Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The session opens with the seventh Dalai Lama’s image of walking beside someone who may kill us at any moment — a visceral framing of impermanence that anchors this 45-minute retreat instruction. Geshe Pema Tsering then explains why calm abiding must precede insight meditation on the Lamrim path, noting that even developing renunciation requires it and that the tantric vehicle depends on it no less. He works methodically through the six prerequisites for calm abiding: choosing a safe, quiet, well-supplied location (with five specific criteria); having few wants; contentment; minimal social obligations; pure ethics; and dropping habitual conceptual clinging. He then introduces the five faults that undermine concentration and their antidotes — faith, aspiration, exertion, and pliancy for laziness, and mindfulness (illustrated by the image of chaining a wild elephant to a pillar) for losing the meditation object. Suited to practitioners preparing to enter a calm abiding retreat.
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File: 01 2003 10 18 Calm Abiding.mp3
UUID: 32732dc3-5606-4de8-80e7-5e0b0f9d5362
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Calm Abiding Retreat (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2003-10-18
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.1 minutes
Words: ~2,948
So here, initially we’re going do a little meditation. So the topic here is firstly reflecting on impermanence. Here the fact that the phenomena around us are impermanent, they don’t last for long. They don’t last a day. They don’t last an hour or even a minute.
They don’t even last a second. The objects that we’re familiar with are momentary. They’re changing moment to moment. We really need here to think about our situation. And specifically here that as the advice given by the seventh Dalai Lama, Kälzang Gyatso, that our situation is ever changing, changing moment to moment.
And it’s as if we’re walking alongside a thief, someone that’s ready to kill us or murder us at any point, our situation is just like that. Our situation can change instantly. We don’t know what will become of us. It’s as if we’re being accompanied by someone who’s about or potentially can finish us at any moment. So we should think along these lines.
We often have this impression that we should look for something that’s enjoyable or look for some fun and so forth. But actually, at any point our life will come to an end. We’re impermanent, we’re momentary. We need to think about this and keep it in mind. So in fact, here we reflect that the Lord of Death is near to us at all times and can instantly sever our lifespan, sever our life force.
And then we reflect that, of course, when death does arise, the only thing that’s of benefit to us is the practice of Dharma. So we should reflect on this. Only Dharma is of benefit. And there are many treatises and scriptural sources that establish this, that Dharma is the one thing of benefit at the time time of death. And we need to reflect on this.
Otherwise, if our mind is consumed by non virtue, then our destiny will certainly be the hells. So, in fact, already so far we’ve recited the prayer for refuge in bodhicitta and then the seven limbs, and then we’ve done a short mandala and so forth. All of these activities are really done to direct our mind towards Dharma itself. In fact, it’s to hear exactly the topic that we’re talking about. We need dharma at the time of death.
Here, even in the beginning of this session, we’re turning our mind towards Dharma, and that’s what we should put energy into, develop the motivation of Dharma. And in general, there’s three as mentioned before, there’s three types of motivation in practicing Dharma. And the first one is practicing Dharma, motivated to attain a better rebirth. The second is motivated to attain liberation. And the third is practicing Dharma in order to attain the state of a Buddha, which is the highest motivation and it’s the motivation conjoined with the mind of bodhicitta.
And in fact, if if we lack the mind of bodhicitta and if we lack the view of emptiness, then it’s not possible for us to attain the states of supreme Buddhahood. So in general, for these two things, these two aspects that are required in order to attain a state of a Buddha are firstly, wisdom and then this mind of bodhicitta. Then wisdom will be covered next week in next week’s session where we’re talking about insight. But now we’re going to concentrate on this other aspect, the aspect of bodhicitta. So we’re going to contemplate, meditate upon the nature of great compassion and bodhicitta for a few minutes now.
So here we begin in the lamrim with the section on calm abiding. So as I said, there’s two subheadings in this particular section. How to train train in the very essence of concentration, which is calm abiding, and how to train in the very essence of wisdom, special insights. So read that section of the text. So then we have for the first one there, here dealing with the topic of calm abiding, we have six subheadings that occur.
So those six then are firstly cultivating the prerequisites or the collection of calm abiding. And the second one is the actual way to achieve calm abiding. And then taking this way as the basis in the method of how to achieve the nine mental placements. And then the fourth, the way that these mental states are achieved through the six powers of the six strengths. And then how these four types of how there are four types of application or attention, and then the way the true calm abiding develops from this point.
So there are in fact six divisions in the text itself. So here, the first one here is really the collection of calm abiding, this term in Tibetan is tsog, or here prerequisite as well. And what this refers to are the causes and conditions that give rise to the state of calm abiding. And in fact, calm abiding is a particular type of meditative state that’s achieved by Buddhists and non Buddhists alike. In fact, if the practice of calm abiding is conjoined with refuge, then it becomes a Buddhist calm abiding.
And if it’s conjoined with great compassion and bodhicitta and so forth, it becomes a great vehicle practice. Whereas if it’s conjoined with the wish or the aspiration to attain liberation, then it becomes a lesser vehicle practice. And in fact, all the states to be attained within the path really depend on first attaining calm abiding. So calm abiding is essential for the bodhisattva path or the path destined to achieve the state of liberation. Also, in the tantric vehicle as well, calm abiding is essential and must precede the developments or the results of those parts.
And in fact, Atisha himself has mentioned in one particular text that even to develop renunciation, one requires calm abiding. But that was stated with a particular intention. And then also, the great being Śāntideva has also mentioned that we need both insight and calm abiding. Without calm abiding, in fact, we cannot destroy the afflictions that arise. So from the start, we should seek calm abiding or mental quiescence.
And in fact, of these two, insight plus calm abiding, insight itself is only generated on the basis of having first developed calm abiding. So calm abiding comes first. And in fact, having developed calm abiding, we require the development then of insight because it’s insight that enables us to overcome the obscurations that we need to overcome in order to attain the result of the path. So, for instance, we need insight in order to overcome the afflictive obscurations that prevent the attainment of liberation, and we need insight in order to overcome the knowledge obscurations which prevent the attainment of Buddhahood. Yes.
Yes. So then, within the text, the next section is the particular requisites cultivating the particular requisites for the establishment of calm abiding. So here in this first section, are also six features that are listed here as prerequisites that are required for the development of calm abiding. And these six are listed as firstly, dwelling in a conducive place. And the second is having few needs or wants.
And then the third is being content and then completely abandoning the many demands or the many social demands that one may have. And the fifth is having pure ethics. And the sixth is completely abandoning conceptual thoughts such as desire. And then in the first one, that is dwelling in a conducive place, again, are five features that are listed. So here, the first of these five is that one should abide in a place where the requisites or the needs that one has such as food and water and so forth are readily available.
One should live within in reach, in a sense, of these things and not in a place where, say, food and water are unattainable or very scarce. Otherwise, it would be very problematic. And then also one should live in a place where there’s less danger from, say, thieves and highway robbers and brigands and so forth, where who may actually present a danger to one’s very life and so forth. One, if possible, one shouldn’t live in such a place where there is such danger. And then the third one here is that we should live in a place that’s been blessed by the meditation of previous masters if possible, that’s been blessed by the practices of great beings of the past.
In such a place there is a blessing, A blessing abides there and it’s easier for us to develop our calm abiding if we dwell in such a place. And again, it should be a wholesome place and a place where, again, where there are not beasts of prey and so forth, malignant creatures, that also may prevent others from coming and helping us and supplying us food and so forth. So that also is necessary. And if possible, the place should be a pleasant place to live, not possibly too cold or too hot and so forth. A place where abiding there is easy and pleasant.
So, the place should be conducive to one’s health And then it also should be a place where the water is not poisonous and so forth. And also there should be companions, a place potentially where there are companions and friends who will assist one in one’s practice and help one when one needs help and so forth. And then also, those companions should be of the same view as oneself or hold the same spiritual view as oneself so that actually they assist one in one’s spiritual practice. And in fact, if there are no companions at all or beings that can assist one, then there is some, potentially, difficulties then for oneself to actually spend time in such a place or spend a long time in such a place. In fact, it should be at least two or three other companions there if possible.
Less than that, it’s not good. More than that, as long as they’re harmonious with what one is doing and one is able to be harmonious with them, then that’s fine. There’s no fault if there’s many engaged in similar practices to oneself. And also, if one finds such a place with a number of companions On the other hand, if one’s companions are very talkative and one likes to get together at night and gossip and talk a lot, then this is not so good. Also, if there’s a large supply of water there where people may be attracted to come to wash and whatever and create a lot of noise and so forth, then this would not be suitable for one’s practice of mental placement of calm abiding in general.
And then also one needs those texts that properly instruct one on the practice of calm abiding and have studied them properly as the necessary preparations for practitioner of calm abiding. One needs the resources, the intellectual resources, the text and so forth, and to have some study of these and to have them on hand as well as those that can explain these texts. And in fact, if one is undertaking the practice of calm abiding in relation to a deity or deity practice, then one should have all the prerequisites there for that practice in terms of texts and those who are skilled in the practice and so forth. So in fact here one needs to also overcome these internal preconceptions about the practice and so forth in order to develop calm abiding. So one should strive then to overcome these inner preconceptions.
So again, also, similar to before, if one is abiding with companions that are too gregarious, they like to talk a lot or engage in other activities, then this will be something of an obstacle to one’s development of calm abiding. So in that regard, having few wants is necessary. For a practitioner who wishes to attain calm abiding, they shouldn’t have attachment to many different things. So in fact, here the main purpose of entering the retreat is to develop calm abiding, to develop mental quiescence. And so one shouldn’t be too concerned or too involved with other things such as clothes and food and or good food and etcetera.
These things should not be prominent in one’s mind. So then, one should be content with the few and the poor objects that one has, having lesser quality objects to dwell on or to survive on. And then one should engage predominantly in the practice of attaining calm abiding. Through doing this, it’s possible to attain calm abiding within a period of, say, even six months. So, in brief, that is the six prerequisites that are required for entering a retreat in calm abiding.
So now we move to the second section and this is the actual way to achieve calm abiding. And the actual way to achieve calm abiding is through eliminating the five faults, through establishing the eight applications. And this is stated in a particular text called Madhyantavibhaga or Distinguishing the Middle and the Extremes, in which it said, abandon the five faults, cultivate the eight practices or the eight applications, and that will cause you to achieve it. I claim the five faults are laziness, forgetting the instruction, agitation and sinking, application and non-application. So in that particular quotation it gives the it lists the five faults that are to be abandoned in a practice.
So again, the five faults which are to be overcome, firstly, the first one is laziness, and then the second one is forgetting instruction, and the third is sinking and agitation, or here mentioned as excitement and dullness. And then the fourth is non application and the fifth is the opposite of that which is application. So these are the five faults which ought to be overcome. So the first one, laziness, has been described earlier. Now there are four antidotes or four types of application that overcome laziness.
So the four applications or the antidotes to laziness are faith, aspiration, exertion and pliancy. And the first one, faith, there is faith in the qualities, in the excellent qualities of calm abiding or concentration. And the second antidote is aspiration, which is the strong aspiration to attain the state of calm abiding. And then the third is exertion, which is like effort, effort in attaining the state of calm abiding. And the fourth is pliancy, pliancy in striving to attain the state of calm abiding.
So really what is this thing called laziness? In this context, firstly laziness is not having the desire, not wishing to attain calm abiding is what is referred to as laziness. Or even if one engages in the practice of attaining calm abiding after a short period becoming tired and running out of puff and so forth. So that is what is meant by laziness here. Really, the the actual antidote to laziness is pliancy.
This experience of flexibility and so forth. And it’s through pliancy that the lacking desire to attain concentration is overcome. And then also the fault of even starting to attain or starting to enter the practice for achieving calm abiding is established yet one quickly tires. These are both overcome by establishing pliancy.. But pliancy is the fourth of the four antidotes.
The first one there is faith. So it’s actually faith where one begins, but pliancy is the actual antidote. So here initially in overcoming laziness, one requires faith. One needs faith in the good qualities of concentration. And here Śāntideva has mentioned in his treatise on engaging in the actions of bodhisattvas, you may persevere for a long while at recitation and all types of asceticism with a mind that is distracted by other things.
But that is said to be meaningless. In other words, it’s meaningless if we’re distracted to practice And in fact, stating that those actions such as recitation and so forth to be meaningless is sourced in statements by the Buddha himself. So then we have the second second fault, which is forgetting the instruction. So here we’ve discussed the five or the four antidotes to laziness, which are faith, aspiration, exertion and pliancy. Now we move to the second fault, and the second fault is overcome by mindfulness.
So here, forgetting instruction is actually is losing the object that we’ve directed the mind to. So whatever that is, when we lose that object, when the mind is distracted to something else, when even though we initially direct it to its object, it loses that direction, then that is termed forgetting the instruction. What holds the mind to the object is mindfulness itself. It’s mindfulness or remembering the object which keeps the mind from being distracted. As soon as that is lost, then we forget the object, we forget the instruction.
So here mindfulness is the antidote. So here, because we’re engaged in the process of developing concentration, we need to direct the mind to the object and to hold the mind actually on the object. Otherwise, we’re not going to achieve the goal of attaining concentration. So here we need this type of mindfulness that establishes the object. So similar to training an elephant, when we have an elephant, we have to tie the elephant to something, chain the elephant to something, and we need a post or a huge pillar that’s very strong and well established in the ground.
To such a pillar, we apply a very strong tie or rope and so forth to hold the elephant to that pillar.