Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Nāgārjuna’s image of a magician’s illusory woman — lust that dissolves the moment a spectator sees through the illusion — opens Khensur Rinpoche’s 49-minute commentary on emptiness. He explains how ignorance grasps the ego and aggregates as independently existing, then walks through a practical meditation technique: splitting attention so the larger part of the mind holds ignorance in view while a smaller part examines how it grasps. He covers making latent ignorance manifest through sudden fear or joy, and the role of supporting practices such as Mañjuśrī meditation and mandala offerings. A Q&A closes the session, distinguishing sharp from blunt-faculty practitioners on the path of accumulation and using a full moon glimpsed through thin cloud to illustrate the difference between conceptual and direct realization of emptiness.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 46 3PA 1994 02 15.mp3
UUID: c61eef55-7fef-462b-aadc-02120f71c4f3
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: 3 Principal Aspects of the Path (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1994-02-15
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 48.8 minutes
Words: ~2,971
Such as you cannot tell, the ignorance to just go away as you would tell to somebody else. It’s not that easy. And also, that fact that it is not easy to be just told not — not told to go away — is because it is a mind not — not separate from the person’s mind, very ingrained in the person, therefore it’s not that easy. Therefore one has to apply effective method to remove it, to terminate it, and the effective method is to analyze the way ignorance perceives our views, grasp and so forth and when one analyzes one first comes to the understanding that the way ignorance perceives things is not how things are. And because of the the way ignorance perceives is mistaken, it is and it is therefore completely mistaken mind.
Now, if one if one understands in that way that the way ignorance perceives is mistaken, then one would also come to understanding as consequences that ignorance is a mistaken mind. And if one understands that, then one would realize that it is deceptive. And if one realizes it is deceptive then it is not that difficult thereafter to terminate and overcome it. Because in other cases, what happens in usual ordinary beings cases, not only ignorance perceives mistakenly, but the person as well thinks that is right, it is true. The way ignorance perceives is correct.
So there is a proof of correctness of the way ignorance perceives. Whereas in the analysis here when one finds that way ignorance perceives is mistaken, one would realize it is deceptive. So one will not approve of the way ignorance perceives. And and then from then on ward, it is not difficult to overcome or terminate it. On this point, the great Nāgārjuna has given a very good example.
And example goes this way. If a magician transforms an object, a spell-bound object into very pretty women, then amongst the spectators, if there are some very if there are some excessively lustful ones, then they would feel very lustful of the pretty women produced. Although it is magical, it is illusory. Magical, it is illusory. But the moment the spectators realizes that it is just an illusion not to be actually found there, the pretty women transformed by magician, then the lust would automatically subside.
So that’s an example given. In that case of the spectators, those lustful one having lust towards the pretty women, although it is magically transformed and it’s illusory. Now let’s bring in the scene, say, when the spectators have such a lust still present, then let’s say a Buddha or bodhisattva transforms similar similar pretty women. But I mean, you are yeah. Okay.
No. I won’t comment on that. So forms a similar pretty woman. And having transformed, then the Buddha’s and bodhisattva dissolves the transformation into the base spelt substance, which in classical magician magical tricks would be a pebble or a twig of a tree. So if it is or dissolved into that, then the spectators would have their lust subsided.
So that’s like a let’s say a possible scene where that happens. Now, if that is acceptable, then that’s exactly what is happening in the explanation of the instructions on this topic that the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas are pinpointing the the mistaken perception by ignorance about things and which could be done by oh, and which is done by pointing out the nonexistence of the object which is so strongly grasped onto. So that’s how it is explained in in that way. Not actually there, then the lust is gone. And if if the person still thinks the illusory woman as truly there, the lust would still be there and again to repeat: the moment one realizes that it is not truly there, then it subsides.
And this is something wouldn’t you think that this is something quite understandable from that way of looking? Similarly, here in the context topic, the ego and the aggregates are dependent on causes and conditions. That is how they are formed and that’s how they exist. But ignorance which is focused on ego and the self identity and on aggregate perceives otherwise. That that ignorance perceives the ego and the aggregate as completely independently existing by their own side without depending on causes conditions label name and so forth and as if the ego and the aggregates exist self sufficiently self sufficiently without any dependence or depending on others at all.
And now in the present analysis, that’s the way ignorance perceives. Now in the present analysis, we look at whether such object is there as ignorance perceives and ego and aggregates existing by their own side without depending on name or causes conditions name labeling and so forth and the moment we realize this that there is not such object then it is possible with with that realization that it is possible to turn back the the very thought which perceives in that way, which is the ignorance or in an yes. So similar without distorting. And in this in this way, similarly, the meaning is one then will have to first find out whether such ego and aggregates existing by their side, by their own side independently, actually actually are there or not, although ignorance perceives it. And if one finds that that’s not, that’s not so, if one finds that they do not exist in that manner, then it is possible to divert, divert to to turn back the ignorance which perceives in that way.
In this way, what is to be disproved, what is to be refuted is the the object perceived by ignorance and independently existing phenomena existing by itself without depending on causes, conditions, or any other thing. We can go back to the previous example in the case of lust to the spectacle women. In that case, the the lust so the it’s the same word, attachment lust. The lust lust things with strong clinging that the object is so good. It is extremely good.
So there is the clinging. The the moment the object is proved to be not there then that clinging is gone. So similarly here the way ignorance perceives is the percept is the perception that aggregates and the ego independently exist without depending on anything and it not only persists but it strongly strongly very tightly very tightly grasped onto that. Now in the previous analysis we found that that’s not the way things exist and therefore by object of refutation or what is to be proved not there is means to that very thing, the object grasped on by ignorance. So is it clear?
Is that right? In this way, one needs to identify and know ignorance, and then one go ahead go ahead with with knowing or identifying the way how that ignorance grasp onto, the manner of grasping by ignorance. And in this way it is possible that one can can come to the understanding of object of refutation, what is to be proved not there, which is the very object of ignorance. So one can come in that way. And in actual practice of analysis in profound meditation, meditation one applies very fine reasoning of the mind because it needs to be very carefully approached when one is analyzing the object to be proved not there when one is analyzing what is to be proved as not existing inherently there.
And this fine, this careful applying applying is done in this way where one splits one’s activity of mind into two, the major part of one’s mind retaining retaining the recognition of ignorance itself and a smaller portion of the mind looking at how that ignorance grasps onto the things, or what is the manner ignorance perceives ignorance grasps. So that’s second part, the smaller portion of mind looks at that. And this way of approach is the correct one and by applying it in this way eventually one would come to the realization that the manner ignorance grasp is not correct because what ignorance grasp onto it is not there. So the moment when gradually that would happen and when the moment one realizes that that one the moment one realizes what is to be proved not there is not there that is the moment one realizes emptiness and this is in brief how in the gradual process of investigation and fine thinking, careful thinking, the realization of emptiness would come about. Well, that is how it happens.
But there is the fact that generally, ignorance is not that manifest because it is in most situation, it is latent. It’s in worse sleeping state and in non manifest state. Therefore, one needs to apply methods, means to to make make the ignorance manifest in one’s state of mind. And this can be done by looking at other instances how, on some occasions even generally ignorance do manifest such as even generally ignorance would manifest if if one is say very badly scared scared thinking oh I’m terribly going to suffer or so forth. So whenever there’s a like a sudden great fright, then ignorance of thinking I, so it would be there.
And then other occasion would be when one is extremely joyful thinking, and thinking, oh, I’m today extremely happy, such great things happening to me. And that’s when ignorance would manifest. So by looking at such occasions ignorance do manifest, one can apply a means to bring — bringing it to manifest. And once it is manifest or once it is actively in one’s present state of mind, then one apply the analysis just explained ahead, which is to split the mind into two parts. The major part retaining the gaze or look at ignorance and the other part doing the analysis about how that ignorance perceives.
And the example of the two portion of mind given is like when two person walked down the street on walked down the street, then each of the person would look at each other. But at the same time they would be watching the road and this would be done say while walking together they’re talking to each other and each person looks one part of the eyes to the other person but also some part of the eye also watches the road so can be in in that way. That that’s how it is explained. Well, because the because object or refutation, which is a popular term used in translation, but the object part can be confusing. So it simply means what is to be proved not there.
So what is to be proved not there because what is to be proved not there itself is very subtle and as well the mind which grasps onto that subtle, the ignorance. Therefore it is of course difficult to come to understanding these two, what is to be proved not there and the ignorance. Therefore in the tradition it is maintained that when one does analysis on emptiness which involves analysis firstly on understanding what is to be proved not there, object of refutation and ignorance, one first combines some other purification and merit accumulating practices such as praying and doing meditation on Buddha of wisdom, Mañjuśrī, through which way one can increase one’s wisdom as a means to come to one’s aid in those topics. And then as well some other practices such as offering the entire universe as purified realm, the mandala offering and when one offers one things, one’s lama, the teacher and teachers as inseparable form meditational deities and then make such pure universe offerings mandala and offer prostrations as means for overcoming weakness of the mind purification and then one as well as main practice can continuously maintain analysis on these topics and that’s how gradually through that way with emphasis on the prayer, merit accumulation, purification, there will gradually come time that one would be successful and as far as the understanding of what is to be proved not there and ignorance being emphasized as to be important it is true because even in the Tibetan tradition when the Tibetan practitioners goes into what’s called intensive specific meditation on emptiness they don’t start with emptiness because they first start by analyzing what is to be proved not there and that itself would take about one year or more just on that of what just on that analysis what is to be proved not there and so in that way one can see and that it is correct to emphasize how important that part is.
Through this way of approach, although one may at the moment not realize emptiness, but it is still extremely meaningful endeavor because one leaves great imprints, one leaves powerful imprints on the practice of realizing emptiness and also the very investigation study and so forth into the topic somehow damages ignorance. So it is detrimental to ignorance and through that way it is like going down to the main course of all one’s unwanted experiences. So from that way it can be extremely meaningful to do the whole study and so forth into this topic. If one very well identifies what is to be what is to be proved not there, then after that within say about a week one would realize emptiness. Yes.
So then we ‘ll stop here for tonight. And any questions? Few minutes of questions, please. So the realization of emptiness for a sharp faculty trainee would not decline once the person attains the path of accumulation. The first part amongst the five paths.
But for, say, blunt faculty practitioner or practitioner of lower mental capability for them we might say that they would not have their understanding or realization of emptiness declined once they reach the second phase or second stage of the path of accumulation because let’s say first there are five paths and then the path of accumulation itself is divided into three parts: a small, middling, and great. So once the person attain enlightenment middling grade or path of accumulation then we can say in the low faculty the person would not have declined. So here in we might need to clarify it needs to be clarified there’s a difference between realization and direct realization so as far as realization itself goes for sharp faculty it would not decline once the person attains the first part and in the low faculty person the second phase of the first part. Because the sharp faculty practitioner can apply means in this life to have the realization of emptiness not declined whereas in the case of low faculty, not low studies, but the blunt blunt faculty of a practitioner, they from one another point of view, they also do have what’s called weakness as far as their other practices go which would help not to have the realization decline.
So mentally and from their practice parts, they are disadvantaged. The vast aspect of the practice: the bodhicitta and the six perfections, or we can look in this way the five paths and the ten bodhisattva grounds and the six perfections. To have direct realization of emptiness, it is not possible without firstly realizing it non-directly — which is, and by non-direct which means through a realization in a conceptual way, with concept. Now what that means is when one first realizes emptiness conceptually it is realization which has blend or mixture of something else not just emptiness. So it is still a blended realization.
For example, let’s say if there is milk as well — water blended with it — it’s not pure milk. But if we have a pure water separately and pure milk separately in like without being diluted afterwards and then we have the two pure in the example so similarly our first when one realizes emptiness it is realization through a concept and whatever is conceptual realization is necessarily blended realization because it realizes the subject but along with something else not pure. Then afterwards by repeatedly familiarizing with the conceptual realization of emptiness there will come a time the emptiness is realized on its own purely without any mixture of other things and it can be so clear the direct and that is direct realization the realization of emptiness on its own without any blend of whatsoever and we can say that at that point the clarity of the realization can be so clear as if like looking at your own palm of palm lines which you can see so clearly so something like: having closed one’s vision, one can look at it in that way — that that is the direct realization without anything else, pure emptiness realized. Let’s say another, say, example on fifteenth day of the lunar calendar, is moon, full moon, and on it on its own very clear, say, in the sky.
But now if we see the full moon very bright, If it is somehow obscured with thin blanket of a cloud, then although one can from looking as expected, although one can see the moon but it is still covered bit by the cloud and now afterwards if that cloud is driven by wind then the moon can be seen on its own clear bright. Now we can look at in the similar way, the first is like the realization conceptual way with concept so conceptual in the case of with concept and concept is defined as one which perceives its object with name and denomination blended so one conceptual realization is like that and then the direct realization of emptiness is the second example of the moon on its own and it’s very clear on its own and this example seems a good alternative one.