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So far we have discussed what spiritual practice is in the Buddhist sense and how we work to change old mental habits and develop new, virtuous ones. We do so by means of meditation, a process of familiarizing ourselves with the virtues that bring about our happiness. This enables us to embody those virtues and to clearly realize the profound truths that are hidden from us in our daily lives. We shall now examine how our mental states are generated in much the same way that objects are generated in the physical world.

In our physical world, things come into being by the combined force of causes and conditions. A sprout is able to arise because of a seed, water, sunshine, and rich garden soil. Without these elements, the sprout would not have the conditions it needs to germinate and poke through the earth. In the same way, things cease to exist when they meet with the circumstances and conditions for their ending. If matter could evolve free of causation, then either everything would exist eternally in the same state, as things would have no need for causes and conditions, or nothing would come into being at all, there being no way for anything to occur. Either a sprout would exist without the need for a seed or the sprout could not come into existence at all. Thus, we can appreciate that causation is a universal principle.

In Buddhism we talk of two types of causes. First there are the substantial ones. In the metaphor above, this would consist of the seed, which, with the cooperation of certain conditions, generates an effect that is in its own natural continuum, i.e., the sprout.

The conditions that enable the seed to generate its sprout - water, sunlight, soil, and fertilizer - would be considered that sprout’s cooperative causes or conditions. That things arise in dependence upon causes and conditions, whether substantial or cooperative, is not because of the force of people’s actions or because of the extraordinary qualities of a Buddha. It is simply the way things are.

In Buddhism we believe that nonmaterial things behave in much the same way as material ones do. At the same time, from the Buddhist point of view, our ability to perceive physical matter cannot provide the sole basis for our knowledge of the world. An example of a nonmaterial thing might be the concept of time. Time is concomitant with the physical world but cannot be pointed to as existing in any material way. And there is also consciousness, the means by which we perceive things and experience pain and pleasure. Consciousness is held not to be physical.

Though not physical, our states of mind also come about by causes and conditions, much the way things in the physical world do. It is therefore important to develop familiarity with the mechanics of causation. The substantial cause of our present state of mind is the previous moment of mind. Thus, each moment of consciousness serves as the substantial cause of our subsequent awareness. The stimuli experienced by us, visual forms we enjoy or memories we react to, are the cooperative conditions that give our state of mind its character. As with matter, by controlling the conditions, we affect the product: our mind. Meditation should be a skillful method of doing just this, applying particular conditions to our minds in order to bring about the desired effect, a more virtuous mind.

Basically, this works in two ways. One way occurs when a stimulus or cooperative condition gives rise to a state of mind in the same key. An example of this dynamic might be when we mistrust someone and find that the mere thought of that person occasions more dark feelings.

Other states of mind oppose each other, as when we cultivate a sense of confidence, thereby countering our depression or loss of faith in ourselves.

As we recognize the effects of cultivating different mental qualities, we see how we can bring about changes to our state of mind. We must remember that this is simply the way the mind works. We can utilize this mechanism to further our spiritual development.

As we saw in the last chapter, analytical meditation is the process of carefully applying and cultivating particular thoughts that enhance positive states of mind and diminish and ultimately eliminate negative ones. This is how the mechanism of cause and effect is utilized constructively.

I profoundly believe that real spiritual change comes about not by merely praying or wishing that all negative aspects of our minds disappear and all positive aspects blossom. It is only by our concerted effort, an effort based on an understanding of how the mind and its various emotional and psychological states interact, that we bring about true spiritual progress. If we wish to lessen the power of negative emotions, we must search for the causes that give rise to them. We must work at removing or uprooting those causes. At the same time, we must enhance the mental forces that counter them: what we might call their antidotes. This is how a meditator must gradually bring about the mental transformation he or she seeks.

How do we undertake this? First we identify our particular virtue’s opposing factors. The opposing factor of humility would be pride or vanity. The opposing factor of generosity would be stinginess. After identifying these factors, we must endeavor to weaken and undermine them. While we are focused on these opposing factors, we must also be fanning the flames of the virtuous quality we hope to internalize. When we feel most stingy, we must make an extra effort to be generous. When we feel impatient or judgmental, we must do our utmost to be patient.

When we recognize how our thoughts have particular effects upon our psychological states, we can prepare ourselves for them. We will then know that when one state of mind arises, we must counter it in a particular way; and if another occurs, we must act appropriately. When we see our mind drifting toward angry thoughts of someone we dislike, we must catch ourselves; we must change our mind by changing the subject. It is difficult to hold back from anger when provoked unless we have trained our mind to first recollect the unpleasant effects such thoughts will cause us. It is therefore essential that we begin our training in patience calmly, not while experiencing anger. We must recall in detail how, when angry, we lose our peace of mind, how we are unable to concentrate on our work, and how unpleasant we become to those around us. It is by thinking long and hard in this manner that we eventually become able to refrain from anger.

One renowned Tibetan hermit limited his practice to watching his mind. He drew a black mark on the wall of his room whenever he had an unvirtuous thought. Initially his walls were all black; however, as he became more mindful, his thoughts became more virtuous and white marks began to replace the black ones. We must apply similar mindfulness in our daily lives.

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