Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 48-minute session, Khensur Rinpoche works through a precise doctrinal framework from the Treasury of Knowledge, distinguishing the general and specific characteristics of the four close establishments of mindfulness — body, feelings, mind, and phenomena. General characteristics (impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, emptiness, selflessness) apply to all compounded things; specific characteristics are unique to each: body as an aggregation of elements, feeling as the knower of experience, mind as observer of objects, each phenomenon as having its own distinct nature. He then explains why these four objects matter: how an ordinary person misidentifies them as self, generating attachment and aversion that perpetuate cyclic existence. A brief Q&A covers whether any body can be pure, and the session closes with practical guidance on integrating mindfulness into daily activities — walking, rising, and breath observation.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 03 IR 1990-10-06.mp3
UUID: 876f214b-b360-456c-ad71-0ff355e07ef1
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Insight Retreat (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1990-10-06
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 48.4 minutes
Words: ~2,232
Manner of meditation is unique to the bodhisattva who is superior to the hearer. So the common manner of meditation is, as it’s set out in the text, that it says that the meditation should be performed through making an examination of both the general and specific characteristics of the bodies, the feelings, the minds, and the phenomena. And the reason reason this is said to be the common manner of meditation is that when the hearer meditates the four establishments of mindfulness, he would meditate upon each of these four bodies, feelings, minds, phenomena in terms of both of these characteristics, the general and specific. And additionally, when the bodhisattva meditates on the four establishment, close establishment of mindfulness, would do the same in examining these four in terms of their general specific characteristics. So it would be common method to both of them.
So this mode of common manner of meditation is set out in the Treasury of Knowledge and quoting from the Treasury of Knowledge. By thoroughly examining the two characteristics of bodies, feelings, minds, and phenomena, one should meditate on the close placements of mindfulness, and this is done by both hearers and bodhisattvas. The the mode of meditating is the same with respect to each of these four objects of observation, the body, feelings, minds, and phenomena that in terms of each of them, one one analyzes them in terms of their general characteristics and specific characteristics. What what is the manner of meditating the general characteristics of these four objects? As it says in the text, impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, emptiness, and selflessness are the general characteristics which are related to each of these four objects.
So the the Buddha said that that all compounded phenomena are impermanent. And by compounded, that means those phenomena which are are compounded, in dependence upon causes and conditions that arise dependent upon causes and conditions are impermanent. And by impermanence, we mean the momentarily momentarily momentary arising and disintegrating of objects. And this extends to all all compounded phenomena in general. And then he went on to say that all contaminated all contaminated things are dissatisfactory.
And by by contaminated, we mean those things which arise under the influence of karma and afflictive emotions, that these are dissatisfactory. Again, went on to say that all phenomena are empty and selfless, that they have a nature of of the lacking of a self, and this is is extends to all phenomena whatsoever, that it is a general characteristic of all phenomena. So do you understand what we mean by general characteristics? It is extending to all the various things and phenomena. All things are impermanent and dissatisfactory, and all phenomena are empty and selfless.
Then with respect to the specific characteristics that each of these four objects of observation has a specific nature or characteristic. Body Body has a specific characteristic which is not a which is unique to it, and which is not a characteristic which is general of all various things. And the same holds to of feelings, that it has characteristics which are unique to it. Specific, therefore, we call them specific characteristics, and the same is true of mind and phenomena. Rather than general characteristic applying to all of these, they are unique to each of these.
So you can read along. It’s here with respect to the specific characteristics. The body has a nature of the elements and the evolutes. So and beginning with the body, the body has specific characteristics, that is to say characteristics which are unique to it. And first, the first specific characteristic is is its elements.
That is we as we explained by what we mean by elements, earth, water, fire, and wind energy element, and the evolutes of these elements. That is to say, visual visual forms, smells, tastes, and tactile object objects of touch, tangible objects, that that the that the the body is compounded out of the out of the elements and evolutes. It is composed out of out of an aggregation of elements and evolutes, and therefore has a specific characteristic of this. So We we should we should try to think of the nature of of the body in terms of it being a compound. It is a comp it it it is an aggregate of the aggregation of the combination of elements and evolutes.
Combination of elements and evolutes. And to think of what when we when we to think of the nature of the body. It is an aggregation of combinations of elements and evolutes. So this this body that we have, you know, it is it is simply an aggregation, which is a compounding of a combination of and elements. Then secondly, the specific characteristic of feeling is that it has a nature of experience.
Between minds and mental factors, feeling is a mental factor, factor, and it has the nature of being that which is the knower of experiences. When we want to think of what is a feeling, it is So we, you know, we can understand simply that when we eat delicious food, we we experience pleasure. Or when we eat hot food or some kind of unpleasurable food, we we experience we have an experience of displeasure. Understand that when the weather is cold and then it changes to warm weather, we experience pleasure. On the other hand, when the weather’s been very hot, it becomes cool, then we, again, we experience pleasure.
And that which is doing the experiencing is feeling. Feeling is that which knows the quality of experience. So the the the nature of feeling is experience. That’s its specific characteristic. Then the specific characteristic of mind is that of the nature of observer.
It is that which observes objects or it is the knower of objects. For example, it knows this is white, this is good, it knows that this is needed, this is not needed, this is wanted, not wanted. This is a person. This is a book. This is a room.
This is a table. This is a glass. It it it is the knower of these objects. It is the observer of these objects. So it is it is the factor which which takes objects, which takes an object for its observation.
It is the that which observes objects. This is this. This is this. It takes object and observes them, the observer. So the the specific characteristic of mind is its nature of observer.
With respect to the specific characteristic of phenomena, phenomena are extremely vast category, that they include mental phenomena such as the mental factors, such as wisdom, faith, compassion, love, the factors of, for example, generosity, ethics, effort, patience, the factors of the Buddha, Dharma, spiritual community, true suffering, true origins of suffering. All of these are phenomena, and there is there is there is no characteristic which is common to all of these. Therefore, each of them has their unique characteristic. So each has a specific characteristic, relative to itself. Are you we going is it becoming too extensive the explanation?
Are you getting confused? Are you getting tired? And if we won’t we won’t go any further than this, but in order that you are able to have heard well, we’re going to review what we’ve covered. Firstly, that the objects of the observed objects of the four close establishments of mindfulness are body bodies, feelings, minds, phenomena. Do you understand that?
If we were to ask, what is the reason for this presentation of these four objects of observation? So for the childish, the body is looked upon as the residence of the self, the dwelling place of the self. The feelings are looked upon as objects of use in which there which arises experiences of pleasure and displeasure, just like in the case of food. If it’s a delicious food, again we use food. If it’s if it’s a delicious food, we gain pleasure out of using it.
If it’s bad tasting food, we gain displeasure out of tasting it, out of using it. It. And then the the mind is is conceived is looked upon as the self or the I. It is the it is the it is the the user of the feeling. It is that which does the using of the feeling.
And then phenomena are that which arise out of the use. And dependence upon phenomena arises with with for arises in aversion and attachment with respect to repulsive phenomena, aversion, attractive phenomena, attachment. And by the force of these emotions, the various skillful and unskillful karmas are created, perpetuating cyclic existence and acting as an obstruction to liberation. These four close establishments of mindfulness as in in as if with examining if we view these object observed objects in the way that an ordinary person does? Do we how do how do examine how we are conceiving of the body, how we are conceiving of the feelings, the mind, and phenomena in terms of do we conceive of them as the ordinary person does?
So we should try to understand in our meditation the nature of each of these. What is the real nature of the body? And we look up on it and we analyze it in terms of its general characteristics and specific characteristics. Again, with respect to feelings, analyzing in terms of its nature, analyze its nature in terms of its general and specific characteristics, the same of mind and phenomena. And and carrying out the examination in this way, we can understand the nature of each of these body feelings, etcetera, well.
And out of this making making use of our wisdom in in examining the body and mind, that if we understand it well, what will be the result? That we will begin to, to, we will develop the, the intention to abandon true sufferings and the true origins of suffering. And we will develop the intention to actualize true cessation and to cultivate true paths as a result. We would develop a very powerful awareness which sees the faults of cyclic, by seeing faults of cyclic existence, is intent on being liberated from it, and seeing the excellent qualities of liberation will again reinforce this intention to attain it. So we’ve explained roughly up to now, but we’re going we’re going to continue tomorrow.
If you have any questions, we can answer those now. So this evening when you meditate meditate in terms of the body and mind, the specific and general characteristics, the, what, how can we generate the intention to, to be free of cyclic, how can we be free of, how can we generate the intention to be free of cyclic existence? So we’ll take a few minutes for These are the main phenomena. The essence of phenomena. The principal Which part?
Well, is there a clean, pure body? We’re we’re we’re we’ll explain this tomorrow, but for now, the a foe destroyer, an eighth-ground bodhisattva, and a Buddha’s bodies are pure. Clean and pure. And Buddha’s body is clean and pure. So in in the ordinary of the person’s body is is said to be not pure and clean from the point of view that it’s it’s appropriated or that it’s it’s taken on the influence of karma and afflictive emotion.
What is this? We can we cultivate the four close establishments of mindfulness. One of them is in the actual meditation session or formal meditation session where we we examine the body the body’s feelings, minds, and phenomena in terms of their general and specific characteristics. Then there are those there are those ways, there are those times when we are performing the four activities of going going, rising up, lying, and sitting in which, again, we are to cultivate the four closed establishments of mindfulness. There are many ways that we can cultivate it.
The cultivation of the four close established mindfulness during the various activities such as when one is sitting, one is aware that one is sitting, and then they’re aware of the intention to rise up, and upon rising up, the intention now, aware of the intention now I am intending to go, and the actual examination of the going in which there is the rising up of the foot and then then the movement of the foot and the placement of the foot and then the, again, the rising of the awareness of the raising of the other foot, the movement and the and the placement of the other foot. So this is how we can cultivate or practice the four close established mindfulness during an activity. So, again, when we’re practicing the, observing the inhalation, exhalation of the breath, that there there will be a lessening of various the thought the thought processes where the conceptions will the thoughts will begin to lessen, and there will arise a pleasurable feeling. So, you know, that we’re we’re constantly taking these four as objects of observation, bodies, mind, feelings, minds, and phenomena that that the previously the those renunciates were advised by the Buddha that when they were going they should cultivate in all of the activities they should always be cultivating the four close establishments of mindfulness.
And this was extremely beneficial and it would serve to prevent the arising of negative states.