Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 48-minute teaching on the Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra’s 9th Chapter, Kyabje Rinpoche addresses practitioners’ anxiety about meditating on emptiness—arguing the fear is itself misplaced. The real danger lies in the misconception of an inherently existing self that ordinary beings cling to, which spawns all suffering and delusion. He explains how emptiness realization distinguishes bodhisattvas: they alone can choicefully remain in saṃsāra without attachment, actively helping all beings. This becomes possible only through realizing that phenomena lack inherent existence. Rinpoche walks through the two types of self (nominal versus inherent), contrasts the lower and Mahāyāna vehicles, and emphasizes why understanding this distinction is critical before serious practice. For practitioners studying the wisdom path.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1994-06-14 – 5A – 9th Chapter – KR.mp3
UUID: f094e5df-d69f-4d5f-80fe-2be6977250d7
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra
Date: 1994-06-14
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~2,685
Here to start with, we shall firstly do a brief meditation on kind thought in accordance with mind of enlightenment. A certain Buddhist master defines a practitioner of the great vehicle by saying, Whoever by reasoning the suffering one experiences thinks about removing others’ suffering is a great scope practitioner. In there we can see implicitly the definition or the characteristic about bodhicitta, the mind of enlightenment. There we can see how we should do meditation on mind of enlightenment because it is very clearly explained. Firstly one needs to have a sense of sorrow for the problems and suffering which oneself is experiencing and through that one needs to generate the thought wanting to definitely exit out of sufferings.
Through that will come the concern for all other beings problems and sufferings and that eventually will lead one to spontaneously wish to remove all beings sufferings. Compassion. To develop compassion one firstly must have sense of wanting to free oneself from one’s own suffering because out of that understanding that I myself must first free my own suffering would come the concern and wish to free all other sentient beings from from their sufferings. Also through realization of the suffering, the problem which oneself is experiencing, out of that would come the concern to remove others sufferings. But when it comes to the actual removing of others suffering one would, as a practitioner or a seeker, realize only if one attains enlightenment, the state of Buddhahood where all mental shortcomings are terminated and all excellent qualities of mind are attained.
It is possible only then to remove others from suffering. As conclusion therefore here as well in any case of developing mind of enlightenment, one then makes the determination, I must at any rate attain enlightenment to benefit all others. In order to attain the state of enlightenment through which it is possible to remove others sufferings and bring others to excellent happiness one must practice and to practice one must first know the path the practices which consist here of the method and wisdom as explained in the Mahāyāna, the great vehicle path. In the Mahāyāna or the great vehicle system through which enlightenment can be achieved the practices consist of two parts: method and wisdom. In method parts of practice.
It includes compassion, mind of enlightenment and any other which includes in that category meaning any other practices which are covered by these two natures. And in the wisdom aspect of the practice it consists the realization of all phenomena lacking inherent existence therefore wisdom aspect of the practice means realization of emptiness and any other aspects of practice inclusive to that meaning any other practice which are of nature leading to wisdom. And here specifically the context topic has a reference with the wisdom realizing emptiness part of the practice and from our side, from our part here in engaging into the activity of learning and inquiry into wisdom part we set our motive correctly, appropriately by thinking I must learn about this part of practice up to best of my ability. Through that way I will develop the wisdom produced by learning and then whatever I have learned I will contemplate profoundly, through that way I will develop wisdom produced by reflection and whatever has been clarified and established or ascertained through reflection I will meditatively familiarize with that. Through that way we will attain the wisdom produced by meditative familiarization.
So please try to set up the motive in this way as best as we can. In last Tuesday evening, we covered the point that to attain omniscient state, the state of Buddhahood where one knows everything and one is freed of all shortcomings of mind, and as well in order to attain liberation free from all sufferings and impure thought, it is indispensable that one must first have the realization of emptiness. That point was covered. Now there would be a natural question what obvious benefits instantly would there be if one realizes emptiness?
So here there are some what’s called some explanation detailing the benefits of realizing emptiness such as in the case of bodhisattvas who realize emptiness. On this point to start with firstly the ordinary beings, complacent beings do not realize the way how phenomena or things exist. The way phenomena or things exist is that they exist lacking inherent existence or they exist without true independent nature. But as ordinary beings who have ignorance the ordinary beings fabricate about the nature of things by wrongly misconceiving that phenomena or things truly exist. Out of such misconception arise all other impure thoughts and through impure thoughts, sentient beings or ordinary beings engage into creating karma or in other words, engaging into doing non virtuous or ignorance based actions.
And out of these karma or ignorance based actions, they get repeatedly reborn in saṃsāra in cycle. This is so far in the case of sentient beings that they do in this process end up being in repeated cycle of suffering. Now a bodhisattva who is very much concerned about sentient beings beings welfare choicefully takes birth in saṃsāra in order to help sentient beings. Out of compassion takes rebirth choicefully in cycle in saṃsāra. In the case of ordinary sentient beings they take rebirth in saṃsāra or in the cycle of suffering no doubt by because of all impure thoughts, but principally due to attachment.
And regarding attachment, although there are countless avenues or objects a person, an ordinary ordinary person would be attached to but here mainly it is through attachment to one’s body and attachment to others body that one gets reborn in saṃsāra in the cycle of suffering. This is in the case of ordinary beings and that does not happen with bodhisattva because bodhisattva does not get reborn in saṃsāra by being attached to one’s body or being attached to other’s body. The lower vehicle practitioners they do a whole lot of practice in order to attain liberation but in their case they look forward to achieving liberation and make attempt to attain liberation mainly due to being so worried and concerned about one’s own experience of possible suffering if one remains in the saṃsāra in cycle. That is what happens in the case of practitioners of the lower vehicle but such is not the way that happens here meaning with the bodhisattva. And then it would be asked why then bodhisattvas still choose to be born in saṃsāra to help others and why and how the reason that they do remain in saṃsāra, in the cycle of suffering.
The reason for that is that it is because they have realized the wisdom, because they have attained the wisdom realizing emptiness then that becomes possible. So here the instruction then explains as benefit of the wisdom realizing emptiness it explains that in their case, in the case bodhisattva, it is due to having attained such wisdom realizing emptiness that they are able to choicefully remain in saṃsāra. So this is a result benefit, a result of having realized emptiness that through this realization bodhisattvas are able to take birth in saṃsāra, the cycle of suffering and be able to help other sentient beings. And this part also is explained with reference to how the lower vehicle, how the lower tenet practitioners, not realizing actual emptiness in the sense emptiness without inherent existence, are not able to explain it properly. And through that way, they are not also able to or able to dispute the strength of the highest tenets explanation about it.
And through that way, they consequently are not able to contradict this point that in the case of bodhisattva by realizing emptiness in that sense they are able to choicefully remain in saṃsāra. All the sufferings which all sentient beings experience come from two main causes: impure thoughts or what is called delusions and ignorance based actions called karma. Within the two it is principally the ignorance amongst impure thoughts which is the root cause of all suffering. Now here if as a seeker, as a practitioner, if one realizes the emptiness, the reality of things, then it is possible that one can directly overcome this ignorance, the root cause of all suffering. That is possible.
And also for us in terms of the very reason we are not able to achieve omniscient, the state of Buddhahood, is because there is a shortcoming of mind called wisdom obscuration or obscuration to omniscience. Now that as well would be able to overcome if we first realize emptiness and gradually train further after having realized that. So here in the list of the benefits about realizing emptiness, this so far is explained. In brief liberation, which is the blissful and peaceful state free of all suffering saṃsāra is produced by the wisdom realizing emptiness. And as well in brief, the very state of omniscience where all mental shortcomings are terminated and all excellent qualities of mind are acquired, that also is produced by this very wisdom realizing emptiness, the very wisdom realizing reality.
So in brief, the teacher, meaning Śāntideva, gives the advice to, therefore one needs to repeatedly try to familiarize with this wisdom realizing reality and try to actualize this wisdom. In the past, a great practitioner of Yamāntaka deity, a practitioner called Ra Lotsawa, translator, he mentioned the point that the reason why many of us still do not seem to doing any meditation and practice on emptiness is because is because of not being sharp faculty person, not being bright enough. If someone is bright enough, they would realize how important it is. Therefore, they would eventually take up the practice. If one is bright, then one needs to meditate on emptiness to indicate the brightness.
Here then the teacher, Śāntideva, by explaining firstly the benefits of realizing emptiness through firstly meditating on it explains the need to actually familiarize with emptiness. When this point is made by the teacher then in response the followers of the lower tenets say we feel scared, feel frightened to meditate on emptiness because it seems to say selflessness that there is no self, there is no identity and that’s why we feel frightened to meditate on it. Remark, it is said to them, you are being frightful of wrong reason. You’re being scared at is at wrong at wrong thing. Where you should be frightened, you don’t seem to be frightened.
And where you should not be frightened, you seem to be frightened. Therefore you are mistaken. That’s what’s being told to the followers of the lower tenets that therefore you are mistaken. You are wrong. The reason why you are wrong is to start with where there is no self, where there is no concrete identity to be grasped onto, you misconceive that there is a self, that there is a concrete identity or ego.
And out of this misconception arises all impure thoughts which lead you to engage into ignorance based actions which lead you to create karma. Out of creation of karma there result old sufferings, repeated rebirth in the cycle, and in the case of human being reborn in the cycle in saṃsāra you experience the suffering of birth aging, sickness and death, and all other unwanted experiences which can be described as problems or suffering come through that way. So it is in the very beginning of such misconception with regards to ego or identity or self that the whole thing happened. If one has consumed poison then if one is quite a rare person one necessarily would have to be frightened due to the inevitable consequences the poison would bring damage to oneself. Like that example the very misconception of seeing something concretely is there with oneself identity or ego where actually there isn’t such to be found, that is a frightening thing in the sense because bringing all the damaging consequences should have made one frightened in the first place similar to the example.
Whereas in the case of emptiness it would be wrong to be frightened by it. Why that is so is because out of realizing emptiness one would be able to overcome ignorance, the ego grasping or grasping onto concrete ego self or identity. Having overcome ego grasping one would also as consequences be able to overcome all impure thoughts through that able to overcome all ignorance based actions through that one inevitably would overcome all sufferings through that way one would attain liberation. So one need not be frightened of emptiness and realizing emptiness. Further if one has realized emptiness as well combined with that, if one has developed enlightenment mind, then one would even attain Buddhahood, the state of all knowing.
Therefore to be frightened by emptiness is wrong. This is then what here the teacher, meaning Śāntideva, responds to the lower tenets. Oh, Here when it is being mentioned that there is no self, that there is no ego, it does not mean that does not mean that there is no ego or self at all. Of course there is generally an ego or I or self that functions nominally but here when it is mentioned that there is no self or ego it is in reference to the ego or self which is to be negated, the object of negation, the self or ego which is to be disproved as not being there at all. So that’s what is the meaning of it.
Now Because there is not such ego or self which exists by its own inherently truly the ego to be negated because that ego to be negated is not there. Due to that it would be wrong to think that there is such ego or self actually there. And because it is wrong, it would be a scary in real sense, it would have to be a scary thing to look at the way of ego or self in that way. Therefore, so far, we then see that when the others speak about being frightened when told to meditate on emptiness, they speak of being frightened when told to meditate on emptiness it is explained to them that it is wrong wrong to be frightened in such a way and being frightened in that way is being frightened of wrong reasons, being scared at wrong thing. Where one should be frightened one is not, where one should not be frightened one is frightened.
And the reason for that is explained by way of explaining that the ego or self which one thinks there is there is actually not to be found there. So then this whole point would come down to the point if there is no self or ego in the sense the ego to be disproved as not there the object of negation ego if there is no such ego is not there then the whole thing will come down to the point how that egolessness, how that selflessness is. One then will come to the point about through reasoning, analyzing and and establishing establishing that that that there is no such ego. So one would have to analyze and establish egolessness. The great teacher Candrakīrti in his supplement to the Middle Way explains, All the impure thoughts and faults arise from the distorted view on the disintegrating composite.
The yogi who realizes that understands the selflessness. In brief, as someone trying to inquire, analyze and establish establish selflessness it is important to differentiate between the two egos or the two selves. The one which nominally is not to be denied, not to be refuted, refuted which actually is functioning the basis for all functioning but there is another ego or self which is to be disproved as not there at all it is quite dangerous and of grave consequences if one does not realize the difference between the two types of the self or ego. And from that point of view it is extremely important one first differentiate the two.