Entering the Middle Way, 21 February 1991, part 2

So, this is the first method in the development of compassion that we are to direct these four levels of immeasurables toward all sentient beings. And that is to say, with equal regard, without any bias, without any feelings of difference, whether it’s enemy, whether it’s a friend, whether it’s animal, whatever it is, to direct these four immeasurables. First, wouldn’t it be wonderful if all sentient beings were free of suffering and the causes of suffering? May they be free of suffering and the causes of suffering. I myself will free them from suffering and the causes of suffering.

Please empower me that I might be able to be to free them from suffering and the causes of suffering. And this simply should not be something that we recite from the mouth, just words coming from our mouth, but we should try to actually generate these states of mind. And out of this will come a very powerful compassion. It’s this is extremely beneficial to to cultivate compassion in this way. So this the the compassion which arises in this way is the first of the three compassions.

It is called compassion observing merely sentient beings, merely sentient beings. The second type of compassion is called compassion observing phenomena. So, with respect to the second and third types of compassion, these lines from the text where it says, How much do I have that compassion for migrators seen as evanescent and empty of inherent existence like a moon in rippling water? This directly teaches the third type of compassion, which is compassion observing the unapprehendable, and indirectly teaches the second type of compassion, which is the compassion observing phenomenon. And where it says evanescent, this is to be taken as meaning impermanent, in a sense of momentary disintegration.

This is presenting the compassions in the terms of analogy. First it refers to migrators, or that is to say sentient beings. And of course, by this we mean all sentient beings. And it refers it said that they are evanescent. No, it says that it refers to the water which is rippling.

You have a small body of water which is clear and still. And then there is a moon which appears reflected on the surface of the water and then a very light breeze, a wind comes along and ripples the surface of the water. And therefore, the reflection of the moon appears to be changing. That is it the moon is is it does not remain the same from moment to moment. It’s it’s it’s momentarily it cannot momentarily is not able to remain as it was the previous moment.

It’s it’s undergoing momentary disintegration. Likewise, all sentient beings who, due to the force of afflictive emotions and karma, are not able to remain static, that they are constantly undergoing change, that are undergoing momentary disintegration. So, you know, it’s for sure that we’ve all seen this similar type of situation explained in this analogy. Now, there’s a small clear surface of water and the moon appears and the reason is reflected on the surface of water. A light breeze comes along and the surface of the water ripples and that moon is not static even for a moment.

Is it is it is the is the reflection static even for a moment? So No. Yes. So, what is the migrators are, we are similar to these migrators being referred to here. This refers to all sentient beings, and by that is meant that beings which take rebirth under the influence of afflictive emotions and karma.

That such types of beings are not able to remain static even for a moment, that they are undergoing a process of disintegration. That from the moment of birth, from the very moment of birth, initiation of the process of disintegration begins. That we simply, we do not remain static, unchanging even for one moment. This is what is meant by impermanence, that is to say, momentary disintegration from moment to moment. Are we undergoing It’s just like a a clock.

The hand never remains in one position. Position. It’s It’s continually, continually, momentarily, momentarily moving. It never is not moving. Likewise, we our life is continually under the process of disintegration.

So, if a phenomena were not undergoing this momentary disintegration, that is to say if a phenomena abided in a state of non disintegration, that is what we mean by a permanent phenomenon. By impermanent phenomena, we mean those types of phenomena which are undergoing this process of momentary disintegration. So there’s there’s permanent phenomena which do not undergo momentary disintegration. They are unchanging. They are not born.

They are not produced out of causes. They also give no results. But we ourselves, we are impermanent that we have cause, we produce results that from time to time we have suffering, from time to time we have happiness, changeability. So it is those sentient beings which are qualified in in this manner of momentary disintegration, disintegration, just as the moon rippling in the reflection of the moon rippling in the water is evanescent, not static. Likewise, that sentient beings who are forced forced to take embodiment under the force of afflictive emotions and karma are in the same way evanescent.

They are undergoing momentary disintegration. So, we developed the second type of compassion with observing sentient beings qualified by this impermanence. So observing these types of sentient beings qualified by disintegration, we develop wouldn’t it be wonderful if sentient beings were free from suffering the causes of suffering? May they be free from suffering the causes suffering. I myself will free them from suffering the cause of suffering.

Please empower me to free them be able to free them from suffering the cause of their suffering. So this is what we mean by compassion observing phenomena is the wisdom which is affected by the wisdom having realized impermanence, observing sentient beings qualified by impermanence. So, it is a compassion which is being affected by by a wisdom having, which has previously realized, being directly affected by a wisdom which has previously realized impermanence, and this compassion is observing sentient qualified by impermanence. This is what we mean by compassion observing phenomena. So, then the third type type of compassion.

This is set out directly in this verse, in that it said, now the, in terms of the emptiness of inherent existence, not only the momentary disintegration, but also the emptiness of inherent existence. And so taking this analogy of the appearance of the moon in the water, though it appears to be a real moon, in fact it is not. And though phenomena appear to truly exist, in fact they do not. So, this third type of compassion, is the compassion observing the unapprehendable. The unapprehendable is the true existence.

So, this third compassion refers to a compassion which is directly affected by a wisdom having realized emptiness of inherent existence. And this compassion which is affected in this way, is now observing emptiness, observing sentient beings qualified by their emptiness of inherent existence. Emptiness of inherent existence. And this wisdom, which has directly realized, so this compassion compassion is is the the unification of the wisdom having directly realized emptiness and compassion, observing sentient beings who are qualified by their emptiness. And this is what is meant by the compassion observing the unapprehendable.

This unification of this wisdom and compassion. You know, when we do and we say the line means compassion or we translate as compassion or we translate as compassion. So this is referring to the compassion observing the unapprehendable. So amongst these three types of compassion it is this the compassion observing the unapprehendable which is supreme. And then that which is placed beneath that is the the the compassion which is affected by the realization of impermanence, which observes sentient beings.

Then there’s the the the third of these three types of compassions and that is the compassion observing merely sentient beings. And that is to say it is a compassion but it is not in any way affected by a realization of impermanence or is not affected by a realization of emptiness. Emptiness. It is simply observing the suffering of sentient beings and there arises the various levels of compassion, how wonderful it would be, that they be free of their suffering and the causes of their suffering simply observing suffering sentient beings the mere suffering of sentient beings unaffected by either the realizations of impermanence or emptiness. So, the order of cultivation of these three levels of compassion would begin with the first developing the compassion which observes merely sentient beings, that is to say, which merely observes their suffering and develops the aspiration, wish that they be free from the suffering, the cause of their suffering.

And then, one would go on to gain the wisdom realizing emptiness, impermanence, impermanence. And then, this would affect one’s compassion observing those sentient beings, and this would be the second type. And then one would go on to cultivate a realization of emptiness, and then this would affect one’s compassion observing those sentient beings, and this would be the third type of compassion. So the reason that there is this there is an increase in the power of these these level three levels of compassion, the first that that which merely observes sentient beings, that which observes mere sentient beings has no assistant. The second has the the compassion, has the assistance of the wisdom realizing impermanence.

It’s it’s it’s assisted by that. And the third is assisted by the wisdom realizing non true existence. And so this is the reason it is the most forceful of these. So we’ll stop we’ll stop there, but we’ll take five minutes for questions. That’s right.

The nature of the compassions that or the the aspect is compassion. The aspect of all three of these is compassion, and the nature of that compassion remains unchanged. But, because, but the second is more powerful than the first, the third more powerful than the second due to the force of the accompanying realizations. In the case of the second, that realization of the premise and third realization of non true existence. It’s due to this that there is an increase in power, increase in the quality and the excellent quality of the meditator who possesses these.

So, but the aspect is compassion in its nature is that it doesn’t change. So that’s right. So because one has observed the realized impermanence, and realizing impermanence, seeing sentient beings grasping at that which is impermanent as permanent. So, once the forcefulness of one’s compassion is increased. Because it’s being assisted by one’s own realization of impermanence, when we observe sentient beings and realizing, understanding that they are grasping at the impermanent as permanent, Compassion is increased, though the nature of the compassion is the same.

It is more forceful. So, the object of observation of all of these three compassions is sentient beings, same. The subject of aspect is may this this being be free of suffering and the causes of the suffering. So, aspect, that is the aspect, the subjective aspect is exactly the same throughout all three of these Why is that? Sorry.

So is compassion does does compassion have a nature have a suffering nature? Does compassion have a suffering nature a nature of suffering? Does compassion have a component of suffering? Yeah. So we’re weak.

We don’t experience suffering because suffering only arises out of unskillful actions, and we haven’t created the unskillful action for it to rise. So therefore, we don’t experience suffering when we encounter compassion observing when we see someone else suffering. But we can experience an unhappiness of our mind, an unhappiness of mind. They don’t call it suffering. Unhappiness of mind.

And this is comes out this arises out of of preconceptions, and the Buddhists don’t have preconceptions. So though they have compassion, they don’t experience this unhappiness of mind. But you can have experience unhappiness in mind by generating compassion. We don’t call that suffering though. Suffering arises out of unskillful actions.

There’s due to the thinking the thinking process or thoughts, we experience some kind of mental unhappiness. So, you know, at such a time then that’s we should practice giving and taking. Sometimes when people practice giving and taking and they generate compassion, they experience some kind of mental unhappiness, and they should think about the benefits of development of compassion, all of its advantages, and this will help lighten their mind and mental unhappiness will go away. Yes. Renunciation and compassion are opposites.

Renunciation is generated in terms of one’s own experience of suffering observing one that one is the various types of suffering that one is undergoing that I can’t stand to undergo this in the future if I don’t do something that I’m going to continually undergo the same suffering again and again and again. Therefore, I have to make use of this opportunity to practice the Dharma and to and to rid myself of suffering once and for all. There arises the aspiration to be free of suffering, which is the mind of renunciation in terms of one’s own suffering. But on the other hand, compassion is observing the sentient other sentient beings suffering, developing the the the thought, may they be free of suffering and cause of the suffering, and out of this comes comes compassion. So one is observing one’s own suffering, suffering in terms of oneself when renunciation and and suffering in terms of others when develops compassion.

So that’s right. But so in we in terms of oneself, can in terms of oneself, compassion and renunciation are the same. In terms of others, we we can we can speak of compassion, but we can’t talk about renunciation in terms of others. Ourselves, do we want do we want to suffer or do we not want to suffer? And we naturally answer, well, I don’t want to suffer.

And and if therefore, we have to abandon our suffering if we don’t want to suffer. And in order to abandon our suffering, we have to