Awareness and Knowledge, 11 October 1988, part 1

So initially, we should seek to develop the kind hearted thought which is seeking to attain peerless enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings equal to the vastness of space. So the Buddha has said, So there there’s a quotation by the Buddha in which he the first line says, the lords of subdueers do not wash away sins with water. And the result of these sins, that is the suffering, the subdueers do not remove suffering by laying on their hand, removing by the hand? Nor do they transfer their qualities and realizations to the minds of others. But it’s through that they eliminate the various sufferings that sentient beings experience and the sentient beings are able to gain realizations by the subduers showing the truth.

That is, the various practices of the Dharma those practices which are to be cultivated and those types of activities which are to be abandoned, it is through these means that sentient beings find freedom. So, in order to eliminate our suffering, we must abandon the causes of suffering, that is, the various negative actions that we create. So in the world there are various types of beings, and amongst these there are human beings. And further amongst human beings there are, in general, three types. There are the types who accept some sort of spiritual practice, those who do not accept any type of spiritual practice, and those who are undecided, undetermined.

So setting aside the third category of humans, that is those who are simply indifferent, we’re going to examine the reasons that some people accept, have conviction in spiritual practice, and some do not. What are their actual basis for coming to this decision? And so, if we were to examine briefly, the basis for coming to for our various actions is the attainment of our desired happiness and the elimination of unwanted suffering. So we should actually look at this as a basis for whether to accept spiritual practice or reject spiritual practice in general. So this is the basis we’re going to look at these two types of individuals.

So, in the same way that we make use of scientific method in coming to ascertainment of the facts, likewise, in developing an understanding of accepting or rejecting a particular spiritual practice, we should use the same methodology. That is to say, if we should be open minded and determined, well, if it’s better not to if it is better in the terms of happiness and suffering to reject spiritual practice, then that’s what we should be doing based upon the facts. But, if the facts are such that it’s better to accept, to make use of spiritual practices in order to find the happiness and eliminate the suffering that we don’t want, then we should, of course, adopt that practice. For those if we actually look at the situation, the difference between those who are engaged in some sort of spiritual practice, within this life we see that, in fact, they experience more happiness. And also, in the future lives, this happiness will be extended into the future lives.

Whereas, for those who do not have conviction or practice any sort of spiritual practice, the question of future lives happiness of future lives does not arise for them. Nor, in fact, it appears from the actual situation that they have less happiness than those who have conviction in some sort of spiritual practice. Nice. We can see this difference in the degree of suffering between these two types of individuals from the point of view when they both experience some type of physical suffering, those who have trained their mind, who are involved in some sort of spiritual practice, they do not have the additional suffering of mental suffering the added suffering on top of the already present physical suffering. Whereas those who do not engage in any particular mind training practices, any physical, any spiritual practices have not only the physical suffering, but on top of this they experience a mental suffering.

And this is the So, you know, during this explanation, this commentary on the text Opening the Eye of New Awareness, you you should look at the facts being presented and decide for yourself and then you will come to an understanding within your own based upon your own experience. So the actual text, the body of the text begins with the lines that all sentient all migrators or sentient beings are equal in not wanting suffering and wanting happiness. So, the text says that all sentient beings equally want happiness and do not want suffering. Sentient beings are migrators. Literally in Tibetan it means goer.

What is translated as migrator or sentient being literally means goer. And here goer doesn’t mean like a motor car or a railroad train goers like that. It means those entities which have mind and that are under the influence of afflictive emotions and karma. So, the line explicitly says all sentient beings and then this is the, just indicating a large number or the plural, which there are various types of migrators. Amongst the six migrators are the hell beings, the hungry ghosts, the animals, human beings, demigods, and gods.

So the the six realms are positioned in a hierarchy with the six levels of existence are in a hierarchy with the lowest level being the hell beings and then the hungry ghosts, the animals, the humans, demigods, and finally on top of the gods. And when it says, Migrators, it means that, travelers, that one is constantly rising up through this hierarchy from the level of hell being through the various, stages and levels up to the status of a god. One dies from that and then under the power, the influence of karma and afflictive emotions falls back down through the hierarchy down to the lowest level again. And then rises, dies and comes back up through the various levels again. And this process goes on and on again and again and again and again, circling, revolving through these various levels of cyclic existence.

And this is what it meant by saṃsāra cyclic existence. They’re revolving through the influence of karma and afflictive emotions through these hierarchy, these six levels of existence. So just like all the various gears and wheels of a machine, or all the various wheels in a factory that keep turning, they’re being driven by the force of electricity. They’re powered by electricity. And we’re continually revolving through these levels of cyclic existence through the power of afflictive emotions and karma.

So we’re going to remain in this position of constantly revolving through the extremes of suffering. And then we rise up to we gain some slight happiness, then we die from this state, and we return to a state of extreme suffering. And we rise up again and attain some slight happiness again and again and again endlessly until we put an end to this revolution, this revolving. So, you know, we’re all exactly the same in wanting happiness, not wanting suffering. With respect to these six levels those in the three lower levels the levels of hungry of hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals they aren’t even able to think about spiritual practice, let alone try to implement it.

But those in the upper realms, even those in the upper realms such as the demigods and the gods, they have obstructions to their practice. It’s only in the human realm where we have the ability and the clarity of mind and the opportunity to actually implement a spiritual practice. So the the individuals who are able to make use of spiritual practice to its fullest extent are extremely fortunate. And there are different levels of the fortune that we possess. There are those who are able to take put themselves within the context of a spiritual practice.

For example, they may take certain precepts and vows such as the vows of a lay vow holder, the vows of a monk or a nun, They would practice on this level. Then there are those who have even greater fortune and have the power of mind to be able to practice the precepts of the bodhisattva and engage in the deeds of the bodhisattva. Then there are those who have the greatest fortune who who go on to practice the means of tantra, whereby they’re able to achieve enlightenment in one lifetime. So everyone here is an extremely fortunate person. You know, we’re intelligent.

And though we are perhaps new to the practice, we still We have the capacity and that we can make use of this during the during the listening to this text. Of listening, we’re going to find out the various means to find the happiness, the methods to actually bring about the happiness that we all want, and to begin to eliminate the suffering which none of us want. So in to this end, you know, when we talk about, you know, attaining the happiness that we all want, find eliminating the suffering that we don’t want, we have to begin to understand what are the methods for attaining the happiness. And the method or the means for attaining happiness are the various spiritual practices which are to be engaged in. And what are the causes of our suffering?

And these are and what are the means for eliminating our suffering, our unwanted suffering? So this is by means of eliminating the negative actions that we engage in. And therefore, the matter of spiritual practice is beginning to understand what is to be practiced and what is to be abandoned. And this is necessary in this course, to this end, is necessary to engage in the activities of hearing and reflecting about the subject. Without these preliminaries of hearing and reflecting, then there’s no way we can understand what are going to be the actions which will promote our happiness and what types of actions are going to, in fact, bring us suffering.

So the Dalai Lama has said that aside from the practice of aside from spiritual practice, there are no other methods in order by which we can begin to bring about the happiness in this life and the life and the future life after life after life. And not only in future lives will the practice of will spiritual practice be a benefit to us, but it also in this also in this life, it will be of benefit to us. For example, you know, if someone became ill, perhaps they have a headache, and so they’re experiencing some physical pain. But now there are two types of attitudes that two different individuals could have toward the same situation that they’re both experiencing physical pain due to the headache. One who has not trained his mind and one who has trained his mind in spiritual practice.

For example, the one who has not trained his mind would think at such a time, Oh, my head hurts. Ah, this is terrible. Thinking in such a way, he would compound his suffering. He would not only have physical suffering, but he would also have, in addition, mental suffering. But for the individual who is undergoing the same physical suffering, has trained his mind in spiritual practice, he would simply think to himself, Well, you know, this is the nature of cyclic existence, of a nature bounded by ego, egoistic existence.

You know, this is simply the playing out of the law of cause and effect, and therefore I have to expect having created the cause, I must expect that such a result will arise. And therefore he’s not going to become mentally troubled by his physical suffering and his mind will remain clear of the additional suffering of mental pain. So, such an individual who does not become overwhelmed, who does not allow his mind to become overwhelmed by physical difficulties, is able through the power of his remaining clear within his mind, not becoming his mind does not become troubled by his sickness and he will actually be able to reduce the force of the suffering of his physical suffering. Because between the mind and body, the mind is the controller of the two. It has the greater power to influence our state of being.

Therefore, if the mind is not experiencing suffering, it can actually lessen the physical state of suffering. So the three Of the three body, speech, and mind it is the mind which is the controller. The mind controls the body and speech. Now, the But the mind is in turn controlled by the various afflictive emotions. Therefore, all the various afflictive emotions arise, and it is through the very it is through the afflictive emotions that all our suffering arises.

Now, on the other hand, some people think that, you know, those who are concerned with the happiness of this life and seeking that the happiness of this life is it comes about through the collecting accumulation of wealth and money. And therefore, they expend a great deal of time and go through a lot of trouble in order to accumulate money and wealth. But, you know, such an individual, even when after having gone through all this trouble to accumulate their wealth, to get to all their money that they want, they have to worry about keeping it, and then they have to be constantly concerned about as they it slipping through away through their fingers and about losing it altogether. On the other hand, someone who is engaged in spiritual practice will look upon the situation such that they are not going to go to a great deal of trouble in order to accumulate wealth and money, for example. They understand that, you know, it’s all going to be lost in the end anyway, that this life is short and future lives are of great length.

And therefore they’re going to understand that is necessary, that the mind is the basis of happiness and this is where they should be creating the causes of happiness. And the causes of happiness are the various positive actions which we engage in. So the individual who does not engage in a spiritual practice, expends a great deal of energy, goes through a lot of trouble accumulating wealth, goes through the suffering of perhaps not even being able to accumulate the wealth that he desires, And he goes through the various types of suffering, worrying about keeping it, seeing it dissipate, slip through his fingers, about losing it and actually losing it the various types of suffering. Whereas, in fact, a person who has trained his mind understands that this great accumulation is not really a source of happiness in itself that it is the mind which is the basis of happiness and the various causes that we create. So he does not have to go through all this trouble and he does not experience all this suffering that this other person is experiencing accumulating all this wealth.

But, in fact, he’s actually happier in the meantime and in turn not in turn, he’s happier in the meantime, and additionally, he’s creating happiness for his future lives. And likewise, the difference by the different reactions of a practitioner as opposed to a non practitioner if in the course of our everyday experience, people continually might attack us with various words. They might speak very harsh and abusive words to us. And in response to such these abusive words, then the hearer, the non practitioner hearer would develop a very extremely negative state of mind, a suffering state of mind. Whereas, and actually, it would not be based upon any sound reasoning.

Whereas, the practitioner here, upon hearing even abusive words, would understand that these are just, he would see these abusive words just as like an echo, just as sounds. They are essenceless. Essenceless. Just in the same way as an echo. It would not affect his mind in the least.

So, Venerable Lama has spoken about the the the great difficulties that that those who who seek only to accumulate and gain power this life, seeking as engaging in such actions as a means to find happiness only in this life. That, for example, if someone were to become the prime minister and he has the Prime within his advisors, he’s going to have just by simply becoming a Prime Minister, you’re creating enemies. Those who are going to everything to do, they’re going to try to fight against you. And even amongst those who trying to support you, amongst your advisors, there are those whose actions you will not be able to follow. And they will become your enemies.

There will always be a conflict about whose advice you should take, and therefore there’s always this worry involved about whose advice can you actually make use of. And, therefore, you end up even those who were your friends before, you become friendless and your enemies and you’re actually creating more enemies and always involved in a constant conflict about whose advice to take. So, as the text points out, arising from such an attachment to seeking to as a motivating prime force for our life, to seek happiness only for this life. You know, it even extends to to nations themselves that the various mutual hostilities between nations arise from the individuals within those nations seeking primarily the happiness only of this life. So, all the various conflicts from the individual up to the international level come about through the lack of understanding about where our happiness is actually coming from, and therefore seeking happiness as a primary means Seeking primarily to find happiness only in this life.

So in dependence upon this thought to dependence upon the misunderstanding of the actual way to find happiness in general and to find happiness only in this life. Sentient beings create a division amongst them between themselves that those who they’re constantly seeking the good only for themselves and trying to take the good away from others. And this is the cause for not only individual conflicts, but this extends all the way up into the wars between nations. So, for the real practitioner, there’s very the choices are that between the worldly pursuits and the spiritual pursuits is the spiritual pursuits which are one mainly endeavors toward. Between the happiness of only this life and the happiness of future lives, it is mainly the happiness of future life which one endeavors towards.

Between the happiness of oneself and the happiness of others, It is mainly the happiness of others which one endeavors towards. So, in the actual practice of Dharma, we’re seeking to eliminate suffering and its causes. Now what are the causes of suffering? It’s the various afflictive emotions such as miserliness, jealousy, etcetera. So what are the causes of the happiness?

The causes of the What are the causes of suffering? The causes of suffering are the various afflictive emotions such as miserliness, jealousy, anger, attachment, obscuration or confusion, etcetera.