Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 52-minute talk, Lama Thubten Yeshe gives direct, practical guidance for students about to enter a Chenrezig retreat. He starts with the mental groundwork — developing a felt understanding of the futile, repetitive nature of samsaric life — so the retreat begins with real determination rather than a half-wandering mind. He then walks through practical preparation: clearing all worldly obligations beforehand; restricting letters, newspapers, and visitors; organising food and supplies so nothing is missing. He covers the daily schedule (one-hour sessions, never longer, starting around 5–6am), food restrictions (no meat, garlic, or eggs; dairy is fine), and the setup of the meditation room and shrine — a clean orderly space, a separate meditation seat, water-bowl offerings, incense and candle lit each session, dorje and bell on the altar. Pitched at practitioners who have already received Chenrezig initiation.
File metadata (for organising)
File: Retreat Advice – LY.mp3
UUID: 2343d137-0699-4981-955e-fe1ba7b686cc
Teacher: Lama Yeshe
Collection: Audio Recordings — Lama Yeshe Memorial
Date: 1984 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 52.1 minutes
Words: ~4,791
Model: Deepgram Nova-3
People. This time, individual, isn’t it? Individual. Yeah. Yeah.
Individual. So So you receive the, usually you receive, you know, the Chenrezig initiation and how to practice the Chenrezig these things you know already before you receive past the beginning. Once you put everything, preparation and satisfaction, It means, I mean, it means, you know, you bought a good start. You know, you you bought a house actually, you must do your business things, you know, clear up. You know?
There’s no one to say, You know? Before the supposedly, I have to see my friend before I stay in meditation. You know? And and whatever you could do. You know?
So I can do all sort of you know? Or before, you know, these things, I should write, you know, something something like that. We always have sort of extra, you know, things, you know, to do, you know, wandering mind. Under those kind of condition, such, you know, sort of, you know, expectation, you know, extra things, you know, sort of, you know, I didn’t done sort of, you know, and this kind of, you know, uncomfortable mind. And the shit is not so good.
They always have something bother because mind is not fulfilled. The heart mind is in Sydney, and our body is here. So you know? And then really start problem. You say, oh, I can’t.
You know? Anyway, I can’t. You know? Anyway, I can’t stay here. So then figure out, you know, easily.
But before you do, so why? You know? Before you do, at least, I mean, you should have sting of saṃsāra, isn’t it? You understand what I mean? Oh, you know, Sydney, I go.
Yes. I spend a lot of time. I did, did, did, did. More of them is this, did, did, did.. Even I go big, I go go this trip. I know definitely.
You know? I can see Puja all gonna do. So that’s you know? I mean, useless. You know?
Useless. You know? There’s no really, you know, new thing to dream. You know? All things again, again, again, again, again.
Samsāra too. You know? Such an uncontrolled action. So that, therefore, by recognize the nature of saṃsāra and having renunciation, you know, to cutting the root of saṃsāra. You know, completely cutting, you know, completely cutting the root of saṃsāra.
There’s no implication. Even if somebody, you know, most excitement, you know, boyfriend or girlfriend come, say, have super excitement, you know, super saṃsāra. You know? I said, wait a minute. You know?
I have, you know, my retreat. You know what I mean? Have to have this kind of standard knowledge of wisdom, not just emotion pushing yourself into, you know, some closet, you know, a house, you know, or. You know? You want to be physically, but the mind, still wanders, still wanders.
The sensation of Samsāra. No. You know you know what I mean. You know, actually, we all know. You know?
You know? I mean, whatever we do, business or business, it’s just to go we call it, isn’t it? What are we gonna do here? We all know, isn’t it? We see people talking, maybe mostly nonsense, isn’t it?
You know? Or families, fathers, and mothers, whatever we’re talking. Everything is most time is useless. You know? Life is useless.
So, therefore, you know, the no expectation, you know, with a great determination past the beginning. You know? On such that, you know, you know, this retreat. You know? I’m not going, you know, bravely outside.
You know? I want my mind totally unified with it. You know? Have a look at, you know, divine the speech of mind. So strong, you know, need motivation.
Yeah. We always say, you know, you do have heart. You know, problem is how mind made problem. You know, you say heart. You you say, could you say, So that nature is split.
So the split mind is fine. Two things fine always. You know? So then figure out. That’s all.
Really need, you know, strong understanding why I do this retreat. You should feel you really absolutely worthwhile to reach it. But it’s so need, so necessary. I mean, worthwhile. You have to know completely.
I’m worthwhile. You know? Just unfortunate. Just one month or two month, you know, and retreat and putting myself, you know, into, you know, stone, you know, action of, you know, wisdom rather than always want to want to do always touch, you know, the honey. You know?
Always touch, you know, touch here and the honey really have, you know, difficult to really have. You know? Yes. You know I mean? When you touch her, her hand could sneaking here.
You know? So so, you know, some kind of action related. Every action is like that. We all know. So, therefore, you know, so what do I do?
Oh, no? Oh, so you must thank, you know, really with great determination. No expectation. Even if, you know, just, you know, I can’t get realization, you know, completely enlightenment. Or does not matter with the world.
Just I, you know, do such action without, you know, involving such, you know, completely uncontrolled. Every moment is uncontrolled situation, And then somehow I control, you know, feeding myself, you know, making peaceful, you know, tranquility as much as possible. Relax myself. You know? One time.
That conclusion is so. So waste time. Of all the saṃsāra things, it is waste time, but not completely. Produce more problems. Adding more problems.
So so we all know. So if you know that kind of situation however, you know, if you know the nature of Samsāra, you know, sitting perfectly. There’s no, you know, distraction. It is just sitting, you know, doing the, you know, routine. But if you are have much trouble much trouble, you mind wanting.
You know? You know? Think about, you know, so, oh, if I move, you know, I go have good time. You know? I have dinner, you know, boyfriend, girlfriend.
I can do this, that, that. Just completely, you know, because, you know, you don’t realize. You don’t realize that situation is a confused situation. But there’s some sort of way thinking that that is a good time, isn’t it? But, actually, if you check with wisdom, it’s still, you know, confusing.
It’s really not, you know, wisdom action. We all know, actually. We are really honest. You know? We all know.
Even we think, oh, I had a good time. We say, isn’t it? We said, you know, if you really checked out, still, you know, some sort of old story. Oh, those kind of things, dear. It’s really you know, you have strong, you know, motivation with a really understanding true nature of your own, you know, saṃsāra and also way of related everything.
Everything you related saṃsāra. Okay. I have, you know, I mean, good time. Example, I spent the last month, I spent, you know, with my boy friend, with my family. I have good time.
Sort of, you know, these kind of things. You know? Check out you how this good time is really worthwhile. We all know this. You know?
Candidly, we have this kind of experience, but still end up with ignorant. We are out of control, you know, and discipline in the mind. Therefore, for the one time, I come to make discipline from a to put my for the stream of mind into peaceful power strongly. Okay. And getting this kind of, you know, opportunity is the most worthwhile.
So, you know, at least, you know, that kind of, you know, enthusiastic, you know, motivation you should have. Good. Then much easier. So then automatically cut so many wanted things in action. You know?
We first think of action, we do. Example, I have to write down. Oh, you know, very important. I didn’t tell him how to do this one. Oh, know, I have everything to write down.
You know? You understand what I mean? Always we do this kind of thing. So, know, you completely cut no letter. No letter writing.
No newspaper reading. No old fashioned magazine reading. That’s all. There’s no interest. We all know.
We did all this too. So cut all the connection, which makes you mentally agitated connection. You know? Doing that. And also, you know, quite peaceful.
The house, you know, a place should be very quiet, peaceful as much possible. Because we are not strong enough. That’s a confused ability we control. So we try to control the world. We are beginner.
You know? We are we are baby. Don’t worry to go. So, therefore, we baby mind need, you know, good condition, quiet peaceful environment. It gives, you know, really, you know, natural feeling, reality feeling rather than, you know, know, the show big, you know, hallucination, you know, which you put into the, you know, projection of mind.
So easier. I mean, one way we say, you know, sometimes we are stupid. You know? We stay, you know, meditate. We want to meditate in this thing.
We put ourselves in such a complicated place. You know? Just like all connected is like burning fireplace. You put yourself. Then say, oh, I can’t do anymore.
You know? Then you complain in your slip. If you put the finger here in the fire, then you say complaining, oh, I’m burning, burning, burning. You know? If you put yourself, you know, in your, the nature is burn it’s it’s natural.
So the same thing, dear. If you which way you want to develop, you choose your own mental You choose your own, you know, space. And you should you choose your own shoes, which is to feed well with your feet or mine. Isn’t it? So simple.
You know? Very simple. Okay. If you are control enough, dear. Oh, you can go, you know, city.
You know, you can you you can keep control vibration for others. But if you are weak, you know, you know, surround everybody gives uncontrolled vibration. You know? Then you lose lose to your, you know, small candle wisdom also. So it becomes a, you know, super market in some sort of situation yourself.
You know? Okay. I I think simple. That’s the one. Okay.
You understand now? It’s so simple, I think. Oh, it’s sole psychomorphic thing. And Tibet, even if, you know, sort of, you know, two to three months, you know, they go in retreat. They buy all their things already.
Tibet called tsampa. You know? tsampa is barley and tea. You know? Not too much.
You know? It’s, you know, basic thing they already they they have connect already put there. And then normal people meeting. You know, and not not things, you know, taking out, you know, you know. Don’t allow.
Don’t allow. You know? So many things in your room, and then sometimes, you know, taking out, sometimes being out. Don’t allow. Just perfectly put in, you know, with the orderly.
And don’t put, you know, which is, you know, attachment, you know, you know, mental disorder, the object where you go in your your meditation room. And it always clean need putting order so that so simple. You know, some some rooms are you go visit your friend. You know? It still make you really, you know, sort of, you know, shaky.
You know? The way of setup is room. You know? Everything is disorder or too heavy vibration. Completely, you become, you know, agitated.
So you know? It is effective. It’s very important. Very important. Yeah.
You should not put, you know, the attachment, you know, object, you know, around you. Put, you know, you know, lot of lot of Buddhist, you know, image who meditate, who give you really energy, you know, energy, wisdom energy. I mean, it’s so simple. When we when we look at, you know, people’s house, you go. All the pain you know, tending, you know, where they’re putting together at their house, you know, you you you can see his interesting, you know, Interesting.
Yeah. Interesting mind. Object is manifested outside. You You understand what I mean? His room.
Same thing. It’s very much effective. You know? Visualization is very important. This is a psychology.
Yeah. Even if the shopkeepers do know already. You know? Shopkeepers who or shopkeepers who want to, you know, sell want to come so many peoples to buy. And shopkeepers make, you know, such, you know, maybe handyman or, you know, beautiful lady, something.
You understand? Put him in a set, a show. So the everybody try to pay attention and try to sell. Those kind of things they do. Isn’t it?
In the worst they do, that is psychology, really. They’ll know some study with visualization. You know what I mean? It’s so true. It’s so scientific.
Isn’t it? I mean, this is so scientific here. If you interpret it into psychological, is it really the mind? Yeah. It’s so funny.
You think some side of people’s mind, you know, really so funny. Completely. You know, look it. Even if he’s not consciously, I tell you, even if he is not consciously, he come there. Unconsciously, you’re watching the show.
Or he or he he or I’m not sure. You know, it’s really too much, I think. You know? So really check up with me. So very important is and, also, you don’t need, you know, so many people.
Perhaps you rent it. You know? Example, maybe if you rent it, you know, okay. You you make decision. Actually, make decision.
In Tibet, we make decision. Okay. Who going I’m gonna meet? You know? We said putting you know?
Putting something like that. You know? Keep it somewhat. Means it. Example, I have to, you know, accept my sister to see or accept my mommy.
You know? My father accept or my servant accept. Something like that. So you put these kind of people are gonna see if they necessarily come. That’s one no.
So you you have idea. You know? Example, you have, you know, somebody bring you fruit for you. That one, you you think before you, you know, cutting. You know?
Retreat. You say, okay. I’m gonna see this. I’m gonna talk about that in a such a. That’s one.
No. I’m not going to see. It’s very useful because when you contact more contact, that brings, you know, some sort of information. You know? Some sort of information.
They they they don’t bring wisdom information. You know? And then more more agitation, polluted, you know, projection, more hindrance instead of giving wisdom. I think you people know.
So the better, you know, the advice is not meeting so many people. During that period. Oh, so before, you know, you you have to ready food organized and everything organized. No confusion. Food, what are you going to eat?
Everything’s organized. You know, there’s no expectation that are coming or I have writing or I have see no expectation. Completely come. So the all the equipment, what you necessarily think, everything okay. Okay?
Everything alright? Everything okay? Check up. Everything okay? Then nothing I need anymore now.
So you have to discover. You know? There are nothing you need. Everything in I have in in this room now. So when you have that kind of mind, you’re not wanting you’re not going your mind in, you know, supermarket anymore because you know what what do you mean.
Everything is there. Everything there. You’re not missing. Then, actually, you’re going now, you know, the we’ll. Example, tonight or tomorrow morning, you’re gonna.
Prior to two ninety, you go if you go and you go go begin in maybe seven, you know, until eight. Or tomorrow, you call beginning eight, maybe from five or or six o’clock something. I think we are wasting here. Isn’t it difficult to get up early? There is problem.
Even if you get up early, of course, effort, then the problem. You understand what I mean? You know? The problem. So go sort of very middle part.
Middle part. In Tibet, you know, they retreat, but they get out about two, three. Get out early. Until, you know, eight, they they retreat. You know?
Completely sitting that way. Oh, I think that doesn’t matter. But I won’t lie you you people to about, you know, four no. No. Five or six cloth, you get up If you start, you know, before you’re doing this, you know, you do your room.
You completely make clean, So clean, sweeping outside, inside, and you decorate. You you put, you know, puja. Know? Man, want to put in the vase to puja and make a small. You know?
Puja put, you know, the flower distinct, you know, to make fantastic. Okay? Oh, all rosary. Rosary, oh, what is it? Rose flower.
Rose flower, perform you buy and put them all and. No. I’m joking. I’m joking. That one.
You know? However, you know, you may give. Fantastic. You know? There’s no dirty, you know, smelling impression inside of your room.
Should not give. Perfectly clean. That’s all. Oh, yeah. And then incense, you know, the candle is ready.
Each session, you should light one candle, one incense. It is good for you know? And the incense is super light and, you know, pure, you know, pure pure pure energy of body, speech, mind. Mhmm. Or morality, in other words.
You know? Morality. Oh, you know? And the, you know, candle symbolizes wisdom light. So it it gives, you know, energy.
External object gives in symbolic inside energy, it gives. And, also, if you have dorje and bell, you put it from your table dorje in the bell. If you have, if you don’t have, you don’t necessarily put. Even if you just draw and put, you know, dorje bell, you put the, you know, and the rosary. Everything you know, make sure.
And the rosary, you don’t check, you know, a bathroom and outside this thing. Doing the routine. You you count right there, and then you you session finishes, you put it on the table, front of your table like that. Put it in. Okay.
Don’t allow to take outside. And and the order you put, you know, the picture or whatever you put there, and you make, you know, water offerings, seven bowls. I think the those is so simple. You know already. Mhmm.
Okay? Those put in. Morning every morning, you change the, you know, order. You change new. It’s very useful.
You know? Why? Usually, often is you know, there’s nothing available to generate merit. You know? We have so much attachment.
Many times when we give to you know? That’s it. We give with attachment spiritually. You know? Attachment is sneaking completely, you know, unified with what you I’ll give, you know, is going others.
You know? But, you know, the water water giving no expectation. Maybe a little bit of walk, even a little bit of walk. You know? You know?
That’s all. You know? It’s so useful and often, especially what I have to look at. What I have to all energy, jewel energy contained inside. You know?
Pressure’s joule. You know? And the poor element. Water quality has very precious quality, anyway. And when you offer and you bless it, Remember?
You bless it. And the symbol of, you know, the real offering of body, speech, mind. I think you know it. So, you know, actually, what you’re offering is that you put the offering, it looks outside. But when you actually offer, it becomes a mental, the blissful offering and confession of the wisdom.
You operate. So you do. You know? And, also, you do not think, you know, oh, offering is the only really inside offering. So, therefore, I don’t need outside of something.
That is the only ritual. That lazy mind says. You understand? Lazy mind said. Actually, do action too.
Action. Your own action doing is more beneficial. Okay. What do I do? Mhmm.
All you do? Unless, I’ll go and say, unless, you know, if you are totally in the. You haven’t got the time, anything, you know, outside to do, then that is okay. That is okay. That’s more important.
I agree. Yes. But you have plenty of time to do, you know, other things you don’t have time for to put your making your good order. That is, you know, shows some sort of, you know, the value, the judgment, if, you know, a misconception. So okay.
Good. Oh, also, you know, what do you make tea? You make you know, morning always make you tea. So you put offering one, you know, small thing before you put your cup. You offer it.
Isn’t it so simple? And lunchtime, you have made food. Instead of the pasta you’re eating, you you put some order and place it. You know? It’s useful, really.
Useful. It lose to, you know, attachment, developing, you know, really, you know, function of, you know, paramita, generosity. Okay? All useful if you could do those things. If you, you know, couldn’t do the not the the most important.
Mhmm. Then you should have comfortable bed. You should make, you know, super comfortable bed. Look. Big side here is a little bit higher.
This this side is higher. This is a little bit lower. Makes very comfortable. You know? This side is higher.
Little bit little bit little bit lower. I think, you know, you could go sleep in that way. You know? Okay. Comfortable.
Very comfortable. And underneath underneath, you know, bed, you put the oh, yeah. What do you call this one? Okay. You put that one.
Yes. That you can do drawing by by, you know, car, by, you know, the some some wider stuff, you know, or you can do or there’s stuff you can do or or you can do the today, we do this even. You know? You make life like that. You know?
This way. This way. This way. It it symbolic. Symbolic.
Symbolic. Even bat is not like yo yo. You know? If ball if bat is like yo yo, and and who are sitting you is like yo yo. You know?
Board, look. When the ocean is moved, you know, board automatically moved. You know what I mean? You know? You can see.
So the same thing. Buddha reach enlightenment at the, you know, the vajra seat, isn’t it? Enlightenment is not easy. Any place can can can reach enlightenment, you know, and certain particular place. So, therefore, symbol of this — this one is symbol of authority, indestructible.
So this is symbolized indestructible diamond energy. So indestructible place and sitting indestructible, you know, pure, you know, nothing can disturb the attitude. And it reaches enlightenment. Mhmm. So simple.
Meditation mat, not bad. Mat, not important. Okay?
Okay. Better. Also, you you, you know, the meditation sitting place should be separate from the, you know, sleeping bed. Yes. It’s not not good.
You know? It’s normal also. You know? Normally in your house, actually, better not meditate whatever your bed is. You know?
Bed is has some, you know, impression, vibration. So you set up, you know, some, you know, shining room sort of, you know, some corner. You set up nicely, you know, putting your cushion. Only you meditate. Know some type is different totally.
It did not go really. If you check up, it’s not go unless you have, you know, fantastic, you know, the realization of bodhicitta. Then maybe to go together, isn’t it? That together go is very difficult. Very difficult.
Okay. Mhmm. So Okay. Now maybe food. You know?
We talk about food. Food is you know? This is a Kriyā tantra, I think. Kriyā tantra. The yoga tantra has first one Kriyā tantra, isn’t it?
For division, for school. So this is a clear. Therefore, very much in sort of, you know, concern what what should eat, you know, food? What shouldn’t eat food? Eat I think garlic is you know, should not eat definitely.
Garlic, you know, really not good. We all we all know. And garlic is, you know, sort of making, you know, soup. You know? Too much.
You know? Too much. Maybe too much moving. Too much fulfilled, maybe, the all the your nervous system. System.
It’s very, you know, heavy or other, you know, too much moving. Nervous system too much moving. Anyhow, it’s not good. And then no meat at all. This this period, you know, when you are in retreat that time, the rule is.
You know? That period, you cannot have meat. Okay? And particularly, you know, the the chicken, you know, pork. Oh, those are really not good.
And fish, you know, those things particularly, you know, is not so good. Yeah. Never can help. I’ll do that. I think Australia onion.
Onion is, you know, is not not so much intense. So it doesn’t matter. You know? You can do Australia, I mean, you know, it’s not really strong too much. I think you’re alright.
If you want to do, you have. If if you doesn’t matter. You know? You know? Okay.
Better don’t have. Okay. Do you want, do you have? Mhmm. And maybe if some strong, you know, which makes gas and also making, you know, bad smell.
You know? Those kind of things that I don’t have. I think food is it. That’s all. Eggs.
Yeah. Eggs don’t allow. To have eggs, you know, don’t allow. Yeah. Mhmm.
Yogurt. Pardon? Of course, milk, cheese, yogurt. You know? Those, you know, pure white food, we call it.
White food. Okay? You should have, like, and vegetables or whatever it is. You know? And the muesli.
You can have that. Uh-huh. You can have it. No. No.
Processed meat is not. Mhmm. You can have it. And you know, chocolate. Yeah.
Sure. Yeah. It’s it’s very necessary. You know? My advice.
You know, you should keep healthy, really. You know, we’re the one, dear. You know, sometimes people think, oh, I’m doing dharma. You know? The strong dharma, therefore, I, you know, I don’t have anything to make yourself.
So, you know, I I you know, I don’t need anything, you know, because I’m having Dharma. Where do I you know? You put more food. You know? You get more food.
You know? More worldly, take care of body. When you you when you, you know, worldwide, you’re doing, you know, dharma wisdom, you give so much care, you know, take care of this body.
You know? Ridiculous. Like, you know, Sydney lady. And she spent so much money. You know, I’m telling to take care of body.
Just hear cutting. Maybe she spend, you know, fifty dollars. I’m joking. I’m not sure. Joking.
You people are saying, oh, you don’t know. Okay. It’s true in the way, isn’t it? I mean, you know, you doing, you know, so important thing, Really, you know, beneficial. You know?
You know? Really, you know, actually, really, you know, it is more beneficial, you know, for my precious being. Then you do some sort of thing, you know, to, you know, to have, you know, old patients, putting so much and, you know, and giving so much, you know, abundant food, expensive food, all that thing. Only brings more desire, you know, attachment. So, look, you’re doing dharma, you know, you’re renting house and body.
You know? You you should take care as much possible to be healthy. And the physical is healthy. It helps also mind. You know?
Helping. And So you can have you you can have morning or at least sometimes tea. Example, maybe if you get up, you know, or perhaps, you you meditate until past the beginning, if you meditate until, you know, from five to six, then you short break. I think my advice is until twenty days or fifteen days. You do short.
You know? Every session should be, you know, one hour one hour one hour. Never go longer than one hour. It’s not good. Not good.
You know? Even though you have so much energy, so happy, so peaceful, you know, you just wanna go, you know, without stopping. Never