Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen explores the five branch vows associated with the practice of giving—the first Bodhisattva perfection. In this 45-minute teaching, he examines when each vow becomes a downfall and, crucially, the many exceptions that prevent fault: not answering questions out of harmful intent; failing to accept invitations or gifts; withholding Dharma teachings from those who seek them. For each, he distinguishes faults of intention (pride, anger, hatred) from other causes (tiredness, overwhelming emotion, unripened faculties) and walks through practical scenarios—illness, retreat, legal constraints, protecting others from wrong views. The session closes with questions on attachment and samsaric happiness. Pitched at serious practitioners studying the graduated path.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 44 GP 1996 08 13.mp3
UUID: c0b05878-fa52-45ae-b4d8-50bb29e109cc
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Graduated Path (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1996-08-13
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.2 minutes
Words: ~2,387
So, reason which you don’t answer the question because if you give an answer to whoever have asked that question, if you give the answer then if it is harmful to many who are sitting around you then at that time not answering the question again, you don’t receive this fault. So again, with other reasons, if you suggest because of the law of the country, because of that reason, if you don’t give the answer, then again you don’t receive this fault. And or similarly, if you like because of the law of the country, if you don’t do prostration, that too you don’t receive the fault. So again, out of this different, in such a situation when there is a lama that you respect very much in front and also say there are many other people around and if you do show some respect to the Lama then that might embarrass many of the other person. If one is to show some respect to the Lama and at that point if that showing respect is causing embarrassment for many others then again not doing that or not doing or not giving the answer at that time too.
You don’t receive downfalls. So beside these that if one is not to give answer because out of pride or out of anger or out of hatred, if one is not to give answer then one receives that fault of not answer. So, or then not giving answer out of pride, anger and hatred are known as delusions. And if you don’t give answer again because you are tired or because you are lazy then it is said that part of not giving answer is not out of delusions but still you see defaults. So the tiredness and laziness, it’s it’s a pretty let’s say, tiredness is a part of laziness.
I made a mistake in this translation which when you are not tiredness, but it’s when you are in a situation where you are experiencing a state of great joy or a state of great pain. Because of that reason if you don’t give an answer to the question, then what do say? So so because So because of that, because of these two, whether one is intense happiness or on the other side, if one doesn’t give the answer to the question, then one receives the faults of breaking this branch fault. That part is not known as the delusion. So so and or you if you don’t give answer and like when you remain in in the state of wanna say, where in the state where where you are not in a neutral state, sorry, which is not virtue, not non virtue.
And keep your mind in a neutral state where you don’t then answer the question. Then again that part where you see the folds. So so the next one, that is the fourth one, the fourth. So so the next one, that is the the fourth one, which is not making oneself as a condition for other to practice giving which if you are invited for lunch or something for tea, if you don’t go accept invitation then there’s one where you receive the form. So, this one not acting as a condition for others to practice giving.
This part has two, which is not accepting the invitation and secondly, not accepting the take the gifts or other offerings. So the first one that is, what do say, declining the invitation? So in this, like, declining the inviteachings, for example, if one is invited to any gatherings such as gatherings of a monk like in the monastery or in the family house if one has been invited? So so the the other person have sent the invitation out of respect. If one doesn’t accept the invitation out of pride or out of anger then or and and decline the invitation, one receives this fault.
So so so again, similar to the to the the earlier one, there are some also exceptions which you don’t receive downfalls. So on the person’s side, on the side of the person, if the person is, like, severely ill. Or the person have already accepted another invitation on that time to go to another place, then not accepting the invitation because of these two reasons one doesn’t receive downfalls. And then next another exception is because of because of the distance. So you said if it’s the place which you are invited is in far distant, a very distant place, or it is very difficult to get there, like a it’s a thing like Tibet.
So, like, in the journey, there are like some fears such as the fear of enemies, then if you if you don’t accept the invitation, what is it? You don’t receive. So so and, again, there’s an exception if the sponsors we are inviting. It’s not done out of respect, if it’s done out of, what to say, out of challenge or out of the thought of competing others, so then if it’s in that case and if you don’t accept the invitation, again you don’t receive downfalls. Also in such situation when saying that such a house have invited people for lunch or invited different guests.
And for name and fame, I should also invite these different do the invitation. So if it’s done out of that reason, then not accepting invitation, again, not the same downfalls. And again, with other reasons such as not accepting the invitation because it is harming to your practice such as if you are in retreat or you are doing a long retreat. Then that doesn’t receive downfalls not accepting the invitation. And in that case, can ask them to bring it to you.
He said, yeah. He’s just kidding on the last part. So, again, in other situations such as if you are being invited and if you don’t accept the invitation because that you miss, such as like some of the teachings like where there’s a discourse of Dharma teachings. If you are missing that and because of that reason, if you don’t accept the invitation or if you decline the invitation then, again you don’t receive, downfalls. And all of these exceptions, which is explained by Je Tsongkhapa Songkhabal, so this lesson is also giving all these So, or to please other person that if you decline the invitation or because of the law.
To to to let’s say, because of the law that if you don’t accept the invitation, then again, you don’t have don’t receive downfalls. So then the second one, is not accepting the gifts or the offerings. Which such as not accepting or taking the gold which has been given? So, such as gold here, all the precious stones are included which if someone out of faith or out of their generosity, if one is given or is offered these precious stones and if one doesn’t take then again, there’s a default. So, when others out of like, how do say, honesty or out of honesty, like gives you or offers you money or any other things, at that point, you should accept.
You should take So So, if you don’t accept all the things that has been offered to you out of harmful thoughts or out of anger, then you receive the fault of breaking this branch vow which also said you are ignoring the sentient beings. So then the fifth one, is the mystics which is associated with giving Dharma teachings. So, which is not giving Dharma teachings to those who want it or desire. So, like others willingly out of desire asking for teachings. If one doesn’t give teachings or Dharma teachings, then how do I say?
One doesn’t give Dharma teachings out of anger or out of harmful intent, what’s the one that sees this fault? So so again, some of the exceptions which from the person’s side, if the person is very ill or if the person don’t know Dharma. So, again, as similar to that of earlier part, which are of different reasons. Like if the person who is giving the teaching, if that person is not suitable, then again shouldn’t, not giving teaching, I don’t receive downfalls. So, if someone comes out and asks to give teachings with the thought of checking out, then So, if if that person comes out of just checking out in that way and ask the Dharma teachings, and if you don’t give the Dharma teachings, then you don’t receive the fault here.
Or with other reasons that with those who have bad behaviors such as not having respect and so on. Like to them, if you don’t give teachings again, you don’t receive downfalls. So so those with unripened faculties, those who are very a very foolish one. Yeah. If them if you don’t also give teachings, then you don’t see downfalls.
So, is to those who are extremely, I would say, unripened which unripened faculties which if, because Dharma teachings is something very extensive and profound, have to give a lot of explanations and because of that reason those who are unripened cannot understand or can’t digest which then out of that might might lead them to have a wrong view. So because of these reasons, if you want to teach Dharma to those whose faculties are unripened, there’s no fault again. So again, out of another reasons where if one, not giving Dharma teachings to those, if one knows that by giving teaching to some person might cause many other, many was around that person leads to wrong view, in that situation, not giving down teaching to that person also doesn’t break or doesn’t receive downfalls. So, we’ll stop here tonight which we completed the five faults associated with the practice of giving. There’s a Tibetan saying which, I had a pain and it was quick too.
I had a pain and it was quick too which means that in Tibet the nomads live far in the hills when they come back to the city like to different houses. The houses usually are like you have to climb a step, stairs, which is usually one big log and you have a step on that and you climb up and go into the room. So, when they come to those houses, one time there happened to this nomad who happened to climb up to the house. And then he wasn’t sure now how to get down. Suddenly he was waiting there and there was a cat came around and the cat just climbed down with that love.
And then he thought he might also have to do like that. So he did the same thing, and he pulled down and down to the floor, and he said it was quick and it was also painful. So he’s this is what I’m saying. Similarly, we got we completed quite what is it? We we went quite fast, but whether we understood or not is not sure.
So we finished explaining the five faults associated with the giving and the faults associated with morality or second perfection will be explained in the next teaching. Yeah. So if you have any questions, then mhmm. So the question was desire to grasp to the projections and what was that? So this was a great desire to grasp mainly in this context.
We are thinking to possessions, like grasping to possessions. So when you said temporary happiness, can you give an example? So this one like desire to grasp, mainly nothing to wealth. The great desire for wealth. Yeah.
Yeah. So when you say, like, temporal happiness, happiness of saṃsāra or? So, getting attached to the happiness of this life which is saying this happens to us unless we are ordinary people, which happens to us. But then while you’re actually doing the practice, if start the practice the motivation just aiming for the purpose of happiness of this life, then that practice doesn’t become a Dharma practice. So so what is it?
So in this mind training teachings known as like, what do you call, fighting from poor attachment which the first line said if you are attached to the pleasure or happiness of this life then you’re not a religious person or a spiritual person? So normally one can do is that one should practice that, but one should see the default of that. So so, like, gradually, like, seeing the faults that again and again. It’s not easy that one can easily stop having attachment to the happiness of this life but more and more if you see default, then there will be a time where one can get rid of that thought. So, this degree design here means that, such as when we have hundred dollar, we need two hundred and we need three hundred more and then we need hundred thousand or millions and so on.
So, not getting content to that is what I think the great desire is. So, when we have this great desire, when we want to have ten thousand and one hundred thousand and so on, more you have your what do say, the muscle weakness becomes greater, becomes bigger. So, then your muscle and the stool becomes bigger and bigger. And, your practice which is known as the antidote towards muscleliness becomes more and more less, which is more weaker. So, the second question was?
Said that with that you can pause or stop and you can answer and then listen. But then other times, like when you’re listening or teaching, like someone is giving the Lama is giving teaching, then there’s no way, like, if that’s right, they said, do you stop talking and then I have to answer. So, if one happened to do that, one is receiving teachings from the lamas and whoever the person who is asking the questions and giving the answer misses some of the teaching. He said, in this situation, like, while you’re doing meditations and if the phone rings, if you don’t answer, it’s okay. It’s better because the person might ring you again later.
So with that one, it’s a you see the pulse rate. Sorry.