Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The crazy-elephant image drives this 46-minute session: Kamalaśīla’s metaphor of the mind as a wild elephant tied by the rope of mindfulness to the pillar of virtue and trained with the whip of alertness. Geshe Pema Tsering uses it to close his commentary on how all suffering originates in an unguided mind — illustrated with the Shamalai tree of the hell realms, whose beautiful leaves turn knife-like as one climbs — before turning to the complementary teaching that all virtue likewise arises from mind. He then unpacks the perfection of generosity: not ending poverty in saṃsāra, but releasing attachment to possessions, illustrated through mandala offering. A Q&A section follows, covering how to counteract non-virtue through familiarization with antidotes, whether mental or actual giving accrues more merit, and innate self-grasping as the root of attachment and anger. Part of a series on the Bodhisattva Deeds text.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 33 BD 2002 05 30.mp3
UUID: b416810c-f526-4be0-95a0-2fa9a78a57a4
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Deeds (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-05-30
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.9 minutes
Words: ~2,899
Cause for the external external harms or hindrances, one will not have any harms external harms. So it is stated in the sūtra called the sūtra of mindfulness as well. Lord Buddha Śākyamūni has stated in the sūtra called the the liberated sūtra or the individual liberation sūtra, saying those who had lead the very pure ethical discipline will not be harmed, not harmed even by the the poisonous snakes. So therefore so but but guiding oneself therefore, if you if you lead the very pure ethical discipline life, then you won’t receive any external hindrances or yep. Well, you you will you won’t have any harms come from the the outside.
It is so therefore, because because if one guides being very mindful and alert and guiding one’s mind through this, by guiding doing so is like the the cutting or or or, yeah, abandoning all the external harms. It is because we always think that when we receive the harms, always think this is from the external cause, not it’s not one’s fault. It is not true because because all this happens because of one’s action or because of not guiding one’s mind, because not being mindful, because yeah. Of not being mindful, not guiding one’s mind, and letting it go where it wants to go. And through this, one cultivate numbers of karma or or actions.
And due to this, one comes to result. For example, like having one having an enemy. It is not just simply person becomes one’s enemy. They become enemy because you have done something either in the past or or or or you have done something directly caused the person harm or caused harm to person directly or indirectly as a result of that, person becomes one’s enemy. So, likewise, all the the harms one receives are the results results of one’s karma.
So it is so true, for example, like, those who had lead the very ethical, disciplined life as well as and who guides what their mind all the time, then no matter how many very poisonous snakes, for example, like if Buddha Śākyamūni, for example, in this teaching hall, and the hall itself is packed with the yeah. Yeah. Filled up with the poisonous snakes, but they’ll instead, they won’t harm the Buddha. I hope not. So here, the similar statements has been made here in the text by the great Kamalaśīla in his, it’s called the Essence of the Middle Way, yep, the essence of the middle way.
What is being said here, the example is the same here, that one’s mind is like it’s like, yep, the crazy elephant. And and so that elephant is being tied by, yep, the mindfulness, the rope of mindfulness which tied towards the very firm pillar of virtuous. Yep. And and but tied up that and trained with the and trained that the mind or the crazy elephant with the with with what’s it called? whip of alertness.
And by doing this, one can guide one’s mind. So Got it. Here, it’s stated in the the the sūtra very clearly in in sutras, by Buddha Śākyamūni, that all the sufferings one undergoes through, like the the yep. The the the sufferings in in this life as well as in the future, the fears, suffering of death, aging, impermanence yeah. Death, old age, and so forth.
All the pro the sufferings one undergoes through are the result of those non virtuous actions one have cultivated, or the bad karma one have cultivated in the past. And and these are this happens because of not guiding one’s mind, and and this is what is stated in the sutras. So it’s stated in the Sūtra that the positive or non-negative or virtuous or non-aversion actions are cultivated through one’s mind. So, therefore, if one subdues one’s mind, then then and if one is able to subdue one’s mind, then one subdue the entire phenomena.
So and yeah. So it’s said that all the the phenomenas are come are made of one’s mind. And because in the the Heruka Tantra stated that Heruka Tantra stated that without depending or without depending on without depending on the mind, there is no Buddha. There is no sentient beings. There is no consciousness.
There is no shelter and so forth, and not even a single external matter. All it comes from the mind. And that the mind which sees the inherent existence of any yeah. The mind which sees the external phenomena that that are the result or come out of through the mind, or it says those which are the dependent arisings and so called the very precious or yep. Or the precious mind or very precious mind.
Or it’s called out of the mind. It’s the most ultimate mind. So and also, in sūtra, as mentioned, that the mind is like an artist, and it draws the the to all the the the aggregates, the the the the entire phenomena of the cyclic existence and so forth are drawn by the mind. And it’s a like like the artist can draw any sort of drawings or paintings. So, likewise, our mind has drawn everything in the cyclic existence.
So, therefore, everything, the sufferings once go through, the the the the sufferings in the hell realm and where one sees one goes through huge suffering, seeing hell beings torturing oneself comes with the the the big sword and so forth. And yep. And then as well as sufferings by climbing the what what the name of the tree? Anyway, there’s there’s a shamalai tree. Shamalai dombor.
Dombor. Shamalai. Shamalai tree, which is Yeah. The pardon? Yeah.
Yeah. So, anyway, it’s a particular tree in the hell. So it looks very pretty. You know? And then it was set for the person is so attached to that tree and and wants to climb up.
And the leaves are really beautiful when they first see it, and the person wants to climb up. Once they climb up, all the leaves stays down, and they are like a knife, so it pricks the person. Right? And then once once go up on the top, and then because it want wants to get down, it’s it’s hurting. When one’s gotten all the leaves face up, so it’s it’s it’s it’s pointy pain.
I hope so. So it goes like that. And so the the this this that that particular tree as well as wishing to climb that tree and so forth come out of the one’s mind because which because by not guiding one’s mind and they are the result of the non virtuous actions, which are cultivated because of lack of mindfulness. And in other hand, it’s also stated that that that that particular tree in the hell realm and one wishes to climb that tree, it came out of the attachment saying that that one has been encouraged to climb that the tree. Like, if it’s a if it’s a man, it’s been encouraged by the the the the the gorgeous ladies there, encourage one to go to climb the tree.
If it’s a woman, then the the, you know, nice men encouraging her to climb the tree. So all this happens because of one’s attachment or one’s not guiding one’s mind. Got it. Got it. So all these the things, they are not causeless.
They didn’t come just by their own. They are they are the results. Therefore, it has the cause. They have the the cause. So, therefore, it is all this happens because of the non virtuous action cultivated by oneself through one’s mind and not yep.
It’s because of not being mindful mindful. And in the sūtra, lord Buddha Buddha’s Buddha in his sūtra has stated called sūtra called the sūtra of mindfulness, said that that that the mind is the the inner enemy, which is the most worst enemy, and there is no other enemy than one’s mind. So, therefore, all the sufferings one receives, the sufferings of of lower bad migration, good migration, sufferings of those in lower bad migrations, those below beneath the earth or those above the earth. All this comes because of not guiding one guiding one’s mind.
So, therefore, one should all one should one should train in a method of one’s guiding a method to to guide yep. Methods of guiding one’s mind. So that concludes the first subdivision, which is all the sufferings comes from not guiding one’s mind. And now the second sec which is all the virtues comes from one’s mind. So that part has been explained in the next nine verse next nine verses.
Yep. So it’s starting from the number nine itself, the number nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, eight. Yep. Yep. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven eight nine.
Yep. Seventeen. And so there comes the bit of a the debate here saying that that when the perfection of generosity, for example so when one practice the generosity or attain the perfection of generosity, it doesn’t mean that one has to one has to end poverty in the in the saṃsāra Because because if that is if if that is so, then the question comes how Buddhas has perfected the perfection of generosity. Because because they if that is the case, then we can say the Buddha has not perfected the the the perfection of generosity because there are still numbers of poor in this cyclic existence or in the saṃsāra. So, therefore, when we said about to attain the perfection of generosity, it doesn’t mean that one has to make everyone rich.
What here means is one has to have one has to give up attachment towards one, yeah, one’s attachment towards towards one’s possessions and and and and and and gave up one’s wealth as well and the virtuous deeds cultivated in so called in three times or, you know, in the present, past, and future. And and and letting go of them without any attachment, when whenever one’s able to do so, then one perfects the perfection of generosity. So therefore, when we practice the perfection of generosity, and it doesn’t mean that you should you should have a lot to offer. So yeah. How one should practice the practice of generosity is is increasing one’s mind of generosity or mind of giving and and should not have pride regarding whatever one has, either the wealth or virtuous actions and so forth, as well as should not have any attachment towards yeah, attachment towards one’s possessions, including virtuous and so forth, and should should have that should have this the the have the generous mind.
So increasing that, the the mind of giving is practicing the perfection of generosity. So therefore so, likewise, all the the the, yep, the the practice of generosity and perfection of generosity comes from one’s mind. And and what it yeah. Yeah. It comes from one’s mind.
And we should not feel weak or or poor thinking that I’m I have nothing to offer because they don’t have to feel that way. One can practice generosity and develop the mind of giving by offering all the wealth of this saṃsāra or this world to the sentient beings and and and without having any attachment and so forth and freeing from attachment and clinging towards the possessions. And and and and with the generous mind, the amount of giving one can offer to offer anything. For example, like, we offer the mandala. We offer all the wealth and the possessions and four continents, Mount Meru, everything.
And then we make offering to the teachers, the Buddhas, and so forth. So likewise, one can still offer it’s inside one’s mind in create the purpose of doing so is developing the mind of giving, being generous inside one’s mind. So one can practice in in in generosity by giving anything. It does not need to be one should have in one’s hand. Can develop and give the entire world’s possessions to every sentient being.
Right. So, therefore, the the mind of giving is the definition of generosity. So we’ll take a few questions. Yes, please. Stop thinking on the negative thing.
Really, really, like Why? Just joking. I’ll just check. Okay. Yep.
Because yeah. And Yeah. It happens, and and and you’re so true. So Okay. Yeah.
It’s the yeah. And and and it is so true when when you act when you actually examine your mind and you come to know that it it it goes after the really, really nonvirtuous and as you just got, you know, so bad. You know? But what happens is it all this happens because we are all practiced in non virtuous from the very beginning. And our mind is so used to it, so familiarized with it, and you don’t need much, and it just goes easily.
So what we need to do at this stage is in because up till now, our mind is so used to and familiarize with the non virtuous now, our job is to make our mind more familiar to the virtuous actions and perfect it. And and by doing this, every time when you contemplate and check one’s mind through mindfulness And you whenever you come, mind goes after attachment. And at that moment, to try to stop that and it and to stop that, to think the opposite of attachment. For example, one shall meditate on ugliness and such, and that will help one to reduce. But whenever one gets used to the ugliness meditation, then the attachment will go down.
It’s just a matter of, for example, like, anger, just recall patience. But during this, then you’re you’re familiarizing your mind more towards the virtuous, and gradually it improves. One more? Yes, another? Yeah.
It doesn’t mean that way because when you when we are saying here, you know, for example, like, when anger comes, you apply the patience and and make your mind very familiarized with the patience, practice of patience. And when when one perfected on the on the patience, then then there won’t be any, like, non virtues of the anger will never come because of the or because of being used to the patience. So likewise, when we say about here saying the circumstances like occasion when the non virtues of your attachment and so forth comes, apply this and that, it actually what one has to do is one has one needs to guide one’s mind and hold it twenty four hours, all the time. So it doesn’t mean that you should cultivate a virtuous anytime, you know, when the non virtuous comes and then stop. So you have to continue with all the twenty four hours as long as one can.
When one generates Oh, sorry. The mind of generosity, which generates the most virtue? Generating the mind of generosity or an act of generosity, helping the poor or helping somebody else, which generates the most merit? Okay. Actually giving.
The actual giving to somebody poor or or the mind. Mind. It depends on and and the the developing the mind of giving or generosity inside, like giving mind of giving. And if one has the the goods in one’s hand to give, if one if one actually has something genuinely and giving it to a poor person with a mind of generosity or or giving, then that practice is is has more virtues than just having a developing a mind of giving inside. But it is good to do, yeah, the practice of giving if you have good.
If you don’t have it, then the main thing is improving the mind of giving inside is effective. Sometimes it is better off having a mind of giving inside than giving something very miserly. Yes, And, yep, that actually something which preserves or reminds you as an I or a self. It’s actually so called the self grasping attitude. And and and in order to get rid of that, one needs to see the nonexistence of the eye.
Yeah. No. And which is actually very hard to get rid of. Something that you can’t let go? Yeah.
Yeah. [unclear] You know? Yeah. No.
No. No. Not it. It. So so that is that is the I which we preserve it like we grasp it, which is exam I mean, thinking, considering it as oneself.
And it’s the eye. And that actually that I is the one which produces the rest of the attachment, anger, and so forth. So we need to yep. The the avoid that, is very hard, but we have to abandon that I through through contemplating on the nonexistence of the self or I. And Yeah.
It is, yeah, it is called the innate I or self. It just comes. Got it. So yep. And yeah.
Which is called the self grasping attitude. And and it has been with us from the very beginning, and it will be with us until you attain arhatship or nirvana.