Lam Rim — 2015-08-05

Lam Rim (Khensur Rinpoche)

Lam Rim — 2015-08-05

Play Episode Pause Episode

1x

00:00 /

RSS Feed

Share

Link

Embed

<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="hrRKObTU79"><a href="https://askbuddhism.com/teaching/lam-rim-2015-08-05/">Lam Rim — 2015-08-05</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://askbuddhism.com/teaching/lam-rim-2015-08-05/embed/#?secret=hrRKObTU79" width="500" height="350" title="&#8220;Lam Rim — 2015-08-05&#8221; &#8212; AskBuddhism" data-secret="hrRKObTU79" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://askbuddhism.com/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js </script>

Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.

About this talk. In this 84-minute teaching, Kyabje Rinpoche explores the path of the middling scope—the aspiration for genuine liberation from cyclic existence, not merely higher rebirth—using the Four Noble Truths as his foundation. He opens by asking students to identify the four key subdivisions of this path, then explains why the Buddha taught suffering first: to generate heartfelt motivation for renunciation. Through detailed karma examples—the specific conditions that constitute the non-virtuous deed of killing, how intention alone determines virtue versus non-virtue, the precise causes of higher rebirths—Rinpoche illuminates the Noble Truth of the Origin. The Q&A addresses core doubts: whether aspiration for liberation differs from afflictive desire, why anger is emphasized before attachment, and what these four subdivisions mean in lived practice. For practitioners already familiar with Lamrim seeking a deeper understanding of the middling scope path.

So you probably know the object of abandonment, the object of relinquishment, the object of attainment, and the cause of the path of the being of the small scope. The cause here corresponds to the means. The same must be posited for the path of the being of middling scope. Likewise, the path of the being of the middling scope is also subdivided into four subdivisions, the object of abandonment, the object of relinquishment, the object of attainment and the cause or the means thereof. When one studies a topic it is important not only to study the topic itself but to understand its subdivisions.

This is the topic itself being studied. Since I have already explained what these four are for the path of the middling scope, Please reflect by yourselves for a couple seconds and try to identify them. So I have already explained these for the path of the being of the small scope. Use this as an example on the basis of which to understand the same fourfold subdivision for the path of the being of the middling scope. Otherwise if I explain a lot of material and it is never integrated at all there is no benefit.

Abandonment. Middling scope. Object of relinquishment. Dorje?. My apologies.

I mistranslated. Is that one is trying to appropriate, the object of appropriation. Maybe? Okay. Objective attainment.

Tony. So if the objective attainment is liberation, what are the means or the cause for attaining it? Yes. Very good. Lundy, fourth.

So on the path of the being of the middling scope, what is the foremost topic or subject? That’s an appropriate answer and within the four noble truths, the noble truth of suffering and of the origin of suffering, the first two noble truths are the objects of abandonment and the noble truth of cessation and of the path, the last two are either the objects of attainment or the objects of appropriation. So you answered correctly that the object of abandonment of the being of the middling scope is cyclic existence or the afflictions or for that matter, the ignorance of self grasping. So therefore, the object of abandonment can be cyclic existence, the afflictions, or for that matter within the four noble truths, the noble truth of suffering and of the origin of suffering, whereas the object of appropriation is liberation. Then likewise for the object of appropriation we can posit the last two of the noble truths, the noble truth of cessation and of the path.

The object of attainment is liberation or the state of liberation. And finally, the means of the course to attain this is the wisdom realizing selflessness or the wisdom realizing emptiness. It is therefore important initially to understand what is to be listened to, in other words what is to be studied regarding the path of the being of the middling scope. And once one has studied this topic, it must be practiced. It would be very strange if one studied something without ever practicing it.

And therefore, you could posit as object of abandonment of the path of the being of the small scope, the 10 non-virtues, and as object of abandonment of the path of the being of the middling scope, cyclic existence, or the afflictions. There is a great difference regarding the objects of attainment of the being of the small and the middling scope. The object of the abandonment of the being of the middling scope is cyclic existence or the afflictions and this is abandoned by the wisdom realizing selflessness. This leads to an object of attainment which is the abandonment of cyclic existence. This is very different from the situation for the being of the small scope, where the object of attainment of the being of the small scope is a higher rebirth.

Now clearly once we have attained the object of attainment of the being of the middling scope, we will have also abandoned the object of attainment of the being of the small scope since cyclic existence ceases. So the objective attainment of the path of the being of the small scope is a higher rebirth and the means or the method for obtaining this is an ethics which is the abandonment of the 10 non virtues. This in turn is an abandonment of the 10 non virtues themselves. The presentation of the path of the being of the middling scope is quite different since there the object of attainment is liberation and the means or the cause for this is the wisdom which abandons or the wisdom which realizes selflessness. Now indeed the principal topic of the path of the being of the middling scope is the Four Noble Truths.

The first Noble Truth, the Noble Truth of suffering is followed by the second Noble Truth, the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering. However, this sequence which is that of the lambrim places the effect which is the noble truth of suffering first and its cause which is the noble truth of the origin of suffering second. The reason for which the noble truth of suffering is taught first and the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering is taught second is to emphasize the preeminence of suffering which we must know. Here when we try to understand what precisely cyclic existence is, cyclic existence can be defined as the contaminated aggregates subsumed within our continuum or to put it much more simply, the afflictions within our continuum. The Noble Truth of Suffering is taught first was taught first by the teacher Buddha Śākyamūni because it is to be known it ought to be known.

Through knowing it, we will understand in turn the faults of the afflictions under the sway of anger all of us experiences and know that this is an unfortunate state of affair. Through understanding the faults of the afflictions, in turn, the wish to be freed from the afflictions arises and this gives rise to the motivation wishing to be freed from the afflictions. At this point, should we study the Lamrim with such a motivation, then in as much as the study of the Lamrim is upheld by what amounts to a motivation of renunciation, this not only becomes a very powerful root of virtue, it also becomes a root of virtue leading to liberation. And therefore I believe that it is extremely important after generating from the innermost depths of our mind the wish to be freed from these afflictions afflictions heralded by anger to then engage in the study of the Lamrim which is able to free us from this. Let us generate this motivation for a couple of seconds.

So this is for the Noble Truth of Suffering. Now the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering which I started to explain last time is subdivided into two klesha or afflictions and karma of course. Kleśa has been explained. Karma is present within our continuum. So to put things very simply, karma is subdivided into virtuous and non virtuous karma.

In dependence on virtuous karma we will be impelled towards a higher rebirth as a human being or a god. In dependence on non virtuous karma, we will be impelled towards the lower realms. So regarding the accumulation of non virtuous karma, it is not that easy to accumulate non virtuous karma based on Buddhist scriptures. If we were to take for instance the case of killing, we must initially have a clear motivation intending to kill another party. Then we must engage in physical or verbal deeds which enact this killing, physical deeds might be for instance to do this with a sword.

And in dependence on this the other party which must be a human being must be bereft of life. It is therefore not just sufficient to separate for someone from their life force to accumulate automatically the non virtuous deed of killing. Then this is how the karma which impels a lower rebirth is accumulated. It is up to us to check whether we have such karma within our mind stream. In brief, whether it is non virtuous deeds which impel a lower rebirth or virtuous deeds which impel a higher rebirth in both cases, physical or verbal actions are required.

Now regarding a virtuous karma, which impels a higher rebirth, let us take the case of someone who forswears killing. Should we forswear killing out of the thought that if we kill another, revenge might be sought upon us or for that matter the law might come after us and in the worst case scenario we ourselves might be sentenced to death and out of fear therefore of justice and the police we should forswear killing. This would not be a virtuous deed of abandonment of killing. What is required for abandonment of killing, in other words, for such a deed to become a virtuous deed impelling a higher rebirth. It is not sufficient out of fear of the law and of justice to forswear killing, but in addition, one should think, killing is a sin and in dependence on such a non virtuous deed in future lives, I myself will be reborn in the lower realms and out of fear of suffering in the lower lower realms in such a rebirth, one should abandon killing.

At this point this abandonment becomes an abandonment of harm inflicted to others and may even turn into a wish to benefit others and such a deed is an ethics which subdues the non virtue of killing and turns into a virtuous deed impelling a virtuous rebirth. In dependence on such a powerful virtuous deed impelling a higher rebirth, we will in future lives be reborn either with a human or a divine physical base. In other words, as a human being or a god. This, however, is not sufficient. In addition to obtaining a physical base such as this one contaminated human aggregates we do need food and not just any food we need good food.

From a Buddhist standpoint food or good food is the result of causes and conditions. If we wish to enjoy such good food in future lives then since this is a result we must accumulate the requisite causes and the requisite causes are at present to engage in the generosity of giving objects specifically the generosity of offering good food to others. Moreover, in addition to such prosperity in future lives upon obtaining a human base, in other words a human rebirth, there are substantial major advantages to having a beautiful form, a beautiful appearance whether one is male or female. And this is a result whose cause must be accumulated now. Its cause is a practice of forbearance or patience.

There is a very profound rationale for this. When we pray for a rebirth with a beautiful physical appearance, we’re referring to a beautiful complexion and shape. And if we reflect on the fact that this is concordant with meditating on forbearance, we will understand this all the better when we think what the physical appearance and the facial color of someone whose mind is overwhelmed with anger is. So this is therefore in accordance with the mind of the person. The opposite of forbearance is anger.

What exactly is the face of a person overwhelmed with rage like? Is it a beautiful face? As says in the Ratnāvali, from generosity, prosperity, from ethics, happiness and from forbearance, radiance.. Regarding the second verse from ethics, happiness, the happiness here is happiness of a higher rebirth and in the third verse radiance refers to beauty. In Lamrim Chenmo, in addition, at this point, a distinction is made between karma, which leads to the accrual of happy merit and karma which leads to the accrual of neutral merit.

Clearly all of the deeds which focus exclusively on the affairs of this life will definitely not lead to the accrual of happy merit. So deeds which focus upon happiness in future lives are deeds which lead to the accrual of merit. So when we refer to this world we are referring to the desire realm. There are obviously rebirths in the higher realms, the form and the formless realms, but these are rebirths which are concordant with the practice of concentration in this life, specifically concordant with the practice of calm abiding. So I have nothing left to add.

At present we will pass to questions and answers. Please one question per person and after everyone has asked their questions if there is time, we will take a second question for those who have. Then ask literally clean questions in other words pure short concise questions. Geshe-la, in the Liberation in the palm of your hand it says: Dharma itself is the act of modifying our behaviour according to the law of cause and effect. How does that apply to the middling scope?

Yes, it applies most definitely. There are numerous aspects of causality, specifically virtuous karma is subdivided into uncontaminated virtuous karma, which is for instance the cause for liberation and contaminated virtuous karma which would be the cause for a higher rebirth. Specifically, actually karma can be subdivided into contaminated karma, uncontaminated karma and that which is neither. Probably the karma which acts as a cause for liberation would be virtuous karma which is neither contaminated nor uncontaminated. Thank you.

My question is about the phrase abandon elaborations that Geshe-la mentioned last week. And I thought abandon elaborations referred to abandoning discursive thought or conceptuality as one of the four corrected abandonments. But Geshe-la seemed to say that it was referring specifically to the vanities of this life. In the text, that’s what you’re talking about. Yeah.

So what you say is indeed true. One does speak of elaborations or prapanca in the context of the analysis of emptiness and the presentation of the object of refutation. They are not specifically the object of refutation. However, in the context of the poem of Je Tsongkhapa, which was quoted last week, the elaborations of this life refer to the vanities of this life. It’s very clear in the text in which it is said relinquish the elaborations of this life.

What is the karmic result of negativity and ill will? Generally speaking, negativities are sin and the result of sin is a lower rebirth. Even if one is not reborn in the lower realms but is reborn as a human being, one will be afflicted with mental difficulties, one will be frequently ill and weak, and one’s body will be ugly. Tonight, it was mentioned that anger is the foremost affliction. I’ve got a doubt about that because we’re in a desire realm, and it would seem to me that even the root of anger is attachment.

And that attachment is this enormous delusion that to me seems to be foremost for us as human beings. Could Geshe-la speak to that, please? What you say is true indeed, desire is at the root of anger. But the reason for which I have explained anger and jealousy or envy first is because the faults of desire are not obvious to most of us. On the other hand, the faults of anger and of jealousy are self evident.

They are evident in this life where we can see how they destroy families and relationships and they are also evident for future lives in which they lead to lower rebirths. For that matter if we give rise to anger towards a bodhisattva we destroy the merit which is accumulated during a large number of eons. While desire is an object of abandonment for the being of the middling scope. If we look at the path of the being of the small scope, actually it is partly one of the motors of this path, since it is the wish for a higher rebirth in future lives and this wish is akin to desire which is the motive of the practice of this path. Just to clarify Geshe-la, in the example given about killing, Geshe-la said that one must have a clear mind intending to kill that engage in a physical or verbal deed, for example with a sword.

The other party, which must be a human, being, must be bereft of life. I just wondered whether I didn’t hear that correctly. Must be a human. Did I hear that correctly? So when you refer to the non virtuous deed of killing within the 10 non virtuous deeds, then the basis for that killing is killing a human being.

This is what becomes the non virtuous deed which impels a lower rebirth. Otherwise, if you refer to killing in general out of this context then there are numerous forms of killings in numerous species. So just to clarify within the non virtuous deed of the 10 non virtues of killing, you should have been saying that specifically refers to killing of a human not an animal. Yes. Yes.

This is the case because this human life is an extraordinarily powerful and meaningful life for the attainment of which we had to accumulate great merit in the past. And therefore for this reason killing a human being is included within the 10 non-virtues which leads to a low rebirth. In this world of ours, we can see for instance in all countries that someone who kills a human being is called a murderer. And we say of such a person he is a murderer. Whereas someone who just kills an animal, nobody really notices that much.

Now this is due to the exceptional difference of the human rebirth and in keeping with worldly usage we find this in dharma as well. However, please be wary. It’s not because I’m saying that murder is the non virtuous deed within the 10 non virtuous deeds you must abstain from that you can feel entitled to kill other living beings. Just referring to Geshe’s answer that whilst desire is the object of abandonment for the being of the middling scope, but on the path of the being the small scope is one of the motors acting as like a wish for higher rebirth. Would that also be the case though for the path of the being of the middling scope, the desire for liberation being a motor to practice on that path.

And does so is it still a desire? Is it still an affliction in that case or is it an aspiration? Yes, it’s a very good question, but it is not the case. It is not the case because of the difference in the object. The object of observation, the object of striving, of the path of the being of the small scope is rebirth as a god or a human, in other words a contaminated object.

As a result indeed the motivation is of the nature of an affliction. On the other hand, the object of observation and of striving of the path of the being of the middling scope is liberation which is uncontaminated as a result this aspiration is not an affliction. This doubt, with a very similar one, is found within Lamrim Chenmo, the great treatise on the stages of the path in which it is said, after all, can it not be said that desire is involved in the striving for liberation since the path of the being of the small scope is a preliminary to engaging in the path of the being of the middling scope and one wishes for a higher rebirth? The answer is that this is not the case. It is not the case because it is impossible to obtain liberation on the basis of a lower rebirth and therefore with the ultimate goal of attaining liberation we have to initially get higher rebirths.