Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 45-minute teaching, Kyabje Rinpoche analyzes valid knowledge—how the mind reliably perceives reality. He opens with a bodhicitta dedication, then explains why studying valid knowledge is essential: following valid perception leads to enlightenment, while mistaken perception leads to suffering. He defines mind as having two qualities—clarity and knowing—then establishes three features of valid knowledge: freshness, infallibility, and consciousness. Through examples, seeing a table twice is not valid knowledge the second time, but learning a stranger’s background through introduction becomes valid knowledge once we thoroughly know the person. He defends the Disciples School position that senses cannot be valid knowledge, since senses are physical form, not consciousness. He concludes with the two types of valid cognition: direct and inferential.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1994-06-09 – 10A – KR.mp3
UUID: 32718d9e-b355-476c-9434-c8d92e710adc
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Tenets
Date: 1994-06-09
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~2,839
I must, in order to benefit all sentient beings who are my mothers and who are of old age in the sense of repeatedly cycling in saṃsāra for a long time that I must for in order to benefit them I must somehow at any rate try to achieve Buddhahood. Having attained such state of Buddhahood may I then have resourcefulness to be able to teach all sentient beings in accordance with their various mental dispositions interests and so forth and by giving teachings may I be able to guide them on what needs to be discarded away what needs to be practiced and through that way may I be able to remove all their sufferings and lead them to excellent unchanging happiness. Well, in order to accomplish very well all these goals or all these aspirations or we will very well do study reflection and meditative familiarization on the correct topic which ultimately will lead to the correct topic of the Great Vehicle path. There is very beautiful line in the teachings which goes by the power of hearing one becomes peaceful and subdued by the power of meditation one becomes free of impure thoughts. What the first part means is when one hears the teachings again and again then the teachings because they explain what leads to suffering and what would lead to be one to be freed from suffering as well the teachings explains how one can attain happiness and so forth therefore it is natural that whoever hears or listens to teachings again and again would become aware how one’s impure thoughts leads to sufferings in the process that through impure thoughts one accumulates negativities or bad karma and through that sufferings as consequences happen and by listening or hearing the teachings one understands how through pure thoughts one engages in to wholesome or virtuous actions through which one reaps happiness as a result and this then brings to a trainee, a practitioner enormous awareness how even on daily basis one looks at what is wholesome non faulty and what is unwholesome faulty in reference to one’s mental continuum and behaviors or behaviors motivated by them.
So it is quite natural that the happiness which one wants one would gradually be able to attain by a gradual increase of pure thoughts and virtuous actions and unhappiness the suffering which one does not want one gradually would be able to overcome by being able to decrease the impure thoughts and the non virtuous actions produced or motivated by them. The line, first part, which says, by the power of hearing one becomes peaceful and subdued that then can be understood with the previous explanation that when one stops the faulty activities or actions through the three doors physical action, verbal action, and mental action then it is inevitable outcome that once excellent qualities through the three doors would increase and as a result such a person would be appearing or would become peaceful subdued, subdued in good sense as the gross harshness and violent behaviors of body, speech and mind can decrease. So in that sense some becomes subdued. There is one verse advice teaching which says, when I look at the mirror of Dharma the reflection of my bad behavior which are formed I become very sad. May I therefore be able to direct behavior towards Dharma or wholesome.
What that means is as usually in orderly convention and doing people look at mirror but mirror is used normally to look at where one’s falls and other imperfections of the face and so forth can be picked on by looking at the reflection in the mirror and then one applies the necessary repair and make up and so forth and one becomes happy afterwards. Like that here when one looks or when one receives teachings and listens to teachings it is like where the wrong avenues where which one may or might might have or may be going to engage into a clearly exposed like a Dharma or the teachings being mirrored and this when looked at instruction or a source of guidance gives a trainee listener here the very basis through which one can decrease one’s faults. Here faults means impure thoughts and negative actions and improve the non faulty the excellent quality aspects of one’s mind and through that way by hearing the teachings, it helps one’s mind directed towards wholesome excellent qualities to be acquired by the mind. Especially for tonight we go through the topic of valid knowledge or valid cognition or valid perception which is a topic coming under the mind which in the context of object subject is one of the subject amongst the three parts.
Regarding the regarding the need to study and understand what is valid valid knowledge, is valid perception it is extremely important because we after all in following our spiritual pursuit needs to follow valid knowledge, valid perception. If we are able to follow valid perception meaning our mind is able to follow valid perception, valid knowledge then this automatically makes the person who is endowed with that mind to as well follow a valid knowledge, valid perception and this means means the person whose mind follows valid perception is on correct unmistaken path, such person follows correct unmistaken path in the absence of gaining understanding of what is valid knowledge the adverse consequences would be one’s mind would follow non valid knowledge, non valid perception this would automatically lead the person to mistaken path direction and it would be to give an example like falling off the cliff where the cliff is so deep and it would be difficult to regain and be back on on on on this taken part again. It would be like example in even in early convention if we follow a person who is honest, reliable, does not cheat or try to play trick on others, then we would we would be safe sound and safe and whatever goals we need to achieve by following such person would be achieved there will be no doubt about that whereas if the person we are following is someone who is dishonest tells lies all the time and really tells shifty lies and so forth then we would be we would lead to a mistaken direction we would never achieve what’s meant to achieve by following what we aim to achieve would not be achieved.
So that’s even in general case how it works by following a mistaken or by following a non mistaken reliance. If we follow compassion or if we follow loving kindness, compassion, bodhicitta, mind of enlightenment and wisdom realizing emptiness then because these which we follow are valid, valid knowledge, valid perception we would definitely be led to the state free of all mental shortcomings and complete with all excellent qualities, the state of Buddhahood. Whereas whereas opposite to that, if we follow self-grasping, attachment, hatred, pride, then and so forth then because these are non valid, and misleading perception or knowledge therefore we would be led to doing non virtuous actions through which there will be endless existence in the cycle saṃsāra in general, particularly in the three lower rebirths? Now regarding mind which is synonymous with awareness, what and how it is defined? Let’s go and look at its definition.
Awareness or mind is defined as clear and knowing. By clear, it implies or it it is supposed to mean that to such an entity everything would appear, The environmental universes and the resident the beings would appear to to it. So that part is the clear part and the knowing part is as things appear this entity the mind awareness can perceive, can know the things appearing to it. Let’s put it let’s put it in an example say if to the mind yellow color color yellow appears the mind also would know that this is yellow. If color red appears appears to the mind then the mind would perceive would know would would know would perceive the color red so forth so in the in this way the knowing part covers that part and together, yes, that’s how awareness or mind is defined.
So this is the mind, the awareness, when it is classified it is of two kinds valid and non valid. This means there is a type of mind which are valid valid cognition, valid perception, valid knowledge. And there are other types which are non valid perception, non valid knowledge. Regarding the etymological explanation of the of valid perception, valid knowledge in its Sanskrit, original Sanskrit language it is according to oral pronunciation it’s called Pramāna where the pra part means first and mana part means coming to contact or which alternatively means to understand, to perceive, to know. Now put together then this is what valid knowledge, valid perception is and the first part, the pra part is supposed to mean fresh, new and the coming into contact of perceiving part when joined means perceiving fresh, perceiving for the first time.
And that’s what valid perception means. So then, valid knowledge is where it has it has the features distinct with it now amongst which the first feature is that it is afresh and new first and the perception part which is to go back to original language, the mana part, the come in contact part that also implies infallible because in the original language it not only means coming in contact or perceiving it also means infallible unmistaken so these are the two features this when combined this is combined with the valid knowledge or valid perception basically being a mind a knower has all these three parts so valid knowledge or valid perception must have those three features to make it a valid knowledge that it is a fresh or first perception or first knowing and it is infallible, unmistaken and it is a mind and knower and knowing entity. So here we are obviously still following the Disciples School system and the valid knowledge its understanding also in the present case has to be in accordance with this system, the discourse groups tenets of Disciples School system and in this system if it is a valid knowledge then it necessarily is fresh, fresh knowledge where the object has not been earlier known or perceived.
If something is earlier if something has already been earlier perceived or known, then next time when the object is seen perceived it cannot be a valid knowledge valid perception valid knowledge still for example with the table let’s say the object table it is something which we already have perceived earlier last few days ago let’s say there was the table we perceived during the earlier Tuesday class time and now this evening we are seeing the table again we’re perceiving it again but this evening’s perceiving of the table is not a valid knowledge because it has already been perceived last class time so it it is not a valid knowledge valid perception and to summarize on this point if it is a valid knowledge, then it needs to be a fresh, non mistaken knowledge. Also that part more specifically explains the fresh for the first part. Then the second feature of the valid knowledge, valid perception is infallibility, non mistakenness, which means when the object is perceived, one needs to know the object thoroughly, one needs to know the object it cannot be non knowing for example and for example an instance of not understanding not knowing the object can be a case where we happen to see a stranger for the first time somewhere over there, and then we know that it is a person, but we’re not sure where the where he or she has come from, which country, which area, what’s the background and so forth.
So our mind our mind has not understood the person and as it has not understood the person our mind in relation to that person is regarding that person is not a valid knowledge, it is mistaken so no it cannot be a valid knowledge, valid perception. This then to summarize would mean if it is a valid knowledge then it must know its object. Now the stranger after inquiring inquiring few other people who happen to know the stranger, then it would be possible that we can know what the person who the person is, which country the person come from, what the background, and so forth. For example, that that could that could happen by way of the people around us explaining to us by way of introduction that this person, he has come from such country and he is that person, so when that is explained then we would know the person. And when we know the person then that instance our consciousness, mind has become a valid knowledge in reference to that person because it is fresh knowledge that for the first time we have known the person, perceived the person and it is infallible because we know exactly about the person so it is a fresh, infallible knowledge.
If it is introduced that this person is from Australia, then one would know from then onward about the person. For example, if we are the ones who want to know about a particular person where well, to use the common pronoun where he comes from, and if someone says, Oh, he’s coming from Australia, then within all of us there is the knowledge that the person is from Australia. So within all of us there is a new unmistaken knowledge born in reference to that person. So there cannot be any mistake, fallibility with such mind knowing the person. For example, from the person from its side the person is an Australian coming from Australia and from our side the mind knows the person is from Australia.
So the two are factually corresponding. And it is sure that there cannot be any mistake with such mind. The Vaibhāṣika tenet, which is the lowest Buddhist tenet, they they claim that senses are valid knowledge. For example, they claim the senses are valid knowledge this would require what is meant by sense. Well let’s say with eye, eye sense what appears outside the colored substance so that’s the exterior part but inside there is extremely refined, extremely pure aspect of it which is the actual sense perceiving its reference object.
Now the Vaibhāṣikas says that part of the eye eye, which is the eye sense, is a valid it’s a valid knowledge. So that’s what they say, but here the Disciples School don’t agree with that because Disciples School explain if it is a valid knowledge it necessarily has to be a mind it has to be an awareness and senses cannot be a valid knowledge because senses are not senses are not mind or awareness, they are just form, physical entities, not mind. Of course, in the case of eye sense forms or visible things appear to it like things would appear in the mirror but this but although things appear to the eye sense but eye sense does not perceive, not know the object so it does not know or perceive the object because the knowing part, the perceiving part is a function exclusive to mind, to awareness and that’s the reason why here this Disciples School disputes the specific exponent in its claim that senses senses are are valid valid knowledge. Knowledge. But of course, there is the part that with senses, in the say, in this case, I sense, there is no doubt the part of things able appear to it but there is no perceiving or knowing part from the senses part for example as far as the appearing part of this we can know by way of looking at the case of blind people once they go blind things do not appear and there is no subsequent perception by the mind following the eye sense so there is no appearing part because there is no because the eye sense has gone faulty and in normal case if there is the eye sense then there is the basis of the perception of the form because there is the forms appearing to the eye sense.
With regards to the valid cognition, valid knowledge, it is of two kinds: direct valid knowledge and inferential valid knowledge regarding the first type they are the valid knowledge where the object is perceived directly without any need to think or pursue any reasonings as a medium to perceive and know the object. For example, the direct valid knowledge can be the valid knowledge of the five senses eye, ear, nose, tongue, body where one does not apply any reasonings in order to perceive the object. For example, with eye it sees forms when it sees forms such as color, white, red, yellow, and so forth. When the perception or the knowledge is direct similarly when similarly