Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this two-hour session, Geshe Pema Tsering works through a single verse from the Thirty-Seven Practices of the Bodhisattva: the instruction to dedicate one’s body, enjoyments, and accumulated virtue to a thief who has robbed you blind. Using a car-theft illustration, he contrasts the worldly response — anger, argument, accumulated negativity — with the bodhisattva response: gratitude that an object of attachment has been removed, and compassion for a thief who is accumulating the causes of future suffering. He traces why this reversal is so difficult (a lifetime of habitual acquiring), uses a weed-covered rice field as a metaphor for the gradual work of mind training, and closes with audience questions on applying the same reasoning when harm is done to a loved one. For practitioners already engaged with Lojong mind training.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 07 2007 03 25 Sunday Morning Mediation 25 March 07 – Geshe Pema Tsering Mind Training Taking Loss onto the Path.mp3
UUID: 0ddb33d8-7f42-4a28-82d4-e71ab431bbda
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Sunday Geshela Teaching (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2007-03-25
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 123.7 minutes
Words: ~5,396
Then is starting us to give rise to a good motivation. And then with the wish, then with the intention, to bring all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment, then we we we understand we have to attain enlightenment ourselves to accomplish that in order to attain that enlightenment we are now going to train our minds through the study of this text of mind training we’re going to train our minds in the mind of enlightenment and then with this we aim at attaining enlightenment for the sake of benefiting all sentient beings. And with this in mind, we we start with the preliminary prayers, refuge and dedicating prayers and so forth. Now we’re going to read the morning prayer, page twenty four, and afterwards teaching prayer, page twenty. So then we we’re studying the thirty seven practice of the bodhisattva, and we are approaching a section of the text, so one major division of the practices of bodhisattvas, which has four main topics to it.
So the first of these four topics is then bringing onto the path an all undesired phenomena. Then secondly, bringing onto the path all those phenomena which are hard to bear with. Then thirdly, bringing both prosperity decline onto the path. And lastly, then we have bringing both attachment and anger onto the path. Then and and the first of those topics, which is then bringing undesired phenomena onto the the path, then we have four four parts to that way.
It’s divided into four topics. So the first one will be bringing loss or material loss onto the path, then bringing suffering onto the path, then thirdly, bringing disgrace disgrace onto the path. And lastly, bringing slander onto the path. And then as for as for loss, which is literally, it’s loss. Geshe-la was explaining this refers to loss of material wealth, of of of one’s belonging and so forth.
So the instruction will tell us that we shouldn’t be upset. We shouldn’t get saddened or disheartened or discouraged when we lose any of our of our belongings, of our wealth, and so forth. We shouldn’t let our minds be affected in this way. And then and then the second of those instructions, which is then bringing suffering onto the path, which I was explaining, it refers it will be referring here to the suffering of suffering, of the three types of suffering. It will be referring to the suffering of suffering which is then bringing those undesirable sufferings such as hurts and wounds and and and diseases and illnesses onto the path.
And, again, the third instruction, which is was was translated as bringing disgrace on the path, and Geshe-la was explaining. So then, again, when people talk bad about us and say bad things about us to how to say and rumors go about to say disgracing us then we shouldn’t we shouldn’t again, we shouldn’t get angry. We shouldn’t be upset. We shouldn’t allow our minds to be affected by these things also. And and then as as Geshe-la was explaining, this all these these these three topics here that has been have been explained so far, they are all under the category of undesired phenomena.
So then all those things we can understand how how is it that we do do not actually wish to experience any of those things. So then as for the first of those topics, which is then bringing bringing loss or bringing material loss onto the path, and Geshe-la was reading the first root verse of with respect to that topic, which is telling us, if someone swayed by great desire steals all one’s wealth or incites others to do so, then it is a practice of bodhisattvas to dedicate to that person one’s body, one’s enjoyments, and one’s virtues of the three times, past, present, and future. And Geshe-la was then saying, so then again, Geshe-la was explaining the meaning of every word of of the Tibetan sentence, which in English is is pretty much the same. Because I was then saying that the conclusion of what what is what is meant by this teaching is that when somebody who is overwhelmed by great by this great attachment and this great desire, then robs all our possessions or or make someone else rob rob our possessions. And when somebody does that and not only shouldn’t we get angry with them we should not get angry with that person we should on top of that but whilst being patient whilst bearing patiently with all that we should dedicate and and and send all our possessions, all our our enjoyments, our our own body, and all our our our virtues and happiness.
We we should send away to that person, dedicate to that person. And then we are told at the end of this verse as as as with the other verses that, again, again this is this the way of dedicating all one’s bodies enjoyments and and virtues to such such beings is is the practice of Bodhisattva. So those those who aspire who aspire to practice the way of the Bodhisattva, then this is the way that they practice. So then Geshe-la then says, because we are all people who aspire to attain the state of enlightenment, then we should we should look into under into practicing in this way. And then Geshe-la was gonna say something now.
Now because of that, because this is something that we must practice if we want to attain. And Geshe-la says, now we can see how difficult it is, isn’t it? And all this talk about giving away everything that we have for somebody who has already robbed us, and then we can hardly we can hardly listen to it. Can isn’t it? Now all all of us worldly beings and since since our childhood in the school we’ve we’ve been we’ve been doing that We’ve been always trying to acquire things for ourselves and possessions and everything for our own selves alone and then when we grow up we just keep on doing reproducing the habit and then we want to first we want to get from our friends, and now we want to get it from our country.
And we we just keep on doing it, always striving to acquire things, possessions, and etcetera for ourselves. So then so then all these has been all these actions are in contradiction to the to the practices of the bodhisattvas, so then we can see how difficult it will be then to practice this, to practice the way the bodhisattva. Then Geshe-la says, so then we can see how difficult it is, but we we ourselves, we remain believing that that it is how to say that it is easy actually to accomplish this enlightenment to accomplish the mind of enlightenment bodhicitta and realize the emptiness and attain this enlightenment whilst at the same time we are always thinking about gathering and acquiring things and profit for ourselves alone. So then, Geshe-la was explaining that this this when when somebody when somebody steals or robs us of our belongings or enjoyments and so forth then the response that we give we get angry and we get upset and Geshe-la was saying now this is how to say an incorrect way of relating to reality to phenomena if I was then giving the illustration of a car and saying so for example if you have a car and your car is robbed it was robbed because you had the car in the first place.
So it’s in dependence on having the car. It’s in dependence on that car that the this this happened. So the fault is is already there in in how to say, built built in the car. So this is my alarm clock. I’m sorry for that.
Geshe-la was explaining that when people rob us then we get angry. But bodhisattva wouldn’t get angry. A bodhisattva would say thank you. Thank you for taking away my car. You know, this car who who give me so much trouble, who give me so much suffering, how to say, made me develop so much attachment, made me develop so much anger.
You know? So the bodhisattva would feel glad would be how to say, getting rid of that car and say, thank you for taking away my car. And then on top of that, it would dedicate to that person who robbed his car all of his enjoyments, all of his virtue, all his his body, everything else. He would dedicate to that person. Geshe-la was saying.
The bodhisattva would feel pity for the person, would would give rise to compassion to that person, would seeing. That person is is practicing is robbing my car, is generating a negativity, And and is practicing non-virtue. So that person is going to experience great suffering in the future. So out of compassion for that person, then, again, he gives all his virtues to that person. You know?
Makes plenty of dedications for that person. And, again, develops develops also loving kindness, wishes that person to be happy. So then this is the way that Bodhisattva would practice. And then having both compassion and loving kindness having having arising in this in this situation, then then again, the mind of enlightenment comes again, in dependence on that. And then, again, again, he he he works to to benefit that person, to that being.
And if if we do not practice in this way, follow this the example of the bodhisattvas, if we were instead to follow the worldly way of thinking then we would get angry at that person and once we get angry at that person then we want to fight, we want to argue, and then we engage in all sorts of negativities. We accumulate so many negativities. We destroy so much accumulations of merit and people are going to look at us and say how angry we are, know, say that all these people is always fighting, is always arguing and then people are going to dislike us. So there are many many great faults following from getting angry at a person who would in this illustration rob our car and get that so that’s why we are told not to give in to anger and practice like the bodhisattvas do instead. Then of the two courses of action that we are being taught here so then one will be getting angry at the robber and then arguing fighting and engaging all sorts of negativities on one hand and on the other hand being patient how to say and glad that the robber has taken all the trouble away from us and then dedicating all our merits and our possessions and so forth to the robber.
From what do you think for you? What what what what do you think? From which one you will take more profit? Or would you take profit? Would would you profit more?
So then ultimately, then if we if we let the robber take our car and and we dedicate our merits and and and our virtues and so forth to that robber, to that person, and develop compassion and so forth on that basis, then all these are going to turn to the causes for the attainment of enlightenment, for the attainment of this great happiness and great benefit for everybody. On the other hand, if we are to get angry and then fight and so forth, then not only will be accumulating the causes of future suffering, of birth in in the lower realms of existence and and but also we will we will be experiencing we will experience suffering in this very life on top of that. Is explained that it is because we are overpowered by self grasping and self-cherishing that this this, how you say, evil or bad course of action would take place. It is because of this of both the self-cherishing and the self grasping mind that we are unable to to give away everything that we have for that person who has robbed us. Also because we we we do not understand or we do not see or we do not actually know what is that benefit the benefit of enlightenment and so forth and because we do not actually see or we do not actually know of those losses that we might incur if we act with anger and so forth we do not understand that those things so we do not engage in the appropriate course of action yes I was gonna say now about Buddhas and bodhisattvas and enlightened beings they can they can see this this this results.
They can see they can understand that. But we ordinary beings, we we do not see that. And also those buddhas and those bodhisattvas they were just like us they were they also did not have this understanding but because they they have practiced constantly and in stages, so then little by little, they have made their minds or their understanding clearer and clearer until until the point that they actually attained with stream-entryhood and and buddhahood. And Geshe-la was saying? So then, also, we have to train our minds little by little in in stages.
Geshe-la was saying so then giving an illustration of of giving a little bit of money to beggar then one will give start giving one dollar and then later two dollars and then three and then four and then little by little one will be diminishing one’s attachment to money so to speak and then one would start contemplating the faults and the shortcomings of this attachment then one would diminish it and to the point where one can completely see clearly all the faults of attachment in this illustration and then not be overwhelmed by it anymore until the point that one will be so proficient in these practices that eventually one will attain bodhisattvahood and and And then he says, now now right now, we we we might think, oh, this this is never going to happen. We’re never gonna get there. You know? But he says, but if we if we if we think about it and if we if we reflect carefully about it, then, you know, little by little, we can we can do it. And then, I was then reading through the commentary to that root verse that we’ve just been through.
And, again, the commentary is just saying again that when whenever a sentient being out of great desire or or of this this extreme craving then overwhelmed by this great desire and this great craving then robs us of whatever wealth or whatever enjoyment or our wealth and enjoyment or make someone else robs us of all our wealth and enjoyments then not only should we not get angry and respond to that with harm. And then so then not only shouldn’t we should not get angry and then not respond to that with with harm, we should with even greater benevolence, we should dedicate strongly or in a powerful way, we should even further we should dedicate more of those things that we cherish most our body our possessions our virtues and so forth and how to say and give it and send it all the way to that person who has done that harm to us and this is we are told, and this is the way that the bodhisattvas practice taking loss onto the path. And then and then what we read we are given then a verse from the Bodhisattva way of life from Śāntideva, which is telling us, I will leave all my belongings behind, but my negativities my negativities will firmly stay with me.
I guess I wasn’t serious. So then, again, if we if we get angry with the person who robbed our who robbed our car and again we will have these negativities at the time die then these negativities will go with us, stay with us and will cause us great harm in the future. So then we shouldn’t we shouldn’t get we shouldn’t give into anger and we should gladly give it all away to that person. And we have another verse which is saying, because I strive for liberation, I should not fetter myself with possessions and honor. And and Geshe-la was gonna explain.
So then, again, there are many such verses in all the scriptures and commentaries. And so then Geshe-la was explaining all this. If one if one gets angry, and then this is a negativity, and negativities do not contribute to one’s attainment of enlightenment and and and lasting happiness and so forth, enlightenment and liberation. And, actually, in actuality, actually, it it it is an obstacle to the attainment attainment of an liberation and enlightenment. So we should we should give that up.
And and, again, with with benevolence, gladly give away our our our possessions and merits and so forth. And then and then we are told by the by the author of the commentary then that wealth and honor is base is in dependence on wealth and honor that many faults arise. And then we were told that it is unreasonable, even though we might we might be gaining such wealth and honor, it is unreasonable, how to say, to be happy when when we when we are obtaining them. And, also, Geshe-la says the counterpart of that, that we shouldn’t also be upset when we lose them. And then and then the last few cent next next few sentences are telling us that when when the the obtainment of wealth and honor is hindered, that person who is robbing us of our wealth and so forth is actually liberating us liberating our minds from these fetters that we have to these things and in this way it is that they are locking the doors of the three lower realms for us and Geshe-la was then saying so when when we have these these these things robbed of us if we do not get angry if we’re not giving in to anger and then we practice patience instead we bear with all all the situation with patience instead then again we are getting rid of our anger we’re applying the right antidote to heal this anger away and then and also if on top of that we give away on top of this person has robbed us and then on top of that we don’t get angry and we give away all our possessions our happiness and our virtues and so forth and we give away with that with our minds then we we are applying the antidote to miserliness and in this way we we are are healing two major faults both anger and miserliness and we are closing the door then the doors to birth in the lower realms of existence is being locked in this way.
Was then saying, so then what we should we should be glad when these things happen to us. We should be happy about it. And Geshe-la was saying that now worldly beings whose only concern is this life alone then they would would they of course they would be they would be angry about it and but people who are beings who are striving to attain liberation and enlightenment they should be glad about it so that’s and that’s the difference that’s one of the major differences Geshe-la points out between worldly thinking and, how can I put it, enlightened enlightened thinking? So then, Geshe-la says we we we we would never be we ourselves here, we will never be glad about some such things happening. If somebody would rob us or our car from us, then we would be very angry and start calling the person names.
And and Geshe-la was saying some names in Tibetan, but like like beggars, stuff like that. And and and we will be we’ll be very angry, and we will never say oh, how good how good it is that he he he he robbed my car and, you know, I I I had all this attachment and this anger because of the car, and we will never say something like that. So then Geshe-la again is explaining that again if we practice in this way then we can arrest those afflictive emotions and on top of that we won’t be born in the lower realms because we are born in the lower realms due to the afflictive emotions. And if we are then arresting those afflictive emotions, then we are arresting the causes of being born in the lower realms. So then so then so then we can see that how how very kind actually that person, that robber has been to us.
And then, I guess, I was reading for the the next few lines of the commentary which is telling us also on top of what we have been instructed already to do, we should dedicate to that person our body, our enjoyments, and our roots of virtue and send it away to that person with our minds. Then whilst we’re doing that we should acknowledge the kindness of those people who did that to us and we are told the conclusion that it is unreasonable to give in to dislike and to anger towards that person. Geshe-la was saying because that person is helping us accomplish future happiness, the happiness of future lives, the happiness of liberation and enlightenment, then we should definitely be glad about it. What is the time? Is your Is is is one of the he thinks that you might be might be with a headache already.
Oh, yeah. Can I borrow your pen, please? Thank you. So then, I guess, last time, so then the the whole meaning is the what Another is that we shouldn’t call Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. And they What’s your date today? Twenty four. Twenty five? Twenty five.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So the Geshe-la was gonna say, the whole meaning is what what we’ve been taught here is that we shouldn’t get attached to material wealth and belongings and so forth. And that’s That’s that’s what it is.
Thank you. And now if you have any questions, please. Yeah. Would you just remind if we just wait and check if their cows were there? If if if your kind has been robbed, then rejoice, he said.
So if you have any more questions, sir? Basically, it’s it’s basically just ridding yourself completely off negative states of mind irrespective of any external circumstance and just keeping your focus on positive so so yes it is all about the mind as as as as the the the as the how do you say that because this is like a mind training text so I guess I was saying Lojong mind training so it’s all about training the mind the mind of enlightenment so it is all about getting rid of everything that would stop us from giving rise to these positive states of mind, and then cultivating those positive states of mind. And Geshe-la was saying. Because we are so used to worldly thinking that we immediately we we always engaging in anger and so forth. Geshe-la was saying so we have to we have to reverse the situation in our minds as as it is right now and we should you know train our our minds in loving kindness in the mind that that is the mind of of giving that wishes to give and and on compassion and so forth it is all about it is all about working working with the mind, Geshe-la says.
So again Geshe-la then Geshe-la is giving you an illustration. This is like it’s like a it’s like a field that is covered with with weed. So again, we have to to take all of that weed and and clear away the weeds so we can plant the rice instead and then again we have to nurture the rice and still how to say from time to time we still have to weed that field and nurture the rice with water and so forth. And that’s, again, it’s all about the grounds and the paths to enlightenment. And and Geshe-la, lastly, he said again, it’s about reversing the way we actually we we are used to think.
We said Geshe-la use a word which is says we are so used to it. It’s almost it’s natural. It comes naturally. So so used to it, and we have to reverse this this way of thinking. And then because of that, Geshe-la says, it’s very difficult.
So then So Geshe-la was in pointing out the text is specifying that it is a person who is overwhelmed by desire and by craving so if such a person who is overwhelmed by desire and craving is engaging in action whilst overwhelmed by this desire and craving it is a person who is naturally engaging accomplishing a negativity and then because that person is accomplishing negativity that person will have to experience the results the consequences of his or her own actions and then which are the person who’s accomplishing negativity is accomplishing the causes of future suffering now Geshe-la says there are instances where beings out of great compassion will see would look at us and see and see how how that he’s he or she is so so attached to that car and he or she is suffering so much and so much trouble. So I will I will relieve him or her of that know bodhisattvas or enlightened beings who would do that for us but and then and then that that is okay that is that is good but in in the illustration we have here that the text is giving us, it was specifically referring to someone who is overwhelmed by who is overwhelmed by desire and craving.
And nothing good can come out of it. So if you if you So, Geshe-la was saying, so then the whole idea is that is that we take these situations and turn them to our advantage, to our profit, so to speak. Geshe-la was saying if we meet with such a situation where we have a car robbed for instance and we get angry you heard him saying he said it three times so all we’re gonna get is suffering upon suffering upon suffering upon suffering because of that anger because acting out of anger and then we cause of other people harm and because we had accumulating all those negativities so suffering upon suffering upon suffering upon suffering now if we act in a different frame of mind as we instructed here in following the way of the example of the bodhisattvas with compassion with loving kindness and with the mind that wishes to give and so forth, then we are accomplishing benefit. We are accomplishing the causes of future happiness. We are practicing virtue and so forth.
And that’s that’s the trick. Of course, the the car is just an illustration, but it it refers to every and any object. And that’s and that’s, And that’s the meaning of of of, you know, the the the title of this topic, which is then taking onto the path, taking loss onto the path to enlightenment. When if we can if we can accomplish this, then already we have we are we are we we will be already accomplishing accomplishing the path to enlightenment. Oh, I need to talk.
And then once once one accomplishes this this path, then then one Geshe-la says, have you accomplished have you accomplished this path? Then one has accomplished the mind of enlightenment. And having accomplished the mind of enlightenment, one one doesn’t worry anymore about suffering. And then any suffering that one experiences, one will experience it gladly. And, again, in in any happens, won’t experience, I won’t experience it gladly, but it will be one will be equanimous about all that.
And so Geshe says that he thinks that that’s that is the way it is. Geshe-la speak speaking speaking referring to to himself, but I don’t really know because I have self grasping. But is saying we we should all we should all pray make aspirational prayers that we may accomplish that quickly. And then again, he says we should make aspirational prayers that we may attain it practice accordingly and may we attain the states you know before our death and if it does it doesn’t happen in this life then we pray on top of that that it may happen in the in the next life. And if it doesn’t happen in the next, then may attain in the future lives and and make strong aspirational prayers that we may accomplish this path as soon as possible.
Anyway, Geshe-la says, we we always make one final dedication prayer, which is which is saying that may the bodhicitta that has not arisen and may that which has arisen how to say grow more and more and so then that’s and that’s that also applies to this and may this this path which has not arisen arise and and when it arises may grow more and more and with every other training. You want to address something? Yeah. I was just thinking, for example, if your house was burning down and you’re actually visual in front of your house and it was burning down, you would probably from a higher state of consciousness, you would consciousness, you would wanna offer that burning house as a light offering to the Buddhas rather than breaking all these negative states of mind. That would be a One way to go about it?
So then because I said so then if one can accomplish that if one could accomplish that, then that that would be great. But it will be just just like it has been taught here today. That’s that’s that’s the instruction. It’s difficult, but if one can accomplish that, that’s great. Yes.
And well. What what about if you substituted material things for human life? I’m not saying something you know, someone took human life, not killing, but slavery or something that they weren’t you know, something that was close to yourself. Someone else would harm a loved one or something like this. And Geshe-la says, so then if, for example, someone was was to harm a loved one, and she says, we shouldn’t again, we shouldn’t give into anger, and we should be equally loving and compassionate towards both and we should reflect that the person who has harmed our loved one is accomplishing has has practiced a great negativity is accomplishing the causes of great suffering in in his or her future.
And and in this way, we should give rise to to compassion to that in regards to the person even though it might have been a small harm to the loved one or relative or whoever. Still, it is a negativity. It is accomplishing something so forth, and we should give rise to compassion. And without excess, we should be equally compassionate and loving kind loving to both of them. And also, loved one, that that relative of of ours and the person who has harmed us has harmed our loved one even though they in this life they are not manifesting it or they are not our relatives in this life or loved ones in this life they have been at one point in the past or in present in the future they have been equally kind to us greatly equally how to say they have been equally greatly kind to us.
Is that correct? Okay. Okay. Morning prep. Age twenty six.
Okay. Warmer? Am I oh, behind this bookcase over here, I reckon. Book. How about about cautious.
Under the big chair. Shoot. That was a clever hiding spot, especially because I thought we were staying in the other room. I called you to come in here. Oh, I didn’t hear.
I heard a very quiet little voice. Wasn’t sure where it came from.