5.

Read, contemplate, and practice the Eight Verses of Mind Training as in the appendix of the course book on pages 141 14!. "o# do $ou appl$ the %erses to $our o#n life& I was thinking about how to answer these verses. So I think the best thing to do is answer the verses one by one like the traditional teachings. But instead of trying to explain how to truly practice I will give a brief explaining about my experiences and my hopeless attempt to try to practice this exalted practice. So lets start with the first verse. With the thought of attaining enlightenment For the welfare of all beings, Who are more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel, I will constantly practice holding them dear. This verse has a lot of meanings for me as well as described in the verse. Daily I try to uphold the thought of enlightenment and try to practice as much as I am able. Which of course is very difficult. But since I started practicing Buddhism this line of someone being more precious than a wish fulfilling !ewel is giving me more and more meaning. "ot only the rarity of finding a precious human rebirth but also them being there for me. #ike in the line further we read that one is like a supreme teacher and I think that goes for the same her. Because only other can help me to practice patience only others are able to help me to reach Buddhahood. $nd thats why they are more precious than a wish%fulfilling !ewel. Because although all my worldly wishes may become true. &nlightenment is not able with this !ewel. 'nly other beings are able to help me to become Buddha. But constantly holding them dear is very difficult. The almost non stop coming and going of the disturbing emotions don(t make it easy to hold others dear. There will always be a kind of distant or attachment or aversion towards them. $lthough I am more able to see them as )useful* as helpers on my path to practice love patient etc. It still isn(t always easy. So constantly practicing them as dear. "o not at the moment. Whenever I am with others I will practice seeing myself as the lowest of all, And from the very depth of my heart I will respectfully hold others as supreme. Seeing myself lowest of all is something I always have done. &ven before my Buddhist career. I don(t like being boastful or come in a room and sit in front or try to show other+ ,e here I am. I never had and hope never will. That does not mean I hold others as supreme. Still there are thoughts of being better then others or thoughts that people are doing things wrong etc. But also this is slightly getting better. In all actions I will examine my mind And the moment a disturbing attitude arises, ndangering myself and others, I will firmly confront and avert it. This is something I am training myself in more and more and I am more able to see when and sometimes how disturbing thoughts and emotions come up. It supposed to be a -./0 !ob but that is still very hard. There are moments that I am able but also there are things I do in a routine. "ot being mindful of my thoughts at all. $nd at the end of the day or after some time I do remember to be mindful it is to late or hard to ad!ust the mind and thoughts. I see what has happened or is happening but its hard to ad!ust the mind at that moment. When I(m practicing all day and then go to

my parents for example its more easy to keep an eye as it were on the thoughts. But when I barely practice or I(m not being mindful at all the mind goes all places. Whenever I meet a person of bad nature Who is overwhelmed by negative energy and intense suffering, I will hold such a rare one dear, As if I had found a precious treasure. 'ne of our board member is 1uite a lot overwhelmed by negative energy and gets angry a lot. $lthough he is a Buddhist and even for many years now his attitude his behavior hasn(t really changed that much sadly. 2ainly because I think his priorities or emphasis are wrong. Well he wants 3as many westerns4 practice the highest first. 5or example he want to study emptiness without having #am 6im or #o!ong teachings. ,e heard it already TW' times777 84 9ractice tantra without the slightest idea about the classes deity(s instruments and texts etc. So there are two things what makes him a good ob!ect to practice patience. ,is anger towards me my family etc. and his )lack* of knowledge. $t the beginning I got angry at him usually when he is gone. I(m not someone who gets angry back directly. $nd that anger can hang around me for days. But because I use him as an ob!ect of meditation he gets more and more an ob!ect where I feel compassion and love for. Someone who has a lot of disturbing emotions and its makes me sad. $s well as the wish that someday I can really do something for him. 'ne more example... We had an initiation. $s you know one needs to have the Bodhicitta mind during these rituals. Well at the end he came up to my mom and started to get very very angry. 2y mom knowing how important it was not to get upset didn(t do anything. But she felt so sorry for him because maybe he lost all his positive energy created during the ritual. Sadly there are more of these occasions. It does give a good change to practice and see how others mind sometimes also works. When others, out of jealousy, !istreat me with abuse, slander and so on, I will practice accepting defeat And offering the victory to them. This is a good practice for me. I am one who sometimes shouts back or want to take revenge as it were. :sually only with my family. Somehow I find it easier to accept others mistreatment then my family(s. But also here I do see change. It gets easier not to get upset and let in most cases my sisters win. 2aybe only ; out of <= but that is still ; more the when I was younger. When someone I have benefited And in whom I have placed great trust "urts me very badly, I will practice seeing that person as my supreme teacher. With this verse I find it difficult to give a good answer. #uckily this didn(t happened to me. 2aybe it did on a smaller scale but I cant remember. What I can tell is that this in a lesser scale or other scale happens with my mom. "ot that she hurts me badly but sometimes she does things I don(t like and that does hurt. Someday s I find myself being able to control it and see what is happening. Then I can be grateful for her help to attack my ego. $nd she really is as a supreme teacher pointing out my faults. In short, I will offer directly and indirectly very benefit and happiness to all beings, my mothers. I will practice in secret ta#ing upon myself All their harmful actions and sufferings. This is a great goal to reach. $t this moment I only have a few good moments thinking of others. I hope one day I will be able to benefit all living beings and benefit them and give them happiness. I

think some Dharma practice should indeed be secret. #ike the great >adampa masters in the past did. They practiced so hard and it seems like they only practiced #o!ong. $nd the great ?ogi(s did in the past and present the powerful tantric%masters. I believe as the scriptures say how more secret you practice how more strong one practice will be. If one does not do it secretly one might be under the control of ones ego and it great more problems then all the prayers the do. There once was not long ago an older monk in @anden Aangste. &veryday he walked towards the river. Sad down and started to rub his legs. Some minutes one leg and then the other. While he was down there the smaller monks would trow pebbles at him. ,e never reacted. #ater when they find him dead in his room his was sitting striate up for many days. 'nly then did the monks respected him. I think this is a very good example of how one should practice secretly. Without these practices being defiled by the stains of the eight worldly concerns, $y perceiving all phenomena as illusory, I will practice without grasping to release all beings From the bondage of the disturbing unsubdued mind and #arma. Its hard sometimes to practice without the eight worldly concerns somehow the will sneak right in if I(m not being mindful. While I(m writing this I am in retreat. Aust to put the finishing touches on the essay I grabbed the laptop. But during this retreat I(m really being confronted with my even not so gross attachment towards sense pleaser(s. It feels like I(m having a detox I(m in rehab. $lthough the feelings are strong I will not give in to them but its 1uite harder then I would have expected. $nd this is in a retreat. When I(m going about in my normal life the eight worldly concerns are even greater presented. $lthough I know them and it makes it easier to confront them. They are always sneaky present. 'ne good practice I am applying more also after the two truths module is seeing appearances and phenomena as illusory. It makes the grasping a lot less and the turn side of the coin is that the disturbing emotions are also a lot less. If there is no grasping there is no change to get upset or disturbed. The last sentence is of course a practice for the future. But even along the path I will try to do my best. -%arva !angalam-