Three Principal Aspects of the Path (Audio and Unedited Transcripts)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Boulder Creek, CA 2006 (Archive #1567)

These teachings were given during a lamrim retreat held at Vajrapani Institute in Boulder Creek, California, from August 20-23, 2006.

You can view video of the entire teaching on the Land of Medicine Buddha Media Lab on Vimeo.

Sunday, August 20th: Part B

So anyway, I lost my thought. Suddenly it’s gone.

So anyway, so what I’m saying here, so the lam-rim, so anyway, come back, you see, so, now here, so this, this inner enemy, this self-cherishing thought, all this, so to, that which harms you, that which has been harming to you from beginningless rebirth and will harm you without end, without end.

Not only that, then numberless sentient beings, it harms to numberless sentient beings, from life to life, directly or indirectly. So like this, have been harming from beginningless rebirth to other sentient beings, numberless other sentient beings, and continues in the future, say until one changes one’s own mind, eliminate them, cease them completely.

So therefore, so what, how we can do that, how we can do this, say is then, then by actualizing the remedy path which ceases all these delusions, all this cause of delusions, defilements, and cease even subtle defilements, and achieve full enlightenment.

So, the root is, you see, the root is renunciation, bodhicitta, right view, the foundation. And based on the root of the path to enlightenment, guru devotion, like that.

So, you see, so to, so here, here the work, here to actualize this, so during this time, to actualize this path, this foundation of the whole rest of the path to liberation, to enlightenment.

So, you can see now how it is most urgency, how it is most urgency, billion times, billion, billion, zillion, trillion times more urgent, more urgency to actualize this, to have this realization, renounce, you see, this transformation of mind, to have this transformation of mind. Of course, normally the life is my happiness, my happiness, day and night, all the time, my happiness, my happiness, my happiness, I have this problem, I have that problem, this problem, that problem, this problem, I want to go to see psychologist, this hospital, this psychiatrist, you know, full of my happiness, you know, so I have this problem, this, somebody abused me, somebody did this to me, somebody did that to me, so my happiness, become like, nothing is important in the world except my happiness; nothing’s important in the world than my happiness. So similar, generally like that.

So anyway, so even concerning that, this is the best thing to do, actualize lam-rim. Even concerning my happiness, there’s nothing else, there’s nothing else in the world, something better than this, something can solve, other problem, something can solve the problem very deep, you see, the cause is very deep, you see, there’s nothing else except lam-rim, so even concerning my happiness, my needs.

So now here, not only that, numberless sentient beings’ happiness, their needs, you know, they need your help, numberless sentient beings, they need happiness, they need your help.

So you see, they don’t have, they don’t have even, they don’t have human body, to learn, capacity to understand, learn the words and meanings, to meditate, to actualize, to have realizations, even not have a human body. So, devoid of all these opportunities, like you have, like we have this time, they don’t have.

So, even they have human body, but haven’t met the opportunity, haven’t received the opportunity, all the, the opening heart from their own side, opening heart, giving freedom to themselves, and devotion, wisdom understanding, able to discern, able to see what is right, that brings happiness to them, to others.

The wrong which brings harm to them and harm others, so no wisdom to see this, so, haven’t met the qualified spiritual guide, qualified spiritual guide who can show the complete path to liberation, to enlightenment, haven’t met, who can show path without mistakes, haven’t met.

So then, so everything is wrong. So lack of all this, wisdom eye, blind leader, devoid of blind leader, the Virtuous Friend, so many of these things. So what they want is happiness, but the way they think and what they attempt, say, what they want is happiness but what they do is all wrong, cause of suffering, mess up, whatever they attempt, what they run, what they keep busy, run, only cause of suffering, even though their wish is happiness, so totally opposite, totally opposite. What they want to achieve is happiness but what the cause what they create is not happiness, cause of suffering.

So due to ignorance, due to ignorance, lack of Dharma wisdom, so then that makes to continuously suffer them, so need, so the numberless sentient beings they need happiness in order to…because of course, they wish, like oneself, they want happiness, they want no sufferings and they all need your help.

So therefore, by this reason also there’s emergency, billion, zillion times emergency to actualize the path, first thing to overcome, oneself to overcome this inner enemy.

So here, we should realize that here, listening, reflecting meditation, doing retreat, lam-rim, you should realize that this is the best way, that this is the real, most, say, the deepest method, the deepest, most profound, deepest method to bring not only peace in this world, but peace and happiness to numberless sentient beings, peace and happiness to numberless sentient beings. So that.

So you can see here, so without our own practice, first without yourself practicing and tame the mind, these negative emotional thoughts, these delusions which harms you and others, harm the world, harm to all sentient beings, so to destroy this, to eliminate this. So start with this, to bring peace in the world to all sentient beings. So with this, say, with changing one’s mind, liberating oneself from this, then one can offer deep benefit to other sentient beings, to show them path, and through their practice, actualize the path, then overcome the delusions, remove the delusions, so that.

So like this, then able to bring numberless sentient beings to liberation, and not only that, and the peerless happiness, the full enlightenment.

So, we should realize, we should recognize that this is the happiest life, you see to, say [pause] using our life, dedicating our life not only for your own ultimate happiness, but dedicating your life especially towards all sentient beings, and offering this service to all sentient beings, not only sentient beings in this world but there are numberless sentient beings in the numberless universes, as I just before mentioned, who need happiness, who don’t want to suffer, so forth, to liberate them, and bring them to enlightenment.

So meditate on lam-rim, trying to put in effort every day, to make our heart closer to the lam-rim, to have realization of lam-rim. There’s no deepest benefit than this to other sentient beings. There’s no more important benefit than this, you know, concerning benefitting other sentient beings.

Without this, without this realization, you see, without your mind becoming lam-rim, your heart, then cannot achieve, even yourself cannot be free from suffering, not only can’t liberate others from suffering of samsara. [pause]

There’s no more important service than this to other sentient beings. [pause] Transform one’s mind in the path, lam-rim, so that.

So, even the weapons, bombs, weapons, even their temporarily stopped using, but that’s just temporary, you see. But it doesn’t mean it’s not going to be used forever.

So, to not harm forever to others, to bring peace to others, oneself, others, to bring peace and happiness, then, so that depends on mind, depends on the heart of the people, that total transformation, need to develop loving kindness, compassion, bodhicitta, the ultimate good heart, the thought, benefitting others, cherishing others, benefitting others, need to totally change hearts of everyone in this world, need to change into bodhicitta, into the most precious, holy mind, cherishing others, letting go of I, cherishing others.

Otherwise, without the good heart, without stable, good heart, say, not, say, can’t rely, see, just temporary stop weapons, using weapons, so whether the weapons harmful or not is up to the people’s mind, is up to, if they have thought to harm, then weapons become harmful. If they don’t have thought to harm others, then weapon doesn’t become harmful, generally speaking, so that.

So, good heart, bodhicitta, or the loving kindness, compassion thought, good heart, in the hearts of the leaders of the world, in the hearts of the people, then all the dangerous weapons, bombs, then goodbye. So all the dangerous weapons, bombs, then goodbye. Like the apple a day, goodbye doctor. Apple a day, goodbye doctor. So, good heart a day, good heart a day, in the hearts of people in this world, goodbye bombs, goodbye bombs. So how much danger, weapons there is, is not harmful.

So how to develop good heart. The question is how to develop loving kindness, compassion, is how to develop, so that’s big question. Yes, you should have, that’s one thing. I mean how to develop is a big question. So this is what we’re doing here. So should realize that. Then we can recognize, so that we feel, one feels how important it is, how this is the most important thing, so that concerning yourself, as I mentioned before, concerning your own needs, your own happiness now and the future, especially concern happiness for numberless sentient beings, so that. [pause]

So I think the prayer is gone; then no prayer, it’s gone. I think the prayer is gone. I think somebody did. While I’m talking, somebody did the prayers. [Asking about the time] [long pause]

Even we’re unable to have actual realization of the lam-rim this life, but we made the mind familiar with that, practice, meditate on this as much as possible in this life, so mind is made so ready, so much preparation is done, become that much closer, so the next lives, without much difficulties, without taking much time, then the minute, you see, next lives as you read Dharma texts, immediately you’re able to have realizations. Or the minute when you hear the teachings from the guru, then during that time, you’re able to have realizations, or just a little bit doing meditation, able to have realizations, so like that.

So even the realizations didn’t happen in this life, but, say, with much effort, leaving much positive imprint on the mind, then make a way to achieve realization next life, so that.

So, as His Holiness explains that, usually when His Holiness is giving teachings to the Tibetan audience, then there’s, from a text, the extensive subject from text, then advice at the beginning as motivation, advice for people’s lives, for the Sanghas, for the lay, how to live life.

Then, you see, so in the past, particular the, so for Western students, then His Holiness, particular, you see, the emphasis was, usually near the end, something that you should not think _[Tibetan] means, _[Tibetan, same word], you expect that you will achieve realization within a month, within a year, month or some weeks, so you expect attainment in very short time, and then if it didn’t happen, then you kind of, then you give up, disappointed, and give up.

So, _[Tibetan] means that one. I don’t know what’s the English translation but so that’s the meaning _[Tibetan], so usually His Holiness explained that. You know, many hundreds of eons one must plan to meditate, to practice Dharma many hundreds of eons, to practice what you plan, have to practice for many hundreds of eons.

So even it takes that much long, even if it takes eons to achieve realization, so one should have [pause], one should say, one should motivate like this. That’s His Holiness’s particular advice at the end of the teaching, something for Western students. [pause]

So there’s three advice, when you do the practice, _[Tibetan]. I mentioned three, but one I don’t remember. So the Kadampa geshes, they explained. So _[Tibetan] means you look at very far, your motivation, you plan, look, enlightenment, look at say, look at very far, say, to look at enlightenment.

_[Tibetan] that is, you see, not get lung, you know, “Oh it’s not happening”, so kind of you get, what do you call, you get what?

Student: Anxious.

Rinpoche: So anxious, it’s not happening: I’ve been doing meditation, I’ve been doing retreat for now this many weeks, this many days, this many weeks, this many months, years, nothing happened.

So anyway, so, kind of stress, you make yourself stressed and lung, so not like that. Kind of, so relaxed, relaxed. The third one, I don’t remember. Does anybody remember?

Student: Does it have something to do with being steady?

Rinpoche: Yes, so, I thought, I don’t remember the term, but I think the third one is continual, relaxed. Not relaxed that, say, when there’s little tiredness then you lay down, you go to the beach, or something, go for sightseeing, the movies, or some, anyway, not like that.

So generally not stretch yourself, not say, creating lung, relaxed. But, every day, there’s always continuity, very inside, very inside, not giving up, continuity, stability, continuity. So that’s, I think Kadampa geshes’ … I don’t remember the Tibetan term, _[Tibetan], so I think stability, continuity, they practice.

So, I think, the most important one, I think, I think, what I see most important one is continuity. Even the realization, some change not happening, you don’t see now but look at very far, like people complaining , like people climbing (I said ‘complaining’) Mt. Everest, so look very far, from the West, from California; from California to Mt. Everest. From Vajrapani to Mt. Everest. So anyway, so very long goal, think to go there, right on top from here, you see. So you kind of aim that.

So you prepare and you, no matter how much you get tired on the way but, you know, continue every day. Then eventually, you make it on the top. So I think that’s what many people, I mean, many people died. But I think many people did succeed.

So anyway, many people died right after the top. Many people died after they reached the top, then when they come down died, didn’t have time to come back home, didn’t have time to get the gold medal.

So, anyway, so I think continuity seems, here the continuity, not giving up. Even it’s little, even that practice you do is little, even just one hour, half hour, even half hour. I’m just giving, using an example, but doesn’t mean do only half hour. I’m not saying that.

But even half hour, or one hour, half hour, anyway, but continuity, I think it seems the most, I think here, according to the advice here, it’s the most important one. So then eventually it happens. So even what you do is, say, not all day long or not many hours, but even one hour, an hour meditation on lam-rim, but continuity seems the most important thing.

So here, I would like to mention that what I used to mention in the past, same, that, [long pause] when a Kadampa geshe asked to Chengawa, I think, what is better to, say, I think meditate on lam-rim, I think meditate on lam-rim, and the having, you have stable concentration that can last for eons, can last for eons, cannot be disturbed, concentration that can last for eons. So even big drums beaten, big drums beaten, big drums beaten next to your ear cannot disturb your concentration, that concentration can last for eons, having achieved shamatha, calm-abiding, you have stable realizations of concentration, like this, that.

And then, also, then, eight siddhis, those eight, the common siddhis, that able to fly by psychic power, and then clairvoyance, able to see past, future, far distance, so like five types of clairvoyance, can see very far. Maybe can also read others’ mind. So they’re five, anyway, five types of the clairvoyance, that by depending on the wind, that one can go so fast where it would takes many months, that you go within a few hours with the power of wind, you see. So that kind of siddhis.

So having all these siddhis, these powers, and meditating on lam-rim which one’s better, more meaningful, ask to Geshe Chengawa. Then Geshe Chengawa said, he said, Right, I wonder, say, I would prefer even just questioning “what is lam-rim?”. I prefer, say, prefer, you see, just question about what is lam-rim. I prefer this than having all those, not even question of lam-rim, then having all those attainments, those powers. So that was Geshe Chengawa’s reply. I would prefer even just questioning what is lam-rim, you see, than having all those other powers.

So now the reason’s this, so we, example, we achieved those shamatha, calm abiding, those meditation, had those, had stable concentrations in the past, we had those realizations numberless times in the past. So that’s why we were born in the form realm numberless times, four levels of firm contemplation we achieved numberless times.

And from there we went to formless realm, numberless times through meditation. But that’s still, that’s just samsara. So form realm, formless realm, they are all suffering nature, they are again suffering nature, under the control of karma and delusion, contaminated seed of delusion, so pervaded by suffering.

So even you achieve formless realm where there’s no suffering of pain, not only there’s no suffering of pain, suffering of change, where there’s no suffering of change, only the pervasive compounding suffering, so as I just mentioned before.

But because not having realized, didn’t have total renunciation of samsara, discovering the formless realm, the last one, tip of the samsara which has four levels, fourth one, tip of samsara, so because there’s no higher realm, samsara, you can compare, the other one is better, more peace, then the tip of samsara, the fourth level of the formless realm, there’s no high samsara realm to compare to, so then there’s no antidote, so there’s no method to be detached to this samsara.

So you don’t see this as suffering. So still there’s, even though you have detachment, even though you see desire realm where we are, our realm, the aggregates, totally only nature of suffering, these aggregates only nature of suffering, like Africa or some of those places, very, where there’s a lot of disease and very unhygienic, very dirty places like that, scared or no attraction, can’t find attraction to live there in that life, even for one second. Like being in the, so you have no interest, attraction, to be inside the septic tank. To be inside the septic tank with all the poopies, not pu-pe [Tibetan word for flowers?].

There’s no attraction, not even for one second to be there, oneself to be in the septic tank with all the smell, all this stuff.

So like that, this is how the form realm beings they see, they see our aggregates, all the sense enjoyments we think something really incredible pleasure, something, but they see just only in nature of suffering, just terrible, disgusting.

So the formless realm see form realm disgusting, total detachment, only suffering. So, tip of the sams … so the formless realm, the fourth level, tip of samsara, so there’s no higher samsara realm to compare to, so to realize the tip of samsara is only nature of suffering.

So therefore, there’s detachment, renunciation desire realm, form realm, formless realm, the previous three realms, except the tip of samsara, so unable to generate total renunciation of samsara. And didn’t have wisdom directly perceiving emptiness which ceases the cause of delusion, the seed of delusion.

So then, when that karma, how long, until that finishes, same, then from previous karma, reincarnate even in the lower realms. So circle again.

So we’ve been born formless realm numberless times. We had those concentrations that can last for eons, those we’ve achieved before, that shamatha, those shamathas, had those eight siddhis, had.. achieved those clairvoyance, we achieved in the past those common siddhis, those psychic powers. So the flying, even the bird flies, so flying, even the bird flies, the insect, the fly, anyway. So even psychic power of flying is not special.

So, because we achieved those numberless times in the past, but that, but, you see, we didn’t get liberated even from samsara, so that’s the reason.

So, that’s because, the reason as I explained before, didn’t achieve total renunciation from samsara, wisdom directly perceiving emptiness, the ceasing the defilements, didn’t achieve those, cause of samsara, bodhicitta, so that.

So therefore, Geshe, Kadampa Geshe Chengwa answered, “I rather prefer even question what is lam-rim”, so like that.

Then Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo mentioned that even reciting 100 millions of the mantras, so many number of this and that mantras, you know, many hundred million times, say, still not the real meaning of life. It’s just the branches, there’s no main practice, there’s just branches of the practice, like the tree, there’s tree, there’s branches, so those numbers of preliminaries, those recitation of hundreds of millions of mantras, branches, like the branches of trees not the main trunk, the main practice.

So, it’s good, but not the real meaning of life, not the most meaningful life. So then it said, even seeing Buddha and meditating on lam-rim, what is more meaningful? Meditating on lam-rim is more meaningful, more meaningful than even seeing Buddha.

Among even our students, there are people saw Buddha, short time happened. But that doesn’t mean you have actualized bodhicitta, that doesn’t mean you’ve realized emptiness just by that. So you see, because just seeing Buddha, vision of Buddha, just seeing Buddha doesn’t mean, during that time you achieve, you see, achieve the lam-rim, three principal paths, any of those realizations. Still you have to meditate to have attainment.

So, like this I gave an example, that people who had vision Buddha, so, but that doesn’t mean they achieved lam-rim realization, since from that time they had lam-rim realization, it doesn’t mean that, because need to put effort, meditate on lam-rim to have lam-rim realizations.

So, so the most meaningful life, most meaningful life is, most beneficial, meaningful life is the meditating on lam-rim, attaining the path. All the rest is good, but that’s not real meaning of life. So that is important one to remember, important one to remember in our daily life.
So you spend your life branches the practice, but leave out the main path, so then if one don’t, say, attaining lam-rim, say, meditating on the path, attaining lam-rim, then, leave that, then do branches of the practice, then you see, not that much meaningful. _[Tibetan] is something that you have great, say, you have great success in attaining realizations, the path, so leave out the main practice, meditate on lam-rim attaining, and then do, say, branches of the practice, just that, then can’t, say, can’t have quick, , it’s good, but really can’t have, say, quick progression, so like that.

So that’s why, I already mentioned that, when we do preliminary practices, do with the lam-rim, say, do the lam-rim, say, integrate, so half hour lam-rim or one hour lam-rim, half hour, then one half hour preliminary practice if you are trying to get done some number, however, so becomes lam-rim retreat, and also preliminary retreat, lam-rim, even you’re doing lam-rim, but it’s still done with the preliminaries, so purifying, collecting merits, so this..the guru yoga practice, such as Guru Puja, or the Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga, whatever, whichever guru yoga to receive blessings of the guru so that it becomes cause for realizations, so purify the defilements, negative karma, obstacles, and means to collect merits, mandala offering, so forth, the prostrations, like that, so all those things, then the actual body, meditate on lam-rim, so that.

Even we do tantric retreat, but without lam-rim, it has no taste; without lam-rim, it doesn’t become, without bodhicitta, it doesn’t become correct practice, doesn’t become cause of enlightenment. Without right view, that doesn’t become antidote to samsara, doesn’t become antidote to samsara, so [pause].

The retreat, highest tantra deity, doesn’t become antidote to samsara, doesn’t become antidote to root of samsara, ignorance, delusions, it doesn’t liberate you from samsara, it doesn’t become antidote for samsara.

So without renunciation, then of course, tantra practice doesn’t become even cause to achieve liberation from samsara, so that.

So, even when we do tantric retreat, what makes the retreat rich is by the three principal paths: renunciation, right view, bodhicitta, then that makes the retreat very rich, very meaningful, make food very tasty, like apple pie, hot apple pie and the cream on the top.

So half hour, I mean, if one doesn’t have much time, has very short time, then just a little bit, so beginning 15 minutes, 20 minutes lam-rim, strong as much as possible, strong renunciation, by remembering antidote, impermanence, death, then strong compassion which is based on thinking of the suffering of samsara, other sentient beings’ sufferings, and the kindness of others, so strong bodhicitta.

So, anyway, [pause] so until one has realizations, until one achieves realization bodhicitta, so putting the main effort in lam-rim to have renunciation this life, renunciation future lives’ samsara, then after that, only then you can have realization, bodhicitta. Here I think you cannot jump.

But the realizing emptiness, so that, if one, say, if one has much imprint from past lives, so much imprint, has read, has heard teachings on emptiness, meditate, then if you have a lot of merit, imprint and a lot of merit, then realizing emptiness is not difficult.

The realize emptiness sound very difficult, difficult is for those, the difficult is for those who have small merit and those who doesn’t have much imprint, doesn’t have much imprint from past, so difficult is for them. But the person has a lot of merit and imprint from past life, much imprint, it is not difficult to realize emptiness.

Of course, of course, one thing is one must, that experience must continue to develop, say, then if one did not have realization of shamatha in the past, then one have to achieve that. So that one can develop, say, seeking meditation from the view means after realization of the, after having realized emptiness, then try to have the concentration, however, do shiné. So that’s seeking meditation from the right view. [Tibetan] Seeking meditation from the right view.

Then one can achieve great insight, which is preparation for Arya path, exalted path, wisdom directly perceiving emptiness, which is the only realization that directly, only then directly able to cease the defilements, the cause of delusions, imprints, you see, so that.