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 opens with Śāntideva’s image of the precious human body as a boat crossing the ocean—emphasizing why this rebirth must not be wasted. He explains the eighteen qualities of precious human birth and warns against attaching to this life’s pleasures or pursuing higher rebirths alone, which cannot prevent falling to lower realms. Instead, one must practice for liberation from saṃsāra itself, motivated by all sentient beings’ enlightenment. The core section turns to relying on a qualified spiritual master, essential because reading books cannot provide a guru’s unmistaken guidance. Drawing on examples like Milarepa, who achieved enlightenment in one lifetime through guru devotion, he details the qualities to examine in a potential teacher: moral discipline, freedom from mental dullness and excitement, wisdom of selflessness, and knowledge superior to one’s own.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 09 Lam Rim 1995 10 29.mp3
UUID: 9949c324-0141-4d60-ba4e-12ee02f79dc0
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Lam Rim 1995 Jan-Dec (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1995-10-29
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.9 minutes
Words: ~2,196
So quoting from the teachings of master Śāntideva, as master Śāntideva introduced us that we have found this precious human body, which is like a special boat — that special boat. So which are precious human body that which have the eight qualities and used as the example like the special boat that takes one across from one shore to the other. So as an example, if you want to get to the other side of the ocean, at one stage one is totally dependent on the boat. So similar, like the ocean, to get to the other side, one needs a boat — and this human body is like that boat.
So that like the boat that which crosses one to the other side of the ocean, we have, this present time, found this precious human body which is the result of our past merit, the accumulation of our merit. So this precious human body that we have found, which also has the eighteen qualities, should have these different qualities or features. That is having full sense faculties, and having faith in the Dharma teachings, and not having a wrong view, and having faith in the teachings of the Buddha. These are the qualities of this precious human body, which has these eighteen qualities. And yes.
So we have found this precious human body, so we shouldn’t waste it. And also one shouldn’t be a person who doesn’t have faith in the Dharma teachings and shouldn’t hold a wrong view, and also shouldn’t bring harm to other sentient beings. And if one is to do that, then that shows there’s no difference between humans and animals. So at present, we have found this precious human body. So one should make it meaningful.
In other words, not to waste this precious human body. So what can we do not to waste this precious human body is to accumulate causes for our future happiness. So which are collecting cause for our future happiness and not getting attached to the happiness of this very life. Even if one is working for our future happiness — to gain higher rebirth — that too, just getting higher rebirth like a human and god.
That too is not so sufficient. And especially, one shouldn’t be attached to the pleasure of this life. So getting attached to the happiness of this life — for example, controlling enemies and bringing happiness to friends and always doing this and bringing happiness to the close ones and bringing harm to the far ones or the enemy — if one is to do any meditation practice for that purpose, then that doesn’t have any good result, or its result finishes at the time when we die.
Just its result ceases at the time when we die. So then next, even if one needs to achieve high states in our future, like the state of human beings and the state of gods — that is nothing stable, as one might again be thrown into the lower realms. So whatever one does, one should make one’s practice become the cause that frees one from saṃsāra. So getting free from saṃsāra is trying to achieve the continuous happiness, the everlasting happiness.
And that too shouldn’t be thought of only for personal purpose. One should think that one is doing that for the sake of others — to bring happiness to other sentient beings and to free other sentient beings from the state of sufferings and lead them to the fully enlightened state. And for that purpose, one should engage in the practice. So that’s how one should think. So as this was explained in the past, saying that to achieve the everlasting happiness — if one is able to do this — that leads also to the state of enlightenment.
It is like the everlasting happiness. So it’s also not only for self-purpose, but one is thinking and contemplating on the method that which brings happiness to others and that which frees others from the state of suffering. That is what is known as the everlasting happiness. So as Śāntideva explains or advises us saying that one has achieved this precious human body in this very time. And it is only achieved once.
And once you have this chance, once you have this chance, you shouldn’t waste it. And it is, as he continues explaining, very hard for us to gain or to achieve this type of human body again in the future. So in order to lead all sentient beings into the state of enlightenment, I hear and listen to these Lamrim explanations and put them in practice as much as I can. So, with this motivation, we do a short meditation.
So the text — from the text where we are up to — is on the stage of how disciples or trainees are led into the practice. So this part has two classes. That is the root of the path: how one devotes to one’s guru, and then second, how one practises along the path. So as it was explained before that we need to achieve this state, which is the state of enlightenment or the everlasting happiness. And to achieve that, we need to know those methods or the path that leads to that. So then to understand the method or the path that leads to the enlightened state, one needs to depend on a guru who gives the unmistaken explanations and, following the path according to the explanations of the guru.
So just as in worldly life, if you want to get some work done, we have to depend on someone who is qualified and on their instructions on how you proceed along the path. And especially for this — to achieve this fully enlightened state — one definitely needs a guru or a spiritual master who can explain the complete path. So, on the other hand, one might think that one can read books that explain or give the method to go to the enlightened state without depending on a guru. So though one can get some understanding through reading, one doesn’t get a complete understanding or complete explanations or complete unmistaken explanations.
So because of this, it’s very important to rely on a guru or a spiritual guide. So as an example, if one is to travel to a different country or to go to a different place, then one needs to rely on somebody who can guide one along the path to get to the other side or to the other place. So if one doesn’t rely on the guide who knows how to get there, then it’s possible that one may take the wrong path. So according to one’s need and interest, one should rely on a spiritual guide along the path.
And if one happens to meet someone who leads one into a wrong path, it won’t lead to one’s interest and wish — where one wants to go. So here in the Lamrim teachings, the first part of the teachings explains the importance of relying on a guru. And that is how Lama Tsongkhapa sees it. And as he had seen that, he explained in his Lamrim teaching how important it is. So, relying on a spiritual guide or guru and following accordingly to the unmistaken explanations of this guru or spiritual master — if one is to follow according to that, then one gets very close to the enlightened state.
So following according to the instructions of the spiritual master or guru, one becomes much closer to the fully enlightened state — or even if one is aiming for self-liberation, that too, by following the unmistaken explanations of the spiritual guide, one becomes closer to that too. So relying on this spiritual guru — getting closer to enlightenment — is one of the benefits of relying on a spiritual guru. So the followers who have achieved the fully enlightened state within three years and three months of retreat — there are also followers who have achieved this fully enlightened state in this very life. And all this became possible because of following or practising the unmistaken explanations given by the qualified guru, the spiritual guide.
So for example, like the Venerable Milarepa and master Jetsün — they have achieved this fully enlightened state within this very life. And that is using the secret method or the tantric path and the essence of that which is the practice of the Guru Yoga. Through that, which is the essence of secret practice, they achieved this fully enlightened state in that very life. So we, at this present time, have met with the teachings of the Buddha and especially also with the tantric teachings.
So if possible, we should be able to practise the tantric teachings and try to achieve the fully enlightened state in this very life. So if that is not possible, then whatever you practise, whether it is the Lamrim teachings or whether it is the tantric teachings, relying on the spiritual guide and bringing oneself closer to the enlightened state. So if one is able to do this — following the explanations of the spiritual guide — then one is not wasting this precious human body. One is using it in a meaningful way. So once one has relied on a spiritual guide or guru, if one doesn’t follow according to the instructions of the guru, then even if one is to practise the highest tantric teachings, there is no chance for the realisations of those practices. So then, on the other hand, if one is to follow the instructions of the qualified spiritual guide, then the enlightenment which takes very long to achieve can be achieved in this very life if one follows the instructions given by the qualified master. So if one does not meet with these spiritual masters — if one doesn’t have karma from our past life to meet with the spiritual masters — then there’s no one besides that who could give us or who can make us do these meaningful actions. So whether and how close one gets to the enlightened state totally depends on how one serves or how one relies on one’s spiritual guide.
So relying on this guru and putting into practice even a single word explained by the guru means one is closer to the enlightened state. So the spiritual guide or guru one wants to rely on is one who can show us the path of all the three scopes. So then relying on that type of guru who can show us the paths of the three scopes — that is, it is much quicker or much closer to enlightenment if one is to practise the three scopes. One is much closer to the enlightened state. So if these two come together — a lama or guru who can explain the complete path and a disciple who is to put in all the effort along the path — then enlightenment can be, so to speak, shaped by hand.
So this part according to Lamrim teachings contains the explanations of relying on one’s guru. And Geshe-la will be explaining in very great detail, but just mentioning briefly so as not to miss that. So relying on a guru — this practice of relying on a guru — is very important. And it doesn’t mean that someone becomes one’s guru by giving a teaching just once. So before one takes someone as one’s guru, one first has to analyse whether the person is someone one is able to take as one’s guru or not.
And also analysing those different qualities that I explained. So a qualified guru doesn’t only mean one who can give teachings and one who can perform rituals and one who can give vows. Not only that. So one should rely on a fully qualified guru, and that fully qualified guru is one who can show the complete path. The complete path.
And for that, first one has to analyse. First one has to examine that. So the qualities of the gurus are different in different texts — like in the Vinaya text, there are qualities of gurus which are explained. There are different qualities of gurus which are explained again from the Mahāyāna teachings. And also there are qualities of gurus which are explained in the secret tantra. So the qualities that are explained in the Vinaya teachings and the Tantric teachings, we leave that.
And here, I was just explaining the qualities of the guru that are explained in the Mahāyāna teachings. So these qualities that are explained in the Mahāyāna teachings are from the text known as the Sūtra Ornament. And in there, it explains that the guru should be well disciplined through the practice of morality. And who also has completely removed the two distractions — that is the dullness and excitement in his or her meditation.
So and then having the wisdom knowing selflessness. And then having a higher knowledge. So whoever the guru is, should be higher in knowledge than oneself. Should be higher in knowledge than oneself.