Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 45-minute session, Geshe Pema Tsering opens with a vivid image: sentient beings are like fever patients so delirious they cannot recognize their own sickness — the three poisons of attachment, hatred, and confusion. Working through Śāntideva’s text, he first explains why cause, entity, and result all lack inherent existence, using a baby and its parents as a concrete example, then shows how realizing emptiness permanently closes the door to disturbing emotions and quickens liberation. The session then moves through the four forces of purification: after reviewing repentance, he works through the force of reliance — taking refuge in bodhisattvas including Avalokiteśvara and Vajrapāni, whose wrathful form causes death’s messengers to flee — before introducing the antidotes force, framed as taking a doctor’s prescription for a disease carried since beginningless time. Suited to practitioners following the full Bodhisattva Way of Life series.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 17 Guide.mp3
UUID: 448ca9a8-6eaf-4186-b93c-dd823a687165
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Way of Life 2002 Month 01-03 (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.0 minutes
Words: ~2,882
The great master, Lord Buddha Śākyamūni has stated that the sentient beings circle in the cyclic existence because of not understanding the emptiness and the peace or nirvana. Yep. And they they both the emptiness and the nirvana or the peace are are are not inherently existent. So and those two those two lines shows or teaches the the three doors of liberation, that there are three doors through which one attains the enlightenment or nirvana. So those two lines also explains that that each and every phenomena, they are not inherently exist.
They are not inherently exist in terms of cause, in terms of result or the fruit, and also by their entity. So therefore, the it’s it shows, as we said, that the the each and every phenomena are are not inherently exist, that non-inherently exist in terms of cause, result, or by the entity. But but the sentient beings that lack of lacks the understanding of how this how the or how phenomenon exists. Therefore, because of that lack of understanding, one wanders or circles in the samsaric system. So as we said that not even each and every phenomena are their phenomena are not inherently exist in terms of in terms of cause, result, and their entity.
So how we do prove this, for example, take a little baby as an example, that the baby by itself is not. It’s not a truly exist or inherently exist. So because the baby, the entity itself is not inherently exist, it implies that the baby’s cause which is the parent for example, they are also not inherently exist. As well as because the baby is the cause for the next baby its own child. So and because the causal condition, the baby itself is not inherently exists, whatever result it produces like the baby’s baby and the result is also not inherently existent, or is also not truly existent.
So therefore, so this is how the each and every phenomena are free or not inherently exist in terms of the three cause, result, and entity. But sentient beings, the we lack understanding of how they are not inherently existent. Therefore, we wander in saṃsāra. So whoever realize the how that the cause, the entity, cause, and the result are free of inherent existence or free of true existence, then whenever one realizes that, one can say that person has realized the emptiness. And so whenever one realized or they realize the emptiness or the inherent existence — that inherent existence of cause, entity and the results and from that moment the door of disturbing emotions and so forth have been closed and will never arise.
Yep. So by realizing so, one cuts the door and cannot develop any of any of those three poisons which attachment, hatred, and confusion or ignorance due to that one will not one will not accumulate any non virtuous actions. Because of that, not cultivating any negative or non virtuous actions, then attainment of liberation becomes quicker or the nirvana or liberation or the enlightenment become much quicker or faster. So and not only but by realizing such the the the inherent existence of phenomena, not only one stops cultivating the non virtuous action, it also helps in reducing or the weakening the previous bad karma or non virtuous actions one has cultivated. It weakens them or reduces through their practices and due to this the karma to circle in the cyclic existence becomes lesser and lesser and therefore this is how it becomes or it helps one to attain the liberation or free from cyclic existence sooner.
So at this stage because we this stage we don’t realize or we can’t we just say we don’t or we can’t realize the inherent existence of the phenomena. So due to this it is very important for one to involve or perform the practices of accumulating the merits and purifying, purifying, purify or practice of purification by doing so it will help one to realize the inherent nature of inherent nature of phenomena and one can produce or involve in the practices of the listening to the teachings. So the practice is like, you know, listening to the teaching, reading the text, meditations and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings and so forth. So briefly speaking, then whatever practices one perform, once you perform it for the attainment of enlightenment. Yeah and out of the practices of accumulating the virtuous or virtues or merits, very effective ones are like meditation or training in the bodhicitta or altruistic intention and rejoicing for others virtuous actions.
So at this stage, are studying the the Śāntideva’s Bodhisattva Bodhisattva’s way of life. And in that text it shows the activities or actions done by the Bodhisattvas to attain enlightenment. And not only that, it also teaches how to accumulate or cultivate the altruistic intention bodhicitta. So therefore one should try best to train in these activities of bodhisattvas and cultivate the bodhicitta. And so once you generate the bodhicitta, and to and there are three ways of generating the bodhicitta generating bodhicitta.
And the three ways of developing or generating the bodhicitta is it’s the same that the the same principle is attain enlightenment for the sake of entire sentient beings. But there are three ways. The first one is having a motivation to attain enlightenment together with the sentient beings. That is the first one. And the second one is bring all the sentient beings in the enlightenment or state of enlightenment first and then sorry.
Bring them first and then enlighten oneself next. This is the second one. And the third one is to enlighten first one first attained enlightenment you know first before the sentient beings and once after having reached the enlightenment state, enlightened state and then bring all the sentient beings into you know which is later or after oneself. So these are the three ways of developing the bodhicitta. And in order to develop any of those three bodhicitta, first one needs to understand how one undergoes through the suffering of cyclic existence how one has been in the past and one is going and one will suffer in cyclic existence so to develop any of those three bodhicitta one needs to understand well or see oneself need to understand how one undergoes through huge suffering exactly.
And and by doing so, knowing oneself, you should go goes through suffering in exactly existence from the beginning of time. By knowing so, then feel understand like oneself all motherly sentient beings have been through suffering since from the beginningless time and they are still suffering and and feel compassionate develop compassion and and and and and by knowing they are suffering feel and go on can’t bear seeing motherly sentient beings undergoes to his suffering. And by doing so then develop a mind or a wish to free those motherly sentient beings from suffering and took others more important, they consider others or sentient beings more important than oneself. It is because oneself is just the one, while sentient beings are in numberless. So therefore, you know, just before just before we have recited the seven limb prayers as well as the refuge and so all these virtues one have cultivated from reciting practicing the seven limb prayers, going taking refuge, and all those merit one have collected from receiving teachings on the Buddhist way of life and so forth.
So dedicate all those merits one have cultivated for the attainment of enlightenment, for the sake of all sentient beings. So on such mind or yeah. On such mind, we shall do a short meditation here. So we were dealing going through this the four four forces of of how to purify the negative negative actions.
So and out of those four, we finish the first one, which is called the the power of repentance. Now to the second, which the second force, which is the force of the the object. Right? Pardon? Thirty nine.
Pardon, please? Thirty nine. Forty nine. Yeah. Forty nine.
Did we really go down to the forty nine? Yeah. Protected. That’s right. Anyway, starting from the verse forty nine.
It’s the Tibetan is just, like, upside down everything. Yep. Starting forty nine anyway. The the what Geshe-la was saying is the fifty one. It’s okay.
Oh, yeah. That’s. Okay. So and the second which is the the force of force of object or a reliance. So that where the object or the place where one seek refuge and does the practice of purification.
So as for the object of object or a reliance, they they are many. They are bodhisattvas, Buddhas like Mañjuśrī or Manjughosha, Avalokiteśvara, Samantabhādra, and so forth. And so from starting from the verse forty nine and goes till verse fifty five shows the second force, which is force of object or the reliance. And on in in all those verses, they shows where where where one shows the object of reliance or the force of reliance and how the strength and the miraculous powers they have to cure other sentient beings and their qualities and so forth. So those are the force of reliance or object where the great master Śāntideva, he himself seek refuge, and like Manjugosh and so forth, like Samantabhādra and Avalokiteśvara, Vajrapāni and so forth.
And so like like so likewise, we should recall or we or one should recall all the misstates or a negative act non virtuous actions one have cultivated and remember, remind all non virtuous actions and develop a fear towards what, what, how, or what one has done, and by knowing so and feel, you know, tumbling body and so forth, and then recall all this and then and go in refuge to those protectors and ask telling them that one they’re petitioning the one how one has done this and this in the past and present and so forth, and now and with the fear and request them to protect you and making promise that that one will not accumulate those non-virtuous actions. One. So and not only one recalls all the face and so forth in front of the the the the objects. One also requests and one also make offerings by saying that up till now I have been cultivated all these negative actions, and and it is more likely that I will do one will do more in future as well.
So therefore I feel I feel regret towards what one have done, all these non virtuous actions and today and please let me be under your protection and I shall here offer all my body, speech, mind, and that is now completely belongs to you, and please make good use of my body, speech, and mind. So not only it offers to it it also one also offers one’s body speech in mind too, the Chenrezig, the Avalokiteśvara. So and so one is, you know, say confessing all the mistakes or non virtuous actions one have done and and asking them to and making offerings of your body, speech, and mind, and asking them to make good use of it, not just saying simply one develops a huge fear and and what was the word now? Mourning. You know?
Please, you know, accept my. Oh, yeah. So and the objects where the great master Śāntideva has made are here. It’s clearly written in the text like Samantabhādra, Manjughosha, Avalokiteśvara, Ākāśagarbha, Kṣitigarbha, and Vajrapāni and so forth. So so and one has been one has seen that they also make the request to the they take refuge in vajrapani.
And it is one reason why goes to refuge in vajrapani is is it’s the vajrapani is the has a very ferocious looking and it’s actually a wrathful form. So and not only so that is the main reason because all the messengers of the death, which is, you know, they whenever they seized vajrapani, they just run away. And because if you are under the protection of vajrapani, they just won’t be any closer to you. They just run away because of the vajrapani’s appearance or look. It’s of the wrathful form.
So this is the main reason that one one one he the great master Śāntideva himself goes into the refuge the refuge in vajrapani. So in this set these seven verses, one goes refuge in all those protectors, and after after having taken the refuge, one makes a pledge, and and and by saying that up till now I have transgressed or not not have not been following all the the advices or the precepts given by the great protectors, and now here I’m making this pledge that from today onward, I will I will undertake all the the the advice or pre precepts. So, Larry, and in this text, they have mentioned only a few object or or protectors as numb like, Samantabhādra, and so forth, but the the the the object can be numberless. For example, like all the Buddhas of the ten directions, the Bodhisattvas and the practitioners — hearers and solitary realizers and one’s own spiritual teacher or a master, so forth, they are all the protectors and the object of refuge. So and likewise, an individual each and every individual has their own Dharma protectors and practices, some practices Chenrezig or Avalokiteśvara, some Tārā, some Vajrasattva, so forth.
So they but they are all the object of refuge. So one can so if one practice the Tārā and by doing taking refuge and so forth in Tārā and practicing so, it’s the same that one also receive all the blessings and so forth from the the rest of the protectors as well. So and whatever one one practices one does like taking refuge, doing daily sadhana or commitment so forth, so whatever one does, any any kind of practices one performs, one should do this for the for the purification of all the the the purification of all the non-virtuous actions done in the past and in the in doing currently or in yeah. Currently, and also do it for the for the attainment of enlightenment for the sake of sentient beings. So here concludes the second forces.
Now towards the third one, the subsequent one. And now the third force, which is the force of applying the forces of antidotes. Okay. Mhmm. Now and as for the third forces, it has two subdivisions.
The first one is called the the reason for or reason of teaching or showing the force of antidotes, and the second one, the second subdivision is the actual antidote. These are two. And Okay. And the first one, the the reason why one should apply anti the the reason why reason why one should apply antidote, it was being taught in the next following nine verses, which is from fifty six till sixty four. So the reason why one needs to apply antidotes is because, for example, like the the disease or or or yeah.
Disease the illness one undergoes through. So when one goes through the illness, one, in order to free oneself from that illness,, one will definitely need to seek the help from the from the doctor. And by consulting doctor, take each and every advice or and and follow the prescriptions of the doctor, and one will go and take the medication or yeah. Medication in order to free or recover, cure their disease. So likewise, for us, one, our sentient being or oneself has been been been been sick from beginningless time from three types of disease, the attachment, hatred, and confusion or ignorance, and and in order to free or cure cure oneself from the disease of three poisons, one needs to see the doctor which are taking refuge in or towards the refuge objects.
And so, yeah, likewise likewise, in order to cure the disease one should take refuge in the one’s spiritual masters, the protectors and so forth, and by doing so then take the prescription or the advice like reading, following the text or the steps of the practices stated or taught by the great masters, and with the text, the teachings are like a medicine given by the doctor. Oh, yeah. For example, like, at this stage, if we if one ask somebody are sick like us one ourselves, we we mindset, one will not agree that if you say you are sick, because no, I’m not sick and I’m fine and so forth.
And it is understandable that one may not understand it because we we or one is hugely captured by great disease and due to this one doesn’t understand. For example, like a fever. If one has a little fever, one can understand and go through this had a fever and so forth. If one really gets really, really strong fever, the person have a feeling like illusions and so forth, and then just wandering and wandering and singing and so forth