Mind Training: Slogan #8 3 Objects, 3 Poisons, And 3 Seeds of Virtue

     The three poisons are passion, aggression, and ignorance. The three objects are friends, enemies and neutrals upon whom we respectively project our passion, aggression and indifference – ignorance.

     This slogan reminds us to practice tonglen for people who are friends, enemies and neutrals. For example, taking on the aggression of an enemy and sending out compassion removes the aggression from the enemy and so you have no object for your aggression – nothing to be angry at – and your aggression dissipates.

     You undercut the poison itself by removing the poison from others rather than dealing with yourself however the rub is that by doing this exercise, the poison that which you now own is dissolved. This exercise helps us to realize the three seeds of virtue – the absence of passion, aggression and ignorance.

Notes from Training Your Mind:

• 3 Objects are friends, enemies and neutrals
• 3 Poisons are passion, aggression, and ignorance or delusion
• 3 Seeds of virtue are the absence of passion, aggression and ignorance
• Passion; wanting to possess: Aggression; wanting to reject; Ignorance: wanting to ignore (anti-prajna)
• Template: When we reflect on our enemy, that inspires aggression. Whatever aggression our enemy has provided for us – let the aggression be ours and let the enemy thereby be free of any kind of aggression.
• Take the neurosis of the aggression, passion or ignorance into ourselves so that the other is freed of it.
• The purpose of doing that is that when you begin to hold the three poisons as yours, when you possess them fully and completely, when you take charge of them fully, you will find…that the logic is reversed. If you have no object of aggression, you cannot hold your own aggression purely by yourself. If you have no object of passion, you cannot hold your own passion yourself. And the same way, you cannot hold on to your ignorance either.
• By holding your poison, you let go of the object, or the intent, of your poison. … It is impossible to have an object of poison, because the poison belongs to you rather than the object.
• Find yourself just hanging out there with no one to project onto.
• Therefore, you can cut the root of three poisons by dealing with others rather than dealing with yourself. So an interesting twist takes place.

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