Awakening Heart — 2013-02-06

# 01-130206_1856.mp3

> **Collection:** Audio Recordings — Unclassified-No-Transcript
> **Duration:** 125.5 minutes
> **Words:** 7,113
> **Model:** Deepgram Nova-3
> **Corrections:** 35 Buddhist terminology fixes
> **Transcribed:** 2026-03-04 13:20

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Irrespective of whatever activity one engages in, it is important to distinguish between the beginning, when one generates a motivation, the middle, which is the actual activity or practice, and the end, which is the conclusion. This is obvious, isn’t it, even in worldly or mundane affairs where when one engages in a big project, it is critical at first to see what the motivation is. It is the case, isn’t it, that independence on such a motivation, when one engages in the actual deeds, they turn out well, and they lead to their conclusion. If this is the case for worldly affairs, how much more so in our context when we are focusing at the very least on future lives? One must therefore create a good motivation, engage in the requisite activities, which will then be led to conclusion.

I have explained previously that the two first verses of the stanza on refuge relate to the generation of motivation. It is independence on taking refuge that in turn the noble truth of cessation can be generated within one’s continuum. There are basically speaking two main causes for taking refuge. The first is awareness of the existence of the great suffering such as the suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death. And the second is the conviction that the Triple Gem has the power to protect us from that.

And as was explained last time, it is in dependence on this that one can generate this profound wish to take refuge which says, I understand that you have the power to protect me from suffering, and I go for refuge to you. The quality of refuge is that refuge is a distinguishing point or the barrier which separates Buddhist from non Buddhist practice. In the Buddhist treatises, refuge is said to be the gateway to the Buddhadharma. What this means, what is meant by the term gateway here, is that if refuge is present in the continuum of a being, that being is counted among Buddhists. And if refuge is absent, that being is not counted among Buddhists.

It is irrelevant whether that being says, I am a Buddhist or not. It is said that there are four gateways. Refuge is a gateway to the Buddha dharma. Reliance on the spiritual teacher is the gateway to the Lamrim. Death and impermanence is the gateway to dharma.

And bodhichitta is the gateway to entry in the great vehicle. It is when bodhichitta is generated in a nonartificial fashion, in a spontaneous fashion within the continuum, that that being is counted as a great vehicle practitioner. It is when death and impermanence, the awareness of death and impermanence arises naturally within the mind that once practice becomes dharma practice. It is difficult to engage in a practice of the graduated stages of the path without having generated reliance on the spiritual teacher within one’s continuum. The treatise which will be explained today is the work of the powerful scholar of the glorious Nālānda Kamalaśīla, the stages of meditation, the Bhāvanākrama.

The crux of this treatise is an explanation of the way to attain omniscience and the qualities of omniscience. Omniscience, literally omniscience, is a state in which all of the faults have been eliminated and all of the qualities have been generated, and specifically, it is a state in which one accomplishes both one’s own will and that of others. The main topic explained within the stages of meditation are the means or the causes for giving rise to such a result. We will therefore explain at present the stages of the path leading to that result and the nature of that result. The last two verses of the refuge stanza in turn explain this state and I will explain the numerous causes and conditions necessary for the generation of bodhichitta, in dependence on the stages of the path of Kamalaśīla.

bodhichitta is that pledge or that commitment. I will attain the state of full enlightenment to liberate all sentient beings as vast as space from suffering and place them in that state. When that oath has been generated stably, then within our minds there is bodhichitta. And this is what will be explained in detail within the Bhāvanākrama. I have nothing additional to add on generating the motivation and will turn to the body of the text.

Refuge? In the second set of two verses of the refuge prayer where it is said, and there are two versions here, or sonam kis. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has pointed out that there is a very important difference between the two versions. In the first version where the term tsok is used, tsok means through the merit accrued through the collections of generosity and so forth, and this includes both the collections of merit and wisdom. Whereas in the second version, means merit and this refers only to the collection of merit and excludes a collection of wisdom.

More than this, I will not explain. Buddhadharma is subdivided into two, the lower vehicle and the greater vehicle. The Hīnayāna or the lower vehicle is called Hīnayāna because both in terms of the cause and as a result one focuses on one’s own benefit. Whereas the greater vehicle or Mahāyāna is called greater vehicle because one focuses on eliminating the suffering being the suffering of infinite beings. One’s practice becomes a practice where one relinquishes self cherishing and focuses principally on cherishing others.

This is a critical point since it is in dependence on self cherishing or egoism that much suffering is experienced by us, whereas it is in dependence on altruism or cherishing others that we accumulate countless qualities. However, irrespective of whether it is the Hīnayāna or the Mahāyāna, both are principally explained in dependence on the teachings of Buddha Śākyamūni. There are two sets of baskets of the Buddhist teachings, the baskets of the Mahāyāna and the baskets of the Hīnayāna. In brief, this treatise, the Bhavana Kharana, explains the practice of those who rely on the Mahāyāna baskets. And specifically, these stages of the path leading to the attainment of full omniscience independence on relying on these Mahāyāna baskets.

And it is said that for one who or for beings who wish to give rise to this mind of omniscience, numerous causes and conditions are required. These are explained. So at present, we will address the issue of the intended trainee of the Bhāvanākrama. These are trainees which wish to attain the state of omniscient’s independence on listening to these well explained teachings. What are the causes which are required to attain the state of full enlightenment through eliminating both karma and afflictions?

Omniscience arises in dependence on the elimination of numerous thoughts and the actualization of numerous qualities. There is no attainment of omniscience which is independent of causes or conditions. Should the state of omniscience be one which does not depend on causes and conditions, then either all beings would already have attained it or no being could ever hope to attain it. However, in as much as omniscience depends on a collection of causes and conditions, Those beings which have actualized these causes and conditions will attain it, whereas those beings who have not will not attain it. We can see that whatever thing or effect arises in dependence on a collection of causes and conditions.

In as much as it arises in dependence on the concatenation of a collection of causes and conditions, at times it can arise and at other times it does not arise. It must be made clear that whatever result we consider, it cannot arise without its cause. Moreover, from within permanent and impermanent phenomena, this cause cannot be a permanent phenomena which does not change instant by instant. It is necessarily an impermanent phenomena which changes momentarily. It is not sufficient for such a cause to exist nor is it sufficient for this cause to be an impermanent phenomenon.

This cause must, in addition have the potency to give rise to that given result. Since omniscience arises in dependence on a collection of causes and conditions which must all be present for its attainment, then it is clear that not all will attain it. Therefore, it is not sufficient for the collection of causes and conditions to be accumulated. These causes must be pure and uncontaminated. In addition, there is no attainment of the state of omniscience without great effort put over a long period of time in the accumulation of this collection of causes and conditions.

For instance, if we wish to get milk, we must try to extract milk from what can provide milk. We cannot milk a horn. And therefore, since omniscience depends on a collection, a concatenation of causes and conditions, All of these causes and conditions must be present for the result to arise. And therefore, for the state of omniscience, which is also called Namke in Tibetan, the knowledge of all aspects, Should some of the causes be present, but some of the causes be lacking, its attention would be impossible. For instance, in worldly affairs, when we plant a seed and wish to get a sprout from it, a series of causes and conditions are necessary to give rise to the sprout.

Even though the cause, the seed, has been planted in the ground, if conditions such as water and manure are absent, the result, the sprout will not arise. In the same way as in worldly affairs, should the collection of causes necessary to cause a seed to germinate into a sprout be absent, the sprout will not arise. Likewise, should the collection of causes necessary to lead the mind to the state of omniscience be absent, omniscience will not arise either. And therefore, to obtain this worthy state of omniscience, not only must all the causes and conditions be assembled, they must be assembled purely. How does this result omniscience arise in dependence on a collection of causes and conditions?

Kamalaśīla says that in this context, he is akin to someone who was born blind, and he himself is unable to explain this. And for this reason, since the causes and conditions in dependence on which omniscience arises are understood by Buddha Śākyamūni, it is in dependence on the teachings of Buddha Śākyamūni that Kamalaśīla will explain this. The Buddha asserted to numerous listeners, including Vajrapāni Chana Dorje, that the state of omniscience arises mainly in dependence on great compassion as its seed. In addition, the Buddha asserted that the state of omniscience arises also in dependence on bodhichitta and that it arises also in dependence on eliminating both the apprehension of a self of persons and the apprehension of a self of phenomena through, among others, the selflessness of phenomena. Therefore, the Buddha taught that attaining the state of omniscience is contingent on a collection of causes which include great compassion, bodhichitta, and the realization of the selflessness of phenomena.

And therefore, the Buddha taught that to attain the state of full omniscience, one needs the potent causes of great compassion of bodhichitta and of the wisdom realizing emptiness. And therefore, initially, one should generate great compassion, in dependence on this in turn bodhichitta arises, and then with bodhichitta, one meditates on emptiness, and it is in dependence on these causes that omniscience arises. Briefly how compassion must be generated within the mind stream. To give rise to compassion initially, it is important to observe one’s own suffering within one’s own mental continuum and then to wish to be freed of it. So the most important thing here is to generate a strong wish to be freed initially from one’s own suffering of past and future lives.

So through initially understanding one’s own suffering in past and future lives, eventually the wish to be freed from these sufferings will arise within our continuum. And therefore, we are one who, although experiencing suffering, wishes to be free from suffering and the wish to be freed from suffering would arise thereby within our minds. That thought wishing to be freed from one’s own suffering is called renunciation. It is independence on realizing that one wishes to be free from one’s own suffering that eventually the wish to free others from sufferings which are similar to ours will spontaneously arise within our minds. Wishing to free oneself from suffering and understanding that others are no different from us in this wish, the wish to free them from suffering will arise.

And therefore, wishing to free ourselves from suffering, eventually we will give rise to the wish to free others from suffering. This thought arises because sentient beings who are different from us and who experience suffering have been most kind to us. There are two ways of understanding the kindness or the benevolence of sentient beings. The first is independence on the teachings of Buddhadharma, and the second is independence on one’s own direct experience on what we can see. The explanation, which is dependent on Buddhist scriptures, is that since our past lives are measureless, infinite in number, and likewise, since sentient beings are infinite in number, in every single sentient being has been our mother.

And therefore, we have experienced from other sentient beings in the lives in which they were our mothers the self same kindness which our mother in this life extended to us. And through this line of reasoning, the kindness of others towards us will become a certainty within our mind. In addition, should this line of reasoning be difficult for us, we can think about it differently and think that our wealth and our happiness are actually dependent on others. For instance, all the practices we engage in, such as bodhichitta, forbearance, generosity, compassion and so forth, always arise independent on other sentient beings. Without other sentient beings, there are no such practices.

Our own elimination of suffering and attainment of happiness depends on the practices of love and compassion. And these practices of bodhichitta, of love and of compassion, are contingent on other beings that other beings, they are impossible. If we think very carefully about it, our enemy actually is our best friend. For instance, merely through seeing our enemy or hearing his name, anger arises within our mind stream. This is actually the opportunity for us to practice.

And therefore, in numerous situations, we can see the kindness of others towards us. If we were to explain this in detail, we wouldn’t advance further in the text. Once we fully understand the kindness of other sentient beings towards us, a compassion which cannot bear the thought of their suffering will arise within our minds. That empathy which cannot bear the thought of the suffering of others is called compassion. Clearly, merely through praying, may all sentient beings be free of suffering.

They will not be freed from suffering. Likewise, just through paying, may I be free from suffering, one’s own suffering will not be eliminated. What must arise is this pledge which says, I myself will free sentient beings from suffering. This pledge alone, when it arises, is not sufficient to free sentient beings from suffering and place them in a state of happiness, isn’t it? For instance, if we have sunken into the mire and are able to pull ourselves out of the mire, that does not mean through our pulling ourselves out of the mire that we will be able or that we will have pulled others out of the mire.

How should we therefore think about it? We should say, I must attain the state of full enlightenment in which I will be able to fulfill both my own goals and that of others. And therefore take the pledge to attain the state of full enlightenment for the sake of leading all other sentient beings to a state bereft of suffering. When this pledge has arisen forcefully within the mind, then we can say that bodhichitta, or the generation of the mind with a capital M, has occurred. However, merely taking this vow does not automatically lead us to full enlightenment.

The interfering factors which prevent us from attaining full enlightenment after taking this pledge or this oath are the apprehension of a self of phenomena and of persons. These are mistaken states of mind. That state of mind which understands that these are mistaken states of mind is the view realizing emptiness. Once one has directly realized emptiness, it is progressively possible to eliminate the afflictions. There is no doubt if we practice in this way over a long period of time that we will attain full enlightenment.

The goal for which we train in compassion and bodhichitta is that. For this reason, it is important to initially be able to generate empathy and compassion within the mind stream as they are the causes for bodhichitta. Having generated bodhichitta in dependence on great compassion, one then engages in hardship over a long period of time accumulating the two collections to attain full enlightenment. When the two collections, a collection of merit and a collection of wisdom are perfected, one will have attained the state of full enlightenment. Once one has completed these two collections of wisdom and of merit, it is as if one holds Buddhahood in the palm of one’s hand.

And therefore, the main cause for attaining full enlightenment is compassion. For this reason, it is extremely important when observing other sentient beings to practice on meditating on empathy and compassion. This has been clearly taught by the Buddha in scripture. The Buddha said to Bodhisattvas, much needs not be said regarding attaining full enlightenment. Because the Buddha said it is possible to attain full enlightenment independence on a single path held as it were in the palm of one’s hand.

And the Buddha said this single path on which one must rely and must lead to perfection is none other than compassion. And therefore, the beginning of the practice leading to the great vehicle is compassion. Although a being who has generated compassion within his continuum is still not a practitioner of the Mahāyāna. He can be counted as within the type of the Mahāyāna. When it is said that he has a type of the Mahāyāna, the Gotra of the Mahāyāna, this refers to the potency of the Mahāyāna present within him.

In the same way as once a farmer has planted a seed in the ground, that seed contains a potency for germination. For this reason, compassion is extremely important. For this great reason, the great Nālānda Pandit Chandra Kirti said that compassion is the beginning, the core practice, and the conclusion of the path. And gave a worldly or mundane example. In the same way as if we wish to obtain a sprout, initially, we must plant a seed.

And in the same same way as in the middle after having planted the seed, what is most important is water and fertilizer. At the end, what is most important is for the seed to have sprouted and give rise to a good crop. Then we can enjoy this crop. In the same way, compassion in the beginning is akin to a seed. Because if the seed of compassion is initially present within the mind, independence on it, bodhichitta, and so forth will arise.

And in the middle, if compassion is absent, one is unable to perform the welfare of others and one’s compassion degenerates. And at the end, upon having attained the state of full enlightenment, should compassion be absent, Buddhas would not perform the will of others. This is the potency of compassion. And it is independence on this mean that all of one’s suffering and all happiness will be actualized and that one will attain eventually the state of full enlightenment. In addition to actualizing his own happiness, he will actualize the durable happiness of other sentient beings.

The Buddha is not akin to hearers or shavakas who think it will be fine if I can eliminate all my own suffering and remain in a state of personal happiness. Shravakas or hearers are a category of being who are focused exclusively on the elimination of their own suffering and the actualization of their own happiness. And once they have eliminated their own suffering and realize their own happiness, they just remain in that state. Buddha Śākyamūni from the very beginning of his practice focused on the welfare of others wishing to lead other sentient beings to happiness. The Buddha’s wish to help sentient beings was akin to that of somebody who is ready to carry an iron leg on his shoulder for a long distance for the sake of others.

The Buddha did not delight in the thought of attaining his own happiness and his own elimination of suffering. The reason for which the Buddha underwent such hardship was to attain the state of full enlightenment for the benefit of others. Even if one were to complete the path of a hearer, there would be no benefit for other beings. However, a Buddha who has attained a state where all that is to be abandoned is abandoned and all that is to be realized has been realized is of great benefit to others. This is the reason for which the Buddha tried to attain the state of full enlightenment so that in turn he could help other beings.

In the exact same way as we can feel the heat of a burning iron house even from a distance. In the same way, the potency of the attainments of a hearer cannot be compared to that of a Buddha. All of these are contingent on compassion and empathy. Therefore, the practice of compassion is fundamental. And therefore, at present, Geshela will explain the stages of practice of compassion.

Initially, one must meditate on the numerous sufferings and diseases of sentient beings. But before meditating on this, one must meditate on equanimity for sentient beings. And to do this, one must both eliminate the attachment to one’s friends and relatives and eliminate the hatred or anger towards one’s foes. And to do this, one must eliminate the attachment and desire for one’s friends and relatives. It is difficult to meditate on equanimity if out of the reason of someone being close or friendly to us attachment arises and out of the reason of their being distant or enmity arises.

And therefore, without discriminating between sentient beings, one must generate the wish that all of them be free from suffering and all of them have happiness. When this thought arises, one can say equanimity has arisen. One will be very happy when one has meditated like that on equanimity. Whosoever one meets is one’s friend. And whomsoever one meets, one looks at happily.

One doesn’t get angry with others. And therefore, to generate compassion initially, it is important to train in equanimity. What is the reason for this? All sentient beings are equal and wishing for happiness and wishing to be separated from suffering. And this is why it is said that since beginningless time, there is not a single sentient being who has not been our mother for 100 times in 100 different places.

The root for this analysis are the proofs of the fact that psychic existence is infinite and sentient beings are infinite, which ought to be found in Buddhist scriptures. We can establish the infinity of past lives and the infinity of sentient beings both through reasoning and through experience. It is said that scientists at present are investigating these topics. Specifically, interrogating very carefully those who have memories of past lives and recording their answers. And we have therefore only had positive relationships with sentient beings in past lives.

Without equanimity, we would only have attachment for our friends and anger towards our enemies. I have already explained the suffering which arises independence on desire or attachment for those one is close to. Out of the attachment or desire we have for our relatives, the slightest harsh word from their side causes tremendous pain. Likewise, out of the hatred in our mind for our enemies, the slightest happiness of our enemies becomes a sort of source of great suffering for us. Therefore, there is no benefit in affection or desire for those one is close to and hatred or anger towards one’s enemies.

And therefore, it is critical to meditate on a nondiscriminating equanimity towards all sentient beings. And in dependence on this training in equanimity, one can then give rise to an empathy and a compassion which wish to free sentient beings from suffering. How do we train in this? Initially, we take someone we are close to as an object and imagine this person experiencing suffering. Then the wish for them to be free from suffering arises spontaneously.

When our friends or relatives experience suffering, there is no hardship for us in wishing for them to be free from suffering. It arises spontaneously. For beginners such as ourselves, therefore, we should start training in this by focusing on friends and relatives. Then after this, one should focus on people to whom we are indifferent, who are neither friends nor foes, and wish for them to be free from suffering. And then if this has turned out successfully, one should in turn focus on the group of one’s enemies and wish that one’s enemies, one’s foes, be free of suffering.

Otherwise, if one doesn’t proceed incrementally like this, it is very difficult from the beginning to wish for one’s enemies to be free of suffering. After training in this way on in compassion, the mode of meditating on love is explained. Compassion is a thought which wishes for all sentient beings to be free from suffering. Love is a wish for all sentient beings to be happy. There is no definiteness in the sequence in which one has to train in them.

One can first train in compassion and then train in love, or first train in love and then train in compassion. And as the example which is given is very beautiful, Geshela will give it here. Love is akin to drinking water. And one’s mind One’s mind is akin to a fertile piece of land. Compassion is akin to a seed.

Then if in a fertile piece of land one plants a seed and waters it, one will indeed reap a crop, won’t one? Likewise, should compassion be present within our mind, then in dependence on the condition of love, it will give rise to its fruit. And therefore, we must train our minds in this love which befriends compassion. Compassion, as Geshela explained, is that wish for all sentient beings to be free from suffering. It is a wish to separate sentient beings from these three categories of suffering they experience.

Since they experience any one of these three sufferings, compassion is a wish to free them from there. These three sufferings are the suffering of suffering, the suffering of change, and all pervasive suffering. Suffering of suffering is the suffering of headaches or for those of you who are afraid of injections, the pain of injections. The suffering of change is what we call happiness. The taste of pleasant food when we experience it is none other than this suffering of change.

This is a case because even though it tastes good at first, if we continue to eat it, we will get stomachache, a headache, and so forth. In other words, the pleasure changes into suffering. Is that the case or not? Or for instance, when it’s very hot, we experience the suffering of great heat. Then if we turn the AC on powerfully, we will eliminate the suffering of heat.

That is happiness, isn’t it? However, if we keep the AC on for one or two hours, we will indeed experience suffering, won’t we? And therefore, the so called happiness is actually the suffering of change and not happiness in the slightest. For instance, if business goes well and we gain a lot of money, this is called happiness, isn’t it? However, once we have a lot of money, the fear of losing the money or of having it stolen starts to arise, and therefore, from the same cause, suffering arises.

And therefore, this so called happiness is short term and contingent, is not stable, and does not help us. Now within the categories of sentient beings, what are the sufferings they experience the most? Hell beings experience mainly the sufferings of heat and of extreme cold. It is explained in the Buddhist scriptures that these beings suffer in numerous ways as the heat increases and decreases in the areas they are in. Likewise, for the beings in the cold cold hells, it is said that they live in barren expanses with frozen mountains on the horizon covered with snow and walk on large patches of ice freezing with, snowy winds and, experience the suffering of sneezing, coughing, and so forth.

Second category of beings are the hungry ghosts or the preppers. These suffer from various obstructions which prevent them from enjoying food and drink. For instance, they may have very narrow throats, huge bellies and huge mouths and they are unable to ingest what they eat or as a result of their own karma when they see a little bit of water or food, it immediately appears as pus and blood. Likewise, as a result of their karma, when they see a bowl full of water, it appears filled with pus and blood. Likewise, we can see in this world of ours that there are numerous animals.

They experience various sufferings including that of eating each other alive. You have excellent animal documentaries in the West. If you watch them, it will be obvious. They inflict great suffering on each other through lust for each other or anger towards each other. There are carnivorous animals which eat others alive.

And when the victims realize they are on the point of being eaten, they experience great terror. For instance, I will give you the example of dogs. Dogs in the West are luxuriously treated, but in my homeland, dogs experience great hardship. For instance, the guard dogs in Geshela’s homeland are chained to a pillar and they must stay chained to that pillar whether it rains, it snows or in the torrid heat in the summer. There is no end to the experiences of being hot during hot days or of being wet during rainy days.

And they are fed very little and are constantly worried about food. They experience great hardship in this way. As to human beings, one category of human beings suffers through their feelings. For instance, fighting with each other when anger arises towards another and so forth. Or they suffer from being separated from their loved ones or being put together with those they loathe.

They experience great sufferings who are experiencing what they do not wish to experience, the happiness they the unhappiness they do not wish to experience and not experiencing the happiness they wish for. If we reflect on our lives, we will see or we will understand the various types of suffering one can experience. These all arise from the various afflictions such as desire and so forth. Likewise, great suffering arises from evil views, evil philosophies. Great suffering arises among human beings through differences in view regarding philosophies, ideologies, and religion.

The root of all of these sufferings is the afflictions. These afflictions are not correct minds. They are incorrect minds. The reason we know they are invalid minds is that to the difference of valid minds, when the situation is examined carefully, these invalid minds cannot withstand the examination and disappear. And therefore, reality does not exist in accordance with the way these invalid minds see it.

In addition to this, human beings experience the four sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death. In addition to these, the gods as well experienced some of these sufferings. They experienced very powerfully the suffering of change. In the case of the gods of the desire realm, great suffering is experienced at the time of death. We spoke of the third category of suffering or pervasive suffering.

This refers to the fact that our body, for instance, is such that through the power of karma and afflictions, it is able to experience suffering. Our bodies, therefore, are of the nature of the all-pervasive suffering in the selfsame way. The bodies of gods and their objects of enjoyment because they have arisen from contaminated karma are also of the nature of the all pervasive truth of suffering. And therefore, all sentient beings experience these sufferings. And therefore, we must think that others are similar to us in wishing to be free from suffering from all these sufferings, and in wishing to be happy.

Then through reflecting in this way on the great suffering of other beings, a sensation of unhappiness will arise within our minds. And when this arises, then one should focus single pointedly on this compassion, which is a wish for sentient beings to be free from suffering. Meditation on compassion is very beautiful since one extends it to all beings, whether they are hell beings, animals, or whatever. It is not necessary to meditate on compassion to remain motionless and seated. It is said, therefore, that to meditate on compassion initially, one should meditate on the wish that one’s relatives and friends be free of suffering.

Thank you very much. We have finished the presentation of how to meditate on compassion. If you have questions, please feel free to ask them now. Yes, please. I’m sorry.

I cannot hear you. So there are two types of dogs. The dogs without owners who experience the suffering of being abandoned, and the dogs who have owners who experience the suffering of being tied chained to poles to deter the thieves. So dogs which are abandoned are not tied up, but unfortunately they have a hard time eating to their cell. So whatever is the Buddha nature is necessarily not omniscient.

The Buddha nature and omniscience are incompatible. The Buddha nature nature is the capacity of the mind to eventually in the future become omniscient. All of us in this room have the Buddha nature. All of us in this room have the Buddha nature. I should have said the Buddha nature and omniscience are incompatible.

Whatever is a Buddha nature is necessarily not omniscient. The Buddha nature is the potency of the mind to attain full enlightenment. All of us in this room, there’s a problem with the terminology. In Tibetan, which means Buddha type. So the Chinese and the Japanese translate it as Buddha nature, which is a bit different.

But all of us in this room have the Buddha nature or the Buddha type, and this refers to our capacity through practice to eventually attain full enlightenment. So Buddha Śākyamūni, akin to us, formerly when he was an ordinary being, had the Buddha nature or was of the Buddha type. And through countless eons of practice, eventually he led this to fruition and became a Buddha, a fully enlightened being. For those who accept the demiurge, a creator god, as object of refuge, then there is no possibility for them to become that creator god. However, in the Buddhist scriptures, it is said that if we put effort, we ourselves will be able to attain the state of full enlightenment.

And for this reason, all of us are said to have the Buddha nature or the Buddha type. As long as effort is made, there is no difference in terms of race, in terms of social category of higher or lower status all have the capacity to attain full enlightenment, all have this Buddha nature. Thank you very much for coming to teach us, Geshela. Thank you. I have a question, about the root text on page 44 of the Dalai Lama’s.

I myself, think that upon, gaining Buddhahood, the mind continues on. So my question is not about that. But I was wondering if Geshela could clarify the non abiding nirvana of the Buddha and in relation to the sentence that Buddhas have already achieved all their own goals but remain in the cycle of existence for as long as they are sentient beings. What does Kamala Shaila mean by the cycle of existence? So what is meant by a remainderless nirvana is a nirvana in which after having attained it, one remains as it were within quiescence, within the innermost peace, and one remains in this state indefinitely.

Then in the case of a nirvana with remainder, this refers to what happens to an Arhat when he becomes an Arhat. For the remainder of his life, he has a nirvana with remainder until the time of death. At the time of death, he enters into a remainderless nirvana, abandoning his contaminated aggregates behind and retaining an uncontaminated body. Okay. Geshela taught this evening that what’s most important is a strong wish to be free of one’s own suffering of past and future lives.

It seems as though, for those not raised in the dharma that our task is to be free of our ignorance of the existence of past and future lives. We don’t have the common thinking about past and future lives in order understand that it’s a suffering, not having the knowledge of it. I just wondered what Geshela might think of that. Geshela had already heard at CERA that the topic of past and future lives is a very loaded topic in the Western Buddhist community and that people didn’t like to hear about past and future lives. But this is perhaps because the topic has not been well explained.

The first thing is to analyze carefully what happens at the time of death. Then there are two possibilities: either something continues or it does not. Those are the only two possibilities. Then we must examine carefully what are the reasons in favor of something continuing and what are the objections to something continuing. Likewise, we must examine carefully the reasons in favor of nothing continuing and the objections against nothing continuing.

And then make up one’s mind not in terms of dogma, but in terms of the actual reality of the situation. For myself, Geshela says, I find it very strange that the idea of there being nothing after death should be more appealing than the idea of there being a future life. After all, if there was nothing at all after death, then not only we ourselves would cease completely, but all others would cease completely as well. On the other hand, if there is something, however bad the situation might be, there still is something for ourselves and for others. Clearly, something should be better than nothing.

Just on what Geshela just said about something should be better than nothing. I wonder if another, contentious subject in the West is is the existence of hell. Because in the West, the notion of hell has been rejected because people questioned, the existence of a supreme omnipotent deity that could send you to hell. And people questioned eternal damnation. So therefore, they rejected hell completely.

So this is not what’s taught in the Buddhadharma. So there’s another contentious topic for Westerners, the rejection of hell because of that. So, something existing is better than nothing. If it’s eternal and you can’t get out of it and somebody else sends you there, that’s a bit scary. The main difference, obviously, the experience of the hell realms is, Geshela suspects, quite similar in Christianity and in Buddhism.

It is an experience of great suffering through heat. But the difference would be that there is a liberation or an eventual liberation from hell in Buddhism. We experience suffering when our desires go unfulfilled, and I wonder if Geshela could shed light on what the antidote is when our desire for the suffering of other beings goes unfulfilled. You repeat the question? I got the first part, but not the second.

Sorry. I wonder what the antidote is when our desire for other beings to be free of suffering, goes unfulfilled. We we experience suffering when our desires go unfulfilled, and I wonder what the antidote is when our wish for other beings to be free of suffering goes unfulfilled. Is it do we take the view of karma and impermanence, or, what other antidotes might we have? So as Geshela explained, it is a matter of progressive or incremental development.

We all understand clearly that we want to be free from our own suffering. And once this strong wish to be free from our own suffering arises, then through the power of this in turn, we can see that others are similar to us and wish for them to be free from their own suffering as well. Otherwise, for us from the very inception, to wish to free others from their suffering is something which is simply not going to happen. There are stages in meditation and it is extremely important to progress along these stages and to know which stage follows which stage. Could I just say then it’s basically acceptance?

Acceptance that you cannot do anything about the suffering of others other than to wish that they did not experience it? So at present, it is the case that we are unable to eliminate the sufferings of others. But through understanding their sufferings, we ask ourselves in turn, what can I do to eliminate their sufferings? And we realize that the state of full enlightenment is one in which we can truly help others. And then we strive for state.

This is how we should practice. So even Even though though Gesheera does not speak English, he really enjoys the sound of your questions and how you ask them. Okay. And I I think I will I I I was just pulling myself back. I have to give a very short, quick but his son is coming in this year, in June.

But it’s definitely coming to center, as there no doubts, and we will soon to confirmation to you in a on through email or the the it’s a special invitation for you so that, you know, I think there’s lots of thing to send later that before you know, later that sent to you, we have to work out lots of things beforehand. So okay. That’s it. I think there’s lots of good news.