Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 28-minute talk, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen explains how Lama Tsongkhapa unified three distinct Lam Rim lineages into a single path to enlightenment. Beginning with Atisha and his disciples—whose different transmission methods (extensive textual study, focused Lamrim practice, or reliance on the Lama’s instructions) were later synthesized by Tsongkhapa—Gyaltsen outlines the three defining qualities of Lamrim teachings: comprehensive treatment of tantra and sūtra, mind training, and the integrated wisdom of Nāgārjuna and Asaṇga. He presents the four greatnesses resulting from Lamrim study: perceiving no contradictions in teachings, hearing all instruction as personal guidance, quickly grasping the Buddha’s intention, and naturally refraining from negative actions. He illustrates these points through a story of a disciple whose deep faith in his teacher transformed a casual gesture into genuine healing.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 06 LR 1995 02 26.mp3
UUID: 707339d9-5e19-4f02-a07f-8abaa5cd9dd0
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Lam Rim 1995 Jan-Dec (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1995-02-26
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 28.8 minutes
Words: ~2,086
Atisha again met the deity Tārā on the way and Tārā sort of explained for Atisha that you you you will will be like the father father and then you will have, like, a son disciple, like, a close disciple who are also are very who will be who also will be very well known. So so then one of Atisha’s disciple is known as Dromtönpa and that’s Atisha’s disciple. And when whenever Atisha give teachings, when Dromtönpa is there, he always gives teachings on Lamrim, the the gradual path enlightenment, mainly on Lamrim. And but when when Dromtönpa is not there, he sometimes gives teachings on Tantra too. And then the Dromtönpa’s disciple knew that and he asked like he asked Atisha why you do this?
And then Atisha told him that I find you the most suitable disciple for teaching on the graduated path enlightenment. So that’s why I do this. So that’s what he told me. So so then so then again, like, the the teachings the the teachings, like, went into three parts. Like went into like carried out or practiced in three different ways.
And like there are three the three ones. The first one is like those are some some some of his disciple mainly concentrated on on different text, mainly on different treatise and study that, did an extensive study on that. And some of the disciple just concentrate on teaching. Just concentrating the one particular text called the the Graduated Path to Enlightenment. And then and some of his disciples again like concentrated only on the instructions or the the instructions that is given by the master.
Like, they are so the in these three way like, in these three different ways, the disciples, like, kept practicing. So those who practice mainly on the text or treatise, there are are five big treatise or text. And in these text, some of the example mainly studies studies, many studied. And then and then at the very end, they after studying these different texts or treatise that at the very end, then they like, they did the practice. And then and then those who just concentrate on one particular text, Lamrim, Lamrim, they are they are a part of the disciple who does that.
And they’re just mainly concentrating on Lamrim teachings, listening Lamrim teachings and meditating and contemplating on these. There’s a group who’d like, who who does these practices. Then there’s a group which mainly concentrate on the instructions or on the instructions and advises of the Lama. And then there are different also they are like they’re also known as different text. Those instructions are also known as text.
Known as the convenient path or also known as the quick path. So there are different teachings like sort of the instructions. So that they mainly concentrate on. So then later, Lama Tsongkhapa, the master, he received all these three different lineage. He he studied all these three different lineage and then he composed he gave this great commentary on Lamrim called the great Lamrim text.
And then when he composed this text, he composed up to like he completed up to the practice of he completed composing the text on Samatha, and he let out the the the personal part of the teachings because he thought he he knew that it won’t be that beneficial at that very time. So so then so then afterwards, again, he he had Lama Songkhov had division of Mañjuśrī where Mañjuśrī told him to compose, continue composing the text particularly on the teachings and the or special insight. And then then continued and completed the composing complete the complete composing on on the. So so then great is mainly to those who sharp intelligence. And then he did again another.
He composed another medium one which is for the medium intelligent ones and again he composed another one which is for the known as the abbreviated teaching which is for the for the small or the sharp intelligent small intelligent ones. So this particular lamrim text again, it is known as having three qualities and four greatness, like in this particular teaching. So so just going back, like, there are new Kadampa and old Kadampa you hear a lot in the teachings. And the older Kadampa are known as before Lama Tsongkhapa, and the new Kadampa are known as so why they use this new Kadampa, the term here, is because on top of the teachings on the on the path of enlightenment, the some of the tantric teachings on his text. So so because of that, it is like, from that time onwards onwards, it’s known as the new Kadampas.
So the quality the three qualities of Lamrima, the first one which explains the quality is that that which explains that which gives complete explanation of both tantra and sūtra. That’s one kind of quality of lumbering. And then second quality, it explains is that the second quality of Lamrim is that it is mainly Lamrim the main quality of Lamrim is to subdue and control one’s mind. That’s another quality of Lamrim. So so then the third quality is that, yeah, like, the teachings is like decorated.
The teachings is decorated with the the the with the teachings of those two great reformers known as Nāgārjuna and Nāgārjuna and Asaṇga. Like, with the the teachings the teachings is like withdrawn with the teachings of these two masters. So, like, like these three qualities, if you look to different text, like for example, just that text, yeah, you don’t see all these qualities. So though in text, there it do explains like this sort of complete teachings, but then in order to understand this complete teaching, you have to like rely on different teachings. You have to, like, you have to see other teachings.
So because of that, it doesn’t have all these, like, the qualities that you have here in And again, like the five the study of this five great text or the treatise, in it also it explains like a sort of the whole teachings. But but then it is it it takes long time, it takes very long time to study all the teachings. So here it’s not like you have to refer to other text too if you study these five major text, like not like the Lamrim. In Lamrim, in one text, it explains sort of the complete part. So then the four greatnesses, the first one is that When you study Lamrim, it’s it’s greatness is that you you see no contradiction in in in all teachings that you hear.
And then the second greatness is that all the all the teachings that you hear, you you hear in the form of instructions or advice for for yourself. That’s the another greatness of Lamrim teaching. And then the third said you discover, like, very quickly the the intention intention or thoughts of the the Buddhist or the conqueror ones. And then the fourth one, the fourth great greatness is that through practicing Lamrim, you automatically, like, stop bring negative actions or or unwholesome actions. So so one of the reason why these, like, the qualities of the composer and the quality of the greatness or the qualities of the text, the reason of explaining these two is that in order to generate a respect within us to the composer and to the text.
That’s the that’s the main reason. So so that with knowing these and and also being very fortunate, have this chance to hear on this kind of teachings which has all these different qualities and greatness. Should think that one is very fortunate and should be should rejoice in oneself. So so, like, if you look to to this country, then there are many lots of people here too. But then only because here mostly can hear actually on these these kind of teachings.
So so because of that, they said also we are we are fortunate. And this kind of chance doesn’t comes out from nowhere. Has to be there has to also has to have created a karma, a very strong karma to to get this chance to listen to the teachings. So as it is the qualities quality of the masters explained like the Atisha, how he has kept his life. So in that way if you interest yourself to like the Atisha, to to Atisha, then you there’s no doubt you will you gain these qualities.
So so there’s another one story that I would like to explain here is that the past one time there was a was a teacher and one one Lama and and his disciple. So one day when Lama was very busy, his disciple went to Lama and asked for advice or instructions. So so so because Lama was quite busy at that very time busy at that very time and he didn’t have time to explain or give sorry, give instruction on, he told him to go out go out saying like in in that language, it’s a, like, with with hand action, he said, go out. So so then the the disciple took that as an instruction instruction that that and then he sort of kept doing the same thing. He repeated the same thing what Lama told him said said to him like and the same the hand actions and then he went back and like to his room, and then he did, like, for two weeks the same thing.
So the disciple was someone who had a problem with his back. He couldn’t stand up straight. It’s like, what do call that? Hunch. Hunch.
And and then because and then he when he went back in his room and he was doing like this was repeating the same thing what Lama told him like for two weeks. At the end of two weeks, somehow, he he can stay straight up. Yeah. Straight his back. And and this is because of his great devotion to the Lama and taking that as an instruction.
So so then so then the disciple went back to the Lama and told him that the instruction was very good that now I can, like, straight straight my back and told this to Lama. And then Lama told him that, actually that was not instruction that I gave you but because you have great respect and faith in me that it happened, that it helped you that as an instructions and get rid of your problem. So so so that’s as an one of the stories. So even for ourselves when we listen to the teachings, if possible, it will be best like having having faith or or, the conviction towards the teachings and and listening listening to the teachings would be very help like, helpful to oneself. Then like same kind of stories, there are other stories like how dog’s teeth turned into relics.
Stories like this, there are many. So it’s not saying you won’t be telling all these stories here today because it’s hot here too. And if you have any questions, you can ask him. If you want to ask any question, please do. Yeah.
Mhmm. Which the first quality? So it is the the like, the first quality is that which explains the complete explanations of Sūtra and tantra. So we stop here? Yeah.
Yeah. Of course. So the reason was that traditionally they are first educated more on different text which gives the explanation of different terms that they use in the text also and like different terms. So like for example just educating first them in the the ten grounds or ten and the different parts and these different things. And then when they are educated on that part then when they hear teachings, it’s sort of say, you won’t get much problem in understanding what digesting the teachings.
So because of that, it is done in that way. So so one thing is that, like, if you don’t get some of the basic, like, understanding of other texts also, then just hearing the Lamrim teachings, you can hear, you can you can understand at the time when it’s explained, but then it it won’t be like you can it happens like you can like someone leave like just by hearing few different talks and then they leave. It has it happens that too.