Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 39-minute teaching, Lama Zopa Rinpoche traces compassion back to understanding the nature of mind itself. He begins by establishing the foundation for developing love and kindness: all sentient beings naturally seek happiness and avoid suffering, and we bear some responsibility for their welfare. He then moves to a deeper investigation of mind—its Buddha nature and how the mind itself actually exists. Using the example of recognizing your mother among many people, Rinpoche carefully reasons through how the mind is labeled onto a formless, clear, perceiving base. The essential point: the base and its label cannot be the same thing, or labeling would spiral into infinite regress. By understanding this dependent arising—that the mind has no solid, independent existence—practitioners can begin to loosen attachment and develop genuine compassion.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 01 1991 08 05 K.mp3
UUID: 6259db42-440e-4006-8d7e-62f2645ac1d6
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: y Karma (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 1991-08-05
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 39.1 minutes
Words: ~1,575
No. And then before the discourse, If there’s any question. Just one or two. Just one or two questions. What you can say what is correct, what I’m saying.
What she is saying that to generate love and kindness compassion, that usually it’s said that the sentient being wants happiness, not want the suffering. And then other reason is that sentient being is kind to you, so therefore what? To generate love and kindness to it. Mhmm. This message.
Okay? And other other reasons to you. Yeah. Other reasons that you’re responsible. So that’s it.
How does that sentient being’s suffering and how this sentient being is suffering to see in an extensive way, then that you are responsible around this sentient being’s happiness. These two things. First of all, understanding the extent of whether how that sentient being is suffering. Second, second, that They are the ones that are responsible. That that helps mainly to generate compassion.
I think the understanding of the responsibility, it also helps to generate compassion. It also helps to learn to to learn, you know, to see how this other sentient beings are suffering, to see. To learn, to see, you know, to look, to see. And I think the feeling of the response, he also helps that to see the suffering. So then through that, then more compassion get more.
Other than the kindness, how they’re suffering. Their suffering, their cause and their hallucinations, and the disturbing thoughts, and karma, and then the problems, the problems of each of you. That’s a good question. I like that question. Actually, I did not finish last night the subject about nature of the mind.
I think that is the first nature of the mind, Buddha nature, to think that is the main, I think that’s the very root inspiration, encouragement, all the heart. Like this. Well, maybe first I mentioned this. The verse from the text, the sūtra. The verses that all the sentient beings, all the, you see, stained, defiled, all the sentient beings have, like in Buddha, have, you know, Buddha’s nature, Buddha’s natural Buddha and Buddha essence.
So that Because of the The mind of us sentient beings, mind of us, Even us sentient beings are defiled, obscured, which means the mind has all these delusions. Six delusions, eighty-four thousand delusions, so forth, so many dis so many distorted thoughts. How you guys see the disdaints or obscuration and then the subtle subtle obscuration. Even so even though they are see. And then with these disturbing thoughts, concepts of true existence, accumulate negative karmas, the many unskillful, unwholesome actions unwholesome actions, non-virtuous actions that which brings, you see, there’s the, you know, sufferings.
Even this even this is what we what we do in the most. But, you see, at the And you see, at the present time, this is not is not forever. This is not what’s going to be forever for us. This is for the time being. Is it?
Deluded mind continuously creating the, you see, sufferings, this deluded mind and the action. Many you see so many mistakes, but because the mind is dependent arising, then because the mind is, you see, exist by depending on the base that is formless phenomena, which makes it clear, perceiving object. And then And the thought with labels and the label. So it depends on these things, but the mind exists. So what is the mind?
It is nothing except only that is merely imputed by the mind and by the thought, depending on or not those because the reason is that base is a phenomena, formless but clear, cognizant, exists. So believed in this mind what is merely labeled by the thought. Believed in that. Because of the reason of this phenomenon, the base of the phenomenon, which is formless, clear, able to perceive, and it’s a perceiving object. So because the reason, the thought made up the label called label mind.
The thought made up the label mind. The thought made up the idea or made up the label. Made up the and made up the concept. You see, believing in this, what’s merely imputed. Believe in this, what is merely imputed by the thought.
So so this is complete. So therefore so therefore, what is the mind? What is the mind is extremely subtle. What is the mind is extremely subtle. It’s not it’s not the mind that we which we normally which which is not the mind which not the way it normally appears to us or which is not the mind.
You see, in reality, the mind, you see, which exists is not the way which normally appears to us and the way we apprehend a real mind. A real mind existing real one are existing from its own side. So inherently existing mind. So is never you see, it is not that. This this real mind.
No, first, go this way. So on this base, this phenomena, which is formless and clear, which makes it a clear perceiving cognizant. Now this is the base. This is the base. This is not.
This is this is the base. Depending this is the base. Depending depending on this, then the mind is labeled. So, therefore, mind is labeled, and that that phenomena is the base to be labeled. So, therefore, base to be labeled and mind, you see, the label of the mind has to be different.
They have to be different. Cannot be one. Base to be labeled and labeled cannot be one. Then there’s no way to be one. Base to the label and the label to one.
If it is one if it is one, then it’s the base that particular that this and this phenomenon is phenomena that you see, know, formless and makes it clear and perceive on that. So if this is the label, the mind, you see, and then you see, no point. Why you label then there’s no point. Why you label mind? There’s no reason to label mind on the mind.
You said there’s no reason. It becomes it becomes it becomes, you see, no purpose, and it becomes it becomes, you see, then endless. You see? Then you label the mind on, you see? You label the mind on the mind.
Then again, you have to label the mind on that mind. Then again, you have to label mind on that mind. So you see, it becomes endless and becomes, you see, becomes endless. It becomes endless, you see. So that has no reason, then there’s no purpose.
So when when we when we label mind, when One one label. One one label. Generally, when we label, we label on something which is not that. When we label, we label on something which is not that. That has purpose.
Something was not that. So For example, that when you see your mother, you see, among many people, with groups of people coming, you see, coming to see you. Then you see, now there’s like this. So here’s a mother, then here’s a brother, here’s a sister, their father, you know, so he’s an auntie, all the relatives. So and you see friend, you know, dangerous enemies of all.
So now So now now what what what is the reason that makes you to clear up the label mother? See? Yeah. We have first, we have to think about that. You there’s a reason.
There’s a reason in the mind comes before you make up the label. You see? Before you make up the level mother, you see, depending on that, you see, particular aggregates, that particular body, particular characteristic body. You see? From where, you know, that mother who gave birth, who gave birth, you know, this body.
So before you make up the label of mother, it it follows the reason. The re you see, there is a reason before that. There is there is reason before that which makes up which makes to choose this particular label. So So when see When have appearance this particular along this group, this particular aggregates of this which has such characteristic form and that which has a story that it gave birth to you. So so this you see, first this first, you see, first, you have this appearance.
First, you have this appearance. There are many appearance. You see, father, mother, you see. You see, there are many people there. You don’t you see?
So you don’t call, you see? Generally speaking, but you you don’t, see, you don’t call mother you don’t call mother or you don’t call father to everybody to everyone you see. Oh, this, you know, my father or mother or calling the mother father or father to mother. You know? Calling the mother to the father, calling father to mother.
And problem problem may happen, you know, sooner or later. And I’m joking. So now all kinds of things happen nowadays in the world. Anyway, so that so you don’t call mother to anybody. For, you see, there are many appearances.
You see, aggregates. Appearance for different aggregates, which are different characters, different form. You see? That different relationship with you. So why so why you keep you why you make up the label?
Why you you see why this one label? Mother. You see? To this one. Why?
You see? Look at that. That has risen.