Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 90-minute teaching, Geshe Kyab introduces Lama Tsongkhapa’s Foundation of All Good Qualities, a condensed Lamrim text emphasizing the spiritual teacher as the root of the path. Geshe opens by explaining why a qualified guru is essential: without proper guidance, Buddhist teachings remain mere information, easily misunderstood through books and internet alone. He illustrates this with stories of confused practitioners who misinterpreted tantric teachings as purely sexual practices. The talk then explores the opening verse carefully, unpacking what makes a guru “kind and perfect pure”—someone who can lead disciples to both liberation from cyclic existence and full enlightenment. Geshe defines correct devotion to the guru as requiring faith, respect, consistent obedience to instructions, physical prostration, and offerings, all designed to counteract pride and open the student’s mind. He emphasizes that guru devotion is serious and must be entered only after careful study and genuine inner conviction, not mere excitement or haste. The teaching concludes with practical reminders about checking a teacher’s qualities before committing, and notes that next week’s session will explore the ten qualities a spiritual teacher should possess.
File metadata (for organising)
File: Foundation of all good qualities 2017 06 27.mp3
UUID: e39c558a-16a6-4c69-8c5a-69d676ae2bf5
Teacher: Geshe Kyab
Collection: Foundation of all good qualities (Geshe Kyab)
Date: 2017-06-27
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 89.7 minutes
Words: ~8,566
English. I go for refuge until enlightenment. By the merit of giving and so forth, may I attain Buddhahood. By the practice of giving other perfections, may I attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May all sentient beings be free from suffering in the causes of suffering. May all sentient beings be in the state of happiness that is free from suffering. May all sentient beings dwell in equanimity free from attachment and aversion. Reverently, I prostrate with my body, speech, and mind, and confess every fault, I confess all my negative actions since beginningless time. I rejoice in the merits and honoring the virtue of all.
I request you to turn the wheel of Dharma for living beings. I dedicate all my own merits and those of all others to great enlightenment. Page ninety seven, please. Short mandala offering. Mantra, please.
Avalokiteśvara bodhisattva, Mahāsattva, Mahakaruna, Thank you. Today, I will start the new class. The Foundation of All Good Qualities. You may have this book. The foundation of all good qualities taught by Lama Tsongkhapa.
You can look it here. Lama Tsongkhapa. Lama Tsongkhapa was born in the thirteenth century, thirteen fifty seven, I think. So then Lama Tsongkhapa wrote this beautiful, The Foundation of All Good Qualities, this book. And also, of course, so long, not so many verses.
However, everything else in this text is actually very much like a great Lamrim, . Lamrim, which is Lama Tsongkhapa already taught, the great treatise, path to enlightenment, even though a few verses are in it. However, this is the great teaching. But sometimes people may older students may know, newer students may be the Lama Tsongkhapa. Who is Lama Tsongkhapa?
Who is Lama Tsongkhapa? Why Lama Tsongkhapa is so big deal? Lama Tsongkhapa is the founder of the Gelugpa tradition. Let’s say, generally speaking, Buddhism. Buddhism is a religion.
Śākyamūni Buddha established Buddhism two thousand five hundred and fifty three years before. He came into this world, and after he attained enlightenment, he established a new religion Buddhism. Buddhism also taught two different Buddhist teachings, Theravāda Buddhist teachings and Mahāyāna Buddhist teachings. So that’s why Buddhism also divided Theravāda Buddhist tradition and Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition. So these are the, generally speaking, Buddhism.
Of course, I go into little bit of detail, there are four schools of Buddhism also. Two schools belong to Theravāda Buddhism, and two schools belong to Mahāyāna Buddhism. For instance, Vaibhāṣika, Sautrāntika, Cittamātra, and Mādhyamika. These are the four schools in Sanskrit words. The English translation is Vaibhāṣika.
They translate as the great exposition system, which is the Vaibhāṣika. The second one is the Sutric system. Sautrāntika is the Sutric system. Then the third one is the mind only system, which is the Cittamātra. Chitta means the mind, matra means only, mind only system.
And finally the Mādhyamika, which is English translation, is the non nature system. Like that. Okay? The great exposition system, the sutric system, then the mind only system, so is the non nature system. The first two belong to Theravāda schools, and the third and fourth belong to Mahāyāna schools.
So then they have their own, how do you say, scholars, You know, different scholars. Anyway, these are the four schools of Buddhism. But now here is in Tibet, when Buddhism came in Tibet, of course, in Tibet there are four traditions of Buddhism. All these four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism share the same Buddhist teachings. They are not different.
Only we have four traditions in Tibet, not anywhere else. So that’s why it’s called Gelugpa tradition, Nyingmapa tradition, Kagyupa tradition, and Sakyapa traditions. So the particular Gelugpa tradition is the Lama Tsongkhapa founded the Gelugpa tradition. So is the Nyingmapa and Kagyupa, Sakya, but they have their own founders. So this way, in Tibet, we have four traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.
Okay? So all these four traditions share the same Mahāyāna teachings, as well as Theravāda teachings. So this lama here is today’s my class. Lama Tsongkhapa wrote this particular very precious and important teaching, the foundation of all good qualities. This particular teaching is the Lama Tsongkhapa teaching us how important to really have a good teacher, or a good spiritual friend.
Kalyana Mitra is the spiritual friend. So here is sometimes guru. Sanskrit is the guru, which is very, very important. Now, we need a teacher. Why do we need a teacher?
Because we all are seeking to achieve enlightenment. Isn’t it? To achieve enlightenment. But enlightenment is very, very hard to achieve. Without Dharma Buddhadharma in this point of time, without Buddhadharma, you cannot achieve enlightenment.
But when Buddhadharmas are out there, you need a teacher to explain Buddhadharma. Without a teacher, then it’s difficult to achieve enlightenment. So if you go this way, achieving enlightenment is very difficult without a teacher. You can look at the internet, you can read the books, you can do many, many things, but these are just the information only you can get. However, the main thing is the one to one, like this, coming to the Buddha house, and listening to the teachers from his or her.
You get many, many teachers here. So then listen to the teachings from them. So then really, after listening to the teachings, the next thing is to contemplate the teachings. Think about all the teachings you hear from the teachers. Then the next, to the contemplation, you need to do more meditation.
Try to absorb all the teachings. Not only just contemplating, but you’re really absorbing and analyzing. It could be analytical meditation, could be stabilizing meditation. So now you need to meditate. Especially the analytical meditation is very, very important.
Then after that, you need to apply the teachings when things fall apart. Many, many, many things fall apart in our life. This monkey mind is very, very difficult to fix it. That’s why people go to psychologists or different doctors, because they have some psychological problems. So here, Buddhist teachings are considered as a psychology.
Geshe la is considered as a psychologist. All these Buddhist teachings are considered as a psychologist. That’s why teacher is very important. Buddhist teachings are sometimes practical. Some teachings are not really practical, it’s very difficult to practise.
Generally speaking, Buddhist teachings are practical, especially the beginning of these teachings. Some of these teachings may be not that much practical, but everything depends on how much you understand. If you do understand it well, then you can say, yeah, practical. You need to apply it. Buddhist teachings are not only just listen to the teachings, or maybe get some tantric initiations, or get some powers, or maybe now I’m okay.
Because I got that initiations, I got that power, now I have some powers. No. Nonsense. Not like that. Buddhist teachings are not absolutely the blind faith, or blind belief.
Buddhist teachings are really, really you must learn and you must practice. Then it’s very, very useful when things fall apart in our life. As I mentioned, this monkey mind is everywhere, very jumpy. One moment, it is calm and at peace. The second moment, the monkey might become very enraged, aggressive, sadness, worry, so much emotions.
Isn’t it? Very, very difficult. That’s why sometimes people use drugs, illegal drugs, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, you name it. So many different illegal drugs people use. Some people use alcohol.
They smoke. They try to numb self. Why? Because something is not right in their mind. This monkey mind is becoming tough and rough.
So that’s why they wanted to really calm down this monkey mind. So those people totally depend on those poisons. However, those poisons temporarily may help you calm you. But then, after this poison is finished in your system, then now you become worse than before. Then they need it again.
Then again. Again. In some cases, is an addiction. That’s it. Life is now really difficult.
Then sometimes they couldn’t really control this addiction and this suicide. That’s very understandable, isn’t it? I was shocked in Australia. Were many people here. I never heard like that in the United States.
Of course, are some, but here are so many people. Even though I met some students, everybody was coming to me bringing pictures. Such young, young people. Why? They think this is much easier now, because they couldn’t tolerate it.
Totally intolerant. But in the beginning, if they stopped taking those illegal drugs, or maybe go to the church, or the Catholic Christian, or maybe come to the Buddhist center here, we have such a beautiful center here. Come here, listen to the teachings, meditate. It’s a little difficult, you know, because the teachings and meditations are not going to help you right away. It takes some time.
But you need tolerance. But once the teachings and meditation once you catch it, once you test it, that’s it. You don’t need all these poisons, drugs, things. You no need it then. Absolutely.
These are the things you listen to the teachings, meditate, and bring in your system. That’s what you need to do. You don’t need to become Buddhist. I’m not saying come here and become Buddhist. No.
What I’m saying is to come here and learn Buddhist teachings. Learning Buddhist teachings is not necessary to become Buddhist. You don’t need to change your religion. Absolutely not. I will not be suggesting you to change your own mother religion.
At least you really have a strong desire or faith in Buddhism. It’s a different guess. Otherwise, I wouldn’t recommend anyone to become a Buddhist. But come here, listen to Buddhist teachings. Buddhist teachings are absolutely psychology.
As I said this before, I’ve never been a psychologist in my life. I had issues and problems because I also had a monkey mind. Yeah. I never heard about psychologists until I landed in Florida. Absolutely never heard of psychologists before.
Then I hear psychologist, psychiatrist, and I say, who are they? Or they help people’s psychology, how they can help. I was misunderstanding in the beginning. Then after, I read many books because my English wasn’t as good as now. Then I read many books.
Now I was thinking, wow, I am a psychologist actually. All these teachings are psychology. That’s why the Western people very much love to come to Buddhist centers. I was thinking, Wow, that’s why. It’s very true, actually.
If you do learn Buddhist teachings, you are really, really learning great psychology teachings. You really don’t need to go to a psychologist. I’m sorry to say that if someone is a psychologist, And I don’t mean be but it is true. I mean, really, I’ve never been a psychologist. I’ve never heard anyone in the monastery, any monks that went to a psychologist.
I never heard it in my life. Even though my family never been a psychologist, my mother, my sister, brother, and uncles and aunts, never been. They have issues and problems. Absolutely. Why not?
We all have the same monkey mind, you know. But my point, I’m not saying one is bad, one is good, that’s not my point. I try to make it sense how important learning Buddhist teachings. That’s only my point here. I’m not saying that Western psychologist are bad, but of course they have their own unique ways of helping people.
What I’m saying is that Tibetan Buddhism is also considered as a psychologist. That’s my point. Of course, we need both. Western psychology is also important. Nowadays, my understanding, I met some psychologists, they are some of my own friends.
They use many, many Dalai Lama’s books to treat their patients. You know, when they have some clients to come to see them, they use many of Dalai Lama’s books, many Buddhist teachings also. That’s why one of my friends was asking me so many questions. I didn’t realize at the beginning, after all he was a psychologist. Then I tried to teach him, Oh, okay, now you try to get many information from me, you make money, and you are not going to share me.
You are supposed to share it with because he was writing so many things. I was kidding him. Now you got so many things from me, now you will be going to use it. You get maybe an hour, two hundred, one hundred dollars, yes, you have to share half of this with me. Was.
He said, I am going to do it. No, no, am just kidding you. Sometimes I try to make a little monk’s sense of humor. Why not, isn’t it? I can do that.
Yes? Do you think monks have no sense of humor? Of course I do. Yes. You have no idea that some monks make you not only laugh, but also you may throw many gasps because they are so funny.
Some monks are, you know? Really. Once they show you some kind of sense of, I’m not good for saying things, sense of humor. Some monks are very, very good. You cannot stop laughing, really.
Sometimes you cannot stop what happens, isn’t it? It comes all this gas also. Anyway, that’s I tried to do with this psychologist, one of my friends. Just a little bit of my fun. So see, that’s why learning Buddhist teachings are very important.
But here, if you look at the textbook, Lama Tsongkhapa mentions the foundation of all good qualities. Is the kind and perfect pure guru. Correct devotion to him is the root of the path. By clearly seeing this and applying great effort, please bless me to rely upon him with great respect. So this one is the foundation of all good qualities is the kind and perfect pure guru.
Kind. Here is the kind, guru is kind. Guru is kind not only this lifetime, guru is also so kind for next life. So that’s a kind meaning that. Why a guru is so kind for this lifetime?
Because this lifetime is very, very important to have good rebirth in the next life. If we are not causing many virtuous karma in this lifetime, then the next lifetime we cannot be reborn in a higher status or realm, which we are in now. So that’s why the guru can help you in this lifetime accumulate more positive karma. So then this will also help you to reborn higher status realm in the next lifetime. Also, guru is not only just going to help you with your spiritual point of view, also he or she will help you even though when you are not feeling good, when you are in some kind of mundane problems, worldly problems.
Also, a guru can help you. But you need the faith in the Guru. That’s only you can, you know. You need faith in the Guru, then he or she will help you even though some of your mundane things are not doing well, maybe he can help you. But of course, the spiritual side is the guru is so kind for this lifetime, as well as the next lifetime.
So that’s the meaning of kind. It means that. Okay? Then the perfect pure guru. Perfect, and also translated, There are some different translations.
Another translations, I think they are venerable, or something like that. I tried to check. I have another book. Forgot to bring. But here it’s Okay.
Perfect Pure Guru. This translation is perfect pure guru. One translation is they translate it, venerable pure guru, or something like that. But the point is the perfect or whatever is it. So Tibetan here is the That one is the perfect, this translation is.
Okay. So what does mean the perfect in this point? The perfect pure guru, because the guru can help you, one can be able to free from saṃsāra, as well as one can be able to achieve fully enlightened, which is the omniscient mind. Guru only can help you. That is why the Guru is the perfect, pure teacher, or perfect, pure, kind, and perfect, pure friend or guru means that.
He or she can help you to first free you from the cyclic existence, which is the saṃsāra. If you are in the cyclic existence, or saṃsāra, then you will continually suffer. You will continually pain and suffering. However, that guru will help you, show you, guide you, teach you many, many teachings, show you the right path. Then if you follow the guru’s instructions, then one day you can be free from the saṃsāra.
Next you can be able to really achieve omniscience, which is totally or fully enlightened. So, a perfect guru can only do that. That is why the perfect or pure guru means that. Okay? Now, correct devotion to him is the root of the path, or her.
But don’t think, Oh, only him, only man. Why not woman? But when you write down, you cannot put everything him or her like that. But just one thing. Correct devotion to him is the root of the path.
Correct devotion to her is the root of the path. If your guru is female, then the correct devotion to her is the root of the path. Now, devotion is, Okay, you’ve got a kind guru, which is not only just helping you in this lifetime, but also helping you the next life. Then also the perfect or she is also a perfect pure guru because his or her teachings also if you follow the instructions, then eventually you will be free from the suffering as well as achieve fully enlightenment. But then now the students’ correct devotion to him is the root of the path.
Now, your root of the path is the correct devotion. That means this one is called guru devotion. You need to devote guru. Okay? You need to devote a guru.
Now, devotion is There are different ways to devote a correct devotion. One is, for instance, mentally, or physically, or verbally. First of all, mentally, the correct devotion is you need faith. You need to build faith in the guru, which is very, very important. You need respect, which is very important.
You need to believe in the guru mentally. That’s why you need it. Of course, you also need another correct devotion to follow the guru’s instructions. You need to follow the guru’s instructions. Whatever instructions the guru gives you, follow it continually, consistently.
Not only sometimes following, sometimes not following doesn’t work that way. Okay? You need to follow consistently once you have devoted the guru. Okay? So these are the correct devotions, something like that.
You need to listen to what your guru was saying, and you need to do physically prostrations to the guru, because it’s very important that you need to accumulate more merits. You need to offer things to your guru, materials, or whatever guru needs, or food, or clothes, or whatever it is, from your good heart. Okay? Without doubt. If you feel doubt, that means you have no faith in that guru, because you have doubt now.
That means you have no guru devotion. I’m talking about this one as only someone really devoted. So that’s my point here. Then you need all these qualities. This way you need to devote to your guru, which is called correct devotion.
That’s why if you look at the Buddhist center, people do prostrations to the gurus. People do also the offering things. Not really the guru wanted, or the guru needed all these things. precious guru is not needed. But the student side is very important, because you need to really generate more of these merits, and also you really need to accumulate more virtues.
Generally speaking, own good. That’s really everything of all of these things are meant to be your own good. So that’s why prostration is to try to put down your own prideful mind before the guru teaches. Because you are saying, I will listen to your teachings, you know, free of pridefulness. My mind is totally the crystal clear.
Now I will absorb all your teachings. I have no bad things in my mind. Mainly the pride, because pride is very, very bad to the students when you listen to the teaching. If you are a prideful student, then you cannot get the teachings. You may try to compete with the gurus.
That doesn’t work that way. Okay? That is why when you are listening to the teachings from the guru, you must free your prideful mind, which is very, very important. So then, correct devotion to him is the root of the path. By clearly seeing this and applying great effort, need great effort.
Diligence is very, very important. Determination is very, very important. We are now asking, Please bless me to rely upon him with great respect. Also, need to ask, we need to pray, we need to do this supplication to really keep this great spiritual relationship with your guru. That is why, please bless me to rely upon him with great respect.
So now, the guru we are talking about the guru, so you need to understand this perfect and pure guru. Anyone who teaches at the Buddha house is considered as a guru, or not, now you will see. I will give you some here. I will put down on the screen. Okay, first of all, how important is have a guru or spiritual friend?
So Geshe Potowa said, Geshe Potowa is the great, great Kadampa master. It was many centuries ago. Great, great, wise, Kadampa master. He said, In order to obtain a liberation, there is nothing more important than the teacher or the guru. Guru is the Sanskrit word that is called teacher.
But here, teacher is not talking about the school teachers, spiritual teachers. So that’s what you need to consider here. Although you may be able to do the activities of this life by watching others, without a teacher you will not do them well. Teacher is very important. How can someone who has just arrived Example, this one is giving you an example.
I will leave this here. This is interrupting me. How can someone who has just arrived from the bad migration get to a place they have never been without a teacher? Example, can you see from there? Okay, so see, look at what Geshe Potowa wrote.
Remember, these Geshe Potowa is not just an ordinary teacher, ordinary human beings. They are like a bodhisattva. They are saying such great things here. In order to obtain liberation, which I just mentioned to you, the perfect pure guru is perfect. The guru only can help you to obtain liberation.
Okay, now, sometimes when you hear liberation, sometimes you hear fully enlightenedment. You wonder so many complicated information in Buddhism. I can understand that. Liberation is the for instance, Theravāda Remember Buddhism, there are two Buddhist vehicles, Theravāda Buddhism and Mahāyāna Buddhism. Theravāda Buddhism Buddhists in teachings, and Buddhists, those practitioners, they can be able to liberate themselves from saṃsāra, only practicing Theravāda teachings.
But not yet do those practitioners achieve fully enlightenment. Let’s say Theravāda ārya beings I mean, Arahat, which are the foe destroyers. Foe destroyers, they already destroyed the delusions. That’s why now they are in the liberation. They have no gross level suffering in pain.
That’s called liberation. I’m just giving you one simple example. But it doesn’t mean that they achieve fully enlightenment. No. In order to achieve fully enlightenment, they must engage or practice Mahāyāna.
Higher Buddhist vehicle, Mahāyāna. Mahāyāna. Maha means the great. Yana is a vehicle, great vehicle. Usually we translate Hīnayāna, lower vehicle, but the problem is the Hīnayāna practitioner, they feel, oh, we or our path is the lower path.
Actually it is lower, but we are not talking about the bad way, you know, lower vehicle, but they don’t like it. So that’s why they now, and we are translating Theravāda vehicle like that. Actually it is lower. That means lower than Mahāyāna, because Mahāyāna is great vehicle. Why Mahāyāna is the great vehicle, Theravāda is the lower vehicle, because of its teachings different.
Mahāyāna teachings are very, very hard teachings, and very difficult to listen, practice or meditate, than the Theravāda teachings. That is why the great vehicle, Mahāyāna, is the great vehicle. You can achieve full enlightenment after entering the Mahāyāna path. Unfortunately, I cannot teach you now the Sutric Grounds and Paths. I was thinking that, but now because of the program’s already heavy program here, those teachings, Sutric Grounds and Paths, will give you the understanding between the Theravāda vehicle and the Mahāyāna vehicle.
You will understand different vehicles because of different paths, different levels, different positions, different achievements. So in order to learn this difference between the Mahāyāna paths and travada, that’s beginning. Sutric grounds and paths are very, very important. Next to these sutric grounds and paths teachings, then you need to learn tantric grounds and paths. So that’s why the FPMT is great.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche is so kind, and so is the translator. They translated all these teachings. Unbelievable. Sutric grounds and paths. Particularly, sutric grounds and paths translated from the Tibetan teachings from my own monastery, Sera, the master, Kyabje Chöden Rinpoche, his book, Sutric Grounds and Paths, they are translated into English.
Tantric Grounds I think two different. Tantric Grounds and Paths, Masters, they translated that one as two. But however, before you learn Tantric Grounds and Paths, it’s very, very important to listen and understand the Sutric Grounds and Paths first. Then there is the foundation. Then if you get Tantric one, wow, these are the unique teachings.
But unfortunately, I cannot do. It takes a long time to do it. My point I am making here is that in the future, if you get the opportunity to someone who is able to teach those teachings, ask them. Even though it depends on how the teacher teaches. More details may take a few months.
I’ve taught a few times in Florida. Sometimes it takes three months, sometimes four months. One time it took many months because I wasn’t only just giving teachings, it was my Monday class, more advanced class. Also we did Tibet, like a monastery. And my student, Mimi La, is still alive.
Mimila is one of the oldest students. She is now eighty, nearly ninety years old, I think. She is the oldest student, and I have a youngest student, age of four or five. Anyway, Mimi La, her name is Mimi. We call Mimi la, she loves that.
Mimi la, because gesha la la is respect in Tibetan. We call Mimi la. Mimi la is very good for Tibetans. Yes? One of my Hmong students and another of my students, I was on the throne, they are there, everybody is now in a monastery, I’m listening to how they are debating.
Mimila was asking questions, but sometimes she is a little bit old, and sometimes her joints are not so good. She tries to fall, you know? I was asking one person to stand up. If Mimila does this very strongly, you have to catch her if she falls, you know? But she was very good, actually, because Mimi La is the astrologist, actually.
She’s very thinking. Her body is not so good, but her mind is still very sharp. She’s almost ninety years old. I miss her very much. It’s wonderful.
We did debate in Tibet also. One week I teach. I don’t know if Mark was there or not, I don’t remember. Maybe you are not there. One week we do teachings, next week no teachings, and now I’m listening to how much they are listening to my teaching, and they do debate.
That’s just like a monastery. We did debate. It was quite successful. The point is, once you listen to the teachings, people go to home and they just leave all books and forget. So that’s why now I was a little bit I was tricking them.
Next week, want to listen. So that made them more awareness. Oh, I must read the book, otherwise Geshe-la may ask me something, and they feel they need to read more teachings than I told them. I make them gently push them. The point was that era may be many months, because one Monday was not last.
Only we were debating, then I was also giving them a little bit. Next time, it’s good to learn if you’re interested, but that’s up to the students, and also the SPC, you know, check it out. Sutric Grounds and Paths. So this will understand between these two vehicles, paths. It’s very good to learn.
That’s a perfect thing to learn. Okay? So that’s now the Theravāda teachings. You can only liberate from the saṃsāra, but in order to liberate fully, or achieve fully enlightenment, you must engage Mahāyāna. In order to engage Mahāyāna, you must develop great compassion, You must generate more bodhicitta.
So that’s why these two meditations: the seven causes and effects, and the exchange of self and others. These are very, very important. These six perfections are also very important. Especially the wisdom is very important. Wisdom is very, very important.
Although Theravāda practitioners do the practice of generosity and morality, they do that. But in Mahāyāna practitioners, when they practice six perfections, they not only doing generosity practice, giving things, but also they do this practice with emptiness. So that’s why the Mahāyāna practice of six perfections is much, much higher quality than Theravāda practice of generosity and morality. But now, Mahāyāna achievement, this fully enlightenment, which is the omniscient mind, which means you must need to eliminate the karmic imprint, not only the delusions. Hīnayāna, ārya beings, only eliminate delusions.
That is why they liberate it. But then the Mahāyāna, they have not eliminated karmic imprints yet. So that’s why they are not yet achieved fully enlightenment. So that’s why the Mahāyāna teachings are very important. Then one day you will achieve fully enlightenment.
So that is called Buddha. Buddha fully enlightenment. Then you become enlightened and being. Buddha being means that. So here is the although, here is the in order to obtain a liberation, there is nothing more important than the teacher.
Liberation can be fully liberation or partial liberation. This can be translated that way. But when you look at the liberation, seems to be just one. But I can translate this one, partial liberation, which is the Hīnayāna Arahat already liberated, partial, or the half liberation. Then the full liberation is only omniscient mind, only after learning the Mahāyāna teachings.
So then, you know, only the teacher can help you to achieve both the partial liberation as well as full liberation. Although you may be able to do activities of this life by watching others, without a teacher you will not do them well. Absolutely. Reading the Internet, reading books are Okay. I’m not saying it’s bad, but here is the, you know, not doing them well because they’re confused.
This happened in Florida, my own time. One of our webmasters, He built our web page very unique. Many centers send us emails, Who built your web page? So good. Every class, he puts a small video of mine.
People can click, people can hear little teachings there. For instance, today is Tuesday. I am giving this class the foundation of all good qualities. Yes? Before I started this class, but this class is an ongoing class, he already recorded maybe five, ten minutes I’m giving.
Then he puts there in the calendar, Tuesday class, the foundation of all good qualities, small video there. When people click, people can hear little teachings there. That teaching is to catch them, to bring them into the center. And people feel, oh, I must go to this class. He does that.
All these things are very, very unique. Then one day he came to me out of the blue. He said, am very confused. He built a web page, but he wasn’t come to the class that much. But he reads books, he reads the internet.
One day he came to me and said, I’m very confused, and I also really dislike Buddhism. I said, wow, just like this, bam, you know. Why you dislike Buddhism? Because Buddhism is only for sex. What?
What do you mean only for sex? I laughed. What do you mean only for sex? I read this one. He was reading all those things on the internet, like Tantric sex.
I said, which webpage did you go? Oh, countless. I cannot even go. I’m very, very sorry that this is the one big problem. Buddhism is the issue.
He was saying, finally Buddhism is the sex you needed to achieve enlightenment. Okay, maybe yes, maybe not, but that’s a very, very different kind of sexual activity. It’s not like a normal one, but I have no time to explain to them because he does not understand. If I explain to them, he need to start to come into my class beginning. See now, that’s exactly here, you will not do them well.
Exactly. He wasn’t doing well. He has many, many information, but now he is totally confused. He was totally misinformation. Actually, I shouldn’t say everything is misinformation.
Maybe some information was missed when I was listening to what he was saying. There are many books, people author, they bring tantric only for those sexual activities. But I tried to explain to him different between the tantric, those sexual things and normal one. I tried to explain to them he wasn’t absorbing at all. No, no, no, no.
You are making it. I’m not making it. Why should This is different. Because now he wasn’t listening, he wasn’t understanding. Why?
Because he didn’t have any foundation. See? That’s exactly what I’m saying. He didn’t have any foundation. Then now he stopped.
He stopped building our webpage also. He was mad totally because of the he saw all those Tantric information. Buddhism is only for the sex. See, Miami, they have this hotel named nirvana, beautiful nirvana hotel, nirvana Club. I asked, what is nirvana?
A restaurant, I can understand. When you eat food, little nirvana, delicious food. What is the nirvana club? That’s not good. Oh, absolutely.
Somebody told me the Hindu tradition, small, small room, And not really actually a room, kind of a cotton, you know, materials. And men and women go there, and they do nirvana. That’s kind of sexual activity, then also drinking things, maybe drugs, who knows what they do there. But they’re called nirvana club, something like that. Do you understand what I’m saying?
See people use all these things, and some of the people believe into it. Oh, this is the nirvana, or this is the nathantric. See? After all, everything is the misguide, misunderstanding, and that’s why they need to come to the Buddhist center. They need to listen to the teachings from the good teacher, the new teacher.
Then they will get all this information, but they don’t. They only go to the internet. I’ll try to say this one. That’s why is that although you may be able to do the activities of this life, or watching others without a teacher, you will not do them well. It’s very true.
Can someone, like this one example, can someone who has just arrived from the bad migration get to a place they have never been without a teacher? That is very true. If you are coming from a different culture and different tradition, without a teacher only reading books, how can you understand Buddhadharma? Let’s say Australia, you have your own tradition, you have your own religion, you have also different cultures. Now without a teacher, without a Buddha house like this, such beautiful Sangha members, how can you do well just reading the internet, reading books?
No. Even though you are reading a good book, you are reading the internet, everything else is positive, let’s say. Even though these are positive, reading books are positive. But then, how can we I mean, totally you are now different, you know, teachings, different paths. How can you understand?
So that’s why the teacher is very important. Migration. You are changing something. Different perspectives. Different conceptions.
So how can we just go to the internet and read books that you will do good? How can we? It is impossible. Let’s say, even though the bible for me is very complicated, I can read the Bible, some cases I may understand, but some cases I need a teacher to understand exactly what the Bible was saying. Same thing because that’s a different teaching and different path for me also.
When I read the Koran, when I read the Gita, the Hindu’s Gita, and Koran is the Islamic, some of the things are Okay, understandable. But there are some of the things that I need a teacher. Is Islamic teacher to guide me to understand? Which is what I wrote down. I ask sometimes, you know, when I see some good Islamic teacher.
Every year, the Unity Church, I think Christmas Eve, they invited me. Every year, many, many years, ten years, something like that, I went to there every Christmas And they invited not only just Buddhist teachers, also they invited Islamic, Jewish, Catholic, Christians, many, many. And we do some prayers together, and we also give little lectures, little talking, Buddhist point of view, Hindu’s point of view, or Islamic point of view, Jewish point of view, so and so like that. And one day, I know this Islamic teacher may come, and he was there. I wrote down some of the things from the Koran.
I asked him, Can you please help me? Wow, a lot of explanation. Very wonderful. Some cases, not so happy, but in many cases, wonderful. Even though little words show me explanations.
See? Even though it’s because of the eye, I cannot just read and understand. No, absolutely not. I need this man to explain to me because he was the scholar. He learned that.
Same thing here in Buddhism is like that. You need a teacher to explain, to understand. Otherwise, how can you understand? Time is already down here, next week I will start the same, maybe. I think I hear these ten qualities of spiritual teacher I need to explain.
We can go next week, isn’t it? I will go slowly. If you are bored, let me know. I can teach you within a few weeks to finish it like this. But if you really want more details, then I will go through this nicely.
But you need to come to this class. Okay? If you are seeking fully enlightenment, Lama Tsongkhapa says here, as well as the Geshe Potowa also mentioned here, only teachers can help your liberation. Even though temporary liberation Before I was saying the liberation from the saṃsāra, the from the fully liberation, but not only just that, even temporary liberation also, the teacher will help you. If I give somebody a little meditation, when you do this meditation, temporarily there is peace and calm that comes from the teacher.
See? Even though Okay? Just keep in your mind. Break now. Prostrating to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
So is your teacher. Teacher is Buddha. Teacher is everything. But generally, we are prostrating to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. These Three Refuges.
If you are a Buddhist, then we need to do this prostration every day, three times in the morning, three times in the evening, with a refreshed prayer. But then, when you are prostrating you may be prostrating Geshe-la, as here is the teacher. Because the teacher is everything. The most important thing is the meaning of the prostration, as I mentioned before, to free one’s own prideful mind. So that’s why we do this prostration.
You are putting down all your part of the body on the floor. So that’s why they are saying, I will put down all my pride. Of course, then also the prostration can be body yoga. It’s good to do prostration, it’s good for the body, as well as accumulating more merits. When you do prostration, it says if you are tall and big bodied, those people are accumulating more merits than short people and small bodies.
Much as you cover your body, if you’re tall, that much is benefiting the sentient beings under your body down there somewhere. Much is shorter, and that much is only cumulative merits. So at this point, the tall big body is very, very important. And also long prostration is very, very important. Because there are so many sentient beings.
So that means we have some tall people here. You guys are very fortunate to be tall and big. You can cover so much how you say, earth, you know. Okay? Next question.
Buddhist point of view, no. Buddhist point of view, you must be Buddhist, you must follow Buddhadharma. So that’s why the inner Dharma and outer Dharma. Inner Dharma is the Buddhist Dharma. Outer Dharma is the non-Buddhist Dharma, non-Buddhist religion.
Their teachings are the outer Dharma. So here we need inner Dharma in order to achieve enlightenment. So at that point of view, you must rely on the teacher. You must listen to the Buddha Dharma, which is very important. Because here is enlightenment, only Buddhadharma can talk about this kind of enlightenment.
Other religions talk about enlightenment, but it’s different. Here we are talking about partial enlightenment or fully enlightenment. But other religions talk about enlightenment. Can be anything. Once you achieve some, maybe like, oh, I’m enlightened now, but not really the same enlightenment as Buddhist teaching says.
Okay? Anyone? Elephant? Elephant is the Lungta Rinpoche. Lungta Rinpoche is the precious elephant.
An elephant is considered a precious animal. You are an elephant? Elephant, yes? Elephant. Yes.
That is when you do mandala offering, and you see? Precious elephant. An elephant, in Buddhist point of view, is a precious animal. Don’t know exactly the reason why an elephant is precious. Maybe one reason could be possible.
When Buddha’s mother became pregnant, and before she became pregnant that night she dreamed of a white elephant with six tusks. Maybe that’s why it could be. I don’t know exactly. But the point is, the elephant is what we consider as a precious animal. That’s called precious elephant.
When you do a mandala offering, we are offering that. Any questions? Heart teacher means a close teacher, close to your heart. I think it is like a root teacher. Root teacher.
I think that’s the meaning of that. Actually, you know, usually we don’t call heart teacher like root teacher, root guru, or principal guru, or root spiritual friend. In Tibetan we call it Shen Yen. Shen Yen means spiritual friend. Not regular spiritual friend, it’s really the guru teacher.
I think root guru, root teacher means main teacher. That’s maybe a theory for heart teacher. Close to your heart. Something is you rely on it. I think that’s me.
That’s the only thing I can say. Do you need to have a root to achieve enlightenment? Yes. You need one root guru. You can have many root teachers.
However, before you devote someone, you need to learn. You need to understand the teacher’s quality also. Very important. You need to check out that person. If I devote he or she.
And also the teacher will check the students whether he will accept a he or she disciple or not. So that’s why the Lamrim unfortunately, another thing is that I couldn’t do Lamrim also. Lamrim has all these beautiful teachings. It takes years to finish Lamrim, but I don’t know how students have that much effort. I can see the first class in the beginning was good, but then it is lesser and lesser, even though a few months of class.
But Lamrim may take years. Years. I will say again, first my Lamrim teaching was almost two and a half or three years. I was giving the Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche, Lamrim Lamrim Lamrim Lamrim Lamrim Lamrim Lamrim Lamrim the new translation of the Lamrim book, Lama Tsongkhapa. I did it again.
I think I did it almost three times. Wasn’t it three times? But one time it took almost nearly three years. Even though someone in the FAMD newsletter I’m not sure, me and Senator Geshe in California, we are the only two taught so many years in the Lamrim, actually. That Lamrim teaches how to devote a guru, how to rely on guru, why.
So many details. See? So many details. And also, the teacher needs to check the students. Students are also good to check teachers.
Don’t devote right away. Many times people are very much excited when you see some monks, a new teacher, and then you are just totally into it. But better to check it out first, carefully. In order to check it out, you need to learn what qualities a teacher must have, not only just knowledge. That is why next week I will go through these teacher’s qualities.
There are also teachers we need to talk about. The Vinaya teacher, and Sutric teacher, and Mayana or Tantric teacher. They are different. Different qualities. These things we need to talk about next week.
Anyone? Nekul, yes? Jen. Why I’m all the time saying Nicole? I’m sorry, it’s Jess.
Jess, Jess, Jess. Okay, go Jess. Yes. You need knowledge. Knowledge is very important.
Excitation is okay. Sometimes people are excited, Oh, new teacher, or monk, or, Oh, nun. People do that. It’s okay. But too much excitation when a new teacher comes in is not good.
Sometimes you could make mistakes. You need first knowledge. Buddhadharma. You don’t need to rush to devote one teacher as quickly as possible. You don’t need to do that.
You need to learn first basic Buddhist teachings, like the teachings you are learning now. Listen carefully the teachings. Then the next thing is when you are ready, you will know that I must really devote one teacher. Also, you need to do this devotion after learning and understanding what does guru devotion. That is why I was saying lamrim is very important.
Just listening to teachings from the teacher doesn’t mean that you devote it to he or she. It’s okay to listen as a friend, just like respect and listen to the teaching just as a teacher or friend, it’s Okay. But now here we are talking about the guru devotion. That’s very, very serious. Also the guru devotion, that guru must have it accessible.
It’s very important when you need something. See? That’s why the guru’s quality is very important. The guru must be much superior than you. Guru must have more knowledge than you, which is very important.
So these things we need to talk about next week. Yes, you will be after some time, it depends really what you are seeking. Sometimes, intellectually, I am seeking ultimate reality, I am seeking fully enlightenment. Insightly, maybe not. Intellectually, maybe yes.
But here is not the intellectual one. I am talking about the insight one. That is serious. So if you really feel inwardly, you must have one guru to follow his or her instructions continually, consistently. If you feel something like that, then yes.
Otherwise, no. That’s different. Do you understand? Guru devotion is not just as simple as you think. It’s very serious.
But I’m not scaring you. But I need to tell this teaching. It’s very important, isn’t it? I don’t want to make you feel good. Ah, it’s okay, little.
It’s very easy. Just do it. Come here. I will do it for you. It’s very simple.
Western people love that. I don’t want to do that. Sometimes it’s hard to hear it, but that’s what you need to hear actually. Something is hard to hear, that’s supposed to be here. Something is easier, it’s supposed to be avoided.
Okay? That’s what need to do. Okay? Good. Anyone?
You can have a few root gurus. You can have a few root gurus. You can have more than one guru. You can have that. You can do that.
Of course, you need to first find it. That’s most important. In order to find, you need to learn how to really find the pure guru. So that’s why the guru’s quality is very important. And what really you are also seeking yourself.
All these things are very important. N1. Okay, now no questions. Ectacy last week. Ectacy.
Ectacy or ectacy. One of the antidote to laziness. Bless. Bless, ectasy, or ectasy. All the pliancyi, similar.
Do you understand pliancy physically? I checked the dictionary. Sometimes they pronounce it as plant, sometimes plant. It’s very difficult. American English pronunciation and The Buddhas I checked.
I thought sometimes I was okay. Sometimes it’s different, dictionary gives you this pronunciation like that. Anyway, the point is, ecstasy is something that, or the pliancy is something that once you achieve this bliss or pliancy, then what happened was physically you will be very much how do you say it? You get the bless as well as mentally. Also, main thing is that you can be able to set your own mind effortlessly towards virtues.
Very easily. You can be able to set up your mind without effort towards virtues. So that’s the only thing you can get after you achieve calm abiding. That is why they give you one antidote to laziness, which is ecstasy. They are giving you some hope you can get that.
So that is why if you really have this understanding of the great benefit of the results, then you may be able to free laziness. Oh, I should be doing this meditation. So see, you may feel to do more meditation. This will cut out laziness. That is why ecstasy is also one of the antidote to laziness.
Means that. Ecstasy can be translated in a negative from point of view. Can be drugs. What that? MDMA, yeah, like that.
But here, this one is totally the positive ecstasy. Something that you will be in that higher position that you can be able to because physically and mentally, you are blessed now. So So much blessed. So much great happiness and feeling very, very blessed. So that’s why now you can be able to set up your mind towards virtue effortlessly.
So this particular one is something like that. Once you achieve pliancy. So that is called ecstasy. It’s similar. Bless.
I checked different translations: pliancy, ecstasy, or bliss. Also like that. Page thirteen please, Prayer book. Lord of Dharma, we’re going to read this prayer.
Those who should be subdued. Make clear in the light of your well spoken advice. Essence of the Buddha’s teachings. For most holy lama to you who are supreme. Oh lama, please please live long.
Thank you very much.