Tenets, 3 November 1994, part 2

The habituation becomes more able to overcome than we even overcome on those quite difficult to get rid of. Ultimately then having overcome all all difficulty of establishing emptiness in reference to any reference object we are then able to actualize the transcendent wisdom of Buddhahood, the state, the reality state. In extensive classification, there are 20 emptinesses. When they are summarized, they inclusive to 18. When they are summarized, they are inclusive to 16.

When they are summarized, they are inclusive to four. We need to meditate or meditate on emptiness because in order to forsake impure thoughts we have no other means except meditation on emptiness. For example, if one remains meditating always on impermanence that way one will not be able to forsake or terminate the impure thoughts. Similarly even if one meditates always on bodhicitta, the mind of enlightenment, one would not be able to forsake impure thoughts because to terminate impure thought, to forsake impure thought, our meditation should focus on emptiness and expression saying we must meditate on emptiness that is the only way how one how that is the only way to terminate for sake and the impure thoughts. And the manner how the impure thoughts are forsaken through meditation on emptiness is by way of uprooting uprooting the very base of all impure thoughts.

On the lower Buddhist tenets such as on the lower Buddhist tenets such as the Sautrāntika and Vaibhāṣika, in their case, they do explain they do explain that to overcome impure thoughts or to forsake impure thoughts meditation on impermanence would be okay that would work that they that they explained by consistently meditating on impermanence one would be able to forsake impure thoughts but that is bit different when looked from the point of the Mahāyāna or great vehicle perspective because in great vehicle perspective to overcome impure thoughts to forsake impure thoughts there’s no other means except to meditate on emptiness of course and no matter whatever else topic of meditation one does one will not be able to forsake impure thoughts. Of course by meditating on some profound kind hearted altruism based or any other types of altruistic topic it is possible and certain that one would accumulate great amount of merits but that way one would not be able to forsake impure thoughts. If one is not able to do any damage to the seed of the impure thoughts, the delusions. If one is not able to do any damage to the seed of the impure thoughts, then the impure thoughts are not forsaken.

One has not been one has not yet overcome impure thoughts because the situation is where as long as there is the seed of impure thoughts then it is just matter of it’s just matter of the factors coming together to activate the seed. Because if there is the seed of the impure thoughts, meaning the ignorance, then as soon as that seed encounters or comes in contact with the factor there is no choice the impure thoughts automatically without any control will arise on that moment on the spot. So one has no control. It would arise given there is a contact with the factors. For example, this would be similar if we have a seed of a rice or a wheat or a grain, whatever a seed of crop we have as long as that seed is not damaged and has nothing defective about it then it’s just a matter of when that seed encounters or comes in contact with factors say if that seed undamaged comes in contact with the factors such as heat moisture then it is inevitable without control that that seed would germinate into sprout.

So that exactly is similar here. Now let’s look at this way if that undamaged seed somehow was poked with the stick of with the fire or in another word if that undamaged seed previously wasn’t damaged is now made to be burnt by bringing fire come in contact with heat then that seed has become damaged in such case whether that seed comes in touch with the water, heat, fertilizer, manure so forth that seed has no potential left at all to germinate into sprout. It has become damaged. There has been damage done to damage done to the actual potency of the seed. So again, we can look that if this if there is a damage done to the seed itself, the cause itself, then no matter the factors, the factors, circumstances, conditions may come in contact with that, nothing would happen.

Similarly, in our case, if in our mind we have left the seed undamaged, the seed of impure thoughts remain undamaged then it is just matter of coming in contact with the factors, the conditions that the impure thoughts would arise automatically uncontrollably say or meaning for the arise of briefly what afterwards one applies method on the spot is different matter so for the arise and there is no control say if the seat is there for the impure thoughts then the moment one comes one sees a delightful form there is attachment the moment one hears melodious song there is attachment the moment one smells fragrant smell there is attachment the moment one comes in contact with a delicious taste there is attachment. So the impure thoughts in this case attachment do arise because of the seed being there and when the moment that seed come in contact with the factors, the impure thoughts do arise. If there was a moment when there was no attachment, then definitely there would have been hatred and if there was neither attachment nor hatred then it would have been definite that there is ignorance in the form of indifference in its negative sense.

So in our state of mind because the seed being there the impure thoughts do arise there all the time in coming in contact with the factors. So the three take turn one after another or interspersedly, and there’s always constant arising of the three. Therefore, in our case, in order to damage in order to damage the very seed of all our impure thoughts, we need to apply the means of the realization, the wisdom realizing emptiness. Very moment or the very sorry the very realization of emptiness and the wisdom which has such realization can be likened with the previous example the fire damaging the seed in the external seed case that the very moment one brings the fire in contact with the seed, the seed is burnt and made impotent. Like that in our case, we in order to make the seed of all impure thoughts are damaged and therefore impure thoughts not to arise we need to apply the realized wisdom realizing emptiness.

We have in relation with the meaning and example, the wisdom realizing emptiness is like the fire and the internal ignorance the seed of impure thoughts is like the external seed say of grain wheat rice whatever it is and the very the very way the realization of emptiness damages the seed the root cause of impure thoughts is like fire doing damage to the seed making it impotent losing all its potency to germinate into a sprout. When there is the direct realization, when there is the wisdom directly realizing emptiness then one damages completely the seed of all impure thoughts. In such case then the impure thoughts has become has been made without any potency to arise anymore at all. In such person’s case who has the seed of impure thoughts completely damaged in such person’s case because there is no seed for impure thoughts to arise for delusions to arise no matter how many and whatever types of forms delightful form there appear to such person’s side there is no attachment arising at all. No matter whatever types of facial expressions and dealings others do badly towards the person there is no hatred at all and no matter whether there is absence of the two there is no indifference of ignorance in the person’s mind at all so in that that way, there is none of the three basic impure thoughts rising at all.

Fire being just fire is not good enough to be able to burn the seed and make the seed impotent it has to be quite a high intensity of fire to be able to do any damage to the seed likewise mere realization mere wisdom realizing emptiness is not enough it is not powerful enough to make any damage to the seed of the impure thoughts so it has to be a very powerful level of wisdom realizing emptiness so and how that would come about that intensity or power powerful level of emptiness realization how that would come about is by firstly realizing emptiness through conceptual thought and then meditatively familiarize with it again and again again and again and finally when one comes to the mental capacity directly realizing emptiness that is the point the wisdom has become powerful enough to damage the seed of our impure thoughts. Amongst the 20 emptinesses, the first four emptinesses which are meditated upon upon during the first two parts, the external emptiness, internal emptiness, emptiness of the external internal both, and the great emptiness. These four are emptiness realized these four and the meditation on the on these four emptinesses are not powerful enough.

They can be seen as a small intensity of fire not capable enough to do any damage to the seed. In our case not capable enough to damage the ignorance, the seed of impure thoughts. So it is only during the meditation on the fifth emptiness where one has arrived on the third path of seeing that the realization of emptiness has become extremely strong as if like the high intensity of fire doing damage to the seed also in that way only then the mind with the realization of emptiness has become powerful enough to damage ignorance. During the beginning of this year’s term we were going through the three principal aspects of the path to enlightenment and there we have come across exactly the same point mentioned by Je Tsongkhapa in the part of that text where it goes if one does not have wisdom realizing emptiness no matter how much one may familiarize with definite emergence and mind of enlightenment one will not be able to uproot this root of existence meaning saṃsāra and therefore apply every means to realize dependent arising. So accordingly it means if one does not have realization of emptiness especially in the latter case as a strong enough then one will not be able to uproot the root of existence which is to be understood as ignorance so to over to be able to overcome that one has to realize emptiness through realization firstly of dependent arising or dependent link nature of things.

So we can quite comfortably find strong emphasis of such point as well explained in that important important teaching. Teaching. Such Having been motivated by bodhicitta, if we meditate on emptiness then really that is the way we are actually making our life meaningful. Okay. Yeah.

Yeah. Okay. Then if there are any questions, we shall have few minutes for that. So there are two assertions or yeah. Two assertions according to the Prāsaṇgika Mādhyamika that level being on the eighth ground would be explained to be one has attained liberation whereas in the case of the lower tenets such as the so called autonomous, the Svatāntrika, they would not describe the person as liberated yet.

The reason the reason why that is so is because according to the lower tenets, the Svatāntrika, Autonomy-reasoner (Svatāntrika), and Mind Only tenets so forth, they would explain the person still has not overcome impure thoughts as a person still has not forsaken impure thoughts whereas in the case of Prāsaṇgika Mādhyamika it would be explained that the person has forsaken impure thoughts. Therefore, it is appropriate to describe the person has become liberated. Yeah. That’s right. [unclear].

Because the emptiness has become subtler. My normally would say it is inherently existing. And to bring about the causes producing renunciation, contemplation on the nature on nature death and impermanence as well contemplation on the faults of saṃsāra, the shortcomings of saṃsāra. So if one does contemplate does good contemplation on those topics, then renunciation would come about quite well. Yeah.

As well, the infallibility of karma, infallibility of action in relation to its result, and that obviously be related with the short shortcomings of saṃsāra. What’s what’s the purpose of any of those meditations to various delusions? Well, these antidotal meditations being done, say, in the case of attachment to overcome it, meditation, say, on ugliness and ugliness of form. To overcome anger or hatred the antidotal meditation on patience. So and in that way the whole host of antidotal meditation are the means by which the impure thoughts becomes suppressed down.

So they are like the western medicine. Temporarily, they’re suppressed. Out of 20 emptiness when you in what’s called when you make two reduced as inclusive to others then it becomes 18. And then out of 20 if you reduce the four to be inclusive to others then becomes 18 similarly they can further be reduced to four and the which of them merge to one another those which are of lesser importance or of the minor parts they can be made inclusive and the major ones remain still in the classification and that’s the way how they would be seen in the merged classification. See, in Australia, there are many great cities and states.

But if you summarize and the bigger ones are mentioned, then there are only Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane. The others don’t get mentioned. Was it the emptiness of the entity of the objectlessness? Yeah. Entity of the objectlessness.

And the the two are not inherently existing because they depend or are relative to each other. It would be a comment according to the mind only would not buy that. Okay. Thank you.