Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Khensur Rinpoche opens this 49-minute first session of a 1994 calm abiding retreat with a verse from Pänchen Losang Chökyi Gyaltsen: having attained a human rebirth with all the qualities for Dharma practice, one must not waste it on mundane distraction. From there he builds a logical chain — bodhicitta requires wisdom realizing emptiness, which requires calm abiding as its indispensable foundation — drawing on the Songs of Experience to describe a concentrated mind resting unmoving like Mount Meru. The second half turns practical: Rinpoche walks through the first three of six prerequisites for achieving calm abiding — a suitable solitary place, genuine contentment with minimal food and clothing, and clean morality of body and speech. Suited to practitioners beginning a formal retreat.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 01 CA 1994 06.mp3
UUID: cfbd2513-3879-4e75-879e-d8594ebdf0bc
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Calm Abiding Retreat (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1994 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 49.3 minutes
Words: ~3,221
That’s what you learned there. Go on, teach it. Go on there to see yourself. Oh, at first, we tried to develop kind thought as a way of setting the right motive and we develop kind thought in accordance with bodhicitta by meditating for a few minutes on it. The great Pänchen Losang Chökyi Gyaltsen says, this rebirth with leisures and endowments difficult to attain I have once attained it.
Having attained it may I not be distracted by the interest of mundane activities instead may I be able to take the essence of this rebirth. What that verse of teaching says in meaning is presently we are born as a human with all the necessary qualities to pursue and practice correct and meaningful spiritual practice to pursue Dharma practice. How that is so is because we have with us the eight leisures and ten endowments so in a way we’re having these capabilities and qualities when we think would be a matter of extreme joy that we have to feel that we are with such capabilities. Yet still to be born with such qualities is extremely rare. It is rare to find, rare to attain.
The reason why that is so is because it requires so many excellent causes for one to be born with such a rebirth with such qualities. So that part becomes the reasons and the description of how this rebirth with such qualities is extremely difficult to attain and therefore it is rare to find. The other quality with this rebirth is how projects or goals of enormous meaning can be accomplished on the basis of this rebirth and because of that how this rebirth is of great meaning. To illustrate the point it is of great meaning because in terms of our own interest to be accomplished through this rebirth we can attain the state of omniscience, Buddhahood, we can attain the state of liberation free of saṃsāra, free of all sufferings and impure thoughts and even minimally we can say on the basis of this rebirth we have the capability to not fall down to the three lower rebirths next time and that’s in terms of one’s own interest to be accomplished — of great meaning this rebirth is. Then in relation to accomplishing others’ welfare we can say that through this rebirth we can act very successfully and completely fulfill all the welfares and aspirations of other sentient beings as well.
Still, if we do not right from this moment do something about it, it also has the nature of being impermanent — therefore this rebirth, on the other hand, is subject to be at an uncertain time without our control to be lost. So in brief by principally thinking about this rebirth having two points — how of great meaning it is and yet it is subject to easily very soon to be perished, to be lost because one would not live that permanently. On these two points primarily when one thinks one then needs to get the incentive, the push, the interest to do something from this very moment about accomplishing one’s own welfare goals and as well about accomplishing others’ welfare and in doing that, one makes oneself aware that one must not be distracted by the meaningless interests and activities of this mundane existence. So we in brief need to do meaningful things while having this rebirth. As to the question how should one go about with doing meaningful things — with that as a means or answer — one puts bodhicitta, motivation and meditation as the principal foundation practice in meditation, based on that then in one’s daily life avoid and abstain from doing hurting and unwholesome actions and try to do wholesome, helpful actions to one another.
If one does that then if one lives one hundred years of age the whole one hundred years of age becomes meaningful life. If one lives only ten years then becomes meaningful life, if one only lives few months then also becomes meaningful life, even if one lives just one day that becomes meaningful life and even if one lives one hour still for that duration one has spent the time meaningfully. As to the explanation what bodhicitta or mind aspiring enlightenment for others benefit, what that is? Well, mind starts with the attitude thinking I am just one being or one person whereas others are countless. So far I’ve been considering myself as dear and neglecting others welfare.
Now I need to know that others are countless, oneself is only one person and as well all other sentient beings have countless times been very kind to me so I must consider them as dear and in that way direct my attitude and aspiration toward removing their sufferings, problems and bringing happiness to them. Through this way of thinking and attitude one finally comes to the peak of such kindness, the peak of the kind thought where one aspires to achieve Buddhahood enlightenment so as to be of maximum benefit to others. This involves previous training of loving kindness and compassion and now of course when one develops and tries to develop bodhicitta mind of enlightenment one is thinking about how to place or lead all other sentient beings to excellent unchanging happiness free of all suffering. But as an ordinary person that thinking is only on an aspirational, on a wishing level where practically so far one doesn’t have the capability to actually let that happen. So as a practitioner inquiring on the method to bring happiness and remove suffering of other one finds that it is only if one gets free to all mental shortcomings and one accomplishes or attains all excellent qualities of the mind, the state of omniscient, the state of Buddhahood that it is possible through having attained that state to actually bring excellent unchanging happiness to others free of all suffering.
Due to such understanding and realization one then makes the determination that I must at any rate somehow attain that state of Buddhahood in order to help all sentient beings and that determination is called bodhicitta, the mind of enlightenment. To be able to achieve that state free of all mental shortcomings and complete with all excellent qualities, it is indispensable that one must first have the wisdom realizing emptiness which alternatively is then called the special insight, Vipassana in its correct original Sanskrit sense, the special insight. To be able to attain such special insight one requires, one needs to have one’s mind mastered in single-pointed concentration which is called calm abiding or pacified abiding. Calm abiding itself is not that correct in translation so calm abiding, pacified abiding, where one’s mind should have capability to remain on a focused object as long as one wishes. So from that point we can see how even to attain enlightenment in that linked cause and effect, calm abiding is necessary.
So by realizing this importance here one may please think that I will at the best of my ability try to know about this practice and try to achieve that state of calm abiding. In his short lines of Songs of Experience it says, meditative concentration is the king ruling the mind, if placed it remains stable and unmoving like the king of mountains, Mount Meru, if sent it engages in all virtuous avenues, it is the one that makes the mind and the body workable, bringing pliancy, bringing bliss. Now meditative concentration in the opening part of the line — in the first word there is the term — what it means is meditative concentration is another word for calm abiding and regarding calm abiding what is the nature of that state of mind? To explain it, it is where in ordinary people’s case when one has not that calm abiding mastery of the mind then one’s mind is scattered and distracted and it does not engage or involve on objects and avenues where one needs to engage and involve. So that is what happens in ordinary people’s case whereas one who has meditative concentration, has calm abiding, the mind is not distracted outwardly to unnecessary avenues — the mind is controlled inside and having controlled the mind free of distraction when such mind is employed to remain focused on a given wholesome topic or object of meditation.
It remains focused as if like a huge mountain — if such a huge mountain is to be transferred from one area and placed onto a new location that mountain would remain unmoving because of its size and stability. The humour part there was the line in the actual citation talks about Mount Meru which the humour part was maybe in the west people may not feel comfortable about relating to whether Mount Meru actually exists or not. So that’s the implied humour in there. So in meaning, yes, mind with calm abiding can, when placed, remain unmoving, undistracted and if the mind is employed to do meditation or engage in virtuous actions it engages fully and through that way there is bliss in the mind and there is bliss in the body. Now regarding calm abiding itself, what are the positive outcomes it would produce, therefore how beneficial it is — or to describe it literally, how many excellent qualities it has.
Well, if we look at from the perspective of the great vehicle, the Mahāyāna perspective, we can say all the excellent achievements of mind attainable through Mahāyāna, the great vehicle path, they have to come through having firstly attained calm abiding state of mind, having firstly mastered single-pointed concentration of the mind. For example in the great vehicle path the excellent qualities of mind to attain can be grouped and classified in many ways. One brief way of classification would be the quality of omniscience and the quality of great compassion. So these two can come through calm abiding. There’s no way without calm abiding one would attain these qualities.
Likewise, all other ways of describing qualities in the great vehicle path as described as paths and grounds, realizations and experiences, they all have to be acquired through calm abiding. And then in the context of Hīnayāna, the lower vehicle path, again their own excellent qualities to be attained by mind need to be attained by firstly the practitioner having mastered calm abiding. In the lower vehicle path, the qualities of mind to acquire can be looked at as the quality of the wisdom realizing selflessness of the person, the wisdom realizing the four truths, the sixteen attributes of the four truths — whatever there are, so many we can list — and in brief it can be said that without calm abiding all those qualities of mind cannot be achieved and in that way calm abiding can be seen how much excellent outcome it can bring and how beneficial it is and accordingly therefore how important it is for a practitioner. We don’t want suffering. If we do not want suffering we have to get rid of the causes of suffering which are the impure thoughts.
And the only way to overcome all impure thought is to attain the special insight realizing emptiness — special insight realizing emptiness which is an alternate way of describing the wisdom realizing emptiness — and to attain the special insight realizing emptiness one cannot attain that without firstly attaining calm abiding. So in that way going backward, reversely, we can say there is no way one would attain liberation without firstly attaining the special insight realizing emptiness and that would not be possible without firstly attaining calm abiding. In the absence of that it would not be possible to get rid of the impure thoughts and through that way it is not possible to get rid of these sufferings at all. On an individual basis as well as on national and international basis everyone likes peace — either it is physically well-controlled behavior of peace or mental attitude of sound human humanitarian affection — on that level peace is cherished and everyone likes it but to have peace speaking on a physical level it is necessary for us to have peace on the mental level. To have peace on the mental level firstly one needs to make one’s mind not be disruptive and engaging into wrong avenues due to the force of attachment and hatred and distraction scattering.
Instead the mind needs to be controlled and drawn inward onto the state of mind and having then drawn it inward and controlled, it needs to be placed on meaningful, ease-producing topics and objects and through that way yes it is possible that mind would become peaceful and that also can be seen as how calm abiding — when someone has it — would mean that that person has peace of mind and also peace on a physical basis too. Now in order to attain such an excellent state of mind which is calm abiding one needs to have all the excellent causes. If one has all the excellent causes, the conditions which produce calm abiding then it is inevitable that calm abiding would be produced. It is inevitable because it is in the nature of things that when causes and conditions are gathered their effects or results inevitably are produced. So that’s why it is inevitable and if that is so then the first point in the case of attaining calm abiding of mind to look at would be to look at the causes and conditions which produce calm abiding.
Now regarding the causes and conditions for producing calm abiding, there are a list of six requirements. First of which is place. And regarding place, it is instructed that the place should be a suitable place, a conducive place. By suitable place, it mainly is explained by way of three descriptions — that it has to be a place of solitude, solitary in the sense that during daytime there is no disruption by human noises and activities floating around. During nighttime there are no disruptions and disturbances by the noises of wild animals and so forth.
And along with that description is that the place being solitary, the supply of groceries and food and so forth are also not that difficult to be supplied. And then the description of the place also is that when one remains in that place for the duration of achieving calm abiding, it is not health-wise risky in the sense that one does not become sick due to adverse effects — so just to interpret, such as damp ground and so forth which would increase arthritis, rheumatism and so forth. So that is to interpret. And then it has to be a place where the Dharma companions are also good around, that one has the surrounding of good Dharma companions.
The second requirement is to be of small desire. To be of small desire. That is a beautiful, scriptural description of small desire. Alternatively, you can say interpretively of containment, having containment. But what small desire means is that one does not think too much about having more and more food, clothing, and better place to sit and so forth.
Instead, one is happy and content to have whatever requirement one has as a facility for one’s practice. So in that sense, that is the requirement to be of small desire. Because when one has small desire, then it does not disrupt one’s mind of wandering outward unnecessarily. And then this also is called containment. What containment in brief means is even though one has just minimum food one thinks that is fine I’m contained with that.
Even if one has minimum clothing one thinks that is fine I’m contained with that. Even if one has very meager place to sit sit and do the practice one thinks that is fine I’m content with that so that is containment and it is helpful for one’s practice. Of course, the achievement of calm abiding is to be achieved through mind, but it also is achieved on the basis of physical health. So with that, what the containment, small desire part means is one just have enough clothing to protect the body from cold and excessive heat so it doesn’t become sick. And in terms of food, one just has enough food so one does not go starving and thirsty.
So that would be the what’s called borderline. Line. And then the place has to be solitary in the sense that it is not a place where there are great gatherings of many people happening all the time because if that happens then others would come to your place of practice and would chat you up, and you also would go over their place and chat them up. And in that way, there will be too many times spent in distraction of gossip and so forth. Not only that happens out of gossip, there will be so many ideas — which as in one of the earlier translations I interpret as culturally speaking, it’s not considered a good thing to have too many ideas.
Having too many ideas is not considered a good thing for a Dharma practitioner because what happens is if one has too many ideas then that is synonymous with having too many concepts, too many conceptual thoughts — hindrances for direct realizations and so forth. And if that happens, then it is a hindrance for one’s calm abiding practice. So it has to be a place free of all these gatherings of many people. In order for the mind to achieve calm abiding it has to be a clean mind and that clean mind is achieved firstly by having the body being in areas or avenues of no misdeeds. That would then bring us to this present requirement which is to have good morality of controlling body and speech.
Good morality of controlling physical actions and verbal actions, speech actions — and regarding them they are three through body and four through speech. If one controls by way of observing morality controlling them, then one’s body is free from all faulty engagements and in that way the body becomes a good foundation on which a clean mind can also be possible. By way of example, to illustrate this point we can look at say a sound foundation — a body is like a fertile and stable field which is free of all pebbles, weeds, rocks and so forth, then in that case it becomes a good basis on which the rich sprout would germinate and eventually a rich harvest can happen. So that’s an example. And in the absence of such a fertile and well prepared field, it is not possible to have the good germination of sprout and the eventual good harvest and so forth.
So by looking at that example, just to the extent of a similarity in the example, we can say that also is the case here — as necessary in the case of observing good morality, guarding or controlling body and speech from misdeeds — and that becomes a basis where the mind becomes pure. And through that way, it is possible as that requirement to achieve calm abiding. The next is to have