The Very Venerable Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

The Seven Points Of Mind Training

Birmingham Karma Ling, December 2002

VII. Guidelines of Mind Training

B. What to Adopt: 12-21

12. Do not depend on external conditions.

What does this really mean? It means when one is practising the mind training if one is happy one can practise the mind training if one is unhappy one can practise the mind training whatever is happening one can apply the teaching and the practise.

One doesn't think now I'm going to study the Lojong, the mind training and I need to have these particular circumstances to come together to enable me practise. One doesn't think like that. One practises with whatever has arisen, whatever situation one finds oneself in.

If one is happy or having a nice time one thinks may all the sentient beings experience this happiness as I am. The causes of this happiness I dedicate to all the sentient beings so that they may experience this happiness and peacefulness and one dedicates it like that with a good prayer.

If one has suffering one takes all that suffering into one's own suffering and it becomes a substitute for all other beings suffering and one prays that they are free from that.

If all the causes and conditions come together that's fine, but if they don't come together that's also fine. One prays may all the sentient beings suffering due to lack of causes and conditions be brought into my suffering and may it be a substitute for their suffering

If one is sick that is fine, one can practise, if one is happy one can practise there is no difference. If I'm wealthy that's fine if I'm poor that's also fine. If I'm famous or not that's fine. If I've got a lot of food and drink that's fine if I haven't that's fine. If I have many enemies or not that's also fine. If I have friends and helpers that's fine if I don't that's fine. Everything is good, everything is fine.

13. At this time practise is what is most important.

What is the reason that we have been in the Samsara from beginningless time and having the suffering? It's because we haven't liberated ourselves from the suffering so we need to understand this very significant thing; we need to know how to liberate ourselves from the suffering.

What are the main reasons for us having experienced this since beginningless time? Its is mainly because we strive to get wealth and possessions and we strive to get fame and recognition and because of this we have the rebirth constantly in the Samsara.

Some people think only of fame, wealth and worldly things for their whole life, but when one dies none of these are of use to you. But if you realise that you have got this fantastic opportunity to practise and the result of practising is purification of one's negativities and the accumulation of merit which ultimately leads to enlightenment for the benefit of oneself and for the benefit of the sentient beings, then one thinks I'm not going to waste this opportunity and I'm going to practise with a strong devotion and determination.

One thinks in this lifetime if I'm not able to practise the Dharma sufficiently and properly enough then in my next life I will take a very low rebirth. Maybe I will be a hell being or a hungry ghost or an animal. My lifetimes will become progressively worse and I won't be able to have the causes and conditions to practise the Dharma so one thinks one will take hold of the opportunity now and practise correctly.

14. Don't make mistakes.

There are six mistakes. First is mistaken patience. If when we are practising we have no patience with the practise, but we have patience when we are being harmful to others, that is mistaken patience.

The second one is having the wrong wish or intention. Instead of having the intention of practising so that one's negative karma is purified, instead one has the wish to subdue enemies or become famous this is having wrong intention.

Having the wrong experience. If one meditates correctly one will experience true happiness. Thinking that the external objects are the source of happiness when in fact it's from one's own mind.

Mistaken compassion, we need to have compassion for beings that are in Samsara and are creating the causes for future suffering. If we feel a practitioner such as Milarepa needs compassion this is mistaken. To think he has no food or clothing he has nothing. Milarepa doesn't need compassion.

Mistaken Care, if one is showing people the way to behave and one misinforms them like saying you should defeat your enemies you should hit people you should do various negative actions then is not taking appropriate care of people who are in your charge. So you should encourage them to do positive activities and not negative activities.

The wrong rejoicing, if one sees a practitioner who is a very accomplished person and is doing very well and has a lot of virtue and merit one thinks without any jealousy, that is so wonderful I hope to be like this person and have this kind of accomplishment and one rejoices in that. There is a generating of good karma for oneself because of that attitude. But if one sees a thief and thinks oh that thief has just robbed that house successfully I will rejoice in that I am happy with that that is a mistaken rejoicing and one will only have negative karma coming from that. So having the correct rejoicing is very beneficial for one.

Even if one is not a good practitioner oneself one rejoices in the good activity and the good practise of other people and one thinks that person is a very good practitioner I can't manage to do that myself but I rejoice in their accomplishments. Having that mind will be of benefit to oneself.

At the time of Buddha Shakyamuni there was a king called Sajang. This king invited Buddha Shakyamuni and his followers, all of the monks and the nuns and all the Sangha to stay in the vicinity of his palace for many days and he offered all of them food.

At the doorway to the palace was a very old lady and she was looking in and thinking oh that king is so lucky, every day he has been able to listen to the teachings of the Buddha, he is feeding the Buddha and making offerings to all of the Sangha and that is such a wonderful thing for him to have this. That evening the Buddha made a dedication for the merit that was accumulated throughout the day. The Buddha said to the king Saja now I'm going to dedicate all of the merit we have accumulated today. Who should I make the dedication in the name of, should I make it in your name or should I make it in the name of somebody who has more merit than you?

The king said whomever has more merit than me please tell me their name. The Buddha said the name of the old lady and dedicated it in her name. The Buddha made the same dedication of the merit for her for four days. The king didn't like that too much. The king though what can I do, how can I change this? He got all his friends, ministers and advisors together as asked what was going on, I am the one who is giving the Buddha all of the offerings every day and it is the old lady who is getting all of the merit, what we can do about that? One minister spoke up, he said to the king that old lady comes to the door of the palace every day and she takes the leftovers of the food, what we should do tomorrow is not give her the leftovers and she is bound to say something bad to us.

The king put some soldiers outside of the gate where it was usual for the old woman to come along and beg for the food. When she came along they said to her have you no shame? Every day you come here begging for food what's wrong with you can't you go somewhere else? They shouted at her like this. Then the old woman became very angry and she thought that king is so bad he doesn't give me any food it's terrible.Then the next day when it was time for the dedication the Buddha dedicated in the kings' name and the king was very happy.

What was the reason for this? The old lady became angry and because of that fault it completely removed the virtue she had generated from rejoicing in the kings merit. But she still got the virtue from the previous days.

15. Don't fluctuate.

All of the time whenever you practise if you having suffering or are sad, however much one is able to one still practises.

17. Find freedom through examination and investigation.

This refers to when one is practising, generally one's defilements become less and less, the strength of them diminishes. But every so often we should check this and see how much our defilements have lessened. Normally we have an object of someone who caused anger to us, gives rise to anger in our mind, so we examine and look at how one reacts to the object of anger. If one practises well in the training of compassion it is difficult to give rise to the anger.

One checks through the different mind poisons, one checks out anger and how one reacts to that and the desire and the jealousy and the others. Then also one looks from time to time and the different mind states like being depressed or being upset because one hasn't accomplished ones wishes. So one looks at these mind states and how they affect you.

If one finds one is still quite affected by anger or depression or the different things then one again trains in that and if one has not had much harm coming from these things then one rejoices in that.

18. Do not expect appreciation.

When one is practising the Bodhicitta one doesn't go up to someone and say look I'm doing this for your benefit I'm practising the mind training for you one doesn't do that its for your benefit not for them.You are practising mind training so one can be of benefit to all sentient beings, but you don't have to show that to one person.

19. Do not be irritable and sensitive.

It is not good if one has a very short temper and no patience at all. One thing is not right and then another thing makes you annoyed. Don't be like this.

20. Do not be hysterical.

There are two aspects to this. On the one hand a person can come up to you and say you are fantastic and I really like you. Immediately you will become very happy and think back to them and I like you too. Then another person will come up to you and say you're rubbish you have no qualities at all and you may feel just burst into tears and think oh no I feel so bad. Immediately it changes. It's like English weather!

21. Do not expect thanks.

One doesn't have a feeling in one's mind that I am practising the Bodhicitta path I'm doing the mind training and everybody should thank me for that they must reward me somehow, one doesn't think that way.

That is the conclusion of the main part of the seven points of mind training.