Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 54-minute session, Geshe Jampa Gyaltsen teaches how to tame the wandering mind through meditation, using the classical image of a wild elephant that must be trained with hook and rope before it can be led anywhere useful. He explains why meditation matters: our afflictions create all suffering, and a focused mind is essential to understand Buddhist teachings deeply. He then walks through practical starting points—calming the breath through counting exercises in cycles of seven, forty, and twenty-one—before advancing to contemplation on compassion, bodhicitta, death and impermanence. Drawing on Śāntideva and Shāntarakshita, he stresses the importance of abandoning attachment to this life’s pleasures through study, contemplation, and meditation on precious rebirth and impermanence. The session ends with direct Q&A on sleep meditation, mental control, and visualizing the guru as an aid to rest. For students new to formal practice seeking practical guidance on mind training.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 18062017Sunday – KR.mp3
UUID: abd58ae7-b95c-4d3d-b6f5-15c017619ed0
Teacher: Geshe Jampa Gyaltsen
Collection: Rinpoche's Story
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~2,109
And also, you know, in the world. Because we follow our mind and our mind follows, you know, afflictions. Which create all of, you know, unhappiness, you know, suffering, everywhere. Everywhere in the world, you know, many, many big, big problems, you know. So they all come from afflictions. Right?
So what is the reason, purpose of meditation? The purpose of meditation is to, I think, focus the mind on an object such as the breath or many virtuous objects such as Buddha, you know? Correct? Yes. Good. 100%. So with focused mind we can then meditate on many of Buddha’s teachings, you know, such as great compassion, bodhicitta, you know, death and impermanence or emptiness. And with focused mind, these own topics, we can, you know, we can then develop a deeper understanding of them. Okay. Now very important, you know. I’m telling you.
But at the moment our minds are like wild elephants. You know, so at the moment our mind is like wild elephants. You know. Yeah, yeah, exactly. So wild elephant, wild elephant running everywhere. As Śāntideva says in his text, and also Shāntarakshita. You know Shāntarakshita? Shāntarakshita. Great, great Shāntarakshita. Yeah. He was in Tibet many years, many years. Actually one thousand years ago, you know, one thousand years ago, that time he lived in Tibet. Shāntarakshita. Do you understand? Shāntarakshita. Yeah, he was Kamalaśīla’s teacher or lama. Kamalaśīla. Yeah, Kamalaśīla. Do you understand? Kamalaśīla’s teacher. Yeah. He was. Yeah, he was Kamalaśīla’s teacher. Yeah, one thousand years ago. Actually, he was born in India, you know, India. Then he went to Tibet, you know, I think he lived in Tibet many years, many years, you know.
So our mind doesn’t stay still for one second. You know, you know. But now my mind, you know, just feed my body, with my body, because I focused on, how do you say? Okay. So yeah, so our mind doesn’t, you know, mind doesn’t stay still for one second. Very difficult, you know. So meditation helps us to be, to be tamed, yeah. Meditation helps be, yeah, tamed. Tamed. Yeah, tamed. Yeah, yeah. Anyway, meditation helps us to be tamed. Yeah, yeah, yeah, this one. Meditation helps, you know, meditation helps us to, you know, tame this elephant mind. Do you understand? Yes. It tamed? Oh yeah, yeah. Tamed. Tamed. Yeah, tamed. Tame this elephant mind so it can be of some use to us.
So just as a wild elephant, wild, yeah, wild, yeah, just as a wild elephant needs to be, needs to be, you know, needs to be by a hook. Hook and rope. Rope, you know. Rope. And then it can be can be led where you want it to be. Say it again. Sorry. Say it again. Okay. So the wild elephant needs to be caught? Yes, just so, you know. Wild, wild elephant needs to be tamed. Tamed. Tamed, you know, tamed by a hook and rope. And when, you know, and when, and when, when tamed, and you know, can be led along like a child, you know? Yes, child. Child. Is that correct? A child. Led along. Yeah. Yeah. Do you understand? Good job. Yeah, very important, you know. Very important. Our mind, you know, our mind can be tamed, our mind can be tamed this way also. Study, contemplate, meditate. So our mind can be tamed this way also.
Our focused mind is of great benefit to us. So if, you know, if we can control our mind, control our mind, the afflictions have less power. Exactly, you know. So we need to learn how to control our mind. Once we can control our mind, the afflictions become weak. Weak. But yeah, long time, long time, you know. Yeah, yeah. Not easy, not easy. But very important, you know. Hard. So they are all said, they all said, Śāntideva and Shāntarakshita, you know, for us, if your mind, your mind doesn’t relax, then you can make it relaxed, you know. Relaxed. So to bring your mind, you know, you want, even, yeah, even, to bring your mind even, to bring your mind even, even, yeah, yeah. So to bring your mind even where you want. Yeah. When you, even, even, yeah, yeah.
So we can start focused on the breathing, counting, you know, counting one complete cycle, inhalation and exhalation, in divisions of seven, forty, and twenty-one, you know. So, okay. Then when your mind, and then when, you know, when your mind relax, then relax, then we can, you know, meditate on, you know, compassion, bodhicitta, you know, death and impermanence and so on. So please perform them.
So I meditated on Lam Rim. You? What topics did you meditate? Sorry? Strange? Strange. Oh, okay. Sorry? Refuge. Thank you. And refuge. Actually it is in Tibetan, you know. Lam, path. Rim, I think stages. Yeah. I think. Stages. Which one? Lam? Okay, okay. Yeah. So now I am talking about Lam Rim, you know. So yeah, about the fourth verse, you know, fourth verse in Three Principal Aspects of the Path. How do you say in English? Freedom, freedom and riches. Freedom and riches are hard to find. This life is fleeting. Correct? Do you understand? Familiarizing. But not familiarize. I like familiarizing. The same? Yes. It’s better, familiarizing. Yeah. But the text says, how do you say, familiarizing, familiarizing with this, with this stops, with this stops clinging to this life’s attractions. Okay, freedom and riches are hard to find. Life is fleeting. Familiarizing with these stops clinging to this life’s pleasures. Alright? Very important this. Powerful.
So actually it is part of, you know, Lam Rim. Lam Rim. It is part, part of Lam Rim. Do you understand? So it is a very important training for us. And for us, for us to abandon. Abandon. Abandon. Abandon interest in this life. Sorry? Abandon interest in this life. Interest in. Interest, interest in. So it is very important for us to abandon interest in this life, you know. So how do we do this? So first, study, contemplating and meditation. What meditation? Meditation, I think. Study, contemplating and meditation on both precious rebirth and death and impermanence. You know, we think. Very important, you know. But not easy, you know. No time, again, again, you know. You know. Good. Very good. Very good. Question, why? Precious rebirth and death and impermanence will definitely improve our mind exactly one day, you know. It is so one day, one day, no time, no time, you know. But very good for us, for our mind. One day our mind change, then I will change, you know. Yeah. Good life, you know. Is that clear?
So Lama Tsongkhapa says in Three Principal Aspects of the Path here. So it will help, help, you know, help our mind to stop clinging to cyclic existence. Actually Khorwa, you know, saṃsāra, cyclic existence. And will help to abandon attachment, attachment to worldly pleasures. Yeah, but long time, time. It’s not easy. Yeah, very good. So actually we need physical happiness, but very important, mental happiness, you know. Very important.
So however, you know, however, it is also very important. I’m telling you about, you know, our, you know, past and future life. Past and future life. Past and future life, future life are basic, you know. Basic. Is it basic? Of all Buddha’s teachings, you know. Basic. Basic. Basis. Sorry? Sounds like, yeah, yeah, yeah. So past and future lives are the basis, what? Basis? Basis, yeah. Basis. Basis, yeah. Basis. Basis of all, you know, Buddha’s teachings. Yeah, 100%, you know. 100%, 100%. 110%, you know. We were born in our past. So we don’t remember, you know, we don’t remember now. We don’t remember, you know, we don’t remember our past life and also we don’t know about our future life. But we have had, we have had many, many, you know, many, many past lives. Many, many. You know? And also we will be having future lives. Yeah. So how do we come to understand, come to understand? So how do we come to understand, understand? Which one? Next word. So how do we come to understand existence? Existence. Existence of, you know, the past life and the future life. But it is difficult, you know. Do you understand? Yes. Which one?
For example, can, can you show me? For example. So how do we come to understand? Okay, but actually we have got subtle mind. Subtle. Subtle mind. It is easy. But now difficult, very difficult. When sometimes we, how do you say, can be during deep sleep, dreaming, yeah. Yeah, dreaming. Subtle mind comes from, you know, many years, many years. But our body, yes, our body comes from our parents, you know. Different, very different. I shows suffering not here. Sometimes we say I, I. In Tibetan, you know, actually I. Something here. Oh, brain? But yeah, different, different. Okay, anyway. Never stop, you know, trying.
So I have questions. Please. So easy, you know. I need easy questions. So good. Because my English is not good. Not enough. But now I’m getting, getting here, improving. Really? Okay, you’re okay. Okay, have you questions? Two or three, you know? Then I’ll try.
What is the subtle mind? I said, you know. I said not easy. But we can study, you know. Study and contemplate in Tibetan, you know. But I can’t speak in English, you know, actually. One day, you know, I want to tell you. Yes. I’m waiting. Really? Yes. Okay.
Geshela, why is my mind like a wild elephant? Wild elephant, because, you know, because I say because our mind, you know, our mind running everywhere. Now I think your mind is going to where? You can travel to your house, you know? Yeah, that’s the one, you know. Wild elephant.
Is it Pamela? Okay? Really? Yes, lots of questions in my mind. Oh, okay. Travel to work, you know, travel to your families, children, boyfriend, girlfriend, you know.
Can you have a relaxed mind if your body is not relaxed? Yeah. First time, first time put our, relax our body. Exactly. Then in the second, mind, you know. Yeah, yeah, definitely.
When I’m tired then my elephant mind seems to get more wild. When I am tired or not feeling well in my body, my elephant mind seems to get even more wild. Exactly. So firstly, exactly, we need to relax our body. Exactly.
And the question? If I wake up at 04:30 and want to go back to sleep, the elephant mind stops me. Yeah, but I can’t speak any English. Sorry. What do you, in those circumstances? Sorry. When your elephant mind in the middle of the night, yeah, stops you from sleeping. Uh-huh. What do you try? Do you try meditating, focusing on the breath? Do you try meditating on something else? What helps you to go back to sleep? Sorry. Please again reply. If you find in the middle of the night your elephant mind is going everywhere. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And you are wanting to sleep. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What helps you to go back to sleep? So what are you thinking? That time we have to, that time we have to think, that time we have to think, peaceful, you know, everything. So that time we have to think about our Rinpoche. Our Rinpoche? Yeah, our Rinpoche, yeah. For example, it’s very, very powerful. Our Rinpoche above your head, you know? Head. Above. Head. Lights. Yeah, the lights inside, you know? Lights inside. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So could you say Rinpoche’s mantra? Mantra? No, just Rinpoche’s body. Rinpoche’s face, you know. Yeah. Or visualizing the lama, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah, inside. Or sometimes, you know, you can hear. Yeah. Here, here, yeah.
Okay, thank you, thank you. Stop here today. So page nine, mandala offering.