Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Opening with a medieval Kadampa master’s blunt verse — that those who neglect long-term practice in favour of food and clothing are “no different than a hairless pig” — Geshe Pema Tsering uses this 45-minute session to show why examining one’s motivation is the hinge of all practice. He locates the talk within the Lamrim’s initial-capacity path, specifically the three disadvantages of failing to remember death: one never takes up practice, never sustains it, and never makes it pure. The heart of the session is the eight worldly concerns — praise and blame, comfort and pain, gain and loss, fame and obscurity — illustrated through Atisha’s pointed rebukes to two students whose meditation secretly served this life’s reputation. He closes by invoking the Buddha and Milarepa as exemplars of complete renunciation.
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File: 03 LR 2002 04 09.mp3
UUID: a6017fce-a643-4c51-862d-06efd5b2d912
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Lam Rim 2002 Bodhisattva Deeds (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-04-09
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.1 minutes
Words: ~2,566
The great master Sharawa Könchok Gyaltsen has stated that the one who does not examine the things which are to benefit from both — distant — this and other lives — And also who does not engage in the practices of listening, in order to receive the teachings and so forth in order to generate one’s knowledge or intelligence and who yep, who doesn’t do that and only engage in the search of food and clothing. This is more or less like a pig. The hairless or a pig without hair. Hairless pig. They’re no different than that.
Just like it. Looks like a joke as well. This one. This one. No.
No. Yeah. So this particular verse refers to those who does not think for the long term happiness or benefit in long term, in the sense, the future lives only works for the and those who only works for the betterment or the pleasure for this present life pleasure. So it sounds like that we should not work only for this present life. Only this life.
So therefore, you know, we should examine. So when we say examine, examine one’s mind and whether the mind is doing a positive thing or not, And also examine that whether it’s working for the betterment of future lives. One should at least, one should try to work to attain enlightenment, if not, still one can try for the attainment of nirvana or liberation. Even if one fails at working for those two, at least one should try to work, put effort to attain to attain high rebirth in future lives. If one fails this, then we become like a pig.
So therefore, you should try to look for time. And whenever one finds any time, spend the time on practicing, receiving teachings, books, reading books, so forth. Yeah. But at this stage, we’re not really big at the moment because we do remember every now and then to to practice. So whether we do practice, but whether our practice become a very pure practice or not is entirely dependent on one’s motivation.
And motivation is very important. Sometimes the motivation directs towards only for the better pleasure or betterment for this life, like to become a famous and nice livelihood in this present lifetime, so forth. So to examine one’s motivation is very important. So one should have the proper motivation beginning of every practice and should always have motivation that can transforms one’s practice become become a cause to attain either of those three for the betterment, Buddhahood; if not, then liberation or nirvana. If not, then at least try have motivation that one motivation which can lead transform one’s practice become a cause to attain the higher So one can have a wide range of motivation.
But if one if one is not used to or one can’t have a very, very intensive motivation, at least just by having just motivation, simple motivation, thinking that I’m listening this teaching because in order to become in order to attain enlightenment for the sake of entire sentient beings, and along with such motivation, receive anyone receive the teaching is still a good motivation. So we shall do a short motivation here, motivation here, thinking, having on the motivation which is either one can think that I’m listening this teaching in order to attain enlightenment for the sake of motherly sentient beings, or one can think through the power of my practices may all sentient beings reach the state of Buddhahood. So just by saying and it’s the same still the same motivation when one say, through the power of my practice, may all sentient beings reach Buddhahood or become Buddha. And when, so when one says “sentient beings,” oneself is also included in that. So do a short meditation here.
So if you go to previous the So we have reached the the topic here saying how to distill the essence of this life of freedom and riches has three parts. The first one, the training your mind in the stages of part in common with person of initial capacity. The second one is the stages of the path in common with the person of intermediate capacity, and third one is person of great capacity. Out of those three, now we are training one’s mind — how to distill the essence of this life of freedom and riches from the true training of the mind in the stages of the path in common with the person of initial capacity. So it has the first one has three main subdivisions which are called arousing an interest in future lives.
So and which so goes through divisions and remembering the death and the fact that you will not remain long in this life has three subdivisions. So we have stopped at the first one, which is disadvantages of not remembering death. So the disadvantages of not remembering death, it has many divisions. And the re one of the most the the faults of not remembering death is because if one does not remember death, then one wanders and excuse me. One only works for this the happiness of this life.
And this is and this is how one spends one’s life only to attain food, clothing, shelter, and fame for this present life. Yes. So if one remembers the remembers the death, then it won’t let one spend one’s time only to achieve happiness in this present life. Because because when one not when one thinks of the death, then one knows that one is will travel in future lives as well. So therefore, one needs to make arrangements for one’s travel to future lives.
Because, for example, like, if one is traveling somewhere, the interstates, one will make arrangements, make all the packings and so forth. So likewise, one one prepared, arrange the things to travel for future life, and that is that is that is to practice. So it is because of one not remembering death — that’s how one spends all time, the day and night, whole twenty-four hours, only for this life. It is because of not remembering death. So therefore, it is very important for one to at least think once a day or recall the death once a day.
So when one think of that, then one will have a mind to develop can develop a mind to practice and by doing practice with the proper motivation, except for the actions of the ten non-virtues, any kind of action one does, one can transform those actions into the positive action through one’s motivation. So except for this the the the actions which are naturally a non virtuous action, we so called non virtuous action. By nature, all those ten non-virtuous actions, by nature they are non virtuous or negative action, therefore one can’t transform those. But except for those, even it’s a neutral action or so forth, one can one can still transform those action into positive through motivation. So that was the first disadvantage, which is the disadvantage that if one does not remember death, one will not remember the teachings.
And now the second one is the disadvantage that you will not practice even if you remember the teachings. So the second one is the disadvantage that you will not practice even if you remember the teachings. It is that because of not remembering the dead, one does remember how to practice, but one will not practice because of not remembering the death properly or one still remembers but not properly thinking that the death will come but not today not today and one will push it until the end. And according to the great master Tsongkhapa also said, even at the time of death, one’s dying, one still thinks not at the moment, not at the moment. So because of such attitude, thinking not today, not tomorrow, and that encourages one to push one’s practice further and further and instead and one one spends time on working for the the the this benefit of this life’s benefit work and earn have some more money and so forth.
And due to this, one one gradually waste one life, entire life. And the third one is the disadvantage that you will not practice purely even if you even if you practice. It is because because of not remembering the dead. One still does practice, but one’s practice won’t become a pure practice because one is not completely free from the attachment towards the the present life’s happiness. So because and because of this, one one as we said, one can’t practice pure one practice won’t become pure practice because even if one tries to engage in the practice of listening and and contemplation so forth, one’s practice will more likely seeking fame and good reputation.
And one does a meditation, and that meditation more likely goes towards the benefit of this present life — thinking, you know, may I have a strong and healthy life, so forth. So one will have, like, kind of any any kind of type of meditator either who does meditation in the town or up in the hills. If on the if the meditator does not recall or remembers the death, then there is a danger of one’s practice becoming only for the betterment of this life — thinking: Maybe people will call me great meditator. Will they say or not?
Maybe and so forth. So once the great master Atisha’s student, so called Dromtönpa, asked a question to Atisha saying, what will happen? What what will happen or what will I get if I do a meditation in the concern of this present life? And the great master Atisha answered saying, if the the result will be you will have a good food, clothing, shelter, and a good reputation. And what will I get in future?
You will go to hell, you know, or perhaps to the lower realms. So because his practice is not a pure practice because of his motivation — only concern for the fine food, clothing, and shelter for this present life. Therefore, his practice brings a little benefit in this particular present life. But his practice also become a causes to travel in the lower rebirths. So with that motivation, so whatever meditation that he does is more is become the same as what we normally go for work and forth.
So therefore, in order to do a pure practice, one needs to give up this present life. So when we say to give up this present life, it doesn’t mean that one should give up everything and become poor. This is not what it meant. As we said, it doesn’t mean that one should become a poor and give everything to others. What what what what one possess.
When we say should not should give up this present the present life, which means they give up the eight worldly concerns. So if one does the practice with concern of of any of those worldly concerns, then one one’s practice won’t become a pure practice. No. Once one of the great masters, so called the yogi Chenngawa, who approached the great master Atisha and said that that I because he was a scholar and yep. Scholar.
And he he approached great master Atisha and said, occasionally, every now and then, I meditate, and every now and then, I teach. And as the answer for that, great master Atisha said, there’s no benefit for your teachings and meditation. The great master Atisha told him back that if you if you if you want to do a pure practice, should you should give up all the worldly concerns because without giving up any of the without giving up any worldly concerns, no matter what practice you do, it won’t become pure practice. So you and as for you, up till now, you don’t you think you are a great practitioner, but in fact, you are not. So master also said that examine yourself, and if you have gave up this if you have gave up your life, the present life, then your practice you have done a pure practice.
But whether or not, it’s up to you to think. And once there was also a great master called Drolungpa, and he spoke to a student who was set forth to be one of his best students — one who does the practice and generosity, gives things to everyone, a very, very generous student and also one of the best students. And that master Drolungpa told that student saying, it is very kind and nice of you to be very generous and giving to others, but would be better if you do a practice. Because we said for the the the worldly actions and the transworldly actions are are contradictory.
One can’t have both. No. So likewise, the great master And and one can’t practice with the two mind. So without remembering that one can’t give up this life. So the eight, as we’ve been saying, eight worldly concerns, which are the, say, if one hear good good things about oneself, one feels happy, if one receives you know, say abuse and so forth, one feels sad are the first two.
And if one’s comfortable feeling happy, if one is receive suffering and get hurt these are second ones and one two three four fifth one is if one receives a present feels happy and does not receive a present feels sad or unhappy. And when receive praise feel happy and do not do not opposite one feels unhappy. So these are the eight worldly concerns. Yep. So to to do a pure practice, one one should not have any of those eight.
If one has any of those, then one’s practice won’t become a pure practice. So therefore, the great master has stated that these are the eight worldly concerns, and one should get rid of them and never have any of those, because without getting rid of all eight worldly concerns, one will not be able to do a pure practice. He also stated that this present body is the basis of superstitious or conceptual thoughts. There is no end, and one can be very superstitious if one let oneself and can think of many all sorts of things. So and so in he requested his masters asking them, may he be free of all the worldly concerns. So so to do a pure practice, one should have at least one should have this motivation that that that if, yeah, one’s aim should be by doing a practice ultimate.
No. So you should have this, and one should have a mind of practice and think that if by doing a practice, one one one may become a and will and and and even if it’s so, if it if such things happen, one still should prepare to be a poor in order to do a pure practice. So because the great master, the Lord Buddha Śākyamūni has done — his ultimate goal was to practice and he was prepared to become poor and do that — therefore, we can all understand that he gave up everything, his kingdom, and became a monk. Likewise, the great master Milarepa has done the same.