Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A dilemma many practitioners face — being a mutual friend caught between two people who cannot get along — anchors the most concrete section of this 44-minute session. Geshe Pema Tsering draws on Āryadeva’s Four Hundred Stanzas to make the point: direct dislike toward disturbing emotions, not toward people themselves, just as a doctor feels no anger toward a patient who lashes out in illness. The session moves through rejoicing in others’ virtuous actions rather than envy; applying antidotes to non-virtues of body, speech, and mind; the distinction between ordained-specific precepts and naturally non-virtuous acts that apply to all; and performing positive actions for sentient beings without pride, by viewing self and others as empty of inherent existence. A short Q&A closes on how vows relate to helping someone in urgent need.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 22 Guide 2002 06 20.mp3
UUID: b40fe124-3209-4a1a-983d-65436037e305
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: ~2,933
Positive actions of the others, you know, instead of in in instead of being jealous or or getting frightened of thinking that the person is performing such doing such great practices and may, you know, achieve something before oneself and by developing a deep jealousy as well as afraid or thinking they might finish it before oneself. When so should always rejoice for the other’s hard work. And whenever the attachments are coming attachments and so forth coming by, you know, being with the close ones or the relatives. You know? And so whenever those actions comes, you know, always those non virtuous actions, one should always apply antidote.
And so all this the the the negative actions which which are described in the early the big from the beginning of the class that those are the non virtuous actions produced out of the three doors, body, speech and mind. So and out of those actions, then one developed or increased the disturbing emotion, disturbing emotions. So therefore, in all the time, should one should always examine and and and and not involve in actions without any reasons. And excuse me. Yeah.
And because because sometimes one one involves the actions without examining it. And and by doing so, with no reasons, one one cultivate numbers of non virtuous actions. So therefore it is important to examine one’s actions and the actions of the body, speech and mind and always and if the non virtuous actions are coming, then without feeling discouraged one should apply the antidote to destroy the disturbing emotions like the way the great Bodhisattvas like great Bodhisattvas has done. And by doing so, one can overcome all the non-virtuous actions or disturbing emotions. So therefore, those who wish enlightenment or Buddhahood should take the advice or undertake the actions of the Bodhisattvas.
And that should be done without having any doubts on those actions or the deeds of the Bodhisattvas. So therefore, you know, should have faith and devotions in the Triple Gem as well as one’s own ethical discipline of avoiding non-virtuous as well as one’s own precepts or vows and so forth and should have respect and devotion to those practices and always aware of negative actions and if they are likely to come, should avoid it by seeing by three reasons, saying that taking oneself as and being very shame of one to do so and feeling embarrassment, isn’t it? Embracement by thinking that it would be very embarrassing to perform such non-virtuous actions in front of others. And also fear and think about the by thinking develop a fear by thinking the results of the non virtuous actions. So by thinking about all this analysis or through investigations should always not to perform.
Avoid yep. Avoid non virtuous actions. So therefore in all the times one should maintain very peace and perform the appropriate or good activities or one’s characteristic should be peaceful and yeah, peaceful and should always perform the actions to which pleases others and yep. The action which pleases or make others happy should not do any actions which produce hatred and so forth for others. So by doing so and sometimes one one one will come in or one will come in a very difficult position by suppose and this the example is like there are two people who never get along well, and and you happen to be very nice to both of them, good friend.
And and now so that puts one oneself in a very difficult position because if one says something to this person, pleases this but that hurts others. And if you say something to the left, the right will get offended and so forth. So and and which is true, and one it can be possible for one to be in such positions. When such thing happened, should not feel discouraged or yeah. Should not feel discouraged and think that that the both person are are under the influence of disturbing emotions.
So instead of feeling disheartened, should not develop any discrimination between those two, but one should it is one should try to challenge their disturbing emotion and try to abandon their disturbing emotions and bring them back into friendship or become very closeness. And and and and and it is a difficult thing to do so, but that that and but it is worth taking such a hardship. Buddha. Buddha. Buddha.
The and, yep, in such circumstances, you know, one should not feel tired and produce the dislike both the friends or both both person or yep. Or hate the hatred towards the those two. And here it said the Āryadeva in Tibetan name, I don’t remember the Sanskrit, Deva or something. Deva Buddhapālita. No.
Anyway, see see, one of the the sons or the the very close disciples of of Ārya Nāgārjuna and this master, Āryadeva, is also one of the pioneers of the Prāsaṇgika, the middle way Prāsaṇgika consequence school. And in his text, so called the four hundred stanzas of middle way, yeah, four hundred stanzas of middle way, he said that saying that, should not develop hatred or dislike towards those two people. If you want to dislike or dislike or produce hatred hatred, produce hatred towards the disturbing emotions of the people, not the people. Because those two people, they don’t get along well, not because of just him is him or hers is her, it’s because because of producing two types of disturbing emotions of the different people. And those two disturbing emotions didn’t get along well.
So due to this, they try to hate each other, but it’s not just them. It’s their disturbing emotions which makes them dislike each other. So one wants so you are in the position, should not dislike those two people, try to abandon or dislike the disturbing emotions of those people. The example here is given, for example, if the patient is undergoing huge sufferings or like a delusions and so forth, and went to see the doctor and because of his or her illness, you know, the patient spit on the doctor or slap the doctor and so forth, the doctor will never never produce anger or hatred to the patient. It’s not the patient, it’s the disease or illness is doing the action.
So likewise, you know, should not dislike the person, dislike the the disturbing emotions. So as for the ethical discipline, you know, there are two types of actions, one, of leading the ethical discipline. So there are two not the non virtuous actions, certain the non virtuous actions. If such actions will become a non virtuous actions for certain people, not for the certain people, which means, like, the certain actions if the the ordained monks or ordained people or person commits then become a non virtuous but not for the unordained one or the yep. And as well as for the precepts and the vows.
So doing such actions will become a negative actions or yep. For the person who have taken a vows and not for the person who have not taken the vows. And and and so it is called the the prescribed and the naturally non-virtues. For example, like, the cutting of grass for the So and for example, like a grass and and and if the fully ordained if the fully ordained monk or nun cuts a grass without any reason, then that becomes a non virtuous actions because of their their vows. If one avoids that for those people and those ordained, if they avoid the actions like cutting a grass by thinking, if I do so it becomes against one of the vows or precepts, and then they’re guarding the precept and have virtues.
And by doing so, it has a has a negative action or a non virtuous yep. Collecting non virtuous action. And so such are called the the precept or prescribed non virtuous. And the non virtuous naturally non virtuous actions, it is they are like any if that if that action is performed, whether it’s the ordained monk or whoever the person performs that action creates, for example, like act of killing, become the the non virtuous actions of any of any any any being. So therefore, you know, should always be mindful and lead a very ethical life and and and ethical life, but not committing any non-virtuous actions.
And and yep, and always involve in a non virtuous action, sorry, involve in the positive or virtuous actions. And the purpose of the actions of engaging in the positive action should not be for the self benefit, should always do it, involve in the actions and to for the sake of motherly sentient beings or in order to help sentient beings. And by doing so, but should always see the sentient beings as well as the actions or ethical discipline, a person who maintains the ethical discipline, see them as like an illusion, lacking inherent existence, or they are free of inherent existence. They are — means they are empty. Therefore, it is like an illusion and should not so therefore, therefore, one should yeah.
One should not develop any pride or so forth for pride and yep, yep, pride, the haughtiness and so forth because of those actions, like positive actions one had performed by thinking I have done such and such and such and such and feeling pride, should not develop those non virtuous thought because there is no point. See that one has done all these actions for the entire sentient beings. And but but oneself is also lacking inherent existence. So there is no, reason of producing a pride or pride and so forth. So therefore, all the time, the antidote should always be within oneself and whenever non virtuous action comes, those should be applied to avoid the negative thoughts or actions.
So therefore, by doing all this, you know, it is one one will feel tired or or it’s very hard, but it is worth taking and, yep, should should bear this hardship So those it is very difficult to think those because as it said that leading the ethical discipline, but by doing so should think of all this, you know, see those the ethical discipline as well as sentient beings oneself as lacking see them as so called the Really like an illusion. Yeah. So, yeah, see them as a free Yeah. Free free of free of inherent existence.
It means they are empty. They do not exist the way they appears. So therefore, by doing all this leading doing such practices, one will feel tired or very, very hard, but should take this hardship by thinking, you know. At this stage, one has, after a very long period of hardships or hard works, one finally received this precious human rebirth which is very with eighteen qualities and which is very rare to attain. So after having attained such a precious human rebirth, it is not appropriate to waste this and make use of this precious human rebirth in order to accomplish a great goal of both the self and others.
Let us stop here, and if you have any questions. Geshe-la said that, did you understand? Yes, Chris. Yep. Those actions are for the the the ordained monks and nuns.
And yeah. Because so they have Geshe-la said that they have additional non virtues for them. And and also by guarding so, they receive the additional virtues. Because if if one say, for example, driving to build a house Yeah. So, yeah, the non-virtuous actions, and no matter how good good motivation, proper motivation has developed from the very beginning.
But non virtuous actions, we we don’t recognize, but they come all the time. They are like a sand, you know, everywhere. And and, for example, it is so true that you drove a car from your home with a good motivation of coming, working for the sentient beings, and as I go to Buddha House and receive teachings and so such and such, those good actions. And so coming from your home to Buddha House because of that motivation and that action has been produced by that such motivation, so all the way from you to your home to Buddha house is the virtuous as well as sitting in the kitchen and so forth are virtuous actions. But non virtuous actions, you know, can all all all because yeah.
Yeah. We also develop non virtuous actions between the time. And it is like, for example, like you drive a car and while you’re driving a car and another the beautiful car passed by and you just happen to look at the word go, oh, that’s a good car. The non virtuous actions comes, you know. We can’t really tell how it come, but the car you saw the car and it just instantly developed a non-virtuous action.
But but but developing that non virtuous action, it but it doesn’t mean you’re just you’re that that non virtuous negative or non virtuous action just like, it destroys your virtuous. It’s not the case. But if if if you develop a, like, a huge like, a very bad anger and so forth, anger as well as, like, wrong views, then those those negative actions will will destroy your virtues of and a motivation coming to Buddha House and so forth. I’m not saying that. No.
Yeah. Is it better to help someone or to keep a vow that we may have of, for example, someone may run up to you and say, look, I need to get to x and x place to save someone from being killed or something like that. And the only way to describe getting them getting to the place is by drawing on the ground. So is it better to you can see that is the motivation better to help someone? Yeah.
Or is it better to Yeah. They’re not. I think Isla understood your question. Actually, it is the first we when we talked about drawing on the the ground and so forth, this mainly refers to the particular the particular areas, you know, which are like, there is a the protected areas where, you know, lots of sentient beings, creatures, yes, so forth, you know, more likely to see or happen there. And that is actually specifically at this stage as for the fully ordained monk, not for the novice monk.
But novice monk doing so has has, yeah, of course, non virtuous actions, but not really so called yeah. And against the vows because it is one of the allowances for fully ordained ones as well. And in in such circumstances, even if one happened to be in that that sort of area, and then a person approaches you and you happen to you have to draw it because there is a huge reason of doing so wouldn’t really matter. So it’s all right. Help. Yeah.
But I mean, you didn’t at all. So, yeah, instead you have a huge benefit because of of helping others. So if it happened to you in the future, just go for it. So we’re saying that from the very beginning without any reason, then one commits non virtuous. Otherwise, there is no non virtuous.
So when he was saying, like, simply writing, you know, whatever, and a Buddha has said or not, and it doesn’t matter. I’m going to write it on write on the the place. That means such and one has against in the precepts and so forth. But that one is with the reason of helping somebody. It’s not non-virtuous.
Yes. It depends. Yes. It is for the sentient beings, sort of the can’t be seen through the eye, but there’s a lot of little insects and so forth on the yeah. Insects.
Insects. Yeah. So organisms, isn’t it? In the the leaves or the grass, so forth. Not only that, for example, like, you know, having dinner and so forth, you know, the monks and nuns that they have be not eating dinner, but in yeah.
Eating dinners and, like, performing arts or ritual arts as well as dancing, singing and so forth. But early in the morning, you know, there is text so called beginning of permissions early in the morning, that they can make the prayers done before the Buddha statues and So without having permission, one is not supposed to do so or not allowed. So in the morning they recite the text in front of the statues, you know, seeking permission, you know, for by saying the reasons of such and such for reasons, you know, today I have to perform art or ritual cham dancing or eat dinner or cut the grass, clean up the place and so forth. So before, when they get up in the morning they recite the text in front of the statue of Lord Buddha Śākyamūni and and seek the permission to do so. No.
So you may have seen that, you know, the big the fully ordained monks or nuns, you know, in the early morning, you know, they do three prostrations and and knelt on their knees and then and front of the Buddha statue and then recite blah blah blah blah blah blah and then comes and then do three prostrations. That’s why they’re reciting the text of permissions in the morning.