Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 40-minute Q&A, Kyabje Rinpoche explains how practitioners enter the path of accumulation, beginning with dependent arising — the insight that the self exists only through causes and conditions, never independently. He then addresses the central distinction: while both Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna begin with renunciation, the determination to escape cyclic existence, Mahāyāna adds bodhicitta, the compassionate wish to lead all beings to Buddhahood. He outlines three levels of phenomena: the obvious, the slightly hidden (impermanence, selflessness, past lives), and the extremely hidden (knowable only to Buddhas). He explains why the Consequentialist Middle Way school’s understanding of emptiness is subtler than the Autonomy school’s. Finally, he addresses why beings develop varying degrees of attachment — through different habituation patterns across lifetimes. For advanced practitioners already familiar with these Buddhist frameworks.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1993-11-26 – 27B – KR.mp3
UUID: a9a9830d-3a01-4b26-b3a6-1f8500da5f4a
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Compendium of Valid Cognition
Date: 1993-11-26
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~1,961
So as you said, the self arises dependent upon many causes and conditions. That the self does not exist independent of causes and conditions. There is no self which does not exist dependent upon causes and conditions. The self is established through the aggregation of causes and conditions. It is through this very reasoning that is to say that the self is established in reliance upon causes conditions, therefore it does not independently exist that we come to understand emptiness.
If we meditate on that, then we will understand the non existence of the independent self. Now, slowly, slowly we will come to understand the non existence of a self, which is emptiness. If we don’t meditate on that, then we won’t understand it. So the self arises in reliance upon causal conditions. Therefore, self is a dependent arising.
If we understand that the self is a dependent arising, then this self as a dependent arising is in is mutually incompatible is incompatible with the self being independently existent. The self being independently existent and the self being a dependent arising, these two are mutually incompatible. When again and again meditating on this, coming to the understanding which thinks there’s there’s no self which relies upon nothing other than itself. There’s no self which is independent. The self does not independently exist.
This is the understanding of emptiness. Along those lines, one of the teachings, Rinpoche said that through the first realization of selflessness of persons, one enters the path of accumulation. And that through subsequent realization of cultivation, we enter the higher paths and grounds. What is the nature of the realization of the selflessness of persons that which one enters the path of accumulation? Is that the only measure of entering their path?
You mean the, is that the the the path of accumulation, the individual vehicle or the No. You say is not correct. Is not correct. No. Okay.
Would you like to yeah. It’s the yeah. But maybe you’d like to reshape the question. I don’t know. Well, basically, I wanna know what the nature of the realization of selfless selflessness of persons is and which one enters the path of accumulation.
If it’s if if there are differences between the Hīnayāna path and path, perhaps those could be addressed. But, basically, I just wanted to know what I mean, what did you have to realize? What I mean, you know, in in order to enter the path of accumulation? And if What do you think that realizes Oh, that’s a different question. Okay, okay, that’s good.
That’s what you want to ask? Yeah, ask that one. Okay, so what is the how does one enter into the path? Path accumulation. Of both vehicles?
Sure. How about those? First, with respect to entering into the path of accumulation of the Hīnayāna or the sometimes lesser vehicle individual vehicle. So the individual vehicle practitioner does not have a powerful concern for the welfare of others. He is very much concerned with their own welfare.
They have a dread of their own cyclic existence and they see seeing the various faults of cyclic existence and seeing the benefits of liberation develop a longing to be freed from cyclic existence. And when, again and again, by meditating on this, such a longing arise spontaneously, that is effortlessly, then they have entered in when they develop the determination to awaken, or renunciation, then they have entered into the first path, the path of accumulation. On the other hand, in entering into the path of accumulation of the universal vehicle or the Mahāyāna, when through having meditated upon the determination to awaken, renunciation, then meditate on compassion, exceptional resolve, generated bodhicitta which wishes to lead all living beings to the state of Buddhahood, cultivated that again and again through meditation, when this arises in a non artificial manner effortlessly, spontaneously, then one has entered into the path of accumulation of the universal vehicle. So as was explained previously, when having seen the faults of the faults of cyclic existence and developing a developing a longing to which seeks to be liberated from it night and day, one has developed renunciation and the determination to awaken and has entered into the path of accumulation.
Because of the because wisdom is generated through the activities of listening, studying, reading books, meditating, making requests to Mañjuśrī. Then upon the development of wisdom, with respect to what one has developed wisdom to, one develops a valid cognition, newly realizing that object. So through through wisdom, we can come to know hidden phenomena. Phenomena such as impermanence, emptiness, selflessness, through a process of using reasons and then develop a valid cognition with respect to those objects. So, there are three levels of phenomena.
There are those which are obvious which can be easily understood. We can generate a valid cognition with respect to them easily like a flower or a table. These are quite easy to realize. But then there is a second level of phenomena, slightly hidden phenomena. And these require the in order to realize them initially, that rely upon reasoning.
And here it’s necessary that in order to develop a valid cognition with respect to slightly hidden phenomena such as impermanence or selflessness, past and future lives, the paths and grounds. In order to realize these, we have to have wisdom and then out of that wisdom we will generate a valid cognition realizing these slightly hidden phenomena. With respect to the third level of phenomena, extremely hidden phenomena, only a Buddha can realize those. Those objects which are extremely difficult to realize, it’s necessary that one have removed the various obstacles which prevent their realization such as the afflictive emotions and the knowledge obstructions. Various faults which prevent their realization and only a Buddha has done that.
Yes. So both so the the middle school accepts emptiness. There is a there is But there’s a a difference in subtlety of their presentations of emptiness between the two middle schools. And this, and this subtlety is in terms of the subtlety of the object which is being negated in terms of emptiness. The the Consequentialist Middle Way School object of negation is is more subtle than the autonomy.
Autonomy does not negate, does not refute as subtle an object of negation as does consequence. For example, the object of negation according to the Autonomy Middle Way School is: the existence of an object by way of its own uncommon mode of subsistence without being posited by the force of appearing to a non defective awareness. Here’s the object of negation of the Autonomy Middle Way School. The establishment of an object by way of its own uncommon mode of subsistence without being posited by the force of appearing to a non defective awareness is the object of negation of the Autonomy Middle Way School. In terms of the consequence of middle way school that they’re trying to get at that emptiness of self defining existence or natural existence.
So they are saying that the object which is the conventionally the object which is the nominally existent object. Designated the unfindability of the the unfindability of the non finding of the, nominally imputed object upon analysis is the subtle emptiness. The absence, the non existence of the existence which is found upon analyzing for the nominally imputed object is subtle emptiness. I don’t know if you follow on that. I don’t.
The final one is that really what what the con the consequence is? Even the nominally existent object doesn’t exist. So the nominally existent phenomena exist. If the nominally existent phenomena did not exist, then the nominally existent skillful actions would not bring happy results. Nominally existent unskillful actions would not bring suffering results.
There would not be the karma as actions and the results would not exist. There would be no past and future lives. There would be no liberation or omniscience. Living sentient beings have come in contact with the same objects. Why then are these varying why then are there varying degrees degrees of of of, attachment?
Can I say? Is that what you said? Attachment to these objects. Since they’ve all experienced the same objects, why are there different degrees of attachment to these objects? Something like that?
Something like that. Not like that. What? Conscious being the same nature. Since all living beings’ consciousness are the same nature why should there be varying degrees of attachment having come in contact with the same object over infinite numbers of lives something like that?
So you said that we’ve we’ve met with all phenomena. You mean that we’ve understood all phenomena? Like emptiness? We’ve all we’ve all understood emptiness in the past. So then all sentient beings were free from cyclic existence previous previously?
It’s because we we we don’t understand emptiness that we continue to circle within cyclic existence. If from beginningless time that we have understood emptiness, then we would not be circling within cyclic existence. In the Three Doors of Liberation it says: because sentient beings do not understand emptiness, It is because sentient beings do not understand emptiness that they continue to circle within cyclic existence.
And it said that upon understanding emptiness, one is freed from cyclic existence. So amongst human beings there are different degrees of the force of their attachment and anger. This is due to different degrees to which they have been habituated to these in past lives. You know, some in previous lives have been very forcefully habituated to have been habituated to very forceful anger, others to very forceful attachment and not having applied antidotes. Then they have these very forceful, they have very powerful attachment or anger.
Some people go on to meditate on the antidotes, for example, for attachment, and they lessen their attachment. Or they meditate on the antidote to anger, they lessen their anger. So there are all these possible varieties of degrees, variations in degrees of attachment, anger among even humans. Though it would be difficult for them in this way to completely eliminate anger. So these days, there are many people people writing books and many teachings are set out in books different types of teachings.
Some of them are mistaken some of them are distorted. And so we just you can’t believe everything that you read. We we if we rely upon in our reading if we read those books that were coming from the Buddha and the various Indian masters then we can be sure of benefit from reading such texts. So tonight you you’ve asked good questions and I’ve enjoyed your questions and it seems that over the course of the year you’ve gained some understanding. Thank you very much.
And now we’re going to dedicate? So you should, you know, through having involved ourselves explanation of the teachings and listening to the teachings, we’ve accumulated skillful actions, created potential. So we this as it were, this drop of creative potential that we’ve that we’ve generated. We’re going to place it, in the ocean of creative potential of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, combine it with their vast ocean of skillful action. And dedicating all of that skillful action, the creative potential that one that we ourselves might, for the sake of all living beings, remove all our various faults and bring to consummation our excellent qualities and that we might generate an awakening heart.
By placing our drop of skillful actions in in this great ocean of skillful actions until that ocean is exhausted, our drop will remain. And therefore, the results will always be forthcoming for however long that ocean is there. It will it will always be forthcoming.