Sun Radiance: Thought Transformation, 11 September 1989, part 1

So we’re going to spend two minutes adjusting our motivation, our intention of why we’re listening to this profound teaching on the great vehicle, that in order to practice the method of the kind heart to ultimately achieve, thinking I must achieve perfect, complete, unsurpassed Buddhahood in order to liberate all mother sentient beings equal to space and establish them in complete bliss and happiness. And we’ll spend two minutes adjusting our motivation. So the Śāntideva has said, whatever happiness there is in the world, it brought about through seeking happiness for others. Whatever suffering, what one experiences is brought about by seeking happiness only for oneself. Then at whatever degree, whatever whether it’s great or minor happiness that we experience, it all comes about in dependence upon altruism, seeking to benefit others.

On the other hand, any type of troubles and suffering that we experience all comes about seeking our own welfare. So we can understand the reasoning behind this statement, the difference between looking at ourselves and the Buddha’s, that both the Buddha’s and ourselves previously wandered in cyclic existence, just with no difference, just like ourselves. But we have persistently sought only our own welfare, and therefore have remained in cyclic existence, while the Buddhas wished for the welfare of others and therefore became Buddhas. So what is Śāntideva’s intent here? What he is teaching is the is the difference between self centeredness or self-cherishing and other centeredness or other cherishing.

That by self centeredness, mean to strive for one’s own welfare alone, between self and others to seek to strive for one’s own welfare. This is self centeredness or self-cherishing. On the other hand, other centeredness or other cherishing is to, between self and others, to strive for the welfare of others. So distinguishing between these two, self centeredness and other centeredness, if we were to ask, you know, how are they brought about? What is the cause which generates these two attitudes?

Other centeredness is brought about by the attraction towards sentient beings, by being attracted toward them and thinking them as bereft of happiness, Thinking of them the fact that they don’t have happiness, and that you’re attracted toward them. And that this develops into a pleasant love, or loving-kindness, pleasant love, looking on beings as attractive and not having happiness. On the other hand, when the object is oneself, finding oneself attractive and developing the same type of attractive love towards oneself, And this would develop into self centeredness. So self centeredness arises through the influence of attachment to oneself. It is the root of all suffering, this attachment to oneself.

So in dependence upon self centeredness, which is due to self attachment, wanting happiness for oneself, then one creates or develops self centeredness. And dependence upon the attitude, one engages in a variety of negative and positive types of actions creating karma. So in the context of thought transformation, it is said that we should drive all the blame onto one. What this means is that whatever happiness, whatever desired happiness, whatever undesired that we experience arises from self centeredness. And not getting that which we desire arises from self centeredness.

And this is the one which all of these are to be driven upon. All the blame is placed upon this. So we are to drive all the blame onto one, and the one is self centeredness. But we don’t normally do this. This is not the way we normally look to the sources of our problems.

Whenever when we get sick, whenever some difficulty arises, we’re always placing the blame on something outside of ourselves. When we’re harmed by others, when we have problems, we say it’s this person’s fault or there’s some kind of spirit which is bothering me, which is disturbing me. When we don’t get that which we desire, we say, This person is preventing me from getting what I want. We’re always placing the blame for our problems on something or some person outside of ourselves, and therefore the one which we’re placing the blame upon from the point of view of thought transformation is mistaken. That we should understand that every blame should be placed upon self centeredness.

So how can we establish the fact that all our problems arise in dependence upon self centeredness? What is the reasoning behind this? Suffering that we that all suffering that arises for ourselves comes about due to the results of unskillful actions that we’ve created. And all unskillful actions are created in dependence upon self centeredness. In dependence upon self centeredness we engage in various types of unskillful karma, and this results in all this suffering that we experience.

In the context of thought transformation, when we talk about self centeredness or self-cherishing, it’s synonymous with conception of a self. And on the other hand, what prevents us from being happy? We usually blame it on other people or some types of spirits or beings. But in fact, happiness arises through the power of skillful actions, positive karma, positive potential that we create. And it is self centeredness which prevents us from creating positive potential, from creating positive karma.

On the contrary, due to self centeredness we create negative karma. So happiness arises due to positive potential, merit, and it is self centeredness which prevents us from creating merit. Therefore, it is self centeredness which also prevents us from finding the happiness that we’re seeking. Therefore, whether happiness comes or not comes is also dependent upon self centeredness. So all of the various activities which are motivated by self centeredness of body speech are creating negative actions.

From the source attachment, due to self centeredness, we create negative karma. Due to hatred, are motivated by self centeredness, we create negative karma. Due to delusive activities, delusive actions created motivated out of self centeredness, we create negative karma. All of these act as causes of suffering. So when we have expectations of gaining some benefit from a particular type of activity and engaging in the activity, the benefit that we expected, that we hoped for doesn’t arise, then we strike out with recriminations, with harsh words toward our parents, towards our spiritual teachers, towards our friends, simply because our expectations haven’t been fulfilled, and this is due to the power of self centeredness, self-cherishing.

So with respect to the different types of beings, due to the force of self centeredness, develop unskillful actions. Toward those who are in high who are high, such as spiritual masters, we develop jealousy. To those who are equal to ourselves, we have competitive attitude. To those who are who we see as lower than ourselves, we develop pride. When someone praises us, we develop conceit.

When someone belittles us, we develop anger. All of these negative attitudes, which create negative karma, arise through the force of self centeredness. The Buddha has said that happiness arises in dependence upon positive actions. Suffering arises in dependence upon negative actions. And those followers of the Buddha who were masters in their practice, those great spiritual teachers acted in accordance and agreed with that this was infallible, that this was non mistaken presentation.

But it is due to the force of our self centeredness that we act in a contrary manner to this teaching of the Buddha. So the Buddha taught 84,000 bundles of Dharma as antidote to the afflictions, and the spiritual friends talked in the same manner. And it is due to our unknowing, our inability to practice, and acting in a contrary manner. It is due to self centeredness, even though these have been taught, is due to our self centeredness that we lack understanding, that we are unable to practice and act in a contrary manner. It is due to the force of self centeredness that there arises outside of ourselves the enemy and within ourselves all the discordant qualities and sufferings and sicknesses.

Śāntideva has said that in speaking about self centeredness that previously from beginning this time due to self centeredness I have been only brought harm. And if I allow you to go on like this I will only keep creating negative actions and thus will be thrown into hell. Now that I understand this I will not let you I will no longer go under your power. Geshe Ben said that I stand at the doorway of my mind with the spirit of mindfulness. When self centeredness attacks, I will attack.

When self centeredness retreats, I will retreat. Says that we should give all victory and profit to others. This is the fact that all victory, that is all that is good, all that is positive comes about in dependence upon others. That if we cherish others that everything that we desire will arise in dependence upon others. Therefore, he suggests that we give every victory and profit to them.

And he goes on to say that we should take upon ourselves all defects and loss. And here by loss it means that all the harm that we bring to others, all the fighting that and conflicts that we experience with others is all brought about by self centeredness. That self centeredness is the cause of all our problems, all our suffering. That by harming others we are causing our self suffering. And it is self centeredness which prevents us from serving others, from giving away the victory to others, to giving away the profit to others.

Therefore, by taking on the loss and defects upon ourselves, we are eliminating our own self centeredness and therefore we’ll gain our own real happiness because it is dependent upon bringing others happiness that we ourselves will be brought happiness. So, if we are not able to carry out such a type of practice that is giving away the victory to others and taking defeat upon ourselves, the text goes on to say, Then what is the use of carrying monks’ robes around on a yak? What is the use of burdening a yak carrying around your monks’ robes if you cannot carry on such a type of practice? So, you know, the monk’s robes use a great deal of material and they have to wear the three types of robes. And they were carried long distances.

And if a monk can’t carry out this type of practice, then they burden the yak for no reason at all, for no good reason at all. And what’s the use of having blessing vases placed upon your head thousands of times? It’s of no use, it’s of no benefit if you can’t carry out such a type of practice. And also, if one cannot carry on such a type of practice, then there is no benefit to all the great no matter how extensively you may listen and read about the various teachings and texts. The the the Kadampa masters were very direct in what they said.

It was like throwing a stone at you. They they they don’t they didn’t talk sweetly like we do. They were whatever whatever was they talked very directly. Whatever was was meant or whatever worked, that’s what they said. Whatever made the point.

So if one is able to make effort in carrying out such a type of practice where one gives away all victory and profit to others and takes upon oneself all loss and defeat, then such a type of practice is a very firm, stable type of practice. It’s a very vast type of practice. It’s a very beneficial type of practice, and it’s a very wise type of practice. If, you know, if we were to summarize all the faults of self centeredness, then it generates in dependence upon self centeredness, we develop all the afflictive emotions. And if and all the faults over the three times come about through that.

And if the Buddhas themselves were to speak about the faults of self centeredness, they would not be able to complete it in even a kalpa, even an eon of time. So much has been said in with respect to the faults of self centeredness, but we have to put these what we have heard, we have to realize what is heard. Taking all the teachings of the conquerors, the Buddhas, taking the precepts of the Lama and applying them to one’s own mind, reflecting upon what is meant and trying to understand them, and then examining your mind. We have to try to ascertain whether what is being said is actually present within our own mind, recognize it, and understand it, and then meditate and try to realize it, and therefore begin to develop the ability to diminish self centeredness.