Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Milarepa’s wish to die unseen in a mountain cave — “no rotting corpse for vultures to see” — anchors this 94-minute session as Geshe Pema Tsering works through the Ten Innermost Jewels, a Kadam text on total renunciation. He maps three stages of giving up this life: abandoning ordinary human concerns, bearing hardship patiently, and completing practice to attain Buddhahood. A Q&A unpacks a White Lotus Sūtra promise that sincere practitioners wearing a patch of robes would never go hungry, clarifying that this applies only to those who have genuinely abandoned the eight worldly concerns. Examples from Tsongkhapa, Atisha, and the sixth Dalai Lama show that renunciation is inner, not material. The session closes with Lama Tsongkhapa’s verse on precious human rebirth and the blind turtle metaphor, arguing that meditation on impermanence is the only root remedy for worldly attachment.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 7. Day 3 PM Teaching.mp3
UUID: 94623983-c300-4445-8ff8-2cbe724a32c0
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: z Teachings DTL (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2006 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 93.7 minutes
Words: ~5,332
Refuge, bodhicitta. seven-limb prayer. Then page eighteen and twenty of the teaching section. So then with the intention of of attaining enlightenment, then we we are now going to listen to the teaching. In this way, we give rise to good motivation.
And then so we we are are going through now we’re going through the the the third of the the three diamonds that were mentioned before. So this one is then befriending or keeping company of the wisdom diamond or the wisdom vigilance. Then the then tells us that we should never transgress those promises that we have made, and then Geshe-la was explaining, so then we all have have pledged to to abandon all worldly activities and all wealth and possessions and all that and to give up this life. So we should never we should never give up that pledge, transgress, break that pledge, that promise. And then we should instead abandon completely all the meaningless activities of life, and then keep our mind stable intent into Dharma practice and then making in this way our mind, our life and our practice.
One. Okay. So then so then we did the four aims, and now we we finished then the the the three diamonds. And now we’re going to start with the one which is, how do you say, abandoning abandoning abandoning, reaching, and attaining. So then so then abandoning or escaping from from the ranks of men of mankind?
And then so then with respect to then to abandoning the ranks of men. Then the text is telling us that we should seeing seeing looking at all at all the good things of this life as as our enemies, as our actual enemies, and then, let’s say, leaving the company of of all those people, be they be they high or or low, rich or poor, or whatever, who who strive for the sake of this life alone, living living abandon their company, then one one should then, in this way, abandon the ranks of mankind as just just like a crazy person. I guess I was in Spanish. So then just like everybody would disregard a crazy person and and and not let them inside the circle of of relations and say, this he’s crazy and so forth. We should be just like them.
Okay. And then as for attaining attaining then or reaching then to sorry, reaching to the ranks of dogs, then we are told that one should disregard to food, clothing and fame, then one should practice the Dharma and patiently bear with hunger, thirst, and tiredness whatever comes one’s way. Okay? And then we are told, lastly, with respect to attaining then to the ranks of gods. Then we are told that then having gone into isolation, having abandoned and leaving behind all worldly activities, then one then have having a giving up on everything of this life, then we bring to completion, to perfection, our our practices, and we we bring forth accomplishments.
And in this way, we attain to the state of the gods of of of all gods, which is then the the the state of Buddhahood in this in this very life. Okay? And then so then the text is telling us that we need not fear or that if we follow these instructions, as they have been described, these ten innermost jewels of the Kadampa, if we follow these instructions, that we will and we try then in this way to practice the Dharma and then become just like beggars, and we do not fear that we are going to to how to say starve to death or something like that. We do not need to fear that. And then some of text is telling us that it is possible for worldly ordinary beings to die of a starvation, but it is not possible for dharma practitioners, and think it’s all about the same dharma practitioners who have who then follow such instructions as the that’s the ten innermost jewels.
It is impossible for such people to die of starvation. And then the the text is explaining that we we did not fear that because the the the Buddha himself, when when he manifested his enlightenment, then at that time, he still had he still he still have at that time a store of merit, a store of virtue to that will make him able to be born as as a wheel-turning emperor, which is a very powerful king of the universe, for sixty thousand lives. And he dedicated all all this merit for the sake of of future practitioners, future followers of his teachings to to to be able to find subsistence. Okay? So then it’s interesting because the translation that we have in this book is a bit not very precise.
So the way that Geshe-la is explaining it, and the way it’s written in Tibetan here is like this. There is another quote from the White Lotus Sūtra, where the text says that at time that the Buddha was giving rise to the mind of enlightenment, then he made this promise, he made this determination that if anyone who wears even four inches or a little patch of the Dharma robes for the sake of my teachings does not find food or drink to his heart’s content, then may I not attain Buddhahood. Then I’ll be deceiving enlightenment, and because of that, may I not I not attain enlightenment. So then, it’s interesting, Geshe-la was explaining. So then, because he the Buddha has then already attained enlightenment, that means that this promise is fulfilled already.
So any practitioner who who wears a little patch of robe will find food and drink to his heart’s content. To his and her heart’s content, it’s it’s interesting, isn’t it? Just the expression wearing a few a strange expression. Could you clarify? Because it sort of sounds like even if anyone just walks up a tiny bit, the body will look after you.
Or does it mean like even if you practice quite poorly as an ordained person, you’ll be looked then so then as Geshe-la put it himself, so somebody who wears just a little patch like that, but and then who is wearing that, but who is practicing the Dharma properly, who’s a good Dharma practitioner, and who is wearing that little patch, not just anyone. That’ll be easy. Just put a patch on my lap, and I’ll be I’ll be good to go. Explaining that this is being said in the context of of this teaching, then for someone, not just anybody, because I wasn’t explaining the robes. The robes are just not a huge piece of cloth.
It is the it’s a piece of cloth that has been cut and and and sewed back together in in the traditional way. And then I was explaining, so our question is not that. Our question is just anyone who does not have a renunciation or minor vow or wears a robe, then he won’t benefit. No. No.
I think I shall explain. No. It is in the context of this teaching. It is someone who has already implemented the ten innermost jewels of the Kadampa. This is someone who has abandoned, already given up this life, has already abandoned the eight worldly concerns.
That’s someone. Then if he wears a robe like that, then he will benefit in this way from from from the the the the promises of the Buddha, the pledges of the Buddha himself. And, Geshe-la was saying, there are many there were many people who are wearing the robes even in Tibet itself, who who regard themselves as practitioners as practitioners, but have not given up the eight world concerns. And in this way, they they died. They didn’t survive.
Many of many many of them have have died, and they did not survive according to to to to this this pledges because they did not have given up the eight world concerns, realized those pledges. So then it’s not just anyone. It’s not just putting the pith of cloth over oneself. It’s not just that. So then as I was saying, traditional according to the traditional teachings on the on the Vinaya of the Buddha, as I was then saying, so why he used to wonder in the past, why is it that one cannot just wear a huge piece of cloth of oneself?
Why is it that it has to be cut into pieces and then sewed back together? This is because he used used to wonder about that himself, or it’s just because it’s the teaching of the Buddha. So that’s the way it must be done. So then again, this I’ll say, so then just getting this big piece of cloth and cutting into pieces, sewing back together, and then just wearing just anyone wearing it is is not enough. Know?
It could be has to be a monk or a nun. And it’s only those renunciates who benefit in this way. That’s the context. And then furthermore, there’s another quote also from from the Buddha which which then reads, in the future times when there is a great famine and people must pay, like, bowl of of pearls just to get just to get a a bowl of of of of barley flour, of tsampa, then even in even in those days, those who follow the the the teachings, then they will never be in need of the basic necessities. And then there’s another quote which says, then that all householders may plow their crops with with with their their fingernails.
And I guess I was just saying, just may they may work as hard as as as they will. Then those renunciates, those who have renunciates, given up their their homes for for for me, for for for the Buddha, for the teachings, then they will never they will never want for necessities, for basic necessities. This one. Okay. So then it just concludes that all all these quotes here, they came from from the collection of sutras, which which is the the the the which is the speech of the Buddha himself, which is a speech which which of someone who has never lied, who cannot lie.
It is a speech of it’s an undeceiving it’s an undeceiving speech. So then Geshe-la comes back to the beginning and concludes. So then because everything that is said here is is absolutely true, then just as it was said, a good practitioner will never die of starvation or anything like that. So then, again, the text goes on to say that when we’re talking about giving up this life, then we’re talking about mainly giving up the causes of or the main causes for for giving up, then is giving up these these eight worldly concerns attachment to these eight worldly concerns. We must then give up these worldly concerns.
Again, mentioned every single one of them. Again, giving up, being happy when we acquire something and unhappy when we don’t, being happy when we feel good and unhappy when we don’t, being happy when we become well known and unhappy when we don’t, being happy when someone speaks well of us, and, again, being unhappy when someone speaks ill of us. So then just abandoning all that, then you abandon this life. Goes on to tell us that abandoning or giving up this life does not necessarily mean that one has to give up all of one’s possessions and this have to become like a beggar. It is not definitely necessary.
So then and then the text is then given as as an example of illustration of cases where where somebody where people have given up this this life, but they have not become necessarily beggars. So then there’s giving the example of Tsangyang Gyatso, who was the sixth Dalai Lama, and then of Pänchen Losang Yeshe, who was one of the Pänchen Lama’s in the in the in the whole lineage of Pänchen Lamas there was. And both of them, they had they have given up this life, but they did not necessarily become beggars. Then, again, this both of them, they have they have given up this life, but they didn’t become beggars. And says so then, is it is possible to give up this life whilst whilst being rich.
And he says, if if you are able to. Then explained that that Pänchen Lama, he was he was a very high he had a he had a very high position. He had many servants in attendance, and he he was involved in politics and so forth. And then the that Dalai Lama himself, well, he was the very king of Tibet. So then, of course, he was very rich and wealthy.
But they are still, they are the people who have given up this life. They have abandoned the eight worldly dharmas and so forth. Explain it is because this is something that you do with your mind. It’s giving up the the one’s life is something that is done with with your mind. This the Pänchen Lama and the Dalai Lama, they never thought to themselves, oh, this is my servant.
This is my possession. This is my wealth and so forth. They they were never thinking in this way. They were always practicing. They were always training their minds, their thoughts, and so forth.
And then not only that, also our own Buddha Śākyamūni, he gave up a a life as as a as a real emperor himself and then and and became a renunciate. The also, the the Śāntideva himself also did the same. He was also the son of a king, and he also abandoned that that kingdom. And also Jowo Atisha, Lama Atisha himself, also, he was the son of another king, and also he also abandoned that. He also gave that up.
And then both of them all of them, they became renunciate. And then even even the the great Lama Tsongkhapa himself, who had who had many thousands of followers of of students who held him there. And then even him, he following the instructions of Mañjuśrī, he left all these thousands of students behind with with tears in their eyes, and then he he went he went away with with what are called the eight pure ones. The eight pure ones who are the the the his eight closest disciples, and pure most pure disciples, and he went away with them and left all that behind. And then even even at that time, even the emperor of of China of of that time, he sent a letter written in golden letters with with the with the with the royal seal and then so forth, requesting Je Tsongkhapa to come to him, and then Je Tsongkhapa did not go.
And then in this way so then all all of these holy ones that were mentioned, and then again, Lama Tsongkhapa, the Pänchen Lama, the the sixth Dalai Lama, and Śāntideva, Lord Atisha, and all of them, they have they have subsisted only on their on their own efforts, their own hardships, their their own practice, and then in the in the in the whatever food they got that was offered to them, and then in this way, they have a practice according to the to the to that tradition of the Kadampa of the ten innermost jewels. And then also, there’s a quote from from the great Ensapa who attained enlightenment in his in in in the in his own in that one life and in one in in that same one body of his. And then he said that he was mentioning the Milarepa of of days past and Losang Drubpas of of our times. They had no need to keep a single thing beyond today’s food and the clothes they wore to take the essence of this life so then then take the essence of this life of leisure and fortune, abandoning attachment and aversion, staying in seclusion, and follow following these examples, live live a good life and attain enlightenment in this one lifetime.
So then they have followed the example of these ten innermost jewels of the Kadampa Geshis, and they accomplished that in this one lifetime. And then he’s urging us to do the same. So then so then we start with a big quote, a very long quote on on on of of the songs of realization of of Milarepa. So then it starts with something like this. He’s directing himself to to to his audience, and he’s saying, my children, if if you are thinking of accomplishing the holy Dharma, if you are thinking of practicing the holy Dharma, then you must then give rise from the very depths of your heart to faith.
And then you must disregard this life. And if you if you if you truly follow after me, then all your loved ones will turn into into or or demons. And then they they they will they will all hold you back. So then I guess I was in the sense of them, why all this all everything that they say, everything that they do, then we must cut all ties with with with with them. And then and then food and and riches, they they are the the how do you say?
So they are And they are like food and riches. They are like those soldiers who stay in the in the front line. How do say how do you call them? Those soldiers that stay in the front line in in the war of the this they go to to watch to see what’s happening? Scouts.
Scouts. They’re like the scouts of of of the Maras, of the of these demons. And then and then if you if you the the closer you you get to them, the worse it is, the more attachment you develop. So then so you must you must give up all attachment for them. So then this this war is a very archaic Tibetan, so it’s like this.
The attributes of the desire realm are like the nets of of of maras. I think if I wasn’t giving you examples, like, those cowboys who have those those lassos. Lassos of Mara like that. And then So then So then they they will bind you, so you gotta stop craving them. Loose.
And then your young your young lover is like the mother’s son or the mother’s daughter. He or she will deceive you, so so be on your guard. Okay? And then Milarepa says that your homeland is Mara’s prison. So it is very difficult.
It’s very hard to to to to to escape from it. So so flee as as soon as possible. Okay? And then Mila goes on to say that if all we we are going to have we are going to have to leave everything behind and go. And we’re all gonna have to die and leave everything we have behind.
So why not leave everything give up everything now and then make life meaningful in this way? And then also, he says this this this this illusory body will will fall apart one day. So why not why not make prepare yourself and make a good start right now? So then So then, Geshe-la is giving one interpretation of of this the next verse, which is saying this this vulture mind of ours will fly away anyway. So so we we better and then Geshe-la was explaining that what what is meaning he’s meaning to say that this this mind of ours is always wandering here and there.
So it’s better for now for us to to to train our minds and practice and stop and stop this behavior right now. Okay? And then Mila concludes that if you follow if you how do you say? If you listen and do as I say, then you will have the fortune of the holy Dharma with you. And then also there’s another set of another set of verses from from Milarepa where where he’s he’s singing.
How do I say that? The loved ones loved ones will not know if I’m happy, and enemies will not know may enemies not know that I am sad, then if I can die here in this cave, then my yogi’s wishes will be fulfilled. My friends will not know that I I I became old, and my sister will not won’t know that I am sick that that I became sick. May if I die again, if I if I die if I can die here in this cave, then my yogi’s wishes will be fulfilled. No one will know that I have died and no rotting corpse there will be no rotting corpse for for vultures to see.
If I die here in this cave, again, my yogi’s wishes will be fulfilled. Again, no fruit no footprints at my doorstep and no blood stains here in the floor. If if I die here in this cave, then my yogi’s wishes will be fulfilled. So then, again, no one to to look after me in my deathbed and no one to cry when I die. If I die here in this cave, then, again, my yogi’s wishes will be fulfilled.
Again, no one no one to wonder where I have gone and no one to know where I can be found. If I die here in this cave, my youngest wishes will be fulfilled. And then and then Milarepa concludes praying that may this death-place prayer of of, I would say, of a beggar in the interior of a mountain cave benefit all sentient beings, then my wishes will be fulfilled. Okay? And then the the text is just then saying that this is then also, these ones, these songs, these these verses that were of Milarepa, they are also then the songs of of someone who has given up this life.
And then the text goes on to say that the very essence of the oral instructions or the pith instructions for giving up this life, giving up attachment to this life, is then the meditation is is is that very meditation on impermanence and death. And then and and even even though that is so for ourselves, beginners such as ourselves, then first, we have to meditate on the on the precious human rebirth, which is with its freedoms and opportunities, and how how how very meaningful it is, and how hard it is to find. And meditating, training our minds in stages like this, then we will we will ripen into this realization and and and be able to give up this life. And then and then the the text goes on to quote Lama Tsongkhapa from his one of his this this the Lamrim text, one of his texts on the stages of the path, the small exposition, the short exposition on the stages of the of the path. And then it reads something like this.
This body of leisure is more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel. Now is the only time you will find one like this. It is hard to find, and it easily perishes like just like lightning in the sky. So reflecting in this way, you will come to realize that every every worldly activity is like is like this is like a chaff of grain. Okay?
Mhmm. And then so so you must, night and day at all times, take the essence of this life. So then just to say that one won’t be able to get any real grain out of chaff, then again, if one keeps on busy with working activities, one won’t get the essence of this life. So then and then and then and concludes, I, the yogi, have practiced in this way. If you who wish liberation you you who who who this who wish for liberation must act likewise.
Okay. And then so then again so such things have been said, so then the text concludes that in order then to be able to give up these eight worldly concerns, to accomplish that that practice and accomplish a pure Dharma practice, then one must one must realize the leisure those meditations and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings on the leisure and fortune of a precious human rebirth, the great meaning of human rebirth, and the difficulty to find it. And one must also realize also the meditation on impermanence and death. They are necessary, Geshe-la says, without having without realizing this, then one won’t be able to give up the the the eight worldly concerns. And then and then if one if one can produce those, if in English, I was in Spanish.
If one can produce those realizations on the precious human rebirth, the leisure and fortune, and then the the the the great value and and and the difficulty to find and and and then realize also impermanence and death, if one can produce those realizations within one’s mind, then even if, for example, even if all the mountains were to turn into gold and and all the water there is were to turn into milk, and every every single human being there is were were were to turn into your servants or slaves, and still, they would all be just like they will be just as repulsive as a banquet that is set forth in front of a sick person vomiting. And then but and then and then as for those realizations, then just merely producing those realizations out of hearing the teachings and by the force and by the power of another another one another person expounding to us, that’s not enough. Then one must produce those realizations out of one’s own reflections, out of one’s own efforts, and then and then producing it in this way, and it won’t it won’t change into something else. They will become very stable.
And then then, again, commentary goes back to the to the root text and where it is it is saying where in the root text, it is mentioned the the the leisure and fortune, which are hard to find. So then just mentioning that, then Lama Tsongkhapa is pointing out instructions on meditating on the the the leisure and fortune of precious human rebirth, also on the reflections on the the the preciousness of human rebirth, and on the reflections on the on the difficulty to find such a human rebirth. It’s just that one little line, he has expounded them all these teachings. And so as for as for leisure, then it is it is freedom from the eight, how do you say, lack the eight situations where one lacks opportunity and then one has then opportunity to practice the Dharma. And then as for what is mentioned as opportunity, then it is such things as being born a human and being born in a place where the teachings of the Buddha are and still remaining and so forth.
So then it’s all those outer and inner favorable conditions for the accomplishment of Dharma practice. And then and then Pabongka Rinpoche is then telling us this this very body of ours, with it, we can accomplish our purpose of future lives, and we can we can, how do you say, accomplish the state of enlightenment up to the state of enlightenment. Everything was all this, they they just like given straight straight in our hands. And because of that, it is very meaningful. Okay?
And then as for the difficulty to obtain this precious human rebirth of the three explanations there are. Then in terms of of the causes of this precious human rebirth, is explained that the the causes for attaining such a human rebirth with all with all its its leisures and opportunities. Then it is such things as guarding or keeping pure morality and so forth. So because these causes, they are very rare, because of that, we can see again how how very difficult it is to find, to meet, or to obtain such a such a precious human rebirth. And then in terms of in terms of of it’s difficult to find when explaining in terms of of of the nature of of of the human body, and and especially human rebirth, then explaining through through by means of of its nature, then we see that there are are fewer beings in the happy realms than there are in the unhappy and the unfortunate migrations.
And then, how do say, dro, then, and minmo, from from from all other migrations, from all all then those who that are human, there are very few, Los. And then from that are human, from amongst those who are human, those who are born in this planet, they are still fewer than than that. And those who are born in this planet, from amongst those who are born in this planet, those who have attained all the leisures and the opportunities of a precious human rebirth, those are extremely few. So then we can see how difficult again it is to find such a precious human rebirth. And then explaining this that that difficulty to find to to to obtain precious human rebirth by means of example through through an illustration, then then then the story of the example of of the turtle, the the blind there’s a blind turtle who lives in in the very depths of this of this very vast ocean, and it comes and in in the surface of this ocean, there is a golden yoke that is floating and and being thrown back and forth by by the by the waves.
And then this blind turtle comes to the surface only once every hundred years, and the chances of that of turtle’s neck going through the yoke are just as rare as the chances of us our chances of meeting such a human body with all the leisures and opportunities. And then the task goes on to explain that we are, how to say, fortunate that we have come in an era where where a Buddha has come and the teachings he has taught in this in this world, and then and we are just like like the blind turtle. We are blinded by by the ignorance. So in the same way, we are we are very fortunate to have met the Buddhist teachings that comes that is all so rarely. And then in this way, then the the text is telling us Pabongka is telling us that this this precious human rebirth with all the with all its leisures and opportunities, and then which is so meaningful and so difficult to find, again, which we have attained only this one time, and we have only this this one chance, and we must now take its essence.
And and the way so we must then definitely take its essence. And then the the the way the the the only way to to to take the most of it, to make the most of it, is to then to to practice the Dharma of the Mahāyāna vehicle of the great vehicle. Okay? And then the text goes on to say that, therefore, from now on, if we do not bring forth the practice of the Mahāyāna teachings, then the impermanence of death will catch up with us, and we won’t stay long. Yeah.
I just I just I’m asking again Yeah. To stop now because I’m a bit tired. I cannot I cannot go on. Okay. Ask if you have any questions.