Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Whether “today is Thursday” can be simultaneously correct and mistaken frames the opening of this 152-minute Lamrim commentary by Geshe Pema Tsering. He distinguishes mistaken consciousness — which knows objects through a mental image, as all conceptual thought does — from wrong consciousness, which apprehends something that does not exist, using examples of double vision, a map that may or may not correspond to reality, and the eighth-century debate in which Kamalaśīla refuted the Hoshang school’s view that all thought must be abandoned. He also defends analytical meditation as essential preparation for single-pointed concentration, illustrated with the image of purifying gold before working it. The commentary then turns to precious human rebirth — the eight unfree states, ten endowments, and why human birth surpasses even a god’s existence for dharma practice — followed by extended Q&A on karma, the god realms, and what a first direct realization of emptiness actually eliminates. Suited to students with some Lamrim background.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 20 2008 06 19 BP.mp3
UUID: 485603b3-40f4-4c45-9bf7-d652e0426780
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Lam Rim (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2008-06-19
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 151.6 minutes
Words: ~11,729
So Geshe-la is giving us instructions to give us a good motivation and with the intention of establishing all sentient beings in the state of enlightenment and, you know, in order to accomplish that, to accomplish enlightenment itself. And we are going to study and listen to the teachings and study the teachings accordingly so that we can accomplish this enlightenment. Yeah. And we start with the preliminary prayers. So we start at page forty.
The refutation of the misconception that asserts that all conceptions apprehend signs. Geshe-la was reading for the text. Again, that reads the understanding that all conceptions apprehend signs and therefore create as an obstacle to enlightenment has the fault of not discriminating between improper mental attention, which is a conception of of true existence and proper mental attention with the conception of of the perfect, of the ultimate, ultimate. So Geshe-la is explaining that what is the word is Tibetan, which essentially is conception. Geshe-la says all conceptions are how can I say that?
What’s what’s the the best way to translate it? Mistaken. Mistaken. Mistaken. Just just mistake.
So all conceptions are are mistaken. They are trulwa. The word is trulwa. It’s been translated as mistaken here. So if it is if it is a conception that is mistaken and people say because of that, people some people say that then, therefore, it should be abandoned.
So Geshe-la is saying, again, this how do you say? These concepts conceptions, they are they are mistaken. And Geshe-la says all these conceptual minds, they are mixed with a meaning generality, with a general conceptual image. And because of that, there there is the the apprehension, grasping, of true existence. They apprehend, and there is they conceive of true existence.
And in this way, they are they are to be abandoned. Geshe-la says that there’s a conclusion that they come to is that they should be abandoned. Is that okay? And Geshe-la was saying, and this this misunderstanding comes about because because of of a lack of understanding the way that conceptions exist. There are even though all conceptions are mixed with with a conceptual image, a meaning generality.
And then in this way, they are mistaken. Still, there are those conceptions which, for example, the concept for example, the the in the case of the realization of where there is an inferential cognition, which then apprehends of in dependence on a meaning general on a on a conceptual image. Again, there is and there is also, how to say, the realization of bodhicitta. Again, it relies on on a conceptual image and so forth. Because I wasn’t saying even even though those they have an aspect to them these conceptions have an aspect to them which are mistaken because they are mixed with a meaning These conceptions still are they are perfect.
They are correct. Okay? Geshe-la was saying, again, this with regards to these conceptions, Geshe-la is saying that there is there is a way of the way of apprehension of these conceptual minds. It can be either mistaken or correct. And, again, in in regards with regards to the realization of emptiness, even though because the object of that of that awareness awareness is emptiness, then there is a correct correct way of apprehending it, way of apprehension.
But still because that awareness relies on a conceptual image, then that aspect of that conception is mistaken. Is that making sense? Terminology. And, again, I’m gonna need your help again, So Geshe-la is saying, a a correct mind is not cannot come about at this mixed with a which is a wrong is a wrong consciousness, isn’t it? There’s nothing which is both.
There’s nothing which is both. In the perfect consciousness. So there is nothing which can be a, which is a a correct consciousness or a perfect consciousness and and which is a wrong consciousness. But you can have a perfect or correct conscious awareness and with with a mistake and and a mistaken consciousness at the same time. You can have something which is both.
Is that is that is that making sense? Is that okay? Because my English I’m not I’m not fluent today. So So for example, which is this wrong consciousness. Is this okay to say wrong awareness?
Okay. Wrong consciousness. So wrong consciousness, Krishna was in giving gave two examples already. So one example is even though there is one moon and we wrongly apprehend two moons. So when we when we see double in this way, there is one, but we see two.
And, again, another example is is when there is there is a a lack of a truly existent self, but we do apprehend a truly existent self. Geshe-la briefly said, apprehending something that does not exist, that actually does not exist as existing. Is is that come out okay? So, again, the wrong consciousness, then explain again. So when we there is a there is a a defect in the sense power, for example, or in we are wearing some glasses or something like that, and we see the moon, for example, or we see we see double or we see by the force of some glasses that we are wearing.
The moon is white. We see it a different color. So it is it is a wrong it is wrong in that it apprehends that which does not exist as actually existing or something that exists as not existing, so it is wrong in this way. Okay? Is that okay?
And then again, we have this truce, which is this mistaken consciousness. Because I was saying every conceptual mind is is a mistaken conscious because it is mixed with its meaning generality or its con the conceptual image. So, again, with regards to the the realization of emptiness, the the inferential cognition of emptiness, one the object the the object that is appearing to one’s mind is emptiness. The realization is correct. It’s is a correct realization, a perfect realization.
But there is still a confusion in that people mistake the conceptual image for emptiness, for as being emptiness itself. So still one still can realize emptiness. The realization is correct, but still there is a a confusion with regards to the conceptual image that people hold that the conceptual image itself still as being as being as being emptiness itself. And so there is there is a mistake in this regard. There’s a confusion with the conceptual image that is utilized.
Is that okay? Is that okay, Jampa? Is that coming alright? Is it okay for you? So, again, so because of of of a confusion with regards to the understanding these minds, this consciousness, Some people say that we should give up, abandon all conceptions, all conceptual minds, all this all this mistaken consciousness.
But the fact is the fact remains that there are some mistaken consciousness, some which are correct consciousness. They are perfect consciousness, and others which are which are not. So some some of these are to be abandoned and some are are are to be utilized. Is that okay? And then Geshe-la goes on to the next topic, which is a refutation of the misconception that asserts that if a lot of analytical meditation is done prior to the arising of meditative stabilization, it becomes an obstacle.
Oh, yeah. So, again, I was just going through the first the first part of the text. There’s the idea that it is necessary to achieve a nonconceptional meditative stabilization. Stabilization capable of placing the mind on a single object in whatever way it pleases. Whereas if you do a lot of med analytical meditation before, it will become an obstacle to the arising of the arising of that meditative stabilization.
That’s this idea is not upheld in this present instructions in this text in the text here. So Geshe-la was saying this this text does not uphold this idea. It says that that is not the case. We actually do need, we do need to engage in a lot of analytical meditation. And, Geshe-la was going for that example.
Again, for example, when a smith burns gold or silver in the fire and washes it in water again and again, all the impurities are removed, and it becomes very supple and workable whereby can be subsequently be made into any jewelry like earrings at will. Again, if you want any to make any jewelries, any ornaments like earrings or necklaces and so forth, you need a good quality gold or and you need then to work that gold, to work impurities out of that gold. And then if you do if you do clear that gold away of impurities, then it will become you can do whatever you please with it. You can do anything you like. On the other hand, if you do not clean the gold of of impurities, then again, it will be very it will be very difficult to made make any ornaments with it.
And then again, again, I was going for the text, which says, likewise, just as at first at at at at first, the mental afflictions by the secondary afflictions and the afflictive conduct emerge on the occasional meditating on the black actions and the results and the disadvantages of cyclic existence and so forth, which are all analytical meditation, as Geshe-la points out. By meditating on such disadvantages, again and again, with the wisdom of individual investigation, with discerning wisdom, then, again, the mind will become completely disenchanted. Therefore, it is like burning golden fire. And, again, Geshe-la goes on for the text. Again, similarly, just as the mind turning away from the black side and defilements being purified emerges on the occasion of meditating on the positive qualities of the spiritual friend, the great meaning of the freedoms and endowments of a precious human rebirth, the positive qualities of the Three Jewels, white actions and the results, and the benefits of of the mind of enlightenment by meditating on these positive qualities again and again with the wisdom of individual investigation, the mental attention of the mind becomes moistened or sincere, whereby it is like washing with water.
And then through the mind approaching the white side and the lighting in it, the mind is moistened by virtuous dharma. And then, again, when when it has been transformed in this way, whatever you wish to achieve, whether calm abiding, special insight, will be achieved without difficulty when the mind is focused on it. That is why such analytical meditation is the best means of achieving non conceptual meditative stabilization. And then all all that is being said is that some people say that all we need to do is is engage in in single point of concentration and placement med what’s called placement meditation, and we do not need analytical meditation. But the fact is, again, Geshe-la was then briefly saying, in the case of emptiness, for example, we do need we do need to engage in a lot of analytical meditation.
In in the case of of meditative stabilization in general or single point concentration in general, we do need a lot of analytical meditation beforehand as a preparation, as a as a prerequisite to accomplishing those single point concentrations. We need to have an understanding of our actions and the results. We need to have an understanding of the black actions and their suffering consequences, the white actions and their happy consequences and so forth. And in order to be able to be able to accomplish to properly accomplish our meditative stabilization or a single point concentration. If we do not have this have practiced this analytical meditation on emptiness beforehand, we won’t be able to accomplish the single point concentration.
And Geshe-la was saying, again, he’s giving us another illustration. For example, Geshe-la was giving the illustration of the gold here, and, again, the same goes for a a vase. Sorry. Clay. Clay.
Thank you. A clay vase. Again, we have to work we have to clean the the clay away of any impurities. We have to take the little stones and the sand and forth. And then we can and then if we do that, then we can make the vase create the vase properly.
And if we don’t do that, if we don’t treat the clay beforehand, then, again, we won’t be able to to build or make a proper vase. So Geshe-la is in saying the fact of the matter is that we we do need to meditate on on to engage in analytical meditation before we can accomplish single point of concentration. And, again, Geshe-la was giving us the example. For example, when we are meditating, if we want to accomplish meditations and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings on emptiness, it is absolutely necessary that we do engage in analytical meditation on emptiness because we need to understand what emptiness is before we can actually meditate on it. We need to understand what is that apprehension of true existence.
We need to understand what is that lack of true existence, emptiness of the object that has been meditated on and so forth. Without that knowledge, without having that understanding beforehand, we cannot engage in single point concentration. Again, the same goes for other meditations as well. Again, in the case of the mind of enlightenment, we need to understand what the mind of enlightenment is. Again, you need to study.
You need to engage. You need to develop that understanding, and then you can meditate on the mind of enlightenment. And the same goes for refuge. Again, we need to understand what that mind of refuge is before we can meditate on refuge. So we need analytical meditation before we engage in so called placement meditation, single point concentration.
Again, Geshe-la was saying we need we need to engage in analytical meditation until we realize the object in question or the or or or meditation in question. And then having having developed that that that understanding, again, we we engage in placement meditation. I was reading the last the last sentence there. That is why such analytical meditation is the best means of achieving non-conceptual meditative stabilization. Again, so we need the analytical meditation in order to accomplish single point of concentration.
Again, in the case of emptiness, you need to have an understanding of emptiness so then we can practice we can then realize the meditative stabilization of on emptiness. Again, in in any concentration, again, you need to have a prerequisite of analytical meditation. Geshe-la was just reading through the text again. That is how I, Asaṇga, also put put it. And, again, you can follow through the text with with me if you want by way of analogy.
When a smith or his skillful apprentice burns gold or silver in a fire and washes it with water a couple of times in order to discard all impurities and slag, it becomes and workable for this and that ornament. This being directly perceived. In this regard, through the know how that accords with this of this smith or his skillful apprentice, any manner of ornament desired is then made with their smith’s tools. Likewise, when a yogi does not turn toward impurities in his mind such as covetousness and so forth, he thereby becomes disenchanted and turns away from unhappy afflicted minds and approaches manifest joy in the virtuous side, thereby becoming manifestly joyful. In that case, the yogi definitely trains his mind in either the side of or the side of special insight such that it is thoroughly applied to this and that.
Rest in its natural state is immovable and unwavering and also moves for the sake of perfectly achieving whatever purpose he or she has contemplated. And then goes on for the commentary. Furthermore, the main adverse conditions for the mind to the mind staying on an object of meditation continues. They are twofold. They are laxity and excitement.
And then we have an explanation, again, saying that if you have a strong and constant awareness that sees the positive qualities of the Three Jewels and so forth, it is quite easy then to overcome laxity. Again, by having strong faith in the Three Jewels, by having strong faith in the Three Jewels, then one can stop the laxity. And again, then they just said that there are many valid sources, many scholars who say that it’s antidote. The antidote to laxity is to uplift the mind by looking at positive qualities. And again, positive qualities of meditation, positive qualities of the Three Jewels, and so forth.
Those kind of Uh-huh. And then and then again, if you have a strong and constant awareness that sees the disadvantages of impermanence, suffering, and so forth, it is quite easy then to overcome excitement. And again, because since excitement, it is a distracted mind belonging to the category of attachment, many texts praise disillusionment as its antidote. And the word of in Tibetan, that was translated as disillusionment could also Geshe-la points out that it’s also referring to seeing the the the shortcomings of of that mind. So then we move to the next next topic of the text, the stages of how to train the mind once you have relied properly relied on on the teacher.
Then the that topic has to parse the basis of leisure and exhortation to take its essence. And then secondly, how to take how to take the essence. And again, the first of those three the first of the first of those two topics has three parts to it, identifying the leisures and endowments, considering their great value, the great meaning, and considering the difficulty in finding them. This one. So then as for the leisures and endowments, we have two parts.
Again, first is the leisures themselves, and secondly, the endowments. And then again, as for identifying the leisures, again, have a quote from the summary where it says, through rules, the identity of the many worlds of animals and eight unfree states are renounced. Thus, leisure is won forever. So then again, according to the leisures consisting of freedoms from the eight unfree states. And again, we have the next topic, the eight, which is the eight unfree states themselves.
First of all, it’s living in a border town, remote remote country where the four types of followers of the Buddha do not roam. And guess what was saying, the four types of followers are the male and female, gelongs, fully ordained monks and nuns, and and and the novices monks and nuns. Secondly, then being stupid or dumb and having incomplete faculties missing a limb, an ear, and so forth. Then thirdly, again, holding wrong views that regard past and future lives, actions and their effects, and the Three Jewels as nonexistent. Then, unfortunately, being without the word of a conqueror with no Buddha having appeared in the world, these are the four unfree states of humans.
And then again, have the next three the three bad migrations, and then fourthly, being a long lived god are the nonhuman unfree states. And then again, as for the long lived gods, the commentary on the letter to a friend discusses two types, the discrimination less ones and the formless ones. The former live in one region of the fourth concentration, which is called the great result, as if in solitary place far away from a village. The latter are ordinary beings born in the formless realms of existence. And, again, in the discourse on the eight unfree states, gods of the desire realm who are constantly distracted by activities of desire are explained to be long lived gods also.
So, again, there’s gods of the desire realm by being constantly distracted by those pleasures. They are unable to practice the Dharma. And because that wasn’t just briefly said, you know, this this is very straightforward. There’s nothing not nothing is not to be understood here. Geshe lah was just indicated to us that we we ourselves, we have we have these eight freedoms.
Then again we move on to the endowments, to the opportunities that we have, and then there are ten endowments, are ten opportunities, there are those which are the five person endowments and then there are the five endowments which are conditioned by others or pertain to others. So then these five these five personal endowments are being a human being, being born in a central region, having complete faculties, having no extremely perverted deeds, having not performed any extremely perverted deeds, and having faith in the foundation. And then, I guess, wasn’t saying, again, not every the first one of those endowments, of those opportunities is being a human being. I guess, I was saying, not not every human being has has the endowments, has all the endowments. Again, a human being which just lacks complete faculties who is either dumb or stupid, again, is is does not have all the endowments, Geshe-la.
And, again, Geshe-la, was going for the commentary to that verse. Again, here, birth in a central region is to be born in a place where the fourfold followers go about. Complete faculties consist of not being stupid or dumb and having complete limbs, minor body parts, and eyes, ears, and so forth. No extremely perverted deeds. This implies not having committed or caused to commit an action of any of the actions of immediate retribution, and here’s the five actions of immediate retribution.
Having faith in the foundation is faith in the foundation from which all the mundane and supremundane white dharmas are born, which is moral discipline. And here, And here, discipline should be applied to all three collections of scriptures. It’s a it’s a it’s a short phrase. Again, one in order to practice discipline, one has to study the three collections of scriptures. So, again, those those five are brought together in one’s own mental continuum and constitute circumstances for the accomplishment of the Dharma.
And because of that, they are called personal endowments. And, again, secondly, the five endowments conditioned by others. They will have the the first the arrival of the Buddha, the holy Dharma having been taught, the teachings abiding and being followed, as well as having mercy for others. Then, again, here, the arrival or the arrival of a Buddha means that after accumulating the collections for three countless eons, Buddha manifestly attained complete Buddha. And again, the holy Dharma having been taught means that a Buddha or his followers have taught the Dharma.
Then the Dharma teachings abiding means that the Dharma that is accomplished by means of actualizing the Dharma of the ultimate from the Buddha and the Dharma teachings up to not passing into nirvana have not degenerated. The Dharma teachings that abide being followed means that through the very realization of the Dharma, there is an awareness that beings have the power to directly perceive the holy Dharma, and then there are those who follow the teachings in accordance with that realization. And in the heart of mercy for others means that there are alms givers and benefactors who grant monastic robes and the like. So, again, Geshe-la is just saying, for those who practice the Dharma, who practice properly, there are those who support them. And again, these five as these five are present in mental continuum of others and constitute circumstance for the accomplishment of the Dharma, they are called endowments conditioned by others.
Again, Geshe-la, considering their great value as the next topic, which considering their great value, the first has four parts. The first part is considering the inappropriateness inappropriateness of someone with this special base acting like an animal. So then again, we are told that if if no practice of the completely pure Dharma for the sake of lasting happiness comes about at all when you have attained the the person’s human rebirth, you are like an animal. Despite your birth in a higher as a human being, then since animals also endeavor merely to attain happiness and eliminate suffering until they die. And again, we we all have attained this precious human rebirth with all the the freedoms and opportunities.
And, again, if I we should we should not So we do not we should not having attained this precious human rebirth, we should not waste it. And we should practice the Dharma because in the future, it’s gonna be very hard to attain another precious human rebirth. And, again, point pointing out to the text, again, not not engaging the precious Dharma for the sake of attaining lasting happiness, the happiness of liberation and and. Again, is it is it is a waste. It is like makes us like animals because animals also only strive for the sake of the happiness of this life, you know, seeking seeking seeking food and and and pleasure and and shelter and so forth all the way until they die.
That’s what they live for. So so, again, we we will be like animals in this way. That’s a that’s a difficult one. That’s a hard call because most most people, again, they only live working for the sake of the the benefit and happiness of this life alone. And there are very few people who who are actually striving to accomplish the dharma.
Very those are very few and very rare, so that’s a a very hard hard call. We all of us here, we have accomplished the precious human rebirth with all the freedoms and endowments and opportunities so we are able to practice the holy Dharma we are we we have knowledge of the holy Dharma we know how to practice and so forth and again all these endowments all these all these freedoms and opportunities who has accomplished that for us it was ourselves in a previous and former life it was it was ourselves in a former life and again we have to recollect the many diff the many causes that that being has accomplished, that person has accomplished in order to has has accumulated in order to accomplish this person’s human rebirth. We have to remember the great kindness of that of that being and, again, not let it go to waste, that that huge effort that that being has performed in the past. We should not let it go to waste. And, again, how to how a body with leisures and endowments is the best for the accomplishment of the Mahāyāna path, a base like the one explained earlier, which is a body with all the freedoms and and endowments is necessary.
English, I was going through that verse again from the letter to a friend. The base of the path of those going to bliss, the tool for beings, that very strong mind, a strength that human beings have gained. That path has not been found by gods or nagas or by demigods nor by garudas, vidyadharas, kinnaras, or nagas. So And then, again, just briefly explaining the meaning of that verse, pointing out that the the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, they have attained the realization, again, based on on this precious human rebirth, precious human body with all the opportunities. It doesn’t matter how great a being you one might be, how to say, god, Brahma, to say, Indra or or any other god that may be.
It doesn’t matter how much power or wealth one has. All that they can do is is work for their for their for their own happiness alone and all that they have created was this working for their own happiness for their own welfare alone and again it’s only only a a human being with the precious human with all the precious human it’s only a human body with the all the freedoms and opportunities that is able to accomplish liberation and enlightenment. Because of that, this this human birth with all the freedoms and opportunities is much greater is much superior than those births as gods as powerful as they might be. So we have attained this optimal condition where we are able to to accomplish the great benefit. We are able to accomplish liberation and enlightenment.
And, again, if if having having attained this this precious human rebirth, if we then do not work for accomplishing that, for accomplishing those causes of liberation and enlightenment, then it is going to be really a great waste. I guess I was going for the commentary furthermore. Although some gods of the desire realm with strong habitual tendencies from having previously trained on the path on a human basis are suitable as a basis for seeing the truth for the first time, it is impossible to attain the ārya path for the first time on an upper on the basis of an upper realm. However, as explained before, the desire realm gods are said to mostly a non free state and therefore this is not the best as a basis for attaining the path for the first time. Having them as a human being engaged in virtue and engaged in in meditative stabilization.
Again, when one if one then dies and then is born as as a god, again, whilst as a god, most most likely that one will not be able to practice the Dharma, and then all one’s virtues will be exhausted in one’s life as a god. And from from then, one falls to a lower realms. So, again, once all all one’s efforts will be then will go to waste. And lastly, again, inhabitants of the continent of Uttarakuru are insuitable as a basis for vows, which is why the bases of the other three continents are praised, and among them, especially the inhabitants of Jambudvipa. Oh, yeah.
And this And Geshe-la is explaining again all the the the gods of the desire realm and the gods of of higher realms of existence they experience too much happiness too much pleasure and because of that they don’t care about practicing the Dharma and again the beings of the three lower migrations again they experience too much suffering on the other hand and again they are because of that unable to practice the Dharma. And again as human beings again there are those who were born in this Uttarakuru land. And, again, they are said to be unsuitable basis for vows because they also experience a great amount of of happiness. It’s not as much as the happiness of gods, but still is for for human beings standards is is still a lot of happiness. And again, they they do not care about practicing the Dharma.
And Geshe-la is saying again, human beings in general, they have equal amount of happiness and suffering. Again, they have happiness but it’s not a great happiness like the happiness of gods and demigods and so forth and still they have suffering but it’s not great suffering as the suffering of the lower realms of existence so again because of that they are able then to practice and accomplish the Dharma. Is it okay to stop now and we start for questions? That’s right. We have then if you want to ask questions.
Nineteen six. What what is your question? Sorry. How precious or, you know, valuable that God’s happiness, I want. How how valuable?
How how good it is? Mhmm. Like, they were the how good it is? How valuable. How meaningful?
Meaningful. Yeah. Let’s see. Geshe-la. The happiness and the belief that the experience is very is very great but it’s not really meaningful we we all here we have experience we have been born as gods many times and still it hasn’t got us anywhere, like, where we are now.
Is that okay? Everybody understood? So, again, we we we all have experienced the happiness of gods many times, and we have experienced the sufferings of lower realms of existence many times. And and still, here we are. I mean, we haven’t it hasn’t given us any lasting happiness.
It hasn’t given us any lasting happiness. Oh, there is So again, Geshe-la is saying. It is it is great happiness what they experience, but it is contaminated happiness it is contaminated happiness it is the happiness which is contained within cyclic existence because of that it is unreliable it does not last. It is like in the nature of the suffering of change, and it is going to change into something else. It is not it is it is not gonna last.
And because of that, Geshe-la concludes, it is it is not really important. It is not really that precious. You want to try something? It seems important to me to think this thought. But given what you just said, Yeah.
That we were we had been in the goddess and experienced great happiness. Yes. But it didn’t get us anywhere. Look where we are now. Well, right now, we’re in the human world.
Yes. So that is that is a precious thing. I meant I meant enlightened us, it may not have. But now Yeah. That’s what I meant.
That’s what I meant. But that’s what it was meant there. It it didn’t get us any lasting happiness. That that’s what it was meant. Is that okay?
Is it do you have a question? Do we have a question there? Well, it was a point of logic, I think, that even though we did we have And I just so then that’s that was my old translation. What what is meant is that it it didn’t accomplish us any lasting happiness of liberation and enlightenment. So that’s that what was meant.
So, again, Geshe-la, I then explained what you were saying. And Geshe-la was saying, yes. We have experienced a lot of happiness of the gods and so forth. I have experienced a lot of suffering, and still we were born as human beings, and this is good, I told. Geshe-la was saying, yeah.
It’s good. And now we should not waste it, and we should accomplish the cause of lasting happiness now. And and then I was I was just trying to clarify something with the Geshe. Again, who has accomplished who is able to accomplish the cause of a precious human rebirth? Are the gods able to accomplish the cause of a precious human rebirth?
Geshe-la says, no. They are not. Are the beings of the lower realms of existence able to accomplish the cause of a precious human rebirth? No. They are not.
You have to be a human being to be able to accomplish a cause of a precious human rebirth. Well, how how does the things in the lower realms They do not. They are not able to accomplish the cause of a happy human rebirth of a precious human rebirth. The gods and the beings of lower arms are not able to accomplish the cause of a precious human rebirth. The only beings who are able to accomplish their causes of precious human rebirth are human beings.
Does that Yes. Helps? And, Geshe-la, I was just saying, again, with regards to this, Geshe-la was saying gods are not able to accomplish the the causes of of a precious human rebirth with all the freedoms and opportunities. And because in order to accomplish a precious human rebirth with all the freedoms and opportunities, one has needs very specific causes. One need to to engage in in perfect morality, the practice of pure moral conduct, and we need to engage one one needs to engage in the in the perfections.
One needs to engage in, how to say, to make a pure aspirational prayers, and we need one one needs that. And and gods are not able, for example, to practice pure morality and so forth. So they’re not able to accomplish these causes. Sir, does this help? Well, that raises the question of how any of us could have been hell beings or gods in previous moments.
Because once we were in those moments, we we could have got out of them. So it’s like this. One one one remains in a particular realm of existence only for a certain amount of time until the causes of of birth in that realm are exhausted. And even before one was born in such a realm, one has been born many times as human beings, so one has the imprints in one’s mind stream of having performed many positive deeds in the past. And, again, those imprints then how to say?
They emerge. How can I say? They come out of of their latency. And after the time expires in in one particular realm of existence, we are born in in other places, including the human realm. Does that does that make sense?
Yes? I had a question about the the the fifth personal endowment, which is in the foundation. And as I understand what it says, it’s the faith in the foundation is faith in discipline. And I had and and it and it says that it’s that foundation from which all mundane and super mundane white dharmas are born. I have two questions.
One one was what discipline means in that context, and the second is what mundane and super mundane white dharmas are. If I can only find where it is, let me just I told you to It’s a dangerous food. In the Tibetan text. Just a minute. The the word that is translated as discipline, in Tibetan, I was saying it it mainly refers to ethical discipline, moral discipline, ethical conduct.
For example, when we talk about dua, have of the three baskets. We have one of the baskets which is the basket of discipline, which is the Vinaya, where all the vows of of monks, nuns, and so forth, they are all explained there. So when we talk about dua, we’re mainly talking about the training on ethical discipline ethical conduct moral discipline moral conduct training morality is that okay that’s one So Geshe-la is explaining another way to explain the etymology of the word dua. Dua is to to subdue, to to take the the power away from from something. So, again, in the court in the in the case of of ethical conduct, again, of of guarding against, for example, the act of killing, again, which is the act of conduct of guarding against the act of killing means subduing that action, eliminating that action, taking away its power, and not engaging that action.
So that’s what it means And then what is it in the text again? Forty Forty two. Forty two. Here, the the mundane and super mundane white dharmas. So white dharmas is just one way to to refer to virtues, virtues actions, virtues deeds.
So white dharmas are virtues. And virtues, you have mundane virtues and super mundane virtues. Mundane virtues are the virtues that we ordinary beings practice or create that are the virtues actions that we engage in and they are contained within cyclic existence. They are the cause of cyclic existence still virtuous, but they’re still contained within cyclic existence. Supramundane virtues are the virtues actions of area of beings, of noble beings, and and they do not cause more cyclic existence and the cause of liberation and enlightenment.
And you wanted to ask something? No. It’s okay? I was just wondering what actions generate the karma to be born in the god realms. So then there there are different classes of gods.
So then, for example, the gods of the to be born as a god of the desire realm of existence. Again, you need to make aspirational prayers to be born in such a place, plus you need to practice morality, ethical conduct. And then to be born in the as a god of the form of the formless realm of existence, which are superior to the desire realm, then you need to practice certain specific concentrations. You need to practice what is called the contaminated single point concentration practice, which is accomplished by contemplating coarseness or the grossness of the lower realm where one is at and contemplating the the the good qualities, the happiness, and the bliss of the higher realm which one is trying to accomplish. And this is a type of meditation which accomplish these higher concentrations, which then cause you to be born in in such places.
So again, one one has to aspire to be born in such a place. One has to aspire to experience and to attain those great happiness and pleasures that they have and then with that aspiration in mind, the motivation in mind, the one engages in virtuous deeds and so forth. So again, if one if one in this present life then aspires to attain this happiness of gods and so forth and then one practices great virtues, boss with that motivation, then if at the end of one’s life, then one is you know, at the time of death, one is then aspiring as that aspiration. It’s still, may I be born as a god, you know, and then one is born there. So then whatever it is that one is aiming at, if one one can aim at being born as one can be motivated by by the aspiration to be born as a god and then engages in virtues and then dedicates those virtues again for for that for that cause, for being born as a god or as a demigod or as a human being.
Again, whatever one’s goal is, that that that is what determines the results of one’s virtuous actions. So then this is how one is born as as a god of the desire realm. Now if one is wants to be born in as a god of the form or formless realms of existence and one has to accomplish calm abiding and then one has to respectively for the names of the concentrations: first concentration, second concentration, third concentration, fourth concentration, they are not only meditative states but they are also names of the realms, those godly realms. So one has accomplished the first concentration to be born in the first concentration realm of existence, the second for the second, the third for the third, the fourth for the fourth, and one has to accomplish also each of the respective formless concentrations, absorptions in order to be born in each of the form formless realms of existence. I was wondering why anybody would aspire to to go to those realms if they don’t lead to enlighten them.
So then there are there are many reasons why somebody would aspire to do that. For example, there are people there are people who who think that liberation is too difficult to attain or that enlightenment is too difficult to attain because you need to accomplish it is difficult. You need to accomplish renunciation. You need to accomplish bodhicitta and so forth. People think it’s too difficult, so I’ll go for the happiness of gods instead.
And there are other people who actually do not know about liberation and enlightenment, and they aspire solely to the happiness of gods. They think that there is nothing superior to the happiness of gods. And then for some people, the happiness of gods is what they call liberation enlightenment, and that’s what they look that’s what they strive for. Is that okay? Okay.
Yeah. Yeah. I was just gonna say, you said that there’s, you know, a danger in the god realms in the late experience, too much pleasure. I’m just thinking for people from the west, you know, like, we have people like us have so many vices these days, so many potential things we can drive happiness from drugs, alcohol, sex, whatever. And then we have things like meditation, which can kinda calm the the mind and take away suffering in a way or at least deal with it more effectively and drugs and stuff that can do that sort of thing.
Is there a danger for people like us that, you know, we are incapable of, you know, having that moment where it clicks that we have to get out? Does Does that make sense? Yeah. We have so much happiness in this world that that might be the danger that we do not have the desire to get out of. So we don’t see that as the nature of suffering?
Do you think that Specifically in our world. You see that nowadays nowadays, there is too much happiness and pleasure available to us. Is that what it is? Yeah. Particularly in the western world, I guess.
I’m just Uh-huh. Do you want do want to say something? Specifically. How how can I say that? So I guess I wasn’t saying, look, all over all over the planet earth, there’s so it’s all contaminated happiness, which is all in the nature of the suffering of change.
So it’s all actually really suffering. Even though we all regard this that suffering of change, we we all hold that to be happiness. It is not the case. There’s there’s no difference between how much danger that’s this much this very this great availability of pleasure that we have nowadays is I guess, I was saying there’s not much difference in how dangerous there is from from past times or from other countries. Geshe-la was saying, what what we need the ideal situation that we need is is where where one one’s life in in one’s life, there is a balance between suffering and happiness.
And then that’s the ideal situation. Does that make sense? Yeah. Absolutely. This one.
Is that okay? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You said you you want to wear something.
Me? Yeah. You were doing like this. We saw. Yeah.
No. That was a it’s just a question regarding the eight and three state. Yes. And then two being stupid or dumb. Oh, that’s okay.
I can’t understand that. But having incomplete faculty, like missing a limb or a knee, I don’t see how how this is a problem. Where is this? Twenty, forty seven, forty eight. We are in three states.
So then again, Gerlaz is saying, look. This is of course, we’re not it’s just it’s just for the perfume does not have eyes or sight, then this, of course, becomes it becomes a hindrance. If one cannot listen again, it becomes a hindrance, and that’s what is being referred to. Nothing much beyond that. Is that okay?
So we can discover some of the things that Geshe-la talked about. Beginning on page forty, there is this talk about, various types of conceptual consciousnesses. And so in, Buddhist psychology, all conceptual consciousnesses are mistaken. And so we have to understand we have to understand why and what way are they mistaken. So, you know you can think you know we say today is Thursday that’s a conceptual thought that’s a thought consciousness conceptual thought and it doesn’t seem to I mean today is Thursday is it doesn’t so in what way is it mistaken?
So in overall there are two ways that we can understand an object either by means of direct perception or by way of in inferential cognition or we can just say understanding it conceptually. We can understand an object either directly or conceptually. Like my eye consciousness understands apprehends the paper or the color red directly through the power of the object. My eye consciousness is able to understand that the table is red. It sees the color red.
On the other hand, we can also understand objects which aren’t present to the senses. And therefore we can think about things. This is one advantage of thought. We can think about what our house is like even though we’re sitting at Buddha house. We can think about objects which aren’t directly perceivable to ourselves which aren’t present to ourselves.
But so we use in order to do that we don’t use the object itself we use our idea about the object in order to understand it. That is to say this idea is called the mental image or meaning generality. So in order to understand my bedroom at this very moment I can’t know it directly but I can apprehend it through my idea about it. I can think about it. I can take it.
I can bring it to mind using my idea or mental image and I can think while the bed’s over here and my desk is over here and I can I have some understanding of my room and it’s a valid that’s a valid way to understand my room? But but so we can understand the object not through the object itself, the power of the object but through our idea about the object. That’s so there’s this advantage to conceptual consciousness. But what is the disadvantage is that a part of our mind believes that our idea about the object is the object itself. That there is an appearing there’s an object which is appearing to us and part of our mind takes that to be the actual object itself.
And this is where conceptual consciousness, all conceptual consciousness are mistaken. Why? Because they mistake our idea of the object for the object itself. Okay like you have it’s quite you know in a very mundane example when you first fault in love you mistake your idea of your partner for the person themselves and then you end up with a lot of disillusionment when you find out your ideal doesn’t match up to the person who you thought this person was. Have so you know sometimes like today is Thursday.
Okay. That doesn’t that’s no big mistake in a way. Mean it but but it’s simply the mistake the the fact of taking our idea for the object itself. In this way all conceptual conscious are mistaken. They can bet though they’re mistaken they can be correct.
I may sound contradictory. Today is Thursday or my the in my room we’re sitting here at Buddha House in my room that I can imagine I think about that my beds here my desk is here and so forth. That is a mistaken consciousness because part of my mind is taking those ideas about the mental images about the room for the room itself. But nonetheless that’s a correct consciousness. Why?
Because my bed is in fact here and my desk is in fact here and you know today is Thursday. It’s correct. It’s factual. But the way I’m knowing those mistaken. Does it make any sense?
Okay. So we, so in, you know, we can use, so this is a, we can use conceptual consciousness advantage of using conceptual consciousness because we can think about things which aren’t present accessibly to our to our senses at present. You know, we can’t see it. We can’t touch it. We can’t taste it, but we can think about it.
It doesn’t have to be some, you know, some abstract idea. Even my room at present is not accessible to my direct perception, but it is accessible to my conceptual thought. I can have that so I can think about things which aren’t present. You know, we do this all the time. You know, can think about my car is out in the parking lot.
It’s in the front parking lot. That’s correct. But I can’t see that it’s there at this very moment. I can’t see this there but I can think it’s there and that’s a correct conception. It is there in front of the building rather than the back of the building.
So I’m using my conception but a part of our mind it’s only the mistaken aspect is I take this what is appearing to my mind which is a mental image or an idea or I’m using the same just synonyms or meaning generality to be the thing itself. I’m mistaken in that way but but nonetheless it is correct. On the other hand there are wrong consciousnesses. There are both wrong direct perceivers and wrong conceptual consciousness. A wrong direct perceivers like Geschelad’s example about seeing two moons.
You know, if you press your eye or if you see this light up here, you can make it, you can have a double image if you press your eyeball. So there’s a fault, you know, a temporary fault in the eyeball and what we call the mental, visual power, power, eye sense power. You know if you’re pressing on your eye you can see double. So there aren’t or if you’re looking at the moon you see double, you see two moons. And there’s no there’s not two moons in the sky.
So this is a wrong consciousness. It’s seen something which as existent which doesn’t in fact exist. It sees two moons. There aren’t two moons. They don’t exist.
Only one moon. So that’s a wrong consciousness. A wrong consciousness sees either something to exist which doesn’t exist or something that does exist not to exist. You know, so I guess there would be lots of examples of various types of wrong conscience but they’re also wrong conceptual consciousness. For example, all afflictive emotions are wrong conceptual consciousness.
For example attachment. The way that the object appears to attachment that object doesn’t exist. There’s always it appears there’s a certain degree of exaggeration. But we think maybe take an easier example. Today is Wednesday.
That’s a wrong conceptual consciousness. Today is not Wednesday. It’s not factually concordant. So that’s a wrong it’s not only wrong it’s not only mistaken because it’s conceptual consciousness, but it’s also wrong. Why?
Because today is is Thursday. It’s not Wednesday. So the thought today today is Wednesday is both a wrong consciousness because its object is not factually concordant. Today is Thursday but it’s also mistaken because it’s trying to get its object through a mental image and it takes that mental image for the thing itself. So that’s both mistaken and wrong.
But there are okay. So yeah. Can you relate that to what What we’re doing here? Yeah. I’m going yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Sorry. We’ll just lay that groundwork. Do Just thinking if you had a direct realization of emptiness Yeah.
Sure. Yeah. A direct a direct perceiver is not mistaken. It’s not mistaken. Why?
Because it is, it gets at its object by way of the object itself. It’s not mistaken with regard to what is appearing to the consciousness. It’s not because what is appearing to consciousness is this pencil to my consciousness and it’s what appears and it is a pencil. But when I think about a pencil, what is appearing to my consciousness is a mental image of a pencil, but it appears like it looks like a pencil and therefore the way so it’s mistaken in terms of the way it’s apprehended its object. But yeah but in the case of direct perceivers, direct perceivers are not mistaken in this way only conceptual consciousness.
They can be wrong, but they’re not mistaken in this way that we’re talking about here. If you okay once you have a direct realization of emptiness and when you come out of that direct realization of emptiness I’m gonna take a bit of a chance here because what normally You would see things as illusions. Why? Things still appear to you to be truly existent, but you no longer believe them to be truly existent. So it appears one way and exists another.
So they don’t things appear to be like a magician’s illusion. It appears to be an elephant. Know, a magician makes a stick to appear like an elephant. But you know that’s only a trick. So you don’t it still appears like an elephant, but you don’t believe in its reality as an elephant.
So it’s called an illusion-like subsequent attainment. All your subsequent dealings with reality, you’re not in formal meditation any longer, but by the force of your direct realization of emptiness, things don’t they appear truly existed but you don’t believe in that true existence and therefore they don’t have the same solidity, the same concreteness as they as they once appeared to you. So does that mean that at that point you would have overcome all your delusion? No. Then that will eliminate the intellectually acquired afflictions.
That is to say if you studied certain philosophic systems and due to that study you developed some wrong ideas about the nature of reality. That first direct scene of reality will eliminate those acquired intellectual misconceptions. Misconceptions. But it doesn’t have the power to eliminate the innate, those which have come previous to this even birth, not acquired in this lifetime through study. So that requires to then go on to the path of meditation.
And over the ten levels of the path of meditation you work through the different levels of ignorance and removing the innate levels of ignorance. And then finally, but at the, so you go, you’re working through what are called the ten grounds. And at the when you attain the eighth ground, you you abandon all the afflictive emotions. And then but you haven’t achieved enlightenment yet. You still you’ve achieved even eliminated the innate conceptions of true existence and then you have to remove the latencies like the tracks even though you which have been which have been laid down in the mind which are the obstacles to omniscience.
So that’s those are eliminated on the eighth ninth and tenth grounds. So to answer your question the first realization of direct realization emptiness does not remove ignorance or the afflictive emotions. So how do we relate this to what’s being said here? I mention this because it’s not just an academic idea. It had practical implications.
In ancient Tibet, there was a Chinese meditation master by the name of Hoshang who was in Lhasa and he advocated that proper meditation and the way to attain liberation is to get rid of thought. And he had the idea and the analogy he used and he was having a great deal of influence, you know, amongst the population. And so this one, the king of that time, thought to call together, have a debate. And he invited on the Buddhist side Kamalaśīla, who was a who was a great contributor to the spread of he was an Indian master but he contributed a great deal to the spread of Buddhism in Tibet and so he debated with Hoshang and Hoshang said it doesn’t matter whether you’re bitten by a white dog or a black dog, you’re getting bit. So you, right, so it doesn’t matter whether you have virtuous thoughts or a non virtuous thought.
It’s still, it’s still like getting bit by a dog. So you want to get rid of, you know, all thought. Virtually he didn’t make it, you know, all thought is to be gotten rid of. And Buddhism ultimately would agree, ultimately would agree. We want to, I mean Buddha has no conceptual consciousness.
That’s rather strange to think about. All his perceptions are direct perceptions. He doesn’t use an idea. He sees things directly. So ultimately we want to be free of all conceptuality.
But conceptuality is a necessary part of a path through conceptuality through thought we can go beyond a thought. But Hoshang said no thoughts. We got to get rid of thought present now. And this is where this is where this debate is coming from. That thinking that all thought is to be gotten rid of.
And so Kamalaśīla just said that, know, went on to show that even the even even your idea about getting rid of all thought is the thought. Know what you what the way that you even presenting and thinking about it is all thought and you know you’re using thought in order to lead people to get rid of thought. But, you know, so that’s what we’re doing. We’re using thought to get rid of thought. So it’s just a bit, but it’s a bit much more, a skillful manner.
So there are certain types. So, and it becomes a little more complicated because in his line, says, in this, where it says reputation of misconception asserts that all conceptions apprehend signs. So he’s making a distinction. The understanding that all conceptions apprehend signs. So signs here means the sign of true the sign existence. So not all, so, everything appears to truly exist at all times except when you’re having direct realization of emptiness.
So even when you have a conceptual realization emptiness that emptiness appears to truly exist. So, but that doesn’t mean there’s a difference between I don’t how let me know if this gets if you, you know, if this gets too technical. There’s a difference between things appearing to truly you say, oh, there’s somebody waiting there. And they get very afraid. So it appears that this pile of rocks appears to be a person in the dark waiting for you.
But your friend says, no, I’ve been this way many times. That’s just a pile of rocks. So I know it looks like a person but it’s not. So even to both of these people that pile of rocks, that pillar appears like a person. And you can first agree, yeah, does look like a person doesn’t.
But he knows it’s not a person. So just because things appear to truly existent doesn’t mean we always grasp that as being true, that they really are truly existent. Yeah. So everything is always appearing to truly exist, but that doesn’t mean that we always apprehend it. What what is the apprehender of true existence is ignorance.
Even a virtuous consciousness, we can do prostrations and we can we can we can do we can prostrate to a Buddha of a peers to truly exist. We can think that the prostrations truly exist and that I truly exist. But nonetheless, we’re creating virtue. Is it correct? You know, that, it’s a virtuous consciousness and it’s going to empower us.
It’s going to help us along the path. But there, but all of these factors involved in a, you know, the Dalai Lama appears to me to truly exist and, you know, and I can develop, but I can still develop a great devotion and I can, it can help my mind and help me along the path. So just because things continue to truly exist doesn’t mean that we are apprehending them to exist, that ignorance is operating. So he’s not making a distinction between improper mental attention which is a conception of true existence, which conception of true existence is ignorance. Improper mental attention, the conception of what is correct, you know, today is Thursday.
I might think it’s a truly existent Thursday. That’s okay. It’s still correct. It’s still useful. It’s not not a it doesn’t rise out of necessarily arise out of ignorance conceiving that these things that truly exist.
Do they appear to be truly existent. I don’t know if this does help any of that. So So the main basis of this argument is coming from this debate with Hoshang and Shāntarakshita. They are saying let’s get rid of all thought. Stop thinking.
Know? So that that that achieving that that direct perception Of emptiness? Yeah. Yeah. I’m sorry.
You might have answered this. Yeah. Can you wanna go back over it again? Your question? Yeah.
Was was whether to to to to get to the point where you do accurately perceive, where you’re not having wrong You mean emptiness particularly or just gen in general? In general. Okay. So like this table? Yes.
Oh, no. No. That’s not conceptual. Think today is Thursday. Okay?
Yeah. Okay. Person who saw this pile of stones and conceives of a person. That’s a wrong consciousness. Something which doesn’t, he’s seen something which does not exist as existing.
So that’s, that’s the definition of a wrong consciousness. So that has nothing to do with particularly with flick of emotions. Yeah. It’s a neutral. It could be a it could be a neutral mind.
There’s a person over there. That’s a wrong consciousness. Yeah. So when we come to Lorig, awareness and knowledge, we’ll go through all these wrong conscious and mistaken consciousnesses so forth. So yeah, so, so I mean there is this, and you know, some people say how Shang was, might have been a Zen master.
It’s not sure in China it was Chen And there is an area of Zen practice. I mean, strain, some lineages of it where they try, look down upon study conceptual thinking. You know, they they we they they don’t it’s looked it’s looked upon as something of a hindrance. It’s only confusing your mind. You want to get rid of all conception.
Yeah. So I I remember one Zen master, the the abbot of the temple in Bodh Gaya when I was there, used to visit there during the during the winter months. His teacher wouldn’t let him read books unless he was teaching. You know, he wouldn’t he was not allowed to study because he would just confuse you. So it’s a different orientation.
So, yeah. So to be clear, today is Thursday — that thought is correct but it’s also mistaken. It’s correct because it’s factual today is Thursday but it’s mistaken because I’m using my idea, my generic image, I’m seeing that as the actual object itself, and it’s not. Thinking about my room, is it correct?
There’s a bed in this end of the room and there’s a desk in this end of the room. That’s correct because it’s factually concordant. But the part of my mind, you know, this is one of the reasons why visualization can be of great use. Part of when you imagine yourself appearing as a deity, part of your mind is seeing yourself as a deity. Appear that way and part of your mind is holding that to be the case.
Part of your mind is that make the all this is this is just imagine. This is just a joke, you know. But part of your mind sees sees yourself as that. It this is the way you appear. And one part of your mind is holding that to be the actual reality.
So, yeah, that’s why it’s but it’s mistaken. Mistaken. But nonetheless, it has some positive effect. Even that. So the main point here is this: all conceptual thought is always mistaken.
Mistaken. So yeah. But it’s not but it’s still it’s useful. It’s still useful. Yeah.
Even though it’s mistaken, it’s still a great use. But what concerns me is that a person like myself of small scope won’t be able to Is it meditation that will help us? I mean, three steps of hearing, you know, the study and listening and then reflecting contemplation. So you, you, you develop what he translates concept of the perfect or just quick conceptions. Your thinking becomes more in accordance with the way things actually are.
And you have it. Yeah. Thought and conceptual consciousness synonyms. Yeah. My bed is not a concept. I can’t sleep on a concept. I have a mental image which I use in order to think about my bed.
And then I have a symbol in my mind which refers to something in reality or may, may, in this case, there is something. It’s like, Tolkien’s maps from Lord of the Rings. So he had these maps. And maps refer to something out there.
You know, if you pick up a map of South Australia, know, these blue red lines and blue lines, little dots. You know, and this, this is like this refers to something which is findable and out there. If you drive along this, you come to this town and you drive up here and make a left. So some maps are like ideas about things. And some of them, if they’re correct, they refer to something findable.
Some of the maps aren’t correct, like Tolkien’s map. There’s nothing you could search the world and you never find what those maps are referring to. We have ideas in our mind which accord with reality, are findable, but also have ideas which don’t accord. We’re never going to find what that idea was referring to. That’s a wrong consciousness.
The mind, the consciousness which uses those wrong ideas, these wrong concepts, wrong maps, are wrong consciousness. Consciousness. That object doesn’t exist. It’s like seeing that pillar as a person. You know, it’s only an idea in our mind, but we believe these ideas to be very real and they have a great influence on our life.
So by correcting these, wrong, you know, correcting our wrong wrongly drawn maps, we live in more in accordance with the way things actually are. Aren’t we using those concepts to, you know, like, you know, purification I’m I’m step into direct perception. Yeah. So that’s what Tsongkhapa tries to emphasize. We can use these mistaken consciousness.
What what about they they are correct? And we can use they’re they’re useful tools. Ultimately, we want to go beyond them, but for the time being, they’re quite useful to ourselves. We want to go beyond all maps. You want to actually be there.
You want to use the accurate map to achieve the right. Yeah. To get to where you want to go. That’s right. Because the wrong map wrong map will never get you where you want to go.
So you’re use the right map. So we’re trusting that this is the right This is the Yeah. So we’re correcting our mistaken maps. Yeah. What time is it?
Oh, it’s late. Thank you, guys. Have a kinda drive