Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Using the image of a crane wading silently into water and a cat stalking its prey, Geshe Pema Tsering illustrates how bodhisattvas should pursue enlightenment — calmly, without disturbing those around them. This 46-minute commentary works through verses 71–73, covering how practitioners should dedicate body and mind to others’ benefit: maintaining a warm, bright demeanor; speaking briefly and gently; moving furniture and opening doors quietly to avoid provoking anger in those nearby. Geshe Pema then addresses rejoicing in others’ virtue — including how to praise a practitioner’s efforts indirectly through a third party — and cautions against jealousy toward those excelling in the six perfections. The session ends with a Q&A on why physical rebirth is necessary for attaining enlightenment: consciousness alone, without a body, has no basis for practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 41 BD 2002 06 27.mp3
UUID: 2543f2a5-659c-49e3-880b-5b836052d343
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Deeds (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-06-27
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 46.2 minutes
Words: ~2,938
So, therefore, you know, what we need to do here is should not have attachment to this body and and try to give, yeah, give it a job, a positive job as much as one can. So it is not only the body we are talking about should also do for our mind as well. You know? It is from the very beginning because of the ignorance. You know?
It’s the same. They have the negative or non yep. Negative thoughts or non virtuous thought easily comes all the time. And so, therefore, you should try to stop the negative thoughts as well. Right?
And now we do the second subdivision, which is, yep, cultivating the method or being skilled in the method of cultivating a virtuous action, so good positive actions. And that is that part is explained in the next three verses starting from seventy one till seventy three. So so as explained the earlier part here, the the the no there’s no good reason or basis to have attachment or, yeah, look after this body out of attachment or, yeah, to to attain happiness in this life and so forth. So likewise so one should one should here try to have control or subdue both the body and the mind and and and give them a job to or bring them yeah. Make use of them for the positive actions or to cultivate the virtuous or positive actions.
So in terms of virtuous or positive actions or collective merits, the merits and virtuous actions are cultivated on the basis of sentient beings. So therefore, you know, should always be very helpful for sentient beings and and make good use of this body and and the mind for the sentient beings on both side that on so both both side, which is body and the mind. In terms of body, one should always should have show a very good demeanor for the sentient beings. So always a bright and welcoming face, you know, and should never show any dark face to sentient beings. Any any any kind of beings should be very smiley and bright face that it can give pleasant or look pleasant as well as give happiness for the sentient beings.
And in terms of mind or speech, so forth, you know, should should never use the harsh words or a rough word to sentient beings. Always be worth sweet and the what’s it called, the pleasant words. So you should always think of others and and and and any actions or any anything one or yeah. One does. Be aware of others.
For example, like moving furniture, like beds, chairs, tables and so forth, as well as opening the door and so forth. Always aware of others. Try to make less noise as one as one can because by thinking that there are beings around this within in this building or in around the surroundings. And and by making noise and so forth, it might disturb the being or make them provoke them to anger and so forth. So therefore you know?
So any actions one doing, but do it very calm and slowly. And yep. Right? Right. So and, also, you know, should always maintain a good characteristic, a good character, or good behavior be well behaved that that that, you know, any actions one do and should not do it that offends this the others, like speaking or or doing any job, you know, any work that or any actions or movement in front of public.
Always try to do something pleasing and and, yeah, pleasing ones that which, yeah, which pleases others or if one says something, say soft words, which will make others to agree or no. Sorry. Others to get be happy or pleased. Because because otherwise, if one does if one do very rough things, you know, which offends other people, then but without no reason, you know, one one cultivates numbers of non virtues because of one particular actions. And one performs something which is very unpleasant and and due to that of course, you know, make others feel uneasy or provoke them to develop anything like anger and so forth.
And with no reason, one just cultivates numbers of non virtues. So, therefore, it is very important to be well behaved and being very careful and not to provoke others. No? So, yep, so we So therefore so we we have to attain liberation and enlightenment. So to do so, those should be achieved through very peaceful and and and, yeah, peaceful and well behaved or good characteristics.
And peacefully or harmoniously, one should work and achieve through and helping other beings, not disturbing them, bringing help. And through this, one attains enlightenment. It is like the crane and the cat. The crane catches fish out of the water. When they go into the water, they never go roughly.
You know, they’re very calm and peaceful, slowly walks in the water, and then finally grabs the fish. And likewise, cat, when they catch a bird and so forth, they never go they never make any noise and so forth, you know, make huge noise, mess, and and then pounce. They walk very quietly without any sound, and then suddenly pounce on the bird. So likewise so we should attain enlightenment very peace, but not disturbing others, maintaining very calm and peaceful, and do the positive actions, and then finally attain enlightenment, achieve our goals. So these are the activities of of the bodhisattvas.
So it should also work for others, not just work for oneself. Not only one one oneself involved in the positive actions should also encourage and bring others to cultivate good and virtuous actions. Right. And, also, if somebody gives you advice or give you some give you they give provide teachings without your request. So you should always take pay a huge respect respect to those person and listen to their spiritual advice or teachings and take them as one spiritual friend or a teacher and and, yep, and undertake their advice and pay respect, rather than developing pride and not listening to them.
And when when when when they give you some spiritual advice or teachings without your request, and if there were, yep, good advice if there were spiritual advice and teachings, then take take them and then often thank them for their teachings and advice. And should not develop jealous not be jealous or develop jealousy towards the people who, through their practices,, who collect numbers of virtuous through practicing the generosity, the ethical disciplines, and so forth of the six perfections. And rather instead of being being jealous, should rejoice for their hard works and praise them and and praise them for their hard works. So when you praise for the for the the person who for his or her hard works of practicing generosity and so forth of six perfections and rejoicing, If if sometimes you may feel difficult, you know, by thinking, if I speak to person directly, you know, hey. Your practice is so and so forth.
And sometimes you have a doubt. If I speak directly to the person, the person might think that I’m just kidding, you know, or being very nice to the person, so forth. Sometimes there is a chances of feeling doubt. If that’s things happened, then it is does not need to speak straight to the person. You can speak to other people, but such and such person is is a very good practitioner, have done practicing this and this, and then praise them.
So by doing so, is is one collects the numbers of virtues as well as we and inside oneself rejoice for his or her practices. And if you were the person who who who who who happens to hear the news but a person tells to you that the b person is such a such good person that he or she is doing such a great practice and so forth, then you just rejoice again, rejoice for rejoice for the person’s actions and also thank the a person for passing you the message. And if you happen to know before, oh, thank you so much for passing the message. You are so true that that person will feel happy too. That I’ve seen that person doing this and this, and and and I’ve been rejoicing and so forth.
And and thanks again, you know, actually, I’ve I’ve I’ve seen that person doing this and this before. Then you please the person so that even more virtuous. And then if somebody comes and talks to you that you are such a great person and you a very qualified practitioner, that you know this and this, and you’re you’re practicing great and so forth, then should examine oneself whether one has those qualities mentioned by the person or not. If one has, then should not feel pride and and and instead, you know, thank for the person and then convert one’s thought thinking the person himself herself who approached to you is a good practitioner or a qualified practitioner because he or she knows that I have all these qualities. So therefore, the person itself is a great great person and qualified practitioner and pay respect back or yep.
So, therefore, what the yep. It is very important to please sentient beings. And whatever one does should always try to please sentient beings and and which is which is very important because on the basis of sentient beings, we cultivate all the virtuous or good yeah. The virtuous actions. So therefore and and and and even it’s hard work, it is still worthwhile to to undertake this hard work.
And even even if it if if it’s very costly to please in in sent entire sentient beings or being to in yeah. The to yeah. If the pleasing sentient beings are very expensive or very costly, it’s worthwhile paying for it. So, therefore, you know, all this happiness and so forth comes from pleasing or working for others for other or sentient beings. So therefore and yeah.
But but by helping or pleasing sentient beings only brings the benefit or only benefit to it will never brings any harm, neither harm for one’s the happiness of this life or one’s life this life. It won’t harm one’s wealth and possessions, so forth. And and and and and in future lives, it also by by pleasing sentient beings or helping sentient beings, one will have a better rebirth or or or happiness in future life. By doing the the opposite side displeasing or causing harm to sentient beings, then it will cause harm for oneself, both present and future lives. So and and should not have developed any, yeah, feel jealous towards others’ qualities because there’s no it is not appropriate.
It’s not good to develop jealousy for others’ quality because by doing so, by developing the the jealous jealousy, then it will it will bring harm for both this life and the futures because in this present life, because of being jealous and for others and so forth, that it will cause more dislike person and then cause more enemies and so forth. And as well as in future, as a result of developing jealousy and hatred so forth, it will lead one towards the lower rebirths like hell realms. Got it. Yes. When one make a speech or talk to other people, be very careful what one is saying and and should not use any words of attachment and hatreds and so forth.
And whatever one says, you know, should say, you know, that the the the when one make a speech or talk to somebody, there should always be have a relation between the first word and the second word or conversation one goes. So that and speak it very clear and meaningful that people can understand and one’s motivation always examine that what what is one is saying and and whether it’s appropriate to say or not. If I say such and such, will it cause any problem or or something else? So therefore, feel very careful and always when one speak, should one’s motivations yeah. Before one speak, you know, should have motivation free of attachment and hatreds.
And and and try to speak as less as less as one can. And and we try to speak short, which includes all the meaning what one wants to say. It’s better off saying short and everything rather than using many words. It means nothing. Got it.
Got it. So and even when when one look at the sentient being, you know, should always look at with the with the intention. What can I do for this sentient being? What can I do to help them? You know?
And and and then love it develop love and compassion. By doing so, then it one one cultivates a number of virtuous or good merits. It and should not look look to sentient beings with attachment and hatred as well as also should not look for the look from the the the bad parts or mistaken parts trying to find something wrong in the in in the particular being or a sentient being. By doing so, then it well, with with no reason, you will you cultivate numbers of non virtuous actions. So in all the time — twenty four hours — one should always try to cultivate, collect, and perform virtuous actions. And also perform and, yep, perform or cultivate those virtuous actions without attachment. Attachment. And and we we with the understanding of of of lacking all this — the one who collects the virtuous oneself and the virtuous karma or action itself, as well as sentient beings, by understanding that they are all lacking true existence, are free of inherent existence, briefly speaking, so they are all empty or emptiness. So and, yep, and should not have attachment and cultivate the virtues in all the time with the understanding of lacking inherent free of inherent existence.
They are free of inherent existence. We’ll stop here and take quick questions. Did you understand? You have if you understand, then there should have some doubt. Is it necessary to take a physical body before you become a Buddha??
Why can’t you stay in another form that’s not necessary? A physical body to work towards becoming a Buddha?. You know what? So you can come up take rebirth to a human being Yeah. And you can work towards becoming in this this Sure.
Form. Why do you have to take a physical rebirth? Mhmm. It seems that way. I don’t know if you have.
Yeah. Yeah. It is important, yeah, one has to have a body in order to attain enlightenment or buddhahood. Because if one does not have a form form body, then it becomes like once once in the intermediate stage, like no no form body. And it it is very, very difficult to practice in the intermediate state.
And and and one also the another reason is that the lifespan in the intermediate state at maximum is a week and that passes away, and it’s really hard have hardly any time to practice. So in terms of taking a form, one has to have a formed body, yep, to attain enlightenment. So in terms of taking a formed body, then then except if out of great practice and a great place so forth, and you take rebirth in the the the pure land or land of Tuśita, that’s the different case. Otherwise, out of the form of bodies, the human human rebirth, human with the precious human rebirth with the qualities is the best body to attain enlightenment.
So what it happens is if, I mean, it is a consciousness which attains enlightenment at the final stage, but but to to cultivate attain achieve enlightenment, one has to have the form body. And and and, for example, like, the consciousness by itself, if it’s the only consciousness by itself, which is — for example, our consciousness is just separated from the body, then the consciousness itself has been very used to or or familiarized with non-virtuous actions from the very, very beginning. Most of the time, it’s very used to it as well as it has numbers of the negative imprints on it. And if the consciousness didn’t meet with the body and just stays by itself, then what happens is then they won’t be able to find anyone who teaches that consciousness. So because there is no basis at all to teach.
This is how it is important to take a form, have the we have to enter into the body so that one will have a on have a basis to practice. Right? Yeah? Or pretending. Sure.
Yeah. Yeah. Got it. It. It.
Such circumstances or in such actions, you know, one has both the non-virtuous, the good and the bad karma or actions because one got angry and told off the kid out of good motivation, which is to help one’s wishing your kids to have a better future and so forth. So that is done out of the good motivation. So there is a virtuous is going to have cultivated. But being angry, there isn’t non virtuous as well.