Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Geshe Pema Tsering opens this 46-minute session with his own exile story — planning a three-year stay at Sera monastery, only to arrive eventually in Australia — to illustrate that karma, not political events or personal intention, governs where beings are reborn. This frames the doctrinal focus: verse 61’s distinction between aspiring bodhicitta and engaging bodhicitta. Geshe-la covers who can generate bodhicitta (all six classes of beings, including hell beings and nagas, the serpent spirits classed as animals), identifies great compassion as its root cause, and singles out human rebirth as the supreme basis. He then walks through verses 17–20, using a diamond analogy to show that aspiring bodhicitta outshines other virtues, while engaging bodhicitta generates irreversible, perpetually accumulating merit — even during sleep.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 06 BD 2002 02 14.mp3
UUID: bd83bde1-c699-4d83-bbec-dbe3867ac592
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Deeds (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-02-14
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 46.2 minutes
Words: ~2,974
And this is reflected in the fact that although we desire to have no suffering whatsoever, we experience suffering again and again. So for instance, the fact of ending up in a destination where one does not intend or had no initial intention to arrive at is obvious for us. For instance, in the case of Geshe-la, he says that initially when he went to Sera, in Tibet, he had the idea of staying in Sera for three years and studying for three years and then returning to his home. However, before three years was up in Lhasa, then the uprising occurred in nineteen fifty nine. And before anyone could really assess the situation, they’d already arrived in India.
So really, that’s an instance of ending up in a place without having a desire to go there. So it really was the case. None of us had any intention of going to India. However, we many of the monks ended up in in India. And even though we say that it was the Chinese that forced us into exile, still when we talk in those terms, we’re talking on a very gross level.
In fact, it wasn’t so much the Chinese. It was more the fact of having accumulated karma in the past that ripened at that point with the result of having to leave Tibet. So in fact, if the reason is given that we arrived in India because the Chinese forced us to leave Tibet, then it’s really not a correct reason to give. So for instance, if it was a correct reason, then it would have to apply in every instance. But, of course, not all six million Tibetans left India left Tibet at that stage to go to India.
So even from that perspective, we can see it’s not a correct reason. So if that reason is given for why many Tibetans arrived in India, then it’s that reason alone is an incorrect reason. And not only that, then once in India, I had no intention of leaving India or coming to Australia, but now I find myself in Australia and here, and we’re we’ve all met each other. And yet I had no intention for this to happen. However, the fact of coming to Australia and meeting the students here and us developing a connection is because we have been connected in the past, because we have accumulated the causes in past lifetimes which mature in present.
So therefore, the one that really in control of our existence is our karma and our affliction. They’re the ones that hold our destiny in their hands, and the result that we experience is through them. So until we eliminate karma and affliction, then we are under the control of karma and affliction, even though it might appear to us that we have some degree of control over what we’re doing. Until we eliminate those two those two things, then we’re completely under their control. So therefore, in talking about this issue, it really connects with what Geshe Potoba has said about being beings that never arrive at their destiny.
So therefore, by the power of karma and affliction, we take rebirth in various places. We’ve taken rebirth in divine realms, human realms, in the lower realms. Where we’re reborn, where we go within saṃsāra, we don’t have control over. So if we’re able to eliminate karma and affliction, to sever their potency, then at that point, it’s possible to attain liberation. So in fact, by attaining liberation and one completely severs the potency or eliminates the potency of common affliction to send one to a destination beyond one’s control.
By attaining liberation, then we actually gain control. We gain freedom, and we gain control over our destiny. However, in general, we don’t think very strongly about this, and sentient beings in general don’t think about this. So in fact, not only ourselves do we require liberation from this state, But also all sentient beings who are similar to ourselves, also, need to be free, from saṃsāra completely, and we need to develop the aspiration, for this. Really, by just aspiring for liberation for ourselves does not really help other beings.
So therefore, we need to widen our motivation to include other beings who are similar to ourselves. So then putting those together, this aspiration for liberation, the aspiration to attain a state of enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings, then combined with the correct view of emptiness, joined in order to produce the result of a full enlightenment. So these we need to contemplate. So in fact, it’s there’s much advice given on the benefits and the necessity for us to generate this mind of compassion directed towards all sentient beings to attain the state of enlightenment in order to help other beings. So this is especially necessary for those for we beginners to actually reflect on these states, generate these states within our continuum.
So now we should meditate for a few minutes on generating proper motivation to listen to this text. So one is generating the mind, aspiring to bodhicitta, aspiring to attaining the state of Buddhahood in order to listen to this text, to contemplate the meaning of the text, to meditate on the text, one is actually assembling the root of merit that one has accumulated from beginningless time and dedicating it to this purpose. So reflecting on that, we should meditate for a few moments. Oh, yeah. So here, we’re dealing with verse sixty-one.
As is understood by distinction between aspiring to go and actually going. So this is teaching the difference between aspiring bodhicitta and engaging bodhicitta, these two. So in general, there’s these two types of bodhicitta. That is engaging bodhicitta and aspiring bodhicitta. So in general, there’s a distinction or there’s division in bodhicitta itself into ultimate and relative.
And relative itself has two types, which is aspiring and engaging. So here, we’re talking about these two. Ultimate bodhicitta itself is the awareness which is comprehending emptiness. So what the relative bodhicitta is, or concealer bodhicitta, is this uncontrived aspiration to attain a state of Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. So that, in fact, has two types.
That is aspiring bodhicitta and engaging bodhicitta. So there are two bases upon which bodhicitta is established. That is the what might be called the body basis and the mind basis. So in terms of the body basis for generating relative bodhicitta or concealer bodhicitta, there are six there are six types of body base. That is the six types of being who exist in the universe.
So therefore, in talking about the six types of being, one is talking about hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, demigods, and gods, those six types of things. So here, in the mind basis, one is talking about the ground upon which that mind of bodhicitta is established. And so the ground on which bodhicitta is established is the ground, for instance, of the particular realm or the level of the realm in which one exists. So when we’re talking here about the ground, we’re talking about the substantial cause. And in talking about the substantial cause of bodhicitta, one is, in the main, talking about great compassion.
And as Maitreya has mentioned, the root of that is great compassion, meaning the root of bodhicitta is great compassion. So here, in talking about the substantial cause or the substantial cause of bodhicitta, one is really talking about great compassion itself, because one is talking about that which gives rise to its results within the nature of the cause itself or within the identity of the cause itself or that follows or exists within that substantial continuum. So there’s if we look at the relative bodhicitta and investigate exactly which is the main generator of that state within the same substantial continuum, then we will probably indicate that it is this great compassion. So therefore, great compassion is regarded as the root of bodhicitta as the substantial cause of bodhicitta. So in establishing the actual substantial cause of bodhicitta, then also the actual ground upon which bodhicitta is established needs also to be explained.
And the actual ground itself, one is talking about the access states to the absorptions or the actual bases of the absorptions. So here, in talking about the access states to the absorptions or the actual basis of the absorptions, here one is talking about the states of mind that exist within the form realm or as preparatory states to attaining the form realm. And in order to attain those, one needs first to establish calm abiding. So if we say that the actual the mind basis, which is the ground for bodhicitta, is in fact the mind of the access states to the form realm or the mind of the form realm itself. And then we’ve also stated that the body basis for bodhicitta is beings of the six types, that is hell beings, hungry ghost animals, and so on, then does that sound contradictory if it is stated like that?
However, if we think about this, then hell beings, animals, hungry ghosts, and so forth really don’t have the capacity to generate the access states to the form realm, these meditative states, or the form realm itself. So it seems contradictory, doesn’t it? And this is because there are no hell beings, for instance, who are engaged in establishing calm abiding, for instance, which is preliminary to those access states. The reason why the six types of sentient being are listed as the body bases for establishing the physical bases for establishing bodhicitta is that there are examples of hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, and so on who have generated bodhicitta. For instance, the hell being who was a previous incarnation of Śākyamūni Buddha, who was one who was pulling a chariot or a cart in hell, actually generated bodhicitta as a hell being, so that could be used as an example.
And then there’s also examples of animals who establish bodhicitta. And the example given by Jetsunpa is the nagas. Nagas are a type or are listed as a type of animal, and they can actually generate bodhicitta. So there are also sources for establishing that some divine beings actually establish bodhicitta. There are So in fact, there is in Sūtra an instance where twenty one thousand divine beings established the state of bodhicitta during the time of the teachings of Kāśyapa Buddha.
So in fact, there are quotations that establish that bodhicitta can be generated in the continuums of all six types of being. However, humans who live in the desire realm have a an affinity or the capacity for generating bodhicitta, especially those humans who live in the southern continent or the southern continent with the six elements and so forth, who are a basis for generating the union of bliss and emptiness, especially such beings, are a suitable basis for generating bodhicitta. Actually, the basis that we have as a human of the southern continent is an ideal basis for generating bodhicitta. What is lacking at present is our effort in order to utilize the basis that we currently have. In fact, even though we, from time to time, think about the necessity for generating bodhicitta, our aspiration is not very strong, and our mind is continuously distracted to other events in the world or in our lives.
So we don’t put much strength or effort into generating bodhicitta. So in fact, therefore, amongst all the six types of being, humans also have the capacity for generating bodhicitta. They’re in a special position whereby if they generate the strength of effort, then they can develop bodhicitta on this basis that we currently possess. And then if we look at the all the six types of being and then we realize that humans are in a are said to be a supreme basis, and then the humans of this planet and so forth, we can see that amongst all sentient beings, there are not too many — there are not so many beings in the scope of all beings that really are a supreme basis for attaining bodhicitta. So even on this planet with humans, one really needs to be a Buddhist, for instance. Because it’s probably not possible to generate bodhicitta if one holds the views of or other philosophies or other views. And in fact, within the teachings, there are many listed, many qualities that need to be assembled in order to generate the state of bodhicitta, and one needs to know these and develop them and enhance them and so forth.
And this exists within the teachings themselves. And then also other philosophies, religions, and so on don’t have the view of Buddhahood that is found that is taught within Buddhism itself as well. So this may also make it difficult to generate the state of bodhicitta, which is aspiring to attain the state of Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. So in fact, if one doesn’t have regard or confidence in the state of a Buddha or what the state of a Buddha is, then one does not aspire to attain that state, then the generation of bodhicitta is not possible. So then having previously talked about the benefits of bodhicitta, now in this section of the text, the author is talking about the individual benefits of aspiring bodhicitta and engaging bodhicitta.
So then of those two, the first one is talking about the benefits of aspiring bodhicitta. So this is in verse seventeen. Although great fruits occur in cyclic existence from the mind that aspires to awaken, an uninterrupted flow of merit does not ensue as it does with the venturing mind or the engaging mind. So as it’s stated here that great benefit does come from aspiring to attain the state of highest enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. This mere aspiration to attain that state is what is called aspiring bodhicitta or wishing bodhicitta.
And merely generating that is stated to have many benefits, and this occurs in many treatises, which are in sutras and so forth, that teach at great length the benefits of aspiring bodhicitta. So as it’s stated in different sutras, the great benefits that arise from generating aspiring bodhicitta. And there’s one particular sūtra which teaches the story of Maitreya, which says that even though one has a diamond and that diamond may be divided up or just be a fragment of diamonds, still it’s of great benefit. And it excels other other jewels, other, what, precious objects and so forth. Similarly, even though great being or there are beings such as Arhats and so forth that retain a state of liberation, one that even generates this state of aspiring bodhicitta, even excels the aspirations of those jewel like beings who attain liberation.
So in fact, here a diamond even when a diamond itself is cut up into separate smaller diamonds, the diamond these smaller particles of diamonds still have similar qualities, of course, to the large diamond. And they excel other types of jewels and so forth that do exist, even if if they’re smaller or just a fragment. And in this way also, bodhicitta, even in the sense of aspiring bodhicitta, which is like a fragment of bodhicitta, excels the other virtuous states that are generated in the continuum of beings. In the actual text itself, the word also or however occurs. And here, this is in the quote of the the Sūtra.
And this refers to the fact that aspiring bodhicitta has that quality to outshine other virtues. However, it’s not as powerful as engaging bodhicitta. So now we move to the next verse, verse eighteen and nineteen. And these two verses talk about the benefits of engaging bodhicitta or venturing bodhicitta. So as it says, and for one who has perfectly seized this mind with the thought never to turn away from totally liberating the infinite forms of beings.
So here’s talking about engaging bodhicitta and those who establish engaging bodhicitta within their continuum, which is even more profound than wishing or aspiring bodhicitta, acquire great merit, merit that exceeds that for aspiring bodhicitta. It’s like having an even greater fragment of a diamond. And this type of merit also is irreversible. Their aspiration is irreversible to turn away from. Will never turn away from the mind or bodhicitta.
Therefore, the merit also is irreversible. And there’s great greater merit than for aspiring bodhicitta. The merit brings quicker results, and those results are will be obtained because the continuum of that merit is not severable. So then the next verse is, And from that time hence, even when asleep or unconcerned, a force of merit equal to the sky will perpetually ensue. Verse nineteen.
So that talks about the advantages of engaging bodhicitta. Now the next part of the text is talking about establishing those benefits through scripture and reasoning. So firstly, it talks about establishing that through scripture. And so we have, firstly, verse number twenty, which states, for the sake of those inclined towards the lesser vehicle, this was logically asserted by the Tathāgata himself in the Sūtra Requested by Subahu.
Oh, Tesh. This one? Oh, yeah. So here it stated that for those who aspire to the lesser vehicle in in order to attain a state of hinayana arhat or a lesser vehicle arhat, then one should work to turn them from that goal and generate bodhicitta within their continuum or generate aspiration for the great vehicle within their continuum because if that is done, then immeasurable great benefit arises. And this is stated in a particular sūtra called the Sūtra Requested by Subahu.