Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 46-minute teaching, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen argues that personal liberation through the ten virtues and three higher trainings is incomplete. While it brings escape from saṃsāra, it leaves you unable to genuinely help others. Only Buddha-enlightenment—requiring abandonment of subtle obscurations to omniscience—truly prepares one to benefit beings. He teaches how to cultivate bodhicitta: recognize all sentient beings as your mothers; contemplate their samsaric suffering; meditate progressively on giving them happiness and freedom, starting with those close to you, then strangers, then enemies; take responsibility for their liberation. He illustrates karma’s subtlety through an ant that circled a stupa without intent, accumulating merit perceivable only to an omniscient Buddha. He emphasizes rigorously analyzing teachings before adoption and explains how Atisha synthesized Buddha’s extensive and profound lineages into the Lam Rim structure.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 03 LR 1995 02 19.mp3
UUID: 16160c3f-36f3-4553-b1c3-e05bb02b7fcd
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Lam Rim 1995 Jan-Dec (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1995-02-19
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.8 minutes
Words: ~3,548
The seven prayers. And then do the short mandala offering. And afterwards, while you are reciting the prayers, try to generate the best motivation as you can. And especially today, this will be mainly talking about the motivation of motivation of the highest beings which are the which is the bodhicitta. So in the past Sunday, what Geshe-la has taught is the motivation of how you set of the middling middling beings or the beings of the middle capacity.
So briefly talking about the past subjects that in the the middling in the what the middle level of the being practice is that of they try to avoid committing the ten non virtuous actions and train themselves in the three higher trainings. That of three higher trainings and then with this practice what they do is what what they achieve is that of that they achieve the liberation which is free from saṃsāra. And this is what what beings of the middling capacity mainly practices. And then now when we talk about the highest level of beings, the beings of the highest motivations, for them only this much is not sufficient, not enough. And what because perfecting only on that level is not really still one have completed one’s purpose and others also But still one’s self is not completely perfect which is that one haven’t yet abandoned those obscurations or delusions known as the obscuration to omniscience and also one is not completely free from these different kinds of fears.
We talk about the four different kinds of fears and one is also not completely free from that. So and because when one is not free from these two, that means one is not completely perfect in order to help others. So for that purpose, in order to help able to help others perfectly, one has to complete these two. One has to abandon these two of the aspirations. So the obscuration to omniscience, what that that is the obscuration which obstructs one from achieving the full enlightened state, complete full enlightened state.
So so then so then the other obscurations, like, that which you that of before, which are like because not knowing completely the duration of long times, duration of long how not completely knowing that and also like not knowing the real subtle nature of the things that also another another type of obscurations So like there’s a story in the past that one of the person have a very little amount of merit and for that amount of merit like other ordinary or like the arhats, they are unable to see that he or she has this amount, this little amount of merit. So in order to see that those two, one has to like a one has to train. So to this particular story that how it happened was that one of the person in the past many years back that happened in one of his past life, he was born as an insect and the Geshe-la said ant, insect ant. Ant somehow happened to fall over a piece of wood and then at that there was a stupa next to there. And then around the stupa there was a small stream running by the stupa around, like sort of going all around.
So it happened that it fold, the end fold on the piece of wood. And then the post of the water somehow just went around the stupa. That just going around without any motivation of circumambulating the stupa that the ant happened to collect some amount of merit in order to be reborn as a human being in one of his her next life. So that that that was the cause that the later life he this this person this ant became a human being. And and and when the arhats when some of the arhats when they look what causes him to be what what was the merit that causes him to be born as a human being the arhats can’t tell small amount of merit.
Only the omniscient like Buddha is the only one who can tell. So in order to, like, perfect that, in order to be like that, we have one has to train also. So in order to be perfect in helping others, one has to achieve the fully enlightened state. And without achieving the fully enlightened state there’s no one can like perfectly help purpose of others or perfectly help others So so whatever practice you do, it it’s it’s like a not only the practice like a like like a practice or what it involves is the Mahāyānist practice, and person has to be a Mahāyānist. And not only the practice you you practice Mahāyānist, but you become if if you don’t become Mahāyānist, then again, it doesn’t work.
So like it said that if you first practice Hinayanist path and completed the Hinayanist path then later somehow you have to again go to the Mahāyānist path and practice. So in order to sort of cross the river twice, if enter the Mahāyāna path from the very beginning, then you can do about at once. That you don’t have to go through the Mahāyāna part to complete that. If you cross the Mahāyāna path, that means you cross like two at once. So for the practitioners, for ourselves, in order to be Mahayan is what one need?
Is one need the generation of compassion? So then how you make you generate great compassion within yourself is that there are like different methods and explanations are given. So the first step is recognizing everyone all sentient beings as oneself mother and then again thinking about their kindness so on and meditating on love and so on that makes one generate this compassion. So so that we say that all sentient beings are are our mothers. And this is how this becomes is that our past lives has no beginnings and as long as one it’s no beginning and it’s limitless, it’s numberless So as long as one have have a past life, like, that is limitless that we need a mother or a parent.
And because of that, because of this reason that it is said that all sentient beings have become our mothers. So so then when so it is if it’s like that, then, like, if you’re looking taking example of this present mother, how she have, you know, say, taken care of you. So so you have to apply the same thing that the past mothers have done same thing to you, like the present mother. And it’s possible that one may have doubt or one may think this that saying that the past mothers are normal existing normal existing and there’s no point thinking in their kindness. So if one thinks in that way, with the example before, then that way of thinking not right because the kindness that you receive from this present mother and the kindness that you received from the past life’s mothers are same For example, if someone to help you in past years and another person comes and helps you this year, right now and the helping those persons to you is same.
With this example, you can see that those are the past mothers and present mothers are the help that you receive are same. So so those mothers are are now that those are past mothers are now experiencing lots of suffering in the saṃsāra. So so with knowing that, if you if you forget about them, then that is not right. So just take with with this example that if you are one of your parents or one of your relatives is drowning in a in a ocean or with the waves is taken away and drowning. And at that very time you are just close by at the side of the ocean.
And if you if you like just stay there without helping, like you stay there and like you just ignore them and you just sing and dance and live there. What what other people will say to you? Like I always said, this is his he or she is very bad because I’m not helping their own relative while they are drowning. So so it is like that. So also those other sentient beings beside one, at present one feels that one have no connection or relation with them.
But but then if you if you deeply think then they have this relation of parents or being mother like like a present mother. So so with knowing this now, what what one should do, one should try to help them pay their repay their kindness. And like paying rep paying their kindness, repaying their kindness, like giving food to those who need food and giving water to those who are thirsty. Are sort of the normal thing that one can do. So then that is sort of the normal help that one can give to others.
And then, especially how we can help, sort of the best help that we can give to them is that you visualize them, all of those sentient beings, though they are in different forms. They have different lives. Visualize them in the form of human beings all sitting around you and then and then imagine that they are all sitting around you and imagine that you are you are like giving all the happiness and like feeling them with happiness This this this, like, the happiness, which is, like, filling them with happiness. This is what you how you meditate love towards the sentient beings. So like how you feel towards present parents.
Use that as an example and then first meditate to the close one and bring them into the state of happiness. And then secondly, you meditate them onto these dangers, and then thirdly, you meditate on them to the to your enemies that you say enemies and, like, bring them in the state of happiness. So so well, these meditation practice is by using oneself as an example. Part is that you wish happiness and same thing you take that example towards others and secondly like we wish suffering. We don’t wish sufferings.
And this also you apply that to others. The others also don’t wish sufferings. So in the same manner you meditate like bring the close one first and then make them free of sufferings and then secondly the stranger and thirdly the enemies all of them make free of all types of sufferings in your meditations. And then at the end you generate more special thought that you sort of take the whole responsibility by yourself in order to free them all from the state of sufferings, which is like known as the special insight. So so like the like the like the children’s, they they have sort of they had they they had the responsibility to take care of their parents somehow.
That’s that’s what that as an example, in the same way, we also we we also have the responsibility to take care of the other sentient beings. So so at present, we also we also don’t have this complete, what is it, power in order to help others In order to actually help others So if you analyze how it is possible to make that happen And then when you analyze you see one of those enlightened beings, fully enlightened beings are able to do that. So what now you should do is you should first achieve this state of enlightenment for yourself and then achieve enlightenment yourself and then then then then work for the others. So even like those beings at the highest stage like the arhats, those are known as the hearers and the Pratyekabuddha. So they also don’t have the full capacity to help all sentient beings.
For us as an ordinary like us, how can we have, like, all this power to help them? So so only that who can, like, completely help or, like, who is perfect in helping the sentient beings is the is the only enlightened being that is the Buddha. And how Buddha helps other sentient beings is that Buddha is omniscient that he knows he or she knows the the interest of of those individual sentient beings and the needs of those individual sentient beings. So we we knowing that that he or she helps according to So so then so so if I have a one have a questions if one have a question saying that is this enlightenment possible, then then no doubt it is possible. Is possible through this body, through this human body it is possible to achieve this enlightenment.
And when achieving this body and also meeting with the teachings, the teachings that which explains both sūtra and tantra like the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa, especially which explains sūtra and tantra hand to hand. So if want to like actually really practice that, then this enlightenment is possible within this very life. So so, like, when you talk about the Mahāyānist Mahāyānist vehicle, they are these of the perfection, the sūtra vehicle and the tantric vehicles. They are these two. And both of them explains that this human body of the southern continent or the Jambudvipa is most suited suited, I would say, body or or most suited beings for the for the for the practice of these two, like the the perfection vehicles and the tantric vehicles.
So so at present when we analyze, when we examine then we have all the necessary We have all the needs, we have all the necessary things that one have this body and one have met with the teachings So, if one loses this opportunity present, then in the future it’s very difficult to gain a gain. So then, like, for that purpose, one set of very good motivation. That is like, I’m going to achieve the full enlightened state or the state of Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. For the sake of all sentient beings. So for that purpose right now I listen to the teachings or whatever you do.
For example, even if those don’t do any practice just going to work, But also, if you set this of good motivation that I do the work for the benefit of other sentient beings and in order to achieve full enlightened state. If set up this kind of motivation, then whatever your work is, because of your motivation, it becomes very worthwhile or it becomes very beneficial. So so those who those who actually are practicing on the path, then for them, they should they should know how to how to achieve this fully enlightened state. So so this bodhicitta motivation is very important. Whatever you do, whether you are listening to the teachings or other works and especially while you are listening to this Lamrim teaching, to the Lamrim like the graduated path to Enlightenment.
At this point, it’s very important to have this motivation. So, for us as a beginner, in order to generate this kind of motivation, it’s not easy. And there are different methods which are taught. And for example, there are steps of different methods. Like first meditating on the precious human rebirth and then slowly towards the next step.
Then you can see there are some signs that you you are able to generate this more this kind of motivation within yourself. And at least, like, even when you do short very short dedications, like, you should you should have you should dedicate to dedicate, like, a the bodhicitta mind. Is what to dedicate all your merit with the mind of bodhicitta is what like the kadama masters explains. So so so for this for this part, what once you for the achievement of this fully enlightened state, once you train on a with with the teachings, once you train with the method or the teachings which is qualified one and that means that which is came from Buddha, which came from Buddha and which is noted down and while examined by the pundits or by those pundits of the past masters. And then thirdly, it should be, the teaching should be something which is meditated by or put it in practice by those mahasiddhas, those other masters and gain some and receive some experience out of those practices So the teachings what we are listening should be like that, pure, which is taught from Buddha and examined by those pundits and also had had result received by those those Mahasiddhis.
So so so because one need one need that kind of that kind of teachings, that kind of pure teachings to for one to practice, one should one should analyze very well what teachings one is going to practice. So, like example, if you are buying something ordinary, like for example, if you are buying a horse, if you are going to buy a horse, then before you buy the horse, really check well by yourself how good is the horse. Secondly, if you are unable and you can also ask to other people how good is this horse and so on. Finally if you can’t decide then you make some kind of you ask some of the lamas or someone else to do some observations whether it’s good to buy or not. So the same manner, you should sort of analyze very well the teaching what you’re going to practice.
So so then because the teachings what what one will be practicing, what one will practice is is what what is for whole for for for the life. Not for not for short time, but for whole whole of our life. So one shouldn’t like you just take it like one receive some kind of biscuits or some kind of food that one can just eat it with eat eat it. So shouldn’t be like that. So so if if one like a if one have chosen a mistaken teachings, then that that sort of ruins one’s life.
So it is very important from the very beginning to analyze the teachings very well. So so what so once you once you find a pure teachings like one of those pure teachings like here what we have been hearing right now is the Lamrim teachings known as the length on the path which is originated from the Lamp on the Path teachings which is very easy to understand and also it’s easy to put in practice. And this Lamrim teaching is nothing that is newly invented by Atisha, the master Atisha and Lama Tsongkhapa. It’s not that. All those all these subjects, what is taught in are taught by Buddha in from the from the very beginning.
But at that time, it didn’t have the title Lamrim or the graduated path in Latin. So so like among the teachings of the Buddha, like there are many teachings of the Buddha, among them the essence or the main one is the perfection of wisdom sūtra. So, these teachings of the Buddha which is known as eighty four thousand sets of teachings which Buddha taught. And among these two, they are the profound lineage and the extensive lineage of the teachings. And the profound lineage is what is shown directly to the beings.
And then the extensive lineage or the extensive part of the teachings, which is more shown indirectly to the beings. So, the extensive part of the teachings to whom Buddha taught is to Maitreya Buddha and Asaṇga. And Maitreya Buddha and Asaṇga have given different commentaries on those teachings that are known as the five treatises, different treaties. So then the the profound teach profound lineage teachings to whom Buddha taught is to Mañjuśrī and to Nāgārjuna. Mañjuśrī and Nāgārjuna both gave commentaries to the teachings like with Nāgārjuna the six collective teachings by Nāgārjuna and so on.
So then, like, when Atisha came, Atisha received both of these teachings, the extensive the profound lineage teachings. He received both of them. And he received What is it? The extensive part of the teachings or the extensive lineage that Atisha received is from Lama Serlingpa. And the profound part of the teachings that Lama Atisha?
Atisha received is another Lama called So so he received and brought both of these lineage into one. And while while he was in Tibet, while Atisha was in Tibet, he composed this text called Lamp on the Path. So then, again, Atisha, there are sort of three lineages came, which is that depending how extensive and how vast the teachings he gave to those students, One, those who mainly concentrate on the treatise, on the text. That’s one lineage. And then one who mainly concentrated on practice of Lamrim, known as Lamrimpa, those who mainly concentrated on Lamrim teachings.
And then another lineage known as those who mainly concentrated on the instructions of the Lama. Sort of just so these three, they are like one mainly concentrating on the instruction of the Lama, second just with the lamrim, mainly concentrating on lamrim teachings, and third, sort of learning mainly on the different texts.