Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A striking contrast anchors this 104-minute Lamrim commentary by Geshe Pema Tsering: the ready trust people place in a fortune teller’s dice divination versus their trust in the Buddha. Working through going for refuge in four divisions — positive qualities of the Three Jewels, their distinctions, asserting them as true objects, and genuine conviction — Geshe Pema examines the Buddha’s body (thirty-two major marks, emanation bodies appearing in whatever form benefits a being), speech (answering all beings in every language simultaneously), mind (omniscience of past, present, and future), and compassion (spontaneous, like wind through space). A Q&A on whether the Buddha manifests as harmful figures closes with the reminder that every happiness is the Buddha’s exalted activity, hidden by our habit of claiming personal credit.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 31 2008 09 04 BP.mp3
UUID: 92fe1aed-cfce-44ff-8cc8-6eb166aaade0
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Lam Rim (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2008-09-04
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 104.3 minutes
Words: ~7,532
So I guess it is instructing us to give us a good motivation and with intention of attaining establishing a state of enlightenment, and we ourselves must attain enlightenment. And in order to accomplish that, we are going to study and practice according to the teachings on the stages of the path. And we in this way, we make our our aspirations. And and if we attain enlightenment in this life, great. And if we are not able then that we aspire then that we may attain enlightenment in future lives.
And in this way, we start with the preliminary prayers of the Heart Sūtra. Spelled Maru as evil beings by reflecting on the profound meaning of the wisdom gone beyond. I recited the profound words in daily recitation. In that same way, I also reflected the profound meaning of the great mother Prajñāpāramitā. I recited profound So we are approaching the next the next topic, which is then the way in which to go for refuge as much as one can.
Geshe was just going through pardon? Page. Page seventy. There’s four divisions. So that understanding the positive qualities, understanding their distinctions, the assertion, and going for refuge by not advocating other refuges.
And Geshe-la was talking about understanding the quality. So Geshe-la wasn’t saying we all need we we all desire to be free from suffering. So we all need to to attain freedom from suffering and and and be endowed with every happiness. And we need to in order to accomplish that, we need to know who or what it is that can that can actually it has the power or the capability to help us accomplish that. Because if we want to take refuge, we have to take refuge in those who have the capability to do so.
And and and we have to distinguish between those who can and those who cannot. So this is the subject of the first topic, And then as for as for understanding their distinctions, in case I wasn’t saying, when we’re talking about the refuge jewels, we’re talking about the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, and we need to understand the distinctions between these, which are the the specific characteristics of each one of of of the three, the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. So when we’re talking about their distinctions, we’re talking about understanding what each one of the refugees are. And Geshe lah is explaining so what is what is the buddha and the buddha Geshe lah is saying is a person and a person not just any person, but a person who has dispelled or cleared away every fault and every shortcoming and has and is endowed with every good quality. As I was explaining the etymology of the word in Tibetan Buddha, which is in Tibetan is.
So stands for having dispelled or having cleared away all the false and shortcomings and for having fulfilled, for having accomplished every good quality. As for the Dharma jewel, Geshe-la is explaining, the Dharma jewels, the real Dharma jewels are the true paths and the true cessation. The true cessation and true paths. In Geshe-la is saying, so if if if the true cessation and true paths then are produced or arise in one’s mind stream, then one will be able to accomplish to to rid oneself of every suffering and then endow oneself with every happiness. Jewel, Geshe-la is explaining, the sangha jewel is composed of ārya beings, of noble beings and and those who have direct realized directly realized emptiness, from the path of seeing, path through up through the path of meditation and to the path of no more learning.
So all of those means are in any of these three paths. What is what is the other translation of ken Lampa? To accept. Right? So Geshe-la is and then the the third topic was Ken Lampo, which was translated as assertion.
But so Geshe-la wasn’t saying so this this assertion is or this acceptance is is Geshe-la was explaining is when we we see these Three Jewels these three Buddha, Dharma and Sangha Jewels, and they are the true objects of refuge. They are the actual objects of refuge. So it is accepting them as the real objects of refuge, and this is what is asserting them to the real object of of refuge. So and, Geshe let’s explain. The last topic which is going for refuge by not advocating other ones.
And and so Geshe-la was picking up on the Tibetan the Tibetan words, and Geshe-la was then saying, look. One one of the possible meanings of this because we haven’t gone through the for the the topic itself yet, but one of the possible meanings of this is saying is saying that, again, there’s no need for us to proclaim out loud that, okay, I go for a future, the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha. Am a Buddhist. You know? Because the the real point, the real important thing here is for us to to practice in our minds, in our heart minds.
And and that’s where the practice of the refuge takes place. There’s no need for us to go about talking about it. So as for the first one, so understanding the positive qualities, again, we need to be mindful of the positive qualities of of refuge of the refuge jewels. So we need to understand, again, the the the qualities of of the Buddha, of the Dharma, and the qualities of the Sangha. So as for the first one, the positive qualities of the Buddha, have the actual cause and the supplementary the supplementary points.
As for the actual qualities, we have the positive cause of the of of the Buddha’s body, of the Buddha’s speech, of the Buddha’s mind, and of the Buddha’s exalted activities. So, Geshe-la was going the as for the positive cause of the Buddha, again, we should to begin with, we should be mindful of the signs and exemplifications of the Buddha. And, again, Geshe-la was talking, we we should been understand that the Buddha’s body is not like our our bodies. It’s different from our bodies, and it’s endowed with the thirty two major marks and the and the eighty eighty minor marks of a Buddha of a Buddha?
So Geshe was going through the verses, again, which Geshe-la read through all the verses, he was just saying, again, this this is just one way of of setting forth the qualities of the Buddha’s body. So your body is adorned with the signs, beautiful, nectar for the eyes, like a cloud a cloudless sky in autumn, ornamented with clusters of stars. Oh, mooni, endowed with the color of gold, beautiful, dressed in monastic robes, like a golden mountain peak wrapped in clouds of at dusk or dawn. Oh, protector, the splendor of your facial orb, although unadorned by jewelry is beyond that of the moon disc, although vast and clear of clouds. If the lotus of your mouth and a lotus in bloom in the sun are beheld by by a bee, it will have its doubts about the lotus.
Your face endowed with the color of gold, white teeth making it more beautiful, like immaculate autumn beams filtering through golden mounts. Venerable one, your right hand embellished by the sign of the wheel gives fearlessness to the people frightened by the cycle of existence. All morning as you walk, your feet draw what looks like lotuses of glory on the earth you tread. With lotuses, how would it be lovelier? I was just saying, so, again, when we’re talking about the the body of the Buddha, we talk about the the major marks, the so called the thirty two major marks and and the eighty and the eighty minor marks.
And then there’s all these different different symbols to explain this the body of a border. Was saying, but we we do not actually see those things. We we cannot we’re not able to see those things ourselves. But then that’s how we that’s how it is explained. And Geshe-la is explaining that, again, one one of the main meanings of of of these teachings on the body of the Buddhist for us, for us, for the for the disciples, for the followers to understand that his body is manifesting.
Body of the Buddha is manifest in order to benefit the disciples by merely by merely seeing or looking at the body of the Buddha. Then, again, we imprints positive imprints are implanted that benefit us, that create virtues, this positive this virtuous energy within our mind streams. And then, again, Geshe-la was in in these verses that we have been reading where all these these beautiful analysis have been given, it is like a cloudless sky, a mountain peak, a lotus, so forth. Was saying this all these are being were given in reference to to the emanation body of the Buddha, the Buddha that we that we know of that came to Bodh Gaya, to Bodh Gaya, the Śākyamūni Buddha, who is the So about this the body of the is every body of the Buddha like this? Like like we have explained here with the marks and all that.
Guess I wasn’t saying, well, it depends. It varies in in in in in dependence on on the disciple, on on dependence on the on the being who is to be taught or subdued. And Geshe-la was explaining, we we for those who are apt to see the enjoyment body, the sambhogakaya body of of a Buddha, then they will see the sambhogakaya body of the Buddha. For those who are apt to see the nimmanakaya, the emanation bodies of of Buddhas, they they will see the emanation bodies of Buddhas, and and they they can appear in various ways. They can appear as as, you know, an actual Buddhist Dharma practitioner, a fully ordained monk or nun, or they can appear as a lay person who is extremely powerful, extremely learned with very good qualities, or the the Buddha can appear as, again, a lay person who is, you know, who is poor and not learned and does not appear to have any great qualities or can appear as a woman, can appear as a man, as a husband, as a wife.
It depends on what it is that is going to benefit the decide. What is it that’s going to benefit the the being in question? So it is going to appear in in a way in a way that is most suited to benefit a particular being. That’s how they’re going to appear. So Geshe-la was gonna say they might they might even manifest as as animals.
And Geshe-la was saying, he he he should have things that they would not manifest as as hell beings or something like that, but they still they might even manifest as animals. And the the whole point being, again, that they will manifest in whatever way they they see fit to benefit beings. So we we there’s doesn’t doesn’t have to there’s not need to be any intervention from our part, any thought or any praying or anything like that. They know exactly what is going to benefit most, and that’s how they’re going to manifest. This one.
And again, Geshe-la says, we need we need to have no doubts about the the the qualities of the body of the Buddha. Again, it will it will manifest in whatever way it is exactly it perceives to be exactly precisely beneficial to the the being to be subdued. So English, I was just giving a a vague example, a vague illustration. So if there was if there was a war and somebody wanted to be protected from harm, from the harm that ensues from from from wars, from being from being killed, from dying. If that person then took went for refuge wholeheartedly, you know, with absolute conviction and and with a hundred percent of his heart onto it.
If a person went for refuge in that way, that that protection that the person was asking for, it will be provided for for that person. And Geshe-la was then saying, so if the person was in the case of this example, this illustration, the person was asking for protection against death, the person will be spared his or her life. And and Geshe-la is saying, it’s not it’s not the case that the person will see, oh, I I went for refuge and the Buddha came and saved my life. Or or, you know, suddenly the the Buddha came and said, I’m the Buddha. I’m your refuge.
No. We we do not see that. But if the person went for refuge, that one’s prayers will be answered, so to speak. Okay? And Geshe-la was again saying correct me if I’m wrong.
It wasn’t the words m m m what’s the word in your name? Em amulet? Amulet. Right? So Geshe-la was saying, for example, again, you know, the Buddha does not come and and intervene him personally, but there’s there’s all these manifestations of of this this protection, of this refuge.
And Geshe-la was talking about special in in amulets. Amulets. Amulets. Do you understand? Cool.
So, you know, this little that’s exactly that. You know, with the blessings, the lamas make prayers and they blow on it and they make blessings and and again, so and and and and people who wear that and who have a pure, genuine, authentic refuge, like a really wholehearted refuge with a full conviction in the capability of the Jewels of the Jewels to to protect oneself, and that person will be spared will be spared from harm. And Geshe-la wasn’t talking about people whom he has actually seen himself, people who were, you know, who are hurt in a in a war, in a fight, bullet bullet wounds and so forth, they don’t don’t bleed. They don’t hurt. Nothing nothing hurts them because they protect.
And Geshe-la wasn’t saying it’s not it’s not merely they’re not they were not merely saying the words, you know, go for refuge to the to the lama, go for refuge to the Buddha, go for refuge to the Dharma, go for refuge to the Sangha. Not not merely saying the words will not accomplish anything. But because they were wholeheartedly going for refuge, they had this pure refuge with this, you know, a hundred and ten percent conviction in the capabilities of of the Jewels, again, they then their their prayers were answered. The the Buddha the refuge manifested as as as that blessing. Okay?
So, again, Geshe-la was saying pointing out how important the refuge is. And as for the qualities of the Buddha, there’s no measure to that. There’s no way we can measure it. The the qualities of the Buddha’s body are limitless. And, again, Geshe-la is just just pointing out that those those verses that we have read describing, giving those beautiful metaphors for the body of the Buddha is making reference again to the emanation body of the Buddha.
That Buddha the historical Buddha that we that came for all of us to see in Bodh Gaya, Śākyamūni Buddha. And those those verses are referring to to that body, that emanation body. And again again so then those verses are are describing just those qualities that were visible in that body, that emanation body. They’re not they’re not describing all the qualities of the Buddha. In in truth, again, if we were to expound all the qualities of the Buddha, there will be no way into it.
There is they are truly inexhaustible because the Buddha is a being who has accomplished every good quality. And so then, Geshe-la is going to the next topic. Again, the the positive qualities of the Buddhist speech. Geshe-la is reading from the text. Again, you should think about the very marvelous way in which when sentient beings in the realms of the world ask different questions at the same time, the Buddha apprehends them with wisdom that possesses a single instance of mind and answers all the questions with one utterance that they understand in their respective languages.
So, Geshe-la is, again, going back to the beginning of that sentence and saying, again, if all sentient beings of all the beings of the world were were to ask questions at the same time, at the same moment to for the Buddha, the Buddha will be able to, in one moment, in one instant, to answer all those questions in each one of of those beings respective languages, you know, be it, you know, English, Chinese, Tibetan, whatever that may be. And he wouldn’t need to spell each one of those languages separately individually to each one of those persons. In one moment, in one utterance, he he is able to answer all those questions in in the the respective languages of each of the questions. How many nations? So many.
And again, Geshe-la is pointing out, you know, put aside the whole the entirety of of the beings of of the world. Again, if you take a hundred questions, a hundred different questions with a hundred different languages, again, asking a hundred different questions at the same time, the same moment, again, the Buddha was able to answer the all those hundred questions in all those hundred different languages, again, in just one moment, in one and and not and not and not just it’s not gonna be just any answer. It’s gonna be a clear and understandable without any confusion, any distortion. Gonna be a perfect answer. Saying, again, we we we have a hard time lending our ears to such sayings.
How how is it possible that somebody can answer a hundred different questions in a hundred different languages all in one moment? But the Buddha a Buddha, a an enlightened being, a fully enlightened being does not need to learn anything. A fully enlightened being is free of any of every fault, of every obscuration. There’s nothing impeding his or her knowledge. So because that person that being has has free to read him or herself of every fault there is, of every obscuration there is, of every obstruction impediment there may be.
Again, and because a person has accomplished already every good quality, which is quite which is which is the person is a Buddha. That person can do that. The person is able to do that. But we have a hard time understanding it. We we do not we do not want to believe it.
And the reason we cannot we do not understand it reason we do not want to believe it is because of our own obscurations and our own thoughts that we haven’t rid ourselves of yet. Geshe-la then reading through the those verses from the Chapter of the Truths for One, again, if if thus all beings in a single moment ask a question with many terms, his mind comprehends them in a single moment and answers them all with one melodious statement. Thus, know that the melodious melodious Brahma voice of him who gives instructions rings forth in this world. He thoroughly set in motion the wheel of Dharma that eradicates the suffering of gods and men. And, again, like I I was gonna say, again, we do not need to go through each and every word at all times, but the important point is that we study these these verses and we understand.
So we learn of those qualities. So we gain a knowledge of those squares, and that will then generate the conviction that we need to go for refuge to to to to give rise to proper refuge mind. Okay? So then we go to the next topic again, the positive qualities of the Buddha’s mind. Again, we have the positive qualities of knowledge and the positive qualities of compassion.
As for the positive qualities of knowledge, again, I was going through the text, since all knowable objects, modes, and varieties are engaged by the Muni’s unobstructed knowledge like a dhatri berry placed on the palm of his hand, the diverse knowable objects are per pervaded by the Muni’s knowledge. However, they are not pervaded by others’ knowledge as knowable objects are vast and their consciousnesses are narrow. Okay? And, Geshe-la was saying as for for the the Buddha’s knowledge, if if a Buddha does not know something, then that something does not exist. If something exists, a Buddha knows of it.
Knows it. It’s just it’s that simple. And Geshe-la was just saying, again, as for everything that the Buddha there’s nothing that that that that exists that the Buddha does not know, and then Geshe-la was explaining the modes and varieties. And these modes, again, these modes, Geshe-la. So English language is the modes and varieties as making reference to, you know, manifest how to say?
This the all the variety of phenomena that we that we can see. There’s the phenomena that we can perceive. And and as for In Tibetan, which I I didn’t quite get the the translation, but which is here, don’t know if it is modes or varieties. Was Geshe-la was explaining as also the emptiness of every phenomenon. So he knows every phenomenon, and he knows the emptiness of every phenomenon.
So then Geshe-la was then reading the verses, again, from the Praise of the Praiseworthy. Only your exalted wisdom encompasses all the noble objects. For all the others, apart from you, some noble objects remain to be known. In case I was reading the next the following two verses of Bhagavan, the phenomena of all times, aspects, all places of origin are the sphere of activity of your mind, like a dhatri berry in the palm of your hand. With regards to phenomena, static or or mobile, unitary, or various and distinct, there is nothing to which your mind is is obstructed.
Just like wind moving to and fro in space. So again, Geshe lah is saying, again, a Buddha, a fully enlightened being, can know everything, can know every every knowable phenomenon of the past, of the present, of the future, everything is if one were to ask of anything that has existed in the past, again, Buddha would be able to answer anything as far as one might might might go into the past. Again, the Buddha is able a Buddha is able to see and know everything that has been. Again, if one were to ask of every of anything that that that exists in the present, again, or that, whatever it may be, again, a Buddha is able to know to know everything that exists in the present time. And, again, if when somebody were to ask, again, anything that might exist in the future, what would exist in the future, this or that, again, the Buddha will is able to to see all the way into the future and and and tell you exactly everything that will be as far as far as one wishes And was looking to to the verse and looking to the line that says that it is like the wind moving through and through in space completely unobstructed.
And, again, the so the the the the knowing mind of the Buddha is like the wind completely unobstructed. And furthermore, it doesn’t take any effort or any motivation or any exercise of thought. So we ourselves, we have to give rise to an intention, a motivation, and we have to give rise to the thought. And we have to you know, with effort, we engage in a in a in a line of thought, in line of reasoning, or whatever it may be. A Buddha does not have to do any of that.
There’s no effort whatsoever. There’s no obstruction whatsoever to the knowledge of the Buddha. Okay? And, yes, so, Geshe, I was going to the next topic, then the positive quality of love of the Buddha. Just as sentient beings are bound by the afflictions without any control, the Buddha is bound by great compassion without control.
And therefore, great compassion continuously arises in him or her as as he perceives suffering migrating beings. Continually overpowered and driven by our afflictive emotion conceptions. And and empowered overpowered and driven by these afflictive emotion conceptions, we we act. We engage in activities. We go about our lives continually.
Now Buddha is, again, is continually overpowered and driven by his great compassion in the same way that we are continually driven by our feelings and emotions. And, again, in in in this way, he continually driven and and overpowered by by great compassion. Again, he continually and uninterrupted works to accomplish a benefit, to to endow beings with happiness and freedom from suffering. Okay? And, Geshe-la, was reading the verses from one hundred and fifty stanzas.
Again, all of these migrating beings are equally bound by the afflictions. In order to untie their afflictions, you have long been bound by compassion. Should I first prostrate to you or to that which causes you to stay in saṃsāra for long or for that which causes you to stay in saṃsāra for long, aware of its faults, great compassion. And again again, Geshe-la was reading the next verse in the Chapter of the Truths for One again, when he sees the many beings always obscured by ignorance and mental darkness, who are imprisoned in the prison of saṃsāra, compassion is born in the holy sage. This one?
And, Geshe-la was saying again, so the Buddha knows everything that is to be known and knows, you know, beings who are suffering, beings who are free from suffering and so forth, means who wish to be so and so forth. And, again, for when the Buddha perceives beings who are afflicted with suffering, who are being tormented by suffering, again, he has this natural spontaneous compassion arising for them, and he immediately Gisha was explaining, he doesn’t deliberate or I’m going to go down and help this or that person. He he immediately is is spontaneous. His perceived suffering. He knows some some he being suffering.
He immediately works out of his great compassion to free that being from suffering. And he knows he knows just how to do so. And, Geshe-la was saying, so having said that the Buddha knows everything and can and can free people from suffering and from unhappiness, because I wasn’t saying, but there is there are all these beings suffering terribly in the in the hell realms, suffering in in the hunger as hungry ghosts, suffering as animals, and so forth. There are all these beings presently suffering. So what about them?
One may ask, having having pondered all those great qualities of the Buddha, one might ask, so what about them? And Geshe-la was explaining, so what so what about all those beings? The Buddha is not is not actually helping is not helping them now, is he? And Geshe-la was saying, well, the the whole point here is is not the fold here is not from the side of the Buddha. Buddha has all the qualities and all and all the capabilities to accomplish that.
But those beings do not have the pure refuge. Those beings do not know of the qualities of the Buddha, do not know of the of the capabilities of the Buddha, of the Jews, of of refuge and so forth. Those being and and even and even amongst the beings who know of the qualities and of of the refuge jewels and so forth. Again, they do not have the full conviction in their capabilities. So it is not from the side of of the Jewels of refuge.
It is it is from the side of those beings themselves that they do not attain the protection or the refuge that that they are seeking in that protection or the refuge that that they are seeking. Giving us an analogy to to to to clarify what what’s what’s happening here. And Geshe-la was gonna say, so for example, we we all want money. We we need money, and we need to we need to engage in work, in a job. We need to have a job to earn that money, and we need we need somebody.
We need a boss who can give us a job and can give us the money who has these capabilities of of of of providing us with the job, the task, and providing us with the money. And we need to know what the person is. We need for the to know that the person exists. We need to to know that the person has these capabilities of giving us the job and the money. We need to know what the person is, and we need to go and ask for the job.
And then and then we will be given the job, and we’ll be able to do the work and earn the money. In the same way, again, the Buddha is the one who has all the knowledge, all the capabilities. He has the job and the money, and we need to understand that the Buddha is there with those qualities and those capabilities. And once we understand that the Buddha exists with all those qualities and capabilities, we know where he is. We need to go there and ask for the job, and then we can work to alleviate ourselves from our own suffering.
And we can get the job, and we can get the money, we can get the results, we can get the blessings. And that’s how it works. Is that clear? Is that okay? And this is this is why the refuge is so important.
This is why we need to have this very strong refuge. And, again, in in our ordinary lives, when we go to seek a job, again, we we do all this research about the employer, about the job, about the the working conditions, the salary, and so forth, you know, and and and and and all the the benefits and all that. And we do so much research. We’re so thorough about it. And then we we we engage in the work, having done our homework, then we we we take the job or whatever it may be.
And the same applies here. We we get we we have to develop this this knowledge about all the capabilities and the qualities of the Jewels. And, again, we have to develop this conviction that the Jewels can then pay us the money that we have earned when we have done the work, when we have done the job well. And that and that’s how it works. Is that is that is that okay?
So And then that is for the positive qualities of the Buddha’s exalted activities. Again, by means of both the spontaneous and uninterrupted exalted activities of his body, speech, mind, he benefits all sentient beings. In fact, insofar as a trainee is fit for guidance, it is impossible for the Muni not to give that trainee what is excellent and pull him out of his degeneration. That is why it is stated that they certainly perform all the appropriate actions. And Geshe-la was saying again, they they will perform in in in in perfect accordance with the wishes or the capabilities, the the the presuppositions and inclinations of of the disciples, of the students.
They will act and the the the the body, the speech and mind of the Buddha, they are always manifesting for the sake solely of benefiting all sentient beings. The whole purpose of the body, speech, and mind of the Buddha, their job is to to benefit only to benefit sentient beings. And they so they’re going to benefit in a precise precise and best possible way according to the inclinations and the and the wishes of of the disciples, the trainees. And then, again, you should go through the text. And the next topic, again, supplement the supplementary points.
Gaining certainty regarding the conviction as the cause of going for refuge purely. And, again, we have this quote from Geshe Potowa. Geshe Potowa is saying, if you keep contemplating again and again, the firmer your conviction and the purer your mental continuum becomes, the more blessings will arise. Again, so by contemplating again and again, Geshe Potowa was saying, our our conviction will become firmer and clearer and the blessings will come and it means our our our mental continuum will become more and more pure. Our mental continue will become more and more pure.
As you gain certain knowledge in this regard, you will go for refuge from the bottom of your heart. And then if you merely train in the precepts, everything you do will become an an an instance of practicing the Buddha’s Dharma. In English, it’s talking about the next topic. Again, not gaining the conviction, not gaining conviction in in the in the refuge, in the Buddha’s exalted activities and so forth. Geshe-la was just saying that that’s making reference to most of us.
Oh, yeah. Again, we do not value the Buddha’s exalted knowledge even as much as that of a keen mo fortune teller. And again, so we we do not take refuge as much in in the Buddha as as we take in a fortune teller. Geshe-la was saying. Was in reading through the text.
Again, if a keen fortune teller tells you, I know there will be no bad luck for you this year, then you walk away happy and comfortable. If she says, this year, there will be great misfortune. Do this. Don’t do that. You will try hard to accomplish it.
And if you do not manage, you will think I did not accomplish what you told me to do, and your mind will be anxious. And then I I was just saying again, from his own life experiences, giving an example of what he has seen. Not what he has done himself. What he has seen, the people would then, who want to buy a house, and they go and and and they talk to another ordinary person and say, no. You throw you throw the mo.
Everybody knows what the mole is. They make a a dice divination. Yeah. They make a a a dice divination if if buying this house is going to turn out good or bad. And then and the person throws the throws the dice, throws the mo, and says, you know, the owner of this house or this this deal is not very good.
You have to do this ritual or that ritual. And then the person, having heard this, goes on, buys the house anyway, does not do the rituals, and later on meets with some unfortunate circumstances. And then then the person gets all worried and and and regretful because, oh, I haven’t I haven’t done the rituals that the fortune teller has told me to do, and that’s why those things are happening right now. I’m I’m meeting with obstacles and all that. So, again, we believe in the fortune teller instead of and we do not believe as much in the in the in the in what the in the Buddha’s teachings.
Again, if if the Buddha says, do this and that, accomplish this and that, do you take it on? If you do not accomplish it, does your mind become anxious? In Geshe-la, we do not we do not become concerned at all when we do not do the when we do not follow the instructions. Explain from the point of view of Dharma to say, due to place and time, that is inconvenient now. I must I must do this.
It’s to ignore the Buddha’s statements and proceed on the basis of your own understanding. If you turn the mind within and investigate this in detail rather than being unquestioningly happy and confused with respect with respect to the mere words, it will strike you as very true. So it’s exactly twenty minutes to nine, and so I’m following you with the instructions that I was given, and I beg you to to stick with it. We have more or less ten, fifteen minutes for questions. And and please be sure that whatever questions might remain unanswered, a Jampa Gendun is perfectly able to answer any one of your questions.
Okay? So don’t feel like you are missing out on anything. Okay? So that we can all go home happily, and we will feel like come coming back next Thursday instead of finishing up exhausted and not wanting ever to come back here. Okay?
Okay. Any questions, please? Throw it out. We had a question in discussion group about, you know, the Buddha can manifest in any form. Mhmm.
That is beneficial. And sometimes that can be that we do not really see that the moment that it happens that is beneficial, but maybe a long time after we can see that that was beneficial because we learned so much from these things. So then the question came, what about Hitler? You know? Could he be Hitler?
Could he be could he be a manifestation? Can can the Buddha manifest in ways that look very, very harmful to to to us at the moment, but might have Might have some some ultimate benefit. And not that I you know? No. Yeah.
Yeah. Look. I understand the question. I do understand the question. It’s just a it’s just an extreme example we are getting.
So Geshe-la is saying, we we ordinary beings, we have no way to know if such a person as Hitler is an emanation or not. There is no way we can tell if if he is or if he’s not. The the important thing, Geshe-la was in saying, for us to to think about and to understand is that we we we usually we we think, oh, I I don’t I do not see, you know, the Buddha’s exalted activities. I do not see the Buddha’s blessing. I do not see the the help that the Buddhas giving me.
We think like that. But we when we when we look at our lives and we see all that we have, our clothing, all the food that we eat, the the money, and the house that we have, and and the, you know, the text, the teachings, everything that we have. And and in truth, Geshe-la was saying, in actuality, all those things, all these good things that we we experience, they are all the Buddha’s enlightened activity. They are all the result, the direct result of virtue, and virtues are the Buddha’s enlightened activities. They are they come directly from the Buddha’s enlightened activities.
So all of all of this, we do not see as such. We do not see all these good things as such, but that’s what they are. We think instead. We think instead, you know, I have worked hard. I earned the money, and I bought this.
I got this house. I did it myself without anyone’s help. That’s how we think. But, fact, they are the result of virtue. They are the and as such, they are the result.
They are Buddha’s enlightened activity, exalted activity. Us give you another example. For example, when when it is very hot and we are experiencing we are we are feeling very, very hot, and we experience a pleasant breeze blowing by. Again, the and then we we have this pleasant experience, right, of of the breeze cooling us. Again, that too is the Buddha’s enlightened activity.
That that too is the Buddhist activity. So every happiness that we experience is a result of of is is a Buddha’s enlightened activity. Okay? So, again, every happens that we experience, again, is the Buddha’s enlightened activity. And every suffering that we experience, again, is a result of our ignorance, of our self self grasping and self and and the self-cherishing.
But we we don’t we ignore we completely ignore these these truths, these two truths. And then, again and and we go about our lives thinking, again, I did this. I accomplished that. I have accomplished that. I did it by myself and so forth.
And that’s how we go about our lives. So again, and then and this is why, Geshe-la was saying, this is why it is said repeatedly that we have to study. We have to study the teachings, and we have to study the teachings very hard. We have to study a lot. Because if we do not study, we do not know of the qualities and the capabilities of of of the jewels.
We do not know of the qualities and capabilities of refuge. We cannot we do not know how to take refuge. Cannot we cannot take refuge. And Geshe-la was saying again, when when we’re talking about all those happinesses being the Buddha’s enlightened activities, being the Buddha’s exalted activities. We’re not referring to that Buddha, the Buddha Śākyamūni, the one Buddha Śākyamūni that we the historical Buddha that we know of.
We’re talking about every being who is free of every fault and endowed of every quality, every being who has attained enlightenment, and and and those are truly limitless. There is a very vast number of of enlightened beings. And and and and it’s their enlightened activity that we are talking about here. Okay. Okay.
And, Geshe lah is saying, again, with with regards to the the Buddhas, all the Buddhas enlightened activities in relation to all sentient beings. If I wasn’t saying that the Buddhas and sentient beings have this causal relationship, of cause and result, one one cannot exist without the other. The Buddhas do not exist without sentient beings and vice versa. So and and there has been no time where there hasn’t been where where sentient beings have not existed, and and and and and so there have been no time where Buddhas have not existed also. Is that is that making sense?
Is that okay? Is that is that was that right? You were not paying attention. That’s okay. That’s okay.
That’s alright. You you spacing out? Say that again? No. Buddhists a cause.
They have this cause of relationship. I’m I’m not following. So Geshe-la is and and correct me if I’m wrong here, Jampa. Geshe-la was saying again, so this is causal relationship between sentient beings and Buddhas. Again, sentient beings being sort of the causes of Buddhas.
Geshe-la was saying and this is for each sentient being each sentient being is gonna work his or her own way up to to to Buddhahood. So Buddha Śākyamūni himself, he was being previously, and then he worked his way into Buddhahood. And in this way, each sentient being is going to is works its way towards Buddhahood. Is that what Gisha was saying? Yeah.
Did you hear that? So every every Buddha has a sentient being within their continuum. Is that is that making sense? Again, again, Geshe-la is saying again in in also in reference to ourselves, again, we are also working out our own enlightenment. We are also going to get enlightened because we are studying.
We are practicing. We are following the teachings, discarding what is to be discarded, adopting what is to be practicing, practicing what is to be practicing, so forth. So we are working out our own enlightenment. So each and every sentient being who who works out who who practices the path, again, they they they attain enlightenment. Everyone who practice the path attains enlightenment.
So, again, we are also doing so. And every sentient being can do so. This is why we have to study. This is why we have to study so hard. And this is why in the Mahāyāna path, have to practice, you know, contemplating mind of enlightenment, attaining aspire to attain enlightenment in order to benefit all beings, and this is our practice of bodhicitta.
This is why we we we have to study and understand the instructions. But we ourselves And Geshe-la is saying, but we remain without believing that the Buddhas are helping us, without seeing the help or the benefit of the Buddhas are providing us. Still every happiness that we experience is again an exalted activity of the Buddha, but still we remain ignorant of that fact. And I guess that was the same. But if we, again, continually and repeatedly study and study a lot very hard, Again, this engaging many different reasonings, all these things are going to become clear to us, and we will come to know them clearly in the long run.
Oh, yeah. Is that okay? Did that answer your question? Oh, yeah. Okay.