Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Just as we came to regard a body formed from our parents’ physical matter as “I” through habituation alone, we can train ourselves to regard others the same way — this is the central analogy Geshe Pema Tsering develops in this 2-hour commentary on Śāntideva’s Bodhisattva Way of Life. He deploys it against the objection that separate bodies make it impossible to feel others’ suffering as one’s own, then turns to verse 113: self-cherishing is the source of every fault; others are an “ocean of good.” The self-cherishing mind, he argues, is “really stupid” — it craves samsaric pleasures endlessly and never once wishes for liberation, accumulating only suffering. Q&A closes the session, including a sharp student challenge about whether pursuing a precious human rebirth is itself selfish, which draws out a careful distinction between the conventionally existent self and the self-grasping mind that is the true target of renunciation.
File metadata (for organising)
File: Geshe Pema .mp3
UUID: 62a3e863-aedc-4679-bf6c-d195994647f6
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Unallocated multiple years (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 142.3 minutes
Words: ~7,813
What’s that here? New. You have to attach. So Geshe-la is instructing us to give us a good motivation and with the intention of benefiting all sentient beings, establishing them, freeing them from every suffering and and establishing them in the state and all with every happiness. Then in this way, we we study and practice according to the teachings on the Bodhisattva way of life.
We train our minds in this way in order to accomplish this goal. And in this way, we give rise to proper motivation. Oh, yeah. Is that coming out clear? Yes.
We start with then with the recitation of the the Heart Sūtra. Second page. Okay. Thus, did I hear one time? The next page, extensive spelling of hindrances.
I and all surroundings ancient beings go for refuge to Buddha, go for refuge to the Dharma, go for refuge to the Sangha. We prostrate to the great mother, Prajñāpāramitā, surrounded by all the children, by the assemblies of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas over the ten directions. By depending on my prostrations to all of you, may this word of truth be actualized. In the past, the deva king Indra dispelled the maras by reflecting on the profound meaning of the wisdom gone beyond and reciting the profound words in daily recitation. In that same way, I also reflect on the profound meaning of the great Prajñāpāramitā and recite the profound words in daily recitation.
May all diseases, spirit possessions, bad conditions, all negative directions, that which happens due to past karma and immediate conditions, may all this be dispelled, may become nonexistent, may be pacified. So that we we we’ve been approaching. We’ve been so we’re studying for those who are here for the first time, we’re studying the chapter on meditation on on concentration, Bodhisattva way of life. And last Tuesday, we approached a topic which the benefits of such meditation, such contemplations on equalizing and exchanging self for others. And we’ve gone through the the there were five divisions of this topic and we’ve gone through all the benefits which were the first four topics and then the last topic of this, the last division of this topic, is telling us that again due to such reasons as we have been given before, to such benefits, then again, due to such reasons and to such benefits, that meditating on the equality of self and others is said to be a reasonable thing to accomplish, a reasonable thing to do.
And Geshe-la was in saying also with regards to the to the Tibetan version that the the word that is translated as reasonable, it also says, also conveys the meaning that it is something that is okay to be done, it’s something that you can do, it is alright for you to do, and you are able to accomplish that. And then with regards to this last topic, then we read the next root verse of the text of the Bodhisattva Way of Life which says, therefore, just as I protect myself from unpleasant things, however small they may be, In the same way, I should act towards others with a compassionate and caring mind. And then when we read the Tibetan version of the text, and it’s a bit more specific. And Geshe-la was saying so the first line of the verse is saying because of those reasons, because of all those and Geshe-la was pointing out that Geshe-la himself has explained all the previous verses pointing out that self-cherishing that one’s self is not important, it’s not of any benefit to oneself, it’s a cause of every suffering, and then others are the source of every benefit and happiness for oneself, and that they are very kind, so others are more important.
Because of all such reasons. So however small a a a harm might come one’s way, and the the harm that is being mentioned here, however small a a an unpleasant thing might be said about about oneself. And just always give me the situation, if someone calls you a bad person. Someone calls you a bad person, then you, you know, you get maybe you get annoyed, you get irritated in order, and you try to avoid that from happening. And so however small a thing may be, however small a harm may be, and again, what we do is we try to protect ourselves from it.
And in the same vein, in the same way, likewise, we should protect others. And the words that are being used, we should protect others minds we should protect others and we do that by developing compassion towards them. And then, again, the comment expands just on that. The comment is pretty much in line with what Geshe-la has already said. Again, the reasonable because of all the reasonableness of of meditating, of cultivating this equality of self and others.
Because of that, again however small a harm might come one’s way such as hearing some unpleasant thing being said about oneself, however small it may be, again in the same way that one just like one will protect oneself from death, one will guard oneself and protect oneself from death. Again one will protect others from whatever undesirable things might happen to them or from whatever suffering might happen to them. And one will protect them, and the the two expressions here is with a which was what was sought here as a caring mind, and but the words is literally to protect mind with with a with a mind that is intent on on benefiting them, on protecting them, and then again with compassion. And Geshe-la was gonna say, and this is this is actually the case, isn’t it? I mean, we even though even when something bad, even when a little insult or something little is not being a little harm is not being done against us, still we engage in ways to prevent any any little harm to happen to us and to guard ourselves against any any harm.
But on the other hand, whatever suffering might be happening to others, however great that suffering may be, however great the the harm may be, again, we we don’t we don’t give even a thing a single thought to that. And again, Geshe-la was saying that this attitude of this attitude of ours is is really bad. And again, we should and we should we should care for others. We should in the same way that we protect ourselves from all sorts of sufferings. Again, we should protect and do our best to protect others from all sorts of suffering.
And the reason why we have to do that is because others are just this exactly the same as as ourselves, and that they also do not want to hear hear anything unpleasant said about them. They also do not want to meet with any undesirable circumstances or events. They also do not want to experience any suffering. And in this sense, they’re exactly the same. They are equal to selves.
And that’s why we have to protect them too. So then we approach then the next topic which is said is telling us that one can develop such an attitude if one familiarizes oneself oneself with the equality of self in other. And before we read the next verse, the the the question is posited. The question the question is is is posed that, how do say, if if I think if I think of others bodies as mine, if I think if I if I watch others if I think of others eyes or whatever the others see as what I see as as my and and because they are different. This translation is not coming out right.
Right? So as I was saying, can I how can I possibly give rise to the thought that their suffering is my suffering, that their experiences are my experience, and how can I possibly then cultivate the thought that we are equal and that and that by developing the wish to free them from the sufferings I can help them? How can I possibly do that if in actuality I am I and others are others and implying that there is a Geshe-la was in this one? Is is an inherent almost almost as as if they were an an an irreparable difference between I and others. An inherent difference that cannot be overcome.
And Geshe-la is explaining the meaning of the sentence in this bad translation of mine. Geshe-la is explaining saying that again because it is really difficult for us because we just cannot cannot care less about whatever suffering occurs to other people. We think of them as different from ourselves and we care about whatever occurs to us. But we for us it’s very hard to care about to give to lend a thought about what what happens to others. And we think there’s there’s nothing I can do, and and there’s not there’s not for me to do anything about others suffering.
That’s how we think. So and then as I reply to that as I reply to this this position, we read in the next two verses, which reads something like this. Although the basis is quite impersonal, through constant familiarity, I have come to regard the drops of sperm and blood of others as I. And then the following verse. So in the same way, why should I be unable to regard the bodies of others as I?
Hence, it is not difficult to see that my body is also that of others. And Geshe-la is in briefly explaining the meaning of these two verses. Just just just saying that again if we habituate ourselves with with this way of thinking and perceiving perceiving others bodies as as oneself as I and in English I and and perceiving the others suffering as my my suffering. If if we habituate ourselves with that, we will perceive that. We will see that.
We will accomplish that. And Geshe-la is explaining again the same way that through the mere force of habituation, of what is translated as the blood of the mother and the sperm of the father, which then produce our body. We have to come to regard that of which we have no how do you say? How do say? That of which we had to have no participation in the production, the creation of.
Again, we have have have come to regard that as I, as my body. And then in the same way that we if we if we have accomplished that, something which is other than ourselves, something which is different than ourselves, in the same way that other bodies, other other beings are just as different. So if we have come to accomplish that through the force of mere familiarization, through the same process of familiarization, Geshe-la says, we can come to regard others bodies as my body, as me. And again, Geshe-la says in regards to the second verse, he’s saying so again, what is the reason then? Why why is it that I believe that I I cannot I cannot make it happen?
Why cannot conceive of others as myself, as me? If I have, by the mere force of familiarization, of habituation, if I have come to conceive of this body as my or as me, and I have come to care about the suffering that happens here with regards to this body as something that is to be avoided. And I have come to strive to accomplish happiness instead. Again, why is it that there are there no reason why I wouldn’t be able to also, through familiarization and habituation, again, come to conceive of others bodies as I or as me or as my body. And again and and and and then give rise to the thought that in relation to relation to to me, the thought that is me, then give rise to the thought that that does not wish to experience any suffering also in regards to that and does not wish and only wishes to to experience happiness, and then act in according to that in accordance with that.
So again, so as it is, we have habituated ourselves with differentiating this body from other’s bodies as as this being me or myself and and and that being others. And then Geshe-la was saying and I’m sorry. And then, so this again, same way that we have then come to conceive of of of things in this way by by mere familiarization. And then we we regard we conceived of this separation between this body being mine and others being other bodies being others. And again, out of that, we look down on others.
We have no concern for others. We have only concern for this. And if we have if we have accomplished that only for habituation, again, there’s no reason why, again, for habituation, we will come we can come of conceiving of others as I or my. And then again they come to develop the wish or the attitude that wish is only happiness for them do not wish for any suffering for them as well as for oneself. As much as one one has this wishes for oneself.
And Geshe-la goes on for the commentary which is telling us basically the same thing. Again, if we do not familiarize ourselves with with that, then again what was said about before those verses again what was said is true. Then again if now if we on the other hand if we habituate ourselves with that, then again in the same way that we have come to consider that which is the product of the union of the blood of the mother with the the white seed of the father of which we had no participation in the production at all, of which we had no control or power over whatsoever. If we have come to regard that only for the power of familiarization and habituation as I, as me, as myself, again, there’s no reason why, again, by the by the sheer force of familiarization, one would not be able to come to regard as others also as I, as my or or myself. And, again, the commentary goes on again, if we familiarize ourselves, if we habituate ourselves, then we will be able to produce that thought as of of them as as me or I.
And as I said before because of that then we are told that by cherishing others by holding others dear to oneself by contemplating benefits of holding others dear to oneself and cherishing them, again, we should make efforts at dispelling their suffering. And then there is a part of the commentary which is explaining, telling that there are some versions of the original text of the Bodhisattva Way of Life or some prints some prints of this text which lack one of the lines of verse one hundred and eleven, which is making reference to this impersonality of the process or or or which came came about through the union of the blood and the sperm of the mother and father respectively. Respectively. And so it’s just it’s just a quick mention, and then and then the text goes on to say again concluding the whole commentary that we have then to arrest that cherishing our own bodies, this over concern for our own bodies and our own welfare, which we regard as ourselves. And in in place of that, we have to come and familiarize ourselves with a concern, a cherishing for the welfare of the bodies of others, the welfare of others.
And if we do that, then we will be able to do so. We will be able to accomplish it. It’s this in in the text. It not difficult. If one familiarize oneself, it is not difficult to accomplish that.
Then we move on to another main topic of this this chapter, which is the actual way to exchange self and others. And then we have a brief presentation of the topic and then an extensive explanation. As for the brief presentation, which we are going to start with now, there is two parts with, first of all, the way to exchange self and other. And secondly, the reasons it is appropriate to familiarize ones oneself with such attitudes, with such meditations and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings. So we read then with regards to the first the first of the stuff is the way to exchange self and others.
We read in the next verse, a hundred and thirteen. Having seen the mistakes in cherishing myself, and the ocean of good in cherishing others, I shall completely reject all selfishness or all self centeredness self centeredness centeredness, and accustom myself to accepting others. Okay. Hello? And Geshe-la was just saying, this is something which is very difficult for us to to lend our ears, lend our ears to.
It’s very hard for us to how do I say that? Very hard for us to to take that on, to take such such such sayings, such beliefs on that ourselves, we are the source of every fault and that others are the source of every of every good. And and because of that, we should give up concerns for ourselves and and cherish others instead. Points us out to the first two lines of the verse saying again that oneself is endowed with all faults and others are the the source of this ocean of of of good, of good quality, of good things, of benefit also, you can say. And Geshe-la was saying that’s that’s very difficult to to take in, isn’t it?
What we actually believe is that, you know, I have no fault to myself. There is no fault to me at all. I I I haven’t done anything wrong. You know? If there is fault, it’s they are at fault.
They are the ones who have done something wrong. And and this is how we we we live our lives. This is how we believe things actually go. This is how we think. This is this is what we think.
This is what we say. And guess I wasn’t saying now that very mind, that very thought that thinks that I am not at fault, they are wrong, I’m not wrong. That very thought in itself, that is wrong. That is a fault in itself. And then whatever you say that whatever you say that it is following that thought is also wrong.
And so again with regards to that attitude, again, it’s a very arrogant. The word is usually translated as pride, but arrogance conveys the bad side of it. So it’s a very arrogant attitude. It’s a very distorted attitude, and Geshe-la was insane. That that mind and that that things in this way that I have no no fault to myself, and the the fault is with others.
That mind is how can I say? Oh. That’s that’s the the the the I. Is that correct? The that’s the the self or the the I which which believes that, which which is holding on to that thought is is is a really I wanted to say it’s a very mean thing, but I guess that was in this sense, a very stupid thing.
It’s a very bad it’s a very bad thing. It’s a very stupid thing. And Geshe-la was saying again with regards to that Geshe-la used the word in Tibetan is and that usually translates as the first person pronoun I. Geshe-la says that that I again, is really stupid in that it keeps on thinking, you know, with regards to all the pleasures and happinesses and money and wealth and so forth. You know, I want that.
I need that. You know, I need wealth. I need money. I need, you know, happiness and so forth. And all those things that it that it it it needs, that it says it needs, they’re all samsaric happiness.
They’re all things of cyclic existence. And they are which are all in the nature of suffering, which are all the suffering of change or in the nature of all pervasive compound of suffering. It never it never says to itself that I never thinks I need liberation or I need to attain the state of omniscience. And it never never says that to itself. It says as a conclusion, it is really stupid.
And Geshe-la was saying again, changing the order of the whole thing again, never thinks that I thinks I need liberation, I need enlightenment. It never has no actual wish for any real happiness or lasting happiness. What it wishes is only for the things of saṃsāra, which are in the nature of suffering, as Geshe-la was explaining. And it keeps on wishing for wealth and money and fame and power and so forth. And out of that wish, of that desire, that attachment, then again it engages in all sorts of actions, of activities.
And when those activities that are done for the sake of of obtaining those those so called happinesses, they are hindered, again, it gets angry. So, again, and out of that, you know, it it misbehaves, it deceives, it hurts, it has no regard for whatever is happening to others. And again, in in this in this way, it is a really mean evil thing that I and and on top of being stupid. And Geshe-la was saying again, so we can see how how really stupid the I, the self is. And if it wasn’t stupid, Geshe-la says, it will be it will be actually wishing for liberation and enlightenment, real happiness.
But it is really stupid. It doesn’t. It has it has it completely ignores it, and and and in this way, remains stupid. And and and then we can understand how, Geshe-la as Geshe pointed out in the beginning of of of this explanation, how it it is how can I say that? It is how how that that that I that thinks, you know, I have no fault to myself, That thought in itself is inherently wrong.
That I is is wrong, is distorted, is wrong, is is at fault in itself. Okay? Again, pointing out to the stupidity of the self, Geshe-la says that that that self, that I which is thinking I only want happiness, I do not want any suffering. That self then in in striving to accomplish these these wishes, in striving to accomplish what it thinks is happiness, it actually accomplishes only that which is in the nature of suffering. And in this way, it accomplishes the cause of more and more suffering.
And in this way, out of that desire that the self has, the I has, that of accomplishing only happiness and not experiencing any suffering, it all sorts of troubles and undesirable circumstances come its way. And again, goes back to the verse which says that others are this ocean of good good qualities of good things. And again, having a understanding that, then again, we should develop the thought that cherishes others. And Geshe-la points out with respect with regards to that that expression, the ocean of of good qualities, the ocean of of good things, you could say. Geshe-la was saying it is in dependence on others that all good things come come our way, come about in our lives and and all temporal things that pertain to this life.
And but not only that, all the ultimate good qualities, all ultimate goods such as liberation and enlightenment itself. And Geshe-la was saying, how is it that all these good things come about? It comes about in relation to others. Geshe-la was saying, it comes about by benefiting others. Benefiting others every action of benefit to others is a virtuous action, and the results of virtuous actions is is happiness.
I Geshe-la was just saying when we’re talking about virtue and non virtue or virtuous actions and non virtuous actions Geshe-la says harming others or hurting others amounts to non virtuous actions and benefiting others amounts to virtuous actions. And so then this is also so it is then by benefiting others that we accomplish real happiness or we accomplish any happiness. It comes out only of benefiting others. And then that So, again, Geshe lah is saying so by benefiting it’s by benefiting others that we then accomplish happiness. Geshe lah says we have been, since time immemorial, for an unthinkable length of time, working in order to benefit ourselves.
And and Geshe-la was saying, haven’t accomplished any any anything good of it. And the idea of working to benefit ourselves. You understand that? The working to benefit myself. And we haven’t we haven’t accomplished anything good out of it.
We have only accomplished bad things out of it. And then on the other hand, little benefit that we have accomplished that we have done to others, that’s what have caused us to be born as a human being now. It’s all the little good that we have done, all the little benefit that we have done to others, all of the little virtue that we have accumulated, and that we have the opportunity then to be born as humans. And Geshe-la was saying so then in order to benefit oneself, in order to benefit myself, let’s put it this way, when I try to benefit myself what I accomplish is I harm and hurt others. And and by harming hurting others, I only the only result that I that I reap is suffering in the future.
And and all that, Geshe-la was saying, boils down to the self, to the I. All that happens in the pandits with the eye. And again, we’re again, Geshe-la was saying, we can see then how this the I, the self is really bad and harmful to ourselves. And on the other hand, we can see as the saying that others are this ocean of good things of good qualities. And again, is every every happiness there is, every good thing there is comes in dependence on others.
It comes in dependence on benefiting others. And Geshe-la was saying temporal happiness, the happiness of this life comes in dependence on others. All the happiness of future lives, the happiness of higher rebirths as as humans and gods comes in dependence on others. The happiness of liberation, the happiness of full enlightenment, all of that comes in dependence on others. Again, loving kindness, compassion, the mind of enlightenment, all of that is produced in dependence on others.
And again, I Geshe-la was reading the two last lines of that verse, which translated as I shall completely reject all selfishness and and accustom myself to accepting others. And then literally it will be translated in a very traditional technical way of translating will be I shall I shall thoroughly abandon self grasping. And I shall I should take I should meditate or familiarize myself, habituate myself with taking on others. And Geshe-la wasn’t saying I should Geshe-la was explaining that I shall completely give up any concern for my own interests, and saying and I’m not sure what’s the best way to translate that, but it it Geshe-la was saying, it doesn’t it doesn’t go into our ears when we hear that, isn’t it? Those those things do not come do not get into our ears, now do they?
Oh, yeah. Yeah. We we cannot take those things in, can we? And again, Geshe lah, we’re just going through the commentary which has basically what Geshe-la has already said to us. Again, that this the the thoughts that the the cherishes oneself, that holds oneself as dearest the very source of every fault and shortcoming there is.
And because of that, because it is so, and again, we should in order we should in order to rid ourselves of all these faults and shortcomings, we should completely arrest such thinking that cherishes oneself. And on the other hand, again, the thought that holds other sentient beings as as dearest to oneself. Again, it’s the source is the very source of every excellent thing there is. And because because of that, by knowing the good qualities and the benefits of cherishing others. Again, we should completely and thoroughly abandon and give up any thought that cherishes oneself and instead cultivate, take upon ourselves the cultivation of the thought that cherishes others, of the heart that cherishes others as dearest to oneself.
I Geshe-la was gonna say again that so then this is this is this is how we we have to exchange self for others. I guess that was what Geshe-la was saying. And this is we can see then how how extremely difficult it is for us to accomplish that because it goes directly against the way we we used to to be, to think. It goes directly against our beliefs. And Geshe-la was saying again that we can see then through all these these different reasons, we can see then how others, all other sentient beings are are so very precious and how by by benefiting them, we we create virtue.
We we we attain real happiness. And how by actually then harming them because they are so very precious. By harming them, we incur such great faults and negativities. And so, again, how how important it is then to cherish others, to cherish all the sentient beings. And how also we can see then how and Geshe-la was pointing out and how this this mind that cherishes others is is a correct, non deluded, non distorted mind.
Is it is a clear, correct mind. And then we can see on the other hand how the mind cherishes oneself. And and then out of its striving to accomplish a benefit for itself, it actually accumulates more and more suffering. It generates so much more suffering. And how it in itself mind cherishes itself the self grasping self-cherishing minds they are wrong distorted they are clouded and deluded themselves.
And just like I was saying, we’re making reference to what is said in the verse when we when we are told to give up self cherish, you know, self grasping, cherishing oneself. And so I wouldn’t say we we are told to give up. What we have to give up is a mind that cherishes oneself alone and only oneself as the most important and dearest thing. And you may have to give up that. And instead we have to cultivate the mind that cherishes that cherishes others or other sentient beings.
And what and what is referred to as other sentient beings here other sentient beings here. It is absolutely every other sentient being there is without exception, even to the tiniest insect. And there is there is no distinction to be made between ones one is more important than another or one is more dear than another, more precious than another. They’re all equally precious, equally important, equally dear. And again, Geshe lah says to that to that which he just said, again, is something which is very extremely difficult for us to take in.
It’s like it’s because we we stop. When we hear that we have to cherish all sentient beings without exception, and we think, oh, how can I cherish that person? He’s he’s so bad. He’s my enemy. He’s bad.
He’s hurtful. He harms me and so forth. Also, we look down on animals. We have, you know, who who could care or, you this stupid thing. You know, who who can care about that?
And and and so it’s very hard for us to take in also. And this is something which is very difficult for us to take in. And and this is how we think when we hear such such teachings. Again, this is how we think. This is what comes to mind.
Again, when we are trying to meditate and cultivate these these thoughts, again, it occurs to us, you know, how come how can I I how can I cultivate such thoughts in relation to that person or this person? And, again, this all and all it’s it’s all due to this self-cherishing mind. This this mind which is has this it’s only concerned with its own interests. And, again, this mind, because I wasn’t saying, is a very mean it’s a very bad and mean mind which can do that. And and because this mind is distorted itself, it’s deluded and distorted in itself, it’s clouded in itself.
Again, the result everything that follows from that sort of mind, from that self-cherishing mind, again, is going to be distorted. It’s going to be the result of this delusion, of this of this clouded view. Geshe-la was saying. Again, this self-cherishing mind again says, when when it regards someone as as one’s enemy and says that he’s he or she is my enemy. And if one stops and asks, what’s the reason why that person is is your enemy?
Again, the all that can be said is all that that that being will say is because he or she has harmed me. And but if one if one stops to think about the reasons why the person harmed you in the first place, again, you will see that it can all be traced back to yourself because you have done something also that has harmed that person in some way or another. But we we never think about it. We never we never we never go how to say? We we never think all the way to the end, to the conclusions of of of of our reasons, of our arguments.
And instead and on the other hand, I was gonna say when that enemy when that so called enemy comes and offers us a cup of tea and say and say nice nice things about us, again, immediately, we we change our minds when we think, oh, that person is really good. He’s such a nice person. That person. So then those so called enemies or so those beings or those those people that we call enemies, they are not really our enemies. The real enemy that we have is is that one that is, Geshe-la was pointing out to the verse, that one that is to be thoroughly abandoned, which is the self-cherishing and the self grasping minds.
These are the real enemy. As as for all other beings, they’re actually our friends. And then just last clarifying also one point saying that and then I’ll have to make a little point with words. And in in this context, they are going to have specific meanings. So what enemy, the I that is being referred to here as the enemy that is to be thoroughly abandoned, this this self grasping mind, the self-cherishing mind, and the self grasping mind.
Yes. All I was saying, and that just bear bear with me for a second. Is not the self. That is not the the the relative conventional self. The merely that that one which is merely the imputed self.
The the I that is to be abandoned is that mind which holds itself to be inherent existence. Okay? That’s the self cherish, the self grasping that is to be abandoned. But the self, and this gets complicated okay, but the self of its own accord is a person also. The self is also a sentient being.
And it is that self also which will get rid of every fault and shortcoming and will accomplish every good quality and when we will attain liberation and enlightenment. The enemy is the self grasping. It’s the the mind that thinks I as inherent existence. Okay. And then Geshe lah, again, you hear Geshe lah says that the the word again.
Is usually translated as self, or some people translate it as the ego, but maybe the self has less of a of a bad connotation. So and make a distinction. So the self is that that one which is merely imputed by conception and sound and word. The words that we use, that’s the self. Guess what I’m saying?
And that is, by definition, but it’s a technical definition, that is the person. That is the sentient being. And there is nothing wrong with that. It is conventionally, and it’s alright. But the self grasping, the self grasping mind, that is the real enemy.
And Geshe-la was saying, and and right now, we cannot make a distinction between the self and the self grasping. But when we realize emptiness, then we’ll be able to make this decision. We’ll be able to see that there are two different things there. One is the self, which is okay. And the other is the self grasping mind, which is distorted, is deluded, is the root of all evil and so forth.
So again, just just I was just asking again. So again, when when we realize emptiness, then we’ll be able to distinguish between that conventionally existent self, which is merely by by sound or by the word and and conception from that from the the self grasping, which is that which is that conception of the self as being held as inherently existent. And that’s a complicated subject anyway. I was wondering, you probably have questions. This here.
Fifteen. Yes. Yes? I I expect to be slapped down for this, but I have about three questions. But just going to the last one, Geshe-la was saying that the term being applied to yourself was actually Dagzin rather than Dagming.
Dagming. Dagming. Dagming. Yeah. Unless my memory is not correct, during the taking of precepts, we actually say Dagzin.
No. No. Dagzin. Okay. Dagzin.
Dagzin. When we take precepts, you say Dagmin. No. No. Yeah.
For saying of our name. Ming Ming, Dagming, Dagming, which is my name, which is the name of the self, my my which is would be Aleka or Rodrigo. Yeah. So one is Dag Ming and the other one is Dagzin. Okay.
Thank you. It’s a different a different. Okay. Other thing was, with the self-cherishing mind, when we’re actually striving to attain a perfect human rebirth, a practice of, yeah, a practice of morality and charity and things. Is it that once we are trying to engage in the body’s actions, that it is generally understood that you have passed because the pursuance of a perfect human rebirth in order to benefit all sentient beings.
I mean, with the realization of emptiness perhaps different, it’s quite a selfish thing. I mean, the pursuance of world, it is better to be born into a wealthy family so that you actually have the leisure to practice the Dharma. It’s better to have a pleasing form because it’s more acceptable other beings, etcetera. So, I mean, that’s actually quite a selfish mind in the beginning to pursue a perfect human rebirth. That selfish mind, I mean, like, we’re here as humans.
So although we don’t fully understand working for for the benefit of other sentient beings and being able to always mentally apply ourselves. I mean, that selfish mind has brought us a perfect. Let’s see. So selfish mind, I’m gonna translate here as which is usually is translated as as self-cherishing. Right?
The mind that cherishes one’s own interests and cherishes oneself more than others. I’m going to translate like that because selfishness is that we have another word which is which is make makes reference to grasping to the self as inherent existence. And which is the cherishing oneself, the the self obsession, the self centeredness, and so forth, which we usually trans make sometimes is is makes reference to selfishness. Is that okay if I translate that way? Okay.
I am being somewhat antagonistic. That’s okay. Okay. That’s okay. Just say.
I’m I’m going to try to come to convey what what you just said. Okay? I’m gonna do my best here. So this is this is subtle and complicated and difficult to grasp. But so guess what I’m saying?
So so you use the word selfishness. Okay? I translated it as which which can be translated as selfishness, self centeredness, the self absorption, self interest, and so forth. Self concern. Self concern above all else, above all others, so forth.
So, the self-cherishing mind. What I said to Geshe-la is, Aleka is saying, what is occurring to Aleka is that the self-cherishing mind has actually accomplished us, has actually attained this precious human rebirth with all these leisures and opportunities. So it is not the case that every action powered by the self-cherishing mind is gonna result in suffering. And I said, so what what do you have to say to that? And Geshe-la was saying, look.
It’s like this. Every action that is powered by the self-cherishing mind, without exception, is not going to accomplish any happiness to us whatsoever. Ever. It only results in suffering. What has actually I I made the distinction, the subtle distinction, again, between the self-cherishing mind and the self, which is that convention ally existent self, which is merely imputed by label, merely imputed by word and conception, which does exist conventionally.
And that can accomplish virtue and can accomplish a precious human rebirth. But the self-cherishing mind, let’s say by definition so to speak, it can only cause suffering. Okay? It is inherently distorted. Geshe-la was saying, he’s trying to clarify because it is a difficult point.
I said, let me try to clarify again, Geshe-la was saying. There is that mind that there is the the cherishing holding of oneself is dearest above all, the one that is concerned with one’s own interests alone and no one else. And then there is the I, there’s the self. And Geshe-la was saying that the person, the I, the self, the person, the conventional existent self, again the person is not an incorrect mind. So the self-cherishing mind and the self grasping mind, they cannot accomplish.
There’s no happiness whatsoever that can follow from them. But the person which is conventionally existent which is the non inherently existent self which Geshe-la says even though we do not we have not realized it as such Still we are such. It exists as such. Even though we haven’t realized it, we’re completely ignorant of it. Still it is there.
And it is from its side, from the side of that correct, non deluded, non distorted, non inherent existence self person, the person, that is the one which accomplish benefit, to others, which accomplishes virtue, which accomplishes real happiness. That is complicated. That is a subtle distinction. Even though we haven’t realized it, we still have it. And all those all those meditations and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings and teachings that we do on compassion, love and kindness, or whatever, which are right minds, which are correct minds.
It is it. It is in dependence upon it, which does already exist that those things are accomplished. It’s complicated, isn’t it? Clarify, it says, pointing out to you and saying again, in you, that does occur. The thought or the notion, let’s say, of I.
I. It does occur. Right? And then that is perceived as as it is right now. That I is perceived as existing from its own side, as being inherently existent, as being truly existent.
I inherent existent, I existing from my own side, and so forth. And that the delusion. There is the distortion. Comes a point when you realize that I do not actually exist the way that I appear to exist. I do not actually exist from my own side.
The I do not exist from the I do not exist inherently. And still, when you realize that, you’re gonna realize also that it’s not the case it doesn’t exist at all. It still exists. Exists conventionally. Yep.
And it is that conventional existent I, free of that misperception, which is free of that misperception of this, which can accomplish good. So Geshe-la was saying ourselves, when when it occurs towards I, what are what is what we are perceiving that I as inherent existence or existing from its own side. An ārya being, a noble being, when when when when I occurs to them, it’s a non inherent existing I that they see. Is that okay? It’s not without thinking carefully about it that we will be able to understand it, Geshe-la.
Now this is this is not gonna get any easier. It’s like this. This conventionally existent self, or I, is that I, when the thought occurs to you, or the notion, or the feeling occurs to you of I, When you look for it, when you search for it, it’s nowhere to be found. And still, it’s not the case that it does not exist at all. It exists as a as a merely labeled, as a mere imputation of conception in word or sound.
It is an I that when you search for it, when you look at it, you see that it does not exist in the way that it appears to exist. It appears to exist from its own side. It appears to exist inherently. And that that conventional existence itself is an I that when you look for it, when you look at it, you see that it does not exist that way. The conventional existence self is an I that for that mind which is is a particular mind which is searching for it, it does not exist at all.
For that mind it does not exist at all. Now for the mind which is not searching for it, which is not investigating or analyzing in which way the I exists it appears. That’s the Yes. Plenty. Is that okay?
Any more questions? He said, wondering if you, because you are new,, haven’t seen you before. I’m wondering if you have any questions. You you’ve come from Perth, so you’ve probably been at Hayagriva Yeah. I’m from Bunbury, actually.
From Bunbury. Okay. Venerable Dundrup goes there? So do you know Venerable Dundrup? Yeah.
Oh, yeah. So you probably have have have listened to teachings from from Dundrup. Mhmm. Yeah. Yeah.
You don’t have any questions?