‘When you observe your mind as it is, you may notice that it frequently changes from this to that; one thing and then another. Therefore, your mind is something that can’t be trusted.”
Don’t take it as a problem when your mind changes, and don’t become attached to the feelings that arise in each moment. You should know that likes and dislikes don’t mean much when you can see yourself liking someone then hating them again shortly afterward. You should know that it’s not that your mind shouldn’t change, but that your mind is something that will change again after a while.
So don’t get too excited when you like something, yet don’t reject it when you dislike something. You should deal with your feelings in a slightly detached manner when you feel good, not so good, happy, or so miserable.
It’s not about being out of control when you feel good, or throwing a tantrum when you feel bad, rather it’s about knowing and being aware that “good feelings are arising” when you feel good, and “bad feelings are arising” when you feel bad. Then you can become a person whose mind does not change.
When you decide to pray in the morning, you can’t just hope that the desire to pray will arise by itself. If you pray not only on the days you want to pray, but also on the days when you don’t want to, then you will continue to do so consistently as a result, and become a person who does not lose his or her original intention.
It is the same with feelings toward others. There are times when you like a person, and also when you don’t like a person. But since the mind itself can’t be trusted, you won’t reject them even when you dislike them.
If you don’t take your feelings seriously when someone says something bad to you, your feeling toward that person can be kept the same, no matter what that person does.
It doesn’t mean that you’ll always be in a good mood. When you know that your likes and dislikes are not to be trusted and you adhere to the perspective of maintaining a steady relationship, eventually the people around you will think, “This person doesn’t change.”
