Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The image of a mad elephant — standing for the untamed mind that must be caught and trained — anchors Geshe Pema Tsering’s entry into Śāntideva’s fifth chapter on guarding alertness, in this 45-minute session. He first reviews the full path structure: renunciation plus wisdom realizing emptiness yields liberation; adding bodhicitta aims at Buddhahood for all beings. He then gives a practical morning meditation sequence — recall impermanence on waking, generate renunciation, extend it toward all sentient beings, and develop the wish to attain enlightenment for their sake — noting that even a conceptual awareness of emptiness can adorn that meditation and deepen its effect. Completing Chapter Four on mindfulness, he opens Chapter Five, showing how the rope of mindfulness ties the wild-elephant mind and cuts the root cause of all external harm.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 15 Guide 2002 05 30.mp3
UUID: 49d9ae33-3840-4b7b-a7e4-b7b3f077b718
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Way of Life (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-05-30
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.0 minutes
Words: ~2,682
So now I should try to avoid attachment towards the betterment of this life through contemplating on the antidote, by contemplating on how difficult it is to attain this precious human rebirth, not only that, it also uncertainty of death and and and overcome the attachment by contemplating on on the sufferings of the cyclic existence and those that undergoes to the suffering because of the in through the results, those sufferings of the cyclic existence comes are the results of the the law of karma causes and cause, yeah, cause and effect. So by knowing this, so by contemplating on those two, how difficult it is to find precious human rebirth and uncertainty of the death, as well as the law of cause and effect, and by contemplating on those matters and should try to And by so contemplating on those, it encourage or helps one to see the essenceless of the essenceless of the samsaric existence and its enjoyment. So by doing this then one so through such practices one can develop so called the wish to free from cyclic existence or renunciation, and whenever one attains the renunciation then one enters into the first path of the five paths, which is path of accumulation.
And so using that renunciation as a one wing, and along with it, it needs the help of the other wing, yeah, which is so called the wisdom realizing selflessness. And with the combination of those two, the renunciation, the wisdom realizing emptiness, then one can abandon the the first obscuration, which is obscuration towards liberation. Yes. Yep. So with the combination of those two, the renunciation and and the wisdom realizing selflessness or wisdom realizing emptiness, which is the same, and and so with the combination of those two, then one can abandon those the obstructions towards liberation and can attain enlightenment, attain nirvana or become arhat, but but so attaining that arhathood, one can, one one frees oneself from the cyclic existence, to, in order to benefit sentient beings, one can benefit yeah, benefit the sentient beings thoroughly.
So in order to in order to help sentient beings on the top of those two, one needs the help of bodhicitta. So so therefore and instead to convert one’s thoughts of the renunciation, because by seeing them by seeing that like some like oneself, other motherly sentient beings wish happiness and do not yeah. Wish happiness and do not want suffering. So therefore, in order to in order to help those sentient beings from the cyclic sufferings of the cyclic existence and bring them to the state of ultimate happiness, and I shall attain enlightenment. And such a mind which wishes for so called wishes striving for both the liberation as well as helping sentient beings.
There are two call of wishes that one wishes to attains: one is mere nirvana, is self liberation, and other one is called the wish for enlightenment, that is to attain Buddhahood in order to help sentient beings. And such a mind is so called called the bodhicitta. So therefore it is very important for us to work hard to achieve or work hard to develop the bodhicitta, the altruistic intention, And so to to do so, it is very good if one starts from the very beginning, at the very beginning sorry, early morning, at the moment one wakes up, recall impermanence of the death, how uncertain it is, so meditate on this impermanence of the death, and then recall this the sufferings of the cyclic existence and generate a renunciation or wish to attain nirvana, and having developed that renunciation then direct that renunciation on change it slightly instead of seeing just oneself undergoes through the suffering, yep, directly towards the sentient beings saying that those motherly sentient beings, the same as myself, go through suffering go through suffering and yeah, and wishing happiness. So in and through this, develop a wish to free those sentient beings from the suffering and bring them let them have or bring them to the state of ultimate happiness, and through this and then develop so called the special intention that one is willingly willing to take the burden of burden of freeing entire sentient beings from the suffering and keep them at the state of ultimate happiness.
And by having that then, you know, having developed that special insight and then meditate on wishing that develops the bodhicitta, which is wishing to attain enlightenment or be attained enlightenment in order to help the motherly sentient beings. And that is called So if one can’t go through a whole process of meditation, then one can do it in a simple way thinking that are other sentient beings the same as myself go through suffering which they don’t wish it or they do not want the suffering and do not have this happiness like myself even though they wish for happiness. So in order to let in order to free them from sufferings and bring them to the the state of happiness, ultimate happiness, I shall attain Buddhahood. And with this simple motivation or thought one can do the meditation. So and additional to that, that wanted to attain Buddhahood in order to free motherly sentient beings from the suffering and bring them to a state of ultimate happiness.
On additional to that, along with that meditation, if one also along with the meditation, if one sees the all the objects, the object of the meditation, like sentient beings, sufferings, the attainment which is state of nirvana as well as those who attain, oneself, yep. The sentient beings oneself and so forth, and the enlightenment, enlightenment, the buddhahood and so forth are free of inherent existence. They do not exist in the way they appear. And by doing so, it giving that additional thought to that meditation and it is so called that that meditation on bodhicitta has been adorned, ornamented by the wisdom realizing emptiness, and by doing so, once meditation will become more effective and more virtuous. So so while when one does the meditation on bodhicitta altruistic intention, and if one lets a part of a mind which adorns, to give the element of wisdom realizing, the emptiness, the seeing oneself, the meditator of the sentient beings, liberation, sorry, arhathood, Buddhahood, sufferings of the sentient beings and so forth are free of inherent existence.
Doing so, then it’s called meditations and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings adorned, yeah, with the ornament of wisdom, realizing emptiness. So it is it is so called the meditation on bodhicitta is adorned by the ornament of view of wisdom realizing emptiness. In order to in reality, when one does so, one act actually, one needs the wisdom realizing emptiness, but at this stage, we don’t have the wisdom realizing emptiness, but just by making a thought or the theory of how seeing that the those your phenomenas, those phenomena are free of inherent existence will will yep. Will substitute as the view of wisdom realizing emptiness. So we do a short meditation on bodhicitta.
So last time we stopped at the third subdivision of chapter on consciousness. And this third third subdivision is called the summarizing the the meanings or yep. The the yeah. And so it’s the text says that that that as we had explained earlier of the the the the the particular chapter, one should one should be very conscientious and being very mindful and guide one’s mind in all the time because because so but you should examine one’s mind in all the time. And whenever if one notice that that if one mind is on on the non virtuous part, like under the influence of disturbing emotions, non virtuous and so forth, if one acknowledges then should redirect one’s mind towards and bring it back and thought on the virtuous in a virtuous state contemplating on bodhicitta and and being very conscientious about the vows.
If one has vows, protect one’s vows. If not, then practice lead one’s mind towards the practices of not committing, being yep, leading ethical discipline, ethical discipline of not committing the ten non-virtues, and, yep, should practice the way the the Lord Buddha has has shown us because doing so, then one will, by doing yeah, being very mindful and guiding one’s mind and leading yeah, being into practice through this process, one can attain the nirvana or arhathood as well as enlightenment. If one do not practice, then it won’t one won’t attain nirvana and enlightenment state, it is like the medicine, the doctor prescribed the medicine and the patient refused or didn’t take the medicine, then the medicine can’t cure the disease of the patient. So what it means is it’s a similar way when we receive the teachings, not just teachings, but any sort of teachings, sutras, tantras, and so forth, profound teachings. But if one just listen and do not bring all of one all the hearings into practices and into contemplation and meditation, then they are of no use one won’t attain.
Yeah. Yeah. Here concludes this fourth chapter, which is consciousness. So now we’re into the fifth chapter fifth chapter, which is called guarding alertness. And now it has, yep, the two divisions, main main two main divisions which is explaining the text and the name of the text.
And the first one, for the text it has So, yeah, first one, the explaining the text has four subdivisions. First one is called itself, is the training in the method of guarding alertness. And second one is, yep, training in while guarding the alertness, applying being mindful. This is second one. And along with the mindfulness, one cultivate engage in the cultivate the the activities of the of yeah.
The bodhisattva’s activities. And third one is also the practice of abandoning attachment. Mhmm. And and also and the fourth one is cultivating the other methods of merit. So the fourth one is also training in other methods of cultivating the accumulation of virtues or merit, which means, like, along with the bodhisattva deeds, like, has training, meditating on calm, abiding, meditative stabilizations, and so forth.
That’s what it meant. And and for the so for the first one, being or guarding alertness, it has it has two called brief explaining is it called? And the what is called why explanation or something like that in in more details. Yeah. So and the very first verses which is yeah.
And for the first one, brief explanation is shown by one single verse. One single verse. And So therefore, the first I’m I’m not going to read the English part. What it means is those who wish to attain bodhicitta should train, cultivate the activities of the bodhisattvas. One should always guide one’s mind in all the time, never letting it go to after the non virtuous actions.
And for example, like, being very mindful and then checking one’s mind, and whenever one come to realize that one’s mind is on a state of non non virtuous, for example, like attachment towards any sorts of thing, a man, girl, the object, and so forth, whenever it comes on immediately immediately one should stop, redirect one’s mind and stop letting it go after the non virtues of attachment and change the thought into the positive things like bodhicittas and so forth. By doing so, then one yeah. Through this way, how one guides one’s mind. Without doing this, there is no way of of cultivating the bodhicitta. Yeah. Because bodhisattvas, their minds has been they they are being, yep, very conscious on their actions and always mindful with any actions they do, and their mind will never be never be yeah.
Always remain mindful, and and there won’t be any a moment or a second for bodhisattvas who who whose mind are not who are not mindful. And for the second subdivision, which is explaining in details, has three divisions. It’s a bit confusing. Three divisions. First, we’re saying that all the harms comes through one’s mind and all the so the obstacles or a hindrance comes from one’s mind as well as all the virtuous comes from one’s mind, which are the two.
So and and therefore, the third one is for this reason, one should guide one’s mind is the third one. So and the first one, which is all the hindrances and faults comes from one’s mind, has been explained in the next seven, to give me, seven verse two, three, four, five, So Yeah. So example here is given that the the mind is like as the analogy was the very rough and crazy elephant here in the mind. So in order to capture and train this very yeah. The crazy or a mad elephant, it is not easy.
It it takes time, and one has to be very skillful and first and then try to catch the elephant. And after having caught the elephant and tied it with a very strong rope or yeah, rope, and then use the the tools to train, give the trainings to the to the elephants. So likewise, our friend, our mind our mind is our mind is like a very, very mad, crazy elephant. It is really hard to subdue from the very beginning. So therefore, in order to do so, in order to train that crazy mind, one needs to have the help of the the the hook or the yep.
No. No. Oh, neither the rope or yeah. Yeah. Of the mindful and or a hook, a mindful.
And and place where one ties the rope has to be on a positive actions or a virtuous. Alright? And and therefore so what so in in all the time, every second, every moment, one should always examine the actions of the body, speech, and mind, and being very mindful. And whenever it’s it’s going on the wrong direction, say, wrong direction, catch it and tie it with the rope of mindfulness. So and it is very important to be very mindful and guiding one’s mind in in all the time.
And whenever one comes to manage or to control one’s body, speech, and mind, actions of the body, speech, and mind, and being able to convert them towards the positive action because of the one’s practices of mindfulness. And whenever it comes, then then one will not have a problems of the sufferings of the the, yeah, the sufferings of birth, aging, and death, as well as the virtues, or the practices, or the virtuous deeds that come from the practice of the three scopes — small scope, middling, and the great scope will come very easily into one’s hand. And so therefore and also being very mindful mindful and guiding one’s mind in all the time, and whenever one does so, then one do not need to worry for the external hindrances or the harms, because by guiding one’s mind and the external hindrances and so forth will automatically stop. So the old external hindrances or harms one receives, it happens all because of not being not guiding one’s mind. Because if one guards one’s mind through mindfulness, then external, the the harms or, yeah, hindrances like harms like, you know, from the animals like, yep, the wildlife as well as, you know, being robbed and so forth, as well as, you know, the the sufferings of being tortured in the hell realms by the hell beings and so forth, or all this the harms comes because of not guiding one’s mind.
And if one does so, then by guiding one’s mind, one one one, yeah, one do not cultivate or one abandons all the causes of the external causes of the external problems. And due to this, because because there is no any cause for the external external harms or hindrances, one will not have any harms external harms.