Students need to practice in these degenerate times. It's difficult to do many practices now. The external aspect is like the body. External activities are like the body. Internally, the mind needs compassion. The secret is that realizing the nature of reality leads to enlightenment. One needs to realize the secret nature of mind, the non-duality of self and other. This is called the outer, inner and secret. To understand this, one needs to put great effort into view, meditation and conduct now. It's difficult. First, just meditate. First, understand the four thoughts that turn the mind well. Then, within that, what's needed? The immeasurables are needed. Compassion is needed. Meditate well on the four immeasurables. After that, gradually progress to shamatha and vipashyana to pacify the suffering of the mind. The mind needs to be pacified, not just external conduct. To realize the nature of all behaviors, Jetsun Milarepa made meditation the main practice. If you do that, it will be good. Everyone should keep this in mind - mainly compassion needs to arise in the mind. We say "May they be free from the causes of suffering." One needs to be free from self-grasping. We say "May they possess the causes of happiness." How should self-grasping be destroyed? It should be destroyed by compassion. Like ice melting from heat. The external heat is just an example. It's the inner compassion of mind. One needs to develop strong faith in karma. As it says in Tara's Seven-Fold Refuge Prayer: "Without conviction in karma, even advice on practicing Dharma becomes a lie." One needs to develop strong faith in karma. "Not knowing karmic cause and effect, Being confused about the object of knowledge, May the goddess of omniscient wisdom protect me." This is said in Tara's Seven-Fold Refuge Prayer. All of Buddha's teachings are condensed in Tara's Seven-Fold Refuge Prayer. Practice only the mind. The mind needs to be tamed. The Blessed Buddha said "Thoroughly tame your own mind. This is the Buddha's teaching." To tame the mind, self-grasping needs to be tamed. Self-grasping should be tamed by the altruistic mind. For root practice in these degenerate times when we don't have much time, don't have many conditions, and face many difficulties, what should we understand? There is great suffering now in Ukraine and the world. This arises from karma. If it arises from past karma, that's the worst. That karma will be purified. If that karma is not purified now, it will need to be purified even in the three lower realms. The defiled mind definitely needs to be purified. When the mind becomes pure, then one will progress to enlightenment. To purify it, even the three lower realms are like a bathroom for washing the mind. They are like a hospital. One should understand this. Oh, suffering is good. The mind was purified. The mind cannot die. The mind cannot be reborn. The mind cannot die. The habitual tendencies of the mind need to be purified. If it's water, the water needs to become pure, drinkable for us. Thinking like this, mainly put effort into bodhichitta. Contemplate karma well. Is it true or not? Think that karma is definitely real. Think that karma is unfailing. Contemplate all the subtle and gross aspects. The extremely subtle and the gross are like this. There are many sentient beings in the world. All the extremely subtle tiny creatures have the same mind. They have the same body. If you understand this, the difference in merit will be lost like that. Merit means compassion. If you understand this, then to accumulate merit means you need to accumulate compassion. Therefore, have discussions on topics like this. Have discussions on exactly this. If you practice like this, it will be good. Then practice will become very close. Tashi delek. Merit means accumulating compassion. The glorious Garchen Rinpoche, embodiment of love and compassion. Thank you. May you bless the continuity of my mind. Transcribed by: Dribar Gyel Edited by: Gartrül Gelegs Döndrup, Ngawang Trinley Please translate this into English.
