Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 99-minute session, Khensur Rinpoche pivots from the sevenfold cause-and-effect method taught in earlier Lamrim classes to Śāntideva’s approach of equalizing and exchanging self and others — presented as a secret teaching suited to disciples with sharp faculties. He works through three of five subdivisions: establishing that all beings, animals included, equally wish for happiness and shun suffering; tracing self-cherishing as the root of the ten non-virtuous actions and cyclic existence; and surveying the benefits of cherishing others, from ethical discipline and better rebirth up to love, compassion, and bodhicitta. The contrast between Buddha Śākyamūni — who embraced teachings on cherishing others and attained liberation — and ordinary beings still mired in self-cherishing recurs throughout as the session’s central illustration.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 13 LR 2000 03 28.mp3
UUID: 6831373f-d8a5-4a4d-9199-580c58c832e9
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Lam Rim (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 2000-03-28
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 99.0 minutes
Words: ~4,091
First of set our motivation along with the altruistic intention and follow that with short meditation. Spoke oneself and others are saying wishing wishing happiness and do not want suffering. So to develop here love and compassion by wishing them wishing one’s and others to have the happiness and being free from all the sufferings. And then develop a special insight in making resolution within oneself that I will bring both oneself and others the state of ultimate happiness and freedom from all the sufferings. In order to accomplish that, I shall here purify all my deluded, tainted mind and cultivate a very clear and pure mind.
That purpose, I shall hear, listen, contemplate, and meditate upon these teachings and through this I will bring a great help towards both oneself and others. We have been dealing about the way of cultivating an altruistic intention. And it’s been said for the two types or two versions or two ways of cultivating the altruistic intention. The one derived from the great master Atisha to Asaṇga and so forth, and their way of cultivating the altruistic intention is their system is through training in the sevenfold causes and effect, and through this, it’s their way, their system or method of developing an altruistic intention. And now we today, we go towards the next system which derived well, which was derived from the great master, Ārya Mañjuśrī, to Śāntideva and the fellow disciples through yes.
So their way of cultivating a bodhicitta is to training into training one’s mind in, by training one’s mind into or by cultivating a bodhicitta through equalizing and exchanging self and others. One can eventually develop an altruistic intention of bodhicitta through through training in the sevenfold cause and effect instructions which we have given we have which we have taught in the past classes. And now here is another another method of cultivating a altruistic set forth by by great master. Śāntideva, and which was mainly focused on a particular specific type of type of disciples who who has sharp faculty into very intelligent and who are very enthusiastic. According to the ancient tradition system, the first one cultivating a bodhicitta through training in the sevenfold cause and effect instruction was was was taught in general public in the more more disciples in general, whereas in the second one, which we are going to teach, this one’s mind by equalizing self and others, exchanging self and others was mainly set forth to restricted disciples who are all in the sense been taught secretly.
Good master Śāntideva has set forth a verse which shows that the particular method of cultivating altruistic intention is a secret teaching, these secrets which actually implies it’s a very profound teaching that very set forth, like that this is a practice for those who swiftly wants protect self and others from the suffering. So as this as it is a very profound teaching or secret teaching, the listener or disciples who receive this teaching should maintain a very, very relaxed mind and not to be not to feel very covered or something like very darkness or mind’s been covered by anything. So I should listen with a very relaxed and open minded so that otherwise if one does not do with a relaxed mind, if you listen with a very, say, the close minded then there is a danger of developing or like an unevenness or hesitation. Yeah, so to go through this, training one’s mind in the equalizing mode and exchanging self and others has numbers of subdivisions, which the first one is equalizing self and others, then thinking about the second is thinking about the faults of cherishing self, and then third is the benefits of cherishing others, and then the actual attitude of exchanging self and others, and then showing the skillful means of the compassion, how to how to how to overcome or how to eradicate others’ sufferings and showing the skillful means of compassion, how one sends one’s happiness to others.
So there are different ways of establishing the subdivisions. It was set for it becomes six in numbers when one when one divides those two, the compassion through through the skillful means of compassion, how one overcome other’s suffering or get eradicated other’s suffering through great compassion, through compassion how one offers or gives one happiness towards others, by separating those two, it becomes six in divisions. And there is other way that which becomes five by combining those two last two at once, in one. So, in a sense, equalizing self from others, which actually is called equanimity, and that there was an equanimity which comes through the last teachings of the seven point causes and effect instructions. So now here today’s the equanimity or equalize themselves and others and the equanimity we taught in the past lesson is slightly different.
As we have recently taught the equanimity, I’m sure everyone reminds it and it’s still very fresh in your mind. And the equanimity which we taught in the past in the last lessons was is the equanimity of of of equanimity of not having the closeness or feeling of closeness and distance in entire sentient beings which means free from attachment and hatred. That was and that equanimity, the practice of equanimity is being set forth a slight easier than the coming one. So, equanimity here set forth by great master the great master Śāntideva is that the slight difference from the previous one. So here, this equanimity is that equalizing seeing both oneself and others are equal in terms of terms of wanting happiness and do not wish sufferings.
So it’s one can easily recall within oneself without any thinking that without any thinking that seeing all those any kind of human being that innately he or she wants happiness and do not wish suffering and likewise the entire sentient beings, animals, or so forth are also the same in nature wanting happiness and do not wish suffering. We can also understand animal, for animal as well because although the animals not intelligent and they are dumb and so forth, but still we can understand that they wish happiness and do not want suffering because when they feel cold, they look for a hot place and they try to move towards a cold place and as well, when they feel cold, they look for a hot place where there is a heat or warm and when they feel hot, they look for a cold place. One can easily understand or see. So, and also it’s been said forth that sentient beings survive on food. So likewise, also the animals, they do have the suffering of hunger, because of that, they move around move forward and backwards to look for food to get some happiness of being free from the suffering of hunger.
So, they want to overcome from all the sufferings and wish happiness and it is, for example, for instance, ourselves, because of wanting or seeking happiness, we spend whole day working whether it’s so hot or sunny day or it’s a very rainy day, whatever it is, we still move along and that is that actually it’s the reason the reason of doing so is to get some happiness. So here it shows that entire sentient beings who living sentient the living beings are innately or one in nature that wanting happiness and do not wish suffering. So, the first one, meditating upon seeing or meditating on equalizing self and others by seeing self and others, seeing both oneself and others are equal in terms of wishing happiness and do not want suffering, doing such a meditation is called meditating meditation on equalizing self and others. Doctor. Bain is So, now how to cultivate or obtain that happiness?
For instance, in our daily life, according to the modern work, then we always cherish oneself and then work to get and work hard earn money so that one can buy all the necessities and to attain some happiness. According to the great master Śāntideva, it’s been according to the great master Śāntideva, the cherishing cherishing working engaging in action to attain the happiness by cherishing self is not the right way to cultivate the happiness. So the great master Śāntideva has said for the best way of cultivating the happiness is to engaging or performing an action through cherishing others more important than oneself. And through this, such a method is a very, good method and one can attain happiness, which is the method is also a very reliable method. And he also said that the cultivating happiness through by cherishing oneself is the main is a causes is actually a causes is a cause to or for suffering.
And working hard to attain happiness by cherishing others, cherishing other non important themselves is the best method of cultivating happiness. So, therefore, we should change the way of cultivating happiness, to cultivate happiness by cherishing others more important than oneself. So what it implies is, so implies is that one should change one’s one’s one’s cherish more, that instead of cherishing self, one should cherish others and performing a work or an action focusing on others rather than oneself, which implies that one should, so that shows that one should not work one should not use too much effort on one’s own benefit. The reason why it’s been said for this because of trailing self, more important than others, one face all those difficulties and self undergoes through all the self, all this heart, heart all undergoes through the self and because of that because of that self self self-cherishing attitude. And and and self self-cherishing attitude is the root cause to to to to, yeah, these are the root cause to follow all the unwanteds unwanted sufferings.
So as we as we are the one who wish happiness and do not want suffering, so therefore, we need to eradicate, alleviate the causes of the root causes of the suffering, which is self-cherishing, self-cherishing attitude. So, using self-cherishing as a method to cultivate happiness is the main source is the cause for the sufferings and they’ve been clearly stated that what the results or the lack of sufferings comes by cherishing or maintaining the self-cherishing attitude. So here the great master Candrakīrti has set forth that there is normally, there is an I within one that we can actually see, that is the I that which sleeps, eats, and so forth, but because of but we don’t understand that how that I exist and we agree that we cease without with the lack of understanding, we we we perceive that the I, that I is something which exists, not depending, exists self sufficiently, acts by its own without depending on others. So, in fact, there is no self sufficiently existent exist of I, but we we we make that we but we we yeah. So but we agree or we consider a self sufficient existence or a I which is sufficiently exist by its own by making that exist, then we work we work to gain happiness for for the particular eye.
And then that I wishes wishes happiness, but it is it is be it is it is very obvious that the eye by its own can’t attain or can’t can’t attain its happiness. So and when the eye looks that that eye the particular eye looks for a method to attain happiness for for itself, then it the eye, it appears to that eye that all those the five sense organs or five all those five aggregates and like eye, ear, nose, one’s hand, the limbs, so forth and things that those are the best method to achieve the happiness for itself or the particular eye and they work for it. That are considers the perceived that all those five aggregates are also self sufficiently active by their own. In general, is those five sense organs are the method to attain happiness for that eye that we can see because when that eye sees through the eye and by seeing that eye seeing a beautiful object or beautiful appearing things, when the eye receives certain kind of happiness and likewise too, and when the eye listens through the ear by hearing beautiful things, it gets a certain happiness and likewise taste and so forth.
So yeah. So and so that that that self sufficient self sufficiently as self sufficiently exist I and which perceives the mind for all mind for I or the five sense organs and keeping all these five sense organs as the basis or method to cultivate the happiness by cherishing I or oneself, then it engages in the action of actions and it starts cultivating ten non virtuous actions like because of wanting happiness for self, then it engages in the the first non virtuous action like act the killing to to to like killing animal to to get some happiness for for food or eat for food, to to have some meat for food, and then comes the rest of the non virtuous action to get a happiness with a self-cherishing attitude. And so by and through this, one cultivates all the ten non virtuous actions, and by cultivating the ten non virtuous actions, the only result of those actions will the only result result of those actions are negative action non virtuous actions brings the the sufferings. And because because because because because that self-cherishing attitude will always engage or do or perform perform always perform the action which causes harm to others.
Only. The self-cherishing attitude is the main source to receive all the unwanted sufferings. Because the self-cherishing attitude always thinks for self happiness and never thinks of others, and because of this, it cultivates the non virtuous actions or negative actions all the time. We been in the cyclic existence since from the beginning of this time and have been using this self-cherishing attitude as a method to cultivate the happiness for oneself or happiness to self. And if it is a perfect method to cultivate happiness for ourself, then we should have completed, we should have attained the happiness by now because it has been a very, very long time, numberless, since from the beginning of the time we have used this method, but instead of completing or attaining one’s happiness, it causes us to it made us to cultivate a very bad action, which the bad action or bad action which will result to us to go through the endless sufferings.
That self-cherishing attitude has built up into a suffering in the past, which also lead us into which we all and currently, it it it also lead us into suffering currently, and it as well as it will it it it all it will lead us into suffering in the future. So we can easily understand that the self-cherishing attribute is a real enemy. So, in the past, we have cultivated all these negative actions through the self-cherishing attitude, and we have done we have committed lots of mistakes in the past. That happened because of our lack of understanding comes through the ignorance and the confusion and also having not met with the teachings and the lama who shows you how to practice. But at this stage, but this time, now one should realize that one has done or one has committed a mistake in the past and make sure that one will not make such a mistake at this time because one has met with the teachings of Buddhas and also have met with the rama’s gurus who can perfectly show you how to overcome oneself from the suffering.
Having all these opportunities and very fortunate talent, one should try to stop those things to happen again. So these are the disadvantages or faults of self-cherishing attitude. By knowing faults of self-cherishing attitude, now one needs to understand the benefits, the advantages of cherishing others or the good quality of cherishing others. So the advantages of cherishing others, as follows. That because because the because by cherishing others, love and compassion comes under the self under cherishing others.
Because by cherishing others, one wish to have happiness for others and and to to to and to bring help to bring happiness for others, then one will cultivate ultimately cultivate a love and compassion and always have affection. Then because of this affection, one will not cultivate any of those ten non virtuous actions the ten non virtuous actions causes of bringing suffering for others has some affect, love and compassion towards others, one do not also one do not want to harm others. So because of that, not wanting to harm others, one will not commit the first non virtuous action, the act of killing because killing others causes others’ life or causes harm to others. As one do not wish to harm others, that will not happen. Likewise, sexual misconduct, stealing, and so forth of the non virtuous actions will not be committed.
Now, So, yeah, by cherishing others, cherishing others will come When one develops the mind we cherish others, more important self, then that mind comes along with the love and compassion to others. And by having love and compassion to others, one will not have any intention of causing harm to others. And because of this, one can eventually abandon all these ten non virtuous actions. And by abandoning the ten non virtuous actions, which shows that one by abandoning ten non virtuous actions, one cuts one leads a very ethical discipline and maintaining a good ethical discipline. The benefit of this is that it cuts the door or it closes the door of the lower rebirths.
It’s been stated that the ethical discipline is the only cause for the higher rebirths. The higher rebirths are the humans than gods. If one maintains a very ethical discipline, then one will have a rebirth of human, a higher rebirth. By doing so, then one is being protected from the greatest sufferings which is the suffering of lower realms. And having a love and compassion towards others, and also the benefit of maintaining that is by having strong compassion and love, one one wants to help others and then by doing so, practices the perfection which is generosity and then as well as one also maintains the patience for others because of love and compassion.
By doing so, the benefit of practicing giving and generosity that in the future one will have very good enjoyment or good wealth. And then by maintaining patience for others as a result of that, in the future one will take a birth in very, very good looking or good form, and then have good partner or friends and also become very close and will have good relations with the friends or partner and also have very sharp mind. So, developing a love and compassion through cherishing others is more important than oneself. Can also, because of this love and compassion, one can cultivate bodhicitta or altruistic intention. And the benefit of developing altruistic intention is that one can then one one can one can one can can one can train in the the path and one can cultivate or the realization in the path path and path and grounds of the Mahāyāna’s teachings or or the great vehicle. And by attaining or such a realization, one can perfect both the purposes of self and others and will become enlightened.
Also, the great master Nāgārjuna, Aryan Nāgārjuna, said forth that in sentient beings, in the cyclic existence, are beings of good migrations and the bad migrations and the happy migration and the unhappy or suffering migrations, or the happy and the unhappy in the cyclic existence. Where does all this come from? The answer was that the happiness and the good migrations comes through helping other sentient beings and the bad migration, which are the lower migrations and unhappiness or the sufferings comes through by harming others. So, this implies that cherishing others is the main cause to have all the happiness and because by cherishing others, one will automatically maintain or develop love and compassion to others and through this will never harm others. By not harming others, one will have good migrations plus happiness.
And as causing bringing harm to others is the main cause for the lower migration and the unhappiness or the sufferings, then one should not maintain or one should not cultivate the self-cherishing attitude because self-cherishing attitude will always look for the happiness for the self. Because of wanting happiness for the self, it always it will foresight others and do not care for others and that will cause harm to others and by harming others, which will lead you into the suffering and the lower rebirth or the bad migration. So we do need to have a love and compassion towards self or towards oneself. And it is said for that if well, the when one have love and compassion towards oneself, which means that they’re having compassion for oneself, which implies that one which which which wants to protect oneself from the suffering and and having a compassion towards oneself which which seeks happiness for the self. So so it’s been said for that if if one wants to have love and compassion, if one wants to cultivate love and compassion for oneself, then one should cultivate or want to cherish others.
I’ll put it this way, one should cherish others more important than oneself if one wants to have love and compassion towards oneself. If one do not want to have love and compassion towards oneself, then cherish or then cultivate or then want to cherish oneself more important than others. It’s a good So because by having cherishing others, all the happiness and good migration comes under the cherishing others, and the fact is all the sufferings and the bad migration migration comes under the self-cherishing attitude. Also the great master Śāntideva has said for, I don’t really need to explain much because you can easily understand. If you don’t, look for ordinary person what they get through, what they have achieved through cherishing oneself more important than others.
And what Buddha Śākyamūni has attained by cherishing others, you can easily understand by looking at those two beings. So, their master, Śāntideva, has also said that the Buddha Śākyamūni and also of our sin from very beginningless from the very beginningless time the both are saying that wandering, seeing a being who wanders in the cyclic existence. But at this stage, for the time being, Buddha Śākyamūni, during this year, so between the time, Buddha Śākyamūni has met the Mahāyānist rama and had received the teachings of the importance of cherishing others and forsaking self-cherishing attitude. By having received all these teachings from him, from his teachers, he was able to free himself from the cyclic existence and and being free from cyclic existence and as well as being rich enriched with good qualities. Whereas for us, we are still, because of not meeting with the Mahāyāna steachings, the lama who shows us the importance of cherishing others, we not able to free ourselves from the suffering, ourselves from cyclic existence and have and being maintaining that self-cherishing attitude up to now.
And due because of this, instead of freeing ourselves from cyclic existence, we are stuck in the very depth of the cyclic existence. So the great master Śāntideva was a student of Ārya Mañjuśrī. So because of this, the the great master Śāntideva has a very sharp and and and and very sharp and good wisdom. Bigger, that’s So we have completed three part or three subdivisions of the five. The first three which are equalizing self from others, thinking about the false self-cherishing attitude and the benefit or advantages of cherishing others.
So, if you have a very sharp faculty and a good wisdom, then analyze the teachings and find out which is the best way to do. Best way? You should examine yourself to choose which way to choose, I mean, to decide which path to take. We’ll take a couple of questions. Yes, so it’s alright if you don’t have questions, that doesn’t really matter.
Do good meditation and we’ll do a long Lamrim prayer today, recite the long Lamrim prayers.