A Teaching from Khenpo Kalsang Nyima Rinpoche

You can live a better life if you can be the master of your own heart. 

There is a saying that what you have internally will be shown externally. External appearances reflect the psychological status of a person. For example, the facial appearance of selfish people is one of tension. For fear of loss or a fondness of haggling and deception, they are cautious, guarding against others, and at the same time planning how to obtain benefits. As they are in a state of alertness for a long time, they spontaneously looks tense and worried. On the contrary, people with relaxed brows and kind eyes are open-minded and harmonious. On their faces are easygoing smiles. If you want to make friends, which group of people would you choose? I believe that you will choose the latter because we all hope that people and things around us can bring happiness to us.

When “happiness” is a definite desire, we must know that this “Happiness” depends on our own heart. Nowadays, our society is developed, and the emphasis is on material. The process of growth is related to social development. Learning about skills and technology constitute today’s education. Spiritual education is not listed as a compulsory course. Our entire society focuses on our outward talents. Success is the measure of happiness and fulfilment in life. Under such circumstances, the heart of seeking things outside of ourselves is formed. Success and failure dominate our happiness! Our behavior is driven by the senses. Achievements and material pursuits increase greed. Self-centeredness grows. Our mentality of making many demands on others develops, and worst of all is putting ourselves in a diverse situations of adversity. In fact, environment forms our mind and all our thoughts come from the outside world. As a result, uncultivated people are dragged by circumstances, and they are prone to emotions, anger, hatred, and hostility.

Their dispositions cause great harm to their mind and body. This is also the bad karma that Buddhism refers to. On the contrary, spiritual practice can improve self-control ability, and the mode of thinking tends to be self-required. They tend to treat others with empathy. They usually have received training in thinking and can gain good karma because they know how to respect others.

Spiritual practice refers to meditation and meditation can change our way of thinking. Through meditation, one can understand the motives of our minds, observe and examine one’s thoughts, recognize our behavior and attitude, and learn to distinguish between good and bad choices. People who practice meditation can reduce greed, and their thinking and mentality can become positive. Many scientists agree that meditation can change the energy of the body. Therefore, people who choose to cultivate their hearts are full of positive energy, and they will become outstanding happy people.

To study Buddhism is to seek a pure view, that is to obtain a light state of mind and body. Meditation can achieve this goal and change our conventional fates. Why do some people have positive personalities and exude joy? Because they see the good side of things. Positive thinking, caring for others, and moderating our tempers are the good fruits accumulated by living a compassionate life. The Buddha’s teachings advocate the development of inner strength, and the cultivation of hearts can be truly happy. If you want to live better, you must be the master of your own heart. Practicing with loving compassion can transform your fate and master your internal problems. Beauty is inner and outer. Your accumulation of good deeds is a reflection of your heart!

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