What is life? ~ His Holiness Dalai Lama 🌸

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:00]Your Holiness, I have a question for you.

[00:00:03]I would like to know from you what is the meaning of life. What is the essence of life?

[00:00:11]Mhm?

[00:00:13]It's a difficult [clears throat] question. You see, there is some being, sentient being.

[00:00:18]We have the Although the flower or trees also have life, but we have consciousness. Chit chit.

[00:00:31]The happiness or sadness related with chit.

[00:00:39]Uh even you see sensorial consciousness uh This is no feeling.

[00:00:48]The sensorial consciousness, eye consciousness, ear consciousness, these are just sort of bring information.

[00:00:58]Then the real feeling uh uh chit system mind.

[00:01:05]So anger loving kindness all related with chit system mind.

[00:01:14]So sensorial level I think obviously uh when our anger or the level of chit the system mind system mind the uh uh eye consciousness seeing a nice thing ear consciousness hearing nice sound but anger still remain there.

[00:01:43]So the the real destroyer of happiness is anger.

[00:01:51]So happiness very much related with uh peace of mind. So anger destroy that.

[00:01:59]So no matter you enjoy the material value in deep insight very fear or anger like that.

[00:02:12]So then the in chit system mind through training, through understanding about the reality.

[00:02:21]Uh then uh then basic system mind You see have the ability uh to tackle anger uh and keep peace of mind. Then sensorial level uh even you see you see some difficult situation or hear very bad news not much disturb.

[00:02:55]So training of mind means chit system mind.

[00:03:00]Not just sensorial level.

[00:03:04]>> [clears throat] >> Holiness How do I train our chit mind? Sorry, one one question here.

[00:03:10]I mean I come from the land of Nagarjuna.

[00:03:14]How do [clears throat] I train my chit mind, my conscious? I mean the you said the beautiful word constructive emotions. That answer is already come which is from brain and the heart when correlates and they say that is the constructive emotion. My answer has come, but uh how do I train my chit?

[00:03:34]That is exactly what I'm looking for.

[00:03:38]Now wisdom compassion related with chit.

[00:03:43]Not sensorial level.

[00:03:45]So like Nagarjuna's you see teaching all logical explanation.

[00:03:55]Uh and Nagarjuna's you see things does not exist as it appears.

[00:04:02]Like quantum physics.

[00:04:04]Uh the quantum physics and Nagarjuna's theory very similar.

[00:04:10]So this you see use the when these negative emotion come you see uh shimi shig namdo inappropriate exaggeration uh emotions arise from uh negative emotions arise from inappropriate concept conceptualization.

[00:04:35]I think simple word uh destructive emotion very much based on appearances.

[00:04:43]So things things objectively exist. So something uh good or bad something independently absolute there.

[00:04:54]So that shimi shig namdo kye ba nyi cha na gyed So through inappropriate exaggeration or conceptualization then uh attachment and aversion arises.

[00:05:06]So therefore you see understand nothing exist as it appears.

[00:05:13]And the deeper reality uh nothing independently exist.

[00:05:19]Once understand that then the very basis of destructive emotion become weak.

[00:05:27]Uh te kyi zung bcu zung drug gyed Uh the grasping at a certitude as if it's the solidity of the object will collapse once you understand that nothing exist independently.

[00:05:39]Like that.

[00:05:40]So you come from Andhra Pradesh uh land of Nagarjuna and Amaravati.

[00:05:47]Amaravati, yes.

[00:05:48]>> Amaravati and I was brought up in the Nagarjuna teachings and though Hindu but I was brought up in the Nagarjuna teachings.

[00:05:55]>> Wonderful. Wonderful.

[00:05:57]Holiness um how do we find how do we find faith?

[00:06:03]The heart wants to believe but the mind is rational and questioning and skeptical. It doesn't allow me to truly believe.

[00:06:14]How do I find that belief and faith?

[00:06:16]Now Buddha himself kye de lha sum gyed Buddha himself you see all my follower scholar monk should not accept my teaching out of faith but rather thorough investigation and experiment.

[00:06:34]This very scientific.

[00:06:38]Buddha never say oh you should believe what I said.

[00:06:41]No.

[00:06:43]Those thing which I mentioned you should investigate further investigation and experiment.

[00:06:50]So most of these Nalanda master like Nagarjuna you see investigate Buddha's own word.

[00:06:58]Then they make distinction. This Buddha's word we can accept. This Buddha's word Buddha taught uh to some special group of people. So according to their mentality Buddha taught that but we cannot accept.

[00:07:16]So faith through reasoning uh more reasoning This is uh like uh some Buddha's teaching.

[00:07:28]Now scientist also now helping.

[00:07:31]So therefore this more reasoning, more investigate then you get firm faith.

[00:07:41]There are two kinds of faith.

[00:07:43]Undelusional only shichana. Uh >> [clears throat] >> the two kinds of faith are the faith of the intellectually inclined beings which are which is actually based on reason, sound reasoning, and uh the faith of those not so intelligent ones which is based more on like blind faith.

[00:08:02]So these days I'm telling I'm expressing the those Buddhist you should be 21st century's Buddhist.

[00:08:13]So Buddhist faith uh just Buddha sharanam gachami dharma sharanam gachami not sufficient.

[00:08:21]You should investigate what dharma.

[00:08:23]What is the value?

[00:08:25]And practice.

[00:08:27]Then you gain some experience.

[00:08:31]Then faith come.

[00:08:35]Not just uh kye so da uh superstition no.

[00:08:41]Blind faith.