Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Khensur Rinpoche opens this 48-minute commentary with a striking analogy: even fortunate rebirths are like nutritious food mixed with poison — appealing in appearance yet inevitably harmful because they are saturated with afflictive emotions. He walks through the four contemplations that generate renunciation — leisure and fortune, impermanence, karma, and the sufferings of cyclic existence — then gives a concrete measure for knowing whether renunciation has genuinely arisen: one no longer admires anything in saṃsāra for even an instant, day or night, like a mother whose mind is perpetually consumed by a mortally ill child. A recurring emphasis: these meditations must be applied to one’s own specific experience, never in the abstract. The session closes with Q&A on whether understanding emptiness is a prerequisite for renunciation and on how sharper versus more ordinary intelligence approaches the question.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 30 3PA 1993 09 21.mp3
UUID: 56615633-93c9-4c2a-ac65-dd2c7331a7a7
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: 3 Principal Aspects of the Path (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1993-09-21
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 48.8 minutes
Words: ~3,027
So the karma which brings about even these fortunate types, the rebirth is skillful karma and skillful actions. And in general, this is quite positive. Is the cause of which brings us happiness. But and it can be compared to or analogous to nutritious food. Then why is it that we are speaking of all of these things in the nature of suffering?
It’s because they are all accompanied by afflictive emotions and the afflictive emotions are analogous to poison. So we can have a variety of nutritious foods like yogurt or milk or cake, all the types of things that we can eat and drink which are excellent. They are nutritious. But if we mix them with poison, then no matter how nutritious they may be, they can bring about the suffering of illness and even there’s danger of the suffering of death. That though all of these are all of these no matter what we mix poison with, it brings about a suffering result no matter what it is.
If it’s tea, if it’s milk, if it’s cake, if it’s rice or butter, though all of these things in themselves are nutritious, once they are mixed with poison, no matter what they are, they all act as a means means to bring us the suffering of illnesses and the possibility of the sufferings of death. So though we might have something that appears it looks looks quite good to ourselves, a tea or whatever types of food we might want to talk about, it looks good, but it though it might be mixed with poison, we aren’t able to see that it’s mixed with poison. And therefore, though it’s mixed with poison, still it looks good and therefore we develop attachment for it. And if we but if we were to eat it, then we would be sick and possibly die. So likewise, when we see that future embodiments and possessions are assumed under the influence of karma and afflictive emotions, we can begin to understand that they are in the nature of suffering.
That though the things, the prosperities of future lives, may appear very desirable to us, and because they do, we generate attachment toward them. And out of this attachment we regenerate all the various types of afflictive emotions, and out of these afflictive emotions we accumulate various types of karma. And as a result of these various types of negative karma we experience suffering results. And we are again and again taking rebirth under cyclic existence due to this process. That because we do not see the suffering nature of these things within cyclic existence we are not able to cease attachment to them.
But on the other hand, if we were to have a piece of cake and though it looks good, we are able to see it’s mixed with poison. Not only would we not develop attachment to it for it, not only would we not desire it, not even to eat one crumb of it, but we want to get rid of it. We wouldn’t want to have anything to do with it, seeing that it’s mixed with poison. So likewise, once we see that bodies and possessions which are assumed under the influence of karma and afflictive emotions are in the nature of suffering, then we will cease our attachment toward them. If we meditate, the meditation on suffering consists of seeing the defects of these various desirable objects which have been assumed under the influence of karma and afflictive emotions, that we see that in fact they are in the nature of suffering.
We see the faults of them, the defects of all of these things. And therefore we begin to cease our desire for them, our attachment for them. We want to abandon them. We want to be rid of them. We want, in fact, develop a longing to be liberated from all of these things which are in the nature of suffering.
We develop a longing to be free from the sufferings of cyclic existence altogether such that there is no need to take rebirth again in such a situation and we develop a longing which strives for liberation. And that’s why it says in the text, If you think again and again about these inevitable effects and the sufferings of cyclic existence, the emphasis on the appearances of future lives will be reversed. So the meditation on these two is So it is by this means that we are able to develop the determination to awaken, that is to say, the contemplation of these four factors of leisure and fortune, the impermanence in terms of death, karma as actions and results, and the suffering nature of cyclic existence. These act as the method whereby to develop the determination to awaken renunciation. So having contemplated these these four factors, in dependence upon them, as was mentioned, we developed the determination to awaken, the renunciation.
But what is the measure of having actually developed the determination to awaken, having generated such an attitude of mind, how do, what is the measurement? What is the standard by which we can judge as to whether in fact we have developed a determination to awaken. So the measure is explained in the next verse where it says, If having meditated thus, ye do not generate admiration even for an instant for the prosperity of cyclic existence and if an attitude seeking liberation arises day and night, then the thought definitely to leave cyclic existence has been generated. So having meditated thus and what it refers here in having meditated thus is to these four factors. The four factors which we have explained.
That is, having meditated upon leisures and fortunes, impermanence in terms of death, karma as actions and results, and the sufferings of cyclic existence having meditated on those four again and again. And then one no longer has a craving or an attachment toward all the various marvels of this life and future lives in terms of embodiments, possessions, objects of enjoyment, that one no longer wishes for them, thinking, All these things are really beautiful, I wish I had that. One sees them as in the nature of suffering. They have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. And there arises both day and night, that is to say a longing to be free from such a situation, from the suffering nature of cyclic existence through seeing the defects of cyclic existence.
As was mentioned in the explanation, the teaching on commentary of valid cognition, whether spontaneously, merely upon seeing all of these marvels of cyclic, the so called marvels of cyclic existence, one says one wants to have nothing to do with them. One wants to be free from what is in fact in the nature of suffering. One sees the defects of all things within cyclic existence. When that arises both day and night, during the day spontaneously, during the night spontaneously, without any effort, then one has developed a measure of determination to awaken. One has developed in full the determination to awaken or renunciation.
An analogy of such a state would be that of a mother whose only child, a mother who has tremendous compassion for her only child, and that only child having become mortally ill, there is the danger of death than having taken that child to the hospital. And that the mother is so completely absorbed in the welfare of her child that the child welfare is constantly on her mind, that no matter what she may be doing, whether she’s drinking tea, whether she’s eating, whether she’s talking, her mind is automatically consumed by the welfare thinking of its illness, hoping that it will get better. Even when she goes to sleep, the child appears in her dream. Likewise, this is the same quality of attitude in terms of upon seeing the defects of cyclic existence one’s mind is continually consumed with the longing to be liberated from it. So initially in the development of the determination to awaken the renunciation, or most literally, the definite arisal. The word which is being translated here literally means definite arisal.
One is to develop it toward the sufferings of unfortunate states of existence. One has a determination definite to arise out of those states, to awaken from those states. Then one proceeds to having initially renounced the suffering aspects of unfortunate state to look to other areas within cyclic existence to develop the same attitude until one has completely awakened and developed this definite determination to arise out of cyclic existence in terms of even future lives, in terms of embodiments and possessions. But we have to have a complete and pure determination to awaken and to have. In order to let it be authentic it must be generated all encompassing area it must encompass all areas of cyclic existence if it’s to be authentic and pure and complete in terms of determination to awaken.
And it must be developed in terms of one’s own suffering, that we cannot develop determination to awaken or renunciation in terms of other suffering. It has to be thought of in terms of what is in it for oneself. In terms of if oneself were to be reborn in an unfortunate rebirth, how would one experience it in terms of the sufferings of hell or the sufferings of a ghost or an animal. What would one experience for oneself? Or if in the future even if one were to take rebirth as a human or a celestial being, that seeing that in terms of one’s own karma and afflictive emotions in being reborn in such a place, that one would there be any redeeming qualities for one in such a place in terms of one’s embodiment, in terms of one’s possessions, in terms of one’s environment, seeing that they would still be in the nature of suffering.
So all of this is to be thought of in terms of oneself, that through one’s karma, both negative and positive, thinking about what will be brought about in terms of oneself, what will one experience in the future? So we are to think of the nature of suffering, of cyclic existence, in terms of one’s own experience. We are to meditate in that fashion. And out of this one will come to understand, one will take up the practice of what is to be adopted and what is to be avoided as a means to, out of this longing to be free from such a situation. Then understanding the nature of one’s own situation, we can begin to extend it to others.
We can look to our mother, our father, our sister, our brother, that all of these beings are like ourselves and we can develop a longing to free them from their suffering. So in terms of when it’s directed toward others, the longing to free them from their suffering, we call that compassion. Unless we develop a determination to awaken in terms of ourselves, then we cannot develop an excellent and powerful compassion towards others. So quoting from a verse by Śāntideva where he says, If people like these have never before, even in dreams they dream, felt such a wish for themselves, then how can it come to them for others? That is to say, if we have not developed for ourselves a longing to be free, how can we ever develop it, even in our dreams for others?
As a preliminary to developing compassion we must develop the determination to awaken. Without determination to awaken we will not develop compassion. And without developing compassion there’s no way that we can develop the awakening heart. So all of those have as their foundation the development of determination to awaken. So that completes the means of developing the first of the three fundamentals, the determination to awaken.
And now we’re going we will, in our next teaching, begin the explanation of the second fundamental of the path, the awakening heart, the means of cultivating the awakening heart. Determination to awaken in terms of its necessity, the way to generate it, and the measure of having generated it. And it’s been taught in a clear fashion and you have all listened you should cultivate it during the break and therefore you should have all the determination awakened when begin resuming classes next term. When we resume class next term, I’m going to test you all. How long it And now you’re erated points.
So we’ll start there if you have some questions. Intelligent will have realized emptiness at this point. But those who have mediocre intelligence, it is not necessary to understand emptiness in order to generate renunciation or the awakened determination to awaken. So the reason that when explaining this, the difference in terms of the understanding of emptiness of those who have high intelligence and those who have mediocre intelligence, the person of high intelligence in the development of determination to awaken or renunciation, it consists of a longing for liberation. And the intelligent person, seeing that liberation is something to be achieved, he or she will question, Well, can I actually achieve it?
Therefore, in order to understand whether they can actually achieve this end, they will want to know, well, understanding too that they are seeking to be liberated from cyclic existence. Well, what is the cause of cyclic existence? The cause of cyclic existence is grasping of true existence. And understanding that grasping of true existence is a distorted awareness. And that such a distorted awareness can be abandoned through the realization of emptiness.
And so they will come to an understanding of emptiness. And having come to an understanding of emptiness they realize for themselves that the causes of cyclic existence can be abandoned, therefore one can be liberated from cyclic existence, therefore one is able to achieve the object of the achievement liberation. And therefore they develop a longing to be liberated from cyclic existence having understood emptiness. So there is a commitment to the achievement. Now before an intelligent person commits themselves to something, they examine, well, can I do it or not?
And upon investigation, it’s only upon investigation that they will commit themselves. And they want to know whether they can actually bring it about or not. But on the other hand, the person of limited intelligence, mediocre intelligence, think, oh, how wonderful it is, liberation. It’s really great. It’s very, very good.
I’m gonna do it. They don’t quite understand what they’re what they’re trying to do, but they’re but they commit themselves to doing. Determination to awaken? So one can attain Buddhahood in one life. What to say of renunciation or awakened?
You know, there are five there are five paths. One attains the first path upon the development of determination to awaken. One can move through all five paths in the course of one of one life and achieve Buddhahood. If one meditates the path then it’s not so difficult. If one practices it’s not so difficult.
If one doesn’t practice it then it’s extremely difficult. Yes. So we can’t make generalities. We can only, we should carry on our practice specific to ourselves, our own unique experience. And We can’t look to others what we can never develop renunciation in terms of what others may be going through, only in terms of ourselves.
And we can only practice and meditate in terms of ourselves, our specific unique situation. We can only carry on what is to develop our understanding of what is to be adopted and what is to be avoided in terms of our own specific experience. All of these have to be done not in terms of generality of human beings in general. The same can hold true anywhere we go. But we have to look in terms of our own unique situation.
So as was mentioned that determination to awaken, renunciation is generated in terms of oneself, not in general terms of others. So all of what we’ve discussed in terms of the development of the determination to awaken must be applied to oneself in a unique fashion, that one is to see one’s unique leisures and fortunes, not in general, but one’s unique leisures and fortunes for oneself, how one has leisures and fortunes in terms of oneself, how one we must see impermanence in terms of death, terms of one’s own death. And we must have to look at the actions karma has actions and results in terms of one’s self. We must you have to look at the suffering nature in terms of one’s self. And looking at these in terms of one’s own unique situation and specific to oneself, one will lessen one’s own attachment to all of it, to the things of cyclic existence.
One will develop a longing to be liberated from one’s unique cyclic existence. The cyclic existence in which you exist in, out of considering all these factors in terms of oneself, one longs to be liberated from one’s own cyclic existence. There have been many individuals who have done this, in terms of the masters of India and Tibet, who developed the determination to awaken and went on to attain Buddhahood. They didn’t cultivate these understandings in terms of human beings in general, but in terms of their own unique experience, in terms of what faults they experienced, what defects they experienced. It was always in terms of their own experience and and it was this that they wanted to be liberated from.
Occasions for meeting with objects towards which we can develop attachment in terms of food and clothing. That there is abundance of objects for us to develop attachment toward in general. So, the those who in the way they promote attachment is promoted in the West out of a profit motive. Those who produce these goods by promoting attachment will make a will make a profit. Act intelligently.
We we should we should not be tricked and allow ourselves fall under the influence of attachment toward these things.