Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Khensur Rinpoche’s 47-minute commentary examines the four preparations on the Mahāyāna path to Buddhahood, with particular focus on the momentary preparation — the final moment of consciousness as a sentient being, the instant immediately before enlightenment. Using the classical framework of definition, synonyms, divisions, and boundaries, he explains how the summit preparation and final preparation each involve progressively refined meditation on the 173 aspects of three exalted knowers. The teaching culminates in a detailed analysis of that threshold moment, where Rinpoche illustrates the transition using the metaphor of a dying person’s final breath. He addresses students with prior study of this classical text.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1989-08-10 – Side 1 – KR.MP3
UUID: f93ae0bd-c407-47a0-b7b1-5b946386ef98
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Ornament of Clear Realization
Date: 1989-08-10
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~2,040
We should adjust our motivations as we are going to listen to this profound teaching on the great vehicle with the intention to achieve highest, complete and unsurpassable Buddhahood in order to liberate all sentient beings equal to space and establish them in complete bliss and peace. So the presentation of the great vehicle is represented in the precious perfection of wisdom sutras where it is set forth. In the sutras which actually set forth the perfection of wisdom, the main text amongst these are the three mothers of the extensive middling and abbreviated wisdom sutras. The text which we are studying, The Ornament for Clear Realization is a condensation of these three texts and presents the transcendental wisdom in the context of 70 topics and eight categories. And we are presently studying the eight categories, which we’ve completed the study of the three, the first three, that is the three exalted knowers, and we’ve completed the, we began the first of the four preparations, the first being the preparation for completing the aspects and now we’re going to begin the explanation of the remaining three preparations and the resultant truth body.
So with respect to the beginning of the explanation today, we’re going to look at peak preparation. And with respect, we’re going to the explanation of peak preparation is from the point of view of the definition, synonyms, divisions, and boundaries. Definition, synonyms, divisions, and boundaries. So first the definition for the preparation for completing the summit. It is a bodhisattva’s Yogi, a Yoga, which is conjoined with the wisdom that is thoroughly transformed from the great vehicle path of accumulation and it meditates on a condensation of all aspects of the three exalted knowers.
A bodhisattva’s Yoga which is conjoined with the wisdom that is thoroughly transformed from the great vehicle path of accumulation and that meditates on a condensation of all aspects of the three exalted knowers. The three exalted knowers was as was explained before, the 173 aspects. The condensation of the 173 aspects of the three exalted knowers. The preparation for completing the summit is superior to the path of accumulation and therefore it begins at the path of preparation. It’s not found on the path of accumulation.
It is above or superior to the path of accumulation beginning on the path of preparation. Which part? The whole lot. I think Yeah, it’s in here. But I don’t think this word compendium is correct.
Should be condensation. A bodhisattva’s yoga, which conjoined with the wisdom that is thoroughly transformed from the great vehicle path of accumulation and that meditates on a condensation of all aspects of the three exalted knowers. So, because is transformed from the great vehicle of the path of accumulation, it is superior to the path of accumulation. It is not found on the path of accumulation. It begins on the path of preparation.
And when it says the aspects of the 173 aspects of the three exalted knowers, we’re talking about as was discussed previously the 173 aspects. So a synonym for preparation for completing summit is achieving through engaging. Achieving through engaging. So they’re both names for the same thing. And this is also listed in his handout.
So when we divide preparation for completing the summit, there are four divisions as is listed here. So there is no preparation for the summit on the path of accumulation. So the first division is the preparation for the summit of the path of preparation. Then the summit on the path of seeing. The summit on the path of meditation.
And then the fourth is the summit without interruption. The summit without interruption. And this is the level at which the bodhisattva is in meditative equipoise about to abandon the obscurations to omniscience. So So what are the boundaries of preparation for completing the summit? So it’s not on the path of accumulation, it begins immediately on the path of preparation.
From the path of preparation up through the path of seeing and then the path of meditation the very within the path of meditation to the end of the continuum, to the end of the continuum of a sentient being. So from the path of preparation up to the end of the continuum is the boundary of the preparation for the summit. Yes. Do you understand So the first preparation, the preparation for completing all aspects, the boundaries for it begin on the path of accumulation up to the end of the continuum. But in this case, the preparation for completing the summit begins on the path of preparation up to the end of the continuum.
It’s smaller boundary. So this the first of the preparations begins on the path of accumulation and the second preparation is superior to the first preparation for completing all aspects and therefore it does not begin on the path of accumulation but begins on the path of preparation. So the third preparation, final preparation. There are three parts to the explanation. There is the definition, the divisions, and the boundaries.
There are no synonyms for final preparation. The definition for final preparation is a bodhisattva’s Yoga which is conjoined with the wisdom, meditating sequentially on the aspects of the three exalted knowers in order to attain stability with respect to them. A bodhisattva’s Yoga which is conjoined with the wisdom, meditating sequentially on the aspects of the three exalted knowers in order to attain stability with respect to them. So the aspects to the three exalted knowers is the, again the 173 aspects that we’ve discussed And what the final preparation is doing is taking each one of these in turn, in sequence, the first, second, third, and so forth, taking these 173 aspects. And there are 13 parts.
There are 13 divisions to final preparation. 13 divisions. So the 13 divisions of final preparation. The first six are in accordance with the six perfections, which are the practices of the bodhisattva. So therefore, the first of these six would be the perfection of generosity, which is the final preparation.
Then the perfection of generosity, the perfection of ethics which is a final preparation, the perfection of patience which is a final preparation, the perfection of effort which is a final preparation, the perfection of meditative stabilization which is a final preparation, and finally the perfection of wisdom, which is a final preparation, six.. And then the next three, so we’ve listed six, and the next three are with respect to the Three Jewels. As is listed here, final preparation of recollecting the Buddha, the final preparation of recollecting the Dharma, and the final preparation of recollecting the spiritual community. Then the next three, a slightly different order than is listed here. The final preparation of recollecting generosity, the final preparation of recollecting ethics, and the final recollection, the final preparation of recollecting the deity.
And in this case, so the deity is the Buddha. So, these first 12 from the point of view of view and conduct are classified as conduct. And the thirteenth division is the final preparation of emptiness of true existence. And this is simply the realization of emptiness. So this could be classified as view, view and conduct.
Final preparation of emptiness of true existence. Right. Then we list the preparation. So as far as the boundaries, there are two presentations for the boundaries of the final preparation. There is the directly indicated, the boundaries which are directly indicated, and the general boundaries.
The general boundaries are from the path of accumulation up to just before the end of the continuum. The path of accumulation up to just before the end of the continuum. And the boundaries of the directly indicated are the same except that the final preparation is not found on the path of accumulation. So it would be from the path of preparation up to the end of the continuum. So the the reason the way in which this preparation receives its name, that it’s final preparation, is that it takes one through meditating sequentially on the aspects of three exalted knowers, one comes to the final one comes to the end.
It takes one to the end of meditation of these 173 aspects. It takes one to the end of meditating on these 173 aspects. Takes one to the final, to the end of. So with the fourth preparation is the momentary preparation and this has four parts. Definitions, synonyms, divisions, and boundaries.
So the definition of momentary preparation is a bodhisattva’s final yoga that has attained stability with respect to the aspects of the three exalted knowers. A bodhisattva’s final Yoga that has attained stability with respect to the aspects of the three exalted knowers. So it’s all aspects. So this is the realization within the mind of the bodhisattva immediately preceding Buddhahood. That’s why the term final is just about to reach Buddha.
After this, he achieves Buddha. So it’s the final realization. So this this synonym for momentary preparation is the exalted wisdom at the end of the continuum. Exalted wisdom at the end of the continuum. This refers to the end of the continuum of a sentient being.
And exalted wisdom refers to a path. It’s just as in the case of a person who is about to die. They’re breathing out, in, out, in, out and finally there is an end. There is a last breath and then the end of that life occurs. This is the end of the continuum of a sentient being.
In the very next moment that being will be a Buddha. The end of the continuum of the sentient being, next moment, that being will be a Buddha. So if we divide, there are four divisions. And the four divisions are as listed here: fully ripened, momentary preparation not fully ripened, momentary preparation characterless, momentary preparation and non dual, momentary preparation. So the boundaries of momentary preparation are it only occurs at the moment of the end of the continuum.
It does not occur before the end of the continuum nor afterwards, which is the state of Buddhahood. Its boundary is only that one moment at the end of the continuum. So it says within the root text of ornament, in one moment complete enlightenment. And this refers to the fact that this end of continuum exists for one moment and in the next moment one will achieve actual enlightenment. It is a wisdom of meditative equipoise, observing emptiness, which has the capacity to remove the final obstruction to omniscience.
It’s able to remove the knowledge obstruction. So the four divisions of momentary preparation, They are made from the point of view the object of which the preparation, from the point of view about which the object of preparation has taken to mind, is taken as its object. For example, due to the force of action and afflictive emotions, certain objects are either positive or negative from the point of view of mind, in a person in general. Due to the force of actions and afflictive emotions, certain objects are seen as positive and negative. Here the momentary preparation, which is fully ripened, takes as its object contaminated objects.
The fully ripened takes all contaminated objects. The not fully ripened takes all contaminated objects as its object. So they are the preparation which takes all emptiness of objects as its object. And then there is the preparation which observes the emptiness, substantial difference between subjects and objects of all phenomena as its object. So these are all one preparation, one consciousness, one isolate, but different aspects according to the different objects.
So then the boundary is the moment just before Buddhahood. It’s not found on the path of accumulation or preparation or the path of seeing. Just on the very end, at the very close or just before Buddhahood. So the difference between the final preparation and the momentary preparation. The final preparation is two moments before Buddhahood.
The momentary preparation is the actual final moment and the final preparation is the moment before the final moment. In the second moment one would attain Buddhahood. Nothing below that, and Buddhahood is above that.