Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The image of tinted sunglasses — red lenses make every person look red — anchors Geshe Pema Tsering’s central argument in this 67-minute commentary on the Thirty-Seven Bodhisattva Practices. Reaching the sixth practice, how to rely on a spiritual teacher, he focuses on its active dimension: the three ways of pleasing a teacher through showing respect, making material offerings, and rendering service. A chain of Kadam masters — Atisha, Dromtönpa, Potowa, Kharakpa, and others — are quoted to show that all good qualities arise in dependence on the virtuous friend. The harder problem, he argues, is developing stable faith, illustrated vividly by the story of a monk who was a relative of the Buddha yet saw only faults in him — a case study in projecting one’s own unliberated mind onto others rather than perceiving reality as it is.
File metadata (for organising)
File: Sunday 2006 07 23.mp3
UUID: d7bc83f6-0ff8-484e-9392-be52af51b4f8
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: z Unallocated multiple years (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2006-07-23
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 67.4 minutes
Words: ~4,544
Then is instructing us now to give rise to a good motivation and then thinking, wishing also the state of enlightenment. And then in order to accomplish that, one is now going to listen to the teachings and and then practice the teachings. And with this in this way, one gives rise to a proper motivation. Oh, yeah. So then we are in the in the sixth of the thirty-seven Bodhisattva practices.
And then which is which is to to rely on the favorable condition, is the virtuous friend or the spiritual teacher. And then we are in the topic which talks about how to rely how to rely on the teacher, how to rely on the on the spiritual friend. And then this topic had two divisions to it. One is relying in in thought, and the other one is relying in in action. So then we go to the to the part which is about relying how to rely on the teacher, on the spiritual friend in in in action.
And then I was then saying, so that’s very difficult. It’s very difficult to to accomplish that. And Geshe-la was saying that it’s it’s easy to to understand it, but it’s difficult to practice it. So then so then, again, I was then making reference to the to the topic of last last Sunday, which was then how to rely on on the on the spiritual spiritual friend, on on the virtuous friend by term by means of of thoughts. And then that that topic had two parts to it, which was one is is cultivating faith, and the other one was, how do say, recollecting the kindness of the teacher.
And so then, that was was that was the topic that was taught last Sunday. So then as for as for relying on the teacher by means of of one’s activities or actions, then the text quotes the ornament of sutras. And the ornament of sutras then read something like this. One one must one have has to rely one rely on the spiritual teacher by means of, how do say, paying showing respect, then by means of giving material possessions, by means of paying homage or service to the teacher and by means of engaging in in practice or practicing the teachings. So one must rely on the spiritual teacher or or do this service to the spiritual teacher in these three ways in these in these ways.
So then and then the text so then the text says goes on to say that one must then rely on the teacher in these three in these three ways. One must then accomplish these three ways to please one’s spiritual teacher. And then Gala was then saying, so then these three ways to please the spiritual teacher are the other ways that was they were just mentioned in the verse. Then, again, it’s showing respect and then giving material offerings and then doing service to the teacher. And one must then accomplish these three these three activities.
So then and then the text goes on to quote from the Bodhisattva Way of Life, one line of verse. So in the written text and the printed text, there’s only one line which is which reads, one should never forsake the spiritual friend. And then Geshe-la recollects the the the whole verse, and Geshe-la was then reading the whole verse and and saying, so then the whole verse goes like this. One should never forsake the spiritual friend who is learned in in in the meaning of of the Mahāyāna and and is is supreme in the practice of the Bodhisattva’s path. One should never forsake him even at the cost of one’s life.
So then Geshe-la was saying, so that this verse is telling us that we need we the spiritual friend we need a spiritual friend who is from the who’s learning, who is skilled in the Mahāyāna in the great vehicle teachings, and then who who is who is who is who practices, how to say, the practice of of Bodhisattvas, who is who is learning in the in the in the disciplines of the Bodhisattvas. And then so then, again, one should never give up. We should never give up this teacher even at the cost of one’s life. And then the text goes on to say so then that also in the life story life story of Sudhana, there is there are quotes that tell the that that say the same thing as as was the the same meaning as as was as is is in the Bodhisattva way of life, in this verse of the Bodhisattva way of life. And then, again, was so then the same way, again, in this life story of, we we are told to rely on this on spiritual friend.
So then, because in the Tibetan text, there is only it only it only says that there are similar quotes in the life story of Sri Sambhava. So then Geshe-la then explained. So then in the Sri Sambhava was also a great a great lama himself, a great practitioner himself. And then he he relied on on a a a sorry. He relied on a on a spiritual teacher himself.
So and then just just as Milarepa relied on on And then so then if one relies in this way correctly on the teacher, then all the faults in one’s mental continuum will be exhausted, and then all, how to say, good qualities will increase. So then there are many many such benefits quoted in the scriptures. So then again, like I said, so then as as for the many benefits, the text makes mention of of many benefits that are quoted, then they’re explained. And then again, so then as for the many benefits, there are, again, benefits in relate that relate to this life. So then once one’s purposes, one’s wishes for this life will be accomplished, and then again, for future lives in terms of liberation, enlightenment, again, both will be accomplished.
And then again, if how to say, as for the opposite of those benefits, then they come about from the fault of not properly relying on a teacher. So then and then the text goes on to quote Lord Atisha. And then Lord Atisha is saying, dear friends, because one must rely on a spiritual teacher, on a lama until one attains enlightenment, then you must you must rely on a holy spiritual friend or virtuous friend. So then, again, I was then saying, so then again, Lama teacher is telling us when he said, dear friends, he’s telling us that we we need to rely until the day with we need to rely on on the Lama, on spiritual teacher. And then because of that, then he tells us, he commands us that we we must then rely on the holy friend, and that is very important.
And then again, it is said that all the good qualities of the great vehicle, be they big or small, they all come about. They are all born in dependence upon the spiritual teacher, on the virtuous friend. So then and then this goes on to quote another another another, how to say, verse from from Atisha, from the teachings of Atisha. And And so then a group of people then asks asks ask Atisha in a loud voice. They ask in a loud voice, Atisha, please give us oral instructions.
And and then says, hey. Hey. Wait a second. How to say? I I have I have good ears, says.
And in order to get oral instructions, what you need is faith. And he repeats, in fact, faith. And then I then saying, so then just as was explained before, in order to get oral instructions, just asking is not enough, speaking with a loud voice is not enough to get the oral instructions. It’s not easy to get oral instructions. One one needs to develop faith just as was explained in in in the text before.
Okay? And then Dromtönpa asks Atisha, does your pure conduct depends upon companions? And then Atisha answers, pure conduct certainly depends on virtuous companions. And then and then Dromtönpa then on another version, Dromtönpa is telling us that we must then rely on a virtuous friend day and night. And then so then day and night, we must rely on virtuous friend at all times, and we must never forsake the virtuous friend.
So then and then in another verse, then we are told, how do you say, to take take the holy friend, the walking a walking staff walking staff of virtue as support. And then, Gala was in the holy friend, again, is is is about the the spiritual the spiritual teacher. And then, again, as as, how do say, a person who is unable to stand by by by themselves would then use a walking stick, a walking staff to to go to walk, to get to to a certain place, to get somewhere. Then again, we must rely in in this way in the virtuous in the virtuous friend, in the spiritual teacher. And then again, Geshe-la says, with without the spiritual teacher, then we won’t be able to attain liberation and enlightenment, to reach liberation and enlightenment.
Okay? And then again, Geshe Potowa then says that even though one may be weak, if one befriends a virtuous friend, he will not allow one to be mistaken about the correct path. How to say? He will help one to protect one’s vows and engage in all that is virtuous. And then again, Geshe-la was then explaining to us, telling us that if if we rely on a virtuous friend, no matter if our practice is not very good, if we’re not very able perfectly able to to protect our vows and and and our conduct and so forth, if we rely on a virtuous friend at all times, then naturally, Geshe-la says, naturally, we will develop those good qualities of the virtuous friend, and we will be able then naturally, easily to to guard our protect our vows and and and and our conduct.
And then Potowa also tells us that, how do say, for us, in order to develop his his qualities further and further, the beginner who has no understanding of the Dharma relies entirely on teacher of the Mahāyāna. Until he attains mental stability, he must not separate from from the master for even a short while. So one must persist in following a spiritual teacher. So then, again, I was then saying, so as for attaining stability, the verse tells us that we must rely on the lama until we attain stability. Again, was then saying, so this attaining stability is something very difficult.
And again, what does it refer refers to attaining a stable faith. Again, knowing the qualities of the lama, and then developing the the wish for oneself to to attain those qualities, and then have a stable realization of that faith, a stable accomplishment of that faith. And, again, this is this is difficult. And then again, difficult because if if if by any chance the lama does does a mistake, then we’ll we usually we immediately think that he’s the lama. We we are better than the lama.
We start thinking, oh, he has he has these faults, and we we have how do say? He he’s worse than than we than we are. So and then in this way, we this develop this mind that forsakes the lama. So then again, to develop this quality of faith is very difficult because we do not see anything but faults in in the and in everybody else. And in the but in those faults that we see, they are our own faults.
And then, again, was giving an illustration then because, again, I say, it’s important that we reflect on that because without faith, then we won’t be able to develop any good qualities. So then Gala is giving an illustration that comes from from the how to say, the biography, the life story of the Buddha. And Gala says, Buddha has is has no no faults, no shortcomings whatsoever. But there was this one fully ordained monk, which I cannot recollect his name now, but he was a relative of the Buddha. And then he he saw nothing but nothing but faults on the Buddha.
But then because the Buddha is a Buddha, is a fully enlightened being who has no faults whatsoever, then we can understand that all those thoughts that that that that that foolish monk was seeing was were coming from his own side. There was nothing that was not from from his own side, from that he wasn’t projecting onto the Buddha himself. So so in this way in this way, we can reason in this about about this this how to develop this faith. So then again, so then we must think also is giving another example on how we should think about it. And then, example, we are how this how to say this this labeling or this this projecting happens.
And and the galah says, it’s just like wearing wearing, how to say, dark black or how to say, some sunglasses. If you wear glasses with with dark lenses, then everything will be dark. If you wear glasses with red lenses, then again everything you will see will be red. And the same goes for yellow lenses and white lenses, and then you will see in the same way. So again, then giving them this illustration, again, to show that it’s it’s from our own side that we see these folds.
And then how do you say? And so for example, again, Geshe-la was then explaining again to us. So if if if if you’re wearing a pair of glasses with with red lenses, then you will see a red person. Even though that person is not red, that’s what you see. And, again, because we are overpowered by ignorance, then we see faults and shortcomings on everything and everyone.
But then again, Geshe-la says, if no matter if a person has faults or shortcomings or if or this person does not have faults and shortcomings, what we must think or we must develop is the thought that that person has that those faults, whatever faults there is, are coming from my own side. And then the answer is, we have to reflect in this way, understand it, to be in this way. Because in this way, then we will be able to develop proper faith in relation to to the spiritual teacher. Then sometimes we think that person did a mistake or a person, somebody did a mistake. And then we say, I saw it.
I saw that person a mistake. And then, that mind that thinks I saw it, that I, is is a mistaken consciousness. So then that mistake is that’s that mistaken consciousness is then well, is then is is is is is a consciousness which is then mistaken in respect to to whatever has happened. Okay? So then the last one is because our consciousness is not liberated, then it’s not free.
Well, it’s not liberated, Then we we do not see how do say? We we readily see faults and shortcomings, and we we we do not see that it’s hard to see the good qualities. And Geshe-la says, unless we reflect a lot and unless we meditate a lot, then we won’t be able to develop this ability. So then and then Geshe-la was, again, giving the example of that that foolish monk who was a relative of the Buddha and who who always who saw only shortcomings to the Buddha and who was always saying there is no qualities. He always he always said there’s no there are no qualities whatsoever to the Buddha and he does this mistake, and he does that mistake.
And and but and then says, again, this person is these these faults, the shortcomings that he this person was seeing, then they’re coming from his own from his own side. So then and then again, then we are now concluded. So then if we do not liberate our minds, if we don’t free our minds, then we won’t be able to see, how do you say, the other beings or or the phenomena as they are for what they are. And then again, there is another quote, which then reads, if one doesn’t have respect for the masters, then no benefit will come even if one were to attend to the Buddha himself. And then Geshe-la was again saying, even if one were doing service to the Buddha, and one wouldn’t benefit when the Buddha was practicing the Dharma or preaching and so forth.
So then again, Geshe-la was then saying, so then because we how do you say? We regard our own perceptions as as correct and how to say, as correct and free of faults, then Geshe-la then says, so if we cannot see them the qualities of other beings. And then went further on than to say something. If if if we cannot when we do not get what we want, then we say we see faults faults only faults. And when we get what we want, then this is is always correct.
Correct. Correct. And then so then there’s another quote from from Geshe Kharakpa. And then well, I’ve got one translation, and Gala was giving a different explanation to it. So then it goes something like this.
Follow a virtuous friend who who is learned and righteous and and is free of worldly concerns. And then Geshe-la was then explaining that so that we must then Geshe-la gave more or less two meanings to this sentence, to this verse. Gala was then saying, then we must follow a virtuous friend who is learned, who is venerable, and who who possesses qualities. And then we must then abandon abandon all, how to say, wish for worldly worldly happiness, samsaric happiness, and then we must rely on a virtuous friend. And then on the on the second explanation, second version, again, Geshe-la was then giving the meaning, the possible meaning of the of the sentence was in that in order for us to become learned, to become venerable, holy, and and to to be possessed and done with good qualities, then we must then abandon worldly concern.
We must abandon concern for the happiness of this life, and we must then rely on a virtuous friend. All good qualities then come in dependence on a virtuous friend, on a spiritual teacher. And then also, Geshe Kharakpa also said, in a person without without faith, no good qualities will come about. So rely on a virtuous friend and read the sutras. And then again so then Geshe-la says, again, without faith, we won’t be able to develop good qualities.
And then so we must rely on a virtuous friend and and read this the the the sutras, which teach us which teach us about relying on the virtuous friend. And then Geshe Nyarowa then says tells us that we must give rise to the notion of the spiritual teacher being like a precious wish-fulfilling jewel and then of good friends being like a strong fortress. I think I was then saying, so then the the spiritual friend is we must see the spiritual friend as a wish-fulfilling jewel, a wish-fulfilling jewel is that which is a jewel, sort of a magical jewel, which which grants us all our our wishes. And then again, in reliance on the spiritual friend, then we develop all the good qualities in the same fashion. And then the the good friends being like a fortress, being Geshe-la was then saying, so then this being like a fortress, a fortress is something that will protect us in times of conflict or war, then we must go inside the fortress, and we will be we will be protected from harm.
So, again, our good friends then how do say? In reliance on our good friends, we are protected from harm and from suffering. And then and then there’s another quote from Geshe Chayu, which then which then reads, always rely on a virtuous friend since he is the one who knows the path to liberation and omniscience. And then again so then just as as as a guide who knows a certain road, then we must then rely on this guide to get to our destination. Again, the virtuous friend is is is the one who knows, who is who is learned in in the path to to, again, to omniscience and liberation.
So we must rely on him. And then the text goes on to say that there are many how do you say? Geshe Chayu himself, he has relied on a friend, and there are many excellent examples of of of his practice this practice in his life story. And then so then the so then the the author of this text, of this commentaries then saying that we must how do say? We must hold in in high regard then those those holy beings who have who have superior qualities to ourselves than ourselves.
And then and then I was I was asking to this the explanation of of this this one term that I haven’t heard before that I haven’t seen before. And Geshe-la was then saying, so instead of looking down on on the teacher, we must then, how’s it, look up on him and see his qualities and praise him and and respect him and so forth. So then and then Puchungwa, Puchungwa then says that he read all the life stories or the biographies of the holy beings, of the holy ones. And then in this way, how to say, he he develops he he gives rise to inspiration. And then Geshe-la was then saying, so then again, Geshe Puchungwa himself, he would study the life stories of of of of the spiritual teachers, the holy ones.
And then in this way, he would how do you say? Wishing to to follow in their footsteps, to be like them, and he would hold them in high regard. Okay? And then another another teacher who’s called Tashi Tashi then says that the old masters of Kadam are for him the focus of attention. So, again, he Geshe-la explains, so the old masters of Kadam are Atisha, Dromtönpa, and etcetera, etcetera.
And then he he studies, again, the the the lives and the and the teachings of of these old masters of. And then also himself, then the author of the thirty-seven practices of the Bodhisattva, he then says that virtue will increase in dependence on a virtuous friend. So then and then also, Geshe Tönpa also says that he is the one the virtuous friend is the one is the one who shows the great method for realizing the unborn and attend to such holy beings, serve such holy beings as if they were an ornament on top of your head. And then So then Geshe-la was then explaining. So then this this unborn, what is referred to as unborn is then is that the how to say is referring to to emptiness.
It’s referring to So then it’s the how can I translate that? The unborn unborn, non true existence. So then and then again, so then we must we must then rely on a teacher who who who knows all the the vast the vast paths to to realizing, again, emptiness. To realize emptiness. And then so then told me that he he he said such things, and he also practiced in just this way.
And then and then the text, the commentary finishes then saying that himself, he relied on more than forty different lamas, including such great scholars as the matchless Sonam Tsemo and Sonam Dragpa So then yes. So he then he relied in such in such great masters as Sonam Tsemo and Rendawa Shönu Lodrö. Then we finish we stop here today. And the next teaching, the next practice of the Bodhisattva is the seventh practice, which is then taking refuge, which, again, which is very important, and we we will go through that in the next Sunday. Everybody everybody knows about refuge.
Thinks that we are Buddhist. I am I am Buddhist, isn’t it? So the guy says, oh, we all think I I took refuge. I am Buddhist. And then it’s not it’s not easy.
Refuge is not easy. Okay. Now if can I ask if you have any questions? Excuse me. Geshe-la then says, so then as was explained in last Sunday and today, so then rely on the spiritual teacher, rely on the virtuous friend, then there are two ways to rely on a a spiritual friend.
Then one way is by means of of of thought. And then by means of thought, it has two parts, then one one develops, has to train train oneself in faith faith towards the spiritual friend, and then one has to recollect the kindness of the spiritual friend. So that’s the the the way to rely on the spiritual friend, to serve the spiritual friend by means of thought. And then as was explained today, by means of action, by means of deeds, is then to please to please to practice the three ways of pleasing the spiritual friend as was explained today. Again, then showing respect, making material offerings, and then doing service doing service for for the spiritual friend.
But that’s the word. But that’s you see, that’s that’s the word in Tibetan. I mean, is is is to rely or to rely on, to depend on. And some other some other translators, some other I’d say, if if, for example, Valdo, he’s another translator. And in his dictionary, he would also include the the meaning of to serve also to that word.
Because depending depending on the context, it sounds like to serve. So in in some ways, it is like relying. In some ways, it is like serving. But I guess the general meaning includes all that. So then I was just explaining I was just explaining, yeah, about the word and how how it can be translated in different ways.
So then the last so then it’s too difficult because the main thing that one needs is is faith. One needs to develop faith, and then without without without seeing the good qualities of of the the spiritual teacher, the strength, then this faith, this strong, irreversible faith will not come about. So then, Geshe-la, then if you want to make Geshe-la, if you want to make him happy, then you have to meditate on the mind of enlightenment. That’s great. Okay.
Okay. This one. Okay. Yeah. I don’t need to just sit there.