Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 67-minute commentary on the fourth chapter of the Ornament for Clear Realisations, Geshe Pema Tsering presents the sixteen signs of irreversibility on the path of seeing. A central image gives the session its flavour: dharma practice up to that point is like a brawl — antidotes fighting afflictions — but at the path of seeing, both sides are recognised as equally empty and the fighting dissolves. The same logic extends to the “soldiers” of the path — impermanence, great compassion, and similar reflections — which can be released with equanimity once emptiness is directly perceived. Geshe Tsering then turns to the four aspects of the true path, including the emptiness of the three spheres in generosity practice and, finally, the emptiness of bodhicitta itself. The session ends with a quick survey of twenty-two generalised powers and how new capacities arise at rebirth. Suited to practitioners with prior grounding in Mahāyāna philosophy.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 13 OCR 2005 04 07.mp3
UUID: 92d96c53-7d81-45a3-bc76-c3ea3263f8c0
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Ornament for Clear Realisations (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2005-04-07
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 67.2 minutes
Words: ~4,392
So please develop a good motivation for listening to the teachings on the fourth chapter of the Ornament for Clear Realization. And that is that you are listening in order to develop understanding in order to be able to put these things into practice, attain Buddhahood, and lead all sentient beings to that state. Oh, yeah. So what we’re up to is the signs of irreversibility with regards to the, path of seeing. And in relation to the path of seeing, the signs of irreversibility are described by the sixteen moments of the path of seeing and which are made up of the four noble truths and their four characteristics for each of these four noble truths.
So sixteen moments. Now, we’re talking results of these sixteen moments, as they are realized in the path of release, but this is an instance where the names of these characteristics or the names of these signs of irreversibility are given, with reference to their cause as opposed to the result. So the result is the path of release. The cause is the sixteen moments of the uninterrupted path or the path of seeing. So from amongst those we are up to the third one which is the four aspects that relate to the truth of cessation.
So the first of these four aspects is that the when the individual experience of each of the aggregates, the constituents and the spheres, and also the twelve links of their dependent origination, are realized — sorry. I’ll start I’ll start that again. I wasn’t gonna say it clearly. So when the when the the holding on to the aggregates, the forms, the spheres, and the twelve, links of dependent origination, as being inherently existent. When that holding onto is, finished and when the emptiness of these objects is experienced, then the relation to these individual objects is that they are seen to be not inherently existent.
After that, is realized then the being who is experiencing the emptiness of these objects will not experience, some objects as being higher and some objects as being lower. They will all be experienced as being equal in being empty of inherent existence. So they’re not going to hold on to some things as being more important and others as being less important. Now the dharma forbearance that is characterized by this state of being or this state of awareness is the first aspect of the truth of cessation in terms of the signs of irreversibility. Okay.
Okay. Okay. The second aspect is and I’m sorry. I’m not following the notes here properly because I went through the notes and they didn’t make any sense to me and it’s English. So Geshe-la is is explaining it clearly, So I’m just sticking with what he says and if it fits, then that’s cool, but I couldn’t make it fit together.
Okay. So the second thing is that on the path of seeing, the realization that bodhisattvas are experiencing on the path of seeing leads to the as it leads to the interruption of the perception of things being inherently existent. And as it leads to this interruption, it means that the clashes or the afflictive states of mind that could have stolen one away or stolen a being away from virtue or distracted one away from virtue, it says like a like a thief, this ceases to be a it ceases to be a problem, because so there’s a cessation of those being a problem because they are perceived as being empty. So the afflictive states themselves are perceived as being empty and once the person on the path of seeing is able to perceive the afflictive states themselves as being empty, then they’re no longer under the control of them. They still arise.
So there is, afflictive states that are abandoned on the path of seeing and then there’s afflictive states that are abandoned on the path of meditation. So beings on the path of seeing still experience these afflictive states. They would perceive emptiness, sorry, anger, for example. Continuum. But if it was to come up, then they could see its emptiness.
And once you can see something’s emptiness, then you’re not going to to chase after it. They’re no longer going to become engaged with the afflictive states of mind. And as there are not engaged with these afflictive states of mind because they perceived emptiness, it means that this idea of getting distracted or being stolen away by afflictive states of mind and or not being stolen away by afflictive states of mind ceases to be a problem. Alright? And so the way that they abide after this is, with an understanding of the, the emptiness of the things that could have distracted them from virtue and a understanding of the emptiness of the virtuous actions as well.
So the distinction between the two of them ceases to be a problem and they’re not that state of mind means that they’re not, experiencing negative afflictive states that would be conducive to negative actions. They’re not experiencing afflictive states that would be conducive to negative actions. I was like, yeah, yeah, now I get it. How do I say it? Right.
Now, the third one, it says the collections for enlightenment. Now, what the collections of enlightenment are are the things that you need to collect in order to become enlightened. So here we’re talking about perception of impermanence, great compassion, realizing the different levels of realizing emptiness, all of these things. They’re the collection of what you need to become enlightenment. Now it’s said that these are a bit like soldiers, in that sometimes they’re stronger and sometimes they’re not as strong and what they are focusing on is the destruction of the the destruction of the wrong views.
Alright? And this is a process that one that a being goes through up until they perceive emptiness. Now, once they’ve perceived emptiness, they also recognize the emptiness of those soldiers that they were using to get to that state. Alright. So they realize the emptiness of the ideas of impermanence, emptiness of the ideas of a great compassion and all of these things, how they’re empty as well.
So, having realized this state, it means that you that these beings have have a they don’t have to grasp onto those soldiers anymore. They don’t have to grasp onto the artillery that they’ve been using to to get rid of the wrong views and they abide in an equanimity these objects that they were using in order to progress along the path up to this point. So as we’re dealing with the things, the emptiness of the truth of cessation, you’re dealing with the emptiness of the stopping of negative states. So the impermanence, the view of impermanence stops the view of permanence, but the view of impermanence itself is empty as well. So once the Bodhisattva on the path of seeing perceives this, it means that they can abide equanimously with regards to these tools that they have used in order to get to that state as well.
Okay. So the last one of these four is that up until the perception of emptiness what we’re dealing with is things that are harmful and the antidotes to those things that are harmful. So that is applying antidotes to harmful states of mind and abandoning states of mind. So what happens is, that you have the the harmful states of mind and you have the the antidotes which lead to the abandoning of the negative states of mind. And up until you perceive emptiness, they’re basically having a brawl.
Geshe-la said they these he literally said those words, they’re fighting words. He’s talking about fighting. Alright? So these things are fighting with each other. And he said, and if we watch the way we’re trying to incorporate dharma that’s basically what we’re doing.
We’re using the the antidotes that are given to us in in the dharma to fight the negative states of mind that we have and your your there’s a brawl going on, alright? When you perceive emptiness however, then you can recognize that the the antidotes and the things to be abandoned are alike in that they are both empty of inherent existence. So you have an equanimous approach to those, to the antidote and to the things that they were being abandoned. So that there’s you’re able being able to perceive the emptiness of these two things means that, you don’t have any particular attachments to the antidotes and aversion to, the things that you’re trying to get rid of. You, can see that this is what, got you to that state, got you to the state where you’re able to perceive emptiness.
But recognizing that they’re both empty gives you, an equanimity towards those things in that you realize that they’re both empty. Alright? Not that one’s cool and one’s the other, but you’re you’re you’re focusing on the emptiness of those things and you don’t necessarily experience the attachment or aversion, that you had experienced before. I I was on the phone today through my friend who’s a translator, and I said to Geshe, wait one second in on honorific, and he went quick at me and said, every time you speak to Geshe, you should be use honorifics. So I just had to Anyway, the this is what’s then called a forbearance of sorry, a subsequent knowledge.
Alright? So, it’s subsequent to the process that was happening, there’s knowledge that comes about with regards to these things. Mhmm. Okay. So that was the four aspects that related to the truth of cessation.
The next four aspects relate to the truth of the path. And the first of these is the realization of the lack of inherent existence in terms of the three spheres with regards to the practice of giving, morality, patience and the other three of the perfections. So this means that you recognize that in part the path is the abandoning of miserliness for example by practicing generosity but that in the practice of generosity and the abandoning of miserliness, none of the three spheres inherently exist. So the person doing the giving doesn’t inherently exist. The act of giving and the thing that’s being given doesn’t inherently exist, and — sorry —, the person that’s receiving the gift doesn’t inherently exist.
Alright. So and so so this means that the path is being practiced but with an understanding that the things being abandoned there is this recognition that you need to abandon miserliness and there’s a recognition that you need to practice generosity but this process isn’t clung to as being inherently existent. The whole process is recognized, which is the the whole process, which is the truth of the path. Sorry. I didn’t say that right.
The whole process, which is the path, isn’t is recognized as being non inherently existent, and this is the truth of the path. Okay. So the second one, the second characteristic of the path of seeing is that all phenomena all phenomena phenomena being not inherently existent and being empty, don’t arise, don’t cease and, don’t truly arise or cease. And, because of this, the way, that they come into being is empty the cause is empty. The the actual thing is empty, and its results are empty.
So this is what’s called pureness of the three doors. So the the non-entity-ness that is pureness of the three doors. So once a being perceives this, this, it means that they recognize that any of the realizations that they have developed, any of the understandings that they have accomplished aren’t inherently existent. So this means that if they realize that this means everything from the, steps along the path to enlightenment that are reversible up to the very signs of irreversibility that we are talking about, they recognize that none of these, have even a atom of true existence or to, sorry, to be more precise, an atom that can be recognized, that can be perceived. So this recognition that none of these characteristics of the path, none of the realizations of the path have even an, atom that can be perceived is the, second part of the second characteristic of the four aspects of the true path, which is the, Dharma knowledge.
So the first one was the Dharma forbearance, and this is the Dharma knowledge. Okay. So the third characteristic of the the third aspect, sorry, of the of the true path section is that they have a belief or an understanding that they have achieved the state of realization that they have achieved, which is the path of seeing. So there is this understanding or knowledge that they have achieved the path of seeing. But there’s and there’s also but there’s also a from this recognition that they have achieved this state, there also comes an understanding that not only that state, but what are called the three knowers and three aspects.
So, the parts to to to enlightenment and also the three aspects is talking about the knower of paths, knower of bases, the knower of all aspects. So they recognize that none of these are generated, inherently. None of these are truly generated. And that by three means of analysis, the three knowers eventually they are recognized definitely recognized as being non inherently existent. So the three ways which the three knowers are recognized as being empty is that the three — by way of the cause, by way of the actual thing, and by way of its consequences, the knowers of bases, the knowers of paths, and the knower of all aspects are recognized as being definitely not existent or definitely empty of true existence.
And this recognition and this or this realization is the subsequent forbearance of the true paths section of the path of seeing. The section of true paths on the path of seeing. Okay. Okay. So the last of the the last of the signs of irreversibility, with the, path of seeing, which is the last one of the four aspects of the truth of the path, is that, beings who have attained the irreversible signs of irreversibility on the path of seeing, are able to, perform, many different actions, you know, including giving up their lives, giving away everything that they have, doing anything to, or any of these things in order to, lead people to the state of being a, knower of all aspects.
And the reason that they’re able to do this is because from amongst all of the different all of the different qualities that they’ve developed on what’s called the final or ultimate vehicle, then they are able to sorry. The best of all the qualities they’ve developed on this final or ultimate vehicle of the Mahāyāna is said to be bodhicitta. And the stronger their bodhicitta develops, the easier it is for them to, to do all of these things, to give up their lives, to get to, do anything it takes to lead beings, out of saṃsāra in a happy way without any sense of, holding on or, regret about having done this or having to do this. So the recognition that that as well, is empty. The the fact that they’re able to do this is a sign of irreversibility, but the recognition that they’re being able to do that is empty is also a sign of irreversibility.
Alright. So there is the actual actions themselves and this comes from the basis of, what’s called the supreme realization of bodhicitta. Then they are also able to do this because they’ve recognized that, this the bodhicitta and the actions they’re performing as well are empty. Mhmm. Tell me.
Oh, yeah. So this means that this this is the last of the signs of irreversibility on this on the path of seeing and it it is the it’s basically the recognition of the emptiness of bodhicitta because they have developed bodhicitta, are able to perform all these actions based on it. But as this is a they are realizing the emptiness of the path and the results results from that, then they also realize the bodhicitta itself. Even though it’s the supreme of the realizations and leads them to be able to do all these things, it’s also empty. The Okay.
So So then, that is the sixteen aspects of the signs of irreversibility on the path of seeing. They are described by their cause as opposed to their results. So they’re described by the causes of the sixteen moments of the path of seeing’s uninterrupted path even though the actual signs of irreversibility are experienced in the subsequent attainments of the path of release. Right? On the path of seeing.
Now, after that, there’s this man that I’ve never heard of before, but Geshe-la assures me he’s famous and very important, who was a Kadampa teacher called Rongtönpa. Has anyone else heard of him? No? Mm-mm. And then he said Rongtönpa was a very important Kadampa Lama who it is said was an emanation of Maitreya.
And he wrote a lot of commentaries on Maitreya’s texts. And in one of these commentaries, he said that the sixteen moments of the path of seeing were divided into those that were appropriate to the realization or the benefit of self and those that were those that were for the benefit of others. And Jetsün Chökyi Senge doesn’t like this and refuted this argument. And after explaining all this to me, Geshe-la said, we real probably shouldn’t get into it, so let’s move on. Oh, yeah.
So he’s been on time. He tries to describe it and he goes, forget it. No. No. No.
It’s too too too tricky. I mean, look. There’s nothing it could get sorry. There’s just this little extra section in here that There’s nothing in your notes that’s based on the root text that talks about the powers of the beings on the path of seeing once they have the signs of irreversibility — is there? I can’t see it. We just skipped over to five pages.
Because you guys don’t have it. Yeah. Sorry. There’s this is a cold section that we don’t know what happened to it. And guess it was pretty excited about that for some reason.
He he thought he he he said he read up all on the on these the the powers that it goes into for about ten pages here. And he and he was a per and he was he was thought he’d have to talk on all those, and then it’s finished. So anyway. Pardon? Okay.
So briefly, these are things that are called the powers. Yeah. I’m a bit confused because there’s a whole section that’s like pages in there. Mhmm. There’s a whole section in here that is about twenty pages about the powers and it’s based on a verse, from the root text of the Clear Ornament of Realization which seems to not exist in this.
But and then I was looking at it, the numbers go fifty one to fifty two and I can cannot see anything about powers in there and then it starts off the path of meditation and that’s pretty straightforward. Then before that, sixteen moments, which are the last of the signs of irreversibility of the wise abiding in the path of seeing. And then it’s just what we’ve been talking about, the aggregates and all that and the bases of the senses and everything. So there’s nothing about powers in there that I can see I seem to have missed either. Oh, this one.
Pardon? I just went through the root text and it’s not in there. But there’s a section in here that says in the root text that says something about powers. Right? And then it goes off on a ten, fifteen page tangent about the powers, and it’s not in here at all.
. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So guess I said he’ll go over it quickly anyway. So, so there is, there’s a section that describes the individual, powers, and they’re said to be generalized powers.
They’re not specifically related to the signs of irreversibility, on the path of, seeing. They’re just, generalized powers. And they’re said to be, twenty two, generalized powers, fourteen of which come from the fourteen of which come from the This one. Hang on. Uh-huh.
Okay. So they come from the, ten powers coming from the abandoning of the, complete abandoning of the afflictions. It literally says here, ten powers from the side of the afflictions. So but it doesn’t mean that you have power because of the afflictions. It comes power from the the area dealing with afflictions, means the getting rid of them.
And then there’s eight powers from the side of the purify from the side of purification. Okay. So sorry. Guess I said this, the first first twelve are, no. Yeah.
First fourteen, sorry, powers from the side of afflictive emotions. And he said they are powers that we we actually want to get rid of. I I mistranslated it and said, they’re powers that we get by getting rid of it. And he said, it’s powers he didn’t say that. He said, it’s powers that we want to get rid of.
Alright? So, the of these are the six afflicted, consciousnesses. Then there is the power of being a male or a female. And then there is the power of, life in Samsāra. The powers feelings of, pleasantness and happiness, pleasantness and happiness, the power of feeling of, suffering and unhappiness, and then there is the power of feeling of, equanimity.
So that comes to fourteen. So the the then the eight powers that are from the side of purification. The first of these is faith. Diligence. The third of these is mindfulness.
The fourth of these is meditative concentration. And then there is the power of, discriminating wisdom. And then there is the, power of of thoroughly knowing that which you did not know. Then there is the power of thoroughly knowing, and then there is the, power of possessing So the first five of these are said to be which is that which is afflicted afflicted powers. So that is that they are powers that can be also associated with the states, the ordinary states.
So that is up until we realize the path of seeing. So you can have faith, diligence, mindfulness, and meditative concentration, wisdom, before realizing the path of seeing. Now, the last, three aren’t said to be a they sound like they’re almost the same thing, but they’re not because, the first one which was the power of coming to know that which you didn’t know refers to the path of seeing. So on the path of seeing by realizing emptiness, you come to know that which you didn’t know. Then on the path of meditation, you know, you thoroughly know and, on the path of no more learning at at Buddhahood, you are in possession of thorough knowing.
Yeah. So there’s a distinction between these three things depending on the level or the this the path which you have reached. So the reason that they’re called powers is because they cause things to happen. They can they they cause things to come about. So for example, the consciousnesses, the the six consciousnesses — sorry.
The six consciousnesses, cause us to be able to perceive things like our visual consciousness causes us to be able to perceive something. The, experience of happiness, is causes a the feeling of happiness causes an experience of happiness. The feeling of suffering causes an experience of suffering and feeling of equanimity likewise. And then also on the positive side or the side that purifies and faith causes things to happen. Diligence causes things to happen.
Awareness does and so does meditative concentration and so forth. So this is why they’re described as being powers because they have the ability, to cause to cause things. So that was a rough overview. Alright. No.
Hang on. He just said if there’s five minutes left, I’m gonna He said if there’s five minutes left, I’m not gonna start on the I’m gonna talk about how you get the powers. Sorry. Okay. Okay.
So if you are born into a womb in the desire realm, at that stage then the power or the capacities, you get two new capacities. Alright. So there’s different ways that you can be born and there’s different places you can be born. You can be born into the form realm, the formless realm, the desire realm. And within these realms, there’s four different ways that you can be born.
You can be born from heat, you can be born from a womb, you can be born from an egg, and you can have a miraculous birth, right? So out of all of these, possibilities, if we’re talking about the way most of us are usually born, which is in a womb in the desire realm, then at that stage, you have at that moment when you are coming to the womb, you have two new capacities or two new powers. The first one is the power of life, and the second one is the power of the capacity of a body. Now they are new, but other other capacities or other powers that you would have had that continued on are the the feeling of equanimity that doesn’t disappear. That’s that’s a continuous thing.
Continuous thing. And and the the the the mental capacity. So beforehand, we’re talking about the six different consciousnesses. Yes? That were different capacities or different powers.
So when you’re born, you get the capacity of life and the capacity of what was the other one? Body. Yeah. But you’ve continued on with it from the previous life with the equanimous feeling and the mental consciousness. So we can stop there.
And we’ll go and he said so that just gives you an idea of where the powers some of the powers come from, and, we’ll go on to the path of meditation next week.