Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 45-minute teaching, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen focuses on impermanence and death as the catalyst for genuine practice. From conception, he explains, we are walking toward death—a fact no worldly achievement can alter. He guides the Lamrim meditation on impermanence and death, which produces six benefits. His core instruction distinguishes three levels of practitioners at the moment of dying: advanced practitioners face death happily, medium practitioners feel no fear, and beginners who have practised sincerely die without regret. He illustrates with Milarepa, who meditated to overcome death-fear, and Lama Rinpoche, who prepared so well he felt no fear. He also teaches phowa—the tantric practice of consciousness transference at death—and shares a hospital story of a Sakya monk attempting it. The teaching’s challenge: cultivate your fear of death now so you face the actual moment prepared and at peace.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 06 CwC.mp3
UUID: 7a4a6963-e0e9-4c27-8438-bbf31615d105
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Coping with Change (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1996 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 44.6 minutes
Words: ~2,462
But they come to know that they are now going to next life, to their next life, and see that nothing precious to carry with them. And then especially with those who have done some practice, for them it becomes obvious where they are going to take it, which but they’re going to take and that they’re having enough collection of good causes. So so in this way, like using all these different examples of ways of meditations and not only doing one time, two time, but doing this meditation continually, then sometime later, one will experience one one will have this fear of death and impermanence. Yeah. So one thing that why we have to die is because we are under the control of karma and delusion.
Because we are under the control of karma and delusion, we have to die. As it is said that whatever it is been born, it ends with with with It ends with death. And whatever things that come together has to separate. It ends with separation, sorry. And then similarly, whatever that’s been collected, it ends with, what do say, exhaustion?
Yeah, it finishes. And so so and then it also says that whatever that, what do say, dharma, that whatever that whatever that, let’s say, That yeah. Whatever yeah. Whatever that goes up must come down. So all these are, what do you call, the nature of, what do say, existing.
So so there’s, I say, no way one can live without facing with that. So so the two, like, the very beginning when one enters to mother’s womb, from that time, we start walking towards towards the death or a Lord of Death. So so so that from the at the very time when one enters mother’s womb, from that time, we start walking towards on walking on the road to to death. So so thinking that because of this, there’s no way one can escape death. So so so then during these meditations on impermanence and death, for example, in Lamrim teaching, it explains like many benefits like, for example, six types of benefits, which I explained.
So if one had met with the Dharma teachings or the teachings of the Buddha and have meditated on this impermanence and death, then when one actually face the death, one will certainly have a, I wanna say, different type of death, different type of death. So as the Ladakhi Lama as he said that he had no fear of impermanent and death. And because in the morning I’m a monk. But afternoon, if I die, I will take the form of deity. So so I have no fear of death or or impairment.
So with us to if one to do pure Dharma practice, then even if we are not like Lama Rinpoche, will have a, we can face the death without any any fear. So as in the in the Lamrim teaching, says that those the most advanced practitioners, are happy to face death. So so then those those practitioners who are who are in a in a medium level level, they have no fear of death. And then the least one or the least practitioner who when when they to face the then they they have no regret and they they die without regret here. So the yogi Milarepa too said in his teachings, in his songs, few lines, which in the very beginning, how Milarepa started practicing Dharma is that one of Milarepa’s, what is his sponsors, and died.
And because of that death of his sponsor that Milarepa entered into practice or did the practice. So so in his songs that he says that he said that because I fear death, I I ran up to the to the mountains and do meditation. So in my meditation, I have realized the emptiness. So so so now even if that strikes me, I have I have no fear. So so with us to even if we don’t become like Milarepa, we should at least have no regret at the time of death.
So at present now that we have achieved this precious human rebirth and also met with the teachings of Dharma teachings. At least we should do something, Dharma practice which that we don’t have to fear the death at the time of at the time of death. So then if one don’t remember death and impermanence, then we won’t have, I would say, our practice won’t become sincere. It doesn’t come from the depth of our heart, which though we are called practitioner, our practice doesn’t come from our heart. So we we, what do you say?
We become like a reflections of a practitioner. It’s not a real one. And whatever we do too, mostly it’s related to this purpose of this life. And then suddenly, strikes one. So at that time, if suddenly dead appears, then whatever we we have collected like for the purpose of this very life, all powers or wealth, possessions, anything, We we know that this all this don’t help one at the time of at the at the very time of death.
And not only that, but we also see that we haven’t done anything pure which is pure Dharma practice that which is beneficial to our next life. We see that too at the time of So if it happens that see all these at the very time of death, then even if we do reflect in our actions that we haven’t done good action, it’s already, let’s say, late, too late. So so then then because of that, then what they start starts having fear of death? So how normally we are is that we are not scared of death right now, but we get scared of death when when we are actually facing the death, but that is not right right right. So So now we have to change these two and make ourselves or have the fear now, having the fear now and or the fear or one should terrify having this feeling of fear now and at the very time that when one is facing the death, then one shouldn’t have the fear.
One shouldn’t also have any remorse or feeling of fact and one shouldn’t have the fear at the time of death here. We should change these two. So right now we are completely free to do Dharma practice. We have time to do Dharma practice and someone who can explain the Dharma practice. So when we have all these things that we should practice Dharma.
So as an example, if if you have food in your hand, you should you should eat. So so when when the the sickness of death strikes to one, then even one wishes to eat something, it’s already too late. Yeah. So we do this much for tonight. So any It’s like this least practice means what I mean is that the most person who practice most and probably like dividing the three type of person.
That’s what this is, yeah. The advanced practitioner Yeah. To die. Yeah. And then medium type of practitioner, they don’t have fear.
And the small practitioner or the least one, should, well known as the small practitioner or least one, should have no regret of facing death. He or she should have no regret of facing death. So because the least one would some practice, that he had done some practice so he had no remorse in the actions. You’re saying he’s the practitioner on the third level? So if wanna have a remorse or regret, then it’s okay to have remorse.
To have a remorse is good because you have remorse that you haven’t done good action or Dharma practice in your life and you feel regret of your action. And yes, they do go through fear even if they do some practice, they do have the fear of death but the fear, I would say, different degrees of fear depending on the person how much, how strong their practices is. So for example, one who have done no practice, no Dharma practice, he or she have nothing to remember that they have done, nothing to remember, good thing to remember that they have done such and such. So so then what they remember one is that they have bad actions. What they have done, those wrong actions he or she have done.
And then and feels bad about it, which then, like, would call, hold to the chest or and and then cries what that they have done wrong or wrong actions. Nice. So so it doesn’t mean that they they entirely don’t have any fear at the time of death. They do have fear, but they have no regrets because they have done some Dharma practice in their life. So because of that, they, what to say, They die without rejecting their actions.
Yep. You know, he’s like saying that whichever practice one is most familiar with, that becomes most helpful at the time of that. And if one don’t have any familiarity with the practice of for example, and if one don’t have any familiarity with the practice then it doesn’t have much effect or benefit. So for example, the phowa practice, transparent consciousness, that first one I have to train on the practice and time to time when I have to keep up with the practice. And then at the time of death, when I experience the then if one needs to utilize this practice before, then it really is effective or helpful.
So so then as a tantric practitioners that when the clear light of death appears, then that clear light of death and the also, the clear light on the part. These two, they mix these two together and then meditate or continue live there on that stage for for long long period. It’s good if someone can do do the phowa practice at the time of death. And to phowa practice, this phowa practice or transferring consciousness to their practice related to Amitābha Buddha and Vajrayoginī and there are many different kinds. Yeah.
It is. It’s like has a a story to that a story for that. So as in India, when Geshe-la was in India, he had tuberculosis, TB, he had. And he had to go he went to the hospital. So so when Geshe-la went to the hospital, there was also another another monk who is from Sakya tradition.
He was quite old monk, and Geshe-la was there too, and Geshe la was helping the monk and live together at the hospital. So so then that monk, that old monk, he said he didn’t say anything about about doing the phowa practice, but told to help him tie his hand up to the bed bed side. Yeah. So, like, while he was sleeping and also told to tie his feet down on the other end of the bed. So so then so then Geshe-la was wondering why he wants him to do that.
And then because he was not told that he was doing poor practice. But but he didn’t really tie hard, strong, but he just because he’s very sick, he just did a loose tie. And then stayed there for some time and then the monk closed his eyes and then he did this phowa practice. And when you make this sound, a sound, like you made three times. But then but then it found out found out that his phowa wasn’t so successful at that time.
So so if so if you you haven’t practiced well, poor practice, then it’s not that successful when you do it at the time of that. So then after once you have the experience of pho, then you shouldn’t again keep on doing pho because it’s again, what do say, shortens the life. Yeah. So which said there’s a danger of shortening one’s life? Mhmm.
If you have experience. Okay. So and not not even that. Like, for example, if if say if one is going to if the person is going to die after one week, then to that person if it if the that person is ordained, then it said not not right to perform to that person. So one who have experience with practice when they perform the practice is that at the very time of death when they know that the person is dying.
Okay. Now this has a minute. Nice. So we stop here. Knowing that it is produce dependent upon the collection of causes and conditions and holding to this very body that because of that we create karmas and then those karmas, we create different karmas and the karmas is what circle us in the saṃsāra.
And that is, like, up till now. So so what what we should do is that we we should practice the Dharma according to one’s level of understanding and one’s one’s strength, level of strength. And whatever we practice, it should one should direct that as an antidote towards the three poison. So he was saying that because the topic is impermanence or change, that there’s nothing pleasant that he can talk about. He said next in the next teachings that you will be speaking worse than So here, there’s some question and answer.
Sorry? Not not Buddhist. Buddhist beliefs, passing. Yeah. Those other schools that we said before was the trees, I think, the and then the So it’s a what do say?
Geshe-la saying, it’s different parties, different groups. It’s a different groups of schools of tenets. It’s not not within Buddhism, but it’s a it’s a outside Buddhist tenant. So there are a few different schools that they have that different views. Yeah.
So it’s not like a what do you say? Not certain whether it’s a Hindu or not, but during the time of Buddha, there were six exponent of tenets. Like six people who, let’s say, who explain different tenets. So so there are there are six preachers who who who taught these different tenets of schools. And there are the six there’s six different preachers who competed with Buddha with different performance, magic performance and other thing.
And the all those proponents were subdued and became Buddhist later on, but still there are those followers who follow their teachings. Yeah. Mhmm. From the object or you mean? So so like a uncontaminated phenomena.
Yeah. The uncontaminated phenomena which is known as all the true path are known as the uncontaminated phenomena. And the beings known as the those who are known as the aryas or the superior being, they are known as