Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 36-minute session, Geshe Pema Tsering unpacks a distinction that is easy to miss: two types of pride that share the same internal feeling of haughtiness yet lead in opposite directions. The pride of disturbing emotions inflates slight qualities into superiority, closes the doors to liberation, and karmically produces servile rebirths and public humiliation. The pride of strength is the warrior-like confidence that “I, as a follower of Śākyamūni who conquered these very defilements, can do this.” He then turns to practice: holding the antidote as firmly as a driver grips a steering wheel, guarding against even minor afflictions the way one protects the eye. A candid aside on that night’s Powerball closes the talk, illustrating how attachment to contaminated happiness keeps practitioners servants — not just friends — of disturbing emotions.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 68 BD 2002 09 12.mp3
UUID: aa4ae461-4403-4608-89cd-9eb9171c9e37
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Deeds (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-09-12
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 36.2 minutes
Words: ~2,288
Applying the antidote while still one is under the influence of disturbing emotions — then achieving complete victory over the three realms, or the attainment of enlightenment — is the object or goal, or something like that. Which means it is not possible while applying or while meditating on disturbing emotions, if at the same time one is still going under their influence. At the same time, one is under the influence of disturbing emotions, then the enlightenment is not possible. They’re meant to be a humor, but I can’t really put it in. So so while applying, developing those, the the the pride of strength or applying antidotes, and if one starts to lose or feel discouraged by thinking there are so many abandonments — the disturbing emotions to defeat throughout the three realms — and because the three realms are so many, the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm, And by thinking so, there are many in our mental continuums.
Whenever one started to feel discouraged, they should console oneself and make it make also encourage oneself to maintain that the pride of the antidote or a strength that by saying: “I can, because I am the disciple, the son of the victorious one — Lord Buddha Śākyamūni — and I’m the follower son and the follower of Buddha Śākyamūni, and he is the one who had defeated those entire abandonments and perfected himself. So if I do, I can because I am his son or a follower. And by sinking such way in courage, one develop a courage and maintain that the pride of strength or antidote. And well, well, well. Yep.
So now explaining about the pride of strength or the antidotes. And the the but when one develop the pride and should not develop the pride of the disturbing emotions because should not be under the influence of the pride of the disturbing emotions because the the pride of the disturbing emotion is not the proper pride. That the that pride is a pride of feeling oneself better than the others by having a slight quality or a slight quality and thinking that oneself is full of education, full of qualities and aren’t the best. And that is not good to be under the influence of that pride of disturbing emotions because that pride of disturbing emotion will will harm yourself, both the present and the future lives. And it is not the good the right pride because because because that pride is the mind of being being puffed up, or say the feeling of haughtiness and that oneself is better than the others.
But thinking so — having such pride — will block one’s path to liberation and close the doors of arhathood and Buddhahood. And as a result of having such a pride, then one will receive lots of disadvantages or the faults, the the sufferings as a result of that having that pride of disturbing emotions because it will it will as it will lead one to be born in a lower rebirth. And and one may one may be born and take a rebirth as a human, but but in a very weak, the human rebirth that one was born as a very poor or born as a slave or a servant or a beggar and have very not really good looking, you know, that and become a subject of of being tortured by the other sentient beings or other beings, you know, humiliate humiliate. Okay. I’m not so used to that word.
And and yeah. So become and will add yeah. The others will will let you down or or put you very in a lower position. And even if you make some suggestions or make some talk in public, then nobody will listen, ignore. So all these are the results of developing such pride of disturbing emotions.
So one should not develop or be under the influence of the pride of disturbing emotions. Speaking of that, the nature of pride is feeling haughtiness. And and and speaking of this, the both the pride, which we have been explaining, the pride of the disturbing emotions and the pride of the pride of strength, which means those pride of the actions or the strength, so forth.
Both of them are the same. They are same in terms of being haughty, feeling haughtiness, but it is different. So it is important to differentiate those two types of pride, and one should not come under the influence of the pride of disturbing emotions. And if one and because they are very similar, the feeling of haughtiness is the same. And if one accidentally happens to be under the influence of disturb the pride of disturbing emotions, then you become a subject of being compassion for and, yeah, feeling pity on you.
Because because the difference between those two prides are in terms of haughtiness, they are same. The mind is being full. But the disturbing emotions, the pride of disturbing emotions is is is the haughtiness, but I think it comes out of exaggeration. By thinking that even if yeah. Thinking the slight having slight education as account and then making huge out of it that I’m the best, such and such, that is the pride of disturbing emotions.
And whereas the other pride of, you know, strengths and actions and so forth, those are the different. They are being hot being haughtiness, being haughty, but but they are being pride of thinking that in order to benefit self and others, you know, and and I have the strength — I can do all these positive actions — which is to abandon entire abandonment or to disturbing emotions and so forth. So that pride is not the pride which is to be abandoned. So they are difference. Therefore, and it should not become the under the influence of disturbing the pride of disturbing emotion.
So what sort of pride is required here? Then the pride here is the one is the pride of which gives ones oneself a courage or yep. The courage or strength that to to to victory over the entire sufferings, entire disturbing emotions. And and and and in order to attain the enlightenment. And that is the pride which we are talking here, and it is called the the pride, as well as the pride of victory over the enemies of disturbing emotions, and that and it can be called a conqueror — not with a “c” and a “q”, but one who has conquered.
The. Love it. And with such a pride, one can uproot all the disturbing emotions and also can help to fulfill the wishes of the devas, the gods, and the entire sentient beings — to achieve the temporal and ultimate goals of arhathood and the liberation state. Pardon me.
And furthermore, at the end, with with that pride of the strength, it will help one to attain the complete victory over all defilements — which is the state of ultimate happiness, Buddhahood. And now to the third subdivision, the pride of effort now. And the pride of effort, that’s been explained in the next three verses. Excuse Yep. It’s a sixty.
First sixty and next three. So one two and three. Yeah. Three. Sixty end of sixty three sixty two.
And the the meaning is that one need one should should have a very firm antidote and firm a firm antidote to the disturbing emotions and need need to and to be very careful when one is in the middle of the disturbing emotions because one is always in the middle of disturbing emotions. For example, oneself. Guess what I said there? I’m not saying that. Because there’s numbers of disturbing emotions of oneself within oneself as well as the other sentient beings.
So so when in the middle of disturbing emotions, you know, need to be very should have a very firm antidote of the disturbing emotions and maintain it very strongly and should not be distracted, and should hold it very firm and make sure that one is not be affected by the disturbing emotions And be like a lion. For example, you know, like, no matter where the lion stays in the middle of any any animals like foxes and so forth, being a king of the animals, you know, that he, the lion has no problem in the middle of staying in the middle of the animals because no one can affect or harm the lion. So likewise, should maintain a firm antidote towards disturbing emotions. And Geshe-la said, for example, hold it very firm like when you’re driving a car and be careful with the steering wheel. And by being so mindful and putting it very firm and that one can avoid the accidents and so forth if it’s alert and be mindful.
So likewise, have antidote of all the entire disturbing entire disturbing emotions and hold it firm and and be be very mindful. By doing so, then one cannot be harmed by the disturbing emotions. So I should stay. Alright. Therefore, should, yeah, should maintain a very firm antidote to the disturbing emotions and be very alert and mindful regarding the disturbing emotions.
And whenever they come and should not get distracted and apart get rid of those disturbing emotions and should do it no matter what sort of disturbing emotion comes, either small or a big. Should be very mindful and challenge it. For example, like, in terms of the human body, the people cherish and guard the head as the most important part of the body. And and what they into everyone, every human, they do take care of their entire body, but out of within the body, they consider the eye as very precious and even more careful. So likewise, the disturbing emotions, whenever disturbing emotions comes, you know, should not neglect the small ones, should be mindful, but particular and even the greater ones comes, you know.
Challenge them and be mindful for those greater ones and very vividly, you know, apply antidote and get rid of those and never should never become a friend of the disturbing emotions and and and challenge them and get rid of disturbing emotions. And no matter how difficult one has to go, even even even one has to lose one’s cut, the limbs of the body or hands of the or the head, just let it be, you know, let it cut. And and then and then should not if if one’s going to lose the head, let it lose, but never befriend with the disturbing emotions. And I guess let’s say to stop here. Yes.
So it’s it looks like we should not be friend of the disturbing emotions. But Geshe-la said that we are not we are not only at only we’re not only the friend of disturbing emotion, we’re also the servant of the disturbing emotions. Yeah. Unfortunately. Unfortunately.
Okay. Could be other way around. Yes. It is disturbing emotions because because actually the the worldliness happiness or the saṃsāra happiness or which is the contaminated happiness is actually the root cause for the disturbing emotions. On the basis of that, being because due to the attachment to the worldly happiness or contaminated happiness, then one work for it and cultivate all these different types of disturbing emotions and causing problem for others and so forth in order to achieve that contaminated happiness.
So if one has overcome or abandoned the contaminated happiness, or put it this way. Whenever one has abandoned the the contaminated happiness, one has overcome the disturbing emotions. I wish I could wish you the duality. I mean, I’m just going to give an example of tonight’s Powerball. And you say that.
Yeah. For example. For example. And Yeah. It is not easy.
You know? It is difficult, and it should but, I mean, in terms of, you know, whatever good happens to be in terms of some sort of happiness or the present lot, and they are disturbing emotions. And and I thought I think it was not a good example to give tonight’s Powerball. So I was saying, for example, like, you know, the tonight’s Powerball, and and probably it would be a bit okay if I just bought bought a ticket just for curiosity, you know. I’ll just buy it, you know.
Or maybe I will or maybe I’m not. Then that probably be okay, you know. And if I’m buy it with a huge hope, you know, I want I’m gonna get in, you know, to get it, you know. What was the saying? Anyway, forget it.
Have to be in, you know, something like that. Yeah. And, you know, with a huge expectation, you know, thinking, oh, alright. I’m going to get the ticket and win this and have a wonderful life, live it up in this life, so forth. Then it’s even worse disturbing emotions, you know, even worse disturbing emotions.
Otherwise, you know, and just by curiosity, maybe or maybe not, you bought something and then and could be a bit lesser disturbing emotions. Geshe will make prayers for you. Probably, we have to make a deal beforehand. You know? If you’re in, you know, you have to do this and this, this and this.
You know? Yeah. Geshe-la said that he will make prayers, but you’ve got to promise that you’re going to give half to him. Yeah. Anyone second questions?
I mean, beside the Powerball. Would be a great helpful monastery project, actually. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.
I think this is it, Diane.