Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 42-minute teaching, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen explains bodhicitta — the mind of enlightenment and aspiration to achieve awakening for the sake of all sentient beings. He argues bodhicitta is uniquely powerful: when combined with purification practices like Vajrasattva meditation or prostrations to the 35 Buddhas, it can purify even the heaviest negative actions. The teaching walks through how bodhicitta is generated through compassion and love, its relationship to Bodhisattva vows, and the three types of moral discipline within those vows: abstaining from misbehavior, integrating virtue, and benefiting other sentient beings. Geshe Dhawa stresses repeatedly that intellectual understanding alone is insufficient — bodhicitta must be actively practiced and integrated into daily life.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 03 FoP.mp3
UUID: d8109280-6683-445b-b149-abf0ad848513
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Foundation of Practice (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1996 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 42.3 minutes
Words: ~2,105
As this letter is quoted, a few lines from the text known as the guide to the way of bodhisattva’s life, which on those line explains the bodhicitta. So as I said that the mind, this bodhicitta, which is practiced on two basis, one of the mind and one of the body, So so this mind, bodhicitta, is generated within the beings of all within all types of beings that of human, gods, known as the six beings of the six that they they are able to generate this mind. So so I think I made a mistake on the beginning. There are two types of bodhicittas which is explained and one which relating to the beings who can practice this bodhicitta. So that is of six type of things of the desire realm.
And the second is relating to the mind. Whatever all the virtue that leads to the generation of this mind. So so the nature of this mind or bodhicitta is virtue and within sentient beings to have this virtue or to generate this virtue is not easy. Most that we have generated this virtuous mind are very weak because the causes and conditions for generating this mine are weak. So on the the next hand on the other hand, that our negative actions or our negative karmas are always very heavy and strong because the conditions and the causes which makes possible for us to do these negative actions are much stronger.
And so most of our negative actions are very strong. So as we see that our virtuous actions are very weak and our negative actions are very strong. So now what can do, what method that we can use to get rid of negative actions. And the best method that we can use is the practice of bodhicitta, which is working to achieve enlightened state and enlightenment for the sake of others. So in this text, Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva’s Life, it says that in one line, bodhicitta is the strongest one that which outshines the negativities.
So that if one had taken pantric vows and if one happens to break some of the root or the secondary vows, then it is advised for one to perform purification practice which is relating to Vajrasattva meditation and recitation practice. And if one have taken Bodhisattva vows, and if it happens that one have broken some of the root or the secondary vows, then one is also advised to do the purification practice which is the practice relating to thirty five Buddhas. The prostration and recitation of the monsters to thirty five Buddha. And similarly, to remove negativities, negative actions that we accumulate through breaking vows, we are advised to do other purification practice too. So any of these purification practice that we perform, it has to be preceded by refuge and this mind generation, that is bodhicitta.
So whether one performs Vajrasattva practice, in the beginning you do the refuge and bodhicitta. And similarly with the confession to thirty five Buddhas, that too, first you do refuge and bodhicitta. And especially if you are a mindless practitioner, then bodhicitta is most important from the very beginning. So so according to the to the law of vehicle it says that if one has done some of the heaviest negative actions such as five heinous crimes, then it is said that even if you try to purify them, you won’t be able to purify these heavy negative actions unless achieve only you are possible to purify those heavy negative actions only by achieving the state of Arhatship. Otherwise, it’s not possible as it says in the law of And the reason that it is not possible because because there is because of not having this mind that is.
So on the basis of having this mind for the Chitta and if you perform the purification practice, then it is said that any negative action can be purified. So even if you have broken tantric root vows or bodhicitta root vows, it can be purified on the base of having engaging in the purification the basis of this mind, bodhicitta. Also having this space as a bodhicitta, and if you do any practice such as giving or feeding the birds or any good action, it becomes the cause of our full enlightenment. So bodhicitta, not just having a rough understanding of what bodhicitta is, but one should keep this as a practice in one’s mind. So, just understanding what bodhicitta is is not enough.
What we need is we need to practice bodhicitta according to our understanding. Just understanding is not enough because we can count someone’s money, whatever they have. But that doesn’t help us. And if we take care our own money, what we have, and use that whatever money we have, then it it can help us. So similar to that, whatever mind whatever understanding of bodhicitta one have, one should like practice.
One should practice. So if one if one put it in practice, then it helps for now and also in the future. So it’s like that you won’t be explaining in more on on the on this on this mind, bodhicitta. As it is explained in the beginning that this mind can be generated if we practice such as compassion, love, and the following practice such as the special insight and so on. If one have these practices, then it’s possible for one to generate this mind, bodhicitta.
So so generating this mind for the citta which contemplating those other sentient beings who are in the state of sufferings. Any sentient being that you see around which is suffering, thinking of those suffering sentient beings and generating this mind that I will free those sentient beings from that state of suffering and lead them to the state of happiness. And do that or for that purpose I now listen to the teaching. So generating this type of mind and we do short meditation. So as in the very beginning, explained that we need to practice bodhicitta.
So then through our practice, is it possible for us to generate this mind of bodhicitta? Then, yeah, it is possible. Like taking the example of those past great masters who have practiced bodhicitta and have taken the vows of bodhicitta and kept it pure and also engaged in six perfections, in six paramita, and have achieved the Buddhahood. So there are many masters who have done this in the past. So so if what if we to follow follow those great masters, then following the step which practicing bodhicitta or taking the vows and taking the vows and keeping it pure, then gradually one will achieve that.
But without this, it’s not that easily that one can achieve this mind. But then if one first listen to the teachings what bodhicitta is and then practice or train on that, then, yeah, it’s possible for us to generate this mind too. So Bodhisattva vows, which which means that which is taking or accepting to practice, the bodhisattva deeds. That is what bodhisattva So on the side with the vows, that of pratimoksha vows and the tantric vows, to take these vows, have to you have to take it in front of a master. So so but then these Bodhisattva vows are different which if you if you if you are unable to find a qualified guru or Lama who who can who can give you the Bodhisattva vows, then if you are unable to find that, then you can take this Bodhisattva vows in front of the image of a Buddha, which, yeah, through, you can take it in front of the image of a Buddha, which So so like the eight minor presets, for example, when at the very beginning, you have to take it from a master.
But for for bodhisattva, if if there is no qualified master, then you can take it from the very beginning lying on the image of a buddha. So so as with us, we have taken devotees many times. So we have taken devotees atopavas many times, but just taking it is not enough. What we need to do is we need to guard our vows. So if we do go against those vows that we have taken taking the vows is something very beneficial, if one is to break or go against them, then that makes one also difficult to gain different state of realizations, even if one practice on the path.
And similarly it has its own consequence or results in the future. So, we have taken the Bodhisattva Vase many times, then if we not to keep it pure, if we are not to keep it pure then that’s not, like just taking it is not enough or not sufficient. So as Geshe la said, he thought that explaining what the bodhisattva vows are and first to recognize them and then keeping it pure would help us. So he thought that and he thought he would like, explain on this. So so then with the with the the what do you call there are these eight types of individual liberations or the vows that you can take.
Then with the Bodhisattva vows, are three kinds of vows, or three types of vows that you take. So, these three are known as the Bodhisattva vows or moral discipline or the code of Bodhisattvas. So so then there are these three moral discipline or three moralities which relating to the bodhisattva vows. And then, there are the, I wanna say, then, so then if you go against these three moralities, then you receive the downfall which again as there are four which is explained by Asaṇga in one of his teachings known as the Bodhisattva Grounds. In the where he talks on morality, there he he explains four four four downfalls of Bodhisattvas.
So so then another sūtra known as Akshayamati Sūtra. The In there, it explains the thirteen. So in that in that sūtra known as the where it explains the the fourteen root vows. Yeah. Oh, So so then plus the the four makes the eighteen root vows.
So then another text which explains the vows, they are called like twenty verses, which in there explains the the forty six secondary vows of the bodhisattva. So these are the sources of where vows of the bodhisattvas are explained in these different texts. So to explain all those teaching on bodhisattva vows in detail, takes years. So it’s like saying took the essence or the main points from these different sources and thought he would give brief explanation on on the bodhisattva vows. So so then the Bodhisattva vows which which explain under three where the first one is abstaining the morality of abstaining from misbehavior, wrong wrong actions.
So then next one is morality which is morality of integrating the virtue. And then next, the third one is morality of benefiting other sentient beings or benefiting sentient beings. So so the first one, morality of restraining or abstaining from misbehavior is that stopping one’s body, speech and mind engaging in misbehavior or wrong actions. So so then next one, the second one, that is the morality of integrating virtue, which which here means, like, integrating all the teachings of the Buddha to to and using that for one to ripen one to ripen one’s mental So then the third one or the next one below is that the morality of benefiting sentient beings which is ripening the mental continuum of the other sentient beings. So So, whoever, those who have generated the actual bodhicitta within them, or those who have artificially generated mind, bodhicitta, whoever, all the vows that they have to keep is included within these three moralities.
So so the next is that why it is like counted three three types of morality. Why why not two? So the reason why it is, let’s say, count to three or three types of morality is that the deeds of Bodhisattvas are included within two. So these two deeds or the duties of Vadisattvas, one is to ripen one’s own mental continuum, then the second is to ripen the mental continuum of the others. So so so the first one, that is to ripen one’s one mental continuum.
For that one first needs to abandon the misbehaviors. The first morality of obtaining from misbehavior, that one. And secondly, one has to integrate virtues within one. To ripen one’s mental continuum you need this first.