Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 45-minute talk, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen opens with a core principle: taking refuge and generating bodhicitta must arise from genuine motivation, not remain empty words. He then systematically explains the Three Jewels. For Buddha, he describes the four bodies (the two truth bodies of nature and wisdom, plus the enjoyment and emanation forms). For Dharma, he distinguishes the ultimate refuge—true cessation and the path—from conventional refuge in scriptures. For Sangha, he contrasts the ultimate level, where enlightened practitioners serve as refuge, with the conventional level of ordained monks. He explains why all three are necessary: Buddha shows the way, Dharma is the way itself, and Sangha provides companionship on the path. He closes with a teaching story about Namco Geljan, illustrating why practice must arise from the heart, not mere words. Appropriate for those new to Buddhist refuge.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 01 GP 1996 01 28.mp3
UUID: ead1c4b0-965f-4cbf-9d84-95dec8d153e7
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Graduated Path (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1996-01-28
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 44.7 minutes
Words: ~2,675
Quoting a line from teaching, It says that that the or it advises that one should take refuge and generate the mind that is bodhicitta. Not So generating refuge or going refuge is a doorway to this teaching and then generating the mind, that is bodhicitta, is a doorway to Mahāyāna’s teaching or bodhicitta is explained as the trunk of the Mahāyāna’s practice. So both these practices shouldn’t be just near a word but should be coming from the depth of one’s heart. So generally speaking, just, I wanna say, accepting the precepts of refuge and and the practice of bodhicitta is something very good, I think very special. But to make it coming from the depth of one’s mind or to make it pure during this practice from depth of one’s heart is is what you say.
It’s it’s very important. So we have a little hope in the refuge that they can protect us from the suffering of lower realms and general suffering of saṃsāra. So because of that we should trust in the refuge objects. And secondly, have this desire in the practice of bodhicitta and to that too we should practice it. We should engage in the practice.
So the importance of these two practices post in the beginning generating or taking refuge is any practice that we do. Any practice in order to make our practice pure or Buddhist practice, you need to take refuge. And secondly, that practice to become a Mahāyāna practice, one needs to generate the mind, that is bodhicitta. And so these two comes to be very important, most important. So, Lama Tsongkhapa advises that one should one should especially generate these two mind that is taking refuge and generating bodhicitta.
With this together with the four positive or four white acts. So, I would advise that to take refuge and bodhicitta or generate bodhicitta with four acquired actions or positive actions. So in order to, like, bring happiness to all sentient beings, and and or in order to lead all sentient beings to the state of happiness, one at present have all the conditions, necessary conditions with one. That is all the external conditions and internal conditions are there. Which these conditions are like having this precious human body.
So so while one have all the necessary conditions, we should we should do that action which is lead or leading our attention to this state of happiness at this moment. So so in order to do that action which should bring all sentiently into this state of happiness, one need to first take refuge. And to take refuge or go refuge, one first need to recognize or identify the refuge object and then take refuge into them. And if one to take refuge with the motivation, with the mind, with this mind as a bodhicitta. Then then So if one to take refuge with the mind with this mind, is bodhicitta, then it is beneficial to one and all sentient beings.
So, generating this bodhicitta mind bodhicitta, we do short meditation. So Buddhist refuge objects are known as the Three Jewels. And those three Buddhist refuge object has, I wanna say, the power or ability to protect from the sufferings of saṃsāra, generally the suffering of saṃsāra and especially the sufferings of lower realms. So if one if one wishes or if one desire or wishes to become a pure Buddhist, then even even if one doesn’t engage in any practice, one should one should identify these three objects that is the three the three refuge objects. So most of you know know these three refuge objects.
And there are some who don’t know the three object of refuge. So, this was saying, for that purpose, you will explain what are these three. So the explanation which I give here is nothing new. Most of you have already heard. And and as Geshe-la just quoted the line from Bodhicaryāvatāra, the text.
Text. It says in that text, what I’m explaining is nothing new. What I’m explaining here is nothing new. I’m not explaining here which has never happened in the past, which has never been explained in the past. And I’m I’m I’m also not well mastered in in composing.
And in order to remind myself this, So I rely on my previous advice or teachings and explain here this. So, the three aspects of the first one is the Buddha. And Buddha, in our understanding, most of our understanding, we might just think when we’re wearing the Dharma robes and having One might just have this idea as a Buddha, but that’s not all what what Buddha is. So the refuge object Buddha is one who is known as perfected in two duties, which is yeah, perfected in two duties. And then plus oneself free from all fears.
And then secondly, the person the Buddha is skilled in in in freeing others from all fears. So so as Buddha has Buddha himself is free from all fears and have power to free others from all types of fears, if that is the case, then one might think that Buddha will free all of us from this from the fear of saṃsāra and the lower realms. And and one might just stay there, but just staying there and waiting for that one won’t get free from this this the fear of Samsāra. So so when we say the Buddha has the power to free all sentient beings from all types of fear is that Buddha, what do say, can show all the methods that which can free others from all types of fears. So so so because of that, if one is to follow the teachings of the Buddha or or what the method which he has shown, then then we we will be like a free.
We will become free from, let’s say, free from saṃsāra, which is become like that, like the Buddha. So when we achieve the Buddhahood, then at that at that stage, we we also what is that? We have achieved four kayas or four bodies of a Buddha. So those four bodies of a Buddha is the nature true body, nature true body, the first one, and then wisdom wisdom true body, and the enjoyment enjoyment body, and then the emanation body, these four. So so the wisdom truth body is the omniscient mind of Buddha.
So then the nature truth body is that cessation of all defilements of a Buddha and the emptiness. So so emptiness of Buddhist mind that that how do you say, is the the natural true nature true body. So, the nature, truth body is is the emptiness of Buddha’s mind, which is not stained by And then the next one is the cessation of all defilements. That is the cessation of all adventitious defilements and that is like those adventitious defilements are those attachment, hatred and so on. The cessation of that is also known as the nature nature truth body.
So so then the next two two bodies of the Buddha that is the two formed bodies of the Buddha. That is the enjoyment body and the emanation body. So the enjoyment body is known as one always, I wanna say, in the place called the. So, and then and then the body which is the body which is always adorned by by the the major and minor marks of Buddhist quality, which is the thirty two major and eighty minor marks. And that Sambhogakāya is always, what is this, circled by Bodhisattvas.
So because Sambhogakāya is only surrounded by Bodhisattvas that the teaching that the Sambhogakāya gives or teach is only mind is teaching. So then its duration of time, how long it will remain there is until the until the end of saṃsāra. Oh. Yes. So that that that was a body is known as So so the or the enjoyment body is is one circled by bodhisattvas.
So as an as an ordinary, they they can’t, what is it, need or see So so the so the enjoyment body is not not seen by the ordinary beings. So for those more fortunate ordinary beings, in order to see the Buddha, then in order to see the Buddha, I would say, the emanation body is the one which which comes out that is which is seen by the ordinary beings. So these emanation body, there are, what do say, three three different types of emanation bodies. So so this emanation body comes into three takes three different emanations, which first one as a craftsman, as a craftsman, who can like carpenters and can can fix many things. So like Buddha or one of the initial Buddha which came as a, what to say, expert guitar player or what do you call the lute playing lute.
And at that time there was a king who was very expert in playing that and to subdue that king, king’s pride, Buddha came in that emanation body to to subdue that king. And then another emanation that Buddha takes is that according to the needs of individual beings, to those if if a fully ordained monks, he takes that emanation body. And if the if the being being needs, how do you say, how do say, to subdue the being if there is a need of animal form like animals, then he takes that emanation body. And similarly, if the beings need to be emanated into if the beings need breezes and and so on, Buddha also emanates into that. So so then and then next one is known as the supreme Nirmānakāya or the supreme emanation body.
That is that is like Buddha Śākyamūni himself, like coming into the world and performing the twelve deeds. So, all all the Buddha who who performed again the twelve deeds in in in in the pure land, in Sukhāvati, the pure land. So so all these are the refuge of Buddha, Buddha Buddha refuge, which which is explained in Buddhist teachings. So this is saying that if even if you don’t understand completely, just having a rough idea in your mind in Buddhist refuge object as a Buddha, it’s such and such. Like, just knowing roughly, it’s it’s very good.
So so so then with the second refuge object that is the Dharma, Dharma refuge object also can explain in two which is the ultimate Dharma refuge. And then secondly, what do you call, Dharma refuge object which we named, we it? We we labeled the names and the the labeled name which is given. So the ultimate Dharma refuge is the true cessation and the true path. So then the second one, which is which is Dharma refuge Dharma refuge which is just in term, which are known as the scriptural text.
The twelve, I wanna say, twelve sets of scriptural teachings, scriptural part of the teachings which carries all the instructions or the information of Buddhist teaching. That is known as the Dharma refuge object which is in term. So so these two like the true cessation and true path. Uh-huh. Because if one what if if one doesn’t have if one doesn’t if if one haven’t studied the the philosophy, Buddhist philosophy, then one, it’s not easy right there to understand these two, the true cessation and true So so so as a as a gross level to gross level of example, for a rough illustration, we can use, we can say the three, the practice of three scopes, the practice of three scopes which is explained in that can be can be or to say, use as example of of, let’s say, gross ultimate Dharma refuge.
So so then similarly with the the third Dharma refuge that is Sangha, two again are two, which is that of the ultimate Sangha refuge and and then the Sangha which is being named. So so the ultimate Sangha refuge is is the beings who have achieved the true path. Being who have achieved the true true path are known as the ultimate refuge, Sanga refuge object. So so one like one who practices on the on the on the the on the the one who follows the true path, one who follows the true path, those are like four of those fully ordained monks. Four of those fully ordained monks are the the, what do say, named Sangha refuge.
So with the ultimate Sanga refuge object The last single, I wanna say, ārya being or superior being can, what say, can, what say, serve as the ultimate Sangha refuge. So that that superior being or area being, whether that is or not, whether it is or it is known as the the ultimate object which is Sangha. So then the ordinary Sangha refuge object, for that, you need to have four fully ordained monks. So of the ordinary sanghas, like, of the four, one can can take one also as a refuge object, as a Sangha, but the one doesn’t fulfill all the four. So so one might think why we need three refuge object again.
So so the reason is that in order to become completely free from the suffering from the suffering of saṃsāra, one one need to one need to have, one need treat the objects. The reason why we need three is that Buddha, the refuge object Buddha is one who shows the path, how you become free from saṃsāra. So so then then whatever is is taught by Buddha, if if like putting that in practice is putting that in practice. That that practice is known as the the the second refuge object that is the Dharma refuge object. So so to do the practice, what is taught by Buddha, to do that practice, one need one need to accompany.
Oneself alone cannot complete the practice so one need a company. So so then one who accompanies one along the along the path is the, yeah, the Dharma friends or the sanghas. So just if one wishes to become free from the suffering of saṃsāra, then one need to have the all these three object of refuge are very necessary. But if one just wishes to become free from one type of fear, then all these three refuge object are not one of one of them can help one doesn’t need all the three. So for example, like, if you are if you have a sudden So so to get rid of the fear, a sudden fear that one can one can just take refuge to one object whether the Buddha or or one can also take refuge in in one’s own practice, the normal practice they wanna do.
Mhmm. And one doesn’t have to like depend in all three So, because of this reason that at the very beginning in that line where Pänchen Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen has explained that when you do the practice of refuge in bodhicitta, shouldn’t be just a word, how do you say, shouldn’t be just word, but should be coming from the depth of your heart. So seeing that as an important, he explained in the very beginning. So, Namgagyalchen. And another master known as Tuchen Namgagyalchen, to him, to that master, the vajrapani have said few lines, few words.
And just I would say, mere word can lead you to enlighten state. So it’s like a bird like bird bird without wings can’t fly. And and mirage water can’t quench your thirst. And If you are close to if you live close to oceans, you won’t die out of quenching of thirst, sorry. So that is what has been explained to that master master Namco Geljan and because Namco Geljan is a great master that he his practice always comes from the depth of his mind but the explanation which is given to him or the advice which is given to him should be understood.