Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The image of a meditator abandoning deep practice to save a drowning stranger anchors Geshe Pema Tsering’s central argument in this 47-minute commentary: when generosity conflicts with a minor ethical rule, the greater benefit wins. He opens with Nāgārjuna’s three-stage method — study, actualize, practice day and night — then explains why all four Buddhist schools of tenets must be studied as stepping stones to the Prāsaṇgika view. He traces the logical dependency of bodhicitta on renunciation, covers the three fields of merit (Triple Gem, parents, and the sick), and unpacks the six perfections in ascending order of difficulty. The session closes with the principle that bodhisattvas may perform normally non-virtuous acts for others’ sake, illustrated by the jataka story of the Buddha as a merchant at sea.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 42 BD 2002 07 04.mp3
UUID: 0059c71e-95cb-44ec-93dd-4485c15a6a54
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Deeds (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-07-04
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 46.6 minutes
Words: ~2,956
The great master Nāgārjuna from Nālānda has stated that the first in all the time, day and night, should listen to the teachings, have intense listening. And then in the middling, make all the teachings available within oneself or actualize all the teachings, and in the end, all the time practice days and night. What it means is that there are those who sit who wishes liberation or arhathood and enlightenment for those from the very beginning, first one needs to one needs to study the text. Yeah. Study the philosophy or text.
They should have read and have have should have intense listening or hearing of the teachings. After having done so, then make all the teachings available within oneself, which means one should realize all the teachings by knowing that all the teachings been given by the great masters are actually given to you or to the one. And after having studied on actualize all the teachings, then at the end, one should bring all this understanding of the teaching one has into practices, which the practice should be done in in all twenty four hours. So, therefore, we need to practice the way the great master has stated that from the very beginning should study and listening listen to the teachings of the various masters and also of the teachings or the sutras of the the lord Buddha Śākyamūni. And in terms of his teachings, there are different types of teachings, some teachings.
The teachings are the we have, yeah, the teaching called the definitive and the interpretive teachings. So because of these numbers of teachings given by the Lord Buddha Śākyamūni, and this is the reason and why there there are four schools four four schools of tenets of the Buddhist schools. And they are the the all the four schools, they contradict each other with in terms of theories. But and and and and the the the the school which we take as the ultimate or the valid school is called the Prāsaṇgika Middle Way School, the Prāsaṇgika Madhyamaka school. Even though we practice with even though that is the ultimate theory or the valid schools of tenets we study, but but, you know, but but that doesn’t mean that that the rest of the schools are not to be studied.
It is not the case. Even though they are contradictory to each other, but still, one, we need to they are like like a stairs that have to study step by step. And without studying or knowing the theories of the the school below the consequentialist middle way school, one will not be able to qualify fully on the studies of consequentialist school. So, therefore, just because they are contradictory, one should not take it as a reason not to study. One should still need to practice or study in all the schools, all the Buddhist schools of tenets.
Mhmm. Got it. Got it. And as we said, there are some contradictory in terms of theory among or within the four schools four Buddhist schools of tenets. But in terms of in terms of the the bodhicitta, the conventional bodhicitta, in terms of bodhicitta, there is no contradictory at all except for the one one group of Vaibhāṣika, the schools.
The solitary realizers one group of solitary realizers schools except for Except for that, the rest of the schools in terms of bodhicitta, there there is no contradictory. The reason why that that that group of the Vaibhāṣika system school was excluded is because they from the very beginning, they don’t accept the Mahāyāna school. So this is the case then. So the the we, so called the person of first activity or the ordinary being, we should we should we should practice to try to generate or the the renunciation or renunciation. We should free from samsaric existence, the bodhicitta, cultivate those in terms of bodhicitta and the renunciation, there is no contradictory at all within within the Buddhist schools of tenets.
So so so should when when one practice, should practice systematically or step by step by studying from the the the small scope and then upgrading one’s practices to the middling scope. That is the the goal is to is to is to free oneself from the cyclic existence or from the suffering. And then to the the great scope that is to develop a bodhicitta. Right. Right.
So, therefore, in order to to to develop the bodhicitta, one has to have a renunciation. Without renunciation, bodhicitta can’t be achieved. So therefore and in order to develop the bodhicitta, one to one needs the develop a renunciation which to free from cyclic existence. One has to see. One should know the sufferings of the cyclic existence or see some saṃsāra as a suffering.
So therefore, through many ways, by seeing the the dis disadvantages of the cyclic existence should one should we should try to attain or, yeah, develop a renunciation. So we are the practitioners of Mahāyāna wishing to attain enlightenment for the sake of motherly sentient beings. So our main one of our main goal is to to develop to to to main is to develop the bodhicitta altruistic intention. But in order to do so, which I want also to to develop such bodhicitta, one needs to have a renunciation which to free from cyclic existence. And because without renunciation, there is no way one can develop a bodhicitta.
It is because it is because it is because the renunciation is the one wishing to free oneself from the suffering. So without having a a wish to free oneself from suffering, then there is no way that one one will think of freeing others from the suffering or, yeah, from the suffering. So this is how the the bodhicha renunciation is also required. So, therefore, whenever one meditates or cultivate the bodhicitta, it is good to cultivate bodhicitta along with the renunciation. So we shall here do a short meditation on the bodhicitta altruistic intention that that in our wishing to attain enlightenment for the sake of motherly sentient beings.
So last week, we stopped here at the I didn’t identifying the the the object or or the field of merit or virtuous. As for the fields, they are as as stated in this in his letter to a friend that that the the Buddha, etcetera, which means the to those who are the qualified teachers, that the the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, the the the refuge or the the field of merit as well as one’s the kindness shown to you by the one’s parents. So therefore, one’s parents as well as the patients, the sick people, those are the object of merit. Mhmm. By serving them without the attachment or by knowing them with understanding of the the lack of inherent nature sorry, the the not true existence.
And yeah. So by serving them, the helping ones yep. Serving the Triple Gem, one’s parents, as well as patients — nursing the sick people. Doing so will cultivate numbers of virtues or merit and vice versa — by disrespecting one’s parents and the Triple Gem, and ignoring patients, one will cultivate a huge amount of non virtues as well.
And out of those, you know, the the Triple Gem are not much danger there that because they are the object of refuge, one rarely disrespects them, but one needs to be very careful for one’s parents as well as patients or sick people because there might be danger of cultivating lots of non virtues from those fields like parents. So one should always be careful, try to help one’s parents and the sick people as much as we can. Then those are and should not disrespect them or disobey them because by doing so, that it will cultivate numbers of non virtues. And in terms of the sick people or patients, one should take even more importance on them. And even the Buddha Śākyamūni, he himself has stated that if for the yeah.
Yeah. If it is for those patients, it is even okay to sell one’s robe — like a monk or a nun’s robe — in order to help the sick people in terms of financial thing, you know. And one wants to help the patients and because of the financial thing, and and it is okay to sell the one’s robe as well. So in all the time, should always cultivate the positive actions and by knowing the the the practices of what is to be taken or practiced and what is to be abandoned.
So performing a virtuous virtuous action is not dependent. One does not need a company. It it is it entirely depends on oneself in term through guiding one’s mind and and and making sure that in all the time, one’s mind is on a positive thought or positive actions. Got So in order to attain enlightenment or become Buddha, one needs to train in the activities or the the deeds of of of the conqueror’s son, Bodhisattvas. And therefore so the the activities of the Bodhisattvas are are cultivating the training or practicing the six perfections starting from generosity.
And the the as in order, the the the yep. The goal state, the practice becomes harder and harder. The practices of, example, like generosity, patience, the patience is greater than the this that the So one should understand, it’s not the greater, it’s harder in terms of practice. The practices of patience is harder than the generosity, and then the ethical discipline gets harder and harder. No.
So because in terms of difficulty, the the the practices of generosity is easier than the the patience, and patience is easier than the ethical discipline. Due to this, there there is a greatness of of cultivating our virtues through progressing in the six training of six perfections. And so by saying that six perfection, as we said, the the the practices of those six perfections get harder and harder, generosity, ethical discipline, patience, so forth. And so practices of ethical discipline has more virtuous or more merit than the practice of generosity. Speaking of that, by saying this, one should not neglect the practice of generosity.
For example, in order to to so because there is a huge benefit by thinking of this, and there is a danger of of of ignoring a great practice of of generosity in order to in order to maintain as as tiny or some part of the ethical discipline. So should not do this. Yep. So You know? So, for example, like, when we say, you know, the the there are two purposes, this the one’s one one one’s own purpose and the others.
So it so what we need to do here is to consider others more important than oneself. So by speaking of this, just earlier, we said should not avoid the big practices of the generosity in order to maintain a tiny bit or some part of ethical discipline. For example, what so to to demonstrate an example, for example so because we have to cherish others more than more important than oneself, so in order to do so, are certain in terms of the in terms of the monk and the nuns, that the fully ordained monk and nun, there are some ethical disciplines prescribed they’re not allowed to touch a fire, for example. But by touching the fire, it does not mean that they will they will completely transgress or or the entire ethical discipline. They make a little bit of damage, but not completely.
So therefore so in order to avoid oneself having a little distractions in the one’s ethical plane by touching the fire in order to save the on avoid a huge practice of generosity which benefit numbers of people. So in such situation, one should ignore that guarding that ethical discipline like touching a fire and to touch it and benefit the the the the more people through the practice of generosity. Okay. Thank you. So speaking of the the great generosity and the small generosity, for example, the e the another example is, for example, that there is a very precious gem or a jewel, very expensive, you know, very, very precious.
And and it happened for the person, a monk or a nun, who in according to their to their fully ordained vows or the precepts, they’re not not allowed to touch the valuable precious direct very expensive objects. But the person happened to touch and give it to the person. So in in such situation, should not neglect should not neglect that the practice of generosity, handing that precious objects available to the person in order to protect one’s vow or the ethical discipline which is not allowed to touch. For such situation, we should not get worried after that protecting that part of the ethical discipline, should practice that great generosity because it’s a very valuable excuse me, valuable object, so it it will benefit the people heaps. This is how it works.
For example, like, one is another example is is one is meditating on the riverside, on the riverbank and doing a really good positive action or positive job and then doing a great meditation, and it turns out somebody comes along and drown in the water and they’re dying down there and they’re drowning. So so one should not still sit and meditate, but think I’m doing a positive job or cultivating virtue and ignore the person. So if that’s such situation, what one has to do is one no matter how profound a deep meditation one is in, to give up that meditation and help the person. And by doing so, that’s become the the the the practice of generosity, so called giving protection from the fear. And now to the third one, which is the ethical discipline of benefiting others, and which has two two subdivisions, which is fulfilling others’ purposes, or undertaking others’ work or purpose.
And the second one is Right. Yep. And and and and subdue them with the the through So subduing with the teachings and the enjoyments or, you know, objects. Teaching this one. Oh, The first one is accepting or or undertaking other’s purposes, which which has been explained in the next single verse that I don’t know where we start.
Sorry about it because I don’t I stick with the Tibetans, so don’t follow the English. I think it’s seventy four, isn’t it? Yeah. Yeah. It’s the seventy four.
Seventy four? It’s oh, we we went beyond that. Which one you reckon? Eighty four? What happens is, you know, that it doesn’t stay as Tibetan in English.
You know, they just play around the words. Yep. Yep. It’s eighty-four. And so the so as we have understood the practices of the six perfections comes in the earlier part, by knowing this, now one should cultivate the practices of the six perfections.
And those are the those are the practices The are the practices, very importantly, practiced by the great bodhisattvas who works for others. So by knowing this excuse excuse me. So should should practice in those in the activities of the bodhisattvas and those bodhisattvas the very bodhisattvas has has for a very after great hard works, he finally realized all the hidden meanings and and prescribed numbers of teachings. And and for those who only cherish one’s oneself or or engage in the self purposes, he has instructed the the for those not to cultivate the seven non virtuous actions of the body and the speech. Even though he has prescribed or taught not to not not to cultivate those seven non virtues of the body and the speech, but those for bodhisattvas are exception.
So in order to benefit those who have bodhisattva developed a bodhicitta or altruistic intention and and and yeah. bodhicitta, Bodhisattvas, for them, it’s the exception that they in order to benefit the sentient beings, if they have to cultivate that any of that non virtues of any of the seven non virtues of the body and the speech, it’s it won’t become a non virtuous. Instead, it become a virtuous practice for them. And so and and for for for the ordinary person, the cultivating that any of the seven non virtuous actions will become a obstruction to liberation, you know, to liberation and enlightenment. But for those, for bodhisattvas, it won’t become a the hindrances.
No. So so for example, like, one of the well-known story that and one of the Buddha Śākyamūni’s previous life before enlightenment and was a merchant, isn’t it? Yeah. Merchant, you know, who they were in a great boat to the you know, in Yes.
In Good old days. You know, in the in the big boat big ship, you know, on the voyage and and then to to take a gem from the ocean or from the other side of the ocean. And and during that time, there there said to be a five hundred yeah. Over five hundred, the people or merchants were after the wishful gem or precious jewel. And turned and the and out of those, one of the merchants being very greedy and only thinking for oneself and and and wanted to have all the gems.
And therefore and I want had developed an idea of killing the rest of the boat people or she yeah. Boat people. And one of the