E X T E N D I N G H E L p Altruistic commitment relieves specific causes Of dejection by placing them in a broader perspective; these causes should not discourage メ ou. MOSt Of one S 0 " n troubles, 、 vorries, and sadness in thiS life comes from self-cherishing. As I mentioned above, being wisely selfish is not negative, but short-sighted selfish- ness, concerned only With immediate satisfaction, iS counterproductive. , narrow perspective makes even a small problem unbearable. Being concerned about 引 1 sentient beings Widens your V1ew, making you more realistic. ln this 、 vay an altruistic attitude helps tO reduce your own paln right no ,. My earnest request is that you practice love and kind- ness whether you believe in a religion or not. Through this practice you 、 come tO realize the value Of CO Ⅱ 1 ー passion and kindness for your own peace 0f mind. After 砠 , even though you may not be concerned with other people, you are very much concerned with yourself¯no question about it—SO you must want tO achieve a peaceful mind and a happier daily 1 飛 . If you practice more kindness and tolerance, you 、 find more peace. There is no need t0 change the furniture in your house or 1 れ ove tO a new h01 れ e. Your neighbor may be very noisy or very difficult, but so long as your own mind is calm

S T P S A L O N G T H E WA Y 3. Then, frequently reflect on how phenomena arise m dependence on causes and conditions, and Observe how this contradicts the way people and things appear tO exist ⅲ their 0 " n right, tO exist inherently. If you tend toward nihilism, reflect more on dependent- ar1Sing. lf, by concentrating on causes and conditions, you tend tO reinforce the inherent existence Of phe- nomena, put more emphasis on hO " dependence con- tradicts this so-solid appearance. You will probably be pulled from one side to the other; the true middle way takes time to find. Also: 1. ldentify the luminous and knowing nature of the mind, unclouded by thoughts and without any con- ceptual overlay. 2. Probe the deeper nature of the mind repeatedly to reveal itS absence Of inherent existence, itS empti- ness. Reflect on the mind's dependence causes, conditions, and parts. For the mind, any length of time Of the mind—whether one minute or the shortest moment—depends on earlier and later parts Of that time period. 2 2 2

P RA C T I C I N G W I S D O M that living beings and objects inherently exist. This chapter will show that beings and objects, in fact, do not exist this way. We 砠 have a valid, proper sense of self, or "I , " but then we additionally have a misconception of that "I" as inherently existing. Under the sway of this delusion, we view the self as eXISting under its 0 " n power, established by way of its own nature, able to set itself up. This sense Of inherent existence can even be SO strong that the self feels independent om mind and body. For instance, if you are weak 伝 om sickness, you might el that you could s 、 vitch bOdies with someone , hO is stronger. Similarly, when your mind is dull, you might feel that you could SWitCh your mind 、 vith someone else's sharp mind. However, if there were such a separate I —self- established and existing ⅲ its own right—it should become clearer and clearer under the light Of competent analysis as tO whether it exists as either mind or bOdy, or the collection of mind and body, or different from mind and body. ln fact, the closer you 100k , the more it is not found. This turns out to be the case for everything, for all phenomena. The fact that you cannot find them means that those phenomena dO not exist under their own power; they are not self-established. 138

TA N T R A pure self that depends on purely appearing mind and body in an ideal environment, engaged in helping others. AS this distinctive practice Of Tantra calls for vistl- alizing yourselfwith a Buddha's body, activities, resources, and surroundings, it is called "taking imagination as the spiritual path. ' Let us consider a qualm about this practice. You are considering yourself t0 have Buddha qualities which you presently do not have. ls this, then, a correct type of meditative consclousness? Yes. Your mind iS involved understanding reality, out 0f which you are appearing as a deity. Therefore, your mind, from this viewpoint, is correct. Also, you are 4 0 ア imagining yourself as having a divine body even if you d0 not presently pos- sess one. ThiS iS an imaginative meditation; you are convinced from the depths that you actually have pure mind, body, and selfhood. Rather, based in clear imagi- nation 0f ideal body and mind, you are cultivating the sense ofbeing a deity, compassionately helping others. To be a 平 eci trainee of Tantra¯that is tO say, the kind of trainee for whom Buddha specifically set forth the practice Of Tantra—a practitioner must have sharp faculties and have already attained stable wisdom real- izing emptiness, or be ready for speedy activation Of this 1 8 6

P R A C T I C I N G W I S D O M suffering iS afflictive emotions either directly or indi- rectly, we have tO consider whether there are any forces opposing them. If for instance, anger causes suffering, then ℃ must find a contradictory force. For anger it is love and compassion. Although anger and love compas- sion are all consciousnesses, they have contradictory ways of apprehending the same object. Their realiza- tions are opposites. Similarly, if a r001 れ is t00 hOt, there iS no way tO reduce the heat but tO introduce COld. Just as heat and cold oppose each other, so t00 do opposing mental states, pure and impure. TO the extent you develop one, the Other decreases. Therefore, it is pos- sible tO remove faulty states Of mind. Antidotes exist. UNION OF THE CONVENTIONAL AND THE ULTIMATE The mind itself is a conventional truth; the reality of the mind, itS emptiness Of inherent existence, iS itS ultimate truth. These tWO truths are contained in one indivisible entity. Just as there iS a union Of the tWO truths, conven- tional and ultimate, with respect tO the mind, SO there is a union Of the tWO truths with respect tO each and every 178

I N T R 0 D U C T 1 0 N mind can become stronger than steel. TO train the mind, you must exercise the patience and determination it takes to shape that steel. If you practice improving your mind with a strong will and forbearance by trying, trying, trying, no matter how many difficulties you may encounter at the beginning, then you 、 succeed. With patience, and practice, and time, change will C01 れ e. Do not give up. If you are pessimistic 伝 om the beginning, you cannot possibly succeed. If you are hopeful and determined, you will always find some measure of success. Winning the gold medal does not matter. You ・ will have tried your best. INTERDEPENDENCE Much of the world is now connected by a web of elec- tron1C communication and instant information. ln the twenty-first century our global economy has made nations and their people heavily dependent upon one another. ln ancient times, trade bet 、 natlons was not necessary. TOday, it is impossible tO remaln isolated, SO if nations dO not have mutual respect, problems are bound to arise. Although there are grave signs of trouble 6

I N T R 0 D U C T 1 0 N another, 、 Mith concern and respect, ℃ can SOlve many problems easily. Harmony cannot thrive in a climate of mistrust, cheating, bullying and mean-spirited com- petition. Success through intimidation and violence is temporary at best; its trifling gains only create new problems. This is why just a couple of decades after the enormous human tragedy of the First World War, the Second WorId War was fought, and millions more people were killed. If we examine our long history of hatred and anger, 、 see the Obvious need tO find a better way. み can only solve our problems through truly peaceful means—not Just peaceful words but a peaceful mind and heart. ln this way we will have a better world. ls this possible? Fighting, cheating, and bullying have trapped us in our present situation; now we need traming in new practices tO find a は y out. lt may seem impractical and idealistic, but ℃ have no alternative tO compasslon, recognizing human value and the oneness of humanity: This is the only way to achieve lasting hap- pmess. I travel 伝 om country tO country with this sense Of oneness. I have trained my mind for decades, so when I meet people from different cultures there are no bar-

〇 V E RV I W 0 F 丁 H モ PAT H T O E N L I G H T モ N M E N T reasoning" that if phenomena were not established in this way, they could not function. This kind of misconception, polluted by an invalid system 0f tenets, is called artificial, or intellectually acquired. Even if yotl have acquired no new predispositions through wrong conceptual thinking in this lifetime, everyone has in their mental continuum predisposi- tions established by adhering tO wrong views in former lifetimes. By contrast, innate faulty states Of mind have existed in 1 sentient beings—from insects tO humans—since beginningless time, and operate Of their own accord without depending on faulty scripture and reasoning. 4. lntellectually acquired, or artificial, obstructions are removed through the path Of seeing, whereas innate obstructions are more difficult tO overcome (because you have been conditioned t0 these faulty states of mind since beginningless time). They must be removed by continued meditation on the meaning Of emptiness. Because such meditation must take place repeatedly over a long period 0f time, this phase of the path is called the 研肌 0 れ . lndeed, メ ou have meditated on emptiness 205

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

P R A C T I C I N G M O R A L I T Y iS tO try tO remaln as honest and sincere as possible. Otherwise, by responding harshly or selfishly, you simply make matters worse. This is especially apparent in painful family situations. You should realize that dif- ficult present circumstances are entirely due to your own past undisciplined actions, SO When experience a difficult period, do your best to avoid behavior that will add to your burden later on. lt iS important tO diminish undisciplined states of mind but it iS even 1 れ ore important tO meet adversity with a positive attitude. Keep this in mind: By greeting trouble with optimism and hope, you are undermining worse troubles down the line. Beyond that, imagine that you are easing the burden of everyone suffering prob- lems of that kind. This practice—imagining that by accepting your pam you are using up the negative karma of everyone destined to feel such pain—is very helpful. Sometimes when I am sick, I practice taking others' suf- fering to myself and giving them my potential for happi- ness; this provides a good deal of mental relief. Every day in the early morning, and especially when I have the time, I do this practice in a general way with regard t0 引 1 living beings. But in particular I single out Chinese leaders and those officials who must make