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Description
The main practice of the man of great scope is the development of Bodhichitta. In this development, one needs first to attain equanimity (btang-snyoms) towards all sentient beings, and for this there are two methods: One may visualize in succession a person hated, another loved, and one to whom one feels indifferent, or visualize all three at the same time, the hated one visualized on the right, the loved one on the left, and the one to whom one feels indifferent in the centre. The latter method has been found more effective by meditators in Tibet. When you turn your attention to the one you hate, let your aversion arise. Then ask yourself, "Why should there be this feeling?" The person may have treated you poorly in this life but been very kind to you in a former one. There are no grounds for such a partial reaction towards him. Now recall the one whom you love and let all your attachment for him become manifest. Likewise, contemplate that in a former life, this person may have inflicted you with unbearable suffering, but because this is lost from memory, you only know how he has treated you in this life. By such contemplation, equalize your feelings towards these two people. View your reactions towards them with detachment, realizing how absurd they are. And finally, meditate on one towards whom you are indifferent and recall that in your countless previous lives, he has been both your friend and enemy. Thus, there is no reason to feel any differently towards him than you do towards your enemies or friends of this life. This quality of change in relationships with others from one life to another is also very evident during one lifetime.
Equanimity towards all creatures is the basis of Bodhichitta, and it is impossible for Bodhichitta to be generated without it. As you practise these contemplations, apply them to your daily life, first towards your neighbours, then towards your community and keep expanding as you become more and more skilled. Recognize that your immediate reactions towards others are due to karmic forces from recent lives. It is a mistake to let your feelings towards others depend upon what they have done to you, for you thereby blindly react to their more recent actions, utterly ignoring the fact that both you and they are in constant state of change.
