Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A teaching from the First Pänchen Lama sets the agenda for this 87-minute Lam Rim session: the beginning of meditation resembles the Sanskrit phrase heading every Tibetan text — first, check where the mind stands. Khensur Rinpoche covers a breathing technique to clear a negative mental state before sitting, the body-channels-wind link behind correct posture, and the difference between analytical and stabilizing meditation, using impermanence as the worked example. A typist analogy drives home the principle: the mind already meditates effortlessly on attachment through long habit, and the same capacity can be redirected toward wisdom. This leads into the Dharma/non-Dharma distinction, illustrated through Atisha’s exchange with Geshe Tamba, before Rinpoche closes by walking through the refuge-field visualization — five thrones for Buddha, Maitreya, Mañjuśrī, one’s guru, and Vajradhāra — explaining why method and wisdom each require their own lineage.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 06 LR 1998 09 01.mp3
UUID: a1ff4604-2c4f-4e3d-b178-381060c41257
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Lam Rim (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1998-09-01
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 87.1 minutes
Words: ~5,559
So last week, we were dealing with the six preparatory practices. And among the six, we have finished the first two, which is set up representation of enlightened body, speech and mind after cleaning your place of practice and surroundings. And the second is acquire offerings without deceit and set them up beautifully. And we have also dealt with the third one, having sat down on a comfortable cushion in the eight point physical posture or in any comfortable position, take refuge and generate the altruistic intention with a very virtuous attitude. But we haven’t finished with the third one.
So we were in the third one now. So we have now we’ll be I’ve talked about now how to maintain a physical posture on your meditation cushion last time. And then after having set that put on your meditation cushion, then now one should look inward or look into or look into one’s mind and check or examine whether your mind is in a positive state or a negative state. And if you if your mind is in the the negative state, then the action or any kind of action you perform with that particular mind, then all your works all your works become negative and becomes non virtuous. For that, one should not do that and need to get rid of that bad state of mind.
That bad mind within oneself, and to get rid of that, one need to practice through the breathing. So and so one need to get rid of that negative state of mind within oneself. And the way of getting rid of that negative mind from oneself is done through the breathing, breathing in and out. When one breathes out, imagine that all this negative energy moves out through one’s nose in the form of a black cloud, which moves out from oneself when one breathes out. And when one breathes in, just imagine that all the blessings and qualities of the virtuous ones come through one’s breath and enter within oneself in the form of white light when one breathes in. So so this is this is the way of getting rid of that negative mind or negative a negative mind from oneself and so this practice so one one can definitely get rid of this negative mind by doing this breathing practice and it is good to do once, and then seven times, then eleven times and then twenty one times and by doing this, one can really get rid of all this I mean, get that negative state of mind from oneself, you know.
So our mind is like a cushion which can like a cushion which where one only one person can sit or one person can fit in. So so so mind has only one space, either for negative action or positive action, or negative action and negative and the positive. So for there one should really try hard to let, I mean, let positive at one seated on one’s mind all the time and never let that negative state of mind or negative come into one’s mind. Because if that negative captures the mind, captures the mind then whatever action we done will become negative and harmful to oneself because it has been motivated through motivated through negative mind because mind has been conjoined or mind has been mixed with negative negative state. So, even one does the meditation during that period, that period which is mind mixed with captured or occupied by the negative states, then no matter how long or how much meditation one does, all the there’s no benefit from because that meditation has been done through the the negative motive or through the negative motivation, you know.
So for that, a great scholar, Je Tsongkhapa has in Tibet they have many meditators. For that, a questioner had asked question to those meditators in Tibet saying, what is the beginning of the meditation? So, and for that question, the first Pänchen Lama gave answer for that, for his question. So the answer the first Pänchen Lama gave was that the starting point of the meditation is like you found or like you find in the beginning of the Tibetan texts because most of the I mean, of the Tibetan texts has been written in Indian language, then it goes like translation. Because the way the reason why we said in Indian language first, because it’s to to let people know that our main source of this teaching has been, I mean, translated or derived from India.
So so likewise, our starting point of meditation should be unlike you find that Indian language at the I mean, like, from in Indian language, this word has been written in the where I mean, almost every beginning of the great text. So the starting point of meditation should be like this. So, because the main texts of the Indians are being taught by the Buddha, alright, and so we we hardly believe with the teaching which which has not been taught by Buddha. So for that reason it shows that when we say the in Indian language at the top of Tibetan text is to prove that this is the teaching which comes from India and it also from the Buddha. So, in answer what he said, the beginning of the meditation is like or that sentence you found in the Tibetan at the foremost beginning of the Tibetan text, it means that it means like beginning of the med of the meditation, first one should look or check or check one’s mind where, where one, I mean where one’s mind is located, or situated or where one mind is, what position of your one’s mind is from the beginning of that meditation.
And So one should I mean, I want you to check where the one’s mind is. When I mean, from the beginning of the meditation one first one should look into one’s mind and check that, I mean, how one’s mind is or where one’s mind is situated. And then, and then bring one’s mind and bringing one’s mind to the good, to the proper, like, I mean, bringing one’s mind into the positive state is, and training one’s motivation is like the first, I mean, beginning of the meditation and you, the master Je Tsongkhapa, does this from the beginning of your meditation and will disciples will agree with you? This is the answer given by Pänchen Lama. So the beginning of the meditation is to train one’s mind.
So the reason why I mean why our bodies keep straight when one meditate, when one meditate, it’s because to when we when our when we keep our mind in like meditating posture then our body are in are very straight at that time and because of that then keeping our body straight during the meditation then all our channels become very straight within one’s body. And by staying our channels in the right way or like in straight, straight, for that the winds can easily pass through one’s channel. And by passing the channel easily, passing the wind easily through one’s channel, then it helps to have the clear mind and or mind to keep very, I mean, mind become very active. So, but our body really can’t meditate. When we say meditate means we need to think.
While meditate we need to think and our body cannot think it’s just a form, it’s just a form, so it cannot meditate. So meditate means we need to our mind has to meditate or the wisdom has to meditate. So in that case, our body can’t meditate at all. So, normally when we say gom, gom in Tibetan it’s like, it means to meditate but, but the word itself means to familiarize, familiarize one, one’s mind. So, the way of familiarizing is that first one should, one really need to look for object to meditate or to familiarize your mind with, alright.
So and to do that first one need to check, I mean, to know very well about that object. What, I mean, how it exists, etcetera. One really need to know about that particular object when one is going to meditate or once one wants to familiarize with that object. And after knowing all the meanings of that particular object of meditation, then one should and when one finds that this is the, I mean, what you have, what one have known about the particular object is true.
And then one should keep one’s focus, one’s mind’s single pointed like and maintain one’s mind steadily on that particular object like the pin or like nail being put on a wood, something like that. So it means remain one’s mind steadily on that particular So, it’s like for example, we meditate on impermanence. So, to meditate on impermanence, first, one should know about, know the meanings or the definition of impermanence. So, I mean, for what reason we call this or that as impermanence? And to know that, first one need to do the analytical meditation, examine the particular thing and check whether that is the impermanence or not.
And then after having done the analytical meditation and found and understood about impermanence very well, and then, one also understand that one’s investigation has been true. And then after having that, having done that investigation, then one has all the understanding of impermanence and then one, keep one mind steadily on a particular object about like thinking about, on impermanence and then, and keep one’s mind steadily or single pointed on objects or on impermanence, single pointedly. By doing that, the result is then we have then the so after having all that knowledge about the impermanence, then our wisdom which realizes impermanence will focus steadily or meditate meditate single pointedly on the impermanence. And our wisdom and the conceptual or our wisdom which realize and So after I mean, then our wisdom which realize impermanence, focus or meditate single pointedly on impermanence. By doing that, automatically our disturbing emotion or conception, that is the wisdom which recognizes impermanence, is countered.
So the conception which recognizes things as permanent, naturally or automatically stops by its own, because our wisdom which realizes impermanence is already meditating on impermanence and there is no chance for that conception to get in. So it stops by automatically, you know. Yes. So, at the first or beginning it’s quite hard because our mind is not familiarized. It’s hard to meditate because our mind is not familiarized with the thing which what we want to do.
It’s like it’s like a typist. The typist find very hard to type from the beginning. They have to be very careful. They look on a keyboard and just go up and down, up and down. And once they’ve been trained in the typing and then qualify they’ve been qualified in typing, then means they have I mean, they get used with keyboards and then they just type it without looking at the keyboard.
So it’s like that. At first, our mind is not familiarized. For that, we face we will face a bit hard to do that. But once our mind is get used to meditate then I mean, once mind is familiarized with meditation then there won’t be any problem. It’s not hard to meditate.
Meditate or once one is familiarized with meditation, then, you know, it is more easier than the typing. Because so, mean, when we if someone is very expert or will call will qualify with typing or with com like a keyboard, but I mean, when when that person wants to wants to type type something, but he still need to I mean, to be very careful with all the letters. He still have to be very mindful. But once one mind is when when one mind is familiarised or get used to meditate, then for the beginning we just, I mean, concentrate and then later it’s just our mind continuously without any effort it goes after meditation because mind has been familiarised with doing this and it goes without any effort. So, when one has familiarised one’s mind with meditation then it’s much easier than typing.
So, we’re not just saying it, I mean, if you look through this thing with your experience, you will mean, you can find it. You will know about it. So, what kind of experience we have means we have our mind has been familiarised with doing the negative actions or been familiarised with those disturbing emotions and been meditating on those kind of stuff. So our mind is we have that kind of experience. So, I mean, we can, I mean, I can give you an example, which is not hard?
Like, for example, if you find a very beautiful girl in front of you, and I mean, you don’t have to your mind I mean, you don’t have to start very hard. Automatically you just, I mean, raise a feeling of attachment in your mind when you see how beautiful a girl in front of you. Ah, how beautiful. Blah, blah, blah. So so this, I mean, this is for that we can see that our mind has been get used on doing this negative action all the time.
We don’t have to encourage our mind to, I mean, generate attachment to that girl. It just comes by itself, just by seeing a side of that girl in front of you, you know. This is this is why our mind has been familiarized or meditated with attachment in the in the past. And our mind has been familiarized with the attachment in the past for that, I mean that kind of attachment automatically or just without any effort attachment comes or arose within one’s self. And when we say familiarize, it’s like the meditation and familiarization is the same.
And, Yeah. And that attachment comes without any effort in oneself is because of our mind being familiarized with attachment in the past. Like that, if one familiarize one’s mind with impermanence, emptiness, selflessness, then then so, if one familiarize one’s mind with those impermanence, emptiness, selflessness, then pleasure when one meditate on these subjects, it one can do, I mean, perfect meditation on these particular subjects without any effort. So, the reason why we do meditation is to stop all the disturbing emotions and and to to stop all the disturbing emotion. To do that or to stop the disturbing emotion, one should really turn one’s mind into the positive state.
And and the best and among the positive state, among the wholesome, then the best is to generate the altruism or the altruism or altruistic intention, which I wish all sentient beings to have happiness and work to become enlightened for the sake of sentient beings. So and once it is most crucial or important to conjoin one’s mind with the bodhicitta or altruistic intention. So, setting one’s motivation for the big at the from the beginning of meditation is very important. For example, here, once in Tibet, we have Geshe Tamba who was told to be emanation of Chenrezig or Avalokiteśvara. And once he, the Geshe Tamba, asked a question to Jowo Je, who is Atisha, said that, what will what what is the reason if I meditate to have if I meditate, what is what is the reason in this this life if I meditate with the moderation which seeking to have happiness in this life?
And the answer answer Atisha gave was you will have happiness in your present life. And his next question is, and what will the what is the result in the next life or next rebirth if I meditate on this I meditate to have benefit in this present life, then the result will be the result was so the reason for that Atisha’s answer is that the result for that is that you were born in the lower realms or the animal realms or hell realms. So this is the result which you get in the next rebirth by meditating with that motivation. For that reason, we find that it’s very important to train one’s motivation from the beginning of the practice. So, what is Dharma or non-Dharma: if one practices for the benefits or to seek happiness in the next lives, then that kind of practice is considered as a Dharma.
And if one practice to have a happiness in this life, then we don’t consider that person as a religion person or religious person or that practice is called a Dharma because even a non religious or even a non practitioner also seeks happiness in this world. Even for even the animals they seek happiness for this life. So that so starting to have or practicing to have happiness in this life is not the Dharma and and practice which seeks happiness or benefits in future lives is called the Dharma. So this is how we distinguish between Dharma and non Dharma. Alright.
For Rinpoche has just described an example. For example, the Mao Tse-tung followers or the atheists — they don’t agree with any religion.
So that persons, they don’t I mean, those are I mean, non religious person because I’m sorry, it’s not So starving for have practicing to have benefits or happiness in this present life is considered as non religious or I’m a not religious person or that kind of practice is called, it’s not considered as a Dharma because even because even the atheist person, they are, I mean, they don’t practice Dharma or but they but they start very hard to have happiness or or yeah, to have happiness in this present lifetime. So they are I mean, they don’t practice Dharma and they are not religious person but but this all but they start very hard to have happiness in this present lifetime. So just practicing to have a benefit in this present lifetime is not the Dharma. So this is the example which he gave. [Translator’s note unclear]
So so we are like a practitioner or the religious and practicing I mean, like a religious person. So there I mean, we should really do our practice to have happiness in the next the next rebirths. And, I mean, of course, I mean, we should also think about happiness of this life because we need to stay or live, eat, etcetera, all right. But, so we can all, we can divide our practice in three and just do one third for this happiness or seeking happiness with this love and then two thirds should be for the next three births. And even if you’re not able to do that then you must at least save half for the next rebirth.
We also have a technique to become our to turn our, I mean, wish of having I mean, wish to have happiness in this present life can also be turned into, I mean, we have a technique to turn that practice into the Dharma, the way For example, like Bodhisattvas, they work for the benefit of sentient beings and for that they said that, I mean, I shall get rid of all the sufferings of all sentient beings and bring them all into the state of lit state of enlightenment. To to do that, it is very important for myself to stay alive. To stay alive then one need to have food, shelter, etcetera. To do that and so, Buddhist art was they, I mean, they strive to have foods and sheltered extra to work, to be able to, I mean, stay alive and then work for sentient beings. For that, even it looks that our like, like, it looks like concerning the happiness or for this lifetime just looking for food, clothes and shelter and etcetera, but they all their practice has become the Dharma.
So you can also practice and use that kind of technique to even your concern of being having happiness or good health in this life can be turned into So, so in Buddhist when we say like Dharma, Dharma is mainly done or done by our mind. And the way it’s so it’s in, I mean, we can also perform Dharma from our body’s speech, but mainly it’s done through our mind and it depends on our mind, the way we familiarize, the way we use our mind. If we use the amount in a positive way, then to engage in, by performing the good or bad action by our mind, our practice become Dharma or non Dharma. By doing that, we have good or bad action. So the mind is the main one to do the Dharma.
So Dharma itself means how to, the way our mind works and the way our mind thinks. So, it entirely depends on our mind whether our action becomes Dharma or whether our practice becomes Dharma or non Dharma. For example, say, there is like a statue of Buddha in the ground during rainy season and it’s the statue was made out of clay and somebody passed through and he saw that statue, the mat like statue of Buddha was in the rain and starting to dissolve, alright? So and he and for that to for to to keep that statue undissolved, then for that he just took off his shoes and put it on the statue of the Buddha and which avoided avoid statue from the rain and then and so, I mean, mind has been very been very proper or a good good mind because he’s he he doesn’t want that to be dissolved. For that he just put his put his shoes on that statue.
But the action, what he did becomes dharma because he had a good mind in himself. But eventually if you just put on the shoes shoes just put your shoes above the statue, it’s very awful. It’s very bad, you know. You’re accumulating I mean accumulating merit because it’s and his shoes has been considered very, very low. But for him, it’s it’s like an exception because he I mean, it has become dharma because he has good motivation inside within himself and so this is how, I mean, our action becomes dharma or or non Dharma is entirely depends on our mind the way it thinks.
And then then Rin stopped and a person passed through and he saw he found a a and the person found that, I mean, the shoes were placed on a Buddhist statue and said, ‘Ah, how I mean, who did this?’ you know, it’s very bad to do that. No good, not good. Saying no good’ and just take off the shoes, take shoes off from the Buddha statue and then that person’s action also became a positive action. So positive and negative action is being made by the way our mind is made by our mind the way it thinks positive or negative. So, so, so you came to know that it entirely depends on our mind.
And for ourselves when we meditate, I mean, the proper motivation, the highest motivation is to generate the bodhicitta within oneself and then meditate in this teaching, this particular teaching, Lamrim, all stages of the path to enlightenment, then we will achieve attain all merit and this is the I mean, there is no higher or more there is no supreme there is no higher positive action than having a bodhicitta in oneself. So, for example, if you give even a piece of bread to a bird with altruism or with the bodhicitta within yourself, then the action, merit or the positive virtue you accumulate is as big as space. So, generating altruistic intention or bodhicitta, that one said, is very essential and it’s also generating bodhisattva itself is very supreme. And then the practice what we actually we are the work practice we are doing is the Lamrim teaching, which is which we can say is the highest practice or which is the most supreme. So if we do this particular Lamrim teaching with our mind and with our mind with the bodhicitta or or the altruistic intention, then our practice will really become great great and it will accumulate, gets to merit, a very huge merit.
And after having aroused the altruistic or bodhicitta, the altruistic intention, then being we all are Buddhist then we should take refuge, you know? And so the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha are the object of refuge or the source of refuge. So one should really seek refuge to Buddha, the Dharma and Sangha. So there is a question for question that why you are going refuge or taking refuge or going refuge for Buddha, Dharma and Sangha alone? The answer or the reason why we go refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha is that we have a suffering within one within ourselves and then we have a source of a cause for the suffering.
To overcome that suffering and get rid of the source of the cause of suffering for that reason, for that I go refuge, I seek refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. So, we can get rid of, I mean, that suffering and cause of suffering from their from their root. I mean, we can eradicate that eradicate the suffering and source of suffering by taking refuge in Buddhadharma and Sangha. And to do for that reason, this is the one for that reason we I mean I or we go take refuge in Buddhadharma and Sangha. So, so why when one go for refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, one should one one should visualize a huge and precious throne in the front space, in our front space.
One should visualize that huge or precious throne before one, in the front space of oneself and that throne has been elevated by or been supported by the eight great lions. And in that huge throne, one visualized the eight sorry, five thrones on that particular on that huge throne. And and among the five, I think the middle one is slightly or a bit higher than the rest four.
And on on that the highest in the middle throne, one visualized the Buddha. You visualize the use or you are just seeing a Buddha in the front or the middle throne. So, among the five, I mean, the one is in the middle and which is higher than the four wrist and the four in the cardinal direction or in the four direction. And so middle one is a bit slight higher than the rest four and on top of that is seated the Buddha. And the Buddha’s throne was in the middle.
And on the right throne is seated Maitreya. And on the left throne, Mañjuśrī is seated. And the Buddha’s throne is in the middle and there is a throne at the right and the left of Buddha and then a throne in the front and back of the Buddha. So right is Maitreya and the left is Mañjuśrī. And then in the front throne of the Buddha, which is slightly lower than the Buddha’s throne, imagine your guru seated on that front throne.
And on the back throne of Buddha’s throne, at the throne which is at the back of the Buddha’s throne, seated the vajradhara. So, while we are visualizing five thrones and on of the form, like visualizing, I mean, all those five. The reason why we are doing is that, the visualizing the Buddha throne in on the middle is that Buddha is the first one who taught the Dharma and who taught the Dharma. No. What is it?
Yes, so as for the Dharma we have two types which is wisdom and the method. Like a bird, when one when a bird flies it has two wings to go and the bird needs two wings to fly into space or in the sky. Right there, to become, to reach, to go to Buddha’s place or the Buddhahood, then one should need wisdom and method to become enlightened or to reach the Buddha’s or to reach the Buddhahood now. So, to to reach the Buddhahood, one one one really needs the wisdom and the methods. And for that, the wisdom and then we have the method is the wisdom, method and wisdom.
And wisdom here means wisdom. Method and wisdom. So so the method which is So, So, we need a method and wisdom to become, to reach the Buddhahood and here the method which we method which is, here the method is the bodhicitta or altruistic intention And then altruistic intention or bodhicitta is comes or the teaching the teaching comes or which develops. The teaching comes from Maitreya. And the wisdom is the wisdom here is the wisdom realizing emptiness.
And that wisdom realizing emptiness which is, which comes, that comes from the Mañjuśrī in his lineage. So, we need that wisdom and method to become enlightened. And for that we have visualized those two, one on the right and one on the left. And in front of that we visualize the one’s teaching guru or one’s one’s guru in the middle, in the front of Buddha is because so in the Buddha because the reason why we do that, visualize our guru in the front of Buddha is because he is the one who taught us both the wisdom and method to become enlightenment. For that reason we place our guru in the front throne of Buddha.
And at the back throne of Buddha, is vajradhara, because the secret teachings or the tantric teaching comes from vajradhara. For that we visualize vajradhara at the back throne of Buddha. So this is how this is why we visualize five thrones and and those, I mean, masters in front of oneself. So, you know, one one visualized I mean, in one’s front space visualize that huge throne supported by the eight great lions and then on that on top of that huge throne visualized the visualized five thrones and then on and we’ve been we taught on what to in the front and then left, right in front. And then still at the back of that one visualized the lineage guru.
There are, I mean, many lineage gurus, I mean, the lineage guru of profound deeds and lineage guru of extensive deeds and etc. So there are many Lineage Gurus that visualize all the Lineage Guru at the back of this five, the Father Throne. And then, and at the back of the lineage guru visualize the deities of the four tantras, like Yamāntaka, Guhyasamāja, and one’s personal deity. And at the back of the deities then one visualizes the Buddhas and then Bodhisattvas and then Pratyekabuddha and Shravakas. So one should visualize this in the front space of oneself and imagine there are many white clouds above that.
And then imagine that so you have those you have those to protect you. Have these things to protect you. So, to free oneself from this from disturbing emotions, from this world or cyclic existence, one really need this refuge in front of you and one needs this refuge to save oneself from this to save oneself. Without any refuge and then any teacher and one cannot get rid of all the suffering and one cannot free oneself from this cyclic existence. So to free oneself from cyclic existence one should really need a protector a saviour.
To do that, one really need to look for, one should search for or one should try to find a refuge and then, and these are, so that is, those are the protector or refuge object for oneself. So, we have like exceeded ten minutes more, you know. Rinpoche has taken ten minutes more here so we’ll stop here today. Still he can take five minutes for questions and answers.
When Rinpoche said that one should strive hard to have happiness in the next rebirth, it means that if you really do that practice to have a good rebirth in the next life, if you really practice that, there is a possibility to ripen that result in this present life itself, and one can become enlightened in this life. So, I don’t think there is any contradiction between that. There is a possibility to ripen that result in this present lifetime itself. Alright. It it I mean, does it mean that you didn’t get the three conditions?
What are the three conditions? Is it? Alright, let’s get them. No. So can we begin?
I mean, instead, so you’re talking about Mañjuśrī. Yes. Think it was some hyperosseous. No. Uh-huh.
It was the question to Mañjuśrī and Bara. So, yeah, the three conditions were, the first condition is to purifying all negatives and storing it, collecting the merits. And the second point is requesting or making petition to lama which is inseparable from one’s personal deity. It could be Tārā, it could be Vajrayoginī and so forth. Alright, you got it?
This is the second point. And third point is, and then meditating.