Seven-Point Mind Training — 1984-11-07

Seven-Point Mind Training (Geshe Doga)

Seven-Point Mind Training — 1984-11-07

Play EpisodePause Episode

Mute/Unmute EpisodeRewind 10 Seconds1xFast Forward 30 seconds

00:00/

RSS Feed

Share

Link

Embed

Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.

About this talk. In this 37-minute teaching, Geshe Doga explores the foundational Buddhist practice of death awareness (a core element of the Seven-Point Mind Training), walking through its defects when absent, its benefits when cultivated, and the specific method for developing it. He explains how lack of death awareness leads to attachment to possessions, hatred toward those who harm loved ones, pride, jealousy, and competitiveness—all anchored in the false belief that death is distant. By contrast, recognising death’s inevitability, uncertainty, and the impossibility of taking wealth or companions beyond life transforms one’s priorities: virtuous action becomes urgent preparation for the next life, compassion naturally arises from seeing others’ suffering, and long-term commitment to dharma practice takes root. He emphasises that familiarity with virtuous mental states now—through meditation, compassion, bodhicitta—directly prepares the dying mind to maintain goodness at the moment of death, when karma alone travels forward.

So to to having this death awareness I mean, because of so attachment to these worldly possessions and because of our attachment to friends and those relatives, and then if we produce this death awareness, then this is a way the developing of this awareness by a person who is not involved in this dharma things. But if we generate this that awareness by by keeping in our mind that the the old beings who is under the chain of these afflictions and bad karma have to subject to die. So if you think in this way and then develop the that awareness, so that’s the the way. So it is good. If we develop this that awareness by keeping in mind that it would be very regretful if you are if if you die if I die without doing any any Dharma practice. So to to elaborate this, the the point of death awareness, the there are three categories as the the defects of not having this death awareness and the advantages of developing this awareness and the way how to develop this awareness.

The defect is that if you if you don’t, I mean, try to generate this that awareness, then our mind will be, I mean, strongly clung to this worldly pleasures. So the we have the such, I mean, problem like like not hesitating to cherish our enemy and not fulfilling the wishes of one’s own relatives and friends. And we have the problem and so on. We have such many problem. So all these problems are caused by not producing the death awareness.

We have such a feeling, instead of having the awareness of impermanence and death, we have a feeling that we cannot die as we we we think that the I cannot die today. And when tomorrow come, I can’t I cannot die tomorrow. Like this, we have such a, I mean, perpetual, I mean, feeling. Yes. So due to that constant thought that I that I can’t die today, tomorrow like this, So this causes you to to have a strong attachment to all these worldly possessions and relatives.

So so due to that attachment to one’s own relatives and friends and so on, then the the automatically, the the hatred the hatred is produced to anyone. I mean, anyone who does wrong with one of those relatives and so So and then we produce a pride, feeling of pride when we when we have been I mean, succeed in any of our aims. And then we produce jealousy to someone who is high in rank and high in positions than oneself. Yes. And then we produce a sort of challenging feeling to those who is equal in state with you.

So by this, all our actions of these three doors, body, mind, speech, engage in the negative actions. So since we let our all our behaviors of these three doors in the non-virtuous actions, then then as a result of that that misbehaviors, then every sort of suffering and pain comes upon us. So all this type of, I mean, doing I mean, misbehavior, mean, due to our defect of not generating, not producing this death awareness. But if you develop the that awareness, then there are many advantages of that. Firstly, if you if you really, I mean, have the feeling of this death awareness, then you know that that that you have to go to next life.

Yes. So if you know that long journey, then then surely you do do some some things to carry with you on that journey. So by this, you do the things that the the the right things, the what we have to abandon and what we have to obtain. So you abandon the non virtuous actions and do the virtuous actions because you know that the that we that the the that you don’t wish to be I mean, in that to be to be born in the lower realms and such suffering beings. So as a precaution as a precaution, you engage in the right dharma.

So same way you as a precaution is not to be born in the an animal, you will do the the right things. And if you if you if you do not like the the the general substance of all all the entire I mean, saṃsāra, the cycle of existence, then the you must have to to to do the this same practice the necessary to get the the obtain the the liberation of from saṃsāra. So by this, if you produce such a wish that just looking, just seeing the the the the sufferings of other sentient beings. And then if you have a feeling of that not wishing the suffering to other beings, then you produce then you generate the the right compassion. And also the the understanding of the the view of selflessness is also as is also necessary to get rid of this the the entire Samsāra, then you would be aware of this view.

So the the advantage of very often, I mean, generating this that awareness, then automatically it will it will and then ultimately you refrain from doing those negative actions and engage in the positives. So the the having developing this awareness has many advantages and benefits. To that awareness, it would help you to engage in the Dharma practice. And not only will start the Dharma, but also by by this awareness, then you will put more effort, I mean, continuously on the Dharma, and it will help in a very long term period also. The main causes of that we as not having the desire to do the dharma is because of our not having this death awareness.

And also not putting much effort on the dharma is is also because of not I mean, having the the the strong that awareness. And also not having this awareness, then we will easily get tired when we engage in the Dharma and not doing the Dharma practice, I mean continually from year to year. So all this, I mean, all this shortcoming cycle is due to this not having not producing this strong feeling of death awareness. So to to to mention the the actual points of death awareness, so firstly, one must know that that the death is inevitable. Death is inevitable, even with regard to the the what kind of body one has.

So as you look back to the the past history, all I mean, the the good and physical form and good body built, and all have passed away. So there is no point that death does not spare the strong person So to summarize, I mean, the the this is quite I mean, it is obviously clear that we cannot pinpoint, I mean, the any I mean, of the ancient period, any person in the ancient time that has not passed, we cannot pin out that this here is not he has been from very long, long time or like that. Okay. The next So the the medicines can do nothing for the death nor, I mean, the the worldly things and possessions and all this does, I mean, nothing to death. You And also, there is no exceptional case for those the worldly fastest runner.

I mean, regard to this death. So the death is inevitable. But but, I mean, but if there is, I mean, any certainty about the time of death, then it is alright. But it is not so. So there is no certainty about the the time of death.

So if the the time of death is, I mean, certainty within definite period, then we could do that in a in a specific period. We could, I mean, have our relatives and friends and so on. And in in specific period, we would challenge the our enemies. And in a specific period, we would perform the worldly spiritual practices. And then after all at at the end, then we could do the Dharma.

But that is impossible. So the the time of death is not certain to be even with from the with regard to the young and the aged. So the son, I mean, die in a very even, you know, in the mother’s womb, and there’s no definite on the period of death. And and the next point, we must know about the at the the at the time of death, the the the only the only means which help us is dharma. Because at that time, the time of death, one’s own relatives and friends can do nothing for one.

And also, one cannot take the the things that one have, I mean, accumulated in before. And even one have to leave the body that that comes from mother womb. So the only thing that one could carry is the karma. So on that very moment, on that point, we would see the the very great difference between the two person who is who is engaging the dharma and and not. Yeah. So on that at that moment, if a person is a good dharma practitioner, then then he would leave this body happily and as if I mean, as if a son going to his parents’ house.

So for him, there’s no problem of leaving this his wreckage and body and then going out. And for the the the middling for a middling a middling person of dharma practitioner, for him, there is no uneasiness to die. So for, I mean, the lower person of the religious practitioners, at that moment, he has some help. He has no regret. He has no fear to die.

So so as a I mean, the right causes which to help us in that moment, we are, I mean, engaging this Dharma practice, we are doing meditations and all such things. So as I mean, we did the the meditations on the visualizations of the Buddha Śākyamūni. So so this would will be very helpful in a very long time. So from right now on, if you do this visualizations very often and more and more time, then you could do the same at the time of death, at the time of death. So if you, I mean, succeed in visualizing this Śākyamūni Buddha at that time, then surely you won’t be frightened of that frightened at that moment.

So it is good. Whatever we do the the Dharma practice, like doing compassion, bodhicitta, and anythings that if you do do to to help us at that moment, then it’s good. So the the purpose of our I mean, from right now only, our I mean, trying to familiar with the the the kind heart and the compassion of life is that the so that, I mean, at the moment of death, we could do the same. Since at that moment, as mentioned before, we have left everything. The only that mind that goes with us.

So if that mind is, I mean, good, if that mind is still, I mean, kind or good heart, then you are carrying a very precious thing in the future lifetime. So for that, we need a way to I mean, familiarity with that kind of mind. You know, there are few minutes left. So if you have any doubt, you may ask. Otherwise, we will leave.

Translation / 翻译 / བསྒྱུར།

These translations were generated using Gemini Pro 2.5 with a curated Buddhist terminology glossary and verified for register, glossary use, and absence of English leakage. The English transcript above remains the authoritative source.