Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The surprising claim that a bodhicitta practitioner not yet realizing emptiness will reach enlightenment before a fully purified Arhat anchors this 78.6-minute closing session on the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva. Geshe Pema Tsering completes the dedication chapter, contrasting pure dedication — made with awareness that the dedicator, the virtue, and the goal all lack inherent existence — with dedication that grasps those three as truly real, citing Atisha, Rendawa, Langri Thangpa, and Gyalse Thogme. The doctrinal core then unpacks a four-line verse: wisdom frees one from samsaric existence; compassion frees one from the Arhat’s solitary nirvana, which Geshe-la traces to residual self-cherishing. A brief Q&A follows on whether non-Mahāyāna practitioners genuinely get stuck at liberation.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2008 09 14 37 PoB.mp3
UUID: 1f45e2d8-e08a-4499-959b-1689f472fd9f
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: 37 practices of a Bodhisattva (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2008-09-14
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 78.6 minutes
Words: ~4,748
So again, so with the intention then of establishing all things in the sense of Buddhahood, then I’m going to study well. I’m going to practice according to these teachings. And in this way, we aim at attaining Buddhahood for the sake of benefiting you all. This way, we give rise of proper motivation. Oh, And then we start with the Heart Sūtra so that we can get a a good basis for the teaching.
Oh, yeah. So we we continue. We we we are on the last chapter of this text. It was a chapter concerning concerning dedication. So concerning the manner of dedication, the mode of dedication, and we read the next verse from from a sūtra.
If done with attributes, it is not dedication. If free of attributes, it is the enlightened dedication. And Geshe-la was explaining this this sentence that would be with attributes is to be is a dedication where where one is conceiving of the three spheres of dedication, the one who is dedicating, that which is being dedicated, and and the object, the goal of the dedication as being truly existent, as as as existing from their own side or existing the way that appear to exist as what was Geshe-la was saying. So if if one does dedicated in this this way, with attributes, then again we will not get a pure dedication, we will not get the full benefit of the dedication. Because I was saying, we might get some benefit, but we will not get the best possible result out of such a dedication with attributes.
So if one dedicates without attributes, that is to say dedicating one’s virtues with the understanding that the one who is dedicating, the person who is dedicating, that which is being dedicated, the virtues that one has accomplished, and the goal of the meditation, the result that one is aspiring for, they are all they all lack inherent existence. They all lack any existence from their own side. And still, it’s not to say that they do not exist at all, they still exist for that mind which is not investigating, which is not analyzing their ultimate mode of existence. So if can dedicate with this understanding about the three spheres of dedication, then again, then one because because in actuality, these three spheres do lack inherent existence. They they do not have any existence from their own side because that is the case.
Then one will get the best possible result. One will get a pure dedication. And that is to say, one will get all the the the benefits of making full dedication towards complete enlightenment. And then Geshe-la is going through the commentary, which is saying basically what Geshe-la has already said. But the commentary goes in saying, so if if one is making one’s dedication with the whilst conceiving of the three spheres of dedication, that is, again, the one the one who is dedicating, dedicating, that which is being dedicated, and the goal or the aspiration, the goal which one aspires for.
Again, if one conceives of of those three as being truly existent, then, again, then one will not get a pure dedication. Now if one is understands that the three spheres of dedication, they are conventionally established that they that they they do have conventional existence. That is to say, case I wasn’t saying that they are that they do exist as merely labeled by by by concept and sound, then again, that they do not have any true existence from their own side. If one does this dedication with this wisdom that understands that, then one will get a pure dedication. And Geshe-la was explaining, and one will get a dedication that is gonna be, of which the fruition, the results are going to be truly inexhaustible all the way until enlightenment.
The results, the beneficial results of such dedication will only increase, will never diminish all the way until enlightenment. And then Geshe-la is reading the next quote. It was a quote from Lama Atisha which says, even though one may endeavor in virtue with the three doors of body, speech, and mind day and night, if one does not know the dedication towards perfect enlightenment, it can become exhausted by a few wrong thoughts. And Geshe-la was saying, so just if one does not dedicate it properly with this does not make a pure dedication as we have been explaining. Geshe-la was saying, if and then then our virtues, whatever virtues we have accumulated will be easily destroyed by just a few wrong minds arising, a few afflictions arising.
And then again, we have still another quote from Rendawa where he’s saying you should endeavor in all virtues in various ways. And Geshe-la was stopping there and saying all sorts of virtues, whatever it may be, again our prayers, our dedications, our prostrations, our offerings, our mantra recitations, our sūtra recitations, our meditations and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings, whatever it is that we are doing, whatever virtues we are doing. Again we should immediately dedicate such virtues toward omniscience. If you do that, even an accumulation of merit will turn into wisdom. And likewise, accumulation of wisdom will become meritorious.
And then and then we have still one more quote from Atisha and then another from Gonpawa. Again, whatever virtue is accumulated throughout the three times dedicated toward also possible great enlightenment, and the merit will then rub off on sentient beings. And then finally, have a lastly, we have from Langri Thangpa. While seeing all phenomena without conceptualizing the three spheres, the root of virtue is to be dedicated toward all sentient beings and universal complete enlightenment. And then we have still another quote from Geshe Potowa, which says all roots of virtue are controlled by aspirations.
Therefore, it is thought that after accumulating any virtue, it is important to make prayers of aspiration. And Geshe-la was gonna say, so the the the the the quality and the power of our virtues, of the results that they will bring depends entirely on the aspiration that we have. So if if we aspire towards liberation, then that’s what our virtues are going to to produce. That’s what the results that they are going to accrue from those virtues we have accumulated. If we aspire towards the happiness of this life, then again, that’s the result that we’re going to accrue from those virtues.
And again, if we aspire towards enlightenment, then again, when we make dedications towards full enlightenment, then again, this this is the results that we are going to to reap from the virtues that we have sowed. And so it is very important then that we make the proper dedications and aspirational prayers and that we make aspirations aspirations aspirational prayers sorry. Aspirational prayers Mhmm. Towards full enlightenment, Then again, have a quote from Geshe Sharawa. Excuse me.
It says, even if the quantity of virtue is tiny, the results may increase inexhaustibly. Therefore, all dedication of the three times give rise to the mind of enlightenment. And Geshe-la is explaining again, it doesn’t matter how how big or small our virtue is. If if even if it is a very small virtue, again, if we dedicate it properly towards the enlightenment of all beings, again, the results will be inexhaustible. They will go throughout they will last throughout all our future lives.
We will reap this results in all our future lives all the way until we reach enlightenment itself. So that’s why it is so important that we make our dedications towards the enlightenment of all sentient beings. And so again, Geshe-la was reading the last line of that verse, give rise to the mind of enlightenment or or send forth the mind of enlightenment before your virtuous activity. Send on the mind of enlightenment. Geshe-la was saying this is pretty much literally what it means.
So Geshe-la was saying, so whatever virtue we are going to do, even if it’s just one prostration, only one single prostration, we we we do it giving us the intention that may this one prostration become the cause be the cause of the enlightenment of all sentient beings. And again, have one final quote from Geshe Drakpa, where he says, it should be so that one has nothing to do aside from persevering as much as one can in whatever Dharma practice one may know, as well as making aspiration aspiration prayers and so forth for the welfare of all sentient beings. And then we have we have the text explaining then that Geshe Sharawa, again, would say that the way we should practice is to practice all virtues, whatever virtues that may be, such as the six perfections and so forth. And then we should dedicate dedicate them for attainment of enlightenment for the sake of accomplishing the welfare of other sentient beings. And this is the vast method of accomplishing all virtues.
And then the pure method, the purest way of dedicating those virtues, again, dedicating those virtues steeped in the wisdom that realizes the lack of true existence of phenomena by dedicating it in this way towards possible enlightenment. Again, And by dedicating it in this way, then the results of those virtues will last all the way until enlightenment. They will be truly inexhaustible. So then and then again, we have the final two quotes from Gyalse Thogme as in every every chapter we had. Again, so Gyalse Thogme himself would say then, to dedicate any merit accumulated, whether small or great, with the purity of the three spheres so that all beings without limit may attain enlightenment is the supreme method for merit to become boundless.
Okay? And then excuse me. And then again, he himself, again, Gyalse Thogme himself, having when he has performed anything which is virtual, again, he offered this vast and powerful dedications. And then the one that we have been Gyalse Thogme was making reference, there’s a little there’s only a little bit of of the verse in the Tibetan. Whilst in the English, you have one whole verse, just as the Bodhisattvas, Mañjuśrī and Samantabhādra have dedicated their virtue.
I dedicate this virtue to the practice of the highest good with the supreme dedication praised by the Buddhists of all times. And Geshe-la was saying, he would dedicate with the the king of prayers. The king have that in the prayer books. So it’s a very extensive dedication. So we move on the next the next the final the final chapter of the book, which is a condensed meaning of the conclusion, the last concluding verses.
And just I was reading the the the the division of topics. So then the reasons for composing the text, demonstrating the practices to be free of confusion, which is the second, then humbling pride and requesting forgiveness. And then fourthly, dedicating the virtue of composing the treatise toward enlightenment. And lastly, the four essences. And Geshe-la was saying this.
Those are just the final verses of every text which where the author would would be explaining his reasons and and so forth and excusing himself for any faults and mistakes and so forth. So, Geshe-la is reading the first one of those, again, the reasons for composing. Again, the the root verses from Geshe-la is saying, the meaning taught in the sutras, tantras, and treatises, I have, following the teachings of the sacred ones, formulated as these thirty seven practice of the bodhisattvas for the sake of those who wish to train on the path of the bodhisattvas. So again, Geshe-la explained that in his own words, Gyalse Thogme has then taken the meaning of all the teachings of the Buddha and all the the the Indian commentaries and all the the teachings that he has received himself and then subsumed all of them under this thirty seven on under this this small text with the thirty seven verses, thirty seven practice of bodhisattvas. So the meaning of all those is contained here so so that for for those so that those who wish to to follow the path of bodhisattvas can then have a reference.
And then we have then the the second of those topics, again, demonstrating the practices, the aspects of the practice to be free of confusion, be free of mistake. And then again, we read the next verse. Because I am of inferior intelligence and have little learning, this is not a composition that will that will delight the scholars. But because it relies on the teachings of the sutras and the sacred ones, I believe the practice of the bodhisattvas is free from mistakes. Yes?
Again, Geshe-la is just explaining with his own words. Again, Gyalse Thogme is speaking of himself, referring to putting himself in a humbling position, speaking himself as of being a person with low intelligence and so forth. And then that being so, again, those learned scholars will not be very attracted to his writing. But still, because he has based his this text exclusively on the teachings of the Buddha and on on of the the of the learned ones of of the sacred ones, the Lamas, and so forth. Again, he he thinks he’s inclined to believe then that if you study if we study this text, we will derive genuine benefit from it.
And then we have the the the third of those concluding remarks, humbling pride humbling pride and requesting forgiveness. And the verse goes, however, since the vast conduct of the bodhisattvas is difficult to comprehend by one of inferior intellect, such as myself, I ask all the sacred ones for forgiveness for a multitude of faults, including contradictions and incoherence. And then again, basically, traditional translating to our colloquial language, saying again that the practices of the bodhisattvas are very vast and very profound and very difficult to to understand. And then again, and Gyalse Thogme referring to himself, again, in putting himself in a humbling position, referring to himself as a person of of of low intellect. Again, saying that he has he referring to himself having been challenged by the the depths and the vastness of this of this practice.
He says, again, because of this, there will certainly be contradictions. There might be incoherences and so forth. And for that, I apologize. I apologize to all the sacred ones, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and so forth. And then then we have dedication dedication of virtue of of for composing this text toward enlightenment.
Again, by the virtue resulting from these, may all beings, through the relative and ultimate supreme mind of enlightenment, become equal to the protector Avalokiteśvara, remaining in neither extreme of existence nor peace. And then again, Geshe-la is going through the verse line by line. And in the Tibetan, it’s not exactly in the same words as in English. First, the first line is saying again, the virtue that has arisen from this, and from this the composition of the thirty seven practices of the Bodhisattvas. Again, may all sentient beings, all sentient beings without exception.
Again, how do you say? By the force of having realized both the ultimate and the conventional mind of Yeah. The ultimate and the the conventional, the relative and the ultimate mind of enlightenment, the relative and the ultimate bodhicitta. May they all be attained the state which is free free from the from abiding in either the extremes of existence or the extreme of annihilation, and in this way attain that state which is of Buddhahood equal to the equal to the attainment of of Avalokiteśvara himself. And Geshe-la has briefly explained the meaning of, basically, the two middle lines of this verse of of the the Tibetan version.
So the second line of the verse is making reference to the ultimate bodhicitta and the relative bodhicitta. And so the ultimate bodhicitta, generally speaking, is just is the direct realization of emptiness. It’s it’s also referred as non referential bodhicitta because it’s it’s a realization of emptiness, direct realization of emptiness. Then relative bodhicitta is the other meditations and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings on on bodhicitta itself that we have. And then and by by by the force of these two, then may we attain the state which is free from abiding in the extremes of existence.
And Geshe-la is explaining. So then the ultimate bodhicitta, realization of ultimate bodhicitta, which is that direct realization of emptiness, and frees oneself from the stream of existence. And then also may also the state of is free of the stream of peace. So then relative bodhicitta then frees us of the extreme of peace. It frees us from the extreme of peace.
Of peace. Mhmm. Yes. Absolutely. So Geshe-la is explaining, first of all, so then what is what is the extreme of existence?
The word which is under existence, is making reference to cyclic existence, to conditioned existence. And the root of psyche existence is ignorance. The ignorance that conceives of true existence. The ignorance that conceives of inherent existence. Excuse me.
So then to get rid of the extremes of existence, we we have to realize that mind which is directly opposite to it, which is the wisdom that realizes the lack of inherent existence, the lack of true existence. The emptiness realizes emptiness. So then ultimate bodhicitta, which is that realization of emptiness then frees ourselves from the extreme of existence in this way. That’s okay? That’s a bit easier to grasp at first, right?
And then then Excuse me. And then, Geshe-la is explaining the the extreme of peace. The extreme of peace refers to an inability to to give up, to let go of of the bliss of peace, the bliss of of individual liberation. How is and Geshe-la was then pointing down time three times in the whole explanation, Geshe-la was saying, and it comes down it boils down to self-cherishing. So out of a self-cherishing mind attitude, then one has that wish that may attain that bliss of liberation, and and one holds on to it.
And then when one attains that bliss of liberation, again, is not able to let go of it. One holds on to it. And Geshe-la is saying it’s not it’s not attachment because somebody who has attained liberation does not have attachment anymore. But by the force of that previous motivation of self-cherishing, and again one is unable to let go of the bliss of liberation keeps on and then remain stuck in that solitary peace of liberation. And Geshe-la is saying the whole point being coming boiling boiling down to be self-cherishing.
So that one still has self-cherishing, the self-cherishing mind, the self-cherishing attitude. So then, again, this, extreme of peace is caused mainly by the the the self-cherishing mind or caused, quote, unquote. And Geshe-la was saying in in the the the the way to rid ourselves of this self-cherishing mind, of this extreme of peace, is by what what frees us from this extreme of peace is great compassion. So whenever whenever there is great compassion, then there is there is not this extreme of peace. There is no self-cherishing mind.
So then, for example, if if a hearer or solitary realizer, foe destroyers who has attained peace and still has not rid him or herself of the self-cherishing mind, is then abiding in that solitary peace of nirvana, of liberation. And then eventually, that being receives a teaching from or bodhisattva. The the the teachings of the Mahāyāna revealed to that being, and the being then starts engaging that path, enters the Mahāyāna path, and the being eventually realize when the being eventually realizes compassion, then he or she would then let go of that solitary peace, which is based on the self-cherishing, the wish to have bliss for oneself alone, the the the bliss of liberation for oneself alone, and then would would develop the wish of compassion that all beings have attained liberation, attained the bliss of liberation and enlightenment. And then that from that moment onwards, and that being who has realized great compassion this way is free of the extreme of peace. Okay?
And Geshe-la is quoting a verse which says, a little verse of four lines which says, by wisdom, one is freed from the extreme of existence. So then by by the wisdom that realizes emptiness, then one is free from the extreme of existence. Then by compassion, one is free from the extreme of peace. Those are the first two lines of the verse. Then the third line is saying that the the the hearer in the solitary realizer foe destroyers.
They are a long way away from enlightenment. And Geshe-la explained that is because they are caught up. They’re stuck in the extreme of peace. And and and and and those beings who who are practicing or cultivating great compassion compassion and bodhicitta they are very close to enlightenment. Is that okay?
So Geshe lah is again explaining those last two lines of the verse Between a Mahāyāna practitioner who is training his mind in bodhicitta, who is cultivating bodhicitta, and another being who is a solitary hearer or solitary realizer, a foe destroyer, an Arhat. And Geshe-la was saying such an Arhat, a foe destroyer who has completely rid him or herself of any shortcoming. There’s no afflictive emotions or conceptions left in in in this being’s continuum. And this being and this being experience only bliss, the bliss of peace and liberation. Between these two beings, the one the Mahāyāna practitioner who is cultivating the mind of enlightenment, Geshe-la said that, I forgot to say, that Mahāyāna practitioner has not realized emptiness.
Okay? But he’s just training, cultivating the mind of enlightenment, cultivating bodhicitta. Still, that being, that Mahāyāna practitioner will attain enlightenment before the Arhat, before the solitary realizer. And this life explains so that that that my the practitioner who is training his mind in the in bodhicitta, who’s cultivating bodhicitta, when that being then realizes bodhicitta, finally realize bodhicitta, give rise and generate bodhicitta, then that for that person, it’s going to be extremely easy to realize emptiness because for by the power of that bodhicitta, the realization bodhicitta, he or she will accumulate a vast amount of merit. And by the force of that merit realizing emptiness or anything else is going to be very easy and so the and through that he or she can quickly attain enlightenment.
And Geshe-la explained that here solitary realizer foe destroyer, again, that person has has having read him or herself completely of any afflictive emotion conception, experience experiences solely the bliss of liberation and enlightenment. And because a person has not developed any aspiration towards enlightenment before, the person remains in this meditative equipoise. Is that how it’s meditative equipoise that that is experiencing that bliss of nirvana continue. And and in this way, the person remains stuck in this meditative poise of nirvana for years, I was gonna say, for a very long time. English language is saying, we too we too we also have to dedicate our virtue the virtues that we have created in this way that we have been instructed.
So then the virtues that we have created by studying, by listening to the teachings, and contemplating these teachings, and meditating on these teachings, because we have done that to some measure. We have listened, contemplated, and meditated. Have studied, contemplated, and meditated on these teachings. We have to dedicate them. We dedicate towards a complete enlightenment, the complete enlightenment of all sentient beings with the understanding that, again, that the virtues that we are dedicating do not exist inherently from their own side, that we ourselves not exist inherently from our own side, and again that enlightenment itself, the state of enlightenment itself does not exist inherently from its own side.
So we have to dedicate this virtue that we have created here, and every virtue, at any time, any opportunity we have, takes no time at all to make a dedication like this. So as as much as we can, we should be dedicating in this way, every virtue that we create every day, any opportunity. Okay? So again Geshe-la is inserting us again having having studied this whole text, entire text having listened to it to the teachings contemplated the meaning and meditated on this text we have to dedicate these virtues and put them together with the virtues of the five types of noble beings you know the Buddhas, Ārya Buddhas, Ārya Bodhisattvas, hearers and solitary realizers, foe destroyers and so forth. Again we put our virtues together with their virtues and dedicate all of it as a cause for the enlightenment of all beings that may may all these virtues be the cause, become the cause of the enlightenment of all beings.
And this way we should we should dedicate And then we finish with the teaching today? I was just reading the the very first verse of the entire text, seeing that all phenomena are beyond coming and or going. He strives solely for the benefit of sentient beings. To the supreme master and protector, I continuously bow and respectfully with body, speech, mind. You probably do not have any questions now, do you?
Did that did that answer your question? Does that make some sense? Who who is then make going to make the offer? Is this gonna be Lindsey? And I you give to Lindsey.
I pick up on Geshe. Yeah. Yeah. I’ll I’ll I’ll explain. Explain.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, let’s wait for the questions. Yeah.
Because it’s very early. It’s still very early. What time is it? Twenty to twelve. You can make a very extensive offering for the question.
Twenty minutes or so. Is that funny? Is that funny? Alright. So in order to attain liberation, all all that one needs is realization of emptiness.
So with the realization of emptiness, even though one might not have bodhicitta, then one can realize one can attain liberation. So, Geshe-la is saying again, in order to attain attainment of liberation is is ridding oneself of the mind of ignorance by by realizing emptiness. So the realization of emptiness is a realization that is a mind, an awareness or a knower that knows the actual way of existence of reality and that dispels that mind of ignorance that does not know the actual existence of reality and in this way rids ourselves of every afflictive emotion, conception that follows from ignorance, for every suffering that follows from that and in this way we this is this is this alone is the realization of of liberation, attainment of liberation. Is that okay? So even though one might not have bodhicitta, again, one cannot attain enlightenment, but one can attain liberation.
What what what you want to try something? Following on from Lindsay’s question. Yes? Of the piece. Yes.
Does does that imply that practitioners of other schools get stuck at that point? Oh, the. So, yeah, the implication is that they they do get stuck. So yeah, by the force of the the self-cherishing mind that was they developed the aspiration or the motivation before they attained the the liberation, that they attained liberation for themselves, they attained the bliss of liberation for themselves, and then, yeah, they remained stuck there in that bliss of liberation. But eventually, after a a very long time, eventually, a Buddha that’s what we are told.
A Buddha comes and urges them to, you know, get up, wake up from their nirvana, from their own bliss, and work you know, look at all the other suffering sentient beings. You know? You have to do something about it. That’s how they are. Yeah.
Okay? Okay. Okay? Yeah. Good.
Good. Good. No question. And so, yeah, we can do the mandala offerings if I says. Okay.
So we’re going to page eighty six. And then we’re doing page eighty seven, the short mandala, and then we go to page ninety one to request the lamas to remain. So Lindsay and Elif, as you get up when we are about, but I’ll have