Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The image of a blind turtle surfacing once in a hundred years into the hole of a golden yoke adrift on a vast ocean anchors this 80-minute session, as Khensur Rinpoche unpacks that classical analogy to illuminate why human rebirth is so rare. He works through the symbolism in detail — the ocean as saṃsāra, the yoke as the Dharma, the hole as refuge in the Three Jewels — before turning to four reasons Tsongkhapa gives for the value of this rebirth. Rinpoche then addresses the common impulse to postpone practice, counters it by naming the three causes needed to secure a precious rebirth again — ethical discipline, the perfections, and dedication prayers — and lists the ten non-virtues to abandon. Suited to practitioners following the Lamrim sequence.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 03 LR 1999 03 09.mp3
UUID: 907fe053-fc18-4b53-9d78-c00821e38765
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Lam Rim (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1999-03-09
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 80.3 minutes
Words: ~4,196
So we’ve been talking been teaching about importance of this precious human rebirth. And about the precious human rebirth, we have dealt with recognizing the precious human rebirth and the importance of it. And now we are up to the third one, which is how difficult this precious human rebirth is to find. For example, one starts to For example, if there is an object in worldly, in this saṃsāra, in this worldly, wish-fulfilling object which can give you what you wish, which is also very hard to achieve. If one finds that particular object which gives everything one wishes, but also, say the object is not long lasting.
If one finds that object and one cannot and cannot use it when one has achieved that object, it is very If one one cannot make use of it and it’s very sad to oneself. It’s not only that because not only that object is very hard to achieve and one has to make use of it while one gets the object. The object cannot last long with oneself. So it is very obvious that one will start very hard to make use of it while one owns it because one knows that it won’t stay long with oneself, with one for long. So the example we have taken before refers to this precious human rebirth which is very hard to obtain and so one has to make use of it when one gets that precious human rebirth.
For that, Master Śāntideva has stated that this object is a very valuable object that one can, through this object, through this precious human rebirth, one can accomplish both the temporary and ultimate purposes. This human rebirth is very hard to attain and destroy or it’s easy to lose. So for that reason he says, so when one obtains such rebirth one needs to use full strength or effort to practice the Dharma. So all the masters, has given, stated the same example. So example here, they brought all the masters.
Similar example is they have taken example a huge, a great ocean, a wide and vast ocean. And on that ocean, there floats a golden yoke. A single golden yoke with a single hole floats. It’s floating on the surface of that huge ocean. And Rinpoche has been describing about it.
In Australia, they don’t have golden yoke or yoke here. In India and Tibet, we have, of course, farmers there. No. And it has only one single hole. Metaphor here is the great ocean is taken as a metaphor of the saṃsāra of the six types of beings.
Floating on the surface of the great ocean of Samsāra. It’s floating. It never stays at one position. It moves. It keeps floating from one place, one direction to other, which stands for: the golden yoke is the Dharma and the the way the golden yoke floating, it stands it implies that the Dharma does not stay in one place.
It also moves from place to place. And the single hole in the Golden stands that it’s the there is only so the Golden yoke stands for Buddhist teaching. The hole in it stands for it’s the only entrance to get into the golden single hole. Likewise, there is only one entrance. It stands for only the single entrance to enter or to enter the Buddhist teachings or Buddhist teaching.
To enter the Buddhist religion and Dharma. No, Dharma. To enter the Buddhist Dharma and Buddhist to enter the Buddhist Dharma or yeah. Buddhist Dharma, which is only through which is only I mean, to enter the Buddhist Dharma is only through taking refuge. No.
No. So, the turtle is taken as an example of a human being, like us. It’s a blind turtle which stays a hundred years in the depth of the ocean. And it comes up and pokes its head once in a hundred years’ time. The meeting is very hard, it is very hard to fit that blind turtle’s neck into that hole of the golden yoke, because the golden yoke keeps floating on the surface of the ocean and the blind turtle comes to the surface just once in a hundred years’ time.
And it’s not only that the turtle is blind. If it’s not blind, then the turtle can surface and wait for the golden yoke and then put its neck through it. But because the turtle is a blind turtle, the meeting of the turtle’s neck and the hole of the golden yoke is very difficult. And the staying of the turtle one hundred years in the depth of the ocean means that we almost stay in the lower realms all the time.
Staying the turtle one hundred years under the water, it stands for us that we’ve been we rarely achieve or been born in a better rebirth. So it stands that we, the human beings, or we, states, most of the times been born in the lower realms. And the reason why we were born again and again, or long time in the lower realms is because we hardly cultivate cultivate the positive, and we almost cultivate negativities all the time. That’s the reason we’ve been born in the lower realms for a long time. And the turtle coming up on the surface of the ocean once in a hundred years stands for that being born in a better rebirth is very hard.
It is very few times that one is born in a better rebirth, it is very few and means it one hardly takes a better rebirth, after a very long time. And the blindness of the turtle stands for ignorance, and due to the ignorance we don’t know what things to practice and what to be abandoned. And due to that, because of the ignorance we don’t know how to practice. So the blind blind turtle or blindness of turtle stands for the ignorance.
So due to this ignorance, we hardly have any wisdom, that wisdom which can verify the things to be practiced and the things to be abandoned. No. So the turtle is blind. If it’s not blind, then it can watch for the golden yoke and wait for it. And when it comes, it can find it and enter the hole of the golden yoke.
So it’s not as it’s not as as it is blind, it cannot know where I mean, it’s cannot wait or cannot see the golden yoke likewise. If we don’t have the wisdom which verifies that, if one has to wait, so it’s not having a eye or sight is like that, then one can wait for the golden yoke like waits for golden yoke. Likewise, one can also can wait for Excuse me. It’s like So the turtle cannot So we don’t have the wisdom. So if we have the wisdom, then the turtle will not be blind, and it can wait for that golden yoke, and it can see the golden yoke and then get into the hole.
Lacking wisdom which verifies things to be practiced and things to be abandoned, the blind turtle cannot see the golden yoke; meeting of the golden yoke and the blind turtle is very difficult. We can merely say that it is possible, but it’s very hard to happen. So the Golden Yoke stands for the Buddhist teaching or Buddhist Dharma, and the hole on it is the gateway or entrance to enter the Buddhist Dharma. The hole is the entrance, which is having refuge in the Three Jewels. To enter Buddhist Dharma, one has to have a refuge within oneself.
If one has refuge in the Three Jewels, then one has entered the Buddhist Dharma. If one has not taken refuge in the Three Jewels within oneself, then one has not entered the Buddhist Dharma. So studying Buddhist Dharma does not mean that one has entered the Buddhist Dharma or Yeah. Entered the Buddhist Dharma or teaching. It means that if So, And the criterion of becoming Buddhist or entering Buddhist teaching depends upon whether one has the refuge with one’s refuge towards or not.
The refuge is the entrance of Buddhist teaching because of that, whatever practice you do. And we need to start with reciting the prayers, bring going refuge towards Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. And as we are the Mahayanists or Mahāyāna practitioners, generate the altruistic intention, bodhicitta, after the refuge prayers. So, this precious present human rebirth is very very hard to achieve or attain. It’s like meeting the blind turtle with the golden yoke floating on the ocean.
So by thinking that one comes to know that it’s very hard attain this precious human rebirth and while I have achieved such a precious human rebirth one and to make use of this is very important and it’s not good wasting this such a valuable rebirth. So to recognize this precious human rebirth is very precious and very useful and hard to attain and easy to lose. Yeah, too easy to lose. To recognize this precious human rebirth is very important. For that, the great master Tsongkhapa has stated four reasons showing the importance of the greatness or helpfulness of this precious human rebirth. So I’ll go to one by one for the four reasons.
So we always say that and we need to practice the Dharma. So we said it very often that we need to practice the Dharma. And if I’m asked the question, if the question comes up like, why it is why we need to do why we need to practice? So we need to do practice because both wants everyone, others wishes happiness or want want happiness and does not want suffering. So it is only through Dharma, teaching, one can accomplish both the temporary and ultimate happiness and overcome all the suffering.
So that is the reason that we need to practice. Only Dharma can abandon all the sufferings and overcome all the sufferings and achieve the temporary and ultimate happiness. So only Dharma can help us to overcome all the sufferings and accomplish both the ultimate and the temporary happiness. And people these days, they try to overcome their sufferings and achieve happiness through money or machines, etcetera, thinking that they can do it through those means. One cannot do this.
One may gain certain happiness and may be able to overcome certain problems or suffering, but one cannot uproot all these sufferings through money and machines. And so for that reason, this great And for that, the great master Śāntideva has stated here that these sufferings of any type from being born from the lower rebirths, etcetera, and the root of all the suffering which is disturbing emotions and can only achieve, can only overcome through the through the dharma and also the temporary and ultimate happiness is also accomplished through dharma. So only dharma is the one who wish can do both. So The suffering and the happiness is not the opposite.
It’s like the children, they play, I don’t know, swing something. So it never stays at one level. If one overcome the suffering or minimize or overcome all the sufferings, then the happiness naturally comes. And if one cultivates the suffering, and then if one increase one’s suffering or and then the one one cannot have a one cannot one cannot have a happiness. So it’s it’s never never So it’s it’s it’s like that.
So suffering and happiness is not. No cold. No cold. Very, very cold. No hot.
No. Yes. So it’s no translations for that. It’s it’s it’s the the suffering that happens is like cold and hot. The reason why we need to do practice is because one wishes to overcome all the sufferings and have both the temporary and ultimate happiness.
Yep. Ultimate. So it is only it is achieved or done only through the through the teachings or the Dharma. So that that’s the reason why we need to do the practice. So when one does the meditation about how difficult is to attain this human rebirth adorned with eight freedoms and ten riches.
It is only, so one has, when one meditates on this, one has, one needs to think, meditate upon the teaching that only teaching can achieve or only teaching can help to overcome the sufferings and have temporary and ultimate happiness. And through such a meditation, one will come to know that it’s very important to overcome all the sufferings and attain ultimate happiness. And then one will one can generate a motivation that one will that can develop a motivation that it is very necessary to practice the Dharma.
To practice the Dharma. And after having such a motivation that one needs to do One needs to practice the Dharma. Sometimes at that point one may raise a certain mind or attitude that whether one can do the Dharma or do practice the Dharma or not, or one will be able to do the, to practice or not. And at that stage one wonders whether one can be able to do the practice or to practice Dharma or not. Then the answer is that if one does, or if one does, then one can do such a practice because one is free from all the hindrances to practice and has all the conducive conditions to practice the Dharma because one has all the conducive conditions like one has a teacher and spiritual friends.
And also one has attained this precious human rebirth with eight adorned with eight freedoms and ten riches. So this is the right time to practice because we have all those conducive conditions and free from the hindrance which avoid us to practice the teaching. And so we we are at this time we have all the conducive conditions and free from all the hindrances and there is no such a better opportunity or better time for us to have better conducive conditions than this. So one, it’s the right time to practice. And if one does not do the later, it’s very hard to attain such conditions or such facilities in the future.
And One needs to do practice right now. One may think that maybe on future time one can do the practice or one can have better conducive conditions than this. One may think, but if we ask, then they can hardly give the answer for that. So in the previous and the past times, our great masters, like the Śākyamūni Buddha, Śākyamūni Śākyamūni Śākyamūni Buddha, Buddha, master Atisha, and Chunkhava, as well as those Indian and Tibetan masters, they attained enlightenment. Enlightenment through by having these conducive conditions and they never had a better.
So then they don’t have any special facilities facilities or conducive conditions rather than this. So having only the same conducive conditions they had in the past, they attained enlightenment. So we need to do a good meditation on this as well. Again and again. Yeah.
It’s very one needs to do meditation on this very often. So, and then by knowing all this one, we came to know that one can really achieve enlightenment or one can really achieve enlightenment through practice. And one will know that it’s only because of one’s fault, one been not doing practice. If one does, one can one has a capability or one can achieve or accomplish the one’s goal. It Yeah.
So one came to know that one can achieve the enlightenment or one’s goal if one does. And one has already came to know that one can do this. But at this stage, there is a possibility of generating a conception or a thought that, but I can do this, but not this time. I think that I’m young at the moment and I need to enjoy things. And some might think that I’m short of money and I need to earn some money and some may think I have lots of enemies as well as relatives and need to defeat all those enemies and look after my relatives.
So certain conceptions or thoughts may arise and then through that one generates laxity or laziness, thinking maybe not this lifetime. I will attain, achieve this in the next next lifetime or next. So if one generates such a thought that I can do it, that I can do in the next rebirth, then this is the mistaken one and one should try to understand know that this is the mistaken one and it is think that it is very hard to obtain such a precious human rebirth free from all the hindrances to practice Dharma and have the conducive conditions to practice the Dharma. So one has to think that it is a mistaken. Yeah.
It’s a wrong conception or thought. So, at that stage, then one needs to go back to that example, the analogy, that meeting, how difficult difficult that meeting of the blind turtle’s neck with the whole of the golden yoke. So obtaining precious human rebirth is like that. So one has to go back or think about that previous example. So one has to say it’s very hard to achieve the same precious human rebirth in the next rebirth.
And because this precious human rebirth is with those, with the ten, with eight freedoms and ten riches is a good fruit or a good or a perfect result. And so to to to have such a perfect rebirth and to have perfect result, one needs to have a perfect or a good cause for or needs to have good causes. And so so about that causes one needs to cultivate the causes to have that to to enjoy the good food or the perfect result. And to cultivating the good cause is not easy. So because it’s not easy and it is very hard to have or attain this precious human rebirth, it’s good.
Yeah. In the next lives. To cultivate the causes for such a rebirth, one needs to cultivate the three excellences, which are the pure ethical discipline. And being accompanied by the six perfections from the generosity, patience, and so forth. And one needs to make untainted prayers to gain such a precious human rebirth in the next life.
So, we, one needs to cultivate all those three, these ethical, pure ethical disciplines and six perfections and the untainted prayers. So to attend such a rebirth, one has to acquire all those three, and there are very few who cultivate those three. So it’s very easy that one can examine oneself that whether one has all those traits. And it is very hard to say that one have I mean, it’s very hard to it’s very difficult just for one for one to say that one has a part, a single of those. Leading the pure ethical discipline means cultivating those ten virtues and not doing the opposite ten non virtues, which is from the through body, speech, and mind, three which is done non virtues, three done ten non virtues, three done by body, which is killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct.
And then the four done through speech which is telling a lie, harsh speech, divisive speech, and idle gossip. Is that four? And the three done through the mind, which is covetousness and harmful intention and wrong view. So one if one checks that, so one one needs to check whether one is doing or cultivating the ten virtues or yeah.
Or not. So it’s very hard that one can say one is we’re doing those cultivating those ten virtues now. And on top of that ten virtues, one needs to have do the practice of giving and patience to have it. If one does not practice giving then one will be reborn as very poor in the next rebirth. And one needs to practice patience to have a better appearance, better body, and to become honest and very friendly or in harmony with others.
So, it is to lead all those ethical disciplines and then cultivate the practice of giving and patience. To do those three properly, one needs to have a wisdom which verifies what things to practice and what things to be abandoned. And one needs a concentration to let mind single pointedly on those practices. And and also one needs to have a to to to achieve those, do those, one needs to have a enthusiasm or effort to avoid the laxity or dullness. Today, And so by doing by doing those practices and then then one cultivates a huge amount of merit.
And so one needs to dedicate and make prayers, through the power of those merits, may I be born to have a better rebirth, a good rebirth of this precious human rebirth which is adorned with eight freedoms and ten riches. And so making prayers, dedication prayers is very important. So if one can cultivate all those three causes which are pure ethical discipline and practicing the perfections and making prayers. If one can maintain those three causes, then finding a precious human rebirth in the next life is not as difficult as it’s described before. And if one can cultivate those three causes, then it is one can achieve or gain this precious human rebirth again and again.
But it is very rare or very few that one it’s very few that there’s it’s very few that cultivates two or three courses. And because of that, it stated that gaining this precious human rebirth is very important. So it’s very difficult. So after been thinking about those courses or those practices, then one needs to generate a mind or one needs to think that our previous life, a person or our previous life has done a very good job. Very, very good.
Good or no good. Now we need to check whether the present life is good or not. We need to examine oneself. No good. So one has So we have to examine whether this person or this life is good or not.
And if one has done or cultivated all those causes, have done good works, then we can say that this life is also good. And if one has not done a good, cultivate all those two causes, then one will be born in a low rebirth in the future lives. And then we can say that this person or a present life is not good. And also we can say that because our previous one has worked worked very hard to attain attain this precious human rebirth, and we we have gained at this time. And now in this present life, the person has, I mean, fallen back into or fallen down to the lower realms again.
If one has cultivate I mean, if one has done very bad things, you can so and then this person is dead or this. Yeah. So there is a saying of practitioner in the ancient time of Tibet that one practitioner influence oneself to practice by saying that the previous life has given me this precious human rebirth, and now this precious human rebirth don’t throw it down to the lower realms. And the fourth one is we’ve been not saying the numbers, but now started with the one, and now we are at the four. And saying that and so by saying this, then one should do practice because it’s very, very hard to attain such a valuable human in the next lives.
So, and it’s not only So one should do a practice. Not only one should do, one should start right away because it is uncertain when the death comes. And when it comes, it will never let us or excuse us to stay five minutes more. So, and by thinking that one put a strength effort every day and do practice daily. So if one does this, then one will one has this precious human rebirth right now and will be better in next and then the next next one will become a bodhisattva and then becomes a fully enlightened Buddha.
So one can one becomes Buddha, one could reach Buddhahood. So Buddhahood is not something that one can just jump and reach it. It’s been achieved through practice for a long time. And No. No.
No. Jump Cannot be achieved by just jumping. Thank you. So so we have so everyone has better understood about the importance of and understand importance importance of this precious human rebirth and so it’s good one, it’s good. So one has to meditate on this how difficulty it is to attain this precious human rebirth and so this and so the purpose of listening to the teaching is to know something which one does not know.
Purpose of knowing is to bring all the teachings what one have heard and understood into the practice. And then the purpose of practice is to achieve the enlightenment, Buddhahood, which is free from all the sufferings and and acquire all the happiness. No. Okay. Thank you.