Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 97-minute commentary on the Ornament of Clear Realization, Kyabje Rinpoche walks through the 11 core topics of bodhisattva training, with particular emphasis on pure lands. He opens with the distinction between impure grounds—the first seven, still bearing latent self-centeredness—and pure grounds, where that predisposition is completely eliminated. The main focus is training in pure lands, where advanced bodhisattvas use visualization, prayer, and accumulated merit to establish their own Buddha field. He illustrates through concrete examples: Tārā’s Potala, Mañjuśrī’s Wutai Shan, Amitābha’s Great Blissful Pure Land, and Chenrezig’s realm, explaining how practitioners take rebirth in these through tantra or sūtra practice. Additional topics covered include training in skillful means—where activities become effortless on the eighth ground—the power of irreversibility that prevents abandonment of the Mahāyāna path, and the equality of saṃsāra and nirvana. Intended for serious practitioners with foundational Buddhist knowledge.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1990-10-25 – Side 1 – Part missing – KR.mp3
UUID: ff581880-f777-4b9b-a1c0-1990a5589d72
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Ornament of Clear Realization
Date: 1990-10-25
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~4,381
In what way are the impure grounds impure? In what way are the pure grounds pure of? And this refers to stains. So it’s said that a fetus remains in the womb for nine months. Even after its birth, for the first seven weeks, the newborn child is not separated from the stain of the womb.
The smell of the womb. Smell. So, here what is being referred to, what is the stain? Because of habituation from beginners’ lives and cyclic existence to self centeredness and that the seventh ground and below, there is still the predisposition to self centeredness. That is the stain the which there is an impurity of.
Above the eighth ground and above there is not even the predisposition to self centeredness, self-cherishing. This disposition has been eliminated and one is pure of that stain. So, we’re talking about the predisposition to self centeredness and not self centered itself. So, there’s the predisposition with the seventh and below, and there’s no predisposition or a stain of this eighth and above. So, if we were to put beer or alcohol in a container, and even when we throw the liquid out, there’s still the smell still remains of the beer, the alcohol.
And this is what is being referred to. Self centeredness has been eliminated previously, but there’s still the stain, the predisposition or latency to self centeredness, which is the impurity. So there are different ways in which we can classify the bodies of a Buddha, one into four and one into three different means of classification. In terms of a classification into three, there is the truth body, the enjoyment body, and the emanation body. This ninth topic, equality of mundane existence and peace, is the main cause bringing about the actualization of the truth body.
Then the tenth topic is that of training of a pure land. Training of a pure land. And this is the main cause bringing about the actualization of the enjoyment body of a Buddha. This is a long definition, big definition. So, you were to write this definition, then we can you’ll come to understand what is being referred to.
If you don’t, you probably will. So, the definition, as it says in this handout, a training of a pure land, a yoga of a pure land that is a powerful, virtuous root in one’s continuum, such as prayer and so forth, and that establishes the special land where one will become a Buddha. A yoga a pure virtuous a yoga of a pure land land that that is is a a powerful, virtuous root. Root in one’s continuum, in one’s continuum, such as prayer and so forth, such as prayer and so forth, and that establishes, the that special land one will be, especially where one will become a Buddha, where one will become a Buddha. So this is the training at the eighth ground, the eighth grounds and above.
One has, by the force of the practices on the seventh ground and below collected the best amount of accumulation of positive potential. And one will quickly one is going to quickly become a Buddha. Now we have to create a place in which to reside as a Buddha. That is to say, we have to create a place our own Buddha field. Just as in if we want a place to live, then we have to have a house, a room, we have companions, etc.
That’s where we’re going to live. That’s where we’re going to reside. Likewise, the bodhisattva is preparing himself for his Buddha field, his Buddha hood by creating a Buddha field, an environment in which he is going to reside along with a retinue, his companions, his disciples. So each, for example, each of the various Buddhas have their own Buddha field. In terms of Maitreya, Ārya Maitreya for example has the Buddha field of Ganden, or Tuśita Pure Land.
Tārā has her own Buddha field of Tārā has her own Buddha field. Tārā’s is Potala. Mañjuśrī’s is Wutai Shan. Don’t know what the Amitābha? I don’t know what the translation Sanskrit for it. Amitābha, the great blissful pure land. So, Buddha has to establish their individual Buddha field.
It doesn’t come about by chance. So it is at this point during this training of a pure land in which one is training to establish making preparation to establish, and the establishment of one’s own pure land. So, as it says in this definition, one is establishing a special pure land where one will become a Buddha. One is not a Buddha yet. One is a bodhisattva.
This is the training which is going on during the eighth, ninth, and tenth grounds. And what one is trying to do is bring about all the necessary conditions, the cooperative conditions and causes whereby to bring about a pure land. So, how one is practicing to bring about these conditions and causes, bringing them all together? One is just about to achieve Buddhahood, one is creating the conditions to have a place which to reside upon the attainment of Buddhahood. And how does one go about bringing those conditions about?
Is through powerful one’s own powerful virtuous roots, through skillful actions that is to say, such as by the force of one’s prayers, etc. One is creating the conditions to bring about this Pure Land where you will reside in the future. So, one is carrying out a meditation, that is to say, creating the various causes and conditions necessary for the actual coming about of this Pure Land. That is, by the power of one’s imagination, of what is desired, one is creating a pure land. And this, one imagines what or visualizes in one’s meditation and makes prayers toward that end what type of Pure Land that you wish that you are seeking to create.
A place where it’s very vast, for example, very flat, which is not rough, and it’s made out of gold and banduria, lapis lazuli. There’s all the various forests and trees and beautiful surroundings. There’s a temple and there’s your students. Some of them have miraculous powers, some of them have clairvoyances. There’s all the food and drink that they could want.
There’s all the various material necessities. There’s not even the sound of suffering to be heard anywhere. And one is imagining, through the force of one’s imagining, what type of purity you want to create. And one’s virtuous conduct, skillful actions, prayer, one is actually creating that type of environment and the students, the people they’re in. So each Buddha has created their own unique Buddha field.
Having achieved Buddhahood and a Buddha field, one does not abide in that place alone, that one seeks to create a retinue, a circle of disciples. And these numbers of disciples are unimaginable, numberless, through the power of one’s prayer. One prays that, May I create this Pure Land and there be a teacher and have numberless disciples who I can teach they’ll be able to, by that teaching, be able to practice. For example, Amitābha has created his particularly Pure Land and he has, through the force of his prayer, unnumberless disciples have taken rebirth in his Pure Land through the force of his prayer. And he has taught them the Dharma and through their practice numberless beings have attained liberation.
The same is true of Chenrezig and his particular Pure Land. Every Buddha creates their own Pure Land through the force of their prayers, etc, their skillful action. The disciples are born there, they teach the Dharma, and through their practice are liberated. So if from our side we wish to, for example, be born in the land of Chenrezig, then we can engage in the meditation on the yoga of Chenrezig, meditating ourselves as the Chenrezig as the deity, and the surroundings of the deity, and making heartfelt requests to be reborn in such a place, and the skillful action created through this meditative process. We we make prayers of dedication, May I be reborn in the pure land of Chenrezig and by the force so that we can take rebirth in the pure land of Chenrezig.
So, within the We can travel to any Pure Land that we wish. In terms of those who are practicing tantra, having received the empowerment, they can practice the yoga of that particular deity. And in terms of those who are following the sūtra, making various requests and prayers to be reborn in particular manner of a Buddha. If we create the causes to take rebirth there, will be reborn there. If we don’t create the causes for being reborn, we won’t.
And this is in terms of collecting the vast accumulation of positive potential and the various causes for being reborn in this specific Pure Land, along with heartfelt, along with prayers to be reborn in there. Then the eleventh topic is that of training in skillful means, and this is the main cause for actualizing the emanation body of a Buddha. So the definition as it states in this handout of training in skillful means is a yoga of a pure ground that spontaneously achieves exalted activities by having pacified gross effort. So, a yoga of a pure ground that spontaneously achieves exalted activities by having pacified gross effort. So here goes what is meant by gross effort.
In the seventh ground and below, in order to carry out various activities one has to go through great difficulty. One has to strive with great force in bringing about in one’s practice and the various activities one’s engaged in. But upon the eighth ground and above, due to the power of one’s meditation, that it is almost the actions the activities are almost come about automatically. It’s simply one makes a slight effort and the actions are whatever activities one was intended are completed without any effort almost any effort. There’s no one achieves things without any difficulty, without any gross effort, without any great force and striving.
This is in terms of activities, practice or whatever. For example, it says activities, exalted activities. In here, various activities whether it’s for one’s own welfare or for the welfare of others, all the various types of activities are quite easily achieved little effort. So one has, as the name infers, training in skillful means one has become skillful in means to the extent that one can bring about the welfare of all sentient beings, both oneself and others. One can establish them.
And not only that, one can establish them to the extent of the power of a Buddha. And with little effort. One has to make no great effort in achieving, in engaging in these activities. So we’ve completed the 11 topics and they complete training in all aspects. So we won’t have any questions.
The attitude of mine which holds others more dear than oneself and thinks, May I be able to free others from suffering and to bring them complete happiness? And how can I actually bring about this end, the elimination of the suffering of others? What method can I implement whereby to bring about the happiness or removal of all suffering that I myself must eliminate the various faults which I possess and bring to consummation all my excellent qualities? This is the ultimate way. So, in order to actually bring about the elimination of our individual faults and consummation of our excellent qualities, we must practice.
In order to practice, we must understand the way of practice. In order to understand the way of practice, we must listen to the various teachings. And therefore, in order to achieve this end, we’re going to listen to the essence of the great vehicle, the teachings on the perfection of wisdom, in order ultimately to practice and bring about this end. So we’re discussing the eight categories and the 70 topics of the ornament, and within those eight categories, the four trainings. And of these four trainings, the first training, that is a complete training in the aspects, which has 11 topics, And of those 11 topics, we have completed eight.
So these are aspects. The first topic was that of aspects, and these are the 173 aspects of the three exalted knowers. And to actually meditate on these objects of meditation, one must make preparation or that is to say training, which is the second topic. So, through training in these aspects, benefit is there? And this brings up the third topic, that of the qualities of training.
That is to say, what qualities do we generate through this training, the qualities of training? So the fourth topic. There is the, it is necessary that the training be explained and there are certain faults which can occur in the way in which it’s been explained, can occur in the explanation. That is to say, that a master is instructing the student and within this relationship certain faults in the explanation can occur. That the teacher must explain in accordance with the disposition of the students.
If it’s not in accordance with the disposition of the students, then this is a fault in explanation. If, on the other hand, it’s not the if the teacher does not explain in terms of So there must be the interests of the master and the students must be compatible or harmonious. That if there’s an interest or inclination from the teacher to teach but the students have no inclination, or the students have an inclination to be taught in a certain way and the teacher doesn’t have that interest to teach in that certain way, then there’s an incompatibility of interests or aspirations. So there must be this harmony between the student and the teacher. If there’s not, there’s a fault.
This harmony must be present in order to subdue the four demons or maras, the mara of aggregates, etc. And to receive, there must be, in order to subdue these four maras, there must be the transference of a blessing, and this blessing only occurs when there’s a harmony between, of interest between the teacher and the student. If there’s not, then this is the fault of training. So, the next topic is that of characteristics of training and this has three levels of explanation. The first is that we or that we give the definition or the nature of the complete aspects of training itself.
That is to say, give its definition. What is its definition? The second is its characteristics in terms of the training of the great vehicle as superior in quality to the lesser vehicle. So this characteristic of superiority, making this this is one of the characteristics which must be explained. The third is the characteristic in terms of what is the final result that will be achieved by undergoing the training.
What is the quality to be achieved? This is another characteristic of training which is to be explained. So, been taught the benefits of the training through all the various meanings and qualities and the achievement, what are the results? Having seen the benefits, we now the question is when do we actually begin? When is the initial point of actually beginning the meditation on the training?
And this is sixth topic, which is aid to liberation. And this is the actual time, the initial time of beginning to train in the training, or let me just say, to meditate on the training. This is having entering into the path of accumulation, the aid to liberation. So, at the point of the meditation on the path of accumulation, One develops a skill and means in terms of developing calm abiding with respect to emptiness. One achieves calm abiding with respect to emptiness, but one has not as yet attained special insight.
This is attained at the path of preparation where one achieves special insight with respect to emptiness. And this is the attainment of the path of preparation, which is the seventh topic, Aid to Definite Discrimination. So having attained the path of preparation, there are cases At this point, there is the achievement of irreversibility, the power of irreversibility. There are cases where a few upon the path of accumulation fall from the great vehicle or turn away from the great vehicle and enter into a lesser vehicle path. But upon the attainment of the path of preparation, one achieves the power of irreversibility where one no longer turn away from the great vehicle but will go directly to the fruition of the great vehicle.
But this is the general practitioners. But additionally, the most intelligent of the practitioners will achieve the sign of irreversibility. Those of lesser intelligence, though they have achieved the power of irreversibility, have not actually achieved the physical and verbal signs of irreversibility, only the highest intelligence. So in terms of this power of irreversibility, it is in terms of attitude and conduct in terms of these two. So it is at this point through the cultivation of the awakening, the power of the cultivation of one’s awakening heart that there is an attitude of holding others more dear than oneself and having through the force of habituated oneself to the attitude, there can never arise an occasion at this point where one will the thought to seek liberation only for oneself will arise.
This is the power of irreversibility in terms of attitude, that having cultivated the awakened heart to such an extent that there never arises an occasion where the thought to liberate, to seek liberation for oneself alone arises. This is the power of irreversibility in terms of attitude. In terms of second factor, that of conduct, this too is explained in terms of method and wisdom. So the power of irreversibly in terms of conduct and within the conduct that of the factor of wisdom. And for the bodhisattva, who has attained the sign of irreversibility along with the wisdom realizing emptiness, when such a bodhisattva teaches a student, gives a teaching on emptiness to a student, that in reliance upon listening to the words of such a teaching bodhisattva, there arises the experience in the student, the thought, Ah, he really or she really knows what she’s talking about.
Definitely there must be that this teacher has the wisdom realizing emptiness. That there’s this definite determination within the minds of the student that the teacher has the wisdom understanding emptiness and relying upon hearing the words of the teacher. This is conduct wisdom. So just as in the case where someone through their speech discusses something and it depends upon hearing their discussion, one can understand what the disposition of this person is through what they say. Likewise, there’s a verbal quality of the teacher teaching emptiness in such a way that when the student listens to it, they’re able to understand the disposition in terms of that this person has the wisdom of understanding emptiness, that this This definite, determinant conclusion arises in the student’s mind.
This teacher understands emptiness, in dependence upon hearing their teaching. This is the verbal conduct of wisdom. Then, in terms of method, and this would be the physical conduct of the power, is the conduct which denotes the power of irreversibility in terms of method physically is that, as we have explained previously, that such an individual upon observing the suffering of sentient beings continually without any occasions where it does not arise, there arises signs of where tears flow from the eyes, the hair stands on end. And this is in terms of all sentient beings, whether this is a loved one, a stranger, or an enemy. It arises the same way upon observing any suffering sentient being.
This is the physical method conduct. So the bodhisattva of high intelligence achieves the sign of irreversibility at the path of preparation and there are 20 signs which are achieved. The bodhisattva of Middling Intelligence achieves the sign of irreversibility at the path of seeing and there are 16 signs in accordance with the 16 aspects, the 16 moments of the path of seeing. Then the bodhisattva of lesser intelligence achieves the sign of irreversibility at the path of meditation, and there are eight signs, making a total of 44 different signs 44 signs. So there are 10 grounds, and there is no bodhisattva who does not achieve the sign of irreversibility having achieved the eighth ground.
Having achieved the eighth ground, one has to have achieved the sign of irreversibility by then. Why is that? Because at the eighth ground, the three levels of bodhisattvas, higher, middling and lesser intelligence are equal at this point. So all of these three, the higher, middling, and lesser intelligence have at this point become equal intelligence. And the ninth topic is that of the equality of mundane existence and peace.
The equality of mundane existence and peace. Here, mundane existence refers to cyclic existence, and that is a state in which one uncontrollably entered an uncontrolled state which is entered into through the force of karma and afflictive emotions, and an uncontrolled state in which a state which is entered uncontrollably entered into under the force of karma and afflictive emotions is cyclic existence, and this is what is meant by mundane existence here. Peace is that state which is the abandonment of suffering and the afflictive emotions. A state which is the abandonment of suffering and afflictive emotions, that is to say, liberation. So liberation or peace and mundane existence are equal in that they both do not truly exist.
They are equal in having the same taste. They are of the same taste in not being, not truly existing. I think let’s see. Manifest grasping. Extend the first meditation.
So, the definition of equality of mundane existence and peace is as it says here in the text, a yoga of a pure ground that has eliminated the chance for the generation of manifest grasping at true existence during the post meditation by way of being conjoined with the wisdom directly realizing mundane existence and peace as empty of true existence. Essentially what we mean here is that it is a training or yoga which is conjoined with a wisdom which is directly realizing emptiness. It’s directly realizing emptiness. And what emptiness is it realizing? It’s realizing the emptiness of mundane existence and peace, that is to say, of cyclic existence and liberation, that these do not truly exist.
And because this training, this yoga is coupled or conjoined with this direct wisdom, this wisdom directly realizing this emptiness at the time of subsequent, what do they call it, post meditations, exalted wisdom of subsequent attainment. They call it post meditation. At the exalted wisdom of subsequent attainment, there’s no manifest grasping for true existence. That has been destroyed. The possibility for the manifestation of grasping a true existence as the exalted wisdom of subsequent attainment has been destroyed.
So, I’m just trying to understand the sense of what is being said here. There are 10 grounds, and the pure grounds are the eighth, ninth, and tenth grounds. So the bodhisattva is abiding on either the eighth, ninth or tenth ground. He is a bodhisattva superior. And we know that all phenomena are not truly existent and therefore mundane existence and peace are not truly existent.
This is the direct realization of that by such a bodhisattva. What do we mean by the exalted wisdom of subsequent attainment? Or in this, they say post meditation. There are two exalted wisdoms, that of meditative equipoise, and this simply means that when one sits in meditation, one is sitting there meditating on a specific subject that’s meditative equipoise. But then one gets up from the meditation.
This is what arises from meditation. This is the subsequent attainment, they call it post meditation. And just like when we meditate, you know, we sit and meditate, and then we get up and we go have a cup of tea, talk to people, we do all our various types of activities. Likewise, the bodhisattva, first he’s sitting in a meditative equipoise, and then he arises from that and this is the state of the attainment or the wisdom of subsequent attainment.
He goes about doing his various activities, practicing generosity, ethics, patience. He teaches the Dharma. He sleeps. So the occasion of the subsequent attainment is what is being talked about here, this period of time. So, when he’s sitting in, you know, first he’s sitting in meditative equipoise observing emptiness and then he gets up from that meditation.
And this occasion of having arisen from meditation is subsequent attainment. So, the situation is such that a bodhisattva on the seventh ground and below, the grounds one through seven, when he’s sitting in meditative equipoise on emptiness, there is, due to the force of his wisdom, understanding, and emptiness, that there is no occasion where there is a manifest grasping of true existence. The conception of true existence does not arise during his meditative equipoise. But when he gets up into a state of subsequent attainment, there are occasions where the manifest conception of true existence arises. Now, here we are talking about the eighth ground and above, the eighth, ninth and tenth ground.
At the bodhisattva sitting in meditative equipoise, there is no question about there arising an occasion where there is manifest grasping at true existence in meditative equipoise. But even at those times when he arises from that in the state of subsequent attainment, is no occasion when there is a manifest conception or grasping at true existence. So this is through the power of his direct realization, the wisdom of directly realizing the equality of mundane existence and peace, and this is what is meant here by that this is what is meant here when it says has been eliminated, has eliminated the chance of generation of manifest grasping, eliminated or destroyed. So, here it refers to the pure grounds. The pure grounds are the eighth, ninth, and tenth grounds, and those grounds below one through seven are referred to as impure grounds.