Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 49-minute commentary on the ninth chapter of Śāntideva’s Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra, Kyabje Rinpoche opens with Candrakīrti’s striking insight: even skepticism about emptiness shatters saṃsāra into pieces. He explains the role of merit in enabling inquiry into emptiness, and how understanding creates imprints that persist across lifetimes. The core focuses on the selflessness of phenomena—specifically how form is not inherently existing. Through systematic analysis, Rinpoche guides listeners to search for the body: if it truly existed from its own side, where would we find it? The hand? The head? The bones? Each component dissolves into parts and labels, none inherently existing. He continues into finer analysis—subdivisions within fingers, the four elements, and Buddhist frameworks for understanding atomic particles. For serious practitioners.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1994-08-09 – 9A – 9th Chapter – KR.mp3
UUID: ea256697-7284-4a0f-91fd-bfaa6ed502d5
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra
Date: 1994-08-09
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~2,968
Candrakīrti, a principal disciple of Nāgārjuna, says in his writing, those with inferior merits would not even become skeptical of it. Whoever becomes skeptical skeptical of it would shatter the saṃsāra into pieces. What that part of teaching in the writing means is it talks about the benefits of realizing or even being even being being skeptical of emptiness. What that verse in meaning says is firstly we need to clarify what is meant by the expression merits. Well merits means whatever karmic deposit there is through doing virtuous actions and from which happiness such as rebirth into desire realm or higher realms are possible.
So in that way merits means the outcome potential from having done virtuous actions. Whoever whoever lacks amount of merits would be a person inferior with merits, such as a person who would be very likely to be always with anger or hatred indicative of not having engaged in virtuous actions that frequently or more in the past. So such a person not to talk about realizing emptiness even they would not or such person would not have this skeptical view about inquiring does emptiness means this or that or or whatever that it is explained. They would not even have a skepticism about it. And in meaning it continues to say those who have merits and those who have wisdom, diligence in their case they would not only be skeptical in the beginning about emptiness through which then inquiry would take place then they would even have the capability to actually realize emptiness and as a positive outcome of such realization those people would be able to not only remove one’s own problems, sufferings, but also be able to remove others sufferings.
In that way, it is a very inspiring advice explaining the benefits of realizing emptiness. On those who have merits as well the diligence to put effort into analysis of emptiness in their case they would be would be actively analyzing what emptiness is and in the course of analysis they of course in the beginning would take time to ascertain whether this is it or that is it or what is actually the reality about phenomena what is emptiness it may take time to ascertain and in the beginning not being able to place what it is but eventually even if they are even eventually even if they’re able to have mere understanding about then this is the way how things are, then this is emptiness, that understanding itself is so powerful it would make the ignorance its opponent power less and in that way in that way it is like what the words ahead says, the saṃsāra would be shattered into pieces that even a mere skepticism, mere ascertain understanding and so forth would be able to make ignorance the source of saṃsāra powerless. Such person, let’s say, does not happen to actually realize emptiness in this life, but by having made the initial step such person would leave or imprint a connection in the inquiry and understanding of emptiness on one’s consciousness and in next life the imprint would be continuously carried together with oneself.
So eventually, through having imprints from previous life, that it is possible, only a matter of taking more time gradually, that eventually that person directly realize emptiness and through that way even eventually attain liberation from saṃsāra from sufferings. Because of such fact, when one is listening to explanation about emptiness, it would be therefore appropriate to to show as much appreciation, joyfulness from one side that one really need to feel happy, joyful about listening. If one does that, then that itself is very strong enough to lay good imprint to have future connection to receive instruction instruction on on the the same same topic. Topic. Alright.
Now with regards to emptiness itself it can from one way of classification be of two types, the selflessness of person and selflessness of phenomenon. Between the two, we already finished our discussion and inquiry into what is selflessness of person in the past classes Tuesday evenings. What remains remains now to cover is the second type of emptiness, the selflessness of phenomenon. And this is what then in our present part in the ninth chapter, it starts from this point, the inquiry and explanation about the selflessness of phenomena. Well, now with regards firstly to what is selflessness of person, well we can look at it with reference to a citation from a popular discourse by the Buddha called the essence of wisdom popularly known in English as the Heart Sūtra.
There we know the line in one part reads, the form should look at the five aggregates as by nature empty or not inherently existing. Now in that line there is mention of the five aggregates. Now the five aggregates are the aggregates of form, of feeling, of recognition, of formation or karmic activity and of consciousness. Now when either in view, when either from the point of five aggregates or in the classification of four aggregates whenever there is the composite of either four to five aggregates and based on the composite of these when there is a mere label I I then that very labeled I or identity on the composite of the five or four aggregates is what is called a person, the basis of being, identity. Now the selflessness of person means that person which is mere I I labeled on the aggregate that person are not inherently existing or by nature empty or another way of saying that I or being not existing from its own characteristic that is what is called the selflessness of a person and this is said to be described as the emptiness about the person.
And although this point was covered in the previous explanations during the Tuesday evening, the reason why again it is mentioned here is possibly if there are any new people attending tonight, then it might be a good point even though to repeat it. And now there are the five aggregates form feeling recognition, karmic activity or formation and consciousness. These five aggregates are the basis upon which the person is merely labeled upon, merely labeled at. So these are the basis of label for the person. Now in this selflessness selflessness of phenomena what it means is these basis of label they are not existing from their own characteristic expression similar to not inherently existing from their part.
Now that very fact that they do not exist from their side inherently indicates that there is an emptiness of inherent existence that there is an emptiness of lacking existence from their own characteristic. So that very emptiness is what is here meant by selflessness of phenomena and that itself is what is called selflessness of phenomena. The explaining the selflessness of phenomena, the author of the ninth chapter Śāntideva goes through proving how each of the five aggregates form feeling and so forth are not inherently existing in that way the explanation touches by going through how form is not inherently existing, how feeling is not inherently existing and so forth. When it comes to the part how form is not inherently existing, there is the explanation about the meditation of placement of mindfulness on the body. How that is so is the source of the teaching is based on Buddha Śākyamūni’s teaching about placement of the four mindfulnesses and there when it comes to the mindfulness of body, then this is what is important here in proving of body as taking synonymous with form as not inherently existing and in that way one meditates on the body, on the mindfulness of the body body being not inherently existing.
To do meditation on the placement of mindfulness on the body, firstly one needs to establish whether body is inherently existing or not. In that and in that way, one first thing to do is to search for apparent search for the apparent inherent existence of the body and in that search one looks throughout the whole spectrum of the body whether it is inherently existing or not and if it is, suppose if it is inherently existing then it should be presentable as a solid thing that there it is that it is that the body is actually inherently existing that this is so. So it should be something which when searched for would be found and therefore be presentable. The or when its inherent existence is searched for it should be be able to be found but in our actual observation in the course of search, we can go about this way, is the hand the body, is the heart the body, are the shoulders body, is the back the body, is the lung, are the lungs of the body, are the intestines of the body, but they are not. So in searching for the body throughout its spectrum we are not able to find it instead we observe that it is all a succession of this is not this is not is not, this is not meaning that this is not the body, the hand is not the body, the head is not the body and so forth.
This is what is actually observed. Now if the body is inherently existing then the time when we search for it, meaning when we search for its inherent existence, then more research, more clearer its inherent existence should come into our view and it getting clearer and clearer the more we go ahead with search. Finally it should be something where we actually can grab at it that this is the inherent existence of the body. But this is not what happens when searched for, so in this way it is established that the body is not inherently In this analysis, it is proved that the body is not inherently existent, not to be found in the bodily parts, that the bodily parts are not the inherently existing body and the reasoning put forth for that is the bodily parts are the basis upon which the body is merely labeled at and the basis of label cannot be what is being labeled at, because body is something which is labeled on the basis of the label, the bodily parts and it cannot be the same thing what is being labeled at and of what’s being labeled and this becomes the style of reasoning in this case proving the lack of inherent existence of the body.
The bodily parts such as hand, head, hands, head, and so forth are the basis of label and on dependence or with dependence on these basis of label, the body is merely labeled at. So in that way we have two separate things the basis of label and the attribute of label. Attributes attribute of label and it is a logically understandable fact that basis of label and the attribute of label given on one same base would not be compatible, not be accommodatable, because these two the basis of label and attribute of label given on one same base would be contradictory to one another. Not only body through that way is not inherently existing and it is proven so, also each of the bodily parts, hand, feet, head, so forth from their own side as well lack inherent existence. We look at one Now when oh, we look at one bodily part as an instance, say this whole part of the body is called hand and it is something nominally speaking existing thing.
For example, there’s all expression that it being nominally existent that there is expression the hand is touching the paper of the scripture, saying, the hand is even hitting someone and so forth that’s where that little bit of laughter part was the hand is hitting and so forth. Now that is the general expression. Now we look at whether there is inherently existing hand or not, or in another expression or way of saying whether there is a hand which exists from its own characteristic or not. And in that search or analysis we look at each of the parts of the hand. Is it the thumb which is the hand we find it is not..
Is it this meaning the index finger it is not, is it the middle finger it is not, it is, is it the ring finger it is not, is it little finger it is not, or is it the palm part of the hand it is not, or is it the upper skin part of the hand? It is not. Or is it the back part of the hand? It is not. Or is it the bone of the hand?
It is not. So in that way we cannot find with each of the parts of the hand and inherently existing hand, so this is similarly proven even with each of the bodily parts from their own side how lack existence from their own characteristics. Well, in this case with the hand, the parts which are based on these basis of label there is the name labeled as hand and in that very fashion of being merely labeled in name as a hand on the basis of label, with dependence on the basis of label that there is undeniable functioning of hand doing its work and so forth that is undeniable but yet we cannot find an inherently existing hand. It is why that is so is hand is merely a name, it’s merely a label label of name given on the basis of the label hand and the basis of label are those parts of the hand.
Not only that at this point, the reasoning and the analysis can become much finer such as not only the hand is not inherently existing even the finger itself which is a part with combination with others becomes the label basis of label for hand that itself is also not inherently existing. How that is so is with finger, well to start with it has not only the bone the bone skin and so forth component part, but as well there is whole fractional component of it such as the eastern direction of the finger, west, south, north, not only that it has the elemental potencies in it of earth, water, fire and air. So there are so many fractional components with the finger which becomes the basis, a basis of label upon which the mere name finger is labeled at. Therefore finger is not to be found inherently existing on its own solidly independently it is merely a name or label by name given on the basis with dependence on the basis of this label. With the finger, there are not only the other parts making it as a composite, there are those four elements and the elements are in very very minute or the word used is subtle in very subtle aspect for example there is a very subtle element of earth, cohesion. Why that is so is because the finger feels heavy and the very fact that it that it feels heavy indicates there is earth element in it and the very fact that finger can the finger can get warm or heated up indicates there is fire element and the very fact that it is wet or moist indicates that it has water element and the very fact it has movements indicates it has air element so there are undoubtedly the four elements in it but it can be said that the four elements are in extremely minutest, most subtle aspect or most subtle volume in the in the presence in the finger.
Now that’s one fact, but if we go further then it can be established that even each of these components of the fingers such as in this case the four elements that they each from their own part cannot be found as existing solidly or inherently. And in that way, each in their own right as well do not exist inherently. Now at this point, it may be relevant to firstly discuss or the three types of tiniest things tiniest of form, tiniest of name, tiniest of time. The tiniest of form is the tiniest particle particle and and this this will will require require explanation later on. Tiniest of name is syllable.
For example, we would have expression what is your name and the person would give or her or his name and if we analyze what is the building unit of a name it would be found it is in syllable and the tiniest of time is what is called the last moment of time. So in this way there are those types of classification of tiniest of the three things. Now with regards to the tiniest of form or mass it is explained to be the tiniest particle and regarding the tiniest particle in accordance with the two lower Buddhist tenets, the Vaibhāṣikas and the Sautrantikas they explain the tiniest particle to be a partless particle standing on its own that it does not have any relative point, that it does not have any direction to be subdivided and so forth. In that way it is partless. And all partless particles exist with clustering around but not touching.
And in the case of finger it would then mean according to those two lower tenets that the finger is made up of so many partless particles of the finger clustering around and therefore making it a gross mass appearing in that form. That is what is explained by the two lower tenets, but in accordance with the highest tenets, it is explained that there is not any particle