Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A verse attributed to the Buddha — proclaim your own faults everywhere, and stop looking for others’ — opens this 78-minute session in Geshe Pema Tsering’s ongoing Bodhisattva Way of Life commentary. He uses it to contrast worldly qualities such as wealth and status with the real Dharma qualities none of us yet have — renunciation, the mind of enlightenment, understanding of emptiness — concluding we are all like beggars without them. A reflection on future lives and the mind’s role in practice (illustrated by comparing the President of India’s hundred-year horizon with Geshe-la’s own admission that he can barely think past tomorrow) leads back to Chapter Five: the nature and divisions of the six perfections. Geshe-la walks through the three types of generosity, three forms of morality, and the first division of patience. A Q&A closes with a story about a bodhisattva who killed a would-be mass murderer to protect five hundred people, using a pointed contemporary analogy to unpack the karma involved.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2006 02 28 Bodhisattvas Way of Life.mp3
UUID: 2dc39785-f207-4011-8981-e5451fe28653
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Way of Life 2005 Mar -2007 (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2006-02-28
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 78.0 minutes
Words: ~5,754
So then Geshe Geshe-la is quoting a verse that was spoken by the Buddha, and the verse reads something more or less like this. Make one’s shortcomings well known or proclaim them out loud and everywhere. And and do not go on searching for others, how to say, mistakes or shortcomings. Okay? Okay.
So, Geshe-la is saying that, normally, we we we wouldn’t we wouldn’t like we wouldn’t wish to to proclaim out loud and in public our own faults and shortcomings. We wouldn’t like to to tell everyone about our own faults. And then on the other hand, the verse is telling us not to to search, go on looking for other people’s shortcomings, and then and that’s we we do exactly the opposite. We all we always are looking for other people’s shortcomings and pointing them out. So then Geshe-la is saying that we have a we have a worldly how do you say?
That which is worldly and that which is dharma, and they are they are contradictory. And then the verse goes in the same in the same way. So usually, own thoughts, we we we we don’t look at our shortcomings. And and if even if we look at them, we don’t we don’t make them known. We hide them.
And then we we go on looking for our own qualities to to show off and so forth. So then can I say and and then when when we emphasize our own qualities and we we start talking, showing off, talking about our own qualities to other people, or when people are are praising us and and talking about our qualities, then great pride comes about? And then when this great pride comes about, then there’s not no no good Dharma practice can can come after you. So then so then when people praise us and they say, oh, the some somebody else is saying that we have great qualities, then we we act as if as if we were great scholars, and then we engage in all sorts of activities in order to show off these qualities. And then like this, Geshe-la says, where we are creating a great fault and how to say to say we engage in worldly activities.
We created the causes of more cyclic existence. So then and then the second sentence of the verse is telling us us that we should not look. We should not search for others’ mistakes. And then Geshe-la is saying, so we we should not look for for the shortcomings of other people. And then Geshe-la is explaining it.
He’s saying, what what did I say at first? Geshe-la was first saying that there is no one who does there’s absolutely no one who does not have some fault. All of us all of us have faults, have shortcomings. There’s not one person who does not have faults and shortcomings. And then but but furthermore, we ourselves, because we have this obscuration of ignorance, we have this this afflicted conceptions, then we can only see faults on other people.
If we see faults even on the Buddha. So then Geshe-la is explaining. So then we should not we should not go on pointing out to other people’s shortcomings or mistakes. So then something very important follows from from these verse. So then is explaining in order to to to be able to in order to practice good Dharma practice, then we have we have to to look for our own shortcomings and faults, and we have to make them known.
And then we have to to see ourselves. We have to put ourselves in the in the lowest position and see ourselves as not having qualities as having a lot of faults. And in fact, even though we work and we earn money and and we strive we engage in all sorts of activities in order to earn money and so forth, all these activities, they are not actually from the point of view of of dharma, they are not by themselves. They are not, how to say, faultless. They they are faulty activities from the point of view of dharma itself.
So So then, again, just mentioned then people who who for example, they work a lot and earn a lot of money, and then many people will think of this person as having many good qualities of of being a a good person so forth. But from the point of view of dharma itself, then there is there is not not there’s not any good in it. It’s it’s it’s all faulty. So then if if one investigates or or or or how do you say if one analyzes oneself in looking for for qualities, then the qualities that we have to look for, you know, was saying, so the the the real qualities, the actual qualities that we have to cultivate and look for are renunciation, the mind of enlightenment, the view that understands and that understands emptiness, realization of impermanence, realization of precious human rebirth. Those are those are good qualities that we have to look for.
Then, again, Geshe-la was saying that then we don’t want — we do not have, all of us here don’t have any of those qualities. We do not have renunciation, realization of impermanence, of emptiness, of bodhicitta, and so forth. So we are like because we do not have any of these qualities, the the real real meaningful qualities, we are like we are like, oh, we are like destitute, like beggars. We are all like beggars. So that there is because we do not have any of these qualities, there is no there is no way we can think of ourselves as as as being good or or virtuous or having quality.
We can we can hardly we cannot even, how do you say, guard our our practice of morality well. So we can there is no way we can think of ourselves as being good or virtuous or with with having good qualities and so forth. Oh, this one. So then again, I think so then we we should we should see then. We should looking at ourselves, we should we should understand that we do not have any qualities.
We have we have only faults. And then thinking this way, there will be no no place for pride for pride to come to come about if we think in in in this way of ourselves. So pride will not come about. And then Geshe-la is saying that there are very few people who can think of ourselves in such a way who can think of ourselves of of oneself as as having having no qualities, having only faults, and so forth. And most of ourselves, we we we like to think of ourselves as as being good of of having this and that quality and so forth.
So Geshe-la says that there is not one person who would who would think of themselves as being poor, as being like a beggar, as having no qualities or no virtues and so forth. We all we all think, oh, I know I know many languages. I I have this money. I have this job. I can do this.
I can do that. We all think of of our qualities and so forth. So then I say, so now the the concept we we might we might think that of ourselves having certain qualities or maybe we we become a king or some somebody with a lot of knowledge or who knows many languages and so forth. We we think of of of these qualities. But in fact, these qualities do not bring any benefit to ourselves beyond this life alone.
They they they cannot bring any benefit to us. They are not of any benefits to to future lives. So then because of that because of that, because of all all these things that Geshe-la has explained, on top of that, because we cannot stay in live for more than one hundred years, say, in this life. So because of because of this all these reasons, we have to think of future lives. We have to think of of all our lives up to the day up to the to the day we achieve enlightenment.
And those are many lives. Those are many thousands and hundreds of thousands. There’s a millions, hundreds of thousands of millions of lives to come. It’s a very, very long way to go. And that’s how we have to think for the purpose of these many rebirths that we have to think about.
So then Geshe-la is is giving some illustrations. So for example, he’s giving, for example, the what is it we have in in in India? Is it prime minister or a president? In India. India.
The president. The president of India. Yeah? Both. Okay.
Let’s say that the president of India, he can he’s a a very educated person with with with a very good education, and he has worked and and and given a lot of thought to to maybe one hundred years to to his country and so forth. But he cannot think beyond one hundred years. All his actions are are in in the scope of one hundred years, within the scope of one hundred years. And then Geshe-la was giving Geshe-la himself as an example, and he thinks, well, if if the president of India, who who is very educated and and highly educated person cannot think beyond one hundred years. He doesn’t have a scope of reflection, beyond one hundred years.
And Geshe-la himself who who said that he himself is a person who is very he he called himself very humble with a very small scope of mind. He’s referring to himself in this way. And then Geshe-la was explaining that he himself cannot think of one year ahead of himself. He can hardly think of of the of tomorrow. He’s given example, himself as an illustration.
So then, Geshe-la then, so these these are if if if if we think like this, like this illustrations that Geshe-la gave, thinking like this, we are not doing any Dharma practice, any actual Dharma practice. If we want to do real Dharma practice, then we have to think of of the life to come up to the up to the time when we achieve enlightenment. Think of a future the future lives up to the time the next life up to the time when we achieve enlightenment, then we we are doing actual Dharma practice. So then so then if we want to have if we want to practice Dharma, then we have to think of of of the future life, our future life up to the life up to the time when we achieve enlightenment. And the best way is to think of of how do say?
To be thinking of of achieving enlightenment itself, of all the future lives, but thinking of of achieving enlightenment itself, of working for the sake of achieving enlightenment in the future. And then if we want if we want to attain enlightenment, then we have to think of the mind of enlightenment. We have to give rise to the mind of enlightenment. Not only that, we have to give we have to give rise to an understanding of of emptiness. We have to realize emptiness.
And then with these two, Gela says these two are are the main, they are they are the best practices, the best meditations and teachings to engage in. They are they are the they are the best the the main Dharma practices to engage in, the mind of enlightenment and understanding of emptiness. Excuse me. Could someone please close the curtains, please? So Gala is explaining that if we if we thinking of achieving enlightenment, then we have to give rise to the mind of enlightenment.
We have to we have to develop an understanding of emptiness. Thanks, Mark. And then if we are to give rise to the mind of enlightenment, we have to we have to develop we have to think of of all the stages that lead to the development of mind of enlightenment, recollecting one’s one’s mothers and their kindness and repaying their kindness and so forth. And then further. And then thinking of of of the, one must bring all sentient beings to enlightenment.
In order to accomplish that, one must achieve enlightenment. Then one then develops the wish, then may may I want myself achieving enlightenment then. And then with this given rise to this motivation, whatever dharma activity we engage in will produce results, Gela says, that are inexhaustible. The results that we produce with such motivation — that we will produce out of this motivation — there is no end to them. We will experience them in the next life, the the life after the next, and the next one, and the next one until the day we will experience those results.
They are, as said, inexhaustible. So then the last is that Dharma practice depends on on our mind. So whatever activity we will do be what determines the the quality of this activity, if it’s going to be Dharma practice or or worldly activity, is is is our mind. So if we think of a future life and enlightenment, then we are we are doing a Dharma practice. If you think of the next year working for the sake of a plan that we have for next year or working for the for the sake of something that we have for today or for tomorrow, then this is not Dharma practice.
You get it. So then Geshe-la is is giving some illustrations. For example, writing the the writing of of letters and so forth, it is it is in dependence on the mind that we can write them. I mean, the hand, as Geshe-la says, it’s just a servant of the mind. But this without the mind, we won’t be able to write letters and so forth.
And the same for a car, for example. We wouldn’t be able to to to make a car if it wasn’t for the mind. Everything depends on the mind. So then if if, for example, Geshe-la is giving another analogy. So if you want if you want to make a car, to build a car, for example, then we have to study.
We have to acquire certain certain kind of knowledge. We have to meet with a professor, with a teacher, with someone who can teach us how to make a car, someone who is going to instruct us. If we do like this and this and that, then we’re going to have a good car. And the same the same and the same goes for for enlightenment. We if we are looking for enlightenment, if we do not have a teacher such as the Buddha, then we won’t be able to to attain enlightenment, to to, let’s say, obtain enlightenment.
And then but, if we don’t have someone who explains to us, in order to achieve enlightenment, you have to give rise to the mind of enlightenment, you have to understand emptiness, and you have to to meditate like this, and do like this, and do like that. Without these instructions, without these teachings, we won’t be able to achieve enlightenment. So then so then can I say, so if we call ourselves Buddhists, then it means that we took refuge in the Buddha, and that means that we we are trying to emulate the Buddha.
So we’re going to do as he instructed us. The Buddha himself has said that if then if if if he has taught us that if we give rise to the mind of enlightenment, if we realize emptiness, if we, how do you say, guard our our our our our karma, we act according to karma and to cause and effect the to the to the laws of cause and effect and and and so forth, then we are going to, Buddha said, we are going to to achieve the state of Buddhahood. And then we we have to follow these instructions. Again, just just as as someone who wants to to build a car, we follow the instructions of, I’ll say, an engineer an engineer who who would say, you should put these pieces together, you will get a good car, and then we can go and put these pieces together. So in the same way and and the same goes for other religious systems.
They they have structure instructions that lead them to the results they they they are aiming at. So then, again, Geshe-la explained that just as as to put a car together, there are so many pieces, then in the same way the Buddha has given many many different teachings. And Buddha has explained that if if you meditate in this way, then this mind will come about. This mind having come about, you meditate in this way, and that other mind will come about. And then if if you keep on meditating in this manner, then you will attain the the state of a bodhisattva.
And if you keep on meditating in this and that manner, you achieve you attain enlightenment. So then so then Geshe-la is saying so then but it it it’s very it’s it’s very difficult to understand the teachings of the Buddha himself, those scriptures that refers to the teachings of of of the Buddha himself. So because of that, Geshe-la says, so if he himself were to to read one of the sutras spoken by the Buddhas, it would be very difficult to understand because the the vocabulary is very old. Some words are very obscure. Some constructions are very difficult to understand and so forth.
So because of that, we have to rely on the commentaries of of the Indian Panditas and the Indian masters. And then and then so we studied the the commentaries of Indian masters. And if if those commentaries are difficult, then we rely on the on the explanations and the works of the Tibetan scholars and so forth and and so forth. And like this, everything becomes clear and clear. So then I realize so then then even even all these works of of the Buddha, the Indian scholars, Nālānda panditas, and the Tibetan scholars, and then even even all those works, maybe we do not we do not understand.
And even if we do understand the little we understand. Even if we understand, we understand just a little. And the little that we understand, we we do not we do not put in practice. We do not meditate on it. We do not reflect on it.
This is nothing but, how do you call it, lip service. Say that? Oh, okay. So then so then Geshe-la is so then that that being all that being said, Geshe-la is calling us to to to think well, to think carefully. We have to think carefully, and then we should not engage in in in activities for the sake of this life.
And if we if we really want some lasting happiness, some reliable happiness, then we we have we will give we will think of of of the future lives to come. So then all that because of all that we’re gonna explain, then now we we meditate briefly on the mind of enlightenment. Okay? So then now you guys so now we we while we were meditating, so many many thoughts that are not the thought of enlightenment came about, didn’t it? So now we go back to the Bodhisattva Way of Life.
Okay? We’re still So then we are still on the on the on the beginnings of of the fifth chapter of the commentary to the Bodhisattva Way of Life. The fifth chapter is the chapter on guarding alertness. And then there’s a big introduction to it. And in this of this introduction, we were on the part of the introduction that refers that explains the nature of each of the six perfections.
And now we are on on the perfection of of concentration of absorption. And so the text reads, so the concentration or absorption is the mind that abides one pointedly in in in whatever virtuous object of observation there is. So but Geshe-la explains so generally speaking, this concentration or absorption is referring to calm abiding. But then if we if we talk about the all the absorptions and and calm abiding itself, the even even the non-Buddhist schools of thought have these practices of absorptions, concentrations, calm abiding. But when we we are talking about the perfection of concentration or the perfection of absorption, then we are talking about an absorption that is practiced within the context of the mind of enlightenment, of having given rise to the mind of enlightenment.
So then and then as for as for wisdom, what is called wisdom, then that which is which which is how to say? It is that which discerns. So that which observes the ultimate or the conventional that is called or designated wisdom. And then Gela briefly explains. So when we’re talking about the ultimate, we are talking about emptiness. And then when we’re talking about the conventional wisdom, we are talking about the mind of enlightenment, the six perfections, and so forth.
And then and then there is the wisdom that fully analyzes how does it I cannot emphasize it two times. Anyway, it fully analyzes, how do say, objects or what would be called in in in strictly as a functional object, but but things, everything. It’s it’s talking about every phenomena, which analyzes what exists, what does not exist, what is, what is not, what is what is virtuous, what is not virtuous, and so forth. But there is also this wisdom. Okay?
Then this this is the the teaching on the on the on the nature of the six perfections. Now we go to the to another topic, which is the divisions, the divisions of the six perfections. So as for the perfection of generosity, there are three divisions. There is the or the perfection of giving. So the be better.
So there’s giving dharma. There is giving material material things, and then there is giving giving fearlessness. Protection from fear? Yeah? Make sense?
Protection from fear. Okay. There’s these three. Okay. This one.
So then Geshe-la is explaining. So for example, the the giving of of Dharma is is is is teaching Dharma. And then also, Geshe-la makes a reference to to other teachers. Somebody who is teaching how to make a car, how to build a car, someone who is teaching how to read, or someone who is teaching us how to write the alphabet. They are all giving us knowledge.
They are all giving. And then the giving of material things or goods and so forth, then we all we all know it’s like it’s giving money, giving food, giving objects, and so forth. So then okay. So then giving the third the third giving, which is giving protection from fear. Geshe-la was giving for example, if someone, for example, was trying to kill me, and then if Geshe-la comes and protects me from this person who is trying to kill me, then he’s giving me protection from fear.
And there are many, many such events that we can think of. So then Geshe-la is giving another illustration of of this giving protection from fear. So then we we we eat a lot of meat, a lot of animals. So if if we stop these animals that we eat, chickens or or or fish and etcetera, if we stop them from being killed, we buy them and we free them. We set them free in in in natural environment or whatever.
And we are giving them this protection from fear. So then if if, for example, if we if we, Geshe-la is giving a a beautiful example, actually. If we for example, if we in order to save the life of a of a of a chicken, for example, and then when we are saving the life of chicken, are practicing two kinds of generosity. One, when we are giving the money to the owner of the chicken, and the other one when we are protecting this chicken from being killed and buying it away the from from the person who was going to kill to kill it and setting it free. And we are giving protection from fear protection from fear.
So then now as for the perfection of morality, so then there are, again, there are three divisions. So the first one is the morality of of vows. Then there is a morality of, how do you say, accumulating or or gathering virtuous dharma. And then there is the morality of working for the welfare of sentient beings. Then so then the first one, which is the morality of of vows, and then can I explain?
So this is in relation to the vows of self liberation, the bodhisattva vows and the tantric vows, and not only not only protecting these vows, but also avoiding engaging in negative deeds, which is to say abandoning the ten non-virtues. And every every, I’d say, action of of stopping oneself from engaging negative deeds. So this is the perfection of the the, let me say, the morality of of vows. This one. And then now the the the the morality of collecting virtuous Dharma.
And then so then whatever whatever Dharma activities that we do, reciting text, meditating, reading the text, studying the text, going to the teachings, whatever virtuous activities of body, of speech, and mind that we engage in, those are are the moral morality of of, how do say, gathering or collecting virtuous Dharma. And this one. And then and then the last one, there is the the discipline of working for the benefit of sentient beings, for the purpose of sentient beings. And then Geshe-la said, whatever action that we do, thinking not of benefiting oneself, but of benefiting other sentient beings, such as giving money or whatever work or activity that we engage with this motivation in mind will be the morality or the moral activity, the discipline actually, the discipline of acting for the benefit or the purpose of sentient beings. Okay?
Okay. This one. So then as for as for patience, not the perfection of patience. So the first one of them is the patience that’s how to say that is unconcerned or is indifferent or doesn’t think anything at all of of the harm that others cause to oneself, that is being indifferent to the harm that others cause oneself. Yeah.
Well, it’s Geshe-la was explaining. He was saying Geshe-la was saying, so then it’s it’s like when someone harms us, and then we think, oh, there’s no problem. I mean, you know, the then we we think of them with pity, with compassion. They’re doing a negativity. They’re getting angry.
And then we we do not get angry. You know? And we thinking like this, we we ourselves do not get angry. You We do not engage in negativity. And then this attitude, this this action is is patience that disregards the harm caused by others.
Yes. How was that? Tolerance? But the because the the the the Tibetan word clearly clearly clearly states use the words that we talk about not thinking not thinking about those activities. Yeah.
Not concerned with So then Geshe-la says there are many ways that people can harm us. They can they can they can say harsh words towards us. They can they can beat us, or they throw things at us. There are so many ways that people can harm us, and then we can we we have to think, oh, there is no problem. This they cannot actually harm myself.
How do you say? If if if they if they if they they rob us or take us take our money away from us, then we can think, oh, this is it’s just money. It’s for the sake of this life only. This money cannot bring me to enlightenment. My the merits that I have accumulated with the mind of enlightenment, they are inexhaustible.
Those they cannot rob rob them away from me. Maybe this person needs the money. So whatever whatever thought we can give rise to that will make us not get angry or or or engage in any negative deeds, those are the patience that how to say? Okay. So then so then and then, again, Geshe-la was making it more briefly, more condensed, explaining the meaning of of this this practice of patience.
And so whatever it is that one person does that someone does that makes what we want to obtain not come about. So whatever this person does or whoever does that, so whatever whatever we can think of that that will help us not to get angry with the person or to generate negativity towards a person that stops us from from getting what we wish for, then that is patience. The the practice of patience. No. So this is this is very difficult.
So therefore, is very difficult. So for example, if if if a robber comes about and we are going to immediately say, no. Don’t don’t don’t rob me, and then we are going to get angry. We are going to engage in negativity. That’s what we usually do.
We do not we do not think of practicing patience at that time. I give you the sense of, for example, if if if if Geshe-la were to tell Luke here that he calls me a robber. He says, tell Luke that I am a robber, then I I immediately would I would get angry. I would say, what are you talking about? Why why are you telling him that I am a robber and so forth?
So then I go, like I say, so then immediately, get we get angry. In this case, immediately, I will get angry. But then what we have to think is that if if I know that I am not a robber or a thief, then there’s no place for anger to be. He calling me a robber, don’t make me a robber. So there’s no no place here for getting angry.
So then there is no place for for getting angry. No. If and if I get angry, when when Gala calls me a robber towards tells him that I’m a robber, if I get angry, then I’ll I’ll get angry, and I start fighting with him, and I start fighting with them. And then, you know, I I he he doesn’t get any happiness. Don’t get any happiness.
Geshe-la doesn’t get any happiness. Nobody gets any happiness at all. No. So then so then the best thing we can do is to meditate on emptiness in this situation in this case. Oh, I’m so sorry.
Sorry. On patience. On patience. I’m getting I’m getting confused already. So then so then we stop here today.
So we stop in the divisions of the six perfections. This is the division this is the divisions of of patience. We explained already the first division of patience. There are two other ones. Geshe-la will explain on next Tuesday.
Okay? So now we have still time for a few questions. This one. You have any questions? Tibetan, sir.
You got it from Tibet? No. From from from Lhasa, in capital of Tibet. Oh. Yes.
Yes? Giving protection. Giving protection? So then says, yes. That is giving the protection from fear if such a such is the case.
And Geshe-la has given the illustration of of one of the previous lives of the Buddha Śākyamūni himself. Is this this one? Yeah. Yeah. Of the Buddha Śākyamūni himself.
I don’t know how to translate exactly the name of of the Buddha Śākyamūni in that life. He had a different name. And then this bodhisattva was in this in this ship, in this boat, where there were other five hundred people. And there was this other person who I I I don’t know how to translate his name. There was this other person.
This ship was carrying a lot of precious jewels. And this person, he wanted all these jewels for himself, so he thought he he would kill all these five hundred people and get all the jewels off for him for himself. Then the the that incarnation of the Buddha Śākyamūni, which was a bodhisattva at that time, that bodhisattva, he knew of of this person’s intentions, and he went to try to dissuade this person from from from from killing all these people. He he talked with him. He tried to talk him out of it, but this person wouldn’t listen to him.
So that incarnation of the Buddha Śākyamūni, that that Bodhisattva then killed this person. And out of killing this person, again, Geshe-la was explaining that that incarnation, that bodhisattva, he gathered the equivalent to one hundred kalpas, one hundred eons of merit. It was a virtuous deed. Yes. Yes. Yes. But it was in dependence on his mind of enlightenment that it turned out to be beneficial. Not for an ordinary human being. So if, for example, Geshe-la is is being a bit more precise now. If if if, for example, we know that Osama bin Laden is going to kill five hundred people, and if we kill Osama bin Laden in order in order to protect five hundred people, then we will get the the negative karma of having killed one person, having killed Osama bin Laden.
But we will also get the good karma of having protected five hundred people from from being killed. Doesn’t work that way. Are are you and Hiro? Are both of you going to kill Osama bin Laden? So so that’s it.
We finish here today. Okay? If you keep on saying out loud that you are you are going to kill Osama bin Laden, and when Osama bin Laden gets to know that, he’s going to kill you. It would be, like, ten minutes. Yeah.