Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A translator’s old error — rendering “two truths” as “two honesties” — gives Geshe Pema Tsering a vivid entry into the wisdom chapter in this 45-minute commentary. He begins earlier, though: drawing on Tsongkhapa’s Three Principal Aspects of the Path, he explains why renunciation requires seeing all three types of suffering, not just obvious pain. The body itself — produced by karma and disturbing emotions — is his main example, serving as both ground and perpetuator of cyclic existence. He traces how renunciation, redirected outward toward all sentient beings, becomes bodhicitta. The talk then turns to wisdom, explaining that all prior teachings on the six perfections were set forth to develop the wisdom realizing emptiness. He unpacks the two truths through a vase: the vase is conventional truth; its freedom from inherent existence is ultimate truth — a logic he applies to every phenomenon, emptiness itself included.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 16 BD 2002 09 29.mp3
UUID: 89037f8c-f293-4e2f-8c4a-23fe5aba076c
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: DB Bodhisattva Deeds (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-09-29
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.0 minutes
Words: ~3,005
And the great master Tsongkhapa in his text called text the three principal aspects of the path, it sets forth that without having a proper renunciation, there is no way one can achieve the happiness of liberation or happiness of liberation due to this, because of not having therefore good must continue. Therefore, should try to develop to develop a renunciation. So to to develop a renunciation there are or to develop an uncontrollable wish to free from cyclic existence, first, one needs to recognize or re understand the the the what is liberation. So and so by by understanding what is the liberation, then one will yeah. In order to develop such the uncontract wish, one needs to develop.
One needs to understand what is the liberation as well as one needs to see the the the the the force of the cyclic existence. So one yeah. One needs to recognize the liberation. And what is liberation? And the liberation here is one one is being liberated from the cyclic existence or this or the sufferings because the cyclic existence, its nature, itself is a suffering.
And so seeing the the the suffering nature of the cyclic existence is not it’s not easy because we are so accustomed with the the happiness of the psyche existent or seeing saṃsāra as a happiness. And due to this due to this, sometimes if one if we do not really be careful or not really careful, we we always happens to be cultivating a saṃsāra instead of abandoning it. So we wish happiness and do not want suffering. But we cultivate the suffering because we see suffering as a happiness. And so therefore, So the the the nature of the nature of the Samsāra is suffering.
And we make mistake or yeah. Mistake to to mistake and can’t see saṃsāra nature of saṃsāra as as a suffering. And due to this, we we instead, we see them as a happiness and try to cultivate that happiness. And as a and because one is trying to work to attain that this this samsaric happiness and we yeah. And then along we cultivate numbers of karmas in order to attain that happiness.
Among those kamas, the most of the kamas are non virtuous. So so because they are non virtuous, then it becomes likely we are cultivating the suffering of suffering or causes of the suffering. Okay. And yes, we practice and we cultivate a method to achieve the happiness and also the method to abandon the suffering. And we also practice.
What happens most of the time our practice becomes to to to abandon the first suffering, the suffering of the suffering because we recognize that suffering of the suffering as suffering and then we practice and yeah, we practice and for the next two sufferings of suffering of change and suffering of pervasive conditioning we mistake and instead we see them as happiness instead of suffering And due to this, then we work to attain those next two sufferings. And as a result of that, we cultivate numbers of karma, mostly the non virtues, yep, the negative karmas. And this is how it happens. And if when we talk about the next two, the suffering of change and suffering of pervasive conditioning, When we say they are the suffering, it is sometimes people or most of us can’t really accept those or feel those in one’s on this life or to hear those next two as a suffering because we see them as a happiness. Yeah.
So as for the first suffering of suffering, not only not only us, even the animals like cats and dogs, like pets, they can acknowledge and see suffering of the suffering as suffering because they do not wish to be sick and they don’t like to listen to the unpleasant words or harsh words and they want to have a happy So we are humans, not not an animal. Therefore, we have intelligence. So one needs to make use of those intelligent right? The mind to investigate what are the happiness and what are the sufferings. So, yep, so through investigation, then by using one’s intelligence, then one can understand that one can one can understand what are the sufferings and what are the happiness.
And by truth, such analysis, then one can find that both the one can see not only the first one, can also find the next true sufferings as a suffering. And, yep, so one one should examine examine, for example, like this one’s own of the aggregates or the body. So we suffer all the three types of sufferings on the basis of this body. And therefore therefore so if you find if if you examine, then one can find the the the phenomenon of the saṃsāra or particularly this body where on such body we on the basis of such body we suffers, experience all those sufferings. So if you go through the, yeah, investigation, find out that so this yeah, it is a product.
So what are the causes? It search for its causes and search for its nature and its function and the results of its functions. But when one go through all this and one can really see that the saṃsāra find all the sufferings. Yes. So yeah.
Therefore and so through investigation and what are its causes, the the and it causes the the karma and the disturbing emotions. So and which are yeah, the karma and the disturbing emotion, therefore its causes are not good. And particularly those karma and the disturbing emotions. Those are the main obstacles for those who wish obstacle for the liberation or nirvana. And by its nature, then in terms of its nature, its nature is suffering because it acts as the basis of all the sufferings.
And you prove it and in the previous life as as a result of that in this current life as as one also, yes, suffers on the basis of such a body. And and due to this body, one cultivates all the all the karmas. On the basis of the on the basis of this body, one cultivate all this karma, you know, to to achieve the happiness and pleasant good and so forth for this body and due to this and all the karma has been collected. And as a result of those karma, it produce they produce suffering in the future as well. But by by going through such investigation, then one come to know that that it has been suffered in the previous life as well as this life.
Not only this life, it will also link the suffering in future as well. So going through such such analysis, then one can see it is the saṃsāra. The it’s it’s it’s full of Full of faults. It’s full of faults and and can hardly find any good qualities, good qualities. So yes.
So if one wants to attain the liberation or nirvana, one has to abandon this saṃsāra or or this body or one which enters in the mother’s womb and that’s right. Which is the product or projected by the karma and the disturbing emotion. And and it’s also called the the the it is a saṃsāra as well as it’s called it is the suffering of pervasive conditioning because because it pervades entire lives. Entire lives from the very beginning to the And then the suffering of change are like having nice delicious meals or listening to good sounds, so forth. And those are the suffering of change.
So we see both the suffering of pervasive conditioning and the suffering of change as a and mistakenly see them as happiness. So so so in order to dev develop the renunciation, one needs to see the faults of the cyclic existence and and develop a wish to be free from those uncontrollable wish to free from those from the psyche existence. So which are those the things which which we see them as happiness in reality they are not. So should develop. So whenever one develop an uncontrollable wish to be free from those from the saṃsāra or those saṃsāra happiness or the things which mistakenly see as happiness.
So whenever one develops such an uncontrollable wish, one has developed a renunciation. And such such a mind, the renunciation wish to be free from cyclic existence, then redirect or change the direction slightly, and oneself and develop a wish to free those sentient beings from the suffering because they are equally or same as oneself, they’re wishing happiness to not want suffering, same as one same same as oneself lacking happiness and and being tortured by sufferings. And then so by developing such wish to free sentient beings from the sufferings, then one will look for a method to do accomplish such wish. And yeah. Accomplish such wishes, such wish, and one will come to know that the only it’s only the Buddhahood enlightenment.
By attaining Buddhahood, one can free those sentient beings from these sufferings. By knowing this, then one will work to attain Buddhahood for the sake of entire sentient beings. So shall do a short meditation here that on a bodhicitta, I shall attain enlightenment for the sake of entire sentient beings. For that purpose, I perform all these practices as well as the the the virtues I gain from such practice through the power of those may may I attain enlightenment for the sake of other sentient beings. Now to begin the last section on wisdom, we have explaining two two main subdivision, explaining the text and its parts.
And then the first one has two, the re brief brief explanation of the reason why one needs to develop the wisdom. And the second one is explaining in detail or yeah. In detail. The first one First one. And the the first one do I do you want me to repeat it?
No. It’s okay. Yes. This is all. Okay.
And the first one explaining brief explanation, it has been explained by the first single verse which is Yep. All of those practice were taught by the mighty ones for the sake of wisdom. And the meaning is that the all the teachings set forth in the earlier chapters, like the the six perfections starting from generosity and so forth. So all these teachings set forth by the the mighty one, is our Buddha Śākyamūni, is, yeah, is set forth for the purpose of developing a wisdom to develop a wisdom realizing emptiness, which is wisdom realizing emptiness, wisdom realizing emptiness that the wis such wisdom which which abandons or clears the obscuration abandons the obscuration to liberation. So the Lord Buddha Śākyamūni has set forth the teachings on the set the teachings of wisdom realizing emptiness or emptiness.
The purpose of giving such teaching is is is yeah. Is to to abandon the obscuration to obscuration to enlightenment. But it was set forth for that purpose, but not only for that, it also the the the the it is also necessary to have wisdom realizing emptiness in order to attain to nirvana or nirvana or liberation because because without wisdom realizing emptiness, one cannot abandon the obscuration to nirvana or obscuration to liberation. So therefore, either obscuration to liberation in the sense Buddha Buddhahood is a liberation, but the lower ones. So the the both yep.
Liberation and the enlightenment. Yeah, the wisdom realizing emptiness is should be developed in order to attain both of the liberations. So now this to explain to the second one, explaining in details, it has four subdivisions now. And the first one is establishing the views or theories or views. And and and, yeah, establishing the view which is first one.
And then how to meditate through yeah. Through yeah. Okay. And the second and third one is to to the discussions or of clarifying the the the the, say, mistakes or the elaborations in the the logics, which will come later. And then the fourth one is then the purpose, the activities of of the wisdom realizing emptiness.
And as with the first one, first subdivision establishing the views or theories, and it has three subdivisions as well. And yep. Ascertaining or or explaining the first one is oh, why am Establishing the views, it has three subdivisions. The first one is explaining the two truths and then avoiding or refuting or refuting the debates on it and establishing that the excellence of the Mahāyāna or great vehicle up. Right?
And to now to the out of those three, the first one, establishing the two truths. Right? And it has three subdivisions as well, three divisions as well. The definition of the two truths and, again yep. And explaining or establishing both individually the the two truths and and explaining the relationship between the person’s.
The the distinction or the difference the difference between the two between the person or self. Probably. Picking on the translator now. What happens is is actually the two truths here. And yeah.
Yeah. And two truths, they need in Tibetan word, and it is the conventional and ultimate truths. But the I think a long time ago, one of the translators is not really used to the teachings or Dharma texts. And when the teacher said, deni, you know, and he said, you know, he translated it as a deni, like, too too honesty or too honest because then is a word which is like telling the truth or honest. So I think, you know, there’s too honesty or something like that.
But that is not right, Geshe-la And yep. And the the first Yeah. The first one is to explain the difference of the two difference between the two truths. That has been explained in the next two lines. Now speaking this one.
Of these two lines, it’s very tricky in English now because I went through it and it’s not written as the the the previous chapters. You know? So well, when you see there’s a number two on the page one three one, and it is yeah. The half of the number two is the two words in a way. So now, yep.
So the meaning is that the the phenomena, yeah, phenomena is the basis where is the basis where the two truths have been divided or been separated, been divided. All the phenomenas, the phenomena here means phenomena is entire things or that can be acknowledged or can be perceived by the wisdom. And so and so there are two two truths, so called the conventional and conventional conventional truth and the ultimate truth. And the convent conventional truths so yeah. The con the all the the the persons like self and the bodies or self and the bodies are the conventional truths and and free of free of inherent existence of the self and the bodies or aggregates, for example, yes, say the aggregates are the ultimate truths.
Okay? This one. So the the phenomena is very wide and it can’t hardly can feed in one’s brain or one’s mind. But briefly speaking here, then all the phenomenas which are not empty of yeah. Phenomena which are not empty yeah.
No. Are not emptiness. Those are, for example, the yeah. The conventional truth, the the phenomena, and so that includes the emptiness itself is the the the conventional truth. And all this all the phenomena as well as the emptiness itself are the free of inherent existence, and those free of inherent existence of the emptiness or the phenomena are the ultimate truth.
So even though the phenomena is very wide, but they can be concluded or subsumed under two categories, the conventional and the ultimate truths. So and that such logic or that is it can be applied on each and every phenomenon. For example, like the vase on the table. And the vase itself is the conventional truth. And the emptiness of the vase or the vase, the free of inherent existence of the vase is the emptiness, which is the ultimate truth.
So likewise, so the the self, oneself is the conventional truth and free of inherent existence of the person or oneself is the ultimate truth. You’re getting there? Okay. Okay. So so when we say so there is both the truth in each and every phenomenon.
This yep. The example has been demonstrated on the vase and the person with oneself. They’re speaking of this, and the person might ask, but how can there be two truths on emptiness itself? Then it is because the emptiness for emptiness, there is a valid cognition, perception or a valid cognition which which use the emptiness itself as the object or a basis on upon it that realize the emptiness itself is free of inherent existence. And therefore, that on upon the emptiness itself, the emptiness is yeah.
So it becomes the conventional truth, and the free of inherent existence of the emptiness is the the ultimate truth. So this is how one divides the two truths, the conventional and the ultimate truth. The truth is, then one can apply that on each and every phenomenon, there is the both the two truths, conventional and ultimate. By doing so, then one can understand that the the entire phenomena phenomena can be divided into two groups. And now to the second division, which is subdivision, which is to the definition of the two truths.
It’s set forth that the that has been explained in the next two lines, and I’m finding out where these two lines are. They accept it as the two truths. Ultimately looking. It the half of the the the verse two, it it’s a very hard topic, and that’s been the translator has made written a note on the top of it how to read it, actually.