Vajrayana Teaching Part 13

Part three: MIND TRAININGS/LOJONG TEACHINGS

The practice involves refining and purifying one's motivation and attitudes. Lojong - taming ones mind, pacifies all suffering.  By using and transforming problems into the spiritual path, one gain mastery over life now and in the future.

Four Reminders

a) Maintain an awareness of the precious human life.

b) Be aware of the reality that life ends, death comes for everyone, impermanence.

c) Recalls that whatever you do, whether virtuous or not has a result - karma.

d) Contemplate that as long as you are too focused on self-importance and too caught up in thinking about how good or bad you are, you will suffer. Obsessing about getting what you want & avoidance of what you don't want does not result in happiness - uproot petty ego.

MIND TRAINING-LOJONG TEACHINGS: 8 Verses of Thought Transformation by Langri Thangpa

This teachings take a look at ordinary human life and how Buddhism is relevant, analysing tough life-issues and take pragmatic steps to get Dharma & Life together.  This is the practice of  'Method and Wisdom':

(1) Determined to accomplish all success I shall always practice holding dear all sentient beings who are more precious than wish fulfilling Gems

We ourselves and all other beings want to be happy and free from suffering. We are equal. However, each of us is only one, while other beings are infinite number.

Two-Attitudes to consider

a) Selfishly cherishing ourselves: This attitude makes us very uptight, we think we are very important & our basic desire is for ourselves to be happy & for things to go well for us.  Result: acting like this can never make us happy.

b) Cherishing others: Value helping others; regard all beings as more important.  Result: one becomes happy.

(2) Wherever I go & whomever I accompany, I shall practice seeing myself as the lowest of all & sincerely hold others dear and supreme

No matter who we are with, we often think things like: 'I am smarter", I am more beautiful than her', 'I am richer', etc.  This is not good, we should always be humble, do not generate much pride - 'I'/Self.

(3) In all actions I shall examine my mind and the moment an unsubdued thought arises, endangering myself and others, I shall face and avert it

If we investigate our mind, at times  we are selfish & self-cherishing, we shall find the disturbing negative minds are the root of this behaviour.  Apply antidote to it. example:

-when you have negative mind then meditate on Emptiness,

-when you have strong Attachment (see things as attractive), meditate on ugliness (counteracts that),

-when you have  Anger meditate on Loving-kindness,

-when you are close-minded (ignorance) meditate on 12-link Dependent arising or interdependent origination (things are empty of true existance).

(4) Whenever I see beings who are wicked nature overwhelmed by violent negative actions and suffering, I shall hold him dear as if I had found a precious treasure

If we run into somebody who is by nature very cruel, rough, nasty and unpleasant, our usual reaction is to avoid him.  In such situations our loving concern for others is liable to decrease.  Instead of allowing our love for others to weaken by thinking what an evil person he is, we should see him as a special object of love and compassion and cherish that person as though we had come across a precious treasure difficult to find.

(5) When, out of Envy, others mistreat me with abuse, insults, I shall accept defeat and offer the victory to others

If somebody insults, abuse or criticizes us, saying we are incompetent & don't know how to do anything & so forth, we are likely to get angry & contradict what the person has said.  We should not react in this way, instead with humility and tolerance we should accept what has been said.

Two-kinds of situation

a) If we are obsessed with our own welfare & very selfishly motivated, we should accept defeat & offer victory to the other even if our life is at stake.

b) If the situation is such that the welfare of others is at stake, we have to work very hard & fight for the rights of others & not accept the loss at all.

(6) When someone whom I have benefited & in whom I have great hopes give me terrible harm, I shall practice regarding him as my holy guru

Usually we expect people whom we have helped a great deal to be very grateful & if they react to us with in-gratitude we are likely to get angry.  In such a situation, we should not get upset but practice Patience.  See such people as teachers testing our patience & treat them with Respect.

(7) In short both directly & indirectly, do I offer every happiness & benefit to all my mothers.  I shall practice taking all their harmful actions & suffering

This refers to the practice of taking upon ourselves all the suffering of others & giving away to them all our happiness.  Motivated by strong compassion and love.  Without a trace of miserliness, we should offer them our happiness-our merits & pray for it to ripen on them immediately.

(8) Undefiled by the stains of the supertitions of the 8-Worldly concerns, may I by perceiving without grasping to relieve all sentient beings from bondage of attachment

This deals with wisdom.  All preceding practices should not be defiled by the stains of 8 Worldly dharmas/concern.  By recognizing all existence as illusion (objects) & not cling to true existence.  One is liberated from bondage of clinging.