Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Opening with Lama Dromtonpa’s verse on the Parting from the Four Clingings, Khensur Rinpoche uses this 50-minute talk to work through the first clinging — attachment to this life. He introduces Nāgārjuna’s eight worldly dharmas (pleasure/pain, gain/loss, fame/notoriety, praise/ridicule), using the image of a small child swinging between laughter and tears to show how these preoccupations unsettle the mind. Drawing on Śāntideva, he argues that others’ words do not make us who we are — a practical anchor for equanimity toward praise and ridicule. The second half turns to the Kadampa framework of four entrustments: deepest commitment to Dharma first, then accepting the life of a beggar, grounded in the etymology of the Tibetan word for monk as “beggar seeking liberation.”
File metadata (for organising)
File: 09 3PA 1993 06 22.mp3
UUID: cae998d4-c3d6-4f89-b472-73e3ac205871
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: 3 Principal Aspects of the Path (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1993-06-22
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 49.6 minutes
Words: ~1,901
So last time we were quoting a verse by Lama Dromtonpa, where he said that in the teaching on the Parting from the Four Clingings, a four-line verse where he states: If one clings to this life, one is not a practitioner of Dharma. If one clings to cyclic existence, one does not have determination to awaken. If one clings to one’s own welfare, one has not developed the awakening heart. And if one clings to the view of self, one has not realized selflessness, or the view. So this was spoken by Mañjuśrī to Dromtonpa?
So of these four clingings, we spoke last week in terms of this first line where it said: Those who are clinging to this life are not practitioners of Dharma. So if we have a great attachment to this — a craving for the things concerning only this life, whether they be food, clothes, or a good name, reputation — and thinking, having a great need in order to procure these, then we can become confused in the context of this life. We only think of this life and will not think of future lives. And therefore we are not engaging in an authentic practice of Dharma. So it’s important to have a small attachment for this life.
So in order to overcome the clinging to this life, Nāgārjuna set out the way of overcoming what are called the eight — literally the eight worldly dharmas, or the eight principal preoccupations of ego-oriented existence. These eight worldly dharmas, or eight principal dharmas of the world, are set out in four pairs where there is: first, the pleasure and pain — that we, in getting, like to get pleasure and dislike any types of pain. We like to receive gain and dislike any type of loss. When we achieve something and we get some kind of profit, there’s a great liking for that. Or on the other hand, when we lose something, there’s a dislike.
A liking for fame, a dislike for notoriety. A liking for praise when people speak wonderful things about us. And a dislike for ridicule when we’re put down. So these eight — pleasure, pain, gain, loss, fame, notoriety, and praise, and ridicule — are the eight principles of the world. So in this respect we act like small children who are easily swayed in their emotions. One moment they can laugh and the next moment they can cry through the slightest cause.
And likewise, with respect to these eight principles, or eight worldly dharmas, we are swayed by these likings and dislikings, and our mind is not able to remain at peace. So our minds are much like this little child who is easily swayed in his reactions. And we should try to develop a more balanced mentality, an even-mindedness, which is not easily swayed in terms of these eight worldly dharmas. That if we receive pleasure, then not to be overwhelmed and attached by it. If we experience pain, not to be overwhelmed and have strong aversion to it.
In the same fashion toward the remaining six: having gained some kind of profit, not to go out of balance and become strongly attached — to generate a powerful liking for it. Or if we experience a loss, not to be overwhelmed and develop a tremendous aversion to that loss, and develop a tremendous dislike. And the same with gaining fame or notoriety, on the other hand, praise or ridicule. That we should try to develop a mind which is balanced, is divorced of attachment and aversion to these eight worldly dharmas — an even-mindedness. So Śāntideva advises us not to act in a childlike manner with respect to being praised or being ridiculed.
That even when there are some few people who praise us, there are some out there who also will put us down. Or on the other hand, when some people are ridiculing us, not to be moved, because there are also people out there who will likewise praise us. So whatever words others may use to describe us, it does not make us who we are. If someone says to us how wonderful we are, that doesn’t make us a wonderful person. On the other hand, if others say what a lousy person we are, that doesn’t make us a lousy person.
So, allowing one’s mind to remain unmoved in terms of liking and disliking, but remaining who one in fact is. Because these words don’t make you who you are. So this is extremely useful in developing — bringing about the ceasing of our attachment and aversion — in trying to maintain a balanced state of mind with respect to what others say about us. When others praise us and we develop a sense of importance and great liking, we’re going to be attached to being praised. On the other hand, when others put us down and we develop a great displeasure at being put down, we’re going to develop anger at being put down.
So, if we can maintain a balanced state of mind whether we’re praised or whether we’re ridiculed, we will not fall into attachment or anger. So it’s very useful. So, quoting from a Kadampa Lama. With respect to the Kadampa Lama’s lineage, there is the old Kadampa such as, beginning with Atisha and Dromtonpa. And then there is new Kadampa beginning with Tsongkhapa.
So the — and the precepts of the word. And this Lama — Punochu said that every letter that the Buddha spoke, written in the scriptures, is to be taken as instruction for practice and that it is useful for the development of excellent qualities. So each letter is to be taken as a precept for practice, as a means to develop excellent qualities. Ten. So, oh, I see.
So yeah, I didn’t translate that correctly. It’s not talking about the Kadampa Lamas — one of their — I use the term Punochu. That means the ten ultimate jewels. So he’s of the Kadampa. The ten ultimate jewels.
It’s very nice. Very nice. So these four innermost jewels of the… The first — there are four… Three vajras. Oh, put the top there.
Yes. Yeah. What does — so for just provisionally, I’ll give you the Tibetan. And then the other remaining three are put, sup, dol. I’ll find out what those are.
The first is: from the depth of the mind, based in Dharma. So from the innermost mind, faith in the Dharma. From the innermost, Dharma. So these first four jewels are faith in the Dharma. So the first one was: from the innermost mind, faith in the Dharma — explaining what that means. So the first meaning of the first is: having attained a human life which possesses leisures and fortunes, it is extremely meaningful, and such a life is difficult to find and is quickly lost at the time of death through impermanence. And understanding that at the time of death what will be of any use to you — that wealth and friends and even one’s own body will not be of use to you — de-emphasizing the appearances of this life, but understanding that it is only the Dharma which will be of benefit. All else will be left behind at the time of death. Therefore, having relying upon one’s practice in the Dharma.
Having faith in the Dharma. Good. So we will all die because we are all impermanent, and but we don’t know when we’re going to die. In the time of our death, what can be of any benefit? It is the Dharma which will be of benefit.
So from our innermost mind, relying upon the Dharma. So I think perhaps these could be called the four entrustments, I think. So entrusting oneself from the innermost mind to one’s Dharma practice. And secondly, the thought may arise that, you know, if I were to only practice the Dharma, and I would not concern myself with gaining the material necessities of this life, then I’m going to be a beggar. I’m going to be a beggar.
And thinking, Well, it doesn’t matter to be a beggar. And therefore the second entrustment is that of holding the Dharma innermost, trusting oneself to the life of a beggar, entrusting oneself to the life of a beggar. So we would probably think in that way. We would think, Well, I have to practice the Dharma. And if I don’t get all the things of the world, if I don’t get wealth in the course of this practice, then I’m just going to be a beggar.
Would you think that — that you end up a beggar? So you know, we may think that in order to carry out our practice of Dharma, we will have to — we will not have all the material necessities of life — and we should not be disturbed by that thought. Not thinking that one has to spend all of one’s time in order to get material necessities, whether food, clothing, etc. But entrusting oneself that even if one has to beg for one’s livelihood, that’s okay. It doesn’t matter.
So just as Śākyamūni Buddha in ancient India begged for his livelihood, in gathering together his food and clothes. And the Sangha, the monks of that time in India, went each day begging for their food. And this still occurs today in, for example, Thailand, where the monks and nuns go out for their alms round, having gone out for the alms round and collected food. They eat their food and then they practice the Dharma. And we, as followers of Śākyamūni Buddha, should act in the same way in our practice of Dharma.
So if we look at — in Tibetan the word Gelong, sometimes it can mean the Sangha, the community of monks and nuns. Gelong is composed of two syllables. Ge — it has the meaning of liberation, abandoning cyclic existence. So one is practicing Dharma in order to abandon cyclic existence. Long has the idea of begging — that in order to gain one’s livelihood, in the course of practicing one’s Dharma, one does not spend the entirety of one’s time in gathering money, in gathering food, but goes out and begs for one’s food, one’s necessities.
So this is how the word — one who is a beggar seeking liberation. So in the course of our practice of Dharma, we should not be overwhelmed by seeking to gain worldly wealth, but should emulate as was shown to us by Śākyamūni Buddha — that we can carry on the practice of begging. And this is, therefore, to entrust ourselves to the life of a beggar. So it’s quite possible that now you’re thinking that in order to practice Dharma, I have to become a beggar. So in order to practice an authentic Dharma, a pure Dharma, we would have to emulate individuals such as Milarepa, or the monks such as those of the individual vehicle, the lesser vehicle.
So we’ve covered two of these entrustments: entrusting ourselves to the Dharma, and entrusting ourselves to the life of a beggar. And then, well, one may think — the doubt will arise in one’s mind: Well, if I don’t gather enough wealth and material necessities, then when I die, what’s going to happen to me?