The Root of our Troubles

by Geshe Sonam Rinchen

The Buddha taught many different practices which form the paths and stages that enable us to accomplish the goal of spiritual life — a good rebirth, liberation from cyclic existence, or complete enlightenment. All of these practices and their results are for the purpose of removing the troubles of the world. “The world,” used to translate the Tibetan term jigten (’jig rten), here has a very specific meaning because it refers to the five aggregates — forms, feelings, discriminations, compositional factors, and the six kinds of consciousness — which constitute our own and others’ bodies and minds. The person or self depends on these five aggregates, and it is in relation to them that we come into existence and disintegrate. Thus “basis of disintegration” is one meaning for jigten. Those who are born again and again in the six different states of cyclic existence, repeatedly taking on new bodies and relinquishing them life after life, are called worldly beings. Animals are considered to be in a bad state of rebirth, while humans are in a good state because they experience greater happiness, their suffering is less intense, and they are able to do what is necessary to insure their future well-being.

The troubles of the world refer to birth, sickness, ageing and death, not getting what we want, getting what we don’t want, and seeking but not finding. They are the consequences of having taken birth with this kind of body and mind, the product of past actions underlain by the disturbing emotions. In this sense the body and mind are said to be contaminated. They are the basis for all our present suffering and in addition act like a magnet, attracting future suffering as well. Every action leaves its imprint on the mind, and later craving and grasping activate the imprint to bring about its result. Underlying this kind of action is our ignorance, namely our innate misconception of the self, the root of all our troubles. The only way to rid ourselves of this misconception is to understand how the self actually exists, which is diametrically opposed to how that misconception perceives it.

The person and all other existent phenomena are dependently existent. Whatever is produced depends on the causes and conditions that produce it. All phenomena are dependent on their parts as well as on a valid basis of attribution and the process of attribution. The understanding of this allows us to realise that things could not possibly be independent as they appear to be. Nothing at all has even the slightest degree of true intrinsic existence. Everything exists in dependence on other factors and is thus free from the two extremes: the extreme of reified objective existence and the extreme of complete nonexistence.

Lack of inherent existence is not equivalent to nonexistence, and we must train ourselves to distinguish between these two. Emptiness implies that things are dependent. Since anything produced depends on causes and conditions, the causes and conditions we ourselves create through our thoughts and actions are of seminal importance. The principal cause that allows us to overcome our cyclic existence and the basic misconception that underlies it is familiarising ourselves with emptiness and the dependently existent nature of things.

There is a difference between doing this by employing limited lines of reasoning and by using a multitude of approaches to establish that things exist in a middle way between objective existence and complete nonexistence. Whether this familiarisation takes place for only a short time or over a long period also makes a difference. Whether or not this practice is accompanied by the creation of abundant positive energy or merit influences the outcome too. These various factors determine what kind of result is accomplished.

By using a restricted approach for a limited period and supporting this with a moderate accumulation of positive energy, we can gain freedom from the disturbing attitudes and emotions as well as their seeds, but not more. On the other hand, when we employ many different lines of reasoning again and again for a long time and create substantial merit, the force of our understanding will remove even the subtlest imprints of the disturbing attitudes and emotions.

Usually emptiness is explained in relation to the great classical Mahayana texts, such as Nagarjuna’s Treatise on the Middle Way, Chandrakirti’s Supplement to the Middle Way, or Shantideva’s Way of the Bodhisattva, which elucidate how Bodhisattvas meditate on emptiness. Investigating the nature of reality in this way is challenging and requires courage because we need breadth of perspective and a willingness to explore. If we want something quick and easy, this will prove too demanding. But we should remember that even in everyday life it frequently pays to go into greater depth.

Along with the breadth of outlook we need the plentiful positive energy created through love, compassion, and the spirit of enlightenment and through the practice of the six perfections.  We should not think that the understanding of reality can be separated from these attitudes and conduct. Insight and skillful means must always be combined.

As intelligent people we must look for the very heart of Buddhist practice and investigate how this relates to our minds and whether it is relevant to our lives. If it is, we need to gain a good understanding of it and then apply what we have learned, continually deepening our understanding and practice. Setting out for a destination with reliable and detailed instructions for getting there is very different from setting out without any clear idea of where one is going.

As long as we see the teachings as somehow distinct from our lives, we have failed to understand them properly. Most of us can devote at most an hour or two each day to formal practice. Regarding only this as true practice and the rest of our day as something quite separate will severely restrict what we can do in our lifetime. But if practice becomes part of our daily life, we can use the many opportunities that present themselves to work at transforming our attitudes and emotional responses in a positive way.

For some of us a quarter of our life has passed. For others half our life or more is already over, and maybe we are closer to death than we think. How much of that time have we devoted to becoming more kindhearted and to thinking and living in a more constructive way? We need to look honestly at ourselves and see how much sincere effort we have made. If, since encountering the teachings, we haven’t really tried to change, it is absurd to complain that the teachings haven’t helped us and aren’t effective. For most of us our practice of the teachings and our endeavour to bring about inner change remain of secondary importance. But they need to become our foremost concern. Educated people can understand the teachings, but understanding alone cannot bring about transformation. In fact the knowledge we gain may easily be used for other purposes.

Most of us want to be thought of as wise and kindhearted human beings. To become like that takes conscious effort. Kindheartedness is the fulcrum for all development within the Great Vehicle. Nowadays, because people lack sufficient genuine interest, it is becoming difficult to find those who are really receptive to these teachings. But thinking about the principal themes of the Great Vehicle, such as love and compassion, for even a few minutes is time well spent. If a moment of anger can be extremely destructive, it is equally true that a moment of heartfelt love or compassion can be tremendously constructive.