| PAGE ONE Fall, 2001 Issue: Spirit & Crisis EDITOR'S NOTE BUDDHASCOPE DHARMATALK FOUNDOBJECTS GUESTCOLUMN QUOTES POETRY READING ROOM REVIEWS CONTACT US SITE INDEX SUBSCRIBE |
BELOW IS AN EXCERPT from "Ethics for the New Millennium," by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Riverhead books, Pengun Putnam. The book may be ordered through Amazon.com
WE CAN CONCEIVE the nature of mind in terms of the water in a lake. When the water is stirred up by a storm, the mud from the lake's bottom clouds it, making it appear opaque. But the nature of the water is not dirty. When the storm passes, the mud settles and the water is left clear once again. So although generally we may suppose mind, or consciousness, to be an inherent and unchangeable entity, when we consider it more deeply, we see that it consists in a whole spectrum of events and experiences. These include our sensory experiences, which engages with objects directly, as well as our thoughts and feelings, which are mediated by language and concepts. It is also dynamic: through deliberate engagement we can effect changes in our mental and emotional states. We know, for example, how comfort and reassurance can help dispel fear. Similarly, those forms of counseling which lead to greater awareness, and affection, can help alleviate depression.
This observation, that emotion and consciousness are not the same thing, tells us that we do not have to be controlled by our thoughts and emotions. Prior to our every action, there must be a mental and emotional event to which we are more or less free to respond, albeit that until we have learned to discipline our mind, we will have difficulty in exercising this freedom. Again, how we respond to these events and experiences is moreover that which determines the moral content of our acts, generally speaking. In simple terms, this means that if we do so positively, keeping others' interests before us, our acts will be positive. If we respond negatively, neglecting others, our acts will be negative and unethical.