Wonderful Advice During CPMT 2004

Here is an excerpt from one of Rinpoche's talks

"All the direct and indirect students, everybody’s life made highly meaningful by all the meditation practice as well as Dharma practice serving others and serving our kind compassionate Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s teaching, to preserve and spread the teachings, because without Dharma there’s no happiness."

Rinpoche used His opening talks at the CPMT meeting to go over the benefits which the FPMT organization offers, the achievements we have accomplished and in which Rinpoche invites us (reminds us!) to rejoice, and then states what Rinpoche Himself sees as the goals of the organization.

'Since Lama, whose holy name is extremely difficult to express, who is kinder than all the three time Buddhas, as Lama, I don’t remember which year, probably some of the old students would know, when Lama formed the organization in Dharamsala, I was there that time. The time that Lama gave Vajrayogini commentary there with all my coughings! All my coughings mixed with the commentary on Vajrayogini! Which year? Oh, '86. Roger remembers! At Tushita when Lama was making preparation to stabilize the organization, so that Dharma activity can be continued in this world for a long time and also in a very extensive way. So everything was prepared during Lama’s time, the progression of the future of the organization. All the development up to now that has been happening, that we are able to benefit many different parts of this world, it was already prepared during Lama’s time to make our lives meaningful.

All the direct, indirect students, everybody’s life made highly meaningful, all the meditation practice as well as the Dharma practice serving others and serving our kind compassionate Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s teaching, to preserve and spread the teachings, because without Dharma there’s no happiness. Even the happiness of this life you can’t achieve that without Dharma, without having created the cause, the virtue. Before the result you experience the cause, so any happiness has to come from virtue. So therefore without Dharma there’s no happiness, not even temporary happiness, leaving aside ultimate happiness, total liberation from the whole entire oceans of samsaric sufferings and full enlightenment, cessation of all the mistakes of mind, and completion of all the realizations. So therefore, you see, I think, during Lama’s time, before Lama passed away, everything, Lama started. Whatever progression happens up to now in this world comes from that source, from Lama’s kindness.

So I’m very happy that all of you put effort to come, even those from very far, with a lot of expenses, with much hardship, in spite of that, bearing that, able to make the time, able to be here to share experiences, to help each other, to share your experiences, your enlightened experiences and to help each other and to solve difficulties with each other. How to make the organization most productive, beneficial to the sentient beings, not only sentient beings in this earth, this globe, but sentient beings in all the universes. How to make the organization be most useful, beneficial, which includes your own personal life, how to make it most beneficial to others, to other sentient beings and the teachings of Buddha, which is our main goal of our life, purpose of taking human birth at this time, the essential purpose of why we have taken human body this time. So that’s the project of our having taken human body, our objective of our life. So, like that, same: Making the organization most beneficial or making your own individual life most beneficial, most productive, most satisfied life. However you can be wish-fulfilling to others and offer service to the Buddhas, bodhisattvas as well. Of course, then also to root guru His Holiness the Dalai Lama, as well as, as I mentioned before, to Lama Yeshe. With the organization there’s a base, there’s a foundation that Lama's different lives can benefit, [from which] each reincarnation can benefit sentient beings extensively. So I’m just Mickey Mouse, at the moment just leading, not really that much I can do benefit the organization, but little that is possible, so like that, you see, to help.

I am very very happy that everyone is united together, in unity working for sentient beings and the teaching of Buddha, so I’m very, very happy, I want to express that. That’s very important for success. So the success of the organization, the cause, establishing happiness, peace for sentient beings, spreading Dharma, has come from many people’s effort; has come from all of your effort, your will, your compassion, your devotion. So like that. So I want to say thank you very much to everyone for coming here. Then generally, your own meditation practice on the path and the other aspect of Dharma, with the group, then working together, which is at the same time benefiting together, serving sentient beings and the teachings of the Buddha, so I would like to thank you. Here there are also students who have been working for the center for so many years. So everyone I would like to thank very much. That you put your whole heart, with your whole heart – body, speech and mind – with your whole heart sincerely offering service or doing your practice."

This article is taken from the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT).