How to Understand the Mind

1. True Happiness and Suffering Reside Within Your Mind.

Happiness and suffering are feelings – parts of our mind – and so their main causes are not to be found outside the mind.

Internal causes. We often seek happiness and solutions to problems in the external world, through material progress or control over our environment. However, this approach has not led to a corresponding increase in human happiness; indeed, problems often multiply. This fundamental misunderstanding stems from failing to recognize that happiness and suffering are internal states, originating within our own mind.

Mind control. When difficulties arise, we tend to blame external situations. Yet, if we respond with a positive or peaceful mind, these situations transform into challenges or opportunities for growth. Problems only manifest when we react with negative states of mind. Therefore, true freedom from problems and lasting happiness can only be achieved by learning to control our mind, particularly by controlling uncontrolled desire, which is the source of all suffering.

Precious opportunity. As human beings, we possess a unique opportunity to understand and control our minds, enabling us to progress from an ignorant state to an enlightened one. Unlike animals, we have the capacity for profound self-improvement. Recognizing this immense fortune should inspire us to dedicate our lives to this inner transformation, making our existence truly precious and meaningful.

2. Your Mind is Formless, Ever-Present, and Distinct from Your Body.

The definition of the mind is something whose nature is empty like space, always lacking form, shape and colour, and whose function is to perceive or understand objects.

Mind's nature. The mind is not a physical entity; it is empty like space, devoid of form, shape, or color. This "emptiness" is not a void but a fundamental clarity, allowing it to perceive and understand objects. This distinction is crucial: the mind is not the brain, which is a physical part of the body that can be photographed, while the mind cannot.

Mind's function. The primary function of the mind is to perceive and understand. When we say "I see" or "I understand," it is our mind performing these actions. Furthermore, the mind is responsible for "imputing" things, meaning it assigns names and concepts, thereby creating the world as we experience it. Without the mind's imputation, things would not exist as we know them.

Continuity of mind. Understanding the mind's non-physical nature proves that it is completely different from the body. This implies that after physical death, while the body ceases, the mind continues. Like a bird leaving one nest for another, or our mind traveling in dreams while our body rests, the mind transitions to the next life, affirming the existence of future lives.

3. Uncover Your Buddha Nature: The Very Subtle Mind.

Our very subtle mind – our Buddha nature – is very precious, like a priceless jewel, but we cannot recognize it unless we engage in special methods for recognizing it that Buddha explained in his Highest Yoga Tantra teachings.

Levels of mind. The mind exists on three levels: gross, subtle, and very subtle. Gross minds are our waking awarenesses (sight, sound, etc.), which are often mistaken, perceiving inherently existent objects that do not exist, leading to suffering. Subtle minds are active during dreams, also generating mistaken appearances.

The very subtle mind. This is the most difficult to recognize, yet it is the continuous thread of our life, sustaining us through day, night, and countless rebirths until enlightenment. It is our inherent Buddha nature, a priceless jewel. When we become a Buddha, this very subtle mind transforms into a Buddha's mind, and its associated inner wind becomes a Buddha's body, signifying a deathless existence.

Manifesting clear light. Normally, the very subtle mind manifests only during deep sleep and at the end of the death process, as the "clear light of sleep" or "clear light of death." However, advanced practitioners of Highest Yoga Tantra can intentionally manifest this clear light during meditation by dissolving inner winds into the central channel, leading to the "clear light of realization" and profound inner peace.

4. Confront Your Inner Enemies: Delusions are the Root of All Suffering.

The definition of delusion is a mental factor that arises from inappropriate attention and that functions to make the mind unpeaceful and uncontrolled.

Internal adversaries. Delusions are mental factors that disrupt our inner peace and control, arising from inappropriate attention. They are the true inner enemies, far more destructive than any external foe. While external enemies can only harm us in this life, delusions can cast us into unbearable suffering for countless future lives.

Delusions' harm. Delusions like hatred, attachment, and pride, though lacking physical form, control us and inflict continuous misery. Being patient or tolerant with them only strengthens their grip, leading to greater suffering. Shantideva highlights that even if all beings were our enemies, their harm would be temporary compared to the enduring, beginningless harm caused by our delusions.

Six root delusions. These are the primary delusions from which all others stem:

• Desirous attachment: Regards contaminated objects as sources of happiness and wishes for them.
• Anger: Exaggerates bad qualities, considers objects undesirable, and wishes to harm them.
• Deluded pride: Arrogance from exaggerating one's own qualities or possessions.
• Ignorance: Confusion about the nature of objects, inducing wrong awareness and other delusions.
• Deluded doubt: Two-pointedness of mind interfering with liberation or enlightenment.
• Deluded view: Views obstructing liberation, such as the "view of the transitory collection" (self-grasping).

5. Cultivate Inner Peace: Virtuous Minds Lead to Lasting Happiness.

If our intention is virtuous we create virtuous karma, if our intention is non-virtuous we create non-virtuous karma, and if our intention is neutral we create neutral karma.

Power of intention. Our experiences of happiness and unhappiness are ultimately determined by the quality of our intentions. Virtuous intentions lead to virtuous karma, resulting in peace and happiness, while non-virtuous intentions lead to suffering. Even if we are highly knowledgeable, bad intentions diminish the value of our knowledge and bring problems.

Eleven virtuous factors. These mental factors are inherently virtuous and transform any primary mind they accompany into a virtuous one. They are the essence of Dharma practice, leading to lasting peace and happiness:

• Faith, sense of shame, consideration for others, non-attachment, non-hatred, non-ignorance, effort, mental suppleness, conscientiousness, equanimity, non-harmfulness.
• For example, faith is the root of all spiritual attainments, dispelling doubt and fostering virtuous aspirations. Non-hatred (compassion) overcomes irritation and is the basis for Mahayana realizations.

Wisdom's role. Wisdom, a virtuous intelligent mind, is crucial for realizing meaningful objects and dispelling ignorance, the root of all problems. It acts as our inner Spiritual Guide, leading us to correct paths and enabling us to understand subtle truths like karma. Cultivating wisdom transforms our mind into an omniscient Buddha's mind, realizing all phenomena directly and simultaneously.

6. Break Free from Samsara: Self-Grasping Ignorance is the Ultimate Foe.

The view of the transitory collection is the root of samsara and the source of all delusions.

Fundamental ignorance. The deepest root of all suffering and problems is self-grasping ignorance, specifically the "view of the transitory collection." This is the mistaken belief that our "I" (self) and all other phenomena we perceive exist inherently, independently. This hallucination fuels attachment, anger, and all other delusions, trapping us in the endless cycle of samsara.

Identifying the "I". To overcome this, we must learn to identify this inherently existent "I" that appears independent of our body and mind. When we search for this "I" through careful investigation, we find it unfindable, revealing that it is merely a label imputed upon our aggregates. This realization is the key to understanding selflessness.

Emptiness as antidote. Realizing the non-existence of this inherently existent "I" is realizing its emptiness, the ultimate nature of our self. By familiarizing ourselves with this absence, we gradually reduce and eventually abandon the view of the transitory collection. This is like removing the fear of a snake by realizing it was just a rope; the "snake" (inherently existent I) never truly existed.

7. Master Your Perceptions: Correcting Awareness Leads to Clarity.

The definition of wrong awareness is a cognizer that is mistaken with respect to its engaged object.

Types of awareness. Minds can be conceptual (apprehending objects through generic images) or non-conceptual (engaging objects directly). They can also be sense awarenesses (seeing, hearing) or mental awarenesses (thoughts, dreams). Understanding these distinctions helps us identify how our mind perceives and, crucially, where it goes wrong.

The problem of wrong awareness. A wrong awareness is a cognizer that is mistaken about its object. For example, mistaking a toy snake for a real one. While non-conceptual wrong awarenesses (like seeing two moons when squinting) can cause temporary problems, conceptual wrong awarenesses, especially delusions, are far more harmful. They lead to negative actions, lower rebirths, and prevent liberation by obscuring the ultimate nature of phenomena.

Path to purity. The entire spiritual path is about eliminating wrong awarenesses and cultivating correct ones. The ultimate cause of all wrong awareness is ignorance, but temporary causes like deceptive objects, situations, or defective sense powers also contribute. By understanding these causes and applying their opponents, we can gradually purify our mind. For instance, realizing that a truly existent "I" is a mere appearance, like two moons from squinting, helps dismantle self-grasping.

8. The Path to Liberation: Transform Your Mind Through Meditation.

The definition of meditation is a mind that is single-pointedly focused on a virtuous object and whose function is to make the mind peaceful and calm.

Inner peace through meditation. Meditation is the direct method to cultivate inner peace and lasting happiness. By single-pointedly focusing on virtuous objects, we train our mind to be peaceful and calm, regardless of external conditions. This practice generates virtuous karma, leading to future mental peace.

Three scopes of meditation. The path to enlightenment is structured into three scopes, each building upon the last:

• Initial Scope: Focuses on precious human life, death, lower rebirth, refuge, and karma. This encourages us to use our life meaningfully and prepare for future lives.
• Middling Scope: Develops renunciation, the determination to liberate ourselves from samsara's endless suffering by abandoning self-grasping ignorance. It emphasizes the three higher trainings: moral discipline, concentration, and wisdom.
• Great Scope: Cultivates universal compassion and bodhichitta, aiming for enlightenment to benefit all beings, and practices the six perfections and yogic direct perceivers.

Virtuous objects. The object of meditation must be virtuous, meaning it has a positive effect on our mind. This can be anything from our Spiritual Guide to the emptiness of all phenomena. Learning to view all beings as objects of compassion and all phenomena as objects for training in emptiness is the highest Dharma practice.

9. Embrace Renunciation: The Gateway to Permanent Freedom.

Those who do this are truly wise.

Knowing suffering. Renunciation is the sincere determination to liberate oneself permanently from the sufferings of this life and countless future lives. While everyone understands their immediate pain, Buddha's teaching on "knowing sufferings" urges us to comprehend the vast, unbearable sufferings of future rebirths in samsara's six realms: hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, demi-gods, and gods.

Beyond temporary relief. Focusing solely on solving present-life problems is short-sighted, akin to an animal's concern for only this life. The suffering of future lives is endless, making their freedom vastly more important. This wisdom encourages us to use our precious human life to prepare for lasting freedom and happiness, rather than wasting it on temporary worldly pursuits.

The object of meditation. The meditation on renunciation involves contemplating the pervasive nature of suffering in all samsaric realms. This deep contemplation cultivates a profound fear of lower rebirth and a strong determination to achieve permanent liberation. This fear, born of wisdom, is meaningful because it motivates us to seek refuge and practice Dharma, leading to a precious human rebirth or even a Pure Land.

10. Awaken Universal Compassion: The Supreme Path to Enlightenment.

All the previous Buddhas were born from the mother of universal compassion.

Cherishing others. The path to enlightenment begins with cherishing all living beings, recognizing that their happiness and freedom are more important than our own. Our usual self-cherishing, believing our own happiness is paramount, is ignorance, as the "self" we normally perceive does not truly exist. This shift in perspective is the best solution to daily problems and the source of all future happiness.

Universal compassion. Building on cherishing others, universal compassion is the sincere wish to liberate all living beings from suffering permanently. By contemplating their endless cycle of physical and mental pain, their lack of freedom, and their creation of future suffering through negative actions, we develop deep empathy. This compassion extends equally to all, recognizing that every being is a suitable object of our concern.

Bodhichitta: The enlightened heart. Universal compassion is the mother of bodhichitta, the spontaneous wish to attain enlightenment for the benefit of every living being. This precious mind transforms us into a Bodhisattva, setting us on the actual path to enlightenment. With bodhichitta, we commit to practicing the six perfections—giving, moral discipline, patience, effort, concentration, and wisdom—to fulfill our ultimate goal of becoming a Buddha and directly benefiting all beings.

11. Realize Emptiness Directly: The Ultimate Liberation from All Problems.

If your mind is released permanently from self-grasping, there is no doubt that you will be released permanently from suffering.

The ultimate truth. Emptiness is the mere absence of inherent existence in all phenomena, including our self and body. It is not nothingness, but the true nature of reality. Our suffering arises from mistakenly believing that things exist inherently, leading to hallucinations of problems. Realizing emptiness directly, through a yogic direct perceiver, permanently dissolves these hallucinations and frees us from suffering.

Training in yogic direct perceivers. This advanced meditation involves a systematic process:

• Initial understanding: Develop a correct belief in emptiness by listening to teachings.
• Conceptual realization: Through contemplation, generate a subsequent cognizer realizing emptiness.
• Tranquil abiding: Single-pointedly focus on this conceptual emptiness until mental stability is achieved.
• Superior seeing: Develop a special wisdom that realizes emptiness very clearly, still conceptually.
• Direct realization: Continue meditating with the union of tranquil abiding and superior seeing until the generic image fades, and emptiness appears directly to the mind. This is the yogic direct perceiver.

The simplicity of enlightenment. When we realize non-dual appearance and emptiness directly, our mind becomes permanently free from dualistic and mistaken appearances, leading to enlightenment. This ultimate goal is achieved by purifying our mind, which then perceives everything as pure. By understanding that our "self" and its problems do not inherently exist, we can cease grasping at them, leading to permanent cessation of suffering and the supreme inner peace of nirvana.

Last updated: October 17, 2025