Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Khensur Rinpoche opens this 47-minute commentary with a striking analogy: a well-made object is useful whether bought, sold, or given away — proper meditation works the same way. He lays out the three segments of practice (motivation, actual meditation, and dedication), distinguishes three levels of motivation, and reassures students that this-life happiness comes as a byproduct of higher aims, just as a farmer’s own needs are met through working for others. He then covers the meditation on impermanence, presenting three reasons why death is certain, and argues that self-compassion is what motivates us to stop creating causes of suffering. A Q&A closes with how bodhisattvas build vast altruism incrementally — like saving money or constructing a house from an empty lot.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 18 3PA 1993 08 10.mp3
UUID: 7b192a88-bca3-427c-9cc7-50c1518d1c09
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: 3 Principal Aspects of the Path (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1993-08-10
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 46.6 minutes
Words: ~2,691
So if we compare our meditation to some an article which works well, and it’s always beneficial. If we buy it, it’s useful. If we sell it, it’s useful. If we give it away, it’s useful. Something that works well is always of use.
It has a great potentiality and the same is with respect to our if we meditate in a proper manner. So the same as the great functionality of an object that works well applies to our meditation if it’s to be a in the case of the great benefit of it’s a proper meditation. And a proper meditation should consist of the three segments of first developing the motivation, then the actual meditation itself, and we should not allow our minds to wander in the course of the actual segment of our meditation, the actual one we’re actually contemplating a particular subject, and then finally a proper dedication. And this is really a highly functional practice, this type of meditation. It’s going to bring about great results.
It’s going to have great results now and in the future for oneself and others. So with respect to the quality of our motivation, can differentiate three different levels. The finest type of motivation is the motivation which is engaging in the activity for the benefit of all sentient beings. This is extremely skillful. This is the most skillful of motivations.
This such a type of motivation will bring about a result of our ultimately, our own Buddhahood. It will by means of such a motivation, the result will be the elimination of all our faults and the bringing to consummation all our excellent qualities. The middling type of motivation would be one where we are engaging the activity in order to be able to abandon cyclic existence, in order to attain liberation. And a result of that middling type of motivation, we will gain liberation. But our minimum minimal type of motivation that we should seek to generate is that this activity is for the benefit of future lives, not for the sake of this life, but for some good rebirth in the future.
And as a result of that motivation, then our activity will bring about a positive rebirth in the future. So So either any of these three motivations is really excellent to generate. The motivation of a practice of Dharma goes beyond the happiness of this life alone. It would be very strange if, in a sense, that if this were in fact a Dharma practice, that is to say, if we could have a motivation to bring happiness for this life alone because there are many, many, many people in the world who are only engaging in activities for the happiness of this life alone, who do not accept in the least spiritual practices or religion in general. And therefore, these people, we would say, who only work for the happiness of this life would be practicing Dharma if this were a type of Dharma motivation.
Some people, they might think, you know, well, if I were to engage in my meditation with either of these three motivations, whether it be the that with the motivation of seeking to benefit all sentient beings or the motivation of seeking liberation for myself or to benefit a future life, then if I if I only meditate for that purpose then I’m I’m What about I’m not going to It wouldn’t be good. It really wouldn’t be worthwhile because I’m not gonna get any happiness in this life. I’m not good to some of this. Another day is so If there’s no really, there’s no need to be concerned because if we don’t even need to, in a way, to think about concerning ourselves with the happiness of this life. If we, we, if our motivation is to benefit all living beings, then we will be happy in this life.
If our motivation is to abandon cyclic existence, then we will be happy in this life. If our motivation is to find a beneficial rebirth in the future, we will be happy in this life. We don’t even have to concern ourselves with working to find happiness in this life. It will come. When a farmer is seeking to grow a crop and plants his field, he doesn’t have to concern himself about, you know, he’s trying in providing crop crops for others.
He doesn’t have he doesn’t have to concern himself about the the stalks and leaves that they will come by the way. So another analogy would be that An analogy would be if parents, a mother and a father, were concerned about the happiness of their family at large and seeking to bring happiness to the spouse, the children, toward that end, making effort toward that end, providing their food, clothing, and shelter, and making the family actually happy through their efforts. Then through their efforts for the sake of the family, they, as a byproduct, are themselves made happy. They had to have no they didn’t need to make a special concern or make special efforts for their own happiness as an individual. It came as a byproduct of making the family as a whole happy.
So the same holds true with respect to the development of altruism, a beneficial intention toward others in making them happy, we ourselves as a byproduct will be made happy. So developing some an excellent type of motivation, then the actual session itself. We should try not to think about many other things in the subject. We should keep a stable mind. And then finally, the dedication.
Dedicating for the benefit of sentient beings, dedicating it for one’s own liberation. In this way, it becomes a proper practice and it is an excellent means, an excellent meditation. On the other hand, if we do not carry out such a complete practice, such a type of proper practice, which has these three segments of the motivation, the actual practice and the dedication. If we leave out one, we have the others. And we will be comparable to the articles which are owned by the various beggars.
There are lots of beggars in Tibet and India. And their articles really aren’t of much use. You know, their clothes are full of holes and their utensils are full of holes. And this is analogous to this a type of practice which isn’t complete in this fashion. They’re not it’s not of that much use.
It really doesn’t perform its function as it could. So such articles owned by beggars are they’re not of much use to the beggars themselves, and then they’re of no use to get to others. So we want to try to have a pure and perfect practice. So in the support of the fundamental proposition that death is definite, we put forth three reasonings. That is to say there is nothing which can turn back death, nothing which can reverse it.
That’s the first reason. Then the second reason was that that life passes coming. And then finally, that we we pass our life passes and is finished without having time to practice the Dharma. And if contemplating these three reasons, we come to a definite conclusion that that I am definitely going to die. So one’s own life is very important to one’s own self.
One’s own life is important over the course of this life to one’s self. It is also important to one’s future lives to oneself. Whereas others others lives are important but only for this life. Others lives are only important for you in the course of this life. They are not important in terms of future lives.
So I didn’t translate that correctly, that last translation. One’s own compassion is extremely important to oneself. It will in it will bring about one’s own happiness over this life and it will bring about happiness in the future lives, this compassion that one has for oneself. Others’ compassion for you can only benefit you over the course of this life. You know, if we didn’t have compassion for ourselves, then it wouldn’t matter what we did if we made ourselves happy or not.
But we have compassion for ourselves, therefore we want to make ourselves happy. And we can bring about our happiness in this life, ensure that happiness at the time of death, and ensure that we can be happy in future lives. If if we don’t have compassion for ourselves, we’re never going to make effort in implementing the methods to eliminate our own suffering. If we don’t have love for ourselves, we’re never going to implement we’re not going to make effort in implementing the methods whereby to bring ourselves happiness. So without love and compassion for ourselves, we’re never going to make we’re never going to implement the methods to bring about our welfare.
So if we have compassion for ourselves, what would we do? We would begin to consider the fact that in the future, we are going to experience great difficulties in our sufferings. And therefore, out of compassion for ourselves, that we would begin to stop creating the causes of suffering. That is our various negativities of body, speech, mind. In dependence upon this type of compassion, we were we can eliminate the suffering of this and future lives.
And having love for ourselves, is this expressed? We understand that it’s happiness that we want to be happy. And therefore, in loving ourselves, we we determine to practice the causes of happiness. That is to say, benefiting others and ceasing harming them. And out of this, we develop a productive activities of body, speech and mind, constructive, beneficial, and we develop a kind heart.
And we have happiness not only in this life, but future lives. So today we’ve discussed in terms of the method for meditating on impermanence. The first of the three roots which was that death is definite and this is supported by three reasons and then coming to finally to a determination or a conclusion. And we should proceed in the meditation in terms of ourselves that it is definite that I am going to die. I am going to die because of Why am I gonna die?
That I am definite I am definitely going to die. I am I am definitely going to die. The death death will definitely come to myself because there is no way in which death can be turned back. My life is continually decreasing without halt and there is no addition forthcoming. And my life passes passes and is finally exhausted with ever without ever ever having found time to practice the Dharma.
And then thinking contemplating these three reasons well, one comes to a conclusion that there’s no way I’m not going to die. Then one comes to a firm conclusion, I am going to die. So we’re going to stop there, but if you have some questions, we’ll take time for those. Sometimes there can be conflict between bringing about one’s own welfare and others. In looking at this, there are two overall categories.
Two overall categories. There are that of the hearers, let us say the practitioners of the individual vehicle. They have a great deal of compassion for themselves, but not a great deal of compassion for others. They’re mainly concerned about themselves, and so they seek to eliminate their own suffering. They strive to attain liberation.
On the other hand, there are the bodhisattvas. They set aside their own welfare and all of their love and compassion is directed toward bringing about the welfare of others. So there are different perspectives. The beings of narrow perspective or a small capacity, a middling capacity or a middling perspective are mainly concerned about their own welfare and set aside to that extent the welfare of others. But those of vast perspective, the practitioners of the universal vehicle, are mainly concerned about the welfare of others and not about themselves.
They’re somewhere in the middle. So one has to look at at at So one has to determine what it is that one wants. If one wants to benefit oneself, one can do that in trying to bring about a future life, a better future life, then that is great benefit for oneself. Or if one wants to be liberated from cyclic existence, one can do that. And that would be of great benefit to oneself.
You know, we have to look at what it is that we want, that we really want. But we also should understand that it’s according to our perspective, our capacity, that there are those who have very narrow perspectives, some are middling perspectives, some who have very vast perspectives. It really is dependent upon what it is we want and also how much courage we have. In talking about setting our sights to emulate the bodhisattvas and seeking to benefit all living beings, they didn’t have this ability to begin with, this aspiration and be able to practice in this way, that they accumulated this ability over time. You know, just like someone saving up money.
First they save up one hundred dollars and they save up one thousand dollars save up ten thousand dollars etc. They accumulated this ability in the same way as ourselves through our meditation practice. Today we meditate and we have so much potency in our meditation. Tomorrow we continue that meditation and there is accumulation in connection with yesterday’s practice that there is a more powerful potency. The next day, we’ve accumulated some more potency.
So the accumulation of our potency is continually increasing. The bodhisattvas themselves did not have their powerful abilities to begin with. They were just like us. So in developing this vast perspective, that is to say, to benefit all sentient beings, we have to cultivate these attitudes, cultivate love and compassion, and try to generate the awakening heart. This is like in building a house.
First, there’s simply an empty, empty lot. And then we we put a foundation with stones and cement, and we we begin to build, and finally we end up with a big room, a big house. It wasn’t always there. We didn’t begin with a big room, big house there. We had to build it up from the foundation upward.
So the same way with our ability and the vastness of our perspective. We can cultivate this. We accumulate this this potentiality and this perspective through our our our meditations and teachings on such qualities as love and compassion and the awakening heart. Fantastic. They have a tremendous ability.
And that, you know, by through our cultivation, through our meditation, can always be developing and improving. Know, today we have a certain level of ability in regards to our meditation. And tomorrow it’s a little bit better. The next day it’s little bit better, a little bit better, and continually. In a way, we don’t even have to concern ourselves with the future.
If we simply concern ourselves day progressively getting better and developing inner power of our own mind. You know, we have When we someone who’s handsome or someone who’s beautiful, almost instantly some kind of desire arises in our mind. We don’t have to think about it. It comes automatically. And that’s through habituation.
And likewise, through our meditation and cultivating these states, merely by seeing another living being, the the awakened heart can be generated. And this comes about likewise through habituation. So it’s just a matter of accustoming or habituation, just as in the case with our desires, our attachments. We see a person, we generate desire. Even when we don’t see them, we have a desire for them.
Or we just see an article, we see a piece of cake, desire automatically arises. This all that this way of reacting is is simply comes about through habituation. So this is the same process which occurs in the course of our meditation, this accustoming process, which in this accustoming it becomes more and more powerful.