My mate. He is when I read about your biography of what have already been the achievements of his lifetime, Geshe-la has written over twelve books. He has written about his guru, Geshe Tenzin Zopa, and written a book about that experience which turned into the acclaimed movie The Unmistaken Child you may have heard of He has taught in centres around the world but he has also become the regional teacher for FPMT centres of this region of the world and we are so fortunate to have Geshe Zopa as our teacher in this region because he has such devotion to Lama Zopa Rinpoche and his teachings reflect the same mannerisms and the same attributes of compassion and humility. So we really, really are so fortunate to have you here. And we thank you so much for coming, and we’re really looking forward to the program.
Thank you. So thank you. Page seventy three. Lord to you, I prostrate, with the supreme sign, face, and spotless moon. Homage to you, to you, master.
Thus, like you, the three of those, are not incomparably wise one to you. As ever having great compassion, sons and daughters of the lineage who wish to practice the activities of the profound perfection of wisdom should look upon this correctly and beholding those also as empty of inherent existence. Sharipudra, therefore, because there is no pain and suffering. The unequal, the mantra that term intensifies Thank you. Can you hear for this?
Can? Okay. So to make this very session your time, our time, your effort of being here to be most meaningful, to be most beneficial, as great beneficial as possible. And that’s very much dependent on right motivation, very much dependent on how you set up the intention of this event, of this activity, of this effort, of this gathering, of this time. So if one is able to set up altruistic intention, how the bodhisattvas set their intention before they engage into any activities of their body, speech and mind in order to be most beneficial for the greater number of sentient beings, and that is setting up altruistic intention.
And the altruistic intention is just simply expressing from the depth of your heart that, may my time, may my effort, may my being here, in whatever way, directly or indirectly, be completely for the cause of ultimate happiness of sentient beings, the cause for the ultimate happiness of numberless sentient beings. Not just humans, not just animals, not just formed beings, but as long as there’s a sentient being, they are the object of my benefit to abide them in the state of the ultimate happiness, which is the state of full enlightenment, not just causing them to have a temporal happiness, but causing them to have ultimate happiness. So just expressing that from the depth of your heart, and that becomes your altruistic intention or altruistic motivation. In the sutras, it emphasizes that whether one’s actions of body, speech and mind become dharma or non dharma, virtue or non virtue, is dependent on your intention. Therefore, whether one’s actions of body, speech and mind become altruistic action or altruistic karma, or just a minor karma or minor action, minor merit or not, it’s dependent on your intention.
If you set up altruistic intention, then it becomes the greatest dharma, the greatest action, the greatest virtue. And that, without any choice, affects the numberless sentient beings, whether you know them directly or not. By the power of the frequency of that intention, without any choice, it affects to ripen the result of everlasting happiness in every single sentient being. There are so many formless beings. There are more formless beings than the form beings.
The beings come in the form. There are more numbers of non human beings than the humans, and those formless beings mostly have a certain degree of clairvoyance, which we humans hardly have. These numberless, formless beings, they have the ability to see what you think, understand what you think. And these numberless, formless beings, realizing that you are taking responsibility concerning their well-being wholeheartedly, sincerely, how much joy you can provide for them. Them.
Like yourself, knowing that one of your friends is thinking so kindly about you, only concerning about your well-being, at least with the thought that you are dedicating your time, for one hour, but dedicating for your ultimate happiness. And if you know that, you will be so appreciative, isn’t it? You’ll be so happy, isn’t it, by knowing your friend, thinking like that to you, wholeheartedly loving you, wholeheartedly wanting you to be happy. So they are numberless, formless beings. They have the ability to see what we think.
So if we have this altruistic thinking within less than a minute you cause numberless happiness to numberless beings. Less than a minute. So is it amazing, isn’t it? It is so difficult to make others happy. In our lifetime, our whole life, put effort in making someone happy, but it’s quite hard, isn’t it?
So sometimes we fail to make one happy in our whole life, maybe for a very short time, then after that argument comes. But then knowing there is numberless sentient beings who have clairvoyance, who have a mental capability to see what you think, and you decided to express that altruistic attitude, artistic thinking concerning the ultimate well-being of those noble sentient beings. Sentient is such a marvelous you’ll be very proud of yourself. You’ll feel like you are not bad. You can do a lot of good things.
So sometimes we’re stuck with just a physical level, very much defined benefiting San Jinping in a physical level or verbal level. Or I’m able to say something good so I’m able to make someone happy. I’m to do something physically and I’m to make someone happy and I’m so happy. I did something. But if we define just very much on the physical level, then it’s so limited.
So there’s a definite action of mind, and definite impact that you can bring from the mind power, the mind ability, the ability of the spirit. So therefore, therefore, not just now, but in every day to day, before any action if possible. If not, at least before any virtuous action that you perform. At least find less than a minute time to just express that sincere, altruistic attitude, which can bring immense benefit. And the reward that oneself achieves from that is vast merit.
So, say, Sonam denbe mi, Lama Tsongkhapa said, sonam denbe mi sampa nam jang drub. So those who have merit and their wish will be fulfilled. And Anybody wants to fulfill their wishes, no doubt. There’s nothing wrong with that. See, mountain wishes, spiritual wishes.
So how wonderful to fulfill all those wishes. We want, we instinctively want to fulfill our wishes in life. But then again, it’s so hard to fulfill because the lacking of the causes to fulfill those wishes, which is the merit. And we find in our lives there’s limited ways to accumulate merits. We have many complaints to ourselves, I have no time to practice Dharma, I have no time to do virtues, and no caution that I have no time to set altruistic intentions because I’m caught up with worldly life, samsaric life.
And in fact, it’s not true. Just simply not reminding oneself to express the altruistic intention, which usually doesn’t even take a minute. So if you’re able to, even though the entire day and activities are very much worldly activities, but then again, we can still take advantage of at least fifty percent becoming virtue. At least fifty percent how worldly the activities of our day may be, but with the right intention, fifty percent we can secure to be virtuous. Fifty percent we can take into dharma.
Fifty percent we can take into accumulation of merit, which is the cause of fulfilling our wishes, fulfilling our goal of life, especially fulfilling the goal of our spiritual life, which is enlightenment. And that is counted by the intention. So in Buddhist practice, the intention is supermost important. Not now I started to give teaching on how to set up motivation, but actually I’m just asking to set up an artist’s intention, and then after that I’m supposed to move on to my topic. I’m into set tracking.
But this is very important, you know. I’m sure many of you know, but if there are one or two forgetful practitioners like me, then you need to be reminded from time to time. So you see, it’s very simple. The altruistic intention is very simple, just simply taking a certain degree of taking wholehearted responsibility in your heart and dedicating that activity, that time, that effort for the ultimate benefit of all sentient beings, not leaving out one person, one being. Just count all sentient beings.
So that becomes an altruistic mind, an altruistic intention. And that naturally influences the action of body, speech and mind that comes after that thinking. And it has to express from the depth of your heart, you really mean it. And there are certain signs whether you really mean it or not. So again, in the Paramita Sutras, says that the very genuine one, then naturally whenever you express that thought, that thinking, there’s a goosebumps stand up.
Tear just falls. Not the tear of sadness, the tear of some kind of inspiration. You know, it just becomes like that. It’s a goosebumps, you know, and tears fall like that. If not, at least there’s no idea of self centeredness.
There’s simply you are one hundred percent minute what you are saying, what you are expressing. At least to have that, then that is sincere expression of altruism. So this is our motivation. Worth coming here, and even this one hour or one and a half hour session can become one of the most meaningful times in our life. When we really want to analyze carefully, we are very much far away from virtues and very, very far away from the altruistic virtues.
When we think carefully, we are somehow caught up very much with the mundane way of thinking, and the things we do in our day to day life, including hosting holy objects or being in front of holy objects or being among spiritual brothers and sisters, or even doing charities or some kind of social service. But there’s always, what do you call, contaminated by self-cherishing or self grasping. Then as long as the activities, the actions of body, speech, and mind are influenced or contaminated by self-cherishing and self grasping, and that naturally becomes non dharma. Maybe outwardly it looks like dharma, but then it is worldly dharma, meaning that action won’t become cause for ultimate liberation. It is virtue, it is a cause of happiness, but it is a cause of samsaric happiness, a cause of samsaric happiness.
And in fact, that samsaric happiness, in reality, is not even happiness. It is the suffering of change. So we have accumulated such kind of cause, intentionally or unintentionally, countless times. So therefore, even while we are taking the precious human rebirth, still there are a lot of troubles. Still there are a lot of ups and downs.
The reason is very obvious. We have done so much virtues, that’s why we’ve got this human form, and not only that, we’ve got this precious human form, but then we’ve still got this aggregate that which never perfect, the aggregate that which is constantly degenerating, constantly going towards complete exhaustion, and that is certain. Exhaustion of the entire aggregate is definitely certain. So therefore, we are unable to be free from the mara of death, why we are unable to be free from the mara of these contaminated aggregates is because the virtue that we committed. It didn’t become a cause of liberation.
The virtue that we committed, it didn’t become a cause of liberation or a cause of enlightenment. It is virtue. That’s why we have this human rebirth. Have the opportunity to meet dharma, even an opportunity to have at least a long life within the human lifespan. But at the end of the day, the exhaustion still happens.
Yes, it is a result of virtue, but it’s supposed we had the opportunity, we had the opportunity for the result which is free from the Mara of death, free from the Mara of these contaminated aggregates. So practicing Dharma has to be for the cause of ultimate liberation. We are not pursuing Dharma to have a better saṃsāra. So we are not perceiving Dharma for a more comfortable saṃsāra. For that, we don’t have to put extra effort on practicing Dharma because we already know how to create it.
So that’s why we look at ourselves. Are by project of we know how to create the causes of samsaric existence. We did practise moral disciplines, moral conducts. We’ve been generous in our past lifetimes. Therefore, we have wealth and food to eat and shelter to stay.
And we have all the faculties as a human being, and we also have the ability to experience sensual pleasures. All these are in fact a result of virtue, result of morality, a result of generosity. Those are the main causes of producing human rebirth. Therefore, perceiving dharma has to go beyond this. So therefore, the intention before engaging in any Dharma has to be dedicated for the ultimate liberation.
If not enlightenment, at least liberation from the entire six realms of samsaric existence. So then the purpose of pursuing Dharma practice is fulfilled. So this I can relate to the topic now. So therefore, it’s so important to know that we have buddha nature. So the subject of buddha nature is extremely important to discover.
No doubt that every single sentient being equally has Buddha nature. Everybody has Buddha nature. How cruel the person may be, he has Buddha nature. How tiny the bacteria may be, he has the equal Buddha nature than what you have, what anybody has. And that Buddha nature simply has a potential to become Buddha.
So Buddha nature is the potential to actualize the four bodies of the Buddha, or the Buddha nature is the potential to actualize the omniscient state of mind qualities. The Buddha nature is the potential of all the positive and altruistic qualities. So Buddha nature is the potential that can actualize total freedom from those maras that I just mentioned, the mara of the cognitive aggregates, the mara of death, Mara of delusion, Mara of the defilements. Buddha. Siddhartha became Buddha by destroying the maras.
So the buddha in Sanskrit is referring to a demon, you know, or the maras. So the maras are the maras of death, maras of delusion, maras of contaminated aggregates, and maras of destruction. So because he’s able to destroy, able to overcome that, he becomes a Buddha, which is the state of freedom from these maras. And that’s the Buddha. This is possible because has Buddha nature.
Because Siddhartha has Buddha nature. That’s why this is possible. And the buddha nature that Siddhartha has is exactly the same type of quality or same type of potential that every single sentient being has, including the naughty cockroach. Including the naughty cockroach has the same potential. So there’s no doubt that every single sentient being has the Buddha potential.
Therefore, every single sentient being one day will become Buddha. Every single sentient being will become Buddha. And every single sentient being possible to become Buddha, how bad you think yourself, you definitely one day will become Buddha. And therefore, how bad you think yourself, how unworthy you think yourself, you are equally precious at the Buddha. That make sense?
Very quiet. Yeah, so how unworthy you think of yourself. You see? So, how nasty, how naughty you think of yourself. You equally precious as Buddha.
You’re absolutely equally precious as Buddha. How wonderful to know that. There’s no space for depression. Just knowing this, just knowing, just having conviction that you have Buddha nature, you already got the best protection from all the what do you call this? This common disease called depression.
So, we are not Buddha yet, but we are equal precious as Buddha. You see? And that makes sense, you know, even a cockroach. I think many people are scared of cockroaches, isn’t it? Maybe some are not.
Okay, so you just think whatever creature that you’re scared of, even that creature has the greatest quality that you should be attracted to. The attraction is not something you need to go and grab, but at least treasuring with love, treasuring with compassion, treasuring that I’m scared of a snake. So that snake, you’re scared, okay, that’s the conventional fact. Fine, don’t go and touch. But that doesn’t mean that you should feel nasty about the snake.
You should love the snake from your heart. You should prevent causing any harm to the snake. You should respectfully, because it has the Buddha quality. It has the equal, you know, has the equal preciousness as Buddha. Or don’t even have to say Buddha, there’s something that you admire the most, the best quality that you think.
Since it’s a quality, since it’s a virtuous quality, this snake or this cockroach has that potential. So realizing that every single sentient being has Buddha nature, play the conducive platform in your heart to develop all the positive qualities like compassion, loving kindness. All these qualities will develop. Loving kindness, compassion has to develop on the basis of recognising the preciousness of that living being. If you don’t see the preciousness of a living being, you cannot develop love, you cannot develop compassion.
So you need to develop the preciousness. And the preciousness, which is the aspect of respect, that comes when you see quality in them. So, Buddha nature is the potential. So the, you see, altruistic, omniscient state of Buddhahood has to be developed. It is a mental quality and has to be developed, the common altruistic attitude of the bodhisattvas. And that common altruistic attitude of the bodhisattvas has to be developed through great compassion. And that great compassion has to be developed through the common compassion. And that common compassion has to develop the unconditional love. And that unconditional love has to be developed through the mind of equanimity.
And that mind of equanimity, which is free from the partial attitude from your heart, you know, the grasping towards the loved one, aversion towards the enemy, and total neglect, the neutral state of mind which is free from this partial attitude serve the basis to develop unconditional love or compassion. And that has to be developed you know, the moisture, the emotional, the ordinary love, you know, the moisture. In other words, the emotion, loving emotion that any ordinary being has. That loving emotion. That loving emotion can be a partial one.
It can be love to your partner, love to your parent, love to your children. But that love is the moisture emotion. And that emotional love has the quality, has potential to develop into eventually, develop into the neutral state of the virtuous heart. And that eventually has the potential to develop into unconditional love and compassion and great compassion. And that love, that emotional love, it is the quality of the mind.
It is quality of the mind. And that quality of the mind can be developed into a complete, pure virtuous aspect by seeing the faults of any form of negative emotions. It can be developed totally into virtuous emotional love. And that is possible because the root of that is the conventional, because of having the conventional Buddha nature. And that conventional Buddha nature is none other than the consciousness that is clear and cognizing, which is absolute in the nature of vastness, openness, no sense of partiality.
It’s exactly like an open space. It’s exactly like an open space. It is so vast and it is so infinite. It has absolute clarity in the nature of it. You can draw any sort of picture there.
You can draw a limitless picture. You can display limitless objects or limitless images. And whatever picture that you arrange, it totally can be as if it’s Absolute, what do you call it? Yeah. It becomes absolute characteristic of that vastness and that openness and that space, you see.
So in order to actualize only beautiful pictures, or just say, arrange only beautiful clouds, not dark, stormy cloud, but just beautiful rainbows or clouds or whatever you want to have in this vastness of space. That’s something that we should completely dissolve into it and be absolutely by nature of that vastness, by the quality of that vastness. Similarly, for this mind, you can develop the qualities of virtues up to the qualities of the entire Buddha’s qualities into that mind, into that self. As a person, as a sentient being, the basis of that sentient being played by that consciousness, the existence of that consciousness. And on that consciousness, we have a choice to actualize the entire limitless qualities up to the state of full enlightenment and the qualities of the Buddhas, including the qualities of the four bodies of the Buddhas.
Dharmakāya bodies, Nirmānakāya bodies, Sambhogakāya bodies, all the Rūpakāya bodies. Everything you can just actualize within that state of the vastness and openness, infinite space of the consciousness of the individual. And all the qualities of limitless love, limitless compassion, limitless bodhicitta, limitless kindness. All this can be developed because of the root or the seed or the potential, the absolute nature of our mind. It is totally free from any delusions and negativities or false qualities into that conventional nature of the mind.
In short, conventional Buddha nature is the mind clear and cognitive. That’s the conventional Buddha nature, and that is the one that makes possible that we can develop all the positive qualities up to the qualities of the omniscient. Then the ultimate Buddha nature is the lack of inherent existence of that mind. And again, the lack of inherent existence nature of that mind is equal, it has an equal characteristic of Buddha’s omniscient nature of the mind. So in absolute nature, there’s no difference between Buddha’s and sentient beings.
There’s no difference between Buddha’s ultimate nature of the mind and we sentient beings’ ultimate nature of the mind. From that perspective, again, it makes it possible that we’re definitely possible to become Buddha. Sentient beings are definitely possible to become Buddha because the sentient being or the samsaric being, deluded being, is very much subjective, very much imputed by the mind. By its own nature, it is not diluted. By its own nature, there are no faults.
By its own nature, there’s no suffering. It’s similar to the sky. By its own nature, there’s no cloud. By its own nature, there’s no aeroplane flying in the sky. The clouds and any obstruction that appear in the sky, it is very much arranged by other phenomena, arranged by other faults.
Therefore, since it is not nature of the sky, the cloud can be cleared. As long as the cloud is cleared, then there’s no obstruction. And it’s not because you had to clear the impure nature of the sky. It’s not like that. As long as you recognize what is the obstruction and you clear that, clearing that itself is exactly like a cataract.
You call it cataract? It’s exactly like cataract. It’s just a clear cataract, and the eye consciousness has the ability to see exactly what you can see when you have a good eye. So therefore, why we become sentient beings, why we become not liberated, is because due to not recognizing the cloudy state of obstruction, which are the delusions. As long as we recognize the forms of delusion and how the delusion obstruct the vastness, luminous and the clarity, and cognizing nature — all the qualities are obstructed.
And we engage in the process of clearing that obstruction that itself is the process of becoming Buddha. So becoming Buddha is very much clearing the cloud, clearing the delusion. And as long as you clear the delusion and you just recognize the potential and you just condition it with the right causes or right condition, the absolute root cause is already there. So as long as you give a right condition, then the more extensive effort putting, clearing the obstruction, like the delusion, you get nearer to the Buddhahood. It makes sense?
Maybe my way of explaining, maybe make you more confused. You have a very clear mind, but then my way of presenting makes you very confused. Because I feel a bit confused myself. I don’t know what I’m talking. I wanted to say something but I hear something different.
Okay, so maybe let’s put it this way. Let’s try it the other way. So recognizing Buddha nature is like recognizing the the very good seed, like orange seed. Recognizing Buddha nature is like recognizing the very, very Australian orange seed, not the poor quality one. So, we have to recognize that we have this orange seed, Australian one, organic some more.
You recognize that. Then the job is to go and figure it out, the tropical climate, isn’t it? Or, you plant in the tropical climate, right soil. Even you have good seed, but then your plant on the desert may not grow, or you plant wrong soil or wrong climate may not produce that quality orange. So discovering Buddha nature is discovering the very best seed of the orange.
And it is urgent to discover, you know, it is urgent to discover. Yeah, it is urgent to discover, otherwise the mice will take away. The orange seed will take away by the mice. And the mice is like the delusions and destructions. So it’s very urgent for us, especially us, especially those who have taken precious human rebirth, and we have a certain limited lifespan.
We don’t live forever on these precious human faculties, maybe maximum one hundred and ten, fifteen, or one hundred and fifty. Majority is up to one hundred. And most of us already have weight. So, if we are unable to plant the seed quickly, we may not get a chance to enjoy the orange. So, that’s the first thing.
Have to rush, we urgently have to discover the seed, And that is discovering Buddha nature. Just simply recognizing that I have the same potential like what Siddhartha had. So then the second task is now finding fertile climate, fertile soil, compatible. You say compatible or comfortable? Compatible climate, you know, maybe Queensland.
Like that. So, maybe Queensland more for banana, maybe. So, see, so that is similar. So, you don’t find a correct climate and correct soil to pliancy that very precious seed, you may miss having the fruit. Or you may delay to have the fruit.
So therefore, after finding, after recognizing the Buddha nature within us, then we need to go and look for the suitable conditions to develop that. And the suitable conditions are finding the right guru, finding suitable Dharma practice. All the dharmas are beneficial, but then due to individual mental disposition, not everything can be suitable. So you need to go and figure out what is suitable. And the way to figure out what is suitable is through learning, through studying.
So first, go and discover the place where you can learn, where you have the qualified teacher. Then, listen, read and contemplate on Buddhist teachings. Then from there, you will find that, Oh, this teaching is perfect, suitable for me. And if you apply that teaching, what you learned, what you contemplated, and sum up into a very practical formula or like practical instructions. You may listen to many, many, many teachings, you may read many, many, many Dharma books, but then you summarize into something which just fits to yourself, your way of thinking, your way of understanding, your way of ability, which suits your way of life.
There’s something that you can take while you’re cooking, something that the Dharma instruction that you can take into working life, into parenting life. Whatever way of life you have, that Dharma practice can take into as a parameter, a guideline, as a boundary, to make sure your cooking becomes Dharma. Make sure that with that technique of teaching, can be able to make sure that your cooking becomes Dharma, make sure your parenting becomes Dharma, make sure your working life becomes Dharma, your driving becomes Dharma, your party becomes dharma. Dharma can be so flexible, like that. So you need to find, you know.
Of course, the whole Queensland, you cannot just throw your seed everywhere, isn’t it? You need to find one particular place where you can easily pour water, plant water, because that seed needs to plant water. Easily you can, time to time, compost. Easily you can monitor, check whether kangaroo eating or not. So, you need to organize the in other words, it’s a conducive condition to nurture, develop.
That’s it. Similarly, a conducive condition, which is the Dharma teaching, Dharma practice, in your day to day life to nurture or to develop that buddha nature. The potential is already there, now you develop with those conditions, which is nothing other than purifying negativities, purifying delusions, and accumulating more and more virtuous qualities, accumulating more and more merits. So that too are the job. So that seed that you planted, so then timely water, timely put manure, and timely make sure doesn’t eat.
So, if kangaroo comes, then you just say hello, okay. You can give something else, but not the orange to grow up to this one. So, if you just be consistent looking after that growing seed, within a certain number of months or years, you will have the fruitful orange fruit to enjoy. So similarly, to develop this Buddha nature, it needed a consistent looking after it. And the consistent way of looking after it is lessening the distractions, lessening delusions through the practice of purification, through the practice of protecting our mind from intruding new distractions, new delusions, or protecting our mind of reminding the old delusions, repeating the old mistakes.
In that way, the obstacles to develop the Buddha nature will be lesser and lesser and lesser. And that means the negativities purify more and more, become less and lesser. Then, simultaneously, developing the qualities the virtues, the kindness. From being kind to one person, maybe each day you develop being kind to one more person. So being kind to start with being kind to your partner.
So this is Lama Atisha’s special instruction, a very straightforward instruction. Your objective of practicing bodhicitta or altruism is for numberless sentient beings. Yes, for ultimate enlightenment of numberless sentient beings. But then that, in order that way, fulfill, the practical practice is to practice with the nearest person to you. It could be your children, it could be your partner, could be your parent, or it could be your friend.
Or in your day to day life, a working place, at home, on the road, or at a coffee place, whoever sits next to you. And that is the most important practice to develop your virtue, your qualities to become Buddha, which is like being kind to this person, express love to this person without forgetting your husband, without forgetting your wife, you know, express the neutral, the very universal love, you know, not the relationship, that love. So you express. Then you express, if needed to express compassion, express compassion. If needed to express rejoicement, then express rejoicement.
If someone is sitting next to you, far more happier than you, you know, far more well doing than you, then how to generate compassion? It’s quite difficult to generate compassion. There are a lot of reasons to generate compassion, because it’s still samsaric being, but still, conventionally, not so practical. But then, there’s abundance of other ways to develop your heart, develop your Buddha nature, is by rejoicing his goodness, rejoicing his achievement, rejoicing his good health. So much happiness for him.
And dedicate, on top of that, even dedicate whatever merit that you have, you top up for him to even have better health than that, more successful than what he already has. So these are the new habits that we need to adopt, Because usually we feel, oh, okay. So we start to, you know, roll our eyes, you know, why are you like that? Why are so successful? Why not me?
You know? So, you see, these are all habits. So, need to, know, those are delusions, so we need to eliminate, then develop rejoicement. So if it’s vulnerable, people sitting beside you, then generate compassion. And if it is convenient to express from your speech and body, express it and be mindful.
If it’s not compatible, not convenient to express from speech and body, express in your heart. Because one of the very principal practices of Buddhadharma is being mindful. Because whatever action we do, we have to make sure that doesn’t bring inconvenience to someone. Therefore, always have to engage with skillful means, which is one of the very important Buddhist practice, skillful means. That’s what Lama Atisha advised, that the practical level, then you need to start with someone who is just next to you or closest to you.
And if that fails, then we pray for all beings. We think for all sentient beings, all beings. Not true. You’re so angry with your partner. You just kind of feel so nasty with your partner, instead of someone next to you, then still may all sentient beings abide in happiness, may all sentient beings So that’s worse than a parrot.
A parrot, at least no bad intention. We’re having this intelligence, but then we totally become practical. So therefore, Buddhadharma has to be practical. So this is practical. So we need to start with the nearest person.
So this is a very straightforward instruction of Lama Atisha, and of course all the Buddha’s teachings are like that, and all the great masters’ instructions are like that. And this is logically, with a common sense, understandable, agreeable, you see. So then that way, from a very bad person, just by simply knowing that I have Buddha nature and putting certain degree of effort, you become a good person. And that ordinary good person, watching our mind, like watching the orange seed, orange, you know, whatever you plant, then become an ordinary bodhisattva. And that ordinary bodhisattva then becomes an Ārya bodhisattva.
And that ārya bodhisattva becomes a buddha. You know, becomes a buddha. Therefore, now within this group here, some of you may be already having the orange. Some of you already are Buddha, you know, just pretending. Just pretending to be a samsaric being.
Already Buddha, just checking out what’s happening here. So, then there are a bunch of groups, bunch of people here. You can see the orange. You can see the orange on the No, no, no. No, no, no.
Not yet, not yet plucking. You already see the orange. It’s like those who are already in the ten bhūmi bodhisattva state. When you see the fully ripened orange on the tree,, your saliva drops. You go to the orange farm, you will know.
Especially on that orange tree, there’s some dew, water dew, and then the shiny sun, then you’re just right there. But it’s others’ orange, you cannot pluck. But then, it’s like right there. You can feel the sourness, sweetness, something, even not having it in your mouth. So those are very much like those already reached in ten bhūmi bodhisattva.
You can feel the entire qualities of the Buddha, I mean, not one hundred percent by one hundred percent, but as if you’re already like Buddha. And there’s no, what do you call, Yeah, so already absolute absorption of the highest level of samadhi, just a few moments of transiting that into omniscient state. Meditative absorption, is absolutely in bliss, absolutely only qualities. Even though not Buddha yet, but only qualities. Only qualities.
There’s no defilements. But why not yet Buddha is because you’re not completely eliminated. No more, non existent of how to say it’s like in the dark room, turn on the light, then that light just goes into the daylight. Then that daylight never ceases. It’s like there’s no interruption of darkness anymore.
But that doesn’t mean until the daylight comes, that doesn’t mean the darkness is completely purified. If you’re off the light, it becomes dark. Absolutely coming to daylight, even if you’re off the light, it’s still bright, isn’t it? So the ten bhūmi bodhisattva state. It’s similar like that.
You can experience the quality, the brightness aspect of all the Buddha’s qualities then, but then not enlightened yet, but so some like that. And some of us here, know, just Ārya Bodhisattva state, which has overwhelming bodhicitta. Spontaneous one, realized one. And that also gained on the basis of completely renouncing one’s own saṃsāra and the rest of the sentient beings saṃsāra, and actualize the path and develop the altruism in a fully realized level, with the wisdom realizing emptiness, then you are in the state of Ārya Bodhisattva. And then many of you maybe are ordinary bodhisattva.
Yes, you have gained renunciation, your own saṃsāra and the saṃsāra of the rest of the sentient beings enter into the path, there’s a genuine altruistic bodhicitta. It’s arisen, but then not yet realise emptiness, not yet realize selflessness directly. So those of you, or those of us, can be in the ordinary bodhisattva state. That is very much like you can see the orange, but it’s still very raw, not ripened, fully ripened yet. Some of us here very much renounce your own saṃsāra but are still unable to take the responsibility to renounce the rest of the sentient beings saṃsāra, but still focusing for liberation.
And you are still developing the Buddha nature, but in bit of ordinary way. Then there are some of us that are very much caught up with the outwardly concern, a lot of ego, but at the same time doing a lot of good things. Maybe ego is the one that makes you do a lot of good things. So I want name, then I do this. I want this, I do this.
Or maybe I want good health, I offer light to the Buddha. Or I want long life, I liberate sentient beings, animal liberation. I want long life, then liberate animals. I, I, I, I, I for the sake of I, you do a lot of good things. Still developing Buddha nature, it’s a very baby way.
At least doing something good, better than totally nothing. Maybe many of us fall into that category, but better than nothing. So the reason why I’m saying is we’re just to figure it out which category individually fall into. And if we fall into the very first one, the just now one, then it would take a long time to actualize the purpose of having Buddha nature. It would take a long time to become Buddha.
So we need to eliminate the self centred mind, continue to do good things but try to do with selfless so that our Buddha nature will develop faster. And if we are just focusing on self liberation, then yes, it’s wonderful, but then it will delay a long time. It’s better than the earlier one, but it still delays a long time to actualize full enlightenment. So then you eliminate the self-cherishing. Why focus?
Just now, the earlier one was very much focused on self grasping, which is a very serious obstruction, not only to enlightenment but also to liberation. Then the second one is possible liberation, but it is an obstacle to actualize the full enlightenment, which we already have the potential to get the best. But then, just because of the self-cherishing and just focusing on self nirvana, we won’t be able to take the best potential of our mind. So therefore, then if we realize that is the situation of ourselves, then we should eliminate the self-cherishing. Then all the virtues develop with total selflessness, both self grasping and self-cherishing.
And if we are in the ordinary bodhisattva level, then we need to accumulate more merits. The ordinary bodhisattva, it comes in the category of, from the five paths, it comes in the category of path of accumulation and path of preparation within these two parts, from the five paths. So path of accumulation means it has the great facility to accumulate advanced merits, merit in a much more simple way than in previous times before entering into the path. So therefore, take the opportunity of the path that you have already obtained, very, very genuine renunciation towards your own saṃsāra and saṃsāra of all sentient beings, you’re able to generate a sincere altruistic mind. And that makes you to enter into the path of accumulation.
And now take the opportunity to fully dedicated practitioner accumulating vast merit. And one other way to accumulate vast merit is getting into the practice of six paramitas. The extensive generosity, extensive practice of patience, extensive practice of morality, concentration, joyous effort and wisdom. And this is the best tool, best paramita where you can accumulate extensive merit, especially when you enter into the path of accumulation. You naturally gain so much capability, so much opportunities.
So the moment you enter into a path of accumulation, you gain the ability to even emanate one hundred bodies based on the bodhisattva’s paramita teaching. You can emanate one hundred bodies and travel to one hundred Buddhist realms and receive direct teachings. So those of you who are already there, I’m sure you have experience of visiting other Buddhist realms and receive teachings, so you should share with me, share with us. So, I’m just yeah, anyway, it’s like that. So even though you enter into the path, you are in the path of accumulation.
My time is running. So, what do you call it? We need to be aware, that practitioner has to be aware of negative circumstances. Being mindful of, engaging with the right friends, the right teacher. Even if you are an ordinary bodhisattva, up to achieving a path of accumulation, there is still danger of giving up bodhicitta, giving up the renunciation concerning the old sentient beings’ saṃsāra.
So therefore, even then, you need to mix with the Mahāyāna friends, need to listen to Mahāyāna teachings. When you think about it, then those very beginner ones, the ordinary ones, we have to be even more careful. If our mind is not strong, if we indulge with negative friends, we can be easily influenced. It has even potential for those who enter into the path. And those who are already into the second part, path of accumulation, or path of preparation, then once you about to realize emptiness directly, so that means during the path of accumulation you accumulate so much merit.
Now during the path of preparation, then you focus more on realizing wisdom. path of accumulation, engage more post meditation activities, be more active, engaging with people, with sentient beings, such as practice generosity, etc. But when you reach the second part, then your focus is more on meditating. Try to withdraw the major activities, reduce major activities, then try to get into certain extensive retreats, sessions, meditating on selflessness or selflessness of self or selflessness of phenomena. Short, meditating on emptiness.
And that will that will speed up realizing emptiness directly. So that’s how you achieve path of seeing, the third level of path, you know, path of seeing. So if you know that you are in that stage, then that means your focus should be more on retreats, more on focused meditation, that will help to realize emptiness directly, faster. So then those who are already in the path of seeing, then the focus is now dividing the defilements into different portions. So based on teaching, you divide the defilements, the ignorant defilements, into nine different categories, from the very gross to the subtle.
Let’s say attachment, anger, hatred, whatever disturbing emotion that you have, the gross one, you make one portion. Then more subtle, subtle, subtle, for nine different portions. Then from path of seeing onward, so you divide into two sessions. One is post session, one is meditative. During the post session, gather more merits by engaging into the, from the sixth paramita, by engaging into the five earlier paramitas.
Not only that, checking your negative emotions, the characteristics of negative emotions, and the degree of those negative emotions. So then you just kind of capture those, after searching whatever that you capture into one point, the very first task is to eradicate the most gross level. Then in order to eradicate that, then one needs to engage into the meditative session on emptiness. Because now you already realize emptiness directly at the path of seeing. So from the first moment of the path of seeing, you engage into these two different types of sessions post session and meditative session.
So during the meditative session, you directly open onto emptinessto emptiness. Know, directly open onto emptiness. Within a meditative session, there are two levels. The first level, directly open on. The second level of meditative equipoise, totally overcome.
The first is like first, in the dark room light comes in, you turn on the light. The second method, you make sure to sustain until the daylight comes. So that is the first moment of Meditator Equipoise. The moment the daylight comes, then only you are completely eliminating the darkness within that twelve hours or whatever. And that way, can awaken into the post meditation.
Then again, now what level you need to tackle the negation or the delusion. Then it comes with the second degree, the second more subtle, where the growth is subtle. So that divides into nine portions. So that’s how you progress from path of seeing to path of meditation. Nine different sessions of meditation equipoise, nine different sessions of post meditative sessions, and that will bring about total elimination of the entire delusion and defilement, including the imprint of it, and actualize the path of no more learning, which is the state of path of Buddha, then become Buddha.
So that’s how you destroy the five maras. That’s how you develop your Buddha nature up to becoming Buddha. Okay, I stop here. So the last part, yeah, it’s a little bit tricky for some people. Those who feel tricky on that, no need to think about it.
The only thing that every one of us try to keep in heart if we want to become Buddha faster, if we want to we will become Buddha, but if you wish to become faster, then be consistent in purifying, lessening the delusions and, you know, consistent in gathering more virtues, you know, our system is completely filled up with the virtue and completely purified the non virtues. Then that’s how we develop our Buddha nature and we eventually become Buddha. So like that. Okay, thank you. Any questions?
Anything not clear? If no questions, then we can start. Okay, sure. Do you have any advice on postures during meditation or any other negativity? Meditative posture, you mean?
Posture. Oh, it depends on the individual. Usually, the common way is seven Vairochana meditation posture, but that is just one thing. You can see Green Tārā, how she sits. Her right leg stretched out, left leg stretched in, with a very relaxed manner of his or her hand.
If that suits you, that’s perfect. If you feel very comfortable lying on the bed, that’s a very good posture for you. If you feel standing up, walking around in the room, if that is suitable for you, that is perfect. Because meditation is very much meaning habituating the virtue in our mind. So whatever helps to clear the distraction for your mind to habituate with virtue, and whatever helps you to habituate your mind with virtue, and that is the perfect posture.
Just to give you an example, there’s one meditator. This is maybe I don’t know the exact time, but maybe during the Kadampa Master, such as Geshe Langri Tangpa, around that time. So there’s one meditator who is using this seven usual meditation posture, Vairochana meditation posture. So he meditated for so long and is not gaining any realization. So then he had some concerns, so he went to seek advice from another meditator who claimed to have clairvoyance.
So then that meditator says that your past life was a cow, and this life’s physical channel is very much affected by your past life’s the physical posture and channel. Now, if you meditate lying down exactly like how a cow lies down, then there is a chance for you to gain realization. Your mind will be very serviceable, and that serviceable mind very much depends on the good flow of the winds and the inner channels and physical outer system, the nerve system, blood flow. Everything needs to depend on each other. Other.
I asked him to go and lie down like a cow. So after he did that, the same meditating, the method is the same, but the physical posture he changed. Instead of sitting so serious like that, he lied down like a cow, and he gained the realization. So, this is the proof that it depends on the individual. In fact, all the Dakinis, dakas, buddhas, deities, there are so many different postures out there.
Can imagine just in that thangka, even the Seven Medicine Buddhas, they have so many different postures, all different hand postures, all are meditation posture. You can choose. For me, lying on the bed is best. Honestly, honestly, for me, I think if my monastic friends know this, I may get scolding. If my teacher knew this, and they’re omniscient, they may know, but they only keep quiet maybe.
I do my prayers in the bed, and I do my daily prayers. I try to finish my all daily prayers before I start any activities, daily activities. And that activity counts including brushing teeth. Nobody will suggest like that. They say, Oh, in order to do meditation, you must brush teeth, you must sit properly, you must offer the light, incense, wear properly, then you start your practice, isn’t it?
Usually, may say like that. And for me, the moment I go to brush my teeth, my distraction has already increased. And there’s a reason, you see. If you wish to practice, also in the retreats and in day to day life, if an individual wishes to practice, try to have less liquid at night. Because if you drink a lot of water before going to bed, the first thing in the morning you want to go to the toilet.
So just going to the toilet, it affects because our mind is so fragile. The moment one activity, your concentration reduces. For me, the moment you wake up, instantly, without any other thinking, without any other consideration, including toilet, know, going into a generation of motivation, then the rest of the whatever practice you can do. For me, way, make it solid. And it took quite some time to get into it, get into the real focus without any other thoughts intruding, any other thinkings or feelings intruding.
Because what I wanted to do is, eventually the first thought when you wake up, first thought directly goes into setting the motivation. So it takes time, but it’s possible. Eventually, it’s possible. So therefore, maybe sometimes my feet are like that in the bed, waking up. It doesn’t matter.
Whatever manner you wake up, the morning you wake up and of course, I don’t wake up sitting up like that. I wake up lying down. So I try to do the prayer there. And that, I think, suits me, and I feel beneficial. So that’s my meditation posture, and that’s my morning practice.
So it depends on the individual. Thank you. Maybe some people are joking. I think their mind becomes very concentrated, maybe. If your first activity is the best fresh mind is right after get up and go for jogging, then while jogging, then you meditate.
While jogging, you meditate on compassion. While jogging, you can meditate on maybe not so possible for training single pointed concentration, but any analytical meditation or any meditation on cultivation, like love, kindness, compassion, all this, you can do while you’re jogging. And some people maybe, the moment you cook, the moment you go into the kitchen, you become so concentrated. Your mind just withdraws from all the past and future activities. And yes, your one portion of mind is dedicated to cook, but the rest portion of mind is so free, you just engage into developing compassion or kindness or whatever, you can also do that.
So it depends. Because some practitioners, they are so used to counting the mala. The moment you count, your entire mind is gathered. Your mind withdraws from all the activities, other activities, especially thinking of the past activities and future activities. And the moment you do like that, then of course there’s a certain degree you have to spend for this, but then the rest of the mind becomes serviceable what you want to meditate on.
So you will know. The individual will know. But sometimes you need to check it out, what works for you without yourself checking out, you don’t know what is your talent for meditation. Wheel of Sharp Weapons. So how to reduce the current samsaric accumulation now?
Is meditation part of the mala? Just gathering any virtue becomes an antidote to eliminate or purify current and past saṃsāra, and also gives protection to future samsaras. And also any form of purification practice, like even reciting one Vajrasattva mantra or doing one prostration, also becomes an antidote. If you want to make it more specific and more effective, then try to apply direct antidotes. Because any Dharma is an antidote for any negativities, any saṃsāra, but then there are specific antidotes like anger.
The moment you want to purify, you want to purify anger, then if you meditate on patience, then it becomes more effective for that. If it’s about ignorance, then try to meditate on emptiness, then it becomes more effective. About miserliness, then generosity. Generosity. Jealousy, rejoice, rejoicement.
Generally, all Dharma is an antidote for any saṃsāra, any negativity, but at the same time there are specific direct antidotes. So you can apply that way. So with the antidote, sometimes the delusions are a little sneaky, they sort of catch you, you might be watching the issue, you have a bad thought. Is the direct antidote enough just to then recognise that and then have the effect of the thought, or is that enough to counter? Yeah.
So Recognising negative as a negative is the first step. That’s what I said in Lama Tsongkhapa, First recognize the negation, then you negate it. If anger arises, then you just have to recognize this is anger. Then you apply. That angry mind tries to replace with the patient’s mind.
Or if the patient’s mind is not coming immediately, but at least any form of virtue. Any form of virtue in the sense just simply by thinking of the faults of this angry mind. The moment the idea of faults of angry mind itself is a virtue. Do you think it’s possible to become a Buddha as a lay person or ultimately to take monastic? Oh, no, no, no.
You’re a lay person, definitely. Equally possible. Yes, of course. The monastic life, you know, maybe more restriction in general level, more restriction from indulgence in samsaric worldly life. So that makes it more productive.
Because of the vow, there’s so much restriction. So it just put yourself in a position to be mindful in so minor things, so not to be influenced by the world you’re concerned. So that individual sangha is able to do perfectly in that, then it’s more conducive to practice. So the more you practice, the faster you can become. But then, that is like comparing in general.
But then individual level, one layperson and one Sangha, maybe that layperson can be much better than the Sangha. One lousy Sangha like me and one great practitioner like yourself have Buddhist vows, refuge, lay vows, Buddhist vows, and you are so serious into that practice. Even though I may have this fully ordination vow, I’m transgressing in many ways, I have the label of Sangha, but your Buddha would be a thousand times faster. Again, I think it depends on the individual. Equally have opportunity.
Yes, please. Yeah, how to say? Whether more people become whether majority of sentient beings become Buddha or go to the lower realm is very much determined by the amount of virtuous karma and negative karma. If more people accumulate, more beings accumulate more virtues, then the possibility of becoming Buddha is more than going to the lower realm. But then if more people choose to accumulate more negative karma, then it’s their choice to go more down there, more to the lower realm, or delay it for enlightenment.
Up to now, I think more people choose to remain in saṃsāra than becoming Buddha, so it’s very much individual choice. There are so many people who feel saṃsāra is quite enjoyable. Did I answer? Those beings could possibly never be Buddhist. No, in order to become Buddha, no need to be Buddhist.
In order to become Buddha, no need to be a Buddhist. Agree. Okay. Yeah, so in order to become Buddha, no need to be Buddhist, just need to be altruistic. Without being altruistic, there may be no chance to become Buddha.
But you don’t have to have that label, so called as I’m Buddhist, to have an altruistic mind. Does that make sense? Altruism. So I think what defines the individual as a Buddhist or non-Buddhist based on whether you have refuge in Buddha, Dharma, Sangha or not. And that is individual choice.
Even if you wish to become Buddha. But I think there’s no choice that I don’t want to practice altruism, I don’t want to develop great compassion or compassion, but I still want to become Buddha, then that’s not possible. Everyone okay? You got something? You think so?
Okay, you must get something. Or you at least need to feel a bit confused, so that you will explore later. They say, Oh no, no, very numb. Then maybe a bit, I fell, you know. They say, I’m very numb, I don’t know what you’re talking about.
They say, Oh, today, you know, you make me confused. Oh, okay. Confusion can be cleared. So anyway, thank you very much for your time, for your effort. It’s very meaningful.
You make my life so meaningful, and I hope you also feel your time has been meaningful. Discussing Dharma and in particular having discussion on altruism in every practice of Mahāyāna teachings, especially Mahāyāna training teachings talks about the limitless benefit, just even voicing one single time of altruism, accumulated so much good energy, so much merit in individual level, in environmental level. So, no doubt that we accumulate so much merit. So we dedicate this while reciting the concluding prayer, again, for the numberless sentient beings, fully enlightenment, and also dedicate this merit for all the good people, good beings, compassionate beings, you know, to have a long life, good health, you know, to actualize their wishes accomplished. Also dedicate for each and individual of your family members to actualize altruism, actualize ultimate liberation, and may you become the cause for their enlightenment.
And if any of the members, families who are not well, who are in hospital, or who pass away, then dedicate this collective merit. It’s so powerful. Collective merit. Dedicate for them to recover and have a meaningful life. And those who pass away, to have a meaningful rebirth, continue to develop altruism.
Then also dedicate for each individual of us here, always have conducive conditions to develop altruism, develop this Buddha nature, and quickly become Buddha to benefit numberless sentient beings. And also dedicate this merit for the great cause of world peace, happiness, virtues, like His Holiness the Dalai Lama, like Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and all your teachers, all your inspirational figures to have a long life, good health. This center, all the committee members, all the volunteers, each and every one of you here, have a long life and good health. And in particular, dedicate for Bill, whose life is dedicated to serve the Buddhadharma, preserve the Buddhadharma, to actualise and fulfil the wishes of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and enlightened gurus, and truly to benefit numberless sentient beings, in particular the sentient beings from this region, to have ultimate happiness. So, just due to the past karma, and also by the power of the practice, such as the practice of Tonglen, taking and giving, because of Bill himself having so much compassion, so much altruistic mind, taking this health situation as a platform, as a tool to actualize Buddhahood even faster.
Therefore, if it’s more beneficial for his enlightenment to recover, then to recover fully as soon as possible. In whatever way, may he be happy, he have a perfect, meaningful life as he already has, without delaying actualizing the state of full enlightenment. Like that. Thank you. So we can do the short prayer.
Please turn So we can do flat, no need to tune. We can just read flat. You can just read it, no need to do the tune. Okay, thank you. Have a good night.
Thank you. Thank you.