Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 96-minute session, Kyabje Rinpoche teaches the knower of bases—the second of three exalted knowers—from his commentary on the Ornament of Clear Realization. This knower provides the foundation for progressing toward omniscience. Rinpoche methodically unpacks the 16 aspects of the Four Noble Truths: true suffering’s four qualities (impermanence, dissatisfaction, emptiness of distinct self, selflessness); true sources’ four characteristics (cause, proliferation, condition, potency); and corresponding aspects of true cessation and true paths. The core teaching: realizing selflessness—the absence of an independently existing self—directly cuts the root of affliction and karma, enabling liberation. This meditation is foundational practice across Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna traditions. The session concludes with Q&A on how different philosophical schools understand this realization.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1990-04-05 – T9 – Tape 9. 5 4 90. Meditation on 16 Topics of Knower of Bases – KR.mp3
UUID: 0a84c2a2-e846-4b4c-97c3-f7da0093d13d
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Ornament of Clear Realization
Date: 1990-04-05
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~4,217
Yeah. I must, for the sake of all sentient beings equal to space, attain consummate Buddhahood. Having achieved that final Buddhahood, I will place all my mother sentient beings in complete happiness and separate them from all of their suffering. And towards the achievement of that ultimate end, I will train my mind in essence of the great vehicle, the perfection of wisdom, and put into practice what I now listen to in this teaching. Therefore, try to develop the motivation of the awakening heart in the next five minutes in order to listen to this teaching as a means to achieve Buddhahood.
So, we’re discussing the eight categories. Amongst them, the three exalted knowers, the four trainings, and the final result, truth body. And we finished the discussion of these first two categories, the discussion of the exalted knower of all aspects and the knower of paths. And now, going to begin the discussion of the knower of bases. So our ultimate attainment is omniscience, the exalted knower of all aspects.
And the means to achieve that end, a means to achieve that end, we meditate on the knower of paths. In order to facilitate the development of the knower of paths, to eliminate discordant categories, and to develop the power of our meditation, we have to understand the knower of bases. So the ultimate achievement is exalted knower of all aspects. And the means, the method whereby we achieve that end is by means of the knower of paths. And it is by means of the knower of paths that we are able to abandon the knowledge obstructions, the obstructions to omniscience.
Dependent upon the power of the knower of paths, we will proportionately be able to abandon the knowledge obstructions that much quicker. For example, if we want to in developing any type of result, in order for it to be a powerful, excellent type of result, we must have an according, powerful and excellent type of cause. That is to say, the cause must be in accordance with the result we’re seeking to attain. It must have a great deal of potency. And if we have a very potent, powerful cause, we will gain the result very quickly.
The ripening will occur very quickly. Without a powerful cause, we will not bring about the result will not come about. Therefore, in order to achieve a very powerful means of achieving Buddhahood, that is the knower of paths, we meditate on the knower of bases in order to create a very powerful cause. So, what do we mean by knower of bases? In Tibetan, the word for base is “shi”.
And she could be translated as four, the number four. But that’s not what we mean, the number four. What we mean is just as the English translation says, we need a base or a foundation. And what is this foundation that we are to know? Initially, the Buddha taught the four noble truths, the very first teaching.
And this is the basis, the foundation. So, in terms of the Four Noble Truths and explaining what the basis is, there are there is the category of abandonments in terms of causes and results, and there is the category of practices in terms of causes and results. So, in terms of the four noble truths, the first two Noble Truths are to be abandoned. The second, the latter of the two Noble, the latter two of the Four Noble Truths are to be practiced. And we are to know their natures well.
This is what we are to know. In terms of each of these four noble truths, each has four moments, sometimes called moments or aspects. The true sufferings has four, true sources has four, true cessation has four, and True Paths has four making a total of 16 moments or aspects of the Four Noble Truths. These 16 aspects are the base which is to be known. Beginning to understanding the Four Noble Truths in terms of their cause and result.
First, beginning with true sufferings and true sources. What do we mean by true sufferings? In terms of an ordinary person, ordinary being, true sufferings are are posited as the five aggregates. But more specifically, the five contaminated aggregates. In terms of, as is mentioned in Dignāgā’s Commentary, Dignāgā’s Compendium of Prime Cognition, aggregates are the condition of cyclic existence.
These are to be known as true sufferings. What we mean by the five aggregates are the aggregate of forms, feelings, perceptions, thought constructions, and consciousnesses. Just for the sake of easily understanding, we can think of it in terms of the aggregate of forms or the body. Just for ease of understanding. This to be thought of as a true suffering.
The true source of this true suffering are karma and afflictive emotions. So these contaminated aggregates are are a result. And what are they a result of? They are the result of karma, which has been created in previous lives, and the afflictive emotions. These, therefore, are termed the sources of suffering or that is to say true sources.
These true sources act as the condition sufferings. Therefore, these two are to be abandoned. True sufferings and true sources are to be abandoned. Forms, feelings, perceptions, sometimes called discriminations, thought constructions, sometimes called sometimes called compositional factors, and consciousnesses. These suffering aggregates are impermanent.
From our birth on, we can begin to we can see that it’s undergoing constant change. The change that we went through from at five years old to the age of 10. That and throughout our entire life that there is this constant momentary disintegration, momentary change from birth as we become old. For example, when we were young, physically we were very flexible. Our mind was clear that we had all our faculties about us.
As we grow older, our body becomes inflexible, difficult to move, our eyesight begins to dim, our mind becomes unclear. This is a gross change which occurs, but the body is changing from moment to moment. There’s this momentary disintegration just like a clock ticking away moment by moment by moment. The body is constantly changing, changing, and this is what we term impermanence. So, as we mentioned, true sufferings has four aspects or four qualities.
And now, we’re discussing in terms of first, and that is impermanence. And we’re speaking of it in terms firstly, in terms of the contaminated appropriated aggregates, which are undergoing momentary disintegration, which we are terming impermanence. But this momentary disintegration applies to all products. They likewise are undergoing this moment by moment disintegration. So, that is the first of these four aspects of the first noble truth.
The second aspect is that this occurs that the aggregates are not under their own control, but in fact are under the control, that they are forced to be appropriated, under the control of karma and as the root of karma, the afflictive emotions. And as these causes which bring about these appropriate aggregates are of a negative quality, therefore their results, the aggregates themselves which are under their influence, are of a negative quality. Therefore, they are termed to be dissatisfactory or miserable in nature, which is the second aspect of the first noble truth. Suffering or miserable or dissatisfactory. But we can But further, not only is our own body not under its own control, but is in fact under the control of karma and the afflictive emotions. But everything which arises under the force of karma.
And that would include even this house or water, the earth. These all arise under the influence of karma and they are not self powered but are under the control of karma and therefore are dissatisfactory. Then the third aspect of the first noble truth. When we In discussing the What the conventionally existent I. We say I, I, self, self.
You know, the type of I which goes, which walks, this I which actually exists. This I. That this this I is merely designated to the aggregates. Merely projected to the aggregates. This is the place where it is being designated is aggregates.
Now, but the non Buddhists hold that this place of designation, that is to say the aggregates, and the I, that is which is designated, are of different entities. Different entities. They say that the aggregates are impermanent. And the self, the I, which is being designated is permanent. And therefore, they must be a different entity or a different nature.
In order to refute that, the Buddha taught that the aggregates are in fact impermanent and they are the place in which the I is designated and the I is also impermanent. That in fact the I and the aggregates are of the same entity. They are not different entities. They are the same entity. That they are empty of being different entities.
And this is the third aspect aspect of the first noble truth emptiness emptiness of being different entities. So, in discussing the fourth aspect, we have to begin to understand the Buddhist position on the nature of the I. In the sense that the I, the self, the person is merely designated to the collection of the aggregates. This collection of aggregates, we give it names. We say, we give the name Lobsang Tukden.
We give the name Jampa Gyaltsen. We designate. We project. We project the name Tenzin. So, this applies to all persons, whoever.
That the I, this person, is dependent upon the aggregates. That first somebody gives them a name and then that collection of aggregates becomes known by that name simply by then designating it, projecting upon those aggregates. Understanding the actual nature of the self, then the fourth aspect is a refutation of a type of self which does not, in fact, exist. The perfection of wisdom as it’s being presented here is being taught in terms among the philosophic schools, in terms of the Autonomy Middle Way School. So, this is their position on the nature of the self.
The self does not exist independently of the aggregates. It exists or independent relying upon the aggregates. The collection of these aggregates, it relies on them. It depends upon them. It doesn’t exist under its own.
The I does not exist under its own power. Therefore, when we talk about self selflessness, we are talking about the non existence of a type of self which does not depend upon the collection of the five aggregates, but which exists objectively from its own side. Such a type of self does not exist. Therefore, the fourth aspect of this First Noble Truth is termed the non existence of that type of self or selflessness. As was mentioned, this presentation of selflessness was in terms of the Autonomy Middle Way school.
If we were to explain selflessness in terms of the Consequentialist Middle Way school, they would say that this type of selflessness, that is to say, a type of self, the absence of a type of self which is not dependent upon the aggregates, is simply a coarse type of selflessness which can be easily realized. It isn’t their type of selflessness which they want to understand. So, about this, thinking about the nature of the aggregates as being the basis of true sufferings, one seeing it from these four points of view, from these four aspects, one develops a, begins to see its dissatisfactory nature of such a type of contaminated aggregates that it’s in the nature of suffering and therefore develops a determination to definitely emerge from these aggregates and that is to say desires liberation from them. So The first noble truth involves an examination of the true sufferings, that is the contaminated aggregates, which are termed as the aggregates of suffering. We have to examine them in terms of since they are dissatisfactory, what is the cause of these aggregates?
Beginning to question where do they come from? It’s only if we can’t eliminate the cause, then we can’t eliminate the result. So we have to know what the cause is. If we can eliminate the cause, then we can eliminate the result. And upon examination we find that the cause of these dissatisfactory aggregates are karma and affliction.
That is to say, true sources. This is from where aggregates, these dissatisfactory or suffering aggregates arise from. This is in the case if there was a bad smell and we didn’t bother to examine, investigate where this bad smell was coming from, then it would simply continue. But on the other hand, if we investigated where was this bad smell coming from, come to understand it’s coming through the window. So, we close the window and that is we block the further coming of this bad smell.
We prevent the cause. Likewise, beginning to see that these contaminated aggregates are dissatisfactory. Beginning to question from where do they come from? What is their root? What is their cause?
Can this cause be eliminated? And understanding that the cause is true suffering or true sources of suffering, that is karma and afflictive emotion. So it is the karma and afflictive emotions which are the causes of these dissatisfactory aggregates and these are termed the sources of suffering or true sources of suffering. And likewise there are four aspects to true sources. The first is cause.
That is cause in the sense of being a producer of suffering. That just as in the case of a sprout, need a producer of the sprout which is a seed. Likewise, with a child, we need a producer of the child which is the mother. Thank you. Then you send the second aspect.
Maybe is Jeffrey Hopkins. It’s up there. On the second shelf on the left. Second shelf on the left. On your right right one.
On the second shelf on the left. Top middle second shelf on the bottom on the left. Yeah. Thank you. So the Anyway, the second aspect, I was just looking for a good translation of the term.
So, we’re talking about the four aspects of these true sources of suffering. And the first one was cause, but the second aspect is that great arising in the sense that they bring about a great quantity of suffering. Suffering develop or arise karma and affection. Therefore, these karma and affliction are true sources. These could be abandoned.
Sources of suffering have four qualities. The first of which is that karma and afflictive emotions are called causes. That is to say that they are complete sources. That means to say all suffering arises from them. Karma and afflictions
That all suffering arises from them. Karma and afflictions act as conditions; they persist in bringing suffering, and the fourth is that they are powerful conditions. So in understanding the root of our sources and that we develop the desire to make true cessation, developing this desire so that we can actually eliminate sources of suffering. So, you know, I I mean, this is a good translation for the for ask the four. So true sources.
First is cause. The second is origin. The third is condition. The fourth is The first two noble truths, true sufferings and true sources, are to be abandoned.
Understanding the nature of these two, begin to question can these actually be abandoned. We develop a wish for liberation, that I wish the suffering and the causes of suffering to be eliminated. Now this can’t be brought all at once. It’s brought about in a gradual manner. We make use of practices of the latter of the Four Noble Truths, true cessation and the path leading to true cessations.
With respect to the third of the Four Noble Truth, true cessations, it has four aspects. The first aspect of Cessations is cessation. To say, the causes of suffering, the stopping. This has four aspects. The first is is pacification.
The third is auspicious highness. And the fourth is emergent emergent. So the four aspects to cessation. The first is cessation and a stoppage of resulting suffering. The second, pacification.
This means that the cause of suffering, true sources are pacified. The causes in which our true sources are pacified. The third is auspicious height. And this is that upon the elimination or the abandonment of suffering and its cause, there is the attainment of great bliss. Great happiness, great bliss.
This is auspicious highness. And the fourth aspect is definite emergence. This is to say that upon the suffering and causes that the state has been caused such that it has been removed from its root and will not return again. It has removed from the root and not return In order to achieve this, in this third of the four noble truths, true cessations, in order to achieve true cessation, which is the stoppage of the causes of suffering in order to achieve the pacification which is the pacifying of the causes of suffering through true sources, in order to achieve the great bliss which is the auspicious auspicious highness, and in order to achieve the non return of suffering, having been freed from the root, definite emergence, we make use of the method make use as the method to achieve this in the meditation on the true paths. It is through meditating on true paths, the fourth of the Four Noble Truths, which cause us to bring about true cessations.
In dependence upon true paths, we achieve true cessations. So, we practice true paths which acts as a cause for the achievement of true cessation. Now, as we explained, what we mean by the what constitutes true paths? And, in general, as was explained, each of the Four Noble Truths has four aspects. For example, true sufferings has the aspects of impermanent suffering or dissatisfaction, emptiness, and selflessness.
And likewise, true sources has four aspects, true cessation has four aspects, and true paths has four aspects, making a total of 16 aspects. And these are taken as objects for direct realization by True Paths as a means to achieve True Cessations. But mainly the realization is the direct realization of selflessness of persons which constitutes true paths. A true path. So, we, you know, we have said that true paths are to be practiced in order to achieve true cessation.
What do we mean by true paths? An example of what we mean by a path would be the wisdom which directly understands personal selflessness. Lessness. This is a true path. By means of this practice, we achieve true cessation.
This true path has four aspects which are path, suitability, achievement, and deliverance. First is path, suitability, achievement, and deliverance. So, said that a path was for example, the wisdom was directly realized as personal selflessness. And what do we mean by path? A path is just like a road which takes us from where we’re at now to where we want to get to.
And where we want to get to in this context is liberation. It is by meditating the paths that we travel the road to liberation. So, we’re discussing the four aspects of two paths. The first being that it is a path. The second, that it has the quality of suitability.
That is to say that by means of meditating true paths, we will generate it is suitable to it is suitable to by means of meditating true paths, true paths are suitable to generate the wisdom directly realizing selflessness. Therefore, it is suitable. It is suitable. Let me say that again. The second aspect is suitability.
By meditating on true paths, the true meditation paths is suitable to generate the wisdom directly realizing selflessness. The third aspect is achievement. By means of true paths, we can attain, we can establish higher excellent qualities. We can achieve higher excellent qualities. The fourth aspect is deliverance, and that is to say, by means of true paths, we can find deliverance from the destructive quality of the conception of true existence.
We can find deliverance from the destructive quality of the conception of true existence by means of true paths. So, it is by means of these true paths and most specifically the exalted wisdom directly realizing personal selflessness, that which eliminates the afflictive emotions. And because all the afflictive emotions arise from the conception of self, the exalted wisdom realizing the selflessness is able to eliminate that root of all afflictions and therefore is able to eliminate all afflictions. The afflictive emotions act as the cause for creation of karma. By eliminating the afflictive emotions, we eliminate all karma.
Therefore, we eliminate true sources of suffering. Having eliminated the true sources of suffering, we eliminate the resulting suffering, that is a true suffering, from true sources. They are completely exhausted. By eliminating true sufferings, we achieve a cessation of suffering, which is a true cessation. It is by this means, by means of the paths, we are able to abandon the sources of suffering and thereby abandon suffering, achieve a cessation of suffering, and attain liberation.
So, what was the reason for going through these four noble truths, in particular these 16 aspects? It is in terms of trying to come to an understanding of what we mean by knower of bases. A knower of bases is the direct realization of the 16 aspects of the Four Noble Truths within the continuum of a Bodhisattva superior. Mainly in discussing knower of bases, it is the direct realization of the selflessness of persons. This is what mainly constitutes that in the continuum of a Bodhisattva superior which is mainly the knower of bases.
But these are the practices of this direct realization of the selfless person is a practice which is common both to the superiors of the lesser vehicle and the greater vehicle. So these 16 aspects are main objects of practice, the main objects of meditation in which the practitioner is seeking to develop a direct realization of. So, this is the the main method for for abandoning cyclic existence for achieving liberation. That is to say the meditation on the 16 aspects of the Four Noble Truths impermanence, etc. So we’ll stop there, but take a few minutes to answer questions.
And your questions? Also, I’m just wondering There. Yeah. Okay. So all of the all of the paths, the teachings for example within the great vehicle, the lesser vehicle, and the tantric vehicle can all be presented from the point of view of the basis, paths, and fruits. All of the various philosophic systems such as the Great Exposition, the sūtra School, etcetera, all have their presentation of a basis, paths, and fruits. All of the Dharma can be explained in terms of basis, paths and fruits. And with respect to my first question, what I want to know is, can a person achieve realization of selflessness according to the terms of the schools of philosophic systems? The great exposition school that one could have the direct realization of the selflessness of persons without directly realizing the 16 aspects of the Four Noble Truths, would have to realize them.
On the other hand, the higher tenet systems would say that anyone who has a direct realization of selflessness of persons must also have a direct realization of the aspects of the four noble truth. In order to directly realize it, you would have to train in it. So, you know, when we talk about understanding or realizing and directly realizing, for those on the paths of accumulation and preparation, they do not have a direct understanding of these 16 aspects, for example, impermanence, selflessness, etcetera. But they do have an understanding and therefore they have to, in order to gain this understanding, they have to train. And by means of this training, they will achieve the path of seeing in which they have direct understanding of these 16 aspects.
And at this point, one no longer has to train in them. But until that point, one has to actually train in order to get this direct understanding. So in the direct realization, one is the superior. So there are six root afflictions and 20 secondary afflictions. So, the root afflictions are desire, attachment, Anger.
Anger. Pride. Ignorance. Afflicted view. Afflicted doubt.
Those are the six root afflicted. The others arise in dependence upon these root six. If we were to detail the afflictive emotions, could list 84,000. So, in general, we can say that there is the graduated system of these philosophic schools. And, the lower schools present a very coarse presentation of selflessness, etc.
And, the higher schools present a more and more and more subtle presentation. But, the lower schools are a method for realizing the higher schools. I have a question. So, it’s extremely important and beneficial to reflect upon these 16 qualities of the Four Noble Truths By means of this way of content by this contemplation you will develop a desire to be liberated from these true sufferings and true sources of suffering, seeing that there exists the possibility, will develop a sense of wishing to definitely emerge from cyclic existence.