Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A verse from Maitreya’s Ornament to the Sutras anchors this 45-minute session: because loving kindness and compassion are not the direct opposite of ignorance, they cannot uproot it. Geshe Pema Tsering uses this to argue that understanding emptiness is the only complete antidote to afflictive emotions — practices such as bodhicitta or calm abiding can suppress them temporarily but cannot eliminate them entirely. He then offers a concrete contemplative exercise: before any positive action, reflect that the actor, the goal, the action, and any merit gained are all empty of inherent existence, which, he explains, makes the action far more powerful. The session then moves through the ten bodhisattva grounds on the path of meditation, matching each ground to its primary perfection — from generosity on the first ground through exalted wisdom on the tenth — before cataloguing the 16 innate afflictive obstructions and 108 knowledge obstructions abandoned along the way. Suited to students with a grounding in Mahāyāna doctrine.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 03 ST4 2003 05 15.mp3
UUID: a04f33b7-126f-4fc0-9872-b19353214bc6
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Seventy Topics (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2003-05-15
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 44.9 minutes
Words: ~3,439
So a long time ago, Śākyamūni Buddha was exactly the same as us. He was a sentient being who had suffering and was caught in saṃsāra. So he’s exactly the same type of being. Then he met a good spiritual teacher and started doing practice and developed along the different paths and became a fully enlightened Buddha. Now he’s not the same as us because he’s a Buddha, and we still haven’t achieved that.
But so we have to understand that that he was once exactly the same as us as well. The omniscient mind is separate from from phenomena, understands it’s separate from phenomena, but that is there’s no phenomena it doesn’t know. So it knows phenomena, but understands it’s a separate entity from the phenomena. And I had to remember the word. Sarah. Liz?
Yeah. Thank you very much. So in the Mahayānasūtrālamkara, or the Ornament to the Sutras by Maitreya, he says because kindness and compassion because loving kindness and compassion are not the direct opposite of ignorance therefore they cannot cut off ignorance completely Now, what this means is that no matter how much compassion and loving kindness we have in our being, if we want to get rid of ignorance, we want to get rid of the fog in our minds, then we need to develop an understanding of emptiness as well. In order to cut through self grasping, which is another way of saying ignorance, then we need to understand the emptiness of self. This is the only way we can get rid of this. So we can’t just concentrate on loving kindness and compassion.
We also need to concentrate on cultivating an understanding of emptiness. So when we start thinking about emptiness, now we realize how important it is from this quote. When we start thinking about emptiness, we start to understand how difficult it is to try and get a grasp on emptiness, how difficult it is to understand it. Because of the difficulty in trying to understand emptiness, these different schools were taught explaining different ways of emptiness. So we have the Autonomy school, we have the Consequence school, the mind only school, the sūtra school.
All of these different schools have different presentations of emptiness that differ in their subtlety and in the way that emptiness is explained. This is because it’s such a difficult topic that we need all these different explanations to try and get a grip on it. So so this ignorance that stops us from being able to see the true nature of reality, This takes the form of the way that we imagine or assume that phenomena actually exist. Because of our basic ignorance, when we see something, we assume that it exists inherently or it truly exists, as opposed to being empty of true existence. Our assumption and our understanding that things truly exist this ignorance, that obscures the true nature of reality from us.
So because we have this ignorance, we are stopped from seeing the true nature of reality in that it doesn’t exist truly. It’s empty of true true existence. So once we do get an understanding of how things truly exist, we see how what the true situation is. That observation of the true situation gets rid of our ignorance. Because we see the way that things truly exist, way that the actual what the actual situation is, that is the absence of true existence.
Once we’ve seen that, then we stop being caught up in self grasping and the different emotions that come about from that because we see that these kind of things are pointless. So we stop collecting karma or negative karma because we’ve seen the true nature of reality. So once someone has an understanding of the way that things actually exist, once someone understands this, then they cease to do negative things because they understand that there is no point to doing negative things. This means is that the true antidote to creating negativity, to collecting this negative karma, is being able to see emptiness directly. The other things we do may be positive, but if we want to stop them completely, then we have to understand emptiness.
So what happens until we have this understanding of emptiness is that the being that doesn’t understand emptiness doesn’t actually have independence or autonomy. They’re not free from the bounds of saṃsāra and their afflictive emotions. So that means that everything they do is affected by these afflictive emotions and results in the collection of karma. So they don’t have any freedom of what they’re doing. They can’t make clear choices about things, and the reason they can’t make clear choices about things is because they have this ignorance that obscures the true nature of reality and stops them from being able to actually see, what they should and shouldn’t do.
So what this means is that these things like bodhicitta and loving kindness and compassion and calm abiding and the mind that understands impermanence. These kind of minds, while they are positive and while they may dent the sway of afflictive emotions in the short term or at that time, they don’t actually act as a direct antidote to the afflictive emotions because the only way that the afflictive emotions can be completely destroyed or gotten rid of is by understanding the nature of reality so they may be able stop them for a while, but they cannot completely get rid of them. So this means that in order to develop, we need not only to develop these minds, but we also need to understand emptiness. So once we have developed an understanding of emptiness, what this means is that our afflictive emotions, without us making much effort in it, they just they fall away. They don’t have any more effect on us.
They gradually become less and less until they’re completely extinguished. Because if we keep meditating on emptiness, then that’s acting as something that directly cuts through all of the afflictive emotions. So just by that action, then these these afflictive emotions fall away, and we don’t actually need to put the effort in that we did with the other minds in order to calm the afflictive emotions because emptiness cuts through them completely, and then they just fall away. The problem is that trying to trying to perceive emptiness directly is kind of difficult. So what this means is that we have to add there for the time being to try and stop afflictive emotions as much as possible, as much we can at the moment.
We just have to understand that in order to do it properly what we need to do is to develop this understanding of emptiness. Although we may not be able to develop emptiness at the moment, this knowledge that emptiness gets rid of afflictive emotions completely, that knowledge does for us is make us understand how important studying, thinking, and meditating on emptiness is. So while trying to understand emptiness is difficult, what we should try and do at the moment is get some sense of it and the way that we can do that is by thinking: anything that we do that’s a positive action we should try and concentrate on the emptiness of that positive action as well. We should try and think okay this thing that I’m doing or this positivity is actually empty of inherent existence also. It’s just like the things that I see on telly in that they’re there, but they’re not there the way that I think they’re there. So they do exist, they just don’t exist the way I think they are.
So that is empty of inherent existence. So anytime that we actually get to have that thought, anytime we generate that thought before we do a positive action or we do anything, then that makes that action incredibly powerful and positive in terms of for us to accumulate merit and also from the action itself becomes a very positive and powerful action. So before we do anything, first of all, we should think, may this be a cause for me to attain enlightenment so I can be of help to all sentient beings in them attaining enlightenment. And at the same time as we’re thinking this, then we should also try and think that ourselves, our goal, that is the enlightenment, and the beings that we wish to help are all actually free of inherent existence. And they and they are they exist, but they don’t exist the way that we think they do.
And once we’ve thought all this, if we actually do something, then that becomes a very positive thing that we’ve done. So so what we should be thinking is that I am don’t I exist, but I don’t exist the way that I think I do. And the the goal that I have of achieving Buddhahood, well, that exists, but it doesn’t exist the way that I think it does. And then any action that I do in order to achieve that goal, well, that doesn’t exist the way that I think it does. And then even the action, when we’ve finished the action and we want to dedicate it, that doesn’t exist the same way either.
They exist, but they’re free from inherent existence. The Buddha that I take refuge in and the Dharma and the Sangha, they are free of inherent existence. They don’t exist the way that I think they do. So we should go through these thought processes before we do things. So we have this idea that we ourselves are suffering, but we should remember this suffering is not inherently existent, doesn’t exist the way we think it does, and then all the other beings that we think about their suffering, how we want to help them stop suffering, is also something their suffering is something that doesn’t exist the way we think it does.
Then we should think, okay. I quickly, quickly wanna achieve Buddhahood in order to be of the greatest benefits to all these beings. Yeah. And then may I become like may I become like Buddha as quickly as possible. But then we should remember that the Buddha doesn’t exist the way we think it does.
We don’t exist the way we think we do. The people that we’re trying to help don’t exist the way that we think they do. The actual action we’re doing doesn’t exist the way that we think it does, and any merit that we get from it won’t exist the way that we think it will. So with these thoughts in mind, we should meditate. So try and have his mind.
May I quickly, quickly achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings, get that mind in your head and and try and focus on that. So we are we finished the path of seeing in the presentation of the instructions, And we’re up to the path of meditation. Yeah. So what we need to do first of all is to get into our head what actually is the path of meditation. Now the path of meditation that’s referred to here is the path of meditation for the Mahāyāna or the bodhisattva vehicle.
There are actually three different paths of meditation. There’s the path of meditation of the hearers, that of the solitary realizers, and that of the bodhisattvas. What they’re actually talking about here is that which instructs on the path of meditation of the Mahāyāna path and not referring to the two other. So the definition of a path of meditation is a subsequent clear realizer. Now that means considering that there are three vehicles that there are also three subsequent clear realizers. What we’re talking about here, however, is the subsequent clear realizer which has also gone through the other parts of the Mahāyāna path that is developed bodhicitta, etcetera.
Okay. So there’s ten grounds on the path of meditation. Then on each of these it is Okay. So the first ground actually starts on the path of seeing and goes on to the path of meditation. Now each of these ten grounds also has three parts to it.
Hang on. He said three, but maybe So, yeah, there is four on each of these ten grounds. That is there is an uninterrupted path, a path of release, a post meditational stage, and something that is none of these. That’s the fourth section. Okay.
So the the first ground is called joyful. Now, the definition of the first ground is a wisdom, which is an exalted wisdom, which is a mind understanding the Yeah. It’s a bit difficult to do a translation of a definition on the spot. And one second. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. So, like, you know how definitions are really difficult to understand in English? Trying to do a translation on this part is a bit tricky. Okay.
So, it’s a mind, which is an exalted knower, which is focusing on the practice of out of the six perfections, the first perfection, the perfection of generosity. That’s the first part of the definition. It is also a cause for many good, subsequently realized qualities. But there’s gotta be a better than that trying to do that on the spot. There’s gotta be a better translation.
Now, once told me he spent ten days trying to do each definition, getting the translation right. So I’m sure that there’s a better one than the one I just did in ten seconds. Right. Then Geshe la said before that, he was saying the definition, and then about the definition, why they actually say one out of six from the one out of six perfections is that on each of the ten grounds there’s a practice of a different perfection. So there’s actually there’s six perfections and there’s ten perfections.
On each of the grounds, practice all these ten perfections, but they focus on one. So that isn’t that on the first ground that they don’t practice the other perfections, but that the focus is on the perfection of generosity. Okay. So to try and refine that definition a little bit, is the practice that they do in more or better? The practice they do more or they concentrate on more on each of the so it’s like it would have been the practice of generosity, which is concentrated on more.
That isn’t yes, so that’s the definition. So on each of the ten grounds, there is one of the ten perfections that is the main focus of practice and is the one that is said they achieve the practice of. They don’t achieve the perfection of, but they achieve the practice of. So in order you guys don’t need the Sanskrit, do you? The perfection of generosity is on the first ground, which is called joyful.
The second ground is called stainless, and it’s the perfection of morality. The third ground is called illuminating, and it’s the perfection of patience, as is is, the practice is perfected there. The fourth ground is radiant, and it is called radiant, and it’s related to the perfection of effort. The fifth ground is called difficult to train, and it’s related to the perfection of meditation. The sixth ground is advancing and is related to the perfection of wisdom.
The seventh ground is called gone far. It’s related to the perfection of skillful means. The eighth ground is called unwavering and is related to the perfection of aspiration. The ninth ground is called excellent wisdom and is related to the perfection of power. And the tenth ground is called cloud of dharma.
It’s related to the perfection of exalted wisdom. This one. This one. So so what happens with the definitions for all of the grounds is that you just swap the different bits. So and and I’m I’m thinking now that I probably made a mistake, it would have been one out of the ten perfections, not one out of six.
Right? So but anyway, what happens guess it I’m saying You go you get one word and you put it where the other one isn’t for two words. For the second ground, say that instead of calling it joyful, call it stainless and then you say the definition of stainless is the exhaustive wisdom that focuses on the perfection of the practice of morality instead of the perfection of generosity. So you change those two words all the way down from ten. Okay.
So on each of the paths, we said before that there was these four divisions, the uninterrupted path, path of release, post meditational stage and something that is none of these. So the what happens in the uninterrupted path of each of the ten grounds is that the thing that is to be abandoned in that ground is is harmed, is is eaten into, literally pressed. The Tibetan is literally pressed down on. Right? So that’s on the uninterrupted path.
And then when it gets to the path of release, it actually becomes something that’s abandoned. So the path of uninterrupted path eats away at it. And but when you hit the path of release, it means it’s all gone. It’s completely abandoned. The wisdom that’s not in meditative equipoise that’s after that, that is when someone comes out of that meditation where they’ve gotten rid of those abandonments, that’s called post meditational stage.
And then if someone does some other meditating, goes What is that? This one. Yeah. And so if someone does some other type of meditation and goes into some meditative equipoise while they’re still on the first path that isn’t regarded to the abandonment of the first path, then that’s the thing that is not It is literally not any of the others. It’s the fourth type.
The not any of the others type. Meditation. The the other way that we can look at the path of meditation is from the point of view of the things that are abandoned on the path of meditation. Now, in the path of meditation, there are sixteen innate afflictive obstructions that are abandoned and a hundred and eight innate knowledge obstructions that are abandoned. So there’s the out of the sixteen innate afflictive obstructions that are abandoned, the first six relate to the desire realm and they are desire, anger, pride, ignorance, the view of the transitory collections, and view holding to an extreme.
So there’s also five to be abandoned from that relate to the the form realm and that’s exactly the same as the ones that relate to the desire realm minus anger. And it’s the same for the formless realm. So the five for the form realm, the five for the formless realm, and the six for the desire realm make up sixteen. Okay. So this is on a chart so you guys don’t have to write it out.
I don’t think Geshe-la was worried about that at all. So there’s one hundred and eight innate knowledge obstructions on the path of meditation that are abandoned. Thirty six of these relate to the desire realm and they include nine conceptions that apprehend thoroughly afflicted phenomena as truly existent objects of use, and then nine conceptions that apprehend completely pure phenomena as truly existent objects of use, Nine conceptions that apprehend substantial existence as truly existent utilizers. No idea what this means. Nine conceptions of apprehenders of imputed existence as truly existent utilizers.
He laughed and laughed at this one. He loved it. He said I said, I had said the words, but I have no idea what they mean. He goes, but they’re in English. And I said, doesn’t matter.
And he said, but maybe everybody else understood what they mean. I was like he wanted me to ask if any of you understood what it meant. So so they all they all relate to grasping it to existence, all of them. So they’re different diff different ways that we grasp at at true existence and looking at our grasping at true existence from different points of view. So right.
So these why there is four sets of nine is that in each of the sets we have a great and like there’s a great medium and small, right? And then for the great medium small, there’s a great medium and small. So three sets of three makes up nine. So that’s when they talk about nine conceptions in four different sets, that’s the nine they’re talking about.