..续本文上一页e your patterns and work with them honestly and compassionately. Without others provoking you, you remain ignorant of your painful habits and cannot train in transforming them into the path of awakening.

　　All dharma agrees at one point.

　　The entire Buddhist teachings (dharma) are about lessening one”s self-absorption, one”s ego-clinging. This is what brings happiness to you and all beings.

　　Of the two witnesses, hold the principal one.

　　The two witnesses of what you do are others and yourself. Of these two, you are the only one who really knows exactly what is going on. So work with seeing yourself with compassion but without any self-deception.

　　Always maintain only a joyful mind.

　　Constantly apply cheerfulness, if for no other reason than because you are on this spiritual path. Have a sense of gratitude to everything, even difficult emotions, because of their potential to wake you up.

　　Abandon any hope of fruition.

　　The key instruction is to stay in the present. Don”t get caught up in hopes of what you”ll achieve and how good your situation will be some day in the future. What you do right now is what matters.

　　Don”t be so predictable.

　　Do not hold a grudge against those who have done you wrong.

　　Don”t malign others.

　　You speak badly of others, thinking it will make you feel superior. This only sows seeds of meanness in your heart, causing others not to trust you and causing you to suffer.

　　Don”t bring things to a painful point.

　　Don”t humiliate people.

　　Don”t act with a twist.

　　Acting with a twist means having an ulterior motive of benefiting yourself. It”s the sneaky approach. For instance, in order to get what you want for yourself, you may temporarily take the blame for something or help someone out.

　　All activities should be done with one intention.

　　Whatever you are doing, take the attitude of wanting it directly or indirectly to benefit others. Take the attitude of wanting it to increase your experience of kinship with your fellow beings.

　　Whichever of the two occurs, be patient.

　　Whatever happens in your life, joyful or painful, do not be swept away by reactivity. Be patient with yourself and don”t lose your sense of perspective.

　　Train in the three difficulties.

　　The three difficulties (or, the three difficult practices) are 1) to recognize your neurosis as neurosis, 2) then not to do the habitual thing, but to do something different to interrupt the neurotic habit, and 3) to make this practice a way of life.

　　Don”t misinterpret.

　　There are six teachings that you might misinterpret: patience, yearning, excitement, compassion, priorities and joy. The misinterpretations are 1) You”re patient when it means you”ll get your way but not when your practice brings up challenges. 2) You yearn for worldly things but not for an open heart and mind. 3) You get excited about wealth and entertainment but not about your potential for enlightenment. 4) You have compassion for those you like and admire but not for those you don”t. 5) Worldly gain is your priority rather than cultivating loving-kindness and compassion. 6) You feel joy when your enemies suffer, but you do not rejoice in others” good fortune.

　　Don”t vacillate.

　　If you train in awakening compassion only some of the time, it will slow down the process of giving birth to certainty. Wholeheartedly train in keeping your heart and mind open to everyone.

　　Train wholeheartedly.

　　Train enthusiastically in strengthening your natural capacity for compassion and loving-kindness.

《How to Awaken Your Heart》全文阅读结束。