From time immemorial, the outer sphere of the universe and its inner inhabitants have been interdependently existing phenomena for one another like a container and its contents. The physical world formed from the five great elements is the celestial land, and its inhabitants are divine beings for anyone who has realized the ultimate aspect of phenomena.
Just as space has no boundary, beings are also innumerable. Though sentient beings are born in different realms with distinctive mental capacities, all are the same on the basis of their longing and aspiration for love and happiness. Loving kindness and compassion are the most precious qualities in the entire universe which we all should value when they arise in our mind streams. Comparatively, any kind of valuable thing of the human realm is worthless for the beings in the rest of the realms and vice versa. This special wealth of love and compassion is ever-present within all sentient beings and remains inseparable from them like the sun and its rays. This is the light that illuminates every being in their quest for ultimate happiness.
Among all sentient beings, we humans are known to be the most fortunate ones for it is in a human birth that both suffering and the joy of liberation can be experienced, and because of our ability to understand the Dharma well. By knowing one’s righteous advantage it is wise to utilize one’s energy and intellect to pursue something beneficial in this jewel-like human life. When one acquires such a human life, if one is after temporal happiness, one’s inner light will not be seen, but if one ardently aspires to achieve ultimate happiness, one’s inner light will glow luminously. Thus, always follow the true light within yourself.
This life is the most precious gift that one owns. It is a natural process that life starts from birth to a certain stage, and then gradually ends with the last breath. While one is travelling on this journey of life, one comes across endless problematic situations and issues of the mundane world, which give rise to different emotions: happiness, sadness, neutral feelings, and so on. These situations are the lessons of life which leave behind the best as well as the worst imprints, as the sweet and bitter ingredients of life. If one knows how to deal with them skillfully, then they can become the sublime light of life, and if one cannot face them, then they may haunt oneself in the form of obscuring darkness. Therefore, let the radical beam of one’s intrinsic light sparkle to engender everlasting bliss.
It is a common fact that a thing one looks for might never be found and a thing that one does not expect sometimes approaches effortlessly. With such untimely incidents, one gets deeply immersed in great depression and anxiety, and lets the light within oneself fade away. Also, some get easily discouraged by flimsy criticism and give up their whole career, and so forth. After all, anything with higher value never strikes one as the finest thing from the beginning. It has to go through many processes to change into an excellent shape. This is applicable to all human issues. Any human issues that engulf one’s peace of mind are never permanent, however; therefore, try to face them bravely with consistent patience.
A legendary knight proves to be a great hero by shielding himself from his opponent’s sharp and shiny sword with his fine armor. Similarly, if one shields one’s innately meaningful mind with the finest armor of patience, then nothing can give rise to any chaos, woes, frustration, distress, or other adversities. Instead, the brilliant light of peace and joy will blaze within one’s primordially pristine mindstream. With patience one can make peace with oneself and others as well.
One in search of happiness can become the slave of one’s afflictive emotions—anger, attachment, ignorance, arrogance and jealousy—which will give rise to abrupt emotional epidemics. If one does not guard one’s untamed mind with stable mindfulness and introspection, then one will end up in negative consequences fraught with great peril.
In this regard, Shantideva said, “If one tries to cover an entire thorny area with leather, it wouldn’t be sufficient. Instead, if one simply straps leather to one’s feet, then it’s the same as covering the whole land.” This point elucidates the importance of guarding one’s conceptual mind.
Our mind is the prime factor of everything. All virtues and non-virtues, happiness and suffering, originate from the mind. Knowing the fact that one’s valid analysis may also become a satirical point for others, one should not, therefore, grasp blindly at any object that one sees, feels, smells, hears, tastes or perceives as being infallible. Always approach them with broad open-mindedness. There is still room for improvement, as greatness has no boundary. Also, with every problem there lies a solution within it. It is just a matter of an individual’s conscience to approach it. After all, everything is the display of one’s impure mind. Once the mind gets perfectly purified, then there are no distinctions as such; all appears as one.
All suffering and its causes arise from the mundane mind, and all happiness and its causes arise from a tamed mind. Throughout the realms, the precious Dharma is the only indispensable elixir that has the potential to make one’s inner light wax. Buddha Shakyamuni taught eighty-four thousand teachings based on the different mentalities of beings, as antidotes for their afflictive emotions.Therefore, make the best use of the sublime Dharma to illuminate the true light within yourself.
By Kunzang T. Chokyi
7th Year, NNI
