Living in the Shoes of Others: Recognizing Basic Human Experience (Link #556)

Speaker: Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. In this pre-recorded talk given on February 2, 2003 at Samten Ling, Rinpoche explains how as Buddhists, we need to think about world affairs, social affairs, household affairs and personal affairs. How can we learn from other people and nations? Often we find ourselves living in our own world and this world becomes more solid than the world we live in, creating conflicts that are difficult to resolve. We forget about the basic human qualities that we all share, which is the desire for happiness and freedom from suffering. These are basic to all beings and we are all interconnected in this way. Recognizing this we need to synchronize our inner and outer worlds. We cannot learn only in our own narrow, inner world. We need to find a broader ground by understanding others. Diversity is not the problem. It is important not to forget the common ground we share.