Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 106-minute session, Kyabje Rinpoche teaches the “knower of paths” section of the Ornament of Clear Realization, outlining how bodhisattva superiors advance toward Buddhahood by eliminating knowledge obstructions—obstacles to realizing conventional and ultimate truths simultaneously. The path of seeing eliminates coarse obstructions; meditation removes subtle ones. He then develops three contemplative practices anchoring all dharmic action: appreciation of the dharma, which roots skillful conduct; dedication of positive actions to all beings’ welfare, protecting them from anger’s destruction; and rejoicing in virtuous deeds—one’s own and others’—which multiplies merit while counteracting jealousy. He illustrates each practice through vivid analogies: gold extracted from a mine fashioned into ornaments, roots supporting a tree’s branches, a water drop remaining in the ocean. The session closes with Q&A on how to perform these practices.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1990-03-29 – T8 – Tape 8 – KR.mp3
UUID: 66db3819-024d-4f1f-8633-bf7ec887cedb
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Ornament of Clear Realization
Date: 1990-03-29
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~4,415
I must attain complete Buddhahood in order to establish all sentient beings equal to space and complete happiness and liberation. By myself attaining Buddhahood, I will have the means whereby I will be able to place all sentient beings in a type of happiness which knows no suffering. And therefore, in order to attain that end, I am going to train in the great vehicle the perfection of wisdom listening to the teachings and putting them into practice. And with such an attitude of the awakening heart, we’re going to listen to this present teaching and we’ll take five minutes to cultivate that attitude. So previously, amongst the three types of exalted knowers, we have completed the explanation of the exalted knower of all aspects, and presently discussing in the second of these the knower paths.
So, if we say what do we mean by a knower of paths, it is the method for achieving the result omniscience by a bodhisattva superior. So with respect to knower of paths, there is the consummation of consummate cause, consummate entity, and consummate result. So, the consummate causes for generating the exalted knower of paths is such causes as love, great compassion, the awakening heart, the path of accumulation, the path of preparation, within path of preparation such states as special insight, observing emptiness, and calm abiding. These are the consummate causes for the attainment of the Knower of Paths. But in general, we can say that the paths of seeing, meditation, and no more learning are knowers of paths.
Though in general we can say that the paths of seeing meditation, no more learning are the entity of the knower of paths. When we discuss it from the point of view of who is the main practitioner of the knower of paths. This is a bodhisattva Superior, an Ārya bodhisattva. Therefore, it is the practitioners of the path of seeing and meditation who are the main practitioners of the knower of paths. Therefore, within this three way classification, the consummate entity is the path of seeing and the path of meditation.
And the consummate result is the fifth path, the path of no more learning. So therefore, the consummate causes are the path of accumulation and preparation. The consummate entities are the path of seeing and meditation, and the consummate result is the path of no more learning. The reason that we classify the path of seeing and meditation as the entity of the knower of paths is that in order to attain Buddhahood, we have to abandon the knowledge obstructions, or the obstructions to omniscience. And antidote, and there are two levels to knowledge obstructions, subtle and coarse.
The antidote to the coarse obstruction to the knowledge obstruction is the path of seeing. The antidote to the subtle obstruction of the knowledge obstruction is the path of meditation. Therefore, these are the actual antidotes, and by means of these, we attain the fifth path, the path of no more learning, is Buddhahood. So, the main obstruction to Buddhahood is the knowledge obstruction, and within this there are two levels of the knowledge obstruction. There’s the coarse and the subtle levels.
The method which eliminates and therefore is the antidote to the coarse obstruction to knowledge, knowledge obstruction, is the path of seeing. Specifically, within the paths of seeing, there is the path, the unobstructed path. This is the actual antidote. This is what causes the elimination of the obstruction, of the coarse knowledge obstruction from the continuum of practitioner. Upon the generation of this antidote, this path, then this obstruction is overcome.
Then, on the occasion still at the path of seeing, having overcome the coarse knowledge obstruction by means of the uninterrupted path. When that obstruction is eliminated from the root, from the practitioner’s continuum such that this fault will never return again, one enters into a path of liberation of the path of seeing. There is still the remaining knowledge obstruction, which is the subtle obstruction. It is the path of meditation which has the power to eliminate this from the continuum of the practitioner. What is this knowledge obstruction? Prior achieving Buddhahood, there is an obstruction to the simultaneous direct realization of the conventional and ultimate truths.
Prior to the attainment of Buddhahood, there is the obstruction to the direct simultaneous realization of the conventional and ultimate truth. When this obstruction is the knowledge obstruction, which prevents the simultaneous direct realization of the two truths. This obstruction is the conception of true existence of phenomena and its latencies. This is the meaning of this term, knowledge obstructions. There’s knowledge and obstruction.
There is something which is obstructing knowledge. What is the knowledge which is being obstructed? It is the direct simultaneous realization by one mind of the two truths. That is the knowledge. This is the factor is obstructing that knowledge.
Therefore, it’s called knowledge obstruction. Only a Buddha has the ability to have one awareness directly and simultaneously realize the two truths. The two truths directly realized simultaneously. So, it is on the path of seeing that the knowledge obstructions are abandoned. And with respect to the path of meditation, there are two types of paths of meditation contaminated and non contaminated.
So, with respect to the path of meditation, there is the two types contaminated and non contaminated. There probably could be a better translation of this word, but I don’t know it for the time being. Generally, we mean by contaminated is a contamination would be the afflictive emotions. In Tibetan, the word is zagché. Zagché.
Zagché. Zagché means which is problematic problems, suffering, difficulties. When somebody says, Oh, I had a lot of trouble today. I had this work to do. I want this happen, this happen.
He had a lot of troubles. That means he had a lot of zagché. He had a lot of problems. Trouble. Means to possess.
So, it’s not to say that this path of seeing is a problem, but it possesses a problem. It is associated with problem. Okay, what is the problem here that makes it contaminated? It is that it is associated with conceptual consciousness. A conceptual consciousness.
Therefore, because it is associated with conceptual consciousness, it is termed a contaminated path of meditation. Those paths of meditation which are not associated with conceptual consciousnesses are non contaminated paths meditation. As those who studied knowledge and awareness will know, what do we mean by a conceptual consciousness? It is a determinative knower which apprehends the suitability to associate a meaning generality and a sound generality is the definition of a conceptual knower. A determinative knower which apprehends the suitability to associate a sound generality and a meaning generality.
This is conceptual consciousness. There are three types of paths of meditation. There is the The the first is the For the time being, path meditation, the first is the path of meditation of appreciation, path of meditation of dedication, path of meditation of rejoicing or admiration. So, this first of these three paths of meditation, and I’ll change that translation, the path of meditation of appreciation.
Appreciation, I think appreciation is a better word. Whatever one appreciates, whatever one finds desirable. For example, those some are inclined to like emptiness, so they will take as their object of this path of meditation of appreciation the object emptiness, others the awakening heart. So, whatever we would appreciate some type of food, then we’ll take that as our object. So, in this sense, the path of a meditation of appreciation.
So Rinpoche was quoting a verse from Śāntideva in which the skillful conduct follows upon meeting with that which we appreciate. This is to say that the root of skillful actions, that which determines our intention, is that which we appreciate, that which we value. Under the influence of our appreciation of our valuing, this will lead us to engage in skillful actions. Therefore, is the foundation of skillful action is this appreciation. So, it is said that just in the same way that the roots, that the place from which grows, the place from which follows from the leaves and branches of a tree is its roots.
The same, the categories of all the various skillful actions follow upon their root which is appreciative awareness or appreciation or valuing. That is to say, from this appreciative root follows upon all skillful actions. If we take an analogy, might be three types of practitioners, and they engage in three different types of rituals. For example, one practices Tārā, one practices Mañjuśrī, another practices Mahākāla. Now, all of these practices are skillful actions.
But under what influence under what influence determines is which of these skillful actions practices each of the individual practitioners practice? This is due to their individual appreciation or valuing of the different practices. Under the influence of their appreciation, their distinct appreciation, they will follow a practice of distinct rituals accordingly. And likewise, there are some who engage in the great vehicle practices. There are some who engage in the lower vehicle practices, and this follows upon the influence of that type of practice which they value or appreciate due to the influence of that appreciative quality, to their appreciativeness, their valuing, then they will follow in in a particular they will follow-up on a particular type of practice.
In our case, then the engaging in our Dharma practice in the various skillful actions that we create is done under the influence of this appreciative awareness. And likewise, with respect to the bodhisattva superiors who are engaged in the practice of the path of meditation More specifically, the path of meditation of appreciation. There would be three types of practices even within this appreciative path of meditation of appreciation. There would be the appreciation which seeks to bring about one’s own welfare. That which seeks to bring about the welfare of others.
And that which seeks to bring about the welfare of both. These are all determined by the valuing or the appreciative of the appreciation of specific distinct welfare. So, even in our case, in the various practices that we engage in, our training of the mind, the effort that we pursue our practices with is all brought about under the influence of our appreciative awareness or our valuing. And there are some who do not practice at all. They do not appreciate or value listening.
They do not appreciate hearing, listening, contemplating. Therefore, they don’t appreciate the practice. This is again under the influence of appreciating or valuing. So this appreciative awareness is extremely important with respect to the Dharma to develop an appreciation or valuing of the great vehicle. And in the case of the bodhisattva superior, So this appreciative awareness is analogized to a gold mine.
Out of this gold mine there is extracted the pure gold. Likewise, out of our appreciative awareness or valuing of Dharma arises the gold of skillful action. Then the second of these three types of paths of meditation was the path of meditation of dedication. And in dependence upon the first of these types, the appreciative awareness, due to which we create a great deal of skillful actions. Those skillful actions aren’t simply left to rest by themselves without any purpose.
But in fact, we dedicate the skillful action which has arisen, and we dedicate them to the common welfare of all sentient beings by means of the attainment of our own Buddhahood, dedicating toward that end. And again, analogy is made between this dedication and making use of the analogy of a gold mine that having extracted the gold from the gold mine, then we simply don’t leave it as sit it aside to in this way to simply would be a waste. But in fact, we can form various types of ornaments and we can make use of these ornaments to beautify the images of various types. Likewise, we having extracted the gold, simply don’t leave it aside, but we dedicate it to forming the ornaments of Buddhahood in order to benefit others. Having made these various golden ornaments one beautifies oneself and is made gladdened by the wearing of these ornaments.
Delights, delights. So in the case of having created all these various skillful actions, if we simply at that time leave it at that, then there’s the great danger that we can destroy these positive actions that we’ve created by the force of anger. Due to the force of anger that there can arise no result from these positive actions. Lose their power. They lose their ability to benefit.
They will not be able to last long. And all in all, the positive actions can be wasted due to the force of anger. Therefore, to protect those positive actions, we dedicate them. We dedicate them to complete Buddhahood. And it is said that these positive actions will remain until we have actually achieved that end.
If additionally, in the course of our dedication, in dedicating not to our own welfare alone, but to the common welfare of all sentient beings, all of these positive actions that we’ve created. But additionally, we maintain an awareness of the non true existence of the three spheres of this action, the agent of that action, the agent of the dedication, the object of that dedication, and the substance being dedicated, then it’s a tremendous blessing and great benefit. There is an analogy with respect to the dedication of the positive action toward Buddhahood and its ability to remain. In the same way that a drop of water placed in the ocean will remain until that ocean is completely dried up. Likewise, skillful actions dedicated to Buddhahood will remain in the ocean of the skillful actions of the Buddhas until Buddhahood is actually achieved.
What is the purpose of dedication? It is to ensure that our positive, skillful actions are not exhausted, destroyed. Then, with respect to the third of these, that is the path of meditation of rejoicing. In this, there are roots of our skillful actions are There are two roots of skillful actions, those of oneself and those of others. The roots of our own skillful actions are experienced by ourselves in our enjoyment.
Others will not experience them, their results. And likewise, the roots of skillful actions created by others will be enjoyed by them and not ourselves. Then what do we mean by rejoicing? That is to reflect upon the positive actions that you created such as, today I meditated well. I did a lot of positive actions that I acknowledged a lot of my negative actions that I’ve created in the past.
I accumulated a great collection. Reflecting in this rejoiceful way, one increases the positivity of those actions. And then on the other hand, in reflecting upon the skillful actions of others that others have created, though these actions are in fact not yours, that if one thinks, Oh, that person really meditates well, their meditating on emptiness is very profound. That rejoicing in their skillful actions that they’re created, though you will not experience the results of their created skillful actions. Through this rejoicing, one creates skillful actions for oneself.
If it were the case that you had your qualities and realizations were equal with respect to someone else who had just created a great deal of skillful actions, and you were to sincerely rejoice in that person’s skillful actions, then the amount of positive actions that were that you that that person accrued through their skillful actions and the amount of positive actions that you accrued through your rejoicing in their actions would be equal. If, on the other hand, the other person’s realizations were higher and their qualities were higher than yourself, still the positive actions created through your rejoicing would be half that of the positive actions that the other person created. On the other hand, if the person who created these skillful actions, if with respect to them, if your own realizations and qualities were greater than theirs, let us say theirs are less than yours, then through your rejoicing, the positive actions created would be double the positive actions created by their engaging in these skillful actions. So, Śāntideva advises us, if you don’t want to go through a lot of trouble, you can simply rest and take it easy. Just rejoice in other people’s skillful actions.
Many great lamas have said the same. But, you know, actually, we tell it like it is, rejoicing is extremely difficult. It’s very rare that people actually rejoice in other people’s skillful actions. It’s hard to do. Why?
Because we’re so full of jealousy that we’re extremely dishonest about when we view other people and that we have a great deal of attachment and hatred. When we see other people engaging in the practice or if they’re meditating, for example, we thought, Oh, they really don’t know what they’re doing. They don’t know how to meditate. We are continually criticizing others, discounting whatever they do, belittling them. And this is due to therefore, it’s extremely rare that we ever rejoice in other people’s skillful actions.
So, it’s extremely difficult to really rejoice in other people’s, to admire other people’s actions. Toward those who we feel are in some way superior to ourselves, we become rather than rejoicing in their actions, we are jealous of them. To those who are our peers, who we feel are equal to ourselves, rather than rejoicing, we develop a sense of competitiveness and pride. To those who we feel are in some way lesser than ourselves, we don’t even notice what they’re doing. We just discount it as worthless.
They don’t know what they’re doing. So, all in all, all these different categories, we never end up rejoicing in other people’s actions. So there there there are many objects in which we could rejoice in. What to say, know, it may be as difficult with ordinary beings, the hearers, the solitary realizers, the bodhisattvas, the buddhas, that they are continually creating a skillful action and therefore an object for us to rejoice in. And even our own skillful action, we can rejoice in that and increase the positive actions that we create in this world.
So, three that we’ve just explained, these awarenesses are quite important. It’s not difficult actually to put them into to generate such minds, the benefits are extremely great. First, beginning to appreciate with it, and that is to say, it’s extremely important that we seek to value or appreciate the Dharma. Through this, we create a great deal of skillful actions. Having created that skillful action, we should dedicate it, and we should dedicate it to Buddhahood, that is to say, to share in common with skillful action with all sentient beings.
In this way, it will join the pool of skillful actions and will never be exhausted. And then, we should then try to rejoice in these skillful actions having that’s been created, but not only one’s own, but others’, and therefore overcome the hindrances of jealousy and competitiveness. These three are extremely important in our practice. So those are the contaminated paths of meditation.
Then there are the two uncontaminated paths of meditation, the path of meditation of achieving and the completely pure path of meditation. These two, the path of meditation of achieving and completely pure path of meditation, are mutually exclusive or synonyms. It’s just different names for the same awareness. This awareness is the meditative equipoise, directly realizing emptiness. The way in which this awareness gets its name, that is to say with respect to the path of meditation of achieving, is that it causes the generation of higher qualities.
It is the way in which higher qualities are obtained or achieved. Therefore, it’s called path of meditation of achieving. Whereas the second of these two, the completely pure path of meditation derives its name from the fact that under its influence all the faults are eliminated, The faults are purified or the faults are completely destroyed. So therefore, derives its name in this way that it’s completely pure. So, these two simply have been designated with different names, but they’re synonymous.
They extend throughout the 10 grounds of the path of meditation from the first ground up to the 10 ground. And within these 10 grounds, each of these has an unobstructed path and a liberating path making 10 unobstructed paths and 10 liberating paths. Throughout these 10 grounds, each of the grounds has an unobstructed path and a path of liberation. Nonobstructed path and a path of liberation. At each of these, there is a level of the subtle knowledge obstruction destroyed.
At the first unobstructed path, the first level of the subtle knowledge obstruction is destroyed. Likewise with the second, with the third, and so forth. With respect to the unobstructed path, this is where the fault is actually destroyed. It’s made non existent. When it’s made non existent, one achieves the path of liberation.
This is to say that the fault has been eliminated, has ceased, has been abandoned in such a way that it will not return again. This is where it derives its name, that one is liberated from the fault. So, at the path of non obstructive path, the obstruction is destroyed and then one is liberated from that obstruction and attains this path of liberation. And this too occurs throughout these 10 stages of the 10 grounds. Within the path of meditation there are 10 unobstructed paths and 10 paths of liberation.
This is because the tenth path of liberation is the great vehicle path of no more learning. That is to say Buddhahood. The tenth path of liberation occurs at the level of no more learning or Buddhahood. So as far as the abandonment of the knowledge obstruction, there is a degree in the difficulty of the levels of the abandonment of knowledge obstruction. We begin the coarse knowledge obstructions are abandoned and then gradually in the later stages the subtle knowledge obstructions are abandoned.
But this terminology, this is turned around with respect to the antidotes, the actual paths. We say that we begin with the small antidote and as we progress higher we apply a greater antidote. So, we won’t go into detail with respect to these, but if you want to know about them, you should consult the teachings on the grounds and paths. Stop there. So if you have some questions.
What do you mean by expressing? Say it out loud. So it’s sufficient just to do it mentally, thinking, Oh, that was a really great thing that that person did, just within the mind itself. So, know, Rinpoche was just, and not to say that one would act in the same way, but one could, if you had the same qualities and realizations of that other person, you would achieve the same positive action, would accrue by rejoicing. Then again, it has to be equal in realization and qualities.
If it were just a matter of rejoicing, then you could rejoice in the Buddha’s skillful actions and accrue their skillful actions which they’re continually creating and that wouldn’t be the case. But it’s not necessarily that we would enact the same types of actions that they would do just because we’re rejoicing in what they do. So, as was explained, there would be an absence of jealousy or competitiveness and thinking, Isn’t that wonderful what that person has done? Simply this mental action would be admiring or rejoicing in what they’re doing. In the morning when we meditate together, you just look over at me and say, Ah, isn’t it a wonderful job of meditating?
And that’s rejoicing in my meditation. On the other hand, if you look over and say, Ah, Jampa doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s just playing around. Then you would create negative action. What happens to the person you’re thinking negative of in that case?
Does that rub off in proportion and degree as well or not? So, just the act of rejoicing in itself doesn’t benefit others. So, it wouldn’t harm others. But on the other hand, dedication would bring about the benefit of others in the form of a prayer, for example, could bring about the benefit of others. But rejoicing in yourself doesn’t benefit others.
Rejoicing increases the skillful actions within one’s own mind, whereas dedication can benefit others. In the same way that others rejoicing in others’ skillful actions benefits one. Likewise, jealousy of others’ skillful actions harms oneself. So it’s sufficient just to draw the conclusion from the way from their physical body, from their physical presence, the way their body to and sufficient to suppose that they’re engaged in a skillful action. We don’t have to know their mind or whether, in fact, it’s actually a skillful action in order to rejoice in it.
We can roughly say. So, it would be proper to rejoice in what that person was doing, but he did have the, what he was doing was mixed with the thought of perhaps breathing too loudly. Yeah, well it’s not quite, I don’t wanna know whether or not he was, How do you tell whether it’s a negative or a positive action? Whether it matters. Whether it matters.
I mean, it’s obviously not bad. What’s your question? So, yeah, what I’m trying to say is that So the degree of positive action that one creates through rejoicing is not dependent upon the power of the skillful action being created by the other person. So from one’s own point of view, as was explained, given that their qualities and realizations are equal, then they would be the same positive action created. If they were higher, if the other person were higher, then it would be half, and if they were lower, it would be double.
So even if the other person is actually carrying on positive practice, obviously it would be beneficial to So there’s only benefit to be derived out of rejoicing no matter what the other person may be doing. If it appears to be a practice and they may be indeed pretending only to practice, still it doesn’t harm oneself. There’s no loss for oneself. There is only benefit and profit to oneself to rejoice. Maybe you’re all tired.