Developing the Mind of Great Capacity
by
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso
From
one point of view, personal liberation without freeing others is selfish and unfair,
because all sentient beings also have the natural right and desire to be free
of suffering. Therefore, it is important for practitioners to engage in the practice
of the stages of the path of the highest scope, starting with the generation of
bodhichitta, the altruistic aspiration to achieve enlightenment for the benefit
of all sentient beings. Once one has cultivated bodhichitta, all the meritorious
actions that are supported by and complemented with this altruism-even the slightest
form of positive action-become causes for the achievement of omniscience.
Omniscience is a wisdom that is able to perceive directly all phenomena, both the ultimate and the conventional natures, simultaneously. It is a state where all the potentials of one's wisdom are developed fully and where there is also a total freedom from all the obstructions to knowledge. It can be achieved only by purifying all the faults of one's mind, and only by complementing the practice of wisdom with the practices of method: bodhichitta, compassion and so forth. Without bodhichitta, even though one might have great wisdom realizing emptiness, one will not be able to achieve the omniscient state.
In
order to cultivate a genuine bodhichitta, you have to depend upon the proper methods
and the instructions outlining these. There are two major systems of instructions,
one the seven-point cause and effect method, the other the equalizing and exchanging
oneself with others. The different methods will suit the various mental dispositions
of the different practitioners; some might find one more effective than the other.
The tradition is that these methods are combined and practiced together.
The
Seven-Point Cause and Effect Method
The Preliminary Step of Cultivating Equanimity
The
foundation for practicing the seven-point cause and effect method is cultivating
a mind of equanimity. Without this foundation you will not be able to have an
impartial altruistic view, because without equanimity you will always have partiality
towards your relatives and friends. Realize that you should not have prejudice,
hatred or desire towards enemies, friends or neutral persons, and thus lay a very
firm foundation of equanimity.
To do this, first visualize a neutral person
whom you do not know at all. When you clearly visualize that person, you will
find that you don't feel any fluctuations of emotion, no desire or hatred-you
are indifferent. Then visualize an enemy; when you visualize the enemy clearly
you will have a natural reaction of hatred, feeling all sorts of ill will. Next,
clearly visualize a friend or relative to whom you feel very close. With that
visualization, the natural reaction will be a feeling of affection and attachment.
With the visualization of your enemies, you will feel somewhat distant and will
have hatred and a sense of repulsion. Reflect upon your justification in reacting
so negatively to them. Although it is true that they have meted out much harm
in this life, have they always done such things and been like this? You will find
that they have not: in the past they must have engaged in actions beneficial to
you and many others. Right now, because of being under the influence of ignorance,
hatred and so forth, they have these faults; it is not their essential nature.
Reflect
that delusions are within your own mind also. Although there might be a difference
in the force of these delusions, in terms of being delusions they are delusions
equally. You should decide that there is not much point in emotionally reacting
to the people you have categorized as enemies.
Then examine how you react,
on the other hand, to your relatives and friends. Although it is true that they
have been kind to you in this life, in the past they might have been your enemies,
and even gone to the extent of taking your life. Therefore, there is no point
in being absolutely or permanently attached to such people, categorizing them
as your friends and relatives.
Thus, there is not much difference between enemies
and friends as far as yourself is concerned. They have both had times of benefiting
you and they have both had times of harming you. Your having partiality towards
them is groundless. Therefore, develop the mind of equanimity directed towards
all sentient beings. This mind cannot be brought about by meditating just once
or twice, but rather through repeated meditations over months or years.
1.
Recognizing Sentient Beings as Having Been One's Mother
The first step of the
seven-point cause and effect method is to cultivate the recognition of all sentient
beings as having been one's mother. To do this, it is first necessary to reflect
on your beginningless lives in this cycle of existence and that through many of
your lives you have had to depend on your mothers. There is not a single living
being that you can definitely point to as not having been your mother in the past.
Perceive all sentient beings as having been your own kind mothers. If you are
able to understand the beginninglessness of your lives, you will be able to understand
that you have taken many forms of life that require a mother. You will find that
there is not a single sentient being that has not been your mother in the past.
Next,
examine whether you stand to gain or lose by cultivating this recognition of others
as mothers. Since you are concerned with cultivating bodhichitta, the altruistic
aspiration, you should recognize that if you do not have this basic factor of
recognition of others as having been your mothers, you will not have success in
its cultivation. So by not developing this recognition you stand to lose.
A
recognition of others as being your dearest ones need not be confined to recognizing
them as mothers alone. As Maitreya recommends in his Abhisamayalankara, you can
also view them as having been your best friends or closest relatives. For example,
you can view all sentient beings as having been your fathers, if you relate better
to your father than to your mother, or as children to whom you feel closest and
for whom you have the deepest affection. The point is to bring about an effect
within your mind and to develop a state of mind that will enable you to perceive
all living beings as the closest objects of affection and kindness. That is how
you cultivate the recognition of sentient beings as having been one's mother.
2.
Recollection of All Beings' Kindness
The next meditation is on the recollection
of the kindness of all beings. For this, you should visualize the person to whom
you feel closest-be it your mother or father-when she or he is quite old. Clearly
visualize the person at an age when she or he depends upon others' cooperation
and assistance. Doing this has a special significance, for it will make your meditation
more powerful and effective.
Then think that your mother, for example, has
been your mother not only in this lifetime, but also in past lives. Particularly
in this life her kindness was boundless at the time of your birth, and before
that during gestation she had to undergo all sorts of hardships, and even after
birth her affection was such that she was able to surrender her own happiness
and pleasure for the sake of the happiness and pleasure of her child. At the time
of your birth she felt as joyful as if she had found a treasure, and according
to her own capacities she has protected you. You were thus protected until you
could stand on your own feet.
After reflecting upon the kindness of mothers,
particularly of this lifetime, you should visualize other beings whom you find
quite distant and repulsive, even animals, and take them as your object of visualization.
Think that although these enemies are harmful to you and are your adversaries
in this life, in past lives they must have been your most dear parents and must
have even protected and saved your life countless times. Therefore their kindness
is boundless. In such a manner you should train your mind.
3. Repaying Kindness
The
meditation on the recollection of kindness should be followed by meditation upon
repaying that kindness. The thought to repay the kindness of mothers will come
about naturally when you have been successful in recollecting this kindness-it
should come from the depths of your heart. Not to repay their kindness would be
unfair and ungrateful of you. Therefore, you should work according to your own
capacity for the benefit of others; doing this repays their kindness.
4. Loving-kindness
Having
cultivated equanimity and the recognition of all sentient beings as having been
one's mother, you will see all sentient beings as objects of affection and endearment.
And the more forceful your feeling of affection towards them, the stronger will
be your aspiration that they be free from suffering and enjoy happiness. So the
recognition of others as having been one's mother is the foundation for the subsequent
meditations. Having laid that proper foundation, recollected their kindness and
developed the genuine wish to repay it, you gain a state wherein you feel close
to and affectionate towards all living beings. Now reflect that all these sentient
beings, although they naturally desire happiness and wish to avoid suffering,
are tormented by unimaginable sufferings. Reflect upon the fact that they are
just like yourself in desiring happiness, but they lack this happiness. By such
reflection, cultivate loving-kindness.
5. Great Compassion
When you do the
meditation on compassion, reflect upon the manner in which sentient beings undergo
the experience of suffering. First, in order to have a very strong force of compassion,
visualize a person undergoing active sufferings. You can visualize any situation
that you find unbearable. Doing so will enable you to have a strong force of compassion
and make it easier to develop a genuine universal compassion.
Then think about
the sentient beings in other categories; they may not be undergoing manifest sufferings
right now, but due to indulging in negative actions that will definitely produce
undesirable consequences in the future, they are certain to face such experiences.
The
wish that all sentient beings who lack happiness be endowed with happiness is
the state of mind called universal love, and the wish that sentient beings be
free of suffering is called compassion. These two meditations can be undertaken
in combination, until there is some kind of effect or change in your mind.
6.
The Unusual Attitude
Your cultivation of love and great compassion should not
be left in a state of mere imagination or wish alone; rather, a sense of responsibility,
a genuine intention to engage in the task of relieving sentient beings of their
suffering and providing them with happiness, should be developed. It is important
for a practitioner to work for and take upon himself or herself the responsibility
of fulfilling this intention. The stronger your cultivation of compassion is,
the more committed you will feel to taking this responsibility. Because of their
ignorance, sentient beings do not know the right methods by which they can fulfill
their aims. It is the responsibility of those who are equipped with this knowledge
to fulfill the intention of working for their benefit.
Such a state of mind
is called the extraordinary attitude or special, unusual attitude. It is called
unusual or extraordinary because such a force of compassion, comitting oneself
to taking on such a responsibility, is not to be found in the trainees of lower
capacity. As the oral traditions explain, with this extraordinary attitude there
is a commitment that one will take upon oneself the responsibility of fulfilling
this aim. It is like striking a deal in business and signing a contract.
After
generating the extraordinary attitude, ask yourself whether or not, although you
have developed the strong courage and the determination to work for the benefit
of other sentient beings, you really possess the capacity and capability to bring
them genuine happiness. It is only by your showing living beings the right path
leading towards omniscience, and by living beings on their part eliminating the
ignorance within themselves, that they will be able to gain lasting happiness.
Although you may be able to work for other sentient beings to bring them temporary
happiness, bringing about their ultimate aims is possible only when these beings
take upon themselves the initiative to eliminate the ignorance within themselves.
The same is true of yourself: if you desire the attainment of liberation, it is
your responsibility to take the initiative to eliminate the ignorance within yourself.
As
I just mentioned, you must also show the right path to living beings-and for that,
first of all, you must possess the knowledge yourself. So long as you yourself
are not completely enlightened there will always be an inner obstruction. Therefore,
it is very important that you work for your own achievement of the completely
enlightened state. By thinking in such terms, you will be able to develop the
strong belief that without attaining the omniscient state you will not be able
to fulfill what you set out to do and truly benefit others.
7. Bodhicitta
Based
on the foundation of love and compassion, you should generate from the depths
of your heart the aspiration to achieve the completely enlightened state for the
benefit of all sentient beings. The cultivation of such a mind constitutes the
realization of bodhichitta.
After the meditation on generating bodhichitta
you should engage in the practice of cultivating bodhichitta that takes the result
into the path. Visualizing the spiritual guru at your crown, imagine that the
guru expresses delight, saying that it is very admirable and you are very fortunate
that you have generated bodhichitta and have engaged in the path of cultivating
it, and that he shall take you under his care. Imagine that, as a result of the
guru's delight, he dissolves through your crown and into your heart. Then you
dissolve into emptiness and from emptiness arise in the aspect of Buddha Shakyamuni.
See yourself becoming inseparable from him, and rejoice. At your heart visualize
all your virtues accumulated through the practice of bodhichitta. These emanate,
in the form of light rays, toward all living beings and actively work for their
benefit, relieving them of their suffering, placing them in the state of liberation
and favorable rebirth and eventually leading them to the omniscient state.
Equalizing
and Exchanging Oneself with Others
Next follows the instruction on the cultivation
of bodhichitta according to the method of equalizing and exchanging oneself with
others. This meditation has five sections: 1) equalizing oneself with others;
2) reflecting on the disadvantages of the self-cherishing attitude from many perspectives;
3) reflecting on the advantages of the thought cherishing the welfare of others
from many perspectives; 4) the actual exchange of oneself and others and 5) taking
and giving.
1. Equalizing Oneself with Others
This phrase refers to the
practice of reflecting upon the equality of oneself and others in having the natural
and spontaneous wish to enjoy happiness and avoid suffering. For the generation
of this type of equanimity, the instruction by the late Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche
on the nine-round meditation is very powerful and effective.
Meditation on
Equanimity
The nine-round meditation is comprised of training the mind in equanimity
with a mental outlook based on the dual nature of things and events: the conventional
and the ultimate. Based on different perspectives, the first in turn is divided
into two sections, one from the viewpoint of others and the second from the viewpoint
of oneself.
The rounds of visualization on cultivating equanimity from the
viewpoint of others are divided into three:
a) Develop the thought that all
sentient beings are equal insofar as the natural wish to avoid suffering is concerned
and that therefore there is no point in being partial or discriminatory.
b)
Reflect that all sentient beings equally desire happiness and therefore there
is no ground for discriminating between them when working for their benefit. The
situation is analogous to one where you encounter ten equally wretched beggars
who are desperately asking you to relieve their hunger. In such circumstances
it is senseless to have any feeling of preference.
c) Develop an equanimity
based on the reflection that all sentient beings are equal in lacking genuine
happiness although they have the innate desire to possess it. Likewise all sentient
beings are the same in having suffering and the wish to avoid it.
With the
above three types of practice you train your mind in the attitude expressed as
follows: "I shall never discriminate between beings and will always work
equally to help them overcome suffering and gain happiness."
The next
three rounds of meditation enforce the thought that there is no justification
for discrimination between sentient beings from the point of view of oneself or
from the viewpoint of others. This training is divided into three sections:
a)
You might have the thought that although reflection upon the equality of others
is fairly persuasive regarding the futility of your being discriminatory towards
other beings, surely when viewed from your own side the situation will look quite
different. After all, some people are friends and help you, whereas many others
harm you. To counter this thought which attempts to give false grounds for being
partial towards others, reflect that all sentient beings are equally kind to you:
they have all been at one time or other your closest friends and relatives. Hence
there is no rational basis at all for being biased towards or against any.
b)
Perhaps you have the idea that although people have been your friends in the past,
they have equally been your enemies and have caused harm as well. Such notions
should be countered by reflecting that sentient beings' kindness to you is not
confined to when they are friends and relatives alone; their kindness when they
are your enemies is boundless. The enemy provides you with the precious opportunity
to train yourself in the noble ideals of patience and tolerance, traits vital
for the perfection of your generation of universal compassion and bodhichitta.
For a bodhisattva who emphasizes the practice of bodhichitta, the training in
patience is indispensable. Contemplating upon such lines of reasoning will persuade
you that there are no grounds for neglecting the welfare of even a single sentient
being.
c) Reflect that, as Shantideva wrote in Bodhisattvacaryavatara, there
is no sense in someone who is himself subject to suffering and impermanence being
selfish and discriminatory towards others who are also tormented by the same fate.
The
next three rounds of meditation deal with the cultivation of equanimity based
on an insight into the ultimate nature of things and events. (This "ultimate"
should not be taken to refer to the ultimate truth in terms of emptiness-rather,
it means that the outlook adopted in these visualizations is deeper and hence
relatively ultimate in comparison to the earlier meditations.)
a) Consider
whether or not there are any "true" enemies in the real sense of the
word. If there are, then the fully enlightened buddhas should perceive them as
such, which is definitely not the case. For a buddha, all sentient beings are
equally dear. Also, when you examine deeply, you will find that it is in fact
the delusions within the enemies and not the enemies themselves that actually
cause harm. Aryadeva said in his Chatu-shataka Shastra:
Buddhas see the delusion
as the enemy
And not the childish who possess it.
Therefore, there is no
justification at all for you to hold grudges against those who cause harm, and
neglect the welfare of such beings.
b) Secondly, ask yourself whether these
so-called enemies are permanent and will always remain as enemies or whether they
are changeable. Concluding that they are not permanent will enable you to overcome
your disinterest in their welfare.
c) The last meditation is a reflection upon
the relative nature of "enemy" and "friend," and touches upon
the ultimate nature of phenomena. Concepts of enemy, friend and so forth are relative
and exist only at the conventional level. They are mutually dependent, as are
the concepts of long and short. A person may be an enemy in relation to one person
while at the same time being a dear friend to another. It is your misapprehension
of friends, relatives and enemies as inherently existent that gives rise to your
fluctuating emotions towards them. Therefore, by realizing that there is no such
inherently existent enemy and friend, you will be able to overcome your biased
feelings towards all beings.
2. Reflection on the Disadvantages of the Self-Cherishing
Attitude
The next step is the contemplation-from many different perspectives-upon
the disadvantages and faults of the self-cherishing attitude. As Geshe Chekawa
said in his Lojong dhon dun ma ("Seven Points on Thought Transformation"):
"Banish the one object of all blame." It is the self-cherishing attitude
that is the source of all miseries and therefore is the only object to be blamed
for all misfortune.
Since the self-cherishing and self-grasping attitudes abide
strongly fortified within our minds, we have never been able to shake them in
the least. We have so far not been able to disturb them even as much as a small
pebble in a shoe would disturb a person.
If we remain with our present outlook
and way of thinking, we will still be under the influence and command of these
two factors. We should reflect that these factors have always caused our downfall
in the past, and that they will do so in the future if we remain under their influence.
In
deeper terms, we will find that all the sufferings and problems and anxieties
of not finding what we seek, of being separated from our loved ones, of physical
illnesses, of suffering from want, lack of contentment, quarrels and so forth,
come about because of our underlying attachment to the self and the self-cherishing
attitude that tries to protect such a self within ourselves. The more selfish
a person is, the more sufferings and anxieties he or she will have. This self-cherishing
attitude manifests in all sorts of ways, which results in problems and anxieties.
Yet we never recognize the truth-that these are all the doings of the self-cherishing
attitude. Rather, we have the tendency to blame others and external factors: "He
did it, and if he had done something else, it wouldn't have happened."
3.
Reflection on the Advantages of the Thought Cherishing The Welfare of Others
Having
realized the enormous disadvantages of holding on to a selfish thought cherishing
your welfare alone, you should now reflect upon the kindness of all mother sentient
beings, as discussed earlier. The kindness of other beings towards us is boundless
while we revolve in this cycle of existence. This is particularly true when we
first embark upon a spiritual path and thus begin the process of untying the chains
that bind us to this cyclic existence.
We find that if a person lives a very
selfish life and is never concerned about the welfare of others, he will have
few friends, and people will not take much notice of him. At the time of his death,
there will not be many people who will regret his passing. Some deceptive and
negative persons may be very powerful and wealthy, and therefore some people-for
economic reasons and so forth-might portray themselves as friends, but they will
speak against such persons behind their backs. When these negative persons die,
these very same "friends" may rejoice at their death.
On the other
hand, many people mourn and regret the death of a person who is very kind and
always altruistic and who works for the benefit of others. We find that altruism,
as well as the person who possesses it, is regarded as the friend of all, and
it becomes the object of veneration and respect by others.
I often remark,
partly in jest, that if one really wants to be selfish, one should be "wisely
selfish" by working for others. By helping others, one will receive help
and assistance in return, particularly when one is in a hard situation-the time
when one needs assistance from others the most. But if one tries to be very selfish,
then when one is in difficult circumstances, one will find fewer people who are
willing to help and one will be left to resolve the situation and difficulty on
one's own. It is the nature of human beings to depend upon the cooperation and
assistance of others, particularly when facing difficult times; during such times
and during hardship it is only true friends who will be beneficial and helpful.
By living an unselfish life, one will be able to earn genuine friends, whereas
selfish thoughts and a selfish life will never gain one genuine and true friends.
The
essence of Mahayana practice is really to teach us the methods by which we will
be able to succeed not only in this life but also in the future. Such instruction
is, in fact, very practical and relevant to all-believers and nonbelievers alike.
If we are able to derive practical benefits within this lifetime by living a virtuous
life, we will be able to fulfill the wishes of future lifetimes as well.
4.
The Actual Exchange of Oneself with Others
To exchange oneself with others
is to reverse a former attitude: the thought of endearment and cherishing of oneself
with its feeling of indifference towards others should now be reversed as follows.
One should feel indifferent to oneself, reduce the force of clinging to oneself,
and rather hold the welfare of other sentient beings as precious. That is the
meaning of exchanging oneself with others. The degree of high value one feels
towards oneself should now be turned towards others.
For this practice, one
should also be knowledgeable about the commitments and precepts of thought transformation
practices. If one undertakes such a practice one will be able to transform any
adverse circumstances into favorable conditions of the path. In this age of degeneration
when one meets with all sorts of problems and adverse circumstances, the practice
of thought transformation is very effective. If someone lacks the practice of
thought transformation, even though that person might be a very serious meditator
he or she will meet with many hardships and hurdles.
5. Giving and Taking
The
practice of the actual exchange of oneself with others should be followed by the
practice of giving and taking. The latter is begun by reflecting that although
all mother sentient beings desire happiness, they lack it, and that although they
do not desire suffering, they undergo it. Think that it is the ignorance of sentient
beings that impels them to work for the fulfillment of their selfish aims.
You
should develop the unusual, extraordinary attitude of wishing that all their sufferings
ripen upon yourself. Induced by the strong sense of compassion for other sentient
beings, visualize taking all their sufferings upon yourself; and then, induced
by the strong wish of love, visualize giving away from the depths of your heart
all your virtuous collections, happiness, wealth, possessions, even your body,
to other sentient beings. If you can conjoin such practices with the breathing
process-that is, imagining taking when inhaling and giving when exhaling-you will
be able to engage in a powerful practice, leading you to the strong commitment
that you will engage in the bodhisattva deeds. If you are able to engage in such
a powerful practice, then due to the strong determination and commitment that
you make as a result of cultivating bodhichitta, you will be able to alleviate
the forces of the powerful and vast stores of negative actions committed in past
lives, and also accumulate great stores of merit.
This is how you should undertake
the practice of bodhichitta.
Adapted from The Path to Bliss by Tenzin Gyatso,
the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, and translated by Thupten Jinpa (Snow Lion Publications,
2003). From " Developing the Mind of Great Capacity" by His Holiness
the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. Shambhala Sun, September 2003.