Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Khensur Rinpoche draws on Maoist China — its rejection of rebirth, karma, and the efficacy of taking refuge — to illustrate perverse view and the holding of bad views as supreme. In this 52-minute session from the Awareness and Knowledge series, he completes the six root afflictions by working through all five afflicted views. He explains the view of the transitory collection as ignorance grasping at a naturally existent self, argues this ignorance is the root of cyclic existence with the realization of emptiness as the only antidote, and distinguishes the extremes of permanence and annihilation of self. He then opens the twenty secondary afflictions, covering belligerence, resentment, concealment, spite, and jealousy, each traced to the root afflictions from which they arise.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 33 AK 1989-03-09.mp3
UUID: 5443680c-af29-4e7d-8dc0-035f274025e5
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Awareness and Knowledge 1988-1989 (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1989-03-09
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 52.4 minutes
Words: ~2,785
Happiness and peace. So amongst the various minds and mental factors, we completed the explanation of the eleven constructive mental states, which bring about productive consequences. And we have begun the explanation of the six root afflictions. And of those six, we’ve completed five. So, in speaking about view, there are various types of views.
There negative and positive types of views. For example, a positive type of view would be the view which is the realization of emptiness. And generally we talk about the positive states are those which are constructive, having as a result happiness. Negative states are those who are having a consequence, a result of suffering. And here, when we talk about view, we’re talking about afflicted views.
That is negative states of mind which will have as a result unhappiness. So when we talk about the view of the realization of emptiness, we’re talking about the middle way view. And the reason it’s designated as middle way is because it takes the middle between the two possible extreme views of the nature of existence. That is the view of permanence and the view of annihilation. So as we mentioned, are various types of views.
The views of the ordinary person conceiving the worldly types of views. And generally when we talk about view, we’re talking about the view understanding that from positive states comes happiness and negative from negative states of mind comes unhappiness. So for us, this particular view is of greatest importance that we must come to a firm conviction in this view that and begin to cultivate those positive states which are going to bring us happiness and as much as possible begin to abandon those possible negative states which are going to bring us unhappiness. So without coming to a thorough acceptance of this view, that negative states bring unhappiness, positive states bring happiness, then we really will not engage sincerely in cultivation of productive states of mind and the elimination of destructive states of mind. Now in this in this context of the the six root afflictions, when we discuss view, there are five views.
And these are called afflictive views because these are destructive states of mind which will bring as a consequence suffering. So according to the system of Vasubandhu, there are the five afflicted views and these are all to be abandoned. And the five afflicted views are first the view of the transitory collection. The second is the the view of the extremes. The third is perverse view.
The fourth is conception of a bad view as supreme. Conception of a bad view as supreme. And the fifth is and the fifth is bad ethics and modes of conduct. Do you remember the? Holding the the conception holding bad ethics and modes of conduct as supreme.
That looks that sounds The Shippa? Shipper? Let’s see. The the first the first is the view of the the view of the transitory collection. And then the view then the second is the view holding to the to an extreme.
The third is, perverse view. The fourth is conception of a bad view as supreme. And the fifth is conception of bad ethics and modes of conduct as supreme. The five afflicted views. So the the definition of the first, the view of the transitory collection is observing eye or mind.
Grasping the conception, grasping at the object of observation, eye or mind, as naturally existent, as a naturally existent eye or mind. The conception, observing I or mine, M I N naturally existent is the definition of the view of the transitory collection. So this is an afflicted wisdom, which is holding a wrong conception. And the I which is being observed is the I within one’s own continuum. It’s not the I of something outside of yourself.
It’s The eye is within your own continuum and the mind is holding, for example, my arms, my head and observing this eye or this mind, conceiving of it to be truly existent and by truly, not truly, naturally existent. And here we’re talking from the point of view of the middle way Tenet School since they hold that nothing exists, as naturally existent. So this is the this is ignorance conceiving the self of persons. So this acts as the root this ignorance acts as a root motivating force for all types of actions or karma, both negative and positive, which lead to a perpetuation of cyclic existence. So the the ignorance conceiving of the self of persons is the root of cyclic existence Since it’s due to this ignorance that we engage in actions.
And due to engaging in these actions, we perpetuate cyclic existence due to the force of karma, or these actions. Therefore, it is this which is the creator of cyclic existence. By realizing emptiness, we can completely eliminate ignorance, but without realizing emptiness, there’s no way it can ever be eliminated. So this is the factor that is ignorance, which keeps the spinning and cyclic existence due to it reengaging all the various types of karma, no matter whether it’s constructive or destructive karma. Through constructive karma, we simply take rebirth and a happy migration.
And dependence upon, destructive karma, we take rebirth and a bad migration. But, all of these are still within cyclic existence. So the antidote to ignorance is the realization of emptiness. The realization, understanding emptiness, that is the way that things actually exist, the way that phenomena actually abide, is in contradiction to the wrong conception of which ignorance is. Ignorance is a wrong conception.
And so as realization of emptiness increases in strength, it naturally decreases the contradictory side, that is the wrong conception, and that begins to decrease in its power. But initially, because our wrong conception, that is ignorance, is so powerful, it’s difficult for us to develop in the beginning the understanding of emptiness. So the second of the five views is the view holding to an extreme. And the two extremes are the extremes of existence and nonexistence. Existence and nonexistence.
What these mean to say is that at the time of death, that there is a permanent self which continues on. So therefore, there’s the conception of a permanent self which is unchanging, undeteriorating, which is not changing, which continues on with, as a permanent self, conceiving of a permanence of the self. It has the view of the holding to the extremes. It takes as its object of observation, the same object as was in the case of the view of the transitory collection. In one’s own continuum, the eye or mind.
The first holds that this is conceived as permanent, that unchanging, it continues on after death without any change. The second holds that is the view of annihilation. That means that nothing at the moment of death then itself becomes nonexistent. That the self is annihilated. It comes to an end.
It no longer exists. So there are these two extremes. The extreme of conceiving of a permanent self, and the extreme conceiving of the annihilation of the self at death. So both of these are wrong conceptions. The time of, one of them holds that we become non existent, that we’re annihilated at the time of death.
We do in fact die, but there is a continuum of the self or the I which goes on after death. So there is not the I annihilation of the continuum of the I or the mind. With respect to the self, the view which conceives itself as being permanent and unchanging, the self is in fact constantly changing. It is impermanent in the sense that it’s continually arising, abiding, and ceasing moment by moment. It’s continually going through a flux, and therefore there is no permanent eye.
This is the view of the conception view the extreme of annihilation. Annihilation was held by the Chinese under Mao Zedong. That is the fact that they they held it when you when you die, then you’re finished. You’re you no longer exist. So the third wrong the third afflicted view is perverse view.
And this is These are the various types of wrong conceptions as to something which in fact exists, but is conceived of to be nonexistent. For example, that from positive actions, happiness results, that this in fact is not the case. That from positive actions there is no happiness. That from negative actions there is a result of no suffering. Or holding the nonexistence of past and future lives.
Holding the nonexistence of the Three Jewels. Holding them to the nonexistence of liberation. These are all wrong consciousnesses and perverse views. The Chinese held these very strongly, these views. And the fourth afflicted view was the conception of bad views of a bad view as supreme.
And this refers to taking the first three of the five views as objects of observation and thinking how good these views are, that in fact holding these as supreme views. For example, holding that past and future lives do not exist, that the law of cause and effect not, in fact does not exist. Thinking that this is really the best view, and conceiving of it in that way. So the Chinese also held to the conception of bad view as supreme. They would when they originally came to Tibet, they said you know, Where are these past and future lives you believe in?
Where is the results of your positive karma that you’ve created? We don’t see them. You go to refuge, you expect the Buddhist to protect you, but they don’t give you any food. And you know, if we take your house away, how are they going to help you? And so they held to this conception of the bad views as being supreme.
So then So then the fifth of five afflicted views is bad ethics and modes of conduct. Conceiving as, the holding to the bad ethics and modes of conduct. Conception of bad ethics and modes of conduct is supreme. And this would, so this entails bad types of ethics. For example, under the influence of bad ethics, physically killing others, conceiving this as a method for progressing along the path for finding liberation.
Not speaking under the influence of bad views. Now, of course, it could be. If you were under the influence of the good view, then not speaking would be a could be a positive form of ethics. If it was under the influence of a good view. But in this case, we’re talking about not speaking under the influence of bad views.
That quit speaking altogether. So these are bad ethics since they are restraints that you place upon oneself. Some type of vow, vowing to kill or vowing not to speak under the influence of bad views. And then the modes of conduct. For example, there was one tradition which held that by jumping off a cliff and onto rocks, that this was a way of attaining liberation.
Such a system, a bad system that following this kind of conduct under the influence of the bad system, and thinking that this is great, this is a good system, this is the way to attain liberation, this would be the example of the fifth type of afflicted view. Conception of bad ethics and mode of conduct as supreme. So these are afflicted views. Only create negative karma. They are to be abandoned.
They are of no benefit whatsoever. They can only bring suffering. So under the reason they’re called afflictive views is because under influence of these views that no good can come out of the actions motivated by these views but only suffering will arise. Because these these views are not in accordance with the actual nature of reality, they are wrong views. They are wrong conceptions about the nature of reality.
And therefore, acting in accordance with them, one will create negative actions and therefore only suffering can arise and therefore all these views are to be abandoned. So before I’ve said that before the the Buddha Śākyamūni Buddha Śākyamūni was born into the world that there were sixty four bad views. Wrong bad views. Well, we won’t go into the sixty four bad views. It’s difficult.
So that finishes the explanation of the six root afflictions. So the the reason they’re called root afflictions is because they are the principal factors afflicting the mind. Therefore, they’re called root afflictions. Then the root afflictions are like the roots of a tree, giving growth to the twenty secondary afflictions. Now the reason they’re called secondary afflictions, sometimes called proximate afflictions, is because they afflict the mind, but they arise in dependence upon the root afflictions.
Therefore, they’re secondary to the root afflictions. They rely in dependence upon root affliction. So there are twenty, secondary afflictions. So the first of the twenty secondary afflictions is belligerence. Belligerence.
So belligerence arises in dependence upon the the root affliction of anger. If, for example, someone were to speak some harsh words to us, initially we would become angry, and then this would induce the the secondary affliction of belligerence, which would cause us to pick up a stick and start beating this other person. So this is an extremely negative state of mind to be in. Even can bring about This is what the factor which would cause us to kill another person out of anger, for example. It would be belligerence.
So the second of the twenty is resentment. And again, this arises in arises in dependence upon anger. One has become angry at another person in the past and the factor of resentment does not allow one to forget this, but again and again brings it to mind. Causes us to again and again to continue to remember this again and again in such a way that we remembering the harm that was committed to us previously and not able to forget it. And holding and keeping it, not able to forget the harm that was brought to you by the other, keep remembering again and again, deciding on to return this harm.
That in the future I’m going to thinking in some way get back to return the harm that was brought to you. And it’s by meditating on, for example, love that we’re able to eliminate the effect of resentment. The third, I believe, is concealment. Concealment. This is hiding a fault.
For example, if one had broken one’s moral discipline, had committed a fault against one’s bodhisattva vows or Tantric vows. And rather than telling another person of the fault that this infringement that you did, that you created, In fact, not only not telling it, not exposing it, but hiding it. Hiding it from others that they might not know about it. And also from the point of view, if someone were to come to you and said, Oh you did such and such. You broke your vow in this way.
And not only, not telling this person, admitting that in fact you did break your vow in this way, but hiding, concealing the fact that you broke your vow, that you committed this fault. This would be the factor of concealment. So then it also applies to worldly situations. For example, in doing some kind of work, some kind of activity and you make a mistake and someone points out your mistake to you. And you say, No, that’s not my fault.
I didn’t make that mistake. And in fact, hiding the fact that you made that mistake, rather than simply apologizing and admitting your error, this would be the factor of concealment. And the fourth is spite. Spite is similar, has a similar, has a connection with the one just preceding concealment. And this is the case where we commit some kind of error and someone points it out to us in a reasonable manner, but instead of admitting their fault, we react with harshness.
We speak back, for example, very harshly back to this person telling them to mind their own business. This would be an example of spite. And the fifth is jealousy. Jealousy. So jealousy is the mental factor which is not able to bear, that which not able to bear or dislikes when another has good fortune, has good quality, has good possessions, and oneself does not.
So one is not able to bear the good fortune of others, the good qualities of others, the good possessions of others. One does not like them to have these things when you do not. This is the factor of jealousy.