The Third Dalai Lama's Refined Gold & Shantideva's Guide; 9th-March-2007 (Day 6 of 9; Morning) - Dalai Lama Audio Teachings on Tibetan Buddhism Podcast

The Kadampa masters used to say that if you have contentment you are truly rich. If you are actually wealthy, but remain dissatisfied, you cannot really be described as rich at all. To counter the grasping that is the source of our problems we need to understand how things lack any intrinsic existence and generate the mind that cherishes others, which is the panacea for all our troubles. In all situations it is important to assess what needs to be done and whether or not you can do it. If you feel you cannot accomplish a task, don’t begin, but if you feel you can, once you begin, don’t give up. His Holiness says that in the late 60s he felt that realising emptiness and achieving the liberation of nirvana was within reach and would be like a long holiday, but when he thought about generating the awakening mind of bodhichitta, he realised that while it wasn’t unattainable, it would take very long and applied effort. This is why Shantideva counsels us to detach ourselves from the childish and immature, who will only distract us from our course. Generating compassion and the awakening mind brings with it many advantages such as fearlessness and inner strength. Scientists have shown that when we generate compassion, we activate the left lobe of the brain, which is good for our physical health, whereas anger activates the right lobe, which is physically harmful to us and weakens our immune system.