Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Anchored in Buddha’s three-line verse — do not commit unwholesome acts, accumulate virtue, tame the mind completely — Khensur Rinpoche uses this 82-minute opening Lamrim session to explain why those instructions matter. He traces the logic that happiness and suffering both arise from causes formed in the mind, then introduces a central image: the mind is like pure water, taking on the character of whatever it is mixed with — virtue or poison. The three root afflictions — attachment, hatred, and confusion — are identified as the contaminants; their antidotes are renunciation, bodhicitta, and the wisdom realising emptiness. Rinpoche then maps these three antidotes onto Lamrim’s three stages of practice, from the initial through the great being. The session closes with Q&A on generating enthusiasm for practice, whether the mind can rest in a permanently neutral state, and how deeply attachment persists until arhathood.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 17 LR 1998 12 08.mp3
UUID: 8f57a734-b958-47b5-a05f-6c0b92a7bd87
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Lam Rim (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1998-12-08
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 81.8 minutes
Words: ~4,545
So Buddha Śākyamūni, the Lord Buddha has stated nice advice to listener to listener to his Dharma. Can you hear me? Quite alright, what’s that? I think it’s working. Hello?
Sorry. So Buddha Śākyamūni has given very valuable advice for the listeners that do not commit any unwholesome actions. Enjoy Okay. Do not commit any unwholesome actions. Enjoy accumulating perfect virtues and taming your mind completely.
This is the teaching of Buddha. So this is a very valuable advice to his disciples or his audience. So, Rinpoche was requested to teach the Lamrim, which is graduated path. So, today he’ll explain the requirements or preliminary practice or what are the requirements one needs to practice the Lamrim or at least practice the Dharma or listen to Lamrim. So, and he will will today he will start with why it is worthwhile to practice the Dharma and what are the benefits and how one should listen to the Dharma.
So, we had begun our session by reciting the refuge prayers and then also as we are and also we have as been a Mahāyāna or Mahāyāna practitioner. We have I mean go refuge we have taken recite the refuge verses. And also we have recite the prayers for Tsongkhapa which is the founder of the Gelug sect. And we have done this Guru Puja with seven limbs of practice. And also we have recite the Heart Sūtra.
So, as we are a Mahayanists or Mahāyāna practitioner and the two which is very precious and to practice Dharma is not easy that we have lot of obstructions or obscurations. There are many obstacles faced by many practitioners. So as to remove all the obstacles or obscurations, we have recited the Heart Sūtra to remove all the obstacles and obstructions. So and usually, like, when we practice the Dharma, we there are many obstacles coming up coming through for both the teacher and the student. So here, Heart Sūtra has been recite to remove all the obstacles or obstructions.
So, as Buddha gave us the advice, which is not to commit any unwholesome actions and accumulate and enjoy accumulating perfect virtue. So, which is Buddha Buddha advised us affectionately and he said not to commit or cultivate any negative actions and he also stated us to accumulate a good merit. Yeah. So, okay, so Buddha has taught what is to be abandoned and what is to be taken. So, and you might think that what are why is it Buddha said not to commit any negative actions and cultivate wholesome deeds?
So and excuse me. So, Buddha has said not to commit any unwholesome deeds. So, as you know, the all sentient beings including everything, like, I mean, sentient beings naturally, they prefers or they wish to have happiness and we don’t have to teach that they have I mean, they don’t sorry sorry again. So, naturally, it’s it’s natural that everyone seeks happiness and that and they doesn’t wish or don’t want suffering. So, and we may everyone thinks or everyone wished it, how it is nice if I have or if I get happiness.
So it is not worthwhile or not. It is not just enough to just by thinking. We should know how it comes to you. So, the happiness is a result of something. So one should try to understand or one should try to know that which is the cause for happiness and to want happiness or wish to have happiness one should seek or cultivate the cause which brings you the happiness.
Which is the reason of mean happiness is the reason of the cause which we need to seek or we need to cultivate. And it is same. It is central to suffering. So everyone doesn’t wish any suffering and it is also a result of something which you have done in previous lives or you have accumulated before. So, it’s not I mean, suffering doesn’t move out or cannot be removed just by thinking.
So, to remove that you need to recognize which is the cause of the suffering and one should overcome that cause of the suffering. So, this is the reason why so we have to recognize what is the cause of what is the cause of suffering. So, Buddha has clearly stated that not to commit any unwholesome action means to so this is the unwholesome action. So, Buddha was showing you the cause of suffering which is unwholesome actions or deeds. So Buddha said that one should recognize the cause of suffering and then stop it or, I mean, abandon or get rid of or eradicate it so that if you eradicate the root of the suffering and no matter whatever happens suffering will never come to you because since you have already uprooted the causes of suffering.
So also Buddha said that enjoy accumulate enjoy accumulating perfect virtues. So, when one wishes one wishes the happiness, we need to cultivate for the cause of cause of the happiness. So, it also and the Buddha has declared that perfect virtue means we need to cultivate the cause of this happiness purely or one should really work very hard to gain or cultivate the causes of the virtues. So, if you cultivate that causes correctly, correctly, then the results, which is happiness, will naturally comes to you. Understand, you should try to know that there are suffering, there are two which is suffering and happiness and both of them comes by its cause.
So, you should know that and also you know how those causes of these two results comes, which I mean, you should know that those causes comes or cause sorry, those causes formed by your mind. So, and you say that we talk about body, speech and mind. So, when we say here mind is which is in Tibetan which is called Yi and in English it’s Rinpoche emphasized that Yi and mind is the same. So, here the ye and sorry, ye and mind is the same. And the mind is the one which performs every actions.
So, I mean I mean, you must have experienced it. Is the mind is the main thing which works everything. So, you naturally mind itself is very pure as water. It’s naturally it’s pure as it’s like so it’s naturally very clean as pure water. Good water.
So, mind is like a pure water and you as you know, the pure water can be used to drink and have wash your head be used to washing, etc. So, if you put or add something sweet in the water and you drink it, it gives you enjoyment or, you know, nourishes the body and mind, something like that. And, yeah, yeah, I mean, if you add sweet or sugar, say sugar in water, then it becomes sweet and you like it. It’s the same if you So, the water will become sweet and it’s very tasty to you in your mouth and it’s very it suits to your health. So, if you put a poison in the pure water and drink it, then it will cause you suffering, it will bring illness or sickness.
And if that is a dangerous person, it will kill you. So, as we said before, if you add sweet or sugar in water, which will, I mean, bring, I mean, it’s tasty in your mouth and helps, it suits also your health. It’s like if your mind, your mind is like a pure water. So if you mix that pure mind with virtue.
No. So, if you mix that pure Pure mind with the cause of the happiness, which we told With the mind, then it will bring happiness in your mind and in your body, etcetera. And say, if you mix your contact or mix your mind with the cause of happiness, and then it will bring happiness to your body and mind. And then if you experience it for a long time, then it will later it will give you the ultimate happiness. So, it’s like that.
So, if you you mix your mind with the cause of suffering, is negative action, then, like, I mean, like the poison which will it may kill you. It’s in the same way that if you mix their mind, a pure mind with the negative with cause of negative, sorry, it’s the cause of suffering, say negative action, then it will cause you suffering and, I mean, it will bring unhappiness in your mind and body and also cause sufferings for others as well. No. So so far you have noticed that there are two kinds which mixed with your mind. Say the negative one and the positive one.
So, as for that Buddha has stated the subdue your command completely or alter your mind completely, which means here it refers to subdue your mind means mind should it refers that you should uproot it or stop cultivating the non virtuous actions. So, if you stop cultivating or increasing the negative actions then there won’t be any problem. And then your mind remains happy and it will bring you happy as well. So, you should know there is a one month which should be abundant. So, should and we need to know that what what what is which is the one that we need to abandon it or forbid it.
So, for this Nāgārjuna stated, Nāgārjuna said that we need to, you know that to tame the mind one needs to abandon those negative actions which is here Gombolutri has stated, these are the main. So, see, sorry, in Tibet it’s Gombolutri. This one which is said and in Sanskrit it’s Nāgārjuna. Here it’s recognized the three root or major causes for suffering which are the attachment, hatred and, sorry, three main afflictive emotions which are attachment, hatred and, call it, confusion. And, so if we are able to overcome or eradicate this major or main afflictive emotions, then the minor will automatically stop. So, attachment, hatred and confusion are recognized as the root of the suffering, root of the suffering.
So, if we eradicate those three main root sufferings then there are many minor negative actions which give birth to those desire, hatred and confusion. So, if we uproot all these main three afflictive emotions, and then there are many, sorry, the minor or which brings give birth, which there are other minor afflictive emotion which give birth to the main one. So, if you, if you uproot the main tree, then others can do nothing. As you know, if we uproot the tree from the root, then will like, I mean, branches can never help because it will go, I mean, fall down or should be It’s an example like, I mean, so if you uprooted the tree from the root or uprooted it then, I mean, branches can do nothing. So, it’s like that.
So, if you get rid of the major or three root afflicted emotion, desire, hatred and confusion then, I mean, even those minor afflictive emotions cannot give birth to those three. So, up to now, I mean, those three roots those three root sufferings which always mix with our mind and then which will give happiness, unhappiness all the time to us. So, when your mind mix with any of these three, then our mind becomes polluted or become bad. So, Buddha has said that to subdue your mind completely. So, you may think what are the things to be subdued or things to be subdued.
Which are the three, so these are the three which we have to subdue in our mind: desire, hatred and confusion. So, you may think so Rinpoche will say that how can we subdue or tam our mind? So, I mean, you may think how how how we can term our mind. So, we can’t subdue our mind by like chopping or like using some weapons like knife, etcetera. Or just about beating axe.
So, we need to subdue those three main roots, self root, suffering which is desire, hatred and confusion. So, so they are they are the three opposite sides of three which is the non attachment and non hatred and non confusion. So, So, these are the three main thing which counter which anti we act as a I mean, which are the antidotes for those three desire, hatred and confusion. And we need to cultivate those three. So, there are, I mean, the three antidotes for those three causes of suffering.
So, as we have told before that the perfect virtue or like a virtue is the cause for the happiness. Cause for happiness and then, so, Dushyam Nivagyam, sorry. Dushan may be give. So, virtuous action or virtue without attachment is the antidote for the attachment and saying that virtues without non hatred is the antidote for the hatred and virtues without confusion is the antidote for confusion. So, and those three acts are antidote for the, I mean, the cause for the three rude afflicted emotions.
So, Rinpoche will go briefly with that. So, and so we have stated that the virtues without virtues without attachment, which is which acts as a kind to talk for the hatred. So, and if you go briefly like that, Rinpoche, it’s the main three principles aspects of the path which is already renunciation or, you know, renunciation or wish to free from cyclic existence. And the second one is the bodhicitta or enlightened mind. And third one is the perfect view or correct view.
So, here the renunciation is the virtue without attachment. So which acts as an antidote for attachment. And the bodhicitta or enlightened mind is the virtue without hatred and which acts as the antidote for hatred, and the third one which is the correct view means the wisdom realizing emptiness acts as an antidote for confusion. So, renunciation or wish to free from cyclic existence, I prefer to use that one. And bodhicitta or enlightened mind, and correct view which is the wisdom realizing emptiness.
If we cultivate those three within ourselves then and then practice it really then later it the power of that by practicing these three we increase, we develop these three in our mind and then it becomes stronger and stronger every day and which acts antidote for those three major sufferings. So if we cultivate this continuously then later these three can uproot all the suffering and we never need to undergo through the suffering anymore. No. So, Rinpoche said he’ll give you a modern example, which is, say, if if we didn’t light up and say it’s a Buddha house or a house here, teaching hall, if we didn’t use the heater and electricity then how it’s ever meant very cold. So, and as for example, for that our if our mind keeps in the same way then it is full of negative which is always it has been tied up with those three main major sufferings or cause of the suffering. So, and then if you use heater or lights inside the room then it instantly it becomes very hot inside and the cold is expelled and the room becomes very warm and the cold goes off. So, at the moment, our mind is full of those three negative actions. So, as we have light up inside room and the heater, the cools goes off, That if we generate renunciation, sorry, wish to free from cyclic existence bodhicitta enlightened mind and the correct view or non hatred, non attachment, non hatred and non confusion then it becomes powerful or very strong within ourselves and then those three negative actions will naturally degenerate or been eliminated.
No. No. So that heat we used to heat and that heat inside removes the coal from the house. Very good. And then so by doing this or generating those three renunciation, so wish to free from cyclic existence and enlightened mind and correct view then later or gradually will become bodhisattva and Arhab and Buddha.
So, we should or we need to strive very hard to cultivate those three which is yeah, which are wish to free from cyclic existence and I mean I think this is the last time I’m repeating again, so I’m sorry. So it’s wish to free from cyclic existence and enlightened mind and correct view. So we need to strive very hard to cultivate these three. So if we do that then we are culti I mean we are uprooting or we are abandoning the root of the suffering and cultivating the root of the happiness or virtues. So this is the way, usually we do practice and practice this is how we practice.
This is called we are practicing or we’ve been practiced. So normally we said we are practicing and we are doing meditation. So this, I mean, indeed, this is really a big work. So, we have to, we need to meditate to cultivate those three and then remove those three negative actions.
So, you may think how we can practice this. So to practice this we have here the Lamrim which is called graduated path. So within the graduated path we have three divisions or subdivisions, which is small being, middling being and greater being. So, if you are able to practice the first, say, what I said, I think small being, middling being and greater being, this is what I use, isn’t it? If Ladam.
Ladam. Ladam. Ladam. Yeah. Graduated path and which is divided into three.
So if you are able to practice two, first two which is the small being and the greater being or usually we say initial stage, middling stage and the great stage something like that. So if we practice, if you are able to practice the first two, then gradually we are, then we can achieve the, can achieve the, let’s say the happiness without, we can, we are able to achieve the renunciation or wish to free from cyclic existence. Yeah, which is wish to free from cyclic existence. So the practice of the initial stage and the middling stage are the method to achieve the wish to free from cyclic existence or renunciation within ourselves. So you can’t, you won’t be able to generate renunciation within yourself if you don’t practice these two, those two.
So the first two stages are the causes for generating renunciation or wish to free from cyclic existence within yourself, which will come later when we go through the main text. So the third one, great stage or the, yes, great stage, then you can, when you practice the third one, which is great stage, by practicing that then you are able to generate the second one which is non hatred and non confusion which is bodhicitta or enlightened mind and the correct view which is wisdom realizing emptiness. So, those two, the bodhicitta or enlightened mind and the wisdom realizing emptiness, you know, is obtained when you are able to practice. So, be obtained by practicing the third stage. So Buddha has taught many teachings but those teachings are for to cultivate the three positive actions which is, know, renounce, wish to free from self existence and enlightened mind and correct view wisdom realizing emptiness and and to abandon the desire, hatred and confusion.
So, Buddha has taught many gave many teachings to cultivate the three positive ones and eliminate the three negative ones. So, for Buddha’s teaching then a great master Atisha had written a commentary on Buddha’s teachings which is called Lamp of the graduated path. And for later for that then the Chum Apa has composed many graduated paths or many Lamrims which is for as for the sharp or intelligent person he taught the great exposition of the path and for the person with a middling stage or middling mind so he has divided into three parts. As for the sharp intelligent person he composed the Great Exposition of the Graduated Path and then for the middling being he taught the middling Lamrim, which is a great condensed version and for the third one he built an even shorter one. So, for that then, Buddha has stated that do not commit any unwholesome actions, enjoy accumulating perfect virtues and subdue or taming your mind completely.
So Buddha said these are these are the teachings of himself or these are the teachings of Buddha. So, excuse me. Dharmas? No. So, No.
No. So, always say that to practice Dharma. So you may think that what is Dharma? So Dharma means Dharma here, to practice Dharma means you should practice Dharma and then to the dhum sevasya, right? And so, but we are doing how to remove.
So, the Dharma is the one, when we practice Dharma then, then it will remove the three main negative actions or three root causes of the suffering and which will cultivate or bring happiness to us. So this is what it’s called Dharma or a practice. And which will the practice that which will give us the both the temporary and ultimate happiness. So Rinpoche said, if you summarize means all just like, so the practice here means is if you practice that so we are cultivating those three positive actions which will give us the ultimate happiness. And if we practice this, then it will remove all the suffering.
So, only Dharma can remove the cause of suffering and both suffering and the causes of suffering. So, I mean, without except Dharma nothing can remove the suffering and its causes even if you use the weapons or like tank guns, guns, etcetera. So, no, nothing can remove except Dharma can free us or remove the both the suffering and it causes. So, these are the reason why we need to practice the Dharma as we wish happiness and do not want suffering. So, this is the reason why we practice.
So so we’ll stop here today. If someone has any questions, please, Rinpoche will keep five minutes for questions and answer. And how to generate enthusiasm to practice or do meditation. Am I right? Yes.
So the So, always said, I want happiness or we wish, I mean, I want happiness all the time. So, if you think that then you don’t want suffering. So, you to, I mean, often think about that you wish happiness and you don’t want suffering. So if you think it often and then the enthusiasm or your enthusiasm will ultimately come around. As you know, mean, we always wake up early and work and then work very late is to get some money.
So, you’re working because you all, I mean, in your mind are thinking that, Oh, money is very important. I need money. So, by thinking that you work very early and work very late. So, I mean, you’re I’m What do you mean? So, you’re thinking about the benefits and you understand or thinking about the benefits of the money.
So for that you wake away early and even you don’t get a time to eat, you just drive and eat and park. I mean, think about the benefits of dharma often. Yes, please. Character of the kinds of actions that you engage in, the kinds of thoughts that you have. What if instead of developing virtuous thoughts or not developing negative thoughts.
You just try to develop neutral thoughts. Is that possible and is that worthwhile? I don’t know. I’m not a tech with him. Alright.
Alright. So, when we what do you mean that? So, the analogy and then If the mind takes on the character of its thoughts, Rinpoche, the teaching was saying that we should strive to develop virtue I mean, analogy is not that. As we I mean, you’re sugar in a water, is, I mean, contact or mixed self. Self has no character at all.
Uh-huh. It’s neither virtuous nor non virtuous. Oh, you mean that or don’t we just Why don’t we if that’s the case why don’t we just Yeah, understand now. Got it. So Rinpoche said that mind is kind of like, it’s in the between, it works but it’s in the between.
If we mix or conjure with negative action then it goes to negative one. You got it? You can speak. Is it possible for the mind to exist not in conjunction with the mind? If you mean to cultivate that kind of stage in the middle of want to get peace within yourself.
Am I right? So, I mean, normally mine is in the middle state, but if you mix with negative it goes to that side and if you mix with the sorry, contract with the posture back it goes there. But the reason why we are not I’m starving for the neutral mind is because we can a mind can never be stay in a neutral place all the time. So, it’s it’s staying in a middle or in between. See, if the negative action is more powerful than a positive one, it goes after negative.
So it’s it’s it’s like we are just waiting for which is the power, I mean which is more powerful, you know. So mind can never be reached and restrained or can stay in a mid middle or neutral state all the time. It can’t stay there. Yes, please. I have a question for Rinpoche.
So the answer is you can never overcome the attachment unless you achieve the arhathood or become arhat. So, I mean, as you said, you got attachment to their family or children and then in Vadrin Bijay said, you have, you, I mean, everyone has attachment until you, I mean, until you, I mean, reach the arhathood or become arhat. So, I mean, whether you have attachment, I mean, it sounds like you don’t have any attachments with your car or house, something like that. But Rinpoche said, it’s just if you see, if you, I mean, broke your car, just a part of your car and then see, I mean, whether you will know that whether you have attachment or not, you know. So Rinpoche said that, I mean, it’s true that you have attachment with your family and dogs and etcetera.
But Rinpoche, so it’s true, I mean, has that. And, but it is that we are not able to completely abandon or overcome attachment unless we attain the liberation of arhathood. Yeah, enlightened but yeah, there is a I mean, you that you should know the difference between the arhat and enlightened beings. Alright? Stupid.
Enlightened beings is arhat. That’s alright. Okay. So, arhatu means liberated beings. So, I mean, so when something goes wrong with your family or your children and you get worried or etcetera, this is why I mean you have strong attachment with them.
The only thing is the difference that For certain things you have attachment but not very strongly. And certainly for something like family you have a strong attachment. Okay. Nothing. Yeah.
We’ll stop here today.