Sun Radiance: Thought Transformation, 20 February 1990, part 3

So, Rinpoche, will lead us through in the development of the motivation for listening to the teaching. We wish ourselves happiness and wish not to suffer. And likewise, all sentient beings wish the same, to have happiness and not to suffer, but they don’t have happiness. They’re all troubled by suffering. Therefore, for the sake of all beings, I must attain the state equal to space.

I must, in order to establish them in complete happiness and separate them from all suffering, I must attain Buddha. And therefore, in order to bring this about, I must train myself in the great vehicle in order to develop the awakening heart, and we will cultivate the awakening heart for five minutes. Most of you have the English translation to the to the root text, the seven points of mind training. And beginning with where we left off with when the evil fills the world and its inhabitants change adverse conditions into the path of awakening. Previously in the development of the awakening heart, there was an extensive explanation in the method of mind training of exchanging equalizing self with others.

Now as a secondary precepts in order to enhance the practice of developing the awakening heart, the text goes into five secondary precepts or there will be five categories and precepts in order to enhance the development of the awakening heart. The first being the transformation of adverse circumstances into the path of awakening. So these five are listed in the translation. The transformation of adverse conditions into the path of awakening. Then showing the utilization of the practice in whole life.

Then the extent of proficiency in mind training, Third precept, extent of proficiency in mind training. The fourth is commitments of mind training. The fifth precept is guidelines for mind training. So I’m going rather fast I think. Do you have this?

Guidelines for mind training. So we’re now going to proceed through these five categorizations or precepts in order to enhance the development of the awakening heart. So we explained the importance of the practice of exchanging and equalizing oneself in the development of the awakening heart, in the context of the great vehicle. But in the course of this training in the development of the awakening heart, it’s sure that we’re going to meet with many adverse circumstances, conditions. And so in order to carry on our practice for awakening, towards awakening, we must be able to ensure that these adverse circumstances do not act as a contradict, act to impede our progress in our practice.

So, to explain the first precept, and as we mentioned from the root text, when evil fills the world and its inhabitants change adverse conditions into the path of awakening. Actually, the literal translation of world is the container. And by container we mean the place, our environment, the country that we live in. This is what we mean by the container, here it’s translated as world. Then the actual middle translation of what is translated here as inhabitants is that which is contained or the essence And here that means human beings, animals, sentient beings, anything which has life.

So this is what it means by the contained in the container. So, we’re speaking of these two, the world and the beings existing within that world, or the container and the contained. The world is dependent upon the sentient beings or more specifically the inner quality of the mind of sentient beings. And as a consequence, if the mind of the beings is negative then this will have the effect of transforming their environment into a negative quality. They will be a very poor type of environment, poor, literally poor.

Can you hear me? Can you hear well? Okay. So you said that previously, the world was very flat and smooth, like flat Tibetan bread. It’s very flat and smooth.

But nowadays, due to the quality of the degeneration of the minds of sentient beings, there has risen a very rough type of environment with high mountains and deep abysses and barren lands with huge rocks. So, it’s a very uneven, rough texture about it. And this is a result of the quality of the mind of sentient beings in their becoming more and more rough in the internal quality of their mind. So, I think most of you could understand the evolution of the earth in terms of the development of the displacement of water by land. Initially originally the entire earth was covered by the great ocean by water and as the water lessened then dry areas began to appear and even these areas the dry lands began to rise up and this created a division between earth dry land and water areas and then upon the land forest began to grow.

So this can be seen in Australia for example with trees on top of the mountains. But in the case of, for example, Tibet and India, even though there are these dry areas, there are vast areas of barren, they’re vast barren lands with no trees whatsoever, without any vegetation. Originally when the oceans parted and the land arose, it was forested by trees and was very lush and green. And then after some time due to the degeneration of the minds of sentient beings who inhabited the world, then the vegetation began to die off and they began to appear vast barren stretches of land. So, the quality of the environment as it exists today in which there now exists very vast in Australia, Tibet, India, very vast areas of barren land is arose in dependence upon the quality of the sentient beings and their continually degenerating quality of mind.

The environment is dependent upon the mind of sentient beings. So we can see for ourselves the poor environment in which a great deal of the world exists under. That there are areas which are extremely barren, which are of very poor quality, which have great, literally stones and things like this where you couldn’t carry on any kind of agriculture for example. This is due to the sentient beings, their inner attitudes, especially their afflictive emotions, their unskillful qualities of mind which influence their actions of body and speech and due to this there occurs a degeneration of the environment bringing about all that is undesirable in the external environment. So just as in the case with human beings, with respect to an overall, overall there are two types of human beings.

There are those who are inclined toward Dharma and those who are inclined toward negative activities. Likewise, in the same way there are two types of celestial beings. Those who have an inclination for Dharma and those who have an inclination for negative types of activities. And due to the degeneration of the time, those who are inclined toward negative types of activities are on increase. So the situation in which we find ourselves in present days is that there is an increase with respect to the side of those who are involved in negative activities.

Those who are involved in afflictive emotions and unskillful actions. And this is on increase, this is dominant. And therefore those who are seeking to put into practice a spiritual path have great harms and are few in number. And just that’s in respect to Dharma, those who practice in Dharma, but especially with respect to those who are seeking to practice the greater vehicle. It’s almost as if there is proportionate to the preciousness and the importance of our spiritual practice, we are going to meet with that many much more harm and adverse circumstances.

So this is true of the great vehicle because of its great importance and preciousness that those who seek to practice it have even greater obstacles and harms. So the essence of the great vehicle is the awakening heart and we are involved in the practice of the equalizing exchange of self for others. And in the course of trying to pursue such a type of practice, we are going to meet with many obstacles and harms. We have to be able to transform adverse circumstances into practices conducive to our practice. We also have to be able to We see, we also have to be able to have obstacles, to be skillful in making it such that obstacles actually assist us in our practice and that harms are seen as spiritual teachers.

If we are able to do this through our method of mind training, thought transformation, then there are no obstacles to practicing the great vehicle and we will be happy both in mind and body. So, for those who, we are engaged in the practice of the great vehicle Dharma, seeking to develop the awakening heart through the practice and meditation of exchanging and equalizing self for others. If we aren’t able to transform adverse conditions into conducive conditions, then we are going to lose our practice of Dharma. If we aren’t able to transform obstacles into means of assisting us in our practice, we’re going to lose our practice of Dharma. If we are not able to see the harms brought to us as our spiritual friends, then we’re going to lose our practice.

So, as the root text mentioned, that we are trying to, when evil fills the world and its inhabitants, we must be able to change these conditions through a path of awakening. And it’s as if those times when evil is almost raining down, the results of them are raining down upon us. That what we mean by changing, transforming adverse circumstances into, we must be able to transform them into conditions which are conducive to our practice, in which we see obstacles as a means of assisting us, raising our practice, assisting us in developing our practice and harms as actually teaching us the way to practice. This is the way that we can begin to transform adverse circumstances into the path. Is such a way of practice possible in transforming adverse conditions into those which are conducive to achieving awakening?

And there is a quotation in the text. The person who is asking this question is Geshe Chengawa, and he says, he’s speaking to another Geshe, Chobupa, in which he says, I find it really amazing that you are able to have negativities assist you in your practice through your mind training, and that you experience suffering as happiness. You understand Then, we can ask the question, how can we transform negative conditions such that they assist us in our Dharma practice? And so there are two methods of transforming negative conditions. Not two methods, we speak about it from two points of view.

Taking the adverse circumstances, a path in dependence upon the exceptional attitude of the awakening heart, in dependence upon the awakening heart. And secondly, taking adverse circumstances as a path, in dependence upon the exceptional conduct of collecting and purifying. The conduct of collecting and purifying. So we’re going to look at it from two points of view. Taking adverse circumstances as a path in dependence upon the exceptional attitudes, the attitude of the awakening heart and the exceptional, again, taking the adverse circumstances as a path in dependence upon the exceptional conduct of collecting and purifying.

So the attitude of the awakening heart and the conduct of collecting and purifying. So with respect to the first of these two, that is the exceptional attitude of the awakening heart. We have in the root text, there’s the, oh here, it’s on the right hand side, it’s the seventh line down on the right hand side. Says, The root text says, Immediately join whatever you meet with meditation. Immediately join whatever you meet with meditation.

This is going to be explained. So whatever we may meet, harmful someone else who harms us, and adverse circumstances, immediately upon meeting with such a situation we are to transform it through our practice of meditation. Here, perhaps better than meditation, our familiarization or habituation might be better, but this is the literal meaning of meditation. Immediately transform it through meditation. Whatever, and explaining whatever we happen to meet, it could be whether it’s a time according to time, whether we’re happy, we’re rich, poor, suffering, happy, suffering happy, whether place, as according to place, it’s one’s own country, for example in Australia or another country, whether whoever we may be in a company of, whether it’s a human or non human.

Also, in continuing explanation of whatever, what we mean by whatever, the adverse conditions of say sickness, whether it’s a mild illness, a middling type of illness, or a very serious illness. Whether we’re suffering, whether we’re just slightly having some suffering, whether it’s a middling suffering or extreme suffering. All of these vary in variety. So at such a time when we’re suffering, we’re not happy, we should think that I’m just this one person. And there are numberless sentient beings similar to myself right now who are undergoing the same type of suffering that I’m experiencing.

I’m just one person who’s suffering, but because there are numberless sentient beings who are experiencing the same suffering, there is numberless suffering in the world, innumerable suffering. So in such a situation, we take an example of when we are having some slight suffering and how we want to reflect upon it. If we have a mild headache, at such a time we should reflect that of all of the innumerable sentient beings in the world who are experiencing a headache just like mine and experiencing the same type of suffering, may the suffering which I am experiencing substitute for all of their suffering. This is the attitude that we should develop in such a situation. When we are experiencing some type of suffering, for example the suffering of a headache, the pain of a headache.

Taking this situation and developing the force of thought may all sentient beings who are suffering, having a similar experience of suffering, May my suffering be a substitute for theirs and may they have no suffering whatsoever and have complete happiness. This practice is brought about to previously having meditated great compassion. Now this is the practitioner of thought transformation, of mind training, having accustomed or habituated him or herself to the quality of great compassion which is constituted of the wish may all sentient beings be separated from their suffering and the cause of their suffering. In such a situation they are able to use their previous training of having developed compassion in all situations such that they may, what do we mean when we say compassion? Essentially, that we say may all sentient beings be separated from their suffering and the cause of their suffering, we don’t want them to have suffering.

That’s what we mean by compassion. And therefore I’m going to take on their suffering. I’m going to substitute for their experience of pain and therefore there has to be this previous training or cultivation of great compassion and therefore in having, when one does experience some pain, may this substitute for the pain of all the beings who are experiencing similar suffering. And when you do feel the pain, you think, Ah, I’ve achieved my purpose. This is the purpose of compassion.

I’ve achieved the results of this wish and therefore there an opportunity to rejoice, to take joy in having accomplished the purpose of your compassion. Developing the attitude of substituting one’s own suffering, one’s own experience of suffering for the suffering of all sentient beings. This comes about through the previous meditation on compassion. With such an attitude and consequent to our experience of that suffering, we can take the position my prayer has been answered because this suffering is substituting for the suffering all others. They are now separated from their suffering.

We can develop that attitude of mind and because our prayer has been answered, we’ve accomplished our purpose, there’s no possibility for our own mind to experience suffering but in fact it will experience joy because one has accomplished one purpose and finds joy and not suffering within one’s own mind. So let’s take this situation, you’re sitting there in meditation compassion and you’re wishing very sincerely may all sentient beings be separated from their suffering. And then someone comes up to you and hits you in the head and it hurts you’re experiencing pain and then you go on to take that experience of pain. You think may this pain which I am now experiencing, may it be substitute for the pain of all sentient beings who are experiencing a similar type of pain and when you feel the pain, you say, Ah, I’ve accomplished my prayer, my prayers are answered and therefore how can you get angry when all your prayers are being fulfilled and therefore your mind remains happy. So we’re meditating and during the course of our meditation in the context of developing the attitude of compassion, thinking that may all sentient beings separated from suffering, that others may attack us physically, may attack us both in body and mind, they might say harmful words to us, they might hurt us physically, but we take that harm, that adverse condition and we make it part of, we transform it through the attitude of may this what I’m experiencing now, may substitute for similar type of suffering of all sentient beings and we make it a heartfelt prayer and then when we feel the pain with all my prayers are answered, all the sentient beings are being separated from such a type of suffering similar to myself and I’ve substituted and this is the way through such a type of attitude that we can transform adverse circumstances into those conducive to practice.

For those in a situation where we make up a situation where someone is meditating and another person comes up and hits them very hard on the head and it’s very painful, hurts them. Now for those who have not trained their mind, who do not reflect upon what’s happening, then this being hit in the head and the consequent pain are an adverse condition to practice Dharma. They can’t carry on their meditation, it’s an obstacle to their practice and they’re probably going to hit the person back. So the person who hit them becomes their enemy. So this is the situation for an untrained mind.

But as we explained previously, for someone who is training the mind, who is practicing thought transformation, then they have the complete opposite effect. Someone hits them, then they are able to transform that adverse condition into a conducive condition. They’re able to not only is this hitting, they’re being hit not only is it not an obstacle to their practice but it assists their practice and not only is the person who hits them not their enemy but they’re looked on as a spiritual friend because they have been of great benefit to one, they’ve increased one’s compassion and because of them one has increased one’s skillful actions. Therefore, if one can practice in this way then whatever harm may come becomes a conducive condition, becomes an assistant to one’s practice, becomes a spiritual teacher and our mind always remains happy. So if one can reflect in this way and carry on one’s practice then whatever harm may arise it will be a benefit.

Everything becomes a means of increasing one’s practice. Nothing is able to harm you. Because of this, because we see everything as helping us in our practice, then we don’t develop any negative minds and our mind is only happy. This is the quality of a proficient practitioner of mind training, that their mind is always happy, that everything is always assisting and helping them in increasing their practice of Dharma. One can This is the way we can reflect on the one hand.

Another way and additionally, we can think for the person who is practicing Dharma that all of these harms, sicknesses, etc. Are in fact no obstacles to one’s practice having trained one’s mind due to the force of thought transformation that they are all conducive conditions and we can think that now that the decline of the Buddhist teachings, though they are declining presently, still I am able to carry on this precious practice of the great vehicle and this is a result of my previously having collected great positive potential, merit, that my mind always remains happy in all these various situations and thinking that this is the result of my previous positive potential, skillful actions created in the past, one can have conviction that this is in fact so and take joy in that, rejoice in that. Can understand that if we think about the fact that though we’re facing very degenerate times, still we have all of the conducive conditions to practice the Dharma and we have little sickness and obstacles not only just the Dharma but the great vehicle Dharma. This type of reasoning is the way to establish that we must have created a great deal of positive potential in the path.

All the positive conditions and situations that we are able to enjoy now came about as a result of the positive potential created in previous rebirth. Have to make provisions such that the future that our positive situation that we find will not only not decrease but we should try to create the causes for increase. And therefore if we don’t create the causes for increase then the result is not going to rise and they will come about that in the future we are going to have not the positive conditions that we have now, but very poor conditions. And therefore in order to create the causes for the increase of positive conditions in the future we have to engage in the causes such as ethics, meditating on patience, practicing generosity, meditating on the awakening heart through the practices of sending and taking love and compassion. Previous very holy spiritual teacher in Tibet, he said that if you wish to know what you did in the past, look at your body.

If you want to know what is going to happen to you in the future, look at your mind. This is a very profound statement. If we, that things do not arise from no cause and if we look about ourselves at all our various possessions and our body, they being very positive, then we can be assured that in the previous rebirth we created a very positive cause to have these things now. But when we look to the future, the future condition will depend upon the quality of our present mind. If we want to know what what type of quality of future existence we will have, then look at the quality of your present mind.

If it’s of a skillful type, you will have a happy migration, if it’s unskillful you will have a bad rebirth. So for those who have not trained their mind and those who actually don’t make use of mind training, a situation could arise where you get a lot of money or you get some kind of high status your Dharma practice slips away from you. On the other hand there are some who because they get sick they say oh I’ve been practicing Dharma and look I get sick, what use is it? And they throw away their practice. But for those who actually train their mind, they carry on their practice whether they’re happy or sad.

So again, some people they become rich, they develop a great name and as a consequence their Dharma practice slowly slips away from them. On the other hand, those who become sick and they think to themselves here I’m going to practice Dharma, look at me now, I’m sick, what use is this? This is carrying on a practice and they give it up, they throw it away. As a consequence of these various attitudes, they’re not able to bring their practice to fulfillment, to culmination but those who are trained in mind, no matter what happens, good or bad, they bring their practice to completion. The practice of mind training, thought transformation, it doesn’t matter what conditions may arise.

If they’re adverse conditions then they help our practice. If they’re good conditions then they help our practice. If they’re bad, then they for those who have trained their minds when a bad situation arises they simply don’t give up. They’re able to take this as a means of practice and of course what to say about good situations as a time to engage in practice. So in this way they are able to continue throughout good and bad situations and they will eventually develop the awakening heart and thereby generate perfect enlightenment.

Today, we had an offering. So it might be tired, so we won’t have any questions today.