Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 100-minute teaching session, Ilia S. Durovic guides practitioners through the foundational stages of developing bodhicitta, the awakened heart-mind central to Mahāyāna Buddhism. He begins with a purification visualization invoking Buddha Śākyamūni, then introduces the sevenfold cause-and-effect method taught in the Essential Nectar. Working through verses systematically, Durovic establishes equanimity as the indispensable basis for all other meditations, walking through the logic that all beings have been both friends and enemies across infinite past lives, making discrimination among them unjustifiable. He then moves into recognizing all sentient beings as one’s mothers in past lives, drawing on extended reflections on a mother’s extraordinary kindness during pregnancy, birth, infancy, and childhood to anchor understanding of how all beings have protected and nourished us boundlessly. Pitched at serious practitioners with prior Buddhist training, this is exegetical oral instruction designed to generate felt conviction rather than intellectual assent.
File metadata (for organising)
File: Line in 0224.mp3
UUID: 46b5a69b-992f-4e79-bb38-b2d955e7182e
Teacher: Ilia S. Durovic
Collection: Awakening Heart
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~4,174
# Line in 0224
**Collection:** Audio Recordings — Unclassified
**Duration:** 100.2 minutes
**Words:** 4,171
**Model:** Deepgram Nova-3
**Corrections applied:** 14
**Transcribed:** 2026-03-08 22:29
—
So we will meditate for one or two minutes in keeping with Khensur Rinpoche’s tradition, to generate the motivation to listen to these teachings, the motivation to listen to the essence of nectar, which is a very core of the teachings of the Buddha, of the Lam Rim, is to realize that we ourselves, to benefit all mother sentient beings as vast as space, in as much as we are unable to benefit them now, must attain the state of full enlightenment to be of help to them. And now at present, we will do the visualizations which we do usually before the Lam Rim teachings. We will visualize Buddha Śākyamūni on our crown as fervently and address strong requests and supplications to Buddha Śākyamūni requesting for his blessings to generate within our mind stream love, compassion and bodhicitta. And then when we make these requests, we have three different cycles of purification. During the first, light and nectar, which are in appearance light and nectar, but which are in nature the wisdom which realizes emptiness as well as the minds of love and compassion, flow into our body from the body of Buddha Śākyamūni.
And they lead to the purification of all of the bodily obstructions and the obstructions at the level of the body, which leave our body through the lower orifices in the form of black light and soot. Then the second cycle of purification: as formerly, they fill our body from the bottom up and leave through the mouth in the form of black water and soot. And the third purification: the light and nectar purify instantaneously all of the obstructions at our heart. And then we imagine that we are not just staying doing this, but we receive an uncommon blessing from the Buddha to gain realizations of love, compassion, and bodhicitta. And from the general presentation of the path of the beings of three scope, the small, middling and greater path, the two former are the common or shared path and the latter is the actual practice, the path of the being of great scope.
The path of the being of great scope in turn is divided into the advantages of generating bodhicitta and the actual process of generation of bodhicitta. The process of generation of bodhicitta itself is divided into two: how to generate bodhicitta using the sevenfold cause and effect instruction, how to generate bodhicitta by the interchange of self and others. We will deal with the first outline at present. And regarding the first outline, the sevenfold cause and effect training of the mind, even though there are seven causes and effects, when one adds as a preliminary the generation of equanimity, which is an indispensable basis, then one does indeed get an eighth outline. And these eight steps of the training of the mind are: meditating on equanimity, recognizing all beings as mother sentient beings, recollecting their kindness, repaying their kindness, generating love, compassion, the uncommon attitude, and giving rise to bodhicitta. And generally speaking, the training in bodhicitta is the very core of the Buddhist teachings. It is actually what defines the Mahāyāna. So one could say that everything else, including actually the view, are branches of training the mind in bodhicitta. Now with respect to training the mind in bodhicitta, there are two different lineages or two different traditions.
The first, which was propounded by Kamalaśīla, and so forth. Kamalaśīla in his famous Stages of Meditation, the Bhāvanākrama, and Candrakīrti in various of his works. This is a sevenfold cause and effect procedure to generate bodhicitta. And the other tradition or lineage was the one propounded by Śāntideva, the interchange of self and others. These two lineages were taught separately and were conjoined in Tibet.
So before giving rise to states of mind such as compassion or love, one must work on an even foundation, a mind which sees all beings as identical or equal. And this is an indispensable preliminary to generating these more advanced states of empathy. So this is what will be first explained. And Geshe-la will rely for the presentation of the sevenfold cause and effect generation of bodhicitta strongly on the Essential Nectar by Yeshe Tsöndrü, since the author of this text, Yeshe Tsöndrü, is considered to be a bodhisattva. And therefore, he is teaching directly from experience.
And one can feel in the explanations that they are very powerful for the mind and very clear. And on page two twenty-five of your English text, verse three zero seven, also here refers to the fact that this practice comes as an extension of the formerly explained practices. Although now all these migrating beings appear as friends—Rinpoche Geshe-la says one can view beings as friends, as enemies or as indifferent—appear as friends, as foes, as neutral, and being attached to this, this is attachment to the friends. I develop attachment for the friends, hatred for the foes, and for neutral folk, unconcern or indifference. Still, this indicates that the statement in the previous line is inappropriate.
It’s although, in Tibetan. Those who seem to be my enemies at present have in the past been my mothers many times. They’ve helped me in such ways as feeding me with their milk. This is the greatest type of kindness one can show to another being and lovingly nursing and guarded me from all harms. In other words, they have been both of benefit to me and have protected me from harm. And verse three zero nine: all those who seem to be friends at present too have in the past been the clearest of enemies.
Numerous times, they have killed or beaten me and even devoured me alive. This is also true. So here, the verse clearly indicates that the appearance of beings as friends is illusory, since they have been our enemies not once, but actually countless numbers of times in past lives, and the emotions we feel towards them now are unsubstantiated. In verse three ten on page two twenty-six, continues what Geshe-la was saying formally. Although those who seem to be neutral at present, in many former lives have variously been friends and foes. They’ve done me harm in anger and also infinite times done me good with love.
Therefore, verse three eleven draws the conclusion from this. Therefore indicates that there is a reason here among all of these migrating beings, which should I hate and which should I be attached to. Let me now not discriminate liked and hated, but have equal mind towards all of them as my friends. So the only appropriate attitude we can draw is equanimity towards all beings. In verses three twelve and three thirteen on page two twenty-six: if I should think since friend and foe are uncertain, it is not right either to inflict harm or to give aid, but it is right to abide unconcerned, literally to be indifferent, then this is not correct. So Geshe-la says it is not correct to think that since all beings have been both our friends and our enemies in past lives, then the appropriate attitude is one of complete indifference to their regard.
And the reason for which this attitude is not correct is given in verse three thirteen. Since a terrible harm by past lives’ foes was deluded, in other words, the harm our enemies from past lives inflicted on us came from ignorance. It came from a mind which sees phenomena in a way in which they do not exist. Not knowing I was their parent, anger is wrong. Since the help they provided in past lives when they were friends resided in truth, that the help which friends provide in past lives resides or is born from an accurate perception of others as infinitely helpful.
Why should I not repay this help? So it is not the case here that one equalizes at the lowest level, but one equalizes all beings in terms of their being mother sentient beings, in terms of their having been our mothers in past lives. And this leads us to the next topic of meditation, 9(b)(i), how to meditate on recognizing beings as one’s mother. And verse three fourteen indicates the reason for which, one of the reasons for which we should see sentient beings as being mother sentient beings, as having been our mothers in past lives. And the reason is as follows.
Now if we ask how it is that in fact every sentient being has been my mother, it’s because there’s no commencement to my births and I’ve taken bodies infinite in number. Generally speaking, sentient beings are constituted of body and mind. The cause of the body we have at present is the spermatozoa and the egg of our parents, which in turn is caused by their own parents’ spermatozoa and egg. So there is a bodily continuum of matter which is uninterrupted, and the cause of future bodies are past bodies. At the same time, there is also a mental continuum which is separate from this.
And as mind is nonmaterial, the cause of mind is different from the cause of the physical body, and the effect of mind is also different from the effect of physical bodies. So the cause of mind is necessarily mind. And this mental continuum is infinite. As our commentary says, there is no commencement to my birth. There’s no commencement both to my bodily continuum and to my mental continuum.
And in dependence on this, one can infer that we have an infinite number of mothers, and therefore that every being cannot be said not to have been our mother. And at present, a doubt might arise, and this is in verse three fifteen. One may think: if there are infinite sentient beings, it is not reasonable they could not have been my mother. Now this doubt is countered in the last part of the verse. But it is reasonable, since just as beings are numberless, so do my rebirths have no finite number. There is no first rebirth, in other words, Geshe-la says. Every single rebirth is a consequence of a previous rebirth, and they are infinite in number. Then moving onwards with verses three sixteen and three seventeen. The reason for this is there’s no first point to be shown such that only since then has this mind existed.
Thus, no limit is seen to the bodies I’ve taken either. But then, apart from the times I’ve taken birth from heat and moisture or miraculously, whatever body I have taken born from womb or egg must necessarily have had parents. There are four modes of birth which are described in Abhidharma. These are birth from heat and moisture, from egg, from womb, and miraculously. Of these four modes of birth, the two latter, from egg and from the womb, directly entail the existence of parents whose kindness we are indebted to, whereas the two first rebirths, such as miraculous rebirth in the realms of a god or certain preta rebirths, do not entail the existence of a physical mother. And then verses three eighteen onwards: the omniscient one, in other words, the Buddha, who never taught falsehood, also taught that all beings who wander in saṃsāra have not been born in this place in former times, or they have not taken bodies just like this, or we’ve never been each other’s parents, brothers and sisters, friends and relatives.
These were not what he perceived. So Buddha did not teach that sentient beings were unrelated, that they had not been each other’s parents, each other’s friends, each other’s relatives. Instead, he taught exactly the opposite, that they were related, had been each other’s parents, friends, relatives, and so forth. And in dependence on this, since the Buddhist teachings are authentic and unmistaken, then it is said, it is established by scripture that all these migrating beings have been my mother. And therefore, verse three twenty: for this reason, just as I shall not recognize even my parents of this life after death, so after we die, we will not remember our mother of this life in the slightest.
Since we are reborn and die, I simply don’t recognize beings, in other words, all the other beings. But in fact, they’re all my mothers who’ve cherished me kindly. Actually, the Tibetan is much more powerful. It says beings are mothers alone. Now having established that all beings, all sentient beings have been our mothers in past lives, then the question is, what do we do about it? How do we proceed forwards? And on verse three twenty-one, we move onwards. The Tibetan reads, means therefore. It’s not translated in English.
How have they cherished me kindly, one may wonder. In, Geshe-la says here, one gives the example of how one’s mother in this life has taken extraordinary care of us to understand, based on this example, the kindness by extrapolation of all beings. Well, my aged mother of this life for nine or ten months—Geshe-la says this means more than nine months—held me inside her just as one holds a precious vessel, literally just as one holds a precious vessel in one’s hands. When we were in our mother’s womb, when she was pregnant with us, she protected us and sheltered us exactly as if she was holding a vessel of precious stones in her hands. Most anxious, watchful, and careful not to harm me in all her postures, walking, lying, or sitting, whatever she did. Not having just what she wanted, what she liked to eat or drink, because she avoided spicy food, she avoided any food which could harm us, but keeping to helpful things and eschewing the harmful.
This was the kindness of our mother in this life. And then verse three twenty-three refers to the suffering our mother underwent when she delivered. Then when she gave birth, so the previous verses refer to the period when she was pregnant. Afflicted by scarcely bearable, the Tibetan says actually insupportable suffering, yet she did not think of her suffering. So Geshe-la says, obviously, nowadays, he’s not really aware of the situation in modern hospitals, but he suspects that a lot of the suffering mothers undergo in hospitals is not reported.
Certainly, in days of yore, when there were no anesthetics and no good doctors, the sufferings were horrifying and ended often in the death of the mother. But she cherished me like a wish-granting jewel she had found. So despite the horrific suffering we caused our mother when our large body left her body, nonetheless, there was not one instant of anger in her. Thus, she was great in kindness at the beginning. Then verse three twenty-three refers therefore to the kindness of our mother at the middle of our life.
And verse three twenty-four, to her kindness after we are born. After I was born, my hairs were bristly. If you look at a newborn baby, Geshe-la says they are extremely ugly. They are covered with hair and red. I excreted my filth without being aware.
A newborn child is completely oblivious because of his very young age and did not know in the least what was helpful or harmful. But with many efforts, she brought me up. She actually, the Tibetan text says, cleaned, dispelled the filth with her own hands. Also to nourish my body, she made me drink her milk. If we reflect, we have had countless mothers in past lives.
And certainly, in rebirth from egg and from the womb, we had directly mothers. And in some of these rebirths, such as rebirth from the womb, the mother gave us her milk. So countless beings have given us their milk, in other words, their bodily substances in past lives. To keep my flesh warm, she wrapped me up in soft clothes. On her back when walking, her lap when sitting, she carried me. She gave me food with her tongue.
Geshe-la says, when the child is ill actually, if he will not take food by any other means and specifically medicine, the mother, even though when we think about it, it’s revolting, puts the medicine on her tongue and puts it in that way in the mouth of her child. She wiped my nose with her mouth. Verse three twenty-six onwards: even my filth, in other words, my excreta, she cleaned up with her hands. Saying, “my child,” she dandled me with delight.
This refers, says, to you see this with mothers holding their little baby in the air with delight. Protected with loving mind, looked with affectionate eyes, called me by nice names, and welcomed me with a smile. Actually, the Tibetan reads, when my name was uttered, it can be read, when my name was uttered implicitly in front of her, she broke into a smile. She saved me from dangers like water, fire, and cliffs. This is later on.
She preferred to be sick herself than for me to be sick and would rather have died herself than that I died. Acting thus from her heart, she was indeed most kind.
Then verse three twenty-eight. Then as gradually I grew older, she taught me to eat, to drink, to walk, to sit. This is for a grown-up child. When I was cold or hungry, she clothed or fed me. All her wealth, which she’d gained with sin and suffering—as Geshe-la now says, this may not be the case in the West, but certainly in many poor countries, the mothers have to commit a lot of non-virtuous deeds to raise their children, prostituting themselves and others.
This is a reality. And they suffer for their child. She could not use herself, but gave to me without regret. Thus, she’s very kind at the end, not only in this life, but also in many other lives. Has she protected me with such kindness?
It is not just our mother in this life which has been so kind to us, but in every single past life, a being has manifested this degree of kindness to us. Verse three thirty: just as she has protected me with kindness, so all the sentient beings of the five classes, this refers to the sentient beings of the three lower realms, the hell realms, the pretas, the animal realm, the human beings, and the demigods and gods grouped as one, which makes five. Also, in all the occasions when I’ve been a human, have looked after me with such kindness again and again. So the kindness of our mother, which our mother has shown to us when we are human, is used as an example to understand the kindness which sentient beings have shown to us in other rebirths. At the time of my rebirth born from the from wombs or eggs, these are the two rebirths where it is definite that we have mothers, of beings other than human too.
They have in accordance with their understanding and ability helped me and dispelled harms immeasurably. In other words, in every one of those lives, mother sentient beings have done everything which was in their power to protect us. And therefore, we have finished this morning the presentation of equanimity, which is the foundation on which the other seven causes and effect are generated. Then recognizing all mother sentient beings as mother sentient beings and recollecting their kindness. It is in dependence on this and only in dependence on this that we can actually give rise to the spontaneous compassion which ultimately leads to great compassion and the spontaneous love which we are trying to generate, which will arise in such a way that when we see another being suffering instantaneously, the mind is overwhelmed with compassion and love.
This is a goal which we are trying to achieve. This is different from compassion and love which are generated outside of this procedure. So we will stop here for today. If you have questions, please feel free to ask them. So it is important to understand, Geshe-la says, that these meditations actually reflect the actual nature of things.
This is actually the way things are. It’s not just a theory. So if we think about it, we will see that things do actually occur in this way. And then at the level of the practice of the being of middling scope, when we reflect on the uncertainty of friends and enemy, in other words, the fact that through the power of karma, friends from past lives become enemies in this life and enemies from past lives become friends in this life. The goal of these reflections is to lead to disenchantment with cyclic existence and to a wish to escape from cyclic existence.
So it remains circumscribed within the practice of the being of middling scope. Whereas when we reflect on equanimity in the context of the Mahāyāna, the goal of that meditation is to level the playing field of all beings before we generate the great minds of love, great compassion, and bodhicitta. So the goals are very different actually. So for instance, if we take a friendship or a friend in this life, actually it refers to happiness in the context of cyclic existence, happiness in the context of the cycle of existence. But there is no stability to this.
It doesn’t last. It is not telling you not to have friends. It’s more a case of being aware that these things change. It can change any moment. So generally speaking, in the context of training in equanimity explained in the Essential Nectar, where it actually visualizes three beings, a being who is close to us, a being who is distant and a neutral being, and then generate equanimity using the meditations and the reflections explained in the Essential Nectar on the basis of these three beings.
One can naturally alternate with trying to see all beings and generating equanimity on that basis. However, it is important to understand that the equanimity which we are generating here is not the same as the equanimity which we are generating in the context of training in the four immeasurables, the immeasurable of love, compassion, joy and equanimity. The equanimity which we are generating here is actually an equanimity which is a foundation for generating bodhicitta. It is actually equanimity which reflects the actual nature of our relation with beings. It is not an artificial state of mind.
It is concordant with reality. And, therefore, we should de-emphasize the harm which beings have done to us in the past and emphasize the help they have done to us since that second type of activity is more in concordance with reality. Without renunciation, can one—is your question? How do we train in renunciation in a Mahāyāna context without? Could you repeat your question?
So most definitely, one can actually train in renunciation without having bodhicitta. This is what the arhats do, and they gain liberation just for themselves, forgetting everyone else. However, if one wants to generate bodhicitta, one must have renunciation as a preliminary because if one doesn’t abandon one’s own suffering, how can one hope to help others to abandon their own suffering? So from our own side, if we don’t want to abandon our own suffering, it is really ridiculous to say we want to help others to abandon theirs. And then, if we reflect, Geshe-la says, we can see very clearly that most of us, all of us actually, that our country is the best. And within our country, our town is the best place to be, and within our town, our neighborhood. And within our neighborhood, our family and friends are special. And within our family and friends, we are the best. We are number one.
So we’re all like that, you know. And that is exactly the opposite of the attitude of a Bodhisattva. So a Bodhisattva, instead of considering himself as number one, considers himself as the last. He’s at the bottom. Everyone else comes first.
And through understanding his own suffering, his own difficulties, and extrapolating those to others and understanding that others suffer from these too, then he generates a wish to help others and trains in the path which Geshe-la described. So as we will keep on moving onwards with this text, and, he feels that very much the core of this text is a passage we are dealing with now. Now the dangerous bits, the difficult bits for understanding come later, but we will broach those in due course. Otherwise, you will all get very confused. That’s enough for today, right? So we will stop here for today. Okay.