Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 46-minute Lamrim teaching, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen traces the path from foundational small and middle-scope practices toward bodhicitta through reflection on human rebirth, death, and saṃsāra’s sufferings. He then teaches the Śāntideva approach: equalizing and exchanging self for others, beginning with equanimity toward friends, enemies, and neutral people. The heart of the teaching analyzes self-cherishing attitude as the root of all suffering—how it generates negative actions, fuels conflict at every scale, and blocks spiritual progress. Using examples of Buddha Śākyamūni and Asaṇga, he contrasts this destructive attitude with the benefits of cherishing others. He concludes with meditation on the boundless kindness all sentient beings have shown us since birth. For practitioners with foundational Lamrim training.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 05 LR no date.mp3
UUID: 7f418960-abfa-40f3-9ee8-71c003170e37
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Lam Rim (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1983 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 46.9 minutes
Words: ~5,189
So as I mentioned yesterday, that turning my in part of small scope. So during this scope, you have to meditate on the human rebirth. It’s meditation on its value or meaningfulness, and it is difficult to find and so forth. And having done that, you also have to do the meditation on the death and impermanence. Right?
So, and having done those contemplations properly, then one has to generate strong feeling, not wishing to stay under influence of the sufferings of the lower ends and try to generate a fault to get rid of them and get freedom from those sufferings to be able to obtain liberation for one’s sake. And thereby, also, you have to do the purifications in order to remove all your mental stains or the delusions. And Moreover, put all different various types of the practices into action so as to generate strong feeling to get freedom from those sufferings of the lower realms and to obtain realization or the liberation for one’s sake. So all those practices includes under the training of the mind to the path of small scope. K.
Having done those contemplations properly, then one has to practice again what’s called the path of the middling scope. So which means, here, at this time, you have to contemplate on the sufferings of this general cyclic existence. Right? All the what could sufferance of the cyclic existence. And to be able to get freedom from those, have generate proper genuine renunciation.
In order to get proper genuine renunciation, you have to identify all the sufferings clearly, and you must understand the nature of the true suffering or the cause of true sufferings through those presentations which was given above yesterday. And if you have proper renunciation, then within this frame mind, you will able to generate a mental wish strongly, what’s called thinking to get freedom from those sufferings and to obtain liberation from those. So this practice includes all the practices of a medium scope. So therefore, having done the former one, then you wanna have to contemplate on the sufferings of general cyclic existence and to generate strong genuine renunciation to get freedom from those. Training your mind in those two scores accordingly and gradually, you will able to establish the foundation of generating the great compassion, bodhicitta mind, and so forth, which are the unique qualifications of the great scope.
So therefore, without having built up the strong foundation, there is less chance to generate the great compassion and bodhicitta mind. Thus, it is important to train your mind in the former two scopes. Lord Buddha taught two types of teachings to his followers, teaching on Mahāyāna Mahāyāna system, and teaching on Hīnayāna systems. So these two teachings mainly differentiate in terms of the practitioner’s intention or the practitioner’s motivation to practice. So those who wish to practice Mahāyāna teachings, for them it is very necessary to have good motivation or good intention to practice not only for oneself only, but for other sentient beings’ sake.
So he who has engaged into the practices for the sake of other sentient beings, not for one’s sake, is included in the teachings of Mahāyāna. And those who who he who engages in the practices, mainly for the sake of one’s own liberation and not for others, is all practices are included in the teachings of Hīnayāna. So therefore, therefore, the first two scopes are mainly based on the what’s called liberation for oneself. Thus, it is included under the Hīnayāna’s teaching and the third one whose motivation is for the benefit of all sentient, whose motivation is for several other sentient beings what’s called who engage in the practices are included in the teachings of the Mahāyāna. And therefore, to be able to generate Mahāyāna, what’s called, to be able to generate the good motivation for the sake of all sentient beings, first important is to understand.
Is to understand all these sufferings, mainly taking examples on oneself. So having understood them properly, one can extend that understanding to others. So therefore, it’s very necessary to form a very strong foundation based on the former two scopes so as to generate the third one. Blood, bodhicitta mind or the altruistic mind. The generation of this mind is dependent whether or not we have strong, great compassion.
So how to generate great compassion? So the nature of the great compassion is wishing to wishing what’s called all sentient beings be freed from the sufferings. That is called compassion. So therefore, the object of compassion is all sentient beings who are suffering from certain types. So now aspect of that is just to get rid of them.
All was to get sentient beings rid of the what’s called? To get all sentient beings. What’s called be free from the sufferings. It’s called the great compassion. So therefore, it has to be generated having understood these sufferings of sentient beings.
Okay. So as I mentioned, is dependent on the engagement on the particular, what’s called, skillful means. So first of all, you may not able to generate that much strong wish. So therefore, what do you have to do at the first is just try to see. Track to those in the means who are practically under such sufferings such as those who are under this.
What’s go under. Completely under the what’s called sway of the illness or who are about to die or who are really in need of others’ health because of certain what’s called handicap and so forth. So whenever you see those sentient beings, okay, whenever you saw those sentient beings, then surely you try to generate a strong wish thinking, oh, may I what’s go? How nice it would be if I am able to able to serve or able to have the particular sentient beings. Right?
So you must change this kind of warm heart no matter whether or not you’re able to do practically some beneficial work. But still, at that time, you must have and you must try to generate this kind of wish thinking. I must try to do something for the sake of this particular sentient being who’s practically suffering this and that type. Right? So whenever you see, whenever you contact any kind of suffering beings, you must have unbearable some, what’s called, warm feeling for them.
So and if you have that genuinely and it remains in your mind constantly, then there is the step what’s called this is the foundation and is the what’s progressing step to generate the great compassion. Right? So therefore, you have to think how nice it would be or how wonderful it would be if all sentient beings be freed from the sufferings and cause of sufferings. So to be able to generate this kind of wish, you have to first see those who are practically under the power of sudden sufferings. So having seen that, then you have to think, oh, how nice would it be if I am able to do something for them, if I’m in a position to help them?
So you really generate some sort of feeling which concerns about others. And at that time, you are just putting or you are just establishing the firm foundation of generating the great compassion. So this is how you train yourself towards way of generating the compassion. Are you tired to generate the great compassion? You must first pick up a particular object who’s practically suffering, no matter whether it’s individual self self self being or true.
So keep that particular sentient being as your object as your object of what’s called compassion and try to generate great warm heart upon that particular sentient beings. Right? So you think how nice would it be if I’m able to have this to remove this or that sufferings. So you will now strongly able to generate this very genuine wish, and thereby you’ll able to do so. So this is the way how you train your mind towards what’s called way of generating the great compassion.
So have you understood that? This is how you train your mind towards the way of towards the generating the great compassion. So even if you see how those realized person in the past have generated the great compassion, you will clearly understand that those people who have generated compassion within their continuum have taken particular suffering sentient beings as an object of their compassion, such as let us take a take the example of Buddha Śākyamūni himself. How he generated great compassion was he took the object of his compassion, his suffering relatives. So all the relatives of with Osco, all the relatives are terribly suffering from all kinds to therefore, he had a feeling.
He had a unbearable feeling. Right? So therefore, within that frame mind, he was successful in generating the generating the compassion. Similarly, probably you might have heard what’s called this name, Asaṇga, who was able to generate great compassion after having seen a red bitch whose abdomen is full of what’s called? maggots.
Yeah. Maggots. Maggots. Yeah. Who’s lower whose abdomen is full of maggots.
So he took that particular bitch as his object of great compassion and was able to generate great compassion. So in this way, we also try to emulate them and take one particular, what is called, self centered being as an object and try to send it jin warm heart for his benefit. In terms of generating the bodhicitta mind, there are two sorry. There are two ways which one can apply as a technique. The first, that lineage which is flourished from Śāntideva.
Yeah? from Śāntideva, which is called exchanging what’s it called? Equalizing and exchanging self for others. Second lineage is from the Maitreya and so forth, which is called six causes and one effect. So these are two, what it’s called, outstanding techniques that one can apply for the sake of generating the great, sorry, for the sake of generating the bodhicitta mind or altruistic mind.
Whichever system you choose, the point is, in any case, you have to take the great compassion as a root for the generation of bodhicitta mind. Generation of bodhicitta mind is solely dependent on the generation of the great compassion. So if you have stronger, what’s called, strong great compassion, it’s easier for you to generate the mind. If you have less compassion, it is harder for you to generate Buddha’s mind. So therefore, generation of Buddha’s mind is solely depend on the generation of compassion.
Now let us discuss the first way of generating the bodhicitta mind that is equalizing and is exchanging self for others. So in this according to this system, there are two equalizing and exchange. Right? So these are the two main techniques which have which one has to apply for the sake of generating the bodhicitta mind. So to be able to equalize self or other, it is very necessary to generate equanimity to all sentient beings.
Without having generated the equanimity, it is very hard to equalize self for the others. What is the meaning of equalizing self for the others? It means, for example, if this wall if this wall is quite smooth and even, then we can do anything very evenly and very smoothly. But if it is not even and it is not smooth, then if you try to do something depending whatever will not come beautiful because it is sometimes it come. Let’s go.
No. It will anyway. It will not become evenness. Okay? So similarly, first first of all, we have to make our mind free from roughness.
In other way, free from roughness or we must make our mind evenness to all. So therefore, to be able to equalize self with other, it is important to meditate or to generate the equanimity. To be able to equalize self with other, we need to think in this way. So let us say, normally, we have three kinds of persons which we associate with. One type of what’s called friends or relatives.
Other one, our enemies. And third one, those who are neutral. Right? So we have this kind of peoples or this kind of persons in our life. So now, how we adapt those first type of person as a relative or a friend is because we thought those people might have helped me.
So therefore, I must I must, what’s called, keep them as my friend or relatives. Therefore, I must do something for them because they are my relatives. So it’s my responsibility to do something. And on the other hand, we have here the enemies, and we have put adopt them as our enemies because we thought those types of people might harm me or they have harmed me before. So therefore, now it is my responsibility not to benefit them, rather try to harm and try to retaliate whenever I get chance and so forth.
And on the third hand, there’s there’s one kind of person who is our, what’s called, neutral. So therefore, to them, we don’t have either, what’s called, feeling to benefit nor feeling to harm. We just keep them as indifference because we think, oh, this kind of people will neither or what’s gonna benefit me nor they harm me. Therefore, I will retaliate I’m sorry. React in the same way.
I won’t help them nor that I won’t harm them. So in this way, we have, normally we have three kinds of presence in our life to which we associate with. So so in such case, then you should think very reasonably thinking the enemy who is what’s who oh, no. Those type of person who we have recognized them as enemy, right, as enemy is not everlasting enemy because at the moment, they have harmed me. Therefore, he’s I have adopted them as my enemy.
Right? But on the other hand, if I look from other side, he might have helped me in many cases. So therefore, today’s enemy will be not enemy forever. Right? So he might have helped me in many lifetimes, or he might have helped me in other ways.
So therefore, there’s no reason to hold someone as enemy due to one reason. Okay? Because there are other reasons that one should keep them as our friends or whatever. So therefore, as I mentioned during the teachings on the middle scope, that because we have taken lives so many times in the past, right, so during such lifetime, that particular person who whom we have regarded him as enemy might have taken might have, you know, what’s it called, taken a little rebirth of our mother. And, of course, he might have served us well.
So therefore, viewing from many viewpoints, from many ankles, one should not have strong hatred to that person. Rather, try to keep your mind in balance, in evenness so as to avoid strong hatred to that. This is one way of keeping one’s mind in evenness or in what’s called? In equanimity. So in this way, with many reasons, you have to contemplate or you have to meditate on equanimity so as to keep your mind in balance without falling to the extremes.
But if you find it difficult to keep your mind in balance because of sinking, he might have helped me, therefore, I have to do something beneficial for him. And he might have done something he might have done something harmful to me. Therefore, it is hard for me to contemplate love also, also contemplate equanimity on him. Right? So you might have this kind of feeling.
So at that time, you one must check. Then what is the real root cause of all those hatred and strong attachment? Right? So you see, you will find if you analyze, you will find due to your own self-cherishing attitude, always wishing to have something beneficial other to you or your relatives and ignoring this cherishing of others brings about all the different types of disturbing thoughts. And because due to our own self-cherishing attitude, we strongly desire to have to those who helped us.
And we strongly try to do something unpleasant activity to those who have done things, who have done something wrong to us. So therefore, our self-cherishing attitude is a rule to all. So thus, it is what’s called reasonable and worthwhile to contemplate on the faults of self-cherishing attitude and benefits of cherishing of others. So in this way, you will able to find clearly how to, what’s called, develop the equanimity and how to equalize self for the others. Police have shared issue attitude that doesn’t allow us to equalize self for others.
Normally, we hold the most dearest. Friends. Of us. What’s go? Normally, we hold the self-cherishing attitude is the most dearest friends of us.
Right? So we always try to care for this self-cherishing attitude. Always was good. Perform the functions according to the self-cherishing attitude. So therefore, we are always respecting and always, what’s called, always acting right according to the wishes of self-cherishing attitude.
Therefore, we have very strong attachment to some and we have very strong hatred to those who are distant and so forth. Thus, we always hold the self-cherishing attitude the most dear dearest friends. So therefore, it we think the self-cherishing attitude is the one who look after us, who was called protect us, and who grant something beneficial things for us. So this is our normal attitude. How we what’s called hold this self-cherishing attitude.
So as I mentioned, we have been let everywhere by our self-cherishing attitude because we hold the self-cherishing attitude is our, what’s called, protector, is our severe was was severe. Therefore, we must do right according to it. Otherwise, we will, what’s called, get lost. So therefore, we always have been led by every led everywhere by this self-cherishing attitude. Okay.
Okay. We let us interrogate few things. Is this self-cherishing attitude beneficial for us? Has it benefited us? Now, let us think.
We have been accumulating all kinds of negativities and are experiencing the result of those negativities because due to our self-cherishing attitude. Right? Due to our self-cherishing attitude due to our self-cherishing attitude, we are stealing others’ possessions without even slightest what’s called? Right to own. We are killing others for the sake of self-cherishing attitude.
And we are doing all kind of things for the sake of self-cherishing attitude and for his own betterment. And therefore, we have been accumulating many, many, many fold negativities. So thus, since there are causes, therefore, there would be result. So we all the sufferings which we are experiencing now and we have been experienced are due to our self-cherishing attitude. Thus, self-cherishing attitude isn’t beneficial for us and have not benefited us forever.
So thus, understanding these viewpoints, one must try at least to lessen the self-cherishing attitude. As Śāntideva mentioned in his book, although we have taken many lives, countless lives in the past, but even those lifetimes we have done nothing which which may which we may make strong conviction and strong confidence, thinking that this type of this particular style of suffering, I won’t experience because I haven’t done the cause. We have no such con what’s called? Conviction and confidence because due to our self-cherishing attitude, we are creating all kinds of causes. So therefore, definitely, will experience the sufferings as a result of those negativities.
Thus, it is even what’s called due to our own self-cherishing attitude, we have been experienced all sufferings and we are experienced and we will. We are not successful even to get rid of one particular sufferings, even to get rid of one particular delusions because our self-cherishing attitude is very strong within us. So therefore, it allows us to produce more rather than eliminating one. So therefore, in the Śāntideva, in his book said he said in his book, you self-cherishing attitude, right, made me to experience all the sufferings in the past. You, the self-cherishing attitude, still making me to experience all the sufferings, and you are causing all the causes to experience the result in the future.
So therefore, you the self-cherishing attitude. You are the only one who causing me all the troubles. Therefore, I will try to was to remove the self-cherishing attitude by understanding the many falls from many ankles. So in this way, we also try to understand the falls of self-cherishing attitude from many ways with many reasons. If I judge your mode of acting, right, if I judge your mode of acting, definitely, you will not allow me to get freedom from any kind of particular forever because you are you are engaging all those causes that brings sufferings.
So in this way, you we have to also recognize self-cherishing attitude as a, what’s called, producer of the causes of the sufferings. If you look only to this lifetime, so it is our own self-cherishing attitude which makes us not to become honesty. Honest person, but not to become honest person. Not to become our school noble person. Because our self-cherishing attitude once reverse from that.
So therefore, we have no there’s no place for honesty. There’s no place for the nobility and so forth. So these are all being caused by our self-cherishing attitude. Let us judge the attitude of self-cherishing attitude. As it was spoken from the thought transformation, in that book it says, if, right, if there is a work to be done by common people collectively all together.
Right? So although the work has been done by all people together, but when the result was what’s called? When the result was occurred positively, then our self-cherishing attitude says, I have done this, therefore, the reputation should be given to me. Right? So our work has been done by all people together, but still, when there is good reputation out of such work, our self-cherishing attitude wants only for oneself and don’t want to share the reputation to others.
Similarly, if the work has been done by all people equally and something has been wrong to the work and result was bad, then we ourselves change and choose. No. I didn’t do it, but this people or this people did it. Therefore, the work the result was poor. So therefore, whenever there’s bad reputation or bad result, we always try to keep those bad reputation poor poor on others, and we want to take those which are only good.
So that is our that is the attitude of our self-cherishing attitude. Right? So even in the case, and even not only those, but in what’s called, even in the question arises about the self, then we have no hesitation at all to give what’s go? To give to give loose yeah. Yeah.
Two gib loose to our parents. Right? When the question arises about self, we’d have no hesitation even to put our parents as what’s at stake. Because we want us I want our situation at once that was go more our self-cherishing attitude once safe, and therefore, he feels no hesitation to put in danger any kind. Thus, our self-cherishing attitude is the one is the only problem maker, is the only, what’s called, producer of all kinds of sources.
The explanation on the faults of self-cherishing attitude. So in short, all the sufferings which we experience and all the disasters which we experience is rooted with our self-cherishing attitude. And because of our self-cherishing attitude, all are what’s gonna have all sufferings have to face by ourselves. Thus, it has got no other advantage at all. Due to this self-cherishing attitude, all the conflicts and quarrels and fights are arising even in a small society like family or bit bigger than that, just in an organization or bigger than nation or in the states or international.
Due to one’s own self-cherishing attitude, both sides don’t want to, what’s called, accept any kinds of loss. So therefore, due to their own self jealousy or attitude, he wants the better and other ones the better. Therefore, due to not coming into the agreements, to own self jealousy and attitude, there arises fights, they arise conflicts, and they arise all the treponcies, disturbances. It’s all about the self-cherishing attitude, false self-cherishing attitude. Now, instead of self-cherishing attitude, we must try to cherish others more than self.
Right? So this is how we exchange self for others. So when we say one has to exchange self for others, it does not mean that you become me and I become you. You we can’t do that physically. Right?
There’s no way to exchange our my physical to you and your physical to me. But it means instead of holding self-cherishing attitude the day most, one has to hold the cherishing of others the day most. So by removing the self-cherishing attitude, we should adapt in its place cherishing for others. This is the meaning of exchanging self for others. Right?
So now we have to what’s called identify the benefits of cherishing of others. It’s necessary to exchange self-cherishing attitude for the what’s it called? Oh, what? I should Why is it necessary to exchange what’s called cherishing of cherishing of others in place of self-cherishing attitude? Right?
If we do cherish others more than self, there are many good qualities that one can what they can achieve. Therefore, self therefore, cherishing of cherishing of other is the foundation of establishing the good qualities within one’s continuum. They were mentioned in this book saying, not necessary to speak much about these two, Buddhas and others have worked solely worked for the others, and ordinary persons worked solely for oneself. Therefore, distinguish between these two. So this was the what’s called instruction given by Shandel in his book.
So here, same. We don’t have to mention much about differentiation between the self-cherishing attitude and the cherishing of others. Just simply, you just check. We have been doing only for one sake forsaking the others sake. Right?
So let us see how much we are how much we have obtained good qualities by doing so, and what level are we at this end now by cherishing others cherishing only for self and not cherishing others. Whereas the Buddha’s and Buddhists and so forth, they have only cherish others forsaking the self. Right? Therefore, let us see how much they have gained knowledge and on what level are they existing. So by by understanding these two, when we clearly able to differentiate the what’s called, importance of the self-cherishing attitude and cherishing of others.
So by knowing these differentiations, one should assert more towards cherishing of others. We must try to contemplate on the many what’s called manifold benefits of cherishing of others. So now let us see. It’s very reasonable and valid to cherish other sentient beings more than one. Right?
And we can and we have the ability to cherish others if we try to cherish others because every potentiality is within us, therefore, we can do. So, what’s more, having understood the benefits of cherishing others, one should start cherishing of others than self. It is worthwhile to hold all sentient beings without exception as our dear most. Because as we have learned from the six causes and the one effect precept, during that, we have to recognize all sentient beings as our mother. Right?
So therefore, even all sentient what even the time when the sentient beings have been our mother, they are, of course, kind to us. Even they have not been our mother, still they are kind what’s called kind to us. So by knowing their kindness, one should keep all sentient beings without exception as one is dear most. Try to contemplate on the kindness of the sentient being. There are many reasons to contemplate on the kindness of sentient being countlessly or limitlessly.
Of only this lifetime. So since we born since we born, we have been, what’s called, seeking the help from many, many sentient beings. Okay, Joe. Once again, too much change. When we were born, we were born just very, very small innocent baby, knowing nothing how to work, how to eat, how to talk, and know nothing.
Even we are not able to stand on our own leg. Just we can nakedly having no possessions at all with us. Right? So we have born in that condition. So knowing that condition clearly, one should think start one should start thinking of others’ kindness.
Yeah. Many sentient beings have contributed their kindness through what’s called illustrating your present life’s mother. Some people, some sentient beings have entered you shelter. Many sentient beings have entered you, what’s called, and provided you the educations, and many sentient beings have provided you clothing, and many have provided you the medicines, and many have, what’s called, guide you from wrong path, and many sentient beings have given you other sources that are needed term that are needed to advance our mental understanding and so forth. So in this way, we have been seeking others’ help and others assistance countlessly and limitlessly.
Break as in instance. To be able to have this blend fabric, I have we have to rely on many other persons, many other sentient beings. Some sentient beings have donated their wool, and some have made it. Some have colored it. Some have given the money to buy it, and some have given the, what’s called, chance to buy it.
So therefore, there are many, many, what’s called, sentient beings who are involved only even one particular things. So without their assistance, as we know, we are just bare naked possess possessionless, just small baby, have nothing with us. So our condition was dead. But due to other’s health, now at present, we have have something we belongs what or we possess many things, and we owe something in blah blah blah. So these are all due to the kindness of other limited sentient beings.
Okay. It isn’t true because I bought something by using my own money. So let us check how you get this money. Without help of others, you won’t have the money, so therefore, you can’t buy. So due to other kindness, due to others providing this job and so forth, you are able to, what’s called, save some money, and you are able to buy.
So in terms of their kindness, it is absolutely unexpressed or inexpressed, and therefore, their kindness is just valueless. We can’t value their kindness because it is limitless. Right? At the moment, we are quite educated now. So if you see very closely who has provided you the educations, it is through other sentient beings.
Therefore, it is also worthwhile to contemplate all sentient beings without exception. But to be able to generate great compassion, love, and so forth, It is also what’s called dependent on other sentient beings.