si 、 ould reflect on hO 、 death occurs in relation tO tlme and place. Not a single individual will avoid death. Death is a universal condition. ThiS has been true in the past, SO at present, and 、 contlnue tO be true in the future. Whatever physical existence we adopt will not be immune to death. Even Buddhas have le 丘 their bodies behind, so what can be said of ordinary beings? ln terms Of place, there is nowhere that can be re- garded a death-free zone. Wherever we stay we can- not avoid death.We cannot hide in the mountalns, 、 cannot remaln in space beyond death's reach. Death comes upon us like the falling ofa huge mountain from which there is no escape. ・ We may be brave, cunmng, and clever, but 、 Mhatever tactlcs 、 use, there iS no 、 vhere to escape from death, not high in the mountains, deep in the sea, in the densest forest, or in the cro 、 Mded city.. There is not a single person in history who has not had [ 0 die. Even the most spiritually evolved have passed away, not to mention the most powerful kings and the bravest 、 Marr10rs. Everyone, rich and poor, great and small, man and woman, has to die. When meditating on death, we should pay closest attentlon tO its unpredictability. The uncertalnty about when death will strike actually impedes our spir- itual endeavors. We accept that death will definitely come one day, but since lts tlme Of arrival is not fixed, we tend to think of it always as being some way o 圧 ThiS iS an illusory notion. AS a matter of fact, 、 are constantly racing tO 、 our death 、 vithout stopping even for a n101 れ ent. C R E AT I N G T H E P E R S P C T I V E F 0 R P RA C T I C を

to die. A more useful fear is the fear ofdying too soon, without having been able tO dO 、 vhat is necessary tO en- sure a better future li . lt is common knowledge that death is certarn and that no one can avoid it. lnstead ofdisregarding it, it is better tO prepare beforehand. 、・ umerous scrrptures ex- plain the advantages of remembering death and disad- vantages 0f ignoring it. lfwe prepare for the eventual- ity through meditation, 、 Mhen it strikes it will not come as such a shock or be so hard to cope with. lfwe antic- ipate trouble in the future, we take precautions. ・ Fhen we are mentally prepared for what might happen, we are not caught unawares when calamity actually befalls us. Thus we meditate on death, not in order to create terror or unhappiness for ourselves, but tO equlp our- selves tO face it When it C01 es. long as 、 ln the cycle ofexistence, 、 will not be free 01 Ⅱ sickness, 01d age, or death.Therefore, it is 、 Mise tO prepare our- selves for what is rnevitable.we need to make our- selves familiar with the process by which death occurs and the intermediate state bet 、 Meen lives that follows it. If we dO so, when 、 encounter these different events we will be able to face them with determination and courage. I said above, in reflecting on death there are three maJOr points tO remember. These are that death is cer- tain, that the time ofdeath is unpredictable, and that at the time of death nothing will help except our under- standing of the Dharma. The inevitability of death is obvious and goes without saying. Nevertheless, we A ・ WA K E N I N G T H E M I N D , L I G H T を N I N G T H H E A R T

practice Of Buddhism. But, because Of their positive lnstlncts and the changing times, we have been able tO meet and share the teachings. At one trme,western lands would have been called remotelands where peo- ple 、ö,rere not free tO practice. we should appreciate not only that we have been born as human beings, but also that 、 all no 、 have the conditions necessary for put- ting the Dharma intO practice. Life as a human being is the mostsuitable basis for attaming nirvana and Buddhahood. Since we have found such a great opportunity, nothing could be worse than failing to put it to good use. We have found this precious human birth as a result Of accumulating great V1rtue in the past.We must put it tO good effect no 、 by contlnuing tO practice the Dharma. other 、 we will be like the merchants of old who went to great lengths tO cross the ocean ln search Of jewels, only tO return empty-handed. This human body is likened to a ship in 、 MhiCh we can cross the ocean ofsuffering Ofthe cycle ofexistence. Having found it, 、 have no time to sleep and not dO the practice. Life as a free and fortunate human being is very dif- ficult tO find because lts cause is difficult to create. MOSt beings are involved in unvirtuous act1V1- ties, and therefore 1 れ OSt Ofus will take inferior rebirths. On the basis ofpresent conduct and behavior, it will be difficult for most of us to be born as human beings in our next lives. A. nd ifwe dO not Obtain human li , 、 will engage 0n1 メ in negative activities, With no oppor- tunity tO practice Dharma. AV ′ K E N I N G T H E M I N D , L I G H T N I N G T H E H E A RT

2 realize the nonexrstence Ofthe ObJect ofignorance, メ ou will not be able to remove the misconception Ofself it- self. The seed or root of the cycle of birth and death is the ignorance that concerves Oftrue exrstence. lt iS only by dispelling thatthrough the realization ofemptiness that we will be able to prevent rebirth into the cycle of eXIStence. When 、 are tired 01 over 、 MOrk 、 rest. 山 9 旦 gh ーエ . ー hel s tem oraril , it does ot actually resolve 山 9 ー代止 - p 四ト里 : ー -- 0 当 rcp ing the p roblem requires 卩巳凸 g.. - リ p - ・ to ー当当叫釧当 . 些 ! Y 可 g_i を S imi- larly, ignorance cannot be eliminated simply by shut- your mind Off, as some proponents ofnonconcep- tual meditation suggest. Rather, you must meditate on the WiSdom understanding emptiness. lfyou meditate on something else, your meditation will be irrelevant. lt is only through constant familiarity with the analysis negatlng intrrnsic exrstence that you 、 be able tO realize emptiness and undermine lgnorance. Simply thinking that things are empty by nature and dO not have inherent exrstence will not help eliminate ignorance. lfyou identify every type 0f conceptualex- perrence as lgnorance, it implies that any ex- perrence amounts tO lgnorance mrsconcerving the true nature ofphenomena. ThiS iS not the case, because the conceptual thought that concerves a person as a person is valid, 、 Mhereas the conceptual thought that concerves someone seen in a dream as a person IS mistaken... AI ー though bOth these conscrousnesses have in C01 れ mon the lack Of true exrstence, lt IS important [ 0 discriml- nate between the t 、 MO. One is a valid experience, and AWA K E N I N G T H E M I N D , L I G H T E N I N G T H E H E A RT

think about the sufferings OfOther sentient beings and generate an lntention tO take on those sufferings. And when メ ou think about your positive qualities, you should try tO give or share them with Other sentlent beings ・ Without such a pure aItruiSt1C motlvation you might pursue the practice of giving and taking as a kind of daily practice and come to think of it as a source of your own benefit. If you do thiS' your prac- tice will not be successful. On the other hand, if you think about helping other sentient beings and take on their suffering, whatever hardships you encounter will make your practice 1 れ ore effective. Taking on the suf- ferings OfOther sentient beings means 、 should think Of taking on their self-centered attitudes their sick- nesses, and the causes Of their sickness. You receive all these sufferings at the core Ofyour heart. Similarly, when you see a blind person or someone 、 MhO has lOSt a limb, at least visualize giving that person one Ofyour own eyes or one Ofyour limbs. DOing this meditation srncerely will definitely reduce your self- centered attitude and enhance your practice Of giving and taking ・ The text says: Giving and taking should be practiced alternately And you should begin by taking from yourself• ln order tO familiarize your mind 、 the practice of taking on suffering graduallY' you should start with T H を AV ′ K E N I N G M I N D

28 the collection 0f84 , 000 disturbing emotrons, as well as birth, sickness, 01d age, death, and the other sufferings generated by them. Such instructions are referred tO as nectar,. The Sanskrit term for nectar means "that 、 vhich grants immortality. A skilled physician who knows hOW tO administer such nectar properly can relieve a pa- tient 丘 om sickness and even death. Similarly, through f0Ⅱ0 、 such instructions these, 、 can be liberated from such problems as death, old age, and so 応 r 市 . The practice ofthe awakening mind is like justsuch an elixir. lfyou practice in the tradition Ofthose intent on personal liberation, Of course you can attain free- dom 伝 om death, 0 旧 age, birth, sickness, and even the cycle of existence. But it is only by generating the awakening mind, supplemented by other practices, that you will be able to attain the state ofBuddhahood. Therefore this practice of mind training, which is a means [ 0 generate the a 、 mind, iS actually the essential practice. ThiS instruction is called the essence of the nectar because by following it you can achieve the state of immortality, which is actually liberation. There are 20 methods explained in the Buddha's teachings: the method thatleads to achieving personal liberation and the method thatleads [ 0 the fully awak- ened state of a Buddha. Allthese traditions were held by the great teacher 仔 om Sumatra, known as Ser-ling- pa. Atisha ( 982 ー 1054 c. E. ) received his trarning in the awakening mind especially 伝 om Ser-ling-pa ・ Atisha, the great lndian master, had countless disci- ples in lndia, Kashmir, Nepal, and Tibet, but ofthese the greatest was Drom-tön-pa ( 1005 ー 1064 ). He was AWA K を N I N G T H E M I N D , L I G H T E N I N G T H E H E A RT

210 phenomena. lt is the person WhO 、 vants tO achieve lib- eration and enJOY happiness. Due tO ignorance or the mrsconception Of self 、 Mithin us, ℃ first serze on our 0 、 selves as lntrinsically existent.We then identify our belongings as mrne. " The object of the miscon- ception Of self in relation tO persons iS the conven- tional "I. " And the objects of the misconception ofself ln relation tO phenomena are conventional phenom- ena. lgnorance exaggerates these ObjectS' per- sons and phenomena as existing independently or ln- trinsically. ln order tO establish selflessness, 、 need tO negate these exaggerations. But 、 must be careful tO identify Just what we are seeking to negate. lfwe failto differen- tlate between true exrstence and conventional eXIS- tence, 、、 go t00 far and negate exrstence in general. We will be unable to assert even the valid existence of persons and phenomena. As a result we will be unable tO demonstrate the existence Of the path and the resul- tant fully awakened state ofthe Buddha. We will also be unable to justify the infallibility of the principle of cause and effect. Similarly, 、 should not underestlmate 、 Mhat iS tO be negated. That is to say, we should not negate too lit- tle. AII Buddhist philosophical schools accept what are known as the four seals. The Buddha taught, first, that all composite phenomena are transitory WhiCh means that everything is dependent on other factors. Second' all contaminated things are miserable. does not AWA K E N I N G T H M I N D , L I G H T E N I N G T H E H E A R T

very day, I will be careful no い 0 give any opportunity for disturbing emotlOns to anse induced by the miS- conception ofself. I will notlet my physical and verbal actions be dominated by them. ' Generally, whatever we are involved in, if planned systematically, it will be more successful. But success depends primarily on our firm intent10n. Second is the PO 、 Of the seed ofvirtuous practice. means tO preserve and enhance the precious a 、 ening mind through giving, ethics, and meditation, making an effort tO accumulate merit and WiSdom. Third is the power of countering negativity. This refers tO the effort メ ou make tO uproot and eliminate negative forces like the self-centered attitude and the nusconceptlon OfseIf that gives tO it. Contemplat- ing the harm such attitudes bring, メ ou should develop a strong resolve never tO let yourself fall under their sway ・ Fourth is the power of prayer. Dedicate all that is good in the cycle of existence, especially the virtuous qualities you have gathered physically, verbally, and mentally in the three times (past, present, and future) to the welfare ofall other sentient beings. At the end of every V1rtuous actlon, 、 Mith a 、 Mareness that it IS れ p り ' Of intrinsrc eXIStence, dedicate lt tO the 、 Melfare Of sen- tient beings. At the end of every day, review your ac- t10ns. If some negativities have been committed, de- velop strong regret and pray thatthrough the power virtue, you and all sentient beings may be able t0 gen- erate the a 、 vakening mind and promote what one has already generated. A 、 VA K E N I N G T H 見 M I N D , L I G H T E N I N G T H E H E A R T

ち 4 the 、 velfare Of others, but it is very important to trarn ourselves in a generous attitude. By d0ing so on an imaginary level, we create a familiarity with giving ・ A tlme 、 come 、、 will have no hesitatron ln ac- tually giving ・ The more you think about something, the better your mind becomes acquainted with it. The time 、 come 、 vhen your mind automatically flO 、 in that di- rection. Even though you may not have the ability to benefit other people right now, you must prepare your mind to do so. Whoever has such a thought will even- tually put it rnto actual practice. Mentally rehearsing these vrrtuous practlces and rej()lclng in them will lead t0 your gradually engaging in the actual practice of grving. What is the benefit ofsuch visualization? lfyou have a direct karmic connectlon With another person, then even your visualization can help that person. Those 、 whom you have no special karmic connec- t10n may not recelve much direct benefit, but you 、 be able tO strengthen your mind in such a practice. Now that you have visualized giving away your body, wealth, and spiritual qualities and dedicated them all tO Other sentient beings, can you continue to use them? Since メ ou have srncerely dedicated your wealth and so forth to others, when you make use of them yourself, you should do so not in a selfish, pos- sessrve 、 but in order tO benefit Others. You should think that just as you have put your body and all these material facilities at Other beings' disposal, even your own survival is for their benefit. There iS nothing AWA K E N I N G T H E M I N D , L I G H T を N I N G T H E H E A RT

123 how the practice ofgiving and taking is related to med- 1tat10n on love and compassion. According tO some ln- structions the practice Of taking iS done first and the practice Of giVing iS done second. some instructlons present it the Other 、 around. Whichever 、 you dO it, the practice Of taking with compasslon and the practice Of giving with love glve rlse tO the special re- solve to free all beings from suffering, and thatleads to the awakening mind. Generating love and compassron IS extremely im- portant for your practice in the beginning, in the mid- dle, and in the end when you attain Buddhahood. And it is only by attaming the fully awakened state of a Buddha that you have the capacity to 6 Ⅱ the pur- poses ofsentient beings. Practices like the four means Of gathering disciples (giving, speaking pleasantly, teach- ing, and acting in accordance 、 Mith the teachings) and the Six perfections (generosity, discipline, patience, ef- fort, concentration, and 、 visdom) are actually generated in dependence on sentient beings. Allthe fruitful prac- tices Ofthe Great Vehicle arise in relation tO concern for the welfare of other sentient beings. Therefore, when- ever your gaze falls upon a sentient being, thinking, Ⅱ shall ly awaken by depending on such beings this," behold her with love and compassion ・ Just as you will be able to harvest good crops ifyou plant healthy seeds in ⅲ le soil, by cherishing sen- tient beings you will reap the fine crop of Buddha- hood. By cherishing the welfare ofsentient beings, you will be able to attain both good rebirth and the んⅡ awakening of a Buddha. The many types suffering T H E AV ′ A K E N I N G M I N D