Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Mindfulness cannot arise toward an object the mind has never encountered — this principle, drawn from a classical compendium of knowledge, structures Geshe Pema Tsering’s 66-minute commentary on the mental factor of mindfulness. He unpacks three features: prior acquaintance with an object, non-forgetfulness, and non-distraction, contrasting easy familiarity with food or money against our darkness before emptiness or subtle impermanence. He then distinguishes mindfulness from concentration — mindfulness prevents distraction; concentration makes the mind abide — and shows each depends on the other. Verses from Nāgārjuna and Śāntideva’s Bodhisattva Way of Life warn that without mindfulness and alertness, even diligent practitioners lose accumulated merit to afflictive emotions. The session closes with Śāntideva’s call to guard the mind at the cost of one’s life, and practical guidance on study and discussion as the path to genuine familiarity with impermanence and emptiness.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 16 2006 11 23 M and MF.mp3
UUID: dbeee153-e091-4ee2-be91-f1f567ef728c
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Mind & Mental Factors (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2006-11-23
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 66.4 minutes
Words: ~4,839
Awesome. So Geshe-la is then instructing us to to to plant good motivation in our minds, and then giving rise then was giving rise to the thought that one oneself will lead all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment, will bring all sentient beings to the state of of of enlightenment of a Buddha. Then in order to accomplish that, one is now going to study the text, this text on mental factors, and then practice accordingly in order to attain that goal of enlightenment and bringing all sentient beings to enlightenment. So then we’ve been already through the the first set set of of mental factors, the omnipresent mental factors. And then of the five object-ascertaining mental factors, we have been already through aspiration and belief.
And now we start today with the one which is usually called mindfulness. And then as as as for the nature of the entity of mindfulness, we are giving them another quote, again, from the the compendium of knowledge, which is which then first ask, what is then mindfulness? And then so it is it is that, how to say, mind that, how to say, does not forget that that object to which with which it is familiar with, with which it is acquainted with, and it has it has the the function of, how to say, nondistraction. Or yeah. So then going for the first set for the first word of the the first sentence, which is in the Tibetan, it is the familiarity that that object with which the the mind is familiar with.
So then as for as for this familiarity, Geshe-la is explaining that so then the the mindfulness and the object, how to say, must have must have been in in, how to say, in touch before. Yeah. The mindfulness has must have grasped or held the object previously. If the object has never been perceived before, if there is they haven’t been acquainted, so to speak, then mindfulness cannot grasp the object. It cannot hold the object.
I’m sorry. It cannot hold the object. Maybe it’s better. And then again, then following to the second sentence of of the the second clause of that sentence, which is where with respect to the function of mindfulness, which is the function of non distraction. So then once engaged in an object, maybe a virtuous object puts puts forth the idea of a virtuous object, then the mindfulness has the function of not letting the mind, how to say, be led astray from that object.
Okay? So then we are told in the text that then how to say? This knower, which is mindfulness, then it has three features. And these three features are, first of all, then the feature of the object or what it was as the objective feature, that is the familiarity with the object or acquaintance with the object. Again, Geshe-la explains again that without having met with the object, so to speak, then, again, mindfulness cannot hold that object.
And then secondly, have the aspect, the feature which is the feature of aspect or the subject subjective aspect feature of the object of of of mindfulness, I’m sorry, which is then the non forgetfulness non forgetfulness of the object which is observed. And then Geshe-la was then saying, so then this non forgetfulness so then, how do say, Geshe-la was giving the the example of of when when we forget something, we say, oh, I I I can’t recollect what that is. I have I have forgotten it. I forgotten about it or what it is. And then so then this is is is a sign and that there is no there is no mindfulness.
Okay? And then and then as for the aspect of the functional aspect, so to speak, then, again, it is it is it has the function of not allowing the mind to be distracted from from the object that that it is observing. And then so then the goes on to explain each one of those three sentences, and the first one was reference to to the mindfulness being acquainted. So then if there there has not been an acquaintance with the object previously, then mindfulness cannot be produced. Mindfulness cannot arise.
Okay? We are told. And then Geshe-la was then saying, so give you an illustration to us. So then we are not acquainted with with emptiness. Right?
We might might have we might have a vague idea of what it is, but we do not we we cannot actually produce a consistent solid image or impression of what it is. So we are not we are not familiar with that, so we cannot develop mindfulness of that. And on the other hand so then the same for for the paths and the grounds and and everything else. And then on the other hand, we are familiar with with cars and and whatever other objects that that may be. And we have we have realized them through our senses.
We have perceived them before. So we are acquainted with them, so we can we can be mindful of them in this sense, in this case. Whatever object there is, including virtues, so then if if if we are familiar with them, then we are able to to then be mindful of them, or mindfulness can get a hold of them. On the other hand, if we’re not, then we cannot get a hold of them. So then in again, for as for familiarity or or or being acquainted with the object, then, again, what what we have what we have to do then is study.
Study again and again, and and so in order to get familiar with the objects or objects of meditation in this case. And then Geshe-la was then saying, this goes for for emptiness, for impermanence, and so forth. We have to study the subjects again and again, make them clear in our minds, and then we have to deal with all the doubts that arise towards us or just go beyond doubts, and then ascertain them, and then and then and then we will be, how to say, familiar, acquainted with the object, and then we can be mindful of them. So then with respect to mindfulness, need for there to be an object with which one is familiar with, with which one has been acquainted with, has met with, so to speak. And if there is not mind there’s not if there is not this this familiarity, then mindfulness cannot hold cannot hold the object.
Okay. And then again, even though one might have been acquainted with the object, one might have been familiar with the object, if, again, as as the sentence that you we have here says, if it doesn’t dawn in one’s mind, then, again, mindfulness cannot hold cannot hold on to it. And, again, I was explaining then, again, even though we might have been acquainted with the object, if if we have put it aside for a long period of time and we we ended up forgetting it, then that then then that acquaintance is gone. The familiarity is gone. And and, again, cannot cannot hold on to the object.
Okay. So then so then again, of these those three features of of of mindfulness, and then the the first two have been or established. So the first one is familiarity with the object, and secondly, the non forgetfulness. And then again, by by the how do you say? By So it is in dependence on on on that on that special mindfulness that so we have we have in our English translation, the stability of the mind.
And I guess I will explain that this term does not refer necessarily to to anything related to to mental stabilization or concentration or anything like that. It has to do with with it improving and enhancing the the condition of the mind, the situation of the mind, the the the quality of the mind. And Geshe-la was saying, so then it makes it makes that mind firm or stable. And Geshe was then but Geshe-la said clearly that it does not it doesn’t have to necessarily to do with with concentration, with mental stability or calm abiding or something like that. And then and then again, so then that that that enhancement happens because of the function the function that that functional feature of mindfulness, which is the nondistraction.
And then Geshe-la was mentioning, so then again, if we’re talking about mindfulness of of impermanence, then, again, it is by this nondistraction that we can keep our mind held onto onto the the the idea of impermanence or the concept of impermanence. Then if one by any chance if by any chance one then suddenly starts thinking about a job that one has to do, then again, that distraction has happened, and one is not, again, is not anymore being mindful of impermanence. And and then again, this has changed to the job. So then when when one starts recollecting the job or the work, then that mindfulness of of of impermanence has has then stopped, ceased. So so then there is a slight difference.
There is a small difference between mindfulness and concentration. So then concentration, the main characteristics of concentration is that it focus on the object and is not there’s a there’s a slight difference between, how to say, the known distraction and this focusing on the object. So then the concentration makes the mind abide in the object, and then the mindfulness which stops, how to say, avoids this which is the feature of nondistraction, again, is also what makes possible for the the concentration to abide in the at the object. Without without the mindfulness, then concentration cannot abide in the object. Okay?
Concentration is right right after this one, right after the mindfulness is concentration. So. So then, this way of explaining mindfulness with these three features, or this mindfulness itself with these three features, is extremely important for both sūtra and tantra teachings. Okay? So then again, then it is actually so it is important in with regard to the sūtra path, the sūtra teachings, because, again, we have to in the sūtra path, we have to meditate on emptiness, we have to meditate on the renunciation, we have to meditate on the mind of enlightenment.
And without without mindfulness, we won’t be able to meditate on them. We’ll we’ll be distracted, and and we won’t be able to meditate on this on this subject. And again, the same goes for the tantra teachings, we have to meditate on the generation stage, we have to meditate on the completion stage, on the five stages of the completion stage, and so forth. And again, without mindfulness, we cannot we cannot accomplish these meditations and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings. And then, not only in the context of the teachings of the practice of Dharma, one needs mindfulness.
But even with regard to worldly activities, if one does not have does not have mindfulness, one cannot bring those activities to completion. So then, again, to give an illustration, and even just just to drive a car, one needs one needs mindfulness, not only mindfulness. One needs both mindfulness and guarding alertness. Without mindfulness, one the car will, how to say, get out of of how to say? Control.
Out of control and end up crashing or something like that. So one needs both mindfulness and alertness are necessary. So then so then, again, the the the guarding alertness, the mental factor which is guarding alertness is is then watching over the mind, seeing what what is happening, what what the mind is doing, and then mind mindfulness itself is is keeping the focus on on the road, on the driving activity. So then, again, whatever whatever activity there is, whatever work there is, if if there is no if one doesn’t do it with both both mindfulness and alertness, then one cannot bring the work or the activity to completion. So then we have we have one translation in English here of the next verse, which is a verse of of it was quoted by Nāgārjuna, the notes that was given by Nāgārjuna.
And then Geshe-la was giving me another translation of another meaning for this verse, which is then telling us, again, this with with respect to the Buddha, again, it’s saying that this mindfulness without mindfulness in guarding in guarding alertness, one cannot accomplish the path that is traversed by all the Buddhas. And guess what I was asking, so that that path that is traversed by all the Buddhas is meditations and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings on on on on emptiness, is the the understanding of emptiness. And, again, without mindfulness and guarding alertness, one cannot accomplish those those qualities, which are the realization of emptiness and the paths and the grounds and so forth, and and and accomplish, again, what was what Gela referred to in the first sentence of the Tibetan verse as the accomplishment of the two bodies of the Buddha, the Dharma body and the the form body of the Buddha. And again so then again, without guarding alertness in in in mindfulness, one cannot accomplish this path of the the the emptiness, and one cannot attain those qualities. So then, again, one should protect it, protect this this mindfulness, and then not allow it to to deteriorate.
If if it if it deteriorates, then all qualities will, how to say, will be destroyed. This one. Okay? So then, again, Geshe-la was going over the verse, and again, for the last two lines of of the Tibetan verse, Geshe-la was telling that the the verse is telling us that we have one oneself has to guard carefully one’s mind, watch over over one’s mind, very attentively over one’s mind, and and just not not allowing it to degenerate because if one’s mindfulness degenerate, again, then all good qualities will will degenerate with it. So then So then again, Geshe-la was so, again, one Geshe-la was going for the same two lines and saying again that, again, one one should carefully guard, watch over one’s mind.
And again, because if one doesn’t watch over, the moment will lose one’s mindfulness, and then again, all those all the qualities will degenerate after that. And then Geshe lah, then we go we go to the next quote, which is a quote from the Bodhisattva Way of Life. And Geshe-la was reading the first verse, which is saying that learned ones and and and faithful and faithful practitioners, the how do say? Those are the learned ones and and faithful ones, even though they are diligent, they might be diligent in the in the practice, in their efforts, to practice the Dharma. Again, because the many many of them lack guarding alertness and mindfulness.
By that fault of lacking guarding alertness and mindfulness, then they are, how do you say, tainted by moral downfalls. Okay? So then I was gonna just explain that the the word that is translated usually translated as don’t fall or borrow don’t fall. So then just that just that refers to to general faults and general shortcomings. And then, so then again, without without mindfulness and and and alertness, then again, one will incur many faults, shortcomings, the so called downfalls.
And then the next verse, Geshe-la wasn’t reading the next verse, which is telling us that, again, even though one might have a mass collected a lot of merit, then this merit is robbed by by by the thieves the thieves of non introspection or non alertness who follow who follow after the degeneration or the the deterioration of mindfulness. And then having been robbed of this of this collection of merits, then one ends up in in the lower realms in a bad migration. Then and then the next verse verse is telling us that this gathering of of of thieves, which are the afflictive emotions and conceptions, then they are always looking for an opportunity to, how to say, to strike. And then Geshe-la was saying so then, and the verse telling us again. So when they find an opportunity to strike, then, again, they rob us again of all virtue, and then they destroy the how to say they even cut the lifeline of, how to say, the happy happy rebirth, happy happy migrations.
So then, again, so then all these afflictive conceptions and emotions, attachment, anger, pride, and so forth, are they are always trying to to to emerge. And and so then it’s only by by the force of mindfulness and alertness that we can stop them from, how to say, taking over our minds. So then and then I then going through the last line of this verse and saying, so then again, if if if by any chance they have taken over our minds, any of these afflictive emotions or conceptions have taken over our minds, then they will destroy they will they will destroy our our collection of of of virtue, of merit, and then they will cut the lifeline of of happy migrations, future happy migrations. So then, again, one must watch over one’s mind to see if if the afflictive emotions are coming about or not, if they’re happening or not, and one must guard one’s mind with alertness and mindfulness in this way. And, Geshe-la was then going back to the third line of of that no.
Sorry. The the the second line of that verse, the batten verse. Okay? Which is saying that these these afflictive emotions is saying that they they are always looking for for an opportunity to take over our minds. And then, I guess, was gonna say, so then it’s we are it is exactly like this.
We can see it for ourselves. It is exactly like this. And we we we are never actually looking looking after our minds or looking at our minds and and investigating, analyzing if we are being overwhelmed or attacked by these afflictive emotions and perceptions or not. We just they they they just happen. We just let it happen to, I say, to ourselves, and we just keep on doing whatever it is that we are doing and let let let them happen.
We never watch over our minds in this way, do we? So then there is this danger for us that the lifeline of of happy rebirth might be might be cut. Yes. And then was going through the next the next verse and reading the first two lines. We are told that this mindfulness because of that, mindfulness should be put at the door of the mind.
And if I was answering, so then everything everything will will come from the door of the mind, so we should leave the mindfulness at the door of the mind. And, again, we should never send it away there, from the door of the mind. And then and then following to the second half of the verse, we are told that if if it happens that mindfulness goes away, and then we we should recollect We should recollect the sufferings of of the lower realms of existence and and the faults, the shortcomings of defective emotions. Because then if manifest has gone away and and afflictive emotion have have entered or taken over the mind, and then we should recollect mindfulness at the doorstep of the mind. And then and then the next the of those verses is telling us that, again, if if one then, how to say, befriends the lamas, and then follows the the instructions of of of the teachers, the scholars, and then also by the force of of fear, of the sufferings of saṃsāra, so forth.
if one then shows respect to the to the to the to the teachers, the lamas, and so forth. if one listens to the teachings of the lamas, if one follows instructions of the teachers and so forth. And then in this way, to that to that person who who acts in this way, then mindfulness will will will easily be born in that person. Okay? And then we are told, after this this quote from the Bodhisattva Way of Life, we are told that all the qualities of the grounds and the paths, they are enhanced.
Again, the enhancement of all these qualities depends, again, on on mindfulness and alertness, or what was gonna say there’s mindfulness and introspection. And then, also, in the next sentence, are told that all the concentrations of sutras and the tantras and every accomplishment. Again, it is by means of this special mindfulness that they are must one accomplishes them this one must accomplish them by means of this special mindfulness. One needs to accomplish them by means of this special mindfulness. And then because of that, because of this, what we were just told, then those who wish then to practice from the depths of their hearts, those who wish to practice then, they must understand this way of this this teaching, understand this teaching.
This this this teaching on on on mindfulness is is extremely important. And, again, guess that was in this concluding up because, again, without mindfulness, won’t be able to accomplish those practices. And then and then we are given, lastly, we are given this another quote from the Bodhisattva Way of Life, which is telling us that may may how do you say? My my possessions and my my honor and my body and my livelihood, may they vanish. May they how do you say?
Let let them be. How do say? Let them disappear. And then even even other virtues, may they deteriorate, but may may my mindfulness, may my mind never deteriorate. And then again, Geshe-la was saying again, because if if mindfulness deteriorates, then every virtue and everything that is good will will will be damaged, will disintegrate also.
So then and then we the the next verse, Śāntideva is then urging us with with his hands together. He’s saying, I urge you that if if you wish then to guard your mind, then you should you should you should maintain mindfulness and introspection, or or mindfulness and alertness, even and you protect it, protect them even at the cost of your life. Okay? So then, Geshe-la said, so then the whole idea is that we have to guard our minds with with mindfulness and alertness. And and then, again, Geshe-la said, so then we have we have to to to guard our object of knowledge with with mindfulness.
And, again, if we do not if we do not know the object, then, first of all, we we get acquainted with it, we study it, we get to know it, and then we we guard it with mindfulness. Again and again, We bring it to mind. We recollect it. We are mindful of it.
So then, again, So then it’s very important that we we handle, how do you say, doubts properly. So then doubts will come, and then we have that doubtful mind will come, and then we have to we have overcome it by by continuous study. We have to study again and again, and we have to discuss between ourselves whatever subject we are studying. And then at one point, then we will, how to say, attain that familiarity with the object. And then when we have this familiarity, then we can be mindful of it.
So then Geshe-la was going to say. So then without without mindfulness, then we are we are in complete darkness. And, again, it’s just just like with respect to emptiness, we are in complete darkness. We don’t have a clue what it is. And, again, maybe maybe with with with the mind of enlightenment, we have we have a little bit of it’s a bit more it’s a bit clearer, but it’s still very dark.
And then even bodhisattvas, they they might know about the mind of enlightenment, still they are in the dark. They are bitten in the dark as as as to full enlightenment itself. So then so then without that, yeah, without that mindfulness, we are in complete in complete darkness. So this allows us say, so then so then we must then get acquainted, get familiarized with the object, the subject that that we wish to be mindful of. And Geshe-la was saying, so then once we are familiar with the object, then mindfulness almost it is almost as if it happens naturally.
I mean, we we we are we are already familiar with with a good how do say? A nice meal, a tasty meal. We can immediately be mindful of it, isn’t it? Very easily we can be mindful of a nice pleasant food. And, again, the same with money.
I mean, we’re so familiar with it, we can immediately be mindful of it, isn’t it? So then if we are not familiar with the subject, then it’s very difficult to be mindful. Just yeah. You understand. So then, again, because we have eaten so many so much pizza, and, again, we are so familiar with it.
So this thinking about it, then we have already taste and everything. We can we recollect everything. We are mindful of everything about it. So then that that’s the sort of familiarity that we need. As as for we are we are like, what is it?
We are in complete darkness again. And then as for as for course coarse impermanence, we we know the the death of one’s body, the changes in the weather and so forth, and every changes there is that are visible. We can all see all those changes, all this this coarse impermanence. So then this is something that we are familiar with, isn’t it? So then Geshe-la is the same.
But now as as for as for subtle subtle impermanence, then this with with subtle impermanence, we do not have any acquaintance with it. And then the subtle impermanence is that momentary change of of of phenomena that happens to phenomena. And with that, we are we are not familiar at all. We we we instead believe, we we think the opposite. We think that phenomena are not actually changing momentarily because we think, oh, yesterday and today, it is still the same, that that phenomena is still the same.
Just one hour ago, and now, this phenomena is still the same. It hasn’t changed anything. So we don’t believe in momentary change. We don’t think about momentary change. So then again, with with subtle impermanence and emptiness, we are it’s something that we are not familiar with.
But then it’s not to say that we are not completely unfamiliar unfamiliarized with these topics. Since the when we first began to study until now, now we we have we have already doubts about, how to say, phenomena being not, how to say, existing from from its own side, not inherently existent. We have to think, well, maybe maybe maybe it is that phenomena are not inherently existent, or we think maybe that maybe it is not that phenomena are inherently existent. This is a mind of doubt. So then that mind of doubt indicates that we have some level, some familiarity with with the subject already, because that mind of of doubt is something is a mind that has already been been meeting with the subject.
And that will lead after that. That will lead to more to ascertainment of the of of the subject and then to familiarity, to actual familiarity with it. Okay? And Geshe-la said, so then for a person who has never heard of emptiness, if you talk about emptiness, that person that person is in complete darkness. So then it’s very important to to for us to get acquainted with the subjects.
So then it’s very important for us that that we we read the texts, we read the teachings, and then we discuss these teachings with one another. And we we read one text, and we say, I think that he means this and that. What do you think? What what do you think that he means? And so for the auto means and so forth.
We have to engage in this way in order to to get to gain familiarity with the with the subject. So then if we do like this, then we will eventually get familiar with the object. We will gain that familiarity, and then we will be able then we will be able to, one, eventually, to overcome overcome our doubts and then ascertain ascertain the object. So, if you have any questions now?