Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 63-minute teaching, Kyabje Rinpoche explores meditation and foundational Buddhist concepts through dialogue with students. He argues that emptiness is an object of meditation, not meditation itself, then examines bodhicitta (altruistic intention), showing how continuous contemplation produces experience that destroys afflictions like jealousy. The bulk of the session focuses on refuge (Kyabdro)—seeking protection from lower realms through the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha). Rinpoche explores the foundations of refuge: belief in the Three Jewels, remembrance of lower-realm suffering, and faith in past and future lives. Through examples and student questions, he examines whether all these conditions are equally necessary, particularly the role of fear in genuine refuge practice. For those new to Buddhist foundational concepts.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 24092017SundayAMEnglish3PAOTP – KR.mp3
UUID: 7764fc27-b14a-4d3c-bb45-18a5021a3f2f
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Three Principal Aspects
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~2,044
So now there is autumn. There is autumn in Tibet, you know? Autumn, Tibet, China, Taiwan, Sun. Taiwan, Taiwan, yeah. Autumn, the season.
Mostly I think in Asia, okay. Asian country. All Asian country. Yeah. Okay.
Okay. So thank you for coming to my teaching in English. You know. So today, I would like to talk talk about meditation and Three Principal Aspects of the path. Again, is named in Tibetan, Lam gyi.
You know? Lam gyi nam sum, actually. Lam gyi nam sum. Very short, isn’t it? Lam gyi nam sum.
But in English, the Three Principal Aspects of the path. In Chinese, you understand mei? And Julia, how do you say in Chinese? Is it? Yeah.
Yeah. She she’s from Taiwan. How do you say? Taiwan. Okay.
So but, you know, hoping when I am teaching, you know, in English, then you will listen carefully. And you know waste of your time or life. Do you understand? Do you understand? You never ever, you know, waste your time.
So there are many, many, you know oh, come on. Yeah. There are many, many, you know, topics of meditation. Numerous topics in meditation. But I’m not sure, you know, the emptiness, you know, you know, emptiness, Tongpanyi.
Empty knees actually, emptiness, emptiness itself isn’t meditation. I think no, no, no. Gum. In Tibetan, you know, gum. So emptiness, emptiness isn’t meditation.
Emptying is I think just you know object, know. Yeah object. Meal or just like you know, great compassion, generate bodhicitta and definite emergence, they are all objects of meditation. So which one meditation? Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Carefully. No. No.
I think no. So can you show me meditation? Just for example, you know. If, you know, m emptying is meditation, the table is meditation. The same.
Yeah. Oh, for a long time, long time, your thought, you know. No. No. I Yeah.
If, you know, if actually, if emptiness is, you know, meditation, the same type of, you know. It’s the object of meditation. Yeah. Maybe. Yeah.
But I’m not sure. Yeah. Yeah. Gum, you know. Gum, you know.
Gum jab, you see, very tight. Meditation. So yeah. But don’t worry, you know. So I don’t know.
There are many, many, you know, topics of meditation. But we we, you know, checking up, you know, again and again. So there are many, many, you know, topics of meditation. Just for example, okay, compassion and generate bodhicitta. Definite emergence, is it?
Ninjoo. Definite emergence. Emergence. Emergence. Okay.
And death and impermanence and emptiness. You know? So Shidendawa, is it? Shiwala. Shidendawa says, Shidendawa, Shiwala.
In the Tibetan, Shiwala. Shithindawa says in his chest. Chest. Yeah yeah yeah. So Bodhicaryāvatāra.
The more, you know, the more think, more study. You know? Without break, is it? Without break? Jamachepo.
Without break? Do you understand? Mhmm. Without break. What it means?
Not having a rest. Yeah. Yeah. Oven over again. We thought break.
But that says in the book, I’m not sure, you know, without break. A break. I’m gonna break. Continue. Oh, yeah.
Continuous. So the more think and more studying, without break, is it? Yes. Continue. Continuous.
Over and over again on, you know, generate bodhicitta. Then we will, you know, we will eventually, is it? We will eventually have deep experience of bodhicitta. Then bodhicitta will, you know, will will, will arise, you know, without without thought, without effort, is it? Effect.
And they continue in but but in but continue, you know, within the inner our mind, continue. So then we will, you know, feel more and more mental happiness. Mental happiness, same Śāntideva, same Śāntideva, you know. Same Śāntideva, same mental happiness. Same Śāntideva mental happiness.
Because once we have, you know, once we have generate, It destroys the afflictions. Destroy the way. I think stop. It destroys. Really?
And the funny destroys. Destroys. Oh, okay. So it destroys, you know, the afflictions afflictions. Just for example, jealousy.
You know? We, you know, deep experience about jealousy, you know? Jealousy. Jealousy. In Tibetan, how do you say?
Not good. Jealousy, you know. So The jealousy has co-causal conditions, cause and conditions. Do you understand? Julia?
Yes. Sorry. So jealousy. Jealousy is two corporate conditions, is it? Or just is dependent on two co two co causal condition.
Two causes. Two causes condition. The cause is self-cherishing. Self chasing, you know, self chasing. And condition is other person.
So we must think and study over and over again. Generate Because generate bodhicitta can stop jealousy. Because generate bodhicitta can stop self-cherishing, you know, self-cherishing. And self other person, say? Yeah.
Then, you know, very, very, you know, how do you say? More more, you know, happiness. If we, you know, deep experience bodhicitta within in our mind continue, then I think never ever Never ever ever a flash in in mind, is it? Sometimes, you know, sometimes, but no longer, you know. Pride.
Pride. No. No. Different. You said pride in my general.
Yeah. You know. Just for example, know, for example, Sam never ever, is it? Never jealousy with his son. Which one?
Has jealous is jealous of Really? Same is is? Never jealousy of his son. Why? Why?
Yeah, yeah, that’s one. Church and loves, you know. The same, you know. So if if how you how do you say? If we deep experience of bodhicitta in our mind continue, then you know your destiny will close, know.
All mother sentient beings, father sentient beings. Might take a long time, little bit long time. Yeah. Another thing. And also generate bodhicitta is dependent.
Great compassion is dependent on on what? On which one? The yeah. Yeah. That Compassion.
Compassion is dependent on Definite. Definite emergence. Some say, renunciation. But definite emergence. Emergency.
Emergency. Emergency. Sorry. Coming out. Emergency.
Come here. Definitely imagine a syndrome. Definite is I think. Actually, definite is Actually, you know, how do you say? Achieve to, achieve, achieve to liberation.
This one. June is, you know, in English, wishing to achieve liberation. Do you understand? So June June is, you know, wish to wish to wish to achieve liberation. That’s good, I think.
And funny, very funny. I don’t know. Means something quite a little bit different. Definitely images, it is cold war. But but not sure, you know, still you know, I’m not sure, I just I think you know, guys you know.
Yeah, yeah, okay, so now we have to little bit meditation for a few minutes. So we need to relax. Relax mind just in Gompa. Your body, your bodies are now in Gompa, know, the same mind, you know, place. So now I am talking about refuge.
Refuge is a Kyabdro. Kyabdro, refuge, Kyabdro. So refuge is actually part of the small scope. Within the small scope there are five of topics, know, so refuge is the fifth one, is it? No, fourth.
So sorry. Fourth one. Kyabdro. Kyabdro. In Tibetan?
Yep. No. So refugee is important in all religions. Is that religions? And it is must important in Buddhism.
Refugee refuge is virtuous and has many benefits benefits. And also refugee can protect protect us from, you know, going to really, going to go going to the lower Lower. So how can so how so how to develop strong and stable refuge. You know, there are many, many things because, you know, refuge. Refuge is but in the Tibetan, you know, actually, refuge.
So Buddha, you know, Buddha Buddha Śākyamūni, Buddha Śākyamūni is refuge? Why? I know. Refugees, it’s a little bit complicated, you know. Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Yeah, yes. Yeah. Yeah. Funny, you know. But in, you know, Tibetan, Kyabdro.
Then in English, there’s a a translator, you know, refuge practice. Refuge practice. So refuge. Because they’re funny, you know. Very strange.
Refuge. Refuge. In the Tibet, actually refuge is mind. Mind. Yeah.
Your mind. Okay. So so refugee is dependent, you know, on dependent on belief in the Three Jewels, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. Also we need to on and remember the suffering of the lower realms. And also we believe we believe past and future life.
Past and future life are basis of refuge. Yeah. Yeah. So we remember remembering which one? Remember the suffering of the lower realms, you know?
Then then then we will feel. Feel. Why? Feel. Feel fear.
So we feel fear, say? Fear. So then we will search, search, search, search refugee, for refugees. This is complicated, know. for refuge or refugee, which one?
So actually then we search search, you know, great great lama, you know. Actually, you know, in Tibetan. Our language, you know, he says the lama, you know, search. How do you say in Tibetan? No.
In English? Seek. Really? Then if you search such, you know, just for example, Buddha Buddha is actually price of refuge. Is that?
Price. Price. Price? Of refuge. We need, you know, we need we need to object of refuge.
For example, Buddha, you know. How do you say in English? Kyabten. Object of refuge. Really?
So it’s funny, you know. Place of refugee land, place of refugee. Place of refugee. Place of refuge. Object, you know.
I don’t know. You understand? Good. And sir, For example. Just for example, if we if we oh, you know, if we yeah.
If we were very, thirsty, then what will what we will do, you know? Search the water, is it? What happened? Chris? What you thinking about, you know?
Anyway, So you know, search for refuge, object of refuge for save us or protect us, you know, from going to the lower realms, you know. So Three Jewels, is it? Three Jewels. And the Three Jewels are the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. Anyway, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, they can protect us protect us from the suffering of the lower realms.
So do you understand? What is the definition of refuge? Is the definition of refuge? Protection. Protection. Kyabdro..
Place of? So this says, you know, Kyabdro, refuge practice. Practice. So I think you will have to had experience of refugee. So what is the definition of refugee?
Refuge. Refuge. Refuge. I am a refugee. I am a refugee.
Refugee, refugee. So what is the definition of, you know, Do we have refuge in your mind, actually? Yeah. Really? I would like to think, but no, I don’t think.
And Julie, do you have, you know, refuge in your mind? Sometimes, sometimes. But I need in a continue in our mind, you know. Within the refugee, there are different three topics. Now I’m talking about, you know, you know.
Now I’m I am talking of a lot refugee on the small scope, the small scope. That’s true. But sometime, Julia has had, Julian, you know, you have had experience on refugee. That time, what do you think? And Chris?
But differently you and Julia. Okay. Okay. Have you questions? In Tibetan.
Have you questions? Toba is questions. Yeah? A boy in a refuge. I like refuge.
Now complicated, you know. So. Okay. Yeah, just like you know, yeah yeah. In text, you know, text.
They said in a text. But just like that maybe the object of refuge. Belief, you know, strong belief. Belief two, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, you know, Three Jewels actually. Yeah, Andrew?
Substantial cause, I think, But you know, how do you say? The belief in Three Jewels is substantial cause refuge. Is it clear? I mean, it is. So you’ve got a three scope.
Yeah. Small, medium, fear for each scope. Yep. Yeah. They’re good.
They are in basis, you know, basis of refuge. What are you talking about? I’m just blah blah blah. No, no, okay. Chris was saying that you must believe in past and future lives in order to have fear, in order to generate refuge.
Okay? I was saying that fear is not necessary. You can have fear without believing in a power. Many without the belief, know. Okay, I can’t speak now.
The tomato, tomatoes, grows up. Is main piece, water and warm, earth. How goes on? Do you understand? Yeah, yeah.
Easy. Yeah, yeah. Thank you. Thank you for support. Page nine, Mandala Offering, the first verse.