practitioner of initial perspective.(p.117)
-- H.H. the Dalai Lama, "The Path to Enlightenment", edited and translated
by Glenn H. Mullin, published by Snow Lion Publications
+~
+ When doing lamrim meditations, it is important to know clearly the state of
+mind you want to reach as a conclusion to the meditation. Lamrim texts
+describe the purpose of each meditation, and we want to make sure that our
+mind arrives at that conclusion and not at an incorrect or irrelevant
+conclusion. For example, when meditating on the disadvantages of the self-
+centered thought, our mind may twist that meditation and conclude, "I'm a
+horrible person because I'm so selfish." This is the wrong conclusion to reach
+from that meditation. The Buddha didn't teach the disadvantages of self-
+centeredness so that we would deride ourselves.
+ If you meditate on a lam rim topic and arrive at an incorrect conclusion,
+the meditation hasn't been done correctly. In the above case, thinking, "I'm
+a bad person because I'm so selfish," indicates that we have misunderstood the
+purpose of the meditation and probably have fallen into an old pattern of
+putting ourselves down. Stop and ask yourself,
+ "What conclusion does the Buddha want me to reach from this meditation? He
+wants me to ascertain that the self-centered mind is the actual 'enemy' that
+destroys my happiness. Self-centeredness is not an intrinsic part of me; it
+is not who I am. It's an incorrect, but deeply entrenched, thought that
+creates problems for me. I can free myself from it. Since I want to be
+happy, I will realize this selfish attitude for what it is and will stop
+following it! Instead, I will cultivate love and compassion for all beings."
+ This is the conclusion you want to reach.(p.58)
+ -- Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron, "Guided Meditations on the Stages of the
+ Path", foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, published by Snow Lion
+~
+ Greed is a form of desire. However, it is an exaggerated form of desire,
+based on overexpectation. The true antidote of greed is contentment.
+ For a practicing Buddhist, for a Dharma practitioner, many practices can act
+as a kind of counterforce to greed: the realization of the value of seeking
+liberation or freedom from suffering, recognizing the underlying
+unsatisfactory nature of one's existence, and so on. These views also help an
+individual to counteract greed. But in terms of an immediate response to
+greed, one way is to reflect upon the excesses of greed, what it does to one
+as an individual, where it leads. Greed leads one to a feeling of
+frustration, disappointment, a lot of confusion, and a lot of problems.
+ When it comes to dealing with greed, one thing which is quite characteristic
+is that although it arises from the desire to obtain something, it is not
+satisfied by obtaining it. Therefore, it becomes limitless or boundless, and
+that leads to trouble. The interesting thing about greed is that although the
+underlying motive is to seek satisfaction, as I pointed out, even after
+obtaining the object of one's desire, one is still not satisfied. On the
+other hand, if one has a strong sense of contentment, it doesn't matter
+whether one obtains the object or not; either way, one is still content.(p.32)
+ -- H.H. the Dalai Lama, "Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a
+ Buddhist Perspective", translated by Geshe Thupten Jinpa, published by
+ Snow Lion Publications
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