Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The image of a monk-businessman rising in the night to work his abacus — unable to sleep for worry over the monastery’s finances — anchors Geshe Pema Tsering’s 33-minute Lamrim commentary on the pervasiveness of samsaric suffering. Starting from Geshe Potowa’s point that grief over sickness and death is pointless because these are simply the nature of cyclic existence, the session works through the seventh classic suffering: not finding what you desire even after searching for it. Two extended examples — the farmer who cannot relax from planting to harvest, and the traveling merchant burdened with fear of robbery and failed deals — show that neither the wealthy nor the poor, neither rulers nor subjects, escape. A brief preview of the curriculum ahead — bodhicitta, emptiness, and the qualities of the Buddhas — closes the session.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 04 LR 2002 06 11.mp3
UUID: 6a4da066-6aa4-40ba-8b84-ac3b315420b5
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Lam Rim 2002 Bodhisattva Deeds (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-06-11
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 32.7 minutes
Words: ~2,624
Which we don’t want to, of course, reluctantly done. For example, like a donkey where used to be in a used to be a transportation, the huge load has been put, you know, put on the back of the donkey and they let them carry things. And some of the donkeys, it’s very heavy and they’ve been taking the load on the both sides rubs their back and had a whole wound and so forth. But they don’t really wanted to take the load but they have no choice because of the owner they put it on and they have to go. Likewise, like in olden days, to plough the field, oxen, horses, cows were used with the yoke on the top and then pull.
And they do it reluctantly. So likewise, it’s same for the for the humans as well we have to go have to, you know, go through the sufferings of being meeting with the unpleasant things. So therefore, the Geshe Potowa has said here, there’s nothing to be excited that that that that that that something didn’t happen which is impossible. Example, like one one gets sick and one dies, and there’s nothing, there’s no point to be grief or or sad because these are the nature of cyclic existence. As far as one is in cyclic existence, one will go through all this suffering.
If one really do not wish those sufferings, then one should try to abandon the cyclic existence or try not to take rebirth in the cyclic existence. So in order to do so, then look for the causes. What are the causes that will lead one to to take rebirth in cyclic existence? So should examine or investigate what are the causes which bring one into cyclic existence and goes through the suffering. And and but during the investigation, then the causes of the cyclic existence are so called the karma or action and the disturbing emotions.
Right. And so the yep. So in order to attain arhathood or liberation, then one has to abandon those causes of cyclic existence, which are the karma — the action — and the disturbing emotions. And and by by doing so, then one one is free from the from the sufferings of the cyclic existence. And up till now, we are going through the suffering of the suffering.
In terms of suffering, there are main three. The suffering of suffering, suffering of change, and suffering of pervasive conditioning. And and so as we said, these are the suffering of the sufferings. And so in order to free from the sufferings of all kind, one has one needs to attain liberation. So this one.
No. And and now onto the seventh one, the suffering, which is so called the suffering of not finding what you desire even though you search for it. And and which is which is true. For example, like like, we want to accomplish something huge task. To do so, it turns out that one has, one need a help of a certain important person or hierarchy person.
That is a suffering, taking and seeking help from the important person, you know, asking him or her to help you to accomplish such mission. And then with the help of that one goes through it and it turns out at the end and still couldn’t make it. So it’s a frustration. And there is a suffering that something one desire won’t work for it and couldn’t get it at the end by pursuing that and still one fail, that’s the suffering. As well as even if one managed to accomplish that, but still one will not have achieved the happiness and that happiness is the happiness of cyclic existence.
So therefore, because it’s a subtle thing. By accomplishing or being able to achieve such, one has a happiness, feel happy that one has completed what one wished for, but that happiness is also this samsaric or happiness of cyclic existence. So because it’s the suffering of cyclic existence, but in nature, it that happiness is also a suffering. So yeah. And for example, yeah, some people think the farmer’s job is a very pleasant job or happy job, one feel happy. But if one go through it and it’s still the huge stress the sufferings is there.
Because for example, they have to wake up early in the morning first. And then started to think about what they’re going to grow and so forth. And then to cultivate the crops, then they go through the sun burns and the grey, cold winds, and then, so forth. And at the end, they sow a seed, but still the job is not done. They won’t feel relaxed or happy because worrying that, well, I’ve finished sowing the seed, will the sprout comes up properly or not and so forth.
And the later on sprout comes up, still not happy, have to wait for everything to be done. So until the end of the, I’m not good at farming. See, until one finish the mission complete, you know, or or how is the the the crops, you know, and then finally comes into one’s plate. Until then, one keep worrying step by step, you know, is it going to grow properly? It’s grown.
Well, is that good enough or not? So forth. And and then goes to the vice versa. The farmers think that the business does a good job, and they’re very easygoing people, you know, very easy life. They just go and travel and do business and so forth.
But it is not true because the margins, the business also have huge, huge, huge sufferings as well. That in a first, have to probably in ancient Asian countries in the business, mainly the main business people and the main travels, leave the family and the kids, wife and so forth, everything down and travel for selling things, making profits and doing business from the interstate or traveling one town to another town. And then they have huge worrying, will they be able to make good profit or not? And they’re taking their merchandise with them and worrying on the road, or the robbery may come, or it may be stolen or thief and so forth. And then when in actual ground they’re trying to make business and then have to be worried after what’s going to happen.
Am I going to get a good price for it or a good deal for it or not? And then in terms to have such a profit, a huge and they have to do all sorts of lies, know. This is such and such and such and such. So these are all the sufferings they have. And Geshe-la said that this is so true.
And tell me the one true story that somebody called is the one of the name of a Tibetan name, a person who which means the word to word translation. Is his name, right? And which means he got a very good beard. Let’s call it the the beard one, know? And then and he is a very great businessman.
At that time, he didn’t do business for himself. He’s doing it for the monastery. It’s the eastern — it’s Thartse Monastery which is in the eastern part of Tibet and where Rumbur Chung and Geshe-la are originally from. From there, they went to the the Sera Monastery and then where they graduated. So their very first monastery is still one of the biggest in the eastern part of Tibet.
Now they’re trying to rebuild these days. The Tharje Monastery had a few business people down there. So it’s a very risky job. So actually he’s one of the monastery monks. So during that time, they get like in charge of the office people to run the monastery and they have to produce the food and shelter for the monks to survive the studies and so forth.
So therefore they have to do business for the fundraising to the monastery. And it’s huge risk because one will get the interest, no, no interest, the principal from the monastery, right? And because this staff and they do the business and it comes out the turns like one year, like every year they change the staff. So what the staff has to do on that particular year and they have the asset or a principle and make use of that principle and do the business and from the profit they make the one-year livelihood of the monks for the whole year. And the next staff comes, give the principal back.
And you got to be very careful because if the business goes down, he lost not on without profit, he lost the principal, the person has to replace the principal. There’s huge risk. So Phuba Jabu is the person who is said to be very good merchant. Sorry, the monk is very good at business. And he worries a lot, of course, and he worries a lot.
And Geshe-la said that he was very good looking, very strongly built and he always dressed nice and looks cool. And so it happened like, and these are the suffering of the business. It. Love it. So there’s people caught him many times in the nighttime.
Sometimes he does it a few times in a single night. He just goes to sleep because now he’s in charge and doing the business of the fundraising thing. And then he must he couldn’t be sleeping. He just lie down and sleep in the middle of the night. He just goes up and turns his lamp on, know.
It’s called this calculator, which is the Chinese type, know, the wooden one. He just gets up and goes to the abacus. He got up and that this is how he worries. Yeah. Yes.
So it’s a huge risk that person like during that time and whoever is in charge or staff, know, they have to leave the principle because which is the future of entire monastery, you know. Future, the principle never should not be lowered and always feed the people with profit so that it can continue going. If one did lose the business, has to replace. So therefore it is as far. So there is no happiness in or in Samsāra.
Samsāra is same whether one has wealth or not. If one has if one is rich and wealthy, one still unhappy, still suffering about losing the wealth and being stolen and robbed and so forth. If one is not wealthy, very very poor and still the same, know have to work very hard to collect some for the living or so forth. So it is this this is how it shows that as far as one is in saṃsāra, there’s no happy happiness at all. So this is how once as far as one’s self in one spends one’s life that, you know, being suffering, worrying, and pride and attachment angers and so forth and so any kind of thing and it’s carpenter or tailor or or factory worker I guess let’s say for us for example us, we go for a job, still there’s a suffering, you know.
First one has to get into the job, and then after having found the job, have to work very hard and try very hard whether or not, try to please the boss, you know. Is my employer happy or content with me or not? That is one worry. And then if it turns out the one is doing a great job and the boss and employer so everyone is happy, then one try to produce bit of a pride. Well, I’m the only one who can do this and that.
So all this as far as one is in saṃsāra, the suffering comes. So it is same that where which wherever one one is or what position one is, still there is a suffering. The person who is sitting down with things are up on their feet, they are happy and we do all the job and so forth. And think they are happy, we go through suffering. Are the one who suffers.
And whereas from upwards this thing, they are alright, they should be happy. We take all the risk and so forth. And Geshe-la said which is so true. We might think people here, especially here, think, ah those people up there, they’re fine and they just do talking and so forth. And we are the one who work.
We work so hard and we earn certain amount of money and then the tax cuts out all the tax and we do the job and money has been taken from my pay for tax and so forth. And then just sit there and they don’t have to do anything. We’re the one who pay for them to do sit there. Whereas people out there will think, well they’re alright just working so forth and we are the one to sort wherever the problem comes in the country. We are the one to blame you know and so have to sort out things.
So it’s where the position whether one is up and the down position, the suffering is still the same. Okay. So I said that we’ll stop it here, the suffering bit now for today that talking about the fellow citizens think the king is happy and he should be alright. And the king thinks and they are alright, I take the risk and so forth. So that samsaric part hasn’t finished yet.
So we’ll stop here anyway. That he wants to talk happy things, but not sure. Said, you have to tell about the saṃsāra saṃsāra’s suffering at the moment. But when we come to the the happy part, know, then we still go to the suffering of not understanding what they’re talking about in terms of bodhicitta and emptiness and so forth which are — and the qualities of the Buddhas, you know, like ten powers and so forth, know, six, eighteen, yep, unique qualities of the Buddha’s so forth. When you reach that part which is the happy part and we still suffers because of not understanding that.
Yeah. And when we go through the sufferings part, know, and we understand it very clearly because we go through the suffering, we know that, we have experienced it, we know the suffering, that’s how we understand it. Whereas when we talked about the good happy part or happy things, the good part, know, so happy things like qualities of the Buddhas and qualities of the Bodhisattvas, those are the qualities which produce happiness. And which we don’t understand because we don’t possess them at the moment. Yeah.
Yeah. Thanks. Okay. You got a question? Okay.
I agree with him that, yeah, we’re suffering. I honestly have suffering that we go through in our lives. If we’ve had chances, those have been in times of past. Why now? Why not?
You know? Whatever. Last last time last time I here, maybe sitting for your, eons ago. It happens because it’s so true in the millions of numbers, countless rebirths and human rebirth and the Buddha has been in the past and why it took up till now because no matter how many Buddhists have shown teachings and so forth but you have never had a chance to meet with the teachings which shows you This is the path. And you have, understand, now you met but still not okay, you know.
If you do not practice and so forth, then the next life, you know, you never know where you will be.