Chapter 14 Chapter 12 Compassion: The Cintamani Jewel

Caring for the dying can make you poignantly aware that not only will they die, but you will die too.Too much confusion makes us forget that we are going to die.When we finally know that we are dying, and that other beings are dying with us, we begin to develop a burning, almost heartbreaking sense of vulnerability that every moment and every being is so precious, Thus generating deep, clear and limitless compassion for all beings.I have heard that Sir Thomas More wrote this line just before he was beheaded: "How can I hold a grudge against anyone or wish anyone to be killed when we are all in the same car How about harm?" Opening your heart completely and feeling the power of impermanence in life will allow you to initiate a compassionate heart that is inclusive and fearless. This compassionate heart can fill the lives of those who sincerely help others with strength.

So, until now, what I have said about caring for the dying can be summed up in two things: love and compassion.What is compassion?Compassion is not just an expression of pity or concern for those who suffer, it is not just about understanding their needs and pain, it is a continuous and practical determination to do everything possible to help alleviate their pain. If compassion is not acted upon, it is not true compassion.In Tibet, the statue of Avalokiteshvara (Avalokiteshvara) usually has a thousand eyes and a thousand hands. The thousand eyes are used to see the pain in every corner of the universe, and the thousand hands are used to reach out to every corner of the universe to provide help.

The logic of mercy: We all know and feel the benefits of compassion.But the special power of Buddhism lies in telling you clearly that compassion has its "logic".Once you have grasped its logic, your act of compassion at once becomes more urgent and pervasive, stable and grounded, for it is founded on clear reasoning, and its truths will become more and more apparent as you engage and test it. . We may say, or even believe a little bit, that compassion is good, but in actual actions we are quite uncompassionate, and what we bring to ourselves and others is mostly frustration and grief, rather than the happiness we want to pursue.

Isn't it ridiculous that we're expecting happiness all the time, but our actions and feelings are pretty much taking us in the opposite direction?Doesn't this mean that we may have serious mistakes in our understanding of true happiness and the method of obtaining happiness? What exactly can make us happy?Shrewd self-seeking, relentless selfishness, self-preservation, as we all know, can sometimes make us very brutal.But in fact, the opposite is true. When you really see self-grasping and self-cherishing, you will find that they are the source of hurting others, and more importantly, hurting yourself.

Every bad thing we have ever thought or done is because we cling to a false self and love that false self so that the self becomes the dearest and most important element of life.All negative thoughts, emotions, desires and actions that create negative karma are produced by ego and ego.They are dark, powerful magnets that cause every obstacle, every misfortune, every pain, every misfortune in our lives; thus, they are the source of all samsaric suffering. When we really grasp the law of karma, how to produce powerful and complex reverberations in many lives; When we really understand how dangerous and destructive the ego's fabrications are; when we really delve into the subtlest recesses of the ego; When we shrink and darken; when we truly understand that the ego is almost preventing us from unconditional love, blocking the source of our true love and compassion, we can fully understand Shantideva and the words:

If everything in the world hurts, Fear and pain come from ego, why i need What about this great evil? At the same time we will generate determination and work hard to destroy that evil thought - our worst enemy.When that evil thought is extinguished, we can clear all the causes of suffering, and we can release the magnificent and active truth. In the war against your greatest enemies (ego and love), there is no stronger ally than acts of mercy.Compassion (giving oneself to others, enduring others' suffering without self-cherishing) combined with the wisdom of selflessness can effectively destroy the ancient attachment of false self and eliminate the endless cycle of samsara.This is why, traditionally, we see compassion as the source and element of enlightenment, and as the center of enlightened action.As Shantideva said:

What more do I need to say? The naive seek their own interests, All the buddhas seek the benefit of others, See how different they are. if i don't take my pleasure exchange with another's pain, I can't become a Buddha, Even in samsara I will not have real happiness. To realize what I call the wisdom of compassion is to see fully the benefits of compassion and the harm that lack of compassion can do to us.We need to make a very clear distinction between our self-interest and our ultimate good; mistaking the one for the other is the source of all our suffering.We continue to stubbornly believe that self-love is the best protection in life, but the reality is quite the opposite.The ego creates ego love, which in turn creates deep-rooted hatred for hurt and pain.However, hurt and pain do not exist objectively; what gives them existence and strength is only our resentment towards them.When you understand this, you will know that it is actually our anger that creates adversity and obstacles and fills our lives with anxiety, expectations and fears.By removing the ego and its attachment to a non-existent self, we remove that hatred, and we remove any obstacles and adversities that can affect you.Because how can you attack someone or something that doesn't exist?

Compassion, then, is the best protection and, as the ancient masters knew, the source of all healing.Suppose you have a disease like cancer or AIDS, if you can bear not only your own suffering but also the suffering of those who suffer from the same disease with compassion, you will undoubtedly purify your past negative karma -- the present and future reasons for your perpetuation of suffering. In Tibet, I have heard many incredible examples of people who, upon hearing that they were about to die from a terminal illness, gave away all their belongings and went to the cemetery to prepare to die.There they practiced the art of bearing the pain of others; the strange thing is, they didn't die, but went home fine.

I have experienced time and time again that caring for the dying is the most needed and immediate opportunity to practice compassion. Your compassion may have three major benefits for the dying person: First, the act of compassion will open your heart, and you will therefore find it easier to give the unconditional love that the dying needs most.On a deeper spiritual level, I have seen time and time again that if you try to put compassion into action, you will create the right environment to inspire others spiritually, or even to practice spirituality.On the deepest level, if you continue to practice compassion for the dying and thereby inspire them to practice compassion, you may not only heal them mentally, but you may even heal them physically.You will be amazed to discover for yourself that what all spiritual teachers say is true and that the power of compassion is boundless.

Asanga was the most famous Indian Buddhist saint of the fourth century.He went to retreat in the mountains to visualize Maitreya Bodhisattva (Buddha Maitreya), eagerly hoping to see Maitreya Bodhisattva appear and receive teachings from him. Asang had practiced meditation extremely hard for six years, but he didn't even have a single auspicious dream.He was very discouraged, thinking that it was impossible for him to achieve his wish to see Maitreya Bodhisattva, so he gave up the retreat and left the retreat room.Not long after he walked down the mountain, he saw a man grinding a large iron rod with a piece of silk.Asang walked up to the man and asked what he was doing?The man replied, "I don't have a needle, so I want to grind this big iron rod into a needle." Asanga stared at him in amazement; he thought, even if that person could grind the big iron rod into a needle in a hundred years Needle, what's the use?He said to himself, "Look at people taking such absurd things so seriously, while you're doing a really worthwhile practice, and still being so inattentive!" So he turned his head and went back to the retreat.

Three years passed, and there was still no sign of Maitreya Bodhisattva. "Now I do know," he thought, "I will never succeed." So he left the retreat again.After a while, I came to the turning point of the road and saw a huge rock, so huge that it almost touched the sky.Under the rock, a man was busy brushing the stone with a feather in the water.Asanga asked, "What are you doing?" The man replied, "This big rock is blocking the sunlight from my house. I want to get rid of it." Asanga was amazed at the man's indomitable spirit and ashamed of his own lack of determination.So, he went back to the retreat room. Three years later, he still didn't even have a good dream.Now he completely gave up and decided to leave the retreat forever.That afternoon, he came across a dog lying by the side of the road.It only had two front legs, and its entire lower body was rotten, covered with dense maggots.Although so pitiful, the dog clung to the passer-by, laying its front feet on the man, and dragged it for a while on the road. Incomparable compassion arose in Asanga's heart.He cut a piece of flesh from himself and gave it to the dogs.Then he knelt down to grab the maggots off the dog.But it suddenly occurred to him that if you catch the maggots with your hands, you may hurt them. The only way is to suck them with your tongue.Asanga then knelt on the ground, looked at the horrible, wriggling pile of maggots, and closed his eyes.He leaned closer to the dog, stuck out his tongue... the next thing he knew it was his tongue touching the ground.He opened his eyes and saw that the dog was gone; in the same place Maitreya Buddha appeared, surrounded by sparkling halos. "I finally saw it." Asanga said, "Why didn't you show it to me before?" Maitreya Bodhisattva said softly: "You said that I have never shown you, that is not true. I have been with you all the time, but your karma prevents you from seeing me. Your twelve years of practice, Slowly dissolve your karma, so you can finally see the dog. Thanks to your sincere and touching compassion, all karma is completely removed, and you will be able to see me in front of you with your own eyes. If you don’t Believe in this, put me on your shoulders and see if others can see me." Asanga put Maitreya Bodhisattva on his right shoulder, went to the market, and started asking everyone, "What's on my shoulder?" "No," said most, and went back to work.Only an old woman with slightly purified karma replied, "You put a rotten old dog on your shoulders, that's all." Asang finally understood the boundless power of compassion and purified and transformed his karma, Let him become a vessel suitable for receiving Maitreya's manifestations and teachings.Then Maitreya (meaning "merciful") Bodhisattva took Asanga to the heavenly realm and taught him many noble teachings. The Story of Tornado and the Power of Compassion: My students often come to me and ask, "I am troubled by the suffering of a friend or relative. I really want to help them. But I find that I have too little love to help. I cannot show compassion. What should I do?" For Those around us who are suffering, we do not have enough love and compassion, so we lack enough strength to help them. Isn’t this kind of sadness and frustration familiar to all of us? One of the great qualities of the Buddhist tradition is that it has sequences of practice that can actually help you in this situation, really nourish you, fill you with strength, inspiration, enthusiasm, purify your mind and open your heart, so , the healing energy of wisdom and compassion that can influence and transform your situation. Of all the methods I know, the method of Tonglen (Tonglen in Tibetan, meaning to give and receive) is the most useful and powerful.When you find a bottleneck, tongtong can open you to accept the suffering of others; when you find your heart blocked, it can destroy those blocking forces; when you feel a little alienated from the suffering person in front of you, or feel sad In times of disappointment, it can help you discover and reveal the lovely, vast radiance of your true nature within.Ego and self-love are the root of all suffering and all indifference, and the way to destroy them is, as far as I know, the most effective method. Geshe Chekhawa of the 11th century was one of the greatest teachers of Tibetan tong dharma.He is very accomplished in both understanding and practice for many different meditation methods.One day, when he was in the teacher's room, he happened to see an open book with two lines written on it: Give all benefits and benefits to others, Take all losses and failures on your own. The vastness and inconceivable compassion contained in these two lines shocked him, so he set out to find the master who wrote them.One day he met a leper on the road and told him that the master had passed away.But Geshe Chekawa continued to search persistently, and finally found the master's first disciple.Geshe Chekawa asked the disciple, "Do you know how important the teaching of these two lines is?" The disciple replied, "Whether you like it or not, if you really want to become a Buddha, you have to practice this Sharia." Geshe Chekawa was as surprised by this answer as he was when he read those two lines for the first time, so he stayed close to this disciple for twelve years, studied this teaching method, and kept in mind its practical method - the method of giving and receiving.During that time, Geshe Chekhawa went through many different tests: various difficulties, criticisms, sufferings and tortures.The teaching was so effective, and his spiritual perseverance was so strong, that after six years, he had completely eradicated ego and ego-loving.Toreng has transformed him into a compassionate guru. First of all, Geshe Chekawa only taught the method of tonkatsu to a small number of disciples, thinking that this method is only useful for those who have deep faith.Next, he began teaching a group of lepers.Leprosy was very common in Tibet at that time, and ordinary doctors were helpless, but many leprosy patients who practiced the Dharma were cured.The word spread quickly, and other lepers flocked to him, making his home look like a hospital. However, Geshe Chekawa still did not teach the method of torrent widely.It was not until he discovered the impact of this practice on his brother that he began to teach it more openly.His brother was a deep-seated skeptic who scoffed at all spiritual practices.However, he was very moved and interested when he saw the miracles of people who practiced the method of giving and receiving.One day, he hid behind the door, listened to Geshe Chekawa teach the method of tong, and then secretly practiced it by himself.When Geshe Chekawa noticed that his brother's rigid personality was beginning to soften, he guessed what was going on. He thought, if this practice can influence and transform his brother, it must also influence and transform others.This incident convinced Geshe Chekawa that tongshe should be taught widely.He himself never stopped practicing.Before he passed away, he told his students that for a long time, he had been fervently praying that he would be reincarnated in hell so that he could help the suffering beings in hell.Unfortunately, he has had several lucid dreams recently, suggesting that he will be reborn in a Buddhafield.He was very disappointed, and with tears in his eyes, he begged the students to pray to the Buddhas that this incident would not happen, so that he could fulfill his great wish of helping sentient beings in hell. How to awaken love and compassion: Before you can actually practice tonkatsu, you must be able to arouse compassion in yourself.This is often harder than we think because the source of our love and compassion is sometimes hidden and we may not be able to find it right away.Fortunately, Buddhism has several special ways of generating bodhichitta, which can help us generate hidden love.Among the many methods, I have selected the following ones and arranged them in order so that modern people can obtain the greatest benefits. 1. Compassion: open the spring When you don't think you have enough love, there is a way to discover and inspire: go back to your heart and recreate (almost visualize) the love someone once gave you that really moved you, perhaps as a child.Traditionally, you have visualized your mother and her lifelong love for you, but if you find it difficult, visualize your grandparents, or anyone in your life who has been particularly good to you.Remember an instance when they did show love to you, and you felt their love vividly. Now let that feeling come back to you and fill you with gratitude.When you do this, your love will naturally flow back to the person who evokes it.Then, even if you don't often feel loved enough, you'll remember that you were genuinely loved at least once.Knowing this will make you feel again that you are worthy of love and indeed lovable, just as that person made you feel at the time. Open your heart now and let love flow from it; then extend this love to all beings.Start with those closest to you first, then extend your love to friends and acquaintances, then to neighbors, strangers, even to people you dislike or difficult to get along with, even those you consider "enemies" man, and finally the whole universe.Let this love become more and more boundless.Equanimity, kindness, compassion, and joy constitute the four immeasurable hearts in Buddhism.Equanimity is an all-inclusive, unbiased view, indeed the starting point and foundation of acts of compassion. You will find that this practice can unlock the source of love. After opening "compassion" in your heart, you will find that it can inspire the birth of "compassion".As Maitreya Bodhisattva said in his teaching to Asanga: "The water of compassion flows through the canal of compassion." 2. Compassion: treat yourself and others equally As I said in the previous chapter, a powerful way to inspire compassion is to see other people as you are. The Guru Lama explained: "After all, all human beings are the same - made of flesh, bone and blood. We all want to be happy and avoid pain. And, we all have the same right to be happy. In other words That being said, it is important to understand that we are equal to others.” For example, suppose you are having trouble with someone you love. At this time, if you do not see the other person as a "role" of mother or father or husband, but just another "you", the other person has the same problems as you. Feelings, how helpful and instructive are those who equally desire pleasure and equally fear pain!Seeing the other person as a real person exactly like you will open your heart to accept him and give you more wisdom on how to help him. Seeing others as exactly like you will help open up your relationships with them and give them new and rich meaning.Imagine that if every society and nation could see every other society and nation in the same way, then world peace and the happy coexistence of all human beings could surely begin to lay a firm foundation. 3. Sadness: exchange with others When someone is suffering and you don't know how to help, be brave enough to put yourself in his place.If you were suffering in the same way, imagine as vividly as possible how you would be going through it.Ask yourself, "How would I feel? How would I want my friends to treat me? What would I most want from them?" When you exchange yourself for someone else in this way, you are transferring the object of my love directly from who you used to be to someone else.Therefore, self-other exchange is a very powerful way to loosen self-love and ego, and thus inspire compassion. 4. Use friends to generate compassion Another effective way to generate compassion for someone who is suffering is to imagine that a dear friend, or someone you really love, is that person who is suffering. Imagine your brother, daughter, parent, or best friend in the same painful situation.Quite naturally, your heart will open and compassion will arise; what else do you want to do other than free them from suffering?Now, direct the compassion that emanates from you to the person who needs your help: you will find that your help will arise more naturally and be directed more easily. Sometimes people ask me, "If I do this, will that friend or relative who I imagine suffering be hurt?" Absolutely not, thinking of them with this kind of love and compassion will only help them, It will even have a therapeutic effect on all the pain they have experienced in the past, are currently experiencing, or will have to experience in the future. Because they are your tools to initiate compassion, even if it is just a momentary event, it can bring them great merit and benefits.Because they help you open your heart, they contribute partly in helping the sick or dying with compassion, so the merit that arises from this action will naturally return to them. You can also dedicate the merit of that action in your heart to the friend or relative who helped you open your heart.You can wish that person well and well, pray that he is free from suffering, and you will be grateful to your friend, and if you tell that friend that he has helped you inspire compassion, maybe he will feel inspired and grateful to you too. So, the question, "I imagine a friend is suffering or dying. Will it hurt them?" This question shows that we don't really understand how powerful and amazing the effect of compassion can be.It blesses and heals all involved: the person from whom compassion arises, those through whom compassion arises, and those to whom compassion is communicated.As Portia said in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice: Compassion does not harm people, It is like warm rain falling from the sky, Falling on the ground: it is a double blessing; Mercy blesses those who give, and blesses those who receive. Compassion is a wish-fulfilling jewel whose healing rays radiate in all directions. There is a story that I like very much that illustrates this point.The Buddha once told the story of a past life before his enlightenment.There was a great king who had three sons, and Buddha was the youngest prince at that time, named Mahasattva.Mahasattva is by nature a lovely and compassionate child who regards all living beings as his children. One day, the king led his courtiers to have a picnic in the forest, and the princes all ran to play in the woods.Soon they came across a tigress who had just given birth and was so hungry and tired that she was about to eat her cubs.Mahasattva asked his brothers, "What does the tiger mother need to eat to survive?" "Only flesh or blood," they replied. "Who can save it and the cub by giving it his flesh or his blood?" he asked. "Yes, who?" they replied. The pain of the tiger mother and her cubs touched Mahasattva deeply, and he began to think, "For so long, life after life, I have wandered uselessly in samsara, and because of my greed, hatred and ignorance, I have seldom helped other beings. Now finally There is a great opportunity." The princes were about to go back to the king when Mahasattva told them, "You two go first. I will catch up later." He quietly sneaked up to the tiger mother, lay down in front of the tiger mother, and was going to give the tiger mother food.The tiger mother looked at him, but she was too weak to open her mouth.Therefore, the prince found a sharp stick and poked a deep gash in his body, the blood flowed out, the tiger mother sucked the blood, gained strength, opened her big teeth, and ate him. In order to save the tiger cub, Mahasattva gave his body to the tiger mother; due to the merit of this great compassion, he was reborn in a higher state and continued on his way to finally enlightenment and Buddhahood.But his actions helped not only himself; the power of his compassion also purified the karma of the tiger mother and her cubs, and even purified the karma they might owe him because he saved their lives. Karmic debts.In fact, because his acts of compassion were so powerful, a deep bond was formed between them that lasted far into the future.According to the scriptures, the tiger mother and tiger cubs who got meat from Mahasattva were later reincarnated as the object of the Buddha's first turning of the Dharma wheel after enlightenment: the five bhikkhus.How vast and mysterious the power of compassion is shown in this story! 5. How to visualize compassion However, as I have said, it is not easy to unleash this compassionate power.I've found out for myself that the best and most straightforward is the easiest way.Every day, life gives us countless opportunities to open our hearts, if we will take advantage of them.For example, an old woman walking past you with a sad and lonely face, bulging legs with veins, and two bags she can barely lift; a boy on crutches, thinking about crossing the road in a panic in the afternoon of heavy traffic; a dog bleeding profusely and almost dying on the road; a girl sitting alone in an underground passage, weeping hysterically.Turn on the TV, maybe the news is about a mother in Beirut kneeling on top of her murdered son; A child with AIDS stares at you dumbfounded. Any of these visions can open your mind's eyes to the limitless suffering in the world.let it open.Don't waste the love and sorrow it evokes; don't brush it away the moment you feel a surge of compassion welling up in your heart, don't shrug your shoulders and go back to "normal" quickly, don't be afraid of your feelings or embarrassment , do not deliberately think about other things, or let it be stranded on the land of insensitivity.It's okay to be vulnerable: use that quick-emerging and bright compassion; focus on it, go deep into your heart to visualize, develop, strengthen, deepen.After practicing in this way, you will realize how blind you are to suffering, and that the suffering you are experiencing or seeing now is really only a tiny fraction of the suffering in the world. All beings everywhere are suffering; let your mind project upon them with spontaneous and immeasurable compassion, and dedicate that compassion, with the blessings of all the Buddhas, to all suffering that is alleviated. Compassion is far greater and nobler than pity.At the root of pity is fear, arrogance, arrogance, and sometimes even a complacent feeling: "I'm glad that's not me." As Stephen Levine said: "When your fear touches When it touches someone else's suffering, it becomes compassion; when your love meets someone else's suffering, it becomes compassion." Therefore, the training of compassion is to understand that all beings are the same, all with the same The way is suffering, to honor all beings who suffer, to understand that you are neither separate from nor above any being. So your first reaction when you see someone suffering is not just pity, but deep compassion.You have to respect that person and even be grateful because you now know that anyone who pushes you to develop compassion with their pain is in fact the most precious gift you can ever give because they are helping you develop that which you need most to move towards enlightenment quality.That's why Tibetans say: the beggar who is begging you for money, or the old sick woman who makes your heart ache, may be the manifestation of the Buddhas to help you develop compassion and move towards the goal of becoming a Buddha. 6. How to channel your compassion When you visualize compassion deeply enough, there will arise a strong determination to relieve the suffering of all beings, and a strong sense of responsibility to accomplish that divine goal.Therefore, there are two ways to channel this compassion in your heart and make it active: First, from the bottom of your heart, sincerely pray to all Buddhas and enlightened beings that everything you do, including body, speech and mind karma, must benefit all sentient beings and bring them happiness.A great prayer says, "Bless me to be useful." Pray that you will benefit all beings you come in contact with and help them transform their suffering and their lives. Second, the universal method is to dedicate your compassion to all sentient beings, that is, to dedicate all your good karma and practice to their interests, especially their enlightenment.Because when you meditate deeply on compassion, you must realize that if you are going to help other beings completely, the only way is if you become enlightened.This can generate a strong sense of determination and responsibility, and the vow to become a Buddha is for the benefit of all sentient beings. This compassionate wish is called Bodhicitta in Sanskrit. Bodhi means enlightenment and citta means heart.Therefore, we can translate it as "the heart of enlightenment", or simply "Bodhichitta".Awakening and developing bodhichitta is to let the seed of our Buddha nature mature gradually. When our compassionate actions become perfect and pervasive, that seed will blossom majestically and become a Buddha.Therefore, bodhichitta is the source and root of the whole practice.This is why, in our tradition, we pray so fervently: May those who have not yet generated the precious bodhichitta, early birth; May those who have arisen, Their Bodhicitta never diminishes, And can grow day by day. Shantideva also praised bodhichitta with such joy: It is the ultimate elixir to conquer the dominion of death. It is an inexhaustible treasure for eradicating poverty in the world. It is the supreme medicine to extinguish the diseases of the world. It is a big tree that gives shelter to all living beings wandering on the path of reincarnation. It is the long bridge from pain to liberation. It is the bright moon that dispels the torment of delusions. It is the sun that eradicates ignorance in the world. Stages of receiving the law: Now that I have introduced you to the various ways of inducing compassion, and the importance and power of compassion, I can most effectively explain to you how to practice the sacred practice of Tonkatsu; because you now have the motivation, understanding and the tools of practice to gain the greatest benefit for you and others.The method of giving and receiving is a method of Buddhism, but I firmly believe that everyone can practice it.Even if you are not religious, I encourage you to try it out.I have found that the tong method can help the most. Simply put, Tonkatsu is taking on the pain of others and giving them your own joy, happiness and peace.Just like a meditation method I introduced before, the method of tonglen also uses breath as a medium.As Geshe Chekawa said, "Giving and receiving must be done alternately. This kind of mutuality can be done through the breath." I know from my own experience that it is difficult to visualize taking on the pain of others, especially the sick and dying, without first building the strength and confidence of compassion.This strength and confidence enables your practice to transform the suffering of others. For this reason, I often recommend that before you practice Tonkatsu for others, you practice it on yourself first.Before you send love and compassion to others, discovering, deepening, creating and strengthening them in yourself, and healing your own apathy, frustration, hatred or fear, these may become your whole-hearted practice of giving. obstacles to the law. Over the years, I have developed a method of teaching Tonkatsu that many students have found to be very helpful and therapeutic.It has four stages. Additional lines of tong method: The best way to practice tonkatsu is to start by inspiring and resting in the mind.When you rest in the nature of mind and see all things directly as "empty," illusory and dream-like, you are resting in what is called the "highest" or absolute Bodhicitta.In the bardo teachings, absolute bodhicitta is compared to the endless treasure of generosity, while the deepest meaning of compassion is the natural brilliance of the mind and the skillful means that arise from the wisdom mind. Sit down first and bring your heart home.Let all your thoughts be still, neither invite them nor follow them.You can close your eyes if you want.When you do feel that the mind has become quiet and concentrated, remind yourself gently and start practicing. 1. Environmental toleration We all know that our emotions and state of mind affect us a lot.Sit down and tune in, feel your emotions and state of mind.If you feel that your emotions are disturbed or dark, then as you inhale, imagine breathing in everything that is not good; as you exhale, imagine exhaling peace, clarity, and joy to purify and heal the atmosphere of your heart and environment.This is what I call the first stage "environmental tong". 2. Self-Terrative For this practice, divide yourself into two sides A and B, A represents the whole, compassionate, warm and loving you, like a sincere friend who is really willing to help you, respond to you and open to you at any time, no matter what You have any mistakes or shortcomings, never criticize you. B represents you who have been hurt, misunderstood and frustrated, painful and angry, such as you may have been treated unfairly or abused as a child, or suffered in relationships or been wronged by society. Now, as you inhale, imagine A fully opening his heart, accepting and embracing all of B's ​​pain, troubles, and hurts with warmth and compassion.B was moved and opened his heart, and all the pain was melted in this compassionate embrace. 当你呼气时，想象甲把他具有治疗作用的爱、温暖、信赖、慰藉、信心、快乐和喜悦呼出给乙。 3.生活情境中的施受法 鲜明地想象有一个情境你做错了，让你有罪恶感，甚至不愿意再去想它。 然后，当你吸气时，接受你在那个情境中的整个行为责任，绝不做任何辩解。坦白承认你所做的错误，全心请求原谅。现在，当你呼气时，送出和解、原谅、治疗和了解。 所以，你吸进责备，呼出伤害的解除；吸进责任，呼出治疗、原谅与和解。 这种修习特别强大有力，可以给你勇气，让你敢去看那位你冤枉他的人；也可以给你力量和意愿，让你敢直接对他讲话，并从内心深处请求原谅。 4.为别人而修的施受法 想象有个你很亲近的人，他正在受苦，当你吸气时，想象你以慈悲吸进他的痛苦；当你呼气时，想象你把你的温暖、治疗、爱心、喜悦和快乐流向他们。 现在，就好象修习慈悲一般，逐渐扩大你的慈悲范围，首先去拥抱你觉得很亲近的人，然后拥抱那些你觉得没什么关系的人，之后拥抱你不喜欢或很难相处的人，最后是那些你觉得根本就像怪物和残酷的人，让你的慈悲遍及一切众生，无一例外： 众生像整个虚空般无边无际， 愿他们轻易证悟他们的心性， 六道中的每一个众生， 都曾经在某一世是我的父亲或母亲， 愿他们一起证悟圆满的本觉。 我在这一节里所介绍的，是施受法的加行，至于主要的施受法，你将发现，包含更多的观想程序。这个加行是用来转化你的心态，准备、开放及启发你。它不仅可以治疗你的心境、你的痛苦和过去的折磨，以及透过你的慈悲，开始帮助一切众生；而且还可以让你熟悉施和受的过程，这是在主要的施受法中很重要的一部分。 主要的施受法： 在施受法中，我们透过慈悲来承担一切众生的各种身心痛苦：他们的恐惧、挫折、伤害、愤怒、罪恶、失望、怀疑和怨气；同时，透过爱心把我们的快乐、幸福、安详、治疗和成就给予他们。 1.在你开始修这种法门之前，先静静地坐下来，把心带回家。然后，利用我前面描述过的任何方法，任何你发现能启发你和帮助你的方法，深入观想慈悲。启请一切诸佛、菩萨和觉者示现，透过他们的启示和加持，在你心中产生慈悲。 2.尽可能清晰地想象一位你关怀他而正在受苦的人在你前面。试着想象他的痛苦和悲伤，越仔细越好。然后，当你觉得你的心对他产生慈悲时，想象他的一切痛苦完全呈现，聚集成一大股灼热、污秽的黑烟。 3.现在，当你吸气时，观想这股黑烟在你心中的我执核心中消散了。在那儿，它完全摧毁了我爱的一切痕迹，并因而净化你的一切恶业。 4.现在，当你的我爱被摧毁之后，想象你的菩提心充分显露出来了。然后，在你呼气时，想象你用一种明亮而冷静的光送出菩提心的安详、喜悦、快乐和最高幸福，给你那位痛苦中的朋友，它的光芒净化着他的恶业。 诚如寂天菩萨所说的，在这儿有一个景象很有启发性，那就是观想你的菩提心已经把你的心或你整个身体，转化成一颗闪闪发光、有求必应的如意宝珠，能提供每个人所需要的一切，满足每个人的愿望。真正的慈悲是如意宝珠，因为它有能力提供每一个众生最需要的东西，解除他们的痛苦，并实现他们的真正愿望。 5.这时候，想象你菩提心的光流向那位受苦的朋友身上，你必须有强烈的信念，他的一切恶业都被净化了，同时他因为解脱了痛苦而获得深度、持久的喜悦。 然后，当你继续正常呼吸时，随着吸气和呼气持续稳定地做这种修习。 对一个受苦中的朋友修施受法，可以帮助你扩大慈悲的范围，去承担一切众生的痛苦和净化他们的业障，并且把你的快乐、幸福、喜悦和安详给予他们。这是施受法的殊胜目标，就广义来说，也是整个慈悲道的目标。 为临终者而修的施受法： 现在我想你可以开始看到如何用施受法来帮助临终者；当你在帮助他们时，它能够给你多大的力量和信心；它能够给予临终者多大的实际转化和帮助。 我已经把主要的施受法修习介绍给你。现在想象以临终者来代替你受苦的朋友。修习的五个阶段完全与主要的施受法相同。在第三个阶段的观想时，想象临终者的每一种痛苦和恐惧都聚集成灼热、污秽的黑烟，然后把它吸进来，像前面所说的，也想象你正在摧毁你的我执和我爱，并净化你的一切恶业。 现在，像前面所说的，在你呼气时，想象你的觉悟心的光正在以它的安详和幸福注满临终者，并净化他的一切恶业。 在生命中的每一时刻，我们都需要慈悲，但有哪一个时刻能够比临终还迫切需要呢？让临终者晓得你正在为他们祈祷，正在透过修行承担他们的痛苦和净化他们的恶业，还有什么比这个更美妙更慰藉的礼物可以送给他呢？ 即使他们不知道你正在为他们而修行，你也是在帮助他们，反过来他们也是在帮助你。他们正在积极地帮助你发展你的慈悲心，因而是在净化和治疗你自己。对我来说，每一个临终者都是老师，他给予所有伸出援手的人转化的机会，因为他正在发展他们的慈悲心。 神圣的秘密： 你也许会问你自己这个问题：「如果我吸进别人的痛苦，我不是在冒着伤害自己的险？」如果你确实感到迟疑，感到你还没有慈悲的力量或勇气来全心修施受法，请不必担心，只要想象你正在修就可以，在你的心中这么说：「当我吸气时，我正在承担朋友和别人的痛苦；当我呼气时，我正在给予他们快乐和安详。」只要这么做，就可以创造足以启发你开始修施受法的心境。 如果你确实感到迟疑或无法修全部的施受法，你也可以用简单的祷词，深深希望帮助别人。譬如，你可以这么祈祷：「愿我能够承担别人的痛苦；愿我能够把我的幸福和快乐给他们。」这个祷词可以创造良好的因缘，唤醒你在将来修施受法的力量。 有一件事你必须确实知道：施受法会伤害到的唯一东西，正是伤害你最大的东西：你的自我、我执、我爱，这是痛苦的根源。如果你能够经常修施受法，这个我执心就变得越来越弱，反之，你的真性、慈悲将越有机会变得越来越强。你的慈悲越强大，你的勇气和信心就越强大。因此，慈悲又变成你最大的资源和保护。诚如寂天菩萨所说的： 任何人如果想迅速提供保护 给他自己和别人， 就必须修持那个神圣的秘密： 自他交换。 施受法的这个神圣的秘密，是每一个传统的上师和圣人都知道的秘密；他们的生命之所以充满喜悦，就是因为他们以出离心和真智慧、真慈悲的热忱，把施受法落实在生活中，把施受法表现出来。当代有一个人奉献她的一生服务病人和临终者，并散发出这种施和受的喜悦，她就是德蕾莎修女(Mother Teresa)。就施受法的精神意义而言，我认为没有比她的话更具启发性了： 我们大家都期望神所在的天堂，但是这一刻我们就有能力 与他同在天堂。此时快乐地与他同在的意思是： 像他一般地慈爱， 像他一般地帮助 像他一般地给予 像他一般地服事 像他一般地拯救 一天二十四小时都与他在一起， 在他的苦难化身中接触他。 就是如此强大的爱心，治疗了哲卡瓦格西的麻风病患；它也许可以治疗我们更危险的病――无明的病，这个病生生世世使我们无法证悟心性，也因而无法使我们获得解脱。