Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. His Holiness Sakya Trizin teaches the progressive development of loving kindness and compassion as the foundation for the Mahāyāna path in this 45-minute instruction on Freedom from the Known. Beginning with loving kindness toward family, then difficult people and enemies, he emphasizes recognizing all beings as former mothers and understanding that inner hatred is the true enemy to overcome. He then details three types of compassion and introduces the two-part relative bodhicitta: the wishing thought to attain enlightenment for all beings, and the entering thought through exchange meditation, which involves visualizing others’ suffering transferring to you while your happiness flows to them. He concludes by explaining how grasping to extremes blocks liberation, and outlines the path of concentration and insight meditation: the five faults (laziness, forgetfulness, sinking and scattering, wrong antidotes, over-application), their eight antidotes, and the nine methods of meditation practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 16 FfK.mp3
UUID: b360d88f-c201-4fb0-9d16-49df72d1cca3
Teacher: HH Sakya Trizin
Collection: Freedom from the Known (HH Sakya Trizin)
Date: 1988 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.2 minutes
Words: ~4,090
Or your enemies, just ordinary persons that you don’t know normally and think that due to the change of life that we do not recognize, but, actually, all these people are also once our mother and done so much like our present mother has done. So but due to the change of life, today, we do not recognize each other, and we see each other as indifferent. And so I must keep loving kindness so you practice may all those sentient beings to be happy and to be with the cause of happiness. And then after that, you practice the loving kindness to more difficult, like, one’s own enemy or the obstacles that are difficult. Normally, have a hatred thought.
Normally, the persons that you hate are more difficult objects. The persons normally just by thinking that you hate and discomfort such person that you visualize in front of you and think that this is also actually one’s mother, not only one time, but for many lifetimes. But so far, I could not pay her pay him or her the kindness that that this person has given. So today, we see as a enemy. Actually, he is coming here to to get the kindness that he has given to us.
And we understand as we mistaking as one’s enemy, one’s obstacle. And due to the change of life that we do not recognize each other, and we hate each other and without any reason that we are hurting each other, which creates suffering to all. And not only this enemy have become our mother and given us so much love, but even now, today, that when we our mind which is so wild, our mind which has so much pride and so much indulged with the defilements that the enemies in the form of enemies that help us to practice Dharma, help us to to crush our pride. So even in in the form of enemy that he is very kind to us. And so we must give the loving kindness to the to the enemy.
And so by doing practicing this way, even then if it does not loving kindness kindness does not arise, and instead, if still continues to rise the the hatred, then remember the the bad consequences of indulging the the hatred. And And and think that unless and until we defeat our own enemy, the inside enemy hatred, no matter one could never defeat the outside enemies. And if we could defeat our inner enemy, the hatred, all the other enemies, they will all be able to control. For example, that it is difficult to find skin that covers the whole area. But just by covering the one’s sole of the feet that by going everywhere, that all of the area is covered with this piece of skin.
So similarly, that by harming one’s enemy makes only suffering for oneself and others. So by destroying one’s own enemy, the inner enemy, the hatred, the way that all the enemies will disappear. So, therefore, we must give the loving kindness practice the loving kindness with the one’s own enemy. And then, eventually, with all sentient beings, as space has no limit, the sentient beings has no limit, and limitless sentient beings, all of them have become actually our parents. Every time they have become our parents, they have given us so much love and so much care as our present mothers have done.
But due to the change of life that we do not recognize each other, and we see some as enemies, some as friends, some as indifferent. And so this time, when we have the opportunity, we must give her give them the kindness that and the care they have given us. And so give the all sentient beings the loving kindness, and particularly those who are and even if this way, if it is sort of difficult to imagine with the every sentient being, then do it in group like hell realms first. All the sentient beings who are in hell realm, that you give loving kindness to all the sentient beings who are in hell realm to be happy and to be with the cause of happiness. And then so as hungry ghosts and so forth and so on.
So that in this way, until you have a real inner urge, inner feeling, until you have a real inner feeling that you should practice the loving kindness. And then once you could do this practice, then the second thing is to practice the compassion. The compassion the nature of compassion means focusing on a specific sentient being who is suffering, and one wish that sentient being to be free from such suffering and to be free from the cause of suffering. And this compassion means generally, the compassion means this. But so and the compassion is very important as In order to get enlightenment, there’s a one thing that is absolutely essential, and that is compassion.
Without compassion, that one could not succeed. When you have the compassion, then all the other things, other qualities naturally have. For example, when you invite the king, one need not invite each of his entourage. But when you invite the king, naturally, all his entourage naturally comes with him. Similarly, when you have the compassion, all other qualities required for attaining the enlightenment will rise.
So the root of the Mahāyāna path is compassion. And there are three different types of compassions. The first is called the compassion to sentient beings. That one which focusing on a sentient being who is suffering, and you wish this particular sentient being to be free from the suffering. And the second is called the compassion to object of the dharma, focusing on a sentient being who is suffering and that you wish that particular sentient being to be free from the suffering and to be free from the cause of suffering, which is the ignorance.
Due to ignorance, there is suffering. If there’s no ignorance, then then that one is not suffering. So, therefore, you wish not only to be free from the suffering, but to be free from the cause of suffering, which is ignorance. And the third kind is called the objectless compassion, be which which means that in reality, the true in ultimate truth sense, ultimate truth wise that there is no sentient being. Sentient beings are not existing.
It’s not it’s all illusion. But not realizing this, that they think they cling as a real. And due to this, the main cause, the root of the saṃsāra is the self clinging due to this due to the tight very tight self clinging that they are suffering. So one wish sentient beings to be not only to be free from the suffering, but but to the root of the suffering, which is the self clinging. So this compassion also in the same way as you practice the loving kindness the first with your relatives, starting with the one’s mother or father or whoever is actually closest, whoever is easiest person to to individuals, that particular person that visualize and practice the the compassion, wish to be free from the suffering and cause of suffering.
By visualizing that particular person in front of you and if it is like one’s mother if it is one’s mother, then one wish this kind mother to be free from the suffering and to be free from the cause of suffering. But at the moment when we look when we look the mother sentient beings that they are experiencing great suffering. Not only that, although their aim is to be free from the suffering, but they are still due to the ignorance, due to the caught up in this self-clinging that they are creating more causes of suffering. And so in this way, that you practice the compassion through the creation of the enlightenment thought, through the making strong will, and also through the through the prayers. And when once that could develop when one could develop the compassion, then through your other relatives and friends, and then also to some other people that you have normally contact, people that you know, and then to the indifferent people that you don’t know, and then to your enemies or the obstacles, more difficult ones in the same way as you practice the loving kindness by remembering the remembering their kindness, etcetera.
Just the same way. And finally, with the all sentient beings. And so in this way, that when one could develop the loving kindness and the compassion, then the enlightenment, the real enlightenment will arise. Once you have developed the very well as establish the the loving kindness and the compassion, then all the the the real enlightenment thought will rise. And so the enlightenment has two parts, the relative enlightenment thought and the absolute the absolute enlightenment thought.
The relative enlightenment thought also has the two parts, the wishing enlightenment thought and entering enlightenment thought. So first, we see enlightenment thought means that All these sentient beings who are in the suffering, the only way effectively way to help these sentient being is to attain enlightenment. So make a very strong will to attain wish to attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. This is called the wishing enlightenment thought. And then the second is called the entering enlightenment thought.
And for this, just the mere practice of the loving kindness and the compassion. Loving kindness and compassion are very important in the beginning, but that alone is not enough. In order to get enlightenment, that one needs to dig out the root of Samsāra. And that through the practice of the two enlightenment thought that one could control one could control the the self clinging through the relative bodhicitta, the relative enlightenment thought that will press down the self clinging. And the through the absolute enlightenment thought will dig out the root of the self-clinging.
So the first is to practice the relative enlightenment thought. And that also after having the wish wishing enlightenment thought, then to practice is the entering enlightenment thought. Up until now that we not been able to free from suffering and have to go through all different sufferings is because that we have given up. We do not care for the other sentient, mother sentient beings, and we’ve been all the time clinging to the oneself. So due to this that we are suffering.
So this time that one must give up one’s own self thinking, and one must work for the mother sentient beings. As Śāntideva said that whatever happiness there is in this world arises from the desire of happiness for others. Whatever suffering there is in the world arises from the desire of happiness for oneself. This, of course, easy to understand. The ordinary person all the time working for one’s own purpose never fulfills their wishes.
Whereas a fully enlightened Buddha’s working entirely entirely giving up for other sentient beings that they achieve the greatest result. So this time also that we must first to kind of to to fight with the self clinging to fight with the self clinging by by looking it as a one’s enemy. The self clinging is one’s enemy. And by looking it as a one’s enemy, to fight with this is to practice the equal meditation, which means at the moment, there is a vast difference between oneself and others. No matter how much you love or how much you care for other people.
But, actually, when we think carefully, the oneself is very important. Most important is the oneself. Number one is we are at the moment, we are thinking that the number one is oneself. Others, we are always as as a second. So first, we this kind of thought, we have to change and make it equal.
As oneself wish to have happiness, all sentient beings wish to have happiness. As oneself is working to gain happiness, all sentient beings are also happy doing the same thing. So this time, up until now, working for oneself, never be able to fulfill. So this time that I must help other sentient beings, at least first to bring at it equal level. And so try in every ways to try to bring it in equal level.
And then the second thing is to to do the practice of exchange exchange meditation. Unless and until we destroyed our greatest enemy, which is the self-clinging, not only that we will get enlightenment, but even in this life’s goals one do not achieve. Because when as long as you have the self clinging, then you all the time have to fight even with your friends, even with your relatives and so forth for this reason or the death this reason, even just for empty words. I mean, the words whatever words that we say, it’s actually nothing. Words mean nothing.
But it creates it gives us a pain and makes you angry because we have a so strong clinging to ourselves. If somebody says nasty thing to you, immediately one get angry and one get very cross. This is because that we have such a strong self clinging. So unless and until we destroy our greatest enemy, which is the self clinging clinging, one will never be able to fulfill our our wishes. So, therefore, we must the way to do this in relatively is to do exchange meditation.
And that means that, Again, you do it with your one’s one’s own mother. First, well, one’s own mother. Mother who is in a great suffering and creating more suffering that you visualize in front of you. And then all her suffering and all her cause of suffering will just come in like a great dirt or in black things come out from her from her heart, and that absorbs to you. And from from once and that absorbs to you.
And due to this, it crushes one’s self-clinging. And one’s own happiness and the cause of happiness, the virtuous deeds, all goes out from one’s own heart just like a sunshine goes out and absorbs to the one’s mother who is suffering. And by touching this light, that she become happy, and she become with the cause of happiness. And in this, you do with this exchange of meditation that you do with the recitation and also with the going out and in taking in. And when one could do this sort of easier way, then you do it with the other relatives, friends, and and so forth in the same way, eventually to one’s enemies and finally with the all sentient beings.
So in this way that this is the the way to fight with the self clinging in relative way. And then also to practice the other Bodhisattva activities such as like the perfection, the perfection of generosity, perfection of moral conduct, patience, endeavor, concentration, and wisdom. But the first five perfections do not become perfection unless it is linked with the sixth perfection, which is the wisdom. If it is not linked with the the sixth one, without wisdom, it is not a perfection. With the wisdom, with the understanding that all are Śūnyatā, everything is void.
Everything is the ultimate truth is away from all extremes. With this kind of understanding that if one performs the perfections, then it really becomes the perfections. As well as the four collection things, which means actually to help six perfections are mainly to roughen one’s own to roughen oneself. And the four collection things are to ripen others, which means actually to give gifts and to say kindly, sweetly, and to help others to participate in the path. And in order to participate others to oneself to show a example.
So these four things are called four collecting things, etcetera. The general practices of the bodhisattva that one should gradually should practice according to the Bodhicaryāvatāra and other Mahāyāna texts. So in this way, the it completes the the third passage which says that if you have an attachment to your own purpose, then one do not have enlightenment thought. So these three three three lines actually includes all path. As these four lines included the all teachings, which means that teaching are divided into the three three persons, the small person, the middle person, and the great person.
The small person means that one who wish to be born in the higher realms and to be to get free from the lower realm is the first first line. And second line is the one who wish permanently to be free from suffering to get the nirvana for oneself is the second line. And the third line is to work for all sentient beings to attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings is the third. So that in this way that it it completes the three path. Now the fourth line, which says if grasping arises, then it does not view.
And for explain this explanation for this the verses. The brief commentary given by the says that wherever one is that if one is with the clinging, with the grasping, that one is not one do not get the liberation. And that we explain, for example, if you cling, if you grasp all things as existing, then you do not have the liberation. If you grasp all things are nonexisting, you do not have the higher rebirth. Since both cannot grasp, One do not know to to grasp both.
One do not know to grasp both, so one should remain away from neither. This explains the the two extremes, the existing and the nonexisting and to remain in nondual. And then he says the all dharmas are actually one’s mind. There’s no other outside creator or the elements that create the the life. It is all a mind.
So one should remain in the mind, and that explains the the general general philosophy that are common with the the lower philosophy classes. And and then finally, all the vision that we see which are like a illusion And all things are in the dependent origination. All the things that are dependent on depend on each other, which helps to realize the Śūnyatā. The Sunnata helps to see the all things as inter interdependent origination, interdependent. And so in this, the state which is away from all extremes.
So in this explains the highest the Mādhyamika philosophy. So, therefore, it mean what it means is that grasping arises. You do not have the view. So if you grasp, if you say something, if you say that it is the ultimate truth is like this or like that, if you say anything, then it is not right because the ultimate truth is away from all extremes. So even when one arises the relative bodhicitta, but it is still clinging with the real, clinging this as a real.
So you are still with the the extreme. Still one falls into the one of the extremes. And due to this one could not get liberation. So the main thing here in as a antidote for clinging all things as a real and true, then true practice is the concentration and Insight wisdom. And that also first to to practice the concentration meditation and then to do the insight meditation.
And then these two together to combine the two together and to meditate. So first, concentration is in a secluded place where ruled by a Dharma king in free from all the disturbances of for practicing the concentration in such quiet and secluded place, sitting in a comfortably on the seat. Every the every session begins with the recitation of refuge and the creation of enlightenment thought. Sitting in a cross leg with the two hands in meditation posture and whole body in very straight posture, without blinking the eyes, that one should try to concentrate one’s mind. In the beginning, that it is difficult to do it on the mind directly, so we do it on the outer object.
One can do it like blue flower or any other object, but some sutras explains that it is a much more meritorious to meditate on the images of the Buddha so that in particular image of Buddha in front of you, like Śākyamūni Buddha as image or Amitābha or anyone, any any Buddha’s image. And there you try to bring your mind Try to bring it there without thinking of its qualities without thinking of its qualities or the colors or the shapes, but just try to bring your mind and your breath and your eyes, all three together, and try to remain there without any outer outer interference of thoughts. And so to do this, there are actually five faults and eight antidotes and nine methods. Methods. The first, there are five faults in practicing the concentration.
And the five five faults are the first one is first one is laziness that not not practicing, not doing the concentration. And the second one is the forgetfulness. That even one tries that when one forgets the teachings, the techniques of concentration so that one could not bring it back, due to forgetfulness. And the third one is called sinking and scattering. Even you not forget, but once mind is sort of the dullness, sluggish, and sleeping.
Or, otherwise, the the opposite of this, one’s mind is so awakened like scattering, destructive destruction, agitation, or something like this. And then the fourth fault is not applying the antidote effectively. Even one knows that one’s mind is following following on the wrong wrong directions, but not following the not applying the the antidotes. Fifth one is over application of antidote, which means that to apply antidote is important. But if you apply too much, then also it instead of helping, it disturbs your concentration.
So to to too much over application of antidote is also wrong. So these are the five faults when one is doing the concentration. So these five faults, and there are eight antidotes. The first since the first one is first, laziness has four antidotes. The first one is the earnestness or the diligence.
By remembering the suffering of saṃsāra, difficulties of obtaining the precious human birth, the impermanent and death, etcetera, that try to remove the laziness and try to make your mind to practice the the concentration. And second antidote is the faith. And faith that that through this through this type of practice that one can succeed, that one can achieve many great results, etcetera. And the third antidote is desire for enlightenment or the wishing to attain the enlightenment. Because once you get enlightenment, then there is a a tremendous quality, the undescribable qualities that one could achieve.
So when if one is told the profit, then one wanted to do the business. So similarly, that if one tells the great result, if one remembers the great result, then you have the eagerness or the enthusiastic to practice it. So wishing to attain enlightenment by remembering the qualities. And the fourth one fourth antidote is comfortably abiding, which means that not only through concentration that one achieves great qualities, but even in temporarily also that one will have a great comfort, great peace through concentration. So by remembering these temporal and ultimate results that one will have a great interest in practice the concentration.
So through this kind of four antidote removes the the first fault which is the laziness. Then the second fault which is a forgetfulness. Antidote for this is to be mindful mindfulness or alertness by remembering all the techniques and teaching carefully, always again and again going through in your mind so that when you do the concentration, that no need to refer anything that one could remember the everything. Try to remember to to be mindful. And fifth the third fault, which is the sinking and scattering is actually the main obstacle in the concentration.
So antidote for this is watching to all the time to watching whether one’s mind is in these two state or not, like scattering, dullness, sluggish, or like agitation agitation and distraction, scattering, etcetera. Whether one’s mind is following these two of either sinking or scattering, something like this is whether it which is doing in this direction or not, try to watch it. And then the fourth