Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 102-minute session — Khensur Rinpoche’s farewell after twelve years of teaching at Buddha House in Adelaide — he completes his Heart Sūtra commentary with the portion addressed to sharp-faculty practitioners. He maps the sūtra’s closing mantra (gate gate paragate parasamgate) onto the five Buddhist paths, showing how each phrase corresponds to a stage of directly realizing emptiness. He then unpacks four key Prāsaṇgika Madhyamaka positions on existence and inherent existence — in particular, why a thing can exist without existing by its own characteristics — and explains how this reasoning steers between eternalism and nihilism. The commentary closes with Tsongkhapa’s equation that emptiness is dependent arising and dependent arising is emptiness, followed by Rinpoche’s personal farewell, an exhortation to bring teachings into daily practice, and the announcement of Geshe Pema Tsering as his successor at the center.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 12 HS 2000 12 12.mp3
UUID: b19d5833-0c9a-4ae6-a5da-ad5bb66f1fad
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Heart Sūtra (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 2000-12-12
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 101.8 minutes
Words: ~5,432
First we shall develop a motivation of altruistic intention which is a very very good motivation. When our practices of all the practices of the preparation actual part as well as the conclusion or the result of the practice will be very beneficial and very effective if it’s performed along with the motivation of altruistic intention. Any kind of sentient being in this world, in nature, they are same, wishing happiness and do not want suffering. Those sentient beings, there is none of the sentient beings who hasn’t been our mother, not just a mother or a parent, it has been our parent for numbers of time. And during their parenthood, they have helped us in many ways, like the same way our current our present life or current parents shows the affection to us.
And so they have shown us numbers of kindness, so should recall their kindness. And at this time, we are very fortunate to have this precious human rebirth on which basis we can help return their kindness. So by remembering their kindness, you should develop here a good motivation and a wish. Wish, the thinking, wishing that all motherly sentient beings as much as like the the space thinking, wishing them to be free from all the sufferings and their causes, and I will take responsibility to to free them from the sufferings. And likewise, develop a love towards motherly sentient beings wishing them to have all the entire happiness and their causes as well as take the responsible to bring all the sentient beings towards the happiness.
So we have here developed a very good intention or motivation to free all these motherly sentient beings from the suffering and let them have all the entire happiness and their causes. But beside the wishes, we don’t have the capability or a potential to bring them the potential to do so. The reason why we don’t have the capability is because at this stage, we haven’t abandoned entire negativities or the faults and haven’t attained the entire good qualities. Whether such potentiality or the capability exists or not, it does exist. If we have abandoned entire faults and the negativities and attain the good qualities, then we attain that capability of freeing sentient beings from the suffering and bring them towards the happiness.
So, for example, our Buddha Lord Buddha Śākyamūni has attained enlightenment for the sake of entire sentient beings. And because the Buddha Śākyamūni has attained enlightenment for the sake of entire sentient beings, as with the world systems, there are hundreds and billions of world systems or planets. And according to those, the Buddha Śākyamūni, after his enlightenment, had emanated himself or manifested himself in hundreds and billions forms, and each emanation benefits the numbers of sentient beings. So as we are the follower of with Lord Buddha Śākyamūni, if one if we practice the path, which practiced by the Lord Buddha Śākyamūni, then it is sure that we will attain we will we will be able to abandon all the negativities and and attain enlightenment or entire good qualities like himself. So should develop a motivation here in order to free all those sentient beings from the fear of the cyclic existence and the solitary peace.
I shall here, and bring them to the state of ultimate happiness. I shall here purify all the negativities and attain enlightenment or entire good qualities. So in order to to fulfill those those wishes, attain the enlightenment for for the sake of entire sentient beings, I shall here cultivate the two, the method and the wisdom, the method and the wisdom, the bodhicitta or altruistic intention and the correct view, and and practices the six perfections starting from the generosity or giving to the perfection of wisdom, and especially practice those two, the concentration and the and the and the perfection wisdom. And in order to train or train or perfect it the perfection of wisdom, I shall here practice, listen, contemplate, and then do meditation on this essence teaching of Heart Sūtra, the teaching on emptiness, which has the which includes the entire essence of the essence of the of the entire teachings. And we shall do a short meditation on this.
The master says that all the Buddhists of the present, past, and future, there have been a number of Buddhas in the past, and there will be a numbers of Buddhas in the future because they are numberless of sentient beings. Due to this, there will be all sentient beings will attain enlightenment. Therefore, the future Buddhas are numberless, as well as the current the the numbers of people achieve enlightenment currently. So all the Buddhas of the present, past, and future have attained enlightenment, and they lead towards the enlightenment by the path which is the only path towards enlightenment, the path of perfection, the perfection vehicle. And there’s no other path than this.
So therefore, because we have to achieve enlightenment, one should practice the path, the perfection path. So the way of traveling in the in the perfection path is first one should cultivate the wisdom derived through derived from listening or hearing teachings. So should listen to the teachings as much as one can. After listening, hearing the teaching, then should not leave the hearings as just hearings, yeah. Do not leave the hearing.
Bring all the hearings towards the concentration and derive the wisdom wisdom derived from the concentration. During the concentration, what one does, one does the analytical meditation, analyze on the topic what one have heard, on the teachings what one have teachings one have heard. And through analyzing all the topics through concentration, analytical meditation brings one the result or the final conclusion, what is true and which is wrong. And after establishing the the the teachings through towards the end or bring towards the result by analytical meditation, then bring all the final meaning of the analytical meditation towards the actual meditation. And from the very beginning of the meditation stage, is quite difficult one face difficulty because of because it’s because one have, one is not used for the meditation from the beginning.
And so, therefore, one will face a little difficulty. But after doing the meditation, continuing with one’s meditation or in the sense familiar familiar familiarization, which is the meditation, and towards the all the the the final result one might have brought from the analytical meditation. Then putting it more meditation on the the final topic and by maintaining the strong meditation on the topic, finally one realize or one develop or realize, say, the emptiness. And once you attend in emptiness directly, then there won’t be any problems. There is no difficulty.
So and when one realized the developed the wisdom directly realizing emptiness, then apply conjoin that wisdom conjoin the the wisdom realizing emptiness with the method, the method of bodhicitta or altruistic intention and the six practices of six perfection. And through this, one can one can overcome the overcome the the the false or inactivity, the suffering, and its causes, disturbing emotions. And it one can also apply antidote towards the the the self grasping the ignorance, the self grasping attitude, which is the cause for all this to all which is the cause for all the sufferings and disturbing emotions. So by applying antidote towards the ignorance, the self grasping attitude, and one minimized, one gradually minimized the disturbing emotions, false and negative it is. By by minimizing all those disturbing emotions, one automatically on other side, one increases the knowledge.
And by doing so, then it by doing so, it minimizes all the negativities and develops a good quality. And through this way, one attains enlightenment, which is state free of all the negativities and full of entire good qualities. So, the last week we have completed the how the disciples with the low or adult faculties travels in the path. Today, we start from disciples with the sharp faculties, how they train in the paths. So, now we start from the text.
The practices of the sharp faculty starts from the text saying, therefore the mantra of the perfection, wisdom. From there starts the practices or training of the part of the self disciple with the self faculties. And the perfection wisdom here means the wisdom directly realizing emptiness is the wisdom of perfection or perfected wisdom. And according to the lower tenets, they said that the the perfected wisdom is only available in the Buddhahood or in the state of Buddha state of Buddhahood. It’s not in the sentient beings.
According to Prāsaṇgika, the Middle Way, the consequentialist Middle Way school says that the perfection wisdom does exist or is in the sentient beings as well because the Tibetan word here used means it actually puts the instrumental word at the word, which means doesn’t say that this is perfected. It means this can perfect it, can be perfected. So it means the sentence means can be perfected or wisdoms can be perfected. So therefore that reads and it says that the the perfection wisdom is also valid in sentient beings. So because it says the text says it’s the mantra of the perfection wisdom, and and there are numbers of different interpretation of that.
Some people said it’s not the mantra or it’s not the the tantra because this teaching is the teaching of it’s a sūtra teaching, therefore, it’s not a tantra. And some people said we can we can put that mantra as a Tantric or a Tantric teaching or a Tantra as well because even though it’s it’s in the it’s in the Sūtra system, but it gives the entire meaning of the Tantra, Therefore, it can be taken as a tantra. And the Vimalamitra commentary says that this mantra, the mantra of the perfection wisdom, is okay to take as a secret mantra, a secret tantra or secret mantra. It is because the meaning of the mantra is the mind and the protection. So because and because so therefore, the this teaching, the the sorry.
Therefore, the mantra of the perfect the perfection mantra is the wisdom and is the mind and the protection. For that reason, we can take this as a the secret mantra. So, for example, like the Om Mani Padme hum, which is the mantra of Chenrezig and is the mantra. And as for the mantra, there are two. It’s called the interpretive and the definitive.
And the actual mantra which we’ll recite of Om Mani Padme hum is the mere word or writing or the mere word is called the interpretive mantra. The actual, the definitive mantra is the mind and protection. So now. So the word mantra is the it can be divided into two, the month and tra. And man actually is man which means the secret, and tra according to the tantric system, tantric teachings.
The tra is called the actual tantra. So, whereas here the meaning of mantra is being interpreted, meaning of the mantra here is called the protection of the mind or protect the mind. And so, therefore, and you there are the different ways for with the body, spirit, and minds. And preserving preserving vows like the bodhisattva vows and the vows of individual liberation, like the Uvasika vows, so forth. These are the the vows are mainly to protect the the the the actions of the body and the speech, whereas the the tantric vows are for for mainly to protect the one’s mind.
No. So, therefore, the the wisdom realizing emptiness. When when one develop the wisdom realizing emptiness, then that protects one’s mind or a one’s mind because it purifies the the negativities, the disturbing emotions of the mind, and also it it it it abandons the obscuration towards the liberation. So so therefore, if therefore, the wisdom realizing emptiness protects one’s mind. So, as they are the five mantras.
And so this is the training, the way of how the disciples of the sharp faculty train in the five paths. So the mantra of perfection wisdom is the training of the path of accumulation. Because when the disciple with the sharp faculty, or a bodhisattva with the sharp faculty, trains in the path of accumulation. As for the path of accumulation, we said in the previous classes, it is divided into three, the small, middling, and the great. And the bodhisattvas with the sharp faculty, when they’re training in the middling part of the path of accumulation, they realize the emptiness.
So this one, the the mantra of the perfection wisdom is the path of accumulation. And the mantra of great knowledge is the path of preparation which prepares one to reach the path of seeing. And the unequalled mantra is the path of seeing, that way one realizes emptiness directly and overcomes all the abandonments to be abandoned during the path of seeing. And the mantra of equal to the unequalled is the path of meditation, which is the path where one’s unequalled knowledge will become equal towards the knowledge of the Buddhas. And the last mantra is the mantra that completely pacifies suffering, which is the path of no more learning.
And during that part, the path of no more learning, where one has overcome the entire sufferings like the grasping attitude or self grasping attitudes, the ignorance, and all the imprints. So and what it says is all these five paths have realized the So the text says that all these five paths have seen the lacking of true existence, that the phenomena don’t exist by their own characteristics and are empty of inherent existence. So they have realized all these or they have seen the truths. And and what they have seen is the truth.
So, therefore, one should realize that all this what the realization has realized by those five paths are true, and one should understand and should meditate on those realization. And makes the request here, the text says that one should meditate and should realize that these are the five paths, which are parts towards the liberation, which helps you to attain enlightenment. And also, these are the paths which let you become enlightened, therefore, should understand and meditate. So now, one should realize that this will lead you towards the enlightenment. And the mantra here is called the mantra of the perfection of wisdom, the Heart Sūtra, begins from the which means this is so, on, So ThAya TA says that it is so.
That means we have the saṃsāra to abandon and the nirvana to attain. So, it is so, which means that both the saṃsāra and the nirvana are of one taste being without true existent or not being are yeah. No. So and the mantra goes, gate gate. And Gate, the first Gate Gate means go, go.
The first go is towards the first path of accumulation. And the second go is for the path of preparation, go towards the path of preparation. And paragate which means go, go towards the path of seeing. And parasamgate go towards the path of meditation.
Which means that they should find or attain enlightenment. And so this is the part, way how the disciples with the faculty trained in the five paths. So, and then the third part of the text is the rejoicing or admiring part that the text begins from, then the Tathāgata victor arose from the Samādhi and so on and so forth, saying both the Śāriputra and Avalokiteśvara for saying the well done and should practice and all the what what what the question and answers been discussed here, all these are are being admired by well done and admired by the the gods, demigods, humans, the or the Buddhas. And it used, the text says, the word repeated, the word legso legso, well done, well done, which is to say which is which implies the that that the Buddha emphasized the disciples to practice.
So the text says, It is just so and it is like that, which means that what Chenrezig, the Avalokiteśvara has said is true and just like that. Also, what I have realized is also saying is what Chenrezig has said. So as for the teaching or as for the yeah. As for the of Buddha Śākyamūni was set forth to be three types. The teachings set forth by, we call it, the admiring teaching here in this context of the Heart Sūtra, the admiring part by the Lord Buddha Śākyamūni, and the teaching received through by his grace or by his blessings.
And word of the teaching comes from the Buddha’s mouth itself, Buddha’s mouth. So the first topic of the Heart Sūtra says, Thus I have heard. So the beginning of the Heart Sūtra was called the admiring part. And the teachings between the question and answer between the Śāriputra and Avalokiteśvara are called the question and answer teachings coming from the teaching set forth called the blessing teaching, which means the Buddha has blessed, and those two have discussed the question and answer. And the last part saying, And then the text states, Then the Tathāgata Buddha rose from the Samādhi, so on and so forth, and the gods, demigods, and all the Tathagatas, the Buddhas have admired so forth, are called the teaching comes out directly comes from the Buddha’s mouth or his mouth.
So there are three. It has been classified into three sections. So here, this is how the disciples with the sharp faculty or a bodhisattva with the sharp faculty, they train in the parts. The reason why it’s called, the word here says the sharp faculty is because for those disciples one does not need to teach all detail. This is the path of seeing and within the path of accumulation one has to do this in such and such practices.
It is not required for those disciples with sharp faculties. What one needs to hear, one just hears, one should train in the path of accumulation just by saying that, and the disciple understands all the practices of the path of accumulation as well as the path of preparation, the path of seeing, path of meditation and so forth. So according to the Prāsaṇgika, the consequentialist middle way school, all the phenomenas, function and so forth on the basis of the imputation through the conception and they exist, they function on the existence of mere name, which is imputed by the the conceptions. And so on the basis of the labeling by giving name by the conceptions and so forth, all the things exist, the law of action, the causes and the results, effects and so forth exist. By knowing that all things exist merely or nominally exist or exist on the basis of imputation, by knowing this, one may think that then one can give name to anything, but one can say anything to any object, which but that is not true.
And in order to label something, the object needs some characteristic to receive such an imputation or such a fabrication. For example, one can mistake the coil of rope for a snake, And and one can mistake the copper as a as a gold, but one can’t give a name of gold to something which does not at all look like gold. So in order to impute something or give a label, a name to a object, first, this one should need a proper valid basis for the for labeling. And by having a valid basis to label something, then one needs the other three requirements to label something for that basis. And if one has all the three characteristics, then the thing, what we say, consequentialist says, they exist merely by the labeling or imputation.
Yeah. No. So, for example, if we demonstrate an example here, the the the the we we have demonstrated this many times. Therefore, the the labeled a person or a I towards the five aggregates. And the five aggregates are the basis of where one labeled the the name person.
And so in order to give the label, one needs all the three requirements. In order to receive a valid labeling of a person towards the five aggregates, one needs to have three characteristics. For example, there should be a cognition or a wisdom which gives the name person towards the five aggregates, which is the first characteristic. And the second one, the labeling that the first conception or a perception labeled towards the five aggregates can’t be affected by another perception. Right?
And the third one is that it can’t be affected by the logic which is examining and which establishes the lack of true existence. So the labeling of a person to the five aggregates is a valid fabrication or imputation. It is because the name person which is labeled by a perception towards the five aggregates, and on the basis of the five aggregates, it appears as a person. So therefore, because it suits the label, the person, and from the basis part, it appears as a person, which proves that the labeling of person towards the five aggregates is a valid fabrication.
And the labeling of gold towards the copper is not a valid fabrication or imputation because by labeling gold towards the copper, from the basis part, the copper itself, no matter from the copper side, it will never appear as gold or it will never be gold. So therefore that fabrication is called the invalid fabrication. Whereas the person appears as a person from the five aggregates as its base. So it means the valid fabrication. So these are the very important to train in the theory or the view of middle way.
And the tenets below the below the Prāsaṇgika, which they demand only schools and so forth underneath, And their interpretation or their assertion is that if something exists, then it should exist by its own characteristic. If it doesn’t exist by its own characteristic, then that thing doesn’t exist at all. So this is the theory set forth by the Madhyamaka Autonomist schools and so on, that if it exists, it should exist with its own characteristic. And if if it doesn’t exist with its own characteristic, means the thing doesn’t exist at all. And the Prāsaṇgika, the consequentialist middle school, separates the existence and exists by its own characteristic.
Because this they said, if something exists, it doesn’t need to exist by its own characteristics. So which separates the existence and the exist by its own characteristic? And for the second one, the lower tenets say that if it doesn’t exist by its own characteristic, then that thing does not exist. So whereas the Prāsaṇgika said the opposite, that thing doesn’t necessarily be nonexistent. That if it doesn’t exist by its own characteristic, it doesn’t mean that thing does not exist at all.
It does exist. So, these four divisions are the very important points of the Prāsaṇgika, consequentialist middle way school, which is if something exists, the existence and exist by its own characteristic, which means that if something exists, it doesn’t need to exist by its own characteristic. The first two part. And the second part, if it if it doesn’t exist by its own characteristic, but the thing does not necessarily be a non existence, so these are the two four. So these four are are the very key point and and of the Prāsaṇgika, and which also makes the the consequentialist tenets very unique and uncommon, the the technique than the other tenets.
What for the Prāsaṇgika, the consequentialist school, okay. I’ll stick with the word consequentialist school. They assert that because that thing exists, because of that it does not exist inherently. They are empty of inherent existence. So because it proves the logic here is because it exists, therefore it is empty of inherent existence.
But by proving this, it it it it establishes the thing does exist. So by establishing thing exist, it avoid one from falling into or or abandons or avoid one from falling into one extreme, which is called the eternalism. So and the second one saying that if it doesn’t exist by its own characteristic, the thing doesn’t necessarily be a nonexistent. And that helps one to see that all the phenomena of the saṃsāra, past and beyond, and all the causes and results, law of causes and effects, the good and bad migrations, so forth, they do not exist by their own characteristic, but they do exist on the basis of the fabrication or imputation imputed by the perceptions. So these points are the key and very important points of the Prāsaṇgika, the consequentialist schools, and which are quite hard to understand as well.
So you should try to keep all these key points in one’s mind and do meditation on those key points. So and the great master Tsongkhapa, in his The Three Principal Aspects of the Path, said that the appearance stops the existence, which means that because of knowing the appearances of the true existence of the causes and effects, by realizing from the good cause give rise towards the good result, bad cause give rise towards the bad result. And by seeing that, because of knowing all this, it cuts the existence, which means the true existence. No.
And because all these phenomena are empty of inherent existence, they lack the inherent existence.
Therefore, it cuts and helps one abandon falling into nihilism of establishing that things do not exist at all. Because they are empty of inherent existence, they exist on the basis of labeling. They exist nominally by the mental fabrication. So, therefore, it it it it it cuts the one falling into the nihilism. So if one realizes or sees that emptiness is dependent arising and dependent arising is emptiness.
So whenever one realizes this, if one realizes that emptiness is dependent arising and dependent arising is emptiness, then one realizes the essence meaning or essence teaching of the Heart Sūtra given by Lord Buddha Śākyamūni. Just by thinking or meditating five minutes on how emptiness is dependent arising and dependent arising is emptiness, just by meditating on that for five minutes, one cultivates the numbers of merits or virtues as well as it helps in many ways, helping one to abandon the disturbing emotions, the self grasping attitudes. So here concludes the teaching of the Heart Sūtra now. And as for the advice, I have given very long advice during the during the long life puja. So, I’ve been teaching here at Buddha House for the last twelve years.
And the teachings I have given I gave you here in the last twelve years are the teachings I have practised and trained in the numbers of years, starting from the age twenty, early from the twenty till the late fifties, that the teachings I have, like the five major texts of the monastery, and the numbers of tantric teachings, as well as special, unique instructions of the great masters. And all these practices and teachings I have heard and done given to you in the last twelve years, or all the essence teachings or the practice I have done, and are given you as lamas, as a as a special guru’s instructions and which was given in the very pure and and and good intention. I’ve given you the teachings what I’ve known. And on your part in the last twelve years, you have listened to all the teachings with a good motivation. You have listened to all the teachings and brought all the teachings into meditation, contemplation and the meditation, and I am very, indeed very happy with your effort.
So the purpose of listening, they will see listening to the teaching very often, every now and then, is to understand the teaching perfectly and correctly. And the purpose of knowing the true teachings, true meaning of the teaching is to practice, that bring all teachings into practice. And reason why one is practicing is is is the benefit of practicing is that that one will overcome all the negativities and become enlightened, become a Buddha and and can benefit the benefit both self and others like the like the Buddha. So so one should one need to attain enlightenment. In order to become Buddha, should one needs to practice.
In order to be able to able to practice, one one should understand what to be practiced. And to understand, one needs to receive the teaching or in the sense to hear the teachings. So therefore should go through all the process towards the enlightenment, So should listen the teaching or hear teachings as much as you can and never leave the hearing as hearing, then which will never help one. Just by hearing doesn’t mean that one understands the teaching. So bring all the teachings into contemplation and then let understand, let yourself, oneself understand the true meaning of the teaching.
And whenever one understands the meaning of the teaching, you never leave understanding as understanding because just leaving understanding as understanding, it will never help one to gain any experiences of the teaching or always listening the teaching. Should bring all the understanding into meditation and make familiarize towards the topic and get try to achieve the the gist or the gain some familiarization or the the certain experience from the from of the teaching or by practicing. And through this, one overcomes by meditation and familiarizing with the the teachings, one gradually abandons the negativities and finally attain enlightenment $2. So if one does this, then receiving this precious human rebirth has been very meaningful and one has fulfilled the purposes of receiving this rebirth. So therefore, I request here that whatever you have heard, please bring all the hearings into practice.
And just don’t throw it somewhere. So, and I here again request that everyone should maintain harmony in the community or in this especially in the center, the one organization here should always keep harmony and very friendly between the execs to never fight between each other and also and should maintain harmony within the students as well as between the execs and the students as well. If on if you live very harmoniously, then it says, believing harmoniously, one can do a very peaceful practice. So therefore should keep a very center, very harmonically. And I have think about this on last Sunday at the puja, but here again, during the last many years the people have sponsored and helped numbers of monks in India in many ways and I am very grateful for your help.
So I would love to stay and and but but it it is that I’m getting now a bit older and it’s quite difficult according to my age. So therefore I resigned and retired from this teaching from the center. And so for my replacement, Lama Zopa Rinpoche has appointed Geshe Pema Tsering, one of my students in Sera, and who will be coming here to teach at the center. Geshe Pema Tsering was born in Tibet, and he has joined the monastery in Tibet and studied for numbers of years and then escaped from Tibet to India and he finished the Geshe Degree, Geshe Lharampa Degree in Sera Monastery and also has completed all his tantric teachings after his Geshe degree and done finished the tantric teachings at the tantric college as well. And under the request of Kopan Monastery, he has taught about six months or one year in Kopan nunnery.
So the Geshe la is very well educated and I know that he can teach you a number of teachings. And during my stays at Buddha House, the people have been very nice and supportive, and I’ve been well looked after by the students. And like myself, like you have done to me, I hear requests when the Geshe comes, they take good care of Geshe as well. And then one reason why I was able to stay here for this long stay very long in Adelaide is because of hard work and the help of Tenzin that during the last twelve years he has been taking care of me in many ways. They’re doing my Lamrim, doing my shopping, putting up my program or schedule of going with the teachings and so forth, and cooking especially.
And he has been