Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 92-minute session, Geshe Kyab introduces Tibetan Buddhist beginners to the Noble Eightfold Path, the foundation of Buddhist ethics and practice. He begins with the distinction between mundane and Buddhist perspectives on right view, illustrating how wrong views lead to addiction and suffering through concrete examples: smoking harms others and yourself; alcohol destroyed his father. He then methodically walks through each of the eight components: right intention, where motivation is foundational and must be free of desire, anger, and harm; right speech covering false speech, slander, harsh words, and gossip; right action concerning killing (including abortion and euthanasia), stealing, and sexual misconduct; right livelihood, rejecting weapons dealing, animal slaughter, slavery, and drug trafficking; right effort toward virtue; right mindfulness through contemplation of body, feeling, mind, and phenomena; and finally right concentration, using calm abiding meditation on a single object to discipline a distracted mind. He explains that distraction masquerades as meditation but is actually the opposite. The talk closes with audience questions on karma, suffering, and family lying, which Geshe Kyab addresses with practical and compassionate reasoning.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2016 12 04 Buddhism for Beginners.mp3
UUID: 13a3da32-4ee2-41de-8a4a-87856c444a29
Teacher: Geshe Kyab
Collection: Geshe Kyab Beginners Buddhism Sundays (Geshe Kyab)
Date: 2016-12-04
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 92.3 minutes
Words: ~10,508
Good morning, everybody. Good morning, Mantra, please. The single pitch. Thank you. So this class is beginner Buddhism class.
So this class you can learn the basic Buddhist philosophy or psychology, science of mind, sometimes maybe religion, you know, just learn. So this class will give you certain ideas that Buddhism mean to be and what would be the Buddhist teachings and the Buddha and what does Buddha and etcetera, which is I did before. Maybe I will repeat again in maybe next year, you know. But today I will going to do one of the most important subject or topic. It’s called the Noble Eightfold Path, which is very important.
Mainly the body, speech, and the mind. Bodily actions verbally, so is the mental activities, speech, and mind. So in Buddhism we call go sum. Go sum means the three doors, body, speech, and mind. So because of these three doors we do think from the mental.
We do say things from verbal mouth, and we do take actions from our body, so three doors. But then now when it says thinking from the mental, so now that part is the thinking is now the most important and also the must be utilized, the thinking things, must be think right one or positive thinking. So this point is now here in this Eightfold Noble Path, first fault it says right view, right view. So which is the most important. Many times we mess up because of not having a right view.
And also generally speaking, the right view, like a typical Buddhist perspective, right view I will going to explain to you. Also I will like to edit a little bit like a mundane perspective also, you know, mundane perspective, also the what does mean the right view, which is a little easier that newer people are to understand before I actually giving you the typical Buddhist perspective of the right view. Now mundane perspective right view, think about the two different right views. Let’s say, like a mundane is the worldly perspective, world that we live, mundane, ordinary. So it’s very, very important having right views.
Not only the spiritual side, even though mundane, you know, the side. For instance, some people do have many addictions. People are addicted to do some drinking things and smoking things and also those needles and drugs, intoxicants, those kind of things. And also the people do have the addiction to speaking like false speech. And you know, there are many, many mundane addictions, things from body, from speech, of course, then from the mental.
And sometimes some people are very much addicted to killing and hunting animals, let’s say, for instance. So if you look at all these different addictions and actions from body and also the, you know, speaking things, falsely speaking things, etcetera, so is the thinking from the mental. All these addictions, people addicted because of the not having a right view. Remember, we are talking about the perspective first. So that’s why the forget it, religion or this and that, or I like to enjoy.
Some people may believe life is just only one life. They like to enjoy the drinking things, smoking things, and hunting things. You know, this is just that people think they are part of their life, so because of having a wrong view. Why all these views are the wrong view? Because of the wrong views, then all this addiction.
That’s my point here. Why it’s a wrong view? Because eventually all these actions hurt, you know, others, other sentient beings, of course then it’s hurting yourself. For instance, just an example, this has nothing to do with the Buddhist religion or the philosophy. Of course, you know, also we do believe these are the wrong thing to do.
Even though science, scientific perspective, if you think about when you smoke, if you addicted to the smoke, what happens? Of course you are hurting environment, you know. For instance, when I was in the Randall Mall area dead in the city, some people are smoking outside. When I was totally, you know, just I’m talking myself and how many people get hurt from, you know, you know, this smoke. I was headache when I came back.
I didn’t say any single words to Judy and Peter, but I was headache because of that smoke. But now if you look at the one thing, but then how many people are really getting, you know, these problems from the people who smoke. You already harm other sentient beings, yes, but then now you’re harming yourself. This has nothing to do with Buddhism. Listen very carefully here.
Science was scientific perspective. Those scientists were saying, which is true, eventually you’re causing problem in your lungs and down wherever is this area, heart and lungs. So then now why? Why you do it? Because you are addicted.
Why you are addicted? Because you had these wrong views. See now? Having wrong view is that much dangerous. You don’t believe the things that the what science was saying.
You do believe only what you want to believe. Now what you want to believe, then where are you now? See? That’s happened now. You are hurting other people.
Of course, you are hurting yourself. Same thing alcohol. People drink alcohol because of having a wrong view, you know. Of course they are hurting themselves, liver problem. My father passed away because of the alcohol.
Alcohol. I know these things when I was young. Yeah, his liver was damaged. Doctor told him not to drink alcohol now. He was recovering but he didn’t listen.
Continually he drink, drink, drink, and one day he passed away. That’s it. This is nothing to no, it’s not as, you know, somebody else fault. This is just your own having wrong views. That’s why you are addicted to drinking this, you know, alcohol.
So is the sometimes sometimes people drunk and they beat other people. They scream and, you know, they disturb other people. See now you are hurting other people too. Sometimes people kill other people and they raped young children and women. They do these things also because of it now they are not themselves.
See, their mind is totally different than who they are. If you look at this perspective, having wrong views are very, very dangerous. So these are just the mundane perspective, the wrong views or a right view. Opposite of all those views are right views on a mundane perspective. Now typical Buddhism perspective is the right view is here, now saying it’s insightly understanding, not like intellectual, intellectually.
It’s insightly. It’s cognitive wisdom. That’s what we call insight, really understanding the fact, what is the real. So that’s what we are talking here. Having the right view, something like this.
Right view is the real view or fact view, not just what I or you want to have a view. No. It’s really what Buddha was saying here is showing us the path, that these are the but it makes sense also, you know, not what Buddha was just saying. If you analyze it, what Buddha was saying, these are the right view. So if you analyze it, which is true also.
If you really compare your own views and then what Buddha was showing us the path, these are the right views, if you look at it and analyze it, then it makes a lot of sense. Also here is mainly the, you know, having like ultimate happiness view that, you know, viewing ultimate happiness exist or happiness is the temporary happiness, which is very true. Why all happiness is temporary happiness? It changes very quickly. That’s it.
That’s called temporary happiness, which is true. But Buddha was saying there is ultimate happiness. That ultimate happiness is the your destination. So he achieved ultimate happiness. Ultimate happiness is the prominent happiness, unchangeable happiness.
Never would be changed, which is the we’re supposed to be achieving ultimate happiness. So in order to achieve ultimate happiness, then Buddha was saying, now there are a few views you must change. First thing is you’ve got to be understanding the karmic law of cause and effect. So that’s one thing is the most important. karma and it results.
So you must need to understand that one. It’s good to have little faith on karma, not the buddha. You know, if you are not Buddhist, I think it’s good to have some faith on karmic law of cause and effect. So that means if you have not cause any good or bad, there’s no results good or bad. If you cause something good, there will be good results.
If you cause something bad, there will be bad results. So that’s what we used to teach. Negative cause or karma will give you negative results which are the pain and suffering. Positive cause or the karma will give you positive results which are happiness. So these are the karmic law of cause and effect.
Nobody can skip from the karma, karmic cause and effect. So once you understand that this relationship between karma and its effect, then they now hear in cognitive perspective, oh okay, I shouldn’t be killing ants. I shouldn’t be speaking false. These are the negative. I shouldn’t have some wrong views that not believe not believing in karma.
karma does exist. If you don’t believe in karma, then you got the problem now. Yes? Especially someone is a Buddhist, big problem now. Yeah.
Absolutely. Even though you are not Buddhist, still you have having karma, I think still problem. Because of the karmic, believing karma in its effect help us to not to have wrong views. See? Another thing is the like, you know, there is nirvana, which is the nirvana is peace.
We are in the saṃsāra, which is the cyclic suffering world. Consider this world so many suffering. We are in the saṃsāra, and there is nirvana. You can able to, you know, the free your yourself from the saṃsāra. You can able to achieve nirvana.
So having this view is also important. So then now once you have this view, nirvana view, then now you need to learn how to achieve nirvana. This will help you to, you know, not to accumulate negative karma. Because if you accumulate negative karma, there wouldn’t be your nirvana. No.
You will be only in saṃsāra. You will be continually pain and suffering. So this point is the understanding the saṃsāra and nirvana is also very important. So these views are also very important. Okay?
So these are the right view, typical Buddhist perspective, mostly the insight understanding What is the real? What is the fact? What is the fake? What is the artificial? We are not talking about the fake or the or the fact or the real is the mundane perspective.
Remember, that’s why the beginning of my class, I try to distinguish. I try to separate it. Mundane perspective, real and fact or real or or the fact is different. But here is the I’m talking about the Buddhist perspective. Buddhist perspective, all mundane real and facts are the fake.
Do you understand now? Typical spiritual Buddhist perspective, all mundane fact or the real things are the fake. Different now. What is the real in Buddhist perspective? That’s called ultimate reality.
So that understanding ultimate reality is also very important. But in mundane perspective, there is a fake, there is a real, and then, you know, people do, oh, yeah, magic is the fake and and, you know, really, there’s not magic exist. So it’s very easy to say that. That’s, you know, that’s not real. These are the real life.
We are in real life. All these are the real, you know, modern perspective. But magic is fake. My dream is just a dream. It’s not really the exist.
You know? Those are the modern perspective. These are the, you know, real, same thing, mundane perspective. But in a spiritual perspective, Buddhist spiritual perspective, you look at this way, these are really not real. These are the same as like a mundane perspective, old dreams and and and the magics like a fake, you know.
Same thing. These are the fake, not real. What is the real? Real is the ultimate reality. That’s real.
Excuse me. Now look at the two different views, mundane perspective and spiritual perspective. That’s called right view, having those views, you know, like believing in karma and its effects. Also, know, if I do learn the Buddhist teachings, especially the four noble truths, there would be the freedom. Some kind of this kind of views are considered as a right view.
What is happening? I don’t know. Some other beings are coming here. Get out. Get out.
Don’t disturb me. Some just listen to the teaching. Okay? Yeah. Just listen to the teaching.
Don’t worry. You will be okay. Right intention now. Again, this is another thing, right intention. Right intention is also like a right motivation or similar like this, motivation, you know, which is another most important thing.
Motivation is very important. Intention. So many times we do take wrong actions because of the wrong intention. See? Wrong motivation.
So motivation or the intention starts the world. Whatever you say verbally, what do you take actions from your body, everything comes from your motivation. Motivation must be done first. Then comes all these other things. So so that’s why the motivation is the foundation, you know.
So that motivation is the mental. It’s mentally, you know, the thinking and having intention which we call motivation. It’s a mental state, not in the verbal or physical. It’s more inside, which is very difficult because you cannot see it, you cannot touch it, but only you can think. See?
So that’s why sometimes laziness, we cannot think straightly. We just think the easier one. Let’s say, for instance, if you have some I’m just giving you an example how we think easy way. If you have some ants in your kitchens or, you know, much easier thing is to what? Buy some spray, poison spray, kill them.
Much easy. Otherwise, ridding all these ants one by one is difficult, isn’t it? See? That’s very easy. Buy some spray.
In the United States, I did not allow to come every two weeks, three weeks. This is actually mandatory. Do you know I’m giving this person money not to come in my apartment to do all the they call the what is that? pest control or something. Patchmaker.
Yes. But that’s actually mandatory. You know, people love inviting them. Sometimes they really give them money to come, but I’m giving them money not to come because I didn’t want to come and kill. It’s not bothering me.
I’m cleaning myself. It’s very easier. What I did was the after many students did it, ants, Florida is very, hot, you know, it’s very hot, so many ants, but they have a dangerous, poisonous ants too. To cleaning I was throwing, you know, cleaning, throwing like this. Again it comes.
One day I was thinking, I just wonder, okay just one big plate full of sugar, you know, and I just put a little sugar like this, make it in line, you know, and I put this in my patio. The patio has a glass door and so is the screen there. Then just leave it that day and next day I check, yeah, ants are taking all the sugar that I put inside my room, a little bit just tricking them, and they just go in my patio now. After some time, sugar that I left inside my room finished. Now everybody’s outside there.
That’s it. That’s it. They come to eat there outside. Welcome in my patio. Not welcome in my kitchen, you know.
That’s it. No problem. It almost took the six, seven months that sugar is finishing, you know. And after winter, then the ants are not coming. But summer I do the same thing again.
It’s working very well anyway. But what I’m saying is that, see, our motivation is the easier way to buy this spray thing, just kill them. That’s much easier very quickly, isn’t it? But then now, if you really wanted to do the right thing, you’re supposed to be not to kill them and just, you know, a little bit harder. But if you try to clean them, which is I did it this way, eventually ants are, you know, know, did not come in my kitchen and in other rooms.
I mean, it works very well. It sometimes, I mean. There is, you know, many ways you can read out these small creatures, actually. Really, you don’t need to kill. My point here is to see our intention and the motivation is like this.
Very easier way we like to do, you know, shortcut way. Everything is the So then then when you try to do a shortcut way, then your intention is wrong. Your your motivation is wrong. So that’s why they now everything’s fall apart. So that’s why they check it out before, you know, whatever you raising any intention or motivation.
Here is the intention. Also, the Buddha distinguishes the three types of the right intention. Here we are talking about the right intention. The intention of renunciation, first one is the intention of renunciation, which means resistant to the pull of desire, controlling desire. That’s the first intention.
Second one is the intention of goodwill. So this one is the goodwill meaning resisting telling I mean, feeling of anger or the aversion, you know, or upsetness. So that’s the meaning of the intention of goodwill means that. Resistant to feeling of anger and aversion. The last one is the intention of harmlessness.
Harmlessness, meaning not thinking of act cruelly, violently, or aggressively. Aggressively and to develop compassion. So that’s called three different right intentions. Actually the opposite of the three non virtuous actions of mental, these are the covertness, harmful intention, and the right views, actually. See?
Now here is to give you the, you know, the covertness is the resistance to pull of desire. So now covertness is the opposite of the pulling of desire, isn’t it? So the second one here is the intention of goodwill is the resistance to feeling of anger or aversion. Opposite of this one is the harmfulness, covertness, harmful intention. So then right wrong view, which is the now last one is the intention of harmlessness.
Harmlessness meaning not to think or act cruelly, violently, or aggressively and develop compassion, which is the same thing, like a wrong intention or a wrong motivation is the opposite of this intention, the intention of harmlessness. So which is the right view I give you, the first view is the right view. I mean opposite of that one is wrong view, you know. So this one is the second, intention. Okay?
Right intention, right view is finished, right intention is finished. Now right speech verbally. So right speech is also the, you know, of course, every mainly problem arises from the intention, but this, also the right speech. As I said before, right speech or wrong speech also depends on your intention or the motivation. If your motivation is wrong, you could, you know, or you could speak, you know, the false speech if your motivation is wrong.
If your motivation is right, right speech. Speech. So now right speech is also to abstain from false speech, and especially not to tell elaborate lies and not to speak deceitfully, which is the speaking truthfulness. So that’s one right speech. Then second one is the abstain from slanderous speech, not to use words maliciously against others, like a divisive speech.
Divisive speech is the, we call it a slander, you are dividing two people. You are talking to, let’s say this couple, John and Mary, they are wonderful couples. They love each other very much. But someone, John’s friend or Mary’s friend, they’re jealous. And out of their, you know, jealousy mind, they come between them.
First they go to John. Mary was, you know, so and so having some fear, blah blah blah blah blah, like this. Then now this person goes to Mary, John was so and so like this. Then finally, John and Mary separates because of the jealousy. See, slender means that, divisive speech.
So that’s wrong. Opposite of that one is the abstent from slanderous speech and not to use words maliciously against others. Second right speech. Third one is to abstain from harsh words that offend or hurt others, like a horse, harsh speech. Sometimes people talk and when they speak and they use very, very rough and nasty, you know, words.
Especially when they get angry, they do. Sometimes these words traumatize people. So that’s why the harsh words are to abstain from harsh words that often or hurt others. So this one is another right speech. Now, last one is to abstain from idle chatter that lacks purpose or depth.
Depth, yeah. To abstain from idle chatter is idle gossip. That’s the meaning, you know, that lacks purpose or depth. There’s no meaning, you know, you are speaking something repeatedly, repeatedly, not so meaningful, meaningless. Sometimes some people do that.
It’s not bad as other non virtuous actions, but sometimes idle gossip can interrupt somebody’s, you know, positiveness. If someone is meditating or someone is doing some, you know, good things, when you do this gossip, know, idle chattering things, sometimes you interrupt somebody else’s virtue, see? So that’s why the idle gossip is negative. To abstain from idle chatter that lacks purpose or that is another right speech. So meaning lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, idle gossip, these are the four non virtuous actions of speech opposite of these four right speech.
Four virtuous right speech. So these are the meaning of the right speech. Now right action. Right action is mainly the physical, the actions. So like killing, bodily, killing, stealing, sexual misconduct from our body we do killing things.
So now here is what would be the killing, stealing, sexual misconduct is the wrong actions. These are called three non virtuous actions of body, yes, that’s a body, bodily non virtuous actions. Opposite of these three, now here is the right action. To abstain from harming sentient beings, especially to abstain from taking life, including suicide. So if you take other beings’ life, could be human beings, could be animals, if you take your own life, also this one is called the killing.
That’s why they’re to abstain from harming sentient beings, any other sentient beings, especially to abstain from taking life. Now this one is the big problem in the United States. Abortion. See now comes problem. Same thing here maybe.
So in the United States, they didn’t want to hear, you know, but we need to talk about if I am not talking a religion perspective, abortion is the woman’s right. Of course, you know, everybody has a right to do what they want to do in their life. But in a religion perspective, abortion is wrong. That’s also the killing. So I think this very seriously.
But if I try to understand woman, that poor woman’s perspective, someone raped her, but now she became pregnant. Sometimes with a man, difficult to understand this poor woman has been, you know, what kind of a difficulty she’s gone through. It’s very difficult to understand, you know. But I researched this many times because as a teacher, I wanted to, you know, right speak, you know. I wanted to teach them what is really the right.
As I said, religion perspective is the abortion is I’m talking about religion perspective. It’s mi gsad pa, mi gsad pa. It’s already here. Even though now not only just this baby grows, I don’t know how long you need it not to have an abortion. I don’t know.
Miya michawa means just once, you know, baby conceived mother’s womb like that emperor, you know, already there. Even though if you destroy that, that’s also Buddhist perspective is the killing Because already there already one small, small human being already conceived. That’s a miracle. Now you destroy that. And that’s a precious human life is there, you know.
Of course then baby already didn’t grow. If it destroyed, same thing. But then what I’m thinking is the, yes, it is really the religion perspective is negative because you are not only just killing, which you call abortion, you are not only just killing his part of this baby, you are also taking and killing your own part of this baby also because this baby is not only just only man’s part. They need both eggs and, you know, mother’s, you know, blood. You need both of these eggs and and and the or man’s, you know, the semen together, then builds baby.
Not only just only the his part is very easy to clean. I don’t want it. But this is also your own part. Your own part of the body, then now you try to destroy it. Think about that very seriously.
You know? Religion perspective. But of course, then now if you mundane perspective, if you look at that woman’s perspective, it’s understandable. Now what can we do? See?
Easier way is, as I said before, just clean out. Much easier. But the difficult way is to give birth and raise. I think that one is better to choose now. It’s finished.
Give life to this baby. Because it’s part of your own body too now. But it’s a difficult woman perspective. I know, very, very difficult. Women may understand how difficult.
Sometimes men are, you know, difficult to understand that. But I try to make this little balance, you know. Even though some, not only just that, if you, pregnant women, if you kick them, kill her baby, even though it is not the abortion or whatever it that’s also the killing, you know. So emotion is very difficult to sometimes be the teacher when people ask you questions. It’s very difficult to give answers, so that’s why it’s good to make this balance.
In some cases I think there would be some cases that you need to choose one, baby or the mother. So that’s another very, very difficult sort of, you know. So now that perspective is the I don’t know how can you choose. I think then now you have a right to choose now. I think whoever is in the capacity to choose a mother or the baby, maybe mostly they may choose mother, isn’t it?
I think poor baby may, you know, need to die. Otherwise, mother may die, for instance, you know. So those cases are now the I don’t know in a religion perspective anything. I don’t I don’t know. Anyway, point is the killing is the also, abortion can be, you know, killing, actually.
Okay? So difficult, really. But teachings are the teaching is what is the fact versus the fact. That’s what we need to do because you are taking life because of the out of the anger. See?
Out of the anger. That’s a main thing here. It’s a wrong view. Oh, he raped me, you know, but it’s understandable, her view. See?
But then this baby also part of the you’re too, not only his. If only his part, then I will say clean out. Much easier. But there is not, you know, something that impossible. I mean, something that is possible to be having only baby from one side.
You need both side. So that’s called killing in societies also, you know, killing ants, killing any kind of animals. Of course, killing human being is the huge, huge. And also the killing father, killing mother, all of these are huge, such an extreme sort of innocent. And now second one is to abstain from taking what is not giving, which includes stealing, robbery, fraud, deceitfulness, and dishonesty.
Main thing is the stealing, something that not belongs to you, something that belongs to somebody else, somebody else’s property, somebody else’s things, shoes, or money or anything, or this simple pen also. So this case is the very, very important religion people who are following their religion like Buddhists or any other religion. So generally speaking, if you are stealing small things from the people, individual ones, which is also stealing. Same thing when you steal something from churches and a temple or center like a Buddha house, that’s also stealing. However, if you steal this kind of a pain from one person, stealing.
If you steal from this temple like Buddha house like this, same thing stilling, but this one is much heavier than this one. This only owns one person, but this one owns how many people. When you say Buddha house, it’s not one person. So many people related here. See?
Same thing if you steal one pen from the monastery. Thousands of monks own that pen. You are stealing the portion of each of the monks now. Then that’s going to be the thousands of pens. How much would it be?
See? But if you steal this one from one individual man or woman, you are just stealing from one person. Still it is stealing, not good, but this, what you call, karma is little smaller than this kind of karma because this is the group, belongs to groups of the people, not just belongs to one person. See? So that’s why the religion, people who are volunteer, people who are board of directors, careful.
Sometimes, you know, unintentionally things like that happens. And sometimes you may borrow the books from the library, from the churches, temples, or the library. You know, you have many library around the Adelaide. When you really not bring back to them, after you oh, here is one book. Oh, this book has been here for now many years.
Now I don’t think they they know now. I just keep it. That’s the see, you already covered it. That’s You must bring back. Yes.
Sometimes people forget things, but once you see, oh, book is here. I must return it. That’s the right thing to do. So that’s why the stealing is something like this. Something that not belongs to you.
To abstain from taking what is not giving, which includes stealing, robbery, fraud, and etcetera. So these are the right action. Then the to abstain from sexual misconduct. So this one is the adultery, you know. So that’s a right action.
Adultery is the wrong action, which is called sexual misconduct. Big, big problem around the world. Yes, it’s very strong. Sexual activity is very, very strong. So that’s why you need to do more meditation.
Understand meditation of the ugliness like this. It comes from your desire actually. Okay? So these are the right action. Now livelihood.
So now right livelihood is the First we can talk about the wrong livelihood, dealing in weapons, dealing in living beings, including raising animals for slaughter as well as slave trade and prostitution. And working in meat production and butchery, selling intoxicants and poisons such as alcohol and drugs. So many people live that way. Let’s say weapons. People built weapons, atom bombs and guns and missiles and you just name it.
And then they get money from there. They sell it, they got money, and they send their children to the schools, very luxury school. They live very luxury life. Wow. Mundane perspective, wow, very rich.
People, wow. But then if you really carefully look at that, how they raise their money, so many bloods there. Look at Iraq war nowadays in Syria, all these weapons are killing. How many people? Children, men and women and children and old and young men and women and unbelievable.
Just one simple atom bomb. Just think about the nineteen forties, United States dropped the atom bomb in Hiroshima in Japan. Japan. How many people get killed? Millions people.
Just this one atom bomb. Look at the second world war. Hitler killed so many Jewish people and other part of the, you know, gay people and other religion people and and the something that is not really his, you know, own people. I mean, unbelievable. Millions and millions buy weapons.
Chinese killed nineteen forties, then nineteen until nineteen fifty, sometimes many, many still killing many, many millions of Tibetan people buy weapons. Now if you look at it that way, people who build these weapons, this company, they are so rich, unbelievable kind of rich. Scary sometimes. How can you sleep? Because all this money came from the killing people.
See? Scary, isn’t it? Really. But at least they do some purification practice of the generosity or maybe, you know, to give back then stopped dealing all these weapons maybe a little bit there, you know, here and there. I don’t think many times people do that.
So that’s one thing is, you know, totally the wrong livelihood. Opposite of that one is the right livelihood. Then now the animal for slaughter, killing animals like butchering things. Their livelihood is because of the killing animals, then they make money, they sell the meat, and they live. And they, you know, eat.
And they send their children to the schools, all money that they raise from the killing animals. And selling intoxicants like poisons, such as alcohol and drugs. And so is also the secret. So these kind of things. And also some people, they do like a slave trade.
Even though nowadays in United States. People from before I came to Australia, months before I saw one news. Some women from Vietnam or Indonesia, I’m not sure. For some reason they came to, I don’t know how they came, they came to the United States, and that woman was walking one animal I’m sorry, animal American family house. But then now, I think she was totally the slave.
She need to walk for almost twenty four hours and this woman was so nasty on her and not allowing her to go outside. There’s no any penny to paying her. They’re supposed to be need to pay for her monthly base, two thousand dollars or something. She’s supposed to be need to send that money to her family. I’m not sure Indonesia or Vietnam, Southeast Asia.
But good thing was this neighbor of this family notices this. This one older woman, very, sharp and like a bodhisattva. She notices because she lives there every day, you know. One day she talked to this Chinese woman and her English was very poor also. And then finally, because of this woman, other woman was very intelligent, she was understanding her body language.
When she see her face, it’s beating also, you know. Then here, there, she was it took quite a long time. And after I think, oh, yeah. This family was the development, I think. Something some kind of development.
Middle East or something. Some kind of ambassador or something. Anyway, point is the then after she went to, you know, there are many organized very nice organization in the United States, and she talked to them here. Then finally she they took out from the house. They checked everything exactly.
Then she described they got one translator. Translator translated everything what she’s gone through. I was like this. Still this happening in United States? It’s happening.
Slave trade is, of course, in Africa many years before they bring so many African people in United States, but it’s still in it’s happening in in individually. Unbelievable. I was totally, I hope this is not true, but it was in the news. Finally, she got the money, and it was so nice that woman who helped her. And she adopted this girl.
And also this girl, actually she’s not girl, it’s a woman. She had also the husband in in some way. They invited her husband in United States. United States government give them political asylum. She was happy, happy after all, but she suffered a lot many years in that house.
This happening. See? Unbelievable, you know. People leave the very big mansion, but they treat this woman like a slave. Such a shame, isn’t it?
It’s shameful. When I when I hear, I really upset. I feel upset, but my upset is not gonna help, you know. It’s very upsetting. Very nasty thing to do like this.
You can give her walk. Of course, you need to walk. But she give money, she need to send to her family. But why are just, you know, taking advantage? Because she wasn’t speaking English also, not, you know, not fluently also.
So and prostitution. Some people sell their body to make money, to leave. So these are the wrong livelihood. The opposite of all this livelihood is the right livelihood. Not dealing in the weapons, not dealing in living beings like, you know, raising animals, slaughters, as well as like a slave trade or prostitution, and also not working in meat production like butchery things and not selling intoxicants and poisons such as alcohol and drugs.
I mean, that’s our right livelihood, you know. And right effort is similar like, you know, actually right effort is the main thing here is the effort towards virtuous activities, I think. But here is also the right effort is to prevent the arising of un-arisen unwholesome states. So that’s one right effort, to prevent the arising of un-arisen unwholesome states, to abandon unwholesome states that have already arisen, and to arouse wholesome states that have not yet arisen, to maintain in a perfect wholesome state already arising. These are mainly these are talking about the right effort is everything that your effort towards the also diligence, you know, diligence towards the meditating, doing some, you know, like a volunteer, people do volunteer, and you need effort, which is wonderful.
These are the really right effort, you know. So also this will help you to discipline one’s mind. It will discipline you. So, you know, for instance, many Buddha house volunteer and members come to help Buddha house, to open the Buddha house center. You need effort.
You cannot just come here. You cannot fly here. You need to drive. You need to walk. See?
Effort. Wonderful. Why these efforts are right efforts? Because these are the right thing to do. This is the right effort because you come here, you clean the gompa, you set up the altar, you open the door, you do whatever you do in this Buddha house to benefit, you know, Buddha house students to come here, have wonderful teachings, have a wonderful lunch, delicious lunch, little yummy, yes?
Anyway, so like that. So because of that, right effort. See? Bringing food also. You are benefiting many people, this effort.
Now right mindfulness. Mindfulness is very, very important. It’s a mundane side, so is the spiritual side. Even though when you meditate, you need mindfulness. Not just mindfulness, right mindfulness.
First thing is you need to hear the instructions how to meditate. Yes? But then now secondly, you really need to understand the instructions correctly. Then now having this right mindfulness in order to meditate well, following the instructions. Otherwise, what happens?
We forget because of the lack of mindfulness. Now here is the contemplation of body. Four foundations of mindfulness: contemplation of the body, contemplation of feeling, repulsive, attractive or neutral, contemplation of state of mind, contemplation of the phenomena. So these are the we are not just talking about the contemplation of body, how my body look like. No.
Main thing is the contemplation is here is that you are meditating the impermanent of of your own body. So you are also contemplating of your own feelings, what kind of feelings I’m having, pleasure, unpleasure, or the neutral feelings. If I’m having a pleasure feelings, how this pleasure feeling arises when you feel some unpleasant feelings. Why this arising? You need to check and contemplating, you know.
That’s called contemplation, which is the increased mindfulness. Then the contemplation of state of mind, like a wandering mind. Then the contemplation of phenomena. So contemplation is very, very important to really develop mindfulness. In order to really people talk about the meditation of mindfulness.
What does mean that? What does mean meditation of mindfulness? Mainly the contemplation. Analyze it. Let’s say today you hear some of my teachings.
Some of my teachings, some of these Noble Eightfold paths, you may be interested to really meditate, let’s say. But then what you need to do, go back, you need to do more contemplation, particularly whatever mindfulness, know, whichever this Noble path. Just try to contemplate. Try to analyze it. Try to think about it.
Contemplation means thinking. When you do that, then the mindfulness means you wouldn’t forget it. You wouldn’t forget it. Otherwise, if you don’t contemplate, someday it will be gone, disappears. Then you cannot meditate.
Why? There’s instructions. Why there is no instructions? Because you couldn’t contemplate. That’s why there is no mindfulness.
So that’s a problem. So you need effort also. In order to be mindfulness, you need effort, you need a certain understanding of the teachings. So then this way you can able to develop this mindfulness. So these are called mindfulness.
The last one is the concentration, right concentration. Right concentration is the Like this basic meditation, calm abiding, let’s say concentration. Calm abiding meditation, you know. Try to tranquilize your mind. Try to calm your mind.
So this point is the this basic meditation is called a calm abiding meditation. So this meditation is considered as a right concentration. In order to right concentrate, you need one object. So any objects, make a comfortable yourself. Could be colors, could be shapes, could be anything.
Once you select the object, let’s say red color. Just an example. Then now concentrate mean that object of red is your object of observation. You need to observe now. So that’s called the concentration.
You need to observe. You need to focus on it. You need to focus on the object, meaning visualize the object. Focus means visualize the object. What does mean visualization?
Visualization means to see that object through your mental, not from your eyes. That red color, that’s just an example. So when you do that, right concentration is you can able to hold that red color object one or two or three seconds. Good. Mostly the people could not hold the object even though one second.
That’s called distraction. Your mind is distracted. You are not concentrating. You are not meditating. You are distracted.
That’s the obstacle, you know, that’s the obstacle for meditators. Distraction is because your mind is distracted. Your mind is not on that red color object. That red color object is supposed to be your object of observation. That’s supposed to be observing, but now your mind is already somewhere else.
That’s called distraction. That needs to be controlled. So bring back beginner people. Then set your mind on that object. Then try to hold it.
How to hold it? You need to focus it, visualize it, try to see that object. When you do that, for the beginner, again, you will lose it. Why this is happening? Because of the not familiar, This particular meditation is not so familiar.
Meditation is supposed to be familiarizing. You know, you try to be familiarizing. You are not familiar. When you open your eyes, oh, yeah, red color. But then when you close your eyes, try to see that red color from your mind, you couldn’t see it.
Why? Because you are not used to it. There’s no habit. So that’s why this habit must be built. Try to how to build it?
To familiarize. How to familiarize? That’s why you need effort. You need to cut out laziness. You need to do this meditation.
Even though when you lose your mind, you know, out of this object, bring back said mind on the object again and again and and again. That’s you need to do. You need effort. See? These are the locking.
Many people think, oh, I know how to meditate, get your lock. Then I ask, okay, explain to me, you know. Then big problem. I close my eyes, then I just think whatever I want. That’s not meditation.
My dear student, that’s called your meditating distraction. That’s totally the opposite of the meditation. Meditation because if you are meditating like that, then why we need all these different instructions? Because we are thinking, our mind is all the time wondering, wondering, wondering, wondering, wondering, wondering. Then why we need to close and and do like this if you think whatever you wanted?
No. This point is that you need to think what Geshe la is giving you to think. That’s what you need to do. That’s the right thing to do. That’s the Buddha said, not from the Geshe la.
Geshe la was just giving you this message. That’s all. Why? Because of the what is the benefit of the concentrating? What is the benefit?
This meditating. Because now look at the all mind is, you know, starting by the this eye consciousness, like a sense, know, eye sense consciousness, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mental. All these are very active, isn’t it? When you see something, you feel desire. When you hear something, oh, I want to buy that music.
Oh, I like to buy that beautiful cloth, beautiful shawl. That is beautiful because you saw from your eyes. Oh, I want to buy that. I want to buy that music. So beautiful.
Oh, I want to buy that incense. So good smell. Oh, I want to buy that food. So delicious. It’s not a problem buying incense or the shawls or the food from not the problem.
The problem is the we could not control it. So that’s a problem now. When you see, sometimes our stomach is bigger than our eyes means that. See? People eat.
When they see something, they think, oh, that’s a very nice food. When you touch, go test, then eat, eat, eat. You know? Then we are very much addicted. You know?
See now our eye consciousness, ear, nose, tongue, body, these are very like this. And of course, mental. But now this meditation is what we do. Try to put all this consciousness, eye consciousness, ear, nose, tongue, body, we are telling them, can you please one hour just sleep down? Just sleep, please.
Don’t interrupt me. And not only just the sense perception, even the mental also saying, you too, mental. Yes. You are the great one, but you too, please slip down. Only I wanted you to concentrate one object.
That’s it. Nothing else. Of course, all these are the you know? But now mental is the sometimes crazy. It’s very jumpy.
So that’s why that that’s why we call monkey mind. It’s very jumpy. See? It’s very easy difficult to discipline our mind. When you do this one, then now you control all this distraction even though one hour or half an hour, which is good, that you can really get so much strength in your mind.
That’s a benefit. Once you get this strength, you you can able to think clearly. You will be more confident. But now we cannot think really strictly. There’s no strength in our mind.
We cannot think that. Very easy to get, you know, upsetness and anger. Very easy to, you know, feeling some sort of desire things. See? Because of the we are not thinking correctly, because of the our mind is not so strong.
Mind is losing because of all this consciousness are very active. So that’s why the concentration, the meditation will help us to calm, so it will calm you. See? Once you are calm, just think about it very, you know, nice we can able to think about it, whatever you want to think about it. Let’s say sometimes you are very busy, you forget things.
Oh, I want something to write down. I was supposed to be sharp this one. Now I forgot. Nothing else. But then when you go slow down, sometimes when you sleep, it remembers, oh, yeah.
That one is I was supposed with. See, you remember that. See? Because your mind is now calm. For instance, you remember that.
I do this many times. When I get in in the supermarket, I already forgot. Oh, I was supposed to be buy something. What happened? You know?
Then nothing. Then just go a little beside, breathe in and out, breathe in in and out. Oh, okay. That one is I need it. Sometimes people may see me as, this monk is crazy.
You know? What he was doing is standing and closing his eyes. You know? I try to remember sometimes. See?
But now I do write down everything. It’s much easier. Why this happens? Because you are calm and easy to think. Same thing like that, this meditation will calm you in your life.
You can be able to think straightly. See? You will be more confident then. Okay? So that’s why the concentration is very important.
Okay. Now right view is finished, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. These are the called Noble Eightfold Path. When you do learn this one, you will be able to also understand and achieve the Four Noble Truths, which is another Buddhist teaching. It’s a very important one.
That’s it. Thank you. I can take some questions. Go ahead. Anyone?
Thank you. I forgot that one is I was supp I I was thinking to talk to you, but then see, I I wasn’t concentrating. Yeah. That one is true. Euthanasia.
This one is the two things. Generally speaking, euthanasia is also killing because you are taking life. But then if you are bodhisattva level, means you are a high practitioner, if you have this great compassion, very, very huge compassion, maybe you can do that. But we have not achieved yet that great compassion. We may say, Oh, have a love and feeling compassion towards that dog or a cat, but our compassion is not enough to do that.
But mundane side is, people do that. I’m talking from the spiritual side. Buddhist spiritual side is, when you say, oh, my dog is suffering, and how do you know he wouldn’t be suffering when you give this injection? See? Because all side is this suffering is the only outside what you see.
Oh, this dog is crying or, know, all the time maybe he or she was suffering. That’s the only way we understand suffering is. But euthanasia is that they put this injection when you do that insidely, there are many processes needed to go through. You have no idea what kind of darkness it’s going to be. Now, see?
See? So advice to my students in Florida is don’t do, let them die naturally. Even though they are going through some pain and suffering, which is good, They are purifying some negative karma, and next lifetime, you know, they will not gonna have that particular result. But now, that dog is surrounded by the beautiful owner. So, you know, I’m not saying letting them suffer is the best.
What I’m what I’m saying is the if you compare the killing or euthanizing them or the letting them die naturally, best choice is the letting them die naturally is the best choice. I think that’s the best choice to do. Even though they may suffer physically, but they will not gonna suffer mentally if you put this injection. Anyone? You are new.
You may have many questions. You do? Go ahead. Go ahead. Don’t be shy.
Go. Yes. You can see many times in the world, you you can see many bad things happen in good people, many good things happen in bad people. You can see that. But this has nothing to do with their bad or good within this lifetime.
People who are good people mean they are already accumulating good karma. They will get good results within this lifetime or maybe the next lifetime, but they’ve got bad results. They are having some bad things, but this has nothing to do with this lifetime. Buddhism do believe previous life, past lifetime, they may accumulate some good karma. Maybe they are very lucky now.
They are having results now than future. Yes, mundane perspective, yes, good people are having bad results, but then spiritual perspective is the good people are having good results now. Otherwise, if these results happen to be in the next lifetime, no one else there for them what would be. See, actually, the spiritual side is the good people are having good results. Yes.
Now when you look at the worldly perspective, it’s crazy, you know. How can you say good people are having good results? They are suffering, isn’t it? See, there are two different ways we need to look at, you know. But if you do believe in karma, that’s one thing.
If you if you do believe in karma, then if you do believe in reincarnations, past life and future life. So this is the best thing you can think about. That’s good results. I’m having good results now. I’m I’m dealing with it, and it will going to be passed someday.
I had it many times this kind of results, but I passed all. Results are not prominent. Sometimes good results come, sometimes bad results. But we talk about the good people having bad results just, you know, like a mundane perspective. Actually, good people are having good results.
Yeah. On the calmer as well, so the purification that you do, does that purify only it depends on how you purify. Depends on how you raise your motivation. So that’s why the purification practice is also you need to do properly to understand first how to do this purification practice, to understand how to purify negative karma not only in this lifetime, also the past lifetime. So that’s why every last Wednesday of the month here, you need to come and you need to learn.
You can do it. So then you can able to purify not only just the negative karma that you accumulated in this lifetime, also you can able to purify the past negative karma as well. Okay? Good. Anyone?
Last question. This side now. I got from there, here, here. Okay. No?
Are you sure? Yes? Okay. Then now? Sorry, I’m not letting you go yet.
Something you don’t really want to. There is a relative of mine who is telling a lot of lies and I know that she’s suffering in many ways, but she keeps telling lies and some of those things are to her daughter and her son. She’s also telling me lies because she probably thinks that’s what I want to hear. And my head wants to go and go, oh right, now I’m going to sort of do this so that I can go to her and say, look, found out that you are lying to me and that it’s causing you a lot of harm. Why are you doing that?
I’m not sure the best way to do it would just one part of my mind is going, and the other part is saying, how best do do I just withdraw from her and not make contact? Don’t know what to do. Yeah, sometimes there are many, many, you know, some situations are very difficult, you know. Very difficult Because she’s turning her daughter away from her because the daughter knows she’s telling lies. That’s a good example you can show her.
See? Because of your daughter is turning away from you. Do you know why? But but I’m not supposed to know that, though. You see?
Only what her daughter’s told me that I don’t want to But you are the you are mother. Daughter the daughter’s spoken to me. You’re a mother. Yes? You are you are No.
No. No. I’m her she’s my niece. Oh oh oh, she is your niece? Yes.
And niece was telling you the harm My niece is telling me things that I’m doing this and I’m doing that. Oh, your niece. Okay. To pleased for you. Mhmm.
But her daughter’s saying to me she’s lying to you. Oh, your niece’s daughter? Yeah, my niece and her daughter and I have been in contact. Oh, okay, okay. You’re supposed to be, niece is my great niece.
She’s telling me I’m doing this and I’m doing that. I’m saying I’m really pleased for you because that’s really positive and that will kill her. Mhmm. When I’m discussing this with her daughter, okay. She’s saying she’s lying, and she’s lying to me, and the dog’s getting angry.
But my head’s going, how do I approach this? Do I just let it be or do I try to sort of say to the boy? Before you try whatever you try to do, check it out. Really, your nieces or daughter was telling you the truthfulness or not. Don’t go a little bit skeptical, you know.
Do you understand? First of all, check it out. Your niece is a daughter telling you the truthfulness or not. And also check it out. Whatever your niece was telling you, it’s really the truth or not.
From the niece, I’m waiting And check it out. I don’t want her to know that we’ve been discussing these. I think that makes a bridge. I can see now there are so many secrets there. See, that’s a problem now.
Yeah. People do have a secret, you know, everybody does that, but this is a little bit, you know, it’s not a good secret, actually. It’s a it’s a different how people grow up also. See, You know? And our society, I have my mother and my sister.
My sister has my niece and nephew. We have a small niece. We I am little out of the time because I’m as a monk and gasey. I don’t that much talk about things because they’re they’re woman things, man things. You know?
But I watch them all the time. But mainly, my mother is the boss. She knows everything what they does. Yes. She wants to know.
They are very much open up with their grandmother, which is my mother. There’s no secret in the family. Even though someone make mistakes, they they express. Sorry, you know. Then then then I need to do I try to explain to them, you need to fix it now.
So but we didn’t have any bad there’s no secret in the family. Maybe my nephew, little bit, is young, just twenty one years old. You know? Now you understand what I mean. But this is just his personal things with a girlfriend or whatever.
You know? I I I told him, I don’t need to know it. Just deal with it, but be careful. That’s all. Be careful.
I don’t need to know every sometimes he talks. He was very comfortable with me because he he understands I’m from America. American people are more you know, all these things are very open up. And he tried to open up. But for me, it’s the no.
No. I don’t want to know your girlfriend. No. No. No.
No. He tried to explain to me how you feel about I said, I don’t know. Talk to your mother, and I don’t want to hear it. You know? He tried to you have to make a comfortable talking people.
You know? May may may may maybe your niece is not so comfortable with you. I don’t know. I don’t know your situation. Check it out.
Check it out. So I can check out if if You can check it out secretly. How to approach her to help her because I think she needs help. Yeah. She needs help, but sometimes you cannot help.
See? I understand. Sometimes you cannot help. If she listens you if she listens you, you can help her. Maybe there would be some idea.
Now you are saying that she’s supposed to be she should not be knowing you, you know, you hear this from her daughter. So the it is very you cannot have both. Right or wrong, you know, you cannot have both. One side is the you are holding this one, not telling her because she’s supposed to be not supposed to be should not be knowing these things, your your niece, because of the this is between her daughter and yourself. That’s your say.
And another one is you want to help her. You cannot have both one. See? You need to do one thing or just hold it, just leave it that way. Or if you really feel strong helping her, first of all, check it out.
Then talk to her. That’s it. Whatever happens to be happened then. But first of all, you need to find out if it is real truthfulness or not from her daughter. Not only what she was your niece was telling you, niece was telling you, observe.
Then now check. When you check with her daughter, not directly, little spy, you know, check it out. Whatever she was telling you, it’s true or not, check. While she was telling you truth or not, check it out. Don’t go only one side because claps come from both sides.
Sound comes from the both sides. Okay? Thank Now look at the page one twenty. Lord Buddha, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is a hatred, let me sow love.
There is an injury, pardon. There is a discord, unity, doubt, faith. There is a error, truth. There is a despair, hope. There is a sadness, joy.
There is a darkness, light, or divine master grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love, for it is giving that we receive, It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in dying that we are that we are born to eternal life from happiness to the happiness of the fully enlightened. May all beings effortlessly attain the transcendent and blissful state of omniscient Buddhahood. Thank you very much.