Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A verse from the Seven Point Mind Training — motivate at the start, apply in the middle, dedicate at the end — opens this 108-minute session as Geshe Pema Tsering launches a new study of Tsongkhapa’s Middling Lamrim. He unpacks two key terms from the title: the stages of the path (first steps to Buddhahood) and the three types of beings, each with its own goal — higher rebirth, liberation, or enlightenment. He traces the text’s lineage from Maitreya through Atisha and Tsongkhapa, then begins the homage verse and Atisha’s biography. In Q&A, Geshe Pema Tsering argues that most of us barely qualify as small-scope beings — like children absorbed in sweets, unable to think beyond today — and that studying Lamrim is essential because without it we simply do not know what to practice or abandon.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 02 2008 03 06 BP.mp3
UUID: 9ecb018c-c0ba-4662-8844-a3d19314f0fa
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Lam Rim (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2008-03-06
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 108.1 minutes
Words: ~6,410
The Seven Point Mind Training. So, Geshe-la is quoting a verse from the Seven Point Mind Training which says that in the beginning and the end the two important actions. So in the beginning the important thing for us to do is to give rise to a proper motivation or good motivation. In the middle, in the between, then we should apply our mind. We should hold our mind to the subject.
In the end, we should make the proper dedication. So, Geshe-la was gonna say, if we if we act in this way, then our our spiritual practice will be will turn out very, very good, very solid practice. Geshe-la was gonna say, the reason we engage in Dharma practice, in spiritual practice, is because we all want happiness. We do not want suffering. That’s what what it boils down to.
It boils down to the fact that we all want happiness. And because we want happiness, then we we ought to accumulate the the causes of happiness, which are virtuous actions, virtuous deeds. And and and virtuous deeds are mainly mainly determined by the motivation that we give rise to before we engage in the deeds and the actions themselves. So that’s why it is important according to the verse in the beginning to give rise to a proper motivation. And then in between, after the beginning, in between, we should engage in whatever the Dharma that we are practicing.
We should engage with our minds wholeheartedly with the Dharma. Whatever the Dharma may be, Dharma of being small, middling, or great scope, whatever it that we are doing, we should be studying or meditating or making prostrations or offerings and forth. We should be single-minded and wholehearted about it. So then in the end, we should give rise we should it’s important that we make the proper dedication, making the correct dedications. So having given rise to the proper motivation, having applied our minds fully to the to the action, then in the end, we should dedicate the merits of these actions that we have, these virtuous actions that we have performed to the enlightenment of all sentient beings.
May the the merits of these actions be the cause of the enlightenment of all sentient beings. And this is how we have to dedicate. It’s very important. Three stages of the actions we take, that in the beginning, the middle, and the end. And if if we act in this way that we have been instructed in the beginning, the middle, and the end with regards to our our practice, then our spiritual practice will turn out to be very good, very solid, and and all our actions, all our spiritual practices will will become the cause causes of enlightenment itself.
So then and and we should act in this way as we have been instructed also today with regards to what we are going to do today. Today, we are going to recite the Heart Sūtra. We’re going to make the mandala offerings, the the body, speech, and mind offerings. We’re going to, how do say, go through the seven-limb prayer and so forth. And we are going to start studying this text on the stages of the path to enlightenment.
And this is the way we should engage in the sessions. So then Geshe says then that we should all all of us and Geshe-la says in the first person, me and and all of you, we should all all of us, for that reason, we should develop the motivation, which is the motivation of attaining enlightenment. We develop the motivation thinking For the purpose of the accomplishing the enlightenment of all beings, I’m going to I’m going to recite the the Heart Sūtra. I’m gonna do the seven-limb prayer, the mandala offerings. I’m gonna study the lamrim text, the the the text on on the stages of the path, and so forth.
Whilst we are actually doing those actions, we should be single-minded and and and wholehearted about it, focused on them. And then in the end, we should dedicate these virtuous actions as causes for the enlightenment of all beings. When we read the final dedication, so that may the merits that I have generated be the cause of the enlightenment of both. So with with that, we start we start today with the prayers. The prayers in the prayer book, and then and that’s the first prayer that you see.
And straight after that, we go to the green book, to the So is starting with with the text itself, the body of the text. And if you have the English text, you might want to follow-up because we are going to follow it very closely. So is is starting to explain the very title the very title of this text, which is the middling exposition of the stage of the path to enlightenment to be practiced by the three types of beings. So is stopping and picking up one expression of of that title, is the stages of the path. Literally, the stages of the path.
So what is what is this path? The path is from the moment we start on on our spiritual practice until we reach the end result or the end of the spiritual practice, which is Buddhahood itself. This text is going to explain to reveal to us all the stages from the beginning of our spiritual practice all the way to the end of our spiritual practice. And then Geshe-la moves on to another expression of that title, is the three beings. The three beings.
In English, have the three types of beings. And we have three types of beings stipulated in the teachings on the stage of the path, the beings of small scope, the beings of medium scope, and the beings of greater scope. And so these three types of beings, they are stipulated in relation to the mental capacities, to their mental strength or power, what could even be translated sometimes as courage. So there are beings with a lesser mental capacity or courage, and then the beings of small scope and the beings with a middling average mental capacity, then there will be the beings of middling scope. And then those of with greater mental capacity, greater courage, also, the great.
So these three different types of beings, these three different beings with these three different scopes, mental scopes or scopes of intelligence, you could say. They have three different objects of attainment. They have three different goals. So those with a greater of the greatest scope has have as their goal Buddha hood, enlightenment itself. And those of medium scope have as their goal their own individual liberation.
And and lastly, those of small scope have as their goal a higher rebirth as either a god or a human being. So then we have these three types of beings. We have these three different goals. And then we have when we take those aiming for Buddhahood, enlightenment itself. Since from the moment they enter, they engage, they first engage in the spiritual practice when they are beginners like us, to the point where they attain Buddhahood itself, they are engaging on the path, on all the stages of this path with that aim in mind, with that purpose in mind, with that intention in mind for the sake of attaining enlightenment itself.
Now the beings of middling scope, because their mental abilities, their mental capacity is not as great as the beings of of greater scope, then they they are not able to aim. They do not have the mental capacity to aim Buddhahood itself. So they aspire instead for liberation, for their own liberation. From the moment they start, they engage in the spiritual practice until moment they attain liberation itself. They are practicing all the so called stages of their path, of this path, with that aim in mind, with this intention, this purpose in mind of attaining liberation.
And and, again, the same goes for the beings of lesser mental capacity. They they do not have the mental capacity or ability to aspire even for liberation itself. So they aspire instead for the happiness of of birth as a as a god or goddess or the the happiness of a human being. And the from the beginning of their spiritual practice to to the point that where they attain that goal of of that happiness, they are practicing their stages of the path with that goal in mind, with that goal in mind. And then we have the stages of the of the path of the paths of the three types of beings.
So then so then this text then is a text which is going to explain these so called stages of this path of the beings of three scopes. And Geshe-la says the source of these teachings of the path of the stages of the path comes down to the Buddha Śākyamūni himself. Now the Buddha, at his time, he didn’t give teachings in this exact format as as we know them, as the stages of the path, the format of the stages of the path, everything concise and all organized. He gave teachings to which one of his students, to which person who requested to him, he gave a very personal teaching, very personal instructions to each one of them. So it wasn’t the teachings of the Buddha are even though they are the source, the very source of this stages of the path of these teachings of which is called lamrim, you will get used to call it lamrim, the Buddha himself did not teach in this specific format, which is a class of of of text, actually, that evolved in in in Tibet itself.
It’s called, of the path. And then from all those those those teachings of the Buddha, then Maitreya and Asaṇga have composed, which are attributed to Maitreya himself, these five treatises of Maitreya. Of all these five treatises of Maitreya, there’s one of them which is the Ornament of the Mahāyāna Sutras. In this text of Maitreya, we find all these topics, all these subjects that we find in in in such a text as as the Lamrim text. So then in after the material composed those texts, that specific text, then there were twenty.
There were twenty one scholars Indian scholars who compose commentaries on on those texts of Maitreya. And then later on, many others in Tibet, minority Tibetan scholars have composed commentaries on those texts. Then based on on on that text on on basing himself on the text of Maitreya and all the commentaries, twenty one commentaries on the text, then we had later on Jowo Lama Atisha who composed then in his time the lamp illuminating the path to enlightenment which is a text which Geshe-la says, summarizes all those texts or collects all the the main points of those texts into one single coherent into one cohesive text. And then based on that text of Lama Atisha, the lamp of the path of enlightenment, where all the steps of the path of Buddhahood are explained, then we we had then the actual later on composed by Tsongkhapa, who composed then the actual the greater exposition on the stage of the path to enlightenment. With. You will you will get used to hear that.
Then the middling, the middling, which is this one that we are studying here, and then this the smaller exposition on the stage of the path to enlightenment. And of of those three texts by Tsongkhapa, we are studying the middling one. This one? This one. On stages of the path, in the moment we become Buddhist, we take refuge in the Buddhist teachings onwards all the way until we attain our goal, whatever it is, the goal of enlightenment or liberation or a higher rebirth as human or god.
And everything we need to practice, all the studies that we need to go through, they are explained here in this text of on the stages of the path. And all we need to do is study them. Geshe-la was saying now studying the text, the the the state this text on the stage of the path. It’s These are texts which are very easy for us to understand and very easy for us to grasp. Studying in the traditional way through debates and through the monastic universities of and so forth.
And studying those text that they studied, the the five great scriptures, including the greater perfection of wisdom. Debating all those sections of course is extremely difficult, Geshe-la says, as opposed to to the text, which is very easy to grasp. So then we start with the actual text, is the very first verse, which is a verse of saying, I respectfully prostrate at the feet of all the the greatly compassionate and holy venerable ones. And this is this is a verse of a verse of homage of of homage and and respect of veneration. So then in in the in the small type, we have the the actual the commentary.
Right? So everything that is in English in a small type is is the the commentary to the to the to the main to the root versus or the root text. And the commentary is telling us that, again, this here we have how do say? Here we have from amongst the three texts the stages of the path composed by the great gentle protector, the the king of the Dharma, which is Lama Tsongkhapa himself. From amongst the three Lamrim texts that he composed, the greater, the middling, and the and the smaller, we have an exposition of the of the middling lambrim.
This text is also widely known as the middling lamrim. And this scripture here, this text here has three main sections to it. The first one is an introduction. It’s the branch of the part of it, is introduction to the explanation itself, the text itself. Then there is a composition, the main composition of the text itself.
And lastly, there is conclusion of the text. What Geshe-la says is then the dedications of of the text. As for the first of those topics, which is the introduction, the introductory branch of this explanation, we have, firstly, the the we have three parts to it. We have the the paying homage, then the the vow to compose or the promise to compose the text itself. And then we have, let’s say, identifying the teaching, which is an explanation of the meaning of the title of this text.
So then we have the very first of those three, which is the veneration, the homage itself, which says to the Bhagavan, to the Tathāgata, which is the great lord of this world system, then to the regent of the victorious, lord of dharma Maitreya, then to the single father of the Tathagatas, Mañjuśrī, and to the two prophesied or foretold by the conqueror himself, Nāgārjuna and Asaṇga, to them, I respectfully bow. So then so then one respectfully bows to to the to the lords, and was saying, what is the reason we pay this homage in this way? We pay this this this respect. Why why what is the reason we bow down in this way to the to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas? And is saying is because we the author the author of this text, then this is is going to compose the text, going to start composing the text.
And in order to dispel any obstacles to composing the text and to finish the composition of this text. He pays respect so that he accumulates merit. That? He accumulates merit. So he makes makes offerings and prostrations and and and and so forth.
And in this way, he accumulates the merit necessary to dispel any hindrances and obstacles to the composition, to the to accomplish in this task at hand, which is composing this text, . So then we had after after prostrating making this prostration for the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, we have then the promise to compose the text, the vow to compose the text. And then vow itself, the promise itself goes goes like this. Here now, I will briefly explain the I will again briefly explain an easy way to engage in the teachings of profound view and the vast conduct in the stages of Sorry, let me repeat that. Here now, I will briefly compose explanation, which is makes it which is easy to engage on the stages of the path of the vast view of the deep or profound view and the vast conduct.
So then we move on to the next section, which is a general explanation of the instructions that are going to be explained here. And this, again, we read the commentary there, which is saying identifying this teaching, this Dharma, which is an explanation of the topics which are related to the meaning of the title of this text. The title of the text is teaching the the city of the path of the beings of of the three scopes. So then it is it is an explanation then identifying this Dharma, which is the teaching the stages of the path of the beings of the three scopes. So then as for this topic, then we have a sentence which is which goes like this.
So here then is going to be explained the Dharma, that spiritual teaching, which is a way to guide the fortunate beings to the ground of Buddhahood, to the stage of Buddhahood, through the stages of the path to enlightenment, where a teaching where all the important points of the teachings of the Buddha are included, a teaching which is in the tradition, which is in according to the system of the great trailblazers, Nāgārjuna and Asaṇga, and a teaching which is in the tradition of those great beings who are aspiring, who are going, who are aiming at attaining the state of omniscience and are teaching where everything without exception, all the stages of of the practice of the beings of the three scopes included without any exception. Then going back to the beginning of the Tibetan version of the text, starts the first sentence of of the Tibetan version. It says where all the important points of the teachings of the conqueror included here. So I was gonna say, so the conqueror here, this the victorious one, this this conqueror here is the Buddha Śākyamūni himself. And of of all the all the important points of all the various and many teachings of the Buddha Śākyamūni are included in this teaching on the stages of the path to enlightenment.
So we have and then we because I was going for the second sentence, which is then saying that talks about the system or the tradition of the the two great trailblazers, Nāgārjuna and Asaṇga. So then Geshe-la was then saying so Nāgārjuna is a proponent of the middle way school, the Madhyamaka school of thought. And asanga is a proponent of the mind only school of thought. Of the various interpretations of of the intention of the conqueror, the Buddha himself, then there are these two two main interpretations. interpretations.
One is which gives the middle way interpretation. The other one which gives Asaṇga’s mind only interpretation. So then Nāgārjuna was a proponent of the the middle way school, Madhyamaka School. Of of the two middle way schools, there are the the the consequentialist, and how do you translate that? The autonomous.
Yeah. The autonomous middle way and the consequentialist middle way, there are these two middle way schools of of thought. And the main one is the one that was proponent of the is the is the consequentialist middle way school. So then all which which which is a school of thought with regards to the view the view of emptiness, a very school of thought that explain a thought, a subtle view of of of emptiness. And then holding within the framework of that subtle view of emptiness, then all the stages of the path are taught here from renunciation all the way to itself.
So then and also Asaṇga who propounded a view of emptiness, which is the mind only corresponding to the mind only school. And then both of them, Nāgārjuna and Asaṇga, within their own systems of middle way school and the mind only school, they have explained the path all the way from the beginning until Buddhahood itself. So in their teachings, you have all the path from beginning to So then and Geshe-la says, so then even though those are those are two different views with regards with regards to the wisdom teachings, those are two different views. One is the middle way, and the other one, Nāgārjuna’s is is a middle way view, and Asaṇga’s is the mind only view. Even though they are different in regards to the view, in regards to the wisdom wing of the teachings, they are the same.
They are equal with regards to the method wing of the teachings. Both they both agree with regards to bodhicitta, the teaching of bodhicitta, and the cause of bodhicitta, compassion, love and kindness, and so forth. In this regards, they are the same. So this is then the spiritual teaching, the spiritual tradition or system for those great beings which are aiming at attaining the ground of omniscience. These teachings of the are such explain such a a spiritual path, a spiritual tradition, a Dharma tradition, Dharma system, which are which lead to the ground of Buddhahood, to the ground of omniscience.
And and and all the stages of practice of the three types of beings without any exception are included here in this exposition on the stages of the path. And finally, the last line of the Tibetan version of this of this verse, which says that here, I’m going to explain this spiritual teaching, this Dharma, which is a way to lead to lead fortunate ones to the ground of buddhahood by means of the stages stages of the path to enlightenment. So then of those three sections, we have an explanation of the composition itself, which starts with, first of all, how is it that it agrees explanations proposed by former scholars? So then with regards to to that topic, we have the main body of the text saying that according to the glorious then there’s a there’s a Sanskrit a Sanskrit word here in the Tibetan, which give rise to interpretation. And in the it was in the English version, we have a reference to the monastery of Vikramashila.
In in the Tibetan, sometimes there is room for for interpreting the Tibetan the the Sanskrit word, which is written in Tibetan characters as making reference to one particular scholar from Nālānda, Kamalaśīla. And then and then so then Geshe lais is adopting this interpretation and saying that according to the scholar, the glorious Kamalaśīla, then we have the first thing to do whilst going to compose a text is then to show the greatness of the author of these teachings. Then secondly, to show the greatness of the teachings themselves. And lastly, to show the proper way of explaining and of listening to the teaching. Showing and explaining the importance, how important it is before to explain the proper way to to explain and to listen to teach and to listen to these teachings laws.
So then following this this line of of teaching, then we have four the four parts on on guiding guiding people through the stages of the path to enlightenment. So then the first is, how do say, showing showing Oh, yeah. The source of of these teachings so that we generate so that so that we can show the importance or the greatness of the author itself, of the composer of these teachings. Then showing the greatness of the teachings themselves for the sake of developing, of generating respect for these instructions. Then thirdly, how to say, explaining how to listen and how to explain how to teach such spiritual teachings, are endowed with these two greatness, the greatness of of the teacher and the greatness of of the teaching itself.
And then lastly, And then lastly, Way to guide the students how to guide the students through the through the actual instructions of the path. So then we have the first of those four topics, which is ensuring the greatness of the teacher so that we can appreciate the authenticity of these teachings, and the authenticity of the teachings. So then this topic has firstly two divisions to it.
First of all, is the very root teacher and then composer, the actual composer of these teachings. Generally speaking, this instruction, we are told, is sourced in the instructions that come from the Ornament of Clear Realizations of the great lord Maitreya himself. So then and then and then we have specifically and especially this text is based on the lamp on the lamp illuminating the stages of the path to enlightenment. And author of the lamp of the stage of the path to enlightenment is is also the author of this text, the that we have here. So then stops there and picks up that phrase that says that the the composer of that, which is the lamp illuminating the path, which was lord Atisha, is the also the composer of this, which is this text here that we have in our hands on the stages of the path.
So was in saying, we should consider, we should regard the author of of this text that we have in our hands as one with Atisha himself as Atisha himself, lord So then, therefore, the great scholar, which was Dipamkara Shrijnana, also called also known as the glorious Atisha, also renowned as the glorious Atisha, And this is the the source the very source and the origin of this text on the stages of the path. Now secondly, we have then the the we explained the three the three greatnesses of of of that. The three greatnesses of Lama Atisha, the three greatness of the. So then the first one, the way that he was actually born in a lineage, in an excellent in an excellent lineage, Then on that basis, on the basis of having been born in that excellent lineage, on that excellent on those excellent conditions, how he developed excellent qualities. And then having developed excellent qualities, the.
Having having achieved those good qualities, how Atisha performed the deeds This one. This one. So then we have so then how is it that he was born in an excellent family, in an excellent lineage? Family. Family is okay.
Yeah. And we have we have a quote from a verse from from a praise that was composed with regards to Lama Atisha. And this verse so we have in the Tibetan here, and it’s and I’m going to if you want together with me, we can read together. But what what is what Geshe-la was reading and explaining is exactly what is written here. Due east in the eastern country of Sahor.
Sahur is a Bengal, lies a city big and tall, namely Vikramanipur. Vikramaniputa. In its midst, the royal court, an extremely spacious palace called the one with golden banners. Its pleasures, might, and wealth resemble those of king Tong-kun of China, king of of that land is Kalyānashri, and his queen is called Shripraba. So then it’s just make making reference to the fact that Lama Atisha himself, he was born in a in a very wealthy family, son of a king and a queen, enjoying great wealth with a big palace and gold and and wealth equal to the king of China of eastern China at the time.
And then so then this royal couple, Kalyānashri and Shripraba, had three sons, Padmagarbha, Chandragarbha, and Shrigarbha are their names. So then and of those three sons, the prince had five royal consorts, and he had nine sons. So the oldest one of those nine children was Shrigarbha, who was a Mahapandita widely known as such. Shrigarbha. Yes.
And his younger And then This one. So then we we follow on to the to the second topic of those. So how how he achieved, how he developed good qualities on the basis of that on that basis of being born in that excellent lineage, that excellent family. So first of all, how he developed the good qualities by gaining gaining knowledge of the many scriptures and how he developed the good qualities by correctly, properly practicing those teachings, how he attained realization of qualities by properly properly practicing those teachings. So then with regards first to the to how he developed good qualities with regards to his intellectual knowledge, then we are told that he was twenty one years old, he was already proficient in the four main branches of knowledge of both Buddhist and non-Buddhist.
Four. Right? Yeah. Four. Which are in regards to grammar, logic, crafts, and medicine.
And then in particular, we have especially when he was we are told that when he was fifteen years old, he he by he read this one text lines of reasoning just once, and then he was able then to defeat in intellectual debate a non-Buddhist scholar. And and then because of that, he became very famous, very So now we stop here today with the teachings, and we have time for questions and answers now. Okay? Yes? I was just trying to understand the implications of the three different the the beings of three different capacity and scope because and they were characterized in terms of capacity and objective.
I think that’s Okay. So the gentleman is asking with regards to the beings of three scopes of beings, in practice what it means is if he has to first of all clarify for himself where he fits and what his goal is and which type of being he is before he can actually practice. Is that correct? Important to to understand what this is what these three types of beings and these three goals are about so that we we we can contextualize our practice. We can know why we we are practicing.
Geshe-la wasn’t saying no. Ideally, we we would all be striving for the goal of being of greater scope. We would all be striving for enlightenment, enlightenment of all beings. But we we are not there. I mean, us beginners, Geshe-la says that, you know, us, all of us, we we are not there.
And and we we are we are hardly we are hardly, I would say, fit to be called beings of of small scope. We are hardly fit. We we we we difficulty even performing the tasks, the the meditation, or the deeds that are involved in in the practice of of the path of beings of small scope that that aim and attain a high rebirth, a happy rebirth as humans or gods. Also, and the same goes for the beings of medium scope that aim at attain attaining liberation. So we hardly fit the bill.
But we have to understand what these what these are, and we have to because by understanding it, we we can actually have a clear idea of what it is that we are seeking and then develop the proper motivation with regards to that. And Geshe-la says and and when we talk about this understanding and and develop this clear idea or motivation, it is not, you know, just reading once in a book or anything like that. We we have to develop the same aspiration towards these goals, the same purpose, the same intention and determination towards these these goals, high rebirth, liberation, or enlightenment, in the same way, in in the same with the same emotional involvement and intensity and fervor that we do with regards to our money, to our breadwinning. Okay? So, so right now, we do not have an understanding, a clear understanding of what the three types of beings are, what the three types of what the three different goals are.
And that’s why it is very important that right now we study the stages of the path to enlightenment. Because by studying the stages of the path to enlightenment, we will know what the three types of beings are and what the three different goals are and the ways to attain them are. Right now, we are in a situation where we do not know by by completely ignoring these things. We keep on striving for the sake of the happiness and the benefits and the good things of this life alone. We keep on striving for the sake of obtaining wealth, obtaining obtaining fame, renown, comfort, and so forth.
And we Even though we strive, we are motivated to obtain these things, we strive, we work hard to obtain these things, we never actually obtain them. The very least, they never last as long as we wish they would. And that is because our whole motivation, the whole our our our whole frame of mind, so to speak, is is is mistaken because our whole understanding is mistaken. We we never actually get that which which we’ve been striving for. Then, therefore, it is very important that we learn, that we acquire this knowledge of the paths of the beings of the three scopes.
Because by knowing what’s what they are, what the paths are, what the beings are, what the goals are, then we’ll be able, if we feel inclined towards the goal of a higher rebirth as human or god, then we will know what it is that we have to do. We will know what practices we have to give up and what practice we have to adopt in order to attain that goal. If we feel inclined to the goal of liberation itself by studying the stages of the path, we will know what practices we have to give up and what practice we have to adopt in order to attain that goal. Again, the same. And we know that we can, that we are able to do it.
And again, by studying this text, if we feel inclined towards the goal of Buddhahood, of enlightenment itself, again, by studying these texts, will know again what are the practices that what is it that we have to do in order to attain that goal. We will know that we can do it, we are able to do it through this knowledge. Right now we do not have this knowledge, do not know what to do and how to do, what is to be done, and how it is to be done. That’s why it is very important that we study such a text as the the middling exposition on the stage of the path to enlightenment because then we will know. And and by knowing, we are able.
We become able. We honestly stop to investigate our minds and see what it is that has happened today from the moment we woke up until the end of the day today, what has been happening, what has been going on in our minds. Will see that either we have been driven by attachment or we have been driven by anger or we have been distracted or we have been overwhelmed by ignorance or any sort of affliction, afflictive conception or emotion. If we stop to look at it, all along we have been driven and overpowered by these afflictions. But we do not understand that.
We do not see we do not recognize those those things. We’re not used to recognizing those those things going on in our minds. And and and so we we remain overpowered by these and we remain ignorant of the ways to practice, to engage in the paths of beings of small, middling, and greater scope. We do not know what to do, what is to done, and what is to be given up. And says that we we remain, how to say ignorant of these goals these different goals of the beings of these three types of beings and we do not have any aspiration or any intention to attain any of these goals we keep on preoccupied with our aspirations for the goods of this life we never give rise to the thought of attaining any of those those three goals of the three types of being.
We are known according to the teachings. The Tibetan expression, it says, we are known as childish ordinary beings. And, which is is translated as childish, makes reference to our being just we are immature and childish just like children are. When whilst the children remain ignorant of the importance of of such things as money and making a living that we provide for our children, they remain involved with treats and games and all that. And when, whatever sweets or games or whatever it is that they have, when they lose any of that, they become all worried and distressed.
And we are very much like those children in this regard. So Geshe-la Geshe-la la’s explaining, children are just like this. And they they all they can think about is of the the play or having fun. Or if they are hungry, they think of getting some food. They cannot think of anything else.
And we are just like them. We cannot think far ahead. Now can we? We we if we think if we were to set our minds to it, if we were to put our minds to it this life of ours is not going to go much beyond a hundred years or so now if our future lives are limitless and and and uncountable innumerable. That’s why we are called childish ordinary beings because we are just like children in this way.
Oh, yeah. Okay? Yeah. Yeah. Is that okay?
And we were going to read the long life prayer of the Dalai Lama. Right? Let me do the the dedication prayers on page seven.