Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 45-minute commentary on the Wheel of Sharp Weapons, Khensur Rinpoche opens with a stark image: rebirth turning endlessly like machinery powered by self-grasping and self-centeredness. To stop the cycle, you must cut the power through other-centeredness and wisdom realizing emptiness. He unpacks the six perfections (generosity, ethics, patience, effort, meditation, wisdom) as the practical method to diminish self-focus and cultivate compassion. A key section distinguishes the nominally existent self from the false independent self we wrongly cherish, then introduces the thought-transformation practice of taking and giving as mental training to develop stable love and compassion. For serious practitioners familiar with Buddhist doctrine.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1992-10-27 – Side 1 – Wheel of Sharp Weapons – KR.MP3
UUID: d5725d7c-e065-4881-8a21-8bfbbdcfe3c7
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Mind Training
Date: 1992-10-27
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~2,848
Quoting from the the text itself. Uncontrollable wandering through rounds of existence is caused by grasping at ego as real. This ignorant attitude heralds the demon of selfish concern for welfare alone. We seek some security for our own egos. We want only pleasure and shun any pain, but now we must banish all selfish compulsion and gladly take up hardship for others’ sake.
So what we’re beginning to discuss is that our continual retaking of rebirths again and again is like the turning of a wheel. So this compulsive circling within cycles of existence is brought about by both the causes and conditions. The main causes which act to bring this about are the conception of self grasping and self centeredness. Self grasping and self centeredness. And the various conditions which assist in this process are attachment, etcetera.
Describing the process of these reoccurring cycles of existence, which are caused by self grasping and self centeredness. Due to these, we become attached to our own self interests. And we inappropriately apply various methods whereby to bring happiness for ourselves alone, whereby to eliminate our own sufferings alone. So all our various activities which we engage in to this end brought about by these two causes of self grasping and self centeredness simply perpetuate these recurring cycles of existence. By way of analogy, it’s like the turning of the wheels in some type of machinery.
They just keep turning, and that which powers them is the electricity. And in the same way, it is self grasping and self centeredness which act to power this continual reoccurring cycles of existence, the taking of rebirth and the abandonment. And again, taking of rebirth and the abandonment is reoccurring cycles that we’re involved in. And just as in the case of if we want to cease the turning of the wheel of the machinery, we simply have to turn the power off, that is to say we turn the electricity off. Likewise, in order to eliminate this reoccurring process of circling within these existences of rebirth creating a karma and going through various types of suffering, we have to eliminate the cause, that is to say, self grasping and self centered.
So the way that we can, just as we can turn off the electricity and stop the wheels of the machinery, likewise, that which turns off the power, the power and force behind these reoccurring compulsive patterns is with respect to that which acts as an antidote to self centeredness, it is other centeredness. And with respect to that which acts as an antidote to self grasping, it is the wisdom realizing selflessness. So these two, other centeredness and the wisdom realizing selflessness, act to cut the cycles from the very root of this reoccurring existences. So the way that we can overcome these two basic causes of these reoccurring compulsive cycles is by means of firstly the antidote with respect to self centeredness, that is to say other centeredness, beginning to concern oneself with the welfare of others through the practices of the perfections of, for example, generosity, ethics, tolerance, meditative stabilization, and effort. And with respect to that which acts as an antidote to self grasping, we cultivate wisdom.
So it is by means of the practice of the six perfections that we are able to eliminate the causes of these reoccurring cycles. So within the practices of the universal vehicle, as a means to overcome our self grasping, we practice the perfection of wisdom, the development of the wisdom realizing emptiness. But as a prerequisite to that practice, it’s necessary that we practice the other five perfections. That is to say, in order that our practice of the perfection of wisdom go well, it has to be supported by the prior five perfections, and this act as a means to overcome our self centeredness. By means of the five perfections, we can overcome the force of our self centeredness through the practices of, for example, generosity, through the practice of abandoning the harming of others, that is to say the perfection of ethics, and also with respect to the harm brought to us by others, cultivating tolerance, the perfection of patience or tolerance.
And then working with joyous effort for the welfare of others, developing the perfection of joyous effort. And then for the purpose of bringing about the ultimate welfare, rather, in meditative concentrations or the perfection of meditative stabilizations. These act as a support for finally bringing to fulfillment the practice of the perfection of wisdom. So it is by these means of the six perfections that we are able to overcome the faults of self grasping and self centeredness, and we are able to accumulate the two collections and thereby eliminate all our various faults and bring to consummation all our excellent qualities. What is the root of the quality of our feeling experiences?
The root of all our suffering is our self centeredness. The root of all our happiness is other centeredness. Just like a tree has its roots, is embedded in its roots, by means of its roots, likewise, these experiences of the feelings in terms of suffering are brought about by self centeredness. In terms of happiness, are brought about through other centeredness and the cherishing of others. Śāntideva says that whatsoever harm and negativities we experience in the world all come about through seeking one’s own self interest alone.
Whatever happiness and well-being are experienced in the world all come about through seeking the welfare of others. So it’s extremely important that we come to this understanding and appreciate this fact that all our various sufferings are brought about to our self centeredness, our sense of self-cherishing. And on the other hand, that all happiness is brought about through the cherishing of others or other centeredness. Presently, we aren’t able to appreciate this fact. So we have to begin by looking we aren’t able to appreciate the fact that happiness is brought about through other centeredness.
So we have to begin in terms of looking at analyzing our self centeredness as to the quality of experience it brings us. So at present, we have to overcome some confusion that we have with respect to what are in fact the roots of happiness and what are the roots of suffering. By means of listening well and developing a discriminating awareness, a wisdom with respect to the actual causes of our feeling and experiences, we can overcome our present understanding in that we think that self centeredness is the way to find happiness, where in fact it’s the way to only bring ourselves suffering. And we have to be able to see this. At present, we aren’t able to appreciate it.
Then on the other hand, beginning to see that other centeredness is in fact the way to find happiness, whereas opposed to our present way of thinking that it simply is a matter of bringing us more problems. And seeing that, we’re going to take a great sense of joy and we’re going to practice in development of other centeredness. So it’s extremely important that we see the tremendous advantages to be brought about by an attitude of other centeredness and the excellent qualities and the benefits. We have to reflect upon this. As a means of working with other centeredness, we are going to go on to develop love and compassion and exceptional resolve, the awakening heart.
In fact, all of the qualities of the universal vehicle which are equal to space will be developed in dependence upon this. We will be able to eliminate all our various faults and bring to consummation every excellent quality. And if we actually appreciate this very deeply, then we’re going to see, I must develop a sense of other centeredness. And this is as in the case by way of analogy. If someone sees that engaging in some kind of business, there’s a lot of profit to be gained.
Seeing this, they’re going to very joyfully and going to engage with a great effort in their business. If they don’t see that there’s going to be any profit in it for them, it’s not going to be of any benefit, then they’re simply not going to be enthusiastic. So we have to analyze well what the profit is to be gained. We have to understand the various faults connected with self centeredness. By understanding, appreciating these faults very deeply, we simply will not engage in self centered activities.
But it’s because that we don’t see the faults of self centeredness, and by the power of this confusion, we continue to engage in self centered, self-centered activities. in dependence upon self grasping, that is to say, we conceive of a self which does not depend upon the aggregates. In fact, the self is dependent upon the aggregates, but we conceive of a self which is not dependent upon the aggregates. We’re conceiving of something which does not exist to exist due to the force of self grasping. By the power of this self grasping, we then begin to cherish this fabricated self.
And by the power there arises a strong sense of I, I, I, which is independent, independently existent. And we develop an attachment to this I. A And we bias, a prejudice for anything which is seen on the side of this I. And in dependence upon self, other arises. And other is seen as the enemy, or the other side, we develop hatred.
So in this process, we’ve developed attachment and hatred. Due to the development of attachment and hatred, we engage in various types of unskillful actions, such as killing, stealing, various types of sexual improprieties, lying, all of the various types of negative actions. By the creation of these unskillful actions, we create negative karma. Due to the force of this negative karma, we continue to circle within cyclic existence, taking one rebirth after another, which are in the nature of suffering. We have to undergo all the various types of sufferings in this continual circling pattern in which we’re caught up in, being reborn as an animal going through the various sufferings, an animal rising up within cyclic existence, going back down within cyclic existence.
So we have to see the disadvantages and the faults of self centeredness. It’s like if we saw the terrible effects of drugs, understanding really the terrible effects of drugs, one simply would not want to buy them. One wouldn’t want to be around them. One wouldn’t want to see them having seen the terrible faults of taking drugs. By way of this analogy, these drugs would be analogous to self centeredness.
So we to be able to distinguish well the two types of selves because presently we are making a mistake with respect to them. In terms of self centeredness, there is the conception of a self which is not dependent upon the aggregate, which exists independent of the aggregate. This self appears to the mind. Then this is the self which is being cherished. In general, the self exists.
We’re not talking about that self. That is the nominally existent self. I say, for example, the self that eats, that goes here and there. This is the self which we are trying to work with in order to eliminate its various faults and develop all its excellent qualities. But this other self, which in fact does not exist but appears to exist, is the self that we’re cherishing and the self that we are engaging in various activities in order to bring happiness to.
We want to be happy. And if we want to be happy, because of this very fact of wanting to be happy, this is the reason that we’re involved in ourselves in thought transformation. Why? Because in looking upon, it is because we want to be happy that we are seeking to develop other centeredness. It’s not as if we are setting aside our longing for happiness in order to care for others.
It is because we want to be happy that we’re trying to become other centered. And others are just like ourselves. Due to the force of karma and the effect of emotions, they uncontrollably circle within cyclic existence, experiencing all the various types of sufferings. And we are to train ourselves to be able to take on the suffering of others. This is what we mean by other centeredness.
But we do this in order to bring ourselves happiness. We are trying to develop other centeredness because we want to be happy. So there is self and then there is other. In seeking happiness only for ourselves, that is to say, by the force of our self centered attitude, we engage in all of the various activities in order to find happiness for ourselves and to eliminate our suffering. But it doesn’t work.
It hasn’t been working. In fact, we have to be able to see that because of wanting to bring ourselves happiness, in order to bring ourselves happiness, in order to eliminate our suffering, what are we to do? We should train in developing other centeredness. This is the way for us to find happiness for ourselves and to eliminate our suffering. Because whoever creates the karma, whoever engages in action, that result will ripen upon that individual.
So we, in fact, can only experience the result of our actions that we create just as others can only experience the results of their actions that they’ve created. Within this practice, the universal vehicle of thought transformation, we are seeking to train the mind in developing a very forceful and stable attitude of compassion and love. And therefore, we engage in this imaginative process of training, where we imaginatively give away our happiness to others and imaginatively take upon the sufferings of others. In fact, we are not giving away our happiness. We’re taking upon their suffering.
It is a way of training the mind imaginatively. If this is simply a mental process, then why engage in it, this process of taking and giving? It is because through this mental training, we are able to develop extremely powerful love and compassion. But not only that, through the attitudes that arise within the mind during the process of the practice, we are creating a tremendous amount of, accumulating a tremendous amount of creative potential, positive potential, and also skillful actions. And we’re also pacifying the causes of suffering within our own mind.
So there’s a tremendous benefit to be derived from such a practice. What is it that we want? We want to bring ourselves happiness. We want to cut from its very root our suffering. So this is the function of thought transformation, of this mental training process.
We are trying to cut away those types of mentalities which bring suffering to ourselves and trying to cultivate those mentalities, those attitudes, which are conducive to bringing ourselves happiness. That is to say, we’re training our mind in the shifts of attitudes into predominantly those mentalities and attitudes which bring about happiness and the decrease in finally cutting away of those attitudes which bring ourselves suffering. So through the development of love and compassion, our self centeredness is being harmed. It is being diminished by the power of love and compassion. As that diminishes, our other centeredness grows and grows until finally we develop an attitude of other centeredness and our self centeredness has completely ceased.
So these two, self centeredness and other centeredness, are mutually incompatible, as by way of analogy, hot and cold. As the hot increases, the cold decreases. And the same is true with self centeredness and other centeredness. So through the cultivation of love and compassion and then through the development of the various practices such as generosity, ethics, tolerance, etc, we finally, on the basis of those, develop the wisdom realizing emptiness by means of those practices and the wisdom realizing emptiness. Are able to end the two causes of all our problems, our self centeredness and our self grasping.
They have ceased altogether. Without the wisdom realizing emptiness, there’s no way to rid ourselves of self grasping. There’s no other factor which can remove self grasping from the mind. Only this, the wisdom realizing emptiness. Therefore, in order to develop that wisdom of realizing emptiness, we engage in these various other practices such as generosity, ethics, tolerance, joyous effort, meditative stabilization.
So in order to remove the root of all our sufferings, that is to say self grasping and self centeredness, we engage in the various practices of the six perfections. By means of the six perfections, we eliminate all our various faults, bring to consummation all our excellent qualities, and we are there empowered by means of that to bring about both the ultimate welfare of self and others. So in general, have just discussed the thought transformation of the universal vehicle in terms of the way of practice and the need for such a practice.