03. Week 1 - Teaching 1

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet you and teach you. This is a wonderful opportunity for me and for you. The main point during this festival is to learn how to maintain a peaceful mind all the time so we can be happy all the time.

I will explain 3 things:

1. Why we need to practise Buddha’s teachings - Dharma
2. Why we need to be concerned for our future lives
3. Why we need permanent liberation from suffering

1. Why we need to practise Buddha’s teachings - Dharma

It is our responsibility to show the value of Buddhism. It is our responsibility to show this publicly. But it should not be “because Buddha says this”. We need to show the value to Buddhism and Buddha’s teachings through valid logical reason, and physically through our example. We are not proud. Without showing any value, just pretending that Buddha’s teachings are valuable, is not enough.

The reason why we need to practise Buddha’s teachings is because we want to be happy all the time, and we can fulfil this wish only by practising Dharma.

The ‘happiness’ we experience from ordinary enjoyments is not real happiness. It is just a reduction of previous problems. E.g. holiday, eating. Because these things can cause suffering, they are not real causes of happiness. All the happiness we experience is not real happiness but a reduction of our previous problems.

What is real happiness? We cannot show any real happiness in this impure world. In this cycle of impure life no one has real happiness and freedom. People are seeking happiness in wrong objects; seeking happiness where it can’t be found. I am not saying we should just believe this. We need to believe this, proving it to ourself with our own logical reasoning and and our own experience. We need to live by this truth from the depths of our heart.

However there is an exception: we can make ourself happy all the time by practising Buddha’s teachings. This is the exception. Why is this? Because happiness depends upon a peaceful mind. And by practising Buddha’s teachings we can develop and maintain a peaceful mind all the time. And so we can solve all our daily problems - of anger, attachment, jealousy, ignorance. All our daily problems will cease permanently, and we will be happy all the time. This is the main reason why we need to practise Dharma. I am not saying this because Buddha says, or my teacher says. I am saying this because we can follow valid, logical reason, and through my own experience. Please keep this in your heart and also help to show this to all people in your country. We should humbly help others to understand the value of practising Buddha’s teachings. This is a precious opportunity to make our human life meaningful.

Through understanding and contemplating this, we should meditate:

“I must now practise Buddha’s teachings purely and sincerely”.

We should meditate on this determination everyday. And we put our determination into practice. In this way we should guide ourself along the spiritual path, which leads us to pure and everlasting liberation and enlightenment. We need to protect ourself from going in the wrong direction. It doesn’t mean that we can’t eat, drink, meet with friends. It means that we don’t expect anything from them.

2. Why we need to be concerned for our future lives

This is the 2nd topic, it is very important. The happiness and freedom of our future lives is more important than that of this life. If we die today, this life ends today.

This is not just imagination, not just Buddhist view. If we die today, everything associated with this life ends. In reality it’s just one single life. And we have no guarantee we will not die today. So many people die everyday by accident. Our future lives are countless and endless. There is no doubt that our future lives are more important than this one life. If we have wisdom we will understand this.

Many people are concerned with this one life and neglect their future lives.

From the point of view of the truth, this is a great mistake. This is because they deny the existence of future lives, which is ignorance. They have not received teachings on the nature of the mind. I am telling you this from my own experience. The nature of the mind is empty like space, it lacks form, shape, colour. The mind is not real space. So the mind is empty like space. But it is not emptiness. What is the difference between empty and emptiness? In Buddhism emptiness has great meaning, and is a very profound and meaningful object. If we realise emptiness directly we will be permanently free from all problems and sufferings of this and future lives. But empty is just empty. Space is empty of obstructive contact. The mind is empty of form, shape and colour. A house can be empty because no one is in it.

What is the function of the mind? Its function is to impute. Things exist only because mind imputes them. There are no phenomena other than mere imputation by mind. This proves that everything including the world is created by mind. This is easy to understand. I have confidence in this, I will debate with anyone. Another function of the mind is to perceive and understand - we normally say we see or understand something, but in reality it is our mind that sees and understands. Without our mind, we are like a dead body, we can’t experience anything, we can’t do anything. Everything is a function of our mind. There is nothing more powerful in the world than mind. Through understanding and contemplating this, we will understand the nature and function of the mind correctly. Our mind is clearly very different from our body. This proves that after our death, our body ceases but our mind does not. It leaves our body like a bird leaving its nest to our next life. Also when we go to sleep, our mind goes to a dream world and has another dream life.

There are no inherently existent phenomena. All phenomena are like dreams.

The happiness of my future lives are more important than this life. Then make the strong determination:

“I must prepare for the happiness and freedom of my countless future lives now”.

We meditate on this determination everyday and put this determination into practice.

How do we do this? By engaging in the basic practices of Dharma. From a practical point of view this is simple: Practice giving - material help, protection, most importantly give love. We must learn this, it’s not just Buddhist view. It’s the truth. If we love others, they will also love us. If we respect others they will respect us. This will naturally make for a happy life. All problems will disappear. We also practise giving Dharma, giving wisdom. We practise patience. But patience cannot solve the car’s problem. Patience will solve our own unhappiness, our anger, frustration, disappointment. We should especially rely upon Buddha, Dharma as Sangha. This means we apply effort to receiving Buddha’s blessings, putting Dharma into practice, and receiving help and support from Sangha.

By doing this we make our human life very meaningful. I promise.

The entire book Modern Buddhism reveals all of Buddha’s teachings in the Perfection of Wisdom sutra and in Heruka and Vajrayogini Tantra.

3. Why we need permanent liberation from suffering

Because having temporary liberation from suffering is not enough. Everyone has this, even animals. Later in this life and future lives, unbearable suffering is coming. Make a determination from this understanding:

“I must liberate myself permanently from the sufferings of this life and countless future lives.”

We meditate on this determination everyday. This is Buddhist renunciation. It is wisdom. We should maintain this renunciation day and night.

How do we do this? Only by practising Buddha’s teachings on emptiness.

This is what Buddha’s teachings offer.

Buddha is determined to liberate every living being permanently. Buddha’s teachings on emptiness and selflessness are the same. They have the same meaning.

In this context selflessness means that our self and all the things we normally see or perceive do not exist. This is self-grasping ignorance. It is the root of all our problems and suffering. So we need to recognise, reduce, and finally eliminate on self-grasping. By meditating on selflessness we will automatically attain permanent liberation and enlightenment from all sufferings.

We should always rejoice in our good fortune and encourage ourself to follow the spiritual path.