Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A practical tip for bedtime — lying down, recalling virtuous actions accumulated across many lifetimes, and rejoicing over them as one falls asleep so that the entire night becomes positive — is the most vivid instruction in this 46-minute commentary. Geshe Pema Tsering opens by settling a doctrinal dispute about whether bodhisattvas possess the six perfections, tracing the disagreement to how rival schools interpret the phrase “gone beyond.” He then works through three sections of Śāntideva’s text: requesting Buddhas to teach, asking them not to enter parinirvana, and — most extensively — dedicating merit. He is emphatic that undedicated virtues are destroyed by anger, and that dedication must cover every sentient being without exception. A closing Q&A addresses Buddha’s four bodies (kayas) and the subtle versus coarse Four Noble Truths.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 19 BD 2002 03 21.mp3
UUID: c9a32011-e623-4650-be11-fd5481bc1b21
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Deeds (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-03-21
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 46.2 minutes
Words: ~3,166
And and those schools below the Prāsaṇgika, the consequential school, and they interpret they say in different ways saying the six perfections are also available or also there in the Buddha Bodhisattvas as well. And and the reason why it comes to different is because the when we say the six perfections, it actually means the going beyond. Right? So some the the Prāsaṇgika school, the Consequentialist school, what they say, when we say “gone beyond,” they interpret it towards the result, which is Buddha or Buddhahood. So this is why they say six perfections only in the Buddhahood or state of Buddha. Whereas the others, they when they say they’re going beyond, they’re referred gone beyond, referred towards the causes, which leads one towards wants to pass beyond. So this is how it’s different. They said that bodhisattvas do have six perfections because their practices of six — generosity and so forth — are upheld by the altruistic intention.
And and they as they refer it towards the cause, so this and they say that they have the the six perfections. So as great master did, what we need to do here is we need to rejoice towards everything, all the causes and results, what we what what what we have just learned. So we should rejoice towards everything. Mhmm. Right.
So one what one needs to do here is the the all the the positive actions, but one have one one has cultivated and also upon oneself as well as through rejoicing for the towards the other’s positive actions. They collect all those merits one have cultivated and dedicate towards attainment of enlightenment. So it is very easy practices practice to perform and and it won’t cost us much, you know. And it’s also not that hard to practice, but which give us huge profit. There is a huge profit from such practice, and it won’t cost much, and it’s not that difficult. It’s very easy — just a matter of giving a thought. And we just give a thought and then add one’s own merit towards everything here and then dedicate it towards enlightenment. And when we say the results towards positive actions of those things, our friends and all sorts are not excluded.
And some people, they do, “I — he, she,” and that sort of meditation, but I don’t think they really know much about it. You know? Don’t think that way. And by doing so, it will cause a huge loss. Yes.
It is very important for one to be aware of those actions and what likely to do. So here concludes the the rejoicing session or a part, and now we are on to the the the the the second one, which is requesting it request to turn the wheel of dharma. And it has the way we stopped before was eleven, isn’t it? Mhmm. So and only where we stopped last, fourteen.
Is that? Yes. Alright. So next. I’m just telling the numbers stated in the Tibetan text, but it doesn’t look like Yeah. Yeah.
They’re matching it in a way. See? Because as as Geshe-la said, as well as in the text saying, you know, the next four shows this, next one shows this, and some saying next one and four. Anyway, so as for the sorry. The requesting the the to turn the wheel of Dharma, there’s only one verse is available and and requesting Buddhas to teach the the the teach or turn the wheel of Dharma.
And first, for the Buddhas, they are numberless Buddhas and same number as the sentient being. And and out of those Buddhas, they are not different. Some Buddhas turn the wheel of Dharma in the sense they teach, some don’t, some don’t teach for a while. So it is possible because, for example, our own lord Buddha Śākyamūni, the Gautama Buddha, he attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, and then Brahma and Indra made a huge offering of a golden Dharma wheel made out of solid gold and requested Buddha to teach. And from then onward, he teach the Four Noble Truths and so forth.
So it shows that it is very important for us to request Buddhas to teach. So the requesting is a very important task to do. So how one request the Buddhas to teach Dharma or to turn the wheel of Dharma? It is like this way. For example, like, for for the reasons are like, there are many numbers of sentient beings who are tortured by the sufferings as well as confused, but without knowing the the practices of what to be done and what to be abandoned.
So for the sake of for the sake of all these motherly sentient beings, please teach according to the the the faculty of the sentient beings what, yeah, what teaching suits what what person what beings? Got it. And so that’s the similar way of requesting Buddhas to teach a Dharma, and one can request in many other ways. And here concludes the the the requesting to turn Dharma. And now towards the third one, which is request not to enter parinirvana.
And so the requesting part here is there are numbers of Buddhas who are who enters parinirvana. It is because the reason why those Buddhas enter parinirvana is because sometimes they don’t find the suitable disciples to teach or to teach the Dharma. So therefore so here now one is requesting to the entire Buddhas as well as those who are likely to enter parinirvana, requesting them — by holding up one’s hands together and requesting them — please not to enter parinirvana and and and stay stay to teach or benefit those motherly sentient beings who are going through huge suffering, and they are in the darkness of suffering and confusions and and have no understanding of of of of the practice of what to take up and what to abandon. So, therefore, please don’t enter parinirvana and stay.
And now on to the fourth one, which is the dedicating one’s merit. It’s called the dedication. And as for the dedication, it has three divisions, subdivisions, like the general dedication and the particular dedication towards those who who goes through the illness and diseases so forth, and dedication towards those who undergoes through the the poverty for the poverty. So I lost the track of the numbers, but there’s only single verses which teaches the dedication of the general dedication. So the grand great master Śāntideva here has done this general dedication with saying that all the merits are gained, have cultivated up till this all the above levels form starting from the prostration, making offerings, and so forth till the the rejoicing.
So but all the merit gain I attained out of those practices as well as merit of those other sentient beings like the those who are in the path, who are not in the path, who have bodhisattvas, Buddhas, and so forth, have all their so collect all their merits, you know, so amount of all the merits and dedicate those towards the attainment of enlightenment for the sake of all motherly sentient beings. And this is where he he does it. He he did it, and then we should do the same as great master Śāntideva has done. So so in order to do so, what we need to do is we first had a very good motivation from the beginning, and then in the middle one, one should involve in the action with very happily without any hesitation. And then at the end, all the merit one has cultivated to dedicate it in the same way the great master has done.
So the the dedication practice is very, very important as well because it helps one to save one’s or or one’s positive actions. Because once once one have dedicated towards attainment enlightenment, then that positive action will stay until one attains enlightenment. Otherwise, if one leaves one’s virtues or positive actions without dedication, then what happens is between every now and then, those positive actions get destroyed by, like, anger and hatred and so forth. So no matter how much the the possible virtues one one cultivates, even the tiny ones, straight away dedicated towards enlightenment for the sake of all motherly sentient beings, until enlightenment. So and by doing so, then one one’s merit, how how tiny it is, it still remains until all the sentient beings have attained enlightenments.
When we go at this stage, when when we are while we are doing on the the yep. In the practice of rejoicing and dedication and so forth, one and and hearing all these teachings, one can say one we may we are quite okay to feel proud of ourself because And yeah. So this is what you know, when we talked about the benefits of doing rejoicing and all this so forth, we might we are quite happy, and we feel little bit of proud and so forth. And when the topic comes about the force of disturbing emotions and how all the positive actions or virtues have been destroyed by hatred and anger and so forth, when we reach that sort of topic, you feel a bit down. But it is a very important thing to do, you know, to recall the faults or disadvantages of all these disturbing emotions, hatred, and so forth, and and recall the benefits of doing rejoicing practice, how easy all the virtues being cultivate cultivated, something like that.
But it’s very important, very helpful thought to think about because by doing so, it helps encourages one to involve in those easy practices every now and then and cultivate numbers of virtues and and feel a bit uneasy doing this the disturbing emotions and so forth. So when we say dedicate towards enlightenment, you know, should do it for entire sentient beings. Never include even or never discriminate or exclude any sentient beings by saying, I don’t want to dedicate for him or her. It’s caused me a little bit of harm and so forth. For a moment or time being, you may one may think the person has has been very disrupting and and harmful and so forth, but in the long run, probably in different ways, very helpful.
So, therefore, one should never leave a single sentiment out and should dedicate it for the entire sentient beings. So, you know, one might find it that when we say dedicate towards the positive virtues, one have or merit one have cultivated. But not when we say one, it’s not just here or this present life. It’s not an easy thing to do. You know, one can think of numbers of merit.
Like, for example, like, how many the rebirth one has taken from the beginning of time. In each and every rebirth, there are certain amount of virtuous actions one have cultivated. And and so and and also the virtuous actions, for example, like the Buddha himself. And before before attainment of enlightenment have gone through numbers of years and years or numbers of positive actions the Buddha has cultivated to become a Buddha. So there are millions.
And if it’s if all the the virtuous actions or merits are in form or a figure, then we probably, it’s on it’s it’s immensely very huge, the one can’t fit in any way. So therefore, So should get rejoiced towards all these positive actions, try to recall the positive actions as much as one can one can do and and and dedicate all these virtuous action towards or rejoice towards those and so forth. And by rejoicing because there are numbers and numbers of positive actions. By doing rejoicing by rejoicing towards all those, one cultivate huge amount of virtues or or a merit. And and and that that merit can be attained very easily just by sitting on your cushion and just by mere thought.
So and, like, So, yeah, example, like, just before when we go to bed, you know sorry. When when one go to sleep in in a very, very deep, deep relaxation and just lie down and put your hands on the chest, the Tibetan way of saying we used to say, you know, just put your hands on the chest and think. You know? So just put your hands on the chest, lie down, and recall positive actions what one has done, one have cultivated the the life to life, and then the the hearers, solitary realizers, Bodhisattvas, Buddhas, and so forth, and recall all this their positive actions, and then rejoice towards them. And along with those rejoicing, one goes to sleep, then until one wakes up in the morning, all the entire sleep has become positive.
See? No. No. No. So the we call it like a sleep consciousness or yeah.
Sleep consciousness is so called the very transparent. No. No. No. It’s very intangible.
It it depends on where one derive. For example, when just before one go to sleep, if one’s thought has been directed towards the positive side, then then entire sleep becomes a positive. Or if it’s been give towards the negative side or non virtuous part, it’s entire sleep till the morning once one wakes up becomes a non virtuous and sleep without any positive, like, neutral state, then it’s just nothing at all. And what we do here is we we end here, which is the the general dedication. And tomorrow, for the next session, begin we begin from the second dedication, which is dedication towards the the the sick people.
Oh, yeah. That’s why you’re. Yep. So we’ll the time has been passed, so we take a couple of questions if you have. Yeah.
Pardon? Three kayas, four kayas — or the four bodies? Kaya means body. So four kayas. You call them the true nature body of the Buddha, the true wisdom body, the emanation body, and the enjoyment body.
So these are the four bodies of the Buddha. So there’s no three. Like, kaya is the body in Sanskrit. So four bodies of the Buddha. Did you get that?
So for example, like, true nature body is all those the the the cessation and emptiness of the the the the Buddhas. And or, for for example, all the good qualities and so forth, they are called the true nature body. And the the the the omniscience of the Buddhas or the true the wisdom body. And the enjoyment body of the Buddhas, which we can’t say and we can’t because because the enjoyment, the body always we call it stays or lives in Akanishtha, the land of Akanishtha, which we call the highest realm. And the only only one one attains the superior bodhisattva, which means who attains the the third path of the Mahāyāna, which is the path of seeing.
So the bodhisattva who has reached the path of seeing of the Mahāyāna path is so called the superior bodhisattva. Right? So only up from that onwards, superior Bodhisattva, they can see the enjoyment body of the Buddha. Okay. Got it.
Yep. And as for the emanation body, there are three types of emanation body. And where we call it like the very artistic artistic body. For example, like so in the olden days, the Buddha the Buddha has emanated in a certain form. He’s very skillful in order to do to subdue, one of the kings called Angulimala.
For example, like for example, like this, there can be emanation in yep. Yeah. The emanation body of Buddha who are very skillful at making aeroplanes and so forth. It can be possible. And the and and and the second one is emanation bodies like our the spiritual teachers who, you know, who who comes in the emanation form of ordinary being, like our teacher who gives you teachings and so forth, one spiritual teacher.
And the and the third one is called the supreme emanation body, which is like the and that is very only seen by can’t be seen by ordinary person like us. For example, like like, when lord Buddha Śākyamūni was teaching at the Bodh Gaya, the ordinary person, they can’t see the old, the major, and the minor marks of the Buddha Śākyamūni. So and. No. No.
Yeah. So We can. They’re the four highest. Yeah. Yes.
Larry. Larry. The Four Noble Truths asserted from the point of view of the Consequentialist or Prāsaṇgika school, the Madhyamaka school, are called the subtle Four Noble Truths. And those asserted by schools below the Prāsaṇgika school are called the coarse Four Noble Truths. Example like and well, like, the the first one, the the suffering.
And as for the the it’s because it’s suffering. There are two types of sufferings: the subtle and the coarse. The Prāsaṇgika school’s theory is that all the phenomena are free of inherent existence. So with the free with on the basis of such such such yep. On the basis of such idea or or assertions, and they explains the nature of the things.
For example, like, the the suffering asserted from the point of view of the Prāsaṇgika school is free of inherent existence. Whereas below the Prāsaṇgika school, they assert what they call — briefly speaking, what he says is the Prāsaṇgika school asserts freedom from inherent existence, whereas below the Prāsaṇgika school, for example, the Svatāntrika school asserts freedom from self-sufficient existence. So these are the two point of view.
So one, on the basis of their thoughts, they explain sufferings and so forth. So this is how it becomes the subtle and the coarse Four Noble Truths. Yeah. And the last question, which someone was there. Yeah.
Can you speak a bit louder, actually? I can’t really hear you. It could be the cause for a future result, and it could be the result of past causes. So what do we hear when we talked about the the cause and the result, one have to think on the particular task that these actions are, for example, that the particular anger produces the result of suffering, say and which means the anger itself becomes the cause. But if anger itself, it could be a result of the future cause, the so so earlier cause.
So so which is now in if you think of general, then everything is both: you are the result as well as the cause. So you can’t think in general, but if you think specific, this anger results that suffering. You know? It’s you that this is how one differentiate the cause and the effect here, not in general. Yep.
Yeah. That we lost the track. Yeah. Anyway, the count said because the the Tibetan part is it comes with a commentary, and this is just a root text. You know?
That’s the that’s problem. Yes.