Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A story about Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī deliberately leading sixty monks into hell — to spare them the far longer detour of attaining mere nirvana — anchors this 45-minute talk by Geshe Pema Tsering, the opening session of the Great Scope in his Lamrim series. He first explains why the Small and Middling Scope are practiced “in common with” lower capacities rather than as ends in themselves, always keeping Buddhahood as the ultimate goal. He then describes the spiritual danger of settling for nirvana: liberated beings can rest in solitary bliss for eons while Buddhas must snap their fingers to rouse them. The session closes by listing ten benefits of bodhicitta and making the striking point that even the highest tantric practices — Guhyasamāja, Kālacakra, Vajrayoginī — generate no Mahāyāna merit without it.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 20 Lam Rim Great Scope 23 -7- year unknown.mp3
UUID: 0fb50172-07ea-4620-af56-67d15c3bde4d
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: 44.9 minutes
Words: ~3,156
So in the last two terms, we went through the the the small and the middling scope, our teachings on small and the middling scope. And now from today, in this term, we are beginning from the final scope, which is great scope, and that is called the training your mind in the stages of the path of a person of great capacity. Got it. Alright? Got it.
And from the middling scope, we were not able to finish the section of the twelve links of dependent origination. Yeah. Twelve links of dependent origination. And and, yeah, we were not able to finish that, but don’t worry. When the next term comes, which is teaching on Heart Sūtra, the twelve links of dependent origination will come in the Heart Sūtra teachings.
Yeah. And now to begin the the the stages of the path of the person of good capacity, it has three main topics or three main divisions, which are the first one is showing that the altruistic intention is the only entrance to the great vehicle and explaining its benefits, the first one. Second one is how to cultivate the altruistic intention. And the third one is how to train in the deeds of Bodhisattvas after generating the altruistic intention. So the first two scope, the small and the middling scope, by practicing the training in the middle small scope, which is the first chapter, training in small scope one can achieve.
As a result of those practices, can achieve the higher rebirths. And by training in the middling scope one can attain the nirvana or liberation state which where one is free from all entire sufferings but cannot attain enlightenment or state of Buddhahood, which is the the accomplishment of both self and others purposes. And so in order to attain, in order to, yeah, accomplish both purposes, one one one needs to attain attain Buddhahood. Right. Right.
So when one trains in the earlier two classes, the small and the middling scope, for example, the small scope, we don’t just say the training one’s mind in the small scope. It says training one’s mind in the stages of the path in common with the person of initial capacity or a first stage. The purpose of saying common with is because when one trains in the small scope, should train in common with the person with initial capacity by doing so, then what it becomes then that one is practicing in the small scope and the purpose of training is to attain the higher liberation, nirvana and the Buddhahood, the enlightenment. If one does not just the practice of training the small scope with the intention of achieving higher rebirth, that is to, and the purpose of attaining the higher rebirth is to attain liberation or enlightenment, then that practice won’t become a path in common with the initial capacity. It just becomes so called the uncommon path, which is unique, just the middling scope.
And the intent, motivation is just mere for the higher rebirth and and there’s no reason. Just to yeah. The reason is to escape from the lower rebirth, and that’s the main goal. Whereas, with part in common with, as we said earlier, that the and the purpose one wishes to attain enlightenment because of higher rebirth. It is and big the purpose was on such basis of the higher rebirth than one wants to attained.
nirvana and the enlightenment. And likewise, when one is training in the middling scope, also it’s the same thing, stages of the path in common with the person of intermediate capacity, which is that that should have intention that that that yeah. The main goal is to attain enlightenment. And in order to attain enlightenment, one has to abandon both the obscuration, which are called the obscuration obscuration towards liberation liberation or nirvana and obscuration towards enlightenment. And therefore, so one is training in the aim is the Buddhahood.
And because those both obstructionss to be abandoned in order to attain enlightenment, therefore, is training in the middling scope in order to avoid in order to abandon the entire obscuration towards nirvana and then attains Buddhahood. And because the purpose and the reason is because just by attaining nirvana is not enough because one only accomplish certain purposes of certain individual purposes and nothing at all of others purposes in order to accomplish both the self and others purposes, enlightenment should be attained. Therefore, the purpose of attaining nirvana, that is to attain the Buddhahood. So, therefore, whatever practice one should do, one should do it to become the practice to be the practice of great scope or a Mahāyāna practice. And so that you’re keeping or you’re keeping that Buddhahood or enlightenment state is the ultimate goal.
And so and, yeah, in order to attain that buddhahood state, one needs the the precious human rebirth, higher rebirth, and attainment of nirvana is required. So therefore, in order to attain those states, I am training in this path to achieve those necessary states, like higher rebirth and nirvana state. Okay. Sorry. So therefore, you know, any practice one does make sure it will become the practice of Mahāyāna, Mahāyāna’s practice or the great scope because and should not practice, and when one practice, say for example, not, should not practice just to attain just the mere nirvana, then by doing such practice, it become like like that one by doing so, will become that one is crossing a same river twice.
And then you cross it, you come back, and you cross again because of the Buddhahood. So if one does not do that, then what happens is, like the Hīnayāna practitioners, the practitioners of the Hīnayāna schools and the solitary realizers’ school, their aim is just to attain just a mere nirvana. So they will attain nirvana according to their school. The Hīnayāna schools attain nirvana of the Hīnayāna schools and the solitary realizers likewise. But it is they will attend nirvana, but attainment by attending that nirvana and the attainment of the buddhahood will prolong or become very far.
The the reason why, you know, it’s it’s set because by attaining just a mere nirvana and that will prolong one attain Buddhahood is because because the when one attains the liberation state, it’s actually the nirvana is a cessation. It’s also a cessation state. So the person has attained is free from cyclic existence. I mean, saṃsāra and they are free of entire sufferings and and and and have happiness of liberation, which is just beautiful. And what happens is when they because they were free from suffering and attained the happiness of the liberation state, And it was so beautiful and so nice.
And there’s just wonders in that happiness. It is so called a solitary peace. And they just sit in that solitary peace for eons and eons. And sometimes they take they stay too long while somebody attains nirvana and in solitude of peace and enjoying it, living it up. And then a new person was born in the hell realm and then suffers according to their karma and then being free from the hell realms and born as a human and then enters the Mahāyāna path and go through the practice and achieve the enlightenment, but the person who was in solitary solitary peace will still remain there.
So there is a that sort of danger is there. Got it. Because so when they are in the solitary peace or so called in a meditative equipoise, they stay for eons and eons, and then Buddhas have to disturb or awake them from their meditative equipoise by saying or with this finger snap or, you know, wake them up saying, it’s not still not good enough. You would have just attained nirvana, but still you haven’t perfected both self and other purposes. And they were the Buddhas need to awake them from their meditative equipoise..
So, yeah, the Buddhas have to awaken them from their meditative equipoise and, you know, instruct them that they have not attained the highest level and haven’t still haven’t perfected both the self and others purposes and encourage them and give instruction teaching them to enter the Mahāyāna path. And and and they have to attend from the very beginning of the Mahāyāna path. They are liberated beings, but because they haven’t developed the bodhicitta, so they have to go through the first stage of the Mahāyāna path and receive teachings and cultivate bodhicitta. And then, yeah, develop bodhicitta and enter training in the Mahāyāna path from the very beginning, path of accumulation, preparation, seeing, and so forth. So that is the reason.
So that was the example of saying crossing one river twice. So even though they were instructed to awaken awaken from their meditative equipoise and to enter the Mahāyāna path, from the path of accumulation, they are practicing, but still they had a trouble practicing it, the Mahāyāna path because they have been in so long in the solitary peace of nirvana state. And that happiness is a huge, very good happiness. And they’re so experienced and so used to that happiness and they get distracted from their practice and tend to go back into that, enjoy the happiness of the nirvana. And so this is and so because of this, they have been set forth.
There’s a huge difference in the speed of attaining Buddhahood. The one who have attained Buddhahood with the person who have attained the nirvana state and then start from the path of accumulation of the Mahāyāna path and the one who has never attained anything and straight away enters the Mahāyāna path and follows the practice, the one who is without the nirvana, who has not attained the newcomer or very new or who has not attained nirvana state, yet nirvana will achieve much, much faster than the one who had been to the solitary realizer or Hīnayāna schools, attend nirvana, and enters. There’s a huge difference. So there was two story that in ancient time that the one of the Buddhist student called in Sanskrit. I’m not sure where to go.
That’s alright. So there’s one Buddhist close student called in Tibetan, his name. And who who has attended nirvana state, liberation. And and there were sixty ordained monks. And it was set forth that if that one who has attained nirvana — let it, let it — if he teaches to those sixty other ordained monks, it is very clear or confirmed that sixty monks will easily, quick, very quick, they can attain the nirvana state free from sufferings. But before that, knowing the risk level and knowing that, and before he went, the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī went before that and taught those sixty monks, or the ordained monks, the Mahāyāna teaching. Right? And Mahāyāna teaching.
And those teaching was so hard for those sixty monks to understand and they somehow produce a wrong view. And as a result of those wrong view, they were born in hell. And then and which was then known to the bhikṣu who has attained nirvana state and he wanted to liberate them, bring them to the nirvana state and he approached the Lord Buddha Śākyamūni and saying what had happened. That saying that Mañjuśrī had done a huge mistake, that those people were going very near to attain nirvana if I teach them. But before me, Mañjuśrī went and taught And as a result, led them into the hell.
And Buddha said, don’t worry. The manjushri is very skilled. And the reason why he did is because if he let you teach, they will attain nirvana state and they will those people will stay in a solitary peace for eons and eons. Whereas, as they were born in the hell realms, once they are free from the hell, come out from the hell because they have even though they have dealt with the wrong views, they have the imprints or latencies of the Mahāyāna teaching, and once they come out of the hell realms and they get into, they receive the Mahāyāna teaching again, their latencies, karma will — sorry, yeah — latencies will ripen and quickly attain Buddhahood. This is a very skilled was not mistaken.
That’s what the Buddha said. So therefore, we should cultivate the renunciation, wish to free from cyclic existence. So while, when we cultivate the renunciation, when one experience or gain a certain experiences on the renunciation, then one should try. Yeah. So when experience the after training in the renunciation and develop renunciation and they had certain experiences on renunciation, one should it’s important for one to try immediately to develop the bodhicitta.
The purpose of training in the the the state of the part in common yeah. In common with the person of in middle the middling capacity is is to develop a renunciation.
Got it. So The the purpose is to produce or generate a renunciation and not to attain to nirvana. In in the main purpose is one should to to try to cultivate the the the the bodhicitta. So therefore so should practice or train in the stages of the path in common with the middle initial capacity and the middling capacity as preliminary practices and take the training in cultivating the bodhicitta, altruistic intention is the actual practices and actual path and and and and after having developed that bodhicitta, sorry, yeah, the actual path, the bodhicitta altruistic intention and and and the the training of the six perfections are like the Bodhisattva deeds, are like the completion of the stage.
You know? So now showing that the altruistic is the only entrance to the great vehicle, great vehicle and explaining its benefits. To explain the first for it has that first division has ten subdivisions. So those terms are the benefits of entering the Mahāyāna. Yeah.
Developing altruistic or entering the great vehicles. Right. Sorry. Yes. No.
The ten benefits. That the first one is called showing that the altruistic intention is the only entrance to the great vehicle, the first one. The second benefit is receiving the name child of victorious ones. And the third one is outshining hearers and the solitary realizers in terms of dispositions. Becoming a supreme object of offerings.
Offerings. And five fifth one is easily completing the accumulations, which are the accumulation of merit and wisdom. And sixth, quickly purifying misdeeds and obscurations. Seventh, accomplishing whatever you wish. Eight, yeah, not being affected by harms and obstacles.
Ninth one is quickly completing all stages and paths. And finally, the becoming a source of all happiness and joy for living beings. What? I’m trying to guess. The so therefore therefore yeah.
The first one, back to the first benefits of the, yeah, altruistic intention is showing that the altruistic intention is the only entrance to the great vehicle. And it is it is the entrance because if one has both altruistic intention, both the citta, one becomes the Mahāyāna or Mahāyāna practitioner. If one has not developed the bodhicitta, one is not the Mahāyānist or a great vehicle practitioner. So therefore, the great master, Tsongkhapa, has stated that the teaching being a Mahāyāna teaching is not enough. But the person, the person should be a Mahāyānist because and to be the person person to become a Mahāyānist entirely depends on whether person whether or not person has developed an uncontrived bodhicitta altruistic intention.
And just for mere understanding on bodhicitta will not make person become a Mahāyānist. Okay. Thank you. Yeah. So so, yeah, this is how to become a Mahāyāna practitioner, one should develop the uncontrived bodhicitta altruistic intention.
So if one if one has not developed an uncontrived bodhicitta altruistic intention that no matter how perform practice or teaching the practices one is practicing. For example, like, one practice the ultimate king of the practice king of the tantra. The ultimate tantric, the highest yoga tantric is set practice is set forth, the Kālacakra tantra and the Guhyasamāja tantra. And for example, the king of the tantra, the Guhyasamāja tantra, the practices in the generation stage, completion stage of the Guhyasamāja tantra, no matter how profound one’s practice.
And those teachings, tantric teachings are set forth. The one can attain the Buddhahood within one life by practicing the highest yoga tantra, like, Guhyasamāja tantra, for example. No matter how perform one teaching practices one practice, and of course, are the Mahāyāna path, Mahāyāna teachings, but they won’t become a Mahāyāna teaching. And and the person won’t become a Mahāyāna practitioner even though the practices are the Mahāyāna teaching, as well as one’s practice, one is practicing Mahāyāna teachings, but one’s practice won’t become a Mahāyāna practice. And and forget about being Mahāyāna practice.
One one is not even the fir one is not one is one is not even reach the first stage, which is the path of accumulation of the Mahāyāna practice. It is because one has not developed the uncontrived bodhicitta, altruistic intention. So without bodhicitta, no matter how profound Mahāyāna teachings one practice, one’s practice still won’t become a Mahāyāna practice. So therefore so without bodhicitta, no matter what perform practices you practice, Kālacakra Tantra, Guhyasamāja Tantra, like Vajrayoginī, Yamāntaka, Chenrezig, Heruka, so forth. Those teachings, they said that by practicing those tantric, one can attain the enlightenment within one life.
So no matter how profound and powerful the teachings they are, so if one practice them without the bodhicitta or without bodhicitta, then there’s no way one can attain the enlightenment in one life. But if one practice those with the bodhicitta, then those teaching will help one to attain enlightenment within one life. Know? So so therefore, the bodhicitta altruistic intention is the root of the tantras as well. So if one has altruistic intention or develop bodhicitta, then whatever practice one does, even if one recite one single six syllable mantra, Om Mani Padme hum, then that practice will become the Mahāyāna practice that practice will become a cause to attain enlightenment.
So, therefore, the the great master Ārya Nāgārjuna in his text called Precious Garland said, if one wants if one wants wish to bring both self and entire sentient beings to the the enlightenment state, Buddhahood, then should the root is is the bodhicitta, should cultivate the bodhicitta. And these are yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
bodhicitta. Yeah. bodhicitta should cultivate bodhicitta because it is the root of the enlightenment. And so therefore, should try to develop a bodhicitta like a firm bodhicitta like Mount Meru, very steady bodhicitta, stable. And by having developed such steady bodhicitta, yep, very firm bodhicitta on such basis, then one can achieve whatever one wish wishes.