Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 43-minute commentary, Kyabje Rinpoche analyzes verses 87–94 of Lama Chöpa using ocean imagery to reframe Buddhist motivation. Cyclic existence is a vast ocean where beings are tossed by waves of karma and affliction, preyed upon by monstrous creatures of suffering. The three higher trainings—ethics, meditation, wisdom—form the path to liberation. The teaching’s core is developing Bodhisattva mind: recognizing all beings as mothers, cultivating equanimity, and practicing the exchange of self for others. Through careful analysis, practitioners see how self-centeredness is the root of all suffering while other-centeredness is the source of all happiness and Buddhahood. The teaching aims to transform self-cherishing into cherishing all beings above one’s own interests. For those familiar with Lama Chöpa practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1992-10-30 – 17B – KR.mp3
UUID: 8a39a55f-a33c-4153-9a37-2c3bfa0d9856
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Guru Puja – Lama Chopa
Date: 1992-10-30
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~2,536
# Lama Chöpa 17b 1992-10-30
**Collection:** Rinpoche Recordings — Lama Chöpa and Guru Yoga
**Duration:** 43.9 minutes
**Words:** 2,541
**Model:** Deepgram Nova-3
**Corrections applied:** 0
**Transcribed:** 2026-02-28 19:21
—
So that is the common path of the being of small capacity, and next comes the common path of the being of middling capacity and it has two parts. The development of the mind which strives for liberation, development of mind which is striving for liberation, and then the actual practice of the path which leads to liberation. Through our practice of going for refuge and the observation of karma, we are not reborn in the lower migrations, those of hell, hungry ghosts or animal. Where are we born?
We would be born in a happy migration of either a human or celestial being. So we’re looking at verse 87. Violently tossed amidst waves of delusion and karma, plagued by hordes of water monsters and three kinds of suffering, we seek your blessings to develop an intense longing to be free from the monstrous ocean of boundless and vicious existence. Though we have not taken rebirth in one of the bad migrations and though we have achieved this wonderful embodiment of a human or celestial being, we are still under the—we have taken such a rebirth under the influence of karma and afflicted emotions.
And here they present an analogy. Analogy? No, it’s not an analogy. A metaphor. A simile.
A simile. Anyway, just as the afflicted emotions are likened to the waves on an ocean. Just as things are tossed about by these waves powerlessly, likewise, we are tossed about powerlessly by karma and afflictive emotions. In the course of which, we undergo the three types of suffering. The suffering of pain, the suffering of fluctuation, and suffering of universal conditionality.
Likewise, we are involved within cyclic existence. Here the ocean is likened to cyclic existence where within this ocean, not only are we perturbably tossed about by these waves of karma and afflictions, but within there are these monstrous beings within the ocean which are constantly consuming us and causing us great suffering. These bring us the three types of sufferings. Therefore seeing the situation that we are caught up in, making requests to one’s lama to please bless you that you develop the mind which strives for liberation from such an existence. So there, this is the person.
The similes which are being presented here are that cyclic existence is likened to a vast ocean. The various sufferings that we have to undergo are these various monstrous creatures which live within the ocean, and that the waves of this ocean are likened to the karma and afflictive emotions, and we are as if some type of fish was simply swimming around in this ocean, continually being devoured by these monstrous creatures of suffering. Verse number 88, Having abandoned the mind that uses unbearable prison of cyclic existence as a pleasure grove, we seek your blessings to partake of the treasure of the arhats, the jewels of three higher trainings, and thereby to uphold liberation’s banner. It just says the nature of cyclic existence is suffering. Just we would not be able to stay, we would not stay within a blazing fire, likewise because of the terrible pain that would be involved, we should see that the nature of cyclic existence is just as painful as abiding within a blazing fire.
Moreover, we should try to abandon the attitude which sees what is in fact a horrible prison as a very pleasant and happy place to stay. But on the contrary, to develop a mind which strives for liberation from this horrible prison in which we find ourselves. The method by which we are able to find liberation, the path, is by employing the three higher trainings. The higher trainings in ethics, meditative stabilization, and the wisdom realizing emptiness. Thereby these higher trainings are referred to as the victory banner of liberation.
Verse number 89. Having seen the faults of cyclic existence, one puts in practice the three higher trainings. The higher trainings in ethics, meditative stabilization, and developing the wisdom realizing emptiness, one can achieve liberation from such a state. But one should not seek to find liberation for oneself alone because in fact all sentient beings are undergoing the same experiences and moreover all sentient beings have been your mother and have brought about your welfare many times over. And it simply would not be proper.
It would be really a negative attitude to seek liberation for yourself while your aging mothers are experiencing suffering. All sentient beings are your aging mothers, in fact have been your parents in the past, and we should seek the mind which wishes to lead all of our mothers out of their suffering and to bring them to complete happiness. Who has such an ability to in fact lead all living beings to such a state? It is only a Buddha. Therefore in order to be able to develop the mind which seeks to lead all living beings to such a state, in order to develop the mind which aspires to Buddhahood, then I must create the causes and therefore I must generate the awakening heart.
So in order to develop the awakening heart, there are the two traditions whereby it can be developed. In terms of the awakened heart, the prerequisite for the development of the awakened heart, this development of compassion, as prior to the development of compassion, it’s necessary to develop a sense of wishing love. That is to say in the seven cause and effect instruction whereby recognizing all sentient beings as your mother, remembering their kindness, developing a sense of gratitude which wishes to repay their kindness, and then affectionate love, great compassion, exceptional resolve, and finally, the development of the awakening heart. The other tradition for the development of the awakening heart is equalizing and exchanging self for others. And then there is the practice whereby these two traditions are combined into a single practice.
In this single combined practice, it begins with the recognition of all sentient beings as one’s mother. But even as a prerequisite to that, it’s necessary that we develop equanimity. Just as in the case of if we want to grow a crop, it’s necessary to let the field be even, flat. Likewise, we have to develop an even minded attitude toward all living beings. That is an attitude which is divorced of holding some close due to attachment and holding others at a distance due to aversion, but we should have the same even minded attitude toward all living beings.
As a means for the development of the cultivation of equanimity, look at verse 89 where it says, having seen how all these pitiful beings have been our mothers and have shown us kindness again and again, we seek your blessings to develop an unaffected compassion like a loving mother for her child. So developing a sense of equanimity, that is an attitude which regards all sentient beings in the same way. And why? Because if we look at all sentient beings, they’re all equally in the same situation. That is to say, do they all want happiness? They don’t have happiness. Do none of them want to suffer? In fact, they are tortured by suffering. And also, they are blind.
That is to say, they don’t have the wisdom understanding what is to be adopted and what is to be avoided. And they are like people who are drunk. That is to say, they are completely under the influence of the afflicted emotions. All sentient beings are exactly the same in being under the control of these conditions. Therefore, what is the use of having attachment for some and aversion for others when they are all in the same exact condition?
But not only are they in the same condition from their side, but they have all been—and therefore we are to develop a sense of equanimity which is neither, the type of equanimity which is being spoken of here is that which is free from the attitude which is free from aversion and attachment, holding some near and some others distant. But additionally, on top of that, in fact all of these sentient beings have been our mothers and each of them have been our mothers numberless times and have raised us again and again with the same kindness as our mother of this life. And we should be mindful of their great kindness, recognizing their kindness. We go on to develop a sense of affectionate love where all of these beings appear very attractive, very pleasant to us. Finally, we are making requests, we seek your blessings to develop great unaffected compassion for them.
Next verse, verse 90. There is no difference between ourselves and others. None of us wishes even the slightest of suffering nor is ever contented with the happiness we have. Realizing this, we seek your blessings that we may enhance the joy of others. This is setting up the method for developing equality of self and others in terms of the practice of equalizing and exchanging self with others.
Here there’s this developed sense of equality between oneself and others, that all living beings are just like ourselves in the fact that all want happiness. However much happiness they can get, that’s what they want. On the other hand, none just like ourselves want even the most minor, very insignificant suffering just like ourselves. All living beings are equal in that respect and none want unhappiness and all want suffering eliminated. Having a sense of equality and asking that we be blessed to be able to rejoice in the happiness that others have.
In fact, may we be able to bring happiness to them just as we ourselves want happiness. So this is the means of equalizing and then the actual exchange of self for others. It begins in the next verse. Here it’s necessary that we be able to see the disadvantages of self-cherishing and the advantages of cherishing others. We have to see what are the faults if we continue in our self-cherishing ways and what would be the benefit if we were to set aside cherishing of self and begin to cherish others?
In terms of this practice of exchanging self for others, it has been taught previously, so we won’t go into detail. Just very rapidly speaking though, we have, it’s necessary that we see that all the unwanted sufferings of this life come about through our self-cherishing and that not only that, but self-cherishing prevents us from experiencing the happiness that we want. We covered the verse 91 where it said this chronic disease of cherishing ourselves is the cause of giving rise to our unwished-for sufferings. Realizing this we seek your blessings to blame, begrudge, and destroy this monstrous demon of self-cherishing. So there we’re trying, let us say we should see the disadvantages and results of self-cherishing.
Whereas in verse 92, the mind that cherishes all other beings and would secure them in bliss is a gateway to infinite virtue. Seeing this, we seek your blessings to cherish these beings more than our lives even should they rise up as our enemies. Here we’re trying to see the advantages and the excellent, the advantages and benefits of cherishing others. Cherishing others, that is the cherishing of others, is the root of all excellent qualities. It is the bringer of happiness in this life, in future lives.
It brings about the happiness of liberation, and the complete happiness of Buddhahood. All happiness that we experience up to the achievement of Buddhahood is brought about through cherishing others on one hand and that all sufferings are eliminated by means of cherishing others. Therefore, there is the great advantage of cherishing others in that it eliminates all sufferings and is the bringer of all happiness. We should treat our self-cherishing as if it were our enemy, that it was killing all our happiness, it was destroying all that we hold worthwhile. So can we actually exchange self for others?
Well, we can take as our example Śākyamūni Buddha himself who in fact pursued the practice of exchanging himself for others, achieved the practice and by means of that achieved his state whereby he eliminated all his faults and brought to consummation all his excellent qualities. On the other hand, we ourselves in the past have held onto our self-cherishing and we continue to exist within self-cherishing. And if we continue in the future, by continuing that same way in the future, we will continue to circle within the cycle of existence without end. So we can look to someone who in fact has exchanged self for others and what they were able to achieve and what if we do not make that exchange, what we can expect in the future. So this does not need to be explained, we do not need to talk a great deal.
We simply have to look at the examples about this where it says in verse 93, In brief, infantile beings labor solely for their own ends, while Buddhas work solely for the welfare of others. With a mind of understanding of the distinction between the failings of one and the advantages of the other, we seek your blessings to be able to equalize and exchange ourselves for others. Then verse 94 where it says, since cherishing ourselves is the doorway to all torment, while cherishing our mothers the foundation of all that is good, we seek your blessings to make our core practice the yoga of exchange of self for others. Seeing that self-cherishing is the root of all that is unwanted whereas cherishing others is the root of all that is good, one comes to a final determination to make this practice of exchange of self for others one’s main practice.
So we’re going to stop there for the day, but if you have a short question, we’ll take some short questions. Commitment? Yes. Yeah. When that’s okay to do it there. That’s sufficient. So one can recite the mantras, meditational deities, whatever mantras you want to recite at that point. That’s okay.
So at the time, you know, having done the mantra recitation, you can imagine that the lama looked before you transforms into Vajrasattva and performing the Vajrasattva practice when the nectar is coming from. And then the nectar is flowing down from Vajrasattva in front of you. So that’s where you would do you could do the practice at that point. I mean, at the mantra at his heart, is it? So having finished recitation of the Hundred Syllable Mantra, then again Vajrasattva transforms into Vajradhāra.
Any other questions? You can imagine that the bell and vajra which everyone is holding dissolve upwards into the, in front of the throne just as it indicates here, a crossed vajra and it dissolves into that crossed vajra and that this is a request to not pass beyond sorrow, not pass into parinirvāṇa, not pass beyond sorrow, but to remain stable for a long time. So this is the main way of holding the crossed vajra.