23. THE SEVEN-POINT CAUSE AND EFFECT METHOD

THE PRELIMINARY STEP OF CULTIVATING EQUANIMITY

The foundation for practicing the seven-point cause and effect method is cultivating a mind of equanimity. Without this foundation you will not be able to have an impartial altruistic view, because without equanimity you will always have partiality toward your relatives and friends. Realize that you should not have prejudice, hatred, or desire toward enemies, friends, or neutral persons, and thus lay a very firm foundation of equanimity.

To do this, as this text recommends, first visualize a neutral person whom you do not know at all. When you clearly visualize that person, you will find that you don’t feel any fluctuations of emotion, no desire or hatred—you are indifferent. Then visualize an enemy; when you visualize the enemy clearly you will have a natural reaction of hatred, feeling all sorts of ill will. Next, clearly visualize a friend or relative to whom you feel very close. With that visualization, the natural reaction will be a feeling of affection and attachment.

With the visualization of your enemy, you will feel somewhat distant and will have hatred and a sense of repulsion. Consider enemies such as the Chinese, who meted out destruction on the dharma, who did not have compassion and only harmed other fellow human beings, who rule a country only through totalitarian methods by snatching away the basic human qualities of trust and confidence. Reflect upon your justification in reacting so negatively to them. Although it is true that they have meted out much harm and destruction in this life, have they always done such things and been like this? You will find that they have not: in the past they must have engaged in actions beneficial to you and many others. But right now they have no faith in the dharma and have meted out harm and destruction to many people. They have almost no control over themselves. Because of being under the influence of ignorance, hatred, and so forth, they have these faults; it is not their essential nature.

Reflect that delusions are within your own mind also. Although there might be a difference in the force of these delusions, in terms of being delusions they are delusions equally. You should decide that there is not much point in emotionally reacting to the people you have categorized as enemies.

Then examine how you react, on the other hand, to your relatives and friends. You might think that they have been very kind to you, they have benefited you in such and such a way, and so forth. You might also have the feeling, with those who are very close, that you would even be prepared to sacrifice your life for them. Although it is true that they have been kind to you in this life, in the past they might have been your enemies, and even gone to the extent of taking your life. They might have meted out harm and destruction to many other living beings. Therefore, there is no point in being absolutely or permanently attached to such people, categorizing them as your friends and relatives.

Thus, there is not much difference between enemies and friends as far as yourself is concerned. They have both had times of benefiting you and they have both had times of harming you. Your having partiality toward them is groundless. Therefore, develop the mind of equanimity directed toward all sentient beings. This mind cannot be brought about by meditating just once or twice, but rather through repeated meditations over months or years.

1. RECOGNIZING SENTIENT BEINGS AS HAVING BEEN ONE’S MOTHER

The first step of the seven-point cause and effect method is to cultivate the recognition of all sentient beings as having been one’s mother. To do this, it is first necessary to reflect on your beginningless lives in this cycle of existence and that through many of your lives you have had to depend on your mothers. There is not a single living being that you can definitely point to as not having been your mother in the past. Perceive all sentient beings as having been your own kind mothers. You might wonder how, since sentient beings are infinite and numberless, you can say that all of them have been your mother. But consider that just as sentient beings are numberless, your lives in this cycle of existence have been numberless as well. You might also reflect that although other sentient beings have been your mothers, they have been so in the past and not in this life. But what about your mother of yesterday, is she not still your mother?

If you are able to understand the beginninglessness of your lives, you will be able to understand that you have taken many forms of life—such as egg born and womb born—that require a mother. You will find that there is not a single sentient being that has not been your mother in the past. Realization of this is quite difficult. You could start with the opposite approach—the exclusion of those that might never have been your mother. That is, you could think that it is possible that some sentient beings have not been your mother; but then, whom could you point out, with complete assurance, as not once having been your mother?

Next, examine whether you stand to gain or lose by cultivating this recognition of others as mothers. Since you are concerned with cultivating bodhicitta, the altruistic aspiration, you should recognize that if you do not have this basic factor of recognition of others as having been your mothers, you will not have success in its cultivation. So, by not developing this recognition you stand to lose. If by disbelieving that all sentient beings have been your mothers, you stood to gain, that would be fine, but this is not the case. Because of the beginninglessness of your lives in this cycle of existence, all sentient beings have been your mothers.

A recognition of others as being your dearest ones need not be confined to recognizing them as mothers alone. As Maitreya recommends in his Abhisamayalankara, you can also view them as having been your best friends or closest relatives. For example, you can view all sentient beings as having been your fathers, if you relate better to your father than to your mother, or as children to whom you feel closest and for whom you have the deepest affection. The point is to bring about an effect within your mind and to develop a state of mind that will enable you to perceive all living beings as the closest objects of affection and kindness. That is how you cultivate the recognition of sentient beings as having been one’s mother.

Some arguments have been raised in the text, such as if sentient beings have been your mothers, surely you should be able to recall this fact. The text replies that such a lack of remembrance does not constitute proof, because even in this life some children do not recognize their mothers due to the passage of time. So, just as your mother of this life is very kind and is an object of love and affection, all sentient beings should equally be objects of love and affection.

2. RECOLLECTION OF ALL BEINGS’ KINDNESS

The next meditation is on the recollection of the kindness of all beings. For this, you should visualize the person to whom you feel closest—be it your mother or father—when she or he is quite old. Clearly visualize the person at an age when she or he depends upon others’ cooperation and assistance. Doing this has a special significance, for it will make your meditation more powerful and effective.

Then think that your mother, for example, has been your mother not only in this lifetime, but also in past lives. Particularly in this life her kindness was boundless at the time of your birth, and before that during gestation she had to undergo all sorts of hardships, and even after birth her affection was such that she was able to surrender her own happiness and pleasure for the sake of the happiness and pleasure of her child. At the time of your birth she felt as joyful as if she had found a treasure, and according to her own capacities she has protected you, cleaning even your filth. You were thus protected until you could stand on your own feet.

This kindness is also experienced when you take rebirth as animals, such as birds, dogs, and kittens. You can observe them: Although these animals’ affection is not as enduring as that of humans, at the time of birth, the mothers have very strong love and affection. From one point of view, their affection and compassion to their small ones are much more selfless, since the affection and compassion of human beings are slightly influenced by the selfishness of thinking that the children will later serve and return affection. This is not the case with animals.

Birds, for example, even feed their small ones by killing insects and so forth. Certain types of birds, when they protect their babies, sacrifice a great deal and they do it individually, not living in communities as do human beings. The manner in which they bring up their small ones is really very touching. When their young are threatened by danger such as that from cats or vultures, they even sacrifice their lives if they must. Basically, they do so out of attachment, but still their act is a great kindness—so it is not only when you take rebirth as a human being that the kindness of mothers is boundless. Their kindness is not confined to one life alone but to many lifetimes. This kind of contemplation will have a very strong effect within your mind.

After reflecting upon the kindness of mothers, particularly of this lifetime, you should visualize other beings whom you find quite distant and repulsive, even animals, and take them as your object of visualization. Think that although these enemies are harmful to you and are your adversaries in this life, in past lives they must have been your most dear parents and must have even protected and saved your life countless times. Therefore, their kindness is boundless. In such a manner you should train your mind.

3. REPAYING KINDNESS

The meditation on the recollection of kindness should be followed by meditation upon repaying that kindness. The thought to repay the kindness of mothers will come about naturally when you have been successful in recollecting this kindness—it should come from the depths of your heart. Not to repay their kindness would be unfair and ungrateful of you. Therefore, you should work according to your own capacity for the benefit of others; doing this repays their kindness.

4. LOVING KINDNESS

Having cultivated equanimity and the recognition of all sentient beings as having been one’s mother, you will see all sentient beings as objects of affection and endearment. And the more forceful your feeling of affection toward them, the stronger will be your aspiration that they be free from suffering and enjoy happiness. So the recognition of others as having been one’s mother is the foundation for the subsequent meditations. Having laid that proper foundation, recollected their kindness, and developed the genuine wish to repay it, you gain a state wherein you feel close to and affectionate toward all living beings. Now reflect that all these sentient beings, although they naturally desire happiness and wish to avoid suffering, are tormented by unimaginable sufferings. Reflect upon the fact that they are just like yourself in desiring happiness, but they lack this happiness. By such reflection cultivate loving kindness.

5. GREAT COMPASSION

When you do the meditation on compassion, reflect upon the manner in which sentient beings undergo the experience of suffering. First, in order to have a very strong force of compassion, visualize a being undergoing active sufferings. For example, as the text here recommends, you could vividly and dearly visualize an animal destined to be killed by a butcher. Imagine in what kind of mental state such a being would be when facing such a situation. Then develop the strong wish that this particular being be free of that suffering.

You could also visualize the sufferings of other living beings. For example, when one travels in India by train, one sees many suffering creatures at the railway stations—dogs and other animals, and even human beings. Imagine these creatures and think that they are all equal to yourself in having the natural wish to have happiness and avoid suffering, yet nevertheless they undergo very obvious and manifest sufferings. Human beings employ animals for all sorts of purposes, and they are put to very hard, laborious work. One sees many oxen in the towns and villages; although Indian society prevents the killing of these animals and therefore they do not face immediate extinction, when they are grown up and their use to the community is over, they are neglected. In India, one also sees beggars—blind, deaf, dumb, paralyzed, and so on—and very poor people. Instead of helping them with compassion, people tend to either avoid or intimidate them, even going so far as to hit them. One can see all these things at any railway station.

You can visualize any situation that you find unbearable. Doing so will enable you to have a strong force of compassion and make it easier to develop a genuine universal compassion.

Then think about the sentient beings in other categories; they may not be undergoing manifest sufferings right now, but due to indulging in negative actions that will definitely produce undesirable consequences in the future, they are certain to face such experiences, too.

The wish that all sentient beings who lack happiness be endowed with happiness is the state of mind called universal love, and the wish that sentient beings be free of suffering is called compassion. These two meditations can be undertaken in combination, until there is some kind of effect or change in your mind.

6. THE UNUSUAL ATTITUDE

Your cultivation of love and great compassion should not be left in a state of mere imagination or wish alone; rather, a sense of responsibility, a genuine intention to engage in the task of relieving sentient beings of their sufferings and providing them with happiness, should be developed. It is important for a practitioner to work for and take upon himself or herself the responsibility of fulfilling this intention. The stronger your cultivation of compassion is, the more committed you will feel to taking this responsibility. Because of their ignorance, sentient beings do not know the right methods by which they can fulfill their aims. It is the responsibility of those who are equipped with this knowledge to fulfill the intention of working for their benefit.

Such a state of mind is called the extraordinary attitude or special, unusual attitude. It is called unusual or extraordinary because such a force of compassion, committing oneself to taking on such a responsibility, is not to be found in the trainees of lower capacity. As the oral traditions explain, with this extraordinary attitude there is a commitment that one will take upon oneself the responsibility of fulfilling this aim. It is like striking a deal in business and signing a contract.

After generating the extraordinary attitude, ask yourself whether or not, although you have developed the strong courage and the determination to work for the benefit of other sentient beings, you really possess the capacity and capability to bring them genuine happiness. It is only by your showing living beings the right path leading toward omniscience, and by living beings on their part eliminating the ignorance within themselves, that they will be able to gain lasting happiness. Although you may be able to work for other sentient beings to bring them temporary happiness, bringing about their ultimate aims is possible only when these beings take upon themselves the initiative to eliminate the ignorance within themselves. The same is true of yourself: If you desire the attainment of liberation, it is your responsibility to take the initiative to eliminate the ignorance within yourself.

As I just mentioned, you must also show the right path to living beings—and for that, first of all, you must possess the knowledge yourself. There are different ways of possessing knowledge; one is by developing an intellectual understanding, but the more profound way is understanding through experience.

The teaching that you are going to give to others should not be obscure to yourself. You should also have the perfect wisdom that can judge the suitability and appropriateness of a teaching for the dispositions and mental faculties of different beings. Because some things are profound, you cannot teach them to just anyone; some teachings might prove more harmful than beneficial to some types of people.

To possess a knowledge of the different faculties of all beings, you will have to overcome all subtle forms of obstructions to knowledge. An example given by the Buddha himself during his life demonstrates this importance: A householder wanted to become a monk, but Buddha’s disciples of high caliber such as Sariputra did not see that the person had sufficient virtuous potential within his mind to be eligible to take ordination. But the Buddha, through the force of his omniscience, saw such a seed within him. Therefore, so long as you yourself are not completely enlightened there will always be an inner obstruction to knowledge that will make your task of helping others incomplete.

You might feel that since fulfilling the wishes of other sentient beings and bringing about their welfare basically depends upon them taking the initiative themselves, then what particular need is there for you to work for the achievement of enlightenment? After all, there are many buddhas who will be able to help the sentient beings immediately if these beings take the initiative.

However, the benefit from particular spiritual guides or teachers depends upon the recipient having karmic links with these beings. Thus, some spiritual teachers can be most effective and beneficial to only a certain number of disciples, and not to other beings. In order to understand this, it is helpful to read the sutras, such as The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines, in which the buddhas and bodhisattvas, having seen that a certain practitioner had a stronger karmic link with another spiritual teacher, advised him to seek his own spiritual master. There will be sentient beings who may be able to see a buddha directly, but who may not benefit as much from that as they would from interaction with you, due to their having a deeper karmic link with you. Since life is beginningless in this cycle of existence, one can speak of beginningless karmic links; however, what I am concerned with and referring to here is a strong karmic link between individuals formed in recent lives.

Although your achievement of the omniscient state may not be beneficial to all living beings, it will definitely bring a lot of practical benefit to certain living beings. Therefore, it is very important that you work for your own achievement of the completely enlightened state. Because there might be living beings who depend very much upon your guidance on the spiritual path, it is important that you take upon yourself the responsibility to work for the benefit of others. By thinking in such terms, you will be able to develop the strong belief that without attaining the omniscient state you will not be able to fulfill what you set out to do and truly benefit others.

7. BODHICITTA

Based on the foundation of love and compassion, you should generate from the depths of your heart the aspiration to achieve the completely enlightened state for the benefit of all sentient beings. The cultivation of such a mind constitutes the realization of bodhicitta.

After the meditation on generating bodhicitta you should engage in the practice of cultivating bodhicitta that takes the result into the path. Visualizing the spiritual guru at your crown, imagine that the guru expresses delight, saying that it is very admirable and you are very fortunate that you have generated bodhicitta and have engaged in the path of cultivating it, and that he shall take you under his care. Imagine that, as a result of the guru’s delight, he dissolves through your crown and into your heart. Then you dissolve into emptiness and from emptiness arise in the aspect of Buddha Shakyamuni. See yourself becoming inseparable from him, and rejoice. At your heart visualize all your virtues accumulated through the practice of bodhicitta. These emanate, in the form of light rays, toward all living beings and actively work for their benefit, relieving them of their suffering, placing them in the state of liberation and favorable rebirth, and eventually leading them to the omniscient state.

During the between-session periods, you should read texts that are related to the practice of bodhicitta. With that the method of cultivating bodhicitta according to the seven-point cause and effect method is concluded.