Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 62-minute talk, Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains wholehearted refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. He grounds refuge in two insights: understanding saṃsāra as unbearable suffering (using vivid images—imprisonment, a poisonous nest, fire) and compassion for all beings trapped the same way. He then clarifies the Three Jewels: the Buddha who has eliminated all obscurations, the Dharma as the actual healing practice, and the Sangha as guides. Connecting refuge to the ultimate purpose of human life, he shows how achieving enlightenment is the only sensible aim, because its fruit is liberating numberless sentient beings from suffering. Every practice—even one prostration or offering—serves this goal. He concludes by showing how immeasurable thoughts (equanimity, loving-kindness, compassion, joy) accumulate merit for it. For practitioners learning the foundations.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 06 KR.mp3
UUID: 7b034f45-4c33-4dd4-a443-9e5fde4c8814
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: z Kṣitigarbha Retreat Hong Kong (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 2005 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 62.2 minutes
Words: ~2,632
So I was explaining the the wholehearted way of taking refuge. In that way, have taken refuge, and the wholehearted way of taking refuge, which will cause the renunciation which comes from wisdom, understanding how one’s own saṃsāra is suffering, and then by thinking of others, seeing how not benefiting other sentient beings brings also suffering saṃsāra, feeling compassion, wishing others to be free from suffering’s cause. As one feels so unbearable, like oneself being in saṃsāra, like being a prisoner caught in prison, like that. There’s not one second of attraction, interest to be in saṃsāra. Day and night all the time, the wish spontaneously arises to be out of prison.
Or that one one is in the nest of this poisonous snake. So, that they wish to be free from that. Which you can’t stand in a second. That or being being in the midst of the fire, hot fire, and can’t stand for even one second, can’t stand even for one second. So, one sometimes, I’m a little bit strong, wish, longing to be freed from that.
So that’s exactly the same. So one’s own understanding the feeling like that oneself being saṃsāra, then similar that feeling unbearable, constant. The other thing being experiencing being saṃsāra, feeling unbearable compassion. Then then with those two cause, then say, faith that the Buddha Dharma Sangha has quality power to save oneself and sentient beings from the whole entire saṃsāra, the whole entire saṃsāra and saṃsāra is suffering. Then with whole heart, taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma, Sangha.
That mental factor is that Mahāyāna refuge, Mahāyāna way of taking refuge in. So So, we have taken refuge, that is so on the basis of this cause, then there’s also the so on the cause of Buddha. So Buddha Dharma Sangha has the qualities — Buddha Dharma Sangha qualities — to save oneself and sentient beings from the ordinary appearance and concept, to protect from the delusion. So same the usual fear, how one’s own saṃsāra is natural suffering.
Well, and feeling compassion to others, how they are also suffering saṃsāra. Then by seeing that they are also suffering saṃsāra, then Buddha Dharma Sangha has quality of power. One is protect from ordinary death, the intermediate state, rebirth. Then, say, to save oneself from the gross mind, the ordinary impure wind mind. So so to be free from this, to protect from this Yeah.
So we As I mentioned before, I explained this one. Think of your saṃsāra, the three natures of suffering, the pervasive compounding suffering, the meaning of that. Foundation. So these aggregates of nature, pervasive compounding suffering, it’s a basis for the suffering of change that will temporarily some sort of pleasure, appeared as pleasure and believed as real happiness, but the wrong concept. The desire.
The ignorance. In reality, it was the only suffering. In the view of the wisdom, only suffering. In the view of the dharma wisdom, it’s only suffering. In the view of renouncing, it’s only suffering.
And that and then suddenly, all the suffering will change, all the temporary pleasure, all the suffering of pain, which I explained before. So, then think of others’ suffering, sometimes compassion. Then to put compassion to that, the third thing, to be free from all the suffering causes and to to have compassion, then to cause that by oneself. Then, then, to Buddha Dharma Sangha, knowing that they have power qualities to protect oneself, simply means from the self-grasping and saṃsāra. Then, refuge becomes also one substance that protects from the ordinary appearance concept as well as from ordinary death, the intermediate state rebirth.
Then it purifies the mind, the imprint of that. So so Buddha. So, in Tibetan, a language in Tibetan, the in Tibetan language. Has eliminated all — not only free from all the suffering, oceans of suffering of human beings, as well as hell and hungry ghosts and animals, all the suffering — not only that, totally free from karma, the causal suffering, delusion, karma. The gross gross defilement and also the subtle defilements, subtle mistakes of the mind.
Those subtle negative imprints left by the concept of true existence, which projects the dualistic view of true existence appearance. So, who has ceased all this, even subtle so some is eliminated. So because they are eliminated from all this, so that means fully that means complete completes all the qualities realizations. Nothing more to develop. So some is eliminated.
Is developed. Like a lotus that is fully bloomed. So, get fully complete to all the qualities of realizations. They eliminate all the all the obscurations and complete all the qualities of realization completely. So, this is absolute Buddha, absolute Buddha and conventional Buddha. Absolute Buddha is dharmakaya, omniscient mind and the ultimate nature of that.
Free from the two types of obscurations. So the holy body, the nature. Then the conventional Buddha, there is a there was a manifest, you know, the transform to benefit us. Dharmakāya manifest in the form to benefit sentient beings. It’s Sambhogakāya, Nirmānakāya.
Those aspects. Then then the Dharma, the absolute dharma, the cessation of the sufferings and the causes, the karma, not only that, this is the cessation of the subtle defilements, the great liberation, cessation of even a subtle defilement. Okay? The true path which leads to that, true path that ceases delusion and obscuration. So after Dharma, conventional Dharma is the scriptures.
The three baskets of scripture, the scriptures which explains this path. The gradual part of the lower being in general, graded path of the middle capable being in general, graded path of the higher capable being. So the whole path to liberation is contained within. Absolute Dharma, as I said, as I explained, the Dharma before, the now this one is a conventional Dharma, then absolute Sangha. Who has who has attained the absolute Dharma, that’s absolute Sangha.
Then conventional Sangha, the old for for or fully ordained nun or fully ordained monk, but but without having, you know, but without having the realization of the realization of the absolute Dharma. So that’s the conventional Sangha. So here, we are taking refuge to all to both, absolute Buddha, to conventional Buddha, absolute Dharma, conventional Dharma, absolute Samgha, conventional Samgha. So here, in the refuge, it includes all the Sangha. So it’s conventional it includes also conventional Sangha.
So So, they actually cure the actual therapy actually heal the sickness is the medicine. But medicine has to be given, introduced by a doctor who has all the knowledge. So, then naturally, you rely on doctor, you rely on medicine, with that, you rely on doctor, that’s not sufficient. A nurse is there. Also need a nurse to help you do what the doctor asks, to help you follow up, to get done, to take the treatment exactly.
Oh, that’s scary. So, now, similar actual refuge is Dharma, that by putting into practice and by actualizing the realization, then it removes the delusion that causes the suffering, delusion karma. So then, that’s how the Dharma about practicing Dharma, actualizing Dharma, the path, then you are able to free from all that, say, able to achieve ultimate happiness, not just only temporal happiness, but ultimate happiness, liberation from saṃsāra, and then even the highest full enlightenment. So, to practice Dharma, Dharma has to be revealed by somebody, so the Buddha has to be revealed. So that’s how, naturally, you go for the Buddha.
And then so like the nurse, then here, Sangha, who are, I say, who are an example of the path and who inspire you. The inspiring example that you have, the Sangha as example. So they help you, that I can do I think, inspire you, guide you, inspire you how to practice. So that’s So so when you do here, when you do the refuge practice, there is a cause which is a result of refuge. So, result refuge is that when you actualize cessation through the true path within you Then, when you achieve that, you also become the result of refuge, Sangha, yourself, know, Sangha.
That’s the absolute Sangha. The absolute Sangha doesn’t have to be four number. It can be ordinary person, can be layperson, it can be anyone having the absolute Dharma realization. So, in that time one becomes Ārya Asaṇga. Then but by completing the path and qualities of realization ceased the the this this obscuration of mind.
The qualities qualities of realization. That’s how we become Buddha. The result Buddha. So then it doesn’t stop just there. Buddha, and then yourself achieving the result of Buddha Dharma Sangha by achieving that, then you do perfect work towards towards numberless sentient beings.
So, you bring them happiness to happiness to full enlightenment. Now so benefiting others, liberating the numberless sentient beings from the oceans of saṃsāra and suffering and bringing in full enlightenment, doing perfect work to other sentient beings then who are numberless. So that so that one is the object that one is the objective of our life, goal of our life, the ultimate goal of of the life. Why? Why this time?
Why we were born as human being? Why you have taken this human precious human body? It’s for that purpose. So this idea, what is your goal of life? What purpose of a human life?
Why you’re taking this human body? Why it’s so important why it’s so important to you know, the cherish human body is the other. So important why it’s so important to live, to have this body to live. Why it’s so important? It’s for it is to achieve, is to benefit, is to benefit others.
It’s to benefit others. And it’s so for the benefit of others to achieve. So, this is the higher benefit to the human This is the higher benefit to this. So, yeah. So, that’s the whole reason.
So, the whole reason why we chant even one time. Why we even one time do Mala, do mala, wander even one time. Or the sitting, meditating, whatever they are doing. Whatever Dharma practice we do, even one prostration we do is for that.
It will benefit others. It’s to achieve this ultimate goal of the life. So, if you make one flower offering, one incense offering, one water offering, it’s for it’s the benefit of others. It’s to achieve this ultimate goal of the life. See, to liberate the numberless living beings from the oceans of saṃsāra and saṃsāra and bring them to full enlightenment.
So, So, the result of refuge, see, I go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, so that is your practicing result refuge. She’s seeking that. So, then, in order for success of that, then, for success of that, then you need to rely on the Buddha Dharma Sangha, who possess the qualities of a higher mind. So, like, if you want to be a perfect qualified doctor, medical doctor, so you have to learn from qualified you have to learn you have to learn somebody, outside somebody who has perfect qualification, knowledge, the medical knowledge, able to diagnose all the sicknesses and able to know everything about it and all the medicines to heal all those sicknesses. So, doctor who has all the qualifications, so we have lab.
So, same here. So, to achieve your the result time, the path and result, then rely upon the Buddha Dharma Sangha who possess the qualities, you have to rely upon that. That is the cause of refuge. So, until the enlightenment is achieved, that shows the result of results. Practical result of the result until the enlightenment is achieved.
And then I go for refuge to Buddha Dharma Sangha, that’s the cause of refuge, which leads to Buddha Dharma Sangha possessed by yourself. Okay? So so we did the yeah. The practice.
I go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha until the enlightenment is achieved. Due to the collections of merit by giving charity and so forth. So, that’s what the prayer says, but in your mind, can say, what we should think. All the three time merit collected by myself and others, Buddhas and bodhisattvas. May I achieve enlightenment in order to benefit all sentient beings.
So, gave a brief explanation of that, so remember that. In order to do all this, to benefit all sentient beings, all these merits collected by oneself, in order to benefit for others, must be achieved full enlightenment. So, not benefit others. So, to free the numberless helpless, numberless animals, numberless animals, you mean, through our through our past lives. Then the freedom from the subtle obscurations will bring the enlightenment.
And I must achieve enlightenment. And then, say, may I achieve enlightenment for them? So with each generating imageable thoughts, with each first generating the immeasurable thought of equanimity, you create immeasurable skies of merit. You generate the immeasurable thought of loving kindness. You create limited scars of merit.
You generate the immeasurable thought of compassion. You create immeasurable skies of merit. And you generate the immeasurable thought of joy, you collect immeasurable skies of merit. For collecting merit, this practice generally for purification process, very important in daily practice. That’s why the sadhanas, that’s why sadhanas come with the immeasurable thoughts in the lower tantra and the higher tantra, even in higher tantra, before you actually engage in the dharmakaya meditation.
The trick, trickery meditation, the very central part, essence of the generation stage, the higher tantra, Maha Anuttara Yoga Tantra, the generation stage and the completion stage. So, before engaging the main practice in the dharmakaya meditation, you see, the deity meditation, the ordinary ordinary appearance, reversed, to achieve the result time, dharmakaya, Sambhogakāya, Nirmānakāya, to achieve that. Practice as a generation stage practice that we have come to do, it’s a generation stage of practice, but it it has potential to purify the ordinary death, ordinary intermediate state, and ordinary rebirth as an ordinary being. And it is the preparation for the mind, makes the mind adapted to actualize the result time, that which is directly realized. Then it purifies the ordinary death and rebirth, plants the seed.
And then plants the seed to achieve the three kayas. So, you see, before engaging that, see, just to remind ourselves, practicing with immeasurable thoughts and so on. So, you see, it means it is a very powerful means to collect merit That’s why why that’s why why sadhanas come again and again, even the lower tantra versus that. So so maybe we just do one word.
Just hope. To get an idea, we just do it one time. Do it one time. I pledge to practice, no matter how long it takes, no matter how hard it is, to in order to in order to accomplish the goal, the very meaning of my life, to free these numberless sentient beings from the oceans of saṃsāra and suffering and bring in full enlightenment.
Therefore, I must achieve full enlightenment. Therefore, I’m going to do this meditation. We can say for the quick success of the tour, to enrich And and and for, let’s say, all my wishes to benefit all sentient beings and the teaching of Buddha, to accomplish quickly, also also for that. So, the recitation, the mantra, it is for that, for all the wishes, So the wish is what? Then there’s no there’s no more important wish, and to benefit sentient beings, there’s no other more important wish or activity. There’s nothing more important than that.
There’s nothing there in your life, and it’s the same for serving the teaching of Buddha, from where the teaching of Buddha, that which is only medicine to heal the suffering of sentient beings. So, from where all sentient beings’ happiness comes.