Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 45-minute teaching, Khensur Rinpoche presents Tsongkhapa’s three principal aspects of the path, using a graduated framework of three practitioner levels: narrow perspective (securing a fortunate rebirth), middling perspective (seeking liberation from cyclic existence), and vast perspective (enlightenment to benefit all beings). He traces how each develops: first diminishing attachment to this life through contemplating impermanence and death; then loosening attachment even to future rebirth through reflection on karma and the inescapable suffering within cyclic existence. He includes a story about the Indian master Atisha warning that pursuing only this life’s happiness leads to rebirth as a hell being, hungry ghost, or animal. The teaching emphasizes how listening to Dharma shifts one’s thinking and offers practical guidance for daily motivation—setting intentions each morning and evening to benefit oneself and others in both present and future lives.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1993-08-31 – Side 1 – KR.MP3
UUID: d65597df-044e-41c3-86c2-daa70e050fee
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Three Principal Aspects
Date: 1993-08-31
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~3,253
Quoting from the text by Tsongkhapa, the three principal aspects of the the three fundamentals of the path where he says, if you think again and again about the deeds and their inevitable effects and the sufferings of cyclic existence, the aspiration for the pleasures of future lives will be reversed. So we are discussing the three fundamentals of the path, and the the first of which is the determination to be free, renunciation. And as a means to develop this determination to awaken, there is the previous discussions which were designed in in discussing leisure and fortune and the impermanence in terms of death as to reprioritize our in terms of this life. Next, the verse we’re going to begin to discuss will help us to reprioritize in terms of future lives. So we explained explained we discussed extensively the way to to to reverse our priorities in terms of this life.
So in the the extensive discussion previously in in terms of the way in which we reverse our priorities in terms of our present life, what If we were to say, well, what is the essence of that discussion? And to simply briefly set set out its meaning, It is firstly that this human life that we possess in terms of its leisures and fortunes, it has great meaning and is extremely difficult to find. What is it that we want to we want to be happy? What is it we don’t want? We don’t want to suffer.
And it is it is specific specifically a human life, the type of embodiment which we all possess, which is is the basis for bringing, for implementing the methods whereby to achieve the end that we want. There is no, more qualified basis than the basis we possess in terms of a human embodiment which is able to bring about this end. Therefore we must make use of it. So and but there even though we may appreciate the great meaning of a human life and its difficulty in finding, we may think that there is no immediate necessity to bring about the the to accomplish our purposes which depend upon such a unusual basis, a human embodiment. But this is why what is it is next presented that this human life is impermanent, that is to say that we are going to die and we simply do not know when.
So we have to accomplish the meaning of a human embodiment. It must be accomplished now because we don’t know when we’re going to die and if upon having died, having once died and not having accomplished our purpose, then we will not only there is a great possibility of not only finding not not finding happiness but in fact finding a major suffering in the future. So therefore it is it is said that it’s extremely important to not to have attachments solely for this happiness of this life and begin to practice skillful actions and abandon unskillful. What would be the result if we were able to practice in this fashion as described? Upon our death we we would take rebirth in a in a fortunate realm as opposed to an unfortunate realm.
So we we then having reprioritized, in terms of our present life and considering, the welfare of future existences, we then go on to reverse our priorities toward future lives. And this is done, as it mentions in the text, thinking again and again about, actions and their in infallible results. So this involves, the explanation of karma as actions and their results. And then considering the sufferings of cyclic existence, in that we’re continually born in cyclic existence again and again and again. And that within this cyclic process, we undergo continual suffering.
We continually undergoing the cyclic process of birth, aging, disease and death birth, aging, disease and death. And and we begin we should reflect upon the suffering nature of this process. So what in terms of the graduated path, what has been explained up to the present is the graduated path of the being of narrow perspective. Now what is going to be explained is the graduated path in terms of the being of middling perspective. So as was mentioned that up to now we have been discussing the graduated path in terms of the being of narrow perspective.
And out of this narrow perspective, that is to say having a limited vision, There there one involves oneself in limited types of practices, bringing about limited types of results. The being of middling perspective, expands in terms of their vision. They have a middling vision of the nature of their situation and therefore, engage in a moderate type of practice, bringing about moderate results, middling types of results. On the other hand, those of vast vision, those of great perspective, having a vast vision, they’re in this involves them into in vast practices, bringing about extremely vast results. So the the being of narrow perspective has, through reversing their priorities in terms of this life, freed themselves from attachment to the happiness solely of this life and engages in various methods whereby upon their death, they will take a human rebirth in the future which will and a human rebirth which will possess, the necessities of livelihood.
They will have companions and material necessities. For those who have not listened to the Dharma previously, those who have not trained their mind in spiritual practices, their their entire thinking is involved in solely in the happiness of this life. And therefore, they implement the means to achieve implement means to achieve that happiness and there they as a result, they achieve only the happiness in this life. On the other hand, those who have listened to the Dharma have meditated on it again and again thinking about what has thus far been explained, begin to practice in the ways that we’ve been talking about. So there occurs in this process of listening a change in the way that we think.
Thus far if those who, have not involved themselves in the process of listening and practice, they’re they’re they think only in terms of happiness of this life and therefore they enact various activities to accomplish only the happiness of this life. But in fact, the duration of this life is extremely thought and having only implemented those methods which will bring happiness to this life, then upon their death they have achieved nothing for in terms of their future life. So one of the greatest of Indian masters, Jowo Atisha, he was a great practitioner and he was also the one of the first composers of the genre of text called the Lamrim or the Graduated Path to Awakening. He was invited to Tibet, and upon journeying to Tibet, he was asked by a lama, the following question: If one, engages in activities solely for the purpose of happiness of this life, what will be the result? And having been asked that question, then Atisha answered, one will, as a result of engaging in this So the lama asked that question as I just mentioned, that if one engages in activity solely for the happiness of this life, what will be the result?
And, Atisha answered, saying that, one will accomplish happiness of this life, engaged in those activities. And then but what will be and the further question was asked, but what will be the happen having done that, upon this individual’s death, what will be the results for future lives? And Atisha answered Such a person will be reborn either as a hell being, as a hungry ghost or as an animal. Therefore, there’s great danger. So there’s great danger involved and as this is the same thought that Mañjuśrī put forth when he said, If one is attached to this life one is not a spiritual practitioner.
So these are the are the teachings of Śākyamūni Buddha. Though, you know, the it was a teacher who who made first made use of these labels that we the in terms of the being of narrow perspective, the being of medium perspective, the being of vast perspective. The the Buddha didn’t particularly use these these nomenclatures, these names, these labels, but he still spoke in the same manner to toward, these different levels of, students. He said when he first taught the Dharma, he was he he addressed when he addressed himself to those who, were of narrow perspective, he said, Don’t be attached only to this life. Consider your future lives.
And in having said that, he went on to give them various practices so that they could implement that thought that he was trying to get across to them. To those who had a vaster vision in terms of their practice, those who had a middling perspective, he said, Well, don’t just consider the happiness of future lives, but consider it to be consider liberation. And he went on to give them teachings in accordance with with that particular attitude of mind. And but he and for those who had a vast vision of spiritual practice, he said, don’t just think of liberation for yourself alone, but think about being liberated as a means to bring about the welfare of all others. And therefore he went on to present the methods whereby that particular level of practitioner could implement that teaching in terms of the graduated path of being a vast perspective, a means whereby we generate compassion and then go on to achieve liberation as a way of helping others to do the same.
So in general, ordinary people are very much the same. But we can begin to distinguish them in One way we can begin to differentiate them is in terms of those who have listened to the Dharma and those who have not. Those who have not listened to the Dharma teachings, are completely wrapped up in in their thinking of the happiness of this life. They give no thought to future happiness beyond this life. But someone who has listened to Dharma considers this as being disadvantageous in that by completely being completely devoting ourselves to only the happiness of this life, then this will this is not going to bring about a desirable type of result.
Why? Because though we may experience happiness in this life, in the future we will experience rebirth as a hell being or a hungry ghost or as an animal. Therefore, this doesn’t bring about the type of result that such a person would want. On the contrary, this person begins to think, Well, I’m not going to completely overlook the happiness of this life, but not going to completely devote myself to the happiness of this life. I’m going to begin to measure out both the means that I implement to find happiness in this life and also in future lives.
So one begins to think in terms, well, half of my activities devoted to the happiness of this life and half of my activities devoted to finding happiness in my future life. So between these two, those who have listened to the teachings of the Dharma and those who have not, there’s a difference in the though they are in general similar, their ways of thinking become different. There’s a difference in the degree and power of their thought. So, you know, when we when we wake up in the morning, before we we should try to set some sort of, skillful motivation for ourselves. Try to develop a vast vision of why you’re you’re going to do what you’re going to do over the course of your day and develop a motivation to benefit yourself and all living beings in this not only now but in the future.
Out of that motivation, then you can practice your meditation. And then having done that, go on to earn your livelihood, to do whatever work it is that you do over the course of the day. Then coming home in the evening, can watch and then reestablish some motivation in order to benefit oneself and others in the in the future. Again, engage in med in meditation. And in this way, one brings about the purposes of not only this life but also a future life.
So if we if we act in this way, then we will have few difficulties over the course of this life, we will be happy. But also through our meditational practice, we will eliminate, future difficulties for ourselves in the future. And therefore, we adopting such a lifestyle, we gain both, both types of wealth, happiness for ourselves, present and future lives. So those who have experienced the Dharma and listened to the Dharma, there arises this different way of looking at the world and thinking. As one begins to expand one’s vision, the proportion of time spent in the for directed at the accomplishing happiness of this life becomes less and the amount of effort toward future happiness increases.
And as one’s efforts become predominantly directed towards future lives, one’s future happiness grows that much greater. So it is in this way that we begin to place less emphasis on this life that we reverse our priorities, that we begin to reduce our attachment and this is the way our spiritual practice proceeds. So through implementing such a practice we can assure that in our future of birth will be that of a human but moreover that we will meet with a lama who will teach the unerring, unmistaken Dharma. And by implementing the practice of Dharma, that we can we will be able to achieve liberation. But even over and above that, if we were to cultivate the awakening heart and realization of emptiness, we could we could become enter into the universal vehicle and become a bodhisattva.
But over and above that, if we were to, in that very life, engage in the practice of the secret mantra, we could achieve Buddhahood. So this is the possible benefits which are possible within future life. So if we think of it in terms of this, that through through our activities of this life that we can provide all of the necessary conditions in the future such that we can bring about this tremendous result, then we can begin to appreciate how greatly useful our present life is. So there is an increase in the perspective from that of the narrow, being of narrow perspective to that of the being of middling perspective. That this being not only is not attached to the happiness of this life, but in fact is not attached even to the happiness of future lives, seeing it as dissatisfactory because it is bound by cyclic existence and wishes develops the motivation to be liberated completely from cyclic existence altogether and therefore engages in appropriate practices to that aim, those practices of of the higher training in ethics, the higher training in meditative stabilization, and the higher training in wisdom, bringing about the results, a result of the abandonment of cyclic existence and the happiness of liberation.
So, such a the being of middling perspective is not attached to the happiness of future lives, what to say of this life. That such an individual sees that any type of happiness within cyclic existence is not stable, and therefore that such a type of happiness is not satisfactory. Wanting to be completely liberated from such a situation develops the striving for liberation. So we should reflect on the fact that though we might not be attached to the happiness of this life, when we begin to involve ourselves in skillful actions whereby in a future life we again attain a human life. But that human life is going to be very much the same type of human life as we presently have in this life.
And all of the sufferings that we have to undergo in our present human embodiment, we are going to have to undergo in that future human embodiment. All the sufferings such as aging, birth aging, diseases and death, I mean, these are all sufferings, aren’t they? And all the various other types of sufferings that humans have to undergo, all the various fears, the anxieties and the sicknesses that we experience. These again are going to have to be experienced even in the future human embodiment. So we there is a a an increase in our understanding of the nature of our situation from, you know, considering the fact that even if in not in not be through not being attached to happiness of this life, involving ourselves in skillful action to ensure a fortunate migration in the future.
But even in such a situation, the possible unfortunate migration or a fortunate migration, you know, we don’t need to even mention the sufferings of unfortunate migration. But even if we were to look at a fortunate migration such as that of a human being, there is still a great deal of suffering even in a fortunate migration of the rebirth as that of a human being. It is, in fact, in the nature of suffering. So one begins to see that, one develops an attach one begins to cut through the attachment even to future happinesses in such a situation that one, there’s an increase in one’s perspective and the development of a greater wisdom with respect to our situation and one develops a disinclination even to take a happy rebirth within cyclic existence in the future. So Tsongkhapa sets out the means whereby we can cut through our attachment even for the for the happiness of future lives, which is done up to now in terms of present lives.
And these he sets out in the verse, If you think again and again about the deeds and inevitable effects and the sufferings of cyclic existence, then the priorities will be reversed even toward future lives. So we we begin to think that even the, you know, the marvelous happinesses of possible future lives, in fact, have no no essence. They’re not stable. That there’s some kind of defect. In fact, they’re not real happiness.
And and in this way, we begin to abandon attachment even for the marvels of the possible marvels of future happinesses and we develop a mind which strives for liberation. So how are we to cultivate the means whereby to abandon attachment even towards future lives? And this is as initially set out. We begin to consider, deeds and their inevitable effects. This is, our, as I translate it, actions as causes and their results.
So there is the the actions as causes and the results. This is a case of a larger consideration, the law of cause and effect. So there is area of thought called the law of cause and effect and a specific incident of that is actions as causes and their results. So the generality the general law of cause and effect is simply played out in terms of there is an agent which acts as a cause, bringing about a specific effect. For example, if we plant a seed, then a sprout arises or a plant arises.
Maybe it’s wheat, barley, it could be fruit, or whatever. This is functional phenomena operate in terms of the arising of an effect from a cause. This is the general law of cause and effect.