Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Choegye Trichen Rinpoche delivers a condensed version of the foundational teaching on Parting from the Four Attachments, traditionally taught over seven days. He opens with the nature of mind as the union of clarity and emptiness, grounded in Sakya Pandita’s definition of intrinsic awareness. The core teaching proceeds through four key insights: all phenomena are mind-only appearances, like dreams and magic illusions; examining these appearances reveals they lack inherent existence and depend entirely on causes and conditions; the nature of mind itself is uncontrived and inexpressible; and all authentic spiritual practice—across Nyingma, Kagyu, and Sakya traditions—points to this realization. Throughout, he emphasizes avoiding the extremes of eternalism and nihilism, the importance of calm abiding meditation before special insight, and the necessity of detaching from worldly concerns to practice genuine morality, study, and meditation. The teaching concludes with dedication of merit for the benefit of all beings across six realms plus bardo inhabitants. Suited for practitioners with some Buddhist foundation.
File metadata (for organising)
File: choegye-trichen-rinpoche-parting-from-the-4-attachments-04-4a
Teacher: Choegye Trichen Rinpoche
Collection: Parting from the 4 Attachments (Choegye Trichen Rinpoche)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Words: ~2,284
If one is able to realize the self cognized awareness of the intrinsic nature of mind, one examines the nature of the mind. Sakya Pandita has said something. He says, what clarity clarity of mind is the space between the past thought and the thought that is yet to rise. The awareness of the space in between is the intrinsic nature of the mind. It’s only due to one’s defilements in karma that one has failed to realize the intrinsic nature of mind.
The very dharmatha or suchness of the nature of the mind do not differ from that of the Buddha. The very essence of enlightenment is the very nature of the mind that do not differentiate from that of the enlightenment. Yet, if one develop grasping to this, this would not be your cause of liberation. It is important to avoid ones that are falling into the extremes of eternalism and also nihilism for it will prevent even attainment of higher rebirth, let alone that of ultimate enlightenment. As one is unable to hold both eternalism and nihilism, it is better to therefore reside in a state of non duality.
This therefore implies the importance of clarity, the clarity nature of your mind. The presence of mind is clarity. The nature of that is empty. The intrinsic nature of that is empty. Clarity and empty are indivisibly one.
The non duality of this is called Lungsom Nyamjuk, a definitive name of the view in the Sakyapa tradition. All phenomena are merely our mind. It’s all our thought appearance, thought appearing. Things do not exist. Whether you think of liberation or lower rebirth are nothing but your thoughts.
All beings, whether in hell rebirth where they see burning iron ground, are nothing but their thoughts, hallucinated by one’s own defiled mind. Some people say that the world is created by some supreme being or Īśvara, created by some supreme being. Some create the world, some say the world is created by four great elements. And rather from this teaching’s point of view, everything is created by one’s own mind. Whether higher forms of enlightenment or the lowest form of rebirth are all products of one’s mind.
This therefore implies the thought of the mind only school. It is that things are merely but mind only. Does it mean that we have to let all things remain as mind only? No. It should be actually corrected and diverted to the school or thought of middle way.
Some people allege that the view of the Sakyapas are mind only school. Because only if first you ascertain that all things are mind only, you would not be able to establish anything further. Only if you know that all things are one’s own mind, then one is able to establish the realization of emptiness. So it is only a stepping stone for gaining the realization. That’s not the final assertion.
It is not asserted as the final view of the Sakyas. It’s only a step that leads to enlightenment. This implies the importance of calm abiding meditation. It’s calm abiding meditation that one practices calm abiding meditation. By doing calm abiding meditation, one gains the realization of nature of one’s mind.
How to calm, how to alleviate the agitated thoughts. By doing calm abiding meditation, one will slowly achieve the result of special insight. Only when you have a stable calm abiding meditation, then can you gain the correct view realization of the special insight. So this this therefore implies the importance of calm abiding meditation. Because only by having calm abiding meditation then can one have the result of that as a special insight of Vipassana.
In the special insight meditation, first of all, one establish all appearances as one’s own mind. Just as in dream, when one thinks dreams as being become wealthy or poor or whatever experiences one has gone through in the dream, it’s only afflicted by sleep that one happens to see that. But without the sleep, none of those experience dream occurs. Likewise, all appearances in everyday life are afflicted by one’s own defilements. Without the defilements, one wouldn’t see things and experience things.
So just as sleep is an affliction in making ones believe the dreams is true, so is defilements making all appearance appear true. So everything is therefore a distorted vision of one’s own mind manifesting. Knowing this to be the case, however, the mental appearances are themselves illusory. When one examine the appearances that are mind only, whether one thinks happiness or unhappiness, all experiences do not truly exist. They only depend on causes and conditions.
Only when the causes and conditions meet together, then there is those appearances. Just like illusion, when you watch a magic illusion, when the magician uses a piece of stone or twig or do some utterances and have an audience, then only can he create an illusion. When these conditions are lacking or even one of them, then there will be no appearances of any kind. Likewise, all phenomena are merely dependent origination like an illusion. If all thoughts, the appearance in the mind are illusion, but the illusions are not true.
What is this ascertained as illusion is to indicate or validate as untrue. How do you know that the illusion lack existence? All illusions, by definition, do not exist. It’s only based on many causes and condition. There is an illusory appearance as a dependent origination.
Only when the conditions come together, they seem to have some illusory manifestations. Without many causes and conditions, there’s no inherently existing phenomena to be seen. What depend what depends on things other than itself is not inherently existing. Therefore, illusory. And illusions lack inherent existence.
That what lack inherent existence necessarily means it depends on things other than itself. Just like the moon’s reflection in the water. You cannot see moon’s reflection in the water unless there is moon in the moon, moon in the sky. So it’s due to causes and conditions other than itself, then makes things manifest. So the intrinsic nature of the mind, therefore, is dependent origination.
If you really look at the nature of the mind, whether Nyingma is called Dzogchen or Kagyu is called Mahāmudrā or Sakya is called Korde Rushen. They’re all talking about how to realize this very intrinsic awareness of the nature of the mind as it is. The uncontrived nature of the mind is non duality of the clarity and emptiness. There is the indivisibility of saṃsāra, nirvana, and indivisibility of all dualities. And also therefore goes to conclude that whatever merit he gained, spontaneously expressing the verses of the four parting from the four attachment.
He dedicated for the benefit of others. Traditionally, this parting from the four attachment teachings are given for the duration of seven days. Of course, this is a very abridged version of that. If one were to elaborate that, it might take couple of months. So if one is attached to this life, and whatever practices one do, either of the study or morality or meditation, then it becomes afflicted by this very attachment to this life and doesn’t become causes which will qualify oneself to be a genuine spiritual practitioner.
Because afflicted by eight worldly dharmas, one’s practice of morality will suffer. Because one looks down upon those who are not quite up to the expectation of oneself. One will be jealous of those who appear to be doing much better practice than oneself. One’s own form of practice become cause of arrogance. So he say he emphasized the importance of distinguishing between between correct and incorrect practices of morality, study, and meditation.
Says the importance of abiding oneself in the nature of one’s mind. Abiding the nature of mind so that one doesn’t fall into the pitfalls of eternalism and nihilism. Because grasping to eternity will prevent oneself even from gaining higher rebirth, let alone enlightenment. All things are nothing but one’s own thoughts. One’s own thoughts are also not true.
They’re illusion. Things appear because they are not, not because they exist. It’s what appears is due to causes and conditions, not because there is the thing that appears to exist. The nature of one’s mind is uncontrived, unfabricated, uncreated. Free of all effort.
The self cognition of the nature mind is containing and sustaining the correct view of the nature mind as it is. Whatever name people give according to different tradition is superfluous. All appearances are illusion. Just like a magician shows elephants and horses and all kinds of spectacle when they don’t actually exist, but he can make them appear. Likewise, all occurrence in everyday life should be seen as illusions.
Only due to causes and conditions. It’s because of various causes and conditions they exist, not because thing is itself exist. That is to say the nature of things are empty. It is inexpressible. The nature of emptiness or nature of reality therefore is inexpressible.
It could not be said or told or heard. It is therefore better to stay in the state of inexpressibility. All things are illusion. Illusion only manifest due to causes and conditions. It is therefore, no words can express what the nature of the things or mind is.
The mode of existence is inexpressible. It could not be verbalized. It is yet something that is cognizable, but inexpressible. It is not a thought that you can think. The mode of existence is empty of inherent existence.
It could not be spoken about, and therefore reside in that state of inexpressibility. And that is followed by the final line of dedication of merits. By expressing the spontaneous words on the four line, or the four parting from all attachment, whatever excellent merits, I dedicate for the benefit of the seven realms of existence. Usually, talk about six realms of existence. Here, the author includes seven.
So say sevens. The seventh one here is includes the realms in the intermediate or bardo realm. When it refers to several realms of existence, it includes six realms of existence plus the bardo beings or realm beings who have just passed away and yet to find a rebirth, who are stuck in the intermediate or limbo between this and the next life. And Sachen Kunga Nyingpo goes to dedicate the merits of this for the benefit of all sentient beings. As he’s a great experience realized meditator, he shares it as a pith instruction.
So thanksgiving offering mandala, conclusion of the teachings. So, of course, for the sake of time, this is the conclusion. Of course, the elaborate form could be taught for seven days. And you have now received the transmission of departing from the four attachment. So I here complete the teachings on for parting from four attachments.
Most important thing is that you should have strong faith in the teachings of the Buddha, and strong conviction, and renunciation from the worldly existence, and its shortcomings. Once you cultivate a good heart, kindness to other living beings, If one is able to practice compassion to other living beings, benefiting other beings as much as you can, and generally taking refuge in the triple gem, So the view, meditation, and action should be incorporated. How you treat other living beings is action, and one should emulate the deeds of the bodhisattvas by showing kindness towards other sentient beings. I will also offer my prayers. However little description you’ve heard tonight, may the teachings and their blessings stay an entry into your mind stream.
Because I would if people who wish to study deeply on these teachings of Parting from the Four Attachments could could, of course, follow on the text and seek further clarification, I would be happy if if anybody wants to come and seek clarification. The view should be uncontrived. Meditation should be free of defilements and distraction and dullness. Well sustained quality of discipline and practice. And action is harmlessness to other beings, kindness and compassion to others, unaffected by worldly affair worldly dharmas.
Whatever good one does should simply be for the benefit of others. Thank you very much. So although there’s only four lines in the teachings, if one is able to contemplate deeply on the meanings, you’ll find all the essence of the sutras and tantras all contained in this. So the four lines should be memorized. And I will offer my prayers that the blessings of these enter into your mind stream and stay intact.
You must be all tired. It is it is great that all of you put the time and effort to come here. Of course, you must be all tired, but great Bodhisattvas of the past put great effort in doing little things. So this is a beneficial task. Whatever little effort you make in adhering and meeting spiritual friends and practicing, it will sow a good seed for your future happiness, like the bodhisattva Sadāprarudita and Dharmodgata.
I’m an ordinary person, but blessings of my spiritual master have definitely affected me. So I hope that all the blessings will also come to you. May all the four non-attachments be realized in your mind. Non attachment to this life, non attachment to world existence, non attachment to selfish purposes, non attachment to view. All the teachings of the Lamdre, Kadampa, Gelug, Sakya, Kagyu and all the teachings of the Longchen Nyingma and the perfect words of the teacher also is contained in this text.
They all talk and elaborate on these four lines. That’s all. Thank you very much.