Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 40-minute commentary on the Wheel of Sharp Weapons, Geshe Pema Tsering addresses a question that troubles many practitioners: why does sincere practice seem to bring no visible result? He explains that present suffering reflects the ripening of past negative karma, while the fruits of current virtue will appear in future lives — a distinction that guards against discouragement and abandoning practice altogether. He then examines what genuine refuge actually requires: not just the words of taking refuge, but two prior causes — a clear understanding of saṃsāra’s faults and a felt fear of its sufferings. He walks through the three types of suffering, giving particular attention to pervasive suffering rooted in the contaminated body, and carefully resolves the apparent contradiction between viewing this body as flawed and viewing it as a precious human rebirth, showing that both perspectives serve the same goal of eventual enlightenment.
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File: 07 w of sw 2002 03 30.mp3
UUID: be90e772-a1ac-4cf2-8049-b85c78236ebb
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Wheel of Sharp Weapons (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2002-03-30
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 40.0 minutes
Words: ~2,885
Much as possible. Like, better way you should come in. So that that in the path I have done this many negative wrong actions or negative karma. And, but from now on, I will, I will only, do virtuous actions and, with with great patience, even if I have to, even if I’m cut into nine different or ten different pieces in my body, with great effort, with great hardship and patience, I will work very hard towards the practice of Dharma. In that way you should like, you should encourage or practice.
So. And then go to next point, that say like, yeah, we get some sickness and we are sick and even if we take medicines, the medicines not helping us. And even if we rely on rituals, it’s not also helping us. So is, this experience of suffering is a result of our past action again, of not following the advice of ten virtuous actions. Instead ignoring them and engaging in the ten non virtuous actions, unwholesome actions.
And thinking that if I do virtuous action has no profit, I should engage in non virtuous action and I see more profit in that way. We have acted in our past. So that is so if that that the experience that we have right now of these different types of suffering is a result of that. So likewise. So at present, now we should entrust in positive side, which is the virtuous practices.
And if you do that, even doing that, if it doesn’t The consequences of doing that doesn’t experience at this point, it will definitely have a good result in our future. So we may think by doing positive actions is not helping right now when one needs to. That is because that doesn’t mean that we won’t experience the result of our good actions. We will definitely experience the result of good action in our future. But at present we’re not experiencing it because we’re experiencing the result of our past negative actions.
So that’s the meaningful things in this way that saying, I I do a lot of practices and make offerings and so on. Perform a lot of religious practice in order to help benefit myself. And also that didn’t help, So that’s not helping me, and there’s no point in me doing all these things. People do think in that way. So so when you when when we feel like that, then what we should encourage also how in this way that the experience that one is going through right now is the result of all my past actions.
Many negative karmas that I have done in my past that is what I’m experiencing now and and and letting you know that whatever karma positive karma that I’m creating now is not will that definitely I will experience in my future. In that way you should con encourage. So you should encourage in that way. Otherwise, if you think, oh, that’s not helping me at this point, I don’t need that, and avoid them, then avoid doing those things, practices. Then not only you are getting distant in this life, but you’re getting distant from the Dharma practice for many lives in the future.
So these are very important point for us to understand. Because this can happen to us because we we do good efforts in in these different practices, but we are not gaining any experience. So we might feel what we are doing is worthless, and we might leave what we are doing, these practices. So these are important to know. So so now again, same that you make the request to the guru that you have visualized in this space.
That may I always be able to perform the positive actions and never let myself bring the negative actions. In that way, it is the blessings from the the deity that you have visualized. So, and the next point that we, most of the time, we spend our time, in different activities, worldly activities, that we don’t sit down and do our practice. Or why we are more attracted to those kind of things, the worldly activities, is because the faith in one to the Buddha and the triple gem, the refuge objects are weak. The weaker, the less attraction you have towards the practice.
So so we should have the faith in the in the in the refuge objects and also the law of karma. Because if we don’t have faith, then we cannot generate interest in the practice. We need that, we need the faith because at the present, we are unable to realize the law of karma and also directly have the presence of refuge objects. And same like, for example, if you are wishing for some high state, such as wanting to be a teacher, wanting to be a minister or leader in some post, or wishing for wealth, And for that purpose, you you seek blessing from the refuge object. And if you are not successful, then you might think again, you might lose your faith saying, oh, that is that this doesn’t work.
And you might lose your faith in it. So these are possible things that can happen to us. So we we somehow live like that saying that though it is taught in the teachings, in the Buddhist teaching there are such and such are these. They say that but that really doesn’t mean anything, doesn’t doesn’t exist, doesn’t work like that. We might we tend to say things like that, but then that way, we create different karma.
So that doesn’t mean what you perform at this present. All that you do has no effect. It definitely, it do have effects, but depending how strong you perform the action or create the cause. If it’s very strong, intense, then might be able to experience the result in this very life, sometime in the later life, later time. Then if the action or the cause is medium or weaker, then we might definitely will experience that result in one of your like future lives.
So similar now, again, this request thing, Because of not having a strong faith in the Triple Gem and the Law of karma in the past life, have now experienced such and such different state of sufferings. And from now on, I will have a genuine faith of respect in the Triple Gem and the Law of karma. And please, in order to strengthen my faith and respect to these, you bless me, like you’re making that request to the deity or the guru that you have visualized in this space before you? So, so we should we should trust also in the Triple Gem or the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and have a strong faith in them. Like the triple gems or the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
Buddha is one who teaches us the teachings. And the teachings, that’s the Dharma. That’s the actual thing that we perform and which actually benefits us. And the Sangha, we also trust in them. They are like the ārya beings or the superior beings or even the Sangha known as the spiritual friend round is regarded as the Sangha.
So to these three, interest and I generate great faith in them. In that way you should approach. So this point talks about the refuge, which is you should have strong faith in them, and also trust them, and live by their advice. So the refuge is very necessary for Buddhist to for their practice to become Buddhist practice. So the refuge practice is not also a mere word that you you think or that we think.
To have a genuine refuge practice to perform that, it’s not easy too. So taking refuge is not easy. To perform a pure refuge practice is not easy. What we need to know is that in order to have a genuine refuge within one, one need to have these two causes. That is first, one need to know the fault of Samsāra.
We need to know this different state of suffering in saṃsāra and the lower realms like what types of suffering is there. One need to have this good understanding of this. And then when you have a clear understanding of that, then again, you have that fear as that you, what do you call, that fear that you experience out of knowing these different set of sufferings. And then think how do I get out of there and of these fears, from this saṃsāra, sorry. And then knowing that now the only method is to rely on the triple gems, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
They are the only three that will be able to save me from experiencing these sufferings. So that strong sense, what you call, of understanding that you need to be able to have a genuine refuge within you. So because of that, these two causes for us is not easy to generate. So then when we don’t have these two necessary causes, then our refuge practice doesn’t become a complete one. As it is explained in the previous part, that how we should see the faults of this body, this contaminated body, and how we should think the state of sufferings of the lower realms.
With knowing these two points, then you gain this sense of fear that you don’t want to experience those sufferings and don’t want to stay in there. So these are important there. So good one way thinking about suffering, contemplating on that is not easy. So when you talk about sufferings, again, the suffering of suffering, the suffering of change, and then the pervasive sufferings. So there are these different types of sufferings.
And pervasive suffering is what we need to know. So just knowing the first true sufferings is not sufficient, not very profound because suffering of suffering and suffering of change can be experienced even by the animals. They want to become free from suffering, too. They can experience that, they want to get out of there too. So for example, like if the cat that we have, if he or she is hungry, they come around us asking for food.
And similarly, if they get sick, they can react in a way. So that shows that they don’t like suffering or suffering. So so when we say not wishing for suffering doesn’t mean only wanting to become free from the suffering of suffering. So, next, the suffering of change and the pervasive suffering and the pervasive suffering. These are very important for us to recognize.
And the second one, the changeable suffering, is like that we experience that, like pleasure turning into sufferings and so on. Like when we eat too much, we get sick and so on. And then now the third part of suffering, the pervasive suffering, that one, again, not easily to be understood. Like, it’s not easy to understand. So now just the faults of this pervasive suffering, we need to know as it is explained before, saying that this body that we have is the contaminated body.
And the contaminated body is known as pervasive suffering. And we should know that this contaminated body is caused by karma and delusion. And then as present, what we have at this contaminated body acts as the basis for suffering. And then it again leads in the future to create more suffering. So known as this contaminated body is known as the pervasive suffering.
So like getting, these are the fear we need also is to generate to this body to having this body. So because it is a result of deluded karma, and also it brings forth more sufferings in the future. So to generate seeing the fault of that to this body is not so easy. So this point, it’s little bit tricky in some ways. In one hand, you see this body that we have.
We always see faults from every aspect and try to abandon this. So on the other hand, we again, we get these teachings saying that this is a precious human rebirth. It has eighteen qualities and is very, what is it, the best birth that we have to practice the Dharma. And we have to now create the cause to get this body again in our future life. So two different explanations.
Is it contradictory or not? So so it looks contradictory, but it is not. So in order to achieve Buddhahood, one do need to abandon this body. So because, again, to achieve or the Buddha would, we need this body. We have to depend on this precious human body.
So if we don’t have a good perfect human body, then again, we won’t be able to collect all the necessary things for us to achieve enlightenment. So because on the basis of this body, we come to recognize the faults of things. Then we, depending on that, we then develop and gradually achieve the state of enlightenment. So if you look to our goal, the ultimate goal, then these explanations, from some different teachings, are not contradictory. It is both acts, what do you call, it acts a method for both to lead us towards the full enlightened state.
So we need to we do need to accumulate the causes for us to become a good karmic causes to us to achieve this body again in the future. And on the other hand, we do need to, what is it, think the faults of this body or this contaminated body and abandon that for the achievement of fully enlightened state. So then now, having fear these different state of sufferings. Then now, who How can I get out of that? Who can help me to get out of that?
Is now then the refuge object only. Are able to free oneself from this state of sufferings. So how the triple the refuge object, the three refuge objects can protect us or help us is like the Buddha who is the leader or the teacher. And the teachings, the Dharma is what Buddha taught and that is the actual thing that we have to practice. And the Sangha, the spiritual community, the spiritual assembly is the one who helps us on the path while we are practicing.
Relying on these three, then we move upwards to the state of enlightenment. So when we talk about refuge, again, it can be explained in detail. Then the causal refuge object, the result refuge object or result refuge object, there are two different ways it can be explained. So the causal refuge objects such as the refuge object to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha that we seek help or take refuge in at present. And the resultant refuge object which is known as when oneself on the depending on the depending and relying on the path, when one one self achieves this state of liberation or the full enlightenment, then one self becomes the refuge object.
So so that is done as the resultant refuge object. So then again, there are different explanation on refuge such as the ultimate refuge object and the conventional or the temporal refuge object, so on. So when we divide into these two groups, the temporal refuge object and the ultimate refuge object. When the ultimate refuge object is Buddha. Buddha is known as the ultimate refuge object and those higher beings known as practicing on the tenth ground, the tenth bhūmi and different stages of the path or those realized beings and Aryas are known as the temporal refuge objects.
So so the actual refuge object now is known as the Dharma refuge object. That is what what helps us. And the Dharma refuge object, every virtue that we’re doing, it is helping us. So that is what Dharma refuge object is. So Dharma refuge object is what we need.
And that is what helps us. That is what protects us from falling into the lower realms. And ultimately, is what has helped us. And temporarily, that is what actually helps us. So that’s why in one of the mind training teachings it says that you yourself is your your leader or your protector and you yourself is your enemy.
When they point that like that, that means and that’s what it means. So when we say your your own protector in the sense that if you practice Dharma, then once a practice is Dharma, then that is what frees one from suffering and leads one to the happier state. So that’s why it is known as your own protector. So one self is one’s own enemy in the sense that instead of not bringing about one’s practice, if one performs only in the negative actions and always do negative karma and so on, then it will become worse and worse and becomes the worst enemy, which will lead oneself to the lower realms. So the most important point here now is depends completely upon oneself, how one approach on the path.
So we should do good and the sense that we are supposed to be doing good for a couple more days now. So, yeah, we take a break for lunch.