Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen shows in this 45-minute teaching that virtue’s power to mature into enlightenment depends entirely on motivation. He opens with karma, demonstrating that virtue aimed only at this life bears little fruit, while virtue directed toward future lives becomes a genuine foundation. Using the striking image of a jewel island, he illustrates that we should gather virtues, not return carrying sand. The core unfolds through analysis: only a Buddha can help others perfectly, so we must recognize the two root obstructions to enlightenment—self-grasping and self-cherishing—and exchange self-concern for concern for all beings. Finally, he introduces the six causes of delusions, emphasizing how reading misleading teachings and habituation to negative states perpetuate them. Pitched at practitioners already engaged with Buddhist study.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 33 GP 1996 07 07.mp3
UUID: 7d808c30-06ed-4f67-82b0-81a4abc067b5
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Graduated Path (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1996-07-07
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.8 minutes
Words: ~2,608
Quoting a line from the sūtra that the sūtra had ex explains how how karma works. How karma makes us experience the happiness and suffering. So most of you would know how karma works and to explain this just to make sure and for some it might be beneficial. So so as in the world that we experience many different kinds of karmas, which some as pleasure, some as sufferings. So all these experiences that we have in saṃsāra, is it caused by one karma or different karmas?
Then each experience is caused by individual karmas such as happiness is caused by virtuous karma and suffering is caused by non virtuous karma. So, as a, as a being experiencing, is the result of, sorry, the result of karma, which is happiness and sufferings. It’s not that that a creator or someone who created that. And but as Buddha the Buddha have explained in in his teachings saying that the karma of individual ones make us experience these, so to say, these different experiences. So say if all the experience that we have that have happiness and suffering are created by someone, then then this this doesn’t work or this doesn’t make sense, which that in some time as long as it’s sentient being, everyone, every sentient being wishes happiness and all don’t want suffering.
So so because of this case that if it’s created by someone, then why created for someone to have happiness and for someone to have suffering. So all this result that we experience is because of karma. And karma, there are various karma. So because of this, there is many karma that there are various types of sentient beings. So, at present, with us, we born in the upper realms.
And among the upper realms, we are born in the Jambudvipa continent. And and plus, we have achieved this precious human body where we also have met with the teachings of the Buddha. So as sorry. And Buddhism or the teachings of the Buddha, if one had the wisdom to analyze, then you can analyze to its very depth. And similarly, if you know how to explain, then you can give all the very detailed explanations of it.
So, if one is to analyze the teachings of Buddha, then one can analyze to its depth which where there is no point where we say is created by Buddha, like created by refuge or it’s created by the god. So there is no such a point. So so we the president, we had met that kind of teachings. So it so it’s like meeting with these teachings. It’s like once I’ve been in the midst of a Jew land, a land of Jews.
So, as we have, at this point, we are in this continent, sorry, in the island where there are lot of jewels, jewel island. But then, we are there now and if we are to return back, go back carrying a bag of sand, then getting what we bring in this jewel island doesn’t work. So so as I think in the jewel island, we can we should pick the jewels as much as possible. That as example. And by meeting with the teachings of the Buddha, we should collect virtuous action as much as possible.
So our actions become spiritual or not, it depends upon our motivation. So if you have to do virtuous actions, mainly aiming with the motive to this very life, to benefit to this very life, then though it is a virtuous action, the result is very difficult to experience. We’re not sure whether one will experience the result of that virtuous action in this life or not. So because it is aimed at virtue and aimed for this life, one doesn’t experience in this life, then no one can experience in the future life because it’s aimed for this life. So when you do a virtuous action for this very life, it’s very difficult for one to experience the result of that virtuous action in this very life and there’s no way one can experience in the future life because it’s aimed for this life.
So to experience the result of the virtuous action, it has to be aimed or done for the sake of our future lives. Contemplating on these that one should aim or one should act in whatever one is possible, whatever is possible that one should do it for the sake of our future life. So so if that virtuous action, if if it is done mainly to achieve personal liberation, then or mainly done for once one second for the future, then it becomes a cause for the achievement of hearers and Pratyekabuddha’ state. So so if one is to perform these virtuous actions like for others sake, thinking that just doing for one’s own sake alone is not sufficient, I should do for the sake of others. So, the others are same as one where they also wish happiness and they don’t want sufferings.
So, contemplating like this and if one is to do for the sake of others. So, and if one wishes to enjoy the result of those virtuous actions endlessly, like if one wishes to enjoy those results endlessly, then those virtuous actions should be conjoined with bodhicitta? So, as Geshe-la explained, three levels or three types of motivations, which are performing virtuous actions in order to achieve the higher result in one’s future or performing these virtuous actions in order to achieve personal liberation. That’s the second one. Finally, again, these virtuous actions for the liberation of oneself and others.
So if one is to perform virtuous action with these motivations, then So either we to experience the result of virtuous action, we we need either of these three motivations. Any of these three motivations. So as said in his teaching, that if if our virtuous action is not conjoined with with the mind with the with enlightened mind or bodhicitta, then it doesn’t become a cause of excellent virtue. So, the excellent virtue or the excellent happiness Here referring to the Mahāyāna liberation or Mahāyāna enlightenment Mahāyāna enlightened mind which, for example, in order to lead also into the enlightened state, seeking the path or following the path. So so the bodhicitta doesn’t come out of without any cause and conditions.
It should it’s it needs to generate bodhicitta. We need to to have its cause and causes and conditions. So there are many ways that one can meditate on bodhicitta. So before doing the meditation on bodhicitta, one should first analyze one should analyze I should walk for the sake of others because we are a Mahāyānist practitioner. So, analyzing more whether one can not being artificial health but whether one can do actual, I would say, a practical actual health or not like analyzing this.
So, whether one can perform a perfect health to others or not. And if not, if one cannot perform a perfect health for others, then checking who can perform that. So, in order to become perfect in helping others, first oneself has to be perfected in those actions or those activities. And then one performs one works for others in those activities. So the only one who can perform the health perfectly for the sake of others is the Buddha.
So so there’s only the enlightened beings or the Buddha is one who can perform the work for the sake of others. And now analyzing again whether that enlightened state is possible for one or not. So whether it is that state possible for one or not, then it is possible for one to achieve that state. So one of the things that interrupts in between is those different observations such as the delusions and the obstruction to omniscient mind. These are the twenty two which obstructs one from achieving that So, analyzing in this way which these are the two like obstructions that obstructs one from achieving that state, that fully enlightened state.
So if you analyze these obstructions or the interruptions to then it is the ignorance of grasping, that is what obstructs one. The ignorance of grasping or the self-cherishing mind is what obstructs one from achieving that state. So, all the obstructions or the interruptions are rooted to this self-cherishing mind or the self grasping mind, the ignorant self grasping mind. So thinking that from beginning last time up to now I have cherished, cherished, I have this self grasping mind or the self-cherishing mind and this is what caused me to circle in saṃsāra up to now. Up to now I have ignored others.
I have never cherished others. And because of that would say circled in saṃsāra. And from now on, like changing these two thoughts of the mind where instead of cherishing oneself, like putting all the efforts that one can and try to cherish others instead of one. And so if one is able to cherish others, then gradually possible for one to achieve that state which Buddha and Sargad achieved. So, ask Geshe-la to just explain all this.
You have time to do meditations on bodhicitta before doing meditation on bodhicitta, analyzing in the same manner as Geshe-la just explained. Not just, what is it, if one is to do like a meditation on bodhicitta and before that is to prepare oneself to do the meditation. If one is to meditate on śamatha and then later one want to engage in bodhicitta. That meditation or bodhicitta doesn’t become so strong. But make one’s meditation on bodhicitta strong, the one is to go through explanation the speech like which whether this fully enlightened state is possible or not for one.
And if possible, what are these obstructions that obstructs one from achieving that state. And analyzing whether those obstructions are there within one or not, within others or not. And this way, if you analyze and if you do the meditation on bodhicitta, then it becomes, I would say, the meditation becomes more stronger. So, So Geshe-la is saying that we do short meditation here that I listen to this teaching to lead all, let’s say, infinite sentient being to the enlightened state. So, generating this mind and we do short meditation.
What? She was saying, it’s better we do short meditations. So it’s like saying that we don’t have time to explain the teachings in very detail. So, as last time, this will explain the six causes of delusions, how how delusion is caused caused. And of those six causes, three of them and the first three has been explained.
And today, start we will start from the fourth. So so the fourth cause of delusions is, what is it, reading like incorrect sutras or incorrect teachings which causes delusions. So when when you say incorrect teaching reading incorrect teachings, which means that, it doesn’t mean that if we do read, for example, teachings of different religion, the books which explain different religious teachings, that doesn’t mean like a what do say? That doesn’t mean it doesn’t mean that. So so here, the like in Tibet, for example, there are many books which tells the stories.
For example, the the stories of the king. So so in the Lamyang teaching, it explains that like reading those those stories of Ling Gesar, it also causes one to generate delusions such as attachment or anger. And also those teachings or the text which explains which causes us to generate attachment. Attachment. Such as teachings or the books that explains like, sexual embrace, like, sexual embracing or sexual intercourse.
Such as those books on, what do call, on sex and the stories of Ling Gesar and those books which causes one to generate attachment and anger. These are which books are not to read. And if one is to read those then it causes one for some attachment, some hatred, and so on. Avoiding reading these books and instead of that, I like reading the biography of different masters and their explanation or the teachings. If one is to read these then it is also very pleasant and one accumulates merits and leaves good imprints in one’s mind.
So so also, like, if if, say, one is following a Buddhist then then, instead of reading Buddhist books, if one put those books, which are excellent Buddhist teaching on the side and reads the teachings of different religions, and if you generate faith and belief into it, then, again, that’s what is it? That’s the explain us wrong. But but then reading those different religious books, if it is aimed to to to see the qualities of those religious head or religious leaders, then for that purpose, if one is to read, then there’s, again, no no false or mistakes. So and also, like, when when there’s a big gatherings, like, yeah, public gatherings where people talk many different things such as talk like, discussing about war and so on. These these also causes one to generate delusions.
So so so these are also explained as the cause of delusions. So so then going to the fifth cause, which is known as the familiarity with delusions. More or more more one become familiar with delusions, it again causes other delusions. So, as the Katana masters says that if one is very familiar with such different delusions, then even if one is in a, let’s say, indifferent state of mind, these delusions influence one because of one’s familiarity with the with the delusions. Whichever delusion that one is more familiar with in our past life makes easier for one to generate the that type of religion in this life.
So, we can see this among us, among sentient beings, which for some, just seeing even for small things, easily get attached to those things. And for some, even some for few little words get angry, and these shows that one has this similarity in the past lives to these different set of And also for such like sometimes our anger can be caused by different state of sickness. But sometimes for some people very easily getting angry like short-tempered person saying word or two gets very angry. And these two, I would say, shows that one have great familiarity with anger in one’s past life. So so again, like, one one come to have angers because of different sicknesses.
I mean, are what do you say? These anger arises because of sickness. So so this different state of delusion arises because of one’s familiarity with this state of delusion. So to to to stop these delusions, what one can do is applying, what is it, antidotes against against these delusions. So such as attachment, for example, if you don’t stop, but instead if you think other reasons why you are attached to the object, then it increases the degree of attachment towards it and becomes bigger.
The attachment becomes bigger and as it grows bigger, it causes one or it leads one towards those objects. So the attachment, it says it is is inherently incorrect mind or incorrect mind which we exaggerate the, we exaggerate its quality. When we see an object, not we want to see the quality of that particular object but we exaggerate the quality of the object and get attached to it. So so so so it said that that this is attachment is incorrect state of mind. So next call is the sixth one.
So so now the sixth cause is engaging with each delusions, whatever delusion.