Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 100-minute session, Geshe Pema Tsering picks up at page 104 of the Lamrim text with a pointed claim: knowing karma intellectually counts for nothing without conscientiousness — actively watching body, speech, and mind. He draws on Kadampa sayings, including Dromtonpa’s warning that pride about understanding emptiness is misplaced, since dependent origination rests on a settled certainty about cause and effect. The commentary then shifts to purification: Geshe Pema argues that beginningless rebirths have left every practitioner carrying far more negativity than they suspect, comparing the duty to purify to a responsibility greater than any head of state. He walks through the four opponent powers — regret, six antidote practices (sūtra study, mantra, visualization, offerings), restraint, and reliance — and closes with the classical signs of successful purification. A Q&A covers vow restoration for monastic, bodhisattva, and tantric commitments.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 01 2009 01 29 BP.mp3
UUID: 1508d3a9-f920-44b7-a41d-271f2998e7dd
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Middle Lam Rim (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2009-01-29
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 100.4 minutes
Words: ~6,104
This aircon is not working. The aircon is not working. Is there another table? No. Today, we live.
We live in I I was asked to sit here. So so the Geshe was instructing us to give rise to good motivation and with the intention then of of accomplishing the enlightenment of all sentient beings, and we are going to listen to the teachings and study the teachings on the Lamrim and then practice accordingly so that we can accomplish this goal of the enlightenment of all beings. And then we start the preliminary prayers. In that same way, I also reflect on the profound meaning of the great mother Prajñāpāramitā and recite the profound words in daily recitation. May all diseases, poor possessions, bad conditions, all the negative conditions, that which happens to you throughout the immediate conditions, may all this be expelled, may be from nonexistent, may be So we we are on page one hundred and four and the topic is the uselessness of mere knowledge if if you do not think about actions and their results.
Geshe is going for the text saying again, therefore, you should generate certainty respect to the two types of karma. There is a a virtuous karma and non-virtuous karma, Geshe-la says. Their causes along with their results, which is to say again, from virtuous karma, the effects results that follow are happiness and higher higher migration, higher rebirths. And then from non virtuous actions, what follows is suffering and and lower rebirths, suffering migrations. Then so you should be, develop certainty with respect to the two types of karma, the causes along with their effects, and constantly at all times, day and night, cut yourself off from the bad migrations by means of examining the three gates, the the your your your actions of the three doors of body, speech, and mind.
To not be, proficient at first in the distinctions of cause and effect and to know just a little bit, but to still act carefree with regards to the with regards to the three gates only opens the gate to the bad migrations, only opens the door to the bad migrations. So, again, Geshe-la says, with regards to closing the gates, the the entranceway to the lower migrations. Because I was gonna say, the text is telling us to watch, the three doors of body, speech, and mind to watch over our actions. So for example, in the case of of our mind, we should be watching over our minds, thoughts, and see if we are generating any, either virtues, what what type of thoughts are we generating, virtues or non virtues. And again, by by, developing this awareness of the cause of our thoughts, we’ll be able then to to arrest non virtuous thoughts.
And in this way, by by acting this way, by stopping them, we are actually closing the doors to the gates to to the lower realms of existence. So if if I can give you a lesson with regards to the second half of that sentence, the paragraph, saying if if one starts, one’s, goes about one’s actions, one’s activities, the beginning of one’s Dharma studies or one’s Dharma practice, if one goes about one’s actions without having developed a proficiency, without having gained enough enough knowledge and certainty in one’s heart about, these distinctions of causes and effects, the causes and their effects, about the the the the the clear distinctions of of, you know, virtuous actions leading to, happy results, no virtuous actions leading to, suffering results and so forth. Without having developed a certainty about that, then one will not be, let’s say, one one will not be attentive enough, or careful enough. And the the right word is one will not be conscientious enough about one’s actions. One will not be able then with with conscientiousness to to avert non-virtuous actions and to propel to get the the virtuous actions going instead.
So one will, with just a little bit of of knowledge about these things, but it’s still not enough. One will will still act, and the word that I put here in the translation is carefree. One will act without conscientiousness. One will act carelessly with regards to the three gates. In this way in this way, one will accumulate negativities and which will lead one to a bad migration.
And, again, in order to illustrate that, we are given a quote from the sūtra requested by the Naga king Sagara, which says, again, the lord lord of Nagas, again, one dharma of the bodhisattvas cuts right through falling down and being born in bad migrations. And what is is the one dharma? It is this individual investigation regarding virtuous phenomena thinking, what am I doing? Am I straying away from them, from virtuous phenomena, abiding in them night and day? And then, again, this is then what is being said about being conscientious, being attentive, watching over one’s mind.
Watch over our thoughts, and we investigate. We see if what are the qualities of our thoughts. Are they virtues or are they non-virtues? So again, by investigating one’s mind, by watching over one’s mind, one will be able to to cultivate whatever virtuous thoughts are occurring. We’ll be able to support them and and and help them to keep going.
And on the other hand, if any non virtuous thoughts arise, one will be able to arrest them, to stop them. And in this way, one can avoid, the the future results of these non virtuous actions, and one can then, experience, the the future results of those virtuous actions. One can experience the happiness of of And again, Geshe lah is saying how very important it is that we watch over our minds, that we keep on investigating what are the qualities of our thoughts. And and, for example, if we are if we are cultivating the mind of enlightenment, if we are engaging in familiarization with the mind of enlightenment, we should be watching over our minds to see if we are straying away from that thought of the mind of enlightenment or not. And if we are straying away from it, we can stop whatever is distracting us, and then we go back to the to the our cultivation of the mind of enlightenment itself.
If we do not engage in such investigation, then we incur the danger always, and we are very likely to engage in in non virtuous thoughts, giving in to non virtuous thoughts and engaging negativities. And then we will very much likely experience the suffering results of those of those actions. So this then is one way that we can go about our actions of body, speech and mind. On the other hand, what we have is the general attitude that most people have of not caring about what thoughts are occurring in one’s mind and just going along with whatever is going on. In this way, we engage in activities whilst being motivated by various non virtuous thoughts.
And in this way, what what we generate is just negative karma, and we generate the causes for suffering in the future. And usually usually, that’s the way most people go about it. They just don’t care what’s going on. They don’t watch it. And because they are not carefully watching over one’s thoughts, they don’t have any idea of, about the quality of the thoughts that are occurring.
And in this way, they they we we end up generating many negativities, creating many negativities. So then it’s very important that we do watch over our our our thoughts, our motivations with before whilst engaging any activity any activity, whatever work or activity we are going to engage in, whatever it may be. And Geshe-la was gonna say, take for example our coming here for the sake of attending the teachings or listening to Dharma teachings. Again, if there are those people who just come here just how can I say that? For for their for for their own entertainment.
They come just sightseeing or or, you know, you know, just to to distract themselves. That’s that’s what they come with, to distract themselves. And then, again, if if you come here with with this motivation, if people come here with this motivation, then they are not really accomplishing any dharma. They’re not really engaging any spiritual activity. Or there are those people who come here what what did he say?
Oh, and then and then there are those who come here just because, you know, his or her friends are going or they are everybody’s going, so I’m going to I’m going as well. Again, is not the right motivation. Again, one is not creating any any proper Dharma. If one is coming to the teachings if one is coming to the Dharma center, then one should come with the the best possible motivation, that is to say, with the intention of accomplishing the cause of liberation and enlightenment. So that’s why it’s so important that we watch over our minds and our motivations, our intentions.
As for how to turn away from faulty conduct through such considerations, it is said in the chapter of the truth for monks. So and that this this this sūtra is then saying, oh, oh king, do not commit the act of killing. For every being, life is a great for every being, life is a great loss. Therefore, we all wish to keep it long. Even deep down, you should not consider killing and not even thinking about it.
And Geshe-la was just saying, and and that the same goes for all the same non virtues. Oh, yeah. And then, again, just reiterating, the same goes along for not not only for killing, but, again, for for taking what is not given, for engaging sexual misconduct, for lying, slander, divisive speech, gossip, and so forth. So, again, not only not only not actually engage in those actions, but not even think about them. So so like this, you should familiarize with relying on the mind of restraint a lot without your motivation, even moving towards misdeeds like the ten non virtues and the like.
So then, the next topic, again, the principle of action in accordance with statements of the former Kadampa Geshis. And then we have this quote then from Khamluwa said to Potowa, Geshe Dromtonpa thought that only action and the results are of vital importance. However, nowadays, explaining this, listening to it, and meditating on it are made to are made out to be worthless. Wonder, is this just because it is difficult to practice? And Potowa then says, yes.
It is just so. So I guess, and and it is the case it is really the case, isn’t it? I mean, contemplating actions and the results is something which is very difficult. We actually only want to think about our own desires and our own happiness. And, again, if, if we if we, meet with what we desire and if we are and we feel happy in this way, then we we are happy about it.
We become happy about it. And if we, have any suffering or any, pain, again, we are unhappy about it. That’s the only things that that that that we contemplate. We do not actually contemplate the causes of those of those events, but we do not contemplate actually contemplate virtues and non virtues as being the causes of those of those phenomena. And then we have then another quote, and the translation is not I don’t know.
I don’t like this translation. It’s saying, Dromtonpa said, followers of Jowo Atisha, arrogance is totally inappropriate or pride is totally inappropriate. Dependent origination is very subtle. And this and and Geshe is explaining, you you shouldn’t he’s he’s saying to those followers, you shouldn’t be proud you shouldn’t become proud and arrogant because you think that you you have this knowledge of emptiness and so forth. Because in actuality, the knowledge of emptiness is dependent on understanding dependent origination.
And dependent origination is dependent origination is an extremely subtle teaching. And in order to fully understand dependent origination, one has to gain a very strong certainty about actions and the results about the three types of actions of of virtuous actions, non virtuous actions, neutral actions. And if one does not have this conviction and certainty about it, one will not be able to fully realize or properly realize, depending on origination itself. So again, there was this warning. If if you get if if allow yourselves to become arrogant or proud in this regard, then, again, you will fall into the sway of your own whims, of your own desires, and you end up engaging in in misconduct and misdeeds and generating non virtues and so negativities and so forth.
And then I have another saying by Potowa who says, in my old in my old age, I am at last getting on with the sūtra of the wise and the foolish. So, again, the Sūtra of the wise and the foolish is is a Sūtra with an extensive explanation of of actions and the results. That’s what it is. And Geshe-la was just explaining one one expression of the Tibetan, which is which was properly translated. Just said, I’m I’m I’m finally at last, I am getting on with this teaching.
And we have again this final saying by Sharawa where Sharawa is saying the Buddha thought that whatever errors and faults come about, they should not be blamed on a bad circumstance or bad luck or whatever it may be. It is simply that because this action has been done, then this result is produced. So again, we should not blame other circumstances or people because of whatever hardships or difficulties one is meeting. One should come to develop a certainty that one has experienced the results, whatever one is experiencing is the result of actions that have been performed in the past, is the result of karma that has been accumulated in the past. And with this certainty, then there’s only there’s only about two there’s only two ways to go about two two constructive ways to go about it.
Either one purifies these results, these negativities by the means of confession with the four opponent powers, or one applies the ultimate antidote of contemplation on emptiness, realization of emptiness, which completely uproots all these negativities. But aside from this, there is no use in blaming or complaining or and and all that because that will only make one create more negativities. And, again, Geshe-la is then commenting again what one should do instead of blaming or complaining is that watch one should watch or gain having gained a certainty about actions and the results, about the results of virtuous actions being happiness and the result of non-virtuous actions being suffering, suffering. And what one has to do what is what is left for one to do is to avoid non virtuous actions and cultivate virtuous actions instead. And then one will experience happiness in the future.
So, again, Geshe was approaching the next topic, how to specifically, how to purify non virtues by means of the four powers. And Geshe-la was saying, usually, you know, many of us Geshe-la was saying, we we we have performed negativities since begin this time, since time immemorial. But but usually, even though that is a case, usually, what most of us think about is we look at our lives and we think, oh, I haven’t I haven’t done many negativities in this life. I haven’t killed anybody. I haven’t stolen anything, or I haven’t done anything serious.
I haven’t really done any of the non-virtues very much or anything like that. That’s how we think. And that’s and that’s very foolish, Geshe-la says. Geshe-la says, you know, we we are constantly overpowered by attachment and aversion. And in this way, we are generating so many negativities.
There is not there is not we are not able to count them. And and by just carelessly going on about our our lives in this way, whenever a negativity happens or or or something bad happens, we we start blaming it on others. We never actually look at ourselves, look for the fault in ourselves. Even even today alone from from morning until until until now, we have we have accumulated so many negativities. Mean, as soon as we start the day, we are thinking about food.
Out of attachment. We start thinking about food, and we eat with attachment, and we stay away from the sun, enjoying the shade or the air condition with attachment, indulging ourselves. In this way, we spend all our days going from attachment to aversion and aversion to attachment back and forth. And in this way, we create so many so many negativities every day. I’m saying again, we can we can we easily we have easily engaged in in this in the ten non-virtues, you know, even even killing itself, just merely going, walking about, we kill so many insects.
We engage in virtues of thought thought with covetousness and and ill will, and we engage in all sorts of non virtues of speech. So it’s it’s very easily we we engage in these non virtues by the force of of our motivations, of our distorted motivations. And then Geshe-la says, right now, we have we we we have this human human birth, this human body. And if even though it might it might be the case that we have not that we are not performing as many negative actions or as great as great negative actions in this life. As for rebirth, we have been taking rebirths since time immemorial again, since beginning this time.
And and there have been countless rebirths where we have been where we have been born. For example, as a being who eats flesh and who has to kill in order to keep on, living and who has killed many other sentient beings in that one lifetime alone in order to keep on living. We did accumulate many negativities. What is left for us to do in this present life is purify them and uproot them. Even purifying them by use of the four opponent powers, confession in the four opponent powers, is very difficult.
In this very life, this present life, we have difficulty purifying them. Yeah. How much more so in the future lives? If we don’t do it now, how much more so it will be in the in the future? And and and and as for completely uprooting them by realizing emptiness, it is that’s even more difficult than purifying through confession and the four opponent powers.
So, Geshe-la is saying, so we we must engage in the purification of those negativities because we we have performed many negativities and we have performed many great, very serious negativities in the past. So we must purify them. The reason that we must do it now is because now we have this present human life. A life where we have met with the teachings and we have gained knowledge and awareness of of these facts, of the facts and negativities will will produce great suffering results in the future and and virtues will produce great happy happy results in the future. So with this knowledge at hand, it’s it’s sort of our duty our duty and our obligation to purify, to do our best.
So we have to purify them. We have to apply, practice confession and apply, by applying the four powers of practice or confession. And we do our best to to purify all of them, to acknowledge all of these negativities and purify all of them. So we we do have a a a great responsibility. And so and and Geshe-la is illustrating to us.
So generally speaking, we think, oh, those politicians in Canberra, they have a great responsibility in their hands. Know? All their decisions affect so many people, affects affect the whole country, all the people in the country. So their actions bear immense responsibility. That’s how we think.
And our actions in relationship to them, we think, oh, we have very little responsibility. We have you know, our actions are very small and very insignificant compared compared their actions. But when you contemplate the fact that you have we are here to purify these negativities that we have created since time immemorial, since beginning this time, all these negatives, then from from from that perspective, the actions of those politicians become very significant, and our actions become extremely important. Our our duty, our responsibility becomes extremely great in this in this regard with this this point of view. So so we have a big job in our hands.
And and and let alone that we are Mahāyāna aspirants of the Mahāyāna path, of the Mahāyāna goal of enlightenment for the sake of enlightening all sentient beings. So we our task, our job, our responsibility is greater even than than the prime minister or or the president of the United States or anyone you can imagine, all of them put together. This one. So, again, Geshe-la was gonna say, our main job then, the actual manifestation of this responsibility of this task is then it is very hard. It is.
It is then to from one hand, we have to purify all of these negativities that we have already performed in the past through confession, through purification, through for opponent powers and so forth. And on the other hand, we have to keep watch and stop any new negativity from developing. That’s our main task. So, specifically, how to purify non-virtues by means of the four powers. In Tibetan, Tibetan, we have only the first topic.
I will go straight. So the first topic, how negativities and downfalls need to be purified by various means in accordance with the statements of the teacher Buddha. Goes, if despite your effort not to be tainted by such faulty conduct, some fault occurs under the influence of non conscientiousness or the multitude of mental afflictions and so forth, it is inappropriate to let the matter rest without giving it any consideration. It is therefore necessary to make an effort at the means for redressing redressing it taught by the compassionate teacher. So in the next topic, then how to redress downfalls.
And then downfalls are are those faults that pertain to breaking a vows to not, properly guarding and keeping a vows and then allowing you to break to deteriorate in any way. So more specifically, regards to addressing downfalls, this should be done as explained according to the three individual types of vows. There which are the vows of individual liberation, the vows of Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva vows, and the tantric samayas. For to briefly speaking, I said, so as for the vows of individual liberation, which are the vows monastic vows and lay vows also. So one purifies if if these vows are broken, then one purifies and restores those vows by means of sojong or retaking the vows and restoring the vows.
I understood that breaking really break oh, no. You break the root vows. That is what and you can’t restore that with this. There are certain things that you cannot restore and certain things that you can restore like that. In in the with regards to the monastic vows, you mean?
Yeah. If you commit certain actions, you cannot restore the vows. You have just lost the vows for your life. So, yeah, the the the four the four root vows. And if a a monastic person who has taken these four root vows breaks these vows, then, yes, it cannot be restored, cannot be retaken or anything like that.
Only with regards to the other vows that they can be restored and retaken. But I will I will I will ask you not to not to keep on going in this in this in this line because laypeople are not not allowed to hear anything above an eye. I’m just trying to clarify if you’re talking about breaking Yeah. They all the transgressions No. We’re talking about downfalls.
So so but if it is a root downfall, like you said, then they cannot be restored or retaken. But with regards to the other other vows, which are not the root ones, one can restore and and and and yeah. So Geshe is saying, and then this is the with regards to this four root vows. Right? This is the the the stance of all the lower schools of of tenets, the Sautrāntika, the Great Exposition, and Mind Only.
And they assert that these vows cannot be if if one breaks these vows, these forward vows, they cannot be restored or retaken in any way. Now the the the middle way consequentialist, they assert that, yes, they can still be purified by the realization of emptiness. By realizing emptiness, one can purify every negativity. So so as as Geshe-la has explained, so again, the those you are right to think that the the the vows, the negativity, those negativities or those results, the suffering results that follow from those actions, they can all be completely purified by that Yeah. Or they can even be purified by the four opponent powers.
But still, that person who was a fully ordained monk or nun cannot ever again be said to be a pure keeper of morality as a as a a fully ordained monk or nun and cannot even retake the vows again. But but can purify all the negative The whole lot. Cannot be taken. Yeah. Technically, that’s that’s how the way it goes.
And then and then for the the bodhisattva vows, again, one can retake those vows again for the little ritual of taking the bodhisattva vows and then by practicing, by performing offerings and so forth. And again, as for the tantric vows and samayas, the tantric commitment, if one, transgresses the samayas, one can, purify them by, reciting, the by the practicing the Vajrasattva, reciting the Vajrasattva mantra or the Samaya vajra mantra, and then practicing engaging these practices of of purification of of Vajrasattva and Samaya vajra in this way. And this one? Just one. So the Void Sattva vows and the tantric vows, there are those those rituals, one that we know of, one can always retake them.
As for the tantric vows themselves, there are rituals, practices where one can retake them. One can restore them with vajra sats and so forth. One can retake them by particular practices. Or one can, by attending empowerments from vajra masters and so forth, one can retake them. So every empowerment that one is taking, if one wants, can be a retaking of all those vows also.
So, again, Geshe-la was saying, again, the vows, if if they transgress or deteriorate, and one can still one can take can retake them for the little ritual, for the little Bodhisattva vow ritual. The the tantric commitments, again, one can one can always retake them. Just the the vows of individual liberation, one cannot just retake them any way one’s like or in someone’s like. One has to perform the proper rituals with the proper people the proper authorities involved. So, Geshe, goes to the next topic again, how to redress negativities and the power for by the four opponent powers, which are the power of remorse, thorough application of antidotes, preventing faults in the future, and the power of support.
So as for the power of of remorse, redressing negativity should be done by means of the four powers. Among them, the first power is the power of remorse, which is much which is to give rise to much regret for the non virtuous deeds one has done since beginning this time. And and, again, Geshe was going back, the the the text is saying the first power, the power of regret, again, is to develop regret for the non virtuous deed that one has performed since beginning this time. So first of all, one has to have this understanding that one has performed negativity since beginning this time. Then for this regret to arise, it is also necessary to contemplate how the three types of effects: the fully ripened result, the result that is concordant with the cause, and the governing result, how all of them are produced, following from their from their causes.
So it’s important to contemplate that in order to, be able to give rise to a genuine authentic regret? And then for in the case of killing, for example, the fully ripened result of killing is rebirth in the lower realms of existence, the hell realms, in the realms, or in the in the animal realm of existence depending on the intensity or or the gravity of of one’s action. Then the the result that is concordant with the cause is that one in one’s next life, when one is, again, reborn as a human, one will be inclined, one will be have the tendency to perform the act of killing. And, again, as for the governing result, one will be born in an environment with many causes of for short life for a short life, many dangers and so forth. And then again as for as for the same and the same goes for virtuous actions.
If one engages in the virtuous deed of of preserving life as opposed to killing, then again, one experiences the same tie three types of results. One will be born in the happy realms of existence as a ripening result. As the result which is concordant with the cause, one will be inclined to preserve life and to cultivate life in the next. And and the governing result is that one will be born in a in a very favorable environment where one will have very great ease at accomplishing one’s goals and purpose and desires and so forth and long life and so forth. So that’s that’s why it’s also that’s also why it is important to contemplate actions and the results.
And then, again, when applying this power, you should do it through the confession in the sacred golden light sūtra and the confession by means of the thirty five Buddhas. So, again, we have these different texts or sutras where we can which we utilize in order to practice this purification, the golden light sūtra and the thirty five buddhas. The presence of the thirty five buddhas. Then we have in the next topic the power of thorough application of antidotes. And these are six.
So then First, based on the profound sets of sutras. Second,, the aspiration for emptiness. Third, based on recitation. Recitation. Fourth, based on images. Five, based on making offerings.
And then six, based on the holy names. So, Geshe-la briefly explains again. So then based on the profound sutras, again, there’s recitation, the recitation, the study, and the contemplation of the sutras and their meaning. Based on the aspiration for emptiness, again, it’s really developing aspiration, faith and aspiration in emptiness. What does she say?
This one. This one. On recitation, again, recitation of of mantras. Images, again, contemplating holy statues and thankas and visualizations and so forth of the holy bodies of the Buddhas, making offerings, and the different names of the Buddhas of the one can recite them to. And then, again, for as for the first one based on the profound sets of sutras, this first one is to absorb the words of the sutras like the Perfection of Wisdom sutras.
Retain them, read them, and so forth. So Geshe-la was saying, this first one is easy. Right? Now the second one is a bit more more difficult, which is then the second one is to engage in the this the second one is to develop a conviction with regards to the selflessness of phenomena, with regards to the clear light, and be certain with regards to primordial purity for the the primordial purity of phenomena as as empty as emptiness and clear light. So the second one based on recitation, this has two parts.
First of all, they need to make an effort at recitation until signs appear that the negativities have been purified. So the third one is the recitation of special dharanis or Sorry. Special what? Special mantras, like the hundred syllable mantra according to the respective to its respective rituals. So again, one makes effort at those rituals with those recitations of those mantras in order to purify and restore one’s transgressions and and so forth.
So Geshe-la was reading through those those those verses, and this is a request by Subbahu, which says, As the flames of forest fires in spring, uncontained, burn all the under bush, discipline’s wind, the wind of discipline, fans fires of recitation, burning negatives of the flames of great joyous effort. As the sun strikes snow with rays of light, which overwhelmed does not with withstand its brilliance. When disciplines, sun, and rays of recitation strike the snow of negativities, it wastes away. As bringing out a burial lamp in darkness dispels the darkness so there’s nothing left. The darkness of negativity is collected in a thousand thousand lives.
It’s quickly dispelled by the lamp of recitation. So again, the whole point being that one has to by taking into account all the negatives that one has performed since time immemorial, one engages with, engages in the recitation for the for the for the purpose, for the sake of purifying all those negativities until one, gains signs that the purification is is being successful. As for the signs, then in the exhortation, the signs are said to be dreaming, dreaming of vomiting bad food, drinking and vomiting things like yogurt or milk, seeing the sun and the moon, traveling in the sky, burning fire, vanquishing buffaloes and black people, seeing a Sangha of fully ordained monks and nuns, climbing a tree from which milk emerges, an elephant, a bow, a mountain, a lion’s throne, or a fine house, and hearing the dharma. Those are all signs of purification. So Now what?
Mhmm. To stop you today. What is the day today? Twenty nine. Twenty nine.
Twenty nine. Mhmm. So now if you have forgot to ask any questions. Yes? Why is it?
I was in the force. The power of remorse. So, yeah, anybody can can utilize this sūtra because it is a sūtra, so ever anybody is allowed to utilize it for that purpose. But the main thing is that whatever it is that one does, one does until one experiences the signs of purification. So once once one to engage in purification by means of reciting this a sūtra or the thirty five Buddhas or a mantra or whatever whatever it is that one has chosen, one one does that then until one experiences signs.
If you you can you can recite many mantras if you want until you experience signs for the sake of purification. And most important thing, aside from the virtuous activity that one is choosing to engage in order to purify, the foundation that guarantees the success of one’s purification practice is the regret and the determination not to engage in negativity again. Those are the two main points. So all these all these these things, the sojong, the thirty-five Buddhas, the golden light sūtra, mantra recitation or whatever is that you’re you’re doing, all of these, they are they are of the four opponent powers. They are what is called the application of the antidotes.
And and the the purification for the four opponent powers is only meaningful and only effective if you have the two main most important powers included in it, is the remorse, the the regret, and the determination not to engage in the negative again. The the this application of the antidotes, what is called the the power of the application of the antidotes, there are many different things that can be used as as application of antidotes. Any virtues any virtue virtues action can be used, utilized as such. Okay. Okay.
Yeah. This one? Is that okay? Yeah. I don’t know why she’s out.
So then we make the dedications.