Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The question of whether we truly govern our own lives anchors this nearly two-hour Lamrim commentary by Geshe Pema Tsering. He begins by clarifying who is actually bound in saṃsāra — beings propelled by karma and afflictions, not advanced practitioners who take rebirth by choice — then explains why the Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths with suffering first: without genuinely feeling the weight of cyclic existence, no practitioner will ever investigate its causes. Working through the four attributes of true sufferings, Geshe-la dwells on the misery attribute — the absence of real self-governance — illustrating it with his own life: forced from his Lhasa monastery, relocated to India, arriving in Australia without ever planning to. Karma, not preference, determined everything. The session closes with Q&A on confession, Vajrasattva purification, and merit dedication.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 04 2009 02 19 BP.mp3
UUID: 93d073d9-eced-41c1-a498-58854918d7f6
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Middle Lam Rim (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2009-02-19
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 118.1 minutes
Words: ~7,393
It’s already recording, jump on. It’s all set up. So the intention is, let us give rise to good motivation and with intention then of for the sake of benefiting all sentient beings and, again, in establishing the mind of Enlightenment. And I myself will attain Buddhahood. In order to accomplish that, we’re to study we’re going to study and we’re to practice accordingly so that we can accomplish this goal for the sake of all living beings.
So, again, we we went to learn. We went to and then having having learned, having gained this knowledge, then we’re going to practice it. And in this way, we’ll give rise to good motivation. You want to would you like to turn on the air con or or leave it off? Off?
It’s up to you guys. It’s up to it’s a democracy. Yeah? And in this way, we start with the Heart Sūtra. Okay?
Let’s let’s do that here one time. Then we move on to the dispelling of hindrances. I and all surrounding sentient beings go for refuge to Buddha, go for refuge to the Dharma, go for refuge to the Sangha. We prostrate to the great Maha Prajñāpāramitā surrounded by all the children by the assemblage of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions. By depending on my prostrations to all of you, may these words of truth be actualized.
In the past, there were King Indra dispelled the maras by reflecting on the profound meaning of the wisdom gone beyond and reciting the profound words in daily recitation. In that same way, I also reflect on the profound meaning of the great Maha Prajñāpāramitā and recite the profound words in daily recitation. May all diseases, spirit possessions, bad conditions, all the negative portents, that which happens due to past karma and immediate conditions, may all these be dispelled, may become nonexistent, may be pacified. So, again, we go back to the beginning of this section, intermediate scope, page a hundred and eleven, right on the top first, liberation is freedom from bondage. Specifically, there are two things binding one in cyclic existence, karma and the afflictive and afflictions.
That’s where we stopped last last Thursday. Then Geshe-la goes on through the power of these two in karma and in the afflictions, from the point of view of realms realms of existence, there are three realms. Those of the desire form or formless. Then when divided by way of migrating beings, there are five or six. And so six, if you include those demigods or so called demigods, such as gods, etcetera.
In in terms of birth sources, there are four. And there’s the birth through the womb, and then there’s three others is Egg. Womb, egg, spontaneous, and oh, spontaneous and miracles. Okay. Spontaneous.
So warm warm, egg, spontaneous, and miraculous types of birth. This joining with such aggregates is the entire the entity of bondage. Therefore, freedom from them is liberation. Okay? Just explaining that in the beginning here we have been told that, again, there are two things that binds us to cyclic existence, karma and afflictive emotions.
Then being birth within the three realms of existence, which is the desire realm, the form realm, the formless realms propelled by actions and afflictive emotions and conceptions is what Geshe-la refers to. This is what exactly existence is what saṃsāra is. Now there are is Geshe-la was just saying but there are beings, there are ārya beings bodhisattva aryas and arhats and so forth who are born in these realms of existence. They are born in the desire realm, the form realm and the formless realms but they are born there by their own power, by their own will and intention. So as as the text is saying, the text was saying that being, when divided by way of migrating beings no.
Sorry. From the point of view of of realms, there are the three realms, those of desire, form, and formless. And so understanding cyclic existence of saṃsāra to be merely birth in such realms, realms, there is a danger that we might confuse these areas also, how to say, bound in in bondage in cyclic existence, and and that is not the case. So it is birthed in these rounds that is propelled by actions, contaminated actions and afflictive emotions and conceptions. That’s what a cyclic existence is.
Whilst these other are beings, are born there according to their own will. And again again, Geshe-la, and then we have this division in term by way of migrating beings. We have, you know, gods, humans, animals, and so forth. And again, there are those beings who are born as as such migrating beings according to their own will, to their own power, and there are those beings who are born there without not not of their own accord, but propelled by contaminated actions of feelings and conceptions. And only this letter is what amounts to, a samsaric being or a being of saṃsāra.
Whereas these other beings are not bound to cyclic existence. So, again, there is the again, just dispelling this danger. This, Geshe-la is just dispelling this danger that we might confuse the fact that some someone is born as a hell being and so forth as meaning that that being is bound to saṃsāra, and it’s not the case. Okay? And again birth in in as such migrating beings as hell being and so forth is propelled by negative karma negative actions propelling actions and so forth propelling karma and so forth.
And so, these three lower realms of existence, suffering realms of existence, miserable migrations of hell beings, pretas, and animals. Again, the the main causes are this birth and their birth as such is is caused mainly by this negative karmas caused by this negative actions. Also, three higher realms of existence, the three happy the three happy migrations again, the causes of being born as gods and so forth is is mainly virtue and there is as humans, there is a certain a certain mixed karma, but it’s it’s mainly virtuous actions. And, Geshe-la, just explain as to in terms of the the propelling karma is that a good translation? Propelling karma?
Propelling actions? In terms of of propelling karma, you know, the pro the the the propelling karma of birth in the form forms of existence is the an unwavering no. Un unwavering karma. Unwavering. It’s unwavering, unmoving, unmoving, unmoving, actions, unmoving, unmoving karma, which amounts to śamatha, what we would call calm abiding, having attained calm abiding especially at its peak.
This then is what propels one to be born in the form and formless realms of existence. So, again, Geshe is explaining in terms of of birth in, birth in the form and formless realms of existence. Again, the the karma that propels one that causes one to be born in such realms is a virtuous karma of of these virtuous or of the virtuous actions there are. We’re talking specifically about, you know, the attainment of calm abiding, the attainment of calm abiding and special insight, and and and and the completing the completing karma the completing karma also is is virtue. Also, it has to be this this completing karma is also virtue and has to be such because these gods, they only experience happiness.
They do not experience any suffering. So the completing karma also has to be virtue. It’s understood to be virtue this way. So again we see all this birth birth in the different as as a different migrators, in the different, migrations is propelled by karma. We see all different types of karma.
And even in the in the high rounds, which is birth in the high rounds, which is propelled propelled by, virtuous karma where even there we see different types of virtuous karma versus action. Again, in the in the form and formless realms of existence, need a specific action, we need specific karma of the attainment of calm abiding and special insight. This combination this mind which is a unique calm abiding special insight and even then we need in the form realms you need to have the near attainment of the form realm — is that the preparation stage?. We need yes. Yes.
We need the the preparation, that pertains to the form realms, that one is striving to attain. And in the formless realm, again, one needs the preparation that pertains to the formless realm that one is intending to achieve or attain. So even then, we have so many different many different karmas and even many different virtuous karmas. So when we so when we’re talking about the karma and afflictive emotions, karma and the afflictions. So again, we’ve seen that karma or actions are all we saw all these varieties of actions of karma.
And as for the afflictive emotions and basically, we have we have many divisions of of afflictive emotions and and the six root affliction and so forth. But the main thing, the main one is, ignorance. That, ignorance which is, obscured with regards to the nature, to the way of of existence of phenomena, to the nature of phenomena. And out of that ignorance, one engages in all sorts of actions or activities, that’s that will then create this karma, create propel one to this different, real realms of existence or these different migrations or births. So again, Geshe-la says, know, we have as as for the causes, what propels us into cyclic existence, what causes us to be bound to cyclic existence is actions contaminated actions and the afflictions.
And we see, again, of the afflictions, you know, the main of of these two amongst these two actions and afflictions, the main thing that causes us is ignorance. It’s all it all it all comes down to ignorance. Again, ignorance is that this being obscured with regards to the nature of phenomena, the way of abiding, the way of existence of phenomena. And, again, that is perceiving, conceiving of phenomena of being existing the way it appears to exist or being inherently existing. And and then when one finally understands the way the phenomena exist, the phenomena do not exist the way they appear, the phenomena not inherently exist, one has then arrested this root cause of cyclic existence.
One has arrested ignorance. One has overcome ignorance in this way. And then one stops the whole cycle in this way. So, Geshe-la, and this is what Geshe-la said just before. Geshe-la was saying, one, we out of ignorance, we engage in actions, and and we and we and we have to experience the results of those actions. So, again, of the actions and the afflictions, again, the main, the root cause, the main affliction there, the main the root of all of all, afflictions is ignorance.
Again, out of that ignorance, we engage in actions. We have so the main cause, we engage in action. We have to experience these actions. So this this and Geshe-la was saying, the main cause of this whole cycle is this wrong mind, which is ignorance. It’s this distorted mind, which is ignorance.
So out of that distorted mind, of that wrong mind, we engage we engage in actions. And and so if we engage in negative actions, then, of course, the result is going to be suffering. Obviously, the result is going to be suffering. But even when we engage in virtuous actions, because it had this wrong distorted mind as a motivation, as as it’s on in its foundation, then, foundation, then, again, even the even the virtuous actions will not give us lasting happiness, reliable happiness. They will not give us real happiness.
And then again, so again goes again through the divisions. Right? So, we have then in terms of the birth sources. So, again, we have the womb, the womb of the mother. We have the egg, and then we have, you know, what is a very traditional, way of referring to it birth through moisture, and then we have the the miraculous or spontaneous births.
Me. So again, in in terms of these sources of birth, again, we have us humans, again, all of us here, we were born from the womb of the mother, but we we have we have, we hear in in, you know, in the legends and and and tales and stories and historical texts and so forth. We hear of kings that have been born from what is what is usually translated as moisture. What is usually understood as moisture and also from eggs. humans have been born from eggs.
And and also we have those miraculous births, the spontaneous births of humans that are born in this way also. So we have then the three rounds, the six migrations, and and the four birth sources. So again, being born by the power of actions and afflictive emotions in any of these places or by any of these ways, that’s what amounts to saṃsāra to cyclic existence. So in English, I’m analyzing the next cent the last sentence of that paragraphs, and the joining with such aggregates is the entity of bondage. So, again, again, making reference to the six migrations, the six types of being.
Again, the the aggregates of of each of those six types of beings, what’s that that was that arose because of contaminated actions and afflictions is what is referred to as bondage. And, again, therefore, freedom from those aggregates is freedom. And Geshe-la moves on again, the mind striving for liberation, the desire to attain that liberation is the mind striving for liberation. So, again, Geshe-la just said the same thing in a different way. Again, striving for liberation from that, from that bondage is the mind that strives for liberation.
This is something that we all need to know, need to understand. So in English, in order to attain liberation, we need to realize emptiness. We need to realize the meaning of emptiness. What emptiness emptiness is and so again ignorance which is this of this not knowing the way of existence of phenomena which is a mind that conceives of phenomena as existing the way that appears to exist as having true existence or having existence from its own side or inherent existence. Again, if one realizes this wisdom, if one develops this wisdom that realizes emptiness, then one is realizing so that phenomena do not have an existence from their own side.
So the mind of ignorance sees phenomena as existing from their own side or as having inherent existence. And the the mind of wisdom to realize emptiness understands that phenomena do not have an existence from their own side, do not exist inherently. So, I guess, I wasn’t just saying, in order to rid ourselves of ignorance, we need something which is directly opposite to it and and this mind, this wisdom that realizes emptiness is, that mind which is direct opposite to ignorance. So one realizes true existence, conceives of true existence and and one realizes the lack of true existence. So they are they are directly opposite to each other.
And so that’s that’s how wisdom, the wisdom to realize emptiness can can get rid of the mind of ignorance. Okay? Moves on. So, again, the methods for generating the mind striving for liberation. There’s two parts.
There’s transition, what is referred to as the transition. And the the actual methods. So as for the what is referred to as the transition. Because I was going for the text just as the development of the desire to obtain the pacification of the suffering of thirst, for instance, depends on seeing the torment due to thirst as undesirable. Likewise, the development of the desire to attain the liberation, there is the thorough pacification of the suffering of the appropriated aggregates, also depends on seeing the short come the shortcomings of of the appropriated aggregates of having the nature of suffering.
Therefore, if having meditated on the shortcomings of existence, the mind that desires to reject them does not arise. The desire to attain the pacification of suffering will not arise either. Okay? And, again, I was just saying, is very easy to understand. Again, the main point being that we have to gain an understanding of the shortcomings of cyclic existence.
Again, without without this understanding of the shortcomings of cyclic existence, one will not develop ever the mind that wishes to strive to be free from it, from saṃsāra. Again, in the same and shall I just say, again, it’s very easy to understand, but, again, in the same way that when we are thirsty, again, we have this wish to be free from that suffering suffering of thirst. So and, again, by knowing that suffering of thirst, we we we can strive to be free from that. In the same vein, again, by knowing the suffering of cyclic existence, we can strive. We can develop the wish to strive to be free from that without that knowledge without that knowledge, without this understanding of the sufferings of shortcomings of cyclic existence.
We won’t be able to work properly to attain this this this welfare, this well-being of liberation. So again, this this contaminated aggregates that arose from contaminated actions and the afflictive emotion conceptions, they are there’s nothing not a fraction of it which is beyond suffering. There’s this it’s all a hundred percent in the nature of suffering. There’s nothing but suffering coming out of this aggregate. So without without developing and understanding understanding that these aggregates, these phenomena, these aggregates, are propelled by contaminated actions and affliction and the afflictions, we’re developing this understanding that they are all in the nature of suffering, that there is none of it whatsoever, which is beyond suffering, then we won’t be able to develop that mind, which is to be free from it, which is to be free from this aggregates and from the causes of this aggregates, the actions, contaminated actions, and and the afflictions.
And then going through the verse, the four hundred stanzas from the four hundred stanzas, one who is not disenchanted here, how could that person have respect for peace, for peace? How did how could the person have respect for peace? That indicating, again, that if one is not disenchanted with, with these, with these contaminated aggregates, if one does not have an understanding that, again, this contaminated aggregates prepared by actions and afflictive emotions is is, in the nature of suffering, and there’s nothing of it beyond suffering. Again, if one does not have this understanding, one will not have the the wish then the desire then to be free, completely free from this aggregate. And and, again, one will not be able then to attain freedom, to attain peace, the peace of liberation.
And one has to understand that the causes of these contaminated aggregates again are the actions and the afflictive emotion conceptions. Those are the main causes. Again, due to this contaminated actions and afflictive emotion conceptions, the aggregates come into being. They arise. And, again, there’s nothing I have to understand there’s nothing about it whatsoever that is free from suffering.
And every suffering that we experience today, tomorrow, after tomorrow, and so on, arises independence of on this contaminated aggregation. Again, we’re not talking about the form, the physical body. We’re talking about the mind, the physical body and mind, and the whole of it is is what is understood as the contaminated aggregates and all of our suffering, dissatisfaction, happiness arise dependence on it. So, Geshe-la is saying, so again we we are seeing that this this contaminated aggregates, there there is they are they are filled with faults and shortcomings, and they have no no good qualities whatsoever. Now is that to say say that we do not benefit at all from having acquired this contaminated aggregates?
And and it is not the case. in dependence on this, we can also we cannot we attain liberation. We can attain enlightenment. We can engage in the path and accumulation of virtue and so forth. And this is this is a very, obviously, it’s a very heavy topic because from one side, we have been told that, again, this contaminated aggregates, there’s no nothing nothing good about them.
It’s only if they only have fault and shortcomings. On from on the other hand, we are told that, again, it is if we do not use make proper use of them, we will not attain any lasting happiness. So we have to use them properly. Have to practice. We have to engage in study and analytical meditation in order to correct all the wrong minds that we have that give rise to suffering and to wrong motivation and so forth.
And we have to study. We have to work hard in order to accomplish lasting happiness. If we don’t use this contaminated aggregation, we don’t properly if we don’t use them properly, we don’t attain any real happiness, any lasting happiness. So, again, we have to understand we have to understand that, you know, the nature of suffering, that these phenomena are all in the nature of suffering. Sansara is all in the nature of suffering.
We have to understand that there is a way out, and we have to understand we have to learn what is the way out. You know, there is there is there is a method for attaining that, and then we have to engage in it. We have to engage. We have to study. We have to practice, meditate, and so forth so that we can so that we can accomplish that.
So, again, let me just repeat. So we have to understand that these contaminated aggregates are in the nature of suffering. We have to understand that there is a way to attain freedom from these contaminated aggregates. We have to understand what is the method that we we utilize to attain this freedom and that and the from all the methods, the main means of attaining freedom is realizing the view of emptiness, which then eradicates suffering from the root. So, again, we have to understand the faults and shortcomings of cyclic existence.
We do not if we do not understand, then we won’t be able to develop that intention to be free from it. That strives that wants to strive to be free from it. Then again, we have the actual methods of developing, giving rise to this mind that wants to strive for it, and we have two two ways to go about it. First of all, thinking about the shortcomings of cyclic existence, the true sufferings is the first one. And secondly, thinking about the stages of entering cyclic existence, the origins.
True origins. Right? This one. So as for the first one of those, think about the shortcomings of cyclic existence and the true sufferings and what are the true sufferings? The true sufferings aggregates are these contaminated aggregates themselves they amount to true sufferings And again, as for true sufferings, Geshe-la was going to say there are these four divisions of of true sufferings?
Right? The four characteristics. What’s the best way to translate that? Of true sufferings. And, again, they are impermanent.
So they are it’s it’s the impermanence. There’s four qualities impermanence, suffering, empty, and no self. And then we have the second the second topic is is the true origins. And, again, the true origins are the the origins of suffering, the causes of suffering. So we have, again, we have four four qualities, four aspects.
So we have the forceful arrival. So we have we have cause, the cause, the origin, the condition, and forceful arising for forceful arise. Okay. Again, so the cause, the origin, the condition, and the strong production or forceful arise or loss. Forceful production strong production.
That’s loss. So then cool. So first, we So the first one of those, thinking about the shortcomings of cyclic existence, which are the true sufferings, has two parts. First of all, indicating what is the intention indicating the intention of stating true sufferings as a first of the four truths, of the four noble truths. And then secondly, the actual meditation on suffering.
So we have, as for the first one of those topics, indicated the intention of stating true sufferings as the first of the four truths. Again, it has, again, two parts. First of all, the doubt that might arise from that, and then the reply to that doubt. So, again, the objection, the doubt might might arise. It it say we says that we hear we see here in the text, if if origins, the true origins, which are the cause, are earlier, come before and the sufferings later since origins are causes and true sufferings are their effect.
Why is it that the Bhagavan taught monks: this is suffering, the truth of an Ārya. This is the origin, the truth of an Ārya. So why did he teach first true sufferings and then the origins of suffering?
If you think in terms of cause and effect, you know, he should he should have thought first the causes and then the effect. If this objection comes to mind, if this doubt comes to mind, then we have a reply to that. And then so the reply, then we have first a summarized indication of the reply and then an extensive explanation of the reply to that objection. So first, we are told that there is no fault in that since the fact that the teacher, the Buddha, stated cause and effect in reverse order has great cause significance for practice. So then as for the extensive explanation, we have, again, three parts to it.
The first of all, the need to teach true sufferings or sensations and paths one after the other in accordance with the scriptures. If you go on to ask how so, it is like this. If the unerring wish for liberation from cyclic existence is not initially generated in the disciple himself or herself, how should he or she be guided to liberation while lacking its root? In fact, initially, disciples are shrouded by the darkness of ignorance and deceived by the misconception that apprehends the suffering and faults of cyclic existence as happiness. So, again, if I was just summarizing this again again, if from the very beginning one does not have an understanding of the suffering of cyclic existence and do not has not developed this uncontrived mind that strives to attain liberation from it, then again, one cannot engage in the path itself.
One cannot attain develop the path. We cannot attain liberation. So again, without so first one has to realize the sufferings of cyclic existence then one has to one will develop then a mind and intention to be free from cyclic existence, strive to be free. In striving for freedom then one will look for to see when we start examining, investigating if there is a way to be free, you know, if there are what are the causes of suffering and so forth. Then we’ll learn of the cause of cyclic existence, of the suffering, which are the contaminated actions and the afflictive emotion conceptions.
And in this way, one will then learn the true origins the true origins of suffering. The second noble truth. So and then, again, when investigating, having having understood the cause of suffering, the true origins, and, again, when we investigate if there is a way to be free from them, then understand that there is there is freedom from suffering. And then when we then start investigating what is the way, what is the path that leads to that freedom from the true origins from suffering. And then we’ll understand when we realize the main path, the main means, which is then the path itself.
And because of that, then again, we have the Buddha expounding, teaching the Four Noble Truths in this order true sufferings, true origins of sufferings, true cessation, and true paths. Okay? So again, without emphasizing the importance, again, of realizing the the the sufferings of cyclic existence, without understanding the sufferings of saṃsāra, we will not have the wish, the mind that strives to be free from it. And we ourselves, we do not have this understanding. We do not fully see the suffering cyclic existence.
And that’s why we do not have this strong or wish to be free from suffering. We do not strive so much to be free from suffering, be free from cyclic existence. So we still we still perceive, we still see samsaric existence as as being, you know, as having good qualities, as having no shortcomings, as being good and and happy and so forth. And because we see it that way, so we have this lack of understanding of the sufferings of psychosis, the shortcomings of cyclic existence because we have we do not have this this understanding because we lack this understanding of the shortcomings of cyclic existence. We do not have any wish to strive to be free from it, so we do not ever contemplate, you know, something like the true origins of suffering, much less what comes after that.
So we never contemplate the cause of suffering and so forth. We we we remain, how can I say, holding on, living our lives as it is, as they are, you know, holding holding on to phenomena as being inherent existent inherent existent and so forth? And again, because we do not understand suffering, then again we do not investigate or look into the true origins and freedom from suffering. Cause we do not have realization of true sufferings. We do not we won’t understand or realize or investigate the true origins of the cause of suffering and the way to be free from suffering and so forth.
So having no interest in in in understanding the true origins or investigating the true origins, then again, we will will not develop what what comes from freedom from the true origins of suffering, which is then the true cessation and the true paths. We won’t engage the true paths. We won’t realize the true cessation. Interested in investigating the true origins and then not interested in attaining freedom from the true origins, we will not have any interest in engaging the true paths. Not engaging the true paths, we will not experience the true cessations, freedom, peace, and so forth.
So again, Geshe-la is explaining how how it all comes in a in a cause and effect because I said it’s causal relationship. So again, without understanding true sufferings, without realizing true sufferings, one will not have any any interest, any wish to realize the true origin of suffering. Without realizing the origin of suffering, one will not have any wish or On the other hand, if one if one properly practice properly engages, properly practices these four noble truths, then again, attains liberation. And, again, if one does not have this understanding of the four noble truths, one does not attain liberation. And then we have we have this this quote, one who is not disenchanted here, how could he have respect for peace?
Again, that quote from the four hundred verses. So if no. So the the path then, the the meditations and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings of the being of middle scope then is it starts with this meditation on the true sufferings. And the true sufferings when we talk about true sufferings, we have these four aspects of the true sufferings, the four attributes of the true sufferings. The first one of them is impermanence.
So the first thing that one would start meditating on would be impermanence. And again, so in one ways, when one is contemplating impermanence, and again, every every compound of phenomena is impermanent, but then one one contemplates impermanence with regards to oneself, and then one contemplates then how when somebody is impermanent, is changing moment to moment, from moment to moment. And one when one finally realizes that momentary change, that that change moment to moment change of phenomena, then one realized that there is there is no meaning to it. There is sub substance less. There’s no substance to it, and there is no use, you know, getting attached to it or getting angry with it or anything like that.
So, again, so one realizing that the one’s body itself is impermanent. That is it is momentary. It’s changing every moment. And, again, it depends on the realization. We realize, again, that every other phenomena, every other thing, object, food, or whatever, it is all, again impermanent changing moment to moment.
And and so then the second attribute of the of true sufferings is is suffering itself or misery also. Misery or this this suffering, this attribute of suffering is explained to be the fact that they they have no the the body and everything else has no power over itself, does not govern itself. It is completely under the influence or the power of contaminated actions and afflictive emotions and conceptions. So again this misery what is explained as this attribute of misery is this having no power over oneself, having or maybe you could say having no free will, really. And Geshe-la is explaining that being the case, we can all see how we do not have power over ourselves because if we had such power for what it means.
Right? What is it meant by this power over oneself? If we had that, then we wouldn’t grow old. If it is up to me, I wouldn’t grow old. I would remain sixteen years of age.
You know? I wouldn’t get sick. I wouldn’t be feeling miserable ever or depressed or anything like that. I’d be happy. But since I do not have this rule myself that’s that’s you know I do not we do not have that’s that’s the point we are propelled by we are governed by contaminated actions and the afflictions and that’s what suffering means.
This this here. Okay? Though we might think and and I don’t know what’s what’s the best way to translate that. But even though we do not have this power over ourselves or we do not we think that we have free will. Okay?
But we do not actually have. We are completely governed by these contaminated actions and afflictive emotions. We are overpowered by other, by something else, and that something else is contaminated actions and afflictive emotions. And when and when the results of these contaminated actions and afflictive emotions arise, there is absolutely nothing that we can do about them. They arise.
We will have to experience these results, and that we have no control over it. It’s not up to us. So this is the so, again, when when the results of those contaminated actions and the afflictions arise there’s really nothing that we can do about that the only thing that we can do is before those results come into being then we can you know minimize the effects of negative actions by means of confession and purification or also the effects of positive actions can be minimized or destroyed by force of you know anger and and so forth. But once they arise there’s really nothing. We have no control whatsoever.
And Geshe-la says that we even though even though we think think we have control, that we are in control, that we have control, we don’t have. We have thought. We think about it. We think that we have had control in the past and we will have control in the future. It’s up to us right now and all that, but we do not have any of that, none of it.
We do not have this. We do not govern ourselves. We do not govern our lives. We do not have that power over these results that are arising right now. That’s why we refer to So because we do not we do not have this free will you understand the meaning?
Of saying this free will, this we do not govern ourselves and so forth, then this lack of this is referred to as suffering, misery. And And Geshe-la says,. Take take myself, for example. Geshe-la was saying, you know, I I went to I went to Lhasa.
I was staying in the monastery. I was, you know, it was all very nice and I was very happy and all that. I was staying there for three years and it was all very good. But it didn’t remain that way, even though it was all nice and good and I wanted to stay there and remain as such you know it’s not really up to me it was it was completely you know not up to me I couldn’t there’s nothing that I could do and the Chinese invaded, and I had to leave. Everything changed.
And even and even though, you know, he he wanted to go back to his homeland, he cannot go back to his homeland. You know, he’s instead, he had to go to India. You know? And so all these things changed, and there was nothing that he could do about it. You know?
All these many causes and conditions came about. It’s a very in a very complex manner, and things turned out the way they turned out, not the way we wanted them to turn out. And again even having arrived in India you know even though he was missing his homeland and then he thought I know I ought to go back home and you know it never occurred to him to come to Australia and here he is. So again, even though he never thought, he never contemplated the possibility of coming to Australia, you know, again, the force of karma, he is. So again, now now he’s here, he’s growing old here, maybe he will die here, maybe he will die in India and it’s it’s absolutely not up to him, it’s completely left to karma.
It’s all up to the karma that he has accumulated in the past. And if it if it was up he says, if it was up to me, you know, I I don’t want to die, you know, I I’d rather not die, but it it is not. You know? And we we all we we are all equal in this regard because we we do not have it as we wish. We do not have have it as we desire, as we want.
Okay? So the most powerful thing, what is it that’s most powerful in our lives is really contaminated actions and afflictions. We ourselves, we are not that powerful. When we when we see that we we attain this power, that we really govern ourselves, that we really attain this free will or independence is when we attain liberation. When we attain liberation, then we really govern ourselves, really have power over ourselves, we really have free will, we really have independence.
That’s when we really attain it. Not before. So when we because I was gonna say, explain the etymology of the word. Is is Dra Chompa is the same as Arhat? Yeah.
So the etymology of the word Dra Chompa, which is in English literally means foe destroyer destroyer of the foe, and which is what we refer to as in Sanskrit, or Arhat in Pali. And so, enemy here, the foe that is destroyed is contaminated actions and the afflictions. Once we destroy, when we gain victory over contaminated actions and afflictions, then we are the foe destroyers. We become. We are free.
Then then we have attained our independence, our freedom. I said, all have we all we all have to attain to to become foe destroyers. We all have to realize emptiness. So we stop here today. Okay.
Questions? So I was wondering, confession is not good enough to remove all the results of negative karma? To take those four hundred stanzas, is that good enough to remove all the results of negative karma. But one should not think, okay, because I can confess I can engage in negativity. Engaging in negativity delays our realization or attainment. Even even if we have to refine it, it’s still the delay.
It’s much better not to be tainted from the beginning. It’s alright to do such, but when we are doing confession, the main thing that we are doing is purifying negativity. And in regards to purifying negativity, the main thing is the visualization and recitation of Vajrasattva. But still, if you want to do that, it’s fine to do that. But the point is, dedicate all these virtues here right now. At the end of the teaching, we always do the dedication prayer, but we dedicate the main roots of virtue become the cause of the enlightenment of all beings, become the cause of one’s enlightenment. So when we dedicate in this way, This this aspiration of prayer, you know, with with very little effort, we accomplished a a a very great good.
And when we dedicated this way, you know, mean, may these virtues become the causes of my enlightenment for the second benefit in all sentient beings. We are we are making think imagine that you you get paid a hundred dollars for two hours of work, and then we get a hundred dollar bill, and we are all very happy that we see, you know, two hours of work, hundred dollars. That’s so cool. And Geshe-la was gonna say, now imagine on the other hand, you know, we have we have come here. We have given rise to the right motivation.
I’m to listen to this teaching so that I can attain enlightenment so that I can accomplish perfect well-being welfare of all sentient beings without exception. Then we and then we do just that. We listen to the teachings, and we contemplate the teachings, and then we we make this dedication. Now any virtue that I have created, the merit that I have created, may they be the cause of my enlightenment so that I can accomplish the welfare, the perfect welfare of all sentient beings. And, you know, all this all we have you know, we have if we have done that perfectly, you know, we have fulfilled every step of what was a karma, an action, the motivation, intention, motivation, intention, motivation, the action itself, and the conclusion, we have fulfilled perfectly fulfilled all of these steps.
Have we have created a whole karma. The whole action is a very powerful thing. Because we do not really believe in believe in what we are doing. So if, for example, we were to be offered a job and you say, you you do two hours of work for me, and, you know, three, four years from now, I’ll give you a hundred bucks. And you say, you know, just two hours, you know, I’ll do it.
But then, you know, after you do it, you know, just just don’t really have it because you just don’t see the money. You know? One year passes, two year passes by. You know? It’s a fluke.
You know? I never got. I never got paid for the job. I didn’t mean to say that. I never got paid for the job.
Didn’t mean I never got paid for the job. I’m sorry. And then finally, you get paid. You know? And then you see a hundred dollar bill, and you’re happy.
When you see it, you’re happy. Alright? This is what we’re doing here. Right here today is what we’re doing. You know?
We’re not seeing the result right now. We’re not seeing a hundred dollar bill right now, but one day, we’ll. Oh, that is the only reason. Okay.