Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Here is the drafted paragraph:
The image of a child licking honey from a razor blade — a moment of sweetness, then a severed tongue — anchors Geshe Pema Tsering’s argument in this 44-minute session that samsaric happiness is not worth pursuing. He begins with Tsongkhapa’s benchmark for genuine renunciation: a wish to be free from cyclic existence that holds uninterrupted through all twenty-four hours. He traces the meditations that build it — impermanence and death, the rarity of precious human rebirth, the infallibility of karma — and candidly addresses how hard renunciation feels when it demands we abandon enjoyments we have actually tasted. The session then picks up Śāntideva’s chapter on enthusiastic effort at the power of joy: bodhisattvas engage in practice the way children throw themselves into play — wholly, joyfully, certain of the result.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 13 BD 2002 09 19.mp3
UUID: 5e1977d5-9244-40f7-adfb-c9f1ee6e79b4
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: DB Bodhisattva Deeds (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-09-19
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 44.8 minutes
Words: ~2,939
The great master Tsongkhapa in his Three Principal Aspects of the Path has set forth the the criteria or the sign of having developed the the renunciation saying the worst goes, yeah, like having through meditating on this which by meditating on impermanence and death, how difficult it is to find precious human rebirth with eighteen qualities. So having meditated on those topics and whenever one see whenever one whenever one do not have a single desire for the the happiness of the cyclic existence and in all the time, the days and night, and develop a wish having on the have and and have the wish to free from cyclic existence in all the time, the days and night. Whenever such wishes or thing happens, that is the sign of develop having developed the renunciation. And we are not only striving for the nirvana or arhathood, not only that, we also training our mind for the enlighten yeah. Training our mind to attain enlightenment because of being Mahāyānist or Mahāyāna practitioner.
So therefore so whether one is a Mahāyāna the yeah. Being a Mahāyāna Mahāyāna, one also needs to cultivate the renunciation and and and in order to do in order to develop such renunciation, it is also needed to meditate on the impermanence of death and how difficult it is to find the precious human rebirths. And through such a meditation, then we should should try to see those, the enjoyments of the cyclic existence as a poison, like a poison and should develop a strong wish to abandon the the the enjoyments of the cyclic existence. So So those who those who wishes or who are striving for the nirvana or arhathood must meditate, on the the impermanence and death and how difficult it is to obtain this precious human rebirth as well as cultivate the the conviction in the law of the cause and effect in the sense of see them having conviction that the law of karma is infallible. So And the purpose of developing cultivating on, for example, as impermanence and death is death will that will encourage or develop ones to develop a detachment within oneself being in the cyclic existence.
So it is very important to to meditate or meditate on impermanence and death and how difficult it is to to find this precious human rebirth. What we do, we normally don’t think on those topics and if one does or if one do meditate, cultivate on those, there is, one can, develop certain experiences on the impermanence of the death and how difficult it is to find precious and rebirth. And and so we don’t understand and can’t get attain any experience on those because we either don’t, meditate or think of those topics at all or even if we do, not really not not long enough. For example, like, our lives goes and, at the moment one was born, in the first ten or fifteen years, one just wanders and don’t even think about it, you know, and the time goes. And and for instance, say somebody think and that will be after fifteen years from the date of birth.
And even if one does, we How many times a day a person meditate or think on those topics? Probably the maximum would be one hour a day or just a fifteen minutes or five minutes. And due to this, we never develop any experiences on on those topics. And likewise, same for the law of cause and effect, the karma. We we never meditate on how the karma is infallible, never a mistake.
And we always just think, yeah, this is karma and then karma means that the sprout comes from the seed and from mother comes the baby. That’s all we think. And if if and and the karma is not it’s it’s it’s not a easy one. It’s not that easy to be fully acknowledged by the ordinary being. The karma the the the the only Buddhas can understand the karma karma very vividly or thoroughly and and and But but if one meditates or if one, yep, think the the recall the law of cause and effect and continuously or often, there is a certain, experience and strong, the knowledge by seeing One can see that how the karma is infallible or never mistake by like, by thinking that how the the the sufferings comes from the non virtuous actions and the the happiness comes from the the positive actions.
And if one recall and meditate on the karma and the benefits of developing on the karma, because by seeing the true nature, the infallibility of the karma, then then by seeing this, not only the samsaric existence is senseless. One can also see that attaining a higher rebirth in the next life is also not truly important and also the the the higher rebirth in the next life is higher rebirth are also also senseless because they are the product of the karma being yeah. Projected by the the karma and the disturbing emotions. So through the meditation on the karma, then one can not only see the faults of the cyclic existence and the higher rebirth, one can also see the how the karma, cause and effect goes endless and it will see that by cultivating the the karmas it will and one can see the the endlessness of the samsaric. So and through this, one can understand through that.
But as far as if one does not eradicate or stop the karma, then then the cyclic existence will be endless. Therefore, by saying this, then one will develop well, a wish to abandon the karma and the disturbing emotions, which are the the cause of the cyclic existence. By knowing this, then one then one will try to get rid of the cause of the cyclic existence. And the cause of the cyclic existence are the karma and the disturbing emotions. And where one cultivate the karma which is the cause of the cyclic existence, then one coming to the point that all the karmas are cultivated on the basis of the enjoyment or the happiness of the cyclic existence.
The either for oneself or for the objects or the enjoyments of the cyclic existence or on the basis of a person in terms of being attached and so forth. So by knowing this, then one, one will come into the, yep, the point to abandon, cultivating, the negative karmas. So, yep, so this is how the the the It links that that one come into the point that the On the basis of this, the worldly, the samsaric happiness or the objects one cultivate with karma or causes to take rebirth in the samsaric existence. And by knowing this, then one can see the faults of the samsaric existence, The the the objects as well as the attachments towards their relatives or the dear ones. So, doing such a meditation or training one’s mind in that way, then one will gradually can see the faults of the cyclic existence or enjoyment of the cyclic existence and also because the karma one cultivated on the basis of.
By cultivating the enjoyments of the existence, that become a cause to take rebirth in the cyclic existence. So due to this, then one can one one one will one can see the the enjoyments of the cyclic existence like a poison and will develop a wish to abandon those. And by seeing those, that is so called seeing the fault of the cyclic existence and gradually or on such basis then one can develop a renunciation wishing to be depart from those, from cyclic existence. So we are not meditating on it. If we do, then we will one day see the all the enjoyments of the samsaric existence as a poison.
And and by seeing this, seeing them as a poison, then it will develop a wish to free from the samsaric existence. Existent and and that’s what the verse said at the very beginning that that but through such meditation or through such training one’s mind, then one can can develop a one well, yeah, one can develop a, the wish to free from cyclic existence in all the time or whole twenty four hours. Well, you must laugh at the end of my translation. And speaking of this, it’s it’s it’s very difficult for us because it really contradicts the way we think in our normal life, everyday life because what we wish is we wish the enjoyments or happiness of the cyclic existence and what what we do not wish is we do not wish the sufferings of the cyclic existence. So therefore, and and because because in all the time we work we work such do all the things to achieve this happiness of the this cyclic existence and if if we receive those happiness, we feel content or very joy.
And and and and if we do not have all the the very good worldly enjoyments or the saṃsāra enjoyments, then we consider the person as a poor, you know, suffering so and so. But speaking of this, one may not one might feel it’s very challenging to to accept this logic or theory or a teaching that saying that that we should abandon all this the the happiness which we work for, which we desire, which we have experienced and we taste it, which are the the happiness of the saṃsāra and telling that happiness which we have experienced and that we enjoyed are to be abandoned and get rid of those and asking us to work something to attain our happiness called the happiness of the nirvana and happiness of the enlightenment which we have never taste and never seen and and asking us to achieve, work to attain those and give up our happiness which we have experienced and quite enjoyed it. So by saying this, one might find very quite challenging to accept it. So if when we go through very details, then we will find that it is it is we will find as well as it is difficult to develop those renunciation and the bodhicitta so forth because they are the things to enable to attain those, we have to give up the things or abandon the things which we normally like.
And and But in generally, when we don’t When we do not think much on all those renunciation and so forth, we might find it a bit easy that by speaking all the time, renunciation and the bodhicitta seems seem to seem quite easy to develop, but it is not. Yeah. But that does not mean that the renunciation is impossible. It is possible. But it one needs to cultivate constantly and meditate and and make familiarize with renunciation.
And gradually and and through very intense meditation on those and one gradually can develop, you know, a strong wish to free from cyclic existence uninterruptedly in in all twenty four hours or days and night and and will never develop a moment to a desire for the worldly enjoyments. And then whenever, yeah, one developed that wish to free from the cyclic existence in whole twenty four hours, days and night, then divert that direction instead of oneself, then think see the motherly sentient beings are same as oneself wishing happiness and do not want suffering. And and and and they still go through huge sufferings in cyclic existence like one oneself. So therefore, so in order to free them from cyclic existence and and yeah. So develop a wish to free those from from the sufferings of the cyclic existence in order to do so, then, yeah, develop a bodhicitta or altruistic altruistic intention, that is to attain enlightenment for the sake of entire sentient beings.
So we shall do a short meditation here on the altruistic intention bodhicitta, which is the wishing to attain enlightenment for the sake of entire sentient beings. Now the so we’re starting from the third subdivision of the enthusiastic efforts chapter, which is out of the four powers now. Third power, which is the power of joy. And that that section has been explained in the next four verse and two lines. Something to do with the child here or Very closer to the end of the chapter.
I think it’s from verse sixty three. Yes. I’m just checking with the Tibetan word and the English here. Yeah. Mean yeah.
I I have marked it, but it doesn’t really suit with the sixty three and the Tibetan words here. Okay. No. Yeah. This one?
I’ll do what you want. Oh, yeah. Four verse and two lines. And the meanings are are that in in all the time, one should apply or cultivate a very strong antidote to the disturbing emotions because the disturbing emotions are very powerful. So with the hard work, need to work very hard and apply the very strong antidote to the disturbing emotion.
By doing so, then one can one can abandon or challenge the disturbing emotion. Otherwise, it is very difficult to defeat the disturbing emotions. And it’s not just temporarily in all the time one should apply and train in the cultivation or in the practices of listening, contemplations and the meditation in order to challenge get the disturbing emotions. And by doing so, then it is it is very once times has been have been used meaningfully and and should not spend one’s time on doing the trivial or the meaningless the task. Task.
And and when one engage in those practice or or or engage in the cultivation of strong antidote to the disturbing emotion and should should engage in very joyfully For example, like a kids, they with huge with huge joy and pleasure, they they they play the games in order to have that happen, in order to attain that happiness or the pleasure of the games. And likewise, the bodhisattvas when they engage in the practice for the sake of others, like practice of six perfections, meditation, listening, teaching, so forth. They do it like a kid, like a kid in the effort to play a game. So, and that effort or with with with such joy and effort, the bodhisattvas, the joy, they engage in the positive actions in all the time. So likewise, like bodhisattvas, we should do the same.
So the saṃsāra beings, they they You say for Samsāra beings, they perform many the actions in all for for the sake of individual for the sake of one’s own happiness, particularly in current life, present life. And they do the the business, they do farming, they work in the factories, and likewise, we work, etcetera. And but the result of those actions with the intention, the result would be good and and receive such happiness. But the result whether result is going to be happiness, happy or not, is not certain. It’s it’s very uncertain.
But the bodhisattva’s actions are are different than the saṃsāra people, beings. Because the bodhisattvas, they they they performed, they cultivate the positive actions and train in the trainings of the practices of six perfections. Unlike the results of those samsaric people’s job, the result of the bodhisattva’s practice are also certain and infallible that that that their results are are either the the happiness of the nirvana and the enlightenment, and those results are certain as well. Certain in terms of the happiness result. So see, what ordinary ordinary beings, they they strive for the worldly happiness or samsaric happiness.
And and and and but yep. And and they will they do attained and they work for the happiness, samsaric happiness. And by working for it, they will receive the saṃsāra happiness, but because they have worked to attend that saṃsāra happiness along with it, they have cultivated numbers of the the negative karmas in order to attain that saṃsāra happiness. And those those karmas are the the non virtuous negative karma. And the result of those karma would be would be would be a suffering and not just a suffering, huge suffering that one one it it may lead one towards to experience or the, yep, the sufferings of the the hell realms.
And those happiness, it it it is like like yeah. So they’re striving for the happiness. It’s like the the like a little kid wanting to wanting to taste the the sweet or the honey on the very sharp blade. And then for the start yeah. starving.
In order yeah. So they want enjoy that honey on the very sharp blade and they strive, they wish to have that happiness, the taste of the honey. And they’ll lick it, unfortunately. And they lick it and they can taste the honey for a little moment. But as a result, the tongue’s been cut.
So likewise, the the the the by striving for the happiness of the saṃsāra, yeah, saṃsāra, they can they will attain a little samsaric happiness. But along with it, one has cultivate numbers of karma, and that will lead into huge suffering. So we should not do so and always work So we should not do like that kid or being and instead, try to cultivate the positive actions as much as one can. So for us, temporal, those who have attained, received the precious human rebirth and the god realms’ rebirth. So here, gods, not the entire god beings.
They are