Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The “colored lenses” analogy — perceived faults in one’s teacher reflect one’s own obscurations, not the teacher’s reality — anchors a central section of this two-hour Lam Rim commentary by Geshe Pema Tsering. He works through why practitioners must fix on a single meditation object rather than sampling many, how to sequence objects in proper order (the seven steps to bodhicitta, prerequisites for realizing emptiness), and how mindfulness and alertness function together. He covers dedicating merit toward ultimate rather than worldly aims, short sessions for beginners, between-session conduct including renewal of ethical vows, controlling the sense doors illustrated by the impermanence of a new car, eating food as medicine drawing on Nāgārjuna, and preparing the mind for sleep in the lion posture. A Q&A on Western food culture and dissatisfaction closes with contentment identified as the antidote.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 18 2008 05 29 BP.mp3
UUID: 80edff77-003d-4030-8ac2-94dfb55b29c5
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Lam Rim (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2008-05-29
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 123.1 minutes
Words: ~7,501
So Geshe-la is starting to give rise to a good motivation, and good motivation will be then the best motivation will be the mind of enlightenment. And Geshe-la is explaining, and the mind of enlightenment is a mind which is solely concerned with the with the benefit of other sentient beings only. And in this way, we should then to accomplish the benefit of the happiness of all sentient beings. In order to accomplish that, one must accomplish enlightenment oneself. And then in order to accomplish that enlightenment, one engages one’s going to study the Lam Rim teachings and practice accordingly.
Then we start with the preliminary prayers. We can start with the Heart Sūtra. So then, of the three topics, which is the preparation, the the main practice, the actual practice, and the concluding practices. Now we we are approaching the second one of those, which is the the main part, the main practice. So this topic has two parts, as you can see, how to sustain meditation in general, how to train meditation in general, and how to sustain meditation in this context.
The first topic, which is then the how to sustain your meditation in general, how to train in general, there’s three parts to it. The first one is identification of the need for meditation. Know, if I was going to the test, meditation on the path, as it will be explained, serves to make use of any virtuous object that you wish to work with. I was going again to the text saying, moreover, if you wish to attend this and that object thinking to take merely this number of virtuous objects and in any order you wish, nothing will come out of it. And having gone wrong from the beginning, your spiritual practice, your training will continue to be faulty throughout your life.
So then when we are going to meditate, we have to take one object of observation and persevere with it, apply our minds to it with perseverance, with exertion, and and and again and again meditate on that object of observation. If we go on picking up many different objects of observation every time we’re going to meditate, then we are not going to be able to accomplish anything. So Geshe-la was going through the next topic then, which is how to sustain a good meditation. And then, therefore, was therefore, you should first of all develop certainty concerning the number in order of bodies to be sustained. I stopped there and said, for example, if we are going to meditate on bodhicitta, on the mind of enlightenment, we have to there is a series of meditation that we have to go through in a in a certain order, in a certain each one of them before we get to the mind of enlightenment.
We have to start by recognizing all sentient beings of our mothers, recognizing recognizing the great kindness, and then developing the wish to repay that kindness, and all the six steps that we are familiar with all the way to bodhicitta. So there is an order and there are an order of objects of meditation. There are stages and we have to ascertain each one of them in proper order. And the same goes for any other meditation. Emptiness has its own prerequisites, own order of meditation and so forth in order to be able to realize emptiness.
So then Geshe-la goes on to say, so again, then you should pursue with a strong driving force that does not allow thoughts to arise other than what has been ascertained and sustained with mindfulness and alertness what has been ascertained without addition or omission. Points out to the very last bit of that sentence which says we should sustain that with mindfulness and alertness. So one should tie one’s mind to the object of observation with mindfulness, and one watches over what is going on in one’s mind if harm is coming or not, if something harmful is happening or not with alertness, with guarding alertness, with vigilance. In this way one meditates. So, again and and then how to sustain the practice?
How to sustain the meditation in this context. It’s the next topic we’re approaching. It has, again, it has three parts to it. So then by thinking about the benefits of reliance and about the faults of not relying. So then, again, the first one of those is you should think about the benefits of relying on on a spiritual friend and and the force of not relying on a spiritual friend.
Then the second one of those topics is how to train in faith by means of thinking about his positive qualities, the positive qualities of the spiritual friend. I guess I was going through the text saying again, repeatedly resolve never to allow your mind to let to get lost in conceiving faults in the guru. And then Geshe-la was briefly explaining the the some of the Tibetan words saying, oh, it’s just not seeing faults in in a spiritual teacher or or in or spiritual friend. And think of the qualities like discipline and meditative stabilization that you yourself have perceived in him, cultivating the faith that is a mind having the aspect of faith until it arises. And then stopping there and saying that this is now this is a very important topic.
Going back to the beginning of that of that topic saying, again, we should stop ourselves from getting lost in in seeing faults, perceiving faults in our spiritual friend, in our spiritual teacher. And Geshe-la was just saying, and this is something which is very different for us because we do see faults in our spiritual friends or spiritual teachers. And, Geshe-la was taking, for example, the Dalai Lama. And, again, we we all see, perceive faults in the Dalai Lama, We have to stop ourselves from from doing that. Has to understand that these faults that we see are our own faults.
They are our own responsibility. Geshe-la was saying in the same way that if we how to say? If we have sunglasses with with dark lenses, then we’re going to see everything dark. If we have sunglasses with red lenses on it, then again, we’re going to see everything red. So in the same way, the faults that we perceive in spiritual friends, they are our own faults.
They are our own faults in this way. So we arrest these conceptions that we have of the faults in the lama, and then instead we bring to mind the qualities that we have perceived on the lama, such as the teacher’s concentration, the teacher’s moral conduct, and so forth. We contemplate that in order to produce, give rise to faith in our minds. So then again, Geshe-la is saying it’s important to understand that the good qualities that we see again they come in dependence on perceiving the virtues that we have accumulated and recognizing of relying the virtues which is relying on the teacher and so forth. Geshe-la was saying, see we these glasses with two different lenses.
One is a white lens and the other one is a is a is a dark, a black lens. And so with one eye, we see everything white. So we see all the virtues and everything. With the eye, we see everything dark. We see the non virtues.
And Geshe-la explained, so with the by the force of the virtue that we have, we see the positive qualities. And by the force of the ignorance that we have, we we see faults. And Geshe-la was just pointing out to his own glasses saying that there’s half of it the upper half is for so he can see at a distance, and and the lower half of the glasses so he can see from close from close by so in the same way we have this this mixed mixed lenses And then lastly, the training in the respect that remembers the kindness of the teacher. Or training respect by remembering the kindness of the teacher. Then you should consider in accordance with the above quotes from the social collection the instances of beneficial kindness the beneficial kindness that you received and are still receiving and sincerely then cultivate respect until it arises.
Okay? So, Geshe-la, then we approach the third topic, which is what to do at the end, what to do at the conclusion. So there’s two parts of that, what what should actually be done at the end and the time and duration of the meditations and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings. First first of all, what should actually be done at the end, because I was going through the text, by means of the prayer of good behavior and the seven aspirations, the accumulated virtue should be dedicated with strong determination to the temporary and ultimate aspirations. So having trained in all those virtues that we have just gone through, so then developing faith in in the teacher and respect for devotion and so forth, all those virtues that one has accumulated and one dedicates with aspirational prayers, with with prayers that aspire to for the benefit and happiness of this life, pertain that pertain to this life, and that pertain to future lives and also to liberation and enlightenment.
So both temporal and ultimate. So then, again, Geshe-la is gonna say, so we we take all the virtues that we have created from the beginning, you know, with refuge, bodhicitta, then the seven prayers where we have purified negativities, we have accumulated, we have offered mandalas and so forth. And then from the main practice where we have cultivated this devotion to the lama, we have cultivated faith and and respect and so forth. We take all these virtues and then we dedicate for the sake of the benefit and the happiness of all sentient beings both temporarily and ultimately. So temporarily with regards to this life pertaining health and food and shelter and freedom from natural disasters and so forth and again in future lives and ultimately that all these virtues become the cause of the enlightenment of all beings.
So Geshe-la was saying one shouldn’t dedicate one’s virtue for the sake of the happiness of this life alone. Geshe-la was saying one should dedicate this so that one finds all the one gets rid of adverse conditions and undesirable conditions and so forth. But for the sake of of accomplishing enlightenment, you know, always with with having enlightenment as the goal. So, you know, may I be free from all these obstacles and so forth? And and then even in respect to this life, if you do, like, if you’re dedicated for the sake of enlightenment, you can even do that respect to this life.
So, also, get rid of the obstacles in this life or practice for according to cause of enlightenment and so forth. But never dedicate it for the sake of this life alone of this the happiness of this life alone because then one’s virtue will be incredibly weak and and small. This is because we in the in the Tibetan text, in in Tibetan text, we do not have all these little headings here. You see, we have everything on a silver plate here delivered to us. But in Tibetan text, have just, you know, first topic has two parts.
And the first part is this, and then it explain everything. And then second, and it doesn’t give the headings of those things. So after going having gone through all these different topics and subtopics and sub sub subtopics, and now we we reached a major one, and we are trying to find out what the heading is. So I have it in English because someone has done the work for me already. But the guess So then, finally having established that the topic is the time and the duration of the meditation.
It has three parts. You see, here we don’t have it in Tibetan. The tricky part. It says it says the second has three. That’s all it says.
And the first one is the time of of the actual meditation, the the actual time of meditation. So then thus, you should meditate in four sessions at dawn, in the morning, the afternoon, and in the evening. Then the second topic with regards to the time in duration of meditation is how to meditate in the beginning. And we are told moreover, if your sessions are long in the beginning, it is easy to fall under the power of laxity and excitement. As it is difficult to correct the state of mind once you have got used to it, you should do many short sessions instead.
If you break off the session when there is still a desire to meditate, this this meditation is still feeling good, then you will really want to enter meditation the next time too. They say that otherwise, you will be overcome by nausea at the site of your practice cushion, at the practice mattress cushion. And Geshe-la is explaining that when we are being taught these things, that we have been told that we have to do it at dawn, in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, we have to meditate, and we have to meditate in many different sessions at the same time in small sessions the Geshe-la was saying look this is set for specifically for those people who dedicate their lives exclusively to meditation to training the Dharma and the lamrim teachings and so forth It’s not exactly for us. What we have to do is meditate whenever we have a chance. Whenever we have spare time then we meditate.
So then we move on to the next the third one of those topics, how to sustain the meditation want once it has stabilized a bit and advice on how to avoid exhaustion. And Geshe-la was starting to read the beginning of that of that topic when it has stabilized a bit, you should prolong the sessions. And Geshe-la was going say, so you should if it has stabilized, prolong it. If you reach a limit where you cannot do it anymore, then you change to something else, start studying or something like something like that. And again, so then prolong you should prolong the session, sustaining them all free from the force of being excessively tense or relaxed.
Thereby, small obstacles as well as overexhaustion and drowsiness and so forth will be pacified. So again, one should not do it too long so as to one becomes exhausted or one becomes drowsy and falls asleep and so forth. So one has to find the the right place. So again, we move on to the next topic. What to do during the periods between the meditation sessions?
Again, first part is general practices that enhance the object of a meditation. As according for for the topic Geshe-la was reading, generally speaking, there are numerous practices enhancing the object, such as prostration, circumambulation, and recitation, etcetera. However, the main point is that having made an effort at the essence of the session if during the intervals where where you leave the session, you let go carelessly without relying on mindfulness and introspection, mindfulness and guarding alertness with respect to the observed object and aspect of their object, which is the cause of sustaining the meditation, the outcome will be very small, very little. Sessions, you should also be concerned with the Dharma texts and so forth that teach that that teach about those topics that you are meditating and recall it again and again. By various means, you should accumulate a collection of conditions favorable to the arising of positive qualities, and by various means purify the adverse conditions obscure.
So, again, by means one engages in virtuous practices of of of the three doors of both body, speech, and mind. And also, the last the last bit is saying your determination with respect to the discipline you have accepted, the basis of everything should be reaffirmed a lot. And Geshe-la is making reference to that. The discipline that you have accepted is is specifically translated as the the ethical discipline, discipline, the vows and and and the and samayas and all the promise and all the commitments that we have made, they should they should be, again, reasserted, reaffirmed because they are the basis of our practice. And again in the text, in the Tibetan we have the one little clause which says basis of everything.
And then we have this this this the last bit of the sentence which is talking about the the vows that the of ethical conduct that we have on we have taken again the basis of everything the basis of every good quality the basis of every accomplishment of every realization is those those are those vows, the the the those ethical disciplines that we have undertaken in the very beginning. Again, without the without ethical discipline, without proper moral conduct, then we as long as much as we meditate, we won’t be able to accomplish to realize anything. Then we move on to the next the second topic, which is the cause of calm abiding and special insight. Again, from that, training the collection of the four causes for the easy arise, for the easy production of the paths of calm abiding and special insight. So, again, Geshe-la is just explaining one word in Tibetan, which is which is translated as as cause.
The cause the the collections of which are the causes for the arise of of both calm abiding and special insight. Causes, which is controlling the sense doors. So then in this regard, when the six consciousness arise in dependence upon their objects and sense powers, after that attachment and aversion are toward the six pleasant and the six unpleasant objects of mental consciousness. Controlling the sense doors guards against that just explained, we have the six objects, the six sense objects, which are then forms, sounds, taste, odor, subtle sensations, and and mental objects mental objects. And then we have the six sense powers, again, which is sight, smell, touch, all the way up to mental sense power.
And we have the sense consciousness, again from the visual sense consciousness all the way up to the mental sense consciousness. So when objects arise when this tree becoming in contact and either pleasant objects such as beautiful forms or pleasant how to say delicious taste pleasant smells and pleasant sounds, all the way up to some praises and so forth arise, then we become attached to those, and if the opposite comes about, we become aversive. So we we we all have these three sets of six. We all have the six sense consciousness, the six sense powers, and we we have the six sense objects available. And all of this arise out of contaminated actions and afflictive emotions.
So then, I guess, was explaining is the word for actions, for the activities that we have performed with the three doors. And and the afflictive emotions and conceptions arise out of ignorance. So then we have the emotions which arise out of ignorance and these karma, these actions, which are all these activities that we engage in in this life. And so forth. So because they all arise, all these three sets of six, they arise out of contaminated actions and afflictive emotions and conceptions, then they are all mistaken, they are all delusions.
Is that the best way to say? Delusions? Mistaken consciousness. Mistaken consciousness or distorted consciousness. And and, Carassandra, So they they appear as if they had existence from their own side.
And Geshe-la was explaining. So, again, they they are all distorted. So one cannot because of that distortion, one cannot see perceive them correctly for what When one sees a beautiful form, for example one holds it to exist in the way it appears to exist. Sees what a beautiful form. And still that form, because it rises out of actions and afflictive emotions, because it is contaminated, it is going to change into something else.
It’s not going to remain as as it is presenting itself. Illustration of of a car. Geshe-la was explaining if something is good, then it should remain good. And Geshe-la is taking the illustration of a car, giving saying, first, when we acquire a new car, a brand new car, and we say it looks good, it looks nice, and that. But if it if it was really good, then it wouldn’t change.
It wouldn’t get worse. It wouldn’t it wouldn’t deteriorate into something bad. It would remain good. That first moment that we when we first experienced the car as as brand new and so forth, while it is still good, that is, again, comes out of whatever virtue we have accumulated. But later on, that deterioration occurs by the force of the contaminated actions and afflictive emotion concepts that have been accumulated.
And the same, again, the same with a person. At first, the person might look good, but still it will change. It will grow old. The person will grow old, and the person will the body will have to be disposed and cremated and so forth. So, again, that first moment where that that that time where the the person is still looking good, healthy, and so forth, again, come came about by the force of that have been accumulated, but those virtues were accumulated still in in the context of of ignorance.
So that’s it all changes. So again, Geshe-la is saying, and that applies to everything else. So it applies to forms, and it applies to sounds, tastes, and every other object. So it might be good at one moment, but it’s going to change it to something else. It is not going to provide lasting.
They are not reliable. They’re not stable. They’re not gonna provide any lasting happiness. They don’t do not remain the same for even a moment. So from they change something else from one moment to the next.
So then in this way, whilst watching over, how to say, restraining the sixth sense doors, again, we arrest attachment and aversion by by contemplating all the objects that we get in touch with in this way, contemplating that they they are not inherently good. Are not going to last, or they are not permanently bad also. In this way, we arrest attachment and aversion. And and then we’re going to the next topic, which is then acting with vigilance, behaving with vigilance. And then as for vigilant behavior, we have a quote from the Bodhisattva Way of Life, which says, to examine time and time again the situation of one’s mind and body, put concisely that and only that is the sign of protective vigilance, of guarding alertness.
Following this, and whenever the body engages in such and such an action or this or that action, through understanding whether or not it is an appropriate action, appropriate behavior, then one act accordingly. That’s and that’s how we have to to act with regards to reach of the sense doors. When we perceive an object and with regards to that object, we have to watch our minds to see what is arising. If attachment is arising with regards to the object, then we have to arrest that attachment. If aversion or hatred are are arising with regards to the object, again, we have to arrest that aversion.
And we’ll present next topic, which is the knowing the right measure of food. Geshe-la was going through the text again. Knowing the right measure of food means to give up eating too much or too little food and to eat only the amount that does not damage one’s virtuous activities. Furthermore, have meditated upon the drawbacks of craving for food, you should also remember what is said in the scriptures about eating, thinking that it should be without mental afflictions, that it should be of of benefit to the giver, that while you now bring together the organs of your body by means of material things in the future, will bring them together by means of the dharma, and that you will bring about the welfare of all sentient beings. So again, if we eat too much, then again we become drowsy, sleepy, our bodies become heavy, and we become susceptible to many illnesses and diseases and again on the other hand if we eat too little again we do not satiate our hunger we grow weak so we have to find a middle way there eat just the right amount.
And guess what I was saying? So we should eat how do you say? Fill our stomach with fill two thirds of our stomach with food and then leave one third empty. If we do in this way, would or not And again, Geshe-la is pointing out another part of the text, is saying one shouldn’t eat the food whilst afflicted, whilst motivated by craving or attachment to the taste of the food. One should contemplating that one should eat for the sake of nurturing one’s body so that one can practice virtue, one can accomplish enlightenment.
So in order to be able to practice virtue, be able to accomplish enlightenment, I must nurture my body, and that’s why I’m going to eat the food. Also, should bear in mind, how to say, benefit the intention to benefit the one’s one’s benefactor, and also contemplating that now one might be benefiting the whatever organisms might be living within one’s body that we ingest with the food. We we might be benefiting them by means of the food that we are eating, the substance that we are eating. We also develop the aspiration that we may benefit them with dharma in the future. And, again, one contemplates one brings to mind the welfare, the intention to accomplish the welfare of all sentient beings.
So in order to accomplish the welfare of all sentient beings, one eats well, one nurtures the body so that one can one can meditate, one can cultivate bodhicitta, one can cultivate understanding of emptiness, and and and then accomplish the welfare of all beings. And in this way, one eats one’s food. And then we have a quote from the letter to a from a letter to a friend by Nāgārjuna, which says, reasoning that food stuffs are like medicine depend on them without attachment or aversion. They are not meant for conceit nor for arrogance. They are not meant to fatten you, but just to keep you going.
And again, Geshe-la points out, again, we should regard our food as if it was medicine. Geshe-la was just explaining it in better words. Again, we should regard the food as if it was medicine. We only eat the medicine in order to restore or maintain our health. And that’s what the the mindset that we should have when we are eating our food.
And and if we do in this way, that’s that’s that’s good. That’s the reasonable thing to do, Geshe-la. And again, one should eat the food without attachment or aversion. Again, one shouldn’t develop an attachment for if the food turns out tasty or turns out good, one shouldn’t give into attachment. And if the food doesn’t doesn’t turn out good, again, one shouldn’t give into a version of.
And again, guess I was going through, again, one shouldn’t eat in order to get fat. One shouldn’t eat with any conceit or arrogance. One should just eat in order to to keep going, to to stay, to remain healthy and practice the Dharma. And we approach the next topic, which is exerting oneself in yoga without sleeping, and what to do when lying down to sleep. The first one of those topics has what to do when lying down to sleep, and secondly, how to apply all these to the intervals between all the meditations and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings.
The first one of those topics, which is then what to do when when lying down to sleep, has five different parts. The first is the time to lie down, and then we have a quote from the letter to a friend, which says: Sensible one, great being after all the day’s sessions, as well as the first and last ones of the night, also sleep with mindfulness so that during sleep too, fruit will not be absent. And Geshe-la is pointing out again that one should, having practice during the whole day, one does not sleep during the day, having practice during the whole day, one then goes to sleep at the right time. Of the three parts of the night, one goes to sleep at the middle part of the night, the watch of the night. And then so then Geshe-la goes through the commentary.
The essence of the sessions of both the entire day and the first and last part of the night, as as well as what should be done in between sessions is explained. Therefore, having walked about and sat down, you should completely purify your mind of the five obscurations and thus make whatever you do meaningful. And then Geshe-la is saying, so what are these five obscurations? The first one is excitement and and sleep. Is that it?
Kunga and Gyopa. Right? Excitement. So then the first one of those is laxity and excitement. Then there is sleep and how how could I translate that?
And and then drowsiness drowsiness and sleep or sloth, torpor, and sleep. Then ill will or harmful intent. Desirable objects, craving towards essential objects, and lastly, doubt. Is that okay? Let me just correct the first one of those which was excitement and regret.
And Geshe-la is just explaining that excitement is usually included, said to be related to attachment. As the mind is scattering or turning towards other objects, towards objects of attachment. So again, these are the five obscurations then. These are the five and this is what we have to arrest. We have to stop them, these five obscurations, and then make whatever.
And then in this way, we our activities we make our activities meaningful. And again, the behavior at the time sleep, how how we should act at the time of sleep? How should we conduct ourselves at time of sleep? As the as the behavior of sleep occurs between sessions, it should also not be wasted meaninglessly. And Geshe-la was saying, and we we do not allow it to go to waste by ridding ourselves of those stop arresting those five obscurations.
So if we arrest those five obscurations before going to sleep, then then our sleep will be will become meaningful. Then in this regard, the conduct of the body, the way to position the body when time of sleep consists of lying down during the middle part of the three parts of the night on the right side, placing the left leg on top of the right one, and sleeping like a lion in this way, Geshe-la said. And then the topic is mindfulness. As for mindfulness, you should rely on the fact that until you fall asleep, it pursues the predominant virtuous action that you have cultivated, that you have been cultivating during the day. Therefore, you can sustain your spiritual practice, such as meditative stabilization and so forth, while even while asleep, to when you are not asleep, the same way that when you are not asleep.
Geshe-la was gonna say again, when one goes to sleep, one positions one’s body in the way that has been described, and then one brings to mind whatever it is that one has been contemplating during the day whatever one has been meditating meditating on be it compassion bodhicitta equanimity calm abiding whatever it is that one has been meditating one brings that to mind and falls asleep with that in mind and in this way, all of one’s sleeping time, all the way until you wake up in the morning, will become meaningful, will become one derives great benefit in this way. And then the fourth is the vigilance or guarding guarding alertness. If any mental affliction arises while you cultivate mindfulness, again, Geshe-la stops there and says mindfulness is the mindfulness of whatever object you have been meditating during the day. And again, having become aware of it, rather than grasping it, eagerly abandon that negative that afflictive emotion. And Geshe-la was then saying, so, again, whatever afflictive emotion perception may arise whilst you are cultivating the mindfulness of the object you have been meditating during the day.
Then, again, that you arrest that afflictive emotional perception. And even even if it is a virtuous mind, again, which is which is good, but still you should go back to the object that you have been cultivating during the day. You should bring your mindfulness back to that object. And again, fifth is the discrimination of getting up. The discrimination then of getting up consists of projecting the thought, I will get up at this and that time.
So again, before one falls asleep, one determines that, oh, I must wake up at five o’clock in the morning, or I must wake up at seven o’clock in the morning. And in this way, we we fall asleep. We should rise from our beds as as soon as we wake up immediately. And then if we if we do like that, then we’ll feel okay. We feel alright.
If we wake up and stay there rolling on the bed and then there is a big danger, we might become we start grasping because the body is so relaxed, and so we might one might be grasping to that seemingly pleasant, how to say, state of of being there in the bed, and we hold on to it, and we stay for much longer, fall asleep again and so forth. So I guess I would say it’s best if you wake up and then immediately get out of the bed. And guess I would say usually we do not want to get out of the bed, isn’t it? Sorry, come on. Thank you.
Well, yeah. Yeah. That’s that’s what it’s supposed to be. Any Let me just find the right page. Okay.
It’s the number two. Yes. Geshe-la said it is said that it is beneficial if you can lie on this posture when you are dying. So, usually, that’s what we do when we’re going to to sleep. That’s how we that’s how we lie down when we’re to sleep.
Yes? So yeah. What is it? Where did I lose it? That’s the first one.
What’s the first one of those? So first thing is, let me correct maybe to a better translation of the word, which is, like, Geshe-la was saying, it’s usually translated as and are specific hindrances to developing concentration or calm abiding. And then I was I was pointing out to the part of the text that you were referring to. And I was saying, so again, why do we have to get rid of these two while we are going to fall asleep? Someone said, look, this is how we practice during the day.
During the day, we have to continuously arrest these five obscurations, including this sleep and torpor because they hinder our practice and in this way at the time of sleep we will make our sleep meaningful. So, Geshe-la was saying, of the three of the three parts of the night, that middle part, then we we we have to fall asleep. And then the word that is used in Tibetan is nyi, which is you know, also refers to sleep. In in the context of meditation, we choose to translate which also translate as sloth and torpor. But that same word is also said as sleep.
So in Geshe-la was gonna say, so in the middle part of the night, you have to fall asleep. But you fall asleep, you you try when before falling asleep, you try to make it virtuous. You try to bring a virtuous motivation. You try to bring virtuous state of mind, which is what you have been contemplating during the day. Did you understand?
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Regarding the first observation you said, so I Regret or guilt. Guilt. Sometimes it’s the translation, restlessness and anxiety.
Yeah. Anxiety is So then Kunga, which is the first one of that pair, is the one that is is used in referred in the context of kunga pai in meditation. It’s some people translate it as restlessness, and in in some other texts and some other books, you have to translate it as anxiety. It’s just referring to that mind which is scattering towards other objects. It’s it’s it’s how do you say?
Moving out of attachment is is included in the related to attachment and and then scatters, moves away from the object of meditation towards other objects of attachment. And then Gyopa, which is the Tibetan word which is used is also translated as regret. In other context, it is translated as anxiety or or restlessness. But what it means is and Geshe-la amplifies that is thinking, oh, that is not good. That now that’s not okay.
You know? All this meditation is no good. You start regretting the practice that you are doing. You become anxious or restless about it, and and then you want to do something else. Then Geshe-la explained regret is what is a changeable mental factor.
It’s it’s it can be it can be either virtuous or non virtuous depending on on relation to to how this regret is developed. So if it is you have regret if you generate regret in relation to a virtuous activity, then that regret is non virtue. If you regret a non virtuous activity, a negativity, then the regret is a virtue. And that’s what is referred to. But then this this is something which, again, is that is the Tibetan words.
There’s the usual translation of the Tibetan words, but there is a lot that can be said about that. And was pointing out the usual translations from we we have been acquainted when we were studying Vipashyana or something like that, and there’s many ways many more ways of expand on that. You can you can extend it further. Pardon me as well. Yeah?
When dedicate and we think of the three spheres of the dedication, the one who is dedicated, that which has been dedicated for the art of dedication. Again, we think of all that as being empty and lacking any inherent existence. If we do that, then we are making those objects aspects of the whole act of dedication accord with reality because if we do not contemplate their emptiness, the lack of inherent existence, we will conceive them as being inherent inherent existence and they will have still an aspect, a faulty aspect to them because they will not be according to the to the way that to the reality. That dedication will not be in conformity with their reality. And the reality is that they do not have any inherent existence and any existence from their own side, all these three spheres.
So again, the same thing again because they are in actuality they are not inherent existence. So if we contemplate at the time the meditation, if we contemplate their emptiness, if we contemplate their lack of inherent existence, then we make them come in accord with their actuality, their actual reality. And Geshe-la is giving us an analogy and saying so take that vase of flowers if you want to offer that vase of flowers to the lama before you offer it then if you clean it and you polish it and you make it look all nice and clean and all that and and then there’s a nice offering so that is one way to offer it and another way is that you just pick up that vase you know however dirty it may be and just offer it in that way you know still they are both their offerings, but one is pure and clean, the other one is dirty. Okay. Yeah.
Can I just go back to the paragraph on food? Absolutely. Yeah. And it’s just Unfortunate. It’s just really quite simple, and it’s not you know, there’s not there’s not much to it.
It just seems, you know, sensible and straightforward and and very personal discipline, and that’s fine by me. Yes. But there’s this massive issue in the west, you know, and in the world right now. We’re having, you know, gourmet restaurants and TV cooking shows Yes. Food and wine affairs, and then you’ve got people with bulimia.
And and then and then, you know, they’ve got TV shows where people try to lose the weight. Yes. And and and The biggest loser. All that kind of stuff which, you know, is just out of control, really. Yes.
It is. I’m just interested in. You know, is it just it just simply, you know, attachment? Is it is there something something deeper and more insidious? Is it always just just the is it just in, you know, is it just attachment born of ignorance?
Or or is it is it something deeper than that because it’s just, you know, out of trouble? What causes that type of thing? Yes. But is is it simply, you know, on a personal level for each person, is it just simply, you know, I’d I’d I I love the taste of this food. I wanna have more of it.
I’ve got no self control. I’ve got no discipline, so I know I just eat more. Or or is it is it How do you say vomit? Do you remember that? No.
I forgot the word. Excuse me. Yes, attachment. Of course, the main cause of all this is ignorance, And because of ignorance that grasps to ourselves, then one wants to eat and get all these pleasurable things, and then one wants to develop attachment because of that. Also, of self-cherishing, self absorption, self centeredness.
Again, one acts in these ways, and then attachment and anger and so forth arise. The main cause of all that is ignorance, of course, because of lack of of of knowledge of the way that we actually exist. And and then the the two main helpers in this in this illustration that you were given, the two main helpers would be attachment and self-cherishing. But there is nothing else, it’s just that. Also, how can I say this, dissatisfaction,
Also dissatisfaction also is a lack of contentment which is dissatisfaction also makes us constantly seek more and more even though we get what we desire and we still want more and more and more and more it’s never enough that’s what Geshe-la say. So all these there are there are many afflictive emotional conceptions which help feed this ignorance, which come out of ignorance to create these situations. Okay. Yeah. Sure.
So if you can ask one, please? Yes. What’s the antidote of dissatisfaction? So I’m going to there’s a play in words. That’s why he’s laughing.
So is non contentment, and the antidote to non contentment is contentment. That’s why he was laughing. And in English, and then you can say dissatisfaction. The antidote to that is satisfaction. Contentment.
Satisfaction. Contentment. Go with contentment. You better offer contentment. Contentment.
Exactly. That okay? Yeah. Yeah? I I thought that, you know, generate a gratitude makes us Actually contentment, I thought.
Yeah. Well, you can put the both together. Yes. Because there is no way I can I can translate gratitude? Yeah.
I cannot. They they come together. Yes. If you’re content, you are grateful. If you’re not grateful, you’re not content.
So again again the word in Tibetan is and in English, you have different ways of approaching it. Satisfaction, contentment, gratitude, or the opposite. Non contentment, non satisfaction, non gratitude. And then I guess, I was gonna say, so then contentment is that mind which which is satisfied. We We think that’s enough, that’s okay, I have enough and I’m happy with what I have.
And I I was also saying that we also have great desires, big desires or great attachments and we have to diminish that we have to have small desires few desires so we have many desires we have to have few desires and contentment also That’s it. Okay. Okay.