Lam-rim 54: Suffering of Never Being Satisfied

Review

Initial Scope

We are working through the graded stages of the path. We have completed the initial scope of motivation, which is to avoid worse rebirths and to attain better states of rebirth again and again, specifically precious human rebirths, so that we can continue on the path all the way to liberation and enlightenment. We develop this motivation by appreciating the precious human rebirths that we have, seeing that they afford us temporary freedoms, or respites, from the worst states. We think how our lives are enriched with so many wonderful opportunities for Dharma study and practice, how we will lose that with death – which will come for sure and we never know when – and how nothing is going to be of help in terms of future lives unless we have taken some preventive measures to avoid things getting worse. 

We looked at the worst states of rebirth that could follow. We develop a healthy sense of fear of that – we really don’t want that to happen. But we also know that there is a way to avoid that, so we don’t feel helpless and hopeless. That way is to put a safe direction in our lives, what’s known as refuge. 

On the deepest level, this means working toward achieving (1) a true stopping of all the causes of not only worse rebirths but all uncontrollably recurring rebirths and the sufferings that come from those causes – so, true stoppings of all of that – and (2) the true states of mind, or pathways of mind, that bring that true stopping about and that result from that true stopping. We saw that Buddhas are those who have these in full and the Arya Sangha have them in part. That is the direction we want to go in. If we go in that direction, we’ll be able to protect ourselves, give ourselves a refuge, in a sense, from these sufferings. 

In order to go in that direction initially and to avoid worse rebirths, we need to avoid destructive behavior. That led to the whole discussion of karma. Based on that discussion, we resolved to try our best to develop ethical self-discipline so as not to act in a destructive way when the urge came up to do something destructive. That means using discrimination, discriminating that “this would not be helpful. This would be harmful to me in the long term; therefore, I will refrain from acting on this.” We can also think in terms of constructive actions, like being of help to others, being generous, etc., but the main emphasis here is on refraining from acting on these negative impulses, developing self-control, as it were. 

But we are not talking about repression. That is something else – holding it in. Instead, self-control is based on clear discrimination: “This is obviously very destructive; therefore, I don’t want to do it. It’s just going to result in tremendous suffering.” On the intermediate scope, we will get into dissolving, if you will, the sense of the solid “me” that we have that would lead to a feeling of repression. We do that with the understanding of voidness. But on the initial scope, we are not doing that. However, we could, when we go back over the lam-rim again and again, apply this understanding introduced on the intermediate level – although it is on the advanced scope that we can develop this understanding of voidness much more. 

Intermediate Scope

In any case, we have started the intermediate scope. The intermediate scope, according to what we find in Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, Pabongka speaks of the suffering of the higher states of rebirth – first, in terms of the suffering of samsara in general and, then, in terms of the three higher rebirths in particular. After that, one thinks of the causes, and then one develops renunciation, the determination to be free of it. 

In his Lam-rim chen-mo (A Grand Presentation of the Stages of the Path), Tsongkhapa starts this whole section with renunciation, this determination to be free. This is what we really want to develop. Then he presents this material in terms of what it is that we are determined to be free of, which are the first and second noble truths – namely, suffering and the causes of suffering. So, he organizes it in a slightly different way but covers exactly the same material. 

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