Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Why should young people practice dharma when they’d rather play, or busy adults when family and work consume their time, or the elderly when they feel too weak? Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen tackles this practical obstacle head-on in this 46-minute teaching, then offers concrete solutions through the seven limb practices — the daily framework of Tibetan Buddhist training. He systematically walks through each limb: prostrations with visualized emanations of oneself, offerings of flowers and incense, meditation as supreme offering, purification of past negativities, rejoicing in others’ virtues, requesting the teachings to be given, supplication that enlightened beings remain, and dedication of accumulated merit for others’ enlightenment. Throughout he provides specific visualization techniques and explains the mechanics of how merit accumulates.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 09 ALB.mp3
UUID: 52f776f4-19f1-48a9-8387-d55b9e5c00d8
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: A Look at Buddhism (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1995 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 46.0 minutes
Words: ~2,969
So, usually, we start the lecture with the short meditations. So, Geshe-la said, today, we won’t have time for meditation. So, from the side of the listeners, listen with a good motivation. So if one listen to the lecture with a good motivation, then this period, like one and a half hour that we stay we spend in this room becomes worthwhile. And especially if you motivate saying I listen to this lecture or this teaching for the sake of others, to bring happiness to others.
Then then that that motivation makes it again much more more worth it than than listening for self So, general explanations which the case I will be giving today here. And, as among human beings, we have three types of human beings, like the old one and the adult and the youth. So, most of the youth ones, what they think mostly is that they think they are small, young, and it’s time for them to to play. And because of getting thinking about thinking into these things that they don’t remember to do the practice? So so then if you look to the more grown one or the adults, then they also bring this interest in the practice of Dharma.
But mostly what they think, how they live is that to be nice to the friends and to control the enemies and mainly working for money. So so then if you look to the very old one, then they also don’t do the practice because they say or they think that they are unable to do the practices. So, here we should be aware of this and if we are young, it’s good to start practicing Dharma. And, if you are adult or youth, grown up, then also that is the time where you should start So so then especially with the with the grown up, like, old adults, they do have to work and collect money for a living. But beside, one very important thing beside that is to do the practice of Dharma.
And then the practice of Dharma is nothing physical, as a physical work. It’s something to do with mental. So then even if one is very old and able to do the rest of the practice, One still engage in the practice of Dharma, at least doing or making prayers and so on. So we should practice Dharma and by practicing Dharma we come to know what the Dharma is. And not only knowing it but then familiarizing with that practice.
Getting accustomed with that practice within your mind. And then when you’re able to do that, bring into practice, that is what meditation is also. So so today, what Geshe-la will be explaining here is briefly about the seven limb practice and briefly on on the process of death or dying. And it would be explained very briefly because you won’t have much time to explain in detail. If people are interested in more detail, we could do sometime next.
So, this seven limb practice or also known as seven branch practice. So, the seven limb or branch practice, the first one is prostrations. Second one is making offerings. And then the third one is the purification practice or the branch of purification practice. And then the fourth one is the rejoicing.
And then And then the fifth one is dedication. So the fifth one is making request. And then the sixth one is supplication, which you request to not leave or to pass not to pass into a nirvana. And then the last seven one is the dedication, which we. So these are known as the seven branch practices.
And this can be explained into known as the ten branch practice. So because So these when one engage in these practices, the seven limb practices, it should be preceded by the three other practices in the very beginning which are the faith in the practice, the very first one. And then secondly, taking refuge. Thirdly, generating the mind the mind the bodhicitta. So these three practices has to come here.
So it’s these three practices are also included there in these seven branch practices, but it is one that mentioned is that one it’s given the name as seven branch practice. So these are called the seven limb or the branches, the seven limb practices. And as an example, why it is called the limbs or the branch is that, for example, like a like a bicycle. If you if you if you miss a part of it, then you won’t be able to ride it. So similar to that, like we’re engaging in these practices, these different practices to achieve ultimate happiness for one or wanna doing these practices for the sake of others.
So in order to achieve that wish or to achieve the full to achieve this happiness, the everlasting happiness, you need to have all these different parts or all these seven branch practices. And without if you if one misses one, then you won’t be able to achieve your final aim. So so when we engage in these practices, the seven limb practices, we have to first start doing a chant of refuge prayer where you have to visualize the refuge objects and then right after that the generation of the mind which is generating the bodhicitta. So as a Buddhist, there are there are three refuge objects which we take refuge into. And and one one have to visualize the three refuge objects there.
And then and then with that visualizations, one has to do the practice, the seven branch practice. With that with that visualizations, one have to do the seven branch practice. So the first among the seven, that is the practice of prostrations. So one to visualize the refuge merit fields, which is in the space one. I mean, it’s one had to imagine they are being there.
Not that we can see through our eyes, but mentally, we have to create this and visualize, and then we prostrate towards them. And once you think they are actually there So even if our visualization is not so clear, if it’s not clear, then one can just imagine that all those refuge objects are there. So so and similarly, when one is doing post prostrations, this oneself actually doing the prostrations but mentally one should emanate many oneself, like many of oneself. And then, like, to the equal number of atoms. And then, imagine that all of them that you emanate out of you are doing prostrations.
One one even if one is unable to is unable to emanate into the equal number of these atoms, but then there is a it can be imagined. So, and it can be imagined and we have taken that many numbers like, we have taken is it, rebirth as that many numbers of atoms because if we look to our past lives then there’s no no being that you can point to that you haven’t taken that rebirth. So all the all the rebirth that one have taken in our past lives. One may have been born as animal spirits, like human and gods and so on. All of them, imagining them and having them, all of them in the form of human form, like like what we are now, and then making prostrations together.
So one should do the prostrations with with with respect. So, the like the benefits of doing prostrations with respect as a one one benefit like is that one accumulates merit to be born as universal king. Many, I want to say, like number of atoms that which one’s own body covers. The on the equals number of the I wanna say, atoms on the ground that one one’s body covers. Mhmm.
So that many that many numbers time that one, like, one accumulate merit that much amount. So, like, one one creates equal like, that much merit by doing this prostration, by doing the prostrations. Like the universal king or one like another meaning is that one takes, one accumulates merit which makes one reborn in the upper realms. So then next is the the practice of off making offerings and offering known as the ordinary and the supreme offerings. So then making offerings, the ordinary offerings are like the offering objects like flowers, incense, light offerings, and all different offering objects which which has which has beautiful smell and so on are known as the ordinary offering that we make.
So when one is making the offerings, for example, a stick of flowers, one stick of flowers, Then if it’s actually one stick but you can imagine there are lots of flowers. You can visualize lots of flowers which are like victory banners and like, what do say, umbrellas and so on, different offering objects. You can visualize that made out of flowers and and make offerings. So so then similarly, like, make offering of incense. Incense to like the smoke filled space where you have beautiful smell and imagine that you’re offering that too also.
And then by making that offerings of smell that in the future if one is to like one is able to keep the ten virtuous deeds pure and then one will receive smell of purity, a smell of purity by able to keep the ten non-virtues pure. And and same thing that also imagine all those the smokes in the form of different articles like, what do call, victory banners and canopies and so on, different objects, and then you make offering too. And and even, like, offering water bottles. Just one bottle of water. And if you’re if you if you are offering a pure water, pure, very clean water, and then thinking the eight qualities of water and making offering, if you make offering, then one receives the benefits.
And then then whatever one eats or drink, if you if you put in the very beginning, make offering, offering to them in the very beginning if one make offering, then one also receives the benefit of making offerings. And similarly, one doesn’t get the downfalls of eating. So so then the next type of offering is the supreme offering or or known as the extraordinary offerings, which is like the practice, the offering of our practice. Like whatever practice we do, like the practice of meditation on bodhicitta or meditations on emptiness, selflessness of the person or meditation on good heart. And all these different practices, what do you do?
If you If you do offer, the receivers, the enlightened beings, they are they get much more pleased than offering the extra like the the ordinary offerings. So so, like, when you when you go into into a garden or park where you see beautiful flowers with good smell, and instead of getting attached to the smell and is the smell and enjoy yourself, if you if you make a if you imagine that you make an offering of those flowers to the to the beings, to the enlightened beings, then you you receive two benefits like that. You are you enjoy being there too, plus you receive the benefit of offering. So when we go when we go to the garden, when we see a beautiful flower, then we we hold it in and smell it. And this is because we we are attached to this flower.
So so instead of doing that, if we do make it often, make it as a make it make it often, then then what you want to receive many benefits, which is like offering the flower and offering its smell and so on. So so then the third is the the purification. The purification which is we are purifying the negativities and the negativities that we have accumulated like through our body, speech, and mind under the control of karma and delusions. So negative actions or the negativities that we accumulate out of our body’s, peace, and mind or if we have let others do the negative actions through their bodies, through their mind. So that whatever negative actions that one have committed to one’s body, speech and mind, or one have let other do those negative actions.
If one to regret over that and feel that one will never do those negative actions again. Then by making this, by thinking in this way, one purifies those negative actions and one thing is that if you do this especially then it helps or stop it it helps stop you stop the negative negativities from multiplying or going. So then the next practice is the practice of of rejoicing and rejoicing in virtuous actions. And the virtuous actions of those five different types of beings. And this practice, the rejoicing, this practice of rejoicing can be easily done without any hardships.
So these five different types of beings are like like the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. And then to the Hīnayāna, like the hearers and Pratyekabuddha. And then the the last ordinary beings, which are not not Mahāyānist or Hinayanist. So rejoicing the virtuous actions of the Buddha that the twelve deeds of Buddha, rejoicing in his actions, and rejoicing in the virtuous actions of bodhisattvas, which is working for others. And the hearers, they are also their virtuous practice, their wish to achieve self personal liberations or their meditation practice on selflessness of the person.
On these we rejoice. And similarly like as an ordinary being. For example, ourself, virtuous action we do, like whatever virtuous action we have done in the past, what virtuous action we have done in present, that we are doing in present and that we will do in the future. And especially like the closed ones, if you see them doing different virtuous actions, like offerings and doing other practices. We should rejoice in their actions.
So rejoicing in actions is like rejoicing in their actions where one come to collect the merit. Rejoicing in their actions where one come to collect the same amount of merit that they are doing. Instead of feeling jealousy in their practice, what we should do is we should rejoice. And then the next is that making a request, which is to turn the wheel of the Dharma. So which is there are many enlightened beings who are known as the fully enlightened ones or known as those who have gained the sub and they they remain in their in their peace, not in and not turning the wheel of Dharma.
Mhmm. And then we request, make request for them to turn the wheel of Dharma. So as in for example, like the the Buddha Śākyamūni, when when he after his achievement of fully enlightened state for for the forty nine days in the very beginning, he he didn’t taught any Dharma. So so then after this forty nine days, that the Brahma, the God with four faces, made a offering of golden wheels with thousand spokes or made a offer to to Buddha and then requested him to turn the wheel of Dharma. Like similar to that, how we should also request those enlightened beings to, what is it, to turn the wheel of Dharma.
So so how we should do the requesting part here, this practice, is that as we we have imagined that oneself and oneself and one have emanated many bodies of one and did the prostration in the very beginning. Similar to that, one one again visualize oneself there together with many of others which is emanated from oneself and in the form of the the Brahma and with this the god which with the four faces. And and then similarly, as as how he had made the request, we altogether also make this request. So, and then after making this request, during this practice of making request, what you want to imagine is that, should one imagine is that one should imagine that now they accepted our request. And if we do think or imagine this then in our future life when a Buddha come and turn the wheel of teachings or gives the teachings, it’s that we will be reborn as the very first disciples, the very first disciples who who will hear the teaching from Buddha.
So so then next is this then this supplication, which is also similar to similar to that of requesting, which is you request or make these supplications for all those enlightened beings that one have visualized this space before to to live for aeons and aeons. To live and not to pass into into nirvana. So so then the last is the dedications. And the dedications of what you dedicate is the practice of the seven limb practice, what you did. And you dedicate that and plus one can also dedicate all the virtue of other sentient beings.
All the virtues, actions of other sentient beings. Dedicate that for the sake of others. Like dedicating those that one accumulates for the sake of others. One can dedicate all those merit that one can from these practices to achieve like the personal liberation. Lower than that, one can still dedicate, which is to dedicate all those merit in order to receive or get a higher birth in one’s future.
Oh, if one is to dedicate the merit that one accumulate through these practices to to one of these three purposes, then the time that you spend doing these practices becomes worthwhile. So if one is to dedicate for the sake of others to achieve full enlightened state, Then that merit, that one has accumulated, the fruit of that merit, one can enjoy till one achieves the fully enlightened state that very period. So