Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 47-minute guided meditation, Kyabje Rinpoche opens with a striking analogy: a person who placed money in one of two boxes, searched both, found nothing, and concluded the money is lost. He uses this to teach the four essentials—a logical analysis showing that the independently existing self cannot be identical to the five aggregates (mind and body), nor different from them, and therefore cannot exist at all. He addresses the fear and confusion practitioners feel when emptiness is first glimpsed, clarifying that this realization doesn’t eliminate the conventional self. He emphasizes identifying what exactly we’re negating and offers practical instructions for repeatedly contemplating the analysis. Classical examples of masters like Tsongkhapa illustrate how purifying obstacles, accumulating merit, and studying texts support this realization. Pitched at experienced Buddhist practitioners.
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File metadata (for organising)
File: 1989-06-11 – 4A – Workshop – KR.mp3
UUID: a0b1c448-c93b-418b-91cb-2a7fbd1e292a
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Meditation
Date: 1989-06-11
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~3,172
Therefore, because there’s only one eye and this eye is completely identical in all ways to the aggregate, then there can be only one aggregate. If there’s only one eye, there can be only one aggregate. That would mean to say that the mind and body were exactly the same. That the eye must be exactly the same as the aggregate then it must be exactly the same as the mind and body. It can’t be different in any way.
Therefore the mind and body would have to be one. If there’s one eye there would have to be the mind and body would have to be one. The eye does not exist exactly the same as the aggregate. It naturally exists as the I. Then the fourth point is established.
So, you know, we’ve ascertained that this this independent existing eye is not the same as aggregate, not the same as body and mind. Now we have to see whether it’s free from being different from the body and mind, free from being different than the aggregate. Now, the I as we have said is established in reliance. It depends on the aggregate. The I exists in reliance, exists in dependence upon the aggregate.
It exists in reliance upon the aggregate. Here we’re talking about an I which exists independently of the aggregate which does not rely on the aggregate. It is unrelatedly different. There’s no relationship between the eye and the aggregate. Now if this were the case that the eye and the aggregate had no relationship because this eye is completely independent, it does not exist in relationship to anything else.
Then when we got a headache, when my head hurt, I could not say I, I have a headache. My head hurts. I couldn’t say I have a headache because the I and the body would be unrelated just like saying when somebody else gets sick, we can’t say I am sick because there’s not this relationship between another person and myself. Therefore we’d have this relationship if the body got sick, we couldn’t say I am sick because I and the body and the mind would be unrelated. If my aggregate and I form my physical body grew, you know grew in size, I couldn’t say I’m growing because my I, this I and my body would be unrelated.
But in the world we use this convention. We say you know when your body grows you say I grow. When your head, when the head is experiencing pain you say I have a headache. And this would be you know counter to a natural convention that we use in the world. Therefore we can begin to understand that the I that is independently existing I does not exist separately from the aggregate.
It did not Also if it’s independent of the aggregate, you know, existed other than the aggregate, unrelated to the aggregate, then we could separate out the five aggregates, you know, could set the form aggregate here, the feeling aggregate here. We separate out all the five aggregates and we could point to something that says that’s I, but we can’t find that. So independent so far that reasoning, we can begin to understand that the naturally existent I does not exist other than the aggregate is not different than the aggregate. The independently existent I is not different than the aggregate, does not exist aside from, other than the aggregate. So we’ve gone through these four essentials. We’ve come to see that you know, trying to recognize what an independently existing eye would look like trying to identify it.
And then we said, well if that eye exists it must be the same or different than my aggregate. It can’t exist any other way. And then we looked and we saw it’s not the same as aggregate and we looked it’s not different than aggregate and then we have to come to conclusion it doesn’t in fact exist at all because if it exists it must be one or the other and it’s not one or the other therefore it must not exist. And just as in the case of investigating the striped rope which we misconceived of to be a snake upon investigation we see that what we held to exist in fact doesn’t exist at all and that thought which conceived of the snake vanishes and therefore upon investigating the nature of the eye, the conception we begin to see that the independently existent I in fact does not exist at all and the conception of an independently existing I ceases and this is the realization of emptiness. The non-existence of the independently existing I is emptiness.
Take an easy example. If you had, let’s say you had $10,000 and you put your money away in a box and you put it in one of two boxes and you, no question, you put your money in one of those two boxes. And, you know, you keep thinking why you go about your daily business. I’ve got money, I’ve got $10,000 in one of those two boxes. But in the meanwhile, a thief sneaks in and takes, steals your money.
And one day you go to look at your $10,000 and you open the first box and look very carefully. Oh, it’s not there. What must be in the other one? And you open the second box. Oh, it’s not there.
Ah, it must be there. What is there with and then if if if it if if I have it, it must be either here or it must be there. I’ve looked here, it’s not there. I’ve looked there and it’s not there, then I must not have the money at all. I’ve lost my $10,000.
That there arises in the mind that the non existence of your money in those two boxes. What you thought was there you come to understand is not there. The absence of $10,000 appears to your mind. Likewise, we have the conception that an independently existing eye exists and if it exists it must be the same as aggregates or it must be different than aggregates. We look into the aggregates we don’t see it as the same.
We look into other than aggregates we don’t see it as different than aggregates therefore I it must not be there. This arises in the mind the absence or the emptiness of this independent existing eye. This is the realization of emptiness. So this isn’t the case where we we lost all our money. You know, we made this examination and then upon realizing the absence of your money arises in your mind and you go through a lot of suffering, a lot of anxiety.
We have from beginningless time due to the force of conceiving of an independently existing eye to exist, been circling within cyclic existence and undergoing the various types of suffering as a result. Now when we begin this investigation and come to an understanding, the realization that this what we thought exists all this time this independently existing I in fact doesn’t exist there are two varied reactions which might take place. For those of lesser intelligence upon coming to the conclusion that this independently existing I in fact doesn’t exist there can arise fear, anxiety. But on the other hand those of sharp intelligence there arises a sense of great joy that all their problems are finished and they feel a great sense of relief and a sense of happiness and joy. The Buddha said that that that not-seen is seen.
He said not-seen is seen. And what he meant by this is that upon examination looking for the independently existing I, we don’t see it. Not-seen — the independently existing I is real seen. But seeing the existence of the independently existing I is not to see at all. So there’s an account of the master Shakya Yeshe.
Shakya Yeshe was the founder of Sera Monastery. He was giving a teaching at Sera Monastery. He was giving a teaching on the the middle way. And amongst the and within the within among the audience was a disciple by the name of Deshin Sherab Sengge. And during this teaching on the middle way, the teaching on emptiness Deshin Sherab Pange had a very profound realization of emptiness during the teaching and he became very afraid and out of his fear of becoming nonexistent he grabbed hold of his shirt to find some kind of security.
And due to some kind of his clairvoyance he realized that this this disciple was having a very profound realization of emptiness. And Deshin Sherab Sengge is from a place called Nongtonpa. And people often referred to by the way from the place they came from, where they come, where they were born. And announced to the audience that Nongtonpa had just realized emptiness, grabbing his shirt. But you know upon this rise of this fear, you know I don’t exist.
Then there becomes you know one can easily examine the situation and understand why do I conventionally exist. I conventionally exist. The eye does conventionally exist and this alleviates, this will soothe the fear and embrace the fear. There’s a saying that those who do not realize emptiness are not afraid of it. You know, we don’t we don’t have we don’t realize that.
We have no fear about it. But those who have a little insight in emptiness quite often become afraid. So in actually applying this process to our meditation and coming to an understanding of emptiness, you know, going through these these various points that we just gone through these four essentials. You take to gain a sense of the I, taking that as your subject that this I doesn’t in fact independently exist because of it independent if it exists this independent existing I if in fact exists, it must be either the same as aggregates or different than aggregates. And then we go through an examination of aggregates to see whether it’s the same as aggregates or different than aggregates again and again and again repeating this process, getting a feeling for what the independently existing eye, identifying it, coming to an understanding that it must be the same or different from the aggregates, examining whether it’s the same as aggregates, examining whether it’s different from the aggregates again and again and again.
If it’s the same as aggregates, then there must be these faults. These faults would accrue. If it’s different than the aggregates, then these faults would accrue. Coming again and again to the I and then coming to a conclusion: that I doesn’t exist at all. That independently existent I doesn’t exist at all.
If it if it did, I would have found it. I didn’t find it. Coming to this conclusion, this determination, and then abiding single-pointedly in the meditative equipoise on that that conclusion that you’ve arrived to of the nonexistence of an independent existing eye of the meditation on emptiness. So in this in the cultivation of a realization of emptiness making use of these four essentials. The most difficult point is the first one, the object of negation.
You know we’re trying to identify a type of I which exists from its own side objectively without being designated, being imputed, projected by our awareness. This is what we’re trying to identify, what this eye would look like. And then we proceed on to say well that eye must be either one, either same as aggregates or different than aggregates and we go on to see if it’s the same then we go on to see if it’s different. But the most difficult point and the main point which we need to emphasize is beginning to identify the object of negation, what this type of independently existing eye must look like. If you under come to an understanding of this, then understanding of emptiness is quite easy.
So this is in the case of any really great project. We have to employ various methods, various means in order to bring our project to success, our goal to achieve our goal. Likewise in this process of gaining realization of emptiness. Now we have to really begin to see that the qualities of cyclic existence for example. See that the nature of cyclic existence is dissatisfactory that we have to really get fed up with the afflicted emotions.
We have to really decide that we want to be liberated from this situation, these compulsive patterns that we’re dissatisfactory compulsive patterns that we’re caught up in developing this determination. And then beginning to employ the methods of purifying our various obscurations, hindrances, beginning to amass merit, positive potential. And thirdly, making requests to one’s spiritual teacher, one’s Lama for help. These are the various methods that we employ, a variety of methods in order to gain realization, to succeed in this great project. So the great master asked Mañjuśrī, the embodiment of wisdom, wisdom, you know how does one go about gaining realization of emptiness?
And Mañjuśrī answered, first is the, it’s necessary to purify the various obstructions and negativities. At the same time amassing a great deal of merit, positive potential. Secondly, one must view one’s meditational deity and the spiritual master as inseparable and make request. And thirdly, studying, reading the various great texts on emptiness, listening to the teachings on emptiness, contemplating them, and finally meditating on them. This is the way to gain realization of emptiness.
So though it was it is said that Tsongkhapa was an emanation of Mañjuśrī, the embodiment of wisdom. There was a time when he displayed that he was not, he did not yet have the realization of emptiness. And he thought that the realization of emptiness was not well understood in Tibet and he had he started to devise a plan that he would travel to India to study the middle way. But Mañjuśrī said no that they would be more beneficial if he would remain in Tibet and that he should he gave him various instructions on what he should then do and he went to a place called Olkha. And there he began the process of purifying various obstacles and amassing positive potential.
For example in the in his process he did he did hundreds and hundreds of thousands of prostrations, the confession of downfalls and he offered mandalas, universal symbolic representations of the universe. And he actually, as a base, he used a stone and he used he actually wore down his arm and the stone making his mandala offerings as a means to gain positive potential. And then he studied a particular text by Buddhapālita, a commentary to the middle way, which has 27 chapters. And upon reading the twenty-seventh chapter, he had a great realization of emptiness. So we can realize emptiness by this purification of the obstructions, amassing positive potential, and then reading the various texts on emptiness and meditating.
By realizing emptiness, we eliminate conception of true existence from the mind stream. We liberate it from cyclic existence. But if we unite that realization of emptiness, that wisdom with the awakening heart, then we can travel the path of the great vehicle and attain complete Buddhahood. So there’s no greater purpose that we can put ourselves to than realizing emptiness. But, you know, we can really lead a very meaningful life in this way.
That the realization of emptiness is the door which closes out which upon which we close the entrance way to suffering and we open the way to experience only happiness. And this is the way to go about actually gaining this realization. Again and again contemplating meditating using these four essentials that we’ve outlined here coming to recognize the object of negation, etcetera. You know the if we just simply think, oh nothing exists or we just space out, this is not meditation on emptiness. This will get us nowhere.
That we have to really you know what really is meditation on emptiness is to begin to identify the object of negation and go through this process. Even if we don’t create, develop great realization we’re making impressions on our mind, we’re implanting seeds so that when in the future when we receive teachings these seeds can be activated and we can again carry on this process where we left off. It’s like a seed coming in contact with water and then it sprouts and likewise even if we don’t gain great realization, we’re at least making some impressions, we’re working towards that goal. So Candrakīrti mentions what is a suitable disciple, the qualities of a suitable disciple to whom emptiness should be taught. Such And a type of disciple should be one who upon hearing of emptiness, hearing about emptiness, there arises a sense of joy in their mind.
That tears begin to flow from their eyes and their hair on their body stands on end. This is a sign that this is a suitable disciple to give the teachings on emptiness to, because this is a sign that previously they’ve had a great deal of listening, contemplating, and meditating on emptiness. And that the seeds for the realization of emptiness are there and that that giving the teaching is like watering these seeds, giving giving rise to the to the realization of the flower of understanding emptiness. Also the same is true for those who are within the lineage of the great vehicle. You know that due to having contemplated, having practiced within the great vehicle and previously, that simply hearing about the great vehicle, simply hearing about the sufferings of sentient beings due to the force of the compassionate seeds that they have in them that their eyes begin to water and the hair stands up on their body.
Is due to this receiving teachings and the seed is activated, activating their great vehicle lineage. So likewise, with respect to the the striving for liberation liberation that you know we use these word lineages that through having heard, listened to teachings on the disadvantages of cyclic existence, the dissatisfactory quality, the wonderful qualities of liberation that this creates impressions on our mind and plants seeds. And in the future simply hearing about these teachings again activates these seeds and there’s various signs which arise showing that we have these predispositions. Are you more interested in feeding your mind or your stomach? So this is this is a very very beneficial.
You know, for example, taking the example of Buddha House. Buddha House is really imputed. It doesn’t exist naturally from its own side. We begin to make an examination, can’t find anything that is Buddha House. In this we can extend this to all phenomena whatsoever that they are merely imputed.
Only designated to their existence is only designated. They don’t naturally exist. They don’t independently exist. And we this is the way all phenomena exist.