part, we experience much suffering, and only some slight happiness. And due to that, we cannot experience, we cannot really appreciate the happiness that we do experience. And that is only the happiness, the pleasure that we see on the outer level. So that is more difficult to create, because there is too much suffering on the outer level. So it is much easier to actually change our way of thinking, and find peace and happiness within the mind. So we can see, on the outer level, a country might experience freedom or independence, but it doesn’t always help the people, if they have not find the freedom within the mind.
Rinpoche: 41:15 ~ 46:25 T
Ina: 46:25 ~ 54:08 E
So then, what is our method to achieve such independence of the mind? Then what is the route of such independence, of freedom of the mind? First the actual route is to, first of all, possess some wisdom, some intelligence that recognizes what are the causes of happiness, and what are the causes of suffering. So this wisdom mind recognizes that the only cause of happiness is love, and the causes of suffering are the afflictions. So then various religions then try to find ways in which we can create love, and try to explain why this is so beneficial. So according to the religious path, the dharma, we say that even in this life, if a person cultivates love, then in future life times, that will be the cause of all happiness. It is like the seed of all happiness in future life times. And in this life time, it creates all the happiness, because that is just the nature of love. When you look at the mind of love, it just naturally is a happy state. For example, think of a person that has great love for others, how is that person? Or how do you feel yourself when you really feel love in your heart? So it is necessary that we recognize the qualities of love.
And then next step, we recognize “What are the causes of suffering?” Suffering arises due to afflictions, especially of hatred and jealousy. So we should recognize the thoughts in that. And that is what creates all illness, all suffering. For example, hatred is the strongest affliction. It leads to a lot of physical illness. And also it leads to fighting on the outer level. For example, you can see in this world, there are a lot of wars and a lot of fighting. And that is created by the mind of hatred. So for example, on a smaller level, there are 2 friends who love each other, who get along really well. There is great love in the beginning. But then one person gets jealous. And when you get jealous, then you lose that love. And that jealousy leads to resentment, and then to hatred. And that is really your true enemy. Your true enemy is your inner hatred, because this is what cuts your bond of love to the other person.
So first there is love, and then there is jealousy, and then there is resentment, then hatred. And that destroys the love in your heart. And even if you are very rich, it is of no benefit, because you will still experience no happiness. It has the nature of suffering just naturally. So for example, if a parent, if parents do not love their children, then children feel that naturally, and they will disrespect their parents, and so on. It is just the natural working of hatred, a lack of love. And so hatred ultimately is also what creates the hell realm. And hell realm is something that we actually experience, because it is the nature of hatred. For example, we can see it’s functioning when we look into the animal realm. We can see a poisonous snake, for example. That is like an embodiment of hatred and jealousy. So look at their suffering, the suffering of a poisonous snake. The moment you see a snake, immediately you want to get away from it or you want to kill it, because it harms others, it hurts others. So immediately you have resentment when you see the snake. It is because the snake has a quality of harming others, being violent to others, of hurting others. And then the cause of that, the cause of the nature tendency to hurt others comes ultimately from this mind of resentment and hatred. And so then, recognize that in the snake, for example, then you should recognize that same affliction in your own mind. I also have this affliction of resentment and hatred. So then you find the thought of that in your own mind by looking at your own mind.
So again, we need to understand that our inner mind, the 5 afflictions are related to the 5 elements that make up our body. And these again are in turn related to the 5 elements on the outer level. So actually we can say that this entire universe, this Planet, this world is just like one single person. And so it is essential to find the freedom of the mind. Freedom of the mind can only be found if we eliminate the afflictions. And so it is most important to recognize that. And so, for example, then recognizing that, we recognize that when there is a balance of the mind, then just naturally it affects the outer elements. It leads to warmth where there is no warmth, and to cold where there is too much heat; it leads to rainfalls when there is no rain and so on. It causes fruits and flowers to grow when they do not grow and so on. But right now we can see in this world that this is not happening. There is much imbalance in this world, and that is because there is imbalance of the mind. For example, there is an increase of heat in this world, so the fire element is stronger. We can see when the fire element becomes so strong, everything will be burned away.
So we can see in this world the difficulties many places are already experiencing. And so that originates from the inner afflictions of hatred, of anger. And even if our outer bodies do not yet get burnt, the affliction is already burning the happiness of our inner mind. And often this strong resentment and anger lead people even to commit suicide. So the thought only lies within the mind, the affliction within the mind. So we need to investigate our own mind, look at our own mind and recognize the thoughts of our own afflictions of hatred and jealousy, and recognize the qualities of love and compassion.
So that is what really all religions try to cultivate. It is this precious Bodhicitta we try to cherish or sustain and develop a mind of love. And that is the purpose of dharma. It is to transform the mind, so it becomes a loving mind. And we do that by decreasing our selfishness. We decrease our selfishness by cultivating a concern for others and altruistic mind. And if we begin to think more about others, then naturally our love will increase. And if the love in the mind increases, then it will naturally affect the body and the mind. When the mind is happy, then naturally the body will be in balance, and the body will be well. So I think it is necessary that both systems, the worldly system and also the system of the mind, the science of the mind, go together in a union. And in this way, we have a method to find and experience happiness in this lifetime.
Rinpoche: 54:08 ~ 58:32 T
Ina: 58:32 ~ 1:05:32 E
So as I mentioned before, I do not have many great qualities, much learning, but I have much experience when it comes to suffering and difficulties. For example, in the past, I was in a war, fighting in a war. And during that time, I was being bombarded with many weapons, a shower, and rain of weapons. And at that time, I contemplated why it is happening, what is the cause of this. I recognized the workings of karma. This is the result of the actions that I have done in the previous life. That came from a mind of hatred and anger. Now it is ripening in this way. So by experiencing it, I am purifying this karma. I am repaying my karmic debt. So it helped me to tolerate the outer difficulty, and it also helped me to recognize the thoughts of my own afflictions of hatred and anger and so on. I recognize that this is my own karma. I have created that with my own afflictions. So in this way, it has really benefited me.
Then moreover, during that time, many people were dying from starvation. Nobody had anything to eat. At that time, I contemplated that this is the result of greed or stinginess. It comes from actions, from karmas of stealing the wealth of others. So by experiencing starvations now and famine, we are purifying this negative karma. So actually this is a good thing. And actually knowing that it is my own karma inspired me to share the little food I did have, and because I did not lose my inner strength, understanding karma, so I was able to give the little food I had and bring great happiness to others in doing that.
Another time in prison, I was…I felt, I got very sick and I was on the verge of death. And at that time, I thought now it is my time to leave this world, but even if I am dying now, I am purifying so much negative karma. And I will be fine for as long as I do not lose my love and compassion, because this is what I will bring with me into my future life. So instead of suffering at that time, actually I felt quite happy, and I thought I am purifying my negative karma. And it deepened my trust in karma even more. And so I found that by experiencing suffering, I really… I was able to also recognize what actually is happiness. So suffering really has helped me a lot. For example, it is just like when you have to do a surgery. The surgery itself is painful. It creates suffering. But you still do it, because you know it helps you. So because you know it helps you, already you do not suffer so much. Half the suffering is gone.
So likewise, if I know that this experience of suffering purifies my negative karma, it is good for me, then half the suffering is gone. And so everyone can relate to that, because there is no one who does not suffer. So we can all understand that suffering can be a very beneficial experience. So it is necessary these times to recognize that this is my karma. I have created that myself. It is my own afflictions in the past, in my own mind. And so, these various afflictions like hatred and so on, now lead to the suffering of sickness and so on. Then the karma of the greed and stinginess in my mind, this is what had led to me being poor and impoverished and so on. And then my mind, my lack of mindfulness, my unawareness that is the result of my karma of ignorance, not understanding the workings of karma. So this is necessary to recognize the faults within one’s own mind in trying to understand karma. We need to understand that the causes of all suffering lie within our own mind.
So in the dharma, in the religion, for example, we try to find the causes, the causes of happiness and suffering. So what is the cause of happiness? For example, on a small scale, you have received some good food, eat some good food today, so that is happiness. What is the cause of that? If you receive something, then that is the result of having practiced generosity. So you know that, and then you are inspired to practice even more generosity. Or you look at a human being, an animal. Our mind is the same, but why do we look so different? It is because of an act of actions of karma of ethical discipline. As a result of that, I have found the precious human body. So all of these qualities of the higher realms, the happiness of humans and so on, comes from actions that we have done with body and speech, and come from a mind of love. So knowing all that, knowing karma, you know how to avoid more suffering, and how to create your own happiness. And also understanding karma, you will be able to tolerate your own difficulties.
So this is what I have learned during my time in prison. I have experienced much suffering there. But because of the suffering, I was also able to recognize happiness. If we do not experience any suffering, we cannot actually recognize happiness in the first place. So the experience of suffering is actually a very good thing. And it can really help us overcome the suffering within the mind. And so we need to understand that in order to really clear away our experience of difficulties and suffering, we need to change our way of perceiving things, our way of thinking or seeing things. And that is important whether we follow a certain religion or not. Because we all experience suffering. And when we experience suffering, then this understanding will actually become useful. So when suffering arises, it is necessary to recognize that I have created that myself with my own afflicted mind. So it is necessary to recognize the afflictions within oneself. And if you know that, you will also be more able to make an effort to turn that around and develop instead a mind of love and compassion. So if love increases, you will recognize more and more that the afflictions and selfish mind are the true enemies that are only within your own mind. So understanding this way of viewing things, you will be able to transform any suffering circumstances into happiness.
Rinpoche: 1:05:32 ~ 1:08:20 T
Ina: 1:08:20 ~ 1:13:25 E
During this time in prison, actually it was not only my own experience. But there are…A lot of people there in prison. So that is a very significant example. So during this time in prison, there are about 400 people in our division. And there were 2 parts: there were those who were practicing religion and those who were not. Those who were practicing any religion, it was either Islam or Christianity, or Buddhism or so on. They were all put together in one division, in one category. And then the rest were all put together into a different section, the non-religious people. And those people without any religion, without any spirituality, they had a great deal of more suffering. They were fighting all the time. Many of them committed suicide. They suffered all the time. They had experienced so much hardship.
And then, on the other hand, our religious division, we actually … we didn’t have food to eat. We had the same circumstance. But our experience was very different. For example, on Sundays, on our off-days, we were having fun together. We were laughing and joking. And even often the prison guards would come and say, “What are you doing here? Why are you having so much fun? You are having too much fun. This is a prison. Don’t you know where you are? You are not supposed to be so happy here. So what are you laughing about ? Have you forgot that this is a prison?” So I was really thinking at that time, it’s really quite amazing. What a big difference it is. When actually on the outer level, there is no difference. It is just a different way of thinking, because our food was the same. Our living place, our cells were all the same. But then the way we viewed the world was different.
And so I started understanding karma, understanding the qualities of karma really are a method to transform suffering into happiness. Based on that, I was able to tolerate my own suffering, and also recognized the causes of these suffering - my own afflictions, and thereby eliminate the causes of suffering for the future. So that helped me to recognize that. And also for example, now in a country, we have laws in a country. And a person, there are persons who have recognized the working of these laws and follow them. And there are others who do not. And those who do not, always run into various difficulties, they do whatever they want, and they run into difficulties. It is like not knowing karma. And then whenever another person is not looking, they do not follow the law. So another person will naturally follow the law of the country. A person who understands karma, the workings of karma, will naturally understand the virtue in following the laws of the country. For example they know that this is good for the country, this is good for all the people in the county, and also for myself in the future. It protects me in the future. So, only karma can help us, also to protect ourselves, to make us follow the laws of the country, for example. It really has benefited me a lot. I really found that only trusting in karma is my own great benefit and also it brings happiness to others.
So even if you do not understand much dharma, much of the religion, it is most important to understand karma, cause and effect. And karma is infallible. Karma ripens to anyone whether one is a king of a country or a beggar. If one has the karma to be killed or to die, then it will happen. If one doesn’t have the karma, for example, if one is in war, so like myself or in the midst of famine, one will still not die if one doesn’t have the karma. So karma is really what determines it all. And that is really my heart advice to my dharma friends. So we call it karma. We can give it this name. But ultimately, it is really that which leads to happiness and suffering naturally. And we have no control over it. When we create the causes, it will naturally lead to happiness and suffering. That is just the workings of things, the nature of things. And so, therefore, it is.. we understanding karma, we really see the significance of creating the freedom or independence of the mind. If you have that, you are able to tolerate the outer difficulties and you are able to avoid the more of those causes for difficulties in the future. And we will recognize that the way to do that is to cultivate love and to protect love with a mind of patience. So only understanding karma really has benefited me greatly.
Rinpoche: 1:13:25 ~ 1: 16:23 T
Ina: 1: 16:23 ~ 1:21:20 E
So all the outer suffering in this world is created by hatred. So first we need to identify that, that it is created by this mind of anger or hatred. And then next we should look at where actually is that hatred now. Actually it is within our own mind. There is anger or hatred within our own mind. We are angry at our friends and so on. So that is actually our true enemy. And that is the enemy that all beings in Samsara have. All beings have hatred. And in the end, there is only one.. such a thing called hatred. All the hatreds are the same. There is only one essence, one nature of hatred. It all is the same. So recognizing that, we can let go of it. We can recognize our own hatred, and avoid acting out with this mind of hatred.
Then next we recognize that the cause of happiness is a mind of love. This is, for example, we can see even in this life. This is what creates happiness between friends. Two friends who love each other, very happy. That is because there is love. For example, if you love your pet, like your cat or your dog, but they want to stay next to you, because they feel your love. And so love is something that we need to, that we need to develop. We need to cultivate it, increase it. How can we do that? First of all, we do that by remembering the kindness of our parents who have given us this precious human body, and also by remembering the good qualities of all our companions. When you think of the qualities, the kindness of others, then love increases. We develop love.
Then next, we should also remember the kindness of our teachers from whom we have learned everything in this life. If we would not have these teachers, then we might look like humans, but our conduct is more like an animal. So whether it is a scientific teacher, or a worldly teacher, or a religious teacher, all the teachers who have taught us anything are really very kind to us. So when you think about their kindness, then again love increases.
And then next, you should also develop love by remembering the kindness of your country, because if you would not have this country, the people would have no foundation and no place to make a living. Then the stronger will kill the weaker. People will kill each other. Nobody will be protected from the elements, the cold and heat and so on. So the country really is very kind to us and very important to us. Then we should have love for all the countries that protect their people.
So this is the way we cultivate love. The more love arises, as love increases, the mind becomes more and more vast. It opens up more and more, becomes vast. And contrary, the more and more you cling to the self, the more selfish we are, the more we narrow down, the more narrow the mind becomes. So think about the qualities of love. The quality of love is that whenever love arises, the mind opens up. You become very open and spacious. And the mind is very open and spacious, you will not be afraid of any difficulty. You will be able to deal with any difficulty. You will be able to be open and loving to anyone.
So that is the hero like quality of Bodhisattva. Bodhisattva is someone who always sustains the mind of altruism of love, and who has purified all selfishness. So that mind is like free flowing water when the ice block has melted. Then there is no more suffering. Then one can deal with any circumstance on the outer level, happiness or difficulty. So it is important to bring to mind the kindness of all those beings, especially this country, the country who protects us in this life time, from illness, from poverty, from many different things. And then in the future life time, after our death, the only thing that will protect us is our own love. So when we die, we must bring with us a mind of love. So understanding karma is really most important. If you understand karma, you will be able to tolerate your difficulties right now. And also you will recognize its causes for the future. So you will be able to develop those causes of happiness in the future. So this is my own personal experience that I want to share with you, my dharma friends.
Rinpoche: 1:21:20 ~ 1:21:30 T
Ina: 1:21:30 ~ 1:22:54 E
So I pray that all of you, my friends will be healthy in your bodies and happy in your minds.
~ English interpretation transcribed by Judy and proofread by Hueymei, Chinese translation can be found as below:
噶千仁波切2015.07.03於西雅圖對大眾的開示：讓生命具有意義（上）
噶千仁波切2015.07.03於西雅圖對大眾的開示：讓生命具有意義（下）
~ If you’re interested in helping with the English transcription and/or Chinese translation of Garchen Rinpoche’s teachings in Seattle, please contact Serena at serenalotus@gmail.com for further information, thank you very much!
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