Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 94-minute session, Geshe Kyab teaches Langri Tangpa’s Eight Verses of Mind Training, a classic Buddhist text on transforming habitual negative patterns through compassion and equanimity. He works through the final verses on offering victory to others, regarding those who harm us as spiritual teachers, the Tonglen practice of giving and taking suffering, and liberation from the eight worldly concerns—gain and loss, reputation and disgrace, praise and blame, pleasure and pain. Throughout, Geshe Kyab emphasizes that these are not passive practices but active mental training: offering victory does not mean blind acceptance of harm, but protecting one’s own mind through love rather than anger; regarding a harmful person as a teacher means practising patience and forgiveness to transform oneself. He illustrates Tonglen through practical examples—a doctor manifesting many versions of herself to treat different patients, a chef cooking for the hungry—showing how to generate positive intention within meditation. He stresses that mental stability through calm abiding meditation must precede insight, and that renouncing worldly concerns is essential to balanced, virtuous practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: The Eight Verses of Thought Transformation 2016 11 10.mp3
UUID: f7cca6bb-1d78-4297-b738-49aa42e32418
Teacher: Geshe Kyab
Collection: Geshe Kyab Eight Verses Thought (Geshe Kyab)
Date: 2016-11-10
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 93.9 minutes
Words: ~9,768
Good evening everyone. Good evening. Please check the gold book, page number thirty four. I go for refuge and enlightenment to the Buddha and Dharma, Supreme assembly, or the practice of giving other perfections may I become a Buddha benefit all sentient beings. May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May all sentient beings be free from suffering and 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, hatred for enemies. Sevenfold prayer. Reverently, I prostrate with my body, speech, and mind.
I present clouds of every type of offering actually arising. I declare all my own negative actions accumulated since beginningless time. Rejoice in the merit of all wholly ordinary beings. Please remain until the end of cyclic existence. Turn the wheel of Dharma for living beings, I dedicate all my own merits and those of others.
Short mandala offering. Now there is a mantra, Avalokiteśvara mantra. Thank you. In this book, gold book, we just read it in daily prayer. So in here is the page number thirty five, seven limb prayers, which is the seven limb practice in the Yenlak Dunba.
It’s one beautiful package of the practice that one can do. Actually, you know, starting from the daily practice, then seven limb prayer, then mandala, then dedication, just two pages. Seven limb. These are the prostration. First thing is prostration.
Offering. Prostration, offering. Shakpa, confession. Then the rejoicing, then requesting supplication, and dedication. You know, you can do this practice full day.
Prostration, you can do prostration as many as possible, you know. In India, many lay people, lay Tibetan, and so the monks and nuns, they do this prostration going to Bodh Gaya. So they do prostration millions sometimes, three million, four million times like that. Almost, you know, two, three months, because prostration is not only good for the physical body. Main thing is the prostration is that you are going down, you know, really bowing down full of your body, mainly the prostration will cut out the pride.
Then also, you know, accumulating great merits. In Buddhist perspective, merits are very, very important. So that’s why prostration, you know, there are many, many meanings. But, of course, this is not my today’s teaching, but I thought maybe it’s good to know. And many people ask me, Geshe-la, I like to do some practice daily base.
So here, this one, the seven limb. So prostration, you can do prostration, short one and a long one. You can also do next one is the offering. Do water bowl in offerings, food offering, flower offering, so, you know, decorate for the house. Do this beautifully, all these offering things.
The next one is confession, which is also we call purification. You need to confess past negative, you know, karma or sin, confessed. Confession is very important. In Buddhism, I did say this before, because of this monkey mind, we already built so many bad habit and tendencies. Because of that, sometimes, you know, people do make mistakes, you know.
So then that mean you accumulated negative karma. So this purification or confession help us to clean, to purify the past wrongdoing things. It’s beautiful. But if you don’t purify the past negative karma or negative actions, then this going to be, you know, sits there within your mental state, and this could become sometimes it’s multiply, and it becomes more thicker and thicker multiply. Then sometimes it’s very difficult to do this purification practice.
Although if you really wanted to do purification, there are very, very nice in the Lama Tsongkhapa’s Lam Rim, I think second book or third book, they give you beautifully, I mean, you know, thirty five Buddhas purification practice, of course, Vajrasattva’s mantra, then I think Suvarnaprabhasa Sūtra or Golden Light Sūtra, you can say those things. It’s beautiful. And also the topa, the four topa, there are also the four forces of purification you can do also. See? There are opportunity, you know, to control this monkey mind.
There are many opportunities. So everything is in people’s interest, you know, how much you want to do this practice. So what I try to say is this particular seven limb practice is so beautiful. Now offering comes in purification, then purify negative karma daily base. Also come to the Buddha house every month.
We do here last Wednesday of the month. So this month is going to be the twenty fourth, I think. Yeah. Twenty fourth. So say, come here also.
You can also do this, you know, in your home or flats or or wherever you live. Ask one of the Buddha House members, especially the SPC, get these prayers and make a copy and bring back an original one to the center. I mean, you know, it’s nice thing to do. I mean, little little not so many many hours, maybe short period of time. Then now purification, then now next rejoicing.
You are rejoicing not only just rejoicing once on, you know, on virtue, also you are rejoicing others’ virtue also. Then requesting is you are requesting all the teachers and the lamas and the buddhas to stay with us. Supplication is similar as, you know, we are really praying the lamas, higher lamas as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, your own teacher, all the, you know, good lamas live long life and, you know, good health. We are praying supplication.
Then finally, the number seven going to be dedication. All your virtues dedicate to benefit for all other sentient beings, not only just dedicating one’s own family and oneself. When you dedicate all, you already dedicated this virtue to your friends and your family and yourself because you are a sentient being. So you no need to really raise motivation when you dedicate, oh, first of all, I want to dedicate this to my mother or my husband or wife or children. You no need to do that.
It’s okay to do, But what I’m saying is that if you dedicate to all sentient beings, that mean then your mother is also, you know, included, your father, brother, sister, children, yourself, everyone there. So that becomes more powerful dedication than just dedicating one one specific one person. You know? Also, we can do if you want to dedicate your virtue to your mother, you can say, my mother and all other sentient beings, or you can do that. Also, you know, your motivation.
So I said, how beautiful seven limb this, you know, practice Yenlak Dunba. Okay? So just I’m just giving you, you know, when I was reading, I thought maybe it’s good to also sometimes, you know, express. Okay, the actual teaching is the Eight Verses of Thought Transformation or Eight Verses of Mind Training Teachings by Geshe Langri Tangpa. I think today we are finishing this one, and next week on Thursday are going to be the seven point mind training.
Yes. Now the number five. When out of envy, others mistreat me with abuse, insult, or the like, I shall accept defeat and offer the victory to others. Then number six, verse number six, when someone whom I have benefited and in whom I have great hopes give me terrible harm, I shall regard that person as my holy guru. In short, both directly and indirectly do I offer every happiness and benefit to all my mothers, I shall secretly take upon myself all their harmful actions and suffering, which is now about the Tonglen practice, taking and giving practice.
That’s what we are talking about. Then last one is undefiled by the stains of the superstitions of the eight worldly concerns, may I by perceiving all phenomena as illusory be released from the bondage of attachment. So that’s the eight verses of mind training. So this first chapter number, I think, yeah, seven, offering the victory. Verse number seven is the offering the victory to others.
Eight is our teacher, those people, you know, who really help them, but then sometimes, you know, instead really thanking you from their side some kind of harmfulness. So that perspective, if you look at that, those people consider as your teacher because you can able to practice patience and tolerance and forgiveness. Because of their act, their attitude, you can be able to practice patience great opportunity. So that perspective you can, you know, think about those people as your teacher. So it’s not easy, but, you know, number nine is giving and taking, you know, which is.
Then number ten, true freedom. Actually, verse number eight is the true freedom in this point. Okay? Five, six, seven, eight. Number eight is yes.
Number eight okay. Now here. My verses in this one is a little bit, you know, different, but it’s okay. The meaning is all these are same. I will check in this book.
Yeah. Number three is dealing with four. Number five. Yeah, six. Treasure trove.
Chapter number six, Treasure trove in this book. Number see, everything is one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Hope these are everything is here. When someone out of envy someone does me wrong. Okay.
Same. Yes. That one is the offering the victory. Same translation. I will check first.
Different different translation. Number six verse number six. When someone whom I have benefit so here is even if someone whom I have helped yeah. Our teachers, you know, that’s I think we are okay. Then the number seven verse number seven, in short, both indirectly and indirectly, here is in brief, directly and indirectly, same thing, which is the giving and taking meditation.
Okay. Then the last one is the chapter number eight, is the true freedom. Yes. True freedom, is the free from the worldly concerns, which is the great renunciation practice one can do. So now look at the back.
Giving victory. First of I went out of the in certain there are, you know, so many of these, how I say, mental afflictions, actually. Unbelievable kind of mental afflictions. Even though practitioner, you know, good practitioner, great practitioner, sometimes because of this monkey mind, lose our mind. This happens because there are so many mental afflictions.
Maybe I will give you some of these. I just translated here. It’s good to know. It’s called the six root delusions. Delusions, mental afflictions or emotions.
I think different translation. Here they are translated delusions. Six root delusions like desire or attachment, hatred, pride, ignorance, doubt, and wrong view. So these are the six root delusions or mental afflictions. Then also, you know, book give you there would be twenty secondary afflictions or delusions.
One is anger, malice, then concealment, outrage, jealousy, miserliness, deceit, dishonesty, haughtiness, harmfulness, non-embarrassment, and non consideration, lack of faith, laziness, non conscientiousness, forgetfulness, non introspection, non introspection, dullness, agitation, wandering. So there are twenty secondary afflictions. Now if you look at these six roots, delusions, and the twenty secondary delusions or afflictions. But these are not everything yet. There are eighty four thousand mental afflictions, but these are just, you know, few they put it together.
But now look at all of this. Now check here. All of these things are difficult, isn’t it? Especially the jealousy is very easy. Pride is very easy.
Of course, anger and desires are like a cup of tea, you know. Then, of course, the most the problem main problem is the ignorance. That’s a fundamental confusion, I think. Then now all these different different different afflictions arises. So because of that, sometimes when we think that we are practicing, I think we need to check very carefully our own mental state.
Where is my mind? Is my mind in right place, positive side, or is my mind negative side? So that’s very important, you know, because that’s why the mental alertness is very important to alert. Vigilantly, very important. Awareness is very important.
In Buddhism, everything is the mind power. Mind has everything. Mind projections, everything’s good or bad, everything’s from the mind. But many times that the normal, you know, perspective, we just blame somebody else outside there. We think problem is them, not you.
See? Because of we denying things very easily, you know, even though we do make some mistakes, but we denying things very easily. Why? Because of all of these mental afflictions, the main thing is the ignorance. We ignore them.
It’s very easy, isn’t it? But Buddhism is saying, there’s example. Before you point finger to other, saying, just back and put it here. I think that’s very good, isn’t it? Not like this.
That’s, you know, think inside first here, not there first. See, I think that’s very smart. It’s very true also. You know? But we don’t many people don’t do that because of the prideful mind.
Oh, no. I’m good. You know? So that’s why sometimes the vigilant is very important. Awareness, mental alertness.
So these are we need to really alert oneself, to spy one’s mind. Okay? Before you point to somebody else. So let’s say I’m you don’t need to record this one, what I’m going to say. Let’s say yesterday, if there is a remedy when trouble strikes, I give you this last time.
What reason is there for despondency? And if there is no help for it, what use is there in being sad? That’s perfect. Many times, average people, we panic, sad, worry, and concern, but then we are not thinking properly how to solve this problem. Before we think such a thing like that, we’re already somewhere else.
You know, it’s miserable. So this particular, you know, verse was saying, of course, I mean, you know, many bad things happens in because we are living in the saṃsāra. So this particular one is saying something like that happen in your life when things fall apart, saying don’t panic first. First, think very carefully, find the solutions. Search the solutions.
There must be many, many solutions that you would find, then you can able to solve the problems. That’s it. Then now next two lines are and if there is no help for it. After searching the solutions, you couldn’t find the solutions. Then now this next one is if and if there’s no help for it, what use is there in being sad?
That’s true. You try. Try to solve the problem. Try try to find the solutions. You couldn’t find you’re okay now.
You couldn’t you couldn’t find it. But then now, you know, saying, move on. Get over it. So move on. Get over it.
Let go. So that’s particularly, you know, which is very true. Otherwise, just, you know, getting angry and sad, what is the worth it? Things are things wouldn’t change. But which is similar as nowadays.
Nowadays mean just happening. So many people are demonstrating now. I don’t know. It’s very bad things happening. This is first time in the history.
I really didn’t want to those mostly the young college students. You know? I didn’t want them to get some hurt. It’s terrible. It’s very sad.
All these young stars are now. You know? So but now he became president. We must be open up, accountable. Must be hope.
Hope is very important. Who knows? Maybe, you know, he may do good things. But only we all scare and very discomfortable because of what he was saying things from his mouth. Maybe he wouldn’t do everything what he said.
I don’t know. That part is very scary, isn’t it? Especially for the woman and and the those South American people, it’s totally very scary. All this kind of his words that comes from his mouth. Maybe he was just saying that.
Maybe he wouldn’t do that. Anyway, just open up. You know? Everything’s finished. So that’s why the giving victory is very important.
So, you know, also, we do every time these prayers, the four immeasurables. May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness. May all sentient beings free from suffering and causes of suffering. So that mean Donald Trump is also a sentient being, so he must be included here. We need to pray for him also.
You know? Of course, in short period of time, we lose our mind. But after all, you know, he is also a sentient being, so are there are many other dictators in this world. They are also sentient beings. So which is His Holiness the Dalai Lama all the time saying he’ll never really get angry towards Chairman Mao Zedong.
You know? So, otherwise, Mao Zedong was the one who really destroyed Tibet. Anyway, if you look at, you know, all this practice, mind training, you know, teachings and practice, I think it’s beautiful, wonderful. So that’s why this one is called the mind training teachings. We need to train our mind.
When we need to train, things like that happened. When your mind is really becoming more crazy, so then now we need to train our mind. Although to train our mind, but regularly when you are good and good mood, we need to practice continually. So then now things like that happen is much easier. You know?
Then now look at some people still, you know, holding that continually such a very strong and this, you know, anger, hatred now. That’s not good. It’s not gonna help. See? Because of the lack of mind training.
So give victory, and then that’s one practice we all need to do. Not only what happened in the United States election. Generally speaking, offering the victory is very important. Otherwise, you are just arguing with the people there. You know?
It never gonna end. Think about let’s say you are very, you know, difficult situation with someone else. Whatever the situation is, you know, whatever it is. But then now if you sit there and continually arguing and whatever you do, if you think very carefully, this will not gonna help you. Maybe you may able to defeat that person negatively, but then eventually, you are the one who really lost it.
You are the one who really lost it because you really lost it because of you lost your virtue. You lost your merits. You instead, the accumulating merits, you are accumulating more negative karma. I think person who, you know, was giving victory to you, he or she really won it. Yes.
There are two things happening here. Better to give victory to others. But we are not talking about giving victory to others like blindly without thinking or without any, you know, understanding or the person is really try to physically try to harm you or let him harm, I’m giving him victory. No. That’s we are not talking about it.
Generally, you know, giving victory is very important, but not that kind of victory. I’m not talking about it. Okay? So otherwise, what is the difference? What is the difference?
You practice Buddha Dharma. That person is not practicing Buddha Dharma, but now you are acting same as like a that person. What is the difference? Learning all these beautiful mind training teachings. You must be different than that person.
See? Then when you after you come back and think about, you will feel very good because, okay, I did something right today. You know? I give him victory. See?
So think about this this, you know, this particular verse is very important. Otherwise, sitting there and, you know, arguing things. The next one is which we already read it. The teacher, our teacher. You know, sometimes things like this happen.
Even if someone whom I have helped and in whom I have placed my hopes does great wrong by harming me, may I see them as an excellent spiritual friend. Totally the opposite, isn’t it? This is particularly talking about the love. It’s totally you are loving to that, you know, his or her harmfulness. You’re loving them, not really acting the same as that person.
You are loving them. Yeah. You’re loving love for the anger, love for the ego, love for his, you know, old evil mind. So that’s why you’re applying that, which is very, very beautiful. So that’s why the love is very important.
Yes. If you really want to defeat people, defeat, you know, applying the love, then be defeating them by anger, I think. But if you don’t practice, if you don’t know how to defeat by love, then, of course, difficult. So that’s why you need to train it. You need training, mind training.
Love is the only solutions. There’s nothing else. Nothing else. Sometimes with the normal people, we think the anger is the solution almost like, you know, anger is really helping us, supporting us because we get angry like this. Little little thing just, you know, upsetting, getting angry.
In deep down side of the mind, we believe the anger has some positiveness, almost like that. After all, anger is totally negative. But it’s just, you know, human mind. You know, sometimes it’s I don’t know how to say. It’s very weird kind of, you know, this pops up just like this.
Main problem is the tendency and habit. Absolutely. Yes. That’s habit and tendency. So that’s why we must need to build more positive habit and tendency to defeat those bad tendencies and habit, I think.
Only one great practice can able to defeat all these bad habit and and, you know, these bad tendencies, understanding the disadvantage of anger, advantage of patience and love and tolerance and forgiveness. That’s you need to understand, disadvantage of anger. Anger has no really advantage, totally. But then patience, tolerance, forgiveness do have advantage. Disadvantage of anger, advantage of patience, and tolerance, forgiveness.
These are try to you need to wear these weapons, daily base, patience, tolerance, forgiveness. These weapons are much much more powerful weapon than atom bomb, I would like to say. Yes. This you need to wear daily base. So so that this point is now our teacher.
So see, think about those people are your spiritual friend or teacher. Then now the giving and taking. Number seven, in brief, directly or indirectly, may I give all help and joy to my mothers and may I take all their harm and pain secretly upon myself. So this one is the Tonglen practice and sometimes many people confuse with this practice. Some people may say, oh, okay.
I can do some people it depends on people’s thought, actually. You know? Some people say, oh, Geshe-la, this practice is very difficult. I say, why? Because if I give all my good qualities and virtues to others, they literally think there’s something that they really, you know, can give them everything.
Oh, then I will be empty. That’s people think. Some people think when I take people’s people’s, you know, sentient beings suffering into me, I may be, you know, suffer a lot. I will I may be suffer more than before. Almost like they are thinking they are literally, really, you know, taking suffering from the people, so is the pain.
This is nothing like that. Nobody can take anyone suffering into you or nobody can give really directly all this, you know, your own goodness. But this one is the mental how I say, exercising. Mentally, you know, raising wonderful motivation. And also, then you do this Tonglen practicing, giving, you know, all your virtues and goodness to mother sentient beings, and you are taking their suffering and pain into you.
See? But this one practices many different ways you can do. Many, many different ways. You can do this practice just meditating, you know, because when you do this practice like this mentally, you know, so there’s some kind of positiveness as you are building inside. Also, you will get so much blessings from, you know, Buddha, Dharma, and the Sangha also.
So it’s different from the people. Blessings also. Then now another way, if you wish to do this practice, this is just, you know, I’m giving you example. You can if you’re a nurse or a doctor, let’s say, if you’re a nurse and a doctor, or if you’re a chef let’s say if you’re a nurse and a doctor, you want to do this practice, but then you can just meditate and try to manifest huge field. Inside of that field, there are so many sick people, many different kind of disease.
Now you are just one doctor and one nurse. It’s very difficult to cover all of these sick people, isn’t it? Some people may have heart problems, some people may have kidney problem, some people may have lungs problem, but you are just one doctor and you may able to treat sudden, you know, illness, but maybe you cannot treat other sicknesses because that’s not your specialist. You know? But then now what you need to do, you can able to manifest many many many as yourself and many different doctors.
Then now help those sick people which are in the field. Help them. See, then if you’re a nurse, same thing. Manifest. Many, many nurses manifest and help.
That mean this is the perfect, you know, you are taking people’s suffering, you are giving something there. Also, some kind of activities, not only just meditating, you know, giving all your goodness to sentient beings as a, you know, white sort of, you know, color, then now you are taking their suffering and pain into you as a symbol as a smoky color. But now, of course, you can do it. That’s also you can do. But when I was what I was saying is if you build some kind of field, so there are some kind of activities going on there.
Maybe easier. I don’t know. If you’re a nurse or a doctor or if you’re a chef, same thing. Build that kind of big, big field. Inside of that field, there are so many hungry people.
Then cook. If you’re a chef, cook. Then cook. You can become many, many chefs. You know?
Different kind some people may like to eat Chinese food. Become Chinese chef, cook for them, or some maybe Italian chef, or some maybe anything Tibetan or Indian, Thai, Vietnamese. Just, you know, manifest yourself. Different different chefs, then cook, then give it to those hungry people. Then after sometimes, people satisfy their hunger.
See? That’s another ways of taking giving. You are taking people’s suffering, then you are giving, you know, whatever they needed. Or if you’re a teacher, same thing, you know, manifest. Big field, many, many students, to teach them.
I think that’s beautiful, you know, or taking their suffering, giving them all these beautiful teachings. Okay? That’s taking and giving. Of course, normally, you know, just as I mentioned before, when you take people’s people’s suffering into you, so the symbol as a smoky color you are, you know, taking inside into yourself with, you know, breathing inside. Then when you breathe out in exhalation, you are, you know, giving your own good qualities, virtues, compassion, and love to others as a, you know, very, very beautiful white rays kind of color goes when you exhale for the people this way.
You can do that too with meditation. When you do this breathing meditation, you can do that. In and out, in and out, you know, slowly. Everything is your own, which one is comfortable for you. You no need to be if you are not comfortable doing this breathing one, you know, then then the I give you another one technique.
You can manifest big field. You can do that also. Then after that, when people satisfied, whatever you do for the people, then now come back and think about what you did. You know? It’s very nice.
You are very useful. You become very important person. Yes. You become very important person because you have good heart. You are not only just important for yourself or family, other sentient beings.
So that’s a wonderful purpose of being human being also. See? Otherwise, harming people, criticizing people, only doing things are bad things, then what? What is It’s just, you know, wasting. Wasting this such a wonderful human birth.
Buddhist perspective, human rebirth is very, very precious. It’s very, very rare. It doesn’t matter if you’re a male or a female or rich or poor, it doesn’t matter. It just matters just as a human being. It’s very rare to be born as a human being.
I give you this example applying those blind tortoise. Yeah. So if you look at this, you know, all these beautiful different teachings, ways of, you know, all this practice, I think Buddhism is very unique. Not that because I am Buddhist monk. When I was in India, you know, I memorized many, many texts.
You know, I studied so many years. I meditated many times. Of course, I know Buddhist teachings are very precious. I knew that. But then, especially when I when I came to western countries, and when I was giving teachings and, you know, specific things like this, in monastery, we don’t do like this, you know, eight verses mind training, we don’t do that.
We mostly, we teach the big, big text books. But when I teach people and when I check with the people and when I do my own practice, you know, like this, I feel like more wow. All these teachings are such unique, you know, so in my mind, it’s more respectful and more how I say I feel like more precious, more unique than I felt before. Yeah. Because of I can see people change.
People are changing. Not that people are changing becoming Buddhist from their older religion. No. People are changing, and people are becoming kind human being. I saw that, my own students.
A monastery, very difficult to see. Of course, most of people monks, we do practice. It’s difficult to judge this and that. You know? But in in the western countries, when sometimes when people come first time, there were some my students, when first time they came to my teaching, when I look at them, I was saying, oh, how can I don’t think they can able to learn because of the tattoos, you know?
Tattoos. And all these ring, like, here. So sometimes here also, you know. It is scary. You know?
But, I mean, I come back soon. I was judging them mentally. Of course, it’s not right. But, of course, human nature, you know, all these tattoos and and clothes are very dirty, and they sting sometimes, really. And then they come to the class, listen to the teaching, continually coming, continually coming.
One of that student became monk after. I said, when you become monk, you have to take out all these rings. Monk cannot have oh, I will definitely do. You need to cut your hair. Will you?
Yes. Or, you know, hair like this kind of hair. Or very strange hair. All these rings, you know. But one thing is that one person told me, I cannot clean my tattoos.
You know, of course, you know, it’s not only small tattoo, full tattoos like this. I said, that’s okay. But these are must be no ring, you know. Ring is you cannot have a monk wearing monk dress, all this ring not good, you know. Ring, he took ring.
After became monk, studied many, many years with me, he became good teacher. See, how can you judge people? I was saying, wow, you cannot judge people. People become like this. I mean, not only just one, many of unbelievable.
I mean, you know, see, westerner mind is very sharp sometimes. When you interest in something, you just do it. You know, you commit very strongly. That’s great. I mean, as I said, this is my last class.
It’s very good. It’s very good. It’s kind of, you know, strong determination. I mean, enthusiastic. Very, very good.
But, you know, people change, which is, you know, I feel so happy, very happy. Okay. My teachings are helping people. Wonderful. You know?
But, of course, it still is not enough. We need to practice continually until we achieve ultimate happiness. But that’s why we are, you know, going to, actually. You know? Okay?
So that’s why what I’m saying is we shouldn’t be downcasting yourself. Absolutely no right to downcast. Must be self confidence. I can do it. Yeah.
Even though small practice it can be a very small practice. That’s okay. You no need to do same practices or maybe do some few hours. Even though you can, you know, you can do little practice. As I said this before, three different rocks, three different size, small, moderate, and big rocks.
When winter snow falls, each of these rocks gets certain, you know, portion of this snow on the rock. That’s good. See? Doing practice is important, not like, you know, quantities. You need good quality of that practice, which is very important.
Don’t downcast yourself. Many people do. Westerner another westerner negative mind is downcasting oneself. Oh, I’m loser. I’m this, and guilty feeling.
These are a little strange, actually, as a human being. How can you say, I cannot do this? How can you downcast yourself? That’s that’s not right. You you are not deserved to be downcasting yourself.
You need to think about, I am human being. I can do many good things. You know? Maybe probably, maybe before you didn’t know all these teachings and practice, but now you now you know. Yeah.
One side Buddhism is saying precious human being. Another side is how can you say I’m a loser? I’m this. I’m that. How can you be such a, you know, not confident yourself?
Okay? But when I say don’t downcast yourself, doesn’t mean that you should be very prideful. No. That’s another problem. See now, you need to make this balance.
So that’s why the middle part comes, not the black or white. Not like this. Middle all the time. When you’re so much prideful, then you need to bring down that mind. When you’re so much down, you lift up, bring together, make this wonderful balance, then you can able to win the gold medal one day.
Yes. Those Olympics, people who play and goes to Olympics, when they have a good balance on the beam. Remember? It’s very painful. These children, you know, they jump on the beam.
When they have a good balance, they can win the gold medal. Less balance, silver medal, and third bronze medal. If have no balance, no medals like that. Life needs similar balance to win gold medal also. Self confidence is very important, but self esteem I want to check.
Sometimes self esteem can be self-cherishing, but I am not sure. I am sometimes little confused English words. You know? Self confidence is absolutely not negative. You are confident yourself.
Of course, confidence can be negative. If you’re overconfidence, maybe you may able to, you know, build up so much pride, maybe. See? So that part is again, you know, it’s depend everything’s depend how much your confidence. Generally speaking, self confidence is very important.
So confidence to practice, listening the teachings or to in doing meditations, very important. Okay? Okay. Now ten minutes break, then come back and I will finish last words. Verse number eight.
May no one ever be sullied by thoughts of the eight worldly concerns. May I see all things as illusions and without attachment gain freedom from bondage? So there are eight worldly concerns. Gain and loss, reputation and infamy, praise and degradation, and pleasure and miseries. So when you gain something, of course, we feel so good about it.
When you lose something, we feel pain and suffering. When you receive some reputation, then, you know, another thing is you become very prideful. When you become some infamy, no reputation or infamy, then the mind goes down. So is the praise and degradation. When somebody praises, feel good about it, then now, you know, other hand goes down.
And pleasure and misery. If you look at it that way, our mind is up and down, up and down, up and down, up and down like that because of the eight worldly concerns. So also my teaching on Tuesday, the three principal aspects of the path. So first principle is the renunciation. This is exactly we must be, you know, renouncing, you know, eight worldly concerns.
We must be free, you know, from worldly concerns in order to achieve the ultimate happiness. You know? Long as we hold the worldly concerns, then we are really not free because our mind is up and down, up and down, up and down. Mind is not balanced. Mind is not stable.
So that’s why, you know, there are so many calm abiding meditation, which is called śamatha in Sanskrit. In English, they call calm abiding meditation, sometimes translated tranquil abiding meditation, to tranquilize one’s mind. Then second one is the wisdom insight meditation, penetrative insight, is the Vipashyana. You know, there are many different meditations. But most important thing is first, this meditation which is the basic one, calm abiding one, to stabilize one.
Also, this one is called stabilizing meditation. Second one is called analytical meditation. Jog-gom and Che-gom, like that. So that is why in order to balance worldly concerns, then we need to do all these meditations after understanding the worldly concerns. Basic meditation helps us to stabilize our mind.
Mind become more balanced, which is calm abiding one is the most important. In order to achieve calm abiding meditation, there are nine levels. But I cannot give you today. You know, there’s nine levels you need to go through it. Then next to the calm abiding, then we need to meditate the insight one, which is the more wisdom.
Tibetan, we call lhak-tong. Lhak-par tong-wa, extra seeing. Calm abiding meditation is very important for that’s the first meditation, which is also basic meditation. Calm abiding meditation is something like that. Now you can see all these beautiful wall paintings.
You are there. But you cannot see the paintings very clearly. You can see it, but not so clearly, little fuzzy, little cloudy. But this point is the second meditation, which is the analytical one, insight one, help you to see all these paintings like high definition nowadays, you know, very clearly, which is the more wisdom. When I say seeing not from the eyes, from your thought eyes, to see the paintings very clearly, like, you know, wow.
That’s called now reality. Reality, what really the real, you know, calm abiding sees all these beautiful paintings, but not so clean. Not so, you know, little fuzzy. But wisdom one is exactly like high definition like this. That’s different.
But you have to have first to achieve calm abiding. So that’s Tibetan in Śāntideva mentioned in his book. First, must achieve calm abiding, then the insight one, which is penetrative insight, then together union with the calm abiding and the insight meditation able to defeat the mental afflictions. It’s like that. So that’s very powerful.
See? So that means you must achieve calm abiding first. When you meditate, you can meditate both, you know. But when you achieve, first must achieve calm abiding, which is we are here talking about the realization perspective, first calm abiding must realize. You cannot have realization, second one, before calm abiding.
No. But of course, when you meditate, you can do both one. Both, yes. But now these two calm abiding meditation is the sutric perspective. Now if you bring this meditation and tantric perspective, goes much higher, then you need to bring tantric deities.
We don’t need to talk about this now, but I’m just giving you a little bit which is very high level meditation. This perspective is, you know, deity yoga practice is very important. So then now, when your mind is stable, which is the calm abiding, then you can able to analyze very well, which is the second meditation. Meditation. If your mind is not stable yet, you can do this analytical meditation, but very difficult to achieve analytical one because your mind is not stable.
Why? Because of the eight worldly concerns. So that’s what we call monkey mind. You know, up and down, up and down, up and down like this. So that’s why the eight worldly concerns are very, very dangerous.
So that’s why Lama Tsongkhapa mentioned the three principal aspects of the path. First, beings who are seeking the enlightenment first must renounce, first must practice renunciation, then the second, the bodhicitta or mind of enlightenment, which is the second principle. Then third one is going to be correct view or the emptiness like that. So okay? So this point is all these meditations are very, very important.
So only the calm abiding and the Vipashyana, which is the insight penetrative insight, union with the calm abiding and this insight meditation can able to defeat the mental afflictions. Yes. Only calm abiding cannot defeat mental afflictions. Cannot avoid delusions. Only calm abiding.
No. It’s wonderful to achieving calm abiding. Calm abiding meditation is also if you really meditate properly without losing the instructions, you can able to achieve calm abiding within six months. Yes? But you need to do this meditation properly.
Renunciation. Very, very important. Once you’re free from worldly concerns, that’s great now. Then, you know, there is which is true. Here is they give you now the Eight verses mind training.
This book was in true freedom. So, freedom. So that’s, you know, the eight worldly concerns. True freedom from worldly concerns. But then now, it’s enough or not?
No. Because of the Śrāvaka practitioner, hearers, solitary realizer, they achieved that. Yes. Renunciation. Yes.
They achieved that. But they are not yet, you know, practicing any bodhicitta or not because the bodhicitta is the Mahāyāna. Only bodhisattva can obtain the bodhicitta. Second one is second principle. They must engage Mahāyāna path in order to practice bodhicitta or achieve bodhicitta.
So that’s why the six perfection comes. Seven causes and effects. Exchange self and others. There are many, many great Mahāyāna, you know, practices they need to do. First thing is they must engage Mahāyāna path.
In order to engage Mahāyāna path, they must develop great compassion. Only renouncing worldly concerns, you cannot achieve enlightenment. You must practice bodhicitta. That’s also not enough. You need to practice profound view or, you know, emptiness.
You must that’s another thing is then gradually, you need to practice tantric. Then you will eventually, you will achieve enlightenment. So, see, it comes one after another, actually. But then for us, the first we need to focus on the eight worldly concerns, especially in here, in today’s my class is, you know, true freedom is verse number eight is something like that. You know, first thing is the number seven is the taking and giving meditation.
So the number six is really, you know, thinking those people you help greatly, but now instead thanking you, they are really, you know, terribly harming you. So think about those people as your own guru because you can able to practice patience, tolerance, and forgiveness. Then the number five is giving victory to others. Otherwise what we have, just, you know, arguing and and criticizing. So it just there’s nothing, really.
So that’s it. Eight verses mind training teaching is finished now. Questions? True freedom now. Any questions?
Do not. I will see. Alright. What is that? True freedom.
Uh-huh. Yes. Say, please get a different definition. Mhmm. From yesterday.
Mhmm. True freedom. Okay. Yesterday, true freedom. Okay.
Okay. That’s good. Your perspective is Donald Trump one. That’s true freedom. Okay.
Why? My true freedom is Mhmm. To see a flower bloom. What is that? Permission to have a flower bloom.
To give somebody else. To give somebody else. What permission to what gives permission to give somebody else? Love. Love?
Love and love. Okay. And what you’ve been speaking about. Uh-huh. Okay.
Uh-huh. Okay. Giving love and compassion is a true freedom. That’s what you are saying. So that’s now mister Trump can do that through giving love and compassion.
You think that? Oh, okay. That’s good. I don’t know. I don’t know.
Because we need to wait. You know? We need to wait. Now too early to say, as I said, we must be open up our heart. You know.
Of course, there are all the time two groups comes. One wins, another is sad, this wins, another, this happens. But now, true freedom or not, we need to wait until he starts his presidency, then we will see. You need to come here, and we can talk this next time. Okay?
Good. If he does this true freedom, I will going to dance now. Yes, I will be very happy. That’s why we want it, isn’t it? We want love.
We want compassion. We want care, which is very important. If he does that, that’s it. That’s it. That’s how we want it.
Love is most important, you know. Even though, you know, those people who does not understand their love, still they need love. They may not understanding definition of their love, but they need love. That’s good one. What is your name?
Jenny. Jenny. Thank you, Jenny. This is another definition of true freedom from miss Jenny. Good.
Anyone, please? Go. Yes. The giving victory to others, I’m just thinking about things when, you know, maybe you’re in a work meeting and there’s always one person that wants something their way. On a bigger scale, like, you know, lately I’ve been sort of involved in this protesting the miners putting coal seam gas into the water tables that affect everyone.
Surely there’s a time when it’s good to protest and not just let people take over in things that you don’t agree with. Do you think there’s a place for that in the Dharma? Setting up for something that you believe is wrong and you wanna make a stand against that. Absolutely. See, everything is here that the giving victory that we are talking about, is the meaning is, you know, giving victory to others is applying love, actually.
Many things love, giving love, not, you know, the anger or all those mental afflictions. But now, whatever you are saying is more commercial, more conventional things we are talking about, you know, try to stand up your own right. Of course, why not? We need to do that, you know. But there are good way to do that peacefully, you know, and a nice way, not like violence.
Of course. You know? You cannot give victory to others that everything’s depend that. I don’t want to make this just the black and white. Everything depend what context we are talking about.
That perspective, we need to talk about giving victory to others. For instance, before what I was saying before, two people arguing. Even though you may have some right, but that person is not listening. But what is the worth it? Just give them victory.
That’s my point for that perspective. You know? Otherwise, if you’re sitting there, even though you are right, sometimes this happens, isn’t it? But then what is worth it arguing continually? That person is not understanding.
His or her mind is totally different place. That perspective better to give that’s a meaning. Give give her victory. See? It’s everything depends what situation like that.
Say, it’s not being passive. You can Yeah. Sometimes even though you are right, we have to give victory. What can you do if person is not understanding? You know?
Because of he or she totally being deceptive, because of his or her own these mental afflictions. So then what is the worth arguing now? Well, it might be worth arguing because if this person always gets their way, say one person maybe, you know, is always loud, always gets wants their way. Sometimes it might be Oh, okay. Worth mean, are you happy?
That’s a point here. Yeah. Argument with the person continually, will you be happy? Well, I suppose you could yeah. If you are happy, then then no problem.
Main thing is that your own mental state. How much it is affecting to you, you have to check it out. If you are okay, if you are not aggressive, if you’re not getting angry, then think about it. But mostly, when you do these things, we lose our mind, And there’s no really good results also. Continually, so some people’s perspective, it’s very difficult.
Some people when you talk, even when you are right, when you talk, they understand. That’s perfect now. Finished. Job is done. For some people, you have to be stopped.
There’s nothing you can do. If you’re continually arguing with the people, then you will lose your mind. You are ruining your own life, your mind, then you will be very different. And then anger arises. It’s everything depends what situation, I think, actually.
But the giving victory to others is very important even though, you know, in some cases you are right. To protect your own mind. Exactly. That’s the point here. Main thing is to protect one’s mind.
Yeah. Also, I am practicing Buddha Dharma. They are not practicing. I must be different than them, you know. What is the worth it practicing Buddha Dharma if I cannot control my mind here?
I shouldn’t be practicing how people react towards me. I must practice whatever people reacting towards you, good or bad. That’s a call practitioner. You know? Yeah.
It’s not easy. It’s not easy, but we all need to try to do the right thing, I think. Yeah. Anyone? Go ahead, no need to be shy.
Go, go. What is your name? I’m Emma. Emma, go please if you have any questions. I guess in retrospect for me, sharing love Mhmm.
Is a way of seeing someone as your teacher Mhmm. And taking on even if it’s something that Mhmm. Might be hurtful for you, but sharing love being kind rather than, I guess, being forceful in kind. Yeah. I don’t appreciate that.
What are ways to practice Yes. Patience is very important. Patience is patience and tolerance, forgiveness. Remember, are the weapons. But you this is first time?
Okay. I didn’t want you to misunderstand. When I say patience, tolerance, forgiveness, I didn’t want you to let people, you know, take advantage on you. No. That’s not good.
That’s not patience. Okay? Here the patience, the tolerance, forgiveness. These are after understanding the here is the Buddhist philosophy and Buddhist psychology. That perspective, then you need to practice this one.
But not like blind patience or tolerance or forgiveness like that. So if you patience, then after understanding the quality of the patience, then this will help you. I don’t know how much he or she will going to be changed, but yeah, it will help you to to be more, you know, not impatient yourself, and so more calm yourself, more loving and kind, you know. This will help you than helping others, you know, I mean, in that part. Of course, it will help others too because of it.
Then that person someday may, you know, feel, oh, okay. I’ve been so nasty for what’s your name? Emma? Emma. But Emma was all the time so kind to me.
I just wonder why she was such kind. Then you need to give him advice or teaching whatever you learn about the patience and tolerance and forgiveness. That means you are helping them, Now you are sharing love with that person, which is how wonderful. But first of all, you need to understand. You need to help yourself.
You need to love yourself. You need to help yourself. Once you understand everything, all this, you know, the Buddhist, you know, philosophy, then if you share this to others, then you are really, really sharing your love to others. That’s a pure one. So this way, you need to share love to others, I think.
Okay? Emma, wonderful question. So is your I forgot your name. Jenny? Okay.
True Freedom. Yes. Yeah. Great. Go.
Anyone? I think you’re doing yes? You’re oh, okay. You’re like this. I thought maybe.
Anyone? Go. Go. Actually, it’s more around I don’t know. Just a general question.
Mhmm. Are you available at all to talk with on a more personal level if you have common questions that we might wanna ask you in private or or something like that? Or is that a private meeting one to one? Yeah. Oh, yeah.
Is that possible? Yeah. Yeah. Here at the moment, you mean okay. I’m misunderstanding.
At some point in the future Oh, yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
It’s available to to meet one to one. I’m sure you’re really busy. I just wanted to We need to make time. Yes. We need to make time.
You can talk to Lindy, and she will get all my appointment, you know, make time, then meet, and then discuss. And how long you want to discuss? Okay? Cool. Yeah.
Good. Good. Okay. Yeah. Go.
Go. Greg. Just just a question not about the teaching tonight, but some time ago you mentioned your teacher was in Switzerland. Mhmm. Is that the same person who Lama Zopa called to the bedside of Lama Yeshe when he was dying in America?
Is that the same person, the same man? No. No. Different. Right.
Yeah. Different. You’d also said your teacher was close to Lama Yeshe. That was all. No.
He knew Lama Yeshe. I don’t think he was close to Lama Yeshe. My teacher did he did know Lama Yeshe. My teacher is a class above Lama Yeshe, actually. Yes.
I remember reading that someone from Switzerland was called over by Lama Zopa. Oh, maybe Geshe Rabten, I think. Geshe Rabten is my teacher too, also my teacher’s teacher too. Oh, okay. Yes.
I think Geshe Rabten. Yeah. Geshe Rabten is highly highly, you know, wise and educated lama. Yeah. Also, Geshe Rabten is the Dalai Lama’s he was also do this Buddhist teachings, conversation with the Dalai Lama also privately.
Like, he was asking like this one to one, discuss things. Yes. Okay? Thank you. Thank you.
Dedication. Look at the page one hundred twenty. Lord Buddha, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there’s injury, pardon.
Where there’s discord, unity. Where there’s doubt, faith. Where there’s error, truth. Where there’s despair, hope. Where there’s sadness, joy.
Where there’s darkness, light. O divine master, grant that I 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 in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in dying having practiced. We are bound to eternal life from happiness to happiness up to full enlightenment. May all beings effortlessly attain their transition in this beautiful step to omniscient Buddhahood. Okay, look at the Buddha house, this book, as a dedication.
Page thirteen. Page fourteen, please. Page fifteen. Lot of Dharma who is in accordance with various disciplines secured, may clearly in the light of your well spoken advice, the sacred Ganden tradition, essence of the Buddha’s teaching from most holy Lama to you, who are supremely. O Lama, please live long.
Page sixteen. English. Feet, I may request. Thank you very much.