Archive Result

20081011GRGRWisdom2

Heart Sutra chanted in Tibetan? 001318

Proper motivation for maximum benefit to self and others

Please set the motivation to listen to the teaching right at the outset of this teaching001325

and that is in order to benefit all the sentient beings as vast as the limits of space one needs to attain the full Enlightenment and surpass enlightenment and in order to attain the full Enlightenment that one needs to cultivate those inner realizations leading to the full Enlightenment and that comes through the listening to the teachings understanding the teaching so therefore here please cultivate the motivation to listen to this teaching that is composed by Je Tsongkhapa 001405

as the praise to Buddha Shakyamuni for expounding the teachings on the dependent origination this text known as the In praise of relativity or the in praise of dependent origination also otherwise known as the essence of eloquence saying 001423

Rimpoche Locho Oh loh soo deneh dah....001737

Great and rare opportunity to learn more about dependent arising/emptiness

as Je Tsongkhapa mentions that to have the opportunity here to enter in to the teachings it’’s a great opportunity and therefore that here I should listen to the teachings with a smile and the great delight what he means here is that to have an opportunity to listen to a profound teaching by a teaching on the profound teaching on emptiness as expounded by Buddha to have such an opportunity is really a rare opportunity and therefore that one should recognize this as great opportunity and create a great inner delight mental delight mental joy but also physically that can be expressed in terms of the smile and so forth so in other words both physically and mentally that one should have that sense of delight in having this opportunity to listen to the teaching when we have the opportunity to listen to the teachings what is important is to listen to the teachings without the three faults of what is known as the container or the pot that is to say that firstly one should listen to the teachings with and a proper intention and attention that is to say that even though we may be here physically if our mind is not here then that it would be like we would be like a container that is upside down turned upside down so while the teaching discourse is going on but if our mind or attention is not here

Proper listening

turned to the teachings itself then simply we will not become the container for such teachings to enter into us into penetrate our mind so therefore what is important is that we should have our attention here and with proper intention and attention paid to the teachings that one should listen to the teaching the second fault of container that one should avoid is what is known as the one should not be like a container that is stained that is to say that even if a container is turned properly up but if it is stained if it is filthy or stained then of whatever we put into it the delicious foods or drinks and so forth and so on that we would put it that it will be become unusable it will be ruined or the polluted so similarly that here while listening to the teachings our motivation should be pure it should not be like that stain of the filth002114

but rather a proper motivation that is not tainted by our selfishness or the self cherishing but rather as well as it should not simply be for this life’’s pleasure or the gains alone but rather that one should have a long-term purpose that is that the listening to the teachings is ultimately to benefit all beings and for that to benefit beings to attain the full enlightened so it’’s important to listen to the teachings with the motivation of Bodhichitta thirdly that one should not be like a container that is leaky with a hole in the bottom if a container is properly turned up and without any stain but if it has a hole at the bottom that whatever we put it in that tea or milk or whatever are the delicious food and drinks that it simply will the container will not be able to retain it whatever we put it it will pass through and so similarly when we listen to the teachings that one should listen to the teachings with the full attention that bring the full attention to the teaching and otherwise that what would become is that we will hear something but without proper attention paid to it with the full mindfulness that we simply would not be able to remember or retain we simply would not be able to retain those teachings so it will become what is called appeared but un-ascertained meaning that we would we not able to understand anything so when it comes to the profound meaning like the emptiness the meaning of emptiness and so forth that if we have the opportunity to listen to the teachings but if we don’’t have because of without paying full attention or the mindfulness being mindful here if it simply becomes something that we have heard but not ascertained or understood then it would be like that such the forgetfulness and so forth like it will still that opportunity that teachings that we have heard so therefore that is very important to make pay the full attention and maintain the full mindfulness while listening to teachings002351

Rimpoche Locho Woh deech ah gah den ay....002920

In order to have the complete and the good understanding of this text the in praise of dependent origination it is helpful actually if that one has a quite comprehensive understanding of emptiness that at least a certain if not very full understanding but have a good enough kind of the idea or the conceptual kind of the understanding of what emptiness means 003008

Locho Rimpoche reflects on Gelek Rimpoche

and to understand such also what requires is a thorough analysis to understand what how the phenomena exists and to do that what is needed is that one begins with identifying what is known as the object of negation what is to be negated by emptiness now since here you all have had the opportunity to have a teacher like Gelek Rimpoche from whom you have received many teachings and Rimpoche is a very learned and in this teachings so therefore I see no need to elaborate in this way that I need to find what is the object of negation and so forth because Rimpoche’’s teaching and my teachings really there will be no difference that it will come to the same point that Rimpoche has studied from the very young age thoroughly this teachings and in a very young age that Rimpoche became my student and I had the opportunity to teach him from the very basic topics like the collected topics part of the monastic curricula and so Rimpoche has a very very sound understanding of this profound aspect of Buddhist teachings he is the reincarnation of Yadeh Tashe Nyam Gel that a great master from Yadeh Kanzendoh Drepung who became the Abbot Gidu Country College so as the young reincarnation of this great master that Rimpoche’’s chanduz that Rimpoche’’s caretakers that they interested him to me and for his teaching and upbringing and education to make sure that Rimpoche actually even in the monastic gatherings and so forth that he is not kind of sitting far away from Rimpoche to ensure that Rimpoche finds it sits right next to me that his chanzuh made sure that his seat was just next to me and this is done by way of in the monastery tradition that you have you make an offering to the monastery of a tea offering with certain monetary offerings to each of the monks and so forth so that since I have in my such offering made six I don’’t know what the show is that you take kind of the currency that the six and then same thing that Rimpoche’’s chanzuh also made sure that in Rimpoche such ceremony for offering tea and the monetary offering to the ordained community he also made the offering of those six coins six so in that way that since I have made this myself then he would have his seat right next to me in any case that what I want to say is that Rimpoche is very learned his understanding of the Dharma is truly profound so this is something that I don’’t need to tell you you already know that 003416

and here therefore that for me to do this teaching is really unnecessary in some ways but because Rimpoche considers myself as teacher and he invited me to do a teaching on this precious text and as your self also because I am your teachers teacher Rimpoche’’s teacher so therefore you have gathered here to listen to the teaching so therefore that I feel that it will have some benefit for you my teachings here will have some benefits to you as for expounding on this text without going in great detail about the object of negations and so forth and so on this is something that if I simply go through the text with a brief explanation it can be done within an hour but this is a profound text if we deal with the text in a little more carefully kind of connecting the points made in this text with great treatises of the Madyamika literature and then it can take a long time it can easily take a couple of weeks there’’s a saying in Tibet that how extensive the teaching or how briefly it can be done it is the same as it is like the extending or bending your arm that you can do it very briefly you can do it very extensively when you extend your arm it’’s longer and then when you bend it’’s shorter003618

Transmission

so it is like that you can do that but to do it in great detail is something that time would not permit here but also my own old age and it is somewhat of a hindrance here so but as I mentioned earlier that Gelek Rimpoche has already trained you well and so there is no need for me to in great detail what I will do here is this teaching will be based on Kato nor sang gyatso you know the topical arrangement of this particular text so I wouldn’’t use the Kato nor sang gyatso commentary on this text to go through but just the chart of topics as the text delineates the the topics using that topical chart or the arrangement and I will do my teachings here now when giving teachings on Dharma like this it is important that the teacher giving the teachings has received the transmission of the teachings also if possible that such lineage of the teaching or the transmission of the teaching ideally should be unbroken from the Buddha the very origin of the teachers to oneself by having received through one’’s own direct teacher or the Lama but if that’’s even if that’’s not possible one should have at least received this teachings as transmission and explanation from one’’s own teacher and then provide this teaching otherwise that if one simply reads and then expounds teaching on that it lacks that kind of blessing that certain blessing so that these also eight so in that way that what is taught really needs to be effective effective for in personal experience and the life as the saying that what you study the text should you know become part of which should become part of the dance in other words that is to say that what you study it should become part of your life so for that what is important is that those teachings are effective and for that to be effective the blessing it should contain that unbroken lineage which makes it possible for the blessings to be transferred or transmitted to the students I myself received the teachings on this precious text first from Gabje Tee jan doh tee jam and also from his Holiness the Dalai Lama himself when he inaugurated the Temple of Drepong monastery many year ago at that point that he gave a teaching on this text and also on Chernay Lama Rimpoche’’s text that text that he has written on this particular text003956

a text (?) The interprets praise where he (intersperses?) his own praise to Buddha for teaching the dependent origination with the text written by Je Tsongkhapa that is the praise of dependent origination 004020

Rimpoche Locho Moh deech de enza tah leh....

004202 ah so as mentioned earlier that here let me first present the very basic divisions into which Kato noh sen gyatso divides this text the presentation of this text so if you have a sense of how it is divided in different topics then in the actual presentation it will be convenient for you to see how the text itself relates to those particular points that are presented in this basic divisions or the arrangement of divisions or the topics of the texts so now Kato noh sen gyatso that in the one verse that explains the actual body of the text and that is then divided into several parts that first one is that it is proper or it is appropriate to praise Buddha for expounding the teachings on dependent origination so that is appropriate to praise Buddha for the teaching on dependent origination the second topic is presenting that emptiness and dependent origination are the same or have the same meaning thirdly kind of despising or disproving the assertion that dependent origination exists inherently in other words refuting or here it says Mepah which is to say that kind of you know put down or the despise the assertion that dependent origination exists inherently and then fourthly it is appropriate to praise the Buddha here again for

it is you know reasonable to or appropriate to praise for teaching the dependent origination and so forth so that and then fifthly that the fifth topic is that to prove that the activity of the teaching being the supreme activity of a Buddha because of his teaching on dependent origination that in other works to prove that because of teaching on origination Buddha’’s speech or the Buddha’’s teaching can be regarded as the supreme of his enlightened activity or the supreme activity supreme accomplishment or activity so those are the five as for the first one it is appropriate to the praise the Buddha because of his teaching on dependent origination the actual meaning004709

First to explain that actual meaning and secondly that the praising such is the supreme form of praise to the Buddha and praising the Buddha you know that for instructing such that where that emptiness is understood as the meaning of dependent origination because of dependent origination in the establishing or the mentioning that the view of existing intrinsic or the grasping or the viewing the intrinsic existence of phenomena as being the cause of samsara and freeing oneself from such view of intrinsic existence or the grasping to the intrinsic existence as the cause for liberation and for these for all these reasons praising the Buddha that so it arrange in the five topics and the five topics004905

Rimpoche Locho Moh deech cheh tah den eh....

Buddha as knower and teacher

005619 as from the text the first shalokah or the verse here is what is know as the expression of worship or the praise and that is as the text reads he who speaks on the basis of seeing this makes him a knower and a teacher unexcelled I bow to you oh conqueror you who saw dependent origination and taught it here the author the Je Tsongkhapa makes homage pays homage to Buddha in the first verse for his extraordinary qualities that is that in the Tibetan text it begins with Kanjik which here that particular term it is not the here that he who seeing that who have taught that they say a general term known as Kanjik which refers to which is a general term that is qualified by seeing and where it says that this makes him a knower and teacher on the basis of seeing that it is applied here to the profound emptiness in other words in the text when it says that he who speaks on the basis of seeing seeing what that is emptiness you know that makes him a knower unexcelled and the teacher unexcelled then such a Buddha and when this is here it obviously refers to conqueror or the Buddha you know because of his knowledge of profound emptiness and because of his teachings on profound dependent origination he is the unexcelled knower and the seer and unexcelled teacher005914

The Conqueror

the conqueror in the sense that the Buddha has conquered the four maras or the four negative forces know as the maras and therefore that because he has conquered or overcome such therefore he is a conqueror to such a conqueror that here Je Tsongkhapa pays homage by bowing with humility and respect through the homage through his body speech and mind with respect and humility now as the text was read earlier that it was arranged in different various divisions and you know firstly into the five and so forth but when it comes to the actual body of the text that first was homage and then when the actual text was presented there the second verse that says that whatever degeneration there are in the world the root of all this is ignorance you are taught that it is dependent origination the seeing of which will undo this ignorance now that as mentioned earlier that in arranging the topics that dependent origination is when misunderstanding dependent origination as the reason for existing intrinsically and that kind of becomes the source of samsara but understanding the meaning of dependent origination as emptiness or as the dependent origination when it is understood as the meaning of emptiness of intrinsic existence that becomes the source of freedom so therefore that when the author begins with the actual presentation he comes to point to the point that where he points to the fact that all the degenerations whatever degenerations there are in the world the root of that is ignorance010150

and the specific topic here that is presented is that seeing emptiness is.... seeing dependent origination or understanding dependent origination eliminates or transforms the faults so the faults here Nee ay pah or the fault here refer to all the suffering as in the guide to the middle way Chandrakirti also says reference where he says that all afflictive emotions and the faults arise from viewing what is known as the transitory collection in other words the viewing the self as truly or concretely existing therefore that by seeing that a concrete self is the object of such view of transitory collection that the view of such grasping that a yogi must first eliminate that self meaning that concrete or inherent objective self so there in explaining and giving a kind of the commentary to those afflictive emotions and the faults that he says that all those arise from the view of the transitory collection meaning that when it comes to explanation of the faults there it says that the about the suffering of the suffering of aging death illness rebirth and so forth so in any case that the way that we remain in the samsara circling in the samsara is explained through what is known as the 12 links of dependent origination or the 12 branches of dependent origination by way of those 12 uninterrupted links of dependent origination that through that the samsara that the continuous cycle of existence of death and rebirth is continued but the very root of such continued cycle of death and rebirth or the samsara is ignorance and the ignorance is to be understood as the self grasping mind or the misconception of the self which is therefore the being the root of that 12 links of dependent origination and therefore of the samsara that is the root of all the faults as explained that whatever degenerations there are in the world the root of all this is ignorance and this is that ignorance that is here you know referred to as the root of all the faults now what can eliminate what can transform that ignorance that is the root of samsara is the knowledge or the seeing the dependent origination understanding dependent origination or the insight of dependent origination is what prevents or eliminates transforms that ignorance now so therefore that when dependent origination is in the text where it refers to dependent origination actually the meaning of dependent origination is to be understood as the emptiness here dependent origination as a reason dependent origination proves that any given thing it being dependently originated therefore it is empty of truly or intrinsically existence and therefore that here the reason itself 010645

is referred to as what is established that is the emptiness so when you say the dependent origination its meaning should be understood also as the emptiness now in the universe of the world all the events whether they are our bodies the things and resources and so forth as long as they are in the worldly or the mundane kind of context they can be referred to as the faults because they are under the influence or produced due to the actions and afflictive emotions karma the afflictive karma or the actions and emotions again the root of all those afflictive emotions and actions is ignorance so therefore the ignorance needs to be eliminated that fundamental ignorance that grasp as the inherent existence needs to be eliminated by cultivating the insight into the selflessness and therefore that Arydeva where he says that by seeing the selflessness or the essence-less-ness of the object the seeds of samsara is (siezed? ceased?) or is stopped so the insight into the essence-less or the selflessness of phenomena which is to say that understanding the phenomena to be empty of intrinsically existing the ignorance can be transformed or eliminated and therefore the seed of samsara is eliminated so therefore understanding dependent origination which means developing the insight of selflessness or the emptiness is therefore a means or the method excellent method for completely bringing an end to all suffering and its sources010926

Rimpoche Locho Moh deech cheh tah teen eh....011003

Essence of Buddha’’s teaching

Next verse relates to a pointing that the dependent origination the doctrine or the principle of dependent origination is the essence of Buddha’’s teachings and where it says that so how can an intelligent person not comprehend that this path of dependent origination is the essential point of your teachings that those who are intelligent that when you look into what Buddha had taught how could one not understand that his teaching on dependent origination truly is the most crucial teaching that he has given for the reasons explained earlier that it is through this understanding that one comes to eliminate the root of samsara and so forth 011116

Rimpoche Locho Moh deech cheh tah ten eh....

011807 from the verse fourth through the eighth these verses they relate to specifically pointing that how it is appropriate for praising Buddha for his teaching on dependent origination also that such a teaching being the supreme in the sense that because it presents dependent origination and emptiness as being the same meaning and also presenting that through understanding that dependent origination in terms of devoid of intrinsic or naturally existence is the source leading to liberation whereas seeing dependent origination as pointing to intrinsically existence or the grasping relating to dependent origination as the rationale for phenomena existing inherently existing is the source of samsara so on those points are covered in these verses the fourth one where it says that this being so the teaching on dependent origination that Buddha give being the essence or the very essence or the essential point of Buddha’’s teaching this being so who will find Oh Savior a more wonderful way to praise you than to praise you for having taught this origination through dependence in other words a person can be praised in a variety of ways for various reasons but there’’s no better way to praise the Buddha then to praise him for expounding this most wonderful teaching that is on dependent origination the reason being that as mentioned earlier because it’’s understanding dependent origination is so crucial for eliminating the ignorance and so forth 012046

Dependent arisiing points to emptiness

So that is why here Je Tsongkhapa notes that this is completely appropriate to praise the Buddha for teaching on dependent origination next where it says that whatsoever depends on conditions that is devoid of intrinsic existence what excellent instructions can there be more amazing than this statement that is that praising Buddha for presenting dependent origination and the meaning of dependent origination as emptiness or understanding emptiness in terms of the dependent origination as mentioned here that whatever depends on condition that is devoid of intrinsic existence that because the phenomenon that things depend on conditions whatever depends on conditions it cannot be maintained as independent or intrinsic dependently existing that is that is to say that a meaning of dependent origination becomes the meaning of emptiness in other words dependent origination points to the lack of intrinsic inherent status of the phenomena though all the other philosophical systems in Buddhism that from Sotantatrika Madyamika

downwards or the autonomous middle way school downward they all actually use kind of this reality this concept that phenomena those things that exist on cause and conditions actually to them it proves that they used it as a rationale as a proof for things to exist inherently not devoid of inherent existence the Sotantrika Madymika downwards the antonymous middle way school downward whereas the Prasinkika Madymika012338

or the Buddha’’s own very intention very thought is that anything that comes to being in dependence upon cause and condition cannot exist inherently cannot exist independently and so when seen in this light that how so many that are in fact all the other philosophical systems actually when they use this notion of conditionality or the dependence on cause and conditions to point to their intrinsic existence it is the Prasinkika or the Buddha’’s very ultimate intention understanding is that they actually negate the intrinsic existence so that’’s why it’’s a marvelous teaching also in the Sutra where Buddha himself says that whatever arises from conditions does not arise whatever arises from conditions does not arise that whatever depends on conditions are therefore empty yes whatever arises from conditions has no arising or that does not rise they have no nature of arising whatever is dependent on conditions therefore is taught as empty and whoever understands this reality this training the reality is the one that is can changes so here also that you see in the Buddha’’s own teachings that the very reason a thing is empty is explained because that particular thing being dependent on cause and conditions so whatever is dependent on cause and condition cannot exist independently or intrinsically inherently also later on in this text Je Tsongkhapa himself also mentions that the intrinsic kind of nature that what exists intrinsically it cannot be dependent and cannot be created whereas the dependent origination is dependent and created and similarly in the Madymika Mula that root text on wisdom by Nagarjuna there also he mentions that what exists intrinsically would be un-fabricated or uncreated and would not depend on others for its existence so through this we find that there is a clear kind of contradiction between something being dependent on its cause and conditions or other factors and it being existing intrinsically or naturally that these two are not compatible even in the common usage the mundane or common usage that we use that when you say that that is his or her nature to say if someone has to point to a certain characteristic you know character that is not something that is some kind of deep-rooted character that is not created something newly or that newly learned or something that they referred to as his or her nature that points again to the same that fact there’’s something to exist naturally or inherently intrinsically as naturally that implies that it simply exists by its own right that not something dependent on other cause and conditions so therefore that all the compounded phenomena for that matter all the phenomena every phenomenon that exists actually exists not intrinsically but simply by way of depending on other factors in fact that everything that exists is simply exists as a designation that on the basis of what is known as this basis of designation012853

so for a certain kind of factors or the basis of designation what is referred to that conceptual thought or the mind designates a certain identity or the certain entity so in that way that any given thing on the basis of certain basis of designation is conceptually designated as this and that and not as something is simply is that intrinsically so therefore that from that reason in the sutra that cited earlier today he says that whatever depends on conditions that was taught as empty that Buddha taught it Buddha did it is

explained as empty of intrinsic existence and knowing this understanding this reality as emptiness or intrinsic existence of phenomena on the basis of them being dependent on their cause and conditions or the other factors and on that one is what Buddha says that this is byurbah contentiousness that is that it’’s understanding this that then one prevents oneself from such kind of the consequences of the drawbacks of various suffering and so forth that arise from ignorance 013030

Rimpoche Locho oh yah tan ting June....

013356 so with regard to the because Buddha taught dependent origination as the meaning of emptiness therefore that through the misunderstanding or the misconception of phenomena as intrinsically existing being the source of samsara and understanding the phenomena to be empty of intrinsic existence is the door or the gateway to liberation and this is pointed out here 013435

Eternalism binds one to samsara

that by grasping at it the childish strengthen bondage to extreme views for the wise this very fact is the doorway to cut free from the net of elaborations that is to say that for the childish meaning that those who cannot comprehend the dependent origination to be the meaning of emptiness they see things as dependently existing since they exist dependently therefore they exist intrinsically and therefore they develop this extreme view of eternalism because the phenomena exists independently therefore they must exist intrinsically or naturally and such a view is the extreme view of eternalism and such extreme views therefore lead to the various unwanted outcomes the suffering and it keeps one in samsara it is the bondage in that sense this extreme view of the eternalism that things exist inherently that keeps one bound to samsara

for the wise the learned ones that are skilled in the reasoning and analysis and so forth this very fact meaning that dependent origination that the phenomena being dependently existing the dependent nature of phenomena itself is the doorway to cut free the nets of elaboration because this very fact points to the emptiness that things being empty of inherently existing and therefore this understanding itself leads to overcoming of those extreme views and therefore the net of elaborations meaning the misconceptions and therefore that becomes the door to liberation

then next when he says that since this teaching is not seen elsewhere you alone are the teacher (like calling a fox a lion for tithica it would be a word of flattery?) now this teaching meaning that dependent origination is the meaning of emptiness I mean in terms of the meaning of emptiness it is not seen elsewhere013757

in the other system like Tithicas the non-Buddhist systems that you don’’t find this and therefore since you teach all phenomena to be dependently existing and that is what severs the root of samsara or the suffering therefore you alone are the real teacher actually in a real sense you alone are the real teacher for others like the other teachers from the Tithicas and so forth who propound the teachings other than what you have taught

there is says that their followers when they call them teachers in a real sense it’’s like calling a fox a lion in an expression in that sense it is really because it does not apply in real sense to the real teacher that leads to the freedom therefore such expressions are just the words of flattery and in actually it doesn’’t conform to the reality and then for all these reasons it is appropriate to praise Buddha is expressed in next verse wondrous teacher wondrous refuge wondrous speaker wondrous Savior I pay homage to that teacher who taught well dependent origination because it is the Buddha who understood the reality as it is and thus instructed his followers his understanding which conforms to the reality

therefore in that sense he is a wondrous teacher wondrous teacher the expression of this is an expression of delight a certain kind of delight in the Buddha’’s qualities and therefore referring to him as a teacher the teacher the speaker in the sense that he by seeing the reality as it is he presented the teachings based on the four Noble truths and properly presenting what are to be abandoned or given up what are to be adopted or promoted properly so therefore he is a wondrous speaker and a wondrous Savior014103

the wondrous refuge and the Savior in the sense that it is true his teaching provides the protection for the sentient beings from such ignorance and so forth and therefore from the results the leading the beings to a state free from the extreme of samsara and extreme of the peace so therefore in that sense that he is the true savior for these reasons he says that here Je Tsongkhapa pays homage to the Buddha for having taught this doctrine of dependent origination well014155

Rimpoche Moh Jen eh Tah ten ay ....014331

next here Je Tsongkhapa presents that dependent origination is a unique reason establishing emptiness there is no other reason that compares to dependent origination as the reason for establishing emptiness and this way he says this way of dependent origination to help heal sentient beings of any factor you have taught the peerless reason to ascertain emptiness the heart of the teachings basically that since dependent origination is the peerless reason that proves or that points to the emptiness because of the dependent origination any given phenomena is empty of intrinsically existing so therefore dependent origination is the supreme reason the peerless or the best reasoning for establishing emptiness and this is what the Buddha taught as the heart of this teachings to the benefactor Buddha to benefit all beings or heal all beings

now the next it shows that those who do not comprehend this meaning of dependent origination those who comprehend the meaning of dependent origination in either the contradicting the emptiness meaning that things exist being devoid of true existence or who do not see the phenomena being dependently originating they cannot truly grasp the profound meaning of emptiness as presented by the Buddha here

so this is shown here this will dependent origination those who perceive it as contradictory or as unestablished how can they comprehend your system in other words those philosophers or the philosophically oriented beings to whom dependent origination means totally opposite of emptiness that things existing inherently or those who see that the events the things that exist are actually not dependently originated if they see that things don’’t exists dependently that is one and those who see that things exist dependently but if it means to them that means they exist inherently as opposed to devoid of inherent existence that such a system how could they really understand the importance of the Buddha’’s teachings14713

Rimpoche Molsz... Tah ten ay

015018 now next two verses here they present the benefits of understanding emptiness in terms of as the meaning of dependent origination and the consequences or the faults of not understanding emptiness as the meaning of dependent origination so the benefit of understanding and the consequences of not understanding are presented in these next two verses whereas verse eleven says that for you when one sees emptiness in terms of the meaning of dependent origination then being devoid of intrinsic existence and possessing valid functions do not contradict if emptiness is understood properly as the meaning of dependent origination in context of dependent origination then the validity of the functionality would not be negated by that in other words if the emptiness is not understood properly then when maintaining that phenomena are empty of intrinsically existing intrinsic nature015217

Emptiness does not negate functionality

to see phenomena lacking intrinsic nature also leads to that negation of the functionality such as from the positive cause and conditions or the actions the happiness or well-being unfold from the non-virtuous actions the suffering arise that is the function of the virtuous actions or the virtuous qualities that producing happiness and non-virtuous qualities producing suffering that functionality is negated for some that who when if the virtuous actions do not exist intrinsically therefore that its functionality is also negated so therefore that means they don’’t bring happiness or they have results and so forth on the other hand if those when maintaining that this functionality is when maintained validity of the functions when it is maintained that yes from the positive reaction the positive result come

negative actions negative results arise if that means that they have to in exist inherently intrinsically those positive actions then you are not understanding this properly but here the understanding emptiness in terms of dependent origination because of dependent origination any given thing the virtuous the non-virtuous and so forth their existence is in dependence upon other factors cause and conditions in that context if you understand then it does not contradict the valid functioning or the functionality of those events so on the other hand whereas one sees the opposite meaning the others that one who doesn’’t see the meaning of emptiness in terms of dependent origination then since there can be no functions in emptiness if something is empty it cannot perform valid functions of bringing results and so forth nor emptiness in what has functioned for those who maintain opposite that in emptiness it cannot perform functions thus by maintaining such views they fall into a dreadful abyss so that’’s what Buddha teaches that is to say that by holding things to exist intrinsically either intrinsically because they don’’t understand they can be empty of intrinsic exist yet perform the functions if you cannot reconcile that so that they will maintain either things exist inherently and perform function or they don’’t exist inherently and cannot perform functions that negates the functionality so if you maintain that things exist inherently that is you fall into the extreme of Eternalism but on the other hand if such people if they maintain that since they are empty of intrinsically existence and therefore also cannot function the function the function of giving results concordant results and so forth so you negate the functionality of the phenomena and therefore you fall into the extreme of nihilism and in that way one is not able to comprehend this profound meaning of the middle the middle way that is that reality is free from those two extremes of eternalism and nihilism and that is what is therefore presented as Je Tsongkhapa presents is that the appearances as dependent origination as incontrovertible and the emptiness as the mirror without any kind of the thesis of inherent existence that when these two can be truly become kind of complementary then one has understood the actual meaning of the Buddha as mentioned by Nagarjuna015719

Rimpoche Moh Deech ha the che....

020001 and next the verse restates therefore in your teachings seeing dependent origination is held that too not as an utter nonexistence nor as an intrinsic existence that is to say that the reason that all the emptiness is to be understood as the meaning of dependent origination that therefore the seeing dependent origination is praised but it is not understood as an utter nonexistence nor as an intrinsic existence this too to see things existing as inherently but intrinsically is what is called the extreme of eternalism and to see things utterly nonexistent would be the extreme of nihilism the middle way the middle needs to be free from these two extremes so therefore

the madyamika or the middle way view that can point to the reality is that things are neither utterly nonexistent nor intrinsically existing so therefore they exist yet not intrinsically that is what the middle way is and when emptiness is understand as the meaning of dependent origination that is restored020206

then non-contingent is like a sky flower hence there is nothing that is not dependent if things exist through their essence their dependence on cause and conditions for their existence is a contradiction that is presenting further that the non-contingent meaning that the things that aren’’t they just exist without depending on anything else and as such non-contingence is like a sky flower sky flower is an example of something that doesn’’t exist so non-contingent simply is unattainable it doesn’’t exist so presented through this metaphor of sky flower what is being pointed here is that philosophical schools like the Chittamaterans and the ones below them Sotantrica and Novachica

and so forth in the Buddhist tradition in their system only compounded things exist dependently because their understanding of dependent origination is a causal dependence that the things dependent origination only seen in terms of the causes that produce the results or the conditions so therefore it will apply only to the compounded things not to all phenomena whereas in the Prasinkika middle way school consequence middle way school all phenomena are dependently originated not necessarily arising from causes as a result in sequentially not in that sense but the meaning of dependent origination is expanded understood in a broader context in the Prasinkika Madyamika that is as explained earlier that it is understood that any given object of the phenomena is simply imputed exists as an imputation or the imputed by a conceptual thought on the basis of designation so only in relation to a basis of designation 020441

and the subjective conceptual thought designating it that there is a possibility of certain things to be to exist and devoid of that basis in other words outside of such relation of a conceptual thought or the subjective mind and a certain properties upon which a certain entity is designated outside of that for a thing to exist simply to exist that would be called essentially existing which doesn’’t happen doesn’’t exist so therefore the Prasinkika viewpoint of dependent origination it covers all phenomena all phenomena exist dependently or originate dependently not necessarily from the causes so that’’s what the meaning of that sutras cited earlier is the same thing that if things exist intrinsically or if they exist essentially they simply cannot be dependent on cause and conditions as we said that whatever arises from cause and conditions does not arise I mean it does not arise intrinsically or whatever is dependent on cause and condition is explained as empty of intrinsically existing so this meaning all that go together when you understand the dependent origination in that broader sense020620

Rimpoche Moh Jeh Ah den eh....

For ignorance to be transformed it must be empty

020849 the next two verses convey that the reality as empty of intrinsic existence is the definitive meaning as presented by Buddha that it is the actuality it is a definite meaning that is that therefore since no phenomena exist other than origination through dependence no phenomena exist other than being devoid of intrinsic existence you taught that is as explained earlier that by understanding the emptiness in that broader context that it becomes clear that there is no phenomena that is not dependently existing since every phenomena exist dependently therefore that no phenomena exists that is not devoid of intrinsic existence everything is devoid of intrinsic existence and that is what the Buddha taught because intrinsic nature cannot be negated if phenomena possess some intrinsic nature nirvana would become impossible and elaborations could not be ceased you taught so on the other hand that if the emptiness as the absence of intrinsic existence if that is not the final nature final mode of being if that’’s not the reality or actuality then as the text says because intrinsic nature cannot be negated that if something exists just by itself independent of any other context or the relations and the factors then such an entity that exists just by its own power by itself cannot be eliminated cannot be changed the change would not be compatible with that reality that something to exist just completely out of context and relation by itself then to say that that can change or that can be brought to an end or it can go through the change those two are not compatible so if something exists intrinsically it cannot go through change or it cannot be eliminated or transformed in other words to put it into context if ignorance for example that is the root of all the samsara or all the suffering if ignorance existed inherently for example ignorance cannot be eliminated cannot be transformed so therefore if without transforming ignorance the 12 links of dependent origination cannot be brought to an end021209

and that mean that one could not attempt the liberation the liberation would not be possible if ignorance exists inherently so nirvana or the liberation understood as the complete cessation of afflictive obscurations if this is complete that means that it is the complete transformation or the uprooting of ignorance as well but if those things exist inherently then all these various presentation of the samsara and nirvana the factors of the samsara and nirvana would be unattainable (untenable?) And to explain that certain things are samsara and becoming free from them as being the Nirvana or the freedom that cannot be explained because nothing would change and then similarly that elaborations could not be ceased that means that the elaboration in the sense of self grasping or the grasping to the true or intrinsic nature of the phenomena as well as the other afflictive emotions and actions that arise from that basic ignorance and all its consequences as the various form of suffering and so forth that cannot be eliminated if ignorance existed inherently or if phenomena existed intrinsically021356

They end by reciting prayers or sutras in Tibetan