Lam-rim Weekend Course

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Adelaide, Australia (Archive #855)

A weekend course by Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Adelaide, Australia, August 3- 4, 1991.

Edited by Ven. Ailsa Cameron; part of the fourth discourse is lightly edited by Sandra Smith. 

Third Discourse: The Concept of True Existence

Do not commit any unwholesome actions,
Accumulate perfect virtue,
Subdue one's own mind:
This is the teaching of the Buddha.  

Again we will do a short meditation on the nature of phenomena. As it is mentioned in the teachings, not only do we need to achieve ultimate liberation, the everlasting happiness that is the cessation of all suffering and its causes, karma and disturbing thoughts, but also the great liberation, or full enlightenment, which is separation from even the subtle mistakes of the mind, the subtle imprints left by the concept of true existence. We need to achieve this ourselves then lead others to the ultimate, everlasting happiness of liberation and the peerless happiness of full enlightenment. And Buddha advised that the fundamental way to do this is to practice awareness of the reality of phenomena. We have to be aware of the way they actually exist, not be caught in the hallucination, controlled by wrong conceptions.

You, the people around you—friend, enemy, stranger—your possessions, everything is changing within every second, everything is decaying within every second, due to causes and conditions. And because all these things are dependent on causes and conditions, they can be stopped at any time, by depending on other causes and conditions.

Therefore, the conclusion is, there's no reason at all to arise this ignorant concept of permanence; also there's no reason to arise the dissatisfied mind of desire, anger and so forth. These wrong concepts only lead you to suffering. But awareness of impermanence and death only leads you to liberation, the separation from all sufferings and their causes. There are infinite shortcomings if you don't reflect on impermanence and death, and infinite benefits if you do reflect on it.

Now, what is called I, the aggregates, the body, the mind, the objects of the senses (form, sound, smell, taste, tangibles); what is called samsara, nirvana; what is called hell and what is called enlightenment; what is called happiness, suffering; what is called virtue, non-virtue—what are all these things really? What are the defiled aggregates—this association of body and mind that creates again a future samsara? We are always seeing these things, hearing about them, talking about them, but what are they?

None of these things exist on the base on which we label them.

I, the self, doesn't exist on the aggregates. I cannot be found on the aggregates. The self doesn't exist there on the aggregates. "There" in the sense of relating to our present aggregates, the present association of body and mind. It is not there. If it were there, we should be able to find it. And if we can find it, it should exist from its own side; it has to be independent, existing without depending on the aggregates, the mind, and the name. Without depending on all these, there should be an I existing and doing activities. But such an independent I doesn't exist. The I that exists is something that is merely labeled all the time by the mind.

So, nothing exists there on the base that one labels this and that, just like the I doesn't exist on the aggregates, the association of body and mind. But that doesn't mean the I and these other things do exist.

What they are is nothing except what is merely labeled by the mind, because these bases exist. Concentrate on this point.

All these things are only what is merely labeled by the mind—just that. Therefore, nothing of these things exists from its own side All these things are empty.

Therefore, there's no reason to create the hallucinated thought, the concept of true existence. There is no reason at all to create this ignorance, which becomes the root of samsara, the entire circling suffering realms. This ignorance and the actions motivated by it creates what is called hell, the definition of which is the realm with the heaviest, most unbearable sufferings.

While the I is empty of existing from its own side, this ignorance believes that it does exist from its own side, that it is independent. This concept of true existence is the root from which anger, attachment, and other forms of ignorance arise and these minds then motivate the actions that create what is called hell, which has the heaviest sufferings of the cold and heat.

This ignorance is what creates the hungry ghost, or preta, realm, in which one experiences the heaviest hunger and thirst. There are three types of obscurations: outer, food, and inner. There are so many obstacles to finding food and drink, and even one is able to find it, one is unable to eat or drink it, or even if the tiniest drop of food or water is able to go through to the stomach, it burns and creates great discomfort. Instead of experiencing comfort, you only experience suffering. You are like a sick person who has a huge stomach but cannot eat, cannot drink, and even if a tiny drop goes inside, you do not experience any comfort. And there are some people who, even though other people don't think the weather is very hot or cold to other people, experience it as extremely hot or cold. Some people when they are dying, before their breath stops, experience unbelievable cold and unbelievable heat. No matter how many blankets are piled on top of them, it doesn't help, it doesn't change their feeling. There are many examples like this.

That suffering is the creation of their mind, that suffering is the creation of that individual person's negative mind. It is the creation of the mind, the production of the negative thoughts and karma, the negative actions motivated by those harmful thoughts.

Then, from this concept of true existence not understanding the ultimate nature of the I arise the other disturbing thoughts, the poisonous minds, which then motivate the karma that creates rebirth in the animal realm. This ignorance makes us experience the very heavy sufferings of the animal realm: being extremely foolish, having no freedom, being attacked and eaten by other animals or by humans, being hot and cold, being used and tortured by human beings. Animals have no freedom at all. These beings in the lower realms have unbelievable suffering.

We can't stand it if we get a few wrinkles or a few gray hairs. It becomes so painful to our mind. We get upset like this even with a human body, so if our body was suddenly transformed into that of a household pet, such as a cat or a dog—forget about changing into one of the other animals—with our body and face completely covered with hair, there is no way we could stand it.

There are many human beings who have perfect organs and limbs at the beginning, but then later it changes; some lose limbs, or get arthritis so that their limbs slowly change shape. Even with a human body things like this happen. But there is no way we could bear it if this body completely changed into that of an animal and you didn't know how long it was going to last. Even if our body changed to that of a household pet, we couldn't stand it.

There is no way to make an animal understand what is the cause of suffering and what is the cause of happiness. A parrot could repeat some words, but it is impossible to make them really understand the meaning. As human beings we can practice Dharma, develop our minds and benefit other sentient beings, but this is so difficult to do with those other rebirths.

With this wrong concept of true existence, with this hallucinated mind and the other disturbing thoughts, and the actions motivated by them, we create a human rebirth, a human samsara, the defiled aggregates that create future life samsara. This human rebirth also comes from this. So again, with this human realm, we experience suffering rebirth, old age, sickness, and death; we worry about separating from desirable objects and meeting undesirable objects, and even when find a desirable object, we cannot find satisfaction. We experience these things.

This concept of true existence, this hallucinated mind and the other poisonous minds and the actions motivated by them, also creates the deva realms, rebirth as a deva in the desire, form, or formless realms. Devas, or worldly gods, also have their own problems, such as experiencing the five major signs of death and the other five signs of nearing death. At that time they become so unhappy. The garlands of flowers that they are wearing become old. Because of good karma, or merit, they don't usually sweat, but when they are near the time of death, their bodies start to sweat.

Because they have incredible enjoyments—their sense pleasures are hundreds of times greater than that of the richest person in the world—their life is spent in distraction all the time. When their death is about to happen, due to karma they see that they will have to be reborn in the lower realms, in the suffering realms where they won't have all these enjoyments; they can also remember where they come from in the past and see the great enjoyment of the life they have now. Knowing that they have to be reborn where there is so much suffering and no enjoyment, they experience incredible worry and fear. Normally we have a saying in the teachings that a beggar who has to live by begging his food each day has physical discomfort; the wealthy person doesn't have much physical discomfort, but they have so much mental suffering, so much worry and fear. Like this, the minds of these worldly gods are in hell; their bodies have incredible enjoyment, but their minds are like in hell when they are about to die.

There are also the problems of being controlled by other more powerful worldly gods, of being kicked out of their place, of being killed in fighting.

However, even the worldly gods in the formless realm are not free from karma and delusions. They have a hallucinated mind ignorant of the ultimate nature of the I, so this hallucinated mind produces all these rebirths in the suffering realms. All these realms of samsara with their various problems come from your own mind, from the concept of the truly existent I.

All these oceans of sufferings are beginningless and it is difficult to see their end. They can be ended; we can end all the suffering, but it is difficult to see the end because it depends on our practice, it depends on our eliminating the cause of samsara, the concept of true existence and karma, and ceasing these depends on actualizing the wisdom realizing the ultimate nature of the I. We have to develop this wisdom and cease all the different levels of disturbing-thought obscurations. So if we don't practice, if we don't actualize the ultimate nature of the I, it is difficult to see when suffering, all these problems, will end.

Because all these sufferings come from this wrong concept of true existence, following this wrong concept is just torturing oneself unnecessarily. Following these wrong concepts that are hallucinated as to the nature of the I and all the rest of existence and believing them to be concrete, which is the opposite to the reality, is unnecessary and complete nonsense, and because of it, one has had to experience all this beginningless suffering, of which it is difficult to see the end. If one does not practice, it is endless. This is completely crazy; it doesn't make any sense.

This concept of true existence is much more harmful than all the atomic bombs on this earth. Atomic bombs cannot cause all these sufferings, all these deaths and rebirths, but this wrong concept does. The concept of true existence is much more harmful than cancer, AIDS, and all the other 424 diseases. Those diseases do not create samsara, but this concept does. It creates all the suffering realms, all the problems, all the diseases. Disease could be the condition of death, but it is not the main cause of death—cancer or AIDS is not the main cause of death; it's just a condition. Having the cause creates the condition, and then you experience death. If you do not have the cause, you cannot experience the conditions that bring problems. This concept of true existence is much more harmful than all the diseases on the earth; it is much more harmful than all the poisons on the earth. Even if you die, they cannot cause you to be reborn in the lower realms. If you don't have the negative karma, just eating poison and dying does not cause you to be reborn in the lower realms; that doesn't cause the suffering realms of the animals, hungry ghost and hell beings. But if you have this root of delusion, the concept of true existence, it produces the other disturbing thoughts, which produce negative karma, so that makes you be reborn in those heavy suffering realms. So poison is nothing; all those poisons are nothing compared to the harm caused by the concept of true existence. All those atomic bombs are nothing dangerous compared to the danger from the concept of true existence. All those diseases are nothing compared to the harm from the concept of true existence.

Even if everyone, starting with your family, becomes your enemy, everyone hates you in their mind, criticizes you with their speech, and beats or even kills you with their body, they cannot make you be reborn in the lower realms, those suffering realms. Even if everyone becomes your enemy, they cannot cause you to be reborn in samsara; but if you follow this ignorance, this hallucinated mind, the concept of true existence, this does cause you to be reborn in samsara. This is the root that makes you be reborn again and again in samsara, to circle again and again in samsara.

The resultant suffering is unimaginable. We don't need to talk about the sufferings of other realms. Let's just talk about one human problem—toothache. Just the one problem of toothache is so unbearable, without talking about all the other human problems. So, the resultant suffering is as vast as the sky and as deep as the ocean; it is beginningless and experienced again and again and again. It is so unbearable, but if you analyze it, what is its root? The root is just this one hallucinated mind. Somehow, without any valid reason at all—I'm talking about valid in the sense of benefit; normally we do something because it has some benefit—in our everyday life we unnecessarily create this ignorance by not practicing awareness of the ultimate nature of phenomena, that they are empty of existing from their own side and that they are dependent arisings.

The root of the whole problem is believing in that hallucination, in that truly or inherently existent appearance. Just that is the very root of the whole thing. It is so childish! When we analyze the root of samsara, the root of all the unimaginable suffering, it doesn't make any sense. In reality this concept that we unnecessarily create is so childish.

By analyzing the evolution and shortcomings of this hallucinated mind in depth like this, the harm it has done to you, the harm it is now doing, and the harm it is going to do, we can see how extremely important meditation is. Meditating on emptiness is more important than anything else in life. Not only meditating on emptiness when you do your sadhanas, but even when you are working, you should try to live your life with the awareness of emptiness, with the awareness of dependent arising, with the awareness of the inherently existent appearance. When you are directing your mind so that it is constantly aware even that the inherently existent appearances are hallucinations, even during your work, while you are talking, part of your mind is aware of the appearances of objects; you have recognition of the inherently existent appearances.

All these things appear as something real from their own side. Real in the sense that there is a flower on that thing, there is a table on this thing, there is a book on this thing, there is something on that. In other words, there is a real person from its own side; there is a real person from its own side talking to me. Here the real I talking is real in the sense of inherently existent and talking real words—real ones existing from their own side, which appear as if they exist from their own side. One part of the mind has to be aware, has to concentrate on these things.

So, when you are concentrating on these things—self, object, action—as hallucinations, the understanding naturally comes that you and the person you are talking to, and the action of talking are empty. When you recognize the dream as a dream, at time you are naturally aware that these things are not real; they don't have an existence from their own side. By recognizing the dream as a dream, you know that they don't exist; that understanding is there. Even during your work, your life has to be integrated with meditation on emptiness, not only during your sessions. Because all these results of the wrong conceptions are not things that we like, that we want to achieve, we have to practice.

So, I'll just continue from here for fifteen minutes. Since happiness and suffering come from the mind, we have to stop the suffering, which we do not like, with our own mind and we should seek the happiness we want from our own mind. Everything depends on our attitude. In our everyday life, we have to always watch the mind and keep our attitude of mind happy or positive. This is very important.

Therefore, when we listen to teachings our attitude is also very important. Even though the subject we are listening to is Dharma, it's important that our individual action of listening to the teachings becomes Dharma, becomes virtue, becomes the cause of happiness. Remember, yesterday I was talking about the eight worldly dharmas, a concept that clings to this life. So, our motivation for listening to the teachings should be unstained by this impure thought of attachment.

Then, our motivation for listening to teachings on the graduated path to enlightenment has to be altruistic. Even if it's a virtuous motivation, it cannot be just any virtuous motivation. It has to be the purest motivation, unstained by self-cherishing thought, the altruistic wish to achieve omniscient mind in order to free every suffering being from all suffering and lead them to the peerless happiness of full enlightenment. For that reason, I need to actualize the graduated path to enlightenment, and for that reason, I'm going to listen to the teachings. Your motivation should dedicate your listening to the teaching to all sentient beings.

Yesterday I did not complete what I was talking about, but had to leave it in the middle. I was talking about when you have such an incredibly dissatisfied mind of desire that you create unbelievable problems; you create so much disharmony and harm yourself or other people, or some huge disaster happens in your life. Yesterday I was giving the example of having to spend your whole life in prison. That's just one example; there are relationship problems and many other things. And yesterday I mentioned the benefits of meditation on impermanence and death. If you have failed in business and gone bankrupt, even if you have lost millions of dollars, rather than following the hallucinated mind believing in the concept of permanence—that you are going to live for many years. This appearance and concept continues right up to the car accident, the plane crash or the stroke, right up to the situation that really makes you think of death. Even the day you die, that morning when you get up, you still have the appearance and the concept that you are going to live for many years, which is not true. This concept continues and is there even the minute before you die.

The reality of impermanence, that this life is so short, like lightning. It comes and it is gone. While the lightning is there, you see things, then they're gone. You see many objects vividly—yourself, other people, hundreds of objects—then it's gone. Like that, this life is so short. Compared to all the beginningless past lives and all the future lives, this life is like a second. It happens and then it's gone. The appearance of this life happens and then it's gone. The vivid appearances of your human body, your house, your possessions, your family, of all the objects around you, of being in Australia, of being in Adelaide, come and then they are gone. They happen and then they're gone. Compared to all the past and future lives, this life is nothing, just a second.

If you think like this, all your huge problems become nothing. If you meditate like this, the appearance of this life becomes so short, and then there's no time to get angry with other people, there's no time to cling to anything. There's no time and there's no reason. With this thought, there are no problems. What appeared to you as a problem when you had the concept of permanence does not appear as a problem with the concept of impermanence.

This is great psychology. Nowadays intelligent people, by analyzing more and more how to help people to solve their problems, see the value of accepting problems rather than rejecting them. This philosophy brings much more peace than living in some hallucination believing it to be real.

The last time I was here, doing what I called "retreat," I would listen to the radio in the afternoon. They spent one afternoon talking about the subject of depression. Caroline interviewed one lady from Melbourne or Sydney—I don't know her name—who had written books on depression. There wasn't much time to explain her philosophy but she expressed the main point, which was that people should accept their depression, thinking, "I deserve this depression because I am weak." I think that is the heart of her advice. The rest of her talk she just quoted professors and other people.

It is similar in Buddhism. When you ask yourself why someone doesn't love you and hurts you, the answer is, “because I deserve to be treated like this.” Why? “Because I did the same thing to that person—in the past I harmed that person, therefore, I deserve to receive this harm, the result of that karma.” Thinking this helps you not to get angry; it immediately makes your mind very comfortable. There are other similar meditation techniques.

However, one thing was missing from her talk. She didn't mention what you can do to prevent such depression in the future. I'm not sure whether her philosophy is acceptable to other people or not, but it is quite intelligent advice. However, the most important thing is to know what to do so that you do not have to experience depression again. That question is important and the answer is very important. Then you have some method to stop the experience of depression, so that you never experience depression at all. You have some solution. Otherwise, you have to experience depression again and again. It's like you create the cause of disease, then get sick; but you don't take medicine for the cause of the disease, so again you get sick and again you don't the take medicine.... It becomes like that.

[End of Third Discourse]