Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 29-minute teaching on the Graduated Path, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen illustrates why Buddhas work for all sentient beings through a narrative about a king who gives his blood and flesh to his suffering wife, then unknowingly encounters her again after she betrays him. Using this tale, he explains how such impartial compassion contrasts with ordinary human tendency to help only those who benefit us. He then addresses the four obstacles in practice: delusion, the lord of death, the aggregates, and attachment. The session includes questions from practitioners and concludes with a Tibetan saying about preserving spiritual knowledge.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 04 GP 1996 02 04.mp3
UUID: 00928f63-f794-4b6e-9422-c022b4df9285
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Graduated Path (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1996-02-04
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 29.2 minutes
Words: ~1,727
So so then because the the a place where they both food, food, to drink. And when when he sees his wife thirsty, he he gave his own blood. And when he sees his wife hungry, he gave his flesh to him. So so then while they travel along and to the the good karma of that king that they came to a place a place where where you can find many foods and many food different food. So so then when they came to that place, there was also a river nearby, and then that and the his youngest brother saw that a person who who have no legs and no arms, which has been drowning in the wall in the in that river.
And and the king that youngest one, he has great compassion. Through his great compassion, he couldn’t be so he he saved that that that that person and and gave food and drink. Young the king and the his wife and the this the person with no arms and legs, they lived together. And and it happened that the person Molian, happened to sleep with with with which is to sleep with her. And and and and then they both decided to to to kill the king.
If they don’t, then they won’t be able to stay live together. So so then they they they tried to kill the king, and they set a plan to kill the king. So and then she she pretended that she’s she’s a headache and and told and then pretended that she is having a headache. And and then the king came and asked the queen the queen saying that, what can I do for you? And and then the the one, she said that when I was young, when I had this kind of headache, my mother used to, like, get the the dirt from the stone or, I don’t know, maybe the salt from the store, and then and then take that and that clears my my headache.
So so then, like, the dirt on this on the on the on the stones, like, there was a big rocky mountain there on that that side. And and then she told the king, okay. Go there. Climb that rock and then get the dirt from there, and then then that will help me get rid of my my headache. So then they got a rope, and then the the king climbed down to get to get the goods from that rock.
And and suddenly then then then they let the let loose the rope where the then the king fell down down with this big river or ocean. He fell into ocean, and then the river washed the king to the other side of the shore. So so the king didn’t die there, but was taken to the other shore of the river and where then he continued his journey and came to another village where that time, there was the there was another king on that village, and his son the king had a son who died and they need someone to to to take over the kingdom. And then through the story that they found that person that king who also is a is a son of another king, and they took him as they they they appointed him as the king in that belief. So so then then those two is the wife and the person with no limbs are still behind the way that placed because of their karma that they can there’s not not much food foods to eat.
And finally, had to leave that place. And then when they are going to different place, the wife carried the the person without the link and went into the village for begging food. So so so they traveled in the village and and all all the village telling different stories and how they they and and how how their his limbs got chopped and so on. And then they came finally, they came to the to the in front of the king. So so that through the from the story that they told in the village, that all the villagers were very surprised and they those two became quite well known in the village.
And and also all the ministers and people that requested the king to come and see them. And the beginning, king didn’t want to go, but because of the request made by those other ministers that finally the king went to see see them. So so so then the king asked to the to the woman saying that, is that who you you are carrying? Is that Is that that is the is that the youngest son of the five brothers? Then she said, yes.
And then he continue asking, is is he the one who gave you, like, blood when you are thirsty and gave in the meat when you are hungry. And then and then asked her again saying when you are having a headache, whom you took down from the from the Rocky Mountain? Is that the king that you’re carrying? So so so then then finally, she found out there was the king who was asking her all these questions, one of his her husband. And and then and then she was really I wanna say, she was very very ashamed of what what she did.
And then then finally, all the villagers knew what hap what what happened. And then they they kicked her out from that village. Oh, And and this this woman is one of the past life of the Devadatta that the the Buddhist are relate related one who defeated all the time to Buddha. So so Buddha the one Buddha for Buddha works for both, for everyone, which works one of his enemies, the Devadatta and his own son called Rahula. Both both of them he works for both of them.
Yeah. So it’s another history that Devadatta used to always compete Buddha, and during the time of Buddha when Buddha was quite strong in his youth, that Devadatta wants to compete him in his strength. And at that time, there were like some kind of medicine or pills that you eat to become strong. And because he couldn’t he didn’t he couldn’t digest the medicine that he he became ill. So that pill which is like taking out all the essence of different types of medicines and mix it together and become put into a bottle, a bottle and that’s what the pill is made out of So so while his Devadatta was ill, Buddha took took the power of his true prayer that he he he cured his illness.
And then the next what’s the reason that Buddha works for all, whether they have benefited or not? So so that this is also very important that say if one if one is not for everyone whether they have benefited or not, then like when one come little rich and when one have good reputation. Then at that time, one tried to, I would say, ignore those who are who are poor and and one who, yeah, one who are one who are poor. So so it’s something like what we normally do that if we happen to be a little rich and little rich among the rich people then when we see someone very poor, dressed very bad and poor and the other rich ones who are dressed well and rich dressed well. To them to one who are dressed well and rich, we shake our hands and but the poor one, we ignore.
And and similarly, we we help those who have helped us, but don’t do anything or don’t help those who didn’t help one. So so then Buddha Śākyamūni or or the rest of the Buddhas are sorry. Not like that. And which are which are Buddhas are one who work for all all all sentient beings, whether they have benefited or not, or whether they seek refuge in them or not, they they are one who benefits all. So the qualities of the Buddha is one that who who who have no thought of near and far or have compassion towards all and who works for all which whether they have benefited or not and especially who who works like those sentient beings who are in in poor conditions.
So so then Buddha, one of whom who have these qualities to to him seek refuge and before seeking refuge into into these objects or to these Buddhists. He will explain the qualities of their their body, speech, mind in in next teaching. So that Vishnu will explain the qualities of Buddha’s body, speech, and mind in his teachings. So in between here, do some question and answer. It’s one of the Buddhist Shakyam in his past life.
So the fear of four types of demons. The fear of, you know, delusions, the fear of the lord of death, And then the fear of, what do call, the and the fear of the aggregates. So these are also known as the four demons or the four types of demons. So just to explain the rest to the Lord of Death is the death. So the fear of delusion delusions is the one the karma and and the delusion which which act as for the cause of saṃsāra.
So the demon of the aggregates, that is this aggregate which we have which is the the result or the result of common delusion. Slightly Or it’s also known as the the the pervasive suffering. So so the demons of Devaputra, that is that it is like attachment. And these are the four. Yeah.
Yes. You remember what are the four right now? Yeah. Yeah. I did.
Yeah. So there’s a saying back in Tibet, which is a saying that the person one who goes and perform poojis in different places. His his knowledge the knowledge he had is is a bundle that he carries in his bag. And if that bundle is, what is it, dispersed, then he loses his quality. So so I guess he was saying, no.
He had this his bundle is loosened. Yeah, yeah. You have other question? Stop here. And