圧 we pay careful attentron, one factor of our pre- dicament iS that whoever 、 are, 、 neglect Others and CheriSh ourselves. you are concerned 、 yourself, you have [ 0 spend your li in the worstsitua- t10ns. You will be reborn in miserable conditions. Even if you are reborn as a human being, your life will be short and you will frequently be sick and the butt of constant crit1C1sm and abuse. AII such misfortunes arise from self-centeredly neglecting others. lfyou reduce the tenacity ofyour self-centered atti- tude and strengthen your concern for Others, trying tO help them as much as you can, you will be happier, have more friends, and be free 伝 om regret. Therefore, concern for others is the r00 [ of all happiness, while self-centeredness leads tO destruction. Misery, fear, and nightmares are all due tO self-centeredness. When you are concerned for Others there iS no reason tO be afraid. Even among those 、 MhO have no lnterest in spiritual de- velopment, the more an individual cultivates a positive mind and a sense of universal responsibility, the hap- pier she will be. Such a person will have greater access to comfortable facilities. People will more readily offer her aSSIStance. AS human beings it iS essential tO have close friends, people who really care and show concern for you. Our ability to smile is a unique human feature. lfyou smile it makes others happy, and likewise it makes you happy ifothers smile at you. On the other hand, nobody likes a SCO 、 face. That is human nature. Of course, sometimes deceitfulness and lies can be disguised by a A 、 VA 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 R T

4 enlightenment. O teacher, kindly listen to me. I by the name take refuge in the supreme Dharma, the state ofpeace which is free of attach- ment, 丘 0n1 thiS time until I attain the essence of enlightenment. O teacher, kindly listen to me. I by the name take refuge in the supreme spiri- tual community, the exalted bodhisattvas of the nonreturning stage, 仔 01 れ this time until I attarn the essence ofenlightenment. If you seek only temporary protection there are many other objects of refuge, but for those who aspire to achieve liberation, the fully awakened Buddha, the Dharma—his teaching and practice—and the Sangha—the spiritual community—are the infallible refuge. Next 、 need tO accumulate merit through the seven-branch practice.The first Of the seven branches is bOWing dO 、 as an act Of respect. Prostrating your- self acts as an antidote [ 0 pride. pride is the source of many faults. We know that as human beings much de- pends on the way we think. Yet, om a certam per- spectlve, ln our thinking 、 seem tO be inferior even [ 0 lnsects. lnsects have no idea 、 Mhat is [ 0 be practiced and what is to be given up. They are not physically or men- tally equipped to do so. On the other hand, we possess discriminatlve a 、 vareness—we kno 、、 Mhat iS tO be practiced and 、 vhat is tO be given up—and yet 、 kno 、 Mingly engage in improper activities. From that angle 、 seem tO be inferior even tO lnsects. 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

149 the a 、 Makening mind iS and tO familiarize ourselves with it through repeated practice. At this point we will recite the prayer for formally generating the aspirational awakening mind. If you have a painting 0f the Buddha' visualize it as actually being the skillful and compassionate Buddha. Do not think that there is Just a painted image before you, but imagine that the Buddha himself, who is motivated by compassion and 、 iS the embodiment Of compas- sion, and who is adorned with the mapr and the minor signs of a fully awakened being' is actually pres- ent. Around him visualize bodhisattvas WhO appear in celestial forms and likewise those who appear in human form, such as the great lndian teachers Asanga and Nagarjuna ・ Visualize all the exalted translators and scholars of ancient Buddhist lndia. From Tibet, the Land ofSnow, visualize the presence Ofgreat teachers 0 ーⅡ the periOd Ofthe ancient transla- tions, such as the abbot Shantarakshita and the master Padmasambhava and his twenty-five disciples. Like- 、 Mise, frOI れ the periOd Of the ne 、 transmlSSlon visualize the teachers of the maJor schools and lineages. ln short, visualize 砠 the exalted beings and bodhisattvas of the four traditions of T1betan Buddhism, whether they are from Sakya, Geluk, Kagyu, or Nyingma. Visualize them all here in front Ofyou 、 M1tnesses tO your gener- ation Of the a 、 Makening mind. The actual presence ofthese beings is a real possibil- ity because they have all generated the awakening mind with greater concern for Others than themselves. C A L L I N G T H A ・ WA K E N E D T 0 WI T N 見 S S

147 himself, he never allowed himselfto be carried away by disturbing emotions and negative actlons. He per- formed only beneficial deeds. He engaged in the diffi- cult practices Of a bodhisattva from life tO li over many eons. As a result he finally achieved the んⅡメ awakened state ofa Buddha—the state completely free of faults and possessing all qualities. That is why we now regard him as the foremost object of refuge, refer- tO him as the omn1SC1ent teacher. The compassionate Buddha was able to become en- lightened because the essence Ofeven the contaminated mind is emptiness, the ultimate reality.. lt is because of this that faults can be eliminated, qualities can be culti- vated, and the omnrscient mind can be attained. Like- 、 vise, 、 tOO can make the attempt. If 、 rely on a con- tlnuous practice ofvirtue like the uninterrupted flOW of 、 Mater, 、 have the natural resources tO improve 仔 0n1 life tO life. The ultimate essence IS 、 Mithin us by nature, and 、 dO not have tO cultivate it afresh, as is stated in Maitreya's 0 〃 4 ど〃 0 / ど 4 / / 名 4 ツ 0 広 Since the Buddha's body is radiant, Since there iS no difference in the reality, Since all possess the lineage, AII embodied beings possess the Buddha essence. SO, keeping the experlence of our teacher in mind, we should practice mainly cultivating the awakening mind, having 1 れ concern for ()thers than ourselves. ln our day-to-day lives we should pay repeated atten- t10n tO the instructlons for traimng in the a 、 Makening mind by frequently reciting the following verse: C A L L I N G T H E AWA K E N E D T 0 W I T N E S S

wrong with making use of your wealth, if you do so with a proper mental attitude. You may worry that メ ou are merely dedicating these things tO Others in your imagination while you actually keep them for yourself. You may ask, What is the significance of dedicating them tO Others? The significance iS ln releasing the mind 伝 om the grip of miserliness, which is a product Of the self-centered attitude. The practices of giving and taking are complemen- tary.We need tO put them into practice alternately. TO motivate ourselves, we should think about the plight ofsuffering beings on the one hand and the benefits of compasslon on the Other. Sentient beings are under the influence Of disturbing れ Ot10ns like ignorance, de- S1re, ammosity, and Jealousy. Consequently, they can- not enjoy the happiness they wish for but constantly suffer varieties ()fpain. Compassion is the source ofthe awakening mind, 、 activates Other merItor10US deeds. The Buddha said that bodhisattvas may not be able tO engage in many practices but should cherish one quality. And if they have that one quality, it is equal to having allthe qualities ofthe Buddha in the palm ofthe hand. What is that quality? lt is great compasslon ・ Wherever great compassron exists, there is the Buddha's doctrine.When a bodhisattva has great compassion, all other noble qualities will be present. lt is like the faculty Of li , 伝 0n1 、 vhose presence the sense faculties anse. Training in compassion IS as good as practicing the en- tire range of the Buddha's teachings. The great lndian T H E AV ′ K E N I N G M I N D

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

129 on love and compassion for them. I feel thatthis does help. Meditation on love and compassion our best p rotectlon. A bodhisattva 、 MhO has gone into solitude to medi- tate dra 、 his or her mind within and meditates 丘 01 れ the depths of his or her heart on how to help other people. There are tWO aspects tO thiS meditation: giv- ing tO sentient beings, 、 MhO live in the 、 Morld, and g1Ving tO the enuronment they inhabit. Ofcourse, ln ト tially we may not be able actually to give our bodies away. We should not do so until our practice bo 市 of the method and wisdom is stable and profound. But if 、 dO not familiarize ourselves 、 vith the idea, it will be difficult to develop the necessary courage to do so. Therefore, [ 0 begin 、、 can visualize givmg our bodies away. How do we do this? First of all, think about how all sentient beings are the same ln 、 Manting happiness and not 、 h•,rantlng suffer- ing, and how they are deprived of happiness. When you have a strong feeling of this within yourself, think how good it would be 正 you were capable of making them happy. From the depths of your heart, dedicate all your positive qualities, your physical, mental, and verbal qualities, your wealth, and whatever you have, to them with the wish that they meet with happiness and whatever they need. ln your imagination trans- form your POS1t1Ve qualities according tO the needs Of different sentient beings, 、 Mherever they are, even rn- habiting the eight hot hells or the eight cold hells. Then think thatsatisfying these beings' needs becomes T H E AWA K を N I N G M I N D

125 WhO are otherwise ObjectS Of disturbing emotlons as your spiritual friends, you will be happy wherever you are. You regard as very kind the spiritual teacher who has given you teachings, 、 MhiCh are a cause for liberation and enlightenment. Similarly, you should also remem- ber the kindness of sentient beings who give you the chance to develop patience. To forget it is like being given delicious fOOd and then spitting it out. If you are able to practice in this way, then as the sayrng goes "With courage you will be able to cross the plain of swords, because you will always find weapons at hand," or Journeying tO the treasure islands in search of jewels, you will discover jewels so abundant that you won't find a stone to ward offthe dogs. ' There 、 be no time 、 Mhen you are not training the mind. You will regard nothing as an obstacle to your practice. You should cultivate the forbearance that is not dis- couraged when you are harmed or opposed. The more you are harmed, the more you should be able to de- velOP patlence and compassion [0 、、 Mhoever IS harming you. lfyou are able to do that, even ifyou are besieged by antagonists, it will become a source Of merit and compassion. ThiS iS the practice in which all teachings converge. Your practice 、 be like a panacea for all ailments. If you have such a practice of mind traming it does not matter what you call it. The god- dess Palden Lhamo has a hundred names and a thou- sand characteristics; whatever name you call her by is her name. ThiS advice tO transform misfortune intO the path Of enlightenment iS again succinctly expressed in the 0 ど Sp 房 M 既・ T H E AWA K E N I N G 、 { I N D

12 工 toward superiors. Therefore, if you think highly of yourself and disregard others, even in this 1 飛 you will encounter an unceasing hOSt Of calamities.When メ ou come [ 0 die, everyone who knows you will rej01ce say- ing, 'lt's good that this mean person is dead. " Some people might even say that your death did not come soon enough. On the other hand, ifyou make yourselfavailable to others, regarding them as of primary lmportance and trying t0 help them by all possible means, everyone will regard you as a friend and hold you dear in their hearts. When we talk about others like this it does not necessarily mean all sentient beings, because 、 cannot actually relate tO all sentient beings. what it does mean is that you should try as much as possible to help the sentient beings you live and assoclate 、 Mith. lfyou then face difficulties, everyone will rush to help u. When you fall sick, people will come to look after メ ou , even 正 they give you no more than a glass ofwater. Finally, on the day you die, everyone will feel the loss and say, "Alas, we lOSt a good friend, 、 re going tO miss her. This will be your experience in this life. And in future lives, because メ have accumulated merit by concern- ing yourself with others, your happiness will only in- crease. Therefore, there is no need to cite scriptural quota- tions and evoke logical reasoning tO substantiate the benefits of concern for others and the faults self- centeredness. lt iS evident 伝 0n1 our dally experience. We have obtained a human intelligence, and, whoever T H E AWA K E N I N G M I N D

112 the past, we have been unable to develop a single one Of their qualities. Because Of the self-centeredness within us we remain naked, empty-handed, and sloth- 丘 ll. ・ Wherever 、 stay in the cycle of existence 、 are beset by suffering. Whoever 、 assocrate 、 vith is a friend of suffering. Whatever we enJOY is an object of anguish. Even though the Buddha has made this clear, still, filled with covetousness, we think only of accu- mulating 、 vealth because Of our self-centered attitude. Not knowing whether something is good or bad, we entertarn unnecessary expectatlons and doubts about it because Ofour seIf-centeredness.We go tO 、 and risk lOSing our lives, thinking that somehO 、、、 and live to fight another day, because of our self- centeredness. Faced with the slightest problem, we 引 - 、 Mays blame our abbOt or teacher, friend, or parents. our sense ofself-centeredness is shameless. ・ We are jeal- ous Of our superrors, competltlve tO 、 our equals, and proud and disdainfultoward those lower than our- selves. We feel happy when praised and upset when crlticized. Like an unb ridled horse, our disturbing 0- tions run out ofcontrol, all because Ofour self-centered attitude. We are so self-centered that finding rat droppings on our piIIOW, 、、 MOrry that a rat 、 nibble our ears. Hearing a clap ofthunder, we worry that lightning will strike us on the head. ln a haunted place our first worry is that we will be seized by the evil spirits who dwell there. Self-centeredness is the source Of our fear. Some people suffer because they do not want t0 hear AWA K 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 R T