Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The blind turtle that surfaces once every hundred years in a vast ocean, unable by chance to slip its neck through a floating yoke — an image the Buddha delivers directly to a gathering of monks in a quoted sūtra — sets the tone for this 71-minute commentary on Śāntideva’s Bodhisattva Way of Life. Geshe Pema Tsering works through verses 18 to 26, building a cumulative argument for urgent practice: without virtue now, the lower realms await, and once there, escape is nearly impossible because suffering itself generates fresh negative karma. He weighs the stakes precisely — one moment of anger toward a bodhisattva can produce an eon in the deepest hell — then turns to daily confession using the four opponent powers as the practical remedy. The session closes on verse 26’s warning that wasting a precious human rebirth is like being hypnotized by a spell.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2005 11 22 Bodhisattvas Way of Life.mp3
UUID: b43bbdd4-a05d-43b9-8581-1205616ca302
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Way of Life 2005 Mar -2007 (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2005-11-22
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 71.3 minutes
Words: ~4,317
So now, the announcer is saying that we should develop a good motivation. So again, we should develop motivation thinking in order to benefit all sentient beings, we must achieve enlightenment. And in order to accomplish that, we are we are now going to engage in the study of this text, the Way of Life. And then and then we should study the Way of Life, and then we should reflect reflect on it, think about it over and over, and then we should meditate on on this text. And then like this, we give rise to the thoughts for the sake of all happiness, and they do not wish to experience any suffering.
But not knowing not having a proper knowledge, they they end up accumulating more suffering, experiencing more suffering. And then thinking like this, we we generate this motivation that that we must achieve enlightenment to benefit these people. And so we and and to achieve that, we’re going to study this this text now. Yeah. It’s gone.
Yes. No. Is it coming? Can you hear? Okay.
Is it working or testing? Testing? So then now we get into the the we were in the we are in one of the main divisions of the following topic, which is born in the lower realms, there is no opportunity to practice virtue. Now we are in the second division of this topic, which is if one doesn’t make effort when one has got a higher rebirth, one will be confused as to what to adopt and what to discard in order to avoid the lower realms. And that’s being stated.
We go straight into the root verse number eighteen, which reads, if when I have the chance to live a wholesome life, my actions are not wholesome, then what shall I be able to do when confused by the misery of the lower realms? And then, again, I briefly commented that Geshe-la is just saying that if what if now that we have a good human rebirth and discrimination and so forth, and if we do not engage in virtue, when we are born in the lower realms, we won’t experience anything but suffering. So then the commentary goes on to say, basically, what what was already said in the first, but just elaborates a little bit more. It just says, so now that at any time when we have, how do say, the a good opportunity to practice virtue, and if we do not put put effort to accomplish any virtue, and when we are by the time we are born in the lower realms, we will continually experience feelings of suffering, and we’ll be tormented tormented by them, then we will be totally I’d say, we’ll be not to lose it, but we will be totally confused, and our minds will be totally clouded clouded as to what to to adopt and and what conduct to adopt and what conduct to discard.
And we we won’t be we won’t we won’t have a chance. We won’t have the ability to give rise to even a bit of virtue. And so that that being so, we should we should at this time, now that we have a precious human rebirth, we should put effort, practice with effort. So then now we — Geshe-la was commenting on the title of the third topic of of this set of divisions, which is it is extremely difficult to be liberated from the lower realms. So the following allows us to comment on the previous topic that says that once one is born in lower realms, one will not have any any chance to practice any virtue.
And this this following topic, which is very difficult to be liberated from the lower realms. So, again, my sense of if from here, from where we are, there’s only two ways, either to to a higher rebirth or to a lower rebirth. So if if we do not practice any virtue now, then we we are going to end up in the lower realms. And and as it was stated in the previous topic, and as it has been it’s going to be stated now in this in this topic, it is very difficult to practice any virtue in the lower realms. It’s very difficult because of that to to get out of the lower realms.
So we should get out and, again, said that we should put effort to practice virtue now. So then so then the third topic from the from the third topic, we go straight to the root verse number nineteen, which reads, and if I commit no wholesome deeds there, but readily amass much wrongdoing, then for a hundred million years, I shall not even hear the words of a happy, a happy life. Yeah. So, yeah, gonna just briefly said it again. If if we don’t not being able to not practicing any virtue now and then we’re accumulating negative deeds.
And once we are born in the low realm, we again only accumulate only accumulate negative deeds because we won’t have a chance to practice any virtue. So we will stay such a long time there and in such a condition that you won’t even hear the words “happy realm” or “happy.” And again, the commentary goes on to say more or less the same thing that was in the in the root verse and just say so this in the future in future lives, it’s going to be very difficult, extremely difficult to find all the freedoms and opportunities that we have. And so if we do not practice virtue in this life, and we we keep on accumulating many little negativities, then for for billions of eons, we will not even hear the words “happy migration” or “happy.” So now we’re going to another set of another topic, another set of divisions, which is I forgot from which one it was. But it’s the fifth one, which the fifth one from from being careful to abandon the non-virtues.
So it’s the fifth and the last division of this topic, which is the reason why it is difficult to obtain the freedoms and opportunities. It’s the fifth and last topic of being careful to abandon non-virtues. So then we go straight into the root verse number twenty, which reads, for these very reasons, the Buddha has said that it is that as difficult as it is for a turtle to insert its neck into a yoke that drifts upon the vast ocean, it is more difficult to attain the human state or condition. And, yeah, Geshe-la briefly said that it is difficult.
It’s it’s not it’s not impossible, but it is extremely difficult. So now was reading for the commentary, which is quite extensive, and and it was explaining the the the meaning of some very literary difficult words. But it’s probably, you’re all familiar with this passage. So because because it is said that so so it is said that that it is very difficult to end up in a in a happy realm, in a happy rebirth out of out of out of the, how do say, lower realms. So about that, the Buddha the Buddha said in the stated in the in the one text, which is called the Agama of the noble ones or or the sūtra of the noble ones.
It didn’t sound like. So it it stated Buddha stated in this in this text, he was saying he was talking to to I was like, gathering of of of monks, right, of fully ordained monks. So he was directed to them. Monks, he said he said to them, if this if this whole world world we live in, if this whole world were to be a great one great ocean, one vast ocean, all all of this planet would work to be just one vast ocean. And how do you say it?
Floating. There there there were to be a yoke with a with a small aperture with a small opening on it. And and this yoke is that the right pronunciation? Yoke? If this yoke were to be, how do say, moved about by the wind on this on the surface of this vast ocean, then how do you say it?
If if and if there were one blind turtle and made made a point here. The turtle had eyes and could see, you would see the yoke then. It could go straight up, but no. This this turtle has no eyes. It’s blind.
So a a blind turtle that would come to the surface only once every every hundred years. Right? So the Buddha asks monks, what do you think? Would it be easy do you find do you find it would be do you think it would be easy for this turtle to to insert its neck on the aperture of this yoke that is floating on this vast ocean. And and the monks replied, oh, Bhagavan, no.
This is not so. It will not be easy. So then the the Buddha the Buddha told them. So monks, in the same in the same way, this body, body, this human condition, it’s extremely difficult to obtain. So this is the main text, okay, that was quoted. And then the commentary goes on on top of that to say exactly the same thing. So I will not repeat it here, but this is exactly the same thing with no variation. So and at at the end of repeating all this, it just says so. That being so, we should we should we should make effort to accomplish such virtue.
This one. So now we’re going to the second main division of this part of the text, which is being careful to cultivate virtue. And this this topic has three parts to it. And the first one reads, as negativities accumulated in the past are limitless, it is reasonable to make efforts to abandon them. And the second topic says the reasons the karma of the lower realms is not exhausted by merely experiencing the suffering of the lower realms one time only.
And the third one, reasons it is it is reasonable to make effort in applying the the antidotes to the negativities to the negative, yeah, to the negative. That’s it. This end is one. Okay. So then we’re going to the first one of this topic, which is as negativities accumulated in the past are limitless, it would be reasonable to make effort in abandonment.
And we go straight into the the root verse number twenty one, which reads, if by the transgression of one instance, an eon may be spent in the deepest hell, then because of the transgressions I have gathered since beginningless time in Samsāra, what need to mention my not going to happy realm. So, again, I briefly said this bit. So then just one moment, one little moment, one one single moment, which is a very short space of time, one moment of of negativities of a negativity done is enough to to put you to to make us spend a whole eon in the deepest hell, which is the Hell Without Respite or the hell of Ceaseless Torment. That’s the meaning of that hell. Then there is no need to mention that we are not, how do say, going to to a happy realm because of all because we from beginning this time, we have because since we have been in saṃsāra, like, this is from beginningless time, then we have accumulated, like, amazing vast big amount of negativities.
Yes. And this one. So I think this one. So then the commentary goes on to explain the, and it says so just by getting angry to a bodhisattva, generating anger, getting angry towards a bodhisattva for just one single moment. By the force of this negativity, one ends up in the deepest in in this hell of for one whole eon.
So this would specify which is the negativity that makes you wanna be reborn for one whole eon in the in the deepest hell if if if you do this negativity for just one moment. Then if if that happens if that happens for for for just one moment of this negativity, then for all the negativities that we have in our mental continuum that would were not destroyed, all these these these negativity that were accumulated since beginning of this time and were not destroyed by the antidotes. And all these negatives, they are still in our mental continuum. By the force of these negativities, there is no need to say that we will not be how do say? We will not go to to the higher realms.
So so we should put effort in purifying ourselves from this negativities by means of the four opponent forces or powers. Okay? So then the other thing that is very important then that we practice the the the confession, the the purification for for confession using the four opponent powers. Right? Because well, we we all accumulate so many negativities every day, and we do we do not remember most of them, even the negative that we have accumulated this morning, and we we do not remember all that we have done this morning, all all these negativities.
And maybe we got so we got angry so many times. We did so many different things, and we might we might have done wrong to towards Buddhas and bodhisattvas, and we because we do not know. We cannot see, I’ll just say, we cannot see, we cannot discriminate, but we do not know who is a bodhisattva and who is not. So we might might we might have done some wrongdoing towards towards. And also on top of this, and also we do not there there are all these negatives that we have accumulated in previous lives.
So there is we should not think that we do not have any negativity to purify. And and knowing this, we should we should put a lot of effort in purifying. Again, said we should practice the confession practice, the confession purification practice, how to say, as many times in a day as one is able to. And because once we get in the lower realms, as we said before, it’s gonna very difficult to get out of it. Okay?
The that having experience, having having exhausted the results of negative karma, one is is born in the in the happy realms, And then then it is not difficult to be free from the lower realms. If one should think like this, then the root text, the root verse, next root verse tells us, yet, yet having experienced merely that that one rebirth in hell, I shall still not be liberated. For while it is being experienced, other wrongdoings will be extensively produced. And Geshe-la basically said the same thing that while while we we should not think that being reborn in the in in in the realms, and then our we’re going to burn that karma, and then we’ll be reborn again in the higher realms. Because once we are in the in the lower realms, then more negativities we we will engage in more negativities.
And as was said before, it’s just gonna be very difficult to get out of it. So then the commentary goes on to say that so by experiencing the the results of of previously negativities only one time, having exhausted these these results, then that’s that being was experiencing that that suffering will not find himself free from from the lower realms. How do say? Because while while he’s experiencing the results of that previously accumulated karma, at that the same time, by the all the negativities will follow very close how how would you say that? By by the force of of that suffering that he’s experiencing, other other other negativities will follow very close behind how to say?
We’re following on on on the heels on the heels of those of those sufferings that he’s experienced. So the negative will follow. Okay? Everybody, on the on the suffering that he’s experiencing, on the heels of that suffering, he he will experience more negatives will come about. So so he will accumulate.
In fact, he will accumulate a lot of much more negativities. So then in in the the the lower realms, let’s see. Virtue has very little opportunity. And we have a very So now we’re going to the the the third topic of that of that set of divisions, and this topic has four has four divisions to it. Okay? So first one is having abandoned having obtained the freedoms and opportunities, one will be deceiving oneself if one doesn’t put effort on virtue.
And the next topic is the need for experiencing suffering in this life. And then next one, one will be tormented by the suffering of the lower realms in the future. And this being so, the reasons it would it is reasonable to make effort in abandoning negativities and practicing virtue. So now the first one on this topic, which is, I’d say, having obtained the freedom and opportunities, one will be deceiving oneself if one doesn’t put effort on virtue. It is mentioned in the go the the root the root text, verse number twenty three, tells us, so if, when having found leisure such as these, I do not attune myself to what is wholesome, there could be no greater deception, and there could be no greater folly.
Yeah. So now having obtained this you know, as I have obtained this with all the freedoms and opportunities, which is very difficult to find, then if we do not put effort in practicing virtue, in in in getting used to virtue, then there’s nothing there’s no, how do say, greater lie or deceiving than this. There’s no greater delusion than this. So then the commentary goes on to say, so now if we having found this all these freedoms, which are so meaningful and which has this this very very great meaning and which is so difficult to find. Now if if we do not put efforts in in getting used in our ourselves, our our our putting effort in our ourselves to, how to say, the virtues which are the causes of liberation, high high rebirth, then it says there is no other way we could deceive ourselves more than this and not, how do you say, adopting — I’d say not adopting what is the good conduct that is to be adopted and not abandoning non-virtue.
There’s no other way we could be more foolish than this. Yeah. This one. So then the second the second topic is mentioned, which is one we will need to experience suffering in this life. And then we go straight into the root verse number twenty four, which reads, and if having understood this, I still foolishly continue to be slothful.
When the hour of death arrives, tremendous grief will will rear its head, or my sorrows will be black indeed. Different translations to this verse. So can I say so? If if one does so, if if knowing having a precious human rebirth and having discrimination and knowing what is to be adopted, what conduct needs to be adopted, what conduct needs to be discarded, then if one, out of delusion, keeps on procrastinating, then one’s condition one’s condition not remaining the same, one will end up one will have to to die and pass away. Then at that time, one will be how do you say how do you say great distress, great sorrow, great grief will will arise in in one’s mind.
So then if the commentary goes on to say, so if when knowing that we should put effort in virtue and that we should abandon non-virtuous negativities. If we, out of our delusions, how do you say, We procrastinate. We we postpone our practice of the mind of enlightenment and of of the of the the perfections and the trainings of the bodhisattvas and so forth. Then when we are by the time of our death at the time of our death, knowing that we are going to the lower realms, then this great sorrow will will will will arise in our minds. So we should we should put we should greatly exert ourselves now in in in in virtue.
Okay? So then can I say that so now this is all very difficult? I mean, even though we know, how do say, the virtues that we have to practice. We know most of the negatives that we have to abandon. Then but and then we know about the mind of enlightenment, giving rise to the mind of enlightenment, the six perfections.
But then every time that we meet with just a little difficulty and a little hardship, then we already think that we cannot do it or we went we already we we already want to stop practicing these things. We already start giving up on these on these practices. So it’s very difficult. So, again, I said we should not we should not allow this to to come about, and we should we should we should think that whatever little hardship that we are practicing. Okay.
So then he’s saying that so now now while we experience this very little suffering or hardships, then we should we should bear in mind in order to strengthen our attitude. Right? We should bear in mind that now this is something that we’re experiencing now is very is very small compared to the suffering that we are going to experience in the future in the hell realms if we do not practice now. This virtuous. This if you know if you not engaged now in this Okay?
Is that that’s good? Mhmm. So that’s how we should that’s how we should think in order to strengthen our attitude and not not to give up the practice. That’s what was instructing us. Us.
So then now the third the third of those topics, which is one will be tormented by the suffering of the lower realms in the future. And the root verse number twenty five reads, then, if my body blazes for a long time in the unbearable flames of hell, inevitably, my mind will be tormented by the fires of unendurable remorse. Yeah. We’re gonna basically say, in other words, So then the commentary goes on to say that by by having, how do say, weakened our our mind of enlightenment and and so forth, but by the force of this and other faults, when we if we get if we get if we are reborn in the in the hell realms and and we are and our bodies are being burned in this, how do you say it, very unbearable, very difficult very, very, how do say, unbearable fires of hell for a very long time, then at that time, minds will be tormented by by this this also unendurable, by this also unbearable fire of of regrets that we’re going to feel. There is no doubt that this is going to come about.
So so we should put effort now not to be obscured or contaminated by by faults and downfalls. And we should put effort now So now we’re going to the fourth of those set of divisions, the fourth and the last, which this being so, the reasons it would be reasonable to make effort in abandoning negativities and practicing virtue. So this topic has has two divisions to it. So the first one is to be led again to the hell realms after having wasted a precious human rebirth would be would be utter stupidity. And and the sec the second one is it is it is reasonable to think of such behavior as the cause of delusion.
So the first one the first one of them is mentioned, and then, you know, we’re going to do with So then the first one, the first of these topics, like, this how do you say? To be that again to the after having wasted the precious human rebirth would be. And as mentioned, then we’re going to the root verse number twenty six, which reads, having found, by some coincidence, this beneficial state that is so hard to find, if now, while able to discriminate, I once again again am led into the lower realms. Then as though I were hypnotized by a spell, I shall reduce this mind to nothing. Yes.
This one. First verse twenty-six. Having found it, then also this this human rebirth, which is very meaningful also, which is which is a is a state of condition with a lot of benefits to it. And then if we have, by any chance, having found it, then if we knowing and being able to discriminate with what is good and beneficial from what is bad and harmful, if we end up being led again into the lower realms, into the the hell realms, then it is as if we were hypnotized.
Is as if if we a spell were put on us to to cloud us, to obscure us. And then so this is the same as as destroying turning this this mind that is able to accomplish good into nothing. That’s how we should think, which is translated was translated previously as would be really stupid. This one. Okay.
Okay. Okay. Okay. Next time, next, we’re Tuesday, we we begin with the second half of this topic, which is it is reasonable to think of such behavior as the cause of delusion. Okay?