Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 45-minute talk recorded in Adelaide, HH Sakya Trizin presents a foundational Buddhist teaching on the nature of mind and its role in liberation from suffering. He establishes that the mind is the root of both saṃsāra and enlightenment, and that all external suffering stems from ignorance of mind’s true nature. Through the analogy of a rope mistaken for a snake, he explains how we falsely perceive a self where none inherently exists, creating the basis for attachment, aversion, and further karmic action. He then outlines the Mādhyamika philosophical view, which transcends both eternalist and nihilist extremes by recognizing that all phenomena lack independent existence. Finally, he introduces the four common foundational practices, beginning with meditation on the rarity and preciousness of human birth and the certainty of death and impermanence. Suited for those beginning serious Buddhist study or seeking a systematic introduction to Tibetan Buddhist philosophy.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 03 FfK 1985 05 27.mp3
UUID: 5734acc4-0b25-4a3c-b1d7-3dd1506e5d35
Teacher: HH Sakya Trizin
Collection: Freedom from the Known (HH Sakya Trizin)
Date: 1985-05-27
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.5 minutes
Words: ~3,696
Your Holiness Sakya Trizin, and venerable Sangha, and members of Buddhism in Adelaide. And as I say, you’re here tonight. His Holiness is second in protocol to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, So it’s a very auspicious occasion and really for Adelaide to to have a teacher of such renown here to teach for us. The title Sakya Trizin means holder of the throne of Sakya.
The Sakya being one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. His Holiness is the forty-first in an unbroken line, which goes back to ten seventy-three AD. So I guess that’s worth considering in the bicentenary year. His Holiness was born in Tibet in in nineteen forty five and became the head of the Sakya school at the age of seven. From his earliest years, his holiness received many teachings, numerous teaching from all schools of Tibetan Buddhism on both their philosophy and spiritual practices.
Since nineteen seventy four, his holiness has toured Europe, America, Southeast Asia, giving teachings on countless occasions. Because of his excellent command of English and profound wisdom and compassion, he’s helped innumerable number of beings on their on their struggles, giving particular insights into into Buddhism in general and Tibetan Buddhism in particular. This is his his holiness’s first visit here to to Australia. At the end of his holiness’s talk, there’ll be a question time, and we’ll we’ll hand out some some forms on which to write the questions, and we’ll collect those at the end of the talk. And before the talk commences, his holiness will recite some prayers in Tibetan.
Thank you. So now after paying homage to Lord Buddha and offering the sevenfold prayer. Before I begin the actual talk, I would like to take this opportunity with a great pleasure to extend my warmest greetings and best wishes to the Sangha and as well as all the people who have gathered here tonight. And, also, I would like to thank the Buddha House and the Buddhist Educational Foundation who are very kind for kindly arranging my trip here and arranging this opportunity to share the Buddha’s teachings, the whatever little that I know with you people who are interested in learning and who wanted to to proceed further on the spiritual path. Because listening, the teaching is very important.
Without study, that one cannot do any practice. So the first step is to hear the Dharma. And to hear Dharma just by hearing itself has enormous benefit. Then after hearing it, to practice, to apply it, so that one could further develop is of course a great benefit. So tonight the topic for This talk is the nature of mind.
Of course, the mind is very important. It is the the root of all the realm of existence or the the nirvana, saṃsāra nirvana, or the spiritual or or worldly, whatever it may be. The root is, of course, everything the root is mind. It is the mind that wish to be free from the suffering, and it is the mind that wish to have a happiness. It is the mind that who are doing the wrong things.
And it is the mind that who is doing the right things. It is the mind that who is experiencing the sufferings. It is the mind that falling down in the lower realms and experience sufferings and it is the mind that who gets liberation, etc. So the mind is, of course, very very important. And Lord Buddha who possess the infinite qualities and wisdom has bestowed enormous amount of teachings.
The purpose of giving all this teaching is to tame our mind. And all these teachings, all these methods, all these technique are to change our mind because everything is actually our mind. So therefore, to to understand, to know about the true nature of mind is very, important. In when we think of the realm of existence, there are so many sufferings in the lower realms, even in the higher realms. There are many different types of sufferings that are described in the authentic sutras and authentic scriptures.
From these that we can learn, we can study, and we can find out their conditions and situations and so forth. The moreover that from our own life, that the life that we are going through from this that we can learn, and it is full of sufferings. Even though everybody is trying their best to remove the sufferings, every individual is making efforts to remove sufferings. Every community, every society, every country is actually in order to remove the sufferings that they are making efforts. But no matter how much efforts that we make, and until we make inner efforts and make inner mental developments that one could never have the real happiness.
And so in order to the only way, the ways to develop the inner mind is through the spiritual practices. And there are many different spiritual traditions and each of them has its own way to help the mankind, to help the living beings. But according to the Buddha’s teaching is that we can If we make enough efforts that we have the potency, we will be able to permanently free from the suffering and permanently obtain the ultimate enlightenment. The reason why it is is that because every sentient being actually possess the Buddha-nature. The true nature of our mind is pure right from the beginning, and the true nature of our mind is never defiled by the defilements.
So there and all the sufferings and illusions and defilements are but due to not recognizing, due to not seeing the true nature of mind that it is completely caught in this dual illusory vision. And due to this that we are caught in this realm of existence, and due to this that we are continuing experiencing many different sufferings. Otherwise, if our true nature of the mind were defiled by the defilements and the faults, then one could never be free from the suffering. One could never wash away the obscurations. For example, the coal, the nature of the coal is black.
So no matter how much you wash that it could never become white. Similarly, that if our true nature of the mind were defiled by the defilements, with the obscurations, then one could never be free from this. But the fact is not. The fact is that the true nature of our mind is pure right from the beginning. Actually, the true nature of mind is away from all extremes so that it could never be stained by the defilements, but we do not do not realize this.
And we think without realizing the true nature of the mind and we mistaken as as a self. For example, that if you have a in a dark place where there is a colorful rope and then it is mistaken as a snake. And when you think there’s a snake, then there’s all sorts of anxiety and worry, etcetera. But in that if you realize that it is not a snake and it is just a colorful rope, then all the anxiety and the worry will vanish. So similarly but here also, without any base, without any authentic reasons that we think as a self.
We are called we’re mistaking the true nature of the our mind. We did not see. We do not realize. And we mistaken as a self. And because when you have a self, when you think as a self, then all sorts of Then you have the base or the source of all the mistake and the sufferings.
And then when you have the self, then you have the others. And when you have the of course, first, when you have a self, then you have a my also, like my body, my mind, and my clothes, my house, my things, etcetera. And when you have this kind of I and my, then you have the desire attachment to one’s own side and hatred for others, etcetera. And when you have the desire and hatred and ignorance, which are ignorance is the main thing of clinging for the self, mistaking, not knowing the true nature of the mind. And when you have these three major defilements, then you have the other defilements such as attachment, pride and the stinginess and the jealousy, etcetera.
Other defilements, the more impure mind increases. And due to this that one takes actions, the physical actions, and actions through speech, and actions through through mind. And when you do these take actions, then it is like planting a seed on your mind. It it prints the mental impression or the it rests as the propensities. It’s like planting a seed.
As time goes on, then these seed will ripen and then we have the all the sufferings that we are caught in and we’ll continue caught in this saṃsāra again and again. From the beginningless time until now that we are caught in this realm of existence and we have not been able to realize the truth, the true nature of our mind. So this time that we must try every way, try to find, try to see, try to realize the true nature of the mind. Once you realize the true nature of the mind, then there’s no outside enlightenment to gain. Enlightenment is within actually our own mind.
To realize the true nature of one’s mind is the enlightenment. The mind is all the time continuing from the beginningless time until now, and it will further on continue until we get enlightenment. Enlightenment. When we get enlightenment, then you see the true nature of the mind. And there it ceases all the sufferings, all the samsaric things.
So, therefore, that it is very there’s no outside enlightenment. Enlightenment is actually within our own mind. It is not something that to gain from outside. It is within our own mind. But we do not realize this.
We think as a self and due to this, the all the sufferings, all the faults of creating this illusory vision or the impure vision, the present, all the scenery, that all the life that we are going through are like the seed that is planted on our mind is that is projecting all this. Actually, in reality, all these visions are not not real. It is all illusory visions. It is all illusion. Now, there is no real All these things are not really independently existing.
Everything is depending on each other. So when it is a depending on the cause and the conditions and so forth and so on, then it proves that all these things are not independently existing. So independently, a not existing means that it is not itself existing. And when you do not realize the true nature of mind, then we think this all this vision as a real and clinging to a real this as a real thing, the real thing, then all the the impure mind increases and more actions that more actions that we take, more karmas that we commit, and more seeds more seeds that we plant. So therefore we must try our best to to to see the true nature of the mind.
And to see the true nature of the mind is not an easy thing. It not just by through studies, not through only through studies or only through the contemplation will not rise. It needs many methods. It needs many many methods. It needs from one side to accumulate great merits.
Without merits that one will not be able to obtain the wisdom. The wisdom the enough wisdom to realize to realize, to see the true nature of the mind. And on the other side, that it one needs to accumulate a wisdom. Wisdom that one will obtain through study, through contemplation, and through meditation. And so two combined together, then one will able to to realize the the truth.
And the true nature is actually ordinary people even do not bother to know the why all the life that we have. Why are we born here? What is the meaning, real meaning? Why we have to go through such a life? And what is all of this life?
Etcetera. Ordinary people just go through as we are born, then we just go through our our worldly life and in this way that we they spend the whole life. But the more intelligent people try to investigate what is the truth, what is the real meaning of all this life, and then in finding the when they investigate the things then it differs. It all come to the different conclusions such as the all the life is actually created by the creator or that in reality even in within the buddhist school also that there are many different philosophical, different schools who diff who describe the the different differently. But, basically, that they all admit the the two truths, the relative truth, and the absolute truth.
The relative truth means the things that we see, things that we experience, and absolute truth is the the true meaning of what we see. And so for this the different Buddhist schools also, the difference, Some, for example, say that there is no cup. There’s no cup. But there is the atoms. Many atoms, tiny atoms that are undividable at atoms combined together and made a particular shape is called cup but when the cup itself is not existing but the atoms of the cup, the many many tiny atoms combined together, put it together in particular shape is called cup.
So the cup is relative but the undividable atoms of the cup is the absolute truth. And there’s one way of the school. Whereas some say that There are many within this also, of course, there are many many other schools. And some say that everything is actually a mind. Everything is that project of the mind.
There’s no outside thing. It is all manifestation of one’s own mind. One’s own mind projected and that then see as the things. And and so all this is relative. The the mind itself is the absolute and so forth and so on.
And then the high but the highest school known as Mādhyamika or the middle way, And that is real meaning of the highest Buddha’s sermons known as the perfection of wisdom that explained by the great masters is the Madhyamaka philosophy or the middle way philosophy. When this particular school examines things, then it could not find anything. Whereas, every other school, Buddhist or non-Buddhist, every other school has when they investigate the things, they all come to the conclusion or to say something, to say either it is this, either it is created by the creator, or either it is the atom, undividable atoms or the mind or something to hold on. But this highest Madhyamaka philosophy that in relatively relative truth way that they take as it is, the things take as it is without examination. But when it examining the things, when we investigating the things of the true nature of all things with a very sharp reasons, with a very authentic reasons, then that it could not find anything. The true nature of all things is away from all extremes.
Extremes such as like existing or the non existing. And since the existing and non existing both extreme and both are depend on each other. For example, when you say that thing is not existing, it means that actually there was existing, but now it is not existing. But since the existing itself is right from the beginning devoid, so the opposite to this, which is non existing, is also not the the truth or the not the real truth. And similarly, are not there.
The the both are neither. So the our the true nature of all things is away from our way of reviewing, like, subject and object of the dual vision. The dual vision that we see as a true things, like, subject and object. And so for this, the as the says that true nature of entities is devoid of existence, nonexistence, and the like. There is no process of meditation consisting of a meditator, an object of meditation, and so forth. Since the mind is devoid of essence, there is no description of mind.
Since it transcends the object of words, there’s nothing whatsoever to the to be described. But unless and until we realize this just by words itself that is not enough, one will one really needs to to realize truth. And to realize the truth, one requires much efforts, many many efforts to to to realize this. And that so the best way now to to do this is first, of course, is to find authentic spiritual master. The master who can who possesses the good moral conduct, wisdom, and compassion.
And then after that is to practice the very basic foundations. Without the foundations that one cannot build high buildings. So similarly, in this way, to find the spiritual the true the the real truth or the to find the essence that one needs to work also to build the the basic foundations. Everybody understand. Everybody do not wish to have a suffering.
Everybody wish to have happiness. And so, therefore, of course, you study and you do every efforts. But unless and until you have a inner strength, the inner foundations that one will not really be able to practice. So, therefore, in the beginning that to practice the foundations are very, very important. Although we have a interest in the spiritual, the present interest in the spiritual path is only a kind of superficial.
So to have a real interest, real need, real need to practice Dharma that it is very important to practice the the four common foundations. There are four common foundations. And these four common foundations, the first is to meditate on the difficulties of obtaining the precious human birth. We are not like matter, like a stone and things like that. We do not have feelings.
We are living beings. And within living beings that we are human beings. And within human beings also that we are the one who is free from all the unfavorable conditions and and the one who possesses all the right conditions that are required to practice Dharma. So such human birth that has all the the right conditions to practice teaching is extremely rare from many point of view, from the cause point of view, from the number point of view, from the example point of view, and from its own nature point of view. From every point of view that it is very, very difficult to obtain and very rare chance.
It is actually the the present human life that which we have with all the right condition is far precious than the wish fulfilling jewels. The wish-fulfilling jewel is the jewel that if one requests can bestow all the worldly necessities such as, like, food, cloth, and medicines and so forth. But it could not give ultimate enlightenment. It could not give the enlightenment. But the the present body that which we have, that if we make enough efforts, if one makes the enough efforts that even the enlightenment that we could achieve, we have the seed, we have the potency, we can become in this very lifetime that we will make the the right method and right enough efforts that we have the potency to become enlightenment in this very lifetime.
And so, therefore, the precious human birth is very, very important. So to not only understand this intellectually, but to meditate on this with many reasons to again and again until you have the real inner urge real inner urge to practice the Dharma. As every sentient being possess the Buddha-nature, it is the same mind that will continue up to the enlightenment. When we say the every sentient beings possess the Buddha-nature, it does not mean the fully quality development Buddha is within every sentient being. What it means is that that we have the potency.
We have the the seed, but it is the same mind. It is only a matter of of changing it. For example, that present in our mind is like ice, and the enlightenment is like a water. The water and ice are the same, but at the same time, they are very different. At the ice that it could not drink, one could not drink, one could not wash, as it could not do the things that water can do.
So so like this that our present mind has the Buddha-nature, the the potency to become the the fully enlightenment. But at the moment, it is all caught up in this net of dual illusory vision. So therefore, it could not see the its true face. So we must develop the qualities and work hard through the accumulation of merits, through the accumulation of wisdom, then one will be able to proceed further. And attain enlightenment.
So the first thing number one, first thing to meditate is the the difficulties of obtaining the precious human birth. And then second thing is to meditate on the death and impermanence. Anything that is created with the cause and the condition is impermanent. As the as the sūtra says that the three worlds is like autumn times clouds. The autumn times clouds comes and disappears in no time.
And the beings’ death and birth is like a dancer’s movement. The dancer’s movement, they change in every moment, and the person’s life is like lightning in the sky or like a steep waterfall. The every it does not remain for a single moment. All the time, it is going. Everything is changing.
Everything is is moving. So the everything is impermanent, so everything is changing. And particularly, the our life which has no certainty. No