The second way to protect the sense doors is not by preventing contact with the objects of the sense powers but by protecting our mind from becoming influenced by them. We do this as soon as the sense power and its object have made contact. For example, when we see a very beautiful object we immediately move our attention to something else. The reason why we develop desirous attachment for beautiful objects is that as soon as we have made contact with them we let our attention dwell there and we become engrossed. We start to engage in quite an intense process of thought that resembles analytical meditation, familiarizing our mind with every aspect of the object, both manifest and hidden. As a result of our ‘analytical meditation’ a powerful feeling of desirous attachment arises clearly in our mind and we hold it there until, eventually, we cannot get rid of it! For example, when we meet a handsome man or a beautiful woman we keep thinking about how beautiful they are and we visualize them in detail – their hair, their complexion, their smile, their eyes, their expression, their figure. We remember all their features from the crown of their head to the tips of their toes. On these occasions our powers of visualization are superb. This ‘analytical meditation’ makes strong desirous attachment arise in our mind, and this makes us seek the object that we have been visualizing. If we fail to make contact again, we feel depressed. Where does this pain of disappointment come from? It comes from our own ‘meditation’! Thus, if we want to be free from such suffering, whenever we encounter a beautiful object we should leave it alone and not allow our mind to dwell upon it. Similarly, if someone says unpleasant things to us we should let these things fall upon deaf ears and avoid dwelling upon them. In this way we will avoid becoming angry. The same kind of practice is to be applied with regard to all other objects of the sense powers.
If we protect the doors of our sense powers during the meditation break, our concentration in the meditation session will be very good. Je Tsongkhapa taught that the meditation break is more important than the meditation session because our meditation session may last for only a few hours every day, but our meditation break is as long as the rest of our life. If we practise well during the meditation break we will be practising well for most of our life, and we will greatly improve the concentration that we have in our meditation session.
During our meditation break we can use our Dharma wisdom to transform all our experiences into spiritual practice. If we are able to do this we will not have to rely upon books alone to keep our mind on Dharma when we are not meditating. For example, when we go shopping we can use our wisdom to see how some things teach impermanence, some things teach the faults of samsara, some things teach compassion, and some things teach patience. If we practise like this, we will bring home many virtuous states of mind. Otherwise, when we come home from town we will be carrying a heavy bag full of delusions.
Contents Page
Nagarjuna
Our Precious Human Life
how to take the essence of our human life
This section is presented under the following two headings:
1 How to develop the determination to take the essence of our precious human life
2 Training the mind in the actual methods for taking the essence of our precious human life
how to develop the determination to take the essence of our precious human life
This has three parts:
1 Recognizing that we now possess a precious human life
2 Meditating on the great value of our precious human life
3 Meditating on the great rarity of our precious human life
recognizing that we now possess a precious human life
A precious human life is a life that has eight special freedoms and ten special endowments that make it an ideal opportunity for training the mind in all the stages of the path to enlightenment. Each of the eight special freedoms is freedom from one of eight conditions that either prevent or seriously impede our spiritual practice. If we have a human life with all these eight freedoms we will find it relatively easy to overcome any other unfavourable conditions that we might experience. The ten special endowments are all necessary conditions for our practice of Dharma.
By meditating on these eight freedoms and ten endowments we will recognize that we now possess a life that provides the very best opportunity for spiritual development. Such a recognition will naturally bring a feeling of joy and a deep appreciation of our human life with its great potential. By meditating on the value and rarity of our precious human life we will develop a spontaneous and continuous desire to take full advantage of it. This virtuous wish naturally leads us to correct spiritual paths and holds us back from entering wrong paths. Therefore, developing the wish to take the essence of this precious human life is said to be the key that unlocks the door of Dharma. It is also said to be our best friend because it influences us powerfully to use our life in the best way.
This section has two parts:
1 The eight freedoms
2 The ten endowments
the eight freedoms
Four of the eight freedoms are freedoms from being born in a form that is not human:
1 Freedom from being born as a hell being
2 Freedom from being born as a hungry spirit
3 Freedom from being born as an animal
4 Freedom from being born as an ordinary god
An explanation of ways to develop conviction, if we do not already have it, that past and future lives exist, and that there are other realms or conditions of existence apart from the human realm, will be given in detail below. For the purposes of this meditation it is enough to have faith, or at least to keep an open mind.
It is impossible to be born as a human being without first creating the cause, just as it is impossible to gather a good harvest without first planting the seeds. Nothing, not even an atom, arises without causes and conditions. What is the cause of being born human? The cause is to be found in our own mental actions. There is no lawgiver who exists outside ourself and decrees ‘You will be human’ or ‘You will inhabit hell.’ Furthermore, we cannot take a particular form of life merely by preferring it, for who would ever prefer to be born in hell? As explained in the Condensed Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, the main cause of a human rebirth is the practice of moral discipline. It cannot be said, therefore, that human beings will always be born again as human beings or that animals will always be born again as animals. The form of life we take depends upon the quality of our own actions.
Although it is difficult to prove by logical reasoning alone the precise relationships between particular actions and their effects, it is quite easy to understand the relationship between actions and their effects in general. The ripened effect of any action is to be born in a state of existence that is similar in nature to the action itself. The ripened effect of any virtuous action is to be born in a fortunate state, such as that of a human being or a god; and the ripened effect of any non-virtuous action is to be reborn in an unfortunate state, such as that of an animal, a hungry spirit or a hell being.
All the beings who now inhabit the lower realms of existence have at some time in their countless past lives practised moral discipline. As a result they carry within their minds the potentiality to be born human and to practise moral discipline again. Similarly, in this life and in our past lives we have committed countless destructive actions, and so we carry within our mind many potentialities to be born into a life that is not human and to repeat our destructive actions over and over again. Thus we need to meditate in order to appreciate fully the good fortune that we now enjoy and to develop a heartfelt determination to make the most of it while we can.
freedom from being born as a hell being
We meditate:
The body and environment of a hell