hilitehead

In the final verse, we read:

May all this remain undefiled
By the stains of the eight mundane concerns;
And may I, recognizing all things as illusion,
Devoid of clinging, be released from bondage.

The first two lines of this verse are very critical for a genuine practitioner. The eight mundane concerns are attitudes that tend to dominate out lives generally. They are: becoming elated when someone praises you, becoming depressed when someone insults or belittles you, feeling happy when you experience success, being depressed when you experience failure, being joyful when you acquire wealth, feeling dispirited when you become poor, being pleased when you have fame, and feeling depressed when you lack recognition.

A true practitioner should ensure that his or her cultivation of altruism is not defiled by these thoughts. For example, if, as I am giving this talk, I have even the slightest thought in the back of my mind that I hope people admire me, then that indicates that my motivation is defiled by mundane considerations, or what the Tibetans call the ‘eight mundane concerns.’ It is very important to check yourself and ensure that it not the case. Similarly, a practitioner may apply altruistic ideals in his daily life, but if all of a sudden he feels proud about it and thinks, ‘Ah I’m a great practitioner,’ immediately the eight mundane concerns defile his practice. The same applies if a practitioner thinks, ‘I hope people admire what ‘m doing,’ expecting to receive praise for the great effort he is making. All there are mundane concerns that spoil one’s practice, and it is important to ensure that this does not happen so we keep our practice pure.