Q: What is your advice for those of us struggling in this complex and unpleasant life?

Life is simple, but we make it complicated by our tendency to live either in the past or in the future. The best way to live happily is to be in the present moment: you can do this by opening your heart and opening your mind and bringing more spirituality into your daily life. My main advice is to start your day with a prayer such as, "Today may I bring happiness into my life and into other people's lives." Then end your day with a dedication for the benefit of yourself and others.

Q: How can practicing Buddhism help me bring more happiness to my life?

To become happy, actually, it is not necessary to become a Buddhist. But if you can bring some of the concepts of Buddhism, such as understanding the Buddha nature of your mind, into your daily life, it will help you to have more courage and more hope. Another Buddhist concept, that of practicing love and compassion for all sentient beings, expands your mind and makes your heart bigger.

Q: What are the Four Noble Truths?

The Four Noble Truths are the truth of suffering, the truth of cause, the truth of cessation, and the truth of the path. The truth of suffering is to know that we have suffering. Though many Buddhist masters in the West interpret this to mean that life is suffering, I think that is not the case. Life has the nature of suffering, which means if we don't handle our lives well, it will become suffering. The truth of cause is to understand the causes of suffering. If we can stop the causes of suffering, then we can be free of it. The truth of cessation is that it is possible for all suffering to cease. The truth of the path is the solution.

Q: What is the Eightfold Path?

The Eightfold Path consists of right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. The right view consists of understanding the world and oneself in a realistic way. Right intention consists of positive ideas or notions within our mental state. Right speech is speaking with respectful truth and for the welfare of others. Right action is acting with respect for life, property, and relationships. Right livelihood is living virtuously and meditatively. Right effort is cultivating positive attitudes in our study and practice. Right mindfulness is maintaining full awareness of our inner and outer environment. Right concentration is observing an object with full attention.

Q: Is Buddhism a religion? If so, is Buddha the God of Buddhism?

Buddhism is not exactly a religion but a combination of philosophy, psychology, and, to some, even science. It maintains that for every action there is a result: in effect, one is one's own creator. It is a way of living that suggests a model for cultivating the behavior that will deliver certain results. There is no central God, nor is there dogma. Buddha is not considered God but is the founder of Buddhism and is revered as a great master to admire. He taught that we all have the Buddha nature within us. This is very different from the concept of worshiping some outer God who we believe can bring results to our lives.

Q: Why do Buddhists believe that it is so important to meditate?

In Buddhism, there are three main steps to practice: learning, contemplation, and meditation. Through learning, we bring knowledge into our intellectual mind, contemplation translates the knowledge into intelligence, and meditation brings the knowledge deep down into our hearts.

Q: I have never meditated before. Can you give me some suggestions on how to start out?

To begin a meditation practice, you can start out by spending five minutes in your daily life watching your breath and feeling the breath go in and out. Keep your back straight and either close your eyes or open them slightly and gaze down to the tip of your nose. As you become comfortable, you can extend the time spent in mediation.

Q: What does Rinpoche mean?

Rinpoche literally means precious jewel. Many reincarnated Lamas have the name of Rinpoche because the people of Tibet refer to a spiritual master as a precious jewel.