Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 49-minute commentary, Khensur Rinpoche maps thirteen sequential stages — “rungs of a ladder” — leading from equanimity up to bodhicitta, the awakening heart. He explains how two classical methods for generating bodhicitta (the seven cause-and-effect instruction descending through Maitreya and Asaṇga, and Śāntideva’s equalizing and exchanging self for others) are woven into one integrated practice, each stage depending on the one below it. He then argues that the Mahāyāna is not monasteries, robes, or texts but a quality of mind alone — one available to animals as well as humans. A closing Q&A takes up whether it is ever right to allow someone to suffer karmic consequences, resolved through the story of a shoe placed over a dissolving clay Buddha image to show that mental attitude, not the act itself, determines whether an action is skillful.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 34 3PA 1993 10 26.mp3
UUID: f30a0976-80d3-440f-8b7c-923aa2ed3083
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: 3 Principal Aspects of the Path (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1993-10-26
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 48.8 minutes
Words: ~2,288
So one must reflect and develop the aspiration that I must develop, I must cultivate such an attitude. So one develops the the the the concern that have to develop this attitude. I I must do it. But how am I going to do it? So once developing the the determination to develop this attitude, then one questions, well, what is the method?
What is the way I can actually develop this attitude? So the actual method of generating this attitude, mind generation or the awakening heart. There the the past Indian masters taught two methods. There is the method of which came down in a lineage from Maitreya to Asaṇga, which is called the seven cause and effect instruction. And the second method came down in a lineage from Mañjuśrī to Śāntideva, which is called equalizing and exchanging self for others.
Into a single means of instruction, which is extremely powerful and extremely quick method. So we’re going to explain the the practice since we are talking about discussing Tsongkhapa’s three fundamentals of the path. We’re going to discuss the practice where these two methods are integrated together. So though this is an extremely profound practice in general, the profundity of their practice is determined by the profundity of the individual who practices it. So it though the the practice may be extremely profound and deep.
Unless it’s unless it unless the individual practitioner implements it well and and in a powerful manner, then though the practice may be deep, the practitioner is not going to go deep into the practice. So it’s just as analogy would be, if you had excellent ingredients for preparing a meal, but you didn’t know how to combine ingredients well. That no matter how excellent the ingredients may be, you’re not going to end up with a very delicious food. So we’re going to be discussing this this integrated method, which is that is the combination of these two traditions, is explained in thirteen stages. So these thirteen stages are like the rungs of a ladder.
In order to to climb the ladder, it’s necessary to to step on each rung as it as we proceed in order to rise up along the ladder. The the former is necessary in order to reach the ladder. And when we the final end is the awakening heart. In order to develop the awakening heart is necessary to have stuck stepped upon this Have achieved the stage which is previous, which is former to the awakening heart. In order to have achieved that stage, it’s necessary to have achieved achieved the stage which is Which proceeded in that particular stage and then proceeding downward until one comes to the initial stage.
So it’s it’s necessary to go through a series of stages one dependent upon the other in order to reach the end. So the end point that we’re seeking to develop is the awakening heart. But preceding the development of the awakening heart is necessary that we develop exceptional resolve. In order to develop exceptional resolve, we have to meditate on taking and giving. We’re in in the context of love and compassion, we take upon ourselves the suffering of others and we give them our happiness.
In order that our practice of taking and giving go well, it must be preceded by the practice where we exchange self for others. We must develop a real determination that I am going to exchange myself for others. In order that our practice of exchange of self for others go well, it’s necessary that we be preceded by the development of what is called appealing love or attractive love or present love. I think appealing love. This is a very special appealing love which precedes the exchange of self for others.
In order to that our practice of appealing love go well, it’s necessary that it be preceded by the practice of equal equal the equality equality of self and others coming to understand that that others are equal and to ourselves and that they want happiness. They do not want to suffer equally. Preceding that is necessary that we develop love. Preceding love is necessary that we develop a sense of gratitude wish and to repay kindness. In order to develop that, it’s necessary that we have a remembrance of kindness.
Preceding that is necessary that we recognize living beings as our mother. And preceding that is necessary that we develop equanimity. That’s probably extremely precious. And therefore, we have to have really pure causes, really perfect fine causes which bring it about. Just like if we had some precious article, the substances which went into making this precious article would have themselves have to be pure and precious and really excellent.
So, you know, what if we’re if we’re making some valuable article, whether it’s clothing, whether it’s jewelry, and it’s going to be very precious, and we want want to start with the finest ingredients that are going to be combined to make this end product. If ingredients which go into it aren’t pure and of the finest quality, then we’re not we can quite easily understand that if if the the materials that we’re using aren’t of the finest quality, then the end product can how can it be of the finest quality when the materials that we’re using aren’t? No matter how we might well, we might be able to fashion them. Still, the final product cannot be of the finest quality. Well, you know, this is this is we all know this from in the world that if you that things which are made from the finest article materials and that one if one knows how to fashion them well, to work with them, that one can really come up with a really an outstanding product, which can be of really a great benefit both to oneself and others.
This is we all know this in terms of the world worldly ways. So if this is true in terms of external things about us and bringing about really valuable and precious products and items that we manufacture. You know, what to say of the internal qualities of our mind and bringing about these precious and powerful and really excellent to find qualities of mind that causes materials that have to be of the same quality. These days, the Mahāyāna or the universal vehicle is is extremely popular. It’s it’s famous, you might say.
And, you know, what makes the universal vehicle the universal vehicle? It is is the quality of mind and but but specifically the quality of mind of the awakening heart. This is what makes the universe of the vehicle precious because the awakening heart is so very precious. Without the awakening without the awakening heart, there’s no universal vehicle. Universal vehicle, the Mahāyāna, I I made it a point to to emphasize the fact that the the Mahāyāna or the universal vehicle is not set out in terms of and is not posited in terms of a monastery or monks or books or wearing red robes.
None of these are the universal vehicle. The universal vehicle is a quality of the mind. And moreover, this quality is the awakening heart. You know, the word Mahāyāna. Mahāyāna maha is a Sanskrit word and means great or big, big and universal.
And Yana is vehicle. So the big big vehicle. This is something of the mind. So what we mean by we say Maha is great and then Mahāyāna, vehicle, it’s translated as vehicle. And it is that which has here is that which is the precious quality of the ability to bring about both the welfare of others and oneself.
So that which is extremely precious quality which has this ability to bring about the purpose or the welfare of both others and self is what is meant by the vehicle here. So, the other hand, the individual vehicle, terms of having the ability to help oneself and others is able to bring about one’s own welfare and not the welfare of others. In terms of welfare of both self and other, brings about the welfare of oneself. And this in terms of the abandonment of the afflictive emotions and the suffering of cyclic existence and the attainment of the bliss of liberation. So it has that ability to bring that in the belt in terms of one’s own welfare.
So this is not a great vehicle, this is a small vehicle. So, but in terms of the great vehicle or the universal vehicle, the Mahāyāna, it is an ultimate quality which is the ability to bring about one’s own as well as others’ welfare through the elimination of all of one’s own faults and bringing to consummation of one’s own excellent qualities. This quality is the heart. So the universal vehicle is a quality of mind. And this mind can be found monks and nuns, in lay people, in males and females, in animals.
Animals can develop the awakening heart. Whosoever has this quality of the awakening heart is a has entered into the universal vehicle. So those Dharma practitioners and those books which set out the methods and those who practice these methods are books or the texts of the universal vehicle are the practitioners of the universal vehicle Dharma. So we’re gonna stop there. But if you have some questions, we’ll spend a few minutes on the yes.
Yes. What happened? What happens? Could you turn that into a question? Yeah, I don’t What should you do if you think that’s the best or Thinking.
Yeah. If one Thinking. Finds oneself in a situation where one thinks it’s best that this person experience the results of their negative actions or it might be necessary to speak to them harshly. Actions? I’m just trying to make it into a kind of a question rather than just open and so that I mean, I that’s what I gather your question is.
What should you do if you you think it’s best for this person to be allowed to suffer the the consequences of their negative actions? Is that what you’re you wanna or do you wanna refine that? Or Yeah. Is that is Or is it of use to let people suffer the consequences of their negative action? Alright.
I mean, if you ‘ll help me here. I’m sorry. I can’t hear you very well. I’m just can you help me a little bit? Okay.
That’s where you’re going to reap greater benefit, by allowing them to suffer. Is what? I’m sorry, I interrupted. Is? So, within the two types of it, there are two possible types of individuals.
One who can learn from their past mistakes and those who do not learn from their past mistakes. So, but, you know, and therefore, they’re suffering, having suffered and they understand that they’ve made a mistake in the past and that they try to correct. The other doesn’t know where their suffering is coming from. They don’t realize it’s coming from that past mistake. But in either case, it’s best to help them not to experience either of the sufferings.
Either of these two types of people, it’s best that they not suffer experience the suffering of whatever their past negative act, whatever they did. Just like when a doctor, a doctor doesn’t he he he gives or she gives medicine to whosoever in order to prevent them from experiencing illness. So it’s good to make effort in bringing about a happiness where people do not suffer. And did that not answer your question?
I don’t know if that’s maybe I didn’t ask your question very clearly. Maybe if you’d like to go through it again, of course. So, there are two cases. One is that, you know, example, you know, if a child was always doing something wrong, involving himself in some destructive activity and that and this is, you thought that this is going to lead them to a lot of trouble in the future.
And that out of one’s kind hearted concern for the child in order to eliminate this behavior, order to eliminate this future trouble that you foresee is going to befall the child, then it would be proper to scold them or to spank them. On the other hand, just to spank if you’re angry or if you’re angry or if you’re just indifferent, just just we don’t simply bring harm. So within Buddhism, our activities are determined positive or negative quality of the activities is dependent upon the mind, the attitude that we involve ourselves in the activity, whether it is positive or negative. So, an example example would be if, you know, someone was walking along a path and there was a clay image of a Buddha on the path, a small image. And it was raining and, you know, the image was beginning to dissolve, to deteriorate, to dissolve.
And this person, you know, had a great deal of faith in Buddha and and didn’t wanna see the the image ruined in this way. So they they take off their shoe and and cover cover over the the Buddha image with that attitude, this would be a skillful action. So then a second person comes along and it stopped raining. And they look and they see they see the shoe and they pick up the shoe and there’s a there’s a Buddha image under that shoe. And they take off the shoe.
That’s also a skillful action. People people shouldn’t put shoes on top of the Buddha images and they take it off. That’s all for the Buddha.