Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A logical argument from the philosopher Dharmakīrti opens this 45-minute commentary: karma without craving is like a seed with no water — incapable on its own of producing rebirth. Geshe Pema Tsering uses this to unpack how the six afflictive emotions, all rooted in ignorance, are the real engine of saṃsāra, and how realising emptiness directly cuts them at the root. He then explains why personal liberation is insufficient, building toward a limitless bodhisattva motivation through the image of countless ocean creatures each individually becoming a Buddha. The session then moves into the Seventy Topics text, defining the five eyes and the six clairvoyances in sequence, closing with a candid observation that such abilities could also be deeply confronting.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 01 ST4 2003 05 08.mp3
UUID: 68666192-34dc-486e-8bc6-e0603ec7cc77
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Seventy Topics (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2003-05-08
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 44.9 minutes
Words: ~3,263
So the pandit Dharmakīrti said in the Pramānavārttika that if we extinguish craving, if we triumph over and extinguish craving, then karma itself So then if we extinguish craving or saṃsāra, if we triumph over it and extinguish it, karma by itself cannot cause anything, because if we’ve extinguished the craving then we’ve extinguished the cause for craving and all that’s left is the imprint of karma. What this is talking about is that there are two different things that need to be done in order to extinguish saṃsāra. There is klesha and karma. These are called the root of suffering, and the root of suffering is in saṃsāra, so there’s klesha and karma — afflictive emotions and karma — and if we get rid of the afflictive emotions then the causes of karma also go. Craving or suffering comes about because of karma and delusions, karma and afflictive emotions, and If there’s only one of these, for example, if there’s only karma left and there’s no more afflictive emotions, then there is no rebirth, there is no saṃsāra. It’s the same as if karma is like the seed.
If we put the seed in the ground, but there is no water and no sunshine and no other conditions that the seed needs in order to grow, then we don’t get any result from that seed. This is the same with karma. If there is only karma but there is no afflictive emotions and none of the other causes and conditions for suffering or saṃsāra to come about, then it doesn’t come about. So the main emotion that causes us to take rebirth in Samsāra and will cause us to take a future rebirth in Samsāra on a personal level is desire. We actually had desire caused us to have the throwing karma to be born into this existence in the desire realm.
And the main afflictive emotion that is going to cause us to be born again in this realm is desire. The root of desire is ignorance — not understanding the true nature of reality. If we understood the true nature of reality we wouldn’t have desire but because we have misunderstood the true nature of reality then our desires and our attachments become the main cause for us to take rebirth in saṃsāra. This desire if we get rid of this desire, we get rid of attachment to things then it’s like we still have the seed of karma, but we don’t have the water that will make the seed to grow. So so what happens is, we have, because we have these these desires mainly, then from these desires we have, we also develop the other five root afflictive emotions.
From our desires, we develop pride. Excuse me, we develop — oh, never mind. So I dropped things. Got it. Okay.
So there is desire. And then from desire, we also have hatred, we have pride, we have afflictive doubt and wrong view. The cause behind all of these, even behind desire itself, is ignorance. So that makes up the six afflictive emotions. What we need to do in order to get out of in order to stop ourselves from taking another rebirth in saṃsāra, is to stop these afflictive emotions to the best of our ability.
In order to get out of saṃsāra, we need to stop them completely, work towards is sorry, what we need to work on now is stopping them to the best of our ability. So from amongst these two karma and afflictive emotions, the actual reason that we collect karma is because of afflictive emotions Therefore, afflictive emotions become the main cause that we’re in saṃsāra If we can get rid of our afflictive emotions, we don’t produce any karma and karma by itself doesn’t act as a cause for us to be reborn in saṃsāra So the main thing that we have to look at in order to be able to stop these afflictive emotions, and especially the afflictive emotion of desire, is that within saṃsāra, there is actually no there is no happiness. There is no solid pleasure. Everything that’s in Samsāra is is is suffering in one form or another. So we have to start looking at saṃsāra in terms of it just being suffering, whether it s the suffering of suffering, the suffering of change or pervasive suffering.
We have to keep looking at saṃsāra as being a kind of suffering and therefore turn our minds away from it and realize that saṃsāra doesn’t hold any lasting happiness or pleasure and is therefore something that we need to completely abandon. So even the greatest of saṃsāra’s pleasures, we have to look at it as if it’s in the nature of suffering. Because if we actually want to experience true happiness and true pleasure, then we have to get rid of saṃsāra completely. We have to be able to look at saṃsāra as a negative thing that needs to be abandoned and realize that the only true happiness we’re going to get is by liberating ourselves from it. So what we need to try and find out is a way to get out of Samsāra.
Now the way that we get out of saṃsāra, the way we find an end to saṃsāra is by understanding emptiness by realizing emptiness because if we realize emptiness then we put a stop to our afflictive emotions because if we realise that things don’t exist inherently, then we don’t grasp at these things. Because karma and afflictive emotions are the causes of saṃsāra, and out of karma and afflictive emotions, afflictive emotions are the causes of karma. They cause us to generate karma. Then the thing that we need to do is to figure out how to stop afflictive emotions. afflictive emotions come because we have ignorance.
We don’t understand the true nature of reality. Because the way to understand the true nature of reality is to experience emptiness directly, then experiencing emptiness directly becomes the direct antidote to our experience of Samsāra. So by realizing emptiness, we abandon our self grasping. And it’s our self grasping, this ignorance that we have about the nature of ourselves and our grasping at the self that doesn’t really exist that causes us to cycle in saṃsāra and by abandoning our self grasping that means that we achieve liberation but liberation just for ourselves isn’t of that much benefit We can’t just think of of our own liberation. We have to try and think about the liberation of all beings.
So because it has to be the liberation of all sentient beings that is our focus, then we have to try and achieve Buddhahood in order to show all of these beings how to achieve their own liberation. Therefore, we should focus on achieving Buddhahood in order benefit all these beings, in order that they as well don’t experience any more the suffering of saṃsāra. So because it’s a hard job, there has to be a big motivation behind it. There has to be something that’s like a limitless motivation in order for us to feel compelled towards becoming a Buddha because it’s a difficult thing that we have to do. It’s all sentient beings.
We have to think about all sentient beings, not just the ones we know, not the ones we just see in a group. All sentient beings. If we think about in the ocean, there’s big groups of really, really, really small animals that limitless, that we couldn’t count if we tried. We think about those small animals and small insects that we see as we’re walking around from those beings that are so small up until these huge animals that I think he means a whale that are in the ocean and wouldn’t fit in this room. So all the scope of all those animals of all these different sizes beyond our ability to count, so we have to think in those bigger terms and it’s for all of those beings and because we’re thinking of limitless beings then our motivation becomes limitless.
Okay. So when we’re thinking about all these beings, and not just thinking about all these beings, but make helping all these every individual being become a Buddha. So that is all those little, insects that are in the ocean. They’re not insects. The Sibetans call them insects, but they’re not.
Okay. All those little beings that are in the ocean, all of those, each single one is going to become a Buddha. All the the big animals will all individually become a Buddha. This is like what our motivation should be, and that is becomes almost an inconceivable motivation for us that all these beings become a Buddha. So if it’s too big for us to comprehend in terms of us trying to help every single one of those beings, then we should then look at the other limitless aspect to our meditations and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings, which is that we have been in existence since beginningless time.
That means that we have had countless rebirths. So for all the countless animals that there are, in one rebirth, we had some connection to them. They were our parents or they were our close friends. So in the same way that beings are countless, then our previous rebirths are countless too. So we should be thinking that we’ve had some kind of connection with these beings in those countless rebirths.
And because of that connection and because of their kindness, then we have no choice but to to work for their enlightenment. So once we’ve got this idea in our head about all these beings having been our close friend in different lifetimes, then we should think that what we’re going to do tonight by studying this text, may that be a cause for us to become enlightened. And not only this, but then all the merit of the five different types of Buddhas, may that also be a cause for our enlightenment. And once we’ve got this idea in our head of all these beings and all the merit of all the bodhisattvas, if we can keep that idea in our head and try and meditate on it for about five minutes. Oh, yeah.
So we’re up to the part of precepts, which is underneath this this the second of the seventy topics. And in that, there’s and in the second of the seven topics we’re up to the seventh division which is the precepts which instruct on the five eyes. So I guess you’ll say we’re up to that means we’re up to the instructions on the five eyes and the six clairvoyances, which is actually the next division. So the five eyes are described as the eye of flesh, the divine eye, the eye of wisdom, the eye of Dharma, and the eye of Buddha. Now how these are actually achieved is that after a meditative practice and achieving calm abiding then the mind of the person who has achieved calm abiding is actually in what’s called a upper realm state or a form realm state it’s not a formless realm state it’s not in a desire state anymore have it so once that you have established a form state in your mind stream then you’re able to develop these these five eyes by meditative concentration The other thing to keep in mind is that because the Ornament of Clear Realizations is actually dealing with the path of the bodhisattvas, then these eyes that they’re talking about here are usually associated with the qualities or the achievements, the realizations of bodhisattvas.
Okay. So we should also try and remember that because these are special qualities or realizations that are associated with bodhisattvas that we shouldn’t be expecting them to come about if we go and meditate for a while. They’re not something that we should be concentrating on trying to develop. So the first one is called the eye of flesh. What this means is that things can be seen through and one can see for very long distances and without the obstruction of physical objects.
So the next one, the divine eye, means that you can see in the same manner as the gods. The gods have the clairvoyance of being able to see where they’re going to go, where they’re going to be born and where they’re going to die. So that’s what this is referring to, being able to see where one is going to pass away and be reborn. So so the next one, the eye of wisdom. The wisdom actually refers to the wisdom seeing ultimate truth, seeing emptiness.
So the eye of wisdom is the mind realizing emptiness, but it’s the mind Okay. Okay. That was good because I was just about yeah. Anyway. So, yeah, the eye of wisdom — it is seeing ultimate truth directly.
So the the the mind that realizes emptiness directly and is therefore a path is the eye of wisdom. So, okay, it has to be realizing it directly because it has to be a truth of the it has to be a path. Path there has to be directly. So the eye of Dharma is being able to see people’s abilities, whether they have dull abilities or sharp abilities. So the eye of the Buddha is omniscience because Buddhas are the only omniscient beings, therefore the word eye of Buddha is interchangeable with omniscience.
Or know of hang on. Know of all aspects. Yes. So what it’s actually referring to here isn’t just these the eye of flesh, divine eye, etc, the five eyes. What it’s talking about is the precepts or the instructions on the five eyes.
The same as when we were talking earlier about bodhicitta etc we weren’t necessarily just talking about bodhicitta what this is referring to is instructions on bodhicitta and instructions on how to thoroughly uphold the path etc. So the next one is precepts which instruct on the six clairvoyances. Six six clairvoyances are the clairvoyance of magical emanation, of the divine ear, of knowing others’ minds, of remembering previous states of the divine eye, and the clairvoyance of the extinction of contaminations. So the process for attaining the clairvoyance of magical emanations is the same as the with the process for attaining the different eyes. What one has to do is first of all attain calm abiding through meditative practice and then on the basis of calm abiding go through more meditation practice before you achieve a path.
And then on the basis of having achieved a path, then one can have the clairvoyance of magical emanations. Okay. So there’s different types of well, this is a problem. There’s different types of magical emanations. There’s some that we actually have, but they’re not magical.
But the the the word in Tibetan literally means zuk means something that’s not the way it appears, and trül is like an emanation of something. Alright? So it’s an emanation that isn’t necessarily the way it appears. So one type of these type of emanations is one based on karma. So therefore we are a magical emanation based on karma.
We emanate from karma and the things that we make come from this. Yeah, so there’s this isn’t this isn’t the clairvoyance of emanations. This is just the emanations based on karma. So so, yeah, they don’t seem to have taken into account that a magical emanation can just be like something that’s based on karma. Right?
So the ones that they’re talking about here though is the magical emanations or the clairvoyance of magical emanations is not based on karma. That is when people have achieved calm abiding, gone on with their meditational practice and have a true path in their continuum, then they are able to manifest as any of the things that we were talking about before that were manifested by karma, but without karma. They’re able to manifest it magically, if you like, as opposed to the the manifestations that come about in our reality that come about because of karma. Yeah. Is has anyone got the other translation?
And what do they say — magical emanations, do they? Sorry. Sorry? So the high perception would be the clairvoyance. Yeah?
Yeah. Yep. Miracles. That doesn’t help either. Alright.
Okay. So the next one, the clairvoyance of the divine ear is being able to hear everything that happens. So with this clairvoyance — auditory clairvoyance — they have the ability to hear subtle and gross sounds at will in any place, in any dimension. So this is also considered, this clairvoyance of divine ear, to be a mental consciousness. It’s not an auditory.
Is that what it is? Yeah, olfactory consciousness. Yeah, yeah. It’s not an olfactory. Oh, no, no, no, no.
Auditory consciousness. I was thinking of the nose. Why would you want to smell everything? Anyway, so, auditory. Yeah.
It’s not an auditory consciousness. It’s a mental consciousness. . Yeah.
Yeah. So yes, so all of these clairvoyances are mental mental consciousnesses. So the next one is the clairvoyance of knowing others’ minds is is pretty clear. Anytime someone thinks something, you can see what they’re thinking. Okay.
So the next one, clairvoyance of remembering previous states means that people have the ability to remember where they were born in previous lives and the ability to know where they will be reborn in a future life. If they were going to be born in America or Tibet or India or Australia then they would know the exact position of their birth and where they were in their past life. He said it’d be very good to know where you’re going to be reborn in your next life. Okay. The clairvoyance of the divine eye is is not just being able to see large distances.
It’s being able to see anything that you want to anywhere. So for example, if any any form anywhere. So if you want to see something in America, then you can see something in America without a plane. Yeah. That’s me.
I shouldn’t have said that. Yeah. Okay. So the clairvoyance of the extinction of contamination is apart from arhats or Pratyekabuddha, then this doesn’t exist. The extinction of contaminations is when the word extinctions — when the contaminations are completely wiped out.
Okay. So the contaminations are afflictive emotions. So when afflictive emotions are completely wiped out, this clairvoyance of extinction of contaminations is achieved. And apart from arhats, this doesn’t So what this means is that this is talking about the teachings which are related to these six clairvoyances, not the six clairvoyances themselves. So it’s explaining the words that are binding with regards to each of the six clairvoyances.
So we keep thinking that clairvoyances are definitely a good thing, but they could also be very confronting for us. For example, if we had the ability to see a lot of things that were happening, especially when the war was on and things like that. It would have also been very helpful if the Americans would have had clairvoyance and they could have seen what was actually happening on the ground if the people making decisions had the ability to see what was actually happening in the war. If they had clairvoyance, then they could actually make more informed decisions about what was going to happen.