Bodhisattvacaryavatara, 24 October 1988, part 2

So, just as in wars, there are individuals who spy on the enemy. They are lookouts. Someone is always appointed to go out and to keep a watch whether the enemy is coming or not. Likewise, we have to develop within our own minds a spy, someone to keep a lookout, to watch out whether anger is arising or not. That is, we have to develop the factor of awareness.

If we can develop awareness, then the moment anger begins to arise in our mind, then we can think, for example, if I allow this anger to arise, it’s going to destroy all my happiness. In fact, it’s going to bring me suffering. We can immediately pacify the anger thinking in this way if we have developed this factor of awareness. Initially, we’re talking about the way in which anger arises in our mind. We have to understand what are the conditions, what are the circumstances which bring about anger.

You know, discussing what are the circumstances which bring about our anger? One possible circumstance would be that someone who prevents us from gaining an object of our desire, someone who prevents us. Simple example of someone, you know, we desire to be happy. And, you know, if someone were to to throw a stone at us or to hit us over the head, and this would they would be preventing us from getting what we want, that is happiness. So, likewise, all the various, you know, things that we set out to do, all the various things that we want to get, if someone stands in our way, then they’re gonna become objects of our anger.

You know, whether it’s material things, for example, or food or clothing, that if we want, you know, if we want any of these objects and and someone prevents us, then they’re they’re going to become an object of our anger. So anger, the unhappiness associated with anger arises in dependence upon two causes or causes and conditions. One of them is in dependence upon, from our side, having a desire, an obstructed desire, having an obstructed desire, and the other is seeing the other person as preventing us from gaining that which we desire. So seeing another person preventing us from getting our desire, that which we want, and the other is having our desire obstructed, having an obstructed desire. So these two, that is, not getting that which we desire, not getting, having an obstructed desire, not getting that which we desire, The person who prevents us from getting that desire are the circumstances or the conditions, which brings about unhappiness in our mind, which is a cause.

In dependence upon these three, that is these two conditions, obstructed desire, the person who prevents our gaining what we want, our desire, and these acting as a condition causing unhappiness in our mind. in dependence upon these three, anger arises. Yes. So in the and dependence upon the degree of unhappiness that we experience, we are going to develop proportionate amount of anger. If we simply have a little bit of unhappiness, then our anger is not going be very strong.

But if our unhappiness is extremely great, we’re going to become very angry. So if so actually, the main cause of anger is our mental unhappiness. This is said to be like the fuel or the food of anger. Like, you know, how in dependence upon how much mental unhappiness we experience, to that same degree, we’re going to become that much more angry. It’s like food, in the sense that however much we eat, to that much more we’re going to get fat.

Likewise, however much anger we have, that much more however much more mental unhappiness we have, that much more we’re going to develop anger. Upon developing anger, we’ve destroyed our happiness, our mind has become uncontrolled, and going to habituate our mind to such states, and therefore, not only are we losing happiness in this life, but in the future lives, we’re going to have an unattractive body. We’re going to experience further unhappiness. So, you know, in the West, people don’t like to be fat. And so, you know, what is the method?

How can we get rid of this fat that nobody likes to have? Of course, go on a diet. We begin to eat less food. This solves our problem. Likewise, no one likes the unhappiness arising from anger.

So how are we going to reduce the unhappiness, the disadvantages, the faults of the anger? By lessening anger, that is, we have to begin to reduce the amount of food, that is mental unhappiness. If we can pacify our mental unhappiness, we’re not we aren’t going to become angry. We have to begin to look upon anger as our enemy and see the great harm it brings us, and understand that the fuel or the nourishment of anger is mental unhappiness. Therefore, every day that I’m not going to give anger any more fuel since it has all these faults, brings me all this unhappiness, it has all these disadvantages, and therefore I’m going to begin to cease fuel.

The I’m going to diminish the fuel that is the mental unhappiness of anger. So we have to develop the intention that understand by through understanding the within our experience the disadvantages of anger and the advantages of patience. You know, if we understand that the all the various disadvantages of anger, you know, that anger actually initially destroys our happiness, we cannot be happy, we cannot remain at peace, we feel unsettled. It not only hurts us, but it hurts those around us. It not only hurts us and those around us in this present life, but also in future life by accustoming ourselves to such states, then we’re going to gain the intention that I’m not going to allow I’m not going to give it any fuel.

I’m not going allow the cause of anger to arise. That is mental unhappiness. That is the misery of the mind, various suffering states of the mind. Determining that upon meeting any conditions, upon coming in contact with situations which cause me mental unhappiness, I’m going to be aware and make effort to prevent mental unhappiness arising, thereby not allowing it to act as causes for anger. So we have to see that the mental unhappiness is of no benefit to us.

We have to understand that anything that the various states arising from it are of no benefit. For example, if someone were to throw a stone at us and hit us on the head and cause a wound. You know, if we would allow ourselves in this situation to become mentally unhappy over this event, then we’re going to develop anger. Now that anger not only is going to destroy any type of mental happiness which we might have been able to hold on to, but having done that, we’re going to cause we’re going to seek to harm this other person, due to which we’re going to engage in destructive actions. We’re going to hurt ourselves in the present.

We’re going to hurt ourselves in the future. And in fact, that anger is really of no benefit. That anger in itself only hurts yourself. Anger in itself cannot hurt anybody else. It cannot hurt this other person.

It doesn’t you know, it’s meaningless because it doesn’t it doesn’t do any it doesn’t help to heal the wound, for example. And another example would be if someone were to we expected someone to give us a present, say a $100. And having this expectation, this person goes to give us a $100, but they change their mind. They say, oh, I don’t like you anymore. I’m not going to give it to you anymore.

Now, our mind becomes very unhappy. But our mind becoming unhappy, that in itself, and also the anger which is generated due to our mental unhappiness, in no way can act as a means or a method to help us to get that $100 that we wanted before. This in itself, the mental unhappiness and the anger which arises, not a method to help us to get that $100 that we wanted. So, you know, what is the use of returning harm upon receiving harm? You know, returning this harming others in no way lessens the harm which was directed towards you.

And in fact, by developing the thought to harm, by developing anger, by developing mental unhappiness, we are only compounding our own suffering and in no way helps us or benefits, in no way lessens the pain that we already received. So, you know, this is what the the text is saying, but we should, you know, reflect upon it ourselves, check up within our own experience. You know, does returning harm for harm, does that help the situation any? Does it lessen our own suffering? So, this sense, then we should reflect and check up within our own experience what is being said.

This way, it becomes having generated out of our own experience, it becomes a natural part of our practice. Now, if someone were to if if one person were to kill our a close relative of ours, you know, naturally we might not like that. We can ask, you know, you would experience a great deal of suffering, especially mental unhappiness, mental suffering. Now, if in fact that mental suffering that arose from this situation of killing your relative, if that could bring that relative back to life, then it would be a very viable thing to do. But it actually can’t do that.

It actually, the relative is dead and we cannot, no matter how much unhappiness we may generate, it’s not going to help that person, that dead person in the least. So it’s of no benefit. But in fact, we’re disturbing peace of our mind. We’re losing our happiness, but it’s going to act as a cause for anger, which we’re going to bring about further harm to ourselves and others. So in such a situation as this where your perhaps a relative has been killed, you know, how could you what could serve as an antidote to the mental unhappiness which might arise?

You know, we can if we have some, you know, developing conviction in the as in the for example, the teaching of the Buddha where he set forth the the law of the cause and effect, and that, you know, whatever actions that you commit, there’s going to be a similar result, a reaction coming back toward you. And therefore, in this situation where perhaps a relative is killed, we can understand that this is the working out of the law of the cause and effect. And therefore this understanding this, that this is simply the process of a reaction from something that we’ve done in the past, and therefore this will act as an antidote whereby we won’t necessarily experience a mental unhappiness. So this is, you know, a real method we can use to lessen the suffering that we experience in such situations. That, you know, if we can develop the conviction in the Buddhist teaching on the law of cause and effect that for the various actions that we engage in, there’s going to be a reaction which is going to come back toward us.

And thinking in this way, can actually it’s a real method to lessen our mental suffering in such situations. So the circumstance might arise, situation might arise where someone slaps you in the face, calls you bad names, abuses you with harsh words. If at that time we can understand that this is simply the operation of the infallible law of cause and effect, that this is simply a reaction of something that we’ve done in the past, that in fact, in the past that we’ve hurt others, that we’ve abused others, that we’ve called them harsh, you know, bad names, used harsh words, slapped others, hurt others, and this is simply a reaction to past negative actions. This will act as a means whereby anger will not arise. So if we can do this in all the various situations that arise and where we experience some kinds of difficulties, matter what may happen to us, for whatever problems may arise and troubles, whatever sufferings that we may experience.

If we can simply understand that this is a reaction, a result from past negative actions, that this is simply the operation of the law of cause and effect and understanding the advantages of patience, the disadvantages of anger, then this, that is the understanding and application of the law of cause and effect. The understanding of the law of cause and effect as an antidote can act as the most powerful means by which to cease the rising of anger. So you have some questions? So maybe we’ll take questions questions from five minutes. Yeah.

On the subject of anger, just thinking about the oppressed people in the world, the people who are in situations where they’re experiencing, there may be everyday anger, brutality, violence, killings, people who are in a social framework which is full of injustice that, in fact, is is is designed to oppress them and keep them down. Surely, their anger in this situation can have a positive outcome in order to struggle against the injustices that they experience and create change, social change within their experience and their lifetime. Is this not a constructive form of anger? So, you know, the results of anger can only be destructive and they can only bring unhappiness. And if we take the example of the Chinese occupation of Tibet, the oppression of the Tibetan people, the for us to become angry at them would only make the situation worse.

That in fact we have to we should understand that the oppression of the Tibetan people by the Chinese is simply is a reaction resulting from the Tibetan people having in the past oppressed the Chinese themselves. And that becoming angry at them would not lead us to gain the insight we want. And in fact, by remaining peaceful and clear sighted as to our goal, this in fact will be the best means by which we can regain our independence and freedom. So, Rinpoche says whether one is a very angry person in this life or not an angry person in this life is simply due to have been habituated to anger in past lives. The fact of being male or female makes no difference.

There are many women who are quite angry and many men who have little anger. So it’s just a continual recycling. First, there are the 20 intermediate eons in which the universe is being created. And then then there’s the 20 intermediate eons of abidance which we’re experiencing at this present time. And then there are 20 intermediate eons in which gradual destruction of the universe until a point is reached where there would be 20 intermediate eons, where it’s called emptiness, there’s there exists nothing.

And then this process will begin again where there’ll be another 20 eons of recreation of the universe. And it just keeps cycling like this. So, you know, it’s during this period of the intermediate eon of abidance that the that that the Buddha appears and gives teachings. And it’s during this period. And then then there come about the eventual degeneration of the teachings and finally they’ll they will be destroyed.

And this begins the eon, the intermediate eon where, the 20 intermediate eons of destruction. And that’s disintegration. And it’s emptiness. Is that the only universe in which that cycle is happening, or are there corresponding, shall we say, universes where while one is being destroyed, another is being created? Yeah.

So so this what we’re talking about is intermediate these four intervals of the eons in this great eon applies to this universe. And then there are other universes which are undergoing a different are involved in different cycles than we’re in, which is mentioned in the in the Offering to the Guru. It’s mentioned about these other universes where this process is also taking place. Any more questions?