Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Using the image of a spy checking whether a thief has entered the house, Khensur Rinpoche illustrates how introspective awareness monitors the meditating mind for laxity and excitement. In this 96-minute session, he opens with the preparatory conditions for mind training — the seven-limb prayer for accumulating merit and a Mañjuśrī request for wisdom — then sets out the three higher trainings, with ethics as the ground for meditative stabilization and wisdom. The bulk is a systematic treatment of calm abiding: five faults that obstruct it (laziness, forgetting the object, laxity, excitement, non-application, over-application of antidotes) and the eight antidotes that counter each, including a practical breakdown of three types of laziness — procrastination, distraction into meaningless activity, and self-defeatism. Suited to practitioners wanting a clear, structured framework for beginning or deepening single-pointed concentration practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 12 Eye of A 1989 02 13 poor quality.mp3
UUID: 4e2b5875-01b7-415f-9213-b482ec9eadc9
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Opening the Eye of Awareness 1988-1989 (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1989-02-13
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 96.4 minutes
Words: ~2,964
The best way of developing the mind and improving our mind is that on the one hand we must accumulate positive potential but this in itself is not enough. This practice of accumulating positive potential and positive energy and merit must also be accompanied with the practice of purification and the collection of positive potential, listening to the various teachings, and meditating on that. The field, simply having the seed is not sufficient to develop a crop. We need all the various types of crop conditions such as water, fertilizer, Likewise, we need various crop conditions to come together in order to improve our mind. According to the tradition of the great master, Je Tsongkhapa, in coming to the quick realization that the path is all in our mind, he said that the quickest method for bringing this about is first to create a great accumulation of positive potential, listen to the teaching, and make request to one’s meditational deity, as well as to one’s lama.
So in in this regard, to this effect, in order to improve our mind, to develop our mind, to actually engage in mind training. One of the most efficient methods for developing great accumulation of positive potential is the practice of the seven-limb prayer which we just did. And so on the one hand, increasing the accumulation of the positive potential, On the other hand, the necessity to increase our wisdom. This is done through the practice that we did previously, making a request to Mañjuśrī. Mañjuśrī — a request that the teacher’s wisdom might increase.
So when we talk about one spiritual master of the lama, it’s making request to one individual lama, that is whatever spiritual teaching you have lived in, that you have faith in, that making seeing that your lama is inseparable entity or inseparable by nature, which means you should make a request to help you in developing wisdom. So, you know, please think about the the things that I I just mentioned that if creating these these states, in this way, then it’s it’s extremely So in talking about the previous training that is the higher training ethics, this involved the going for refuge, the Three Jewels, and taking and abandoning the three destructive actions, the three non virtuous actions, which is the ten destructive actions, and implementing the opposite of those, the ten constructive actions. This is the basis of training and ethics. Ethics is the foundation of the two further trainings in meditative stabilization and wisdom. The case of the earth, the foundation in which we plant the ground in which we plant the our field and we are able to give rise to produce worldly crops.
Likewise, ethics is the foundation, the field in which we plant the remaining two higher trainings. The meaning of meditative stabilization is that is the mind abiding, resting, abiding one pointedly without distraction on a virtuous object. Example of what we mean by meditative stabilization. Simply that when we are meditating, we take as an object of observation a virtuous object such as emptiness and we rest our mind, abide on that object single-pointedly without being distracted to other objects. This is an example of meditative stabilization. The object can be, for example, selflessness, impermanence, any type of constructive or virtuous object.
The mind rests or abides on that object without a single point of it, without diffusion, and without being distracted by other objects. These are all examples of meditative. So meditative stabilization is common both to Buddhist and non-Buddhist practitioners. It’s not confined to Buddhist practice. But here we are talking about the higher training in meditative meditation.
The reason it is referred to as higher is because it is higher than non-Buddhist practices. Whereby from the point of view of taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, having taken refuge in those objects, one engages in meditative stabilization. Such a meditative stabilization, consider it a higher training in meditative stabilization, higher than non-Buddhist practices. So in dependence upon meditative stabilization as increases in strength, we can obtain calm abiding and gaining the various types of special insight. It also acts as a cause for the development of the four concentrations and the four absorptions. If we use meditative stabilization accompanied with the understanding of selflessness, then it actually forms the basis for liberation.
In addition to that, it accompanies the mind of enlightenment, the awakening heart, it serves as the cause of Buddhahood. So we use as a means of progressing through, as a foundation for progressing through the path. First, developing simple single-minded concentration, increasing the stability of such a mind until we actually attain calm abiding. Taking calm abiding as a basis, then we develop special insight, and finally coupling these two. These two calm abiding and special insight.
Meditative stabilization is extremely important, and it is only in dependence upon meditative stabilization that we progress through either of the three vehicles — the Hīnayāna, the Pratyekabuddhayāna, the Mahāyāna — that we are able to attain all the various paths and grounds. Without meditative stabilization, there’s no way that we can attain these realizations. So in the actual development progressing through meditate in meditative stabilization, through one actually attain calm abiding. There are the actual method is overcoming the various faults, and there are said to be five faults in attaining eventual calm abiding.
Acting as discordant factors in the cultivation of meditative stabilization is laziness. This is a lack of enthusiasm for the attainment of calm abiding and the lack of faith and quality of calm abiding. But one simply puts it off again and again. One doesn’t So then the the second thought is a different. And then, initially, in the training of, we may actually we take an obvious observation.
For example, an image of a Buddha, and we we examine the image very well. And though we’re examining with the eye, the meditative stabilization we are aiming at is not a function of the eye consciousness. We’re not trying to see things with the eye. We’re trying to see things with the mental consciousness. So look at the mirror thinking, oh, where is the foot?
Where is the hand? Examining very well with the eye. And then, actually, when you’re in meditation, then one is no longer using eye consciousness. One is trying to have the appearance arise before the mental consciousness. So in developing calm abiding, we can take various objects as an object as a basis for observation, a base for observation.
And within the Sūtra tradition, the most preferable object is the Buddha image. They said that it’s taking a Buddha image, then it’s an easy image to take, to make use of, and it’s in trying to have it appear to our mind, we actually are involving our mind in very constructive actions. Develop a virtuous mind simply by seeking to have it appear in our mind by the very nature of the object. Of course, take the tantric tradition, might take another object or observation. In non-Buddhist traditions, So when we have examined the object and and we are seeking to have it appear to our mental consciousness that is we are trying to remember the object, we will have a tendency to forget the object.
When we forget the object of observation, this is called forgetting the instructions, forgetting the advice. And this forgetfulness is the second fault, which is actually an obstacle to the result. The third fault is laxity and excitement. With respect to laxity, first, the object is simply not clear to our mind.
As this this would this will begin to degenerate, and there will the actual object will be as it’s covered over with darkness. There’s obscuration of black a dark a blackness up here, and finally, this will be generated to see. So then the the second is excitement. And this is when the mind is able to abide on objects, it’s able to rest on the object. It keeps going outside.
We might think about our home, neither of these two cases is the mind able to abide on the object going to one stream of the other of each other, and therefore, So in in actually developing the calm abiding, we need to make use of two aspects of two factors of mind simultaneously. I if two parts of there are two parts of our mind acting together. One of them is able to actually rest, abide on the object, and the second that is introspection or awareness is checking, observing whether the mind is resting, abiding on the object and how well it’s just abiding on the object. So it requires that we have this that we have this factor of both being able So one one part of our mind that is the factor of introspection awareness is acting as if a spy. It’s examining whether the mind is abiding, is is resting on the object of observation, and how it’s resting on the object of observation.
So it’s always examining like a spy. If in fact the mind is either involved in the faults of laxity or excitement, it is necessary to make use of an antidote to correct that. If if instead of making use of an antidote, we do not cease this fault of excitement or laxity, we are let it continue, then this is the fourth fault of the which is to be abandoned. Fourth fault in developing Having you know, coming to direct to introspection coming to identify the fault of laxity or excitement and applying applying the proper antidote to correct that that fault, then once the fault has ceased, if we were to still apply an antidote unnecessarily, though there is in fact no laxity and no excitement present, if we are still applying an antidote as if there were, then this would be the pitfall or the over-application of an antidote when it is not needed in overcoming these faults we employ the various antidotes and there are eight antidotes which overcome the five faults.
So with respect to the first fault of laziness, there are four antidotes. So with respect to the four antidotes overcoming the first fault of laziness, these four antidotes are: faith, aspiration, effort, and pliancy — faith, aspiration, effort, and pliancy. So how do we actually employ these four antidotes? And actually thinking about the method for overcoming the fault of laziness.
First, we have to consider the excellent qualities of meditative stabilization whereby we develop faith. So in the same way, looking at the excellent qualities, the excellent and great benefits derived from developing meditative stabilization, we develop an aspiration. For example, if someone were very lazy, they looked at you know, going into business, for example, as very difficult, lack of trouble, unless they can’t be bothered with it. But if another person were to come along and said, you know, well, you know, just what you could call the profit that you could give this So looking at the degree of benefits to be derived from developing a state of meditative stabilization, you’re thinking, you know, what what do I really want most? I want physical and mental bliss.
I’m thinking that if we were to go on developing pliancy on body, if we were to go on to develop pliancy on body, that we would get all this physical pliancy, we would get the mental pliancy, and thinking what how wonderful this would be, the great quality, and and and going from faith, thinking about all the what is the the excellent future. Doing we I you know, most of everything that one does in the world, we do it because in order to get some kind of pleasure. And, you know, we’ve been talking about the example of motor racing, in order to find happiness in order to get pleasure. Some kind of bliss. We’re always trying to get bliss.
If we were to look at the situation and think of the great bliss that we can get out of developing and abiding not only So the first fault is forgetting the instructions. And this involves forgetfulness where we actually lose the object of observation. The antidote for forgetting the instructions is mindfulness. The third thought is the thought laxity and excitement. With laxity, there’s an unclear to the object to the point where the action may fall asleep. With it is it is the condition which brings it about is the fact of delusion.
Whereas with excitement, there is a loss of the object and the fact is we actually lose the object of observation and condition to bring this about is either attachment of anger. In order as an antidote to the fault of laxity and excitement, we have to make use of the mental factor of introspection. That is we have to examine whether the object is being held by the mind and what way is it being held. We have to make an examination using introspection or awareness. So to use an example, if if the factor of introspection is as if we were we were concerned examining, concerned as to whether a thief had come in the house or not and trying to to look around to see whether the thief was in the house or not.
And if there was a thief, to throw the thief out of the house and close the door. If we simply were to neither know whether the thief was in the house or not, or not close the door, then we’re going to have it stolen. Likewise, in getting the we have to examine our mind in the way we’re meditating to see whether the the fault of laxity and excitement are present or not. Factor that we use for making this examination is introspection. Introspection is the way we actually get rid of them. We have to actually know whether the thief is in the house or not, and it’s introspection or awareness which tells us through this examination whether the thief is in the house or not.
This factor of mind which examines to see whether the thief is in the house or not is introspection. There is introspection or awareness which examines as to whether laxity or excitement are present. And if we discover, in fact, that laxity and excitement are present, then we have to actually throw them out of the house. And this is the antidote to the fourth fault, that is non-application. We actually have to throw out the thief out of the door, find an antidote, and actually get rid of them. If having thrown them out and closed the door, we still keep examining to see whether the thief is in the house or not — this would be the fifth fault. And so in this case, as an antidote to over-application, equanimity is applied. This method is set forth in the Discrimination of the Middle and the Extremes, where the five faults are overcome by the eight antidotes. And in the text, one of the ornaments of the Mahāyāna sutras. So if you really want to understand this,
Activity or spiritual activity, not knowing the qualities of it, then we do not make any endeavor towards that object. And this non-endeavor is the foundation of laziness. So there are three types of laziness. The first is procrastination. Simply putting off what you could do today till tomorrow. Simply again and again putting up doing becoming involved, you know, completing to do doing the work, whatever it might be.
So, procrastinating, pushing back, back, back. The second is, I don’t know a word for it. It’s simply becoming involved with many types of meaningless activities, dispersing all of one’s energies, not concentrating and directing it to one specific desirable object but becoming involved with many types of meaningless activities. Is a way of avoiding attaining anything. The third is self defeatism.
We are thinking like I don’t have the ability, I can’t do this. I I I just I can’t I can’t even bother to try. And this is the the self defeatism. There’s a third type of laziness. So the function of laziness, the nature of its action causes us to lose purpose, So the way we can begin to overcome is taking in mind, becoming mindful of excellent qualities that are the object of whatever it is that we are involved in, what the fruits of the results can be and taking in mind excellent qualities, developing a state that these qualities exist and thereby developing aspirations to aspiration towards that object and then actually making efforts in the effort itself.
So, as one progresses in developing calm abiding, the object becomes clearer and clearer and clearer. Both the excitement and laxity are eliminated at the eighth mental level. At the ninth mental level, they are fully eliminated. So the antidote to excitement is as follows: because the mental factor which gives rise to excitement is attachment, and the way we overcome attachment is through renunciation. The mind is in a very high state.
It should have to be brought down. And then we can do this by considering thinking about suffering and thinking about, for example, impermanence. These qualities have the the ability to bring the mind down to a lower state. On the other hand, when we’re involved in laxity, the mind is in a very low state. It’s dark, so we have to raise the mind up.
And the way we can do this is, for example, by meditating on the excellent qualities of Buddhahood in order to brighten and raise the mind up.