8. Three objects, three poisons, three seeds of virtue
- This is the Seventh Slogan/Instruction of Point Two.
- Point Two is “The Actual Practice”.
- Point two consists of nine instructions in two divisions. The two divisions are
- 1) Cultivating Absolute Bodhicitta, which consists of five instructions, and
- 2) Cultivating Relative Bodhicitta,which consists of four instructions.
- “Three objects, three poisons, three seeds of virtue” belongs to the second division, “Cultivating Relative Bodhicitta”
Traleg Kyabgon writes,
This slogan says that we can transform the objects and poisons into virtue. Instead of seeing virtue as something totally unconnected to vice, we can cultivate virtue from the soil of our negative tendencies by relating to the object of our emotions in a different way.
Traleg Kyabgon, The Practice of Lojong: Cultivating Compassion through Training the Mind:
To most of us, there are three types of people and objects: those we like, those we don’t like, and those we’re indifferent to. or some variation of the three. These are the Three Objects.
Wikipedia has a useful chart of the Three Poisons:
| Poison | Sanskrit | Pali | Tibetan | Alternate English translations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delusion | moha | moha | gti mug | confusion, bewilderment, delusion |
| Attachment | rāga | lobha | ‘dod chags | desire, sensuality, greed |
| Aversion | dveṣa | dosa | zhe sdang | anger, hatred, hostility |
The Three Virtues are the opposites of the Three Poisons. As Wikipedia lists them:
- amoha (non-delusion) or prajna (wisdom)
- alobha (non-attachment) or dāna (generosity)
- adveṣa (non-hatred) or mettā (loving-kindness)
Bodhisattva of Wisdom (Manjushri),. Nepal, 15th century. Gilded copper; overall: 42.4 x 16.5 cm (16 11/16 x 6 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art