Sun Radiance: Thought Transformation, 17 October 1989, part 1

So in meaning of what’s called the meaning of that quotation, in essence, explains that the mind which has a clear understanding about the difference that I is the one person and other is an infinite number of sentient beings. So with that clear understanding, whichever mind which thinks that it is more meaningful if I work to remove the suffering of others in which all the infinite sentient beings include. So it’s more meaningful if I work to remove the sufferings of others and if I work toward leading all those others towards the unchanging sublime bliss or happiness. So in order to do that, two purposes, one thing is that at the moment I’m quite impossible. I haven’t got resource enough to be able to perform those two welfare.

Therefore, I must attain the state of Buddhahood at any any what call, at any by any means. So trying to attain Buddhahood in order to accomplish those two purposes of others is in essence what is explained in that quotation as the meaning of bodhicitta, the altruistic mind. And now let’s try to generate that mind bodhicitta by familiarizing in our meditation. So let’s try to meditate on that for three minutes. So great, like as if in normal society among all the different kinds of men, the king would be the most meaningful one who commands the most, what I call, prestigious place.

So in the same way, this bodhicitta is like the best among all the qualities we could ever have. And in order to have this bodhicitta, what are the two main causes by which one can be able to have this? So in answer to that question, the two main things which can generate or which can cause to have that bodhicitta are love and compassion. The two causes love and compassion, those who are possible only with dependence on sentient beings out there And also the bodhicitta afterward, that also has to come about with dependence on other sentient beings. And also all the six perfections which meant which are meant to, to ripen the practitioner’s own continuum or mind stream and also the four means of attracting sentient beings which are meant to ripen the mind stream of other sentient beings.

And on top of these, also the collections like the two collections, collection of merit and collection of pure wisdom, which all comprise as a causes to attain Buddhahood. So all these different things, they also have to come about by depending by depending on the sentient beings out there. So in brief, all the good qualities which are possible by practicing the great vehicle part, all those good qualities will have to come with dependence on sentient beings. Therefore, we have to hold sentient beings as very dear. Therefore, we have to see sentient beings as a very delight ful object.

And therefore, we have to hold sentient being as very precious. So it’s possible among you there could be some new students who haven’t attended the last teaching and they might think, oh, what’s this whole talk about? So for them, an extra explanation. It is here we are talking about the faults, disadvantages of being selfish, self-cherishing mind, and the advantages of thought cherishing others. So tonight especially, what call teaching will be about the benefit or advantages of cherishing others and how or reasons why it is the source of all the good qualities which one can have in one’s course of practice on the Great Vehicle path.

So in the lines in the text where it goes on saying, even if one’s eyes may look at sentient beings, one should aspire, one should have a kind of attitude thinking that because of these sentient beings which I see through my eyes that I am to attain Buddhahood. Therefore, if I see sentient beings by my eyes, I have to regard them or I have to deal with them with total love and compassion. So in meaning to that quotation, the meaning is even if one sees sentient beings, one has to think how kind they have been and they are. And with that understanding, one has to look at them with such a kind of attitude of love and compassion as if a person would look at his kind parents. So what are the reasons that even in one’s act of looking at other sentient beings, one has to look with the attitude of love and compassion.

What are the reasons? So reason is because, the reason goes in like because, due to these sentient beings in relation with whom I have to attain Buddhahood, And it’s only possible in that way. Therefore, that serves as a reason that even if such simple act like looking at other sentient beings, one still has to look with total love and compassion. So in the text, the example to that subject goes like as if a farmer would very much take care and hold his field very dear. And the reason being because whatever he wants afterward as prosperity means of income, all those are possible with dependence on that field.

Therefore, he takes care of the field and he holds the field as a very dear thing. So in the case of a farmer, in the spring he plants seed and afterward at the time of autumn he has a harvest and after that with the sale of his crop he can get whatever he wants to have. So same in the meaning for a person trying to do Dharma practice, for them sentient beings are like a field. And now why sentient beings are like a field? Because Dharma practitioner like to have perfection in his welfare and in the welfare of other sentient beings for which purpose he wants to attain Buddhahood in which there is whole accomplishment in these two aims. So in this case with the meaning, sentient beings are the field and how the example applies.

The example applies in this way. The seed which we have to plant in the field of sentient beings is the seed of love, compassion, six perfections, four means of attracting, sentient beings, or disciples. So with dependence on the field, which is like our sentient beings, which is like a field, if we do our practices very well, then we can have the crop of Buddhahood. Therefore, sentient beings are very precious. So the same is with the case of the farmer.

If he takes good care of his field and then if he plants good seed and afterward he repeatedly have a good care of his field like watering properly in appropriate time, then he can have a very good crop if he may desire. And after that he can fulfill his own wishes, whatever he wants to have, and also he can have others fulfill their wishes by supporting them. So in the text, the example has been explained in that way, and the example exactly goes in parallel with the meaning here. So also the great Indian in regard to this point, the great Indian master Bodhisattva Śāntideva has said in his text that sentient beings, they are like the field and the crop of Buddhahood is possible from them. And therefore, it’s quite strange whose tradition is said to regard Buddhists as more important than to neglect sentient beings on the other side.

So in meaning, the text says that the sentient beings have been so kind and also now it is only possible to attain Buddhahood by depending on them. And this fact has also been explained by the great Lord Śākyamūni that the crop of Buddhahood is possible only with dependence on the field of sentient beings. So in meaning, one support of scriptural quotation is being supported by some higher resources. So this quotation from great Indian master, Bodhisattva Śāntideva, Rinpoche has quoted it so many times in the past in the teachings here. And therefore there is not much point to go over it all over again and again.

So anyway, to say it once more, the meaning is on the one side there is the Buddha’s and on the other side there are sentient beings. And Buddha’s, they give teachings which are possible source for us to base our practice. Therefore, the half portion for us to be able to attain Buddhahood comes from Buddhist guidance. And the other half has to come with dependence on sentient beings because it is only possible with dependence on sentient beings we can do the practice of six perfections starting from the perfection of generosity, morality and so forth. Therefore, in that quotation, Śāntideva, he asked the question, if this is the case, that Buddhists and sentient beings are equally important and they equally are causes for the practitioner to attain enlightenment, then whose tradition, whose manner is it to pay respect to the Buddhists on the one side, whereas completely neglect the sentient being on the other side?

And in the text it goes on with the quotation where in meaning it says, the most perfect state in which one is supposed to have completed in attaining or in acquiring all the good qualities. So that most perfect state is the state of Buddhahood. So from where does that state of most perfection in good qualities, the Buddhahood, from where does it come? And it comes from the collections which are the collection of merit and the collection of pure wisdom. And because there is a question from where it comes, it has to be explained that it comes from by having completed the collections.

Now from where does the collection come about? Collections, they are possible only if one does practices of love, compassion, and all other practice of the great vehicle with dependence on sentient beings. Therefore, sentient beings are so kind and they are so precious that they are so kind and so precious that even if we are to, let’s offer to one sentient being all the three realms, the realm, desire, form and formless realm, meaning the whole system of universe complete with the environment, its riches, even if we are to offer all the three realms, the universe, to the sentient beings, that would not even be good enough to fulfill our repayment to the sentient beings of their kindness. So for us to attain Buddhahood, one factor is the factor relate relating to the Buddhas, and another factor is the sentient beings. Because these two equally are the two equal factors for us to attain Buddhahood, therefore we have to do our respect, we have to pay respect and regard sentient beings as very, what we call, precious equally as we would normally do to the Buddhas.

So because sentient beings are so kind and so beneficial to us, therefore, we have to hold them dear, which in the meaning of the text becomes cherishing others. So we have to try to develop this thought of cherishing others. And if we are able to do this practice of cherishing others, then as a result, in future lives as a temporary accomplishment, can attain better rebirth as a human and as a deva or gods. And after, we can even attain as a result the state of complete liberation from all the sufferings and their cause. And finally afterward we can also attain the highest state of perfection, the Buddhahood.

Therefore, the text explains at this point to hold sentient beings dear as we try to develop the thought of cherishing others. If neglect sentient beings and if we completely don’t hold sentient beings as dear, whereas in Tibet it’s quite different. So if we completely don’t hold other sentient beings as dear, then all the unwanted suffering, all the things we don’t like to happen to us will come about. So you might think, this is being recited. So this is being recited from the text written by great Indian master Nāgārjuna, the text being named as Jangchub Semdrel, which meaning Commentary to bodhicitta.

So in Tibetan, I think in English we don’t require the exact translation of the quotation because it already becomes a commentary. So in meaning, Rinpoche explains the text says, Nāgārjuna in the text says, in this whole universe it can be divided into two, the happy migration and the bad migration, which in easy translation, happy rebirth and bad rebirth. So these are the two, what are called two sides of the universe, two possibilities, good and bad, or bad in the universe. And the happy migration is what we want. And bad migration or bad rebirth is the thing which we don’t want.

And the happy migration which we want comes from helping others, caring others, and the bad migration comes from inflicting harms or injuries to other sentient beings. The things which we want as a work or kind of attainment, achievement are the things like being born as a human, being born as deva or god, and being born as a high god in the form of Indra or Brahma, And also after that, being able to perfect in the whole practices and thereby to attain the state free of all the suffering. So all these are the things which you want and which can be classified in those things. So all these things which you want, they come from helping other sentient beings. And then the next lines in the text where it goes on saying the all unwanted suffering which we see in the aspect of being suffering in the hungry ghost animals, they are because of harming others.

So the meaning of that text or quotation in the text means there are beings in the realm which are called hell realm or what are called ceaseless suffering, where sentient beings can be divided into two groups. Those who are in the hot realm where they suffer from intense heat and those in the cold realm where they suffer from intense cold. And then there would be what we call hungry ghosts, which normally can be grouped into principally two, those who all the time suffer from thirst, never ending thirst, those who suffer from never ending starvation. And then there are the beings in the realm of the animals which we see some aspect in the human realm, how, how, like, un delightful and how ugly some of those animals appear to us. So there are all these various sufferings like suffering of intense cold, intense heat, and then the starvation, hunger, and then the animals each eating one another.

And in some realms, there can be sentient beings who kill each other 100 times a day and again revive back into life 100 times a day. So all these are different varieties of intense suffering which we can see in those aspects from where these all come from. So they all come from completely neglecting other sentient beings, what I call self-cherishing, and because of that force, not cherishing other sentient beings. So the point here also goes in similar with the normal quotation from Indian master bodhisattva Śāntideva where he goes on saying, Whatever happiness we see in the universe, they come from thought cherishing others. And whatever sufferings we see in the universe, they come from the thought cherishing oneself.

And in the text it goes on saying in meaning, even the practitioner of the lower vehicle, they completely neglect others and just for sole self interest, they, day and night, are so diligent in their practice that they do accomplish what they want to achieve. But still, whatever they, at the end, achieve will be not enlightenment of the Great Vehicle path. It will be the enlightenment of the lower vehicle. Whereas in the the Great practitioner, because of holding others dear, therefore the result which he achieves the highest state of Buddhahood is possible. So in the text it says, meaning, how these two types of practitioners achieve two different results is due to the attitude of the mind.

So as a practitioner of the Great Vehicle, we have to do practice on the great, what we call, precious bodhicitta and other affiliated, what call, attitude of mind. And in trying to do those practices, we have to hold other sentient beings very precious. We have to hold them dear. And when trying to practice these practices and when trying to hold other sentient beings very dear, it is very possible as we can normally see by our own day to day experience that it’s very possible that there would be a lot of hindrances, obstacles in our practice. That it may the obstacle may come in the aspect of other sentient other people abusing you, saying things which are not very pleasant, and in some occasions even insulting and oppressing.

So these things, obstacles, they can be very possible to happen when one trains or tries to train in these practices. So when these obstacles happen, our practice becomes very difficult. So when these happen and they do happen, now when these happen and when these do happen, we have to try to apply means by which our practice of holding others dear is not overpowered. So we try to find a solution, find means that these obstacles don’t overpower our practice of holding others dear. So as a means, there are different ways of thinking and among which one is in accordance to the teacher, great master, bodhisattva, Śāntideva, where it says the way of thinking in such a situation is the practitioner should think, or it’s possible, of course, that this person harming me, insulting me, criticizing me.

Of course, in this life I haven’t done anything bad to him that has, what I call, forced him to do these unfair things to me. But still, in the past life there have been countless past lives and in all those countless past lives it was possible that due to my afflictions, what I call, afflictive emotions like anger, hatred, that I might have harmed that person which has what I call forming a karma, an action, or depositing an imprint which at this point of my life is ripening. So a kind of that thinking is also means in such situation.