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Live in a Better Way Reflections on Truth, Love, and Happiness Hi s H o l i n e s s t h e D a l a i L a m a His Holiness the Dalai Lama L IVE IN A BETTER W AY ♦ Reflections on Truth, Love and Happiness C O M P I L E D A N D E D I T E D BY Renuka Singh V I K I N G C O M P A S S VIKING COMPASS Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Putnam Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A. Penguin Books Ltd, 27 Wrights Lane, London W8 5TZ, England Penguin Books Australia Ltd, Ringwood, Victoria, Australia Penguin Books Canada Ltd, 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4V 3B2 Penguin Books (N.Z.) Ltd, 182—190Wairau Road, Auckland 10, New Zealand Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England First American edition Published in 2001 by Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Putnam Inc. 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 Copyright © His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 1999 All rights reserved Originally published in India under the title The Transformed Mind by Penguin Books India. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING IN PUBLICATION DATA Bstan-’dzin-rgya-mtsho, Dali Lama XIV, 1935— Live in a Better Way/ Reflections of Truth, Love and Happiness/ Compiled and Edited by Renuka Singh with a Practical Introduction to Buddhism by LamaThubten Zopa Rinpoche p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-670-89671-3 1. Spiritual life— Buddhism. I. Singh, Renuka, 1953— II.Title BQ7935.B774 L58 2001 294.3'444— dc21 00-043700 This book is printed on acid-free paper. ® Printed in the United States of America Set in Perpetua • Designed by Francesca Belanger Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. C O N T E N T S e d i t o r ’ s n o t e v i i i I N T R O D U C T I O N BY LAMA T H U B T E N ZOPA R IN P O C H E XI Transforming Mind 1 A Journey to Happiness 21 Compassion and Nonviolence 5 3 How to Live and Die in a Better Way 87 Path for Spiritual Practice 119 The Two Truths 157 I N D E X 197 E D I T O R ’ S N O T E This bo o k is a compilation of selected lectures delivered by His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Tushita s dharma celebrations held annually in New Delhi. It includes as well an ilhrminating foreword by Venerable Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche. I am honored that His Holiness and Rinpoche have per mitted me this opportunity to bring together this distinctive series of lectures that emphasize the im portance of spirituality in a world now dominated by an ethos of scientific and technological rational ity. His Holiness offers a clear and penetrating in sight into the problems facing mankind and how love, compassion and universal responsibility are required to skillfully solve these problems. To commemorate the twentieth anniversary of Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre, founded in 1979 by the late LamaYeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, I would like to offer this book to His Holiness as a token of our gratitude for his im measurable kindness. I would also like to offer viii Editor’s Note this book— as we start the new millennium— to a wider audience as a guide for their practice of meditation in order that they can transform their minds and achieve Enlightenment. Indeed, the basic purpose of reading and listening to the Bud dhist teachings is to equip ourselves with tools of understanding so that we can engage in the proper kind of “spiritual combat.” The lectures follow a chronological order of events except the last discourse on the Two Truths, which was delivered over two consecutive evenings in 1988. His Holiness often refers to theTwoTruths and Four Noble Truths in the other lectures in this collection that deal with, for example, the issues of transforming one’s mind; of the journey to happi ness by understanding the suffering nature of cyclic existence and the realization of emptiness; of solv ing personal, national and international problems with compassion and nonviolence; of how to live and die in a better way; and of the path for spiritual practice through renunciation, bodhicitta and the wisdom of emptiness— this being the essence of the dharma that effectively liberates all beings. Hence, for conceptual and philosophical clarity, it seemed more appropriate to place this discourse on the Two Truths at the end, reflecting on their profundity and complexity. Editor’s Note ix I have also included here most of the question and answer sessions that followed the lectures. Most of the questions were taken from the audi ence. I have tried to avoid repetition wherever possible, yet due to the nature of the discourses, certain mistakes might have crept in as a result of transcription or misinterpretation. Many individuals have made significant contri butions toward the success of this endeavor. I am deeply indebted to such lovable and revered teach ers as His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable LamaThubten Zopa Rinpoche for their kindness and inspiration. A very special thanks to Venera ble Lhakdor-la for taking out time to correct the manuscript (in Dharamsala, on the plane and in the United States) and for being the translator for our talks. I would like to express my appreciation to Thubten Jimpa-la as well for translating the lecture delivered in 1997.1 am always grateful to Tenzin Geyche Tethong-la, private secretary to His Holiness, for putting up with my demands and for all his help and cooperation. Had it not been for the diligence and joyous in volvement of all my predecessors and spiritual program coordinators, Tushita would not have been what it is today. Support from all our gener ous sponsors, friends, members and the Founda X Editor’s Note tion for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition has helpedTushita survive all these years.To name a few, the Kakarias, Mathurs, Roys, Khannas, Bhandaris, Nandas, Suds, Cerris, Chawlas, Jhala- nis, Singhs, VenerableYeshe Chodron, Susie Roy, Bruno Furrer, Derek Goh and Joan Mahony have been great pillars of strength. I would also like to mention the important role played by Venerable Marcel Bertels, Venerable Roger Kunsang and Dr. Nick Ribush in the history ofTushita. A heartfelt thanks for their patience, help and commitment. Assistance from Karthika and Diya Kar Hazra at Penguin has been fruitful in giving this book its final form. I thank them for working tirelessly. Last but not the least, I would like to express my gratitude to my family for being a constant source of encouragement and affection. I miss es pecially the love and support of my late sister Ashma Singh, who was a fellow traveler with me in the spiritual pursuit and quietly contributed a great deal to the activities ofTushita. May this book deepen the spiritual under standing and experience of many people and bring peace in their lives. Kenuka Singh New Delhi November 1999