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In this extract from Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings, he explains how preparing for death begins with the way we live our lives. By developing a good heart and understanding that the purpose of life is to benefit others, we can meet death with greater peace and less fear. The following teachings are drawn from How to Face Death without Fear, edited by Ven. Robina Courtin.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Ven. Robina Courtin. Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 2019. Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang
There are many Buddhist practices, but the very essence is developing a good heart: love and compassion. This means we want
to help sentient beings as much as possible and not harm them in any way. This is the basis of morality, of ethics, and within that lies
the whole of the Dharma. Within that there are all the beneficial attitudes that we need to cultivate: equanimity, generosity, patience, loving kindness, and especially bodhichitta.
Living our life with a good heart is so important for the happiness-temporary happiness and the ultimate happiness of enlightenment of the six-realm sentient beings: the hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, human beings, gods and demi-gods, as well as the intermediate-state beings. Your good heart is so important for the happiness and peace of the numberless beings of this world, the people and the animals; for the happiness of your country, your family, your society, your organization. Their happiness depends upon your good heart, comes from your good heart. This is the most important thing in life.
A good heart is the very meaning of life. If we can hold the welfare of all beings in our heart in whatever we do, we will never harm others again. Wherever we are, whatever we do, whoever we are with, if we always remain aware that the purpose of our life is to
help others, to give happiness to others, we will never create the causes of suffering, either for ourselves or others. Then we become
the source of happiness for everybody around us—every being—and they become the cause of our enlightenment.
Everything we do in our daily life should be fueled by the wish to make others happy. When we meet people we should feel that our
job in meeting them is to make them happy. When we eat we should feel we are eating to get the energy to help others. When we work we should feel our job is to benefit others. When we walk, every step is in order to benefit others.
Whenever we see an insect we should think that we are here to give happiness to that insect. Whenever we hear a bird we should
think that we are here to give happiness to that bird. Whenever a friend phones we should think that we are here to give happiness to that friend. Whenever we have a confrontation at our office we should think that we are here to give happiness to the person who is
confronting us.
Whatever we do we should think, “I am doing this to make others happy. This is my job; this is my purpose in life.” From the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep this should be the motivation for every action we do. With a good heart, with a mind sincerely wishing to benefit others, our life will make sense.
Excerpted from How to Face Death without Fear: A Handbook by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, available from the FPMT Foundation Store. For your information, the book is being updated and the new edition will be published next year by Wisdom Publications.
Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.