Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A structured three-root meditation on death anchors this 92-minute session by Khensur Rinpoche from his 1997 Lojong Mind Training series. After brief Lam Rim preliminaries on lessening attachment to food and sleep, Rinpoche diagnoses the common fault of vague death-awareness — thinking “I’ll die when I’m old” — and why it produces no real urgency to practice. He then walks through three roots: death is definite, its timing is uncertain, and at death only Dharma helps, offering three supporting reasons for each and applying them to himself by name to model personal contemplation. A memorable analogy compares dying joyfully after a virtuous life to a child too excited about tomorrow’s picnic to sleep. Rinpoche closes by outlining the six perfections for lay versus renunciate practitioners and cautioning against mistaking impermanence teachings as grounds for abandoning relationships.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 04 LMT 1997 05 27.mp3
UUID: 12644c1f-617c-495e-90bc-9c49cdf75254
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Lojong Mind Training (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1997-05-27
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 92.3 minutes
Words: ~5,613
Yeah. Begin by cultivating the kind hearted attitude of the awakened heart for a few minutes. As a preliminary to the actual development of the awakened heart, it’s necessary that we cultivate love and compassion, Love expressed in the thought may all may myself and all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness and compassion expressed in the thought may myself and all sentient beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. One then goes proceeds on to develop the wishing awakened heart, which is expressed in the thought that in order to achieve that end of freeing all living beings from suffering and placing them in complete happiness, that I must, I myself must first remove all my various faults, such as the afflictive emotions, and I must bring to consummation all excellent qualities, that I must achieve such a state for the sake of all sentient beings, and that is the wishing awakened heart. And in order to achieve that it’s necessary that I learn the means of cultivating that in the development of the means of awakening my heart and mind.
And therefore, I’m going to listen to this presentation on the essence of the universal vehicle, the means by which to develop the precious awakened heart. Having listened to it, I’m going to reflect upon it. Having meditated, I’m having reflected upon it, I’m going to meditate up on it and put it into practice for myself and for the benefit of all living beings. Yeah. So we are looking at the preliminary practices which are in accordance with those presented in the graduated path, that is the Lam Rim.
And these preliminaries we’ve talked about the overall structure of the text which has the preparation, the actual teaching, the conclusion. Within the actual teachings there are we have begun an explanation of the preliminary of of the leisures and fortunes. We, in terms of its, the rarity of its causes and it will be difficult to find again. And this is, we are trying to develop a lesson of our attachment to simply the pleasures of this life and all that we have gathered within this life, that we’re trying to go beyond our usual attachments and aversions. And for example, one way that we can do this is to begin to lessen our attachment toward food.
And it is suggested that, for example, when we eat, not to completely fill your stomach, but simply to to leave it about two thirds full. So also with regard to sleep, to lessen our attachment to sleep, we should try our best not to sleep in the day, but even when it comes to night we can divide the night into three parts. The first part of the night should be spent in meditation, the middle part should be one sleeps, and the third part of the night is used in some practice. And even when we sleep, we should try to ensure that it’s a beneficial type of sleep. Generally, our mind over the course of interval of sleep will vary from states from skillful unskillful to neutral states, it will pass through these various possibilities.
So it’s, if we, as we fall to sleep, if we were to cultivate love and the awakened heart, meditate on emptiness, then we can be assured that the that the the full extent of our sleep will be skillful. On the other hand, if in the course of sleep, attachment or aversion, whether any of the afflictive emotions were to become manifest, then that portion of the sleep is an unskillful action. But then there is the possibility that our minds in the course of sleep will be neither skillful nor unskillful, that they were simply what is termed to be an unspecified state, or that is to say, can be a neutral state. But if we are to become really experts in our practice, to be skilled in practice, we should not be allow even our sleep to remain neutral, but to make it part of our practice. So today we’re going to begin working through the text, beginning with the discussion of impermanence in terms of death and the fact that we will not remain long in this life.
So, in terms of the overall divisions of this discussion of impermanence in terms of death is firstly to strive for the welfare of future lives. And then within that the methods whereby to achieve happiness in future lives. So the the actual words which which are being spoken here are this world, or the this mundane basis which is translated as this world. And this is as usually and as have I’ve just done refers to this life as to and then future life is to is to say beyond this world. That is to say a future life.
So we’re going to in looking at the means of in within the context of explanation of the impermanence of death. First, what are what are the faults? We have to understand what are the faults if we are not mindful of death? If we don’t recollect death, if we aren’t mindful of death? And then what are, on the other hand, what are the benefits if we are mindful of death?
And then finally, how are we to cultivate this mindfulness of the impermanence in terms of death? So it’s extremely useful to whatever activity we may be considering to look at it in these terms. What are the detriments or what are the faults, the drawbacks on the one hand and what are the advantages? What is the profit about this activity on the other? thinking whatever the activity, whatever the type of behavior, if we think of it in this way and analyze it in this way, if we see the faults, then we will not involve ourselves in it.
We’ll abandon such types of faulty activities. On the other hand, if we see advantage, then we will naturally involve ourselves. So, merely to think, well, when I get real old, I’m gonna die. You know, that that way of thinking about about death is of no real benefit. You know, what is the fault in such, what is the disadvantage or the fault in thinking in just such a way?
Generally, those people who think in that way would never stop to think, well, or they generally those people who think in that way would think, well, though I’m going to die when I get real old, I’m not going to die today, and I’m not going to die tomorrow, and I’m not going to die the day after tomorrow. And then when tomorrow comes, then when tomorrow becomes the day, then the day after tomorrow becomes tomorrow, and then there’s another day after tomorrow, and I’m also not going to die that day. And we keep going in that way day after day after day, and finally, we meet death. So, we never stop to think that today I might die. On the contrary, we think that each day as it comes that I’m not going to die today.
In fact, we think, well, I’m going to live out today, I’m going to live out tomorrow, I’m going to live out the next day. That is, we habituate our mind to the idea that we’re always going to be there day after day after day. And this creates the context for our mind to be caught up in seeking out all the good things of this life in terms of food and drink, companions, our shelter, clothing. Our minds are in this context of thinking that we’re going to remain day after day, our minds are totally caught up in all the happinesses of this life and ridding ourselves of the sufferings of only of this life. We are continually thinking in those terms, and this represents a great obstacle for ourselves.
I’m very, very busy. So, we, you know, our minds are continually caught up with the concerns for the welfare of only this life. And in that way, we’re very, very busy. Have no, our minds don’t even consider the Dharma with our preoccupation with only the welfare of this life. We don’t think about, well what should I do in order to practice today?
What should I do in order to achieve a liberation today? What’s in terms of what should I do as a means for achieving liberation? What what should I do today in order to achieve liberation? What should I do today in order to achieve omniscience? We don’t think in those terms.
But eventually, we do, death will come. Points out that that our life is caught up in in the various actions bringing about accumulating negativity through only thinking of the concerns of this life. That because of our attachment to our loved ones, we commit various types of negativities in order to benefit them. We, in order, because of our aversion to our enemies, we commit various negative actions toward them. We spend all our time accumulating, trying to hold to our companions, to bring our companions close to ourselves, collecting possessions and money.
And then this life passes like a dream, but death it comes to us and our life is finished and all that we have to show for it, all that we go on with is the negativities that we’ve accumulated over the course of it. So in this world, nations are constantly at war. Countries fight one another. There is with even within countries, there is domestic strife. Groups are always battling one another, and husbands and wives fight.
And this is all comes about through not being mindful of the impermanence in terms of death. So, always taking sides, always trying to have your side win, always trying to ensure that all the welfare comes to one’s own side and and not to the other is is is the consequence of not being mindful of the impermanence in terms of death. On the other hand, the benefits of being mindful of impermanence in terms of death. Initially because of our mindfulness we involve ourselves in the practice of Dharma. In intermediate we persist in our practice through our mindfulness of impermanence.
And in the end, we bring our practice to consummation. These are the these all are the benefits of being mindful of impermanence. Through our mindfulness of impermanence, we and our involvement in the practice of Dharma, we will engage in the various practices such as generosity and ethics and tolerance. Having practiced these, then we can be assured that as a result in the future we will achieve a higher status or a higher rebirth and have material prosperity. So all of the the really the great masters of the past, they themselves were involved themselves through first coming into acknowledgement the fact of confronting impermanence in terms of death.
And then they went on to exhort us that such masters as Śākyamūni Buddha, Je Tsongkhapa, all the various Indian masters, they said without this mindfulness of the impermanence in terms of death, there’s no one will not involve oneself in practice. Now, how are we to actually be mindful of the impermanence in terms of death? How we actually cultivate this mindfulness. Really to think about how you will become separated from your friends, your possessions, your parents, your relatives, those all that you love, and develop a fear in thinking about that separation is not a very good way to cultivate this mindfulness. Then how are we to cultivate mindfulness of the impermanence in terms of death?
First off, we have to think of it in terms of ourselves, ourselves as individuals, and what will befall ourselves as individuals upon our death. What will happen to each of ourselves if I have not practiced the Dharma over the course of this life, if I haven’t abandoned the afflictive emotions, what will become of me upon my death? And if we can see the result of such a way of acting in the course of this life will be reborn in an unfortunate rebirth and develop fear of such a consequence, then this is the beneficial way of cultivating mindfulness and impermanence of death. So this is the way this way of being mindful of death is of great benefit. We have to ask ourselves what will happen if I don’t practice?
What would happen if I don’t abandon negative ways of acting? What I can if I don’t abandon these if I don’t abandon negative ways of acting, if I don’t practice, then I can be assured that as a consequence I will take rebirth in an unfortunate state and I will have to undergo a great deal of suffering. Developing an apprehension about this, this will cause you to make great effort in your practice of Dharma, in abandoning negative ways of acting. That is to say, thinking in this way and gaining, cause bringing, generating anxiety about the possible future negative consequences if we don’t do something, we’ll ask you to actually begin to practice. If if at the moment of our death, we have if if when our death comes, we have over the course of our life abandoned negative ways of acting, have cultivated positive ways of acting, then we need to have no fear.
Because we have, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Why? Because there is no cause within our minds for fear. There is no cause for that which could bring us about negative consequences for which we are to have fear. Having abandoned all of our negative ways of acting, having cultivated positive ways of acting, then it’s decided by means of this that we will have a positive rebirth, that we will not have a negative rebirth.
If we have not created the cause, there will be no result. Having created the cause for a positive rebirth, we can conclude that we will we be as a consequence, we will experience a positive rebirth, and therefore, there’s nothing to be afraid of. If if we were to act our life in this way, then if once we got old, having practice over the course of our life, then we we could die with a sense of joy. Because, you know, when you get old things become difficult. You can’t see very well, you can’t hear very well.
It becomes hard to get up, becomes hard to sit down. So life becomes difficult. And and you and thinking how what what great what only that something positive lies before you, then you die joyfully. So it’s it’s it’s such a situation isn’t analogous to child who is think who is going on a picnic tomorrow. And they can’t sleep all night because they’re so excited about all the great pleasure that they’re going to have on this picnic.
And they wake up very early in the morning, they’re so excited, they want to get going. Likewise, you know, if spent your life acting in a positive manner and avoiding negativity, then you think then your body becomes difficult for yourself, and you begin to look forward to that wonderful new embodiment, you know, where you’re going to be just youthful embodiment in a beautiful body, and it becomes a thought of great happiness to die. So if thinking being mindful of death in this way, there is great benefit, isn’t there? There’s it’s abuse for yourself. Additionally, with regard to the benefits of mindfulness of death, it even if we were to practice the Dharma through our consistent mindfulness of death, we will ensure that our Dharma practice will be pure.
We may practice the Dharma, but our practice could have many faults. But on the other hand, if we are consistently mindful of death, even in the context of our practice of Dharma, this will ensure that our practice is a faultless type of practice, that is a pure practice. And how are we to proceed in actually developing, cultivating a mindfulness of death? And the actual means is a cultivation in terms of three roots. These three roots are firstly that death is definite.
Secondly that the time of our death is uncertain. And thirdly at the time of our death nothing other than the dharma will be of any benefit. Now, so we listed three roots. The first root was that death is definite. And there are three supporting reasons in clarifying that death is definite.
The first is, of these three supporting reasons is that nothing, there is no means whatsoever by which death can be turned aside. There’s no means at which we can turn aside death. So you must apply this to yourself individually. That you are the base of what we are talking about. And asking yourself that isn’t death definite?
And and why is it definite? Giving yourself a reason? Because there’s not there there is no method whatsoever by means of which I can turn it aside once it arrives. And and coming to that a firm conclusion with your own your own mind. There’s no method.
There’s no means. There’s no techniques by means at which I can reverse it, that I can turn death aside once it comes to me. Then the second reason supporting the death is definite now, as was previously mentioned, we are to think of this in terms of our individual selves. So I’m quoting Khensur Rinpoche, he’s talking, Khensur Rinpoche, you’re going to die, aren’t you? So talking to yourself, I mean, it’s definite that you’re going to die, isn’t it?
Why? Because the span of my life is determined by my karma, that by the potency of my karma will determine the length of my life, and there is no addition coming, and moreover my life is continually passing, The the that my life is constantly coming to is is constantly exhausting itself until it finally comes to an end. And upon that moment, there when it does, there will be no even a moment’s addition forthcoming. Therefore, it’s definite that you’re going to die, isn’t it? That’s the second reason.
So, you know, we said that this was the first of these three roots. This first root was that death is definite, and that now we’re supplying ourselves with reasons supporting or reasons trying to prove or support this root conclusion that death is definite. And the first one is we said that was, that I can’t, the first reason I simply, there’s nothing that I can do to turn it aside. There’s no method, there’s no technique I turn aside death. The second was that my death that the the span of this life is continually decreasing until it’s finally exhausted without any addition forthcoming.
So we have those two reasons thus far. Continually decreasing. And that the that while there is still opportunity, I should be practicing, shouldn’t I? So, if we look at our life and begin to analyze it in terms of our practice of Dharma, you know generally a lama has, one lama has said that the first twenty years there’s not even a thought about practicing Dharma. And then maybe after you’re sixty, seventy years old, even though you might think about it, you can’t.
Then there’s the time in between. And it if if we look at that time, then we can see that our life is continually taken up with with cooking and eating and talking and drinking and playing, sleeping and being sick, and there’s really no time to practice at all. And then our life is finished. So, another lama has said that most of our, if we were to write a biography in terms of our Dharma practice would be that the first twenty years were spent not even thinking about the Dharma. The next twenty years were spent in thinking, I will practice the Dharma.
The last twenty years I spent in thinking, I should have practiced the Dharma. So there are these three supporting reasons establishing the first these roots that death is definite? So, this is we should proceed in our meditation in just this way, looking at these three reasons and and trying to come to a definite conclusion in your mind, thinking that this is this is the reality. This that the fact is I’m I am going to die. It’s definite.
And there’s no way out of it. And then coming to that firm conclusion, then go on in your thinking. Death is definite. But moreover, its time is uncertain. That is to say the time of my death is unpredictable.
So, again, as was previously emphasized, all of what is being explained should be thought of in terms of oneself. So placing all of these thoughts on one’s own self, in terms of one’s own self. For example, Kinsar Rinpoche is saying, Kinsar Rinpoche, you’re going to die, aren’t you? And, but you don’t know when you’re going to die, do you? And why?
Now we’re going to supply three reasons supporting the fact that the the time of our death is uncertain. And the first of these three reasons is that in our particular world, the southern continent, there is no definite lifespan. There’s no certainty as in terms of lifespan. So in establishing this reason, Rinpoche has quoted a verse by Vasubandhu where he says that ultimately the lifespan of this world is uncertain whether the average is ten years or immeasurable. And here Vasubandhu is saying that previously in our particular world which was called the southern continent, continent of Jambu, just translated as the southern continent, that the lifespan of the inhabitants was numberless.
But over the course of time it is degenerated and will eventually reach the point where it will come down to ten years. So the point, but at any certain time it’s uncertain. Whereas, but on other continents, continents other than the Southern Continent, there is a definite span of life. But in terms of ours, there is none. We simply don’t know when we’re going to die or when anyone is going to die within our world.
That, you know, someone who we met this morning could be dead this evening, someone we meet this evening could be dead tomorrow morning. There’s no certainty about it, that people, they die at birth, they die when they’re young, they die at the age of twenty. Quite often there’s, that the, a parent will outlive their children. There’s no assurity about the span of life. I mean, I’ve this I’ve experienced this for myself many times at Sera Monastery where someone would be at the evening debate session that one evening, and tomorrow they would they would have been dead when we came to gather again.
Or I’ve had students who I met in the evening and they didn’t come to the morning prayer session because they had died during the night. There was the case of the Sakyama in Sydney recently who in the evening had complained of a slight headache and he was dead the next day. We don’t know. I mean, come like, having even coming together this evening, if we if we one of us might not be dead tomorrow. Amongst us, we simply don’t know who’s going to be the first to die.
So, in terms of this is the first supporting reason that there is no certainty as to lifespan. There’s no assurity of any fixed period of time. This is the first supporting reason that the time of death at the time of death is uncertain. So again, the emphasis is placing what is being explained upon ourselves to think of this in terms of yourself and looking, and again, Rinpoche is doing just that, saying Khensur Rinpoche, you’re going to, the time of your death is uncertain, isn’t it? And then supplying a second reason, that because of the fact that the conditions for the support of life are few, The conditions which sustain life are few, and the conditions which bring about death many, and the conditions which sustain life are few, and even those few conditions can be transformed into a conditions for one’s death.
So even so the conditions bringing about our death are many. The conditions on the one hand, on the other, the conditions which sustain life are few. And even those few conditions transform into a means for our death. So there are many conditions which can bring about our death. Know, we can we can be in a car accident.
We can walking along the road. We can we can fall. We can be we can be killed. A house could fall upon in on us. There’s fires.
There’s poisons. There’s all various types of possibility, many types of possibilities which can act as a condition for our death. And then there are even those few conditions which normally act to sustain life can transform into means of death. For example, generally food is a sustenance of life, but foods can spoil, They can cause, is the case and as has been reported, whereas food is spoiled and has actually caused people’s death. Medicines, which generally are sustained life, beneficial to life, if can, if improperly administered, can act as a condition for our death.
That’s the second reason. And then the third reason supporting the fact of the uncertainty of the time of our death, that our lifespan is uncertain, the uncertainty at the time of death is that our bodies are extremely fragile. That if, you know, if our bodies were invulnerable, if they were so tough that nothing could harm them, then perhaps we could be assured that we aren’t going to die. But in fact, that’s not the case. Our bodies are extremely vulnerable.
They’re extremely fragile. Like a bubble in water or, you know, like the lightning in the sky, that it doesn’t take much for our bodies to, for a, something to act as a condition for our death. A needle stuck into ourselves or a stone hitting ourselves in the head could, could even, an insignificant condition could act, be sufficient to bring about our death because our bodies are vulnerable and fragile. So, you know, generally, you know, we take our breath for granted. We breathe in, breathe out.
But the actuality of our situation is if we were to breathe out and not breathe in, we would be dead. So this is the third reason that we are to supply ourselves with in terms of the uncertainty of the times of our death. What is an additional reason for the uncertainty of our time of our death? Because our bodies are so very fragile and vulnerable. And that therefore there is no certainty as to when I’m going to die.
I simply cannot predict. It could be even today. And then finally, the third root was that at the time of our death, other than the dharma will be of benefit, or will be able to help ourselves. And for example, at the time of our death, our loved ones will be of no benefit to ourselves, our wealth and possessions will be of no benefit to ourselves. Even our body will be of no benefit to ourselves.
So therefore, the only thing that we can make use of, which will actually help us at the time of our death, is the dharma. You know, we over the course of our life, you know, we could consume all of our time in developing relationships with everyone in the world. And we everyone could be our our friend, companion. But at the time of our death, not even one of them can accompany us. So our companion at the time of our death, our our panions our companions will be of no can be of no help to ourselves.
But what about our wealth possessions? Even if we had all of the gold in the world at the time of our death, we can’t even take one gram with us. And it said that even if we had all of the foods and all the clothes that one could collect together about oneself. At the time of one’s death, we go forth naked and hungry. And even this precious body of ourselves that we work so hard to maintain, that, you know, we work hard getting, earning money in order to clothe it, in order to feed it, we take such good care of it.
We’re we we are as if our we are as if servants to our body. At the time of our death, our body deserts us. It lets us down. It can’t be of any help to ourselves. At the time of our death, there is nothing other than dharma which can be of any help.
So quoting a verse by Lama, where he points out that upon our death we will be able to take no one with us to guide ourselves. We will take no supplies to sustain ourselves, that there will be no protection from this world which we can bring along with us, then what is it that’s going to be of any use? Our practice of Dharma will sustain us along the journey. That we can live off our practice of Dharma through having practiced generosity. We can assured that we will have all our needs met.
That it is the Dharma which will guide us on the journey, and it is the Dharma which will protect us from all the fears that will be met with along the way. So it is by means of contemplating these three roots and each of their respective supporting reasons. First, coming to the conclusion that death is definite, then that the time of my death is uncertain, and finally, at the time of my death, other than the Dharma, nothing will be of any benefit. When, if, in contemplating this, it permeates to your brain, that is, say, the penny drops, then you will decide, I must practice the Dharma, and I must practice it purely, and I must practice it now. This will bring about both your temporal welfare and your ultimate welfare.
It will bring about benefit not only to yourself but to others as well. Upon hearing this and meditating on impermanence, and they think they misinterpret what is meant and come abandon everything. For example, they leave their husband or they leave their wife, leave their boyfriend or leave their girlfriend. This is not what is meant to be done here. On the contrary, the Dharma is to help us to develop kind hearts.
Is to help us our practice should by means of our practice, we should be cultivating a deep faith in the Buddha, Dharma, and the spiritual community, and this we should be developing altruistic attitudes of love and compassion, that we should be abandoning, foregoing more and more through our three doors of our body, speech, and mind, involving ourselves in negativities, and more and more involving ourselves in beneficial and positive ways of relating with others. The purpose of our practice is to benefit others, not to harm others. So expression of our understanding of Dharma should manifest itself in the ways that we benefit others. So according to a verse by Candrakīrti, where he admonishes us that our practice should be based in terms of the practice of the three, first three of the six perfections. The first three of the six perfections are generosity, ethics, and tolerance.
He said this is these are the basis of practice. Through these, we can be assured of benefiting ourselves and others. So Candrakīrti says that main focus of the practice of the layperson should be in terms of these first three of the six perfections, generosity, ethics, and tolerance. For those who are renunciates, they should include within of their practice the fifth and sixth of these six perfections, meditative concentrations and wisdom. And the fourth should be shared by both lay and renunciates.
That is to say the fourth being effort. So we’re going to stop there for today. If you have some questions, we’ll take those. Yes. Freedom from suffering.
And then what was that? And then then you added something? Suffering? Or just sentient beings? I mean, suffering of of yourself and other sentient beings?
Okay. Is it a pure motivation? Very, very good. I wish I had it. It’s very good.
Another question? So you tried to practice all night? What what what I mean, a lot? And and he became cranky. So it’s better if you sleep more.
So you have to adjust your practice according to what is working for you, what is beneficial for you. Then things will go well. Think that’s way to overcome this is through meditation on dependent arising. Can So it’d be good if you meditated on, cultivated your understanding of the benefits of practicing Dharma and the disadvantages of not practicing Dharma. So again and again, call into mind what kind of benefits you can derive if you practice the Dharma, call into mind what kind of benefits, what kind of detriments or disadvantages come about if you don’t practice the Dharma, and also cultivating this understanding of impermanence in terms of death.
Okay. Very good. Oh, yeah. I’ll take care of that. Okay.