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Understanding the Mind
Then we'll realize that with simple casting away of unpure states of mind we can cause all unpleasant things which are not dear to us
stop and with simple development of clear mind we can cause all the good things to come along which we want. Therefore, understanding the mind is the real jewl which makes wishes to come true.
Problems occur only if we respond to troubles with negative states of mind. So if we desire to break free from problems we need to learn controling our mind.
(This) wrong view teached Hashang, a chinese monk from XII century, who misunderstood Buddha's teaching.. so he believed that a way for emptiness-meditation is to simply have blank mind
from all conceptual thoughts. If we stop conceptual thoughts to occur, we won't be able to remember anything, and as a result all our spiritual development will cease.
Whenever we meditate, we'll need to find an object first to meditate on. The root of meditation is keeping attention , which means to keep the object without forgeting it. If we repeatedly meditate on this conceptual cognition, in the end we'll realize the void directly...
It's hard to stop delusions in full, but if we consciously apply their opposition, we can gradualy weaken them.
If we are successful at overcoming our anger towards someone, then this person, when we have encounter, will no longer be an object of anger, yet the object of patience.
Wrong awareness disturb our judgement and make unpure to be seen as pure, pure as unpure, existing as unexisting...
Then we need to attack the root of all delusions by meditating at the emptiness.
it depends on our karma whether we'll experience the object as pleasant or unpleasant.
If we want to overcome our delusions in full, instead of merely withdrowing our mind off the object of delusion, we ought to clearly recognize the object of self-attachment by rebutting - with logical reasoning and then void-meditation.
Without focus, our mind has no freedom, and it's forced to go where attachment leads it, hate or other delusions. By improving our concentration, we can attain calm rest, sublime vision, clairvoyance and magical powers and in the end to finish all paths to enlightement.
The feeling of shame prevents us to make negative actions by reminding us that it is not suitable to engage in such actions because we practice Dharma... The feeling of shame protects us from doing negative actions by making an appeal to our consciousness and behaviour merit.
Examples of considerations are when we sustain ourselves from saying something unpleasant because it might disturn the other person.
We need to practice consideration whenever we are with other people by making notice about it so that our behaviour might disturb or harm them. Our wishes are endless, and some of them might cause a lot of troubles to some if we begin to fullfill them. Therefore, before we make an action from desire, we need to make consideration if it will upset or harm them.
The feeling of shame and consideration are like smart clothing which makes us favorable to others.
as soon as we become aware that we'll manifest anger, we should stop it by thinking about its numerous flaws.
when we are at the brink of getting angry at our suffering, one must think: "This pain is caused by my own non-virtous actions. Since I did this negative actions, I must live through their resulting suffering."
Inappropriate attention is caused by appearance of delusions by aggrandizing good or bad qualities of objects. If we unexpectingly meet someone at whom we are usually angry at, we can avoid inappropriate attention and therefore stop anger by focusing at his or hers good qualities...
Even if we'd live in a solitary cave, some parts of the cave would appeal us more, and some weather patterns would appear more pleasant than other ones. As we got into habit of finding a lot of objects wherever we go, the best way to avoid them is to practice restrainment of doors of sensory grasp.
instead of getting angry when we experience troubles, we can use this situations for development of renunciation or empathy, for purifying all negativities and practicing of patience.
I have no other choice but to experience this current results of my own non-virtuous actions from the past; but I'll protect myself from similar unfortune in the future by no longer accumulating negative karma.