Your Mind is Your Religion
Lama Yeshe teaches the importance of regular mental check-ups.
WHEN I TALK ABOUT MIND, I'm not just talking about my mind, my trip. I'm talking about the mind of each and every universal living being. The way we live, the way we think-everything is dedicated to material pleasure. We consider sense objects to be of utmost importance and materialistically devote ourselves to whatever makes us happy, famous, or popular. Even though all this comes from our mind, we are so totally preoccupied by external objects that we never look within, we never question why we find them so interesting.
As long as we exist, our mind is an inseparable part of us. As a result, we are always up and down. It is not our body that goes up and down, it's our mind—this mind whose way of functioning we do not understand—not just our body, but our mind. Therefore, sometimes we have to examine ourselves—not just our body, but our mind. After all, it is our mind that is always telling us what to do. We have to know our own psychology, or, in religious terminology, perhaps, our inner nature. Anyway, no matter what we call it, we have to know our own mind.
Don't think that examining and knowing the nature of your mind is just an Eastern trip. That's a wrong conception. It's your trip. How can you separate your body, or your self-image, from your mind? It's impossible. You think you are an independent person, free to travel the world, enjoying everything. Despite what you think, you are not free. I'm not saying that you are under the control of someone else. It's your own uncontrolled mind, your own attachment that oppresses you. If you discover how you oppress yourself, your uncontrolled mind will disappear. Knowing your own mind is the solution to all your problems.
One day the world looks so beautiful; the next day it looks terrible. How can you say that? Scientifically, it's impossible that the world can change so radically. It's your mind that causes these appearances. This is not religious dogma; your up and down is not religious dogma. I'm not talking about religion; I'm talking about the way you lead your daily life, which is what sends you up and down. Other people and your environment don't change radically; it's your mind. I hope you understand that.
Similarly, one person thinks that the world is beautiful and people are wonderful and kind, while another thinks that everything and everyone is horrible. Who is right? How do you explain that scientifically? It's just their individual mind's projection on the sense world. You think, “Today is like this; tomorrow is like that; this man is like this; that woman is like that.” But where is that absolutely fixed, forever-beautiful woman? Who is that absolutely forever-handsome man? They are nonexistent-they are simply creations of your own mind.
This is amazing wisdom from Lama Thubten Yeshe.
It is only recently after 5 years of trying to figure out my mediation practice that I am beginning to see the impact on me and my practice that my reaction to the events in my day to day life has.
I am beginning to see that my true challenge is controlling my momentary reaction to the days events as they arise as the outcome can leave me either happy and joyful or sad and victimized. In other words - working to be of clear mind in the moment by moment progression of my life is my real work.
A very nice article. Pure sweet milk! :-)
I often find myself getting frustrated by how folk look to Buddhism for some sort of high ... yet another source of cheap buzz. And I yearn for teachers to speak to the kitchen-sink sources of our dis-ease. Here, this teacher has done so.
Very encouraging!
Mangalam!
Karma Chopal
Very nice teaching, lots of truth and very powerful. But not every human problem is psychological: poverty is not created by the mind, nor is powerlessness, or homelessness, etc.
It is not the mind [which is pure] but the UN-trained mind that is the problem. It tells us stories, holds the delusions, and creates the suffering that is associated with human deprivation. The UN-trained mind tells us that these people are different from us, separate from us, and fools us into thinking that their suffering is separate from our own. Until we develop more awareness, we will continue to ignore and compartmentalize the suffering of the homeless, prisoners, neglected children, the elderly, and others. In the meantime, we can meditate, holding them dear in our hearts and minds. Then, perhaps, we will not fear reaching out where and when we can. May we all discover the source of our true happiness. Wishing much metta to all.
My mind is out to get me. It can find a million ways not to be loving. It's selfish, self centered, petty, judgmental, and fearful, just to name a few of its powerful ways that keep me suffering. Someone said a longtime ago, " the mind makes an excellent servant but a lousy master ". I let it make out the grocery list and write a check but when it comes to my life I don't pay attention. I read " you can't solve the problems of the mind at the level of the mind " and that seems true for me. When the unhealthy thoughts come I just let them pass through without feeding them with my energy. I tell my friends I've given up thinking and they laugh. For me there is far less suffering there.
This teaching is wonderful, just what the Buddha ordered. Just look, all the time, and when you see clearly, believe your own experience. Don't take it on faith. Check everything. Granted, that's work, and I am often lured away from it by the chocolate.
Whatalifefull, I have an image for you. A woman was recently arrested near where I live, for the third time, for bringing shopping-carts-full of bread to a public park to feed the geese. As a result, there were families and tribes and nations of geese filling the park, and even more goose poop than geese. You're so right: don't feed them your energy!