Lama Yeshe teaching in Ibiza, Spain, 1977. Photo by Francois Camus (donor), courtesy of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

The Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archives offers a growing index of teaching excerpts from Big Love: The Life and Teachings of Lama Yeshe. In addition to the fascinating historical narrative from students of Lama Yeshe, Big Love is also filled with Dharma teachings. Here we share an excerpt from a teaching by Lama Yeshe on the importance of cultivating mindful awareness in our actions and a clear understanding of karma, in Ibiza, Spain, October 1977. This teaching is published in Chapter 16 of Big Love: 

The lamrim actually teaches us that everything we see—on the television, the wind blowing, the movement of the ocean—all these are a teaching on karma. The lamrim teaches reality. Time is changing. Summer changes to autumn, autumn changes to winter and winter changes to spring. All these changes, all this movement shows the impermanent nature of reality. We should learn from these teachings that the world brings us constant change. In the same way that these things change, so do I. We haven’t yet understood this. We should understand that every movement that we see, every movement that exists in the entire world is showing you reality.

When we watch something on television, we see it as a fantasy. Instead of seeing it as presenting the evolution of cause and effect, we are shaking with fantasy and become even more deluded. Are we communicating? But if we have Dharma wisdom, when we watch movies or television, we see that these are showing us cause and effect in the evolution of samsara. Unfortunately, we aren’t generally able to see actual reality. We only see things in a polluted way, and so we become more deluded.

Every movement of karma has a reason. Every movement of karma is connected, is an evolutionary link. If you understand that, you understand karma. Your mind transforms, your body transforms, your nervous system transforms; they are all changing, changing, changing. You can see karma. And when you can see karma, then you are aware of your actions—what you are supposed to do, what you shouldn’t do. You have some control of your own mind. You become more discriminating with regard to your own behavior. Then it becomes the practice of Dharma. If you are unconscious about your own actions, if you don’t know what you are doing, then there is no way you can see what action brings what result. Not being able to see clean clear which results come from which attitude or action is actually a cause of your continuing ignorance. That is not Dharma practice.

Being mindfully aware of all your own actions throughout all the hours of the day, from the time you get up in the morning until you go to sleep—that is even more profound than doing some kind of meditation in the morning. The reason I’m saying this is that Western people are so interested in meditation. They love meditation, love to talk about meditation, but they don’t love it when Lama explains karma. Karma is strong, strong. “Karma is … well … that’s too heavy for us!” But our body, speech and mind are heavy already. It’s not your lama who makes them heavy. They are already heavy. This is why understanding karma is very important. Meditation is OK. But even if you are unable to meditate it’s all right. My meditation is that as much as possible I try to be aware of my own actions. I dedicate my day as much as possible to other people. Whatever I am involved in I try to have loving kindness and be sympathetic to others and I try not to take advantage of others as much as possible. This is my meditation. I observe my own body and speech; this is my meditation. Actually, that is more precise and realistic than, “Oh, I’m meditating on tantra ….”

This is a very simple thing. Today, even though we are here, our mind is not actually living here. Already we are thinking, “After the course I’ll … blah, blah, da da da ….” Our body is here but our mind is already in the future, after the course, not living in the present, not living in the moment. We never pay full attention to each other in this present moment. For example, while I’m talking to you people, my mind is thinking of Tibet. I’m not with you. This is wrong! Each day, when you get up in the morning, remember, “Today I am alive. How fortunate that I am alive today. I can do much better than dogs or chickens because I have the power of being human. I have better understanding. So, as much as possible today I’ll be aware and keep my body, speech and mind clean clear. I will communicate a good vibration to sentient beings and dedicate my life to reaching the highest destination—enlightenment.”

By generating this dedicated attitude in the morning, by the power of your mind you bring great space to your day. In this way the power of your mind keeps you from becoming angry. By living in an awareness of the present moment, it brings a kind of total relaxation, rather than fooling yourself.

Lama Yeshe gave this teaching in Ibiza, Spain, October 1977. From Chapter 16 of Big Love: The Life and Teachings of Lama Yeshe.

You can find additional teachings, discourses, and advice from Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche on the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive website. 

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