Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 54-minute session, Kyabje Rinpoche outlines the structure of the Buddhist path by comparing the inferior and great vehicles. He explains how each differs in its principal goal (liberation vs. omniscience), main obstacle (afflictive vs. knowledge obscuration), and core practice (selflessness vs. bodhicitta and wisdom realizing emptiness). He then explores a central question: why doesn’t Buddha’s infinite compassion automatically help sentient beings? His answer: faith is required — not blind belief, but a mind that recognizes good qualities in the enlightened source. He distinguishes great compassion from bodhicitta, then describes faith as the prerequisite that makes Buddha’s help accessible, using the image of a ring on an egg that allows it to be lifted. He identifies faith as the root of all temporary and ultimate happiness. For practitioners with some familiarity with Buddhist doctrine.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1989-11-23 – 26B – KR.mp3
UUID: 8ada1690-1e2c-4c0e-83b6-29704561fea0
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Ornament of Clear Realization
Date: 1989-11-23
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~3,092
On the mind interested in attaining liberation So attaining is insertion in English. So mind interested in liberation. So mind interested in liberation is normally called the main aspect of inferior vehicle’s path and and because this is the principal practice which the inferior vehicle practitioner emphasized therefore it is called realization belonging to the group of inferior vehicles or in belonging to the group of inferior vehicles realization inferior vehicles means sorry because so to go back again, mind interested in liberation is called the means of inferior vehicle and because this mind is the principal practice being emphasized by inferior vehicle practitioner, therefore it is called by the phrase realization belonging to the group of inferior vehicles means and it is not called wisdom. And whereas such minds like wisdom realizing whereas such minds like wisdom realizing impermanence, wisdom realizing selflessness of person, they are called the wisdom aspect of inferior vehicle’s path. And because of the reason that these mind are being principally are being principally practiced with emphasis by inferior vehicle’s practitioner, Therefore, these minds are called by the phrase belonging to the realization of belonging to the group of realization of inferior vehicles wisdom.
Anyway, at this point the principle points to understand what special what called care or attention is that there are three things when inferior vehicle practitioner does practice there are three things which are which we have to understand or pay special attention that what are the principal practice which he adopts or which he meditates in trying to attain a goal and what are the principal things he abandons or tries to get rid of and what is the principle goal he sets to achieve. So the principle goal set to achieve and in trying to achieve that goal, what principle practice he adopts and in trying to achieve that goal what principle objects to abandon the practitioner trying try to get rid of. So we see it more clearly from another angle point of view regarding the ultimate or regarding the ultimate goals to be achieved by any kinds of different practitioner, we can summarize those goals into two, two ultimate goals to be achieved, liberation and omniscience and in trying to attain those two goals there are two principal obstacles which the person from attaining those two goals and those two principal obstacles we can see are being summarized into two obscuration, the afflictive obscurations and the knowledge obscurations.
Our liberation is the ultimate goal which is mainly set to be achieved which mainly set up there to be achieved by the practitioner of inferior vehicle and that liberation either you call it a state free of suffering, state free of afflictions, state free of saṃsāra, they all mean same, it is that liberation and that liberation is the one which is mainly being set as principal goal to be achieved by inferior vehicle practitioner. And the one principle obstacle which hindered the practitioner to attain, which hindered the practitioner in attaining that liberation is the afflictive obscuration among the two obscurations. In trying to attain that liberation and in course to try to attain the liberation, the obstacle or afflictive obscuration hindering the practitioner also as say what I call alongside practice are mainly tries to get rid of that afflictive obscuration and in trying to get rid of that afflictive obscuration, the main practice, the main meditation, the practice of that vehicle, the inferior vehicle does is the practice on the four truths and that practice on four truths the practice in most extensive way and if to summarize the practitioner or some the practitioner mainly does practice on the work or the selflessness of person and regarding selflessness of person it is one of the 16 attributes of the four truths.
So four truths, each has four divisions of which the selflessness of person is one attribute. So this very mind which especially does practice on the selflessness of person is a mind belonging to the group of base knower and this base knower is what they are what the practitioner at that point in trying to get rid of affective obscuration mainly emphasize integrates all practices. And this is the reason why base knower is normally called called as called by the phrase belonging to the group of realization of inferior awakening because base knower principally aimed as means or because the base knower practice with principal aim as means to get rid of afflictive obscuration and thereby attain the ultimate goal of liberation. So there are three things on the principle, the principle goal, principle objects to abandon principle or principle or called meditation and regarding the inferior vehicle, it has to be clear with you or with your understanding that with the inferior vehicle practitioner, he mainly has liberation as his principal goal and he has the afflictive obscuration as his principal object to be abandoned and the base knower directly realizing the selflessness of person is his principle practice of meditation.
With inferior vehicle, it has two group, two kinds, hearers and solitary realizers therefore this applies as a common practice to both of them. This is a common practice and all these three practice objective and the to be abandoned all these three is common with both the hearers and solitary realizer but still because solitary realizers are being so sorry to make it clear, these three are common for both hearers and solitary realizer. So this being fake but still because solitary realizers have higher mentality of intelligence compared to the hearers therefore there are what I call three sets of uncommon objectivity, uncommon what I call uncommon obscurations, uncommon principle practice with the hearers or with the solitary realizers because of being bit superior. So let’s just limit to that otherwise it might get too messy and mixed up. So on the next one is with the great vehicle and regarding great vehicle, the principle or principle objects to object to abandon is the knowledge obscuration and in great vehicle that is what the main try or main effort is put toward removing that obscuration, knowledge obscuration.
And the principal goal to to our core set to attain is the omniscience, state of omniscience and in trying to get rid of that principle knowledge obscuration and in trying to attain the principle or goal of omniscience, the practitioner he does the practice or he meditates on the means and method or means and wisdom and means here with great vehicle is of two bodhicitta and great compassion and wisdom is the realization of emptiness, wisdom realizing emptiness. So let’s perhaps stop here, please be clear of understanding that in great vehicle that’s how our basic structure is that the omniscience is the principle goal to achieve and knowledge obscuration is the principle object to abandon and in trying to achieve those two, the practitioner has the principal practice of the means and wisdom and means comprise of great compassion and bodhicitta and wisdom comprise of the wisdom directly realizing emptiness and if you understand this and the previous what we call inferior vehicle then you’re forming a what we call foundation understanding about the way of the about the way of the about the about the, what I call, progress in the way of the grounds and the paths.
And this is the reason why there are two of vehicles, the great and small vehicle that it is because of the greatness and smallness in the objectivities in the object to abandon and the principal practices to adopt. And why they are why and how so why and how they come about those differences is because of the different inclination and interests of the individual sentient beings, some they have inclination interest in attaining liberation instead of omniscience, some have inclination interest toward omniscience rather than liberation and that’s the reason and based on those different inclinations the great compassionate Buddha has taught the three different vehicles. And that’s the reason why the greatly compassionate teacher Buddha is normally called as the skillful teacher so maybe we stop here for five minutes for question and answer. Regarding great compassion it is a mind which is focused on infinite beings and as you haven’t come on Tuesday evening for training teachings, it has actually been very detailed explain what great compassion is all about. So anyway, coming back to the point great compassion is mine focused on all infinite other sentient beings and thinking that may these sentient beings or the first one, these sentient beings be somehow be free of the suffering and causes of suffering and causes of sufferings means the negative actions and the afflictions or delusions which causes those negative actions and thinking that way these sentient beings be somehow be free of suffering and causes of suffering and second thinking on top of that it thinks may somehow may these sentient beings be free of suffering and causes of suffering in prayer form and third may myself alone or embark on the responsibility responsibility by myself alone actually removing the suffering and causes of suffering and that’s called great compassion, such mind is called great compassion.
And that very what called great compassion it is a mind which in work of classification of primary and secondary mind it is a secondary mind and it is a mind which is already before a person enters the path so it is in ordinary unentered part person’s mind. After that great compassion is born in a person’s mind and after that when the person makes his what I call strong earnest or taking the responsibility upon himself alone thinking that such work of removing all other sentient beings or suffering and causes suffering be taken upon myself alone and may myself alone take responsibility to remove the suffering and causes suffering. So after the one thinks that way and that thought is called exalted thought literally and sometimes called universal responsibility. So that exalted thought, it still is just a our core in the state of thinking, in the state of mind and in the actual fact you haven’t been able to liberate even one single sentient being of the cause of suffering and suffering. Therefore realizing that it is only in my thought and I have not actually been able to do it in actual fact therefore one after that exalted thought one tries to find out means or in what possible way and what are the possible means I could actually let that happen so in trying to search out he finds that even in the highly realized state of our hearer solitary realizers and even in the highly realized state of bodhisattva, there isn’t a perfect resourcefulness in actually letting those happen.
So afterward, at the final end, the person finds out that it is only in the state of completely enlightened full Buddhahood that that is possible. So with that realization at the end, with that understanding at the end, the person makes a strong earnest promise and longing for attaining complete Buddhahood remove this sentient being, suffering and cause of suffering. And whenever that strong that strong longing for complete Buddhahood because of being too much familiarized with it that you don’t even have to exert effort on it whenever it is spontaneous again and again coming in your mind stream without your need of even thinking, then that is called the precious bodhicitta. So it seems it became too long in English because you have to put a little bit here and there with the Yeah. Work on clarification, but basically, it’s unadulterated.
So that’s the difference between great or bodhicitta and great compassion. All knowing so this means everything, all, all phenomena that called all phenomena, everything as big as the King of Mount Meru and as small as the smallest particle so all everything being seen as clearly as if a or called myrobalan or berry sort of fruit which if you put on palm of your hand how clearly you would see so that kind of Buddhist mind which sees everything is called all knowing. So why we normally stick to omniscience is because it seems to have better or call adjustability when you use it as noun and not having to phrase type word and it’s a standard normal way of work. Whereas omniscience of course has wrong English connotation of every present and not all knowing. Whereas, yeah, but then that’s the one called problem here when if you use all knowing then there are awkward situation where you can’t use it as known.
Just too long. Of course you might feel bit more cold or a bit inquisitive thinking oh even if bodhisattva is such highly realized being, even they don’t have that all knowing mind, then how can that all knowing mind be? Powerful and how beyond what I call our imagination can that mind and can there be such mind. There is because it is with Buddha and why it is with exclusively with Buddha is because his mind is completely clear of all the obscurations and once you get rid of all the obscuration which obscure the mind then your mind can see everything, perceive everything, it is like what I call the hand one palm on another and inside if you put something and if somebody asks what’s in there, if you ask to somebody because there’s this upper hand which is like obscure or the other person may not be able to answer but once you unravel which is the obscuration, unravel it then the person may be able to tell that this is this and there’s this thing in your palm of hand. And same here because Buddha’s completely got rid of all the obscurations and obscurations here mainly refer to the knowledge obscuration which is sometimes translated as obstructions to omniscience.
From the side of omniscience it has all the resourcefulness to be able to benefit and fulfill the needs of all sentient beings but from even though that being the fact but from sentient beings side, the cause of being very much covered by obscuration that there is not any possibility for such being like Buddha who has omniscience mind to be able to enter his literally called enlightened activity, to be able to have his enlightened activity entering to the sentient beings. So in other words meaning because of sentient beings having too much obscuration or being covered that they what are called Buddha’s benevolent enlightened activities to help sentient beings is not accessible to them, doesn’t approach them and so from which ever even though it may all work on ever prepared but because from sentient beings side obscured that there’s no room to enter. They are not able to lead sentient beings to the state of Buddhahood by giving teachings and so forth but still by all means by giving teachings and so forth but still they are able to lead sentient beings up to the level on which they are. So in order to Buddha’s enlightened activity to enter into us the principal thing which we require is and that’s the principle requirement and on top of that faith, the extra additional things required to do is to or do virtuous actions and are strained from doing non virtuous actions and all other practices which follow after that and if we are not able to have that single point of faith and those those other practices then no matter whatever what call resourcefulness Buddhists saw from Buddhist side there it still cannot work or liberate us and our state at the moment being obscured, lacking faith, lacking practices is like a heart-shaped egg and this egg cannot be pulled by a hook because the hook would never get the egg or what I call pulled up.
So even though Buddhist compassion, resourcefulness may be ever there where we have to have a what I call appropriate means to get hooked by that hook so therefore the faith has been explained as the ring of faith so if we have that ring of faith then we will be instantly pulled up by Buddha. Oh, if you have a ring on top of the egg, then it can be pulled up. And if it doesn’t have that ring, then no matter how long you go on trying to pull it up, it wouldn’t. So that what corresponds to the ring is the faith, faith in the Buddha and faith has been explained as the root of all the happiness, root of all the comfort of both the temporary and of ultimate. So I also requested to kindly explain or elaborate on faith because it’s normally or call also used by other schools of thought and quite looking down upon.
So faith here doesn’t mean just a kind of attitude oh I go for a refuge I go for a faith doesn’t mean just that thought. And faith is not just an attitude or what we call relying on something without any apparent reason and thinking oh that’s good, that’s very good and relying on that. Instead faith refers to a mind which pays respect by seeing qualities good, so quality in the sense of good quality was seeing good qualities in the object of faith. So with the context, faith means going for reliance on Buddha’s enlightened activity to currently pour down on earth by seeing qualities and regarding Buddha’s qualities is limitless like infinite expanse of the space. There is no account able to be counted about Buddha’s good qualities but if we are to summarize Buddha’s good qualities can be classified in such summary like Buddha’s good quality of body, of speech, of mind, of enlightened activity, of power, of knowledge, of compassion into those.
Normally it doesn’t explain with the ever popular phrases which goes like, Faith by seeing the good qualities and reverence by remembering the kindness. So these two phrases in explanation means you generate faith in yourself naturally when you see good qualities of the object or object in the sense of enlightened being source of objects or refuge and you remember or call you or generate reverence for other person, other beings when you remember the kindness thinking, he has been so kind to me.