Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Kyabje Rinpoche teaches this 47-minute commentary on the Ornament of Clear Realization through a question-and-answer format, using each student response to deepen understanding of the Mahāyāna path. He maps the Buddhist journey to enlightenment by clarifying key concepts: the specific stages where different types of knowledge arise, how the three vehicles—hearer, solitary realizer, and bodhisattva—share a common path structure, and the four preparatory stages culminating in Buddhahood. The centerpiece is his exposition of the ten topics of omniscience—mind generation, precepts, discriminating wisdom, the nature of mind, object of observation, intention, armor, engagement in activities, accumulation, and definite emergence. Rinpoche emphasizes that understanding this graduated path matters far more than pursuing supernormal powers like clairvoyance. For serious students of Mahāyāna Buddhism.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1989-09-14 – Side 1 – KR.MP3
UUID: ca10d8f0-ecde-412a-9478-02f968cade80
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Ornament of Clear Realization
Date: 1989-09-14
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~1,665
So we should listen to this profound teaching on the great vehicle with the attitude of the precious awakening heart that I must attain perfect, complete, and successful Buddhahood in order to establish all sentient beings equal to space and complete happiness and bliss. And thereupon, we’re going to meditate for two minutes in order to adjust our motivation. You shouldn’t worry. Can just relax. Today, we’re just going to ask a few questions and whoever can answer, even that person is sufficient to answer.
Traditionally when the teaching is being given, teacher asks questions and then the students answer and it enables to understand what the teacher what the students don’t understand and also helps the students to stabilize what they do and understand. So begin with If you’ve got a five minute. So we’ll begin with whoever can answer that answer. We’ll begin with what are the eight categories of the ornament. Nothing.
Final preparation? Yeah. Yeah. That was momentary. Final preparation.
You call it final? Okay. It’s not it’s not you said omniscient preparation, it’s complete preparation. The completion of the act, what do we call it, completing the preparation of completing all aspects. He said our mission preparation.
Final final preparation. Momentary preparation. And then comes the resultant truth body. Preparation for completing all aspects. Preparation for completing the summit.
Final preparation. Momentary preparation. And result in. What would you set for example? What would you set forth as path omniscient?
What would you set forth? What would you posit as path omniscient? Who do you hear? Yes. Sarvajña Gopang.
What is the boundaries of omniscient? What are the boundaries of So what are the boundaries of the path knower? There are five paths of the great vehicle: the accumulation, preparation, seeing, meditation and no more learning. So it’s only on these final three paths. From the path of seeing of the great vehicle, the path of meditation, and the path of no more learning.
These three final paths. There’s not accumulation or preparation. This is only where the omniscience is. So the boundaries of path knower are these three. Amongst the five paths of the great vehicle is the only these three final paths.
Why is the vehicle? What is the what is the boundaries of the base knower? So as I explained previously, there are 15 paths. The five paths of the hearer, five paths of solitary realizers, and five paths of the great vehicle. So with the hearer with respect to the hearer’s vehicle, there are five paths, accumulation, preparation, seeing, meditation and no more learning.
So base knower is in the path of the superior, these latter, or the upper three paths, the hearers path of seeing, meditation and no more learning. Likewise for the solitary realizers vehicle. Again five paths, the base knower occurs in the path of the superior, solitary realizers path of seeing meditation and then we’re learning the upper three And likewise for the vehicle, the great vehicle. There are five paths, accumulation, preparation, seeing, and no more meditation, and no more learning. And the base knower occurs in the upper three paths, the great vehicle path of seeing, meditation, and more learning.
Base knower occurs in all the continuums of superiors so that would include the hearer superior, the solitary realized superior, and the bodhisattva superior. When we come, when we ask what is the bound, what are the boundaries of base knower, then we have to say it occurs in in the continuum of all superiors. So that’s the three exalted vehicles and then the four preparations. And the first of these four preparations is the preparation for completing all aspects. What is the boundaries of preparation for completing all aspects?
So the four preparations preparation completing all aspects preparation for completing the summit, final preparation and momentary preparation. The first one, what is the summit, what is the boundary for preparation for completing all aspects. So that’s that’s right. That’s exactly right. This will support path and that’s the accumulation through including the path of meditation.
So some path of accumulation up to the continuum. Preparation for completing all aspects is the first four paths of the vehicle. And the second, what are the boundaries for the preparation of completing the summit? So that’s right. It doesn’t occur on the path of accumulation.
There’s so many path of preparation up to the end of the continuum. So the first preparation and the preparation for completing aspects was from the path of accumulation and preparation of seeing and meditation. But in the second preparation preparation for completing the summit doesn’t occur on this path accumulation. So it’s only the preparation, seeing, and meditation. Then the third preparation, the final preparation, where is the boundaries at that?
So the third preparation, the final preparation is from the path of accumulation up to including the moment before the end of the continuum. It doesn’t include the end of the continuum. That is the moment before Buddhahood. It’s the moment before the end of the continuum. And then the fourth preparation, momentary preparation, what is where are the boundaries of that?
And the eighth category, the resultant truth body. What, where is the boundary there? The boundaries are extremely important. In the course of practice we know what is to be practiced at the various stages and how they are to be generated at the various stages. So it’s important to know the boundaries.
Are you too tired of going to the 10 topics of omniscience? So it’s very beneficial to carry on the type of question session. We actually gain some ascertainment of the subject, it becomes part of our mind rather than merely being notes in our books which we close-up and nothing has entered our mind. Mind generation, precepts, And the different discrimination. The nature the nature of the element of qualities, which is the basis for achievement.
The object of observation of a great vehicle. The intention of achieving. Armor. Activities engaging. Collections.
Definitely emerging. So you should try to get clear in your mind that the first is mind generation. This is the awakening heart. How to generate the awakening heart when listening to the precepts or the instructions on the great vehicle? And then when having received instructions, one then goes into meditation in order to enter into the doorway of understanding emptiness and this is the one definitely discriminates emptiness at this point.
And then is not coming to an understanding of emptiness, it’s not merely any type of emptiness. We’re meditating on the emptiness in terms of one’s mind. The basis of the emptiness is one’s own mind and this is the natural body of the mind. And then the bodhisattva develops the wisdom where he observes all phenomena as to what is the elimination of superimposition, what is to be adopted, is to be rejected. The reason that the bodhisattva is meditating, his intention is to achieve Buddhahood.
This is the object of his intention, is Buddhahood. The object of his attainment is Buddhahood. And then in order to actually attain that, having observed it, intending to achieve develop the vast intention to achieve Buddhahood and this is the wearing of the armor of achievement. Then he actually, having developed that intention, he actually enters into or engages into the best conduct activities and this is the activities of engaging, of achieving. And by means of engaging in these activities, he collects the accumulation, the accumulation of achievement.
Then it depends upon the the the vast collection of the accumulation, the true accumulation without doubt there arises the omniscience and this is definite emergence of omniscience. So this is the way the 10 topics of omniscience arise, evolve. So in dependence upon knowing these 10 topics, the practitioner of the great vehicle is able to know the graduated practices in order to actually finally achieve omniscience. So the 10 topics of omniscience are extremely important. If one knows these then they will understand the path and the result of the practice will appear in your mind.
Understanding the great vehicle path and results, one realizes that by understanding this one realizes that the final outcome of the path is the wisdom truth body. One has a direct understanding of what omniscience is by realizing the final outcome of this gradual practice of the path and by means of these 10 topics. As a consequence of coming to gain a sense of the gradual manner of practice as set up a practice in these 10 topics which of the great vehicle, 10 topics of omniscience which would set up the practice of the great vehicle. And such types of minds as clairvoyances and magical emanations. Magical emanations arise as a benefit.
It’s more important to simply gain a sense of the gradual manner of practice of the great vehicle than it is to attain such states as clairvoyances and magical emanations. We have in previous lives attained these clairvoyances and magical emanations many times but they have been of no benefit. But we have never been able to listen to the presentation of the practices of the greater vehicle and thereby begin to plant latencies or predispositions for that. So this is an extremely valuable opportunity, know, listening to the various practices of the great vehicle and implanting latency disposition, the golden opportunity. If one were to understand the sequence of practices and were to be mindful, remember them at the time of death, there’d be no way that you could be born in a bad migration.
You would definitely be born in a happy migration. So can we all again give the 10 topics of omniscience? Got a little practice as well. So let’s do it together. We’ll all do it together.
Mind generation. Oh, yeah. Precepts. Definite discrimination. Nature.
Object of observation of the great vehicle. Collection. Definite emergence.. Mind generation. Precept. The definite discrimination.
Maybe.