Transcending Gain and Loss: Transforming the World Around You

How do we define gain and loss? How do we determine what is truly gained and what is truly lost? In truth, these concepts arise entirely from the heart. Because we cling to a sense of self, we create endless discriminations—comparisons of high and low, superior and inferior. We fear losing the things we possess: our family bonds, our emotional attachments, our professional roles, our social status, and our power. This lack of security leads to a loss of confidence in ourselves, and we live in constant fear that others might replace us.

The Illusion of the Self

When we perform well and receive praise, encouragement, or recognition, we feel a surge of joy and confidence. Conversely, when we are slandered, criticised, or blamed, we feel stifled, depressed, sad, or jealous. These reactions are all symptoms of an attachment to gain and loss. When our heart is swayed by external environments and karmic bonds, we lose our autonomy and our peace. This instability is a direct result of our personality and our habitual patterns of thought.

Whether we are adults or children, the influence of the modern world causes us to place immense importance on our own feelings. We carry a heavy burden of attachment to gain and loss. We place ourselves under the scrutiny of others, and because we cannot withstand the changes and tests of the external world, we often retreat from our goals. In doing so, we ignore the inherent capabilities, confidence, and true self that we already possess.

The Path to No-Self

How can we improve this state of mind? We must begin by shrinking the ego until we reach the state of no-self. When there is no self, there is no gain or loss, and no external force can truly harm us. People in this world often view themselves as indispensable, but this is a biased perspective. Where there is a self, there is karma; where there is no self, there is no karma. The journey from having a self to reaching no-self is exactly where we must put in the work of our practice.

By adjusting our body and mind and engaging in purification, we can achieve clarity. Only then can we see our own problems clearly, be willing to put in the work to change our ways, and find the opportunity to leave suffering behind. Furthermore, we must learn to respect the Buddha-nature in others. When you clearly understand that every creature in the six realms of rebirth is a Buddha and possesses Buddha-nature, your practice will have taken a great leap forward. You will naturally develop a heart of appreciation and praise for others, rather than a heart focused on gain and loss.

Awakening to Your True Nature

You must increase your awareness. The moment a thought of gain or loss arises, you must use your awareness to transform, stop, or sever that thought. Do not allow such thoughts to grow, for they will only damage your spirit. You must reclaim your confidence and your true self. Within your true self, there is no gain or loss, no comparison, and no hierarchy. There is only compassion, wisdom, mind-capacity, and tolerance. When your inner state is sincere, it will naturally manifest in your external actions, without any need for force.

Expand your mind-capacity. Use a heart of compassion and wisdom to observe the suffering of people in this world and the helplessness of those trapped in the six realms of rebirth. The greatest tragedy in the human world is the absence of the Buddha’s teachings. Without guidance, the suffering that beings endure will be impossible to escape.

The Art of Being Unmoved

If you can see this clearly, you will realise how foolish and confused your previous perspectives, feelings, and attachments were when you were caught up in gain and loss. Those thoughts were driven by the manifestation of karma. The words and behaviours that resulted from such negative thinking have a destructive impact on your own spirit. You should let go of these thoughts immediately and transform them so that you can regain your clarity and return to your true self.

Awakening is a vital link in the process of practice and changing your ways. Ideally, one would understand that attachment to gain and loss harms one’s virtue and practice, and thus never allow such thoughts to manifest. However, the reality is often that we only become willing to change after we see our own problems, or after we have suffered significant trauma. A heart that is empty is a priceless treasure. No-self is the true appearance of an awakened being. When you encounter obstacles, you can treat them as if they were not there. With no feelings or thoughts attached to the event, you remain clear and at ease. In such a state, how could there be gain or loss? How could there be comparison or hierarchy? Any external words, actions, or environmental changes will not leave a single stain upon you.

Protecting the Heart

To pass through a hundred flowers without a leaf touching the body is a profound skill in practice. It is a manifestation of the true self, as it has always been. Do not be turned by the environment; instead, learn to transform the environment. The ideal state is to have no mind in response to any environment. In truth, if there is no mind, where could gain or loss come from? Where could there be tests or external conditions? If there is an environment, it is as if there is no environment. The environment and the heart are one. The mystery of this is difficult to know unless you are the one experiencing it. Those who have attained this state know it, but for those who have not, even the most eloquent description is difficult to grasp. At the very least, one should know that when an environment or karma manifests, one should not be moved by it, but should instead transform the environment.

In summary, if you wish to confront your attachment to gain and loss and not be turned by the environment, you must cultivate a heart of gratitude and contentment. Simply lighting the lamp of gratitude in your heart will illuminate the darkness of dissatisfaction. If you wish to transform the environment, you must apply the skill of being unmoved. The environment will naturally follow the transformation of your heart. Environments are neither good nor bad; it is only the heart that defines them. This is why the heart can transform the environment. If you say it is good, it is good; if you say it is bad, it is bad. It is entirely up to you.

Therefore, a practitioner must be skilled at adjusting, nurturing, and protecting this heart. If this precious heart becomes stained during the process of purification and awakening, you must awaken quickly and align yourself with Buddha-actions.

Recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe.