Emptiness — 2013-10-30

Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.

About this talk. In this 108-minute Lamrim commentary, Kyabje Rinpoche establishes a foundational claim: without renunciation—genuine conviction that saṃsāra brings only suffering—no practice, not even emptiness meditation, leads to liberation. From this ground he explores emptiness (the realization that phenomena don’t exist as they appear, illustrated via a TV screen) and bodhicitta (the wish to attain enlightenment for the sake of others). The bulk is a detailed practical teaching on the perfection of generosity: its three forms (material giving, dharma, fearlessness), the mental purity required (freedom from avarice, regret, pride), and recognizing the emptiness of giver, recipient, gift, and result. He briefly introduces the perfection of ethics, then responds to student questions on generosity with payment, the meaning of ethics, spontaneous renunciation, and studying through confusion.

File metadata (for organising)

File: 2013-10-30 – KR.mp3

UUID: e2fe5f91-3f43-4fc1-b4d4-bf50cbbda01a

Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche

Collection: Emptiness

Date: 2013-10-30

Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide

Words: ~5,226

As the Bodhisattva, Togme Zangpo, said in his 37 practices of a Bodhisattva, since the pleasures of existence are transient like chaff in the wind, the bodhisattvas strive for durable bliss. This is the practice of bodhisattvas. What is being taught by this stanza is that while we ourselves strive for the happiness of the three realms, the three realms refer here to the realm of desire, of form and the formless realm. This happiness which we strive for, which is none other than the objects of desire, which we consider as giving natural happiness, is meaningless since these objects are subjects which are systematically destroyed and which are transitory and ephemeral. All of this so called happiness which we strive for, we have experienced countless times in the past during countless rebirths as human beings, as gods, as demigods in the form and in the formless realms.

Yet, even though we experience it countless times in the past, we do not remember experiencing it, and we therefore do not remember its meaninglessness and its transience. This is why we strive for it again in this life. Then, in our own cases, it is very difficult to give rise to an awareness of the meaninglessness of this happiness and of the fact that this mundane happiness is of the nature of suffering. If we are unable to give rise to the awareness that the happiness of the three realms is but of the nature of suffering, we will be unable to give rise to the mind which wishes to abandon it. We are unable, in addition, to give rise to the mind which wishes to abandon it because we do not believe that there is a stable state of happiness, since in the past we have never experienced it.

This stable state of happiness is for enlightenment. We can see this very clearly in the case of an alcoholic. An alcoholic will continue to drink for so long as he is not convinced that drinking alcohol is problematic in any way. If in addition he considers a state of inebriation, which accompanies drinking as a good one, he will be encouraged to continue drinking. Then we ourselves, when we deal with an alcoholic, are fully aware of the problems of drinking and are in a position to give him good advice, specifically the advice to give up alcohol.

Then the aryas are in the position of the wise friend who advises the alcoholic to give up alcohol. They can see that samsaric existence is of the nature of suffering through their own experience, they themselves have abandoned suffering, and therefore they can tell us all this effort, all the striving you engage in is meaningless and leads only to more suffering. As Āryadeva says in his Chatushattaka, The 400 Verses, how would one who does not see the faults of cyclic existence strive for the bliss of liberation? And therefore we should contemplate carefully the faults of cyclic existence just as someone who is cast in jail contemplates over time the thoughts of being in jail and generates the wish to escape from jail. Likewise, if we contemplate the faults of cyclic existence, we will wish to be free from it.

This is however very difficult. If for instance we have a very nice or a very grand car, it is very difficult instead of cherishing the car we have struggled so hard to purchase, to only see its faults and say, This car of mine, which looks so grand, which is so prestigious, which impresses people, is actually a source of desire, it is a source of anger, it is a source of ignorance, it is exclusively a source of faults. This is something which I have explained many times over the last couple of months. It behooves us to reflect on the thoughts of cyclic existence, both the general faults which were explained and the specific faults of cyclic existence, until we view cyclic existence, the cycle of reincarnations as a poison to be rejected. This is very difficult.

This is very difficult since if we engage in this seriously, we are considering as worthless and valueless everything we are striving for at present. What would happen in that case? We would probably stay in our room. Then from the standpoint of this life and this world we are lost. We will no longer be counted as a winner, but as a loser.

All those who surround us live and act under the influence of desire, of anger, and of ignorance. The totality of the world, of the secular world acts under the power of these afflictions. Nobody strives for liberation. Therefore, if oneself one strives for liberation, one is at odds with the totality of the world. So how does one behave?

One cannot imitate those who surround us, but one strives to become like the Arhats, the aryas, the Bodhisattvas who are described in scripture. Therefore, one modifies one’s behavior in terms of the Buddhist scriptures. Then, in our case, we are unable to do this. We see the world as a place filled with qualities which we aspire to attain under the influence of desire, of hatred and of ignorance. We see what is unhappy as actually happy.

We see what is impermanent as permanent. We see what is meaningless as meaningful. This is all a lie. If we are able to contemplate the thoughts of cyclic existence, the wish to abandon cyclic existence will arise. In dependence on this, renunciation or definite emergence will arise.

When this renunciation or definite emergence becomes spontaneous, it is said that we have attained renunciation or definite emergence. If we are unable to generate renunciation or definite emergence, then whatever we engage in will not be a cause for liberation. Even meditation on emptiness we will find impossible to engage in, and nothing can be a cause for higher states such as full enlightenment. Then any virtue which we accumulate becomes merely a cause for cyclic existence. Since only a part of it is virtuous, the other part is contaminated.

It cannot be a cause for liberation. And if we are able to generate renunciation then we will put effort at meditating on emptiness which is indispensable to counter ignorance. Emptiness is contradictory or incompatible, it is opposite to ignorance. If one single human being were simultaneously to meditate both on emptiness and on ignorance, let us say to meditate one hour on ignorance and to meditate one hour on emptiness, The meditation on emptiness would prevail over the meditation on ignorance because the foundation of emptiness is concordant with reason. It is in harmony with reason whereas the foundation of ignorance is at odds with reason.

For this reason, the ignorance which apprehends phenomena as inherently existent is considered a wrong view. It is an imputation on the basis of phenomena of something which is nonexistent. We must meditate on emptiness since if we meditate on emptiness we will be able to destroy, to sever ignorance, which is the root of the afflictions, and therefore the root of desire, of anger, and of all of the other afflictions. Ignorance proceeds either through superimposition or through deprecation. When ignorance proceeds through superimposition, it proceeds in the fashion we see with afflictions such as desire or anger.

Desire, for instance, sees an attractiveness in the object which isn’t there. It superimposes attractiveness on the object, and on this basis we crave for the object. Likewise, anger superimposes an unattractiveness and a hostility on others, for instance, which is absent, and on this basis we loathe them. In both cases, the superimposition and the deprecation are the product of an ignorance which misconstrues the state of affairs. Then instead of ignorance we should generate in its place the mind which realizes emptiness, a mind which does not misconstrue phenomena but sees them as they are.

In dependence on this mind one can progress to liberation and to full enlightenment. In a nutshell, what is emptiness? Emptiness is the fact that phenomena do not appear as they exist. We can see a very clear illustration of this when we watch television. Even though the images on television seem to be alive and animated, nonetheless there is nothing there.

Some who are uneducated might even think that there is something in the box, but this is merely a superimposition of ignorance. All of us must therefore meditate on the fact that phenomena are empty of existing as they appear to exist. At present we are profoundly convinced that things exist in the way in which they appear. We have to transform this into a conviction that phenomena do not exist in the slightest in the way in which they appear. The very crux of meditation on emptiness is meditating on the fact that phenomena do not exist in the way in which they appear to exist, but exist differently from the way they appear to exist.

And then once one has trained in emptiness one must generate a bodhicitta which is a state of mind wishing to attain enlightenment for the sake of others, which thinks, I must attain the state of full enlightenment to set all beings within that state. Once such a state of mind is generated spontaneously, then one can say that one has generated bodhicitta. For this, six of the seven components of the seven fold cause and effect generation of bodhicitta must be generated and they will act as a cause to give rise to bodhicitta. So if we wish to try to understand what bodhicitta is, bodhicitta is a mind which is concordant or which is similar to the twin thoughts. I wish to set all sentient beings in the state of full enlightenment and why would it be inappropriate for me to attain full enlightenment with this as a goal.

Those twin thoughts however in and of themselves are not bodhicitta. They are merely concordant with or similar to bodhicitta. True bodhicitta can only be generated incrementally by training either in the sevenfold cause and effect process, or in the interchange of self and others. Then it will arise in a stable and sustainable form. And then, let us meditate on the fact that we shall train continually until we die in these three principles of the path.

Renunciation from cyclic existence, the bodhicitta which wishes to set all sentient beings in the state of full enlightenment, and the wisdom which realizes emptiness. Therefore, moving onwards with the commentary on the catalogue of the stages of the path of Tsongkhapa, after generating the state of mind which thinks I shall attain full enlightenment for the sake of others, in other words, bodhicitta, one then engages in the practice of the perfections, the first of which is generosity on stanza 18 of the translation. Generosity is the wish fulfilling gem quenching the wishes of all migrators, the supreme fortune cleaving the demon of avarice, the conduct of the signs of the conquerors which gives rise to inner fortitude without despondency, The foundation of a repute which resounds in the 10 directions. Understanding this, the wise rely on the worthy path utterly bestowing one’s body, wealth and virtue. I, the yogi, have practiced thus, you too, who wish for liberation should wish to act thus.

So the first verse, the first line of stanza 18, Generosity is a wish fulfilling gem, quenching the wishes of all migrators, refers to generosity practiced by all beings, both the Bodhisattvas as well as the fully enlightened beings. In either case this generosity satisfies the wishes of all migrators, in other words of all sentient beings. Then the first verse, the first line is a very difficult one in a sense because how could one quench the wishes of all migrators since they lack contentment? If one gives them a house, they want a mansion. If one gives them a plot of land, they want a park.

It’s very difficult to quench your wishes, migrators. So the meaning of this line is that we should generate a mind of giving within ourselves, generosity which wishes to help others. When one speaks of the generosity of the bodhisattvas in this context, the material amount which is given is broadly speaking irrelevant. Whether it is $1, $5 or a $100 which is donated. What is being referred to here is not the amount given, what is being referred to here is the mind of giving, the outlook which wishes to give without any stinginess or avarice from one side to another.

If stinginess, cupidity or avarice are present, then a pure act of giving has not occurred. Likewise, if after engaging in generosity regret arises and one has a wish to retrieve somehow what one has given, a pure act of generosity has not occurred. Then what should be one’s goal? One’s sole goal should be as a result of this deed of generosity to be able to set all sentient beings in the state of full enlightenment. Should this be one’s goal, one will have engaged in the deed of generosity of the scions of the conquerors.

In addition, engaging in this deed, one should reflect on the fact that oneself, the donor is empty of even one iota of inherent existence, that the recipient of the gift or the donation is also empty of even one iota of inherent existence, that the gift itself is completely empty of inherent existence, and that the result of this deed of generosity attaining the state of full enlightenment is also empty of inherent existence. And therefore what is the meaning in this line of quenching the wishes of all migrators? It actually refers to attaining oneself the state of full enlightenment in which it will indeed be possible to quench the wishes of all migrators. In the following line, the supreme fortune or sword cleaving the demon of avarice refers to the fact that the practice of generosity is the supreme means to counter avarice. Avarice stinginess, is an affliction, and it is actually the main reason for which we do not engage in the practice of generosity.

We think to ourselves, if I give this to him, what will be left for me? Then when one engages in giving, it cuts avarice, literally in Tibetan, cuts avarice at the root. We must engage in the practice of giving, and the way to do so is to reflect: since life’s without beginning I have been incredibly wealthy. I have actually been reborn as Brahma who has complete control over all of the phenomena of this world, all of the material phenomena. Yet what benefit have I accrued from this?

What is left of this now? Since my goal is for enlightenment, I must engage in the practice of generosity since the perfection of generosity occurs at the level of full enlightenment. Then in our case, we are the leftover, those who were unable to engage in generosity and to reach a perfection of generosity, since those who were able to engage in generosity in the past have already attained full enlightenment. This is how I want you to think about it. The following line, The conduct of the scions of the conquerors which gives rise to inner fortitude without despondency is to be understood as follows: The scions of the conquerors are the bodhisattvas.

Their conduct is engaging in the practice of the six perfections. In this context this refers to engaging in the practice of training in the perfection of generosity. Inner fortitude in this line refers to not falling under the sway of cupidity, avarice, or stinginess. The following line on the next page of stanza 18, The foundation of a repute which resounds in the 10 directions, refers to the fact that through such practices one would be understood to be a bodhisattva. Then one’s reputation would be extraordinary in one direction, let alone all the directions.

The following two lines understanding this, the wise rely on the worthy path utterly bestowing one’s body, wealth and virtue refers to the fact that the bodhisattvas donate their bodies, their wealth and all their virtue, and those who rely on such a path are to be known as wise. Here, from within the threefold division of generosity into the generosity which gives objects, that which imparts the Dharma and that which imparts fearlessness, donating one’s body wealth, and wealth refer to the first generosity, that which gives objects. When one engages in the practice of generosity, it must not be contaminated by any of the causes of contamination. These causes of contamination are first, giving something to another wishing to get something back in return. Secondly, giving something to another wishing for a good reputation.

Thirdly, giving something to another wishing for a higher rebirth in future life. Now, when one refers to bodhisattvas donating their body, one should understand that this is not to be engaged in casually or in any which way. To be able to do this meaningfully, a bodhisattva must understand the consequences for sentient beings of donating his body to them. This is not really possible for any bodhisattva below the level of an ārya bodhisattva, in other words a bodhisattva on the path of seeing. Therefore only bodhisattvas on the path of seeing and above should donate their bodies to others.

Then how do ordinary beings such as ourselves, who are not Ārya Bodhisattvas, engage in this practice of donating their body? One donates one’s body through serving others who are unable to do something for themselves. Then regarding the donation of wealth, wealth here is to be understood in the broadest sense of the term as one’s possessions and not merely as money. Here, one can only donate what will not be of harm to others. So for instance, if one were to donate money which would be put to an evil purpose, then it should not be given to others.

Likewise, if one were to donate books or texts which would be put to harmful purposes, then they should not be given, since this is actually a breach of the Bodhisattva vows. In addition, when one engages in such deeds of generosity, which should not allow the pride to arise within one’s mind, which thinks after engaging in such deeds, others will think highly of me. Likewise, one should not allow regret to arise within one’s mind. If, for instance, after having donated $100 one thinks the next day, my goodness, I gave $100 I really shouldn’t have.’ Then at this point that regret acts as a cause for avarice or stinginess arising once again within the mind. Then one can practice generosity with respect to whichever recipient one chooses.

The supreme recipient is obviously the Triple Gem, but one can also practice generosity towards the Sangha or towards ordinary beings. These are all appropriate recipients of generosity. So this completes the presentation of material generosity or the generosity of giving objects. The second subdivision of generosity is giving or imparting Dharma. This refers to teaching or uttering even one verse of Dharma for the benefit of another person.

If one does so with the profound motivation to help the other person, this becomes a generosity of imparting Dharma. It is taught that the practice of giving material things is the main practice of generosity for lay people, since lay people principally work with material things. That the practice of imparting or giving Dharma is the main practice of generosity for the Sangha, since the Sangha or those who are ordained work mainly with the Dharma and sever doubts with respect to the Dharma. And that the third practice of generosity, granting fearlessness, is a principle practice both for lay people and for Sangha. The third subdivision of generosity, granting fearlessness or granting protection, refers for instance to protecting an insect which has fallen in the water through lifting him out of the water on one’s finger, or to helping someone who has been cast in jail to be liberated from jail.

There are numerous ways of engaging in the practice. Practice of granting fearlessness or protection through retrieving beings from fire in which they have fallen, water in which they have fallen, any environment which is harmful to the being. This generosity can be practiced towards animals, towards human beings, towards any category of being. Moreover, these three types of generosity, the generosity of giving material possessions, of imparting the Dharma and of granting fearlessness, are not incompatible. There are common denominators between each pair of them.

And the fourth stanza 18 concludes, I the yogi have practiced thus, you too who wish for liberation should wish to act thus. Then since we only have four sessions or so left of this class, Geshe-la will cover two stanzas from now on per teaching. You don’t have stanza 19, so you should take it in note as I read it. Ethics is water to cleanse the stains of faulty conduct, moonlight which dispels the agonizing heat of the afflictions, resplendent as the towering one in the midst of the nine beings, by its force all migrators venerate it without fear. Understanding this, the Holy Ones will protect the disciplines which they have authentically adopted as their eyes.

And then the usual ending, Either yogi have practiced thus, you too who wish for liberation should wish to act thus. So the first line, ethics is water to cleanse the stains of faulty conduct refers to the fact that ethics is akin to water which can clean the stains of sin. The following line, Moonlight which dispels the agonizing heat of the afflictions refers to the fact that the suffering of the afflictions, which is akin to an agonizing heat, can be dispelled by ethics in the self same way as it is said that the light of the moon dispels the suffering of heat. Then the following line, resplendent as the towering one in the midst of the nine beings presents a problem in Tibetan. The nine beings can be read in several ways, as all beings, but it can also be read as referring to beings, and here it is not translated as nine, but as who are afflicted by change.

Then ethics would be understood as Mount Meru, the towering one, in the midst of beings which are afflicted by change. Ethics, in other words, is unchangeable. The following line, by its force all migrators venerated without fear refers to the fact that ethics naturally inspires veneration and respect in sentient beings. In the following two lines, understanding this, in other words understanding the qualities of ethics, the holy ones will protect the disciplines, which disciplines, the ethics which they themselves have accepted to protect, which they have authentically adopted as their eyes. Ethics is generally explained as threefold.

The ethics which restrains from non virtuous conduct, the ethics which engages in virtue, and the ethics which accomplishes the goal of sentient beings. So the first category of ethics, ethics which restrains from misdeeds, refers actually to the totality of the vows one has taken. This includes, for instance, the various categories of vows of individual liberation, such as the bhikṣu and bhiksuni vows, some more than 200 vows for bhikṣu, and more than 300 vows for the bhiksuni. The 30 vows in the Tibetan Enumeration for novice monks and nuns, the vows of lay men and women, as well as the one day vows of lay people. Likewise, the Bodhisattva vows which can be taken both by lay people and by monastics include the 18 root Bodhisattva vows, the branch Bodhisattva vows.

These are all included within the ethics of restraining from misdeeds. Same thing for tantric vows, the 14 root tantric vows, the numerous branched tantric vows, all of the vows oneself has accepted to protect are included within this first category of ethics. The third subdivision of ethics, which is the ethics accomplishing the welfare of others, includes in this context specifically the deeds one engages in motivated by bodhicitta with the wish to attain full enlightenment for the sake of others. Even though striving for liberation and the ethics associated with it, or for that matter striving for a higher rebirth and the ethics and behavior associated with it are ethical, nonetheless they would not be included within this category of ethics, which is a subdivision of the perfection of ethics, a practice of the bodhisattvas. As for helping people in this very life for the sake of this life, this is not considered as ethics at all.

Then the third subdivision of ethics, the ethics of accomplishing the welfare of others is an ethics in Tibetan. As an ethics it has two components, what is to be relinquished and what is to be practiced or established. One must be able to posit both. The second subdivision of ethics, we jump from the first to the third, we shall return to the second. The ethics of accomplishing or practicing virtue refers to the totality of virtuous deeds which are accomplished with the wish of attaining full enlightenment as their result.

The two lines in stanza 19, understanding this, the holy ones who protect the disciplines which they have authentically adopted as their eyes, instruct us in the importance of protecting our ethical behavior. As Āryadeva says in his Chattushattaka, the 400 stanzas, Without ethics, let alone one’s own welfare, what chance is there of accomplishing that of others? The meaning of these two verses is that ethics is indispensable both for oneself and for others. In our own case, it is possible for us certainly to engage in the first category of ethics, the ethics which restrains from non virtuous deeds and to restrain from non virtuous deeds as much as we can. Either yogi have practiced thus, you too who wish for liberation should wish to act thus.

We shall stop here for today. There are probably questions. Thank you for the teaching. Lots of questions but I’ll try and keep them short. In respect to giving my understanding would be that the giving of an intangible such as safety or comfort or security would be a generosity of the third type and if that is so how would the offer or the receiving of payment for the provision of that generosity be regarded?

How should the offer of payment be treated? This is not a pure practice of generosity. It’s contaminated by the fact that you are the recipient of money from others. The bodhisattva vows are vows which call us to help others without any retribution. Then it is said that the practice of a bodhisattva is a practice for one’s own stake which is unstained.

The practice is said to be for one’s own stake since after all one is striving for full enlightenment for the sake of others, so oneself does benefit, but it is unstained. Unstained by what? Unstained by any benefit for this life or future lives. Then in the case of the example you have given, such a practice of giving protection and then receiving money as a result of this from another is a practice it is unclear of whether it would be virtue or not. Probably not.

Probably it would only be something for this life. The biggest problem we all have is that we are unable to give our bodies up. Then as a result of this, whatever activities we engage in are for our own sake. In the case of bodhisattvas, the situation is different. They focus exclusively on the welfare of others and they have given their bodies away to others.

Maybe one question per person. And then, when whenever you want to finish, you can, you know Matisse would like to know what is ethic. Then ethics in English translates in Tibetan. Tibetan has two parts. Tsül and Trim.

Trim means law. Tsül means in keeping with. So ethics means the law which is in keeping with the way things are with reality. What Question, else? Can you give us an example of spontaneous renunciation?

So to understand spontaneous renunciation, one must understand the two components of the term. Spontaneous is sometimes also translated in English as unfabricated or uncontrived. The Tibetan term is Gyurwa Mayinpa. Gyurwa means to make. Gyurwa Mayinpa means something which is not made.

In other words, something which arises by itself without any effort. So this is a renunciation which arises by itself without having to think about it over and again. In the same way as at present for all of us, desire and anger arise by themselves spontaneously, without any effort on our part. Renunciation is that sense that everything in the cycle of lives is as poison. In Khensur Rinpoche’s teaching on emptiness in March 2009, he says that the criteria for knowing that a Śrāvaka is qualified to hear about emptiness is when upon hearing the very term emptiness, the hairs of their body stand on end.

And they’re so overtaken by emotion that they cry as if rain were falling. I cried when I first heard the teachings, but not for this reason. I cried out of confusion because I had no idea what Khensur Rinpoche was talking about. So my question is, other than feeling completely despondent, what is a way of moving from that point other than despondency? Other than complete despondency?

So the way to address this is for you to study. Now study here is not study in general. It actually means to take what was taught, the transcripts, and to read over them very carefully, underlining what you do not understand, and then asking others the mean about the meaning of what you don’t understand. Then if you put effort from your own side, your understanding will become deeper and deeper. It depends on the effort from your own side.

You have one great quality which is that you understand that you do not understand. And the fact that you understand that you do not understand dharma is a very good thing, since it means that you are trying to understand something which goes beyond this life. Most people are only focused on this life. Again, in respect to generosity, should one always only give what is wanted if you know what it is that is wanted? Yes, if we are able to do so for so long as what the other person wants is not something which is harmful to them, then clearly it is difficult for us to satisfy all the wishes of others.

Even putting effort sometimes, is very difficult to do so. And this is a result of laziness. Laziness is an affliction and all of us suffer from it. It is specifically an affliction against engaging in Dharma practice. It counters any type of Dharma practice.

Then when we meditate, as soon as we start meditating, our mind drifts off to something else. This is laziness. We think of something else in the object of meditation. Laziness is a big obstacle. Do you have a question?

Just to let The weekend.

Key terms in this teaching

bodhicitta jang chub sem (Tib)

A principal consciousness that combines the two factors of wishing to free all beings from suffering and of wishing to attain enlightenment in order to achieve that; the spontaneous altruistic mind of enlightenment can be either aspirational or engaging. LYWA

bodhisattva jang chub sem pa (Tib)

One who possesses bodhicitta. LYWA

bodhisattva vows chang sem dom pa (Tib)

The vows taken when one enters the bodhisattva path. LYWA

individual liberation

The liberation from cyclic existence achieved by a hearer (shravaka) or solitary realizer (pratyekabuddha), as compared with the full enlightenment of a buddha sought in the Mahayana. LYWA

Mount Meru

The mythical center of the universe in Buddhist cosmology. LYWA

right-seeing path darshana-marga (Skt); tong lam (Tib)

The third of the five paths to buddhahood; attained with the direct perception of emptiness. Also called the path of seeing. LYWA

tantric vows sang ngag kyi dom pa (Tib)

Vows taken by tantric practitioners. LYWA

three realms traidhatu (Skt); kham sum (Tib)

The desire, form and formless realms. LYWA

Definitions adapted from the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive glossary, as taught in the Gelug tradition.

Questions answered in this teaching

If someone offers payment for providing protection, how should that be regarded in terms of Buddhist practice, and is it generosity?

Giving protection and receiving money for it is not a pure practice of generosity, because it is contaminated by being the recipient of money from others. Bodhisattva vows call us to help others without any retribution. A bodhisattva's practice is said to be for one's own stake yet unstained, meaning it is not tainted by any benefit for this life or future lives. Whether protection given in return for money would be virtue is unclear, and probably it is not. It would probably only be something for this life. The biggest problem we all have is being unable to give up our bodies, so whatever we do is for our own sake.

What does spontaneous renunciation mean, and what is an example of it?

To understand spontaneous renunciation, one must understand its two components. "Spontaneous" is sometimes translated as unfabricated or uncontrived. The Tibetan term is Gyurwa Mayinpa: Gyurwa means to make, so Gyurwa Mayinpa means something not made. It arises by itself without any effort. Spontaneous renunciation therefore arises by itself, without having to think about it over and over again. As an example, at present desire and anger arise by themselves in all of us, spontaneously and without any effort on our part. Renunciation is the sense that everything in the cycle of lives is "as poison."