Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 46-minute session, Geshe Pema Tsering opens with a verse from Lama Tsongkhapa’s Foundation of All Good Qualities — that samsaric pleasures are doorways to suffering — and unpacks all three types of suffering in sequence: the obvious suffering of pain, the subtler suffering of change (easily mistaken for happiness), and the all-pervading suffering of conditioned existence that stretches from the peak of saṃsāra to the lowest hell. Recognising these faults, he argues, is what produces genuine renunciation and, when extended to all beings, bodhicitta. The commentary then moves through verses 128–134, using a king’s-minister analogy: just as citizens avoid confronting an official backed by royal power, harming any sentient being draws karmic consequences far worse than earthly punishment, while love and compassion plant causes for Buddhahood. He closes by listing the benefits of patience and previewing the coming chapters on effort, meditation, and wisdom as vehicles for developing conventional and ultimate bodhicitta.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 61 BD 2002 08 22.mp3
UUID: ac834311-e1d9-4584-93eb-69f2544fba1b
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Deeds (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-08-22
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 46.0 minutes
Words: ~2,767
Lama Tsongkhapa in his text called the Foundation of All Good Qualities said that the pleasures of the cyclic existence — the enjoyments of cyclic existence — are unreliable as well as they are the doors of the entire sufferings. So by seeking blessings from the masters to be able to develop great enthusiastic effort to cultivate the path to liberation or arhathood by seeing the faults and disadvantages of cyclic existence. So what it actually means here is that we experienced numbers of the samsaric happiness, and they are called the the unsatisfactory because we have experienced so many enjoyments, the happiness of the cyclic existence. And we have we also have put lots of effort to to gain those happiness, but there is no essence at all. No matter how much you experience or enjoy the enjoyments of cyclic existence, you are never satisfied, and we have never been satisfied up till now from the very beginningless time of saṃsāra.
And not only that, not just it gives the unsatisfactory, but also according we we we we work to attend those saṃsāra happiness, and as a result, we cultivate the numbers of negative, non virtuous karma, and and that will lead us into the samsaric existence and let us to circle in the samsaric existence and ex and and and let us experience or, yep, yep, suffer the three types of sufferings. So there’s the the pleasure of the some samsaric pleasure, which appears to be happiness or pleasant, but in reality, they are not the true pleasure and true happiness. Therefore, we should try to cultivate or or detach or or give up the desire for the the the cyclic the samsaric happiness and try one’s effort to to abandon, to get rid of those pleasure. And to to to get rid of those, one has to see the faults and the disadvantages of the saṃsāra. So without seeing the disadvantages of the saṃsāra, you can’t abandon or or, yeah, get rid of this saṃsāra happiness or suffering.
And by seeing the faults of the saṃsāra, and that will induce or or help one you to develop a so called the wish to free from cyclic existence. And out of those three sufferings, you know, the first, we acknowledge. We, yeah, we acknowledge the first suffering, which is the suffering of suffering, and that is easy to understand. And we can develop a wish to free from that suffering because when everything went wrong, like physical pains and so forth comes, we want to be free from those suffering and and look for a remedy or help to solve that problem or a suffering.
And even for the animals that they can recognize the suffering of suffering, the suffering of heat and cold. And the next one, the suffering of change, which is hard to understand because we the mistake that this the suffering of change as a happiness happiness and and and mount on it or dev and cultivate it. And due to this, then we cultivate and that yeah. Cultivate the the the negative karma. And yes.
Yep. Negative karma and the the suffering of change is one of the main cause to cultivate the the negative karma and let us be born in the lower existence. When we say that the the the happiness of saṃsāra is a suffering, and and the people find it very difficult to agree with or or find it very hard, yeah, very hard to agree with, and it is so true. It is very hard to agree unless one has one has a very good understanding of the teachings. And and some some might some might completely not agree with this and say, no.
That is not a suffering, and that is a happiness. And we are happy with quite happy with it. And it is because the it is suffering because that because it it has been projected by the disturbing emotions, so called the the contaminated positive action. So the contaminated positive actions are produced by the disturbing emotions.
So since it causes all the delude or affliction, and therefore, the the it itself the result itself is a suffering even though it appears to be a happiness. So the suffering of change, which causes lots of problems, is a suffering because its main root cause is the disturbing emotion or the ignorance. And and at at present time so because its previous cause is the disturbing emotion, and in future, that will the the suffering of change, it will bind you in the saṃsāra and and let you cause numbers of non virtuous karma or negative karmas. And even in current term, present term, that will that will yep. It will make you develop those disturbing emotions like attachment, hatred, and the the confusion or ignorance.
So if one were to think very carefully, one can understand it is very bad — the suffering of change — because it has tortured you in the past, it does currently, and will in future. Yes. Yep. Then the third one is suffering of pervasive conditioning. And reason why it is called pervasive is because it pervades for entire the lifetime or about from the very peak of saṃsāra down to the very lowest hell realm, the Avici hell.
Because and and and they were continuing keep undertaking burden, burden take keep taking rebirths and go through the huge suffering. And and as far as one has not one, yep, didn’t achieve the liberation or or liberation or ultimate happiness, one will not be one will not be free from the sufferings and and this this suffering of pervasive pervades entire rebirths. Right. And so yeah. And the suffering of pervasive conditioning is also produced by the disturbing emotions and karma.
And even in currently, it act as a basis for the disturbing emotions. So you should try to see the the disadvantages or the faults of the saṃsāra samsaric happiness or the sufferings. And and, yeah, the one we have described here are the the disturbing emotions as well as it currently, it acts as a basis for the disturbing emotions and the karma, and in future, it will produce the suffering. So those are the faults. So by seeing that it is somewhat like that.
Mhmm. Mhmm. So you should not rely upon the temporal happiness produced or, yep, produced by those samsaric happiness and should should think about the reality ultimate mode that apparent like, or temporarily, they appear as as the happiness, but in reality, they are not. They are suffering. And and and how they are suffering is then call recall, yeah, to all the the the causes and what their current functions and so forth.
And through this, by going through recalling all the disadvantages and forth of those sufferings and happiness of the cyclic existence, then gradually, the one can understand the faults of them. And by knowing the pure understanding of those and and yep. The sufferings of those sufferings or hap saṃsāra happiness, then you will gradually you can develop wish a wish to free from this those suffering, and that is the the the renunciation. So and likewise, the other motherly sentient beings are same, being tortured by the three types of sufferings. So therefore, in order to so and and should develop a wish to free the sentient beings from the suffering.
And for that purpose, all the the the the the merit or or the the the practice one performs should should dedicate it for the attainment of enlightenment for the sake of entire sentient beings. Yeah. So we shall do a short meditation here on the the motivation motivation of altruistic intention that as bodhicitta that I shall attain enlightenment for the sake of entire sentient beings and for that purpose to do all the practices. So now we are to the third divisions of the, yep, the division, which is, yeah, paying the respect or, yep, respect to others by seeing the results of the causing harm and benefiting others. Oh, sorry.
That has been explained in the next seven verses — from verse hundred and twenty eight to the end, hundred and thirty four. The for example, it is here, the king’s minister or one of the king’s, yeah, ministers or his could be well, yeah, his servant or anyone. If any of those servant or ministers, you know, down went downtown and then caused the harm to the citizens of the kingdom and and bossing around and harming, etcetera and etcetera, and then the person does this, then none of the citizens will go and challenge the minister and for let him do anything he wants because it’s not just it it it is not that they are afraid of the person.
The reason why they’re not the yep. Challenging or, yep, attacking that person is because they they know that that the kings the the king himself as well as his soldiers, as well as his powers are entirely behind the person. And due to this, by knowing that he has a huge background or support from the kings, and due to this person will never retaliate or attack the person even though he causes a lot of problem or suffering to the the the public. Oh, yeah. This one?
So that was the example. And likewise likewise, you should not harm other people and and and should not or, yep, retaliate or, yep, challenge when somebody causes the problem, the the, yep, little combat. And so, of course, you should not harm others. And even if somebody harms you and the person turns out to be a very weak person — Geshe-la said like himself — and you think, oh, that’s easy. Piece of cake.
I can challenge it. You know? But you should not do it because you may for a time being, you may challenge it. You can you may, you know, defeat the person, but who is behind the person? Behind the person are all the guardians of the hell realms.
Hell beings are there. And by, you know, retaliating the person’s attack and then harming the person, And and as a result of those actions will be a non virtuous and the suffering, and you will be born in the lower rebirths and in the hell realms and will face the the results of those actions. And like and not only that, by hurt by harming the person or yeah. By harming the person, that action displeases the victorious Buddhas and Bodhisattvas — the victorious ones and their sons. And by not pleasing them, and one also cultivates a very negative karma, and that’s that karma will also give rise to the the bad results.
Likewise, how cruel the king is or very bad king which causes huge problem and suffering to the citizens or the the the fellow yep. To the public. But the public, the people — the public will still respect the king and have a lot of fear, afraid of the king. And even though it’s a very cruel and rude king, the reason why they are not retaliating is because they are afraid of the king’s detention or punishment. So so, likewise, you know, you should not harm this the the the humble sentient beings, the the entire sentient beings, and pay respect and have love love and compassion towards the sentient beings.
Because because because if you harm the sentient beings, and that is and the result of harming or bringing yeah. Harming sentient beings would be even worse than what you what you receive, the detention or sentence from the king. Because all you can get the sentence from king which will cause only problem within this life, and this is it. Whereas the whereas this by harming sentient beings, it it will affect in your future lives and that because harming sentient beings will is is a very negative action, and that will lead you into the the lower rebirth like hell realms and and go through numbers, huge suffering. Yeah.
So what sentient beings can what sentient beings can offer can’t be can’t be offered by a king. By pleasing kings and, you know, paying reverence, yep, respects, and and pleasing the king. And what one receives is for within this life. One can have, you know, good living, like a good clothes or food and shelter and so forth. But but but by pleasing sentient beings through love and compassions.
You know? And as a result of those, those actions will become a cause to attain enlightenment and the cause to attain enlightenment and which which which can’t be given by any king. So, therefore, you know, so should cultivate the positive attitude towards the sentient beings and try to help and benefit the sentient beings, help sentient beings through love and compassion. And by doing so, it by doing so, we’ll definitely those action will become a cause to attain enlightenment, which is not to mention, not only yeah. Those results will become a cause to attain enlightenment in future, but in present within this life by sent yeah.
But yeah. In current life, by by benefiting sentient beings, cultivating love and compassion for them. And it will it will also one will also receive the benefit benefits within this life that one will have received the one will have the good reputation or a fame as well as have good livings and and and happiness and so forth. So therefore, by knowing all the results of benefiting the sentient beings now onwards, one should try work, yeah, with great enthusiasm and and work for the sentient beings now. So so yep.
Should should maintain patience. And the reason of maintaining patience are, like, by maintaining patience, you will have a good livelihood, good wealth, good companions, and would have a good long lifespan, as well as good looking, good color. Oh. Oh, really? No.
Good looking. So then then briefly speaking, then by by maintaining patience, and it will it will clear up all the obscurations of the the karma or the negative karma will be purified. And and swiftly or quickly, one will attain enlightenment or Buddhahood state for Buddhahood state. And therefore, by seeing all those yeah. The the the results or the benefits of maintaining patience and helping sentient beings, By seeing those now onward, try not to be try not to get angry or being disturbed by the sentient beings and work cultivate in the hardships take all the hardships and maintain the patience.
So yep. And there is a citation from Candrakīrti’s Supplement to the Middle Way as well as in his supplementary text. But those meanings are pretty much the same, But those the meanings are pretty much the same, which are the the the results of maintaining patience, which we have, yeah, have explained earlier, like, and a good figure, good color, long life, good wealth and so forth.
And thus, here it concludes the fifth chapter — wait, isn’t it? Fifth chapter, which is patience, of the Bodhisattva Deeds. No? Six or seven.
So here text says the the third division here, which is actually so third that that is to increase or develop the develop the altruistic intention bodhicitta. And in terms of developing the bodhicitta, they are the ultimate and the conventional bodhicitta and the ultimate bodhicitta. So in to develop a, excuse me, to develop a the altruistic intention, both yeah. In order to develop both the altruistic intention, the conventional and the ultimate bodhicitta, they set forth the the seventh chapter, which is effort, and which is the first. And then this and second one in order and the first one is to put together, and the second one is to and teaching the this eighth chapter, which is here the meditation or concentration chapter, which is to develop the or increase the the the conventional bodhicitta.
And the last, the ninth chapter, which is the wisdom chapter, is to increase the ultimate bodhicitta. And now to explain the first one, the the begins the the inter, the effort chapter — yes, that is it — in a way, “effort” is what the term here is. Yeah. To start that, it has the, yeah, the first three divisions, which is the two. The yeah. The explaining the brief brief or concise abbreviated. Yeah.
The yep. The first two divisions, which is yep.