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My dear friends, The spiritual path depends not only on the greatness of the teaching, but also on the condition of the listener’s heart. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus explains that the same seed produces very different results depending on the soil in which it lands. In a similar way, the Tibetan master Pabongka Rinpoche, in Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, teaches that the student must prepare the mind properly in order to benefit from Dharma teachings. The message of both traditions is the same: transformation arises when the heart is receptive, attentive, and guided by a pure motivation. When we listen to sacred teachings in this way, the word of the kingdom and the Dharma of awakening take root together in the field of our lives. |
 Sower James Tissot, ~1890 |
 Chalice of the Abbot Suger of Saint-Denis National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC |
| And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up." - Matthew 13:3-4 |
"Hear, then, the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path." - Matthew 13:18-19 |
| If a vessel is upturned, no matter how much nourishing liquid is poured over it, none of the nourishment will go inside. You may be sitting among the audience of a teaching, but you will understand nothing if your mind is distracted and your ears are not taking in what is being said. This is no different from not going to the teaching at all. You must give the teaching your full attention. But “giving it your full attention” does not mean listening to the Dharma with only half of your attention and the other half of your mind distracted. It means you should follow the whole teaching closely. - Pabongka Rinpoche, Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, #21 |
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In the first case of the parable, the seed falls upon the hardened path and is quickly carried away. Jesus explains that this represents the person who hears the teaching yet does not understand it, so the message never enters deeply into the heart. Pabongka Rinpoche compares this to an upturned vessel that cannot receive anything poured into it. When the mind is distracted, proud, or careless, the teaching cannot penetrate. The remedy is mindful attention. One listens with humility, curiosity, and reverence, allowing the words of truth to enter the heart. Such attentive listening is itself a spiritual practice, because it opens the soil of the mind so that wisdom may be planted.
| "Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away." - Matthew 13:5-6 |
"As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet such a person has no root but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away." - Matthew 13:20-21 |
| A vessel may be upright, but
if the bottom leaks it will not retain any liquid, regardless of how much has been poured into it. Your ears may be taking in everything and your motivation may be faultless, but unless you listen carefully you will immediately forget everything. To prevent forgetting a teaching, it is helpful to use a book or an outline as a reminder. More importantly, you should get together with your colleagues and go over what was said. - Pabongka Rinpoche, Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, #23a |
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In the second case, the seeds fall on rocky ground where the soil is shallow. The plant grows quickly but soon withers because its roots cannot penetrate deeply. Jesus teaches that some receive the teaching with enthusiasm yet fall away when difficulties arise. Pabongka Rinpoche describes a similar problem through the metaphor of a leaky vessel, where teachings are heard yet quickly forgotten. To prevent this, one reflects on the teachings repeatedly, studies them carefully, and discusses them with companions on the path. Reflection deepens understanding, and remembrance nourishes the roots of practice. Through steady contemplation, the teachings become stable within the mind.
| "Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them." - Matthew 13:7 |
"As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing." - Matthew 13:22 |
| If a vessel contains poison,
then whatever is poured into it will not be fit for use, even if it was wholesome at first. You may be taking everything in, but some of you may be motivated by thoughts of furthering your own studies, and others may be motivated by thoughts of repeating to other people what you have heard, and so on. Being motivated by a yearning for the peace [of liberation] merely for yourself is an improvement on these motivations, but it is still said to be a fault and to resemble a filthy vessel. You must therefore listen with at least contrived bodhicitta as your motive. - Pabongka Rinpoche, Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, #22 |
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Pure Motivation: The Four Immeasurables Love: May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness. Compassion: May all beings be free of suffering and the causes of suffering. Joy: May all beings never be separated from empathetic joy. Equanimity: May all beings abide in peace, free of greed and hatred. |
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In the third case, the seeds fall among thorns. They begin to grow, yet the surrounding weeds choke the life from them. Jesus explains that worldly anxieties and attachment to wealth suffocate the word of truth. In the same way, Pabongka Rinpoche teaches that impure motivation contaminates spiritual learning. If one listens to teachings merely to gain prestige, knowledge, or personal advantage, the mind becomes like a vessel filled with poison. The medicine for this condition is the cultivation of bodhicitta, the awakening mind of compassion. When we listen for the benefit of all beings, the thorns of selfishness loosen their grip and the Dharma becomes a living force within us.
| "Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. If you have ears, hear!" - Matthew 13:8-9 |
"But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty." - Matthew 13:23 |
| As to abandoning these faults
of the vessel, in one of his sūtras the Bhagavan stressed “listening well, listening the best way, and retaining things in the mind.” “Listening well” refers to abandoning the fault of the filthy vessel; “listening the best way” refers to abandoning the fault of the upturned vessel; and “retaining things in the mind” means abandoning the fault of the container with the leaky bottom. This, then, is how one should listen. - Pabongka Rinpoche, Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, #23b |
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Finally, Jesus speaks of the good soil that receives the seed and produces a rich harvest. This represents those who hear the teaching, understand it, and allow it to bear fruit in their lives. Pabongka Rinpoche likewise describes the correct way of listening: the vessel must be upright, clean, and able to retain what it receives. This means attentive listening, pure motivation, and careful remembrance. When these conditions are present, the teachings transform the mind. Wisdom grows, compassion expands, and the fruits of practice multiply many times over, just as the seed in fertile soil yields an abundant harvest.
The Parable of the Sower and the teachings of Pabongka Rinpoche both guide us toward the same essential discipline: preparing the mind as fertile ground for truth. We listen carefully, reflect deeply, and cultivate a motivation rooted in love and compassion for all beings. In Christian language, this is the work of allowing the Spirit of Christ to live within us. In Buddhist language, it is the awakening of bodhicitta. When the heart becomes good soil, every teaching becomes a seed of awakening, and the harvest is a life that benefits countless beings.