Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The burning-house image — a small fire left unattended until the whole house is lost — opens this 46-minute session, illustrating why disturbing emotions must be countered the moment they arise. Geshe Pema Tsering works through the main afflictions in turn: anger, which masquerades as self-protection but harms both sides; attachment, which exaggerates its object’s qualities, illustrated by clinging to a brand-new car; and their antidotes — meditating on faults to undercut attachment, combining patience with love and compassion to meet provocation. The commentary then moves into the dedication verses of Chapter Three of the Bodhisattva Way of Life: the aspiration to become doctor, medicine, and nurse for the sick, and food, water, and shelter for those suffering famine and poverty. It closes by outlining the four divisions of the actual training in bodhicitta.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 20 BD 2002 04 04.mp3
UUID: 3a2060eb-0a19-4fe5-b1ca-8d990cb201e4
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Deeds (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-04-04
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 46.2 minutes
Words: ~3,147
So Geshe Langri Tangpa here says it’s very important for one to keep an eye on one’s actions all the time. And whenever disturbing emotions arise, you should apply antidote straight away. And then, yeah, apply antidote and abandon it straight away because and so it is important to do so because if one does not, then it becomes like a like a little neck letting a little fire in the house. So the the house caught fire. It was very small.
Is that me? The oh, okay. It’s the yeah. Like a small fire. The the house caught a small fire, and one that should be okay.
It’s not that big. And one’s negligent. And it gradually becomes bigger and bigger, and then finally, you know, whole house entire house burned down. So likewise, whenever the disturbing emotions arise, slight disturbing emotions like attachment, anger, or pride or such thought, Should not neglect it. If I leave it, then it becomes like a huge fire that burns down the entire house.
And and what Geshe Langri Thangpa said here was very true. For example, like like for example, take taken the anger as an example. When one whenever when one gets angry, not only not only it makes miserable for oneself, but it also makes others miserable as well along with oneself. And the anger comes in what usually, the anger anger comes within oneself. It’s kind of like a protection for oneself or or or making oneself meant to be like, it seems like it’s giving some pleasure for oneself to be be angry, you know, so that protect oneself from others.
So anger comes like a as in protection or or giving some pleasure or happiness. For example, we can imagine one can think of oneself, for example, when one gets angry, it is the one gets angry when one hurts something unpleasant about oneself or or or, yep, a harsh word or something one do not wish, does not wish, it comes. Whenever that those sort of things occurs, one gets angry, and that anger is kind of like protecting oneself. But the fact is it is not it’s it does not work the way it seem it comes as. The anger never protects one from unwanted sufferings and, you know, from harsh harsh word or so forth.
What gives the pleasure and happiness is love and compassion — they are the ones which bring happiness. There is only loss for us through anger. Right. Right. As well as patience.
So, yep, the the love and compassion, patience, they brings they bring the real happiness which one what, yep, one wishes. And the anger is the one that which that which does not bring happiness. For for example, some people get angry because of not achieving the the happiness which one pursues. It means like a frustration. And one’s angry because cannot achieve what one wants to be or that kind of happiness.
But but that the anger never brings happiness. Not only, it also causes miserable for others as well. So there there hasn’t been anyone up till now who says that I have achieved what I want through anger. And same as the attachment as well. And attachment comes attach attachment is it can be anything, attachment towards a thing, like one’s possession, partner, husband or wife or girl or boy, whoever.
The attachment is the one that exaggerates the person’s quality, for example. Not yes. You’re exaggerating the qualities of the thing particular thing. No. And then yeah.
So as you said that the the attachment exaggerates, for example, like a a thing or or one’s relationship partner so forth. And seeing something extra than the act the the real quality of the person, for example. And due to this, one try to hang on to that attachment or exaggeration. And then if one fails to attain to some of, you know, be with a particular person, one feel ups one feel sad and angry and so forth. And if the person if one received whatever one wishes for, like a boy or a girl, and for him, it’s very as we said, it’s been the qualities has been exaggerated through this mental approach, and the person feel kind of like a pride, and I achieved the most beautiful whatever.
So it’s it applies same for any kind of disturbing emotion that they might produce a slight happiness on the short run, but the longer ones spend time on it, the worse it get. What’s the worse they get. So the one should not familiarize or be acquainted with the disturbing emotions because because there is no such happiness that comes from the like, real happiness comes out of the attachment or the disturbing emotions and should not try to to get acquainted with the disturbing emotion because one does not need to, because one has been so used to or familiarized with the disturbing emotions from beginningless time. Instead, if one has been used to the the opposite side of the the disturbing emotion, which is like the towards the antidote of the disturbing emotion, we can probably say that we have been enlightened at this stage. So, yeah, so one should not be very familiarized with the disturbing emotions because there is no purpose of doing so.
It will never give you the ultimate happiness. Instead, if I’m trying to get used to or be, yep, friendly with the antidote of the disturbing emotion, then it will produce the ultimate happiness that in the past, by doing so, many have attained enlightenment. And there will be, and there are currently many who become enlightened through being familiarized with the antidotes to these disturbing emotions. Now So therefore, the great master Geshe Langri Thangpa said, you know, whenever a disturbing emotion arises, just apply the antidote and abandon it. So, therefore, if, like, disturbing emotions, like, when like, attachment, hatred, and and anger.
So whenever attachment arises, apply the antidote, meditate on ugliness. And whenever hatred arises, meditate on love. And for anger, meditate on patience. No? So as we said, when attachment arise, meditate apply the antidote by meditating on ugliness.
And when we say to meditate on ugly, when you say yeah. When we meditate on the ugliness, what it meant was any kind of attachment for for example, like a particular object. And when one arise when attachment comes on that that particular object, and we as we said, it’s called and one, because of that tension, one exaggerates the quality. Keep thinking of the quality of the particular and exaggerate it. So, likewise, when we said meditate on ugliness, what it means, instead of just thinking of or exaggerating the good qualities of the particular object, think about the faults of that object.
So then one analyze the good part and the bad part, and finally, it helps. And through this, doing so would help one to reduce one’s attachment to that object. So take take take a brand new car as an example. One has this beautiful car, very new, and one has huge attachment on that car. So when that happens, think examine the car and So I think she means that after that.
Yeah. Because they’re very new. You just bought it, and it’s very important for you. It’s it’s and has a huge attachment to the car. And then think about it.
So and think about, on the long run, whether it’s going to help you or the the the car is going to help you or harm you. And and and it may likely to to help in the way you wished. But, yeah, but but on the other side, it may take you a life in the long run, being in an accident so forth. And not only that, because it’s so new and you’re so attached, and then, you know, it protects the car and no one can touch and so forth. And then due to this, it may it it it encourages one to cultivate numbers of disturbing emotions like attachment and so forth.
As a result of that, it might lead one to to take a rebirth and lower rebirths. So so this is how the the one meditates on ugliness in order to apply an antidote to the attachment. And as we said, just by instead of seeing just the good qualities, you know, sometimes things on the backside as well, like the car new car, everything is look perfect so forth. But if you really look through it, and then you might find heaps of faults in the car. Yeah.
So if one examine what the the the good and the bad qualities of the the car, and one can be sure to find more faults than good. And even in terms of this present life, not only if one thinks about the future, it also brings huge harm towards you. It will because it helps you to to cultivate non-virtuous actions in, yeah, in many ways. So what do you say? You know, if if you were to examine the cars car’s good or a bad side, which one you find more?
So if you don’t think that’s a different case, But if you do think on those what what Geshe-la just said, then you you can find more faults than good. And likewise, in order to abandon or or, yep, the the anger, one one needs to meditate on patience. For yeah. For example, like, somebody, you know, approach and in provokes you. And at that moment, instead of being patient, if one reply, you know, the what is called challenge, the person, then then then it causes huge problem for both both side.
And not only no. And yeah. And it depends on how how strong it is. If it’s really, really strong, you know, it might take, you know, starting to hit each other, and then maybe one of one of the person get killed. And so and in both terms, are there it it in in in long run, for example, like, in future lives, of course, it harms you because because that that the one the anger destroy all the good quality.
Sorry. No merits or virtuous action or virtue merit caused from positive actions. And and so don’t not to mention about future lives. Even in this present life, it might take one’s life through the fight of combat. So you should not retaliate and be patient and think.
Right? I should not retaliate, you know, that’s not a person, he or she being controlled by the anger or just anger, which is comes out of and the disturbing emotion. So I should not retaliate and just take it easy and not for a while. No. Yeah.
And so and along with that patience, then cultivate or meditate on love and compassion, feel that that that person provokes sadness or grief, feel pity towards the person because he or she being being being, yep, controlled or tortured by the disturbing emotions and the karma or action and and feel pity. And not only the disturbing emotion the disturbing emotion and action tortured him, he’s trying to torment myself as well. So I should not get angry and retaliate. You know? So, yeah, if one maintains patience and do not does not retaliate to the person and automatically, gradually, you know, the person will cool down and settle down well.
And then once he’s he or she’s out of the anger, feel very embarrassed now and then might walk towards you and say, I’m really sorry. You know? I apologize for what I’ve said so forth, man. Yeah. And if you think on on this, it is really true.
For example, think about oneself. When one get angry and so forth and just yell at somebody or so forth, if the person didn’t retaliate and then and do nothing with response, then later on, you have to be out of anger, and then you feel very embarrassed and and feel regret towards what what one has done. So, yep, so as for the antidote towards the anger should meditate on on patience and additionally that as on love and compassion as well. So if one meditates and cultivate love and compassion and as well as patience, then it will not only make happy for oneself, it also brings happiness to other and and and brings harmony within the community. And in in in in in long run, it gives good results in the future lives as well.
Yeah. So at this stage, what we are studying is the Bodhisattva Way of Life. And those are the main topics, the main yep. The love, compassion, bodhicitta, the altruistic intention are the main ones which are taught in this particular text. Okay.
So, therefore, now develop develop a motivation here that I’m I shall study this the the text, the Bodhisattva Way of Life, in order to bring happiness to the entire sentient beings and achieve as well as achieve enlightenment for the sake of all motherly sentient beings. So on such, mind or altruistic intention, we shall do a short meditation. So now back to the text, we which the dedicate dedication part. And as with dedicating dedication, it has three subdivisions dedicating yeah. General dedication and and and dedication towards the second one is for the the the the sick people and for the sick, yeah, sick beings or sick people and then towards poverty.
Now we finished the first part, and now it’s towards the second division, which is dedication to the the diseased beings or sick beings. And on the text, that that has been shown by us just a single line, which is I think verse number eight: for all sick beings in the world. That’s just one line. And what it explains is that the great master, the author of this text, has dedicated all his merit gained through giving such teachings. He dedicated all this merit to in order to become a medicine or or, you know, to to to yeah.
In order to Yes. Sorry. They’re loving. Yeah. Yeah.
That’s fine. Page thirty, First number eight, and it’s the third line for all sick beings in the world. Oh, mine is thirty, so this is the text. So, anyway, the the it’s it’s the verse number eight in my text here, and this says, may I be the doctor and the medicine, and may I be the nurse for all sick beings in the world, etcetera and etcetera. Do you find it now?
Mhmm. Chapter three. Pardon? Chapter three. Chapter three.
Full acceptance of the awakening mind. Okay. So the doctor the great master, he himself dedicated all all the virtues again from teaching this text and wish he made the prayer, the wishing to become a medicine doctor and a nurse to help the the the ailing beings or sentient beings. No? This one?
This one. Oh, yeah. Who were tortured by the numbers of disease. Like here, the text mentioned, an infectious disease, what we call like cancer or chronic disease. No?
This one? No. Oh, yeah. So yeah. So like like great master did, well, we should do as same as great great master did, to dedicate whatever the virtuous one have cultivated, dedicated it, it for the sentient beings, and make prayers, wish prayers, like, to become a medicine doctor and nurse so forth in order to help those sick sentient beings.
And by by doing such dedication and prayers, we may not become a medicine doctor or a nurse, but the fact is that we need the effect is we cultivate numbers of merit or virtues, and and that is very important for us to cultivate in order to attain enlightenment. And then towards third subdivision, which is dedicating it to the the poor, like, towards poverty or poor people. And and which is being shown by the next two verses, which are number nine and number ten. So the dedications are done in this way, like wishing to become a wishing to help those poor people or to the people of starvation who, like, become a water to those who are thirsty, become a food to those who are hungry. And this they said furthermore, there will be numbers of, you know, during the once in and so so become food during the famine.
And Geshe-la said, doesn’t look like it will have the famine will happen in Australia, but but but but but it is happened, and it will happen in some part of the world. For example, like and they’ve been said for during nineteen fifty nine and sixties era, there have been a bit of famine happened in Tibet at that time. So whatever it is, so wishing to become food during the time of famine. And then also dedicating towards other poor who lack of shelter or the wealth and and financial problems. So wishing and through the power of these virtues or or, yeah, merit, I have cultivated through such practice, may I become inexhaustible wealth so that I can give, as well as become wealth itself.
And those who need a house is to become a house, to become enjoyments like food. So food now become everything. You know? So as we said that now so here concludes the the seventh and the the As we said that, I think a week before before, I think, that it started from the training of one’s mind in the altruistic intention or bodhicitta. So it has preliminary, actual, and the conclusions.
So we here conclude the first subdivision which is preliminary — training in the seven-limb prayer. Now towards the actual training. So as for the second subdivision, the actual training of the mind of altruistic intention, it has four divisions as well — the actual training in the altruistic intention and training in the reasons why the the the reason why one should train in the the mind of altruistic intention, and then training one’s mind through transforming or dividing one’s body into many bodies and the result of training the training one’s mind in altruistic intention. No. Yep. Sorry. And and dedicating one’s virtues towards this virtuous gain from training one’s mind in altruistic intention for the sentient beings.
Mhmm. So now on to the first one, the actual training mind which was which is shown by the one one verse, which is that could be number eleven. Yeah. Without any sense of loss, I shall give up my body and enjoyment as well as all my virtues of the three times for the sake of benefiting all. No.