Lam Rim, 15 September 1998

So now we have recite the refuge prayers before and that is the reason why we are doing this doing that refuge prayer is normally we face lots of suffering in this life, and we will face suffering in the future. To overcome that particular suffering which we are undergoing, and to free from that suffering, and the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha who has the power to relieve us from this suffering, for that we are taking refuge in Buddhadharma and Sangha. And the teachings of the Buddha have both the Hīnayāna and the Mahāyāna teachings. And in both the Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna practice this particular refuge, practice of going for refuge in the Triple Gem, is present.

But the generation of the altruistic mind or bodhicitta is especially taught in the Mahāyāna tradition and it is not taught in the Hīnayāna teachings. So so and this particular, like, generation of mind or enlightened arousing bodhicitta in the Mahāyāna tradition is very, very supreme. So the difference between the Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna practitioner is: the Hīnayāna practitioner does the meditation for self-liberation or only works for individual liberation. And as for the Mahāyānist or Mahāyāna practitioner, they generate the altruism or bodhicitta within themselves. And they consider that all sentient beings are same as oneself seeking happiness and does not want suffering.

And they for that, they cherish others more than or more important than oneself. And for that and to to and to bring all the sentient beings or other beings to the liberation or to become enlightened or bring them bring them to the enlightened state, they and do meditate and arose this altruism or bodhicitta. And Mahāyāna teaching, it actually is the practice of the bodhisattva and and is the and Mahāyāna teaching is the practice of bodhisattva. So the bodhisattva practice practice is that they they want to attain or they want to become enlightened very very fast or very soon. And but but they’re seeking of enlightenment enlightenment or Buddhahood is not just for the sake of themselves, not not not for the individual liberation.

They are wanting enlightened wanting enlightened or enlightenment to for the sake of all sentient beings and and they wish to and and they wish to they wish to free all those sentient beings from the suffering and want to bring them to the ultimate happiness or ultimate goal which is in enlightened Buddhahood. For that they meditate, they practice they practice to become enlightened for the sake of all sentient beings. And for the quick attainment of enlightened or to become a quick enlightened being, there are two means of becoming or achieving the enlightenment. One is through the by the power of sentient beings or by depending on the sentient beings one can become enlightened being or reach the Buddhahood. And the second power, second meaning is by relying to the great beings like Buddhas and Buddhas and bodhisattva and through their power, through the power of relying on these supreme beings we have a possibility of attaining a quick attainment of Buddhahood.

So for that the Indian master, Acharya Śāntideva, puts up a question like to have to become a quick I mean to attain for the quick attainment of Buddhahood, we have a course and the half half the courses entirely depends on the supreme beings like Buddhas And half the causes belongs to the sentient beings. By relying on both the Buddhas and the sentient beings, we can become enlightened very soon or we can able to achieve enlightenment very quickly. But but here but people or we pay huge respect or have great faith in the Buddhist but but so people pay huge respect or great respect to Buddhas but they don’t pay much or they don’t pay equal respect for the sentient beings the way they give respect to the Buddha. So why is it? This is the question from Acharya Śāntideva.

The power of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas is that by, I mean, we by arousing faith in Buddhas and paying our respect or reverence and making offerings and by that they teach us the Dharma and through their teaching we are able to gain certain realization, certain realization in which which help us to become a quick enlightened being. So, as we have described there are two powers like depending on Buddhas and depending on sentient beings. So to become quickly enlightened we have to have both the powers. The first one, the power from the Buddha side is we are arousing faith and respect and making offerings and by that they taught us the teachings, they gave the teachings and we arose certain realization within oneself and which help us to become enlightened, I mean, a quick enlightened being. And the power of depending on the sentient being is that through sentient beings we have been able to generate love, compassion and then being able to the bodhicitta.

And by that we have been able to practice generosity, ethics, and so forth. So without beings, the Buddha taught us how to practice, but without sentient beings we cannot implement the teachings taught by Buddha. So without sentient beings, it is impossible to become enlightenment or enlightened beings, sorry. It’s impossible to become enlightened. For that, the power of relying on the sentient beings is really it’s very indispensable.

So the root of the Mahāyāna teaching is the compassion, love and compassion. And without sent so and the practice of love and compassion or arousing one in compassion is entirely depends on the sentient beings. Without sentient beings, we cannot generate or practice love and compassion. And if and there is and enlightenment is And if we if there is no sentient beings, there is no love and compassion. And if there is no love and compassion, then we can say no.

I mean, Mahāyāna is no more. Means that Mahāyāna practice do not exist if there’s no sentient beings. No. So, sentient beings are one of the most thing to have to practice the Mahāyāna teaching. So, we have a practice of four or we have a meditation called meditation meditating on four immeasurable and which are the immeasurable equanimity and immeasurable compassion, immeasurable love and immeasurable aspiration.

So without sentient beings we cannot practice these four immeasurable these four immeasurables. So out of this four immeasurables we first practice the first which is the immeasurable equanimity and as you know, we normally do by having attachment or feeling attachment for the being one is very intimate or for or being feeling attachment for one’s relatives or friends and feeling hostility for those who are distant from you or those who are your foes or enemy. And by arousing these two feelings attachment and hostility within one within oneself. And due to that we accumulate lots of karma or imprint lots of karma. And through through that we have been suffering suffering and being born in saṃsāra or samsaric existence again and again So, the follower of the Buddha or the bodhisattvas should practice that feeling equanimity in all for all sentient beings and one should not make difference between between a person who beings who are beings who those who are your relatives or friends, and those who are your enemies or distance from you.

And bodhisattvas and buddhas, they never differentiate different differentiate or make distinction between the sentient beings and they always remain equanimity or they have equal feeling for all the sentient beings. If we generate that those feeling attachment and hostility, then we, as we said, we accumulate lots of bad karmas and due to that we have born again and again Samsāra. So, bodhisattvas are not like that. They keep equal feeling for all the sentient beings and we also need to do the same practice as bodhisattvas or the buddhas. So, the and then the thinking that how so about practicing the first immeasurable which is equanimity, immeasurable immeasurable equanimity.

And one should feel equal feeling on have equal feeling for all the sentient beings. And to practice this when one think that how wonderful it would be to have this equal feeling on all sentient beings is the immeasurable aspiration. So it means it has been there are four immeasurable, main four immeasurable, is the immeasurable equanimity, compassion, love and Aspiration or the Prayers. Let’s better say prayers. And so each of these has four divisions, which means four into four is sixteen, isn’t it?

Yeah. So, as for the first one, the immeasurable equanimity, it has four, which is now feeling that how wonderful wonderful it would be if I’ve been able to generate equal feeling on the sentiments is the immeasurable equanimity called immeasurable aspiration of that first one, which is immeasurable equanimity. And then the feeling and and then the thought, may they may they come to have this, is making immeasurable prayers. And then thinking, I will make them or I will bring them to I bring them, which means like I will bring them or I will bring So I will make them or I will bring them is like having It’s the immeasurable altruism. And the finally feeling that may I be blessed by my guru and deities to to have the power to do this is the immeasurable petitions or immeasurable request.

So the immeasurable immeasurable aspiration, immeasurable altruism, immeasurable prayers, immeasurable altruism, and immeasurable request or petition are the four subdivisions of the immeasurable equanimity. No. So, the reason we use immeasurable is that we are focusing or doing this practice for limitless or immeasurable sentient beings, we are not just practicing for numbers, like counting like this bits and this bits. So for that reason we use by doing for the immeasurable or sorry, numberless of sentient beings, we we use this word immeasurable. It is called immeasurable.

The reason is that it is focusing on limitless or immeasurable sentient beings. So if if you’re being able to do five minute meditation on this practice and able to do five minute practice or five minute meditation on this particular practice, then you will if you have been able to do this, it will be very helpful because you have been focusing or thinking for the immeasurable sentient beings, thinking or wishing them to have happiness and free from suffering. And through this practice, then you can there is a or you will be you can gain lots of huge amount merit. You can accumulate a huge amount of virtues or merits now. Yeah.

And and also we we can practice the second one which is the immeasurable immeasurable compassion, which is the practice of immeasurable compassion is not when you when when one practice compassion, we think, you know, how wonderful how wonderful it is to have happiness for all those sentient beings. And for example, if one has the happiness or one then what I mean, how how how one feels when one has the happiness within oneself? So it’s it’s the same set same feeling has such the same feeling is also, sentient beings have the same feeling if when they have a, when they have happiness. For that, one, then for, for that, it is it’s wonderful to have this happiness. And for that one when one think about how wonderful it would be if all the sentient beings has all all sentient beings have this happiness is the immeasurable prayers, sorry, immeasurable aspiration, is so it’s going to be the same division as we have made through the equanimity.

So when one thing the first the first practice of immeasurable equanimity is how wonderful if all sentient beings have this if all sentient beings free from this distinction of feeling attachment and hostility. And for the second one is now thinking that how wonderful if all the sentient beings have the happiness is arousing is the immeasurable aspiration. And then thinking that may they may they come to have and and the thought and the and the second is thought, may they have may they come to have them or have this happiness is the immeasurable prayers and then I will make them have happiness or I will bring them to the happiness is the immeasurable altruism. And then may I be blessed by my guru and deities to have the power to do this. Do this means to have to bring all sentient beings to bring happiness to the sentient beings is the immeasurable petition or the request.

So this four is the division of for immeasurable divisions of the second one which is immeasurable compassion law. So it’s going to be same. So I need to make a bit it was the first I mean, I used was the compassion, that was not the one, the what I was saying is how wonderful they have all sent how wonderful it would be if all the sentient beings have happiness is the division of the immeasurable love. And the the immeasurable the divisions of immeasurable compassion which I’m going to do it right now, which is how wonderful if all the sentient beings are free from suffering. The sinking that is is arousing the immeasurable aspiration and then we can just do the same as before.

Mean, may they have may they come to have or may may may they come to have or may they be able to I mean, they may they be free from all the sentient beings and then I will bring them out of the self out of the sufferings and or I will make them free from suffering is like immeasurable altruism and requesting more to, like, may I be blessed by my guru and deities to have the power to do this is immeasurable perdition. So these four are the divisions of the immeasurable compassion. No. So, yeah, we have told that the four immeasurables main four immeasurables and then each has four subdivisions. And the sequence of the main four immeasurables are the first one is immeasurable equanimity, and then second one is immeasurable love, and then immeasurable compassion.

And the fourth one is I think I may have misinterpreted the performance but the right correct I mean the right interpretation here is The fourth one is the immeasurable rejoice. And so up to the we have done up to we have done the three, I’ve already explained, which is immeasurable, equanimity, love and compassion are for those sentient beings or for those who have not achieved like the suffering, who are not free from those who are not free from suffering, who just who haven’t achieved the ultimate happiness or who are not free from this cyclic existence. So making these immeasurable prayers to have to free those sentient beings or to have let them have all the things they don’t have. And the fourth one is rejoicing. Rejoicing, immeasurable rejoicing is the practice for those who beings who are we can say those who are liberated beings who have already achieved what they have, what they want to achieve.

So, by seeing the achievement, by seeing the achievements, one should really feel rejoice for their achievement and making subdivisions or division immeasurables like instead of you should think that how wonderful it would be if they don’t be degenerate or the so sayings, I mean, you’re feeling rejoicing and then making this, how wonderful it would be if wonderful if they don’t degenerate their achievements or they fall down or and then think they improve they just and thinking and think about how wonderful if they improve, develop their practice from the state what they have achieved and is the immeasurable aspiration and then and then goes the same as people may they come to have or like to able to retain their achievements and then still develop the practice and then it goes the same as immeasurable altruisms and immeasurable petition or the request. So, we are accumulating numbers of merits through the sentient beings. Is this way that through sentient beings we able to practice gloven, compassion, generosity, giving generosity, ethics and so forth, and by practicing that we can, we are able to collect lots of merits. So, and that one is the first one. And the second one is, also and we can also or we have been able to collect, get, store, marry through relying on the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

So there are two beings. So now there are two fields actually. One is the sentient beings and one is the supreme beings like Buddha and bodhisattva. So these are the two fields where we’ve been able to collect lots of merits. So one might think how can we collect lots of merit by looking upwards or by relying on Buddhas and bodhisattvas?

So the way how we commonly collect merit through relying on the supreme beings like Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is the way you know that we practice. We practice the Guru Puja. And the Guru Puja is like making offerings to Buddhadharma Sangha plus our guru. So this is the practice of depending on the high supreme beings like Buddhas and bodhisattvas. So I think you people are attending Guru Pujas. So, the way of practicing like doing the Guru Puja is, first once you have the that think that your mind apprehends the primary wisdom of in inseparable bliss and emptiness.

And then through this wisdom, and like, imagine get through this and then So, one thing that we we have a primal wisdom and imagine that that is inseparable bliss and emptiness. And then imagine that the primary wisdom is like a huge space or surface and which has and on that surface imagine there are lots of flowers which have good fragrance and like trees and flowers And the iguanom is worms. Mhmm. He did worms. You know.

And in the middle of this surface, then imagine there is a lake of milk or milk lake, something like that. And in the middle of the milk, imagine there grows a tree which has know, a huge, huge tree in which the I mean, the leaves or top is very flat and very smooth and very wide. Rinpoche said it’s imagine it’s like very wide or huge like the Australia. And imagine that tree is very, very wide and has lots of space, and imagine on top of that there is a great throne. Very, very giant or huge throne on top of that space.

And one should imagine that it’s a very huge space, on top of that imagine a huge throne and on top of that that throne imagine another little bit smaller throne and then bit smaller like until they place twelve, one each other, one on another. And then imagine it’s like a shape of pyramids, alright. It goes like that. And those thrones are like eleven a lot of spaces actually. And so imagine that like huge throne and on the huge throne it’s like a pyramid size like eleven lotus bases which is like a pyramid shape and then on the top of the first or the top of that lotus on top of that first lotus bases imagine a throne on it and above the throne imagine the sun and the moon disk.

And on top of the throne, imagine the cushions of a lotus and then the sun disc and the moon disc. And above that sits one’s guru which is in the aspect of Je Rinpoche or Lama Tsongkhapa. Je Tsongkhapa.

Je Tsongkhapa, sorry. So as you can see on the merit field posture, now you can see, imagine as it is drawn on that merit field how, I mean, the tongap has been dressed and wear the hats. No. So, and then imagine in the four directions or the cardinal directions of the one’s guru, So imagine there are, I mean, four huge lotus leaves or lotus flowers from the four directions and the front of that leaf or tankapa is is in front of the your guru is, imagine Yamāntaka and, sorry, Chakrasamvara. Yeah.

So in front of your Guru throne, imagine Guhyasamāja. And at the back or the rear is the Heruka. So, that one, like you’re it’s they imagine you should imagine all those things, deities or your guru at the first at the top most of that the first top most of the seven eleven lotus bases. And then the second level, you imagine, on the second level imagine the deities of the Highest Yoga Tantras. And on the second level, third level, fourth level and fifth level they are set like the four tantras, deities of the four tantras. So second level, imagine the deities of Highest Yoga Tantra and then the third imagine the Yoga Tantra deities. And the fourth imagine the Caryā Tantra or performance tantra.

And then the fifth one is Kriyā Tantra, or action tantra. And then below the fifth, is the sixth level, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh. Imagine on the sixth, the Buddhas, and on the seventh, all the bodhisattvas, and on the eighth, the Hīnayāna like Pratyekabuddha and all solitary realizers.

And on the ninth are the Shravakas and the tenth are the dakas and dakinis. Actually we call them dakas and dakinis. And then on the eleventh imagine all the Dharma protectors. Then when one has visualized all these merit field in front of you and imagine all those dakas and dakinis, Buddhas and bodhisattvas, Vajrasattvas are looking or facing to oneself and then imagine that they are you or blessing you. Imagine that they are blessing you to And they are praying for you, imagine they are praying for you or may blessing to you to free, to get rid of getting rid of all the obstacles for your practice and blessing you to able to do the proper or sincere practice.

So this merit field has great power or great qualities and if by seeing those qualities of the refuge, like merit field, if one arose faith respect or reverence in this merit field then one can really receive the blessings of this merit field. By the power of their blessings one can really wash off one’s negativities and being able to gain all the qualities. So even if one make arose faith and make offering for for a single Buddha one can achieve a huge amount of merit. We have numberless Buddhas and if one arouses faith in all the Buddhas and makes offerings for all the Buddhas, then you can gain huge amount of merit from individual Buddhas and you’ve been able to make huge amount of merit. And by arousing compassion or by generating love and compassion for the limitless sentient beings, through that you can gain immeasurable merits and then also making offerings with great faith to the limitless or numberless Buddhas, you can achieve numberless or immeasurable merit.

So by doing these two practices you have been able to accumulate two immeasurable merits. And if, so that, so you been, you can really collect huge amount of merit and as the merit has no forms. If the merit has a form then we have a problem of keeping or keeping our merit. So, this merit cannot fit in this world. Luckily, merit doesn’t have a form.

So this is the way, you know, to become a quick enlightened. If we, the more we accumulate the merit the more we reduce our negativities and the more we reduce our negativities the merit we gain and then we become, the more we become closer and closer to the Buddhahood. So, accumulation of merit is really very important. And for us, being in saṃsāra, we just roam up and down and work very hard but that is just to collect money. So, bodhisattvas instead of collecting money do they collect merits.

So, therefore, we need to weigh the merit and the money and check which is more useful and which is more beneficial. So, say, if you have money all sides of Australia, but the only benefit from that is you can eat well and wear luxury clothes and then help some friends and then you can travel up and down. This is the only this is can be the only benefits of having a money which is same size as Australia. And then when one enters the next life, one cannot take this money when one enter the next life. So if one have accumulated, gets to merit, and not only one can have happiness in this lifetime, in this life, one can also carry your merit next life, I mean to your next life.

It’s like taking a burden on. It’s like you can carry the marriage like a burden to your next life. No. So, meditation in this life, in this life, then one, one will be able to, one can gain certain realization or become liberated like our hearts if one can do a good meditation in this life. And not only that, if one sincerely practices the secret tantra, then there is a chance of becoming enlightened in this particular lifetime.

And if you have been able to do the good motivation or good meditation, then one achieves great store of merit and which one can, one, even if one is not able to gain a certain realization or become liberated in this lifetime by even one does the good meditation or accumulated gesture of merit, no matter, one can also, it doesn’t matter, oh sorry, one can also carry that great store of merit along with oneself to the next life and through the power of that one can have a good or better rebirth in the next life and then can do the practice again and can achieve certain realizations and become an arhat or liberated being in the next lifetime as well. And so we have this very helpful, useful, optimal human rebirth, through which we can work for the benefit of this lifetime as well as next lifetimes. So it’s raining and we’ll stop here. It’s raining and it’s so nice.

Rinpoche said no questions today.