Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Trichen teaches on the first of four lines on parting from attachment, a foundational instruction from the Sakya tradition attributed to the great scholar-saint Jetsün Tragpa Gyaltsen. The talk opens with the lineage history of these teachings, tracing how they emerged from Tragpa Gyaltsen’s direct meditative experience and were later elaborated by Sakya Pandita and commentators like Ngorchen Künga Zangpo. The core teaching states: if you have attachment to this life, you are not a spiritual person. Trichen unpacks this through the lens of moral precept, study, and meditation—the three pillars of practice. He repeatedly emphasizes the critical distinction between correct morality, untainted by worldly motives, and pseudo-morality driven by desire for respect, reputation, and the eight worldly concerns. A person practising genuine moral discipline should abandon pretence, hypocrisy, and judgment of others. Study dispels ignorance; meditation deepens realization. All three must be free from attachment to this life’s welfare to bear fruit. Pitched at serious practitioners already familiar with Buddhist ethical foundations.
File metadata (for organising)
File: trichen-parting-from-the-4-attachments-02-4a
Teacher: Trichen
Collection: Parting from the 4 Attachments (Trichen)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Words: ~2,989
And Sakya Pandita himself wrote a commentary on this four four line instructions. And then, great Lama Dampa Sonam Gyaltsen, who became very famous teacher of many teachers. He was as the teacher of many great masters. Going back to the story, Chogyal Phagpa became who was to become the preceptor of Chinese emperors. And Since there was a danger of breaking the hereditary family line of the Kun family, Chinese emperor instructed that the Sakya throne holder should marry and have seven wives.
Then throne holder meaning Zangpo Pal. So in order that this hereditary lineage do not break, but to continue to carry on the legacy of the teachings of the forefathers. China exercised great military But they were very inspired by the religious might of the Tibetan Buddhist practitioners. And the very famous teacher of that time was Sakya Pandita, who they invited to China to propagate Buddhism. There were a number of teachers, particularly by the name of Anyangtampa, who came from the Kham region of Eastern Tibet, who was a great saint and realized master.
And when the Chinese emperors examined whether the lineage of the great Sakya Pandita exist in Tibet or not, it is then the ministers informed, yes, it is currently held by the great throne holder, Zangpo Pal. The great being, Zangpo Pal. And Chinese emperor, therefore, instructed the Tibetan not to let this family line break. Therefore, ordered him to marry as many as seven queens. And then subsequently, Dakchen Zangpo Pal fathered fifteen sons.
Chogyal Phagpa who was earlier given the whole of Tibet as an offering as a thanksgiving offering of receiving the teachings. So, this later Chinese emperor were continuing that tradition to revere the descendant of that lineage as the spiritual preceptor of Chinese emperor. Was one of the he’s the eldest of the fifteen sons. Lama Dampa, a very devout practitioner, was a reluctant ruler of Tibet. He felt it is another responsibility he as a monk was willing to take.
Sakya therefore had many officials, government officials, thirteen great chief type of ministers. And he himself retired, letting his younger brothers to rule Tibet. But he retired in Samye Monastery to do more serious meditation retreats. And since Samye Monastery is the seat, blessed seat of great Padma Sambhava, he felt great urge that he should revive and restore the practices that was established for many hundreds of years. And sometimes, therefore, this is known as as he spent much of his later life in restoring the Samye monastery.
As he was a great scholar, there was no teachers of his time who didn’t become his disciple. The great teacher, Sonam Ba, who has excelled in the study of Vinaya study, also was his disciple. And Yakton Sangye Pal, who has excelled in the study of perfection and wisdom, Prajñāpāramitā, was also Lama Dampa Sonam Gyaltsen’s disciple. Rendawa Zhönnu Lodrö, who became very excelled in the study of Madhyamakāvatāra, Mādhyamika philosophy in general, who became the teacher of Lama Tsongkhapa, who was also a disciple of Lama Dampa. And also the great master of Nyingma, Longchenpa Drimé Özer, was also a disciple of Lama Dampa Sonam Gyaltsen.
Because there are numerous other disciples of his within the Sakya tradition, such as and many others. Attachment attracted many scholars to write commentaries on, particularly the Ngorchen Künga Zangpo wrote a very lengthy commentary. And there is a long commentary also by that could be taught for seven whole days based on these four line teachings. Since we don’t have much time, however many commentaries exist, tonight’s For the purpose of tonight, we’re going to use meditative experience rather as a commentary on these four lines. I believe you have a copy of that.
Having looked at these four lines and having meditated on these four lines, gained great deep realizations. And following writings are said to be spontaneous expressions of his meditative experience. Sachin who had two sons, Sonam Tsemo, the elder one, who studied and became a very great scholar. And he became famous in Tibet and India as a great scholar. Sonam Tsemo asked his brother Gyaltsen to stay back at home to look after their father while Sonam Tsemo traveled abroad and further his study.
Tragpa Gyaltsen therefore attended to his father and stayed home at the monastery. And he became rather like a crown, jewel crown and a jewel of old Tibetan Buddhist masters. The great Śākyapandita, who became very famous, is actually his nephew. And Jetsün Tragpa Gyaltsen was the teacher of Śākyapandita. Śākyapandita, in his pure meditation, saw his uncle as inseparable form of Mañjuśrī, who succeeded in greatly in his study and meditate realization, which he discovered was due to the blessings of the profound Guru Yoga practice that he did in relation to his uncle, Jetsün Tragpa Gyaltsen.
As Jetsün Tragpa Gyaltsen meditated on these four lines, he gained realizations, many like that of Milarepa, and sang them in form of spontaneous expressions of meditation. As he gained swift and firm realization, Therefore, like Milarepa, he sang his experiences of meditation as a form of songs, which later become a set of instructions. Of course, much can be commented on the Tragpa Gyaltsen’s lines, but here, it will suffice for our purpose to go through these very lines of his spontaneous expressions, meditative experiences of Jetsün Tragpa Gyaltsen. These are words of definite realization, not a scholarly writing. By gaining definite conviction, realization.
These realizations are expressions of meditation. As one hundred thousand songs of Milarepa are believed to be, so are these songs of Jetsün Tragpa Gyaltsen. Karsak Yatsa requested Jetsün Tragpa Gyaltsen further teachings on these four lines. And it’s said to have written on the basis of that request. In order for him to succeed in the act of sharing his realization.
He’s stating that how inappropriate will these texts be for those people who are engaged in activities that contradict with their spiritual precepts. Thus, these lines are appropriate only to those who want to accord to the teachings of the spirituality. A person who wish to seek cultivate on the path, wish therefore to follow these instructions in order to help them to proceed on the path. I would like to make you to listen to these instructions. The and the fellow requester, it is for their benefit.
First is the supplication, seeking the blessings. Second two lines is a promise to write these texts. So these are natural tradition of scholars never write without supplication at the beginning and without stating the purpose for which one they are writing. As for the as for the four line verses, the actual verses is says, if you have attachment to this life, you are not a religious person. If you have attachment to the worldly existence, you do not have renunciation.
If you have attachment to your own purposes, you do not have the thought of enlightenment. If grasping and fixation arises, you do not have the correct view. Of these four lines, the first line, if you have attachment to this life, if you’re you’re not a spiritual person, it can be commented. And he says, I will sing further songs. If one is a spiritual practitioner, one should not become attached to the welfare of this life.
First of all, it is more than to become overly attached to this life’s welfare if one were to become a genuine practitioner of spirit of spiritual path. Whatever study of moral discipline and meditation you do, if one is not attached to this life, then they will succeed and bear benefit. Because moral precept is a basis of all progress. Even as an ordinary person, one should learn to restrain from ten non virtuous deeds. If one is a or an ordained monk or nun, of course, that much many more moral precepts need to be observed, but not with attachment to this life.
However important moral precept is, if one is doing it for the purpose of this life alone, this will jeopardize the very spiritual practices. Moral precepts is foundation for any realization. Study, meditation and moral precepts can be divided into two: incorrect and correct. The correct one is those followed by people who are not attached to this life’s welfare. Others are incorrect.
The meditation and study can only function and progress on the basis of a firm moral foundation. By maintaining one’s moral precepts, it is important to have correct moral precepts. If one has a correct moral precepts, study and meditation is important. Study dispels darkness. Meditation deepens realizations.
Whatever one has studied, one should examine and clarify and analyze and clarify doubts. Definite convictions that you gain from study and contemplation remains very deeply seated realizations. After having clarified all doubts, one needs to deepen and make progress by following meditation practices. How important these three are is quite evident. The study is very important.
So is contemplation and meaning of the study. And but that these two only can progress if one can do meditation practices. How important the importance of this three cannot be underestimated. If one were to practice these three without being attached to this life, of course, this will make great benefit. But if one were doing engaging in this practice of pseudo morality and study meditation simply because one has attached the wealth of this life.
It will not earn the benefit of a genuine spiritual practitioner. It is far better to put aside such pseudo or incorrect morality. Morality that is simply practiced for gaining respect and honor in this world in this worldly life. It is emphasized the importance of not doing any study, meditation or moral practice for this life alone. It is important to do these three, but only if they are correct form.
It’s important to distinguish correct form and incorrect form. Whether lay person, whatever practice you do from your body, speech, mind, or as a fully ordained monk or not, whatever morality you may practice, whatever study you have undertaken, how important it is to gain study for it dispels one’s ignorance. While study in meditation and moralities are indispensable, But if one let these three things fall to become incorrect form. The practitioner who engages in any of these three for this life is is not a genuine practitioner. It is better to abandon such pseudo morality and study and meditation.
Of course, study, morality, and meditation are three important things. It will help oneself to practice, hold the precepts, and hold them to the banner of the teachings. But if one is practicing those tainted by the eight worldly dharmas, simply for the sake of this life’s comfort and reputation, one doesn’t belong to the ranks of a practitioner of spiritual power. So now it will be elaborated furthermore. To elaborate a little bit on the practice of morality.
It is so important that correct morality, pure form of morality, whether we’re as a lay person or ordained or whatever it is. Whatever precept we have, we want we want to observe them without any hypocrisy, it is the basis of one’s own happiness and cause of ultimate happiness. Whatever practice to restrain wrongs of body, speech, and mind, one engages as a lay or ordained practitioner. It is the fundamental causes for happiness not only in this life, but also to cause to oneself to attain higher forms of rebirth in the next life. Either as a human born human form or devas, such high rebirth can only be earned by sheer merit or practice of morality cultivated during this lifetime.
There are of course many different levels of meanings. If one is able to practice morality properly, one is sowing the seed of not only his life’s happiness, but also liberation. For instance, the Shravakas, or listeners of the disciples of the Buddha. If one practice morality proper proper properly, it becomes the very cause of one’s ultimate liberation. The practice of pure morality is just like a ladder leading you to the roof of the citadel of enlightenment.
If one would practice morality properly, one that can prevent oneself from falling down in the lower rebirths. It is a ladder from which you can climb up in the height of enlightenment. It will alleviate the sufferings. So pure morality is indispensable. There are reasons for which one has to resort to practice morality.
There’s no way one can live without pure morality because it it becomes the cause of attaining higher rebirth, happiness in this life, achievement of Śrāvaka’s and Pratyekabuddha’s stages of nirvana, or practice of bodhicitta, or Mahāyāna Buddhist practices, all depends on how sound one’s moral foundation is. So it’s the basis of any spiritual progress one can make. Without the practice of morality, you could not cultivate any further progress of spiritual realization. It is important to have one’s morality untainted by the eight worldly dharmas. So it is important to know what are the correct morality.
It is the cause of achieving higher stages of rebirth and enlightenment, happiness in this life. It is but unfortunately, there are forms of morality practiced wrong way with attachment to this life. One who practices morality, pseudo morality, just inform one act as one is very disciplined as a monk or a nun, and one who is attached to this life’s purpose for which they are practicing morality, will denigrate and disparage others. Other maybe monks, they will disparage saying, he may be practicing, but he doesn’t know. He may be well versed in this, but he doesn’t have morality.
They will criticize other people who practice morality. They will look down upon those who are not quite capable of practicing the level of morality one expect to practice. And one’s own form of morality suffer from hypocrisy. Even if one’s form of morality is there, one still utilizes to denigrate others who are not capable of practicing. One judges other people unnecessarily, and will look down and therefore belittle others.
And these such a things are only carried out by people whose own form of morality is done for the purpose of this life’s respect and honor. They have jealousy to other people who are more moral than oneself. And looks down upon those belittled other person. Their own form of morality is suffer from the discrepancy between presence and absence. That is to say hypocrisy.
He will look down upon those who are unable to practice, so maybe transgress some vows. And those who are practicing morality, well, say, although they observe these vows, they don’t really have knowledge, they haven’t studied. In this way, a person who suffer from such tainted morality, he may observe such as eating not after midday. But his own form of practice will suffer from hypocrisy. In the presence of others, he or she will act as they observe them of the vow of not eating up to midday, but when people are not there, they will.
So such form of morality is more of a cause leading oneself to be reborn reborn in the lower rebirth. Well, morality is so important, but it isn’t it better to abandon such form of pseudo morality? This is rather contrived and fabricated. One, for one has jealousy to other people who are more moral than oneself. One’s own morality suffer from hypocrisy.
One looks down upon those and have no understanding to those who fails to fulfill certain vows. So Jetsün Tragpa Gyaltsen reminds the importance of getting rid of such form of pseudo morality, incorrect morality. It is important to distinguish what is correct and incorrect morality. Correct morality is cause of attaining higher rebirth, happiness in this life, and ultimate liberation. That is correct form of morality.
It is the remedy to all sufferings, but incorrect form of morality is rather cause of abuse of others, judgment of others, and therefore cause of earning unhappy rebirth. So he says, it’s important that one should abandon such form of morality that is afflicted by hypocrisy. Likewise, in the form of study and contemplation, meditation also, he makes distinction between correct and incorrect forms. Even if one study under great guidance of spiritual masters, study holy scriptures, how important it is without study. Knowledge is highly prized for it alleviates one’s ignorance, dispels darkness.
It clarifies one’s mind. It is almost like a mirror, which helps you to see yourself. Through study, you are able to see the nature of reality and all things around you. So it is like a mirror that allows you to see things very clearly that you otherwise do not have a way of knowing. One’s own realization depends on meditation.
So like with as with morality, there are also two forms of study and meditation, the correct and incorrect. The study is so indispensable. Whether one study sūtra or tantra, one has to study them. It is just like the wealth of happiness and knowledge comes from study. The great learned person who who have studied has a wealth of knowledge.
It’s just like like a light, a torch that that you carry in going in a dark room. It dispels all the darkness and sure you find your way around. When you have learned it and you have studied, you will have such a gift. If one were to analyze and examine the meanings of the study, One will be able to function rather like a very experienced guide, to be able to help many travelers who are otherwise lost. One who has learned the scriptures can function like an experienced and helpful guide to help many travelers to get through.
Likewise, meditation is so important.