Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 22-minute commentary on the Ornament of Clear Realization, Kyabje Rinpoche systematically distinguishes the greater vehicle from the lesser vehicle through the lens of conduct: the bodhisattva’s commitment to benefit others, beyond simple non-harming. He then explains what marks a truly superior practitioner—not lineage or status, but direct realization of selflessness. Until such realization, we remain ordinary, controlled by the ego’s conception of self like servants under a master, compelled to generate the karma that perpetuates saṃsāra. Once the wisdom of selflessness is generated and habituated, the mind breaks free from reactive emotions and the drive to create suffering-perpetuating karma. A clear, systematic teaching on how a single insight transforms us from puppet to master of our own mind.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1990-02-22 – 32B – KR.mp3
UUID: d16c24ee-f0b4-4fb5-a8ba-5377ada35d00
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Ornament of Clear Realization
Date: 1990-02-22
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~1,029
The definition of greater vehicle was that which is the means for achieving the welfare of others. How in what way are a greater vehicle and lesser vehicle? And what, from what point of view are they posited? In general, we can talk about the vehicles in terms of Buddhism in terms of view and conduct. The vehicles are not posited by way of view.
They are posited by way of conduct. And, and the conduct in general, applicable to all of Buddhism, is the conduct of non harm. So the conduct of the hearer which is classified within the greater within the lesser vehicle is that he, in dependence upon non harming of others, in the context of non harming others, he seeks to achieve the bliss of self, of liberation for himself. But the bodhisattva, his conduct goes beyond the simple non harming of others. He seeks his conduct involves the benefiting of of others.
Therefore, he is seeking to the achievement of Buddhahood in order to establish all sentient beings in liberation. What do we mean by a superior or, or in Sanskrit, ārya? There are, as was mentioned, there are three vehicles and each of the three vehicles has five paths. There is the three vehicles of the hearer, solitary realizer,, and bodhisattva and each of those has five paths, paths of accumulation, preparation, seeing, meditation, and no more learning, making a total of 15 paths. Now, with within each of the each of these vehicles, the five paths, we can differentiate a person who has entered into any of these paths into that of an ordinary person and a superior person.
And this is done in terms of whether they have a direct realization of selflessness. So before a person has entered into a path at all, there’s no question about this person being an ordinary person. But even having entered upon any of these paths until the with if he is abiding on either of the first two of the of these three vehicles, there’s a total of six the paths of accumulation and preparation. These two paths with respect to each of the three vehicles, he is still an ordinary being. Why?
Because he has not had direct realization of selflessness. When when within any of these three vehicles he attains either of the three latter paths, seeing, meditation, no more learning, these nine paths, then because he or she has attained direct realization of selflessness, they’re called a superior. So if we just mainly what do we mean if we say it extremely briefly? A person who has not generated the direct realization of selflessness is an ordinary person. A person who has generated the direct realization of selflessness is a superior.
Ordinary person? This is someone who exists under the control of the conception of the self of persons. It is the the conception this conception of the self of persons is like the master and the person is the servant of this master. That the conception of self leads them wherever it wishes, forces them to do whatever it wish, whatever it wants them to do. They have no control.
But upon gaining direct realization of selflessness, one becomes the superior. One is no longer under the control of the conception of the self of persons. One has actually gained control for oneself. One has as as if smashed the conception of self on the head and is now the master. Therefore, it is superior.
So when we when we generate the wisdom, understanding selflessness, then we then we have gained complete control. Until such realization, we are under the control of this conception of of self of the self of persons, and and we are under its control, and we are forced by by means of that to create various types of negative actions and perpetuate cyclic existence. On the other hand, gaining the wisdom and and destroying the conception of the self of persons, we no longer create propelling karma. That is the type of karma which perpetuates cyclic existence. We cease creating, sometimes called propelling, sometimes throwing karma.
It is said that upon the generation of the direct realization of the selflessness of persons that no new karma is created. So we cease creating throwing karma, not karma in general. We cease creating new throwing karma. That is that type of karma which perpetuates cyclic existence. Once the wisdom, which is the direct realization of selflessness is generated, then the mind can and there is a the mind becomes accustomed, habituated habituated to this realization, the mind never flows, never never goes under the control of the conception of the self, of persons.
It’s always under the influence of this wisdom of realizing selflessness. And therefore there’s never the impetus to create any type of throwing karma. On the other hand, we don’t have this wisdom, understanding, selflessness and we are under the power of the conception of self. And this conception of self leads us wherever it wishes. And due to the influence of this conception, we are continually creating new throwing karma.
Minds are not free. They are under the control, our minds are under the control of the conception, this conception of the self of persons and due by the force of, by the force under the influence of that we engage in various types, various afflictive emotions arise and we engage in creating and we create negative types of karma. We really don’t have control. Only upon the direct realization of selflessness can we say that our mind is free. So in this way, we say that a person whose mind is free is superior to the ordinary person.
And therefore, we we make use of this designation superior. So so we’ll we’ll stop here. We’ll we’ll spend maybe five minutes with questions. And this is because we give you a chance to have a cup of tea before you get on to the the Buddha House newsletter. So there’s a little bit of work so you can have time for a cup of tea.
So we’ll stop there. Have questions either.