Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Geshe Jampa Gyaltsen explores the power of patience through Śāntideva’s Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra, using contrast and incremental practice as the core teaching. He opens by examining why Buddhist practitioners willingly undergo hardship: unlike those who sacrifice without purpose, practitioners endure suffering for the noble reason of liberating all sentient beings. He emphasizes that patience, like any skill, grows through habituation with minor difficulties, eventually enabling one to face greater harms, even hellish realms. The talk builds through examples: warriors who gain courage from witnessing blood; the distinction between Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna practitioners based on the scope of their compassion; and a cautionary tale about a debater whose mother encouraged him to insult opponents, resulting in his rebirth as a eighteen-headed fish—a striking karmic consequence illustrating that suffering arises solely from one’s own negative actions, not from external harm.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2024-09-03 – 5B – Patience – KR.mp3
UUID: 66537c8e-2f9b-47f0-b2a5-08c1a9f530d2
Teacher: Geshe Jampa Gyaltsen
Collection: Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra
Date: 2024-09-03
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~2,983
Is, you know, to cut their fingers and to to make offering to please the teacher or the deity, the like.. And many people, they do, you know, they they undertake all those painful thing, but they’re making try to please some, you know, the teacher, the deity, the wife. They cut the finger and they burn like a like a we a candle burn, and they make a lot you know, making actually offering as making a pleasing the the the teacher, the deity. And they’re going through in a great suffering. You know?
And they’re willing during the suffering. And but those there’s no reason. Actually, I read this the root text if it may help. If some ascetics and and the people of Karnata endure the pain of cuts and burns for no reason. The Śāntideva said those, you know, they do willing enduring suffering is there’s no good reason on that.
And the practitioner in Buddhism Buddhist, you know, if they take, you know, willingly enduring the suffering, then this because the there is a good reason we try to want to to liberate not only yourself, you know, all sentient being in a liberation state, and and that is the good reason. And if you have if you because of that good reason that if you’re willing to endure the suffering, then the said the Śāntideva mentioned that this good reason to we willingly enduring the suffering. And the practitioner, the if we we don’t have to have a fear or anything because we’re doing a good cause and and whatever the pain, the suffering that you may face, you can’t willingly take. If we can take all the, you know, patience on, you know, the suffering that we may face, you know, like, you know, hungry, hang hunger and thirsty, and maybe some people may be beaten. If you take those minor sufferings, if you willingly, then, you know, you can even the greatest suffering you may face, can overcome.
You know, you can take willingly. Like sufferings that we may have to face in the hell realm, we can also take that that kind of suffering. At the beginning, it may be difficult to take enduring suffering willingly. And if you continue act and engage, you know, and then whatsoever anything that can learn, you know, in a what’s the word? Can if you engage again and again, they it will make it easier and easier.
And there’s nothing, you know, that you cannot learn, you know, if you have if you have the effort and, you know, to put the time, then it can learn. And that’s the suffering that even the if you learn small suffering, if you willingly take that, then, of course, the greatest suffering can, you know, can take. Mhmm. You know, and patient is very important. If you do patient in a very minor thing, then you you can build that into in your mind stream.
And and even the greatest, you know, harm that you can face, you can also patience. And and I read this the the the root text, you know, the previous what Rinpoche was said. There’s nothing whatsoever that is not made easier through acquaintance with small harms. So through becoming acquainted with small harms, I should learn to patiently accept greater greater harms. And and the next the root text was who has not seen this to be so with the trifling suffering such as the bites of the snakes and the insects, feeling of hunger and thirst, and with such minor things as a rashes.
And said, if you can able to patient on a in a very minor thing, and then you can you can build up that. You know? And even the very greatest harmful things can happen in your life, then also you can patient on it. And is there some when they fight, you know, if they if they get, you know, stabbed by a knife and when they see the the blood in your body and they have greatest courage in their mind and they can even be braver. You know, they can be more they can go ahead, you know, in in further.
And said, you can get this kind of courage. And in some other people or maybe some other beings that, you know, the less brave, You know? If they see the not only not not for themselves, but if you see if they see some bloods or the stabbing for other people, they also fell, you know, down, and they are very scared. And you can see now the those two beings, know, one that have a great courage. Even they see the blood in their body, they can go ahead and, you know, to fight furthermore.
And those who have no brave, you know, if they see the the blood in other people, then they can also be very frightened and very you know, they may even, you know, fell, you know, fell down and what’s the word? Faint. Yeah. And, you know, this how, you know, it works the mind. You know?
If you have you know, if you willingly take a very minor suffering or the willingly endures minor suffering, then, of course, this one can be a gain, you know, even the greatest harm can come, you know, you can face. And Rinpoche said, these two two beings are different. It’s dependent on their mind. And if you if you if you’re not able to take very modest, and it will also like being like other being, you know, which is there’s a two being. And if you’re not able to take a small suffering, then that’s more likely with the other being.
If you take a suffering and suffering in a willingly, and that’s like the the brave being. And and this depend on how mind, you know, you you can build that into within your mind stream. And in a in a very much similar that in the Mahāyāna and the Hīnayāna, and Mahāyāna beings, you know, they can take the greatest you know, their mind is much far wide, you know. They can take engage a practice not only for themselves and benefit for the all sentient being. And they have that sort of courage.
And and therefore, you know, whatever suffering they may face, it they can willingly endure. And and other, you know, the the Hīnayāna, you know, they cannot cope even the samsaric suffering, and therefore, they want to free from that. And Rinpoche said that is this two minds, you know, difference. And it comes how you create your mind. You know?
If you willingly take a small suffering, then you can learn through that, you know, and can take greatest suffer suffering. You can patiently take on. And while we engage in practice Dharma, we have we will face many difficulties because the reason that we try to overcome from the old afflictive emotions in here in a particular mindstream. And to overcome that, you know, we have to willingly take the all the suffering. And it is very much like And we have to while we engage in practice, Dharma is very Mahāyāna.
And here, antidote is a lot of patience and the afflictive emotions among that, this case, you know, the hatred or the anger. What we have to overcome anger and to increase our patient. And to while we’re doing that, we have we will face many difficulties. That difficulties or the suffering that we face, we were willing to take. And if you do that, you know, so if you try to increase our antidote, which is a patient, and then you be the hero.
Alright. I do this as a long as that. Okay. And I will explain one story. And one upon time, is a the the being or the person called the and he’s he’s extremely his knowledge is extreme, you know, and he can if he debate with any anybody else, you know, he can gain, and he he be the winner.
And his mother actually asked him, you know, how because he can when he debate with anybody, he will win always. And his mother asked, you know, can you win from those monks, you know, Buddhist monk? And then if you and then the mother told him, you know no. Sorry. He told the mother, you know, I can’t beat them because they have learning special technique or the teachings, and therefore, can I cannot beat for them?
I cannot win from them. Other than Buddhist monk, he he he always wins. Then mother suggest that for to him, you must join the monastery and become a monk and to learn, and then you can debate with them, then you can gain from them. You can defeat them. And he listened mother, and he entered in monastery and become a monk, and then he study, you know, begin to study, and he become a very popular and very famous.
Then then mother asked, you know, his his son that now can you defeat them or the you know, win from them, you know, those monks? And mother asked to him question. And the son answered it, am I able to defeat, you know, win from them by the word words, but maybe not from the actual or in a real in a reality ways, but I may be able to win from the words. Home. Then what happened, the mother suggested it would be good that if you, you know, prepare and to debate with those monks and then what mother, you know, prepared and advertised or the, you know, tell everybody, know, come, my son is debating with those great great monks, you know.
And there were 18 monks, and and there were many people gathered together, and and mother told him, you know, if you’re not, you know, if you’re not win from them, you know, what you do, you should say something very arrow of words. You know? That means and then when during the debating session and, you know, they were saying, you know, of course, those monks are winning, but what he have this suggest by his monk his mother, and he used the word that, you know, in a very nasty way that way, and then monks can just shut their mouth and they’re not answering. And therefore, they he everybody see mother said, if you use those words and you can win in a and everybody, you know, the monks cannot answer and then you will be winner. And what he said actually during the debate and because he get all the answer, but then sometimes he would use the word, you know, you are like donkey head.
Come on. And he given all those 18 monk different nickname and push very harsh words and and And then Oh. And then in a in a in a public order, they see you the winner and because the Sangha wouldn’t answer when you will use that kind of, you know, nasty words. And the reason monks, they didn’t answer his question and answer because the monks, they immediate understand that now he’s creating negativities because he’s saying all these nasty words, and they didn’t answer anything. They don’t want to him to take in a in a create a negativities.
And what happens in permanence and death comes, you know, and mother is passed away, of course, he’s also passed away. And later, there is a he there’s a 500 fishermen, you know, and they went in the ocean and, you know, they found this fish. And, you know, even 500 fishermen, tried to, you know, catch this fish. You know, they are very finding a very difficult, you know, because it’s a huge one. And when the fishermen actually got this fish and the fish with the 18 different heads, and and it is so huge.
And then the 500 fishermen brought up, and then, you know, all the people around that, you know, they come and, you know, they’re so amazed about this creature because it has fully 18 heads, eighteen different heads on that, you know, one body, one fish. And and at the time when the these fish came out from the ocean and everybody’s come and gather, and also there’s many holy beings, you know, many great masters also came. And also, Śākyamūni Buddha himself also came down, and everybody’s surprised how come he’s Buddha because he already abandoned all he’s not going to, what, entertain anything. You know? How come and there’s some among those group, you know, they say they who who they have a faith and conviction towards the Buddha have another thought.
But the many also they thought, you know, how come Buddha is also coming here to see these fish? And Buddha has one good reason that he came down there. He, you know, he he blessed, transformed his mind, the fish, you know, able to to talk as a human, you know, voice. And also bliss and to bless that he can recollect the previous life and what he’d done in the past and all that. Said, yeah.
I love it. It’s good. And then Buddha begin to start question for this fish. And are you the such a being? And the fish said, yes.
I am he. Then Buddha asked this mother is. Oh. And Buddha asked, you know, you know, you are such this being, you know, creature, and who’s the cause this? And then the the the fish answer in a in a human voice is my mother is the cause in this nonvirtuous act.
Then also he asked the fish that where is the mother presently? And then he answer, he’s right she’s right now being born in a hell realm. And then ask, which realms you in right now? And he that’s the the fish answers that in a human voice that I’m right now born in a in a animal realm. And then Buddha asked that, you know, after, you know, death, you know, where will you take the place, you know, reborn again?
And then he the fish answered, you know, I will reborn in a hell realm. And then immediate all the the head that, you know, kind of bow and also crying voice. You know? Oh, oh. What?
The the eighteen eighteen face 18 head also crying. And then the in all the specter what do you call the the spectator? Is that Spectators. Spectators. You know, they ask how come this animal who also have a human voice and they ask to the Śākyamūni Buddha and Buddha told all the story that, you know, what this one caused by, you know, in a previous life that his his mother also told that, you know, to debate with those monks. And when you can’t win or defeat them, then you use all those nasty words, and, you know, mother encouraged him, you know, mother encouraged, you know, suggested that you must say these words, you know, or you are the donkey head, come on, you know, and you are the donkey head, pig head, and all those different heads that he mentioned and that Is it then when each person he asked those each monk he asked and he used those words, and the monks immediate they be silent because they’re thinking they they see that he’s creating a a non virtuous.
And now this one shows a very clear picture that what we have facing suffering, it is actually you you you are the cause. You know, you create this cause. You know? And and when you’re giving those names, now you also have to go through those, you have to take all those different heads, you know, because you said in a very nasty way. What I mean to say is, wrong partner, or my son.
If you don’t if you don’t create negative karma from your side, then there is no suffering can come. You know? The other other people suffering doesn’t come on your suffering that you experience. It’s not from other people’s home. It is created from your own side.
If you are willing — there’s a saying in Guru Puja, the words, you know — And even though the the suffering is come like a rain, but if you’re willing to take that, you know, then it is If you if you if the suffering comes, if you willingly, you know, enjoy the suffering, then what happens that that diminishes all the suffering. Thus, that may not create any negative karma, in a particular negative karma. And if you’re willing to take those — well. If you engage in virtues, then that you create a cause of, you know, happiness or the pleasure. And that also, you yourself experience that, you know, nobody else, your virtues cannot be experienced by anybody else’s pleasure.
And, again, similar and the non virtues that you create or the that, again, you have to you have you you are the one who experience the suffering if you engage if you engage in a negative karma or the non virtuous. If you don’t harm for towards others, then there’s no suffering come. Suffering is the due to something that you created. We can stop here. If you have any questions, we can leave it some time for question and answer.
Yeah. The the antidote of pride is respect for others. Respect toward others is the antidote of pride. You know? Yeah.
If you’re suffering, say you’ve got to some sort of pain Yeah. To