Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A verse warning against the thought “how shall I ever attain enlightenment?” opens this 68-minute commentary by Geshe Pema Tsering, who identifies a specific form of laziness — not discouragement exactly, but self-defeating procrastination that treats the path as too vast to attempt. He responds by walking through the three principal points of the path: renunciation (seeing cyclic existence as unreliable), bodhicitta (replacing self-cherishing with cherishing others), and emptiness (illustrated by the image of craving food seen on a television screen that cannot actually be eaten). The session then covers the text’s threefold divisions of patience, joyous effort, concentration, and wisdom, using a headache to illustrate how one type of patience reframes personal suffering as the exhaustion of accumulated negative karma. Suited to students following this ongoing commentary on the Bodhisattva Way of Life.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2006 03 07 Bodhisattvas Way of Life.mp3
UUID: 28b6cd5c-4fbc-454a-8a13-6e33ca3f1788
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Way of Life 2005 Mar -2007 (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2006-03-07
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 68.4 minutes
Words: ~5,394
Oh, yeah. So again, I was quoting half a verse from the Bodhisattva Way of Life itself. It’s a verse on the chapter on, how to say, joyous perseverance. And the verse reads, I shall never indulge in how do you pronounce this phrase? I shall never indulge in despondency by entertaining such thoughts as how shall I ever awaken.
Okay. Makes sense? Cool. No? Is it you should I shall I shall never think to myself, how am I going to get enlightened?
So then Geshe-la is explaining the meaning of a Tibetan word, which is which reads is a Tibetan word. It has a very specific meaning. It’s a sort of it’s a sort of laziness, a sort of procrastination, which is a it is a how do you explain that? It is not exactly discouragement, but it’s a sort of laziness that thinks of oneself as not being able to accomplish a certain task. Certain lack of confidence is laziness that of shrinking away from the task at hand.
And that thinks, oh, I’m not going to be able to do this. I’m not going to do this task. So I’m going to work on it. I’m going to engage on only inwardly activities instead, and I’m not going to do that because it’s too big of a job, this enlightenment thing. Okay?
The sort of procrastination, yes. So it’s a so it’s a mind that is thinking about enlightenment. Enlightenment is something that is very far away in the future. There is a is is a lot of hard work involved in getting enlightened. So this this this this person, this attitude, he says, no.
I won’t do that. I want I will just work for my money, for this life, and and forget to think about enlightenment. So then, again, Geshe-la says so then, again, at first, he said, we all we all have this this sort of attitude within ourselves. And then Geshe-la said, oh, well, I I don’t know about everybody in this room, but Geshe-la said for himself, he knows that he has this sort of attitude. And then I also complimented him and said, well, I I have this sort of attitude too.
So then the term is mentioned in the text. The verse is is calling us not to give in to this sort of attitude, to this sort of defeatist attitude. And he’s saying so was quoting the text itself and saying, so we should not give in to that. We should not give in to this to this to this specific type of laziness. We should even though it is a long time and there’s a lot of hardship involved, we should each one of us by ourselves, we should give rise to courage, to a great deal of courage in order to be able to stand in face of the task at hand.
So then then I say so then if if we can give rise to this if we can give rise to courage, then we we will be able in how do say, by stages to accomplish the task we we are we are working for. And then Geshe-la said that many many beings before before us have accomplished the task, have have have accomplished enlightenment. And then because they have they have given rise to courage. And if we also give rise to courage, we’ll be able to accomplish just as they have accomplished. So all we need to do is give rise to courage and and and persist, persevere.
So again, I said that in order to accomplish the task at hand, in order to accomplish an item, we have to give rise to the main three main minds we have to accomplish, three main things to be accomplished. So the first: renunciation, the mind of enlightenment and the correct view of reality. So then, for example, if we if we if we do meditate on renunciation and we think of all the faults of cyclic existence and then we with time, with practice, with familiarization, we’ll be able to to see, how to say, that mind that is that wants to abandon the whole of cyclic existence. And and then when we can we can see that, we can see that mind, then we we have given rise. We have accomplished renunciation itself.
So if if we do investigate, then we will be able to understand, we’ll be able to know that all this how do say? All the the good things of cyclic existence, all the happiness of cyclic existence, they are they are they are actually filled with with faults. They are they are unreliable and so forth. So if we do investigate, we will be able to understand that. And again, said, if we don’t investigate, on the other hand, we will not be able to know.
But if do analyze the situation, then we’ll be able to understand it, then we’ll be able to realize a renunciation. So then, I’m gonna say, so again, if if we if we think about it, if we put our our minds to it, then we will be able to to give rise to renunciation. And we we we if we have given rise to renunciation, we’ll be able to, I say, we will be able to to see when we have given rise to renunciation. We’ll be able to see that mind, that mind of renunciation. Again, then we have we have understood that if we do engage in analysis, if we do engage in investigation, then we are able to give rise to renunciation.
We have understood that. We can give rise to renunciation. We are able to accomplish that. In the same in the same way, we are also able to accomplish the mind of enlightenment. What is the mind of enlightenment?
And is explaining what is the mind of enlightenment? Can I say, well, is is to give rise to the mind of enlightenment, we’ll have to first, I would say, put an end to the self-cherishing mind? And having stopped the self-cherishing mind, we cultivate we cultivate a mind that cherish cherishes others. When when after a long time of meditation, after a long a long time of familiarization, this mind comes about, then we have accomplished this mind that that cherishes other sentient beings comes about, then we have accomplished the mind of enlightenment. And then and then, so then this is very difficult to it’s very difficult to accomplish that because that mind that cherishes oneself.
We have been we have been familiarizing ourselves with this mind that cherishes oneself since beginningless time. It’s a very, very long time we have been familiarizing ourselves with that. So that mind that cherishes oneself, it comes about at all times, at all situations, you know, is how to say, how to say, almost, how to say, naturally or in an uncontrived noncontrived way. It just comes all the time. Even we don’t make any effort, this mind is coming because we have been familiarized ourselves for ages, ages, ages.
And then on the other hand, that mind that that cherishes others more than oneself, and this we are always forgetting this mind. We have to even though we we make effort and we meditate, we this this this how do say? We’re always losing losing this mind from our from our meditation because we have not familiarized ourselves with this mind. We have never before familiarized ourselves with this mind. So then so then from from that self-cherishing mind, I’d say, all all the suffering that we’re experiencing now and all the suffering that we have experienced in the past comes out of this is caused by this self-cherishing mind.
This this self-cherishing mind is a cause of all the suffering that we experience now and all the the suffering that we have experienced in the past. So So then so then all all this sufferings that we we have experienced come come in dependence upon that self-cherishing mind. Whatever happiness that we that we experience now because of that self-cherishing mind is is is the happiness of cyclic existence, is samsaric happiness, which is which in the nature of suffering, which is unreliable and so forth. It is known that self-cherishing mind has not provided us with any lasting happiness or reliable happiness. So then is saying that if we if we think about it, if we put our minds to it, then we will be able to understand that there is no good to that self-cherishing mind, that from that self-cherishing mind, only we only derive the suffering from it, and then there is no and that there is no lasting or reliable happiness that came out of this self-cherishing mind.
So if we, Geshe-la says, if we do put our minds to it, if we do investigate, we will be able to understand that. We’ll be able to realize that. So then so then can I say what he’s saying in the beginning? So then I can say, so then if we’re again, I said, if we if we do think about it, we we will be able to realize all the shortcomings of the self-cherishing attitude. But, again, says that usually, we do not we do not know of the shortcomings.
We do not have knowledge of the shortcomings of the self cherished attitude. We usually, we do not think about it. We do not meditate on it. We do not investigate it. So we we we keep on believing that it is good.
The and then we we how do you say? Out of this belief, we we engage in our activities, whatever activities we’re engaging in. So then I said that if we if we understanding that all the faults of this self-cherishing attitude, then we understand the need to abandon the self-cherishing attitude to this this mind of self-cherishing. And then in order to be able to abandon this mind of self-cherishing, we have to use so we have to use the mind What is the word for that? We we have to apply the mind that is directly opposed to it, which is the mind that cherishes others.
Then we have to understand that out of cherishing others, there is nothing that comes out of it but lasting, reliable happiness. Nothing but happiness follows from cherishing others. And if we have you familiarize ourselves familiarize ourselves with this mind, if we come to that cherishes others is a mind that wants how do say it? It wants to to give happiness to others. Then it how do you translate that?
If if you if you if you bring this mind how do you say it? The the ultimate manifestation of this mind is a mind that wants the the bringing this mind to perfection is is the mind that wishes to accomplish the happiness of all sentient beings. And if if if you you want to accomplish the happiness of all sentient beings, one understands that one must in order to be able to accomplish that, one must oneself achieve enlightenment because one has understood that only an enlightened being can accomplish the happiness of all sentient beings. Then that mind, the the accomplishment of that mind that cherishes others is the accomplishment of the mind of enlightenment. Then if we — Geshe-la says that if we if we put our minds to it, if we think about it, then that mind that wishes to accomplish enlightenment will come about.
We will be able to know that mind of enlightenment. So then if we again again, I said briefly, if we put our minds to it, then we will we we are able to know the when we have given rise to that mind of enlightenment. We’ll be able to recognize the mind of when we have given rise to it. And in the same way, again, again, I explains now the correct view the view correct view of reality. So, again, the same the same process applies to to understanding emptiness.
So we have to understand. We have to think, meditate, how to say? Yeah. We have to think thinking that all phenomena do not exist in the way they appear to exist. All phenomena are like an illusion.
Is it illusion or like a mirage. Mirage. Right? So then they they are like they are like what we see on the television. They they they do they have no existence from their own side, and then and then Geshe-la was saying, so everything, this I, the the or he or or she or the other or the things, the objects, and then suffering and happiness.
And everything is just like does does not exist the way that it appears to exist, has no substantial existence. They are all like like emanations from from magicians. How do you say magicians emanations? Like an illusion a magician’s illusion. Is that is that okay?
If we if we again, if we put our minds to it, if we think about it, then we will be able to understand that the phenomena do not exist from their own side, that they are just like an illusion. So, again, for for example, I give an example? If we see some food on the on the television, on the screen of the television, and then some food that we like, and then we immediately we we we have to this is this craving for this food, and we want to eat it. But we we know that that food on the television, even though there is this this desire, this this craving for this food, we know that that food, we cannot we cannot eat that food because it is it isn’t actually real. It isn’t actually there.
There is no it doesn’t exist from its own side. It’s just it’s just an illusion. And then if if we think of of of phenomena in this way, then we’ll be able to understand the the the illusion illusion like existence. And again, Geshe-la says, this the same eye that we cherish so much that we that we think so highly of this I, this self of ours that we think so highly of because we we we grasp at it existing from its own side as having inherent existence because we grasp at this thought that it does exist from its own side, then we we work for the happiness of this I. We we engage in all sorts of activities for the benefit of this eye.
And then we if but if we if we analyze phenomena, if we put our minds to it, again, assess, we will be able to understand this, how do you say, this illusion-like nature of of of phenomena, of the of the eye and all other phenomena? Mhmm. Okay? So then we can understand now, we can see that these minds, the renunciation, the mind of enlightenment and the correct understanding of of reality, we can see now that we we we are able to accomplish, to attain to these minds. We can see that we can we are able to to to give rise to the mind of of renunciation because we are able to to to think of all the faults of cyclic existence.
We we have that mind that wants to abandon cyclic existence. And then the mind the mind of enlightenment, which is a mind that wants that wants to accomplish the happiness of all sentient beings. And in order to do that, only an enlightened being can do that. So one oneself has to attain enlightenment in order to be able to accomplish the happiness of all sentient beings. And we can see those minds that we have given rise to.
And then we can see again the mind that understands have a correct view of reality. It’s the mind that that understands that all phenomena are like an illusion, are like a mirage. They do not exist the way they appear to exist. We can see now during decision, we were able to see these minds coming about. When we put when when we when we have put our minds to it, we saw these minds coming about.
So if so then again, Geshe-la comes back to the to the verse that he has quoted. And then the verse is saying, so one will not give in to to such thoughts as how do you say? How how shall I ever attain enlightenment? One will not give in to such doubts, to such discouragement, or procrastination, or whatever it is that you want to call it. One will not give in to such mind.
Because, again, Geshe-la says, if one does meditate, if one does put oneself to it, put one’s mind to it, and and and one meditate on on these three principal points, renunciation, mind of enlightenment, and and the correct view of reality, then what will follow from that is enlightenment. So it’s not it’s not it’s not it’s not saying, oh, I can. Geshe-la was explaining. He’s not saying like, I can attain enlightenment. He’s not — one does not have to think about, oh, I I can attain enlightenment.
One has only to meditate on renunciation, the mind of enlightenment, and the correct view of reality. And then the the result that will follow is enlightenment. So one not not giving in to the thought that I how I cannot attain enlightenment. One does not does the other way around things. I cannot attain enlightenment.
One just has to think about the the three three principal points, Sorry. Did you say the result of the the way we those three thing Yeah. Is that? One is enlightenment. Is enough.
Yes. Okay. This one. So then the last time again. So then we should not give in to that defeatist mind that thinks I cannot attain enlightenment.
And one should instead meditate on these three minds of renunciation, mind of enlightenment, and correct understanding of reality. And then what will follow is enlightenment. So then, Geshe-la says so then, still, it is very difficult to practice these three principal points. Right? These three principal meditations.
So it is it’s very difficult to practice. But if we practice, if we do practice, then we will be able to accomplish it, to accomplish the result of enlightenment. So and I that I was giving an analogy. So it’s just like making or or building an airplane. So in the past, there was there was there was only one person who knew how to build an airplane or or how to make an airplane.
It’s something very difficult to accomplish. But now nowadays, there are so many people who know so many, how do say, engineers who know how to how to build an airplane, how to make an airplane, how to pilot an airplane. Because people have studied since they were very young, then they got the knowledge, and they can and they can now they build airplanes so they can fly. So in the same way, if we if we apply ourselves to it, also, we will we will also, how to say, be able to to attain enlightenment. This is like in the past, there was only the Buddha who was enlightened, and he taught other people and other people were able to accomplish.
In the same way, if we if we study, if we practice, we’ll be able to accomplish it. So then in the same way that we, for example, in this life, we make plans for many years ahead of us, for a long ahead of us, but for this life. So in the same fashion, Geshe-la is calling us to to think ahead, many lives ahead, many, many, many, many lives ahead of us, And then start doing this this this practices, this meditation. And then we we plant this this imprints on our mind streams. In the future life, we will be able to improve this meditation.
We’ll meet again with these teachings and we will we will improve them. And then not not long after that, we we will we will be able to to attain its results, enlightenment and its results. Okay? So now we now we we meditate a bit. We think now we not giving not giving in to to a defeatist mind.
We think think I’m going to to attain enlightenment. And in order to do that, I’m going to understand the three principal points of the path. And then with this attitude, we meditate a bit. Mhmm. Yeah.
So then now Oh, yeah. So then we are now we’re going back to the text itself. We are still on introduction to the fifth chapter with the the chapter on guarding alertness. And we are on the topic, which is the divisions of the six perfections. Okay.
This is on the commentary on is not on the root text. So then this is we have gone through the divisions of the perfection of generosity, of the perfection of morality, and we are now on the divisions of the perfection of patience. And we’re saying now we meditate on patience now. And then of the three divisions of patience, we are going to get into the second division of patience. So then, I’m going to briefly mention the first division of patience, which is a patient that disregards suffering that is caused harm that is caused by others.
So the mind that disregards harm caused by others is one kind of patience. And then there is another kind of patience, which is the patience that accept, how would I say, accepts or embraces sufferings suffering that that comes about within one’s within one oneself, within one’s continuum. So, again, I was giving you as an example. So it’s it’s it’s it’s, for example, when we have a headache and we think, oh, you know, it’s okay. It’s it’s not a problem.
With this headache, I am burning negativities that were accumulated in the past. You know, I’m exhausting my negative karma and so forth. And then it’s it’s, you know, it’s the mind that accepts, embraces all the suffering that comes of oneself. And there’s another kind of patience. So then so then, so then, this mind that accepts or embraces the suffering that comes onto oneself.
If, for example, again, gonna give give the example of a headache. If we have a headache and if we give in to to such thought as, oh, this headache is very bad. I’m suffering so much. Then there is gonna say that there is absolutely no benefit out of this mind. Our situation only only worsens if we if we think in this way.
On the other hand, if we accept this headache and we think that like this, we are exhausting a lot of negative karma that we have accumulated in the past. Can I set something else? So what is it? And then and then so then one one thinks that with the headache, one one will exhaust one’s negative karma. Not only that, while while one is experiencing one’s headache, one takes on oneself this the same suffering that other beings or all other beings are are experiencing.
So one one also thinks that one is exhausting this negative karmas of all other sentient beings. And then if one thinks in this way, if one has this attitude of mind, one’s mind will not suffer from the headache. One will have a happy disposition in relation to the headache. Okay? And then the the the third and last kind of type of patience is is this term in Tibetan, the translation that I found for it is is see, the the best translation that I found for this word was faith, a mind that has faith in the Dharma.
But then, I’m gonna explain is is in the context of practicing Dharma, well, in the con in the in the context of of engaging virtuous deeds, is that is that mind that will endure any hardships that come about out of practicing Dharma because one has faith in the in the results that one will accomplish. Because one has faith in the Dharma, then one endures, one one is patient with whatever hardships one is facing while one is practicing Dharma, while one is practicing virtue. Okay? Does that make Does that make sense? Yes.
While we practice Dharma, hardships might come our way. And then the mind that accepts this hardships because one has faith in the Dharma or in the results one is going to accomplish. Okay? And then now we go we get to the perfection of perseverance or joyous effort. Yes.
And then again, there are three types of perseverance or joyous effort. So one is joyous sorry, one is armor like perseverance. And so then and then it’s the perseverance of how to say? The perseverance of the So then there is the the armor like perseverance, and there is the perseverance of accomplishing virtuous dharma, and then there is the perseverance of working for for accomplishing the welfare of all the sentient beings.
And then Geshe-la briefly explains. So armor like perseverance is is is that is is is that courageous mind that is, how do you say? How do you say? That is is determined to to accomplish the task at hand, determined to accomplish enlightenment and the mind of enlightenment and so forth, and to engaging to engaging the armor. So is that armor like so this is that that that gonna make reference to that courage, to the giving rise to that courage that is ready to to to deal with the task at hand.
And then the second type of joyous effort or perseverance is are which to the collection of virtuous dharma, to accomplishing virtuous dharma. So it’s so Geshe-la made a a reference to one word that that that means to to have joy for something or to to rejoice or to or to like something. So maybe joyous perseverance will be better, a better translation of the of the whole word. So because it’s the mind it’s the mind that that derives great joy from doing engaging virtuous dharma, virtuous deeds, the mind that likes it very much, that enjoys it very much. Okay?
So then again and then again, the joyous effort of working or accomplishing the welfare of sentient beings. Again, Geshe-la said, is the mind that that enjoys or that derives a lot of a great deal of joy out of working for the benefit of of sentient beings is and then Geshe-la briefly mentioned, so there are generally speaking, there are two types of there are many types of benefit, but generally speaking, there are two types of benefit. There is temporal benefit and ultimate benefit or the the temporal purpose, which means happiness of this life, happiness of this life, the ultimate purpose, which means liberation and enlightenment. Okay? So then and then we go to the next perfection, which is the perfection of concentration or the perfection of absorption.
And then so then, again, there are three divisions to it. And then the first one is that concentration or absorption that aims at abiding is a concentration that is done for for the sake of of the bliss or or or the pleasures that and the comfort of the body and mind. And Geshe-la, I was asking Geshe-la what what this meant. So for for it’s for it’s done for this life. It may be a specific reference for this life for for the for the sake of of the the pleasure or or the bliss and the comfort of the body and mind of of of this life.
So there is this concentration that is done because when Geshe-la says, when we achieve calm abiding and we achieve the the first absorption, the second absorption, there is this this pleasure, this this this this bliss of of body and mind that that comes out of it. And then then there is concentration that is done for the sake of attaining these these pleasures for this life. And then there is the concentration or absorption that is done for the sake of accomplishing or fully accomplished qualities or good qualities. And then, again, I was explaining. So what is referred to the word, the Tibetan word here that is translated as qualities or good qualities.
It’s it’s talking about liberation and and omniscience. It’s the the is the attainment of accomplishing calm abiding for the sake of being of attaining liberation and omniscience. Omniscience? Omniscience. This omniscience or the state of all knowing.
Omniscience. And then Geshe-la says, Geshe-la just mentioned the third the third division of concentration or absorption is the concentration, how to say, say? So is is the is the concentration? So is the is the concentration that how do you say? That works for the sake of all other sentient beings or works for for the sake of sentient beings.
That’s not a very good translation of of the term itself. But is is giving us as as examples, as illustrations of of this type of concentration. It’s, for example, is is the mind the mind of enlightenment. It’s the absorption on the on the that mind of enlightenment or in great compassion. You know?
It’s it’s the concentration on the absorption on that mind of great compassion. So this sort of this sort of concentration concentration we are talking about. This one?
And then again, as for the the perfection of of wisdom, the last of the six perfections. So wisdom, again again, Geshe-la says there are three divisions to this perfection. So then there is the the wisdom that realizes how would realizes the ultimate, ultimate, and then Geshe-la explains. So then there’s the wisdom that realizes emptiness. And then there is wisdom that realizes the conventional, and then Geshe-la makes a reference to both ultimate and conventional truths that there’s the two truths.
And then there is a wisdom that realizes ultimate truth, and then there is wisdom that realizes conventional truth truth. And lastly, And then lastly, there is the the wisdom that realizes the deeds or the activities that accomplish the welfare of sentient beings. Yeah. Yeah.
This is So then it’s it’s again, I say it’s it’s if if we if we have accomplished the mind of enlightenment, then we have accomplished when when we have accomplished have given rise to that mind of enlightenment, and we have accomplished also that wisdom that that realizes, how to say, the work that is done, the activities that is done for the sake of all sentient beings. It’s it’s just realizing having a realization of the mind of enlightenment. So it’s a it’s a To give a to give an easy easy illustration of what will be as an activity or realizing such an activity is, for example, when the the Buddha or an enlightened being gives food to a dog. So then, again, it’s understanding the the the giving food to the dog is for the sake of benefiting the the sentient being. The the understanding that the work that you do in Buddha house is for the sake of benefiting sentient beings.
Realizing that. Not everybody, how do you say, has this wisdom. So, again, I was giving as an example that you might be working at Buddha House, not not necessarily because you you have the wisdom and understands the work that accomplish the benefit of of all the sentient beings. You might you might be working, and I say, you might be working for the sake of just earning some money or whatever. We don’t know what’s going on on on each person’s mind.
So each one of us has to look for for themselves what’s going on in their minds. It depends on our on our motivation. So now we have time for a few questions? K.