Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 45-minute teaching from his 1996 Graduated Path series, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen explains why the Buddha is the proper refuge object. He opens with the urgency of practice: human life with freedom to study Dharma is precious and rare, a brief window in ages of spiritual darkness. Our negative karma vastly outweighs positive actions—we must first recognize our enemy, delusion and karma, before defeating it. He then gives four reasons the Buddha is refuge: free of all fears, skilful in freeing others from every fear, and moved by equal compassion toward all beings without distinction. The teaching includes rich historical examples—Angulimala the reformed murderer, a female cannibal taught compassion, and others—showing how Buddha’s skilful means transforms even the most lost beings.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 03 GP 1996 02 04.mp3
UUID: 70141d5c-ef13-4c08-9b4e-497f8c83ca61
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Graduated Path (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1996-02-04
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 44.6 minutes
Words: ~2,727
So quoting the line from the teachings is given by master in Madhyamaka text where master advises saying that when one have this precious human body which is which have these eighteen qualities, at this time, we should make make it most meaningful. So so at this at this time when we have choice or freedom to do the practice of Dharma, we should do a pure Dharma practice. If one misses doing the pure Dharma practice and we were to born in the lower realms, in the in the animal realms where one has to go through a lot of suffering, and then when one is to be born there, then there’s no chance of freedom for for Dharma practice. So once one is one have taken rebirth rebirth in the lower realms, then then it’s very difficult for one to get out of there even though one had met masters or teachers or lamas in in one of our past lives. So so at present today here, we have achieved this precious human rebirth which which with with eighteen qualities and we have this freedom or the chance to practice Dharma.
So one should make this precious human body the most meaningful. So though there are many teachings which Buddha have given like the sūtra sūtra teachings and different treat different treatises. This stages on the path or this Lamrim teaching is one which carries the whole essence of his teachings. So here I will today I hear we’ll listen to this Lamrim teaching and put them in practice for the sake of other sentient beings setting up this motivation and we do short meditation. So as it is said in the guide to the way of bodhisattva’s life, it says that the the dark dark age is is very long long period where which means the dark age means that where you you don’t hear a word of Dharma which that type of period is is very long.
So so the period of dark age is very long and it also says in the teaching that the period of light is very little where it is like a like a very little like a lightning in the in the dark cloudy in a in a in dark, what do say, dark cloudy place. Yeah. It’s like a lightning. It’s So in generally, the dark age and the light age or the period of light which is explained that when there’s no Buddhist appearing to this world, it’s known as the dark age. And when there’s Buddha Buddhist appearing into appearing in this world, it’s known as the the light age or the light period.
So in the in the period of light or which which this period right now is known as the period of light. And we have we have met with the teachings of the Buddha and this is the time we should practice well. So if we to look ourselves then the negative actions or the non virtuous action that we have accumulated is is very vast like ocean. And and the virtue that we have accumulated is is very little like on the tip of the grass. So, though we have met at this time with the holy teachings, with the Dharma teachings, if one to compare one’s actions of body, speech and mind with the Buddhist teachings, like the teachings of Sūtra and the other treaties.
If one to compare or if one to check one’s behavior with the advisers of the teachings, then it shows that our positive actions or virtuous actions which our body of speech might have collected is very poor or very little and shows that our negative actions are very strong. So as example, if if one have one a worse enemy, then to defeat that worse enemy, you first need to know when the enemy will come to you or towards you and you also have to know what powers the other enemy have. If you don’t know this, then no way you can defeat the enemies? So so if one is to know when the enemy will come, the time, and also knows what powers the enemies have, then then one can prepare from beforehand, like, some help from some other other some other people or anyone and and prepare oneself. So so similar to that, our worst enemy which we had from from our past life, this life to future life is the karma and the delusions which is the one which makes us the suffering of the lower realms.
And it’s definite that we have to go through these sufferings. So, like, we are next month will come first or or our death will come first. We are we we don’t know that. We are like yeah. It’s something hidden to us.
So so then when when say, like, when the death appears, then then then when someone who who can protect one from these sufferings of the lower realms. So one one seek refuge or one luka for someone who can protect one from the suffering of lower realms, and that one who can do that is the the refuge object, Buddha. And Buddha is one who is free of all faults or mistakes and and achieved all the qualities. So so then that refuge object, Buddha, is the one which who is ordered for us to seek refuge in. And that there are four reasons which is given in the last teaching.
So which there’s those four reasons. The first reason is that the Buddha is free of all fears. And second reason is that Buddha is one who who is skillful in freeing others from all types of fears. And and and having loving kindness or compassion towards towards all all sentient beings, not having the thought of, I would say, near and far. And and another reason is that Buddha is one who works for all.
Not that helps to one who helped and how not to help helping those who who didn’t help, but helps all sentient beings. So the last teaching, we shall explain the first reason how Buddha is free Buddha himself is free of all faults that’s been explained last time. So Buddha himself is free of all fears, which is free of all internal fears which is what do you call free from the fears of four demons. That is the internal fears. And one because one is free from the fear of the four demons of the internal one, that mean that means it also the Buddha is free of all external fears.
And then the second one is that the Buddha is a skillful in freeing others from all types of fears. So now that Buddha Buddha being Buddha himself being free of all fears and Buddha is being Buddha being skillful in freeing others from all types of fear. How how one can prove this is that through studying this history and also through studying the texts like the sūtra and the different texts. So those are those are treatise or the sūtra teachings to whom which we should rely is those of those past, those which are composed in the past. Not just taking as some books which is which is composed in present.
Not only this, I wanna have to rely on those treatise or the teachings of the past. So the reason why we should rely on an earlier text is that in the past when they when they to compose a text, my the person whoever is composing has to have the three necessary causes. So the three causes or necessary causes is that the composer, whoever maybe should have unbroken explanation of commentary or the teachings from the Buddha. And then second cause or second necessity is that the composer should have, let’s say, should have a vision or have spoken to their own meditational deities. And then the third necessity is that the composer should be, I would say, well mastered in in five five different knowledge or five science.
So so those are the past masters who who have composed the text. All of them have these three necessary causes. And like in India, there are many pandits who have composed different texts. And similarly in Tibet, those different masters of four different schools who have composed, how to say, different text. And relying on those texts that one come to prove that the Buddha is free of all fears.
Oh, yes. Free of all fears. So so the the second what’s the reason that or that how Buddha is a skillful in freeing all sentient being other from all types of fear is that that as an example, like, even if oneself is free of all all types of fear, if one if if one likes this quality of freeing others from all types of fear, then for example, like like it’s a mother. Say, like, if there’s a mother and a child, and if the child is drowning and the mother is mother has no hands or handicapped, then even the mother sees the child drowning, she can’t she can’t do anything because she have no hands. Yes?
So so but Buddha is one who is skillful in freeing others from all types of fear. And one of the one of the reason is that that let’s say, Buddha is very skillful in freeing others from all fears, which one of the stories that the person so called Angulimala is known as a very, very, I’d say, very, who is possessive or who is known as very angry person or who have killed like nine ninety nine people. And and and then and which by killing those people right here, have accumulated great heavy negative actions. But through the skillful means of the Buddha that later Angulimala was a was became ordained as a monk. And and then finally, Buddha led him also to to the state of arhats.
And similarly, that stories that how Buddha, how to say, subdued person with great pride. And that’s one of the one of the kings. Kings. It’s known as Jetsün Milarepa. He’s known as very proud.
He’s one of the expert in playing as a lute. And and Buddha Buddha manifested himself also a player, lute player, and then and subdued his pride to competing in. And and, also, there is there is female who is known as, in this story, as, and in this story, says that she has five hundred children. And the story related to her is that that in that village, she she used to take care of this baby and eat like like a cannibal. Yeah.
So so, again, through the means of Buddha, that Buddha is a hide the the youngest baby of that mother that that woman who eats those cannibals and hide the baby in in his back and forth. So so then she she was looking for the baby everywhere and didn’t found. And then finally, she came to Buddha and asked. And Buddha told her that saying, you have many kids, many two many children. Why you you worry of losing one?
And she said to to Buddha that because though she had many other child, this one which is which she lost is also one who who whom she gave birth to. And because of that, she she she was very sad, and that’s what she told to Buddha. So so then and then Buddha told her that saying, if if you’re feeling very sad of losing your child, one one child, then then why do you do this? Then you go into the village and take others baby and eat? If you do that, the other parents, whoever that child belongs to might go through the same sadness and same sadness like you do and explain this to the mother.
Finally, to Buddha’s skillful means that she decided not to take babies or kill babies take babies from other villagers. So so then similarly, there are other histories that one one with a great ignorance known as Lamchung who was known as the most ignorant one. And Lam Chum too through Buddhist skillful means that he was led to the state of ārya, to the to the state of superior beings. So and I can similar this the history is that one of the one of the householders during the time of Ānanda, the disciple householder came to Ānanda and asked him to be ordained. And then when Ānanda when Ānanda analyzed the person to his clairvoyance, how much merit he had, whether he has enough merit to become ordained or not.
And and and on the through through Ānanda’s clairvoyance, he didn’t see any not any merit for that householder to be become ordained. So then that householder went to went to Buddha and and through Buddha’s clairvoyance, Buddha can see one of the householder’s past life when he was a insect ant. During that time, he was that ant was like just climbing on a stick, a piece of wood and which which that stick being washed away by water. And somehow the water was like washed around a stupa one time. And and saw that he had a little merit from going around the stupa.
So there’s a a little merit for for him to go towards the path of liberation. So so so that he was then ordained, yeah, ordained. So so similar to these stories, there are others which most of the beings who have very heavy negative karmas which might lead them in their next life to the lower realms. But through Buddha’s mind. He sees the suffering of these beings and through his skillful means he he leads them from that state of sufferings.
He frees them from that state of sufferings. So so he frees those sentient being even even sentient beings that they don’t, like, ask him to help. So then thirdly then the third reason is that he have compassion towards all sentient beings. So so the great compassion that Buddha has towards all sentient being and that the great compassion that Buddha has, he he he has is towards all sentient beings and that that compassion that he has is, what is it, to to all sentient beings, not not only to those who are close one close ones. So if if one don’t have that great compassion, which is towards all sentient beings, then then one won’t help those who who who brings harm to one.
Buddha don’t have this thought of near and far. He has his compassion towards all sentient beings without the thought of near and far. So he works for all sentient being. Even the worst, what is it, the worst enemies or worst one who competes who competes him not only in this life but in all the lives, all the past lives. The person known as So is not related to Buddha also.
Buddha. Yeah. It’s also did very heavy, you know, would say, he accumulated very heavy negative actions heinous crimes. So there are many other, like, histories of the past in in their past lives, and Geshe-la said he would give a short one. So there was a king and who has five son, and all the sons were were married.
So so so then all the all the sons were married. Yeah. And and finally, that the son and the father didn’t get along. And all the all the five sons, they left the kingdom. So so while they left when they left the kingdom together with their wives and and finally, they come they because they are all together, they have problem with food.
They don’t have enough food to eat. And and then those five brothers, they decided they they decided or they had a meeting where they decided to, what to say, to kill their wives and eat. So so when they decided that the youngest the brothers said that’s not not right. Killing human generally, killing human being is not right and especially killing one’s wife is is not right action. So so he took her wife and and went away from them.