Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The story of a king who received a wheel-of-life thangka and attained liberation overnight by meditating on it opens Khensur Rinpoche’s 79-minute Lam Rim session on the twelve links of dependent arising. Working through the medium scope, Rinpoche explains how six causes — ignorance, connecting karma, consciousness, craving, grasping, and existence — produce six results that keep beings cycling in saṃsāra. He illustrates the sequence with a sustained analogy: taking Mahāyāna precepts is like plowing a field, sowing seed, and watering it with prayers until it sprouts as a human rebirth. The session closes with practical guidance: recite the Heart Sūtra daily, meditate on emptiness, and watch for the telltale signs — joy, tears, body-hair rising — that one carries the seed to realize it.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 32 LR 1999 11 02.mp3
UUID: cd563328-10ca-443b-ab84-d47987bd3443
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Lam Rim (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1999-11-02
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 78.8 minutes
Words: ~3,717
I need your help. So we are onto the practices of the medium scope, you know, or the medium being. And as for the practice of medium scope, there are many practices, and it begins with the practice of the Four Noble Truths and the twelve limbs of interdependence. So today we’ll go through the practices of twelve limbs of interdependence and this this practice set forth to teach you the method of abandoning the cyclic existence or saṃsāra, and it is and this teaching is set forth with a good with with the demonstrations of good examples. Buddha Śākyamūni has stated that one who sees the dependent interdependent or dependent arising, who who sees the interdependent dependent who sees the Dharma, and one who sees the Dharma who sees the enlightenment or who sees the Buddha.
The meaning of it is that whether one is a novice or male or female practitioner, what the the teaching of the teaching of interdependent is very, very profound. And one realizes the the understands the teaching of interdependent well. One who who who understands the teaching of interdependent well, then that person can realize the emptiness. And by realizing emptiness, one meditates or one becomes very familiarized with the emptiness, and due to that, one overcomes, abandons all the negativities and that that that negativities, and one mind will become enlightened or Buddha. I understand.
No. No. One’s mind will become Buddha. So so our minds and the mind of our mind which realizes the emptiness which we have within our within us, and that mind will attain a Buddha and will become a Buddha. At this stage, it it it it it cannot become a Buddha because it is being obscured or covered by the disturbing emotion, and due to that, it can’t manifest manifest.
So we should whenever we whenever we clarify that that layers of the obscuration of disturbing emotion, then one man becomes in becomes Buddha. And so this is how one becomes Buddha. So and Buddha does not necessarily be a one with uṣṇīṣa on its head, on its crown. So the one can one can also see those the the the two of analogies of the two of links of interdependent arising clearly on the the the of the the wheel of life. It is at the last circle.
And so once the ancient India, the kings, they sent present to each other. And one of the kings, he received a present from his colleagues, and and and he wants to send something back back today and back, but he couldn’t think of any present. So that he asked asked Buddha Śākyamūni that what he should send. So Buddha told him to draw the thangka of the wheel of life, and send it back as a present. So the king’s friend received the present, and he meditated on that image of the wheel of life, the wheel of life.
And next early morning, because of that meditation, he directly realizes the true nature of all phenomena and do and attains liberation, becoming an arhat. So in general, all the all the you know, all phenomena are dependent or dependent arising. They they do not exist by by by themselves. They are interdependent to to each other. And also the teaching of the grounds and paths, and abandoning samsaric existence and attaining nirvana, are also interdependent.
So for that, the great master Nāgārjuna has said that all phenomena are interdependent. They are not such that there is not a single phenomenon which exists by itself or without depending on others. So due to that, as they are all phenomenons are interdependent, they are empty. They they are empty. It means the empty of empty of inherent existence.
And also both the the the freeing from circling in cyclic existence is also interdependent. And and, also, the and and the the the attaining a liberation or freeing from cyclic existence is also also the interdependent. So now we are here today dealing with the twelve limbs of interdependence which shows us how one circles in the cyclic existence. So there are six causes and six results which circle us in the cyclic existence. Because of the six causes, have and it has six results.
And so so by so we passes through each and every causes and conditions. And through this, once one wonders or circles in the saṃsāra. Actually, the Four Noble Truths teaching teaches the teaching of the twelve limbs of interdependence, which shows how one circles in the cyclic existence. By going into more detail in the Four Noble Truths, there are six causes set forth in the teaching of the second noble truth, the true origin. And as for the true suffering, because of having six causes in the true origin of the suffering, there are six results, which come under the true suffering.
And by depending on those two, the true origin and true suffering, one then trains in the next two: the cessation and the path. So so as we said, there are six causes, and the first of the six causes is the the ignorance. And the second one is connect connecting karma. So the sixth causes are ignorance, connecting karma, consciousness, craving, grasping, and ex existence. So there are also six results.
The first one is birth. The second is aging and death. The third one is name and form. The fourth is sources of perceptions. The fifth is contact. And the feeling is the sixth. So it’s: name and form, sources of perception, contact, feeling, birth, and aging and death. So if you give an demonstrate explain these two volumes of interdependent by demonstrating a example. It’s like for example, like myself here. And, say, in the morning, I develop a motivation and motivation of taking a in a precepts and then practice. So that motivation is like ignorance. And then due to the due to that motivation, I I receive or I take the admiring precepts. So that is the result of that motivation. So due to that, the first one is the ignorance. And then from ignorance comes the the the connecting karma on involved in the action, which is come connecting karma.
And because of that connecting karma, by taking that Mahāyāna precepts, that leads and imprints the positive within, leaves imprints on my mind stream. So so I’m demonstrating a example on a on good examples or. Actually, the inter the interdependent of x the the interdependent of external things and the internal are very, very you know, the formation of that the two types of interdependence are very similar. So here, the internal refers towards the things associate associated with with the beings or with the beings or one yeah. With beings, which with mind.
And the external formation of interdependence, like the formation of trees, the walls, and so forth. So the cultivation or the formation of causes and and it the wrinkles of the external and internal interdependent are very similar similar in terms of forming, but but there are huge differences in their potential or power. So we can take an example like for say I I developed a motivation of taking a a Mahāyāna precepts and and which is the equivalent of a person. For example, like the the in the field, a person who who plows a field is like a like like that motivation I have developed.
So at the very outset of developing that motivation of taking a precept, at that stage, the first of the twelve, the dependent, which is the ignorance, is there at that time. Because at the very moment when one develops that motivation, the ignorance is already there. Because at this stage, when one has developed that motivation that I will take a precept, it’s not just a nominal I.
There is a mind within it that grasps the self-sufficient existence of I at that moment. So that motivation is mixed with the ignorance. It is because we do not recognize emptiness directly. And due to that, the grasping of I, the self-sufficient existence of I, is always there because of not having realized emptiness directly. So because of not having realized the emptiness directly, our mind’s always mixed with the conjoints or mixed with the discernment, with the ignorance.
And and and our mind is controlled by the ignorance. And superior beings who have realized emptiness directly, they are free and for those beings, the ignorance is not there with any kind of motivation. They are so because they have realized emptiness directly, which is the opposite of and which challenges the ignorance. And and they always they they they have so within within their mind, the wisdom realizing emptiness is manifested or strongly there due to that the ignorance can’t control or or influence their mind. So that ignorance which we develop is the first of the twelve limbs of interdependence.
So the person who plows the field is taken as an analogy or example for the ignorance because without the person plowing the field, one can’t sow the seeds. So the person is then example or analogy of ignorance. And then the second is the connecting karma, and the analogy for that is the plowing action which the person does with his foot, which is the example or analogy for the second, which is connecting karma. So and and also the it it’s like so one say, we now develop a motivation of taking eight Mahāyāna precept, and then we receive the receive the Mahāyāna precepts, which is like the second connecting karma.
And by taking this, and then one protects that eight Mahāyāna precepts for the duration one takes. And by so due to that, one cultivates a positive action. And that action is it’s like a third one. It’s consciousness because because that one one that’s the one background guided one’s mind and precepts for precepts, and one attains that the positive action which one imprints on one’s mind. So it is like like the example for that is this is the third one, consciousness.
An example is that the person who is putting a seed in the ground or in the field, sowing a seed, is the example for the consciousness. So and now the seed is already sowed in the ground, but it’s pretty dry at this stage. So to to to give a sprout, first, we need we need to we need conditions like rain. So and and then it needs the second rain.
And so the person who takes the Mahāyāna precepts and guards them very well, and has gained lots of merits from that, which was imprinted on his mind stream.
So now the person, sooner or later, the time will come for him or her to die. And at that stage, he makes the prayers that, in my early days, I have taken the Mahāyāna precepts and gained such and such merit. And making prayers is like a craving here, that the merit I have gained in my practice in the earlier part of my life — through the power of it may I take a human rebirth. So that craving, which is making prayers with the merits to have a better rebirth, is like pouring water on those imprints in one’s mind stream to produce a result. And so that was the first rain, which helps the seed to grow.
And then comes the second rain, which is even more helpful for the seed to grow. And then it is like the praying or dedicating that merit again, like may I be born as a human. So it’s like the first rain for the seed is the example for the craving: that person makes the first dedication or prayers for the first time. And then the second rain is an example of grasping: the person who repeats his prayers. Through the power of those two, the first and second rain, which have been very helpful to swell the seed, and it makes the seed very nearly ready to grow.
So likewise, and and and nearly to grow. And it’s also for the the and the person is also by those two prayers, he is nearly to take a birth as a human. He or she is nearly to take a birth as a human. So that that merit making it very fertile and nearly to produce its result is like a existence, which is the sixth case. So here we have demonstrated all the six causes, which are ignorance, connecting karma, consciousness, craving, grasping, and existence.
And then later the person dies. Indeed, the person dies, and he enters a bardoher’s womb, a mother to whom he has karmic connection, and entering into that mother’s womb is the birth. So it’s now the first result. So and example for this is like a seed has already grown, but not not not above the ground, but within on inside the ground, it’s been grown already.
So at this stage, the the person who who enters enters the he enters into mother’s womb, and and that stage, all the all the four, the all those the the feeling So at this stage when the person who enters into mother’s womb, he or she has the four aggregates: the form of feeling, consciousness, recognition and compositional factors, they are four. And the person hasn’t fully developed the fifth one, which is the form body. So those four forms act as a causes to produce the form body. And by so and that person who enters the the mother’s womb, and by entering it from the very second moment, which forms the the the the it it never it start destructing, which means it’s in start keep it starts changing, so which means it forms aging and death from the very second moment of entering the mother’s womb. So it’s like yeah.
So at the very second moment one enters the mother’s womb and it start the this it start the the dead and aging. It’s like because it it never stays unchanged of even for a moment. And and for the for we’ve been going with examples so that the seed is underground. It’s been grown, and it’s it the seed seed, it’s keep growing. It would never stay in one at for even for a short time.
It’s keep growing and growing. And later, it just come out of the ground. It make a sprout. And so likewise, in example for that. So and after the aging and death, then we inside mother’s womb, start and it start forming the the name and the form you know, start forming our the physical limbs, hands, our our body within the mother’s womb.
And then after that, the tree grows, and it’s a tree or the seed. Say, for example, it’s just it was a seed of the tree. So the the it grows up and up, and it start making branches and grows branch. You know? If it’s a fruit tree, it starts producing food and later it will and sooner or later the tree will dry.
So in remaining in the mother’s womb, one forms the body or limbs. And then after that, it start having the source of perceptions. And and then it forms the contact and and then develops a feeling because we have all these in our within the mother’s womb because, for example, like a feeling. We have feeling already when we were inside the mother’s womb because when when mothers drink a cold water, we feel cold within cold inside. And if if she drinks a hot something hot, we have to feel the the suffering of heat or hot.
So so we we say the birth starts when we the person from on the time of their delivery. But, actually, all those six results have been formed within the mother’s womb. At the very moment our consciousness enters the mother’s womb, the birth is already formed there. And also first comes the aging and death and then the later results like name and form, sources of perception, contact, and feelings. So those are the interdependences which we can see through our naked eyes: the birth at the time of delivery, and then seeing people aging, and then the person dying.
So interdependent? Those are interdependent, but we call the cause cause interdependent. So the twelve rings of interdependence, the causes and effects, have been set forth in the wheel of life. The causes and results which we have set forth is one set of causes and conditions. So and then then after that, we take a birth.
And then after our birth, then we start growing in which physical we can see it and then and then start developing attachments because we can see forms, smell, and we can smell. We can have tactile sensations and so forth. And due and due to it due because of those, we developed attachments, and because of that attachment forms a karma, and then all and also develops a hatred and forms the karma, and and also have have ignorance within us, and that that ignorance also forms the karma. So means we we we keep collecting or yep. We keep forming or collecting the karmas.
If one examines oneself, even for oneself, even for a day, we can see we we we cultivate many karmas within a day. Even for or or or even within one hour, one one cultivates many different types of positive and negative actions. Because we can see within an hour we can within one hour we cultivate different sorts of karma or actions because we can see lots of things within an hour and we produce attachments, hatred and so forth. Not only attachment, we also produce I mean develops or generates hatred to the third person. So for ordinary person, when when once for ordinary person, when he or she develops attachment and anger, it is be sure that they produce an action after it.
So so with with within the reason that one birth, one cultivates a different many different thoughts of karma. For the person, because of the action or karma cultivated by our former rebirth, we have attained or received this this human rebirth. And and and as for the karma, they are being set forth within one’s within one lifetime, one cultivates the many karmas, good positive actions to to lead you towards the better migration or better states. And also with and and within that in within that life, one also cultivates the negative action which leads you down towards the the lower labor lower migrations. So for him, good master Nāgārjuna has set forth that that a person who who who who does not realize that emptiness will not attain a liberation, or he or she has no no liberation.
And if there is no liberation so so without liberation, then there becomes a there becomes a influence under under the influence of ignorance, confusion, or the ignorance, which is the first of the twelve limbs of interdependent. And and through that ignorance, one keep cultivating, one cultivates the action, and as a result, one circles in the subtle existence. So briefly speaking, so the meaning of it is that to so in order to free from cyclic existence, one needs to recognize or realize emptiness. And for realizing emptiness, the best method is to train in the twelve limbs of interdependence, through which the interdependence of phenomena is the best method of realizing emptiness.
So as you just stated that one, we will not free ourselves from cyclic existence unless one realizes the emptiness. So due to that, we should always try to seek the wisdom and methods to realize emptiness. So in order to realize emptiness first, it’s very important to think about the disadvantages of cyclic existence and also to take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha who teach the method of realizing emptiness. So along with it, one should meditate meditate meditate do meditation on emptiness. And for the best, one may if one is well good one or yeah.
Good enough one will realize the emptiness. Even if if one does not know how to meditate on emptiness, then should try to reset the Heart Sūtra, the text, once a day because because the Heart Sūtra is the text which which which which which is the teaching mainly teaching on emptiness. And as a result of doing those meditations or reciting the Heart Sūtra, one may be able to realize emptiness. Even if one does not realize emptiness, because they have been doing those practices, one leaves the imprints of emptiness within one’s mind stream. And in the future, whenever one receives the chance of listening and contemplating on emptiness, one will easily realize emptiness. So here, the great master Candrakīrti has set forth that we should recite the Heart Sūtra, meditate upon emptiness, and always make prayers to realize emptiness.
Through the power of doing that practice, one leaves imprints or predispositions within one’s mind. And due to that, in future, whenever one meets with the master who teaches emptiness and by hearing the word emptiness, one suddenly feels happy and develops joy and happiness. And due to that, one automatically drops tears from one’s eyes and the hair of one’s body shakes and moves, and one becomes very restless. One who has such a feeling is the right person or has the seed to realize emptiness.
So so whether one we one one or we realize emptiness or not, but it is very we should at least have this sort of practice that that for the best, one can real one realize the emptiness within this life, try to cultivate lots of imprints of emptiness within our mind streams so that in future, we can realize emptiness. By doing this practice, leading such practice becomes make our life meaningful. Dedication page five, verses eight and nine, and continues. Page number ten, Lama Sovereignty Prayers. And then the page thirty three, dedication prayers.