When animosity and anger are generated, we cause much discomfort to ourselves and great disturbance to others. Therefore, the Buddha has taught us to eradicate negative thoughts and create positive thoughts and actions. This means healthy, rational, and beneficial thoughts and actions. When the Chinese Communists talk about political indoctrination, they are referring to molding people’s minds. Unfortunately, they base this on the notion of defeating others and seizing the victory for oneself. Their idea of class struggle is a case in point.
The Buddha by contrast counselled us to help others whenever we can and at the very least to avoid harming them. What we should do is to think about the shortcomings of negative thoughts and actions. At the same time, we should acknowledge the advantages and value of healthy thoughts and actions. It is useful to employ various means and methods to determine the disadvantages of delusions and the benefits of a wholesome mind. When we are convinced of these facts, we will be inspired by a strong interest in creating virtuous thoughts and actions. Similarly, we will develop an inner urge to discard negative thoughts and actions.
The essence of Buddhist teachings can be summarized as the view of interdependence coupled with the conduct of nonviolence. These are the fundamentals I want you to remember. There is no functional phenomenon that exists independently or on its own. All phenomena depend on other factors. Things are interdependent. For example, peace in one nation depends on the attitude of its neighboring countries and the general security in the world. The happiness of one family depends on its neighbors and society at large. Buddhists believe in the theory of dependent origination, not in an almighty creator or in production from no cause at all.
When people forget basic ethical principles and act with a selfish attitude, unpleasant consequences ensue. When you think that your neighbors have nothing to do with your own happiness, you mistreat them. You bully some of them and intimidate and curse others. Can you expect an atmosphere of peace and harmony in such a neighborhood? The answer is obviously no. When you entertain evil thoughts like hostility and hatred, there is no joy in your heart and you are a nuisance to others. On the other hand, if you develop kindness, patience, and understanding, then the whole atmosphere changes. Our text, the “Seven Point Mind Training,” says:
First train in the preliminaries.
There are four preliminary practices: thinking about the rarity and potential of life as a free and fortunate human being; reflecting on death and impermanence; thinking about actions and their results; and reflecting on the faults of the cycle of existence. By reflecting on the rarity and potential of life as a free and fortunate human being, you overcome your obsession with the temporal pleasures of this life. By contemplating death and impermanence, you overcome your attraction to favorable rebirths in future lives.
Now, different activities are to be performed during the actual meditation session and during the postmeditation periods. We normally try to concentrate as much as possible during the meditation. If after meditating we leave the mind unguarded and distracted, it will harm our progress; therefore postmeditation practices are recommended.
A meditation session can be divided into the beginning, the actual session, and the conclusion. Traditionally, six preparatory practices are performed at the beginning. First, clean the environment in which you are performing the meditation. You clean it not just for mundane reasons, but also to induce a psychological effect of greater mental clarity. As Po-to-wa said, “Once a meditator has reached an advanced level, every action that he performs can become a stimulus for his practice.” So when you clean the place, think of it as a reminder that what actually has to be cleaned is the mind.
Then you can arrange representations of the Buddha’s body, speech, and mind in a proper way. Irrespective of what a statue is made of, your attitude toward it should be the same. You should not feel possessive toward it. Followers of the Kadam tradition needed only four images: statues or paintings of the Buddha; those of Avalokiteshvara, who is the embodiment of compassion; those of Tara, who is the embodiment of the Buddha’s activities; and those of Achala, a deity who overcomes obstacles.
It is not necessary to have all sorts of different figures, but it is good to have images of the Bodhisattva of Loving-kindness and of the future Buddha, Maitreya. If you have statues of deities related to your practice, that is good. If you do not, it is not that important, because you should not put too much emphasis on external articles. The emphasis should be placed more on internal development. If you have a lot of beautiful statues in your meditation room, they may look impressive, but if you remain the same short-tempered, scheming, devious person, then it is contradictory. As followers of the Buddha, we should follow what he taught. He taught us to fight the enemy of disturbing emotions within us and to decrease harmful attitudes such as anger. Posing as a follower of the Buddha but acting totally against what he has advised is like insulting the Buddha himself.
To see these images at the moment you wake up in the morning develops a strong determination to follow the Buddha’s example. Take them as a reminder to apply the Buddha’s instructions. In the evening, regret whatever negative actions you might have committed during the day out of ignorance, and develop a strong resolve not to repeat them. Resolve to correct yourself the next day. This is a proper and beneficial way to relate to religious images.
It would be good also to have a mind training text as a representation of the Buddha’s speech. If you have a stupa to represent the mind, fine, but if not, it is not that important. Meditators in the past, like Milarepa, lacked nothing they really needed for their practice, but visiting the places where they have meditated reveals only empty caves. People like us depend so much on external things, like having statues, incense, butter lamps, and so forth, but if these things bring about no effect in the mind, then they are not much help.
A thief once entered Milarepa’s cave, and Milarepa rebuked him saying, “How can you find at night things that I can’t find in the daytime?” Milarepa was really a great meditator, who due to his effort was able to achieve complete enlightenment within his lifetime. In this context, human beings, Westerners in particular, are generally very shortsighted, expecting quick results. Maybe they are accustomed to things working at high speed because they are used to having so many automatic gadgets. We need to be prepared to put in effort and sacrifice over a long period of time. Our effort and interest should not be just a fleeting obsession but persistent and steady. Milarepa achieved high realizations as a result of his concerted effort and hardship over a long period of time. If we are not prepared to put in such effort and hardship, it will be difficult to achieve what we are looking for. But if we train our minds, we will get to a point where we will see results. It may be difficult, but it is not impossible, so we should not lose courage.
I believe in being practical. I am not impressed only by what happened in the past. I am someone who wants to see practical results now, so I try to put as much effort into the practice as possible. When I compare my state of mind of ten or fifteen years ago with now, I find that a transformation has taken place. Twenty years ago I used to contemplate emptiness. I was very impressed by the theory of emptiness, and it really inspired me to seek the cessation of suffering. I used to think that once I obtained cessation, I would be able to remain in a blissful state for a long time. I used to think that working for the welfare of other sentient beings, an infinite number of sentient beings, was very idealistic. Later I studied the Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life and the Precious Garland, and that changed my outlook. Although I still admire the idea of cessation, these days I have a stronger admiration and aspiration for the compassion and tolerance that come with the awakening mind. The union of compassion and emptiness is something quite unique, but you can bring about an inner experience of it if you make the effort.
Sometimes I ask Westerners who have become Buddhists what practical benefit they have derived from it. Some have told me they have noticed a change. After becoming Buddhists there are fewer fights in their families. People are more accommodating and less aggressive. This is one of the direct benefits of changing one’s outlook. It creates a more peaceful atmosphere within the family, which
