Awakening the Mind, Lightening the Heart. Литагент HarperCollins USD

for his practice.” So when you clean the place, think of it as a reminder that what actually has to be cleaned is the mind.

      Then you can arrange representations of the Buddha’s body, speech, and mind in a proper way. Irrespective of what a statue is made of, your attitude toward it should be the same. You should not feel possessive toward it. Followers of the Kadam tradition needed only four images: statues or paintings of the Buddha; those of Avalokiteshvara, who is the embodiment of compassion; those of Tara, who is the embodiment of the Buddha’s activities; and those of Achala, a deity who overcomes obstacles.

      It is not necessary to have all sorts of different figures, but it is good to have images of the Bodhisattva of Loving-kindness and of the future Buddha, Maitreya. If you have statues of deities related to your practice, that is good. If you do not, it is not that important, because you should not put too much emphasis on external articles. The emphasis should be placed more on internal development. If you have a lot of beautiful statues in your meditation room, they may look impressive, but if you remain the same short-tempered, scheming, devious person, then it is contradictory. As followers of the Buddha, we should follow what he taught. He taught us to fight the enemy of disturbing emotions within us and to decrease harmful attitudes such as anger. Posing as a follower of the Buddha but acting totally against what he has advised is like insulting the Buddha himself.

      To see these images at the moment you wake up in the morning develops a strong determination to follow the Buddha’s example. Take them as a reminder to apply the Buddha’s instructions. In the evening, regret whatever negative actions you might have committed during the day out of ignorance, and develop a strong resolve not to repeat them. Resolve to correct yourself the next day. This is a proper and beneficial way to relate to religious images.

      It would be good also to have a mind training text as a representation of the Buddha’s speech. If you have a stupa to represent the mind, fine, but if not, it is not that important. Meditators in the past, like Milarepa, lacked nothing they really needed for their practice, but visiting the places where they have meditated reveals only empty caves. People like us depend so much on external things, like having statues, incense, butter lamps, and so forth, but if these things bring about no effect in the mind, then they are not much help.

      A thief once entered Milarepa’s cave, and Milarepa rebuked him saying, “How can you find at night things that I can’t find in the daytime?” Milarepa was really a great meditator, who due to his effort was able to achieve complete enlightenment within his lifetime. In this context, human beings, Westerners in particular, are generally very shortsighted, expecting quick results. Maybe they are accustomed to things working at high speed because they are used to having so many automatic gadgets. We need to be prepared to put in effort and sacrifice over a long period of time. Our effort and interest should not be just a fleeting obsession but persistent and steady. Milarepa achieved high realizations as a result of his concerted effort and hardship over a long period of time. If we are not prepared to put in such effort and hardship, it will be difficult to achieve what we are looking for. But if we train our minds, we will get to a point where we will see results. It may be difficult, but it is not impossible, so we should not lose courage.

      I believe in being practical. I am not impressed only by what happened in the past. I am someone who wants to see practical results now, so I try to put as much effort into the practice as possible. When I compare my state of mind of ten or fifteen years ago with now, I find that a transformation has taken place. Twenty years ago I used to contemplate emptiness. I was very impressed by the theory of emptiness, and it really inspired me to seek the cessation of suffering. I used to think that once I obtained cessation, I would be able to remain in a blissful state for a long time. I used to think that working for the welfare of other sentient beings, an infinite number of sentient beings, was very idealistic. Later I studied the Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life and the Precious Garland, and that changed my outlook. Although I still admire the idea of cessation, these days I have a stronger admiration and aspiration for the compassion and tolerance that come with the awakening mind. The union of compassion and emptiness is something quite unique, but you can bring about an inner experience of it if you make the effort.

      Sometimes I ask Westerners who have become Buddhists what practical benefit they have derived from it. Some have told me they have noticed a change. After becoming Buddhists there are fewer fights in their families. People are more accommodating and less aggressive. This is one of the direct benefits of changing one’s outlook. It creates a more peaceful atmosphere within the family, which in turn affects the mentality of the children. On the other hand, if children are brought up in a very violent community, especially if their parents are always fighting, that will condition the children in a very negative way. This is how the teachings of the Buddha are helpful and effective. Without an initial change taking place within the mind, how can you instantly achieve enlightenment? Enlightenment has to come through a gradual step-by-step process. We should aspire for the ultimate achievement while working in a practical way. I can definitely state that if you undertake the practice, you can bring about a change within the mind.

      After having set up representations of the Buddha’s body, speech, and mind, you can arrange some offerings, such as food, clean water, flowers, and light. It is said that if you have the right attitude, you will never lack materials for making offerings. So you should make the best offerings you can. In Tibet it was customary to make a feast offering (called tsok), and because we would later eat these offerings ourselves, we would make them very nicely. But because we did not have to eat the ritual cake offerings, we would not make them with as much care. For this reason, when we talk of a feast offering we think of something delicious to eat, whereas when we talk about a ritual cake we think of something to be thrown away. That is a mistake. Therefore, when you make offerings, you should do it as best you can. If you cannot afford to do it, then it can be dispensed with. Materials for offering should not be procured by devious means.

      Then, having made all these arrangements and washed yourself, take your seat on a cushion that is slightly raised at the back. When it is slightly higher at the back, it makes your spine very straight, which improves your concentration. People who have difficulty sitting cross-legged can sit on chairs, like Maitreya, who was predicted to appear as the future Buddha and is depicted sitting on a throne like a chair.