Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Ben Geshe Ben’s image of a warrior standing guard at the castle gate of the mind — spear raised, ready to strike afflictions the moment they arrive — supplies the central metaphor of this 89-minute commentary. Geshe Pema Tsering is deep in the chapter on abandoning afflictive emotions in the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, working through Geshe Gompawa’s four-part framework: know their faults, characteristics, antidotes, and causes. He surveys all six root afflictions in order — attachment, anger, pride, ignorance, afflicted doubt, distorted views — giving temporary and ultimate remedies for each, with emptiness realization as the final antidote for most. Quotes from Potowa, Langri Thangpa, and Nyurumpa press home the need for constant watchfulness. A Q&A on fear closes: what truly warrants dread, Geshe argues, is not death itself but an unfavorable rebirth.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2008 08 17 37 PoB.mp3
UUID: 1ab4682c-62df-4625-88a5-a1a9cdf54863
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: 37 practices of a Bodhisattva (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2008-08-17
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 89.4 minutes
Words: ~6,919
Oh, yeah. So, Geshe-la is, saying he’s starting us again to give rise to to a good motivation, and that if the proper motivation will be then to give rise the best motivation will be to give rise to the mind of enlightenment, bodhicitta. And if we do so, then our actions that will follow from that will will become the causes of enlightenment. So then with the aspiration and to attain enlightenment for the sake of benefiting all sentient beings, when we listen into the teachings, and again, make our listening to the teachings, we make it become the causes of enlightenment itself. So in this way, we give rise to proper motivation.
And then Geshe-la is saying to raise with with the understanding then that, all other sentient beings are equal to oneself and that, like oneself, they do not wish for any suffering and only wish for happiness. And we we we develop the understanding that, having this understand then we we we come to realize that we have to accomplish their their happiness. We have to work for enlightenment for the sake of accomplishing their happiness. We need we need to establish them in enlightenment. We need to guide them to enlightenment.
And it has to be Geshe-la is using the first person. So Geshe-la is saying, yeah. And and I am the one who has to lead them to enlightenment. I am the one who has to establish sentient beings in enlightenment. This is how we each one of us has to think.
And in this way, we develop the proper motivation. And Geshe-la says also brings it to our attention that if if we wish, and again in the first person, if I wish that only I myself may become enlightened, I myself may attain enlightenment, then the virtues, the amount of virtue that’s going to be created is going to be very little. And we need to create a huge amount of virtue. That’s why we need each one of us because we want happiness. So we need to wish for the enlightenment of all sentient beings.
And with this in mind, and we start with the preliminary prayers, we start with the Heart Sūtra. Move on to the next page for the the dispelling of hindrances. I and also around the sentient beings, go for refuge with the Buddha, go for refuge with the Dharma, go for refuge with the Sangha. We prostrate to the great Prajñāpāramitā, surrounded by all the children, by the assemblies of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions. By the my prostrations to all of you, may this word of truth be actualized.
In the past, the deva king Indra dispelled the maras by reflecting the profound meaning of the wisdom gone beyond and reciting the profound words in daily recitation. In that same way, I also reflect on the profound meaning of the great and recite the profound words in daily recitation. May all diseases, spiritual possessions, bad conditions, all the negative directions that which happens due to past karma and immediate conditions, may all of this be dispelled, may become nonexistent, may be pacified. So this is one of the last chapters of the thirty seven practices of the bodhisattvas. The topic of this chapter is training and giving up negative emotions and conceptions, the afflictive emotion conceptions.
And we have been we we’ve been going through most of the text already. We’ve done most of most of the chapter already. Now we’re going through some quotes. And the next quote is a quote from Dromtönpa, which says it is Dharma if it becomes an antidote for negative emotional conceptions. If it does not become an antidote it is not Dharma.
So Geshe-la is explaining so our spiritual practice can be called the spiritual practice if it is an antidote for the effective emotional conceptions. If it is not an antidote, then it’s not really in the spiritual practice. Another more extensive quote from Geshe Gompawa, where he says, in order to give up negative emotions, we need to know their shortcomings, their characteristics, their antidotes, and the causes for their arising. Having understood their shortcomings, one sees their faults and perceives them as as one’s enemies. If one does not understand their shortcomings, one will not realize that they are the enemies.
This reflection, this way of of thinking about them then accords with the teachings on the way of the Bodhisattva and the ornament of Sutras, the Sutralamkara. And Geshe lah is then saying, as for the afflictive emotions, this word which is translated as afflictive emotions, afflictive conceptions, and so forth. Geshe was going back to the the beginning of this quote and and saying, we have to understand the the shortcomings. We have to understand the faults that are inherent to the to this afflictive emotion and conceptions. And And saying, it’s important that we understand, the shortcomings like this.
Even though they might, bring some sort of immediate gratification, instant gratification, we have to understand that in the future, they’re going to bring us a lot of trouble. And not only that, but even in in a temporary temporary sense, even in in the context of this life, again, they they they are going to bring us a lot of undesirable results. And we have to contemplate these characteristics of the afflictive emotion and conception. They have the power to do that. English language.
So then again, these afflictive emotions and conceptions, they bring they cause us to experience a lot undesirable situations, undesirable things in this life and a lot of suffering in future lives. Cause us all types of suffering and only suffering. There’s nothing good about afflictive emotional conceptions. So this this understanding and this understanding of the faults and the shortcomings of afflictive emotions and conceptions. And this is the first thing that we have to do.
And so again, this afflictive emotion conceptions distort our minds, and and so they they are wrong in and of themselves. And then goes on to move and says, now we have to the second, thing that we have to understand in the quote from is the the characteristics. The the word in Tibetan is and he was on his characteristics. And we have to understand their nature. We have to understand, the different, types of afflictive emotion conceptions there are.
So we have to understand that there are the six root afflictive emotions, the six main afflictive emotions and we have twenty secondary afflictive emotion conceptions. We have to understand their nature or or their characteristics. We have to understand, what each one of these afflictive emotion conceptions is, their descriptions and so forth. And, it is not what the is not without a lot of study, of the scriptures, or at least some study of the scriptures that we’ll be able to understand all that. And so, and you said what I’m saying, the main thing, of of of all these is, is the understanding of the root afflictions, the main, the six root afflictions because it is in dependence on the root afflictions that the secondary afflictions arise.
So it is most most important as we understand, the six root afflictions. And the six root afflictions are attachment, anger, pride, or or arrogance, ignorance, afflicted doubt, and, also distorted views. Explain this. So then what is attachment then? Attachment is giving the formal definition of attachment.
Attachment is a mind that was observing a contaminated object, contaminated phenomena, it’s called literally as a thing, a functioning thing, a contaminated functioning thing. It’s just an existent phenomena. Then it is a mind that superimposes imposes qualities onto that object which does not have and then and then develops this this wish or this desire not to be separated from it. So then again, this is then the the characteristic or or the nature or the defining characteristics of attachment. Then as for anger or hatred, again the same principle applies that it is afflictive emotion conception that arises in dependence on a contaminated object, a contaminated phenomenon.
And again, it has the wish then to be to be separated from that. It has a wish it is it is avert to that object of observation. As for as for pride or you could say afflicted pride or arrogance, again, I guess I was first saying that there are many ways, there are many divisions, there are many different types of of of this afflicted pride or or many different types of arrogance. But generally speaking, is is what we know, is what we know as as that thought. When we think to ourselves, I am the one.
I am the best amongst everybody else. I am the best of all. And I look one look look then then looks down on everybody else and has complete disregard for everybody else, not accepting any anybody else’s positions and so forth. And in this way, this is the general understanding of what the sort of afflicted pride, distorted pride is. And then Geshe-la is saying as for ignorance, the the the translation the the actual word in Tibetan is which is a a negative plus is negative not or non plus knowing.
So not knowing. And Geshe-la was saying this lack of knowledge, not knowing, it a mind that when observing an object, a phenomena cannot understand, cannot know the way that that phenomena actually exists. This is ignorance, it’s not knowing of the way of existence or phenomena. Geshe-la was saying, the ma rig pa is the same as not knowing, not having the knowledge, not realizing. He gave a lot of synonyms which are how to translate as not knowing.
How I was going to put it, not realizing, not understanding and so forth. And then the next one that Geshe-la was saying is is the the afflicted doubt. And Geshe-la says afflicted doubt is something that we all have for for the simple fact that we we all have ignorance. We all have we haven’t realized we haven’t rid ourselves of ignorance. So because of of by by the power of ignorance itself, we have this sort of afflicted doubt.
And then we doubts then with respect to the way of existence of phenomena. We have doubts if phenomena are truly existent or not. We have doubts with regards the existence of enlightenment or not. We have doubts to the existence of the correct view or not, loss of cause and effect, and so forth. So we have all these affected doubts.
About everything else that we have not realized, everything else that we ignore, that we are ignorant of, that we lack knowledge of, we have this sort of afflicted doubt. And and then there is the view, the wrong views and so forth. There’s a lot to be said about that. There’s a lot there are many different views and divisions of of this topic. But one general way of explaining it is the the view the nihilist view, the view of annihilation, total annihilation, and the view of of of permanence.
But the main point is when we’re referring to the view, we’re referring to that sort of that conviction that that certainty that we have developed that phenomena do exist the way that they appear to us. We are convinced actually that our perception and our understanding of phenomena are correct whilst they are not, whilst they are in actuality they are incorrect or distorted because they are powered, they arise out of ignorance itself. As for this this six root afflictions, all of it, all of them, we all have them in our mental continuum. All of that. And we have them they are very strong and they have and they are very and they are very many in in our in our minds.
So then these are then the characteristics. As Gompawa was saying, we have to learn the shortcomings and the characteristics. And so then these are the characteristics of of the afflictive emotions. And then we have the secondary, the twenty secondary afflictive emotions and concepts. Geshe-la was saying we’re not gonna get into that today because it will take a lot of time.
But all all we we need to know is that they are they arise out of a they’re very how to say? Different types of each one of the six afflictive emotions or combinations of the six root afflictive emotions. And so then and and then the next topic that’s Gompawa was telling us that we must understand is their antidotes. We need to to understand the antidotes. So we have we have understood we have gained a knowledge of of the afflictive emotion conceptions.
And Geshe-la would say the name, the, the afflictive emotion conceptions. So first of all, we have to understand that these afflictive emotion conceptions, they are what causes us harm. They hurt us. They harm us. So we need to oppose them.
We need to find minds or or or which directly oppose them as antidotes. So then, Geshe-la is, an illustrating giving illustration. In case in the case of attachment, for example, attachment which is a mind that, distortedly perceiving the object then superimposes, superimposing qualities on the object that it does not have, find the particular object attractive, pleasant or attractive in in in in certain ways, and then and then attaches itself to it. And then so then what we have to what we have to do then, the direct antidote that Geshe-la was mentioning, the temporal antidote to that will be reflecting on the unattractiveness of the object. And Geshe-la was saying, we we have to contemplate that the object is actually a a product of contaminated actions and afflictive emotion conceptions that even though the obvious might give us some instant gratification, something which is like happiness or which feels like happiness, it ultimately is gonna produce, is gonna lead us to so much suffering, so much greater suffering than that.
And in this line, we reflect on the shortcomings on all the the unappealing and unattractive characteristics of the object in question. And in this way, we we we develop what is referred to as a temporal. Is that make it a temporal when I say that? Temporary. Temporary.
Temporary? Yeah. Something which is not ultimate as opposed to ultimate. Is that how I’d say that? Yeah.
Palliative. Also also, if one is not able to develop this understanding of the unappealing or unattractive characteristics of of the object in question, also, one can just change think of something else. Also, that also temporarily opposes the the afflictive emotion in question. Now if we want if we want to ultimately completely eradicate attachment, then we have to realize the lack of true existence or the lack of inherent existence of the object of attachment itself. So having realized the lack of of inherent existence, the lack of of true existence of the object of attachment, then attachment itself ceases to arise.
And then again, in the same way, the other afflictive emotions have also antidotes like that. So in the case of anger for example, hatred or anger, which is a mind that wishes harm on the people, on the beings or the people that we dislike, on our enemies and so forth, which which is harm and hates them and have begrudges them and so forth. So we have if we on the the antidote, the temper the temporary antidote for that amount of hatred is loving kindness is love. So we have to contemplate then that in actuality, those people are not actually harming us. They’re actually benefiting us.
We have to contemplate that they are, sentient beings or human beings just like ourselves. And just like ourselves, they do not wish for any suffering. They only wish for happiness. They still do not know the way to attain it. We have to contemplate that, again, in developing the wish that they may be free from suffering, that may be free from confusion, that they may be endowed with happiness.
And we have we in developing this wish, this way, we can oppose anger or hatred. And, also, if one not able to do that, again, we can just set set one’s mind in in somewhere else, another object, think of something else. That also works temporarily. And so this this will be the way to handle No. This one.
So again, we have to contemplate that we shouldn’t be angry or we shouldn’t hate people people or other beings because that damages oneself greatly. That that hurts. We we we only hurt ourselves very much by by doing so. We have to actually develop love in relation to sentient beings. And and it and it comes down to the reason why we have to act in this way.
It comes down to the fact that in actuality, they are the objects of our they should be treated as objects of our respect, of our we we should understand them as how to say, as as beings who are actually greatly kind to us because there is in dependence on all the beings that we can develop every good quality that we can attain, every good quality. So in this way, we should we should contemplating in this many different ways we can avert anger in this temporary sense. And so again, Geshe-la was saying we usually, we actually do not understand that. We think that other beings, other people, they actually harm us. They’re actually the cause and the agent of of hurt and harm and so forth.
We think, we get angry with somebody when we and we think, oh, he did this and that wrong, and that’s hurting me, and that’s harming me in one way or another, I get angry with them. And the fact is, they are, actually very beneficial to us. They are very kind to us. We fail to perceive that, but they are very kind to us. And the the only reason we see them as harming us that way is because of our own distorted afflictive emotion concept.
So because we are completely clouded, our awareness is completely clouded by the afflictive emotion, attachment, by anger, so forth. And then we get we get angry with them. We see these faults in the in whatever object we are perceiving, whatever being or person, which they do not have. It’s just our distortion, our distorted perception that sees it. And Geshe-la is giving us an illustration, an example.
So take for example one’s car. If somebody were to throw a stone in one’s car, we would get angry with that person. Geshe-la is saying the reason we actually get angry with that person is because we are attached to our car in the first place. So much so that proves the point saying if somebody were to throw a stone in somebody else’s car we wouldn’t get angry. So is indicating and is pointing out that the fault is in us, in our in our distorted perceptions of it.
And that’s not in the the fault is not in the person who threw the stone. The fault of of of our anger and so forth is in us. And the same applies to to any action or to any activity. Again, the reason the reasons we end up getting angry or or hating someone or something is the fault of that is within our own minds, within our own mental And Geshe was saying, for as for pride or this distorted pride, Geshe was saying again, we we have to the temporary antidote for pride again is putting ourselves in a humble position, in a humbling context. Geshe-la was saying so that that pride is usually a mind that thinks of oneself as as better than others, and then looks down on others.
And so we have to think in ways that are going to make us understand that that we are we do not have as many or as great a quality or qualities that we think we have, that we we have to understand that there are there are many things that we do not know. There are many things that we are not skilled in. There are many things in in which others are more skilled than we are. There are many things that others know better than we do. There are many virtues that other do better than we do and so forth.
And in this way, we have to realize that and the word in Tibetan is is you should translate it as poor, put put ourselves in this poor position, but it’s it’s just a humble position. Geshe-la was saying it’s not that we should, you know, put ourselves down and beat ourselves up. And and and and we have to realize that, you know, there are many beings who are in a much worse situation than than we are. We to think of hell beings and hungry ghosts and animals and even other human beings. And but we have to understand that there are many beings.
We are not the best. We are not the cream of the crop. Might be good in one thing or another, but there are many other beings which are good in many other things that we are not. Others are skilled in many other things that we are not. We have to I was saying, we have to hold the middle ground.
It’s a healthy balance and not not be depressed or anything like that. We have to hold that middle ground, which is which then which then opposes that distorted pride, that arrogance. That’s what it is. Okay? And now the next one of the afflictive emotions which was cited before is this ignorance.
And ignorance is, again, is the lack of knowledge of the way in which phenomena do actually exist. And, again, the antidote to that is realizing emptiness, realizing, ultimate realization of emptiness. And in order to realize that, that takes a lot of study. It takes a lot of, a great amount of time and energy and study in order to be able to understand that. And guess what I’m gonna say, what we have to do then is, you know, attend teachings and and read the scriptures that teach on this topic and study them carefully.
And eventually, we will be able to oppose this ignorance with proper knowledge, with proper understanding. And therefore this afflicted doubt, is the next afflicted emotion, afflicted doubt, then what we have to do is whatever object of observation we’re having these doubts about, what we have to do in order to oppose that doubt is investigate, analyze, question. We have to study and we have to exercise our own discernment. That’s the best way to put it. Have to exercise our own discernment and investigate and analyze the object of observation in question until we clear away all the doubts, whatever doubt we might have with regards to the object.
That’s the way we oppose. That’s the antidote for this sort of afflicted doubt. And again, as for as for the views, the affected views and so forth, again, the main the main thing here is is realizing emptiness. The main antidote here is is the realization of emptiness, then realizing that phenomena do not exist in the way that they appear to us to exist, in the way that we perceive them. And then by realizing the the way that they actually exist, by realizing that they do not exist in the way that they appear to exist, then we can directly oppose their mind that assumes that they exist in the way that they appear to exist.
And then finally as Gompawa was saying, so we have to understand the shortcomings, the characteristics, the antidotes, and finally the causes for their arising. And the main cause for the arising arising of all afflictive emotion conceptions is ignorance itself. That’s what we have to understand. And then we have many other causes and conditions for the arising of each different afflictive emotion conceptions. So for example in the case of attachment we have a a pleasant the the perceived, pleasantness or attractiveness of the object.
And then in the case of anger, have the perceived unpleasantness of the object and so forth. And then and then finally, to conclude the the commentary on that on that quote, again, one has to contemplate the shortcomings and understanding the faults of the afflictive emotion conceptions, then we will be able to understand that they are the actual enemy. And then on the other hand, if we do not gain an understanding of their shortcomings and cannot perceive their faults, then we will not see them as enemies. And that means we will not be able to develop a mind that wishes to get rid of them, that wishes to be free from them. And I forgot to say when we were When we’re talking about afflicted doubt, Geshe wasn’t saying discerning awareness, but also Geshe-la la mentioned the use of mindfulness and alertness.
And that’s gonna come up here. That’s why I’m saying so I Geshe-la was reading the following quote then, it’s still from Geshe Gompawa, which says, in order to understand the characteristics of negative emotions and conceptions one studies the Abhidharma. Then at least one must study the characteristics of the five aggregates to understand the root, the six root afflictions and the the twenty secondary afflictions. When any affliction such as attachment or aversion arises then one has to think or one has to develop that with mindfulness and alertness again this is the point. For mindfulness and alertness one has to recognize them.
Oh, this one, this is that one. Or now this one has come up. Ah, now this is that one, so now, oh, this is attachment. And now anger. And this is pride.
And this is doubt and so forth. And this is how we, again, how we guard against. And this way of identifying them will combat is that how we say combat the negative emotions and conceptions? And then we have a quote from Geshe Puchungwa where he says, even when pressed down, oppressed by the weight of negative emotions, I will, clenching my teeth, never give up. Okay?
And then again, I was just saying, again, even though Puchungwa was oppressed by all these by very many different afflictions and conceptions, he was, you know, fiercely opposing them with their antidotes, applying the antidotes. And then we have a quote from Potowa. Potowa is saying, Always being mindful and alert, one needs to endeavor in examining one’s own mind stream. One must relinquish and protect oneself from any negative emotional conception. And is very much so.
This very much true. One needs to always be mindful and alert. And if one is mindful and alert and is watchful of what is occurring in one’s mind, again, one will be able to recognize the afflictive emotion and conceptions for what they are in the first place. And and by being able to recognize them, one is able to to to do something about them. Not not being able to recognize not being mindful an alert, not recognizing them for what they are, not seeing when they arrive, we won’t be able to do anything about them in the first place.
And so this is very important. And then we have a quote from Ben Geshe Ben, where he’s saying, from now on, I have nothing to do but wait continuously at the entrance gate to the castle of my mind with the spear-like antidote at the ready. When the spear is raised, I am alert. If the spear is lowered, it means that I have become too loose. And again, so Geshe-la is saying again, the this explains some of the words in in Tibetans.
Was a very literary Tibetans. Again, the word was considered as castle. Again, means the abode. So, again, comparing the mind to to to a house, to an abode. So Geshe Ben was standing at the gates of his own mind, armed with mindfulness and alertness, watchful.
And if their afflictive emotions arose, he would strike them with the spear of the antidotes. And again, if they came strong, then he he opposed them fiercely. And if if they if they were, how to say, if they were weak or or or yeah. If they were if they were fading away, then he would he would relax. He would chill out.
This is what we have to do. This is really, this is exactly how we have to practice. This is exactly how we have to carry ourselves in our lives and our practice. If the afflictive emotions come, we have to be aware. And if they come, we apply the antidotes.
We try to pose them as best as we can and in the worst case scenario if we are not able to do anything directly in relation to them, at the very least we can turn our to somewhere else and think of something else. And we have a quote from Langri Thangpa. Langri Thangpa has been saying, throughout daily activities, one continuously examines one’s being. And as soon as negative emotions arise, since they are vicious to oneself and others, one must avert them directly with sudden force. So then again, I was just saying, whatever daily activities we are engaging in, but what whatever it may be, with sitting, lying, standing, walking, coming, going, working, eating, whatever it is that we are doing, this lies in saying, again, we should be continually watchful of one’s mind.
And as soon as as the afflictive emotions and conceptions arise, should, we should oppose them to the best of our ability. And, and if we are not, if we if we are, how do say, if we are unable to oppose them and we we let them be, then they will overwhelm us. They will overcome us. And so to the best of our ability, we oppose them with the antidotes. And if we are not able to apply the antidotes properly, at the very least, again, Mr.
Alsaid, we should turn our minds to something else and think of something else. And again, Geshe-la says in this a very, very interesting and very profound advice. At the very least, if we are having a very hard time opposing whatever it is that is arising, you know, as a last resort, what we can do is change place. If we are sitting, we can stand up and move. And then by changing the place, by changing the context, that will make it easy to then move our minds or turn our thoughts, our minds somewhere else.
You can see yourself that Geshebo was turning his head. Again, we can also look somewhere else also. And again, that helps us to take our minds away from whatever it is that is disturbing. The whole point is not not to be overcome by the afflictive emotions, not to allow the the not to give any any room for the afflictive emotions, and there are many many different ways of dealing with them. Then we have a finally, have a quote from Nyurumpa.
And first, me let me read. We had a quote from Geshe Langri Thangpa, a second quote where where he’s saying again, if you go somewhere else or simply turn your face away, negative emotions may thereby also calm down. That’s why Geshe was giving advice. And then we have a quote from Geshe Nyurumpa. It says, if negative emotions appear, by no means be lazy, but reverse them with an antidote.
If you are not able to reverse them, get up and prepare a mandala offering, engaging on a different activity. Offer these to the lamas and the yidams and the deities and then supplicate them, make supplications to them. As you focus on them, recite wrathful mantras, forceful mantras. And again, negative emotions will thereby calm down. In English, wasn’t saying to quote of Geshe Nyurumpa, Geshe-la was briefly saying, so then the whole point is that we shouldn’t give much time to the physical emotional concept.
So we should act promptly as soon as they arise. And We have the final quotes are from Gyalse Ngulchu Thogme himself, which is the author of this text. The first quote we have from Gyalse Ngulchu Thogme, verse two. Training and taming the thoughts of the three poisons during the post meditation stage, after our meditation sessions, is indispensable until all thoughts and appearances have arisen as dharmakaya. Hence remember it when necessary, do not let confused thoughts run wild.
You and his deviance advised, you mantra reciters. Sorry. Sorry. And, Geshe-la, just explaining that verse, again, Geshe-la saying, Geshe-la is giving advice for the post meditation because during the meditation, during the actual meditation absorption, is, and Geshe-la is explaining, one is absorbed in this context, Geshe-la is explaining, in the meditation on emptiness. So being involved in meditation absorption on emptiness, then there are no appearances arising there and then.
But After one arises from one’s meditation, ceases, one comes out of the meditation absorption, then again appearances arise again. Then one needs to purify those appearances, one’s perception of those appearances, we need to apply the antidotes and so forth until one comes to the point where one realizes that those appearances are the pure dharmakaya. But until then, one has to apply the antidotes. Again, one should continually work, one should not be one should not take it easy. One should not be slack, one should not take it easy. One should not be slack in in one’s practice. One should be apply effort in purifying those appearances until until they until they become until they become pure pure appearances. To one perceives them as dharmakaya. And then we have the very final quote from Gyalse Ngulchu Thogme himself, where he says, First, one must identify negative emotions upon arising.
So one must recognize them and identify them. Then Then one must give them up having developed the strength of the antidote. And in the end, one should endeavor so that they do not reappear in the future. And then there’s a little clause that’s saying that he himself, Gyalse Ngulchu Thogme himself, he practiced just in in just this way. And this is where Geshe-la wants to leave it.
Okay. Is is fear aversion? Say that again? Is fear aversion? Is Or is it something else?
Is fear aversion? So because the the word all these things are very specific in in in the Tibetan scriptures. So when when I’m using the word aversion, I’m I’m using it in this context. It has to do with anger, that is the word aversion. Right?
So we I I know that in English, we can use it in different context. But in this context here, aversion is is is something which is related to anger. It’s a it’s a sibling, a brother, a son, a daughter, or something like that. It is anger. It has to do with anger.
And then so when I translate it, I translate it in this way because that’s how I’m using it in this context. I know that there are other meanings. So so fear, no. Fear has nothing to do with aversion in this context. Attachment and?
Pride, maybe. And pride. Attachment and pride. Now what what is your question? Yeah.
But that’s I’m I’m just trying to sort of work out the antidote to fear. To fear. Okay. And this and this if you think about about it carefully, you will come to understand how how Geshe-la is very much on the ball here. The the the the antidotes for fear, in a temporal sense, you can use love and compassion.
But, ultimately, ultimately, the actual antidote for fear, if you think about it, and this is profound, is is realizing emptiness. It’s reflecting on the lack of inherent existence of phenomena and and selflessness and the the the no self, the lack of a self and so forth. That’s that’s that’s profound. And so again, Geshe-la is saying, the reason fear arises because we do not we we believe the phenomena exist in the way that they appear to exist, including ourselves. And so it is it is by by lacking the knowledge of the the actual way the phenomena exist that fear arises.
So that’s why we have to realize emptiness. That’s why it is important. By realizing the way the phenomena exist, including ourselves, then fear then ceases. And then another way, Geshe-la is saying, another way that we can handle fear, Geshe-la was saying, is that we think with a simple example, when somebody hurts us or is going to hurt us, and we fear that. Another way to think about it is that if if we are going to get hurt is because we have, in the past, created causes for that experience of harm to arise.
And there is nothing that we can do about it. If we have created the causes, we are going to have to experience the result. And there is no amount of of anger or or there’s nothing that we can exercise that is going to avert that. Fearing it or being angry or averse to it is not going to stop the harm from arising if we have committed the causes. If we haven’t accumulated the causes, if we haven’t performed causes, again, we will not experience the the the results.
We will not experience the harm. So again, there is no use for fear again. Is that okay? And so then there’s another very skillful way is to develop this conviction in the laws of actions and the results, those teachings about actions and the results. And then again, again and, also, in general speaking, and this is general advice, again, generally speaking, whatever whatever it is that we are fearing might happen or might occur, again, we we we still we still act in ways to to avoid any any sort of harm as to the best of our ability.
You know, we we we do what we can to avoid the harm, to avoid whatever it is that is that might be that might be harmful or hurtful in in any way. And for example so so in in a way and Geshe-la is giving an illustration. For example, in the case of death, we are all afraid of dying. And and the way that we handle that is by practicing Dharma. By practicing Dharma, then we won’t fear death anymore.
And in the same and then and then each occasion, each, particular circumstance will have its own way of of being handled. But, you know, in the case of death, is Dharma practice, spiritual practice. And again so and again, shall I explain? So for example, temper temporarily, what we can do in relation to death is cultivate a good health, exercise, eat well and so forth. That’s what we can do maybe to to, avert cause and conditions of death.
And and then and then ultimately, what we do is that we you know, because there is nothing, at the time of death, there’s nothing that’s going to be beneficial, but our spiritual practice, but the virtues that we have performed and so forth. Again that’s what we do ultimately, spiritual practice, our Dharma practice. And again, and and we have to apply the same same thinking to everything else that we might be afraid of, might be harmful. We try to think of ways, skillful ways, constructive creative ways to avert it in a temporary way and also to transform it into something beneficial and an ultimate way. In short, there are many different types of fear.
Right? And guess what I was gonna say, And if you think carefully about it, Geshe-la says, that is not even the case that you that you that you’re going to come out of existence and completely go into non-existence, cease to exist, that is not even fearful at all. That’s actually good, Geshe-la was saying. That’s the end of all suffering. What what you really the point is what you really have to be fearful about is that when you die, you will have to take another birth.
You have to take another body. And what’s really fearful is is figuring out, thinking about where you are going to be reborn. Because you if you are reborn in the lower realms of existence in a bad in a bad if you have have a bad rebirth the amount of suffering that is really fearful that is really fearful that’s what Geshe-la la says that’s really fearful that’s scary. Absolutely. No more troubles, no more worries, no more fears.
Alright. Do you have a question? Do you want to say something? Is that okay?