Video 10. Lojong: The Quickest Way to Lamrim Realizations
(duration: 13 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.)
I asked [Gen Jampa Wangdu], “What is the quickest way to have success in the realizations of the lamrim?” That is the other thing I asked. He said, “Practicing the remedy to the self-cherishing thought.” That is it exactly, yes, practicing the remedy to the self-cherishing thought. Whatever problem comes, whatever difficulty comes, whatever problem comes in the life, immediately, without delay, immediately point to the self-cherishing thought. If somebody complains, if somebody is angry, whatever happens, sickness, whatever happens, even death, whatever happens, immediately blame your self-cherishing thought.
In the Seven-Point Thought Transformation by Geshe Chekawa, there it says for all the mistakes, all the problems, all the shortcomings, “Blame the one”; so that is your self-cherishing thought. That is you. Then, “Toward others, meditate on kindness.” Including animals, even insects, if you harm them, they harm you back. They do whatever they can, biting or whatever they can. Then, of course, generally human beings, ordinary human beings, in the world, even if somebody didn’t harm you, but you harm them back. Even if somebody didn’t harm you, you harm back. You harm others like that. Somehow you harm back. To that which is outside, to others, you harm back. That is what they do.
So it is totally the opposite. Then you harm back. You don’t know. You harm them. Whether they harmed you or not, you harm them and then that becomes the cause to receive harm later, either right away or later, or in the next lives. You don’t know that. “Oh, kill everybody. Kill. Kill,” anybody you want to kill, like… I don’t know. I heard that Hitler wanted… Eyes or what? Eyes or something, one color. He wanted blue eyes or something? Then brown hair. Blonde hair. He wanted blonde hair and something to do with the eyes. Something like that, I heard. Otherwise, he doesn’t like. He doesn’t like. He killed what he didn’t like it.
This has just two words but it is a great, great, great practice. Wow, wow, wow, a great, great, great, great, great, great practice in the life, but only two words: “Put all the blame on one. Toward others, meditate on kindness.” That is the practice of bodhichitta. Oh, what Gen Jampa Wangdu was saying is that. “Practice the remedy to the self-cherishing thought,” he said, “To get quick realizations of the lamrim.” Ah, that is very rich.
(Rinpoche cites in Tibetan) All the others… As I said, from beginningless rebirths even happiness came from them, their kindness. The present and future [happiness], including enlightenment, all that, liberation from samsara, the happiness of future lives, every single collection of goodness, every single happiness, came from them, from every sentient being. From every sentient being. Wow, wow, it is most amazing, most amazing. These two words are an unbelievable practice, a most unbelievable practice.
So this is the reality. So you blame the self-cherishing thought, the inner enemy, your great demon, then you eliminate it, destroy it. You blame it, then destroy it. You don’t follow the self-cherishing thought. By following the self-cherishing thought you have experienced oceans of samsaric sufferings until now, from beginningless time until now. That is due to following the self-cherishing thought. Oh, then put all the blame on that, eliminate that. Then comes bodhichitta. Then there is enlightenment. Then you free the numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric sufferings. Numberless sentient beings, you free them from the oceans of samsaric sufferings, can you imagine? Can you imagine that? It is easy to say the words but can you imagine that? Wow, wow, wow. You, the one person, by having bodhichitta, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. Then you bring them to sanggyä kyi gopang, buddhahood, peerless happiness, wow, wow, wow. Therefore, put all the blame on the one, the self-cherishing thought, and towards others, kindness, only kindness. Others are most dear, most precious, most kind, your wish-fulfilling jewel. Oh, more than that. Not just a wish-granting jewel, but, as I said, they are more kind than skies full of wish-granting jewels.
This is reality, reality, but even when we are trying to practice Dharma, reciting mantras and prayers, we, including myself, don’t get to practice this one—the real rich, the most rich practice, bodhichitta, lojong.
(Rinpoche cites in Tibetan: “Put all the blame on one. Towards others, meditate on kindness.”) Then there’s no fighting, there’s nothing to get angry about at others. There’s nothing to get angry about at others. It is so silly to get angry or to kill, or take revenge. You don’t know it, but you are creating the cause to receive harm for many lifetimes, a hundred, or five hundred, or a thousand lifetimes, from one karma of harming others.
One doesn’t think of karma. One doesn’t know it. One doesn’t think of karma. Or even if one knows, one doesn’t think about it. One knows it intellectually, but doesn’t think about it. When it comes to your life, then you put the blame on others. “Put the blame on the self-cherishing thought,” not that: “Put the blame on others.” Maybe then you meditate on your kindness to others, the opposite! I’m not sure. This shows how ordinary beings in the world are, including us. The teachings we have heard many times, but we don’t practice. This is myself, but I’m not saying this about others. When problems come on you, you blame others. You put all the blame on others. You practice the opposite.
This is amazing. It is only two words, two verses, wow, wow, how they are so important in the life—the best psychology, the best meditation, the best practice, wow. Then you have no problems. You have no problem with others. Even the obstacles that you have, you use. Because of that, you take the obstacles of sentient beings and experience them for sentient beings, for them to achieve the state of omniscient mind. You use them to achieve enlightenment. You use your obstacles as a support, to support your enlightenment, to achieve your enlightenment, buddhahood, and the sentient beings to free them from the sufferings of samsara and achieve enlightenment. It is incredible! So you have no obstacles to practicing Dharma.