Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Khensur Rinpoche opens this nearly two-hour session with the lojong root verse — “when the container and the contained are overflowing with negativities” — and builds a practical teaching on turning every obstacle into the path. He surveys the darkness of the current age (natural disasters, war, the near-extinction of Dharma in Tibet) before delivering the central instruction: whatever arises, immediately apply it to cultivating awakening. He shows how any circumstance — prosperity, poverty, home, or exile — can serve practice once attitude shifts, including a taking-and-giving reframe in which suffering is welcomed as proof that compassion practice is working. He then covers the four conduct-based activities: accumulating merit, purifying past negativities, offering to malicious spirits (recast as former victims who now deserve our body in return), and presenting ritual cakes to protectors. A brief Q&A closes the session.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 13 LMT 1997 08 12.mp3
UUID: 5938ecb2-0c76-49cb-b1ae-d00ea4005bdb
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Lojong Mind Training (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1997-08-12
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 100.9 minutes
Words: ~4,786
We’ll begin by adjusting our motivation so that we will listen to this teaching of the Dharma with the intention of awakening our hearts for the sake of all sentient being. We begin by cultivating caring attitude, that of compassion. And compassion is expressed in the thoughts, May myself and all it would be wonderful if myself and all sentient beings were free of suffering and the causes of suffering. May myself and all sentient beings be free of suffering and the causes of suffering. I myself will lead all sentient beings to a state of freedom from suffering.
In the cultivation of love expressed in the thoughts, it would be wonderful if myself and all living beings had complete happiness. May myself and all living beings have complete happiness. I myself will lead all sentient beings to a state where they enjoy complete happiness. Then we go on to develop a special resolve, the exceptional resolve which understands that if I myself do not free all sentient beings from their suffering and lead them to complete happiness, who will? And therefore, developing the determination that I myself will free all sentient beings from their suffering and lead them to complete happiness.
Though possessing the attitude of wishing to lead all sentient beings to complete happiness, to free them from suffering, and to take that responsibility solely upon oneself without relying upon others. Though it is in fact an extremely kind hearted attitude, we have to question, well, in fact, do I have such an ability? And at present, when we examine, we simply don’t. So we go on to question, who does have such an ability whereby to lead all sentient beings to a state of freedom from suffering and where they enjoy complete happiness? the hearer and solitary realizer, foe destroyers, do they have such an ability?
In fact, they don’t. Even the bodhisattvas don’t have that ability. It is only a Buddha. Taking as our goal the leading of all sentient beings to a state where they are free from all suffering and where they experience complete happiness, and determining that I myself will accomplish this goal. And as the means whereby to achieve this end, I must first remove all my various faults.
I must bring to consummation all my excellent qualities. That is to say, I must achieve Buddhahood. If I do not attain Buddhahood, then I have not brought about the welfare of either myself or others. When one generates the sincere and powerful attitude, an uncontrived spontaneous arising of the mind that for the sake of all sentient beings I must achieve Buddhahood when one has developed the awakened heart. But merely committing oneself to that attainment is not the attainment itself.
Then what are we to do to actually attain it, that end in fact? We must begin by removing all of the various contradictory conditions and practice bringing about all the conducive conditions whereby we will be able to actually achieve this state. What in fact are the contradictory conditions which prevent us from achieving Buddhahood? These are the factors within our mind such as self grasping, self centeredness, the various afflictive emotions, and all the predispositions to negativities. These inhibit our actual attainment of Buddhahood.
And further, what are the conducive conditions whereby to achieve state of Buddhahood, mainly it is the awakened heart along with the wisdom realizing emptiness that we are to practice a conjoined method, a conjoined means of method and wisdom. We are to involve ourselves in the various perfections: the perfections of generosity, ethics, tolerance, joyous effort, meditative concentration, and wisdom. That by means of these six perfections, we bring about our own welfare. And in combination with that, we practice the four means of cultivating the minds of our disciples that we bring about the welfare of others. So the conducive conditions are a combination of method and wisdom.
So these various means of abandoning our faults and bringing to consummation our excellent qualities are set up clearly and extensively in the various universal vehicle scriptures, the various books. So we are first to listen to explanations of on these teachings. Having listened, we should reflect upon what we have heard. Having reflected, we should meditate upon it. So the process begins with the process the process begins with listening to the Dharma.
So having the above motivation for listening to this present teaching. Within the overall text of mind training, there were there are seven divisions. The first of these divisions was the preliminary practices of the training of the mind, which we have completed. The second is training within the awakened, training in bodhicitta. And with regard to bodhicitta, there are two types.
There is conventional bodhicitta, that is to say the awakened heart, and ultimate bodhicitta, the awakened mind. We have completed teaching on the training in the conventional bodhicitta, the awakened heart, and the training in the ultimate bodhicitta, the awakened mind, will come later. So now we’re going to, in the interval prior to that, we will take up the third division of the text which transforming adverse conditions into the path to awakening. Textual source within the root text, which we will we will be explaining, is when the world and its inhabitants are filled with negativities, transform adverse conditions into the path of awakening. So literally, the verse reads when the container and the contained.
That is say here the word container is means the environment that which be that place where beings inhabit, the place where beings reside. The contained or could be translated as the as essence are the beings within the environment, all the various types of beings. When all of these, both the environment and the beings therein are overflowing with negativities, we should apply this to our practice of mind training. We should adapt all the various conditions, difficult conditions that we meet with as a means by which to attain awakening. So in terms of the of our environment, whatever this can be taken in terms of the various elements from which our environment is built up out of.
For example, the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind. When we are confronted with natural catastrophes, such as in terms of earth, when there are earthquakes, in terms of fires, both where there are dwellings, but also forest fires. When there are floods and when there are tornadoes, all of these, when the elements have, as it seemed, turned against us, we are to take these difficult conditions as a path for awakening ourselves. When natural disasters are occurring, when crops fail, when there are droughts or untimely rains, when there are heat waves, when there are blights, when the fruit trees no longer bear their fruit, when we’re confronted with all of these various natural catastrophes. These are what is meant by the negativities of our environment.
Then the text speaks of the negativities of the beings therein, all the various varieties of sentient beings. And when these negativities are expressed through physically, verbally, and mentally. But mainly, our negativities are expressed in terms of our mind, are embodied within our mind. That spirituality is extremely rare in general. There’s not even the mention of the word love and compassion.
If we look at the world today, perhaps ten percent of them listen to teachings on spirituality. And how many amongst even those ten percent, actually practice a form, a real form of spiritual practice? Most of the beings are very much filled with anger and attachment. They involve themselves in stealing and all types of various misconducts. That they are dominated by their afflictive emotions.
And out of these afflictive emotions, they go on to involve themselves in unskillful actions. And our population is plagued with sickness, with war, with all kinds of human made disasters. A variety of unskillful experiences befall the inhabitants. So there is is the this within the world, the side of darkness, the the side of that which runs counter to spiritual practice and all that it stands for. But there is also the side of light.
There is the black and the white sides, and these are in conflict with one another. And that to a large extent, the dark side is predominating. And that left the dim light of the universal vehicle. The Buddha Śākyamūni, when he was present in India, he was like a brilliant light displaying the universal vehicle Dharma. And that light spread to all about him.
And there had been this light spread throughout India and even to China where the light of Mañjuśrī illuminated that country previously. Buddhism was extinct in Mongolia and Tibet, and now that light has all but gone out. The Dharma has been completely lost. There’s hardly even the name left anymore. Presently, the Dharma is spreading to the West, and we enjoy a great freedom in the West, and are able to take advantage of the presence of this development of Dharma.
And we, from teacher’s side, are pleased to make the effort in propagating the Dharma in the West. His Holiness has seen it as important that the Dharma be taught to the West. So many Geshe’s have come to the West and are making an effort to teach the Dharma for that end, order to please His Holiness as a means in order to spread the light of the Dharma. So many of you are making great strides in your practice of Dharma that you undergo difficulties and hardships in order to create the time to listen and to make effort, put the energy into your individual practices. And we can hope that from all of your efforts that the Dharma will be implanted and that it will remain a long time and that there will be vast benefit, that there will be a bringing of peace and well-being to the world.
But but the teachers of the Dharma, those who for example, the past teachers of Tibet, those who have practiced mind training in a very sincere and genuine fashion, are gradually dwindling in number, they’re becoming fewer and fewer. While we have this wonderful opportunity, while we have all of these conducive conditions, we should study well. We should practice as much as we are able. Even if out of all of this, only one person becomes proficient in mind training, then that in itself is of tremendous value. Take one individual can make a tremendous difference.
Take Je Tsongkhapa for example. He was one individual, but he has made a tremendous difference. In the course of our practice of Dharma, many obstacles will arise for ourselves. But we must develop the skill whereby to turn, to transform these obstacles into part of our practice.
And this is the essence of mind training, that we are to transform the inhibitory conditions into conducive conditions. That we should use the conflicting conditions as a means to assist us in our practice. And that the negative conditions should become our teachers. If we do this, then there’s there is nothing which cannot promote us along the path to awakening. The the difficult conditions are will not harm us.
The conflicting conditions cannot stop us. The negativities, on the contrary, not only do not bring us harm, but they are our finest teachers. It is in this way that we can bring our practice of Dharma to consummation, and our minds will remain happy throughout. This is the tremendous potential of the benefit of mind training. So this is the essential teaching of all the great masters of mind training, such as Geshe Chekawa.
This was their essential message that that through mind training that the conflicting conditions assist our practice, that the obstacles are transformed into conducive conditions for us to practice. And those who harm us through meditation, that which harms us through meditation, is transformed into our teacher, and all things become a means for us to awaken our hearts. How are we to So this is briefly what we are to strive towards, these transformations, but how are in fact we to transform all of these situations. In an expanded form, this transformation is to be brought about both through attitude and conduct, that we are to transform the inhibitory conditions into conducive conditions, obstacles into that which assists us, negativities into teachers. The the in terms of the the transformation by way of attitude, we are the the root text says, immediately apply meditation to whatever you meet.
So, whatever occasion, it means in each and every occasion that we should, whatever it may be, to use that occasion to as as as an object for applying the cultivation of awakening. So it’s said that these activities of transformation are expressed through attitude and conduct. And here, what is meant by attitude is the awakened heart. That is to say, within the context of seeking to awaken our hearts, we then take all of these adverse circumstances and make use of them in our practice. We are this is what we are to apply immediately to any of these adverse situations as the means to awaken our hearts.
So, you know, we are discussing the means of transforming adverse circumstances, there are varieties of possibilities of obstacles to what could present an obstacle to ourselves in terms of our practice. These obstacles could be in terms of time or object or terms of time or country or a companion. For some, if things are going well for them, if they are experiencing material prosperity, then they immediately set aside their of Dharma. So for them, their material prosperity becomes an obstacle for them to practice. For others, because they have no material prosperity, they’re undergoing hardship.
That becomes an obstacle for them to carry on their practice of Dharma. For others, for some, when they’re in their homeland, living in distraction, that becomes an obstacle. For others, when they’re in a foreign country and away from home, that becomes an obstacle. For some, when they’re with their companions, that relationship becomes an obstacle. For others, when they’re companionless, that becomes an obstacle for them to carry on their practice.
Practice. So the point is that no matter where we might be, who we might be with, what our level of prosperity is in fact in fact is, we we will undergo a varying level of suffering, varying levels of difficulty, whether it’s great, middling, or even insignificant. We have to undergo this suffering. So the point is to try to make this suffering meaningful, to experience it rather than seeking to always avoid suffering, that if we have to undergo the suffering anyway, to voluntarily take it upon ourself in if it were the substitute and thinking that may this suffering which I am going to undergo or I am I am undergoing, may it a substitute for the sufferings of all others. That may by my experiencing this present suffering, all other sentient beings be free of suffering.
May they have complete happiness. And so are the suffering that we are to undergo can be become meaningful to the taking on this attitude toward it? So previously, when we were cultivating compassion and developing the attitude wishing to that all sentient beings were free of suffering, and moreover when we were practicing the method of taking and giving, where we compassionately took upon ourselves the suffering of others. Thinking when one is undergoing an experience of suffering that, Ah, my practice is working. This is really wonderful.
This is very, very good. Because I’m actually taking upon the suffering that I’m undergoing is the suffering I wanted to take on, the suffering of others. And therefore, it’s okay. It’s more than okay. It’s really very good that I’m undergoing this.
My practice has worked. And develop and rejoice, and your mind will be happy. Very happy. If if we can generate such an attitude, then not only will we not suffer, but our mind will be happy. And therefore, this, whatever the situation might be, is no longer an obstacle for us to practicing of Dharma.
But then on the other hand, when when things are in fact going well, when we have plenty of food when we have plenty of food to eat, when we have a virtuous friend to give ourselves teaching, when we have no sickness, then we should appreciate those comfortable conditions and pleasant times, but not to leave it there, simply there, but to wish may all sentient beings have likewise such wonderful conditions. So, advice by Geshe Champa Kedrup was given where he said that whenever we experience some sort of happiness, whether mind or body, when things are going well, we should appreciate from where that happiness arrives, thinking that what this present experience which I’m now undergoing arose through the skillful actions which I have created in the past. And appreciating that fact that it arose in such a way should act as an incentive to practice more and more skillful actions so that we can enjoy more and more of the same. Our main guru. Main guru.
And then on the other hand, when we’re undergoing an undesirable experience, we should appreciate from where undesirable experiences arise. They are they are a result of unskillful actions created in the past. And this should act as an incentive for ourselves to abandon unskillful actions in the future so we don’t have to continue to experience undesirable situations again. So these are some of the ways that we can transform inhibitory or contradictory conditions into conducive conditions for our practice. The way that we can transform obstacles into factors which will assist us in our practice.
So in terms of of conduct in terms of conduct, the root text goes on to say the four activities are the best method. The four activities are the best method. So what are these four activities? By way of conduct. The first of these is the accumulation of creative potential, the collection of creative potential.
So the first of these activities is that of the accumulation of the collection of creative potential, and how are we to implement this conduct We should take as our basis the understanding that I do not want to suffer. On the contrary, I want to be happy. That’s the basis for our conduct. And if that naturally What flows out of that is the various practices of generosity, ethics, tolerance. These are the methods whereby we can achieve what it is that we want.
And there are various objects toward various levels of objects toward whom we can practice. We can for that is to say there are what are called fields of merit. And there are different levels of fields of merit. There are the great, middling, and lesser fields of merit toward whom, for example, we can practice generosity, towards whom we can practice ethics, toward whom we can practice tolerance, joyous effort, etcetera. So we should strive to involve ourselves in these practices, not for our own welfare alone, but for the sake of welfare of all.
It is in this way that we can most skillfully practice these perfections perfections and most skillfully accumulate the collection of creative potential. For example, if with the kind hearted attitude of the awakened heart we make an offering, it really doesn’t take that much of a material object. It is by the power of our attitude behind that offering that we accumulate a vast collection of greater potential. If we were to offer even a morsel of food, which is almost nothing in terms of material, but with the attitude that for the sake of all sentient beings I must attain Buddhahood, therefore I am going to practice this act of generosity, then that creative potential would not be able to fit into space if it had formed. But on the contrary, if we were to selfishly, for our own welfare, offer offer a hundred thousand dollars for for our own happiness, we would accumulate very little creative potential or skillful action.
So therefore, it’s proportionate to degree of potential is proportionate, is in proportion to the skillfulness of our motivation. So there’s tremendous difference in the fruitfulness of practice between those who are expert in practice and those who are not. It’s necessary that we be expert in terms become expert in our practice of Dharma in terms of our attitude toward the materials and toward the object toward whom are which is involved in our practice. So I think that the first one should be dedication of material and object. The first of these was not to dedicate a skillful action for our own welfare alone, but to share it with all sentient beings.
That if we dedicate whatever skillful action we may have accumulated for the sake of all sentient beings, This becomes a skillful means whereby that skillful action becomes a cause for our attainment of Buddhahood. By dedicating it toward the welfare of all sentient beings, the result can only will be experienced only as a Buddha. And therefore, this is what it’s meant by being skilled in dedication. But if if if you were to think, well, if if I dedicate this in common to all sentient beings for the sake of all sentient beings, I’m not gonna get mine. That you really shouldn’t worry about because you are in you are a sentient being.
That’s one is skilled in method of dedication in that way. And we should make prayers that aspiring to that may all sentient beings enjoy my happiness and may I, on the contrary, experience the suffering of others. And this this was a verse by Nāgārjuna where we where he said, may all may all sentient beings partake of my happiness. May all may the suffering of all others ripen upon myself. And the second activity amongst these four is the purification of negativities.
Because we want happiness and do not desire to suffer, it is necessary that we eliminate or purify the causes of suffering that we have previously accumulated, the various negativities past created in the past. And this is done by means of disclosing these negatives within the context of the four powers or the four antidotes. Then the third activity is making offerings to malicious spirits. So there there there are varieties of types of beings which can harm us. So there are both human and nonhuman harmers to ourselves.
But how, in effect, do these beings arise? Over the course of our taking innumerable rebirths in the past, we have brought harm to others. We have killed others, we have eaten their flesh, we have drunk their blood, we have gnawed upon their bones. And all of these past negative activities that we have involved ourselves in act as the substantial cause for this harmer to be harming us at present. I mean, some would say, wow, that’s absurd.
I would never, you know, drink blood or gnaw on bones. But, you know, we could just have to look at some of the wild animals like hot-blooded tigers. You know, they in fact, they they kill, they eat the flesh, they they drink the blood, they gnaw on bones. But even if we would look at humans, there there are there are humans who who, we eat flesh of others. There are nomads in Tibet who drink hot blood, and there are many people who wear the skins of animals.
So this isn’t all that unusual, and this all acts as a cause for these beings to harm ourselves. So it is it is through our having harmed these beings in the past that they that we are now surrounded by these malevolent beings who seek to harm ourselves. So, in such a situation, what are we to think? What attitude are we to take? We should remember that we have taken innumerable rebirths in the past, and over these we have innumerable times killed others.
We have eaten the flesh of others and drunk the blood of others. But not stopping our thought there, remembering that this was a tremendous kindness that these beings showed us in the past. If we hadn’t had their flesh to eat, if we hadn’t had their blood to drink, we would have died, and that they gave their life for ourselves so that we could live. And now it’s time to return the favor. So, to, you know, to address these beings within your mind and say, Now it’s your turn to take my body.
So, you’re welcome to my flesh, to my blood. Those of you who wish flesh, please eat my flesh. Those who wish my blood, drink my blood. Those who like bones, eat my bones. Take whatever you want.
My very happy. So this is like the repaying of a debt. So, through this means what what was potentially a harm to ourselves, in fact, turns out to be a great benefit. That by these beings seeking us, we can practice generosity. We can give over our body for the sake of all sentient beings in order to achieve Buddhahood.
And therefore, what was potentially harm has been a tremendous benefit. So these harmful beings become our spiritual friends. A spiritual friend is someone who teaches you the Dharma. And the essential advice of the Dharma is not to involve ourselves in negativities, but on the contrary to practice skillful actions. And with regard to these benevolent beings, we are able to carry on our practice of generosity, that they are helping us to practice Dharma and therefore are beneficial.
So these harmful beings are actually our spiritual friends. So, then the fourth activity is the offering of ritual cakes, what are called tormas, the offering of ritual cakes to the protectors. So when we are undergoing a sickness or some undesirable undesired experience, we are to look to the protectors and to thank them for their great kindness that they are showing to ourselves. That by undergoing these difficulties, we are purifying all our past negativities and thanking them for this opportunity to purify our past negativities and to please send more in the future. And as a token of my appreciation, offering them a ritual cake.
My practice is going well. Thank you. So, Dharma is a way of thinking within our mind. And this is essentially what Dharma is about, the way we think. The mind is the creator of all things.
It is the creator of both happiness and suffering. If we are experiencing happy happiness, it is because our mind is has created that happiness. We are thinking of how difficult things are, what troubles we’re undergoing, and thereby we experience unhappiness, it is simply because of our way of thinking. Everything comes meets back to the mind. So, the Buddha is reduced to mind, the lowest being of all is reduced to mind, the degree of whether something is positive or negative comes down to the mind.
So the found the foundation of Buddhism is the mind itself. Okay. Yeah. So we take five minutes for questions. Yes.
Nice. The Dorje Sempa. If if you if you cultivate the awakened heart, if you if you meditate on compassion, you will become brave minded. If, you know, when we talked about exchanging self for others, we said that this was a practice for those of high intelligence and those who are extremely brave. Exchanging ourselves for others is a creative practice.
And the way that we can the way that we what we should the way that we the means that practice that we should follow in bringing this about is to to contemplate the faults of self centeredness and the benefits of other centeredness, and also to cultivate love and compassion, and try to carry on a very powerful practice of taking and giving. If you do this, then you’ll be able to give in this way without any difficulty. You’ll be able to give happily. So these almost unimaginable practices of the bodhisattva come about through a process of of familiarity. Similar to.
So everything comes down to the mind. The mind being clear and knowing. But that’s not to say that, for example, the awakened heart something which is a cultivated excellence. There would not be an occasion where we could say that it was, that it could be seen as bad. Okay.