Lam Rim, 14 September 1999

So we should first develop the altruistic intention or bodhicitta and along by then yeah by developing bodhicitta we should engage in the practice of listening and contemplation. So you should have a motivation that that that that both oneself and others, limitless sentient beings, be free from all those unwanted sufferings and let them have have both the ultimate and temporary happiness. And for that purpose, so for that purpose wishing to attain unsurpassable state which is Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings is called the motivation or it’s called the altruistic intention or the bodhicitta. And as for the bodhicitta, there are two types called the bodhicitta with effort and without effort. The difference the differences of bodhicitta with effort and without effort are the bodhicitta bodhicitta with effort means is that that through numbers of effort of investigation and so forth and by having done all this effort and finally developing an intention or altruistic intention is called the bodhicitta with the effort.

And the without effort which means without having any effort, by seeing all sentient beings and can generate innately, having that wishing to attain enlightenment for the for all the sentient beings is called the bodhicitta without effort. So you should have developed such intention which is perfect intention or what intention which is bodhicitta and having having such motivation one should have one should listen to this Mahāyāna teach the the this Mahāyāna teaching, the the teaching of graduated path or Lamrim and to bring all those hearings into contemplation and then into meditation. So we should we’ll do a few minutes meditation on this The purpose of doing the meditation here is to recall all the way of developing such an intention or such altruistic intention. So what we hear meditation here is we are focusing on the the the explanation which has been set to develop such intention. So without bringing all this hearing into the contemplation or into one’s mind, just by listening doesn’t mean that one is meditating on it.

As we have been through, as we have said last week that one who wish to free from cyclic existence, for that person, the mode of freeing oneself from cyclic existence for that person is? So the Buddha has summarized all the practices into two groups that that one one side to be abandoned and one to be maintained or observed. So as for the the object of abandonment, there are many and there are many. So to summarize the object of abandonment then they are included in those two truths which are the first two noble truths of the four noble truths which are the true suffering and the origin of the suffering. True path, true suffering and the origin of the suffering.

And by summarizing all the practices of the object of excuse me, the the object to be practiced or to be maintained are summarized into two, which are true cessation and the true path. So the briefly speaking here that the there are two objects of abandonment, which are the first two truths and the two object two objects of practice or maintain which are the next, last two noble truths now. So practicing all these four are like the foundation of all the Buddhist teachings and it’s like main main foundation of a building. So it is the main, foundation or the basis of the practice of both the Mahāyāna and the Hīnayāna practice. So in order to practice such, we need to have wish, that wish which is to free from cyclic existence.

And in order to generate such wish, we have dealt with the method of to the method of cultivating such a wish is that the the the the the that set forth the advantages and the qualities of the four the next two Truths and the the two true cessation and the true path and also the the advantages of cultivating such a part. So and yeah. So this is the this is the method of cultivating a wish to free from cyclic existence now. But the cultivation of the wish to free from cyclic existence is mainly cultivated through through through knowing or seeing the disadvantages or the faults of being in the cyclic existence and which can which which which which has to be understood or understand through the true suffering and the origin of and the true origin. So so the the first two truths, no, the two or two true suffering and the two origins are set forth to be the object of abandonment.

To to abandon those two truths, first, it’s important for one to recognize what what are or which are the two truths. So the practice by abandoning those two, the two two first two two, the true origin true suffering and the origin by by and these these two are the one set of the causes and effect that the the the suffering, true suffering and its cause which is the origin of the suffering. So in the actual process, true suffering true origin of and the true origin are the cause and effect. And true origin is the is the cause, and this two true suffering is the result of the two of the the second two, which is true origin. And why so in natural process, the true origin has to be taught first and then the the true suffering in the next.

But the reason why Buddha Buddha has taught the the two or true suffering first is because by teaching and then teaching in the opposite in reverse order, is setting and teaching the result first and then the cause, this cause and effect nexus, to be able to succeed or, you know, to be able to maintain a good practice, no? And also, the reason of setting forth the the the true suffering before the true origin is that because it is it’s been explained through the the way of realizing those truths within within, you know, realizing or you’re realizing those truths because it’s like first, knowing the one’s disease and all the sufferings, then by not, which are, by having disease, one undergoes through huge pain and so forth. And having having known all the sufferings, then one try to to to abandon the causes of the causes of the suffering or causes of the disease. So likewise, first to, so in this way, we know this, the pain or the suffering of the disease first and then look for the causes of the disease. So likewise, the teaching of the result, which is the two true suffering has been set forth before and the its origin its causes, which is the true origin, has been set later or next.

So, example like in summer in Tibet, some people, they lie on a grass in a huge plain and due to that, some people during summer and it used to get like all the mattresses or clothes get wet and due to that person fell sick after after, I mean, sleeping on such a spot. No. And last time they came to know that why they got sick and how they got wet is that because they know there was water falling from the top of the land or from the hills, so due to that, ground get wet and because of that, one’s clothes get, or mattresses or clothes get wet. So by knowing that it comes from the origin origin of that particular suffering or I think it comes from that water, so they recognize that the water was the main cause for that. So by knowing this then the person will have a wish to have a very the happiness of having very I mean maintaining very dry I mean, yeah, not to become a wet.

And by yes, so as he or she wishes or wants to strive for the happiness of having dry ground, then they will look for cessation of that, that the suffering. So, later they came to know that in order to have that happiness or having all that true cessation, then they came to know that through the two two path that they attained the cessation. So it is through this process that the way it’s been perceived by our mental or it’s been realized through the cognition that first comes the true suffering and then the origin of the suffering and the cessation and the true path. And if and the actual process of the cause effect is is that the the truth the origin of the true suffering origin of or the true origin comes first and then the the true suffering and then the true path and the true cessation. And the purpose, so the Buddha has said for the opposite direction, is because through the way one realizes, which is true, how one realizes within one’s mind now.

So from the very opposite, one should know the, one should recognize or one should know the true suffering. And to know to to to know or to understand the true suffering means that one should sees the one should see the the the disadvantages or the mistakes or the faults of the cyclic existence by seeing that the the saṃsāra or the cyclic existence is by nature or its nature is the suffering. And by knowing that by knowing the disadvantages or the faults of the cyclic existence, then one wish one will develop a wish or not liking or not wishing not to being in that cyclic existence and wanted to be free from and or wanted to abandon that that state which is saṃsāra. And to to in order to abandon that cyclic existence, just by mere word or wishing that I don’t want or want to abandon that, just by mere word, one one cannot abandon this the cyclic existence. What one has to know is one should know, recognize the the the the origin of that cyclic existence or the state that that suffering.

And by by knowing the origin of this of this suffering and then and bringing it into the end or abandoning it, then one one actually abandons the cyclic existence. Likewise, as we said, just a person who lives in that particular area and he or she gets wet and after that gets sick. So so in order to, just by wishing not to get wet is not enough, but one has to know what makes it wet and then it’s because of the wet ground. A way what what makes the ground wet? It is from the water which falls through the passage or through the ground.

So by knowing the origin or the way the water comes from and obstructing the blocking that water, then one will have the one will abandon the suffering of getting wet. So likewise, so knowing just by mere wish to abandon cyclic existence is not enough one should know the the sources or the origin of the suffering. So, and To recognize saṃsāra or cyclic existence, some people, they see that one’s house or one’s home is a saṃsāra or some people think that the the the place itself, the fields and so forth are cyclic existence, but it’s not. The cyclic existence here refers to our own contaminated body which are projected by the the action and the disturbing emotions. And due to that, one again and again takes rebirth and continues with taking rebirth.

And so in order to free from cyclic existence or saṃsāra, one has to interrupt or one has to cut that continuation of that body which is projected by the action and disturbing emotion. And in order to stop or cut the continuation of that rebirth, first one has to see the disadvantages or the faults of cyclic existence. No. So some people that thinks becoming a monk or a nun that one has attained the, one has abandoned the saṃsāra. So if that is true, then the attaining becoming an arhat or yeah.

Or becoming an arhat is is that simple or it’s very easy. So which is not true because the place, the house and the things are not the saṃsāra, which is called the container, but it’s not the cyclic existence. So those houses, buildings and stones and so forth are not a cyclic existence, and also they don’t have any feelings. And the cyclic existence or saṃsāra is the one which act as a basis to have all those all those sufferings. And due to that, as it acts or act as a basis for those suffering to come, due to that, one should see or one should one should dislike or or develop a wish to free from that cyclic existence because it always is there as the basis of suffering, I mean, it always has been a basis for the suffering.

So the main main thing is that we don’t wish wish suffering and so to abandon that suffering, first one, one should abandon the basis of the suffering. On one basis one suffers. And if, so when if one if one is able to abandon the basis of the suffering, then one abandons the suffering. So important main important is to to abandon the basis of the suffering. So it’s like they’re having a teeth, and Some teeth have some decay and it’s been with the problem with the bacteria and it gets huge of pain, bacteria eat it, so forth.

So as we have a saying so yeah. So if if you extract that that tooth, then you you don’t have the problem because the bacteria have not the teeth to eat. So by having no teeth, there’s no bacteria and there’s no pain for you. Likewise, we said if you don’t have a teeth, there’s no bacteria which eat the teeth. And if you don’t have an eye, you don’t need to suffer from that.

The sty, I don’t know, it’s the sty which usually comes on the eye, you remember that. Yeah, sorry? Sty. Okay. So if you don’t have an eye, you don’t need to suffer from that.

So so so what we need to do is we need to abandon the basis of the suffering and because of having the dead basis or that foundation one undergoes to the suffering. For example, by having the human body which is projected by the action and the the action and the disturbing emotion, one receives all these all the sufferings of having sufferings of the human which are which are experienced on this particular body or physical. Likewise, it goes same for the beings of the horse, the being taken up from off the horse by the by the power of action and disturbing emotion one undergoes through the suffering of horses. So, it goes same for the rest of the beings, the suffering of animals, suffering of the hell beings and also suffering of hungry ghosts by taking a birth or by being born in this hungry ghost realm by the action and disturbing emotion one undergoes through the suffering of hungry ghosts. So the thing is that one experiences all those suffering into any kind of form which has been taken.

So to abandon the suffering, one should abandon the basis of the suffering. So it’s like I mean, today, we are in Australia with this particular form and everywhere, everything is fine, no problem with financial or have enough food to eat. And so tomorrow you die and next day, the day after tomorrow you will you enter the womb of the parent who were in Africa. And so being in the womb for several months and after that, you take a birth and go through the situation. So the and they and they have experienced the suffering of starvation.

And the reason why the the why one the the main thing is that by the suffering has been experienced by comes or, yeah, by having taken a birth in that place or taking a form in that place due to that one goes to the goes on the problem of particular places which is starvation. So and then by taking a birth, taking such a form or a body in that place, then one undergoes through sufferings. As we know, they go through suffering of starvation like, and due to that they have very, I mean, not really good looking and the limbs are very thin and and have a very big the belly or stomach so forth now. So, as we dislodge the suffering, once you, in order to abandon that suffering, first, one should try to abandon the basis of suffering. So where the suffering or the basis of the suffering comes from, it comes from the two origins.

So, so one should, one should, one should, try to abandon the origin of the suffering which is the second truth, the two origins. To able to abandon the two origins of the suffering, first one should recognize what or which is the true origin. By knowing or by recognizing the true origin, then one should try to abandon that. Likewise, knowing that the problems, uncomfortable problem comes from that wet ground, one becomes aware. One knows the causes of that, which is the water falling from the hills.

To avoid the problem of wet, one should stop that water. Likewise, to avoid those suffering, first should abandon the origin of the suffering which is this this this body which comes by the action of the suffering which is which which this body comes by the traction of the action and the disturbing emotion which projects or which gives this suffering, the basis of the suffering. So therefore, should try to abandon the two origins of the suffering. And here the two origins are the action or karma and disturbing emotion. Within these two, the main one is disturbing emotion.

The root of the disturbing emotion is self-cherishing or self grasping, which is by having a strong self grasping or having a strong I all the time, I I I, then which a lot of which produces the huge sufferings and so the main thing is one should try to abandon the root of the disturbing emotion with the self grasping. It is like by abandoning the root of the disturbing emotion with the self grasping, then one abandons or eliminates all those disturbing emotions. It’s like the uprooting the tree that by taking up all the roots of the tree, the leaves and everything, the branches will never grow, it will get blocked. By abandoning those root of the disturbing emotion then, by abandoning that one can attain the liberation and have the immeasurable or limitless happiness by attaining such state? So one should try to abandon the root of these sufferings which is disturbing emotion and which is self grasping.

So in order to have a strong effort to practice, to abandon such, first one needs a huge effort in the practice. First one practices to abandon such the root of the suffering. First one has to see, who have has to develop a strong wish to free him from that suffering or have have to see have have a very strong mind which which dislikes that that that suffering suffering. So without having if if one has not strong disliking towards that self suffering, then then forget about abandoning the root of the suffering. One one sees yeah.

If one sees this this suffering as happiness, then forget about abandoning the root of the suffering one will keep experiencing or undergoing through the suffering because it’s you will never try to abandon. So it’s like, say, these days in world, there are oceans of many wars between the countries and the proposed, the aim of doing I mean, aim of waging the war is to have the happiness. But what they have totally done is wrong because it is, but the thing is, the fact is they are completely wrong because by committing a negative action, there’s no chances of having happiness or the the the happiness will never derive from the the the negative action or collecting negative or non virtues. So but but people, those people mistakenly thinks that that perhaps by waging a war which kills which kills animals, men, people, the humans and so forth, by doing this, they they think that they can achieve some happiness which is completely wrong. But for those people, they are completely covered by the ignorance and due to that they seize the suffering as a happiness and have no knowledge about cultivating the causes of the happiness.

So that way of striving or cultivating for happiness is is a mistaken one and one should try yeah. If one were to cultivate a cause of the suffering, one should look for, look to cultivate a cause which produces a real happiness. So for here, the great master Āryadeva has said in these verses this verse to to see these faults of the cyclic existence which is saying taking the ocean as example of the ocean of suffering. And which says that as the oceans of suffering has, so it’s saying that taking the ocean as a suffering, and as one cannot measure the depth of the ocean and the depth and the vastness of the ocean. Likewise, one cannot measure or one cannot recognize of one’s suffering and we’ll never be sure that when one will free from all when one will free from the sufferings.

So the master here says that so you are being fallen into in such a a place which is the suffering of the ocean or ocean of suffering and being circling or traveling or wandering in that this suffering of the oceans and by and experiencing yourself in. So and asking that don’t you have any fear being staying or being born in such place. No. So the master said you should develop a fear in such place and develop a wish to free from, develop the mind which wishes to free from that, free from such states. So, and just the continuation continuation of that verses, the master says that so what saying that the the the has this samsaric the saṃsāra has the end or not.

It says that it it didn’t say it has the end or it it can be exhausted, and it did neither say there is an end nor there isn’t an end. The reason why it is set forth is because in order to end or free from cyclic existence or saṃsāra, one has to have developed a wish developed a wish to free him from cyclic existence or attain in liberation. To develop such a thought or intention, one has to develop it by listening or receiving the teachings. There are so as there are very few people who few beings or few people who listens to the teaching. So the two reasons has been said for that because one reason or in one side, there are very few people who receive the teaching or who listen to the teaching.

Another part is that even the object of listening which is dharma, the teaching itself is very rare and if you than the person who listens the teaching. And so the Dharma is even less than those, and not only that, lama, the master The lama or the master who gives the teaching unmistakably is even less than the Dharma. So in order to free from cyclic existence, one has to have the collections of all those three rarities or three things. As it is very hard to have all those three conditions or three things together, due to that, there are very few or it is very rare to say, they are very rare beings who have attained or who has been free from cyclic existence. If we speak from the point of view of that side, then it seems like there is no time that one will free from saṃsāra.

But one cannot say there is no end of cyclic existence because also one cannot say there is not such a time that one is free from cyclic existence or saṃsāra. It is because all sentient beings has a Buddha nature to become enlightened, and they have a Buddha nature to attain the essence or the great bliss. And so for that reason, as they have a Buddha nature to become enlightened, they attain the liberation and so forth, is the end of the cyclic existence or there is a time that one frees from cyclic or one is free from saṃsāra. From the point of view of this reason, from the point of view of this, one cannot say there is no end of the cyclic existence. So all sentient beings have a Buddha nature because the minds of all sentient beings are empty of inherent existence, it’s not true existence.

Due to that, it is emptiness and that emptiness is the one which turns into, which attains the wisdom to the body. So due to that, all sentient beings have a Buddha nature. Okay, So we’ll stop here and then questions. It seems like the basic motivation for somebody to be inspired to practice individual vehicle with the people of the activities that they do. Yeah.

Is that the motivation to establish individually? The motivation for when someone is inspired to practice. It seems to be to avoid suffering. Inspired by someone else, for example, you to take yourself by yourself, about it? Inspired by someone else.

To practice individual people, I’m doing so. Uh-huh. So which means that yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, individually. Happiness. Okay.

So there doesn’t seem any different aspect of motivation. Yeah. It doesn’t seem any different from anybody engaging in any kind of action. Do the same reason. Is that right?

The Yeah. So as there are different ways of developing a motivation to being free from cyclic existence or the suffering, Rinpoche asked you a question, You mean that free just oneself, motivation to free just oneself from something? Yeah. It’s like, I mean, the way of the way of developing a motivation of them freeing from the suffering is the difference. There are huge differences because by seeing through the different aspects of the suffering, one develops a different sort of motivation to free from the cyclic existence.

But it is hard to say, if I’ve been asked, see the hundred people are there all together and they want to eat food. So they all develop the motivation or something to eat the food because all the hungry people they want to eat. If the question is asked, all their motivations are same or not? It’s very hard to answer that question, sir. But the way of developing the motivation about the freeing from cyclic existence or developing the wish to free is, there are many differences by knowing and through one aspect one develops the intention or that wish.

So, yes, so it is quite hard to say the answer that all the hundred people together, they’re so hungry they want to eat. They have a wish to eat food, but it’s it’s difficult to say that they are same because some wants to eat momos and some wants to eat doesn’t wish to eat, know, sharp omelet or there’s different foods, different sort of, they develop to eat different motivation to eat but different kind of things, so likewise, it’s very hard to say the answer. For that kind of, I mean the question of about a particular hundred people. Perhaps I could, you know, I mean I understand that, that’s been clear. Just, you know, I was thinking that, you know, one person because they heard Mhmm.

Teaching of Yeah. Yeah. Inspiration Yeah. Yeah. Then they think, I want to practice like that.

Yeah. Yeah. Whereas somebody somebody else might think, you know, they wanna go to the pub to get pissed because, you know, I just don’t think that’s I can’t remember what she says yet. No. Basically Very particular we are.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, that’s right. And what I was trying to get at with that idea, that wish to be happy, and to avoid suffering, could you say that that itself is a cause of suffering? Of suffering? The wish to okay, alright.

So the difference was about one with the pup and one with the to receive a happiness, right? Yeah, that’s right. This is what the questioner. The main question is that, so you’re asking whether that wish to attain happiness becomes a cause or not. Let me just Is that? Somebody heard a teaching on English.

Yes, sure. Individual liberation. They wanted to practice like that because they wanted to avoid suffering and they’re not happy. So what I’m saying is that motivation is a cause of suffering. So when we talked about the way, the teachings about the way or the method of developing a developing a wish, the develop a wish to free from cyclic existence is not teaching you to to develop a wish to free just I mean, free from cyclic existence just oneself.

Just showing how to develop a wish to free from cyclic existence, but not showing the individual to free, I mean, free oneself from the cyclic existence. Yes, so teaching of the way of develop the wish to free from cyclic existence has been taught in the both scopes which are like middling and the great scope. But it’s never been said neither of them are set forth or have been taught to develop a wish to free cyclic existence just for oneself. But from this audience or disciple side, there are different ways. Some people, they develop their wish, they develop a mind which is to free individuals or just for oneself.

And some others, they develop a motivation or wish that just seeing oneself undergoing to suffering and knowing that likewise other sentient beings are same as oneself, they’re going through suffering and wanting to free both both oneself and self and others into from the suffering. So there are different ways of developing a wish from the audience, but from the, during the teaching, the lama which gives the teachings that have never been set forth, is to develop individual and motivation to free individuals. So, yeah, so it depends on the person’s capacity or the effort or courage that what sort of motivation yeah, motivation they generate or they develop. Because people will see that oneself is undergoing to the suffering and as well as seeing that other sentient beings are undergoing to suffer not oneself. But one of person who fails to develop a motivation or altruism, we’re seeing that and thinking that all sentient beings are undergoing through suffering, I can’t really practice in the path to free both oneself and others from the cyclic existence or from the suffering.

Just by failing to help other sentient beings, they engage in the path to free oneself from the saṃsāra. Developing that motivation to free individuals individually from the cyclic existence will not become a cause for the suffering. It becomes a cause for the liberation but won’t become a cause to attain enlightenment but will never become possible. So, with such motivation or such mind, one cannot enter Mahāyāna path. Okay.