"Karma is created by us, and everything
that is created can be changed”

(Interview given by Lama Tsering Everest to Vya Estelar - a Brazilian website: www.vyaestelar.com.br )

Vya Estelar – What are the poisons of the mind and which are they?
Lama Tsering – The poisons of the mind are divided into three main categories. The first one is attachment or desire, which includes being attached physically or mentally to people, objects or phenomena. The second one is anger, which means to reject, not wanting, moving things away from you. The third one is ignorance, which means not comprehending the true nature of our being.
These three poisons act interdependently. Since we do not have a clear vision of life, we create desire and attachment. And when we don`t get what we want, we create aversion and get angry.
The poisons of the mind act as toxins, creating negative mental energies. Those energies are expressed in our actions, words and thoughts, causing a chain of suffering, which is endlessly repeated.

Question – Are there actually 84.000 poisons of the mind?
Lama Tsering - Yes. They are a combination of the three main poisons, and we can also add to them pride, jealousy and envy. Those combinations get more and more sophisticated and represent the different wrong ways in which our mind can function.

Question – Would anger be the main poison of the mind?
Lama Tsering – Anger is the grosser one, and the one which causes the most terrible, crude and direct consequences. Desire is more subtle and, in our society, is even considered a good thing, in spite of causing so much suffering. But the fundamental poison, really, is ignorance –which is the non-recognition of the true nature of phenomena. We can`t say that ignorance is the worst poison, but it is the first one, the one that gives birth to all others.

Question – How can we eliminate or subdue anger?
Lama Tsering – There are some ways in which we can begin dealing with our mental poisons. The first thing to do is reeducate ourselves, in the sense of identifying the poisons in our own mind, their consequences and what we can expect from them. It may seem obvious that we have to reeducate ourselves, but it is not quite so. For instance, we think it is OK to be angry when someone does something wrong to us, hurts us or is unfair with us. But it is not OK. Anger is a mental poison and it produces painful experiences to those who feel it, no matter if the reason that has created it is apparently “ justifiable" to us .
For example, you have to be educated to know that you should not take rat poison. If you understand this you will know that rat poison, even if it tastes sweet, will cause you a terrible harm.

Question – There is a common sense amongst people that we should express our anger, not keep it inside of us. Does Buddhism believe in that, in some way?
Lama Tsering - No, Buddhism does not believe in that, because the poisons of mind act as a boomerang. If you throw your anger away, what you will get back is more anger. We don`t understand that our actions, words and thoughts are like boomerangs, not like balls, which we throw and don't come back. The boomerang is thrown away and it always returns.
When we don`t understand this basic rule, we become our own victims and feel hurt. In ignorance, we throw back more boomerangs, causing ourselves suffering upon suffering.
Lord Buddha taught that it is important to have patience, even when bad things happen, since those bad things are the result of returning boommerangs we have previously thrown. If a boomerang is returning, accept it, have patience, let it come. Do not throw back three or four others, because they will all come back to you.

Question – Is it better to “swallow” our anger?
Lama Tsering – Better swallow than spit it back. But to swallow does not help either. That`s why we need to reeducate ourselves. We have to reflect and contemplate on the consequences of the mental poisons in order to begin to collect the elements necessary to deal with them. However, what we really need is to cut through these poisons. And we can do that through meditation.
Meanwhile, since we have not already developed these tecniques of contemplation and meditation, we have to avoid anger. If we don`t have the skillful means to deal with the situation yet, it is better to run away than to react. Or maybe we should hold our breath for a while and wait for our anger to go away.
When we are more trained, then maybe we don`t have to run away or to hold our breath, and we are able to convert the negative situation into love and compassion.
Maybe we can transform the anger, remembering that all beings want to be happy and they do what they do because they think that will bring them happiness. When you remember this, you can cultivate compassion and notice that the one who makes you angry is not different from you. You too have acted with anger before because you thought that would make you happy. And understanding that the other person does not know the consequences that anger brings, you can then convert your negative emotion into a positive one, such as love and compassion. Eventually, when you are more trained, not only will you be able to convert negative into positive, but also you will be able to liberate the negative emotions into their own essence, whose nature is perfection. This is the way the great masters and practicioners deal with anger. Anger happens, but it is free, like clouds that happen but dance free in the sky.

Question – What is impermanence?
Lama Tsering – Consider your life as a bench in the park, on a mild afternoon. You go there and spend a few hours, sitting, enjoying everything: the fresh air, the birds singing, the butterflies, the sun in your face. All that lasts some time then gets to an end. Because of that, you should enjoy the most out of it and create good conditions. You can`t be attached to the bench. Don`t try to put a tag on it with your name, wanting to keep it for you! That will prevent you from feeling all the pleasure and the freedom of being there, simply seated there. And if someone comes and sits with you, be kind, treat them with love and compassion. Don`t fight with them. Your time is short. You both are there just visiting.
When we remember that everything in life is impermanent and comes to an end, we can be kind to others, knowing that probably that person never considered the fact that he or she will have to leave the bench soon, just like you will. All of us want to keep things but we can`t. We have to have compassion towards others, and also towards ourselves. Understanding impermanence actually make us wealthy: we have everything in this moment and we can be generous, open, we decide to do whatever we can to benefit everybody with our love with no fear of losing anything.

Question – Is it possible to reduce karma?
Lama Tsering – Yes, you can purify karma through education and meditation. Karma is something created by us, and everything that is created can be changed. Only what is beyond creation – like the absolute nature of our mind – is not subject to change.
There are two ways to eliminate negative karma: one of them is to experience the situations of life with no rejection, receiving them with love and compassion, transforming negative karma into positive; the other one is to purify negative karma before we experience its negative results, and to go beyond karma –no matter whether it is positive or negative. This second way of dealing with karma is crucial, but can only happen after you train your mind through advanced techniches of meditation.
In a more immediate sense, the best thing to do is to transform negative karma into positive karma. But we have to have in mind that creating positive karma is not an absolute solution to our suffering. Because all karma, positive or negative, is impermanent. It means that, whatever positive results you create, they will also change, sooner or later. It is a cycle: what is positive transforms into negative and what is negative transforms into positive. The only way out of this is to gain realization of the absolute nature of your mind and therefore no longer be confined to cyclic existence. Meanwhile, do your best to create positive conditions for your future experiences, accepting your karma, experiencing it in the best way you can and purifying it.

Question – How should we end a relationship with someone that does not match so much with us, without creating negative karma or suffering?
Lama Tsering – We can say that the main religion of our society is love – our songs, our movies and our wishes are all about relationships – and we don`t even know what love is. People worry so much about relationships, but, actually, they really worry about themselves. They want to have someone to love because that will make them feel good.
And Buddhism brings a new paradigm: to love is to want the other person to be happy. When we love someone, we should worry about their well-being, not our own agenda. If you are with someone, it is because of karma. While you are with that person, you should make him or her happy as much as you can. And to end the relationship or not should depend on whether the other person would be happier that way or not. Your concern shouldn't have anything to do with your own happiness. If you keep this in mind, you will probably end up making the right decision.
The relationship will end in one way or another. Remember impermanence: you and the other person won`t last forever. The relationship itself is impermanent and it will end whenever its karma is exausted. So, enjoy the moment, and don`t forget to consider the well-being of others more than your own. This will free you!