Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 83-minute session, Kyabje Rinpoche begins with a provocative question: What truly distinguishes humans from animals? Both seek happiness; both meet basic needs. But through extended dialogue, he guides the audience to a crucial insight — the human difference lies in our recognition that we suffer mentally even when physical needs are met, and our capacity to work directly with this mental suffering (anger, jealousy, neurosis, desire). Animals cannot identify suffering as a fault to be transformed; humans can. From this foundation, he introduces the formal study of mind and mental factors, distinguishing sensory consciousnesses from mental consciousnesses, laying groundwork for deeper investigation of how consciousness actually works. For practitioners beginning systematic Buddhist study.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2014-03-18 – KR.mp3
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Awareness and Knowledge
Date: 2018-03-14
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~2,387
Please generate the motivation as usual. The explanations which are given every Tuesday are not so much related to the affairs of this life, but are more related to the actual nature, the foundation of mind and mental factors. Whereas the teachings on Wednesday will mainly be on the graduated stages of the path as much as is possible. Therefore, this is the difference between the Tuesday and the Wednesday teachings. This stanza from the Lama Chöpa, the Guru Puja, is a stanza related to the Buddhist teachings.
There is no difference between myself and others in our desire not to experience even the slightest suffering and our incapacity to be satisfied with happiness. This is indeed true. There is no difference in this respect between ourselves and others. Therefore, the Lama Chöpa continues, there is no difference between myself and others. Myself refers to us, but to all beings such as animals and so forth as well.
And therefore, irrespective of whether one is a human being or the smallest of insects, all one’s activities in a cycle of twenty four hours are dedicated to finding a means for happiness, for physical happiness. It is extremely important to differentiate clearly between physical and mental happiness. For instance, let us take parents with either a son or a daughter. They will send their child for years on end to school. What is the aim of this?
For the child to get a good job either as a doctor, in which case he will earn a lot of money, or as an accountant, or as a scientist. In every case, the aim of these studies is physical happiness. So, what is the goal? What is the aim of our studies as human beings? It is physical material happiness.
Let’s now take the case of animals. Irrespective of whether they live on the land and mountains or in the oceans, when they engage in activities such as eating, drinking and so forth, they do this with one and only one aim, that is to gain physical and material happiness. In our case, our brains are more developed than that of animals, but the goal is exactly the same. Isn’t this a bit strange? Think carefully by yourselves. Don’t just take on board what I say otherwise it won’t have any impact.
It is really quite strange. We are quite arrogant about our human status and look down on animals. But frankly, in terms of the goal, there is not one iota of difference, is there? Then when we speak of a human being, say that this is a very good person. Such a term really is meaningful only in the context of Dharma.
Otherwise, it is really quite pathetic that with an intelligence so far more developed than that of animals, our goals are exactly the same to that of beasts. This one has to think about carefully, otherwise one won’t understand it in a minute or two. Let’s take the case of mountain animals such as goats and so forth. Once they have eaten their fill and drunk sufficiently, basically what do they do? They just lie down and relax.
Probably there are no particular thoughts in their mind. They experience a sensation which we call equanimity. Then look at our case. The only difference is that we worry about our food for tomorrow, our food in a week, our food in a month, our food in a year, our food in years from now. We never seem to have any time for anything else.
Then we human beings are very needy, aren’t we? We have fancy expectations. We need a nice house, then we need a nice car, and then we need a nicer house with a nice car. This goes on like this, doesn’t it? What is all of this?
These are merely means to attain physical happiness. When one goes to school and perhaps university for, let’s say, seventeen, maybe even eighteen years all in all, what is the goal? The goal is physical happiness. Then I don’t know how many of you have studied that much. And this is only to achieve physical or material happiness.
All of us can understand this when we think about it. So while there is a slight difference between the method which an animal uses to attain physical happiness and the methods which human beings use to attain physical happiness, there is no difference whatsoever in the goal. Then you might think this is nonsense. We human beings eat refined foods, live in elegant houses, drive beautiful cars, and go on long trips by plane. There is no difference with animals.
I’m quite convinced that animals are very perspicacious in the food they eat, and that they are very demanding in their little holes. We are different from cows. We don’t allow cows to enter in our houses, but if they did, they would think our houses were quite odd and we ourselves would find their homes quite strange. Our demands are different. Then if we look at higher goals than this, the goal of the mere being of the small scope is the attainment of higher status in a future life.
The goal of the mere being of the middling scope is attainment of mere liberation from cyclic existence, whereas the goal of the being of the great vehicle, of the great scope, is attainment of the state of full enlightenment. So this is how these this is sort of from the standpoint of Buddhadharma. Let us set aside the religious dimension for the time being, the Buddhist dimension. And let us focus exclusively on this life. Then, if animals are focused on the attainment of physical happiness, and we ourselves are said to be superior to animals, we have to identify the human difference.
So, in your opinions, since animals have the same physical and mental constituents that we do and have the same wish for physical happiness as we do, how is it that we are superior? What is the human difference? So understand my question where, please. We are not talking of the difference in intellectual capacities between animals and humans. We’re not talking of the fact that humans are incrementally more intelligent than animals.
Foundationally, human and humans and animals are the same. We are sentient beings, animals have states of mind, they wish for physical happiness as we do. So my question to you is, if this is the case, what is the human difference? How are we immeasurably superior? If you have a well thought out answer, you can give it now.
Otherwise, please think about it carefully for a minute or two. So we have love and animals don’t have love? I think Ishra disagrees with you. Oh, yes. They have love, he says.
You you can direct experience of the fact that animals take care of their offspring, that they give them milk. This is a sign of love, isn’t it? Human beings have a capacity to reflect on the conditions of their existence and to act to choose to So I would like to set aside anything religious or Buddhist in my question. I’m not talking about Buddhism, but of the foundational situation of humans and animals. Set religion aside, what is the difference?
What is different data? You don’t think animals are afraid of death? Express yourselves, yes please. Will Lily, yes. I would like to take the example of the birds of paradise Geshe wouldn’t know them but he would know beautiful birds and it’s evolution over a long period of time that it’s evolved these birds to be so beautiful but it’s actually the female bird that chooses the beauty of the male so they have an appreciation of the beauty that is that even surpasses many humans appreciation I think and in some instances animals have Yeah.
Will add something, and I’ll translate for you in English for Geshe-la. Some of you may have heard of the Cambridge Declaration of Animal Rights, which was published I think two and a half, three years ago, based on research on grey parrots and their cognitive abilities, which were found so elevated that the authors of this declaration, are scientists, ethologists, mainly from Cambridge University, did not feel it was possible anymore to erect a clear boundary between human and animal cognition. Yes, any discussion of past and future lives is immediately connected with dharma, then that is out of the topic of our discussion here. Yet, yet. You lost me.
If you could summarize that a little bit. I must ask you to increase your volume, I can’t quite hear, excuse me. I’d I’d like to reiterate in a different way. This is completely separate from any religious context at all. Human beings have the capacity to reflect on their existence and to aim to change the way they think.
The way they regard that existence, the way they think about that existence. Somebody who has a heart attack frequently has what we call the change of heart, you know, in our in our culture, which is thinking differently about their lives. And some of those people stop valuing the things that they valued before. They start valuing other things. So we can do that and I’m not sure that any animal can do that and I don’t think that any animal can do that.
So I’m Please. What do you mean by conscience? Animals don’t have that. Or if they give them drugs? Sorry.
I I didn’t catch the beginning. Which limits? And and Shay have both said that animals I have your question. Really? What are you doing?
Just you. And? Okay. You agree with the premise. Hello?
Those paths you are talking about are paths of physical happiness. Can I Yeah, endured? Can I ask you a question? Does anyone remember Aristotle’s definition of human beings in the first book of metaphysics? Richard, Pamela?
The nature of man is to seek for knowledge I just am quoting. I just am quoting. I think we’ve exhausted the topic of physical happiness. Examine. Examine for yourselves.
And you. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Five minutes.
I’ve asked it I’ve asked for five minutes to think. I suggested scientific capacity, and the foundation for scientific capacity is mathematics. There is some evidence that certain animals can count, it’s very limited counting, but what we know as arithmetic and higher mathematics is a purely human capacity. Language is not, languages are tested in the animal brain all over. Now, Geshe-la could explain his viewpoint.
So my own viewpoint is the following. The difference there is between us and animals is that when an animal’s physical needs are satisfied, that animal experiences happiness. When our own physical needs are satisfied, it happens that we do not experience happiness, but still experience mental unhappiness neuroses. Then, clearly, if mental suffering can arise within our minds even though all our physical needs are taken care of, then this is an important difference between ourselves and animals, and we as a species search for the means to eliminate this mental suffering. Whether such a search is related to dharma or not is another question.
However, really? Then whether or not this search for the means to eradicate mental suffering such as anger, desire, jealousy is related to dharma is an open question. But we can see at the mundane level the harm which mental suffering and anger, desire and hatred cause, and we can see it is necessary to eradicate it. Animals have anger, but they are unable to see this as a fault. We human beings have that capacity to see it as a fault.
Then, this attempt or this wish to generate mental happiness is the distinctive feature of the human difference, if you wish. And whether or not this is related to dharma is an altogether different question, but I think this is something scientists would acknowledge. And therefore, since we are studying the topic of mind or will be studying the topic of mind and mental factors, it is critical to differentiate clearly between sensory consciousnesses and mental consciousnesses. The uncommon controlling cause of a sensory consciousness is an internal sense organ. The uncommon controlling cause of a mental consciousness is a previous instinct of mind.
And therefore in one cycle of twenty four hours, there is very little actual true activity of these sensory consciousnesses, whereas the mental consciousness is extremely active. The mental consciousness must be distinguished between its contaminated and its uncontaminated part. The first is related to non valid cognizers and the second to valid cognizers. Then I have nothing to add for today, excuse me, But before entering in the topic of Lorik,, I would like to differentiate very clearly between sensory and mental consciousnesses and in turn to differentiate between persons, human beings, consciousnesses, and matter. Then there is no rush, no hurry in our study of Lorik..
We have time to engage in this. This is a very particular occasion, very fortunate occasion for all of us to have these conditions. I think you do not understand who your translator is and when you gain some experience, you will understand. Then translating is a very difficult task. I myself check carefully.
Then we should reflect on the fact that we have the opportunity to we have had the opportunity to receive teachings from the holy teacher, Khensur Rinpoche, and other teachers at TBI through the translator. Alright. Just a reminder that Saturday is the public talk, Mental Peace in a Time of Crisis and Uncertainty with Geshe-la at 02:00. Bring your friends and also if anybody has a spare child’s pusher, Jamyang wasn’t able to bring hers out from India. So just to let you know.
There will be a teaching by Geshe-la for three days over the Easter long weekend. The topic hasn’t yet been confirmed but just to the Friday, Saturday, Sunday. So just bear that in mind. And you can register on faith that it will be very good.
Key terms in this teaching
- Buddhadharma
- The teachings of the Buddha. LYWA
- cyclic existence samsara (Skt); khor wa (Tib)
- The six realms of conditioned existence, three lower - hell, hungry ghost and animal - and three upper - human, demigod and god. LYWA
- Guru Puja Lama Chöpa (Tib)
- A special Highest Yoga Tantra guru yoga practice composed by the fourth Panchen Lama, Losang Chökyi Gyaltsen. LYWA
- Mahayana teg chen (Tib)
- Literally, Great Vehicle. It is one of the two general divisions of Buddhism. LYWA
- mental factors chaita (Skt); sem jung (Tib)
- Literally arising from the mind, a mental factor is a cognition that apprehends an attribute of its object and accompanies any principal consciousness that is concordant with it. LYWA
- puja chö pa (Tib)
- Literally, offering; a religious ceremony, usually used to describe an offering ceremony such as the Offering to the Spiritual Master (Guru Puja). LYWA
Definitions adapted from the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive glossary, as taught in the Gelug tradition.