Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 59-minute talk, Geshe Pema Tsering opens with a candid aside: neither teacher nor students has direct experience of the difficult topics ahead, and studying them now plants imprints for future lifetimes. The session then enters the Highest Yoga Tantra chapter, beginning with a practical instruction to view all phenomena — sentient beings, suffering, the path, even enlightenment — as “like an illusion,” not existing as they appear to ordinary minds. The main body works through the formal definition of the generation stage and its three defining characteristics, including a scholastic debate over whether preliminary yogas such as the protective wheel count as actual generation stage practice. The session closes by distinguishing coarse from subtle generation stage, with the latter deferred to the next class. Suited to practitioners with some background in highest yoga tantra philosophy.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 20 2006 02 02 G and P.mp3
UUID: 47bfb0c6-ab5a-42b8-bc96-b58ba9e9300f
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Grounds & Paths (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2006-02-02
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 59.5 minutes
Words: ~3,706
So then, so now we must give rise to a good motivation, especially because we are now going to study the grounds and paths of secret mantra. And when studying and practicing the secret mantra, if we do not have, how do you say, both bodhicitta and a mind that realizes emptiness, then we we won’t be able to accomplish to bring the path of Tantra into fruition. So it is very important that we now give rise to the mind of enlightenment, to the motivation of attaining enlightenment for the sake of all. So then so now, Geshe-la is saying again, Geshe-la says that if is is it what? Yeah.
So again, again, Geshe-la says that we need to give rise to to the to the mind that understands emptiness and then to the mind of enlightenment and to renunciation. Even though Geshe-la said briefly that if you have given rise to the mind of enlightenment, you already have if you have accomplished the mind of enlightenment, it means that you have already accomplished renunciation. But even though this is so, he mentions the three of them as necessities in order to practice tantra. So then, Geshe-la says, then thinking of both the mind of enlightenment and of emptiness, then we give rise to the motivation. And then Geshe-la explains what is the the mind of enlightenment that we have to give rise to is the thought that thinks that in order to how do you say?
The thought of bringing all sentient beings to enlightenment. The thought that one must oneself alone bring, free all sentient beings from suffering,, and accomplish every happiness for all sentient beings. And in order to to do that, one must achieve enlightenment, then one one thinks then one thinks of may I achieve enlightenment for the sake of accomplishing this? So then and then again, Geshe-la explains what is that mind that realizes emptiness? The mind that realizes emptiness is the mind that understands that all sentient beings that were referred to whilst giving rise to to the bodhicitta, to the mind of enlightenment.
All those sentient beings, they they lack inherent existence. They do not exist in the way they appear to us. In the same way, we ourselves, one one, I, myself, do do not exist inherently, do not exist in the way I appear to my own consciousness. And and all phenomena up to up to enlightenment itself does not, how do say I’m sorry. First, again, I mentioned in in all the sufferings that all these sentient beings experience, even this suffering also does not exist inherently.
It does not exist in the way it appears to us. And, again, again, all other phenomena all phenomena, even up to up to the enlightenment itself does not exist to our ordinary minds, to our to the mind of an ordinary sentient being, an ordinary being. It does not not exist in the way it appear to this ordinary mind of this ordinary being, though it exists. Geshe-la made it clear it exists in the way it appears to a noble being, an ārya being. But to us ordinary beings, it does not exist in the way it appears to us.
So and then this is how we should think about emptiness. So then, again, Geshe-la says, then that being so, I mean, this brings the motivation and the mind that we have to give rise to. Geshe-la says, this is very difficult because we are not used to it, accustomed to it. And if we do not study a lot or study hard about the subject, it is very difficult to give rise to these minds. So then, Geshe-la says, so then it is very difficult to understand these topics, but then there is a way Geshe-la is teaching us a way to meditate on both the topics, bodhicitta and emptiness.
And Geshe-la says that every time, at all times, we should try to to see all sentient beings as like an illusion. So they’re being like an illusion means that they do not exist in the way they appear to exist. And then, again, we should see ourselves as an illusion. And and again, we do not exist in the way we appear because of being like an illusion. We do not exist in the way we appear to exist.
And again, all the sufferings that we and all other things in these experience, again, it’s just like an illusion. And then it it does not exist in the way it appears to exist again. And then the path that leads to the abandonment, the exhaustion, to the how to say, to the end of these sufferings. Also, this path is just like an illusion. It does not exist in the way it appears to exist.
Also, enlightenment, all phenomena up to enlightenment itself does not exist in the way it appears to exist. Again, we should think of them as being just like an illusion. And again, our being here and listening and reflecting on the teachings, again, we should think of it just like as being just like an illusion. It does not exist in the way it appears to exist. And and the teacher himself was giving the teaching to us is is, again, just like an illusion, not existing the way it appears to us and so forth.
So then that because because of being in this way, all these meditations and teachings on emptiness and so forth being this way, it is it is very difficult for us to gain an understanding of it. But then, again, Geshe-la said that and he asked, did you understand this teaching now on how to meditate on emptiness? So then it is it is difficult, but then having given rise to a motivation in this way that Geshe-la just explained to us, then we give rise to this motivation and then we listen to the teachings. So then, is saying that it is very difficult for us while we are listening to the teaching because the teaching is very difficult. And Geshe-la says it’s also very difficult for for him while while giving the teaching.
Geshe-la says that besides being able to read and maybe explain the the words of the text that is in front of him, he himself does not have an experience. So he said it’s very difficult for both of us, for all of us. So then again, again, I said that being so, it is very difficult. But we are doing this now in order to plant imprints on ourselves, both our listening and Geshe-la’s teaching, we do that. We are all doing that for the sake of planting imprints.
And then in a future lifetime, we’ll be able to meet with the teachings again and accomplish them. So then now we get into the third part of the text, which is the third division of this I mean, the third part of this of this chapter of the text, which is the highest yoga tantra part. So the third part is how to practice the path. Okay, it’s Page nineteen of the English translation you have. This one.
Okay. And then Geshe-la will say, so how to practice the path? There’s two divisions to it and the way to meditate on the two stages. And the second topic is the practice that swiftly produces these two. And I guess I’ll briefly explain this, okay, the two stages the generation stage and the completion stage.
And then the practice swiftly producing these two is how to say the stages of meditation on of these two of the generation and completion stage that leads to the result of enlightenment and so forth. So then, the first of these topics, which is the way to meditate on the two stages, has two divisions again. So the first one is the generation stage, the way to meditate on the generation stage and the second one, the way to meditate on the completion stage. And then Geshe-la went straight to the first one, which is the way to meditate on the generation stage. And then we go into the definition of generation stage.
It says it is that which is not the placing and the abiding and the dissolution of the winds in the central channel by force of meditation which matures one’s continuum to the completion stage, which is result, which is its own result, which is the result of the generation stage. And again, meditates on the three, how to say, birth, death and the intermediate state on the concordant aspects of these three with a newly investigating mind. So this is given as the definition as the defining characteristics of the generation stage. So then Gela is going through the defining characteristics of the generation stage. And it goes in the first sentence, which states that, which is not the placement, the abiding and the dissolution in the central channel of the wind by force of meditation.
Geshe-la was briefly explaining. So the central channel is one of is the main channel of many channels that we have in our bodies. Geshe-la says of the thousands of channels that we have, there are three main ones. The central channel and the central channel is the main of this three also. So by force of meditation, one places the wind, one makes the winds enter the central channel, not only enter the central channel, but one makes the winds abide there.
And then later one makes the winds dissolve inside the central channel. So that yoga, which does not do that. That’s one of the defining characteristics of the generation stage because these practices, again said, they are from the completion stage. And then the second part, the second defining characteristic of the generation stage, which is the second sentence which states that that which matures one’s continuum to the completion stage, which is its own result. Geshe-la explains that being its own result means that the completion stage is how to say, is a direct result, is a result of the generation stage, Having accomplished the generation stage, then one bases one’s practice of the completion stage on it. So then the generation stage is that practice, is that yoga, which benefits and supports, how to say, the completion stage.
So then, the third defining characteristic of the generation stage is that meditation is that yoga, which meditates with a newly investigating mind on the concordant aspects of the rebirth, death, and the intermediate state. And then, again, briefly explained, so okay, what is being referred to as birth, death, and the intermediate state. Birth is our coming to the world, and then death is when when we die, we separate from this body. And then the intermediate state is that state between death and rebirth. And again, after the intermediate state, we again take another birth and another death. And again, we go to the Bardo again. And like this, we have to meditate in stages on these three phenomena. So then now, again, I just explained, so what is referred to as the concordant aspects of these three. And again, I was giving one explanation, which says, for example, when we meditate on the concordant aspect of birth, then we are referring to to all the phenomena that are present to us, that appear to us right now. It’s it’s a meditation in relation to all the phenomena present that appear to us, that are appearing to us right now.
And then when we talk about when we’re talking about death, then we are talking about the fact that this phenomena or this phenomena that appear to us do not how to say, do not have inherent existence, meaning they they do not exist in the way they appear to us. And that is the the and and that is it’s a how to say? They’re they’re not existing the way they appear to us is their relation with the aspect of death. The concordant aspect of death is realizing the lack of inherent existence, realizing that they do not exist in the way they appear. How to say has has how to say?
So yes, the concurrent aspect of of that is that they do not exist in the they appear to us. And then, Geshe-la did not mention the relation with the Bardo intermediate state. But Geshe-la, he stopped after he explained the the concordant aspect of death just to to summarize and he’s just he was just saying that these all these is just a way to meditate on on on emptiness and to realize the importance of phenomena of of of everything, the to realize emptiness. So then the mind that meditates, engages in such meditation as meditation on concordant aspects of birth, death and the states and how to say, and which is its own results, has its own result the completion stage and so forth. This mind which is practicing this is a mind which is practicing the yoga of the generation stage.
So then the tax goes on to say that these are defining characteristics of the generation stage according to Pänchen Losang Chökyi Gyaltsen, who said so. And then the author of this text says that he he thinks that the is referring only to the main body of the generation stage practices. So then, Geshe-la says, I mean, we went through the text. Geshe-la says, this is how to say that some people say that that is not the generation stage because the generation stage being the generation stage is not pervaded by a meditation on the concordant aspects of the three, birth, death and intermediate state. Because, for example, the yogas up to but not including the yoga with the knowledge consort do not include meditation on concordant aspects of the three, birth, death, and the intermediate state, and also the protective wheel meditation does not include meditation on concordant aspects of those three.
But what is meant, what the text’s meaning is, is that the main practices of the generation stage involve meditation on emptiness. And these are the practices, the practices, the yogas that are up to but not including knowledge consort yoga and the protective wheel, they do not involve meditation on emptiness in the way that was explained before by Geshe-la. So then the tax goes on to say that the first of these reasons that were presented before is established because there is this text at the presentation of the stages, the explanation of the presentation of stages, which is, I think, in your English translation just this Tibetan word, right? This text says that the yogas, the practice is up to but not including the union with a knowledge consort are in the context of the deeds of enlightenment or the deeds of a Buddha. And they do apply to the they’re not applied, how to say, to the context of of of the rebirth, death and intermediate states?
So then so then the first reason was established, where the first reason was in relation to the statement that the yoga is up to but not including the union with a knowledge consort, how to say, is not the main generation stage. And then the second reason is also established and this is the reason in the statement that says that also the meditation on the protective wheel is not how to say, it does not also involve meditation on the stages of birth and so forth. But still they are a division of the basis the basis of generation stage and they are merely, how do you say, preliminary practice of the generation stage and being as being such, they do not involve, do not necessarily involve meditation on the concordant aspects of the three, again, birth, death, and intermediate state. Okay? So then the text goes on to say that there are some opponents that might say that both all the yogas including the protective wheel and the Yogas up to but not including the union with a knowledge consort.
They are not the actual generation stage, because they say this opponents say that if it is generation stage, then it is necessarily a meditation which takes into the path any of the three bodies of a Buddha. And then this this opponents go on to say that if it is a path in the continuum of a generation stage practitioner, pervaded by being a generation stage, so it’s not pervaded by being generation stage. And then the author says that this reasoning is incorrect, it does not apply. So then what is being said, for example, is that not every path, not every how would you translate path?
Not every meditation, not every practice that is being done by a person, a practitioner of the generation stage is the generation stage practice. Because there are practices, how to say common practice, for example, from from the Sūtra vehicle, vehicle which which he also meditates on our path, paths or practices or meditations of the Sūtra vehicle that he this person also practices. That makes sense? Okay. So then the text goes on to say that we cannot accept that statement that was given before, because it would contradict the bounds, the general bounds of the divisions of the four-limbed sadhanas and of the four yogas and the six branches and the three concentrations — the bounds of these would contradict them.
So briefly what can I explain is what is being said is that how do you say all those how do you say Is that what I said before? What is it? So then all these, the four branches of sadhanas and this four yogas and so forth, then I say, all these, they are generation stage, but they are not meditations that involve practice that involves meditation on concordant aspects of the rebirth, death and intermediate state. And then so the text and then the author, he goes on to say that if we want to know more extensively extensively about this subject, we have to look into the the Stages of the Mantric Path by Jetsün Chökyi Gyaltsen, which and then Geshe-la says in the Stages of the Mantric Path by Jetsün Chökyi Gyaltsen, all these are explained, the four branches of sadhanas and the four yogas and the six branches and the three concentrations, all these are explained in detail in Jetsün Chökyi Gyaltsen’s text. So then now we go to the next topic of this of the generation stage, which is the divisions of generation stage.
So if we divide the generation stage, have two, which is the Yoga of coarse single recall and the second, the Yoga of Subtle Investigation. Investigation. Okay? So then the first one, the Yoga of coarse single recall is the same as is also called the coarse generation stage, which is to say the Yoga of coarse single recall and the coarse generation stage have the same meaning, they’re equivalent. And then there’s a text, is the Bud of Precious Certainty is is is mentioned.
And then, again, I was going to explain what’s being said. So then this text, the bird of precious certainty states is explaining what is meant with single recall or what also could be translated as single mindfulness. So, it is not meditating on, I would say, recalling the deity or being mindful of the deity on only one occasion or a single moment. And it is also not being mindful of only one deity. That’s not what is meant by a single recall or single mindfulness.
So then what is meant by single recall is either, how to say, meditating singly or one-pointedly on a deity in one, yeah. How do say? Recalling the deity single pointedly or singly or and or meditating as seeing oneself, recalling oneself and the deity as one. So then the tax goes on to say that, that single recall, it’s one can one meditates with single recall on both coarse and subtle yogas. But in this this context, it is referring to the yoga of the coarse, supporting Mandala and supported deities.
Mandala and supported Deities. So then in this context, again, in this context, it is it is referring to the deity yoga of the coarse, supporting mandala and the supported deities So then Geshe-la explained the Tibetan terms, which translated into English as the supporting and supported, which in the English translation it came. So the supporting is the Mandala of the deity, which is the habitation of the deity, how to say, the house of the deity or the palace of the deity. And the supported are the deities themselves. So then I’ll explain also what is the difference between the coarse and the subtle generation stage.
So the coarse is this meditation on the coarse supporting mandala and supported deities. And the subtle is again a meditation on the supporting mandala and the supported deities, but inside the indestructible drop that exists within the central channel. So it’s just very miniscule, I would say, drop, which is called the indestructible drop. And then in on that drop, we meditate on the whole supporting mandala and on all the supported deities of the mandala. And that will be the the subtle generation stage.
So then if one the text goes on to say, if one is a practitioner of the generation stage, then one begins with giving rise to a concentration, a clear appearance of the coarse aspects of the Mandala and the deities. This one. Okay. And then the text briefly goes on to say that how do you say, this coarse generation stage is also called such because it is prior to the meditation on the Supreme Victory Mandala. And that is stated in the text, the Bud of Precious Certainty.
In accordance with the English text we have? Yeah. So then we leave here today. The next topic will be the subtle generation stage. I don’t know, but I can ask you.