Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 73-minute teaching, Ven Sanghy Khandro guides practitioners through a meditation path culminating in exchange meditation—taking on others’ suffering, giving your virtue to them. She begins with the foundational work: the five faults of concentration and eight antidotes, nine methods for steadying the mind, and five natural stages in practice, from recognizing thought-cascades like waterfalls to one-pointed focus. She establishes the philosophical ground: all phenomena are mind-created illusions, like dream-visions. From there, she guides loving-kindness, compassion, and exchange meditation, where practitioners visualize absorbing others’ suffering and radiating happiness. Throughout, she emphasizes that genuine realization requires both śamatha (calm focus) and vipaśyanā (insight wisdom)—method and wisdom working as vehicle and eyes. For practitioners established in daily practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 7 Compassionate way of life.mp3
UUID: e7c49b35-29cf-4c76-87ac-25b636297d76
Teacher: Ven Sanghy Khandro aka Kathleen McDonald
Collection: Compassionate way of life (Ven Sanghy Khandro aka Kathleen McDonald)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 72.9 minutes
Words: ~4,823
Because if one do not apply the antidote, then it will ruin your concentration. So immediately, when one as soon as that one knows that one’s mind is going into these wrong directions, then to apply the antidote. And the fifth fault, which is over application, antidote for this is to apply equanimity. That by over application, that instead of helping that if it disturbs your concentration, then at that time to apply equanimity so that things should be balanced. And by balancing the things, the problems will be able to solve.
So before you do the concentration, the first thing is to recognize the five faults and to to learn the eight antidotes. There are five faults. First fault has four antidotes. Remaining faults each have one antidote each. So together, there are eight antidotes.
Then the actual concentration is to do there are nine methods. And the first one is called the placing the mind or the setting the mind, which means on the the object of concentration, which should be fixed in firmly without you with your body in straight in meditation posture, without blinking your eyes in a clear on the clear concentration objects. And that you should try to bring your mind over there, not to think about the qualities or the shape or the color of the object, but you will bring it and try to remain there without going in any directions by looking your eyes, mind, everything on the same direction. Even by staring it, that even like tears come from your eyes, one should not touch it and let it go until until you could remain as long as one could remain. And then the second method is called continual placing, which means for the beginners that it is difficult to do this kind of concentration for a long period of time.
So try to do this short sessions, but many sessions. Short, short sessions, but try to do it many, many as more sessions. More sessions, but shorter sessions. Shorter periods of time, but many sessions. And then the third one is called conscientiously placing or resettling, which means that while you are concentrating like that, if distractions rise, by remembering, by recognizing the distraction.
For example, when you are doing concentration like this, if you hear a sound, immediately your your thought goes to this sound, then you must know that now my thought is playing after the sound. So instead of following the sound, you must bring it back to the object. And fourth one is called the perfect placement, which means that settling the mind through awareness of the danger of distraction. By remembering that if one’s mind falls, if one’s mind goes distract on other things, that there are many bad consequences. So just remembering this that all the time try to bring back to the object.
Fifth one is called the subdued mind or the taming the mind through awareness of the benefits of the samadhi, benefits of the concentration. But if you to concentrate, then there are great benefits temporarily and ultimately. So by remembering this that one should not fall into the opposite obstacles of the concentration which are scattering and sinking. So in this way, try to to tame your mind by bringing back your mind again to the object of concentration. And the sixth one is called pacification, which means that pacification or the calmness to remove the feelings of dissatisfaction which have arisen due to the distraction, etcetera, due to the lack, for example, sound or something coming or some things that your mind all the time goes everywhere and it disturbs your concentration, then try to bring if it brings if your mind is sort of like shakes, then try to to remove that kind of agitation by again placing the mind over the object of concentration.
And seventh one is called enhanced pacification, which means that if complete opposite of the concentration such as lust, desire, hatred, etcetera, rises to you, then by remembering their consequences, if one indulges the defilements, then one will have very terrible consequences. And by remembering these, they try to bring remove these opposite thoughts by bringing back to the concentration object and try to calm your agitated mind. And the eighth one is called the one-pointedness. Placing the mind one pointedly, avoiding the extreme application of antidotes. Due to the over application that if your mind is again agitated and disturbed, that also by bringing back again to the concentration object that try to remove it.
And then the ninth one is called effortlessly placing or setting, which means that to doing this again and again that once you used to it, then that without much efforts that one could remain in this concentration and have a great experience of calmness. So this way, they try to practice it. But the main thing to remember here, the main hindrance is sinking and scattering. So if one has the sinking, then one should do eat less food, sit on a high seat, wear thin cloth, recite refuge and creation of enlightenment thoughts loudly. And by making waking you up sort of very, very light, very alerting, that helps.
But if you have the the other problem of scattering or agitating going into different directions, then you should try to remove. Do the opposite: wear thick cloth, sitting on a low seat, recite the prayer in silence and sort of more settling, more calming way one could avoid obstacles. So by doing this way, did one do the meditation, the concentration? And the first experience is called recognizing the thoughts like a mountain waterfall, which means that although normally we have so many thoughts one one after another coming, but normally since we are not watching, we do not even notice it. But when we are trying to meditate, then you see the you first experience is that you notice the normal thoughts.
So that means that one will have so many thoughts. It seems as more thoughts are coming one after another just like a mountain waterfall steep, mountain waterfall. And so that’s this kind of experience, one should not discourage. It is a good sign. It is the first experience and it is called recognizing the thoughts.
The experience of recognizing the thoughts. And then the second experience is called you have so many thoughts coming, but then also there are gaps without thoughts. And then while one is remaining in without thought, again, so many thoughts one after another come. Then Then there are also gaps and this is the second experience which is known as the thought resting, thought is resting. And the third kind of and continues to meditate, to concentrate.
And then the third kind of experience is called the thought tired. Which means that you have one who remains in the clarity of the mind for quite a period of time. But at the same time, then again while it is remaining in this clarity, again the thoughts start rising. And again, continue to practice. And the fourth experience is called the experience with waves, which means most of the time that one could remain without any thought in a very calm way, but occasionally, the one or two thoughts rise just like the ocean.
The ocean is normally very calm and but at the same time, there are some waves. So it is called the experience with waves of thoughts. And, again, with the continuing continuous practicing, the all thought ceases and that one could remain one pointed mind with a great clarity and that is called the fifth experience which is like an ocean without waves where all the thoughts are calmed down. And so in this kind of even though one could remain one’s mind one pointedly, but it is important to see the clarity of the mind just like light or the clarity of the light, this is the base to practice the insight wisdom. So that is how you practice the concentration.
And then now to do the insight wisdom. And that alone is, of course, not enough. In order to to attain enlightenment that one needs to know, one needs to realize the true nature of all things. So the insight wisdom. Now to practice the insight wisdom has three steps.
The first is to establish all the visions as a one’s own mind, and then the mind to establish mind as an illusion, and then to establish illusion as essenceless the without entity or the without its own nature. So first, all the vision that we see, the life that we go through, the forms sound that we hear, smells, etcetera. All this is not without cause. All this is not created by by anyone else. All of this is not the creation of the elements.
All of this is not creation of the atoms. All of this is not created by the Buddha, etcetera, that it is just projection of one’s own mind. One’s own mind has the imprint of these visions. The propensity is one’s own on one’s own mind. So all this is actually one’s own mind.
Due to the inner mind that we could see the all the outside things. So there’s no outside creator other than one’s own mind. So this is the first step. And, also, this is the meaning of many sutras. And then secondly, to establish this also as a illusion.
All the visions that we see is like actually illusion, just like the the things that we see in our dreams. In our dreams that we see many different things, many different countries go through many different experience. By seeing these, by hearing in the in the dreams, by seeing in dreams affect our mind. Our mind gets scared. Our mind gets afraid.
Our mind feel happy. Our mind, all sorts of things. But when you awake from your your dream that there is nothing, not even a sign of what you saw in your dream, nothing to afraid, nothing to fear, nothing to feel happy. There is nothing. So similarly, all the relative things that we see are like a dream.
The only difference is that we have a this is a has a more stronger clinging and the longer the time longer and the stronger clinging. So that’s why that we see the DREAM as it is easy to understand dream as are not true and it is difficult to understand the present life is not true. Since all these outside object is not existing, there is not a mind also because because the mind and mind is subject. All these visions are object. Subject to object is depend on each other.
If there is no object, they can’t have subject. And so the mind is also actually like an illusion. And then the third thing is to is to without nature or without self independently existing because all the things that we see that no thing thing can independently existing. Everything is depend on each other. Everything cause and effect.
Everything is depend on each other. And so so relatively that we can see things, we can still accept things. But in absolutely that we examine in absolute way, then one could not find anything, even a slightest thing called in this way or that way. So in it is just like the Reflection of mirror. Reflection of mirror or the rainbow that you can see clearly yet when you try to search, when you try to catch, try to hold that one could not hold so that it is the vision and void are inseparable.
Although normally, the vision and void are separate things, two completely different things. Vision means the things to see, void means empty, Yet there are two combined thing just like example like rainbow. So in this way and finally to finally, to realize the all things as a void and the thought that is realizing all things as a void also absorbs absorb to the object so that there’s no duality. It is just like water is mixed with water that subject and object are all merged together. So in this, try to meditate.
And by meditating on continuously on these things that then one will gradually be able to realize the ultimate truth or the true nature of one’s mind. And in the meantime, those sentient beings who have not realized this this realization due to not realizing the void, the true nature of all things, that they are suffering. So at the time that you practice the loving kindness and the compassion, which helps to realize the ultimate truth. So in this kind of balance practice of method and wisdom together, method alone is not enough. Wisdom alone is also not enough.
Method is like a vehicle. Wisdom is like eyes. If you even you have a vehicle, if you do not have the eyes, one could not reach the one’s destination. Even you have eyes while you one do not have the vehicle, one will also not be able to reach your destination. So in order to reach the destination, you need both eyes as well as the vehicle.
So together, that one will be able to reach the ultimate enlightenment where all these illusory visions will turn into the transcendental wisdom and all these impure visions will turn into the pure vision and obtain a great quality where one will attain the three kayas and could act benefit immense sentient beings. So in this way, that we conclude the main part of the teaching. And then the final part is to dedicate the merits that each session that you do, each meditation, each teaching that it is very important to dedicate the merits. Otherwise, if one do not dedicate the merits, the merits that we earn could be destroyed through a very strong opposite such as anger. But if one says it is dedicated, then it could not destroy by such as anger and instead that it is always increasing the merits.
So the each session you do, the whatever virtuous deeds that one does such as listening to teachings or meditations, contemplations, whatever you do, as well as all the virtuous deeds that once done, all combined together, we dedicate to attain ultimate enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings who are as wide as space. How we dedicate? We dedicate just like with the understanding all as dream or illusions, all with the understanding of dream and illusions. So with this kind of thing that we dedicate the merits. So we will have a short break and then we’ll do meditation.
So now we’ll do the meditation with the refuge and creation of enlightenment thoughts first and then do the meditation with the same way as I have explained this morning. So now to go through the the actual main part of the meditation, the first is difficulties of obtaining the precious human birth, then impermanence and suffering of saṃsāra, and the cause and effect, which we have already done. So now the third one is that if you have attachment to your own purpose, you do not have enlightenment thought. So to practice, first, we have to have a base to rise the enlightenment thought. So base to rise the enlightenment thought is first is to do the loving kind loving kindness and for to meditate this that one visualize first one’s own mother who is either passed away or alive and remember the her whole appearance and remember all the kindness that in the beginning she gave you body, she gave you life, she gave you all her belongings and try everything to make us as human beings.
And today that we have opportunity to practice Dharma is also if we go through all the how we have brought up to now that actually due to the one’s own mother that we today, we have a chance to practice Dharma. If she did not give birth or if she did not give the life, even if she did not looked after, even if she did not thought anything, we won’t be able to to practice Dharma. So what she needs is happiness. So we give her may she be happy and she be with the cause of happiness. And this you do with the creation of enlightenment thought and with the strong will and with the prayers.
And finally, to pray and make a very strong will that until you can do this that one will diligently practice. And then, once you can do this, then you do with other relatives, then indifferent, and then to the enemies, and eventually to all sentient beings. So for a moment you meditate on the loving kindness. And then, again, with the same meditation posture that you should meditate on the compassion. Starting with one’s own mother who has given you much benefit not only in this life but for many, many lifetimes.
Becoming mother through becoming mother. And due to me that she have gone through many different types of sufferings, due to due to looking after me, that today she did not been able to escape from the suffering of saṃsāra. And so we must although she does not want suffering, but at the moment she is experiencing great suffering she is although the aim is to be free from suffering, but due to the ignorance, due to not realizing the true nature of all things, that still clinging as real, that she is going through many different sufferings. So may she be free from sufferings with the same way first to the mothers and close ones, then indifferent, then then to enemies, and eventually with every sentient beings that you should meditate. And then after the the bodhicitta, the wishing bodhicitta that one’s own root father and mother as well as all sentient beings wish to have happiness, but due to ignorance ignorance that they are experiencing great suffering, some of them are already experiencing great suffering and some are creating more suffering and they are completely blind with ignorance and nothing to hold on and far away from the spiritual masters so that they are going through the edges of the lower realms, just tottering over the edges of the lower realms.
So one must have a compassion for these sentient beings, but mere compassion will not help. We must rescue them from the suffering and put them into the path of happiness. But at the moment, we do not have the power. Who has the power? Only the fully enlightened Buddhas who possess the infinite quality that even issuing by one rays of light from their body or just giving one line of teaching can save countless sentient beings.
So in any case, in brief, either by by sight or by hearing, by remembering or by touching or directly or indirectly, anyone who are linked with the Buddha could benefit immensely. So therefore, for the sake of all sentient beings that I must attain such enlightenment and I must make inner urge inner urge, real inner urge just like a thirsty man is wishing for water. And then I will work for the sentient beings wherever they are fit in any of the three yanas, the Śrāvakayāna, Pratyekabuddhayāna, Bodhisattvayana, and Bodhisattva Yana. Wherever they are fitting, wherever they are coming connections that I will put them into the right path and be able to help. So this kind of thing first meditate on the the wishing enlightenment thought.
And then for the entering enlightenment thought that I, myself, who wish to gain enlightenment for the sake of sentient beings. But unless, until I relinquish, I destroy the self clinging that not only I will not be able to help the sentient beings but even one’s own purpose could not be fulfilled. So therefore, now that one will will see the self clinging as root of all the faults and completely discard the self clinging and work physically through speech and mind, every work for the sake of all sentient beings. From today onwards that I will not work for myself, I will work for the benefit of other sentient beings. As oneself wish to have happiness, that every sentient being wish to have happiness.
As oneself wish to be free from suffering, every sentient being wish to be free from the sufferings. So in this way that I will instead working for oneself that I will work for the other sentient beings. And then the main part of the entering enlightenment is to do the exchange meditation that also beginning with the mother, remember mother, etc, the same way and rise great compassion and make a strong will to wish to attain enlightenment for the sake of sentient beings. Up until now that we did not get enlightenment because we did not look after our mothers, we’ve been all the time clinging to oneself. And so now, at this precious moment that I obtained, I must destroy the self clinging and from today onwards, I must work for the sentient beings so that I must take all the sentient mothers, sentient beings, their suffering, and their cause of suffering, the defilements, all the bad things, all the undesirable things that should come to me, wrapping over me.
So just like from the heart of mother comes the suffering and the cause of suffering, the defilements in black form come over you and and absorbs to you. And And if I could take the suffering or other sentient beings that one should be very joyful. So in this way that crushes the self clinging and then once when you are when you learn that colorful rope is not a snake, then of course all the anxiety, etc, just naturally vanish. So in this way that you crush the self clinging and then all the sufferings vanish and all the ones own virtuous deeds and all the ones own happiness, all the good things just like a sunshine goes out and absorbs to the one’s mother. So in this way, that one’s one’s mother is happy in this life temporarily and eventually have all the facilities to practice Dharma and increases her virtuous deeds and so that one will be very mother, one’s mother will attain enlightenment.
And maybe even recite this recite this line. Maybe you should repeat after me. And so that as you do the exchange meditation, then you repeat after me these words. May the suffering of my mother come to me through my virtues. May my mother be happy.
So when you say the first part was that you received her sufferings to you and the second part say that the virtuous deeds goes out to her. And then eventually with every sentient beings, so all the sentient beings, And so with every sentient beings with the same way, all the sentient beings suffering and their cause of suffering, defilements, and every bad things is the one takes. And one gives all the virtues and the happiness to the mother sentient beings. So again, with this kind of visualization that you repeat these lines: May the sufferings of all beings come to me by my virtue. May they all attain happiness.
And finally, in reality, there is no sentient beings, there is no oneself to take the sufferings, there is no sentient being who receives the virtues, there is no suffering and happiness as such. In reality, there is all this illusion, just like the things that you see in your dream. The good things that make you happy, the bad things that make you unhappy, things that you see in your dream. But when you awake that there is nothing, there is not even a sign of what has happened in your dream. But while you are dreaming, it is as real as this life.
So in reality, there is nothing to exchange, nothing to take in. But not realizing that just like having going through a great suffering in your dream, in your dream also, you suffer sometimes and have go through a very terrible experience. So just like that, we are clinging this life as real and due to this, all sorts of problems, all sorts of sufferings that one have to go through. So that one have should have a great compassion for those who do not realize in such a way and try to follow the great bodhisattva’s other activities as it is mentioned in the scriptures. And then to do the concentration, to do the concentration, actually one has to do it properly, not such a short period of time like this one cannot do.
But by remembering the benefits of concentration and by remembering the consequences that mind wandering around and then to know the basic thing is to know the five faults, to remember the eight antidotes through the nine methods that one should concentrate. On the outside object until one’s mind could remain calmly, one pointedly without any interference of thoughts. So in this way that one could remain one’s mind in very calm and pointedly and just like the light very clear when you can remain on the very clarity of the mind. So here also we just briefly remain for a moment. And then when, of course, this is something that have to do for a long period of time.
And then When one could remain like this then, of course, each time that when you sit for meditation always begin with taking refuge and the creation of enlightenment thought and then to practice long time for the creation of enlightenment thought, the relative creation of enlightenment thought and then do the concentration. And then once one could remain in this, the clarity, then you do the insight meditation. Actually, the one’s own true nature of the mind which is very clear like light away from all extremes. The complete combination of clear and void inseparable just like the fire and the heat of fire. The fire and the heat of fire is inseparable.
Similarly, the clarity clarity and the void too are inseparable. So in the true nature is this, but we do not realize this. We cling ourselves due to this that we are suffering so much. But this time, through the profound teaching of this that I have found the path, the essence of all the Buddha’s teaching. And so through this teaching that I will able to crush the self clinging.
When we are not examining, if we do not examine, if we do not analyze, then it seems there is an I. But when you thoroughly examine, then there is no I, no self. Because self, if there is a self, it has to be either the name or body or the mind. And name is something that giving name can give to anyone, anything. It is only a temporal thing.
And the body is many substances joined together, such as like flesh, blood, etc. And there’s no such thing as a self. And mind also, the past mind is ceased and future mind is yet to rise and present mind every momentary that it is changing. So there is no base to be cling as the self. Similarly, similarly, all the outer visions, there is no outside creator who creates these visions.
It is only due to the propensity of one’s mind that appears just like the visions that we have when we are in dream. Since the object vision are like a dream, the subject mind is also like a dream and all this dual, the subject and object duality is all false relative. So in this way, that I must tear this curtain of the obscuration of duality and try to see the naked face of one’s mind which is away from all extremes. So in this way, then try to remain for a moment. And so now, so with this, we conclude the main part of teaching.
And finally, each practice you do, you dedicate the merits as I have just dedicated. Even you want to not know the proper way to dedicate properly, but you just follow that as great bodhisattvas, Lama Mañjushri and Avalokiteśvara have dedicated that I also, whatever little virtues that I have collected, that I dedicate to attain ultimate enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. So with this, I conclude my teaching and that I hope that whatever I have said here will have some benefit or at least source to think about what to how to take into your practice. And wish you all a very successful spiritual path.