Mind Training, 2010, part 3

So when we listen to the Dharma, it is capital to set the motivation, to listen to the Dharma. If we set a good motivation, listening to the dharma actually becomes dharma itself. If we do not set a good motivation, listening to the dharma does not become dharma. And what is this motivation? It is a motivation of cherishing others and not self-cherishing, specifically the motivation of leading all sentient beings as vast as space, as measureless as space, to a state bereft of all suffering and endowed with all happiness.

And with this as a goal, goal, to oneself eliminate all one’s faults and actualize all one’s qualities so as to be able to do this. Let us therefore listen to these teachings which are the essence of the Mahāyāna and engage in the three activities of hearing, thinking, meditating upon them with this motivation. And to do this, let us first meditate for a couple of minutes on setting the motivation. So we have reached this life through the impetus of karma and we are subject to impermanence. When impermanence strikes, as Śāntideva says, what can we hope to do?

And therefore, understanding clearly that all will go to waste, all will be abandoned, our friends, our relatives, our body, and our wealth, we have to put effort in practice. And therefore, in the context of this verse of Śāntideva, one refers both to friends who are parents, relatives, sisters, and so forth, which are generally beings which we like because they have benefited us, and for whom we have love, compassion, and empathy, are actually of the nature of desire, and can be classified under the category of desire. And independent on this in turn, we accumulate a large amount of karma, and the second category of beings, which are beings which we dislike. These are enemies, beings whom we conceive as harmful, harmful with respect to whom we give rise to anger and animosity, giving rise in dependence on these to hatred for them, and accumulating accumulating large amounts of non virtue. The non virtue which is accumulated with respect both to those with whom we are close, our friends, and those whom we loathe, our enemies, however, is a non virtue which will accompany us and us alone, because all our friends and enemies will die.

We ourselves will remain. The desire and the hatred of this life will soon seem to us akin to a dream. However, the results, the effects of the karma which has been accumulated is something which we will have to necessarily experience. There is no one else but ourselves who would experience these karmic results. Both the friends and the enemies with regards to whom we have accumulated this karma themselves will not experience it.

Therefore, it is ideal to generate equanimity or indifference with respect to both friends and enemies. This is a very good way to proceed. Since we, and we ourselves, will experience alone whatever non virtue has been accrued with respect to them. They themselves will not. So Rinpoche suggests that the best approach is to meditate on an equal mind with respect to all, and in dependence on this, a mind which lacks lacks desire and anger will arise.

Such a mind is a foundation for the uninterrupted generation of virtue. We ourselves have been under the influence of desire and hatred since beginningless time. And we can say that the result of desire and hatred is exclusively suffering and is exclusively harmful. Therefore, looking at it in this way, desire and hatred have on the one hand no purpose, purpose, and on the other hand, they have only faults. Therefore, it is imperative to destroy them, and destroying them, all qualities will arise.

So, Rinpoche will continue commenting the root text of the Wheel of Sharp Weapons on page 19 of your English translation, verse 21. When powerlessly serving others and tormented, since it is from loathing one’s inferiors and reducing them to servitude, that the sword of evil comet has revolved back upon me, at present may my body and life serve others. Here, powerlessly refers to our situation when we are enslaved to others, when we are subservient to them under their control, under their power. Others lord over us, they rule over us, and the verb tormented refers to the suffering which is inflicted upon us in this life by others when we are killed, when we are beaten, when what we own is stolen from us, not once, but again and again. Now, this refers to a result, and the result is a result of a cause, which is explained in the second verse.

The second verse is, since it is from loathing one’s inferiors and reducing in servitude. This here refers to having in a former life former life gathered under oneself others and lorded over them, inflicted suffering upon them. And as a result of this, in this life, we experience being serving others and being tormented by others. Hence, in former lives, we gather others under our control, and these include friends, which we turned away from the virtuous path, beings whom we harmed in general, as well as the harm inflicted to our teachers, or those striving striving for for virtue. Virtue.

So, this refers to having in former life gathered others under our power, and as a result of this, in turn, being oneself under the power or the control of others. This does not refer to sentient beings who are sick and so forth. And the meaning of this verse is that whatever suffering we experience is not meaningless or causes. It is the result of having done something similar to others in former lives. As the Buddha himself said, as is the cause which you have created or the effect likewise will be the result.

Hence, when we create causes of inflicting harm or tormenting, controlling others in past lives, we will experience the same thing in this life. Moving onwards to the following stanza at the bottom of page 19. Upon hearing unpleasant words, since it is because of the force of speech, this divisive speech, and so on that the sword of evil karma has revolved back upon me, at present may I revile the force of speech. This is something all of us have direct experience of. We have direct experience of hearing harsh words or offensive words, and whenever this happens, upon hearing unpleasant words in the first verse, this happens as a result of ourselves in formal lives having used offensive speech towards others, calling others thieves or murderers, saying such and such has killed another, and addressing this offensive speech to one’s teachers, to one’s friends, then as a result of this, in this life, we will experience the result thereof, which is hearing ourselves unpleasant words.

Therefore, realizing this, we take the resolution expressed in the final verse, that present may I revile the force of speech, which is that we will never use harsh or offensive words to our teachers, to our friends, to our parents, to our relatives, and so forth. Moving onwards to verse, the following verse on page 20, the bottom of page 20. Upon taking birth somewhere in an impure land, since it is through continual meditation on impure appearances that the sword of evil karma has revolved back upon me. At present, I would exclusively meditate on pure appearances. Here, in the first verse, an impure land refers to a land in which numerous sources of harm are present in the form of diseases, of epidemics, of civil war, of conflicts, of economic crisis, failing crops through drought, and so forth.

This is a result. It is the result of what is explained in the second verse, which is exclusively seeing faults in others and in one’s environment. When one exclusively sees faults in others when one is consistently negative, then as a result of this, one is reborn in an impure land. Therefore, as a resolution in the fourth verse, we resolve to exclusively meditate on pure appearances. In other words, see others as pure, meditate on faith, conviction, and so forth.

And then on page 21, the stance at the bottom of page 20 separated from beloved and helpful friends, since it is from luring other circles of friends to oneself, that the sword of evil karma has revolved back upon me, at present I will not separate others from their circles of friends. So the first verse refers to the result we are experiencing when our own close and intimate friends leave us, or we are separated from them, and this is a result which is a result of the cause explained in verse two. Since it is from luring other circles of friends to oneself. This refers to friends, people we like, our beloved. In every single case, these are people with whom we are extremely close and harmonious.

In past lives, we ourselves under the force or under the power of envy or of jealousy separated others from those who were close to them, their boyfriends, girlfriends, and so forth. As a result of this, in our life, we in turn are separated from beloved and helpful friends. Therefore, in the final verse at present, Rebuchet says, from now on, I will not separate, in other words, I will do nothing to alienate people from each other. Instead, everything I do will aim to make people remain in harmony with each other. Then on page 22, the stanza, when all the holy ones dislike me, since it is because of relying on evil friends after abandoning the holy ones, that the sword of evil karma has revolved back upon me.

At present, I will give up evil friends. Here, the term holy ones refers to beings who are completely pure, completely virtuous, such as the guru, such as Tulku’s Nirmanakayas, such as spiritual teachers, who are completely faultless. And when the term dislike is used, this does not refer to any anger in their mind. It refers to a manifestation of discontent. Discontent irrespective of what we do, whatever offerings we make, however hard we try to serve them, nonetheless, nonetheless, we do not seem to be able to do so.

This is a result, a result of the situation explained in the second verse, since it is because of relying on evil friends after abandoning the holy ones, this refers to our behavior in past lives where we relied not on ordinary evil friends, but impure teachers, those who actually taught us wrong behavior such as stealing or killing. And when we had faith and actually respect or veneration for them, then in dependence on the non virtuous karma which was accumulated, which is referred to in verse three, we then became at odds with our spiritual teacher. Therefore, in verse four, it is said, at present, I will give up. Literally, Rinpoche says, abandon all evil friends and any relation with them. And now on page 23, the verse in the middle of the page, when abused by others, defamed and vilified, since it is through debasing the holy ones that the sword of evil karma has revolved back upon me.

At present, I will neither debase nor misrepresent nor vilify others. So here in the first verse, when abused by others, defamed and vilified, the Tibetan term which is used is the term actually means to assert that something which was not done was done, and refers to to assert that something which was done was not done. They seem to correspond, broadly speaking, to misrepresentation and defamation. When either of these is present or is experienced in this life, and this is something which we can see for ourselves, it is not causeless, it is the result of past karma which has been accumulated, specifically what is explained in verse two, since it is through debasing the holy ones, this Rinpoche says can occur either in this life or in former lives, and refers to debasing not only one’s teachers, but also one’s parents, saying that they have done things which they haven’t done, or that they haven’t done things which they did. In turn, that the sword of evil karma has revolved back upon me.

The sword here, as Rinpoche explained, refers to the effect, this effect of evil karma we are experiencing. At present, Rinpoche says, one should read this as, from now onwards, I will neither debase, nor misrepresent, nor vilify others. I will neither here means we should put an end permanently to this behavior. This behavior of asserting that others have done things which they haven’t done, or not done things which they have done. In a nutshell, this is how one should understand karma and causality.

In dependence on past behavior, we experience results similar to the cause in this life, and then realizing that this is to be avoided, we put an end to such behavior for the future. As Rinpoche explained last time regarding karma and causality, karma can mature if it is powerful in this very life, if it is less powerful in the following life, and if it is even weaker than that in some future life. Regarding the difference between virtuous and non virtuous karmas, non virtuous karma, which is accumulated under the power of desire and hatred, will give rise necessarily to a result unless it is purified otherwise it abides indefinitely within the mind. As for virtuous karma, virtuous karma will necessarily give rise to a result unless it is destroyed by anger. Anger has the power to destroy virtuous karma.

Anger will transform a powerful virtuous karma, which would have ripened in this life, into a weak virtuous karma, which will ripen in the next life. It will transform a weaker virtuous karma, which would have matured in the next life into an even weaker virtuous karma which will mature in some future life. And it transform a weak virtuous karma which would have matured at some future life into a karma which will no longer mature. Therefore, it is capital for us to dedicate our virtues to prevent them from being destroyed by anger. And, therefore, whatever happiness or suffering we experience at present is something which is not caused by others, by other human beings, nor is it caused as some believe by spirits or by gods, not in in any way at all.

It is exclusively caused by the karma which we have accumulated. Others can in no way ultimately inflict suffering upon us. It is said that others actually, the Buddha himself said famously, others cannot harm us with earth or stones. It is only what is within our minds which can harm us. So it is the karma which we have accumulated ourselves, which gives rise if it’s virtuous karma to happiness, and if it’s non virtuous karma to So faith in karma and causality, conviction in past and future lives is extremely rare.

The conviction that virtue gives rise to happiness and non virtue gives rise to suffering is rare to see. We see and hear in daily life and in the news all the time that people say say such and such harmed him, such and such slew him, this horrible event happened. This is a clear indication of absolute lack and conviction in karma and causality. If one is convinced in karma and causality, of karma and causality, one understands clearly that these results are results of the karma accrued by both the victim and the culprit. Who teaches karma and causality?

The Buddha is a teacher of karma and causality. The Buddha teaches clearly this, this and this, give rise to this, this and this. Therefore, we have to have faith in the Buddha, otherwise it is impossible for us to give rise to faith into karma, in karma and causality. Causality. The Buddha said abandon all thoughts and lead all qualities to completion.

This is the path which we have to follow. And the Buddha understood clearly the full scope of karma and causality, examining the karmic causes of being the self same way as if he held them within his hand, seeing them most clearly. Why was this the case? Because the Buddha had abandoned all obscurations, specifically, he had abandoned both Kleśavarana and Jñeyāvarana, the obstructions of the afflictions and the obstructions to omniscience. In addition, the Buddha’s speech is honest authentic speech.

It is a speech which is in no way affected by dissimulation or lying under the influence of desire hatred. This is the case because the Buddha has eliminated all faults within his mind stream. Unlike ordinary beings, who when they teach, teach for their own benefit, encouraging students in one direction and discouraging them from another direction for their own sake. As is said in Dharmakīrti’s Pramāna Vartika, because there is no result thereof, the Buddha in no way can utter a lie. Ordinary beings are not at all in this situation.

The Buddha himself understands the sum total of phenomena, the actual situation of all phenomena, and has a love for sentient beings, beings which is immeasurably superior to that of parents for their child. The love of the Buddha for sentient beings is like that of space, whereas the love of parents for their children is, can be compared merely to a hand. So not only does the Buddha himself wish exclusively the well-being of sentient beings, and in no way wishes to harm them. In addition, he put tremendous effort to achieve his state of full enlightenment, and it is in dependence on this that the Buddha teaches karma and causality. Dharma is nothing other but the practice of karma and causality.

The teachings which say, which were taught by the Buddha that this cause gives rise to this effect and that cause gives rise to that effect. The path of the being of three scopes, the path of the being of lesser, middling and greater scope is nothing else but a practice of karma. The practice of the being of lesser scope is a practice of lesser karma. The practice of the being of middling scope is a practice of middling karma or middling result. The practice of the being of greater scope is a practice of greater karma or greater result.

There is no such thing as a Dharma which is not connected to karma and causality. So scientists talk about interdependence and the interdependence they are talking about is broadly speaking included within the one which we refer to. It is a dependence of phenomena on conditions, specifically interdependence. In Tibetan means to depend on another. Now this is subdivided into three, coarse, subtle, and very subtle interdependence.

Coarse interdependence is causal interdependence, phenomena depend on their causes. Subtle interdependence is interdependence on parts, and the most subtle interdependence of all is interdependence on nominal imputation. In this context, we are speaking, however, of a very specific form of cause and interdependence, which is karma and causality. Karma actually refers to deeds which are new deeds which are accumulated in dependence on a motivation by a single actor. In this case, such deeds are necessarily accumulated by beings, since beings and beings alone can give rise to a motivation without which karma cannot be accumulated.

So in as much as the being itself or the person is a an actor, is a subject, then it can give rise to a motivation and in turn act. in dependence on a virtuous motivation, virtue will arise. in dependence on a non virtuous motivation, non virtue will arise. Therefore, one actor giving rise to one motivation in turn generates one action. This is understood by karma.

Referring to virtuous karma, one engages in addition to this relying on conditions such as hearing, thinking, and meditation in activities, which lead the virtuous karma to fruition. Non virtuous karma is karma which is impelled by desire and by hatred. Buddha himself manifested tremendous kindness to us in teaching karma and causality. If we reflect on the totality of the states of beings, whether they are human beings, arhats, practitioners of the lower vehicle, of the greater vehicle, bodhisattvas, or for that matter practitioners of secret mantra, In every every single case, their state of being is a result of the Buddha’s teachings. Being a human being is something which arises in dependence on karma and causality.

It arises through abandoning the abandoning the 10 non virtuous deeds, protecting ethics, and making strong prayers to attain a human rebirth. Likewise, becoming a bodhisattva is a result of karma, specifically, it is a result of the karmic cause of bodhicitta, and the practices of Guru Yoga, highest Yoga tantra, are also the result of karma and causality. All of these were taught without exception by the Buddha. We therefore have to have faith in the Buddha. Having faith in the Buddha in turn, can have faith in karma and causality, since the Buddha’s speech is faultless.

The Buddha’s speech is faultless precisely because he gave up all thoughts, and as such becomes an object of faith. Without faith, there is no benefit whatsoever to practice. It is very difficult to consider any real benefit to practice if we lack faith in the Dharma we practice. Therefore, we need both faith and conviction in the Dharma. Otherwise, why bother?

What’s the point? If we practice on the other hand with faith, then most definitely there is benefit. And therefore, irrespective of the Dharma we practice, it is imperative that we have faith and conviction that this Dharma can eliminate suffering and give rise to happiness. Otherwise, there is no practice. Specifically, we must have profound faith in the spiritual teacher, in the guru, in the deity or the Yidam, the tutelary deity which we practice, and whichever Dharma or ritual we engage in.

Moreover, we must actually see the Dharma and the books which carry this Dharma as teaching the path to liberation and have faith in them. This is indispensable for us. In dependence on this, we can progress. This is something which we lack. When we see how we treat books, we place them anywhere.

We have no respect whatsoever for the written word of the Dharma. Moreover, if we can practice seeing the guru, the teachings, the guru, the deity, and the path as one, then we will progress very very fast. So to do well in our practice, we have to collect all of the requisite conditions, the harmonious conditions, then the result will arise. Otherwise, if we do not collect the requisite conditions, no result can arise. And Rinpoche would like to suggest that we reflect reflect upon this ourselves and see whether we agree or not.

The root liberation is wisdom. Likewise, the root of higher states, the states of God and man, is faith. The root of liberation is wisdom because without the wisdom which realizes emptiness, there is no liberation. Likewise, the root of higher states is said to be faith because higher states, human rebirth, divine rebirth, depend on karma and causality, and without faith in karma and causality, there is no such attainment. Therefore, we also need faith.

In a nutshell, for practices of the method component of the path, faith is principle. For practices of the wisdom component of the path, wisdom is principle. Do you have do you have questions? Sir Rinpoche has time for one question. Yes.

So the Prāsaṇgika Mādhyamika view, the space like view referred to here, is the supreme Buddhist view. There are four Buddhist views. The view, and they are of increasing subtlety. The Vaibhāṣika view, and then we have the Sautrāntika view, which is more subtle than the Vaibhāṣika view. Then we have the Cittamātra, or mind only view, which is more subtle than the Sautrāntika view, and then we have the Mādhyamika view, which is more subtle than the Cittamātra view.

The Mādhyamika view is subdivided into two, the Svatāntrika Mādhyamika and the Prāsaṇgika Mādhyamika views. Now, those who were reborn in the lower realms, referred to by are probably, Rinpoche says, not beings who had generated within their continuum the view. Had they generated view, they would not have been reborn in the lower realms. And the space like view here referred to is a space like view of Nāgārjuna, and what Atisha’s teacher was saying to Atisha is that even though one trains in this view, one must have the foundation of karma and causality. Otherwise, without this, many holy beings have or many noble beings have fallen in the lower realms.

So for this reason, karma and causality is the foundational practice of Buddhism. Do you have another doubt? Yeah. Regarding ignorance, ignorance is the principal motor of cyclic existence. Both virtuous and non virtuous deeds give rise to cyclic existence, and in the background of both virtuous and non virtuous deeds lurk ignorance.

Ignorance, therefore, in and of itself is not non virtuous, it is neutral. When we, for instance, make prostrations, and we think I am gonna offer prostrations, that mind thinking I am gonna offer prostrations is a case of ignorance, which apprehends itself as inherently existing. The act of offering prostrations, however, is virtuous. And as a result, we gain virtuous results from this deed, although within cyclic existence. On the other hand, when we think, I am gonna kill this animal, slaughter this animal, then again, the ignorance which apprehends itself lurks in the background, and the deed of killing an animal is performed and leads to rebirth within cyclic existence.

Once one has directly realized the selflessness of persons or phenomena, then one no longer performs deeds under the influence of ignorance. Until that point, for all of us who are beneath that point, every single deed we perform is performed under the influence of ignorance. And therefore, we we should put effort in realizing selflessness which crushes self grasping. Once the mind has realized selflessness, the mind is actually impelled or goes, in what he says, in the direction of selflessness. And this mind, which realized selflessness, is no longer influenced by self grasping or the ignorance which apprehends phenomena as inherently existing.

Otherwise, until the mind has actually realized selflessness, it is unavoidably influenced by self grasping. As is said, having realized truth, there is no longer the experience of being impelled. In other words, having realized the truth suffering, of the origin of suffering, of cessation, and of the path, specifically having realized selflessness, then the experience of cyclic existence is exhausted. So let us meditate, Rinpoche says, on emptiness as he does. Very good.

It’s very good. Okay. Take off. We will stop here for tonight. I think very, very good.