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 a step-by-step morning meditation: upon waking, reflect on impermanence and the sufferings of cyclic existence to build renunciation, then redirect that renunciation outward toward all sentient beings to generate bodhicitta, and adorn the whole meditation with an awareness that all phenomena — meditator, sentient beings, liberation — lack inherent existence. A medicine analogy closes Chapter Four on consciousness: teachings heard but not practiced are like medicine a patient refuses. He then introduces Chapter Five on guiding alertness from Śāntideva’s text, outlining its four subdivisions, and presents the vivid image of the untrained mind as a mad elephant — dangerous until caught with the rope of mindfulness and tied to virtuous action. Suited to practitioners following the text.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 32 BD 2002 05 30.mp3
UUID: 9385444d-d6a9-48ae-9d39-0a595e314ba1
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Deeds (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-05-30
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 46.2 minutes
Words: ~2,732
So, moreover, you try to avoid attachment towards the betterment of this life through contemplating on the the impermanence of death, by contemplating on how difficult it is to attain this precious human rebirth, not only that, it also uncertainty of death and and and and overcome the attachment by contemplating on on the sufferings of the cyclic existence and those that undergoes to the suffering because of the infallibility. Through the results, those sufferings of the cyclic existence comes are the results of the the law of karma or causes and cause and effect. So by knowing this so by contemplating on those two, how difficult it is to find precious human rebirth and an uncertainty of the death as well as the the the law of cause and effect. And by contemplating on those matters and should try to try they try to And Yeah. But doing Got it.
And by so contemplating on those, it encourage or helps one to see the essencelessness of the samsaric existence and its enjoyment. So by doing this, then one so yeah. Through such practices, one can develop so called the wish to free from cyclic existence or renunciation. And whenever one attains the renunciation, then one enters into the first path of the five paths, which is path of accumulation. And so using that renunciation as a one wing, and along with it, it needs the help of the other wing, yeah, which is so called the wisdom realizing selflessness.
And with the combination of those two, the renunciation, the wisdom realizing emptiness, then one can abandon the the first obscuration, which is obscuration towards liberation. Right. Yes. Yep. So with the combination of those two, the renunciation and and the wisdom realizing selflessness or wisdom realizing emptiness, which is which is the same.
And and so with the combination of those two, then one can abandon those the obscurations towards liberation and can attain nirvana or become arhat. But by so attaining that arhathood, one can one frees oneself from the cyclic existence, but to in order to benefit sentient beings, one can benefit, yeah, benefit the sentient beings thoroughly. So in order to in order to help sentient beings on the top of those two, one needs the help of bodhicitta. So so therefore and instead to convert one’s thoughts of the renunciation because by seeing them well, by seeing that like some like oneself, other motherly sentient beings wish happiness and do not, yeah, wish happiness and do not want suffering. So, therefore, in order to in order to help those sentient beings from the sufferings of the cyclic existence and bring them to the state of ultimate happiness, then I shall attain enlightenment.
And such a mind which wishes for so called which is striving for both the liberation as well as helping sentient beings in which so there are two kinds of wishes that one wishes to attain mere nirvana, which is self liberation. And other one is called the wish for enlightenment, that is to attain enlightenment to in order to help sentient beings. And such a mind is so called called the bodhicitta. So, therefore, it is very important for us to work hard to achieve or or work hard to develop the bodhicitta, the altruistic intention. And so to to do so, it is very good if one starts from the very beginning at the very beginning sorry, early morning, at the moment one wakes up, recall the impermanence of the death, how how uncertain it is, and and so meditate on this, yeah, impermanence of the death, and then recall this, the the the sufferings of the cyclic existence and generate a renunciation or wish to attain in yeah, nirvana.
And and having developed so having developed that renunciation, then direct that renunciation and change it slightly instead of seeing just oneself undergoes through the suffering. Yep, directly towards the sentient beings, seeing that those motherly sentient beings, the same as myself, goes through suffering, go through suffering and and, yep, and wishing happiness. So in and through this, develop a wish to free those sentient beings from the suffering and bring them to let them have or bring them to the state of ultimate happiness. And through this and I and then develop so called the the special intention that willingly that one is willingly willingly to take the burden of freeing the entire sentient beings from the sufferings and give them let them, yeah, the state of ultimate happiness. And by having that, then, yeah, having developed that special intention and then meditate on wishing, that develops the bodhicitta, which is wishing to attain enlightenment or be attained enlightenment in order to help the motherly sentient beings.
And that is called the bodhicitta. So if one can’t go through a whole process of meditation, then one can do it very in simple way thinking that they are the the other sentient beings the same as myself go through suffering which they don’t wish it or they do not want the suffering and do not have this happiness like myself even though they wish for happiness. So in order to let in order to free them from sufferings and bring them to the the state of happiness, ultimate happiness, I shall attain buddhahood. And on with with with this simple motivation or thought, one can one can do the meditation. So and additional to that, that wanted to attain enlightenment in order to free motherly sentient beings from the suffering and bring them to the state of ultimate happiness.
On additional to the along with that meditation, if one also along with the meditation, if one sees all the objects, the objects of the meditation, like sentient beings, sufferings, their attainment, which is the state of nirvana, as well as those who attain it. And the sentient beings oneself and so and the enlightenment, enlightenment, the buddhahood and so forth are free of inherent existence. They do not exist in the way they appear. And by doing so, by giving that additional thought to that meditation, and it is so called that the that the meditation on bodhicitta has been adorned, ornamented by the wisdom realizing emptiness. And by doing so, once meditation will become more effective and more virtuous.
So while when one does the meditation on bodhicitta altruistic intention and if one lets a part of one’s mind adorn, to give the element of wisdom realizing, the emptiness, the seeing oneself, the meditator, the sentient beings, liberation, arhathood, Buddhahood, sufferings of the samsaric beings and so forth are free of inherent existence. Doing so, then it’s called meditations and such meditation is adorned. Yeah.
With the ornament of wisdom, realizing emptiness. So it is it is so called the meditation on bodhicitta is adorned by the ornament of view of wisdom realizing emptiness. In order to in reality, when one does so, one act actually, one needs the wisdom realizing emptiness. But at this stage, we don’t have the wisdom realizing emptiness, just by making a thought or the theory of how seeing that the those phenomena are free of inherent existence will will, yep, will substitute as the vivid wisdom, realizing emptiness. So we do a short meditation on bodhicitta.
So last time we stopped at the third subdivision of the chapter of consciousness. And this third third subdivision is called the summarizing the the meanings or yep. The the yeah. And so it’s the text says that that that as we had explained earlier of the the the the particular chapter, one should one should be very conscientious and being very mindful and guide one’s mind in all the time because because so but you should examine one’s mind in all the time. And whenever if one notice that that if one mind is on on the non virtuous part, like, under the under the influence of disturbing emotions, non virtuous, and so forth.
If one acknowledges, then should redirect one’s mind towards and bring it back and thought on the virtuous in a virtuous state contemplating on bodhicitta and and being very conscientious about the vows. If one has vow, protect one’s vows. If not, then practice let one’s mind towards the practices of ethical discipline of not committing non-virtuous actions. And, yep, should should should should practice the way the the Lord Buddha has has shown us because so doing so, then one will by doing yeah.
Being very mindful and guiding one’s mind and leading yeah. Being into practice through this process, one can attain the nirvana or arhathood as well as enlightenment. If one do not practice, then it won’t one won’t attain nirvana and enlightenment state. It is like the the medicine, the doctor prescribed the medicine and the patient refused or didn’t take the medicine, then the medicine can’t cure the disease of the patient. So it what it means is it’s a similar way what we receive the teachings, not just teachings, any sort of teachings, sutras, tantras, and so forth, profound teachings.
But if one just listen and do not bring all one all the hearings into practices and into contemplation and meditation, then they are of no use, one will not attain anything. Yeah. Yeah. So here concludes this fourth chapter, which is consciousness. So now we’re into the fifth chapter fifth chapter, which is called guiding alertness.
And now it has, yep, the two divisions, Main main two main division, which is explaining the text and and name of the text. And the first one, for the text, it has So, yeah, first one, the explaining the text has four subdivisions. First one is called itself is the training in the method of guiding alertness. And second one is, yep, training in while guiding the alertness, applying being mindful. This is second one.
And along with the mindful mindfulness, one one cultivate engage in the, yeah, cultivate the the activities of the of the bodhisattva. Yeah. The bodhisattva’s activities. And third one is also training in avoiding the non-virtuous actions. And also, the fourth one is cultivating the other methods of That is really.
So the fourth one is also training in the other yep. The other methods of cultivating other methods or in other practices to cultivate the numbers of virtues or merit, which means, like, along with the bodhisattva deeds, one has training, meditating on calm abiding, meditative stabilizations, and so forth. That’s what it meant. And and for the so for the first one, being guiding alertness, alertness, it has it has two called brief explanation and the what is called? Why explanation or something like that?
And in more details. Yeah. So and the very first verses, which is yep. And the for the first one, brief explanation is drawn by the one single verse. One single verse.
And So therefore, the first I’m I’m not gonna read the English part. What it means is those who wish to to attains bodhicitta should train cultivate the activities of the bodhisattvas. One should one should always guide one’s mind in all the time, never letting it go to after the non virtuous actions. And, for example, like, to being very mindful and then checking one’s mind. And and whenever one come to realize that one’s mind is on a state of non non virtuous, for example, like attachment towards any sort of thing, an object and so forth, whenever it comes on yeah.
Immediately, one should stop and redirect one’s mind and stop letting it go after the non-virtues of attachment and change the thought into the possible things like bodhicittas and so forth. By doing so, then one yeah. Through this way, how one guides one’s mind, without doing this, then one will there is no way of of cultivating the bodhicitta. Yeah. Because bodhisattvas, their their mind has been they they are being, yep, very conscious on their actions and always mindful with any actions they do, and their mind will never be never be yeah.
Always remain mindful, and and there won’t be any a moment or a second for bodhisattvas who who whose mind are not who are not mindful. And for the second subdivision, which is explaining in details, has three divisions. It’s a bit confusing. Three divisions. First, we’re saying that all the harms comes through one’s mind and all the so the obstacles or hindrance comes from one’s mind as well as all the virtues comes from one’s mind, which are the two.
So and and therefore, the third one is for this reason, one should guide one’s mind. It’s the third one. So and the first one, which is all the hindrances and faults comes from one’s mind, has been explained in the next seven, excuse me, seven verse. Two, three, four, Yeah. Somebody in there.
What is going So example here is given that the the mind is like as the analogy was the very rough and crazy elephant here in the mind. So in order to capture and train this very yeah. The crazy or a mad elephant, it is not easy. It it takes time, and one has to be very skillful and first and then try to catch the elephant. And after having caught the elephant and tied it with a nice, very strong rope or yeah.
Rope, and then use the the the tools to train give the trainings to the to the, yeah, elephants. So, likewise, our friend, our mind our mind is our mind is like a very, very mad, crazy elephant. It is really hard to subdue from the very beginning. So, therefore, in order to do so, in order to train that crazy mind, one needs to have the help of the the the hook or the yep. No.
No. Of oh, need the the rope or yeah. Yeah. Of the mindfulness and or a hook, a mindfulness hook. And and the place where one tie the rope have to be on a positive actions or a virtuous.
Alright? And and therefore so what so it it in all the time, every second, every moment, one should always examine the actions of the body, speech, and mind and being very mindful. And whenever it’s it’s going on the wrong direction, say, wrong direction, catch it and tie it with the rope of yeah. The rope of mindfulness. So and it is very important to be very mindful and guiding one’s mind in all the time.
And whenever one comes to manage or to control one’s body, speech, and mind, actions of the body, speech, and mind, and being able to convert them towards the positive action because of the one’s practices of mindfulness. And whenever it comes, then then one will not have a problems of the sufferings of the the, yeah, the sufferings of birth, aging, and death, as well as the the virtuous or or the practices all the virtuous comes of the comes from the practice of three trainings. Small scope, middling, and the great scope will come very easily into one’s hand. And so therefore and also being very mindful and guiding one’s mind in all the time. And whenever one does so, then one do not need to worry for the the external hindrances or the harms because by guiding one’s mind and the external hindrances and so forth will automatically stop.
So the old external hindrances or harms one receives, it happens all because of not being not guiding one’s mind. Because if one guides one’s mind through mindfulness, then external the the harms or, yeah, hindrances like harms, you know, from the animals, yep, the wildlife as well as, you know, being robbed and so forth as well as, you know, the the sufferings of being tortured in the hell realms by the hell beings and so forth, or all this the harms comes because of not guiding one’s mind. And if one does so, then by guiding one’s mind, one one one yeah. One do not cultivate or one abandons all the causes of the external causes of the external problems. And due to this because