Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 46-minute teaching, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen unpacks the seven cause-and-effect instructions for generating bodhicitta, the precious mind that is the heart of Mahāyāna practice. He establishes why bodhicitta matters — it transforms any practice into genuine Buddhist work — then walks methodically through the foundational steps: equanimity toward all beings, recognizing them as one’s mother (an insight he notes is harder than realizing emptiness), remembering their kindness across lifetimes, and repaying it through a vivid example of all beings as a blind mother walking toward a cliff. He turns finally to meditating on love and compassion as natural fruits of these practices. For Lamrim practitioners building a firm foundation for Mahāyāna commitment.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 35 GP 1996 07 14.mp3
UUID: 4b37a194-c1d6-4a65-8090-d5b754a88661
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Graduated Path (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1996-07-14
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.9 minutes
Words: ~2,805
So as quoting a line from the guide to do a bodhisattva’s life that in those four lines, it explains the benefits of bodhisattva bodhicitta. So in those line, how it says that whoever whoever is to generate this mind, that is bodhicitta, this precious mind, the object of our object where we pay our homage to. So whoever have generated this mind, even that person if one is to as a answer to our harm. Provide us happiness and they lead us towards the the liberation, which is the state of happiness. Yeah.
That is where it leads us to. So this bodhicitta is also known as the precious mind. So so just like a it is given this term for the precious or precious stones which are or the jewel. So so as if we have a jewel, then that can save us from poverty. So similar to to that, if one have this mind bodhicitta, then it gives us all the happiness that of the short term and that of the long term ultimate happiness.
So if our practice is conjoined with this mind, then it becomes a Dharma practice and it becomes Buddhadharma practice. So we do these different practices such as reciting mantras, visualizing deities, and so on. But if these practices are conjoined with this mind, the precious mind bodhicitta, then one receives great benefit out of out of that. So so this precious mind doesn’t come out of out of nothing. It needs we need to collect its causes and conditions in order to generate this mind.
So so so we have to rely on instructions how to generate this mind and those instructions are known as the seven cause and effect advice or instructions, and and those are also another advice which is known as the equalizing and exchanging self with others. Relying on these instructions, we come to generate this mind. And so and we do, we generate this mind for the sake of others. And to be able to generate this mind, we have to to be able to generate this mind within one’s mind is trained because we have to know how to do this how to do this and listen to the instructions. So setting up this mind that I I listen to these instructions how to generate this mind for the sake of others and setting this mind and we do short So today, I will explain the path that is followed by the greatest scope or the being of the greatest scope.
So so the all the practices of the greatest scope, if one is to summarize, then can be summarized into these three parts, which is which is the first part, which is the bodhicitta, which is known as the, let’s say, the entrance to Mahāyāna and and how bodhicitta is method or the the way how bodhicitta is generated. That’s the second. And third, how how it is trained? How we trained on bodhicitta? So, you know, in these three points of of the Mahāyāna’s teachings.
Can you summarize? So so the the teachings on the great scope, the path that is followed by the great being on the great scope is is very, very extensive, very long. But he was saying that we we only have two more days to go on on these teachings. That today, will explain briefly on the seven cause and effect instructions. How that is how how to generate this mind.
And next week, Geshe-la will explain again the the other method, which is equalizing and exchanging oneself with others here. So the first point which is bodhicitta, the entrance to Mahāyāna and its benefit which Geshe-la won’t be explaining on that part. And so so now the second, those two methods of generating the bodhicitta. And usually when you when you put it in practice, it has to be the practice has to be done together, like mixing it together and you you follow the practice. But when when these instructions are explained and it has to be explained, like, individually, separately.
So according to Lamrim, it’s explained separately. So so you would give a separate explanation on each of these two matters. So the the seven cause and effect instructions, which includes six six of them, which are known as the cause, and the the seventh one, the the one one of them, which is the result or the factor. So the first six causes, which are recognizing all in being one’s mother and remembering their kindness and repaying their kindness, third one, and then meditating on love and compassion and then meditating on the special insight. And that is the six which are the cause.
And then the last one which is the result that is the bodhicitta. So so then another explanation in the great Lamrim teaching, it also explains that the compassion as as the root practice. It has the seven instructions explained like compassion being the root one, root practice or the principle. And it has four causes. That is recognizing all sentient being one’s mother, remembering their kindness, repaying their kindness, and meditating on love which produces the compassion.
And then three result of compassion which is the special insight, And then, yeah, special insight, the bodhicitta and full enlightenment, full enlightenment. That is the enlightenment of Buddh Mahāyāna enlightenment. Sorry. So in this is the the explanations comes out from the great teachings, and it is very, I would say, very extensive extensive, and this includes the whole path that is followed by Mahāyānist. Oh, yeah.
So on this point on this part, you should have said you will explain more when it comes to compassion. So so the first of the seven cause-and-effect instructions, the first one is recognizing being being one’s mother. So this first one, recognizing or realizing this first point is that it’s very very difficult. In the in the teaching, it says some it’s harder than realizing emptiness. So so this to this this understanding or or recognizing of sentient being one’s mother is explained under like in the teachings and also mainly through logical explanations.
It has to be, it is proved. So especially those with the sharp intelligent ones, it is proved with logical explanations. And first, at the very beginning, they approved with the logical explanation that the future lives and and then then then similar that proves the past lives with logical explanations and and then comes to this point. So so, like, through this logical one come to prove the past lives and and then and then with other logical explanations that the past lives or saṃsāra having no beginning. And then that one have taken beginningless.
We have taken infinite lives in the past, birth in the past. So so and then as we take birth, we have what do say? We have we had our mothers. And and and in that way, if want to, like, collect all all our mothers, then the the number of our mother is much greater than the numbers of sentient beings. So so as a there’s no beginning no beginning that we can find to Samsāra.
And similarly, also which which continent or which places that we are taking birth. That too if one is to count, then it’s also infinite places that we are taking birth. So one point that I missed is that before meditating on this point, which is recognizing all being all sentient being one’s mother, one had to meditate on what is called the equanimity, meditation on equanimity. So the the meditation on equanimity, which is known as the immeasurable equanimity. So this meditation on immeasurable equanimity, which is explained first first meditating to sentient beings who are known as our strangers, who known to us as strangers.
And then meditating the community, the immeasurable equanimity towards those sentient beings who are known as our friend. And then finally, again, meditating community towards those sentient beings who are known as our enemies. And that’s one way of doing this meditation on equanimity. And and and there’s another way also which which we, like, do all these three at once, like, in one at one time. So the among these two, I’m meditating on equanimity.
The latter one is explained in the moment. It’s more profound way of meditating. So what what the the meditation on equanimity doesn’t mean that it’s doesn’t mean that, what is it, we we come to recognize our friend as a friend and enemy as enemy. So so by by meditating on equanimity, what what we are what we are doing is are trying to stop the attachment and hatred, the mind of attachment and mind of hatred towards those beings. So so now go to the to the next one, which is that is after recognizing all sentient beings as one’s mother.
The second one is remembering their kindness. Oh, yeah. So so when when one when one when one have this experience, the first one first, recognizing all sentient beings as one’s mother, when one have this experience, then the second step is is to to remember their kindness especially remembering the kindness that that they give while they were our mothers. So so taking the example of this life’s mother, how how she have how much kindness that she have given to one, like, the very beginning, in the meantime, and at the end. And dividing it into these three parts and thinking about the kinase.
And then taking this as example and thinking that it is same with our past and future mothers that that we receive kind kindness from them. So so one point, I guess, you’re saying that for some might be the mothers the present mother might be very might be very bad which which some like killing their own child or some giving making, I wanna say, getting a lot of problems. Problems. So and there are many, what do you say, stories about a mother being harmful to the child. So this happens because of one’s of or whoever going through that suffering have accumulated the karma.
So because of our own karma we experience that. And we experience the person goes through those things not because of the mother. It’s because of the karma and and and it’s only one time this time that person is going through. But in the like, if you want to think of the past life, then the many past life, that person becoming one’s mother and, like, caring or giving great kindness. So that’s how one should think.
So so when one can get when one get some experience in in in this practice of remembering the kindness of the mother, then go to the next step, which is repaying the kind kindness. So so then meditating on repaying their kindness for certain, it’s like, say, analogy or the example which is given in one of the teachings which it says, say your mother is blind and there’s no one to lead her and she’s walking around and coming to a cliff where she’s almost falling. At that point if the child reaches around then like child not to help the mother then who is their other important, what is their other important for their child to do. So that is the point, like, where the child should help the mother. So that is the example which is giving.
Yeah. So so as as as that example, all sentient beings are are also blind or or ignorant with with misunderstanding what is what is dharma and what is not. What or what is to be adopted and what is to be ignored? And and every moment out of attachment or desire and out of out of, I would say, out of out of wrong understanding come to commit many many wrong actions. And also it is completely alone there without any spiritual guide or spiritual master who can teach that beings that should do this and shouldn’t do that.
So there’s no one which is completely alone. And and it’s, yeah, it’s completely, what to say, overpowered by by these three three poisons. That is attachment, anger, and ignorance, and completely become crazy with with these minds. So that that is how the situation of the sentient beings right now and and with oneself because of one’s one’s good karma or saying that being oneself as fortunate that one had met with a spiritual master And not only that, also one have met with the Dharma teachings, that of the Mahāyāna’s Dharma teachings. And and one one is fortunate enough also that one knows how to how how to perform some of the practice.
So so thinking of these conditions that one should think one is better or more fortunate than those other sentient beings who who have who who are who are who blind in their in their practice which is not knowing what to adopt and what to abandon. So so because of this, that is the one who’s more fortunate. One should think that now the responsibility to save to protect those sentient beings is completely upon me. So so same thing that in the in the teachings of Nāgārjuna, the text called from the friendly letter, and it it says that how one should think is that all sentient beings are fallen in in the ocean of saṃsāra. And one at this point have only chance to save them.
One is out there which is one is one who can save them. So thinking that like taking this responsibility to save others. So that’s how I want you to how to meditate. So so then, like, repaying their kind kindness to, like, it explained in other teachings saying that providing them like this temporal health such as food and shelters not the, what to say, not the best form of help you can give to them. It it it is beneficial, but it is only beneficial for the for short terms, for temporary.
So once you think that what is better, the best way of reaping their kindness is to to to lead them to the state of happiness or make them experience happiness and free them from the state of sufferings. So if one is to do this, then that is more, much more beneficial and it is more stable or it’s also known as the ultimate benefit that one can give to them. So so making them have all all kind of happiness and and freeing them from all types of sufferings. That that is that is state to lead them to that is state. That that is the state of Buddhahood.
So in order to do that, in order to lead them to that state, I like motivating oneself that without any thought of near and far or near and far. I engage in this practice. So when you then with that mind if you engage in the practice then it is, what do call it, the fourth one which the third one which is repaying the kindness. So so once when you wanna have the experience of that, repaying the kindness, then then one goes to next step, which is med meditating on love. So this love, how we meditate is seeing all sentient being being very beautiful or was it very attractive to one, attractive and and make it meditating love towards them.
So so that that loving thought towards sentient beings that we need is that similar way how we have the loving thought that we have towards our own child. So if one have that kind of loving thoughts towards all sentient beings, then that is also the that’s the fourth one that is So so if if one have what do say? What do call, if one have done the formal practices, formal meditation practices such as recognizing all sentient beings as one’s mother, remembering their kindness, repaying their kindness, then if one have that quite stable, then the third one, the love love the loving thought comes out the force of this formal practices. So so how we meditate this loving thought towards sentient beings is that thinking that sentient beings are lack of uncontaminated happiness. And even the contaminated happiness that they experience that, what do say, that are, that that they experience are also suffering, thinking that.
So so so the the contaminated suffering that they experience to have the nature of sufferings. So so so when you meditate on this loving thought which is how nice if they all have experience of happiness, it is the uncontaminated happiness. May may all of them have this happiness.