Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 62-minute Lojong commentary, Geshe Pema Tsering unpacks the verse “all blame lies in oneself,” arguing that striving for the body’s sake is groundless because phenomena arising from causes and conditions lack inherent existence. The session’s central move is naming self-grasping “Gompo” — after a class of demonic spirits — and treating it as the one enemy to annihilate at every opportunity, with harmful circumstances and hostile beings recast as unlikely allies in that fight. He invokes Geshe Sharawa’s challenge: no practice counts as real Dharma until one sees oneself as the enemy. The story of Geshe Ben, a reformed thief who caught his own hand reaching to steal and rebuked it aloud, illustrates the sustained inner vigilance required. A closing Q&A distinguishes “self” from “self-grasping” and affirms exchanging self-cherishing for cherishing others as the heart of the practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 18 2005 09 23 MT.mp3
UUID: f6e07f8a-67f3-4172-9090-ea5595522834
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Mind Training (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2005-09-23
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 61.6 minutes
Words: ~3,045
Develop a good motivation. So for the benefit of all sentient beings, we should achieve enlightenment. And so we’re going to study Lojong in order to to achieve enlightenment for the sake So Geshe-la is explaining the text as follows. It’s probably you probably if you have been in the previous session, you’re probably in the beginning of the main practice. And it’s the first line of the verse.
It goes something like, all blame lies in oneself. So the text goes to comment on this line. So in the next sentence goes, from time immemorial, we have been striving for the sake of this body. This body So this body that we regard as existing from its own side as matter. So that this body that exists in that seems to exist in such a manner, we have has been benefited and harmed.
And then and according to its benefits to the benefits and the harms that it came through, we have a mind that is that that with likes and dislikes. And this mind is how do you say? So so this mind is is, how do you say, it is senseless, meaningless and empty. All this striving that we go and is adding on top of the text, he says, all this striving for the sake of the body has no foundation, it has no solid basis to it. Okay.
So and then goes goes following the text explaining the the the next sentence. He says, now all all these relative appearances that arise from causes and condition and conditions they are senseless and all cause and effect, how to say? Okay. So all so all these relative appearances that arise from causes and conditions, they are senseless. Cause and effect, how to say, at every moment, how to say, they are destroyed and then they arise.
So that being so, they do not exist. And Geshe-la explains that this exists that is on the text refers to it does not exist from their own side. So so that being so, on top of of that, all this senseless contradictory activities, and then you’re gonna explain with this this contradictory sense of contradictory activities are all this this striving for the sake of the body or this this body. Okay. So all this striving for all this senseless, how to say, contradictory activity that is the striving for the sake of the body.
How do you say? This is this is not This is unreasonable. So that being so come on. So that means so now I’m going to see myself as the enemy. Okay.
Okay. So so then Geshe-la was explaining the the next line. It goes all this worldly spirits and and and non-human beings of all the types of nonhuman beings and all the, how do say, obstructing spirits or demons and all the thousands of them, all of them, please help me. The text goes on to say like this. Help help for what?
What? Help me to destroy the self grasping. So the text goes on to like this, requesting all harmful spirits to help one to destroy the self grasping. So one then next, Geshe-la is going to explain. One’s five aggregates, these five aggregates of ours, they are, how do say, senseless and empty.
I’m going to explain this on top of that, that they empty of existing from their own side. And that’s that’s we have to study. Okay? So so for this that being so for for for actions, now in this brief life of ours, we should can I say that at every moment, at any every opportunity we find, we should, how to say, fight, destroy, or try to annihilate this self grasping? There is they use the word gompo.
Gompo refers to to to a certain kind of demonic spirit. Spirit. So this is called this this self grasping by this name, Gompo. This is demonic spirit. So we should try to destroy this this demon of self grasping at every opportunity we have.
So then the text goes on quoting Geshe Sharawa. Geshe Sharawa said, as long as I don’t see myself myself as the enemy, the lamas and and and whoever, how to say, will not recognize my practices as Dharma practice. Okay? Will not will not literally says it will not will not not praise will not praise me as a practitioner. But Geshe-la explains that means that meaning that means that if as long as long as I don’t see myself as the enemy, I won’t be doing a good Dharma practice or any real Dharma practice.
And then then if I see myself as the enemy, then benefit will follow. So now, like this, like this, the text goes on like this, if I if I see myself as the enemy, then all non humans, non human beings and all the elements, the four elements referring here to to the dangers of of elements and the the these demons and spirits and everything else. All this this when they harm me, when when harm comes, they’re also harming the enemy. Right? So this self grasping So like this, this the the self grasping and then this this how do you say?
Arguing no. For friends or people friends or companions who who who who how do you say that? To argue. Argue or you know? When have a a conflict Quarrel.
Quarrel. Quarrel. Okay. Conflict. Okay.
So that’s like this like this, like this, what we have is self grasping and all these friends that quarrel with it. There is all these elements and and this is demons and so forth. And then one has on one side a big army of of I’m gonna explain this army is is composed of all these spirits and and elements that harm the self grasping. So all these all these all those who harm, and, Geshe-la says, all those who harm refers here to, again, to all those demons and the the elements and and so forth. We should not get angry with them or generate any hatred towards them.
Instead, we should we should like them. This one. So and that text goes on and that only Is the good Dharma practice That is like That is like releasing releasing one from from the the bad conditions that are like an abyss, a dangerous abyss. And that like this only, like this only, the good Dharma practice, this good Dharma practice will come about. So So yes, I mean, again, explained that these are unfavorable conditions or harmful conditions.
It’s like it’s all the suffering of and all the bad conditions that we find, misfortunes and so forth. And then it’s going to release us from that. It’s releasing us from that is is referring the fact that it’s it’s a good practice. It’s it’s it’s real Dharma. So just that, I I don’t know exactly how to translate.
It’s a very brief sentence, but the guy explains that doing that, seeing seeing oneself as the enemy, and then realization will follow easily. And it’s a very brief sentence, and it this means that this means that you will accomplish easily. So it doesn’t make much sense, but but again, I realize realization will follow easily. Just doing that, seeing myself as the enemy. Okay.
Like that, now one should see oneself the as the enemy and others as friends. And Geshe-la explains, seeing others as friends means means that we should strive for the sake of others and seeing oneself as the enemy, we’re to add on top of that. We should not strive for this for our own benefits, doing all this, I mean, act only for the sake of our own benefit. And then the next next sentence goes and say, now I should see myself also as as both and friend. I should train I should train my mind at seeing myself as both friend and enemy.
The first the first sentence went, I should train my mind at seeing both myself and others as as enemies and friends. And again, the sentence goes now, myself also as both enemies and friends. And then, again, explains what what in oneself is to be seen as as the enemy is the mind that that that, how to say, sees self as having inherent existence. And and what is that should be seen as a friend is the mind that realizes the lack of inherent existence of the self. The the mind that aspires for one benefit and all the actions that follow it, all the striving for one’s own benefit, that mind and those actions, to them, we should we should give, we should attach or we should label a bad name.
Okay. That’s a little translation. A bad name, Geshe-la explains a bad name. And then the mind that aspires to accomplish the benefit, the purpose of others, and all those the actions that follow this mind, all the striving for the sake of others, to that, we should attach a good name. And literally, it will be to that, we should we should attach the name of dharma, meaning that real dharma.
That is real dharma. So Next it goes to say that we should follow the example of Geshe Ben, who’s Again again, I’m sorry. I’m not sure how to translate exactly, but it’s referring to the left left and right hands of. And then it it goes this is left and right hands, both both hands. And then it says one follows the other.
It’s like one one, how to say, leaves behind and the other takes. And Geshe-la is giving the the example that one hand is is trying to steal, and the other hand is stop it. So we should we should leave. We should abandon this act of stealing. You know, we should we should watch we should watch out for it.
Okay. So stealing we should abandon and non-stealing, in this we should take, adopt non-stealing. Is just saying that Geshe Ben was a person who had practiced a lot and studied a lot, he became a Geshe. And there are many stories in relation to Geshe Ben. But then it’s going to be difficult now to get into it.
One of the reasons that I’m not still very used with Geshe-la’s accent. So so he doesn’t want to get into that. Okay. Okay. So one of the stories you should read the the books, you probably heard this one before.
One of the stories says, okay. When he was young, he was a robber. He he used to steal a lot of things, steal a lot of things. But then later when he became a and a monk, one time he went to visit a patron, a sponsor. And then while he was in a in a while the patron was in the kitchen making tea, was alone in the in the in the living room.
And he he saw something. I don’t remember what he said it was. But he saw something, and and immediately, one of his hands went to take it to steal it. And then he saw that, realized he was stealing. The other hand comes in and said, no.
That’s not alright. You thief, stop. And then the the text goes to quote Geshe Ben himself. Okay. So Geshe Ben is saying, Guard the entrance to the fortress of of my mind with with with a a spear of antidotes, you know, in the antidotes like like Dharma practice antidotes, with a spear of antidotes.
And that’s all I do, and there’s nothing else for me to do. Important. So when when the when the so so it says if he if he how do say in English? If he if he is is at the ready, so am I. And then Geshe-la explains it refers to self grasping?
And Geshe-la explains? If if the self grasping comes comes up very strongly, then I am there to put him down. And then, again, the next the next little sentence goes, if he relaxes, then I relax. So if self grasping relax, then I relax also. So, again, I’m very sorry.
There’s a bit of a sentence here that here that I cannot understand one hundred percent, so I’m relying totally on on explanation of it. So he says that that’s a like, I said, I’m I’m watching this this self grasping constantly. And and there is a little saying here, if if if the the pig if the pig comes, and then I I I hit it with with with a And then Geshe-la explained the pig refers to self grasping. So if self grasp comes, we should hit it with with with the antidotes. We should immediately apply rely on the antidotes.
Okay. He’s on the nose of the pig, he said. Okay. It’s the of the pig. So in all the the scriptures and the commentaries, all the scriptures and and all the commentaries, they say, besides besides abandoning self grasping, there’s nothing else to be done.
So this seeing oneself as the enemy, abandoning self grasping, this teaching, this this this self-importance as Geshe-la puts it like this. This this seeing oneself as important. Then says, this teaching, we should call it by a certain name that is amazingly difficult for me to translate. And this but it’s a Dharma. It’s again, they use the word gompo that refers to those demons.
It’s a kind of demon that is is is is male in nature, and and it’s it’s associated with anger. But then they are also related to other two demons. And then it’s and this one is a symbol of a female, and it’s related to desire. And there’s a third one, there is a neutral in terms of sex, and then it’s related to ignorance. So he’s calling this he’s calling this Dharma practice.
So, yeah, all in all, you should seeing the self as this — the enemy. So this is the Dharma that sees the the the self grasping as as the enemy. Explained. So Geshe-la is explaining all this refers to the mind that that thinks of oneself as being important, and then it’s going to strive to to achieve happiness only for oneself, will not will not strive for the benefit of others at all.
This this this mind is the few minds that we have to to, how to say, to change to how to say it? To To like we should do the opposite. Swap. Okay. We should swap these two.
And then again, I said, we should stop trying to achieve benefit for oneself and then start striving to achieve benefit for others. That’s what we have to swap. So all this this mind that that gives a lot of importance to oneself, and that and that leads us to strive for for for our own own benefit only. We generate only the causes of Samsāra, of cyclic existence. So now, yes, time for questions.
That yourself is the enemy or yourself cherishing? Self or self-cherishing? So then I just explained that, generally speaking, they are not they they are not referring to the same thing when it says oneself self and then self grasping. So self grasping is referring specifically to the to the to the mind that assumes the self to be inherently existent, and and that’s that’s the main enemy. And the and the the I, this this this I, this this self is is just like it’s like on a relative level, like, want happiness, and we don’t want suffering, Geshe-la is saying.
It’s generally speaking, they they are they are not the same. But in the text, depending on the context, they might might be referring to the same thing. Those words in Tibetan, it might be referring to the same thing. So it depends on the context according to the text. Self grasping most of the time.
Yes. Not really. Yes. Yeah. And there’s money.
Yeah? And a member of your family? Yes. Without permission? Yes.
Yes. And there’s some of the the money. Yes. And you see this is wrong, and you tell them. Yes.
Because what this is, it’s true. Yes. And that’s. Yes. And you’re trying to get the money back.
Yes. You’re the person who belongs to you. Yes? Yes. So, well, it’s a a bit abstract, the example, but it’s a it’s a we’re trying to understand this about the idea.
Okay. There is one father and two sons. Right? And then the father dies. And then it goes it goes like this.
If from Geshe-la’s point of view, if if if the father, before his death, declares that the his money should be given to both his sons, then that’s what has to be done. But if he didn’t say anything, and then they have to talk to each other. They have to decide within themselves. Point of view, if, for example, if the father is sick and then one of the sons come and stays with him and helps him and assist him in the whole process, then the money should be to him. So so so it’s a husband and the wife.
The wife died and left the money to the husband, but his son got the money. Right? Yes. Okay. That is then the father has to talk to the son and solve the problem himself.
Sorry? The the father has to talk to his son and solve the problem himself. Is is his father He’s sick. And and his his his son. They should talk together.
Alright, any other questions? Could Geshe-la So it’s a according to Geshe-la, the best practice is the mind training practice of exchanging oneself for others. Seeing yes, as was explained here, seeing striving for the benefit of others and not for oneself. Any more questions? No more?
This one. This, yes. Sorry. K. So turn to teaching prayers, page twenty four.