Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 15-minute Q&A session, Geshe Pema Tsering addresses a pointed question about what motivates a bodhisattva to keep taking rebirth — and what changes once enlightenment is reached. He draws a clear distinction: before enlightenment, rebirths are driven by karma and afflictive emotions and are unavoidable; after enlightenment, a bodhisattva returns freely, by wish, wherever benefit is possible. He then fields a question on the relationship between renunciation and bodhicitta, stressing that both are genuinely difficult yet should never be abandoned — aspirational prayer and continuous reflection are the practical antidote. The session closes with a question on whether mindfulness protects against physical harm from spirits and demons; Geshe Pema Tsering explains that such harm is karmic in origin, and guarding the mind prevents that karma from ripening at all. Suited to students actively studying the Bodhisattva Way of Life text.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2006 03 21Q Bodhisattvas Way of Life.mp3
UUID: 05f1183f-7874-4899-896b-4fa869733d05
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Way of Life 2005 Mar -2007 (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2006-03-21
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 15.5 minutes
Words: ~830
So now, yeah, can I say so if you have any questions now? Yes. I have a question from the motivation. When, again, I was saying, you know, motivate the lowest scope. You motivate So then I think so then, yeah, yeah, well, the the the whole thing with the beings of small scope, beings of middling scope is correct.
The beings of great scope, they will they will take as many rebirths as as as as as necessary until they attain enlightenment. And then until they attain enlightenment, all these rebirths are compelled by by karma and afflictive emotions. So they are they are they are inevitable, so to speak. And then after they attain enlightenment, I was asking them after they attain enlightenment. And after they attain enlightenment, well, they might they might wish to to take birth in in in in different places or whatever they wish to go, but it is out of their wish to benefit sentient beings that they will do that not by force of karma and afflictive emotions.
They’re not they’re not impelled by karma and afflictive emotions, take rebirth in certain place. They go anywhere they they like. They are born anywhere they like in they see it is going to be beneficial. Is that okay? Yeah.
That’s that’s excellent. Except that somebody like me won’t come back. Okay. In order to get a good rebirth. Yeah.
For the highest goal. For the highest goal. So then you’re say so then the main thing, the most important thing is is to cultivate the the mind of enlightenment. In order to be able to accomplish the mind of enlightenment, one must cultivate the mind of renunciation. Then I was explaining, if one has the mind of enlightenment, then not only one the result that will follow will be enlightenment itself.
Also, in all future lives, one will attain good rebirth. And then also, we want one will attain liberation, and one will attain enlightenment. One all those good things will come about out of cultivating the mind of enlightenment. Is there enough dedication at the end? We all do.
So then the last answer is Renunciation is difficult, and and the mind of enlightenment is even more difficult. But then we should not think that it is difficult, we should not leave it aside. We should be thinking about it as much as possible, and you should make aspirational prayers as much as possible in order to be able to develop the mind of enlightenment. We should be all at all times, reflecting on on on on renunciation and making aspirational prayers that we may be able to develop the mind of enlightenment and so forth, like like the dedication we have in the end. This is difficult.
Yes? Oh, be tired. Be tired. Oh. Tired.
Oh. Difficult. Difficult. Very difficult. Oh, very difficult.
I think I was supposed to call, but I’m still trying to get my head right. It’s okay. If We all try it. So then so then there’s nothing like that. There are there are all sorts of all levels of suffering in the human realm itself.
There are there are big sufferings and small sufferings. And then if if those are human beings that you are referring to, then those are the sufferings of the human realm. They are not But it’s worse. Much worse. Much worse.
Maybe one one last question maybe? Yes. I think it’s on this war when he talks about harm or demons and stuff harming us. Yes. Can does that refer to can can our body be is that referring to not even harming our body, or is it just that our mind will be, you know, in in a state where we won’t perceive any harm?
You see what mean? Is it like that no physical harm will come to us? Is it just that will our mind protect us from physical? Will that state of mind, mindfulness protect us from physical harm? Or Or or is it just that that we won’t sort of have any suffering from even if we get physical Even if they have all those So then can I say so then all these these these evil beings or spirits or demons or whatever, so whatever harm that the the that we are to experience from them, it it comes out of karma that we have created in the past?
Now when we guard our minds, from mindfulness and alertness, when we guard our minds, then we we stop this karma from from, how to say, from ripening. We stop this karma from ripening, from coming about. And then so then if if if if this this karma is stopped, then they they are not able they they’re not able to harm us. Okay? Okay.
Okay. So that is what you get for guarding the mind. So shall we finish? Page twenty six of Morning Prayers.