Eight Tibetan Buddhist Teachings for Transforming Confusion and Anger into Salvation
In Santa Cruz, where I live, there is a Tibetan Buddhist temple tucked away along the mountains called the Land of Medicine Buddha. There, you can learn eight teachings while walking along a beautiful 1.5-kilometer trail. In the quiet forest, eight signboards with teachings like the ones in the photos are placed at intervals, and you walk while contemplating them.
These eight teachings are by the 11th-century master Geshe Langri Tangpa, and the commentary sections are by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
When I read just the teachings themselves, I think, 'Hmm, that's very Buddhist,' and they don't really resonate with me (no offense!), butthe commentary by the current Dalai Lamais conveyed so concretely that anyone living in the present can imagine the situation, and it is full of eye-opening insights. In particular, for me,it feels like it is speaking about the highest form of leadership.
I have visited this place many times, but this time I thought I would share it with everyone, so I asked ChatGPT for a Japanese translation, which I then supervised.
Verse 1: All Life is a Treasure
Wishing to gain the greatest benefit from all sentient beings,
I will hold them more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel,
and always cherish them from the depths of my heart.
This verse emphasizes cultivating an attitude of seeing other beings as having irreplaceable value.
This is because the source of our joy, happiness, and prosperity lies in cooperation and interaction with others.
Every experience we desire is built upon interactions and trust with others.
Even for those walking a spiritual path, the process of awareness and growth deepens within relationships with others.
Furthermore, compassionate actions and an awakened state of mind naturally emerge in relation to other beings.
Viewed in this way, all sentient beings can be said to be the fundamental source of our joy, prosperity, and happiness.
Verse 2: Consider Yourself the Lowest
Wherever I am and whoever I am with,
I will always consider myself the lowest and smallest of all,
and from the depths of my heart, I will respect and cherish others.
What is emphasized here is cultivating an attitude of treating others with respect and reverence.
To 'consider oneself the smallest' is not about self-deprecation, but an intentional attitude of viewing one's own emotions and reactions objectively while recognizing the preciousness of others.
We tend to react to emotions like anger, attachment, and greed, which causes us to lack consideration for the impact we have on others.
However, if we cultivate a feeling of respecting others in advance, it becomes an internal restraint that helps prevent us from being swayed by our emotions.
In this way, an attitude of sincerely respecting others becomes the foundation for taking responsibility for one's own actions and viewing things from a broader perspective.
Verse 3: Cultivate an Agile Mind
When I notice a deluded thought arising in my mind that harms myself or others,
I will immediately notice it, confront it, and strive to remove it.
This verse describes the core practice of Buddhism—that is, how to face 'afflictions' (the emotions and thoughts that cause us suffering).
For a Buddhist practitioner, the greatest enemy is not someone outside, but the mental and emotional weaknesses within oneself. These create the causes of suffering.
The third verse conveys how to deal with this 'inner enemy'.
The key lies in having a firm awareness from the very beginning.
If negative emotions or thoughts arise and we leave them alone—
that is, if we realize 'this is not good' but do nothing to control them, they will gain more and more power.
And they can sometimes become so strong that they are impossible to handle.
However, if we consciously watch those negative movements and deal with them with awareness—
if we stop in that moment and face them firmly—
we can prevent them from developing into the causes of great suffering.
We become able to avoid giving negative thoughts 'space' or 'opportunity'.
Verse 4: The Wild Person is a Treasure
If I encounter someone who is wild in character or behavior—
someone consumed by violent, destructive actions and suffering,
I will respect and cherish such a rare being
as if they were a treasure.
People with negative tendencies in their hearts are singled out as 'objects of practice' because our state of mind is tested when we face such individuals.
When we encounter such a person, the temptation arises to reflexively reject them or react negatively.
However, that very person is the one to whom we should direct special attention and awareness for the sake of inner training and growth.
This perspective can also be applied to social phenomena where specific groups or people with certain tendencies are marginalized or ignored.
Even in such cases, it is recommended to steady one's own heart and continue the effort to step forward and try to understand.
Imagining the background and suffering behind the other person's actions and cultivating the sensitivity to engage with them correctly is the essence of this practice.
Fifth Verse: Do not resist those who are jealous
When someone, out of jealousy, blames me,
and directs attitudes such as insults or slander toward me,
I will willingly accept defeat,
and offer victory to that person.
In a normal sense, when receiving groundless accusations, it is natural to feel anger or injustice and react.
However, for those who train their minds, especially if that reaction would result in hurting oneself or others, it is recommended to dare not to be fixated on winning or losing in that moment, and to accept defeat as the result.
What is required here is not just to endure, but to remain emotionally unreactive and maintain the state of one's own heart.
What is important is not the loss itself, but cultivating the strength not to view one's entire life negatively because of it.
Depending on the situation, it is required to take necessary actions in a small but steady way while maintaining a calm and compassionate response. This is by no means easy, but it is said to be possible through sincere mental training.
Sixth Verse: Betrayal is a noble teacher
When someone I once supported,
and in whom I placed great trust and expectation,
causes me deep suffering,
I will accept that person as a noble teacher.
When we help someone or build a relationship of trust, we may unconsciously expect some kind of reaction or repayment from the other person.
The closer the person is, the greater the pain when expectations are betrayed, and feelings of anger or betrayal arise strongly.
However, instead of reacting directly to one's own emotions, it is recommended to view such events as 'opportunities for training to deepen patience and understanding'.
At this time, one considers that person, even if only temporarily, as a 'teacher' who provides an opportunity for learning.
However, this does not mean turning a blind eye to injustice or violence.
It is also important to assess the situation correctly and respond firmly when necessary.
The important thing is not to let anger or hostility take root in your heart, but to act with a broad perspective and calmness.
Seventh Verse: Take on suffering and deliver happiness
In short, directly or indirectly,
I will offer all happiness and benefits
to all people,
and secretly take on their every suffering and harm
upon myself.
This verse illustrates the practice of Tonglen, which is 'giving' and 'taking'.
In other words, it is an attitude of starting from love to give one's own joy to others, and from a heart of compassion, to take on the suffering of others and its causes oneself.
It may be very difficult to actually express this in action, but even just thinking about it in one's heart is effective.
With that intention, it is practiced through the image of breathing in the other person's pain and breathing out and giving one's own happiness in rhythm with one's breath.
This training has the power to change deep parts of thoughts and emotions, and especially when one is inexperienced, it prevents one from being swept away by superficial 'goodness' or 'spiritual atmosphere'.
True practitioners value quiet sincerity and consistency.
Eighth Verse: Liberation from illusion
Without staining my heart with the eight worldly concerns—
(pleasure and pain, gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and disgrace),
viewing all phenomena as illusions,
I will wish to be freed from the bonds of attachment.
The first half of this verse emphasizes the need in spiritual practice and mind training to ensure the mind is not caught up in worldly concerns—such as pleasure and pain, gain and loss, praise and blame, or fame and infamy.
The second half speaks to the importance of deepening mind training based on the realization of the ultimate truth that 'all phenomena lack inherent existence.'
By gaining the insight that all things exist interdependently, we can become free from viewing things as having inherent substance, thereby avoiding extreme nihilism or rigid attachment.
Through practice based on this kind of realization, the way we perceive reality changes, and depth and freedom are born within the very quality of our minds.
So, what did you think?
It is also interesting how the verses that resonate with you change from time to time.
I hope this has been helpful to you, even if only a little.
I have also started a YouTube channel!
See you at the SIY retreat in November!