Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 29-minute session, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen teaches that motivation determines all results through a story: two boys’ fates diverge from their motivations toward monks—one dies in a chariot accident, the other becomes a kingdom leader. He demonstrates through four meditators how intention shapes outcomes: this life brings suffering; future life brings liberation from lower states; personal liberation leads toward enlightenment; bodhicitta for all beings leads to full enlightenment. He addresses anger as the most destructive poison, destroying both temporary happiness and the ultimate causes of enlightenment. Practical antidotes offered: slow breathing meditation without sound (focusing the mind), compassion reflection when harmed, and responding with food or tea rather than retaliation. Suited for practitioners seeking to understand how intention shapes all practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 06 LR 1995 06 04.mp3
UUID: c4a9863b-88ed-4450-8c5d-b5b964967973
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Lam Rim 1995 Jan-Dec (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1995-06-04
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 28.8 minutes
Words: ~1,991
So so both of these are very poor, and then there was also a monastery where they live. And then they go to the monastery, buy food. So so the the Brahmin son, like, to the monastery, like, many times, most of the time. And then if he’s not in time at the place, the monastery, he won’t get food. Like there are only several, there are some times which are fixed where they serve the food.
I knew. That it happened that he didn’t receive the food because he was not in time, and he was returning back. And then the the the son of the king Kast knew what time they serve the food. And every time when he the king cast the son of the king or the king cast, the person goes the son goes to the mastery, he gets the So so so then the king cast the the son, he asked to this brahmin caste and saying that, did you receive got some food? Or did you receive some food?
Then the because he didn’t got any food, he was really angry saying that he just said that if I have some if I have power if I have some power, I will just kill all the monks. Cut the cut the like, cut them up and, like, put them all in the ground. That’s what he said. So so then the the king cast, he he said that he because he got some food that he was happy, so he did the other way around, which is if I’m rich enough, if I have enough food to offer, then I will make an offering to all the monks. So so that’s what they discussed.
And then it happened that they were both, like, sleeping under under the tree. So then while they were sleeping under the tree, that happened there was a chariot, like a chariot, which is pulled by a horse, a vehicle pulled by the horse came by, and it happened that it ran over the Brahmin Ka’s son and chopped his head. So and then at that same time, there was another village. There was another kingdom which ruled a place and a village, and then the kings the prince of that that kingdom died and then the king decided to pick one of the child in the village to appoint or to to take over the kingdom. And then that village were, like, looking for this, like, child who is who is whoever is very fortunate will will appoint that as a a leader.
So so then all the people from that village was looking for for a special son, a special person. And then they came to this place where the where the the two the king cast son was also sleeping under under the tree. They’re still sleeping, but then then, you see, all the trees has no shades. It’s all gone. And then still that particular tree has shade and that that boy was sleeping under that tree.
And then they thought it was something special, and then they picked that person that boy, like the king cast boy for the for the So so then he was appointed as a leader or the king in the village, and then he became rich, so he did as he wished to, like, made offerings to the monks also. So both of these, what is it, both of these things happen to them, those two sons or two child, is because of their motivations. So so it’s very important to have, like, good motivations whenever you start or whatever amount of virtuous action you do. So So what explains is that the white actions and the black actions depends up on your motivations. And if you have good motivations or good intention, then your actions like all your practice on the paths and grounds becomes good.
So I especially like a pizza saying that the importance of motivation again and again. I was thinking maybe it will be helpful to you. So let’s say if there’s four people here doing meditations and all have different motivations like one does meditations for the sake of this life and one does the meditations with the motivation for the sake of his or her future life And one does the meditations as a for self liberation, for self purpose. And then one does meditation for the benefit of others. And with these four motivations, each one has different result.
So meditating with the motivation and thinking meditating for this life, the first one will have So, one who does meditation for this life brings a result as a suffering. So one who does a meditation with thinking for the future life, that then then that that meditations becomes a cause, how do you say, becomes a cause or frees one from the lowest state in his or her future. So then, like the third part of the meditations, which is meditating for self liberation, becomes a cause for that. So then the fourth one, like as a cause, one is doing the meditation with the actual bodhicitta, which is thinking for others, then then that that becomes the cause for for the for the enlightened state. So so so whatever, like, practice one does, like, any any type of practice or whatever whatever one does, like, any any type of work, If you are to start with setting up a good motivation, like the bodhicitta motivation.
Like as we explained before that thinking all other sentient beings to make them free from sufferings, leading them into the state of happiness and so on. Like thinking on these points and then setting up the bodhicitta motivation. And then doing the actions, doing the work or the practice, one will gain the result which is wholesome result, is beneficial to one. So in in short, we need to have a good heart. So good heart here means a good mind, which is letting your mind under the control of these three poison that is like attachment, hatred, and So as as an ordinary, it happens that the delusions arise within our mind easily.
But then when it happens, let’s say if anger arises, then first check or look into the anger seeing its faults. Look into the anger where what are the faults of angry. What are the faults of anger? Seeing checking in this way. So so, what is bad about anger is that we have many past lives and in those past lives we may have created many good causes, many wholesome actions.
And all those actions are, what is it, unable to give their fruit. It’s because the anger destroys it. So so, like, the anger and the hatred, these two is what what I want to say destroys the temporal cause of happiness and the ultimate cause of happiness. So, like, the temporal happiness that we receive from of our close ones, parents, partners, or the children. This because of the anger, fight and then because of that, we don’t experience the happiness, the temporary happiness.
So so instead of that, like, feeling angry having anger there, if you to have, I wanna say, good heart or the loving kindness thought, then then that brings about all the all the temporal happiness. So so with with good heart or and with good heart or with the thought of loving kindness, If you do be together, just like drink cup of tea, then there you you experience the happiness. So so Geshe-la wants you you to do is have good heart. Mhmm. Have have have a good heart.
So so what we mean by good heart is the practice of bodhicitta. And bodhicitta beside this, I mean, beside having beside good heart, there’s no bodhicitta also. So good heart or bodhicitta here means like benefiting the other sentient beings, not harming others. And this is what, what do say, the essential advice of the teachings. So which means being having the thought of loving kindness towards towards all sentient being, not only, like, among human beings, but even to the to the insects.
So if it if it’s so, like, if you see someone who is very sick just in front of you, and then you say, like, you feel compassion or pity about the person, compassion about the person, and then suddenly you see a mosquito or a fly coming around and then you just smash it with your hand. Then that type of compassion is, how would you say, wrong type of compassion. So so so all in in one in one way, all are same, which is they all wish the wishing of happiness and not wanting suffering. That way in that level, all sentient beings are same. So one shouldn’t harm, you know, like sentient beings.
So we stop here today, and if you have any questions, you can ask. Yeah. So, yeah, the breathing here, the inhalation and exhalation, both should do it slowly, Like, go as long as you want can. Like, up to once breath. Then exhale out.
Take your time and exhale out as much as you can. Don’t make a strong sound, then you are exhaling. Without the sound, exhale out. And same thing, inhale long as you can and without the sound. So the main point on this breathing is that you are sort of controlling your mind.
So it’s more to do with like controlling, like concentration is towards more to the mind. So if one feels like then one can sort of close one of the nostrils and do the breathing in that way, but more to do with the mind, just concentrating on the mind. Yeah? If it happens that someone says a bad word or makes one angry, then instead of just saying back or retaliating with a bad word, you say, have a cup of tea. So, that’s we want you do.
We just like a couple of things like try to meditate on compassion. And thinking in this that should not blame that should not blame him or the person that putting anger towards one. thinking that thinking that there’s nothing to blame to that person. So then, if you look more into deep, then the main cause of anger, who created the main cause of anger is oneself who created the cause of anger. So not the other person.
So so, like, at that very time when someone, like, feels angry or says something bad, you think in that way, It’s nothing to blame on that person. It’s because of my own action. I create the cause. But then at that very time, someone is angry, you don’t say anything. You just leave him or her quiet.
Or instead, if you can then just something provide you with tea or food. So so then so then, like, you can, like, even, like, just, what do say, provide and giving or providing food or food and drinks, that also, like, calms down his anger or her anger. And and then when it’s once it’s calmed, then you can you can talk. You can, like, discuss about the anger. So if someone is angry towards one and then if you right away, show your anger back, like just on the break, then Then everything goes, what is it, brings big trouble.
Even if someone is angry towards one, one used these different methods to calm his mind. So same thing like if there’s a fire there and then if you throw some more kerosene, then it just gives more flame. I can hear you. So we stop here. So tonight, Kishida, we’ll be also talking more about anger and also tolerance.
Yeah. Tonight. So we do the dedications on page number five, number eight, and nine.