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mistaken aspiration is any wish that is not consistent with our basic aspirations to experience happiness and avoid suffering, and a non-mistaken aspiration is one that is ­consistent with these basic aspirations. The difference between a wise person and a foolish person is his or her aspirations. Even if we have not studied extensively, if our aspiration is good and unmistaken we will naturally engage in virtuous actions, which will result in happiness; but if our aspirations are mistaken we will not succeed in finding happiness no matter how great our worldly intelligence. Often criminals are highly intelligent and clever but because their aspirations are mistaken they commit crimes for which they are sent to prison.

      If our wishes are not good, this is a sign that we do not possess true wisdom. Some people study Dharma for many years but receive little benefit, and their understanding remains only intellectual. The main reason for this is that their aspirations are not pure. Although superficially they have some interest in Dharma, deep down their real interest is in worldly things. Other people whose aspiration is pure receive genuine experience of Dharma even though they have not studied extensively. Their correct aspirations encourage them to engage in pure, virtuous actions, and these result in pure effects. What we accomplish depends primarily upon what we wish for, and so if our wishes are pure we will obtain pure results from our practice. The most important thing, therefore, is to develop and maintain correct aspirations. The supreme aspiration is bodhichitta, the wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. With this aspiration all our actions become causes of attaining Buddhahood.

      Basically Dharma practice is quite simple because all we need to do is to receive correct Dharma teachings by ­listening to qualified Teachers or by reading authentic books, an­d then mix our mind with these teachings by meditating on them. Whenever we listen to teachings or read Dharma books we should develop a correct aspiration, or motivation, concerning each subject, and maintain this aspiration with single-pointed focus. We need to cultivate virtuous aspirations such as the wish to seize the essence of our human life, renunciation and bodhichitta. If we meditate on these aspirations continuously, eventually they will arise spontaneously in our mind. Training in this way is the very essence of Dharma practice.

      FIRM APPREHENSION

      DEFINITION OF FIRM APPREHENSION

      The definition of firm apprehension is a mental factor that makes its primary mind apprehend its object firmly.

      This mental factor is present in all realizations. If a correct awareness holds its object firmly through the force of this mental factor it necessarily realizes its object. Although some wrong awarenesses hold their objects firmly, they are not realizations because their objects do not exist and so there is no actual understanding. The reason why non-ascertaining direct perceivers do not realize their objects is that they lack this mental factor.

      FUNCTION OF FIRM APPREHENSION

      The main function of firm apprehension is to make its primary mind apprehend its object firmly and thereby to realize that object. It also acts as a cause of mindfulness and concen­tration. Unless we understand an object firmly, with certainty, it is very difficult to keep our mind on it for long. Without firm apprehension our mind is like flowing water or a leaf in the wind. The reason we find it more difficult to keep our mind on a subtle object such as emptiness than on a gross object such as our breath is that we do not yet have firm apprehension of subtle objects.

      There are three special types of firm apprehension observing emptiness that are attained during our spiritual development: one on the patience level of the path of preparation, one on the path of seeing, and one on the eighth ground. These are explained in teachings on the perfection of wisdom.

      DIVISIONS OF FIRM APPREHENSION

      There are two types of firm apprehension:

      1 Correct firm apprehensions

      2 Mistaken firm apprehensions

      The first includes all firm apprehensions whose engaged object exists. An example of the second is grasping very tightly to a wrong view – for example, believing with strong conviction that this world is created by Ishvara. Even if we have wrong views, if we do not hold them very strongly they will not be very harmful because they can quickly be dispelled by listening to correct teachings; but if our wrong views are made firm by mistaken firm apprehension it will be very difficult for us to overcome them.

      MINDFULNESS

      DEFINITION OF MINDFULNESS

      The definition of mindfulness is a mental factor that functions not to forget the object realized by the primary mind.

      Mindfulness can focus only on an object that has already been realized; it is not present in the first moment of realizing an object. Mindfulness maintains the continuum of the original cognition by not forgetting the object. The reason an object is not forgotten is that the primary mind does not forget it, and the reason the primary mind does not forget the object is that it possesses the mental factor mindfulness. If a primary mind lacks mindfulness it will immediately forget its object. Without mindfulness our mind is like a leaky vessel – no matter how much we study we will not be able to retain anything.

      Mindfulness is essential whenever we are listening to, contemplating or meditating on Dharma teachings. It is the life-force of Dharma practice. If our mindfulness declines, our knowledge and realizations will be lost. In Friendly Letter Nagarjuna says:

      If mindfulness degenerates, all Dharmas degenerate.

      FUNCTION OF MINDFULNESS

      The function of mindfulness is to prevent distractions. The more stable our mindfulness, the fewer distracting thoughts we will have. If we meditate with strong mindfulness our mind will remain on its object without distraction and we will naturally develop stable concentration. At the moment the only type of mindfulness we can use is the conceptual mindfulness associated with gross levels of consciousness. We cannot yet use subtle mindfulness associated with subtle levels of consciousness, which is why we are unable to think clearly or meditate while we are asleep. When through meditation we learn to use subtle mindfulness we will be able to meditate even during sleep.

      Dharma practitioners need to make a continuous effort to improve their mindfulness, both in and out of meditation. There are some teachers, such as the eighth-century Chinese monk Hashang, who teach that the way to meditate is simply to relax and let the mind go blank. This is very harmful advice because if we emphasize this practice our mindfulness will deteriorate and we will forget all we have learnt. Our Dharma realizations will degenerate and we will become dull and stupid.

      DIVISIONS OF MINDFULNESS

      In the Mahamudra teachings, mindfulness is divided into:

      1 New mindfulness

      2 Old mindfulness

      Mindfulness functions both to keep the mind on an object that has not been forgotten, and to bring back to mind an object that has been forgotten. Until we attain the fourth mental abiding we sometimes forget the object of meditation and have to make an effort to remember it. To do this we need to rely upon new mindfulness. On the fourth mental abiding the power of mindfulness is complete and we never forget the object during the meditation session. From this point onwards all our mindfulness has to do is to keep a hold of the object. This is called ‘old mindfulness’.

      There is another twofold division of mindfulness:

      1 Mindfulness with movements of mental sinking and mental excitement

      2 Mindfulness without movements of mental sinking and mental excitement

      Although the power of mindfulness is completed on the fourth mental abiding, there still remain subtle mental sinking and subtle mental excitement within that state of non-forgetfulness. It is not until the eighth mental abiding that all movements of mental sinking and mental excitement cease.

      Dharma texts advise us that if we wish to attain tranquil abiding we should try to do so while we are young because as we get older our powers decline and the power of our mindfulness decreases. Compared with old people, young people have clear and stable mindfulness. With stable mindfulness it is easier to develop