Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 100-minute first installment, Kyabje Rinpoche opens with the foundational Mahāyāna motivation—developing bodhicitta, the commitment to free all sentient beings from suffering—before diving into detailed philosophical commentary on the Heart Sūtra. Working through the opening line “in emptiness there is no form,” he explains how emptiness manifests across the ten Bodhisattva grounds, particularly during the path of meditation. He systematically traces the five aggregates, the twelve sources, the eighteen constituents, and the twelve links of dependent origination, showing how direct realization of emptiness progressively cuts through ignorance and breaks the cycle of rebirth. The teaching culminates in the Vajra-like meditative stabilization, the final stage where one attains Buddhahood. Pitched at serious practitioners already versed in Mahāyāna Buddhist philosophy.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1992 – 1 of 2 – KR.mp3
UUID: 7adc05f0-03a1-483c-adf9-7d1ce07cbf56
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Heart Sūtra
Date: 1992 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~4,408
Virtues or demerits as well as our practice becomes very effective and beneficial if it’s done with the motivation of altruistic intention. Likewise oneself, all motherly sentient beings are also have one nature wishing happiness and do not want suffering. Although both self and others innately or by nature same wishing happiness and do not want suffering, but the difference is we human beings just don’t wish happiness, then we know how to cultivate the causes of the happiness and abandon the causes of the suffering. But other motherly sentient beings, there are numbers of sentient beings, they just they have a mere wish to free from sufferings, but they don’t know how to abandon all this abandon the costs of suffering and cultivate the causes of the happiness. And therefore, because of lack of understanding, they undergo through huge suffering.
Because they have no knowledge of abandoning the causes of suffering and cultivate the causes of happiness. Therefore, it is our duty to help the sentient beings to free from the suffering. So therefore, we should cultivate a very cultivate a good compassion with a special intention, special intention, wishing, wanting to free both self and others from all the suffering and their causes. And then cultivate a love, wishing both self and others to have all the have entire happiness in their causes, and I shall take the responsible to bring all these limitless sentient beings to and all the happiness. We we need to bring all the sentient beings towards the state of ultimate happiness and free from the sufferings.
But at this stage, we don’t we we haven’t attained the the the potential to to fulfill such wish. The Lord Buddha Śākyamūni has attained ability to free sentient beings from the suffering through avoiding or abandoning all the negativities and attaining entire good qualities. By attaining enlightenment in the state of Buddhahood, then one can benefit numbers of sentient beings because after having attained the Buddhahood, then one can emanate oneself into numbers of forms and each emanation can benefit sentient beings in many ways to overcome all the sufferings. So we can attain Buddhahood or become Buddha. And so by once we have attained Buddhahood, then we can benefit the sentient beings like the Buddhas, like like Buddhas.
So I need to attain enlightenment order to benefit sentient beings. For that reason, for that purpose, shall attain enlightenment. In order to attain to Buddhahood, one needs to realize the emptiness. Therefore, for that purpose I shall hear, listen to this Mahāyāna teaching of emptiness and bring all the hearing into contemplation and meditation. Along with that motivation we shall perform a few meditation for a few minutes.
Do the refuge prayers in the seminal period, then the Heart Sūtra. The great masters set forth that those who don’t understand emptiness is the basis for liberation, And without knowing emptiness, suffers in the prison of six realms or six migrating states. Which means that if one do not understand or the teaching or realize do not understand the emptiness, then one can’t attain enlightenment. And because by not attaining enlightenment, one circles in the cyclic existence of six realms or six migrations, which is imprisoned or the prison of suffering. So, up to here till last week, we have finished the first three parts first three Mahāyāna parts which are the path of accumulation, path of preparation, and the path of seeing.
So, the duration or the period of the path of meditation is quite long and it’s longer than the path of seeing. It’s because during the path of meditation one has lots of negativities or one abandons lots of negativities and cultivates lots of positive virtues. Therefore the duration of the path of seeing, the path of meditation is longer than the path of seeing. It is because during the path of seeing one directly realizes the emptiness and in doing the path of meditation one maintains that realization and meditates on that realization, the realization of directly realizing emptiness. It’s called either meditate or gom or gom in the words, becoming word to word translation is to familiarize with one’s attainment or one’s realization.
So as for the path of meditation, it’s quite long and it’s been classified into the 10 grounds, which is called the ten ten Mahāyāna grounds. So, last ground is the the bhadra meditation goes from the beginning of the first ground till the tenth, which are divisions of the path of meditation. Names of the 10 grounds are called the following. The names of the what do you call it? Joyous ground, which is the first ground.
Stainless, second ground. Joyous. This is first one. Second is stainless. Luminous.
Which is the third ground? The third ground is called the third one means like sending of lightning. Yeah, it’s a rough translation, I’ll get back to you later. And the fourth one is, actually the third one is cultivation of light, and the fourth one is the lightning which means shining of light. And the fifth one is how to attain.
Sixth one. Okay. Okay. Alright, I’ll say the first one is called the joyous ground or extremely joyous, Second one is stainless. Third one is luminous.
And the fourth one is radiant. Fifth one is difficult to overcome. And sixth one is the approaching. No. The sixth one seventh one is going beyond or going far.
The eighth one is the immovable. Ninth one is the good intelligence. The tenth one is the cloud of Dharma or doctrine. So these are the 10 grounds of the path of meditation. Yeah.
So we’ll follow through the text and we don’t have much time to go one to one detail, but so you can follow your text, the copy you have. The the path of seeing starts from Śāriputra, thus in emptiness, there is no form. So we have only one teaching or class left, is next week. Therefore, we try to go as much as we can today. So, text goes at that time, the text follows at that time, in emptiness there’s no form.
At that time, which means because one was in the meditation equipoise, on emptiness during the path of seeing. So the first ground of the path of meditation, one has realized emptiness directly during the path of seeing and during the time of the first ground of the father meditation, one only sees or one only has the appearance of emptiness rather than that they And also one is single pointedly meditation on emptiness. So during that period, one single pointedly meditation on emptiness and beside those emptiness there is no other. Only the wisdom realizing emptiness very, the mind of wisdom realizing emptiness is only is very forcefully during that time and other than those which are not really force, not really they say they manifest it, so only the wisdom realizing emptiness is manifested at that time. So therefore, during the path of meditation one only sees or one is single pointedly meditating on emptiness.
Follow your text. It says that in that time in emptiness there is no form. So, So this is how it says the texts go forth. At that time in emptiness there is no form, which means because at the first ground of path of meditation one is single pointedly meditation on emptiness. So therefore it’s called which is also in the meditative equipoise, which is called the wisdom dhyana.
So in the wisdom of meditative equipoise to the path of meditation, on the side of the path of meditation at that time one only sees the emptiness, rather than emptiness they can’t, doesn’t see anything. So therefore it says that the form and so forth, because it’s only single pointedly meditation and emptiness, it doesn’t see there’s no form in the meditation, there’s no form, and the rest of the five aggregates. So, when he says there’s no form, it doesn’t mean the form and so forth, the rest of the aggregates do not exist. What it means is in the side of that meditative equipoise, the wisdom of meditative equipoise of the path of seeing, on the side of that meditative equipoise, the form and so forth doesn’t exist. Or it’s no form, no appearance.
So, because they are because those form and so forth are non appearance or do not are not in the side of the meditative equipoise for them. Because of this, are emptiness in the side of meditative equipoise. The path of seeing, part of meditation. Likewise or like five aggregates also the five, six sense powers like eye sense power, ear, nose, tongue, body, and the mental are also non-apparent on the side of the path of seeing. What?
Meditation. And also the six objects of basis or as a basis like form, sound, smell, taste, tactile sensation or tangible object and phenomena, the six are also non apparent inside of path of meditation. So, speaking, all those 12 are called the 12 of sources are the non appearance inside of the path of meditation. And also the 18 spheres of perception or it’s also been called the 18 constituents are also the non appearance in the path of meditation. So the 18 constituents or spheres of perception are set forth by adding extra words on the previous six sense powers like the sphere of eye sense power, sphere of ear, nose, tongue, body, and mental.
So the additional word is called here the constituent or sphere. And also, should add the same additional word, the sphere of the constituents of form, sound, smell, taste, tactile sensation or tangible object and the phenomena. And and they are the the six consciousness which are based on the five sense powers, which are the eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue, body, and the mental consciousness. So by adding this adding this six to the previous 12, it becomes the 18 spheres of perception or the 18 constituents. So everything what we have set for here are included or are available within us.
And then after the 18 constituents follows the 12 limbs. As for the 12 limbs of arising, there are two folds or two sets called the thoroughly afflicted and completely or ever purified 12 limbs of inter dependent arising. So what it says is also the first one, thoroughly afflicted 12 limbs of interdependent arising are also nonappearance in the the side of the the wisdom realizing emptiness of the path of seeing. The ever afflicted 12 limbs of interdependent arising are starting from ignorance, connecting karma, consciousness, name and form, sources. Feelings craving, grasping, existence.
existence, birth, and aging and death. I think I missed one. Contact.
No. No. Contact. This one. Is the tactile sensation.
Did you get 12? So, these 12 limbs of interdependent, six of them are causes and six are the results, and all these 12 limbs are available within us or within one, and because of this, we circle the cyclic existence. And, the Heart Sūtra says there’s no ignorance and there is no freeing or abandonment of the ignorance, which means one has completely abandoned the ignorance, free from the ignorance, which is called the purified, which is the beginning of the 12 purified dependent arising. Say there’s no ignorance and extinction of the ignorance. So, yeah, it says there is no ignorance because when one realises the emptiness directly, then it is the beginning of extinguishing or the abandoning the ignorance.
By abandoning the 12 limbs of the thoroughly afflicted 12 limbs of interdependent, it comes the completely or ever purified purified 12 limbs of interdependent arising, dependent arising. So, in order to abandon or eliminate the ignorance of the thoroughly afflicted dependent arising, one needs to realize the emptiness. So by realizing emptiness directly one abandons the ignorance. By abandoning the ignorance one abandons the by abandoning the ignorance then there is no result or the connecting karma, which is the result of the ignorance. And then one gradually, by abandoning the second one, then one abandons the rest gradually, or one by one, the one after next in the sense of consciousness, name and form, so forth.
So, the great master Nāgārjuna set forth, but if one sees the truth, there is no projection, which means that if one sees the emptiness or the selflessness, then one abandons the ignorance. And because that, by abandoning the ignorance one will not cultivate the actions which are called the projecting karma or projecting action which bring one towards the cyclic existence. So this is how there’s no projection which means there’s no projecting karma which or lets one to circle in the cyclic existence. It is like, for example, if there is a huge waterfall which destroys all the city and so forth, if one understands where is the main source of that water and obstructs the hole or whatever, it stops the water and also protects the rest of the cities and so forth. So likewise, if one abandons the sources of the 12 limbs of interdependence, is ignorance, then by abandoning it one automatically stops the rest of the limbs.
Both 12 limbs. So, it’s the the both the the Torah, both the ever afflicted and the ever purified 12 limbs of interdependence are non appearance in the path of meditation. So it’s called the ever afflicted and the purified 12 limbs of interdependent or in other version one can say the 12 limbs of interdependent in the right, like the, yeah, this. Yeah, the right order. Yeah.
The order and the irreversible, a reversal order, which means, firstly, because of ignorance comes connecting karma and so forth, and the reversal order is because of abandoning the ignorance, then there’s no connecting karma, no name, consciousness, so forth, which is called the reversal order. And so all this in Akṣobhya text goes very brief, very detail, which there’s no counting all the 18 constituents, 12 sources and so forth, which seems to be a detailed explanation. And the brief explanation starts from like, in the side of the meditative equipoise or the path of seeing, there’s no appearances of the four truths, the truth suffering, truth origin of the suffering, truth path and truth cessation. Not only the Four Noble Truths are known in appearance in the side of the path of meditation. Also, the wisdom which realizes the four truths is also the non appearance.
It seems that the teachings starting from the five aggregates still, the truth of suffering and the truth of the origin of suffering are seems that are they comes under the phenomena or the the ever afflicted limbs of interdependent. So it’s called the ever afflicted part which means those are the objects of abandonment. And then the text follows, there is no attainment and no non attainment as well, which means the attainment and no attainment and no non attainment, which means the first one, there’s no attainment which which is speaking from the point of view of attainment. So, when it says there’s no attainment, attained, the attainment includes all the results of the practices like the results which are attained by the Buddhas, the attainments, the qualities of the Buddhas which are like 10 powers, 18 unique qualities of Buddha and so forth. And there are numbers of qualities.
And so what it means is all these qualities are the result or the qualities of the Buddha are also the non appearance in the side of the meditative equipoise, so the path of meditation. And no non attainments, which means that where are the non attainments which are within the sentient beings, which means the sentient beings haven’t attained all these good qualities of the Buddhas. So all these non attainments which are within the sentient beings are non appearance in the sight of that part of meditation. All these, starting from the form, like, these five aggregates and 12 sources, so forth. The reason why it’s said because all these phenomenas are not the phenomena of emptiness which means, as for the phenomena they are set forth to be like the ultimate and the conventional.
So what the text has written all these five aggregates so forth are the conventional terms, therefore are the conventional terms. So, all these phenomenas are the conventional phenomena or conventional, therefore they are not the emptiness. So because of this, all these phenomena and the form and so forth are non appearance in the side of the meditative equipoise of the path of meditation. So, all these conventional phenomena are non appearance in the side of the meditative equipoise of the path of seeing. And so if there are appearance in the side of the path of meditation, the fall is, then all these phenomena become the inherent existence or they exist inherently.
So, by this, by here we have completed all, we have reached the complete the first nine grounds of the Mahāyāna path. So, the first nine grounds, During the first nine grounds of the Mahāyāna grounds, one abandons the obscuration towards the omniscient which is called the ignorance of grasping at true existence. So, and as for the abandonment, they are set forth to be three main the great, middling and the smallest. And within, so the three abandonments. And each abandonments are classified into three divisions.
So largest of the large, middling of the large and the smallest of the large. And then largest of the middle one, largest of the so forth. So it’s classified into nine abandonments, and these all the nine abandonments are the obscuration towards the omniscience, which called the ignorance of grasping at true existence. So, these these abandonments are called the non abandonments, and those abandonments are abandoned during the 10 grounds. And as we said, like, the the the the first main three abandonments, great, middling and the small, and then each one is classed and divided into three which becomes nine.
So the first one, the largest of the large, right, was also is also divided into two called the gross and the subtle abandonment. So, as we so here we have set forth the division of the largest of the large, which was into two, the gross and the subtle. By dividing that one into two, it comes the 10 abandonments. So, here comes the 10 abandonments. So, we and there are 10 grounds.
So, each ground abandons each abandonment. It comes like each path has two divisions called the uninterrupted path and the liberated path, which means the first one during the uninterrupted path one applies the concentration or the antidote towards the abandonment and one abandons and attempts that liberated from that abandonment and locks lock it and it won’t return, jump towards the next uninterrupted path, apply the antidote towards the second abandonment which follows. And, so, the last part of the meditation which is called Vajra meditative equipoise. Yeah, meditative equipoise or meditative stabilization of the path of meditation abandons, the last abandonment. So, up to here, one has achieved all the grounds of the ordinary beings, the bodhisattvas, and so forth.
And now the last part which is called the path of no more learning, which is the Vajra-like meditative stabilization of the path of meditation, is a very, very important path or a ground. And it’s very powerful and very special and where is the this is the ground where one attains the ground of the Buddhahood. So, and at this stage, back to the text where the line says, Therefore Śāriputra, because Bodhisattvas have no attainment, and so forth, through relying on the perfection of wisdom, which means that during that path which is the last Vajra like meditative equipoise of the path of seeing, during that one abandons all the entire abandonment. It’s like the the the huge fire burns down everything. So, whenever one attains that Vajra-like meditative stabilization or meditative stabilization, whenever one attains that, that is the antidote towards the last abandonment and one will abandon the last abandonment and all the earlier or the rest of the abandonments have been abandoned before that.
And one will abandon the last abandonment. So this is what the text says. Therefore, Bodhisattvas have no attainment and go so forth. What it means is by whenever one attains the Vajra-like meditative stabilization of the path of meditation, And during that time then one has no obscuration, one cannot, one do not have fear towards emptiness, and there is no error or mistake, no irreversible, which means that one have not yeah, one can’t make any cultivate negative views or mistakes like seeing clean for the unclean and the unclean for the clean object and that’s the same opposite of what real object is. So, means one do not have all these fears, faults, and so forth, obscurations.
And one will not suffer in the cyclic existence or saṃsāra and the solitary peace, and within a moment or within a second one attains parinirvāṇa or one attains the buddhahood. Perfect it. So, it says that such bodhisattva has attained enlightenment or become Buddha by training in that perfection wisdom. So, likewise, all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the three times, the past, present and the future, are also attain enlightenment or become Buddha by training in the perfection wisdom, which shows the one path towards the enlightenment. So, up to here is the teaching of how to attain enlightenment for those bodhisattvas who have the low faculty.
Yeah, as for the bodhisattvas, they’re like bodhisattvas with the sharp faculty and the dull faculty. So, this is what’s meant. So, we all have attained enlightenment here now. And the worst word here the text says the dull faculty. So the text and the next part start the teaching set forth to those Bodhisattvas with the sharp faculty.
Which a text starts the mantra, the mantra for the perfection, wisdom, so forth. So, which I will explain next week. So, we shall do some, say, the research in the sense to avoid the misunderstandings here. So, or yeah, purify the, we call it like discussion in the word, not us, but to purify all the doubts that therefore everyone here is are are here to become enlightened. So, don’t feel tired, be patient.
The great master Tsongkhapa has composed a text called In Praise of Dependent Arising, which was for the for the Lord Buddha Śākyamūni. And what says is that whatever teaching you give begins from the dependent arising. All the teachings are also set forth to attain enlightenment and there’s no such teachings which do not bring one towards the peace or liberation. So what it means is that everything the teachings set forth by Lord Śākyamūni was set forth by considering the dependent arising or the dependent origination as a basis. But with the basis of that dependent origination he set forth the numbers of teachings of the Hīnayāna and the Mahāyāna, the Sūtra and the Tantras, and which are also the method attain emptiness through this one attains or one attains the liberation.
And also, the tantra, it also said that all the obstacles, negativities, hindrances are abandoned through dependent arising. So, therefore, one should cultivate dependent origination. So so the Heart Sūtra is the one which establishes or teaches the emptiness. So So, we should examine. It’s not clearly stated in the text how sentient beings suffer some circles in the cyclic existence and suffer and how they free from the cyclic existence.
So, we have explained the five aggregates in the earlier classes, and so how, how, or how is sentient beings circled in the cyclic existence? So their circles in the first four aggregates which are the aggregates of form, feeling, recognition, and the compositional factors. So, they say the first four aggregates are the basis where one circles, circles, which is the basis of circling in the cyclic existence or saṃsāra. And the fifth aggregates, the mental aggregate, is set forth to be the one which circles the one that circles, with circles in the saṃsāra or the four aggregates. And this system or this is the assertions or asserted by the schools below the Prāsaṇgika or Consequentialist schools, the fifth aggregate which is called the namshe or mental consciousness, the mental or a mind which set forth, which is recognized as the I, and that is the one called the circular.
The fifth aggregates of the consciousness or mind is set forth to be the circular and below the Prāsaṇgika school and the consciousness, or it is also called the I or self. And this is the proof set forth by the great master that which is the one, the consciousness, the way one calls the I or self. So, the Master says that the Self is the one which takes the rebirths, moves from one life to next, which is the consciousness or a mind. The consciousness is the one where we call or perceive as the I. So that consciousness which travels from the birth to birth and it enters a body and then experiences the sufferings of the body and so forth.
And whenever it finishes making use of that form it leaves that form or a body and enters the other one and experiences the new one’s suffering and so forth and then leaves and then changes the form, means leave the old one and achieve, enter the new, achieve new one. So through this, by moving from one body to the next, it circles in the cyclic existence. So, within these five aggregates, there are the four which are the basis of taking body or circle and one the circular or one circles which is the consciousness. And then the Heart Sūtra set forth the other divisions like the 12 sources, 18 constituents or spheres of perception which are set forth to be, seems to be like the broader explanation of the five aggregates, expanding the five aggregates, like saying, likewise within those the I, yeah, nose and so forth are the way one are the objects and the consciousness is the one which circles or which perceives the eye consciousness, eyes, nose and so forth, and it goes same to the 18 constituents as well.