Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 95-minute talk, Geshe Jampa Gyaltsen begins a detailed exploration of the Three Principal Aspects of the Path—the foundational framework of Tibetan Buddhist practice—by establishing proper motivation and mindset for receiving teachings. He emphasizes that both teacher and listener must cultivate virtuous intention: the teacher motivated by compassion rather than pride or fame, the student motivated by aspiration toward enlightenment for all beings. Geshe-la then examines the essential practice of examining one’s own mind in light of the teachings, using the mirror metaphor, and works through a Jātaka story about Prince Chandra and the son of Sudasa to illustrate how witnessing one’s own faults sparks genuine renunciation. He explains how meditation on death and impermanence naturally gives rise to the mind seeking benefit in future lives, which in turn motivates ethical discipline, the foundation for accumulating merit toward a precious human rebirth. Throughout, he stresses that hearing teachings is only valuable if they are then internalized and applied—like medicine that must be ingested, not merely read about. Addressed to practitioners with some familiarity with Tibetan Buddhist concepts and practice structures.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 01-700101_1015-01.mp3
UUID: f8b4d7d1-d142-42fc-b367-5b63f8a857f3
Teacher: Geshe Jampa Gyaltsen
Collection: Three Principal Aspects
Date: 1970-01-01
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~3,119
Both for teaching and for listening to the Dharma, an impeccable motivation is necessary and as far as the listener of the teachings is concerned, this motivation should be the motivation of attaining swiftly, swiftly full enlightenment for the sake of all mother sentient beings without exception. With this motivation, one must engage in the practice of the Three Principal Aspects of the Path which are definite emergence, bodhicitta and the correct view. To engage in the practice of the Three Principal Aspects of the Path, one must first know and understand them. Therefore, with the motivation of knowing and understanding them, one should listen to teachings. Regarding the teacher, the motivation should definitely not be one influenced by the afflictions.
If this is the case, it leads to a degeneration of the teacher and the loss of the roots of virtues. The afflictions in this context would be for instance competitiveness or the wish for fame and good repute. What therefore should be the motivation of the teacher? Ideally, this motivation should be a compassion which cannot support the thought of the suffering of sentient beings and thinks it is inappropriate that they should suffer. Then we should try to generate such a motivation for a couple of minutes.
As is said in sūtra, listen intensely and well. This has already been glossed and the topic which is to be listened to intensely and well is the practice of the being of the three scopes. What is the intended trainee of the text which expounded these practices? It is a being who initially does not suffer from the three faults of the vessel which are the vessel being placed upside down, the vessel being contaminated or the vessel having a hole. And in addition, it is a being who has faith in the treatise, the Shastra in question.
However, should one listen to such a treatise, in other words this text with the motivation of bettering oneself in future lives or even with the motivation of attaining liberation from the totality of the cycle of lives or this is a dharma motivation, it is not a sufficient motivation to study this text. And such a being which has the three characteristics is not merely a being who listens to the topic of this treatise. It is a being who places or interiorizes this topic within his mind. As Buddha Śākyamūni said in a sūtra which was quoted last time, akin to a patient who goes to the doctor for a prescription yet does not ingest the medicine prescribed is one who receives the teachings I have clearly imparted yet does not practice them. And as Śāntideva famously said, which ill person has been helped through reading tomes on medicine?
Medical treatises run-in the thousands of pages but what doctor would give a medical treatise to be read to a sick person? Likewise, the teachings are meant to be practiced. So Geshe-la has emphasized in the past the importance of hearing or attending teachings. It is not to deemphasize it but hearing is important precisely because it is the gateway to placing the teachings in the mind. This has to be the goal in the same way as the son of Sudasa placed the teachings in his own mind and examined his own mind in the light of the teachings seeing just how evil and wicked it was and through connecting his mind with the teachings was able to transform it.
Should one inquire what exactly is this practice which we must engage in after the teaching? What is the mode of practicing? How should one connect the teachings with one’s mind? So as was evoked slightly last time, the reason for which in worldly affairs and worldly matters we examine our face in a mirror is precisely to see whether there are any blemishes or faults on our face and to correct them. So the way we proceed is through examining our own minds in the light of the treatises which we are studying to see which of the thoughts of the three times are present within our minds.
In general, we know these thoughts but the question is which of these are present within our mind at present? These faults are clearly explained in the great treatises. Likewise, the antidotes to these faults are also explained. Investigating our minds, we should see which of these faults are present. Therefore, we should behave in keeping with the stanza which was quoted regarding the son of Sudhasa last time from the Jatakas.
When I see the shape of my evil behavior in the mirror of the dharma, my mind is profoundly afflicted and I turn to the dharma. So here, upon seeing the shape of one’s evil behavior, in other words, one’s evil behavior in whatever Dharma one is studying, one then experiences tremendous suffering and as a result of this turns one’s mind to practice. So this is an extremely important stanza. Geshe-la would like us to reflect carefully on it since it is both easy to understand and highly concise. So last time Geshe-la explained the account from the Jatakas regarding the deeds of Prince Chandra and the son of Sodasa.
All of these deeds and their resolution are comprised within this one stanza and therefore it is the meaning of the stanza on which we have to reflect. So if you have gained definite ascertainment, certainty regarding the reasons for which the son of Sudasa turned his mind to dharma then it would be good if you could summarize them succinctly. So therefore it would be good if you could give a commentary on each one of the verses of this stanza. If I see the shape of my evil behavior in the mirror of dharma clearly, I am afflicted by great suffering and I turn my mind to dharma. Initially, it would be good if you could give a commentary on each of these stanzas, each of the four stanzas and then if you could give a very summarized commentary on the very essence of these four verses.
In your English translation. In English translation, the blue books, this is pages page 91 actually. Yes. Excuse me. The first one, I’m not You have to give them to me in English because the verse order is different.
This was a good commentary. What Geshe-la would like however is that we connect the totality of the events in the account of the relationship between prince Chandra and the son of Sudasa in the Jatakas to every single one of these verses. All of the events in the account of the Jatakas are present in a summarized form in these verses. Yes. Are there other exoticisms?
No. It is not prince Chandra himself. It is the instructions which prince Chandra gave to the son of Sudhasa. The dharma never is, in other words, not a metaphor, an example. Yes?
Yes? The clearer you make it, the clearer I can translate it. Are there other interpretations, summaries? Yes. Yes.
So your question is, does he accumulate non virtuous comma through not being able to pay back what he intends to pay back? No. Not at all. Actually, if prince Chandra from the beginning had the intention of offering 4,000 gold coins for the four stances of dharma which he received and having been captured by Sudhasa’s son with his intention was unable to do so. From prince Chandra’s standpoint, those 4,000 gold coins already belonged to the Brahmin.
They just happened to be with him. He was however unable to physically offer them to the Brahmin. From his side, no non virtuous karma would have been accrued. Let alone that because he had the intention of offering them to the Brahmin, great waves of virtue would have been accumulated. There are no others.
Yes. This is very good. You have all answered well. Geshe-la from his side rejoices. Even though it is difficult to find the time to attend these teachings, all of us have benefited from them.
So Geshe-la from his side will summarize the presentation of the meaning of this stanza. Generally speaking, it can perhaps be said that prince Chandra’s presence was the occasion or the opportunity for the subduing or the taming of Sudhasa’s son. When Prince Chandra returned from the park where he had offered the gold to the Brahmin, this led to great astonishment within the mind of Sudhasa’s son. This return of Prince Chandra to Sudhasa’s son’s cave and the astonishment it generated within Sudhasa’s son was the reason for which Sudhasa’s son said to Prince Chandra, there is no hurry in my putting you to death even though your body belongs to me. Tell me Prithee what the Brahmin in the park told you.
And at this point, prince Chandra replied and answered to Sudhasa’s son, there would be no benefit in imparting to you the verses of dharma which the Brahmin imparted to me. Since you are a cannibal, you eat human flesh. At this point, Sudasa’s son answered with a very sharp rejoinder, you yourself who claim to believe in karma and causality and the fruition of virtue and non virtue eat nonetheless the flesh of deers and of animals. To this prince Chandra answered, yes, your point is well taken indeed. However, there is a reason for which one can eat the flesh of animals and does not eat the flesh of human beings and it is the tremendous difference in the physical base of humans and of animals.
At this point, Sudhasa’s son launched a second attack on prince Chandra saying, your behavior is at odds with worldly conventions. You said that you would go to the park to see the Brahmin and then behaving as no one else would, you returned to be eaten, killed and eaten. To this prince Chandra answered, my behavior is not at odds with worldly conventions. I have given you my word and in addition, I believe in karma and causality. Then Sudhasa’s son asked prince Chandra, when others fall in my hands, their faces are decomposed, they cry and they scream.
Yet, you are composed and calm. Why is this so? To this prince Chandra answered, the reason for which others who have fallen in your hands cry and bemoan themselves is because they have committed numerous non virtuous deeds in this life. I, from my own side, have committed none of these. Therefore, I have no fear for the future.
At this point, the mind of the son of Sudasa was greatly astonished. The transformation of the mind of Sudhasa’s son occurred at this point because prince Chandra had told him that as a result of not having committed any non virtuous deeds in this life, he had no fear for the future. Reflecting on the fact that Prince Chandra had no fear for the future, Sudasa’s son realized that he had no fear for the effect of maturation of non virtuous deeds accumulated in this life. The reason for which at this point tears flowed freely from the eyes of Sudasa’s son and his hair, his body, bodily hair stood on end is because through the skill full explanations of prince Chandra, his mind at this point was subdued and this was an external manifestation thereof. And therefore the first verse in the stanza, when I see the form of my evil deeds refers to Sudhasa’s son’s realization of his evil deeds in the clearly in the mirror of Dharma refers to seeing them clearly in the light of the teachings which Prince Chandra gave him.
My mind is greatly afflicted. This refers to the tremendous repentance which arose in his mind and I turn to the direction of the Dharma. The Dharma in the direction of which he turns, Geshe-la suspects, is probably teachings on renunciation. There are two modalities of renunciation and at this point since prince Chandra explained to Sudhasa’s son implicitly death and impermanence on the basis of these teachings on death and impermanence, the first form of or the first modality of renunciation was born in Sudhasa’s son’s mind. In other words, that mind which is striving for future lives.
To explaining the implicitly death and impermanence, impermanence to Sudhasa’s son, Prince Chandra gave rise within him to a mind striving for future lives. This mind striving for future lives understood that the cause of happy results in future lives is an ethics which is an abandonment of the 10 non virtues within this life. And therefore on this basis, Sudhasa’s son engaged in the practice of that ethics. On the basis of the practice of such an ethics alone, it is not possible to attain a precious human rebirth. Such an ethics must be conjoined with the practice of the perfections.
In other words, of generosity, of ethics, of forbearance, of perseverance or enthusiasm, of concentration and of wisdom, as well as strong prayers for the obtaining a precious human rebirth. On this basis, the precious human rebirth can be obtained. In Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand says, one should not interpret word by word the teachings of the Guru. Instead, it is the intent for the trainees of the spiritual teacher which must be interpreted by the student and then those teachings must be held within the mind of the student. Well, Geshe-la from his own side has no realizations.
He can present what was taught in this text and at this point, Pabongka Rinpoche says subsume all within one understanding. The one understanding which is referred to here is probably renunciation or definite emergence. The reason for which we can postulate that the mind striving for wellbeing in future lives is a form or a modality of renunciation is the verse in the Three Principal Aspects of the Path which says through accustoming to the mind to the fact that this life is transient, turn away from the vanities of this life. The antidote to the vanities of this life is none other than meditation on death and impermanence. The two ways of reflecting on death and impermanence as was explained in the context of Mind Training like a Ray of Sunshine last Sunday.
The first, which is not the one we engage in, is through thinking of death and impermanence in generating fear out of attachment to one’s own possessions, one’s family, and one’s body. The meditation on death and impermanence which we refer to here in the context of Buddha Dharma is one which through seeing the transience of this life focuses on attaining happiness in future lives. In a nutshell, to summarize the main topic of these four verses of this stanza is the teaching on death and impermanence. The greater one’s understanding of death and impermanence, the less one’s attachment to the vanities or the figments of this life. The less one’s attachment to the vanities of this life, the greater the mind striving for happiness in future lives.
The greater the mind striving for happiness in future lives in turn, the more effort put into the ethics which is an abandonment of the 10 non virtues. And at present Geshe-la would like us to offer a commentary on the manner of listening to the dharma from our own side. More the commentary on how to explain the dharma really behooves Geshe-la. The commentary on how to listen to it behooves us. So as Vasubandhu explained and a quote which Geshe-la has mentioned previously, The afflictions which can be incurred through explaining the Dharma are great.
If the teacher has the wrong motivation and explains the teachings out of pride to gain good repute, to be well seen or for wealth, then these are afflictions and the non virtues which accumulated are very great. Instead, the motivation must be may I benefit the students even ever so slightly. So this is from Geshe-la’s own standpoint how he tries to think. If one explains the teachings with such an afflicted motivation, then one’s roots of virtues will be destroyed. So these are the afflicted motivations for explaining the Dharma..
As for the compassionate motivation with which the Dharma is to be explained, it is covered further on. Hence with good memory and with good wisdom, it is possible to progress progressively upwards through the various paths. The path of accumulation of preparation, of seeing, of meditation to the path of no more learning. Since the Dharma which is explained here is Mahāyāna Dharma, it is explained for the benefit of others. This is why it is said that compared to the meditation on emptiness for eons of Śāriputra and Maudgalyayāna who were great Arhats and disciples of the Buddha for countless eons, the meditation of a Bodhisattva on emptiness with the motivation of great compassion is more powerful.
And one must understand that the reason for this, the reason thereof is that the motivation of a bodhisattva who is meditating on emptiness with bodhicitta is to lead all sentient beings without exception to the level of or the state of full enlightenment. He accumulates in so doing infinite waves of merit. So from our own side, in the context of the explanation of this commentary, if we can generate such a motivation, we also will accumulate great waves of merit. And this is why it is said in this text irrespective of the practices we engage in and they are numerous whether they are meditation on karma and causality, renunciation, bodhicitta, refuge and so forth. We will accumulate with such a motivation huge waves of merit.
So there is probably great merit and great benefit in your having listened and attended to so many teachings. Nonetheless, it is critical that you generate a good motivation. So Geshe-la will stop at the level of this second outline. The time is over. So we will not have a question session today since you asked very good questions during the middle of the teaching and Geshe-la from his side rejoices in the quality of your questions.
And therefore Geshe-la would like to ask us to reflect and meditate again and again on this stanza, on these four verses, especially on the last verse, I will turn my mind in the direction of the Dharma. So since this is a very short stanza, there are only four verses, it is easy to understand and it is profound. Geshe-la hopes from his own side that we will think over it again and again. So if there were many stances, then it would be difficult and you might fall asleep. This is not the case.