Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A debate about dogs and language makes this 46-minute commentary distinctly memorable. Geshe Pema Tsering interrupts his own explanation to reconsider a translation he has long used, recounting how a geshe in India noted that dogs apprehend objects without words — touching off a live classroom discussion about labeling, consciousness, and what it means to achieve an idea. The session opens with a Mahāyāna motivation for the first class of 2005, then works through the sixteen entity characteristics of the Ornament for Clear Realisations: four under the knower of all (abandoning afflictions, their results, their causes, and discordant classes by perceiving their lack of inherent existence) and five under the knower of paths (the difficult, the definite, objective intent, the not-observed, and stopping strong adherence to inherent existence). For practitioners already following the root text.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 02 OCR 2005 02 03.mp3
UUID: e0408ce2-73c5-4f38-af9c-f291c70fb2f6
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Ornament for Clear Realisations (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2005-02-03
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.7 minutes
Words: ~3,490
Looking at the entity characteristics, now this is the fourth section that we were looking at, which is called the characteristics of the application. So we’ve been going through definitions and different characteristics of the application of all aspects. Before we start looking at this section, we should try and develop the right motivation. As this section is a teaching from the Mahāyāna, then we should try and develop a Mahāyāna motivation. That is, we should try and develop the motivation that we are listening to these teachings in order to develop understanding of these teachings and put what we know into practice, and through putting this into practice become Buddhas because as Buddhas, we can lead all sentient beings out of suffering and establish them in the state of a Buddha or establish them as Buddhas.
So this is the motivation with which we should try and have for listening to these teachings. Now the other thing to remember is that this is the first time that we’ve had these teachings this year, so it is especially important to try and think of your motivation this evening and try and focus your motivation not only on this evening but on the rest of the year. So try and think try and remember that you are listening to these teachings in order to develop understanding of them, in order to put these teachings into practice. Having put them into practice, you will then become a Buddha. And as a Buddha, you will be able to benefit all sentient beings in the best possible way.
So the section that we’re up to this evening is what’s called the entity characteristics. Now this comes from within a section that we’ve been doing on the characteristics of the applications, and this had four sections in it, entity characteristics being the fourth section. So the first section was called knowledge characteristics, then we had differentiating characteristics, then we had functional characteristics, and we finished with entity characteristics. Now you have in front of you, hopefully, the root text. Now in this root text, the section that deals with the entity characteristics, at least they are listed within this section from the root text: afflictive emotions, signs, marks, devoid of the discordant class, antidotes, difficult, definite, objective intent, not observed, stopping strong adherence, that known as observing, clashing, without impediment, no basis, not progressing, no production, thusness, not observed.
These essences that are the sixteen entities, since serving to characterize like a definiendum, are asserted as the fourth characteristic. Now what this last section means is that these sixteen characteristics in themselves act as a definition of an entity characteristic, right? The reason that they act as a definition of an entity characteristic is that they are in fact what an entity they are each one sixteenth of what makes up an entity characteristic. No, I’m not saying that very well. They’re an example of an entity characteristic.
And when you say definition, the word that they use for definition is it something that is going to give you an example of what it is that you define, give you direct you as to the what’s called the Definindium, right? So you have a definition and then an example of that definition is a Definindium, all right? So these sixteen things are the Definindium itself, right? So to give a definition of them, you have to say these sixteen things again, okay? So they are the definition themselves.
They are the definition of themselves. Now, what they are is a way of explaining the other three characteristics that we’ve just been through, right? So they act as examples of the other sixteen or they act as definienda of the other characteristics, the knowledge characteristics and so on. And so for example, if we take the first of these, which is said to be afflictive emotions and in the when it’s describing why these sixteen are in fact the definition themselves, says, take for example, these sixteen yogas of a Bodhisattva, these sixteen isolating yogas of a Bodhisattva that are called or are afflictive emotion signs and so on, right? And that says the end so on includes the other fourteen, right?
So afflictive emotion signs and so on. Now it says that when it says this isolating yoga over Bodhisattva or this word isolating means it stops. It’s a word that means either to isolate something or to get rid of everything else. So it’s the same word that they use, for example, when you say you need to go and practice come and buy in an isolated place, right? The word they use for isolated in that instance means isolated from anything.
So here you’re saying that the yogas that isolate you from afflictive emotions, right? So the first thing. So they’re related to the nominal aspects because by developing these sixteen minds, developing these sixteen yogas, then you attain the nominal aspects, you attain Buddhahood. Okay, so they are as opposed to definition. The other things that we were talking about were definitions of things, characteristics of things.
And this is an actual entity characteristics means the actual thing that acts. It’s describing said, did you understand? And I said, yes, but I want do I translate it? Alright. I’m being very melodramatic here because it’s hard.
Okay? There’s this word, right? That’s sometimes translated as a definition and sometimes translated as characteristics. So here they’ve got to translate it as characteristics. But you know when they say, we’re going where we’ve been going through these texts the whole time, right?
And they say, the definition is this, right? The word that they’re using for definition is the same word that they use for characteristics, right? Now, there’s these two words that go together, yeah? There’s what’s called a definition and what’s called a defininium, right? Or a characteristic and that which is characterized, right.
So you have description, which is like a word, right, definitions or the characteristics that are said to be the words that you can say, yes. And then you have a definition sorry, a definindium, which is the actual thing, right? So I can say that which is I’m giving you an example here that I’m making up myself, right? So I guess I didn’t say this. I’m just putting this in that which has words in it which we read, right, which would be a definition of book, and this is an instance of book, okay?
So this is that which we read is a definition, and this is a definiendum. Okay, so now, these things are called entity characteristics. Now this seems like a bit of a contradiction, because an entity is something, right? And a characteristic is our definition is something that describes a thing, right? So there’s a play on words between these two words, okay?
So then the reason that these things are called characteristics, even though they are entity is because what by practicing them, right, you understand and attain Buddhahood, right. In the same way as by using words to describe something, we get an understanding of an object. By practicing these entities, the entity of these yogas, yeah, you understand Buddhahood. So this is why they’re called definitions, all right? Because through them, you develop an understanding of Buddhahood.
Okay. So from amongst these, sixteen the of the entity characteristics. Four of them are entity characteristics associated with the knower of all. Now, the first of these is that which isolates you or that which gets rid of afflictive emotions. The next is that which gets rid of the signs of afflictive emotions.
The third is that Yeah. It’s gone. Okay. So there the first one then is the afflictions themselves, is the application that abandons or gets rid of the afflictions themselves, right? There’s such as attachment and aversion and so on, you get all the afflictions.
And the second one, what’s called signs, is the signs of afflictions. So, signs of afflictions is suffering, the sign of afflictions is suffering, the result of afflictions. Okay, so signs means results, marks means causes of afflictions. So that which the mark of afflictions is that which causes affliction. So that is the things that bring about affliction is ignorance, grasping at inherent reality.
Then the last one is called Discordant Classes and Antidotes. The Antidotes are that which we focus on in order to get rid of negative states of mind. Discordant Classes are things like destructive emotions and so on, and antidotes, things like focusing on impermanence, selflessness and so on. But the reason it has both of these down as being things that we need to have proper applications with regards to is that we need to be seeing the lack of inherent existence of all these things. So you have to understand the lack of inherent existence of the if yoga is perceiving the lack of inherent existence of afflictions and therefore abandoning them, the other lack of inherent existence of signs and therefore abandoning them, marks the discordant classes and the antidote to perceived discordant classes.
So it means, for example, perceiving a lack of inherent existence of impermanence, perceiving the lack of inherent existence of selflessness and so on. This one? Mhmm. So then the the next five that our relations to applications to the knower of paths, The first one is what’s called difficult. So they can have two different you can have two different reasons why this would be difficult.
That is the first one being it’s difficult to put others before ourselves and it’s also difficult to realize emptiness. And so the entity of the application that is realizing emptiness and the entity of the application that is putting others before self, either way sorry, this difficult could be either one of these two. So that’s the first of the applications that relates to the knower of paths. The second one, which is what’s called definite, it means definitely achieving liberation. So the entity of the application that definitely achieves liberation Okay.
So this one that’s definite. Yeah? No. Sorry. The one that’s called definite.
It it means that there’s no doubt that this person will achieve Buddhahood, and they have no doubt about it themselves either. So it’s definite in that it is single pointedly focused they are definite in that single pointedly focused on Buddhahood, and there is no okay, so the single pointed here, and by saying single pointed, it means that they have eliminated the idea of having doubt because the definition of a doubt is a two pointed mind, all right, or a mind with two ideas, yes? So you’re saying a single pointedly focused on Buddha hood means that there is no doubt, okay? And so this is another aspect of the knower of paths or another application or practice of the knower of paths. The third one is called the object of intent.
So that means what they’re working Okay. So then the next one is what they’re working towards, the objective intent. So what’s being worked towards is Buddhahood. So this is the purpose or the reason for performing this. The application that is the aspect of the mind that focuses on why these things are being done, right?
That’s the entity of the application that focuses on achieving their end result or the objective intent. So just to say, for example, if you’re going to work, it’s the part of your mind that recognizes you’re there to get money, okay? So it’s this application or this aspect of the mind that’s working towards getting money when you’re at work, or in this instance, becoming a Buddha. The thing to be remembered when we’re focusing on the fact that these are all called entities is that emptiness is described as entitylessness, all right? So the actual entity of these things is emptiness.
Okay? There is no inherent existent emptiness sorry, inherent existent entity. So by describing the entity or their entity, you’re describing their lack of inherent existence as well, all right? So there’s these two aspects to this. There is the object and then there is the object of the mind.
So for example, the application of the mind that’s focusing on what is to be achieved, that is Buddhahood. And then there’s also the realization of the emptiness of that object. Right, and the emptiness of the mind realizing that’s focused on that object, okay? So you have an object, you have a mind, and you have the same emptiness for both the object and the mind, right? And so there’s these two processes happening there.
You have something being focused on and then a recognition of the emptiness of that object at the same time. Okay, so practicing these applications leads you to Buddhahood, but at the same time as practicing these applications, the emptiness of those applications also has to be recognized. Now Okay. So the next thing not observed, what this means is the application that recognizes the non inherent existence of the object of meditation. The reason it’s called not observed is because you can’t find the inherent existence of an object, so not being able to find the inherent existence of an object means you don’t observe it.
Therefore, it’s called not observed. Now, the other thing that needs to be recognized in this instance, though, is that these Bodhisattvas are not only focusing on the non inherent existence of the objects that they are focused on, but also the non inherent existence of the concept of non inherent existence and the noninherent existence of the mind focusing on the noninherent existence of noninherent existence. Alright? Okay. So the last one of these, the strong stopping strong adherence means the application that stops clinging to inherent Alright.
So hang on. This is The application that stops clinging to inherent existence, right? It’s not stops clinging, it stops clinging to inherent existence as one block. This idea is clinging to inherent existence doesn’t exist strong clinging to inherent existence doesn’t exist in the minds of bodhisattvas who have realized emptiness. So this is sort of this is the thing that prevents this, the perception of emptiness that prevents Okay.
So the first then of the those applications that relate to the knowable aspects is the known what? Known as observing. I don’t know what that means. As an alternative translation, perhaps we could say that the application that observes, right? There was one that was, number eight was called not observed, right?
And this is called observed. So in number eight, the not observed referred to the fact that this application or this training focused on the lack of inherent existence. Now this one, which is called observed or that which is observed, refers to the labels or the relative the relative that’s another word. Relative reality? I think because I’ve been doing too much I think because I’ve been thinking too much about what the words that I had been using were, and now I think that they’re all wrong, I’m trying to think before I say anything, right?
Because I had this word I was about to translate. See, because this word I had been using was terminology, Right? Oh, no. Or yes. So the the terms that we use for things.
Yeah? Or terminologically designated. And I actually went to see a geshe in India, and I said, yeah. Yeah. That word, Tanja, terminologically designated or terminological.
And he went a bit at me. He’s like, you can’t use that word. Do you think dogs use terms? Dogs have this. And he’s like, you’re misleading people.
So I was like, right. Now what do I say? So, no, no, he was saying that I ignoring the experience of dogs. There’s this word that means, it’s usually translated as terminologically designated, right? And it means things don’t inherently exist, but we label them as something.
And so therefore, they are terminologically designated as something, right? But he said, which is true, that that only occurs to humans. And dogs have this experience too. They have this idea of something, but they don’t terminology designated anything. They just have an idea of something.
So perhaps that will be the ideas we have of something, right? So in the previous one, that was the non observed application, it was focusing on the lack of something, the lack of inherent existence. This is focusing on that which does exist, but it exists in terms of being an idea, all right, or a relative truth, a relative reality. So it’s focusing on the labels we give things. And in this way, they do exist in terms of being labeled, the dog’s label.
Yeah. Yeah. But it’s not just conceptual because we see the table as being inherently existing, and we don’t do that conceptually. Yeah. Yeah.
But when it perceives things, it doesn’t necessarily go, well, that would be a terminologically designated table. No, but he is not you can’t say terminology because there’s beings who aren’t humans. So if you use terminology, it indicates a term, right? And the use of the word term means that it’s associated with words, right? And it’s not necessarily associated with words.
Every consciousness that we experience has this idea of relating to something as this like the idea of it. Fits with Plato’s idea, I do think so. This isn’t discrimination. It’s not discrimination. No.
The discernment comes after this. Yes. Like, if I look at this, I just say table. I don’t necessarily say red table and differentiate it out from green table. Sorry.
Yes. It’s the thing that stops us from everything being chaotic. I have this idea of this thing that, but it’s not this differentiated out from that. Geshe-la says he thinks it is the Okay. So Geshe-la said that he thinks the object could be the so you have an object and a subject.
Yeah? The object that that says this is that. Right? Is Okay. So the discriminating the discrimination is no, the label itself hang on.
Okay okay right So sorry, I was getting confused with Geshe-la’s accent. The object itself is what’s called a non associated compositional factor and is concluded within the aggregate of compounded factors, all right? The label, the term. I guess I said that this no, I can’t say term anymore. The idea is the same as when we say we label things, right?
So it’s the same thing, the label or the and there’s another word that means a term. And it’s said to be it’s an honest it itself, right, which is the object is a compositional factor, it’s a non associated compositional factor, right? It’s not always conceptual. Okay, the mind that the thing that’s doing the labeling could either be a consciousness, a mental consciousness, right? Or out of the five out of the six consciousnesses, a mental consciousness, or a person, which is again, a non associated compositional factor.
So the first thing doing the labeling could either be a non associated compositional factor or consciousness. All right. So you can either say the mind is labeling, or you can say the person is labeling. Now, this word that it could perhaps be best translated as idea for the moment until I come up with something else. It’s It’s a strange one.
Yeah. Okay. So maybe call it a name, maybe to name things. That could work. Yeah?
Okay. Oh, no. Okay. So dogs, right? I’m I’m really sorry to do this, but I can’t get the end of the argument because I haven’t we haven’t finished yet.
Wait one second. I’m sorry if this is boring, but we will sort out this dilemma and you’ll understand it better. Okay. Alright. Now I’m really confused.
But that’s okay. So these are ideas that are defined as being something that has a sound. Alright? Or is a word. Coming to the lady.
Oh. So the dogs don’t have many of these ideas ideas based on sounds that they can the word that Geshe-la used was achieve. Right? So I don’t know if that doesn’t sound So in order for us to achieve an idea, it means that we have to understand it. The way that things appear to dogs is as if they’re inherently existent, but dogs haven’t achieved the idea of inherent existence.
Things appear to them as being inherently existing, but they don’t achieve the idea of things. The only things that they can achieve the idea of are simple commands like sit or come here. So the ideas that they have can’t they cannot articulate their ideas or understand ideas. So this means that this means that they this means that they