Excellence Reporter: Rinpoche, what is meaning of life?

Tulku Dakpa Rinpoche: The meaning of life is the present moment. If we are able to be in the present moment, we gain great happiness. 

Most people think too much about the future and the past to get happiness and joy in their lives. However, it’s difficult to achieve the experience of happiness as long as we’re not in the present moment. 

We should clearly understand that hopes, fears, excitements etc., don’t bring any kind of true happiness, because our minds are not in the present, but in imagination somewhere far away. If our minds just look for things far away, the resulting happiness will also be far away. 

When we lose the present moment, no matter how much we achieve externally, like a high position, riches, or power, there is still no experience of happiness in the present moment. Therefore, we are still not satisfied, as we are constantly looking for something else. If life is always only about looking in the future, there is no real life, as life means the present moment. If we really want to know our real lives, we have to look at our lives. Looking at our lives means we have to really be there in the present. 

In order to be in the meaning of life, that is the present moment, an open mind is very important. How is an open mind important for being in the present moment? An open mind makes space to seeing ourselves, to be free from hope and fear, from clinging to self and others, good and bad etc., as well as pacifies the emotions and raises genuine wisdom to see things as they are. Seeing things as they are is the present moment. If we see things as they are, there is no hope and fear. That means we are genuine, perfect, and fresh. That is called life. 

Finally, if we lose the mind of the present moment, even if we have breath, we don’t have a mind. Therefore, the real meaning of life is to keep the wonderful, beautiful and great mind in the present. Even being very poor or sick, if we have an open mind, we can still find happiness which is not conditioned by the objects.

Genuine happiness is always within ourselves — it doesn’t need any conditions of a high position, riches, or other objects. Being in the present moment will fulfill all our needs, and for that we only need an open mind.

***

~Tulku Dakpa Rinpoche was recognized by His Holiness Mindrolling Trichen Rinpoche as a reincarnation of Drupwang Rogza Sonam Palge, and he is the founder and spiritual director of Danakosha Ling in Finland. He is the first Tibetan Buddhist master residing permanently in Finland. He has graduated from the Mindrolling Monastery’s University of Tibetan Buddhism as a certified lineage holder of both sutra and tantra. He divides his time between practicing for himself and teaching others. He teaches in monasteries, universities and dharma centers in Europe, Asia and America.

www.danakosha.org/en/

Copyright © 2020 Excellence Reporter