Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. “A traveller who lacks desire for the destination, takes the wrong road, or doubts which path to follow will never arrive” — Khensur Rinpoche applies this analogy in this 48-minute session to explain a specific obstacle: practitioners who identify the mind with an independently existing self will resist meditating on selflessness, fearing that refuting the self erases the mind entirely. He works through the four close establishments of mindfulness — the body as true suffering, feelings as the root of attachment, aversion, and confusion, the mind examined to distinguish a merely nominal self from the “self-sufficient self” that is the object of negation — before classifying phenomena as skillful, unskillful, or unspecified. A Q&A closes by contrasting coarse impermanence (recalling the dead) with subtle impermanence understood through dependent arising. Suited to practitioners doing analytical meditation on the four noble truths.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 08 IR 1990-10-07.mp3
UUID: 51568116-5d38-483b-9efd-ac45e7379557
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Insight Retreat (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1990-10-07
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 48.3 minutes
Words: ~2,555
The reason that we meditate [on the] four close establishments of mindfulness with respect to the body is in order to realize that the body is a true suffering that it is in the it is in the nature of dissatisfactoriness. And and we realized of the four noble truths that the body is a true suffering. So what what is the reason for for meditating the four close establishments with respect to the body? It is in order to realize amongst the four noble truths that the body is a true suffering. And the reason that we meditate the four close establishments of mindfulness with respect to feelings is in order to realize that amongst the four noble truths that feelings, as we’ve mentioned in terms of the nature as pleasure, displeasure, and indifference are true origins of suffering.
That is to say that feelings are the cause of suffering. So the body is meditated on in terms of the four close establishments of mindfulness in order to to realize it realize that it is a it is a diff this defective thing or a dissatisfactory thing and that it is a true suffering. Feelings are meditated on in order to realize cause of that it out of that feelings generate craving, which is the cause of cyclic existence, and therefore, are true origins of suffering. Says that it is due to feelings that we continue to abide within cyclic existence. It is out of feelings that we take rebirth.
Feelings bring about the production of cyclic existence? As we mentioned before, there are three types of feelings, pleasurable, displeasurable, and indifferent. So if if, for example, today we had some delicious food, and we would generate pleasurable feeling with respect to having eaten that delicious food and we would think, Oh this is really good. I want them to make this tomorrow. And we want them to make it the day after.
That is to say, upon the pleasurable feeling that was generated, we develop a craving attachment. On the other hand, when we experience a displeasurable feeling, we we develop aversion. We tell all this is this is no good. And we and under the under this power, we get angry. On the other hand, when we experience a feeling which is neither pleasurable nor displeasurable in a something which is neutral, we then generate confusion with respect to that object, a an ignorance.
So out of these three types of feelings pleasurable displeasurable and indifferent feelings we generate the three root afflictive emotions of attachment, aversion, and ignorance or confusion due to the due out of which we create karma and perpetuate cyclic existence. So these three, out of these three types of feelings of pleasure, displeasure, and indifference arises the three root afflictions of attachment, aversion, and confusion. These three root afflictions are true origins. That is to say they are true origins of suffering. That they are that is to say they are causes of suffering.
The results of true origins are true sufferings. If if we if we apply if we realize the four characteristics with respect to the three feelings. The three feelings being displeasure, pleasure, and indifference. And we understand them to be impermanent, dissatisfactory, empty, and selfless. This will act to bring about a cessation of attachment, aversion, and confusion.
We understand the nature of feeling in terms of its specific characteristics to be experienced and in terms of its general characteristics to be as was as was mentioned impermanent, dissatisfactory, and selfless. In meditating on the on in this way. We see that that that that feelings are that are the root of suffering and since in dependence upon them, the three basic afflictions of aversion, attachment and confusion arise, which are true origins of suffering. We which are the causes of true sufferings. We realize the faults of these since they are true origins of suffering and develop the intention to abandon true origins of suffering.
So thus far in dependence upon the meditating the body in terms of the four close establishments of mindfulness, we understand that the body is a truth is a true suffering. We understand that the that that the feelings are true origins of suffering. Proceeding in our meditation on close established mindfulness and with respect to the mind as has been been mentioned, the mind is viewed as the self. In coming to understand the mind in terms of its first specific characteristic, of being the observer, and then in terms of its general characteristics of impermanence dissatisfaction is empty and selfless. So meditating on the mind in terms of the specific characteristic of being an observer, in terms of the general characteristic of impermanence, etcetera.
We examine as to whether, as was mentioned, that we ordinarily conceive of the mind to be the self, and we examine as to whether the mind is itself or not. So we we we ordinarily can see the mind as being the self. And we can speak of two types of self. One self is the object of negation, the object of negation. And that is to say, the other is the nominally existent self.
The the the the self which is the object to be refuted is is the self in which we’re talking about when we talk about selflessness. And this self is in this context a self sufficient, substantially existent self. This self does not exist. On the other hand, the nominally existent self is, does exist, is I, I, we say, I go, I eat, I sleep. This self is the nominally existent self.
So we said that that the children that children view the mind as a self, which which of these two selves are we referring to? The mind as a self, we are viewing it at in terms of the self, which is the object of negation. That is to say a substantially existent self sufficient self. So the self which is which is the object of negation, the object of which is being refuted here is the a self sufficient self. And what do we mean by self sufficient self?
That is a self which does not rely upon any of the aggregates, the aggregates of forms, feelings, perceptions, thought constructions, and consciousnesses. A type of self which exists not in reliance upon those, but independent of the aggregates is what we mean by self sufficient self. The nominally existent self, which in fact exists, on the other hand, exists in dependence upon these five aggregates. The the self sufficient self, the object of negation, is as if it exists independently of of all other factors. When we first conceive I, you know, say I, I, I am going, I am eating.
Initially, the nominally existent I appears to our mind initially. Appears to our mind initially. Initially the the nominally existent I appears to the mind. And then almost immediately there there will become mixed with a self sufficient I. And then subsequent to that, there will appear only the self sufficient I, the I which is appears to which is independently existent will will then appear to the mind.
So, this self, this self sufficient self, which is the object of negation, which appears to exist independently, is the self which is viewed to be the the dwelling within the body, which is which makes use of the feelings. So through to the four close establishments of mindfulness one begins to understand the nature of the mind. We previously have examined the body, and now we’re examining the mind. And then we under we understand that the self, self which is the object of of negation is eliminated. Understanding that the mind is not the self, that is to say the self sufficient self, one turns away from holding the mind as such a type of self and begins to ascertain the meaning, the intent, meaning of selflessness.
And thereby, amongst the four noble truths, realizes the true cessation. What do mean? Does hand the doc I’m telling a doctor. I’m just gonna look on here. I don’t know.
I tell a doctor so you know, once there is could as was mentioned that the child is conceived of the mind as being a self sufficient self and then there is a tendency to to to think if if this object itself which is the object of negation does not exist, then there is no mind because the mind and the self are the same. Therefore, if this self doesn’t exist, there is no mind. And therefore, there is no liberation. There is no freedom from cyclic existence. But coming to understand that this self is that the self that the mind is not this self sufficient self, that that the negation of the self sufficient self does not eliminate the mind, but in fact there is a nominally existent self which continues on, one begins possibility to bring about a cessation of such that by eliminating that one, this self can be eliminated.
The grasping force such a type of self can be eliminated, and one can achieve a true cessation. And therefore, one strives for liberation by means of attaining. One strives for true true cessation amongst the four noble truths. So is that is that difficult to understand? Being gotten at here is that if we conceive of the mind as being the self which is the object of negation, that is, mind is being conceived of as a self sufficient self, then one is not going to be inclined to meditate on selflessness because one is going to see that if the self does not exist, and it since the self is the since the mind is the self, and if I refute the self, then I refute the mind.
There’s no longer a mind. And, therefore, there is no liberation. There is no one to experience pleasures. Therefore, one is disinclined to to pursue meditation on selflessness because one conceives of the mind as being the self. So the the quotation which points out the three reasons that why we will not arrive at our destination if in taking a path.
If we we have no desire to get to the destination, then there’s no way that we’re going to arrive. If we don’t want to get there, we’re not going to set out on the journey to get there. That’s one reason. The second is that if we were that we have we desire to get to the destination, but we take a wrong path, again, we’re not going to get to our destination. And the third is if we have a doubt as to the correct path, we’re not quite sure which path to take.
Again, we will not arrive at our destination. So for these three reasons, we will not arrive at our at a particular destination. Then applying this analogy that if we conceive of the mind as being the self sufficient self, then we are we will have no desire to achieve to the destination of it we want to have no desire to attain the destination of liberation On the other hand, once we understand that the mind is not is not the self sufficient self, then we will develop a desire to strive for liberation. We will be intent on liberation. I mean, what does it mean?
Then we can we can we can we we can actualize a true cessation. Finally, the meditating phenomena in terms of the close establishments of mindfulness. There you know there are many many many types of phenomena and we seeking we seek to identify each of them according to their specific characteristics and then applying the general characteristics of impermanence etcetera to these various types of phenomena. If we were to, you know, condense the the types of phenomena as it’s mentioned in the Ornament for Clear Realization, we could, from the point of view of cause, we could classify them as skillful, unskillful, and unspecified. Skillful, unskillful, and unspecified.
From the point of view of result, positive and negative result. In understanding the classification of the presentation of the classification of phenomena, then we will develop a desire to abandon that class of phenomena which are unskillful and along with the afflictive emotions. And we will come to understand the skillful category of phenomena. Such types of phenomena as effort, love, compassion, the awakening heart, the view of emptiness, the five paths, the ten grounds, the skillful objects as set out in one of the clear realizations, the eight categories such as the knower of all aspects, the knower of bases, the knower of paths, the seventy topics, etcetera. Understanding this this the classification of phenomena in terms of skillfulness and unskillfulness, we will begin to seek to abandon the unskillful to practice the skillful.
And by means of this, we will be able to generate the various paths and grounds within our own continuum, and be able to eliminate all the various faults within our continuum, generate all the excellent qualities, and therefore realize a true path of the four noble truths within the four noble truths true paths. So, the reason for meditating on the four close establishments of mindfulness is extremely extensive as you can begin to understand that the dependence upon such a meditation that we can develop a realization of the Four Noble Truths and we can carry on an extremely effective practice. And therefore and by means of that we can ultimately achieve liberation which is by which we can fulfill our own welfare, but additionally we can bring about the welfare of others. So that’s the the explanation on the the necessity or reason for meditating for close establishments in mindfulness. And we’ll stop there if you have some questions.
So I was asking about the meditation on impermanence and its connection with the body. And in meditating, in a coarse impermanence, you simply would think, you remember various people who died, this person died, this person died. I wonder when I’m going to die. This is going to happen to you. Death is a coarse impermanence.
But subtle impermanence is a hidden phenomenon that’s necessary to initially to rely on reasoning in order to understand it. And we can make use of the reasoning such that, such as oneself, you take oneself as a subject, that I am impermanent because I am produced in dependence upon causes and conditions. Just like, we we can take reasoning with the we talked about the nominally existing I. Nominally existing I is dependent arising because it arises out of causes and conditions. So the way that we can begin to get at subtle impermanence is because the I is the body is arises out of causes and conditions.
So we we probably all of us probably understand that the body is produced in dependence upon causes and conditions. So we should think about the fact that since the body is produced out of causes and conditions, then it’s it’s very it cannot abide for even two moments. Why is that? Because at because it is it’s being produced by causes which are momentarily disintegrated. The body disintegrates.