Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The analogy of poisonous food gives this 78-minute session its sharpest image: Geshe Pema Tsering explains that even diligent Dharma practice, if driven by self-grasping, is like eating beautiful food laced with poison — it only tightens the grip of saṃsāra. The session works through the final two of three core principles from the Seven Point Mind Training — avoiding reckless behavior near dangerous places or vow-breakers, and maintaining strict impartiality toward all beings — before proceeding through seven successive commitments: keeping practice inwardly deep but outwardly unremarkable, not pointing out others’ deficiencies, not searching for their faults, renouncing hopes that contradict bodhicitta, and avoiding grudges and harsh speech. A Q&A distinguishes self-serving hopes from the Mahāyāna aspiration to free all beings. For practitioners already following the series.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 30 2005 12 11 MT.mp3
UUID: 6c643408-ef8c-4337-9a47-6d1acbc45896
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Mind Training (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2005-12-11
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 77.9 minutes
Words: ~3,734
So now we have to give rise to good motivation, and proper motivation is the thought of achieving enlighten enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. Then thinking that we must liberate all sentient beings from suffering and bring them to the state of enlightenment, we are now going to engage in the study of this mind training text in order to achieve this goal. So we are still on the first topic of the section of the text, the sixth part of the text of the Seven Point Mind Training. This topic is practicing the three always practice always training the three main in the three principles. So the first one was not contradicting the commitments of mind training.
So this is the section on on the commitments of my training. So the first of these three principles was not to contradict the commitments of mind training. And now we are in the second one, which is to not behave recklessly. And then so what is meant with to not behave recklessly? The text says that we should not sleep in dangerous places.
We should not cut, again, hazardous hazardous trees. We should not go to places where there are infectious diseases. We should not, how do you say, befriend or stay stay close to to people who who have who have broken their samayas or or or have broken their vows and commitments or or close to lepers and so forth. So all this reckless behavior, we should abandon. And then having abandoned them, we should we should, how to say, practice the Dharma in accordance, in harmony with the examples of the great Kadampa Geshe’s of the teachings of the great Kadampa Geshe’s who are teachings who inspire us and and and how do say?
Elevate. How do you say? Elevate us, uplift us. So yeah. Yeah.
That’s that’s what I said. So then the text goes on to say that, for example, the text goes on to say that Geshe Geshe Sharawa had stated that, how to say, behaving recklessly and and and no. Going going to mistaken places, which which is this is a bad places, all always going to these bad places and then behaving recklessly is a mistake. Just it’s it’s a simple statement. Then the text goes on to explain that the samaya breakers, which are those people who have broken their who have let their their commitments and their vows degenerate.
So and and and also those other people who have who have slackened in their moral disciplines. So and and every everyone else who has who accumulates all sorts of small negativities. So the text says that we should not mix with these people, And Geshe-la explicitly explains that to mix is, in this case, to mix our actions with with the sort of actions that they do is not to behave the same way that they behave. Having having made the vow of the mind of enlightenment, we should not behave as those people do. We should not behave recklessly again.
Yeah. We should not behave have have we should be careful not not for for our conduct of body, speech, and mind to not let it degenerate, turn into a course or rude conduct and so forth. So then now we’re going to the third of these three principles that must be trained. And this third principle is is that one one must not be biased or must not be partial. So the text says that being biased, one tolerates or is patient with the harm caused by human beings, and then one does not tolerate or is not patient with the harm caused by nonhuman beings, by evil spirits and so forth.
So, honestly, being very how would I say it? To to bear a lot of prejudice against those nonhuman beings is something that we should this this this state of mind, this thought, we should oppose, we should reverse it. Then the text goes on to say that some some people, they behave respectfully. They pay respects to to to great people. And can I explain great people is referring to people who are rich or successful or or have who are more educated or have qualities?
And then and then they abuse or denigrate of of lower people, people of lower status and so forth. Then some people, they behave lovingly towards their relatives, and then towards people outside their family, other people, they would behave with with anger. Some people, they train train their minds towards sentient beings, but they do not train their minds towards towards the elements, the great elements, for example. So so all of this all of this is is is a biased characterized as biased mind. And and then the text incites us that we should we should behave we should train our minds impartially unbiased towards all sentient beings and towards towards all.
The text literally says towards all. So then the third of these principles that one was training oh, I’m sorry. It’s the the the second commitment of all the commitments of the mind training. So the second commitment says that one has to change one’s attitude but remain natural. So the text says, in mentally, we should meditate on exchanging self for others, and and we shouldn’t being mindful of it at all times of of this yoga, which is exchanging oneself for others is is what is called yoga, is is one particular yoga.
So being mindful of this yoga, one never separates oneself from it, not even at in in in for one moment. And then and but then, still, one’s behavior, one’s activities of body, one one’s physical activities, and one’s speech must remain as before, must remain unchanged. And then so one and one should not so one should not change one’s one’s physical behavior, and one should not how to say? And one one will not one will not, how would you say that, proclaim oneself to be a practitioner or something like that? To be a to be a yogi?
How how would you say that? Yeah? So one not one will not show off. Is isn’t it show off, is it? So then so then so then And then the text says, having having practiced, having trained one’s mind again, I was explaining the meaning of the text.
Having trained one one’s mind, then and whenever one meet with new friends, new new companions on the path, then one will not, how to say, change one’s behavior, alter one’s behavior, or or behave, how to say, in disharmony with the training that one has adopted with the training of of the mind of enlightenment. Then the text goes on to say that some people having having listened to the Dharma and having practiced in accordance with with Having having listened having having listened to the Dharma, then one when one meets with a new friend or companion, then some of this some people, they will they will put aside or they will leave behind their their previous virtuous conduct or proper conduct of meditation, study, and so forth. And they will they will, they will give up on their practice, for the sake of of being with this new new friend. So having abandoning abandoning abandoning these these virtuous practices and these these conducts and these meditation and so forth in order to be able to go with this new friend, the text says is extremely that’s extremely bad. So the text goes on to say that whilst practicing the mind training, whilst training one one’s mind, then one should keep one should keep a low profile, low key, is it?
Be discreet and humble above one’s practice. Practice. But at the same time, one should, how to say, expand one’s one’s perspective. One one’s mental perspective must be wide and vast. Geshe-la was explaining, it’s just like when we are we are here right now on the ground, and our perspective is very limited.
But when we fly on the airplane, our perspective becomes very vast. So this is how we should keep our minds very vast even though we are being very low key and and and cultivating our humility and so forth, not letting other others know of our whatever qualities we have cultivated. Then one should one should strive to mature one’s mental continuum without letting others know what’s going on really. This one. So then now the third commitment of mind training is not to mention others’ impaired organs.
So so we should not mention or point out we should abandon. We should give up mentioning or pointing out others or whoever whoever whoever it may be, pointing out the the the worldly physical deficiencies, such as being blind and and so forth, or or the what is called the the the what is referred to in the text as the Dharma, thoughts, and which might be their their, how to say, slackness in in in in the practice of of more of ethical discipline and so forth. So we should we should abandon mentioning or talking about or pointing out the shortcomings of other people. So then the fourth the fourth commitment of mind training is do not think about the affairs of others. And the text goes on to explain that, generally, in relation to all sentient beings or to those special ones who place us in the entrance to the dharma or to those, how to say, dear ones who are our friends in the dharma.
So we should not conceive or or look for faults in them. And then Geshe-la says Geshe-la briefly says that if we look for faults in other people, then we will see many faults. On the same vein, if we look for qualities on other people, we will again, we will see many qualities. So we should not Geshe-la says we should not look for faults on other people. So then at first the text says that by practicing having practiced the mind training, then later we we develop disliking for it.
This we start liking it. We start enjoying it. Then so overall, we should not we should not, how to say, look for faults on on others, then training from one one’s point of view, from one side, we should not from from the affairs of others, we should not think it is improper for us to think of the faults in regards to the affairs of others. I’m gonna briefly explain that training our minds from our side from our side means we should instead of looking for for faults on others, we should examine for the faults on ourselves. That’s what is meant by training the mind from our side.
But then so then and then if we if we cannot help and then see faults on others, then we should understand that these faults that we are seeing are are nothing but our own impure appearances that are our come out of our own impure minds so that that the other does not actually have any fault. That all sentient beings all sentient beings, they have Buddha nature. Their very essence is the essence of Buddha nature. That’s how we should think of them. And then understanding that their essence is the essence of Buddha nature.
They have the essence of Buddha nature. Okay. So whatever whatever faults we are actually seeing on them is not they are not they are not real. They are they are our own mistaken appearances. So then the the there was one They would have a three point.
Four. So then the fifth commitment of mind training says, give up all hope for results. So then by practicing mind training by or by training one’s mind, then one one should abandon hopes for for gaining the regards or or attention of others of other people. One should abandon the hopes for gaining respect or honor or fame and renown in the future. One should abandon hopes of of by practicing the mind training, being able to avoid the harm of of nonhuman beings and then gaining benefit from them.
So then, also, one should abandon hopes of attaining a good human rebirth in the future or attaining the rebirth of of a god. And, again, one should abandon the hopes of achieving liberation for oneself alone. So Geshe-la says that thinking in any of these ways that were just mentioned is in contradiction to the mind training. Contradicts the mind training. So then and and lastly, one should train one’s mind without having the the hope of of without having even the hope of attaining enlightenment for the sake of full enlightenment, for the sake of one’s welfare alone.
And, again, I explains if that if if we wish to attaining full enlightenment for our sakes alone, then we are contradicting again, we are contradicting the vow of of bodhicitta, is the vow of attaining enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. We are contradicting, how to say, the purpose of of our practices of exchanging self and others and acting for the welfare of others in the first place. So then also and then the text goes on to say that we should not also, we should not have, hopes, for attaining the qualities of of of of of great accomplishments or or even to to eagerly and and and and quickly attain the any results, that if if any, Mara, which is this sort of evil spirit, if any any Mara knows that we have such thoughts as any any of the thoughts that were any any such hopes that were mentioned before in the text, if the minds of these evil spirits, they know that we have such thoughts, they will create difficulties. They will create obstacles for us. And then lastly, the text the text says, with respect to this topic, that having having made effort in mind training for for a long time and having put a lot of work into it, then for again, for a very long time, then one thinks, oh, I have done a very good job.
Then even if even though that might be so, then one does not still still does not experience results or does not see results, even though that comes about in this way, then one should not one should not how did I say that? This is a specific one should not be be be lazy, but specific kinds of laziness. One should not one should not give in to to the thought that one is not up to the to the goal, one is not up to the job. Is does that make sense? After having worked out for a very long time and still not not achieving the seeing any results, one should not give up to this this kind of laziness, which is specific Then we go to the sixth commitment of mind training, which reads give up tell tells us to give up poisonous food.
Then so the text says, not seeing self grasping as as an enemy, and then not abandoning self-cherishing and deep how to say? In a in a in a in how do say, in a hole deep in our in our minds, we keep this this mind that starts our own welfare. It’s very deep what we have is this mind that wishes our own welfare alone. If like this, then we with that mind that that that sees all things of true as truly existent, that holds all things all phenomena as truly existent, then then whatever Dharma practice we engage in, whatever Dharma we make, it will it will only be the cause. It will only turn into the we only we only be accumulating the causes of more of cyclic existence of Samsāra.
And then binding ourselves in this way to cyclic existence, we are we are only going to give rise to more suffering. So so the text says that we should we should we should abandon, how do say, poisonous food and the like. So then explains that whatever whatever food we we wish to to eat, to enjoy, be it a lot of food, be it delicious food, be it a very beautiful food, whatever it is, if it is if it has poison in it, then we are we’re only gonna get sick or die out of it if we eat it. And, again so then, Geshe-la says and so the same goes the analogy apply applies for the for for the case of the Dharma, because of the Dharma. So whatever whatever Dharma we are practicing, whatever it is and so the Dharma here is like the food.
If if we’re practicing doing Dharma practice, but we we still have this self grasping mind, then this this this self grasping is like the poison in the food that spoils it, and we only end up accumulating, I say, the causes of more suffering. So, again, casting out the poison of self-grasping, self-grasping.. So then the seventh topic, the seventh commitment of mind training Yeah. Reads it says that do not do not hold do not hold a grudge. And the text briefly say, so if if someone else having having done something which is unreasonable or or not good or or even something bad, then we should not we should not hold hold a grudge towards that person, remain angry with that person, and then later on, I say, denigrate this person or say how bad this person is or what what how how bad were the things that this person has done and so forth.
We should not act in this way. So then the the eighth commitment of mind training reads, do not be excited by cutting remarks or or do not be I think maybe I think maybe disturbed would be better. Do not be disturbed by cutting remarks. So so whatever whatever actions So then yeah. So don’t be don’t be excited by Don’t be excited by cutting remarks.
So is explaining the meaning of the text. And is saying, so whatever whatever actions others might be engaging in, be be they good actions or bad actions. Is saying that we should never, how to say, we should never say rude things or or or heavy heavy things. We should not we should never speak roughly about about others. So, again, I was giving the examples.
For example, there is a a robber, then we should never refer to this person roughly and and and and just again, I was was using the example. He was using the analogy of a robber, and he just said that we should not call them, oh, you’re a robber. You’re a bad person and this and this and that and and use bad words and stuff. We should be patient and and exercise, not show off, exercise our patience and avoid getting getting angry about about the actions of the other person. So we stop here today.
Now if you if you have any questions. Lewis. Lewis. So can I explain that it’s not it is not a case of not having any hopes at all, but it’s a case of of of contradicting or not contradicting the mind training because because this is a Mahāyāna mind training of the great vehicle? So if if one does practice the Dharma for the sake of achieving liberation for oneself alone, it’s not that one will not achieve liberation for oneself alone.
It’s this that one will be contradicting the the mind training, the Mahāyāna mind training. So, again, I say that we do have we have a hope, but the hope is to be able to bring all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment, to be able to free all sentient beings from suffering and to accomplish all all happiness for them. And that’s the hope that we have to think and and and not thinking in this way, thinking of the benefit for oneself alone or for this life alone, that will contradict the training. So then again, I said, it’s not the case of when the text says that we should abandon our hope for results, it’s not it’s not he’s talking just about any any hopes that relate that are that are contradictory to the mind of enlightenment to the to the to the hopes of bringing all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment, again, relieving all sentient beings from suffering and accomplishing all their happiness. That’s the hope that we have.
And then other hope that contradicts that, that’s all all other hopes contradicts that should be abandoned. So then Geshe-la says, this is very difficult. To accomplish this is very difficult at which so he says we should we should all train our minds. And he says that if we train our minds, then of it will come about. But that right now, we are we are just as was as was stated in another part of the text, we have deep inside our inside our minds.
We have the that that little self-cherishing thought in in the hole deep inside our minds. And so then we cannot accomplish that yet. Yes? So then Geshe-la is saying that in in the in the great monasteries, they wouldn’t study traditionally. They wouldn’t study on a regular basis.
They would not study such such small texts. What they they do, they do they do do mind training, but they do it when while they’re studying the great scriptures on the on the middle way, on the Vinaya, on the, how do say, and and and other great texts. There are five great texts that they study and they debate. And Geshe-la explained that texts such as this one, they come out of those texts. They take the essence of those texts, and then we have text small text such as this such as this one.
So they do mind training, but they they do not will not regularly use this small text. They they would the the classes their their their their scope of study is very vast.