Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Geshe Pema Tsering concludes the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva series in this 100-minute session with a vivid image: the faculties of mindfulness, alertness, and conscientiousness are ones we already possess, but they are “serving the wrong boss” — self-cherishing rather than other-cherishing. He closes the penultimate chapter by showing how every daily activity can be infused with bodhicitta, then moves to the dedication chapter, walking through what it means to dedicate “with knowledge of the three spheres” — the emptiness of the dedicator, the virtues dedicated, and enlightenment itself. Two analogies anchor the point: a drop of water in the ocean is never lost; unlike a banana plant that fruits once, a perennial tree bears indefinitely. A Q&A addresses how to tell genuine other-cherishing from entrenched self-views, and why difficulty in training is no reason to stop.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2008 09 07 37 Pob.mp3
UUID: fd596f12-b9c5-4767-b057-0b333f560f85
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: 37 practices of a Bodhisattva (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2008-09-07
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 99.9 minutes
Words: ~6,814
So first question I said that let’s give some good motivation. So then the intention of benefiting all sentient beings, then we’re going to study this text on mind training and then we’re going to listen and study and contemplate this text on mind training order to accomplish this goal of of. And then Geshe-la was talking about finishing this text today or not. And Geshe-la was wondering because actually, I was just having look now. And he’s wondering, what what what would you prefer?
Would prefer to go a little bit a little bit faster and then finish it today? Because it’s just the end of the penultimate penultimate chapter plus the last chapter on dedication. Or which seems and Geshe-la says, maybe we can also finish next weekend also. Then there will be more maybe more at ease maybe. So then having given rise to that proper motivation then we start with the wish that we attain, that we find a good house, then we read the Heart Sūtra.
It become nonexistent. May it be just as well. So then we continue with the last chapter which is training in accomplishing the benefit of others through mindfulness and alertness. Then we have this quote from Geshe Gönpawa Rinpoche who is saying, besides watching one’s own mind day and night, what else is there to do? And Geshe-la is just saying, there is nothing else to do besides doing that.
So I guess that is just pointing out that again, it is very important to protect one’s mind in this way, watching over one’s mind. And it’s it’s up to which one of us to do this to do that or to do that alone, and no one else can do that for us. And then we have another quote from Geshe Potowa where where Geshe Potowa says, through being mindful and mindful and alert, again, during the four activities, which is walking walking, standing, how do you say, eating and sleeping, and those are the any activity that we engage in. So one will, while walking, walk with loving kindness, compassion, and bodhicitta. While moving around, one will move with loving kindness, compassion, and bodhicitta.
Likewise, while engaging in any activity of the three doors such as sleeping, eating, and so forth, one should always act and train by means of loving kindness, compassion, and bodhicitta. So again, whatever activity we’re engaging in, we should be engaging whilst holding steeped in the spirit of loving kindness, compassion, and bodhicitta. And Geshe-la says, and this is and this is our training. This is what we propose ourselves to training, and this is what we should be training. So then every activity, that we engage in, this such as eating or walking, coming and going, and so forth.
Every activity we engage in, we should engage with this with a benevolent attitude, benevolent intention, an intention to benefit the beings. And even though those activities are activities which pertain most pertain to this life alone, we eat so that we can satisfy our hunger, that we can end our hunger and so forth. And we come and go and we work and so forth. And all those activities, they are closely related to this life. But if we do that with the intention to benefit others, if we do that with loving kindness, with compassion with bodhicitta, and dedicate that as the causes of the enlightenment of all, and that’s what they will become.
The activities are still the same, and we can still make our livelihood and live our lives and eat and so forth, but they they then become the cause of enlightenment. And this is how we make them meaningful. I was reading another another the next quote in it’s on page one hundred and seventy two. And he said, then since in the great vehicle, there is nothing else to do except benefit sentient beings. Your armor of altruism should not be weak.
So again, Geshe-la is saying, is indeed it is indeed so, isn’t it? In the great vehicle, the main goal that we have is to attain full enlightenment. The main object of attainment is the obscurations to liberation, obscurations to omniscience. And we do we attain that with only with the intention to benefit, to establish all sentient beings in enlightenment. That together with a realization of emptiness.
That’s how we attain that. And and then, I guess, I was making up to the expression that we shouldn’t allow the armor of the which is of the welfare of others become weak or be weak. And I was gonna say, no. When we’re talking about the welfare of others, we’re not talking about just any benefit, any happiness, or any welfare. We’re talking about the freeing all sentient beings from every suffering, establishing them in every happiness, establishing them in the state of of enlightenment.
This is the wealth this is what is referred to as the welfare of others, the purpose, the welfare, the benefit of others. And Geshe-la started reading the next quote from Geshe Sharawa, which says, at all times, and in past, present, and future or day and night at all times you should embrace your activities with mindfulness, alertness, and conscientiousness. And Geshe was saying and what is it that we should embrace, we should be cultivating with mindfulness, alertness, and conscientiousness. It’s the intention to benefit all the sentient beings. The intention to establish all sentient beings in enlightenment.
This is what we should be keeping with mindfulness, alertness, and conscientiousness. And again, goes on for the text. Again, whatever action you about to undertake with your body, speech, and mind, let it be prepared by the mind of enlightenment. Geshe-la is saying, again, with regards of having our our actions of body, speech, and mind prepared prepared by the mind of enlightenment. What what does that mean?
And in the Tibetan, it’s it will almost mean literally to send our actions of body, speech, and mind with the mind of enlightenment. That means that whatever physical actions of of the actions that we are going to engage with our body, we are about to engage in, let let let us engage in that, having first given rise to the motivation of the mind of enlightenment, having first given rise to the intention of benefiting others. And then we engage whatever physical activity we are going to engage in. And the same with our verbal actions or whatever it is that we are going to say that is going to reach the ears of other beings. Let it be motivated by the intention to benefit them, by the intention to accomplish their enlightenment.
It’d be the cause of enlightenment. And, again, whatever thought we are going to engage in, we are going to give rise to, again, let it be only this intention to benefit others and and and and let us always arrest anything else which is, an affliction, anger, attachment, ignorance, so forth. And then we have this Sūtra, Sūtra of the Pure Field of Engagement, which is again, which also teaches that whatever activity we are going to engage in, we should engage in those activities motivated by the mind of enlightenment, motivated by the intention to benefit. And again, so what is it that we have been told or being instructed here then to train, we should always know all activities we should use them to train in this, train our minds in the the accomplishing the welfare of others, in in this intention to accomplish the welfare of others. And why is it that we have to think of the welfare of others?
First of all, from one perspective, from one side, because all human beings are truly the most precious thing, they are really precious, they are really important. And so from one from a perspective, this is why we should always have their their benefit first in our minds. And from another perspective, everything that is good, every true happiness, and not just any happiness, not the happiness of this life, every ultimate happiness of liberation and enlightenment, the full enlightenment of a Buddha, again, comes in dependence on on cherishing others in this way, on on on accomplishing the welfare of others. So this is. Another quote from Geshe Jayulpa.
He said, At all times you must again and again be mindful. Survey your mind conscientiously and be permeated by carefulness. Geshe said, At all times we should be carefully guarding our mindfulness, keeping our mindfulness, keeping our mind with mindfulness. And again, we should always be keeping watch with alertness. Regarding alertness, we should always be keeping watch to see where where our mind is at.
And then lastly, we should always be correcting if anything wrong happens, if an affliction comes and so forth, we should always be correcting it, arresting the afflictions, and correcting our minds with conscientiousness. And Geshe-la was saying this is indeed our main training. This is what we should be training. As as as Mahāyāna practitioners, we should always be keeping the mind of enlightenment. We should be keeping it with mindfulness and, again, guarding it with alertness alertness and conscientiousness.
And and and on top of that, also, should be keeping contemplating emptiness, developing our realization of emptiness. Again, guarded by mindfulness, alertness, and conscientiousness. But and this is how we should be keeping our minds at all times, but still our minds, as they are presently, they are just like, how can I say, a candle flame in the wind and moving here and there all the time, don’t stop? This is this is the This should be our main training to keep our minds holding to mind of bodhicitta and emptiness with mindfulness, alertness and conscientiousness. This is why it’s so important.
So again, so these these these are our our two main practices, contemplating emptiness with mindfulness, alertness, and conscientiousness. And then and that means, again, when we are meditating on emptiness, again, we are meditating only on emptiness, and there is no not not giving into any other thought or any other mind. So when we’re contemplating emptiness, we meditate on emptiness. We’re not meditating on the mind of enlightenment. And, again, the same about when we are meditating on the mind of enlightenment, again, we’re engaging engaging engaging it with mindfulness, alertness, conscientiousness.
And, again, we do not meditate on anything else. We base it solely on on the mind of enlightenment. And that’s and this alone, as simple as it may sound, is is is very difficult to accomplish. Even though, as I said, it is difficult, even though we we can see it is difficult, we shouldn’t we shouldn’t give give up up on it. Can I say it like that?
We shouldn’t give up on it. We should we we practice, and we have we we may have a little bit of a hard time today. But if we if we practice then to today, then tomorrow will be will be a little bit easier. And if we keep on acting this way, and gradually, we will improve our understanding. Our realization will improve, and eventually, we will gain the experience of it if we keep on acting this way.
And then we have finally, during this chapter, we have the final three quotes from Gyalse Togme himself. Gyalse Togme first says, again, by being endowed with mindfulness and carefulness, mindfulness and alertness, your mind will always be gentle. And again, the next quote, in short, through mindfulness one examines one’s own being, so that what is taught in the Dharma and one’s own way of practicing are not in conflict. It is extremely important to gain such self determination. So if if if we are if we keep mindful, alert, and conscientiousness, then again, our practice will will will come in accord will be in accord with what we study in the in the teachings of the Buddha, in the scriptures of the Buddha.
So we’ll be able to accomplish that since that means, we will be able to accomplish those teachings. We’ll be able to practice those teachings. We’ll be able to live in accord with those teachings. And this is why we should keep always in mind, mindfulness, alertness, and conscientiousness. This is why it’s so important.
Geshe-la is explaining this. There is an expression here, was translated as to gain self determination, to gain such self determination. And, Geshe-la is explaining so the expression is. So one one will gain independence, or one will gain power over oneself. One will be able to govern oneself. As as we are right now, we do not have power or control or free will, if you if you if you will.
I mean, we we are constantly continually overpowered by the afflictive emotional conceptions. We are either overpowered by attachment or by aversion or by ignorance. We are always driven by these afflictions. We don’t really have a choice if we’re not really determining those things, our actions. Those afflictions are determining our actions.
If we act in this way with mindfulness, alertness and conscientiousness, then we will gain this this power over ourselves. We will we will then govern ourselves. We won’t be governed anymore by the afflictive emotion and conceptions. And we we don’t really think about it, so we don’t really see these things which Geshe-la is pointing out. But if we were to set our minds to it, we will be and and give a very honest look within ourselves.
We will be able to see how we are, for example, most of the time, driven, overpowered by attachment. When we engage in our jobs, again, we engage in our jobs for the sake of earning money, money that we think of spending with our own happiness, comfort, with our own pleasures. And we know we never think of using that doing our jobs or using that money for the benefit of of for the welfare of others, for the enlightenment of others or anything like that. If we look at our minds, we’ve honestly we’ll be able to see that. This is how we go.
As it is, we do not understand that. We do not see these things. Reading the last quote from Gyalse Togme where he says, since it is the specialty of the great vehicle developed and the intent to be of benefit to sentient beings. Since it is the conduct of bodhisattvas, let your three doors accomplish the benefit of others. And Geshe-la was saying, and and this then this then is our is our job as as Mahāyāna practitioners.
This is this is the only job we have to do. These three are the only tasks that we have to accomplish. It’s mindfulness, alertness, and consciousness. That’s what we have to keep. And and and that’s there’s not much there’s not much to be done.
It’s just these three. It’s just these three. There’s not nothing else to be done. And then not only we will accomplish enlightenment and so forth. Let’s let’s because I wanted to put it in a different way, aside the word enlightenment.
We will accomplish in dependence on that. We will accomplish every good quality there is. And the the final little sentence, again, the final little sentence of every chapter and again, this chapter again, he not only he taught in this way, but he he this was also the way that Gyalse Togme practiced himself. And then again, Geshe-la compliments that saying, and this is the way that we should practice following his example. We should practice in this way also.
And then we’ll move on to the next chapter, which is the dedication of virtue toward complete enlightenment. In case I was reading the root verse from Togme again, in order that all the virtue accomplished diligently in this way may clear away the suffering of limitless beings, it is the practice of Gyalse Togme to dedicate all virtue toward enlightenment with the knowledge of the three spheres complete purity. This one. In Geshe-la then, we were reading the Tibetan version. So, again, having composed this by composing this text, whatever virtues may one may have accomplished, and Geshe-la is pointing out that this is making the dedication.
Again, he dedicates it to the enlightenment of all sentient beings without exception to to to alleviate the suffering of limitless sentient beings. And then also, Geshe-la was making reference to the the second half of the verse. It says, again, we should dedicate also the knowledge of the three spheres, complete purity of the of the three spheres. Is pointing out that, again, it’s not that Gyalse Togme is is saying here that he has accomplished emptiness or that he has accomplished bodhicitta because he wouldn’t say that. He wouldn’t be arrogant to say something like that.
But he’s saying that, again, he’s following the example of the bodhisattvas, and he is and and this is the way that he tries to to make to perform his dedications. Again, with endowed with the motivation of the amount of enlightenment and endowed with an understanding of emptiness. Also, we ourselves, we whilst we have been studying these texts, listening to these teachings, contemplating these teachings, and meditating upon these teachings, we have also created a lot of virtue. So we ourselves, we have to take all this virtue, and we take the virtue of Gyalse Togme himself, that Gyalse Togme has created by composing this text and teaching of these things. And we take the virtue of all the bodhisattvas.
We take the virtues of all the five types of beings, of all the sentient beings, of all the hearers, solitary realizers, and and and and other Buddhas. Again, we take all these virtues or take all of it, and we dedicate. We dedicate that it may become the cause of of our enlightenment so that we can benefit. And Geshe-la then explained the third third line of the verse is, again, is this wisdom that the wisdom that sees the purity of the three spheres. And what is this?
What are the the purity of the three spheres? Is that we ourselves who are dedicating, the one who is dedicating those virtues. Again, we are one of the spheres, the so called spheres. And then seeing the purity of this of of that sphere of the one who is dedicating, see the lack of inherent existence of the one who is dedicating. So seeing that self lacks inherent existence.
If we were to to search for one’s self, we wouldn’t find anything. There’s nothing to be found. We the oneself is unfindable. And, again, still, it’s not to say that one does not exist. One still exists, but in which way the one which way one exists, one one exists not in the way that one appears to exist.
So and then again so this is the purity of of this one sphere. Then the other sphere is the virtues that we are dedicating. Again, have to realize that they also lack in their existence. And finally, the third sphere, again, realize that the goal, objective towards we which we are dedicating our virtues, which is enlightenment. Again, the enlightenment, again, enlightenment also lacks inherent existence.
So, again, we take this I, I was gonna say, oneself, once how can I put that in English? Oneself who is who lacks inherent existence is that has accumulated virtues that also lack inherent existence. And then one takes those virtues that lack inherent existence and one dedicates to an enlightenment which also lacks inherent existence. Or one takes one empty self has accumulated empty virtues and one accumulates those empty virtues towards an empty enlightenment. And this is how we should be dedicating our dedications.
So again, with regards to our lack of inherent existence, think we this is not the way that we actually perceive phenomena. We do not perceive phenomena to be lacking any inherent existence. We actually believe that we, for example, we ourselves, we think that we exist in the way that we appear to exist. We do not think we exist in any other way. We do not we do have not realized the way the ultimate way of existence, our natural way of existence.
We we think that we exist in the way that we appear to exist. And the same for all of the sentient beings, the same for all our our own virtues. Again, the virtue that we have accumulated, we also perceive them to exist in the same way that we perceive ourselves to exist. Again, existing the way that they appear to exist. Again, that enlightenment that we think about, we also think of that enlightenment as existing the same way that we think of ourselves.
Again, as as existing inherently, as as existing in the way that it appears to exist. And so and this, again, all of this falls in the the of of ignorant action, ignorant karma. That’s ignorance speaking. I was just reading for the commentary again. And saying that all the the virtues that we have accomplished was training, studying and training in this practice of bodhisattvas have been explained here in the thirty-seven practices of bodhisattvas.
Again, that we have engaged in with great diligence and with great joy. Again, we have to, again, dedicate all of all of that. And we we are told all of those virtues of the three times of oneself and others, and I guess I was pointing out to the bodhisattvas and the bodhis and everybody else, again, we dedicate that to the perfect enlightenment of all sentient beings, for the perfect welfare of all sentient beings. And not only that, but we dedicate that without holding on to the to the without perceiving any inherent existence of the three spheres of the one who’s dedicating the dedication and the object of dedication the goal of our dedication. Again, without allowing any stain of the the view of inherent existence into our dedication.
And in this and this is the way, again, the bodhisattvas, with all the great beings of the past, have practiced. This is the way that they have they have safeguarded their virtues. And this is the way that we should be practicing, safeguarding our virtues, the virtues that we have accomplished by dedicating in this way. Okay? This the way that we should be practicing.
This is the way that Gyalse Togme has practiced. This is the way that all real beings have practiced. This is the way we should be practicing. Even though we might not have the depth of understanding realization that such a being Gyalse Togme had, again, we still we we we have to develop the aspiration. We have to develop the wish that we that we may gain deep understanding of these teachings, that we may be able to embody these teachings and practice these teachings.
That we may be able to gain these realizations and that and and and we should dedicate all our virtues. Mainly, this is a main object main main thing that we’re dedicating is the virtues that we have accomplished ourselves, but we have to put them together in this in this basket with all the of all other beings. And in this way, we have a huge amount of virtues to dedicate, and we dedicate that so that all this may become the cause of our realization, of our understanding, of our realization, of our enlightenment, and of the benefit of all beings in this way. Is that okay? And we have a quote from a sūtra.
It’s not specified here. Everything is circumstantial circumstantial and depends entirely on one’s aspiration. The one who makes an aspiration will achieve its accordingly. Okay. Say again.
The one who makes an aspiration will achieve its result accordingly according to the aspiration. Okay? And then the word in Tibetan for circumstantial is the word that usually translated as condition. So every phenomenon is determined by many causes and comes about independent so many causes and conditions that makes them circumstantial. And again, the results of one’s actions depends on one’s aspiration, depends on one’s motivation.
So again, it depends on on the motivation that we have on what we aspire to achieve. And again, if we have accumulated the causes, then we will we will we will accomplish. We will gain that which we have aspired for. Okay? I guess that is giving us a sort of an an analogy.
Again, so we we work. We we go and we do our jobs so that we can get some money. And we are every every week or or so, we we get we get some money out of our of our jobs. And the same way we with virtue, again, we we we work with virtuous actions so that we accumulate that positive energy of virtue. And now when once we have the money, again, we have to think what what am I going to spend this money with?
It can be in something big or something small, in something meaningful or something meaningless. I guess I wasn’t saying the same. So it is best, it is wisest to spend it in something big, in something meaningful, with a great meaning. So it’s best to dedicate it’s best to spend it to spend it, to use one’s money for the sake of benefiting, for the sake of accomplishing enlightenment of. Motivated by that intention, we make use of our money.
We have to use it. So if we’re motivated by the intention, make use of our money, or motivated by intention of attaining liberation from the whole of cyclic existence, or motivated motivated by the intention of attaining a higher birth. And the least useful, the least meaningful way, motivated by the intention of accomplishing the happiness of this life. That’s the the small the the the small way of spending, the less the least meaningful way of spending spending one’s money. And we have to think in this way.
And in this way, we we the same way with our virtues. Again, we have to take our virtues. We have to use them. We have to we have to invest them or we have to spend them, and this is the dedication. We dedicate them.
We put them in this investment account. And when when dedicated, we have to dedicate it to so so these virtues will turn into something big. And so we can dedicate them for the together with the with the virtues of all beings, we can dedicate all these virtues for so that they become the cause of enlightenment, the highest investment we can make. Or, again, liberation or something else. But the wisest one, the best investment is to take that virtue and invest in enlightenment, and we do that by making this deposit with the dedication.
We dedicated towards the enlightenment of all beings together with the virtues of all beings, our virtues together with virtues of all other beings, we dedicated to as a cause of enlightenment. Okay? And, Geshe-la, was reading for commentary. Again, there’s one who has accumulated a virtue dedicated, that properly dedicates that virtue, again, will will attain will achieve the results according to one’s way of dedication. And Geshe-la was explaining again, having having accomplished any any virtue, any amount of virtue, we should dedicate it.
And and the best way, again, to dedicate one’s virtue is to dedicate for the enlightenment of all sentient beings. And Geshe-la was saying and we we might think to ourselves, but I have such weak little virtues. They they could never accomplish enlightenment. There will never be enough to accomplish enlightenment. We shouldn’t allow such thoughts to creep in and take over.
I was gonna say, if it doesn’t matter how small our virtues may be, how weak we might think, or or how little we might think of them, again, we dedicate them properly, then they’ll become the cause of just that. And moreover, Geshe-la was saying, if we take our little virtues, and, again, we we we put them together with the virtues of all the great types of beings, the hearers, the solitary realizers, the bodhisattvas, our bodhisattvas, and and Buddhas. Geshe-la saying it’s like it’s like putting a drop of water into the ocean. And, again, we we we we get the whole ocean with that, the benefit of the whole ocean with that. I I wasn’t saying we take the the one tiny little virtue of of one Buddha, as a small the smallest virtue of one Buddha brings limitless benefit beneficial results with it.
And we are putting our little virtues together with all that. There’s no way if we dedicate it properly, there’s not nothing can stop that from from bringing the result that we that we are aspiring to. So this this is important, as someone said, we’re dedicated properly in this way. And, Geshe-la just pointed out, again, we should be dedicating these virtues in the very same way that Gyalse Togme was dedicating his virtues, again, with with So, again, guess, Togme was dedicating his virtue again for the sake of of dispelling, clearing away the the suffering of limitless sentient beings, again, without being because because perceiving whilst perceiving the the purity of the three spheres. And, again, this is in the same way we should we should be dedicating our own virtues, following his example, the example of Gyalse Togme.
I was reading the next verse which is a quote from the Bodhisattva Way of Life saying whether actually or indirectly. So directly or indirectly, one persists in nothing but the benefit of sentient beings and must dedicate everything toward enlightenment for the sole benefit of sentient beings. And again, so directly and indirectly, Geshe-la was saying directly are those beings that we can actually, directly benefit ourselves, those who are close to us, and indirectly make a reference then to to all sentient beings, which we as as we are presently, we cannot directly benefit all sentient beings. Indirectly, cultivate those aspirations to benefit all sentient beings. Again, we persist continually cultivating this this intention and acting towards benefiting them.
And in this way, again, we dedicate we dedicate all our virtues, all our actions toward the enlightenment of all beings. This one. I guess I was going through the commentary which is telling us that, again, this is the way we should dedicate our virtues for the enlightenment of all beings. And if we by dedicating our virtues in this way, then again, they become they will bring inexhaustible results, inexhaustible positive results all the way until attain enlightenment. We will not cease to experience the beneficial results of such dedications of virtue.
And Geshe-la is explaining that, again, if we do not dedicate our virtues, then again, they will be destroyed by afflictions, and and and again, they will they will serve us no no more they will do us no more good. They will be no no more use to us. Now by by dedicating them properly in this way, the way I’ve been instructed, and again, not only will we experience these benefits continually all the way until we enlightenment, the beneficial results, these beneficial results are going to continually increase. They’re going to increase, and we’re only going to experience more and more benefits out of out of such proper dedications. So I was reading another another quote, a sūtra requested by the inexhaustible intelligence that says, when dedicated toward enlightenment, the root of virtue will not become exhausted before the attainment of the essence of enlightenment.
I was going through the commentary with the saying again, on the other hand, if we do not dedicate our virtues or if we dedicate it wrongly or if we’re making fewer dedications for, you know, for the sake of this life or for the sake of of future lives or if we dedicated towards our own individual liberation alone, then these results will not be inexhaustible. These results will not be increasing, and and those results will not bring as much benefit. This one. Geshe-la was going to say, again, going through the text, again and he said if he said one dedicates one’s virtue towards full enlightenment, then the results will become inexhaustible. And then, again, Geshe-la was going through the text, and there’s a there’s a a sūtra that says if if a drop of water falls into the ground, then it’s it we we lose it.
It evaporates, and we lose it. Now if it falls into the ocean, then we we never we never lose it. And Geshe-la was then just picking up the little ball there. If we take a little bit of water and leave it to the ball there, it will evaporate. And one day and soon it will be will be gone.
Now if we take that little water and we drop it into the ocean, we will never lose it. And the same and the same applies for our dedication of enlight of towards complete enlightenment. That’s throwing that’s the same as amongst the same as throwing the water into the ocean. We’re never gonna lose that virtue. And we have in the Bodhisattva Way of Life, Śāntideva uses the analogy of the fruits of the miraculous tree and the plant plantain tree.
Plantain tree? Plantain? Plantain tree? Tree? Is explaining the plantain tree, which I didn’t know is the banana tree.
Right? Okay. So I guess I was explaining. So if we dedicate our virtues toward this life or towards a temporal result and the happiness of future life, so the happiness of this life, again, it is like it is like planting a banana tree. Once the banana tree gives fruits, it doesn’t give fruit again.
We have to cut it down from from the bottom. It doesn’t give any more fruit. And then on the other hand, dedicating it to full enlightenment is is again like another fruit tree. And because I was saying, take, for example, apple, which keeps on giving fruit year after year. Okay?
Many. No, Someone was asking if you have any questions. In our own minds about things which are quite different from the conclusions that other people come to. Such that we might have in a community like this, difference of opinion, and we’re all working on our own minds in order to for the for the good of community, for enlightenment, for how do we test in those situations that we actually are really working towards the end goal of enlightenment rather than just reinforcing those thoughts that we’ve got.
I understand your question is a good question. It’s just difficult to put it to that. Think Geshe-la was saying how do we check, right, if we are actually benefiting people or not. Geshe-la said to that, look. It’s up to you.
It’s up to each one of us to check and to to look into our minds and see what’s going on there and see what we are thinking because it is the quality of our thoughts that determines the quality of everything else. And so it’s up to us. There’s no there’s no other answer to that. There’s no other elaboration to that. It’s it’s just that it’s it’s you looking to your mind and seeing what you are thinking, what you are feeling.
And and if have a benevolent mind, you have the initiative to benefit others and so forth. Geshe-la was saying, we all have mindfulness, alertness and conscientiousness. It’s just that they are serving the wrong boss. They are serving attachment. They are serving anger.
They are serving ignorance. And the bottom line is they are serving the self-cherishing mind. They are serving the mind that cherishes oneself above above all else. What we have to do is change the boss. We have to transfer the service to the other boss, is the mind that cherishes others.
And that’s the bottom line. Are we serving the self-cherishing attitude, the mind that is obsessed ourselves, with our assumptions and our presumptions and so forth, with our anger attachment and so forth and so forth. Or are we serving this the mind that cherishes all others? That’s the bottom line. That okay?
Yeah. Not easy, but okay. Not easy. To just to give rise to the mind that cherishes others is is very there’s nothing easy about us. It’s very it’s very difficult.
Milarepa says in the beginning, there’s absolutely nothing easy about it. So Geshe-la says that to give rise to the mind that cherishes others is very difficult. And I said to the Geshe-la to give up oneself cherishing is is already very difficult. Geshe lah, I was gonna say, no. If just we say it is difficult, but just because it is difficult, we shouldn’t give up on it.
Again, we should keep on practicing. You know, there are there are there are those who have gone through the same, and they have perceived the difficulty of of accomplishing the task, they have never given up. And by now, they are enlightened. They’re liberated and enlightened already. And those, we thought it’s too difficult.
I I won’t I won’t do that. You’re looking at them. Is it is difficult, but it doesn’t remain difficult. Okay? So it might be difficult today.
It might be difficult tomorrow. It might be difficult for a few weeks or, you know, a couple of months. It might be difficult. But then we will start seeing it will become slightly easier and easier and easier progressively, easier and who said in the Bodhisattva Way of Life that there is nothing there is nothing, there’s no phenomena which doesn’t become easier through familiarization, through habituation. And, again, because phenomena lack inherent existence, because phenomena arise dependence on cause and conditions, because phenomena because of that phenomena are are bound to change, they do not remain the same ever.
Even though we might not be able to engage in our practice or to perform our practice a hundred percent we have to do just as much as we can. We have to do it and then improve it. It will improve. Then but then we will gain familiarization. Even if it is just one or two minutes contemplating, thinking about the benefit of others, the welfare of others, and then reciting some mani mantras.
Today we meditate for one or two minutes and then we develop develop that into five minutes. And then soon we’ll soon we’ll be able to make ten minutes. And in this way we we progress slowly. We progress until we’ll be able to to do much more. So the the whole point is that we shouldn’t give up on it.
You say, oh, it is difficult and leave it aside. No. Because if we leave it aside, then our our chance is zero. And there’s no chance we’re gonna ever accomplish anything. But if we start somewhere, we start with a little bit, we will get to somewhere.
Okay? Oh, yeah. I like this one. Is that okay? No?
No more questions? Yep. Yep. And I don’t know if because it’s difficult to to accumulate merit. And if I do any virtuous deed and I want to dedicate it to the to the to to let it generate the maximum merit, how should I dedicate?
Should I dedicate that, but may I become a Buddha or be able to Did you did you no. Okay. So Geshe-la was saying it doesn’t make any difference how you dedicate. In dedicating in dedicating the merit, it doesn’t matter if you’re dedicating so that all sentient beings attain enlightenment $2 before you or together with you or after you. The point is that you dedicate towards enlightenment, the enlightenment of all sentient beings.
You attain enlightenment so that you can accomplish enlightenment of all sentient beings one way or another, one time or another. It doesn’t matter. Those teachings on the three types of of of the mind of enlightenment, they if I’m not wrong, they have to do with the chapter of perseverance, of effort, joyous effort. So it’s up it’s up to to accomplish a different purpose in the in the practice. And in the dedication, it doesn’t matter.
Okay? Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah. Now we make the dedication.