Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 108-minute commentary on Nāgārjuna’s Letter to a Friend, Geshe Pema Tsering works through two verses on attachment, anchored by a vivid image: desire is like a leper who burns his own flesh to find relief — briefly distracting but ultimately compounding the wound. He walks through the meditation on bodily unattractiveness as an antidote to sexual desire, then widens the lens: all samsaric attachment — to power, possessions, even food — operates the same way, superimposing qualities onto objects that don’t possess them. A practical highlight is his instruction on transforming every meal into training against all three root afflictions through layered contemplation. The session closes with Q&A, including a careful distinction: attraction to objects with genuine good qualities — the Three Jewels, liberation — is faith, not attachment.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 04 2009 03 05 BP.mp3
UUID: 3cc67731-5a79-48fa-b76c-59ab1f746eec
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Middle Lam Rim (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2009-03-05
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 107.8 minutes
Words: ~5,986
So Geshe is then instructing us to us to give rise to a good motivation and with this intention of properly practicing the Dharma and the practice that we are going to engage in here today is to listen to the teachings on the letter to a friend. So we’re going to listen and then we intend, determine to practice according to the teachings. And we intend to do so with the intention of accomplishing the most benefit for all other sentient beings. And if we give rise to these thoughts in this way right now at the beginning, as Śākyamūni says, then this one or two hours that we’re going to spend here together, they’re going to become endowed with great meaning. And with this in mind and we start with the preliminary prayers.
So, in the previous class, we’ve been through this one teaching regarding restraining the sense doors. And now we are given a special instruction, a particular instruction, again, that pertains to the same subject, but a instruction, the way to familiarize oneself with the antidote to attachment, but sort of an inner attachment. And we read the next verse, the next root verse for that, and I’m going to read it and I’m going to immediately For the ladies, don’t take it personal. Regard a young girl’s body on its own.
Its smell is so full, its opening is nine, a pot of filth, insatiable and clothed with skin, regard to her adornments on their own. So one of the first things that Rahulashribhadra said to that, because Rahulashribhadra then goes back to the line of that verse, and line by line gives a little says something about it. So the first thing he says, yes, young girl’s body, a young a young boy’s body, you know, it goes both ways. And again, there’s all this If you take the body in isolation, as I was explaining again, there’s all these foul things going on inside our bodies: feces, urine, pus, blood, and all these sort of things. There’s the nine openings for which a lot of unpleasant things come out and so forth.
And it’s all packed in this in this in in our skin. Okay. Okay. Yes. So and then immediately after that verse, we go straight into the next verse actually.
That’s why and the next verse is is saying, a man with leprosy consumed by germs will stand before the fire for comfort’s sake, but still find relief. The same is true for those attached to the pleasures they desire. And Geshe-la was explaining, again, the whole point of being that desire attachment is even though we regard it as being happiness, and we do experience something that we refer to as happiness by force of this attachment, still we find no ultimate satisfaction from it. There’s no real ultimate happiness coming it. In the same way that a man with leprosy again stands by the fire so that he finds some relief from from the pains that that that he’s suffering, but ultimately finds no relief from the leprosy itself.
In English, was gonna say again, there’s nothing in the regards to to attachment. This is this analogy to leprosy is given. And leprosy is is really nothing good about leprosy. There’s only pain and suffering coming out of such an illness, such a disease. And if one, in order to try to find some relief from leprosy, exposes oneself to the heat of the fire, then what one ultimately gets in the body is is a boil.
It’s it’s a it’s it’s a burn. Even though that might provide some sensation of relief when when burns one’s body, actually. So Geshe is then according to the Geshe, he reminded him recalling one of the verses from the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas. And one of these verses of the thirty seven practice is making reference to these happinesses, these pleasures, and desires of existence, of cyclic existence, and they are they are which are compared to nothing more than a dewdrop at the tip of a blade of grass, and it lasts for nothing, for no amount of time whatsoever. As soon as it arises, immediately it evaporates.
And Geshe-la was saying, and we’ve been holding on to such ephemeral desires and experiences. We’ve grasping after them with attachment continually since time immemorial. And all that we have accomplished is a perpetuation of this cycle, of this vicious cycle of holding on to this ephemeral phenomenon. And Geshe is going through the commentary. And the commentary is telling us again the antidote towards attachment to women is to contemplate their uncleanness or their filth.
Geshe-la was saying the same applies towards men. Again, we have to contemplate their filth. And so again, we contemplate their ornaments and their bodies and everything else in the body as unclean, all these parts and separate, independently. We contemplate all of them as unclean. By contemplating them in this way, we come to the conclusion that it is unreasonable to be attached to those bodies.
So Geshe-la was going again for the commentary saying again in this manner, with regards to this attachment, this type of attachment, again one contemplates both the body, one contemplates both the uncleanness of the body and again the substancelessness or the meaninglessness of the adornments. So what makes all these understandings, these insights into all these parts of the contemplation clear? And by developing this type of type insight into the nature of the body, the unclean nature of the body, then again one can see how it is stained, how it is full, how one can understand how through these nine orifices of the body, all sorts of filth come out. One can see how below the skin what we find is pus and blood and urine and feces feces and all that. And all sorts of filthy things are packed under the skin.
And we can see the things that we eat and the things that we wear and all the things that we use to adorn the body, insubstantial they are, how they have no meaning of their own, and how they provide one with no lasting satisfaction and how getting rid of all these attachment to all these things can be pretty difficult. And if one examines, if one exercises this discerning awareness with regards to the body, in relation to the body in this way, then one will see that all this, the analogy that we are given, one will see that, for example, this adornment in vase, if you have a beautiful vase with drawings and paintings and so forth, if it is covered with filth, it’s actually still very disgusting. In spite of the adornments, if it is covered with filth, it is disgusting, and it is unattractive. It is unattractive is the best word. It unattractive, and we have no reason to be attached to it.
And this and this contemplation of the outside the uncleanliness of the exterior of the body of a woman, or the exterior of the body of a man, and the interior of the body of a woman and a man, They are all in order to defeat the attachment that one might have in relationship to the body of a man or woman. And then we are told that attachment is like salty water. We find absolutely no satisfaction from it. We keep on drinking more and more. It’s a limitless well of dissatisfaction.
And not only that, this attachment also keeps on propelling us into cyclic existence, throwing us into future existences, in the cycle of existence. And then again, the analogy that we are given again is of a person with leprosy, who in order in an attempt to find relief from its torment, from its pains, and again puts his affected body parts to the fire, burns them with fire, and even though it might find a temporary relief, in the long run that pain is compounded. It experiences even more pain because of the burning. Then we conclude with a last advice to the king. Saying again that by knowing that all these childish, ordinary beings are fettered, are bound by their desires, by their attachment, again, you should not allow your mental continuum to be overpowered by attachment.
You must not allow your continuum to be, your mind to be overpowered by attachment. And Geshe-la was just saying, again, this is advice that is given to the king, but it applies to all of us. And Geshe-la was just, just making note that attachment is, it is very bad indeed. Attachment is something that is basically all pervasive, so to speak. Every ordinary being is continually, constantly overpowered by attachment.
It is present at all times in all our minds. Here, in this particular topic, we’re approaching the specific attachment to someone else’s body, the body of a woman or the body of a man. But in actuality, we should avert all attachment, every attachment, because attachment is really bad. Attachment is the seed of cyclic existence. And Geshe-la is using a rhetorical form, it is, isn’t it?
We can see for ourselves how due to attachment, if there was no attachment, Geshe-la says, then we wouldn’t accumulate the karma that keeps us bound to cyclic existence in the first place. So again, due to the power of ignorance, and again attachment arises, and when attachment arises, when attachment is present, then we have that that that we have those thoughts that I must have this or I must have that. And again, in the case of the topic that we have been going through, again, case of a man and a woman, the man or the woman would think I must have her. I must have intercourse with her. I must have sex with her.
Or I must have sex with him. And these minds come about. And it comes, we think, we are thinking all these thoughts, so very many of these thoughts, in even a single moment we are thinking countless such thoughts of attachment. And out of out of that out of that those minds of attachment, and again, because of the illustration of a man lusting after a woman, that person will then start thinking of all sorts of ways to attain that union with the woman, will start engaging in all sorts of actions and activities, and we’ll start accumulating all sorts of contaminated karma. And if one is unable then to accomplish that union with the woman, then again one will start blaming and complaining and getting angry at other people, saying that somebody must have said something or must have done something in this person or that person.
And whoever is on the way is gonna be the object of one’s anger. So attachment in the end is indeed very, very evil indeed. And Geshe-la says, again, if one does not attain that union, again, we obviously see all the sorts of afflictions come about, anger and so forth. And even if one obtains the union that one desires, and again, still out of that, due to the force of that attachment, still more jealousy comes about. If anybody says something that threatens one’s union, again, one gets angry, one engage in all sorts of activities in order to maintain that union, and there’s no satisfaction in the end, just a cycle of attachment.
So this attachment arises out of ignorance, but the force of that attachment then anger follows, hatred follows, and all other afflictions afflictions follow from that. And in this way, we have cut the the the life the lifeline of liberation. Even ultimately, one might even compromise one’s life out of attachment, out of lust and attachment. And we all know of such cases, so where one might compromise one’s own life, one might put one’s life on the line because of attachment. And Geshe says, all the troubles that we see in the world today and we have ever seen, Geshe-la says, they come about due to attachment and dissatisfaction, this lack.
This lack of satisfaction. Dissatisfaction, out of lack of love, and a lack of satisfaction, a lack of care for others, then again, all these troubles arise out of it doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, powerful or not, if you are a dignitary or not. Politicians and governors of countries and all that, they are attached to power and respect and all that, and they love the power and respect that others have. If it is with regards to them, they’re attached to it. If it is belongs to another person, if it is for another person, and they hate it.
And there’s all these struggles come about because of attachment, dissatisfaction, and lack of care for for other beings. So, he’s using a very short Tibetan expression, is and it’s very nice. It contains the whole problem of this conflict that we experience in the whole world. It’s for desires, for the attachments and desires and lust that we have, and na, which means, you know, must have it for myself, making reference to that attitude. I must have it for myself.
So, do not, do not have us. And so, out of this attitude, I must have these desires all for myself. And again, countries like, I guess I was illustrating, countries like America, for example, then they want all the goods all for themselves. And nobody can become better off than them. They want to make sure that everybody is not as well off as they are, so they want to be in a better position, want to be on top of the game.
And then all sorts of actions and activities in order to maintain or obtain those goods and privileges and so forth. And then on the other hand, have every other country who wants to be like America. And it’s all of that powered by attachment. All of it powered by attachment. Again, reiterating again, all of these undesirable things that happen in the world, they happen because of attachment.
All these undesirable things that happen on a personal level within one’s family and one’s relation are going to happen due to attachment. All of it, all the troubles that we can think of happen due to attachment. So we ought to apply the antidotes for attachment. Here this text, in these two verses we have been taught to apply the antidote with regards to attachment to a man’s or woman’s body. We do that by contemplating the faults and the shortcomings or unattractive qualities of the body.
And the same principle applies to every other object of attachment. We have to contemplate the faults and the shortcomings of object of attachment by contemplating them in this way, by seeing them in this light, then we are able to diminish our attachment and eventually subdue it. And if we act in this way, if we apply the antidotes in this way to attachments, or attachments, then we’ll be able, eventually we’ll be able to stop attachment from manifesting. Be able to subdue every form of manifest attachment, even though we won’t be able to completely uproot attachment, but we are able to stop its manifest forms, stop it from manifesting itself. So it is important that we take every opportunity to develop this habit of applying the antidotes to attachment, and then when we start leaving these habitual imprints, and we cultivate this momentum.
We give momentum to this habit of averting attachment in this way. Attachment is a wrong mind, is an incorrect, distorted awareness, and is an awareness that superimposes qualities to an object that it does not have. And even though one might say that one might tell oneself that the object does not have the qualities that one is seeing, due to the power of attachment, one is still convinced it has those qualities. I’ve seen it myself. And Geshe-la was saying, if the origin of our attachment really had those good qualities, then also the Buddhas and the Aryas will be talking about those good qualities, but they have not.
They have talked about the faults and deficiencies, the unattractiveness of those objects of attachment. And also, if it really had those good qualities, then again, other people would also see those qualities, but not everybody sees those qualities. Not everybody sees qualities, the same qualities that we see, or not everybody sees good qualities in the objects of our attachment. So, I was giving an illustration. So, the sake of illustration, one can think of gold.
Gold is something that, you know, the vast majority of the people in this planet will look at it and will and will think of it as being something good. And if our if the object of our attachment other than gold will be really good, then everybody else would think the same of it. This is just in the same way that people think of gold. Okay? Gold.
Gold? Sounds like goat. No, gold. The precious metal. Not a goat, no.
No. So again, in the same way that everybody thinks of gold as being something good, if the object of our attachment were really good, then everybody would think that too. Even even the goal itself that everybody regards as being good. So all all of that is nothing but the workings of attachment. Again, everybody is superimposing qualities on that gold that it does not have.
Gold is impermanent, and it’s in the nature of suffering. And and Buddhas and Arhats, they see that, and they actually regard it as gold, and they couldn’t care less about it. It’s it’s even regarded as poison by them. And so it is important that we, how to say, keep guard against with, not against, we keep guard to our relationship with every and any object of cyclic existence. Because we must keep in mind that it is in dependence on those objects that attachment arises, and in dependence on those objects that anger arises, independence of those objects that all sorts of afflictions arise.
It is in dependence on those objects that we perpetuate the whole cycle of existence. So I must bear that in mind in order to avoid any any more suffering. And again, Geshe-la reiterates, the last sentence of this commentary is a sentence that is directed to the king, but Geshe-la making note it was taught to the king, but it is equally meaningful to all of us. So even though it is meaningful to all of us, is very relevant to all of us, is still difficult to implement. If we think about it, it is hard even to get rid of our attachment for a nice meal or some tasty food, let alone everything else that we have been talking about.
And we can see then, we can see by seeing how difficult it is to get rid of attachment, to let go of attachment, we can see how difficult it is to get rid, to free ourselves from the cycle of existence. We can see how just making also a clear distinction that, again, we all need food, we all need clothing, we all need shelter, we all need health, good health, and with all that, you know, there’s a good feeling of well-being, so we all need this well-being. But we all need that, but we do not need to cling or grasp after. So we do not need any of the clinging and grasping that we put into this mission. And Geshe-la said it’s important, for example, in the case of food, it’s important that we eat our food with the understanding that, again, we’re doing that in order to maintain, gain and maintain good health and our well-being.
That’s the function of the food. That’s the purpose of eating good food, to keep and maintain our health. And it’s also important to contemplate on top of that, if one can, it’s important to contemplate that there were many beings working hard in order to make make it possible for us to have that food. And and there were many beings who actually died in the process of creating that food. And it’s important to contemplate that and bring a sense of love and compassion towards all those beings also.
Yeah. It’s important to keep all that in mind. So again, is important when we are going to eat our meals that we develop this awareness, this awareness that there were many people involved in production of that, and many people have suffered and even died, or beings also have even died, in order to produce that wishing suffering to leave and happiness for them, that we then we then dedicate, we offer this to the Buddha, the Bodhisattvas, the Three Jewels, and we dedicate whatever merit we created in the past together with the merit of these offerings for the well-being, the greater well-being of all all sentient beings, the greater welfare of all sentient beings. So, and if one enjoys one’s food in this manner, then again, one not only is not giving in to grasping, one is also creating the cause of enlightenment by creating those aspirations towards enlightenment, creating the cause cause for the accomplishment of the welfare of all beings, creating one is training one’s mind in bodhicitta, one is training one’s mind in refuge. And in this way, one not only has avoided all the shortcomings of eating one’s food with attachment and grasping and so one has created a great amount of merit.
And so, then we are given a verse, a concluding verse from one sūtra. Which saying again, in dependence on these desires, or these objects of desires of sentient beings, again in the future, this grasping only increases. So, by remaining close to this object of attachment in this way, then this desire and by the force of this desire that’s sorry, by the force of this that this person, when one is close to this object of attachment, one will never find any satisfaction. And Geshe-la wasn’t just saying, again, not only one will never find any satisfaction, this whole vicious cycle of grasping and clinging will only get worse and worse. So I guess what I was gonna say is it’s very important that we cultivate contentment with the things that we have, with the things that we obtain, with the things that come our way.
It’s important that we when enjoying our food for the sake of maintaining our health, our well-being, again, it’s important that It’s important that we do not allow our minds to come under this way of the afflictions, grasping. Because if we allow our minds to get under this way of grasping, we will find no satisfaction, will come, and then all other sorts of afflictions will come about. It’s important that we instead cultivate a mind that is intent on the benefit of others, a mind that recognizes, that acknowledges and recognizes, sees that one is For example, in the case of food, the food that one is eating came about in dependence on the kindness of others, and one then develops this aspiration that, you know, one is eating that and one is to gain good health so that one can repay that great kindness of all those beings who have been involved that food in the case of the illustration. Because I think it’s very important that we apply ourselves to avert attachment. Attachment is something that we are so habituated with.
We have been habituated with attachment for so many lifetimes, that it arises in our minds without us having to make any effort whatsoever. And the antidote to attachment, the opposite of attachment, is not without great effort at present that we can give rise to it. So it’s important that we exercise that, that we develop this habit of averting attachment by exercising these contemplations in this way. So one ought to exercise. The antidote towards attachment, which is then contemplating the unattractiveness of the object of attachment, actually means contemplating the false and the shortcomings of the object of attachment and not only that but the other two root afflictions also in the case of anger, the antidote to anger is love, love and kindness, and the antidote to ignorance is contemplating the lack of inherent existence of phenomena or the the dependent origination, the dependent nature of phenomena.
And guess what I’m saying, one can turn the occasion of eating a meal into an opportunity to develop the antidotes of these three poisons. So by contemplating the suffering nature of that food, that food is the basis and the cause for the arising of the afflictions, for the arising of more suffering, of cyclic existence, and so forth, by contemplating its unattractive aspect and so forth. And one can one then is cultivating the antidote to attachment by contemplating how very many sentient beings have been involved in the production of that food, and by contemplating their suffering and so forth, by developing the intention to relieve them from suffering and establish them in a state of happiness. And again, we developed the antidote to anger, and by contemplating how that food, oneself, and all other sentient beings, all phenomena lack any inherent existence, any existence from its own side, and again we develop the antidote to ignorance. So So one meal, developed, we have exercised the antidote to the three root afflictions.
And Geshe is then saying, so this is something that we are all able to do. It doesn’t take us any physical verbal effort whatsoever, something that we do with our minds, with our thoughts. Geshe-la was saying, so we can see how very important and meaningful the mind is, the cultivation of proper thoughts Geshe-la was saying and you heard him saying le is the word, the Sanskrit word karma, means action. So action is that, is mind. It comes down to the mental factor of intention, and which is mind, is thought, is intention, and is of of utmost importance in our practice.
Anybody has any questions? Questions? Questions? Anybody? Come on.
Taking notes. Very nice. Oh, yeah. It’s recorded, you know. I did I did record today.
I recorded. I recorded. Take notes. You read the in front of you. You listen.
You’re doing everything. It’s great. Okay? I don’t know if this is a question or not. It’s a cure there’s a curious disposition.
Out of attachment, I’m I think I’m fairly safe in saying out of attachment, I was born. Yeah. And because of that, my mother I’m feeling confident in saying that she loved me. We have been born. We got this birth out of the attachment of our parents.
We can see how we have so we can see we can clearly see how the process of our birth has been propelled by contaminated actions and and the afflictions. And that’s one way to to see that. But I was you you’re trying to make a relationship, isn’t it? So I was trying I’m trying to I’m trying to point that out. That’s what I wanted him to say.
So look, yes. So out of your father and your mother, they were both of a power by ignorance, attachment, and all that. And then out of their union, you got this birth. And in your own continuum, there’s also, you know, there’s an ignorance attachment and all that. So you can see how this has been brought about.
Is this all this arise out of actions and contaminated actions and the afflictions. Then I was saying, what Geshe-la was saying, that, and I said, okay, and then we’ve got this opportunity here, this good opportunity here. And he said, yeah, the good aspect of this opportunity that we have here due to the good virtues, the actions that you have performed in the past. Okay? So so this good body that we have and the good opportunities and the good things that we experience, they are due to the virtuous actions that we have accumulated in the past.
And Geshe-la wasn’t saying, this feeling that one might have of of you you you use you use the word attachment towards the idea of having practiced virtue or having accumulated virtue. I wasn’t saying because that is we we wouldn’t call that attachment. We’ll call that faith. That is something good. That is something correct.
That is right. It’s not distorted. To to have this relationship with virtue is is is good. You can you could you can easily distort that, though, as well. Right?
I mean, at every level, if if we struggle with attachment, even something like that, is that I’m not sure about what you’re saying, but if I, you know, have a feeling of connection to being fortunate, blah blah blah, that I can add my attachment to that, though. I can take that the next step and go, well, great. I’m brilliant. Lucky me. I’ve been great.
And it becomes conceit. Then you become arrogant. Isn’t it? So I guess at every level, it seems even the virtual stuff, we can add our attachment to, and it becomes bad quickly. Mhmm.
Is that is that is that right? I mean, that’s my favorite one. Anthony Anthony So Geshe-la was saying, yeah, it is this is you know, it can happen. These things can happen. And and this And all these things come about, you know, this arrogance or pride or this attachment, all come about by the force of ignorance.
And we have to contemplate that even though, for example, in the case of this illustration we have been working through, even though we have we have accumulated virtues or we have performed virtues in the past. All those virtues, those virtues actions, they are contaminated virtues, contaminated by ignorance and afflictions. So they’re not pure Geshe-la was just explaining that that wouldn’t happen in relationship to uncontaminated virtues, to virtues that have been performed with correct minds, such as emptiness and so forth. The understanding of emptiness, realization of emptiness and so forth. It’s just like, Geshe-la was just giving the illustration of having a hot stone that has been warmed up by the sun and placed on a wet cloth, so the wetness of the cloth won’t last wasn’t contact with the contact with the rock, the stone.
It it would disappear. Okay. Now, on the other hand, in relationship to contaminated virtues, then again, all sorts of all sorts of troubles come around, you know, human troubles and other troubles. Yes? karma is good and very subtle.
It’s so far for example, at present stage, I contemplate on the faults and the shortcomings of a man’s body. So I will stop attachment towards anything. Mhmm. But how can I do at this stage to subdue the potency of any arising karma from ripening? Can you do that again?
Say that again. At this stage, there’s no such produced karma for me to find a man that I have strong attachment towards. But I’m afraid that in the future, because karma’s very subtle and very deep, and I’m afraid that one day I’ll meet someone. I will have attachment towards. So at this stage, I’m still trouble free.
But I wanna know what can I do at this stage to reduce the potency of the arising karma in the future? So you what you what you what you have to do do is again is contemplate all the faults, all the very many faults and shortcomings of having a relationship with a man. Geshe-la was then, you know, saying, you lose a lot of your freedom, you have to do whatever he wants you to do, you have to, you know, take your money away from you. And you think of all these things that we have gone through today, then you give rise to the wish that may that not happen, may that not come about. Yeah.
Thinking this way. Pardon me? That’s the opposite to the usual worldly way of looking at it. Yeah. It is.
And Geshe-la was saying yes, most people do not think that way. But if one is to ever attain freedom from cyclic existence, from the suffering cycle of existence, then again, has to think in that way. One has to overcome attachment. One has to do something about attachment in your afflictions. But most people are not concerned with attaining the happiness of freedom from cyclic existence.
Are concerned with attaining the happiness of cyclic existence, the happiness of potential cycling to the present life. This is what it is. Relative happiness. Relative. Temporal happiness, yes.
So most people do not see the faults and the shortcomings of attachment. They actually see qualities, good qualities to it, and they are happily governed by it. We are all driven by attachment. It attachment. It is due this, for example, I guess I was giving the say, so this wish to obtain a car, for example, that we then do whatever we can to obtain the car, or due to the lust for a woman or for a man, that we then do whatever we can to obtain the woman or the man and so on. It’s due to the power of attachment that we obtain all those things of cyclic existence.
So we are governed. We are overpowered and governed by attachment. It’s a big fault or shortcoming of attachment. So whatever it is that we think we wish, or we think we need, we think we want, start then engaging all sorts of labors and activities and actions in order to obtain it, and all of that is attachment. So whether it is a car or something, it’s all attachment.
What about being attached to good qualities? Is that say, not in some way, because This is a good question. It’s very common. Geshe-la is making a distinction. Okay?
If something or someone like liberation, enlightenment, the Buddha, who does does actually have real good qualities, what you have towards that is not attachment. What you have to what we call that is the appreciation, or the aspiration or the admiration, the respect that you have for those good qualities or or what we call that faith. Okay? So it depends depending on the object. Okay, you either have faith if the object has does have real actual good qualities then you have faith if the object does not have the good qualities and actually has faults and shortcomings to it.
You have that relationship, and we call attachment. Okay? That’s delusion. Attachment, delusion. So that, that is not possible, it’s impossible.
So uncontaminated virtues or uncontaminated phenomena, the Three Jewels and so forth. When you have a mind that likes, that is attracted to such objects, that liking, attractiveness or the attractive thing that’s happening there called faith. And it’s a good thing. So again, when we’re talking about faith in the Three Jewels, and we we are told time and time again that we have to cultivate faith in the Three Jewels, we we are being taught to contemplate the genuine good qualities and develop a liking for them, attraction for them. And then, on the other hand, we are told to contemplate the shortcomings, the faults of samsaric phenomena.
We are told not to like samsaric phenomena, because liking it amounts to attachment, to delusion, amounts to creating suffering. Yeah. Okay. This one.