C o n t e n t s Preface 1 First Series: The Immutable True Characteristic 1 There Is Nothing in the World That Can Last Forever 2 There Is No Way to Resist Impermanence, But It Should Not Be Feared 8 Flowing and Changing Causal Conditions Are the Mother of Change 14 Life Is a Giant Dream 21 The “Self” Is a Giant Illusion 28 What Do People Live For? 34 Section Two: Discover the Inherent Treasure of Life 41 The treasury of Life, Every One Possesses 42 True Happiness Is a Light in the Mind 49 All Are Memories, Past and Gone 55 Human Life Is a Continuous Struggle with “The Self ” 62 How Many People Can Make a Lucid Choice? 68 True Freedom Is the Wakefulness of Wisdom 74 Freedom Is a Matter of Mind in Accord with Mind 82 The Bright True Mind Is Always with You 89 Take Hold of the Opportunity, and Welcome the Awakening of the Spiritual Nature 95 It’s Not That You Resolve a Question, It’s That There Is No Question 102 Section Three: Find Your True Enemy 109 We Have So Many Misunderstandings of the World and of Life 110 Do Not Fall into the Spider Web of Desire and Greed 117 The Discriminating Mind Is the Source of Myriad Evils 123 Wake Up From the Delusions of False Thoughts 129 Doubt Is the Great Enemy of Happiness 136 Anger and Arrogance Are Stumbling Blocks for Freedom 142 Keep Your Eyes Open, and Stay Far Away from Evil Companions 147 Section Four: Because of Wisdom, Life Changes 155 The Mind of Detachment Is Not a Temporary Emotion 156 The Enlightened Teacher Is a Beacon for the Spirit 163 Let Good Actions Change Your Mind and Spirit 170 True Maturity Is the Maturity of the Mind and Spirit 178 The Object of Cultivation Must Be Your Mind 185 Life Changes Because of Wisdom 192Preserve Pure Awareness, Listen to the Voice of the Inner Mind 198 Where There Are No Thoughts, Preserve a Spiritually Alive Awareness 205 Understand That Life Is Like a Dream, and Treat Yourself and Other People Well 212 The Clarity and Strength to Master Your Life Comes from the True Mind 220 Build Something Relatively Eternal amid Empty Illusion 226 Section Five: Plant the Seeds of Great Love in the Field of the Mind 233 Real Solitude Is a Realm of Experience 234 Use the Mind That Transcends the World To Do Things in the World 240 To Do Well in the Present Moment Is the Best Ultimate Concern 245 Fundamentally, There Is No Conflict Between Believing It and Putting It into Practice 251 Bad Theories Are the Soil that Breeds Evil Deeds 258 Good and Evil Go Together Like Light and Darkness 265 Plant Great Love in the Field of the Mind 271 Don’t Expect Yourself to Be Able to Hold onto Flowing Water 277 Afterword: What Is a Genuine Disciple Like? 283