Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 77-minute teaching, Kyabje Rinpoche explores the first of the Three Principles of the Path: renunciation — the determined rejection of both this life’s pleasures and all samsaric rebirths. He centers the talk on ignorance as the root of suffering: our false perception that phenomena possess independent, inherent existence rather than existing only through conceptual imputation. Using accessible examples — a table, a named child, the Australian Prime Minister — he shows how nothing has stand-alone reality. This ignorance fuels three types of karma that condition rebirth, and he offers practical instruction: virtuous deeds in this life ensure better rebirths; non-virtue leads downward. Your mind rises or falls based on karmic imprints; you have no other choice. He concludes with a striking paradox: you are simultaneously your own worst enemy and your own greatest protector — separated from your next life by a single breath.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2002-10-08 – LINE 08h51m48s – KR.wma
UUID: b12c66ec-daf6-4932-95ff-d38d700e5a16
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Three Principal Aspects
Date: 2002-10-08
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~3,966
So returning to our text, these three principles of the path, the following shloka reads, through meditating like this through meditating like this, when not even for one instant desire for the marvels of cycled existence arises. And day and night, one strives for liberation, then the mind of renunciation will have been created. The first words of the verse, likewise meditating in this way, refer to generation of renunciation of the two aspects of the cycle of lives, this life and future lives. Rinpoche has already explained previously how to generate renunciation with respect to this life. However, there is no renunciation without renunciation to future lives as well.
And what is meant by this is that we have to abandon all hope, all desire for the marvels of existence such as a high rebirth as Brahma or Indra or for that matter, a universal monarch who has all the wealth and power of this universe. And we must reflect in a again and again on the fact that these are fundamentally unsatisfactory states. And that they are bound in the wheel of lives. Without renunciation, we will aspire for these states. With renunciation, we will understand that their nature is actually suffering.
And we must, to do this, reflect carefully on the previous verse which stated that cause and effect are incontrovertible or nondeceitful. Now the meaning of this nondeceitfulness of cause and effect was briefly explained by Rinpoche previously. But it has several other layers of meaning. It first refers to the fact that the second of the noble truths, the noble truth of origination is inextricably bound up with the first of the noble truths. Noble truths of the suffering.
The second noble truth is the cause of the first noble truth. Likewise, it can also refer to the fact that within the 12 links of interdependent origination, ignorance inevitably leads to desire and birth. So there are many different ways of understanding this non deceitful nature of causality. So as said in a passage which I’m going to gloss, the root of all phenomena of cyclic existence is ignorance and that’s what which clears it is the understanding of emptiness. Now, this passage which refers to ignorance does not just refer to any ignorance.
It refers to the specific ignorance with respect to the actual mode of existence of phenomena. Phenomena. We are mistaken with respect to the way phenomena actually appear to us. They appear to us in a mistaken erroneous way. And because our minds cling to this and actually acquiesce consent to this mode of appearance, then we get caught in the cycle of lives.
And therefore, this ignorance of the actual mode of existence of phenomena traps us in the cycle of lives. And precisely because this ignorance or should I say precisely because the knowledge of emptiness is so important. The knowledge of emptiness is called in Tibetan and the ignorance which does not understand it is called the negation of this knowledge. So what do we mean here when we talk of ignorance? Ignorance refers both to inner and outer phenomena.
Inner phenomena are those phenomena which are subsumed within our continuum. In other words, our aggregates, bodily parts, and so forth. Outer phenomena are phenomena which are not subsumed within our continuum such as the objects which surround us. But the ignorance with regarding the true nature of reality applies to both. And what is precisely this ignorance?
It is an ignorance which sees phenomena as existing from their own side independently of any mental imputation, independently of any conceptual imputation from our own side. The phenomena is seen mistakenly as appearing from its own side and as it were imposing it on us. And Rinpoche gives the example of his table, his cup, or his flower. Each of which appears mistakenly as if it exists from its own side, whereas it exists only in dependence on the conceptual imputation of the name table, cup, or flower. Nonetheless, it really seems to exist from its own side and this is the case of all phenomena such as for instance this house we are in.
This house we are in seems to have an inherent existence from its own own side independently of the conceptual nominal imputation of the term house. But as a matter of fact, if there was no conceptual conceptual and nominal imputation of the term house, there would be no functioning house. So it is this mistaken, this erroneous view which gives us the impression that phenomena exist from their own side, that they exist independently of mental, conceptual, and nominal imputations, which is the wrong view which we have to dispel. And this is what is called the apprehension of true existence. So so if we were to take the example of the Australian prime minister, he is not a prime minister from his own side.
He is a prime minister because the name prime minister has been affixed to him. So before the name prime minister is affixed to him, before he’s actually appointed to this status, he’s not terribly proud of being prime minister. But after the name prime minister is given to him then, he becomes quite happy that he is a prime minister. So, really, his existence as prime minister is only nominal. It’s only a name.
So if he were established from his own side as an inherently existent prime minister, then says he would always have been a prime minister. So even before being born, people would say this is a potential prime minister. And as an infant, people would say mister prime minister to him. Baby prime minister. Baby prime minister.
No. So obviously, he is not such a prime minister. He’s not a prime minister which is who is established from his own side independently from birth, and there is no such being who is described as an inherently existent prime minister. So if we were to take the case of children, children bear a name only from the moment they’re named onwards. So at the time of conception, the child exists, but he doesn’t bear a name.
And if you were to take the instance of Tibetan names, Tashi, Tsering, Lobsang, the many names. Well, before the decision has been made to call somebody Tashi or Tsering, he does not exist as Tashi or Terring. And this process of calling, of naming is what we call normal imputation or conceptual imputation. So there is no child who has a name before this process has occurred, and the child actually exists exists merely as this name. We cannot speak of an existence of the child apart from this.
So ignorance is that mind which thinks that phenomena are not mere nominal or conceptual imputations, but that they actually exist independently from their own side independently of nominal imputation and conceptual imputation. And Rinpoche says, there is not a single phenomenon which exists independently from its own side. So this ignorance which views phenomena like this is a wrong view. So ignorance is that mind which apprehends phenomena as existing independently from their own side, independently of nominal and conceptual imputation. Emptiness, the wisdom which realizes emptiness is merely the mind which realizes that all phenomena exist as nominal imputations, as conceptual imputations.
They have no existence from their own side as independently existent entities, as inherently established entities. And this wisdom which realizes emptiness is the exact opposite of ignorance. Whereas ignorance apprehends phenomena as existing independently from their own side. The wisdom realizing emptiness asserts that there is no such thing as those phenomena. There’s an absence of those phenomena.
And therefore, the wisdom realizing emptiness acts as a direct antidote to the ignorance which apprehends the independent inherent existence of phenomena. So, this ignorance which apprehends phenomena as existing from their own side as being inherently existent, independently existent is the very root of cyclic existence. It is because we see phenomena as appearing from their own side and because we apprehend them as thus as such as desirable or hateful that we get drawn in the cycle of lives. And this is why said, from ignorance, the wheel of lives turns again or literally from ignorance again existence. Now what sort of process gives rise to the wheel of cyclic existence?
On the basis of this ignorance of the or this apprehension of phenomena as inherently existent. We in turn give rise to three types of karma. And as Rinpoche says to simplify things very greatly, we can say that there is virtuous karma, such as for instance, virtuous karma which has led to a human rebirth. Non virtuous karma which is a karma which leads to rebirth as an animal or in the lower realms. And then a third category of karma which leads to rebirth as certain very high gods, which are called immutable karma.
And these three categories of karma are all motors of cyclic existence. Therefore, they are in the nature of suffering. We do not escape from suffering. So these three categories of karma are non virtuous karma, which is non meritorious, virtuous karma, which is meritorious. And the third category of karma, which is called immutable karma.
Now, non virtuous karma, which is non meritorious, leads to rebirth in the lower realms. Virtuous karma, which is meritorious, leads to rebirth as a human being or for instance as a god of the desire realm. And immutable karma leads to rebirth in one of the higher god realms. However, the mechanism whereby this occurs is that the karmic imprint can only be activated by craving from within the 12 links. Craving actually here refers to desire, and it is the connection of karma and desire which activates the karma and precipitates the rebirth.
Now irrespective of which rebirth it is, whether it’s a rebirth in the lower realms, a rebirth in the higher realms, or rebirth in the formless realms of the gods. In any case, this is a rebirth in cyclic existence and therefore it is a rebirth in suffering. So let us take an example. Let us imagine that we have several seeds, a seed of wheat, a seed of barley, and a seed of rice. If we plant them, we will only get crops which are of the nature of the seed we planted.
However, the seed once it is buried in the field needs conditions to give rise to a crop. If the seed is not put in contact with water, which is the indispensable condition, then the seed can spend many years underground in the field without yielding a crop. As soon as it comes in contact with water, then it will give rise to a crop keeping with its nature. If it’s a wheat seed, a wheat crop, a rice seed, a rice crop, etcetera. And this is the same thing with, for instance, non virtuous deeds.
A non virtuous deed, non virtuous karma can spend a long time in the mental continuum. But when it comes in contact with the conditions such as desire, then it gives rise to its result. And for instance, in the case of a non virtuous karmic imprint, when it comes in contact the condition which leads it to manifest, which is craving, in other words desire. Then if the non virtuous imprint is a major non virtuous imprint, it will lead to rebirth in the hell realms. If it’s a middling non virtuous imprint, it’ll lead to rebirth in the realm of the pretas.
And if it’s a lesser, a minor non virtuous imprint, it’ll lead to rebirth in the animal realms. Likewise, with respect to virtuous karmas, we are talking here of contaminated virtuous karmas. In other words, virtuous karma which are accumulated in connection with mental afflictions. Now these virtuous karmas, contaminated virtuous karmas, when they come in contact with their cooperative condition, which is craving or desire, will give rise to birth in one of the three higher realms of cyclic existence, which are, as you know, the realm humans, of the demigods, the asuras, and of the gods. And likewise, immovable, when it is put in contact with its cooperative condition will in turn give rise to rebirth in one of the higher god realms or the formless realms.
But in either case, whether it is contaminated virtue, karma, or immutable, these rebirths do not escape from the cycle of lives. Therefore, this karma merely leads to another rebirth in cyclic existence which is of the nature of suffering. So in our case, for instance, we have been reborn as human beings. The main cause for rebirth as human human being is protection of some kind of ethics. So we can infer that any past life, we engaged in the contaminated virtuous deed of protecting some type of ethics motivated by ignorance.
And this contaminated deed led in turn to rebirth within cyclic existence, rebirth as a human being, but within one of the higher realms. So if we look back to our karmic ancestor, the good person who accumulated the deeds which led us here, we can say that he certainly was a good person because he practiced morality. That’s why we were born as a human being. He must have been a generous person because we’re all reasonably well off. So we have reaped those karmic imprints.
And he must have been a patient person because we all look rather handsome. Practice of patience, we have a circle of friends. Having friends in this life is a karmic result of practicing patience in past lives. And in addition to this, we can infer that this past human life of ours was one in which our predecessor must have had or must have created some karmic connection with the Buddhist teachings. Not a great one, but there was something.
And as a result of that, we have come to the teachings here. So if we are honest with ourselves, we can say that our good condition in this life, we owe to this predecessor of ours who practiced well in past lives. And as for our body in this life, we owe it to our father and mother who gave it to us. And apart from that, from our own side, really, there are only vices, anger, hatred, ignorance. I Think of what we were doing when we were babies.
We were just crying, crying, going pee pee, and defecating. And apart from that, what did we do? So then we must reflect really carefully on this and think to ourselves, well, what I have now, I owe to the kindness of others. My karmic predecessor, my parents. But that is all past that is behind us.
It would not abide. So from my side, what am I leaving to the future? What am I doing? Says, well, we might think after me there is nothing. That is not the case.
Certainly, our body will turn to nothingness. And says, in some traditions, they put the body in water. In some, they burn it. Here in the West, you seem to stick it in a box. But he says, that’s not the case for the mind.
The mind does not go in water or in fire or a coffin. The mind moves on. So our mind, on the other hand, is uninterruptible because our mind is nonmaterial in its formless. So for instance, if we close our eyes and we recollect about where we were, we have a connection with that place where we’re collecting. Our mind is nonmaterial.
So everything we have in this life is actually brought into this life through the karmic imprints which are placed in our mind. The virtuous and the non virtuous karmic imprints, which are as it were sealed in the mind. And everything we will carry with us in future lives future lives likewise. And then in dependence on the karma and the karmic imprints implanted in our mind. If there are powerful virtuous karmic imprints, then our mind will move upwards from life to life, and we will replace more virtuous karmic imprints and keep on moving upwards.
And if there are powerful non virtuous karmic imprints, then we will move downwards from life to life and place ever more non virtuous karmic imprints. So does the mind have freedom of choice? Is there such a thing really as freedom of choice? No, there isn’t. In dependence on karmic imprints, the mind can move up or down.
In dependence on virtuous karmic imprints, the mind will rise and keep on rising. It has no choice in the matter. In dependence on non virtuous karmic imprints, the mind will sink lower and lower. It has also no choice in the matter. It’s the same thing like the two scales we weigh things upon.
So depending on the weights which are put in in the scale, one of the scales can rise or fall. It has no choice in rising or falling. Now if both platters of the scale are equal, in other words, we if have an equal amount of virtuous and non virtuous karma, then where do we go? Well, we’ll mature first the karma which is accumulated first. If we have two karmas, which however are created simultaneously, there’s no difference of anteriority or posteriority, then which one will ripen first?
In dependence on the strength of the karmic imprint. If it’s a virtuous karmic imprint, then it will ripen first. If it’s a non virtuous karmic imprint, then it will ripen first. Basically, we should accumulate merit and we should reduce the amount of non virtues we accumulate. How do we reduce the amount of non virtues?
Well, the first thing we do is that we confess the non virtues we have already accumulated and we pledge not to practice them again. In so doing, they will their their mass, their volume will be reduced eventually in our mind stream. And it is very important to prevent this virtue, this collection of merit from being destroyed by anger, which leads to the degeneration of merit. Therefore, we must meditate on patience. Then if we accumulate merit and meditate on patience, we move upwards.
If we eliminate all non virtue from our mind stream, we are called an arhat. And then if on top of having eliminated all afflictions, we eliminate actually those karmic those mental predispositions towards seeing phenomena as inherently existent, as truly existent, then we will become a Buddha. Buddha simply means to have eliminated all thoughts and to have perfected all qualities. An Arhat on the other hand cannot be said to be somebody who has eliminated all faults because he has not eliminated the karmic imprints to see phenomena as truly existent. Therefore, he is still a sentient being.
So we want things to turn out well for us in the future. We want in future lives to be happy and prosperous. If that is so, then we have to accumulate the causes for that. If we accumulate the causes for that in this life, then definitely in future lives, we will be happy. If we don’t accumulate the causes for that in this life, then in the future, there will be difficulties.
No better. No good. Well, there’s no good. So he said, you see, Australians really like to go on holidays. They like the good life.
So you ought to go on a good holiday, you’ve got to have money. If you have a lot of money, you can go on a really good holiday. No money, no holiday. So says, you see, if you really accumulate a lot of virtue in this life and you eliminate non virtue, then in the next life you have a great holiday. Very happy.
Very happy. So to give an example, Rinpoche says, most of you are putting money aside for your old days. You are saving for a retirement plan because when you’re old and weak, you want to have a minimum of comfortable conditions, a decent life. And if you save well and if you you work hard and put money aside, you will be able to have a decent retirement. It’s the same thing with future lives.
If you put effort in this life, accumulate virtue, abandon non virtue, then you will have good future lives. Eventually, will become arhats. Some may become bodhisattvas. And if everything goes well, some may even attain full enlightenment. Don’t think that your future life is some way off business which doesn’t really concern you.
You are separated from your future life by the distance of one breath. If when you exhale, you cannot inhale again, you are already in your future life. So we have to have love for ourselves, self love, and compassion for ourselves. If we have true love for ourselves, if we have true self love, we have we have true compassion for ourselves, we will want happiness for ourselves. We will not want suffering for ourselves in future lives.
And then, we will accumulate the causes for happiness in future lives, are the practice of virtue virtue. And we will abandon the causes for suffering in future lives, which is the practice or engagement in non virtue. This is true love for ourselves. And it is only if we have love for ourselves to start with, that we can eventually develop love for others. There is no such thing as love for others without self love first.
If you don’t care about yourselves, you won’t care about others. So the first step is to have this enlightened self love, to practice virtue, to abstain from evil. And then if you want to engage in a broader type of practice, then you extend this to others. And you extend your love and compassion to others. There is no other Dharma practice than this.
True self love, true compassion for yourself, which will build a good future for yourself, and which you can extend to others. At present, we are like our own enemies. There is an old saying, we are our own worst enemy and we are our own best protector. And this is so. No enemy can do to us what we can do to ourselves.
No enemy can throw us into the lower realms in next lives. We can do that through our deeds. We can propel ourselves to the lower realms and therefore we are our own true enemy. No protector can lead us to the higher realms. If Buddha himself cannot do this, how could another human being do this?
So then, we ourselves are our best protector. We can lead ourselves to higher realms. And therefore, it is very important that we be our own protector, our own friend, that we be kind to ourselves, and not that we be our own enemy who leads ourselves lower and lower. So if you have questions, we have maybe five minutes for questions. A question was asked.
So there are two types of self. There is a self whose existence is denied and there’s a self whose existence is affirmed. Now, with regard to the self whose existence is affirmed, the ordinary conventional self exists. We eat, we sleep, we move, we accumulate virtuous and non virtuous karma.
That I exists. That is not denied. What is denied is that inherently existing I, which seems to exist from its own side independently of any, as Rinpoche explained, mental imputation or conceptual imputation. That does not exist. Okay.