Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 47-minute teaching, Khensur Rinpoche explores the distinction between aspiring and practical mind generation (bodhicitta) through the analogy of a king. A person may wish to help their subjects, but gains true ability to benefit them only by becoming king. Similarly, Śākyamūni Buddha recognized that merely wishing all sentient beings free from suffering was incomplete; he needed to attain Buddhahood to possess the power to help. Aspiring mind generation is the initial motivation to work for others’ liberation; practical mind generation is the commitment to engage in the six perfections to actualize that wish. Rinpoche emphasizes that sustained practice over many lifetimes is essential—motivation alone, without engaged dharma practice, remains incomplete. A closing Q&A addresses whether aspiring mind generation and bodhicitta are synonymous.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1989-08-17 – Side 2 – KR.MP3
UUID: 44da2248-6a4b-46cd-87b2-bd9fe311e08a
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Ornament of Clear Realization
Date: 1989-08-17
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~2,328
Developing this intention. Then this was just as simple as were aspiring, developing the wish. But then you actually got up and you involved yourself in the activities of traveling to the teachings themselves. That is a very practical an actual, in fact, a practice, make moving toward your goal or your intention, actually going to the teachings. So this is the difference between aspiring and practical.
So this is in the case, if we were simply to develop the intention, the thinking, I’m going to the teachings today, but we didn’t act upon that, we actually didn’t put into play any of the activities necessary to get us to the teaching, then this would always remain at the aspiring level. We would never arrive at our destination. But there still has to be this gradual ordering of these two. First the intention, the aspiration, and then the practical application in order to arrive at the goal. So first we had the intention, the motivation of seeking to separate all sentient beings from their suffering and to establish them in happiness, and in order to do that the wishing to attain enlightenment.
But if we’re left merely at this motivational stage, we would never achieve enlightenment. It’s a very kind heart, but merely that is not going to help us to achieve Buddhahood. Simply thinking, merely thinking, I’m going there, does not get us there. But if we, based upon that initial motivation, actually begin to engage in activities so that we can in fact arrive, such as practicing generosity, cultivating ethics, cultivating patience, effort, meditative stabilization, wisdom, that is all the various practices necessary to help us to in fact arrive, then we will achieve Buddhahood. So this is the difference between these two mind generations.
In the first aspiring mind generation, order to separate sentient beings from their suffering to establish them in happiness, wishing to achieve perfect complete Buddhahood. This is merely the quality of motivation. There’s no practical application of activities. In the second practical mind generation, in order to achieve that Buddhahood, then I’m going to actually engage in the activities necessary to achieve it, such as the various six perfections. So in one, it’s a mere motivation.
The former, it’s a mere motivation. In the latter, it’s an actual engagement in the activities. So the definitions of Aspiring mind generation. The definition of aspiring mind generation is it is a mind generation which is either an aspiring mind generation or a practical mind generation. And it is not conjoined with the bodhisattva’s conduct of the activities of practice.
The definition of aspiring mind generation is a mind generation which is either an aspiring mind generation or a practical mind generation and it is not conjoined with the bodhisattvas conduct in the activities of practice. On the other hand, the definition of practical mind generation is that same definition except it is the ‘not’ would be left out. It is it is conjoined with the bodhisattva bodhisattva’s conduct of the activities of practice. So there each of these so from the point of view of entity, there there are the aspiring mind generation and practical mind generation. These two individually have no divisions, but they each have their boundaries.
The boundary of aspiring mind generation is from the path of accumulation up to the end of the continuum, from the path of accumulation up to the end of the continuum. And the boundary of practical mind generation is from the path of accumulation to the state of Buddhahood. Do you understand? So the so the difference in in the vastness. The aspiring mind generation is on the first four paths of accumulation preparation, seeing, and meditation.
And practical mind generation is on from the path of accumulation all all the way up to the path of no more learning. Five paths. Whereas the Aspiring mind generation is only on four paths. So the aspiring mind generation does not exist at the state of Buddhahood. This is because the Buddha, the mind generation at the state of Buddhahood is always conjoined with the actual engagement of the bodhisattva’s activities of practice and the bodhisattva’s conduct of activities of practice.
It’s always conjoined. There’s no time when it’s not conjoined with the bodhisattva’s conduct of the activities of practice. So the sense of the term mind generation is that it is something very vast. It’s not something small. It’s very expansive mind.
This is the sense of what we mind generation means a very expansive mind, an open mind. Because we’re seeking to establish all sentient beings equal to space in Buddhahood, that I am going to establish all sentient beings equal to space. And sentient beings are numberless. And therefore, the mind which aspires to establish a numberless sentient being in Buddhahood is extremely expansive, likewise almost numberless, vast in that measure. On the one hand, when we think, Oh, to find happiness only for ourselves, to work for the purpose of only ourselves, that’s only one person.
It’s a very extremely small mind. It’s only looking at one person. Here we’re talking about a mind which is extremely expansive, seeking to benefit, to bring happiness to numberless sentient beings. So it’s a very vast, expansive mind. So there there are There are a few means of mind generation.
The main one was that which was done by our compassionate teacher, the Buddha, which is called the king king king like mind generation. So, you know, previously there many kings. For example, there were the kings in India, kings in Tibet, China. These days, the numbers have grown much less. So by way of analogy, first of these mind generations is king like mind generation.
Using the analogy of a king. First, an individual is not a king. No one is born a king. But as one grew up, the thought would arise that wanting to be a kingone could want to be a king for various reasonsbut to help, to assist the subjects of that country simply for one’s own purposes. If one had compassion and saw that the people wanted to be happy and thought, I want to bring all these people happiness, all these subjects.
Therefore, if I became king, then I could have the power to do that. I could actually the ability, the power to bring happiness to all my subjects. The leaders have a great deal of power. For example, in China today, the Premier Deng, he has the power to suppress the people. The people do not have any freedom and he has that power to suppress the people.
On the other hand, if someone, for example, the Dalai Lama who has a great deal of love and he wishes to help his subjects, he wants to bring them all happiness, and this is his intention. So by means of his power he can bring peace, he can bring freedom, whatever, by way of the ability or the power that one has to that same degree one is free to bring about the welfare, has the power to do whatever one is able. One has the ability to bring about one’s ends with that power. Before one is king, one doesn’t have that power. No matter how much you want to help your subjects, you don’t have that power.
So one seeks to be king in order to help one’s subjects. This is the king like mind generation. So the difference between the leaders is based upon the degree of love they have. In the case of the present leadership of China, they have no love for their people, so they’re not allowing them the freedom. Whereas on the other hand, the Dalai Lama possessing love, simply using his power to establish people in happiness.
So in the case of Śākyamūni Buddha himself, when he initially developed mind to mind generation, He observed that sentient beings were suffering. He developed the wish that he generated compassion, developed the wish that they’d be separated from their suffering, that they be established in happiness, and this was the development of the awakening heart. But he saw that he didn’t have the ability to actually, he didn’t have that power to bring this about in actual fact. So he saw that it was only a Buddha who had the capacity to actually be of ultimate benefit to others, and therefore he developed the thought, I must, for the sake of all sentient beings, achieve Buddhahood myself. And this is the king like mind generation.
So we should try to generate this same type of awakening heart in the way that Śākyamūni Buddha generated his awakening heart. So take a few minutes to answer questions. One has to again and again think about the dissatisfactoriness of your present state, and develop the thought that I simply do not want to continue in my present state. It’s nothing but suffering. Develop the desire to be liberated, the intention to be liberated from this suffering condition that you’re in.
But also recognizing that everyone else is in the same situation I’m in. They’re suffering to the same extent that I’m suffering. And so one, in this way, developing compassion for others and thinking, Well, how can I get us all out of this situation? Therefore one aspires to Buddhahood for the sake of everybody. Again and again, considering your own suffering, applying it to others, and developing the desire that everyone be liberated in seeking Buddhahood.
But we actually have to practice. Though we might begin to become very aware of the unsatisfactory quality of life and the lives of others and wish to eliminate their suffering, if we don’t practice the Dharma then we’re never going to actually be able to eliminate their suffering. So we have to go further and understand that we have all the conducive conditions. We have this precious human rebirth to actually engage in practices to in fact bring this intention into actual fact to eliminate the suffering of both oneself and others through the practice of Dharma. Yes.
A person can generate an aspiration to achieve enlightenment and then engage in some kind of practice, but they don’t necessarily have bodhicitta. Well, a person can it seems like whenever we do a practice, we generate this motivation from the beginning and then do some practice. So either we don’t really have the aspiration or we’re not actually practicing something that’s going to lead us towards full enlightenment. Otherwise, we’d have bodhicitta. Could you could you could you could I Give that to me again.
Well, the explanation was of aspiring and practical mind generation. But it seems to me that a person can generate this aspiration and then do some, you know, practical stage towards enlightenment. But this person doesn’t necessarily have He can have aspiring mind generation but no bodhicitta, is what you’re saying? I’m saying a person can have this aspiring mind generation but not have bodhicitta. I think you’re essentially saying that.
And they can that they also, by doing practice, they can have aspiring mind generation and practical mind generation without having awakening heart. So one has mind either aspiring or practical mind generation, it’s pervaded by awakened heart. One has to have awakened heart to have either of those. As far as mind generation and practical mind generation are bodhicitta, are awakening heart. I guess if got up in the morning and I thought I must achieve enlightenment for the sake of sentient beings before I did my practice, I don’t think I have bodhicitta.
But that stage Do you have mind generation? Do you have aspiring mind generation? Well, I suppose I can kind of force it out occasionally. Then forced out awakening heart. It’s synonymous.
So the great vehicle mind generation is synonymous with awakening heart, with bodhicitta. There are other types of mind generation, that’s why we have to specify great vehicle mind generation. Great vehicle mind generation as opposed to the Hīnayāna mind generation, for example. So we can have fabricated and unfabricated mind generation. So a fabricated mind generation is a mind generation, but it’s not a great vehicle mind generation.
A fabricated mind generation is a mind generation, but it’s not a great vehicle mind generation. If it’s a if it’s a great vehicle, my generation, it must be a path. So it doesn’t arise spontaneously. It one has to make efforts to cultivate it, and then it arises. And then if one doesn’t make effort, then it doesn’t arrive in the case of fabricated mind generation.
So even if you want to develop the mind generation in this life by cultivating, meditating on it, you’re going to plant latencies so that in the future life you will be able to generate it. So we don’t we don’t have a lot of latencies, and that’s why things are so difficult for us to develop. We have we have to in practice, we have to think on in very vast and have a long-term perspective with our practice. Not just short, but in very vast long terms. So we need to have a lot of courage in cultivating the practice.
We meditate today and we gain a little facility, a little bit of ability. And then we meditate tomorrow and we add to that a bit of ability we had and this ability accumulates until we develop great power in our practice. A prime cognizer is to understand any object which we have not previously understood. When we first understand any object which we have not previously understood, this understanding or this knower, this mind, is what we call a prime cognizer. Then later, when we see that object again, the understanding is called a subsequent cognizer.
It’s subsequent to the initial cognition. So it becomes subsequent after the first cognition. Everything becomes a subsequent cognizer.