Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The image of worldly activities as winnowed chaff — discarded husks once the grain has been extracted — anchors this 34-minute introductory session by Geshe Pema Tsering, part of his 2002 Lamrim series. He uses it to argue that our habitual pull toward low-value pursuits must be redirected toward the three genuine goals: higher rebirth, liberation, and Buddhahood. The bulk of the session is a systematic walk-through of the ten non-virtuous actions — three of body (killing, stealing, sexual misconduct), four of speech (lying, divisive speech, harsh words, frivolous talk), and three of mind (avarice, harmful intent, wrong view) — with brief practical commentary on each. A short Q&A closes by addressing imprecise visualization during refuge practice, how Medicine Buddha embodies all Three Jewels, and how a beginner without a teacher can still take refuge.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 04 LR – no date.mp3
UUID: d8b0c9a6-81a0-44e6-b40f-4f5b5e64706c
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Lam Rim 2002 Bodhisattva Deeds (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 33.6 minutes
Words: ~2,036
Is of refuge and mentally take refuge. And that and then on that basis, we can sit back and simply relax, and our mind, is engaging Dharma. The main thing, of course, is developing the mind itself in the practice of refuge. But along with that, and in addition to that, that if we engage in actions of body and speech, it enhances, the virtue that we develop. We develop, for instance, by prostrating, we generate physical positive karma.
Or if we’re engaged in verbal recitation, having established proper motivation motivation, to attain the three, levels of result, then that becomes verbal and physical positive karma directed at that end. So coupled with establishing the mind in the practice initially, then it’s very useful, it’s very beneficial to also engage, if possible, in other forms of practice which generate merit. So as Pabongka Rinpoche, Je Tsongkhapa then states, we should contemplate this, the value of the precious human rebirth. And when we contemplate it, we will realize that all worldly actions are like chaff, winnowed chaff. So in fact, we noticed that worldly actions are difficult to abandon, but these worldly actions that we’re engaged in are really not the essence.
They’re what’s thrown out after the essence has been extracted, so to speak. In a in a way, we tend to be distracted towards the superfluous, the things that are not so valuable. So we need to change this habit of ourselves from being attracted to what is of little value, of little worth to us, and direct our minds more to what is of actual value. So we need to extract the essence, and the essence really are those three states, the state of a Buddha, state of liberation, the state of higher rebirth. These are the essence that we should be focused on.
And these three results are really produced by engaging in the ten virtuous actions and engaging in the three higher trainings of ethics, concentration, and wisdom, and also in the six perfections and so on. So we need, therefore, to ascertain what the ten nonvirtuous actions are. So in fact, those ten non virtues are the three non virtues of body, the four of speech, and the three of mind. So the three non virtues of body include killing, stealing, and engaging in sexual misconduct. So killing here refers to killing any any being, whether it’s an insect or a human and so on, harming and also it implies not harming others.
We shouldn’t engage in harming as well. So in fact here, killing of any human being is the first non virtue of the body to be avoided. Then stealing or taking what is not given, the second nonvirtuous body refers to appropriating possessions of others. When something doesn’t belong to us, then acting as if it does belong to us and taking it, even though we don’t have permission to do so. Or it’s in being instigated by others who say, oh, we, you know, take this thing when it doesn’t belong to us and we take it, or if we instigate others to do that on our behalf and so on.
All of these actions by which we gain something that doesn’t belong to us that is imputed by other beings to be theirs appropriately and properly, and we take it either by stealth or by force constitutes taking what is not given. So then engaging in sexual misconduct here means to harm others through sexual activity. So for instance, engaging in sexual activity with the partner of another person and so on is not to be entertained because it harms beings a great deal. So therefore, one should not engage in sexual misconduct. So the first nonvirtuous speech is that of lying.
So here it’s speaking something speaking untruths to other beings when something doesn’t exist in a particular way, to say it does exist in that way, to confuse others or to, trick others, deceive them and so forth through speech, all of these actions therefore constitute the first non virtue of speech, the non virtue of lying. So it’s not easy to always be completely frank and so forth with other beings and not and sometimes not to misrepresent things one way or another. It’s very difficult to to always avoid this non virtue. But as much as possible, we should avoid misrepresenting others, misrepresenting ourselves, and so on. Then the second nonvirtuous speech is that of slander or divisive speech.
So divisive speech or slander here is speaking words that will divide others. When two other beings, two or more are in harmony, friends and and so forth, and we look and we don’t like that, and then we’ll say something in order to create disharmony between those two or more beings, then that constitutes slander. So that is the, the second non virtue speech. The third non virtue speech, here deals with harsh words. So to use coarse language in order to create dislike in another being or unhappiness in another being is the third non virtuous speech here.
So that means we see another being and we call them names or we swear at them, call them a beggar or any other words that will make them unhappy, then we know they don’t like to hear that particular word and so then this will constitute harsh words. Then the fourth non virtuous speech is just to engage in frivolous, meaningless talk like gossip and so forth. That type of speech, it’s not harsh words, it’s not lying, it’s not slander, but it’s simply engaging in, various types of speech without much purpose. So this also is regarded as a nonvirtuous speech. So then we have the three non virtues of mind.
And the first one here is avarice or this mind that that’s greedy towards objects. For instance, when we go into a nice place and we look around and we see all these objects that are, in a good quality, good color, good shape, whatever, and we start thinking, oh, I’d like one of those. Oh, I’d like that. Oh, I wish I could have that one as well. And so on this every time we think in that way, it’s a non virtue.
It is the non virtue here of avarice to be avoided. Then the second non virtue of mind is harmful intent. So this is the mind that views other beings and wishes them to be unhappy, wishes them harm, wishes that harm befall them, that, they lack contentment and so forth, that they suffer, and so forth. So this type of when this type of mind arises, awareness arises, then it’s really harmful intention harmful intent, and that is the second type of non virtue of mind to be avoided. So the tenth non virtue here, which is the third non virtue of mind, is what is called wrong view.
So this is the view of the nonexistence of the law of cause and effect, of the eternal law of cause and effect, of karma and its result, that emptiness doesn’t exist, and so on. So having that view is extremely destructive and prevents one’s development. So that wrong view, the wrong view, especially in relation to the law of cause and effect, is to be avoided. So there’s a few minutes left in the session, and Geshe-la is wondering if there’s any questions that may have arisen on the subject matter of tonight’s discourse. So in brief, what is of central importance in the practice of lamrim is initially, understanding refuge.
And in understanding refuge, what the Three Jewels, the Three Jewels of refuge actually, are, how we ascertain them, and how we actually take refuge, and how we seek protection, from the Three Jewels, in the Three Jewels from, the sufferings that we experience and so on. And on that basis, then how we engage in the practice of the ten virtuous actions and overcome or engage in negating or overcoming the ten non virtuous actions. So this is of central importance in the practice. So the question may arise for us that in a in the course of our normal practice, we take refuge. We recite the refuge formula and so forth.
We engage in various practices. Now as we engage in these practices, whether it’s in relation to the Buddha or Tārā or Avalokiteśvara and so on, and when we’re thinking of refuge or when we’re reciting the refuge formula and so forth, we’ll have a certain image come to mind, clear or unclear, and so on. The doubt may arise that, oh, wait a minute. It’s not very clear what I’m actually visualizing here when I’m taking refuge, or I think I’m trying to visualize this, but it’s not very clear to me, and so on. If doubt should arise at that point, then one shouldn’t be too concerned because whatever one is visualizing at that point can be taken to be the actual object of refuge, the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha.
So if there’s any questions about the subject matter of tonight’s discourse, then there’s a little bit of time anyway to discuss any issues. So that’s true. In fact, on the basis of initially taking refuge, then engaging in the practice of avoiding the ten non virtues, and then engaging in the practice of something like the Medicine Buddha, then that does constitute a full practice, a proper practice. But in fact, that is really all condensed down because the Medicine Buddha is the object of refuge, is the three refuges to begin with. So in fact, here, the medicine Buddha himself, of course, is all three refuges.
So in a sense, that’s established from the very beginning of the practice. Anyway, in fact, the Medicine Buddha is a Buddha, is a fully awakened Buddha. And all the awarenesses that exist within the continuum of the Medicine Buddha is the jewel of Dharma. And in fact, all the the emptinesses of all those awarenesses, types of mind that arise within the Medicine Buddha are the jewel of Dharma. All the the different levels of cessation of suffering that arise, that have arisen in a mind stream of the Medicine Buddha are the jewel of Dharma as well.
And that being is a person, and as a person they’re the jewel of Sangha. So in fact, the medicine Buddha themselves is the union or the synthesis of all Three Jewels to begin with. Yes. So that’s the same for, Tārā, Avalokiteśvara, and so forth. They represent the Three Jewels.
But it doesn’t apply to worldly deities. Only the transcendent deities can represent the Three Jewels. Worldly deities also exist. Those who haven’t attained a transcendent state, those deities are not the Three Jewels, cannot represent the Three Jewels.
So in fact, the question there was, what about someone that’s just beginning their practice and hasn’t actually met a teacher? How do they take refuge if they haven’t met a person as an example and so It’s possible for someone even in the beginning who’s never actually met, for instance, a Buddhist or a teacher and so forth, to read a text on Buddhism and then develop confidence in the Three Jewels. And in developing confidence in the Three Jewels to actually take refuge, it’s in an informal type of way. And even a book can represent refuge. For instance, a book is the mundane representation of the jewel of Dharma.
In fact, when someone is, like, reading a particular book, if they have the discrimination that this actually represents the jewel of Dharma, then it does make a big difference to their practice and to the benefit that they gain from reading the book or the sūtra or whatever. So it is important to have that type of discrimination in one’s actions. Has everyone understood the subject matter tonight? Yes.
In fact, tonight, anyways, just a general introduction to the Lamrim. So in fact, if everyone has understood this brief brief introduction, then very good. So we just do the verses of dedication on page number five.