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 identifies self-cherishing—our habitual prioritizing of personal benefit—as the root of all suffering and conflict. He structures teachings on developing genuine compassion for all beings around this diagnosis, moving from the path’s smaller scopes toward the great scope. He teaches how to generate compassion by attending to specific suffering people and offers vivid examples: Asaṇga’s breakthrough from witnessing a dog infested with maggots. The core practice of exchanging self for others receives detailed exploration—how self-cherishing manifests in taking credit, avoiding blame, and endangering loved ones. He closes with the immeasurable kindness of all beings: every possession and comfort depends on countless sentient beings. For practitioners with Buddhist background.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 05 SoM no date.mp3
UUID: c4434dd9-9357-44cd-948a-52093558945a
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Stages of Meditation (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1983 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.9 minutes
Words: ~5,028
So as I mentioned yesterday, that turning the mind in the path of smaller scope. So during this scope, you have to meditate on the precious human rebirth. It’s meditating on its value or meaningfulness, and it is difficult to find and so forth. And having done that, you also have to do the meditation on the death and impermanence. Right?
And having done those contemplations properly, then one has to generate strong feeling, not wishing to stay under influence of the sufferings of the lower realms and try to generate a thought to get rid of them and get freedom from those sufferings to be able to obtain liberation for one’s sake, and thereby, what’s called, you have to do the purifications in order to remove all your mental stains, all the delusions, and must put all different various types of the practices into action so as to generate strong feeling to get freedom from those sufferings of the lower realms and to obtain realization or the liberation for one’s sake. So all those practices are included under the training of the mind to the path of small scope. Having done those contemplations properly, then one has to practice again what’s called the path of the middling scope. So which means here at this time you have to contemplate on the sufferings of this general cycle of existence. Right?
All the so-called sufferings of this cycle of existence. And to be able to get freedom from those, you have to need, you have to generate proper genuine renunciation. In order to get proper genuine renunciation, you have to identify all the sufferings clearly, and you must understand the nature of the true suffering and the cause of true sufferings through those presentations which was given above yesterday. And if you have proper renunciation, then within this frame of mind, you will be able to generate a mental wish strongly, what’s called thinking to get freedom from those sufferings and to obtain liberation from those. So this practice includes all the practices of a medium scope.
Right? So therefore, having done the former one, then you want to contemplate on the sufferings of general cycle of existence and to, you know, generate strong genuine renunciation to get freedom from those. Training your mind in those two scopes accordingly and gradually, you will be able to establish the foundation of generating the great compassion, bodhicitta mind, and so forth, which are the unique qualifications of the great scope. So therefore, without having built up the strong foundation, there is less chance to generate the great compassion and bodhicitta mind. Thus, it is important to train your mind in the former two scopes.
Lord Buddha taught two types of teachings to his followers, teaching on the Mahāyāna system and teaching on the Hīnayāna system. So these two teachings mainly differentiate in terms of the practitioner’s intention or the practitioner’s motivation to practice. Those who wish to practice Mahāyāna teachings, for them it is very necessary to have good motivation or good intention to practice not only for oneself only, but for other beings’ sake. So he who has engaged into the practices for the sake of other sentient beings, not for one’s sake, is included in the teachings of Mahāyāna. And he who engages in the practices mainly for the sake of one’s own liberation and not for others — all his practices are included in the teachings of Hīnayāna.
So therefore, the first two scopes are mainly based on the, what’s called, liberation for oneself. Thus, it is included under the Hīnayāna’s teaching. And the third one, whose motivation is for the benefit of all sentient beings — what’s called those who engage in the practices are included in the teachings of the Mahāyāna. And therefore, to be able to generate Mahāyāna, what’s called, to be able to generate the good motivation for the sake of all sentient beings, first the important thing is to understand.
Right? Is to understand all these sufferings, mainly taking examples on oneself. So having understood them properly, one can extend that understanding to others. So therefore, it’s very necessary to form a very strong foundation based on the former two scopes so as to generate the third one — bodhicitta mind or the altruistic mind.
The generation of this mind is dependent on whether or not we have strong great compassion. So how to generate great compassion? So the nature of the great compassion is wishing — what’s called wishing all sentient beings to be freed from the sufferings. That is called compassion. So therefore, the object of compassion is all sentient beings who are suffering from certain types.
So now the aspect of that is just to get rid of them. To get all sentient beings, what’s called, be free from the sufferings is called the great compassion. So therefore, it has to be generated having understood the sufferings of sentient beings. So as I mentioned, it is dependent on engaging with the particular, what we call, skilled means.
So first of all, you may not be able to generate that much strong a wish. So therefore, what you have to do at first is just try to see. Practice those in the means who are practically under such sufferings, such as those who are under what’s called the sway of illness or who are about to die or who are really in need of others’ help because of certain, what’s called, handicap and so forth. So whenever you see those sentient beings, whenever you saw those sentient beings, then surely you try to generate a strong wish thinking, oh, how nice it would be if I am able to serve or able to help that particular sentient being.
Right? So you must send this kind of warm heart no matter whether or not you’re able to do practically some beneficial work. But still, at that time, you must have and you must try to generate this kind of wish thinking. I must try to do something for the sake of this particular sentient being who is practically suffering this and that type. Right?
So whenever you see, whenever you contact any kind of suffering beings, you must have unbearable, what’s called, feeling of sorrow for them. So and if you have that genuinely and it remains in your mind constantly, then that is the step — what’s called this is the foundation, and it’s the progressing step to generate the great compassion. Right? So therefore, you have to think how nice it would be or how wonderful it would be if all sentient beings be freed from the sufferings and from the causes of the sufferings. So to be able to generate this kind of wish, you have to first see those who are practically under the power of sudden sufferings.
So having seen that, then you have to think, oh, how nice would it be if I am able to do something for them? If I’m in a position to help them? Right? So you really do generate some sort of feeling which concerns about others. Right?
And at that time, you are just putting or you are just establishing the firm foundation of generating the great compassion. So this is how you train yourself towards the way of generating the compassion. While you try to generate the great compassion, you must first pick up a particular object who is practically suffering, no matter whether it’s an individual sentient being or two. So keep that particular sentient being as your object of what’s called compassion, and try to generate and create warm heart upon that particular sentient being. Right?
So you think how nice it would be if I am able to remove this or that suffering. So you will now strongly be able to generate a very genuine wish, and thereby, you will be able to do so. So this is the way how you train your mind towards what is called the way of generating the great compassion. So have you understood that? This is how you train your mind towards the way of generating the great compassion.
So even if you see how those realized persons in the past have generated the great compassion, you will clearly understand that those people who have generated compassion within their continuum have taken a particular suffering sentient being as an object of their compassion, such as — let us take the example of Buddha Śākyamūni himself. How he generated the great compassion was he took the object of his compassion as his suffering relatives. All relatives of his and others were terribly suffering from all kinds. So therefore, he had a feeling. He had an unbearable feeling.
Right? So therefore, within that frame of mind, he was successful in generating the compassion. Similarly, probably you might have heard what’s called this name, Asaṇga, who was able to generate great compassion after having seen a female dog whose abdomen was full of — what’s the word? Maggots. Yeah?
Maggots. Yeah. Maggots. Yeah. Whose lower abdomen was full of maggots.
So he took that particular dog as his object of great compassion and was able to generate great compassion. So in this way, we also try to emulate them and take one particular, what is called, suffering sentient being as an object and try to send a genuine warm heart for his benefit. In terms of generating the bodhicitta mind, there are two — sorry. There are two ways which one can apply as a technique. The first, that lineage which is flourished from Śāntideva.
Yeah. From Śāntideva, which is called equalizing and what is called exchanging self for others. The second lineage is from Candrakīrti and so forth, which is called six causes and one effect. So these are two, what it’s called, outstanding techniques that one can apply for the sake of generating the great — sorry, for the sake of generating the bodhicitta mind or altruistic mind. Whichever system you choose, the point is, in any case, you have to take the great compassion as a root for the generation of bodhicitta mind.
The generation of bodhicitta mind is solely dependent on the generation of the great compassion. So if you have stronger, what’s called, strong great compassion, it’s easier for you to generate the bodhicitta mind. If you have less compassion, it is harder for you to generate bodhicitta mind. So therefore, generation of bodhicitta mind is solely dependent on the generation of compassion. Now let us discuss the first way of generating the bodhicitta mind, that is equalizing and exchanging self for others.
So in this, according to this system, there are two: equalizing and exchanging. Right? So these are the two main techniques which one has to apply for the sake of generating the bodhicitta mind. So to be able to equalize self for the other, it is very necessary to generate equanimity to all sentient beings. Without having generated the equanimity, it is very hard to equalize self for the others.
What is the meaning of equalizing self for the others? It means, for example, if this wall is quite smooth and even, then we can do anything very evenly and very smoothly. But if it is not even and it is not smooth, then if you try to do something, depending on whatever, it will not come beautifully because sometimes it comes — let’s go. No. Anyway, it will not become evenness.
Okay? So similarly, first of all, we have to make our mind free from roughness. In other words, free from roughness, or we must make our mind even towards all. So therefore, to be able to equalize self with other, it is important to meditate on or to generate the equanimity. To be able to equalize self with other, we need to think in this way.
So let us say, normally, we have three kinds of persons which we associate with. One type of, what’s it called, friends or relatives, another one, our enemies, and third one, those who are neutral. Right? So we have this kind of people or this kind of persons in our lives. So now how we adopt those — the first type of person as a relative or a friend — is because we thought those people might have helped me.
So therefore, I must, what’s it called, keep them as my friend or relatives. Therefore, I must do something for them because they are my relatives. So it’s my responsibility to do something. And on the other hand, we have here the enemies, and we have of course adopted them as our enemies because we thought those types of people might harm me or they have harmed me before. So therefore, now it is my responsibility not to benefit them, rather try to harm and try to retaliate whenever I get the chance and so forth.
And on the third hand, there’s one kind of person who is our, what’s called, neutral. So, therefore, to them, we don’t have either, what’s called, feeling to benefit nor feeling to harm. We just treat them with indifference because we think, oh, this kind of people will not, what’s going to, benefit me nor harm me. Therefore, I will react in the same way. I won’t help them nor will I harm them.
So in this way, we have normally three kinds of persons in our life with whom we associate. So in such a case, then you should think very reasonably thinking: the enemy — those type of persons whom we have recognized as enemy — is not an everlasting enemy, because at the moment they have harmed me. Therefore, I have adopted them as my enemy. Right? But on the other hand, if I look from the other side, he might have helped me in many cases.
So therefore, today’s enemy will not be an enemy forever. Right? So he might have helped me in many lifetimes, or he might have helped me in other ways. So therefore, there’s no reason to hold someone as an enemy due to one reason. Okay?
Because there are other reasons that one should keep them as our friends or whatever. So therefore, as I mentioned during the teachings on the middle scope, that because we have taken lives so many times in the past. Right? So during such lifetimes, that particular person whom we have regarded as an enemy might have taken a rebirth as our mother. And, of course, he might have served us well.
So therefore, viewing from many viewpoints, from many ankles, one should not have strong hatred to that person, rather try to keep your mind in balance, in evenness. Right? So as to avoid strong hatred to that. Right? So this is one way of keeping one’s mind in evenness or in what’s called equanimity. Okay. But so in this way, with many reasons, you have to contemplate or you have to meditate on equanimity so as to keep your mind in balance without falling to the extremes. But if you find it difficult to keep your mind in balance because of thinking, he might have helped me, therefore, I have to do something beneficial for him. And he might have done something, what’s it called, harmful to me. Therefore, it is hard for me to contemplate love also, or contemplate equanimity on him. Right? So you might have this kind of feeling. So at that time, one must check.
Then what is the real root cause of all those hatred and strong attachment? Right? So you see, you will find if you analyze — you will find that due to your own self-cherishing attitude, always wishing to have something beneficial either to you or your relatives and ignoring the cherishing of others, this brings about all the different types of disturbing thoughts. And because of our own self-cherishing attitude, we strongly desire to help those who helped us. And we strongly try to do something unpleasant to those who have done something wrong to us.
So therefore, our self-cherishing attitude is a root of all. So thus, it is what’s called reasonable and worthwhile to contemplate on the faults of self-cherishing attitude and the benefits of cherishing others. So in this way, you will be able to find clearly how to, what’s called, develop the equanimity and how to equalize self for the others. It is self-cherishing attitude that doesn’t allow us to equalize self for others. Normally, we hold the self-cherishing attitude as the most dearest friend to us.
What’s called? Normally, we hold the self-cherishing attitude as the most dearest friend of ours. Right? So we always try to care for this self-cherishing attitude. Always try to perform the functions according to the self-cherishing attitude.
So therefore, we are always respecting and always acting right according to the wishes of the self-cherishing attitude. Therefore, we have very strong attachment to some, and we have very strong hatred to those who are distant and so forth. Thus, we always hold the self-cherishing attitude as the most dearest friend. So therefore, we think the self-cherishing attitude is the one who looks after us, who protects us, and who grants something beneficial for us. So this is our normal attitude.
How we hold this self-cherishing attitude. So as I mentioned, we have been led everywhere by our self-cherishing attitude because we hold the self-cherishing attitude as our, what’s called, protector. It’s our guide — it was our guide. Therefore, we must do right according to it. Otherwise, we will, what’s called, get lost. So therefore, we have always been led everywhere by this self-cherishing attitude.
Let us interrogate a few things. Is this self-cherishing attitude beneficial for us? Has it benefited us? Now let us think. We have been accumulating all kinds of negativities and are experiencing the result of those negativities because of our self-cherishing attitude.
Right? Due to our self-cherishing attitude, we are stealing others’ possessions without even the slightest, what’s it called, right to own. We are killing others for the sake of self-cherishing attitude, and we are doing all kinds of things for the sake of self-cherishing attitude and for its own betterment. And therefore, we have been accumulating many, many, many fold negativities. So thus, since there are causes, therefore, there would be result.
So all the sufferings which we are experiencing now and have been experiencing are due to our self-cherishing attitude. Thus, self-cherishing attitude has not been beneficial for us and has not benefited us ever. So thus, understanding these viewpoints, one must try at least to lessen the self-cherishing attitude. As Śāntideva mentioned in his book, although we have taken many lives, countless lives in the past, but even in those lifetimes we have done nothing which may make us have strong conviction and strong confidence. So therefore, definitely, we will experience the sufferings as a result of those negativities. Thus, it is — even due to our own self-cherishing attitude, we have been experiencing all sufferings, and we are experiencing, and we will.
We are not successful even to get rid of one particular suffering, even to get rid of one particular delusion, because our self-cherishing attitude is very strong within us, and therefore, it allows us to produce more rather than eliminating one. So therefore, Śāntideva in his book said — he said in his book: you, self-cherishing attitude, right, have made me to experience all the sufferings in the past. You, such a self-cherishing attitude, are still making me to experience all the sufferings, and you are causing all the causes to experience the result in the future. So therefore, you, self-cherishing attitude — you are the only one who is causing me all the troubles.
Therefore, I will try to remove self-cherishing attitude by understanding the many faults from many ankles. So in this way, we also try to understand the faults of self-cherishing attitude from many ways with many reasons. If I judge your mode of acting, right, if I judge your mode of acting, definitely, you will not allow me to get freedom from any kind of particular suffering forever, because you are engaging all those causes that bring sufferings. So in this way, we have to also recognize self-cherishing attitude as a, what’s called, producer of the causes of the sufferings. If you look only to this lifetime — so it is our own self-cherishing attitude which makes us unable to become an honest person.
Right? Not to become an honest person, not to become what’s called a noble person, because our self-cherishing attitude won’t deviate from that. So therefore, we have no — there’s no place for honesty. There’s no place for the nobility and so forth. So these are all being caused by our self-cherishing attitude.
Let us judge the attitude of self-cherishing attitude. As it was spoken from the thought transformation text — in that book, it says: if there is a work to be done by common people collectively all together, so although the work has been done by all people together, but when the result was what’s called — when the result was occurred positively, then our self-cherishing attitude says, I have done this. Therefore, the reputation should be given to me. Right?
So the work has been done by all people together, but still, when there is good reputation out of such work, our self-cherishing attitude wants it only for oneself and doesn’t want to share the reputation with others. And similarly, if the work has been done by all people equally and something has gone wrong and the result was bad, then we ourselves change and say, no. I didn’t do it, but this person or this person did it. Therefore, the result was poor. So therefore, whenever there’s bad reputation or bad result, we always try to place those bad reputation upon others, and we want to take only those which are good.
So that is the attitude of our self-cherishing attitude. Right? So even in the case — and not only those, but even in the question arising about the self — then we have no hesitation at all to give — to give loss to our parents. Right? When the question arises about self, we have no hesitation even to put our parents at stake. Because we want our own situation to be saved, and therefore, we feel no hesitation to put in danger any kind. Thus, our self-cherishing attitude is the only problem maker, is the only, what’s called, producer of all kinds of suffering.
The explanation on the faults of self-cherishing attitude. So in short, all the sufferings which we experience and all the disasters which we experience are rooted in our self-cherishing attitude. And because of our self-cherishing attitude, all our sufferings have to be faced by ourselves. Thus, it has got no other advantage at all. Due to the self-cherishing attitude, all the conflicts and quarrels and fights are arising even in a small society like a family or a bit bigger than that, just in an organization, or bigger than that, a nation, or interstate, or international.
Due to one’s own self-cherishing attitude, both sides don’t want to, what’s called, accept any kinds of loss. So therefore, due to their own self-cherishing attitude, one side wants the better and the other one wants the better. Therefore, due to not coming into agreement, due to one’s own selfishness and attitude, there arises fights, there arises conflicts, and there arises all the turbulence, disturbances. It’s all about the self-cherishing attitude, the false self-cherishing attitude. Now instead of self-cherishing attitude, we must try to cherish others more than self.
Right? So this is how we exchange self for others. So when we say one has to exchange self for others, it does not mean that you become me and I become you. We can’t do that physically. Right?
There’s no way to exchange my physical body to you and your physical body to me. But it means instead of holding the self-cherishing attitude as the dearest, one has to hold the cherishing of others as the dearest. So by removing the self-cherishing attitude, we should adopt in its place cherishing for others. This is the meaning of exchanging self for others. Right?
So now we have to, what’s called, identify the benefits of cherishing others. It’s necessary to exchange self-cherishing attitude for — what’s it called? — cherishing of others in place of self-cherishing attitude. Right?
If we do cherish others more than self, there are many good qualities that one can achieve. Therefore, cherishing others is the foundation of establishing the good qualities within one’s continuum. It was mentioned in this book saying, not necessary to speak much about these two. Buddhas and others have worked solely for others, and ordinary persons worked solely for oneself. Therefore, distinguish between these two.
So this was the, what’s called, instruction given in his book. So here, same. We don’t have to mention much about the differentiation between the self-cherishing attitude and the cherishing of others. Just simply, you just check. We have been doing only for one’s own sake, forsaking the others’ sake.
Right? So let us see how much we are — how much we have obtained good qualities by doing so, and what level are we at now by cherishing only for self and not cherishing others. Whereas the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and so forth, they have only cherished others forsaking the self. Right? Therefore, let us see how much they have gained and on what level are they existing.
So by understanding these two, when we are clearly able to differentiate the, what’s called, importance of the self-cherishing attitude and cherishing of others — so by knowing these differentiations, one should assert more towards the cherishing of others. We must try to contemplate on the many, what’s called manifold benefits of cherishing of others. So now let us see. It’s very reasonable and valid to cherish other sentient beings more than oneself.
Right? And we can — and we have the ability to cherish others if we try to cherish others because every potentiality is within us; therefore, we can do. So having understood the benefits of cherishing others, one should start cherishing others more than self. It is worthwhile to hold all sentient beings without exception as our dearest, because as we have learned from the six causes and one effect precept, during that, we have to recognise all sentient beings as our mother. Right?
So therefore, even at the time when the sentient beings have been our mother, they are, of course, kind to us. Even if they have not been our mother, still they are kind to us. So by knowing their kindness, one should keep all sentient beings without exception as one’s dearest. Try to contemplate on the kindness of the sentient beings. There are many reasons to contemplate on the kindness of sentient beings countlessly or limitlessly.
For example — only this lifetime. So since we are born — since we are born, we have been seeking the help from many, many sentient beings. When we were born, we were born just very, very small innocent babies, knowing nothing: how to work, how to eat, how to talk — knowing nothing. Even we are not able to stand on our own legs. We came just nakedly having no possessions at all with us.
Good. So we were born in that condition. So knowing that condition clearly, one should start thinking of others’ kindness. Many sentient beings have contributed their kindness — for example, during your present life’s mother. Some sentient beings have rendered you shelter.
Many sentient beings have provided you the education, and many sentient beings have provided you the clothing, and many have provided you the medicines, and many have, what’s called, guided you from wrong paths, and many sentient beings have given you other sources that are needed — that are needed to advance our mental understanding and so forth. So in this way, we have been seeking others’ help and others’ assistance countlessly and limitlessly. As an instance. To be able to have this woolen fabric, we have to rely on many other persons, many other sentient beings. Some sentient beings have donated their wool, and some have made it.
Some have colored it. Some have given the money to buy it, and some have given the, what’s called, chance to buy it. So therefore, there are many, many, what’s called, sentient beings who are involved even in only one particular thing. So without their assistance, as we know, we are just bare, naked, possessionless — just small babies, having nothing with us. So our condition was that.
But due to others’ help, now at present, we have something we can call our own. We possess many things, and we own something in this and that. So these are all due to the kindness of other limitless sentient beings. Okay. Is it not true, because I bought something by using my own money?
So let us check how you got this money. Without the help of others, you won’t have the money; so therefore, you can’t buy. So due to others’ kindness, due to others providing this job and so forth, you are able to, what’s called, save some money, and you are able to buy. So in terms of their kindness, it is absolutely inexpressible, and therefore, their kindness is just immeasurable. We can’t value their kindness because it is limitless.
Right? At the moment, we are quite educated now. So if you see very closely who has provided you the education, it is through other sentient beings. Therefore, it is also worthwhile to contemplate on all sentient beings without exception. But to be able to generate great compassion, love, and so forth, it is also what’s called, in Tibetan, to rely on other sentient beings.