Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 46-minute session from a 1995 calm abiding retreat, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen opens with motivation before diving into technique: he stresses the preciousness of human rebirth, then teaches bodhicitta — the commitment to practice not for personal gain but for all sentient beings. He then presents the systematic framework: nine mental states for single-pointed concentration, six supporting powers (hearing, thinking, mindfulness, introspection, effort, acquaintance), and four types of mental engagement (forceful, interrupted, uninterrupted, effortless). Most of the teaching details the first three mental states: setting the mind (where delusions arise like a waterfall before attention stabilizes), continuous setting (extending duration through reflection), and resetting (returning focus when distracted). He explains how to apply mindfulness and introspection to counter dullness and excitement at each stage. For retreat practitioners ready to engage systematic meditation training.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 05 CAR.mp3
UUID: b7905a3a-db2b-4cd2-b503-5795174a6bbc
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Calm Abiding Retreat (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1995 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 46.1 minutes
Words: ~2,608
So quoting from text that known as the Friendly Letters, which is which is composed by Nāgārjuna. In in that text, it explains that having gained this precious human having gained this precious human rebirth, if one to involve in committing negative actions, then that means that one is receiving the biggest loss for receiving the biggest loss. So we can we take different forms or different bodies. They are known as the the body the form of the gods, the form of the animals, the form of. So they are taking.
And being getting getting being born in the lower realms or being born as in the in the realms of the gods and being born in the realms of the animals. That means all one, what is it, one doesn’t have freedom, complete freedom to do Dharma practice. So that which is suitable form to do the practice of Dharma is the human body, which is one of the upper realms. So as in human beings, there are also human beings from different continents. So there are there are four continents.
So continents. So the human beings of the southern continent is is explained as the most suited human beings for the practice of Dharma. So through the practice of Dharma, our main aim is to to reach the liberation or the state of happiness. So so in order to achieve that liberation or the happy state, first one one need to generate the thought of renunciation towards saṃsāra by towards saṃsāra by looking the samsaric sufferings. And then when recognize the suffering of saṃsāra, then you generate this wish to get out of that.
So that is what we needed to wish to get out of Samsāra is what we needed for our liberation. So so then if you look to the human beings of other continents and like the being or the gods, those those god different levels of gods, they they their lifespan is much much longer than than ours or than the beings, human beings of the southern continent. And and also the human beings of other continent to have much wealthier and and their lifespan is much longer than ours. So because of that, they are wealthy that they don’t what do say? They don’t remember or they don’t feel the needs of of the Dharma practice.
So so at present with us, we have met we have this precious human body, which is the most suited one for the practice of Dharma. And we also met with the other conditions that of that that those conditions that who who can explain the the right teachings. So we have we have we have met with these conditions. So so with having this body and or meeting with all the all the necessary conditions, Even then if one is to commit or do only negative actions or getting involved into in in only negative actions, then that that is as Nāgārjuna explains, that is that is, what is it, the that is the the most loss that one is getting for getting for oneself or, in other words, it is it’s being foolish. So it’s as an example, it’s a if you have a container made out of precious stones like gold and so on, gold and other other other precious stones.
And if you use that container to pour your rubbish, then then we that person is regarded as more foolish. So so doing that is regarded a foolish person. And more if one is to use this precious human body to commit non virtuous actions, then that is more what do say? That is regarded more foolish than that. So if so not to use or not to make this body meaningless, one should one should engage in those actions or those positive actions that which brings positive result in our future lives.
So so then those positive actions that one is one perform for for good good result or positive result for our future, That too, if you not only thinking of self for the personal gain or or the for self liberation, but thinking that you’re doing these actions with having the motivation that all the positive actions that I’m doing is for the sake of other sentient beings. And those other sentient beings, the infinite sentient infinite sentient beings, which which which also ask equal or or same in a in a in a way that they all wish happiness and they don’t want suffering like like oneself. So so so whatever we we do, the positive actions, we should think that we we do we’re doing this for the sake of others. Today, the So this type of mind, like, this altruistic mind is known as the bodhicitta within within in Buddhist teachings. So so this this mind, bodhicitta, or or the altruistic mind is is the wish to benefit all sentient beings whether they have benefited one or not.
This that wish that you have towards all sentient beings and to benefit to benefit them. And if you’re able to generate this mind, then then then yourself become the object of reverence. And you want when one have this mind within one, then the external harm, the harm of both human and non human harm, like human harms and non human harms. One won’t get harmed because of this mind. And and So one won’t get harmed, plus one one becomes the object of others often?
So so with this mind, with this altruistic mind, your phone is to engage in a positive actions like giving a feeding, liberate, you know, with this mind able to, is able to accumulate a great amount of merit. So if if you do these practices like feeding the birds and so on, these good actions for the purpose of oneself, for the purpose of only oneself, then the result that you enjoy out of that is only yourself, not not not others will enjoy? So so in short, that today that one just one should set up this motivation that I listen to the teachings and put it in practice, not only for for self liberations, but I’m doing this for the sake of all other sentient beings. So so then setting setting set up the motivations. Usually, there are short meditations that we do between here, but but you have been doing meditations this morning and already said your motivations from this morning.
So we won’t be doing the meditations. But then Geshe-la will explain the teachings start explaining the teachings from yesterday’s from the from the ex from from yesterday’s part. So so yesterday, Geshe-la explained the the five faults and how one should apply the the eight antidotes to to these five faults. So so by applying the eight antidotes to these five faults that one develops this, I would say, nine mental states. So then when one develops these nine mental states or nine mental settings, then the final state, when we come to the final state where one where one is able to concentrate single point on the object as long as one wishes.
At that point where one also achieves the the the physical physical and mental pliancy. So when one is when one achieves that, that means one have achieved the state of calm abiding meditation. So while one is meditating on calm abiding meditation, one should observe only one object. And then to be able to concentrate single pointedly on that object, there are these nine mental states I explained. Mhmm.
So so the among the nine, the first one is, now I would say, setting the mind. And second is continuous setting. Mhmm. And then, what do say, resetting. And then close close setting.
And then disciplining. Pacifying. And then next is like a what do you say? Completely pacifying. And then coming single pointed.
And then then the setting in in equal pose. Mhmm. So these these nine state of mind can be achieved through the five I would say, through six powers. So, those six powers are known as the power of hearing Mhmm. And power of thinking and power of mind memory or mindfulness.
And then power of the introspection, the power of effort. So so then next one is power of, I would say, acquaintance. So so then there are also four mental engagements are explained there. Yes. So those four are the first one is forceful mental engagement, like forcefully engage with the object of the meditation.
Yes. So next one is interrupted interrupted mental engagement. And then next is uninterrupted mental engagement. And then third one is, like, effortless engagement. So so these the six powers and the four mental engagement will explain how how one apply this during our meditations.
So setting setting the mind is setting our mind with the objects of our meditation by through through listening and instructions. So in this first state of mind, like, one can one can have a just short like concentrate short periods, not that one can have a continuous, I would say, and one one doesn’t have a continuous, I would say, concentration of the object. So one will in the first mental setting, one won’t be one won’t one won’t won’t be able to keep one’s mind with the object while one can do only for a short period, a very brief moment. And that is because at that on that stage, lots of, I wanna say, lots of delusions arises like a a like a like a delusions arises like a like a waterfall at that stage. So because of that, one won’t be able to keep for longer duration.
So so, at this stage, in the very beginning, the first mental state, what what what one will experience is that because many gross delusions arises. Many gross delusion arises. One may one one may think that more delusions one becomes aware of more delusions. So so so at this stage, the gross delusions manifest more strongly. And that doesn’t mean that your your delusions delusions become stronger, but it becomes more manifest to you.
So so it happens just because one is setting one’s mind to the object on some meditations. And because of that, when one is concentrating onto some to the object, one becomes aware of the distractions or the delusions. And normally, we are not concentrating on the object that we do in meditation. So because of that, we won’t get aware. We are not aware of those delusions.
So as an example, like, if there’s two persons sitting on the side side of the road and if one is checking who’s going up and down and the other one is just sitting there, then if you I then the person who is checking who’s going up and down will know who is going up and down, will will notice those different people. But then the one who is just sitting there will notice or will won’t know that how many people went up and down. So so, in the first stage of this mind, one one is being aware one one one is being mindful with the object of one’s meditations. And because of that, one one becomes aware of those those different gross delusions. So so then one even if one sees these different delusions arising, one still continues to to concentrate on the object and through applying the first first power, power of hearing.
So the second power that is the power of thinking. And when you think on the instructions more and more, then you will you will be able to keep concentration in the longer durations. So so when you are through the power of thinking that when you are able to keep your mind on the object for longer duration, then that is the second stage of the mind. Mhmm. It is the the continuous setting.
So during this second stage of the mind, sometime there is conceptions arising. Sometime time when there’s no conceptions. So this is what happens during the second mental stage. So, under the first stage, the second stage of the mind, among these nine, what the two obstructions like the dullness and the excitement. It’s a rises more more.
It’s much stronger. And our concentration on the object, it’s it’s not it’s it’s weak. So so our concentrate our concentration on the object would be weak or when we’d be only able to keep our concentration on the object for a very short time. There’s strong dullness and excitement arising. And at that stage, what one need is one need to put effort which is one among the first one of the four mental engagement.
The forceful mental engagement one should one have to put, what do say, one have to put the effort forceful effort in able to set that mind. So so then go to the next mental stage. That is the resetting of the mind. And which because this first two stage there’s strong dullness and excitement arising in our concentration through applying one of one of the power the power of mindfulness and and and resetting the mind on the objects. So when when when you when you are resetting your mind on the on the on the objects, one should beforehand, once you’d know that once mind is being distracted to an external object.
And then from there, you you reset your mind to the to the objects here. So which are recognizing or knowing that mind is distracting from the object and and setting it back to the object. So so the first during the second stage of the mind, the continuous setting, And then the third, which is resetting. On that stage, they both have, what do say, excitements or the distractions. But I would say, the excitement or the distraction for the latter one, the resetting has less less than the former one.
So then now go to the next one. That is the fourth mental mental setting. That is the the closed closed setting. So which is at that stage, one one is applying a strong mindfulness and and and keeping the mind with with the objects. So so on the on this fourth stage, the fourth stage, which is closed setting, that when one reach that state, then one is one won’t lose one’s object of meditation.
So one won’t lose one’s object of meditations at that stage, but still there’s a there’s a strong, let’s say, dullness and dullness and excitement arises. And one should apply antidote for that. So, on this stage, generally speaking, our mind can hold hold the object in many objects at once. So that is that you you you in that stage, the fourth stage, sort of gather your mind and and put like a gather gather your all into into a sorrow state where you concentrate one to this single object. Mhmm.
And then the next mental stage is the the disciplining. So so this this mind, here, you you apply one of the six powers. That is the the introspection, the power of introspection. So so on the fourth on the fourth stage, though one won’t lose one’s object of meditation, one is still have a strong dullness and excitement excitement. There a strong arising of dullness and excitement.
So one one should one should use the introspection, the power introspection there for that. So so through through the introspection that or one inspect whether the true