Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 63.5-minute empowerment ceremony, Geshe Jampa Gyaltsen begins with an extensive teaching on emptiness and the perfection of wisdom sutras before conferring the White Tārā long-life empowerment. He grounds the ritual in Buddhist philosophy, explaining Nāgārjuna’s middle-way understanding of how all phenomena lack inherent independent existence, and how this insight into emptiness must be paired with dependent origination to make sense of causation and compassion. He then traces how understanding suffering and its causes naturally leads to recognizing liberation as possible, which in turn generates authentic compassion for all beings. Geshe Jampa concludes with a historical tribute to the Indian masters—Shāntarakshita, Padmasambhava, and Kamalaśīla—who established Buddhism in Tibet through monastic discipline and philosophical study. The talk is structured for both ordained practitioners and interested observers, with explicit permission for non-Buddhists to rest during the ritual recitation that follows.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2023-05-02 – 1A – White Tārā Empowerment Geelong – KR.mp3
UUID: 5bce5851-a57f-4ac7-a266-058736719704
Teacher: Geshe Jampa Gyaltsen
Collection: Initiation – Empowerment
Date: 2023-05-02
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~2,787
The main teaching the main teaching being given today is the long life empowerment ceremony of White Tārā. And before, we will do some recitation in Tibetan, which involve the chantings the ritual verses three daily practices. Practicing Buddhists should take this opportunity to reflect upon the enlightened qualities of the teacher, Buddha, and then try to cultivate a deep sense of devotion and faith towards the Buddha. And those who are not practicing Buddhists, among members of the audience, you can take this opportunity when we do have a situation to take rest. So I feel that perhaps it may be beneficial if I give a little explanation of the Buddha Dharma in the beginning.
The the main import of Buddha’s teaching has been presented in this text. And Nāgārjuna’s fundamentals of the middle way represent the essence of the Buddha’s teaching as found in the scriptures that primarily existed originally in the Sanskrit language. And the principle among these scriptures, Buddhist scriptures, is the class of scriptures known as the perfection of wisdom. And in these perfection of wisdom scriptures, although the explicit subject matter is the doctrine of emptiness, however, as the basis upon which this ultimate nature reality is established, these scriptures present an entire aspect of the Buddhist understanding of world and also path to enlightenment based upon them. For example, these scriptures deal with the ultimate nature of all things and events, deals with all the Buddha’s aspects of the Buddha’s mind and then six perfections to the Buddha’s practices.
And and also, these scriptures explain in enumerate various characteristics of the And Buddha’s enlightened qualities such as the ten powers, and so on. So in this way, these perfection of wisdom sutras, scriptures, though explicitly presenting the teaching on emptiness, implicitly also present the entire stages of the path, which represent the deepening, progressively advancing stages of one’s understanding of the ultimate nature of reality. And so in in and this is what Nāgārjuna’s fundamental scripture, Nāgārjuna’s text explains in in great detail because among the scriptures, for the scriptures, there are there is a great diversity. And in the scriptures, although all of them taught by the same teacher, Buddha Śākyamūni, they present different understandings of the reality, and some of them sometimes are on the surface, and they conflict with each other with each other. So if one if we want to understand what which the scripture represents the definitive standpoint of the Buddha’s teaching, definitive standpoint of the Buddha as presented in the scriptures by means of using our critical faculty and using reasoning.
And this is what Nāgārjuna does in his collection of writing principally in the text known as the fundamentals of the middle way, where he explains in great detail that if you examine the the nature of reality, all things and events will be one’s own inner experiences, that nothing possesses an an independent intrinsic reality. And this absence of inherent and intrinsic independent reality is the ultimate nature of all things. This is the ultimate mode of being of all things. So in this way, So the point being made in this standard is that when you observe when you observe the world among things and events, we can see that all these things and events possess certain characteristics, whether the characteristics mean relate to its causation or give rise to the effect and so on. So from from the individual things, we can see things coming into being and things coming to cease coming to cease its existence.
So you have origination and cessation. And then in terms of time, we can see either things that are enduring or things that do not endure. Therefore, for the in terms of time characteristics, we see are permanent or impermanent. And in terms of Right. Engaging with objects, you can see certain mobility.
Some things are stationary. Some things mobile. So and then in terms of in relation to our conventions and and labeling and and and concepts, we identify things to be identical or different or separate. So these are characteristics which we see in the world on a in our day to day interaction and engagement in the world. Being as a result of forces and connections, as a result of dependent origination, we feel as if these characteristics are somehow objective, independent, and exist inherent in the things that we see.
However, if that is so, then when we subject these imminent events to critical analysis and search for the the search for the intrinsically real quality that we perceive perceive in them, then none of these characteristics will be found. None of these characteristics will be able to withstand this critical analysis. So this suggests that these characteristics that we see in things are really characteristics that, in a sense, we designate upon things and events. And when we search for their essence, none of these would be found. And because if these characteristics truly exist as objective qualities of a thing, and then they have independent true existence, then such as production or origination, and then none of these qualities will then be independent and and not depend upon other factors to to to effect upon the things.
And in that case, the very concept of causation and giving rise to other factors will will become incompatible, which is not so. And and it is the highest wisdom that perceives in a non conceptual way the emptiness of whole thing that sees the the true nature of reality, the ultimate nature of reality. And and from the perspective of that wisdom, none of these characteristics really exist. And this is being stated in the sūtra here by praising the Buddha for his profound insight into the ultimate nature of things and how based upon this insight, he shares it with his with him in a sense of So by explaining the the essence of the Buddha’s perfection of wisdom scripture in terms of understanding of the ultimate nature of reality as the absence of inherent existence of things and events. And Nāgārjuna states that this truth is able to maintain a standpoint and allow all operations of the cause and effect to be tenable.
In a system where understanding of emptiness is not tenable, then even the understanding of conventional truths, such as cause and effect, will become untenable. And then this explanation is then taken further in Candrakīrti’s writing where he explains in great detail how a general understanding of emptiness must be in terms of understanding of dependent origination of thing, where understanding of the thing explains that if events possess objectively real, independent, intrinsic nature, then they they will they will not possess natural dependent, which dependently originated understood to be devoid of objectively real, independent, and inherent existence, then this understanding allow for one to understand how something can lead to something, how certain causes can give rise to certain consequences and so on. And when one understands it in this way, then one will also gain the understanding that this conception that things and events somehow possess intrinsic existence is a is a is a distorted way of seeing that seeing the world. And then once you realize that this is a this grasping at inherently existing in the event is distorted, that it is a false perception, then one will also come to realize there are helpful methods that act as an antidote to eliminate them.
So once you begin to think in those lines, then you will be able to envision a possibility of a state that the individual can gain freedom from this grasping of inherent existence and all the afflictions of mind emotions that derive that that arises from this. So once you can envisage the possibility of such a cessation, and then one will also be able to envision the possibility of individuals who gain such a freedom. And and such an individual who has gained that freedom by means of spiritual practice. So in this way, one will be able to understand that, you know, the meaning of the four noble truths, the truth of suffering, the truth of its origin, the truth of cessation, and And once you can understand the Buddha’s teachings of the four noble truths, then you will also be able to understand the true meaning of what is meant by the Three Jewels, the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, because the true cessation is the genuine Dharma. And individuals who have gained that realization, become Sangha, and when that realization is perfected, such an individual becomes fully enlightened Buddha.
So once you understand the emptiness of inherent existence, then on the basis of that, especially members, especially the ordained members, you can fold your upper robe and place it on your head. In fact, you can see some paintings on the thangkas where some of the Indian masters depicted as having something on their on their head. In fact, in fact this part of their robes, which is folded to protect them from the sun. So as a result of as a result of contemplating deeply upon the nature of suffering as suggested in the scriptures and then having understood that sufferings come about from their causes and conditions, which, in Buddhism, are the origin of suffering, such as karma and afflictions.
And then and also as you deepen your understanding and origin of suffering, and once you come to recognize that these origins of suffering really arise from or they are rooted in fundamentally flawed way of understanding the world where one mistakenly conceives inherent existence, objective existence in things and events. Once you understand that suffering and its origin are really put in that kind of false way of understanding of the and one’s own self, Then one will, as I explained before, one can see the possibility, the principle at least, that even then this state of mind is distorted by cultivating the correct insight, understanding the way things are, one will be able to eliminate this remove this fundamental ignorance. And through this way, one will be able to then undercut any basis for the origin of suffering and thus suffering itself. This is an appreciation of this point is I think pretty important because otherwise if there is no possibility of freedom from suffering then there isn’t much point in, expending so much energy and time in trying to develop a deep understanding of the nature of suffering. Because if if suffering has no cessation, if there is no end to suffering, and if there is no possibility of gaining freedom, then reflect contemplating suffering suffering as really no benefit, and also, in fact, it would be pretty fruitless, then if that’s the case, then perhaps it’s also kind of more wise or maybe more appropriate to try to not think about suffering at all.
And this is often what we do when we often face problems, and we just want to avoid the problem and not think about it. Sometimes people take holidays, go on vacations, and and and temporarily try to sort of drop the thought of that suffering away. And this is also as suggested by Śāntideva in his guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life, where he states that if the problem is such that there is no solution, there is no point in worrying about it, which is very true. However, in contrast, if the if suffering does have origin and if the origin of suffering can be eliminated by eliminating the fundamental ignorance which gives rise to all our suffering, then certainly, it makes tremendous sense for spiritual practitioner to really spend time and energy in trying to understand the dynamics of of the causes of suffering and trying to learn how to bring about the cessation of that suffering. So because such an endeavor will definitely will be is is very reasonable.
Also, the most reasonable, and also it has a tremendous benefit. Has tremendous purpose. Because of this, the Buddha when he taught the truth of suffering, he also alongside the truth of suffering and its origin, he also taught freedom of suffering, freedom from suffering. For example, he told he talked about the cessation, the cessation of suffering, and also the paths that lead to the cessation of suffering. So therefore, I often explain to people that, you know, while explaining the nature of suffering, the first two truths, it is always important also to then reflect upon the second two truths, the So by deepening one’s understanding of the nature of suffering Mhmm.
On the basis of one’s own personal experience through developing the understanding of the Buddha’s teachings of the four noble truths, then one arrives at a point where one can envision the possibility of attaining liberation from cyclic existence then one will be able to develop a genuine desire to gain freedom from cyclic existence, gain freedom from unenlightened existence. So once you have that kind of powerful aspiration to gain liberation from cyclic existence, then, one should then extend that shift the focus and extend that aspiration to other sentient beings. And when you can do that, then you have a tremendous power in generating within you a a a profound experience of compassion towards all beings. Although in general, we do have natural responses, some of which are altruistic. For example, when we encounter a sign of suffering, we spontaneously spontaneously respond in that kind of compassionate way by empathizing with that suffering.
However, that kind of empathetic feeling is is quite weak. Whereas if one can experience that kind of empathy, experience that kind of empathy on the basis of the following insight, then just as I myself have the potential to attain liberation from suffering, so do all these sentient beings. Suffering sentient beings also have equal potential to attain liberation from suffering. So when you have that kind of deep insight, then on the basis of that, when you see suffering beings who are caught in the cycle of suffering while they exist, then that the the means to gain liberation from it, then, of course, your compassion, feeling of compassion towards these suffering beings will be all the more powerful, will be tremendously forceful because because you have the knowledge or awareness that the release from such suffering does exist. Therefore, a great Indian master, Shāntarakshita states in his Ornament of the Middle Way that among the Buddhist practitioners, those who are more intelligent kind of faculty, they will first cultivate an understanding of ultimate nature of reality, which in Buddhism is understood as emptiness.
They will first cultivate the wisdom insight into emptiness. And then this insight into emptiness will spur them into generating compassion. Shāntarakshita lived ninety years. In fact, once an Indian friend told me that here, this is just a simple mistake. The development of the writer mistook added one extra zero. So instead of ninety instead of ninety, he lived nine hundred years.
So regardless of whether Shāntarakshita lived actually ninety years or nine hundred years, we can to this day, we have a fortune to really meet his writings. For example, the Ornament of the Middle Way is still available and its extant and can benefit from the text. And before he passed it, in fact, Shāntarakshita left instructions one of his senior students from India, Kamalaśīla, should be invited to Tibet. And Kamalaśīla later came to Tibet, and and he’s the one who proposed the famous trilogy on stages of meditation, the Bhāvanākrama. So for us, followers of Tibetan Buddhism, it is very important to remember the great kindness of these past Indian masters.
Buddhism that was established in Tibet was not done simply on the basis of translation work by Tibetan Tibetan translators. In fact, they were very authoritative Indian masters from Nālānda who came to the into the country in person and then were part of the development of Buddhist tradition in the country. Shāntarakshita was the abbot. He also invited an Indian tantric master, Padmasambhava, And the three together are known as the king, the master, and the abbot. And and they are often sort of listed as a trilogy and in thangkas.
Right? And so it was Shāntarakshita who initiated the traditional monasticism in Tibet and also introduced the study and practice of ethical disciplines and monastic codes and the monastic practices in Tibet. And also on the basis of that, he initiated the studies of of many of the great Indian philosophical subjects such as the philosophy of Buddhism and epistemological understanding of perceptions and so on.