Rinpoche was giving a very inspiring and encouraging teaching from the 3rd Dodrupchen Rinpoches’s text Transforming Suffering and Happiness. There was also plenty of time for questions and answers.

Transforming suffering, or taking it onto the path, does not only mean trying to get rid of or avoid problems and difficulties, but actually making them into a practice.

Parts 1-3 deal with transforming suffering through relative truth, and part 4 with transforming suffering through absolute truth and transforming happiness into the path.

Some of the questions asked by students:

Part 1
01:24:00 How to deal with angry people near you?
01:33:44 Helping others makes me feel good; am I actually doing it for myself?
01:37:50 Dealing with physical pain?
01:43:23 How to set my priorities?
01:48:50 Am I doing good to others in order to feel good myself? Is this ok?

Part 2
01:38:30 Is Tonglen connected with the approach discussed here?
01:49:47 Karma: when is the effect coming?
01:59:26 Karma as the cause and karma as the result?

Part 3
01:25:21 Is ambition ok?
01:37:09 Do you need to purify the suffering you take on from others in Tonglen?
01:44:45 How to change negative habits?
02:02:00 What would be the most compassionate action towards a traumatised person?

One of Rinpoche’s earlier teachings on this text has been published as a book:

https://bodhicharya.org/product/meeting-challenges-unshaken-by-lifes-ups-and-downs/

For more information, visit: https://www.ktl.no/