Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 26-minute talk, Ven Jampa Ignyen teaches a Lamrim section on negative actions and consequences, stressing that we must approach this material from multiple perspectives because our afflictions are extremely strong. He illustrates the problem vividly—we’re like animals catching mice despite knowing better, or an elephant loose in a china shop—acting negatively even when aware of the dangers. The core teaching rests on the law of cause and effect: negative actions inevitably produce suffering in future rebirths. Jampa Ignyen covers how actions vary in weight according to intention, the object (whether teacher or enlightened being), repetition, and whether antidotes have been applied. He closes with the four opponent powers—taking refuge, cultivating regret, resolving not to repeat, and practicing virtue—as the essential method to purify past actions and prevent future ones.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 02 2001 03 29 LR.mp3
UUID: 317b50d2-5cd5-40ea-b89e-15fec267852f
Teacher: Ven Jampa Ignyen
Collection: y Lam Rim 2001 Month 04-06 (Ven Jampa Ignyen)
Date: 2001-03-29
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 26.1 minutes
Words: ~2,628
And because of that, they’ve been reborn, you know, in a lower realm such as an animal or even in the hell realm. Also, killing killing animals or and so forth in one life that then leads to severe negative outcomes in future lives. So we need to reflect on the dangers of these things and on the reality of our current situation as much as possible because it’s as if we’re still in a drunken stupor. We have just haven’t sobered up. We’re like like that story in here about the she tried to get a mouse today.
She caught a mouse today. Luckily, I caught her in here. Muntu, you should not have caught that mouse. But she gave it to me when I grabbed it by the neck, which was great. But, actually, we’re just the same.
It’s like negative actions are the same with us. You know, we have you know, the object of these negative actions are like the mouse in front of us. And even though, oh god, I shouldn’t do this. No. I won’t do this.
We do it next moment. We’re like that. It’s almost as if we’re addicted without control over what we’re doing. And the only way to really deal with this is to start thinking about the consequences and the fact that the ultimate consequence of our negative actions is being reborn in hell. So we need to think this think about this from many different directions.
Sometimes we think hard from one particular direction and things become incredibly hard and difficult. Okay. Let me give that up. Later on, we’ll think about it from another direction. This is very important.
This is a sign of a of a student of sharp faculty who’s able to establish the same thing through many different points of view, through many different types of reasoning, not just a one, you know, with not just one type of reasoning. Because if we are if that is the case, it’ll be more difficult for us. In fact, we need many different types of reasoning. Why shouldn’t I commit a negative action? I’ll be reborn in hell.
Okay. We can pursue that. But at times, this thought, I’ll be reborn in hell, is very heavy and not very conducive. So we need to develop other other types of reasoning. I shouldn’t commit a negative action.
Because according to the law of cause and effect, I will be reborn in hell is actually a very extensive and powerful reason. And that accords with this scope that we’re dealing with at present. But various other types of reasoning can be applied. If I commit that negative action, I may harm someone else. If I commit that negative action, all the Buddhists in the ten directions are gonna be very unhappy with me.
My mother and father are gonna be unhappy with me. My friends will be unhappy with me and so on. There’s many different types of reasoning we can bring to bear. The more, the better, the stronger, the more powerful, the more chance we have of waking up. Because our delusions, our afflictions are just so strong.
At times, it’s almost as if they’re mocking us. They’re just sitting back and he or she, they’re just thinking about the hell realms now, but as if that’s really gonna affect them. They’ll think about it for five minutes, and then they’ll be back thinking about what movie’s on tomorrow night or, you know, how they’re gonna fund that you know, how they’re gonna buy that house or how they’re get that overseas trip or how they’re gonna go on pilgrimage Or and so on. On the one hand, our afflictions, ignorance, our attachments, and so on are incredibly strong. Our mindfulness of the dharma is is quite weak.
It’s not very penetrating. So we need to develop many lines of reasoning to establish why we shouldn’t engage in negative actions. Also, compassion is an incredible reason, one of the best. Why shouldn’t I commit negative actions? Because of compassion, because of love, because of patience, because the universe exists..
We should contemplate from as many different perspectives as we can because each of us are different, and each of us are affected by different things. And in a sense, we should keep thinking about these issues until we find effective means, means that really help to tame our mind. Because that’s the purpose of dharma is to tame our mind, subdue our mind, subdue our negative mind so it’s not creating more negative actions. The present is like an elephant in a or a bull in a crockery shop. Our mind is just like that.
Even though we sense there’s some danger that we shouldn’t act in certain ways, but almost even when we’re completely mindful of it, we continue or we go on to act in negative ways. And often, they’re so subtle, we don’t even know. We don’t even realize. Our habits are so strong and are just there. So then Pabongka Rinpoche talks about killing and so forth.
So killing is the worst negative action that one can commit, the the grossest. So we should refrain from killing. And there also he talks about the different parts of an action, such as the basis, the intention, the actual action, and the completion. And the intention also has the different parts such as the recognition of what the object is or what the action is actually going to be in relation to that basis. And then the motivation itself and so on.
So all of these these parts of the actions we have already there. Whenever we do anything, they’re there. They often happen very quickly. Can be assembled in an instant and completed in an instant. And once they’re completed, they’re almost then they’ve stained the mental continuum or they’ve affected, imprinted the mental continuum, and there they remain.
So we should avoid committing any of those ten non virtuous actions. And then towards the end of that section, then Pabongka Rinpoche is also talking about how actions can be heavy or light. The actions that we have are either heavy or light. Neutral actions are neither heavy nor light. Neutral actions don’t really make much of a difference.
It’s really only the positive or negative that are gonna be strong, that are gonna be heavy. And then whether the positive and negative actions are intense or weak, heavy or light, is gonna depend on the nature of the action itself. So some actions by their very nature are heavy, such as killing. Killing is a natural non virtue, always non virtuous. There cannot be any type of killing that’s a virtuous action because it’s a natural non virtue.
Even having a positive motivation doesn’t make killing positive. So the nature of the action itself such as killing, means that it’s a heavy, heavy action. So that’s by the very nature of the action itself, it’s heavy. Then by the intention, if the intention is incredibly strong, even though the action may be not so, you know, we it may be just, what, looking down on someone else from a distance. With a very strong negative motivation when doing that, it can have a very strong result because the intention is is fierce.
Intention is very strong. It also can be heavy because of the deed or the way the action is committed, such as if one were to kill, but to kill very sadistically so that the being died in great pain and so forth. Or it can be an action can be heavy because of the basis. So therefore, the object, such as if the action were committed in relation to an enlightened being or one’s teacher or a Bodhisattva and so on, can be very heavy. Or it also can be very heavy because of familiarity continuously doing that type of action and therefore becoming very deeply entrenched.
And then also heavy because no antidote is applied. So anyway, these this section is very, very, very important to read through and really to read through many times over. And why is that? Because it’s our current negative habits habits that make it difficult to read this text. It’s almost like water off a duck’s back.
It’s hard to read. That’s because our negative habits are so strong. That’s because our current mind is like a bit of old leather. It’s been left out in the sun for a few hundred years. It’s so dry and brittle that if we try and bend it a little bit one way or other, it resists completely.
Our current mind is just like that. If we try and move it a little bit, our mind resists. So entrenched in its current habits. When we try and do something positive, it’s so hard. It’s so difficult.
We get a mountain of negative habits to fight our way against. I’m gonna be generous. I’m gonna act I’m gonna practice generosity. I’ll go and find a good cause. I’ll give ten dollars.
Not easy. I’ll generate some positive thoughts to other beings. I’ll do it tomorrow. I’ll do it for one minute. Oh, god.
One minute. Okay. Ten seconds. I’ll think positive thoughts for ten seconds. Okay.
I think I can afford ten seconds. But before ten seconds are up,, well, we don’t achieve much in ten seconds. For us to generate a really positive thought would probably take thirty years, forty years. And even then, it’s mixed with non virtue. Really, our current thoughts are just for a being on this level, our thoughts are generally mixed.
Even our positive ones are mixed with non virtuous thoughts. So it’s not easy for us to sit down and just develop a strong positive motivation. Because even with the thought to develop a positive motivation, motivation, still we’ve got all these other thoughts coming up. Oh, but I dislike that person. Oh, and I don’t wanna do this.
And, oh, this is tiring. Oh, this is boring. Oh, I’d pretty much prefer to be watching a movie. I wonder what’s on TV. Oh, if I could be there.
I feel like doing this. I feel like doing that. I’d like to just nod off to sleep. Right? Okay.
If I could just lie down and go to sleep, that’d be much more pleasant and so on. Why is it that that is the case? Why is it so hard to generate a positive state of mind? Yeah. This this is such I mean, it’s an ever present question for us.
We’ve we’ve got to develop positive motivation. But there’s resistance. Takes a lot of effort. Śāntideva says, if if we can’t do anything with our current state of mind and it’s, like it’s just stuck in its present sort of situation, probably a little bit non virtuous, then if we can’t do anything with it, well, then just treat it like it’s a it’s a lump of wood so at least it doesn’t get any worse. But if we really understand the reasons for generating a positive state of mind, and the reason that’s given here in this entire section is the law of cause and effect.
Why do we need to generate a positive state of mind? Because of the law of cause and effect. And if we can really begin to think our way through, then why is that the case? Maybe just that reason isn’t sufficient. Why should I develop a positive mind just because of the law of cause and effect?
Then we need to start thinking through then the reasons for that. Because I don’t wanna suffer. Do I really not want to suffer? We have to ask ourselves. Does suffering do I wanna get beyond suffering?
Then we have to think through this very extensively and carefully. What is suffering then? Okay. What is suffering? Can anyone Pain?
Dissatisfaction. Okay. Well, suffering really is the feeling of suffering. That’s what suffering is. So really, physical pain, mental pain.
Do we wanna get beyond that? You know when you’ve got it. That’s right. So, actually, suffering is often, therefore extended to include that which is associated with suffering. In Tibetan, I’ve got a very nice term for it for it.
It’s called is suffering, and is that associated with suffering. So that’s the entire contaminated universe that we belong to. And that’s the if we’re studying the law, the the four noble truths, the first noble truth has four attributes. Does anyone know the four attributes? Impermanence, suffering, selfless, empty.
Second one, there is suffering. That means they’re associated with suffering. For the noble truth of suffering is associated with suffering, meaning that it tends to generate negative feelings, mental pain, physical pain. It’s always associated downstream with mental pain, physical pain. Sometimes the only way to wake us up is if we experience mental pain and physical pain.
They’re great teachers. That in a way is why hell is such a teacher is a great teacher because it the hells are the essence of saṃsāra. That’s really what it’s like. That’s really where it is. So this we need to contemplate, especially at a a time when we’re not in great physical pain or mental pain.
Because then it’s hard. If we’re really experiencing great physical pain, it’s not easy to sit down and contemplate the law of cause and effect, although we should. And even when we’re experiencing great mental pain, that also actually, that’s a very really, that should be a very good time for us to contemplate the law of cause and effect. It’s a very good time. And strong mental pain does occur from time to time.
We get depressed about this or that. That comes from past causes. So this this section again is very, very important. And the different divisions, especially of speech and the physical actions are very important. And then also to reflect on the three of mind, three negative actions of mind, and try to be aware of them when they exist.
Those three of mind are generally with us. Wrong view. We do possess wrong view at present. We have many different levels of wrong view. There’s the eight types of worldly view.
No. There’s eight types of view, and we possess the five afflictive views at present. That’s the view of grasping at a self and so on, the view of the transient collection. So we should, as much as possible, try to be mindful of what’s occurring in the mind and how that’s influencing our speech and how that’s influencing our physical actions. And if the source is negative, then we have to stop.
Apply the opponent. And in applying the opponent, we apply the four opponent powers or the four antidotes. Does anyone know what the four antidotes? Four opponent powers. Yep.
Regret. Regret, okay. Yeah. Good. That’s four.
Not to do it again. Yeah. That’s basically Those four opponent powers are the means by which we have to purify past negative actions and stop ourselves from stop ourselves from committing new negative actions. It’s possible that we can purify the past negative actions we’ve committed. And that’s because there’s two of the four opponent powers that can purify past negative actions, which is really taking refuge, generating regret, also developing the aspiration not to commit that action again.
So applying these four opponent powers is is the central way of undoing the negative actions that we’ve already committed. So having an understanding of those four opponent powers absolutely necessary. Okay. We might have a break there, I think.