Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Using the image of a diner who dies before tasting the food he carefully chose, Khensur Rinpoche opens this 47-minute session by urging students not just to study bodhicitta but to actually practice it. The talk belongs to a series on the Seven Points of Mind Training; Rinpoche explains why he will stay with the second point — training the mind in bodhicitta through meditation — rather than rushing through the remaining five. He introduces Tsongkhapa’s combined method for generating bodhicitta efficiently, then turns to the first practical step: equanimity. A three-object visualization — neutral person, loving mother, and enemy — anchors the instruction, and Rinpoche guides students to see that all three roles have reversed across countless past lives, making equal compassion the only coherent response.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 09 7P 1998 10 05.mp3
UUID: fbce59d6-fa57-470b-9283-7c84193d74f7
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: 7 Point Mind Training (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1998-10-05
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 47.1 minutes
Words: ~3,426
Yes. First, we’ll we’ll develop the altruist bodhicitta bodhicitta or we’ll train ourselves, develop our motivation in bodhicitta. So as we said yesterday that cherishing sentient beings or others as more important than oneself is to be done and is to be practiced and through through this one should develop compassion compassion for sentient beings by thinking how wonderful if those sentient beings are free from the suffering and through this you generate, develop the compassion and then and and then thinking and by thinking that how wonderful if these sentient beings or those sentient beings have my have have have all the happiness and by by this, you develop the, love to a sentient being. So the generation of love and compassion for sentient beings sentient beings is very important. So and for that, by seeing that all sentient beings are suffering and that do not have any happiness, by seeing that one generate love and compassion and then think that I should, therefore, I should bring all the sentient beings to the great to the ultimate happiness and get eliminate all their sufferings.
And to do this, one one came to know, one sees that one has no capability or potential to do this. And and one also sees that it’s it’s only Buddha who has the who has the potential to this practice to this, to to this practice. And by doing that, thinking that I should I need to do this to elevate all these sufferings of sentient beings and bring them into happiness for this Buddha has only Buddha has the potential to do this practice and therefore I shall acquire all the good qualities and eliminate all these self negativities to become a Buddha. So so then to become a Buddha to help all those sentient beings. So for that for this purpose, one should think that I should listen to this teaching on bodhicitta which is the essence or which is the gist of the Mahāyāna practice and by practicing this to generate this, I shall listen to the instructions of bodhicitta and and then and work and works and then to to to develop the bodhicitta to help both oneself and others.
Then by by developing this we meditate for five few minutes now. So the great bodhisattva, Atisha, said that at this time of degeneration or bad time, our lifespan is becoming shorter or short shorter and shorter every time. And and the the things are numberless, phenomena are numberless in this world and we cannot study or we cannot recognize all the phenomenas in this world in in your in in this short period of life because the phenomena are great in number and our lifespan is becoming shorter and shorter and we cannot know everything in this short time. But one should try to recognize one’s wishes in this in this period and so yeah, that phenomena are numberless, greater in number and so that we cannot able we we we can’t know everything in this short lifetime. But but but one try to recognize one’s wishes and put recognize one’s wishes and then practice.
So so we’ve been dealing with the topic, the Seven Point mind training and among the seven points we’ve only we finish only two, the first preliminary and the second one training the mind in the path to enlightenment. And but the second point second point is the is the main teaching or the gist teaching of the Seven Point mind training and the rest are like a part of this practice? So the main The meditation. The main To to to second point. So sorry.
So the second point is the the main part of the teaching, main teaching of the Seven Point mind training and the rest are like a part of this. And so says that if we go through all the seven points, we have to move very, very quickly. And and he thinks that it’s not so benefits, very helpful because, I mean, we have to finish it. So he so Rinpoche will but the the among the seven among the seven points, the second is the most important one and the main practice of this practice, this teaching end. He said that we have been deal dealt with the training the mind raising bodhicitta.
So for that now, today he wished to teach on how to practice how to practice the bodhicitta through meditation. And he’ll teach on this instead of going swiftly or quickly on the rest of the path and maybe in near future we’ll get time to go through the rest of the points. But the hearer, the main the second point is more important and we’ll spend our time here. And today, he will deal with the meditate how to how to practice the bodhicitta in through meditation. So Rinpoche, first, he’ll start with giving an example here.
Like, suppose we are we are in a huge great party and and have a great and hired a great chef, and he made varieties of delicious foods. And say at the lunchtime, he said lunch table has been set up with various foods and and but we can’t eat all because of our stomachs. It’s limited there. So what you need to do is you have to look very look thoroughly and then choose the right one, what what you want. And don’t make mistakes in your choice.
And then you and then you can you can have what you want among these delicious foods. So one has to one has to be very, very careful and not make and and careful to recognize dishes. Alright? Very carefully. Once you made mistake, then you get lost.
So the Buddha has given various profound and extensive teachings teaching to to achieve happiness and and eliminate suffering. And he have said so he have taught many varieties of teachings, and it’s like a like a it’s like on a table where on the table with the varieties of food like chef made. So so he has given a teaching and there are numbers of varieties of teaching and we we have a choice to choose. So the teachings are like a food on a table, various food and the various of teaching. And the old teachings are very holy and very supportive, very helpful for us but among the teachings one try to recognize or choose the right one which will benefit you most.
And among the teachings, we consider that the main, the essence of among essence essence of the teachings or the most beneficial teaching among the teachings. So teaching among the teaching is are the bodhicitta or bodhicitta and the Supreme View which is the emptiness. Yeah. Yeah. It’s the one is the bodhicitta and second is the supreme view which is wisdom realizing emptiness.
So among the teachings these two are the most supreme and the rest teachings are very important and those teachings are four. If one cannot develop those two supreme teachings which is the those two, the bodhicitta and the wisdom realizing emptiness, if one cannot generate then those the rest teaching are a method or to are the method to develop those two teaching in one’s mind and also those teaching or if one had already generated those two teaching and the rest are like to support not to degenerate and also to develop increase those practice within yourself. Those are like supportive to generate and then increase and sustain. Yeah. So and let’s go back to the example.
It’s a table with delicious foods, varieties of food, and then a person went there and recognized his best dishes and then and pick it or put it on on his table, table. So on his plate and went back to his seat. And if the person dies without after his short legs, everything’s ready in his plate, he picked it up and then if if the person dies before eating the dishes in his plate, food in his his plate, then we can see he’s very he’s been very poor or very sad. He’s very sad because he couldn’t eat it. He eats best dishes.
Person has collect all his favorite dishes on his plate and we just say the person just keep it and he didn’t eat it. And he just take all his dishes and he didn’t eat it and then he died. So it’s like the among Buddhist teaching, the the bodhicitta is the most supreme and then our teachers have given the teaching or instruction on how to practice bodhicitta and you have studied how to practice the bodhicitta, and you have already known that how to do how to do do that practice. And so it’s like knowing how to do the practice is like a person who has taken all his favorite dishes on a plate. And and and then a person who knows how to practice the bodhicitta, but he didn’t put them put it in the practice.
He didn’t really do it. It’s like the person not eating his favorite dishes and if the person, a person who knows how to practice and he didn’t put his knowledge in or use his knowledge and didn’t practice and he died and it’s very sad to happen that kind of thing. So so so we we we need to know we need to do practice. And to do to practice, one one one need to one need to know how to do the practice. And about the practice, so when you learn or when you want to do the or want to do practice, one should know how one or one should really it’s very important for one to know the sequence or sequence of how to practice math.
Like how many one should know how many numbers are there in this that that teaching or that practice. And also, not not just enough by knowing the numbers, one should know put them, put all the practice in sequence, like this is the first, this is second. And then by knowing that we should do our practice. So and if you know that then you can’t you you don’t make mistake in in you don’t make mistake in your practice and so this is what one needs to do. One one has to do one’s practice without making any mistakes.
So the sequence knowing the sequence of practice is very, very important and place it unmistakenly because the the teaching sequence of the teaching; one, like, the first practice is supposed to help or help one to generate the second step, and the second step is supposed to help the next step respectively. If you miss or put the practice on it up and down then that your practice wouldn’t be very effective because it was supposed to help first one to generate the second one and since your practice had been made mixed up mixed in sequence so that and then the teaching wouldn’t benefit because it won’t help you to generate the first one to the next step. This is especially for students with sharp minds or great intelligence. And now today, Rinpoche will go to follow this Tsongkhapa’s great Tsongkhapa’s teaching of how to generate or develop once develop bodhicitta is because we because it is more extensive, more effective, and and it it has if one practice, one can generate or achieve bodhicitta very quickly because his the Tsongkhapa has mixed both systems, which both system which is not discussed in the public and then in intelligence like separately.
So he mixed he mixed both practice in one and taught us that this teaching is very effective and more it has more skill and then one can generate it very quickly now. So Rinpoche will tell you first, he will tell the outlines or the numbers. And if you want to take note, you can take it. So the the has when he tell made these two two systems into one, Firstly, it deals with the system of Maitreya and Asaṇga has stated, which has five steps and he will go through them now. And then the next part starts from the second system which is descended or passed down from Mañjuśrī to Śāntideva.
So the first one is The first one, now we start we are starting the outlines. You can take a note. The first the one, which is which is the developing or generating equanimity, which is from equanimity, which is which is one of the four immeasurables. Alright. They are four immeasurables.
So the so this this equanimity is from one of the four immeasurables. And here equanimity means, normally we have like have an attachment or feeling of happiness to one’s dear ones or relatives or friends and feeling hatred or hostility to the to to enemies. So one should not develop this and to raise same feeling, same same love or equal love for all all sentient beings is like developing equanimity. The first is to first is equanimity. I feel see having the same feeling for all sentient beings.
First outline is the equanimity without any discrimination of love and feeling of love feeling of love towards sentient beings. So the developing developing equanimity the reason of developing equanimity is that, for example, we have if someone wants to grow a crop in a field and if the if the field is not fertile and it’s filled with stones and thorns or etcetera, then crops won’t grow properly. So to to have a good result or good growth, we one one one has to work with I mean, clean his or her field first with I mean, put make it very fertile or put the and then get rid of all the stones or the thorns, etcetera. So it’s like the then developing the our equanimity is like setting up a very fertile basis or setting up, yeah, at ground. So when men think how how we can meditate this on equanimity.
So so when one should start with this, like when one start doing the meditation on equanimity, first your object should be a person who is neither your friend nor your neither of your friend or relative nor your enemy, it’s a neutral person. And when you look on look upon that particular person, there’s no feeling of attachment to him or or and and also there’s no feeling of hatred or hostility. So one has to it’s like Rinpoche has set up a pretty altar here on on his table saying that the glass is the the neutral being set up. It’s like set up kind of like three object in front of you or a person like. So the glass is this glass is the neutral being and then the right from your side to right, which is, okay, is considered which is your very kind mother or dear ones, your friends or your especially, we say it’s your mother.
And then the next to the left is your enemy. And then look upon it. Alright? So you have set up your table. So and then after having set that kind of image image image in front of you, and you look look upon it and there is no feeling certain this no feeling in you when you see at the neutral being.
And at the right from your side, you feel it’s great love and attachment because that being is your mother. And then the next bit, another side is the enemy, and you just you don’t want to look upon it because, you know, you you just raise anger or hatred just by seeing that appearance or just seeing that being, like, is the enemy. So the why you have attachment or the feeling, yeah, attachment or feeling happy or to feel happy to see that the being who is at the right is your mother because because she had given she had looked up, and you have tasted her kindness, and she had and know about her help in your in this life. But because of that, you feel attachment or to that being, which is your mom. And then the the righteous enemy, you hated because he had caused a big problem of trouble in your life.
So one has helped you in this life, and then another has harmed you in this life. So due to that, because harm and help, you raise hatred and love. So and the the the second the middle one is the the neutral being. You have no feeling on that being neutral being because he didn’t, I mean, he didn’t cause you any problem in this life and didn’t bring any help either so there’s no feeling at all. Setting up that three three images in front of you or on on a table, look them on look upon it, and then you have to so you have seen that there is level in your feeling.
And by doing that now, after setting up your image these images, you you have to equalize all your feeling to those three beings. And first, think about at the right, which is your mother, is it and think about why you’re why you have such a good feeling or attachment to her. And then you come to know it’s only her kindness in this lifetime. And then think about why should I give love to on on have only I mean, journeys of feeling only for her because think about I have taken the numb numbers of lives in the past and that she may have hurt or harmed or she may have harmed me in the past life. So just think about her, think about the past life and then thinking that, why should I raise only affection, on on love to her because she may have hurt me in the past.
Yes. And also and then turn focus on the left one right one left one. And then turn to the left one. Why why I’m getting angry or feeling hatred for the for him because and it is only because of his harm in this life. And this thing, I shouldn’t I shouldn’t feel angry or, or, like, hatred for that being just by his harm in this life, he may have helped me in the past life, and he may have become my mother, father, or brother, sister in the past life, and then raised tried to raise a And then focus on the middle one, which is the neutral being and think that and that person, it’s it’s become a neutral being in this life for me, but he or he may have and think that he he think that he may have harmed me in the past life, but also he he he may have also helped both help and harm in the past life. And then I was thinking that I should be same.
And then you have checked upon three images and then generate. So for me, it’s same, all these threes. It’s sometimes the middle one become remains as a neutral and then the dear and the the right one is done as the dear ones, brother, sister, or mother, etcetera, in this life. And then the next one has turned as enemy in this life. But in the past life, the mother or the the any of relatives may have act as my enemy or harmed me in the past life, and an enemy has become my dear ones in the past.
And then and then and then sometimes the neutral one turned as a mother and all. And so so every any any of three any of the three images have to act the same. Sometimes, I mean, one has sometimes become a gay one, sometimes stand stand stay as a neutral being or sometimes as an it may have and it also in future or in past life, they may have become a neutral neutral being and then the enemy on the dear ones. So it’s equal sense. So all three have done the same to me if I look upon these stuff in the past life.
So why should I generate hatred and feeling for those three beings where I should equalize my affection or feeling to all the three beings?