Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 49-minute teaching, Geshe Sopa introduces the Lamrim—the graduated path to enlightenment—emphasizing that spiritual progress cannot skip stages but must build methodically from a solid foundation. He begins by explaining why the human life is extraordinarily precious: it provides the ideal conditions and freedom to practice dharma, a rare fortune obtained only through accumulated virtue. Using the famous image of a blind turtle rising once every hundred years from the ocean’s depths, encountering a golden yoke drifting on an endless surface, Geshe Sopa illustrates how difficult such rebirth is to attain and how easily it is lost. He stresses the urgency this should create—not from fear but from genuine appreciation—pushing practitioners to use their time without waste. He then outlines the Lamrim’s structure: relying on a qualified spiritual teacher, training the mind, and recognizing three levels of spiritual beings with graduated goals. The session is an introduction suitable for students new to the dharma or encountering Lamrim teachings for the first time.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 03 LP.mp3
UUID: 8c31d076-d8f7-4383-80d6-452676e6120d
Teacher: Geshe Sopa 1986
Collection: A lamp that illuminates the path (Geshe Sopa 1986)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 48.6 minutes
Words: ~5,052
To get that, you can’t jump without from lower practice earlier one. You immediately go there and practice, and it will not. Without the building foundation, you try to building upstairs and the top level, you can’t do. Or like that, you have first good solid foundation build, and then from there, next step, next step. Or like that way, this spiritual practice, you know, goals, although first to go aim that way, but when you practice, you practice very low from bottom or step by step.
So, therefore, how you go these steps and where you start, how you do, all that that is mainly this Lamrim teaching shows. All that that is the main essence of the teaching. So we will go over these slowly, then now in reviewing those things, first, I will next session, we will read all these lumped in few lines which already actually we are at different centers when I asked, they asked me to come to teach this, but then how you teach them, you know, each center bit by bit. So therefore, section by section, and finally, maybe hoping in the complete. Although this book itself is short, it’s nothing but difficult to accomplish to read, but that by reading it will not enough.
But each subject, for example, first, what we are talking, each subject, how you go, what are the main practice, how you then get this spot in each section and the steps, What are those things detail and have to or other well, he’s other other road also other commentary. And also based on that many letter or greater than the saint so teacher who practitioner or other like for some, know, teachers, followers, etcetera, you know, wrote commentaries or the best one that some of these details and try to or we will or explaining or teaching. We won’t have or and as traditional, we have in Tibet extensive so much detail in each spot. Or we have sometimes, but we won’t have like those, but little by little here main key points, jumping little bit here and there also we will do like that okay so that is the few lines next session read and then go beginning other day or some of the some of the little detail which I explained down there or maybe not repeat too much and then from there, I have to go, then we will do that. Okay?
Or maybe we’ll stop there today. Okay. Okay. This precious human boat, or the relying or depending on the human boat, One will be free from the great misery or level of misery or suffering. This boat is difficult to obtain.
In the future, again, saying Yogi himself to himself. You or ignorant one. Or you or ignorant one. Or you stupid one. Talking then don’t sleep.
All the and then write the time at the time. All that means. All that is the as it says, we have always difficult to getting out of this great ocean of saṃsāra. So, therefore, that the to get other shore or free from this ocean of saṃsāra or the greater than a vehicle or, like, ship or boat or whatever you call great vehicle to carrying other shore or that means other side of the Samsāra, which means to nirvana or emancipation or enlightenment. Whether that is the also, therefore, right now, we have obtained great, like boat or ship, like human boat, me too.
Or this is through this new boat, if we you use or utilize properly or from this boat, do not lose each other. Can really free from great great river or ocean of misery. Although This boat or like this human boat is not easy to again and again obtain. So therefore, or human life is most rare to obtaining. There are many, many analogies, example, and reasons.
All of these you have. So, therefore, through these reasons, one realizing realizing how this human boat can do and they and how realize how this is difficult to obtain Or that way, one should be utilized properly. Therefore, without any wasting time, always should be wake up and work. This one one’s self having great, great vehicle in one’s own hand before this lost from one’s own hand all should be utilized. That is the so they if one don’t do that, all and that is the most stupid.
It’s like that. So they will means this is the time. This is the time to working on a a period. Or in this, when we have great racial and fortunate, most powerful, like, mental instrument, most powerful lifestyle, which can accomplish all of these for even one one and for all the others. So this time, if if one, like, doing nothing for all those purposes and then whole, like like, sleeping or nothing doing or or sleeping.
Like, so therefore, don’t sleep for, you know, at the time. Order. This is not the time to sleeping. This is time for wild waking period. Whether that is what is the meaning like that way.
Whether whether as it is said, we were talking all this morning. The now teaching or that teaching as or the essential or the goal, which is the most most the essence of the teaching essence of the our subject, and then which contains very, very essential, not only for female, not only for female, for all sentient beings. These objective goal. What those objective goals or step by step and temporary goal in order to get the highest goal at once. There’s no way of obtaining at once without step.
So therefore, how how you get those steps or the goal with the final goal aiming one, and then for that step, secondary, and then for that even basic steps, all those things explained. So therefore, we have three spiritual beings are named or those who mainly working, aiming on the on the the seeking for those things or that is those people or beings are in the three level of spiritual beings which are taught. Other like that way. So so one new human life is doing the human life in at least one of become one of those spiritual being, at least before before death. And, it will be good good accomplishment.
Other great accomplishment, all of this accomplishment can be done or highest level or if it’s not in secondary level, even not in the lowest level, which is in or at least the lowest level or up to those who should be able to if if one have like that, all the greatness served the purpose or the greatness life obtainment. It made more meaningful, that great life. Now, so therefore, how these steps can be practiced from beginning on to the to the end. Other here, shortly, in a lump or root text — Lampatha or Bodhipatha which is written by great great teacher or saint. Other about the tenth century in from in India on great teacher who came later into Tibet.
And then all teaching, this kind of teaching, you know, all extended and flourished in Tibet. All this or the up to up to now, all the teachings are purely or practiced, survived, practiced. Those many, many are great saints, obtained the level of the achievement, many, many of them. And then also pure teaching, pure lineage or traditional or practice as is taught. And, you know, these things we have.
And then also information of the teaching there or these Lamrim books, what are they happening or many of those great teachings we have. Other based on that, on this, since we we don’t have time, actually, general tradition is the or the in order to understanding the authoritative and or pure source of the teaching of where they come, how it or in order to have history of of the and the main author’s extensive biography. If one able to understand how Atisha himself, how he started, how he went to see the on in a hard hardship to finding the spiritual guru and how he, you know, obtained, how he practice, started to learn, all of these. And then finally, or with a great love and compassion, even in most dark or kind of almost a savage area like Tibet is that the time nothing much or shamanistic practitioner or just a little practice. There is nothing much.
All over there also going from India to going that strange place, this is not easy too, but out of great compassion and love. And all the many, many complications, went there in Tibet and developed all the flourish, this kind of teaching many, many, practitioners occur. Or we don’t and then I don’t have time to all tell you about life of the. Also, we have some booklet with the translation and the combination with the in English, little book. What is that?
Mhmm. Or or something. Where is the Dharmasala or somewhere? Right? Publish.
You have there. Maybe it’s if you can read that, well, that will be also interesting. Alright. Back to that. And other than teaching itself, greatness teaching itself also detail and lineage and nature of teaching itself, it has so many great special kind of specialty, qualities Let me explain all of those things also or now, anyway, etcetera, this great or special qualities.
Other these details, if I go into every classes over and over, it will do a little bit. Taking. Now I am going to mainly actual or teaching through or actual teaching and how to a way of leading the disciple to the spiritual path. Other that is in or that part. That part also teachings in the traditional means the how to first rely on a root, main, or first step is the means the to rely on spiritual guru or teacher.
If one has to have proper spiritual guide and leader or teacher who has who have great quality or qualities or other spiritual teacher, what kind of guru, what kind of teacher, one should be looking at, etcetera. There are many, many details of the qualities or from the point of spiritual teacher or from the point of student’s point of many, many qualities. And then those two qualities match. And then then other it will be great, great success for for the students or like that way. Other those things also detailed in in the Lamrim teaching explaining.
Other that is how you rely on a spiritual teacher, all that has many, many topics, details, that is also one of the beginning, most important. Then after relying on spiritual teacher, after relying on spiritual teacher, then how to or training one’s own mind or to those or or different steps. Other than that is one of the teaching. These some of the topics were in a very sometimes, you know, topics will help to understanding what area we are talking, what is the Other the so the the steps of the training other one our mind of the disciple or that is hold in a subject is there, rely on teacher and then how to training. All the all these subject or training or the first in Lamrim teaching Again, means the first topic.
Also, means to urge to urge or to go good or disciple for the to taking or and then this leisure and fortunate life to take essential or the practice of essential goal. To or to do. Or that is the first topic. And then in which the actually essential or this in the goals or practice how to or how to take other these two other topics. The first the first one also, urging or guarding to the to the disciple to take essential goal for for the leisure and the fortunate life.
That is the well, this this one, I have just the name there or the topic and the name there. I’m just a few mention, but you wouldn’t have much time to, again, explain. Or the last time, we would do it a little bit. This one is the or most like like this morning, we were talking similar like that. Or how it happens, this has topic is first identify leisure and fortunate life.
That means our life kind of life like human life, like our self, identify how this is great leisure and fortunate life. Other leisure means leisure means also leisure means if we decide, utilize this for the benefit of the future high goal or spiritual goal or or to the Dharma practicing. Practice on utilizing activity which which brings or even lasting peace and happiness, attainment of highest goal, emancipation, enlightenment, etcetera. All that that is the the this this life have. Those quality, capacity, those things, are this life has.
So, therefore, life itself are free of many, many are the opposite of relation means that there are so many hindrance for these kind of practice, these kind of understanding. Or for some other lives cannot or cannot do, Even cannot understand, even have no even any idea or even no rise of desire or even a wish or any or a symbol. So therefore, like, you know, or any other lives, animals, and, you know, a lot of lives and then like this. And also even humans, among the human, all the certain kind of hindrance where of birth, birth, and then sometimes one’s birth has effect or bad effect or some kind of by birth, certain kind of obstacles, physical, mental, or sometimes it’s a place or location, or some kind of completely or or the wrong place or the completely wrong place or such like these, etcetera. They are, you know, example or the free from the many, many hindrance.
And then also, we have many, many positive quality. Positive quality is the one way body and the mind, everything. Whatever in the past, the great these saints, so Buddha, and what they achieved or the life kind of life, same exactly that kind of life we have or like that way. So therefore, one way fortunate or life or the mental or physical or environment or the outside in the outside condition or the pure or the, like, teachings still survive All but all teachers or public teacher or taught pure teaching. All teaching survive and teaching practitioners still are valuable.
Or if one you want to use, they are still available or from home, you can get this on instructions and teachings and learn. Or there are people who are interested on this or therefore lot of compassion and who can support also outside support or inside mental and physical quality or the this morning, much we were talking, all of these have. So therefore, actually, fortune or they are taught in the nature or and fortune together in a, you know, almost eighteen different qualities which we are this kind of life has. Not this kind of life is there. One, as this morning, we’re talking, wish granting jewel like that is the that is all of these by on and starting, reading, listening, and oneself thinking, examination, analyzing concentration, meditation through through these and one step and able to finally or or the or the realize.
And when they fully wanna realize how worth, how fortunate, how much qualities this has, potential, how much potentials, you know, this has. Other all these, you know, under all understanding are deeper and stronger and then appreciation to one’s own life, getting from deeply much more and more. And then from that, one feels or not wanting to waste life, wanting to put into the meaningful of, you know, situation. Other that those are the main purpose because what we are usually in the most life is or the spend wasted is the not certain certain area, no understanding, no appreciation. All the no, our life is just just the symbol or ordinary and anything and anybody else or thinking like that way or the not or the realizing is there one of the new or any hindrance or therefore not appreciated.
So that is in the first topic. One of these meditating, concentrating as a first topic is the what the nature of that life and how is the other meaningful, how worthy or great thing for that that is the when you’re concentrating on the first, the nature of life itself, and it has two thing. And then or second is a is also a great and purposeful order that is as same. It is. When a topic like this, when a concentrating again, one said, how much or meaningful.
For example, or somebody find in a wish granting jewel, if then what, how, or how what can they this jewel can do? What kind of capacity? What kind of ability? All the potentials, all of these, it is quality when you see other then oneself or greatly appreciate. I mean, one don’t want lose.
It is in a value at all. Or like that way, in a human life, and then many, many way to thinking about purpose for or meaningful or that it can achieve this result and this result and goal like this as this morning we were a little bit talking. Although these have many, many details, explanation, or teachings have as it taught if one concentrate, meditate on this area or anyone will create any appreciation or the seeing in life. Then also, means the also difficult to obtain. And, again, in the future, one obtains, like, one one’s own hand, but it is there again and again or having obtaining this is in the most difficult or most or because in the in the world or most precious or nature or things are difficult to obtain because it has so many rare quality.
Like that way, to be born as human life. Among the human life, also, are many, many levels or such a kind of life or especially on a particular life or life kind of life which we have or like here, for example, or that this kind of life is the, again, most difficult, to obtaining. Other these, I’m not going to each of those are identifying the leisure and fortunate wonderful life. How meaningful or how most valuable or that thinking that way, and the second thing. And third one is how it is difficult to, again, obtaining Almost rare, how rare and how difficult.
If once lose, and you lose almost like many eons eons, maybe. Well, because once once you lose this life, then another type of body if we’re taking or, like, even animal or something simple in animal life, whole opportunities lose all the meritorious virtues. Mentally, those kind of the or special things in it, nothing can be done. And once you’re born in those places, tendencies, naturally, tendencies to do all kinds of negative actions, injury, harming, eating each other, killing each other, etcetera, all of these, naturally kind of all the time just to do all going on, but positive reverse to a to or going virtuous activity, which brings to one sap born into higher rebirth, etcetera, cause of those are mostly difficult to obtain to get there. So they were once you are falling another alive, then from there, tendencies to go again more and more lower and lower and worse and worse.
Of course, these are analogy is they are like the big, huge rock to rolling from high mountain or a steep mountain or rolling downward, or then pulling upward, or that these two are other similar, rolling downward. Once you roll from from top down, and then from there go without much effort, Just naturally go down and down and down all the way bottom or easily. But from bottom there to pull up there, all the it takes so much effort or little bit up. And then from there, another up is difficult even more. From first place, again, go down or like that is more more easily go down.
Or if it’s not the second place, again, go down or the upward is most other difficult situation. Or the so therefore, are the most difficult obtainment. Or the this has also if one meditating, concentrating, and then thinking, subject, topic by topic, then how difficult to obtain from the point of cause. What to be perfect human being life in order to born, what needs to be? Other from the point of cause, when you think of those causes, most difficult to make.
Other pure conduct, shila, and then virtues, body, speech, or mind, all these kind of activity or the very, very specific from the point of cause or an an an an an an an or the Buddha Buddha and the great saint is or many, example or analogy or from the point of analogy can be thinking or from the point of the nature of life, kind of life when you see. Also, those things in it, each has on many details. Each has in the reasons, logical reason, and the thing are more than a correct on reasons when you see, then one’s own mind convinced one’s wisdom or or satisfied or the reasons, and then one’s self able to do on and on. This is not easy to obtain at all, almost on on seeing in one’s own mind. Once losing from here, and then on and almost difficult to obtain again or this kind of situation.
And when you see, when you in one’s own mind spontaneously, when you have, and then all the that makes one step to put rest of life most meaningful. Even in not wanting to one one minute to waste. Other than one minute even wasting is the very, very feeling of shame. And and they are losing. And then worrying about this losing without accomplish.
Most valuable situation when you have without this, and then every time then you’re worrying for all losing. So therefore, while you ask much one half, I should be using order like like that way. For example, on the one somebody has a special kind of, let’s say, what do we say? Something to do, and a powerful thing, or maybe some kind of machine or something you borrow from somewhere, and that person and that that machine can do so many things, maybe, or month to month’s job, maybe one day can able to do or something like that powerful machine or something, if you able to borrow or then say, all the only one day. And then if you don’t use it that day, then you that is gone.
This is no ever never can help. So if then, what what will person do? Or that day, even just even one moment, don’t want to waste in it, or this will never find. If I have right now, when you have if you don’t utilize and then you finish, nothing happened. So therefore, as much to only utilize or that it is value.
And then how all of these qualities knowing that well or doing that. Whether this kind of precious human life or has to appreciate it or understand value or from time to time rejoice once having this this kind of life or from time to time or worrying and only not using properly. And you only wasting this life etcetera. And then all these together or put urge to oneself without the outside guarding from inside one’s own wisdom, understanding, realization, push oneself to do all these properly, you know, correctly, with a strong force. Others are, therefore, this thinking other most are this in the like, the reason is, for example, or something like that.
Or that that anyway, or other days in the next for example, Sūtra also explained first or the Buddha said, from human or higher rebirth to going lower rebirth, what is the how many in amount or much amount in talking about as it get? Or Buddha says, or then like dust in the great earth like that, Most life goes from human or upper life to lower life going all the time. Just massive like like dust like that where it goes. Most, you know, life goes downward. Or, from downward, upcoming human life or higher rebirth or how much is that?
Or fingernails if you take from the great earth some dust. There’s nothing much. What are like that way? What are these other analogy? Most people are means they are generally are the body and the mind as they explained this morning are powerful, but mostly or tampered means unwholesome thought mostly goes on the mind with the polluted all the time on unwholesome, all the ignorance, desire, hatred, jealous, all of these are everyday like water running all the time, whatever, or like that way.
Therefore, action also like that way to or negative actions, so most time, naturally to all rises Unwholesome side of the action and the thought, you know, all all rises. Or they therefore, most things go downward or like that. Those are the So therefore, born into high rebirth has a special kind of cause or then virtues or pure religious conduct or then or then then also a special kind of or dedication or many things they have to do. All that that is lacking. So this this other each of just briefly or talking like that.
Also, nature Nature. Also, if you’re looking human and other other beings’ lives, of course, lives everywhere, every place, everywhere, ocean ocean and earth and everywhere, and then full of life and filled with life. Whereas the human or humans are just a few drops here and there. Even this new earth, the great earth also when you’re looking human or like in a big big plain area, if you pour or drop white drops. You you see then here a little bit white drop there and here or like that where where the humans are like that way or there nothing much in comparison with other lives, you know, very, very rare.
There’s a nature. And among them, even humans, they are but humans have also so many types of the net level. And, actually, the level which has freedom, on peaceful or freedom or in a condition environment, on the teachings, etcetera, even you have like these things to meeting first to able to meet such new teaching. And there is a possibility to do one’s seven freedoms or extras or mental or physical or the actual hindrance or then without those, then this kind of perfect rebirth is again further more difficult, more rare. Or that only one analogy, maybe in a famous analogy taught in the sūtra, and then these teachings also appears one again and again.
I often use that in other places also, or maybe one one analogy will talk. But it has many, many different levels and thinking. The one one analogy or that that is or in Buddhist sūtra, all those thought this. That is the let’s how the perfect human life being difficult to obtain, all that is the or analogy is the or Buddha was saying, let you think about whole this great universe, whole this great universe mentioned as big ocean. Big ocean.
In this big ocean, mentioned, there is a blind turtle staying at the bottom of the ocean, mostly living, she lives down there. Every hundred years, once every hundred years, comes up, once on the surface of the ocean. She comes every hundred years once. Water. Then then on the surface in the ocean, there is some kind of golden yoke which has in the center a little hole, which can fit the turtle’s neck.
But the golden yoke goes everywhere in the ocean floating by wind, etcetera, sometimes center edge in everywhere and floating like that way. Now in that situation, all the Buddha was saying, and the Buddha said to his disciples. What do you think? Is this easy or difficult that blind turtle’s neck to catch its neck into this golden yoke’s hole? What do you think?
Oh, what? That is the or that is the only not easy. It is most difficult or most difficult. Many point of view is difficult. The reason is there if the blind turtle, if the turtle is not blind, then she can look up in somewhere in a little bit in a better chance to caught there.
Uh-huh. She is blind. Or even she is blind, if she comes often to the surface, there’s more chance, but she doesn’t come, you know, surface every hundred years once. So it’s very difficult from the point of time. Or then on the if the ocean surface of ocean is very small and there’s much more on a chance, but vast, and the whole universe becomes like an ocean, it will be huge.
On the vast. All that so therefore, it’s difficult from that, from the point of view. And then, you know, also, if the golden yoke stays somewhere in all the time, same place, then it’s a little, you know, easier to know know to or looking for that, but it doesn’t stay in one place. Goes moves everywhere here and there. Other therefore, all these next most difficult.
Or like that where other is the human human our kind of perfect in human life. Order is difficult to obtaining like that. Order here, turtle, a blind turtle, is actually symbolizing the sentient beings. All the sentient beings, and then generally, all the blindness becomes ignorance or certain kind of understanding, truth, realization, lack of that, the ignorance created desire, hatred, all of these by that. So therefore, blind means the on and true on lack of true realization or understanding.
On and on the total on or on the blind total living mostly down there because of these lack of understanding. Also, it means that sentient beings generally live most of life lower down.