Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 37-minute teaching, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen breaks down karma through the Wheel of Life diagram. He distinguishes two types of motivation—causal (underlying ignorance) and actual (the moment-to-moment intention)—and shows how this determines whether an action is virtuous. He traces how imprints plant on consciousness and hold potential for future results, using offering practice as an example. He explores consciousness as the third link: how causal consciousness holds the karmic seed like soil holds a sprout, and how resultant consciousness emerges when that seed ripens in the next life. The monkey jumping between branches symbolizes consciousness moving between lives. The session covers three of twelve links of dependent origination and includes Q&A on responding with compassion when others react with anger. For practitioners beginning this framework.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 08 WoL.mp3
UUID: d291b5f2-2150-4045-a095-cf13a488759f
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Wheel of Life (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1996 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 37.4 minutes
Words: ~1,626
So so the the motivation such as these two are known as the causal motivation the causal motivation and the and the the actual the actual motivation. Yeah. The actual the actual time motivation. So so how how we can check that that karma that we performed is virtue or nonvirtue is by by checking the causal motivation. So so so that when when we first do perform karma, like at the very at the very beginning, that as an example, like killing or taking the life.
The very moment which you have this wish to do the act of killing or or the desire to to do the act of killing the very first. That that is known as the the the causal motivation. So there are two types of ignorance that causes these karmas which is the first one, the ignorance of not knowing the karmic law, and the second is the ignorance of not knowing the the ultimate nature of phenomena. So so the the ignorance, which is known as not knowing the karmic law or the cause and effect causes us to accumulate the karma which is known as the non-meritorious karma or non virtuous karma. So so that of the motivations, and we talked about two types of motivation, the causal motivation and the actual time motivation which for the non virtuous act, the actual time motivation has to be the ignorance of not knowing the karmic law.
And for the virtuous action, the actual time motivation has to be virtuous one. Oh, yeah. So so whatever whatever karma it’s performed, whether it’s virtue or non virtue, it has to be it has to be the the similar type that of the the actual time motivation. So so so then the causal time causal time motivation or causal motivation that for that one, for both virtue and non virtuous action, there is the causal time causal motivation which is that of the ignorance of not knowing and the ultimate nature of a phenomenon. So so for example, that if you are making an offering, if you bring the offering with with the motivation that with the bodhicitta motivation making the offering or with the with the motivation of renunciation making the offering.
That bodhicitta and the renunciation, that motivation is known as the the the actual time motivation. So then while at the very last minute when we finish making the offerings, offerings that we make the three circle, the person who is making offering, the offering and the person whom the offering is made. We see all of them existing inherently. And then we do, we then perform like complete the action there in that way. So then that completes the action which is the first, at the very beginning which is motivated by not knowing, which is motivated, that is very first, the causal time motivation which which are caused and now the the act of making offering that completes that karma.
So so then right at the second moment when you have completed this karma, the karma then changes in the nature of imprints and, yeah, in the nature of imprints. And and then place the imprints on on the consciousness, which how we place the imprints on the consciousness is that our mind gets familiar with external objects and the imprints of those external objects which then the imprints of the external object then is placed on our consciousness which the inference which has the potential to give rise to its result. This is what it plays on the mind. So so as in virtuous karma to the potential that gives rise to to virtuous result that is, like, placed or or left on the consciousness. So So the the potential or the the imprints which is the the potential to give rise to to its result which is placed on the consciousness in a hidden manner, in a hidden manner which, yeah, it’s in a hidden So the mental activity or the mental karma which is So so the the mental factor which which which functions at the time when when physical and verbal action is performed.
That mental factor is known as the mental activity or the mental karma. So so then motivated by that or or caused by that and that mental factor, which is known as the mental activity, then one performs the intended activities that is the physical and mental, physical and verbal, sorry. So while one is performing the physical and verbal act, there is this mental factor again, which which is known as the the the intended action or intended karma. So, for example, like the mind which wishes to speak harsh word. That is the mental activity, another example.
So so then the intended activity or the intended karma which is the mental factor or the mind which at the time when one is actually getting into act, that of verbally or physically. That time, that mental factor which is engaging there is known as the intended karma or the intended So we should say we’ll do this much on the karma and also next on Sunday, we’ll be still speaking on the karma. So now the go to the third limbs of the twelve links of dependent origination that is illustrated in the drawings which monkey was climbing on the on the tree. Which symbolizing that which symbolizes the the consciousness. So so that the monkey which like doesn’t stays in one place in the in the in the tree which goes jumps here to different different branches.
So similar to that, that it moves the consciousness which like moves or continues to life to life from from this to next to next life? So so so that consciousness is the the the sixth sixth which is known as the mental consciousness. So this this mental consciousness, it’s it’s not virtue, not non virtue? Neutral. It is.
So this this mental consciousness, which is not a virtue, non nonvirtue, but it is it is neither of these two. So so then that consciousness again has two two types of consciousness or the mental consciousness is one is done as the causal consciousness and second resultant consciousness. So so the causal consciousness causal time consciousness which is a consciousness that which holds the karma or the karma imprints until which it ripens in its result. So as an example, that consciousness is like like the box which which the owner, like, keeps all his other things in. So and then another example, it’s also said it’s it’s like that of the earth which holds the seed or the calm which hold the sea.
So, the seed which is sown on the earth, the seed will keep the potential to give rise to sprout in the earth. And similar to that, this causal consciousness, causal consciousness which holds the karma or the karma imprints until it gives rise to its result. So so then the resultant time consciousness is that of like like, as an example, like the seed giving rise to a sprout, the very moment of this where you see it to sprout. And like with the consciousness that the very moment when we take conception into next life, that consciousness is known as the resultant time consciousness. So so another example.
So when one perform the act of killing, then as soon as the the act is completed, it it changes into it turns into nature of imprints which holds the potential to give rise to its result. And that potential is what is hold by this, I would say, causal time consciousness. So so then so then that karma when when it gives rise in in in the next life, when it gives rise to its result in the next life, whatever its ripening result might be at that at that time, that consciousness is known as the resultant time of consciousness. So so we’ll stop here today. And, mister Hassan, we we want to cover the three of the twelve.
Still nine more to go. Yeah. Yeah. That is up to me. Do want a year?
So we stop here for the nine and do some question and answer. Yep. No. Yep. So that when we do something for others and something good for others which which then if the other, let’s say retaliates with anger.
That is like, shows that we, the action that we do, we performed act as a condition to give rise to the previous karma of anger. So so then when when someone retaliates with anger, then at that point, not to get angry to the others. But then instead, if one is to meditate compassion. So so that the it’s as Geshe la said, the way you react towards the person, if if you if you meditate compassion then you also collect more good karma. And if you react negatively then though you collect virtue in the beginning, you collect that non virtues come up later.
Yeah. Yeah. Lay lay. So nothing you can do. You have other questions?
So one recommiddling is the the come and the explanation of karma in teaching. That part is Just in the it’s a very long teaching, but just the point where they talk about karma. Some of it. So the different composers. Like, there are three, the great, medium, and the small, which is composed by Lama Tsongkhapa, and the the one that is composed by Pabongka Rinpoche known as the Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand.
And and there are also other many other teaching which is not sure he said that it’s the main English one. Yeah. Yeah.