Practicing Wisdom and Compassion

by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche

In the Sanskrit language, bodhi is the word for “enlightened” and citta means “the heart” or “mind,” and although it has many levels and dimensions, bodhicitta is essentially the experience of limitless compassion and wisdom that we are trying to cultivate through training the mind.

Lojong has two main objectives. The first aim is to generate the relative bodhicitta or compassion which releases us from our cocoon of self-importance. Putting our welfare to one side, we dedicate all our good qualities, talents, and energy to removing the sorrow and pain of all sentient beings. The second aim is to realise the clarity, awareness, and wisdom of ultimate bodhicitta.

It is said that, like the two wings of a bird, wisdom and compassion are both needed in order to fly and these are at the centre of the Lojong practice. Although we make a distinction between them and consider them individually in the text, they are interconnected and one includes the other. As compassion grows with training, we gain more insight into our nature. The clearer our understanding of reality and our true nature, the more compassionate we become.

Relative bodhicitta is based on loving-kindness and the empathy that we already possess and draw on in our relations with other people. It does not demand a radical change in our thinking. Ultimate bodhicitta is less accessible and much more exacting because it involves a deep shift in perspective. It is a realisation. If this understanding is complete, we are enlightened. The mind regains the purity of its pure nature and our viewpoint is transformed, we see things “as they are” without confusion or discrimination.

Experiencing ultimate wisdom is not being transported to some unimaginable, mysterious realm or a higher plane of existence. It is simply being without delusion. Nothing in our material surroundings has changed, nothing is different — except our mind.

ULTIMATE BODHICITTA

The second point of Lojong describes the wisdom of ultimate bodhicitta first in order to give us a sense of how things are in reality and a greater clarity of mind. These slogans prepare us for the later work of relative compassion and the exchange of oneself for others, tonglen, which is the main practice of Mind Training.

“Regard all phenomena as a dream.”

We have all had dreams that feel almost real. In the dream state we are surrounded by things which appear solid, vivid, and alive but as soon as we awaken, they disappear and no trace is left. They only existed in our mind. The whole exercise implied by this slogan is to realise that the objects we encounter and our reactions to them are as transitory and unreal as dreams. Everything we perceive with our mind is dreamlike. The world is “there,” we sense and touch it but it is also “not-there.”

Our reality is constructed by the mind. I look at a tree. Is my eye seeing a tree? No, it is observing leaves, branches, and a trunk and the mind calls these a tree. Tree is a word, a concept. We claim a certain nationality or name but these distinctions are made up by our mind from the bits and pieces of information that we have been given by others. Physically, what we enjoy or dislike is determined by the mind. If something smells nice, the mind likes it and the nose does not matter. Desire and suffering feel intense and powerful when we experience them but it is our grasping which makes them seem real, and the moment we recognise that they too are dreams, we are free of them.

We try to make our world solid and coherent by giving names and qualities to things but when we look closely, we discover that the structure of all phenomena is a combination of complex and relative elements. Objects appear, disappear, and reappear but they have no essential or substantial nature. If we analyse each element, we inevitably reach a point where we can find no unconditional basis for the objects’ existence. It is impossible to detect any solid essence or identity. Everything can be divided into smaller and smaller units until the object itself disappears.

For something to exist, all of its parts must be present and working together. If anything is missing, the conditions for the object to manifest are gone and it ceases to be. For example, we see a rainbow when all the elements are brought together: the sun, water, and an observer. All these elements of the rainbow are interrelated and interdependent. If the sun goes away or the moisture dries up, the rainbow is no longer there. It never existed on its own as a real object apart from the words for the factors which made it visible in the sky. This is a metaphor for anything we experience with our senses. Essentially there is nothing enduring or real in our material surroundings, our relationships, or our mind. They are all empty.

The idea of “emptiness” is so striking that it shatters our habitual way of thinking and cuts straight through our attachment and aversion. If things are basically empty, what is there to be possessive or anxious about? There is nothing to choose or cling to and nothing to fear or hate.

“Examine the unborn nature of mind.”

The understanding of the dreamlike and provisional nature of external reality helps us when we turn to investigate the inner nature of the mind. What is the mind? How is it formed and what are its basic qualities? Can we directly experience the mind? Is it an object or not? We cannot see it but we can feel its awareness and its consciousness. What is consciousness? Consciousness comes from the senses. It is stimulated by touch, taste, sight, and so on but how does our consciousness work? Can we see without our eyes or hear without our ears? We know we can in dreams and imagination. These are the puzzles we are trying to understand.

We have the idea that our mind remains unchanging from birth through childhood to old age. This is not so. The word “unborn” in this slogan counters our tendency to think of the mind in this tangible and permanent way. The true nature of the mind is beyond the conditions of birth or death. It comes from nowhere and it goes nowhere. We cannot find the beginning or the end of mind. There is no mind apart from our awareness of the stream of thoughts flowing through our consciousness. The enormous volume and speed of these thoughts gives the impression of a fixed, continuous, and independent mind. The mind is transient and without categories or qualities. We encounter it, briefly and spontaneously, but only in the present. It arises in a moment for just that moment, then it is gone and only memory remains. It is possible to notice something about the nature of mind in the moment but we never see the whole picture. Like being a tourist in a strange city for the first time, our visit is short and we cannot really get to know it well.

In the meditative state when our mind is quite still, its unborn, pure, and enlightened quality is briefly perceptible. This is a fleeting and inexpressible experience. We have to leave it at that. We rest in the here and now, in the timeless moment between past and future.

“Self-liberate even the antidote and free

yourself from the findings of the meditation.”

Here we are cautioned against growing attached to our meditative experiences. During practice, we might catch a glimpse of the mind’s emptiness but it is important to keep our balance. One glimpse does not mean that we have attained an absolute or ultimate realisation. At this stage our meditation is still only relative and conditional. We have to go further and ask ourselves, “Who is meditating and searching for the mind? What is it that has been found?” If we are not able to identify any independent or separate seeker or truth beyond the impermanent and insubstantial mind, then the findings of our meditation are also illusion.

We should draw no conclusions from our meditation because both the meditator and the meditation are intrinsically empty. There is no substance or insight in emptiness. So how can we search or find anything there? If we understand the experience in this way, there is no longer any need to look for a solution and we remain in a state of no more searching.

“Rest in the nature of alaya.”

Our ordinary consciousness flows from seven senses: these are the five sense organs, the mind, and our sense of self. Beneath this consciousness is alaya, the universal ground of mind. It is the pure and simple state of being and the most subtle level of human awareness. When awakened, it is said to be our Clear light or Buddha-Nature expressed very directly, free of turbulence or distortion.

Alaya is the immediate present. We are not used to staying in the present but there is nowhere else to be. The past has gone and the future is not yet here. It is that simple: only now exists. The present cannot be controlled. If we hold this moment back, it becomes the past. If we try to make the moment last, we are sending it into the future. In Zen Buddhism, there is a saying: “When you eat, you eat. When you sleep, you sleep.” Being in the moment gives us some spaciousness and freedom. The meditation exercise of ultimate bodhicitta is devoted entirely to staying in the present because we so often live in the past or future.

The clarity of alaya is often obscured or concealed. If the mind is clamouring or agitated, we are completely unaware of this level of consciousness. It goes unnoticed in our ordinary thought processes while we are awake but when we are deeply asleep, and our senses are suspended, our perceptions dissolve into alaya for a brief time. While still sleeping, we leave this state as our sensory consciousness reappears in a dream form and submerges the alaya aspect once again.

All meditation methods have the same purpose: to keep us in the present and to introduce us to the mind. We are not trying to stop our thoughts but to feel less trapped by them. The earlier we can catch ourselves from falling in with habitual patterns and getting entangled the better, and one of the most dependable techniques for preventing this is awareness of the breath.

Usually we breathe without taking any notice but in this technique we watch the breath, following it as it flows in and out of the body. We keep calm. We are not trying to accomplish anything. We just allow the mind to use the breath to settle. We do not have to supervise our senses or our thoughts. If something distracts or interrupts us, we let it pass. Staying mildly aware of our breath, we observe it without getting too absorbed by it.

Meditation is like taking a holiday. We have permission to give up planning and worrying. We are off duty. It is time to relax and slow down. Too much effort with our practice makes us tight and that is no use, but allowing the mind to go completely flat is not the answer either. If we are not alert, we will fall asleep or our attention will wander without us knowing it. We are trying to find a balance, neither too tense nor too sluggish. The Buddha gave precise instructions concerning the “seven-point posture” for meditation. Adopting this posture helps to straighten and stabilise the body in support of the mind. The physical position for meditation is important but sitting cross-legged is not absolutely necessary. We can just sit comfortably.

The body is our environment. It reflects our state of mind. We know from reading other people’s thoughts in their faces how much is expressed in our mouth and eyes. The mouth is especially revealing: gritting our teeth or being tight-lipped means we are trying too hard or holding something back. The mind becomes open and quiet by releasing tension in the face and neck. When we are not wound up or straying between the past and the future, the meditation gradually brings us into the present moment — grounded in our body.

It is a good idea to start a meditation period by breathing twenty-one times. Breathe in, hold the breath for a short while, and breathe out. This helps to quiet the mind and bring it back to the body. We place our hands on our lap, thumbs touching to balance the shoulders and prevent ourselves from leaning to one side or another. This is important because if the body bends and the spine is not straight, certain negative emotions are intensified.

The chest is expanded for deep breathing. We tilt the neck slightly forward with the chin tucked down. The teeth and jaw are held loosely and the mouth is relaxed with the tongue touching the upper palate. The eyes are focused at a distance. In the Tibetan tradition, we keep the eyes slightly open, looking down at first but, after a while, it may help to close the eyes briefly or to gaze into the distance so that we do not become too withdrawn. This physical arrangement gives our meditation practice a secure support. There is a suppleness and a feeling of peace. It is effortless. We imagine ourselves like a bundle of hay, cut loose. These lines describe a simple approach to meditation:

Rest without going into the past.

Do not follow past thoughts

or gather up thoughts of the future.

Stay in the present.

Let your senses be open

and let the thoughts flow by.

Remain in alaya.

Our everyday mind is often extreme. Either we are excited and overflowing with ideas or we feel bored and tired. If we rest in the alaya state during meditation, our thoughts and feelings are less turbulent and the mind stays collected but alert.

The Postmeditative Stage of Ultimate Bodhicitta

Buddhist meditation has two phases: the activity itself when we are doing our practice and the period following, when we apply our meditation experience to ordinary life. All the slogans up to this point have given us advice and guidance for the actual process of meditation but the post meditative stage is about putting the effects of the training into action in the outside world.

“In postmeditation, view everything as illusion.”

The awareness of alaya influences our everyday lives. Knowing everything to be impermanent and insubstantial, we are not so deluded by the objects that attract us. We do not fix on to things so passionately. We can afford to relax and be more tranquil about our situation. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, one of the great teachers who brought Tibetan Buddhism to the West after 1959, describes this viewpoint as, “be like a child of illusion.” Treating everything as an illusion allows us to be playful and spontaneous. Through this slogan we rediscover the simplicity that children still have.

RELATIVE BODHICITTA

The instructions that we have received about the ultimate level come to our aid as we proceed to the relative practice of bodhicitta. They ensure that we do not falter or lose momentum and find excuses for giving up. They also encourage us in the contest with our most intimidating opponent, the ego.

Attachment and aversion are often alternate aspects of the same emotional sequence. We feel aversion when our desire is frustrated. Anticipating loss or defeat, we attach ourselves to something comforting for protection. Our aversion creates the compensating attachment. Tonglen provides us with a unique method to break this cycle.

Tonglen Meditation

This is the heart of Mind Training. The Tibetan word tonglen means “giving and taking,” and this simple and short exchange is essential for releasing us from suffering and generating compassion.

Both our fear and our desire are directly provoked by the tonglen meditation and it is an especially direct and effective way of dealing with aversion. We deliberately face all the things we dislike and dread. This takes courage. We imagine taking in and eliminating the hardship and pain that we have previously fought against and tried to run away from. The pleasures of wealth, power, and health that we wished for ourselves we now send to others. This totally counteracts our normal behaviour and puts us on a collision course with the ego. Accepting and enduring negative things and daring to let them happen to us dispel both their harmful effects and our own anger and hatred. It makes adversity less frightening. We do not cause suffering or seek it out. We take up whatever suffering is around us, transforming it in the “giving and taking” exercise so that no one else will be injured by it and the negativity which already exists in the world is reduced. Thinking of our family and friends, the people we love — both alive and dead — our acquaintances, strangers, and even our enemies, we resolve to work on conquering all their misery and bad karma.

It would not be possible to give out such positive energy unless we felt positive ourselves and the more we exchange good things for bad, the better we feel. We are the source of healing and happiness. Our generosity and concern pacify every negative situation. As we send out kindness, we grow accustomed to being strong and kind. In this way, our positive feelings are constantly renewed and can never be exhausted.

Perhaps you know the story about the man who arrived in heaven and when asked by God where he wanted to go replied that he wanted to see both heaven and hell. First, he went to hell. There was a large table with all the inhabitants of hell sitting around it. The centre of the table was full of delicious food. Each person had two very long chopsticks.They could reach the food but they could not get it into their mouths because their chopsticks were too long. They were miserable. No one was eating and everyone went hungry. Next he was taken to visit heaven. All the inhabitants of heaven were also sitting around a big table full of delicious food but they were happy. They too had very long chopsticks but they were eating and enjoying themselves. They used the chopsticks to feed each other across the table. The people in heaven had discovered that it was in their interest to collaborate unselfishly.

Tonglen subdues our fear. What frightens us most is the thought of being afraid. That is the greatest fear. Nothing puts us in more danger than our own mind and when what we are frightened of actually happens, it is never as bad as we imagined. There is no protection against fear. Even when we think that we have found some safety, we still wonder if our defences are reliable and this uncertainty destroys our

security. We create fear and we can uncreate it. It is a habit that can be broken. A good remedy against fear is to actively provoke it. Instead of feeling helpless we confront our worst fear. If you are frightened of losing something, give it away. If heights scare you, climb to a high place. If you are terrified of speaking in public, stand before an audience. This is the simplest way of mastering fear.

“Train in taking and sending.

These two should ride the breath.”

The exchange we make between ourselves and others is based on the breath. As we exhale we send out all our good fortune and well-being into the world around us. Breathing in again we absorb all the suffering of others, taking every sad and uncomfortable aspect of life upon ourselves.

All the negativity in the world is visualised either as a cloud of dust or black smoke, almost as a form of pollution. This enters our body through the nose and settles in our heart. It purifies and eats away all our own fear, aversion, and ignorance instantly. Like the sun coming out, our alaya nature arises as bright, radiant light. Healing and purifying us from within, it totally erases every trace of negativity. Breathing out, positive energy, joy, wisdom, and purity stream from our heart as light towards all beings. It touches them and they are well, happy, and free.

Our first attempts to practice tonglen may go better if we hold in our mind someone who has been very loving towards us. They feel so dear to us that we willingly take on their negativity and pain. Drawing their sorrows in and sending back to them our peaceful and protective qualities, we remove all their suffering. During the meditation it is important to breathe normally and it is not necessary to make the exchange with each and every breath.

Negativity is an illusion and a symptom of our mistaken view of things, so taking on negativity cannot possibly harm us or put us at any risk. We are the cause of healing. Our focus is not on suffering but on creating complete freedom from suffering. Tonglen does not threaten anything except our ego. The anxiety that we may be injured by the exchange only develops because our aversion is intensified by the meditation. Remember that the greatest source of suffering is our aversion to suffering and when we take on this aversion fearlessly, meeting it in an inclusive way, it becomes a friend and an ally.

The Postmeditative Stage of Relative Bodhicitta

“Three objects, three poisons, three roots.”

Our typical reaction to our material surroundings takes three forms: attachment, aversion, and indifference. These habitual responses produce desire, hatred, and ignorance, which are called the three mind poisons. We admire and desire certain objects, others we dislike, and the rest we ignore. In our relationships, we cling to friends and loved ones, we hate and feel anger against our enemies, and disregard everyone else as of little interest.

There was a very famous and scholarly lama in Tibet called Patrul Rinpoche. He lived as a nomad and had no possessions or attachments. Many people gathered to hear him teach when he was in their area. One day another lama came to visit him and Patrul inquired about the meditation practices this lama had been doing. The visitor replied, “I have been meditating on passion and now I never, ever feel either hatred or anger.” Patrul decided to put this to the test so he turned to his attendant and whispered, “This person has given up his anger but his hands are not clean.” Such a comment in those times implied that the man was a thief and word got around the crowd that people should hide their belongings from him. Eventually, the lama overheard what was being said and became furious at the false accusation. He was determined to discover who was spreading this lie about him. When he found out that Patrul had started the gossip he marched into his tent to complain. He banged the table, shouting furiously and protesting at being slandered. Patrul laughed and replied, “I thought you said you never felt anger anymore?”

Anger is the most negative and irrational of the three poisons. Its effects are costly and always destructive. It is worse than a million attachments. It can be difficult to control because it is like fire, flaring up suddenly then dying down, but this also makes it easier to work with than desire or attachment. The first sensation of anger is often natural and spontaneous and if we let it go, it will quickly burn out. The anger that we cling to after the reason for it is over stays with us and turns into a consuming hatred which is bad for everyone. Both anger and compassion can originate from the same impulse, a basic sense of injustice. When we feel a situation is unfair and should not be happening, we have a choice. We can either focus our anger on the person who is doing wrong or we can use our compassion to understand the problem and do something about it.

Attachment or desire is the most difficult emotion for human beings to control because it is the basic characteristic of human nature. Desire is very complex. It causes trouble because it gives rise to so many other negative emotions. It is often at the root of our aversion, fear, and anxiety, but it is not impossible to give up. Although many obstacles are produced by desire and attachment, not all of them are unfavourable. Desire can sometimes motivate us to do good. For instance, a bodhisattva is someone who has vowed to reach the enlightened state of mind for themselves and for all sentient beings. They feel a strong attachment to saving others from suffering and wanting freedom and happiness for everyone. This noble intention is a positive desire.

Ignorance is less destructive than hatred or desire but it is unyielding and extremely difficult to give up. By definition, we are unaware of it. We do not realise how ignorant we are. We can only make very slow progress working on ignorance because it is so much in the background. It is a lack of clarity and understanding which is not very obvious, dramatic, or overwhelming.

The antidotes against the mind poisons are the three roots: loving-kindness, equanimity, and compassion. When anger or desire occupies our thoughts, we use our compassion to dissolve these painful emotions for the sake of all beings. Avoiding one-sidedness and partiality, we maintain our equanimity so that neither good or bad excites us. We dedicate our loving and happy feelings to others. Our offering seems small in terms of the immense suffering all around us but each act of generosity has a significant and cumulative effect.

“Cultivate a compassionate attitude

by enlisting the slogans.”

Our understanding grows deeper by using the slogans as reminders. They are like a mantra we say out loud to underline our positive intentions. Repeating them helps the training seep through our conditioned habits and defences. In all of our activities we call to mind our compassion and the “giving and taking” meditation, accepting the bad and wishing only good to others. This affirms our undertaking to take on suffering and makes it completely sincere and genuine. Approaching everything as an opportunity to train the mind gives our lives a real purpose and direction.

“Begin the sequence with yourself.”

People have different capabilities and this advice is about working with our limitations and making progress from where we actually are. If we feel apprehensive or reluctant to take on suffering, even in our imagination, it may be best to do tonglen with ourself first because of this insecurity. Thinking of all the harsh or unhelpful influences of our past and the adversity which may await us in the future, we substitute our mercy and goodwill. We can also give and take between the negative and positive tendencies of our personality, replacing our disagreeable characteristics or faults with virtue, forgiveness, and patience. A more traditional Buddhist approach is to imagine our spiritual teacher at our heart centre and give all our negativity to him while he radiates wisdom and compassion back to us. This is less personal so it might be easier.

We absorb and purify the negativity without becoming too intent on it. As we bring it in on the breath, we are comfortable and happy. It feels positive because we are undoing so much suffering. There is no pain left anywhere in the world as our healing joy is sent back. This is what we are trying to accomplish.