Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Kyabje Rinpoche opens this 51-minute commentary on the Ornament of Clear Realization with a striking analogy: a car factory’s progression from planning through preparation and production mirrors the bodhisattva path’s ten stages. He teaches the six perfections as inner qualities—giving as generosity of mind, ethics as restraint, patience as forbearance, effort as joyful dharma practice, meditation as focused concentration, and wisdom as investigative understanding. He explores how each perfection applies to all six, then traces stages seven through ten: aspiring intention, actual engagement, accumulating merit and wisdom, and the definite fruition of Buddhahood. His core teaching: worldly and spiritual pursuits follow identical structures, differing only in intention—whether one seeks happiness for this life alone or for future liberation. A brief Q&A on ethical dilemmas concludes the session.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1990-03-08 – 34B – KR.mp3
UUID: 7db8d42e-c88a-46c5-aa0d-82dfc4850a17
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Ornament of Clear Realization
Date: 1990-03-08
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~2,654
So there’s the the two parts which are necessary in order to make it a practice of the perfection of giving. The the one one’s giving must be motivated by the awakening heart. And then there is the the the intention to give motivated by the awakening heart, and one gives expression of Dharma or gives some material things. But additionally, there must be the intention that I am giving in order to attain enlightenment. When the when these two these two factors are combined, then it becomes a practice of the perfection of giving.
So if we were to give, for example, a dollar, then that that dollar is not is not is not the giving. This is the substance of giving or the material material given. The giving is a is the what we mean by giving is the the generous mind or the giving mind. This is the the what is to be perfected. So so giving is a skillful action.
It is it is skillful or virtuous. If we were to give a piece of bread, that the this is this is a skillful, virtuous, but the bread itself is not virtuous. It’s not skillful. In the case of the second perfection, the perfection of ethics. By ethics, we mean the mind of of guarding or translated as observing, guarding, observing in a sense of guarding.
It it is a type of restraint. And but for example, if we were to if we had the impulse to utter some kind of hurtful words towards someone and we think, oh, that that that would upset him. And therefore, we restrain from from harming. Or if we were going to steal, steal something, and we thought, oh, that’s that’s not a good thing to do, and we were to restrain or we’re we’re going to kill something and think, oh, that would that would hurt that that being, and we restrain ourselves. This this restraint this this restraining mind is ethics.
And the third perfection that of patience. And this is the mind which is does not become upset. In in with with with respect to harm, harm, it is a mind of forbearance. If when someone were to when when someone when another person harms ourselves through words, through doing something wrong, it is the mind which does not not allow ourselves to return that harm, which it can it’s a matter of we are able to voluntarily take that harm. We think, you know, we’re we’re just thinking it doesn’t matter.
It only hurts them. It doesn’t hurt myself and not and therefore, not returning the harm for harm. Therefore, by patience, we mean a nonreturning of harm and the mind and a mind which does not become upset in the face of harm. The fourth perfection, next of effort. And this is the mind which which with with enthusiasm and and joy, willingly puts willingly engages in skillful actions with in the nature which in the area of in the context of Dharma.
A mind which with enthusiasm and joy willingly engages in skillful actions in the in the area of Dharma. That is to say, it’s not it doesn’t find it any any it’s not troubled. It’s not difficult for it to to engage in Dharma activities. There’s no trouble for So this has to be what we mean by effort in terms of the six perfections. It’s a it has to be in the area of Dharma.
There are there are activities which are there are actions which are unskillful and un unspecified. And to take joy and enthusiasm for unskillful and to take joy and and have enthusiasm for engaging in unskillful and unspecified activities is not what is meant by perfection of effort. It is nor is it taking simply engaging in dharmic activities when for example, maybe somebody’s watching and you you really exert yourself. But there’s no joy or enthusiasm when when when they look away, you’re, I’m glad it’s finished. This also is not the perfection of effort.
There has to be a sense of joy and enthusiasm in engaging in these Dharma activities for it to qualify as a perfection of effort. And the fifth, perfection, the perfection of meditative concentration. And this is the the the abiding of the mind, single the single pointed abiding of the mind in an unmoving manner with respect to a skillful object. For example, emptiness. So it’s a single-minded, single pointed abiding of the mind in an unmoving manner with focused upon a skillful object, for example, emptiness.
Then the sixth of the six perfection, the perfection wisdom. Here in the perfection of wisdom, we’re ex we exclude the type of wisdom which has has arisen as a consequence of having been trained in previous lives. But so here, it it is the wisdom which arises through the the three activities of listening, reflecting, through training and listening, reflecting, and meditating. And and mainly, it it it is the the the mind which is clear and function has the function of investigating the the nature of phenomena. It it it has the function of saying this is this, that is that, this is this, that is that.
So it is the the the mind which has arisen through training and reflecting listening, reflecting, and meditating and which which which is clear in its understanding and functions and and has the performs the function of examining, investigating phenomena as to their their nature. Sir, it is with in in explaining these six perfections that we can understand what we mean by achieving through aspiration. It is not only does the achieving through aspiration engage in the practice of the six perfections, but it has the great intention of practicing each of the six perfections with respect to each of the six perfections. So each perfection the six perfections are applied to each of the six perfections. With the achieving through aspiration has this great intention but it is the the next the eighth of the 10 topics achieving through engagement which actually engages in in this practice of applying the six perfection to each of the six perfection so achieving through aspiration has this great intention to enter into this type of practice but it is the achieving through engagement which actually engage in this type of practice.
So it is with respect to the six perfections, achieving through aspiration has the great intention of practicing the six perfections in this way of applying each of the six perfections to each of the six perfection. That’s the great intention. And instead that achieving through engagement has the great preparation. The great preparation was the aspiration’s great intention. Engagement is great preparation, and it is it is preparing this there’s so there is these two minds.
One is intending, and one is preparing. And then which brings us to the ninth, achieving through the collection. And through through intention and actually preparing in these practices, one creates the one collects the two accumulations of positive potential and wisdom. So if we apply this to a worldly example, if someone were engaging in some type of business, some type of activity in the world, that first they they would do develop a plan. They would have a plan.
This would be their intention. And then they would make the various types of preparations to carry out this plan. And and having made the having created all the necessary conditions, then they would involve themselves in the in in the actual activity itself. And having done that, then the the final result would come about. There’s no doubt that they would achieve a great end in this manner.
So this is this is the same way in which the bodhisattva achieves his end in the same manner. First, the bodhisattva has has great intention. And depending upon that great intention, he he makes or she makes great preparation. Having made that preparation, then achieve it then creating the vast amount of accumulation or collection. And depends upon that, then there there will I there is the definite issuing or the definite arising, emerging of of the fruit, the result, which in this case is is Buddhahood.
So however so so however however much collection is created, that much more quickly will the result arise, the definite emergence. And what we mean is that by definite the tenth the tenth of these 10 topics definitely is showing achievement is that that Buddhahood, in dependence upon these previous nine will definitely be issued forth, will definitely arise. Recently, I remember she went to a motor a car factory. And so and and if we we apply this example to this car factory. First, they were they made they they they laid out the plans for the factory.
And this is they say that they they had an intention. They developed an intention to build a factory, and then they went about actually making the preparations that is erecting all the buildings and putting in the all the various equipment. Then they actually brought in the workers and they actually engaged in the in the in the activity of making cars. And this was okay. And then as a result, then they’re now now they’re able to produce a 162 cars a day.
They’re great. So they had great plans, then they made great preparations, and then they had great work workers who engaged in great activities, and now they have a great result. So likewise in this in these various achievements. First, we have we do the bodhisattva has a great intention to achieve Buddhahood. He makes great preparations for it.
He creates a great, he creates a great collection, and and depends upon that, there arises the definite emergence of his Buddhahood or the result. So the way the the way the world operates and the way the Dharma operates are exactly the same. They both we are seeking, first we have we have a motivation and whether whether whether it’s a a worldly business or whether it’s a Dharma business, we have a motivation for engaging in it. And dependence upon that motivation we actually engage in the activity and dependence upon the activity we achieve some sort of result. But the difference relies in the quality of the motivation.
Whether it’s a skillful motivation or an unskillful motivation will determine whether the activity is a Dharma activity or a worldly activity. So between these worldly activities and Dharma activities, what is there is the the difference in determining whether in determining which of the two an activity can be classified as is is by the quality of the motivation is determining factor. What is the difference between the motivation? A worldly activity is one which is is motivated with seeking the good things of this life only such as food, clothing, housing, whatever. Seeking happiness only for this life.
On the other hand, a Dharma activity is that which it has the motivation of not with to with not looking to this life, but mainly looking toward benefiting the happiness of future lives seeking as a result of that activity happiness in the future life determines a that activity as a Dharma activity. So in in dependence upon the difference in intention, we will have a difference in preparation. Instead of preparation, maybe application is better. Application. Preparation.
And dependence upon a difference in intention, we will have a difference in application. And it depends upon the difference in application, we will have a difference in result. So the degree of negativity of an activity or the degree of its positivity is determined by the quality of the mind. The mind is the is the foundation of of all activity determining its quality. And the and the mind in the sense of our intention and why we’re doing an activity.
If if the if the the mind is intended upon seeking happiness only for this life, then that that type of activity we will engage in will be for this life and its fruit will be for this life. If it, on the other hand, is for future benefit, future lives, if the intention is for that, then the activity will have the activity will will have as as its result a happiness in the future life. That whether activity is skillful or unskillful, whether it’s Dharma or worldly, is determined by the quality of the intention that is to say the mind. So the within the Buddhadharma, there are a vast variety, array of teachings and methods. And what is the necessity for this this what is this that’s extensive teachings?
Because understand that the root of all the teachings, the root of practice practice is the mind itself. And essentially what we’re trying to do is to decrease negative minds and to increase and develop positive minds. And there are many different there there there are many different methods whereby we can bring this these two about. There we’re we’re seeking to rid the mind of varying degrees of faults and finally to cease all faults altogether. And we are trying to promote the positive factors of the mind and in order to do that we employ various methods.
So the various degrees of the positive quality of mind, the various degrees of negative ceasing and developing positive qualities, ceasing negative qualities, each requires a specific method for various individuals. If we didn’t have the all of this vast array of teachings which act as a method to to do this these main two things of increasing and decreasing the the nature of the mind, then we wouldn’t be able to develop ourselves properly. So we we won’t go for too much longer, but if you wanna take five minutes to answer questions. So initiate okay. So in this instance, the, you know, the bodhisattva should save the fly because the the the spider is not gonna die because because in this instance the bodhisattva saves this particular fly and that doesn’t mean that the spider is is forced to die.
Just because the bodhisattva saved this fly. You should if there’s no harm going to be brought to another being, you should then you should always try to save that being just like taking the the fly out of the water, removing it. Likewise, removing this fly from that situation. On the other hand, if it were if there were a situation where it would harm it would be harmful to save that life. Then the only thing then there’s nothing much you can do except make prayers in such a situation.
May ask you to ask If he eats an animal or kills an animal. Okay. If he’s going to kill an animal. So you have to you have to examine the the the whether it’s beneficial or not. In the case of if someone were going to kill an animal even for eating it, if it was benefit if it there was benefit and explain if if and explain to him not to kill or trying and explain to him not to kill that animal, trying to convince that person not to kill that animal, then then you should if there was going to be benefit.
But it’s possible that trying to convince him could actually make the situation worse, in which case, it wasn’t it would have been better to not have tried to convince him. So you have to look at whether it’s going to be beneficial or not. I mean, in such a situation, there’s nothing that you can do. I mean, though the animal is going to be harmed, it’s you don’t have the ability to achieve you to achieve your end, so it’s better not to do it.