Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Ven Jampa Ignyen teaches on emptiness through the Wheel of Sharp Weapons, exploring how all phenomena appear as truly existing when they are fundamentally illusory. In this 22-minute session, he uses compelling analogies—mirages, mirror reflections, echoes, and especially the moon reflected in water—to illuminate the insubstantial nature of objects, the self, and the self-cherishing attitude that lies at the root of suffering. A vivid story of a Zen nun whose bucket broke, spilling the water and its reflected moonlight, becomes a metaphor for breakthrough into selflessness. Central to the teaching is a paradox: although all phenomena lack inherent essence, karma and its results continue to function within this illusory appearance, so practitioners must cultivate virtue and wisdom. He moves toward direct meditation on emptiness itself, where consciousness rests in reality without any conceptual elaboration. For those with some Buddhist background.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 06 WSW 2001 10 01.mp3
UUID: 28f5e9be-98a7-4faf-81c3-1559d5b6e482
Teacher: Ven Jampa Ignyen
Collection: y Wheel of Sharp Weapons 2011 Month 09-10 (Ven Jampa Ignyen)
Date: 2001-10-01
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 22.4 minutes
Words: ~2,360
To them. We cannot see them. They’re unfindable. And like a mirage, they’re attractive from a distance. Like a reflection in a mirror, they appear as if there’s a mirror.
Even when we look at the mirror, it appears as if there’s someone standing behind the mirror. Although we get used to looking at the reflection, we know that it’s just a a reflection. Similarly, all objects in the universe are like that. They’re merely a reflection, like a reflection. Objects appear as if they’re truly truly existing when they’re not.
Like a mirage that appears as if it abides. So like an echo that exists in a valley, it appears to abide there. But as we approach, we find that there’s nothing really abiding there. Like this slithering enemy self, they appear as if they exist. Those are the self-cherishing attitude and the self grasping.
They hold to a self which appears to exist, but it doesn’t really exist. Our self-cherishing attitude really holds very strongly to I, but it doesn’t exist in the way that it appears to exist. But their existence has never been experienced. In other words, the way that we hold the eye to exist has never actually doesn’t exist in that way and has never existed in that way. They appear as if true, but their truth has never been experienced.
They appear as if they appear, but they are objects beyond both over- and underestimation. For them, no wheel of karma exists? So this section in the text is really talking about the mode of abidance of all objects. And within Buddhism, is extremely important because this is the field of developing transcendent view, of developing transcendent wisdom. The wisdom of the ultimate mode of of all objects.
So here the author is talking about the illusory nature of objects. Objects that appear as if they are true but they are or they exist in a way they appear to exist, but when we examine them, they don’t actually exist in that way. Why is this important? Because it’s by holding things to exist in a way they appear to exist that we generate all these negative states, hatred, anger, resentment, spite, jealousy, and so forth. All of these attitudes are coming because we hold others to exist in the way they appear to exist.
When in fact others don’t exist in that way. We ourselves don’t exist in that way. If we understand that anger and hatred and so forth cannot be generated. Understanding how objects exist means we no longer generate negative karma. We only generate negative karma in the present because we hold other objects, other beings to really exist in the way they appear, to really harm us in the way that they appear to harm us and so forth, when that’s not actually the case.
At present, it appears our relationship with others, their relationship with us appears to be absolutely fixed and determined and so on. And the way that we interpret it could be correct. But actually things don’t exist in quite that way. Oh, yes. Yeah.
Alright. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Well, our negative karma works as well and so on. Things do function.
In fact, the entire universe functions even though being have wrong view. But the negative elements of our existence are really sourced within wrong view. Once we generate the right correct view, then it doesn’t mean the universe doesn’t continue to exist, it does. But by understanding the correct view we are able to eradicate all the contaminated, limiting, unsatisfactory elements of existence. The purpose of attaining realization is not to overcome existence, only the contaminated aspects of existence.
In a way, yes, we need to understand the view we have of the world. In deeper and deeper level. In fact, what we need basically is the fact of things as they actually are. It’s really just the fact of things that are going to be of any real benefit to us. So that’s what we need.
Just a fact. And here, it’s specifically of the nature of reality itself. But in understanding how how reality or how how we do exist, you know, without any additions or elaboration and so forth, is the means by which we can establish ours and other beings’ well-being. So therefore, though in that way objects are without essence, just as the mandala of the moon appears in water, karma and its result variously manifest in the deceptive world and we should practice virtue and reject non virtue within this mere appearance. So even though objects are without any essence, just as the mandala of the moon appears in water, so too karma and its results manifest in deceptive world.
Things continue to function even though things are illusory as in the case of the mandala appearing, the mandala of the moon appearing in water. At present, in a way, we mistake the reflection of the moon for the moon itself. But even so, things function. We mistake the illusory to be real, like the reflection of the moon we take to be the moon itself. Even so, we engage in various types of actions and experience the results of those actions.
When we understand the illusion to be an illusion, then we can get beyond the contaminated. There is a poem that was written by this Zen nun who was saying, in this way way and that I tried to save the old bucket so the bamboo straps were worn and about to break. One day the bottom fell out. No more water in the bucket. No more moon in the water.
As she was this nun, she was carrying around. She practiced for many years and she would carry water in a bucket and then from time to time she would notice the reflection of the moon for instance in the bucket, bucket of water. Noticing the reflection of the moon in the bucket is like our current conception of the eye that we hold for day in day out. Then one day the strap broke on the bucket and the water fell out. There is no further reflection of the moon in the water.
In other words, one day she finally broke through the realization of selflessness. Didn’t mean to say she stopped existing, of course, but simply that the misconception of the I was overcome, and the wisdom of selflessness was generated. So therefore, we should practice virtue and reject non virtue within this field of mere appearance that we exist in. So when fire at the end of the eon blazes as an object in a dream, the terror of heat arises, so it is without essence. Similarly, though the hell realms etc.
Are without essence, through fear of being boiled and burnt, we act to abandon non-virtue. So even though we exist in an illusory world, still we should avoid non virtue and practice virtue at every opportunity. It’s a little bit like when we as it says, in a dream, we may dream of the end of the universe and generate great fear even though the dream is without essence. Still, even in our waking state, we practice virtue to avoid rebirth in hell even though rebirth in hell is like an illusion. When confused by fever, though darkness does not fall, it is as though we were falling into a deep pit and suffocating.
Similarly, through ignorance, though ignorance, etc, have no essence, confusion is eliminated by the three wisdoms. So at times we experience darkness and we feel as if we are being suffocated through various conditions such as getting a fever. And this is like the ignorance, this darkness that we have in the present moment, this ignorance that prevents us from understanding things as they are. That also is illusory, but that is overcome by developing wisdom, the wisdom of hearing, contemplation and meditation. So even though we have an illusory type of existence, we need to develop illusory wisdom to overcome illusory ignorance.
It’s a little paradoxical. Though a musician plays melodies on a lute, when analyzed, it is confirmed there is no essence in the sound. Just a number of notes together. When not analyzed, a pleasant sound arises through the collection of notes, which eliminates the heaviness of the mind’s disease. Even though things are without essence, they have a function.
An example of that is music. All music is is this collection of notes together, which when we seek their essence, we don’t find it. But still music, which is a stringing together a different note, has this ability to lift the hearts of us being, of us beings. So music does have a function. Similarly, if karma and causation are thoroughly examined, though one or many, they are without essence.
Even karma itself is without essence. karma’s are generated and destroyed in accordance with appearance. Bliss and suffering are variously experienced as if they exist. Even so, we should practice virtue and reject non virtue within this mere appearance. Again, even though things are illusory.
We continue to experience the results of action, things do function. When a vase is filled by drops of water, the first drop does not fill the vase and each drop to the last does not as the vase is filled by their dependent collection. Again here the author talking about the meaning of dependent arising. That a vase is filled by drops of water but when we ask whether it is the first drop or the last drop, it is not not really the first or the last. It’s filled by their dependent collection.
In other words, a full glass of water is a dependent arising. It arises dependent upon all its parts and there is nothing fixed or inherent within it. Similarly, when the result of suffering is experienced, it is not experienced by the first moment of the cause as the experience of bliss and suffering occurs through their dependent collection. Because of that we should practice virtue and reject non virtue within this mere appearance. When we investigate the nature of all objects in the universe, we see that they have this common quality of being dependent arising ourselves and all other beings.
And being dependent arising, they do have an illusory element. Therefore, we should practice virtue and reject non virtue. Alas, without investigation objects seem attractive, yet we confirm there is no pith within their appearance. However, this Dharma of objects appearing as if they exist is profound and inferior minds have difficulty seeing it. So it’s difficult for us to understand the meaning of these words.
Though the words do point to a profound meaning. Now when equipoise in concentration, definitely what mere appearance exists? When existence what existence exists? Also, what nonexistence exists? Also, what assertion of being or not being exists?
This particular verse here is referring to a being who is in equipoise on emptiness. A being who, through cultivating meditation for many lifetimes, develops a direct perceptual comprehension of emptiness. When they’re engaged in that direct comprehension, that perceptual comprehension of emptiness, There is no appearance. There is no existence. There’s no nonexistent.
There’s no being or nonbeing. There’s just the purity of emptiness itself. Why are we bothering to talk about emptiness here? It’s because emptiness and the mind comprehending emptiness is the essential antidote to ignorance itself. It’s like a medicine, which is able to purify the mind to its deepest level.
And when a being is able to perceptually comprehend emptiness, only emptiness, is comprehended. Nothing else appears to that type of mind. When intelligence coursing in the fundamental state in which objects and the substance of objects do not exist, which is free from practice of virtue and rejection of virtue and free of all elaboration. When that type of mind naturally abides without any fabrication, one becomes a great being. In other words, when we develop the type of fundamental awareness which accesses the final the final mode of abidance of ourselves and all other objects, then that really is a holy mind.
That is an omniscient, a pure, perfect, uncontaminated type of mind. The holiest mind. That type of mind abides without any fabrication without any thought or any it abides in the truth itself without moving an inch from it. One when that is achieved, one becomes a great being. In fact, becomes an ārya bodhisattva.
So in that way by practicing relative and ultimate bodhicitta, may we consummate without interruption the two collections and obtain perfection of the two purposes. So let’s complete the text on the Wheel of Sharp Weapons And the text itself is condensing a vast a vast amount of, advice directed to we ordinary beings to encourage us to practice virtue and as much as possible to limit self-cherishing with a view to eventually overcoming it. And while limiting our self-cherishing also to, it’s encouraging us to generate wisdom, wisdom that understands the nature of our inner nature. Why are we doing this? Fundamentally, to establish our full potential as beings.
Our full potential for happiness for our own purpose, our full potential to help others. So as much as possible, we should reflect on the meaning, of these words and check to see whether they conform to our own experience or not. There are words that are directed at the at the real the real and most important issues within our existence, And they’re composed by a being who has meditated on these issues for many years and speaking from the point of view of experience itself, his own experience. So anyway, it’s not an easy text to go through and everyone has been very patient which is excellent. And I hope everyone’s enjoyed the course of the weekend.
And I hope everyone gets an opportunity to go through this this material at some stage again in the future. Anyway, we might just do a short dedication there. And then I think Gloria has a final session just to finish off.