Sun Radiance: Thought Transformation, 13 February 1990, part 1

Yes. There are the two, self and others. And self is the single person, oneself. Others are all sentient beings. And from beginning of this rebirth we have depended upon other sentient beings and we have depended upon in the in the interval.

And we will our happiness is dependent upon the upon all sentient beings and our ultimate happiness and this life in the future will depend upon all sentient beings. So we’re going to considering the great benefit of sentient beings in order that to ultimately bring them to complete happiness, the type of happiness which is without any type of suffering, that we must train our mind to its ultimate potential. In order to do that we’re going to listen to this profound teaching and develop the awakening heart. And we spend five minutes cultivating such an attitude as the motivation for listening to the teaching. So you know I have this root text of the seven points of mind training, the English translation.

And we’re beginning with midway down the left hand column with three objects, three poisons, three seeds of virtue using sayings to train in all forms of activities. So previously in as a means of developing the awakening heart there was a detailed explanation of the practice of taking and giving. That is the taking on the sufferings of others and giving away one’s own happiness. But now there will ensue a condensed explanation or abbreviated explanation. So in this abbreviated explanation, we’re going to explain the three objects, three poisons, and the three roots or here it says the seeds of virtue.

So what do we mean by the three objects? We first discussed what the six sense faculties. The six sense six senses. Six sense faculties. The eye sense faculty, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mental sense faculties.

There are six. So the the sixth sense faculty such as the I sense faculty which sees objects whether the object is red, white, whether it’s long or short, the various visual objects. There’s ear sense faculty which hears sounds whether the sound is pleasant or unpleasant. There is the nose sense faculty which smells odors. The tongue sense faculty which tastes the various pleasant and unpleasant taste, flavors.

The bodily faculty which experiences a smoothness, a roughness of tactile sensations. And altogether, there are six sense faculties each having their respective object. Within this six fold division we can take each of these objects. For example, the objects of the eye sense faculty that is to say forms, the colors blue, whatever. Each of them if we see what we regard as a good object then we’re we the object appears to be attractive.

If it’s a bad object it appears to be unattractive. It is neither good nor bad. Then the object appears to be neutral. So when our object, when our eye sees a present, an attractive object, for example a flower, some beautiful color, then we develop attachment. When it sees something in the eye consciousness sees something it doesn’t like, something unattractive, then it develops and depends upon that object it develops anger.

When it experiences an object which it finds neither attractive nor unattractive but is neutral or it experiences a confusion as to how to regard the object. So all of these three afflictive emotions of attachment, anger, and confusion are generated with respect to three types of objects. Likewise, with respect to the objects of the ear consciousness sounds. When we hear a pleasant sound we develop attachment. When we hear unpleasant sounds we develop anger, aversion.

And when we hear neutral sounds, we we develop confusion. So likewise with the various other senses, that sense of taste. When we experience a sweet taste which is present we develop attachment. When we develop a when we experience a bad taste we develop aversion. When we experience a taste which is neither pleasant or unpleasant we are confused and we develop the afflictive emotion of confusion or delusion.

Again with respect to objects of touch and soft pleasant to touch object we develop attachment. They’re very rough unpleasant to touch object we develop aversion. And to those which are neutral neither pleasant or unpleasant we develop a sense of indifference or confusion as to with respect to them. Likewise to all the various other senses including the mental sense. When someone says something very that we like to hear and we develop we develop that when we hear something that we like we develop attachment.

When someone says something that we don’t like we develop aversion. When it’s neutral we do we confuse as to respect to that object. So we have three objects. The object to which we develop attachment. The object to which we develop aversion.

And the object with respect to which we develop in confusion. And we develop the three poisons with respect to each of these three objects. The three poisons being attachment, aversion, and confusion. Sentient beings, when they experience an object, an attractive object, they develop attachment. When they experience an unattractive object they develop aversion.

And when they experience a neutral object they develop confusion. So it’s under the influence of the generation of these three poisons they enact unskillful actions. So the trainee of mind trainee, the bodhisattva who is practicing and developing his mind in accordance with these teachings develops the attitude of seeking to take on these three afflictive emotions, these three poisons. Seeing all sentient beings are under the sway of these three poisons, that these three due to coming in contact with these three objects, of attractive objects, unattractive, and neutral objects sentient beings develop the afflictive emotions of attachment, aversion, and confusion and under the influence of these three poisons they enact various unskillful actions and this serves as the root of suffering. The trainee, the bodhisattva and mind trainee prays that may I take on these three poisons upon myself so that sentient beings will no longer have to circle in these compulsive, neurotic cycles under the influence of these three poisons.

And then the bodhisattva trainee in developing this warm-hearted attitude takes on him or herself the three poisons of these sentient beings. But now though the sentient beings do not have these unskillful states within their mind, still he goes on to pray, may they enact skillful actions and therefore he gives over his three roots of virtue, or here it says three seeds of virtue to them and these are the roots of virtue of non attachment, non aversion, and non confusion which bring about the enactment of skillful actions and therefore happiness. So in taking on the attachment which is the three poisons of others, the first being the poison of attachment, the wishing that they giving over one’s root of virtue of non attachment may they develop the bodhisattva trainee prays that may they develop non attachment. Therefore the skillful actions which non attachment brings about. And this is essentially the determination to be free or the determination to be free, renunciation.

And then again taking on their anger or their aversion and giving away one’s own root of virtue in the form of nonaversion and this in the form of love and the awakening heart. Again, taking on their confusion which is an aspect of grasping at true existence and giving away one’s root of virtue in the form of non confusion which is essentially the wisdom understanding emptiness. So one is praying, may these be may they may I take on the the these three poisons of sentient beings and may they develop in their mind the three factors of determination to be free or renunciation, the awakening heart, and the correct view of emptiness. So this is one of the foundations of the development of the great vehicle. This wishing that sentient beings be free of the three poisons and that they possess the three roots of virtue, the three roots of skillful actions being non attachment, non aversion and non confusion.

Now when the yogi makes such a type of prayer it’s simply not merely from the mouth. He is actually he takes on suffering in his meditation compassionately with the attitude may these sentient beings be separated from their suffering and the causes of their suffering and in this in this mental context takes on their three poisons and then lovingly gives away the roots of his virtue as skillful actions which are the three non attachment, non aversion, and non confusion. So it’s the afflicted emotions are taken on with great compassion and roots of virtue are given over with great love, lovingly. So the bodhisattva who is training his or her mind in this way carries on this practice of compassionately taking on the sufferings of sentient beings and the causes of their suffering. By taking on, wishing that they be separated from these sufferings and the causes of suffering, wishing that they didn’t have sufferings and the causes of suffering, he develops an exceptional resolve and he’s continually taking on their suffering whether he’s sleeping, whether he’s standing, whether he’s going, whatever he’s doing he’s constantly compassionately taking on the sufferings of others.

So when we, in our practice compassion should be an extremely important part. That what we should be constantly cultivating compassion whether we’re staying, whether we’re going, whether we’re sleeping, whether we’re awake, whatever we’re doing that developed this altruism towards sentient beings. In such doing and training in such a way, we accumulate an unimaginable amount of positive potential. This is a practice for the for the very brave. You know, the bodhisattva is is the great is the bravest of all individuals.

But through gradual practice we can gradually develop the same practice and be able to engage in the same prayers that the bodhisattva makes. So we recommend it for those who are seeking to practice. You put into practice these teachings that practicing for a long period during the course of one day, but then after that forgetting about it, setting the practice aside, is of no benefit Nor is it helpful to try to practice it quickly, like a stone rolling down a mountain — that is of no benefit.

And we have to and also the question of doubt arising in one’s mind. You know, whether can I is this a good meditation or is it or not? Is can I really meditate this? Can I really cultivate this attitude or not? Is this really beneficial to me or not?

That there’s no benefit to derive if we if we are stuck in doubtful state of mind. You know, even in general, when we think when we’re in two minds about something, should I go here or should I go there? In such and state, nothing’s really accomplished. It’s like we can’t really you can’t sew with a two-pointed needle. So we have to develop a single single pointed stability of mind and and understanding the great benefit and ultimate usefulness of such a type of practice.

We have to try to carry on a really proficient practice with a stable mind. We have to begin we should try to think that our mind is with a we’re trying we’re going to bring about a purity of mind. You know, trying to make the mind like yogurt, you know, white — white, pure. Have this purity of mind in our practice. We’re going to single point with great courage pursue this practice to its final end.

And if we’re we do this, we’re not going to we ourselves will experience no sickness, no suffering, and whatever we want, we’re going to achieve. But if we do this in a half hearted fashion, there will will come no result. So when when discussing the the training for the development of the awakening heart, we said that in order that the awakening heart has two aspects. The aspect is the striving for the welfare of the striving to benefit others, that is to say altruism, and striving for awakening or enlightenment. And it is love and compassion, which is the the striving for the to benefit others or altruism.

So all we’re talking about the component of altruism that that you’re striving to benefit others and that can constitute a love and compassion. What exactly do we mean by these love and compassion? Compassion is reflected upon all sentient beings that that may they be separated from completely from their suffering and the roots of their suffering. So I said roots of I said suffering. Roots of suffering should be suffering and causes of suffering.

That was compassion. What do we mean by love? Love is that reflecting upon all sentient beings and wishing that they have complete ultimate happiness, which is completely divorced from any suffering. This attitude of mine. Altruism is extremely important.

We we just discussed the two aspects of altruism in the sense of the component of compassion, which seeks to to which wishes others to be separated from suffering and the component and additionally, the component of love which not only which wishes them to additionally to have complete happiness. And and we we may question what you know, will this actually come about? You know, I I practice in a new way, developing this this attitude of wishing simply. But, you know, can I can I really bring about the elimination of suffering? Can I really bring about the complete happiness about this?

So we we begin an examination. If we first look to the practitioners of the lesser vehicle, and though they have great accomplishments, but they abandon all the afflictive emotions, are free from cyclic existence, still they did they are not able to bring complete happiness and eliminate the roots of sufferings of all sentient beings. And then we look to the bodhisattva, and though they have unimaginable qualities, still they they do not have the the capacity to eliminate the roots of sufferings and to bring complete happiness to all sentient beings. So it is a Buddha, a fully enlightened being who has the ability to lead all So the the word Buddha in Tibetan is. And what do we mean by?

Someone who has who has trained their mind and has, in the course of their training, has the word has eliminated. The word means a clear way, abandon all faults. Has. The word means to evolve, ex to expand, cultivate it, bring to fulfillment all excellent qualities. So a a Buddha is one who has trained the mind as to as to eliminate all faults, and evolve all the excellent qualities.