To develop love and compassion, we first need to
understand our current situation. In order to develop authentic love
and compassion, it is necessary to look at our emotional processes,
and at the disturbances that arise in our mind. We should take our
time in becoming aware of that which occupies the mind. In Tibetan,
the word for "disturbing emotions" points to a mind that is
continuously disturbed. It is not a question of having only one
emotion in one moment, but of all the emotions with all their effects
and consequences.
The disturbing emotions
The disturbing
emotions are : jealousy, attachment, anger and all the different
states in which we find ourselves. We have these emotions, but we
would like to get rid of them. When they come up, we fight against
them. We do not want to be disturbed. However, we need to understand
that emotions are not completely negative. If they disturb us, it is
because we do not know how they function or what to make of them.
Nevertheless, the emotions are an integral part of the dynamic
processes of life.
Mind has two
aspects : yeshe and namshe, in Tibetan. Yeshe is
a dimension of wisdom, of clear thinking which recognizes itself and
which recognizes the emotions as being a part of itself.
Namshe/Yeshe
Namshé is a consciousness that is
limited, separated or disconnected. We are now in this consciousness
which is full of confusion and disturbances. But
yeshe and namshe, wisdom and confusion,
are two aspects of the mind. Therefore, even if we wanted to, we could
not get rid of the emotions, we can neither stop them, nor give them
up.
What is
relevant, however, is to understand how the emotions function, how
they come up and from where they come. For example, when jealousy
arises, we need to see it, to be aware of it. Try to see its cause and
its effect. Not only do we need to see the aspect of emotions that
affects us internally, (that is to say, how it is in our
mind/consciousness, how it makes us feel) but also, we need to be
aware of what it makes us do, the actions that are motivated and
initiated by jealousy, for example.
If we look carefully in the
moment when jealousy arises, we will see that we choose a side, and
obviously our side is always the best. It is the others that are on
the wrong side. It is a little like the football matches in France :
before the match starts, we have already chosen "our" team. We know it
is the team we will root for while watching the game on television.
But if we are travelling and find ourselves for instance in Asia or
Latin America watching a football match on television, we cannot grasp
very much at the beginning. There are the two teams, their shirts are
different in color. But very quickly, without even realizing it, we
will choose a color and a team. We will then cheer on our chosen team
and criticize the other.
This holds
true not just for football ; this same process applies in very many
situations, taking sides, encouraging one and criticizing the other.
Most of the time we carry this posture of judgement : "He is wrong,
his attitude is erroneous. It is obvious that he cannot be right, I am
right." We are constantly talking to ourselves like this and we are
absorbed in duality. We always choose the best aspect and the best
side; and the best team is obviously our team. We have to be right. We
are like judges ever presiding over who is wrong and who is right. We
act like the high magistrate of our existence.
to
follow
L a m a . J i g m e . R i n p o c
h e
