Chapter One

“Your life is the most important thing in the world to you,” said His Holiness. “Same for this kitten.”

Also, we must recognize that we share the same two basic wishes: the wish to enjoy happiness and the wish to avoid suffering.

Chapter Two

Even though cats spend most of the day dozing comfortably, we like our humans to keep busy. Not in a noisy or intrusive way — just active enough to entertain us during those periods when we choose to remain awake.

I like the phrase “when we keep to remain awake”. It is so cat.

She treated me to a helping of leftover beef casserole so generous that I had to meow to be put down from the kitchen counter after eating, being too stuffed to jump down on my own.

Cute

“Isn’t that interesting ? Only this morning at the temple, we saw novice monks competing for admission to the monastery. There are too many novices and not enough places. But turning to the jail, nobody wants to go there, even though the conditions are easier than in a monastery. This proves that it is not so much the circumstances of our lives that make us happy or unhappy but the way we see them.”

True

“To stop thinking about their time inside as a waste of their life and instead to see it as an amazing opportunity for personal growth.

(inside means in the jail) I can use this to turn any boring situation.

“The purpose of Buddhism is not to convert people. It is to give them tools so they can create greater happiness. So they can be happier Catholics, happier atheists, happier Buddhists. There are many practices, and I know you are already very familiar with one of them.” Mrs. Trinci raised her eyebrows. “It is the wonderful paradox,” he continued, “that the best way to achieve happiness for oneself is to give happiness to others.”

Buddhism Is just a tool.

By letting go of the unhappiness - creating belief that I needed another cat, I would convert my jail into a monastery.

Chapter Three

If they wanted to drink a cup of coffee without actually experiencing it, why didn’t they do it for free back at the hotel ?

Mindful eating.

Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment deliberately and non - judgmentally.

when their coffee was placed in front of them, they stopped their conversation and actually tasted it. Not only the first mouthful but also the second, third, and subsequent mouthfuls. Like the monks at Jokhang, they were paying attention to the present moment deliberately. Relishing their coffee. Enjoying their surroundings. Experiencing pure presence.

Cool

Turns out that it’s not so much what you’re doing that makes you happy. It’s whether or not you’re being mindful of what you’re doing.

Chapter Four

Dissatisfaction with the material world is — what do you say ? — vital to spiritual development.”

“A cause that can be relied upon. One that always works. Heat applied to water is a true cause of steam. No matter who applies the heat or how often the heat has been applied before or where in the world heat is applied, the result is always steam. In the case of money or status or relationships” — His Holiness chuckled — “we can easily see these are not true causes of happiness.”

Good metaphor

The danger is that self - development can lead us to more self - cherishing, self - absorption, self - infatuation. And these are not true causes of happiness but the opposite.”

Self self self

“We each need to find out our own personal methods of cultivating happiness, but there are general principles. Two main true causes of happiness: first, the wish to give happiness to others, which Buddhists define as love, and second, the wish to help free others from dissatisfaction or suffering, which we define as compassion.

But the prefrontal cortex of the brain, the part linked to positive emotion, lights up when people meditate on the happiness of others. Therefore, the more ‘ other - centric ’ we are, the happier we can be.”

“A man arrives home to find a huge pile of sheep manure has been dumped on his front yard. He didn’t order the manure. He does not want it. But somehow, it is there, and his only choice now is to decide what to do with it. He can put it in his pockets and walk around all day complaining to everyone about what happened. But if he does this, people will start avoiding him after a while. More useful is if he spreads the manure on his garden. “We all face this same choice when dealing with problems. We don’t ask for them. We don’t want them. But the way we deal with them is what’s most important. If we are wise, the greatest problems can lead to the greatest insights.”

I also discovered that I felt a lot happier not being jealous. Envy and resentment were demanding emotions that had disturbed my own peace of mind. For my sake, too, there was little point in being consumed by unhappy and irrational feelings

Chapter Five

‘ The thought manifests as the word; the word manifests as the deed; the deed develops into habit; and habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care, and let it spring from love born out of concern for all beings … As the shadow follows the body, as we think, so we become. ’

Thought is the lowest level / atom?

Chapter Six

“The Dharma is an inner journey,” Geshe Wangpo said, touching his heart. “Not about saying you are Buddhist, or wearing clothes to show you are Buddhist, or even believing you are Buddhist. What is ‘ Buddhist ’ ?” He gestured with open hands. “Just a word. Just a label. What is the value of a label if the product inside isn’t authentic ? Like a fake Rolex.”

“The first teachings Buddha gave after he became enlightened were the Four Noble Truths. They are a very good place to begin an understanding.

Never know the English words brfore

Dukkha means everything from trivial discomfort to the deepest physical and emotional suffering.

“But the underlying reason for our dissatisfaction, the root cause, is that we mistake the way that things exist. We see objects and people as separate and independent from us. We believe them to have characteristics, qualities, that we are attracted to or repelled by. We think everything is happening outside us and we are just reacting to it — as though it’s all coming at us from the outside.”

“If all this dissatisfaction, all this dukkha, were coming from out there, it would be impossible to do much about it. But because it originates in the mind itself, well, we have some hope. So the Fourth Noble Truth is the treatment — what we can do about our mental problems.”

How we think is important

In Buddhism we also interpret Dharma to mean ‘ cessation, ’ as in the end of dissatisfaction, the end of dukkha. This is the purpose of Buddha’s teachings.”

“You know, Buddha was once asked a mysterious question about the universe. The way he answered the question is very interesting.” Geshe Wangpo bent down to scoop up a handful of leaves. “He asked his students, ‘ Are there more leaves in my hand, or on the floor of the forest all around us ? ’ The students said, ‘ On the floor of the forest. ’ So Buddha replied, ‘ The leaves in my hand represent the knowledge that leads to the end of suffering. ’

The efficiency

“It teaches us to become more aware of our own mental behavior, to replace negative patterns of thought with more positive ones.”

‘ Be your own therapist. ’

If we focus too much on ourselves, we make ourselves sick. We have this constant inner chatter going morning, noon, and night, this inner monologue. But paradoxically, the more we are able to think about making other beings happy, the happier we become ourselves.”

You begin at home and at work, with the people and other beings in your life. If you have customers, think of every one of them as an opportunity to practice loving kindness. You can serve them a coffee, or you can serve them a coffee and a smile — something that makes them happier for the moment they are with you. If you have a staff — well, you are a very important person in their lives. You have great power to make them happy — or miserable.”

When you first start, Dharma practice is like a trickle of water high on a mountain. The trickle affects just a small, green area an inch or two wide, as the water flows along the ground. But as you practice Dharma more and more, the flow gets stronger and is joined by other streams. It may occasionally falter, like a waterfall, or disappear beneath the surface, but it keeps going, gathering strength. Eventually, it becomes like a very large river that’s broad and powerful and the center of everything in your life. “Think about your Dharma practice like that — every day growing more and more. Giving more and more happiness to others — and gaining more and more happiness yourself.”

Chapter Seven

I am talking here about change. A favorite Dalai Lama theme. The only constant in life, as Buddha himself said.

Chapter Eight

“When one is angry, the first person to suffer is oneself. No one who is angry has a happy, peaceful mind.”

“Next, we ask ourselves, where is this anger coming from ? If the true cause of anger is the fridge or the gas or the lack of raspberries, then why isn’t everyone else angry at these things ? You see, the anger isn’t coming from out there. It’s coming from our mind. And that is a good thing, because we can’t control everything around us in the world, but we can learn to control our own mind.”

And each time you give in to it, you feed the habit and make it more likely you will feel it again. Wouldn’t it be better, instead, to decrease its power ?”

“When our understanding of something deepens to the point that it changes our behavior, in the Dharma we call this a realization. Perhaps today you have made a realization ?” “Sì, sì, Your Holiness.” Emotion tugged at her lips. “I certainly have.” “Remember the words of the Buddha: ‘ Though one man may conquer a thousand men a thousand times in battle, he who conquers himself is the greatest warrior. ’”

When we see for ourselves there is a problem, change becomes much easier.”

Chapter Nine

“Yes. I decided, even if I can’t be vegetarian all the time, I will follow a vegetarian diet as much as possible but be moderate about it. Being vegetarian or non - vegetarian need not be black or white. We can find a middle ground. Sometimes eating meat for nutritional purposes, but all the time not necessary

“Sentient beings are killed even for a vegetarian diet. When land is cleared to make space for crops, the natural habitat is destroyed, and many smaller beings are killed. Then crops are planted, and pesticides are sprayed, killing many thousands of insects. You see, it is very difficult to avoid harming other beings, especially in relation to food.”

“You will find that some people tell you there is only one way, this way, which happens to be the way that they think, and that everyone else should change their views to be like them. But it is really a matter of personal choice. The important thing is to make sure our decisions are guided with compassion and wisdom.”

“Before we eat any meal, vegetarian or meat, we should always remember the beings that have died so that we can eat. Their lives were just as important to them as your life is to you. Think of them with gratitude and pray that their sacrifice will be a cause for them to be reborn in a higher realm — and for you to be healthy, so that you can quickly, quickly reach full enlightenment in order to lead them to that same state.”

Mindful Eating

You know, Mahatma Gandhi once said: ‘ The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. ’

“In the Dharma, there is no place for guilt. Guilt is useless. It is pointless to feel bad about something in the past that we can’t change. But regret ? Yes. This is more useful.

Guilt vs regret

Chapter Ten

“One of the last things Buddha said to his followers was that anyone who believed a word he had taught them was a fool — unless they had tested it against their own experience.”

“What if someone conducted tens of thousands of hours of rigorous investigation to discover truths about the nature of consciousness ? Suppose other people replicated the research over hundreds of years. How amazing would it be not just to have an intellectual understanding of the mind’s potential but also to establish the most rapid and direct way to realize it ? That is the science of Buddhism.”

After this sudden outpouring, the stillness of Lobsang’s office was palpable. Lobsang gestured toward a pair of chairs in the corner. “Would you like a cup of tea ?”

Cool

“I don’t have any special wisdom,” said Lobsang, in the way that especially wise practitioners always do. “I have no qualities or realizations. I don’t know why you think I can advise.”

Humble

“Fear,” said Lobsang. “An instinct that prevents many people from taking actions that they know, deep down inside, would liberate them. Like a bird in a cage whose door has been opened, we are free to go out in search of fulfillment, but fear makes us look for all kinds of reasons not to.”

When crows encounter a dying snake, / They will act as though they were eagles. / Likewise, if my self - confidence is weak, / I shall be injured by the slightest downfall. ’

Chapter Eleven

As the Dalai Lama frequently explains, inner development is something for which we must each take personal responsibility. Other beings cannot make us more mindful, so that we can experience the rich tapestry of everyday experience to the fullest. Similarly, other beings cannot force us to become more patient or kind, no matter how conducive to our contentment patience or kindness would be. As for improving concentration while meditating, this is, quite obviously, something we need to do for ourselves.

“It is most useful,” Geshe Wangpo told Sam, “to share one’s knowledge with others. Otherwise, what is the point in having it ?”

“In Buddhism” — the lama tilted his head back challengingly — “we would say that you are lazy.” Sam’s reaction was the opposite of his usual. Color drained from his face. “Despising yourself, thinking you are no good, saying ‘ I can’t do this. ’ This is the mind of weakness. You must work to overcome it.” “It’s not through choice,” Sam protested faintly. “Then you must choose to overcome. What happens if you keep giving in to a weak mind ? You feed weakness. The result is an even weaker mind in the future. Instead, you must cultivate confidence !”

Chapter Twelve

Mind training is the foundation of all Buddhist activities, and we are encouraged to develop strong concentration not only when meditating but also by practicing mindfulness throughout each day. As one of the lamas explained, if we are not objectively aware of our thoughts moment by moment and instead engage with every one of them, how can we begin to change them ? “You can’t manage what you don’t monitor,” he said. Mindfulness, it seems, is a foundation practice.

I can practice any time

Epilogue

“I am reading about the life of Albert Schweitzer, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952. He was a very compassionate man, very sincere. I have just read something he said: ‘ Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light. ’ I agree with that, don’t you, HHC ?” Closing my eyes, I purred.

Wonderful ending

Written by Warizz Yutanan, a software developer who try to live a happy life