Gen-la Jampa begins his teaching on Lamrim by explaining its pre-eminent qualities and characteristics. He makes it clear though that in order to experience these benefits for ourselves we need to stop distractions.

Quoting Venerable Geshe-la he says, ‘Distractions are not harmless. They are our worst enemy. ‘

Then reaching back to a Festival teaching by Geshe-la from 1997, Gen-la Jampa gives us a wonderful remedy. ‘Watch our mind and recognize its clarity. Through this distractions will naturally cease because they are part of the mind.’

In addition, he explains how meditating on the nature of the mind will help us to recognize the continuum of the mind as distinct from the body and therefore to understand that we have future lives.

Through this we arrive at the basic Buddhist view: ‘the happiness and freedom of our countless future lives are more important than the happiness and freedom of this one life’ and that therefore ‘we use our precious human life to prepare for the happiness and freedom of our countless future lives.’

During the break the conversations are abuzz with the power of the teaching. However this is briefly interrupted as the kids suddenly march into the dining marquee with drums and dancing and stage a brief ‘World Peace’ parade. The diners all join in on the loudly chanted chorus, ‘ World Peace!’

In the second talk Gen-la Jampa goes deeper into the basic Buddhist view and intention with an extensive teaching in renunciation. As he is giving us Venerable Geshe-la’s analogy that samsara is like an ocean of suffering, a massive downpour suddenly pounds down on the temple making the analogy all too vivid.

As we emerge from the teaching, the rain has stopped and the smiles are still shining. After all, the only way to truly transform suffering … Dharma!