Door to Satisfaction (Audio and Unedited Transcript)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Vajrayana Institute, Sydney 2006 (Archive #1580)

These teachings were given at Vajrayana Institute, Sydney, Australia in June 2006. The first file in the series is a recording of an address Rinpoche gave at the opening of their new building in which he talks about the benefits of Dharma centers.

These teachings include an oral transmission and commentary on Opening the Door to Dharma, a fifteenth century Kadampa mind training text which forms the basis of Rinpoche's book The Door to Satisfaction.

Saturday June 10th: Teachings Part A

Lama ton pa chom den de…. (3x)

So, good afternoon. So yesterday I didn’t get done paying homage, so didn’t so today, so to begin with that. So if you have the English photocopy, if you have then you can read that. If you’re not familiar, you can read in English. And if you are familiar, then can do the, familiar with the subject then can do, can chant in Tibetan, those who are not familiar, just read the English. So this way you come to know the subject, what it’s saying, the meditation subject or the….

[Rinpoche recites Praise to Shakyamuni Buddha to …nam di tar ta.]

So here, Buddha’s words that, engage in perfect wholesome, do not engage any unwholesome action, so action which harms to others and to oneself, so do not engage. Why? Why not? So, the reason is because you don’t want suffering, you don’t like suffering, you don’t want suffering, you don’t want to suffer, and others don’t want to suffer. So therefore, the advice is to not engage any unwholesome action, nonvirtuous action, which harm to others. Others means who are numberless. Like oneself who do not desire even a small discomfort, even in the dream, just like yourself that all others, the numberless beings, they do not like to have even a small discomfort in the dream, even in the dream they don’t want unhappiness, so, just like yourself. So therefore, then don’t engage, for the sake of others, for your own benefit, don’t engage in unwholesome action, nonvirtuous action.

Then, next one, because, you want happiness and like that, exactly the same, numberless of other living beings also want happiness, even a small comfort in the dream. It’s exactly the same, so therefore, for the benefit of others and even for your own benefit, even for your own sake, then engage in perfect wholesome actions, the virtuous action, which results only happiness, which consequences is only positive effect, happiness, happiness to others and to yourself.

So, then, subdue one’s own mind, so here it tells how to do that, then taming one’s own mind, so look after yourself, take care of yourself, which means take care of your mind, protect your mind, subdue the negative thoughts. Tame your mind means subdue, pacify the negative thoughts which causes sufferings, which cause to suffer not only from birth up to now but from beginningless, why we’re born with suffering, why we’re not born without suffering of body and mind, why we didn’t take that birth, without, the mind and body which is not in nature of suffering, why didn’t we take that? Why didn’t we, why we’re born with mind and body which is nature of suffering, which suffers, why we have taken this, from birthtime why we have taken this, from birthtime why we have taken such a suffering body and mind, aggregates? Because there’s continuity of the mind before, which was in nature of suffering, aggregates which was nature of suffering, the aggregates, the consciousness or the mind, so the body and the mind, the mind which took place on the fertilized egg, mind which took place in the fertilized egg, which reincarnated in that form, so that mind which took place in the fertilized egg itself was suffering.

So not free from delusion and karma, not free from the, in the continuity of mind there’s a seed of delusion, negative imprint, that’s contaminated mental continuity, it’s contaminated the seed, imprint, of delusions, the seed of suffering, in nature of imprint, which manifests out the problems this life. So like you have taken a picture in the, with the camera you take all sorts of pictures, mountains, people, enjoying, suffering, killing each other, all this, all sorts of things, whether it’s a movie film or the picture, so printed on the negative roll, and then by putting, by contacting with the substance, whatever, by contacting with the paper then it get printed out on the paper, or the movie film then put in the machine then with electricity, projecting, so it project on the movie screen or TV screen. So what is printed on the negative roll, so like that, the mental continuum, under the control of karma and delusion, then consciousness migrated, consciousness took place in the fertilized egg and then also that mental continuum carries the imprint, seed, imprint, from the positive thoughts rising or positive action that is done or negative thought, negative action done, so then the imprint, so much left from beginningless rebirth, that which is not finished yet to experience out, which is not purified yet, which is not experienced out, so there’s so much from beginningless rebirth. Yeah, so all the sufferings of this life, sufferings in the womb and sufferings when you come out, when the baby comes out, the baby, all those unimaginable sufferings, in the womb, during those months, and then all the problems of this life.

So this body and mind is nature of suffering, because being under the control of karma and delusion, so there’s the suffering rebirth, old age, sicknesses, all this, then the suffering of death, has to experience. Then this, for example, people who suffer with depression, so whenever the nighttime happens, depression comes, like that. Or some people, whenever the morning comes, depression comes. Person can’t, doesn’t know the reason. The other depression’s where your friend doesn’t love you or run away or left you or lost job or lost business, lost money in business or failed or, there are many, there are all these things.

So, hopefully to start the text today…. So, there, this text, this is a text talking about the eight worldly dharmas and inner peace and happiness, by letting go. So, by having mistake, of course, originally, of course, as I mentioned, described yesterday, the original thing is, while there’s no, there is I, there’s I existing, which exists being merely imputed, so in Tibetan, ?tag yö sam tu tru pa, exists being merely imputed by the mind, so, that is the I which does all the functions, which exists, exists in mere name, which does the function in mere name, merely imputed by the mind. Experience happiness in mere name, merely imputed by mind. Experience suffering, which is merely imputed by the mind. So, that experiences all the activities, eating, walking, sitting, sleeping, doing job, everything functions in mere name, merely imputed by mind. So, but even that one, you cannot find. You can find that in this world, in Australia, now, in Sydney, in this house, in this hall, yes, sitting on this chair, sitting on this throne, but can’t find on this base. It’s unfindable on this base. On this collection of the five aggregates, aggregate of form, feeling, cognition, compounding aggregates, and consciousness, collection of the five, even this merely imputed I, which exists, cannot be found on there. Cannot be found there on this base.

So to put it into very gross way according to how we think, normal what everybody talks, not, I made a mistake, everybody. I’m including even the Buddha. So, now everybody. So the, except those, so as I mentioned yesterday, of course Buddha doesn’t have this hallucination, appearing the I existing from its own side, a real I existing from its own side, appearing not merely labeled one, Buddha doesn’t have that hallucination, because there’s no cause in Buddha’s mental continuum, holy mind doesn’t have this negative imprint, even the subtle negative imprint left by the past ignorance, concept of true existence. So, having purified that, which projects the truly existent appearance, hallucination, this dualistic view, so that’s how it become omniscient mind, that holy mind become omniscient because having purified even the subtle negative imprint which projects the dualistic view. So there’s subtle defilements, there’s negative imprint and this, the hallucination, both, truly existent appearance, so Buddha doesn’t have this hallucination.

So the exalted bodhisattvas, arya bodhisattvas, exalted bodhisattvas, so those who have wisdom directly perceiving emptiness have the hallucination, that the I appearing not merely labeled by mind, opposite to the reality. So definition of the false, what appears to you is not harmonized, opposite, against, opposite to the reality. So what appears to you, those phenomena, the way it appears to you is opposite to what it is, the reality, so then that’s the definition of false. So, the way the phenomena appears to you if it’s harmonized, if it’s exactly the same as according to reality, that’s not false, truth. That if it’s against the reality, then that is false.

So, they still have the false view, I appearing not merely labeled by mind, which is opposite to the reality that the I exists in mere name, merely imputed by mind, so therefore, it’s empty of existing from its own side. So they have direct perception, so same, I think in the texts there may be also, I don’t remember precisely from the texts but seem to be saying there’s maybe also more subtle grasping, but however, generally speaking, after you realize that the I is empty, I is empty of existing from its own side or not merely labeled by mind, when you realize that the I is empty of that, then more you meditate in the emptiness of I, that the I’s empty, then gradually you see the I, like I as illusion, so that it appears existing from its own side but in your heart, deep down in your heart you have realization that it’s not true.

So, you cross the sand road, the sand which receives sun, sunlight, so then you came from there, then when you look at back, there’s, you have realization, understanding, because you just came from there, you know there’s no water at all, but you have vision like water, that there’s water. So like the magician person he created all these illusions with the substances and these mantras, power of substances and mantra, but even though he himself sees those illusions but in his heart he knows that’s not true, so there’s no such thing there, he has this understanding, but what appears, so because he understands there’s no such thing, in reality there’s no such thing exists, there’s no such thing there. So he has the appearance, so he understands this is illusion.

So however, like that, like the mirage, after you came from that sandy place, so when you look at it back, you have vision of water, mirage, vision of water, due to the sunlight there’s a vision of water, you have the vision of water but you have, deep in your heart, you have the understanding that there’s no water at all. So like that, similar, after you realize the empty, that the I is empty of, the ultimate nature of the I, it’s empty of existing from its own side, so even though there’s this appearance, you have the hallucination, the appearance, appearance of I that which is not merely labeled by mind, existing from its own side, so seeing as illusion.

So as I mentioned yesterday, at the end, as I mentioned the one meditation technique, what one can do in the daily life, especially in busy life, how you can meditate on emptiness, or the busy life how you can integrate with the emptiness, lam-rim, integrate with the lam-rim, how the busy life can be integrated with Dharma, meditation, how you can do meditation also, meditation session, not sitting meditation session but meditation session, because your mind is always in meditation no matter how busy, activity you’re doing. So integration, your busy life integrated with the lam-rim, your busy life integrated with the heart of the lam-rim, the three principal aspects of the path to enlightenment, the right view.

So as I mentioned yesterday, the ignorance as a magician person and then the negative imprint left on the mental continuum by the ignorance is like the substances or the mantras, done by the magician person. Then, you are the audience, hallucinated your senses, like you are the audience. So here, then, illusioned your mind, from this negative imprint then the truly existent appearance, on everything, every phenomena that your mind…. Right after the second, your mind merely imputed this and that. Constantly, right after your mind merely imputed this and that, right after that, there’s this projection, mental fabrication or the projection, decoration, like you decorate things on the wall, carpets on the floor, the ceiling, however, so on the merely labeled phenomena, negative imprint by the past ignorance decorated true existence, made everything real. Then that’s how, made everything to appear real, which is totally false, totally opposite to the reality. So here you have a totally false world, totally false, a false world, false I, false action, [pause] so false I, false tea, false water, false drinking, real drinking, real water, real I, real flowers, real table, real text, real microphone, real altar, real flower, real light offering, real fruit, apples, real water, brocade, real thangka, all the real people, so real people, so real Lama Zopa, real Mickey Mouse, sitting on the throne, the real Mickey Mouse.

Then, so this real sky, real tree, so real in the sense existing, what we common people when we talk, I mentioned also yesterday, we talk about real this, real that, that is, actually it’s a teaching, actually it is expressing the object to be refuted, the Madhyamika school, Prasangika school view object to be refuted when, in our daily life when we talk real, the common people when they talk real, actually they don’t say truly existent or inherently existent, truly existent is ?den par tru pa, truly existent or existing from its own side, ?rang ngo cho pa, and existing by nature, ?rang zhin kyi tru pa, don’t use philosophical terms from those texts which exactly fit but not common use. But the common use, for false object the common use, that everybody use, which means false, which means what the philosophical texts the term that’s mentioned, those terms, but then common people’s use is real this, real that. If you make explanation of what that really is, if you make explanation of, commentary of what real, means existing from its own side, real from there, real from the object’s side, so that’s what it is. Everything something real, real from the object’s side.

So, whatever you look at, people or tree, sky, road, car, whatever you look at, houses, buildings, so everything real. In the garden if you see a flower, a real flower, existing from its own side, real from its own side, real from the side of the object. So, the object to be refuted in the, you can say, these four schools of Buddhist philosophers, object to be refuted, according to the false view, what they talk, so it comes in the expression, common people’s language and especially the Prasangika school view, the true existence, or the ?by ______ ______ or existing from its own side or existing by nature, not merely labeled by mind, so same. So there it comes in the common, ordinary language, the real.

So when they say real, in the heart, when we talk real in our daily life, in the heart if you examine how your mind is thinking, when you talk everything, something, It really made me upset or That person’s words or behavior something really bad, again real, something really bad, something again real from its own side, not merely labeled by your mind, not made by your mind. So, It really upset me, so really made me to get angry, so can see to this real I, affected to this real I. So, when we’re talking in normal conversation, when we say real, if you examine your mind, how your mind thinks, believes, during that time, the subject that you’re talking, real, yeah, as I just mentioned before, so your belief, so there’s appearance a real one, in the sense existing from its own side, not merely labeled by mind, and then not only appearance but then your mind hold onto it, grasp or hold onto it, that this is true, this is a hundred percent true. So, this is what’s happening there, there we’re creating the ignorance, constantly, ignorance, believing the hallucination as truth, reality, that is according to the, that is true, it is like this according to the reality.

So ignorance holds on, not only the I, aggregates, but everything, as I mentioned yesterday, form, sound, smell, taste, tangible object, all these which are merely imputed by mind, every moment, every second imputed by mind, then there’s hallucination, true existence decorated on this, projected, then we let our mind to hold onto it that’s true, so this is reality. So ignorance, we let our mind believe all this is reality, this is true, that all this is reality. In reality all these are hallucination. There’s no even an atom, not even an atom exists there. This real, something real existing from its own side, there’s not even an atom of that exists there, cannot find if you analyze. But we let our mind to hold on everything as real, true, the way it appears, true, and then, so the ignorance, according to ignorance, all this, including I, action, object, all the phenomena appearing something real, existing from its own side, all this, in the point of view of ignorance, all this is reality. In the point of view of ignorance, all this is reality, truth, truth, reality.

So, the Buddha’s omniscience, omniscient mind, wisdom, see all this, what your mind, what your ignorance believes truth, reality, Buddha’s omniscient mind sees all this totally nonexistent, totally nonexistent, totally empty, it sees. Then, even the sentient being, arhats, the exalted bodhisattvas, the meditator who has achieved the exalted path, the arya path, right-seeing path, path of meditation, no more learning, then the arya bodhisattvas, their wisdom directly perceiving emptiness, so they, even though there’s appearance but they see from their side, with their wisdom, totally nonexistent, totally empty, nonexistent. According to the point of view of our mind, ignorance, all this is reality, everything, what we hear, what we see, smell, taste, tangible, everything, what the sixth consciousness, the mind, think, ?object, but even the sentient beings, those exalted beings, wisdom directly perceiving emptiness, how they see, totally nonexistent, totally empty.

Then even yourself, later, by hearing teachings, the Prasangika school view or presentation, the teachings, the correct teachings on emptiness, Buddha’s teaching on the Perfection of Wisdom, commentaries by Lama Tsongkhapa and by other enlightened, those great yogis or those great scholars, great pandits, enlightened beings, Lama Tsongkhapa, Milarepa, those enlightened beings, then, listening, studying, having listened and reflect, meditate, so by leaving much positive imprint, then developing the guru devotion, strong guru devotion towards the gurus from whom one has received Dharma connection, received teachings with the recognition that oneself is the disciple, that one is the guru, so with this recognition, then received teachings, so anyone from whom one received Dharma connection, so with everyone then develop guru devotion, very strong guru devotion, then that much stronger blessing of the guru one receives in the heart, blessing of the guru, or you can say the blessing of all the buddhas in one’s own heart, from that. And so that’s like pouring water to the seed that you’ve planted in the ground, and then like the soil and the, so intensive practice of purification and collecting merits, so all the conditions put together for the seed to grow, produce the stem, so like that. So and protect from obstacles, eaten by worms, burned by fire, so then protects, so doing practice of purification, purifying the obstacles to achieve realization, to realize emptiness.

So all together, then one day suddenly, when all the cause and conditions, the imprint left on the mental continuum by listening to teachings on the Perfection of Wisdom, teachings on emptiness, Buddha’s teachings, commentaries by others, yogis, the great pandits, so holy beings or great enlightened beings, so having recited that much and then, with the support of purification and collecting merits, those necessary conditions, and receiving blessing of the guru in your heart, so one day then suddenly [snaps fingers] you, even two or three words, even just two or three words from the text, from the guru’s teaching, suddenly [snaps fingers] your mind wake up. Suddenly it clicks [snaps fingers] in your mind. That, so suddenly able to recognize, all of a sudden able to recognize, Oh, this is what, the object to be refuted what the Prasangika school, the Madhyamika school, the Prasangika school explains. All of a sudden you’re able to recognize. Oh, this is gak-cha! So this is what means gak-cha. It has been there all the time, twenty-four hours, day and night, I mean, this hallucination, false I, from birth, from beginningless rebirth but only now then suddenly [snaps fingers] clicked, mind able to recognize.