Video 7. Meditate Until You Have Stable Realizations of the Three Paths
(duration: 8 minutes)
(You can read the transcript of the video below. Alternatively, you can read the same transcript alongside the video by clicking here to download it or view it in a separate window.)
When Your Mind is Trained in the Graduated Path of the Small Capable Being, Nothing Bothers You
By training the mind in kyebu chungwa, the graduated path of the small capable being, then, whatever happens in this life, any problems, any difficulties, whatever happens, it doesn’t bother you much. What you look for mainly is not the happiness of this life. That is just unimportant. The happiness of this life is unimportant. Mainly what you look for is the happiness of future lives. You totally switch. Now, it is so important the happiness of this life. So important. The happiness of future lives, even if you accept future lives, but you don’t feel much. But then, after you do the meditation, tsölje kyi nyongwa [effortful experience] and tsölme kyi nyongwa [effortless experience], oh, then your future life’s happiness becomes so important and then this life is not so important. The more you see important the future lives, this life is less. How much you regard it as important is less, the more you see [the importance of] future lives. This is nothing important, the happiness of this life is nothing important, and the future life is so important.
So that stable realization, for however many weeks, months, or years it takes time to have stable realization, do that. Then, you will be able to keep the mind always in Dharma. You are able to live with the mind in Dharma day and night, whether you eat, whether you sleep, whether you do your job. Whatever you do, [your mind] is always in Dharma. So life becomes meaningful all the time, without a break.
When Your Mind is Trained in the Graduated Path of the Middle Capable Being, You Can’t Stand Samsara
After training your mind in the graduated path of the middle capable being, kyebu dring lam gyi rimpa by meditating on the eight types of suffering, the six types of suffering, and the three types of suffering,[1] then the evolution of suffering through tendrel yänlag chunyi, the twelve dependent-related limbs, then the suffering of each realm, human beings, suras, asuras and so forth, then you see samsara, being in samsara, as something you can’t stand. You can’t stand it. It is like when you are caught in prison, you don’t want to be even one minute in prison. You don’t want to be even one minute in prison. You want to be free from that. You want to be out of that. Like that is renunciation of samsara, after you develop tsölje kyi nyongwa and tsölme kyi nyongwa, [that is,] after you develop experience with effort and after you develop experience without effort. When you have total realization of renunciation of samsara, you feel that being in samsara is like being in the center of a fire. You are in the center of a fire, burning. Or your naked body is sitting on a thorn bush, or like needles all over the body. Sort of like that, like sitting on needles. When even for a minute or a second, you have no interest to be in samsara, you want to be liberated from that, renunciation of samsara is stable. So no matter how many weeks, months, or years it takes time to have the realization of that.
When Your Mind is Trained in Bodhichitta, the Suffering of Others is Unbearable
Like that bodhichitta, it is mentioned by the meditators that every sentient being… Day and night… For example, now, day and night, what you have in your heart is the happiness of this life. For example, for me, it is the happiness of this life. Whether you eat it is with that, whether you sleep it is with that. Whatever you do, your job, what you have in the heart is the happiness of this life. So now that time, when you have the realization of bodhichitta, it is only for sentient beings, to free them from the oceans of samsaric sufferings, so, so, so unbearable. Before, your being in samsara is so unbearable, as I gave the examples, but now you feel like that for others, the numberless sentient beings—the hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, human beings, suras, and asuras. Their being in samsara is like that, like how you were feeling for yourself, like that you feel for others, like your mother fell in the fire, like she is in the midst of a fire and is burning, how that [feels], your kind mother, like somebody who you think of as most kind, most dear, most precious, oh, somebody like that, whether it is your father or mother or somebody else who fell in the fire, how that is, sssssh. Wow, wow, wow.
Then to bring them to enlightenment, you wish to achieve enlightenment. With these two wishes, then you have the principal consciousness, tsosem, the special principal consciousness with these two intentions: seeking enlightenment for others and then to cause that oneself needs to achieve enlightenment. [Bodhichitta is] a principal consciousness which is in five ways similar to those two intentions. So bodhichitta is generated when for every person, every sentient being, you see, you want to achieve enlightenment. This is what is said by the meditators who have a realization of bodhichitta. So the main thing that you have in the mind is that. So no matter how many weeks, months, or years it takes time you train the mind in that, to have the stable realization.