Buddhist teachings on peace, happiness, and samadhi food by Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche on the 15th Day of the Miracle Month.
2,946 years ago, Buddha Shakyamuni displayed great miracles.
Today marks the full moon, and there is a lunar eclipse. Unfortunately, there are many wars in the world right now, and many people are angry and unhappy.
However, during such times, when you practice Dharma, you create immeasurable good karma.
Therefore, you should not give up hope for world peace. On the contrary, world peace is very hopeful. As a result, we need to actively hope for it.
Three Things We Must Pray For
Without peace, there is no happiness. At minimum, we need world peace and a happy world, because these two are survival necessities.
In addition, we need something more: an enlightened world.
Without enlightenment, we will simply recycle through samsara again and again.
Peace, happiness, and enlightenment—consequently, these three are essential to pray for.
Buddhist Teaching on Peace: The Essence of Peace Is No Fear
Being scared all the time is not good for you. In fact, the essence of peace is freedom from fear.
First, control yourself. When you can control yourself, then you can pray to Buddha Shakyamuni effectively. As a result, the good things you want to do—may you be able to do them. Similarly, the things you don’t want to do—may you have the power to refrain.
For example, perhaps you don’t want to eat too much. In that case, may you be able to stop. Or maybe you don’t want to eat junk food. Therefore, may you have that control. Likewise, if you don’t want to use harsh speech with others, may you succeed in restraining yourself.
Peace is no fear.
First, we need individual peace. After that comes family peace, then community peace, then national peace, and finally whole world peace. Once you have peace, you may find happiness—even a little happiness becomes possible.
Buddhist Teachings on Happiness: Decrease Negative Thinking
Most people have no idea whatsoever what happiness actually is. Consequently, everyone chases happiness, yet no one knows what they’re chasing.
In our Dzogchen Buddha Path lineage, however, we have precious knowledge:
Decreasing negative thinking is my happiness.
How precious this understanding is! Indeed, you cannot buy it for trillions of dollars. Once you decrease your negative thinking even a little bit, happiness is primordially there. In other words, it was always present—you simply couldn’t see it through the fog of negativity.
Today, therefore, we pray for individual happiness and family happiness.
My Sister’s Fifteen Sheep
Recently, I talked to my sister. She bought many baby sheep and takes care of them in the middle of the city. For herself, survival is already very difficult. Yet despite this, she bought fifteen sheep.
After hearing this, my heart felt something profound. If she can make fifteen sheep happy, then perhaps I can make fifteen people happy.
This is how compassion expands: first from individual peace and happiness, then to community peace and happiness, and finally to world peace and happiness.
Our Position: No Position
These days, there are wars and conflicts everywhere.
Nevertheless, our Buddha Path position is very clear: we do not take sides. In other words, we have no political position. Instead, we only stay in the middle of Dharma, in Buddhist principles.
As a result, we love everybody and pray for everybody without discrimination.
Moreover, some good things are happening, and more will happen. We expect good things because we are doing good things—this is simply cause and effect.
Your Prayer Makes a Big Difference
More than ever, we need your prayer today, because this is very important.
Your prayer, your compassion, your love, your wisdom—these are not nothing. On the contrary, they make a very big difference.
In other places, weapons make a difference, and harsh speech makes a difference. However, our positive thinking and Dharma practice also make a big difference and create a big impact.
Just believe in Buddha. After all, Buddha has immeasurable power. Similarly, Dharma has immeasurable power, and Sangha has immense power. Indeed, the power of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha is inconceivable.
Therefore, we pray to all three. We pray for everybody and love everybody. Above all, we wish that the world has peace, happiness, and enlightenment more than ever before.
Buddha’s Teaching on the 15th Day: Respect Karma
Today is the fifteenth day of miracles. On this particular day, Buddha Shakyamuni showed the hell realms.
Why did he do this? Because if you truly know the consequences of your mistakes, you will not enjoy making them.
In essence, Buddha was teaching that cause and effect is infallible. Moreover, he didn’t just teach this concept—he showed it directly. Although I don’t have the power to show you hell, you can nevertheless see around the world how many people suffer. Furthermore, we can observe the reasons for their suffering. Interdependently, causes and conditions arise; external conditions meet internal causes, and then results appear as various forms of suffering and happiness.
Today, therefore, Buddha is teaching us to respect ourselves—and especially to respect that cause and effect is infallible.
First, respect your promises. Additionally, respect your vows. Above all, respect cause and effect, and most especially, respect karma.
Buddha’s main teaching is simple: please respect karma.
Be Careful What You Rejoice In
Consider this: if you think some people—whether individuals, groups, or institutions—are doing bad things, and you join them or rejoice in their actions, then you accumulate similar bad karma.
Furthermore, even if you don’t believe in karma, and even if you are not Buddhist, it is very difficult to avoid becoming corrupted without this understanding.
As a result, respecting karma is today’s main teaching.
Your Mind Is Hollow and Can Never Be Filled: A Teaching on Samadhi Food
Buddha also taught that the best food is samadhi food. In other words, meditation is very good nourishment.
On this day, Buddha made everyone bring empty bowls, and then he manifested samadhi food to fill them.
Here is the truth: our minds are very hollow—never filled. Human minds especially are never satisfied. However much you get, it never fills you, so you are never full and never content.
In fact, you can acquire the whole world’s money, gold, silver, and everything else—yet you will still be more hungry than before and more greedy than ever.
Just look at world leaders who try to accumulate so many things. Despite all their wealth, they are never filled.
The Only Food That Satisfies
Mind is hollow, empty, and unfillable. Consequently, you cannot fill it with external things.
That is, until you give it samadhi food.
First, recognize that your nature is Buddha. Next, decrease your negative thinking. Then, visualize Buddha Shakyamuni. As a result, maybe you will feel your mind is full.
Otherwise, there is no way to be full.
In addition, read the Four Noble Truths, because that is very good food for your mind.
Right now, it is difficult to feel full—in fact, it’s even hard to be content. Without contentment, of course, there is no gratitude.
Therefore, we need meditation. Especially, meditation on Buddha is samadhi food. So eat samadhi food and visualize Buddha. Then you will feel you don’t need to do so much.
We Suffer Because We Want Too Much
These days we have so much suffering—not because we don’t have enough, but rather because we want too much.
That is precisely the reason we suffer: we have too much greed and want.
Therefore, we need to pray to Buddha Shakyamuni more than ever. Otherwise, everyone wants to devour everybody—it looks like everyone consuming everyone else.
Long Life and Old Age Are the Same Thing
The main long life practice is recognizing that old age and long life are actually the same thing.
Of course, you can focus on wanting long life. However, you cannot focus on wanting to be old. Yet old age and long life are one thing, not two. Similarly, death and rebirth are the same—first you die, and then you are reborn. They are not two separate entities.
As a result, we need to train ourselves and prepare for death, because we are moving toward death every moment. Consequently, there is no extra time for practicing Dharma outside of your life. Instead, your life itself is practice time.
During every moment of action, every moment of talking or sitting—during all these times, remember Buddhist principles. In this way, guide your life according to Dharma.
When you make decisions, remember Buddhist principles. Likewise, when you talk to somebody or react to somebody, remember Buddha’s guidelines and don’t go beyond them.
Then you are called a Dharma practitioner.
However, if you make decisions using everything except Buddhist principles, that approach is like explaining how to draw a cartoon and thinking it will help you react to real life. Obviously, it doesn’t work that way.
Laziness Is Black Magic
Miracles require diligence. In contrast, laziness is very bad black magic—essentially a black curse.
If you have laziness, you always feel you have failed and will continue to fail. As a result, lazy people never improve their lives. That is the curse of laziness, and it is the opposite of miracles.
Diligence, on the other hand, is the real miracle. Consistent diligence creates consistent miracles.
We have many diligent people in our sangha, and these people are miracles happening. Without diligence, nothing happens.
We have a lot of miracles among us. Therefore, please rejoice in Buddha’s miracles and respect karma.
Rejoice Is Crazy Positive Thinking
Some religions recall events from a thousand years ago—someone killed someone—and consequently they remain very sad and angry about it today. In effect, they live in the past.
We can also live in the past, but instead we choose Buddha’s past—Buddha’s fifteen days of miracles. After all, Buddha did wonderful things! Therefore, we rejoice in those.
Rejoice is crazy positive thinking. Indeed, rejoice is itself a miracle.
When you rejoice in Buddha’s miracles, maybe you get a little miracle yourself. In fact, many in our sangha have been able to heal themselves through this practice.
You Are Very Rich
Many people ask me: Khenpo Choga Rinpoche, are you rich?
Perhaps I am, depending on how you define it.
First of all, I have a very good human body. Furthermore, I like my body, my shape, everything. Most importantly, I like myself. This is very rich. In other words, liking yourself is tremendous wealth.
Additionally, I can move. I can go to the top of mountains—in fact, I went up and down Bhutan’s mountains three times with no problem. So I like myself.
Moreover, I can move my fingers to type, and I am very happy about this. I can also see clearly almost three meters away, which means my eyes are still good. Could they be better? Yes. But they are still good.
There are many things to be happy about. Therefore, rejoice in them.
For the Benefit of All Beings, I Will Not Suffer
The whole world may be in chaos. But should you therefore be in chaos too?
Hell beings are suffering. However, should we therefore suffer?
I don’t see bodhisattvas suffering. On the contrary, for the benefit of all beings, they refuse to suffer.
For the benefit of all beings, I will not suffer. I simply don’t want to suffer.
So raise yourself up. Even though there are difficulties around you, being nice to yourself is very good. Therefore, wear nice clothes and enjoy your freedom.
Don’t make a sour face like you lost your soul—unless someone is truly threatening you, in which case you should speak to authorities. Otherwise, be very nice and enjoy life.
May you recall miracles and receive miracles. May your mind be filled with samadhi food. Above all, may you respect karma and rejoice in Buddha’s display.
Tashi Delek.
