Training the Mind: Verse 8 In the final verse, we read: May all this remain undefiled By the stains

of the eight mundane concerns; And may I, recognizing all things as illusion, evoid of clinging, !e released from !ondage" The first two lines of this verse are very critical for a genuine #ractitioner" The eight mundane concerns are attitudes that tend to dominate our lives generally" They are: !ecoming elated when someone #raises you, !ecoming de#ressed when someone insults or !elittles you, feeling ha##y when you e$#erience success, !eing de#ressed when you e$#erience failure, !eing %oyful when you ac&uire wealth, feeling dis#irited when you !ecome #oor, !eing #leased when you have fame, and feeling de#ressed when you lac' recognition" A true #ractitioner should ensure that his or her cultivation of altruism is not defiled !y these thoughts" (or e$am#le, if, as I am giving this tal', I have even the slightest thought in the !ac' of my mind that I ho#e #eo#le admire me, then that indicates that my motivation is defiled !y mundane considerations, or what the Ti!etans call the )eight mundane concerns"* It is very im#ortant to chec' oneself and ensure that is not the case" +imilarly, a #ractitioner may a##ly altruistic ideals in his daily life, !ut if all of a sudden he feels #roud a!out it and thin's, )Ah, I,m a great #ractitioner,* immediately the eight mundane concerns defile his #ractice" The same a##lies if a #ractitioner thin's, )I ho#e #eo#le admire what I,m doing,* e$#ecting to receive #raise for the great effort he is ma'ing" All these are mundane concerns that s#oil one,s #ractice, and it is im#ortant to ensure that this is does not ha##en so we 'ee# our #ractice #ure" As you can see, the instructions that you can find in the lo-%ong teachings on transforming the mind are very #owerful" They really ma'e you thin'" (or e$am#le there is a #assage which says:

May I !e gladdened when someone !elittles me, and may I not ta'e #leasure when someone #raises me" If I do ta'e #leasure in #raise then it immediately increases my arrogance, #ride, and conceit; whereas if I ta'e #leasure in criticism, then at least it will o#en my eyes to my own shortcomings" This is indeed a #owerful sentiment" .# to this #oint we have discussed all the #ractices that are related to the cultivation of what is 'nown as )conventional !odhichitta,* the altruistic intention to !ecome fully enlightened for the !enefit of all sentient !eings" /ow, the last two lines of the 0ight Verses relate to the #ractice of cultivating what is 'nown as )ultimate !odhichitta,* which refers to the develo#ment of insight into the ultimate nature of reality" Although the generation of wisdom is #art of the !odhisattva ideal, as em!odied in the si$ #erfections, generally s#ea'ing, as we saw earlier, there are two main as#ects to the Buddhist #ath-method and wisdom" Both are included in the definition of enlightenment, which is the non-duality of #erfected form and #erfected wisdom" The #ractice of wisdom or insight correlates with the #erfection of wisdom, while the #ractice of s'illful means or methods correlates with the #erfection of form" The Buddhist #ath is #resented within a general framewor' of what are called 1round, 2ath, and (ruition" (irst, we develo# an understanding of the !asic nature of reality in terms of two levels of reality, the conventional truth and the ultimate truth; this is the ground" Then, on the actual #ath, we gradually em!ody meditation and s#iritual #ractice as a whole in terms of method and wisdom" The final fruition of one,s s#iritual #ath ta'es #lace in terms of the non-duality of #erfected form and #erfected wisdom" The last two lines read: And may I, recognizing all things as illusion, evoid of clinging, !e released from !ondage" 3

These lines actually #oint to the #ractice of cultivating insight into the nature of reality, !ut on the surface they seem to denote a way of relating to the world during the stages of #ost-meditation" In the Buddhist teachings on the ultimate nature of reality, two significant time #eriods are distinguished; one is the actual meditation on em#tiness, and the other is the #eriod su!se&uent to the meditative session when you engage actively with the real world, as it were" +o, here, these two lines directly concern the way of relating to the world in the aftermath of one,s meditation on em#tiness" This is why the te$t s#ea's of a##reciating the illusion-li'e nature of reality, !ecause this is the way one #erceives things when one arises from single-#ointed meditation on em#tiness" In my view, these lines ma'e a very im#ortant #oint !ecause sometimes #eo#le have the idea that what really matters is single-#ointed meditation on em#tiness within the meditative session" They #ay much less attention to how this e$#erience should !e a##lied in #ost-meditation #eriods" 4owever, I thin' the #ost-meditation #eriod is very im#ortant" The whole #oint of meditating on the ultimate nature of reality is to ensure that you are not fooled !y a##earances can often !e deluding" 5ith a dee#er understanding of reality, you can go !eyond a##earances and relate to the world in a much more a##ro#riate, effective, and realistic manner I often give the e$am#le of how we should relate to our neigh!ors" Imagine that you are living in a #articular #art of town where interaction with your neigh!ors is almost im#ossi!le, and yet it is actually !etter if you do interact with them rather than ignore them" To do so in the wisest way de#ends on how well you understand your neigh!ors, #ersonality" If, for e$am#le, the man living ne$t door is very resourceful, then !eing friendly and communicating with him will !e to your !enefit" At the same time, if you 'now that dee# down he can also !e &uite tric'y, that 'nowledge is invalua!le if you are to maintain a cordial relationshi# and !e vigilant so that he does not ta'e advantage of you" 6i'ewise, once you have a dee#er understanding of the nature of reality, then in #ost-meditation, when you actually engage with the world, you will relate to #eo#le and things in a much more a##ro#riate and realistic manner" 5hen the te$t refers to viewing all #henomena as illusions, it is suggesting that the illusion-li'e nature of things can only !e #erceived if you have freed yourself from attachment to #henomena as inde#endent discrete 7

entities" 8nce you have succeeded in freeing yourself from such attachment, the #erce#tion of the illusion-li'e nature of reality will automatically arise" 5henever things a##ear to you, although they a##ear to have an inde#endent or o!%ective e$istence, you will 'now as a result of your meditation that this is not really the case" 9ou will !e aware that things are not as su!stantial and solid as they seem" The term )illusion* therefore #oints to the dis#arity !etween how you #erceive things and how they really are"