Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A nuanced doctrinal argument opens this 41-minute commentary by Geshe Pema Tsering on Śāntideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life: he distinguishes two kinds of renunciation, explaining why the Hīnayāna variety — the wish for personal liberation alone — actually blocks the development of bodhicitta, while renunciation upheld by the wish to benefit all beings supports it. He shows why love, compassion, and renunciation must be built before genuine bodhicitta can arise. The session then enters Chapter Six on Patience, mapping its three main divisions — abandoning anger, cultivating patience, respecting other beings — before working through verses one to ten on the dangers of anger: a single moment of hatred can destroy merit accumulated over countless eons. Geshe Pema Tsering then introduces the eight worldly concerns from Nāgārjuna’s Letter to a Friend as obstacles to genuine patience, and begins outlining the subdivisions of willingly accepting suffering.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 05 Guide 2002 08 01.mp3
UUID: c38cecb6-c1d3-4d7c-bb45-c8f57081bca6
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Way of Life (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-08-01
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 40.9 minutes
Words: ~2,429
You know, as for the mind which wishes for the self-purposes. You know, there are many. The the minds of the hearers and the solitary realizers who are who are cultivating or who are practicing attained individual liberation is also a wish to fulfill self-purposes as well as the demands of the practitioners of the lower scopes like wishing to attain higher rebirths and higher rebirths as well as and and to have a happy and and yep, to gain wealth and happiness within this life. Those are all those are the mind which wishes for to accomplish the individual wishes or purposes. And in general speaking, the mind which wishes for the higher rebirths as well as enlightened liberation, individual liberation, arhathood, are very good to develop. But here the master wishes not to develop such mind because though even though those minds are good, but they all become obstacles to develop an altruistic intention or bodhicitta.
So this so for that purpose, for that reason, great master wishes not to produce such mind to attain, like, accomplish individual purpose. To make it a bit to clarify here that in general, even though those wishing for higher rebirth in enlightened liberation state are good. And as we said earlier, the reason why master made such prayer is because they become yeah, become obstacle to develop an altruistic intention. So in terms of speaking of this, when we say they become obstacle for the attainment of bodhicitta, as well as for the enlightenment. Here we need to differentiate two sorts of renunciation.
In general, also the renunciation is is very necessary, you know, inevitable to attain enlightenment. But reason why here the master says that renunciation becomes an obstacle to develop an altruistic intention is here speaking of the renunciation, a type of renunciation developed by the hearers and the solitary practitioners because they only wish for this individual and the renunciation developed by the Mahāyānist practitioners, they are not the obstacle for the enlightenment or to develop what’s called the altruistic intention. So we are differentiating the renunciation. And so as we said, those becomes the obstacles to develop bodhicitta or to attain enlightenment. But the renunciation and striving for renunciation as well as attain or wish to attain higher rebirths and so forth, higher rebirths.
If those minds are upheld by the mind to fulfill others’ purposes then those renunciations and the wishing to have higher rebirths are not obstacle to develop a bodhicitta. So therefore, you know, now therefore, the the wish the renunciation, which is wishing to attain free from cyclic existence and wishing and wishing to attain higher rebirth in the next life those are inevitable to attain enlightenment and if if those minds like the renunciations wishing to attain higher rebirth they are upheld or been developed in conjunction with the altruistic intention or wish to wishing to fulfill others’ purposes, then those minds are becoming a cause to the attainment of enlightenment. So therefore, we shall here, we should here try to develop the altruistic intention. And and the altruistic intention is the mind which only wishes to work for others or wish to fulfill others’ purposes, and this is the mind which we need to develop. In order to develop the ultimate bodhicitta, or the very superb or very fine bodhicitta, that we are wishing to attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings.
And one has to have the development of those minds like renunciations, bodhicitta, renunciation, love and compassion, and to attain higher rebirth should be developed prior to to development prior to develop the altruistic intention or bodhicitta. So without having developed renunciation, loving and great compassion so forth, there is no possibility one can develop a proper altruistic intention. It is because because in order to develop the bodhicitta which is which wishes to free motherly sentient beings from the suffering and bring them to the state of ultimate happiness. In order to develop such mind, first one has to see to realize how oneself is in the cyclic existence and goes through the suffering of being tortured by the sufferings of cyclic existence. Without knowing how oneself goes through the suffering, it is impossible for one to see the others going through suffering and wanting to free them.
So this is how the renunciations and so forth are necessary to develop before the altruistic intention and they because they become a cause to develop a bodhicitta. So therefore, we shall develop altruistic intention and meditate on the bodhicitta that shall attain enlightenment for the sake of motherly sentient beings. Therefore, I should engage in all the practices of listening and so forth, and dedicate that merit one gained, the merit one have cultivated and will going to cultivate become a cause to attain enlightenment for the sake of entire sentient beings. And we shall do a short meditation here. Yeah.
So today, this is the beginning of the sixth chapter of Patience, and it has two main divisions called the actual explaining of the actual text and its divisions. And the first one has two divisions called so first one has three subdivisions being the how to abandon the anger or yeah. Anger. I’m just concerned about the word abandoning. We had And second one is how to meditate cut how to meditate on patience, and the third one is how to pay respect for other beings.
And as for the first one, how to yeah, to abandon the patient, anger, abandon the anger has been explained in the first subdivision has been explained or taught in the next ten verses. So beginning from number one to ten. The the anger is very bad and and and and it destroys all the the positive or merit one have cultivated, saying that that the the the virtuous or merit one have cultivated in cultivated in numberless, limitless of ends eons by practicing the generosity, maintaining ethical disciplines, meditations and teachings, making offerings to the enlightened beings or Buddhas and so forth, making prostrations, mandalas and so forth. So all those virtues one have worked so hard in the numberless of eons and those merit will destroyed by the moment anger for the moment anger towards the Bodhisattva therefore it is very bad and dangerous to to develop being angry. And so therefore should not develop any anger because it destroy one’s entire virtues one have cultivated in the numberless of eons.
And and he sets forth that out of all, there is no greater than hatred and anger to destroy the one’s virtuous and and obstruct the obstruct the realizations of or into the path and out of the hardships or a practice and the the patience of not retaliating or not to take revenge or retaliate towards the anger or towards harms is the greatest hardship, which means it has the very a huge benefit. The reason why one cultivates numberless virtuous merit by maintaining the patience is because it’s the opposite of the patience, which is anger or hatred, is by developing those hatred and angers, one cultivates huge negativities as well as it destroys entire virtues. So because of this, because it opposite has a huge, huge non virtuous or negatives, therefore by maintaining patience has huge benefits and cultivates numberless virtuousness. Alright. So therefore, for that reason, and I should try to maintain or meditate maintain patience or cultivate patience in many ways or in all the time.
And because because when one when one is once one mind has been controlled by the hatred and the anger, then there is no happiness at all. It is like a person has a very sharp and, you know, severe pain in the body due to the illness or diseases. It is it is very sure that person goes through his suffering and there is no moment of peace and happiness and relax. Likewise, So when the hatred and anger comes into yeah, when hatred and anger come, the person will will never be in peace and relaxed and as well as if it’s very bad then the person may not, it will destroy entire sleep that one can’t even sleep during the night. So therefore one should not cultivate the anger that because it has no benefits at all.
So should not develop anger or hatred because there are no benefits at all. Instead of developing anger, one should maintain patience and and meditate and cultivate the patience because because because by maintaining patience and and meditating on patience, it is like a person then the person who has who has who has developed a patience and and and had destroyed all the anger anger and hatred, then the person will not only have the happiness in his present life, as the person not only have happiness in his present life, he or she will always have have have the better rebirth with the better enjoyments and and happiness as well. So yep, now. So those are the disadvantages of of of developing anger or hatred and and that what happens when the when one develop an anger and and yep, anger and it destroys all the virtuous, loses all happiness and peace, so forth. And now to the second subdivision, which is how to meditate or cultivate patience.
And that subdivision, how the mode of cultivating patience has two divisions, which is recognizing the object of patience and and how to develop an actual meditation, how to maintain actual patience. And so the first division, which is recognizing or establishing or recognizing the object of patience, which is explained in the next single verse, which which would be the verse verse eleven number eleven. And so the objects of patience are oneself as well as one’s relatives, close friends, and so forth. So which means that so whenever the oneself and others are like, not the others’ relatives and friends, close friends and friends, so forth, receive the suffering and and being criticized by others, complaints, and and people gossiping about, you know, close ones and so forth. At that moment is the those are the moment or a bet on such basis self and relative so forth one develops anger whenever those people encounter with the criticisms and so forth.
So at that moment, so those are the objects on basis of those then one should maintain the patience on those people, which means should not be impatient towards others, which means the reason why one get angry is because in oneself, of course, others complain, for example, like, criticize oneself or one’s relatives, close friends, so forth, and you can’t bear it, others gossiping about girlfriends, so forth. So those are the objects of maintaining to maintain patience or object of patience. So in order to maintain the ultimate or the very qualified patience, then the one should, person should be free of eight worldly concerns without giving up the eight worldly concern, then the patience I want to develop won’t be a very qualified patience or a proper patient. So therefore, it is very important for one to give up or or yeah. Yeah.
Give up or abandon the eight worldly concerns. And the worldly concerns are described by the great master, Ārya Nāgārjuna, in his text called the Letter to a Friend. And then the being happy if one receives a gift and being unhappy if one does not receive a gift, which which are two, first two, and being happy if one has good if people say good things and have sweet things and being unhappy if one hears nasty things from others.
And and the fourth and fifth one is being the fifth and sixth and being happy when one is in the happy state or yep, state and being not happy when one if if one receives suffering. And the last two is being happy when others admire or praise one, and in being unhappy if people criticize or put you down. So now to the second one, which is how to cultivate the actual patience or meditate on patience which has two divisions. That is the the yeah, being patient or being patient for the unwanted, which is suffering and so forth, and being patient towards the obstacles that obstruct one to fulfill one’s wishes. So if one is cultivate or trying to accomplish something and it’s going so well and the obstruction comes, so being patient towards those obstructions as well.
And and for the first one has four divisions, which is first one is meditation on the unwanteds, which yeah. The and the and which has four divisions, which is being maintaining patience when one receives suffering for oneself, first one. Second one is being patient when when one one receives criticisms or complaints. And the third one is and being patient when others want yeah. Being maintaining patience when one’s relatives or a close one’s goes through the sufferings.
Yeah. And the fourth one is being patient when others does good thing to or help one’s friends. Yeah. Your friends. Your enemies, sorry.
And being patient when others help your enemies because when your enemies been very good and others helping him or her, you can’t bear it. You know? So it is not easy, meaning being patient. And as for the first one, being maintain patience when one receives sufferings has three divisions as well. That is patience of willingly accepting Yeah.
Willingly accepting sufferings. So maintaining the patience of willingly accepting the sufferings and patience of… I don’t remember that word. Have you heard of that? . The the three types of anyway, I’ll just I’ll just think about this for a moment.
Which one? That one? Yeah. Cultivating the patient that you intend to yeah. Anyway, hope is yeah.
The second one is cultivating patience that is intent on the Dharma, which is the object, the way the explanation will come later. Keeping as a result. And the third one is the patient maintaining patience not to retaliate for to harms. And the first one, which is willingly accepting the sufferings, have been explained in the next ten verses. So probably we well, it’s been going quickly, as they say in Tibetan, like horse riding.
. There is. Yeah. Yeah.