Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 42-minute teaching, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen traces how ego-grasping (at self and phenomena) generates unwholesome actions that imprint karma across rebirths. His central exhortation: practice now, not next life — the human rebirth with leisure and endowments is too rare to postpone. He challenges those busy with work or projects, the elderly person watching television, anyone assuming they will return — each must recognize the urgency. The path requires the three precious higher trainings: morality as the foundation, then concentration and wisdom. He closes with practical meditation technique: neutralizing the mind through breath work, visualizing impure thoughts exiting as insects on the exhale, directing intention toward altruism. For intermediate practitioners.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 02 LR 1995 02 12.mp3
UUID: d1c4b3a3-a687-4e44-abb6-a2b3447497e5
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Lam Rim 1995 Jan-Dec (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1995-02-12
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 42.6 minutes
Words: ~3,516
Doings and its deposits get transferred to next rebirth’s mental consciousness, and that transfer to the next one. And and that is exactly how from one rebirth to next rebirth continuously joined by way of karma, that one circles in that manner. Well, on this point, some people might think, how is it possible that there is continuous joining of person’s whole personality and the karmic things to the next rebirth by thinking that at the time a person dies, the body disintegrates, and the person either gets cremated or whichever way of disposal it’s done, it is finished. So there’s no basis of continuity for the person. Therefore, how would that be possible?
Well, that is understandable. A doubt of that kind can arise. But the point here is, firstly, the person has to aggregate what is called the five component parts of a person or personality, of which the main reference is the mind, the the mental consciousness. Now, that itself as a mundane being or in mundane existence is called the true suffering, the first of the four truths of the sages or the seers. And that true suffering has its cause, and in the cause, there are two principal causes, the karma or the unwholesome actions, the karma, unwholesome actions, and the causes of the karma or unwholesome actions, the impure thoughts.
The way how the whole process starts, we can say, firstly, there is the grasping at self as existing by its own side and grasping at phenomena or things other than self as actually existing solidly there. Therefore, out what is technically called the two types of ego grasping or grasping at identities. So from these two types of ego graspings comes all other impure thoughts, attachment, hatred, jealousy, pride, and all that. And they are, in a way, like a servant or the main ministers in the office of the ego-grasping and ignorance. And these then, in turn, cause the person to create or engage in unwholesome actions.
And once an unwholesome action is done, there is a karmic deposit laid upon the person’s mental consciousness, and that becomes the basis through which the person experiences the karmic consequences of misery, dissatisfaction, whatever that follows from such unwholesome actions. And that deposit upon the mind then continues in the person’s present living time. And when the person dies in this life, mental consciousness continues, and the deposit of that, those karma, as well continues. And this is exactly the manner how the continuity of rebirth and the account accountability of a person’s doing of relating to the consequences one suffers happens in that way, and that is the manner how one circles or wanders from one life to other. So for us to get rid of the miserable existence in the cycle, we need to look at the need to get rid of our impure contaminated aggregates, and expression meaning our present personality components with all its mundane failing.
We need to get rid of them. To be able to do that, we need to get rid of engaging into unwholesome actions, or we need to get rid of engaging into karma, unwholesome actions. To be able to do that, we need to first overcome the secondary impure thoughts, secondary delusions. To do that, we need to overcome the root or the main impure thoughts. And they, in turn, to be able to do, we need to overcome the two types of graspings, the grasping at ego or I or oneself, and grasping at things other than oneself, the grasping at phenomena.
It is, of course, a way of work to say that we need to do all that, and especially in terms of it is a way of work to say that we need to overcome the two grasping. But to do that, firstly, practically speaking, we first need to identify what are and how the two types of grasping, the root of all impure thoughts are. And as regards their identification, the ego grasping at person or ego grasping at oneself or self identity, it is a grasping which is focused on the notion of I, I, me, or myself, and based focused on that one’s thought innately or philosophically wrongly oriented things that the self or I exist by its own side without depending on anything. It independently exists. So and that is not the way how I or self exist.
So that is ego grasping at a person. Ego grasping at phenomena is the mind is focused on things other than ego or self, such as the aggregates, body, feeling, perception, activity, and consciousness, and then grasped and innately or philosophically wrongly oriented that the aggregates or these things do truly exist by their own side independently. So that is the identification we first need to come. If we are able to do that, then we can make a step ahead, progress ahead to actually go about removing them and consequently the root and impure secondary impure thoughts and the suffering the karma and the suffering and all that. Unless we have unless we are able to do that, then it would mean our situation as a person or being continuously taking rebirth in the mundane existence would be equally what so far had been countless times, so many times, again and again, being born.
And that would that exactly might happen would happen if one fails to overcome those. Also, in this way, I must, at any rate, get overcome of the cycle in order to get overcome of all suffering that you are inseparable. And I must do it within the basis of having this rebirth as human. I must do it this life. And how and when when should I do in this life?
I must do it right this very moment. Meaning, I must start from this very moment. A lot of people might have the tendency to think I can’t do much in this life. In this life, I can’t achieve anything especially much, so I will hope to have the real spiritual enlightenment and progress next life. And in this life, I would be contained.
I would just do my best, say my prayers, go about with the minimum practice I can do. That is how one might. But then there is no guarantee next life one would be born as a human complete with the present capability of the leisure and endowments. When there is mention here about the preciousness and how rare it is to be born as a human with freedoms and endowments, it might be possible. Some people may think, oh, it is not that difficult to be born as human.
There are too many of them around. One might think, oh, there are so many humans in the world in general, and even here in Adelaide, there are so many. But that’s not the case here. There’s a difference. The reference is rebirth as a human complete with the leisures and endowments, making eighteen qualities in total.
And it’s not just a human. And as regards to qualities, such as the qualities of the leisures, can look at where there is mention of one has to have been born as a human, standard human, and one needs to have the faculties complete. And when there is mention of faculties complete, some people might think it simply means to have the limbs, the hands, and feet intact at the time one was born. Here, the main reference of the faculties complete means the mental faculty is complete with its capability to think and apply it in one’s spiritual practices. And then as regards to the next part where it says one needs to be born in central region, Here, the central region is to be understood in spiritual context, meaning where it means an area where one is born or where one is living has access to meaningful and correct spiritual guidance and availability.
And more specifically, the central region has the meaning. An area where the teachings are not only there, but even there are dedicated lifetime practitioners such as a congregation of nun or monk with full ordination, or even at the minimum, an area where there are lay practitioners who have taken the lifetime five vows to not hurt to not hurt and do things which indirectly would hurt and so forth. So in this way, there are all those requirements, and we then can think that in terms of those qualifications, then there is a difference between just human and humans complete with those qualities of freedoms and endowments. So the laughter, the bit of what’s called the bit of humor part, I thought was it’s like saying the unequal amongst the equals. A lot of people might think, presently, I’m too busy with this type of project or that that business or that work.
I can’t commit myself to full, meaningful, spiritual practice. Others might think, presently, I have to look after my family, my children, and all that. I can’t commit myself fully to a meaningful, spiritual practice. And such and and through such way of thinking and not making oneself, let’s call, go for the committed spiritual practice. Years may pass, and it might go past fair number of decades.
Say in the interpretation, in the translation, you wouldn’t say the number. So now yeah. So many decades may pass, and then finally, one might think, oh, I can’t do anymore. I’m a bit old, and I’m an old age. So in that way, whole life then might go without much being accomplished.
One then needs to commit to one’s fresh meaningful spiritual practice in this life and right this from right from this very moment. This is so because if one keeps putting it off and off, then there’s no certainty whether one’s practice would come first or the next life would come first. That can strike any moment. So it might go like that. Therefore, one needs to have a firm determination.
I must start right from this moment to terminate my mundane existence and remove my cyclic existence with suffering and impure thoughts that I must terminate right this moment. And the method how I can terminate is by applying the three precious higher trainings to interpret the training on morality, on meditative concentration, and on wisdom. Because those three precious higher trainings are the actual means by which one can overcome all mundane impure thoughts and their result in sufferings. So that’s how it stands. As a spiritual practitioner, the very moment when one has made the firm decision, thinking, in order to remove my mundane existence, to terminate my cyclic existence, I must apply the method of the three precious higher training, then that state of mind is called the motive common to the practitioner of intermediate scope.
Generally, with regards to the three three trainings, there can be varying levels of three trainings. Just three trainings or simple three trainings, or higher three trainings, which is called the precious three higher trainings, or the three trainings connected with the path. And the difference of the three is in this way, if it is just three trainings, then let’s say in the case of first type, the training on morality, then it is just training because it is nothing exclusive to lead the practitioner towards liberation and enlightenment. It simply makes a person pure, abstain from unwholesome gross, unwholesome actions or karma because that much training on morality or ethics, such as if I give just one example, to abide on the ethics to not kill any being, then that is just a morality common to non-Buddhist non-follower of the path towards enlightenment because they would as well take similar vows and exactly do the same practice. Therefore, here in the case of the path leading to liberation and enlightenment, it needs to be of higher three trainings, where in terms of morality, it is a practice of morality or ethics based on firstly having gone for refuge to the Three Jewels and having received the vow of Three Jewels.
So then it becomes higher training. And then as regards the three trainings connected with the path, it means whenever a person has first generated the thought definitely wanting to exit from suffering, renunciation, then based on that having generated that thought, if one does the additional practices of the three trainings, then that or they become the three trainings connected with the thought. So in this way, yeah, we can relate the three trainings in those three levels of possible ways. The training of morality is like the hub of a hub of a wheel, whereas the two other trainings, meditative concentration and of wisdom, are like the spokes and the rim of the wheel, where we have a picture of everything about the wheel depends firstly on the staying intact of the heart of the wheel. So in this way, we can say morality becomes the sound basis for developing of the other two trainings.
The training on morality can be applied in relation with the three levels of the path, the path common to practitioner of the small scope of intermediate and path of the great practitioner, where we can look that the format of the practice can basically be of the same content, such as the morality to abstain from ten gross unwholesome actions, which when a person at a small level does it, it becomes morality of that part. And if intermediate practitioner does that, it becomes of that. And those of the higher does that. And a person who has a strong practice of abiding on pure morality can, on the basis of having that pure morality or ethics, can then have the purity of mind and the strength of the mind by which the meditative concentration also will arise from such state of mind, through which one can later on apply the two in realizing the reality such as selflessness of the person or selflessness of phenomena. And through that way, wisdom also arise on the basis of having first a sound morality.
Now, if let’s look at the case in this morning’s topic of intermediate or motive common to practitioner of intermediate scope, then let’s say based on sound ethics of morality, if one has developed meditation concentration, out of which one as well gains the wisdom, realizing the selflessness of the person, then one can make oneself liberate from all impure thoughts and the resultant sufferings. In that way, one can liberate oneself from the cycle, from the existence. Yeah. So we’ll stop here for today. And if you have any questions, yeah, please ask questions.
The person’s body might the person’s body might have become aged, but his mind or her mind necessarily need not be aged. Yeah. That that much motive and way of approaching should be enough in in this life remaining of the time. Do as much much virtuous things and spiritual practice, then with the hope and intention to have good rebirth as a human, then that should be okay For example, even if it’s someone who is very old and definitely is going to die tomorrow, they wouldn’t stop eating food today. They would still go for their food.
So similarly, even if, let’s say, a person is going to die next day, it is still appropriate and necessary to make all spiritual effort and say prayers even with the minimum motive to be born in a higher rebirth as a human next time. Especially in this country, if someone has gone past the what’s called retired age and they’re forty years old, then the Australian government looks after the person well. There’s not much material worry, relatively speaking. So the only problem, generally speaking, elderly people might have is not having enough to do to pass the day or time. Now, if such a person encounters the dharma or the meaningful or wholesome spiritual direction, then they can have so much to do to spend the time.
So it can be good. The other possible scene with people of that type, meaning not much spiritual things to do, therefore, and having difficulty spending time, then we might imagine a scene as perhaps quite normal. That person might spend a lot of time watching television, reading the newspaper, and then from those, the person might hear and know about the fightings happening in America. There is civil unrest or looters or muggings happening in the street with guns and all that, and they might relate or something similarly might be happening in the cities around Australia. And with that, there is every danger sitting in one’s armchair.
One might rejoice. Oh, that’s wonderful that these people were killed in this unrest, or in mugging, and all that. If one does that, then although one has not picked up a gun and pulled the trigger, but one equally receives the karmic consequences of engaging in killing just by way of morally or mentally supporting, by way of rejoicing. So if that happens, then it is. If that happens, it’s an extremely tragic way to spend one’s day in that way.
Opposed to that, opposed to that, we can say a person can have a spiritual encounter and all of such even happens to say one round of prayer, such as prayer of the mantra of compassion, or Mani prayer, or that itself is far more better than that one. There are impure thoughts which arise due to one’s previous karma. But generally speaking, impure thoughts arise more of the type to which one has been more accustomed to, with which one has more familiarity. So the impure thoughts with which one has been so much used to, they tend to arise, such as in the time even one is putting all effort to direct meditation. So that is how generally it happens.
And if impure thoughts, especially in terms of formal sitting of meditation, do arise, then the method to overcome them is to apply the very much normally taught methods such as apply mindfulness, watching their arising, and introspection. These two mainly. And of course, you would know about it yet still to remind you start the meditation by sitting on your cushion in the posture of Buddha or physical purity, where the physical posture has seven or eight distinct features. And then you try to concentrate one’s mind in trying to develop the right motive. And if the right motive is not there at the time of entry into meditation, then you will need to do concentration on breath meditation, where you focus on outgoing breath and incoming breath.
And if the impure thoughts tend to arise at that time or during your normal meditation session, and especially those impure thoughts which tend to arise more often. Then along with the beginning meditation on the concentration of breath, one can imagine those special frequent impure thoughts that arise coming out from your mind, the central heart in the form of scorpions or any dreadful insects and so forth, and goes out along with your outgoing air. Say, if it is left nostril, goes out. And the time you breathe in, then along with incoming air, you imagine the blessings and the purity of all enlightened beings together with those of Bodhisattvas or the offspring of the enlightened ones come into you in the form of along with the incoming air. And they get immersed into your mind.
And you imagine that the impure thoughts, especially those bothering you, have subsided. So in this way, one can keep doing, breathing out, in, out, in, and continues to continue to do that until the time your mind feels quite relaxed and calm to have to have slight or slight direction of thinking about helping others. That is, in other words, the right motive of altruism. So you keep doing that until that arise. So at the time of setting up one’s motive at the beginning of the meditation, there is an intention.
Now that intention has to go along with the main mind, firstly becoming neutral state. So one needs to do the breath concentration or whatever methods there are to neutralize the mind. One needs to do until the mind has become of neutral direction, neither wholesome nor unwholesome. And the time, if the mind has become of neutral, then it is possible for it to be accompanied by that intentioned mind, the willingness to do meditation and so forth, and then transform the state of mind into virtuous state. The reasoning goes, if the mind has remained not neutral and unwholesome, then the intention becomes non virtuous and the whole mind also becomes non virtuous.
So, anyway, the idea is first neutralize the mind and then bring along that neutral mind with the intention for one’s doing towards altruism to help others. Okay.