Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 52-minute teaching on the Ornament of Clear Realization, Kyabje Rinpoche opens with an analogy of a businessperson evaluating a venture to illustrate three types of practitioners: those who examine carefully, those who are impetuous, and those of lesser capacity. He then walks through the four perfections of wisdom — the scriptural teachings themselves, emptiness as the object of realization, the bodhisattva paths that realize it, and Buddhahood as the result. He traces how wisdom arises serially: listening to the teachings generates wisdom from listening; reflection generates wisdom from reflection; repeated meditation transforms this into the wisdom of meditation, which yields the actual result. He emphasizes going for refuge as a foundation that accumulates immense positive potential, and concludes that practitioners must rely on Mañjuśrī, the deity of wisdom, throughout the path to enlightenment.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1990-02-15 – 30B – KR.mp3
UUID: 77440ac6-b0e8-4ded-935c-7aa60c2bf9ff
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Ornament of Clear Realization
Date: 1990-02-15
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~2,483
The foundation of the spiritual practice of Buddhism is found in the simple attitudes of having a few desires, seeking to benefit others, trying to cultivate love, compassion, helping others. If we do this, then we’re going to be happy and others will be happy around us. You know, trying to cultivate the attitude that both oneself and others are exactly the same from the point of view of wanting happiness and not wanting to suffer. If you do this, then you aren’t going to fight with others. And if you carry out these types of practices, altruism, a few ones, benefiting others, the sameness of others and oneself, then this is the practice of Buddhism.
Those who are skill ful in the ways of the world. Even they would if they heard of a particular type of business deal and they think, well, let me look at this. Is there a profit? And is there anything preventing me from engaging this business to achieve this profit? They, upon investigating, if they see there’s a good profit to be had and there’s nothing preventing you from going ahead, then they’ll go ahead and engage in the business deal.
On the other hand, if they say, well there’s no really profit in this type of business and anyway, I don’t have there’s all these obstacles which I cannot overcome, then they’ll they’ll forget about it. On the other hand, the trainee of middling intelligence is more impetuous. They they hear from they hear from a teacher, for example, that the great wonderful qualities of the Buddha and they oh, they think this is a very precious thing that they they set out to attain this and they they develop they go on to cultivate love and compassion and they commit themselves. They vow, I will attain Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings and they practice. But the necessary realizations are extremely great to attain Buddhahood and it takes an extensive time.
And during this period they become discouraged and there’s a possibility of falling from the great vehicle to the lesser vehicle. Just like our business person, they’re having heard about this great profit to be made in this one particular enterprise and the business person doesn’t bother to examine. They’re just captivated by this possibility of great profits and they they really they set out with everything they have. And then perhaps it turns out that all they get is a great loss. So those trainees who are intent on the perfection of wisdom, who are intent upon the ornament, first, they realize emptiness.
And therefore, the such trainees are the the highest of the highly intelligent of the high intelligent. So we are all students of the the ornament and that we’re all listening and reflecting upon the ornament. And and if beginning with the perfection of wisdom that the the ornament sets out the meaning This is an extremely fortunate opportunity. So we are we are all trainees of the ornament, but we aren’t necessarily trainees intent on the ornament. Our students of the ornament rather than students intent on the ornament.
The student who is intent on the ornament is of the intelligence who is able to understand emptiness. So we have to look within ourselves and see can you understand are you realizing emptiness. Order to determine whether you are actually a student intent or a trainee intent upon your ornament. So in the future, when the Buddha Maitreya attains enlightenment in India. Through our having our listening and reflecting on the ornament and making prayers, it’s definite that we will be reborn as students students within within the the entourage entourage or or entourage of Maitreya.
So this is a really very fortunate opportunity because this text is to be able to listen to this text because of its extreme, extremely great importance. Especially it with respect to the great vehicle setting, setting out the profound that is and the vast, the eight categories and 70 topics, the means for attaining and developing the awakening heart. So whether whether or not we actually in this life realize emptiness or not, whether whether we generate a path a path or not through listening, reflecting, and meditating on the ornament, we are implanting seeds, latencies. Just like planting seeds in a field. Eventually from these they will grow a sprout, realizations of emptiness, the generation of the awakening heart.
At that time when the Buddha Maitreya achieves enlightenment and bodhgaya, then his teachings will be like watering the field. That these seeds of realizations are already present within our mind. And it’s definite that we will have the capacity to develop the realization of emptiness and the awakening heart at that time. So due due to the various predispositions of the of the students, each of them will have the attainment. Those who are striving for liberation will be able to achieve liberation.
Those who have the latencies or predisposition to achieve the level of the bodhisattva. The bodhisattva is superior and even those who will be able to achieve complete Buddhahood, in dependence upon their various predispositions. We implant these dispositions, these latencies through the force of our practice. To whatever degree we practice, to that same degree, potency will be implanted within our mind for these various future realizations. So we’ve presented the four types of perfection of wisdoms.
The text of the scriptures which set forth the means of it of realizing emptiness are termed the scriptural perfection of wisdom. The the that which is being realized is emptiness and therefore this emptiness itself is termed a natural perfection of wisdom. That which is generated by means of meditating on emptiness are the various paths. These come to know or to realize emptiness and therefore these paths are also termed the path perfection of wisdom and as a result of having brought to full culmination this realization of emptiness we achieve the resultant perfection of wisdom. So we’ve discussed these various types of perfection of wisdom, so we’ll take the time to answer questions with respect to this, if you have any questions.
So and then we can develop our intelligence through this process of of asking questions, creating doubts, and then then coming to some real understanding of the subject. Yes. Path perfection of wisdom. Talk. Talk.
Talk. So it is by means by means of the path perfection of wisdom, the resultant perfection of wisdom is attained. The path perfection of wisdom is the means, the method to attain the result of perfection of wisdom. And the way it is attained is in by realizing emptiness, which is the natural perfection of wisdom. And this is brought about in depends upon the scriptural perfection of wisdom, listening, reflecting, and meditating.
So in order to attain the resultant perfection of wisdom, which is Buddhahood, we mainly we mainly have to practice a path. And these are the various bodhisattva paths. Without practicing these paths, then we cannot attain the result. We cannot attain Buddhahood. Therefore, the result is therefore, these are termed.
Since the result is is perfect result from perfection of wisdom, these paths are also also termed path perfection of wisdom, path perfection of wisdom. So in order to attain the result, we practice the various paths. But the paths are realize an object. And what do they realize? These various paths they realize emptiness.
And therefore the object of these paths is also a term a perfection of wisdom, natural perfection of wisdom. In order to realize emptiness, we have to rely on the text which teach emptiness. And then listening to these texts, we go on to reflect and meditate upon their meaning. And therefore, the texts themselves are referred to as a perfection of wisdom, the scriptural perfection of wisdom. Therefore, there are four perfections of wisdom wisdom posited.
Natural perfection of wisdom, scriptural path, and resultant perfection of wisdom. So these first three natural scriptural path perfection of wisdoms are the means for the attainment of resultant perfection of wisdom. The actual, you know, the real perfection of wisdom is Buddhahood, the resultant perfection of wisdom. But without making use of these first three, then there’s no way that we can attain that. So we give these means, these methods, the name perfection of wisdom.
They’re simply nominally, or we impute or we name them perfection of wisdom since they are the means to attain the actual perfection of wisdom. So there is this serial generation of the three wisdoms. Previous to that arising, we must have generated the wisdom arising from reflection. Previous to that arising, we must have generated the wisdom arising from listening. So on how do we bring about this first wisdom?
This wisdom arising from listening. In dependence upon what? It is through to listening scriptures on the perfection of wisdom. We want to realize the meaning of these, which is the awakening heart and emptiness. Emptiness.
This is what these texts, the subjects, they’re setting forth. In dependence upon listening to these, we reflect upon the meaning. Specifically, the perfection of wisdoms are setting forth the real the the way of realizing emptiness. Therefore, in dependence upon listening to the perfection of wisdom text, we gain having gained the the wisdom arising from listening. We go we reflect upon the meaning, emptiness, and then we gain the wisdom arising from reflection.
We we meditate we accustom, we familiarize ourselves with that wisdom arising from reflection again and again and again. It transforms its entity into the wisdom arising from meditation or familiarization. This is a path. It is dependent upon the path that we gain the actual result which is the resultant perfection of wisdom which has unimaginable qualities. If any one of these steps is missing then the fruit will not arise.
When we talk about the wisdom arising from listening, we don’t we don’t mean listening to just any old thing. We’re talking about the listening to the teachings of the Buddha and additionally the various commentaries to these teachings. Just, you know, just listening to whatever happens whatever teaching happens to come along, whatever is being said, even if we listen to it again and again, doesn’t mean that the wisdom arising from listening is going to arise. Listening to these Buddhist teachings and the commentaries to them again and again is a tremendously skillful action. And this gives rise to the wisdom arising from listening, which will then reflecting upon what has been listened to gives gives rise to the wisdom arising from reflection.
Habituating or familiarizing from the with ourselves with this, with gives rise to the wisdom arising from meditation, which brings about the result. Okay. Any questions? Yeah. So when we talk a perfection of wisdom is synonymous with resultant perfection of wisdom.
And to attain the resultant perfection of wisdom, we have to have the to collect the accumulations of positive potential and wisdom in generating and developing the first, the accumulation of positive potential, practicing the various perfections of generosity, generosity, ethics, ethics, patience, effort, concentration, along with the awakening heart. And then the the collecting the the accumulation of wisdom, the the special insight, or the perfection of wisdom. And coupling these together and eliminating all faults, and then we quickly can quickly achieve the perfection of wisdom or the result of perfection of wisdom.
Yeah. So So to to attain the the the to realize the perfection of wisdom, it would be necessary to engage in the in the in the practice of, for example, the the five the first five of the six perfections. But to gain the realization of emptiness is not necessary to practice the perfections. The hearers of the lesser vehicles they realize but they don’t practice the various perfections.
The lesser vehicle practitioners such as the hearers, they they don’t practice, for example, a perfection of generosity, perfection of ethics, etcetera, but they realize emptiness. But on the other hand, by generating the awakening heart, we amass an unimaginable amount of positive potential. As was explained when we were in the course of our study of mind training that if the positive potential of the awakening heart had form, the entire space would not be able to hold it. So if in the course of our our practice, we collect we by means of collecting as a means of collecting positive potential, we take a heartfelt refuge. And then we engage in a discriminating practice of what is to be adopted and what is to be rejected.
Then listen and reflect upon the meaning of emptiness. And we can realize emptiness. Just taking the Three Jewels. If if we were to to do it in a in a very skillful way. Even one time it is said that the amount of positive potential which is created if it had form, the 3,000 worlds would not be able to hold that positive potential, that the benefits from it, even taking refuge skillfully, mean, sincerely, one time would amass that amount of positive potential.
And then it depends upon that we could realize emptiness. So, you know, going for refuge is is extremely important. In going for refuge that not only do we amass the positive potential as we just mentioned but in going for refuge the development of faith, faith in the Three Jewels by means of that we are able to receive the blessings of the Buddha. Our And mind is blessed and it creates a it empowers our mind. Our mind becomes extremely skillful and we can easily generate wisdom, in dependence upon this blessing.
So you know going for refuge is no small thing. It’s extremely important that all of the paths of the three vehicles are dependent upon upon this one thing of going for refuge. It is an extremely important practice. So if you were to, you know, go for refuge well, then to listen to the various texts setting forth emptiness, reflect upon them, and meditate and meditate on them. And it’s definite that you’re going to realize emptiness.
Yeah. Not very So this the practice of should be our main practice in the development of wisdom. And that we we’re going to have to to rely on Mañjuśrī from now until the attainment of Buddhahood. Because all of the various qualities that we need to generate and all of the faults that we need to eliminate are done so by the development of wisdom. And Mañjuśrī is the deity associated with wisdom.
So involving yourself in listening, reflecting, meditating, and making requests to Mañjuśrī to help us increase our wisdom is the method which we will have to employ from now until the attainment of Buddhahood.