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File: 13 LR 1998 11 17.mp3
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Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Lam Rim (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1998-11-17
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 86.5 minutes
Words: ~4,758
So first of all, train our set our motivation of bodhicitta. So both oneself and others innately have a innately have a wish to have happiness and doesn’t want suffering. No. So as both oneself and others wishes excuse me. So have an intention to have to bring happiness or to bring help for both oneself and others for that one one should wish to have intention that how wonderful if the sentient beings and oneself be free from those unwanted suffering, those unwanted suffering, and through that develop affection towards both oneself and others.
And then and then both both oneself and as both oneself and others also wish the happiness and thinking that how wonderful if if the both has 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 a basis and then on top of that if one has a special insight then one’s practice would become very powerful. And this here, the special so the special insight is, like, it’s that it’s not it’s not just enough by thinking that how wonderful if all sentient beings have have the happiness and free from unwanted suffering. So by thinking one cannot leave it or one cannot accomplish that.
For that, so one need to have a special insight that I only, I will do, I will free and I will accomplish this unwanted accomplish to eliminate this unwanted suffering and this wanting happiness and to make a resolution that I will accomplish that and through that one generates a great enthusiasm. And if then when one analyzes that whether one has the potential to accomplish that propose that proposes then one came to know that one has at this stage one has no potential to accomplish those And one may think that then who has the potential potential to do and accomplish the two purposes and if one thinks that whether we can find that whether I can find that potential or not then when we came to know everyone has a nature, Buddha nature within one’s mind stream but at this stage we or one has one cannot totally erase all this Buddha nature which within one’s mind stream and and also one can came 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 those two purposes and one can become a Buddha and then accomplish their two purpose.
So and then so one one one came to know the one as a Buddha nature in one’s mind stream, but due to our strong imprints of negativities, we cannot develop or actualize our Buddha nature. So to so just and then yeah. For that one cannot so one should try to alleviate all the negativities and to alleviate those negativities from one’s mind stream and one should have a 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 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 teach in last teachings and also we’ll teach again here about the benefits of seeking relation, cultivating relation with a 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 will, one has more likely or more, one is more happier, happy to involve or do such a practice. It’s like knowing the profit of business then one has no difficulty and have a willingness or happy to do the business because they know benefits or the profits, No? So our goal or our achievement is to overcome all the negativities and accomplish the perfect or accomplish all the good qualities. And to accomplish that one really needs to. So without relying upon special teacher one cannot accomplish that goal.
And so by relying one can accomplish that goal by relying upon spiritual teacher because by relying upon him then he will teach you the he will teach you the practices what to be done and things, what has to be abandoned. And his instruction will first come to eliminate the gross negativities and then by excuse me, by abandoning the gross negativities one achieves, yeah, gradually smaller or greater 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 come to do that, then that is the state of which is called and that is called the Buddha. And and but Buddha been achieved. Buddhahood has been achieved by relying upon or cultivating a relationship with the spiritual teacher.
And also by seeking 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, one also one is also becoming free or like abandoning one’s suffering, and one one 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 or yep. By developing merit one achieves more and more happiness.
So also the happiness and an abandonment of negativities and the achievement of of happiness is also achieved through relying upon the spiritual teacher. And also, so by relying upon spiritual teacher and one one if one does such practice, then one one one become free from free from negativities and become happier and happier, and one also overcome ones 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 the spiritual teacher, it pleases Buddha. It is like this way. For example, if a mother has the only child and her only child and that only child goes and she sent him or her to school and then she’d been learning a lot and become all right. Finally, the child became a great famous or a scholar. And yeah, for that, the mother is very that mother will be very happy by the result of her only child only child because she was very happy with the good result of her only child because it’s because of her strong affection towards her only child.
So it is like, it is the same way that by relying upon spiritual teacher or during that practice it also pleases Buddha because Buddha has a strong affection and love towards sentient beings and if someone who does this practice and but through that practice one develops, one is being freeing oneself from suffering and then acquiring happiness, ultimate happiness. So Buddha has strong affection to a sentient beings. This is how it also pleases the Buddha. So normally, know, daily life, we practice that. I mean, we make lots and lots of offerings to Buddha.
And the purpose of making offerings to Buddhas is to please the Buddhas. By practicing such thing like seeking relation with spiritual teacher, which pleases more than making pleases Buddha more than offering 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, one quickly attains the enlightenment. And by accumulating great merit 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.
And it’s such a Yeah. Also, excuse me. And also by pleasing Buddha, as we said, one accumulates, gets to all 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 achieves 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 the spiritual teacher, if we expand, it’s very, very profound or very vast. And so, I mean, it will a very, very long time. So if it’s summarized here, like, but if you summarize or if 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 the 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 spiritual teacher?
And if one disadvantages of not cultivating relation with spiritual teacher is then one cannot become a Buddha or Yeah, one cannot become a Buddha, bodhisattva, and one cannot achieve the paths and grounds, ten parts ten grounds and five paths, and cannot develop renunciation. Yeah. What the name is? I didn’t call it. Arahat.
Arahat. Yes. The Rinpoche said, if you don’t rely upon a spiritual teacher, then there is no arahat for you. So but not relying upon a spiritual teacher then one cannot achieve. There’s no arhat for you for one.
It is because that but without but not relying seeking or cultivating a relationship with a spiritual 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’s which obscures one’s knowledge. And their knowledge knowledge to know the how to or what things to be practiced and what things to be abandoned. And here the practice of abandon 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, and yeah, Buddhahood and Arhat. So and so if one because of the strong obscuration of ignorance then we we we we our yeah, 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 and going to the passing grounds, then the result is always suffering for the result is that one has to undergo again and again through the sufferings. So for that, the master ārya Vasubandhu has stated that if one has no knowledge or wisdom, then one always and then, yeah, then one’s disturbing emotion is very strong and due to that, one 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 and sometimes go I mean, being born in lower realms. And so at this stage we have achieved this optimum fortune, this optimum human rebirth and this is the result of 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 the practice of giving, we don’t lack of our, yeah, wealth and we are comfortable. Yeah. And but, but this but, 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 yeah, impermanence, death will occur. And at that stage, have to leave all these all all these qualities. And also, 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 death. And through that, also the teachings of Buddha are also degenerating. So it is that it’s stated that the teaching of Buddha, the Buddha’s teaching will last for five thousand years. 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 year has to be count from the day the date of Buddha’s entry to nirvana. And now from from the 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 Come on. Last five hundred years, during that period, they 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, there will be no one teaching the Buddhist doctrine. And there will be people wearing robes but they can’t teach 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 they can’t also teach us. So in the end, 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.
So at this stage, we have Buddhist holy teachings and also in Tibetan Buddhism it has all the teachings of Buddha has been preserved or exist in Mahāyāna and tantric teachings as well now. And so the teaching Buddha’s teaching is very very rare and is 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 the stage, have all this Buddhist teachings and so one has to it’s very important for one to practice it or practice it properly. So if one practice properly or if one manages to practice this Buddhist teaching properly, then one can bring help for both oneself and others? So after the end of the five thousand years, Buddhist teaching will end.
And one might think that is Buddhist teaching will come back again or not, then it will come. India. I am I am at. So after the end of this five thousand years, the 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 as and he will proceed through the way Buddha Śākyamūni has came to this world.
So but but it will come, the Maitreya’s teaching will come, or a Maitreya Buddha will descend and all come to the world, but if one thinks when the Maitreya Buddha will come down to world, means if we count the year, then the I may say it will come after millions of billions of years, you know, human life, I mean, 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 passing 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, I mean, how our country’s good time for one to practice. And 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 a opportunity or circumstances in futures as well. Yes.
This is the very special opportunity and very fortunate to have receive such a to have such circumstances or opportunity. So this time one one it’s very important for one to practice daily as much as one could. 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 one brings So by practicing by oneself, one achieves, one accumulates merit, and also by helping others through one’s practice and due to that the other person start to practicing, and by helping him or her one also achieves the merits or wholesome. One achieves two kinds of merits.
So 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, and he invited Padmasambhava and Shāntarakshita and established the Nyingma sect. And so Guru Padmasambhava has been very helpful in being 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 the Tibet has has the profound teachings of all those great of four sects in Tibet. No. No. The the beginning of a monk in Tibet, it was started by by the seven.
There were 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 the seven 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, like, robes or his livings.
So and also it is good if Australia can do this way. Like, have this kind of monks help their monks. I’ll tell you more later. Then if and then also by that, the teachings Buddhist teaching will spread largely in Australia. And at this time we have Champa Khedrup, an Australian monk in Sera, and I’m sure that he will bring he will benefit in future, he he will benefit many people in Australia.
And at this time and I was looking for people to support him, 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 has 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. So through the support of those five sponsors, Champa Khedrup, I’m sure that 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 merit. And due to their kindness he had been in the future he accomplished all the teachings and he benefited many people. So I’m very appreciative for the help of those five people and also say thanks for those five people who sponsor him.
And likewise, I mean, are many students from Buddha House and also from the Chenrezig Institute 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 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 serve the teachings serve the teachings serve serve the Buddha’s teaching as well as benefit other people. So I I mean, I also thank thank all the sponsors who helped.
Yeah. Thank all the sponsors. So it has been very benefit to spread of Buddhist teaching in the world. And the spirit of Dharma here means to serve the Buddhist teaching and also develop the teachings of Buddha. And to to develop or to develop the to develop all the spirit of Buddhist teaching is to teach, and one one has to teach Buddhist teaching.
And at this time, like, the world or in the countries like Australia, Europe, and America, etcetera, the many geshis and lamas been teaching in the centers and have been very been helpful in the west. So today, we have you’ve been we have talked about the advantages and advantages of cultivating relation with spiritual teacher and the disadvantages of not cultivating a relation with spiritual teacher. And so I request one to analyze this teaching about the advantages and disadvantages. And then and and by new by that you come to know that one will choose the advantages one then means one will one can practice. And 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 there are only one thousand six hundred twenty two years left for Buddhist teachings to exist. 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 have one has achieved this has this precious or has this fortunate human rebirth or has this opportunity, make everything available at this time. And so I request you to practice properly while having such a conducive conditions to practice.
And I have told 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. Yep, we’ll stop here and any questions? We’ll save a few minutes.
Questions? Yeah. But it is not compulsory for you for you to ask questions. Yeah. It is.
Yeah. 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 a place where or we have taken a rebirth in a place where the Buddha Shakyamun’s teaching is exist. And it is by the the strong but it yeah. It is by the result of our proper rebirth, a previous rebirth, a previous rebirth, by the prayers made by our previous lives and due to by the power of our previous prayers we met 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 being 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 if you 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 and so to go to India, if one has some money, so the the thing is one need to have enough money to go to India to get tickets, etcetera. And in in 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 we are while the we are 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 born where one wishes. Is that the answer for your No. So Rinpoche puts back the question about where you want to go. Have you got any particular place in your mind that you want to go?
Sorry? Places doesn’t mean the countries. So doing practice or meaning prayer is to propose something like this. If one is it depends on one’s intention. The practice is like become an arhat according to the Hīnayāna system, which is self liberation.
Or or one wishes to become a bodhisattva or or enlightened and if one can really do the proper practice one will achieve any of this. As you 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. Is 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, through the power of my practice, thou shall be born as a human in the 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 all this merit and cannot make, not able to make any dedication, then one it’s very sad for one because one’s yeah. It’s it’s very bad. It’s very unfortunate or unlucky for one to not having not done the dedication. So dedication is very important and always dedicate your merits have achieve the human rebirth again or to become a god or yeah, and to also dedicate your merit to meet a spiritual teacher in your future births and and become enlightened or or to dedicate for dedicate all your merit to become all sentient beings to dedicate all sentient beings to become enlightened.
So it’s worth the dedication is very important.