Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 45-minute session, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen explores the qualities of Buddha that form the foundation for refuge practice, as taught in the Graduated Path. He begins with why we seek refuge—to escape the sufferings of lower realms and saṃsāra—and emphasizes the commitment to never abandon the refuge vows. He then concentrates on Buddha’s compassion, contrasting the Buddha’s universal, unconditional loving-kindness toward all beings, even those who attempt harm, with our own limited, self-interested compassion that depends on circumstances and past relationships. Using examples from classical texts, he illustrates how Buddha’s compassion is always present, regardless of whether beings are suffering. The teaching then turns to Buddha’s activity, explained through nine analogies—from the reflections of Indra on water to the moon appearing in any clean vessel—showing how Buddha’s enlightened activity naturally benefits all sentient beings without effort. Designed for practitioners following a structured path of study and meditation.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 09 GP 1996 02 25.mp3
UUID: b7d92da0-d93a-42b2-a23d-466545e2be37
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Graduated Path (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1996-02-25
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 44.6 minutes
Words: ~2,299
So quoting a line from teaching. In his teaching, the advice is that one should never break the advice or the commitment of refuge. So with us, there’s nothing certain that we won’t take rebirth into lower realms in our next life. So we’re not certain that we are free from the suffering of lower realms. So to become free from the sufferings of three lower realms, they are the refuge object where we should seek refuge in Buddha and request him to teach the method which can free one from the fear of saṃsāra and especially the lower realms.
And then, again, similarly, seeking refuge in Dharma which is the actual method which frees one from the fear of saṃsāra, especially from the lower realms. And similarly, seek refuge in Sangha, which is making request to all the Sanghas to continuously accompany one along the path. So as one is seeking refuge in this refuge object, one should never break the advices or the commitments relating to refuge objects. So living with commitment of refuge, which is as Tsongkhapa advises, living with or being aware of one’s virtuous actions and thinking or contemplating the benefits of positive action and thinking the disadvantages or the faults of negative actions or contemplating on that is what living with the commitment of refuge. So that’s what advises us saying that I, as a practitioner or a yogi who did that practice.
And if you are seeking liberation, should do likewise. So to follow that or to follow the advice of Tsongkhapa, one first generates faith in the refuge object and generating faith in the refuge object by knowing the qualities of the refuge object such as the Buddha and Sangha, the qualities of body, speech, and mind. And on the basis of that, then setting up this motivation that to know all those qualities, should rely on scriptural text, scriptures, which right now here is the Lamrim teachings. And without understanding the explanation of Lamrim, I won’t be able to understand the qualities of the Buddha, the body, speech, and mind of the Buddha or the refuge object. So to understand the quality, I will listen to Lamrim teaching, setting up this motivation. And then with that setting up this motivation, do short meditation.
So just past Sunday, Geshe-la explained briefly the qualities of the Buddha, the physical qualities and the speech qualities of the Buddha. And today, Geshe-la will explain the qualities that Buddha have, like loving kindness quality or the compassion. And then next, the qualities of Dharma refuge and the qualities of Sangha refuge.
So the quality of loving kindness in Buddha, which is the quality of loving kindness of the Buddha, which is explained by the seventh Dalai Lama, where Dalai Lama said that even out of hatred or anger, some people someone to hate or to bring harm to Buddha. So who even tried to kill him, to that even to that person who tried to kill him, Buddha has compassion towards that being, that sentient being, which is similar compassion or loving kindness that he had towards his own child. So that is the type of compassion that Buddha have or loving kindness. Also, we when we look into ourselves, we tend to think or we hold ourselves very precious.
So, everyone cherishes themselves. There’s no one who doesn’t cherish themselves or they don’t see everyone sees themselves as precious one, and there’s no one who doesn’t see in that way. So that cherishing oneself. And if you compare that cherishing oneself with Buddha’s compassion towards other sentient beings, then it’s not even a part which can compare Buddha’s compassion or loving kindness towards other beings.
So in the text called Praise of Aryas. So in that text, it says that if you love yourself, if you have the thought of loving kindness towards yourself, then you should do something which that you don’t have to experience sufferings in the future life. So that’s what you should do if you have a loving kindness towards yourself. So as all the people, we do have everyone, we do have loving kindness towards ourselves. But of all those people, somewhat more than eighty percent of them, they don’t do anything for their future life or next life. They are completely involved in the happiness of this very life. So if one is to compare these two love and compassion, love and compassion that we have towards ourselves and the love and compassion that Buddha have towards other sentient beings. If one is to compare these two compassion, then there’s no way one can compare compassion, this compassion towards oneself with the compassion of Buddha, with the compassion that Buddha has towards other sentient beings.
So we do meditate on compassion, and we do meditation on bodhicitta. But our compassion meditation on compassion is only to some which is that we generate compassion towards other sentient beings when we see those other sentient beings are actually suffering. And the other time when some sentient beings are not suffering, at that time, we don’t generate or we don’t have that compassion. So our compassion is something limited which we have only to some, not to all. And another thing, the compassion that we have is we can meditate compassion or we have compassion towards those who have benefited one. And even we feel compassion sometimes towards some sentient beings which have we have never given any harm or help. But then when we see our enemies or those who have given harm to one, going through sufferings. Then to them, we don’t generate compassion. We don’t our compassion doesn’t come towards those beings. Instead, one might feel like one might rejoice or feel happy that they are suffering.
So with both Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, when they see sentient beings, that sentient being is suffering one of the three types of sufferings. So as soon as they see sentient beings, there’s this compassion arises in them. So they are able to see that or able to generate compassion towards any sentient beings because they have trained not only on the path but before they entered into the path, they have trained on this practice. So, and similarly in another text called a Hundred and Fifty Verses.
In that text too, Buddha says that sentient beings are continuously or always bound by three poisons. So as the beings are continuously bound by the three poison, similar to that Buddha’s compassion continually surrounds all sentient beings. So this is, I would say, a short quality of Buddha’s loving kindness.
So then next is the qualities of Buddha’s activity. And this the quality of activities is explained under nine with giving nine examples or nine analogies. So this qualities of Buddha’s activity is explained by giving nine examples in the text called the Uttaratantra. So as the god Indra when the shadow of the body of the god Indra reflects on the surface, the lower level gods, they see the reflections of Indra’s body, and then they admire that and then they want to achieve that quality and they put effort into achieving that quality. So like that, as an example, they got how the lower level gods see the qualities of the higher, the Indra. Similar to that, by sentient beings seeing the qualities of Buddha’s body, that of thirty-two signs and eighty marks, seeing that admire the quality and seek to achieve those qualities and engage in these different practices, the practice of accumulation and purification.
So on the surface of, I would say, a surface which is covered with lapis lazuli, which where the reflections of the Indra reflect and it’s seen by the other gods, the lower level of gods where they admire and they seek that quality and try to achieve those qualities. And similar to that, sentient beings on the pure basis of sentient beings, that is the faith in the Buddha, on the basis of that, I would say, on the basis of that, seeking the qualities of Buddhas and engaging in this practice, engaging in this practice of accumulation and purification. It is what is known as the qualities of Buddha’s activity.
So then the second example is the drum, the big drum in the land of thirty-three. Land of thirty-three, that’s the gods’ realm where there’s a special drum which arises or can exist through the karma and the merits of those gods there. So that drum, there’s no one who beats the drum but it just makes a sound which in this sound gives Dharma teachings, which is Dharma teachings to these different gods and then leads them to the liberation. So similar to that example that Buddha doesn’t need to put any effort for performing something. So then similar to that, without any effort, Buddha’s teaching or his word arrives to all beings with great merit. To those with great merit, they receive it as a Dharma teachings. So receiving that as Dharma teachings is one of the, again, qualities of Buddha’s activity.
So then third example is used as a cloud, which clouds are which gathers and which makes the rain. The rain which then helps grow all the plants and the grasses and ripens the food. And similar to that, by the teachings of the Buddha which ripens or increases the virtue among the sentient beings. And ripens the virtue of the sentient beings. That itself is the quality of Buddha’s activity.
And then Buddha, with his physical manifestation, forming different miracles, teaching Dharma to sentient beings. So, Buddha can manifest into infinite bodies according to the numbers of sentient beings and perform or help the sentient beings. And that is the qualities of the activity of Buddha’s body.
And then quality of Buddha’s speech, the activity of Buddha’s speech, which is in front of sentient beings, teaching the Dharma. And then the qualities of the activity of Buddha’s mind, which is the concentration. So the concentration which is the concentration that is known as the undefiled concentration. So undefiled concentration or concentration which is free of delusion. So, that is the concentration which Buddha taught and that is the concentration which frees one from delusion. So, that concentration which is taught or shown to the followers, that concentration which has been shown to the followers and that concentration which frees one from delusion.
So for us, we too have to benefit the other sentient beings or the other trainees which one way of benefiting is that by showing Dharma and first just to motivate oneself to teach or show Dharma teachings, one has to put some effort. So even on those bodhisattvas on the path up to eight, up to eighth ground. They need the coarse effort to set the motivation to teach the Dharma or benefit the sentient beings.
So then from above the eighth ground, those bodhisattvas of the ninth and tenth, they don’t need the gross effort to set up their motivation to benefit other sentient beings, but they rely still on the subtle effort. So then the activity of Buddha is something that as example, like the moon, the reflections of the moon. That if the water is still and clean, wherever it may be, even in the dew on the tip of a grass. If it’s still and clean, then you see the reflection of moon there too. So wherever there’s water which is clean and undisturbed, you see the reflection of the moon. And similar to that, the Buddha’s activity shines to all beings.