Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen teaches the foundational role of guru devotion in the Lam Rim path. He opens by citing Candrakīrti on the precious human body—blessed with eight freedoms and ten endowments, the rare conditions for Dharma practice—and argues that actualizing this opportunity depends entirely on genuine connection with a spiritual teacher. The teaching walks through six preparatory practices for meditation: cleaning the practice space, arranging offerings, taking refuge, visualizing the merit field, performing purification and mandala offerings, and making sincere prayers. Throughout, he stresses that every action generates merit only through the right motivation—the intention to reach enlightenment for all beings. He closes with the story of Papa Lam Chum, demonstrating how sincere devotion to a guru allows even a person of limited intellectual capacity to genuinely progress in practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 01 LR 1995 05 21.mp3
UUID: 5a38347b-0897-4b0e-b588-9732a2c84412
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Lam Rim 1995 Jan-Dec (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1995-05-21
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.9 minutes
Words: ~3,235
Quoting from the text of Candrakīrti, the middle middle in the in the text of Mādhyamika, where Candrakīrti explains that at present, that one one have this precious human body, which which has the eight freedoms and the ten endowments, which are and one has one have this body and one have all the necessary things, conditions for your practice, which which like one is those freedoms, is like one is not born in the hell, in the in the the hungry ghost realms or the spirit realm and the animal realms. So one is free from those states. And right now, one have this precious human body, which has all the conditions for for our Dharma practice. So, sorry, one has this freedom, which one is free from these eight free all different states, and where one also have this choice to do any types of religion practice or any type of Dharma practice. One has this choice.
And also one have the choice within oneself whether one wants to do it or not. So, one have all these necessary positive conditions with one. So so one has this choice whether one one can practice it or one one can leave it leave leave practicing. One can stop one can one one have this choice whether one can practice or not. So so if one to do the practice, then one should do the practice that is benefit beneficial for for one’s for one’s for for the what’s it like?
For the future life. For one’s own for all for the entire one’s future life. So so if one is not to do any Dharma practice, then most of the time our body, speech, and mind are in a in most of the time our body, speech, and mind is not towards the Dharma. When most of the time our bodies, speech, and mind are not towards dharma, then that means mostly one is creating a cause for rebirth in the lower states. And then once one is born in the lower states, that means one will one one one won’t have this chance for hearing teaching, and so one one will not hear even a word of Dharma in the in the lower state, in the lower realms.
So so because of that, at present, one have one have the choice, and also one have the freedom to do the practice. And also one have met with all the necessary conditions. So those conditions, for example, one of that is the Lamrim teachings. Like so so one should, like, generate a good motivation that, like, I make it meaningful for my future. So I listen to this Lamrim teachings.
So depending how how depending upon our motivations. So depending upon our motivations, that one one one depending on our motivation, how much one how much merit one creates, it depends on our motivation. Sorry. So how much merit one creates is depend upon our motivations. So with with with a good motivation, with the highest motivations, if one is if one just listening or doing some small virtue with with the highest motivation, one come to accumulate a great amount of merit.
Going to the Lamrim text that last time we went, Geshe-la explained the three qualities and the four greatness of the teachings, of the Lamrim teachings. And now coming to the next point, which is the actual part of the the starting of the actual part of the teachings, where it starts from the practice of guru devotions. So that point that part is explained in two two two in two points, which is one, how one should, like, devote to one’s spiritual master and how one should practice how one should practice at this in these two. So so just just these, like, points, like how one should devote and how one should practice these two lines. As Lama Tsongkhapa explains with with with having with with lots of meanings in it.
So so in the text it also says that the root of the path is the practice of guru devotion. That’s so so root of the path here means the three principal paths. So so then these are the root of the three principal paths is is the practice of guru devotion. So if the practice of guru devotion is done very well, then that means the further practice, the the practice on three principal paths will automatically become very strong and more worthwhile. And then the rest comes via with that.
So it depends how good one practice the devotion to spiritual master. So as an example, if one wants a one wants a good fruit, then one has to first like, the tree is like, one first one has to one has to plant it and then, like, give the necessary conditions, like a water and so on, and then make it grow. And then then with that with that, one can have good fruit? So so similar to that, like, the very beginning, like, bringing the necessary conditions is very important. Like, that way like, the practice of guru devotion is very important from very beginning from very beginning to the very end where, like, the the end, the state of enlightenment.
So so all these from, like, for example, from the precious human body, from that up to the fully enlightened state, all those different states are the result of the practice of guru devotion. So because of that, the practice of guru devotion comes a very important practice, that it is also said that it is the root of it’s the it’s the root of the path. So, also, like like, the practice of guru devotions, this part is explained into two parts, which is explained what you should do in, like, What you should do in the in the actual part of the practice, and what you what you should do, like, like, after practice or the after like, between the practice, between decisions. So so these two point that one, within the session and, like after session. How one should one should do within the session while one is in the in the session and how one should do like after session when one is not doing the sessions.
So these two are also very important that like if we if we wanna divide the twenty four hour into one day, then one can divide all the all the things what one one do within the twenty four hours in these two. So so if we, like, if we divide the twenty four hour into these two, like, in session and between sessions, then if you see what one’s body is present in mind, how it is behaving, how it’s working, then if you lead towards the positive side, then means that one day you can lead that into positive side, then you can, like, make it a month leading towards positive actions, and then year, and then that’s how one, like, developed the practice. So so while while in the session, while while one is in the session, how one should practice? Again, that is divided into three parts, like the preparation, and then the actual part of the practice, and then the complete the completion the ending of the practice. Sorry, the preparation before the sessions is very important.
It’s as important as when you want to have a delicious food or lunch. Before you have that, you have to do all the preparations. We have to buy all the things that they what kind of food you want. So when you buy everything together and when it’s there, then we can cook and make a delicious food. So same thing, like the preparation for the practice is very important.
So then, the second, that is the actual part of the practice. What you do, the main practice in this session, is that that also is very important. And that is what all different realizations depend upon your main practice. Which is like whether one’s practice of guru devotion is fruitful or not. Whether one have gained the realization of precious human body or not.
Furthermore, all those different realizations depend upon the actual practice. In order to gain different experience in these practices, again, there are six kind of like a preparatory practices that is explained. So, the six preparatory practices are known as the first part. First one is like cleaning the place, cleaning the room while you are doing your practice. And setting up the altar or the the image of the Buddhists.
And then the second is, like, on this altar, you’re setting up a beautiful arrange like, you arrange the offerings beautifully. And then the third is that, like, sitting comfortably on the cushions and then going for refuge. And then the fourth is that the visualization of a merit field. So so then the fifth one is by visualizing the merit field. One one does the purification practice together with the mandala offerings.
And then the sixth one is making, like, supplications, making prayer making strong prayer from your heart. So so like a cleaning of the room where one is doing our practice is what do you say? It’s one take the example, like the Lama Slipper. So just cleaning the part, the first part of the practice, That also, like, we take the example of Lama Slimpa, and then that practice is not someone who just made in between, but that can also, we can look to its source also to that the source coming from the Buddha. So so same thing, like, how Buddha explains that the cleaning the first part is important that how he explained in the sūtra is that, like, to bodhisattvas, he sort of commanded saying, whatever, we should clean, sit in a clean place, and then do sitting in a full posture and then do your practice.
That’s what in the sūtra it explains. As a reason why one one the cleaning is important is that it’s something like when when you are you are having some important guests in your your place, like before you invite him or her in, you clean the room. So so the reason why we clean our room where where one is doing our practice is that one is inviting also a guest, is all the all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of ten directions and. And then then for that purpose, that whatever other practice you do afterwards, like for that like inviting those guests for that purpose that you cleaned the room? So again, this practice of cleaning, that also depends on our motivations.
If it’s done only for self self comfort and also just to look it beautiful, if one has that motivation and if one does the cleaning, then that’s that’s what do say? That doesn’t accumulate as much merit. The the the the strength or the the time you put in in cleaning doesn’t become that worthwhile. So so then if one is to to do with a good motivation that before starting of your practice, whatever practice one is doing. Like if it’s according to Lundin different practice or any practice that one is doing the cleaning to invite all those important guests for your in in there.
So for that purpose, you are doing that whatever practice you are doing, like setting up the motivation that I’m doing for the achievement of fully enlightened state for the sake of all other sentient beings. So, like, with that motivation, if you clean the room, then it it becomes what do say? It it becomes very worthwhile, that cleaning. So with a a pure motivation, with a good motivation, if one is to do the cleaning, then there are, like, five benefits which are explained in the sūtra. So the first benefit is that one’s mind become clear.
And also, second is that it make others’ mind clear too. So and then the third benefit is that the positives positive side of the gods. The the positive side of the gods who helps in our practice pleases. Oh, yeah. And then the next, the fourth is that one is creating a cause for beautiful appearance.
And then, like, it also it becomes a cause for a beautiful it also becomes a cause for our, I would say, better rebirth in future. Pabongka Rinpoche explains that in his teaching saying that the positive side of the gods, they come to the to the human realms and help help to those practitioners. Help gives helps to the practitioners. So so so they come and help the practitioners. So because if the house is if the place where one is doing, one’s practice, if not clean, then as a as a god, they are very clean that that they if if they see some dirt in, they won’t, like, come in.
So so by cleaning the room, not only the you you pleases all the positive side of the gods come to your help, but also you pleases all the all all the gurus and the Buddhists. So so that and it also become a cause for for beautiful appearance. That is like physical appearance and also what like one becomes it can also be become a cause for for maintaining pure pure morality. So, like, the moralities are like the avoiding act Mhmm. And such.
So so so that this the practice of morality, like, for example, avoiding doing ten non-virtuous act. If one is to do at this degenerated age, like just one from the ten, then it has great benefit. Like, for example, if you if you were to compare this the merit at present and the merit that one accumulate during the time of Buddha, like like preserving all the ten non virtuous act. If you compare the two merits, then it’s said that in many treaties and teachings of Buddha, it says that much greater merit of this of the degenerated age. If you just keep one, just keeping one has more merit than keeping all ten during the time of Buddha.
So, for example, like, of one of the ten non-virtuous act, one is that of stealing. And, like, though even if one doesn’t steal, like, even if one doesn’t don’t steal, if one is to take the vows of not stealing. So if one is to take the vows, then one keeps one sort of one vow one vowel is to keep one vowel. That is like avoiding stealing. So so though in the everyday life, that one one one don’t steal and tell a lie and so on.
This non-virtuous act. If if one does it if one does this with taking the vows, then it is it’s regarded better. So so so if one is to keep all these moralities pure, all these all these practice pure, like, the ten non actions, like a like being abandoned doing ten non religious action, and able to keep that those pure, then even though one’s, like, physical appearance is not beautiful, for the Buddhas, you appear to be beautiful. So Lama Tsongkhapa explains, that sort of like a marvelous ornament, marvelous or cloth or the dress of a intelligent being intelligent being is the practice of morality. So so so, like, the the beautiful dress that we see is something different.
Like, how Tsongkhapa explains as a beautiful dress is the is the like, who like, the pure morality is a is or a beautiful or marvelous dress. So this part is more related to that of the physical ornaments. That is what like, keeping pure morality. And then secondly, like, the ornament of your neck. Ornament of your neck or ornament of speech.
That is not the ornaments that we put like jewels and so on in our on our neck. It’s a it’s the ornament what the ornament that is explained is the one who is able to, like, preach or able to speak all the all different treaties and teachings. It is the ornament of our neck, which means the ornament of speech. So then same thing what he explains is that meditating on on the on on your crown. A Jew meditating on Jew is nothing to be surprised, nothing to be nothing to nothing to be surprised.
What one needs is one should meditate on a on a guru or Lama. So in short, what it means here is that wearing expensive, beautiful clothes and good, like also, jewelers around your neck and also like having a jewel on our head. These are nothing, what is it, nothing to be surprised. Nothing great. And the great thing, if one can, is that as in physically, like, preserve the keeping the vows and, like, any verbally able to, like, explain the treaties and the teachings.
And then, like, mentally, like, able to visualize guru at your hence, once crown, that is what one needed. So then then another is like the result of cleaning. One one gets reborn in the in the higher higher birth, which is the the god’s realms. And god’s realm here means the pure realms, not the gods of those different states. So like a similar way, like how this one master, like, known as, he did the cleaning practice.
If one is able to do like that, then then there are great benefits. So so, like, this Papa Lam Chum and Papa Lam Chum, are one they are two two relatives brothers related who one is known as the Papa Lam Chum, big and the Papa Lam Chum, the small. So they have, like, their life stories, there are many stories of in in their practices. And, we still won’t be going in detail explaining all the all the stories, but shortly, you would mention. So this this was born in a Brahmin family.
So so that as one is born in the in the Brahmin the Brahmin family, one has to do all the practices there, like all those different practices which has to be done in Brahmin studies. So one, Pabbalanjin, grade, he became very well well learned master. So then the small went to was also sent to that grade master, and then to do the also for the educations. And then the first thing, what Pavulam Chum was taught was a mantra. Om I just want to make it.
Om Gurubo, so I say it. Yeah. So that’s the mantra that, I wanna say, he was first taught. And then when when he was like his memory was very bad that when he repeats the first mantra, first syllable, he forgets the next. And when he repeats the next one, the last or next one, he forgets the first one.
So so he was he couldn’t, like, collect all, like, all those knowledge that what Brahmin should collect, what Brahmin should be educated. So so because of that, he was, like, he was kept outside. So so then while he was kept out from the Brahmin place, that Buddha Śākyamūni, his through his clairvoyance, he knew that all the needs of of this Pappalamten, Buddha Shakyamun appeared in front of him. So then, like, then the, like, Buddha.