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Buddhism in general, but especially the Mahayana teachings, is to not cause harm. When we go for refuge, we pledge we will not harm other sentient beings. Now particularly Mahayana Buddhism, which Buddha taught in India and which went to Tibet and is now spread across the world, is to benefit other sentient beings, to benefit every single sentient being who wants happiness and doesn’t want suffering.
When people come to study Dharma at the center, they listen, meditate, reflect and practice with bodhicitta. They learn about bodhicitta, about having the responsibility to free all beings from suffering and its causes and bring them to enlightenment, to bring them happiness. To do that perfectly we need to achieve the state of omniscience.
Those people who come to study Dharma at the center, to practice with bodhicitta, to do meditation and so forth, whatever activities they do, they learn to do that with bodhicitta, so they benefit all sentient beings, not only in their meditation but in their activities for all sentient beings. Therefore, the centers benefit every single sentient being.
The FPMT organization benefits every single sentient being, every single ant, mosquito, fly, every single being who wants happiness and does not want suffering. The FPMT organization and the centers benefit every single being. So that’s the most happy, most pleasant, the happiest thing to do in our life. The happiest thing to do in our life.
How to Prevent Burnout at the Center
Not everyone is the same; it depends very much on each individual, how much deep understanding you have of Dharma. How much you stress out depends on that. Generally, burnout affects those with less understanding. They accept the teachings, which is good, but they have less feeling, less deep understanding, then it seems they feel easily stressed and they burn out. But someone who has deeper understanding doesn’t burn out or burns out less.
You need a little bit of skill, according to your state of mind. If you are burning out or you are tired, then you do this much. So that you don’t get totally burnt out, you do what you can according to the level of your mind. Some people can go through hardship and bear so much because they understand [Dharma] and feel that more deeply. Or, you can [work for the center] at certain times, so you don’t get completely burnt out. Then you can’t do anything at all! So try to do it skilfully. If you burn out, then sometimes you can’t work for a long time, or you go away and then you die!
It is good to think about this and good to consult [with other students]. It’s always good to consult if there are some things you don’t know. Some other students may know, so it’s good to consult with them. The more you know, then you can deal with your mind, so you don’t let yourself completely burn out or give up. That doesn’t happen.
Also the mind is like doctor and patient, so we treat the mind like a patient, or like guru and disciple, or like parent and child. Treat the mind like that. It’s always good to consult. Some people have different ideas on how to do things and that can help, knowing the different ways to think. That makes the stress go away, by doing things differently, so ask others and discuss with them.
Correct Rejoicing
Rejoicing in our practice is very, very important, so important. If we are working for a company, not particularly benefiting sentient beings, it’s more to do with the power and wealth of the company’s owner. But here we are a religious Buddhist organization, a Mahayana organization, so FPMT is benefiting every single sentient being, every single tiny fly—when we walk in the grass or drive [in a car] we see so many. We are here to benefit every single sentient being, therefore rejoice, correct rejoicing.
There is wrong compassion, for example, if someone living in a cave has nothing, Western tourists think, “Oh dear, this person has nothing; they are suffering with nothing.” The tourists don’t understand that the meditator has total satisfaction, even realizations, renouncing attachment. The tourists don’t know that, so they think, “Oh, the poor person.” That’s wrong compassion.
There’s wrong compassion, wrong patience, wrong rejoicing. When we compare working for another company with FPMT, even if we are making a million, billion dollars every day in that other company, the FPMT, Mahayana Buddhism, is helping every single sentient being, so it’s much different. That’s correct rejoicing! It’s unbelievable. In other companies, even if we get one hundred million dollars each day, it is worthless.
Even having a million dollars is nothing. Everybody has been born numberless times as a universal king, Indra, Brahma. We have had all the wealth, so a million dollars is nothing. We have had wealth numberless times, but that didn’t free us from samsara. Now here, with Buddhadharma, the Buddha taught the four noble truths and the Mahayana teachings, so not only can we become free from suffering, but we can attain enlightenment. We are working for this. It’s unbelievable.
Excerpted from a talk by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at a Foundation Service Seminar in Pomaia, Italy, October 31, 2017. Transcribed and edited by Claire Isitt, November 2017. Second edit by Sandra Smith, April 2024. Read the entire teaching here.
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