Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 46-minute talk, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen presents a detailed analysis of valid cognition and perception from classical Buddhist epistemology. He begins with foundational motivation, emphasizing the preciousness of the human body and the practice of bodhicitta—the aspiration to achieve enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. He then guides students through two methods for cultivating bodhicitta: the cause-and-effect instructions and the practice of exchanging self with others. The bulk of the teaching covers a sophisticated taxonomy of valid cognizers: first, those that induce certainty through their own power, subdivided into sense perception, familiar perception, self-knowing perception, yogic perception of non-self, and inference. He then explores cognizers that induce certainty through dependence on others, examining cases such as first encounter with an unfamiliar object, inattentive perception, and mistaken perception due to causal confusion. Throughout, he illustrates each category with concrete examples—perceiving fire, encountering Utpala flowers, seeing distant mirages and trees. Suited to serious practitioners with some philosophical grounding.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 15 Lo Rig.mp3
UUID: e890c5a4-484b-4420-a486-1efa728cda70
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Nature of the Mind (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1995 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.9 minutes
Words: ~3,138
Quoting from the teachings of Pänchen Pänchen Pänchen Pänchen Lama. Like, if you look to the teachings or if you look to Guru Puja text, then there it says in the line that this precious human body, it is only found once. Which is known as this precious body, which is known as having the eight freedoms and ten endowments. So this is having this is very precious. And with having this precious human body, one should one shouldn’t one should make it useful.
So it shouldn’t like shouldn’t make it shouldn’t use it in a meaningless thing. So with having this body, make the best out of it, which is you work for the achievement of fully enlightened state for the sake of all the mother sentient beings. Not only working for self liberation, but working making it the best, which is working for all other sentient beings. So so to achieve this fully enlightened state for the sake of other other sentient beings, You have to train on the path. You have to train on the path which is as an as an method for achieving fully enlightened state.
They are like the teachings on bodhicitta which one training and and like how one trained in the practice of bodhicitta. There are different, like two different methods which I explained. Like the six, the seven cause and effect instructions. And then there’s another one which is like exchanging self with others. So these two methods you use for the practice of bodhicitta to achieve the full enlightened state.
To talk briefly about the cause and effect instructions. There will be more detailed explanations later in the Lamrim teachings, but just to go briefly that one to see how precious this human body is, one had to meditate the preciousness of this human rebirth or human body. And then one has to know also that it won’t last long. And it’s definite that one going to face the death and nothing can stop death. So there are different stages of meditations that one can do to do these practices.
So Then with having this precious human body, one also have all the necessary things for one, like all different methods that one can have. That is like the external methods or external necessary things and the internal necessary things. Like all of these necessary things are with one. And if one to then one using that those methods like the best methods like of those the best method is like the practice of bodhicitta. And using that like using this method to achieve the full enlightened state.
If one can do that, that’s sort of the best thing what one can do out of. Do That that is one one of the best thing that one can do. So so then to do the to do the practice on this path, like the bodhicitta, that one has to also first know how all sentient beings are very kind to one and why one should repay their kindness kindness and and how they are like ignorant, like they don’t know how to collect the cause of happiness, and they don’t know how to like remove the cause of sufferings. So knowing these, like these are the steps of different meditations that you do for the Pundit practice for for the practice of bodhicitta. Med meditating on these different stages, like meditating on love, meditate meditating on compassion, and so on.
And you train on bodhicitta. So if you look to this very life, then at present we have all the necessary things that we need for this type of practice. Like the external things, one one have met, teachers who can explain, all the teachings on. And, the internal internal necessary things is that, one is one have this precious human body and one can do, out of that, with that precious human body, one can do all these practices. So with having all these necessary having all the qualities or necessary things for the practice, one should one should like do the practice of bodhicitta which is having the motivation that I’m doing this practice for the sake of all my sentient beings.
You know, like, for that purpose, I’m doing I’m doing this practice. So it should generate that kind of motivation. So with this motivation that one now listen to the teachings, and going back to our the text is that we’re talking last time, we talked about a valid valid cognitions. And now there’s another division of valid cognitions which is divided as valid cognitions which is known as the ascertainment that that is induced by self. And then there is another one which is another definition which another type, which is a certainment that is induced by another.
So these are the two types of valid cognitions. So as a meaning of valid cognitions, that which is known as a certainment is a certainment that which is induced by self. That is known as a valid cognizer which through its own power through through its own power able to induce the certainty of the object. Like that is what is known as the like the first one. As a meaning or as a definition of it.
So so that the valid the the second type of valid, I would say, cognitions, which is known as as in definitions or as in meaning, a valid cognizer which certain which the ascertainment of object is only induced by by another. That is the sort of the meaning or the definition of the next type of valid perception. So as an example of the first one, which is ascertainment that is induced by self, as an example, like a Like the father perceiving the form of the son. That is an example for the first one. So as an with the with example here, like a father perceiving in the form of son.
Like the son the form of the son is the object, the essence of the object which which the father father perceives. So so if if the essence or the if if that appearance of the form of the son If that is not in the like, what do say, on the object, son, then you won’t have this appearance of son to the father? So this appearance of the son’s form to the father is, what do say, the father’s like what do you say? Father perceives the perceive the son without depending on others, the the appearance of the form of the son. So then the next example is like the ascertainment that is induced by others, but another that the person who perceive the color of Utpala flower, that is an example.
So the object here, what has been perceived is the Utpala flower. The color of the Utpala flower flowers. So if the if the color of the Utpala, if it’s not within the object, then there’s no way you have the appearance of the of the color of that flower. So to that person who don’t know that’s the the color of flower has to depend on another reason to know that is the color of Utpala flower. So now there’s again subdivisions between certainment that is induced by itself.
You can again have five, can divide it into five which is the first one like a sense perception to which appears a function being performed. To which appears function being performed. And then the next thing, sending a sense direct valid perception to which appears a familiar object. And then the other is the self knowing direct perception. And then yogic direct perception.
Then the inferential direct perception. Are like these five types. So then as an example to the first one, the sense direct perception, what do say? The function of knowing the sensory perception, perceiving the functions of, what do you say? Like fire burns wood.
That that I’m going that that one. Like the perceiving that fire is the example to the first one. So that is like functions being performed. That that’s what what what it refers to. Like, you you have you perceived that fire and the function the the functioning of the fire that burns the burn the wood.
So when you know that, when you have a direct perception of fire, the function of fire burning the wood, this knowing the direct perception, you don’t have to depend on other to know that. Like when when you when you see through your eyes, like visual contact, when you see a fire the functioning of a fire that burns wood. When you see that you somehow when you you understand the functions of fire right there, you don’t have to rely on another reason to understand. So the next example, next to the next, which is the sense perception to which appears a familiar object. That is to that as an example, the person is like perception of a son having father’s, I would say, father’s form appearing to the son.
So this one, father is very familiar to the son. The father’s form is very familiar to the son. That is like the familiarity of the object that appears to the son. So the self knowing then the second one example to the self knowing perception is that the self knowing perception perceiving eye consciousness. Then the next one is the yogic direct perceptions, yogic direct valid perception.
That is like, as an example, the consciousness of an ārya buddha. Like consciousness of ārya or the wisdom of the consciousness of ārya beings are buddha who perceives The consciousness of a Buddha who perceives the selflessness of the person. That kind of perception, perceiving the selflessness of the person, that also like, all the all the perception that Buddha have is like a self like, there are certain men that is induced by self. There’s not that doesn’t have to depend on others. So then the fifth one, the inferential cognitions, that that is as an example, sound is sound being doesn’t achieve it.
Sound being impermanent. And then using this reason sound is impermanent because it’s product. Using this like using this what you say about reasonings. And having a direct perception of sound being impermanent. That is the example to the fifth one.
So all of these, like the five, are known as I would say, a certainment, the perception or cognition that you have known as the self that is not depending on others. So then with the ascertainment that is induced by another, that again you have three types. Three types. Oh, three types. So the first one, you’re known as the perception of The first part of perception of a person.
Perception of a What do you call it? The first part of the perception. The first part of the cognition. And then inattentive, I would say, direct perception. Then a direct perception mistaken due to its cause.
So which is like the first the direct perception of the first moment of direct perception. That is like a person who haven’t seen an Utpala flower and the first time seeing an Utpala flower. So, for that person, when the very first time when seeing having a direct perception of Utpala flower, but So has the appearance of the color of the Utpala flower. This person had the first Whoever first have perceives the Utpala flower has the appearance of Utpala flower but don’t know What’s it? That is the color of Utpala flower.
So, like, when this person, when he first sees the Utpala flower, he has a direct perception of Utpala flower. That is like a sort of known as the certainment that is induced by self. That it doesn’t actually depend on other things. But then whether that the color of Utpala is whether that color, what he perceived, is the color of Utpala flower or not. This has to depend on others.
So then, how how the person comes to know that the color of Utpala, Utpala flower, is that somebody who knows already it’s a color of Utpala has to tell this person that it is the color of Utpala. So then he knows from that time, the person knows that it’s a color of Utpala. The second one, which is known as the inattentive direct perception. As an example to that is like a person Having a person having who’s who’s attracted to a a beautiful object, I mean, hearing a sound. So so to that person who is like attracted attracted to a beautiful object and when when he sees the beautiful object like his mind also follows that and is like attracted to the to the beautiful form.
At that very time, if he hears a different sound I mean, he he hears this sound coming back, but then will not not catch the meaning of the sound. So then later on, if someone explains that the sound you hear is a sound of this and that, explaining all in detail, then he gets again He knows what what was the sound and what it means. So that is like induced by other others. So then the third one is like a direct perception, which is known as mistaken with respect to its cause. That is like a mirage.
Seeing a mirage and having this doubt whether it’s water or not. Or the direct perception of the sensor perception the color of the mirage appearing as So what is mistaking to the person is like a mirage appearing as water, that is what is mistaken? So to the person that like the mirage appears in the form of water, That is what is mistaken. And same thing like the color of the What appears at the person is the color of the mirage. And what appears as water, but not as a color.
To the person it appears that color of the mirage. But it’s again mistaken that I don’t know whether that very color, what it appears to the person is the color of the mirage or not. So to know that also whether that color what appears to the person is also the color of the mirage or not It has to depend on another. Again, this is like a certainment that is induced by another, this disturbed perception, again, can be divided again into three different types. Which first said that the appearance the object is induced by self, but the truth or the nature of the the of the object is induced by another.
That’s one, the first one. And then second division is like the ascertainment of the generality. The appearance of generality is ascertained by the self and then the particularity of the object is ascertained by another. That’s the second one. And then the third one, you say, is like the appearance the object appearance of the object itself also is ascertained by by even even the okay.
The appearance of the object is ascertained by others by another. So there’s these three divisions. So as an example to the first one is that the first one like in reality, in actuality it is a color of fire. So it’s like in far distance, there’s a red color, a reddish color which you see, and you have a doubt now whether that, what is it, the color red that appearing to one is a color of fire or not. But in actuality, it the, what is it, color of the fire.
So the object that is perceived in this example is the red color, the reddish color, which is the color of the fire. And then this would not appear if the fire is not there. But then to know whether that the red color in a distant whether that’s what do say? Color of fire or not, You have to depend on some other things. So then, like the first part, is we said that the appearance of the red color in distant, that which appears to one is ascertained by the self?
So then the truth or the final nature of the thing, what is true, is whether that red color is a color of fire or not. That is the truth. Whether that color is a color of fire or not, to understand that, one had to depend on another cognition. So like another valid perception. So depending another valid perception that one come to know that the red color is the color of a fire.
So then the next what’s an example to the next is that generality is ascertained by self, but then the particularity is ascertained by the another. Example to that is Seeing in the far distance, together with its branches and leaves altogether, seeing that. So like you see in a distant, there’s trees in the distant, but then you have a doubt whether there is the what do you call the Juniper tree, the Juniper plant or not. You have this doubt. And then now this juniper plant doesn’t grow like a tree, isn’t big, but it sort of spreads in the ground.
So to know whether there is a juniper tree or not, We have to depend on another, how to say, another reason. So in a distance you can see In a distance that you can see, there are trees, which is actually a juniper tree which has leaves and branches. You see that, but one is not sure whether that is a juniper tree or not. So then generality is ascertained by itself. That is like because you ascertained there is a tree there.
Generally you have the generality that trees are used as general. Generally, you know there is a tree, but So then same thing with with then the particularity is is not known. And what is not, how is because not sure, one is not sure whether that tree is a juniper tree not. So in order to know that you have to rely on a valid cognition explanation of someone. This is a Juniper tree because such and such.
So with that explanation you come to know the particularity particularly also, which is induced by another. So then the third one is that even the appearance of the object is induced by another, which is like as an example, whether the person have seen whether I have seen blue or not. That is example. That like one have said, when I’ve seen blue, by seeing that blue one then it brings about a doubt which is whether I’ve seen blue or not. That type of that that kind of that is what what is yeah.