Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 26-minute session, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen teaches how to integrate different Buddhist schools and non-Buddhist teachings into a coherent Lam Rim practice path. He presents the foundational ‘four sides’ structure—encompassing small, medium, and great-scope practices plus tantra—and explains why the Lam Rim comes in different text lengths. Generating respect for the teachings is essential; without it, practice becomes mechanical. The core point: don’t dismiss Hīnayāna if you’re Mahāyāna, or other Tibetan schools (Sakya, Kagyu, Nyingma) if you’re Gelug. All traditions offer valid methods toward the same ultimate goal. Study different teachers to clarify the ultimate view. For practitioners with some Buddhist foundation.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 08 LR 1995 03 05.mp3
UUID: bafd1217-79be-47fb-a0e4-d879bafef2d7
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Lam Rim 1995 Jan-Dec (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1995-03-05
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 25.9 minutes
Words: ~1,494
Square a square thing there, and you you should one should be able to hold it from all all the sides. Then there’s the explanation. So like the four sides here has like different has one meaning, but the explanations are done in different ways. So the four sides here means that the individual practice of these three individual beings, that of the small scope, medium scope, and the great scope, plus the practitioners on the tantric path. Like, these are known as the four sort of the four corners.
So so that’s one explanation. And another explanation is when you you throw a dice, it always stands up on four sides. So there’s another explanation which means that one should be able to use all these four teachings or the four sides of the teachings on on one’s practice, on one sitting. So another Lama named Lama Champa gives this explanation again, the four corners or the number four explaining first one referring to the practice of renunciation. And the second, the practice of bodhicitta.
And then third, the practice of the right view or the ultimate view on emptiness. And fourth so the fourth corner he explains as in being the practice of tantra. So so in this way, they give different explanations of of what what is meant by the four sides. So then Pabongka Rinpoche explains that one should be able to practice all these four like when take out this carpet or cushion, you’re like sort of holding it from all the four sides and taking out. So in the same manner, you should train yourself with all the four subjects of these season.
So they explain in different ways, but it has all the different explanation has same meaning how they should train in these four points. So giving all these many explanations here, the greatness of Lamrim teachings and the qualities of Lamrim teachings, the three qualities. The reason is that we talk about the great Lamrim text and the medium Lamrim text and then the concise or the brief text explaining all those in very detail is to the reason is that in order to generate a respect order to generate a respect or respect in the teachings, that is the sort of whole purpose of explaining all these qualities and the greatness of these teachings. So so one should have respect to to these teachings, and then and then should should put it in practice and then use as a for oneself to achieve the full enlightened state or the state of Buddhahood. And like for example, shouldn’t say that this is a different teaching, Hīnayāna is teaching, so I don’t need to practice.
Shouldn’t ignore in that way. You should always think and respect that it is also taught for oneself to achieve enlightenment as a method. So and same thing with the with the like in Tibetan that four different schools or four different sects like the Sakya, Kagyu, Nyingma, and Gelug. So if one is Gelug, one shouldn’t say that one shouldn’t ignore the other sort of leave out or leave out other teachings. The other teachings are also taught as a method for oneself to gain the full enlightened state.
So and shouldn’t just do that, well, this is a Gelug teaching and make all efforts to to practice that and ignore others. So shouldn’t shouldn’t be like this. And same thing with the same same thing with, like, other non-Buddhist teachings. There are many, for example, like in Christian, there are many good things that one can use as a method for one’s own achievement of enlightenment. So you shouldn’t sort of forget.
But if you find the good things, should pick up. So the four greatness that we have explained here is the uncommon sort of qualities of Lama Tsongkhapa, which that is what the uncommon quality of Lama Tsongkhapa. So we stop here for today. And if you have any question, please ask. So as it is explained before, one should see the like one should know the main aim of one’s practice first there.
And then the others, one should see them as in branch practice. So so for example, as in Mahāyānist, the the other other other sort of teachings like for example, like the teachings on compassion, the the teachings on love. These are all which can be used in a Mahāyānist teachings. So this can be like taken as you this can be used. So for example, like with Mahāyānist and Hinayanist, like for Mahāyānist, shouldn’t they don’t have to practice the main points of those who are of the Hinayanist one.
But here, they don’t have a practice. It means that they don’t have to practice it as their main practice. But they have to know what it means, and they have to have the understanding of those things. So if you have the understanding of those different also, those different subjects, then that makes you or that directs you to the clear understanding of the ultimate view of the teachings. Sorry.
I didn’t Mhmm. So this is like one should study. And that is like, for example, one should study in all these different teachings like how, what are the point which I explained in the Hīnayāna’s teachings and same way what are the points which I explained in Mahāyāna’s teachings. And listening to different teachers and to different teachers and alarm us who gives teachings on. So you examine or you you get an understanding of this.
So for example, with a Mahāyānist practice, the practice comes under Lamrim practice. And there are different ways of like motivate or setting up the motivations. And when you analyze whatever one feels that’s good for one, then one choose that as in one’s practice. So in short, one engages in certain practice, one should also know the aim for that practice should be something free from fault, free from mistakes. So if one finds that then if one knows that the aim that one is aiming for that is like free from all the faults, that kind of things that one is aiming, then one should also practice faultless teaching.
For example, for her practitioner, the ultimate aim is the Arhat state of her. So from the point of Mahāyāna viewpoint, this achievement of the Arhat state of here is not sufficient enough. As Rinpoche probably have taught you a few times explaining on this subject, the same thing Geshe la will explain the same thing. Achieving the state of Arhat not actually complete, that haven’t completed ones that haven’t perfected oneself also. That haven’t completely perfect oneself.
And also they haven’t perfected for the sake of others, working for the sake of others. So so because the state of Arhat, of the hearer, they come to abandon delusions but they haven’t yet abandoned the self-cherishing thought plus the obscuration that which are known as the obscuration to omniscience. These are the things that they have to abandon still. Said, Geshe la can give more explanation on this, but I don’t have much time now. Other questions?
So for the the ultimate goal of all these four schools are same. There’s no difference. They are all the same. But then the only difference is that the way how it is taught, how it is explained. That is the main difference.
But the ultimate achievement are same. There’s no difference of higher and lower. So so in one should one should one should know one should have understanding of all this in order to lead others, other sentient beings. One should have understanding of all these different explanations of different teachings. And there are many, many, like, good things that one can adopt, that one can use in one’s practice.
So these are what are good about other teachings. So so in their aspect, you see difference, their achievement of their state are same. Like in the qualities, it’s same. Like in the aspect, Lama Tsongkhapa is in the aspect of fully ordained monk and Guru Rinpoche or Padmasambhava in the aspect of lay person. So this is the aspect that they’re showing but in the teaching it says that Lama Tsongkhapa is emanation of Padmasambhava.
So in that way, is of the quality or the state of enlightenment has it’s the same. So it’s like if you if you look, then if you trace to the two, then it comes to Buddha Śākyamūni or Buddha vajradhara. So like Buddha comes to this world and teach sentient beings, and according to the needs of the other sentient beings. And he emanates in the form sometimes in the form of holy ordained monk, sometimes in the form of lay person, sometimes in the form of different forms that it comes into in order to help the others. Others.
But then all these forms that is emanated out is