Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Pabongka Rinpoche rated it one of the two hardest Lamrim realizations — harder than emptiness — and in this nearly three-hour session, Geshe Pema Tsering devotes most of the commentary to exactly that: seeing one’s teacher as a fully enlightened Buddha. He first completes the five student characteristics — impartiality, intelligence, endeavor, respect for teacher and Dharma, attentive mind — then takes up faith as the root of all good qualities, drawing on a sūtra verse that pictures the lama as the one who finds us in saṃsāra, wakes us from ignorance’s darkness, and leads us to liberation. He distinguishes genuine faith from attachment and frames the practice as purely for the student’s own benefit. A Q&A unpacks listening, contemplation, and meditation as distinct stages of wisdom, and introduces three levels of faith through a vivid desert-and-stream analogy.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 11 2008 04 24 BP.mp3
UUID: 1f9f947b-bd9f-4661-8715-5bd1b936230e
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Lam Rim (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2008-04-24
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 168.3 minutes
Words: ~10,663
And if we give rise to motivation, if we think in this way whilst attending these teachings and listening to the teachings, then this action of attending the teachings will become an action of the Mahāyāna of the great vehicle a cause of enlightenment itself. Oh, yeah. I and all surrounding sentient beings go for refuge to the Buddha, go for refuge to the Dharma, go for refuge to the Sangha. We prostrate to the great mother Prajñāpāramitā surrounded by all the children, the assemblies of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions, by depending on my prostrations to all of you, may these words of truth be actualized. In the past, the deva king Indra dispelled the madras by reflecting on the profound meaning of the Prajñāpāramitā, the wisdom gone beyond and reciting the profound words in daily recitation.
In that same way, I also reflect on the profound meaning of the great mother Prajñāpāramitā and recite the profound words in daily recitation. May all diseases, spirit possessions, bad conditions, all negative directions, that which happen due to past karma and immediate conditions. May all these be dispelled, may become nonexistent, may be pacified. [Page] twenty four b.
Right? So we we in the last class we started with the following topic which is the characteristics of the one who relies on the teacher which is the disciple, the student. We had four main divisions to this topic the first one we approached last time the faults of someone who does not have and the benefits of someone who does have the five characteristics and we were given a verse one who is the characteristics one who is impartial intelligent, endeavors. This is explaining the vessel for the disciples, etcetera. So in the next topic, explaining the specifics of the various characteristics in detail, each one of them in detail.
And actually, I was going through the text in this regard. Impartial as we have in the root verse means being without bias. If you have bias, it will make you obscured and you will not perceive positive qualities due to which the meaning of the excellent explanations will not be found. It is just as it says in the essence of the middle way, a biased, thus anguished mind, peace can never be realized. So one will not even though one might listen to the teachings, will not be able to understand it and won’t be able to accomplish And, again, Geshe-la is quoting the text, the essence of the middle way, which Geshe-la thinks, was composed by Kamalaśīla.
And, again, with a anguished mind, peace can never be found. Peace refers to the state of of liberty. I don’t know who composed the text. Who is it? Okay.
Was composed by. How was that in Tibetan? And and so then peace is the state that is attained when one attains liberation. So, again, without with being biased, one cannot attain liberation. So then to be biased means to be attached to one’s own approach or to one’s own viewpoint and to hate or or or be avert to others approach or viewpoints.
And is explained with with this word which is stated as as to be biased. The word in Tibetan was translated as to be biased. Geshe-la was saying we we are all biased. All of us. We we we are biased.
And we all call ourselves Buddhists, and we think that our our religion is better than other religions and in this thinking in this way and acting this way it means to be biased it is to be biased we think that others are inferior to us and so forth and Geshe-la was saying what we have to do is contemplate the fact that all religions are equally beneficial all religions are to say are beneficial all religions are causes of enlightenment and they help people accomplish happiness and so forth and this and in this way we we get over our And then we are to have examined for something like this in your own continuum. You should give it up. And so we have if if we have it or not, we have to we have to see it for ourselves. We have to look into our own minds and and and see if we if we are biased or not. And if we if we if we are, then we have to engage in ways to give it up.
So then and and is that by itself sufficient, even though impartial, someone to whom good ways of explaining appear as faulty faulty ones due to not having the intelligence to distinguish, discriminate the two, is is not a suitable vessel to receive the teachings. Therefore, needs to have the intelligence that understands those two. So then and are are those two sufficient? This non biased and intelligent sufficient, Geshe-la was saying, even even if one has the two impartiality and intelligence, someone who is just like the listener to the dharma in a lifeless picture is not a suitable vessel. Therefore, one also needs to have great endeavor and exertion, exert oneself.
And then so then again, Geshe-la is just bringing us back to the root verse, which was the the origin of this discussion, which is the one that we have on page twenty four. One who is impartial, intelligent, and endeavors. Thus, he explained a vessel for the teachings. So then these three have have been just explained then by the text. And again, the commentary states that by adding the two respect for the Dharma and the expounder of the Dharma and an attentive mind, the five characteristics are set forth again so then by just by adding those two then one decide to have those five characteristics the listener the student decide to have those five characteristics And then again, the third of those topics or the four topics, specifics of achieving the conducive conditions eliminating the adverse conditions to having the four characteristics.
That being so, there are four: one great endeavor with regards to the dharma great exertion and then an excellent attentive mind whilst listening or studying, great respect for the dharma and expounder of the dharma, and holding to good explanations having rejected faulty ones. Intelligence is a conducive circumstance for those four, and impartiality is what eliminates adverse circumstances. Then and lastly, then the need to strive for those characteristics. You should examine whether all the attributes that will make you a suitable vessel to be led by a spiritual teacher are complete or not, are all present or not, and cultivate joy if they are all present. And if they are not complete, then you should strive henceforth in the future in the causes for making them complete.
Previous teachings we have gone through the characteristics of the the of teacher the ten qualities of the teacher the five qualities and so forth and again and now we have just gone through the characteristics of the student the five characteristics of the student and again if you have all this presence in the teacher and the student then everything is going to turn out well. So we can see how how already accomplished this. These teachings alone is something which is difficult I mean it’s very difficult to find a lama teacher with all those characteristics and even the students with all those characteristics English I wasn’t saying to have a lama with all those characteristics will be the same as as being in the very hands of of the Buddha himself, being molded and created by the very hands of the Buddha himself. But it’s very difficult to find a lama with all those characteristics that we have. Some characteristics are present, some characteristics are not present, and so and so forth.
And, Geshe-la was saying, of all those characteristics of the student, we have the one one who being impartiality, intelligence, and and exertion. So I was saying it’s very important. Impartiality and this this non biased attitude is very important not only in terms of our spiritual practice but also in our in our ordinary lives, you know, worldly lives is this non being non biased is very important. So then the way that the student relies on the teacher. So then the way that the student who has the characteristics of the student relies on the teacher, who is endowed with the characteristics of the teacher.
There’s two divisions. The first one explanation of the need to rely on someone with the characteristics of a teacher and then the actual meaning of relying on someone who has the characteristics. As for the first one, Thus, someone endowed with the characteristics of a vessel should examine in the way explained above whether or not the teacher the guru possesses the characteristics and if so obtain the kindness of the Dharma of the teachings from him so then simply put one should then obtain teachings from that person. So then the actual manner of relying on someone who has the characteristics of a teacher with regards to the manner of relying on a spiritual teacher from whom in general you obtain the kindness of the teachings and who in particular guides your mind well by means of perfectly complete instructions there are two points or two ways of relying. And then the manner of relying in thought and the manner of relying through actions.
So then, again, we have the way to rely in thought the way to rely in thought has two main divisions: the root, which is training in faith. The word that was translated in confidence is traditionally or more usually translated as faith with a very specific meaning. And then secondly, and secondly, remembering the kindness of the teacher and and then developing respect towards the teacher. So then the first one, the root, which is training faith, training one’s mind in faith.
Then it has five paths: the first one the explanation of confidence, of faith, as the basis of all qualities, as the foundation of all good qualities. In the Jātaka Mala it says the preparatory practice of faith, like a mother, gives birth to all positive qualities, protects them, and makes them increase. And then, again just working out the analogy for us again just like a mother gives birth to a child and then protects a child and then nurtures the child so that the child grows up well and healthy The same way faith acts in the same way with all good qualities. Those who have not been born are born and then those which have been born are nurtured are protected and then they grow they all increase. And then in the ten dharmas, the text, another sūtra which is the ten dharmas, it also says that which which guides to liberation, the foremost vehicle is faith.
Therefore, the intelligent intelligent ones rely on pursuing faith. In those who are without faith, wholesome qualities do not arise. Likewise, in seeds that were burned by fire, no green sprout can germinate. Was was then just, again, just translating the literary Tibetan into a colloquial Tibetan. And in English, again, this is the same thing that which guides to liberation, which is the Buddha.
The foremost vehicle is he said that the foremost vehicle is faith. Therefore, the intelligent ones rely on pursuing or developing, cultivating faith. And in those who are without faith, then wholesome qualities, positive qualities do not arise. Generally speaking, there are many types of faith. Faith in the Three Jewels, faith in in in actions and the results, and faith in the four noble truths.
However, here in this context, we’re talking about faith in the spiritual teacher and Geshe-la was then again translating it into a more colloquial way and saying again in a very general way, it was how to say? Instead of using faith, because I was using the word to like. So then liking the Three Jewels, liking action and the results and the four noble truths. However, but here, this quality means liking the teacher. And then Geshe lah is then again just clarifying this this one topic this one point again between liking because Geshe lah used the word liking Geshe lah was insane very quickly Geshe lah says oh you know faith and liking are the same thing quickly Geshe-la said no not all instances they are the same so let’s make it clear so when one appreciates the qualities for example of a teacher when one has a proper a correct motivation, correct understanding and one appreciates the true genuine qualities, that liking then is called faith.
And then when one just because out of an incorrect and improper motivation then it is out of interest for one’s own benefit in this life or with regards to the happiness of this life and so forth one then likes someone who is benefiting oneself or who is praising oneself or whatever and then that is attachment and then there is not faith anymore and there’s the difference Geshe-la wasn’t saying is in the motivation the motivation from where the the attitude of liking comes from, if it is a proper, correct motivation, or if it is an incorrect, distorted motivation. And then the need to discriminate the need to conceive of the spiritual master, the spiritual teacher as a Buddha. Furthermore, as for how to see the spiritual teacher, the spiritual master, is said in the Vajrapāni Initiation Tantra Lord of secrets, how should a disciple see the master? The disciple should see the master just like one see the Buddha Bhagavan. Just like one would would see the Buddha Bhagavan.
And then, again, there’s there’s similar statements that can be found in the collection of sutras and in the Vinaya also. And then both in in in the sutras and the tantras, can find such such statements. And then and then so then what what what is the meaning of those statements? I guess I was reading through it. If you understand that someone is like a Buddha, a mind that conceives faults in in that person, then will not arise.
But rather, a mind thinking about his the person’s positive qualities will arise. So again irrespective of the person because I wasn’t saying, irrespective of the person being actually a Buddha or not, if we from our side consider the person as being a Buddha then these two things will follow. Then, again, we will not conceive of the of the person’s faults, and we will actually conceive of the person’s qualities, the positive qualities. And then in this way, with regards to spiritual spiritual teacher, then you should purposely deliberately abandon any conceptions or thoughts in every respect while training in the mind that your mind in conceiving positive qualities. Disadvantages of conceiving faults.
So, again, we advise not to conceive a faults. And if we conceive a faults, there are certain disadvantages to that. There are certain shortcomings to that. In addition, the above tantra says, apprehend the master’s positive qualities. Do not ever apprehend his faults or the master’s faults.
Apprehending the master’s faults, apprehending the master’s qualities, you will gain spiritual accomplishments. Apprehending the master’s faults, the spiritual accomplishments cannot be developed. Then you should act we are told, again, you should act accordingly. Thus, if positive qualities are predominating, the spiritual, but you think about the spiritual master in terms of the few faults that the the master has, this will become an obstacle to your own accomplishment, to your own spirit spiritual accomplishments. And even if he has even if the teacher has many faults if one if we train in the faith from the perspective of the teacher’s positive qualities without thinking about the teacher in terms of his or her faults, this will become a cause for our for for spiritual accomplishments to come about for us.
Oh, yeah. That is one. And then, therefore, when it comes to your own spiritual teacher, whether his or her faults are big or small, contemplate the disadvantage of thinking about about the teacher from that perspective, and repeatedly generate a mind that abandons this attitude and make it stop. And then so then again give up contemplating or holding on to the to the teachers’ faults and cultivate a perspective that sees the teacher’s qualities instead. Yeah.
This one. And again the way of restraining our conceptions of faults with regards to the teacher If we conceive of faults it is due to carelessness, a lot of afflictions and so forth and then we should apply ourselves to restraint through confession. And again, whatever faults we see is because of our own faults of carelessness and all being overpowered and overwhelmed by afflictive and distorted concerns. That is the case, whenever that happens, again, we should purify it through the practice of confession. And then again if if if we accustom ourselves in this way then we may see that there are a few faults but since our minds hold on to the side of the positive qualities, pay attention only to the positive qualities, it will not become an obstacle for our faith.
Again and then we are given an an instance of this teaching again the great lama teacher he upheld the view of the the Madhyamaka of the middle way consequentialist view while also Serlimpa his teacher upheld a view of the true assertions of the Cittamātra, the mind only school, which is why in terms of view one was higher than the other in terms of view Lama Atisha was higher than Serlimpa. But as Lama Atisha learned from Serlimpa all the stages of the Mahāyāna path and the mind of enlightenment, compassion and so forth, whilst relying on Serlimpa, then he regarded Serlimpa as the necklace amongst the spiritual teachers. He did not hold on to any of Serlimpa’s shortcomings, and he only paid paid attention to his great qualities. And Geshe lah is encoding a verse, a popular verse which says that how to say obtaining the attainment of great or small blessings it does not depend on the lama it depends entirely on oneself oneself. And guess what I was saying again is it depends entirely on on how well we have trained ourselves in faith, in faith of confidence and so forth.
Geshe-la was just trying to make a quote of a verse which was, for me, was very difficult to translate. I couldn’t translate the verse. What has to do with our striving to study, to acquire knowledge, in this way we can benefit ourselves. We can benefit. So then So then we approach the next topic, remembering the kindness of the teacher and then developing respect towards the teacher.
In the sūtra of the ten dharmas, it is said. We read the first. Geshe lah wants to read it line by line. Again, he who looks for who looks for me, who has roamed in cyclic existence for a long time, and that’s that one is is the teacher. That is the lama.
The lama is the one who looks for us within cyclic existence. Mhmm. And, again, he wakes me from a long time of obscuration of of darkness and torpor due to ignorance. And, again, that is the lama. And, again, I guess, I was just explaining the some of the words of of the the Tibetan verse on that line.
Long time, Geshe-la wasn’t saying long time here, refers to a very long time, a truly immeasurable time, from a time without beginning, time immemorial. And again, for such a long time, we have been obscured, ignorant of of the nature of reality, of the way that that phenomena exist. And in this way, we have been and this is the analogy of sleep. We have been asleep in this way, ignoring the nature of reality. So, again, Geshe-la was in saying with regards to the word timu, which is an obscuration being obscured obscured by darkness and and the darkness of our ignorance with regards to the the suchness of phenomena, emptiness, the reality of phenomena and then so because we are obscured in this way we are asleep and we do not and when we we get when we get rid of that darkness, when we understand the nature of reality, the suchness, then we come into light.
We wake up. And, again, he the lama is the one who pulls us out from the ocean of of existence, is saṃsāra, which is cyclic existence. Again, it’s the lama who who takes us out of there. Again, he he shows the good paths to me who has entered, who has engaged in the bad ones. And, again, that is the lama.
And, again, the bad paths are the ones that lead us to the lower realms of existence, the hell realms, to the hungry ghost realms, to the animal realms. And the good paths are the ones that lead us to the state of omniscience, the enlightenment, liberation, and and and so forth. Waiting for this. Mhmm. And, again, he is the one who frees us from the prison of cyclic existence.
Again, from Samsāra. The prison of Samsāra. And, again, the one who frees us from from the prison of Samsāra is the lama. Last one. Last one.
And, again, he is a doctor to me who has long been tormented by illness since beginningless time. And, again, I should generate a discrimination, the notion of him as as rain clouds pacifying me who has been ablaze with the fire of passion, of afflictions for so long. And then again, so then one has to remember the the kindness of the teacher in this way. All the all these good things that Lama does for us. And in this way, we understand his kindness.
Then, Geshe-la was then just reading the next verse, which is a very long verse and then basically he just told me again read it first and then he comments on it and these these are my spiritual friends expounders of Dharma exhaustively teaching the qualities of all there is thoroughly teaching the conduct of bodhisattvas. With these thoughts in mind, here. As they give birth to all that, they are like my mother. As they give the milk of Dharma, they are like nurses. They cleanse me completely by means of enlightenment’s branches.
These spiritual friends completely exorcise harm. They are like doctors releasing from death and aging, showering a rain of nectar. They are like Indra, the lord of the gods. Like the full moon, they flourish with white qualities. They show the direction of peace.
Like bright sunlight regarding friends and foes. They are like mountains. They are they have minds as undisturbed as the sea. They give perfect support. Some say like boatman.
With this in mind, Sudhana come here, but sattvas bring forth my understanding. ‘s children cause enlightenment. These friends of mine are praised by the Buddha with such wholesome thoughts in mind come here as they save the world. They are like heroes. They have become the captains, protectors, and refuges. They are the eye bestowing happiness on me with thoughts like these honor your spiritual friends these thoughts expressed here the thoughts expressed here should be remembered through the tune that goes with the verses, and we should substitute our own name for the name Sudhana.
And, again, Geshe-la goes through through the verse, through the for the literary, and again and and puts in very simple colloquial words. Again, these are my spiritual friends, expounders of the Dharma so then this is very easy to understand they teach all the qualities of all the reason of enlightenment and so forth and then they teach also they completely teach the conduct of of bodhisattvas. And understanding this, then we should we should bear this in mind and go to attend the teachings of of of those friends. And, again, because they give birth to all those qualities of enlightenment and all these qualities of bodhisattvas and so forth, they are like they are like a mother, the teacher, the spiritual friend. The the spiritual teacher is like a mother.
And, again, because they look after us, because all the virtues arise from us, since very basic virtues, very fundamental trainings arise from them. They are like, again, they’re like mothers, and here, nurses, but they’re like mothers looking after cleanse us by the means of of of the branches of enlightenment, the different limbs of enlightenment. And the spiritual friends are completely clear away every harm. And then the next sentence, they are like doctors releasing from, freeing us from death and aging so then the death that arises out of actions and afflictive emotion conceptions and then the aging and old age sickness and death that arise out of afflictive emotion conceptions and they free us of all the cycle of actions and feeling emotion conceptions and and and and or how to say all the sickness and death and then we we think liberation depends on the And, again, the the the shower showering a rain of nectar, of ambrosia. They are like Indra, the lord of the gods, and Geshe-la was saying, again, just like Indra has benefited and helps beings with his ambrosia, through his nectar, again, the Mahāyāna teacher, is like Indra in that he also, benefits beings, in this, with his teachings, with the ambrosia, with the nectar of his teachings.
And then like the full moon, they flourish with white qualities or or or Geshe-la puts in in like the full moon, white white qualities or virtuous qualities flourish, increase. And, again, because they show the way to liberation, again, are like they are like the sun. And, again, they are like like a mountain with regards like mountains with regards to friends and foes because they do not move between friends and foes. They are moved. They remain Again, they have their minds as undisturbed as as the sea itself.
And, again, because they give they they give us refuge, and guess I was saying since since from the beginning of our path all the way until enlightenment because they give us refuge all the way from the beginning of our path until enlightenment. They are like a boatman. They are protecting us all the way until we attain enlightenment. Oh, yeah. Thank you.
Thank you. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you.
And And, again, Geshe-la was taking a different taking a little bit of a different taking the Tibetan words, but the virtuous friend was bringing forth my understanding. And Geshe-la was saying, again, the virtuous friend brings forth the mind of enlightenment into one’s mind, and then the Bodhisattva’s children cause enlightenment. Again, these friends of mine are praised by the Buddha with such wholesome thoughts in mind come here. And Geshe-la was then saying again, the Tibetan words themselves pointing out again, they give rise to the mind of enlightenment. Dependence on them will produce the mind of enlightenment and so forth, the cause of enlightenment and so forth.
And then because of all these, they are more precious than the Buddha himself. You think is Mhmm. No, sir. Mhmm. Again, so then because of all those those virtuous qualities or or virtuous minds, again, With all those virtuous thoughts in mind come attend the teachings because they protect the entire world.
Again, they are seen as heroes. Again, so they are like heroes and again they they are the captains, protectors, and the refuges they they because they guide us and they protect us and they give us refuge and they are the bestowing happiness on us And, again, bearing this this thoughts in mind, again, we should give rise to respect towards the teacher, the spiritual friend. Then and then again, we when when reading these verses, it reminds us of the qualities of the teacher. Again, again, Geshe-la was just mentioning that we should take out the name Sudhana in the verse and put our own name there. So then, again, the manner of relying through actions.
So, again, we have gone through the the manner of relying through thoughts. And now the manner of relying through actions. There’s three parts. The first one, the need for reliance through actions. And, again, so then the need for reliance through actions, and we we are given a quote from the fifty verses about the guru, first verses on guru devotion.
Again, what need is to say a lot of words here? Do everything that makes your guru happy. Give up anything that displeases him or or displeases him or her. Apply yourself to that. Examine that.
Spiritual attainments follow from the guru. This was said by vajradhara himself, aware of this. Use anything there is and make your guru totally, utterly happy and pleased. And, again, briefly speaking, try hard to please him and to give up whatever shortcomings there are that displeasing displeasing him or her. Yeah.
So then, again, condensed the condensed explanation of the three means of pleasing the teacher which are offering material things then serving the teacher and paying respect with body and speech and then practicing in accordance with the teacher’s instructions and advice. And we have from the ornament of sutras, through homage and and pure offerings and service and practice, you should rely on a spiritual friend. Yes. Mhmm. This one?
This one. And then so then the extensive explanation of those those three. So the explanation of offering material things, material possessions. As regards the first offering material things, it says in the fifty verses. Again, fifty verses of the guru devotion.
Through things not normally given, your son and your wife, for example, then and through your life, you should forever rely on the master of your sacred commitments of of the Samayas, and needless to say, through through fickle possessions also. And, again, from the same text, giving what amounts, giving is what amounts to always offering gifts to all the Buddhas. Offering is what accumulates merit, which turns into the highest attainments, the highest spiritual spiritual attainments. And, again, serving and paying respect to him with body and speech. And Geshe-la was, again, saying there’s nothing difficult to understand here.
We bathe the teacher. We massage. We clean. We nurse. We nurse the teacher when the teacher is ill, etcetera.
And we talk about his positive qualities. And then and then lastly, practice in accordance with his advice. The third then is to practice without contradicting the instructions. This being the main one. And then the the the the stories, the life stories of the Buddha, the offering to be made in return for his help is to practice in accordance with the teacher instructions.
So then again, I guess I wasn’t just going through the verse, the offering to be made in return for the the teacher’s help and the for the teacher instruction is to practice the instructions. Clarifying as it said in in the in the Vinaya teachings, in the monastic teachings, that there is some more clarification about following instructions of of the lama. Geshe-la was saying if the teacher tells us to do something, to engage in a bad activity, in a negativity, in any of the ten non virtues of killing, stealing, so on and forth, then again, we we don’t have to do it. It’s not we have to we we do not have to follow that instruction. And that that is very this this is very important to understand.
So then it’s very it’s important to understand that. And and and then when and when he gives good instructions because because of his kindness, again, if we because of the great kindness of the lama, the teacher, when when he gives good instruction, if if we follow the instructions, then we can benefit greatly from it. Oh, yeah. And now if you have any questions. I have one from a couple weeks ago that I wanted to ask.
Without practicing. Yes? Yeah. I I guess I wanted to know more about how one can questions one can ask oneself to check up, I guess, in terms of, you know, are you just simply listening? I I just wanted more some a bit more elaboration about this.
Yeah. It’s a lot in your words, and it says here, like, in in the bath of the shoe cane, there is no essence of the light. There is inside. Is it in the same chapter? It’s the same chapter, this one?
Page seventeen. We’re going to the next chapter, isn’t it? Oh. Oh, in the same chapter. The back of the sugar cane.
Okay. It is right here. I don’t I don’t remember the date of this one. Was the which date was it? The third.
Okay. What is the the bark of the cane sugar cane where is it the So, Geshe lah, I just saying, look. It is and I was reading some of the verses with regards to that topic. Not exactly the same the same verse of the the sugarcane, but some of the verses. And again, Geshe-la wasn’t saying, if we stick merely to the words, again and again, we read something, attain enlightenment teaching, and then we immediately we go out and about talking to other people about it and saying they understand it, or they don’t understand this and that and we don’t stop to contemplate the meaning then we won’t benefit from that.
Geshe-la was saying we shouldn’t worry about what other we shouldn’t go out and about just chit chatting about it and we should stop and contemplate the meaning of what we have gone through and in this way we can in this way we practice this is the way to practice. That is what I was saying before I could actually put your next question because I wasn’t saying again if we if we just if we study and then go about just talking as if we as pretending that we are learned scholars or whatever it may be. It’s not that’s not what we’re saying. There’s no benefit to that. It might be that people will praise us and like us but for us for ourselves there’s really no benefit at all so we all we have to do is practice and then we’re having studied we have to contemplate having contemplated we have to meditate on the teachings In Tibetan Buddhism, there is something which is referred to as listening, contemplation, and meditation — the three: listening, contemplation, meditation.
So I guess I wasn’t I was just asking, can you say just a little bit about listening, contemplation, meditation? This is like it’s an all pervading teaching. It’s it’s everywhere in Tibetan Buddhism. Everything is about listening, contemplation, meditation. Listening refers to studying, reading, studying, acquiring the knowledge and the understanding of whatever subject we are studying.
Then contemplating the meaning of that subject until we establish the meaning of the subject with absolute certainty and then having gained certainty then we meditate we continually cultivate that certainty that understanding and that is the core essential. So then first through studying studying the text, the scriptures, or or or listening to the teachings, we gain a fresh knowledge of a subject so we acquire knowledge. Having acquired that knowledge then we have contemplate that again and again so that we establish certainty about that newly acquired knowledge. Having established certainty, then this is really like this. We develop the wisdom of study, the wisdom of listening, so we acquire knowledge about something, fresh knowledge.
Then contemplating it we develop the wisdom of contemplation the result of it is the certainty it’s easy to acquire knowledge it’s a different thing to develop certainty about that knowledge and we develop certainty having developed certainty about that having attained certainty about that this is really this really means this or this really means that this is really the case and then we start cultivating single pointed concentration on that certainty and then in this way we make that mind with certainty of particular whatever topic it may be we make it clearer and clearer, stronger and stronger, and more permanent. And then, again, just for the sake of illustration, take, for example the case of of understanding emptiness, realizing emptiness. So then first of all, you have to know what it is. So you have to read about what emptiness is or, you know, read study the books and the scriptures or attain enlightenment teaching of a spiritual teacher who will teach you about emptiness so that’s listening that’s the and this is the this this knowledge that arises out of these practices of reading studying attending the teachings is the wisdom of listening the wisdom of study so then you acquire that you acquire that wisdom on the basis of that wisdom I mean you can read as many books as you like and attend as many teachers as you like but if you don’t stop and let it sink contemplating time and again you won’t develop certainty about it, you won’t develop confidence, be certain that this is actually the case, phenomena are actually empty, whatever emptiness may mean they are really empty.
Then having developed that certainty, then again you take that certainty and you practice single point of concentration until eventually you actually realize emptiness directly. Does that make sense? So, again, first one acquires knowledge by listening or attending the teachings or reading or whatever of what emptiness what emptiness is so so emptiness is this or emptiness is that you acquire that knowledge you acquire that understanding having acquired that then one contemplates that again and again until one develops such a strong certainty about it we develop what is in technical terms we develop we attain an inferential cognition a cognition of emptiness in dependence on the meaning generality or a conceptual image of what emptiness might be or what emptiness is. We haven’t yet directly realized emptiness then but we have an inferential cognition and that arises out of contemplating and then attained that then one takes that meaning generality that image that we have of emptiness that inferential cognition and then we practice meditation we cultivate an acquaintance with that to the point that we eventually directly realize it without relying on the meaning generality anymore without relying on that image anymore. So then, Geshe lah, wasn’t saying and then in terms of of there’s the two types of meditation.
There’s analytical meditation, and there is single pointed placement. Single pointed meditation. In terms of meditation, when talk about listening, contemplation and meditation, listening and contemplation is all about meditation until we develop the inferential cognition itself. It’s all analytical meditation. And then having developed that inferential cognition, meaning generality, we practice single pointed concentration on that.
Just more of it. I got guess, I think it was the analytical meditation and the contemplation that I couldn’t quite see that. Does that make sense? What the difference was in terms of actually doing it? Difference was in terms Loss.
Loss. Actually, yeah. Yeah. Just say it. Oh, yeah.
Okay. Okay. Thank you. You. Thank you.
Is that that that you take that perception to the point where you perceive a Buddha in in the person who is the object of the way in which you’re I am not clear about what do you mean. I I am clear, though, that you are taking two different subjects and mixing them up. Yes. I’m not sure. I completely do not understand your question, but it does seem to me that you are mixing a teaching on emptiness with teaching on on relying on the teacher.
And yes. Everything is empty. Yes. You’re right. Yeah.
Just go for it. Go through it again. Well, I want yeah. Okay. I I was just trying to understand what the what what I meant to say that if you understand someone who’s like a Buddha and you understand understand they’re like a Buddha because you focus on the qualities that are consistent with them being a Buddha, Do do I understand it it correctly for that to mean that that for the person who is exercising that that kind of perception of someone that they they are are in a sense they are in fact a Buddha.
They’re may not be a Buddha from their own side. Or I’m not I’m not sure if I understand that. But but would you like to translate? Because because I I can’t translate that. Would you like to try to translate that too?
Because I I don’t understand the question. So the gesture is saying the gesture is saying, with regards to those teachings, okay, on how to rely on a teacher, besides he’s saying Teach us in There are there are all sorts of teachers. There are teachers who Buddhas. There are teachers who are Bodhisattvas. There are teachers who are ordinary sentient beings.
We have all sorts of things. But our teacher, from our own side, you know, in order for us to get blessings from from them, for us, in order for for for you to get blessings from your teacher, what you have to do is conceive of your teacher as being a fully enlightened Buddha, irrespective of what he or she is. In order to take the blessings, in order to benefit the most from your teacher, what you do from your side is that you give rise to the notion in your mind, in your heart that he is or she is a fully enlightened Buddha. And we do that so that we can benefit. That’s the reason we do that.
We we we are told we are taught to them to give rise to conceive of our lama as a fully enlightened Buddha. And still, we see, we perceive many faults. And we have to understand that these faults arise because we have faults on ourselves. We are beginners. We are ordinary beings.
We are projecting our own faults onto the lama, onto everything. Everything we are told, everything is like a magical illusion, is like a mirage, a magical illusion. And still we do not see those things like that. We have to understand that we have all these faults. We have the faults, and we project all all these faults on on the lama.
Then on the on the other then on the other hand, Geshe-la says, and this is probably going to please you, Geshe-la says, there are those Lamas who are ordinary beings. Now their being ordinary beings is not inherently existent they are not inherently ordinary beings do not exist inherently and when when you when you clear away all the objective obstructions and the obstructions of knowledge, then you will see him or her or the lama as as an enlightenment being a Buddha. You you hear that? If you have removed the two obscurations means you have attained enlightenment in that case there’s nobody who attains enlightenment whose teacher was not a buddha so in that case your teacher is a Buddha for sure. And Geshe-la was then bringing us to the to the story in the text of Lama Atisha with Serlimpa his teacher.
And again Serlimpa was a proponent of the mind only school. Still because Lama learned all the Mahāyāna qualities, the mind of enlightenment, bodhicitta, compassion, compassion, bodhicitta, and so forth from Sri Limpa. And when all this all his observations cleared away, he he he could realize Serlimpa as a fully enlightened, a fully enlightened being. Is that correct? I’m gone already.
I’m going. I’m wasting. And Geshe-la says again, when we we we see all these faults everywhere and with everyone because of the faults that we have in our in our own minds, we are projecting constantly projecting it out. And so I wanna say when we clear away all these faults, we will see everyone as either a god or a goddess, you know, as deities, as as enlightened beings, and we see the environment as as as a pure land, a Buddha field. This is this is what is this is what is said.
Yes. But we but we cannot even though we hear that, we we are unable to understand. It doesn’t we cannot understand what what it means. So it’s it’s quite a. And please, you help me if I if I if I I’m probably gonna miss something there.
Yes. I wasn’t saying, again, if if when we rid ourselves of of of the afflictions, then the whatever afflictions there may be in other beings they cannot hurt us anymore. So again when I we say sentient beings generally speaking ordinary sentient beings they are beings who have faults and shortcomings to them. They are overwhelmed by the afflictions and enlightened beings buddhas they are free of all faults. So when take for example, if if I read myself if I have read myself of attachment, in one sense, I have read myself of everyone’s attachment because even even though you have attachment, you cannot you cannot hurt me anymore.
And it’s not that I it’s not that I see it’s it’s not a case that I would see that you do not have attachment. Still have you still have attachment. And on the other hand, in the case of a lama, if I have attained enlightenment dependence on the teachings of my lama I guess you should think that there is no one who has attained enlightenment whose lama is not enlightened also. There’s no such thing. Can you did you get that?
And then give you another another another example. For example, we have the qualities of the lamas. So we have a lama who is endowed with the ten qualities, and we have other lamas who are endowed with five qualities, only five qualities, or only three qualities. Right? So there is no case of a time when a Lama who is endowed with the ten qualities has not attained enlightenment and there being a Lama with the three qualities who has attained enlightenment.
That cannot be the case. The student. The the although oh my god. I think what the hell going to do out there. Yes.
Okay. Show me. Yeah. Okay. Wow.
So maybe I can share I’ll just share a paragraph. Maybe I won’t. So this is a paragraph from Geshe Lama Zopa’s book and I’ll just share it with just talking about this subject. It’s quite a difficult area. It’s a difficult subject.
It’s probably I think it’s extremely profound and it’s difficult to get your mind around seeing one’s teacher as a Buddha. As I said, it does not matter whether your spiritual teacher is in reality a Buddha or not. The purpose of this practice is to produce this view whether or not your Guru actually has these qualities. You accomplish this by considering what you receive from your spiritual teacher, recollecting their excellent qualities and remember how they are cause for you to develop your own virtues. So you know it’s not yeah as it says here one is cultivating the view that one’s teacher is a Buddha and this is pragmatic in that it is beneficial for yourself as well as that verse that we’ve quoted last week and Geshe-la quoted this evening the Buddha’s the teacher’s blessings are neither great nor small it relies upon the student so the greater that you are able to empower your teacher and this goes in everyday life to that same degree they will be able to act as a positive influence on yourself.
So it’s not for the teacher sake that one cultivates this attitude but purely for one’s own sake. But it’s not easy obviously. Right now the view of our teacher is probably weak on both sides. We don’t see many faults. We don’t see many excellent qualities.
There’s an inclination of the mind that as it begins to see faults. Know when you’re angry with somebody all you see is faults. They could give you a gift and you say, ah, you’re just after something, aren’t you? Your mind is obscured from seeing any good qualities. This is an extreme example, isn’t it?
When you’re angry at somebody, at that moment you can’t see anything good about them even if they try to do something good. You question their motives and your mind is obscured for seeing any good quality. On the other hand, you when there’s a Tibetan expression, a lover’s cup is never dirty. When you fall in love, she or he can’t, they can’t do anything wrong. You know, everything about them, even faults appear very beautiful, very pleasing to your eyes.
So as you progress in cultivating excellent, seeing excellent qualities then your mind will incline in that way more and more and more and you won’t be able to see the faults. What appears for faults will be seen as a skillful means for helping you develop your mind. And this is empowering your teacher and it becomes the practice of union with the spiritual teacher, guru yoga. You begin to integrate within yourself, those very qualities. So it’s but it’s a very difficult and you know obviously it’s susceptible to misunderstanding and what do you say What’s the word I’m looking for when somebody takes advantage of you.
Manipulation, yeah. So it’s a very delicate balance, isn’t it? That’s why it’s suggested that you really examine for a number of years the teacher before you even begin to think about beginning this process. Because once you find someone that you have a great deal of confidence confidence in, that you feel trust for, then you’re going to begin the process of only focusing upon their good qualities and overlooking their whatever negativity that might appear to your mind. Are you going to be able to reframe those negativities in such a way that in fact they appear as something beneficial.
So it’s, you don’t want to begin this process with somebody who you haven’t really thoroughly examined and you developed this, that you, you know, you’ve decided that you want to develop such a relationship with so it’s, you know what I mean? Yeah. Go ahead. Go ahead. It’s like we’ve lost to to have faith in in the positive qualities of our teacher in the meantime.
Until you’re aware of what that they have those qualities, we have to rely on faith. But there are many different types of faith and levels of faith. I think one explanation is there’s three levels of faith. The first is called clear faith or sometimes it’s called beginner’s faith. And this is when you say that there’s a what do they call it allegory.
It’s pretty late for an allegory, isn’t it? Know, you’re out on a desert, this barren landscape. And you’re in pain. And you don’t quite know what the pain what is the source of your pain or whether there’s a solution to your pain or even if there is a solution to your pain, where it can be found. All you know is that you’re lost and in pain.
So you’re wandering out on this desert, this barren landscape. And you hear from the other side of a sand dune running water. And this sounds like something that you’ve been looking for. It sounds right. You know, it kind of resonates.
And some kind of clear faith arises in you. It becomes clear what you’re wondering ering has been about all the time, what you’ve actually been searching for. And it’s like when you first hear maybe the Dalai Lama or whoever, somebody that inspires you. It’s almost like falling in love, isn’t it? There’s certain aspect of that.
You feel like you’ve found something that you’ve been looking for all this time. And what the teacher says, but the teacher him or herself. Herself. There’s a longing. It’s clear to you that you begin to develop a sense of what you’ve been looking for, what you’ve been searching for.
But you really haven’t penetrated. It’s more the initial throes of love in romance. You really haven’t gotten, understood what it is they’re talking about. It’s more of this being swept away by the beauty of the teacher and the teachings. People fall in love with the Dharma, but they haven’t really come to understand it yet.
And so you make this arduous trek over the sand dune. And you come down on the side and you begin to drink from the stream. That is, you begin to put the teachings into practice and you experience some slaking of your thirst and a longing faith arises in to make these teachings my own, to integrate them. And they sound nice, but you really want to make them a part of your own experience. And then so you put the teachings more and more into practice and you develop the faith of conviction, which is, ah, now you actually gain some experience and this is what it’s all about.
Then there’s no other possibility open for you. Your own experience has validated the truth of the teaching. That and become you develop what’s called irreversible faith. Somebody keeps telling me this table is blue, they can keep saying that until the cows come home. But to my experience, it’s red.
I don’t have to rely upon any other person’s words, scriptures, authority, I know in my own experience the reality of it. So then my path in life is irreversible. Why would I choose another way when I’ve experienced at least the partial results of traveling this path? So these different levels of faith have a greater strength of a way to faith has the idea it’s much different in a way than it is in perhaps the Christian term. He uses the word confidence.
I don’t know if I like that word, but anyway. It’s like something you have your faith in, there’s a longing to make it your own. There’s an admiration, but also you admire that quality, but you want to make it a part of yourself, a longing to make it your own. So in terms of the initial faith, it’s like you see the Lama. You’re really impressed by the person.
You haven’t fathomed their qualities at all. But there’s something about they’re very cheerful. They laugh a lot. It’s nice to be around them, good vibes. It’s like that kind of you develop kind of what’s called beginner’s faith.
And that’s what most of us have to some degree. We haven’t really penetrated what they’re actually talking about. We haven’t seen their qualities yet. You know, it takes a long time. When we think of the Dharma, the actual teachings, are we, you know, generally we’re asked to question what we’re taught.
So we’re not actually asked to help well, this is where I’m I need to think about this, I guess, but whether we are actually putting faith in the teachings as well Yeah. Where they’re leading us perhaps. Yeah. Are we are we is it or are we questioning the teachings as such? So we No.
I mean, yeah, faith arises out of question. I mean, the type of faith that we’re talking about here through a process of examination and ultimately through one’s experience. But you have some faith in because of the teacher models, some kind of what you’re looking for. They appear to have attained some kind of peace and some kind of joy and they seem to have solved many of the problems that you are really dealing with in your everyday life. And so you have something, maybe this person knows something that I don’t know.
And just by their very presence and what they say kind of sounds right. You haven’t figured out all the terms and, you know, sounds pretty some of it’s pretty mystifying. But you’ve come to understand, it sounds believable. So there’s a certain you’ve developed a certain even at that point, a beginner’s faith. But it’s not very stable.
It’s not you haven’t made these teachings your own. It’s still the initial throes romance that you’re developing. It could go any way. Have to have faith in the teacher, the method, and the goal. And in order to that we have to understand what is the goal.
We don’t understand what the goal is yet. When we talk about liberation it’s just some pie in the sky. We don’t know what we’re trying to be liberated from. So our faith is, I’d rather, you know, we see all our difficulties, you know, in terms of piecemeal. You know, I like to be free from that.
I like to not be depressed. I like to not be worried about this and I like not to get uptight in this kind of situation. That’s my freedom. But we don’t know what the freedom that Buddhism is talking about, what liberation actually means. That only, that only comes.
So we don’t know, we haven’t comprehended the scope of what the goal is being talked about, what Buddhahood is. So that only comes after, you know, working with examining the teachings for a great deal of time. And we don’t understand the methods. We don’t understand, you know, to a large degree, you know, these various teachings. Lamrim is setting out these various methods and how they actually work.
We don’t really understand who the teacher really is. We only stand we only we’re kind of caught up in their persona, know, their their superficial appearance and we don’t understand who they in fact are and what they represent for us. So it’s a long process but we have some faith now but our faith will deepen and the nature of the faith will change over time. So these teachings and you know so these teachings are difficult. Mean this is one of the most difficult.
There are two topics which are most, Pabongka Rinpoche one of the greatest twentieth century masters in Tibet said the two most difficult realizations of the Lamrim are seeing your teacher as a Buddha and recognizing all sentient beings as your mother. This is more difficult than emptiness. So if it sounds a bit mystifying that’s understandable. You don’t have to, you know, it’s good to think about but don’t, it’s not something that you have to worry about. Yeah, that could happen.
Yeah, that’s quite right. Sometimes due to past powerful connections with a particular teacher. Just to hear them. There are stories. I don’t this isn’t my there are stories where they just hear their teacher’s name and their hair stands up and tears come to their eyes.
And just by hearing the name and they say, I’ve got to find this person. Where is he? So they have a very powerful past connection with this teacher. So these might be rare individuals. But it could be you.
It could be right. You don’t know. Yeah. Excuse me. Are you almost suggesting that you have to go through the three levels of faith with a teacher No.
I think I mean, the process of examination of, you you watch him over a period of time. We’re giving some criteria, aren’t we? Qualities and the five qualities and so forth and so you begin that gives you some guidelines to how to go about actually checking up, examining. This examination goes over a period of time. You see them in various life situations, how they react and know you’re always checking them out.
You look at their students, the ones who have been with them for some time, how do they act? Do they seem like they’re getting their act together? Is he consistent with all of it? How does he treat various students? So, yeah, so it’s a matter of checking him out in all these various situations and how he he walk the walk that’s what we say.
All these criteria is he actually exemplifying what he teaches and that you can’t just tell that by him sitting just up there. You know, that’s kind of a special situation. Know, maybe you have personal interviews with him and you watch him over time. So but there’s no hurry. Mean like I said last week and just emphasizing that sometimes they say you know you can take ten years to this examination process because once you do, once you want to make a pick an individual who you want to devote yourself to in this manner then you don’t want to be you have to cultivate the attitude that they are a Buddha and begin to reframe any faults that you see.
You know you really have to do some work. You just can’t you can’t use the same criteria that used before the examination is finished you know you can’t continue to examine them in that way teaching, looking at it, saying, yes, it is the truth that resounds within you, and then it creates a longing so that you then practice that in your own Yeah. That would be irreversible faith. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, well, I mean this is a, this is a relationship that ends and, and you cultivate it over time. So the idea is to see your teacher as a Buddha. Yeah. Very much so. Yeah, I agree.
One that, yeah. In the process of seeing you grew as a Buddha requires that you yourself begin to develop your own qualities. Don’t see something until we have the right understanding of the metaphor which allows us to see that. Don’t want, right now we don’t know what a Buddha is do we? We don’t.
And so the more that you are able to see a Guru as a Buddha the more that you what a Buddha is and recognizing those qualities. So it’s one’s own development, you know, it’s not isolated from one’s own development, that ability. Methods for developing an awakened heart, bodhicitta. One’s called the seven cause and effect instruction. One’s called equalizing, exchanging self rather.
And in the seven cause and effect instruction, these are the trainings or the meditations and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings for developing a bodhicitta and one of them is to recognize all sentient beings as your mother. Literally, literally, all sentient beings have been your mother in the past, past lives. So it’s a different teaching. You know, we are all teacher. Teachers?
Yeah. Everyone are teacher. You the whole thing depends on but good. Yes. But, you know, usually, based on to such a, you know, name value, you know, doctor, you know, we Ah.
This man because Uh-huh. Well, because he’s a doctor or teacher or something. Yeah. Yeah. I but we of us treat, you know Yeah.
Yeah. We achieve the Buddha, then Buddha will see everyone as a Buddha then. So we treat Buddha. Yeah. Why should we treat Buddha as with with I agree.
Yeah. Therefore, we prostrate to everyone. Thank you, Hira. Have a great week. Meditation journals.
Them up. It’s all part of the practice. Things are coming up for you, things are going well and your realizations, insights. No. I’m just