Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 99-minute teaching, Kyabje Rinpoche establishes core Lamrim foundations by examining three connected truths: the rarity of human birth, the law of karma and causality, and personal responsibility for one’s spiritual destiny. Opening with bodhicitta—the altruistic intention to benefit all beings—he explores what makes our current rebirth extraordinary: we possess both freedom to practice dharma and the capacity to determine our future. The heart of the teaching is karma. Using the farmer’s grain as his organizing image, Rinpoche explains how causes inevitably produce commensurate results, emphasizing the urgency of creating causes for better rebirths now, since death is unpredictable and lower realms are a real peril. He concludes with Buddha’s fundamental instruction: “you are your own protectors”—we alone determine whether we ascend or descend. Intended for practitioners with prior dharma training.
File metadata (for organising)
File: Line in 0085.mp3
UUID: 386fa5c5-da3a-4f81-a12b-b78ab9b04f00
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Awakening Heart
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~3,471
# Line in 0085
**Collection:** Audio Recordings — Unclassified
**Duration:** 98.9 minutes
**Words:** 3,470
**Model:** Deepgram Nova-3
**Corrections applied:** 13
**Transcribed:** 2026-03-08 21:53
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So to listen and to explain dharma, it is important that we generate a good motivation within our minds, a motivation to benefit others. And in dependence on this motivation, we engage in the activities of listening and respectively explaining dharma. And in dependence on this, we will accumulate a vast treasure trove of merit. So in this respect, it can be said that we are very fortunate. Since there is no greater motivation than the motivation of bodhicitta, this is a motivation we have to strive to generate within our mind stream.
And this motivation is a motivation which is aware of the fact that we ourselves are merely one in number and that the others are infinite in number. Therefore, our self-interest must subside, must disappear in the face of the interest or the benefit of others, and we must sacrifice ourselves for others and generate the strong motivation to eliminate all faults in our mind stream and to generate all qualities within our mind stream so as to be able to place others in a state which is free of all suffering and endowed with all happiness. A mere five minutes meditation with such a motivation will generate merit as vast as space. So we will meditate for one or two minutes on this motivation. Page one, where we recite refuge and bodhicitta for teaching.
And on page two, there is an English version. If you’re not familiar with the Tibetan phonetic, you can go through the English. Then page five is Mandala offering. Okay. On page five, Mandala offering.
Recite the first and the last one. Oh, very good. So as Ārya Candrakīrti, who was an emanation of Avalokiteśvara has said in a quote, which I’ll translate in more detail later, and the essence of which is that one should put all one’s effort in this precious human rebirth, which we have obtained and which gives us freedom. And he says, it is important to understand that at present, we are endowed with freedom, complete freedom and independence.
We have the freedom to practice Dharma, we have the freedom not to practice Dharma. And there are many dharmas, many religious teachings in this world, Buddhist and non-Buddhist. We can practice whatever we want. And within the Buddhist dharmas, there are many variants which are taught. There’s a Dharma of the lower vehicle, of the greater vehicle, of the tantric vehicle.
And it’s up to us whether we practice or not. It makes no difference except to us. However, we have at present the capacity to establish or to create our goal. And it is in dependence on the Dharma we practice that whatever goal we have defined for ourselves will be actualized.
So not only do we have freedom and independence, but in addition to this, we have the capacity or the power to establish, the power to create, the power to generate whatever we want. Freedom without that capacity would be meaningless. But in addition to the freedom, we do have this power to do with ourselves whatever we want. We are therefore extraordinarily fortunate, and we can set for ourselves many aims. The highest of all aims is the aim to benefit all infinite beings by setting them in a state of permanent happiness beyond suffering, the state of full enlightenment.
But even if we are not able to generate such a motivation within our mind stream, nonetheless, we can generate the motivation of at least freeing ourselves from the sufferings of the cycle of lives, from the sufferings of cyclic existence. And if we do not have the capacity to do that, then we can generate at least a motivation which strives for a good rebirth next time around. For at present, we have obtained a fully endowed, a perfect human body. And there is no guarantee we will obtain this human body in our next life. If we do not create the causes for it, then we will not obtain it.
And there is a very great risk as the quote of Candrakīrti says, that we will fall into this great abyss. The great abyss in this quote refers to the lower realms. So since our life is very fragile and impermanent, we have no guarantee whether the time of our death will come in one year, in one month, or maybe tomorrow. And at that time, if the causes for a good rebirth have not been created, we will fall into the lower realms. And then what can we do?
So Rinpoche says, we should reflect very carefully on the fact that as is said in Bodhicharyavatara, if I do not accumulate virtue now, what will be of me later on? Only the lower rebirths. The meaning of this quote is that at present we are very fortunate in that we have the capacity to practice virtue of whichever type is appropriate to us and in dependence on this to create the seeds for a better rebirth. If we do not do this, once we have died and we have fallen into the lower realms, then the very practice of Dharma will be impossible. If we take for instance the case of animals, animals accumulate an endless stream of non-virtue.
An animal is totally incapable of doing anything but non-virtue. It accumulates this continually. A dog, for instance, spends its time accumulating non-virtue. There’s nothing the poor creature can do. It will not even hear the sound of dharma.
And once we fall into the lower realms, odds are we will stay in them for countless eons and not rise again. So we are all very fortunate not to be in that situation. And we have separated one month or so ago and are at present reuniting to hear the teachings. And Rinpoche says he from his side feels very fortunate, and we from our side should also feel very fortunate. But he says he heard on the news that some twenty-four people have died in Adelaide from the heat wave.
And we should not think that these are aliens, people who don’t concern us. This could happen to any one of us. We are in the same condition as they are. And at the time of death, it is very much a question of what virtue one has practiced and what non-virtue one has abandoned, which determines what happens after death. So if these poor people practiced virtue and abandoned non-virtue, then probably they have gone to a better reincarnation.
And if they haven’t, then unfortunately they will have fallen into the lower realms. So we must reflect on this and generate compassion for them. And then, Rinpoche says, Buddha himself, our teacher, said very famously, you are your own protectors. What is meant by this? When it is said you are your own protectors, what Buddha meant is actually we are our own refuge.
And when we say we are our own protectors or we are our own refuge, the meaning of this is that we ourselves determine our future destiny. It is through our behavior, through our virtuous deeds, our non-virtuous deeds that we will move upwards or downwards. Nobody else can help us. And we ourselves have a very limited capacity to help others. We are responsible for our own destiny.
And this is the meaning of this passage where the Buddha said, you are your own protectors. And then in dependence on this, we can progressively move upwards and gain the understanding that when we ourselves strive to benefit others, then through benefiting others, we ourselves are benefited. So our mind becomes vaster. On the other hand, when we ourselves do not strive to benefit others, but only think of ourselves, our mind remains very small, very narrow, and very weak. And such a mind can lead nowhere.
So the very foundation for attaining happiness in future lives are the teachings of the Lam Rim, of the graduated path. And Rinpoche completed last year the explanation of the teachings on refuge and started to teach on karma and causality. Generally speaking, refuge as Rinpoche explained is the foundation, the means whereby we shall not be reborn in the lower realms. So if one has refuge, one will not be reborn in one’s next life in the lower realms. And then it is said that the foundation of all happiness and excellence is faith in karma and causality.
When we speak of happiness and excellence, we refer by the term happiness to higher rebirths such as rebirth as a human being or as a deity, as a divinity. And when we speak of excellence, we refer to the states of liberation or full omniscience. In other words, Buddhahood. Now the foundation of both of these is faith in karma and causality. And if we have that faith and in dependence on the good human rebirth we have obtained, we can sow the seeds for a better rebirth in the next lives and progress upwards.
Without that, it will be very difficult.
So as Ārya Nāgārjuna said, first strive for higher status and then in dependence on that for definite excellence. This quote of Nāgārjuna indicates the sequence in which we should practice. What is referred to in this quote by higher status is a higher rebirth as a human being or as a god. And only in dependence on this is it possible to attain definite excellence, which is liberation or full enlightenment. The reason for this is that in any state other than a state as a human being or a god, practice of dharma is nigh impossible.
So this quote teaches us the incremental steps in our practice. First, we have to generate the causes to be reborn again as a human being or as a god. And then in dependence on this fortunate rebirth, we can move on in our practice and eventually attain the state of liberation or full enlightenment. It is very important to understand that the state of liberation or the state of full enlightenment is a result which arises in dependence on causes. Once the causes are gathered, the result arises effortlessly.
However, there is no such thing as a causeless result. There is no such thing as a phenomenon which arises without causes. Now this is something which is actually widely believed by the non-Buddhist Hindus in particular, who believe that there are such things as phenomena which are permanent phenomena, which are causeless, which are accidental if you want. Other groups of these non-Buddhists believe in a creator deity like Īśvara, who would be the permanent cause of everything. This viewpoint is not accepted by the Buddhists.
The Buddhists believe that all impermanent phenomena are results and that once their causes are created, they will arise effortlessly. So once we have created the causes for a higher rebirth or definite excellence, then even if we were to pray that they not arise, they will arise effortlessly because their causes have been created. On the other hand, if we have not created the causes for them, then irrespective of the number of requests we make, how much we say I would like to attain these states, it will not happen. But he says, it’s a little bit akin to a farmer who sows grain in his field and waters it carefully and the sun is shining, and then he goes to the neighboring pub and prays a long time that the grain not sprout. Well, however much he prays, the grain will sprout because the causes are there.
On the other hand, if you have a very lazy farmer who doesn’t sow grain or he sows it and doesn’t water it, then he may pray as much as he wants, the grain is not going to sprout. So generally speaking, there are two types of misunderstandings of causality which we have to dispel. The first is the notion that there can be a causeless result as Rinpoche has explained very clearly. This is something which does not occur.
For a result to arise, its cause must be created. But in addition to this, the cause must be concordant with the result. It must be factually concordant. What is meant by this is that the cause must have within it the capacity to create the result in question. For instance, those non-Buddhists who assert the existence of a creator deity such as Īśvara are asserting indeed the existence of a cause, but they’re asserting the existence of a non-factually concordant cause.
This cause is non-factually concordant because in so far as it is permanent, it is a permanent phenomenon, an unchanging phenomenon. It does not have the capacity to create its result, which is the world we live in. So not only are phenomena related causally, but cause and effect are related in terms of factual concordance. The cause must have this capacity to give rise to its result. And therefore, it is extremely important for us to generate strong conviction in this using various similes.
We know for instance very well that when farmers sow seeds in the field, if they sow grains of rice, a crop of rice will arise, not a crop of wheat. And if they sow grains of wheat, then a wheat crop will arise and not a crop of rice. So the result is similar to the cause. Likewise, in our practice, we should fully understand karma and causality and generate faith in karma and causality through analyzing them carefully so that we can give rise to results which are factually concordant with the causes which create them. So continuing with something which Rinpoche had said before, which I didn’t translate, we should think for instance of the example of farmers.
When farmers plant a crop, they undergo great hardship to plant this crop with the absolute conviction that after sowing the seed, watering it, and allowing the sun to shine on it, most definitely the crop will arise. So we ourselves have to have the same level of conviction. And all of the great teachers of the path of the past have said that the teachings on karma and causality were central. Now if we reflect on matters pertaining to the view, we will see that there are many different teachings from the Buddha regarding the view of emptiness, of selflessness. These many different teachings were teachings which were taught for beings of different capacity.
Had the Buddha taught very profound teachings on selflessness to beings of limited capacity, they would not have understood and might have even fallen into wrong views. So with respect to the view, the Buddha adapted his teachings to the various levels of beings. However, when it comes to karma and causality, all the teachings of the Buddha are one. There is absolutely no difference. In all his teachings, the Buddha taught that from virtue arises happiness and from non-virtue arises unhappiness, because this is the foundation of Buddhist practice. So Rinpoche says, we could almost say that the teachings on karma and causality are the summary of the practice of the Buddhas.
And then Rinpoche will enter into the general characteristics of karma next time. In other words, the fact that karma is certain, that one does not encounter the results of karma which have not been created. The fact that karma is of an increasing nature and the fact that karma does not disappear by itself. So the time is over, and Rinpoche says, try from your side now to think about what was explained. And if it is of benefit to you, then put it into practice.
And if it is not, then forget about it. Just put it aside. You know, it is your freedom to practice this or not. You know? Do keep in mind that the top practitioners, supreme practitioners will gain an understanding of topics like this within one week of practice.
Middling practitioners, it may take a month or so. And the lower practitioners, it will take a year or maybe more. For us, it is important to understand that we are like sick people, but we suffer from mental sickness, not physical sickness. And this mental sickness can only be dispelled by mental medicine. Dharma is mental medicine.
It is not bodily medicine. So when our bodies are sick, then we go to the doctor and he gives us medicine for the body. And if we take it, then we will improve. But this bodily medicine is of no benefit to the mind. So the Dharma teachings we have received are mental medicine.
But we have to take the medicine. If for instance, we go to a doctor when we are sick and he establishes an accurate diagnosis and prescribes the best available medicine and explains to us how to take it and we take it home and we put it on the table and we just look at it and don’t take it, well, this is absolutely useless. It’s a waste of time. So it is the same thing with the mental medicine of dharma. We have to take this mental medicine to heal our minds.
Okay. Thank you very much. Page nine. Nine. We do the Mandala offering.
Hello. I’ve got a few announcements here. And number one, the newsletter is on the web. You can download and look at it and there’s a few events coming. And Tibetan New Year, Losar is on the twenty-fifth, and we have pujas in the morning. And making khata offering as a traditional thing to do for one’s teacher is very important. And if you like to join in the morning, 5:30, Guru Puja. It will be a short Guru Puja, but there will be some ceremony. Okay?
All those flyers out there, you can take it or you can look at it on the Internet. Then on February 28, there is a compassion day with the venerable Jampa Tenzin. Start at 9:30 to 4:30, and you have to bring a lunch to share. And there is a $10 cost, facility cost. And a very special day for the day of miracles on March 11.
And again, this starts with precepts at 6:30 AM and refuge. If you haven’t taken refuge and you’re always thinking I might take, this is the day I would recommend. And Rinpoche will give you know, names and this is actually entry in a proper way. Taking refuge is number one. Okay? And you can look at that in there.
Then, yes. There’s a long way to go. And actually, the Tibetan Buddhist Institute since 2005 we have never been able to offer a long life puja for Rinpoche. And there’s many reasons as you know. And now we have a new place here and I think it’s appropriate to offer every year once to request Rinpoche to live long and be healthy and stay with us and to continue teaching.
And this Long Life Puja is on March 15 on Sunday. Okay. If you’re a member, you will receive a letter from Tibetan Buddhist Institute, and it will explain. And anyway, there is a long life puja as well on March 15. Then the Easter weekend course, Phowa, this is a very special, there’s quite a few students who requested and we thought it might be a good idea to give chance for everybody.
And Phowa is, everybody knows that it gives, if you are a good practitioner after receiving, then at the time of death you can benefit oneself to achieve maybe take oneself to a pure land. And Rinpoche is going to give this very kindly on Easter weekend Phowa at the center, and there’s a flyer there you can look at and the course and etcetera. And TBI Tibetan Buddhist Institute Annual Foundation Day is on April 25. It’s ANZAC Day, and that’s all there. Then, okay.
The October retreat in 2009 will be on Guru Puja that we do twice a month and some people do every day. And so if you like to come along to this ten-day retreat, that’d be fantastic. Okay? Thank you very much. Oh, yeah.
Everybody, there’s a fruit salad. If you like to come, somebody brought fruit. Okay?