Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Using the vivid image of a neutral person flanked by a dear one and an enemy — each placed mentally before the meditator — Khensur Rinpoche teaches the core meditation for cultivating limitless equanimity in this 110-minute Lamrim session. He explains why the mind generates attachment toward the left figure and hatred toward the right, then introduces the logical remedy: every being has been both intimate helper and worst enemy across countless lifetimes, and the milk alone from all the times a being nursed us would fill a white ocean. He walks through analytical meditation to examine these reactions and placement meditation to stabilize equal-mindedness, and closes with a lively Q&A on whether equanimity is a realization or a quality of mind, how partial compassion differs from limitless compassion, and how cultivating equanimity opens naturally into recognizing all beings as one’s mother.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 07 LR 2000 02 29.mp3
UUID: 549a19d0-c9ce-4ac8-8044-d85b4779b24b
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Lam Rim (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 2000-02-29
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 110.0 minutes
Words: ~5,898
So I will be doing my short meditation after setting after setting our motivation. So should hear that with love and compassion, their love and affection towards the towards both oneself and others wishing that wishing them to have wishing them to be free from all the sufferings. So what we need is we need we need to need to have the ultimate happiness, which is free from entire sufferings. So in order to in order to attain that ultimate happiness, should have developed a motivation, wishing in order to achieve that happiness, I shall here engage in the practice of abandoning all the negativities and train the three principal aspects of the path. We’ll do the practice in three principal aspects of the path, which are the renunciation, bodhicitta, and the correct view.
So in order to complete perfecting all these practices, I shall here listen to this listen, meditate, and contemplate in this teaching of graduated path, which is numbering. So we shall here do a short meditation. The the place we we’re going to restart, the numbers are written at the back of the front cover. In the actual practices of cultivating a bodhicitta, it’s been classified into three categories. The first and earlier, the way of cultivating a bodhicitta is being set forth through the training in the sevenfold causes and effects instructions.
And that practice is being divided into three parts, the training in the cultivation of the mind, which is to cherish others and then cultivating our mind to accomplish self purposes and the result of practicing, which is the result which is bodhicitta. So in order to develop the bodhicitta or the altruistic intention, first one has to proceed in two practices, which is or have developed the two intention, which is So it’s just so you have to develop two intentions, which is the first one is to fulfill the or to fulfill or cultivate the others’ purposes, and second is to attain enlightenment. So the first, as we said, developed two kinds of intention, which is the first one is to cultivate the intention of fulfilling or cherishing others’ purposes, which means that they’re cultivating a very means working in the purpose of helping others. And the second one is to intention to cultivate the enlightenment, which means that mind, the second one, that intention goes along or travel along with bodhicitta or altruistic intention. So, we have been dealing we have set forth how to train in the sevenfold cause and effect instructions and the bodhicitta is the result of those practices.
Among those seven, if I repeat here again, the first one is the cultivating limitless equanimity, recognizing sentient beings as one’s mother, remembering their kindness, repaying their kindness, cultivating affectionate love or appealing love, compassion, special wish, and then the result is altruistic intention. So among those, just about say, number six and the seventh, which is the special wish and the compassion are the are are are intention of of fulfilling others purposes or helping others. So as those two, the compassion and the special wish are the intention of helping others. And we need to cultivate those two, the compassion and the special wish. So in order to cultivate the compassion and the special wish, we here first need to cultivate the causes of those two or the basis of those two where we on what basis are we develop those two intentions.
And for the basis on which we cultivate this compassion and special wish are of two types. The one is the equanimity, which is that seeing the the considering all the sentient beings as equal or in one sense, balanced without any discrimination. And the other the second one is or seeing then the appealing love that’s all the entire all the sentient beings as being appears very, very appealing or very Now now seeing them as very appealing and and have same equanimity or seeing them in same way. So so where here, the cult the the equanimity cultivating the equanimity towards sentient beings is the equanimity that equanimity is the one among the four immeasurables or four limitless, which means that when we develop a four limitless during the prayers, the limit there are two versions or two types. First, they got I mean, the four limitless or limitless love, limitless compassion, limitless equanimity, and and limitless joy and limitless equanimity.
So these are the four limitless. And so when one first cultivate in all those four cultivating in cultivating those four limitless. There’s two types. One goes by cultivating the limitless love first, or and another version is cultivating the limitless of equanimity, beginning of this four limitless. So here, the limitless equanimity refers towards one of those which is limitless equanimity.
So as we said that the equanimity here is the limitless equanimity, which which sees all this in all entire season being without any discrimination. So so it’s been said for limitless equanimity. The the why this is called being said limitless because because seeing limitless sentient beings are for the countless or limitless sentient beings as one without any discriminating of the closeness or distance. And the chair, the word to word translation means seeing all those entire sentient beings without any closeness and the distance, which means the closeness refers towards the attachment and the distance which shows the anger. So seeing all the sentient beings equal or same without any attachment and anger.
At this stage, what we normally do is we don’t cultivate that limitless equanimity And on top of that, because of this reason, cultivating that equanimity, we have developed attachment towards one’s dear ones or the close ones and hatred towards those enemies and not and and develop a neutral mind towards the neutral beings, neither enemy nor the relatives. And because of being in that sort of that state of mind, we our mind becomes inauspicious or impure because because that mind has been been mixed with the disturbing emotions of attachment and the your attachment and hatred. And due to this, those disturbing emotions makes your mind very impure, and you you cultivate the action influenced by those disturbing emotions, the attachment and hatred. And as a result of of cultivating those negative actions, one one one faces suffering. So so we we we need to develop that the that’s that the balance state of mind equanimity towards entire sentient beings without any attachment and hatred.
And in order to cultivate this, it is it is quite hard from the beginning. And and also, one cannot develop it’s state through. And it takes time and we should cultivate that state of mind equanimity through training one’s mind or cultivate it through familiarizing one’s mind through meditation and gradually it improves and one can attain that state of mind equanimity. If one does not train one’s mind, then it will remain with the disturbing emotions like hatred and attachments, and that will lead you to face or lead you towards suffering or or problems. So at this stage and yeah.
So we we we we cultivate this love, so attachment, and hatred, and how those disturbing emotions like those disturbing emotions are cultivate it’s been cultivated through this way that because of having a dear ones or the relatives or the close ones and the enemy, we cultivate attachment towards the close towards the relative, say, and then the hatred towards one’s enemy, and we also develop a kind of like excuse me for that. We develop nothing or we don’t really we say the mechlet towards the neutral beings. So so it is very easy to know that at this stage, we develop the attachment and hatred because you can simply understand through examining one’s mind that you you you you and you can understand it through your experiences that you cultivate attachment and the hatred. So at this stage, it’s very important to cultivate the balanced state of mind, the equanimity to your entire sentient beings. And if we ask, can we or can one develop the balanced mind or not, the answer is yes because we actually have the balanced state of mind or our equanimity within us, that is on the object, a particular object, which is, for example, say the neutral being who’s neither relatives nor enemy.
And when you see that person, you will know that you have a strong mind of equanimity because there is no you have no attachment, hatred to that person. So so it is so to to cultivate the the equanimity, it is good for one to focus on that the neutral being at the beginning, but and and then extends and you can see that you had the one you have neither attachment nor hatred toward the neutral being, which is the balanced state or the mind, the equanimity state of mind. And by knowing this, then you should extend that equanimity in the broader space. And through this, expanding that equanimity towards the other sentient beings other than the neutral being, then one can eventually cultivate the limitless equanimity. The what we need to do is we need to cultivate the equanimity and or cultivate or establish the equanimity within one’s mind or within oneself.
As you people like to meditate, so we are doing a meditation on placing three objects in front of us. So the middle one is the it places a neutral person, it’s in the middle, and then at the left is dear ones or relatives, and the right is the enemy. So at this, the enemy and keeping it in a bit distant, you’re looking towards the three objects at once. You develop nothing for the central person, which is neutral, neither the head rate nor the attachment. And then at the left, which is dear ones, you develop attachment towards the dear ones because it’s one of, say, your relatives and person you see on that left one are very appealing, very nice and you get happiness and you develop attachments.
And then towards the right one, which is enemy, you can see a kind of like a black dot which is and then saying you don’t really want to see that face or with that person and also every time you see that person, you feel uneasiness or unhappy within yourself. So the mind which sees the middle object or the middle person has a very feeling of equanimity, free from all the attachment hatred, and that is in the state of equanimity. So what we need is, we need the same kind of feeling or same kind of mind towards both the right and the left person. Whenever you cultivate a same state of mind towards the left and right person, then that is the criteria or that is the sign that you have cultivated the limitless equanimity, which is the limitless equanimity free from attachment and hatred. So when you’re establishing or cultivating that equanimity, focusing on those three objects in front of you, you need to copy out or you will cultivate that equanimity through meditation or through two types of the meditation.
First, by placing the three objects in front of you, you will do the meditation called the analytical meditation by examining the mind, the way one’s minds are and what way By analysing one’s mind, how it’s focused on those different objects or different beings in front of you. Whenever your mind, through analytical meditations, whenever one has the same or equal mind or the same feeling of mind or same mind towards entire or all three objects, then by having that equal mind towards all three objects after this, then you can change the meditation, is called the placing meditation, which means by cultivating or establishing a same equal one towards this being, then you can do the placing meditation in a sense which means living in equipoise or placing one single pointedly on that particular mind you have cultivated and extending the period of meditation? So through this analytical meditation, and you examine one’s mind how one might see the people or the three objects objects in different forms. You will see that the middle person, which is the neutral being, and your mind does not develop neither attachment nor hatred. And through analytical by through analyzing, you came to know why you didn’t develop hatred or attachment to that central neutral person.
It is because that person has neither caused you harm in this present life nor help in this life. Due to that, no help. So due to this, you have the neutral mind or the equal mind or the mind which is on the person, which has no attachment, no hatred. And when you see the person at the left, which is the close one or relatives, and you will see those people very appealing and develop a strong sense of affection or strong love. Yeah, so you will develop love towards those beings.
But through analyzing through your meditation, you will come to know why you feel so close to that person, why you can develop a love to affection towards that person. It is because the person on the left have helped you in different ways in this present life, either by supporting you financially or the So, you see this person very, very appealing and have strong attachment and develop a love towards those things because that person have helped in any way or help you in this present life in many ways. So that is the reason you have attachment towards those beings. And then when you look at the the person at the right with the enemy you’re just looking at or just by seeing those things at those enemies, will feel unhappy or you do not want to see those waves and develop the hatred. The reason why you do this is because that person have caused you certain kind of harms in this life.
So that is the reason. So except except beside the harms they cause, you have no other reason to dislike or dislike those beings. So through all these reasons, because of those reasons, you cultivate the attachment towards the person at the left and the hatred towards the right. Along with those, because of those and with those disturbing emotions, the attachment and the hatred, cultivate numbers of action or yes, numbers of actions and that will result you for suffering. So what we need to do here is by focusing on these three objects, one should try to stop the attachment towards the person at the left and the hatred towards the right.
By stopping this attachment and the hatred and try to maintain or cultivate the same equal mind or same mind towards left and right as you have the stable or balanced mind towards the central person. But you may think that it is quite hard to do this or you may not able to stop this attachment towards the left and hatred towards the right. But but but you can you can you can you can stop those attachments in the hatred by by approaching through the logical reasons of the teachings and through applying the logics or the reasons on the topic or on subject and through analyzing and through the yeah. And with the investigation, can cultivate that. You can stop the attachment and hatred.
So in the earlier classes, I have said that when you when you cultivate the equanimity, one needs to have a very relaxed and very open minded or a broad, very strong demand which has a very strong or wide perspective. I have said for that you have to think of the past, present, and the future when you establish the equanimity or cultivate equanimity. So that is the reason I set forth, and now we are So when you look at this person, at the three or three person again, at the left, dear ones, you develop the attachments. The reason is that the person have helped you. You see the person very appealing and have a very strong attachment towards the person because of his or her help in this life.
In order to stop that attachment, what you have to do is think about, just think about the person and think that I shouldn’t be developing the attachment towards the person just by helping this present life and the person might have been a very, very, say, my worst enemy in the previous lifetimes. I’ve been enemies for many previous lifetimes and during that time, we have fought each other. We have fought and have killed each other many times. So just there is not much point developing an attachment to the person just because he has helped in this life. So through by approaching through that that reason or approaching in that way, you should you can and you will you should try to stop the attachment, that attachment.
And then you look towards the right person which is enemy, and by looking at that person and think and cultivate, I think that I shouldn’t be developing a hatred towards the person just because of he or she had caused harm in this life. The person had been my mother for limitless, I mean, had become my mother many times in previous life and during that time, she has helped me in numerous way. And for example, just for the kindness she has shown by giving or feeding me milk. So milk, if the milk are still visible, then it could be as big as like a white ocean. So by remembering all this, you should think that she or he has shown me great great kindness in the past and I shouldn’t be be be be be angry or hate or develop hatred towards that person.
So the person has not only becomes has not only become being your mom your mother once, that person has been a mother many times and and doing each time and each time each time, the the the person has has helped you innumerately. Yes. By approaching all these reason, then you will come to you will come to see within yourself that it is not appropriate or it’s not appropriate to develop hatred with a person just because of a simple harm in this present life. Through these logical reason or proofs or approach, you stop attachment towards the left and hatred towards the right and establish the the side persons are same as the central person, which is neutral. And then, you have a very neutral state of mind towards the central person.
It is because the person didn’t have caused you any harm or didn’t help you, so this is the reason you have a neutral or a balanced state of mind towards the central person. But in fact, the person has helped you many times in the past as well as caused harms in the past. But but yeah. But but it is So, yeah, in the past, the person has caused you harms both harm and help, but but only but but Yes. So the person has the the the central the the central person has helped you, I mean, they cost you harm and harm and help in the in the in the past lives?
So by knowing this, so when you when you when you when you try when you cultivate equanimity according to the in the great vehicles or the Mahāyāna tradition without thinking or without going through the person’s past and future lives. There is no possibility or no way of cultivating equanimity. So briefly speaking, then one should see all those three types of beings in same way or in the same way. The thinking that that those three the three those those people has been my mother for many times and as well as they have they have they’ve been enemies for a number of time. And during the time of enemy, we have fought many times, killed each other many times and been my dear and been a very close one for many times and during that time, we help other.
So those three, they are seen in helping me causing me troubles and giving me hard times. By thinking in that way, we should see that there is no reason of there’s no reason to discriminate discriminate those three persons because of just by seeing a help or cause harm, I mean, the harms they’ve shown in this present life, but in general, they are same one that has caused me equal help, equal harms and so forth. Due to this, one should change one’s mind by thinking that they are insane and I shouldn’t be developing any hatred or attachment. Sorry. Excuse for that.
Hatred and attachment. And and through this, you cultivate. Seeing in that way, you cultivate the equanimity. So yeah. So by focusing on the three types of being placing one person, the neutral person in the middle and then those dear ones and the enemy at the left and right.
Through all these logical approach, whenever you establish or maintain an equal set of mind towards those three types of beings. By cultivating this, then you try to extend one’s object of focus, let’s say one’s focus or display it a bit wider that include all these entire sentient beings into these three typical beings. Repeat through those logical reasons that there’s no reason to differentiate in the three groups of person that they are saying to me and causing all this health harms and so forth. So due to this, I should maintain our same equal mind towards the entire sentient beings and then whenever you cultivate that equal state of mind and then being in an on placing meditation, that focusing or maintaining that state of mind steadily upon steadily on those to itself entire sentient beings. So that is one of the the the logical approach to cultivate the equanimity.
In other way, you can also do in this way, but seeing that all the sentient beings are the influence of disturbing emotions and actions and under the influence of suffering. Due to that, they are insane, they’re wanting happiness and do not want suffering. By seeing the beings as the same, they’re wanting happiness and do not want suffering. And and as they are, yeah, wanting happiness, do not want suffering, why should I differentiate those entire sentient beings? They are they are they are one or same.
And through this, you should see the sentient beings are saying is oneself that wanting happiness and do not want suffering. And and and and they also want to seek the ultimate happiness to attain enlightenment sooner or later. So when and and and the the person will also help you on in in future or in in in future. For that reason, I shouldn’t be so through all these reasons, once you see that I shouldn’t be developing any love and sorry, attachment and hatred towards sentient beings by discriminating them. And in other hand, through investigation or through analyzing, you can come to the point that there is no reason to develop attachment or or attachment and hatred towards the sentient beings.
It is because the sentient beings, they are not independent. They have no control they have no freedom by themselves. They are always they have been mad or crazy by the influence of disturbing emotions. It is very clearly one can understand that they have no freedom and they are under the influence of disturbing emotions because you can see that, for example, you don’t say the person or you don’t really want to say any harsh words towards particular person but just due to the single or slight mistakes of the person in his or her action, your mind suddenly gets under control of disturbing emotions and which influence you to use very harsh or nasty words towards the person. At this stage, our minds are strongly under the influence of disturbing emotion.
It is like a person who is drunk. When he got drunk, he has no control over himself and as well as his mind. Likewise, as far as one does not attain the wisdom directly realizing the selflessness of a person, one is still under the influence of disturbing emotions and also under the influence of ignorance and that obstructs you from seeing the reality of the things. Due to that, one produce, one does not understand what things to be practiced or done and what to be abandoned. And through this, you cultivate the beings or you cultivate a number of negative actions.
So at this stage, they have no control over themselves. They are under influence of disturbing emotions and feel very sad or sympathy towards the sentient beings and compassion towards them by seeing they are onto the influence of disturbing emotion and think that I shouldn’t be developing any hatred or attachment by discriminating sentient beings because they themselves have no independence by their own. So if you, through this type of meditation, if you do this type of meditation, the result will be that you can stop or abandon the attachment and the hatred. And attachment, hatred, and ignorance are the main are the one which which influence you to cultivate the numbers of of bad actions. And also, among those three, the attachment and the hatred are the main which cause you to circle in this cyclic existence in saṃsāra.
Through this Through this meditation or approach of meditation, you can gradually transform your mind being free from attachment and hatred can cultivate the good state of mind which is in equanimity. That is called a practice or the Dharma, practice Dharma or that is the purpose of practicing Dharma. The purpose of practicing Dharma is to transform that bad state of mind into the good state of mind. We do numbers of practices like reciting numbers of mantras and so forth, but we still remain that they can’t really change your mind. If you are able to change your mind, being free from attachment and hatred through this logical approach of meditation, then that is the Dharma and that is the purpose of Dharma because you have transformed your mind and also by the result of that, that your mind will be free from those two and as well as by stopping them, the attachment and hatred, then you eventually stop numbers of bad actions.
I think So I have briefly spoken about equanimity or cultivating equanimity today, we’ll stop here and also take some questions if you may. It’s clear that to meditate on equanimity as an aspect the path of the Vedanta Guru Chita. I’m just wondering whether or not you would say equanimity in itself is a realisation or a quality of mind. Can I repeat that? Is equanimity I’m not very clear about the nature of that state of mind of equanimity.
When I think about it, you know, in terms of people, you know, have different imprints, so to one person, the idea of neutrality, you see somebody neutrally, Actually they, maybe they don’t want to see that person suffer, you know, even though they don’t really feel particularly attachment or aversion. That you don’t want to see that. But they don’t really want to see that person harmed, know, Maybe that’s their imprint, you know, and then somebody else would have imprint of, to them neutrality means maybe they wouldn’t care less whether that person lived or died or whatever. Yeah, yeah. So, At the moment, neutrality is a bit ambiguous.
No good. No problem, no problem. It is true that sometimes you have a strong feeling. You don’t want a neutral person to feel and suffer, or the others, they don’t really care, as you said. But now, here, the proposal of establishing three person is to cultivate the equanimity and also to and main purpose is to stop the attachment and the hatred.
So it is entirely dependent on you. We place the neutral person here, but we have approached through numbers of reasons and find the conclusion was made that you should see all those entire sentient beings as same or one. It depends on the individual person when one meditates. The purpose of cultivating equanimity is to stop that attachment and the hatred. It is good to placing three types of beings in front of you and you should place I mean, I’m sure there is someone else or somebody who you have no attachment and no hatred, just neutral or the same, have the same equanimity of balanced state of mind to a person.
You should place that type of person in the middle and then try to cultivate that the same equanimity or mind towards the others. This is the job you do through your meditation. So the only reason of doing this meditation is to to to to to cultivate the equanimity and the person in the state by focusing on that particular person and it could be possible to change that focus you maintain from the beginning of the meditation because everything is impermanent. And the person, the three type of beings you visualize in front of you can be changed in the future but it’s to deal with the time to time when you meditate. Always establish three type of beings and then the person whom you have no attachment, no hatred, just neutral mind or stable mind should place in the middle.
Whatever it is, when you do meditate and when you are doing meditation and your purpose is to cultivate the equanimity. So whenever you anytime you do meditation, where the person undergoes through suffering or whatever, but if you cultivate equanimity through your meditation, that’s fine with you. You have done your propose or you have achieved or you want to. So practicing in four limitless, four immeasurables is very important that they are very important or helpful to cultivate, newly cultivate a bodhicitta or altruistic intention. They are also very helpful to increase one’s bodhicitta or bodhicitta if one has cultivated previously.
I have a similar question. Could you ask Rinpoche if my understanding is correct? The way I understand it is that developing compassion by the cheetah is separate to developing equanimity and that, for example, if a person has very little compassion, then their view of the neutral person will be very uncaring. Whereas if a person developed a great deal of compassion they’ll have a very caring attitude towards the neutral person. Is that correct?
Yes. That’s a correct view? If the person has, say, a very small amount or a very weak compassion, he he will have less caring towards the neutral If he has a stronger compassion, he cares for the neutral person more. I’ll put your question in this way, saying, does the person see different in neutral person by the level of compassion or different state of compassion, which means the person sees the neutral person differently by having a different type of compassion, means the greater or lesser compassion. Is that okay with you?
The answer is that, it depends on how you develop the compassion. If you have developed a very strong compassion towards the relatives or dear ones, then that compassion will see the others, enemy or neutral person, differently. Whereas, if you develop a compassion equal to the entire sentient beings, then you can see no difference in the sentient beings as well as which also captures the entire sentient beings, means you develop great compassion. So this is the difference. Does that make sense?
You just mainly asked about the neutral person, but Rinpoche explained the entire sentence. It just depends on what type of compassion you develop mainly because if you have developed a type of compassion which is only towards their dear ones, then that kind of person will not see different sentient beings or the neutral person. For example, if your compassion has been developed towards, towards the dear ones, then the compassion has been called the partial compassion or the discriminated one and that sort of mind will not care much about the neutral Whereas, your compassion has been developed by focusing or seeing entire sentient beings, then that becomes not partial. It becomes the limitless compassion and because being focused on limitless sentient beings and that that state of mind. Regarding by listening to your question, it seems like you are kind of differentiating the quality of the meditator or quality of the person, but it’s not in this way you should do the thinking about cultivation of compassion, Because when you try to cultivate the equanimity, it entirely depends on individual or a person, how you meditate.
Also, it doesn’t mean that a person who has a greater knowledge has greater compassion towards neutral person. It doesn’t mean that. If, for example, no matter how the meditator is qualified or a great teacher, if he hasn’t has any compassion, then couldn’t develop any compassion or great compassion to a neutral person. And the new person, he or she meditates, and if he has a good karma, made a very good imprint or karma in the previous life, it is possible for the person to ripen that karma and develop great compassion state towards a neutral person. So that entirely depends, the way of cultivating a compassion or towards the neutral beings depends on individual how one meditate, nothing to do with the quality.
Yeah, it’s true that it’s quite hard to find a neutral person, and I might have to find very difficult difficult to find a neutral person for a long time, and I finally don’t want. So so we should we So we should call somebody a neutral person when you look at a person, the person whom you neither develop attachment nor hatred, that that kind of person displays as a neutral person. But it’s quite hard. So and yeah. So when we cultivate the equanimity, that does not mean that you just cultivate the equanimity and stay there.
So so by by cultivating when when you cultivate the equanimity to send the entire sentiments, And after that, after cultivating equanimity, then we you see or cultivate or you see through seeing all the sentient beings as your mother. And whenever you establish that, then once you establish that sentient beings as your mother or one’s mother, then you just feel restless. You won’t be dull because you just can’t help yourself to work, so become very restless and then you’re thinking of repaying kindness and so forth. So it’s not just something like cultivate equanimity and that’s it. So after that, it comes to recognizing them as your mother and then after that, you will be very restless and don’t worry about things being there.
Yes. Don’t worry. Okay. We’ll do the dedication praise today. Okay.
Thank you very much. Yeah. I mean, you have a good lunch.