Atisha’s Seven Points of Mind Training – Lojong

The First Key Point

Practice 4: Suffering —The Unsatisfying Nature of All Things

“These states of existence, which are described in great detail, are merely resulting from our individual habitual tendencies. They are karmic appearances and nothing more than habit patterns playing themselves out as our experience. They do not exist somewhere else, as some external, set environment. Nor are they created by someone else. Nobody created a hot hellish place for people to languish. Nobody made the frozen, desolate lands where someone might suffer. Our individual actions form these myriad experiences. They are like dreams––mind’s own projections, completely personal, manifesting as experience and individual perception. These different realms are no more existent than the dream worlds we experience at night. In nightmares, we have fear and suffering because we believe what is happening is true. However, the reality is that it’s merely an appearance resulting from the mind’s confusion and habit patterns. It is nothing more than that. In fact, it is because of our belief in the validity and truth of those appearances that we react and experience suffering.”

~ Khentrul Lodrö T’hayé Rinpoche


Root Text

First Key Point: Preliminaries, The Support For Practice 
1. First, train in the preliminaries.


Resources

Required Reading
  • The Power of Mind: A Tibetan Monk’s Guide to Finding Freedom in Every Challenge by Khentrul Lodrö T’hayé
  • Daily Practice Instructions
Optional Reading
  • The Great Path of Awakening by Jamgon Kongtrul
  • Enlightened Courage by Dilgo Khyentse

Assignments

Assignment 1

  • Listen to the recording for this practice, The Suffering of Cyclic Existence

Assignment 2

  • Read the corresponding passages in The Power of Mind: A Tibetan Monk’s Guide to Finding Freedom in Every Challenge by Khentrul Lodrö T’hayé, pp. 41—50.
  • Additional Optional Reading: 
    • The Great Path of Awakening by Jamgon Kongtrul
    • Enlightened Courage by Dilgo Khyentse.

Assignment 3

  • Read the Daily Practice Instructions 
  • Spend two days integrating an awareness of how there is nowhere in existence that does not have suffering into whatever you are doing throughout the day.
  • In addition, integrate this practice into a brief formal meditation.

Daily Practice Instructions

Set an alarm, reminder, or note next to your bed reminding you that the practice for the day is the contemplation of the suffering of existence. Then, make a vow to remember this all day long no matter what occurs.

Keep setting commitments: 

  • Before starting your morning routine, make a vow to yourself that you won’t forget the inevitability of suffering in or connected to all experiences within existence.
  • Before getting in the car and driving somewhere, commit to remembering this every few minutes during the drive. 
  • Before starting work, commit to remembering the nature of suffering in relation to whatever comes up during work. 
  • Before going to a party or social event, commit to remembering the nature of suffering before walking in the door. 
  • Most importantly, commit to remembering the dissatisfactory nature of existence before meeting someone or going into a situation that will be challenging for you. 

In this way, before you start any new activity, vigilantly commit to remember this throughout whatever occurs.

How to practice this in difficult situations (adversity): If people or events upset you, pause and refresh your perspective. Consider how we suffer when our expectations of situations and life in general are not met. We often feel upset because we think we should find happiness in  existence. Yet, the reality is that all states of existence are a source of suffering. If we had no unreasonable expectations of existence, we wouldn’t be so disappointed. We would simply recognize its unsatisfactory nature. 

Bring awareness of all three kinds of suffering to the challenging situation. Consider how change was inevitable, recall the role of karma, and remember how all circumstances inevitably bring with them some form of suffering, 

Be creative in considering all three kinds of universal suffering and how they pertain to your immediate experience. Notice how they affect every aspect of your life. Likewise, when you die will your reaction to the situation be beneficial or will it create the causes for future suffering? Will you later regret what you do right now as you face dying? Will you even remember or care about the current situation that you find so upsetting? Use whatever understanding of suffering you have to talk yourself out of a negative reaction in the moment.

To practice this in positive situations: In pleasant moments as well, bring to mind the impermanent nature of events and bear in mind that things will eventually change. Ensure that you aren’t creating the causes for future suffering in your actions by responding to that positive circumstance with harmful actions. Generate the aspiration that all beings enjoy such happiness and rejoice in your moment of wellbeing. Find a unique way to relate this moment to the contemplation.

To practice this in neutral situations: Constantly reflect on different aspects of how each situation in existence is in some way or other a source of suffering. If you see or hear about someone who is in pain, recognize that all beings suffer no matter who they are. Every state of existence is characterized by some form of suffering; the names of the different realms are even labeled based on the extent of suffering that beings experience there. Until we find freedom, we will continue to experience these realms and their associated suffering.

If you encounter someone engaging in harmful actions, reflect on how their actions will produce future suffering. Consider the perpetuating nature of suffering due to all the harmful actions beings engage in and focus on loving kindness and compassion toward them.

Alternatively, consider how objects either cause suffering or are a result of suffering, such as the suffering of all things composite. Hold any item in your hand, imagine where it came from, and how beings might have suffered to produce it for you. The same object may also elicit strong attachment or aversion in you, creating the causes of future suffering.  

Nightly Routine:

  1. Reflect on how you did today:
  • Did you integrate the perspective of the underlying unsatisfactory nature of existence into everything you did?
  • Did recalling the nature of suffering change your perspective or actions?
  1. In recalling the moments that you forgot to practice, generate regret and resolve to do better. You might imagine yourself in that same situation and envision remembering this practice. Particularly notice whether suffering arose or was worsened due to unrealistic expectations. You might imagine yourself in the same situation, remembering the nature of existence and relating to it without any expectation or hope about it at all.

Where you succeeded in practice, rejoice, then dedicate the merit and make aspirations.

Schedule

  • If you are able to, sit for 10-20 minutes each day. 
  • If you already have a daily meditation practice, you can add this contemplative meditation to it. 

How to Practice:  Begin by sitting in meditation posture to cultivate the key points of body and speech. Then, establish your motivation. Pause for a moment and think that you are going to contemplate the nature of suffering in the context of your desire to free beings from suffering and bring them to genuine happiness.

Review the different kinds of suffering in existence as you sit using the book, The Power of Mind. This is a contemplative meditation. Read a point, reflect on its meaning and apply your understanding to your experience.

Focus especially on how the awareness of inevitable suffering might change the way you relate to people, material objects, or situations. Imagine how you would react differently if you had a deeper insight into the suffering of existence. 

Contemplate the three universal sufferings and their meanings:

  • The suffering of suffering: all evident physical or mental suffering, including anytime we “don’t like it.”
  • The suffering of change: when something we like or want ends, such as a pleasant sensation.
  • The all-pervasive suffering of everything composite: everything, whatever it is, is somehow connected to someone suffering, either being the cause for it or the result of it, and so forth. There is nothing that is not connected with suffering.

Contemplate the specific sufferings of each of the six classes of beings: See Appendix 3 in The Power of Mind book.

The primary aim of this meditation is to stop having unrealistic expectations of cyclic existence. Having fewer expectations alone decreases suffering and enables us to better cope with reality. Likewise, this insight brings many positive qualities, such as increasing compassion and further inspiring us to seek true and complete freedom from suffering. 

Conclude with short dedications and aspirations.

Assignment 4

  • Use a journal to document your reflections on this week’s practice.
  • Are there any insights, experiences, or questions you would like to share in the discussion box below?

Subscribe
Notify of