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|quote-text=What is conscientiousness? It is the cultivation of the state which abides in non-attachment, non-aversion, and non-delusion, and which combined with joyous effort protects the mind from contaminated factors.<ref>Sara Boin-Webb, trans., ''Abhidharmasamuccaya: The Compendium of the Higher Teaching (Philosophy) by Asanga''. Originally translated into French and annotated by Walpola Rahula (Fremont, CA: Asian Humanities Press, 2001), 11.</ref> | |quote-text=What is conscientiousness? It is the cultivation of the state which abides in non-attachment, non-aversion, and non-delusion, and which combined with joyous effort protects the mind from contaminated factors.<ref>Sara Boin-Webb, trans., ''Abhidharmasamuccaya: The Compendium of the Higher Teaching (Philosophy) by Asanga''. Originally translated into French and annotated by Walpola Rahula (Fremont, CA: Asian Humanities Press, 2001), 11.</ref> | ||
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Dungkar Rinpoche [link to TEXT p. 44 Tib.] has two very interesting takes on conscientiousness. He says that it is a form of self-education or way of reproving oneself or subduing one's own mind. Furthermore, he says it is the adjusting of our thinking in order to bring our minds under control. It is educating ourselves in terms of the results of negative actions, understanding that the action, such as killing, is bad in itself, and that there will certainly be unpleasant results if done. | |||
This education helps us to understand that connected to all our actions there are ripening and dominant results and also results concordant with the cause. The ripening result is one that will act as a primary cause to lead us to rebirth in one of the six realms of samsaric existence. The result concordant with the cause is of two kinds—the experiential result concordant with the cause and the active result concordant with the cause. | |||
An example of the experiential result concordant with the cause would be experiencing shorter lifespans in future lives, and one example of the active result concordant with the cause would be, in future lives, having the propensity from a young age to be drawn toward negative actions, such as killing, that we engaged with before. It is often said that this last result of continuing to have the karmic propensity to engage again in that karmic action is the worst result of all. | |||
In essence, conscientiousness is a tool of awareness regarding what we are doing and how we are doing it. It is a tool to help us reflect on how to engage in positive acts and how to avoid harmful and negative ones. It is the opposite of negligence, intoxication, or lack of awareness.<ref>Kate Crosby and Andrew Skilton, trans., ''The Bodhicaryāvatāra: A Guide to the Buddhist Path to Awakening'', by Śāntideva (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), 23.</ref> | |||
Gyalse Tokme Zangpo divides chapter 4 into three points of focus for conscientiousness: (1) that which is in regard to training in what is to be accomplished, which is bodhicitta, (2) that which is in regard to thinking about the support, which is precious human rebirth, and (3) that which is in regard to what is to be abandoned, which are the afflictions.<ref>Ngul Chu Tokme Zangpo, ''An Ocean of Excellent Explanation'' (Varanasi: Sakya Students Union 2003), 167.</ref> | |||
Padma Karpo explains these same divisions in a slightly different way: (1) advice for undertaking perseverance in the practices to be accomplished, (2) advice on exerting oneself in the conducive side of virtue, now that one is endowed with the support, and (3) advice on overcoming the nonconducive side, the enemy of the afflictions. <ref>Pema Karpo, ''A Lamp for the Middle Way: A Commentary on the Bodhisattvacharyavatara, Spyod 'jug gi 'bru 'grel dbu ma'i lam gyi sgron ma'' (Kathmandu: Shree Gautam Buddha Vihara, 2017), 15 (e-book), https://dharmacloud.tsadra.org/library/?post_types=book,book_author&search-terms=A+Lamp+for+the+Middle+Way:+A+Commentary+on+the+Bodhisattvacharyavatara&subjects=any&view=list/</ref> | |||
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