Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 146-minute session, Ven Jamyang distinguishes three types of spiritual practitioners — those working toward a favorable rebirth, those seeking personal liberation, and those cultivating bodhicitta for all beings — and shows how each depends on understanding impermanence and death. He walks through the six shortcomings of not recollecting mortality: without death awareness, we remain absorbed in acquiring possessions, earnings, and status. He argues that death awareness is the foundation transforming motivation. Closing with practical guidance: don’t abandon your job or earnings — instead, reshape the motivation behind them by dedicating your work to family welfare and practice. For practitioners new to the Lamrim path.
File metadata (for organising)
File: session 2 GPT BD Meditation weekend Presenting the Path.mp3
UUID: 796d7c21-9b60-46f1-a171-be49426f0156
Teacher: Ven Jamyang
Collection: Presenting the Path (Ven Jamyang)
Date: 2009 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 146.1 minutes
Words: ~7,354
So so, again, Geshe was was in a he’s just just saying that he was asking to teach about, you know, know, the renunciation, bodhicitta, and and emptiness, you know, briefly. And so he thought he would start with with with renunciation, the teachings that are common to the of small scope. Geshe-la wanted to go even more to the very beginning itself. Geshe-la was using a little expression, which means to to to practice Dharma, to practice religion, to practice spirituality, to do Dharma, to do religion, to do spirituality. And so I want I want he says, I wanna talk about that.
And he’s and then he stopped. And he says, no. Let’s talk about Dharma. Let’s talk with that one word too. Dharma, religion, spirituality.
So so with regards to this one expression, this one little one syllable word, which is Dharma, Dharma, religion, spirituality. So with regards to Dharma, what is what is pure Dharma? What is, you know, the real the real Dharma, the real spiritual practice? Geshe-la was saying. The the distinction between real Dharma and pure Dharma or impure Dharma, real Dharma or or non real Dharma is is made between, one’s motivation.
If if one is doing Dharma for the sake of the things of this present life alone, then that’s not pure dharma. If one is doing one’s spiritual activities for the sake of future lives and of of next life onwards, then that is pure dharma. That is real legitimate dharma. So so generally speaking, those actions which are concerned with acquiring the the so called things of this one present life, they are called worldly worldly actions or mundane, if you will. And then those actions which are concerned with the next life onwards, then those are called those are called dharma.
Those are called spiritual activities. And as for as for Dharma, as for legitimate spiritual activities, then we have, again, further distinctions that are made again. So we have three different types of of spiritual practice. So we have those that are common to beings, those which are the practices of beings of small scope, those which are practices of beings of middle scope and those which are spiritual practices of beings of greater scope. Then using one one little expression, which is usually translated as as courage or, you know, the strength of the mind.
So courage. Again, so people have this distinction of, you know, a small courage or middling courage or greater courage. So those of smaller courage with lesser courage, then, they are intent. Their intention is the motivation is, to attain a good rebirth in the next life, in the future lives. And then and then and so the idea is to avoid a bad rebirth, rebirth in the lower realms, and attain a good rebirth.
And so that’s that’s why that’s the reason why they engage in their spiritual actions. So then so then those those motivations are then the motivations of those people with lesser courage than they are the the motivations of beings of small scope. Then we have the beings with a a middling, strength of mind, a middling attitude, a middling courage. And and they then they see that, the happiness of the next life or future lives and the happiness of this present life. There’s no difference between the two.
Even if I am to be born as a god or a goddess in the future life or even as a human being, again, all that won’t last. It is no better than what I’m experiencing here right now in this life. Well, that too, you know, those those, those lives are impermanent, and changeable, cannot be relied upon. Those experiences cannot be relied upon. Once the causes that I have accumulated that that brought about those results are exhausted, those experiences, those future lives, those happinesses, they all they will also be exhausted, and I will have to experience suffering again.
So that’s that’s that’s not good enough. So I must I must I must get rid of of all of it. I must, attain to lasting happiness. And so I must attain liberation. I must attain liberation for myself.
I must attain nirvana. And, by attaining liberation, the attainment of liberation, the state of liberation is is a state in which one experiences nothing but happiness. There is only happiness, and there’s no suffering whatsoever. So and this then, motivation is the motivation of those beings of of with a middling courage, a middling strength of mind, and, also, they are to call so called the the so called beings of middling scope. Then and then as for so, again, this this was the the being of middling scope.
As for the beings of greater scope, the beings with a a greater courage and and a greater scope, and then they come to realize, again, that liberation for myself alone is is not good enough. If it’s alright, I will so I I will attain happiness, but that happiness will be only for myself and everybody else. All other sentient beings will be left behind in this in this suffering condition, the suffering condition that they’re experiencing. You know? And there is not one sentient being who has not been my mother.
There’s not one sentient being who hasn’t shown me an immense kindness. There’s not one sentient being who who is not worthy of of being of being loved, of being cared for, and and of being freed made free from suffering and so on. And and one then develops this this this heart that wants to free all sentient beings from suffering. I must my happiness alone is not good enough. I must free all sentient beings from suffering.
I must endow endow all sentient beings with happiness. And then when one develops this heart, this you know, to its fullest, when one is intent on on freeing all sentient beings from ever suffering, one has this great compassion, what is called great compassion. And that is the heart of a being of the heart mind of a being of of the greatest scope. So that being then is having having developed accomplish that, I must attain enlightenment myself. First, I must attain enlightenment myself.
As I am right now, I won’t be able to get the job done, so I must attain enlightenment. And this then and and and with this motivation motivation then that being engages in dharma, in spiritual activities, spiritual actions, and so on. So we we so we can see then this distinction of these three types of beings based on the three different motivations. So we have the beings of the greater scope, which are intent on accomplishing the perfect happiness, the freedom from every suffering of every sentient being, and the perfect happiness of every sentient being. The enlightenment of every being, one both oneself and others.
So that’s the motivation of the being of greater scope. Then we have those beings of middling scope, which are intent on attaining lasting happiness for themselves alone. And they want to attain liberation for themselves alone. This is then the motivation of the being of middle middle scope. And then lastly, we have those who are intent on a mere attaining the happiness of the next life or the next life and the lives after that.
So the future lives. So these then are the beings of smaller scope. So so we see then these these three different goals. Right? And then so the being of small scope, is intent on attaining the happiness of future lives, that being must engage in in the spiritual practice that lead to that.
That being must accumulate, gather the causes that lead to that. And and those causes that lead to, you know, a a happy rebirth in future lives are then, you know, engaging in the, how to say, ethical conduct. That is the abandonment of the ten non virtues. We must engage in in acts acts of kindness and generosity, you know, charity and so on, and must make aspirational prayers, pure aspirational prayers, and so on and so on. So this then the the the fundamental dharmas or the spiritual activities that this being would then engage in in order to accomplish his or her goal.
Now in order to as for the being of who aims at liberation, so in order to attain the goal of liberation, what we need is to realize emptiness. So again, in order to attain liberation, one must study, understand, and fully realize emptiness. And then as for as for enlightenment itself, as for this the the state of omniscience, the state of of full enlightenment itself, again, in order to attain that, one needs on top of everything that one has already been practicing, on top of engaging in the ethical conduct. There is abandonment of the tenon virtues and everything else. On top of realizing emptiness, studying, understanding, realizing emptiness.
On top of all that, on top of all those practices, one has to cultivate also bodhicitta, one has to cultivate the mind of enlightenment. And then one has all the the causes that lead to enlightenment. So, again, Geshe lah is saying, we we we can see this distinction of the beings, the three types of beings, the beings of small, middling, and greater scope that is made. Again, we can see that how this distinction comes in dependence on on the courage, on the strength of mind of of these these different beings. So those beings of small scope have, you know, a a lesser courage or strength of of heart, strength of mind.
Again, all that they they have to do is all they want is attaining the happiness of future lives. So in order to accomplish that, all they have to do is engage in the ethical conduct, which is the abandonment of the ten non virtues, engaging acts of generosity and and and charity and and and make pure spiritual prayers. And in this in this way and all that they have to do is then abandon, give up these minor objects of which are to be given up, which are to be abandoned abandoned. And then the beings of the middle in scope, again, they in order to attain liberation, which is a greater goal than just the happiness of future lives, they have to accomplish, again, a greater cause, which ask for which only a mind with a greater courage, a greater strength of heart could only accomplish. And, again, which is then realizing emptiness.
They need to realize emptiness, which we can see is more is more difficult to accomplish than just engaging in the ethical conduct, which is the abandonment of the ten non-virtues and so on. Those being those practice of the beings of small smaller scope. So they they have a greater courage. They have a greater strength of heart. Right?
And then, again, we have the beings of the greater scope. And, again, their their goal is then the the enlightenment of all beings without exception. And we can see then how their their strength of heart is their courage, so to speak, their their strength of heart, it must be really great. They have to accomplish really this this is the greatest goal there is. The strength of heart must be really great.
The the actions, the causes that they have to accomplish are really great. Those obscurations they have to abandon are also really great, really strong, really powerful. So do you have three different measures of of of courage or strength of heart that will be able to handle three different accomplish three different goals. Again, the change in in in in in greatness, and that must be able to get rid of three different measures of of obscurations, of obstacles to the attainment of those goals. Engage we ourselves also need to engage in the ethical conduct, which is then the abandonment of the ten virtues.
We need to engage in this practice. And and and in order to be able to to keep, to guard, to maintain this this ethical conduct, which is the avoidance of these ten non-virtues, what which is very difficult, which is something already which is difficult for us to to do. But what we need in order to be able to accomplish that is to cultivate an understanding of impermanence and death of our mortality. And impermanence and death is something that we need to realize to in order to be able to engage in any spiritual practice, not only in the practices that are common to beings of small scope, but in order to attain to cultivate the cause of of liberation and enlightenment, we need, this full realization of impermanence and death. If we, have not realized our own mortality, if we keep on holding on to the notion that we are going to live forever or we’re going to live long, again, all our actions will be geared towards this present life alone.
All the all our actions will be intent on this present life alone. Our our motivations will not go beyond the present life. And that’s what stops us from that’s what stops, our actions from from being focused on on future lives, on the goals of future lives, this this lack of realization of impermanence and death. So then, again, so we need we need to develop to give rise to this mind which is intent on accomplishing which is intent on future lives. So, again, and and not only that, we not only we need to cultivate an intent on on on future lives, striving for for the sake of the well-being of future lives, but also we need to cultivate an understanding of the shortcomings of this life.
We need to cultivate and understand that, again, we are not going to last here. We are not going to live long. And even if it were to live long, even if it were to live a hundred years or more, again, that that that’s no good’s gonna come out of of it because we’re gonna grow old, and old age brings about a lot of suffering also. So we need to think in these lines so that we we can reduce gradually reduce attachment to this present life and and then develop an intent more and more strongly, more and more focused on future lives. Saying now this this is something that we that is not is not pleasant.
It’s not pleasant to hear. We don’t want to hear about it. We don’t want to listen about it. We don’t want to talk about it. Geshe-la was saying, again, this is something that it is not it is not pleasant.
We don’t want to hear about it because we have to we are being asked to think, you know, I’m I’m not gonna live long. And if even if I live long, there’s only suffering that’s gonna come from that. So a lot of pain. I’m I’m I’m approaching my death. I might die at any moment.
How is it that I’m gonna die? What what illness, what pain, what suffering am I going to experience when when I’m gonna die? What pain or suffering am I going to experience in the near future? We are being asked to think in these lines and that and that’s those are not happy, pleasant thoughts. But and then and so we leave we leave them aside.
We put them aside. We we turn our backs to it. And we and but, again, if we do that now, again, this is what we have been doing since the beginning. We have been ignoring these these these facts. We have been ignoring these realities, turning our backs to it.
And, again, if we keep on turning our backs to it now, then what what’s gonna be of our future? So when we are being when we are being told to have this mindfulness of death, to have this constant recollection of our own death, we are being what what we want to accomplish, really, is is to produce fear. We have to be afraid of this death. We have to develop fear. We have to be apprehensive and develop an uneasiness about it.
It’s not just thinking about, oh, I’m gonna die in a few years. You know, I’m not gonna live long. And we we can all think that. All of us, we can think those thoughts. Geshe-la was saying, oh, this this you know, I think about that all the time, but but that’s that’s those thoughts don’t just don’t necessarily come with fear.
We’re talking about thinking about the possibility, contemplating the possibility that our life might end at any moment now. Really, how do you say, letting it sink sink really deep in our hearts, this this reality. Again, there’s no telling when we’re gonna die. And and then one is afraid. One has this this this this uneasiness.
That’s what and when one has developed this state of mind, one has sort of accomplished the goal, the purpose of this meditation meditation on impermanence and death. So mindfulness of death, this this awareness of our own death. If we if we cultivate it to the point where we develop this fear, okay, that I might die in any moment now, then then and only then we’ll come to we’ll come to to think. You know? So at the time of death, what is it that’s going to be of use?
What is it that’s going to help me? The only thing that is going to help me at the time of my death is Dharma. It’s my spiritual practices, my spiritual actions. So I must do them. I must do them now.
And that’s and the I guess I was giving you some analogy. And we all we all hear about swine flu, and we hear on the news, on the radio, radio, on the newspaper. We read about everywhere. Swine flu here, swine flu there, people getting sick, people dying, and whatnot. And we’re all afraid of it.
We’re all terrified by swine flu. And then and then we immediately because of that fear, we start engaging in actions to prevent being how do say? Getting this this flu. So we use we put masks on. We take medicines and vaccines, and we keep warm and and whatnot.
And we engage in all sorts of of measures and actions in order to prevent getting this flu. And it’s the same principle here. And then and then on top of that, on top of of cultivating this awareness of death, we also have to cultivate an awareness of of the sufferings that pertain to this future lives that we are aiming at. So the the the lives of humans and gods. We also have to cultivate an understanding of the sufferings that humans and gods experience.
There’s no need to talk about the sufferings of the the lower realms, but the sufferings of humans and gods. Having a a by cultivating an understand and understanding of the reality of this of their sufferings of humans and gods, then we’ll be able to develop a mind that is intent on on on liberation, on freedom from the entirety on entirety of cyclic existence. So, again, is going back to to recollection of death, to the mindfulness of death. So we need we need to cultivate an awareness of our impending death because by force of the lack of this awareness of our own death, then, again, a lot of faults. We engage in a lot of we create a lot of faults and shortcomings.
We create a lot of negativity. So whatever faults we we have in our practice, in our lives, in our conduct, in our behavior, again, very much so because we have a lack of this awareness, a lack of our this awareness of death, of our own death. So Geshe la is saying there are there are traditionally, are six shortcomings to not recollecting death, death, not being mindful of death. So the number one fault of not recollecting death is that by lacking this awareness of death, then again, whatever action, whatever activity one is engaging in, that will be motivated only by the intent to accomplish the happiness or the so called happiness of this present lifetime alone. So, again, this and this is this applies to all of us, Geshe-la was saying we spend our lives concerned with attaining those those those things that pertain to this life alone.
Again, we we work in order to get food and clothing and shelter and a car and a house and and a television, and and we work for for all these things that pertain only to this life. We spend our entire lives striving to accomplish, to acquire only those things and all those actions all these these actions are actions that are intended only on present lifetime alone. Our lives. This is how we think. You know, these things of this life are the things that I must accomplish, are the things that I must have.
And in this way and and we lend not a thought to the to the future, to the next life, to future lives. We don’t think about it at all. And this fault comes about because we lack this mindfulness, this awareness of our own death. If we cultivate an awareness of our own death, then the things of this life will have much less importance to us, and and we’ll we’ll be much more concerned with accomplishing well-being in the next life, in future lives. So Geshe is giving us another analogy.
Okay? It says it’s it’s like this. If if you want to go on holidays to say to to America, Geshe-la was using America. If you want to go to holidays to America, then, again, you you you make this decision. Okay.
I’m going on holidays. In one or two years, I’m I’m going to take a big vacation, and I’m going to America. And so so if if you want to go on these holidays after one or two years, then you start working. I say, if I want to go on holidays, I must I must save money so I can do this trip. So I must I will work.
I’ll save the money. And then, having worked enough and saved enough money, then after one or two weeks, if you want to go, then you’re ready to go. You’re able to go. And on the other hand, if you say, okay. I want to go on on vacation to United States, and and yet you don’t work and you don’t save the money.
And when the time comes after one or two years, you won’t be able to go. It’s just that simple. And the same and the same principle here applies again to future lives. And that’s what we are being asked to do. We ask to prepare.
Prepare for the next life and do the job, do the work work that is necessary in order to to have a good future life. So, again, our our strong attachment to the things of this life, you know, to clothing, to food, and to everything else that pertains to this life, I guess, wasn’t saying is is is only made possible by by the lack of this awareness, by the lack of this awareness of death. If we again, by cultivating this awareness, all these attachments to these things, again, they diminish. And then and and and still there are there are those who do recollect one’s death and yet do not engage in proper spiritual practice. And, again, that’s because the recollection is not being done properly because their their meditations are not being really brought to to fulfillment, to completion.
So they they do recollect. They do think about it, and yet it’s not strong enough. It is not good enough that it it it makes them and it it impels them, urges them to engage in spiritual practice. So we have that too, And, again, this this happens again because one has not developed the full experience, the the real feeling, the fear that is being talked about. One has to feel it.
It’s it’s we all think about it. We cannot think about it. We all think about death. I’m gonna die and so on. We can all think about that.
We all know we are gonna die. And yet we we we did not really bring it down to our hearts to feel it, to feel our pain in death. And and Geshe-la was gonna say, we can all think, oh, I’m gonna die. And yet, one moment, we are bringing this thought to our minds. In the very next moment, there’s another thought that comes and says, yeah.
But not now. Not today. Yeah. I’m gonna die, but not not this week, not this month, not this year. And then again, by and by and by thinking this in these lines, by acting in this way, then again, we get involved only with the things of this life.
We we keep on accumulating wealth, possessions, and whatnot. And now even and even if we were to to own every house and every building and entirety of of Adelaide, again, by the time we’re done, we’re gonna have to go empty handed. We cannot take any of it with us. So we have so we have the fault of not thinking about it at all. Not not having any awareness of it at all.
Then we have the the fault of of thinking about it, but not really feeling it. We have the fault okay. We recollect our deaths, but we don’t really bring this recollection to its fulfillment, to its to we don’t bring it to the end result, to feeling really the feelings of fear and so on. And then Geshe la was saying, so this this mind that that is thinking about death. And even even was saying in the first person, even even I myself have death.
And yet, that’s it is not properly thought. It’s not brought to completion. And and so my practice is even though my I I engage in other spiritual practices. My practices are not perfect. I’m not pure because of that.
So, again, so one one still has attachment to the things of this present life because of that. So even though one might think about death, if one hasn’t brought that that meditation to its conclusion, again, there will be still attachment. There’s still one will still be lingering. There will still be attachment lingering for the things of this life. And one’s practices, one’s spiritual practices will not be strong enough, will not be perfect, will not be pure.
So again, we all meditate, we all study about Dharma, spirituality, we all read books, attend teachings, we engage in all sorts of meditations and practices and all that. Again because we still have so much attachment for the things of this life, then again none of it is really pure. None of it is really a hundred percent. So, again, in order in order for a spiritual practice to be a, you know, a real legitimate or spiritual practice, pure a hundred percent spiritual practice, then again, there must be no concern with this present life, with the things of this present life. No attachment, no adherence for the things of this present life.
And and the one thing that can accomplish that, that can avert that attachment to the things of this present life, the one meditation of of of of how to say, of which there is known better is this recollection of death, this awareness of death. It’s the one thing that is again, la like Geshe la is saying that for our spiritual practice to be a legitimate pure spiritual practice, it’s like it has to be either either one of the three has has to have either either one of the three motivations or the three types of beings of small, medium, or greater scope. So it must have no no involvement with the present life. It must be involved concerned only with future lives. And the the best way to accomplish that is to recollect that, is to have an awareness of that.
And Geshe la is going through through the text that he has in his hand saying, again, if one if one keeps on living one’s life involved, striving for the things of this life, what results will will ensue from that? So, again, if one is is working to to get some money, and that that’s what one one we’re gonna one is gonna get. If one works for money, one gets money. If one wants a car, one will get a car. If one wants a house, one will get a house.
That’s you know, if you if that’s your goal, that’s what you will attain. Nothing more than that. But in in the future life, what will what will follow from that? You’re gonna be born, you know, in the lower realms, in the hells or the pretas or animal realms. And then so I guess he’s been saying, so why why is that?
We might come to think why is that? You know, if you work for money, car, houses, and whatnot, that’s what you get. You get that. But why why why am I going to be born in the lower realms? Why am I going to be born in hell because of that?
You know, I have worked for this money. I have worked for this car. I have accomplished it myself. I have done it in the past. I’m doing it now.
Why why why do I have to be born in the lower realms because of that? And then so so, Geshe-la was saying, no. We we we keep on we think, okay. How how can these actions lead to lower realms? That cannot be.
And we we don’t really understand how our actions can bring about these results of of suffering in future lives. But but the fact is that, again, these minds that are that we have that are intent on acquiring money, cars, and whatnot, those very minds are minds of attachment, which which is an affliction. So those and by the force of those very minds, we engage in all sorts of actions. All the all our actions are going to be motivated by that attachment. They are going to be stained and distorted by that affliction.
And and by the force of of that attachment, when we engage in all sorts of of of bad actions. You know, we engage in in non virtuous negativities of of body, of speech, and of mind. We engage in all three types of non virtuous deeds. By the force of that attachment, we engage in in in deceit. We get angry.
We we engage in hurtful actions and so on. So we we really are involved in this manner. We remain involved with, you know, the three poisons of attachment, hatred, and ignorance, and everything else that follows from it. And and because of that, the result that follows from it is is birth in the suffering realms of existence. So, again, all these pertaining again to the faults of not recollecting death, not not cultivating awareness of death.
So, again, if one does not have this awareness of death, one keeps on completely involved with the afflictions, with the things of this life. And this is like poison. It’s gonna poison all all our future lives. It’s gonna bring suffering results in throughout all our future lives if we remain this way, if we don’t if we remain lacking this awareness. So, again, the main distinction between, one’s actions, one’s activities being a spiritual action or not a spiritual action is made in dependence on, the focus that one has is one focusing on this present lifetime or in future lifetimes.
If one is focused on future lives, lives beyond this one, then one’s actions are spiritual. If one’s focus is on this present lifetime, then one’s actions are not spiritual. They’re not Dharma. So again, so all of us, we all meditate and we we read Dharma books and we study the Dharma books and we come to to we attend teachings and lectures and and and so on. And all those things, you know, they are so called spiritual.
And, you know, there are many, many people who do that. Many people do that. So it’s all that all that all those things are called are said to be spiritual. And and Geshe-la is saying, so we might do that, and we might be thinking to ourselves, you know, if I do all these things meditate and and so on, then, you know, it means I’m a good person. People are gonna think I’m a good person.
People are going to, be on my favor. You know, this is gonna mean I’m I’m gonna be able to get favors of other people. I’m gonna get some profit or in some way, right now. So again, so if one if one is doing all any of those so called spiritual activities, but involved with such type of thinking, then again, that’s that’s not really a spiritual action in the end. These these are all actions that are pertaining that are concerned with the present lifetime alone.
They’re not really dharma. They’re not really spiritual. Now if one if one is doing just one mani mantra, one recitation only of only one. And and but one is doing that intent on accomplishing the happiness of future lives, and just that one recitation becomes that a spiritual action, and it it becomes a cause of the happiness of future lives. If one is doing that intent on attaining liberation from cyclic existence, then again, just that one recitation becomes it’s a spiritual action and becomes a cause of liberation.
If one is doing that for the sake of the enlightenment of all beings, then again, it’s a spiritual action and becomes the cause of the enlightenment of all beings. Just that one recitation alone. If one so in order to be a spiritual practice, the motivation, the goal that one must have in mind is either of the three goals of the three types of beings of of of small, medium, or greater scope. And quoting again another line of verse, which says, in order to to get pure legitimate Dharma, one has to forsake this this life, and and one must look at one’s mind. So, again, one if if if one wants to engage in pure spiritual practice, one must forsake this this life, give up this life.
And and one must in order and one must one must look at one’s mind to see what’s going on there. Have I forsaken this life? Am I doing this concern with this lifetime, or am am I doing this without any concern for this lifetime? And one must one must see that. One must look for oneself in one’s own mind and see what one’s motivations are.
And then, again, just just saying, again, this sort of spiritual practice as as we are being taught here today is something difficult now, isn’t it? So again, it is very very beneficial to accomplish spiritual practices. If we are accomplishing the spiritual practices, the spiritual Dharma of the greater vehicle, of the greater beings of greater scope, scope, then we are accomplishing the perfect happiness, the ultimate perfect happiness of every sentient being of both oneself and others. If we are accomplishing the the the spiritual practice, spiritual dharmas of middling scope, then we are perfectly accomplishing our own happiness. And again, if we are striving for the goals of beings of small scope, then we are accomplishing the happiness, the great happiness of of future lives.
And and Geshe la says this. And there is so there is great benefit in engaging in real legitimate spiritual actions. And the shortcomings of not engaging in such is that we are born in the lower realms of existence. So Geshe la wants open for questions now. Motivation.
It’s all about what thoughts you’re cultivating in your heart. So, again, you you don’t have to stop doing your job. You don’t have to stop earning your money. You go on about your life, but, but, you know, you you just develop the motivation. Okay.
I am I am going to work. I’m, you know, I’m going to make money, you know, so that I can benefit my child, so that I can benefit my my partner, so that I can benefit my friends. And and those thoughts, those are benevolent thoughts. Those are good thoughts. Those is sorry again.
Those are benevolent thoughts. Those are good thoughts. So if and and one then generates a motivation. So may these good deeds, may these good actions that I’m doing, I can be the causes of enlightenment or liberation or a happy future rebirth. And that’s how one motivates oneself.
And then one goes on about one’s life and just keep on cultivating this motivation at all times cultivating this motivation in one’s heart. All you know, whatever it is that one is going to do, whatever work one is going to do. So, again, one is going when one is going to to work, again, one is cultivating this this motivation. I’m I’m doing this so that I can have money so so that I can, you know, feed my family, so that I can provide for my my family and my friends, so I can provide for myself, for my own body, so I can keep healthy so that I can practice Dharma, that I can help my family and friends. And and and with this motivation and then one and and and and may these virtuous deeds, may these good deeds, you know, be the causes of enlightenment, liberation, and so on and so on.
And and in this way, one one doesn’t even need to think about the things of this life. One doesn’t need to be concerned. One’s still doing the same job that one used to do before and not changing anything. You’re gonna still earn the same money. You go about doing the same job, and you’re gonna earn your paycheck the same way, but your motivation is different.
All you have to change is your motivation. You don’t have to think about the money. You don’t have to think about the food or anything like that. You just think, okay. I’m I’m gonna do this so that I can help my family and friends so that I can keep healthy, so that I can practice, so that I can accomplish the cause the cause of liberation and enlightenment and so on.
One doesn’t one doesn’t need to think about the job, the money, or anything like that. They will still come. So, again, Geshe la is saying, so for example, right now, this action, this activity which are which are all engaged we are we are all engaging the same activity. We are all listening to the dharma. We are studying the dharma today here.
And, yeah, there are some of us who are studying the dharma here now, and their motivation is, may I attain enlightenment? May we all attain enlightenment? There are those who are studying the dharma here today and they are intent on liberation. There are those who are studying the dharma here today and they are intent on the happiness of future lives. And there are those like myself again which are intent on the happiness of this present lifetime alone.
So, again, the action, the activity is exactly the same. There’s no difference in the action. But due by the force of the motivation, the results they will ensue from those actions are going to be different. Some are going to attain enlightenment. Some are going to attain liberation.
Some are going to attain the happiness of future lives. Some are going to attain only the happiness of this life alone and nothing more. So, again, it all depends really on the motivation. That’s the most important thing. Do do you get it?
Yeah. Is it is it what time is it? I have five to five minutes. Yeah. No.
No. Five five minutes. So, again, one can still watch the the football, and one one goes on and and if one goes on and and start reflecting about it and thinks, Those those players there. I mean, they’re, you know, they’re very skillful. They’re very, great players, and they have, they have engaged in in many hours of training, and yet they have done that.
They have done all this hard work that they have done, you know, only for the sake of being famous, only for the sake of, making money. They have not done any of that for the sake of attaining happiness in the future or any liberation or enlightenment. And and and so they have done that all involved with the the things of this life, involved with attachment and so on. In the future, all that they are going to experience result is bursting the suffering realms of existence. And not only that, but all the people who are watching it.
There are tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people watching those matches. They are all involved with attachment and aversion. They are all doing that, involved with attachment and aversion. You know, how pitiful it is. How how how sad it is that all that they are all there accomplishing the cause of future suffering.
And in this way, one cultivates compassion. One gives rise to compassion in this way So again, you know, even though they might be very successful and make a lot of money, again they’re gonna die and all that money is gonna be of no whatsoever, no benefit whatsoever. On the other hand, all those negativities that they have created, they are going to follow them like shadows beyond death. So, you know, they’ve been involved with attachment. They have been involved with anger.
They have, you know, argued and fought with each other and whatnot. And all those negative actions, again, do will bring very bad results in the future and in this way we have compassion for them. And we we see and we see these these players and and and we see these players and they’re all very famous and very successful. And, you know, everybody likes them and celebrates them. You know, they are they are wealthy and happy and whatnot.
And, you know, Geshe la wasn’t saying we are all applauding them and all that. And yet none of it is, it’s only, it’s only this life. It’s only the things of this life. If you are to think in terms of Dharma, in terms of spiritual practice, and you you really ought to have compassion for them. And then one and then there there are still those players which are emanations of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
And they then they themselves, they are they are doing whatever it is that they are doing for the sake of other beings. So no need to worry about them. Those beings, such beings, whatever is that they do, it’s all it’s all spiritual. It’s all dharma. Alright?
Do you understand? It’s one o’clock? Yeah.