conditions for achieving enlightenment will be very powerful and effective. ln our modern world there has been great material development and far-reaching in- tellectual achievement, but anxiety remains. Generally, 、、 meet 、 Mith adverse crrcumstances, they cause us tO lose our tempers, our po 、 Mers ofjudgment fail, and we become discouraged and depressed. But for a practi- t10ner Of mind tralning, these adverse C1rcumstances provide favorable conditions, Just as poison can some- times be transformed intO something beneficial like medicine.When the very crrcumstances that cause or- dinary persons tO create disturbing emotio ns can be transformed intO favorable conditions, lt iS really mar- velous. A practitioner 、 MhO can dO this is called a person ofgreat intelligence, a person ofgreat capacrty. Although I do not claim any high realization in the practice Of mind traming, I have srncere admiration for and faith in this instruction. So when I hear things being said against me and 、 I meet with adverse crrcumstances, I try tO apply the instructlons outlined here. , practitloner 、 Mh() can transform adverse crr- cumstances intO favorable CO nditions will be affected by nothing. Whether that person is traveling or staying one place, eating or doing anything else, he or she will be constantly a 、 of 、 MOrking for Other sentient beings. Deep down, such a person is calm and free 0f anxiety. The body becomes a realm ofjoy, because no external circumstances can disturb that persons pres- ence ofmind. The body could 0 be called a conflict- free zone, because for that person, there iS no lnner AV ′ A 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

should be not only on the verballevel but driven by heartfelt compassion. When the great teacher Che-ka-wa was dying, he called his close disciple Se-chung-wa saying, What a shame. Things won t work out as I hoped, so please make an offering to the Three Jewels. Se-chung-wa asked, "What had you hoped for?" Che-ka-wa replied, "Actually, I have always prayed that I would be able to gather the sufferings of all sentient beings at my heartlike a pall of black smoke, but now I have only a vision of the Blissful Land, which is not what I wanted. ” This is how we should practlce. Similarly, when Gedun Gyatso, the Second Dalai Lama, was passing away, his disciples requested him [ 0 return to them saying, "Although you will be able t0 go to the Blissful Land, please susta.tn us by your kind- ness. Gedun Gyatso replied,"As far as I am concerned, I have no aspiration t0 take rebirth in the Blissful Land but rather to take rebirth in an impure land where there are suffering sentient beings. " This beautifully il- lustrates the bodhisattvas courage, taking responsibil- ity for working for the welfare of others. Such practi- tioners aspire tO be reborn 、 Mherever they could most effectively work 応 r others. Seek for the three principalconditions. Whatever practice 0f hearing, contemplation' and meditation you dO, the inner condition iS li as a free T RA N S F 0 R M I N G T R 0 U B L E I N T 0 F 0 RT U N E

4 tradition SO valuable iS that it includes precious tech- niques for generating the awakening mind. The exis- tence Of this tradition Of cultivating love and compas- sion and developing concern for the welfare 0f other sentient beings iS extremely fortunate. I myself feel ex- tremely fortunate tO be able tO explain such teachings at tlmes like these. Like 、 Mise, you are extremely fortunate to be able to read aboutsuch an invaluable attitude. We should notthink of the awakening mind merely an Object ofadmiration, something tO pay respect tO. lt is something 、 should generate 、 ourselves. We have the ability and option to do so. You may have been a horribly selfish person in the earlier part ofyour li , but 、 Mith determrnation you can transform your mind. You may become like the person described in a prayer, 、 MhO "never expects tO 、 for her O 、 pur- pose, but always works for the benefit ofothers. human beings we have intelligence and courage ・ Provided we use them, we will be able to achieve what 、 set out tO dO. I personally have no experience Ofthe awakening mind, but when I was in my thirties I used to reflect on the Four Noble Truths and compare the possibility of attaining liberation and developing the awakening mind. I used t0 think that attaining libera- tion for myselfwas possible. But when lthought about the awakening mind, it seemed quite far 0 圧 I used t0 think that even though it was a marvelous qualitY' it would be really difficult to achieve. Time has passed and I have entered my forties and then my fifties, and even though I still have not devel- oped the awakening mind I feel quite close to it. Now A ・ WA 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

Life as a free and fortunate human being is alSO rare simply in terms Of numbers. lfyou compare the num- ber ofsentient beings in the human realm and those in the realms of animals and so 応 r 市 , you will find that animals and birds far outnumber human beings. Even when they have obtained li as human beings, very few turn their minds tO 、 vard Dharma practice. There- fore, 、 have tO generate a WiSh deliberately tO extract meaning our lives as human beings. lt iS clear 仔 01 れ、 vhat 、 have discussed here that life as a free and fortunate human being is extremely rare. Those of us who are endowed with all these spe- cial features must realize that we have the ability tO achieve great goals. Here, where I am teaching the holy Dharma, 、 are surrounded by countless birds and in- sects. But, far from understanding these teachings, they have not the slightest thought of virtue. They only think about 応 od. So it is not sufficient that the Dharma be available. lndividuals require a working basis that enables them to understand and put the teachings 1ntO practice. Because of the long tradition of Great Vehicle Bud- dhism in Tibet, Tibetans have acquired certaln innate positive qualities. They are given to saying kind and sympathetic 、 MOrdS. Even in remote nomadic areas, il- literate Tibetans pray for the sake ofall sentient beings, thinking of them all as having been their mothers in past lives. I have met many people om these places, who ask me to come back to Tibet soon for the benefit Of all mother sentient beings. lt sometlmes makes me C R E AT I N G T H E P E R S P E C T I V E F 0 R R A C T I C E

sickness. ー our physical and mental components, in- cluding our bOdies, are the products Of contaminated actions and disturbing emotions. Therefore, our ail- ments have bo 市 physical and mental aspects. We suf- fer because that is the nature ofour bodies. But there is no point in developing a dislike for our bodies. The 、 MlSest strategy is tO find the causes Of suffering and eliminate [ her れ . SO long as 、 are under the control Of disturbing emotions, real happiness will be hard to find. 11C purpose of meditating on suffering is not to cause 1 れ ore anxiety but tO inspire us ln [ 0 eradicating itS causes. Practice ofmeditation on the true path leads tO the cessatlon Of sufferings and their causes. Fror thiS point OfView, an intelligent person can see the unfath- omable wisdom of the Buddha's beginning his teach- ings with the Four Noble Truths. Appreciating the merits ofnirvana and the drawbacks of the cycle ofex- istence naturally stimulates an individual tO engage in practices like the three trainings in ethics, concentra- t10n, and 、 MiSdom. ThiS iS the path that can deliver us tO the state ofliberation. The altruistic thought ofthe awakening mind is the gateway to the Great Vehicle. lt literally refers to ex- panding or extending the mind. By and large, we are usually preoccupied 、 Mith our 0 、 lnterests and 、 vel- fare. HO 、 those interests concern only one indi- vidual, no matter hOW important. other beings are ln- finite ln number, and therefore their interests and 、 velfare are far more important than those Of a single C R E AT I N G T H E P E R S P E C T I V E F 0 R P R A C T I C E

C H A P T E R 4 C R E AT I N G T H E P E R S P E C T I V E F O R P RA C T I C E " ノみんア c 立訪 4 ん 4 〃 / なイ尾ケみ切 4 な WhO possess lt can achieve great things because of it. Yet it is not enduring but fragile and extremely tran- S1ent. lt iS important that 、 are aware ofthese charac- ter1St1CS Of our lives and then prepare ourselves for making the best use Of them. lt is easy tO see that human potential far exceeds the abilities of other liv- ing creatures in the world. The human mind has far- reaching ViSion. ltS kno 、 is boundless. Because of the PO 、 Ofthe human mind, discoverres and in- vent10ns abound on our planet. But the crucial thing is that these innovations should promote happiness and peace in the 、 vorld. ln many instances this is not the case. Unfortunately, t00 Often human ingenuity is

2 Train in the three difficulties. First, it is difficult tO remember the antidotes tO the disturbing emotlons. Second, disturbing emotlons are difficult to s top. Third, it is difficult to cut their con- tinuation. Therefore, identifr the disturbing 0- t10ns, reflect on their faults 伝 01 れ varrous angles, and make a constant effort tO put a StOP tO them. Transform everything into the Great Vehicle path. When your actlvit1eS are accompanied by love and compassion for sentient beings, motivated by a 、 tO attain Buddhahood, all your deeds of body, speech, and mind become a practice of the Great Vehicle. VaIue an encompassing and far-reaching practice. When training in the awakening mind, you should not be partial only tO 、 Mard a few sentient beings. ln- clude all sentient beings of the four kinds of birth. Your practice should not be like a fisherman s visit tO pray at a temple. A fisherman may go to the temple and pray for all beings but returns home and continues killing fish. His prayer carries little weight because his conduct contradicts the advice Of the Buddha tO whom he prays. HiS visit is little more than sightsee- ing. Your awakening mind should be pervasive, impar- tial, and extended tO 、 a11 Other sentient beings. Generally, we spontaneously utter sympathetic words When 、 see sentient beings suffering. our practice 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 R T

2 イ 0 Until 、 reach a certarn stage 、 vhere 、 can really improve our understanding ofemptiness, lt is very dif- ficult [ 0 discrimrnate bet 、 veen actual existence and in- tnnSIC exrstence. Nevertheless, as far as exrstence IS concerned, 、 need have doubts, because 1 [ IS testi- fied tO by our 0 、 experrence. That is the premise on which we should apply the reasonings to negate the in- dependent status or nature Of phenomena, proving that they are dependent by nature. 圧 you are able to negate that sense ofindependent ex1Stence on the basis Of your O 、 experrence, then the mode 0f existence that remains 、 only be nominal, a mere designation or label. lt is said that someone who has realized emptlness iS able tO discrimmate bet 、 and independent eXIStence. ト10 、 even that person IS not able tO explain it convrncingly tO someone else who has not realized it for himselfor herself. If we personally make an effort, the emptiness that we pralse as the actual nature Of the perfection Of 、 MiS- dom will initially be realized only intellectually. This realization is not the actual opponent force that can eliminate disturbing emotions. }40 、 Mever, later, through constant familiarity 、 vith it, this realization can become the seed for bringing aboutthe experience ofclear light. That is the actual opponent eliminating disturbing emotlons and inner delusion. But it needs [ 0 be sup- ported by complementary reinforcing factors, such as the practice ofcompassion and the conventional a 、 vak- emng mind. The conventional a 、 mind iS the methOd aspect Of the practice. Realization Of empti- AV ′ A 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 RT

Seeing this, may I be inspired to hold them dearer than my life, Even should they rise up as my enermes. lt is important tO think again and again about the benefits of concern for others and the faults of self- centeredness. You can dO SO by reflecting on your own personal experience, by observing others, and by read- ing. Two people may read the same book, but because Of differences in their attitudes they 、 each derive a different meaning 伝 om what they read. An ordinary person reading a story will tend tO develop more attach- ment and hatred. A person 、 Mith S01 e experlence Ofthe awakening mind will be able to see the story in terms of the benefits of helping other people. And for someone 、 MhO has actually achieved some mental transformatlon, whatever appears will become a teaching. For such a person even day-to-day experlence will be a source Of spiritual teachings. That is what is meant by being able tO see an lnstructlon ln everything ViSibIe. There are many ways ofcontemplating the faults of self-centeredness, the advantages ofconcern for others, and the actual mind of exchanging oneself for others. Again the 0 〃 g 加ど Sp 耘 / 4 / Ma 砿 explains it succinctly: ln brief, the childish labor only for their own endS WhiIe Buddhas work solely for others. Understanding the distinctions between their respective faults and virtues, T H E A ・ WA K E N I N G M I N D

thing for them. But 、 Mhen it comes tO providing practi- cal help, it is difficult at present for me to help even one sentient being completely. Therefore, may I attain the fully awakened state ofa Buddha without delay for these sentient beings 、 MhO have been my mothers. That is what I will definitely work 応 r. " This is the kind of determined attitude you should cultivate here. ThiS is 、 Mhat iS known as generating the awakening mind. Let me summarize this again. Reflect deeply on the advantages ofconcern for others' welfare and the disad- vantages 0f self-centeredness. Recalling your own past experience, confirm that the actlvlties Of bOdy, speech, and mind based on self-centeredness lead nowhere, 、 Mhereas act1Vities that are the result ofconcern for Other people are reliable and meaningful in the long run ・ Take refuge in the Buddhas and bodhisattvas visualized before you. If you really trustthe Buddha and take refuge from the depth of your heart, you must also consider how the Buddha feels. For example, on an everyday level if you like [ 0 do something that your close friend dis- likes, you 、 Mill try not tO dO it out Of consideration for her. 圧 you invite a friend to dinner who does notlike hot or spicy food but you do, to add a lot ofchili with- out consideration Ofyour friend's taste 、 vould be a m1S- take.. At least on that occasion it 、 be better tO be 1 れ ore careful. SO even ln ordinary crrcumstances you take your friend's wishes intO account. TO dO SO indi- cates that you are her true friend. Therefore, since the C A L L I N G T H E AW ・ A K E N D T 0 WI T N E S S