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The Heart of a Bodhisattva - A Commentary on the Eight Verses for

Training The Mind, by Langri Tangpa (1054–1123)

The order of loving care is of human making. It varies as it must from place to place,
time to time, worker to worker, never definitive or final. It is measurable by the
health, the happiness too, of the association of land and people. It is partly an ideal
(remembering divine or natural order), partly a quest, always and inescapably a
practice.

- Wendell Berry

With diamond-clear intention, instill faith everywhere

With mirrorlike wisdom, stabilize all chaotic minds

- Je Tsong Khapa

The Mahayana Thought Training Teachings go back almost a thousand

years, and remarkably, they remain fresh, and inviting. Their purpose is to
show us how we can engage every aspect of our life - both the suffering and
our positive conditions - in a way that brings the most benefit to ourselves
and to others. Especially when things are difficult, and when suffering
conditions threaten to overwhelm us, these teachings can restore harmony,
and empower us. They point out just what is essential for us to know and to
do as human beings.

To speak of these teachings as well as I can, I need to refer to them as both

universal, and Buddhist in nature. They point to some truths that are found
in other religions, and other paths, and they are at the same time very
much grounded in a Buddhist Tradition that aims to free all beings from
suffering and its causes.

The Mahayana grew organically out of the Historical Buddha’s teachings

on the Four Noble Truths, and the liberation that practicing these teachings
accomplishes for men and women. When compassion is central to a
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person’s path, then the whole way is illuminated with that virtue, and with
its light and strength. Seeing our lives in relation to others, our family and
friends, and all others in past and future generations, we find the greatest
meaning in supporting their well being and peace. What Buddhism then
adds to this general motivation is the way to fully achieve our purpose.

The Mahayana attitude is based on a radical inclusiveness, and the non-

abandonment of beings; on an encompassing, and enduring love.

The Thought Training Teachings comes from this tradition of working for
the sake of others. A verse from Shantideva expresses the profound
dedication of one who loves fully:

As long as space endures,

and as long as suffering living beings remain,
until then, may I too abide,
to dispel the misery of the world

Such a mind is very different from the average egocentric person, with
common aims of wealth, pleasure and acclaim. In some ways, in fact, we’ll
find that the thought training instructions aim in exactly the opposite
direction from what the ego wants. This is the best possible news.

Of all the quintessential instructions, the Eight Verses are among the oldest.
Just one of the lines from the fifth verse, in fact, led Geshe Chekawa, the
author of the well known Seven Point Mind Training teaching to seek out
its author to study with him.

We are in a very different world from when teachings were transmitted

mostly through oral tradition. From India and Tibet, we have teachings in
verse form that are essentially summaries of more extensive teachings, and
that are meant to be unpacked by teachers, and then reflected on by
students, until their meaning is well understood, and embodied.
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Teachings such as these to this day are often memorized, and recited. I’ve
heard that the Dalai Lama meditates on the Eight Verses at the start of each
day. And there is an interplay between these recitations, and more
extensive commentaries and reflections. Once we’ve done a bit of studying,
then hearing or thinking about a verse acts as a mnemonic device,
awakening its meaning, and helping to transform our mind.

Entering now into this continual stream of study, practice, and

transmission, here follows my thoughts on the Mahayana Eight Verses for
Training the Mind.

The First Verse - On Enlightenment

May I always cherish all living beings

with the determination to accomplish for them the highest good,
that is more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel

We begin with the Mahayana Mind of love for all living beings, from those
precious ones close to us, to our family and friends, teachers, our elders
and those in our community. We begin with our love for all those near and
far, without a trace of hostility or indifference. Such immeasurable love in
the Pali Suttas is regarded as A Brahama Vihara, or A Divine Abode.

We don’t get to such a state by merely wishing it to be so. It takes a great

deal of self cultivation, or previous good karma to truly awaken such a
mind and heart, the knowledge of our original nature, but step by step it is
possible. The metta teachings from the suttas clearly lay out how we can
start with those closest to us, our most easily loved ones, and gradually
extend that same quality of kindness and care to more and more people,
animals, and to all beings in our whole ten directions world. At last we can
come to love all with a great love that wishes with our whole heart for their
health and peace, safety and security, and fulfillment forever.
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From this loving motivation, the question naturally arises, how can we best
serve others? How should we live so we can help others as much as we can while we
are here? How should we love?

The first verse addresses this question:

with the determination to accomplish for them the highest good,

that is more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel

Without naming it, this verse refers to enlightenment, aiming to accomplish

for them the highest good. Without wisdom ourselves, how can we help
others? Without unfolding our own beautiful, innate qualities, how can we
show others the way to peace and fulfillment?

Wisdom in Buddhism is realizing the way to freedom from suffering, and

to peace. It is something more than just book learning - even about the
different expressions of Buddhist Wisdom teachings. The Wisdom that sees
through the ego is actualizing that knowledge that has been passed down
in spoken and written form through the generations. This is not beyond
any of us, if we practice with good guidance.

Lama Yeshe said:

“Since we were born we have been believing our conceptions, saying, “This is real.”
This is what you always say. “Why is what I see real? Because I feel it.” “Why do I
feel it? Because I see it.” Your logic is just like this - I feel, I see. So to determine
that this view, this bubble existence is not real, you need to use intensive wisdom
that can see through the bubble…”

and

“The enemy is merely a concept created by my hatred, just as friends and strangers
are concepts created by my attachment and ignorance. I should not believe the
distorted perceptions of my negative minds.
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“If I investigate with my wisdom eye, I will never find my attachment’s friend or
my hatred’s enemy anywhere, neither inside nor outside their bodies. Wisdom tells
me that these are merely names.”

The realization of enlightened understanding is said here to be more

precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel. This mythological gem is said to be able
to bestow anything that is wanted or needed, such as health, resources,
good connections with others; wonderful, enriching experiences, and
success in everything we do. The reason enlightenment is said to surpass
even this jewel is that it brings peace when worldly motivations and
achievements ultimately do not. Further, it is the root cause of all we wish
for in our lives - things such as health, peace, satisfaction, joy, and
generosity.

Being able to help others to the far shore of freedom from suffering, and to
peace and well being is the greatest thing we can do with our lives. With
the wisdom that liberates, we become capable of offering true and lasting
benefit. The rest of the verses tell how we can awaken the mind of a
bodhisattva, to develop it further, and to accomplish its full realization.

Verse Two - On Humility

When among others, I will think of myself as lowest among all,

and will respectfully hold all others to be supreme, from the very depths of my heart

Reflecting of what it means to be a servant and benefactor of others, we can

see how the very idea opposes our what ego wants - which is to be praised,
respected, and lifted up in the eyes of others. In worldly terms, it doesn’t
make much sense, but spiritually, it is something precious.

It’s said that Jesus’ disciples were arguing about who was his chief student.
He stepped in and taught them:

The greatest among you will be the servant of all

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This love that offers itself to the all the world is the highest of spiritual
values, and, looked at from the outside, it involves no ego, and taking the
lowest place.

Humility is a beautiful quality, one that is down to earth, and that makes a
person relatable. This one quality makes so much possible, that wouldn’t
otherwise make its way into our lives and into the world. Think about it.

It’s important here that we have good teachers to show us the way. When I
think of Thich Nhat Hanh, Khenpo Palden Sherab Rinpoche, Bokar
Rinpoche, or Indigenous teachers, they each have great dignity that is one
with their deep humility. They would never think to praise themselves, and
there’s something really beautiful about that. It’s instructive as well.

I remember seeing with some wonder over the years how Thay continued
to learn and deepen his practice and teaching. One of the Precepts of his
Order in fact says,

Do not think the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth.
Avoid being narrow-minded and bound to present views. Learn and practice
nonattachment from views in order to be open to receive others’ viewpoints. Truth
is found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge. Be ready to learn
throughout your entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in the world at all
times.

This is something he himself embodies.

It’s said that we can think of the mind of arrogant person as being like a
high point on a hill - nothing gathers there. On the other hand, the valley
lowlands can receive the rain, and beautiful things can grow. Humility
makes us very quiet within, and receptive. Someone who is listening, and
watching for what is good in others with an appreciative heart learns from
them, and begins to cultivate some of these same good qualities
themselves. A humble person in any area of life is open and welcoming
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what others offer. They celebrate and support others, and is able to learn
from them, and continue to grow.

Verse Three - On the Purification of the Mind

I will learn to search into my mind,

and as soon as an afflictive emotion,
endangering both self and others is found,
I will firmly face and avert it.

In each of these verses, every line is very rich.

I will learn to search into my mind -

refers to the practice of introspection, that is looking deep within to see what is
happening in our own experience. This is where anything we would practice is
more personal than anything we could ever say about. It is also where we
are able to make progress in self cultivation.

and as soon as an afflictive emotion,

endangering both self and others is found,
I will firmly face and avert it

In Buddhist teachings, they refer to cultivating virtues, and purifying faults

and obscurations.

Do no harmful action
Accomplish all that is good
Purify your mind -
That is the teaching of the Buddha

By the time an afflictive emotion, such as anger, or lust is full blown in us,
and we’re acting out of that delusion, it’s too late to do anything other than
to try to minimize the harm that we create. It’s far better, after thinking
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about our actions and their results, to begin to deal with the inner causes of
our destructive thoughts, words and actions. Identifying these causes as the
latent tendencies in ourselves that perpetuate samsara, there are then
remedies we can apply.

Take for example the extreme of anger, or of lust. We can think over and
over about it’s harmful effect for ourselves and others, and the states of
degradation such out of control impulses can produce.

Lama Je Tsong Khapa wrote the following about negative karma in The
Three Principle Aspects of the Path:

Beings are swept along by powerful currents of suffering,

They are tightly bound by the chains of their karma,
so difficult to escape from,
Caught in the mesh of self grasping,
and completely enveloped in the darkness of ignorance

They take births without end in deluded and afflicted states,

and are constantly tormented…

How then can we purify our minds? And how can we encourage others?
We can regret those times we’ve acted on or been taken over by aggression,
or by unwise desires, and aspire to do better in the future, for all of our
sake. We can cultivate the opposite of craving - the aspiration to be free of
suffering, and we can develop greater kindness and consideration for
others.

Ultimately in Buddhism, we go farther than dealing on the surface with

emotions such as sense desire and anger. All the teaching traditions agree
that we need deeper meditation, done over time, and that arrives at insight
into our true nature to be free. This is the full message of this practice of
introspection, and purification.
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Verse Four - Joyfully Using Suffering Conditions to Undo the Suffering

Itself

When meeting with those who have especially strong sins and suffering,
I will learn to cherish them as if I had found a precious treasure,
very difficult to find

Here in this verse, we find one quality that is characteristic of all the
Thought Training Teachings: we use those very conditions we usually try to
avoid to accomplish our compassionate aims.

Jesus said,

Those who are well have no need of a physician,

but those who are sick

and in fact, a doctor runs towards the sound of suffering, and not away from
it. As Mahayana Buddhists, dedicated to the freedom of all, this is what all
our training and practice, and whatever helpful spiritual energy we’ve
connected with is for, after all.

When we hear the cries of the world, we must be engaged…

For an untrained person, meeting with suffering in themselves or others,

the common response is to turn away from it. Instead here, we cherish this
person or this opportunity as if we have found a precious treasure. How can
this possibly come to be?

With the basis of insight into the preciousness and potential of our own self
and of every sentient being without exception, seeing or hearing about
someone suffering is sure to arouse great compassion in us, and our
wanting to respond to them in whatever way will ease the difficulty and
bring peace. In the Mahayana Thought Training Teachings, this is called
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‘transforming adverse circumstances into the path’, or ‘turning poison into

medicine’.

The phrase

When meeting with those who have especially strong sins and suffering

is significant here for two reasons:

First, these are not just ordinary sufferings, like someone having a cold or
losing their keys. They are deep, tragic conditions that have come together,
with the result of grievous hurt being experienced by someone - in prison
for example, or having a serious disease, losing a loved one, or being
caught in addiction, or deep depression.

Second, by putting it this way, linking ‘sins and suffering’ we’re connecting
cause with the result - that suffering comes from deluded actions.

Our meeting with people when they are creating extreme negative karma,
or going through a crisis, or an extended period of the deepest suffering, or
meeting these in our own life is really something significant. We have a
chance to offer love and understanding right where they are needed most. We
can fulfill this much of our purpose of being born a human being by this
much, engaging, and offering as much relief, temporary or more lasting,
that we can. This should bring us a lot of joy, just this opportunity.

Often appearances are deceiving because cause and effect don’t happen all
at once. A person for example can be causing a lot of harm to themselves
and others, out of ignorance, arrogance, cruelty and craving, and they have
not yet reaped the result of their actions. In the words of one prayer, they
are ‘confounded by the venom of the emotional afflictions’ - and how tragic it is
when we see it!
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To keep from giving in to anger towards them at this time, I think to myself
how they are ‘infinitely precious…’, I repeat, ‘infinitely precious…’. This is
the feeling a mother or father, or good hearted person has when seeing a
beautiful young child, and it is what should arise spontaneously for all
others as well. The truth is that those who cause harm don’t see their own
beauty and worth, or that of others, or they would act completely differently.

These people, we should realize, especially need our attention and deep care.

The prayer concludes then with the aspiration to free them from causing
and receiving any more harm.

May I myself bring them to enlightenment

May no living creature suffer,

Commit evil or ever fall ill.
May no one be afraid or belittled,
With a mind weighed down by depression.

May the frightened cease to be afraid

And those bound be freed.
May the powerless find power
And may people think of benefiting each other.

(Shantideva)

May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness

May all beings be happy and at peace,

and may their hearts be filled with joy…
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The next two verses can be considered together. They are so practical. They
are:

Verse Five - Forgiveness and Dedication:

When others treat me badly, with slander, abuse, and so on,

I will accept all loss and offer the victory to them,

and,

Verse Six - Being liberated from the ego in the special circumstances of a
profound and difficult connection:

When one I have benefited hurts me,

I will learn to view that one as my own Supreme Guru

Both of these verses are about how we can train ourselves when we are in
some way mistreated by others.

The line in the first of these, where it says:

accept all loss, and offer the victory to others

was what so impressed Geshe Chekawa, and inspired him to search out the
author of these teachings. When he arrived in Lhasa though, he found out
that Geshe Langri Tangpa had died. He then went to Geshe Sharawa who
was one of his main disciples.

He asked him "How important is the practice of accepting defeat and

offering the victory to others?" and Geshe Sharawa replied, "If you want to
attain enlightenment, this practice is essential."

This is clearly not the way the ego usually responds to insult and injury.
The common, untrained person is prone to react, impulsively, blaming the
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other back and doing the same or even worse to them. By contrast, spiritual
person in every tradition has a larger view of their own life, and a
Mahayanist especially has the aim of treating everyone with the utmost love
and respect, however they are towards us.

This relates to what Dogen and the twentieth century Zen teacher
Uchiyama Roshi called having a Magnanimous Mind. If our inner state is
dependent on how others are towards us, we’re always going to be going
up and down, and so these two verses, as much as anything else, are about
maintaining our own inner peace and stability, with a Big Mind, being
consistently warm and generous.

Seeing the word ‘victory’ in this verse is significant as well. In Buddhism,

this term is a way of expressing the full accomplishment of the teachings,
or enlightenment. One of the epithets for the Buddha in fact was The
Victorious One - he was victorious over delusion and the afflictive emotions.

Responding to criticism then not with retaliation, or any other oh so

common pettiness, but with real patience, and with that love that wishes
the highest good for others is what the Mahayana teaches.

When asked what we should do when someone was unkind to us, Kalu
Rinpoche said,

See them as transparent and dedicate all your merit to them.

This counters any irritation or emotional response we may have, and it also
sees through the false image that may come to mind of ‘a self’ that is this
person who has turned against us in some way.

A person may be right in their assessment of us, in which case, if we’re

humble enough, we can be grateful to them for helping us grow. Or they
may be deluded, and then only forgiveness and compassion are
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appropriate. This is how a Buddhist who is dedicated to the well being and
peace of all others meets difficult people in general.

The next verse presents an even greater challenge, which is why I call Verse
Six -

Being liberated from the ego in the special circumstances of a profound and difficult
connection.

It says:

When one I have benefited hurts me,

I will learn to view that one as my own Supreme Guru

In the course of our lives, we’re going to have some rare and precious few
that we have a deeper connection with. They can be family members, or
spiritual friends, partners, or those we offer our heart and all our best
understanding. Of course, when we are attached even a little bit in a self
serving way, it is painful and difficult when close relationships change, but
it is also an opportunity to examine our lives and motivations more deeply.

I’ve heard this saying from the Christian Tradition that, Only the ego burns
in hell… If we did our best, without ego, then we have nothing to regret. If
however we had some self interest mixed in, then the hurt that comes is
teaching us a lesson we can’t get anywhere else - that it’s only in having a
pure motivation that we find peace and fulfillment.

Our friends and family, our kind and caring teachers don’t offer us this
opportunity, to grow through being disrespected, rejected, or neglected, so
this chance to learn and develop further is one we should embrace. We can
even reach ego-lessness, the heart of altruism through these interactions.
There are no obstacles for such a mind, and so they are truly precious.
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‘As you develop pure intentions and greater openness, try to expand this attitude
without the ego-centeredness of expecting anything in return. Also, whenever you
have joyful experiences, you can totally shift your position, mentally transferring
your happiness to others and taking others’ suffering onto yourself. This is the
bodhichitta practice of exchanging self and others.’

- Khenpo Palden Sherab Rinpoche, The Buddhist Path

Verse Seven - Sending and Taking

In short, I will learn to offer all help and happiness to all beings,
both directly and indirectly,
and in secret I will remove as much suffering as these beings may have

Summarizing the Thought Transformation teachings is the practice of what

is called Tong-len, or giving and taking. Here we intend to offer all that is
good to others, health, well being, happiness, abundant resources, comfort,
encouragement and inspiration. This is love. We move in this world,
engaging with others and influencing them directly and indirectly, in open
and in secret, and this is something profound to think on.

Writing a book or an article, giving a talk, praising the good work of our
friends and family, doing our practice, and offering the energy of prayer -
all these reach our loved ones directly, and those they are connected with.
This is the way light moves in our world.

We also aim with all our heart

to remove as much suffering as these beings may have

which is fulfilling the compassionate motivation at the heart of awakening.

And we do this mostly in secret, because we do not seek praise, or
recognition.
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The thought training teachings in particular have this unique characteristic: they
use the strength of great need itself to rouse to the compassionate motivation to do
whatever is necessary transform these conditions. This is what makes all of these
practices so very powerful.

One traditional way of practicing is as follows. This is from the book Mind
Training: The Great Collection, from the chapter A Teaching on Taking
Afflictions Onto the Path:

“The instruction for this is as follows.

“Take attachment, for instance. First, when you observe yourself experiencing
attachment to either an internal experience or to a specific external object,
contemplate the following: "This is the affliction of attachment. If not relinquished,
not purified, and not conquered, it will give rise to immeasurable suffering, such as
birth in the lower realms. If transformed and conquered, it can become a condition
for full enlightenment. I will therefore conquer it so that it becomes a condition for
buddhahood.”

“Thinking thus, take into your mind your enemies' afflictions of attachment.
Then, as you do when meditating on loving-kindness, cultivate this toward a larger
sphere. Finally, take upon yourself all the attachments, including their propensities,
existing in all beings. As you do this, imagine that your own attachment becomes
so great as to be unfathomable (and is dissolved and purified). Imagine that all
sentient beings (thereby) become free of attachment and attain buddhahood…”

Tonglen can also be practiced with a visualization ‘riding on the breath’, as

they say, taking away the miseries of others, and offering them the full light
of joy and peace. We breathe in the pain or distress, limitations, or needs
others are experiencing, imagining it in a form that is meaningful to us; we
aim that right in the center of our heart, where it meets whatever
ignorance, or callous indifference we may have ever had, and transforms it,
awakening our love. This pure, bright light is then what we give to others
freely and abundantly, praying that it take the form of whatever they need
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in their lives - freedom and peace, health, learning, resources, good friends,
and good teachers…

With the intention to help us awaken this mind that cares for others,
Shantideva wrote these lines for us to meditate on:

May I be a guard for those who are protectorless,

A guide for those who journey on the road;
For those who wish to go across the water,
May I be a boat, a raft, a bridge.

May I be an isle for those who yearn for landfall,

And a lamp for those who long for light;
For those who need a resting place, a bed;
For all who need a servant, may I be a slave.

May I be the wishing gem, the vase of plenty,

A word of power, and the supreme remedy.
May I be the trees of miracles,
And for every being, the abundant cow.

Like the great earth and the other elements,

Enduring as the sky itself endures,
For the boundless multitude of living beings,
May I be the ground and vessel of their life.

Thus for every single thing that lives,

In number like the boundless reaches of the sky,
May I be their sustenance and nourishment
Until they pass beyond the bounds of suffering…

This is prayer, as natural as breathing. This truly is the heart of a

bodhisattva, enacting beneficial activities in the light of day, and in subtle
and miraculous ways as well.
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Verse Eight - Keeping the Far Shore Motivation Throughout,

and Culminating in Wisdom Practice

I will keep these practices undiminished by the eight worldly dharmas,

and by recognizing appearances to be like illusions,
I will be freed from the bondage of attachment

We may wonder why a mention of the eight worldly dharmas - the

common motivations that people have regarding material gain and loss,
pain and pleasure, praise and criticism and a good or bad reputation -
should be placed here, at the end of the Eight Verses. The answer is that the
Mahayana motivation is something that needs to be practiced purely not
just once or for a time, but for our whole lives, and throughout all our lives.

Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, in the Sacred Heart Essence of the Pith

Instructions wrote:

In this world, so many of those glorified by the highest rank,

like great kings, generals, prime ministers and presidents,
finally destroyed themselves and others;
The fault lay with the rotten root of Bodhicitta.

This is why we often hear the prayer:

May the supreme jewel, bodhicitta1,

arise where it has not yet arisen;
where it has arisen, may it not diminish,
may it ever grow and flourish

1 On the relative level, bodhicitta is the strong, sustained motivation to awaken; to liberate oneself; in
order to live a life of freedom, joy, and the greatest possible helpful action. It is also our true nature, of
clarity, love, and compassion. Practiced together, it is aligning ourselves with the motivation to be of
universal benefit.
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In every way, the altruistic mind of a servant is the exact opposite of the
impoverished egocentric person. It does not look for gain, but simply to
benefit others. Of course we need to eat and some resources, but the central
principle of a Mahayanist is to help others as much as we can, for as long as
we can, and in as many ways as we can. Ultimately, we aim definitively for
the enlightenment of all beings, as the only way to secure their peace and
lasting happiness. This depends, of course, on our own realization, and so
the second half of this verse completes our practice:

by recognizing appearances to be like illusions,

I will be freed from the bondage of attachment

When it comes to having the means of benefitting others, it is wisdom that

we seek above all else. The freedom borne of insight is verifiable by each of
us, and it is what we must aim to communicate, until all are freed from the
endless sufferings of samsara.

In conclusion

By the gracious Lama's blessings,

may I condense my lifetime's practice into a single essence
(that of bodhicitta)

- from A Mind Training Prayer

I praise these essential teachings because they indicate so clearly the way of
the Bodhisattva. Especially in degenerate times such as these, I know that
practicing the principles of mind training can bring great benefit into this
world and into the lives of all our loved ones. And they bring joy, and
strength.

What Thomas A Kempis said is true:

Love makes what is heavy, light
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and everything that is bitter,

sweet and tasteful…

The loving dedication to others is our essential food for the journey; it is
light, courage, peace and strength. This is what guides us, and enables us to
go beyond what we ever thought was possible. It puts us in touch with the
pure energy of those noble ones who are working for others, as allies, as
kin, and we receive their help all along the way.

May all beings have every positive condition,

now and always,
so they may quickly attain freedom and peace,
and share their gifts with us all!