Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A story about a bodhisattva who kills a would-be murderer on a treasure-hunting boat — and accumulates immense merit rather than negative karma — anchors the Q&A of this 110-minute Lamrim commentary by Geshe Pema Tsering. The session first explains why sūtra and tantra must both be studied: bodhicitta and the view of emptiness, taught in the sutric path, are prerequisites for tantric practice. Geshe Pema then traces how self-grasping gives rise to self-cherishing — the root obstacle to generating bodhicitta — and outlines the mind of enlightenment’s temporary benefits (avoiding lower rebirths) and ultimate ones (liberation and omniscience). The Q&A probes whether bodhicitta alone eliminates afflictions (it does not; realizing emptiness is also required) and how a bodhisattva’s compassionate motivation transforms outwardly negative actions.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 23 2008 07 10 BP.mp3
UUID: 9abea776-acb9-4d7b-a009-69a93c68a6be
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Lam Rim (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2008-07-10
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 110.4 minutes
Words: ~7,022
So this life is certainly just to give rise then to to proper motivation, good motivation, and with the intention of freeing all sentient beings from every suffering and endowing them with with every happiness. And we ourselves must attain enlightenment in order to accomplish that. In order to accomplish this enlightenment, we we are going to study and learn these teachings on the stages of the path, the Lamrim and practice accordingly so that we can accomplish this goal. And in this way we start the teachings. Giving rise to motivation in this way is very important.
And then with this in mind, we start with the preliminary prayers with the Heart Sūtra. Yeah. Okay. Thus, did I hear one time? So we we approach the next topic, which is how great beings, how beings of the greater scope attain the state of omniscience.
And Geshe-la was briefly explaining. So, again, it was briefly explained in the previous class how beings of of a lesser scope of a modest disposition, then they attain their goal of a higher higher realms of existence and how beings of an average, a middling scope then attain individual liberation. So each one of these topics briefly touching on their objects, their respective objects of abandonment and their respective goals of each one of these types of being. Now we approach the next one, which I was going through the text, and you can follow closely here. There are two means of attaining omniscience, the great vehicle of secret mantra and of the perfections.
These two are contained in the cycle of teachings of great beings. Since great beings are under the power of great compassion, having made enlightenment their object of attainment in order to bring all the sufferings of sentient beings to an end, they train in the six perfections, the two stages of tantra, and etcetera. And so the Geshe-la was in essence, so the beings of greater scope are those beings who aim at attaining enlightenment, attaining the full enlightenment of a Buddha, and those beings then, what the path that they tread, what is the path that they practice? It is then the path of the six perfections and the path of of tantra, of the four tantras. And then Geshe-la points out that for example when we’re talking about the tantric vehicle, the mantra vehicle, then we have the four classes of tantra.
And when we’re talking about the perfection vehicle, have what is referred to as the ten grounds and the five paths. So Geshe-la is explaining something when we’re talking about the word ‘mantra’ which is usually referred to as mantra. So the mantra path is a path that leads to enlightenment quickly. And then there is the Sūtra path, which is the perfection vehicle, the Pāramitāyāna, and that leads to enlightenment but slowly, or you could say maybe maybe leisurely. But Geshe-la was saying both paths will lead to full enlightenment, but one the difference is one leads to and the other one slower.
And Geshe-la was saying Geshe-la was saying, now we want to attain it very quickly, Geshe-la was saying, want to attain it as soon as we can. When we think of all the hardships and all the long long periods of time that we have to practice, we become discouraged, become a bit disheartened with that. So we to attain it very quickly. Even though this is the way we think, this is what we want, we want to attain it quickly, and Geshe-la was saying it does not quite happen this way. Without knowing how to practice the the sūtra the sutric vehicle we will not be able to practice properly the the tantric vehicle And Geshe-la was saying, the reason why one would not be able to do so is because without knowing the the sutric path without having becoming learning the sutric path one will not be able one will not be able to know bodhicitta, the mind of enlightenment, which is what is taught in the sutric path.
And again without knowing the sutric path, one will not be able to know the right view of emptiness. Which again which arises, which is which is taught in the sutric path. Without this too, again, we cannot accomplish this tantric path. And so the conclusion Geshe-la says is that in order to attain enlightenment one has to know both paths, one has to learn both paths, both vehicles of both sūtra and tantra. So again, Geshe-la says, one needs to know both, learns both, learn both paths in order to attain enlightenment and just going about how to say taking on one path and not practicing the the and and how to say neglecting the other and not taking on the other path, again, does not properly accomplish enlightenment.
So then these two vehicles of of the the mantra, the secret mantra and of the perfections. The perfection vehicle, they are they are teachings which are included in the cycle of teachings for the beings of great scope. And again this being of great scope, again Geshe-la is just going through the text again, there are beings who have who have already come under the power they are under the power of great compassion and they are motivated to attain enlightenment for the sake of benefiting all sentient beings that is their goal. And so Geshe-la is explaining, was trying to point out the meaning of the expression, which is to come under the power, to be under the power, to be powered by, or even overpowered by sometimes. Again this being of greater scope is a being who is overpowered or is powered by great compassion which is then the wish to free all sentient beings without exception from every suffering.
And then this being then works, how to say, happily endures any hardship and any work that comes its way for the sake of accomplishing this goal of freeing us all sentient beings from every suffering. Geshe-la was pointing out, so then they are constantly at all times overpowered by this wish. In this way they gladly endure every hardship. In the same way that we ourselves we overpowered by attachment and we engage in all sorts of activities and start all sorts of actions and so forth also overpowered by attachment. This is what it means and these people instead these beings instead they are overpowered by great compassion.
And again, Geshe lah is trying to illustrate the meaning of Zhen wang, Zhen wang gi, again Zhen is other, wang is power, so under the power of other, other power not on one’s power. Geshe-la was then pointing out again. The bodhisattva is somebody who is powered by this other which is great compassion, which is this wish to free all sentient beings from suffering. And and we, on the other hand, we are powered by our wish to survive or for sustenance of of for the things of this life, to gain a livelihood pertaining to the things and the pleasures and happiness of this life and we work and power by this which is because Geshe-la was saying referring to it as attachment and again power by this attachment then we engage in all sorts of activities activities in order to get money so that we can have all those things because money is what gives us those things. Again it is not under our control, we are under the control of this attachment.
We are overpowered by this attachment and because of it then we engage in all sorts of actions without any trouble we work for the sake of obtaining money and then realizing those things. So the bodhisattva is likewise then overpowered in the sense by the wish only to free, relieve the suffering of beings, and he’s never never has a thought for herself or for himself for that matter. Okay? So then again, this this being of greater scope, again overpowered by this compassion, by this great compassion, then again he works only to relieve the suffering, to alleviate the suffering, to dispel the suffering of all, every suffering of all sentient beings. And in order to accomplish that, he then aims at attaining enlightenment.
In order to accomplish enlightenment he practices then, he engages on the path of the six perfections, which is the way of the sūtra. And then also in the two stages, which is the way of the tantras. And again the two stages the generation stage and the completion stage. This one. And then we have this quote from the Lamp Illuminating the Path of Enlightenment.
And Geshe-la was reading the quote. He whose own mind is affected by suffering, who thus yearns to bring to an end all the suffering of others completely, such a one is a superior being. And Geshe-la was going through the lines, each line of the verse, and there is in English, it doesn’t come much different from what we already have. So then a a person who already knows his or her own suffering, wants to wishes them to be free and bring the suffering to an end and the suffering of all other beings also, having having learned one’s own suffering, such a person is called a great being. The word is which is great or superior.
And, again, this is like explained that the word makes reference to just being a being of the great vehicle, a Mahāyāna being and so forth. And then the text then concludes that section saying that again this the way the means by which such beings then attain their goal of enlightenment is explained will be later explained in this text under the headings of the perfections and the mantras and the mantras And then we have a next session which is just clarifying what are the scriptural sources for this term of the three types of beings. And we are told that the term, the three types of beings, three types of great, medium, and lesser scopes of beings. Such terms are found in the Compendium of Ascertainment and the commentary on the Treasury of Knowledge, then again, the topic, dispels doubts, and we are told that although with regard to the beings, to beings of of of a smaller scope, of a lesser scope, there are both those who devote themselves to this life, and those who devote themselves to the to future lives, the happiness of future lives. And Geshe-la was explaining the context of the Lamrim teachings.
What is taught here, what is explained here is the path of those who devote themselves to the future lives. I want you to consider them to be engaging in the unmistaken means of attaining a higher status, a higher rebirth. Geshe-la was saying the reason, they explained the reason that they do not explain teach about the beings of so called beings of smaller scope who are concerned only over this life is because those activities that are performed for the sake of attaining the goals or the happiness of this life alone, they do not amount to pure dharma, to the sacred pure dharma. Such activities pertain to the happiness and the pleasures of this life alone. They are actions that anyone performs, even animals, all types of animals, they also engage in activities only for the sake of this life.
So because of that, these actions do not actually amount to pure dharma, to the sacred dharma, then again it is not explained here. And so then again here, what is going to be explained, what what what we’re going to be what is going to be expounded is is those those who engage on the on the unmistaken path that leads to a higher status, a higher rebirth. Geshe-la was explaining higher status. It refers to higher rebirth as a human or or god. So then the next topic which we approach is giving reasons for the gradual guidance from the point of view of the three types of beings.
Again, there are two parts to it. The purpose of guiding someone by way of the parts of the three beings, and secondly, giving reasons for such gradual guidance. So again, what we are going to be explaining is the reasons why, order for example, to accomplish the goals or the path of a being of a middling scope, it is necessary to accomplish the path of being of small scope. In the same vein, in order to accomplish the paths of a being of greater scope, it is necessary that we accomplish the paths of being of middling scope and of lesser scope. And again, we engaged in the first topic the purpose of guiding someone by means of the path of the three types of beings.
Thus, although it is explained in terms of the three beings, the path of great beings contains within it the paths of the two other beings. Geshe-la was explaining again, in order to be able to accomplish the path of great beings, one needs to accomplish those of of middling and lesser scope. Otherwise, one will not be able to accomplish the path of greater beings. And again, which is why the master Ashva Ghosha then says that these two, and Geshe-la stops there and says that the paths of beings of a middling scope and the paths of beings of a smaller scope, are branches of the Mahāyāna path. And Geshe-la was then explaining this one way one way of explaining the word Yanglak.
Yanglak, there’s many many translates in many ways in English, but was explained in referring to it as as the limbs, the arms and the legs. And and, again, if if one does not have complete limbs referring to if one does not have the path of the smaller and medium scope beings, again, one will not have the full Mahāyāna path. The these helpers of the Mahāyāna path. And again, we explained that, consequently, here, in this context, they are not guidance on the path of small beings who make only the happiness of cyclic existence, I guess I was saying that the happiness of cyclic existence of saṃsāra, which is the happiness of future lives, as the prime object of attainment, nor on the path of the intermediate beings who make only liberation from saṃsāra for their own benefit, their object of attainment. Rather, through considering some paths common to those to be preparatory practices leading to the path of great beings, they are taken to be branches for training in the path of great beings.
And again, I wasn’t saying they are branches, are steps or stages in one’s path, that one can, without which one cannot accomplish the path of the great beings. One cannot accomplish full enlightenment. And then we approach the next topic, and gonna see that in the text there are so many divisions. Again, reasons for such a gradual guidance, and then there is two major parts to this topic, is the actual reasons themselves, and secondly, the purpose. And then again the first one which is the actual reasons we have fourteen of those.
And Geshe-la was going for the text, then the first one of those is the entry gate to the Mahāyāna. The entry gate for entering the Mahāyāna, the great vehicle consists of turning the mind towards supreme enlightenment. Once it has arisen in the mind, according to Engaging in the Bodhisattva Deeds, again when bodhicitta has arisen at once, the wretched, bound in the prison of cyclic existence, are to be called children of those gone to bliss. For, in accordance with this statement, an individual who has obtained the name of bodhisattva is admitted among Mahāyāna beings. If he deteriorates, he will leave the midst of Mahāyāna beings.
And again, Geshe-la was explaining some of the terms, it’s just, which is the gate entering the the Mahāyāna vehicle. Again, this gate through which one pass in order to enter the Mahāyāna vehicle is the mind of enlightenment. So if one has the mind of enlightenment, one is then called a a bodhisattva, one is then a being of the Mahāyāna vehicle. If one does not have this mind of enlightenment, then says it doesn’t matter however great qualities this being might have, that person is not a Mahāyāna practitioner, a bodhisattva or a Mahāyāna practitioner. And on the other hand, if a being has bodhicitta, if a being is endowed bodhicitta, it doesn’t matter how many good qualities that being might lack, that being is said to be a Mahāyāna being, is a being of the great vehicle.
In Geshe-la was again reading that verse, when a bodhicitta has arisen at once, and then there’s a we can say that in the very second moment, after that arise of bodhicitta, it doesn’t matter how much suffering that the person might seem to be experiencing, that person is then a child of those gone to bliss. Which is to say that person is then a bodhisattva from that moment onwards. And Geshe-la was saying that it might seem as if the person is suffering, Geshe-la was saying it is merely imputedly that person is is appears to be experiencing a lot of suffering, but that that person is being is actually bodhisattva. And this is actually so there are those bodhisattvas who then we see them and they appear then to be experiencing all sorts of suffering and they are in a very pitiful or suffering conditions but it’s still they are because by the power of the bodhicitta they are greater beings than even gods themselves so we should actually pay respect. Was pointing out to a teaching that was given on Sunday, this last Sunday on the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas, which was a teaching saying that we should not point out or or proclaim the faults of others.
And it was making specific reference to bodhisattvas because that is a great fault. Geshe-la was saying and that teaching also we are taught we were given that teaching because of this because they are bodhisattvas who appear to be in a very miserable situation and still they are bodhisattvas and that’s why such warnings are given And Geshe-la again reads the last two lines of that part of the text for an accordance with this statement. A being who has obtained the name of Bodhisattva is admitted among the Mahāyāna beings, he’s a Mahāyāna being. And if that bodhicitta deteriorates, that being will leave the midst of Mahāyāna beings. And Geshe-la is saying and making reference to this, saying again, it is at first, it is already very difficult to to give rise to the mind of enlightenment, to bodhicitta.
And then after having given rise, having produced it, if we do not bring it to mind time and again, then again we will lose it. And the one thing that makes us lose that mind of enlightenment is our self-cherishing. There’s a self-cherishing that thinks of one’s own benefit, was disregarding the welfare of others, that then stops or arrests the mind of enlightenment. And when that happens again, one ceases to be And again, Geshe-la was saying, with regards to self-cherishing, the self-cherishing mind, it is the self-cherishing mind that at first when we are trying to produce the mind of enlightenment, it is the self-cherishing mind that hinders our accomplishment of that production of the mind of enlightenment. Then when we have produced and we have given rise to the mind of enlightenment again it is and when we are trying to familiarize ourselves habituate ourselves with the mind of enlightenment bodhicitta again it is self-cherishing again, which creates obstacles and makes it difficult for us to familiarize.
And even when we have familiarized ourselves, is the self-cherishing mind which tries to make that mind of enlightenment deteriorate. And again the self-cherishing mind is a mind which is concerned with one’s own happiness and benefit alone, which is pursuing only works only for the sake of the happiness of this life. As such, it is a source of suffering and is the source of every suffering and then a hindrance to the attainment of unchanging lasting happiness of liberation. So Geshe-la is explaining, wants to explain what the self-cherishing mind. And in order to explain that, he wants to explain what is the self grasping.
self-cherishing mind comes in relation to that. And Geshe-la was saying, so what is the self grasping mind? And Geshe-la was saying, he was expressing the self grasping mind, the mind that grasps to a self is the mind that thinks that the I, that I, I exist. And Geshe-la was saying, not you. I exist.
I exist in the way that I appear to exist. And that mind that holds on to that is the self grasping mind. Okay? And again, so then we have that that mind which is holding on to that to that to that conception of that I exist in the way that I appear to exist. It says I exist and then holding on to that then it thinks of that I as being very precious and very important.
As being the most precious and important thing and this is then the self-cherishing mind. It cherishes it above all everything else. self-cherishing mind arises then in dependence on that self grasping. And again, Geshe-la is explaining some, how do you say that, explaining the words itself, then there is grasping, self grasping which is the mind that grasps to that self and then to a self. And then again we have the words in Tibetan, which is to cherish, to hold dear.
And then I guess I was explaining, putting on then adding the word which is translated as self to that. So then that holds that self which it grasped as dear, as most important and precious thing. Then out of that then engages in actions, in activities in order to accomplish happiness for itself and avoid suffering for itself. And out of that comes attachment of anger and aversion and so forth. And then, Geshe-la was then explaining, so again, we can see how this mind, the self-cherishing mind is completely diluted, completely distorted.
First of all, we have the foundation for the self-cherishing, which is a mind that holds even though the self does not exist, inherent, it does not exist in the way that appears to exist, then the mind holds to it as existing. So then there’s a self grasping mind. If that wasn’t enough, not only holds to it as existing, holds to it as being precious and extremely important. Not just precious but the most precious thing, the most important thing. In this way is an extremely distorted or deluded mind.
Geshe-la was quoting a verse, I think from the Seven Point Mind Training, which says that blame all onto the one. And Geshe-la was saying, so then put all blame for all the problems and all the difficulties onto the one, onto the self-cherishing mind. Because it is the cause, the source of every suffering and pain and trouble. And then Geshe-la was saying, the antidote to that is its opposite, which is then cherishing cherishing all other sentient beings. And again, Geshe-la explains this again, back from the beginning, the whole process, again, even though it is in existence it does not exist again the mind holds as if the self existed as if it exists actually as if it exists and then on that basis then it sees it as something which is very important, very precious, such important or precious and then out of that then it wishes to attain happiness or pleasure for itself.
And in this way attachment develops. And towards those things which then hinder the attainment of happiness and pleasure for itself. Again anger develops and in this way we can see how all sorts all troubles all sorts of pains and sufferings arise out of this process. And so again we can see then, in this way we can see Geshe-la explains how it is that the self-cherishing mind actually hinders and damages or makes the mind of enlightenment deteriorate. And we can see that.
That’s why we must then rely on the antidotes of that. And the Geshe-la is explaining the antidotes are such contemplations as contemplating that I, that which I hold as I, as me, that me does not actually exist in the way that appears to exist, does not exist inherently. Also, if that I does not exist, how can it be important? How can it be precious? It’s not important.
It’s not precious. And then we approach the next topic, is the need to consider its benefits, the benefits for the mind of enlightenment, and allow one’s delight to increase before generating the mind of enlightenment along with the relevant sources. In Geshe-la was saying again in order to be able to generate the mind of enlightenment, generate bodhicitta, what is important is that one first learns what this mind of enlightenment is, and not only that, but one learns what are all the benefits of generating the mind of enlightenment, that one will then have the wish to attain it, to develop it without knowing what it is and knowing its benefits, then the desire to to produce it will not come about. And then again, Geshe-la goes through the text, as being the case, those who wish to enter the Mahāyāna need to exert themselves in many ways to arouse that mind of enlightenment. However, before arousing it, they need to familiarize familiarize with the benefits of arouse arousing the mind of enlightenment and increase their delight with regard to those benefits, and do this such practices as the seven-limb prayer, and going for refuge, which has been set out in the Compendium of Trainings and Engaging in the Bodhisattva Deeds.
And Geshe-la was saying to that, again, to what is written down in the text, again, it is not easy to give rise to the mind of enlightenment. It is extremely difficult. So not only is it in itself a wish which is difficult to produce, which is that wish to free all sentient beings without exception from every suffering and endow them with every happiness in order to accomplish enlightenment itself. But in order for it for one to be able to produce even that thought, Geshe-la says it’s very easy to say the words out loud, but then to produce it fully with all its its characteristics, and again, has to one has to practice the seven-limb prayer, you know, accomplish such practice as the seven-limb prayer, have to accomplish a refuge in order to have, you know, be able to develop this fully characterized And Geshe-la again says: So again it is important that we know that we understand the benefits and the good qualities of the mind of enlightenment without gaining such knowledge again we won’t have the wish to attain it to attain the mind of enlightenment to develop the mind of enlightenment in the same way that again it is by knowing the benefits advantages of money that then we work in order to obtain.
If we do not know the value or the meaning or the advantages of obtaining money, of having money, then again just like children who actually do not know so, then we will not have any desire, any wish to obtain it. Okay? And then we approach the next next topic which is then the benefits of striving for this mind for bodhicitta. If we summarize the benefits set forth in this way, there are two. First, there is the temporary and then there is the ultimate benefits.
So as for the former, which is then the temporary benefits, are two again. So first is not falling, one does not fall into lower realms of existence, and again one is born in the happy realm of existence. Again, so there are the two benefits, temporal benefits of the man of enlightenment. And then again, do we have the explanation why is it that one is not born in the lower realms? Because once this mind has arisen, the causes of miserable existences that were accumulated previously are purified, and the continuity of those accumulated later on is interrupted.
And then again, is one is born the happy realms? Because the causes of of happy realms or birth and happy realms that were accumulated previously due to being conjoined with it, then increase extensively. And those that are newly created due to having been motivated by it, then they become endless. Yeah. They become inexhaustible.
And then Geshe-la is explaining as for producing or giving rise to the mind of enlightenment, for the arise of this mind of enlightenment arising. It is having produced this uncontrived wish then to benefit all sentient beings without exception. This is what is being referred to here. So Once one has produced this uncontrived wish to benefit beings, all such minds or wishes which contradict that, which will be any intent to harm beings loses its power and and and nothing no no such negativities are happen again. Thank you.
So that’s I’m saying. As for negativities, they they again they they arise dependence on sentient And they and they are those minds which wish to harm sentient beings then. So again, if one has given rise to this uncontrived mind of enlightenment, wish to benefit, that’s it. That is arrested And again, because I went through the rest of the text, again, when it comes to attaining the ultimate objectives of liberation and omniscience, with ease to rely on this mind, again if an uncontrived wish to achieve the temporary and ultimate benefit is not present, even though one may say since those benefits arise from generating that mind, I shall endeavor to generate that mind, it will only words. And again, this will become clear if we give a serious look, look seriously at our own minds.
And then again, Geshe-la was saying, with regards to this ultimate goals or ultimate objectives or benefits, again, with regards to liberation, mainly, one attains liberation by realizing renunciation and then realizing the view of emptiness of emptiness. And then these these are the main causes of of liberation. And, again, as for full enlightenment or omniscient itself, then, again, the main causes And again, Geshe-la makes reference to the last bit of the text, without having that uncontrived wish, even though we might say the words, it will remain just words and one will know that if one looks honestly to one into one’s own mind. Guess that was I saying again, remains only words for us because we do not know the advantages and benefits of developing such amount of enlightenment is because we are ignorant of the advantages and the benefits of attaining liberation and enlightenment that, again, we do not have any wish. We do not have any real wish to attain it to obtain it.
And then the next topic is how the lesser and intermediate branches of the path are necessary for laying the basis of those benefits. And again, Geshe-la briefly explains that in order to be able to give rise to the mind of enlightenment, order to properly give rise to it, one has to again study, contemplate, and meditate on those parts, on those parts which are common to beings of lesser and middling scope. Again, Geshe-la explains that those stages of the path which are the practices of beings of small and middling scope, again they are not only prerequisites for the attainment of the powers of beings of greater scope, of the mind of enlightenment, they are the causes of that. So without having the results, again, will not Without attaining the causes, the result will not come forth. That’s why it is necessary to train one’s mind in the path of beings of small and middling scope.
And, again, I just read that last bit of the text, which is, again, in order to develop the wish to attain those two benefits, high status and certain goodness, again, it is necessary to develop the thoughts common to lesser and intermediate beings, meaning just that. So, again, we we we were asked to stop around twenty minutes to nine so we have time for questions and answers. And this is the time. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Can have it. You know? You’re Yep. Just to clarify, does that does this mean then that if you are able to develop the mind by a tutor, you are still subject to your own delusions and afflictive emotions.
But it’s not necessarily true that, like, of of being able to develop the mind of bodhicitta is not enough to get rid of your own delusions and afflictive emotions. So, Geshe-la was quoting a verse which which says that, no, that again, it is not enough. Those such minds as loving kindness compassion bodhicitta the verse was explaining they are not the direct antidotes they do not directly oppose the self grasping mind, which is then the source of all those afflictions. So again, Geshe-la was saying, the mind of enlightenment is is is a a a cause of merit, a collection of merit, and then we need to couple that with wisdom, with the realization of which then which then is going to directly oppose our our our ignorance, which is then that self grasping, which Geshe-la was explaining, which is then the source of every fault, the source of every negativity, of every suffering, which Geshe-la was explaining that from the self-cherishing, the very foundation of the self-cherishing is the self grasping, which is the source of all suffering and pain. And then that’s the realization of emptiness, which directly attacks that.
So, Geshe lah is saying, again, even though one might not have bodhicitta, if one has only a realization of emptiness, then again, one can then by that realization rid oneself of all afflictive emotions and afflictive conceptions. And in this way one can attain liberation. And that means one has rid oneself of all sorts of shortcomings of all these negativities, but one has not attained enlightenment, which means one has not developed or accomplished every good quality there is to to accomplish. That just raises another question. Just to clarify again, in a a bodhisattva who maybe has not realized continues to generate karma from their negative actions due to their delusions.
Mhmm. But I noticed that in here, it said, and the continuity of those accumulated later is interrupted. This yeah. So does that mean that the karma that they then continue to collect is altered in some way? So you so I’m going to I’m going to address it like this.
You said that a bodhisattva continues to accumulate negative actions. You said that. Right? So I’m It’s more a question. But yeah.
I’m so I’m just gonna put that forth because that’s Okay. That’s gonna bring us the answer. So again, Geshe lah says to that, even though we see them performing something like the ten non virtues actions, which are by nature negativities. We see cases of bodhisattvas which, for example, perform the action of killing. And still, when they do that, when they perform such actions, they are never motivated by any wish to benefit themselves alone, or they’re not motivated also.
They’re not overpowered and they’re not driven by attachment or aversion or anger or anything like that. They are only driven by bodhicitta, the mind of enlightenment, by the intention to benefit others. Then says to that, and even though those actions in themselves, they are said to be, you know, by nature, negative actions or non virtues, is still the result of of such performance, such an action when a of a bodhisattva performs, an action, is not the usual result that such a negativity will bring to to ordinary beings. It is like I guess I was just giving a simple analogy. It’s like saying it’s like being bitten by poisonous snake, but then you have you have the medicine to that already.
You have the antibodies or or whatever to that already. So even though, you know, the the poison and the the the snake bite and the poison is is something which usually kills people, it’s still there is no harm done. Geshe-la was giving us the illustration of one of the in one of his previous lives, the Buddha was born as a bodhisattva, and there is this classic story that goes that in in that life as a bodhisattva this prince I forgot his name in sanskrit but this this bodhisattva then prevented. He was on a boat sailing in search of treasures, and there was this one guy on the boat who was intending to kill everybody so he could keep all the treasure for himself. And the Buddha, he foresaw that.
And having having foreseen it, he then he prevented that guy out of his great compassion, out of his bodhicitta. He prevented that guy from from killing all those hundreds of people in the boat. So he killed that guy. And now so then that act in itself is a bad is a is a bad action. It’s a negative action.
But what was the result of that? Was was it a negative result? No. The result of that bodhisattva having killed that man out of his compassion for that man, out of his bodhicitta, was that he accumulated the equivalent of hundreds of aeons of merit. You know, the result was immense benefit.
Geshe-la was giving a more technical explanation of motivation. So the motivation of of the bodhisattva, there’s two motivations. There is the the the temporal motivation, which is that immediate thought of actually performing the act of killing. And then there is the the causal motivation, which is which which then that that compassion, which was which was motivated by his seeing that what the action that he was that man was about to perform was bad, and that a lot of suffering would ensue from that. Just make a reference to the fact that was a bodhisattva, and as such, is motivated by great compassion, as we have seen in the text already.
He’s solely motivated and driven by compassion. So again, cause of motivation was this great compassion. And that’s the main and that’s the main motivation. Is that is that correct? Oh, yeah.
Yeah. Do you do you have a a quick one? I was gonna say, actually, as a follow-up, if you didn’t have the spontaneous sort of, you know, frequently occurring mind of enlightenment that you wouldn’t have achieved the same merit with you, like, an ordinary being who, you know, thought, oh, I better stop this or it’s gonna be bad for those people, you know, like a compassionate act, you would probably it’s a lot different, isn’t it, I guess? So I’m not sure if I understand. You said out of killing a man who was going to kill Yes.
Many others, you achieved a lot of merit. Yeah. But if you didn’t have the mind of enlightenment, it wouldn’t be the same, would it? Guess. Probably not.
So I asked a question, and was just trying to clarify the whole point maybe. Maybe we’re trying to convince ourselves that we if we can do it alright, but we cannot. The thing is if it is not spontaneous, uncontrived mind of enlightenment or uncontrived great compassion or compassion, then again, that action, the motive the motivation will be mixed. At at best at best, it will be a mixed motivation with mixed with our own self concern, self interest, and our afflictions, and so forth. So, yes, it’s going to amount it’s going to amount to a great negativity in the okay?
Abandon self-cherishing? And and the Buddhist practice continued in mind. There’s not self-cherishing, but there’s the latency of self-cherishing. And that’s not that’s not a bad until you achieve Buddhahood. And when you talk about the the the generation of bodhicitta, once you get to what’s called the middle level of path of accumulation, you no longer can degenerate.
Okay. What’s the latency, man? That was another word that What? Sir? Oh, the the latency.
What was that? Oh, imprints. Habitual imprints. So, was just asking if if a bodhisattva still has afflictive emotions or conceptions or not manifest. And Geshe-la was saying, yes, they do have, but they do not harm the bodhisattva, do not affect him.
He does not come under the power of those. Where was I? Where was it? So that’s the causal motivation, isn’t it, that he’s referring to? The causal or the causal, right?
I wasn’t saying because the causal does not come under the power of those afflictive conceptions or afflictive minds. He’s always powered by loving kindness, compassion, bodhicitta and so forth. In this way he’s the cause of motivation of those two motivations right even though we see him performing those actions which are ordinarily referred to as non virtues because the causal motivation is those virtuous minds of bodhicitta, compassion and so forth, that determines the quality of those actions also. For a bodhisattva then there is no non-virtue. Is that okay?
And that’s why, I guess I was gonna say, that’s why we are told, we are taught that we have to learn, we have to know the benefits of the mind of enlightenment, the great benefits of the mind of enlightenment, of bodhicitta. Is that okay? Oh, yeah. Okay, now? This one.
This. You want distance.