Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A precise calculation anchors this 99-minute Lam Rim session: Khensur Rinpoche works out that only around 1,222 years of Buddha Śākyamūni’s teachings remain before they vanish entirely, making the present moment an unusual window for practice. He opens by grounding the session in bodhicitta — generating love and compassion as the basis for all practice — then surveys the benefits of relying on a qualified teacher: how such reliance progressively clears gross and subtle negativities and builds the merit needed to reach Buddhahood. He balances this with the cost of neglecting that relationship, arguing that unchecked ignorance leaves practitioners circling in saṃsāra with no path forward. A brief history of Buddhism’s entry into Tibet through Padmasambhava and Tsongkhapa leads into a personal appeal for the Australian audience to sponsor Tibetan monks studying in India. The session closes with Q&A on dedication prayers and the aspiration to be reborn in the era when Maitreya Buddha will teach.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 12 LR 1998 11 03.mp3
UUID: 3328b00e-2d3a-4fbd-bedc-8ffd74eb6c16
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Lam Rim (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1998-11-03
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 99.2 minutes
Words: ~4,764
So first of all, train our set of motivation of bodhicitta. So both oneself and others innately have a wish to happiness and doesn’t want suffering. So, as both one’s and other’s wishes, excuse me, so have an intention to bring happiness or to bring help for both oneself and others, for that one should wish to have intention that how wonderful is the sentient beings and oneself be free from those unwanted suffering, those unwanted sufferings, and through that develop the affection towards both oneself and others. And then both oneself and ask both oneself and others to also wish the happiness and thinking that how wonderful if both have the happiness. And through that one develops the love and compassion.
One should generate both the love and compassion and use them as the basis and then on top of that if one has a special insight, then one’s practice will become very powerful. And the special insight is that it’s not just enough for thinking that how wonderful if all human beings have the happiness and free from unwanted self need. So by thinking one cannot believe it or one cannot accomplish that. For that, one needs to have the special insight that I only, will do, I will free and I will accomplish this unwanted accomplish to eliminate this unwanted suffering wanting happiness and to make a resolution that all will accomplish that and through that one develops a great enthusiasm. And then when one analyzes whether one has the potential to accomplish that proposal, one came to know that one has one has no potential to accomplish those purposes.
One may think that then who has the potential to accomplish the two purposes and if one thinks that whether we can find that, whether I can find that potential or not, then one will come to know that everyone has a Buddha nature within one’s mind, at this stage we or one cannot totally erase all this Buddha nature within one’s mind also one can come to know that there is a great display of great bliss which is the state of Buddhahood and then one also sees that only Buddha has the potential to accomplish the two purposes and one can become a Buddha and then accomplish their two purposes. So, and then, one came to know the one has a Buddha nature and one’s mindstream, but due to our strong imprints of negativities we cannot develop or actualize our buddha nature. So to, and then, yeah, for that one cannot, so one should try to alleviate all the negativities and then, and to alleviate those negativities from one’s mind stream and one should hear, one should have the motivation to alleviate those negativities of oneself and to alleviate that today I shall listen to this teaching, the Lamrim teaching, which is the essence of all.
Because I shall listen and contemplate and meditate on this Lamrim teaching, which is the essence of all the Mahāyāna teaching and bring help for both oneself and others. One needs to develop this kind of motivation. So we actually had explained, talked about the benefits of seeking or cultivating a relationship with spiritual teaching and last teachings. And also, know, we’ll teach again here about the benefits of seeking relation, cultivating relation with the spiritual teacher. And it’s very important to know the benefits of relying upon a spiritual teacher.
Then if one sees the benefits of doing such practice, then one is more likely or more happy to involve or do such practice. It’s like knowing the profit of business, then one has no difficulty and has a willingness or happy to do the business because they know the benefits or the profit. So our goal or our achievement is to overcome all the negativities and accomplish all the good qualities. And to accomplish that one really needs to. So without relying upon teacher, one cannot accomplish that goal.
One can accomplish that goal by relying upon a spiritual teacher because by relying upon him then he will teach you the practices what to be done and what has to be abandoned. And his instruction will first come to eliminate the gross negativities and then by abandoning the gross negativities, achieves the smaller or gradually smaller qualities. And then gradually one will come to abandon the subtle negativities and by abandoning that one can achieve greater qualities and gradually one will able to eliminate all the negativities and acquire all the good qualities and when one comes to do that, then that is the state of which is called and that is called the Buddha. And Buddha has been achieved, Buddhahood has been achieved by relying upon or cultivating a relationship with the spiritual teacher. And also by seeking a relation with spiritual teacher then one will came to, as we said, then one will came to abandon the negativities and then by abandoning the negativities is also becoming free or like abandoning one’s suffering one comes free from suffering.
And then by developing one’s quality one develops one’s virtues and one collects huge merit and by developing yep by developing merit one achieves more and more happiness. So also the happiness I mean abandonment of negativities and the achievement of happiness is also achieved through relying upon the spiritual teacher. And also, so by relying upon spiritual teacher and if one does such practice then one becomes free from negativities and becomes happier and happier and one also overcome one’s suffering and reach the state of happiness without suffering. And by doing that practice it also pleases the Buddha because the Buddha’s main aim is what Buddha actually wants is to have all sentient beings be free from suffering and have ultimate happiness. And if one practices that and one becomes free from negativities and reach the state and achieve the ultimate happiness, and this is what Buddha wanted also.
So this is how by practicing that, doing relying upon spiritual teacher also pleases the Buddha. But, you know, doing the practice of relying upon spiritual teacher, it pleases Buddha. It is like this way, that for example, if a mom, if a mother has the only child, and her only child and if that only child goes and she sent him or her to school and then she’s been learning a lot and become all right, finally the child became a great famous or scholar. And, yeah, for that mother is very that mother will be very happy by the result of her only child. Only child because because she was very happy with her with the good result of her only child because it is because of her strong affection towards her only child.
So it is like this is, it is the same way that, that by relying upon spiritual teacher or doing that practice it also pleases Buddha because, but because Buddha has a strong affection and love towards sentient beings and if someone who does this practice and but through this practice one develops, one is being freeing ones elf from suffering and then acquiring happiness, ultimate happiness. So Buddha has strong affection to sentient beings, this is how it also pleases the Buddha. So normally, we are, you know, daily life, we practice that, I mean, we make lots and lots of offerings to Buddha, and the purpose of making offerings to Buddha’s is please the Buddha’s and by practicing such thing like seeking relation with spiritual teacher which pleases more than making pleases Buddha more than offering I mean hundred thousand times to Buddha himself, to Buddha. So, and by doing that practice it pleases the Buddha and by pleasing Buddha, one achieves, one collects great store of merit and then one becomes, one can, and then through accumulation of merit, quickly attains the enlightenment. And by accumulating great merits and then due to the power of that merit, one will have a better one will go for or one will have a better rebirth, one will have a better rebirth.
Yeah. And also, excuse me, and also by pleasing Buddha, as we said, one accomplishes, gets to accumulate merit and through that one develops one’s quality and then one will gradually be able to develop a renunciation and then bodhicitta and then also achieve a correct view which is wisdom realizing emptiness and also one who can swiftly or quickly complete through the paths and grounds which is we have ten parts, ten grounds and five paths. And also one can accomplish both one’s temporary and ultimate One can accomplish both one’s temporary and ultimate purposes. So if we talked about the benefits of relying upon spiritual teaching. If we expand it’s very very profound or very vast and so I mean it take a very, very long time.
So if it’s summarized here, right, but if it’s summarized or in brief, then by relying upon spiritual teacher one can develop a great compassion and develop also renunciation and achieve one can become Arhats and also Buddhahood as well. And so here one came to know about the benefits of cultivating a relationship with a spiritual teacher. And it is also important for one to know that what are the disadvantages of not seeking a relationship with a spiritual teacher. And if one the disadvantages of not cultivating relation with spiritual teacher is then one cannot become a Buddha or, yeah, one cannot become Buddha, bodhisattva and one cannot achieve the paths and grounds, ten parts, ten grounds and five paths and cannot develop renunciation. Yeah.
Yes, Rinpoche says that if you don’t rely upon a spiritual teacher, there is no arahat for you. So, and but not relying upon spiritual teacher then one cannot achieve, there is no arhat for you for one. Is because that but without but not relying really seeking or cultivating a relationship with a special teacher then due to the strong of yeah, sorry, due to our disturbing emotion and especially the ignorance. Ignorance is very very strong and it obscures us from practicing everything. So yeah, sorry.
Excuse me. Our ignorance is very strong and it obscures one’s wisdom, that wisdom seeing or wisdom or one which obscures one’s knowledge. And the knowledge to know the how to or what things to be practiced and what things to be abandoned. And here the practice of abandoned and practice of things to be practiced and what things to be done or what things to be abandoned here is to, which relates to according to, relates to according to achieve, relates to achievement of Buddhahood, arhat, yeah, Buddhahood and arhat. So, so if one, because of the strong obscuration of ignorance, then we, our wisdom has been obscured by ignorance and due to that we are like a blind, blind that not seeing the path means to doesn’t know haven’t got any knowledge to go through the path and grounds to attain to yeah to achieve the Buddhahood.
So, and through that, but without having any knowledge of doing this, going to the paths and grounds, then the result is always suffering for oneself. The result is that one has to undergo again and again through the suffering. So for that, the master ārya Vasubandhu has stated that if one has no knowledge or wisdom, then one’s disturbing emotion is very strong and due to that one’s mind has been controlled by the disturbing emotion, disturbing emotion and through that one always accumulates the negativities. And due to the result of that one has to undergo through sufferings, like taking birth in six realms, like in this saṃsāra all the time, sometimes go up, sometimes go mean, being born in lower realms, you know. So at this stage we have achieved this optimum fortune, this optimum human rebirth and this is the result of the good work of our past previous life.
And due to our practice of patience in the past we have at this stage we have good friends and due to the practice of giving we don’t lack of our wealth and we are comfortable. Yeah. And, but this, but these are not certain. These are not permanent. It always, one day, one this is not certain.
It has no certainty and one day the impermanence, your impermanence, death will occur and at that stage we have to leave all these qualities. And also Vasubandhu stated, Vasubandhu has stated that Buddha has already entered, Buddha has closed or shut his eyes, which means he enters the nirvana and likewise all the great masters will enter into nirvana or pass through the death. And through that, also the teachings of Buddha are also degenerating, know, So, it is that, it’s stated that the teaching of Buddha, the Buddha’s teaching will last for five thousand years will last. And then at the end of five thousand years it ceased. And so we say the Buddhist teaching will last for five thousand years, which means the years have to be counted from the date of Buddha’s entry to nirvana.
And now from from so so the two thousand eight hundred seventy eight years has been passed up to now. So only what two thousand one hundred and twenty two years is left? And last five hundred years, during that period, there were, yeah, in the last five hundred years, then, during that period no one can teach the teaching because no one has the knowledge, no one will have knowledge of Dharma and also one no I mean, they there will be no one teaching the teaching the Buddhist doctrine. And there will be people wearing robes, but they can’t teach, you know, because they have no knowledge. So, only during that period, as we said, that there will be people wearing robes.
But, so only the mere name of the teaching exists, but no one actually has knowledge of teachings, and they can’t also teach. So in the end, here the conclusion, what we came to know is there’s only one thousand six hundred twenty two years left. So only one thousand six hundred ten years left, and during that period, there will be people who can do a practice by their own and also can teach others. At this stage we have Buddhist holy teachings present and also in Tibetan Buddhism it has all the teachings of Buddha has been preserved or exist in the Mahāyāna and tantric teachings as well now. And so the teaching the Buddha’s teaching is very, very rare and it’s also very helpful or beneficial and then also very and also holy.
And at this stage, we have we have this teaching. And at this I mean, at this time of state, we have all this all the Buddhist teachings. And so one one has to or one has it’s very important for one to practice it or practice yeah. Practice it properly. So if one practice properly or if one manage to practice this Buddhist teaching properly, then it will one can bring help to both oneself and others.
So, after the end of the five thousand years, Buddhist teaching will end. And one might think that this Buddhist teaching will come back again or not, then it will come. The teaching Buddhist teaching will come, but it won’t be the teaching of Buddha Śākyamūni. And after after that, then the ārya Maitreya Buddha, Maitreya Buddha will come to India and he will proceed through the way Buddha Śākyamūni has came to this world. So, but it will come, the Maitreya’s teachings will come, he will, Maitreya Buddha will descend and come to the world.
But one thinks when the Maitreya Buddha will come down to the world, means if we count the year then the our Maitreya will come after millions and billions of years human life, the years of human life. And during that between that period, like the Buddha’s teaching seeds and the coming of Maitreya Buddha, during that period, and we don’t have to mention about achieving the paths and grounds but even there will be it’s very rare rare to do a good action. And so at this time, one is no matter how our country situation is but this is the very fortunate and and good time for one to practice and and we have never been, we have never had any such opportunity in the past and we, it is very very hard to achieve such opportunity or circumstances in the future as well. Yes, so this is the very special opportunity and very fortunate to have received such a have such circumstances or opportunity. So this time one one one it’s very important for one to practice daily as much as one could and and and not just you know and also not just doing practice for oneself but also being happy, benefit or help others through one’s practices and by doing that one achieves yeah one brings So, and by practicing by oneself, one is achieving, one accumulates merit, and also by helping others through one’s practice, due to that the other person start practicing.
And by helping him or her, one also achieves the merits or wholesome. So one to two kinds of merits. So, only now this much time or years is left for the Dharma to exist. And so within that period, it is good if one can help others or one who has no knowledge about teachings or who has never heard the teachings. And if one helps those people, then one also serves the existence of the teaching.
And so it’s like that because for example here is Tibet, before Tibet had no teachings and has no practitioners there. And at the time of all the kingdom of the king Songtsen Gampo, who was the emanation of Chenrezig, and he invited Guru Rinpoche, which is Padmasambhava, and Shāntarakshita, and established the Nyingma sect. And so Guru Padmasambhava has been very helpful and been able to develop the teachings of Nyingma sect in Tibet. Gradually, the Sakya Pandita has been able to serve the teaching and increase the teaching of Sakya tradition. And the great master, translator, Marpa, has been able to spread the teachings of the Kagyu sect.
And later Tsongkhapa has been able to establish the Gelukpa sect. And so this is how Tibet has profound teachings of old or great or four sects in Tibet. Beginning of a monk in Tibet it was started by the seven, means there were only seven monks in Tibet who first became a monk. And so they were it was the time of King Trisong Detsen. And so and seven seven boys had become a monk at that time who are the first Tibetan monk in our history.
And so the king has asked seven families to help each monk. Each monk has seven families to support his robes or his livings. So and also it’s good if Australia can do this way, like have this kind of monks and help their monks. And then if and then also, by that, the teachings Buddhist teaching will spread largely in Australia. And for at this time, we have Champa Khedrup, an Australian monk in Sera, and I’m sure that he will bring he will benefit in the future he will benefit many people in Australia.
And at this time, I was looking for people to support him, the Australian monk in India, and up to now I’ve been able to manage five people who sponsors him, and four of them sponsors him ten dollars a month, and one sponsors five dollars a month. Means there’s five people sponsoring him, forty five dollars a month, which I’ve been able to fund and I appreciate for those people who supports him because he will help Australia or serve Australia in future. And so through the support by the contents or the support of those five sponsors, Champa Khedrup, I’m sure that he will study, he will complete his teachings in his monastery and in future he can come to Australia and teach the Dharma in Australia and benefits not many people in Australia. And so the sponsors have been very helpful for him and sponsors themselves have also accumulated great merit. And due to their kindness he has been, and in future he accomplished all the teachings and he benefited many people.
So I am very appreciative for the help of those five people and also say thanks for those five people who sponsored him. And likewise, I mean, there are many students from Buddha House and also from the Chenrezig Institute have been sponsoring Tibetan monks in our monastery and those help our sponsors have been very helpful for those monks in our monastery and monks they are really studying very hard and among the sponsorship monks some of them been able to some I mean, there are many and some has been some have already gone abroad and teach the teachings and and serve the teachings serve the teach serve serve the Buddhist teaching as well as benefit other people. So I also thank all the sponsors who helped. Thank all the sponsors. So it has been very benefit to spread the spread of Buddhist teaching in the world.
And the spirit of Dharma here means you serve the Buddhist teaching and also develop the teachings of Buddha. And to develop all the spirit of Buddhist teaching is to teach, and one has to teach Buddha’s teaching. And at this time, like in the world or in the countries like Australia, Europe, and America, etc, many Geshes and Lamas have been teaching in the centers and have been very helpful in the west. So today, yes, have you’ve been we have talked about the advantages and and advantages of cultivating relation with spiritual teacher and the disadvantages of not cultivating a spiritual relation with spiritual teacher. And so I request one to analyze this teaching about the advantages and disadvantages.
And then and and by that you come to know that one will choose the advantages one then means one can practice. And so by knowing the benefits of relying upon the spiritual teacher, I request you to then listen the teachings and contemplate and then meditate the teachings, put everything what you have heard into the meditation or into practice. So I’m telling you that the only now one thousand six hundred twenty two years left for Buddhist teachings to exist. And No. No.
So only there was one thousand two hundred twenty two years left for Buddhist teachings to exist. And also, and it is uncertain for us when the death occurs, like impermanence, death occurs to oneself. So at this time one has achieved this has this precious or this fortunate human rebirth or has this opportunity, make everything available at this time. And for our request you to practice properly while having such a conducive conditions to practice. And I have taught about the disadvantages of not practicing or not seeking relationship with spiritual teacher.
So it is up to one oneself to make decision and what you want to choose and whatever you choose just practice practice properly, you know. Yep. We’ll stop here and But it is not compulsory for you to ask questions. Yep. You want to go to that planet?
So practice properly at this time and then make good prayers to take rebirth in that place. Very good. Yeah. So at this time at this time, we we we were we are born in the place where or we have taken a rebirth in a place where the Buddha Śākyamūni’s teaching exists. And it is by the strong but it is by the result of our perfect rebirth, our previous rebirth, our previous rebirth, and by the prayers made by our previous lives, and by the power of our previous prayers we made in the prayers we made in previous life, we’ve been able to be born in a place where Buddha Śākyamūni’s teaching exists.
So at this time, if we if we make if we’ve been able to make the proper practice and prayers, then it’s definite that we will be able to match with the Buddhist or been able to yeah, met with our Maitreya’s teaching in India. When the Maitreya Buddha turns the wheel of doctrine or comes to India and teaches, if you will definitely make proper prayers, then we will take a birth at that place. For example, if one has a strong intention or strong wish to go to India, to go to India one needs to have enough money to go there. So work hard and earn money and get the ticket. So to go to India, if one has the money, so the thing is one need to have enough money to go to India to get tickets, etc.
And in terms of Dharma or teaching then, there is no work with money or the tickets. One has to instead of the instead of money one has to make strong or strong prayers to take a birth, to take a rebirth in such place where Buddhist teachings is that such place the teaching is exist. And at that time, while doing practice and the reason is one is making prayers and practice to achieve something or to take a birth somewhere. And if one can really do the proper practice, then one will definitely be born where one wishes. Is that the answer for your question?
So, Rinpoche puts back the question about where you want to go. You got any particular place in your mind that you want to go? Sorry? Places doesn’t mean the countries. Yeah.
Doing practice or making prayers is to propose something like this, if one is, it depends on one’s intention. The practice like become an arhat according to the Hīnayāna system which is self liberation or one wishes to become a bodhisattva or enlightened and if one can really do the proper practice one will achieve any of this. As we know that at the end of prayers we always make a dedication For example like Samantabhādra prayers and at the end of that we have dedication. It’s that what we are doing at the end is to what, I mean how much we have done or the merit we have gained through our doing practice and we dedicate it means we make prayers that saying that through the power of this, the power of my practice, Thou shall be born as a human in next life or I should be born as a god. Through the power of my practice I shall, yep, achieve the bodhicitta.
So this is the main thing. The dedication or the making prayers is one of the most practice we are doing. And if one, so one accumulates great merit and cannot make, not able to make any dedication then it’s very sad for one because one is yeah, it’s very bad, it’s very unfortunate or unlucky for one to not have not done the dedication. So, dedication is very important and always dedicate your merits have achieve a human rebirth again or to become a god or yeah. And to ultimately dedicate our merit to meet a spiritual teacher in your future births and and become enlightened or to dedicate all your merit to become all sentient beings to become enlightened.
So it’s worth the dedication is very important. Yeah. So the prayers just we have recited is the Lamrim prayer, which is the prayers of graduated path. And Tsongkhapa composed this after composing the Lamrim teaching. And he where in these prayers, made the dedication.
Tsongkhapa composed the Lamrim teaching, or Tsongkhapa composed the Lamrim text. And after the text, he composed these Lamrim prayers, this particular prayers we have recited. And in this praise, he dedicate all the merits he gained through composing a Lamrim text. So we are also at this stage and I have accumulated a great store of merit by teaching Lamrim here, by teaching Lamrim. And on the disciples side they have achieved or cultivate their merits by listening to the teaching.
And here we combine both yours and my merit in which becomes very powerful and then we are dedicating those merits in the same way as Tsongkhapa has done.