In his book Eight Steps to Happiness page 81, Geshe-la teaches :
"Normally we divide the external world into that which we consider to be good or valuable, bad or worthless, or neither. Most of the time these discriminations are incorrect or have little meaning. For example, our habitual way of categorizing people into friends, enemies, and strangers depending on how they make us feel is both incorrect and a great obstacle to developing impartial love for all living beings."
Geshe-la follows on with this advice :
"Rather than holding so tightly to our discriminations of the external world, it would be far more beneficial if we learnt to discriminate between valuable and worthless states of mind."
If we observe our mind patiently over a long period of time we shall discover that it is vast and formless. It's contents are also formless.
That which lacks form is therefore not limited - yet our happiness is limited...why?
It is our view & intentions which limit our happiness. So we need to learn to think and go beyond our limited view of ourself and others.
When we learn to view others' happiness as equal to our own we shall be able to regard every being (humans & non-humans) whom we meet as a potential friend, thus extending our benefit towards them and in turn they to us - this would help our relationships to be more harmonious.
Examples of valuable minds (those which make us happy) are love, compassion, wisdom understanding the true nature of reality. Examples of worthless states of mind are anger, desirous attachment, jealousy, deluded pride, self-cherishing & self-grasping.
Not all desires are worthless - eg. the desire to be happy through developing inner peace, the desire to help others or to become enlightened for the sake of all living beings.
Our meditation classes & courses help us to work with our minds to unlock it's full potential to be happy and of great benefit to others.
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Relevant courses
Learn to Meditate in half-a-day - bring a friend for FREE
Saturday 12th November, 2011 10.30-1pm
Day Course - Love : Soothing the ups & Downs, taught by out Resident Teacher, Hung Tran
Sunday 20th November 2011, 10-4pm (includes delicious vegetarian lunch) - bring a friend for FREE
Meditation retreats for relaxation...everyone welcome!
"Normally we divide the external world into that which we consider to be good or valuable, bad or worthless, or neither. Most of the time these discriminations are incorrect or have little meaning. For example, our habitual way of categorizing people into friends, enemies, and strangers depending on how they make us feel is both incorrect and a great obstacle to developing impartial love for all living beings."
Geshe-la follows on with this advice :
"Rather than holding so tightly to our discriminations of the external world, it would be far more beneficial if we learnt to discriminate between valuable and worthless states of mind."
If we observe our mind patiently over a long period of time we shall discover that it is vast and formless. It's contents are also formless.
That which lacks form is therefore not limited - yet our happiness is limited...why?
It is our view & intentions which limit our happiness. So we need to learn to think and go beyond our limited view of ourself and others.
When we learn to view others' happiness as equal to our own we shall be able to regard every being (humans & non-humans) whom we meet as a potential friend, thus extending our benefit towards them and in turn they to us - this would help our relationships to be more harmonious.
Examples of valuable minds (those which make us happy) are love, compassion, wisdom understanding the true nature of reality. Examples of worthless states of mind are anger, desirous attachment, jealousy, deluded pride, self-cherishing & self-grasping.
Not all desires are worthless - eg. the desire to be happy through developing inner peace, the desire to help others or to become enlightened for the sake of all living beings.
Our meditation classes & courses help us to work with our minds to unlock it's full potential to be happy and of great benefit to others.
---
Relevant courses
Learn to Meditate in half-a-day - bring a friend for FREE
Saturday 12th November, 2011 10.30-1pm
Day Course - Love : Soothing the ups & Downs, taught by out Resident Teacher, Hung Tran
Sunday 20th November 2011, 10-4pm (includes delicious vegetarian lunch) - bring a friend for FREE
Meditation retreats for relaxation...everyone welcome!
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