Articles/The Practice of Mere Equanimity: Difference between revisions
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|EditorialFullText='''Overview of the Practices for Developing Bodhichitta through Equalizing and Exchanging Our Attitudes about Self and Others''' | |||
Equalizing and exchanging our attitudes about self and others is one of the two methods for working ourselves up to an actual state of mind and heart of bodhichitta. Not only is bodhichitta itself a very extensive state of mind, but the practices that lead to it are also very extensive. | |||
Bodhichitta itself is based on and accompanied by quite a few constructive states of mind or mental factors. Therefore, in the process of working ourselves up to being able to focus on bodhichitta – which means to focus on our own individual enlightenments which have not yet happened, but nevertheless can happen on the basis of our Buddha-nature (this is referring to the various factors of our mental continuum that will enable us to achieve the various Bodies of a Buddha) – while we’re focusing on that not-yet-happened enlightenment, we have the intention to achieve it based on our understanding and confidence that it is possible, and the intention to benefit all others equally, on the basis of that enlightenment. | |||
In order to have that intention to benefit all others equally, we need to have, first of all, a general state of equanimity. This is the state of mind with which we have neither attraction nor repulsion nor indifference toward anyone, because not only is the goal of bodhichitta (in other words, enlightenment) extremely vast, but the scope of it (aiming it to benefit all limited beings) is likewise extremely vast. The goal is vast, and so the scope of how many others we’re going to benefit is vast. In other words, the enlightened state is very vast, and the number of beings that we’re going to help is very vast. | |||
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Description
Overview of the Practices for Developing Bodhichitta through Equalizing and Exchanging Our Attitudes about Self and Others
Equalizing and exchanging our attitudes about self and others is one of the two methods for working ourselves up to an actual state of mind and heart of bodhichitta. Not only is bodhichitta itself a very extensive state of mind, but the practices that lead to it are also very extensive. Bodhichitta itself is based on and accompanied by quite a few constructive states of mind or mental factors. Therefore, in the process of working ourselves up to being able to focus on bodhichitta – which means to focus on our own individual enlightenments which have not yet happened, but nevertheless can happen on the basis of our Buddha-nature (this is referring to the various factors of our mental continuum that will enable us to achieve the various Bodies of a Buddha) – while we’re focusing on that not-yet-happened enlightenment, we have the intention to achieve it based on our understanding and confidence that it is possible, and the intention to benefit all others equally, on the basis of that enlightenment.
In order to have that intention to benefit all others equally, we need to have, first of all, a general state of equanimity. This is the state of mind with which we have neither attraction nor repulsion nor indifference toward anyone, because not only is the goal of bodhichitta (in other words, enlightenment) extremely vast, but the scope of it (aiming it to benefit all limited beings) is likewise extremely vast. The goal is vast, and so the scope of how many others we’re going to benefit is vast. In other words, the enlightened state is very vast, and the number of beings that we’re going to help is very vast.
Notes
