Zopa Rinpoche on Making Life Meaningful

[phantom59]

'Now, all causative phenomena—your own body, your possessions, your relatives and other people around you: friend, enemy, stranger—are changing within every second due to causes and conditions. Under the control of other causes and conditions, these things began, and now they are decaying within every second because they are dependent upon causes and conditions. Therefore, these things can be stopped at any time—this is the reality of these causative phenomena.

So, being aware of the reality of these phenomena liberates us. It liberated us from undesirable suffering and its causes, the bondage of ignorance, the dissatisfied mind of desire and anger. It liberate us from these causes of suffering, so it liberates from all problems. Our problems come from not being aware of the reality; our problems come from looking at these causative phenomena as permanent, which they're not. We apprehend them to be permanent because they appear to us as permanent not as changing due to causes and condition. These things appear to us now as permanent and we think that they will always be like this. We believe what we see to be true. We do not look at these phenomena in accordance with reality but look at them as something else, which is not true, which doesn't exist. This wrong conception becomes the basis of our life problems. All our relationship problems and so forth come from this.

The basis of our problems in life is very strange, something which doesn't exist. We make something that is the opposite of the reality of phenomena and we believe in it. From these wrong conceptions, discriminating thoughts of anger and attachment arise, and following these wrong conceptions itself is the main suffering in life. With these wrong conceptions, these wrong thoughts, we create so many problems in our life, problems for ourself and for other beings.

If we analyze the root of the problem, it is something that doesn't make sense. We make up some concept, then we believe in and follow it, and that is what produces our problems. Even if there is no problem, we create problems. There is no reason to create problems; there is no reason to make up this wrong conception of permanence, to look at impermanent phenomena as permanent. We unnecessarily create it. There's no benefit to us and no benefit to other sentient beings. We build up some concept and listen to it, follow it. The concept of permanence becomes the cause of our unhealthy mind and unhealthy body.'

'The way to be completely free forever from these suffering realms, this samsara, or the association of body and mind, which is the container of problems, is to eliminate karma. One must cease karma, the actions motivated by ignorance, the concept of inherently existent I and aggregates. So, to completely eliminate the cause, one must realize emptiness, the ultimate nature of the I and the aggregates. This is the only solution.

This is the only method that directly eliminates the cause of suffering death and suffering rebirth. This is the only method that directly eliminates the causes of old age, sickness, and all other undesirable problems. This is the only method that directly eliminates the concept of true existence, the root of all other disturbing thoughts. Therefore, it is essential to generate this wisdom realizing the ultimate nature of the I and so forth. In our everyday life this is what is of utmost need in our meditation.'

http://www.lamayeshe.com/index.php?sect=article&id=819

[Sonny]

[muni]

'The basis of our problems in life is very strange, something which doesn't exist. We make something that is the opposite of the reality of phenomena and we believe in it. From these wrong conceptions, discriminating thoughts of anger and attachment arise, and following these wrong conceptions itself is the main suffering in life. With these wrong conceptions, these wrong thoughts, we create so many problems in our life, problems for ourself and for other beings.

If we analyze the root of the problem, it is something that doesn't make sense. We make up some concept, then we believe in and follow it, and that is what produces our problems. Even if there is no problem, we create problems. There is no reason to create problems; there is no reason to make up this wrong conception of permanence, to look at impermanent phenomena as permanent. We unnecessarily create it. There's no benefit to us and no benefit to other sentient beings. We build up some concept and listen to it, follow it. The concept of permanence becomes the cause of our unhealthy mind and unhealthy body.'

Things can be so simple explained but possible there can be the need of many concepts to see so.

[muni]

"Life finishes quickly, like autumn clouds or lightning in the sky".

Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
http://www.lamayeshe.com/index.php?sect=article&id=739