Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A dog’s tooth mistaken for a relic of the Buddha anchors one of several vivid stories in this 41-minute commentary by Geshe Pema Tsering on the Seven Point Mind Training. The session works through Advice Eight — “Cultivate the three without deterioration” — covering faith and respect for one’s teacher (illustrated by the tales of Devadatta, Atisha and Serlingpa, and Milarepa and Marpa), joy in mind training as the very essence of the Mahāyāna path, and conscientiousness as the habit of investigating one’s actions before taking them. Geshe-la distinguishes shame and embarrassment as separate mental factors, one oriented toward others and one toward oneself. The session closes by introducing the next advice: making body, speech, and mind inseparable from virtue. Suited to practitioners following the series.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 37 2006 02 26 MT (2).mp3
UUID: 19c6c754-0586-4b46-9f2d-4e3446716720
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Mind Training (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2006-02-26
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 40.6 minutes
Words: ~2,677
So then now we have to give rise to a good motivation. Then the motivation is in order to bring all sentient beings to enlightenment, to benefit them, one must practice the mind training. Then in order to be able to practice the mind training, to accomplish this purpose, now we are going to we have to learn about mind training, we have to study mind training. So then we are we are studying, again, commentary of the seven point mind training by Geshe Chekawa. We are on the seventh and last point, has many topics to it.
This seventh point is called the advices mind training. Of these advices we are on advice number eight, which is called cultivate the three without deterioration. Okay? And then the three, which are being referred to, are first faith and respect for one’s Lama. Secondly, is how do you say?
Joy in mind training. And the third is, how do you say, conscientiousness, being conscientious about one’s practice of mind training. So, then, for the first one that was referred, faith and respect for one’s Lama. So, this one is, again, explains that all all the good qualities of the Mahāyāna teachings come in dependence upon the student’s faith and respect for one’s Lama, for one’s teacher, guru. So that being so, then we should we should we should, how do you say, preserve this this faith and respect for our teacher, for our Lama without letting it deteriorate.
Okay? So then Geshe-la is explaining one compounded word in Tibetan, which which in English, it comes as the full two words. So it’s just explaining two different syllables that are translated as faith and respect. So we are saying that if we have faith and respect for one’s lama, then all these qualities, good qualities of the we will be able to accomplish all these qualities of the Mahāyāna path and so forth. If we do not have it, we won’t be able to accomplish that.
So we should regarding perceiving our Lama as as one, as being a Buddha, an enlightened being himself, then we should, how do say, have faith and respect for for the Lama. I’m sorry. So then, again, I was explaining that in regards to faith and respect for one’s Lama, again, I was saying that it is not in dependence on the qualities of our Lama. If our Lama has great qualities, then we will get blessings or great blessings, or if our Lama has small qualities, then we will get small blessings. Doesn’t work this way.
And I just explained that it is in dependence upon how much faith and respect we have for our Lamas that we are going to obtain good qualities. And Geshe-la has given us an example the story of Buddha Śākyamūni’s brother. If I recall it right, his name was, Devadatta, and Geshe-la explained that because Devadatta did even though Devadatta was always, close close by Buddha Śākyamūni himself every day and going wherever Buddha Śākyamūni was going because he didn’t have any faith and respect for Buddha Śākyamūni himself. He didn’t obtain any good qualities. Devadatta didn’t obtain any good qualities.
So then Geshe-la is giving another example, another illustration, which is the story of relationship between Serlingpa and one of his main disciples, which was Atisha. He was a great Lama. So Geshe-la explained that Serlingpa, he was so he was he was he was an adept of one of the lower philosophical Buddhist schools? So that is to say that he didn’t have the right view of emptiness. So that is to say that also he didn’t have complete or a full realization of emptiness.
And on the other hand, Atisha, who was his disciple, he was he was an adept of Madhyamaka philosophical school, so he had the correct view of emptiness. But even though even though though, Serlingpa himself, Lama Serlingpa himself did not have this correct view of emptiness. It was in dependence upon his devotion and his respect, his service to Lama Serlingpa that Atisha developed great qualities such as the mind of enlightenment itself. Okay? So there are many stories like this.
Another one that Geshe-la briefly mentions is the story of Jetsün Milarepa and Marpa Lotsawa, Marpa the translator. And then Geshe-la is explaining that Marpa, the translator himself, he did not get enlightened in that life, but in dependence on his faith and respect for Marpa the translator, Milarepa got enlightened in that life. So Geshe-la is quoting a verse, and, well, it’s a bit difficult for me to translate the verse itself, but he explained the meaning of the verse. So the verse just says that the verse is saying that it is not on the is not on reliance on the qualities of the Lama that greater or small blessings will follow, but it is in reliance on one’s faith and respect for the lama that the blessings that that that’s a blessings will follow. And then Geshe-la tells another story to to illustrate this point.
It’s, again, it’s a it’s a very popular tale. There is a there was this Tibetan woman who had a son who went to India. And then this woman, she told her son, you’re going to India. The Buddha is there in India. So please bring bring, how do say, some relic or something for me to worship.
And then her son went to India, and he himself did not have much faith on for the Buddha, on the Buddha. So he he didn’t meet the Buddha or anything. On the way back, he he remembered his mother’s request, and he took hold of a of a dog’s tooth. Okay? And he carried it over to Tibet and gave it to his mother and told and told his mother that that was one of Buddha’s one of Buddha’s teeth.
And then his mother, because she had great faith in the Buddha, she she she put it on the altar and and worshiped it and paid respects to it, made offerings and so forth, and she benefited out of it while his son while her son didn’t benefit at all. So then, again, was saying again, the saying about having faith and respect for one’s Lama that if one has faith and respect for one’s Lama, then whatever whatever one’s Lama teaches to to oneself, then one will be able to to bring those teachings to fruition. One will be able to experience those teachings. But if one does not have respect or faith, then one will not be able one will not be able to to bring these teachings to fruition. One will not be able to experience them.
So then, Geshe-la is saying, furthermore, that we should not then, how do say, overemphasize the qualities of the Lama. We have to how do you say? We have to understand that it depends on our attitude towards the Lama. And again, I was giving you another illustration. For example, the Dalai Lama himself, there is he is the one with most and the best qualities in the whole world.
And there are those people who have faith for the Dalai Lama and on the Dalai Lama. How do say on the Dalai Lama or in the Dalai Lama? In. In. Okay.
There are those who have faith in the Dalai Lama, and there are those who do not have faith and respect for him, like, for example, some some Chinese officials. And you know I’m saying? So those those who have faith faith in him, they will benefit, and those who do not have faith in him will they they are incurring a mistake. That that that being so, then we we can understand how important it is to have faith and respect. So then Geshe-la says that the text goes on to say that we should, at all times, we should perceive our Lama as being an enlightened being, as being a Buddha?
Excuse me. Then Furthermore,. We should perceive our our our Lama as being a Buddha or as being the Buddha himself. And then even though though our Lama is not enlightened, even though is an ordinary person, if we regard him as a Buddha, then all his teachings are the teachings of the Buddha of what what the Buddha has said, and then we are going to, how to say, benefit just as if he was actually the Buddha. No matter if if we can see the Buddha or not, if the Buddha is there or not, how far or close we are, if we regard him as the Buddha, then we are going to benefit as if he was there.
And then the text goes on to say to comment on the next of the three, which is cultivating joy for one’s mind training. And then the text says mentions that mind training is the very essence of Mahāyāna vehicle. It’s they are the causes and the seeds of enlightenment itself, and for that reason, thinking like this, we should how do say? We should practice mind training and and rejoice, cultivate joy on our practice cultivate cultivate joy on our studying and practicing mind training. Then no worries.
Then Geshe-la explains that if we do not have joy, if we’re not if we’re not we do not like if we do not like mind training, if we do not enjoy it, then we won’t be able to practice in the first place. And then not being able to practice, we won’t be able to develop good qualities, the good qualities that come from practicing mind training mind training. On the other hand, if we do if we do cultivate a liking for it, if we do have joy on it, if we do understand its benefits and so forth, then we will practice, and then we will be able to, how to say, bring these qualities good qualities forth. Okay? So then Geshe-la is explaining the first part of the sentence of the commentary which says that the mind training is the very essence of the Mahāyāna vehicle.
And just like how do call it? The yellow of the egg? Yolk. Yolk. The egg yolk is the essence of the egg.
So mind of enlightenment is the essence of the Mahāyāna teachings, and the mind training is the training on the mind of enlightenment. So it is the very essence of the Mahāyāna teachings. So again, the second half of the sentence is referring to the mind of enlightenment as being both the seeds how do you is called is translated literally as intelligent or wise seeds, causes of enlightenment. So again, the seeds of enlightenment, this causes of enlightenment is again the mind mind of enlightenment itself. So there is one word that I forgot I forgot the meaning.
But, again, can I explain the whole meaning of the sentence to you? Again, in just a second, this, third part of the sentence, the text is saying whatever Dharma there is, and Geshe-la refers to the Hīnayāna vehicles or the hearer’s vehicle or the Pratyekabuddha’s vehicle, so whatever Dharma there is, there is nothing as important as this one, as the Mahāyāna, there is nothing as good as this one, the Mahāyāna itself. This one? So then and then the third of the three, which is, how do say, not letting one’s conscientiousness of one’s practice to deteriorate. So, it’s explained as being not allowing one’s conscientiousness of one’s practice of protecting oneself from being contaminated with faults, subtle faults, small faults, with not letting one’s vows and commitments and one’s promises of both the great and the small vehicle to deteriorate, and then I briefly explained that one’s promises in relation to the great vehicle are the promise of achieving enlightenment, this is the promise of the mind of enlightenment itself, and then of the small vehicle is the promise that one makes for oneself to achieve enlightenment.
And then of one’s trainings, for example, in the trainings of the small vehicle is the abandonment of the ten non-virtues, the practice of virtue, and so forth. And then with with, how to say, and embarrassment, with a high level of shame and embarrassment, then one practice, one conscientiously practices, how to say, protects oneself from from being contaminated even from, how to say, contaminated by small faults. Is that clear? Clear? Okay.
One. And then, so Geshe-la is explaining, the text is referring to the two antidotes that help us protecting ourselves from being contaminated by even small faults. And these two antidotes are translated into English. Usually, are translated as embarrassment and shame. And Geshe-la was explaining this too.
So embarrassment is when, for example, when you stop yourself from engaging in an action because, you know, people are going to blame you or to point out your faults or accuse you or whatever, because you are doing something wrong that other people will point out. Right? So embarrassment is a sort of a how do you say the main characteristic of this mental factor is it is a mental factor, okay? So the main characteristic of this mental factor is that it is in relation to another person. And then shame is something that is in relation to oneself.
When oneself recognizes the faults of one’s own action and says, no, I will not engage in this action because that is a wrong action, it’s going to harm people and so forth. One understand out of one’s own understanding of the harm or the negativity negativity or whatever, one stops oneself from engaging in it. And then with these two mental factors, then as an antidote, one is able to avoid even small subtle, how to say, faults. Okay? And now again, I is explaining the word which is translated as conscientiousness.
So what is this conscientiousness that the text is referring to? Conscientiousness is the attitude of investigating one’s actions beforehand, before one engages in this action. So one analyzes if these actions are good or bad, if they are harmful or not. And then, if they are appropriate, then one engages in these actions. If they are not appropriate, if they are inappropriate, then one does not engage in them.
One stops oneself from engaging these actions. So that is what is called conscientiousness, that is, is that investigation or analysis of one’s actions before one engages in them. Okay? So then, again, I say that conscientiousness is very important. We should think about actions at all times, we should think, consider what will follow, is going to be the consequences of our actions, we should think, if I do this, if I engage in this action, what is going to follow, what is going to come about?
If I do that other action, what is the result? What is going to follow? What is the consequence? And so forth. So it’s very important.
If we are doing, how to say, if we are engaging in worldly activities or if we are engaging in dharma activities, the quality of our actions is, how do you say, is determined. We can determine it by by being conscientious. And then I’m gonna briefly repeat. Then so conscientiousness. So if investigating one’s actions beforehand, if they are appropriate, then one engages in the action, does the action.
If they are inappropriate, then one stops oneself from engaging the action. Okay. So now we go to the next topic, next advice on mind training, which is entitled Make the three inseparable. And then I’m going to briefly explain, so what are these three? Are actions of body, speech, and mind.
And, what are we to make them inseparable with, with virtue. So we make we have to make our actions of physical actions, inseparable with virtue, our our speech, inseparable with virtue, and our thoughts, our minds inseparable with virtue.