Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 93-minute teaching, Geshe Kyab guides practitioners through the third point of the Seven Point Mind Training: transforming adversity into the path of enlightenment. After reviewing the preliminaries and bodhicitta, he uses personal stories—including the loss of his beloved teacher—to show how genuine practice transforms suffering into spiritual progress rather than despair. The core method involves recognizing suffering as the ripening of past karma rooted in the three poisons, then redirecting that adversity through tonglen practice and recognition of actual blessings and purification. Geshe Kyab walks through a practical example of transforming sickness: accepting the diagnosis, taking medicine, while spiritually taking on the sickness of all beings and offering them healing, and reflecting on the merit of having access to healthcare, doctors, and community support unavailable elsewhere in the world. He emphasizes the four preparations—accumulating merit, purifying negativities through understanding karma, making torma offerings to spirits and harmful beings with compassion, and requesting dharma protectors—all within a bodhicitta motivation to liberate all sentient beings. Pitched at serious practitioners who have received teaching on the earlier points of the training and are ready to apply practice to actual hardship.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2016 12 01.mp3
UUID: b4dec97a-3868-45c7-98a0-cb179ffca08c
Teacher: Geshe Kyab
Collection: Geshe Kyab Seven Point Mind Training (Geshe Kyab)
Date: 2016-12-01
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 93.4 minutes
Words: ~10,704
Free from attachment, from hatred to the enemies. Reverently, I prostrate with my body, speech, and mind. I present offerings of every type, imagined, actual, and emanated. I dedicate all my negative actions accumulated since beginningless time and rejoice in the merit of holy and dharma ordinary beings. Please remain, do not pass away.
I am drawing a wheel of dharma for living beings. Tashi Delek Pünsum Tsok, may we attain growth and enlightenment. Short mandala offering. This crown and very beautiful flowers, adorned with moon, Mount Meru, the sun and moon. Imagine this as a Buddha field and offer it.
May all sentient beings enjoy this purity. Mantra, please. Thank you. The seven point mind trainings. Seven point thought transformation.
So there are seven point. First you need to listen the teachings about the seven point. Then secondly, you need to contemplate the seven point teachings. Thirdly, you need to meditate. This way you can able to transform the mind from negative to positive.
So so that’s called lojong, means mind training. Especially this one is the Mahāyāna lojong. Lojong means a Mahāyāna mind training. Okay? So the seven point, first point is the the preliminaries.
That’s the first point. Then the second one is the mind of enlightenment which is the bodhicitta. So last week we talked about it. Then the transforming adversity into the path of enlightenment which is today’s main topic. Then applying the practice throughout the whole of life, fourth point.
Fifth point is the measure of mind training, and sixth point is the commitment of mind training, then the seventh going to be the advices or the also called the precepts of mind training. So these are called seven point mind training. So now, I don’t know, some of you may miss the first point and the second point. First point is the preliminary practice, which is mostly the precious human life, understanding precious human life that we are free from, you know, all these from all these inauspicious or all these unfortunate rebirths. Like, it’s called the which means eight leisures and ten endowments, meaning ten endowments.
So that’s one thing for the preliminary practice. Second one is the meditation of impermanence of death, which is very, important to understanding impermanence of the death. You know, so these are the of course, there are some other also practice one need to do. These are mostly the preliminary practice or the first point. Then second point is the actually main point, which is the bodhicitta, generating bodhicitta or mind of enlightenment, sometimes also translated our awakening mind or altruistic intention, different different translations meaning is the bodhicitta or mind of enlightenment.
So this training, second training also there are two different mind of enlightenment. One is the conventional bodhicitta or mind of enlightenment. Second one is the ultimate bodhicitta or mind of enlightenment. Conventional bodhicitta is the ordinary bodhicitta, and ultimate bodhicitta is the wisdom understanding emptiness. That’s a more higher the bodhisattva’s mind.
Once you approach the bodhisattva path of seeing, then you can able to realize emptiness directly. So that means that bodhisattva’s mind of enlightenment, is the bodhicitta, is considered as the ultimate bodhicitta. So these are the second point out of this seven point. But then today is the very important point transforming adversity into the path of enlightenment, which is very important. Okay, before I start in this textbook, yes.
When the container and if you look at the textbook, the point number three, when the container and its contents are filled with evil, change this adverse unfortunate, you know, adverse circumstances into the path to full awakening, utilize every immediate circumstances for meditation, possess the four preparations the highest of means. So, So that one is the Tibetan one, transforming adversity into the path of enlightenment. So now here is the I don’t think this translation translated everything what is in its pattern. So the this meditation is the very, very important. I do, you know, when sometimes unfortunate, you know, circumstances occur in my life, sickness, losing some loved one, which is the last year or before last year, I lost my beloved teacher, Geshe Lakpatsiri, and he was the very, very kind and almost like my father figure, you know.
I lost my father when I was six years old. I didn’t know. I was very young. You know? But when I lost my teacher, I feel very empty.
Suddenly, you know, I feel very empty. Although, you know, there are many other teachers, but he was the very much father figure for me. And not only just he helped me the teachings, also he helped me many other things, you know, that you needed in the monastery. He treat me as his own son. So very lovingly, great compassion, but then now that teacher is passed away.
So then now you feel suddenly very much, you know, sad, very much sadness, you know, very much sad. And and also the sometimes little upsetting also, you know, things like that happens. But then now this particular the point transforming adversity into the path of enlightenment, that’s great. It wasn’t easy, but, you know, the this meditation and practice helped me, you know, greatly, so why not you? So not only just losing someone, sometimes you get sickness, you get sick.
You you lay down on the hospital beds, then you get so many thoughts in your mind, so many negative thoughts. That’s another thing. Then another thing is just sometimes, you know, there are many situations that happen in your life because of the we hold the worldly concerns, which is the totally poisons. You know, you wouldn’t know until you meditate and understand the outwardly concerns. Then then then the unbelievable, then, you know, everything is happening in your life because of the worldly concerns.
We couldn’t give up worldly concerns. Because of that, sometimes it’s very difficult to accepting things. You know, when some when things fall apart in your life, very difficult to accept it. But that’s very foolish, actually. You know, it’s very foolish.
When you feel foolish, once you understand this kind of teachings, then you feel very foolish, you know, not accepting the samsaric suffering. Remember, accepting I’m not saying the the sometimes when we teach, the westerner misunderstands accepting is the, you know. We are talking about the nature of suffering. That’s why are talking about it. Nature of suffering is the nature of suffering.
It happens, so we need to accept it. So we cannot skip from suffering any pain, Least if you meditate emptiness, selflessness, then someday you may be able to resist suffering. That’s it. Otherwise, you know, nature of nature of suffering is part of the our life. We need to accept it.
Sometimes it’s a big suffering, sometimes small suffering, sometimes moderate suffering. But suffering is suffering. Suffering is all the time there for us. Of course, also you need to understand another, you know, opposite opposite of the suffering. Suffering can be ceased also.
See? There is a way you can able to cease the suffering. You know, if you don’t, you will be continually suffer. That’s another thing, negative side and positive side. See?
Suffering is not permanent. Suffering is impermanent. Suffering is selflessness. So in order to understand the suffering can be changed because of it is impermanent, then then you need to learn the very important teaching that Buddha taught is first teaching the four noble truth, which is very, very important to understand. Especially each of these noble truth do have their own characteristics or the attributes, like a four four four, you know, attributes of the suffering, and so is the origin of suffering, cessation of suffering, path of suffering, altogether sixteen characteristics of four noble truth.
So these are very important to understand. Anyway, the the this teaching is really, really unbelievable, beautiful, you know. Of course, all these seven point mind trainings are great, but especially the transforming adversity into the path of enlightenment. So because the saṃsāra we live in saṃsāra, cyclic existence. Samsāra Samsāra has no really the happiness.
It’s almost same as like we are tip, you know, of the needle, you know. It’s not there’s no really pleasure like this, like a needle. When you touch tip of the needles like this, hurts. We are we are on the tip of the needles. There’s no really happiness.
Happiness that the we really the we think the happiness that we received from the many different circumstances, meeting people, eating food, and and and little, you know, simple things, whatever we do and get sudden happiness. But but but, you know, it is really not the genuine or pure happiness, just the, you know, relative happiness. It’s just the temporary happiness. Why? Because that happiness eventually disappears.
So that’s called samsaric happiness. One of the Indian poetry. Sukh Dukh is Hindi. Coming and going. That’s Indian.
Happiness comes and goes. Happiness comes and goes. Suffering is like our best friend with us. So that’s beautiful, actually. So even though there there’s a classical song in very, very old nineteen sixties.
They put these two words, you know. Who wrote it? I don’t know. It’s very true. One in this song and and and played by the two young men, One man is blind, no eyes, and one man is no one foot.
Now these two goes together. Blind is backside, and what what do you call the only one leg In English, what do you call? Amputee. Amputee? Not amputee, actually.
The one leg is damaged. He cannot use it. He needed this, what you call, the walker, you know. Then the now blind cannot see it and he needed somebody to guide him into walk. So that is why this blind man was, you know, his hand on another man’s shoulder.
And this man, another man takes blind man to the street and they beg. They are beggars actually. And they sing this kind of, beautiful. I was crying, you know. It’s very true.
And he was saying, actually blind was singing and another, this young man was playing some musics and they sing and they get money from the people. Not like, you know, the Adelaide City. Very handsome man. Very was wearing very rich clothes and guitar. You know?
I don’t think he is really beggar. You know? Maybe this is just fun. But he was actually begging. I was surprised, actually.
Actually actually, New York also, saw some people like that. But that’s really not poor man. He was wearing his his jacket must be hundreds of dollars. You know, it’s a leather jacket. It’s very expensive.
He looked very healthy, very clean, doesn’t look like a beggar, but he was begging. Even though just for the guitar, how much he pay? Maybe the some thousand dollars for the guitar, no? I don’t know about the guitar, but people say guitar is very expensive. But now he was begging.
People are putting coins on his this, what you call that case of the guitar. I think rich beggar, you know. I don’t know. But this one is the real, real beggar. Their clothes are dirty and and and they are really very filthy, but they are understandable.
But they sing. But they are singing and they are not only just singing us, they are singing same time, they are teaching us reality, you know, great teachings. You look at that and then you can also understand the life. Exactly the saying happiness is the happiness comes and goes. Suffering is like a best friend, which is very true.
So that’s a saṃsāra. Now see, when you look at the saṃsāra, it’s really like that. Just just concentrate and meditate when you go back to your home from here. Just think about since we’re born in this world until now, we went through this like this. Sometimes happy, sometimes, you know, sorrow, mostly really unhappy.
You know? Happiness just comes and disappears very quickly, isn’t it? It’s very understandable. One moment it was so nice, next moment things changes, your fist changes because of the now you’re unhappy. When when you are unhappy, your, you know, the body body language will be changes.
But then sometimes surprise you, what happened? You were so happy. No. Now I got call so and so blah blah blah like this. Like this impermanent changes quickly.
So but then then now Buddhist teachings does not denying the the the having temporarily happiness. We are not saying or denying temporarily happiness is bad. Absolutely not. Of course, you know, we can feel temporary happiness, it’s okay. But main point here is the we need to understand the fact.
That is the main point here. Buddhism not denying the temporary happiness. Absolutely not. That is the temporary happiness is the only we have. What can we do?
But it is understanding the our happiness is the temporary happiness is temporary happiness. That one is very important. Okay? So then once you understand the our happiness is the only temporary happiness, then the other side is that there would be ultimate happiness. So that ultimate happiness is the or target.
Now I’m good to say not a target, you know, target. Okay. Ultimate happiness is the that one is the order destination, final destination. So so that’s now you need you need to understand ultimate happiness also. So so that’s why we must seeking ultimate happiness than temporary happiness.
Because if you seek ultimate happiness, you will be, you know, the, get temporary happiness, of course. But the main thing is you really try to try to achieve ultimate happiness which is very good. Even though sometimes when you try to achieve ultimate happiness, you you know, when you get temporary happiness, that temporary happiness much better than the temporary happiness that you have been seeking actually. See? Check it out.
It’s very it’s different actually, you know. Although it is temporary happiness, but much better than this happiness, this temporary happiness that you have been seeking just a temporary happiness. But now here is the seeking ultimate happiness but you are getting temporary happiness, of course, which is good. But ultimately you will be, you know, achieve ultimate happiness. So if you look at these, all these samsaric pleasures, I think there is really not that much essence.
Whatever you do, same thing again and again, again and again. When I came to the first time in the United States, actually when I was in India, I was very much interested to learn computers. Of course, India, I’m talking about before two thousand, you know, and, you know, there were no computer in the monastery. No one can buy the computer even though I didn’t know exactly what is the computer. But people talk about computer things.
Seems to be very unique, you know, machine. And and also the, you know, I was thinking to learn myself how to use the computer, but I didn’t have computer. But when I arrived in in in Florida, so the first thing is the you know, I saw one big desktop computer on my side of the living room because of the center provide me to learn computer very at the moment, that computer is nice one. It’s a HP computer nowadays. Yes.
But it’s a big one, you know, not like nowadays. Of course, then then the, you know, I touch. Of course, I didn’t have any idea. Then then the my the translator did know little computer. He taught me very basic things how to use it.
You know, at that time, I I had a translator for just for six months. Then I just learned. That’s it. Only the, you know, basic things I learned from him. And after that, I was very interested to learn, you know.
At that time, Internet wasn’t same as like nowadays. It’s a Do you remember that sound? It’s bothering you nowadays. Of course, I don’t want to hear that sound kind of when it comes from the telephone line, think. You know, it’s very annoying you, this sound, cracker sound.
Anyway, that’s only we had it. But of course, you know, it’s good practice patience, isn’t it? Anyway, then I learned, you know, somebody buy me one book, Microsoft. Then I read that book and play. I really never been to school to learn the computer, but I learned so many good things in helping center, also printing things, you know.
People thought I went to school to learn computer. Anyway, my mind, my point here is the I was very interested. But then that computer is getting old after one or two years. I want a new computer now, you know, say, better one. I got it.
I got it at some point. Of course, I used that computer for a while. After some time, that computer is not so interested. See, desire. I wanted flat one now.
See? I got it again. You know? It’s it’s like a dream come true. Actually, it’s not really a dream.
Point was I thought maybe the better computer is, you know, bring me more happiness. That’s my point. One to after, one to after, but still, you know, craving. Lot. Then finally, I got the Apple computer.
Apple. Now see? First time. See? I said, wow.
I was so happy. Oh, I got Apple Apple computer. But then now, I need to learn Apple computer totally different than the Microsoft, totally different now. You know, you need to learn. I enjoyed it.
It’s beautiful desktop Apple computer, you know. It’s from my one of my cousin in New York. Suddenly, I never asked. Remember. Just some came to me in my door, big one.
I said, who gonna send me? So I opened Apple computer. I was very happy. Apple computer. Can you imagine?
Geshe is very happy receiving Apple computer. Of course, Geshe la is also human being. Yes. I’m human being. I’m also normal human being.
I have feelings same like same as like you. Anyway, I use that computer. That computer lasts long, quite lasts long. Since then, I attach very much Apple. Then then the the that computer is the two thousand and eight, nine, like that.
But then now, there are so many things. Then my Columbia students wanted to teach through the Skype, you know, every week, but that computer is not so good for that. But then they send me another this the what do you call that? The air air or something. I have now here.
Apple Mac Mac Mac MacBook Air, I think. Yeah. Then I use that one. Oh, I like it very much. It’s very convenient.
You can bring here, dear. Then the you know, in my mind saying, okay. First computer, I was so happy. But then after that happiness, it disappear. Then I wanted second one, which is I got it one, much better one, two thousand and five.
Same thing happened. When I got Apple happened. When I got apple one, same thing happened. Then I was saying, it’s enough now. See?
That’s how I feel. It’s enough. I mean, there’s no stopping. If you don’t stop it yourself, things will not gonna stop you. They will say, come here.
I’m here. Buy me. Buy me. You know? When you go to malls, everything see there.
Everything display beautiful, isn’t it? So it’s very make you really buy if you don’t control your own mind. Although the I never bought any computer in my life. All of these are the student give me. I never ask.
But one thing is I never ask anything that I would they are the one who came to me. Oh, Geshe-la, your computer is so old. Your television is so old. Then I accept it. If you don’t accept it westerners very strange sometimes.
If you don’t accept, they get angry. So this is another news. The I had it one one the one television. I think in nineteen eighties, people called me, Gisha, like, your television is the second world war time television unit. You need need four people to live up like this.
It’s a big one. I keep that for many, many years, but then one student came and he said, no. That television is not good, Geshe-la. I will buy another nowadays, you know, this flat one. I said, no.
I’m okay with it. I can see. I can everything I can do. Geshe-la, that’s not good. Finally, he said, that’s not good for your eyes.
And I accept it because lot of radiation. Then he bought me another this flat one. Actually, it’s beautiful. It’s good for your eyes, high definition or something like that, you know. I accept it.
Otherwise, I had this big one almost ten or twelve years. I was using same thing. It was okay for me. But they said radiation was so and so, then I feel like, oh, I don’t want to get anything to damage my eyes, you know, although I don’t wash that much. Point is the there there there is no stopping from the things perspective, material perspective.
You got to be stopped. You need to say enough now, you know, until then, of course, you need to buy something. Things whatever you have one is get old or it doesn’t work well, then, of course, you needed something to use. Other than that, I think contentment is very important. So in my mind, it’s something like that.
I was saying, I must stop now. You know? It’s so much one after another. But then happiness disappears, disappears. Again comes, goes, comes, goes, comes, goes, comes, goes.
Same thing. But this one is the I’m just a much easy point. I’m just talking about the material perspective. I mean, that’s just a material perspective. Much easier one to stop it.
But then now this other one is other happiness. Also, you know, the comes and goes comes and goes. Also, we need to concentrate, which is sometimes sometimes these are the very subtle one how to understand. So this point is the the four noble truth is very, very important. Suffering of the change, which is very important to meditate.
Until you meditate suffering of the change, then you then we will understand the all the all pleasures and happiness that arises, you know, could be the gross happiness or could be could be the subtle happiness arises, beautiful, but then then they really they eventually disappears. It changes very quickly. So that’s how you know the suffering of the change will help you to understand that. So Buddha’s this first noble truth, which is very important. When you look at all this, you know, the the situation, then then then what what is the best?
I’m not saying we no need computer, we no need clothes. We no need things. Of course, we need it. I mean, you know. But what I’m saying here is the how much is too much?
That’s why we need to concentrate. Then also the as I mentioned before, wanting things and needy things. What you really wanted, what you really needed, I think. So that’s another thing. We need to really, really meditate and and and analyze it.
So they mean now if you look at it this way, then the now the point is here is the everything is changes, disappears. There’s a really not ultimate happiness or permanent happiness, isn’t it? So that’s a saṃsāra. Happiness, isn’t it? So that’s a saṃsāra.
That’s saṃsāra. We need to accept it. But problem is that some people couldn’t accept it when things fall apart. And before they really try to find the solutions or or they do this meditation transforming adversity into the path of enlightenment, they just, you know, panic. They just panic, and they just ask the questions themselves, why it’s me?
Why it’s me? It comes from the all selfish mind, actually. We are very much holding this I I and me me me because of that, we couldn’t accept it. See? So then what is the worth it not accepting the, you know, the suffering in a pain?
What is the worth it? So see, why we are torturing ourselves, that’s a foolish. I did that too. Foolish. I was totally foolish when I lost my teacher.
I was so upset, so much pain, not accepting, you know, even though I’m Geshe. Yes. I know what you’re going through, but then I was saying myself, I am foolish. I’m foolish Geshe. Shameful.
Not accepting. So then when you look at this kind of teachings, then you totally understand. Then you laugh sometimes. You laugh sometimes, wow. What I was thinking, you know, what happened in my mind?
You laugh. Did that make you more happier? Actually, really. You feel good about it. I’m not saying good feel good about it because I lost my teacher.
What I’m saying is that when you do this kind of a practice, you feel good about it. Of course, still I miss my teacher. Why not? That’s a part of the life. But I don’t have same sort of a pain and a suffering that two years ago.
No. Even though, you know, it wasn’t take that much long, only a few days, that’s it. Few days only. Yes. Because of the I memorized this text.
I was thinking the Śāntideva’s text and this kind of text, memorize memorize it. Suddenly, my mind came up. This one, When I was saying, I’m saying, wow. Why I wasn’t thinking that day before yesterday? Why today?
You know, I was just hitting my palm on my head. Practice is here. This is exactly I need to do now. See? And that’s it.
It was so beautiful. So I will going to do same sort of, you know, the practice in the future whatever happens in my life. So that’s what I was going to do. You know, it’s very important. I know right away nobody can just do this practice because you are in that situation.
It’s difficult. So that moment is very critical. That’s why some people, they, you know, do many bad things because of the they didn’t know how to handle it now. You know when that bad things and and and, you know, happens, they don’t know how to handle it. So that is why they are listening this kind of a teachings.
Now you have one here today. See? You got it one. Keep in your mind not only just the listening and and the teachings today, memorize it this text or memorize it just just this four lines. Just memorize it and say it as a mantra again and again in this textbook.
When the container and its contents are filled with evil, so change these adverse circumstances into the path to full awakening, utilize every immediate circumstances for meditation, possess the four preparations the highest of means. So now this particular thing, actually the practice is beginning with a conventional bodhicitta, I would like to say. Then after I think the ultimate bodhicitta, beginning conventional bodhicitta, the, you know, the when the you know, let’s say when you get sick, how can you transform the this unfortunate or, you know, this adversity into the path of enlightenment? Let’s say when you get sick. Normally, what we do when you get sick?
When you get sick, first thing is the we just worry it. Oh, what would be? I may I may die, or I may maybe this I may have some very incurable disease or, you know, because of the doctor will tell you to many many blood work lab, you know, they do result comes or there is something else you need to go another test, then now our mind is, oh, maybe I’m having some bad disease or maybe some incurable, know, incurable, non curable disease or I may die. See? All these things happens in the thoughts automatically.
See? That’s very normal, actually, really. But then now, this particular point our teaching was saying, when you get sick, whatever is it? You know, when you get sick but you are sick now. Yes?
Most important thing is the you need to understand why I am sick. Why I am having this pain and suffering? How pain and suffering arises? What, you know, what was the causes of pain and suffering? See, instead of just thinking a lot of other things, better to think this way.
Mainly the now we need to talk about the the four noble truth. Here is the I think noble truth of suffering. That’s the first things. Now you need to find out how suffering arises. So this point is the I will I will not gonna go more details, you know, I will make it short way.
Noble truth of suffering, how suffering arises. Without causes, there wouldn’t be any results. How suffering, you know, arises? This point is the second noble truth, noble truth of origin of suffering, which is the karma in delusions. That’s the main thing here.
So now if you whatever in your happening in your life, sickness or any problems, before you blame someone, actually you need to blame back to you, to your own three poisons. That’s the main thing here before you blame someone else. Okay? So there is no mistranslation. Drive all blame into one.
Actually, and here is the Maybe they utilize every immediate circumstances from meditation. So this one maybe the drive all blames into one. That’s a the main thing is the oneself, our own three poisons. Because of the our our own three poisons accumulated negative karma, that negative karma, you know, the past negative karma carried, then now it’s ripening, having results, pain and suffering. See now.
So now accept it. Of course, you need to go to the doctor, You need to take medications. Important. But spiritual side is we need to accept it. Try to cure yourself, you know.
That’s what we need to do. So now now think just simple this one is if you think about it, you really took this adversity into the path of enlightenment. You practice. This is just the one simple example I’m giving you. Otherwise, just remember, have some recollection.
Some of you may be went through some so much pain and suffering that without accepting the fact. So now then what is worth it? So now change. And another thing is if you’re a really Buddhist practitioner, another thing is the also, it’s very nice when you get sick. You know?
I’m not saying the pain and suffering is very nice, but point is the practitioner perspective very important that when you get sick, they think and they do practice, okay, I will take all my sickness to you know, path to enlightenment, transforming, you know, this all the sickness to path to enlightenment, the path of the enlightenment. How? Now saying, okay, bring on every sickness. See, all the people who are same sickness as I do now, you know, bring on. Bring me all this sickness.
I will take it. So like this. You are taking like a Tonglen practice. You are taking people’s suffering into you, and you are giving to them all your goodness. You are bringing people’s suffering into you and you are mixing with your own suffering and pain or sickness, whatever is it, then now you are destroying through the meditations and so is the spiritual meditations, both meditations.
Let’s say if you are sick, some kind of a, you know, heart problems, you are in the hospital. Now you are doing this practice saying, you know, they bring on everyone’s heart problems into me. I will take it. So then now you are curing them. They’re taking medicines that you are curing your own heart, which is the, you know, the the mundane perspective.
Then spiritual perspective is the also you are really curing the people’s suffering when you are curing your own suffering. That means this one is the into the path of enlightenment, transforming all this sickness into the path of enlightenment. So how beautiful. This is another way you can practice. Then you really don’t need to worry about your own sickness.
Your sickness also becomes very positive. Then another thing is how to transform adversity into the path of enlightenment. Think about this sickness is my purification. I’m so glad that I’m sick now because I have friends and family. I’m living in Australia.
I have a Medicare. I have insurance. I have a beautiful doctor and wonderful medicines. And and beautiful sangha members, they are praying for me. I have a wonderful families and friends around me.
This is the time I really my you know, I’m good to good to be sick. Good to be sick now. Then in future. What would be if you get sick in future? Maybe you have know all these facilities.
Let’s say some part of India and China and Africa, same sickness here, you do. Same sickness, they do there. They die. You don’t. Think about that.
They die. People die in sometimes in India. Just simple problem. What what what do you call that? Appendix?
Appendicitis. But that’s nowadays, it’s it’s laughable. You know? Who gonna die? I mean, this is very simple to cut out.
But people die in some part of India because they have no money to go to a doctor, sometimes too much pain. When they get to the hospital, they’re already finished. See? Think about that. People die of very simple disease in India sometimes.
I’m talking about especially people who live in a village, rural area. But think about Adelaide. Beautiful weather is a it is a little crazy actually here in here. Really. Sometimes very hot, sometimes very cold.
I don’t know. I never been this kind of weather before, but I’m I’m learning it. You know? But generally speaking, beautiful. So many trees.
Nowadays, the this flower, jacaranda, you know, beautiful flowers there. Beautiful. I mean and and the, you know, the the the you have a wonderful sangha members here. You have hospitals, and you have all these facilities. Seems to be Australia do have wonderful this old age retirement also, you know, pension, whatever you call.
Think about this way. How many countries, even though forget for the other country, United States, very difficult. Obama was so kind to do this insurance. Obama care. But now Donald Trump want to destroy that.
See, United States is the Medicare and Medicaid and Medicare is it’s terrible. People, when they get older, they save a lot of money. They are so lucky. But sometimes they live long, long life, and their money is finished. You know?
Other otherwise, you will be homeless. I saw many people in my lifetime in in United in United States. They sell their house, again they sell their car, but now they have no car. Like that. See?
If you look at it this way, it’s good, you know, good to be sick now. Of course, it’s also not good to be sick. Both. Both good. Accept it.
If you look at that perspective, purification. When you get sick now, that part of the karma is gone, disappeared. You you know, you wouldn’t get results in next next time because you already got the result, which is a purification. Wonderful. You, you know, purify it.
That’s a good one. Otherwise, who knows? Maybe you will going to get this same result in the next lifetime. Maybe if you’re born in Africa or some part of the rural area in India, you will be big problem. Then now better think about.
I accept it, you know, deal with it as much as I can. You know? That’s it. If you think about this way, this is another ways of thinking and practicing transforming the adversity into the path of enlightenment. So okay?
So there are so many things we need to talk about it, but also here, utilize every immediate circumstances for meditation. Possess the four preparations the highest of means. So here are the four preparations. And this book gives you the first one is the Sonam Tsog. Sonam Tsog means accumulate what do call accumulating merits.
Accumulating merits. And second one is the purifying the negativities, which is I just mentioned. Then offering and then they’re requesting the dharma protector. Here is the accumulating merit in order to achieve enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings, which as I mentioned before, accumulating merit is very, very important. Great merits will dream come true.
If you accumulate merits, your dreams will come true. Merits are very important, of a positive energy, not like luck. Now second one is to purifying the negativities that hinder or practice the path. Third one is to offering tormas to spirit and other harmful beings by thinking of their kindness and feeling compassion for them. So this one is they’re talking about the Buddhist rituals.
We do torma offerings although, you know, these are the very much religion. So the usually, we don’t do publicly like a torma offering things. There are many rituals, you know, people do. Then then fourth one is requesting the Dharma protector to provide conditions and conducive for our mind training practice to improve. So then the people do many the Dharma protector pujas, kangsal rituals.
You know, instance, Lama Chöpa dakinis puja, and there are many, many, many like that, you know. These are the we do, you know, we do. Especially when you get sick. When you get sick, then what we do, we go to the lama’s teacher. We ask them to chakmo, means divination.
When lama check divination, the lama will tell you, you need to do this kind of a puja, that kind of a puja, and you need to do some of the, you know, practice, which is wonderful. Then we do the practice what he asked to do us, we do, and the rest of the things, you know, we invite some monks to do some Dharma protector rituals and and some lama chöpa offering things, you know, that we do. Monks do, lay people do. So that’s why the torma offering here in in the Buddha house, they do every month lama chöpa offering, they do also medicine Buddha’s puja. So these are the meant to be the, you know, to you know we are requesting those protector and gurus and lamas to help us to improve our practice actually.
Of course main thing is to your own karma, but we do have karma with our our own lamas and protectors because once you make connection with those protectors and spirit, good one we are talking about it, then then then we do have this connection. Then sometimes when you request them, we can get some help from them because they do have certain power, you know, and then your karma will give you some results that the protector must help you. There is karma like that. But order to get this good results from the protector, you need to do these requesting things. You need to do these pujas, for the spirit pujas.
Then you can get some help from them. Your karma will be, you know, ripening. Otherwise, you do have already karma there, but karma is karma yet to be in in right raised result because of the not meet condition. Now this requesting two protectors and spirit, you are the, you know, the try to meet the condition, then then once you meet the condition, you get the results. Because karma cannot, you know, give raise the result until, it has not yet met the condition.
Every karma. For instance, you had it karma that you accumulated past lifetime to get some accident. Let’s say car accident. Or maybe I would like to say motorbike accident accident, let’s say, if you don’t mind that. Yeah?
Do you? Motorbike accident. You had this karma in the past lifetime, but that karma couldn’t give you the results for years and years and years, many many years. Why? Because of the karma was not able to give results to give results because there wasn’t any conditions because that karma not yet meet the conditions results.
Until that person gets one motorbike and he or she ride the bike, then get the accident, boom, then the result is there. That’s it. These are the conditions. Same as like a car. Whatever is everything is like that.
Same as like, you know, you need the condition to get pain or or the sick. Your stomach may be con what would be conditions? Maybe some old food or some poisonous food, whatever, those are the conditions. Until you meet those conditions, but conditions are not necessarily be just you are going to search or something. Sometimes just happens.
Like a coincidence, it just happens. You know? But my my point is the what I’m saying is the karma must meet the condition in order to give rise to the results. That’s my point. Same as like many people ask or Geshe lah, sometimes Buddhism is saying, everything your own bad and good happen to be because of your own previous karma and why we are praying, why we are requesting Buddha or protector so and so.
Because we headed this karma already there to get the help from the Buddhas and the bodhisattvas and the protectors. We do because of the we are sentient beings. We have this karmic connection with the Buddha, karmic connection with the protectors and and Dharma protectors or spirit. Both bad bad side, negative side, and a positive side. We had it because we had it millions of millions of lives before.
We really rebirth many, many, many lives. That that’s what we call beginningless. Birth has no beginning. How many birth we haven’t gone through? There’s no numbers.
So that mean we had it kind of a karmic connection with the Buddhas, Dharma protectors, so is the, you know, the kind of, you know, spirit, so is the people, so is the animals, anything. But then those karmas are still not ripening. Why? Because not yet meet the conditions. So here the main point is the Dharma protector and then they asking or requesting the hearer, as I just mentioned to you, the offering torma, torma is like rice.
It’s kind of a cake, know, dharma cake. It’s called dharma cake, a cake. Offering tormas to spirits and other harmful beings by thinking of their kindness and feeling compassion for them and requesting the Dharma protector to provide conditions, conducive for our mind training practice to improve. So like also included in prayers also when you pray, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. So see now here, as I mentioned, these are also the saying it’s good to do, you know, and the four practices.
This one is the process of four preparation, the highest of means. All of this part of the transforming adversity into a path of enlightenment. See, we do this kind of rituals not only just the benefiting yourself, also the benefiting all other sentient beings. Main purpose is the the benefiting all the sentient beings. So that’s a at beginning of my class, I mentioned it’s a bodhicitta, conventional bodhicitta.
But if you do this bodhicitta, if you do practice this bodhicitta with wisdom understanding emptiness then this bodhicitta will become the ultimate bodhicitta. Okay. So see now how beautiful all these things. First thing is the accumulating merits is very important. I as I mentioned before, merits are like a in our bank balance.
Much as we use it, this plastic, you know, nowadays, everything’s plastic, this card, or bank balance goes down and then down and then down. What you need to do, you need to deposit more cash into the bank. Then your bank balance will be good, isn’t it? That you can use in future again. But then now you use this plastic going to supermarkets and and buying material things.
But then now one day, your bank balance is empty because you could not deposit. You have no money to deposit into the bank. But now this plastic is useless. You cannot use it. There’s no bank.
When you try to use it, this woman tell you your card is finished. You know? That’s Similar like merits. All these merits that we accumulated in the past lifetime, this lifetime, but then these merits are, you know, they continually decreasing because of the or or, you know, luxury life or or or or livelihood or or or living style is much the luxury than other people. Some part of the world, very different ways they live there.
We live very differently. Bedroom, kitchen separate, bedroom separate, living room, dining room, and bathroom, and big and and, you know, big room and big a car. And and so many gardens, backside, gardens, front side, beautiful flowers. I mean, like a small heaven here, isn’t it? When I walk, I can see a small Australian heaven here.
Those flowers are so beautiful. I was little attached now, these flowers. But when I go there near the flower, what I I try to put because of the I love flowers, but my this migraine is the, you know, I get headache. But I like to see it, not smell it. This this is my own karma.
I have not good karma to, you know, and and have, you know, good smell. That’s my karma. I can smell all these, you know, rubbish things. No problem at all. Sometimes helping me to to my migraine.
Unbelievable. I don’t know. Why? I’m laughing. It’s my karma.
You know? Anyway, if you look at this way, it’s beautiful, isn’t it? So merits, accumulating merits is most important. Much as you accumulate merits, then you much as you can live a luxury life, which is good. Same time also the, you know, you can able to practice Dharma well.
Although otherwise, we we have all these beautiful facilities, such a wonderful, you know, that things are very accessible. Things are very, very easy, western countries. Banking things, post office, same as in United States also, very, very easy, you know. But in India, banking is big problem. They keep you talking.
You need to and you need to wait there. But if you’re a practitioner, patience, Absolutely. Sometimes it takes hours to get there. And post same as like a post office because of the population. You know?
I think the Westerners are I mean it, actually. I’m thinking Westerner need to accumulate merits more than people in India, I think. I think that’s I think because of the life is your living style is very different than the dear. Of course, some some Indian people, rich people, they are same as Lago Western, but my point is the majority of the Indian people, they live very little. You know?
So that mean they are really not that much decreasing their merits. But maybe westerner are decreasing lots of merits because of the your lifestyle is the it’s a first class, you know, and and and almost like, you know, in in United States also like that. Airplanes like, you know, India, we call buses. You do have buses here, but India is the most they train in bus, you know, when you travel, like a four hour, three hour, eight hours or but United States, a flights airplanes like a buses. People some of them, my students, Florida to New York, maybe three and a half hours.
They go morning, New York. They come back evening. They work there. And they go to morning to the Atlanta, come back, Florida, and direct come to the class. Can you imagine?
Every day they do that like a bus. I’m saying India, people go to people travel by the bus, you know, mostly the bus and the train. I mean, that much convenient and easy life. And and and and also the another thing is the Dharma teachings nowadays. Unbelievable.
I was totally surprised when I came to United States. There are so many things. Of course, in Tibetan, already there. Even though some of the things I have not seen in the Tibetan, but very accessible in FPMT books, all these prayers. Beautiful.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche, kindness of the Lama Rinpoche and FPMT people, they translated all this. Look at these books are unbelievable. Some of these prayers, very difficult to get in Tibetan also. I have not seen Tibetan book, but here, everything here. I was looking Tibetan now.
Very difficult to get it. That mean we are very, very lucky having all this thing you didn’t realize. Oh, Buddha house. Go Buddha house. Get that gold one.
I mean, we have no idea how this book arises. So many people it’s not easy to build this book. First thing is the Lama Zopa Rinpoche, which is kindness. He most of he translated. Now it’s very difficult to translate.
I mean, you know, all these things are Rinpoche’s such a wise wise and, you know, of course, Rinpoche must be bodhisattva. Then the second lady, some people editing things, put down book. Also, not only how beautifully they put down just not just one book, there are hundreds of books like this. I mean, how easy to access? See now, I think we need to understand sometimes when you read the book, we must dedicate, of course, his holiness and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his holiness and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, which is a main thing, And all other FPMT people who really, you know, walk, you know, with this kind of books, I mean, we must dedicate for them such a it’s it’s not easy because my own experience, you know, in the sometimes translating things, very difficult.
You need you need to think about so many. You need to read many dictionaries like that. When even though I’m my teaching, sometimes I need to read many dictionaries in order to really make things easier, you know, for Westerners. But now, unbelievable. When I’m looking like this, even though they put down Saint Francis, Of course, we don’t do it in monastery.
Of course, there’s a no non-Buddhist like that. But here, I look like a Buddhist, actually. You know? But sometimes monasteries are little selfish. You know?
Buddhist. Buddhist. Buddhism. Buddhism like this. But when I’m reading this one, so beautiful.
I do this every almost every class. How beautiful here. I think we must be really think about the kindness of the, you know, people who built all these beautiful prayers. So point here is the because of that, all life is very luxury here. So that’s why decreases our merits.
So that’s why we we need to accumulate more merits. Remember? We need to put that deposit to the bank. That’s what we need to do. Otherwise, we may get more sickness.
When your merits are decreasing, you may be very wealthy, or you may get more sickness. You may get more issues and problems because of the lack of merits. It’s possible. I’m not saying will happen. That’s not my point.
Just possible. So that’s why once you accumulated more merits, so then life will be even though you get sickness or problems, not big problem. You can handle it very well because of the energy of the merits. Okay? Now ten minutes break, please.
Okay, I can take some questions now. And next week, applying the practice throughout the whole of life. So that’s going to be fourth point. I will going to do maybe fourth and fifth next because the Thursday yeah. There’s two more Thursday.
I need to finish this before sixteen, which is fifteen is the last class. Applying the practice throughout the whole of life and then the the measure of the mind training. Then the then last, are going to be the commitment of mind training, so it’s the precepts of mind training. Now I can take some questions. Go.
This one is the just giving you the ways of how they you know, translate it in different ways. Actually containers and the content, and here in the Tibetan was saying is the nature. Let’s say this world, think about as a container, and contents are the all these people and suffering and pain and etcetera, you know, think about as contents. So container is think about like a world. Also, if if I go bigger than that one, container is like a saṃsāra is the container.
So then the then the, you know, the all the people who live in the saṃsāra, so is their problems and whatever is it everything, every existence in the saṃsāra going to be contents. That is a container and contents. But this can be say small way also, like you know your own body is the container. So five aggregates are the contents. You can go that one is also.
So you know, it’s depend which way. But main thing here is really all these contents, meaning three poisons and all other mental afflictions that they consider as a contents and container is the the in this our own mind. Again, you can think of our own mind is the like a container absorbing all these things also this way. Think about it. Okay?
Yeah. Anyone? What’s the four preparations? Four preparation. First one is the you miss mini class.
You need to come double class now. No. You miss first point. You miss second point. Yeah.
Now I may need to hold here one hour more to teach the first point and second point. With Sofia also. Sofia missed too. Okay. Now the you wanted four points here.
Four point is here. First one is the merit, actually. Merit, accumulating merits. Yeah. Accumulating merit in order to achieve enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings.
That’s the first point. Second point is the purification. Purifying the negativities that hinder our practicing the path. Third point is to offering tormas, mean offering tormas to spirits and other harmful beings by thinking of their kindness and feeling compassion for them. And fourth point is they’re requesting the Dharma protectors to provide conditions conducive for our mind training practice to improve.
Diana, you can get this book. See? Over somewhere there. Just makes I don’t know. Just the donations, I think.
You know? Okay? Everything is here. Seven point mind training. Sometimes I’m thinking, you know yet any teachings.
If you have this book, seven point mind training, if you practice this entire of your life, you will be okay. Think everything’s here. You know? It’s also you know, really the the the Lamrim is there. Lamrim teaching is already there.
Only the you need to go in more details. Everything’s here. Really beautiful. Okay. Anyone?
Yes. In regards to when you’re talking about making a torma offering to the beings that are protectors, but they’re also sometimes seen as mischievous spirits. Yeah? Yeah. Handful.
Know which one to make those offerings and because Yeah. But in the depending torma offering is offering offering to whom? Yeah. When you’re offering torma? You cannot just do torma offering.
There is a order you need to follow. You need to follow the orders of the torma offering. We do offering torma to nagas. When people get like, in Tibetan Buddhism is the very much I don’t know Naga do exist or does not exist. I’m sounds like does exist.
But I’m since since I came to United States, my mind is little, you know, not sure this kind of things, you know, little westernized, my mind also. But I cannot talk about these things in the monastery. If you do that, big problem then, ah, look at him. He went to America a few years. Now he’s just doing like a western he’s thinking like a westerner.
He’s eating like a westerner. He’s talking like a westerner. That’s but, of course, you know, we must be open up both side, you know, not only just the Tibetan Buddhism. Even though what westerner is saying, they do say things not like blindly. Science is very important.
You know? But the point is that I don’t know Naga does exist or does not exist. We do torma offering to Nagas. Nagas like Nagas like like, you know, typically we call it. It’s called like mermaid.
Mermaid. I think that’s similar like a mermaid. Yeah. When you have some legs problems, swelling your legs without injuring, you know. When you have some problems in in in the lower part of your body, our society thinks, oh, this is from the naga’s curse from the naga, or you need to do naga’s torma offering.
Sometimes help you. When I was young do you want to hear this one? Yes. Yes. I don’t know.
About to be seven, eight years old. One day, little pain in my how you call this? Butt? It’s not good word, yeah? Okay?
Yeah, my butt area, you know, the bump area, that area. Little pain. There will be tomorrow, it’s little swelling, more pain. I got another one here also. Then my mother check, and my mother slap me like, you you went to poop there somewhere.
Where you poop yesterday? Because we didn’t have bathroom inside. We need to go outside. I didn’t know there is a place people put down some stones that’s supposed to be clean. I didn’t I put near there.
That’s supposed to be Naga’s, what do call that, the spot. You know, I didn’t know that. It was big deal. And then then my mother asked one this lama, lama chick divination. Even though lama didn’t know I pooped there, lama was very good.
Oh, you got some problem from the naga. Maybe you did something wrong with the naga’s place. That’s true. Even lama didn’t know where was the naga’s death spot or house or nest, whatever you call. Then then the lama says, oh, you need to we need to do torma offering.
I didn’t do it. Lama did torma offering for a few days. My mother just put some oil. That’s it. There’s I’m talking about the nineteen sixties in my village.
Nothing there. You know? Only some oils. Sometimes they do some the spiders spiders’ net, you know, spiders’ web. They burn.
They put these things. Anyway, after torma offering, it’s gone. Few days after, sometimes I don’t know if this is kind of, you know, maybe stitious. I don’t know. It happens.
So that’s how, you know, we do offering like that. That’s a one order. We do a torma offering with naga. Also, there are some other tarma offering things. It’s depending what whom you offering the Dharma.
There would be orders. You cannot just offer dharma just for nothing. There’s orders. So according to the orders, you need to do this offering, then everything is okay. Yeah.
Some bad spirit, harmful, you know, there are some term often we need to do without the upsetting on getting angry. We need to do lots of meditations to feeling compassion and and the love towards those, you know, harmful spirit. Otherwise, your torma offering going to be useless. It’s everything’s depends on that. On that, Geshe-la and everybody else might be interested, when we had the retreat in Bendigo with Lama Zopa Rinpoche two years ago, there were a lot things, obstacles happening, like like a tree fell on a lady’s tent, but she’d actually left the tent, fell on a tent, and people were disturbed feeling that there was things around them.
Know, evidently when there’s retreats like that, sometimes it brings a lot of spirit, and they’re trying to cause trouble. So Rinpoche did this protector Protector Puja. It all disappeared overnight.
Yeah. It is possible. Absolutely happens. I mean, I don’t understand anything, but I saw it. Where there is a Dharma where there is a Dharma teachings and Dharma activities going on there, there would be some this harmful spirit will come there.
Even though this can be comes to the monastery or groups of the people, even though here now in in in this moment, I would like to say there are many, many good spirit and a harmful spirit, but they they cannot harm us because of the our motivation is to help them, you know. So that is already here somewhere, you know, they are listening, you know. So also it can be in your house. So it depends how you live in your house. So that’s why good to have some, you know, thangkas and the statues, do water bowl offering in time to time, bring lamas and monks and like those, ask them to do some prayers.
That’s these are the we do in Tibetan society. For instance, my house in in in India, almost every month, three or four times, we invite monks to do different different, you know, the these protector pujas, and and we do also the Green Tārā pujas, medicine Buddha’s puja. Almost every month, three or four times, there would be some monks will become they come to do these prayers and pujas like that. Why we do that? Because we want it to be our house and the no spirit, like a bad one.
You know? Even though they are there, we ask them to stay there, but don’t harm us. We will not gonna harm you, and you shouldn’t you don’t harm us. We live together harm harmoniously. You know?
You cannot harm them, but they were born that way. We must feel compassion. Same as like, you know, there are many evil people in this world. We cannot harm them, but they’re born as a, you know, like that way because at some point their karma, they accumulated a kind of a karma to born as a evil being. So that’s why they are now very nasty.
Same as like, you know, the spirit side also. Some spirit very nice, like some good same as like some nice human being, some bad, like a, you know, nasty human being. Same thing like that. Yeah. Thank you.
Okay. Welcome. And now dedication, please. Page one twenty, please. Lord Buddha, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is discord, unity. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is error, truth.
Where there is despair, hope. Where there is sadness, joy. Where there is darkness, light. Or divine master, granted I may not so much seek to console, to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as love. For it is giving that we receive, it is pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in dying that we are born to eternal life, from happiness to happiness until we reach full enlightenment.
May all beings effortlessly attain the transcendent and peaceful state of omniscient Buddhahood. Now please look at the Buddha House prayer book. Page thirteen. Lord of Dharma, who is second Buddha in this fortunate aeon, those to be subdued, you manifest in the light of your well-spoken advice, to sūtra and tantra tradition, essence of the Buddha’s teachings, foremost and holy Dharma, to you who are supreme holy lama, please, please live long. Thank you very much.