Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A crane stalking fish and a cat hunting birds — both move in silence before striking — is the image Geshe Pema Tsering uses in this 45-minute commentary to illustrate how a bodhisattva pursues enlightenment: through calm, unobtrusive action rather than rough disruption. The session works through verses 71–73 of the Bodhisattva Way of Life, translating that image into specific behavior: maintain a bright, welcoming face; speak gently and briefly, free of attachment or hatred; move furniture quietly to avoid provoking those nearby. He then addresses rejoicing and praise — how to appreciate others’ virtue without awkwardness, how to receive a compliment without developing pride. A Q&A closes with a question on why physical rebirth is necessary for Buddhahood; Geshe Pema Tsering explains that consciousness alone, without a body, has no basis for teaching and almost no time in the intermediate state.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 24 Guide 2002 06 26.mp3
UUID: 0f95790a-700c-448e-bc58-6039d92b9875
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Bodhisattva Way of Life (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-06-26
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.1 minutes
Words: ~2,846
Meditation, you know, within that five minute, you know, you have you’ll face lots of challenging, you know, you know, lots within this five minute, lots of non virtuous thoughts coming, you know. You have to challenge many times within that five minutes. So therefore, you know, what we need to do here is should not have attachment to this body and and try to give yeah, give it a job, a positive job as much as you one can. So it is not only the body we are talking about should also do for one, our mind as well, you know. It is from the very beginning because of the ignorance, you know.
It’s the same. They have the negative or non yeah, negative thoughts or non virtuous thought easily comes all the time. And so therefore should try to stop the negative thoughts as well. And now we do the second subdivision, which is, yep, cultivating the method or being skilled in the method of of cultivating a virtuous action, good positive action. And that is that part is explained in the next three verses starting from seventy one till seventy three.
So so as explained the earlier part here, the the the the there is no good reason to have attachment or look after this body out of attachment, or to attain happiness in this life and so forth. So likewise, one should here try to have control or subdue both the body and the mind and give them a job to or bring them make use of them for the positive actions, to cultivate the virtuous or positive actions. So in terms of virtuous or positive actions or collective merits, the merits and virtuous actions are cultivated on the basis of sentient beings. So therefore, you know, should always be very helpful for sentient beings and make good use of this body and the mind for the sentient beings on both sides that on both sides, which is body and the mind, in terms of body, one should always should have show a very good gesture for the sentient beings, say a bright and white face, you know, and should never show any black face for the sentient any kind of being. It should be very smiley and white face that it can give pleasant or look pleasant as well as give happiness for the sentient beings.
And in terms of mind or speech, so forth, you know, should should never use the harsh words or a rough word to sentient beings. Always be words sweet and the what’s it called? The pleasant words. So you should always think of others. Any actions or anything one does, be aware of others.
For example, moving furnitures, like bed thrown tables and so forth, as well as opening the door and so forth. Always aware of others. Try to make less noise as one can because by thinking that but there are beings around this within in this building or around the surroundings, and by making noise and so forth, it might disturb the being or might then provoke them to get angry and so forth. So therefore, you know so any actions one do it, but do it very calm and slowly. And yep.
So and also, you know, should always maintain a good characteristic, a good character or a good behavior, be well behaved, that any actions one do and should not do it that offends this the others, like speaking or or doing any job, you know, any work that or any actions or movement in front of public. Always try to do something pleasing pleasing ones that which pleases others or if one says something, soft words which will make others to agree sorry, others to be happy or pleased. Because otherwise, if one does very rough things, which offends other people, then without no reason, you know, one cultivates numbers of non virtues because of one particular actions. And one performs something which is very unpleasant and due to that cause, you know, make others feel uneasy or provoke them to develop anything like anger and so forth. With no reason one just cultivates numbers of non virtues.
So therefore it is very important to be well behaved and being very careful and not to provoke others. So, yep, so we So therefore so we we have to attain liberation and enlightenment. So to do so, those should be achieved through very peaceful and well behaved or good characteristics. And peacefully or harmoniously one should work and achieve through helping other beings, not disturbing them, bringing help. And through this one attain enlightenment.
It is like it is like the crane and the cat. The crane eats the fish out of water. When they catch the water, they never go roughly, you know, they are very calm and peaceful, slowly walks in the water, and then finally grabs the fish. And likewise, cat, when they catch a bird and so forth, they never go they never make any noise and so forth, you know, make huge noise, mess, and then catch what? They walk very quietly without any sound and then suddenly, woof, cast the bird.
So likewise, we should attain enlightenment very peace by not disturbing others, maintaining very calm and peaceful and do the positive actions and then finally attain the enlightenment, achieve our goals. So these are the activities of of the bodhisattvas. So should also work for others, not just work for oneself. Not only oneself involved in the positive actions, also encourage or bring let others to cultivate the the virtuous actions. And also, if somebody gives you advice or give you some give you gives provide teachings without your request, you should always pay a huge respect to those person and listen to their spiritual advice or teachings and take them as one spiritual friend or a teacher and undertake their their advice and pay respect rather than rather than rather than rather developing a pride and not listening to them.
And when when when they give you some spiritual advice or teachings without your request, and if they were a yep. Good advice if they were spiritual advice and teachings, then take take them and then often think think for their teachings and advice. And should not develop jealous should not be jealous or develop jealousy towards the people who yeah, practices who collect numbers of virtues through practicing the generosity, the ethical disciplines, and so forth of the six perfections, and rather instead of being being jealous, should rejoice for their hard works and praise them and and praise them for their hard hard works, heartily. So when you praise for the person who for his or her hard works of practicing generosity and so forth of six perfections and rejoicing, If sometimes you may feel difficult, you know, by thinking, if I speak to person directly, you know, hey, your practice is so and so forth. And sometimes you have a doubt.
If I speak directly to the person, the person might think that I’m just kidding, you know, or being very nice to the person, so forth. Sometimes there is a chances of feeling doubt. If that things happened, then it is not one does not need to speak straight to the person. You can speak to other people, but such and such person is a very good practitioner, have done practicing this and this, and then praise them. So by doing so is is one collects the numbers of virtues as well as with and inside oneself rejoice for his or her practices.
And if you were the person who who who happens to hear the news, but a person tells to you that the B person is such a good person that he or she is doing such a great practice and so forth, then you just rejoice again rejoice for the good for the person’s actions and also thank the a person for passing you the message. And if you happen to know before, oh, thank you so much for passing the message, you are so true that that person will feel happy too, that I’ve seen that person doing this and this, and I’ve been rejoicing and so forth, and thanks again, you know, actually I’ve seen that person doing this and this before, then you please the person so that even more virtuous. And then if somebody comes and talks to you that you are such a great person and you’re very qualified practitioner that you know this and this and your practice are great and so forth, then should examine oneself whether one has those qualities mentioned by the person or not. If one has, then should not feel pride and instead, you know, thank for the person and then convert one’s thought thinking the person himself who approached to you is a good practitioner or a qualified practitioner because he or she knows that I have all these qualities.
So therefore the person itself is a great person and qualified practitioner and pay respect back or yep. Yeah. So therefore, what yep. It is very important to please sentient beings. And whatever one does should always try to please sentient beings, and and which is which is very important, because on the basis of sentient beings we cultivate all the virtuous actions.
So therefore even if it’s hard work, is still worthwhile to undertake this hard work. And even if it’s very costly to please entire sentient beings or being if the pleasing of sentient beings is very expensive or very costly, it’s worthwhile paying for it. So, therefore, you know, all this happiness and so forth comes from pleasing or working for others, for other or sentient beings. So therefore and yeah. But but by or placing sentient beings only brings the benefit or only benefit to It will never bring any harm, neither harm for one’s happiness of this life or one’s life this life.
It won’t harm one’s wealth and possessions, so forth. And in future lives it also by pleasing sentient beings or helping sentient beings, one will have a better rebirth or happiness in future life. By doing the opposite side, displeasing or causing harm to sentient beings, then it will cause harm for oneself, both present and future lives. And should not develop any jealousy towards others’ qualities because it is not appropriate, it’s not good to develop jealousy for others’ quality, because by doing so, by developing the jealousy, then it will bring harm for both this life and the future, because in this present life, because of being jealous for others and so forth, that it will cause more dislike person and then cause more enemies and so forth. And as well as in future, as a result of developing jealous and hatred so forth, it will bring lead one towards the lower rebirth like hell realms.
So when one make a speech or talk to other people, be very careful what one is saying and and should not use any words of attachment and hatreds and so forth. And whatever one says, you know, should say, you know, that the the the when one make a speech or talk to somebody, it should always be have a relation between the first word the second word or conversation one goes. So that and speak it very clear and meaningful that people can understand and one’s motivation always examine that what one is what one is saying and whether it’s appropriate to say or not. If I say such and such, will it cause any problem or something else? So therefore, feel very careful and always when one speak should one’s motivation yeah.
Before one speak, you know, should have motivation free of attachment and hatreds. And and and try to speak as less as one can. And and we try to speak short, which includes all the meaning what one wants to say. It’s better off saying short and everything rather than using many words. It means nothing.
Got it. Got it. So and even when when one look at the sentient being, you know, should always look at with the with the intention. What can I do for this sentient being? What can I do to help them?
You know? And and and then love develop love and compassion. By doing so, then it one one cultivates a number of virtuous or good merits. It and should not look to sentient beings with attachment and hatred, as well as also should not look from the bad parts or mistaken by heart, trying to find something wrong the particular being or a sentient being. By doing so, then it with with no reason, you will cultivate numbers of non virtuous actions.
So in all the time, one should all twenty four hours. Yep. In all the time, should always try to cultivate or collect perform the virtuous actions and virtuous actions. And also perform and yep. Perform or cultivate those virtuous actions without attachment.
And with the understanding of lacking inherent existence — the one who collects the virtues oneself and the virtuous karma or action itself, as well as sentient beings. They are all the by understanding that they are all the lacking the true existence are free of inherent existence, briefly speaking, that they are all empty or emptiness. So and yeah. And should not have attachment and cultivate the virtues in all the time with the understanding of lacking inherent existence, free of inherent existence. They are free of inherent existence.
Geshe-la says we’ll stop here and take quick questions. Did you understand? You have if you understand, then there should have some doubts. Body causes so many problems. Why does it seem necessary to take a physical rebirth to before you become a Buddha?
Why can’t you stay in another form that’s not necessary? A physical rebirth to work towards becoming a Buddha. You know, like, You say that you come up take rebirth to a human being. Yeah. And you can work towards becoming in this this Sure.
Form. Why do you have to take a physical rebirth? Mhmm. It seems that well, I don’t know if you have. Yeah.
Yeah. It is important. Yeah. One has to attend. Yep.
To have, yep, a body in order to attain enlightenment or buddhahood. Because if one does not have a form form body, then it becomes like once once in the intermediate stage, like no no form body. And it it is very, very difficult to practice in the intermediate state. And and and one also the another reason is that the life span in the intermediate state is maximum is a week that passes away, and it’s really hard hardly any time to practice. So in terms of taking a form, so it’s good to take one it’s yep.
To one has to take to have a form body, yeah, to attain enlightenment. So in terms of taking a formed body, then accept if out of great practice and a great practice so forth, and you take rebirth in the the pure land or land of Tuśita, that’s the different case. Otherwise, out of the form of bodies, the human human rebirth, human with the precious human rebirth with aid in qualities is the best body to attain enlightenment. So what it happens is if I mean, it is a consciousness which attained enlightenment at the final stage. But to to attain achieve enlightenment one has to have the form body.
And for example, like the consciousness by itself, if it is the only consciousness by itself which is constant for example, our consciousness is just separated from the body, then consciousness itself has been very used to or or familiarized for the non virtuous actions from the very, very beginning most of the time, and very used to it, as well as it has numbers of the negative imprints on it. And if the consciousness didn’t meet with the body and just stays by itself, then what happens is then there won’t be found anyone who teaches for that consciousness. So because there is no basis at all to teach, this is how it is important to take a form, have the enter into the body so that one will have a basis to practice. Yeah.
I was just sorry. Sure. Yeah. Yeah. And such circumstances or in such actions, you know, one has both the good and the bad karma or actions because one one got angry or one gets angry and tells off the the kid out of good motivation which is to help one’s wishing your kids to have a better future and so forth.
So that is done out of the good motivations that there is a virtuousness going to be cultivated. But being angry, there is a non virtuous as well. Yep.