Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 45-minute commentary, Geshe Pema Tsering tackles a fear many practitioners hold: that renouncing worldly concerns will lead to poverty and starvation. He anchors his reassurance in the story of Geshe Ben Gungyal — a man who farmed forty acres, robbed by day, stole by night, and still never had enough — who as a monk found food and clothing arriving effortlessly. He then presents Dromtönpa’s test for distinguishing pure from impure practice: genuine Dharma must serve as an antidote to disturbing emotions and must actively contradict worldly living. Geshe-la dwells especially on fame as the hardest worldly concern to abandon, illustrated by a cave meditator who gave up food and clothing but secretly wondered whether others were calling him a great practitioner. The session closes with a reminder to train step by step from the lower scope, meditating on impermanence rather than reaching prematurely for advanced practices.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 04 LR 2002 04 09.mp3
UUID: 50ed2352-8873-415c-89c8-347794d52b23
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: ~2,844
And by becoming a poor, I may die because I don’t have any food to eat and so forth. Even if one has such thought should prepare to die. Because so should do you know to do a pure practice, one should have should have such motivation and prepare to do so. But by having such a motivation, but it won’t happen. Don’t worry because because the the right practitioner who are prepared to do so and doing practice should have an intention to practice and by becoming a practice by doing such practice, one may become a poor and prepare to be a poor poor and prepare to die with the shortage of food, so forth.
But it won’t happen. There has the motivation, but it won’t happen because because because up till now, there there haven’t been a story or a in our history or a legend that the practitioner died of hunger and so forth. And also and and and Lord Buddha Śākyamūni and along with his six thousand disciples they have made a pure practice and prayers, wishes prayers that that even in the time of scarcity that one had the people exchange the the sack of pearls, and the pearl is the one of the precious stone in Tibetan tradition. So it has been said, even in the time where people exchange a sack of pearls for the amount of rice that fits on a fingernail — even in that moment, the Buddhist practitioner will never be starved. Even in that moment, the practitioner of Buddhist follower will never be starved.
No? And No. And there is a saying as well, if the meditator does not roll down the hill, the foot will roll up the hill. So and so it is true that if meditator, you know, does not mean, in meditator stays in the cave and stay up in the hills and meditate instead of coming downtown and roaming around the states. And and if meditator does not do this, then food will definitely roll up.
And also the great master Geshe Ben Gungyal. He was set forth to become a monk in the later part of his life. So earlier part of life he was in the town, a layperson, owns the house so forth. And he said that when I was in my home or, yep, in a layhood, I have gunfought and but still never end of enemies, You know? Enemies never stops.
And he also had forty acres to cultivate crops. And during that time, was set forth to be a rich person and a forty acres. Acres. And the people also called him forty-acres cultivator, and he cultivated forty acres. And not only that, he said he also said it’s not enough.
And not only that, at nighttime, he climbs up to the highways or the streets and robs people. And at nighttime, he goes around the neighborhood and thieves. No. But still yeah. So he does So he has all these forty acres to cultivate the grains, and he robs at night and steals.
So during the daytime, he robs. At nighttime, he thieves. Still, he said, he still hasn’t got enough clothes and food and so forth. And now I’m a monk and and do a pure practice. By doing so, I never I I have yeah.
I’m never short of food and clothing — the wonder is that food and clothing come to reach me without effort. And and all the enemies he has has automatically becomes his friend. And, yep, his friend so forth. So this this was his his advice to the disciple saying that if one is free of the eight worldly concerns and does the pure practice, then by doing so, you know, the the the friends and the food, clothings will just naturally come towards you. So the great master Dromtönpa has done the same and become such a great practitioner, had gave up all the worldly concern.
And but in but by doing so, you know, instead of becoming a poor, become very rich, you know, old and. This one? No. Oh, yeah. I don’t know who this one was.
I told Geshe, if you say dear. If you say that and people might do a pure practice because they think that they will become rich at the end, now we should not have that motivation. So so What’s that? Yeah. Sure.
So so the and also set forth that some people in in the Tibetan tradition sometimes the people tend to save little bit of amount, thinking that this is for my emergency and it’s just for my I need this money for my sick or illness and for my death, you know, to get rid of my body. But in real time, one does not need to prepare for that. So as we said that one should be prepared to become a and by becoming a poor and then one will die because starvation and so forth and should have still have encouraged and and have courage do so, willingly to do so because and it’s actually the good way to die because because of being poor and so forth die, you know, one does not need to worry at all, and there’s nothing to be attached. So and also great master, a great yogi Milarepa has set forth that, you know, that there is no one to cry at the time of I I mean, I or he dies. And there’s no one around to there’s no one to to be around that dead body or the corpse.
So if that if such things happen, then my the great yogi wishes wish has been fulfilled. Yeah. Yeah. His wish has been fulfilled. Yeah.
Therefore, as we said, the the one does not need to worry, you know, to save some money thinking I’m a get sick and I’m a die and this is to get rid of my body and so forth. One does not need to do so because if that happens, if one dies then there’s no choice for others to get rid of your body because it stinks. There’s no choice at all. So if one does such practice, such a pure practice, one should give up all eight worldly concerns. But by doing a pure practice and one does not need to search or or work for the happiness and betterment of this enjoyment so forth of this life or the friends so forth of this life because by doing a pure practice those things naturally happens.
So doing a practice with any of it, well, they’re concerned, then one the person won’t become a great pure practitioner, and also the the practice won’t become a pure practice as well. So great. And then there was a question between great master Geshe Potowa and Dromtönpa. The great master Potowa asked a question to Dromtönpa saying, how can you differentiate between the Dharma and what is not Dharma? Yeah.
Between difference between those, the the Dharma or a practice and unpracticed or not Dharma. So the great master Dromtönpa said: if one’s practice becomes an antidote towards disturbing emotions then that is the pure practice even if the practice does not goes become a contradictory or yeah contradictory, sorry, antidote towards disturbing emotion then one not a pure practice or not yeah. No. Not a pure practice. Likewise, if one practice become a contradictory to the world towards the world, then then one is doing a pure practice If one practice does not contradict the worldly concern or a world yeah.
Towards the worldly living, then one’s one practice is not a pure practice because because because just managing a business and every now and then doing one’s daily practices like sadhana or commitment so forth, everyone can do that. So, yeah, in order to to to become one’s to to become one’s to yeah. To in order to become one’s practice, to be a pure practice, one needs and the one practice has to contradict the worldly concerns. So because because us, because we are not completely free of worldly concerns, therefore, you know Yeah. Ostensibly is the word, isn’t it?
Yeah. Once one one One so but without because I’m not freeing from all these worldly concerns you know so one does the practice but one becomes ostensive practicing or ostensibly one is a practitioner but in real time one is not really a pure practitioner. Is that a word? For example, Geshe-la demonstrated himself. So he wears the robes and so forth.
So he is, you know, like, ostensibly. He’s he’s wearing all the costumes, and and therefore, is a practitioner. But doing a real pure practice or not, a bit of a question mark. So, yeah, so to continue that, you know, to to do a pure practice one needs to give up this present life. And it is good to do the practice.
It’s good to meditate on impermanence. So there are many examples from the great masters of giving up this giving up their life. Once the great master, one of the Dalai Lama’s reincarnations, the Seventh Dalai Lama, Kelzang Gyatso, has said that, you know, Dalai Lama owns a big palace and lots of properties, so forth. But he has said that inside my mind, I only possess my vajra and the bell and the three monks costumes or monk’s robes.
So yeah, these these are the only things I possess. The rest, I I have given up even though he stays there. Likewise, the great master Pänchen Lobsang Yeshe has said once he was offered by one of the disciples the hundreds of silver coins, but he was not pleased when he received such offerings. Because all this happens because they have given up the present life. So most of us, you know, most likely do our practice in order to receive food, shelter or clothing, as well as to receive the fame.
And so one should not do practice in order to achieve those and should abandon all these worldly concerns. And out of these three, the most difficult one is to give up the fame or reputation. Fame is the most difficult to give up because it is more likely to happen. For example, one of the great meditators so called Lhojong Gonpo was a great scholar and a very strict meditator, and would tend to close the door of his cave and put — traditionally they put stones with white paint on them. It’s the kind of like meditation in process or meditators there no one is allowed to approach and so forth.
So he gave up all the food, clothings and so forth, but inside he had not given up his fame — thinking, wishing: are people calling me a great meditator or not? Such things happened. So likewise, it happens — it’s very likely to happen to most of the meditators — because of the fame inside the mind, thinking: are they calling me a great meditator or not? Some people tend to are very integrated meditator give up food clothing and some so called just the meditation and stick with the food with so stick you know distilling the essence or juice from flowers and just sucking the juice from flowers and use it as a food and keep in meditation. So some you know there have been many meditators and there’s such kind of meditation and stayed in a meditation living just sucking the juice from the flowers and but inside their mind expecting you know people and to call them So yes, should meditate on the impermanence, death and to recall one’s death and should do the practice step by step and should not jump to reach the higher practice from the beginning because it is set forth and it is not proper to you know there is a flower, one is after a flower and there’s a flower next to one’s stairs doorstep and still you know ignore that and try to reach the bigger one and the nicer one to the far side and by doing so there is a danger of falling oneself, ended up in a huge hole in lots of thorns and so forth.
I don’t want to describe other than that. So therefore, we should practice from the very beginning step by step, train in the practice of the lower scope or a person of initial capacity and step by step. So the example of saying you know about the flower standing next to the footstep refers to it you know should not jump to a farther one meditate on impermanence. We’ll take a couple of questions before we go. Bit of history about the piece of paper.
It was the letter from His Holiness’s private office faxed to the Australia and New Zealand representative who is in Canberra and let Canberra fax the copy of the fax to all the centers. And this is one of the copies we received at Buddha House. And as we said originally it’s from the His Holiness’s private office which is in India, McLeod Ganj in Dharamsala and was said that the private office was giving passing the information about His Holiness to Dalai Lama saying lately he’s been sick and so forth and has done the private office has done lots of divinations from the great masters as well as receive prophecies from the oracles. Combining all those it was said that in order to remove the obstacles and have the long life for His Holiness Dalai Lama it is very important for us to practice, sorry, practice the sanctuary, you know, setting lives free and animal sanctuaries and so forth. And the suggestion was it would be nice if we, the students, do such the sanctuary so called life release, during the Vesak month.
So I will pass this fax and information to the center and to the executive. And I’m sure they will do such practice and a freeing life during the Vesak month. Buddha House will do so, but it would be very and I’m asking requesting all the students to if it is very important for us to do so for His Holiness long life and if one is interested it’s very important to give little donation towards the center so that center can arrange all the practices and freeing the, yes, the lives of any kind of big ones or small insects so forth during the Vesak month. And so I’m sure the center will do something and along with the center it’s also important for us to contribute something and it does not need to be very big you know even if you can even you contribute a fifty cent towards that particular purpose and will be very beneficial for self oneself as well because the first thing is for His Holiness’s long life. And secondly, by setting freeing the other lives, it also prolongs one’s own lifespan as well.
So it is very sad to miss in such occasions. Try not to miss and does not need to be really big. Just even with this few cents will work as well. And Geshe-la will contribute few cents as well. It’s very good and very fortunate that we received the fax of information.
Yes, missing a couple of questions, if you have. And the do they know about question things, exam thing? I don’t know. We have a test here. Yes.
Yeah. Are they going to do it or not? You asked me. You asked us to make the question. Yes.
There’s no path or a failed mark. But actually, there was note in the previous one, but Anyway, the Geshe-la had made the question for the Thursday night. Can I have the copy of yours one as well? Yes, please. So that was the previous questions, the first term question, and Geshe-la had made one.
And which test? So is that okay to send this Geshe-la said that it’s the same okay to send the same question? So Geshe-la is happy with the questions. So it’s okay if it’s alright, then he’s happy with it. So Geshe-la, out of these seven questions, Geshe-la actually gives the mark now.
So it’s seven questions, seven and each question will take ten marks. He’s been very generous. So the compulsory question that has twenty marks. Pardon, please? No, no, no.
This is just the question asked me to put it in. So yes, so you’ve got the information now. Each question will have ten marks and the compulsory one has marks. Geshe-la thinks it’s a very good idea because if you, do test then it will make you to read the text and so forth look for answers it helps you. It’s just encouraging people students and doing tests.
It’s encouraging them to read the text to get all the information. You know?