Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Ven Jampa Ignyen spends this 18-minute closing session clarifying confusion about the second opponent power—the strength of repudiation—and specifically what genuine regret means in Buddhist practice versus the Western concept of guilt. Drawing on questions from participants, he explores how understanding the fault and negative intention behind actions is essential to real transformation, then applies these principles to teaching children: they need to grasp the harm themselves, not experience coercion from outside. He discusses how the four opponent powers can actually weaken the potency of negative karmic seeds, touches on the role of emptiness as “the best medicine” for purification, and closes the retreat with dedications. Suited for practitioners actively working with ethical purification practices.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 04 12 Links 2001 06 11.mp3
UUID: 81ab86d9-a451-40ba-b357-135dd68c61f4
Teacher: Ven Jampa Ignyen
Collection: y 12 Links of Dependant Arising (Ven Jampa Ignyen)
Date: 2001-06-11
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 18.5 minutes
Words: ~1,408
That’s right. As much as possible, if they can come to an understanding of the fault of the action, because once the fault is understood, then the other parts will fall into place. Then they’ll try not commit the action again. Until the fault is understood, it’s really then coercion from outside. Because it has to come from inside.
Absolutely, yes. Yeah. Well, here it’s really things that are done with a negative intention. If they’re accidental, then children shouldn’t be of course, you know, have to go easy if it’s purely accidental. If it’s careless, we can treat it on that level.
But it’s really, we’re getting back to the intention itself. Really these black karmic imprints are coming about only through negative intention. And we’re really getting back to stopping our negative intention. And in fact, these actions that are being committed are coming from a negative intention. An intention to harm, fundamentally.
Harm others. So if we can deal with that level, then it’s certainly very easy. I think kids have a certain children also have inborn wisdom, a certain level of inborn wisdom, which is really wisdom coming from their past lives, where they have some instinct in a sense about what they should do and what they shouldn’t do. So, if possible, you know, if we can reinforce that sense, that inborn wisdom that they already have, then that is useful. I think also with kids, to be very honest with kids is very, very useful.
And if we can discuss our faults with them as openly as we want them to discuss their faults with us, Very, very useful. In fact, if we can make a clean slate, just tell them all the negative things that we’ve done. That can be very useful. It delights them, yeah. And they realise that.
I think they really do appreciate us being totally upfront because and the fact that we’ve made mistakes and we’re learning from those mistakes. And that basically we’re the same. They’re a bit younger than us and so forth but actually we’re all the same situations that we face they face. And so on. But that’s right, unless really the second opponent is understood, the others are not going to follow.
Unless there is some genuine regret, then committing oneself not to commit the action again is not going to arise. And then one’s not going to really be bothered about the fourth opponent which is doing something in order to make up for the action. And if we push them too hard we’ll appear to be quite cruel to them, you know, we’re imposing something from outside that they don’t understand or don’t agree with. But of course, at times that’s the only option of a parent. Spare the rod, spoil the child.
Yeah. Yeah. That’s true. I’m doing it for them because I’m feeling guilty about it. Yeah, it shouldn’t be.
Just to see that all that is the case is not something that would nullify the action. Yeah, we can, yes, I’m doing it because I’m feeling guilty. And that’s exactly it. I don’t want to feel guilty about this. That’s why I’ve got to do this.
Guilt is a well, it depends what you mean by guilt. I know there are connotations of the term guilt that Yeah. Well, if it does have that connotation, then, yeah, this we need to investigate because we need sincere regret. But it’s true to ostracize someone because they say I’m doing it because I’m feeling guilty and just asserting that their motivation is purely self centered or something, I think that could be unfair on the person. It is, yeah.
And in that sense, I think guilt can be a positive thing. So which is just if it’s just regret for doing something negative, then fine. If it’s regret for doing something positive, it’s negative. Or if we’re doing something that makes people feel uncomfortable. Sorry.
Well, yeah, that’s their problem. Now this is really important because it’s part of the four opponent powers. And this second one, which is the strength of repudiation, really does bring up all these questions about guilt and regret and remorse and so forth. And we need to clarify this area, otherwise it’s hard for us to practice the four opponent powers because we’re in doubt about, Should I regret that? Or is it okay just to have remorse about that?
Wait a minute, I’m feeling guilty about this now and I shouldn’t feel guilty. Actually, we do need some clarity on that issue for ourselves. Otherwise it’s hard for us to apply the second. Yeah. Often, yes.
If it’s possible. Forgiveness is implied, I guess, in, say, regret. That we’re really forgiving any other whatever other beings have done, we forgive them. And all the negative actions we’ve committed in relation to them, we’re admitting our fault. So in a sense we are forgiving others at that point.
It’s implied in a sense in the process. Absolutely, yeah. I’m just an ordinary being, have ignorance and I make mistakes. Really we have to be able to we need to appreciate that we are a being that makes mistakes. Yeah, yeah.
Can be either. Yeah. It can be in general or specific. Yeah. Whatever’s at the forefront of our mind.
But in that process of applying the Four Opponent Powers, we can lessen the potency of the negative seeds and we can actually destroy it. That process. In general, yes. That’s right, it can lessen very much. But that will lessen the potency of those seeds.
And the stronger the regret, the stronger the capacity to burn or destroy those seeds. We need to eliminate ignorance in order to do that. We need emptiness. Emptiness is the best medicine. And both.
Well, compassion is empty. But emptiness is permanent, so that’s and everything that exists is empty of true existence. So, emptiness exists everywhere. Wherever anything exists, there there’s emptiness. Which is the non affirming negation, which is the mere lack of true existence.
Oh, it might be useful to write down here. The non affirming negation which is the mere lack of true existence. Anyway, it’s something which is permanent. Anyway, emptiness, in Sanskrit. Means zero, zeroness.
Zipness. Alright. Yeah, because things are empty, everything functions, we function, the universe functions. We can’t do without it. Anyway, we should stop here.
Anyway, we’ve gone through briefly the twelve links. So, of course, there’s various other doubts that remain and there’s a few questions that we might have to wait until next time to notice on the notice board. So the main thing with this course is just a very brief introduction to Dependent Arising and then the twelve links of Dependent Arising. Just to raise some of the major issues. And then if possible, if we had a chance, to reflect on some of those issues.
And, if possible, to bring them into our everyday life so there is some practical use found for those points. But this we need to investigate and to check on ourselves, our emotions, how we feel about things, our negative states, whether we’re transforming them, and so on. So, I hope everyone had a productive few days during the retreat. Anyway, we’ll do the dedication, we’ll just read through the dedication on page twenty two. Through the merits of these virtuous actions, may I quickly attain the state of the Guru Buddha and lead all living beings without exception into that enlightened state.
May the supreme jewel bodhicitta that has not arisen arise and grow, and may that which has arisen not diminish, but increase more and more. Just as the brave Mañjuśrī and Samantabhādra too, realise things as they are. Also, dedicate these merits in the best way, that I may follow their perfect example. I dedicate all these roots of virtue with a dedication praised as the best, by the victorious ones thus gone the three times, so that I may perform noble Bodhisattvas’ deeds. In the land encircled by snow mountains, you are the source of happiness and bliss.
All powerful Chenrezig Tenzin Gyatso, please remain until saṃsāra ends. So thank you. I think there is going to be a further brief session so forth following. And then that will be the end of the retreat. Thank you again, I’ve enjoyed it very much.