Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The story of Chenrezig shattering into a thousand pieces — consequence of breaking his shepherd-like vow to bring every being to enlightenment before himself — anchors Khensur Rinpoche’s 91-minute commentary on bodhicitta in this Lam Rim series at Buddha House. After defining bodhicitta through Maitreya’s formulation, Rinpoche distinguishes aspiring from engaging bodhicitta via a simple work-day analogy, then compares three ways of cultivating it: king-like (attain enlightenment first to help others, as Śākyamūni did), shepherd-like (others go first, as Chenrezig vowed, with dramatic consequences), and boatman-like (crossing together). He next maps the four grades of bodhicitta onto the Heart Sūtra mantra and explains the two obscurations blocking the path’s final stages. A closing Q&A addresses whether the shepherd-like vow can realistically be kept and how realizing emptiness relates to overcoming those obscurations.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 19 LR 2000 06 20.mp3
UUID: c70710aa-81ef-4b4a-8773-7f26fa97e515
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Lam Rim (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 2000-06-20
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 91.6 minutes
Words: ~4,165
So first we’ll set up Can you So we’ll set up motivation and along with the proper motivation, we’ll engage in the practice of listening and teachings now. Should develop a love towards both self and others who are lacking lacking happiness, which is the happiness of liberation and free from cyclic existence and the happiness, the uncontaminated happiness. So by focusing on those sentient beings, you develop their love, wishing them how wishing wishing them and seeing how wonderful it is for them to have them have those happiness. So not only those sentient beings lack happiness, they are also tortured by huge sufferings. So suffering therefore develop a compassion towards those beings wishing them wishing and thinking how wonderful it is for them to be free from all the sufferings and their causes.
And develop a special insight that they’re taking all the responsibility to take to free all those sentient beings from suffering and bring them to the ultimate happiness. In order to accomplish such, I shall purify all the negativities and attain enlightenment. So for that purpose, I shall hear or listen to this profound teaching of Lamrim, the graduated path, and bring all the hearings into contemplation and to meditation through this, I’ll lead a good practice. So we shall here do a short, know, a few minutes meditation. To the refresh quiz page one yeah I mean that So the importance of bodhicitta, the altruistic intention, the altruistic intention is said to be very, very intense and had great qualities with along with it.
And here, the great master, the Ārya Maitreya, has stated that the bodhicitta is the one which seeks enlightened for the sake of entire for the sake of others. So I think it is more it is bit important it is quite important to explain the qualities and importance of the bodhicitta. The definition or the meaning of bodhicitta is that one understands the the other other sentient beings, they lack happiness and undergoes through huge sufferings. Not only they lack happiness, they also undergo through suffering. By knowing so, and in order to free all those sentient beings from the sufferings and bring them to the state of ultimate happiness, and and in order to do so, working to purify one’s or entire negativity and acquire the good qualities and yeah.
Yeah. Acquired good qualities and seek and to which means enlighten seeking enlightenment is called the bodhicitta. By training again and again in such mind, whenever one gets used to it or becomes familiar with it. So by training in such bodhicitta again and again, and whenever one get used to it or had huge experience on such mind, then one has realized or attained a bodhicitta. Whoever has developed such a mind, whether it’s a monk or a non-ordained practitioner, the person receives the name of bodhisattva. And for that bodhicitta, it has the main two subdivisions.
The great master Śāntideva has demonstrated an example along with the explanation about the bodhicitta. He has demonstrated two analogous examples, and the first one is, for example, a person who is working, and early when he or she wakes up and during the breakfast time, the person thinks that today I’ll go to work and I’ll do my best, and such a thought is not implemented but it becomes a motivation. And the second example is after having developed that intention or motivation and then person involved or engaged in the activity, the work the person either walks or drives to the work and start or and then starts working there, and that is the second example. And so those two examples imply the two types of altruistic intention.
The first one is implies that by by seeing all these sentient beings being very helpful and kind to you, for and therefore, they are very important to oneself, And seeing and seeing all those sentient beings undergoing through huge sufferings and lacking happiness, when in order to help and developing a wish to help those sentient beings from the sufferings and and and bring them to the state of ultimate happiness, which is developing such a motivation is called the the first one, which is aspiring bodhicitta. So this is how the meaning of the aspiring or altruistic intention and first example means almost the same, but the the first example was to develop the motivation that one will work hard. And, likewise, developing aspiring altruistic intention is a wish or a motivation to free all the sentient beings from the suffering and bring them to the state of ultimate happiness. And the second example shows the second altruistic intention which is engaging bodhicitta or altruistic intention. So during the aspiring bodhicitta, one has developed a mere wish or motivation to help sentient beings but one hasn’t started the work at that time.
It’s like one developing a motivation to work hard during the breakfast time. And during the second example, has started or one implements one’s motivation that one has engaged in the work either driving or walking and reached the workplace if its a typist the person types and so forth. Likewise, during the second altruistic intention, engaging altruistic intention, the right person, a person involved in the activity or in activity to in activity, which is to free all the sentient beings from the suffering. During the second altruistic intention engaging bodhicitta, one one actually involves in the in in activity in order to free those sentient beings from the suffering. And what are those what are what are what are those activity one involved or one engage one engages or one one one practice one practices or the activities are those six perfections, which one actually practices: generosity, ethical discipline, patience, effort, concentration, and wisdom.
And so the one in in the so engaging in the first perfection, practicing generosity by giving protection, the the the giving material presents, giving spiritual teachings and so forth, and likewise guiding ethics or ethical disciplines, meditating on patience and so forth. And activities like doing prostrations, making offerings, practicing seven limb prayers, offering mandalas, doing meditations and so forth. So engaging in all these activities along with the along along with that motivation is called is called the engaging bodhicitta. So, along with those altruistic intentions, the first one acts motivation, and second engages in the action. And and doing a practice with those, one will collect a numb huge amount of positive actions or or virtues, and and through the power of this one will abandon all the negativities.
One can abandon the negativities very quickly and fast and can attain enlightenment. Just by mere wish or motivation, one will not accomplish the one’s wishes. For example, like for example, the person wants to eat something delicious, and and one develops a motivation or intention to eat something pleasant today. But if the person didn’t eat on that day, then just by the intention will not fulfill the person’s wish. So along with that intention of in in intention wanting to eat something something delicious or pleasant, and one engages in the cooking, like chopping chopping and so forth.
And then after having cooked, one eats and and then actually, you know, one eats. And as as as a result or a benefit, one’s body will survive and one has a potential to to perform or engage in activity or as a work, and and and it it it has been helpful for oneself. Just by mere wish and do not engage in cooking and so forth, then one will not have the benefits of surviving one’s body with and so forth. So the difference between those two altruistic intentions is the first one is motivation or intention, and the second one involves action.
So when one practices on those altruistic intentions and do meditation, there are three ways of developing bodhicitta. So, those three ways of developing bodhicitta is are the first one are being explained along with examples. So, the first one is the king like bodhicitta or altruistic intention, and second is shepherd like bodhicitta, and third one is boatman like bodhicitta. So, as we said, there are three ways of developing a bodhicitta, and the first one, the king like bodhicitta, is the way Buddha Śākyamūni has developed his bodhicitta, and the second one, the shepherd like bodhicitta is the bodhicitta developed by the way Chenrezig has developed the bodhicitta, and the third one is the boatman like bodhicitta. So all this goes with the example.
And the first one, the king like altruistic intention. So the the developing altruistic altruistic intention in the way the king the way king thinks. Example, in olden days, there are many kings, China, India, China, there are lots of kings, and the kings are the one who is in the highest status or position in particular kingdom or in the country. So so and and yeah. Kingdom and has a control over whole kingdom.
And so and then the suppose, say, the king has one one only only only one son, and and and it is for sure for that it is and it is sure that the the king, the son, the only son will become a king. And some things now, some things are at this stage, the the people in his kingdom suffers, no no proper shelter, no enough food, lots of taxes, and so forth, and he develops a motivation or or he thinks that that when I when I become a king, I will be when I become a king, I will solve all these problems because when he become a king, then the son will be will son has son can control over entire kingdom, and he has right to do what he wants. So that is the example. Did you hear? So, that was an example.
Like same way, the Buddha Śākyamūni has developed a bodhicitta that by seeing all these sentient beings are are suffering from the cyclic suffering in the cyclic existence, particular in the lower lower realms and and cannot bear cannot bear those mother sentient beings suffering and in order and wanted to free those sentient beings. But in order to all the in order to help those sentient beings, he finds that he he at that stage, he hasn’t had the capability of doing bringing all those sentient beings to the state of ultimate happiness. So in order to do so, first, attaining enlightenment for oneself in order to help the sentient beings In order to help sentient beings through this, he and and then he and by after attaining enlightenment, he will he will have a capable capable he will be capable to help the sentient beings. And and by by in in many ways that help sentient beings in many ways that after attaining enlightenment, he can emanate himself into numberless forms, and each emanation can help the immeasurable numbers of sentient beings. And through through through teachings bring on through his teachings, bring bring sentient beings towards help sentient beings to attain the higher rebirths become bodhisattvas, arhats, and attain enlightenment.
In order to help sentient beings to free from sufferings and bring them to the happiness, in order to do so, without helping them through the teachings or Dharma, one without Dharma one cannot do such. It is because sentient beings suffer because of their disturbing emotions. And and in order to in order to free those free sentient beings from the sufferings, one one need one yeah. From sufferings, the one has or sent these beings, these sentient beings need to overcome or abandon all the disturbing emotions. But if if one if one abandons the disturbing emotions, then one will have happiness.
If one do not overcome this disturbing emotion, one will not have happiness. Therefore, in order to overcome the disturbing emotions, only the dharma can help one to abandon those disturbing emotions. Example, it is like standing for election for a president or prime minister in USA and India. During the election, the person will this person spend huge amount of money for the broadcasting and to public side that asking people to vote for him or her and making a promise that if I become a president or a prime minister, I will do this and this. I will give increase the employment or job, and and I can do such and such for the country and so forth.
And and the person he him or her, he or she is doing so in order making promise in order to become a to reach that position, and finally, the person reached, and if the person wanted to do what the promise the person had made. But it’s a bit obvious that what these people do when they actually reach in that position. So that is like the intention they have developed is like the king like bodhicitta. I don’t know much about Australia, but probably the same. So when one developed a bodhicitta like the way Buddha Śākyamūni has developed, which is the king like bodhicitta, is the one first wanting to attain enlightenment for oneself in order to help us and then help the sentient beings to free from the sufferings.
That is the very good way of developing an altruistic intention which is developed by Buddha Śākyamūni. The bodhicitta, the way of developing your bodhicitta, which is the way of Chenrezig developed the bodhicitta is a very powerful and very intense way of developing it. Chenrezig developed the bodhicitta in this way: wishing first to bring all sentient beings towards the enlightenment state first, and then oneself attaining enlightenment at the very end, so letting other sentient beings go before oneself. The way of developing that bodhicitta is called the shepherd like bodhicitta because the shepherds, what they do, first they took all the cattle to it, either in a very greenery area or in a lake where there’s huge amount of water, and then let them have the happiness.
Him or her will settle down and make a tea and so forth. The Chenrezig had developed a bodhicitta in this way and have taught and gave teachings for the numberless sentient beings in the six realms. By giving teachings, many of them have attained liberation and so forth. Then very few sentient beings among the teaching left who have not attained the liberation, and then those who have attended liberation left and then have more sentient beings coming to teaching and then set some few liberation and then comes more. So it has never been less.
And have done this for many times, giving teaching to sentient beings, and many of them have liberated, and then more sentient beings come, and then a few liberates, and then a few comes. So at the end, it came to know that sentient beings never been minimized. Always plenty over there. So by knowing so, the generisi finally has to give up the promise, which is the shepherd like bodhicitta, bringing sentient beings first to enlightenment and then oneself towards the last. It has to give up their promise.
So at the end, the Chenrezig broke the promise, and the way they make a promise and the way we make a promise is completely, totally different. So because of breaking the commitment or the promise, when Chenrezig broke the promise, the Chenrezig had suddenly burst into a thousand pieces, and at the moment Chenrezig felt like a dead person or fainted. And at that time, the Buddha Amitābha helped the Chenrezig that combines all the pieces of the body and the head and join it together, and this is how Chenrezig formed these ten faces, plus on the top is the Buddha Amitābha at the very top. And there’s also a saying that at that moment, Chenrezig felt very upset and was very sad and was crying, and lots of tears come from the Chenrezig, and it falls down on the ground and forms like a huge lake or ocean. And during that moment, at that moment, the Tārā come out of the tears was floating in front of Chenrezig and had made promise to Chenrezig to help made promise to help Chenrezig at that time.
So developing bodhicitta in such way, which is shepherd like bodhicitta, is very powerful and intense, but it is very hard to accomplish such a motivation or such a bodhicitta. And the third one, the boatman like bodhicitta, all these bodhicittas are set forth the way of developing are being set along with the motivation, along with examples. The third one is the boardman like bodhicitta, which is having an intention like motivation or intention like a boardman. The boatman’s intention is to cross the river along with the passengers in the same boat and reach the other side at the same time. Developing such an altruistic intention is like reaching enlightenment altogether with sentient beings.
Among those bodhicittas, the way of developing bodhicitta, the first one, developing a bodhicitta like the king like bodhicitta is considered to be the best way to develop. So, the Lord Buddha Śākyamūni has spent twenty nine years in his kingdom as King Siddhartha, and during that time, he has seen the sentient beings suffers through the numbers of sufferings, like suffering of illnesses, suffering of death, suffering of old age, and so forth. By seeing those sentient beings suffering, and he developed the he he developed the motivation to help those sentient beings to free from this from the sufferings. So in order to do so, he then, at the age of twenty nine, left the kingdom and had his hair cut in a temple and did a six years meditation to help sentient beings to to attain enlightenment in order to help the sentient beings free from the sufferings and bring them to the state of ultimate happiness. By doing so, and after doing a six he leads a six years retreat, and at the age of thirty five, he attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, and after attaining the enlightenment, he has given a number of teachings during his turning of three wheels, which is turning the three wheels, giving different sort of teachings, and through the power of that, it’s been very helpful and the numbers of sentient beings had attained ultimate happiness.
So, I try my best. Now, the way of developing The bodhicitta is also classified into four categories as well, as in the Mahāyāna context, in the Mahāyāna vehicles, and the text called the Heart Sūtra, it’s been the mantra says gate, gate, paragate, parasangate, which has been classified into five parts. The first two, which are gate, gate, and doing all these five parts, one has developed the altruistic intentions. And as we said, there are four types of altruistic intentions. During the first two, gate, gate, the altruistic intention which they developed has been called the altruistic intention preoccupied with faith, which is the first one, or the mind of enlightenment preoccupied with faith.
And then the third one, the paragate, and the fourth one is parasangate. The fourth one, the parasangate, is also divided into ten grounds, which is called the first to tenth ground. And the first to the seventh ground are also called the impure land or yeah. They are called the impure land, and the the altruistic intention developed during during those period from the first to the seventh ground is called the altruistic intention or mind of enlightenment preoccupied with special insight or the vigilant mind. And yep.
And the and the the remaining first to seven. Eight to ten ground, the altruistic intention developed during the eighth to tenth ground is called the ripened or fully ripened altruistic intention. And the last one, which is the fifth path, bodhi Svāhā, and the altruistic intention developed or achieved at Buddhahood, which is bodhi Svāhā, is called the altruistic intention free from obscuration. So it’s showing the criteria of altruistic intentions one develops during the five paths, starting from the gate, which is the first path of the great vehicle, and so it’s like going to a school when one finishes the first grade and jumps to start studying in the second grade. Likewise, this is how one trains in the path to attain enlightenment from the first path which is the gate, and then second one is also gate, and then third one is paragate, training in these three paths.
When one finishes complete training in those three, then the fourth one has been divided into ten sections called the ten grounds, and one needs to train in all these ten grounds. So whenever one completes or perfected the last ground, which is tenth ground, then one attains the enlightenment, becomes Buddha. So, the main in Mahāyāna, in greater vehicle, they have classified the five main parts, which is gate, gate, paragate, parasangate, bodhi Svāhā, and the fourth one has been classified into ten. Among these five main paths, the last two paths, the parasangate and the bodhi Svāhā, are the main and the most quintessential parts of the Mahāyāna or great vehicle. Most of the works or the activities of the Mahāyāna vehicle has been done during those two paths.
When one has reached those two stages, one does the most practice or most work of the Mahāyāna at that time? So, during those parts, the the Bodhisattvas has Bodhisattvas need to do more work and and greater work at that time because because we need to attain enlightenment or become Buddha and or reach the Buddhahood. What’s stopping us at this stage are the two obscurations: the obscuration towards liberation and towards the enlightenment or towards omniscience, which acts as an obstacle stopping us attaining enlightenment, and during that time, it is like a policeman stopping you at the main gate. So if the policeman stops you at the main gate, you can’t get inside the fence or inside the gate. So, likewise so so those two obscurations stops stop you attaining enlightenment, and at that time, the the during those period, the bodhisattvas, during the paragate and parasangate time, bodhisattvas practice, put more effort and work even harder and abandon or get rid of those two obscurations and attain enlightenment.
So so that is the period one one one needs to work much harder at that time. So, those two parts, one has harder one needs to practice work harder and have greater work. The practices or the activities one does during the first two parts, gate gate parts, it is those two parts are like the preliminary practice for the the third and the fourth one. And so when when one finishes those preliminary practices, then one has reached the actual practice, actual path of the training, and one works hard, even harder, and then whenever one completes working in those two parts, one attains the enlightenment and there is no work at all. One finishes all the work.
So one can relax and take a holiday for a while. There are also other ways of developing an altruistic intention or bodhicitta, like twenty two ways of developing bodhicitta, and I don’t think we can go through all this. So, developing the altruistic intention is like the principal practices of the great vehicles. We’ll stop here and take one or two questions. Yes, please.
In the shepherd like bodhicitta, how is it possible for someone who is not enlightened to lead anyone to enlightenment? How? How is it possible for one who is not already enlightened to lead another to enlightenment? Yeah, it is not possible to do so, there is a way of developing such motivation, even though it is not going to fully happen. And if one develops such an altruistic intention, that intention is considered to be not a stable or commitment.
If you’re linking bodhicitta with the Heart Sūtra, that means that well, to me, that means that you’re linking the increase in bodhicitta with the the parallel increase in understanding emptiness. Is that right? Is that why Rinpoche has said let me see. That the the third and fourth parts are the hardest to achieve. They’re the ones with the the most obscurations because of that clinging to the eye.
Is that the link? I don’t know. There is a connection towards the emptiness teaching at that time because in order to overcome those two obscurations towards liberation and omniscience, one needs to have a very strong wisdom realizing emptiness. Without the wisdom realizing emptiness, one cannot overcome those two obscurations. One need to lead a very strong meditative equipoise on emptiness at that time.
Yeah. Let me have a good shot. Thank you.