Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 106-minute teaching, Geshe Kyab introduces the second of the three principal aspects of the path—bodhicitta, the mind of enlightenment or altruistic intention—and explains why it is both essential and difficult to develop. He walks through the two main methods for generating bodhicitta: the seven causes and effects, and the exchange of self and others. The seven causes and effects begin with recognizing all sentient beings as one’s mother, remembering her kindness, and repaying it through genuine help that goes beyond temporary aid to freeing beings from suffering. Through love, compassion, and resolute thought—the determination to free all sentient beings yourself—bodhicitta arises like pure butter from churned cream. Geshe Kyab emphasizes that developing bodhicitta requires consistent practice, merit accumulation through pujas and supplications, and often initiation into Avalokiteśvara practice, the Buddha of Compassion. He urges students to begin this work within their own families and communities rather than only contemplating distant beings, and stresses that helping oneself through education and practice is not selfish but necessary groundwork for helping others. The teaching is framed for practitioners already familiar with renunciation who are moving deeper into the Mahāyāna path.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2016 11 08.mp3
UUID: 7ae97472-c69b-4636-bc4e-f56468d2a161
Teacher: Geshe Kyab
Collection: Geshe Kyab Three Principal Aspects (Geshe Kyab)
Date: 2016-11-08
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 106.3 minutes
Words: ~11,582
Good evening, everyone. Good evening. Please look at the page thirty four on this gold book. I go for refuge until I’m enlightened in the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, I practice on giving and other perfections. May I attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings.
May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness. May all sentient beings be free from suffering in the causes of suffering. May all sentient beings be inseparable from happiness that is free from suffering. May all sentient beings abide in equanimity, free from attachment and hatred for loved ones. Reverently, I prostrate with my body, speech and mind.
I present clouds of every type of offering actually arranged and mentally emanated. I confess all my negative actions accumulated since beginningless time, and rejoice in the virtues of all, all of them, great enlightenment beings. Short mandala offering.. Now, mantra please.
This single page. Thank you. Can my watch clock? Where was that? Thank you.
Three principal aspects of the path. So this is the class for Tuesday. The first principal aspect is renunciation. Second one is the bodhicitta or mind of enlightenment. Third one is the correct view or the emptiness.
Correct view. We approach the second principle, which is the mind of enlightenment. The Sanskrit is called bodhicitta, which is very, very important. So the mind of enlightenment. Sometimes also translated, this one is the altruistic intention.
Altruistic intention, bodhicitta, mind of enlightenment. In Tibetan is Sem Kye. Which is very, very important. Without bodhicitta, without generating bodhicitta, it’s very difficult to really achieve those most important paths, which is called path of seeing, meditation, and no more learning. So there are many great Mahāyāna paths must be engaged before you achieve enlightenment.
So that’s why the bodhicitta is very, very important, but it’s also very difficult to generate bodhicitta. But you know, it’s important to understand generating bodhicitta. So, how one can generate bodhicitta? There are two different ways, of course, generally speaking, you know, there are many, many different ways. Most important, you know, there are two ways one can able to generate the bodhicitta.
One is called the seven causes and effect, which we need to talk about them today. Second one is the exchange of self and others. And mainly developing bodhicitta is why we need to develop bodhicitta. That’s why there are so many ways one can be able to generate bodhicitta. Reason is this monkey mind, you know, which is the we possess.
This monkey mind, this monkey mind is very jumpy, and this monkey mind is most of the time very much into it. Self centered, selfish, egotistic, you know. Only I, I, and me, me, me. So these are the problem. Developing bodhicitta is the in order to develop bodhicitta, object must be the others, not yourself.
Now, mostly the object is ourself. So that’s why we do so many things that we think these are our happiness. But I’m not saying we shouldn’t be doing things for ourselves. Don’t misunderstand. Okay?
You got to be listen very carefully when Buddhist teaches, you know, you need to give up your own these thoughts or or the traditional culture during this period of time. You need to welcome everything that is what here giving you the teachings. If you try to mix your own culture and a tradition with the Buddhist teachings, then it doesn’t fit. It’s very difficult to put these two things together on this table now. First of all, limit everything.
Give up your own this culture and thoughts, whatever you have, and try to absorb everything what Buddhism, you know, saying. You know? So so this is the point. In many western tradition, everything is black and white. So but Buddhism is the all the time middle path.
There is a middle, you know. Everything is depend what context or, you know, what, you know, reason or which way. So everything depends on that. Not like a black and white. Everything is white or black.
No. So that’s why the middle path is very important. So now what I’m saying here is basically we all regularly, you know, we do so many things. If you check it, let’s say today, I’m just giving you one example. Forget about you know, past time.
Just for today, since morning to until now, check it out. We did so many things. Most of the things that we did it only for ourselves. See? That’s why I’m talking about it.
Order comes very, very rare to think order’s benefit. When I say others, other sentient beings. Besides yourself, other sentient beings. Our thoughts since this morning to until now, mostly thinking only ourselves, our own benefit. Verbally saying things are maybe only for your own benefit.
Physically, maybe, you know, we did it since morning to now only for ourselves. That’s one thing. Now if you check it, how many times I had these thoughts for others. Others benefit. Very rare.
Maybe some people may have it, very little. If you compare thinking yourself and others, others may be very little, some people may be nothing. But now action is going to be almost nothing for the others. When you say others, then just, you know, we just isolate them and ourselves is very important. I, I, me, me, me.
So this is the life we have been like that. So that’s why we are suffering so much pain and suffering. We didn’t realize all this pain and suffering happened to be because of the suffering of change. We think things that we did for ourselves were our own pleasure, happiness, peace, but then eventually, all this happiness, peace, pleasure, things just change, pain and suffering. But then next time, we do the same thing again.
The same thing changes like this. General action like this. Until you encounter the Dharma mirror,. Until you hear these kind of teachings, then you realize, yeah, it is very true. So that’s why the meditation is very important.
Repeat again. Buddhism is not denying helping oneself. Absolutely not. How can we? We need to help ourselves.
But Buddhism is saying, of course, you need to help yourself. We need to survive, you know, or livelihood. We need to do things for ourselves. Also, Buddhism is saying, not only just do and help only yourself, also do for others too. See now, some balance, you know, which is very important.
Even though when you help others, actually, you are helping yourself. But unfortunately, we are as ordinary human being, we all are expecting expecting results as, you know, as soon as possible. You do something, just get the results. That’s very difficult. That’s why we do, you know, expect something like that.
You know. Oh, I I I wanted to be peace and on some happiness to achieve this ultimate happiness, then people do some meditation. When they, you know, wouldn’t achieve ultimate happiness right away, then people discourage themselves. But this is not something like a computer just fixes everything, searching things, and Googling, and, oh, find the information or just write down. Not like that.
This is just, you know, I mean, it is inside, not outside. It is inside. Look at our habit. Since the beginning of this time until now, our habits are so negative. How can we results as quickly as possible if you do something good?
It’s impossible. Purification. How many times do you do purification? See? The Buddhist book, it’s saying that if you want to learn something like just an example, of this book.
If you want to learn something, you know, some kind of knowledge, if you want to know and to achieve full of this book, then you need to do tens of hundreds of time, you know, on on the you need to accumulate merits. You need to do some sort of, you know, prayers and rituals in order to achieve one, you know, full of knowledge on this one, you know, one full of this size of the book’s knowledge. Tons of, you know, hundreds of books. You need to do this sort of prayers, rituals. Yes?
But then now rituals are very difficult here in the west, isn’t it? Because this knowledge is the inside knowledge. It’s very, very difficult to achieve, very difficult to realize. So that’s why we need to do mini purification practice, and also we need to accumulate more merits, which is very, very important. So at this point in Buddhism, especially in Tibetan Buddhism, we do many pujas.
Medicine Buddha’s puja, lama chöpa, tomorrow evening, lama chöpa tsok offering, is very, very important. We are offering tsok to our own gurus, Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Much as you do these offerings, that much as we do believe we are accumulating lots of merits. And here, merits are there. We are not talking about just luck, l u c k.
No. Merits are something that you are the one who need to do something, then you need to accumulate that merit. It’s a positive energy, you know. Once you accumulate the merit, then that merit will going to be really give you tremendous results. As I said, one full of book, you know, one full of, you know, knowledge of this book.
If you want to achieve, you need to do hundreds of, you know, prayers and pujas like that. Then you can able to achieve. So the reason why I I’m saying this one because of the habit. Our habit is very nasty. Check it out.
Since morning to evening, our habits, tendency. We do so many things. Really not important, but we just do it because of the habit, you know. But then now, reading Dharma books, coming to listening to the teachings, meditation comes, then we are not that much interested. We like it, but not that much interested.
By watching television, all this TV, television, you know, shows, we are very interested, see, because of the habit. You know? News, those nasty poly you know, news or the politics nowadays, isn’t it? But as I said, balance is very important. If you try to build nice as a balance, do something for the samsaric activities, also do some spiritual activities, then there would be nice balance.
Also nice, you know, habit of the balance, which is good. Otherwise, only one side habit is not good. That builds up, you know, this selfish mind becomes more hard, you know, more harder and harder and harder. Sometimes then it’s very difficult to melt it melt it down, very difficult then. Because of the now, you know, building up all this negative karma.
So this is the point. The bodhicitta is the very, very, very important kind heart, kind mind For others, we are not thinking ourselves. For others, wow. You know, it could be one person, could be two, could be ten or hundreds of thousand, it doesn’t matter. But try it.
Help something, you know, develop this precious mind. So that’s why the now one is the seven causes and effect, how to generate the bodhicitta. One is called the seven causes and effect, which is the last week I give you the outline. So today, I will going to go through this each of these, seven causes and effect. But before that, I will read it.
Now I thought I marked somewhere no. Maybe I bought another book. I think I this book is the. Yeah. This is the first one.
Where is this? Anyway, this translation and and I will translate it. My well, first first course is the seven causes and effect. First one is they’re recognizing all beings are their once a mother. But this point is, as I mentioned, you can substitute your father, aunt, sister, and brother, anyone, that person who, you know, whoever is it, very kind for you.
Usually, put down the mother, recognizing that all sentient beings are your mother. And second one is remembering her kindness. The third one is to repay her kindness. Once you remember her kindness, then now you need to repay her kindness. Then third one is the result going to be the love, great love.
So great love is the result of recognizing all sentient beings are their once mother, then remember her kindness, then repay her kindness, then result going to be love. And once you achieve love, love is cause of the compassion, great compassion, which is the number four or five. Then next to the compassion, it is called the resolute thought. Resolute thought, great thought. Then finally, result going to be the bodhicitta or the mind of enlightenment.
So these are the great compassion, resolute thought, and bodhicitta or mind of enlightenment results results from the love. So now you have it, seven causes and effect. So now first one is the recognizing the all sentient beings are once a mother, which is I explained to you last week. So mother sentient beings, it is unbelievable, isn’t it? Now remember a second one is the remembering her kindness.
Once you recognize the all sentient beings beings are the once a mother, now remember her kindness. So now how one can able to remember her kindness? Because you may have some problems with other sentient beings. How can you be able to remember that those sentient beings are so kind, you know? But this point is the you need to think about the one’s own mother, this lifetime mother.
This lifetime mother keeps you nine months and ten days, then after you came out from the mother’s womb, she went through so much pain and suffering. Then she raised you. If she threw you out, you wouldn’t exist. But she kept she breastfed, you know, and she raised you even though you were so tiny, tiny. But then now, you grow under the mother’s, you know, guide.
Unbelievable. If you think about it this way, then now same sort of idea or analogy, all other sentient beings, when they became your mother, they help you the same way, they love you the same way. Buddhism is very much on the how I say it? Deep. It’s very, very deep.
Not only just there, there. No. You they show you one something there. If you dig it underneath of there, something else. If you dig that one, then something else.
It’s almost like an layers if you look at it that way. So that’s why beginningless. That’s not beginning. Absolutely. Samsāra is beginningless.
Samsāra Samsāra is beginningless. Because saṃsāra is beginningless, this world is beginningless. Then our birth is also beginningless. We we have, you know, taken so many different births. human.
From human mother, from dogs, cats, kangaroos. From Australia. Kangaroos, they’re very popular. And then then all other animals, all other beings, you know, from their mother’s womb. Yes.
We came from all other beings, you know, those mother’s womb. We took birth like that. Even though just one single animal is a dog, let’s say a dog named Tommy, even though one dog, mother, became many, many times our mother. Yes, many times. Because as I said, birth is beginningless, saṃsāra is beginningless, that’s why birth is beginningless.
There’s no measurement, almost immeasurable. You cannot measure it. So if you look at it this way, all sentient beings became our mother, became our father, became our aunt, became our sisters or brothers or children or, you know, you just name it. Someone is very kind for you. They became like that.
So then they help you. So now this mother here is the I’m just giving you an example as a mother, which is the most Buddhist books give this example. So that means this lifetime mother help us so much. Same thing with all other sentient beings. They also help you like that when they became your mother.
So then now, once you remember mother’s kindness, what you need to do, good children, what you need to do? Repay her kindness. For instance, this lifetime mother, when she was hungry, you need to give her food. When she was sick, you need to serve because she is after all after all, she is your mother. So you you supposed to be repay her kindness.
So this mean you are good children, isn’t it? Good child. So that’s what you need to do. That’s, you know, civilized society. That’s the way we need to do.
Someone is kind for you. If your uncle is very kind for you, same thing you need to do. If your father is very kind for you, same thing you need to do. Repair her kindness. Because she was so kind for you, now it’s time to repay her kindness.
Which is very important, isn’t it? Similar like that, we need to repay kindness to other sentient beings. But giving food, giving shelter, and and giving help when she and he or she was sick, which is okay. But this help is just temporarily. Main thing here is that we need to repay.
The repaying is not only just giving food and shelters or the, you know, medicines or or, you know, which is good, but these are just temporarily. Main thing repair her kindness is the help her to really free from suffering and pain. That’s why the may all may all sentient beings free from suffering and pain. May all sentient beings free from pain and suffering and its causes. We do say this prayer every time before the class, The four immeasurables.
Here. They mention you everything here. Not that that Buddhism needs so many beautiful words, but these are the teaching, you know. Here, may all sentient beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. May all sentient beings be inseparable from the happiness that is free from suffering.
That’s what you need to do. So now how? How I can I need to do all this? How can I repay her kindness? So first of all, we cannot just repay her kindness.
We are talking about the great repaying, not just the giving food and helping when mother was sick. Of course, we need to do that. These are the you know, we don’t need to talk about it. These are the conventional help we need to do. But here is the main thing is the really we need to help mother sentient beings to them, to free them from pain and suffering and their causes.
So this point is the in order to help mother sentient beings, first thing is the you need to help yourself. That mean, first, you need to learn. You must be educated, isn’t it? Let’s say if you want to help college students, high school students, or Buddha house students, how can you help if you have no education? If you have not been in college and and and and and the high schools and elementary school, how can you help?
So that means first you need to learn yourself. I am helping you. Yes. Because I was in the monastery. I I I studied many, many, many, twenty, twenty more than twenty years since nineteen seventy three.
I’ve been helping my I I’ve been helping myself first to educate myself order to help Buddha House students, TKC students in Florida, Vermont, Columbia, other part of the United States. There are many, many students. So so that’s why the I’ve been helping in Europe also. See now, also is the of course, in India is the that’s the main thing I was in there. I help myself first.
I educate it. I learn. I meditate. I try to understand all these conceptions, you know, put it here in my hard drive. Now I’m releasing everything, showing you all these paths.
See? So that mean that my teachings mean to be, I’m helping you to free from pain and suffering. Why? All of you are mother sentient beings. All of you are so kind for me.
My happiness is deepen your happiness. You all are mother sentient beings for me. You helped me a lot past lifetime when you became my mother. How can be I just disappointing you now, not helping you? Same as like a bad child.
Mother was so kind. Now when mother need help, now that child is just totally the turn off. Not, you know, not helping mother. So same like that. I don’t want that.
I want to help. Same thing. You need to help others. But first, you need to help yourself. Me, you need to educate yourself first.
You need to educate all these teachings. How beautiful. So this is the call Buddhism is the depending arising. Everything is. My happiness is depend your happiness.
When I teach, I feel happy. When people are happy, you know, meditating and and receiving teachings, I feel happy. That means something is happening. Whatever I do, it’s something is good things happening. My life is useful now as a human being.
This is my purpose of being human being, to help each other, helping other. Then I feel like very much happy. I’m useful. I was so glad that I born in this world as a human being in helping you. See?
That’s my purpose. Otherwise, what? What we Only doing things or conventional things? Okay. Yes, we need to do some of these things, but only focusing on one side is a little bit too much.
So we need to focus both sides, spiritual side and worldly side, both, you know. So this way, you can able to understand the really meaning of the renunciation also. Also, the main thing here is the today’s class, how important other sentient beings. So, once you her kindness, then result going to be love that comes. Or recognizing all sentient beings are once a mother, remember her kindness, repay her kindness, then result going to be the love.
Which is the now, the great love is here, something like this. May all sentient beings be inseparable from the happiness that is free from suffering. That’s called love. Love is not only just raising your child, giving them food, giving them nice clothes, sending nice school. Conventional love, yes.
But main love is this one. See, this is the men love. May all sentient beings be inseparable from the happiness that is free from suffering. Usually, the mother does it. Mother with a, you know, sick son.
If you look at it, that mother is going to do, you know, for her sick son, whatever she needs to do, she will go to do it. That’s a mother’s heart. Even though she may not give her her life, she she may do it for her sick son. Whatever she need to do, she will go to do that. That much cherishing her son, isn’t it?
Something like that you need it to develop this strong cherishing orders. That’s called great love. Unbelievable. But we need to start from this conventional love first, you know. Then you need to develop that love step by step like this.
So that’s why if you look at every mother, do you have such a unique quality? So this is a point Buddhism books, as I said, mother sentient beings, mother sentient beings, that. Of course, some people maybe you may have some problems with a mother, you know, things like that happens. Don’t worry. You can edit in that that point anyone else that, you know, the person, you know, he or she was very kind for you.
Just edit there. That’s also fine. If it’s comforting you, then you can do that. Okay? So now the love then the today, I have a book anyway.
Then after love is the great compassion. So great compassion then next to the great compassion become resolute thought. Resolute thought is the not only just, you know, the ordinary thought, this one is the I myself. I myself going to free all sentient beings free from suffering and pain and their causes. I myself, not only asking somebody else, can you help me with this?
Can you do No. I myself, you know, going to do that. Very strong, resolute thought, like a mother’s heart. I am going to do whatever I need to do to cure my son even though I may I may need to give up my life. Kind of a, you know, strong thought, resolute thought, something like that.
And in Tibetan we call lhaksampa. Not only just ordinary thought, lhaksam. Very, you know, extra thought. Very, very thoughtfulness. Like that.
Then result comes mind of enlightenment, is the bodhicitta. So this way one type of how to generate the bodhicitta like seven causes and effect. bodhicitta is almost like a butter, actually. Butter comes from the creamy milk, isn’t it? When creamy milk churned by shaking and beating, I don’t know here how you do it.
In India, in in yaks, nomads, they need physically, they need, you know, a lot of strength to shake these things, you know, mixer kind of, you know. And eventually, that that cream become thicker and thicker and thicker, then the essence is going to be the butter. Also, that butter, we are talking about the pure butter without any liquid inside of the butter. That’s called pure butter. You have to also, you know, take out all the waters from that butter.
Eventually, butter becomes very pure butter. That pure butter is like a bodhicitta. All of those shown by shaking and beating, you know, creamy milk, these are considered as all these teachings, actually. Different different teachings, different different meditations, different kind of, you know, practices. Eventually, bodhicitta, butter comes.
That’s like a butter. Bodhicitta is like butter. See? Very important. And butter is delicious.
It’s rich, isn’t it? Rich. So bodhicitta is rich. But butter is, you know, too much butter is not good for a body. But too much bodhicitta is the best.
Best, best. That part is totally different. Too much bodhicitta is much better. That’s a good way to say it that way. Okay?
My books are the different, different book I. The Actually, this book giving you so many information. The bodhicitta comes from the love. Love is the most important. Love will give you result as great compassion, then resolute thought, and then bodhicitta or mind of enlightenment.
But now great compassion, see, this is another thing now. Great compassion is the May all sentient beings free from suffering and the causes of suffering. Great that’s a compassion, you know? But the object of the compassion is the other sentient beings. Same as like objects of their love is also the other sentient beings.
The, you know, other sentient beings are the object. Now great compassion is I did say this before. Great compassion is the another thing, the out of the seven causes and effect, once you possess great compassion before not, now you are entering the Mahāyāna path. I did say this before. I mentioned.
See, you are entering can you stand up? Can you take out this? Yeah. I like flowers. Beautiful.
But my head is, you know yeah. Thank you. I have a bad karma. I cannot have sweet and beautiful, wonderful perfume. I cannot have it.
That’s my bad karma. But I can have any nasty odor. Okay. No problem. What can I do?
That’s my karma. You know? Anyway, great compassion is the door to enter Mahāyāna path. But now in this book was giving us the great compassion is still not easy. As I said this before, there are many, many different tools and techniques we needed in order to achieve all of these wonderful paths.
Also, I mentioned, in order to achieve full glass of the knowledge, you know, you need to do the many different rituals and the pujas, like maybe hundreds of, you know, a number of hundred glasses, pujas, and like that in order to achieve one glass of the knowledge. This is exactly now here is the mentioning, especially for the great compassion. Saying here is the How can you judge your bodhicitta is strong or not strong? How do you know? How can you judge?
It depends on your great compassion. See? Compassion. If your great compassion is strong, then your bodhicitta or mind of enlightenment is very, very good. It depends that.
So then now, if you have not developed great compassion yet, then now here is saying you can do this. So this is the point now we need to talk about the Tantric initiations, especially the Avalokiteśvara initiations. Avalokiteśvara empowerment, and the, you know, there are thousand arms and we have four arms Avalokiteśvara. Why? Because Avalokiteśvara used to be Buddha of Bodhisattva, but now I would like to say Buddha of Compassion.
See? So now receiving the initiation from Avalokiteśvara because Avalokiteśvara is the Buddha of Compassion. He achieved those great achievement. So now if you receive the initiations and empowerment from Avalokiteśvara, so that makes a lot of sense. So then now, one day you can able to develop great compassion.
So this is the point many lamas give you. Some of you may have these initiations or empowerment from the lamas, which is Avalokiteśvara, initiations empowerment. See? Now this book also giving you here, you know. See?
Now also not only just receiving the initiations and empowerment means you need to follow the instructions. There would be some commitments, you know, you need to go through, and there would be some, you know, sadhana recitation daily base. So then you need to do supplications, which are prayers, which are very important. But as I said, there are many, many tools. You need it in order to achieve this bodhicitta.
This is not something that is very simple that one can be able to achieve. It’s great. It’s not easy to achieve bodhicitta. It’s not really as simple as you think? Absolutely not.
When I say initiations, already now we are talking about very advanced practices. But in order to get initiations and empowerment, which is you need to go through some tantric vows also, before that you to take some you know, bodhisattva vows. It depends on which yoga tantra you need to take some Bodhisattva vows, and then also you must have some lay vows, and you must be Buddhist. You must take Buddhist vow. Because Buddhist vow is the basic, it is the foundation of all other vows.
Once you take the Buddhist vow, now you have this foundation. Once you have a foundation, you can able to build many floors of the buildings. Because this is a solid foundation. That means you can able to take lay vows, you can able to take nuns and monks vows, you can able to take the bodhisattva vows, you can able to take tantric vows. This and that’s it now.
Even though you can take the fully ordained monk’s vows. I have two fifty three vows. If you want, you can do that too also. See? Much as you take vows, that much is going to be the more discipline in one’s mind, and you can able to keep those vows, follow the vows.
So this will be help you to, you know, to protect yourself. You know? So do things are what you’re supposed to be need to do. And the other things are just avoid it. This helps you to focus way to enlightenment, that highway to enlightenment.
Just focus there. So that’s why many people do become monks and nuns. Some just, you know, take lay vows, which is very good. Maybe one day I will going to do that. Some people ask me the bodhisattva vows also, so I will going to do that.
But you cannot just jump around all of these vows. These are serious matters, you know. So first thing is you need to learn all of these things. Very, very important to learn what does mean the Buddhist teachings, what does mean Buddhism, what does mean the Buddhist vow. If I become Buddhist, what should be cultivated, what should be discarded, All these things are you need to learn.
You don’t need to be taking vows are very simple. You know, half an hour, within an hour, everything’s finished. But once you take the vows, you need to continually you need to practice. You need to follow the instructions. At that point, people fail.
Yes. I received many, many tantric books one day. Huge box front of my door. And this man said this postman came and say, can you sign here? I said, I don’t think this is my who gonna send me such a box?
Very heavy. Then I checked the address of the sender, then I realized one of my student I had not seen for years. But suddenly, now big box. Then I recognized the sender name. He was my student.
Then I said, oh, okay. Very, very happy. Then I signed. He gave me one paper, that’s it. Then I asked one of my male students to bring this book inside of my room, and we open up.
I found so many tantric books, so many tantric books, so many initiation. And I read one letter, very sad letter, very sad. I had so many initiations, empowerment. I bought all these books, but now I cannot practice. See?
This happens. Even though older students sometimes, because they jumped without understanding the basic one. See, they just jumped around. So that’s good for me. I don’t need to buy them, you know.
All of these books, because books are expensive, but of course nowadays everything inside this, how you say, this, know, iPhone and iPad is much easier. But having books are more good when you put down there. I have many books here too. The point is it’s helping me, especially the translations, you know. It’s good for me.
But, of course, she was thoughtful, better to give it to Geshe-la than anyone else. But I can understand. I can understand the western culture and tradition. Sometimes a new student comes to the center like this. When they hear the Buddhist teachings, which they never hear before, they feel very excited.
And, this is, you know, it’s okay. But sometimes, little bit too much exciting, I think. When you’re beginning, if you excite it too much, you will then your your tail wouldn’t be that much long. Your tail going to be like a ship’s tail, very short tail. That’s no good.
Tail must be long, long tail. Who has a long tail? Dog? I don’t know. That’s better.
Who which animal has a long tail? Kangaroo. Kangaroo? Okay. You must be kangaroo tail.
Long one. You know? I don’t know kangaroo has a long tail. Kangaroo has a strong tail. Yes.
Okay. I think Kangaroo has got strong and long tail. Okay. Not good for a sheep’s tail. You know?
That happens. Because at the beginning, very much excited, then, you know, then after all, not so long. But okay to be exciting, but most important thing is to learn. Learn. Listen, then learn, then practice.
Then you are going to be get so many information. Then you may really interest you to learn more about the Buddhism. This happens. Anyway, see now, in order to really develop great compassion, then the Avalokiteshwaras, initiations, empowerment is most important. Absolutely.
Then prayers, supplications. So, this is the one type of this in how to generate the mind of enlightenment. Then the of course, before that, the equanimity is most important, which is I mentioned to you last week. Before you generate this one, it’s very difficult to generate the mind of enlightenment without the, you know, understanding the meditation on the equanimity. That’s very important, you know.
You need to understand the you and others equally same. There’s no difference, you know. Other sentient beings, let’s say your friends and family, which you love very much, wonderful. Now other side is you dislike enemies. These two things.
Now you need to bring these two groups of people together. You need to equalize. How? Okay, my friends and family, I love them very much. Wonderful.
But in the past lifetime, they became your enemies. Enemies, this lifetime, they became there as your enemies. For the past lifetime, they became your friends and family. Equal. Only this lifetime there are two different, but then this life is only just one particular life.
But then past life means so many lives. Before this life, enemies became your friends and family. So it’s the friends and family became your enemies. There’s no different from that. There’s no prominent friends and family or the prominent enemies.
Absolutely not. If does it, something like that, prominent enemies in the friends and family, then we can project to different or three different projection, which is okay. We can discriminate. I love my friends and family. I don’t love enemies.
I have no indifferent feeling. I have no, you know, these indifferent feelings to these strangers. So something like you can do that. But there is not prominent enemies of course, of friends and family. Everything is subject to change.
So that’s how if you bring these thoughts in your daily meditation again and again, this will help you to, bring all these people together. They all are equally same. If you really love them, you must love everyone. If you really hate them, you must hate everyone. But better to love everyone than hating everyone.
So that helps you to develop equanimity. Okay? equanimity is very important. Then next, seven causes and effect. One type of the in how to generate the mind of enlightenment.
Then there is another one is the other exchange self and others. Okay. Before that, have some break ten minutes, then come back. Okay. Recognition, first one is recognizing all sentient beings are.
One is a mother, remembering her kindness, repair her kindness, result going to be the love, then love. Then love give you result as a great compassion, resolute thought, then most important thing is the bodhicitta or mind of enlightenment. That one is the, like which I mentioned, butter, you know? Pure butter. So that’s a bodhicitta or mind of enlightenment.
But it’s not easy to achieve bodhicitta. So then now the objection comes. Oh, these are so beautiful, Gesela, beautiful to hear, wonderful, but it is very difficult to practice. I know, we do these excuses all the time, you know, very difficult to practice. Even though I wanted to do some good things for others, those people are so nasty on me.
So, you know, kind of things people talk about. Of course, mean, you know, we all are suffering. But then now we need to start this practice from small way. You cannot just go jump there if you don’t start from the small one. No, nobody can do that.
Know? First you need to start, of course, with within your family, inside your family. You know? Even though sometimes we say we love our friends and family, we love our parents, we love our aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters. We do say that.
Check it out. Really you love them or not? You need to check it out, I think. Better, first this step, start within the family, with with your children, husband, wife, brothers, and sisters, I think. I know many times brothers and sisters.
Between sisters, so much problem, isn’t it? Then how can we go outside there and do to think and all all mother sentient beings, but here inside the family is the disaster. Now mother sentient beings, forget it. First of all here few sentient beings are so difficult to get along, then how can be mother sentient beings? Think about it seriously.
I mean, you know, that’s why first of all, your own environment, try to pure, try to make this wonderful and more, how you say, beautiful, more like a, you know, peace. Thus, you need to do as much as you can. Then once you are in that environment, it’s beautiful, wonderful, and peace, then move on with your neighbor, I think. You know, this way, you cannot just go out thinking other sentient beings, but then now your own living style is the not so pleasant. How can it be?
This is the reality, isn’t it? It’s the fact. Need to face the fact. We cannot just faking around. Can faking around the politics, but this is not the politics.
This is the real. This is the life changing. When life changing things are, we must face the fact, not just our like, you know, just making some making it little like a nice, you know, and to to talking things only nice, but not from your heart. What is it then? We are, you know, practicing Buddha Dharma.
This is the spiritual. Spiritual perspective, we must be honest. Politics are different. So I think I’m not kidding you. Go back and check it out.
First of all, forget for the other sentient beings, outside sentient beings. Within the inside sentient beings, your own environment, your own inside the family, check it out. Can you get along with your family? Can you get along with your wife or husband? Can you get along with your children or your aunt or or the brothers and sisters or uncles?
Check it out. If your answer is no, that one is the first you must be polished. See, try it. It may take sometimes. I do, you know.
Sometimes, you know, I do have issues within the family, with my, you know, niece and nephew, especially in the my nephew is growing now. I do have some issue. He’s twenty three years old. Now you understand what I mean. It’s not easy, isn’t it?
We all have small issues with our my nephew. Very much educated, but all this unbelievable and and television. And sometimes I go inside. I just kick him out. Go outside.
Meet people. You know? Then he laugh, but I do very nice way, kidding, sometimes tease him. He doesn’t like to talk if you talk very strongly, which is the you know, his own parents does that. But I don’t talk like I tease him.
Sonam, may get sick only watching television and these video games, you know. And sometimes I take him together, go outside, meet people. I mean, it’s nowadays, these children are their life is very critical when I look at them, you know. Even in India, not that much things they have there, but still, you know, cell phone and all these things, like, almost hours, hours like this. And they talk, they communicate with I don’t know who was there.
Tried to check it out, but they put password there. I I have no idea what they do, you know. You cannot get it, you know. They do. Sometimes they throw there, try to check.
They already you need password to get into it. But, of course, I’m just there for only two months, three months. But, you know, but sometimes I just I treat them as my own son, you know. Sometimes I do that, try to help them. But, anyway, point is the we understand that.
And sometimes, you know, we we we feel upsetness. See, it’s ridiculous, isn’t it? But mostly, the my family is the peace. I’m around them, everybody’s peace. I try try to bring them all together.
Little problem here, there, human nature. This is not big problem. But if something is problem is growing, if you think that problem is really, must be stopped now, it is emergency, you need to go to the hospital. Must be stopped there. Otherwise, gross.
They’re no good. Smart. So I think first, you know, we all start within our family to this practice. Then move on to our neighbors, which is the most important. You need a lot of patience.
You know your neighbor sometimes. So this is the point I like about the ten commandments. Really, I do. Similar to Buddhism, we talk about the ten non virtuous actions. But then Christian, they talk about the ten commitments.
So love your neighbor. See? That’s very nice. I mean, beautiful. One day, I thought TKC, it was very very popular teaching.
I just I just made it myself. Buddhist ten non virtuous actions and and then then Christian it is Christian. Yeah. Ten commandments. We and somebody summarized these two things together very nice way.
They they advertise. We got so many people again, even the other tradition. But now teaching went very well. I was talking about both side. Ten commandments and ten non virtuous actions.
But there are many differences, but basics, there are similarities. You know? So When you talk like that, it’s both teachings. How beautiful! The point is we need to start.
I’m thinking within the family, then move on or never, other friends outside a little bit further more. This way, if you extend it, I think it’s good. Absolutely good. But remember, first thing is you are coming here listening to teachings. You must be educated, you must practice, you must learn all, absorb all these teachings, then practice.
So that is what I was saying. You must help yourself first. This is not a self-cherishing. This is good help. This is the even this is a little bit I, not all selfish minds are bad.
This is a good one. First, you must help yourself. In order to achieve enlightenment, we need this selfish mind. We are talking here is the self-cherishing, which is the only cherishing oneself, which is the bad. But not something that the cherishing oneself is bad.
No. In order to achieve enlightenment, we must be cherish ourself. We must help ourself. How can you achieve enlightenment then? See, now look at the Buddhism is not black and white.
Everything is dependent how you think, what context we are talking about it. Everything depends on that. But I think I do admire this all the time, Westerner. Westerner people are, of course, Westerner people are very smart, generally speaking, you know, because now I’ve been giving these teachings almost nearly twenty years. But I really very much admire Westerner.
You do, you know, kind of this wisdom, not same as like a Tibetan laypeople. Although Tibetan laypeople, they may know so so much of these things are but then now consistency is the some of the western are much better for me, my perspective, because you like logics. You know? See? Some may not.
I’m talking about the westerner people who are coming to Buddhist center, I think. Logics, which is the most important in Buddhism. When you learn Buddhism, you need some interest, you know, understanding the logics. So that’s what we call philosophy, psychology, like that. So that’s I I can see that.
You do have such a potential. Really, you do. Sometimes, of course, you know, little misunderstanding because of the two different cultures. But other than that, it’s great. I mean, you know, you have your own family and, you know, the eating style, living, everything is very different than the Buddhism.
But still you really come here and listen to the teachings, practicing the teachings, meditating and supporting and volunteer, I think that’s great. Wonderful. Really, I mean it. How difficult, especially here in the West. People are very, very busy in the United States.
People have no time to eat, time to cook. Everybody drives. They buy food to drive, and they buy and eat. Driving eat like that’s why many of the my students, if you if you can ride their car, you can smell all this food. They eat inside the car and coffee.
They drop coffee. Yes. Only when I ride their although I I have my own car, sometimes I do go with friends, you know, and they clean, you know, but still you can smell because they have no time to cook, no time to eat. But still evening, they come earlier, they come to the center. I mean, if you look at that perspective, it’s unbelievable.
I mean it, it’s unbelievable. But many of the Tibetan laypeople, if they go to work morning, evening, oh, no. I want to enjoy. I don’t think they do. But Western people, they walk, but even if they come and they listen to the teachings, that part is I’m really the from my side is the unbelievable.
Mean, you know, it’s a wonderful full day you are in office, but now come to the class, listen to the teachings, and going to meditate. Sometimes, you know, that’s wonderful. I mean it. But now improve this one. To polish, make this pure.
Consistency is very important. Continually learn. So this is the point my catch is the once a week, at least. Of course, come every class. At least once a week, you know, just learn one particular topic.
Let’s say Tuesday is the the three principal aspects of the path. This one brief, is most important one. Then my Thursday class is the eight verses of mind training. One wonderful package. You know, learn this everything.
Put things together, then meditate, then practice. But then if you listen from this one class, then you miss many, many classes. Then now you have no idea when I was talking meditative teaching, then now you have no idea. You are confused because I cannot go back again and again. I do review, but I cannot give you more details, which is I already did it.
But now we need to finish, isn’t it? But I do give you some review little bit, but if you really want to learn things, so that is why you shouldn’t be missing the class. So this way you need to learn. Or at least maybe you are very, very smart and I don’t know, but I’m afraid so, you know, I’m afraid so. So you may be very smart for other things, but this comes you’ve got to be here first.
Listening. Tendency is very important. Helping other, giving food to beggars, poor people, giving some clothes to poor people. We have too much, so much. Look at your closet area.
Check it out. So much there. Unbelievable. Sometimes westerner people are really, really wasting so many clothes and food, isn’t it? America, you have no if you went to America, then you know US.
Every in every restaurant, they give you food like this. That’s what they give you. But here is a little better, small, you know, portion of the food in America. But for me, it’s good. When I go to eat lunch like this, then I divide.
Okay. What is they pay? That’s good. You know? I divide lunch.
Can you please give me a box? Dinner. That’s good for me, general purpose. But then many of my students, they eat everything that they can. You know?
You went to America. You saw. You know that. Yeah. Yes.
They give you. And now sometimes they eat, they eat it half, they don’t take it to the home, waste it. See, now that’s what I’m talking about here. Finished. And I don’t know Australia.
They have very strange rules here, but also it makes sense. Like a Dunkin’ Donuts. Some of my students work in those kind of areas, and in the beginning, they hesitate it. I do know the Dunkin’ Donuts Dunkin’ Donuts? Is it Donuts?
Yeah. Dunkin’ Donuts. Yeah. They’re called Dunkin’ Donnels. Donuts, Donuts or something.
Not not a donkey. It’s Dunkin’ Donuts. Every evening, they throw out all donuts. Do you know this? Yeah.
It is true. Every evening. Because tomorrow morning must be fresh, new. Now can you imagine tons of tons of doughnuts just garbage? Here you call rubbish now.
Garbage. And I did know this one, then I asked one of my members, can you bring to the center? She hesitated beginning. I don’t know. Maybe some people eat.
They may say they get sick. Don’t worry. I will take this. Generally, I asked them, why not maybe your company should give this left one to the poor people? And American, there are so many poor people.
Oh, no. Is the government, you know, it is illegal. Illegal to give. If they eat, if they say I got sick from this food, they sue for a million dollars. Same thing here, yes?
No, actually, places like Bakers Delight shops like that, at the end of the day, all the foods left is taken to a charity. That’s good. Not to some kind of a place where it was Oh, not everything is rubbish, garbage. That’s it. I asked my bring it to me.
Don’t worry. I will take responsibility. But one of the center board of the be careful. Don’t worry. I don’t worry.
If I need to go to jail, I will go. You know, don’t worry. I said, bring. Then she bought me every not only one time. She almost months.
You know? Every night, there are almost like a fifty, sixty Donaldson. Then before class finish, I say, I have a donuts here. And would you like to help? Everybody say yes.
But here is a many witnesses, Buddhas, everybody here. Eat when you get sick. You cannot chew this one. Everybody say yes. Okay.
If you want to talk, if you want to do something, just come to me and not for the other or your company Dunkin’ Donuts company. No. Everybody people take one bag of ten or a few. I take every day. Delicious.
No sickness. Fresh. So now they are throwing all these things. I was saying, wow. Because I come from India, people are dying because of their hunger, I mean, but not too much.
The point is that the system is very different. But my point is that, I mean, you said giving to some charity, some poor people, homeless people, just keep it with them, you know. Government should make nice as these rules, and and I don’t know. But but the company side is make a sense. But then what I was saying is the look at it now at the center.
We had these Donuts. There are good one. There are bad one. You know, some so sweet. Some, they are okay.
I mean, you know, not so sweet. But, you know, everybody do have their, you know, something something to eat there. So I save some money also, you know, to eating that things because of the why we are wasting things. Why? Why we are wasting?
But United States, this is the one thing I’m so much bothering when I go to eat with the people. I ask them. After now, everybody does it. Please don’t waste it. If you go eat with me, if you want to come with me, I want you to follow how I do half.
Don’t throw the ticket home. If you promise me you are going to eat this for your lunch tomorrow, I will promise. Usually, they just throw. But now, after that, all of my students, when they go to eat with me, everybody brings small box. They take their home because I didn’t like it wasting things.
But, of course, I cannot tell other people not to waste. The least I can tell my students, you know, they are my student. Please don’t waste. One person waste something like this, then ten percent this much, hundred percent, then million. Then if you look at India, people are dying there.
And another thing is water. Unbelievable. This water, people waste water. Anyway, this is not my business, but sometimes I think we need to acknowledge these things are also only teaching, teaching, teaching, teaching is okay. But sometimes we need to understand how we are living, how much water we need, this tiny body.
So much water. All these, you know, people use so much water. Unbelievable. I mean, there are no water in the part of India. Even the monastery, water is very difficult in my monastery.
Even the Sikkim, my area, we need to store water. Sometimes one week, weeks, no water. Good thing is the I bought some big tank to store. Sometimes that also finished. Then my sister and some people need to go and get water from very far away.
And how difficult if you live in the buildings, it’s very difficult. But sometimes we waste water, isn’t it? Too much water is not good. Anyway, small way, even the little food or coats give to others. See, this way also the when you do that, here, something is moving.
You know, it’s called love and compassion. You are generating compassion and love because you are giving little food to, you know, hungry people. And you are giving some clothes and shoes to naked people who need these things See how beautiful. And now sometimes charity, small contribution, children’s hospital, little child, many, many children are dying. So painful.
Cancer or some kind of disease, you know. Keep small, small five, ten dollars donations, and some animals also give some donation. I did say this before. I don’t know at the center or maybe I was talking to the people. I was giving every year fifty dollars, one elephant.
Remember? I I talked to you. Yeah. Yeah. Every year, one elephant.
That elephant and and it’s called project. Their name was, I think, wildlife animal or something. W I l d, wildlife animal project, something like that. It’s huge in the United States. They protect the elephants, wolves, and other wildlife.
But this particular elephant is from India. What happened was her name was Gita. She used to be the Indian circus, you know, circus. But now she gets old and they threw her out. And now this particular company, this organization, they, you know, took they rescued her and bring to America, one area, that area.
So then one day I saw, then I say, oh, really? I like to do this every year. I do give every year fifty dollars. They’re so nice. They send you animals picture and and birthday, you know, with the animal picture.
Your This is your animal, I mean, elephant, and my fifty dollars goes to her foot to eat. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? So something like that, small thing. And they sent you also address, sticker, also sent you. But I I actually I really don’t need it, but, you know, I just respect it, accept it.
They sent you my post. Point is the small, small things. I mean, look at it. There are many things you can do. And also help, as I said, these people, hospice center.
Some of my students do go to hospice center in here in United States I mean, in Australia, Karunā Hospice by FAMTC. Go there and do some volunteer things. And homeless shelters, nursing homes. There are many, many small, small things you can do. Not every day, once a week or or or twice a month.
Something that go there, do. See, when you do such a thing like that, you will feel happy. That happiness is going to last longer than our temporary happiness. See, you are now really trying to do something, to starting something there. Otherwise, only me me and I I, it’s enough now.
It’s enough. Just stop it. Do something for the others. Anyway, next week, exchange self and others. I will look into that.
That’s now you need to understand. So me, me, me, less me, me, me, more others. That’s called exchange self and others. Questions? I can take some questions.
Go. Anyone? Our mind is beginningless. Mhmm. Yes.
But there’s no beginning to No. cyclic existence. There’s no beginning. When you say beginning, that mean this in this century, it’s begin. That’s what we need to say.
There’s nothing like that. What about the end of saṃsāra? End of saṃsāra? Yes. There will be saṃsāra going to end. That mean once you are free from suffering any pain, saṃsāra ends.
Your saṃsāra going to be end. Maybe may not be others. So that’s why. That’s a good one. They are going to be in.
Once you are free from suffering and pain, you’re a part of the saṃsāra ends. Mhmm. Yeah. But then now The whole saṃsāra. Yeah.
Uh-huh. The whole saṃsāra. Because you’re part of the saṃsāra. We need to talk over. When you say saṃsāra, each of the us holding our own saṃsāra.
You know? You’re holding your saṃsāra. Brandon was holding his own saṃsāra. I’m holding my own saṃsāra. All of these people are holding our own saṃsāra.
You cannot practice any free, you know, suffering except for yourself. Only yourself to helping others. There would be all our end of the saṃsāra, that means there would be the time to become everybody achieving enlightenment. All sentient beings one day achieving enlightenment. So that mean saṃsāra, not only your saṃsāra, whole saṃsāra going to be ended.
Everybody is the now we all are Buddha. There there would be, you know, a day like this happens. But so that’s why now we need to start something. We all need to do job to do. But other than that, some people have already ended their saṃsāra.
Some people are not yet end their saṃsāra. Everything is how much you are practicing. It depends on that. Anyone? You sure?
Mhmm. After the development of love and compassion in the seven points, you said there is a point before bodhicitta, and that is the Resolute Thought. Just explain that a little. That is the most strong thought. That thought is I myself, something like that.
I myself am going to free all sentient beings from pain and suffering. Strong thought. Not only just, Oh, I need some help to help other sentient beings. No. I myself.
I’m going to very strong thought. I’m going to help other sentient beings free from suffering any pain. So maybe I may need to first practice this one. I may need to do that one, but I will going to do it. Something like that.
Very sharp and very strong sort of, you know, thought. You know, usually, we have this kind of a thought. When you do something, oh, I don’t want anyone to help. I want to do it myself. I don’t want to depend on anyone.
I would like to do it myself. And you just do it. So it’s kind of a thought like that. Okay? No question?
Okay. That’s a good one. If Buddha mind. Mhmm. We are not asking and praying, saying, please, you know, free us from suffering and pain.
We are not literally not asking like that. When it sounds like sounds like that, but actually, we are asking to bless us to achieve enlightenment. Blessing. When we say because of the Buddha is very much we all are connected with the Buddha. We do have this Buddha-nature, is called potential to attain Buddhahood.
So because of that, we when we actually, they’re asking is the I don’t know if it’s a right thing to say or not. Like a supplication, let’s say prayer, that we are asking okay. Asking, let’s say. Help us, bless us, show us a right path. Not actually, you know, to free from pain and suffering.
Buddha cannot just free us from the pain and suffering. We are the one who suffers to be free from pain and suffering practicing the Buddha’s teachings. But we do pray because prayers are very important. As I said, there is a connection. So this point, we can able to get blessings from the Buddha.
Buddha is the holy beings. At least we can get blessings. What actually is the blessing? Blessing is the okay. What actually the blessings?
That’s another good one. I know. Blessing is the chinlab. That chinlab means the kind of a positive energy, you know, from the you know, that’s how we get it. So that’s called Buddha’s blessing, chinlab, from kind of a positive energy.
Because the Buddha himself is the holy beings, he practiced, meditated. He wasn’t became as a Buddha inherently, but he became Buddha after practicing for a long, long, long time. So that’s why the Buddha became holy beings. So that means Buddha do have some this, you know, the strong positive energy or miracles power. Because of that, when you pray to Buddha, we can able to get many blessings.
Main thing is the we are the one who accumulating so many merits praying to Buddha. Little complicated, this one. We accumulate lots of merits also because of the Buddha is the holy beings. Not same as like a god, but Buddha is the holy beings because Buddha, you know, the meditate many, many years. Buddha practice many, many years.
Eventually, he attained enlightenment. So that’s why he became holy beings. He was wisely educated. So he got this all these miracles power, not ordinary miracles power, transcendental miraculous power. So that means Buddha do have all of this strong sort of energy.
So when you pray, even though you are asking something, but we can get many blessings, something that maybe interrupting us to practice. Maybe that part is the maybe the Buddha’s blessing can help us to destroy that obstacle, whatever is interrupting us. So this happens. But generally, Buddha cannot just cure us just touching his hands, or the Buddha also cannot move his realization to us. Only we can be able to free ourselves from pain and suffering after diligently practicing the Buddha’s teachings.
That’s the only way. Almost like we are the our own. But we need help. We need blessings. We we need positive energy from the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas, which is very important.
So that’s why we do pray. Prayer is something like this. Okay? Not the Buddhism prayers are the same as like our other tradition in the culture. It’s very different.
We are really the as I said, asking is I don’t know. Prayer prayers are, can you say, asking something? Maybe yes, maybe not. But Tibetan, we don’t call asking more like a Monlam byed. But when when you translate it in English, sometimes everything is everything misses, you know, this Tibetan part of the more those valuable words is misses, but there’s no words sometimes.
One one thing is the Monlam is the translated in a supplication, and mostly the pray, prayer, pray. That’s you know? So that’s actually the English is asking. You’re asking something. Yes?
That’s what you call asking. So, yes, if you say asking, we are asking something, some help or some which is called blessings. Blessing is a positive energy because of the Buddha’s miracles power. We can get it that. Even though some blessings, not only from the Buddha, you can get it from your teacher, you can get it from some holy lamas.
Also, if I say we can get this kind of I’m talking this one is a positive energy. You can get some negative energy from the negative people’s blessing also. See? This happens. Like, some spirit, some of these worldly deities, we can get it.
But that that that’s a bad blessing. I don’t know if you can call blessing or not, but kind of bad energy, you can get it. You can get it bad energy from the people also. See? We call evil beings.
You can get it that. See? Sometimes even though you don’t need to ask. You know? Sometimes people ask.
People and they they are and they are Hindus. They worship this kind of a demon, you know, some of the tantric they do. It it’s a bad one, we are talking, not good one, you know. And sometimes they do get that the some blessing from the evil spirit, and they harm people. See?
Of course, now we are talking about the Buddha. Of course, that’s how we can get that. Okay, thank you very much. Now we are going to say today’s prayer from the Buddha house book. Page number thirteen from this book.
Lord of Dharma, who knows with certainty the numerous dispositions of those to be subdued, making clear the light of your well-spoken advice. The Sakya Pandita tradition, essence in Buddha’s teachings, foremost in the holy lama, to you, Lord, supreme. O lama, please please live long. Avalokiteśvara, great treasure of noble compassion, on your right side. Mañjuśrī, master of stainless wisdom.
Vajrapāni, lord of power, land under snow. Thank you very much.