Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 45-minute teaching, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen walks through the eight particular sufferings of human existence—birth, aging, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, and encountering unwanted circumstances—within the Graduated Path framework. Following a previous session on general samsaric suffering, he develops each type with detailed examples and sūtra quotes, showing how these are not exceptional hardships but inevitable features of saṃsāra for those born under karma and delusion. The core practice is to contemplate these sufferings directly, reflecting on them as they appear in one’s own life, to generate authentic renunciation: the heartfelt desire for liberation that serves as the foundation for all Lamrim practice. Suited for practitioners already committed to seeking liberation.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 39 GP 1996 07 28.mp3
UUID: 32c774cc-15c5-4e82-9d8f-f467793a87b1
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Graduated Path (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1996-07-28
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.5 minutes
Words: ~2,176
As quoting from the teachings of Namibar Kabbalah, As just she noted, quoted few lines. One in those lines shows the teachings or the practice which is performed by the Indian script. So in these four lines, the practice of medium scope that shouldn’t just satisfied with the practice of a small scope. That in the small scope, practice on impermanence and death, on karma, and also pressures me a bit. So, let’s start with these practices.
So not to fully content just with the practice of small scope, but then coming to understanding the source of that, coming to know this, trying to understand this contaminated body being the source or the cause of all types of suffering. So understanding that this contaminated body is a doorway or the source of all types of sufferings and also coming to or understanding that all samsaric things are untrustworthy. Through this understanding, seeking for for liberation or trying to generate the thought of renunciation? So contemplating over the the faults of the contaminated body and also the faults of all samsaric things. And with contemplating on these and generating the thought of renunciation.
So to generate the thought of renunciation, first one has to see the faults of the saṃsāra pleasure or the saṃsāra prosperities. On this we have to see the faults of those things. But at this point, what we see is that the saṃsāra pleasure and the prosperity of happiness. So seeing the faults of saṃsāra saṃsāra pleasure and also the prosperity of saṃsāra, next step we want to come to generate the thought of renunciation and then that is what leads one to the liberation. So in order to achieve this liberation for the sake of others, in order to liberate others, first oneself had to be liberated.
Oneself had to contemplate the sufferings of saṃsāra. So setting up this mind that I listen to this teaching in order to free myself from saṃsāra in order to benefit others. Setting this type of motivation, and we do short meditation. So, in the last teaching, we did explaining the general sufferings of saṃsāra. Today, Geshe-la will explain the particular sufferings of saṃsāra, that is of sufferings of lower realms and that of the sufferings of the upper realms.
So the suffering of the lower realms, which has already been explained during the teaching on the small scope. So so, will explain here again. And with the sufferings of the upper realms, there are also, two that of humans and God. So today, Geshe-la will explain the sufferings of humans. So in this great Lamrim teaching, it explains these different types of sufferings like one, eight set of sufferings, one, six types of sufferings and then three types of sufferings.
And then, that is what is explained in the Great Lamrim teaching. But then in the, the Liberation on the Palm of Your Hand, that in that Lamrim teaching, it only explains not like, only numbers are the seven types of sufferings. Seven types of sufferings. And not as an eight in numbers. Those eight on next life, the suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and And then suffering of getting separated from desired object, a beautiful object.
And then next suffering of meeting with unwanted object or ugly objects. And then on top of that, sufferings of the five aggregates. So total of eight. These are all known as the human sufferings, and human sufferings are included within this aid. So, the reason why we need to explain or understand suffering here is especially for dharma practitioners, those who are seeking liberation.
Before seeking liberation, they had to generate the thought of renunciation. So, in order to generate the thought of renunciation, these sufferings have been explained. And that’s the purpose of explaining on sufferings. So, the upper states such as human and gods, these are little better than that of the states, but still one is under the control of karma and delusion. So, as in our own experience, we have achieved this precious human rebirth which free from all these eight unfortunate states.
Though one is free from these states, while one is living, one goes through lots of sufferings. And just recognizing or pulling out these sufferings that we go through by knowing these different types of suffering helps one generate the thought of renunciation. So the first type of suffering, that is the suffering of birth, which is that we have experienced this suffering in our past, but then we don’t remember this. We’re also definitely going to experience this in the future. So, the suffering of birth, which The period that one takes conception into mother’s womb, to the time when one is coming out from mother’s womb, coming outside, During this duration of the time between the year is where one experiences the suffering of birth.
Though we have experienced these sufferings in the past, but we don’t remember these sufferings, That is because has been, I would say, doesn’t remember these sufferings because one has been obscured or polluted by the pollution of the womb. So, entered in between the drops, the blood and the sperm. And this is known as the, how to say, these two substances are known as dirty substances or filthy where we site in between there. These two coming together, So these two coming together gives this obscurations or pollution, then that is what causes us not to remember these states of suffering. So then after entering into mother’s womb, when these different states of development forms, like the forming of the five limbs and so on.
During this stage of development there are quite sufferings that we go through. Usually I was saying that in the teachings, it explains great detail all these type of sufferings. But you won’t go into detail because it just takes a lot of time. So then after that, one comes outside, one is kept on a very smooth cloth or on a smooth surface. But the child or baby experience great sufferings, they’ve been placed on top of a rough surface like thorns and so on.
It goes through great sufferings. So, all these sufferings, not thinking or contemplating that someone going through these type of sufferings, But thinking oneself will contemplating on these sort of sufferings, that thinking oneself in the future will go through this type of suffering, like contemplating upon oneself. So, and then the next type of sufferings is the suffering of aging, So, the second type of suffering, the aging, which starts or the process of aging starts right at the second moment after one is born. From that point starts the process of aging. But this, don’t see it as getting getting old or aging.
So in the sutras, it it explains that aging makes one ugly, which is if one has a beautiful form or body appearance, aging makes it And also, ageing which weakens or declines our strength and power. So, and also aging aging also weakens or declines our faculties or senses. And also it declines or weakens our enjoyment towards objects, different objects. And also aging aging also takes our life. Still our life.
Aging, which shortens our life also. And these are the sufferings of aging. So to this explains here something which when you pull out a peg or nail which is put on the ground. To pull it out, you first have to move it. And then that’s one example which was to take out that nail one has to move it back and forth.
And then secondly, someone is about to catch a bird, like a sort of like crawling on the ground trying to catch a bird. So then another one example which is given is that if we have a bag full of earth and if you let it go then it just drops down on the earth. So if these three types of signs happens to one, if these three types of signs appear to one, then it shows that it shows that one is aging. So then, like externally, like when one is young, one has no wrinkles, but in later time, one will have wrinkles. And then the internal, like the flesh and the blood, how do you say, getting less and less that causes one to have all this see all the bumps, bones on your parts of your body?
And then in the meantime, it also becomes deaf, mute, and blind. When this appears, then this also means that we are aging. So these signs, we look to an old person, then we see all these signs like very shaky when they’re walking and so on. When they’re picking something like their hands shaking. These we see but we don’t see it coming up on ourselves.
So, all these things happened or happening is because faults of saṃsāra or getting reborn in saṃsāra, under the control of karma and delusions. So, long as one is in saṃsāra under the control of karma and delusions, it’s only a matter of time, sooner or later, one will also experience this this sign of this process of aging. So, at present we are healthy, we have strong, physically we are strong and our mind is very clear or intelligent. So, one should engage in one’s practice and do as best as possible, as good as possible. Later when one has these signs of aging, then our mind becomes weak, then it becomes difficult for one to do these practices.
So, like the Kadampa masters, they say that the sign of aging comes slowly, part by part, or slowly. If it to come all at once, then we won’t be able to take it or we won’t be able to behave. So on on this suffering the suffering aging, it’s less it had this much. So then next type of suffering, which is the suffering of sickness. So, the suffering of sickness, for example, in the sutras it says that in the wintertime when there’s snow, the snow or coldness which then dries up all the trees which let all the leaves drop and all the plants dries up.
So then as an example, similarly, a snake strikes to one, then that also takes our complexions and our own glory. It takes it away. And also, the sickness makes one lose appetite, even if some food is in front of him, he won’t feel like eating. So then, an adult sickness also makes one forced to do some things such as things which one doesn’t want to eat, as these different medicines, such as sweet or bitter or anything in order to cure the sickness. One is forced to take that.
And then, of the sickness can also take you alive because of the illness or the sickness. In this way, there are many mental sufferings that one goes through too. So, as you see, even though the strongest person in the world that if he or she is struggling by sickness then he or she will drop his bed and plus, yeah, will also lose his or her strength. So, then, going to next type of suffering, that is the suffering of death, also quoting from the sūtra teachings, which it says that when death strikes one, then one has this great suffering of getting separated from one’s very desired things, such as desire objects, such as one’s very close friends or the close ones. And, also, one has to leave behind all the or one has to be separated from one is separated from the world that one have collected from very little when one was child.
And also one is separated from the closed ones. And then, also one is separated separated from the very, very close friends, one doesn’t want to even be separated for the period of drinking a cup of tea. You’re saying that as we all know the sufferings of death, he said he won’t give more explanation on this. So, then the fifth fifth type of suffering, is getting separated from from desire object or beautiful object. So, these desired object or the beautiful object, which are one’s friends, the close ones, one’s one Lama, and so on, these are one’s like dharma friends and parents.
Oh. And those was a very close friends, boyfriend or girlfriend. And also, those of once won states such as the fame and and ratifications and so on, like getting separated from these. So, as we experience these sufferings, such as getting separated from one’s parents and so on, these are, what do say, it’s nothing special that’s happening in saṃsāra. So, as long as one is born in saṃsāra, are what we are about to experience.
It has the nature of saṃsāra. So, all these, what to say, is what saṃsāra is or what saṃsāra has here. And then the next type of suffering is meeting with unwanted objects or ugly objects.