Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A striking reversal runs through this 77-minute Lamrim session: most people feel no fear of death right now and panic only at the deathbed — exactly backwards, says Khensur Rinpoche. Working through the benefits of remembering death in the small-scope path, he identifies two achievements that flow from sustained death-awareness: higher rebirth and definite goodness. A man told he has two days to live loses attachment to wealth and family, takes refuge, and dies with a clear Dharma mind — the model practitioner. Stories of Milarepa unable to find time to sew a cloth, and a master who refused to pull a thorn from his thigh lest he die mid-task, anchor what genuine impermanence-realization looks like in daily life. Q&A covers prayers for the dying, how Dharma recitation can benefit animals, and Vasubandhu’s dove — reborn as a human disciple after hearing the Abhidharmakośa daily from its nest on his wall.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 07 LR 1999 04 20.mp3
UUID: aae495cf-cce1-4130-a620-be8905624411
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Lam Rim (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1999-04-20
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 77.3 minutes
Words: ~5,177
So, now, we were dealing with the practice of the stages of the path in accordance with the small scope. And among this, the topic we have been discussing the last time was about the impermanence. And as for the topic of impermanence, was it has four sub divisions and which are the disadvantages of not remembering the death and the benefits of remembering the death and the how to cultivate a mind of remembering death and the actual way of the actual way of remembering deaths. And about among these four, we have dealt with the first one which is the disadvantages of not remembering death and now we are onto the second division which benefits of remembering death. So the Āryadeva here states that one should be aware of or remind oneself of death very often because after the death we passes through the two paths and which is called the good migration, good path and the bad path.
And if one leads to it, if one goes through the bad paths and then and by, if one goes through the bad parts and one has to undergo through tormenting sufferings and if one is able to pass through the pass through or travels through the good part then one will have the happiness. So for that reason, so by knowing this one should cultivate to travel or cultivate the right or good part. So the main point here is that one should once meditation will become very beneficial if one do it by remembering the death or impermanence. Remembering the death. So there are some type of being that they who says that it’s not good to remind or not good to remember the death because it brings unhappiness to to oneself.
So because it brings unhappiness to oneself by remembering death so it is better not to remind the death and so but so one should not do one should not think such way just saying that by giving that one should not and by not remembering that, but giving reason that it brings happiness. This is not the proper way of doing. So there are there are two are two sort of actions. One action which if one does that action, it will bring benefits in future, and one brings one harm in future. So if an action which brings a good which keeps good result, which give birth to a good result in the future which makes one to undergo through the difficulties temporarily or presently.
One should even if that action brings uneasy for the moment or temporarily, should cultivate a patience to bear that difficulty and try to do such action because of its result, means which gives result in future and good good result in future. And action which gives harm or which brings harm or difficulty in present as well as in future, then such action should one should avoid such action forever. And one should also avoid such action which keeps temporary happiness at the present and brings harms or difficulty in the past or in the future. So one should forsake such temporary happiness or present happiness and should avoid this action as well. And and and one should also cultivate the action which which which brings happiness or which brings help or happiness both in both the present and the and the future and such what should cultivate.
And this is these are what our masters says, master said. So the teachers, they have the introducing you or teaching you what to do by teaching you to let you to recognize or realize the four actions, the different actions which we mentioned earlier. And then to involve in such a practice that what actions to be cultivated or observed and what action to be abandoned. For example, like, so one is willingly to do or one can do lots of works during their four tenets time or when they are younger to have more money and to have more easier life or have financial more financially well in the future time means the later end of their life during the old age. So likewise, one should meditate upon the impermanence that we call to remember the death.
It is not that it’s not quite pleasant or happy. It’s not quite pleasant to or there is no such pleasure to recall the meditate upon impermanence and the recalling deaths temporarily. But by doing such a practice, one can have a better results and fruits in the future. For that reason, having good results in the future, one should remind or meditate upon the impermanence. So if I ask what are the benefits or good fruits one will have in the future by remembering that?
And for that, we have two achievements the temporary and ultimate achievements and so the temporary achievement is having higher rebirths in the next life and the ultimate ultimate result ultimate achievement is definite goodness. So these two results, one attains these two results by or through remembering or meditating on impermanence. It is said because those two achievements comes through remembering impermanence or meditating on impermanence is because to achieve those two achievements one has to do a proper practice and go to the rigorous practices. And without any practices, those two cannot be attained. So those two achievements to be attained through doing a Dharma or to doing a practice.
And to lead a proper, to lead an untarnished or a pure practice of pure Dharma, one has to start the practice along with remembering death and remembering impermanence from the beginning. So to lead a pure Dharma one has to remind and think about impermanence. So this is the reason that those two achievements are achieved through impermanence, through remembering impermanence. To do meditation on the impermanence and to do this first one has to realize or one has to investigate on the benefits, what kind of benefits one receives or one gets by doing a meditation on impermanence. So the benefits of doing meditation impermanence is that for example if someone who does, conducts a meditation upon impermanence again and again, and later when he came to know that were going to die in two days time.
And within that period now he always and he will came to know that he thinks about impermanence all the time. Due to that, he knows that. So I will go to die in two days time. At the time of that, I can’t I I cannot carry any of my possessions with me, and and none of my relatives can travel with me go with me. And by knowing this, he By knowing all those one, he came to completely He came to lose attachments towards his possessions and desire and also craving towards his wealth as well.
So such a person, because of his meditation, he know that he cannot take any of his possessions with me. He can’t travel with his relatives and so forth. By knowing this, then at the time of before he dies, what he does is that he loses all his attachments and desire or craving towards all his relatives, possessions and so forth. By this, then he tried to make use of those, his possessions and so forth. Because if he does just without doing anything, will know that all this and there’s no use of leaving just such things.
But think, so for that reason, he tried to make something good or some useful of his possession. By doing this, he then he makes all his possessions and he tried to make offerings towards the representations of the Three Jewels. And then he tried to make practice of generosity or giving and give towards sentient beings and share some of his wealth too and distribute or share within his relatives. So at that time he always he forsakes this life as well as his wealth. Wealth at that situation or that moment.
And as as he he he he knows that, well, after his death, he does he is not something that that is the end of his end of end of him or or he knows that he he’s not something disappeared because he know he still has to travel. And due to that, and he goes refuge towards the Buddha Dharma and Sangha. And he will, after going to refuge, he will try to he will go through the go through the parts of or go through the practices like the guiding the ethical discipline of avoiding ten non virtues. So such a person at the time he dies, he will die with the mind which involves with the Dharma or just by remembering with like a Dharma mind or with Dharma or teachings. And as he die along with teachings or practice, it is one hundred percent sure that he will have a good rebirth.
He will have a good migration. And on the other hand, not only that he died with the religious with the practice he also died without any attachments towards attachment and desire or craving towards his relatives as well as his possessions and so forth Due to that, he can have a better rebirth. And it is be sure to one for one to go through the bad migration or have a bad rebirth. Rebirth if that person dies. Dies if that person dies without without remembering the teachings or the Three Jewels and teachings and and if he if person dies with the strong attachment towards the his possessions his relatives and yeah relatives and so forth and such a person is sure to to have a bad state to have a bad rebirth.
So if if so if one if one take birth in a bad state, then then then he can after that he after taking having a taking a rebirth in a bad state then it is very difficult for one to attain any of those two achievements like the temporary which is the high rebirth and the ultimate achievement which is definite goodness. So if one dies with the remembrance of impermanence and doing a meditation impermanence due to the result of that one will have a better rebirth and better state in next life. So one will have a better rebirth and better life, better states than this time. And by having that state one one practice on the next rebirth, that particular good states. And then after that one can start getting progressing in the level and sooner or later by increasing or progressing in one’s, say the one’s life journey.
And then sooner or later one will attain, become a bodhisattva or arhat. So this is this is the way how one attains the bodhisattva, arhat, and Buddhahood. And it did and it is not that Buddhahood can be achieved by taking or becoming like demoting or one just travels and take a better and better rebirth all the time and then finally Buddhahood should be achieved. So this is not a fact. So the fact is Buddhahood can be achieved by progressing in virtue and not just by demoting in the rebirths now.
For example, we can say here, the animals like the dog and cat, you can see that. So they can hardly perform a single virtuous action or single practice in their whole life. And so through taking the birth of dog and no. Through through such a life like animal, like dog and cat, and to attain like the rebirth of human rebirth and becoming or attaining the liberation and the Buddhahood is impossible through through such such a life. But but the the Good Good food. Yeah.
The cats and dogs in Australia, they are lucky to have a good food. So those cats and dogs in Australia have very good meal or good food. So getting such good foods are the result practice of generosity in their previous life of, for example, like the human rebirths in the past and they have practiced the giving and so forth. Due to that, at this time, in doing their life as a dog they are making use or they’re enjoying the result of their result of practicing giving in their past lives and they will make use of all and the benefits of that practice of giving will end or finish or become will cease or end in this particular life itself because they are using it. And the next life, and he face a difficult, another difficult as well.
Difficulty. It is because in this present state of at present state of present life, he cannot practice. So if that cat cat had cultivated or led a proper ethical discipline in the past, and he would have he would have a human human human rebirth at this time and then human human rebirth at this time as well as and along with human rebirth such that he will have a good food and so forth. By taking the human rebirth then he can practice or involve or he can do the practice and then there is a chance of progressing in the better states and achieving the goals. And so because of not leading a proper ethical discipline in the past life, and he was not able to attain a human rebirth and due to that, he has so he has born as a dog and due to that, and he’s enjoying or using his the the results or the fruits of practicing giving in the past in the present form, which is So that impermanence or remembering impermanence, recall impermanence has helped will help us to take a to have a better The benefits of impermanence from the beginning is that one should if one so one should always practice engage in a practice by remembering the death from the beginning and to beginning and then to able to lead a pure practice.
And if one does the practice without recalling impermanence when we begin one practice, one is not doing a pure practice. To a pure practice, to be the pure practice, the remembering the impermanence from the beginning is essential. So all the practitioners who lead the pure practice have done the practice by remembering impermanence from the beginnings. Likewise, for example, like our great masters student Milarepa and the great Buddha Śākyamūni, they have lead the pure or they have involved, started the practice by recalling the impermanence because by seeing those sentient beings die and by seeing the sentient beings die and they find it it’s not that it finds that it is find that all beings are impermanent and they find it and has to go through death and so forth. But seeing that they have by knowing the impermanence, recalling impermanence they they get into the practice.
And also Buddha Śākyamūni, when he gave the first teaching, he talked on the impermanence. Buddha Śākyamūni has taught first when he gave the first teaching, to give teaching on impermanence because in the last retreat we were the topic we taught on the Four Noble Truths and which was the first teaching Buddha Śākyamūni has given after his enlightenment. Among the Four Noble Truths to give first the true suffering. And from the the end of about the true suffering, and it has four aspects or and the first aspect is the impermanence, and and then suffering emptiness and so forth. So we can say that Buddha Śākyamūni has first taught the impermanence.
And also, Buddha Śākyamūni, at the time he entered final nirvana, and he also, at the end of his life, he also taught impermanence as well. So at the time of death, he enters the parinirvana. He also taught the impermanence. It is because before he dies or he enters into parinirvana, he asked or told his disciples to set up the bed or the throne to enter into parinirvana. And at the time they had set up and then he lies on that bed and then says that, now one has to die when So it is definite for one to die after one’s born.
And now, so it very difficult for you people to see the body of Buddha in the future. Is so one should so you should and he just take off his clothes or among robes and saying that watch carefully for the figures of Buddha and and because it is very hard to see again. So this is what he he he he taught about impermanence at that time. So it implies that the impermanence, remembering impermanence, it’s very beneficial or very important. Important from the It is important and from the beginning, middling in the middle and at the end as well.
So for here the great Kadampa masters has said that if one does not meditate upon the impermanence from the very early morning and then start to practice then one that practice even no matter how much practice they do, mean how much for twelve hours and so forth they do, the practice won’t become proper or pure. So it implies the remembering impermanence early in the morning before one start to practice is very, very important. It’s also said, if they don’t recall the impermanence before they do the second session, say the afternoon session, then all the practice no matter how long they do from the noon to the midnight. All this also didn’t become a proper practice. It is said, so masters have said this because if don’t remind or meditate upon impermanence before they start the practice then they say that the practice their practice will become or conjoined with the eight worldly concerns.
So if one practice involves or conjoined conjunctions with the eight worldly concerns then practice is not, is, so such a practice is not a proper or pure practice. This is the reason they said remembering the impermanence is important. So the Kadampa masters, they lead their practices, they always recite the verses which remembers, they reflect or they meditate upon the verses which which which reminds impermanence. And after that, they start their practice. And you just said that it’s also important at the end because if one ends or sees or if one ends one’s life by remembering death spontaneously, then one practice becomes very pure and perfected.
And so of that, it also says that the remembering death is also, or impermanence is also important or helpful at the end. Says the story of Milarepa, great master yogi Milarepa saying that. So he was a hermit and he lived in the forest and then he hardly has any clothes on. Then one day his sister arrives bringing with a little material or a cloth, it’s not sewn. And she told him that, all right, you should sew these pieces of cloth and then wear it because you are in the hermit and it’s pretty cold there, so it will protect you from colds.
Dzismele, when he was in that seclusion or during his He was in As a hermit, he has the realization on the impermanence and he has generated impermanence within himself. So because of that, he has no time to sew that piece of clothes. So he said that he hasn’t got the time to sew these pieces, I mean, put that material and cut it into pieces and sew it because he has realized or he has the proper understanding of impermanence. impermanence. And because of that, they always think that, so what he was thinking is what will happen if he dies while he was sewing the cloths, pieces of cloths.
And such things happen when one has a proper understanding of impermanence. And because of that, so he just quickly cut that cloth material into pieces and it just stays. And when he put it on the shoulder, he put a piece of cloth on the shoulder. And then when he felt cold at knee, he just placed it back on the knee. So he done this.
So, this is what it implies. If one has a proper understanding of impermanence, impermanence then one will hardly have any time to perform any things other than Dharma, other than practice. Because if I do such work then would happen if I die while I’m doing such and such and such work? This is how it happens when one has a proper understanding of impermanence. There was also one great master who was meditating and he one day it happened for him to Quite a long thorn stuck into his thigh or pricks in his thigh.
It was still there. Then as he has a good understanding of impermanence, he meditated impermanence, and he always take off that thorn from his thigh because always because he said, What will happen if I die while I was pulling that thorn out? So because this is how it happens when one has a proper understanding of impermanence. So this is said that if one has cultivated such a mind, the recalling impermanence like great master, great yogi, the and that master, then one, if one has such a mind, thinking that I haven’t find, hardly find any time to do such casual work or domestic work, due to the then if one has such a mind, then it is said that one has gained a proper understanding of impermanence. So so so in order to gain such a mind or gain such a proper understanding of impermanence, this is the reason why we are set to meditate upon impermanence or cultivate impermanence again and again.
Because if one has cultivated, if one starts the meditation again or meditation with impermanence, the practice with impermanence, then one practice will never be conjoined with the eight worldly concerns. And as one practice is not conjoined or mixed with the eight worldly concerns, then we can say that one’s practice is a pure practice. So as for that, the great master yogi, which is Milarepa, has stated that I ran to the forest by because of the fear towards impermanence, I ran to the forest and do meditation. And because of my meditation, now I have gained the wisdom realizing emptiness. Now I’m not afraid of death.
So what we are doing is quite opposite with opposite than this because at this stage we have no fear towards impermanence or we have no fear towards death. What we and we cultivate or we develop fear at the time of death. So which is completely opposite to what, so what we are doing is the opposite. At the moment we just, we don’t, or we don’t, at the moment we don’t have fear or afraid towards death like the liberated beings or like the arhats who have, like like arhats or arhat beings who have who have no fear no fear with the death. So we we At the at the moment, we are like that.
We don’t feel fear towards the death. And at the time of death, then then you can see the gesture of Rinpoche, we’ll do this. So for that, the great master Tsongkhapa said that one shouldn’t do such thing. One needs to cultivate fear towards death right now, and one shouldn’t feel afraid or fear for the death at the time of death. So what he says is we need to develop or feel afraid or fear towards death right now.
It is because by seeing, by having afraid or fear towards death then one will try to cultivate or practice or meditate on impermanence by seeing that because as one knows that one has to die and by knowing that one has to die then one will know that there are the two ways as we said before the bad one will go through the bad or either in a bad migration or a good migration. And by knowing this, we also know that by going through the bad migration that one has to undergo through the huge sufferings. And as one doesn’t want to go there, then one always by the due to the benefits of remembering, I mean cultivating fear towards death and meditating upon impermanence then one will always try not to cultivate any causes or negativities which led one towards the bad migration and by stopping that then one automatically one cultivates the performs a good action, cultivates the merits and so forth to travel through the good migration and due to that and by doing this then one at the time of death one has no fear at the time of death because haven’t cultivated one has not cultivated any causes for the bad migration because they have stopped it and causes of the bad migration and they have cultivated the cause for the good migration.
So but what we are doing is we are not remembering that properly or not remembering impermanence and due to that we always involve in the negative actions and so because of the cultivation of that negativity or the bad the negativities then and later at the time of death one came to another one has created or cultivated lots of negativities cause of the bad migration and by knowing this one will one one knows that now one will go to the bad migration and by and knowing the sufferings of the bad migration or bad states then one start fear or and one start fear towards or get afraid towards the impermanence or towards the death at the time of death. So if one performs all collects or cultivates wholesome deeds all the time and abandon the unwholesome deeds and also make confessions or purify the negative deeds one has cultivated in the past and start not to cultivate new unwholesome deeds. By doing this it is definite that one will have a by leading such a life then it is definite that one will have one will have a better rebirth in the next lives. It is sure and one does not need to go undergo, I mean go to the, one will not born in a lower state or and does not need to undergo through the sufferings.
Even if one by doing such actions like cultivating wholesome deeds and not performing any unwholesome deeds, then even if one travels down towards the migration, there is called the Lord of Death. He is the one who examines the beings, who has done the good thing, who has done the bad thing. By seeing him he will say, no. You are such a great person. You have done it well.
Please. You you must go. Yeah. You must go. I mean, to a good migration.
So yeah. Very good. Very good. Very good. Yeah.
So this is what he says. Very good. Okay. No. So we’ve got a couple of minutes in for the questions, Yvonne.
At the time of, I mean, at the time of dying or one is already done on the funeral time? Yeah. Okay. For yourself? Oh, just that.
Yeah. Okay. So, yeah, to benefit oneself at the time of funeral. So what one can do is just, alright. No.
Perfect person. What can I do? Okay. Yeah. This is what I I clarified with him before.
He said, so you can do nothing except just praying towards the Triple Jewel to have a better rebirth for him. Yeah, that’s what he said earlier, and I thought you were talking for your benefit. Okay. Yeah. Yeah.
So to benefit that person then what we can do is we can make refuge prayers to the Buddha Dharma and Sangha and then make prayers to have a better rebirth for that particular person and you can dedicate your prayers and make prayers that he will have a good rebirth and then not only to have a better rebirth, should also may he be met with the spiritual teachers, great masters, and so forth. This this is the only we can do. You’re the next. Okay. Yeah.
You can you can help you can help your animals to have to to have their and the rebirth and so forth by just making prayers and be very I mean showing love and compassion towards those beings like your animals. Then just call and always try to recite very holy words about like the words of impermanence, words of emptiness and so forth in front of them, which they can they don’t understand the meaning, but they hears. By doing this, you can help them. Yeah. Treaty.
Yeah. What a teaching. You just keep teaching to the animals just by reciting the Very good. Auspicious words. So by by, I mean, by reciting the like precious holy words, like Dharma words of impermanence words, so like Dharma words.
So by doing that, they can hear it, but they don’t even they don’t know their meanings, they can hear it and by their hearing such auspicious or holy words, then because of that they can make certain imprints within their mind stream by hearing such holy words and due to that, they can also have better rebirths. So this is why we can prove this because the master Vasubandhu when he was reciting the text of Abhidharma all the time. He recited this Abhidharma text every day. It was said to be that there was a little nest of the dove. It’s a bird or a dove.
Somewhere at the corner of his wall or a door. And so that dove comes back at the evening all the time to his nest and hears the Vasubandhu’s recitation of Abhidharma all the time. Due to the power or the result of hearing such a text, later on, sometime later the dove was died and then at the time of that, and they take a birth in a human form and become one of the disciples of Vasubandhu his next life, which is he was born as a human. And at the time of his birth, that being was able to recite all the texts of Abhidharmakośa. Yeah.
Yeah. That’s the last question. Yeah. Sorry. Sorry?
So we The someone is staying or stayed? Dying. Dying or Staying. You mean I you’re asking whether I mean, is this practice all helpful or not? Yes.
Right? Yeah. Then You mean asking about one who does this practice? Is that practice help the one who does the practice? Right?
Okay. Yeah. It is it depends upon your motivation from the beginning. So, if your motivation is to help this, that beings then, and your practice of doing these three practices will help that being because you’ve done the practice through motivated for him and not only for him, it’s also a benefit to you as well. Okay.