Mind Training, 11 May 1993, part 2

Forms, it applies to sounds, it applies to consciousness. That it’s it everything that’s built is functional, is is built up out causes and condition. It is necessary that it have a a exist over a duration of time built up out of moments. So it is it is a collection. So everything whatsoever is a dependent arising, dependent upon its parts, its basis, imputation, language, and concepts.

Whatever it might be, this applies to all phenomena whatsoever results, causes, happiness, suffering, the Buddha, hearers, bodhisattvas, the world, the house, living beings, that they all are are a collection of these various parts and the basis of imputation, arising in dependence upon language and concepts. There is nothing which does not depend upon other, that nothing independently intrinsically exists. So what was meant by intrinsically existent or inherently existent is something which does not rely upon anything else, something which does not rely upon anything. If something something inherently exists, it does not rely upon moments of time for the duration of itself for existence. It does not rely upon causes and conditions.

It does not rely upon language and concepts. It doesn’t rely upon anything. But in fact, everything relies upon these factors, upon something. Therefore, in these two, not reliant and reliant are mutually contradictory. And because things rely upon others, then they cannot be intrinsically existent.

Intrinsically existence does not exist. So all phenomena whatsoever are dependent arising. They they are empty of intrinsic existence. I think we’ll stop there, but I think maybe if you were to ask questions on this it would be worthwhile. What was the last statement?

When the Yeah. What was the last When did reality begin? I don’t Yeah. Okay.

So everything is merely imputed by concepts, through concepts. Everything is merely imputed or projected. But just because something is projected doesn’t mean it exists. It must must it must satisfy three characteristics characteristics in order for it to exist. It must be able to function, perform the function or activity which we are attributing to it.

It must not be harmed by an awareness realizing emptiness. That’s the second. And the third is, it must be renowned in the world. It must be known by that as popularly in the world. So it must be able to even even though everything is merely imputed, because it’s imputed doesn’t mean it exists.

It must be able to must satisfy these three characteristics. It must be able to perform that function, that particular activity that we’re attributing to it. Its existence must not be harmed by an awareness realizing emptiness, and it must be known by that as a popular or renowned in the world as that. Yes. So does that mean that All products are dependent upon karma.

There are non products which not rely upon causes and conditions, conditions, which their existence is not rely upon karma. For non products, it’s not necessary that their existence does not rely upon the aggregation of causes and conditions. Phenomena which do not rely upon causes and conditions. The space in this room. Yeah.

Yeah. So it’s really excellent to have to gain a sense to have gained a sense of what emptiness is. Know, coming to think, this is emptiness, and being able to understand it in that way, having some sense about what emptiness is, this is really excellent. But merely that sense of emptiness, is not wholly beneficial. It is only when we begin to meditate on it using analytic reason and we gain a realization of it that then there’s a tremendous change takes place.

So until we realize it, there will be a great change will not take place. But still, even that’s gaining that sense of what emptiness is imprints beneficial predispositions for its eventual realization. In order to realize emptiness, it’s necessary that we gain a conviction with respect to karma, that we accumulate merit and we purify various negativities. It is necessary to gain a conviction with respect to karma as actions and their results. That is to say, what is to be adopted and rejected.

When this conviction with respect to is combined with having gained a sense of realization of emptiness, then there’s a profound transformation that takes place. So it is a combination of these two which brings about tremendous transformation. The conviction with respect to karma and the results, and the realization of emptiness. Good. Yes.

Is natural body and lineage a non Product? Yes. Is Natural Body and Lineage a Non Product? And the answer is yes. You want to know what naturally abiding lineage is?

So the question has to be refined somewhat. The answer has to be refined somewhat. We have to say, according to what tenet is it a non product? According to highest most tenet, that of the Prāsaṇgika Madhyamaka school, natural abiding lineage is emptiness. It is a non product, permanent.

According to lower tenets, for example, the mind only school, it is not a non product. It is a product, a functional phenomenon. So from what tenant were you asking that question from? I think that I follow consequence otherwise, but I don’t know about it. I just I’ll just say that this is my teacher’s.

Oh my the middle weight school, the natural abiding lineage is a emptiness. So naturally abiding lineage is the emptiness of an ordinary being’s mind. Not a Buddhist mind, but the emptiness of an ordinary being’s mind is natural abiding lineage. There are teachings in such texts as, Uttara Tantra, the Sublime Continuum, and the Ornament for the Universal Vehicle Sutras, which teach that the Buddha abides within the afflictive emotions. And by removing this obscuration of the afflictive emotions, then the our Buddha nature is revealed.

So others interpret that passage where it says the Buddha abides within the afflictive emotions to mean not the actual Buddha but Buddha nature or Buddha lineage. That is a factor which is transformable into a Buddha. It is almost like calling it a cause of a Buddha, and we apply the result to the cause. We give that name of the result, we apply it to the cause. So it is a factor the Buddha nature is a transformable factor which is able to evolve into a Buddha.

And since it’s therefore, we apply that result, which is like it’s not actually a result. It’s like a result. We apply it to the cause, and it’s not actually a cause. That’s other that others interpret that passage in that way. Not that there’s an actual Buddha there.

Others say it is actually a Buddha. They take it literally. So the Buddha taught in accordance with the capacities and disposition of his students, whatever would benefit that student. He thought that if he said that within their mind there resided the Buddha, if that would be pleasing and that would lead them to practice and to try to remove the obscurations which obscured that Buddha, then that would be a skillful method to lead that particular student on the path. Once the Buddha even taught to King Ajatashatru that it was quite proper to kill one’s mother and father.

King Ajatashattu had actually killed his mother and father and out of a tremendous remorse which arose, he actually was going to kill himself, commit suicide. And as a skillful means, the the Buddha said it’s quite proper to kill one’s mother and father. What what the Buddha was actually thinking when he said it is quite quite proper to kill one’s mother and father. What is is that one is to kill afflictive emotions and karma. And these are what he was referring to as the father and mother.

And that these that is to say that these two are to be abandoned. The Buddha said that, you know, that we should not take his words literally, that we should investigate them and examine them to see if there was any fault and if necessary at times to interpret what he said. Yeah. There’s a there’s a tremendous difference. So the emptiness of the Buddha’s mind is a Buddha.

It is a nature truth body. It is the body which abides within the abandonment of all of the various afflictive emotions and faults. Whereas the of the emptiness of the mind of an ordinary being is not a Buddha and it abides within the afflictive emotions. It is it is abides within the afflictive emotions. So the naturally abiding lineage is suitable suitable to transform into Buddha.

The the emptiness of the Buddha’s mind has already has So a a a what is meant when we say that natural abiding lineage is suitable to be transformed into a Buddha, it means that it has the potential to move through the process of transformation to the achievement of Buddhahood. A Buddha’s mind is not suitable to be transformed into a Buddha. It’s already achieved that. So could you say that the naturally abiding lineage is like clay and the Buddha So that’s right. So if you have the clay, the clay, and that’s the naturally abiding lineage, and then you shape that clay and you make a buddha out of it.

So it may be better to to as a as a simile of I’ll stop there. Over the course of this teaching on the thought transformation mind training, I, on my part having taught and your part having listened, we have meditated together, cultivated the awakening heart and said many prayers, that through this process we have accumulated a great deal of creative potential or merit, and that we should take this drop of creative potential we have created and combine it with a vast ocean of the Buddha’s creative potential, and to dedicate this skillful action, not just for ourselves alone, but for the sake of ourselves and all sentient beings to may they attain Buddhahood. We are always reciting these two verses of dedication where it says, May I quickly become an awakened spiritual teacher and lead each and every sentient being to that blissful realm. But know that, Okay, it’s through these skillful actions. So these skillful actions are just these skillful actions we have created through teaching, through listening.

But when it says, May I quickly become an awakened spiritual teacher, we shouldn’t think that I alone seeking to become an awakened spiritual teacher, but in fact all living beings. And likewise, when we recite the second verse that may the supreme jewel of the awakened heart that has not arisen arise or grow, may that which has arisen never diminish but increase more and more, that not for may this may occur not just for myself alone, that not just that I may generate the awakened heart, but in fact that may all living beings equal to space generate the awakening heart. If we were to think only in terms of ourselves, then this would be self centeredness and this would not be healthy. But we should think in terms of other centeredness and include in all of these the sense that may all living beings achieve these ends.