Teaching excerpt from Commentary on Middle Way
June 13, 2025, in Pomaia, Italy
Transcribed and translated by Veronica Anghelescu
Reviewed by Geshe Jampa Gelek
When we speak of mental peace, or mental pacification, it’s important to ask: what is it that keeps us from experiencing that peace? Why is the mind so often unsettled?
The answer lies in the condition of our mind as it is now, currently, our mind is not free. It is under the influence of the afflictions, those habitual patterns of desire, anger, ignorance, pride, and so forth. And because the mind is ruled by these afflictions, the body too is not truly free, it follows wherever the afflicted mind leads. So when we feel mental unease, restlessness, dissatisfaction, what is really happening? It is simply that the afflictions are very active. They disturb the mind, they disrupt its natural clarity, and thus we find ourselves far from peace.
When we talk about pacifying the mind, we’re not speaking about a passive, dull state. We’re referring to a mind that is deeply relaxed, free of agitation, free of anxiety, yet alert and clear. But this peaceful state doesn’t just arise on its own. At present, the afflictions are running the show. So if we wish for peace, we need to take the reins back. That begins with stabilizing the mind, developing a firm, steady, and settled awareness.
To do this, we must first come to understand the afflictions themselves. What are they? How do they operate? What are their faults? And what are their antidotes? These questions are essential. The Buddhist teachings provide profound methods for investigating the mind in this way, especially through the study of lorig (Mind and Mental Factors) and Buddhist logic.
We also speak of cultivating single-pointed concentration, but again, what disrupts that concentration? Here, the main obstacles are excessive conceptualization, as well as laxity and excitement. When we try to focus, our mind either becomes dull or overly agitated. So part of our training is to recognize these states clearly and to apply the correct remedies, gradually strengthening our capacity for stable attention.
All of this is part of what we call Buddhist psychology. Through careful study and practice, we begin to identify the true causes of our inner turmoil, and we learn how to heal them from the root.
In the Gelug tradition, much emphasis is placed on searching for the “self”, investigating the nature of the “I.” Where is this self we so strongly grasp at? What exactly is it? In other systems, such as the Nyingma, there may be more emphasis on directly recognizing the nature of mind. But in either case, to progress meaningfully, we must understand what mind is, how it functions, and how it is influenced by affliction.
Now, you may ask: if I attain mental peace, is that liberation?
Not necessarily. We need to distinguish between temporary mental peace and ultimate liberation. Liberation, nirvāṇa, is defined as the true cessation of all afflictive obscurations. It is not merely a state of calm; it is the complete and irreversible elimination of the very causes of suffering.
So while a peaceful mind is certainly a wonderful thing, and a necessary step along the path, it is not yet liberation. There are many levels and gradations of mental pacification. For example, in the practice of calm abiding (śamatha), the Tibetan word for “calm” or “pacified” is the same as the one used when speaking about peace of mind. Calm abiding refers to a mind that can rest continuously on an object without distraction. It is a deep state of mental stability, free from agitation, but even this is not the true cessation.
True cessation, as described in the teachings on the Four Noble Truths, has four attributes: cessation, pacification, purity, and emergence. So yes, pacification is one of them, but pacification alone does not equal liberation. One may attain calm abiding and still not be free from the deeper obscurations.
Therefore, we can say there are many types of mental peace, ranging from the most temporary and surface-level quiet, all the way to the complete peace of a Buddha’s mind. It is like the word “happy”, we can be just a little happy, or deeply, abidingly joyful. The same word spans many experiences.
Similarly, the Tibetan word dewa, often translated as “pleasure” or “bliss,” can refer to a happy, pleasant feeling or to the profound bliss of enlightenment itself. In the Buddha ground, it becomes what we call great bliss, yet it is still called dewa, just on a vastly different scale.
So too with pacification of mind. It can begin as a moment of quiet and lead all the way to the complete and final pacification, where the afflictions are not merely subdued, but utterly abandoned.
In this way, we come to see the path as a journey through increasing levels of clarity, peace, and insight, each step building on the last, until we reach the state beyond all suffering, beyond all disturbance: true liberation.
The Garden of Maitreya 