Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 100-minute teaching on the Eight Verses of Thought Transformation, Geshe Kyab introduces lojong, the Mahāyāna practice of disciplining the mind by reversing habitual self-cherishing and neglect of others. He explains how our untamed mind, ruled by ego and self-grasping, generates anger, attachment, and jealousy—and how exchange of self and others counters this. Geshe Kyab walks through the definition of self-grasping, the three types of morality, and the six perfections (generosity, ethics, patience, effort, concentration, wisdom), emphasizing that understanding emptiness and the nominal nature of self supports all these practices. He offers a practical meditation on searching for the self, illustrates mind training through a personal airport detention story (discussing white lies and karma), and introduces Tonglen (taking and giving practice) as a beginner’s tool for cultivating concern for others before advancing to selflessness meditation. The teaching is pitched at serious practitioners already familiar with Mahāyāna Buddhist concepts.
File metadata (for organising)
File: The Eight Verses of Thought Transformation 2016 10 13.mp3
UUID: 4b9437d4-d80f-4534-a89f-fed1e4f55206
Teacher: Geshe Kyab
Collection: Geshe Kyab Eight Verses Thought (Geshe Kyab)
Date: 2016-10-13
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 99.9 minutes
Words: ~10,121
Good evening everyone. Page thirty four, please. I go for refuge until I am enlightened to the Buddha, Dharma, and Supreme Assembly. By the practice of giving and other perfections, may I become Buddha to benefit all sentient beings. May all sentient beings have happiness in the causes of happiness.
May all sentient beings be free from suffering in the causes of suffering. May all sentient beings, inseparable from happiness that is free from suffering. May all sentient beings abide in equanimity, free from attachment for friends, Reverently I prostrate with my body, speech and mind. I present clouds of the offering actually in the imagination. I confess all my negative actions from beginningless time, rejoice in the merits of all holy and ordinary beings.
Please remain until the end of cyclic existence, turn the wheel of Dharma for living beings, and dedicate all my merits and those of all to great enlightenment. Short mandala offering. This ground, and the peninsula of flowers adorned with the beauty of the four continents, the sun and the moon. Imagine this is Buddha field, and over it. May all sentient beings enjoy this pure land.
Mantra please. Thank you. Okay. This is the eight eight verses of thought transformation, eight verses mind training, teaching. Lojong, which is in Tibetan we call lojong.
Lo means mind, Zong means discipline. To train. Lo Zong. Of course, generally speaking, every Buddha’s teachings can be considered as mind training teachings. But here is the principle training or lojong is the Mahāyāna teachings.
Mahāyāna lojong. Mahāyāna mind training teachings. Because of course, I repeat again, all Buddha’s teachings mean to discipline one’s mind. But especially this one is the Mahāyāna or Great Vehicle Lojong or the mind training. The reason why Mahāyāna Lojong or mind training.
Because the problem is the our mind is no discipline. Our mind is untamed, like a wild elephant, those wild monkeys like that. Because of the untamed mind, very, very dangerous to bring so many pain and suffering. But here is the untamed. The meaning of the untamed is something called Dak dzin.
We call this Dak dzin. It’s called ego, you know. Ego is very much I, I and me, me, me. That’s a big problem. Like a self centered mind, self-cherishing, clinging individual self.
There are many, many different translations. self-cherishing, which is one thing. Grasping at self. Because of this self grasping or grasping at self, which is the Tibetan we call Dak dzin, then the problem is we do cherishing only ourselves. When we cherish only ourselves, then what happens next is anger, attachment, jealousy, all those mental afflictions will arise because of the egoism, egocentric mind, self centered mind.
So that’s why now mind training or Mahāyāna, in particular here is the Mahāyāna lojong or mind training means now we need to exchange cherishing oneself and neglecting others. That’s what we need to do with training. Training is something like this. In order to train cherishing oneself and neglecting others, this one is called exchange self and others. One of the practices for bodhicitta, how to generate the bodhicitta. I think last week I mentioned there are two different, you know, practice one can be able to generate the bodhicitta or mind of enlightenment.
One is called seven causes and effect. Both are Mahāyāna, you know, teachings. I mean, you know, training the mind, especially for the bodhicitta, how to generate the bodhicitta. Second one is the exchange of self and others. Here is the more lojong or mind training is the exchange of self and others.
I just mentioned to you because of this grasping itself is the big problem. It’s very, very difficult to neglect grasping itself, but it is possible. That’s why we do so many different teachings and meditations. We learn many, many different paths. It needs to be training the mind.
Exchange. Cherishing oneself, neglecting others needed to be exchanged now. Now, neglecting oneself, cherishing others. We look at our past history since then goes our previous life. Just within this life time, since we were born in this life, we have been cherishing only ourselves.
Which is we think oneself supposed to be what we need to do. You know, we are very much dependent on it, cherishing oneself. We didn’t realize how dangerous cherishing oneself is. After that, anger, attachment, jealousy, so many mental afflictions arises. We didn’t realize until when you learn this particular teaching.
Then, which I mentioned, Dharma mirror. Then, oh, okay. Then you can now see the faults of cherishing oneself. You can see the faults of egoism. You can see the faults of grasping at self.
Then now you can also understand how important cherishing others is. Without cherishing others, there’s no way to discipline the mind. Mind discipline is mainly something like this. Tibetan we call tamed. Know, to tame.
Mind should be tamed. Mind must be disciplined. Of course, in order to discipline the mind, ethics is the most important. That’s a foundation, you know, ethics. But ethics, ethics is not only the Mahāyāna, ethics is both, you know, the Theravāda and the Mahāyāna practitioner.
Not only the Mahāyāna, the Theravāda too. But ethics is the foundation. On top of that, now this particular mind training, we must practice and train our own monkey mind. As I mentioned before, this wild elephant, wild monkey can be trained. They can become gentle monkey and elephant.
I don’t know. Here in India, I saw many, many elephants around the remember I mentioned before monastery used to be surrounded by the thick thick jungles and forests. We saw so many wild elephants. You know, give them so much training. But now, then after that elephants, you know, became as a local elephant, and they worked for it.
They pulled the three locks, you know. And nowadays, I think this week in Mysore near the city from our monastery, it’s called Dasara. Very, very big festival going on there. So you can see so many elephants. They decorate the elephants.
And elephants, you know, listen to whatever that man says. They just march very nicely in middle of the city. So I mean, such a big elephant can be trained, why not our own mind? I mentioned also the monkey in India. So many monkey trainers.
You know? So those wild animals can be, you know, trained and to become gentle animal, why not our own mind? So that’s why mean, lojong is why we need to understand. As much as we can, first of all, the foundation is to try to take to abandon those ten non virtuous actions as much as we can. Sometimes things accidentally things happens.
Little excusable. But here is the voluntarily, I’m talking about. Proposely, we shouldn’t be taking those ten non virtuous actions. If really know you to be a lie, don’t lie it. Very funny things happen.
Sometimes, what I call white lie, you know, not the bad one. Sometimes we need to do white lie. But what happened was, two thousand and three or around four, I was detained in Miami International Airport because of the visa problem in the United States. They sent me back the next day to India. That’s my first time in my life, such a great experience, very negative experience.
Buddhist monk detained, you know. Now, before I got the Australian visa, the Australian government wanted me to clarify almost I got the problem because they made some mistakes there. Whatever words they put down in the FBI record. They say I arrested. Can you imagine?
I arrested. When the Australian government asked me, Rich was with me, to they need one FBI clarification letter. We went to Fort Lauderdale, and and I I I give them my social security number. It’s very easy, you know, and they give me oh, no. After this that evening or tomorrow morning, I received the FBI key notification email.
When I printed, it says, I arrested. See? Then I told Rich, no. It was detained. Not really.
He didn’t put me any handcuffs. Nothing. There were some misunderstanding between the visa because I’m Buddhist monk. United States do have so many categories of the visa, religion visa, work visa, business visa, etcetera, so many, you know. When I came to Florida, I got the visa.
It was I didn’t know. It was two years visa. Ten years. They give me ten years. Actually, my application was the religious visa.
But some point, embassy in New Delhi, that man, I don’t know what he was missing, and he gave me tourist visa for I didn’t know at the mom at the time, you know. Then I came to TKC in two thousand, and my director, Maggie, a lot of control in Geshe-la. Why you got the tourist visa? I don’t know what is tourist visa or religious visa. I have no idea.
I got the visa. I came. You know? And then they changed my status, tourist visa to religious visa. But then now, when you change do you want to hear this?
Okay. It’s mind training teaching too, actually, you know. I will tell you that during the when they detained Miami International Airport, I will tell that’s what’s supposed to be now. It will become there are some mind training teachings, meditation also I did it. The point was they changed my religion course visa to religion religion visa.
But religion visa was the paper. But because I cannot get a stamp visa on the passport because of I’m already in the United States. But then now, there are some confusions between lawyer and the center director and me, but they need to tell me if I leave United States, I supposed to be need to go to embassy in Delhi, show this visa, paper one, and show this my passport, and now they will going to put stamp on the my passport, then come back to United States. But I went to vacation to India with a few few my students, and they left earlier. You know, I I was returned after two months.
But I was okay until Miami International Airport. Now this is here I’m talking about a white lie here. When they ask me questions, why you are here? I’m honest. I teach, you know.
I’m a teacher. I’ve been here for two years. I teach. I’m a teacher. What do you teach?
I teach Buddhist philosophy. And he said, check my passport. You cannot teach. You cannot walk here. Why not?
You know? I didn’t. Because you are tourist. See, now passport is only tourist visa ten years. I said, no.
I have this one. I showed this one. And he just put his his palm on his head like this. Oh, you made big mistake now. He said, I don’t know.
They allowed you to, you know, go to to Pimkonga center, TK, sir, but you need to go inside. I have this. I thought this one is okay. But that was supposed to be that paper needed to be, you know, showed to embassy in New Delhi, and I need to get the stamp on the passport. But nobody told me how how how do I know these things are, you know.
Then, of course, when I went to inside, it took almost four hours. So many people detained, some arrested, they put handcuffs. People from South America, people from Europe, people from China. Oh my, so many people. Four hours in that room.
At the moment, Lama Sokal Rinpoche was visiting our center. I had so many things to decorate the center. But then now, they did not allow my bags to go to the center. They say you need to go back. After four hours talking, talking, there are two people, two men, one was much gentle than another one.
One saying, oh, he must go back. Another saying, just a monk. He made small mistakes, you know, and and it it let him go. And I I think if I pay hundred, I can go to the court, then I will be okay. But then because of this, this one happened up after September eleven.
Remember? After after September eleven. Then now, see, this man was typing, one African American, very nice man. He said, Geshe la, are you scared to go back to India? I said, no.
You know, it’s honest. But he was looking at me, I will ask you again. But then now, at the moment, I didn’t know. If I say yes, that’s a white lie, you know. It’s I’m I will go, okay.
This is only one word. He was looking. He tried to help me, actually. You know? I will ask you again.
Are you he cannot he tried to put words in my mouth, but he cannot say anything. That’s a law. You know? Are you scared to go back to India? You know?
I’m just I’m just wondering, and I’m saying why I need to scared to go back to India. I love to go back to India again, you know, to spend some time with my parents and with my monastery, those monks. And I said, no. You know? Then he just looked at me and said, you know, okay.
Then that’s it. Anyway, that night, they keep me somewhere in airport. There are many people, you know, but they say you need to go back to India. I said, okay. But I was a little regretted because of the so many things that we need to decorate.
Lama Sogyal Rinpoche, you know, he was visiting our center. But anyway, then that night I need to sleep one big room, many many people there. So cold air condition is very very strong. It’s a very nasty area. I mean, you know, it’s unbelievable.
But many people, they handcuff. Some they put inside the different room. But me and some people are okay. We can just go outside. There’s one door we cannot go.
Otherwise, it’s okay. And one Chinese girl was crying and crying, some Italy young man started crying, South America. Then I just invited to come and they said, why are not upset? I said, why should we be upset? What is the benefit?
Come here, we can meditate, you know. We all together, I taught them breathing meditation. Just in and out, you will be okay. Go back to your country, get the visa, come back. I will going to do that, you can do that too.
Some do have a fake visa from South America. Anyway, did some meditations there, which is a good one, isn’t it? I think I am the only teacher who did meditation in the airport. I don’t know. Whatever you call that area, you know.
Things like that happen in my life. So see, white lie. Sometimes, good to be white lie. But, anyway, you know, at the moment, I didn’t know if I say yes. I, you know, I scared to go to India.
Somebody told me after that, you should be saying yes. It’s okay, little white lie. You know, it’s okay. Actually, I was a little scared to fly because of the, at the moment, Iraq war. Remember, you know, president Bush was very much in a violent.
So many war going on in Iraq. And flight is they fly over Iraq this way, if you look at the map. Yeah. So because before we get there, they will tell us the all the window must be shut down. Airplane will be dark when they fly over there.
They do when when I was coming from there, they did it. When I was living, same thing. At the moment, I didn’t know. But after they said because of the war. That’s a little scary, you know, but that’s not gonna help me.
I need to say, you know, I have some fear to go to India. That’s only I need to say. If I white lie, I was okay, but I didn’t. So now you can judge yourself whether you want to white lie or not, you know. Point is the other than that, all these ten non virtuous actions are really, really, you know, dangerous.
So that’s the foundation. So that’s why I try to, you know, white lie and the actual lie. Of course, white lie is also lie. We shouldn’t be lying, you know. At some point, sometimes if you want to save many people, sometimes, you know, maybe they okay to do.
But I don’t know. I cannot tell you to do or say white lie. Know, it’s it’s everything is the you need to, you know, think about it and what circumstances. But something like this happened in my life. That’s one problem because of what happened.
And when I was in Adelaide airport, was thinking, I hope I will not gonna get again this kind of problem. You know? But that’s a very, very simple here. Nobody was checking me. Just go digital.
Everything is you know? Because I have American passport. Everybody’s going that area. I thought, I’ll just check. Then maybe I’m going the same way.
Just go there. Nobody was asking me where is your visa or so and so. Nothing. Very, very simple. Just put passport inside the machine, take one picture, and this man say, you’re good to go.
That’s it. Immigration is finished. But the worst thing is the Adelaide airport is the baggage claiming is very, very bad. Only one. What do you call this?
Carry on. Yeah. Only one. Three airlines international. Singapore, I think one is Malaysia, one is the I don’t know.
Three. Only for one. That’s what you need to change. Okay? Anyway, immigration was very, very good.
I was so happy because of the what happened in America. I was thinking, oh my heaven. Again, I hope I will not gonna get any problem because there’s no stamp on my passport here. No paper. Nothing.
The visa was digital. You know, everything’s digital. So I asked Rich before I are you sure? Please. No, Geshe la.
Don’t worry. Just go. Just they they they have all your information. That’s it. Okay.
Going back to teaching now. Okay. Now, see, ethics are the foundation. Yes? So that’s the foundation.
And the real logic is that we need to exchange cherishing oneself and neglecting others. So I think how one can do this practice. What does mean that? How to exchange cherishing oneself and neglecting others? Exchange does not mean that, you know, other people are me.
Me is the other. Not like that. Or their nose, tongues, bodies are mine. My body’s nose, tongues are there. We are not talking about exchange, something like this.
This the just mentioned here is the two state of mind. Cherishing oneself, neglecting others. So that is needed to be exchanged now. In order to do this exchange, so then now this book is the perfect. The first verses And second one is the see determined to obtain the greatest possible benefit from all sentient beings who are more precious than a wish fulfilling jewel, I shall hold them most dear at all times.
And when in the company of others, I shall always consider myself the lowest of all and from the depths of my heart hold others dear and supreme. So these two verses are about the supremacy of others. Supremacy of others. That’s the meaning of these two verses.
So now, last week I also mentioned that without sentient beings, There’s no way we can able to attain enlightenment without sentient beings. Okay? So that’s why they now cherishing others. Cherishing others is one’s happiness. So if you are seeking happiness, then we need to cherish others.
But it does not mean that we shouldn’t be helping ourselves. Remember, don’t misunderstand. We need to do things for ourselves also, you know. Especially if you do have a big family, many, many friends, you know, we need to do things for ourself. So this is the point the last time I mentioned the there are two different desire attachment, good one and bad one.
So good one is the okay, you know. Good one, sometimes we need to help other friends and or friends and family. Sometimes we need to help ourselves. Some we need to take care of our body when you get sickness. But now here is the main thing is the cherishing only oneself.
Cherishing only oneself. That is the way we are talking about it. We are not saying you shouldn’t take care of yourself or family. Of course. Okay?
So this one is supposed to be need to be now exchanged. So when you cherish only oneself, then we neglect others. Now that’s needed to be exchanged. So why? Because of the cherishing oneself is the egocentric.
It’s ego centric mind. It is called self-cherishing. In Buddhist book, I think this maybe, I don’t know how many of you understand, it is called the selflessness. There are two different meditations one can do. selflessness of the person, selflessness of phenomena.
Because of the egoism or self grasping itself, there are two different Before that, maybe it is good to understand the full definition. Here is the grasping itself is the problem. Remember self-cherishing. The conceptual definition of grasping at self is self is the conceptual misapprehension of a truly existing self of either a person or a phenomena. So that’s a call grasping itself.
The conceptual misapprehension of a truly existing self, either person or a phenomena. So now, person in phenomena, person is the understandable, like a self grasping at self of a person. Phenomena is the other, belonging to the self, like my hands, my eyes, my legs, my book, my watch, my family, my this, my that. Beside the person, all other existences are considered as a phenomena here in this perspective. The conceptual misapprehension of a truly existent self.
That is grasping at self. There is no truly existent self. There is no truly existent phenomena, actually. Nothing. There’s no truly existent whatsoever.
Buddhist perspective. Why? Everything is dependent on other factors. Everything arises dependent on other factors. If there is a truly existent, self or phenomena, then I think the Buddhist view, which I mentioned in my first class, Buddhist view is dependent arising and emptiness, which is totally flawless.
See? Buddhism is the depending arising. Everything is depending arising. Its nature is emptiness. So now, here is the person and phenomena also does not exist truly, meaning inherently or naturally.
Why person and phenomena exist from its causes and conditions. Depends on other factors mean that. See? So this point is the Buddhism. When you say self, you know, or also the soul.
In Westerners, they say soul. And in India, Hindus, they say atma. After people die, they talk about the atma. Sometimes atma or soul seems to be in Buddhism is like a bardo, intermediate state, but it’s very different. Atma or soul just appears without causes and conditions.
From the Buddhist perspective, The Buddhist perspective self is not individual. Self or person is not independent. Okay? Self and person is not independent because self and person is dependent, opposite. So see.
So that’s why the now this particular teaching or meditation is little complicated. It It is all about the meditation. It’s called meditation on selflessness. Self is selflessness. Is selflessness means self empty of being independent.
Yes, self empty of being independent, self empty of being naturally existent, self empty of being truly existent. Self empty of being permanent. If you look at it this way, because the self is dependent, you know. So that’s why selflessness. selflessness of the person, if you say just a person, and now selflessness of phenomena.
Only a difference between selflessness of the person and selflessness of phenomena is the only the object is the different. One is the just the person is the object. Second one is the phenomena is the object. Otherwise, saying both this selflessness, you know, there’s not any difference for when you realize there’s not that much different for you know, one is the, what we call, the gross selflessness, one is the subtle selflessness according to the Mahāyāna’s perspective, you know. But object is different.
One is the person, one is the phenomena. So now, in order to give up or free one’s ego or grasping at the self, we need to meditate selflessness of the person. That’s what we need to meditate. Then one day we can be able to cut out grasping at self or ego. Yes.
Grasping at the self of a person, grasping at the self of a phenomena. Okay? Now, if you look at the beginning of my teachings, that Lo Jong. Lo Jong is the Mahāyāna training the mind, Mahāyāna teachings. So that’s now the if you do this practice, exchange self and others, then one day you can be able to develop this strong mind with very, very strong cherishing others.
Much as you develop cherishing others, that much as cherishing oneself would be, you know, disappears. But then now, only meditation on exchange of self and other is not enough to help you, so you need to meditate selflessness of the person also. Selflessness of the phenomena. Self does not exist truly. Only the self does exist truly because of the misapprehension.
Because of the ignorance of the mind. Otherwise, reality, self is totally selflessness. But this egotistic mind would say self does exist truly. That’s called mistaking mind. I know some of you may be little difficult because this is the little more complicated teaching, but it’s good to hear, isn’t it?
It’s good to hear. It’s very important. Otherwise, if you only want to hear very, very basic things, but this is already Mahāyāna teachings. So already Mahāyāna teachings. So now we are talking about how to generate bodhicitta.
See? That’s very high. How to generate bodhicitta. We cannot just generate bodhicitta, not understanding all these different techniques and tools. Also, not only just that, in order to really totally generate bodhicitta itself, you need to also practice the six paramitas, which I mentioned before.
Six perfections, which is very, very important. You need to understand exactly the meaning of the generosity. What does mean generosity? What does mean ethics or the morality? What does mean patience, what does mean effort, what does mean concentration, what does mean wisdom.
Generosity, morality, patience, effort. And concentration in wisdom. Six Paramitas, six perfections. See? Even the generosity, ordinary generosity, very easy to understand.
But now, that’s not enough in my perspective. If you do this practice of generosity, you need to do this practice of generosity associated with your views of emptiness also. See, now that goes more higher, more higher. See? Regularly, practice of generosity you know, there are different different, you know, practice of the generosity one can do.
Here is the dana. That’s what we call dana. Giving or generosity, a state of mind by which one seeks to give orders, wants wealth, virtues collected in the path, future, present. So that is called definition of the generosity. Now generosity or giving, giving material help, giving protection from fear, giving Dharma teachings.
That there are three different practice of generosity or giving one can do. Giving material help, money, the material things like clothes, shoes, water, food. People do that, you know, like you call charity. Here is the charity. That’s the first one, giving material help.
Giving protection from fear. Someone has a fear to death, so you can help them. There are many, many, many fears. Giving protection from fear. This one is the, again, of course, generally speaking, is the fearlessness, you know.
But of course, we do feel sometimes fear. But fear can be, generally speaking, fear can be balance. There are good fear and bad fear. Not everything is the black and white. There would be middle one.
There are good fears. Good fear would help you, protect you. Bad fear is nonsense. Because of this superstitious mind, sometimes we get these kind of fears. And people do feel all the time fears.
They’re scared. Scared to death, scared to lose their own wealth. There are many different fears like that. But this particular one is giving protection from fear. And giving Dharma teachings, which is the best one.
Dharma teaching is another giving practice. One of the best giving practice one can do. Dharma teachings. When I say Dharma teachings, you no need to sit on the throne to teach. No, absolutely not.
If you do know certain teachings, some good things, some positive things, something is the Dharma, you can just talk to your friends and family when they need it the most. That’s also Dharma teachings. See? But of course, before you do teach people, you need to learn yourself. First, you need to help yourself.
You cannot just go there and talk everything like that. No. First, you need to help yourself. First, you need you need to learn yourself, then go out there, then help people. That’s also considered as Dharma teachings, giving Dharma teachings, which is wonderful.
Buddha came in this world. Buddha taught many, many teachings to his students. After Buddha passed away, then all these great Indian masters taught the many, many teachings to their students. They passed away. Now their students also taught many, many teachings to their students.
Then many Indian masters came to Tibet. They taught the Buddhist teachings in Tibet. Then all these Indian masters passed away. Then now Tibetan masters taught the teachings to Tibetan people. Then now this previous Tibetan master passed away.
Then now next one, next one, then I received many teachings from my teacher. All my teachers are passed away, except his or her and the lama. See? Then now I’m sharing these teachings to you. One day you can share these teachings to your friends and family, or your own students.
See? So that is beautiful. I mean, you know, all this Buddha’s lineage is continuing. Teachings are not the just learn and just keep it yourself, only just the practice and use only yourself. Then again another selfish mind, even the teachings also.
Teachings are the you need to learn, you need to help yourself, also you need to help others. That’s the most important. If they didn’t want to listen, which is very different. But if you want to help others, so as much as you can, we need to help others. As I said, you no need to sit on your throne or have some big big house, many, many statues, many, many scriptures.
No. Just simple, you know, when you talk to people. In the United States, there are some people, you know, they come to the center, but they do not come to the center to listen to my advanced teachings. But they come only for the very basic teachings. But they like mostly just talk, socializing, you know, to socialize with them.
Sometimes one to one meet them and they have so many questions, like their own life stories. When to just listen to what they are saying, that’s a medicine for them. And if they want to hear something from you, you can just give them a piece of advice. That’s also good. Then giving them so many advanced teachings.
People do have different interests. Some people do want to learn many, many different advanced teachings. They can be able to learn those advanced teachings. Some people want to learn just basic Buddhist teachings. Some people just really want to meet Geshe la and talk to the Geshe la about some of the things that they couldn’t talk to others.
That’s also good for them. I mean, you know, everything is in people’s interest. Buddha never said, Everybody must learn my advanced teachings. No, Buddha didn’t say that. How?
It’s very difficult. All Buddha’s teachings are designed for everyone. Everyone. Everyone in this world. He already designed that.
Like a Chinese buffet. Think about that. Many, many different foods. Some foods are very, very simple foods. Some foods are so much rich foods.
There are many, many, many different foods. You can eat it which food you want to eat. Florida, near my center. Huge Chinese buffet. Unbelievable.
I would like to say eighty or ninety different foods. Unbelievable how they cook such a food. I mean, you know, when I was first time there, I was, you know, this food. You cannot eat everything in one time. You you need to go again and again there, you know.
So our center, after Sunday class, sometimes, you know, we need to book because many people go together to eat with the Geshe la. Sometimes we get thirty, forty people like that, you know. Huge. And they book room for us. And then, you know, eat together.
And and there’s one after that, I think that what happened, I think that buffet is closed or something. There’s one delicious dessert. I like it. Really. It is I don’t know what is the name.
Anyway, you know, don’t worry about that. It is okay. Delicious dessert. It’s made by little egg and something they mix, you know. Next time I will tell you if I remember, not now.
Anyway, point is that you can just learn whatever you feel to learn. You can just do it, something you can learn. That’s okay. We are not talking about the, oh, Geshe-la was giving so many this advanced teaching, oh, selflessness of the person’s selflessness of phenomena. But I am going to give you all these teachings because these are very relevant here with this book.
Remember, you are learning Mahāyāna teachings. It’s very important. Even though you may have difficult to understand or to learn these teachings, it’s okay. But at least now you are hearing something from me here, you know. So that’s going to be the we call karmic imprint.
Good. Karmic imprint. We need karmic imprint. We need teaching imprint. Very important.
So now maybe difficult to learn. Maybe someday, because of this imprint of the teachings about the all these selflessness things, the next time you can learn little bit, you know, more than today. The next time little bit like this way. As I said, I don’t know how much, you know, students are capable to learn and how much you are interested. I don’t know.
But teachings are the teaching. We cannot make teachings as excuse. Absolutely not. Teachings are the teachings you need to go through according to its order. Okay?
So that’s why today I’m giving you two very important lojongs. Main lojong is the exchange self and others. Also, I mentioned to you the self-cherishing is absolutely the nasty and negative. Because of the self-cherishing, it will arise all other mental afflictions. Cherishing others is the one’s happiness, which is that we all have been seeking that.
So if you are really seeking happiness, cherishing others. But then now, in order to develop cherishing others, you need to cut out cherishing oneself. In order to cut out cherishing oneself, so then now this is exactly here, you need to cut out grasping at the self. In order to cut out grasping at the self, then now self lessness comes. Here is the self grasping at the self of person, grasping at the self of phenomena, two different graspings.
So these are the we need to cut out. So that’s why we need to meditate selflessness of the person, selflessness of phenomena. So now see, all these are the one package here. Okay? Then now, if you cannot meditate selflessness, it’s very complicated for you now.
Okay. No problem. Now if I if I cannot meditate selflessness of the person, selflessness of phenomena, that means I cannot now cut out the self-cherishing. So if you’re worrying something like this, don’t worry. Maybe we can do a simple practice to cut out the self-cherishing.
Not totally, it is difficult without the selflessness of the without meditating selflessness of a person, but beginning small steps. What can you do this, you know, practice? So cherishing others. Now cherishing others, how can you practice cherishing others? So this point is the you can do the Tonglen practice.
Taking and giving practice. So see? Actually this will come next time. Taking and giving practice. Tong and Len.
Taking the you know, all the pain and suffering and negativities from the other, and give them all your positiveness, all your positive things to them. Taking and giving practice. So this is one thing you can do, which is very simple also, you know. But you don’t need to worry when you do this practice or because remember, we have this self centered mind, we may feel little worry. Oh, if I take people’s suffering and, you know, the pain, or I may be suffer.
See, that’s again, still we are holding ourselves very strongly. See, we must lose it. So this is the technique I’m giving you how to lose something that you are holding strongly, which is the self-cherishing. Even though I’m giving you this simple practice to cut out, the self-cherishing, Tonglen practices, you know. Although we are not really the you cannot just take people’s suffering and pain into you and give them all your good qualities.
You cannot just give them these things directly. But this is the mentally we are practicing. So much as you do this practice, that much as this will develop more cherishing others. Even in order to do this Tonglen practice, it’s very, very important to understand how important other sentient beings are. How important other sentient beings are in your life.
So it’s your family life. Remember depending arising? Remember that I mentioned you the farmer. Without farmer, we cannot eat. Simple way I was giving you.
Simple. Very basic way. Without farmer, we cannot eat vegetables, no tomatoes, nothing. Farmer is very important in our life. Without this manufacturing, what can we wear?
See? How simple just go to the malls and shopping centers to buy things. Otherwise, if you need to make these things, you need so many different, different materials in order to build one simple one, isn’t it? So those people who create all these things, how important in our life. If you look at that perspective, that simple perspective.
Why our family parents are that much important for us? Because they are our parents. They brought us in this world because they are our parents. Why your friends are that much important for you? Because your friends make you happy.
Your family make you happy. If you look at this wider side, so this point is the one way or another, all sentient beings help us. Remember I gave you this before, the one meditations. There are three people, three groups of the people. One is the closer friends family, second one is the stranger, third one is the enemies.
But that’s what we consider something like these three different projections. But if you look at it very carefully, all these three groups of people did the same, and they help us. Same thing, same as this lifetime, closer friends and family help us. That’s not different from that. This point is the really kindness of other sentient beings is very, very important.
You know? So this is the that’s why this book give you beginning, the other sentient beings are more than just finding a wish-fulfilling jewel means something like this. This. But then now, how can we start? We need to start, as I said this before, first from our neighbor, you know, or someone is near you.
We need to start developing this kindness from them first. This way we need to start. Then someday you can be able to really do Tonglen practice well also. And you’ll really like to do this Tonglen, taking and giving practice. So then, of course, exchange self and others.
Then eventually you may interested to meditate selflessness. That’s the last one you need to do. Of course, you can do this in beginning. What I was saying is, someone is not interested right away to meditate selflessness, that perspective I’m giving you the baby step way that I was giving you. Something like that.
Of course, if you are interested in beginning to do this selflessness meditation, of course you can do that, you know. Nobody is telling you not to do. It’s your own interest. That’s my point. It’s very, very powerful selflessness.
Actually, it’s okay. After this break, I will give you a simple meditation. Then you will find it a very strange feeling. Okay, now break ten minutes please. Three types of the morality.
Morality of abstention from misbehavior or negativities, morality of integration of virtues, morality of working for the welfare of other sentient beings. So Tibetan we call So that’s Tibetan we call morality of working for the welfare of the sentient beings. It is easy to understand morality of abstention from misbehavior, so ten non virtuous actions. You know? Try to protect from ten non virtuous actions.
Morality of integration of virtues. So that’s a more we need to do more the meditation and virtues, integration of virtues. Morality of working for the welfare of other sentient beings, you know. Now patience, tolerance, forbearance, these are the similar. State of mind which bears the disturbance or upset of sufferings and harm, that is the definition of the patience.
Repeat, state of mind which bears the disturbance or upset of sufferings and harm. Three types of the patience. Patience of not retaliating, not taking revenge, patience of willingly enduring suffering, and patience of discriminative awareness of the dharma. These are the three different patience. Now, virtuous effort.
That’s called effort. Actually, virtuous effort. The attitude with which one take pleasure in existing great effort in performing virtuous actions. Mostly the performing virtuous actions. Armor like effort, joyful effort in virtuous conduct, effort for the welfare of sentient beings.
Now concentration or meditative concentration, same thing. A state of mind in which one is able to focus his attention single pointedly on any suitable virtuous object without wandering. Three types of concentration, concentration for gaining physical and mental pleasure, concentration for gaining higher qualities and concentration for the welfare of sentient beings. Now, wisdom, discriminative awareness that understands what is to be cultivated and what is to be abandoned or discarded. Three types of wisdom.
Wisdom understanding conventional phenomena, wisdom understanding ultimate phenomena, and wisdom understanding the welfare of sentient beings. So, are the three wisdoms. So, now six paramitas, you know, of course, this can be teach the more details, but we have no time for that. But in in the least now, you have the six paramitas. Now meditation that I was talking about the before, the part of the actually wisdom.
Part of the wisdom, also the wisdom understanding the ultimate reality or ultimate phenomena, not only just the conventional phenomena. So that is now the I will give you little how to meditate. You no need to go very far away. Object just select the yourself, you know, just yourself, which is we call I or me. I.
So now just concentrate on the I. Try to search the I. Just find out the I. What is the I? Where is the I?
Check it out. Is my hand the I, or my legs the I, or my eyes the I, or my nose the I, or my mouth the I, or my entire body the I, check it out. When you do that or even though you can check it out inside also. My heart is the I or my lungs are the I or my, you know, all other organs are the I. Check it out.
When you do check like that, you will not gonna find the I. That one is still very, very interesting now, isn’t it? Then why we call I, let’s say, Geschela. When people call me Geschela, immediately I say, hello, like this. I am Geshe-la.
See? But then when I check Geschela, where is the Geshe-la? I did not find the Geshe-la. Absolutely not. You wouldn’t find yourself.
You know why we are really reacting so much? I I and me me me. When you search the I, you couldn’t find it. Actually, you won’t find it. No.
So that’s a very, very, you know, interesting things. I mean, problem is the lack of understanding the really, what does mean I. That’s a problem. Problem is the, you know, this self-cherishing mind or grasping at the self. These are the problem.
Otherwise but then now other hand, when you search the eye, you won’t find the eye. Yes? But then you cannot say I does not exist. Then it’s crazy. Or Geshe-la does not exist.
Geshe-la is sitting on the throne. How can you say does not exist? That’s another problem. But now if when you say does exist, then where is the? What is the?
Geshe-la? You cannot find it. So then now, there are many things like that in Buddhism. So this tendency, I will I will say, Geshe-la just exists as a nominal convention, just nominal, you know, just nominal convention. That’s it.
When I finish my Geshe examination, my monastery at Ganden, now you are Geshe, name or title. That’s it. No more than that. But but then for us, we do grasp more than just nominal, more than more than just title or a name, something that Geshe la truly existent. So that’s why the so much pride, so much ego, so much this I I and me, me, me.
Until you meditate, until you search the, you know, oneself on one’s body or wherever is it. Then when you couldn’t find it, then now, oh, would be big question mark. That’s called Buddhism just nominal convention. Just just that’s this one is meditation. Very, very important to do.
Okay? So go back to your house. Try to search yourself. So this is your homework. Find it.
If you find it yourself, let me know next time. I will going to be brought down, then I want to find myself also. I couldn’t find it. I couldn’t find it. Please teach me how to find myself.
That’s your homework tonight. Okay? Any questions? Go. Anyone?
A strange question, but you you said to us that the Buddhas, they can’t enlighten us. They can only show us the way. And There are countless Buddhas. So what is the enlightened activity of the Buddhas? Can’t if they if they can’t enlighten us and they’re showing us the way, how do they do this?
Okay. When you say they can’t enlighten us, what exactly does mean that? They they can’t do it for us. They can show us. Oh, okay.
Yes. That’s good. That that then now good. Sometimes when you say they can’t enlighten us, you know, it that’s a very tricky sometimes. You know?
So now for us, they can enlighten. They can atent, you know, enlighten enlighten for us. They cannot. They cannot practice for us. For instance, they cannot practice for us to free from suffering.
Only the Buddha can show us how to attain the enlightenment. I will that actually, that’s a good one. Actually, good question. It’s good for everyone. Yeah.
One minute. You bought me this one, and I will come to read it. Something here is maybe this will help you also if I find it. If I next time, I need to buy one, this marker. You know?
What color is it? Yellow. Something yellow or something. Yes. I hope I can somewhere here.
This Geshe mentioned in his book, very beautiful. I don’t think I can find it now. No. It’s not. Anyway, yes.
The Buddha said the I I did say this before, but not not this book. Actually, what Buddha said in his sūtra, I cannot cure the people suffering just touching them. Touching them. Also, I cannot transfer my realization to them. I cannot give them, like, you know, give them water or tea like that.
Only if you practice the Dharma yourself will it empower you. Only the if you do practice the Buddha’s teachings, then you can able to free from from from the saṃsāra by yourself. So this point is the also Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism used to say the you are your own teacher. You you you can be your own enemies. So that mean if everything is the responsibility, is the individual needed to be take responsibility.
Reason why this Buddha was saying this one is because of the karma. karma is the individual. I cannot just my let’s say, my karma cannot share with you. Your karma cannot share with me whether it is a negative karma or the positive karma. Your karma, whether negative or positive, it’s your you are the one who accumulate it.
I did not. So that mean result bad or a good result would be only comes to you, not me. For instance, if I I shouldn’t say I is very bad because of the Geshe, you know, Geshe cannot kill people. If someone let’s say, the John kills commit the crime, but he he is the one who going to get the results, not the Mary, because Mary did not kill the people. Mary did not crime the people.
John did it. So same thing, Mary accumulated, Mary did so many charity, so many practice of generosity like that, that result Mary would be get the positive results, not the John. Do you understand what I am talking here? Similar like that karma is like this, karma is totally individual. So, that point is the Buddha wish, Bodhisattva wish they wanted to really us to to bring us to the enlightenment, you know, even though pulling, you know, up to the enlightenment, but they wish that.
But they cannot. They cannot do that. If sentient beings are suffering, if sentient beings are pain, they are the one who need to understand the all this conception of how to free from suffering any pain because they are the one who accumulate it. They are the one who cause pain and suffering. Buddha did not.
Buddha was when he first and Buddha was went through pain and suffering. He understood that pain and suffering. That’s why he was they call he was very much thinker even when he was very young. He was thinking so much. So that’s why the he saw so many unfortunate, you know, things around the cities, town.
So that’s why the he thought and after he’s seeing the one monk, so that’s his own whole. Okay. That’s I supposed to be need to do. Becoming a monk is the best thing to do. So at this point is the Buddha went to to the remote area and became monk.
That since then he meditate, he meditate, he understood the pain and suffering is the I am the one who need to free pain and suffering. In order to do so, I need to meditate myself. Nobody can help me to free from suffering any pain. So if we do talking about the suffering of others and giving them your happiness. That’s really training your mind, isn’t it?
Yeah. You’re actually doing that. No. No. You’re not actually doing that.
However, the it’s depending what motivation you do. It’s depending what, you know, the purpose you do this Tonglen practice. Tonglen practice also need in order to do Tonglen practice properly, you need many different other tools also. Motivation is very, very important, and the actual action is very important, which is doing that. Then finally, the conclusion is very important.
So when you do this practice, even though you are not directly taking their suffering, but you can bless them less also. That’s another thing. You can you can bless them, which is good also, you know. So there would be some people may have good karmic connection with you, you know, the Tonglen practice. If they do that, then you could help others.
It’s dependent their karma and your karma also. See? See? But let’s say some people do have already a karma connection with you for the Tonglen practice. Now you couldn’t do Tonglen practice for many, many years, Now these people are waiting for you to do down and practice.
But when you do it, they have the karma, now they met the condition that your Tonglen practice, so then now they can be cured. Do you understand now? So these are the karma is very complicated, but let I did say this before. Connection. We had it for many, many, many life or thousand years to get tissues from the or me to teach you for both of us.
But then I I you know, this karma couldn’t give rest the results, both of us, until I came here. That’s my condition. Also, it’s too quite many, many months. Remember? So so but, anyway, some point, I came here.
Now I’m then you students came here. We met two strangers, but now we became friend, spiritual friend. Without having karma, we cannot meet here. See? Because karma order to reap the karma, you need condition.
It’s very important. Without condition, karma cannot give rise to results. So that’s why the Buddha cannot help us to cure just touching his hand on our, you know, head. But, of course, he can bless. Lama drew put hand like this.
They are giving a blessing. They are not curing us. You know? Okay? Please go.
Yeah. Thank you. Yet I’ve been thinking a bit about verse two Mhmm. Verses. When of people world.
I think that’s amongst all. Mhmm. But I think that ultimately because because of the selflessness that you’re describing, is this this person designed to be a technique for eliminating the self by sort of reducing it in in relation to others? Because on the other on the other hand, we talk about the equalizing of self and others. And obviously, it is important to look after yourself to the point where you’re able to practice.
Was wondering if you could Yes. Actually, I give you more about this particular verse in next week. But this is the mainly the the you are talking about the whatever whatever I am in the company of others, my regard myself in inferior to all and from the depths of my heart cherish others as a supreme. This one is the mainly the tool, reduce the pride. Main thing is the pride, you know.
Pride is the big problem, prideful mind. So mainly the but there are other things also we need to talk about about that. I know this this kind of words are here in the west. It is difficult sometimes. Oh, I should be lower.
We are not talking about the lower and and and inferior or superior or something like that. The something that you should be downcasting yourself. We are not talking about like that, absolutely not. This one is the main lead to eliminate pride. We all the time do have such a pride, I’m very much richer than you.
We put other people. We downcast other. We feel like a supreme. We are bigger or higher than those people. Why we do that?
Because on the cherishing one our self very strongly. That is called grasping itself, see, very strongly. So these are the way are talking here is the those kind of a, you know, we should be lower our self mean we must put all sentient beings are higher. They are better than I am, you know, mentally. But it does not mean that the sometimes, you know, some sentient beings may harm you, some sentient beings may manipulate to you.
That point you must be ready to, you know, to deal the things with peacefully. Thus you need to do. This lowering does not mean that whatever people want, when people downcast you, when people really try to harm you or just be patient, I am lower than them, they they are, you know, higher than me. We are not talking something like that. That is a very stupid thing to do.
Nobody can do that. I mean, you know. But here is the we are talking about the this prideful mind supposed to be lowering. That’s we are talking here. Giving other as higher position.
This practice can be done many different ways. Simple one is the let us say, Adelaide, you have so many public transport, which is we don’t have in Florida, which is I mentioned. You have buses here. I saw some train on the cities. When you are in in the train or buses, someone is older people or pregnant woman or someone is disabled, when you see them, just stand up.
Please, sir, have my seat. That’s see, now you are helping them. You are lowering yourself. You are giving them your seat. You are saying they are the most important in my life.
You are, you know, eliminating your own pride. You are of course, I’m just saying pregnant woman or older people, you can do this any people, generally speaking. But with the average people, difficult to do same age, you know, who who gonna give them seat. They are strong young men. Of course, you can do that.
But what I’m saying is that mostly the I mean, you know, people who are pregnant or sick people, someone is disabled or older, you know, men and women, just stand up. Please, ma’am, come and sit here, you know, like that. That’s also beautiful. I mean, you know, little although not so very, very great practice if you compare practice if you compare with the other one, but means you eliminate your pride. You’re giving them the this, you know, seat, which is beautiful.
Or someone is sometimes people rush, you know, to enter the train and buses like this. Let them go. Of course, I do this all the time. When friend landed, people are everybody bang bang bang. I’m saying, oh my heaven, you know.
Even I’m in the front seat, I just wait there until everyone goes. Go. Go. Go. Just wait there.
Say some mantras. Where where we need to go? We need to go immigration and what do you call that? This baggage claiming. Adelaide takes almost more than hour there.
Then what? Everybody’s there. What can you do? And everybody rushes, you know. So I’m saying, please go.
You know, some people wait with their tone. I’m like, go. I mean, let them go. Just sit down there and and do your mantra, and you can help also. Sometimes people some people do have legs problem.
Just help them. Let them go. So that’s also help us to really very simple one, also beautiful. You are eliminating your pride. You are also giving little help to others.
But I will give you more of this next week. Okay? Thank you. Yeah. Now dedication.
Some people may need to drive far away. Today, we are going to do dedication from page one twenty, please. One twenty. Lord Buddha, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
There is a injury, pardon. There is a discord, unity. There is a 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, granted I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to bring happiness as to seek happiness. 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 dying having practice that we are born to enter life, from happiness to happiness up to full enlightenment. May all beings effortlessly attain transcendent, blissful state of omniscience. Thank you very much.