A N O P E N H EA RT that it is important for us tO be a 、 vare Of our potential and let this inspire our self-confidence. Sometimes 、 ve look at the negative side of things and then feel hopeless. This, I think, iS a wrong V1e 、 h.,r,. I have miracle tO Offer you. lfsomeone has mrraculous powers, then I shall seek this person's help. Frankly, I am skeptical of those who claim extraordinary powers. How- ever, through training our minds, with constant effort, 、 can change our mental perceptions or mental attitudes. ThiS can make a real difference ln our lives. If 、 have a positive mental attitude, then even 、 Mhen surrounded by hostility, we shall not lack inner peace. On the Other hand, if our mental attitude is more negative, influenced by fear, suspicion, helplessness, or self-loathing, then even 、 surrounded our best friends, in a atmosphere and comfortable surroundings, we shall not be happy. SO, mental attitude is very important: it makes a real difference tO our state ofhappiness. I think that it is wrong to expect that our problems can be solved by money or material benefit. lt is unrealistic tO believe that something positive can C01 れ e about merely 伝 om something external. Of course, our material situatlon 6

A N O P E N H EA RT they will gro 、 stronger, exerting greater and greater influ- ence over us. Spiritual practice, then, is a process Of taming these er れ Ot10ns and diminishing their force. For ultimate happiness to be attained, they must be removed totally. ・み also possess a 、 veb of mental response patterns that have been cultivated deliberately, established by means of reason or as a result Of cultural conditioning. Ethics, la 、 and religious beliefs are all examples of how our behavior can be channeled by external strictures. lnitially, the positive emotions derived れ cultivating our higher natures 1 a メ be weak, but 、 ve can enhance them through constant 信 1 il ー iarity, making our expenence Of happiness inner tentment far more powerfulthan a life abandoned t0 purely lmpulsive emotlons. ETHICAL DISCIPLINE AND THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE WAYTHINGS ARE AS 、 further examlne our more impulsive emotlons thoughts, we find that on top of disturbing our mental peace, they tend tO involve "mental pr0Jections. '' What does this mean, exactly? projections bring about the PO 、 ful emotional interaction bet 、 ourselVeS and external 3 2

A N O P E N H E A RT practice. MOSt important, 、 need SOlitude. By this I mean a mental state free Of distractions, not simply time spent alone in a quiet place. 〇 U に MOST DESTRUCTIVE ENEMY Our practice of the Dharma should be a continual effortto attain a state beyond suffering. lt should not simply be a moral activity 、 Mhereby 、 avoid negative ways and engage in positive ones. ln our practice Of the Dharma, we seek tO transcend the situation in which we all find ourselves: VIC- tlms Of our own mental afflictions, the enenues Of our peace and serenity. These afflictions such as attachment, hatred, pride, greed, and so forth ーー are mental states that cause us to behave in ways that bring about all our unhap- piness and suffering.while 、 tO achieve lnner peace and happiness, it is helpful to think of them as our inner demons, for like demons, they can haunt us, causing noth- ing but misery. state beyond such negative emotions and thoughts, beyond all sorrow, is called nirvana. lnitially, it is impossible to combat these powerful nega- tive forces directly. We must approach them gradually. We 7 8

A N O P E N H E A RT open heart. That is up [ 0 you, and the effort and motivatlon you bring tO your spiritual practice. The purpose of spiritual practice is to ん 16 Ⅱ our desire for happiness. We are all equal in wishing to be happy and tO overcome our suffering, and I believe that we all share the rightto ん旧Ⅱ this aspiration ・ When we look at the happiness we seek and the suffer- lng we wish tO avoid, most evident are the pleasant and unpleasant feelings 、 have as a result Of our sensory expe- rrence Of the tastes, smells, textures, sounds, and forms that 、 perceive around us. hO 、 another Of experience. True happiness must be pursued on the mental level as well. If we compare the mental and physicallevels of happi- ness, we find that the experiences Of pain and pleasure that take place mentally are actually more powerful. For ex- ample, though we may find ourselves in a very pleasant envrronment, if 、 are mentally depressed or if something iS causing us profound 、、 hardly notice surroundings. On the Other hand, if 、 have mental happiness, we find it tO face our challenges or Other adversity. ThiS suggests that our experiences Of pain and 3 0

T H E D E Ⅵ RE F O R H A P 円 N E S S pleasure at the level Of our thoughts and emotlons are 1 れ ore powerfulthan those felt on a physicallevel. AS 、 analyze our mental experiences, 、 recognize that the powerful emotions 、 possess (such as desire, hatred, and anger) tend not to bring us very profound or long- lasting happiness. Fulfilled desire may provide a sense of temporary satisfaction; however, the pleasure 、 experience upon acquiring a new car or home, for example, iS usually short-lived. When we indulge our desires, they tend to increase ln intensity and multiply in number.We become 1 れ ore demanding and less content, finding it more difficult tO satisfy our needs. ln the Buddhist vie 、 v, hatred, anger, and desire are afflictive er れ Ot10ns , which simply means they tend tO cause us discomfort. The discomfort arises 仔 0n1 the mental unease that f0Ⅱ0 、 the expression ofthese emotlons. ノ A. constant state Of mental unsettledness can even cause us physical harm. Where do these otlons come from?According to the Buddhist worldview, they have their roots in habits culti- vated in the past. shey are said tO have accompanied us intO this 1 飛伝 om pastlives, when we experienced and indulged ln similar emotlons. If 、 contlnue tO accommodate them,

CA LM A D ー N G The Buddha メ ou visualize should be neither too far away 伝 om you nor t00 close. About four feet directly in front of you, at the level ofyour eyebrows, correct. The size ofthe image you visualize should be three or four inches high or smaller. lt is helpful to visualize a small image, though quite bright, as ifmade oflight. Visualizing a radiant image helps undermine the natural tendency toward mental tor- por or sleepiness. On the other hand, you should also try to imagine this image as being fairly heavy. If the image 0f the Buddha is perceived to have some kind ofweight to it, then the inclination tO 、 Mard mental restlessness can be averted. whatever object of meditation you choose, your single- pointed concentratlon must possess the qualities Of stabil- ity and clarity. Stability is undermined by excitement, the scattered, distracted quality Of mind that is one aspect Of attachment. The mind is easily distracted by thoughts of desirable objects. Such thoughts keep us from developing the stable, settled quality necessary for us to abide truly and calmly on the object we have chosen. Clarity, on the other hand, is hindered more by mental laxity, 、 Mhat is sometimes called a sinking quality of mind. Developing calm abiding demands that you devote yourself tO the process utterly until メ ou master it. A calm, 1 3 1

SO FAR 、 ve have discussed what spiritual practice is in the Buddhist sense and how we work to change 01d mental habits and develop ne 、 M, virtuous ones.We d0 so by means Of meditation, a process of familiarizing ourselves 、 Mith the virtues that bring about our happiness. This enables us to embody those virtues and to clearly realize the profound truths that are hidden from us in our dailylives. We shall no 、 examine hO 、 our mental states are generated in much the same way that objects are generated in the physical world. ln our physical world, things come into being by the com- bined force ofcauses and conditions.. A. sprout iS able tO arise because Of a seed, 、 Mater, sunshine, and riCh garden SOil. W1thoutthese elements, the sprout would not have the con- ditions lt needs tO germinate and poke through the earth. ln 5 7

G E N E RAT ー N G B O D H ー C ー TTA THE SECOND LIMB 〇 FFERING The second limb is an offering. We can make physical 0 飛 r - ings or simply imagine that we are Offering precious ObJectS tO the holy assembly we have visualized before us. Our most profound and meaningful offering is that ofour own diligent spiritual practice. 1 of the good qualities we have accumu- lated are the result ofhaving engaged in virtuous acts. Acts of compassion, actS ofcaring, even smiling at someone or ShO 、 lng concern for someone in are 1 virtuous actS. ・み 0 飛 r these and any instances of virtuous speech. Examples might include compliments 、 have made tO others, reassur- ances, words ofcomfort or SOlace ーーー all POSit1Ve acts commlt- ted through speech. ・み引 SO Offer our mental acts Of virtue. The cultivation 0f altruism, our sense 0f caring, our compas- sron, and our profound faith in and devotion to the Buddhist doctrine are among these offerings. These are 1 mental acts ofvirtue. ・み can imagine them in the form ofvarious beauti- and precious objects that we 0 飛 r to the Buddha and his enlightened entourage visualized before us. We can mentally ()ffer the entlre umverse, the cosmos, envlronment With 1 7 3

C A L M A B ー D ー N G mindfulness that it then remams placed there, 、 Mithout drifting 0 圧 lntrospectlon ensures that our focus remains stable and clear. By means Of introspectlon 、 are able to catch the mind as it becomes excited or scattered. people 、 Mho are very energetic and alert are sometimes not able tO lOOk you in the eye as they speak to you. They are constantly looking here and there. The scattered mind is a bitlike that, unable tO remain focused because Of its excited condition. lntro- spection enables us [ 0 withdraw the mind a bit by focusing ln 、 Mard, thereby diminishing our mental excitement. ThiS reestablishes the mind's stability. lntrospection alSO catches the mind as it becomes lax and lethargic, quickly bringing it back to the object at hand. This is generally a problem for those who are withdrawn by nature. Your meditation becomes t00 relaxed, lacking in vitality. Vigilant introspection enables you to lift up your mind with thoughts of a joy 応 1 nature, thereby increasing your mental clarity and acuity. AS メ ou begin tO cultivate calm abiding, it soon becomes apparent that marntarning your focus on the chosen Object for even a short period of time is a great challenge. Don't be discouraged. ・ see thiS as a POSitive Sign because you are 1 3 3

T H E M AT E RI A L A N D ー M M AT E 一 A L W O R L D spiritual progress. If we wish to lessen the power of negative れ Ot10ns , 、 must search for the causes that give tO them. ・ " must work at removmg or uprooting those causes. . At the same time, we must enhance the mental forces that counter them: 、 Mhat we might c 引 1 their antidotes. This is how a meditator must gradually bring about the mental transformation he or she seeks. 0 Ⅵ " d0 、 Me undertake this? First we identify our particu- lar virtue s opposing factors. The opposing factor of humil- ity would be pride or vanity. The opposing factor of generosity would be stinginess. After identifying these fac- tors, 、 must endeavor tO 、 and them. ・ While 、 are focused on these opposing factors, 、 must also be fanning the flames of the virtuous quality we hope [ 0 internalize. ・ When 、 feel most stingy, 、 ve must make an extra effort tO be generous. ・ when 、 feel impatient or judgmental, 、 must dO our utmost tO be patient. When 、 recognize how our thoughts have particular effects upon our psychological states, 、 can prepare our- selves for them. We will then ow that when one state of mind arises, we must counter it in a particular 、 May,• and if another occurs, 、 must act appropriately. ・ When 、 see our mind drifting toward angry thoughts of someone we dislike,