Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Khensur Rinpoche opens this 73-minute commentary with a vivid analogy: just as a grammar teacher begins with the alphabet before introducing complex texts, the Buddha teaches the Dharma in stages matched to what students can bear. Rinpoche traces the graduated path from coarse ethics — abandoning the ten non-virtues to secure future happy rebirths — through patience and generosity as causes for a beautiful body and material prosperity, up to the central claim that ignorance is the root of all suffering. He explains how wisdom realizing emptiness counters ignorance, using the image of light dispelling darkness, and can uproot cyclic existence entirely. The session then shifts to cultivating compassion and the aspiration to achieve enlightenment for all beings, before opening Chapter Five on monastic conduct and the discriminating intelligence needed to tell faults from virtues.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 26 PG 1991 09 17.mp3
UUID: f0424489-0353-48e3-8415-03a9b5c1847e
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Precious Garland 1990-1991 (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1991-09-17
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 73.0 minutes
Words: ~3,604
The grammarian first makes his students read the alphabet, so Buddha taught his trainees the doctrine which they could bear. So this is, this is explained in terms of an analogy and then the meaning of the analogy. In terms of analogy, beginning a grammarian, that is to say someone who teaches grammar, in order that we come to use language, that we come to understand the world around us, begins by explaining the letters, the stems, and syllables of the various things in order to able to know them. Explain that this is this, this is this. We explain that this is a flower, this is a table, this is a book, etcetera.
in dependence upon being these grammatical particles such as things, words and letters, we come to understand the nature of all phenomena. We understand what are the various parts of phenomena, what are the various attributes of phenomena. Initially, a small child upon entering school has to be taught in the ABCs. Each letter is presented and then they come, eventually they come to understand the various letters. And then the letters are compounded into words.
Prefixes are taught, suffixes are taught until they come to understand words and then groups of words. And in this way, through the studying of this process of Brahma, they are able to know the world about them and are educated in this way. With this process, on the basis of learning the various letters and compounding letters into words and making use of names, the various things which are obvious to us are pointed out. Parents would say, this is yellow, this is red, this is black, this is white. The things that we can see.
But additionally, using language we can come to understand those things which we cannot see. And these various non obvious objects are explained to us using our language. And the dependence upon our intelligence and use of language, we come to understand the reality about it. As we progress in our studies and our intelligence, let us say, recently increases, we can understand the natures of all the various phenomena about this. We can understand what are the various faults and what are their excellent qualities.
The progress of our spiritual education, the Buddha proceeded in the same manner. In order to lead us to a blissful state of liberation which is bereft of all suffering, we gradually introduce in a very coarse manner initially as to what are the various parts of the phenomena about us and what are the excellent qualities which we are to develop. So initially there’s a course presentation which is gradually refined. So now the teaching is making use of an analogy between the way in which we progress in our studies in the course of our education in the school and in the same way that we progress first through a very close understanding of the various thoughts of the various phenomena about us and what are the excellent qualities which are going be cultivated, how to go about reading ourselves a faults, how to go about developing our excellent qualities until it leads to final liberation. So in explaining the meaning of this analogy, that those who have little intelligence and are like a very small child just beginning their education.
They are completely involved in pleasure, in principles of pleasure and pain in the course of this life, it’s only when they are likened to a small child just beginning their education as to what is to be adopted and what is to be rejected. So, in initial phase to these individuals, we begin by giving advices as to modes of conduct and saying that you should proceed in a place whereby you do not bring harm to others. You should cease killing others, stealing from others, committing adultery. Such verbal faults as lying, divisive speech, that is the bringing disharmony amongst individuals who were previously in harmony, harsh words, speaking in ways which hurt others, and that these coarse types of verbal faults we should seek to abandon. I want to point out various types of coarse motor faults which we should try to abandon and to cease, having great desires which is in the context of covetousness, harmful intention, that is qualities of mind such as strong hatred and anger.
Also, more conviction in the view which sets out that from positive causes, a positive result will arise. On the other hand, from malignant types of causes, bad types of causes, bad types of results will arise. Not gaining a conviction in the concordance between cause and result — initially giving advice as to the various types of healthy, physical, verbal, and mental conduct of the various types which we are to try to cease. So we are admonished not to forget these advices.
Why is that? These individuals who were being given this advice were such that they wanted happiness and they didn’t want suffering. And it is dependent upon abandoning these types of faulty conduct that they will find happiness, that they will eliminate their suffering. This is the method whereby to bring about the coarse types of happiness and to eliminate coarse types of suffering. The Buddha here is teaching the causes of happiness on a course level, but roughly speaking, that everyone wants a human life, this wonderful environment of a human body, and they particularly want a beautiful one, and they all want happiness.
So, from this point of view, the advice is given to if you want these, then it’s necessary to follow, observe ethics. That is to say, essentially not to harm others, to abandon hurting others. It is by means of ethics that one achieves a human life. But not only do we want a human life, human embodiment, but we want a beautiful body. And so if they want that, then we have to forgo anger and hatred.
That is to say we have to practice tolerance. Tolerance is the cause for having a beautiful, handsome body. But not only do we want that, but during the course of our life, we want enjoyments, material possessions. If we want to embrace, then we have to practice generosity. By means of generosity, we will not only have possessions and enjoyments in this life, but we will have various types of enjoyments in the future.
So all of these methods were taught of ethics, talents and generosity as a means to find physical types of happiness, types of embodiments and enhancing embodiments and all of the good things of life in terms of materials, food, clothing, etc. Therefore, the Buddha, since people wanted these, he taught them these as the causes of happiness. Having been given these advices, then learn to train in them well as to putting into practice what is to be adopted and what is to be rejected Upon it being apparent that they had trained in these well, then the Buddha proceeded to give them their own methods of training, further methods of training. So the Buddha would say to those students that upon observing them as having trained well in the previous teachings, that it’s obvious that you have made it up in the practice. But training, really having achieved this training is not sufficient.
But through these practices, I have given you thus far, that in the future you will achieve a human life and a beautiful body, and will have material possessions and harmonious friendships, but still this is not sufficient because even in such a situation, even such a situation is dissatisfactory. We you know, we know of many individuals including ourselves who have handsome beautiful bodies, have good health, lots of material affluence and these are having been achieved by means of practicing these causes in the past. But though we know for ourselves, though we have these healthy beautiful bodies, that we have friends, possessions, we still continue to experience suffering. So, the Buddha went on to say, we simply do not want to experience any suffering. So then, what is the root of suffering?
Where does it come? The root of our problems is karma, but more specifically negative karma, negative actions and unskillful actions. And not only that, where do those come about? They come about through afflictive emotions and the root of our afflictive emotions is ignorance, So it is ignorance which we wish to weed out. So just as in the case of a tree, which has various limbs, leaves, flowers, etc, by cutting the tree at its very root, we are able to remove all of these which grew out of that.
Likewise, all of our sufferings whatsoever, whether it be aging, disease, in-depth or any type of suffering, if we are to rid ourselves of all suffering, we are to eliminate the very root of our suffering, which is misknowledge or ignorance. By that means that we can achieve a state of complete happiness. By way of analogy, we can think of darkness within a room. How do we get rid of the darkness within a room? By turning on the light.
Wisdom which understands that in fact this is a flower is able is mutually contradictory to the wrong conception which perceives of this object as not a flower. And in fact, in reality, is a flower. And the the wrong conception holding the object to not be a flower is not stable. That it is not apparent. So the it will it it is mutually exclusive.
So, ultimately, that which is grounded in reality can overcome a false conception. The conception which holds the flower to naturally exist. That is to say, that it is established by a self-defining nature — this is ignorance or misknowledge. On the other hand, the wisdom which conceives the flower to not be self-defined, that is to say that the flower does not naturally exist, is a major contradiction to this misconception. The nature of the object is in fact that it is not naturally existent.
That is, this wisdom accords with the reality of the object. Ignorance is a perverted conception. It is in contradiction to the nature of reality. Therefore, one can be increased indefinitely without limit. And it will, because it’s in the nature of the object, it is able it is able to avoid the false conception, which is not.
So, it is due to the one conception of ignorance. Under the control of the one conception of ignorance, we are forced to undergo repeated rebirths. Therefore, ignorance is the root of suffering. This ignorance, the misknowledge, and the wisdom understanding emptiness are mutually exclusive. If we cultivate wisdom realizing emptiness, as its power increases through its cultivation again and again and again, the root of suffering that is misknowledge will diminish. Just as initially in this room, if there’s no heater going, it’s going to be cold.
And that as the heater continues to operate, it can completely remove the cold from the room. Whichever is stronger will prevail whether it’s cold or hot. Through cultivating the wisdom, realizing emptiness, we can completely eliminate from its very root suffering and thereby achieve the state of liberation. As a consequence of having eliminated the very root of cyclic existence by means of the reason realized in emptiness, one abides in extreme bliss, both mental and physical. It’s just as in the case of previously one was very sick and upon taking medicine one improved and got well.
There would be a sense of great relief and they’re going to experience a great pleasure in both physical and mental at having overcome that previous suffering. And likewise, having eliminated, no longer abiding within cyclic existence, having eliminated both all physical and mental dissatisfaction, then it abides in a great bliss. Having achieved this was one that abides in it a very long time. Then the individual advises these individuals, so though you have achieved this for yourself, this is not sufficient. All of your mothers still are tortured by suffering.
And for you to forsake them and to provide happiness for yourself alone would be intolerable. It would be a disaster, terrible. So, such an individual is advised that sentient beings are continued to be tortured by suffering and cultivate compassion and go on to cultivate the awakening heart, and thereby enter into the universal vehicle or the greater vehicle. So it is by means of the practice which involves the coupling of both method, which is constituted of compassion and awakening heart, and wisdom that we can eliminate all our various faults and bring the consummation of all our excellent qualities. So there is a correspondence between the way in which the students progress to the secular studies beginning with the lower classes and moving through and finally developing all the knowledge which is to be gained and getting their PhD.
When they have a spiritual education and one has eliminated all of one’s faults and by the consummation of the excellent qualities, one has achieved a spiritual PhD. And this is those who have achieved a secular education are able to go out into the world and take up work and benefit others. Likewise, those who have proceeded through a spiritual education by means of having developed their excellent qualities and eliminated their various faults are empowered to bring about the welfare of sentient beings and this through the teaching of the Dharma whereby helping others to eliminate their suffering and to achieve happiness. We can achieve the same qualities as the Buddha who born in India went on to eliminate all of these coarse faults and to bring the consummation all of these excellent qualities and bring about the welfare of thousands upon thousands of sentient beings. Individuals, wish to be of vast benefit to others, then how are we to proceed?
We must proceed in the same fashion of those who have gone before in their training of eliminating all their various faults and bringing to consummation all their excellent qualities. Just like them, we must proceed in a gradual fashion. First eliminate all our various coarse faults, developing all the coarse qualities and then finally the ultimate qualities. Just as those in the secular area of the past, in the past, even though they had become experts in their field, initially must involve themselves in the study of the elementary ABCs and then passing through those stages, they became experts in their field and were able to benefit. Welfare of both self and others without progressing in its gradual manner through our training.
Though we may wish to benefit others, there’s no way that we can. So, just as in the secular area, that by the children trained well in the course of their progression in the future that they are ultimately able to be a benefit to both themselves and others. The same holds equally true in the spiritual area, that if we train well, if we practice well, then it’s such that we will be able to benefit both ourselves and others. On the other hand, we don’t, if we don’t train well, if we don’t practice well, we have created no cause to be able to benefit ourselves and others and it’s extremely difficult to expect that we would achieve that. In the secular area, training which these people put themselves through is mainly concerned for their lives, bringing about benefits and happiness.
But we shouldn’t be satisfied with that. We should be seeking a complete happiness, the happiness in all of our future lives. So how are we to progress in our practice? Initially, it’s necessary that we, as much as we are able, abandon harmful actions, physical, verbal and mental activity. That we should, as much as we can, cultivate a kind heart.
So, progressing gradually by beginning to abandon the course critical actions of body, speech, mind. So we completed the fourth chapter. In the fifth chapter, this advice is being mainly directed toward a king. It is said that if the king is not able to practice in his way while remaining a king, then it would be useful for him to become a renunciate, that is to become a monk and therefore there an extensive explanation of the qualities of carrying out a practice in terms of a monk and I want to explain this to you. So in order to think about our temporal welfare, we should abandon the harmful actions of body, speech and mind and to bring about the welfare of this life, additionally in future life.
And it’s important that we practice with a kind hearted motivation. We practice generosity in order that we have material possessions in the future, that we observe ethics as a means to achieve a human life in the future, and that we cultivate tolerance as a means to have a beautiful, handsome body in the future. In order to, that we can carry on such a practice, it must say that we make effort. That is simply not sufficient to make effort to try one day. It has to be a continual effort and more than just effort, it has to be a sense of joyous effort.
In addition, we should to make effort in the practice of meditative stabilization, that is the development of a stable mind, such that our mind is not distracted to external objects, that it is able to abide on any object that we want to place it upon, anything that we want to think about. Mainly, is externally, normally we want to generate wisdom. So it’s important that we make effort in the generation of wisdom. With respect to wisdom, there are various types. There is afflicted wisdom, that is actually a negative type of wisdom.
Here I think it’s better to translate the term as intelligence. So there is a negative intelligence, objective intelligence, a neutral or unspecified type of intelligence. So these previous types of intelligence and these unskillful types of intelligence or even the neutral types of intelligence are of no use. What we want is to develop beneficial types of intelligence, healthy types of intelligence. What do I mean by the useful or beneficial types of intelligence?
These are the intelligence which is able to understand and identify what are thoughts and what are excellent qualities. That which is able to discern what are thoughts and quality. There are types of intelligence. It’s the same function of mind. For example, the intelligence of the eye.
By looking and investigating where we are going, if it were to discern that there’s some harm in going to that area, then we would not enter. We would not go to that place. On the other hand, this faculty of this discernment that if there happened to begin by going there, then we could go to that place, we could enter that place. This is a matter of intelligence. So it is necessary that we have this factor of intelligence which is able to discern what is discriminating as it is discriminating that which is at fault and that which is an excellent quality.
Just as in the case with the eye, which we see that this place is beneficial. This place is a place where I can find happiness. And therefore in field of discrimination we go to that place, we enter into that place. On the other hand if the place is seen to be as a potential harm, there’s no happiness to be gained from going there, And we will avoid that place. So if we don’t have this factor of intelligence which is able to discriminate what is beneficial and what is harmful, then we will enter into ways which are faulty and we will not practice those ways which are cultivating excellent quality.
In order for us to develop this discriminating intelligence with respect to facts and extreme qualities, business that we read about in books, the presentation, which differentiate these two, and to listen to teachings on the Dharma which present these two. But it shouldn’t be any, in reading of these books, we shouldn’t just read any book. Not all books are authoritative. Not all books are worthy of reading them. We should be sure that those who have composed these books are setting out what is at fault as being a fault and what is an excellent quality as being an excellent quality.
Some that lack the discernment present what are actually faults as excellent qualities and they present excellent qualities as faults. By any of this intelligence which is able to discriminate qualities, what is an excellent quality as an excellent quality, what is a fault as a fault, we will be able to eliminate our suffering and achieve happiness. So we’re not there for today, but if you have some questions. Emptiness is the final mode of abidance of phenomena. The final nature, the ultimate nature of phenomena.
Emptiness is the ultimate way phenomena exist. Coming to the wisdom of understanding this, it’s necessary that we proceed in a gradual manner. We can read various books, we can listen to the various teachings. We don’t come to this understanding of what emptiness is all of a sudden. That would be extremely difficult even to generate it very quickly.
But gradually through this process of studying, listening, etc, we will develop the wisdom understanding what emptiness is. It’s necessary to meditate well on emptiness.