Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Khensur Rinpoche uses a memorable analogy — a young Australian who wants to improve his country must first become prime minister — to show why aspiring to buddhahood is the only rational response to the wish to help all beings. In this 48-minute session, he works through the final seven of the fourteen cause-and-effect points for generating bodhicitta: cherishing others, recalling the extraordinary kindness of all sentient beings, an intensified love for beings (illustrated by a mother’s anguish over her sick child), the taking-and-giving practice, a firm resolution to liberate all beings, recognizing that only a Buddha can fulfill that promise, and bodhicitta as the culminating fourteenth point. He closes with guidance on structuring the daily meditation and reassures students that even if bodhicitta does not arise this life, the seed is already planted.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 11 7P 1998 10 05.mp3
UUID: 4ee424d2-c83f-40ea-a3f2-84dd74e748a6
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: 7 Point Mind Training (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1998-10-05
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 47.9 minutes
Words: ~3,989
Seeking happiness for oneself is developing, attachment or cherishing oneself very important, and that through that, the self-cherishing attitude arises within oneself, and then and then you know that self-cherishing attitude is the root cause for all the suffering. So so by saying that knowing that self-cherishing attitude is the root cause for suffering and one and which one should one should not develop that within oneself, and by seeing knowing the disadvantages of of self-cherishing attitude and then think about the benefits of the cherishing others and Okay. So the eighth one is cherishing others and you have and then then recall your teachings of yesterday, what we are talking about the benefits or advantages of having advantages of cherishing others. So recall all this at the time you are at that point. So when we think about how how to cherish other or how to do the practice of cherishing other.
So the way of practicing the self-cherishing sorry. Cherishing others is, like, think that the sentient or others, they want happiness and don’t want suffering. And by knowing that and one should so cherishing others is to bringing help to others and and not harming others. And the bringing help to others is not one should think that they they don’t want suffering and they they are suffering but they doesn’t they don’t want it. So by knowing they want to take imagine it or want to take try to alleviate alleviate or eliminate their suffering or take this suffering and then ask their wishes or they want it, bring or bring happiness to those people.
And by doing that, it’s it’s like they’re helping others and bringing or not bringing harm and then is a practice of cherishing others. Like for example, but trying to I mean, the main thing is trying to help them and trying to solve their problems or solve I mean, getting rid of those people from their suffering. It’s like for example, if one of your friend is seriously ill and you can see he is ill at that time, I mean you will you will try your best to free your friend from the particular disease or particular suffering. By knowing his suffering you try to call the doctors and then and try to listen to the doctor’s prescriptions and try to and give him medicines and etcetera all the time and while you the reason why you are doing that is you know the friend, the suffering of your friend and he does not want it. So it’s for all sentient beings that they want happiness and doesn’t want suffering.
So always try to bring happiness to them and help them and never harm and and try to free them from the suffering. This practice is the kind of cherishing others. And now again here comes the ninth one is the extraordinary recalling the kindness. So we have done that recalling the kindness before. But this, the ninth one is again, but it’s called extraordinary one.
So the ninth one, it’s said extraordinary recalling the extraordinary kindness is like the reason before recalling their kindness, the the kindness which we have done before was just thinking about their kindness while they while while they were our mother. Alright? Now this kindness is like thinking about all beings not only they are not only kind to us while they are mother, but even at the time they were not our mothers, they are already kind and kindful to us. And thinking about the various kind various kindness, saying that sentient beings are very kind and they’ve been our mothers and because of sentient beings we have beings, bodhisattvas and buddhas. So all those liberated or Arhats or bodhisattvas or or the enlightened or buddhas, they can’t become buddha, bodhisattva, or enlightened without depending on sentient beings.
So sentient beings are the main cause for them to become enlightenment or bodhisattva or attain buddhahood. So to think about this kind of kindness that it’s very kind for all the times, not only just on the time that they’ve been act as our mother. They’re not only once while they are mother, but all the time they have been very kind to kind to us. So recalling that kind of kindness is like recalling the extraordinary kindness, that is why I use it. So here, like so we this present, like, number ninth is recalling the extraordinary, which is not the same recall same recalling of kindness we have done in the past in the the first bit.
So it’s not so by recalling the but recalling the kindness very extensively, very profoundly, by that we we still again have the next one which is seeing sentient beings as lovable again, but which is not the same as the above one. It’s not by the above we are seeing sentient beings as lovable is just by thinking the kindness of the single moment at the time they act our mother. Alright? So now this one is saying we have recalled all the numbers of kindness of sentient beings. And by that, and we again have a feeling of seeing sentient beings as lovable, which is far more extra or like extraordinary.
It’s not like this someone, we will you will really see sentient beings as very, very beautiful or lovable all the time. No. And now, so the the second one, which is that, you know, that seeing sentient beings is actually, likewise, lovable, which is which is the second the second one, this seeing sentient beings as lovable is three or three or ten times far better or stronger than the one we have mentioned above. Alright? And through that, by seeing you have a very feeling and strong feeling that’s and sees all sentient beings as lovable.
And by knowing that, and you can see the suffering of sentient beings. And through that, you feel very it generates a lot compassion. To it, strong compassion arises in your within you and think that by by that love seeing by that lovable feeling, alright? And you raise the compassion, strong compassion. And then Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah. So feeling and you can rise strong compassion in you and then see and so that sees that sentient beings are really suffering and then raise a compassion. And through that compassion, you take all the and imagine or you take do the taking to take all the sufferings of sentient beings upon you. No? So through that that seeing the sentient being is lovable which is very strong then you through that you are right.
You can you’ve been able to develop with very strong compassion which is which is like, for example, the single mother, a mother has a single child, a son or a daughter, and then she wants that her child to have everything. And then if that and supposed that or and said that later or a time the child or daughter or son gets sick and has huge pain and he he that that he or she cannot bear, and then and he just screams or anything. And then mother sees that, and she doesn’t bear or she she can’t bear that bear seeing this, her child’s suffering. And and suddenly, due to her strong affection, she think that she feel very compassionate and think that I’m how I mean, I my child cannot bear and he it’s not okay for him or her to die with this pain. I should rather die instead of him or her.
So and she has she there is a feeling in that a mother for a male or single child saying that I should I I mean, I wish to have his or her suffering pain in myself and I would I would die. It’s it’s not worthwhile for my child my child to die. And I would rather I can die instead of her. So this kind of feeling raised in a that that a mere mother. So it is because of her strong affection to a single child or single son or daughter.
But likewise, our by raising that huge or extraordinary of this feeling, seeing sentient beings as lovable, we raise a very strong compassion. So strong affections to sentient beings. And through that affection, we have a feeling raise compassion and then and does not want sentient beings to suffer. We can’t bear seeing sentient beings suffering. And then through compassion or feeling of compassion or generating compassion, we take all these sufferings upon oneself.
And then and then you should to to me. Okay. And and then the twelfth is did you get the eleventh point? Like, through through a great compassion, through great compassion, take all the sufferings or immeasurable sufferings of sentient beings. And then now the twelfth is through through through through love, giving I mean, giving all I’m giving one’s possessions, virtues, and everything for sending happiness for sentient beings through love.
So to to this practice, no. Through this practice, through this, like love and compassion, you pack do the practice of No. Through the practice of this compassion and love, do the practice of taking and giving, like through compassion take all the sufferings and then love give all their possessions happiness and joy. And through this, by doing this practice, and then one finally one one and the third one is one should one need to raise a intention or certain resolution that I wouldn’t do this. I wouldn’t do this practice.
I will bring all the sentient beings into happiness and then First first, I’m sorry. First doing the doing this through this giving and taking practice and then one feel and later one just feel rejoice by doing this practice and to feel that now I have brought all the sentient beings into the state of of state of ultimate happiness and then alleviate all the suffering and feel rejoice within yourself for a while and think about it, and then just open your eye or just look upon sentient beings and they are still there, alright. And then see, oh no, and then they are still not liberated or still not free from suffering and then by seeing that and you raise a certain forceful intention or kind of like decision, like, means I will I will definitely bring them. I will do this for those people. I I will let go of the sentient beings to me.
So the third one is like kind of a sense an intention or I don’t know what you say. It’s about resolution or something like that. I will save that. I will do this. Yep.
Which is the thirteen? So one one one need to generate the kind of intention or raise this special insight. It’s a special insight which means it’s like, we need a community service. And suddenly, there are many works and some people just say, oh, that work, I will do this. Know, it means he he know that he he will definitely definitely do that, that person will do it.
I thought that I I will do it by myself. I don’t need any any company or people to accompany me to to to to finish their work. I I can do this. I will I will do it by my own. That kind of mind or thought is like special insight to means I will to liberate all sentient beings.
So it’s like special insight is better. So, yeah, the certain point is to is to generate the special insight. If one have the special insight then or whatever work or job a person involved or engaged, he he or she can do really very effectively or become very strong do very strongly. So if there’s no special insight to do particular work, this person has not done a lot. It’s alright.
If I can do this, it’s okay. If I cannot, okay. So after having generated that this special insight, and it is like you’re it’s like you’re making a promise. I will do this. I will definitely do this.
I can do this, something like that. And but but at the meantime, at at the time you really start the work or start particular idea or project, and you know that you can’t do this because special insight is like promising and when you really make involved and start the work and you will find to know by yourself that it’s not easy work and you can’t do this. So so like special insight is like making a promise and then you involve when you actually start the your work job, it’s really a very hard work, like, which is and you cannot do or perform a work or do a work as you wish. The work will never finish or come the way you wish, means want to free sentient beings from suffering and bring all happiness to them. So and when you came to know that you cannot do the work as you wish, then look for a being who can who can do who can do as you wish, alright?
And then see that they’re like liberated beings means here the actually means yeah means the is not really enlightened. They are free. They are liberated from saṃsāra, but they are not enlightened, alright? This is what Rinpoche was saying. So those arhats has a potential or capability capability of doing this.
And then bodhisattvas, you know. And then find it. Now, is there any being who in this saṃsāra to do this kind of purpose or do as my wish? And then you came to know that Buddha is the only one. He can do and then say feeling, visualize and say, and that’s great.
Yeah. There is a being who can do as I wish. And the reason why Buddha has a potential or Buddha can do this, I lead all sentient beings into a state of happiness and free them from suffering. It’s because Buddha is the one which is who he is free from stains and negativities, and he have acquired all the qualities. So so he’s he had perfected everything.
Due to that he has the capability of doing this. And through that, but because of his enlightenment or enlightened being enlightened, he can emanate his body, thousands and thousands of sentient beings and or he can emanate many many forms in in this world, samsara in this world. And from each emanate beings, suppose say he has emanate as thousand beings, and then individual emanation, emanated beings can teach and talk for thousands and thousands of human beings and then bring those, can liberate from those beings and then bring them to the become let them become a bodhisattva or or like become enlightened or bodhisattva. So each each emanation form of Buddha has the capability of teaching for liberated thousands of beings. So this is how Buddha has the capability of has this potential have this power to do this practice.
So as for Buddha Śākyamūni, we said that there is one hundred billion worlds. Alright. Numbers of worlds like this, saṃsāra. Alright. Samsāra is in the world, same, but in saṃsāra, there is one hundred billion thousand something like that.
I don’t know. I’m not quite sure about it. Of like like this world in the saṃsāra, and the Buddha Śākyamūni has emanated a same number of emanation, alright, and then teach the beings in the saṃsāra, in this one hundred billion worlds. Good? Yeah.
It’s it’s said in Gurupuja. No. It’s not saying it’s stated in Gurupuja text saying one billion. No. One hundred billion.
So Śākyamūni is very powerful. Buddhas are really, really powerful because and even when they teach, when they they emanate it from many beings, like numbers of beings, and then they being emanated beings, they of human each emanation of Buddha Śākyamūni, they teach for thousands of numbers of people, and then they can liberate, and they can bring all those sentient beings to the ultimate goal. Because their teaching is not just a simple teaching because of he, the emanated being, emanation is also perfected, have perfected everything and complete and become enlightened. Because of him, he can also his teaching are perfected. And then when the teaching is perfected, they will the way the way he teaches all sentient beings, he can lead all his disciples to the ultimate goal.
If the teacher is not perfected, not enlightened, then no matter how how how much he teaches, he cannot bring all sentient beings into the enlightened the fourteenth one is bodhicitta or altruistic intention, enlightened mind. Because like up to here, like first to the thirteenth one is like a cause cause of the cause of the bodhicitta, and bodhicitta is the result of the above thirteen. So so by practicing the above thirteen and finally at the result, have achieved the bodhicitta. So the fourteenth is bodhicitta. So the third one is special insight, which is thinking that it is very it’s not like a promising.
It’s like thinking, and it’s I will I will I will serve for that. And then by by making this thirteenth point special insight, setting up the special insight, and you came to know that when you actually start the work, which is to free sentient beings from suffering and have happiness, you come to know that you can’t have the capability to do this. But and so and then you came to know the Buddha has the power to do this. Alright? And which he has And seeing how how come the Buddha has this power or capable potential to do this is because he has perfected himself and he have acquired all the good qualities and overcome all the emotions and disturbing emotions and the negative beliefs.
So through that, one should think that, so because of his perfection, he became enlightened and he have the capability to serve sentient beings. Through that, one think that I should become a Buddha to help those sentient beings. Only Buddha has and do by seeing that one should I I really need to become enlightened first to for the sake of sentient beings to help those sentient beings. By seeing that and So the fourteenth one is bodhicitta which is now the only Buddha has a capable or potential to help sentient beings. For that, after you become a Buddha to help all those beings from suffering and bring them to the ultimate goal.
So I will definitely achieve the enlightened or become Buddha be Buddha for sake of sentient beings. It’s like making a promise and that that So it’s like example, we take an Anthony as Anthony as a example here. And we say because he’s being he’s Australian. He he lives in Australia. And he he his wishes or his his wish his wish is to make Australia a very beautiful and a wonderful country.
And to do this and he think about I think for how can I do this? And who has the power? And he can see because he came to know that he he has no power to make Australia a beautiful or an excellent country. And then through that, he came to know that prime minister has a position or have to do that. Through that, he’d go through his education in the schools and by and competing in, like, elections or become a politician or campaign.
And then finally, he he won the vote and became a prime minister. And then he can really he has a power to make Australia beautiful. So it’s like that. So once once he became a once he became a prime minister, then he can make a plan or a project he can set up because he has a power. Like, then so once he became a prime minister, he can set up a plan or projects like like like if once you become a Buddha, we can we can plan it how to liberate and bring them to the happiness, not making plans.
You can make and then like plans like make Australia look beautiful and find and there’s not a single unemployment thing. A person’s unemployment. And then the if if if there’s if there’s no unemployment or unemployed beings in Australia, then everyone’s been paid and be when everyone’s been paid, they are quite okay. They can stand on their feet. And by this, there won’t be any problems of unemployment or or extra time, mister Halley.
That is what it is. That’s solution. That is what it is. So it is like that. No?
This this example or it really suits that kind of practice. So like that, one should really should or one should try to become enlightened, enlightened being like Buddha Śākyamūni, and then take a free sentient beings from So so at the time you you start this practice or do this meditation, you first start with reciting the refuge prayers and the refuge and the generation prayer of Sangashir and Sureshana. And then after that, I recite that several prayers, like Kosem Krivashenbo. Start. And then make mandala offering, and then start with the these points, the thirteen point fourteen points, and it it is it will be quite difficult from the beginning.
You start in the first day, it could and then second day would be better, but keep consistency or continue with your practice daily and do it for a week, a month, or a year, and then gradually it will become more and more familiar, and then and later at the time, through your familiarization, one in one day you will not you don’t without any effort, you just start the first point and then the next thirteen point will just flow like the water comes from the to the part, you know that, from the tank. So keep continue with your practice. And now, I mean, our our our lives have become very very meaningful. And and also this life at this time has been very meaningful and it will definitely help in our future future as well. So our practice I mean, we have at this time our our life have been very meaningful and it will be very benefit or really help in our future life as well.
And if if you are being able to do a if you can if you do this meditation very properly or very intensively then there is a chance of we can I mean we can develop a bodhicitta or become bodhisattva in this life as well? Even even not by even not by doing a very intensive or or a good meditation and and even if you’re not able to generate a bodhicitta or become bodhisattva in this time, no worries, but you have sow a seed already. And even in the next life, future times, it’s like we have already sow or see inside and if the rain comes it will sprout at night. So even if you are not able to generate a bodhicitta in your within you by our intensive practice or meditation. But don’t don’t I mean, it doesn’t matter.
You have sow a seed inside. And in in in next when you take a next rebirth and if if it happens for you to get a chance to meditate for a short period, then you have always sow a seed and it will just grow or spiral very quickly like, a sow which a seed which is sowed and waiting for rain. It’s not it it happens like that. Once the next time, it just come up quickly.