We have now completed the preliminaries, the seven mind trainings. Next, come two verses that name methods dependent on our current capacity. All of us can be categorized into three types of individuals, based on our capacity and potential. Of course, ultimately we all have the absolute potential to reach enlightenment; but depending on our previous karma and the strength of our tendencies, sometimes our capacities are great, sometimes they are more mild, and sometimes they are even less than that.
These frst teachings, which come next, are for beginners.
Eighth Verse
Totally unbearable sufferings of the lower realms are the result of sinful actions, thus spoke the Buddha.
Therefore, even under penalty of death, the bodhisattva’s practice is to never commit a negative action.
The teaching of this verse is for practitioners of the lowest category, whose priority should be to avoid unnecessary, negative karma. One must understand that whatever suffering one experiences within the three lower realms, the causes are none other than previously created negative karma.
This is not something that we believe on blind faith, simply because the Buddha said so—even if it was out of his own experience over countless lifetimes—but also through investigation of logic, whereby we are able to establish that uncomfortable experiences are a result of wrong actions. Once we understand that, then as a practitioner of lowest capacity our priority is to avoid creating any negative karma, even at the cost of one’s own life. The bodhisattva’s practice is to never commit any negative karma.
It is obviously very diffcult to reach this level as a beginner. But right now, we have the luxury of being able to concentrate on it and contemplate it. Gradually, by simply thinking about it constantly, in moments of potentially creating negative karma, it will become easier for us to do something positive instead. We have to understand what the causes for creating negative karma by sinful actions are. By thoroughly analyzing this, we are able to find a way or method to avoid it.
The next verse deals with the priorities of a practitioner of medium capacity.
Ninth Verse
The happiness of the three realms is like dew on the top of grass:
it is in its very nature to vanish in an instant.
It is the bodhisattva’s practice to strive for the great liberation, which never changes.
On the first level, the practitioners of lowest capacity, the priority is to avoid negative karma. For the practitioner of medium capacity, the priority shifts to trying to avoid clinging to the belief that in samsara’s three realms there is a permanent happiness to rely on. We waste our time and precious existence by trusting in the wrong way. It does not matter whether you are born as a human being or in the god-realm; conditioned happiness or peace is always impermanent. The example given here is dew on the top of grass. As soon as the sun shines on it, the dew dries and disappears. It simply doesn’t last long. Just like that, the happiness that we experience in the three realms is in its very nature one that vanishes in an instant. Therefore one must strive towards a happiness that is everlasting and permanent. Therefore, the path of the bodhisattva is to strive for the great liberation. The priority for practitioners of medium capacity is to try as best they can to let go of the clinging to samsara and to focus on the great liberation.
Now we turn to the path for the practitioners of the highest capacity, the bodhisattvas.
Tenth Verse
If all the mothers who have loved me since beginningless time are suffering, of what use is my own happiness?
Hence, for the sake of freeing countless sentient beings, it is the bodhisattva’s practice to generate bodhicitta.
This addresses the practitioners of the highest capacity, referring to those who are able to have a wide perspective on things. With a limited perspective we are seeking only our own happiness and to save our own skin. We may understand the impermanent nature of samsara and want to seek enlightenment, but if we are seeking it only for ourselves, then we are only treading the paths of the lower and medium-capacity practitioners.
As a bodhisattva, one uses a very simple logic. It starts by thinking that one is looking for enlightenment and knowing that, as long as one remains here in samsara, there is nothing but suffering. This awareness does not mean that one is pessimistic, but only that it is a universal fact. First, one is striving towards the great liberation, towards the all-knowing state of Buddhahood. Then, one sees that all other sentient beings are in a very similar state as oneself. They, too, are looking for happiness and want to free themselves from suffering. But because of their karma, they have not been able to find the right way, and they continue with their habitual patterns of using the wrong methods. They are constantly caught in the cycle of samsara. As a bodhisattva one has understood one’s own situation and the situation of others and thus knows that it is one’s responsibility to help the others.
There is a logic that has been used by all the great bodhisattvas as a way to understand that samsara has no beginning, in general and individually. Our conceptual mind has the tendency to believe that there must be a beginning. But this is not the case for samsara. All sentient beings throughout all our countless rebirths are connected in innumerable ways. All sentient beings have been just like our parents in this life. They have shown compassion and kindness to us, just like our parents. Understanding that all beings are connected and have been our parents, why would one seek only one’s own happiness and forget about others? That is why the verse says: “Of what use is my own happiness?”
Therefore it becomes the ultimate responsibility to shift our focus towards a greater perspective, one that includes all sentient beings. We make sure that they reach enlightenment and we generate bodhicitta towards them. Therefore the verse says that it is the bodhisattva’s practice to generate bodhicitta.
Here both the bodhicitta of aspiration and the bodhicitta of application are generated. The bodhicitta of aspiration is the wish itself, coming out of understanding, making a promise mainly to yourself to take this responsibility, and putting the three jewels in front of you as a witness. The bodhicitta of application follows, from the moment that we have generated this aspiration until the task is done.
In this way, we begin our path towards enlightenment. We identify the relative bodhicitta by taking the promise, identifying ourselves with the aim, and committing ourselves through aspiration and application. Whenever we receive empowerments, meditate or study, this method should be applied constantly, since we call ourselves bodhisattvas.
Once we have, with great understanding and determination, generated the bodhicitta of aspiration and application, then we continue to identify the relative bodhicitta and to stabilize it.
Eleventh Verse
All suffering comes from desire for one’s own happiness.
Perfect enlightenment grows from a beneficial mind towards others.
Therefore, it is the bodhisattva’s practice to perfect the exchange of one’s own happiness for the suffering of others.
The main focus of this verse is that we again try to shift our habit by trying to understand the nature of both samsara and nirvana. It says here, “All suffering comes from the desire for one’s own happiness. That means that the cause for samsara’s existence is desire and grasping for personal happiness while forgetting the responsibility to benefit others. It means constantly indulging ourselves by seeking our own happiness, no matter the costs. The cause for perfect enlightenment grows from a beneficial mind towards others, the very opposite. The perfect enlightened state rises from constantly striving towards gaining happiness and liberation for others. Simply put, it is taking responsibility for others. When we have cho sen the path of the bodhisattvas, our main priority is that we shift our habitual pattern of believing that we are far more important than everyone else, the feeling of “I am more important than the rest. It is the bodhisattva’s practice to shift the focus and to exchange our own happiness and our own priority for others, thinking of all sentient beings as the priority and ourselves as secondary. This means that, in addition to taking responsibility for our own actions, we must take responsibility to benefit others not just as a duty but as our very nature. The verse says the exchange of one’s own happiness for the suffering of others. In many teachings one hears about this exchanging. It begins by identifying our common goal, that we are all trying to have happiness and avoid suffering. In that way we are all the same, no matter what our status is. Because we are all victims of our habitual patterns, we take the responsibility to realize first of all that we are all the same, that we all strive for enlightenment. Then we take it up a notch and exchange our state with others. It is not just sensing that we have similar goals and are the same, but it goes beyond that, i.e., making sure that all sentient beings become our priority and that we ourselves become secondary.
This means that, in addition to taking responsibility for our own actions, we must take responsibility to benefit others not just as a duty but as our very nature. The verse says the exchange of one’s own happiness for the suffering of others. In many teachings one hears about this exchanging. It begins by identifying our common goal, that we are all trying to have happiness and avoid suffering. In that way we are all the same, no matter what our status is. Because we are all victims of our habitual patterns, we take the responsibility to realize first of all that we are all the same, that we all strive for enlightenment. Then we take it up a notch and exchange our state with others. It is not just sensing that we have similar goals and are the same, but it goes beyond that, i.e., making sure that all sentient beings become our priority and that we ourselves become secondary.
In order to achieve this, there are countless methods of shine1 and of tonglen2 as a preliminary stage. As time passes and our ability strengthens, we are able to literally exchange our own place with that of others. We have heard so much about Buddha’s life and about giving up one’s own precious life for others’ safety, for others’ love, for others’ happiness. This is something on which we have to meditate and concentrate.
The advice that follows here, then, is given for us after we have meditated and stabilized our mind. The next ten verses offer advice for beginners, for whom there will be countless unfavorable circumstances. These teachings will show us how to avoid them or how to transform them to our advantage.
Twelfth Verse
Though someone driven by greed is to confiscate our wealth or asks others to do the same,
it is the bodhisattva’s practice to dedicate one’s own body, wealth, and merit of the three times towards them.
This is about being able to let go of our most prized possessions, such as our bodies and our wealth. All kinds of unfavorable circumstances can arise, and we can fall into them at any moment. If someone tries to take your life or wealth from you, it is because of greed. They are not doing it with full intention. It is not in anyone’s nature to commit such negativity, but it happens because of succumbing to one’s own greed. When we are able to understand that, we are able to transform these negative circumstances into positive ones. Without it, we would feel fear and shock, followed by taking revenge and fighting back.
If one is able to understand that the other person is simply driven by greed and that the situation is happening because of one’s own karma and previous negative engagements, then one is able to let go and possibly even dedicate one’s body, wealth, and merit to others. As a practitioner we are able to focus on our most precious possession, i.e., our positive karma. Therefore we dedicate even the merit of the three times, i.e., of our past lives, of this life, and what merit we are able to accumulate in the future. Dedicating all this to others becomes the practice of the bodhisattvas.
This verse was about transforming the loss of one’s own wealth into something positive. The next verse is about transforming any type of harm.
Thirteenth Verse
If someone comes to cut off my head, though I have not made a single mistake,
I practice being a bodhisattva by taking their negative karma onto myself, because of the power of compassion.
I guess the example is quite unlikely, but this is general advice about transforming a particular type of obstacle or harm into something that is advantageous. If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong person, you could end up just like this. Therefore, if anyone comes towards us and says they are going to cut off our head, probably our first reaction will be a big shock. But since we are trying to become bodhisattvas, if we do come across such situations, then we have to understand that they occur not merely by accident but as a result of our own karma. And most importantly, it is not done with full consciousness. This is the attitude that we should have toward every individual who commits such an act. First of all, it happens because of one’s own karma; and second, such actions are driven by the great force of habit. Understanding this, we are able to have even more and genuine compassion and loving-kindness. Our duty in being a bodhisattva is to think about the negative karma that others have accumulated throughout their past lives, in this present life, and possibly in their future lives. We take this negative karma on ourselves, even if that is not possible literally. But full-heartedly wishing for that, this is the bodhisattva’s practice.
Next we come to advice for being able to transform criticism into something positive.
Fourteenth Verse
Though someone tells, in all the three universes, words of ill repute about me,
it is the bodhisattva’s practice to express their qualities with loving mind.
One of the most difficult things for a samsaric individual to digest is criticism. Being able to transform criticism is very difficult, whether at the level of a beginning practitioner, an arhat, or a bodhisattva because our habitual patterns are very difficult. But it is not impossible. If someone criticizes your negative habits or your negativities—for example, picking your nose—in any of the three realms, it is the bodhisattva’s practice to understand that it is their karma and that they are doing such things because they are not free of their own greed.
Going even further, we should see this person as our teacher, guide, support, or mirror for our lives as practitioners. It is often the case that we are not able to identify our own mistakes. Because of our habitual patterns and tendencies, we always judge ourselves as doing the right thing. Our own acts, speech, and thoughts are always right, while others are wrong. Therefore, it is useful to have someone who does not like you to actually point out your faults clearly, to put it into words and show it to you. If we are able to understand it in that way, our own enemies are far greater teachers than our traditional dharma teacher. To acknowledge it in that way and to have a great appreciation and gratitude towards them becomes the act of a bodhisattva. Through this attitude, we are able to generate even more compassion and loving-kindness. If we are able to do what it says in the verse, “express their qualities with a loving mind,” that would be the bodhisattva’s practice. First, we acknowledge all their positive qualities, and then we share this understanding with fellow practitioners. That is the ultimate practice of the bodhisattvas.
The next verse is about pointing out one’s own faults.
Fifteenth Verse
Though someone speaks badly of me and exposes my faults in a public gathering,
respectfully bow down to them and perceive them as a spiritual friend, this is a bodhisattva’s practice.
This is more or less like the last verse, but it is probably the more likely of the two, as it happens pretty often in our daily lives. Because of our habitual patterns and our own wrongdoings, we create both friends and enemies in our lives; if someone in a public gathering, any kind of event, speaks badly of us, that hurts the most, because we cherish ourselves with our samsaric habits. In addition, it doesn’t necessarily have to be yourself, but your loved ones as well—such as your parents, friends, family, or someone you care for. If someone is criticizing them, it can be very difficult to pull yourself together. This is something that even the text itself points out as somehow seemingly being part of our nature. But in fact, it is not guaranteed that it is in our nature. It is simply a sign that we are being controlled by our afflictive emotions.
We are all trying to reach freedom. But if we are not able to free ourselves from this control, then, no matter what kind of democracy or freedom we attempt to achieve, we will still be under the control of our emotions. In this case, the way to unlock this misunderstanding is to see our “enemy” as our spiritual friend or as the text says: a bodhisattva, a living, breathing bodhisattva in front of us.
To have a traditional teacher is a positive thing, a luxury. But in some minor ways it could be a disadvantage, given their compassion. They may not be able to point out certain mistakes of ours. Therefore an enemy can be a greater teacher, since they are able to point out any negativity and to dig it out of us. If we are then able to see them as a spiritual friend, a bodhisattva, our responsibility as a bodhisattva is complete.
Sixteenth Verse
Though a person whom I cherished and cared for as my own son sees me as an enemy,
it is the bodhisattva’s practice to love them more, in the same way as a mother loves her sick child.
This is about ungratefulness. It is about showing your kindness to someone and getting back not sugar, but something sour. Even if you’re not expecting anything in return, what you get back is something unfavorable. If we come across such a situation, then again we have to pull ourselves together and use the very methods that we have used before.
In our lives, we come across many individuals whom we do our best to benefit, to help and support in any way. Though sometimes we do expect something in return, most of the time we know that the most profound or noble way is not to expect anything. Yet in this case, even though we are not expecting anything in return, when what we do get back is unfavorable or not nice, then the reaction should not be anger or hatred or giving in to any afflictive emotions, but it should be to feel even more compassion and loving-kindness.
The example here is that we think of them as a mother’s only child. When your child is sick, it is natural and almost automatic that no matter how much anguish they throw at you, you won’t feel any kind of anger or frustration at all. We may feel frustration, but not in a negative way. You won’t feel vengeful, but even more compassion. Many of you who are mothers know this even more than I do. If you can have this acknowledgment towards your enemy, then your responsibility as a bodhisattva is complete.
The next verse is about transforming humiliation into a means of developing respect and compassion.
Seventeenth Verse
Though a person equal or lower to me abuses me, driven by pride,
it is the bodhisattva’s practice to respectfully take him on my crown as my guru.
If someone who is equal or lower to you in terms of social position, class, intellect, wealth or position tries to humiliate you out of pride, it is one of the most profound practices of the bodhisattva to take that person as a teacher, a spiritual support. As the verse says, “it is the bodhisattva’s practice to respectfully take him on my crown as my guru.”
It is quite simple, I think. The one thing that we have to understand is that the turmoil of society is a very general view. Society is built up from very simple lives being piled one on top of the other. They become a huge society, and the chaos or turmoil within society comes from not being able to understand the equality. We have to understand this word “equal” very well, because when someone brings hindrance to us or talks badly about us because of our social position or profession, it can become a great obstacle if one is not able to take that positively. Otherwise, it can become pure chaos and lead to all the unnecessary misunderstandings, such as war, famine, etc. Therefore, it is very important to be able to take these obstacles and transform them into positive means.
The next verse is about being able to transform any type of deterioration of life, wealth, and position into positive means.
Eighteenth Verse
Though caught by evil spirits and severe illness, always abused by others and having diffculty surviving,
it is the bodhisattva’s practice, without being discouraged, to take on all the negative karmas of all sentient beings.
This refers to the deterioration of life. It can be physical, as in aging, accidents, illnesses and so on. On top of it you can be bullied and hampered, a state with obstacles of all kinds. It can also refer to hunger. All sentient beings try to live a life in terms of the stomach. We are trying to feed our ungrateful stomach all the time, but no matter how much you feed it, the next day it is hungry again.
This teaching is, first of all, about the deterioration of physical form and, secondly, about all the obstacles in life that one can imagine. If you are caught in problems one after another, one added to the other, it can become very confusing at times. Even if we are trying to be good persons, bodhisattvas, trying to be spiritual while being pushed left and right by all these obstacles can sometimes cause one to have doubts. One does not see why it is happening, and one can see no reasons within this life. And that can lead someone to literally give up. Therefore, to go through such challenges is the bodhisattva’s practice. Even in such a storm, we try to make a breakthrough and cherish the enlightened mind. We try to think of all the beings that are in similar or even worse situations, as well as all the sentient beings that have yet to face the negative experiences from their negative karma. Again, we wish to exchange so that we could take all of their challenges on ourselves without being discouraged— and then move on.
Nineteenth Verse
Though having become famous, with people bowing their heads to you, though being as rich as the god of wealth, it is the bodhisattva’s practice not to be proud, since you see that the wealth of samsara is without essence.
This verse is about wealth. In the samsaric way, in worldly terms, wealth is the source of our happiness. It is because of wealth that we are able to feed and clothe ourselves and our family. Because of wealth we get fame and all the luxuries that one can imagine in one’s life. But that is the perspective from samsara. From a practitioner’s point of view, and especially a bodhisattva’s point of view, if one simply keeps giving into this tendency—seeing wealth as the ultimate source of happiness—then this will become a great source of obstacles. Therefore, being able to identify wealth in its real nature and to find a skillful means to use it properly becomes a high priority.
One can be the richest billionaire in this temporary life and still be able to see that all the fame and wealth and comfort and luxury is not serving one’s true purpose, not giving pure happiness. Not being proud of it, not giving in to pride, not letting pride delude your vision, is the practice of the bodhisattva. We have to be able to transform our wealth and fame into positive means, to use our position, wealth, and fame in a positive way. Through fame one is able to influence a great number of sentient beings and to encourage others on a vast scale. On top of it, if one has wealth, one is able to do an equal amount of good as well— to use it not for one’s own interest but for that of all beings.
The next verse is about transforming one’s true enemy, the afflictive emotion called anger or hatred, two emotions that are basically the same.
Twentieth Verse
By trying to subdue outer enemies, they will increase if you do not subdue your own anger first.
Therefore, it is the bodhisattva’s practice to subdue one’s own stream with powerful armies of love and compassion.
In regular life, there are countless enemies. Sometimes, by misunderstanding and sometimes with consciousness, without much choice, we create enemies. But most of the time, such enemies are caused mainly through previous engagements of negative karma. But if we have to find the true source, the real enemy, it is none other than our own afflictive emotion of anger.
It has been our samsaric habit to try to eradicate our outer enemies, other individuals, through any means necessary. First, we try to compromise or negotiate through kind words. If that doesn’t work, we use force. That is why we have war everywhere around the world. As long as we continue this pattern, all we will get is more pain, suffering, dirt, and enemies. It is a never-ending repetition of the same old history. But seen through the experience of all the previous bodhisattvas, the true enemy is none other than our own anger and hatred. Given this, we plant the seeds that continue to make enemies with other individuals. To eradicate the inner enemy of anger, one must subdue one s own stream with power ful armies of love and compassion. Using love and compassion as a tool to eradicate this afflictive emotion is the key that can guarantee that there will be no repetition of such a history.
To conquer anger is our priority, and the way to do it is by compassion and loving-kindness.
The next verse is about trying to avoid the very cause that gives rise to our attachment. As beginners, the longer that we stay close to certain circumstances, the more it is just a matter of time that we give rise to our attachment. And, once we give in, it just never ends.
Twenty-First Verse
Worldly achievements are like salt water, desire increases the more we take.
It is the bodhisattva’s practice to immediately abandon all objects that give rise to attachment.
At the beginner’s level it is of utmost importance that, if you are not able to completely eradicate attachment, you at least try to distance yourself from such circumstances and objects. The attachment that one experiences is in its nature like salt water. Someone who is very thirsty will want to quench his thirst with water; but if the water is salty, the more he drinks the thirstier he becomes. So, he will never be able to truly quench his thirst. Distancing your self from such circumstances, and making sure that you acknowledge this thoroughly from each and every angle, is a very positive thing in becoming a bodhisattva.
Until now the teaching has been about the relative bodhicitta. For us as beginners this is the very path to begin to identify what is the absolute bodhicitta, the absolute truth. We use this path to accumulate positive merit and eventually to give rise to the ultimate bodhicitta. “Relative” more or less means the traditional way of trying to understand the truth. The traditional way is for us to use our common concepts as a means to unlock the truth. Even though this concept is fabricated and is created out of dualism, nonetheless, we, as beginners, have no choice but to use this. This is what we have. Relative bodhicitta is about using this traditional concept to understand the absolute truth.
Until now, the advice in these verses has been mainly for beginners on how to accumulate positive merit, how to transform negative circumstances, and what it means to be a decent individual or a bodhisattva. Now we turn to absolute bodhicitta and the advice offered there. Now the subject is how to develop and perfect absolute bodhicitta.
Twenty-Second Verse
All appearances are one’s own mind.
Likewise, since beginningless time the mind itself is beyond creative extremes.
It is the bodhisattva’s practice to know that, rather than thinking about the concepts of subject and object.
This verse is about how to meditate on or how to identify with absolute bodhicitta. “All appearances are one’s own mind” refers to every experience that we can perceive through our five faculties and through our mind—so as a totality, through our six senses. Every appearance that we perceive through these six senses is nothing but a projection of our mind; in other words, even though they appear to us as forms, sounds, tastes, touch, or thoughts, in their true state they are neither here nor there; they are all simply projections of our own mind.
Likewise, if the nature of appearances is like that, then even the mind itself that perceives these appearances is, since beginningless time, also beyond creative extremes. “Creative extremes” means any kind of fabricated experiences. Just as all appearances are in their own true state free of fabrication, so even the perceiving mind itself is also free of fabrication. “Creative extremes” means that we believe it is important to think in such a way that things do exist for sure or do not exist at all. Practically, whenever we think about something, we always believe it to be either permanent or impermanent. Creative extremes are both eternalism and nihilism. Our samsaric, conditioned mind, which is deluded by our habitual patterns, seems to fall into one of those two categories, eternalism or nihilism. In order to generate the absolute bodhicitta, we need to understand that even the mind itself is free of such extreme states.
Knowing, understanding or acknowledging that truth is a key point, “rather than thinking about the concepts of subject and object.” “Subject and object” in my version of the English translation should be understood as dualism: trying to identify the mind as the perceiver of all things on one hand and the objects as what we perceive on the other hand, both separated from each other. What we have to see and know is that mind itself is actually free of such dualism. Being able to concentrate on this state of truth is the bodhisattva’s practice.
Once we have stabilized our mind and directed it towards this understanding and that path, then in a practitioner’s day-to-day life we have to deal with the obstacles that we come across. The two most common ones are objects that are either very pleasant or very unpleasant to us. The first one discussed here, in the next verse, are the pleasant experiences and how to make sure that we do not fall into the traps of attachment.
Twenty-Third Verse
Favorable objects that I meet exist like a beautiful summer’s rainbow.
Not seeing them as real and abandoning attachment is the bodhisattva’s practice.
Favorable objects are exactly like the beautiful summer’s rainbow. Whenever we see a rainbow, it exists as it is, beautiful and colorful; but we know that no matter how clearly we see the rainbow, it does not actually exist as we see it. Just like sensing a rainbow, whenever we come across pleasant appearances, we should not let ourselves be fooled by them; we should not fall into the trap of taking them for real. Rather, we should abandon them by using methods such as shown in this example with the rainbow.
The main point is that whenever we come across favorable objects, our immediate habitual tendency is to see them as pure and pleasant and as permanent and having a solid “self” or real existence. Once we have that concept clearly in our mind, then we cling to it. This refers to any kind of object, form or sound, i.e., any appearance.
That is how we get trapped when we come across them, because we have these four main concepts. We have to first identify and clarify these concepts because then it is much easier to let them go. Then we have to think the opposite of each of these concepts.
First, we sense all appearances to be pure. So when we come across pleasant forms and objects, we tend to think that they are in their cleanest and purest state. But the moment we start to dissect them and do a thorough analysis, they begin to disappear. Second, we initially tend to think that they are a source of happiness, and thirdly that they are permanent. But by using the method of understanding impermanence, we recognize that their nature is impermanent—and how could we ever find in an impermanent source a source of permanent happiness?
Lastly, we tend to think of the perceiver, we ourselves, as having a self and at the same time the perceived object as having its own identity. It is a must to understand in this case that they are void of any kind of identity or self. By using these methods we are able to avoid and abandon attachment.
The next verse is about abandoning unfavorable objects.
Twenty-Fourth Verse
The various types of suffering are like the death of a child in a dream.
Mistaking illusory appearance for reality is exhausting.
Therefore, it is the bodhisattva’s practice to see unfavorable conditions as illusions.
Attachment arises from strongly grasping to favorable, pleasant objects. In the same way anger or hatred happen by clinging to unpleasant objects. The verse mentions “the various types of sufferings” that we experience in unpleasant existence, such as in the three lower realms or in pleasant existences such as in our realm, the god-realm, and so on. No matter where we are in the three realms, we will constantly be bombarded with various types of suffering. But all the sufferings are like the death of a child in a dream. All of us, whenever we come across unpleasant circumstances, experience them as if they were real. But in actual truth, these experiences are nothing more than experiencing the death of your own child in a dream, and in this way—as the verse says: “mistaking illusory appearances for reality is exhausting”—we ourselves are a great proof of that. Using this method of understanding the unpleasant objects as dreams or illusions, it is the bodhisattva’s practice to abandon the very source of the afflictive emotion of anger.
Further reading:
The 37 Practices of Bodhisattvas, Part I
The 37 Practices of Bodhisattvas, Part 2
The 37 Practices of Bodhisattvas, Part 3 (The Six Paramitas)
