Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 45-minute Lam Rim session, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen opens with teachings on the precious human body—rare, fleeting, and crucial to use for genuine practice. He then focuses on equanimity toward all sentient beings as the foundation for bodhicitta, showing how to recognize the equal kindness of friends, enemies, and neutral people across many lifetimes. The second half covers detailed visualization of Buddha Śākyamūni: precise placement at eyebrow level (avoiding distraction and dullness), understanding throne symbolism, and grasping what Buddha’s hand positions represent—the overcoming of the four maras. He also explains the nectars held in Buddha’s begging bowl and their significance. A brief discussion of tantric practice elements concludes. Suited to practitioners already familiar with Lam Rim.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 07 LR 1995 06 18.mp3
UUID: 1084b759-51aa-476e-ba8f-37c4999f3bac
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Lam Rim 1995 Jan-Dec (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1995-06-18
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.8 minutes
Words: ~2,794
So quoting from the teachings of Guru Puja from the Guru Puja text, and it said that we have achieved this precious human body, which which have the eight freedoms. So the freedoms that we have, these eight freedoms, like it’s very difficult for us to occur or to get these freedoms. Like if you look through its cause, then it’s very difficult to collect the causes. And also through example, it is very difficult to gain have these eight freedoms. So, this precious human body which having the eight freedoms, and this one, what we have right now, And this precious human body won’t last long also.
We have these freedoms but it doesn’t last long. And it is a thing that disintegrates like easily. It is the body that we have is easily disintegrated. Easily it gets disintegrated. And so while we have this body with eight freedoms we should put all our effort to take the essence of the teachings.
And that is what what is explained in the Guru Puja text. So taking the essence here means like training oneself on the path that which brings the full enlightened state for oneself. That is the all the qualities and achieving perfection of all the qualities. That is like the Buddha would. So achieving that is like taking the essence.
And there are many ways of doing it. And like practicing one part, like practicing on bodhicitta. Practicing on bodhicitta and like gaining some realization of the practice. It’s also what is known as taking the essence. So even if you don’t get, like, realizations into the practice of bodhicitta, just getting rough idea or just knowing what bodhicitta is, it’s very good.
So beside this, like, usually what we do, we do different meditations and different kind of practice and different works we also do. So so all what we do, like, daily, if those practices or or all actions, if if that is conjoined with the thought of bodhicitta, then then it brings about as wholesome result. So, we haven’t trained on bodhicitta in our past lives. That is what stops us from training the bodhicitta is not having the thought of towards all other sentient beings. And that stops us from practicing bodhicitta.
So even now, if we don’t recognize this, the thought of equanimity or the false attachment and hatred, then it will again lead to same kind of body in our future. So, we as an ordinary sentient being, it’s something that we are used to. We are accustomed with, like feeling attached to oneself and hating others. So this is what we are accustomed, we are used to doing it. Through the practice of bodhicitta that one should listen, once you weaken these two things.
Once you try to see that as a fault and then try to purify or abandon them doing that doing that, and also try to see the qualities of of of different practices and collect them or bring them into one. So, like the practice of equanimity or equilibrium has two explanations. One which is explained in the four immeasurables. There’s also equanimity which is explained. And then another equanimity which is explained when you train on the seven cause and effect instructions on the practice of bodhicitta.
So the equanimity that is explained in the four immeasurable thought is that of wishing all sentient beings. So the equanimity is that which you wish that all sentient being have wish that all sentient being remain in equanimity. So then equanimity that is explained in the seven cause and effect instruction, that one is that you train yourself like a to have the equanimity. So that which is training oneself to have this thought of equanimity that is like seeing the faults of hatred and and also faults of attachment. And then you equal these these thoughts, these both thoughts towards all all sentient beings.
So so how you generate this thought, the thought of equanimity towards all other sentient beings, is that how, like, taking example of this life’s friend, enemy, and so And then training your mind how or applying these different reasons how they are equal in this life that are giving help and harm. So then same way you apply that to all other sentient beings. And on the on this way you trained and sooner or later one one is able to generate this thought towards all other sentient beings. So, like analyzing how our parents have given help to us, in what way? Like using all these different reasons how they are very kind to one.
So when you come to know that then you change the object like instead of parents you use other sentient beings. Then training on that, like seeing how kind they are to one also. So like training in this way slowly one one is able to generate the thought of the equanimity within oneself. So So thinking how all sentient beings became one’s mother and their kindness, and plus on top of that, like meditating love on those sentient beings and meditating compassion towards those sentient beings, and also the special insight or the special yeah, special insight that we share yourself with free all sentient beings from the state of suffering and lead them to the state of happiness. These are the foundations or practice, foundation practice for the generation of bodhicitta.
And then on top of that, you generate this thought of bodhicitta which you do all this practice for the sake of other sentient beings. And I’m doing this practice on bodhicitta for the sake of other sentient beings in order to achieve the full enlightened state. Generate that kind of motivations and we do short meditations here. So last time, Geshe-la explained the seven posture, like how you sit in meditations, like the seven postures of Buddha Vairochana. And then on top of that, how you set the motivations.
And, like, now the explanation comes how you do the visualizations, the visualizations of refuge objects. Visualizing the refuge objects, like the visualizations, they have different kinds, like from the different text called the the quick path. There’s one that explains also visualizations and then also there’s the convenient path. There’s another Lamrim text, which also explain the visualization in little different ways. But here today, Geshe la will explain the visualization according to the quick path known as another text.
Mhmm. So, like visualizing the refuge objects. Sorry. Is that the refuge prayer here, the first two two lines that I go for refuge until I’m enlightened to Buddhadharma and Sangha. This is like this is the two lines that while you are reciting that you visualize the refuge objects.
So in which level you visualize the refuge objects? It’s just just what you say? Just the level of your eyebrows? So if you visualize the refuge objects quite very high up, then there’s faults of getting distracted. And then if you visualize it too low, then again there’s a fault of getting dull.
So like the first one, when you visualize the refuge object up high if you’re too high up, then there’s a what do you say? There’s a there’s a fault or a danger of getting distracted, which is the mind get distracted, which mind doesn’t abide within you. So then so then if if, again, if you visualize the object through law, then there’s there’s danger or there’s a rate of danger of having a dull mind, which is your mind won’t have clear picture of the visualization, clear picture of visualization. So so the level that you visualize is just on the level of your eyebrows. And then what you visualize there, the first thing is a very big throne, a very big throne, like upholded by eight great lions.
So that is like a very vast, very big throne. And then, at the center of this throne, is more closer to the back, at center, you visualize another throne which is again supported by eight lions. So then on this central throne, you visualize a lotus cushion on top of the throne, and then on top of that the sun, and then on top of that the moon cushion. And then on this throne, on this cushion, you you visualize Buddha Śākyamūni, like sitting on on the throne, which is having the nature of your own root guru, but having the aspect in the aspect of So the reason that, we see the nature of Buddha Śākyamūni as our own root guru is that the purpose of doing that is that because our own root guru is one who helps one gain all these different qualities or different realizations. And for that purpose that we visualize Buddha Śākyamūni, like having the nature of our own root guru.
So then, if one have many gurus or many lamas, then whom one should visualize there is that the Lama who have given the most kindness to one, or who have benefited one most. That is what one visualize there. So, like, the practice of These different practice in Lamrim, like the practice of love, the practice of compassion and so on. We find easy to do the meditation on these different points. Like practice of love and compassion and so on, and then other practice of Lamrim teachings.
And we find easy to do, and that is because of the kindness of the guru. So so the Buddha like Buddha Śākyamūni have explained like like the like all the teachings, like eighty four thousands of eighty four eighty four thousand sets of teachings for us to practice. But but But at present, we are unable to understand all what Buddha have taught. So we need in between there, we need someone who, again, like, teaches us what those teachings what Buddha Śākyamūni’s teachings are. And it’s like, what do you say, like representing Buddha or as a translator in between that which explains the meanings.
That is like the Lama. There is one to one root guru. So so that’s like there are many other reasons that why we have to like see Buddha Śākyamūni having the nature of our own root So then, like, seeing the aspect of Buddha Śākyamūni, the reason or the purpose is that because Buddha Śākyamūni is the source of all the teachings. And he’s like when Buddha is the head of head, the head. So so that that’s the reason that we see him in the aspect of Buddha Śākyamūni.
Mhmm. So so how like, the sitting posture of Buddha sorry. The sitting posture of Buddha Śākyamūni is like like the statue here. Like a left hand holding a ball, which is filled with nectar, and the right hand like a stretch down and like pressing the ground. So the right hand, like touching the ground or touching the earth or pressing the earth, like a sign of of big sign of destroying the maras or the demons.
So the maras, there are are four types, four kinds of maras. So, the first one is known as the mara of Devaputra. And the second one is the mara of aggregates. And then the third one is the mara of delusion. And the fourth one is the the of yama or the death.
So sorry. So, with the Mara of Devaputra, that is like a there are two kinds, two types, and that is like, one is known as more subtle and one is more grosser. The subtle ones are known as the three following ones. That are the mara of aggregates, and delusions, and the death. Mhmm.
These these three are known as the the subtle ones. So so so then the the cross sorry. The gross one, there’s one god named Garawongchuk. That’s known as the gross, the mara of Devaputra. So, it’s named as the the mara of Devaputra.
It’s actually meaning like a meaning to jealous. Sort of jealous jealous, jealous god or jealous god that when one is doing some positive actions, some virtuous action, then this part of the God, they don’t like our positive action and they harm in our practice. So that is like a And those are known as the Those who gives the harm in our practice are known as the So so that Buddha, like, pressing his right hand pressing the earth, like it’s a sign that he have destroyed the mara of Devaputra. So, then the second, on the left hand, like holding a begging bowl which is filled with nectar. So the nectar is there within the bowl instead of the the witch hatches are the very essence of the medicine.
And then the nectar of life which is immortality, and then the nectar which is wisdom nectar that is non contaminated. So the essence of the medicine, that is one type of nectar, that destroys the mara of aggregates. So, the mara of aggregates is that the aggregate which is produced by karma and delusions. So that what gets destroyed by this nectar. So so then second one is the nectar of life that that destroys the the marrow of death.
So the mara of death, what harm it gives to us is that it stops us. If matter of death strikes on us, then it stops our life, like continuation of our life. And secondly, it stop us from also secondly, it also stops us from doing virtuous actions. So then the third one, the uncontaminated wisdom nectar, then that that is what which that is what which destroys the mara of delusion. So, the mara of delusions, generally, they are like explained at eighty four thousand.
So, if you summarize all of these, then it can be like put into three. That is like the three poisons. And that is attachment, hatred, and So these known as, these delusions are given the name of, again, mahavas. It’s because they also harm us. Like for example, when we’re doing some virtuous action, when we’re doing some positive action, if attachment arises, then it harms us from doing our virtuous action.
So how attachment destroys our virtue or stop us from collecting our virtue is that out of attachment, when attachment arises within one, then it is the attachment towards this very life. When one has the attachment towards only this very life, then whatever good action we do, virtuous action we do, it is done for the purpose of only this life. So that’s why it somehow in a way, stops us from collecting a virtue which is helpful for our future. So the nectar in the the the like like symbolizes also like destroying the four miles. So that is what one visualize what is in the begging bowl and the reason of the purpose of pressing the ground and so on.
Buddha symbolizes that. It symbolizes for one. That is not that Buddha has to, like, again destroy all these four miles. He have already destroyed it already for already here he have destroyed already, but it’s showing there for us to destroy our the form of ours. So, Lamrim practice is done together with the practice of tantra, the tantric practice.
It’s related to tantric practice. So, when you visualize Buddha Śākyamūni, at the heart of Buddha Śākyamūni you visualize So, sorry. You visualize you visualize the wisdom beings, that is the the Buddha vajradhara at the heart of Buddha Śākyamūni. And then you visualize another syllable hum at the heart of Buddha vajradhara, that is the concentration beings. Oh, yeah.
Sorry. The commitment beings. Sorry. So so that the visualization, like Buddha vajradhara at the heart of Buddha shouldn’t shouldn’t visualize something being very like something should visualize them both having a one nature. Sorry.
One nature and which is which is not like a shouldn’t visualize something that if there’s two part, then like a smaller one inside. Not in in that way, but having the same nature. Oh, yeah. So Buddha Śākyamūni and Buddha Bajidarara have same nature, one nature. So, like, they call Buddha Śākyamūni.
Buddha Śākyamūni is like the form that Buddha Śākyamūni have is according to sūtra. In the sūtra, Buddha Śākyamūni in the sūtra, expect Buddha Śākyamūni coming in the form of full word in monk. So then in the tantric aspect, Buddha Śākyamūni coming in the form of Buddha vajradhara and giving the tantric teachings. So, there are different tantric teachings which is given. When the Heruka Tantra is explained, then at that time Buddha, Vajradhāra, coming again in the form of Heruka.
And when Kālacakra Tantra is explained, then