Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Rather than continuing his commentary, Khensur Rinpoche uses this 89-minute session — the final class of his 1998 Lamrim series — to synthesize everything taught and show how to put it into practice. He opens with a story about a geshe in Spain who finished teaching the complete Lamrim, only to be asked by a student, “But now how do we practice it?” Rinpoche then explains Lamrim as a mirror for checking one’s own practice, develops the image of the mind as poisoned water that only sustained drops of Dharma medicine can transform, and traces the full path from relying on a qualified teacher through the three scopes to the “two wings” of bodhicitta and wisdom realizing emptiness. He closes with homework: meditate on seeking the spiritual teacher until classes resume in the new year.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 16 LR 1998 12 01.mp3
UUID: aa38c755-aedc-4c33-b6b9-304149acea5c
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Lam Rim (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1998-12-01
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 89.2 minutes
Words: ~5,564
Alright. So first of all we set our motivation along with the bodhisattva. So we sentient being also human being has a very good wisdom and can also think very widely and as they can also understand or realize that acknowledge that all sentient beings other sentient beings wishes happiness and doesn’t want suffering as oneself. And by by knowing that all sentient beings has are wanting suffering and doesn’t wanting happiness and doesn’t want suffering, and through that, one developed, generates a kind loving, yep, love towards sentient beings and wishing them to have all those happiness and and wishing them to be free from such sufferings. And not just enough by wanting those sentient beings or wishing those sentient beings be free from suffering.
And sentient beings, they themselves work for their happiness and free themselves from suffering but it’s not just enough about that. One one also develops a special insight that and that I that I will free the sentient beings from the from from all the suffering and to make them have all the or make them have the happiness. So reason why we have to generate such a wish or intention to free all the sentient beings from the suffering from suffering is that because all the sent because sentient beings has been very kind for us in our past lives as well as this life and and so at present what we have, what one has is due to the contents of sentient beings one has everything one has everything what what what one sorry. Excuse me. So at this stage, due to the contents of to what everything has is from the contents of sentient beings and by but remember so to by remembering the kindness of all sentient beings, one is developing this special insight or wish to free all those free beloved mother sentient beings from suffering.
And at this stage, we have developed a special insight, but but but we don’t have we but we don’t have the power to we we don’t have the capability or power to, free those sentient beings and bring from suffering and bring them to the, ultimate happiness. Or we we at this stage, we don’t have we we have not found the capability to be to do this, accomplish this. And so as one has one one one has no, one has not got that capability of doing that and when one looks, investigate or look for a person who has found that potential and by analyzing or investigation, through investigation one came to know that all those arhats and the bodhisattvas also have no also have no haven’t got has no that power and and only the and one would came to know that only the Buddha has acquired all the good qualities and abandoned the negativities and has this capability or yeah. This capability. And as Buddha, he has achieved that goal or achieved that cap that potential or that power through listening and yep.
Through listening to the teachings or following instructions of his teacher and also by practicing all also by prep also through his practice, he have gained that he has gained that state. Yeah. No. And we we have we have a Buddha nature which is called Buddha nature within ones within oneself. And if if if one if one follows the practice and do and if one follow the instructions and go through the practice, put everything in the practice, one has a potential, one has as one has that nature one one will one can achieve the can be achieve enlightened or become like a Buddha and can and can can achieve that potential as well.
And so Mahāyāna teachings there, two kinds of Mahāyāna teachings through through this sūtra tantra or yes. It’s a tantra practice, tantra or saying the secret secret practice and and also have a perfection perfection vehicle. And at this time, we so if we And at this stage we can listen to the listen and practice and meditate on the Lamrim stages of the part of Lamrim which is the is the quintessential practices or part of the perfection wisdom, no, perfection sūtra or vehicle. So to achieve that attainment and for the sake of achieving the determined, one should have a one should have a motivation or intention to listen to it for the sake of achieving that. So one one should have a proper motivation or intention to achieve that goal by and through that, for the sake of that, achieving that one listens to the Lamrim, the stages of the path.
Yeah, so we’ll do a short meditation here. So the master Śāntideva has said that this precious human rebirth after after having attained such precious human rebirth and if one cannot make use of it then there is no such a fool and there is no such a greater fool than this which implies which means that there are many types of sentient beings in many types of beings in this world and and so this precious human rebirth is the is the most optimum rebirth to to overcome all the sufferings and achieve the happiness. And and so this precious he said he said that this precious human we have we have achieved that optimum rebirth or precious human rebirth and this human rebirth is the most is the best rebirth to achieve all the happiness and overcome overcome all the sufferings and and and to overcome to acquire achieve those happiness and overcoming. So the dharma is the method to overcome all these sufferings and to achieve those happiness. And so we have so we have attained such a human rebirth which with all the with all the conducive conditions and and have free from all the obstacles.
And so we have to we and such such rebirth, we have we we have not attained or achieved such rebirth in our in the past, and also very difficult to achieve that in the future as well. So, and after having achieved such such a precious rebirth and if, yes, if one cannot listen and contemplate and meditate on teachings after having attained such a human, such a precious rebirth, then there is no such a there’s no greater fool than this and there’s no greater confusion. Yeah. So if we I say in the in terms of meaning, there’s there’s no such a if one cannot make use of that precious human rebirth, then there’s no such there’s no such a greater loss than this. So, and while we and also he also says if one cannot practice then there’s no such a greater fool than that because we we have innately we innately wishes happiness and doesn’t want suffering and and to overcome all the to eradicate all the, just, all the sufferings and achieve the perfect or ultimate happiness is, to achieve that one has to, one need to practice the teachings or the Dharma and and and so as we have innately wanting suffering and wishing wishing happiness and one doesn’t want suffering and if one and if one does not use this precious human rebirth, then there’s no greater confusion than that.
So today I’m not going to teach special say, not teaching, continuing with the teaching, I will, so today I will summarize all the teachings I’ve, I’ve been taught up to now and to make summarize all teachings in some all teachings and and we’ll teach how to bring all or put them put all the teachings into the practice. So now why I want to summarize all the teaching and teach teach you how to put all this into practice is because there was a geshe in Spain and he taught all the Lamrim texts from the top to the bottom. And and at the end of the day, said that now we have finished complete the Lamrim text And then suddenly, the question came up that so you have said many things, but now how how how to I mean, now how how can we practice it? So for that for that reason, I’m summarizing and letting our teaching I’m teaching you how to bring all the teachings into practice. So if if the these questions will come up or will come up if one when one does not understand to listen or has not knowledge to listen to meditation because Lamrim teaching usually taught from hearing or listening and then contemplation and meditation.
And if Lamrim teaches all these three categories like listening to contemplation and meditation. And if one does not understand or to listen to practice then if this this will happen. So that person possibly has no knowledge about and or have no understanding of listening to means within disciples, are two types of disciples. Some are some of them are first time coming to listen to the Dharma and or to the teaching and another others, they have listened to the practice before and they just like a second time or third time. And the and for for the person, the first I mean, who that is for the first time come newcomers or first time, then they are they’re they’re just listening to a teaching which they have never heard and Oh.
So, are some newcomers, was I mean, it’s their first time listening to karma and they just came in on to the teaching, listen to teaching and as it it is it was already their first time, they’re just listening to a teaching or something which they have never heard, and then and then they just they they that’s, it’s their first time listening to Dharma and then, so they would just listening it and then getting ideas or or this is the teaching, Buddhist teaching and how one should practice or how one should listen. It’s the first time they’re getting that sort of knowledge. You hear? Oh yeah. Okay.
And the old student who has listening who has received Lamrim teaching before and instead, again, it’s going second time or until whatever. And at that point, as they have listened or they have received the teaching before, in this time, they need to do is they because they have received the teaching in the past and they have been following or practicing Lamrim teaching before, and in this time, what they need to do is they have, they got, they need to listen to the teaching and need to check whether the teachers, the teaching or instruction and your practice is matching or matching each other or not. If that goes to practice, if practice and if you find that your practice is matching with the teacher and then that means then your practice you are already doing a proper practice or right practice and then if one continues with such a practice, one can really increase or develop realizations within oneself. That’s a very good, very, very good. No.
So, if your practice and then the teachings contradict each other, then which is not good. It’s not a proper practice. So one has to check with listen to the teaching and make a correction between with one’s practice and investigate or check. And if one practice suits with or which is, yet matched with the Lamrim text or the teacher’s teaching then one should feel visualized that I’ve been doing a right proper practice and also continue with such a practice. And if one came to know that one practice does not suit or contradicts with the teaching of Lamrim teaching, then one feel regret and then try to recognize the one’s mistaken ones and then try to not to make such a mistake and make correction within one’s practice and never and try not to make such a mistake afterwards.
So it has stated that Lamrim teaching is like a mirror and to it’s like like so one has to do like say, as in our ordinary life, first, since the morning one one wakes up and then had wash and then have breakfast, everything, and they just it’s in Australia that people look in the mirror before they go out or before they go to their job and just correcting themselves by looking on the mirror and see any black dots on their somewhere in their face or just checking one’s appearance. And if we find if I find something, some dots on their face somewhere, and then just try to use some makeup stuff or cosmetics, like, and and then go out. And also, if one goes without a mirror and came to know there is some marks or some stains on their face and then one feel, ah, it’s not good. There’s something on my face, something not it. Likewise, the Lamrim teaching is like a mirror to correct one’s practice or to correct one’s mind.
And if one, if it reflects that one’s practice is not contradicting with the text or with the teaching if one practice is not contradicting with the teaching or with the text then one feel rejoice and if one one came to know that there is a mistake in one’s practice, then feel regret and then, or feel regret with a certain mistake and recognize that mistake and correct it, you know. So it’s like that. If one looks in the mirror and then they check that everything is okay with okay within oneself and then walk along in the street or in the crowd, and one can also one is very com com sure about oneself that there’s nothing wrong in dressings or any or makeups. And and also, so by that, one also feel very happy to walk in the crowd and also the people will also feel rejoice or will feel happy to see your good appearance or like good dressings or anything. So likewise, it’s like that.
If one some Lamrim teaching is like a mirror and one has to reflex one’s practice or one’s in the teaching and then if it suits or if it’s matched with the Lamrim teaching or with if your practice matched with the Lamrim teaching then you you you you have to or you want you will feel rejoice with your or happy with with your practice and also the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, like like crowd, they feel rejoiced to seeing you in such such a way. And likewise, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will also rejoice or feel happy with your such with your practice. And if one to if if one practice contradicts or or there’s a mistake in one’s practice, then one should feel regret and with such a mistake and then and and also the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will feel such not to be depressed or feel very sorry with your practice. So so at this stage, our our our mind is being mixed up or conjoined with this type of emotion and through through that one, you know, through and through that one one commits many negative deeds or one commits bad action through body, speech, mind and always accumulating the unwholesomes.
And so one need to try to mix one mind with the Lamrim text and by by mixing and by by conjoining one’s mind with the Lamrim teaching then one conjoins one’s mind with Dharma, and then through that one always commits positive actions through body, speech, and mind and accumulates wholesome So, normally we say practice, practice, but practice itself means that one ought to the practice itself means is to mix one’s or conjoin or mix one’s mind into the Dharma. And if one can if one can do do that, then there is so that is the perfect practice, and there’s not such a greater practice than that. So, first, we don’t know how to first, we we don’t know how to mix or conjoin one’s mind with the Dharma. For that, to understand that one has to, first one has to listen to the Dharma and listen to the teachings or the Dharma and then by listening to the Dharma one came to know what are the negativities and what are the positives and what are the negatives and positives And then by doing that one analyzes one’s mind. If one mind goes with that then it becomes that one’s mind is mixing or conjoining with the negativities.
And if one wants to go through that way or to follow that way, then it’s with the positive or with meeting with yeah, it’s mixed with the positive actions. And by knowing that, then one tries one tries one try not to let mind join or goes goes after the negativity and always convert it towards the positive action and by by and then trying to mix those mixing the mind with the positive action which means it’s it’s conjoining or mixing one’s mind with the Dharma and then trying to and then very often and and try to contemplate or try to manage that practice often very often and which is called the meditation, always converting mixing one’s mind with the Dharma. So at this stage, our mind is always mainly mixed up with the disturbing emotions. It’s like water which is being poisoned like water, if water, say a cup of water and if one and if the like a very soft like a drop of sour or like lemon drops, few drops in the cup and then water remains sour for Likewise, at this stage at this time, our mind is being like water in which being has drops of disturbing emotions.
And through that, our mind is mainly mixed up with the disturbing emotions. So it’s like a water or the water which we said it’s a drop of salvo or like water with a drop of poison. And then the water and then water being being poisoned and because of the drops of the poison, so no one can use that water. If one uses the water, then that will bring suffering to a person who consumes that water. Yes.
So so at this stage, so the almonds like that water with a poison in it, and then so no one it it’s not suitable to consume that water because it, yeah, no, not suitable to consume that water. So what we need to do is not so by dropping the medicines just one by one in that water, and it’s very hard to become that water pure or suitable to consume from just by the few drops of medicines. And it will take a while to become, convert that water into medicine. But, so it will take a time, it takes time. So, by dropping, getting the medicine drops in the water for long time and then gradually the all the water that medicine cures or or they subdue the power of poisoning the cup and then gradually water water itself become itself become a medicine.
One can take it, you know, consume it. And so our mind is like that particular water with the poison you eat and that water will take time to convert poisoned water into medicine. So just by dropping one or two drops of medicine cannot turn that poisoned water into medicinal water. So, to convert that into medicine, it needs a lot, many many drops of medicine in it. Likewise, our mind is like that, poisoned water and then to purify our mind, yeah, make or turn or to make our mind in the positive state or bring our mind to positive state is not just by few drops or just like few drops, medicine drop likewise just by few one or two listening, few practices cannot convert or purify our mind completely.
It will by continue by keeping by continuing for long term or doing a practice for long period or for continuing with one practice one can gradually purify one’s mind and then can can convert our mind into the positive state and then can begin turning yeah. And so by giving the drops of our practice on that portion of mind and by continuation, by keeping continuing with the practice one can gradually convert our that poisoned mind into the positive or good mind and then gradually or one can bring a mind which is called bodhicitta or altruistic intention onto that mind and then and even better than that, one can also bring a mind or wisdom which realizes emptiness onto one’s that mind and then if one can develop, bring those two minds on the onto that mind, then and one one has achieved or or gathered or mixed one’s mind into the great best two medicines, which is those altruistic intention or, yeah, bodhicitta and the wisdom, realizing emptiness are the best medicine to free oneself, overcome one overcome all the selfishness and achieve ultimate happiness.
So if one can develop or generate those two bodhicitta and the wisdom realizing emptiness which are also called the method and the wisdom, The method and wisdom to achieve enlightenment which in that case the method is the altruistic bodhicitta and wisdom is wisdom realizing emptiness. So if one has that, then for that for that the our great master Candrakīrti has stated that if one has those two, the bodhicitta method and the wisdom realizing emptiness, then one can easily fly over the oceans and reach the ultimate goal, enlightenment. And it’s it’s it’s like that if the the in Australia which bird is called I think it’s an eagle or something like that that has huge wings. What is it? Anyway it’s a very giant bird, alright.
That’s a very big wing. Whatever, it’s a giant bird which can fly, alright. So if that bird has a very strong I mean it has a very big wings and if that wings are very strong or healthy then he can flew very far over distance over the seas. Likewise, the two wings of that bird, the wisdom, if one has the wisdom and the method which wisdom realizing emptiness and the method of bodhicitta, then one can easily fly over the oceans and reach enlightenment. So, to achieve those wisdom and methods, that wisdom realizing emptiness and the method bodhicitta or altruistic intention within oneself, to achieve that one has to rely upon a spiritual teacher or spiritual guide who, that’s a qualified spiritual teacher who has, who can teach these teach the teachings unmistakenly and also who has practiced those path, who has undergone through the practice, undergone through the path and then also can lead the sentient beings and also who can teach the paths as well.
So and one has to rely upon such a qualified spiritual teacher and through and by relying upon them, one listens to his teaching and then bring all the bring all his teachings into practice and then can achieve wisdom realizing emptiness and bodhicitta. So to achieve that wisdom realizing emptiness and bodhicitta within oneself. And to achieve that, first one has to one needs to develop the love and compassion and need to develop love generate love and compassion and which is the practice of the great scope. And to achieve that, to achieve or develop love and compassion with or to train through the great scope, one has to practice the middle middling scope or medium scope and so one has to practice through the Four Noble Truths to achieve that love and compassion or to study or undergo through the practice of great scope one needs to study on the Four Noble Truths and which is the practice of middling scope. And then to do that one has to practice the or meditate about the difficulties of achieving this optimum human rebirth and which is the practice of small scope.
So so so what it entails or what it means is to one has to undergo through all the practice to develop from the small scope to the great scope through through practice yeah, meditating on, you know, various aspects of rebirth and then training or contemplating through the four noble truths and then through the great scopes and finally achieve that wisdom realizing emptiness and bodhicitta. Yeah. So from the beginning, we are not familiarized with the practice and we have not much experience experience on doing this practice and and for at the beginning, we we we some people might think it it is it will take a time and it is very a long practice or to do a long I mean for a long period meditation something because from if one meditates from the small scope to the great scope, one might think it will take, it is a very long meditation session or one it takes very long to one. But it is because one’s mind is we are not fully familiarized with the practice or one has no. Yeah.
And so from the beginning one face difficulties but later on through our strong practice and mind become more and more familiarized with the practice one can easily or do that whole meditation from meditate on all those three like small to small scope to great scope in a few seconds time. Like we’ve been stated that some great masters they can meditate on this numbering, this small scope to the great scope in the duration, say when they ride a horse and you know one has to put the leg feet pedal, say, steer or anything and then have to put, so during that period they can meditate on the whole practice of Lamrim. So, the main thing is to feminize one’s mind into practice. If one’s mind is really fully familiarized with the practice then one can do all this practice in a few So, example has been given like duration between one who rides a horse. When one rides a horse, just put one foot on a stair and then, you know, take one’s right leg over there because in all of this, the Tibet, there is no watch in Tibet so they can’t talk with a minute or a second.
So, they just tell the duration how it takes from when one rides a horse. Yes. So the main thing is to familiarize one’s mind. And if one train if one trains one’s mind or familiarize one’s mind in the practice, then one can easily do all meditation in very short period. So, I’ve been giving that example for many times now.
It’s like a typist. So, typist takes for a while to familiarize with the keyboard for a while. They have to train their fingers or anything like that. Later on, they just become very perfect or or used with the keyboard and they don’t they can just type it very easily. They they don’t even look at the keyboard.
They just type the letters while they’re talking to someone else? So the geshe Chekhawa who has, you know, it’s the author or who who wrote the commentary on the Seven Point mind training has stated that our mind is mind is not mixed with disturbing emotion, but it was but our mind is covered or wrapped with disturbing emotions and has many negativities. But he also said that it has one great quality which is that it has one great quality which is if one trained or teach that mind it can understand whatever. So this is the quality of that mind. So what it means is if one, so mind has, so that mind, if one teaches or teach any any kind of teaching to that mind then that mind can easily understand the teaching whatever you teach.
So this is the quality of that mind. For that reason he said that we need to teach or train our mind. So Rinpoche also said that the main thing is to familiarize our mind. If one does the familiarization then one can achieve anything and so it depends on whether one do that or not. So, the main thing is to train or familiarize our mind.
And so, to train our mind, one has to listen to the Dharma. And to listen to Dharma, one has one needs to rely upon spiritual teacher and so which is the root of all the parts, which is root of the part and and to to rely upon a spiritual teacher is very important. And we have dealt with this topic in the last weeks. And and I’ve also taught the benefits of teaching, relying upon spiritual teacher and disadvantages of not advantages of relying upon spiritual teacher and disadvantages of not relying upon spiritual teacher. And so, so one should practice on this seeking relation with the spiritual teacher and I have also taught about relying in thought, and the main thing in relying in thought is to train our generating of faith and conviction.
So it it is very it is very is very hard to do this practice at the first time but by meditate or by practicing very often on this lying seeking relation with the spiritual teacher, one will one and the other one can can really do this practice well and if one knows how to do this practice then and which is the root of all the parts. And if one can do that properly then the later parts like small scopes and the practice of small scopes, milling scope, all all scopes will easily achieve. So seeking relation with the spiritual teacher is very important and which is also the root of all the parts. So I have just given a given teach you like a given like a seed which is just a very brief one. And also, but there is an English translation of the Lamrim, you know, Liberation in the BAM of your Hand composed by Pabongka Rinpoche and if you go through that, you will you can understand more of that as well.
And so up to now we’ve been teaching for a long time and both of both of us has worked very hard. So some people are working full time and they work in but so despite their working, they still come to teaching regularly and I’m on my part, I’m doing my best to teach teach in the class. So, by through our both sides have worked very hard and through our practice or through our work we have achieved a great stroke, merit. And we have also made good imprints on the teaching of great Mahāyāna teaching and also helped lead our lead the meaningful life. And so, and we may not develop a great realization within oneself even by doing a very strong meditation or doing strong practice on Mahāyāna teachings but one shouldn’t be upset with that because by doing a very strong practice in one’s whole life, by doing that one has a great imprint on. The more we do the practice, the more we leave imprints and in future that imprint or predisposition will help us to develop a realization very quickly within one’s mind stream.
So, at this stage, sometimes we cannot develop such great realization within one’s mind stream even with a great very hard practice or very intense meditation and practice. It doesn’t mean that teaching has not the potential or power. It is because it is because of our it’s because that we have not left enough imprints in the past and and so because of that we cannot develop certain realization with oneself even with intense practice or meditation. But by doing this and by doing such a strong or intense practice and meditation in this time and by doing that we are leaving great imprints on one’s mind stream and in the future one that imprints or predisposition will rise up and then we can easily develop the realization within oneself and then start going from happiness to happiness. So today is the last teaching of the year and and so keep keep keep your practice or meditation about seeking relation with the spiritual teacher until next year we start the teaching and try to by doing a meditation or med yeah.
On that seeking relation with the spiritual teacher and try your try very hard to generate that practice or develop that practice within one’s mind until the next class restarts next year. So in Tibet there have been many practitioners that when they go to receive the nambing teaching in a crowd or yeah and then they’ve been so those disciples or the practitioners first they meditate in the class while teacher was giving a teaching on Lamrim and they just absorbed it like listening to the teaching and also analyzing or checking and meditating that whether their practice is with or matching with the teaching or with the text or not. And by doing such a meditation many of them has gained realization within that period while listening to the teaching. Oh yeah, I’m thinking. That’s what That’s what Unless we will stop here and no questions today.