Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 48-minute tenet commentary, Kyabje Rinpoche compares how three Buddhist traditions—hearers, solitary realizers, and great vehicle practitioners—conceive the path to enlightenment, each requiring different mental capacity and spanning vastly different timescales. Hearers, daunted by prolonged samsaric existence, accumulate modest merits; solitary realizers endure one hundred eons with greater mental strength; bodhisattvas engage merit accumulation across three countless eons. He traces the five-path framework shared by all three, then explains nirvana with remainder—the state of liberation for an arhat according to the two lower Buddhist schools. Rinpoche concludes by reframing the study itself: understanding these mental stages deeply, even without achieving full realization in this life, leaves powerful imprints, making such knowledge more valuable than material wealth. For serious practitioners of Buddhist philosophy.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1994-08-28 – 17B – KR.mp3
UUID: 2791209b-9ea6-4168-b7d4-ee50faa3a352
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Tenets
Date: 1994-08-28
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~2,877
Yes. Here in the case of solitary realizer the view is exactly same same to the hearer that the view is this realization of selflessness of person as not existing self sufficiently in substance. But the difference is with the accumulation of merits. Here solitary realizer compared to here accumulates medium amount of amount of merits. The difference here with solitary realizer is the amount of merits accumulated.
For example, in solitary realizer’s case, spends in the solitary realizers case the practitioner spends one hundred eons in accumulating merits during the first two parts, part of merits and part of preparation and the actual traversing of the path and attaining of enlightenment also attaining of its result, the non training path would happen within the duration of one lifetime. So it is in a way very extremely long duration of accumulating of merit the practitioner of the solitary realizer part undertakes. The difference in the accumulation of merits happened between the hearers and solitary realizer is due to the difference in the mental strength of the two. For example, in the case of hearers they cannot bear to remain in saṃsāra waiting for one hundred eon accumulating merit because because they they are are frightened by the very idea of remaining in saṃsāra for that long. So they feel incapable of remaining and to be doing still accumulating merits for that long of hundred years whereas the solitary realizers have much greater strength of mind and they feel capable and willing to remain that long in saṃsāra or accumulating merits.
The format of the five paths would apply similar to a great vehicle path because the first two parts part of merits and part of preparation would be the stage where one prepares by specifically accumulating and then during path of seeing and part of meditative familiarization one is actually on the direct combat against the afflictions, the weaknesses of the mind and during the fifth path the conclusion path one attains the result the state of omniscience. So it is similar format. According to the explanation by the specific exponents and the discourse group the great vehicle practitioner still applies the same view, the realization of the person as lacking self-sufficient existence in substance but they explain the great vehicle practitioner is different because the great vehicle practitioner accumulates great amount of merits as opposed to the earlier two who accumulate small amount and intermediate or medium amount of merits. Now as far as the specific reference of how long the duration of accumulation of merit goes it is explained as far as that goes there is no mention of specific time length given to the hearers, it’s just said that the hearers accumulate small amount of merits but there is no mention how long or short that duration means.
But there is a spelt out time given about solitary the realizers who accumulate merits for 100 eons. In the case of great vehicle, a bodhisattva, it is said that bodhisattva accumulates merits for countless eons, which some might say infinite number of eons, because some people prefer the word infinite as opposed to countless, as countless means if they are not able to count then it doesn’t mean anything. So infinite number of eons. So in the case of the great vehicle interpretation there are for three great countless eons, so accumulation of merits. Firstly, the accumulation of merit for the first great countless eons, then the accumulation of merit for the second great countless eons, and thirdly, accumulation of merit for the third grade countless eons.
And in the case of the great vehicle perspective, the accumulation of the first countless eons merit is accumulated during the first two parts, part of preparation or part of merits and part of preparation. And then the third part, the path of seeing onward is given the classification into 10 grounds where the first ground is the path of seeing and then the path of meditative familiarization onward is split further into nine grounds. So together there are 10 grounds from path of seeing onward. Now as regards to the accumulation accumulation of the second countless eons it is explained one accumulates merits during the first seven grounds which are called the seven impure grounds. And the accumulation of the third great countless eons is during the last three during the last three grounds in the 10 grounds and when one attains the 11 ground that is synonymous or of same meaning as attaining Buddhahood, the state of omniscience.
So that is how it is explained. When a the state of arahat or foe destroyer, that very time at the moment of attaining foe destroyer there is a quality of mind which is the complete abandonment of the impure thoughts. So that very abandonment, the quality with mind, alternatively also to be called as the true cessation. That is the state of arahant or foe destroyer called, the nirvana with remainder. So similarly when with the solitary realizers the very moment the person attains the state of foe destroyer there there is a quality of mind which is in place of having abandoned, having now completely overcome the impure thoughts, the true cessation.
So that as well is the nirvana with remainder. Similarly when a great a great vehicle practitioner attains the state of Buddhahood then that very moment although while it’s not spelled out while being alive there is that moment and the quality of the mind of having abandoned or having discarded away all weaknesses of mind that is called as the state of Buddhahood with remainder. But here it needs to be clarified that this is how according to the two lower Buddhist tenets specific exponents and discourse group would explain. When one attains the state of foe destroyer, that is a state of liberation having overcome all impure thoughts completely. And according to the two lower Buddhist tenets, it is explained that state is nirvana with remainder.
Why it is called nirvana with remainder is firstly the remainder part or the residue part. Remainder or residue part it is called remainder because the person is alive with the body or the body of the previous state when one was not yet an arahat or or foe destroyer, or in other words the person is still with the body of an ordinary person which was produced by impure thoughts and karma, a body produced by that. So that is still with that person. Of course that body is not saṃsāra but still there is a remainder residue of samsaric properties with the person as being alive and with that body. So that’s why it is called remainder.
And as far as nirvana part goes, literally it means sorrow transcended. The reason why it is called sorrow transcended is because that is the state where one has completely transcended or given up all sufferings, all saṃsāra. So it really a state of having gone beyond sorrow or beyond suffering. Together then it makes sense to say that is nirvana with remainder. Now when the person dies, meaning the person who has attained the state of foe destroyer, if that person dies then according to the viewpoint of the two lower Buddhist tenets they say that is the end of the consciousness the person does not get reborn next time.
So they think that is the is the end. There is no existence after that. So they take it as meaning of nothing there at all after that. As there is none of the three possible ways a rebirth would take place, there would be no rebirth to such person. That is how it is explained.
The three ways of rebirth are being reborn by the force of karma and impure thoughts. Or the second, the reborn through the power of compassion of the person towards others, as in the case of reincarnated beings. Thirdly, through the power of prayer, fervent prayer, through that way one would be born. So now in the case of the explanation by the two lower tenets they explain that because such person does not have compassion, being a hearer and not a great vehicle practitioner, and as well lacks what’s called prayer, so those two ways of rebirth is ruled out. And because the person an arhat, a foe destroyer who has completely overcome all impure thoughts and the actions, the karma produced by that, so that as well is ruled out.
So they say that is the end to the life existence with that person. And they give the example it is like complete death, complete exhaustion, complete finish as if with the complete finish with the candle once it is finished. So there is a mere state of having abandoned saṃsāra. So we can say there is a state of nirvana, state of sorrow transcended which is of having a state having having overcome saṃsāra. So just the complete absence of saṃsāra.
In the case of the great practitioners of the past, that is how they have firstly having generated the thought wanting to come out of saṃsāra of suffering by firstly seeing the saṃsāra as all faulty that they have generated that thought and out of that they then developed developed the path, the realization quality of the mind and have attained the result. If that’s the case then in our case we have this wonderful opportunity to study their progression of the mental training through grounds and parts, how to overcome each of the impure thoughts and how in reliable successive way to attain the paths and grounds and then attain liberation, state of foe destroyer and even finally attain state of Buddhahood that it is possible we can do that and that would be like the inspirational part of this study. In Tibetan language the texts are not called books instead they are called texts. The reason for that is because in the text there is explanation of how practitioners in the past have trained on such and such path to overcome such and such impure thoughts and weaknesses of mind and through that have finally attained the state of liberation foe destroyer enlightenment and so forth.
Now if that is explained there then we can look at those as an example an exemplary inspiration source based on that we all as well can dwell within our continuum the realizations qualities, the past grounds, and even attain the state of foe destroyer liberation enlightenment and so forth that it is possible with reliance on those examples as explained there. So that’s why it is called as the example base. And it is not called as a book as you would say in English, instead in Tibetan it’s called the example base, Pecha. But it’s still up to you what you take your meaning from the English reference as a book. So in this way, here with the context topic, there is a clear explanation about how to go ahead with one’s practice and attain the excellent qualities giving one an insight and example how one as well would need to and could practice like that and develop the same.
For example, if someone has gone someone has traveled to India and later on mentions about how the person has traveled in India to places like Delhi and around Buddhist places like Bodh Gaya where Buddha attained enlightenment and other places such as where the Buddha gave teachings and so forth. Then based on that information plus certain spelled out map and guidelines if one follows one else would be able to arrive to those destinations provided you got the airfare. Last minute, that’s the additional part. Similarly let’s say with the understanding of the paths and the grounds it is really helpful to first have a good grasp of whereabouts to go and the stops and so forth and how to go and that is a good part. But to actually arrive there one has to take the step otherwise one would not arrive there.
So based on sound understanding, one does take up the practices then yeah it is possible to attain all the grounds and paths that even in this life one may not be able to attain. Definitely within next lives thereabouts and so forth one would attain the state of Arahatthood and so forth. Here the understanding of the parts and the grounds is different to normal understanding of a destination route, say to India and other places and so forth. Because here if one has sound understanding on these various stages of mental realizations, improvement and so forth, then more sound the understanding is, strong the imprint one would be able to leave. Depending on the degree of the imprint one leaves, there is a much more possibility of gaining realization quicker quicker to that degree. So it is worthwhile to take interest in all these that even if one leaves an imprint for next life and so forth that means one would have a connection through which it is possible to gain a quicker realization in experiences.
Even if one does not make up to the level to actually generate the realization at least if one continuously remain in touch through daily meditative familiarization on these grounds and paths, how and what about and what level and so forth, the whole map of the mental improvement, then one would be able to leave a very significant imprint that in future say if one encounters a lama or a sublime teacher who at the moment are teaching on these topics one would be able to have the awakening of previous imprints and through that be able to have quick realisations. On the one hand, if one has 100,000, 10,000 million and billions of dollars, on the other hand, simply happens if one doesn’t have that but instead simply happens to have an ascertained understanding that mind has such and such possible ways of improving and developing that there are such stages of mental path and realization and through that way if one is able to leave a significant imprint then we could say in the second case would be far more beneficial to one’s welfare in future. So thank you. We’ll stop here for tonight and perhaps we shall limit our study of the first two tenets on that topic about grounds and paths because discourse groups explanation about grounds and path is no different to the earlier specific exponents the two can be of uniform explanation so that would cover that point and that would be enough on the first two tenets.
So this week finishes about a month’s duration of this term starting from August beginning. Therefore, next Thursday we’ll have an examination because it would be helpful to revise and remind the already discussed and studied topics so far. In the last examination, what was to be asked in the examination was actually spelled out in the teachings meaning in the teachings the topics were discussed what was to come in the examination although the questions may not beforehand been told that this would come and this would come but if one did look into what was discussed in the teaching one would have found the answers already in the teachings and that is generally acceptable the way examinations are done and that’s how it happened with last time. So this time the examination will be spelled out, then what would come as a question and the topics that will come in the examination will be about valid knowledge and non-valid knowledge which are amongst the seven types of mind. The questions would be about grounds and paths.
And the reason for that is so you would take extra interest in these topics and Okay. In the great vehicle context, the first two parts, part of merits and part of preparation are not given given the designation as ground, although they do satisfy the definition of ground as being the foundation for excellent qualities. So the actual part where in the great vehicle the division into 10 grounds given starts from path of seeing where path of seeing is the first part and the part of meditative familiarization is divided into 10 or nine grounds. So becoming nine grounds. So becoming together 10 grounds including the path of seeing.
And then the path of no more training or state of Buddhahood that is can be counted as eleventh ground. But it is the resultant state of ground. So in the format of 11 divisions it is just the last one synonymous to non-training path of Buddhahood and the previous 10 where the first is the path of seeing. Yeah. The part of meditative familiarization is of nine stages where it is divided into three great stages, three middling stages and three small stages thus being nine and the path of seeing being one ground.
So one together 10 and non-training path being one ground to 11. So perhaps it would add up to 11.