Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 101-minute session, Geshe Pema Tsering anchors the third step of the seven-point cause and effect — the wish to repay the kindness of all mother sentient beings — with a striking comparison: millions of football fans pour passion into games that produce only attachment and anger, unknowingly cultivating the causes of suffering. Against this, he argues that food, shelter, or even a heavenly rebirth falls far short; only liberation and enlightenment truly repays their kindness. Geshe-la surveys the spiritual poverty of most beings, addresses the self-doubt that says “I cannot attain enlightenment” by citing Milarepa and Śākyamūni as formerly ordinary beings, and walks through careful logical reasoning — including a mare-and-foal illustration — on why all past-life beings count as one’s mothers. Two student questions close the session: what happens if you die before completing the practice, and whether this mind-training requires others to accept your help.
File metadata (for organising)
File: Geshe Pema Tsering – Seven point mind training.mp3
UUID: d3d2480b-f6c8-4911-966b-197e910814c1
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: z Unallocated multiple years (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 101.0 minutes
Words: ~7,777
So then one starts to contemplate what what can I do then to repay their kindness? What what can be done? So many things can be done. So in in in with regards to this present lifetime, there are many things already that one can do. One can help them in many different ways with regards to their livelihood, the place they live, and so forth.
There are so very many ways that one can help even with regards to this present lifetime alone. And one thing is that is that okay? Is that enough, you know, to to do all these things that pertain to this present lifetime, to help them with with things that pertain exclusively to this lifetime? And Geshe says, look. Helping them with these things that pertain to the present lifetime, it is it’s alright.
It’s very good, and it certainly does accomplish a a very real and probable measure of happiness for both oneself and and and the others. And Geshe-la was saying, so, you know, it is good to do these things, you know, to help, you know, with with a place to live and give them shelter and whatnot. Nonetheless, if one asks, is that enough? Then it is clearly not enough because one will be able to help some, but will not be able to help others. There are instances where one can give some shelter or some protection to some, but it cannot give.
We won’t be able to give to others as we can give sometimes, we cannot give other times. So it’s it’s just it’s certain. It’s clearly not enough. So and then one one contemplation, one, I would say, inquires even further and and says, so what can I do? What can be done then?
That is that that will be enough. If this is not enough, what can be done? There will be enough. So, again, one starts contemplating it. Again, all all mother sentient beings, just like myself, do not wish for any suffering and only wish for happiness.
And when we talk about happiness, we’re talking about reliable, stable, lasting happiness. So I must accomplish then lasting happiness for all sentient beings. That’s what one the conclusion that one gets to. I must I must accomplish the lasting happiness of all mothers and So we need them to accomplish, establish all beings in this lasting happiness, stable lasting happiness. But, you know, one looks at oneself at one’s own condition and sees I myself have not accomplished lasting happiness.
I do not have any lasting happiness for myself, no stable lasting happiness for myself. So one must bring this this inquiry to its conclusion and then one sees again I do not have any lasting happiness and accomplishing establishing all sentient beings in the state of gods and goddesses in the heavenly realms is not quite enough. Establishing them in a good human rebirth is not quite enough and providing for them in this present lifetime with food, shelter, and clothing and so forth again is very it’s very little benefit compared to lasting happiness. So then with regards to lasting reliable happiness and changing happiness then what we what we what there is of lasting happiness is in liberation and enlightenment. So I must I must then establish all beings in liberation enlightenment, then I’m giving them, I’m establishing them in a state with lasting happiness, of lasting happiness.
And so I must, so it is very likely that I myself must attain this state of lasting happiness so that I can accomplish that for others. So one starts one’s aspiration for liberation and enlightenment, for attaining lasting happiness, developing lasting happiness, for attaining enlightenment so that one can provide this lasting happiness to others, starts to develop. And in order to attain enlightenment, some of the prerequisites that are necessary in order to be able to attain enlightenment are loving kindness and compassion. Without loving kindness and compassion then one will not be able to produce bodhicitta and without bodhicitta one will not be able to attain enlightenment. So it is important then to start contemplating what is necessary so that I can accomplish this goal and when I start seeing again love and kindness and compassion are the next necessary steps.
So again one needs then to develop a very strong and stable intention, a wish to attain enlightenment. One has to develop this determination to attain enlightenment and again one must understand is necessary so that I can develop this aspiration, this strong intention to attain enlightenment. I need to develop a very strong and stable bodhicitta. In order to be able to develop a very stable and strong bodhicitta I need to develop properly developed, fully developed compassion and loving kindness. So again one then again sees sees clearly what is the next step.
One has already in in following decision one has already developed a knowledge of all sentient beings as one’s mothers. One has already developed a recollection of their great kindness. Now we are at the stage at the step where we have this strong wish and aspiration to repay their kindness. We want to repay their kindness and we have understood that in order to repay their kindness we need to give them lasting happiness. So what are the next the next necessary steps so that I can accomplish that for all beings?
So the next necessary steps are the loving kindness and compassion. That’s what we need to engage in. So, again, one this is then the fully developed completion of this next step of repaying their kindness, having this determination, this wish, this intention to repay their kindness. The completion, the perfection of this stage is then to is brought to conclusion when we have the wish to accomplish lasting happiness, to give lasting happiness to all beings. We want to repay all the great kindness by giving them, establishing them in a state of lasting happiness.
So just a temporary happiness, the happiness of future lives, and the happiness of the present life, that’s just not enough. The the the the completion of this step is when we gain this understanding. What I need to do to repay their great kindness is to establish happiness. And one Geshe-la was saying, one can think bring this this understanding starting with oneself. So, again, if I myself just develop the happiness of this life for myself alone, you know, that that wouldn’t be enough for myself.
And I will have to die, and I have to go to the next life. If I if I were to accomplish the happiness my my future happiness in a future life, again, that that wouldn’t be enough. Even if I attain a happy state in the future life, that won’t last. I will still I will have to die, and I’ll have to be born again, and I’m still caught up in cyclic existence. I’m still being dragged around the cycle of existence by the actions and afflictions.
So what we need to accomplish is a state which is free from death, free from birth, which is free from the rule of the contaminated actions and the afflictions. It’s a state which is of true independence or freedom. So again, we need then to accomplish this state of freedom, this lasting happiness, again, not only to oneself, but to all other sentient beings. And we see that, again, presently, I am not able to accomplish that for all sentient beings. Presently, I’m not able to accomplish this that even for myself.
As it is, I do know how to accomplish it. I know that there is lasting happiness. I do know how to accomplish it. I know the way to accomplish it. But as it is, I’m not properly accomplishing it myself.
As it is, I’m still very very much overpowered and overwhelmed by the afflictions. And so are all other sentient beings. We are exactly in the same place, caught up, overpowered by the afflictions. So again, if one goes on thinking in these lines, again one will see, when we look even to animals, to insects and birds and all sorts of animals, there’s not much that needs to be said about them, can clearly see their appalling state of existence in which they are concerned only. All that they know is all that they have in mind is the happiness of the present lifetime, the present happiness.
They are looking for food and shelter and that’s all that they have in mind. They don’t even have knowledge of any better set of happiness than that. So they’re really in a really miserable set of existence. So, again and and that goes for all animals. You know, every animal is in that state, this obscured state of existence.
Now and also and then we have human beings. And, you know, we we say or human beings do say that, again, in in our realm of existence, in our existence, there is happiness. We think we think we do have happiness. You know, we have we have knowledge. We have skills.
We have all sorts of skills. We have we have intelligence and discerning awareness and whatnot. So we say we it is said, you know, by humans in general that we do have we do have happiness here. So again, and even though we do have all sorts of knowledge, skills, intelligence, we have conscience, we say, you know, we have a conscience. And and and yet, we are completely ignorant of the fact that we do not have any real happiness.
And we are continually we we live we live our lives striving for what is in actuality what in actuality is suffering. So again, you know So again, the vast majority of of human beings does not know freedom, does not know the state of omniscience or full enlightenment, and does not know how to accomplish the causes of these two. Most human beings, Geshe-la was saying, remain ignorant of these things.
And then and then even even amongst Buddhists themselves, as Geshe-la says, Buddhists amongst ourselves, say, okay, that we know about liberation, that we know about enlightenment, that we know about the means and the ways to accomplish those things. And yet even though most Buddhists might know that, most Buddhists do not accomplish the cause of liberation and enlightenment. They are not doing that. And so, again, so most even even even most Buddhists themselves do not know how to accomplish liberation enlightenment.
Even most Buddhists themselves are ignorant of the ways to accomplish liberation enlightenment. So the so called even most so called Buddhists. So we all we are all sort of in the same in the same condition, the same situation. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you are, how skilled you are, how learned you are, how ignorant you are, if you are male or female, if you are rich or poor, well dressed or badly dressed, we are we are all the same. We are all ignorant of the ways to accomplish lasting happiness, to accomplish liberation and enlightenment.
Even though we we all equally wish only for happiness, we all equally do not wish for any suffering, and yet we all equally remain living our lives accomplishing the causes of suffering and not accomplishing the cause of happiness. So, Geshe-la was then giving us an illustration. Again, in the case of football. Football. The same way.
You know, most there are about the millions of people. Millions and millions of people that watch these games. I mean, football, soccer, Aussie rules, rugby, you name it. So millions of people watching these games. And then and all these people, they really think that that is happiness.
They they really think that that is gonna give them happiness and that that is happiness. And they are spending their money, and they they are engaging in all sorts of ways so that they can in all sorts of means so that they their team, their side wins and the other side loses. And they argue, and they get attached, and and and all and all for the sake of this thing that they they think is gonna give them happiness. Nonetheless, this one hour or one hour and a half, isn’t I don’t know. One hour and a half of of game, of sports, has been nothing but how do say?
Has done nothing but boost attachment and anger. It’s all only thing that is there that is happening there is that millions of people’s attachment and anger is is being boosted by that. So Geshe-la was in sense, so it it it only accomplishes suffering, more suffering. And all that done with great joy. People because the only the only thing that is being produced in in people’s minds and hearts that is being given rise to during the during that time is attachment and aversion.
And people are doing that with great joy. And the result the only results that attachment and aversion produce, they bring about is suffering. There’s nothing but suffering coming out of attachment and aversion. So we can see how and now the vast majority of people is actually involved in accomplishing, accomplishing, actually, the cause of suffering. We can see that.
So that’s the vast majority of people. And how there are very, very few people who are actually engaged in accomplishing so what did I say? I said the cause of suffering. Right? The vast majority of people are engaged in accomplishing the cause of suffering.
And how there are very few people who engage in accomplishing the cause of happiness. So now, Geshe-la was saying, now we have many places like Dharma centers, for example, like Buddha House. We have very many Dharma centers around the planet, around the globe. And and here, you know, we we we hear it’s the teachings, and we hear it said that there is liberation, there is enlightenment, and and this is the way to accomplish liberation and enlightenment. And and yet we can see for ourselves.
With a good honest look, we can see for ourselves how difficult it is to actually accomplish that. One million people in Adelaide or two million people? One million. So we have a place like Adelaide, for example, where we have a million about a million people living around Adelaide, and we have so we we’re trying to figure out how many dharma centers we have in Adelaide. We have, you know, more than half a dozen Dharma centers at least in Adelaide from different traditions, probably more than a dozen.
I don’t know. Oh. And Geshe wasn’t saying, and we can see in these places where the Buddhist teachings are being taught, and we can see how very few people are actually able to or are actually accomplishing the causes of liberation and enlightenment. So, again, we can see how very few people are frequenting those places in Adelaide itself. And we can see, again, in in in on planet Earth, we have a hundred and ninety something countries on planet Earth.
And we can see of of the vast majority of the people in living those countries in those countries are not are non Buddhists. And there are very, very few people in the whole of planet Earth who are Buddhists, who have received the Buddhist teachings. And so and that and that means there are very, very few people on planet earth who know anything about liberation and enlightenment. And Geshe-la was saying that we have we also have very many religions and spiritual systems and traditions on planet earth, but aside from the Buddha Dharma, there is no religion or tradition that teaches about lasting happiness, about the happiness of liberation and enlightenment. They they are very they they have very many skillful means in which they they very efficiently help beings to accomplish temporal happiness and the happiness of future lives.
They they can certainly do that. But the happiness of liberation and the happiness of enlightenment was only taught. Liberation and enlightenment was only taught by the Buddha. And then and that is then a very sad state of affairs. You know, we have we have very many religions.
You know, they they they do lead to high rebirth, and we have in we can all I think we all are familiar with the the Christian teachings and talk about, you know, being born in heaven and and whatnot. The the the Muslim teachings also talk about a heaven and being born in heaven, and I think Judaism and other religions also refer to different heavens and so forth. So, you know, they they can certainly accomplish the happiness of future lives. Those certainly do exist and and and and can be accomplished by the means of those religions. Nonetheless, the happiness of future lives, the happiness of heavens is still in the nature of suffering.
There is not real lasting stable happiness. They still are caught up in the cycle of existence. So I I so again, one has to contemplate that one to really think about that and understand how how heartbreaking the situation is, how sad, and how very sort of spiritually poor most beings are. It’s very it’s a very sad state of affairs. And one and one then starts go contemplating in in this line, in this vein, one then starts to think, you know, and and will I be able then to establish all sentient beings, to endow all sentient beings with real happiness?
Is in saying so one might think, you know, I’m I’m I’m probably I’m not able I won’t be able to to establish all sentient beings in perfect happiness, in the in the lasting happiness. But one shouldn’t give in to such thoughts. One should instead cultivate the conviction that one is certainly going to be able to accomplish that goal because all things are impermanent, because all things do change, because all things do depend entirely on causes and conditions. And in the same way that the present very sad heartbreaking state of affairs is it comes about and is maintained due to the cause and conditions that pertain to it, that are related with it, as as in the case of, you know, the the the the soccer, the football, watching soccer or football in which one is accomplishing one one is one is developing attachment and anger, are the cause of suffering, the cause of the present state of affairs, the perpetuation of the present state of affairs. So in the same way, if one accomplishes the causes, if one accumulates the causes and the conditions that lead to lasting happiness, lasting the lasting happiness of liberation and enlightenment, then the result of those causing conditions will certainly come will certainly come, and that is an undeceiving truth.
And Geshe-la was saying we can we can again bring this reflection to our own life experience. When we were born as little babies and as little kids, we didn’t know anything. There was nothing. We didn’t know we we know nothing at all. And now if we look at ourselves now and we compare how much we have learned, how many different skills and abilities have we cultivated and fully developed throughout this time.
So in the same way that we have developed so many so many skills, so many abilities, so much knowledge we can read, write, and whatnot. In the same way, if if we cultivate the causes and the conditions that lead to liberation and enlightenment, they will come about in the same the same manner. All these qualities of heart, mind, of of, you know, the compassion compassion, loving kindness, you know, knowing all sentient beings as one’s mother and so forth, all these things. Even though one might think that I I won’t be able to develop these even even if I had a hundred years of of to live. But even if one is thinking that, and whilst one is thinking that one is actually studying and contemplating meditating on these things and actually accomplishing these cultivating these things, even if one might think otherwise, these things will be will come about.
So then so then again, we Geshe-la brings brings all the teachings back to the seven point cause and effect. So, again, and this is how this is how we have to contemplate. This have to go this is how we have to go about developing these stages of the six point cause and effect. So, again, we have we have already contemplated the knowledge of all beings as one’s mother. We have developed already recollected developed a recollection of the great kindness of all beings.
We have today we have approached this intention, determination, and wish, and aspiration aspiration to repay this kindness. And we have then contemplating the great this very heartbreaking situation in which all mothers and all beings are in and this great suffering that they all are in, that the fact that they are most of the time, they are accomplishing the cause of more and more suffering, and they are accomplishing very, very few causes of happiness. So contemplating all that, and we’ve a great, you know, great feeling, you know, heart mind, you have a volume heart mind involved into it, then you we we develop the wish then of of loving kindness and compassion. The wish then, the intention then to establish all sentient beings without exception in the state of liberation. The the wish to establish all sentient beings without exception in the state of enlightenment, you know, in the states of lasting happiness.
The wish to establish all sentient beings in lasting happiness, which is then loving kindness. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.
And so, Geshe-la was saying, so then this is the next step, which is then loving kindness, which is then the the wish to establish all sentient beings without exception in in the state of perfect enlightenment, in the state of liberation, in lasting happiness, within lasting happiness. This then is the next step of loving kindness. And then having the a a greater developed loving kindness, then one has then the superior follows. What follows then is the wish or the determination. Sorry.
The determination that I myself must establish all sentient beings in enlightenment, in in liberation and enlightenment. And that is what is referred to as the superior, the exalted determination, the superior determination. And so we have a superior determination that is produced in relationship to love and kindness. May all sentient beings, without exception, attain attain liberation and enlightenment. May I myself establish all sentient beings in the state of liberation and enlightenment.
So Geshe-la was gonna say, no. And that’s that’s a very difficult thing. And we most of us, do when we think about it. We think, you know, to establish all sentient beings in the unsurpassed state of enlightenment. In order to accomplish that, I myself must attain this unsurpassed state of enlightenment.
I myself must attain liberation enlightenment. And we think already there and then we think, you know, I don’t think I am able to attain liberation enlightenment myself. And and this this sort of thinking that thinks that thinks, oh, I’m I’m not able to do that. I won’t ever be able to accomplish that and so on. This is what we refer to as one we classify that as one type of laziness, and and I’m trying to think of a better way to translate that laziness.
It’s a laziness that looks down on oneself, and I I just I didn’t want to say the laziness that is low self esteem. I I don’t think that is appropriate, but but it’s a laziness that that is looking down on oneself that puts oneself down. And and and this is one type of laziness. And was saying, what what we have to do in order to avert this type of laziness that doesn’t believe in oneself, that doesn’t believe in one’s qualities, abilities, and potential, and so forth, is is to contemplate the fact that I will be able to accomplish liberation and enlightenment because there have been many other beings who have accomplished liberation and enlightenment. Buddha Śākyamūni has accomplished it.
Milarepa has accomplished it. And they were they were beings, ordinary beings just like myself at one point, and they have accomplished it. If they have done it, I can do it. Yes. And Geshe-la is saying.
So, again, the Buddha cannot give us enlightenment, liberation enlightenment. The Buddha has, you know, accomplished his enlightenment by meditating on contemplating, meditating on loving kindness, compassion, by relying on the spiritual teacher and all that. The Buddha has attained enlightenment ment by this means, and he has taught us just that. It is this is it is by following these instructions, by following these teachings, these meditation, these steps that you will also attain enlightenment. We we we have a very famous verse in Buddhism where the Buddha says, you know, I cannot give I cannot wash people’s sins away with water.
That that that cannot be washed with water. One cannot I cannot purify people’s minds. I cannot transfer my realizations to other beings. All I can do, all that is what is to be done is for for people to follow my the teachings that I give, the Dharma that I give, practice the Dharma that I give. And Geshe-la was saying, so again and and so these are the steps.
These are the meditations and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings, the reflection that we have to engage in, the understanding that we have to cultivate in our heart minds. Again, we have to contemplate all the steps of knowing all beings as one’s mother. Geshe-la wasn’t saying if one if one then fully develops this understanding, this knowledge that all beings have been our mothers, then very easily, the next the next step will follow very easily from that. And we’ll know we don’t even need to think much about it. We will know the great kindness of all beings, of all mothers and human beings.
And the next step from that will follow very easily also. We will have the wish to repay that kindness. Very easily it will come about. So and even if we and even if we don’t think about being as our mothers, looking at the present lifetime, Geshe-la says, when one can see how every little good thing and comfort that we have experienced comes in dependence on innumerable sentient. Each one of the things that we of the good things that we experience comes in dependence on innumerable sentient beings.
So we can easily see how very immensely kind all beings have been. And with this, we develop all the stages. You know? Knowing beings as equanimity, first of all. Equanimity, Geshe-la was saying.
We we we usually think I cannot develop equanimity because all beings are different, but we forget that all beings are equal. Equal in that all beings do not wish for suffering and only wish for happiness. All beings are equally. All mothers, all being all beings are equally greatly immensely kind to us and so on. So we develop then the next step, knowing beings as our mothers.
And from that, developing this first step properly, the other steps will follow almost naturally from that very easily. Then we will see their kindness, and we will have the heartfelt wish to to repay their kindness. And and and and and the one who is able to repay that kindness is one’s enlightened self. It’s one one is the one is ourselves when we have attained enlightenment. When we have attained enlightenment, we will be able to perfectly repay that kindness.
Wasn’t saying no. Usually, you know, we we we receive all this this help and this kindness, you know, food and shelter and education from our parents. Then later on, when we grow up, we get our own jobs and then we start to help our parents when they are older and we are providing them with whatever that they need, whatever it is that they need and we think for ourselves now I have repaid, I have repaid my parents and, you know, I’m a I’m a good person. I’m a good boy and all that. And and that’s how we think.
And and it is good. It is great. It’s a very good thing indeed. But it is great. Indeed, is great, but that’s certainly not enough in order to to be able to perfectly and fully repay their kindness.
And what we need is to give them lasting happiness, the happiness of liberation and enlightenment. Order to accomplish that, oneself must attain liberation and enlightenment. And and Geshe-la was saying. So with all that in mind, and again, it’s important. It’s essential that we see the most important point in in in here in all this process is knowing all sentient beings as one’s mother.
This is crucial that we understand all sentient beings as one’s mother. And even if we are not at this stage able to bring that about, that understanding about, it is crucial that we understand how all sentient beings are immensely kind to us. All sentient beings were our mothers. How how they are all kinds in this present lifetime, how all beings are immensely kind to us. And how and then we extrapolate that to previous lifetimes, to all previous lifetimes, and that and then, eventually, we’ll be able to develop fully develop the understanding that all of all beings as one’s mother.
And that is the first cause of the six point the the seven point cause and effect, is essential. It’s of utmost importance. And and Geshe-la was in saying so, and and and we it’s it’s very likely that for most of us, it’s easy to contemplate how all sentient beings contemplate past lives and to contemplate how all sentient beings have been mothers. And yet, we we still resist the idea in any way we can, and we think, yeah, they might have been mothers or or right, but they haven’t been my mother. We resist any way we can, isn’t it?
They have haven’t been my mother. And Geshe lah has said is is then again giving ways giving us ways to to develop this understanding. We have to for example, if we think of the present lifetime, this present life, and we think we think of first year of life, from the moment we were born until our first anniversary, about birthday. So that first year. And we think, you know, you know, we had a mother during that time.
A mother gave us birth, and a mother was looking after us for throughout that whole year. And and now many years later, Geshe-la was in speaking of himself as a seven a seventy year old seventy year old man. You think of your own age. And you you think we say and and that is we say, that is my mother. And so we look at ourselves now, seventy year olds, thirty six year olds, or or however your age is, and we’re thinking and and that we have one mother, and we’re thinking that is that is our mother.
That is that person. But, Geshe-la was saying, but I I am not the one year old kid anymore. I’m not one year old. I’m not that same I’m I’m not that same kid anymore. And if so if I can say and then and and one’s mother is not the same anymore, the same mother that was there when we were one year old.
But if I can say, in spite of that, in spite of this difference, if I can say that again, so if this is my mom that I had when I was one year old and that is this person here, now that I am seventy years old or thirty six year old, this this is my mom here, and this is the same person. If if we can say that, and we do say and we can say that, then it also follows that that person in the previous lifetime also is my mom. Is that making sense? Alright. Good.
So I guess I wasn’t saying, if we think carefully, then we see how that’s being in the previous lifetime is also is our mother. And if we are to say if we were to say, no. That person in the previous lifetime is not my mother, then this this person right now in this present moment, seventy years of age, thirty six years of age, it’s also not my mother. If that that reasoning applies, then it applies to the present also. So if if you can say if you if you say to yourself, if you are saying that person in previous lifetime is not my mom, then you have to follow through with your reasoning and say, again, this person right now is also not my mom because that’s not the same person that gave rebirth thirty six years ago, seventy years ago, however many years ago.
So our our mother our present our present mother in this moment is our mother. Our present our mother in the previous lifetime is our mother and and vice versa all the way around. And, also, even when we were not born humans, when we were born animals and in the previous lifetime, which I wasn’t saying again, if if I were born as a horse, then, again, that that being how do you call the female horse? Mare. That mare who who gave birth to to oneself as a horse, that is also one’s mother.
So we have to understand So we have and we have then to to develop this understanding and make this distinction. So, again, this this being and this person has been my mother in a in in a past life. That mare has been my mother in a past life and so on. And and it’s not they’re not my mother of this present lifetime, but they have been my mothers in previous lifetimes.
So we have to make this distinction. And Geshe lah is giving us a little logical formulae which says again, if it is my mother, if it is my mom, it is not necessarily my present lifetime’s mom. And it says again, Geshe-la goes on further and says, again, all sentient beings are my mothers or are have been my mother’s, but they’re not necessarily the present my mother sorry, the present lifetime’s mother. One one of the logical faults that could ensue if you didn’t make this distinction, this correct distinction, is that, again, if if that mare in a past life is your mother, then you are a mare’s how do you refer to the mare’s baby? Foe.
Foe? Then you are a foe. Then you are a foal now. Are you a foal? Sorry?
A foe. Yes. Right? A foe. You are a foe.
Right? That’s the the logical complication that could get if you didn’t make the distinction, but we are making the distinction. Right? So again, pointing out the the very the the crucial importance of properly and fully developing the first step, the first cause, knowing all beings as one’s mother. Which is means mother knowing, knowing mothers.
And and because if you fully and properly develop that one, then the others will follow very easily from that. Oh, yeah. This one. Is that alright? So develop having developed having fully and properly developed the knowledge of all beings as one’s mother, then what will easily follow is the next step, which is then seeing, recollecting their great kindness, their immense kindness.
Then from that, what easily follows is then the wish, the aspiration, the the intention to repay that kindness. And then from that, again thank you. What is it follows then is bringing all that to fruition, to completion. Again, what follows from that is then loving kindness and compassion. We wish to establish them in perfect happiness and to completely free them from suffering.
And when we’re talking about loving kindness and compassion, we’re not talking about developing them with regards to only a few sentient beings. We we don’t want to leave not even one sentient being out. We want we include all sentient beings without exception. If we leave even one sentient being out, then there is a fault there because our loving kindness and our compassion will be biased or will be partial. And if it is biased and partial, it cannot be called it cannot be said to be great loving kindness or great compassion.
And what we need is great loving kindness, great compassion. Compassion, love and kindness that include all sentient beings without exception. Oh, yeah. So we we we leave it. You know, today, you probably have questions to ask.
So you died on the way. Yeah. I did I did it. Okay. It’s fine.
I understand. I understand. That’s okay. It’s okay. It’s all good.
It’s all good. So Dio was asking, is that working? That is working. Right? I cannot hear myself.
I don’t know. Dio was asking if if I okay. If I were to be practicing all these steps, you know, equanimity, recollecting knowing one’s mothers, recollecting their kindness, letting the wish to repay their kindness, and then developing loving kindness and compassion. If I were, you know, on my way already in engaged and developed in in anywhere in these stages. But if I were to suddenly die before I could complete all this process, and if by any chance in the process, I was reborn in an unfavorable state in the lower realm of existence, animal, hungry, ghost, hell realm, what then?
Look. So I I I was I added a little bit of information. Okay? Because the whole process starts with renunciation. Right?
So assuming assuming that one has developed renunciation. One has it. It’s there. It’s present. It’s fully grown, and it’s beautiful.
So one has renunciation. Then one has accomplished the next step. One has fully developed equanimity towards all sentient beings without exception. The prerequisite to to develop this seven point cause and effect is there. One has done it.
Then one has developed fully developed the knowledge of all beings as one’s mother. By that point already is if you have done that, it’s gonna be very hard for you to be born in the lower realms, if not impossible. Okay? So even if one has completely and perfectly developed renunciation alone, it will be already exceedingly hard, if not really impossible, to be born in the lower realms of existence by force of contaminated actions and afflictions. There are bodhisattvas who still are born in those places, but they are not dragged down there by the force of contaminated actions.
They go there of their own free will. So that’s good news, isn’t it? Nonetheless, if Geshe-la was saying, still, it’s very difficult. It’s very difficult to produce the knowledge about being all beings as one’s mother and all the other that follows from that is exceedingly difficult. It’s exceedingly difficult already to produce this full, perfectly, fully characterized renunciation already.
It’s already something which is very difficult to produce. Yes. Yeah. I’ll try to I’ll try to so what Jack was saying there is is that when we are trying to repay other beings kindness, you know, it is that it it so happens many times that many people are so set in their ways that they don’t correct me if I’m wrong, they don’t even want to accept your your help or or, you know, your repay your repayments and installments or whatnot. So what what what can what we do about it?
You know, it would there ever be a time when when they will be ripe to to take our help on? So it’s like at this stage, when we talk about repaying their kindness, this is one step in the training of our minds. It is not about what we are doing to other essential beings. At this stage, it’s not about what whatever is that we are doing to others, beneficial or harmful. It’s not about that.
When we talk about that right now, it’s about training our minds. It’s about developing the knowledge that all beings are mothers, that they have been immensely kind, and that and and that I must then repay their kindness. And developing that, what will follow is the next two steps. So I must establish all beings in perfect happiness in the state endowed with every happiness, and I must establish all beings in the state which is free from every suffering. And this this is about training your mind so that you will be able to accumulate a great amount of merit, and a huge amount of merit, a huge amount of positive energy that will make you grow as a bodhisattva, that will make you grow as a as a human being into your into your bodhisattva, into your buddha nature and whatnot.
So that that will accelerate, that you get that that will get you much closer to enlightenment. And when you attain enlightenment, after you attain enlightenment, then every breath you take, even if you don’t want to, you will be helping beings. So so as as as we are right now at this stage, as you are right now, even helping one sentient being alone is something which is very hard to do. And a Buddha knows exactly how to help and and what what to do in order to help a sentient being in any particular moment, in any given moment. They know exactly, and that’s and that is impossible for us to do right now.
We we cannot accomplish the perfect benefit perfectly accomplish the benefit or accomplish the perfect benefit of beings as we are right now. So we are what we are doing here is training our mind so that we can grow into into Buddhahood. And that’s what we are doing. This is what what what this this is all about. Recollecting one’s mother is another step, very important step.
Oh, sorry. Repaying the kindness is another step in the training of our minds, your mind, my mind. What what is being done to to others in this context, in the in the context of cultivating enlightenment right now, what is is not important. It’s not about that. It’s not about repaying the kindness now in practice.
It’s about training your mind. Is that okay? The Buddha can only show us the teaching. So he shows us the teaching. And we have to study and practice the teaching.
We have to follow his example. You have two questions there. I’m not sure if I understand what you’re trying to say. So, yes, that’s right. You do not know.
We do not know. Nobody none of us know because we are ordinary beings. We are not fully enlightened beings. There’s no way we can know. We cannot fully understand how enlightenment works.
We cannot fully understand how is it that the Buddha perfectly accomplish the happiness of all, but we can certainly understand that the Buddha Śākyamūni is helping us to accomplish perfect happiness, ultimate happiness. He is giving us by force of the teachings that he left behind. He he is providing us with the means to attain that. We can perfectly understand that. The Buddha Śākyamūni has been an ordinary being such as ourselves, who also knew just as much as you and me know and had the same doubts, probably.
And nonetheless, he practiced in a certain way. He cultivated certain steps, compassion, bodhicitta, emptiness, whatnot, and he attained full enlightenment. And then he gave he gave us the teachings, the path. And he says, if you do this and that, you reach this state that I have attained, which is a state which is free of every suffering and endowed of every happiness. Only a Buddha has that.
Right? A fully enlightened Buddha has that. And so and the Buddha gave us all these teachings, all these various teachings. And if you engage in such actions as this and that, then what will ensue from that is suffering. So those actions you avoid.
The Buddha has. And if we engage in other these other actions here, what will ensue from them is happiness. So then those you should practice. And if you’re engaging these actions here, then what we’ll assume is liberation and enlightenment. So you do that.
I’ve done that. So if you want to attain, to reach the same place that I have reached, you do that too. Now am I going to die before I reach liberation and enlightenment? I have already died countless times. You have already died countless times.
And here you are learning about it again and make it better for the next time. And you would still die many times before you attain liberation enlightenment. You’ll still be born many times before you attain liberation enlightenment. And none none that we will die, but just because we die doesn’t mean that we we cease to exist and we disappear. We don’t.
If we were to die and and cease to exist and disappear, then there would be no point in practicing the Dharma, would And then and then we could we could if it was the case that we would die and cease to exist, and that will be the end of it all, then, you know, we could just be we we will be better off just focusing on the things of this life, then that would be the best way to go. But that’s not the case. Then then we could Then, yes, then we we could go to watch the soccer game and whatnot. That’ll be alright. Does that does that help, sweetie?
Yes. Yes. That is helpful. Okay. Shall we shall we finish?
Is that right?