On to Tara Vol. 2 page 7|
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The sixth verse says: "When one whom I have benefited treats me very badly, may I hold him as my supreme Guru." Among the vast number of sentient beings, there may be some for whom one has made special efforts to be of service, or shown some special kindness, which would be regarded as a noble and proper action. It would be fitting for such a person to repay that kindness and show some concern for his benefactor, but it can happen that, when we have shown kindness to someone, he responds in a poor and undeserving way, in which case our natural response would be to feel upset and unjustly treated. Now what is to be done by a Bodhisattva, i.e. someone cultivating this attitude is to regard the other person as his spiritual Guru, taking what has happened as a tremendous opportunity, and especially valuing this person as someone to be cherished. This is because he has given us a chance to cultivate patience and tolerance. It is in this way the Bodhisattva cultivated this type of mental attitude. In cultivating a desire to cherish others, the Bodhisattva does it on the basis of patience, i.e. subduing anger. This basis is necessary and furthermore, the more one cultivates patience, the more does it provide a foundation for the cultivation of a spirit cherishing others. Thus patience is something one can cultivate with regard to an enemy or any person ill-disposed towards oneself. When one encounters such a person, it is right to regard him as one's spiritual teacher, in the sense of great aid to one's practice. So in the Buddhist way of life or Bodhisattva practice, in dealing with an enemy or ill-disposed person, instead of being upset, disturbed or agitated by him, one looks on him with special affection, and even with respect as a person as truly helpful to oneself as one's best friend.
If you practice in this way, then what happens? What is the result? First of all, a prime cause of being unhappy is having enemies or ill-wishers; but now, instead of being upset or agitated by them, we regard them with affection or gratitude, thinking of their behavior as a kindness. With this attitude, one simply removes the basis for the unhappiness which normally arises out of a situation.
I have just given you some precious advice, but it is quite likely that some people will regard it as unrealistic. As I have said earlier, this matter of training the mind, changing it, developing it, is difficult. Yet, perhaps something can be done. Although my own practices are not so great, nevertheless I am practicing the Dharma and, as a result, have found that it is possible to bring about a transformation of the mind. Now, what should we do if we do not have much confidence or conviction about a practice?
I encourage you to try it out, to check up on the progress in one month, in one year. We need to make the effort and really experiment for ourselves to see whether it is possible. I have found from my own practice that it is indeed possible to bring about a transformation of the mind. The reason for this is that all impermanent phenomena, all conditioned phenomena, do not remain as static entities, but rather, on account of a natural inner process, are forever changing. This discourse up to now has covered the first six of the eight verses of this text.
Now we move to the seventh verse, which runs: "In short, may I directly and indirectly offer benefit or happiness to all my mothers; may I secretly take upon myself their woes and suffering." This is still referring to the conventional awakening mind. So now, in order for this fine attitude of cherishing others more than oneself to be developed very strongly and become fervent, it needs to arise from the roots of compassion. Compassion is what is felt by a mind that cannot bear the suffering of others and longs for them to be freed from it. Besides feeling very earnestly a compassionate concern for others, we must also develop an attitude of loving kindness in which one looks upon others' happiness and wellbeing with a feeling of joy. These two -- compassion and loving kindness -- are the root from which springs the active cherishing of others more than oneself. Upon these has been built a practice called Tong-len (gTong-Len, or giving and taking) expressed by the verse: "May I offer benefit and happiness to all my mothers and take secretly upon myself their woes and suffering."
To be able actually to transfer one's happiness to others and directly take their sufferings upon oneself is something only possible on a very, very few occasions; it occurs when oneself and another individual have a very special type of relationship based on karmic affinity stemming, perhaps, from a previous life. On such occasions, it may be possible actually to cause a transference of suffering from another to oneself, but normally this is not possible. Then why does one train people to cultivate this attitude? Because it leads to attaining great strength of character, courage and enthusiasm; and this improves one's own practice of cultivating the awakening mind.
One begins the type of meditation called Tong-len by contemplating the suffering of others, visualizing their pathetic situation, their lack of happiness and exposure to suffering, which is not only occurring now but will also occur in the future, because the karmic causes of suffering are present in them. By again and again meditating on the situation of others, one eventually reaches a very earnest and heartfelt abhorrence at the thought of their suffering. There arises a sense of urgency, a longing to do everything possible to relieve their miserable situation. Recognizing that they are subject both to present sufferings and the causes of future suffering, one comes to a point at which one feels that there is nothing to be done other that to take upon oneself both the actual suffering and the causes of future suffering in other sentient beings. In this practice, first of all, one gladly, enthusiastically, and without reluctance imagines oneself transferring both the suffering and the causes to oneself. Actually, this can be done with visualization, i.e. a special meditation technique, but even if one is not able to perform it, still the mind can be trained in this way. Presently, one discovers that simply taking suffering and the causes of suffering away from sentient beings is not sufficient; rather one cultivates the wish that all other sentient beings may be endowed with happiness, with plenitude, with wellbeing.
