Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A verse comparing the practitioner to a “newly married bride” — timid, restrained, doing as instructed rather than asserting herself — opens one of the session’s most vivid analogies in Geshe Pema Tsering’s 119-minute commentary on Śāntideva’s Bodhisattva Way of Life. Working through verses 163–170, he explains why practitioners should hide their good qualities to prevent arrogance, then takes up the instruction to take upon oneself all harm caused since time immemorial — the heart of exchanging self for others. A horse-taming metaphor illustrates how mindfulness subdues the self-cherishing mind; a dewdrop on grass conveys how fleeting samsaric happiness truly is. An extended Q&A covers whether benefiting others means following their wishes, which goals Buddhism considers truly worthwhile, and why motivation — not external behavior — is the one thing practitioners must change.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 06 2008 09 09 BW.mp3
UUID: f0558ca1-e247-462d-a1d3-4c27ddae210c
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Way of Life (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2008-09-09
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 118.8 minutes
Words: ~8,385
So again, starting, let us give rise to a good motivation and with the intention of establishing means the state of enlightenment in state which is free of every suffering and all with every happiness. And we understand that in order to accomplish that, we ourselves must attain enlightenment, then we develop the motivation that in order to accomplish that enlightenment, we are going to study and practice these teachings on the way of the Bodhisattva accordingly so that we can accomplish a goal. In this way, we we give ourselves proper motivation. And then with on top of that, with the wish that we that we find a house or Buddha house, then we we start with the Heart Sūtra. So we we have been approaching last time we we, again, we’re approaching a topic which is the way to practice the application of this attitude of exchanging self for others.
So the the the the subdivision of this subdivision of this topic was devoting oneself to taking the lower position for the sake of others. Then we we went for three two different topics before the the current one is examining one’s own faults, confessing wrongs one has done to others,, and then now we approach the next topic which is devoting oneself to taking the lower position, to taking a humble position. And we read the next verse, just like the lowest kind of servant I should employ myself for the benefit of all. And the second verse one sixty four is saying I should not praise my naturally defective self for some temporary good quality it may have. I shall never let even a few people know of any good qualities I may possess.
So, Geshe-la, was just going through the verse again and explaining the those those very literary, very poetic words that were were translated as, you know, being a lowly servant with a very how to say, emulating somebody who has a very low position and do very ignoble jobs. So just just being this meaning being very humble and and without any pride and arrogance and again understanding that the self, the self-cherishing mind, the self grasping mind, are ridden ridden with all sorts of faults and shortcomings. And, again, in this way, the whole point is, again, one will not reveal one’s qualities whatever qualities one may have one will hide one’s good qualities and one will take to a humble lowly position and all for the sake intention of benefiting others. English language, just going through the commentary which is saying basically more or the same thing that Geshe-la has already said. Again, one will put oneself in the lowest position, in the least position as a very lowly servant, below even the lowest of all types of servants, again, any pride, without any arrogance, and all bearing in mind the welfare of other beings.
Understanding that self, one’s self is ridden with all sorts of faults and shortcomings. And again one will not go on thinking that whatever little practice or meditation and so forth whatever little qualities one may have we will not allow ourselves to to go on proclaiming those qualities and praising such qualities of oneself. When we take these fickle qualities that one has, and Geshe-la was explaining, without assuming that these little qualities that we have are actually great and meaningful and so forth, when we take these fickle qualities one has and we will not proclaim them, will not talk about them, will make a point of actually hide them. Bearing in mind only the welfare of others, one will not allow others to know of any good qualities one may have. We will keep them them secret.
And in this way, So again, just another word again saying, again, we contemplate when this is being instructed to contemplate, not proclaiming, not talking about whatever qualities one may have. Oh, yeah. The whole point is the whole point is that one one shouldn’t allow for arrogance or pride to arise. So again, of course, one has a certain amount of qualities, a certain measure of qualities. One might not have great qualities such as as of great teachers and realized beings, but one has one has a certain qualities and a certain measure of qualities.
But still, for the sake of not allowing any arrogance and for the sake of of keeping the cultivation of of of the the welfare of others in mind, again, one does not go on about talking about whatever qualities one may have. And one just contemplates, again, the welfare of others working for serving, putting oneself to the service of of the of of of others for the for the sake of accomplishing the welfare of others. Geshe-la explained the reason why why these teachings are given that we we shouldn’t allow for arrogance to to arise. We should take a humble position and not talk about one’s one’s qualities. And, Again the reason is because if we stop from speaking about one’s qualities or letting our qualities be known by others, whatever those qualities may be, even though there might be some relative benefit to that, some seemingly real benefit to that, people might develop some faith in you or some trust in you or people might think you’re a great person or a good person might praise you in this way, there is a great likelihood that one will actually develop a lot of arrogance and pride and that’s very likely.
In order to avoid that and in order that one may then be able to focus on on continually developing, increasing whatever qualities one may have and accomplishing, developing, creating more new qualities, one stops oneself from being involved in this sort of talk praising oneself and so forth so it is best to do that and Geshe-la was saying on the other hand, if we were to to go on talking about ourselves, again, even though people might might be impressed about what you say, again, many people will develop because of by the force of their own afflictions they might develop some anger, might develop some jealousy, might develop some ill will and so forth. So again, whoever one is with self-cherishing and self grasping, is very likely to cause harm and disturbance in this way and not only that, again pride will arise, arrogance will arise within one’s mind stream and that is an afflictive emotion, that is an afflictive conception and then again that that will make oneself degenerate and will make one’s collections of virtues degenerate. Geshe-la is explaining that worldly ordinary beings, worldly beings which are concerned over this life alone, for them, it is it is reasonable to go out and about talking about one’s qualities and accomplishments and whatever because that will help them accomplish whatever worldly goals they may have that pertain to this life alone.
And in this regard, it works for them. It works to accomplish those goals, and that’s what people think is the right thing to do. Now this text here is not about that. This text here is about Mahāyāna Dharma. So it is it is not talking about that.
It is it is considering, first of all, one has completely given up concern for this life. And then one is taking on this practice of, how do you say, working for the benefit of others. So it is it is a practice that contradicts goes how how can I say that goes against worldly views, worldly ideas about how we should behave and act? In the context of these teachings, of this path, we have bearing in mind the service of serving others for the sake of benefiting them. Again, we do not talk about our qualities.
We keep to a lowly humble position. In this way, we go on about our service. And this this this is this is the reason we are given these instructions. So, Geshe-la then approached the next topic of the commentary, which is a presentation of of the way to practice the application of these teachings in brief. And we read the next verse, verse one sixty five, which saying, in brief, for the sake of living creatures, may all the harms I have selfish selfishly caused to others descend upon me myself.
So, Geshe-la was going through the first two lines of that verse. Again, in brief, whatever I have done for my own welfare, for my own purpose, and Geshe-la was explaining. So, again, whatever one has done for the sake of the the happiness of of the one’s present life, for the sake of one’s own profit and benefit and happiness alone. Again, I I wanna say whatever harm one has done, there has been a lot of harm. One has been acting for the sake of one’s own profit and benefit for the sake of one’s present life.
Since time immemorial, one has been acting this way, motivated in this way, so one has accomplished a lot of harm, one has created a lot of hurt, one has harmed other people’s other beings physically, mentally, verbally, taking up enjoyment and so on and wealth of others and so forth, but has harmed other beings in many, many ways. And Geshe-la then going through the last two lines of the verse, again, whatever harm they may they may one may have caused for the sake of accomplishing the benefit of all sentient beings may it may may it all fall upon oneself. So Geshe-la was saying, all the all that harm that one has caused since time immemorial again one take it all upon oneself. So if in the past one has caused harm so that one could accomplish benefit for oneself so from now on all the way until enlightenment one will take upon oneself all that harm and then will give away all benefits, all happiness for sentient beings. And this is how one should practice.
So again, and the commentary is is saying basically the same thing. Again, the one should contemplate, one should think in this way in brief. Since time immemorial, one has for the sake of one’s own profit, the sake of one’s own benefit, one has caused all sorts of harm to others. And again, one will take whatever harm one has caused to others. One will take all that upon oneself for the sake of accomplishing benefit of others from now on.
And in this way, one one one contemplates this, may then put effort in accomplishing this, accomplishing this practice. So there’s nothing easy about it. This this this whole teaching on on exchanging self for others, again, is is very difficult. Again, you know, one has to give away any concern, give up any concern for one’s own happiness, profit, and benefit. And one has to take upon oneself all sorts of suffering from other beings and give away every happiness that one may have to others.
And all that is extremely difficult to accomplish. So it is it is very difficult to accomplish this practice. And the only way, the only chance we have of ever accomplishing such practices is by engaging in a lot of studying, a lot of listening and study of the teachings, and a lot of contemplation of the teachings, a lot of meditation upon those teachings engaging in a lot of different many different reasonings that will establish these points and clarify these points to us and ascertaining all this so it is for a lot of effort that one will be able we have a chance to actually accomplish that and in this way for the studies we’ll come to understand, we’ll come to understand that the self-cherishing, the cherishing of one’s self again is the very source of every suffering there is. And the cherishing others is the source of every real happiness there is. And so it all boils down to to developing and ascertaining this this basic understanding that acting out of the motivation of of cherishing one’s happiness alone, cherishing oneself alone, again, that causes us to harm other beings, and and that is the cause of suffering.
And then by benefiting other beings, we accomplish the causes of real happiness. That’s what it boils down to. It’s understanding these these two simple facts. Then I’ll explain again what because we we want happiness, and we we need real happiness. That’s why we need to understand this simple fact that from virtuous actions, again what follows is happiness and from non virtuous actions what follows is suffering.
And one needs to understand most importantly, what it is that accomplishes those virtuous actions and non virtuous actions. It is not is not just the body or just the speech. It boils down at the very source of those actions is the mind. And one has to understand what it is, what mind it is that accomplishes virtues and non virtues. One has to understand that the I, the self, the I is the one who accomplishes that.
And Geshe-la is saying the self-cherishing, the one who is concerned with one’s own happiness, profit, and benefit alone that is acting, that’s performing those actions. And Geshe-la is explaining again that self-cherishing mind, again, with the intention of accomplishing happiness for itself, thinking I need this happiness or that happiness or that pleasure and so forth. Then again, it develops attachment for whatever it is that is its its object, its goal. And in in the process of of being overwhelmed by attachment if the person is obtaining that object of attachment is hindered again it will develop anger so basically it develops those two fundamental negative emotions, negative concepts, negative minds and in this way all that it accomplishes in actuality is suffering. So, again, this that self-cherishing mind, it it it accomplishes it does accomplish happiness.
It does not know what real happiness is. It accomplishes the happiness of cyclic existence, the happiness of saṃsāra, but it doesn’t accomplish real happiness. And in the process of accomplishing this samsaric happiness, again, together with it, it accomplishes the causes of more cyclic existence, of more conditioned existence, of more future suffering. So Geshe-la has explained that that it boils down to the self-cherishing mind. It was the one who accomplishes suffering.
All suffering for us. It thinks to itself, I need happiness, happiness, but it and then it it holds that which is actually suffering. It holds it to be happiness, and then it goes on to work out its way to obtain it. And in this way, it accomplishes only suffering. And if we do the opposite of that, if we act in a way that is contrary to that, to the self-cherishing mind, so if develop a disregard for profit and benefit and happiness for ourselves and we how do you say?
We forsake ourselves, and we develop an interest and a concern for the welfare and the benefit and the happiness of others instead. And then we work, we engage in actions, whatever actions may be, to accomplish that. Then we accomplish real happiness. We give up suffering. We give up actual suffering, and we accomplish real happiness.
And if we can do that, then we are actually doing what is being taught here in this text, in this text of. And, you know, and and and it’s only without a lot of study that we’ll be able to develop a certain that we’ll be able to that we’ll be able to ascertain these these facts. And then and then we’ll have a chance to actually accomplish these teachings. Oh, yeah. And then still on the same topic, we read the next verse.
I should not be dominating and aggressive, acting in a self righteous, arrogant way. Instead, like a newly married bride, I should be timid and restrained. Sorry. I didn’t write it. So this is the analogy.
Okay? And and I feel for it. For for for, you know, anyway, this is is like this. So the whole idea is that one shouldn’t give into such defeatist thoughts, thinking, you know what? This is too much work.
I cannot do this and one becomes controlling in this way, controlling maybe a little bit aggressive and all that, resisting it. We should actually behave in a way again putting oneself in that humble position and taking it in and applying oneself to it, one’s thoughts, one’s mind to it, applying one’s actions to this practice, to this service and again the analogy is just like a newly married bride. Many thousands of years ago this is the way it was. The lady would marry and she would be sort of moved into the house of the groom with the whole family living there so the idea is that she wouldn’t be acting in an arrogant controlling way right there and then because she’s just arrived family she will be doing whatever she was told to do that’s how it was in the past that’s how it is in certain countries people behave in this way this is their culture so she would be behaving in this way Bashful, timid, restrained, well behaved and doing as she was told and all that This is the simile that we have to use when we are trying to practice these teachings of exchanging self for others, of putting putting ourselves in the in the lowly position, in the humble position, in in serving others.
And this is this is the simile that is being used. Is that okay? The whole point the whole point being for us not to give up not to give up the practice, to give up working to accomplish the welfare of others. Even though it might be difficult, even though the task is great, again, we have to think, you know, I shouldn’t give up. You know, I go slowly, slowly.
Slow but sure. That’s what it’s like. I go slow but sure. You know? And bit by bit, you know, I I will accomplish it.
I will do it. You know? And one should should keep on working diligently in this way. You know? And you can feel you can feel in English’s words how his certainty, his conviction, and he’s saying, and and if we work, if we act in this way, we will accomplish it.
There is no reason why we cannot accomplish it. If we familiarize ourselves, if we habituate ourselves, we will accomplish it. Look at how many things already we have familiarized ourselves, we have habituated ourselves with, reading and writing and all sorts of skills we have developed in the beginning. We look back at our own lives and our own life experience in the beginning, learning a new skill, learning a new language or whatever it may be, it was very difficult. But with time, perseverance, with regular study and practice and so forth, we develop those skills.
And Geshe-la is reassuring us in the same way if we practice cherishing others, taking upon ourselves to work for the welfare of others and giving up a concern for ourselves, excessive concern for ourselves, We will be able to familiarize ourselves with that. We’ll develop a familiarity with that habituation, and then we will accomplish that. It will become second nature one day. And we have proof of that. We have many, many buddhas and bodhisattvas.
We have innumerable innumerable bodhisattvas and they attained the buddhahood and bodhisattvahood in dependence on such practice they have done so so we can do so also Then we approach the next topic of the commentary, which is then when practicing the application of exchanging self in order, one should exert control over one’s mind. And this topic has four parts. So first of all, the way to annihilate brazenness, or to say the root word in Tibetan has two has two rules to that. One is the way to eliminate excitement, is related to attachment, and the way to also eliminate non conscientiousness or carelessness. And then secondly, the disadvantage of sticking solely to one’s own benefit, to one’s own profit.
Then thirdly, examining the faults of the body, and lastly, exerting control over the mind. And then with regards to the first one of those topics, again, the way to annihilate brazenness. We read the next verse, one sixty seven sixty seven, which says, thus, oh mind, you should think and abide in this way, and not act selfishly as before. If under the controls of self-cherishing, you transgress this code, your selfishness will be your end. Your end.
And just I started reading the first sentence of the commentary which is saying again was one should reflect in terms of contemplating or developing the thought of cherishing others. Again one should train one’s mind, one should subdue one’s mind as one would train a wild horse. Again Geshe-la was making reference to the I don’t know how to call this thing that you put in the horse’s mouth. Bit. Bit.
Bit. B I t. B B I t. Bit. Like like just putting the bit on the horse and then taming the horse.
In in in the beginning, the horse is a bit wild and it’s hard to control but later on you subdue it you break into the horse and then you can you can have full control over it you can decide which direction it goes and so forth and in the same way we should train our minds with mindfulness and guarding alertness. Again we subdue and we break in our minds and then we can control our minds so that we can contemplate this thought of cherishing others. And again, if one’s mind is overwhelmed by the self-cherishing, which does not want to think about the welfare of others, which does not want to give in to the thought of working for the welfare of others. Again one has to apply, again using mindfulness and alertness, one applies the thought which opposes the self-cherishing mind, is the mind that cherishes others. Again one holds on to that mind with mindfulness and alertness and breaks in the mind and subdues the mind and trains the mind in this way.
Okay? And I was reading the next verse. Again, it’s still with regards to the same topic. However, mind, although you have been advised or instructed, if you do not act in a like manner, then since all misfortunes will entrust themselves to you, you will only be destined to destruction. And, again, Geshe-la was just explaining the the the literary words and it’s basically the same thing.
Even though we have received the instruction again to to cherish others and to give up self-cherishing, you know, and and to train ourselves, to to train the mind with holding on with mindfulness and alertness to the thought of cherishing others. Even though the mind has been instructed to do so, if the mind still insists on not acting in this way, again, all sorts of suffering suffering will follow that self-cherishing mind and and only but pain and misery it will accomplish. And again, the the root the the sorry. The commentary is saying basically what what Geshe-la has already explained as the meaning of the text. Again, if if the mind having already been been instructed by oneself, again to hold on to the mind that cherishes others, to develop the mind that cherishes others.
Again if that mind overpowered by afflictive emotions and conceptions decide to act in this way. Again, if that mind decides then to to hold on to the self-cherishing attitude, the attitude of cherishing oneself above all else. Again, so the text is referring is talking to the mind. So it’s saying, you mind, you self-cherishing mind, will will how do you say? Will experience all sorts of pain and suffering because of all the the the the the faults and shortcomings that you that follow after you, you will bring about all sorts of and pain to oneself.
And again, Geshe-la was saying, making reference to this, to the mind being overwhelmed by afflictive emotion conceptions, is Geshe-la is pointing out, this is very much how our minds are. Our minds are overwhelmed by afflictive emotion conceptions. Our minds do not contemplate the welfare of others. Our minds do not give up concern for oneself and hold on to the self-cherishing attitude. Our minds think: I cannot accomplish this cherishing of others.
I cannot accomplish giving up self-cherishing and so forth. This is how our minds this is how we live our lives with our minds and they are overwhelmed by the afflictive emotion and conception in this way. I what I was gonna say, so we think we think to ourselves, oh, I know I won’t be right now, I’m not able I’m not capable of cultivating cultivating the mind that cherishes others. I’m not able to give up the self-cherishing attitude and so forth. And if one were to be asked, so when when when will you be able?
When are you going to be able to do so? And we have no answer. We have we don’t even consider any answer. We only say I’m not able to do so. Geshe-la is explaining the whole point is that we are able to.
We have to realize that we are able to do it right now. We might not want to do it, we not have any desire do it because it is hard work, so we do not have any wish to do so. And then because it is hard work and we do not have any wish, we say I’m not able to do so. I cannot do so. But the fact is we are able.
We just do not have any wish to do it. So we have to realize that we are able, and we have to develop that determination and then act on it. So we are able to to to do so. We are able to meditate on this attitude, to develop this attitude, this mental attitude. We’re able to cultivate that.
We are able to develop a familiarity of that. We are able to develop this this habit of being concerned with the offer of others above all else. And and if we do not, and the text is telling us, if we do not act in this way, if we keep on holding to the notion that we are not able and we do not do so, then all we’re going to accomplish is what we already have accomplished, is acting motivated by the self-cherishing mind since time immemorial, and all we have accomplished is more cyclic existence, more conditioned existence, more suffering. And this is what we are going to accomplish by by giving up on this practice. Without even trying, we give up.
And again, all we we’re gonna accomplish is more of what the self-cherishing has already accomplished for us, which is more cyclic existence, more conditioned existence, with more suffering. And again, just was pointing out to the to the text which says that the end result, the last line of the verse is saying that the end result is going to be destruction for oneself. That mean meaning there will there will be a lot of misery, lot of pain, suffering for oneself as the end result of of keep sticking with the self-cherishing mind, the self-cherishing attitude. Because, again, as we have been explained, the self-cherishing mind in pursuing happiness for itself and profit for itself again holds what is actually the cause of suffering to be happiness and accomplishes that suffering and obtains that suffering itself. And in this way perpetuates a cycle of suffering.
If we do not give up the self-cherishing mind, again, we we won’t be able to attain liberation for ourselves. We won’t be able to attain enlightenment for ourselves. Again, we we won’t be able to to give up suffering. We won’t be able to abandon suffering, the the causes the cause of suffering. So we have to give up.
We have to give up the self-cherishing. Have to let go of the self-cherishing mind. And on top of that, we have to develop a mind that cherishes others. Geshe-la was saying again that one can attain liberation even though one might have one might have in one’s mental continuum, one might have self-cherishing, one can still attain liberation. There are arhats, foe destroyers, hearers, and solitary realizers who have attained liberation for themselves, and and they still have a self-cherishing present in the mind stream.
So still, one can attain liberation. But to be more precise, what you cannot attain is is full enlightenment, Geshe-la was explaining. If if we have self-cherishing, if we’re holding on to self-cherishing, we cannot attain full enlightenment. And, brother, I want to say, in the context of this teaching here, this teaching is given for for bodhisattvas, an aspiring bodhisattvas. So then this is a teaching on on on how to attain bodhisattvahood and buddhahood.
And in in the context of of practicing becoming a bodhisattva, if one does does not give up self-cherishing, one won’t be able to accomplish that. One has to give up self-cherishing, and one has to give rise to the mind that cherishes others. Then we approach the next topic, which is the disadvantages of sticking solely to one’s own benefit. And this topic has three parts. Ceasing to act solely for one’s own benefit by reflecting on the disadvantages.
Secondly, applying oneself to the welfare of others. And thirdly, a presentation in brief. And then with regards to the first one of those topics, ceasing to act solely for one’s own benefit by reflecting on the disadvantages. Again, we read the next verse one sixty nine, the first half of verse one seventy. That previous time when you could overcome me is now past.
Now I see your nature and your faults, and wherever you go, I shall destroy your arrogance. And the beginning of verse one seventy, I should immediately cast aside all thoughts to work for my own sake. And Geshe-la was again commenting on on the verse, which is pretty much in line with what the the commentary is saying. Saying again, if if if you self-cherishing mind, again, that time when I did not know of your faults, that time when did not know that you were the root of all suffering and so forth, that time is gone, that time is past. Now I have learned of your faults.
Now I have learned that you are the root of suffering and so forth. I have seen it. And so wherever you go now, you won’t have power over me, and I will make I will make everything I can to stop you, to arrest you. And I won’t I won’t give in to you anymore. We we are saying to ourselves.
Every time I will that I see this this thought of working for my own welfare, for my own purpose, again, I will I will I will let it I will let I will let it go. I will give up on that. I won’t I won’t let even a a slightly a tiny little bit of it arise in my mind. I was going through the commentary again saying that there was a time when one was overpowered by this self-cherishing mind. There was a time when one did not know of the faults and the disadvantages of being motivated by the self-cherishing attitude.
And now this time is over. One has seen the shortcomings. One has seen these false. This time is over. This time is past.
One will not give in to the self-cherishing mind anymore. One has exchanged concern for oneself for concern others and one will not go back on that. Geshe-la was concluding with the commentary saying again one has already performed that exchange. This is how we should train our minds or we should see it that way and we should perform the exchange of of concern for oneself for concern for others. And again, if in even if it’s still the self-cherishing mind still wants to creep in, again, we still have to keep watch to so that we can arrest it and stop it from creeping in.
Avert so we should so we can avert it. Oh, yeah. This is the last clause again. I guess I was repeating the last clause again. One shouldn’t allow even a little bit of the self cherished attitude in and that’s yeah.
That’s why I I want stop here on this one. And Geshe lais is saying that so now so now from from today onwards, we should be cultivating we should perform we should be performing this exchange. We should be cultivating this mind that cherishes others. And and and there is to say that we don’t have to give up on anything that we’re already doing. It’s not that we have to change any of anything which is external or any of or anything of our outer behavior.
We can still do our jobs. We can still eat our food. We can still enjoy our possessions, our belongings, and so forth. But we do that with the right motivation. We do that we eat our food so that we can nurture our bodies and cultivate a a healthy body so that we can serve others, so that we can we can do our jobs with intention of benefiting others, so that we can engage in in in in in our activities with that motivation.
Geshe-la was saying, do not have to change anything. All we have to change is our motivation, is our mind, is what we are thinking, is what we are intending. And that’s and that is a virtuous intention to benefit all beings. This all we have to this the only thing we have to change. English.
I was wondering if you have any questions. We don’t have to, but if you have? Yeah. Maybe sometimes, you know, benefiting others, it’s almost like doing what they want you to do. You know?
Is is that what Geshe-la means when he talks about benefiting others, or is it something else? One point of view, yeah, that that is also that can can be regarded as benefiting others. Yes. From one point of view. But when we’re talking about benefiting the benefit of others here, in the context of this teaching, that’s not what we’re talking about.
We’re talking about establishing beings in enlightenment. And in order to establish beings in enlightenment, one oneself must attain enlightenment. And one, with this aspiration, one then engages in virtuous actions, in virtuous spiritual actions or virtuous actions so that one can accomplish enlightenment. And when one has then accomplished enlightenment, then one will be perfectly able to accomplish real happiness for every sentient being perfectly. Perfect.
So I was asking the Geshe. And then at that time, one can do whatever it is that sentient beings may wish. But I I thought you were trying to get something else of it. So I was giving the illustration again. So if if Anthony has a wish, so should I, in trying to accomplish Anthony’s enlightenment, follow his wishes, should I act upon his wishes and do and clean his dishes for him or cook his food or you know clean his toilet and stuff like that?
And Geshe-la said no, that is not the point. If you want to accomplish Anthony’s enlightenment then you should develop that mind. May Anthony attain enlightenment and then with that in mind may I accomplish enlightenment so that I can enlighten Anthony. And then I work, I do my practice, do my meditation, I do my offerings, I do my whatever virtuous action may be. Go and do my job, which is this, which is interpreter.
Or I go work in the office or whatever it may be. But it’s about that first attaining enlightenment yourself, Geshe-la wasn’t saying. And then I pointed it, I followed up on it. I say, so meaning right now unenlightened as I am and unenlightened as Anthony is, it’s alright for me not to follow his wishes or not to do as he wishes, not to clean his toilet or whatever it may be. He says, yes.
Of course. You know, unenlightened people, ordinary people, they have all sorts of wishes, and we are not able to accomplish anything unenlightened as we are. So enlightenment comes first. Is that does that help? Mhmm.
Yeah? Okay. At the at the beginning, I understood that Geshe-la said that pursuing one’s goal is not compatible with the idea of reading ourselves of self-cherishing. Was that right? It seems to me that I think that was talking about rules where you have rules of mind.
Pursuing being concerned with one’s own profit and benefit and happiness alone. That’s what it’s meant. So if if self-cherishing is being concerned solely with one’s own happiness and profit and benefit, being self centered in this way and not and not caring for what happens to others. And we want to the idea is we have we we we have to let go of self-cherishing. We have to give out let go of this way of thinking that thinks only of our profit, of our benefit, of our happiness, our pleasure and so forth.
Is it? Yes, no that’s okay. Yeah? Misunderstood. Yeah?
Is that okay? So goals are okay as long as you reach the end. Giving up self-cherishing is a goal. Developing, cherishing, the mind that cherishes others is a goal. So goals are are okay.
Yes. This concern for oneself alone, concern for oneself profit alone is what we are being told is the cause of all suffering. Is that okay? I was explaining what what what you were inquiring about. And I was saying, look, we every being has has goals, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with having goals.
I mean but but there are different goals. And in in in this tradition, we have a general division of goals. So there are there are there is the goal, the greatest goal of attaining enlightenment for the sake of being able to perfectly benefit all beings. There is the goal of attaining complete liberation from the entire of cyclic existence for for oneself alone. There is then the goal of attaining a happy rebirth in the future as either a human or god or goddess.
And then there’s the least of all goals, which is the the goal of attaining the happiness that pertains to this life alone. I guess I was saying of of these four great categories of of goals, the greatest and the most worthwhile of them all is, of course, attaining enlightenment. And of of these four, only the goal of attaining enlightenment and attaining liberation has to do with real happiness, actual happiness. The other two goals, they do not accomplish just lasting, reliable, what we would refer to as real happiness, and durable happiness. Okay?
So we have these goals and the whole idea is that we hold on to these goals, to this intention, to this motivation, so again what motivates us is to attain this goal. So in order for me to accomplish this goal, which is enlightenment, to accomplish liberation, then I’m gonna do this and that. Whatever action it may be. Talking, sitting, walking, sleeping, working, whatever it may be. So and and if you if if you engage in in actions, in activities, with this goal in mind, then they become, they turn out to be the causes of these goals themselves, and eventually you reap the fruit, which are the goals themselves.
And now if you, for example, do not believe that you are able to accomplish enlightenment, this is too much, or you don’t believe in liberation and enlightenment, there is no such thing, and all you are concerned with is attaining the happiness of this life, attaining wealth or fame, being renowned and so forth, and accumulating possessions and all that. If that’s all you want then again you can accomplish all these things, you will accomplish all these things, we will act motivated by that and you will accomplish those things. But then again, when this life is over, those things are over. All those things end when this life ends. Or you might want to accomplish the happiness of future lives, and be born as a goddess or a god, or be born as a wealthy human being in a very favorable condition.
You’re working for short term goals. They’re all pretty short term. And Geshe-la was saying, quoting quoting a verse, which I forgot the source of the verse right now, but Geshe-la was quoting a verse saying that all the happiness of existence, of cyclic existence is like dewdrop in a blade of grass. And Geshe-la was saying, a dewdrop in the morning lasts nothing. As soon as the sun rises, finishes to rise, dewdrop is over, is gone.
So all of this cyclic, the happiness of cyclic existence, which pertains to human existence or the existence of gods and so forth, everything that is not liberation and enlightenment is all very temporary, very ephemeral, and not really worthwhile. That’s how we see it. Just really briefly, a hypothesis. Two people. One person an intending Buddhist practitioner, the other person uninvolved with worldly activities.
But they’re in a similar job and they’re both up for promotion. Now if the person who is a Buddhist practitioner is promoted, the person is going to receive more money being able to, know, use it wisely and is able to achieve more things. If the person who is not a Buddhist practitioner, you know, is going to go in alcohol, cars, etcetera, blah. But if the Buddhist practitioner is really cherishing others, then he is going to maintain the lower position and enable the non-Buddhist practitioner to obtain the promotion. Is that correct?
Briefly. Briefly. Briefly. So that’s it does not follow it does not follow that one has to act in this way. What one has to do is keep on watching motivation.
It doesn’t matter if one is earning more money or not, if one has a higher position or not. One is working to subsist and and to be able to, you know, to to practice the Dharma and all that. And and and the whole point is is to train one’s mind to keep watch of one’s motivations. And if somebody is a Buddhist or is not a Buddhist or if those characters in the hypothesis that you are giving, we have no way to tell what’s going on in their minds in first place, if why they are working, why they are why they are doing what they are doing. I would just you know, assuming that one is a Buddhist and the one is cultivating a mind of enlightenment, the one is has a mind of enlightenment in the first place.
Again, again, it still doesn’t make any difference. It doesn’t make any difference if the person gets a higher job or or earns more money or or does not have to give does not one thing does not necessarily imply that he has to give the job to somebody else. Does that answer your question? English language is so you you you work. Right?
And you and you you earn your money. Right? And and how is it that you that you go about it? What is your motivation? What is in your mind?
How do you how do you make how do you do your job? How do you spend your money? You know, it’s it is up to you to see that, to see your mind, that’s what’s important. So, Geshe-la, gonna say, so we we, you know, we we we have to use our money. We have to earn the money.
We have to make use of it. We have to get food. We have to pay for rent a house or or mortgage or whatever maybe. We have to have a place to live. Support monasteries.
Or support or whatever maybe. And Geshe-la was saying, and and the whole point is, what is your motivation then? Is your motivation to use this, you know, the food and the house and all that so that you can accomplish the good conditions to accomplish the dharma? Or is the motivation just enjoying yourself, relaxing and all that? Yes, depends entirely on karma.
And again, making clear, karma is translated as means action, so it depends on one’s actions, most previous actions. And Geshe-la was saying, if one has studied a lot and gained a good education then he’s more likely to get the job. If one has an average education then he has less likelihood. If one has a very poor education, he has studied very little and he has very little chances of getting the job. And that also is karma.
Those are also actions that one has to perform that will define one’s future, that will determine one’s future, if one the likelihood of him getting the job or not, amongst many other actions that one has performed. But, yeah, you’re right to think so. Yeah. I’m a little interested in the fact that Śāntideva’s included Just a little bit? Just a little.
Okay. That Śāntideva’s included the bodhicitta principles of well, it is mind training. That’s what it’s called indeed. So I guess it’s it’s not inappropriate, but in the perfection of concentration or meditation in in other texts, it’s focused on calm abiding. Yet there’s not a great deal of calm abiding in Śāntideva’s perfection of meditation.
I just wonder why there’s the bodhicitta principles here, whereas they could be in meditation or they could be in wisdom, but possibly ethics and and generosity as well. I just wonder why they’re included in here, and where’s the calm abiding? Where’s the calm abiding? Abiding? The calm abiding?
Calm abiding is from Lamrim principles is the principle of the perfection of meditation or concentration. That’s fine, that’s fine. That’s fine. I think, I don’t, of course it was just such a big chapter, Right now, I’m not absolutely certain, but I think the beginning of the chapter, there was a small a brief part of the text which was talking about calm abiding specifically. But Geshe-la is explaining that there’s a there’s a whole complication of the words.
Right? So the word in Tibetan is Samten, which means the the concentrations, the jhanas. And the jhanas are something that, you know, you you need to have already attained calm abiding in order to accomplish. Generally there is the conventional, the general assumption, the general idea that also in order to accomplish bodhicitta you have to have already accomplished calm abiding. And again, in this context here, when we talk about Samten, is the Jñāna, in this context it doesn’t translate as such.
We’re talking about calm abiding. And this chapter is about calm abiding. Now, in meditating on calm abiding, one can make use of many different objects of meditation. One can be holding on to a mental generality of emptiness, a generalization of emptiness, or bodhicitta, or whatever it may be. And here in this text, Śāntideva is saying because this is the mahayana path and the main most important object of meditation of the mahayana path is bodhicitta.
Again, it’s bodhicitta that he is using as an object for our meditation of calm abiding. And when we have developed such familiarity with bodhicitta that we’ll be able to hold it single pointedly, then we will attain calm abiding in dependence on that observation, which is the bodhicitta itself. A bit. Yes? Just a quick clarification.
With the two people that are about to be promoted, having thought about karma and and its consequences, often when the boss is interviewing two candidates, he is going to say to each of those candidates, why do you think you should achieve this promotion? And and you have to extrapolate on what your qualities are. So is that depending still on the motivation? Not denigrate the other person, but certainly you have to extrapolate on what your qualities are and why do you It’s it’s look. In in in in getting a job, have to we have to be honest, and we have to be clear, and we have to be down to earth, and we have to if if if you are able to do the job, if you have the skills, if you have gone to university to study medicine, you want to get a job as a surgeon and have the skills, then that’s what you do.
You say, know, I’m a good surgeon. I’m skilled. I can do the job. Have to have to be honest. You just don’t lie.
Don’t exaggerate your the qualities that you do not have. And on top of that, of course, if you can cultivate a good motivation while you’re doing that, all the better. But this this is a very simple straight straightforward thing. It’s just you have to have to just give a good look and and see what what you have. What you really have.
What you really have. Without exaggerating, without lying, and all that. And and you can make a commitment. You can say you can say I can do that. I’m I have the skills.
I have the knowledge. I have the experience. I can do this. It’s alright to do that. This one?
Oh, yeah. Shall we shall we finish? Because it’s starting starting to get late. Yeah.