Another method is to apply renunciation, bodhicitta, and emptiness (śūnyatā) as antidotes. This is why we repeatedly emphasize the Three Principal Aspects of the Path.
How do we use renunciation to deal with these various complex and chaotic mental factors? You must tell yourself: the movement of the mind is actually the root cause of everything in the world. Our suffering and happiness, the manifold appearances of the world—even the sun and the moon—fundamentally stem from the mind’s activity. All phenomena are but manifestations of mind.
In fact, any movement of the mind, whether wholesome or unwholesome, is in essence mistaken. What should we do then? Leave it—especially those unwholesome mental factors.
When wholesome mental factors arise—such as faith (śraddhā), moral shame (hrī), moral dread (apatrāpya), non-attachment (alobha), and non-hatred (adveṣa)—you may temporarily allow them to continue and develop. At the same time, however, you must clearly understand that even these wholesome mental factors are ultimately illusory and not truly existent. As stated in the Four Right Efforts (samyakpradhāna): “Eliminate arisen evil; prevent unarisen evil; increase arisen virtue; bring forth unarisen virtue.”
You might ask whether emptiness is being applied here. In fact, the most powerful form of renunciation is precisely emptiness (śūnyatā), yet you may provisionally apply the method mentioned above.
Next is the method of bodhicitta. When these mental factors—whether wholesome or unwholesome—arise, observe them as follows: if they are wholesome, make this aspiration: “may the merit produced by these mental factors be dedicated to the Guru, the Three Jewels (triratna), and all sentient beings throughout space;” If they are unwholesome, while observing them, make this vow: I must cut this off, and may the fault of this unwholesome mental factor I have generated take the place of all sentient beings’ similar faults. For example, if the sight of an attractive person stirs attachment (rāga), you recognize this is a negative state—but since it has already arisen, what then? Having erred in giving rise to it, you resolve to eliminate it and vow that the fault of this attachment will substitute for all sentient beings who generate such afflictive mental factors.
The remedy of bodhicitta follows the same logic as the previous methods; however, the training begins the very instant a mental factor stirs, rather than waiting until it develops into suffering of affliction. What is the prerequisite for such training? Continuous observation of one’s own mind. If you wish to clearly understand which mental factors are operating in your mind, you must compare them one by one with Yogācāra teachings—only then are you truly studying Yogācāra (Vijñaptimātratā).
Some people study Yogācāra merely by rote memorization of concepts, but their learning never resonates with their own minds. However, if you observe your mind while comparing with the texts, gradually what you learn will truly take root in your heart. Only then will you understand what anger (krodha) is, what enmity (upanāha) is, and how they differ—even though both belong to the ten minor secondary afflictions (upakleśa). You will also understand what concealment (mrakṣa) is—for example, when someone is venting anger, others may assume they are speaking truthfully, but that is not necessarily the case; concealment (mrakśa) can still be present even in anger. You will also come to understand the mechanics behind deceit (māyā), flattery (śāṭhya), haughtiness (mada), and so on. In fact, once you clearly understand your own mind, the minds of others will naturally become clear to you as well. Although there are differences between people, there are also many similarities—especially among ordinary beings.
Therefore, through this method, we can gradually observe mental factors with clarity. The benefit of this is that when a mental factor arises, its corresponding understanding arises alongside it. Ordinarily, however, it is not like this. Before studying Yogācāra, the moment a mental factor appears, it immediately triggers suffering or pleasure, and the mind is instantly carried away by feeling (vedanā). This is how the untrained mind of ordinary beings functions.
However, if you persist in this kind of observation over a long period, repeatedly examining the states of your own mind—“Now it is a state of faith (śraddhā), now a state of ease (praśrabdhi), now a state of lack of shame ((āhrīkya) and moral dread (anapatrāpya)”—then once you become familiar with this process, whenever these mental factors arise again, the corresponding conceptual recognition will arise simultaneously. And the very moment it arises, you are already observing the mind. In other words, you are simultaneously training in both mind observation and the application of its antidotes.
—Excerpted and compiled from The Arising and Antidotes of Afflictions
This article is a preliminary translation draft and has not yet been reviewed or proofread by the speaker.
