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 systematically explains the secondary Bodhisattva vows—the eighteen root commitments and forty-six ancillary ethical guidelines that shape the path to enlightenment. He unpacks the six kinds of “not benefiting,” addressing obligations to repay kindness, help those in distress, give to the poor (with important nuanced exceptions), instruct disciples, act in harmony with others’ wishes, and acknowledge good qualities in others. He then turns to “not subduing,” discussing the responsibility to correct those whose actions harm Dharma and, if one possesses the capacity, to use miraculous powers to turn those who oppose Buddhist teachings toward the path. Geshe-la emphasizes practical application throughout: when vows are broken, the practitioner confesses daily using the practice of the thirty-five buddhas combined with the four powers of purification. Suitable for anyone studying Bodhisattva ethics or committed to the vows.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 14 FoP.mp3
UUID: 115edeae-ce7a-4ee7-bc7f-e297c558282d
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Foundation of Practice (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1996 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.7 minutes
Words: ~2,509
So not benefiting has has six six six kind. So of the six, the first one is what do you call? So what is it? Wrongdoing towards towards those who who have helped one. So which is we have benefited one and not returning, what do call, not not returning or giving benefits to to the others.
So which is that if a being have helped one in the past and as a, what is it, as a reply, one should also, like, benefit that being. So so not not benefiting the others which is if one doesn’t, what do say, remembers the person who have benefited one in the past, if one doesn’t remember what benefit they have given, if, So if one is not to if one doesn’t remember the benefit that one received from the other out of delusions? So if one is not to, I would say, benefit the other, then one receives downfalls. And as in, as in teachings of Bodhisattvas, it explains that even if one is not to benefit the other person in full length, one should one should benefit at least small amount. So, otherwise, if one is not to benefit at all, then one receives this false.
So and then second one is, let’s say, wrongdoing towards those who have, I would say, those who have like Those who have disturbed mind here. Which is in the root, like I said, it is that not not not helping or assisting benefiting those who are in in in the state of sadness. So so when if one meets a sentient being who is in great state of sadness, which not having a friend, or whether it’s a boyfriend or girlfriend, or having great difficulty in food and shelter, and in this great state of misery, then to that to that person, one should, what do say, one should help. And if one is not to help out of delusions to that person, then one sees this fault. And now in this third one, which is, again, wrongdoing towards the poor one.
And the and the rude text, it’s it is the what do call? Not giving wealth to those who desire it. So that one third one, which is if if a poor beggar comes for asking food or drink, and if one is not to give not to give out of out of delusions, then then again, one one receives downfalls. So so in this situation, like, it happens to one, like, some beggars come and ask begging things for one. And if if if one is in a situation where one one is also poor and one don’t have things to give.
A beggar comes around and asks for something, if giving one dollar is also painful or how to say, If if giving one dollar is also harmful to one in one’s wealth, then better not to give them. So like this has a meaning. So if it’s like giving giving material goods, for example, if if if that whatever material that one is giving to the person, to the beggar, if it is not helpful to the person in this life and also in the in the in their future life, then it’s better not to not to not to give. So so again, like, if whatever one is giving to the beggar, if the beggar doesn’t doesn’t need that, such as like if it’s a, whatever, even a drink. If the beggar is not doesn’t like that drink, then it’s better not giving to the beggar.
So and, again, if a person who is always begging and always living as a beggar, and if you know that person, if he stopped begging and does some work, he can he can survive he or she can survive. If you know that situation and then then, again, like, not giving to that person, that beggar, again, one doesn’t receive downfalls. So so, again, other other like, by not giving to the beggar, one doesn’t receive the fault, such as if by giving to the beggar something, if that causes discomfort among many, again, not giving to the beggar, one doesn’t incur the fault. And also, if giving to the beggar becomes a crime or law of one goes against the country’s law or because of the reasons of a community, Sanga community, that because of this reason, one one if if if one is not to give the background, then again, one doesn’t receive downfalls. Mhmm.
So now the next one, the fourth one, which is wrongdoing towards the disciples. Which is in the in the root text, which is not benefiting the the the the disciples or the surroundings. So so such as the applying, like, for four means of gathering, so not not applying these and not, what is it, not giving instructions out of, I wanna say, out of, I wanna say, harmful mind. So so, like, helping this is also that if it’s a very poor one, then then, again, to to help that disciple, even if one has to ask help from some other people, some other persons, then asking to the person and getting something and giving to the poor one. Even if one is not to do this out of, what to say, delusion, then one receives this for me.
So then the fifth one, which is wrong doing towards harmony. So which is that one one should, what to say, one should Any practice that is related to Dharma, one should do according to the wish of the others. So so if one is not to, I would say, follow, not to do the act according to the wish of the others out of delusions such as anger and so on, then it is that act is known as deluded. And if if one is to commit that act out of laziness, then it is one is still false, but it’s not rather not really. So now the sixth one, which is a wrongdoing towards towards those who are knowledgeable.
Oh, So that in the root text, it is not praising those who have good qualities here. So in qualities of others, if one can, then if possible, then one should want you to, I would say, respect or what do you call, have faith in it. So instead of instead of generating faith was that if one is to go against that, like, not having faith and not praising. Yeah. So such as if if if the person is whom we like, the person, whoever we like the person, then how, even if the person is not rich or don’t have much quality, we praise that person and generate faith towards that person.
And we like that person and if the person is what we dislike, then even that person have good qualities, we praise their quality, instead we don’t like them. So if this act is done out of hatred or pride and so on, then one receives a downfalls. So not benefiting, which is explained of six kind that that’s completed. And now the second one, which is not subduing. And not subduing, again, explain two, two, and the two points.
So these two are the first one, not subduing behaviors, not subduing not subduing those those who, what do say, who performs who who performs those actions, which is not related to Dharma. And then and then second one is not subduing those who try to compete the teachings of Buddha. So which is the first one, not subduing those who behave whose actions are are against against the Dharma? So any sentient beings any beings, if they are, like, saying bad things towards Buddhist teachings? Done very, let’s say, heavy wrong actions or, I would say, been, let’s say, kicked out from communities or groups.
So such as these persons who have committed wrong actions, like to them, for example, as being a judge, if one is not to punish those person who have done wrong according to the decision, punishment they will receive, whether it’s, yeah, they’re kicked out from the country or they are punished even different punishments such as telling their faults and mistakes. So if one is not to, what is it, not to give them this punishment again according to the the to the to the the law, then one again receives if one is not to punish those people out of the deluded mind, such as anger, hatred, and so on, then again one receives this fault. So this now the second one is not subduing those who competes the Buddhist teaching. So which is compete that’s not doing those who competes. Teaching.
Competing here means those has meaning, what do call, disliking Buddhist teachings and or going against Buddhist teachings and by not subduing those, I think, one is sixty four. So which in the root text, it says So That’s nice. So so not not subduing them to, what’s it, miracle powers miracle powers. And if one is not to terrify them out of out of miracle powers, then one one to safety falls here. So which which means that Sorry.
If the person person whoever going against the Buddha’s teachings or disliking the teachings of the Buddha, then for that person, in order to make that person like the Buddha’s teachings or in order for that person to like the Buddha’s teachings, if one can then one should perform miracle powers and subdue them and subdue them and lead towards the path lacking Buddhist teachings here. So so if we can if we are able to perform miracle powers, then we should also perform this I wanna say, perform the miracle powers and subdue as it’s also in the very beginning of the teachings, Geshe-la explained those eleven ways of benefiting the sentient beings. And the last one was benefiting the sentient being with miracle powers. And so if one have miracle powers, then one should, I would say, perform and So, again, by not if a person is able to perform miracle powers and and by not if that person do not if that person do not perform the miracle powers, again, there are some exceptions where he or she don’t receive downfalls, which the other person is, whoever the miracle power is performed, if he or she says something bad is genetic.
It’s unless it’s that person doesn’t believe in the which is saying that it is, what do call, chemically created. So which is that if they mistreat your, what’s that, miraculous powers, it’s not real miraculous power, it’s power of chemicals and so on. Then that person is saying that, then for that those person not not performing the miracles, again, doesn’t receive downfalls. So so up to here, it completes the the eighteen root vows and the the forty six secondary vows, which which all of these vows are explained in the in the sutras. Yeah.
So in the sutras, these are or is it Bodhisattva vows are explained in in in different parts. And the master Asaṇga is the one who collected all those all these different vows and and explained in the in the in the chapter of in the Bodhisattva chapters. So so so that one also that of this vows which explained in on the chapter of morality, which is explained in that text. And that is what this is that all all the explanations is is comes from that source of Lama Tsongkhapa. So is saying that he have also he also read all the whole teachings, and for him it’s also he felt very fortunate to reach all these teachings.
And and and people here too, if you have received this teaching already in the previous time, then receiving again is very fortunate. And those who haven’t received the teaching on this particular teaching on Bodhisattva, receiving these or hearing on these teachings especially lifts very good imprints in one’s mind. In the teachings, Geshe lah always says that one should always be very careful with these practices. And if one happen to break these vows once you do the purification. Every day before going to bed, in the nighttime purifying those broken vows through doing practice to thirty five buddhas.
And which the practice of thirty five buddhas, the confession practice to thirty five buddhas which includes the four powers or the yeah. The four powers or the purification purification. And so if one is to apply these four powers to purify, then there’s no negativities which which can be purified by applying these four powers. So so after today, this will explain the teachings and we have listened to the teachings and out of this act that we definitely have accumulated great merits. So these merits we should dedicate towards bringing happiness to all sentient beings in order to spread the Buddhist teachings.
And also in order to have happiness to all sentient beings and also to what do say? For the long life of one’s one guru. So in that way, if one is to dedicate these merits, one can enjoy the result of this merit until one completely achieves the full enlightened state. So so it’s time to stop these things. So if you have to go, yeah, you can go.
But then if you have any questions, you can ask question too. So is it read few different texts and didn’t found any, like, sort of one definition for, like, a self self-cherishing mind here. So the self-cherishing mind, which is defined as wishing happiness for oneself and Or or one wishing happiness for self? And it explains that the self-cherishing mind is the one that which, let’s say, stops for for all those beings such as hearers, Pratyekabuddha, and bodhisattvas to achieve fully enlightened state. So so of these two, the self-grasping mind and the self-cherishing mind.
The self-cherishing mind is one which is harder to to eliminate and because self-cherishing mind is also within the beings such as the hearers and buddhas. So even with the bodhisattvas, they said they are the self-cherishing mind, which is the reason why the reason why they are on those different paths like they are not already on the highest path but like a part of the accumulation, part of preparation and path of seeing. This is this is because because of the self-cherishing mind stuck to this different parts. So the Bodhisattva vows are there many which and one shouldn’t, should take these vows, one shouldn’t like feel there’s too many, I can’t keep and one should have this doubt. Just instead once you take these vows and if one happens to break some of the vows, then as it is explained before, that before going to bed, that during the purification practice with the reciting thirty five bring the purification practice to thirty-five Buddhas.