Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 86-minute commentary on the Ornament of Clear Realization, Kyabje Rinpoche explores the heat and peak training stages of the Buddhist path of preparation. After establishing bodhisattva motivation, he centers on the 12 powers attained at the heat level—understood through the dream-like appearance of all phenomena. Phenomena appear but lack true existence, he explains, just as dream-objects seem real but are not; practitioners learn to recognize and teach this insight to others, whether in waking or sleeping states. He then walks through the path of seeing using its 16 moments (eight forbearances and eight knowledges, each tied to the four noble truths), which act as the direct antidote to false grasping at true existence. The talk concludes by analyzing four fundamental misconceptions—grasping at what should be engaged, what should be abandoned, and both substantial and nominal false views of the self. For serious practitioners with grounding in Mahāyāna Buddhist philosophy.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1990-11-01 – Very poor quality sound. Part missing – KR.mp3
UUID: 9b65063a-6a65-4e5c-bb22-b7a46597f16e
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Ornament of Clear Realization
Date: 1990-11-01
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~3,257
I must, for the sake of all sentient beings and myself, in order to eliminate all of this suffering and to bring in complete happiness. I mean, all my various thoughts, all my qualities. In other words, I must achieve achieve the final end of. In order to achieve that, must meditate on the meaning of the essence of the great vehicle, the perfection, wisdom. In order to meditate on the meaning, I must understand what the meaning is in order to understand that I must listen to the teaching.
Therefore we should with the waking in the context of an awakening heart develop certain motivation and with the main topic of discussion in the ornament are the eight categories. And the the first three of these being the three exalted wisdoms. The exalted exalted knower of all aspects, the exalted knower of paths, and also of bases. And then there’s the four trainings. We’ve completed the explanation of the first of these four trainings, the complete training and the aspect and now we’re going to begin with the discussion of the second of these four trainings, peak training.
And the category of the of peak training is eight topics. There are eight topics to explain in the explanation of peak training. The first of these is the teaching on the 12 powers. The second The second is the the increase in the aspect of positive potential. The third is the stability.
The fourth is the thorough abidance of mind. Which increases the aspect of positive potential. The training of stability. Training of thoroughly abiding through the mind. Previously we were explaining what the boundaries of heat training is.
It extends from the heat level of the path of preparation up to the end of the continuum. So we discussed the fact that there are four levels of the great vehicle path of preparation. The level being peak, peak, forbearance, and highest mundane Dharma. So with respect to the great vehicle, there’s a five path path of accumulation, preparation, seeing, meditation and no more learning. So the boundaries of training peak training does not exist in the path of accumulation.
It begins at the first level of the path of preparation and exists throughout the first four levels of the path of preparation. It’s the levels of peak peak forbearance and highest mundane Dharma. So these four levels correspond to the first four topics that we are presenting in terms of the four training. That is to to say, heat level, the heat training in the the teaching on the twelve powers. At the peak level of the path of preparation is the peak training the increasing aspect of the positive potential.
At the level of forbearance is the peak training in the stability of mind. And uh-huh. Forbearance. Okay. And the highest highest mundane Dharma So it is it is at the level of heat that the student intent on the ornament attain a special insight observing emptiness.
Because it’s at this point that the student obtains the observation of emptiness that he has very extremely powerful meditation on emptiness. The fourth one of the meditation emptiness that is to say in realizing that all phenomena are empty that all phenomena begin to appear as objects in a dream or a mirage. That they are seen to the various appearances appear to us but they not taken to be real in the same sense that their true existence appears to us due to the of emptiness at this point. We understand that that they do not truly exist as they appear. So just as in in in during the course of our speech when we dream the various experiences appear but in fact are not the real thing that they appear to be.
Likewise, all phenomena at this time begin to appear as if have a dream quality in the sense that they appear to be truly existent, but it’s realized that they don’t exist that way. So this this is the the first power which is attained at this point due to the great force of the meditation and emptiness that things appear in the same way that they do in a dream in the sense that they are simply appearances. They do not really exist as such and therefore even at the waking state all objects appear have a dream like quality about them and they appear to be truly existent we realize that they do not truly exist. And then the second part is that during our dreams that we receive the Dharma from thousands of Tathagatas. The third power is that within one’s dream, one is able to fly up into space and and go to the site of one student and there teaching the Dharma and this can occur just spontaneously.
And in one’s waking state, one is able to teach one’s students, they do not yet see the emptiness of phenomena such that they come to understand the dream like quality of phenomena. One is able to be mindful of teaching the Dharma in dream. So when in the waking state, you as you’re engaging certain teachings again and again, and even in the state, you should be mindful of how it was being thought about in the waking state one can recall teaching the Dharma to one’s students. Essentially all of these 12 powers at this point of good training on powers are come about through the force of having to choose special insight with respect to emptiness. Is simply that everything all phenomena begin to appear to have a dream like quality and one is able instill in one’s disciples the dream-like qualities of all phenomena.
So are various combinations of waking, dreaming, one’s own understanding of being able to treat others with dream-like quality. So the second topic is peak training and the increase One part of these 16 is such that if we were to calculate the amount of positive potential that being we take one world system comprising of our world system as the four continents system and the moon as one particular world system. If we were to have a thousand, a thousand, a a thousand, but the amount of positive potential which is being generated here is equal to that So what these 16 divisions are complete increase in positive potential are simply analogies illustrating the positive potential which is being created at the peak level of the path of preparation. Due to the that amount of positive potential which is being gained at the peak level when reaching the forbearance level one attains a stability in one’s meditation. This meditation is made up of the factors of method and wisdom.
The method being the awakening heart and the wisdom being the realization of emptiness. Due to the force of these positive potentials that this realization is unchanging. It’s not degenerating. That the stream is stable. So therefore because of stability and non degeneration and changing quality this is called the training of stability.
And because of the stability and with respect to method and wisdom one will not take rebirth in bad migration. Methods and wisdom. At this point, is at the level of supreme mundane Dharma. One achieves an extremely stable meditative stabilization This meditative stabilization is the thorough abidance of the mind. At this point of being mundane Dharma, one is engaging in skillful action through these meditative stabilizations which are numbering.
By way of analogy, though there are vast numbers in of drops of the world could eventually finish counting out all the various particles of earth or drops of water. Could eventually finish counting them but here the amount of positive potential of the active being created we’ve worked through the four levels of path of preparation and now we’ve arrived at the path of seeing which is the fifth peak training. So the fifth is the peak training in the path of seeing. The sixth is the peak training in the path of meditation. The seventh is uninterrupted uninterrupted training.
This this is one that is just about to achieve. This this only takes place between one moment. And the eighth is reverse achieving. Training in the reverse achieving to be avoided which are explained here. By avoided I mean the mistaken achievements which are to be abandoned.
Reverse achievements which are to be avoided. So if if we’re going to give the definition of the path of seeing, if you could write this, it’s gonna be very good. And it it is as it says right in in this handout, a Mahāyāna clear realization of truth included in a type of direct antidote to the seeds of conception that are to be abandoned by the path of seeing. The Mahāyāna, clear realizer of truth clear realizer of truth, included in a type of direct antidote to the seeds of conception that are to be abandoned by the path of seeing. So there are there are two divisions of the path of seeing.
The the first is the exalted wisdom of meditative equipoise and having arisen from that one attains the exalted wisdom of subsequent attainment. So the first of these three divisions that are meditative equipoise, the result of meditative equipoise is as we have explained previously. The exalted wisdom of meditative equipoise is made up of 16 moments. These 16 moments are the eight moments of forbearance which constitutes the uninterrupted path. The eight moments of forbearance which constitute the uninterrupted path.
And the eight moments of knowledge which constitute the path of release. So these these path this an uninterrupted path these eight moments and these were as was explained previously. These are enumerated in terms of the four noble truths. There are the, doctrinal forbearance of the noble truth of suffering and the okay. So This applies to each of the four noble truths.
Each of them has a doctrinal forbearance and a subsequent forbearance. The the doctrinal forbearance and the subsequent forbearance of the the truth of suffering and the true origin, true cessation, and true path making a total of eight moments, which constitutes the uninterrupted path. Then the path of release is again constituted at eight moments, eight knowledge moments. And these are again in terms of the four noble truths and there is the doctrinal knowledge and subsequent knowledge in terms of first the true suffering and then the true origins, true cessation, and true path making each moment of doctrinal knowledge and subsequent knowledge constituting the path of release. The past I’ve seen, the exalted wisdom of meditative equipoise is the direct antidote to the conception of true existence.
This is what is being overcome. Are abandonments, There are the path of abandonments with respect to the path of seeing and abandonments with respect to the path of meditation. Here, with respect to the path of seeing, then the eight forbearances are the way in which the knowledge obstructions are being abandoned. That is to say the knowledge obstructions are being eliminated by the eight forbearances. When they have been eliminated such that they will not return, then one achieves the eight knowledges.
So as we’ve we’ve explained previously, what we mean by a Buddha is an individual who has eliminated all the various faults as well as the consummation, all the excellent qualities. That which we are seeking to eliminate all our various faults and the agent which is bringing this about is the antidote. Now that which actually acts as an antidote to that which we are seeking to overcome that is these various faults exist at the path of seeing and at the path of meditation. Though there are five paths, the path of accumulation and the path of preparation and the path of no more learning are not actual antidotes. The actual antidotes are the path of seeing and the path of meditation.
Just like when we want to we need a weapon to kill an enemy. We need a weapon to eliminate the various faults. These are the antidotes and these are the path of seeing and the path of meditation. So we have we have two enemies. By enemy, we mean fault.
That that is the that which is to be abandoned. Now there now at the at the level of the seeing, there are the abandonments of seeing. And at the path of meditation, there are the meditation abandonments. So at the path of seeing, we are seeking to overcome a particular enemy. And in order to do that, we we need a particular weapon.
That is to say, we are to rid the mind of particular fault, and we didn’t we need to apply an antidote, which is particular to the path of seeing. That is that we’re trying to rid ourselves of the seen abandonment or the abandonment of the path of seeing, the seen abandonment, and that which the antidote that acts as the weapon are the eight forbearances and the eight knowledges. These two are constituted of the meditative equipoise, which is a direct realization of emptiness. It is this direct realization of emptiness which can act as a direct antidote to the ignorance which is the conception of true existence and the ignorance which is the knowledge obstruction. This can this has the ability to remove them from the root.
And The enemy which is being eliminated is the knowledge obstruction which is the abandonment which is being overcome during the course by means of the uninterrupted path. The enemy which is being eliminated is the knowledge obstruction of the seen abandonment by means of the uninterrupted path. Is the knowledge obstruction of the seeing abandonments. So what is this knowledge obstruction? The grasping or conception of true existence.
True existence does not exist but there is a conception that it exists. This is the ignorance of suchness which is being eliminated here. There is nothing other than the wisdom which is the direct realization of emptiness which can eliminate this conception from the very root. If we were to say, well, how many conceptions to existence are there? There are four fundamental conceptions.
I may I’m I’m not sure about this translation. Provisionally. As it goes on, may correct my error. There are four fundamental conceptions of true existence: the conception which grasps the engaged, the conception which grasps the reversed, the conception of substantiality, and the conception of nominal, the conception of substantiality, and the conception of nominal existence. Each of those has nine divisions making a total of 36.
So the first of So the first of these, so we can retranslate that. The conception grasping engaged. This at means that there are various practices of the great vehicle. That which is to be practiced or that which is to be engaged in is conceived of to be truly existing. It’s grasped at to be truly existing.
This is the conception of grasping the engaged. These are the various practices that are to engage in and conceiving the need to be truly existing is the conception of grasping the engaged. So unless unless you have on the the paths and stages, paths and grounds, then what trying to understand what has been explained here is difficult. Then the second is the conception grasping at that which is to be turned away from, which is to be turned away, that which is to be reversed. In general, the lesser vehicle is something which is to be engaged in.
In relationship to the great vehicle it is something which is being turned away from. So that conception which grasped at the path and fruit of the great vehicle as being truly existing. That conception was grasped as the path and fruit of the lesser vehicle to be truly existing is a conception grasping at the reverse, to be turned away. At the at the turned away from. That which is to be turned away.
The perception grasping at at that which is to be turned away, which is the path and fruit of the lesser vehicle. Within the great vehicle that we aspire to free all sentient beings from their suffering. Main emphasis is not on oneself, the main emphasis is applied to others. Whereas at the level of the lesser vehicle, for example, here, that the emphasis is not on others but oneself in striving for a solitary liberation. This striving, the solitary liberation is is an abandonment in terms of the greater vehicle.
Striving for one’s own liberation is in terms of the greater vehicle is an abandonment. It’s something which is to be turned away from. The attitude of striving for its own liberation. Having listened to these teachings, we’re planting latencies. In the future when you hear these teachings again, these latencies will be activated and once the appearance of what is being said will appear ready to your mind as it’s an understanding.
If something was explained yesterday and today the same subject was explained then it would very readily due to the traces of having the explanation in your mind. Yesterday’s explanation had been made in your mind. Likewise, because we don’t have the latencies for having this and such a frequency That is difficult for us to understand initially. Upon planting latency in the future when we do hear these teachings again, we will readily understand. So though we might be going through a great deal of difficulty in the process of listening to this teaching, In view of the fact that in the future it depends upon having listened to these teachings you will be able to achieve great vehicle paths and grounds it is worth making the effort.
I I understand that you all have a great deal work work to do. It’s not easy for you to carry on work and additionally make the effort to listen to such teachings as this. But it’s extremely worthwhile. It’s really a wonderful opportunity to use this to implant latency. If we were to think in terms of the people in the world are almost numberless, but those who are implanting such latencies that you are now, just just So this is really a wonderful opportunity for all of us from your side in listening to these teachings and from my side being able to explain.
So the remaining two conceptions of pure existence. Things appear either two ways to our mind. Either they either substantially existent or nominally existent. Something for example, the person is appears to exist and the the person which appears to exist as not dependent upon the aggregate. The the person which appears not to exist not dependent upon the aggregate is is said to be substantially existent.
The person which appears to be reliant or dependent upon the aggregates is nominally existent. So there is a conception of a person which nominally exists and a conception of a person which substantially exists. The conception of true existence grasping at the conception of a nominally existent person is nominal conception. The conception of true existence which grasped at the conception of a substantially existing person is substantial. That is the substantial conception.
So there is the apprehension of something existing substantially that is in terms of the person that the person doesn’t rely on their aggregate. This would be the apprehension of the substantial existing person. That apprehension is then conceived of to truly exist. The perception of true existence of that apprehension is a substantial perception.