I

You Are a Masterpiece in the Making

t is very simple,” the Dalai Lama began. “Everyone knows that
physical pain is bad and tries to avoid it. We do this not only by curing
diseases, but also by trying to prevent them and by trying to keep our
physical immunity strong. Mental pain is equally bad, so we should try to
alleviate it as well. The way to do this is to develop mental immunity.”
We had started our second day of dialogues and were turning to the
obstacles to joy. The subject of the dialogues was how to discover joy in
the face of suffering, and we knew we’d need two full days to discuss all
of the ways that we suffer. As the Dalai Lama had said the day before, so
much of our unhappiness originates within our own mind and heart—in
how we react to events in our life.
“Mental immunity,” the Dalai Lama explained, “is just learning to
avoid the destructive emotions and to develop the positive ones. First, we
must understand the mind—there are so many different states of mind—
the diverse thoughts and emotions we experience on a daily basis. Some
of these thoughts and emotions are harmful, even toxic, while others are
healthy and healing. The former disturb our mind and cause much mental
pain. The latter bring us true joyfulness.
“When we understand this reality, it is much easier to deal with the
mind and to take preventive measures. This is how we develop mental
immunity. And just as a healthy immune system and healthy constitution
protects your body against potentially hazardous viruses and bacteria,
mental immunity creates a healthy disposition of the mind so that it will
be less susceptible to negative thoughts and feelings.
“Think about it this way. If your health is strong, when viruses come
they will not make you sick. If your overall health is weak, even small
viruses will be very dangerous for you. Similarly, if your mental health is
sound, then when disturbances come, you will have some distress but
quickly recover. If your mental health is not good, then small