Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A question runs through this nearly 70-minute session: how can anyone recognize a Bodhisattva’s irreversibility from outside when the key realizations occur in silent meditative equipoise invisible to all but a Buddha? Geshe Pema Tsering continues his Ornament for Clear Realisations commentary at the forbearance and supreme-mundane levels of the path of preparation — explaining why sharp-faculty Bodhisattvas cannot be deceived by counterfeit spiritual paths — before turning to the sixteen post-meditative signs of irreversibility on the path of seeing, each linked to one of the sixteen moments of direct realization across the four noble truths. He traces these in sequence: eliminating subtle grasping at inherent existence, stabilizing bodhicitta so it never lapses even in sleep, and sustaining pure conduct while living as a householder amid worldly pleasures. A sūtra passage explains why advanced Bodhisattvas may display anger or attachment in order to reach beings still governed by those states. For practitioners already familiar with Mahāyāna path-structure.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 11 OCR 2005 03 17.mp3
UUID: 80ab77ef-d1e7-4145-993d-7f039154a70b
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Ornament for Clear Realisations (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2005-03-17
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 69.8 minutes
Words: ~5,120
Mhmm. Please develop a good motivation for listening to the teaching. The motivation that would accord with what goes along with what we’re actually studying is that you develop this idea that by listening to these teachings you develop understandings of these teachings. By developing understandings of the practice of Bodhisattvas then you’ll be able to put these teachings practice by putting them into practice and you’ll able to traversing the paths and grounds to Buddhahood and as a Buddha you’ll be able to lead all sentient beings out of their states of suffering and into Buddhahood or lead them out of saṃsāra. So if you can develop that motivation and then listening to the teaching listen to the teachings with that motivation, then that might be good.
That’s what he said. Oh, yeah. He said, did you just say what I said? And I was like, yes. That’s my job.
Okay. So what we were doing is going through what are called the signs of irreversibility of, sharp faculty Bodhisattvas. So sharp faculty Bodhisattvas develop these signs, that, can be read or they can read themselves that enables them them and others of their capacity to know, that they are not going to slip back. They’re not going to develop doubts about the path and, fall backwards from, that state when they’ve developed it. So we’re up to the section in within this we’re up to the section that’s called, the signs on the tolerance level of the path preparation.
So within the signs of irreversibility, you have signs of irreversibly signs of irreversibility of sharp facultied Bodhisattvas on the path of preparation, the path of seeing, and the path of meditation. Within the path the within the signs of irreversibility of sharp facultied Bodhisattvas on the path of preparation, you also have four different sections. You have the, heat level, the peak level, the forbearance level, and the, supreme mundane qualities level. Now we’re up to the third of these and the, tolerance level. Now the tolerance level of this stage of the path there are two signs of irreversibility.
The first is, that they are not being confident in their realizations. They are not duped into following a lower path. They’re not there’s no if someone comes along and tries to present a Hīnayāna path, a path to individual liberation as if it’s a Mahāyāna path, they’re not gonna be confused. They know what they’re up to. Alright?
And the same for counterfeit paths, which is the sec is the, is number nineteen. So it says relying on a Mara who is teaching a counterfeit path. So that means that there are, experts who can present paths that aren’t the Buddha’s paths as if they were the Buddha’s paths, and can trick beings into doing things that, don’t accord with the Buddha’s path with the Buddha’s path. So if someone has this sign of irreversibility, it means that they have a developed and understanding stable enough and clear enough that they will, see through any presentations like this and, not follow them. So they’ll be so confident in their understanding, of the Buddhist path that they won’t get confused by other paths and follow them as well.
Irreversibility on the last level of the path of preparation is that, the beings, who have developed who are sharp faculty beings, who have developed the supreme mundane level of the path of preparation. They have the ability to perform nothing but virtuous actions. So nothing that they do is negative. Nothing that they do, leads to suffering. So they, in in doing this, in their actions of body, speech, and mind being perfected, perfect is not the right word.
Because their actions of body, speech, and mind are always virtuous, this means that, and they they this makes the Buddha very happy. Their activities make the Buddha very happy. Mhmm. Okay. So then there’s, there’s one of these sections in the text where it goes, and then one person says something.
Yeah? Do you remember that? It’s like literally says a mouth says. Yeah? So it’s it’s like saying so someone says that’s not quite right.
That doesn’t work. Right? And then the text gives a reason why it does work and why they misconstrued what they’ve been saying or whatever. Alright. So someone says in this section then you can’t have signs of irreversibility on the path of preparation.
It doesn’t make any sense because, they’re beings who’ve achieved the path of preparation and then fall back into, lower states who like whose bodhicitta diminishes or they lose their perception and so on. And then the text says, but we’re not saying everybody has these signs of irreversibility on the path of preparation. We’re saying that there are signs of irreversibility on the path preparation, but not everybody. But not everybody that achieves the path preparation has them. So it’s only those beings who are said to be of of sharp faculties that achieve signs of irreversibility on the path preparation.
And if you then say that only those with sharp faculties achieve signs of irreversibility on the path preparation, then you can pause it that there are signs of irreversibility on the path preparation without, without having any faults in your argument. Mhmm. Okay. So that was it for the path the signs of irreversibility on the path of preparation. And now we’re up to the section that’s signs of irreversibility on the path of seeing.
Right? So on the path of seeing there’s sixteen different signs of irreversibility. Now these sixteen different signs of irreversibility relates to the sixteen moments of the path of seeing. Because on the in the meditative equipoise of the path of seeing there is sixteen moments, that each relate to the four that relate to each of the four noble truths and four times four is sixteen. So then in a and then in, the post meditative state, state, there is sixteen signs of irreversibility that are linked to these sixteen moments of the meditative equipoise of path of seeing.
Mhmm. Now the reason that there are sixteen of these, sixteen aspects, and, they’re supposed to be related to the, sixteen moments of the path of seeing, is that, the so called or the the things that are named the forbearance and the wisdom and the knowledge, the sixteen, you know, so it’s eight and eight. The eight knowledges and the eight forbearances of the path of seeing, that are gone that one goes through in meditative absorption then have, results. So the realizations that have come through meditative absorption spark results in post meditation. And as there are sixteen different moments and sixteen different realizations that are, achieved in the meditative equipoise of the path of seeing then this means that there is sixteen different results that are experienced in post meditation.
So the reason that why it’s necessary to enumerate these sixteen different aspects and, show how they relate to the sixteen moments of seeing is because, it’s necessary to establish a link between meditation and post meditation. So at this stage the have developed a perception of emptiness and are experiencing the results of that perception of emptiness. So if they, in order for them to understand the link between their post meditative states which are thoroughly linked or completely in tune with their meditative states. And then the this this enumeration has to be the same and the names that are given to them have to be linked up. So if they experience these post meditative states, then they’ll know how that they are linked to the meditative experience that they had on the path of seeing.
Okay. Now, if someone were to say so this is the way these text goes like someone said and then then other times they have, if someone were to say, alright, and then they’re saying and they say why they couldn’t or why they shouldn’t. Alright? And so then here it says, if someone were to say, that’s do all instances of a Bodhisattva’s experience in post meditation on the path of seeing and the path of meditation accord with their meditating experience on the path of seeing then you would have to say that doesn’t pervade, right? That’s not true.
It’s not, it’s there isn’t a pervasion of these sixteen aspects that we’re about to go through on the path of seeing and the path of meditation that follow it. Now the reason that there isn’t a pervasion is that sometimes because bodhisattvas are motivated by the, wish to sense to lead all sentient beings, to Buddhahood, they will perform actions that don’t accord with the meditative equipoise that they experienced on the path of seeing. Right? They’ll do certain things. They’ll do certain things just to get through to being and says get through to beings who possess strong attachment and hatred or aversion.
So in order to get In order to get through to these beings in order to get through to these beings, they’ll do stuff that may not necessarily accord with their meditative insights, or, the, ways that they they usually they usually behave. But if there’s no reason behaving in that way, they won’t at all. Okay. This is, this is talked about in one of the Buddhist sutras, which is a sūtra requested by someone who’s called in Tibetan.
I have no idea how that is in Sanskrit, and even if anyone wouldn’t know what I was talking about if I tried to find out what it was. So, it says in this sūtra, it’s a sūtra. It says, if although bodhisattvas by their nature have no attachment and no aversion, sometimes in order to explain things or show things to sentient beings with attachment, they will show attachment. And sometimes in order to explain things or show the results of anger to angry beings, they will show anger. Right?
And it says that this is because their highest wish is to attain enlightenment not to not and that is implied not to follow what they’re supposed to do. Alright? So, therefore, the and then the last section of Buddha said, so therefore I prostrate to the highest enlightenment. Alright. So he’s just showing, he said that he’s trying, he’s showing that in order to show them the results of their actions, in order to show them, in order to explain things to them, then they may show anger, they may show attachment, and so that beings can learn from that what they’re they’re showing.
What they’ve shown. Okay. Okay. So then another thing to keep in mind is that, while the nature of the path of seeing is said to be predominantly, one one of meditative equipoise, there’s no way that other beings, other being it says other beings whose minds need to be tamed, alright, can perceive. So that means not Buddha’s can see but not other beings whose minds need to be tamed can see another person’s realization of the sixteen moments of the path of seeing.
Whilst they’re actually in meditative equipoise you can’t see any of these signs of irreversibility. Alright because the experience of the realization of these sixteen moments is something that the individual can see themselves but isn’t shown in any way. Once they come out of this meditative equipoise and they’re experiencing the post-meditative wisdom, then they will show these signs. Then they will have these signs of irreversibility, and other beings who have developed to that level will be able to perceive those signs. Of course, the Buddha’s can perceive the minds of all beings, but for for for these signs to manifest, for these signs of irreversibility on the path of seeing to manifest, they have to be done in post meditative equipoise.
Mhmm. Okay. So the first thing, then we need to look at in a specific description of the signs of irreversibility on the path of seeing is the definition. And the definition is said to be a perfect proof that serves to convince that the middling faculty bodhisattva on the path of seeing who possess it it possesses it is irreversible from highest complete enlightenment. Okay.
So this means that, the Bodhisattvas with sharp faculties receive sign or develop signs of irreversibility on the path of preparation. The bodhisattvas with middling faculties develop signs of irreversibility on the path of seeing. And with dull faculties develop signs of irreversibility in the last three grounds of the path of meditation. Listen. Mhmm.
Oh, yeah. Mhmm. Mhmm. Mhmm. Okay.
So then, as we go through the sixteen signs signs of irreversibility of those here we go. I’ve gotta say it again, and it’s gonna be tricky. The signs of irreversibility of those who have middling capacities that are Bodhisattvas on the path of seeing. Alright? Then, then, there is sixteen sections.
The first four sections relate to the truth of suffering. The second four sections relate to the truth of the origin of suffering. The second from last four aspects relate to the truth of cessation and the last four relate to the truth of the path. Now within the first four aspects relating to the truth of suffering, the first section relates specifically to the truth of emptiness and it’s said to be the Dharma forbearance the Dharma forbearance of suffering, that stops the possession of the seeds and the signs sorry. The signs and the seeds that can act as a obstacle to, achieving Buddhahood through perceiving that form is truly existent.
So basically means that by perceiving emptiness, you’re able to get rid of even the seeds or the tendencies towards grasping at form as inherently existing. So when we’re going through these sixteen aspects, right, we’re actually doing them from the point of view of what causes the things to arise. So these sixteen aspects are actually the sixteen moments of the, meditation on the path of seeing of meditative, equipoise on the path of seeing. And they cause sixteen resultant understandings that are signs of that are signs of irreversibility when a being comes out of meditation and experiences post meditative wisdom. Wisdom, right?
So basically when they’re meditating by themselves no one can see what realizations they have. When they come out of those, out of that meditation and other beings who have the same level of realization can go, oh you got that realization did you, right? And hence they have signs of irreversibility. Yeah, so this the sixteen moments of realization that you go through on the path of seeing actually acts as the cause for the post meditative signs that they’ve developed the sixteen moments of meditation of six sixteen types of realization in the meditative equipoise of the path of seeing. Does that make sense?
Sorry. I haven’t finished. Okay. So that means that in the first moment of the path of seeing what you’re doing is removing the seeds to the or the tendencies even the notion of things existing as inherent things as inherent truly existed things. Right?
That’s on the first moment. So the direct realization of emptiness enables you to do that and that’s related to the idea of impermanence and is, what’s called a, non interrupted path of the path of seeing And it’s also called a realization which is a knowledge forbearance. Now in the next moment after you have this knowledge forbearance, you have what’s called a, sorry, a Dharma forbearance and then you have a dharma knowledge. I’ve got the wrong way. You have a dharma forbearance in the first moment and then a dharma knowledge in the second moment.
Now the dharma knowledge in the second moment, which relates to it relates to suffering itself, is a stable mind which has the ability to attain, the highest enlightenment and become inseparable from the hang on. It’s not quite translated the same way as I’ve translated it here. So I just gotta double check again. Okay, so at this stage, the bodhisattva’s mind or understanding of emptiness becomes stable, because nothing is able to separate them from the realization that they’re going to get of highest enlightenment, through they’re not able to be separated through like disturbances or maras or anything like that, because the Buddha’s blessings. Or it actually says because of the mind of enlightenment.
Here it says Buddha’s Oh, the Lord’s hear blessings and then in the in the text it says mind of enlightenment. So the mind of enlightenment, the the ultimate and relative mind of enlightenment by the the blessings or the transformative potential of that mind enables them to stabilize their realization and not have anything come up, any arise or any confusion arise that may lead them to, not be able to attain enlightenment and this makes their realization of emptiness more stable. Basically what this means is that from this stage on, they have never separated from a stable mind of enlightenment or stable bodhicitta. So at this point, this means that even when they’re asleep, even when they’re performing any other action, there’s this constant presence of a bodhicitta that’s there that is brought about through the realization of emptiness. And this means that they’re not going to be distracted from the end goal of attaining Buddhah Buddhahood, by anything at any time.
So up until this point, they have what’s called uncontrived spontaneously arising bodhicitta that they don’t have to work at developing, but it’s not continually spontaneously present. And after this point, it’s continually spontaneously present. Okay. So so these sixteen moments, right, in each for each of the four noble truths, you have a knowledge forbearance then a sorry a dharma forbearance and then a dharma knowledge and then you have a subsequent forbearance and then a subsequent knowledge. So the first one that we went through was the, dharma forbearance, which was removing the seeds of conception that things inherently exist.
And the second one we went through was the, dharma yes, thank you. Now the dharma knowledge which is this this this stabilizing of the of the bodhicitta so that bodhicitta never lose it. And the third one we went through was the the next one we’re up to was what’s called a subsequent forbearance. Now the subsequent forbearance, in this instance means that through having perceived emptiness directly and stabilized having stabilized, the bodhicitta in their mind stream that these bodhicitta is from that point onwards never have a moment of thinking, to that they will attain liberation for themselves. So they never have a moment where they think they’ll slip back in and just attain nirvana for themselves and they won’t worry about other sentient beings.
So up until this point they would have had experiences of moments of this, moments of this idea and then before that spontaneously or the uncontrived bodhicitta that they developed came into play and they, they got rid of that idea. But from this point on, there is never a moment where they have this idea of personal liberation. Everything they do from that point onwards is fit working towards enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. Okay. Right.
And then, the last one, thoroughly extinguishing the limbs that is the potential the potential at this stage on this at this realization of emptiness, what happens is these very fine levels of discrimination and realization and and calm abiding that had been developed up into this state, are used in order to work towards attaining Buddhahood.
So having realized emptiness is Bodhisattva then is focused solely on attaining Buddhahood in order to benefit sentient beings. Everything they do is working in order to be a benefit to do how to work however much doing whatever sorry, whatever they’re doing whether it’s taking rebirth, the places they, seek to take rebirth in, all of these things are determined by whether that rebirth, that instance, that action is going to benefit sentient beings and lead and and lead to enlightenment because as enlightened beings are going to be able to benefit sentient beings more. So they’re able to use the developments that they had before attaining this state. That means a fine discrimination. This fine what they’ve translated here is fine discrimination is what we went through a while ago which was called, I said, you know, how do say that in English?
He’s like, what? I don’t know in English. I can’t I’m sorry. I’m going to blank. Yeah.
The cessation meditative cessation. Do we do something like is that what it’s translated as? Equipoise of cessation? Remember we were going through the subtler and subtler levels of mind as you went up through the form and the formless realms. And finally, order to get rid of the subtlest attachment to the subtlest level of mind in the highest of the formless realms, you had to get a user non mind thingy of discrimination that led you to cut through that, perception.
Yeah? Do you remember? Okay. What was it called? The non non mind thing.
Yeah. Non associated compositional factor. Yeah. What was the translation for it? Because I can make up one now, but it’s not gonna but you know what I’m talking about now anyway.
So I could say meditative cessation or yeah. That’ll do. Pardon? No. Absorption of cessation.
See I was saying meditate, yes, similar. Absorption meditation, same same at this level. Alright. Okay. So, yeah, absorptive what was it?
Absorption of cessation. Yes. So you’re using the absorption of cessation, the worldly insights, the worldly vipaśyanā, and the worldly śamatha or calm abiding levels in order to they are all transformed into constantly being tools for working towards enlightenment, right? So you’re using all the all of these tools mean having all of these tools, all these abilities stops you from taking having to take rebirth in these different states but it also you also transform those into tools that you use in order to attain enlightenment. There’s this two fold process happening.
Sorry. I keep thinking I’ve finished, and I haven’t. Anyway, so this final one is what’s called the the subsequent knowledge and is the last moments of the suffering the true the the realizations related to the truth of suffering on the path of seeing. So this means that these are although these states cannot be called signs of irreversibility because nobody knows what a being is experiencing in meditative equipoise unless they’re a Buddha. They have results that is the realization of these states in post meditative equipoise that can be labeled the signs of irreversibility.
So in that way they are terminologically ascribed as being signs of irreversibility even though it would be more correct to say that they were causes for signs of irreversibility that were shown in, post meditative equipoise. Okay. So then we’re on to the next section, which is the four aspects related to truth of the origin of suffering. Now, again, this has four sections. It has a Dharma forbearance, a Dharma knowledge, a subsequent forbearance, and a subsequent knowledge.
Now within these two we have two of what are called uninterrupted paths and two of what are called path of path two paths of release. So you have a Dharma path of a Dharma uninterrupted path path which is a Dharma another way of saying it is a Dharma forbearance. And then you have a Dharma path of release which is a way of saying a Dharma knowledge. So you there is understanding develop understanding developed and then realized in these two sections. And then you have a subsequent subsequent path of uninterrupted path and then a subsequent path of release.
So that again is sometimes is is is also called the, subsequent, subsequent forbearance and then the subsequent, knowledge. Now within this section then for the, truth of the origin of suffering. The first one is the dharma forbearance that’s related to the truth of the origin of suffering which through not being concerned at all with anything in this lifetime. So if you’ve seen through death, you’ve seen through, your body and see the emptiness of it, you’re not going to be giving a hoot of what happens in this lifetime. You’re not going to be attached to the things of this lifetime at all, right?
Absolutely, no attachment to that. And then having no attachment to the things of this lifetime means that you, your mind becomes incredibly pliable. Pliable. Your mind experiences no heaviness because when there’s no attachment there’s no heaviness. There’s no, confusion.
So this means that beings at this level don’t ever have to sleep, alright. They never have to sleep. They never experience tiredness. They never experience fogginess or heaviness. Their body and mind do exactly what they want them to whenever they want them to.
Then was just breathing. Anyway, so this and and I said to Geshe-la, that would be good. I want that now. And Geshe-la said, well, problem is in order to do achieve that state, you have to work really hard and get really tired first. And he said, but he wants but he thinks that once you’re there, you’re pretty well set.
He doesn’t think that beings on the path of seeing have that many problems. He goes, first of all, they’re not experiencing suffering because they’ve seen through suffering. They never get tired and they’re all they’re doing their body mind do exactly what they want them to and they’re working towards Buddhahood, right, to benefit all sentient beings. So he thinks that once once you get to the path of seeing you’re pretty well alright. The problem is that in order to get to the path of seeing, you have to do a lot of hard work.
Mhmm. Mhmm. Okay. So the next state that’s related to these the four aspects related to the truth of the origin of suffering is, that when they the the experience that is the dharma knowledge that relates to the origin of the truth of the origin of suffering enables them. It results in enabling, Bodhisattvas to be able to, live amongst householders or live as a householder.
So Geshe-la just informed that that means us. Right? So he said it means living amongst householders and in order to benefit sentient beings or living as a householder in order to benefit sentient beings and, not being attached to any of the experiences or any of the things they may have as a householder. So as a householder, if you like us and this time he included himself, there’s a there is attachments that you can have. You can have attachments to pleasurable experiences or things you possess.
So there’s many things of body and objects that you can be very attached to as as a household or someone who lives in in house. So so it means like not a monk or a nun, right, as opposed to someone who’s like, ordained and, supposed to be living the life of a renunciant. If you’re living in a house and living the normal life of a householder, there’s many things that you can be attached to. Now, bodhisattvas, in order to who have realized this emptiness, in order to benefit sentient beings will live in these states. So we take rebirth as as as householders as beings who may be completely immersed in the pleasures of objects and physical pleasures, but they’re not attached to any of those.
So this is very difficult for us even to be surrounded by a few things we become attached to them or few experiences we become attached to them. But once they’ve perceived emptiness in this way and realize the truth of the origin of suffering, then they can they can abide in these states, they can live in these states, without being attached at all. So again, truth of the origin of suffering enables them in the form of the next state which is the subsequent forbearance through seeing the results or the faults of attachment to the objects of a householder’s life and to behave perfectly ethically. So that means that their behavior is always pure because they see what being attached, or to things or having aversion to other things leads to. They can see that that is the cause for suffering.
So because they see that’s the cause for suffering, they don’t entertain those kind of ideas or that kind of behavior, even though they may be living again amongst beings who are behaving like this and Okay. So Yeah. So the next one is completely they have completely completely abandoned wrong livelihood is the basic essence of it. But the way that they’re able to completely abandon, wrong livelihood or its wrong conduct, in terms of livelihoods and terms of conduct, is because Yeah. Through seeing emptiness, in the way that things actually are and also having the capacity not to forget bodhicitta.
It means that they’re not going to be distracted by the things that other people may be attracted to. Now the things that other people may be attracted to it says, I’m I’m still having trouble understanding it, but I think it means, coming under the influence of women. Now, Geshe-la says that that can also mean coming under the influence of men. But it’s a monastery’s textbook, so they put coming under the influence of women. Alright.
So he said it, I was gonna ask anyway. So it means becoming infatuated and losing self, like, independence through being infatuated. So and it says etcetera. Right? So anything else like that, by coming, attached in this way and and becoming infatuated or or, distracted.
Distracted. Speaking of distraction. Sorry. By becoming distracted in this way, and then they forget bodhicitta, forget the realization of emptiness and therefore engage in these activities. But because they have gotten to the stage where they don’t ever forget bodhicitta and they’ve realized emptiness.
Then even though they may be completely surrounded by beings who are obsessed or things that be could be a, but for ordinary beings be an intense distraction, they’re able to maintain their constant focus on achieving Buddhahood even in those difficult surroundings. Yeah. Yeah. And time’s up.
Good. Yes, sir. So