Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Geshe Pema Tsering opens this 44-minute commentary with Atisha’s three-scope framework — small, middling, and great — to argue that practitioners should aim for liberation or Buddhahood rather than settling for mere higher rebirth. A barley-seed analogy clinches the point: cultivate the higher goal and lesser achievements follow naturally. After a brief guided bodhicitta meditation, the session turns to fourteen verses on protecting bodhisattva vows from Śāntideva’s text. Geshe Pema works through specific daily pitfalls — idle gossip, drawing on the ground without reason, pride arising from wealth or good looks, divisive speech, craving disciples and fame — and stresses examining every action for disturbing emotions before proceeding as the primary safeguard. Suited to practitioners already following this Bodhicaryāvatāra series.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 21 Guide 2002 06 20.mp3
UUID: c85865c2-cba3-4936-9199-225ae8f7dcee
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Way of Life (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-06-20
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 44.7 minutes
Words: ~2,851
The great master Atisha in his text called The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment said that taking oneself as example, saying that oneself undergoes through huge sufferings and lacking happiness. So seeing all these motherly sentient beings also same as oneself who are being tortured by huge sufferings and lacks happiness. And the one who wishes, one who take oneself as example and wishing wishing to free or yeah. Wishing to wishing to free both self and others from the entire sufferings and bring them to the state of happiness bring them to the state of ultimate happiness is a person of the great scope. So the one who wishes to free oneself from from the suffering and and bring and achieve the liberation state or arhathood is a is the practitioner of middling scope that that one wishes to free oneself from the psychic continuum, that is so called the renunciation.
And those who do not wish to have the sufferings of the lower rebirth and wanting to attain the temporal happiness achieving the higher rebirths like the gods and the humans are the practitioner of small scope. Because there are three ways three types of not not wishing three types of suffering. And and so because due to this, the result of those are three as well, so called the contaminated happiness, which are the happiness of higher rebirths, like human and gods, and the happiness of happiness of arhathood, the just free from cyclic existence. And the final one is called the happiness of enlightenment. So the way most of us here wanted to practice the the great scope and become a practitioner of the the Mahāyāna practitioner or the practitioner of great scope.
So therefore, because one wishes such a practice, so one we should have have have we should take our own suffering as an example that how it it how it under how it touches oneself. So seeing them as example, then take and take develop a wish to free all these motherly sentient beings from the suffering as well because they are same as oneself, goes through suffering and lacking happiness. In order to develop a wish to free entire sentient beings from the suffering, first, one one needs to yeah. The first one need to develop the a wish to free oneself from the suffering. Without having developed such wish, one one can’t develop a wish to free sentient beings entire sentient beings from the suffering.
So therefore because because it is because without having developed a proper wish to free oneself from the side exist sorry, the sufferings, then it is very hard to produce a wish, a wish to free entire sentient beings from the suffering. Because because because without without having developed the to free oneself from the suffering, then one will not know how one undergoes, how one is being tortured by the sufferings. So therefore, first, it is very important to to to develop develop a wish to free oneself from the from the suffering by and through this, one knows how the sufferings how the suffering tortures oneself. By knowing this, then one can with the help of that, then one can develop a proper wish or so called the proper wish or the qualified wish to free sentient beings from the sufferings. So without having developed one wish to free oneself from the cyclic existence, one may one may be able to develop produce a wish or wanting to free sentient beings from the suffering, but but one can’t develop a proper one or the qualified one.
So as for the result this resultant stage, there are three types, the higher rebirth, the liberation or free from Samsāra, and the enlightenment, Buddhahood. So whatever we practice, make it is very important, making sure that our achievement should either be the liberation or arhathood or the enlightenment state. And this is very important. They are the very stabilized happiness whereas should not whereas for the higher rebirth, for example, like the god realm, one may think there is no suffering at all, but it is mistaken that even in the higher rebirths, like the god rebirth, they still have huge sufferings. And their happiness is not stable, reliable happiness.
So therefore, the one should strive either for the arhathood or the enlightenment Buddha. By doing so, by saying that one should strive or or yet for the the the the the the liberation, the or Buddhahood. By saying this, one may think, well, I work for those two, but at the end and it it could be possible and and that that, yeah, it could be possible for one to ended up not achieving neither the and the enlightenment and buddhahood nor the higher higher rebirth. It the the such down could be possible. For example yeah.
So so one should not raise such a doubt because the higher rebirth, it is is very important to attain. But if one if one if one work for the attainment of liberation, the arhathood and the buddhahood, by doing so, even if one fails to achieve the those two states state for for for a little while, but but by doing so, working very hard to attain those those two states, the the higher rebirth will come naturally because it is because in order to achieve those two states, arhathood and buddhahood, the higher rebirth is required. So this is how by working for them, the higher rebirth will automatically come. It is like if one wants to if one wants to have a barley, so one will grow a barley seed. And not only one will get barley, but but the grass and everything will come naturally.
So therefore so from the very beginning of one’s practices, you know, whether the practice is of listening, contemplation, meditation or reading books and so forth, should always have a proper motivation and that motivation is to attain the enlightenment for the sake of motherly sentient beings. And at the end of any practice should make a dedication as well, which dedicating that all the virtuous one have cultivated will become a cause to attain enlightenment. So if if one does the practice a practice which includes with the proper which consists of proper preparation, actual and the conclusion, then such practice will become a real cause for the attainment of enlightenment. The preparation is to have the motivation and then the actual practice one involved in the practice, and the conclusion is making a proper dedication. So therefore so we shall here do a short meditation on on meditation, yeah, that up till now the practices one has done, practices one has done like taking refuge, listening, yet hearing of teachings, contemplations, and so forth, as well as the virtuous cultivated by Buddhists and Bodhisattvas of all the times.
And here, the wishing that through the power of all these virtuous I have cultivated as well as virtues cultivated by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, may I attain enlightenment or become enlightened for the sake of all motherly sentient beings. So such on such thought we’ll do a short meditation. Now the it comes to the subdivision, which is how to protect one’s precepts or vows, and which has been explained in the next fourteen verses. So I I haven’t got the book with me. Where do we start last one?
Yep. So from forty three to the next fourteen. So and yeah. So how to protect one’s vows? It is very important for one not to involve in not to not to not to cultivate any negative any actions or produce any actions with the disturbing with the afflicted mind.
And for example, it is not stated here that it is not it is not should should try to avoid the the stealing or conversations like idle gossips and unnecessary talks or about war or going for movies, plays, and singings and so forth. And should one should try to avoid all these actions. Even in certain in in certain occasion, if one one has to or it is necessary for for one to involve in such actions, one should try to involve in those actions without without attachment or clinging towards the attach on those actions. So and those who are who are the the fully ordained monk or novice monks or those who are with the vows like the the lay practitioner and the the who have taken the lay vows and so forth. Those beings have the precepts or the vows prescribed by the the prescribed by the Buddhist or Buddha Śākyamūni.
So therefore so without any reasons, one should not yeah. Without any reason should not, like, dig the, yeah, dig the earth or a field or cut the grass and even in an empty space on the floor, you know, without without re without any reasons, you know, should not draw, like, a draw any drawings on the ground, yeah, on the grounds because because there are numbers of precepts given by the yep. Precepts given by the Lord Buddha Śākyamūni. And therefore, every time if one is nearly to involve in such actions should immediately recall the precepts prescribed by the the Lord by the the lord Buddha and recall the downfalls disadvantage of breaking the precepts and by doing so, it should automatically or should should stay away, stop to avoid such actions. So therefore, should always be careful before before any action one performs.
The actions of moving, yeah, move moving or speech and so forth, and any actions. First one should examine oneself, think before one performs it, examine is it appropriate to do so or not. And even if it’s appropriate to do so and check one’s mind whether or not the actions is going to be under the influence of disturbing emotions or not. So make yeah. So that is the most important and making sure it is not under the influence of disturbing emotion.
So if it is, then should try to avoid it. So any actions should one perform should not should should perform it without, yeah, becoming the under the influence of disturbing emotions. So therefore, in all the time, so always be mindful and examine each and every actions one undertakes and see whether any attachments arising from such actions or any hatred and so forth developing out of those actions. If if if those attachment and hatred so forth are likely to come likely to produce from one’s action, then one should stop the one should one should one should not perform those actions. And and if the actions which brings the virtuous or if the virtuous actions, then we’d one should involve in such as a one should perform the action.
So being mindfulness is very important. In each and every actions, you know, one should examine the action and see how it produce, what comes, what is coming out of the actions. And if the non virtuous action the non virtuous coming out of the action, one should not perform it and should recognize that if I do so, that such and such will come and should recognize the action and avoid the actions. For example, there are the the the numbers of non virtuous actions likely to happen like having a very good figure that producing a pride by thinking I have a good figure or a good body or and like a for example, the way of how the the pride comes, like, with a good figure, it’s likely to produce the pride as well as being rich or wealthy. One can because of one’s wealth, one one one develops a pride as well as and and and of one’s one’s qualification or one’s knowledge.
One, there is a danger of producing pride and so forth. So always exam being mindful and should never let yep. Should not be mental wandering and instead be mindful and check, you know, is the pride in each and all these negative actions, the things like pride and yep. Did you give this quote? The mental excitement or pride as well as haughtiness and so forth are coming or not.
So if if those non virtuous actions if one come to know them when non virtuous actions are coming, then immediately or straight away should apply all the antidotes and and and get rid of those non virtuous actions. So they are the the the non virtuous actions one can develop like the the criticism, like criticizing others, and because and in in terms of one’s wealth, not being satisfied with what one got and trying to deceive others, Just deceive yeah. Deceive other by by by in others to gain more wealth for oneself and and and praising oneself and putting others down as well as as well as causing schisms or making divisive speech, separating friends destroying friendships and so forth. So through through an investigation or or analyzing one’s thought or action, and if one come to realize that those things are are likely to happen or coming out of the action, then straight away should apply the antidote and not involve in the actions. So therefore, the the Lord Buddha Śākyamūni in in his sūtra said that those those who those who seek wish or seek the qualities, they should stay in seclusion because because otherwise there is a likely yep.
Should seek seclusion so that one will be by oneself and not as a less danger of producing a non virtuous actions. And those actions like, you know, criticizing criticizing others and and and dev through and developing a pride by saying that I have such qualities and so forth, as well as this and and as well as one should not do do such actions like like like disrespecting those ordinary people, those with not good figure and very poor looking as well as not much knowledge.
But even so, one should not still disrespect or neglect those people because they have taken a vows and and and by and whether they are fully qualified or not or extremely educated or not, but still they have their own knowledge and as well as they have the qualities of their vows. So therefore should not neglect should not not should not not should not neglect any Ārya monks because by doing so, by neglecting or disrespecting such people and one will the achievement of liberation or arhathood will be prolonged for another lifetime So the describing all the non virtuous or your negative thoughts. Example, like, if one so any any thoughts comes like that that wanting to be a famous or or or or trying to cultivate respect from others or wishing the others to to praise for oneself or make prostrations as well as and intention of collecting lots of servant or disciples and so forth. So anytime if the such should not produce all any of those thoughts, and even if they’re likely to come, should always be mindful and apply antidote and antidote to avoid or or diminish those thoughts. So the call is yeah.
And should the thoughts like quitting or abandoning others’ purposes or not benefiting others and only wishing, only wanting to to only wanting to to help oneself or complete only one’s purposes, not thinking of others as well as and wanting to speak everything one you know, speaking anything comes out of one’s mouth, you know, not controlling one’s speech and so forth. Those actions so but and by doing so will produce numbers of non virtuous actions.
So therefore, in all the time, should should should not perform any actions without examining it. And if there’s such thought like wanting to speak anything one wants, you know, or right away should apply an antidote and not let oneself speak. And yep. Should develop an effort of cultivating or producing the the the courage to undertake the hardship of cultivating virtuous actions. So when one put involved in the practices, you know, because of the you know, some people some, you know, get tired and so forth because of the difficulties and so forth, and wanting to quit the the the practices and so forth should not have such discourage.
When one is performing good actions, always do it with a good courage and should not be disheartened. While doing it and should try to avoid the challenge the laziness, which prolongs one’s practices by thinking not now and so forth. So this is those are the laziness. Should not yeah. And if whenever lazy the laziness comes, you know, should should challenge it with enthusiastic effort and and should not stop the actions.
And and the Yeah. And rejoice for the virtuous