Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Milarepa’s declaration that he fled to the wilderness out of fear of death, and through meditation conquered it, opens this 46-minute session as Geshe Pema Tsering uses it to urge students to keep death genuinely in mind as a spur toward practice. After a short bodhicitta motivation, he resumes Śāntideva’s guide to bodhisattva deeds at the fourth subdivision: dedicating the results of mind-training. He unpacks Śāntideva’s wishful prayers — that one’s body become a cause for others’ compassion rather than hatred, that merit be dedicated even to those who abuse or slander you, and that one become like a wishful vase or a bridge fulfilling every need. The session closes with the pledge to develop both aspiring and engaging bodhicitta, and a reflection on rejoicing in the rare fortune of an unsquandered human rebirth.
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File: 23 BD 2002 04 11.mp3
UUID: f95dcc1c-3e58-4147-bb6d-fa8a6c0442c5
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Deeds (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-04-11
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 46.3 minutes
Words: ~2,628
Oh, yeah. That goes up. What you’re watching, bro? The great master, Yogi Milarepa, said, I ran into the forest, yep, or up in the hills because of because of the because of his fear towards the death. Now through my meditations and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings and practice, I found or I found I realized the true nature of that mind, yep, of the mind, which means that the the very subtle mind which travels towards the which becomes which which has been traveling from the very beginninglessness or, say, the subtle consciousness, which becomes enlightened.
And so therefore, now I’m not afraid of death. So, therefore, we we need to recall the death or the death. The the and should should do the same as great master Yogi Milarepa did. And the the master, he he was afraid of death, and therefore, he ran into the jungles or forest to meditate and finally gained the realization and become enlightened. So we might not be able to be to do like the great Yogi Milarepa yet, but at least we should try to recall the the yeah.
Recall the death. So the great master said that the yogi has said it such, but it was not set for just to show just just to be a show off or he has achieved something something. What he the reason why he said that was to encourage the sentient beings to to remember the death because by remembering the death, it will it will bring one one closer to its enlightenment. Yeah. The great master Yogi Milarepa was was has sacrificed his life.
So we may not be able to do sacrifice one’s or give up one’s life like the yogi did, but at least one should not give up next life as well. Try should should need to be be to be concerned for the next life and and work for next life as well. Got it. We may not be able to do, like, great that great Yogi Milarepa, but but should at least try to recall it and never forget, should not forget next life. And and if we try, we can do something every now and then for the betterment of next lives.
I mean, we are working for our future lives because we practice that receive teachings and read text, and study the Buddhist Engaging in the Bodhisattva Deeds and meditation, so forth. And that is to that is to help that that is to attain enlightenment for the sake of motherly sentient beings. So by doing so, one is one is working toward working for the betterment of next future lives. Therefore, you know, because one is not I mean, at this stage, one is working and should try to do better than what you or what one is doing now. Right?
Mhmm. Instead of getting it worse. No? So we talked about motive motivation every beginning of the teaching. And the reason why it is doing it’s done every beginning of the teaching is because the motivation is very, very important.
So therefore, the well, we should we should we should have or we should develop the motivation of altruistic intention intention, the bodhicitta, and should always have intention that whatever positive action one performs, and and that is for the attainment of enlightenment for the sake of motherly sentient beings. So I should I should need to do meditation on that particular motivation that in order to help those motherly sentient beings, I shall may I be I will do this practice in order to become a a the Buddhahood or become Buddha as soon as possible. So the when we say, may I attain enlightenment for the sake of motherly sentient beings as soon as possible, we say, may I attain Buddhahood? And and by saying that, you know, what it actually what one is doing is one one service trying work wants to work hard to become or attain, achieve that Buddhahood, and it’s not something like like Buddha will grant you the Buddhahood. No?
Oh. So we we shall do a short meditation on that the motivation of altruistic intent intention. So now, continue from the previous class, which now we stopped at the fourth subdivision, which is which is dedicating one’s the result of one’s result of training the mind. Yep. Dedicating one’s merit result sorry.
Dedicating all the results for the sentient beings that result come out of through the training through the mind training. So making prayers, which has been shown by next eight verses and two lines. So that is where we stopped last time? Number Fourteen. Fourteen, isn’t it?
So from therefore, I shall let them to do anything to it. So it shows next eight verses and two lines. So yep. I think may I also be the source of life, twenty second. I think yeah.
And this one? Long. Yeah. Making prayers that that that that that making wish or prayer, that thinking that yeah. We wish or pray that may my body be never be the source or or never be the source or cause to to to generate to gen cause for others to generate the disturbing emotions or hatred attachment.
Instead, may my body become the cause for them to generate to develop the great compassion, love. You know? So dedicating one’s prayers that all sentient beings, you know, including whether those who have been helpful to you or those who’ve been causing harms or developing hatred and so forth. So dedicating one’s merit to entire sentient beings and wishing them through the power of my merit or virtues may their entire wishful wishes been fulfilled. So and also wishing particularly specifically for those sentient beings who abuses oneself or who abuse you and who try to attempt or or who try to kill you and who quietly — what was the word —
You know, talks bad things about you, not in front of you, behind in the public. You know? And and who give you a very nasty nicknames and so forth. So all these sentient beings, all those people, their wishes be fulfilled and may they be enlightened, attain Buddhahood of through the power of my merits. So these are just the wishful prayer how one should do the wishful prayers.
No. And so these these these are the prayers, wishful prayers made by the great master Śāntideva himself. And he’s saying that and through the power of my intensely cultivated virtues, like teaching this particular text, the engaging in the Bodhisattva way of life and these other practices. So through the power of my all my great practice virtues I’ve cultivated, may all those sentient beings who who lack refuge get receive their refuge or meet with their refuge. And those who are traveling will reach the place the yeah.
Those who are in journey, reach their place safely and may those who who are on the voyage, you know, who never never face any trouble of water or those who are become may have become yeah. May they be a bridge for those who want to cross the river. So, yep, so making wishful prayers that that the sentient beings to achieve the all their wishes, like those who are who are in the middle of voyage in the oceans and looking for a place or a rich land, may they reach the land. And those who wishes to have a land will get land, and those who wishes for money will have a let I mean, yeah, receive money. And and may those who though those who wishes a servant or a mate, Those who wishes those who who who who seek or who wish or who needs the servant’s mate, so forth, may I become their servant’s mate, and may I be able to able to fulfill what their wishes fulfill their wishes.
And may I become the wishful vase, precious precious vase which can fulfill entire sentient beings. Their wishes, the the looks like that wishful precious vase is the one which we make offerings in the mandala. And and that through the power of my virtues, may I be able to attain all those four powers in terms of tantric practice, called the four attainments of the tantric practice, so called the peaceful, wrathful, increasing, and so called the powerful. So these are the four ten tantric attainments. And through this, those attainments should be attained through reciting mantras and and intense mental practice.
So through the power of my virtues I have cultivated, may I be able to attain all these four powers through this and become myself as as the great medicine that can cure entire disease. And and also making wishful prayers, the great master also wishes through the power of my my merits, may I become the the the Parijata tree and the wishful cow, that which are those are the objects which can fulfill the same the other’s wishes. Right? So all these are in comes these yeah. Comes under the mandala offerings.
Right? So the the great master is making prayers to fulfill sentient beings’ wishes and describing the most of the wishes that the the others wishes, like those who wants who needs those who wish or who yeah. A wish or who needs the the the the field to cultivate. May I may let may they have or may I become a field for them to cultivate their crops, and and may I become like like like the the space, the the permanent space that that I can continuously like like, permanently or continuously benefit sentient beings or or or help them to receive their wishes. So the master here also says that that may I may I be able to fulfill the sentient beings’ wishes in all the time until they have until they reach the enlightened reach the the Buddhahood.
So that concludes the first part. Now we are on to the second, the actual training of the mind. No. Making actual pledge. Oh, so the second one is making the actual pledge or a promise, which was shown by the next two verses.
Yep. Yeah. Next two verses saying that that that all the the the Bodhisattvas and Buddhists in the of the past time, they have they have developed aspiring aspiring bodhicitta in front of in front of all the Buddhas all the in front of all the Buddhas of the ten direction. So, likewise, in order to benefit sentient beings, I shall here develop aspiring bodhicitta in front of the Buddhas of ten directions. So likewise, the master also make a pledge here.
So the likewise, you the all the Buddhists and Bodhisattvas of the past have developed the the engaging bodhicitta or altruistic intention and and train and engage in the practices or the activities of the bodhisattvas. So likewise, I shall here develop the engaging bodhicitta and the the performance of the activities of the bodhisattva. So these are the prayers made by the great master Acharya Śāntideva. And therefore, these are very important prayers, and the great master did it, and it’s showing us how to dedicate one’s prayers. And and and so, likewise, we should try to do try to dedicate all each and every virtuous or merit we have cultivated and try to dedicate like the great master did.
One may find it a bit easy, you know, this is just a prayer saying and dedicating for the sentient beings. Make them may they attain their wishes and so forth, but it’s not just enough to know that it is just said stated in the the the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life text. It is important for one not just to remember, but remember it and implement it implement such practices and dedicate one’s virtues or a merit for the same betterment of sin for yeah. In to help sentient beings. So great master here make a pledge or or or the the so called the word of honor to that that a promise to make develop the two types of bodhicitta, the aspiring and engaging bodhicitta the way the great other bodhisattvas and the Buddhas has done.
And and in order to free all these motherly sentient beings from the suffering and bring them, you know, from entire sufferings and bring them to the state of ultimate happiness. So, likewise, we should make a pledge to develop a bodhicitta like the great master did. And so a lot like great master, you know, one should make a pledge in front of in in front of all the Buddhas of the ten direction that to to yeah. In front of take the and make promise or pledge in front of all the Buddhas of ten directions to to develop the engaging bodhisattva and then engages in the practices of or, yeah, the the activities of bodhisattvas. And the aspiring bodhicitta and the engaging bodhicitta aspiring bodhicitta means the the the actual developing the mind, inside mind that I shall attain enlightenment for the sake of motherly sentient beings.
And the developing such thought or a mind is so called developing the aspiring bodhicitta. And engaging bodhicitta is that I I shall attain enlightenment for the sake of motherly sentient beings. Therefore, I therefore, I will train in the the the the trainings of six perfections and so forth. And doing so is so called the developing the the engaging bodhicitta. And this is the and it’s and and likewise, in the same way, one takes the the vows of engaging bodhicitta.
And so when one take this engaging bodhicitta vows saying that there shall attain enlightenment for the sake of sentient beings, therefore, will train in the trainings of six perfections, for example. And when we say one need to make a pledge and a promise to do, it should never feel inside, may not be able to do any of the one of those six perfections. You know? So always have courage. If I do, I will, and I can, and I will do it.
And now to the third one is rejoicing. As for the rejoicing, rejoicing oneself and letting and and making others to rejoice. Bringing others let others to rejoice. Yeah. Two divisions.
Yeah. And the next nine verses shows the, yep, rejoicing part. So the the great master Śāntideva as well as the Buddhas and other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, So they have developed both the bodhicitta, the aspiring and engaging bodhisatt bodhicitta. And by doing so, they’ve they they feel they feel very re they rejoice to to have such opportunity and feel very happy happy to do so, the developing all these mind.
So likewise, we develop the the both the engaging and the aspiring bodhicitta like the great masters, Śāntideva and Buddhas and Bodhisattvas has done have done. So and likewise, a lot like them, one should also feel very fortunate to have such opportunity to develop those mind and rejoice and be happy and generate happiness. Should rejoice that, you know, that I have had this opportunity, very fortunate to be to have such opportunity to develop those bodhicitta, the yeah. Those yep. Yeah.
bodhicitta. And and it doesn’t matter even if I didn’t receive the result of such practice in this life. But by doing such practice, I I have not waste the the this precious human rebirth with eighteen qualities. Yep. Eighteen qualities.
And so being not being having wasted this precious human rebirth should feel also rejoice here.