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 vivid image — albatrosses tracked across vast distances by scientists — as a metaphor for the two wings every practitioner must grow: method and wisdom. The session concludes his explanation of the awakening heart (bodhicitta), the second of the three principal aspects of the path. He moves through karma and cause-and-effect, drawing on Śāntideva and Maitreya to press home why planting seeds of practice now matters rather than waiting for realizations to appear. He then considers what makes a teacher trustworthy — firsthand experience, compassion, no self-interest — invoking Dharmakīrti’s argument that Śākyamūni had no reason to deceive. He closes by urging students to look honestly at their own minds for signs of real transformation, and announces the next session will be open Q&A before the series moves on to the view of emptiness.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 40 3PA 1993 11 23.mp3
UUID: 83750751-35ec-4374-9d4c-0eda9e351bf0
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: 3 Principal Aspects of the Path (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1993-11-23
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 48.4 minutes
Words: ~2,567
So it’s like, I remember watching a show about these great white birds, perhaps albatrosses, and maybe each wing is six feet long. And the scientists measure how far how how long of a distance they’re able to travel each day. So they catch these birds and they attach radio devices perhaps to them. And these birds have extremely long and strong wings, and they follow them, and they can they can travel vast distances each day. So in order for this bird to fly as it does, it has to rely upon its own wings.
It can’t rely upon the wings of anyone else, another bird, but only its own. So just like likewise, we ourselves in order to to to traverse on our journey, need to develop these wings. Without these wings, wings, we’re not going to go anywhere. There’s there’s no there’s no train or bus that’s gonna be able to take us. So we have to grow these wings.
And the way that we develop these wings is through our meditation, cultivating, on the one hand wisdom, the wisdom understanding emptiness, and also growing in compassion and developing the awakened heart. And then these two are the wings that we’re seeking to grow, the method and wisdom. And we then seek to increase our wingspan greater and greater until we are they are like the albatross. And just as the albatross,, because having developed these two vast wings is able to fly to any destination that it so desires. Likewise, once we have developed these two vast wings, the vast wings of method and wisdom, then we can can travel to any destination that we desire.
It can be liberation. It can be Buddhahood. It can be omniscience. It can be the Pure Lands of Tuśita or Tārā or Mañjuśrī or Vajrayoginī. Wherever we want to, we can fly to.
We don’t need an airplane or a plane or a car. So we need to develop these two factors, the factors of method and wisdom, through our own individual practices. If we don’t develop them in our individual practices, then we’re not going to develop them, and we’re going to continue to circle within cyclic existence, experiencing suffering, that we are presently under the control of ignorance. Due to this factor of ignorance, we generate attachment, hatred, the various delusions.
Out of these, we engage in various actions creating karma, and as product of this karma having once been created, we experience the sufferings of hell or birth as an animal, as a celestial being, as a human, continually circling through these realms of cyclic existence experiencing suffering. According to from verse by Śāntideva, where said that, you know, that there have there have been numberless Buddhas in our world who have led living beings to states of liberation and omniscience through their teachings of Dharma. But we who remain behind, who are caught up in our grasping at true existence and anger creating all type various types of negative negative karmas, have not met with these Buddhas. And it’s not it hasn’t it is simply it has nothing to do from the side of the Buddhas, but is in fact our own fault. If you look at the our situation in in terms terms of that we have obtained a human life, and we have met with the Dharma, and moreover a fully qualified spiritual teacher, and we have companions who assist us in our practice, this represents a golden opportunity, and that we have all the conducive conditions to carry on a successful practice if we make the effort.
If we don’t make the effort, then we’re simply going to fall into negative rebirth. So one should understand that, and quoting from a verse by again by Śāntideva, where he said, We have been born again and again numberless times in fortunate rebirths where we have experienced great happinesses. And having died from these fortunate rebirth, we are born into unfortunate rebirth. And this process has been going on numberless times. So we are presented with this precious opportunity.
And we need to make use of it through cultivating all of the various methods and wisdoms in the course of this life. You know, we can, over the course of this life through our meditation, develop the wisdom realizing emptiness, the compassion and awakening heart, can become bodhisattvas. But even if we weren’t to achieve that high state, then through our meditation, meditating on emptiness compassion again and again, that we are planting seeds for the future realization. And we’re going to, through these through our practice, attain a human life in the future. And then having attained that state, as was explained previously, we go on to create the various conducive conditions, such as through our practices of Chenrezig and ethics and tolerance and joyous effort.
That, once the situation is such that having these seeds and creating the conducive conditions, that is like watering a seed so a flower grows. You know, upon watering the seed, a flower grows. And having met with a spiritual teacher in the future, then we will gain the realizations of the practice. Why is it that that though we we meditate on emptiness and compassion in the awakening heart, we we don’t generate these wisdoms and these qualities? It’s because we we haven’t planted the seeds for their realization.
Without planting the seeds in the field, no matter how much you may water it, nothing will ever grow. It’s like a verse from Maitreya, which says that, you know, no matter how much it may rain upon the field, if there’s nothing sown, no crop will come forth. That, you know, it’s just like in terms of this holds true for external fields — that even when there are seeds planted in fields, some varieties of crops take years to grow to gain the fruit. And likewise with the internal field of our mind, that we are not going to develop these realizations immediately. But moreover, without planting those seeds, we’re never going to develop them.
And even when we meditate, if we were simply to our meditation is more like going to sleep, we can’t expect to develop realizations. If there’s no cause, how can a result arise? You know, if results arose without any causes, then this would really be troublesome. Because we could experience so many negative results and never have done anything to deserve them. This is really excellent, this concordance between the cause and the results.
If we involve ourselves in a skillful action, it’s going to have a positive result. If it’s unskillful action, it’s going to have a negative result. Simply, if we do something positive, it’s going to have positive consequences. We do something negative, it’s going to have negative consequences. On the other hand, it would really be a sad situation if we really did a lot of positive things and it brought no result.
Then on the other hand, if we did a lot of negativities and there was no negative result, that would be a profit. It’s essential that we develop a conviction with respect to causes and results. That a positive cause brings a positive result. A negative cause brings a negative result. This is the essence of the dharma.
If we understand this conviction, then we will involve ourselves in implementing those means which are skillful to bring about that happy result. On the other hand, understanding that from unskillful actions, suffering arises, then we’ll abandon those unskillful actions. Without such a conviction and such a way of practicing, there’s no real practice. Our practice of Dharma will be haphazard, only in terms of what is of benefit to ourselves. So we can we can we can develop a conviction in a trust, a trust with respect to those who have actually gained realizations through their practice, you know, have actually meditated the path and have gained realizations.
And in terms of their realizations, teach their students. That in this manner there’s no mistake in what is being presented. Have conviction in what is being explained. On the other hand, if someone who doesn’t practice, doesn’t meditate, has no experience, goes on to explain the means of practice, then they can make a lot of mistakes. But on the contrary, someone who has actually gained experience, who has realizations, and simply teaches out of their own experience how they actually generated these realizations themselves, explains those means, then we can have a conviction in their explanations.
It was just as in the case of Śākyamūni Buddha, where he practiced, practiced, he gained realizations, and then he went on to explain how how one is to practice to gain those same realizations. If you want to develop these same realizations, then you are you should go about doing this. I did this, and I gained this realization. If you do this, you’ll generate the same. He explained to, like a parent, to their child.
In this way, one can have a great deal of trust in such types of explanations on the one hand. On the other hand, we additionally are to examine what is being explained. Like as it is said to Assay Gold, is this in fact the case or is it not the case? Analyzing, Analyzing, investigating, in terms of meditating on what is being taught and trying to understand is it in fact the case? And additionally, those who do teach, it is necessary that they have great compassion.
That without compassion, though they have understanding, still their explanations may be mistaken because they are seeking they may be seeking something for themselves in terms of praise. And therefore, there is what they teach can be corrupted. Therefore, those who are going to explain if we’re going to develop a trust in their explanation, not only must have understanding, but they must have great compassion. Quoting from a verse by Dharmakīrti where he said that in speaking of Śākyamūni Buddha that the Śākyamūni Buddha in teaching the path to his disciples had no reason to lie. Now there can be either two reasons why one would speak in a false way.
Either one is trying to fulfill one’s own purposes. Or one is trying to. So there are two there are two reasons why one might lie. Either because one’s own purposes or welfare have not been fulfilled or that the purposes of others have not been fulfilled. But in the case of Śākyamūni Buddha, he has perfected both the welfare of himself and others.
So he had no reason to lie. Accordance with the dispositions and the capacities of his disciples. Just like a doctor prescribes medicine in accordance with the illness of the patient. Likewise, Śākyamūni Buddha taught in accordance with whatever benefit a particular disciple. So trust and faith are extremely important in our practice of Dharma.
It is said that faith is the foundation of all excellent qualities, that all the excellent qualities in terms of whether at the grounds and paths. It is faith which is their foundation. So I have brought to an end this explanation of the awakening heart, and I feel that I have explained it clearly. And I I have great hopes that you have understood what I’ve explained and without having presented the nature of the awakening heart — that is, the definition — then there’s no way you can understand it extensively. It’s necessary to understand its nature.
So as I explained Sunday, that it’s though it’s important to involve oneself in a great deal of listening, it’s even more important to to understand one thing. That is to to understand even though we listen a lot, if we understand one meaning meaning of what has been said, then this is of tremendous benefit. So, you know, we in in terms of these meanings of of compassion or love and the awakening heart and emptiness. If we can generate one of those, then this is really wonderful. But in order to do that, we have to meditate on them.
So if we if we generate even one of these, subjects of meaning in our minds, then our mind is transformed. Without Without developing these understandings, our mind will will forever be left untransformed, unchanged, and there’s no dharma. Simply speaking simply speaking from the mouth does not transform people’s minds. So we have to compare our mind and look within our minds and compare the state of our minds as to the previously when we had not listened to the dharma, and subsequently to the present when we have listened to the dharma. And look to our minds and see is there any change?
Has there been any improvement? You know, if minds have remained the same, if we look to our minds and they remain the same, then there’s been no change. There’s been no change. Our minds have not been transformed. On the other hand, if we see that even if to whatever degree our mind has, our faults have decreased and our excellent qualities have been developed, this process of listening and meditating has brought about result.
Even it’s only in terms of some degree of result, it has in some degree transformed our mind. So it’s very important that we look to our state of our mind. So if if these dysfunctional factors in our mind are lessening, our mind is improving, then this is a sign that our practice of Dharma is going well. We’re gonna stop there. And And next week, I’m not I you know, I’ve talked quite a lot, and I’m not going to teach next week.
I I’m going to it that will be an occasion where you can you will ask questions, whatever doubts that you might have. I know I’ve taught the the fundamental of the determination to awaken or renunciation and and of the awakened heart. And having explained those, perhaps you can discuss them amongst yourself and develop some kinds of questions and whatever doubts that you might have and bring those to the class next week. So, you know, I I I’d like to know what what you know and what what you don’t know. And so maybe next week, we can have an examination.
We have a written examination and I can go over your your papers and then I can understand where you might be going wrong. I’m joking. Just come up with, you know, come up with your doubts. When it whatever questions, think about them, and then bring them to the class next week. We’ve gone over two of the fundamentals.
The third fundamental, the awakening mind and the view of emptiness, we will begin next year. So next week’s class will be completely devoted to clearing up your doubts answering questions. If you have some questions now, ask them. Yes. So once the so he remember saying once you attain Buddhahood, you emanate hundreds or thousands of emanations, teaching the Dharma to So if by generating bodhicitta can you affect other people’s karma in a positive?
So, you’ve meditated and developed the power of your awakened heart, can affect other people’s karma. Yes. So one is bound within the bondage is being bound within cyclic existence. Yes.