D I S C O V E R ー N G H OW TR O U B L E S TA RT s A N D S T 0 p s shape that resembles your body in the next li at age five or six (although S01 れ e say this is not necessarily so). When the intermediate life ends, the bridge to the next lifetime has been crossed. This process is carried out by the subtlest level ofmind. The Process ofRebirth With regard to rebirth, consciousness enters the " 01 れ b when the male and female fertilizing elements mix together—provided there is nothing wrong in the womb or with the sperm, and provided all the favorable factors StlCh as karm1C connectlon are present. However, con— sciousness does not necessarily have tO enter at the time rhen the male and 1 れ a に are in union, for in our texts there are accounts Of the father's semen being inserted 1ntO the vagina separately 伝 01 れ intercourse. lt seems that whether these elements come together inside or, as sometimes iS the case nowadays, outside the 01 れ b in vitro, consciousness would have tO enter while they 1 れ ix. still, it is difficult to arrive at a decisive explanation from Buddhist texts since some books say that fertiliza- tion takes place when male and female are at a point Of strong desire. 55

P R A C T I C I N G M O R A L I T Y faith, so when they are faced with such evidence, they try t0 keep quiet about it. ln lndia, t00 , qulte a number of practitioners have remained in this state, sometimes for a few days and in one case for around seventeen days. When a person is abiding in the state of clear light, if the energy that supports this deep level of mind begins to fluctuate, at that point consciousness finally leaves the body, and the body or head shifts slightly There are 1 れ an メ opportunities for further investiga- tion intO the various stages Of death. Modern science has done a great deal Of research on energy waves, the human brain, and its functions. Scientists and Buddhists share a common interest in this area, and I believe 、 should work together to probe the relationship between the mind and its inner energies, and between the brain and consciousness. Buddhist explanations can contribute tO scientific research, and Vice versa. ThiS kind Of coopera- tion is already underway, and more would be helpful. lntermediate State A11 beings who are to be reborn as humans pass through an intermediate state between this lifetime and the next. ln this intermediate state your bOdy takes on a 54

E X A M I N I N G H 0 ー B I N G S A N D TH I N G S E X I S T Sometime during the early sixties when I was reflecting on a passage by Tsongkhapa about unfind- ability and the fact that phenomena are dependent on conceptuality, it was as if lightning coursed within my chest. Here is the passage: A coiled rope's speckled C010r and coiling are similar tO those Of a snake, and when the rope is perceived in a dim area, the thought arises, "This is a snake. " AS for the rope, at that time when it is seen tO be a snake, the collection and parts Of the rope are not even in the slightest way a snake. Therefore, that snake is merely set up by concep- tuality. ln the same way, when the thought I arises in dependence upon mind and body, nothing within mind and body—neither the C01 ー lection which is a continuum Of earlier and later 1 れ 01 れ ents , nor the collection Of the parts at one time, nor the separate parts, nor the continuum Of any Of the separate parts—is in even the slightest way the "I. ' ' 劑 so there is not even the slightest something that is a different entity 伝 om mind and body that is apprehendable as the 既 ' Consequently, the 。 I" is merely set up by concep- 139

S T E p S A L 0 N G T H E WAY smoothl メ then practice seems not SO urgent, but when we face unavoidable problems such as sickness, 01d age, death, or Other desperate situations, it becomes crucial tO control your anger, tO control your er れ Otion 引 feel- ings, and tO use your good human mind tO determine how to face that problem with patience and calm. If we practice this way, our first hope is that we may overcome the problem, but, if not, at least the problem cannot disturb your mental peace. That is good, is it no You are facing the situation and retalning your peace of mind—without taking drugs or trying to pull your thoughts away 伝 om it. That is why we take such great interest in our weekends and vacations! Five days a week you are very busy, working hard to make money, then on the weekend you go to some remote place with that money and have a nice time! ThiS means you are trying t0 take your mind 0 庇 your problem. But the problem is still there. However, ifyou have a good mental attitude, it is not necessary tO divert yourself. when you can face the situ- ation and analyze the problem, then, like a big piece of ice in the water, it will gradually melt away If メ ou prac- tice sincerely, you will experience its real value. According to Buddha's own word, his teaching will 2 12

I N T R 0 D U C T 1 0 N Of course, national leaders have a special responsi- bility in this area, but every individual must also take the initiative, regardless of religious belief Just by being human, by seeking to gain happiness and avoid suf- fering, you are a citizen 0f this planet. We all are responsible for creating a better future. TO achieve a friendly attitude, a warm heart, respect for the rights Of others, and concern for their welfare you must train the mind. ln this book I will present a series Of practices drawn from Tibetan tradi- tions that will be helpful in accomplishing these aims. The essential objective of daily practice is tO cultivate an attitude Of compassion and calm—a state Of mind particularly crucial in human society tOday for its power tO yield true harmony among nations, races, and people fror れ diverse religious, political, and economic systems. CREATING HARMONY The harmony and friendship that we need in our families, nations, and the world can be achieved only through compassion and kindness. By helping one 1 0

TA N T R A are not contained within one consclousness. A distin- guishing feature 0f Tantra is that they are. lnclusion 0f motivation and Sd01 れ within one consclousness IS what makes Tantra's progress SO swift. When I was a young boy, Tantra was just a matter Of blind faith. At age twenty-four I lost my own country, and then after coming to lndia started really reading Tsongkhapa's explanations on emptiness. Then, after moving tO Dharamsala, I put more effort intO the study and practice 0f the stages 0f the path, emptiness, and Tantra. SO it was only in 1 れ y late twenties after galning some experience Of emptiness that deity yoga made sense. One time in the 1 れ aln temple in Dharamsala I was performing the ritual of imagining myself as a deity of Highest Yoga Tantra, called Guhyasamaja. My mind continuously remained on the recitation Of the ritual text, and when the words "I myself" came, I completely forgot about 1 れメ usual self in relation tO my combination ofmind and body. lnstead, I had a very clear sense 0f I in relation tO the new, pure combination Of mind and body of Guhyasamaja that I was imagining. Since this is the type of self-identification that is at the heart of Tantric yoga, the experience confirmed for me that with 1 8 8

TH M I D D L WAY 5. ln sum, the production and disintegration, increase and decrease, and so forth of forms are possible because forms are empty Of self-powered existence. Phenomena such as forms are said to da 、れ within the sphere of the nature of emptiness. Consequently, the H 灯 Su 右川 says, 。。 Forr れ is emptiness; emptiness is form; forr れ is not Other than emptiness; emptiness is not Other than forr れ . " ln this wa メ empti- ness and dependent-arising are shown to be in harmony. ln brief, forms are not empty because of emptiness, forms themselves are empty. Emptiness means not that a phenomenon is empty of being some other object but that it itself is er れ p り " Of its 0 , n inherent existence. That a form is emptiness means that the final nature Of a forr れ iS itS natural lack Of inherent existence; because forms are dependent-arisings, they are empty of an independent self-powered entity. That emptiness is form means that this natural lack of inherent existence—which is the absence of a self-powered principle—makes possible the forms which are its sport or which are established 伝 om it in dependence upon conditions. fOt•ms are the bases Of emptiness, emptiness iS れ ; forms appear as like reflections of emptiness.

P R A C T I C I N G WI S D 0 M dependent-arising because it inherently exists," because it is fundamental to Buddhism that all phenomena are dependent-arisings. COMPATIBILITYOF DEPENDENT- ARISINGAND EMPTINESS Buddha himself, in setting forth Sutras, and Nagarjuna and his spiritual sons—Aryadeva, BuddhapaIita, and Chandrakirti—in commenting on the meaning of those Sutras, use the fact that phenomena are dependent- arisings as the 〃れ reason for establishing emptiness. ThiS indicates that phenomena in general are not non- existent and that impermanent phenomena are fit to perform functions. When Buddha taught the four noble truths, first he identified true sufferings, sources, cessations and paths, and then said: Sufferings are to be recognized, but there is nothing tO be recognized. The sources of suf- fering are to be abandoned, but there is nothing tO be abandoned. Cessation is to be actualized 1 5 6

P R A C T I C I N G 、 1 0 R A L I T Y original pleasure has a nature Of pain. Such states Of temporary happiness are called the suffering of change. 3. ln addition to ordinary paln and the suffering 0f change, there is a deeper level of suffering called pervasive conditioning. Mind and body operate under the influence Of karma (tendencies created by previous actions) and Of afflictive, or counterpro- ductive, emotions such as lust and hatred. ln ordi- nary li we are born fror れ and intO the pervaslve influence Of karma and afflictive emotions. Even neutral states Of feeling are under the influence Of causes and conditions beyond your control—you are stuck in a process susceptible tO suffering. The Hu 川 4 れ Co れ市行 0 れ At the beginning of our life is birth, during which we suffer, and at the end of our life is death, during which we 引 SO suffer. Between these tWO come aging and ill- ness. No matter how wealthy you are or how physically fit メ ou are, you have tO suffer through these circum- stances. On top Of this comes discontentment. You want 3 4

P R A C T I C I N G M 0 R A L I T Y and peaceful, neighbors will not bother you much. However, if you are generally irritable, even when your best friend visits, you cannot become really happy. If you are calm, even your enemy cannot disturb you. This is why I say that ifyou are really selfish, you are better 0 仟 being wisely selfish. This way you can ん旧Ⅱ your selfish motive t0 be happy. That is much better than being self-centered, or foolishly selfish, which will not succeed. V な 4 記 4 行 0 れ The following visualization technique is very helpful ⅲ daily practice. I. YOtl remain C 引 1 れ and reasonable. 2. ln front Of you tO the right, imagine another ver- sion of yourself who is a solid mass of egotistical self-centeredness, the kind of person who would do anything tO satisfy an urge. 3. ln front of you to the left, visualize a group of poor people who are not related to you, including some whO are destitute, needy, suffering. 4. Be calm and unbiased you observe these two sides.