Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 45-minute session, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen breaks down how different Buddhist schools—Sautrāntika, Madhyamaka, Prāsaṇgika, and Cittamātra—understand enlightenment. He walks through the Path of Accumulation and the Clear Realizations of Doctrine, organized around twelve scriptural categories rooted in understanding selflessness. He then shows how these schools diverge on the ultimate view: Hearers focus on selflessness of persons, solitary realizers on non-duality of subject and object, and Mahayanists on emptiness. He explains how tantric paths require bodhicitta and great compassion as their foundation. He concludes with stories of Mahasiddhas—masters who transform negative actions into the spiritual path—including the encounter between two monks seeking Mañjuśrī and the King of Tibet. For practitioners with some grounding in Buddhist philosophy.
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File: 08 P and G.mp3
UUID: a0617d4a-30fb-4133-a57b-678a17f22a04
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Paths and Grounds (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1995 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.0 minutes
Words: ~2,446
So so so so then the what do you call? The path of accumulation has the same same approach like this one, like just what you explained, the abandonment of what you call the intellectually obtained delusions. So then the next one is that of clear realizations of doctrine or the Dharma. So so when clear realization of doctrine, doctrine here or the Dharma here means the the twelve generally, it’s explained as the twelve descriptive categories. So so it is known as the the clear realizations of doctrine because it is a path it is the path where men where the follower mainly listens and contemplates the the words and the meaning of those twelve scriptural categories, scriptural teachings.
So because of that they are known as the clear realization of doctrine. So so so the words and the meanings of this twelve scriptural categories or scriptural teachings, like words here means not only the word but also knowing the meanings of those word. And meaning here means the understanding of the the generic image of the selflessness of the person. Mhmm. This one.
So if you are, so these twelve scriptural teachings are different. Like, for example, if it’s the hearer’s, the hearer follower, then for that follower, the scriptural teachings are the baskets of teaching which are shown taught to the hearers and that are like the first turning of the wheel of Dharma. That is what they mean contemplate contemplate and hear the teachings on. So then for the Mahāyānist follower, the the realization of Dharma or the doctrine. That Dharma or the doctrine is the Mahāyāna baskets of teachings.
So so so these there are three, like, basket of teachings which are divided, like, the Mahāyāna basket of teachings, the Hīnayāna basket of teachings, and the the common baskets of teachings for both both vehicles. So also known as the uncommon basket of teachings of Mahāyāna followers, which is the teachings which is mainly given or mainly or only given to the Mahāyāna disciples. Which are uncommon to others. It’s only to Mahayanists. So same with the Hinayanist teachings, the uncommon the uncommon Hīnayāna teachings which are only given to the Hīnayāna followers, not to everyone.
So then the common basket of teachings taught commonly to both Mahāyānist follower and Hinayanist follower. So, for example, the Heart Sūtra is the uncommon teachings to to the Mahayanists. That’s one of the example of Mahāyānist teachings which are uncommon. So so then the the first turning of the wheel or the four noble truths, the teaching of four noble truths is the is the uncommon teaching to the to the Hīnayāna follower. So so then so then they are like a sūtra of the Bhagavan or there are sutras, other sutras, which known as the sūtra of Bhagavan is is a common, or it’s a common to both. So the teachings of Abhisamayālamkāra, teachings of Abhisamayālamkāra, that teachings is explained mainly from the viewpoint of Sautrāntika Madhyamaka. So it’s mainly, sorry, mainly the explanations of Sautrāntika Madhyamaka, this Abhisamayālamkāra.
And even within Sautrāntika Madhyamaka there are two. And it is the master the master name, namely, it’s his explanations. So from if we they explain it like, from the viewpoint of Sautrāntika Madhyamaka, they they explained that the hearers main the main the hearers the follow-up hearers hearers or hearers main practice, main meditation practice is selflessness of the person. So then the and similar with from their explanations, the solitary realizer or the Yeah, solitary realizer, their main meditation practice is the non duality of subject and object. And then with the Mahayanists, main meditation is emptiness.
But then if you if you talk from the viewpoint of Cittamātra, then the in Cittamātra explanations, the the non duality of subject object is their ultimate view. So so so because of that, the the main Mahayanists meditation. Main Mahayanists practice should also be should also be the the non duality of subject and object. Oh, yeah. So so in the from from from this point of view, So the main main practice those followers follow is emptiness.
That that is all all same, meditation on emptiness. So the non-inherently existing of all phenomena. That is what all of these three what do say? The main practice of all of all the three vehicles. But then and then if you if you look to the to the to the lower schools like Vaibhāṣika and Sautrāntika, then in their school, they they are unable to present the or give the explanation of subject and object, the non duality of subject and object and so on.
So the the lack of substantial self existence, that is like the the that is the that is the final view of those lower tenets. What are lower schools? So if you with the with the the they they accept something that all phenomena naturally exist. So they they they believe that it’s not only that our mind imputes the object being existing, but also from the object side, it exists. So that is what Sautrāntika Madhyamaka believes.
So so with the with the Prāsaṇgika Madhyamaka, then what they believe is that phenomena is it’s all imputed by our mind. Nothing exists from its own side. So because of that So because of that, they say non inherently existing phenomena. And so phenomena doesn’t inherently exist. That’s what they believe.
So so the view the the the views are of the these different views are the the latter ones. Latter the latter ones are, what do say, more more more deeper in meanings, more difference in meanings. So so for so because of that, like, in in the Vaibhāṣika and Sautrāntika school, their teachings are mainly related to the Vinaya teachings and the Abhidharma teachings. So so then the next teaching called the Prajñāpāramitā teachings are are that teachings is mainly from the viewpoint of Sautrāntika Madhyamaka. So so then the Mādhyamika texts and the the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, those these teachings are are mainly explained from the viewpoint of Prāsaṇgika Madhyamaka and explains the ultimate view.
What? The final views. And also, yeah, also the tantric teachings are all all from the viewpoint of Prāsaṇgika Madhyamaka. So so the these different these different different views are explained. I mean, the the to understand the higher views. The the earlier and what I call the former views I explain to understand the latter latter views.
Oh, yeah. So we stop here today. Mhmm. Do I, you know? Any you have any questions?
The five paths where does the five paths fit? So in the tantric teachings, again, it again explains its own different paths and grounds. So the you you have. So the tantric parts you wanna explain in Mahāyāna teachings. So so then first one, train on the sūtra teachings.
That is the sūtra teachings are like those are the ordinary paths and the paths of the aryas. And then continue with that with the ten the ten grounds. And then when one achieves the tenth one, the tenth ground, that is like meaning clear light which is explained in tantra. It’s like the like the similar to that of path of seeing. So so this this the the path which I’ve explained in Sūtra are like the the common paths that that all trains follow.
And and then when when they when they when they are well trained on this path, then they enter into the uncommon path. That is the tantric path. So so it’s it’s not necessary that one one has to follow the sūtra path. One can directly follow the tantric path. But what one needs to directly follow the tantric path is the practice of bodhicitta and great compassion.
And without these two as a base, the tantric stages like the generation stage and the completion stage, realization of those stages are impossible without bodhicitta and compassion as a base. Yep. There are differences with its subtleties and differences with realization. So the self of a person, for example, that which we say that doesn’t exist is that a self of person, a self that is existing there without depending on the aggregates. That that is the self which that is the self there.
So that is that is the self that is which doesn’t exist, And so that is what one should first aim to achieve. And like, when when when when one is doing that, that means one is like, let’s say, aiming for liberation. So then emptiness means that the lack of true existence. Lack of truly existing or true existing is is emptiness? So here, Geshe-la is explaining the gross explain very very roughly and to make it to understand.
But then there will be more detailed explanations in the in the near in the later time like more and more in other teachings. Mhmm. Yep. So you’re saying it’s mild mild mild Uh-huh. So, like there’s no divisions which are given like medium bodhicitta or something like that, But they do benefit others.
They do benefit but the benefits that they bring towards sentient beings have differences with the Hīnayāna and the Mahāyāna. So, they do work for the sake of sentient beings but but they don’t aim to achieve liberation or the the enlightenment for the sake of those sentient beings. So so all the all the all the hearers and solitary realizers in in within them, they have the wish to gain the self liberation? So so then when they come to achieve the the liberation their liberations in the hearers and the solitary realizers, when they come to achieve their enlightenment or liberation, they, I would say, they stay in meditative they stay in in in in meditation of is the word? The Shivata.
Shivata. The The Shivata. Shivata. Known as the peace. They stay in that peace for many many aeons.
And was saying just before that, I’ve missed what Yisha was saying because it’s not easy to explain what you mean by the the peace the peace and that state because we haven’t achieved that. So the Mahasiddhas here, the Mahasiddhas who are known as, they are known as Mahasiddhas, those who have achieved realizations or gained realizations of the attainments, tantric attainments. We have attained the tantric attainments. Generally, like, for example, attachment, hatred, these are, let’s say, negative that we have to abandon. So so then those with those person with with tantric realizations or tantric attainments, for them, even these delusions, they it can be it can be transformed into path.
So with those Mahasiddhas, they’re known as those who have gained tantric attainment and they can transform their practice into path. And like what we see for example, they’re drinking or they’re killing animals or killing fish and so on and different things. That’s how in our appearance that’s what we see. But for them, for those practitioners, it is that what they see is different. For as example, like, for example, as killing fish.
So it’s like So the person who is killing the fish is also an emanation and the fish itself also emanation of emanation. So like the religious heads, for example, the former Dalai Lamas, they are the former Dalai Lamas. Are the former Dalai Lamas are also different emanations, different emanation of different religious kings or different. So, in their life stories like to look after the populations, the wherever the ruler is, to look after the population. If they cannot control the population there, then in order to control them, they use emanate like, different other human beings, like armies, soldiers, and and same thing with other other other human beings.
And then then the armies, use and kill the human beings to show to subdue or to control the others. So, another story in India, two young monks went to their teachers and asked, the teachers somehow asked why you came here and what do you want? And then they said, we want to meet Mañjuśrī. So then the Lama then told these two monks saying that, okay, you go to Tibet. The king of Tibet is the is the actual Mañjuśrī.
And and if you go to Tibet, you will meet Mañjuśrī. So then so then these two monks going to travel to Tibet, crossing the border, coming into Tibet, then coming to a village, and then they came they saw a big farm farmland where and then all the fence on the farm, you see a human head and human bones, a defense of the farm. So so then when they saw this, then they thought the king of Tibet can’t be should be a, what do you call, demon? So so then they they did lose their faith, but still they they went went continue and then finally they met the king of Tibet.
So then when they met met met the king, the king asked, okay. What do you what do you want? What did you want? So so then then because they have lost their faith, I mean, that he didn’t actually say we want to meet Mañjuśrī. But but if they have said that, then they they would help them, follow them. But then but then they didn’t say that.
Instead, they said, we want to go back to our place where we came from. So then the king knew that they had lost faith in him told them at that time that I have murdered the humans and I killed it. And for that, there’s no no no negative action of killing. He said that to the to the two monks and then gave also a small bag full of sand to both of them. So so then use that small bag for tonight as a as your pillow.
So then then they they slept, and then when next morning when they when they when they arrive awake when they are awake, they were back to in their in their place, back in the in the where they came from. And the the sand in the bag that they kept under under under the head as a pillow, it became all, like, changes into gold. So there are these different stories. So that is what with the Mahasiddhas, that their biography there’s many different thing they do. It’s explained like going to a bar or going to the prostitute or bring many different behaviors, bad behaviors and so on.
And all these, that’s what we see but we put them, they transform that into their practice. Yeah.