Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 104-minute teaching, Kyabje Rinpoche opens with a striking premise: without goals beyond this lifetime, humans are no different from animals in our basic aspirations. He establishes future-life orientation as the essential foundation for genuine renunciation and bodhicitta in Mahāyāna practice. Using vivid examples—acquiring a house, traveling to Lhasa, Nepal, the West—he illustrates how temporary happiness becomes suffering of change through expectation and desire. Mental suffering, he explains, arises primarily from unmet expectations and is remedied through reducing desire and cultivating contentment. The teaching culminates in detailed practice instructions: visualizing the field of merit to accumulate the cooperative conditions for realization. He offers three visualization methods suited to different mental capacities, with the central practice of seeing one’s teacher as inseparable from Je Tsongkhapa, Buddha Śākyamūni, and Guru Vajradhāra. Aimed at practitioners already engaged with Lamrim teachings.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2012-04-04 – KR.mp3
UUID: 0214ca37-bf66-420f-8ed3-94ba9d0d1b75
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Death and Rebirth
Date: 2012-04-04
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~4,333
So all conscious beings without exception wish to avoid suffering and wish for happiness. When we say that they wish to avoid suffering, we can say that the suffering they all wish to avoid is physical suffering. So we are no different from animals if our only goal is the elimination of suffering in this life and obtaining happiness in this life. One can say there is no difference in the slightest. Yet we are immeasurably superior to animals in terms of the base, our bodies, in other words.
Therefore, our goals should be superior to those of animals. Geshe-la from his side is convinced that if we strive, if we put effort, if we study and if we practice, it is possible to generate in this life a mind which is focused on future lives. We might wonder at this point why we are talking about a mind striving for welfare or well-being in future lives when the dharma, which is being exposed, is a dharma of the great vehicle of the Mahāyāna. The reason for this is that the Mahāyāna rests on training in altruism and bodhicitta. And it is impossible to train in altruism and bodhicitta without having generated a mind of uncontrived definite emergence.
In other words, a mind which is spontaneously striving for liberation. It is impossible to generate a mind spontaneously striving for liberation without having first generated a mind which strives for well-being in future lives. Therefore, the mind which strives for well-being in future lives gives rise down the line to the uncontrived mind striving for liberation, which in turn can give rise to bodhicitta. So what is therefore the criterion for the spontaneous or uncontrived manifestation of a mind striving for well-being in future lives. It is that whatever we engage in as activity, all along we think I must be wary, I must be careful and think of my future lives.
For instance, if, one is engaged in meaningless talk, just idle talk which has no particular meaning for a couple of minutes. And then after that one reflects what benefit was there in this meaningless chatter. I neither engaged in virtue nor did I abandon non virtue. Those five minutes of my life are wasted. Then one will start to understand how to transform this human life into a meaningful human life.
Therefore, Geshe-la feels that the criterion which has to be adopted for someone who has realized striving for well-being in future lives, is that such a person does not waste even a minute of their life. Every single minute is put to good use. As Je Tsongkhapa says in the Three Principal Aspects of the Path, referring to definite emergence, in other words renunciation in general, when night and day renunciation spontaneously arises, then it has been generated. To paraphrase Je Tsongkhapa and speak no longer of renunciation from cyclic existence, but renunciation of this life when day and night renunciation of this life spontaneously arises than it has been generated. And since this mind, which is striving for future lives, which is striving for well-being in future lives arises directly out of meditation on death and impermanence.
Geshe-la suspects that if such a mind arises spontaneously in an uncontrived fashion in a human being, then probably, although one can never say this with 100% certitude, that human being has realized death and impermanence. After all, what other criterion would there be for the realization of death and impermanence than this spontaneous generation of a wish to improve in future lives? Now, all all of us are definitely striving down the line to become arhats, aryas, and eventually to attain full enlightenment. These are very distant goals for us. It’ll occur many, many lives down the line.
However, all of us can hope in this life to generate this mind which spontaneously spontaneously wishes for, our own betterment in future lives. And this is what Geshe-la feels we should put great effort into. It is with this in mind we should attend these Lamrim teachings. And therefore, we should generate such a motivation before receiving the teachings. As Śāntideva says in the Bodhicaryāvatāra, despite wishing to be free from suffering, we accumulate the causes of suffering.
Despite wishing for happiness through benightedness, we destroy its very causes. The meaning of this stanza is that all of us are similar in so far as we all desire for happiness and we wish to be free from suffering. Yet wishing to be free from suffering, we do not accumulate the causes to be free from suffering. Instead, we accumulate the causes for suffering. Likewise, wishing to be happy, we nonetheless do not accumulate the causes to be happy, but the enemy, benightedness, which is none other than that ignorance which apprehends at the inherent existence of the self, destroys every hope we have for happiness.
So world suffering is subdivided, as Geshe-la explained the last time, into bodily and mental suffering. And bodily and mental suffering in turn are subdivided into the three categories of suffering. The suffering of suffering, the suffering of change and all pervasive suffering. Happiness likewise can also be subdivided into bodily and mental happiness. And while the terminology does not exist, there are other subdivisions of happiness which are the counterpart of the subdivisions of suffering.
So to give an example, if we take the case of our bodily or physical suffering, the suffering of heat when it arises is countered through for instance, putting the air conditioning on. This generates a sensation of coolness countering the sensation of heat, but eventually over time, the suffering of change arises and this sensation turns into suffering. Both bodily and mental suffering therefore exist in this way. They are not explained in great detail in the dharma treatises. To give an example of mental suffering, we could take the case of someone who has been fantasizing to buy a house or simply fantasizing to prepare a really good meal.
In every case, mental suffering arises independent, in dependence on those conceptions. If one fantasizes to buy a really fine house, at the beginning, one is preparing for the house, there may be happiness, and when one has obtained the house for a month or two months after moving in, one will be very contented. But inevitably, a feeling of dissatisfaction will creep in. This feeling of dissatisfaction which creeps in is none other than the suffering of change, in this case, the mental suffering of change. So to give another example based on Geshe-la’s experience, when one is initially in one’s homeland and Kham and one thinks of Lhasa, Lhasa sounds like a very glamorous place.
Most of the people talking of Lhasa had probably never been to Lhasa, and everyone thought the living standard must be very high. There must be extraordinary temples and activities. Then when he went to Lhasa, his body, his aggregates were the same as in Kham. And after a couple days of marveling, same old feeling of insatisfaction returned. Then he started thinking of Nepal.
In Nepal, nobody had ever been to Nepal. There were many stories that Nepal was an extraordinary place. So upon going to Nepal for the first couple of days, once again, one feels a sensation of astonishment and happiness, but it quickly dwindles. Then one starts thinking of going to Delhi. Delhi once again is quite glamorous.
Now I think it’s a big capital and then one goes to Delhi and again for one or two days, it is marvelous and exciting. And then once again, this sensation of astonishment dwindles. And then one thinks of coming to the West. And once again, the West sounds marvelous and interesting and exciting. When it comes to the West and after a couple of days, again, the sensation of happiness dwindles.
So if we analyze carefully, Geshe-la thinks these sensations of happiness can be seen to be suffering of change which is part of mental suffering. So we therefore have these paired divisions. On the one hand, bodily sensation is divided into bodily happiness and bodily suffering. And mental sensation is divided into mental happiness and mental suffering. Now regarding bodily suffering, there is no need to elaborate greatly.
It is something which is spontaneously understood. All living beings try to avoid physical suffering and to enhance their physical happiness. If we take the example of a newborn colt, a newborn colt will spontaneously try to suckle its mother’s nipple to put an end to the suffering of hunger. Regarding therefore mental suffering, as Geshe-la explained previously, suffering which is related to mental sensation arises first and foremost in dependence on conceptuality and on expectation. The foremost means therefore to eliminate, such suffering is a reduction in conceptual fantasies and a reduction in expectation, which can be achieved through training in lessening one’s desires on the one hand, and in practicing contentment on the other hand.
This is actually intimately connected with Dharma practice, which leads to a reassessment of the value of objects in our eyes. It is through this process and through studying in this way that we are able to lessen our desires and to increase our contentment. So it is important to understand here in keeping with the Vinaya treatises which present the teachings mainly from the standpoint of the Vaibhāṣika School of Tenets that the foundation in training for contentment and small desires is first limiting oneself materially. The Vinaya treatises teach that one should be satisfied with poor clothing and with just a modicum of food. It is not the case that mere mental development, mental increase or increase in mental power is sufficient to lead to a reduction in desire and contentment.
This can for instance be seen very clearly in the great seats in the great Tibetan monasteries, where when there are students who have the right combination of intelligence on the one hand and aptitude for studies and hard work on the other hand, whole great success is generally, the result. This great success seldom goes hand in hand with mental contentment. Likewise, when the student has high goals but lacks either the capacity to study or the requisite intelligence and the goals are not achieved, likewise, contentment and happiness are not present. There is a case Geshe-la knows personally of a monk, which was a Tibetan monk who had to present the Geshe examinations. Geshe-la seems to remember he was in the Abhidharma class, one of the advanced classes.
And he left the monastery and was not able to present the Geshe exams. When he learned about this, he was profoundly depressed and remained in the state for two years not attending class. This is a clear instance of suffering which arises from unwanted expectations. Well, all of the great religious traditions share these teachings on the reduction of mental suffering through reducing desire and practicing contentment. It is probable that only the Buddhist tradition has the specific teachings regarding the identification of all pervasive suffering as suffering.
In other words, the identification of the third category of suffering as suffering as opposed to the two first categories. All pervasive suffering is called all pervasive or all encompassing because it pervades or it encompasses all of the abodes of cyclic existence. In other words, wherever we are born within cyclic existence with contaminated aggregates, the foundation, fundamental nature of our experience is one of suffering with occasional glimpses of transient happiness. This is what is meant when one talks of all pervasive suffering. It is synonymous with saṃsāra.
And when one refers to sentient beings with cyclic existence in general, sentient beings have five aggregates, form, feeling, discrimination, volition and consciousness aggregates. And therefore, all pervasive suffering is fivefold. We have the all pervasive suffering of the form, the feeling, the discrimination, the volition and the consciousness aggregate. These these five sufferings are the direct result of the fact that these aggregates are contaminated. So what is here understood by a person?
A person is none other than a being, which is imputed on any of the five aggregates. And in this context, persons, sentient beings, are led by their minds. Their minds in turn are under the power of their afflictions, and these in turn are controlled by the karma which the beings have created, which finds its origin in the innate sense of an inherent existence of a self. This is none other than beginningless ignorance. Therefore, the understanding of all pervasive suffering encounters eventually the view, the uncommon Buddhist view, which is shared by all of the Buddhist schools, including for instance the Sautrāntika School.
And which asserts that ignorance is none other than that mistaken apprehension of the existence of an autonomous and independent self where no such self exists. The opposite view of this ignorance is wisdom. An understanding of the difference in philosophical view between Buddhist and non-Buddhist systems of thought is therefore fundamental, albeit difficult. It It is fundamental because the difference between Buddhist and non-Buddhist systems of thought is positive in terms of their philosophy, in terms of their view, much more than in terms of the behavior which is broadly speaking similar apart from some differences. And therefore, it is critical for us to develop this mind which is striving for well-being in future lives.
Now, when reflecting on such a mind striving for well-being in future lives, we do not really understand what it is. Or understanding what it is, we find it difficult to gain realizations. This is a sign of lack of merit. And therefore, at this point, it is necessary to engage in purification and merit. And this connects with the topic of today, which is liberation in the palm of your hand.
Both Buddhist and non-Buddhist schools of tenets acknowledge that all composite phenomena arise in dependence on the collection of substantial causes and cooperative conditions. In the context of our own practice, the substantial causes are none other than engaging in study and meditation. When despite the presence of these substantial causes of study and meditation realization yet does not dawn, then this is the clear sign that the cooperative condition of the accumulation of merit and of purification of non virtuous karma is absent. As Je Tsongkhapa said, when upon hearing I cannot retain the teachings and upon thinking I do not understand their meaning and upon meditating no realizations dawn, it is time to apply the oral instruction. The oral instruction was the oral instruction which Mañjuśrī imparted to Je Tsongkhapa, which was first to see the spiritual teacher as totally inseparable from the tutelary deity, and secondly, to make powerful entreaties while practicing purification and the accumulation of merit.
And this is why accumulating the requisite conditions for the realizations is said to be akin to treating a an open wound, while generating the substantial cause is said to be akin to sowing a seed in a fertile field. It is with this in mind that Je Tsongkhapa accumulated the conditions for realization through engaging in intensive Dharma practice at Olka Cholung offering prostrations, mandala and so forth. And the teacher of Pabongka Rinpoche from whom he received the core of liberation in the palm of your hand, the noble Kelsang Trinzin, when he was engaged in analytical meditation, read the biography of one of the Kadampa Geshe’s, Gompawa. And in the biography of Gompawa, he read about some of the realizations of Gompawa and upon reading about them, while he himself was meditating on bodhicitta, his hair stood on end as a result of the meditation, the intensity of his meditation. This is what happens when past virtuous karmic imprints mature.
And in the great seats, the great monasteries, Sera and Ganden and Drepung, the tradition is to recite extensively, numerously, the prayer to the 21 Taras every evening, sometimes for one, sometimes for two, sometimes for three hours. This is an uncommon tradition whose goal is to enable the students to accumulate the collections. And when applying the oral instruction, accumulate the collections and purify the obstructions, we need a basis on which to practice this. This basis is none other than the field of accumulation of merit. It is known as a field because it functions in exactly the same way as a fertile field in which we plant seeds which will germinate and grow in the future.
At present, there are two different modes of visualizing the field of accumulation of merit. In keeping with the tradition of transmission from the mouth of Mañjuśrī authored by the fifth Dalai Lama, there is no difference in the visualization of the field of merit and the field of refuge. However, there is a slight difference from the standpoint of the swift path of the fifth Pänchen Lama. There are three modes of visualizing the object of refuge. The first is to see him as arising from within light.
The second is to see him as arising from within bliss and emptiness. The third is to see wisdom beings invited dissolving into a visualized pledge being. However, before engaging in such a visualization of the field of merit, one must first bless one’s dwelling. This amounts to seeing one’s dwelling as a celestial mansion or at least as a pure abode. And at that point, one offers either in keeping with the ritual actually offered or mentally emanated offerings in a row.
And at this point, there is a rather long mantra for blessing the offerings you can find in Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand. However, the short mantra is more than appropriate. And generally speaking regarding the visualization of the field of merit in this context, it can be done either in keeping with the Guru Puja swift path Lamrim, or it can be done in accordance with the Lama Chöpa field of merit. Since the Lama Chöpa field of merit has uncommon blessings because it was in dependence on this practice that Gelwang Ensapa attained full enlightenment in one lifetime, this should be privileged. So entering into the details of such visualization would not be appropriate when we are not in the presence of the Guru.
However, to cover the broad outlines, one visualizes as a throne on top of a tree, a large lotus in the center of which is one central lotus on either side of which are lotuses behind which is one lotus and in front of which is one lotus which makes five lotuses. In the center, one visualizes one’s root guru and in keeping with the instructions which are numerous, but specifically in keeping with those of the Lamrim, one visualizes him as being inseparably one with the root guru, with Je Tsongkhapa, with Buddha Śākyamūni, and with Guru Vajradhāra. So one might wonder whether it is appropriate to do such a visualization since it would seem at first that the mental continuums of these four beings are different. However, if we analyze, we can see that while Buddha Śākyamūni is the supreme emanation body manifesting as a bhikṣu who taught the Dharma. Guru Vajradhāra is none other than the manifestation of Buddha Śākyamūni with consort in the context of Anuttara Yoga Tantra mandalas.
And Buddha Śākyamūni prophesied numerous times in days in the future when my Dharma is degenerating, I will manifest in various forms for the sake of sentient beings. The Buddha therefore manifested during the earlier transmission of the teachings in Tibet in numerous forms for the sake of sentient beings. He also manifested in the form of Jowo Atisha and in the form of numerous future masters. And if we examine at present, we can posit no one who performs the activities of Buddha Śākyamūni for our sake other than our spiritual teacher. He is therefore to be seen also as a manifestation of Buddha Śākyamūni.
So to give an example, which is actually inspired from, quotes from both sūtra and tantra. If we take the example of an official, the function of the official depends of the vestments of the uniform he wears. When an official wears a policeman’s uniform, we can see him as a policeman. When the same person wears the uniform or the clothing, the garb of a merchant, then we would see him as a merchant. And the triply or the trice benevolent teacher has two different meanings.
One from the standpoint of sūtra and one from the standpoint of tantra. From the standpoint of sūtra, the trice benevolent teacher is one who imparts advice, who gives scriptural transmissions and who teaches the great treatises. From the standpoint of tantra, it is one who gives initiations, who transmits the tantra and who imparts the oral instructions. So how should we now visualize these four beings which have to be seen as inseparable? They have to be visualized as Je Tsongkhapa on the outside in monastic garb.
And within Je Tsongkhapa at his heart, one visualizes Buddha Śākyamūni, again in monastic garb. Within the heart of Buddha Śākyamūni, one visualizes Guru Vajradhāra with consort. And within the heart of Guru Vajradhāra, one visualizes the letter Hung. These four beings are not blended. They are instead clearly differentiated.
The meaning is that the actual inner meaning of Je Tsongkhapa’s exterior appearance as a monastic is that he is Buddha Śākyamūni. The actual inner meaning of Buddha Śākyamūni’s manifestation as a monastic is the manifestation of Guru Vajradhāra. The actual inner meaning of Guru Vajradhāra is the letter Hung at his heart, and this probably symbolizes the fundamental mind in Geshe-la’s opinion. There are three different ways of performing this visualization in a function of one’s capacity for visualization and one’s mental power. If one has a strong capacity for visualization and good mental acumen, one then visualizes the complete field of merit with Lama Tsongkhapa in the center, and to the right and to the left, the collections of the teachers of the vast and the profound, behind and in front, the other collections of teachers of the uncommon lineage of blessing and so forth.
As well as the complete supporting and supported mandalas of all of the classes of tantra. However, if one does not have the mental capacity to do this, an intermediate visualization is to visualize the central figure and on either side the lineages of the vast and of the profound. If this is still too difficult, it is said that it is acceptable to visualize the central figure as one’s root teacher alone. So at present, as far as the ritual of Lama Lhundup is concerned, we are on pages 702 and 703 of Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand. This is what you recite while doing this visualization.
And we have reached the point after visualizing the field of merit at which we invite the wisdom beings. The field of merit is therefore visualized in front of us in the extensive, medium or concise form and the wisdom beings in a light from above. The goal of this visualization is to stabilize our visualization. And this completes the fourth of the preparatory rites. We will now start the fifth.
And Khensur Rinpoche asked Geshe-la to teach during the forthcoming Easter break, the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, which is a teaching on the actual nature of cyclic existence of the cycle of lives which we go through, and is extremely important. Then, if you have the time and, the possibility, Geshe-la feels it would be good if you attended, this teaching which is held over three days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. After all, if you were to spend the four days of your vacation just idling away time and going to the beach or whatever, then at the end Geshe-la suspects you would feel very regretful at the thought your vacation is over and you might wonder whether you had accomplished anything useful as well. On the other hand, if it does not cause too much hardship and your families and husbands or wives allow, then, it would be good if you attended the teachings, and you can take one day off as well. If there are questions.
Yes, please. No, for your question, first question, offering water bowls is not sufficient to purify the abode. There is a mantra in the Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand which performs this function. Most definitely regarding your second question, if you’ve received the commentary on Lama Chöpa, then although there are many ways of visualizing the field of accumulation of merit, you should try to do it in keeping with Lama Chöpa. Are there other questions?
So they are different. Probably, self-cherishing is the cause of expectations. Yes? Unwarranted. Unwarranted.
I don’t know of unwanted expectations. Self contradictory. Yes, are there other questions? Yes. So if we summarize, are you asking if objects have an inherent value?
So I had to rephrase your question for Geshe-la taking this book as an example. I asked Geshe-la if this book had value from its own side. I think that is your question. Right? Then Geshe-la said that this book does not appear and is not valued in the way it appears to us.
It appears in a different way from its actual mode of existence to us. Does that answer your question? A little bit. A little bit, yeah, good. Are there other questions?
Yes, please. So this book, I will reformulate it. This book appears in a certain manner, but it does not exist in the manner it appears. The value we attribute to it on the basis of that appearance is not the actual value it should have. That should be clearer.
Are there other questions? Yes, please. Wonder about your interest in values here. Difficult question. The question about things.
Right? About things, about objects. Are there other questions?
Key terms in this teaching
- contaminated aggregates zagchä kyi phung po (Tib)
- The aggregates of an ordinary being that are contaminated by the seeds of delusion and therefore pervaded by suffering because they are controlled by delusion and karma. LYWA
- dependent origination pratityasamutpada (Skt); ten drel (Tib)
- Also called dependent arising. The way that the self and phenomena exist conventionally as relative and interdependent. LYWA
- Guru Puja Lama Chöpa (Tib)
- A special Highest Yoga Tantra guru yoga practice composed by the fourth Panchen Lama, Losang Chökyi Gyaltsen. LYWA
- lamrim
- The graduated path. A presentation of Shakyamuni Buddha’s teachings in a form suitable for the step-by-step training of a disciple. LYWA
- suffering of change viparinama-duhkhata (Skt); gyurwäi dug ngäl (Tib)
- What is normally regarded as pleasure, which because of its transitory nature sooner or later turns into suffering. LYWA
- suffering of suffering duhkha-duhkhata (Skt); dug ngäl gyi dug ngäl (Tib)
- Aka the suffering of pain; the commonly recognized suffering experiences of pain, discomfort and unhappiness. LYWA
- tantra gyü (Tib)
- Literally, thread, or continuity. The secret teachings of the Buddha; a scriptural text and the teachings and practices it contains. Also called Vajrayana or Mantrayana. LYWA
- twelve links of dependent origination pratitya samutpada (Skt); ten drel yen lag chu nyi (Tib)
- Also called the twelve dependent-related limbs or branches; the twelve steps in the evolution of cyclic existence: 1) ignorance; 2) karmic formation; 3) consciousness; 4) name and form; 5) sensory fields; 6) contact; 7) feelings; 8) craving; 9) grasping... LYWA
Definitions adapted from the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive glossary, as taught in the Gelug tradition.