Once we become familiar with our minds, we can be in control of ourselves at any given moment. By being focused and undistracted, we won’t lose or misuse our skills and abilities. Thus, it is essential to practice mind management in our daily lives.

This mind is also the mind of enlightenment, Bodhicitta. Giving rise to this virtuous motivation is extremely important. The Tibetan word for Bodhicitta is “jang chub”. “Jang” means to intentionally train and make changes. “Chub” refers to becoming familiar with something, to be able to act in an effortless way. In order to arise Bodhicitta, we need to be aware of our minds and control it intentionally in our daily lives. Through gradual practice, we will readily give rise to this virtuous motivation.

Compassion and Loving-Kindness in our daily lives

We have two kinds of motivations: A virtuous one that seeks to benefit others, and a non-virtuous one that attempts to harm others. In our daily lives, we need to apply our mental strength to adopt a virtuous motivation and discard the non-virtuous one. How do we develop our mental strength? If we are genuinely kind to others, they will return us or others the favor. This virtuous intention is like ripples expanding in a pond, gathering virtuous karma for us.

A non-virtuous motivation works similarly. If we are unaware of our afflictions arising, they will spread and cause suffering not only to ourselves but also to our surrounding family and friends. It might have only started as a tiny non-virtuous thought, but it can create great suffering for many. Atisha stated in the Seven Point Mind Training,

“Train in the two—giving and taking—alternately.
These two are to be mounted on the breath.” (Translated by Adam Pearcey)

This refers to taking in the suffering and negativity from others, and giving away our happiness and enjoyments to all sentient beings. This is difficult due to the presence of self-grasping, the cause of virtuous and non-virtuous motivations. Once we have a concept of a “self”, there will be an “other” in opposition. For example, a very self-centered person always needs to sit in a comfortable seat, walk before everyone else, and pose in the middle of a photograph. He thinks to himself daily, “I require this and that…” This is when afflictions like anger and attachment arise.

We can try considering this: Do others also want to be in a good mood, eat well and enjoy nice things just as we do? If so, doesn’t that indicate that we are all equally deserving of these enjoyments? This mentality decreases our self-clinging, and we will discover that afflictions are not actually created by external objects. We should continue to train in abandoning this habituated self-centered attitude, and practice giving and taking. We can start by making gradual changes. For example, we can slow down our paces when walking and allow others to enter the elevator first

The power of sincerity

Some of us are concerned about how many virtues we can accumulate, but the strength of virtues is not based upon size——it is measured solely by the sincerity of our motivation. Others may worry about their own well-being if they give away all they have, but there is no need for such doubts. First, we know the laws of karma, so these virtues will ripen on us in their various ways. In addition, this practice belongs to the mind training teachings, which is an antidote to self-grasping. The only thing damaged in the process is our grasping at a self.

If we are unable to stay calm when non-virtuous thoughts arise, but are also hesitant to act on the afflictions, we can pause for a moment. We don’t need to force ourselves to face a person or a situation right away. We can deal with them once we return to a virtuous motivation and are able to manage our minds.

Khenpo Dawa looked earnestly at the students and said, “I am really happy to have this opportunity to be of help to everyone.” He humbly mentioned growing up as a village boy in the Himalayas, and had only started to learn about the mind through his root guru. He was very happy to have shared his guru’s teachings. He wished that our minds and behaviors would have undergone some changes before the next time we meet, and that we are gradually training to become Bodhisattvas.