Bodhisattvacaryavatara, 27 September 1998, part 2

Happiness. And the happiness comes from doing the or happiness is the reason of doing a good action or perform yeah. Doing good actions. And to do good action, we need to and all the happiness come comes from the result of the merits or the virtues. And we for virtues virtues can be collected by or stored by doing good things.

And we have been cultivating great store of merit to have happiness and to have happiness. And the the way we cultivate the virtues or merit is by we do meditate or we and we collect virtues by by doing meditations and and also by practicing givings and by making offerings to the our refuge to the Three Jewels. And so so the reason why we are doing is to to, to collect great store of merit and then to have happiness within oneself. But and if if one so the great danger is here that if one generates anger for a moment and that anger destroys the merit which we have accumulated for the past five years or the past ten years, and which is where the the anger that anger is very powerful. It destroyed all the merits which we have accumulated in the past.

And but if so you destroy all the, merit or virtues we have collected in the past years, past I mean, past lives. So and if there’s no merit, then we we lose our virtues or our virtues. And if there’s no virtue, then there’s no happiness for us because we are collecting virtues to have happiness. So it is very important not to raise anger or not to get angry even for a moment because that a moment, anger for moment will us or the a moment anger will destroy the huge amount of our collections of merit. You know?

So the the anger is very, very powerful or he has a cap I mean, it it it can destroy all the merit we have. So suppose one is I mean, let his or her life by doing meditation in whole life and, like, collected great merit. And also in in the in the past life before this life, he or she may have accumulated great merit, but the anger can destroy if so the anger has that anger destroys all the merits we have accumulated. So and alright. This is this is it.

Oh, no. No. I thought he was talking about future, but he wasn’t. It was about the past, which I told him. So it’s very important one should see the faults or the disadvantages of the anger.

And say suppose here, we have Like, if one have generated a huge, I mean, good, good stock of merit, and which can give happiness for for a long time in next life, so long time in future. But by by generating anger, the anger has anger can also make that long happiness can become very short or like. And if this is huge, it can also it can the the anger can also anger is is minimizing all our happiness all the time. If it’s small small benefit or happiness we are if if results which can give us happiness for a short period, it will destroy everything. And so anger is the main cause which destroy all our happiness or or our virtues, actions, everything.

So here, let me just give an example. So we are we have described that, I mean, anger anger will destroy all I mean, our virtuous actions which which which virtuous actions oh, sorry, virtuous or the merits which can give happiness or benefits for us for a long time. For it is like this way. For example, we have a seat in at present, we have a seat in which can which has a cap which has a potential or or very very good seed which can if we sow it, it can give it can grow very well and give lots of fruits. But if but if we but if we put that seed on a on a, like, frying pan and which on a red-hot frying pan and it’s just, it’s not got burned, but it’s cooked, and and sow it on sow it sow it or grow it, but it cannot give any result because it doesn’t mean that the seed has been destroyed.

But the main thing is the the potential of the seed has been destroyed by frying it on a frying pan. So it means the so likewise, the anger has a power which can the virtues or merit, the merit which which has this can destroy the potential of the virtue or a merit which we which can give us happiness or can give us a long-term benefits. So it it is not that way. No? But So Rinpoche, the question here is, if on sow that seed which has been fried, does that sow can give a fruit or not?

No. No. No. No. So likewise, the seed cannot give a fruit or offspring and also the anger will destroy all our virtuous actions or so merits or the virtues.

So all and if that happens, then all our meditation our meditation in whole life becomes useless or had been no use. So it’s very very harmful to us. It hurts in two ways. One thing, it destroy all the happiness or the virtues we have we have. And second point is it brings the difficulty or the distant the suffering and unhappiness to us.

No good? No good. So Rinpoche says, emphasize all us to not to generate generate the anger and be practiced on or meditate on patience. And you know that all if one if so we all wish to have the same in this life and next life, and same rebirth and wish I want happiness and doesn’t want suffering. And and anger is the one which destroys all the happiness in the future, not on on this life as well as in future, and which brings suffering for both this and next life.

So it is it is not worthwhile keeping or generating anger or generating anger in oneself, it is very necessary. One should not generate aroused anger in oneself and practice patience or meditate, practice and meditate on patience. Okay. So we’ll we’ll keep five minutes for questions, if there are any questions. Yeah.

So when when I know I’m about to blow my virtue for the last three lives and I’m really angry, what do you do? What can you do? When you come to know that you have destroyed all the virtues in the last three past three lives When I get very angry. When you know you’re very angry, how do you handle that? What do you do?

Oh, I can’t stand yet. So so the things the most important is to look back and look into your mind all the time. It’s very important to check whether you are getting angry or not. And when one come to know that you’re starting to get angry at the moment, when anger start to begin, one should try to stop the anger from the beginning, so that one cannot get angry because of your protection or giving or applying antidote for the anger to not to raise or not to alright? Is is that the answer for your question or should I re answer something back?

So the other question is sort of like, you’ve been get I mean, you’re already angry. Yes. And then at the end of some we say that at the end of your anger or angry, you know that you came to know that you have been destroyed. The virtues of the past three lives. Question was you you asked that say, I get angry and you came to know that.

So you you’re already angry now. And in and you and you also know that it will now it destroy your say, your virtues of your past lives have been destroyed. So and what you what could be. Oh, so it was not the question. It’s okay.

So you mean what to do now? So your question was now what to do when you get angry? Yes. Is that alright. To handle that better.

Sorry? In the moment that you’re angry Mhmm. What to do? Alright. So So you might remember from the beginning of the once you’re not trying to, I mean, try to stop the anger, I mean, stop anger from the beginning or before it starts.

Once it start and even if if you practice about thinking about patience once it has been started, then your practice or your recall for patience is a bit too late to do that. It’s joking. Yeah. So so it means your action is almost to to the end now. Yes.

No. Nice. No. So the main important thing is to one should not one should try to stop the anger from the beginning. And it is very difficult to do this from the beginning, to practice this kind of practice.

But if you do it very often, like doing practice one and twice and then for many times, and then gradually your mind will be familiarized to become more familiarized to that kind of practice. And then gradually without any effort, like effortless, you can your mind automatically can practice can do this kind of practice or can able to not to raise not to get anger to get I mean, arise or get angry. And if one get angry, then this is finished. I mean, at the moment, it’s already done. Like, we should be very careful of our possessions before they get stolen.

One, it has been and once it has been stolen and the robber has taken it, it’s taken now. We can do nothing. Alright? It’s been stolen. So the most important thing is one one should not before losing the thing, one should get I mean, give good protection for your possessions or your things.

And when when the robber has taken your things, then this is it. So at that moment, you you have generated anger and that it’s all your action is almost done. So this is, you know, and and think about the next time not to let the anger come and overcome you. So there are many many ways to practice this kind of stopping anger from the beginning. For example, if you have a person, I mean, if you there is a person to whom you get angry by seeing him all then at at any sight of him will make you angry, then to do to stop that anger, try not to see that person all the time.

Alright? Then the anger which comes from that person will never get a chance to, I mean, arise or rise. And as for the for the words, if you I mean, you are being I can’t say allergic. It’s alright. If you don’t if you doesn’t like, say a a certain word if you hear certain words which which makes you get angry, then try not to listen to that kind of the conversations or that a word.

And even you heard it, just pretend not to hear, oh, you’re not listening to that or you’re not hearing that word. And then by doing that, stops the anger which comes from that kind of word or conversation. So this is And there are many, many practice like I mean, you can do many kind of practice like doing this kind of practice. Still, there are many. Not a good one.

So we’ll stop here. Thank you all. Thank you. Thank