Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 100-minute session, Geshe Kyab continues his detailed study of the 37 Practices of the Bodhisattva, working through verses 29–37 and offering both technical meditation guidance and practical ethical instruction. He reviews calm abiding meditation (śamatha) and analytical meditation (vipaśyanā), discussing the nine levels and five faults with eight antidotes. The latter portion focuses on verses 31–37, emphasizing watchfulness of body, speech, and mind; the dangers of criticizing others; renunciation of worldly attachment; avoiding harsh speech; applying antidotes to negative emotions before they escalate; mindfulness as the foundation of all practice; and dedication of merit. Throughout, Geshe Kyab insists that genuine Buddhist practice means actively applying these teachings in daily life—catching anger before it grows, confessing one’s own faults rather than gossip, and dedicating all virtue for the benefit of all sentient beings. The talk is interspersed with stories, personal reflection, and direct challenge to practitioners who study extensively but fail to transform their minds and behavior. Pitched at committed students engaged with serious Buddhist study and practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2017 06 20.mp3
UUID: 340c5e8a-bfee-4bc5-9422-b346fe46fa41
Teacher: Geshe Kyab
Collection: 37 Practices Tuesday (Geshe Kyab)
Date: 2017-06-20
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 100.4 minutes
Words: ~8,681
Evening everyone. Page thirty four. Call book. English. I go for refuge until I am enlightened.
May I become a Buddha for the benefit of all sentient beings. May all sentient beings have happiness in the causes of happiness. May all sentient beings be free. Reverently, I prostrate with my body, speech, and mind. I declare all my negative actions accumulated since the beginningless time. Rejoice in the merit of ordinary beings.
Please remain until the end of cyclic existence, and return the wheel of Dharma for living beings. I dedicate my own merits, those of all others, to great enlightenment. Page ninety seven. Short mandala offering. Mantra, please.
Thank you. Okay, now look at the textbook of thirty seven practices of bodhisattva. Last week, and before last week, on Tuesday’s class, we talked about verse number twenty nine, which is all about calm abiding meditation, sometimes translated as tranquil abiding. Samatha meditation, you know, we talk about the five faults, the eight antidotes. Then again, we talk about nine levels of calm abiding.
I’m just going to review some of these teachings that we did last week, and before last week. So then, verse number thirty. Verse number thirty was all about the second meditation, which is the analytical meditation. Vipashyana, or Penetrative Insight, different translation, sometimes translated Insight Meditation. More analytical than just setting the mind on the object.
So I give you, I think, is the sevenfold reasoning of the chariot. So that’s how to analyze this particular meditation, especially this point of view is the selflessness. When we were talking about the selflessness, then the selflessness can be confusing. Sometimes selflessness, selflessness of the person, then selflessness of phenomena. A selflessness of the person is not just a person.
Selflessness of phenomena means, you know, selflessness of phenomena is like a person’s belongings. My father, my mother, my children, my car, my mug, my this, my that, first come my, then the mind. So these are considered as phenomena, selflessness of phenomena. But when you meditate, selflessness of the person, then your object is the person itself. You are not really analyzing the phenomena, just analyzing the self itself, which is the principle one.
But when you meditate selflessness, then you need to, you know, meditate the object as something that belongs to self. Which is the everything else besides the self considered as selflessness. Of phenomena, if you meditate that properly. Selflessness of a person and selflessness of phenomena doesn’t have any difference. One is gross, one is subtle.
There’s nothing different when you achieve this particular meditation. You are realizing selflessness or emptiness. But only here is the one we call selflessness of a person. That’s just a person. Person is considered as an object.
And selflessness of phenomena: the object is only the belongings of the person, not the person itself. Only that much is different. Other than that, both selflessness, if you meditate, if you realize selflessness, it’s the same thing. There is no reality that one is better than another one. Nothing like that.
So these are the analytical meditations, which I give you. There is no chariot which is one, and then its parts, and so on. There are seven different folds of reasoning of a chariot. Can also nowadays we have a car. In Indian time, they didn’t have a car, so that’s why they gave you an example of a chariot.
It’s hard to say sometimes, pronunciation. Anyway, these are the analytical meditations. And then the calm abiding was the nine different levels placement or setting, and continual setting, patch like setting, closed setting, controlled setting, pacification, complete pacification, single pointed, and equipoise, or equal setting. So that’s the nine levels of calm abiding. Then, any meditation, whatever you do and meditate, meditation, generally speaking, includes two different categories.
Stabilizing meditation and analytical meditation. So that means this particular we are talking about calm abiding is considered as a stabilizing meditation. We call it jog gom. Then the Vipashyana, or the wisdom one, is called analytical meditation. Of course, also do breathing meditation, and so on.
These are all part of the know, we consider as calm abiding. Also, every meditation, whatever you do First, I think these are the more serious meditators, people who really want to gain seriously this calm abiding. So these are the preparations for meditative serenity or the calm abiding. There are six different requirements. It is very, very important, which I already explained to you.
I won’t repeat it. Then now here is also I gave you how to set up your body positions, meditative posture. There are different ways. Sometimes some text says, is the cross your legs. Some text says, cross your legs in a fully lotus position, like that.
I think some texts say that one is the only thing you do calm abiding with tantric meditation, then you need to do this fully crossing legs. It is called a fully lotus position. But then if you are meditating this calm abiding from a sutric point of view, then you don’t need to do the full lotus position. Now your position is the half lotus position, and that’s Okay. However, some of us do have knees problems.
You know, then you can sit on the chairs, have comfortable cushion. The front good to be a little bit down, and your back or the bottom has some nice cushion. Lift up. This will help you. So, there are some body positions, which I finished.
Then there are seven different body positions. And this one is very, very important. five faults and eight antidotes. When you meditate, if you really try to check it, all these faults occur. Absolutely.
It happens. So then there are eight antidotes, like laziness, forgetting instruction, dullness and agitation, non-application of antidotes, and over-application of antidotes. These are the five faults for meditators. Then eight antidotes: faith, aspiration, enthusiastic perseverance, pliancy, mindfulness, alertness, application of antidotes, non application of antidotes. So these are the eight antidotes.
And also here I try to make it easier. I just see how to apply all these antidotes when five faults occur. So I give you everything here. Everything is in this computer. Can, later you can also, if you want it, you can note down, write down.
Okay. So, these are finished. And Oh, no, no, no, no. Not this one. This is for the children.
Why is it beautiful, isn’t it? It’s for children. No, no. I don’t think you need to learn this one. But this is very good actually.
For harmony, there are four animals. Because of their harmonies, there are many good things happening. I think this one is the oh oh, now again. I don’t know. Something happened now.
One minute. What happened to this mind? Maybe I did something when I was driving. No good. Actually, this one is empty.
See? I don’t know why an adult reader needs it. Think it will work. Please, Buddha. Let’s see.
Yes. No, no, no. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m okay. Buddha, help me. Yes, that’s it.
Okay, just leave it that way. I don’t want you to concentrate first on this one. Just leave it there. First I will start from here, Then I will give it. Just for the rest.
Now look at the verse thirty first, I think. Yes. I’m thirty one. Yes. This one is the, I think, is the very long verse.
Thirty first practice of the Bodhisattva. Other practices are required if we don’t have self awareness, mindfulness. We won’t this one is here. I think it’s the same thing. Twenty, thirty first.
Yes, same text. Without method, one is other practices are required if you don’t have self awareness mindfulness. We want to evaluate our own I think it’s the same thing. We won’t evaluate our own shortcomings. If you don’t do this, it is possible to do something contrary to dharma in this case of a dharma practitioner.
Therefore, we should constantly evaluate, judge our own faults, and abandon them. We must be constantly mindful and watchful of our own motives and actions. We must watch our speech and mind when we see that when we see that something is going wrong, correct it immediately. This is the practice of the bodhisattva. Okay.
So this one is talking about analyzing or the watchful. You need watchful mind. You need also mindfulness awareness, self awareness to watch one’s own body, speech, and mind. So that’s the main thing. One’s own body, watch body, speech, and mind.
Which is very, very important. So mainly the ten non virtuous actions. So that’s I would like to say ten non virtuous actions. Bodily non virtuous actions. Verbally non virtuous actions.
So it’s the mentally non virtuous actions. So we need to watch. So if you don’t watch not mindfulness, maybe sometimes we think we are the dharma practitioner, so we could do non dharmic activities. So that’s the point here. Here is the rang gi skyon rang gi ngo ma shes pa’i che ba’i nyes pa.
If you don’t watch, once it falls, then the dharmic person can act non dharmic activities, non dharmic actions. Because Dharma is the spiritual. Know, here is the Dharma is the people who practice, which is the spiritual practice. So that’s called Dharma. So Dharma is the practitioner.
People who practice, in this point of view, is Buddha Dharma. Let’s say Buddha Dharma. People who practice Buddhist teachings, they are considered as Dharma practitioners. So then the Dharma practitioner’s main thing is that we need to avoid the ten non virtuous actions. At this point, I’m just giving you one example.
Not only the ten non virtuous actions needed to be avoided, there are some others also. The point here is the practice is mainly when all these emotions, negative emotions or negative emotions taking your own mind. So at the moment, we really need to apply the antidotes. So that’s called practice. You know, when things happen.
But many times we are misunderstanding what practice means. Many times we are misunderstanding. Practice is mainly when really all these negative emotions arise, then really first of course you must be vigilant, you must be aware, you must be mindful. So then you need to apply and control those emotions. For instance, when you are getting angry, so now you really need to control the anger.
Stop getting angry. Desired attachment, also the same thing. You you need to stop it. Of course, you cannot just stop the anger and desire attachment. So in order to stop them, you need to learn how to do.
When you are learning, it doesn’t mean that only reading the books and listening to the teachings. Part of the learning, but the main thing is that you’ve got to do that. You must take the actions. You must take the actions once. You must stop those emotions.
Must stop. So that’s what you need to do. Otherwise, when do you want to do this practice? See, sometimes people misunderstand. People think practice is just sit down and meditate.
And maybe that’s a practice now. Real practice is when all these negative virtues arise, then of course you need a watchful mind, mindfulness. Then all these negative non virtues, or negative emotions, you need to stop it. That’s what you need to do. So then you are really practicing.
Otherwise, some people may meditate many, many hours. Some people may listen to the teachings for years and years. But then, when you’re really supposed to be controlling the emotions and all these non virtues, then you couldn’t do it. Then there is no progress. You need progress, which is very important.
Nobody can, one night or one day, or one time, just stop everything. No, nobody can do that. That’s start a small way. You need to start. So in order to really understand the real Dharma, these are the meditations that I gave you the last few weeks.
Very, very important. You need to listen to these kinds of teachings again and again. If not listening is enough, you need to do more contemplation. You need to do more meditation. Then finally, you need to apply all the teachings when things fall apart in your life.
Otherwise, what for Dharma? This year is the same, next year is also the same sort of life. There is no progress. And also the teachings, sometimes some teachings are a little difficult to understand. So that’s why that one is to really try to listen and ask the questions.
Otherwise, if you are only listening to the teachings that feel temporary, you feel good, which is of course, it’s okay. But you shouldn’t be only seeking something that is just temporarily feeling good. You need to seek really the actual Dharma teachings. Even though when you are learning some meditations, really beginning you need to learn all instructions of the meditation. But beginning if you learn something, very easier one, then you’re stuck with it.
Then inside your brain, you think that is only meditation. That is a big problem in many Western countries nowadays. In TKC, was beginning, I wasn’t giving any beginner Buddhism class. One of my older senior students was giving beginner Buddhism class. But then there were some older students, and our board of directors asked me, Geshe la, maybe I know a beginner Buddhism class is very, generally speaking, much easier than the advanced Buddhist teachings.
Then I said, Why? What are talking about? Maybe you should be doing beginner Buddhism in class. I said, Somebody is doing that. I don’t want to patch as many classes.
But then after they explained to me, Geshe lah, why not in the beginning, if someone is really coming to the center, have them beginner Buddhism, even though beginner Buddhism class, but something is really for instance, a different noble truth. Something like that. And just give them the, that’s what Buddha taught us first teachings. Something like that kind of teachings, also from the, the look at the monk, sometimes they think maybe this is a little bit better for them. The point was the beginning, if they received, some teachings may be a little difficult, but teachers can little translate and change some of the words.
But that principle teaching is there. Maybe some of these in drums, words, maybe because sometimes newer people are difficult. But in the beginning, if you teach them very strong teachings, it’s not good. But teaching is still real, those heavy teachings, but you know, a little bit how do you say not very strong details, but have them some genuine teachings. Which is very good, actually.
I did that. It was very successful, really. But then, beginning, if you really listen and read the internet, many people do that, going to the internet, then you get all this information. Some of the information may be good, some of the information may not be good, maybe you may feel good, you may like it. But that’s really not important, you like it or not.
Really, you are listening, or you are reading genuine Buddhist teachings, not. That’s the most important. Nowadays, the internet is very, very dangerous. Sometimes I’m looking unbelievable. Many people go to those sites, they read it.
My point is that some teachings may be a little difficult, but you need effort. Effort is very important. And also, you know, ask the questions. Even though it may be difficult to understand right away, but it’s Okay. Once you hear it one time, the next time when you hear a similar one, it gets better and better and better.
So that’s why in the beginning, it’s good to choose something that is a little difficult. That’s much better. Okay? So that’s why when you meditate, beginning, this one is the nine levels, and five faults, eight antidotes. And if you are very serious about all these six different requirements, so now how to apply the eight antidotes to five faults.
Learn. Then, when you meditate, comes here. Then you can just apply each of the antidotes. So this is what you need to do. But beginning, if you try to be very easy in meditation, just sit down there, try to feel temporarily good, then there is no progress.
There is no development. Not generating. The same every day, every month, every year is going to be the same. What is the benefit then? How can we achieve enlightenment then?
So you must need to get better, spiritually. That is what we call practice. That is I’m just saying. So that’s why here is very, very important, this particular verse is, we must watch our own mind, verbally, when you are speaking, must watch what you are saying. Really, the false words, or harshness, or the divisive speech, idler gossip, and physically killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and mentally covetousness, harmful intentions, and wrong views.
So these are what we need to watch. That’s called the practitioner. Practitioner means that. We need to watch our mind, this monkey mind. Then when you see something, then you need to apply the antidotes.
Otherwise, this is the saying in here that the dharmic people can act non dharmic things, which really happens. Then sometimes it’s a big problem. Sometimes there are some big names, huge reputations. They have so many followers. They do know they may have some knowledge.
So many people are following, but sometimes they really mess up. They do strange things. People see it as a Dharma practitioner. But then, after all, what they do is absolutely not good. See?
Then everybody is sad. Everybody really feels pain and suffering. So this happens. So that’s why this kind of teaching is so good. It’s telling us to watch our own mind, watch our own speech.
So it’s the bodily actions. Watch. So that’s now the watching one’s own body, speech and mind, these particular voices. The next one is the thirty-second practice of the Bodhisattva is not criticizing others. Here is the next question.
There is the question of finding fault with criticizing others. If from delusion we criticize the faults of bodhisattvas, we harm ourselves. If they have entered Mahāyāna, it is wrong to criticize others’ faults. We should only speak of our own. This is the practice of the bodhisattva.
How many times do we criticize other people? How many times do we try to bring other people’s faults. So that’s why the gossip, this mouth I’ve been saying sometimes it’s better to zip it. Sometimes we have no intention. But sometimes, when you criticize, you must have some intention.
I think you must have some motivation. So this one is saying, don’t criticize other people, even though you see some faults. Better to watch your own mind. Better to watch and search for your own faults. Fix that.
So that’s the main thing. One is the and also here, before I try to this one. Come on. Okay, now maybe what happened? This one.
Yes. Thirty seconds. Yes. Now here is the Lama. First, Lama says, We must keep in mind the kindness of sentient beings in general, and especially train ourselves in the right view of those who practice Dharma in defeat and delusion.
And within our duty then is to think of the kindness of others to have a good opinion or pure view, and give them the benefit of the doubt. This is especially true for those who criticize followers of dharma, taking sectarian views of them and us. So this one is particularly the First Lama mentioning, especially the people who criticize other people, saying it’s none of your business. This one is saying better to watch your own mind, to go to speak whatever you need to speak, acknowledge your own fault, which is a good thing to confess. That’s called confession.
We need to confess our own fault. We need to confess our own sin. Not something that is just digging other people’s fault. Not something that even though when you see some faults of others, you are bringing every faults in front of the people. Many people do that, which is a very, very nasty thing to do.
Especially if someone is a Buddhist practitioner. It’s totally contradictory, because of the Buddhist practitioner. I did say this before. Every day we do say refuge prayer. Refuge prayer is the all the time we are praying for the benefit of all other sentient beings.
Then now what is happening here? If you criticize someone you dislike, if you are digging or bringing all their faults in front of other people, then where are all sentient beings? See, these sentient beings do not include your point of view, isn’t it? Because you discriminate. So then, now the question is what kind of Buddhist we are.
We are totally against the Buddha’s will. But then why are we saying all these prayers every day? Especially if someone is a Buddhist, we need to do this prayer every day. I go for refuge until I am enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Supreme Assembly by my practice of giving and other perfections, may I become a Buddha to benefit all sentient beings? Fake.
Absolutely fake. Then now we will become fake Buddhist practitioners. Oh no. We don’t want that. Absolutely not.
We are really becoming fake Buddhist practitioners because we criticize other people. You know? See? So these are called practices. Now, the most dangerous thing is when you criticize someone, if that person is bodhisattva, wow.
Then it says here, he or she, if they enter the Mahāyāna, then we will have a big, big problem. Who knows? Who knows, know, he or she is a bodhisattva or not. We don’t know. We have no sense of clairvoyance or whatever it is to understand or see, since those people are bodhisattva.
We don’t know. What would be if that person is bodhisattva, and we are criticizing them, and we are also getting angry towards them. Then we will be in a big, big, big problem. We are already under the pain and suffering. On top of that, now we are accumulating more negative karma.
Then what would be our next life? Why do we do that? Why do we become Buddhists? Why do we become Buddhists in the first place? What went wrong?
Now see, these are the things about it. Then why am saying all these beautiful prayers? Taking refuge in generating bodhicitta, the four immeasurables? We do say, of course, nobody can practice as a hundred percent what these prayers are saying, but there are small, small things that, of course, we must be practiced, isn’t it? A hundred percent practicing all of these, must be bodhisattva or like that.
But then, we took this vow, Buddhist vow, and we are offering mandala also. See? The main thing is that we are asking lamas and Buddhas, or all these high teachers, Please live a long life. Please live a long life. I am offering you this mandala, and please teach us.
If you teach us, we will get better. We will get better and better and better. Then we will eventually enlightenment in order to serve sentient beings. That is why we are supposed to be thinking, praying, and practicing like that, because we are considered as a Mahāyāna practitioner, isn’t it? Mahāyāna practitioner means we must develop love and compassion.
The object of compassion and love is sentient beings. Object of love and compassion is sentient beings. Sentient beings mean sentient beings. Every sentient being. Not some sentient beings, or not other sentient beings.
Not like that. All sentient beings. Otherwise, we cannot develop this love and compassion. Absolutely not. So, once you hear these kinds of teachings, these are the daily basis you need this reflection.
It’s very important. Also, down here is the Look at these words from the Verses of Mind Training. Here, Verses for Training the Mind, verse number three. In all my actions, may I watch Okay, I will look it here. Number three.
In all my actions, may I watch my mind, and as soon as disturbing emotions arise, may I forcefully stop them at once, since they will hurt both me and others. Actually, this one is more related in verse number thirty But all the same. In all my actions, may I watch my mind, and as soon as disturbing emotions arise, may I forcefully stop them at once, since they will hurt both me and others. Both others and me, same thing. This one is very much relevant with this first thirty one, verse thirty one.
The thirty first practice of the Bodhisattva. But of course, as I mentioned, you can put it everywhere. This one is saying it’s very important to really watch one’s own mind. Then when you watch your mind, and as soon as disturbing emotions arise, anger or desire attachment or jealousy, you just name it. So many disturbing emotions.
When disturbing emotions arise, may I forcefully stop them at once? Why? Since they will hurt both me and others. Just concentrate. Anger arises.
If you don’t stop it, then what would be the consequence? Of course, will hurt you and hurt other people. That is for sure, isn’t it? See? That is why we must stop it at once.
Of course, in order to stop it at once, first you need this watchful mind. You need vigilance. Also, you need to understand the disadvantage of anger, the advantage of patience. So that is why one of my classes, as I mentioned, it is very important to meditate on the disadvantage of anger and advantage of patience before you actually get angry. When you are calm and at peace.
So this meditation is very important. Try to understand all the disadvantages of anger. When you get angry, what would be? Sometimes it’s good to check our past history when you got the anger. What happened?
What was the consequence? Then ask questions yourself. Would you like to go through this again? Or better to practice patience. Also, one of my classes on the Thursday class was also the last Thursday class.
Beautiful, beautiful Thursday class. All about the same thing, between anger and patience. Disadvantage of anger and patience. See, actually, saying that the person who really is harming you. If you look at the spiritual side, actually he was helping you.
When you hear it, it’s very strange. How can Geshe la say, somebody is harming me. Actually he wasn’t harming me, he was helping me. Yes. Actually he was helping you.
He was helping you that you would not go to the hell realms. Because he was helping you, he was helping you means he was really giving you the opportunity to practice patience. Also, Śāntideva’s book says, Think about what that person’s harm is Buddha’s blessing. See? That is very true, actually.
Unfortunately, our monkey mind is very, very tough, isn’t it? It’s very tough. Śāntideva was saying, Buddha was actually blessing you that when somebody harms you, Buddha was actually blessing you, that you can practice patience so that you really get good karmic results. But then, mundane point of view, of course, how can we really see, and how can we think that he was helping you when he was harming you? Forget it, isn’t it?
But here we are talking about the spiritual side, which is very true. No anger inside means no enemies outside. Anger is the enemy. We don’t look at it that way. Just look at the enemy as somebody else outside.
Buddhism is saying, real, real enemy is the our own anger. If we have no anger, there wouldn’t be any enemies outside. Which is very true. Because of our own our own rage, or arrogant mind, or anger, then we are the ones who are creating so many outside enemies. But we didn’t look at it that way.
We are really not thinking that way. But until when you hear all these Dharma teachings. That’s why the teachings are called Dharma mirror, which shows us, including myself, shows us all our faults when you read it, when you hear the teachings. Isn’t it? That’s great.
That’s why the teachings are so important. As much as you listen to the teachings, that much we will see are on false. Sometimes we didn’t realize so many faults. Unbelievable. Regularly, we are not analyzing, Oh, I have no faults.
I don’t get angry. I have no desire attachment. We think that way. But if you really, really have no anger, no desire for attachment, I don’t think so. Until you hear the Dharma teachings, then if your mind is stable, if you meditate, then you will find everything.
But if you don’t analyze it, then there’s nothing you can find. The false. Less false, less falls, minimizing all our falls, and generating and adopting more goodness and positiveness. This way, we need to get this progress. We need to get better development.
Otherwise, we already have so many faults. On top of that, we are adopting more folds. Then what is really worth it, having such a precious human life? We really lost it. We really wasted this precious human life.
Absolutely wasted it then. If you don’t practice, if you don’t minimize the faults now, nobody can see the future. The future is mystery. Nobody can see that. But present, whatever you do, good or bad, we are causing good or bad results for the future.
Now we are causing. So that’s why also understanding and believing, or having faith in karma is very important. So that’s why these teachings are so good. Unbelievable kind of teachings. And also the advices of mind training teachings.
So see, you may hear these teachings many times before. I think I did one time in the last year in the old Buddha house. You may hear before also these teachings. So good to hear again and again. And also good to look at the commentaries.
And then think about it, really. Then see our own faults, instead searching for somebody else’s faults. Just try to find our own faults. Speak our own faults, and confess. It is our own good, actually, really.
Okay? Okay. Okay, now the thirty-third practice of the bodhisattva. Domestic quarrels about respect of things we feel are due to us interfering with our practice of learning, contemplation, and meditation so to abandon home and friends and house of patrons, this is the practice of the bodhisattva. So this one is the main thing, renunciation.
You know, saying it’s better to be in an abandoned home, and friends, and house, or patron. Saying, you know, detachment, less desire. So this is the main thing. Why? Because if you have so much materials, if you are very, very wealthy, sometimes it’s difficult to meditate, difficult to listen to the teachings, difficult to contemplate.
So then this will interrupt our own practice, because you will become more busy to really becoming more richer, also having more materials, you will be totally the slave of your own materials. This happens. So that’s why they’re saying less desire and less detachment towards the samsaric pleasures. So in order to successfully detachment practice, then say, here is the abandoned home and friends, then the house of patrons. So renunciation is very important.
Lama is saying, you must need to abandon your worldly concerns. Otherwise, there are so many materials, names, and fame. So then, it’s difficult to be you know, to be detachment because of all these materials, name and fame and reputation. So the main thing is the renunciation. This one is talking about we must give up.
Of course, it’s difficult. Of course, then we can start giving up a small part of the renunciation practice, which is also good. Then the thirty-fourth practice of the Bodhisattva is avoiding harsh speech. Harsh speech will disturb others’ minds, and cause the practice of those who wish to be bodhisattvas to decline. So to abandon harsh speech, which is disagreeable to others, this is the practice of the bodhisattva.
Generally speaking, harsh speech is not good. You know, you are talking tsik tsik tsik tsik. Sometimes people use and scream people, harshness is totally not good. And then some people may think, if someone hurts me, I will give harsh speech back. I can justify harsh speech back.
Some people may say that absolutely not. Because of the sometimes some people may instruct you here is another verse from the Verses of Mind Training, which is also good to give them victory, I think. When someone out of envy does me wrong, by insulting me and the like, may I accept defeat and offer the victory to them? This is not directly related with this one, but if you really think about it, indirectly it’s irrelevant. So when someone out of the This happens sometimes, and does me wrong by insulting me and like.
So then now you may reply to them, Oh, you know, use so and so. That people do regularly. I don’t think people Sometimes maybe without any hurt from others, people may not be going be hurt. It may be possible, generally speaking, but mainly if somebody insult you or somebody hurts you, then we really harsh speech back to them. So now this one is saying when someone out of envy, maybe the jealousy mind does me wrong by insulting me and the like, may I accept defeat and offer the victory to them?
Just accept the defeat, then accept it, whatever is insulting you. So then give them victory. Meaning that victory is the mundane victory. Actually, he lost. You’ve got the victory in a spiritual point of view.
Because you accepted it, you did practice patience, tolerance, or maybe forgiveness. Actually, spiritual side, you are the one who really got this victory. He or she totally lost it. Because of their insulting to you, their wrong speech towards you, they are the ones who accumulated negative karma. Negative karma, eventually they are the ones who will get the negative results.
You are not going to get any negative results. Because you accept it, you give them victory, which is mundane. So that is now about harsh speech. Even though somebody hurls you, better not to give harsh speech back to them. Then the thirty-fifth practice of the Bodhisattva, therefore, should never get into habit of delusions.
Extinguish the smallest flames, stop the flood waters at their source from the very beginning. There are times when we must use awareness as a sentinel, holding the weapons of antidote against hatred, desire, and jealousy, and strike them down from the outset. This is the practice of the bodhisattva. This particular one is increasing mindfulness. Very, very important to improve mindfulness.
If you improve mindfulness, then I think you will be able to generate more good habits than the bad habits. Because of the delusions, delusions I’m sorry, we are thirty six, yes? Oh, no, no, no, no, no. We are thirty five, yes. Okay.
That is similar to this one. Also, I can apply this one, too. Here. This one, this burst. Okay, this one is the of course you can apply mindfulness.
This one is mainly the applying antidotes actually. This particular verse is applying antidotes when delusions, even those small, like a small flame, try to put it down. Very important. Just stop it. Even though small negative emotion arises, immediately apply an antidote and put it down.
If you do that, then this will continually really build up a good habit. That is something that you can, in the future, can continually apply antidotes when the delusions arise. Otherwise, delusions are very, very powerful. Many times we couldn’t apply the antidotes because our habit is very much delusions. Our habit is very much mental afflictions.
Very difficult because of the bad habit. Since the beginning of year until now, we have been going through bad habits. So that is why now this is the opportunity to really build up good habits. When really negative emotions arise, just stop it. So, this one.
Watch it first in all my actions. May I watch my mind? And as soon as disturbing emotions arise, may I forcefully stop them once, since they will hurt both others and me. Even though some of the emotions can be small ones, Small emotions are much easier to stop it. For instance, anger is the main thing.
When you try to get angry, let’s say upsetness is really not bad as hatred. Upsetness is also part of the anger. A small anger is starting. At the moment, the vigilant awareness Oh, oh, something is coming here. Know, see, I don’t want it.
I must stop it now. Now it is not that much bad. I must stop it at once. See? Otherwise, if you let it be like that, then this upsetness eventually transforms anger.
Then the anger becomes more hostility. Then it’s very difficult to stop it. Absolutely very difficult to stop it. So that’s why this particular one is everything that those antidotes apply when the delusions arise. Now, thirty six is mindfulness.
In short, whatever we do, to be someone who is mindful and aware of the state of his mind, and to practice this for the welfare of others. This is the practice of the bodhisattva. So this one is mainly to develop mindfulness. So this one is saying briefly, in short, it’s most important to be mindfulness, welfare of sentient beings. Whatever you do, our duty is to help other sentient beings.
So in order to successfully help other sentient beings, we need this very unique mindfulness. Let’s say, the practice of generosity. Practice of generosity, the of generosity, welfare of sentient beings. Practice of morality, there is one practice of morality, welfare of sentient beings. So that means all these practices that we do regularly, mean to achieve enlightenment in order to serve sentient beings.
So that’s why your neighbor, or when you see some sentient beings are very unfortunate, or very nasty towards you, immediately think about, Oh yes, he or she is also sentient beings. I must be better than how they are really, naturally acting towards me. I am a Buddha house student. I am a Buddhist practitioner. I must be better than those sentient beings.
Those sentient beings are not coming to the Buddha house. They are not buddhists. They are not listening to Buddhist teachings at all, but I am. I must be different than those nasty sentient beings. Just accept it.
Their insulting, accept it. Their criticism, just let it go. Just I will hear the right ear through from the left. Like this. Emptiness.
Everything is emptiness. Of course, I am here to achieve enlightenment. What is really important to not accepting his or her criticism? Just maybe in previous lifetime I may accumulated some karma to him to criticize me. Maybe now this is my confession.
I accept it. Thank you. You give me this opportunity. I will accept it. I will give you victory.
Finally, dedication, I think. Yes, everything now we need to dedicate. The thirty seventh practice of the bodhisattva, all the merits we have accumulated by effort should be dedicated to eliminating the suffering of mother sentient beings by the wisdom of seeing the purity of the trait. That dedicator, what is dedicated, and dedicate lack of real existence. This is the practice of the bodhisattva.
This dedication is also the dedication with emptiness. This one is talking about it. Dedication is not only just dedicating, but also dedicating with meditating emptiness. This point of view also, prostration and confession that the seven-limb practice is also good to do. And in this point of view, the seven-limb practice we talked about last time.
Here is the prostration with refuge and bodhicitta offering, then admitting shortcomings or confession, rejoicing, requesting that the Dharma will be turned, then supplication not to enter nirvana, or beseeching the teachers not to pass away. Then the final one is the dedication. See here, usually we do all this dedication due to the merits of these virtuous actions. May I quickly attain the state of your Guru Buddha, and lead all living beings without exception into that enlightened state. So see now, every practice, after that practice, must dedicate it.
Dedication is very, very important. Why? Because otherwise, you do meditation, you do many, many mantras, you do many, many recitations, prayers. But then, if you don’t dedicate it, before you dedicate it, if you get angry, then all those goodness disappears. See?
Before you really get angry, once you dedicate that merit or the virtues, all the time are there for you. Even though when you get angry, that dedication of virtues will not disappear, because you dedicate it. However, the way of how you dedicate it, if you dedicate all those virtues towards you, only just me or I, then no good. Benefit of all sentient beings. Benefit of all other sentient beings.
Why would that dedication disappear? In order to disappear that dedication, all sentient beings must disappear. Now just think about when would be sentient beings disappear totally from this suffering world, because you dedicated the benefit of all other sentient beings. How many sentient beings are in this universe? You cannot count.
There are no calculators that able to count it. No. So that’s why the dedication and dedication to other sentient beings are very, very important. You must dedicate it. Otherwise, once you get angry, then all your virtues will disappear.
All virtues will be wasted because the anger is very, very nasty. Okay? Thank you very much. Break. I don’t have my translator now here.
Okay. Just leave it with that. I will give you next week. I will bring my translator book, and I will give you the right answer for that one. I know I can understand what you mean.
Sometimes English words are, when they translate it, sometimes not so comfortable. But I need to check another translation one, then I will give you next week Perfect for that one. Okay? Actually, that’s a good one. It’s good to know.
Any questions? No, no. Attachment leads anger. Attachment is the root of anger, I would like to say, really. Because that’s why sometimes, when we say anger, we all know anger is bad.
It’s very easy to understand. It’s very easy to stop it, but it’s easy to understand that anger is very much obvious. But attachment is tricky. Attachment is very hidden, very smooth, gentle, but then after all, the attachment ugly. So that attachment is more like a desired attachment.
We really need to take care of Because of the desire attachment, it leads to anger. Sometimes, then everything is really difficult. Okay? But anger, I don’t think anger really causes attachment. I don’t think so.
Attachment causes anger. Attachment is the really principal root of most of the emotions. Attachment is But also, attachment is, as I mentioned, very smooth. It’s beautiful. When you just feel some attachment, it seems to be very nice, beautiful.
But then, after some time, it’s not good. It’s very ugly. The advantage of patience. Is that the same for attachment? You reflect on the disadvantage of attachment and the advantage of patience?
No, no. That’s not going to be direct. It’s not relevant, the disadvantage of attachment and the advantage of patience. There’s no relative that much. The disadvantage of anger, the advantage of patience is perfect.
The disadvantage of attachment, then the advantage of love. That’s good. The advantage of love is better than patience. Okay? Is very important also to meditate on the disadvantage of attachment, really.
But don’t misunderstand. Of the attachments can be Okay and not so bad. It’s not really a big deal. However, if your attachment raises so much pain and suffering, then that attachment is totally negative. But small attachments Some mothers do have attachment towards children.
Children do have attachment towards the mother. These attachments are just a simple attachment that we all need. However, even though this attachment is also we must be really vigilant. How much is too much? If this attachment is gross, even though it’s a mother’s attachment towards children, if you don’t really take care of this attachment, this attachment can be bad.
For instance, sometimes some mothers, when they lost their children, they’re really grieving for many, many years. And their life is not good, because of the strong attachment towards the children. Of course, attachment towards children is not bad, but strong attachment of mothers towards children is also not good. We call love, actually it is attachment. That is why everything needs balance.
That is the most difficult to make balance. Any questions? Go. When I was thirty three, I think, yes. So it depends really, in order to give up attachment totally, I think the best thing is that renunciation practice is very important.
We must practice renunciation in order to really give up this strong desire attachment. Otherwise, without practicing renunciation, is very difficult to give up, because we are very much attached to our things. We are very much attached to our name, reputation, fame. Very much attached, you know. Then we are totally our mind is towards the saṃsāra in cyclic existence.
So that’s why renunciation becomes giving up. Renunciation is giving up. Here it’s saying this one is at the very top. Actually, it’s really saying that we must abandon our friends and family and society, then go somewhere else, a very remote area, then meditate. But you cannot do that until you are ready to do that.
Only some very much dedicated practitioners can do such a thing. But for the average people, it’s difficult. We cannot give up our friends, family and society. However, we can just start a small part of giving. We can just start a small part of renunciation.
I mentioned before, becoming monks and nuns is good also, because when you become monks and nuns, they give up many things that lay people hold. Another thing is like a volunteer coming to a Buddha house or a church or a temple. Give up some time, your own time, to do something for the people. Like, if wish to volunteer is also good. I’m not saying these are enough, but just start something, you know, a small way.
To start something. This will help you also, I think. But just beginning, getting out from the city and society, friends and family, going to some remote area, the Himalayan mountains, it’s very, very difficult. It’s not easy. How difficult is to go to Kangaroo Island?
As I said before, Kangaroo Island, Detatling Retreat House are luxurious for me. Beautiful! The bedroom is separate, and your meditation room is separate. There is a kitchen, there is a counter where you can put your food. There is a beautiful fire oven for winter.
There is a dining, there is a balcony. Wow! Unbelievable! That’s a very, very luxury retreat center, generally speaking. Even though such a thing is over there, just a few hours, how difficult do people go there to do meditation?
Only some dedicated people can go there. Your Honor Resident Teacher is there. He was almost there for seventeen months. That’s great! But here, we are talking about the Himalayan Mountain.
See? If we have the opportunity. If You have the opportunity, but if you can, or if you cannot, or if you can’t, are you ready? The question is, that’s how you know. And also, you shouldn’t just be going there without any knowledge.
First, you need to do this preparation. There are many requirements. You must do all this preparation in order to go there and to successfully meditate. I know that many, even though highly educated monks went there, they couldn’t survive. They came down after all.
Yes, in my lifetime. I know some of the monks. They went there for maybe a few months or maybe six months, and then they couldn’t continue to meditate. But nowadays, they are somewhere in western countries. But there are some monks I know, at a young age, they went there.
Now, almost twenty years, they’re still there. I know them very well. One of the monks was a junior class, very lower class than my class. He didn’t look like that much a meditator or very much educated, but after all, he was a really good monk, very skinny. Then one day he disappeared.
We didn’t know. We asked, What happened? Or he never disappeared. Someone told me he was in Dharmasala meditating. We judged him.
We thought, Oh, he cannot be. He will come back very soon. Almost twenty years, he is there. See? How can you judge people?
But you do sometimes, even the monks judge another monk. That’s what we are. We built something like that, you know? Yeah, but he’s still there. See?
One thing is your own karma, and the second thing is determination and dedication, and then the most important thing is faith. Then, I think, you need something that the samsaric pleasures are really, really not good place. Samsāra is something you need this notion, which is very important. You must have some feeling of disgusting. Same thing again and again, same thing again and again.
Like you are eating the same food every day, Now you are disgusted by it. When you see that, you feel like a little of That kind of feeling, you need it in saṃsāra. But many of us are enjoying saṃsāra. We are dancing in the saṃsāra. We are singing, dancing, still really we are.
They are laughing at us, Oh, they’ve got a problem now, look at that! They didn’t realize such a great opportunity. They were wasting this precious human life. We don’t know. We are enjoying saṃsāra every day.
Visualize enjoying saṃsāra, Adelaide saṃsāra, walking to Victoria Park. Enjoying Victoria Park, I’m enjoying it every day. But the only good things I do, I do say some mantras. Because I have attachment to Victoria Park now, what can I do? See?
I need to cut out. But it’s difficult to cut out not to go to Victoria Park every day. I’m walking. Beautiful parks, beautiful animals, these small parrots. I never saw red colors.
Wow, that parrot is so beautiful. They are vegetarians. They eat grass. Wow, I’ve never seen such parrots in my life. The first time I saw them in Victoria Park.
So then, how can you avoid this attachment? Yes, I’m enjoying Victoria Park, especially nowadays. The cold, once you get the sun, beautiful. That park is so beautiful. But at the same time, enjoying some prayers, I am offering this Victoria Park to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
Also a little bit of Dharma is also there, but mainly the attachment. Exactly. Okay? Thank you very much. What can we do now?
Attachment is very difficult, isn’t it? But Geshe la can have a little attachment towards the Victoria Park, isn’t it? Not a big deal, I think. Page number thirteen, please. Shower of Dharma, where you can use various means for those to be subdued.
Make clear, in light of your well spoken advice, Śākyamūni’s tradition, essence of the Buddha’s teachings. Foremost holy Lama to you who are Guru Rinpoche, O Lama, please please live long. Thank you very much. Next week, my teaching is