Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 35-minute talk, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen addresses how specific mental states at the moment of death determine your next rebirth—the framework for a technical exposition of the twelve links of dependent origination. The three accomplishing causes (craving, grasping, existence) activate past karmic seeds at death, setting in motion the six effect links—from name and form through aging and death—across a future lifetime. Genuine understanding should generate renunciation: clear recognition that saṃsāra repeats endlessly, and strong determination to escape it, rather than merely doing good actions for today. He frames practice in three levels: the small person seeking personal liberation, the middling person, and the great person developing bodhicitta. The Q&A clarifies how practitioners complete the full cycle in either two or three lifetimes.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 04 LR no date.mp3
UUID: 9487fd4f-864f-440c-bc39-10028b6d8992
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Lam Rim (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1983 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 34.9 minutes
Words: ~3,872
We are creating countless actions in a day, and all the propensities and all the potentialities and seeds of those actions are also planted on our consciousness. Right? So then one might wonder that how we take rebirth as a human if there are countless profan what’s called? propensities and potentialities. Right?
So at the time of death, right, if our planted seed or planted but profundity seed is has been activated or has been energized by the link twelve out of twelve link, there are three links called craving, grasping, and existence. If all the plant seeds or the propensities have been activated or energized by these three, then it will decide it or it will determine our rebirth. Right? If at point of death, those three, what’s called, energize those propensities which are the cause of our human rebirth, then definitely we shall bond next time to the human rebirth. So thus, those three are called accomplishing causes.
The three links which mentioned just now, craving, grasping, and existence, these three are called accomplishing causes. So normally, this the link doesn’t appear or doesn’t manifest to us. So it will manifest when we are processing or when we are in the process of death. So at such time, as you probably might be familiar, all those internal and external signs of the death, so the our gross consciousness will dissolve. Right?
Will do one to another. So at such time, then probably our craving must be our craving will be manifested. Right? Suppose if one is very familiar to the virtuous actions, then by the power of that practice, it will help you to generate the craving. Or if you are not so familiar with those practices, even by certain condition may serve you to generate your cravings within you.
So in both cases, if at the time of point, if your craving start generating within you, then the function of craving is to activate those actions which are the causes of humans. Okay? Right? Then that activation, what’s called that craving also activates our seed to to manifest. Right?
Then next grasping. Grasping energize that what’s called seed or energize that what’s called craving. Right? So then it’s profiled. It’s it’s what’s called?
Profiled our cause or our action action to bond, to go in the state of the existence, which is the third one. So then during existence, we really take the rebirth into this intermediate stage. Right? So these three are called accomplishing causes. Right?
So of twelve links, we have three links which are called accomplishing causes. So remaining six remaining six links are called rings or effect rings. That will experience, that will what’s called appear in the future life. Right? So here, during the existence during existence, you have to enter in the state of what’s go in the state of intermediate states.
To do such, you don’t have this this this particular physical or gross physical form. Right? But your all senses are present. You have the consciousness and which can go anywhere without obstructing by anyone. Right?
So then will the then we’ll take rebirth according to your accumulation of the action. Right? So from intermediate state, you have to take rebirth. Things are first one is called name and the form. Right?
So this is when mothers first conceives the baby. Right? So so the first moment of the con conception. Yeah? First moment of conception is called the name of the form.
The consciousness at such time is called name, or school, name and the forms of those of that time is called the form itself. Therefore, name and the form. Then next one is six sources, link of six sources. So this one I don’t know which one is the most appropriate. Fetus or the baby, I don’t know.
Anyway, when that fetus is about to, what’s called, about to form the eyes and other senses, Right? When about to form the eyes and other senses called the six sources at this period, at this time. Next, the link of contact. So this is called easy one. So when that inner being who is above to function, the function of cons condition of apprehending the external object function of apprehending the things through the aggregation of an object, of an eye sense power, and eye consciousness.
During such time, when he’s about to function, to perceive, to apprehend the object to those allegations is called link of contact. Link of feeling. So this is quite obvious. So that inner being, it start now functioning through aggregation of the con an object sense power and sense con sorry, sense consciousness. Right?
So through the aggregation of his what’s called those? Through the aggregation of those three, he start feeling the feeling of pleasure and displeasure and this thing as indifference. Right? So when he start feeling those kind of feelings, at that stage is called the link of feelings. Yep.
Okay. Okay. You know? Of birth, and next, link of aging and death. So first, the link of birth.
This is also the measurement of this is also start from the conception. Conception to to birth. All are just what’s called called link of birth. Alright? Then aging and death is, we all of this know, which is to go through the process of disease or death.
That’s all. Okay. I guess it will provide you some understanding or some ideas of dwellings of independent origination. But if you want to study more thoroughly, then it is really, really extensive subject. So in case if it’s I will just mention a few.
If you want to study thoroughly, then we have to take the we have to know very thoroughly about the birth, about conception, which is called name and the form. So during conception, the fetus or yeah. The fetus. The fetus has to change after every week. Right?
Has to change after every week. So then during those periods, how that fetus form if how those fetus form the other limbs, how they form the inner knowers, wings, and two thousand twenty one thousand inner knowers, twenty one thousand inner wind passes through those. So there’s very detailed explanation of those fetus forming. Right? And how did fetus vortico go through different types of change after every week, so on and so.
So in this way, there are many discussions have to be discussed, such as about let’s call, the semen and what you call the semen of father and blood of the mother and the drop and all all those, how they join and so on and so. So therefore, it is very extensive subject, but I doubt we will not able to do all those in this short term. Yeah. During the length of existence, if we go through the detail, we have to know all about the beings of intermediate states, or you probably you might be familiar with word. So we have to know all those during the link of existence.
So how those intermediate things, how those person enters into the intermediate state, and how they take rebirth and so on so on. And similarly, during the death, the last link of the twelve. During the link of death, we have to know all death process. What kind of feelings, what kind of inner and external signs that person experience, and what kind of signs are experienced by that person by senses and mental, and so on and so on. So there are many, what’s called, explanations to be given about this death.
So those so by doing in that way, it takes a long time. Yeah. That’s a good Due to activating and energizing our planted seeds, it joins or it connects us to intermediate state, and then we take the rebirth. And upon which we will experience all the six results from starting from the name and form and so forth. And when we’re born, again, we will start creating the same negativities by due to our delusions.
Again, those seeds of the delusions and the propensities of delusions will be planted on the consciousness. Again, that will activate and what’s called energized by the craving and existing and grasping. And again, we will fall same circle. So this round of circle, right, this round of circle is called cyclic existence. So this is how we are encircling.
We are taking around within this circle. We’re not going away from this circle because of our delusions. Sometimes we are creating bit what’s called good karma, and we are born as human. And next time, bad, again down. So therefore, we are just cycling within this round of circle, which is which is called saṃsāra.
Yeah. It’s so cool. Right at the bottom, and sometimes there and sometimes there. Anyway, we have are in just cycling around and around and around. Similarly, the cycle of existence is right at the right in this way.
Due due to some accumulation of bit, what’s called good merit will be right at the top, and again, what’s called what’s called Due to other manifesting of the other delusions, other karma, we shall fall on the bottom. So in this way, anyway, we will circle into this one of this one of the six realms unless we will get rid of them completely. Yeah. That’s amazing. Is that?
Having known the nature of saga existence clearly, then one should not think. Right? One should not think and do something only for today. Right? Suppose, just you see, oh, today I will do something because today I will just remove my suffering of hunger or thirst and suffering of cold.
So therefore, today I will do and then my relaxed. Right? So if you do in this way, the same problem will happen tomorrow. Again, you have to put more energy tomorrow to find something to protect you. Right?
This is one way of thinking by those who are, or those who are not so who are not able to think bit further. And there are some peoples who used to think, oh, only finding some pleasures a day or two is not sufficient because I have to live my life furthermore. So therefore, I will do something to find some wealth, find some friends, find some relatives, and so forth, which is quite reliable and which may stay with me until my death. So that is one kind of people who thinks in that way, and they do, and they engage in activities to be able to achieve that goal, which is bit farther than the former one. Okay?
So similarly, when you do the practice, you want should not think that I will do practice just for today or maybe two days just to relax my wandering thoughts and to relax my depressed mind and so forth. And just when time pass away, then stay idle. That is not a proper way of engaging into the practice. Rather, one should think that I will do this positive action until I die or so forth. Right?
So to be able to remove the sufferings, one has to know. Right? One has to know the root of the suffering, which is ignorance and so forth, other delusions. And to be able to know that, one has to do something. One has to engage into the activities.
One has to engage to the practices with the help of wisdom of emptiness. Okay? So once you recognize the ignorance, which is called self grasping ignorance, which is the cause of all the delusions and so forth. So once you remove this ignorance completely, then there’s no way to be born into this vicious cyclic existence because there is no cause. So if there’s no cause, there wouldn’t be any result.
So therefore, from this viewpoint, it’s necessary to understand the very nature of the suffering, the cause of the suffering, and what are the root of the cause, what are root of the sufferings and so forth. Without knowing them, one will not able to apply proper antidote, and proper, what is called, remedy. When you contemplate, or when you, what’s called, reflect in your mind of all those sufferings and root of sufferings, then there is a way to generate proper and genuine renunciation because you are now quite sure that you want to get rid of those all existing sufferings, which is very, very cool and vicious. You know their nature. You know their cause.
Right? Now, it is your responsibility to get rid of them. So how do we get rid of them is just to, what’s called, generate strong determination and or to go strong wish to what’s called to to get rid of them and definitely to remove them. So when you have this kind of feeling very strongly and genuinely, that kind of feeling which is always wishing to get freedom from those suffering is called renunciation. Okay?
So when you have the renunciation, then you will start eliminating your, what’s called this, cruel and vicious sufferings. Whenever you generate the non proper genuine renunciation for the sake of removing all the sufferings or for the sake of getting rid of the old vicious sufferings, then you have entered into the path. So therefore, since then on, you will able to do more positively and more powerfully. First, all the small person. So during this time, the suffering which you are going to abandon, the suffering which you you are going to eliminate is the suffering of general cyclic existence.
The practice you are doing is the part which you are practicing is the part which has the, what’s called, ability to remove the suffering of the cyclic existence in general. So therefore, whatever you do and whatever you’re trying to remove is the cycling or so part of cyclic existence, and you’re trying to remove this suffering of the cycle exist in general. So therefore, all your wish, your all your mental wish or thought would be the thought of the middling person, which means to be able to remove the general cycle to be able to remove the sufferings of general cyclic existence for the sake of obtaining the liberation for oneself. He who has desire to generate bodhicitta mind or altruistic mind and great compassion should first train your mind in formal explained method. So without having generated those formal path within your continuum, there is no way to generate the bodhicitta mind or the altruist mind and compassion.
Because to be able to generate compassion and bodhicitta mind for all sentient beings, first, you have to know the very nature of the suffering, how sentient beings are suffering, and what are the nature of the sufferings. So once you have understood them thoroughly, then it’s easier for you to generate compassion, bodhicitta mind, or even renunciation for the sake of oneself. Therefore, these former two parts are like a staircase, or in other words, are like the basement foundation for the generation of the higher levels of the practice or higher levels of the path. Thus, it is compulsory compulsory or it is very necessary or indispensable to have those first two trainings. We’re stop for today, and tomorrow probably we should discuss about the path of the greatest person, which covers how to generate compassion, how to generate bodhicitta in the mind, and we shall also probably able to discuss on about the wisdom of emptiness.
So still there are quite under a few minutes. So if you have any questions, please do ask. I’ll explain you in this way. The continuation or the continuation of this physical form, which is propelled by our previous karma and delusion, itself is pervasive suffering. Right?
But I also mentioned the word. This pervasive suffering serves as a basis of other true sufferings. So to be able to know that, I have given you the example of flaking a needle on your hand or any part of body. Suppose, because how you deserve this, what’s called, how it is pervasive self serve the basis of other two. If you pick a needle on any part of body, you will definitely hard and you will feel pain.
That is called suffering or suffering. Okay? So therefore, that this physical body serve as a generation of suffering or suffering because you feel the suffer. You feel suffering. That is the suffering or suffering which we can understand obviously.
Right? So otherwise, the pervasive suffering itself is perverted to all of body. Right? Regardless breaking something or not breaking something. Right?
Because we have taken this physical form, which have taken this physical, which was profiled by the karmic delusion karma and delusions of the previous time lifetime. So therefore, it is natural of suffering itself. This pervasive suffering, the term used to describe the life, the the mental delusions Mhmm. Of attachment. Right.
Aversion. Is that the place of suffering? Okay. We’ve always got them all the time. Okay.
All those mental delusions such as anger, grasping, such as ignorance are not titled or not termed as pervasive, although they may exist within us. Because out of dwellings of independent origination, those all the mental delusions such as anger and so forth are put under the category of the karmic formation, which is the real cause. Right? Which is the real cause. So in terms of the origin of the suffering or the cause of suffering has got two subdivisions.
So those cause delusions are almost included in the diluted cause of, what’s called this? Original original cause of sufferings rooted with delusions. Right? So those are not, what’s called, roughening effect of our delusions, but they are the cause which may give you the risk in future. The delusions such as anger and so forth are included under the category of the karmic formation out of twelve limbs.
Those delusions are the cause of producing the sufferings in the future. But there is no unhappiness mental what’s going on? What’s the mental unhappiness. There’s mental unhappiness, which is also a feeling. So feeling has quite number of types.
The, what’s it physical unhappiness and mental unhappiness. Physical happiness and, let’s call this, mental happiness. So there is also one type mental unhappiness, which is also failing. During this morning’s discourse, aspects of rebirth were discussed, and it was said that There is there is karma or the delusions. Right?
Let us say from this way. Suppose, as I mentioned, at the moment, you have three accomplishing causes. Right? So you might have also cause to reborn as a human in your previous lifetime. So if right if this present life’s worth accomplishing causes activates and energizes those causes which has been planted in your previous lifetime, then definitely you will able to be born as human in next time.
That human which you have received in next time is not result of this present life’s cause and action. That is result of your previous cause and reason. Right? So therefore, when we talk about the prevailing cause and action and the accomplishing cause causes, it is not necessarily only the prevailing causes of this present lifetime. There could be prevailing causes of previous lifetime and other lives.
There is great discussion about how in how many in in how many lifetimes one can complete all twelve links of independent origination. Right? So there are few ways. Are in two lifetimes, the twelve links of independent origination can be completed, or or in three lifetimes, also the dwellings of interdependent origination can be incomplete. For example, we will take the discussion of the format in trade on sorry.
In two large times, the dwellings of independent independent origination can be completed. For example, your case, suppose at this lifetime, if you plant or if you accumulate virtuous action and you plant those propensities and imprints of those actions on your consciousness. So then, in this lifetime, you have to have six causes, three propelling causes, and three accomplishing causes. Right? So due to your fulfilling causes, you will accumulate, what’s called, what’s called this, action, and that action has to be planted on the consciousness.
And then at the time of death, your accomplishing causes have to have energized and activate that cause which you have just planted on your consciousness. Right? Then having done those six, you will die, and next lifetime, all the remaining six results will appear or will ripen. So therefore, during two lifetimes, this life as well as the next life, you will have completed all twelve links. So this is what’s called explanation of how trailings of independent origination completes in two lifetimes.
Independent origination can be also completed in three lifetimes. Yes. The first prevailing prevailing causes will be the same. There will be no difference, such as due to our ignorance, we have to accumulate action and then series of those actions, propensities have to be planted it on the consciousness. Up to here, the same.
But now, in terms of activating and energizing, from here it differs. So suppose if a person has to accomplish dwellings of independent origination in three lifetimes, then that person have no, what’s called, is unable to activate and energize the seed that has been planted on the consciousness during this lifetime, but may be able to activate and energize in coming what’s going lifetimes on or maybe after after death. Right? So it could be more one or two, any cases. So therefore, in such time, then sometimes later, again, these three accomplishing causes: craving, grasping, and existence will sometime later then activate your seed which has been planted right now on consciousness.
Then having done that again next lifetime, then you have to receive the remaining results. So in this way, within three lifetimes, this is how to complete dwellings in three lifetimes. So, again, one thing you have to remember in this context is that so you have understood the three prevailing causes. Right? So these are three prevailing In general, the action, right, action not karma itself.
The action can be divided into two. That which gives result and that which does not give a result. Okay? Which means, suppose if you have created some action due to our prevailing causes. Right?
And having done the proper purification, we’ll be able to purify the, what’s called, that kind of negativity. Right? So therefore, there’s no such propensity to be activated by the latter accomplishing causes. Thus, we shall not able to experience the result of that. Although we have created, but that actually has got no power to give the result.
Growth has been purified. Okay? And other ones, definitely, there’s one kind of action which gives result. So that is without having done such proper purification, then it will give you the what’s the good one? The result.
Right? So the action itself can be divided into two. That which gives result and that which does not give you the result.