Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The king’s minister analogy — if a minister harms the public, citizens hold back not from fear of him but from fear of the king’s power behind him — anchors Geshe Pema Tsering’s treatment of non-harm in this 45-minute commentary on Śāntideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. The session builds to that image through an analysis of the three types of samsaric suffering — suffering of suffering, suffering of change, and all-pervasive conditioned suffering — explaining why even pleasant experience is ultimately unsatisfactory because it is rooted in disturbing emotions. Geshe Pema Tsering then draws a pointed contrast: pleasing a king brings only this-life benefits, while cultivating patience and compassion toward all sentient beings becomes a cause for enlightenment. He closes with a brief structural overview of the coming chapters on effort, meditation, and wisdom.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 07 Guide 2002 08 22.mp3
UUID: 6b8431e9-c0b2-4e8b-a731-d7c3c7214ead
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Way of Life (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-08-22
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.5 minutes
Words: ~2,797
Great master Tsongkhapa in his text called the foundation for all good qualities said that the pleasures of the cyclic existence, which are the enjoyment of the cyclic existence are unreliable as well as they are the doors of the entire sufferings. So by so seeking blessings from the masters to bless them, to bless him to develop, to able to develop a great enthusiastic effort to cultivate for the liberation or arhathood by seeing the faults or the disadvantages of the cyclic existence. So what it actually means here is that we experienced numbers of types of 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. The the more you the no matter how much you experience or enjoy the enjoyment of the cycle of existence, but you never be satisfied, and we have never been satisfied up till now from the beginningless saṃsāra. And not only that, not just it gives the unsatisfactory, but also accordingly we work to attain 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 and and and let us experience or, yep, yep, suffer the three types of sufferings.
So there’s the the pleasure of the samsaric pleasure, which appears to be happiness or pleasant, but in reality they are not the true pleasure and happiness. Therefore, we should try to cultivate or or detach or or give up the desire for the the saṃsāra happiness and try one’s effort to to abandon, to get rid of those pleasure, and 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 samsaric happiness or suffering. And by seeing the 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, you know, when everything went wrong, like physical pains and so forth comes, we we work. We want to be free from those suffering and and look for a remedy or help to solve the 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 cling to it or and cultivate it. And due to this, then we cultivate and then yeah.
Cultivate the the the negative karma. And as 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 samsaric existence. When we say that the the happiness of saṃsāra is suffering, and and the people find it very difficult to agree with 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 contaminated positive action. Yeah, so contaminated positive actions arise from the disturbing emotions. So since it causes all the deluded or affliction and therefore, the the 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 that it is a suffering because because its main cause or main root cause is is the the disturbing emotion or the ignorance. And at present time, so because its previous cause is the disturbing emotion, and in future that will 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 time, present time, 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 think very carefully, then one can understand it is a very bad, the suffering of change, because it has tortured you in the past, and it is currently and will in future. Yep. Then the third one is suffering of pervasive conditioning.
And reason why it is called pervasive is because it pervades for entire lifetime or about beginning from the so called the top of the peak of Samsāra and the very end of hell, the great Avici hell realm. Because and and and they were continuing keep and taking burden burden take keep taking rebirths and go through the huge suffering. And and as far as one has not that one, yep, didn’t achieve the liberation or or liberation or ultimate happiness, one will not be will not be free from the sufferings and and this this suffering of pervasive pervades entire rebirth. Right. Right.
So, you know, and the suffering of pervasive condition is also the result or projected by the disturbing emotion and the action, and even in currently it acts 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 the what we have described here are the 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 so you should not rely upon the temporal happiness produced or produced by those samsaric actions and should should think about the reality ultimate mode that apparently currently or temporarily they appear as happiness but in reality they are not.
They are suffering. And and and how they are suffering is then recalled to all the the causes and what their current functions and so forth. And through this, by going through recalling all the disadvantages and the fault of those sufferings and the happiness of the cyclic existence, then gradually the one can understand the fault of them. And by knowing the pure understanding of those and, yeah, the sufferings of those sufferings or have samsaric happiness, then you will gradually can develop wish a wish to free from this those suffering, and that is the the the the. So and likewise, the other motherly sentient beings are saying 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 dedicated 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, yep, paying the respect or, yep, the 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. So which would be hundred and twenty eight. For example, should some of the king’s men 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, the servant or ministers, you know, went downtown and then caused the harm to the citizens of the kingdom and boasting around and harming, etcetera and etcetera, and when the person does this, then none of the citizens will get challenged to the minister and letting him do anything he wants because it’s not just it is not that they are afraid of the person. The reason why they’re not challenging or attacking that person is because they know that 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. So that was the example. And likewise likewise, you should not harm other people and should not, or yeah, retaliate or yeah, challenge when somebody causes the problem, little discomfort.
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? The behind the person is all the guardians of the hell realms are there.
Hell beings are there. And by, you know, retaliating the person’s attack and then harming the person 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 results of those actions. And not only that, by harming the person, and that action one places the Victorious Buddhas and bodhisattvas, the Victorious Ones and their sons. By not pleasing them, one also cultivates a very negative karma, And that’s that karma will also give rise to the the bad results. So likewise, how cruel the king is or a very bad king which causes huge problem and suffering to the citizens or the fellow, to the public, but the public, the people will not still the public will still respect the king and have lots of fear, afraid of the kings.
And it is because even though it’s a very cruel and rude king, it is because the reason why they are not doing this because they are afraid of the king’s detention or sentence. So likewise, you know, you should not harm the humble sentient beings, the entire sentient beings and pay respect and have love and compassion towards the sentient beings because if you harm the sentient beings and that is 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 by harming sentient beings 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 paying reverence, yep, respects and pleasing the king, and what one receives is for within this life, one can have a good living, like a good clothes, food, shelter and so forth. But by pleasing sentient beings through love and compassion, you know. And as a result of those, those actions will become a cause to attain enlightenment and yeah. Cause to attain enlightenment and which which which can’t which can’t be given by the 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 in current life by benefiting sentient beings cultivating love and compassion for them and it will also one will also receive the benefits within this life that one will have received the, one will have the good reputation or a fame as well as have good living and happiness and so forth. So therefore by knowing all the results of benefiting the sentient beings now onwards one should try work with great enthusiasm and and work for the sentient beings.
So, yep, should maintain patience and the result of maintaining patience are like, by maintaining patience you will have a good livelihood, good wealth, good companions and will have a good long lifespan as well as good looking, good color. Oh. No. Oh, really? No.
They’re good looking. I confirm the guest again. Oh, yeah. We confirm. So 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 state.
And therefore by seeing all those results or the benefits of maintaining patience and helping sentient beings by seeing those now onward try not to get angry or being disturbed by the sentient beings and cultivate in take all the hardships and maintain the patience. So yep. And they have the what’s it called? Yep. Citation from the Candrakīrti’s Middle Way as well as Nāgārjuna in his Precious Garland, but those the meanings are pretty much the same which are the results of maintaining the patience which we have explained earlier like in a good figure, good color, long life, good wealth and so forth.
And thus, so here it concludes the the fifth, isn’t it? Fifth chapter, is patience chapter of the Bodhisattva’s way of life. Or seven. So here, Thus, the third division here, which is actually the third that is to increase or develop the into 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 the altruistic intention both yeah. In order to develop both the altruistic intention, the conventional and ultimate bodhicitta, they set forth the the seventh chapter, which is effort, and which is the first one here. And then this and the 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 called meditation, which is the concentration chapter, which is to develop the or increase the increase of 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 yep.
The effort chapter into into into into isn’t it? In a way, effort or what the chapter, it’s used. Yeah. Introduction. Yeah.
To start that, it has the, yeah, the first three divisions, which is the two. They yeah. The explaining the brief brief or concise abbreviated. Yeah. The yep.
The first two divisions, which is, you know, briefly explaining the reason why one needs to practice enthusiasm or enthusiastic effort. And the second one is and the explaining in details in the how to or mode of practicing. So now to the first one, which is the The brief explanation on how the reason why reason of reason why reason of practicing enthusiasm is explained in the first yeah. By a single