Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 92-minute teaching on the 37 Bodhisattva Practices, Geshe Kyab contrasts three progressive Buddhist paths using verses eight through ten. He begins with practitioners of limited scope, who practice refuge and ethical discipline to avoid lower rebirth, then moves to those of intermediate scope, who renounce saṃsāra entirely seeking personal liberation. The main focus falls on practitioners of highest scope, who develop bodhicitta—the altruistic intention to achieve enlightenment for all sentient beings. Geshe Kyab explains why all beings are called our “mothers,” drawing on examples from human and animal caregiving across countless lifetimes, then argues that genuine gratitude demands practicing the Tonglen exchange—breathing in others’ suffering, breathing out compassion and virtue. He emphasizes that mere prayer contradicts our practice if we reject beggars at our door, and closes with an extended discussion of meditation, karma yoga, and the urgency of developing bodhicitta before it is too late. The teaching balances doctrinal precision with concrete storytelling about monastic life in India and encounters with the poor.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2017 04 11.mp3
UUID: fff5a259-1c37-4517-96a1-3495ad8799ea
Teacher: Geshe Kyab
Collection: 37 Practices Tuesday (Geshe Kyab)
Date: 2017-04-11
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 92.8 minutes
Words: ~8,278
Good evening everyone. Page thirty four. English. I go for refuge. May all sentient beings have happiness in the causes of happiness. May all sent may all sentient beings sentient beings abide in equanimity, free from attachment for friends, hatred for the enemies.
Reverently, I approach with my body, speech, and mind, a present cloud of every type of offering actually arranged. I declare all my negative actions accumulated since the beginning-less time. Rejoice the merit of all holy and ordinary beings. Please remain until the end of cyclic existence, eternal wheel of Dharma for living beings. I dedicate my own merits and those of others to great enlightenment.
Page ninety seven, please. Short mandala offering. Mantra, please. What is this? Thank you.
What happened? This one? My mic? I don’t know. We all need patience, you know.
Okay, now you can look at the screen. The last two weeks we talked about Verse number eight is the person of low path that is built and designed for a person of low intellect or a person of small scope. You can look at it. So the number nine versus number nine is the person of intermediate intellect or the intermediate person, person of middle scope, which are finished. First, the path or the teachings that are designed for the I’m talking about a particular diverse point of view.
Okay? The person of low intellect and a person of small scope. So what exactly did this particular person of course there are many, many practices that needed to be done in order to move on in the second path. However, this is not the particular class because we need to go to these thirty seven practices in bodhisattva one after another as much as I can, but I’m a few weeks I’m here I thought these are little important, you know. So the point is that this first person, a person of low intellect or a person of small scope, must take refuge to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.
Generally speaking, every Buddhist. Why do they need to take refuge to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha? Because they must eliminate the mental afflictions, especially the non virtuous actions, because their practice is not only just that, also they need to practice and meditate on how important human the the leisures and endowments of the life that we obtain, so should not be wasting. So these are the few practices they must do, but their motivation is why they are called a person of low intellect and a person of small scope because their motivation is they do the practices, they do take refuge to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha in order to free from the lower realms. That’s it.
Only their intention and motivation is just to free from lower realms, which are the animal realm, hungry ghosts, hell realms. So that’s why these practitioners go to take refuge to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. They do have some fear to reborn in lower realms, actions are very important, etc. These are what they need to practice. Of course, they need to also understand the karmic causality is very important too, but I’m just giving a brief explanation.
But then the second one is the person of intermediate intellect or the intermediate person of middle scope. This one is a little bit higher than the first one because their motivation is not only just they want it free from the lower realms, although they are already free from the lower realms, because unbelievable and such unbearable suffering, they are free from the unbearable suffering and pain, that the lower realms must need to go through such great pain and suffering. But then we are, as a human being, generally speaking, we are totally free from lower realms of pain and suffering. But then this second person does understood that only just freeing from the lower realm is not enough. I must free from the whole saṃsāra, whole saṃsāra.
So that’s why they are now here, the one who aims for liberation from suffering for himself alone. First one is the one who aims merely for a more fortunate rebirth as a god or as fully endowed human beings. See, fortunate rebirth is the human rebirth is the fortunate rebirth. God and demigod’s rebirth is fortunate rebirth. Different translations, sometimes translated high status rebirth.
So that means we are. We are as a human being, we we have this fortunate rebirth or high status rebirth as a human being, we should not be forgetting this one. But still, you know, it’s not enough that just freeing from the lower realms, but still we do feel pain and suffering. Mentally, we feel pain and suffering physically. Of course, you know, there are so many pain and sufferings that need to be, you know, gone through.
So that’s why this second person was saying, I am not only raising my motivation just to free from lower realms, I must be free from saṃsāra, liberation. Main thing is the one who aims for liberation from suffering for himself alone. See, liberation is free from saṃsāra, cyclic existence. That’s called liberation. Okay?
That means we must achieve nirvana. So that’s the only solution that we can be able to free from samsaric pain and suffering. But then now, Okay, in order to achieve liberation, not only just enough practice that this first person does it, just meditating the precious human rebirth, and then also just eliminating ten non virtuous actions. Of course, are the things they must to do. Above that, they must do the practice of renunciation.
The second one is the only practice of the renunciation they can be able to free from samsaric pain and suffering. Okay? So that’s why renunciation is very important. Otherwise, if they are too much attached samsaric pleasures, then they cannot be free from saṃsāra. That’s very understandable, isn’t it?
Because of too much attachment, then eventually the pain and suffering will be there for you. Little attachment, little pain and suffering, we can deal with it. But mainly, the pain and suffering is sometimes very difficult, really. You know, even though practitioners are also difficult to avoid all this pain and suffering, because in order to avoid pain and suffering, it’s not easy to just avoid it, or just say a few mantras or prayers, cannot just cut out the pain and suffering. Because pain and suffering, as long as we exist in this world, we must need to go through pain and suffering.
So that’s why we must get out from the saṃsāra. In order to do so, then we must practice renunciation. We must understand the karmic causality. We must understand how much samsaric pleasure is ruining our life, you know. We must be detachment.
We must meditate impermanence. Things change. First moment, beautiful, wonderful. Second moment, change into the pain and suffering. We must understand these things.
We must practice. As I said this before a few times, look at the sometimes relationship is a big problem around the world. We need relationship. I mean, you know, it’s important because of the too much attachment. If your attachment is both sides, is the balance, then your relationship is really better, much better.
But if is too much attachment to each other, then then then everything falls apart. When I was saying relationship is not necessarily only men and women, even the relationship between the parents and the children, between the students and the teacher, between two friends, between two partners, or, of course, then in a bit in between two, you know, support, also each other. I mean, you know, relationship is there are many, many, many, many different relationships. Anger is the worst negative Anger is the worst than any other negative emotion. That’s not you don’t need to be questioned for that.
But attachment is also the, you know, as I mentioned before, we must really analyze attachment. You know, how much is too much? How much is my attachment is too much. It’s very important to look at this, how you say, the dynamic or the form of the attachment. How you feel attachment.
And when you feel strong attachment, there would be some issues and problems or not. We have to check it out. There would be problems, strong attachment. Absolutely, yes. Beginning may not be that much strong problem, but then eventually, yes.
Then, of course, that, you get angry, you get jealousy, you get all other mental afflictions. But then, Buddhism denying attachment? Absolutely not. Buddhism denying relationship? Absolutely not.
Buddhism denying marry, you know, marriage life? Absolutely not. Buddhism denying the all these, you know, contacting each other? Absolutely not. Buddhism denying the socializing?
Absolutely not. We need to socialize. But Buddhism is saying is balance. That’s what Buddhism is saying. Balance.
You know, not too much attachment. Who’s gonna make the balance? Does Buddha make the balance or God make the balance? No one. We, individually, must be balanced.
Those sports, athletic people who go to Olympics. Trainer wasn’t making them balanced. God wasn’t helping them to be balanced. Buddha wasn’t helping to be balanced. They are the ones who need to train to make a balance on that, what you call this kind of branch or this wood, you know.
They jump on these young ladies and men. They jump there and they make stand up there, very tiny place. They put their legs there, and they just, you know, jumping here and there. But if they do have a good balance, they can win the gold medals. Less balance, silver medals.
Lesser than that, bronze medals. No balance, zero medals. That’s simple. Individual, that young man and woman must make balance in order to win the medals. Same thing.
They need to train. Same thing, like all life must be balanced. Especially the emotion attachment must be balanced. Then we could win the gold medal, or maybe silver or bronze, or some maybe zero medals. Individually, it must be balanced.
Buddhism is very open of everything, you know. Everything is how you take it, you adopt those teachings and practices. Sometimes we forget, you know, sometimes we forget the teachings, and so are the meditations, and so are our own experiences. We forget because of the lack of mindfulness. Lack of mindfulness, then we forget things.
It’s very important to sometimes learn from our past history. We’ve all gone through certain issues, problems. Then it’s very important to meditate on how those issues and problems start, how those are started, what happened first and what happened second, how was my own state of mind. It’s good to learn from our past, so don’t make the same mistake again. That’s what we need to do.
Learning is, you know, until we achieve enlightenment, we need to learn. Okay? So that’s why this particular second person is really practice of renunciation. Must be to do this renunciation practice in order to achieve liberation because their aim is the liberation, you know, from which is samsaric suffering. But then today, it’s the third one.
Today’s teaching is the Yes. Number ten. Person of highest intellect, or advanced person, person of highest scope. So this person is the one who aims at the complete enlightenment of Buddhahood in order to eliminate the suffering of others and bring happiness to all sentient beings, one who has bodhisattva motivation. That’s a very, you know, Mahāyāna motivation.
That’s called Mahāyāna bodhisattvahood motivation. This is the perfect Mahāyāna path. So if you look at the verse number ten in this textbook: From the time immemorial we have been cared for by others with motherly love, if they remain in samsaric suffering, how cruel just to free ourselves. To save them and other countless beings produce bodhicitta. They wish for Buddhahood.
This is the practice of the bodhisattva. Although a second person is much, much better better than this first one, but motivation was still very moderate because he or she was only seeking liberation, you know, alone, not for the other sentient beings. So that’s why their motivation is a little moderate. Okay? So they can achieve liberation, but still it’s not fully liberation.
So that’s why this third, verse number ten, this third practitioner their path is the very, very profound, absolutely profound path, not only just seeking and aiming to liberate oneself alone, but this one really wanted to save other sentient beings the suffering world, which is the saṃsāra. In order to do so, they have not yet power to free other sentient beings from samsaric pain and suffering. So that’s why they are thinking first they must develop bodhicitta, see, which is the altruistic intention and and and the mind of enlightenment. bodhicitta is the Sanskrit word. English translation is the mind of enlightenment.
bodhicitta is the combination of love and compassion. Not only just ordinary love and compassion, this one is the great compassion and love. So this particular practitioner seeking produce bodhicitta in order to really free the mother sentient beings. Now, this particular path and practice is the Mahāyāna, so developing bodhicitta is very, very important. Then also Śūnyatā is very, very important.
Okay? So that’s why now, today, we need to talk about, although I did a few times before, also why, such a big deal calling other sentient beings as mother sentient beings? This is just a general example. Generally speaking, mother is still very important in our life, isn’t it? Look at all of us.
Without our precious mother, we wouldn’t be here. We wouldn’t exist. Not only just the generally speaking, mother is precious, also mother is very much how do you say? Great compassion and such a tolerant, forgiveness, patience. Of course, there are some bad mothers that exist.
Why not? But generally speaking, a mother is in our life, and she really brought us in this world, and she raised us, you know, otherwise if she really avoided it, we wouldn’t be here having such wonderful teachings. For me also, I wouldn’t have this kind of life to teach people, help people. You wouldn’t have such a wonderful life to listen to the teachings, to share your good qualities with others. Because of the mother’s care, because of her care, that’s why we all exist.
If you look at that perspective, mother is very, very important. But this is just that we do know only this lifetime mother. Now, the same kind of idea in Buddhist perspective is saying all other sentient beings became our mother in past lifetime, they will again become our mother many, many times in future too. But in the past lifetime, when they became mother, not only just one time, many, many, many times they became one sentient being became our mother countless times. Here it says, immemorial, we have been carried for by other with mother’s love, immemorial.
So that means each of the sentient beings became our mother, they really loved us very much, the same as this lifetime mother did for us. And also they carried it greatly. And then the race yeah, unbelievable. If you look at it, even though we don’t concentrate on only human mother, we had many lives as dogs and cats. Same thing with those animals.
Also, at the of dogs and cats. It’s unbelievable how much they are taking care of these puppies and kittens. Breastfeeding, licking, cleaning, you know, unbelievable. Look at those penguins. Unbelievable.
Every mother, if you look at the it could be animals, could be insects, could be human beings, anything. Look at it. So much love is unbelievable. So if you look at it that way, there is no sentient being such a sentient being exist that they really never help us or love us. Nothing like that.
So that means your really happiness is coming from the other mother sentient beings. Usually, don’t think that way, we don’t meditate that way. Even though look at the our wearing things, eating things, you know, or edible things, drinking, requisites, everything, our house, car, everything comes from the kindness of other sentient beings. Without other sentient beings, we cannot have all these clothing, requisites, drinking, homes, a car, anything, nothing. Who’s gonna do?
Who’s gonna do, I mean, if there’s no other sentient beings? Because of all other mother sentient beings, their kindness, such as, very easily access all of these things, buy very easily some of the things that are much cheaper things. I mean, if you look at it that way, other sentient beings are so kind and unbelievable, you know, in our lives. So that’s why Now, if you think about it that way, then your responsibility is repaying their kindness now. This is very common sense.
In a normal life, if somebody does something good for you, at least we thank them, isn’t it? That’s what normal people need to do. Thank you, somebody will help you. That’s what we need to do. You can also anything that you can be able to, you know, repay their kindness.
That’s what we need to do. Same thing now. All these mother sentient beings are very kind in our life. Then now our responsibility is to repair their kindness. I’m not saying just give them some food or water or whatever they need.
Of course, these are not questionable. These are not that much important, only temporary benefits. Repay their kindness, and greatest is love and compassion. So these are what we need to do. Love and compassion develop bodhicitta.
So that’s why Tonglen practices come here. Tong and len, taking and giving practices we need to do in order to produce bodhicitta. Without bodhicitta, there is no chance to achieve enlightenment. Even though forget about enlightenment, there is no chance to really produce wisdom understanding emptiness. No.
Without bodhicitta. So that’s why this third person is such a great, such a great, great his or her motivation is very high, which is called bodhisattva motivation, mahayana’s motivation. Not thinking one’s own benefit or alone, thinking other sentient beings. We are aware about other sentient beings. Regularly, we do say many prayers, you know, from the books, we do say many prayers, all sentient beings, happiness, and this and that.
We do say many prayers. But then when you meet some unfortunate sentient beings, some little angry sentient beings, somebody criticizes you, then now what happened? Or prayer. How do we react? We react nastily.
Why is this happening? Lack of mindfulness and lack of practice. We are not practising properly. I used to tell in India, in India, there are so many beggars, but sometimes it’s very difficult to give them coins and dollars. Very difficult.
If you give one, there comes another, you know. What I do, I hide and just give it quickly, quickly, then skip it. Otherwise, all beggars follow you. It’s very difficult. But I was telling to some of the families in Sikkim, although Sikkim, we have no beggars.
In South India, sometimes in the monasteries, many, many beggars come. I was telling my monks, just give them a little food. Cook a little extra When I was in the monastery, I did that for many years. Cook a little bit more, like bread or dal. Of course, you can eat it.
The left one, you can eat it in dinner, or just somebody comes in, just put it in a bagger, give it to them. I used to do one, her name is Gurupati, that’s an Indian name. This young lady, she is very, very flirty. Her mental, she is not stable, a little mad, you know. And then she comes in our area, sometimes young monks, they kick her out.
And I I I all the time against the deeds of those young monks, and sometimes it’s a little problem. And also the monastery also, you know, saying don’t don’t take care of like this because if you take care of one, then another comes, then another another like this. There’s some point, but I was thinking, no, we are monks, we are an audience, doesn’t matter. Even the monastery abbot was saying, I disagree. And I did say that, and I totally disagree.
If one comes as much as I can, I do my own practice? I don’t do my my practice according to the word monastery abbot and discipline the master was saying. I’m doing my practice what Buddha said in his sūtra. I cook extra. And this woman comes, and I give her.
She comes almost every day. I like it. And she comes there, and she brings me a gift. Do you know? Small stones, she comes from far away.
Very, very precious stones from the water. And she puts each time she comes, one stone, she puts on my veranda. Like this, every I have a lot of stones, small stones there. I said, you no need to bring she called me Apa, means father. Then I have another cat.
This cat is a thief, actually, you know. She was still but since I feed her little milk, then she was not stealing anymore. This woman and the cat, I feed these two almost every day. Of course, then sometimes I see some young beggars coming. I don’t give them the food that I cook, only I give them her because she very unfortunate, mentally not good.
Although I give them a little, one rupee, two rupees, then just get out, you know. But this one is I just cook because I like to do that. After I went to United States, of course, no one does that. I asked one of my students, Give her food, I will give you money. She came for almost, after I left the monastery, almost six or seven months after she disappeared.
My student told me he was feeding the same thing that I, you know, ordered him how to do. After six, seven months, she disappeared. Before she disappeared, she was crying. She was saying, where is my papa? Where is papa?
She was calling me, papa, papa, that, you know. And, of course, language is a problem. They don’t speak Karnataka language, she doesn’t speak Tibetan one, papa, oh, and she cries, she cries, she cries. The next day, after a few days, she disappeared. She stopped coming.
I heard it, I think she died, maybe, you know. Very young and long hair. I even bought a saree like this, know, very. Sometimes I look at her as, who knows, could be Vajrayoginī’s manifestation of Vajrayoginī, you know, things like that. But there is some special, this woman, you know.
Something I’m finding every time when I see, when I talk to her, when she looks at you, something is there, but I couldn’t figure out. Something is positive, and that’s what my mind is saying. Oh, I must feed her. When I feed her, I feed her very cleanly, not like just here and there, you know, put a nice plate. And around the monks teased me, Oh, now you are serving, I said.
You don’t know how to serve? Know, monks teased me sometimes, you know, just kidding around. The point is that I acknowledge many times, we pray every day, all sentient beings for the all sentient beings. Someone begs you in front of your door, we kick them out. Doesn’t make sense.
It’s contradictory, isn’t it? But you can do as much as you can. Something. I mean, that’s my point. Something.
Of course, we cannot keep them in our house. Of course, we cannot do that. But you need to do something. You need to give them something. Somebody needs water?
Give them water. Somebody needs some food, just give them little food. Otherwise, we pray every day in the monastery. Every day, same prayer again and again and again and again. Then what happened now?
Somebody is coming, slamming the door. That is really contradictory for me. At least do something. Just something to keep them. That’s what we need to do.
Here, sometimes you can see in the city area, although these these beggars are rich actually, really, you know. I saw some beggars in the city. They are rich. Look at their clothes are much, much expensive than my clothes. Still, they are begging.
I said Mark was with me. Mark tried to give, okay, you can do your practice, but I I won’t. I give them these indigenous people on the side. I give them. They really need it.
Not not these young men with a guitar, all these very expensive head, very but actually, I was judging. I’m sorry. That’s what I felt. I I must be honest. All these leather jackets, these are very expensive.
Even I checked. I went to one shop. How much was that leather jacket? Two hundred and seventy five dollars. And and that much expensive wearing and begging does not make sense for me, you know.
Maybe this is just their hobbies. I don’t know. But there are some aboriginal people out there. They really need help. Oh, very I mean, how you say?
It’s sad, isn’t it? In America, we have native America. Same thing here in Australia. It doesn’t treat well for them. In America also, native America, Red Indian, they don’t treat well for them.
I went to their reservation area. It’s a very poor area. Very, very poor. Anyway, the point is that even though it is a small help, please do it. I mean, you know, just one dollar and fifty cents, what is the big deal?
I can give one dollar and two dollars? I’m not a rich monk, but you can do that. Some people say, Oh, don’t give them money, or they smoke, they take drugs, so and so. People do say these things are However, that’s a totally strong judgment. Who knows?
You know? But our side is the we need to practice. After that, that one dollar or two dollars belongs to them, not our money. They need to control. We cannot control for them.
We give them, but then still we control them. Oh, use this money for this. That’s not a practice. Once you give them one dollar or two dollars, that’s it. That’s not belong to that person, not mine at all.
So then now he needs to buy whatever he wanted. If he buys food, wonderful. If he buys smoke, that’s his problem, not my problem, because that money belongs to him. Yes, I was conditioned, absolutely, but my motivation is to give him eat. That’s how I did it.
But after that, his own karma was buying maybe some secret, but usually, possible, but checked. This one is also in Florida. I’m sometimes a little strange, you know. Oh, Disha, don’t give them. They eat.
Smoke, they buy drugs. One dollar, two dollars. How can you buy drugs? I thought maybe this man may smoke, you know, in my near my apartment, that corner. He begs, and he hears all the time, God bless you.
God bless you. And I told him, next time, you can tell me, Buddha bless you. Okay? And he says, Buddha bless you. Buddha bless you.
Like that, you know. Then one day, I checked. I give him two dollars, and I just drive in the parking parking area. I just watch. And he went to one shopping area, and he came back.
He he bought a burger to eat. And at the time, I didn’t have NICE’s cell phone camera. I my cell phone was all designed, you know, in two thousand and six, seven, cell phones were not good ones. If nowadays I can take picture, I can put it on the screen, and I can show my students, this is what you’re talking about, they judge. They say, oh, he may drink or he may buy a cigarette.
The point is that we need to do little, little, little things to help. For instance, sometimes when you see such people, you feel compassion, isn’t it? Even though this compassion is also because of that person, he makes us feel compassion. Even though this compassion is totally depends on that person. Look at it.
When you see people, that person makes me feel compassion. How great. I mean, that means this particular compassion also depends on that person. If you look at it that way, there is very good, really, comes from other sentient beings. Even though the worst thing is, let’s say, somebody harms you.
Somebody harms you, somebody really let’s say you’re, you know, enemies, which is one of the worst things. People may ask, Okay, there are some good people like that. What would be enemies? Same thing, you know. Enemies also make us to practice patience.
They really teach us how to practice patience. See? Then, patience is one of the greatest virtues than any other virtuous action. That comes from the enemies. The person that harms you, the person that criticizes you, which we consider as enemies.
So, see, they teach us how to practice patience. Buddha cannot, your teacher cannot, no. Only enemies can be able to, you know, make us to practice patience. How can you practice patience towards Buddha? Nothing.
Or how can you practice towards God? Nothing. Only those people that harm us that we can be able to practice patience. So that’s why the great gurus mention that. Look at it, this patience also depends on that particular enemy.
So that’s exactly why we all are interdependent, really. Of course, you cannot do this meditation while you are socialising, you know, but that’s why you need some time in daily basis and really think about all these meditations to try to develop this bodhicitta, especially the tonglen practice. So that’s why they are now repaying kindness to other sentient beings, like Tonglen practice taking the suffering and pain from other sentient beings into you when you are breathing. When you breathe in, take other sentient beings’ pain and suffering into you. When you breathe out, so give them all your goodness, patience, all your virtues to them, like this, when you breathe in and breathe out.
Know, Tonglen practice. So that’s called cherishing others. Regularly, we neglect the others. Now, you are cherishing others. You are not cherishing yourself.
Then you exchange this orientation of these two states of mind cherishing oneself and neglecting others. Now, exchange. So that’s called exchange self and others. That’s what we need to do. If you look at the Lama Chopa book, although I don’t have here, the Lama Chopa book mentions that self-cherishing is the big, big problem.
Mean, you know, cherishing only oneself. That’s the point here, self-cherishing. It’s the big problem. But we think self-cherishing is helping us. Totally opposite, actually.
self-cherishing is not helping us. self-cherishing is ruining us, but we didn’t realise that because of the egoism. Our ego is such strong, you know, we couldn’t see it. We ignored them. We really ignored them.
Then when you really hear teachings like this, especially today’s teaching, unbelievable. I mean, really, we wasted so many months and years not practicing bodhicitta. I mean, really wasted. But on the other hand, we are seeking ultimate happiness. Isn’t it?
We understood that this temporary happiness did not last long. We are seeking ultimate happiness, but then we are causing so many pain and suffering in the future. That does not make sense. One aim is seeking ultimate happiness, which is our main aim. But then, every day we are causing future suffering.
So this true state of the mind is totally contradictory. We should not be seeking ultimate happiness. If we are continually causing pain and suffering in the future, then we should not be seeking ultimate happiness. If we are seeking ultimate happiness, then we should not be causing future pain and suffering. Totally contradictory.
Totally two different states of the mind, isn’t it? So these are the everything is the mind training here. Really must be exchanged. Even though this exchange can be a little temporary, it’s okay. Know, a little progress, which is good.
Otherwise, every day cherishing oneself, neglecting others cherishing oneself, neglecting others. Now, after hearing today’s teaching, I think we must stop once. I think it’s better to stop. Okay? Then it is called karma yoga, like karma yoga.
It means you are saying, at the same time you have the actions on your hand, which is a good one. Otherwise, saying, but no actions. You shouldn’t become an artificial practitioner. We shouldn’t be an artificial Buddhist. We must be pure practitioners.
We must be pure Buddhists, which is the then it’s really great, isn’t it? Okay? So that’s why I think there are many things we need to talk about. Of course, one is the I did this one a few times back, seven causes and effects, how to develop bodhicitta. And exchange self and others, Tonglen practice, and seven causes and effects.
These are the daily best we really need to practice. We really need to meditate on other sentient beings’ kindness. I think that’s very important. At least even though it’s a few days, okay. Of course, if you do this daily base, it’s wonderful.
Some lamas, before they passed away, they give this how do you say kachEM, means verbal will, you know, to their students. When students are crying, lamas are passing away. In lamas, are dying and look at them and say, don’t be sad. Have noble mind. Have a noble mind.
That’s all. Saying, practice bodhicitta. Practice bodhicitta. Have noble mind. Even though when we are dying, if you try to develop bodhicitta, thinking of kindness of the other sentient beings, I think it’s is going to be great.
Have a noble mind. Have a noble mind. So these are the lamas. We will tell you some of the great lamas. Of course, they do practice, you know.
So they are giving us, even though they are dying, but still they are teaching us to have a noble mind. The noble mind is the bodhicitta. Developing bodhicitta is from other sentient beings. You cannot just develop bodhicitta from having compassion towards yourself. No.
Loving towards yourself. Order only comes from the other sentient beings. That’s it. Period. Nothing else.
Do Tonglen practice on a daily basis. Even for five to ten minutes, Tonglen practice. You breathe, breathe in, take their suffering. All mother sentient beings suffering, breathe in. Breathe out all your good qualities, goodness and virtues to them.
How beautiful. At least you are doing something. You are saying some prayers, at the same time you are doing something for other sentient beings. That’s great. We start from today, really.
If you do that, then are the person of highest intellect or advanced person, person of the highest scope. So now, you need to judge yourself which category you practising, which path you are practising. The first one is good, of course. The second one is better. The third one is absolutely much better.
So now, the first one is only seeking be free from the lower realms, so that’s why practise the Buddha Dharma. The second one is not only just feeling free from the suffering in the pain in the lower realms, also the whole saṃsāra. Because they understood just freeing from the lower realms is still not enough, because look at it, we are human beings, we are free from suffering from lower realms, but still we feel so much pain in the suffering because of the contaminated five aggregates. They understood that. So that’s why they really wanted to liberate, you know, from liberation from suffering from themselves alone.
That’s why they need to practice renunciation. Then after they improve, or only renunciation practice, I can liberate from the saṃsāra, which is wonderful, but now I must develop bodhicitta. I must be really not only just freeing myself, I must also, you know, free other sentient beings because other mother sentient beings are so kind in my life. In order to free other sentient beings, I have no power to free themselves yet, so I must engage the Mahāyāna path. I must develop bodhicitta.
So that’s why they do this meditation, exchange self and others, Tonglen practice, seven causes and effects, then eventually they will achieve bodhicitta, then there is no going down. Then next, need to meditate sunyata. They need to achieve wisdom understanding emptiness. Wow. Then they only progress, progress, progress, and progress one path to another path, one like this, ten bhūmis, then eventually, did they achieve full enlightenment?
That’s it. That what we need to do, Mahāyāna practitioner. Okay? Okay, now break. Questions?
nirvana is peace. nirvana is cessation of suffering. Fully enlightened means becoming Buddha. What happened? You Why becoming Buddha?
Is to become? Becoming Buddha is eliminating both obscurations. Of delusion and obscurations of the omniscient mind. Once you eliminate both obscurations, you become Buddha. Achieving nirvana is one obscuration, free from the saṃsāra.
But once you eliminate the obstacles to the omniscient mind, then you become Buddha. Theravāda, foe destroyers eliminate only one obstacle, which is the delusions. That’s why they achieve nirvana. Wonderful! But that’s not enough.
We need to go above, we need to achieve Mahāyāna, let’s say Mahāyāna nirvana, maybe that’s a good way to say it, Mahāyāna nirvana. They achieve only Theravāda nirvana. Okay? Because one is the Mahāyāna practitioner not only chose eliminating the gross level obscurations, and also subtle level obscurations as well. The Theravāda, the foe destroyer, can only able to eliminate gross level obscurations.
They have not yet eliminated subtle level obscurations, which is the karmic imprint. So that’s why they are not fully enlightened yet. If they want to be fully enlightened, they must engage Mahāyāna. So that’s why their motivation is not Buddhism’s motivation. Their motivation is to only free themselves from the saṃsāra, is that they succeeded.
But that’s not enough. If they want to achieve full enlightenment, they must develop Mahāyāna motivation, which is the noble mind. Remember? The noble mind, which is the bodhicitta. In order to develop bodhicitta, they must engage the Mahāyāna path.
Then gradually they can be able to achieve bodhicitta, then there will be progress. One day they will achieve Mahāyāna nirvana. That means fully Buddha now, we become Buddha, fully enlightened. Okay? Last time, we had the arhats.
arhats are sometimes arhats, six considered as Buddha’s manifestation. Sometimes, also the sixteen arhats, they took commitment from the Buddha. They will stay there in this world until every sentient being becomes enlightened. Yeah? They have this commitment also.
You know? They are also of Buddha. Any questions? Yes, people think that the Buddha field is somewhere, Buddha land, we call it Buddha land, somewhere you can go there. nirvana is the realization, achievement.
We can have nirvana within the saṃsāra here, I mean, outer saṃsāra. We can be a Buddha living here, but we would not be affected by samsaric pleasures. Like a peacock, that’s an example they give you. Peacock lives in a poisonous jungle. Peacock can be able to eat a poisonous plant, it will not kill them.
They have this strong digestion, stomach. Like a bodhisattva, those can stay in their saṃsāra, which is the outer saṃsāra, this will not affect them. They know how to practice, they know how to control. Then the nirvana is more than I mean, if you are thinking of Mahāyāna, after the Mahāyāna nirvana, you become enlightened. nirvana is not the place, nirvana is the achievement.
It’s mental achievement. You achieve cessation of suffering, actually. That’s generally what we talk about. Once you cease the suffering, you achieve nirvana. That’s the best thing to say.
Yes. Because they have not developed bodhicitta yet, but it doesn’t mean they are self absorbed. Still, they help others, more than us, but not enough as people who have bodhicitta. But still, they help many, many sentient beings. They have compassion, but not great compassion.
Our compassion and their compassion is different from the sky and the earth. But still have no great compassion and love because in order to get that one, they must have education from the Mahāyāna path, they must engage with Mahāyāna. Then one day they can be able to develop bodhicitta. That’s it. Then they are not anymore Theravāda, they are Mahāyāna, they become bodhisattva.
So then their motivation is not only to self absorb, but rather to absorb others. It depends they produce bodhicitta, then I would like to say they are bodhisattvas. But I have no clear voice, I cannot tell who is bodhisattva or not. It is possible. Possible.
I mean, in this world, there are many, many bodhisattvas around us. Sometimes they may act as normal people like us, but after all, they are not really the normal human beings. They don’t want to show their aspects of bodhisattva, but they like to help people in different ways than the normal people do it. So, yeah, there are many, many bodhisattvas in this world. For me, the bodhisattva is the bodhisattva.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche is a high, high bodhisattva. Of course, Dalai Lama is the Buddha. Like that. Bodhisattva, they achieve nirvana? Bodhisattva not achieve nirvana.
Once a bodhisattva achieves nirvana, they will become enlightened. bodhisattva has no rebirth in the ordinary sense. When you say rebirth, it’s like a rebirth in the saṃsāra, contaminated five aggregates. A rebirth. Bodhisattva can be able to manifest.
They can be able to act as a rebirth, not actually rebirth, I think. Yes, but they go to part of the state in order to help other people. Some bodhisattvas also become Buddhas in other realms. They go to those realms, acting as a ruler in those areas, to help people. I don’t know.
Mother Teresa is whether a bodhisattva or not, I cannot say, but I’m saying in my perspective, Mother Teresa is like a bodhisattva, like a bodhisattva. That’s my point, you know. And the saint, I think she became a saint also. In Tibetan Buddhist perspective, saint is equivalent to bodhisattva. But in Tibetan Buddhism or Buddhism’s point of view, here is the teaching of how to achieve the bodhicitta.
That’s why we are giving you Mahāyāna, Theravāda, so and so. But then, you know, they may have something, know, bodhisattva bodhicitta is the words, the level we use here, you know, but other uses may be saint. So then they must have their own ways of achieving sainthood or bodhicitta. That’s why Saint Francis is a great teacher. For me, they are like a Bodhisattva, actually.
But the Tibetan Buddhist point of view is that achieving what we call bodhicitta, achieving bodhicitta is the way of how we design here. How we design to achieve bodhicitta, that’s what you need to go through. Practice. Here we have one order in design practice that is already designed how to achieve or bodhisattva. That’s what you need to go through.
That’s my point. So which I just mentioned to you, in order to develop bodhicitta, you need to do this Tonglen practice, taking and giving practice, the seven causes and effect, exchange self and others. These are the practices, and also cherishing others. Similarly, Mother Teresa is mostly cherishing others. She goes around the world, she begs, she brings some donations and she gives to poor people.
Know? Yeah. Jesus is, of course, for me also, really must be very high bodhisattva, not only just bodhisattva. He is a holy being, absolutely. Mother Teresa, Jesus Christ, and there are many other holy beings like that in this world.
Sometimes religion becomes very selfish. Only my way is my way. Only my way is achieving this and that. But I disagree with that. Even though you may believe in God, that’s okay.
If you believe in God, if you follow God’s will, you will be achieved somewhere, which is wonderful. You look at the Bible, Koran, Gita, beautiful things they wrote down there, but only the people do not practice. That’s a problem. Otherwise, if you practice God believer or not God believer, there are some things we all have very common practices, developing love and compassion, which is the most important. That’s only every religion, you know.
Even though Islamic, their religion also developed love and compassion. But then the people things. Like the Bible, we have many old texts, modern Bible, and the new ones. They put new words to brainwash people. They do that.
But that’s a good thing, Tibetans don’t have that yet. So far, we had, pure teachings, continued like this. Kindness of the His Holiness and the Dalai Lama, and we have great monasteries that are studying the same Buddhist texts that go continually one after another, like this. That’s why having so many monks and nuns are very important, and the most important thing is education. It’s very important, which we have.
But we have it from India, actually, not really when Buddha was born and gained enlightenment in Tibet, but in India, actually. Now we are giving back to India. Because the Tibetan people, think what I’m understanding is that so much Buddhists are into it, strong faith, you know, very strong faith, so are so many monks and nuns in Tibet. I think that’s one thing. Many years before, many people began becoming monks and nuns because of not many children.
So that’s why our population is very low. Although our land is so big, our population is very low. Many people becoming monks and nuns. But now, if you look at the religion perspective, because of so many monks and nuns, we have these pure teachings continually, century to century to century like this, you know, one after another. One teacher passed away, he teaches his students, and they learn same Buddhist teaching.
They get older, they give someone else like But who knows, maybe after twenty or thirty years, because nowadays, not many people are becoming monks and nuns. That’s exactly I’m assuming is in other religions. They must have pure God’s teaching from Jesus, like the Bible, you know. But because not many practitioners, not many monks and nuns can hold on to it, that’s why some of the leaders try to twist everything here and there. New words they may put down.
For instance, when I was in in Bogotá, Colombia, they took me a tour of one hill. Actually, it’s a mountain. Beautiful monastery. Many years Colombia has many, many centuries old buildings. Thousands of I shouldn’t say thousands.
Hundreds of hundreds of years old buildings, like Adelaide, sometimes you can see here too. Monastery, it looked like it was just functioning, you know, very clean, beautiful monastery. And my student said, there used to be five hundred monks and nuns. Five hundred. But now, it’s empty.
Beautiful. We went to see I thought, almost like when you look at that, they keep it very cleanly. Still, somebody is there, but somebody is supervising, somebody just comes and cleans, we just go to see that. I saw monks and nuns’ house, small house, beautiful. I thought, wow, this is a very good retreat center.
Five hundred monks and nuns used to be continually like that, but then, now, finished. Nothing. So that’s the problem. That’s why the teachings no monks and nuns mean that the teachings will disappear. Who’s going to memorize?
Who’s going to really teach? So that’s why there are some smart people trying to take over it, and they twist. And then they do many strange things, and they, you know, religious name, and they, you know, do many bad things. This is exactly happening in Islamic things, you know, over there. So is the Christian Catholics are also like that, because some people, you know, they take this advantage.
That’s what I think. But we are so far so good in Buddhists. Still, there are Buddhists, monks and lamas, who try to do strange things, but the majority the Buddhist teachers are pure, which is that they have no power. But who knows, after twenty years, thirty years, you know, if there are not many monks and nuns, then there’s a problem. Then similar like this happens.
Some bad people may have some good intelligence, but they may use this for the negative side. It is possible. Unfortunately, maybe then, finally, I think the world is to end gradually. When Buddha’s teaching is finished, then other religious teaching is also going to be finished. Then finally, maybe that’s maybe a revolution, maybe a new world once this world is going to cease, the new world may come back after.
But not not now. We don’t need to worry for that. It’s too early to worry. I will definitely say. Many, many, many years, we will be okay.
Dedication of prayers, page thirteen. Lord of Dharma, we experience within various dispositions of those to be subdued. May it glory in the light of your well-spoken advice. Sri Ganden tradition, essence of the Buddha’s teaching. Foremost holy lama to you, O supremely, O lama, please, please.
Thank you very much. Good night.