Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A pointed rebuke of superficial modern Dharma — dismissing practices like mindfully spreading butter on toast as genuine meditation — opens this 101-minute Lamrim session with Khensur Rinpoche, before he establishes what makes a teaching authentic: validated by Buddha, analyzed by scholars, practiced by yogis. He then focuses on the spiritual teacher as the root of the entire path, outlining three types of qualified teachers (Vinaya, sūtra, and tantric) and the three disciple qualities required (honesty, wisdom, enthusiasm). He explains why obscurations block practitioners from perceiving tantric deities directly, making it necessary for Buddhas to emanate as human teachers. The session closes on the Tibetan concept of chinlab (blessing), unpacking it as the active conversion of a negative mind into a positive one, and arguing that seeing one’s guru as a living Buddha — not an ordinary being — is the essential condition for that conversion.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 11 LR 1998 10 20.mp3
UUID: de48b1ac-5240-41fe-8c1b-d8cbb33362cf
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Lam Rim (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1998-10-20
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 101.1 minutes
Words: ~6,114
Okay. Got you. So first, we’ll set up our motivation. As we are practicing the Mahāyāna teaching, our motive should be for all the sentient beings, not just for oneself. And for that, one really needs to you know, work for all the sentient beings, and then our motivation should be wanting happiness for all the sentient beings and wish to free and thinking how wonderful if all those sentient beings are free from suffering.
But but by doing that, one develops one develops a compassion towards sentient being and then wishing or thinking how wonderful all those sentient sentient beings to have the happiness and by that one developed love. And after generating love and compassion towards sentient beings and if one is able to and after that if one is being if one is able to generate kind of like special insight which means I will and just special insight, which is wanting to serve or wanting to work for beings and thinking that I will I myself will do, myself will free all sentient beings from the suffering and give them all the happiness. And through that, one is and by doing that or developing special insight within one’s self, then one’s motivation will even will become even more powerful. So if one is being able to do this, then one’s practice will become more powerful and become more pure. And by doing a pure and stronger practice, then one can one is being able to develop a more enthusiasm towards practicing Dharma.
And then and even and then one is more likely to engage with the positive or wholesome works all the time. And by doing that, one’s merit or one yeah, one’s merit will be very powerful. And after developing all these necessities with one’s motivation, and one will come to know that when one finally when one thinks that one has no power to do the way one thinks. And by actualizing or by knowing that one is not able to do that thing and one thinks and one finds that to do to accomplish that wish or that motivation, one really needs to purify all the faults and negativities and then acquire or perfect all the good qualities. So, and then if yeah, and then by doing that one can really be able to one can really serve the sentient beings, work for sentient beings and free all sentient beings from the suffering.
So by that one should make special commitment within or the promise within oneself that I will purify all the negative beliefs and faults and acquire good qualities to accomplish that task for the sake of all sentient beings. And so one’s motivation should be in this way that to accomplish that thing for that reason, for that sake, shall thus I shall listen and meditate to this Lamrim teaching, which is the essence of Mahāyāna teachings. And we’ll do a short meditation here. So, the Lamrim text has the four main subtitles, four main sub subdivisions. And so among the four, we have done the three and now, today, we are at the fourth, which is how the actual practice will how disciples are lead by actual practice.
And this has two two this has two main divisions. The first is the root of the path, how to rely on spiritual teacher. And the second one is the stages of training your mind once you have followed a spiritual teacher. And among these two main subdivisions of the fourth one, the second one. No.
No. And the second one, which is the stages of training your mind once you have followed the spiritual teacher. So under this category, the all the the the meditation through the both three all three scopes, the practice or the meditation of all three scopes will come under this category in the Lamrim meditation starts of the three scopes, which or comes under or come under this second one. So, as the main Lamrim meditation of the three scopes comes under the second one, and so, in those during the part of during during the part of those three scopes, one is being one one has to one one has to meditate. And so, first of all, before one does the meditation, one needs to know how to how to do the meditation or how to yeah, how to do the meditation.
And to to know or to to know or to to know how to do meditation, one really needs to listen from the a qualified spiritual master or teacher or the guru to whom, you know, who who can teach you and who can teach you and how who can teach you the meditation. So, consulting the the spiritual teacher, one will never know how to meditate and even one does the meditation, one might might one one meditation won’t be won’t become a proper meditation. So to to to do a proper practice of meditation or to become, to our or to wish to know to how to meditate, to do to do to know that to to know that particular practice one to know to excuse me, To know how to do meditation, one really needs to look for a master and and then and under his guidance, one can learn how to meditate. And that is the only method or that is the only way one can know about meditation. So so yeah.
Yeah. So the main point comes here is to so to the sec the main meditation comes under the second condition, and then one to do to do the meditation, one need to know how to meditate. And so without any knowledge and understanding about meditation, one can’t do the meditation. So So so for that reason, one need to consult the|consult that spiritual teacher or yeah. And one needs to rely upon a spiritual teacher and then study under his guidance how to meditate.
So the main the and then so about the main thing come here is is the spiritual teacher and that one needs to know about what kind of spiritual teacher to whom one should rely upon. So it comes it you know, the final is we I mean, we’re looking for what kind of spiritual teacher that one needs to rely upon. And so, to know about yeah, and to rely upon a so one needs to rely upon a spiritual teacher. And about spiritual teacher, it’s not just okay by one who is who teaches the Dharma, because there are many kinds of people who teaches the Dharma, and some are and some some some people, they teach they taught or they teach Dharma, but but they themselves have no proper practice and and and also just doing kind of this kind of thing or doing the teachings for his or her own benefits. So so that person can’t be one’s spiritual teacher.
I mean, who no. Who teaches the Dharma, but he he or she hasn’t know much about I mean, not really hasn’t got any, proper practice within themselves, and then also, doing this kind of thing for he his or her own, benefits. So that kind of person is cannot be a spiritual teacher. And there are some, kind of teachers who are not in that way, but they know a little about Dharma, and they can teach something, but they but they can’t teach or they can’t lead all the they can’t lead this disciple through all the parts or they can’t teach whole mhmm, all the Dharma. So that kind of spiritual that kind of teacher is also not okay for one’s spiritual teacher.
And yeah, it is these two, they can’t be one spiritual guidance or spiritual teacher because they just they are two two types of disciples. One one one kind of disciple that seeks liberation, just only liberation. And another, the others, they they seek for Buddhahood or completely enlightenment, which is free from all the faults and acquired good old acquired all the good qualities. So so the the the quality of the spiritual teacher or or spiritual teacher should be in that way that, should be one who can accomplish both the who can accomplish both the both both the both the disciples’ wishes, yeah, both the disciple wishes. And to to to to fulfill the both to to able to full fulfill both the wishes, the spiritual teacher, he himself or her him or herself need to know need to be good in their practice.
And through their practice and all through their experience, one should able to teach all the parts or should be able to accomplish both the wishes of the different those two types of disciples. And if so if and and then that’s to that spiritual master can can benefit both oneself and the disciples, as well as their their practice will become very, very beneficial. For so, to to to lead somebody or to teach somebody, the spiritual teacher should acquire all the good qualities. And one teach and spiritual teacher should know one should know about what one is going to teach. For that reason, the Candrakīrti has stated that to teach Four Noble Truth for somebody, first, the teacher or one who needs one should need to know about Four Noble Truth or the practice of Four Noble Truth.
Otherwise, if the person who who cannot who doesn’t know all the Four Truths, and even if he or she pretends to teach to somebody or to their disciple, the disciple cannot do a proper practice, and they cannot get all the meaning of the Four Noble Truths. And that spiritual teacher can’t take the disciple to the proper path. And then the time they have spent together would become the waste. And he also had wasted the disciple’s time. So and for that, one should think that what kind of what so what kind what kind of qualities that spiritual teacher needs.
And for that, this the Buddha Śākyamūni Buddha has stated that there are three types of spiritual teachers. One comes they are the spiritual teacher who’s the spiritual teacher comes from the Vinaya teachings, and then spiritual teacher comes from sūtra teachings, and spiritual teacher comes from the trantric teachings. So three types of spiritual teachers. No. So, there are three types of spiritual teachers and and so first first one, the the spiritual teacher who who who are taught or comes from the Vinaya teaching mean that that that spiritual teacher teaches about teaches the practice main practice, practice of ethical discipline.
And and so that spiritual leaders, the and so these qualities, so a lot and a lot from the Vinayan spiritual teacher and who who teaches about ethical discipline or morality, and he himself needs to acquire or need to have a clean or a good eth ethical discipline within himself. And in and also in the Vinaya text, are certain ritual things in Vinaya, and he should be able to teach all the teachings of Vinaya and have love or affection to sentient beings, and always wanting to help sentient beings or bring benefits to all sentient beings and and always ready to bear the hardships. So to these qualities are needed to to that Vinaya spiritual teacher. Yeah. And also that spiritual teacher should be able to give the help of to help through the Dharma materially and also and occasionally at any time when he’s required for his disciples.
So if one has acquired all these qualities, then one can become one can be one one is okay or one is suitable to become a spiritual teacher, according to Vinaya. Or spiritual the call the spiritual teacher describing Vinaya texts or Vinaya teachings. And so, that was the first practice of ethical discipline in which that spiritual teacher who who teaches about ethical discipline and that and the the spiritual teacher would describe is the Vinaya teaching or Vinaya teaching can be a teacher of Hīnayāna practice as well. And now the second one spiritual teacher which is described in the sūtra, which means who who that spiritual teacher who teaches about the who teaches the second practice, which is meditative stabilization and then and also and then he teaches calm abiding, etc. And to become that kind of teacher, that kind of teacher, one I want that that spiritual teacher accords the ten qualities.
And and and that teacher who disc disc that teacher is the Mahāyāna spiritual teacher. It’s only a Mahāyāna teacher. No. And so the second special teacher who comes into sūtra teaching is, he should be good or acquired good practice of both ethical of three three teachings, which ethical, meditative stabilisation, and wisdom. So so that special teacher acquired all good practice of these three And and then also that spiritual teacher acquired compassion, with with compassion and realize emptiness and have greater knowledge or they have greater knowledge than disciples and then teacher and I mean, the teacher definitely need to be better or of course, better quality than knowledge than disciple.
If the teacher and disciple’s knowledge are are same, then he spiritual teacher cannot develop disciple’s knowledge. I mean, he has to be better than his disciples, So, definitely it’s the Lama should be Lama should acquire greater knowledge than his disciple. Because if the disciple if the Lama’s or if your guru if the guru’s knowledge is weaker or or poor than the disciple, then instead of developing disciple’s knowledge, he will decrease disciple’s knowledge. And then if if there’s equal, then it’s equal. So if the teacher’s knowledge is greater than the disciple, then he can really develop disciple’s knowledge.
So, lama also were quite good kind hearted and kind hearted and and always bear hardship and have love and affection to see to disciple and and and being able to give advice occasionally occasionally or time time to time for his disciples. No. No. And who who is not seeking for the material goods or profit. And and then the spiritual teacher who comes under or describe in tantric teaching or in under tantra, and then that that teaches acquired twenty qualities, and we may not able I mean, we we can’t go through all this.
So the the the teacher should be a perfect one or the teacher is with I call it with good qualities. And also, disciple also needs the all the conducive conditions or need about all the qualities of disciple. If disciple’s qualities if person who’s who hasn’t got the qualities of disciple, lama can do nothing. So so it depends. Both are important now.
So, for that, Āryadeva stated that the disciple should be very honesty or very very honest or always be in the middle where it means, never develop hasn’t got any attachment and hatreds. Alright? Be always in a neutral being or always be honest. So that was the first one. And second second one, he needs a good wisdom.
Wisdom. And the third is, the disciples should be very enthusiastic or very keen to practice. Oh, always love to practice willingly. And so, it is stated that if a teacher with those qualities and the disciple with that those qualities met each other, then there’s no difficulty of accomplishing or building enlightenment. So these days we have very funny dhammas or funny teachings.
Like, I mean, almost like, almost everyone who speaks will become Dharma these days. Some people, they say some kind of like, they while they’re putting a toast, a butter on a toast, and they just okay. They just put up and down, up and down, and they’re finally and then just butter has been cold, you know, all the sufferers of the toast and this and that. Oh, there was some meditation. So and so the those kind of things are not too good to say.
And this kind of There are many like these kind of things these days. They’re just giving them as kind of like a practice or Dharma. So one may think, so for what teaching that we can consider or we can call them, call it for Dharma? So, Dharma should be, it should be like, Dharma should be can I So, the teaching or Dharma should is means that where we have unwanted suffering and the cause of that is is ignorance, which is the cause of the suffering? And Dharma should be that which we can alleviate this this suffering and this suffering and it causes and bring give happiness to a person who practice that particular teaching or a and that kind of teaching is a real Dharma or a teaching.
So, yeah. So the teaching should be a one as being a Buddhist Buddhist practitioner or being a Buddhist, one should always consider that consider something as a teaching means that should be that the teaching which is taught by Buddha to alleviate the suffering of sentient beings and help sentient beings accomplish their accomplish the ultimate happiness. And the teachings teaching should be yeah, that one. And also that and that particular teaching should be analyzed or or or analyzed or practiced by analyzed by the or made investigated by the panditas. And then, also, the teaching should be practiced and meditated by great yogis and being able to generate certain the miss unmistaken realization to those yogis.
And so if so that kind of teaching is called the teaching or or or is called Dharma because it has been taught by Buddha and been analyzed by panditas and been practiced and meditated by the yogis. So teaching should the teach so teaching should be that kind of teaching or should be done in that those three way. So, if one meet with this kind of teaching and that teaching or that teaching then it is definite that one can one can develop a certain realization in this lifetime And if one can’t, if one cannot develop a certain realization in what in this life, but it is definite that one it it will help for one to develop, one can help to practice in passing grounds through the passing next life and will help one to generate a realization within one month’s in the next life. So, one can make sure, one can give full confidence on that particular teaching for that, or one can be sure for that teaching if the teaching has undergone through those three things. And so to to become our practice pure and powerful and one, one should really, one need to seek or seek relation or one need to rely on one’s spiritual master.
For that reason, the our great Tibetan yogi or practitioner called Geshe Potowa has stated to do so. Yeah. And Geshe Potowa has stated that to to to practice the Dharma, it’s very important to rely upon one’s spiritual teacher. And as we talked last week that we’ve been we will be talking about the spiritual seeking relation between with spiritual master. So Geshe Potowa stated that he also gave an example to us that as for ordinary work, like like drawings, sewing and then like learning cook or yeah, cook and then also like carpenter.
These things we can we can we can learn this thing by looking on, looking up on it. But but one cannot be perfect by just looking on those things. To become a perfect or qualified to become a carpenter, chef or artist, they need to seek they need to seek a guidance from a master who has qualified on that. So for that he said, so like we need to seek or like seek a teacher to know these ordinary things and it’s that it is definite that one we need to seek we need to seek a guidance or relation or rely upon spiritual teacher to become, to go to a place where, to go to a place where we have never been. Because we have been we can say that we have been in a bad, bad, bad excuse me we have been in a bad state up to now and this is the time, this is the only time we have gained such precious human rebirth, precious human rebirth and we are trying to go to the Buddhahood or to the place where we have never been there.
So, to go to the place where we have never been there, it is can be sure, it is definite that we really need someone who or someone who’s going to be teacher to lead us, to take us to the Buddhahood, to that state. And so we are like a baby or like a child because, like, the child can from the beginning, child can hardly know other than just to eat or say mom or something like that. And and for in in terms of dharma stage or in terms of dharma knowledge, we are like a child and for the child first to know everything, the child has to be sent to the school and then taught all the alphabet and if the child has met with the very kind and qualified teacher, then gradually, a year by year, the child knowledge will develop and increase. And finally, under his under the guidance of his kind and qualified teacher, he will become a qualified or scholar in in future now. And so the infusion that that student, that child has become a qualified and very educated and and it so he he has become an educated or qualified master.
It but it was due to the kindness of of his the main thing is the kindness of his teacher who taught him. And and then second is the of his enthusiasm or effort to study. And so likewise, like the child, we are at this stage like a like a child learning alphabet, we are learning the alphabet of Dharma. And then and to we need to rely on a qualified and a kind teacher. And also the students should be very enthusiasm enthusiastic or enthusiasm and have proper good wisdom.
So, and then through that, one will become a great qualified, educated in qualified in future and not not just by qualified or not educated, they become good practitioner and through their and through and through their intense practice or medit practice, they can they become enlightened and then being able to teach Dharma to to sentient beings and being able to bring help to sentient beings as much as Buddha has benefit, as much as Buddha has benefit sentient beings. It’s like a child the the the recite you know, that we recite the sūtra, which is Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha, which means the we have in the Mahāyāna teaching, there are five paths. And the first gate, first gate means complete accomplishing the first part. And then the second gate means for the second part. And then the third paragate is for the third one.
And then this parasamgate, is accomplishing the fourth part. And then bodhi svaha, which is the fifth path, enlightenment or Buddhahood. So, to develop those five paths, accomplish those five paths, For that, the Lamrim text stated, to accomplish the five paths, one need to rely or rely upon one’s spiritual master, not relying upon one’s spiritual master, which is the root of the path, says that root relying upon spiritual teacher is the root of the, root of the paths. And if one has this relation or has proper relation between relation with one’s spiritual master, then one has a root and one can definitely gradually develop the five paths within oneself, it’s like if if the tree’s root is very strong and with yep, if they have proper root, then the spiral will come up and gradually, a tongue or it will grow very nicely, you know. So it’s like the the seeking relation with spiritual teacher is the path, or is the root of the path, stated by So, we have numbers of spiritual teachers who teaches us the path, like all those all this vajradhara, Heruka, Yamāntaka, Guhyasamāja, Chakrasamvara, and etc.
Are are our teachers who taught us the path or who shows us, who show us the path. So, and but, I mean, those vajradhara, Heruka, Yamāntaka, Guhyasamāja, etcetera are our spiritual masters, but but we can’t receive teachings from those. It is not that they don’t want to teach. They are willingly, always wanting to teach us, but but we because of our yeah. The we but we can’t we are not able to visualize or we are not able to see their body.
And due to that due to that, which we can’t see their body, you can’t you cannot hear their teachings. And one may ask why we can’t see those masters. And the answer is because of our strong grasping attitude, at true existence, or, yeah, existence, and which is the and then the ignorance. And due to that, which ignorance, is the root of disturbing emotions, and due to that, we commit or we accumulate, many un- unwholesome actions. And because of that, the- we accumulate negativities and bad actions, and due to that due to that, we because of obscurations or the layers of that the non actions we accumulate we accumulated, we can’t see those spiritual teachers.
So, as those masters are spiritual teachers willingly or wish wish to teach us, but we can’t see them. But for that reason, the the what method they use to teach us is they emanate or they manifest into our into ordinary being or into human beings, and then to whom which are our and then become our spiritual teacher, and then to whom we can see and we can hear, receive the teachings. And through his or her guidance, then we can practice through the path and develop our realization. So for that, know, Guru Puja text, it says, we make request to our to you, a compassionate refuge protector, through an intricate display of mirage like, skillful means, with three body wheels of those who have gone to bliss, you manifest in ordinary form in ordinary lives to lead lead all sentient beings. For that So it says that the all the Buddhas and they gather together and then they discuss among themselves and they’re saying that how now, what what method should we use to teach a sentient beings or our disciple?
Because because they they can’t actually see they cannot they can’t directly see see us, and then we can’t we we can’t teach them even though we are willingly we wish to teach them. So, for that reason, this and they have they said that it is best to e emanate themselves into your ordinary being as just like a like sentient beings or I mean, themselves as a human being. And then through and then to teach the disciples. And through and then, by teaching the disciple, they can develop their realization and always reduce or, yeah, always reduce the, the negativities and then disturbing emotions. And by that, developing their realization and then later one day they can directly see Chakrasamvara, see vajradhara, see Yamāntaka, etcetera, and then they can receive the direct teachings.
So, for that, it’s Guru Puja stated that first the Buddhist, they emanate into ordinary form of beings and then teach the disciples or to lead the sentient beings, no? And so this is we we can see the pictures of Guhyasamāja, Yamāntaka, Guhyasamāja, Heruka, etcetera. And and so but all these all these are the emanation of the Buddha. And Buddha always appeared as Heruka when he taught the topic of Heruka. And then he appeared according to appeared as Yamāntaka when he taught the topic, when he teaches the topic about Yamāntaka.
So these are the Buddha always even it as a same deity when he teaches about this about particular topic of particular deity. So it doesn’t mean that the Yamāntaka, Guhyasamāja, Heruka are I mean, they haven’t got any relation with Buddha, because they are always related to each other, because these are these all are these are the emanation or emanation of Buddha. And so, these all are emanation of Buddhas, you know, or Buddha. So and yeah. Buddha is not like the person no.
I mean, a ordinary person who just make a huge plan or a project in his, like, in in his life. And suddenly he died and cannot accomplish his project or plan. But he himself cannot can’t come back to fulfill or complete his project or plan. So Buddha is not like him. And Buddha always appeared as Buddha always appeared in different appearances according to the disciples, and he always he he always emanate himself in different kinds of forms to to benefit or to lead the sentient beings along.
So, all the practitioners and yogis of India, in India and Tibet, whenever they do practice, they always or when they whenever they do meditation, they always meditate or they always consider that their spiritual teacher are the are the emanation of Buddha. But it’s a bit difficult in the West. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.
So, and it’s the those Tibetan and Indian masters, yogis, they meditate or they when they meditate, they see that spiritual master is the emanation of Buddha. And though how you may think how they do because you may think that how they do this kind of meditation or practice is it’s in this way that when they meditate, first they imagine that all their teachers has been blessed and received and blessed by the Buddhists. And then Buddha slightly, and then the nectar, and then the nectar has been dissolved, and then the Buddhists they send nectars through, into spiritual teach, then the nectar dissolve from, nectar from Buddha dissolve within one’s spiritual master. And then through that one emerges or one think that and then through spiritual teacher, that nectar comes within oneself and did and stays or dissolves within oneself. No.
So, in Tibetan word we say the chin chinjilaps and Shalop. No chinlab. So, it actually means that when we say chinlab means the first Buddha, chinlab is actually means blessed, alright, or blessed or blessed. And it also comes many times, many times, many many in Guru Puja practice or Guru Puja text, the blessed, blessed, blessed. And and it means that, like, first the Buddha has blessed our spiritual teachers, and then through their kindness, the spiritual teacher blessed us blessed us, sorry.
And actually, in Tibetan word, chinlab, which means chinlab is actually it means a power. And and lab means convert. So what we say means Buddha blessed the spiritual teacher and then then spiritual teacher, they bless us, means they first give us the chin, and then and through through their chinlab or through their blessings or bless, then they can they convert our bad state of mind into good state of mind. So, it actually means bless, means means that. And so, the blessings or bless itself means the converting some converting bad into good, alright?
And and, like, even, like, when we make offerings in Guru Puja, so, like, either in inner practice or any kind of sorry, inner offering or any kind of offering, and we first say to Om Aho, Om Aho. What it actually means is we are converting. For example, when we make a tea offering in Guru Puja, first says to Om Aho. Oh. Oh.
Oh. Yes. I hear We say Om Aho and Om Aho. So, it actually means Om Aho means first, it’s just ordinary tea or water in one’s bowl or one’s cup. And then, by reciting that we are imagining or we blessing or converting that through Om Aho, are converting that tea or ordinary tea or water into the nectar.
So means means it’s con converting something bad into good. So when we recite it. So, when we recite Om Aho it starts from the Guru Puja, it means at that time we are converting or we are blessing all the offerings. So, at this stage of at this time, at this stage, our mind is not being pure or we are not in good state. So we have to convert our mind into a bad state of mind, to good state or or or con convert our negative mind into positive mind.
So to do that, we need your blessings or or we need spiritual teacher to convert our bad state of mind into good state. And to to to receive a blessings from spiritual spiritual master or spiritual guru, one really needs to see that one’s spiritual teacher or guru as a real Buddha. So without saying that, then it is very hard to it’s very hard it’s very hard for oneself to be blessed by one’s guru. So it’s so for that reason, we we are saying or we I mean, all our text stated that that the one’s guru should be seen as a real Buddha. So this is the main thing.
Because to bless one’s mind, one one really needs to see spiritual teacher as Buddha. So so the the Tibetan scholar or yogi, Dromtönpa, who is the disciple of Indian master, Jowo Atisha. And and the Dromtönpa asked question to to because Dromtönpa is a Tibetan scholar or yogi. So he asked question to his master Atisha saying that we have many meditators and practitioners in in Tibet, but none of them none of them has has been of none of them can develop a great knowledge.
So why was that? Why is it? So, for for so Atisha’s answer is, you know, any kind of all the major or minor Mahāyāna qualities are to be gained through spiritual master. And you Tibetans always see one’s spiritual teacher as ordinary beings and how you can develop such a special or knowledge. Yeah.
Have you understood? So it doesn’t mean that when they said they are meant to meditate meditators and practitioner in Tibet, but none of them is acquired a great special knowledge. It doesn’t mean that they are there isn’t any Tibetan practitioner who hasn’t gained any special knowledge. But according with compare but but there are many, but it’s not as number as practitioners. So not enough.
Alright? So for that reason, the Atisha has stated that that the Tibetans the Atisha mean Atisha said that because he he’s I mean, he emphasized or he he tells Tibetan practitioner to to practitioner that they need to develop a relation with their spiritual teacher, and they really need to see their spiritual teacher as a Buddha, not rather than seeing as a ordinary being. So and Rinpoche also says that so a real practitioner should all should really need to do in that way. And if so Atisha tell that to tell that in Tibet. And, yes, if if if one wants to have more practitioner and great qualified masters or enlightened beings in west, and one really need to one need one really need to do this practice in West as well.
And, now, as Rinpoche said, if one really need to go through the those path, gate, gate, paragate, then one has to undergo through this practice. Otherwise, no way. So as I told you, I will tell briefly about seeking relation with spiritual master in the last week. So for that for that reason, I just briefly told you or taught you today about keeping relation with spiritual teaching? And there are many, many teachers in the West, and none of them has taught much about this keeping relation with spiritual master in the West.
And for myself, I’ve been here about nearly ten years, and today is the first time I’m teaching about this in more detail or something more about keeping relation to the So it will be wonderful if one can really do this practice. Even if one can’t, if one says, this is such a I mean, imagine or consider or says and praise that it’s really a good good practice, but one can’t practice. But and if one makes praise, then it might help in one’s next life to practice this.