Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Ven Jampa Ignyen clarifies a critical distinction about the second noble truth: the truth of suffering does not mean everything IS suffering, but that all contaminated phenomena possess four characteristics (impermanence, emptiness, selflessness, and the capacity to produce suffering) that bind us to saṃsāra. In this 44-minute talk, he establishes why understanding this is essential for genuine renunciation—not superficial renunciation born from worldly setbacks, but the uncontrived, day-and-night aspiration to escape samsaric existence altogether. He stresses that renunciation is the foundation of all Buddhist practice: advanced techniques like deity yoga, wind-channel meditation, or mantra recitation become mere worldly activity without it. He then turns to the origin of suffering, identifying the two forces that perpetuate rebirth—karma (the mental factor of intention) and afflictions, particularly attachment, which acts as the activating moisture for karmic seeds to ripen. Aimed at practitioners already engaged with Lamrim study.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 13 2001 05 31 LR.mp3
UUID: 3a108789-5cd7-4ef1-8333-4b1c3851eb25
Teacher: Ven Jampa Ignyen
Collection: y Lam Rim 2001 Month 04-06 (Ven Jampa Ignyen)
Date: 2001-05-31
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 44.6 minutes
Words: ~4,582
The today’s section, this evening’s section. Good. Right. So we’re continuing through the text. And today, we really start with day fifteen of the discourse, which is talking about the second noble truth, the origin of suffering.
Now we assume already that we’ve understood what the first noble truth is. We have a clear understanding of what the noble truth of suffering. So then, ideally, we should have no further doubts about about what the truth of suffering is. Last week, we talked about the different types of suffering, the four types of human suffering, the suffering of the the gods and so forth. Previously, the sufferings of the lower realms have been covered.
So in fact, all of these encompass the truth of suffering. But is it necessary if it’s the truth of suffering? Does it have to be suffering? No. Not everything is suffering, is it?
Actually, what suffering refers to is just the feeling of suffering, isn’t it? When we talk about suffering, is we’re really talking about a negative physical or mental feeling, isn’t it? Physically suffering means that they’re physically in pain. Mentally suffering means mentally in pain. It’s true, isn’t it?
That’s what suffering is. So not everything is suffering, is it? Everything is suffering. Is this house suffering? I can’t hear it.
It’s not whimpering or It’s an inanimate object. It’s an inanimate object, isn’t it? It’s the truth of suffering, but it’s not suffering. Why is it the truth of suffering? Right.
It somehow is connected with suffering. It’s impermanent. It’s impermanent. But not everything that’s impermanent is associated with suffering. We do.
Of course. Oh, that’s right. We get attached. The house itself, although it’s not suffering, it’s the truth of suffering. Because eventually in relation to the house, a feeling of suffering will arise.
Not necessarily, no. No. Not everything that’s impermanent is associated with the suffering of change. For instance, a Buddha’s the form aggregate of a Buddha. The body of a Buddha is impermanent, but not associated with the suffering of change.
But our happiness at present is is the suffering of change itself. Right. So really, what is the truth of suffering? The truth of suffering is something that’s has four characteristics. It’s impermanent.
It’s associated with suffering. It’s empty and selfless. So this is what the truth of suffering is. In fact, most things that we’re aware of are the truth of suffering, the physical form that we see. It’s not suffering.
This table is not suffering, is it? In order to be suffering, it has to be feeling, doesn’t it? Has to be the an experience. But what we see around us is termed the truth of suffering because it has these four qualities or four characteristics. Being impermanent, associated with suffering, empty and self less.
How is it associated with suffering? It’s associated with suffering, we can say because it’s things are contaminated. And either and just by focusing on them, a feeling of suffering will eventually arise. In the beginning, by looking at them, a pleasant feeling may arise. That pleasant feeling is not suffering.
But gradually, that pleasant feeling will change. And eventually, even a feeling of disgust will arise in relation to the object. A negative feeling will arise. That’s an indication that it’s the truth of suffering. We ourselves are the truth of suffering.
Those that we see around us are the truth of suffering. But it doesn’t mean that there’s suffering itself. When we say we are suffering, of course, it means that we have a feeling, a negative feeling. Isn’t it? That’s true, isn’t it?
We ourselves actually aren’t aren’t a feeling, are we? Are we feeling? No. No. We’re not, are we?
We’re being with feelings, but we aren’t feeling itself. Anyway, so we need to understand what the truth of suffering is. Because unless we understand what the truth of suffering is, then going on to question what the origin of suffering is will not necessarily make be very pertinent to us. But, really, what we do know that we want want to escape from is these negative feelings that we experience. And they’re really the suffering of suffering, the grossest level of suffering.
So definitely, we want to escape from those. Even our pleasant feelings are the suffering of change and objects associated with them. So those two are are called the truth of suffering because those pleasant feelings eventually change into negative feelings. And even having a contaminated mind body that we have at present is termed the compounded pervasive suffering because it acts as a basis for pleasant feelings, unpleasant feelings to arise, or in other words, contaminated feelings to arise. So in fact, we have to think about this a great deal.
Otherwise, we’re not really motivated to get beyond our current state. If we don’t understand what our current state is or if we don’t understand what our status is as the truth of suffering, we are the truth of suffering. If we don’t understand what that means, then there’s not gonna be much impetus for us to strive to get beyond our current state. So meditating on the truth of suffering is very, very important. So as Pabongka Rinpoche then goes on to say, as in the preparatory rites, we should think about the suffering of saṃsāra while meditating on our guru or our teacher who sits above the crown of our head.
Between meditation sessions, we can refer to sutras and teach that teach the drawback drawbacks of saṃsāra or the suffering of Samsāra or teach about the truth of suffering. If when you see anything Samsaric, its happiness, power, riches, and so forth. If when you see these things and you’re weary of them and think, these are fraudulent things, they are suffering, then you have been sufficiently moved to feel renunciation. So renunciation really only comes about through beginning to see the truth of suffering. Unless we see the truth of suffering, renunciation is not gonna occur.
Renunciation in Tibetan is the thought of renunciation. Renunciation in Tibetan means definite emergence. The thought of definite emergence from saṃsāra, the thought of definite escape from saṃsāra, the thought of breaking free from saṃsāra, the prison of saṃsāra. Renunciation has that meaning. It’s has this sense of putting leaving saṃsāra behind.
What is saṃsāra? Samsāra is our contaminated mind body of the present, which in itself is the subtlest level of suffering, the compounded or pervasive suffering upon which the grosser levels of suffering manifest. Unless we have the thought to get beyond our contaminated mind body of the present moment, everything that we are in the present moment in terms of our mind body continue, unless we have the thought to get beyond our contaminated mind body, then we don’t have renunciation. And as he says, you may be moved to renounce such things like saṃsāra or riches of saṃsāra, the praise, the status, the fame, all the perks and so on. A pension for life, winning Tatts Lotto, having an unlimited supply of the one of those things we’re addicted to, be it Tibetan tea or chocolate or whatever it may be.
Here we need need to renounce such things, but we may be removed to renounce such things when we suffer a few samsaric problems like demotion. Our boss demotes us. Degradation, where some of our faults are brought into the into the open, and we feel somewhat degraded by that, and so on, humiliation and so on. At those times when when we’re going through a bad patch, we’re not doing too well. You know, we break a valuable thing.
Our friends are putting us down. Nothing seems to be going right. At those times, we we can sort of think, well, yeah, this is saṃsāra. I don’t want any part of it. But this type of renunciation is only superficial renunciation, only a pale reflection of what it should be.
So long as we are born into saṃsāra, as long as we’re born with this contaminated mind body that we have at present, we’ve not transcended suffering at all. The feeling of suffering that will inevitably arise because we’ve got this contaminated mind body. We’re not beyond it. The one thing we don’t want to experience at any time is physical or mental pain. But unless we’re motivated to absolute absolutely get beyond the very source of this physical and mental pain, which are the mind body continuum we have at present, then we don’t have renunciation.
And we will continue to continue to undergo suffering again and again. We must, in fact, break the continuity of our rebirths. So we have to think again and again about these issues. Because at present, we tend to be just very superficial in our assessment of these things. Our thinking doesn’t really penetrate very far, maybe the first layer or two.
But really, you know, below that, you know, where on the deeper levels, we’re still pretty much unaffected. All we have to do is look at our thoughts, you know, to see all of our attachments to all manner of different things. Those that attachment we have will only bring us will lead to negative feeling by its very nature. But we don’t really see this at present, so we need to think about it again and again. As Tsongkhapa said, after such meditations, when you do not long for the splendors of saṃsāra for even a moment, when your thoughts day and night always yearn for liberation or emancipation, for freedom, you have developed renunciation.
This verse actually comes up in the what is it? The three principles of the path. So in fact, day and night having the the uncontrived thought, the genuine aspiration, effortless aspiration to get beyond saṃsāra at any time, day or night, night or day, morning, evening, midday, midnight, in our dreams, when in a waking state. When we’re distracted or when we’re not distracted, we have this uncontrived thought to get beyond. Not the external world as we see it, but beyond this state of this contaminated state that we exist in, that is renunciation.
That is the thought of definite emergence. And as Pabongka Rinpoche goes on to say, when others construct fine thrones for me, show me deference, pay me respect and so on, I think these are all impermanent. They are all suffering. When he says they’re all suffering, he means they’re all the truth of suffering. They lead to a feeling of suffering.
In the beginning, if people pay us respect, we like that. It’s not that liking shows that there’s a positive feeling involved. That’s actually the suffering of change. That later will become actual negative mental feeling, which is the suffering of suffering itself. So better we can renounce that from the beginning, give that up from the beginning.
At present, it’s not easy for us to see how our happy feelings will eventually change and how they inevitably change into negative feelings. They may go through a long process. But that’s in relation to any object this happens. There’s not some special object that we can just keep our mind on and then at least in terms terms of contaminated objects. Once we begin to think of uncontaminated objects, then the possibility of getting beyond suffering begins to emerge.
So it is vital to use some means to develop our mind streams, the pure thoughts of being moved to renunciation. The main thing we should yearn for is Buddhahood. For us to receive Buddhahood, we must have bodhicitta. To have bodhicitta, we must first have compassion. And to have this, we must first recognize that all beings have been our mothers in past lifetimes.
We must develop renunciation by meditating on our own samsaric suffering and then develop compassion by meditating on others’ sufferings, which are just like the ones that we experience ourselves. Nevertheless, renunciation is the principal path in the medium scope section. So we’re dealing here with the medium scope, and the main practice here at present is developing renunciation. Unless we develop renunciation and comprehend what renunciation is, we can’t generate bodhicitta. And in order to enter the great vehicle, one, we need bodhicitta.
But we also need renunciation. We can’t generate bodhicitta without renunciation. And as Pabongka Rinpoche then goes on to say, when we have developed renunciation in our mind stream, any virtue we create will be the cause for our liberation. Once we have established the mind of renunciation within our mental continuum, that will serve as a support for generating vast amount of merit, which will not produce samsaric states. At present, our virtue tends to go to producing Samsāra, tends to perpetuate our mind body continuum, our contaminated mind body continuum, because we haven’t generated renunciation.
So everything that we think about just is really going into perpetuating saṃsāra. Except now an exception is made here by Pabongka. An exception to this is virtue created in dependence on the power of the merit field. So in fact, even though we’re still saṃsāra beings, we still haven’t generated renunciation. Through the power of the the object, it’s possible to generate merit that is will not produce saṃsāra.
But that’s by the power of the object itself. Not from our side, but from the side of the object. And then as says, which is very important, if we do not take the three fundamentals of the path seriously or if we ignore them, the three principles of the path. Everyone knows the three principles of the path. Anyone know the three principles? Renunciation?
bodhicitta? That’s right. The view of emptiness. Correct view of emptiness. Right.
If we did not take the three fundamentals of the path seriously or if we ignore them, those three, any profound Dharma we put effort into any profound practice we put effort into, such as meditation on the energy winds and their channels, meditation on the deities, recitation of the mantras, and so forth will not become even part of a path leading to liberation or omniscience. So unless we fundamentally, unless we meditate on renunciation, what we’re doing in terms of daily practice and so forth is not even part of the path leading to liberation. It would be a waste of energy, as he says. Practicing deity yoga, meditating on the winds and the channels and the wheels on the drops, engaging in any similar practice to that, even meditating on to develop single point concentration, the nine stages of mental placement simply becomes a samsaric activity because it’s not qualified by renunciation. It’s not affected by renunciation.
It would just be a waste of energy. We’d be putting all this effort into doing some practice or what we think is practice, but unless it’s qualified by renunciation, then bodhicitta and the view of emptiness, then it’s a waste of energy. So before we embark on anything with a claim to be profound, so if we embark on any profound practice, it is vital that we work as hard as we can on renunciation, bodhicitta, and correct view. So in fact, those three things are like should be our main focus. And then Pabongka Rinpoche goes on to talk about the nature of the path leading to liberation.
Okay. If we are generating renunciation, we’re trying to emerge from saṃsāra, escape from saṃsāra. But what are we seeking to escape to? We’re seeking to escape to the bliss of liberation, to the happiness liberation, the contentment, the uncontaminated state, free of all problems and limitations where one can really sit back and relax. I mean, really relax.
In that state one, it’s possible to really relax. It’s not easy for us at present to relax because we have all these concerns, and a lot and a number of these concerns are quite valid. But having attained liberation, then one can really relax, sit back. One doesn’t need to have expression on one’s face anymore. One can afford to smile and laugh a bit.
Right. So here it has two sections thinking about the source of suffering. So if we understand what, the truth of suffering is, and we really long to get beyond that, then the only way we can really get beyond it is by understanding where it’s coming from, what its source is. In order to get to that stage, we need to know what suffering itself is. The truth of suffering is.
Right. And then the second part is actually ascertaining the nature of the path leading to liberation. So, therefore, we think about the source of suffering, the stages forcing one into saṃsāra,, and then ascertaining the nature of the path leading to liberation. So there’s two sections here. In thinking about the source of suffering, the stages forcing one, or by which one enters saṃsāra,.
It’s the forward system leading into Samsāra here that’s being talked about. In fact, at present, we’re engaged in the forward system that’s the entry into Samsāra, the continuous entry into Samsāra. This is the twelve links of dependent arising that are just moving forward into saṃsāra continuously. Now there are three subheadings there. How delusions or afflictions are developed, how karma is accumulated, and how one leaves one rebirth at death and is conceived in another.
So the first one is how delusions or afflictions here, gonna use the word affliction instead of delusion. I’m sorry if that no one would anyone mind if I do that? Okay. So in fact, it said that there are two causes of saṃsāra. Two causes of our current contaminated state, mind body state, and that is karma and afflictions.
karma is everyone has an idea of what karma is. What’s karma? Is can we see karma? Sorry? Okay.
Well, both. Of those. One’s called karma. Oh, both are called karma, but one tends to be actually karma. The other one is the result of karma.
It’s intention? Intention. That’s it. karma is intention. karma is the intention we have in our mental continuum at present.
Whatever our intention is, that’s our current karma in a general sense. karma actually refers to intention. Negative karma is negative intention. Positive karma is positive intention. In fact, karma is defined as the mental factor of intention.
The mental factor of intention is the definition of karma. Useful to memorize that because you hear karma, the word karma being applied to many things. Instant karma, this karma, that karma. But it’s important we understand the definition of what karma is because we need to comprehend what it is. We need to have a very clear understanding of what it is.
So the mental factor of intention is what karma is. The karma that returns to us after a long period of time, that is the result of past intention. That’s just our intentions, our past intentions returning to us. So whatever we experience is just our past intention in a sense returning. What we experience is what our current feelings are present, whatever they are.
They tend to be the maturation of our past intention in a present moment. Right. So karma and affliction. So firstly, affliction is talked about, how affliction is developed. So these two things are said to be the origin of suffering, karma and affliction.
The internal states, karma exists within our mental continuum. Affliction exists within our mental continuum. It’s not outside, not external to ourselves. So in this section, have the identification of afflictions, the stages of their develop development, the causes of afflictions, and the drawbacks of afflictions. Right.
So firstly, now talking about the origin of suffering, the truth of origin has two parts. Now this occurs on page five zero eight. As it says, originating afflictions and originating karma. So in fact, this is in Tibetan: Lé kyi Kunjung dang, Nyönmong gi Kunjung. So the truth of suffering has two parts, karma and affliction.
They’re called, we could say originating karma or originating afflictions. So it’s these two things that are said to produce our current state, our experience in the present moment. Everything that we experience in the present is coming from karma and afflictions. The totality of our experience as individuals, beginning, middle, and end of our experience is coming from karma and afflictions. So as it says, we must carry the burden of the afflicted aggregates, and having to carry that burden is due to karma.
And karma is developed due to the afflictions. In a sense, first comes the afflictions and then comes karma. But they because of the importance of both, they’re both regarded as causes. But first comes the afflictions, then comes karma. And we’ve accumulated immeasurable, immense, inestimable types of karma in the past, and they exist within our mental continuum and present.
They don’t take up any space. They just they’re there within our mental continuum. If they took up space, then we’d be in trouble. We wouldn’t be able to carry it. If our karma was was physical, then we wouldn’t be able to, you know, lift ourselves.
But the karma and the seeds of karma, because karma, once it’s been once the intention has made an imprint on the mental consciousness with which it’s associated, that that intention affects that mental consciousness. In a sense, it lays down seeds or imprints within that consciousness. Those imprints themselves are like seeds, but they’re not physical. And our current mental continuum is full of them, but it’s not as if they take up any space. So we have accumulated immeasurable karmas in the past, but without the delusions, without the afflictions of craving and clinging as also existing within the mind, karma cannot on its own project us into future rebirths.
In fact, it would be like a seed without moisture. Actually, this section is not easy because it’s dealing with karma. Karmic seeds are like just like ordinary seeds. Our mental consciousness is a bit like the ground upon which those seeds are sown. And the moisture which is going to activate those seeds is a bit like craving and grasping and attachment.
So we can have many, many karmic seeds within our our mental continuum. But if the condition of craving and attachment is missing, those seeds will not be awakened. Just as a seed like a seed of an apple tree, if we plant it in the ground, but the soil is really dry, It doesn’t matter if the soil is good and the sun is coming up every day, it’s nice and sunny, and so on. The seed is a viable seed. The seed is not actually gonna sprout until it gets some moisture.
Moisture. What’s moistening all those seeds that we have in our mental continuum is attachment. It’s like we’ve got this large field, and we’ve got many, many different seeds there, and it’s our attachment to things that is like the moisture, providing the moisture for the ripening of karmic seeds. And when they’re awakened, then they give rise to a result, an experience. It’s being attached to living, to existing, that is a central condition for us to attain rebirth, to take future rebirth.
And in some of the schools, attachment is regarded as the root of saṃsāra, or it’s given it’s given that name. In this sense, or attachment is seen to be the main thing to be overcome. Because if we can overcome attachment, we can stop the rebirth process. Because that karmic seeds are not going to be awakened. And then, Dharmakīrti has said in the Pramānavārttika, in this text on valid awareness, craving for samsaric existence is unique amongst other aspects of karma.
For these other karmas cannot precipitate rebirth, being only attendant subsidiaries. But if one has craving, one will receive more karma or one will receive more rebirth. In other words, what what this is referring to is that craving or attachment is the central condition required for our future rebirth. But the root of future rebirth is affliction. And here we mean by affliction is that which is unsubdued within our mental continuum, that which is unsuitable.
Unsuitable, that which gives rise to unsuitable states of mind or an untamed states of mind, like our present state. It’s a little bit unsatisfactory. This is an indication that we have affliction. So now the identification. Now with that, the author hasn’t gone into great detail here on this point.
Then he goes into the question of the afflictions themselves. What are they? In fact, there is said to be six types of affliction or delusion that we possess at present, and these are the roots. They’re called root afflictions, and they’re attachment, anger, pride, ignorance, wrong view, and doubt. So the list occurs in the text.
So it’s these these six which act as the act as the source of our contaminated mind body continuum, our contaminated state of the present. It’s not easy for us to look to view our current state internally and be able to pick out, oh, yes. These are the roots of my current my current existence. But they they are actually this. They are therefore called root afflictions.
And the first one is attachment, and I think everyone’s quite familiar with what attachment is. And as Pabongka Rinpoche states, when we see an attractive jewel, body, food, drink, or whatever, we develop thoughts such as not wanting to be separated from it. Other afflictions are like dust on a piece of cloth, easy to remove, but attachment, which means clinging to or being fixated on something. Attachment really means holding to the attractive aspects of something. Looking at other things and just seeing the attractive.
The work, the function of attachment is just to hold what’s attractive in anything. Just whatever. When we look around at something, we see things that are nice and, ah, we’re attracted to the object. The mental factor, the state of mind that’s being attracted to the object, that’s attachment. Other as he says as Pabongka Rinpoche says, other afflictions are more easy to remove than attachment.
Attachment is just so deeply rooted within us, so deep seated in our mind, in our mental continuum that it’s more it’s one of the most difficult to overcome. And we just naturally get it we’re attracted to many different objects all the time. This is attachment. This is the function of attachment, to be attracted to the positive qualities of things. And then through attachment, then we wanna touch something.
We wanna buy it. We wanna possess it. We wanna be near it. Don’t wanna be separated from it. And so it’s afflictive.
It’s therefore a type of an a type of affliction. And that’s our current state. We’re attracted. We’re attached to many things. And as it stated, the lasso of craving and attachment confines us to saṃsāra’s prison.
It’s really it’s our attachment that keeps us in saṃsāra. Because without the condition of attachment, karmic seeds cannot be ripened because they’re only ripened through attachment. Or the main condition for their ripening, for their awakening is the moisture of attachment. Right. Now then we have anger.
Anger is what sees the repulsive in anything.