Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. This hour-long teaching begins with a practical focus: how to practice Dharma by understanding mental suffering within this life, not waiting for some future state. Kyabje Rinpoche teaches that mental suffering stems from grasping at permanence, and the antidote is meditating on death and impermanence—two contradictory modes of mind, like light and darkness. As this grasping weakens through practice, contentment naturally arises and suffering diminishes. He then outlines the ten non-virtuous actions across body, speech, and mind, showing how each arises from harming sentient beings or disrespecting the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Finally, he presents the four opponent powers—refuge, regret, promise, and compassion—as the practical means to confess and purify non-virtuous actions. Woven throughout are personal anecdotes and student questions, keeping the teaching grounded and interactive.
File metadata (for organising)
File: English3PrinciplesOfPath – KR.mp3
UUID: 0f7742a0-de08-4ce6-9981-43164d6f0da2
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Three Principal Aspects
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~2,130
So welcome to my teaching in English. So today I would like to talk about Dharma. Dharma. Dharma and kama I think. How do we practise Dharma?
How do we practise Dharma? Yeah, maybe, maybe. So yeah okay, so we need to understand the we need to understand the faults of suffering within this life. I say, how do we practice Dharma during the small scope? The small scope, No mediscule, no great scope, just small scope.
So we need to understand the effects of suffering within this life. Easy, isn’t it? Within this life. Suffering within this life. So there are two types.
Tribes. Tribes. Two types of suffering. Mental and physical suffering. I am talking about mental suffering.
Mental suffering. No physical suffering. It’s little bit easy. If you have you have physical physical, you know, suffering, then you can go to to the how do you say? Hospital.
You can see the doctor, you know. So I I am talking about mental. Yeah, I am talking about suffering, mental suffering of this life. So if we or you, which one? We.
You. Not me. Okay. We know. If we understand the faults of suffering this life, then we will, I think, then we will need to abandon.
Abandon. Abandon suffering of this life. Can it be no? Very good. So how how do we abandon?
How do how do we abandon? How do we abandon? Abandon. Abandon. Suffering of this life.
To suffer of this life, which one? Okay, so how do we abandon to Abandon the suffering this life. What do you think? Why? And you, Pamela, what do you think?
Yeah, so. Yep. We must, you know, we must, we must meditate on death and impermanence. Because, because meditating on death and impermanence is antidote to grasping. Grasping at the permanence of self.
Yeah, this one. Alright. So suffering, you know, suffering of mental suffering of this life is dependent on the on thee at the impermanence of self. Mental suffering of this life is dependent on the grasping at the permanence of self. Yeah.
Yeah. Being, which conditioning? How? Then ask, you know, how? Is it?
How is suffering, matter of suffering of this life dependent, is it? On the the impermanence itself. Yeah, that’s a question. Because mental suffering of this life is dependent on the the permanence of self, you know. Question, how is that?
What is the connection? How is? Are you think? Are you thinking? No, example, for me, sometime I thought, thought I’ll live now that you know, yeah, 16, 17.
Now I am 52. And also how do you say? Other 15, then hundredth age. So during the, then you know, yeah there is some. Do you understand?
But I little bit, my English is something. Thank you. So mental suffering of this life is dependent at the you know, depend on the grasp at the, you know, permanence of the self. Exactly. Exactly.
You can reflect. Then reveal. Then desire and attachment arise in our mind followed by anger, jealousy, and this results in problems for us. So within the death and permanence, there are three topics. Three topics.
Which one? Death is certain. The term is certain, the time is uncertain. Only dharma help us which one? At the time at the time of death, yeah.
So we have to, you know, repeat about second one. The time is the time is which one? Uncertain. Oh, the time is the time is, you know, time of death is uncertain. Oh, yeah.
Very, very, you know. Not sure we, you know. Because after teaching, you think you think now after teaching, I will, you know, lunch and go to the beach because Where? After teaching and lunch and go to beach and lovely day and yeah yeah yeah. That’s nirvana.
We have to understand. We have to reflect on, you know. Second one. The time of death is uncertain. Sorry?
The time of the time of death is uncertain. Namchug ne me. In Tibetan, how do you say? Namchug me. Yeah.
Very good. Meditate meditating on the death and impermanence is, you know, is antidote to grasping at permanence of self. Because they are contradictory, you know? Contradictory. Yeah.
They are contradictory. Sorry sorry. Contradictory, very good, you know, very important. They are contradictory. Why?
They are currently which one? They are? Which they are? They are contradictory. Yes.
Which one? Which one? Who? Or why? No, no, no, no, No, no, no.
They are kind of, I say, know, I said they are contradictory. So which one? They are who? Which they are? No.
Say meditating on the death and the permanence and grasping at the, you know, grasping at the permanence of self. I said that one. Those two. Contradictory. Because I said before, know, meditating on death and permanence and no, no, no.
Yeah. Meditating, English is very long. Yes. It’s very nice. Yes.
Welcome to English. Oh, you know, but meditating on the death and the permanent is contradictory to which one? Because they are contradictory. Modes of apprehension. But of before we have to understand, you know, contradictory, gada is.
Gada. Why there are, you know, I think, modes of apprehension. For example, is like light and dark. Cannot at the same time. Do you understand?
Do you understand? Really? Oh, sorry. Which one? Light and dark.
They cannot, you know, light and dark cannot exist at the same time. The same place. Same place rather. Here you know dark, light. If light, dark has gone.
It’s naturally. So we must, we must reflect. We must reflect. We must reflect on death and impermanence again and again. Then our desire, attachment will, you know, reduce, decrease, decrease, decrease.
And we will, you know, we will experience more contentment. Very good. Chuchi, contentment. In Tibet, Choshi, that’s okay, that’s okay. Only just one cup, that’s okay.
No two, three, four. Yeah yeah. Contentment. Contentment, yeah. In the Tibetan, Choshi.
Chu as in chig ra. Chu shi is Choshi is like dika terwa. Chu shi is enough, no. No. Enough?
No. K, N, or W. Is it? Oh. Enough, no.
Contact match, the same, is it? Enough no. So it’s like to know that this is enough. Digpa. Like Chushi.
Yeah. Yeah. That’s, you know. Actually, you know, that’s different here. I think there there are 27 or 26, 27 different differences.
They’re different. Yeah, four, you know, for contentment, you know. You have to contentment Buddha side, you know, Buddha sides. And also here. Yes.
Yes. Yes. Coat. You have to buy, you have to sell your car and just joking. But you are because you are Australian, you know.
So Australian. Yeah. Bus. Bus. Bus.
Your contentment. Very, good. Contentment. We really, you know, the less grasping, less we will, you know, less suffering. Less suffering.
Okay, so we have to meditate on, you know, death and death and impermanence, or you know, you can you can choice, you know. Okay? For few minutes. So now I’m talking about karma, karma. We did karma, there are three types, you know.
non-virtuous karma, virtuous karma, and neutral karma. Within the non-virtuous karma there are three groups, you know? Body, speech, and mind. Body, speech, and mind. So three, body and four three three body, four speech and three mind.
Group a, group b, group c, a b c. Within the group A, there are three of body. One? Killing. Killing. Stealing.
Sexual misconduct. Group B? Gossip. Lying. How do you say it?
Divisive speech, harsh words, words, gossip. ABC, yeah. Group C. Which one? Covetousness?
And? But Wrong sometimes, you know, second one, how do you say? So How do we kalauta? How do we abandon those non virtuous. Basically the same, I’m just mentioning, basically we need to understand the faults of this non virtue.
We have to understand faults. Those non veichos. And especially which to engage in most easier. Especially, know, which non virtuous to engage in much easier. For example, for me it is easy to engage in gossip and covetousness.
Just me. So I say, I say, I speak so I said before, basically how do we abandon those non virtues? So basically we need to understand the faults of those non virtues. Basically and especially, especially, especially which non virtuous engage in most easy. Easier, is it?
Yeah, it is true. So just for example, for me it is easier in gossip and covetousness. Yeah, that’s for me, know, for me as a yeah, you know. Gossip and covetousness. You, but I just mentioned, I told last week, you know.
And you? And Donka? But you don’t you don’t eat meat. And which one? Okay.
Yeah. Yeah. That’s very yeah. Yeah. Covetousness.
Oh, okay. Yes. Sometime I went to, you know, city or I went to here. There, how do you say? Red Cross, you know?
Red Cross. Sorry? Yeah, Red Cross and Vinny. Vinnies, are they? Saint Vincent’s.
Okay. So then I saw some of the shoes, but new, not new. Second, it’s nice. Color, you know. Yeah, this one.
Good color and good color. Color and good quality. Good color, good quality, good sizes for me, you know. Then that’s a must. Attachment.
But I have, you know, still another shoes, know. No second. If just one that’s okay. Good color, good quality, and also good size, know. Yeah.
Covetousness. Then I’ve but I didn’t, you know, buy, then I came back to home. And still I thought, oh. Yeah. Covetousness. Sorry?
Them now. Yeah, dear. She’s still there. No, no, no, no, But not too much, not expensive. 5 or $6, know.
Yeah, very cheaper. So not expensive because it is in the second hand, so cheaper. We see, know, Red Cross. So the same, you know, I just mentioned. So we have to reflect, you know, on death and permanence again and again.
Also on other hand, we can, you know, we can, and adopt, apply, apply the, you know, Apply the anti doubt, apply the antidote. And doubt, how do you say, by the four opponent powers Opponent. Opponent, yeah. Opponent powers.
Oh, opponent powers. Which one? Yep. What are they?
Ah, it’s Stevie. So which one? Refuge. Yeah. Refuge.
Is it? Regret. Yeah. Refuge. Tell refuge, think.
For refuge, maybe Okay. Refuge and regret. Is that regret? Regret. Regret.
Regret. Regret and promise, I can think. Promise. Resolve. Yeah, sorry.
Or promise. Was the base of the subject and then and then not. Not I necessarily, you know, in order. You can. Sometime not necessary, but you know.
So do you understand which one? Mary and Monica? Monica, can you say? Regret. Yep.
Promise. Very important, know. Second and third actually. Regret and promise.
Very, very important. And also, you know, when we, how do you say, have to confess, is it? Confess, Confess, have to reflect on refuge and, yeah, refuge and compassion. Because the non virtuous come from, actually come from harming other sentient beings and disrespecting Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. Do you understand?
Okay. Because because because because we we did we did we did attack. We did attack. Attack. Yeah.
We did harm other sentient beings. Say harmed? Yeah, And also we and also we did, you know. We didn’t I think. We didn’t.
Respect. Have, you know, you haven’t we haven’t respect with Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. So when so if we reflect on refuge, then how do you say? The power of the base. Yeah.
Yeah. That’s one. Do you understand? Yeah. When we, you know, confess, when we have to confess, yeah, then you then how do you say?
Then we then you reflect, you know, on love and compassion. Very important. Yes, love, you know, I actually love with other person. Sorry? Okay.
Choose. Like? Just joking. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Keep going. And Fizamo, you know Stili. Steely, and sexual misconduct, covetousness. Killing, Stealing, and Sexual Misconduct, and which one?
Lying and harsh words, gossip, gossip. Harming of person, other person. Covetousness, sure. And Actually group a, b, you know. Yeah yeah yeah, from adversity being.
Yeah. Yeah, Against refuge beings. Against refuge beings. So we have to reflect on with compassion, you know, then we will love with, you know, other person. Yeah, anyway.
Just one question. When I say as a gossip, when I gossip, I gossip with a drunkard, Then drunkard’s, how do you say? Does that action have a karmic relationship. Gossip and Not sure all know, not virtuous.
Most, I say most 80%, not 100%. Covetousness. Okay, yes, stop. Thank you. Thank you.
No? Okay. Just joking. Page nine.