Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 99-minute afternoon teaching session from a Kālacakra retreat, Ven Thubten Dondrub continues a detailed commentary on patience drawn from what appears to be a classical Buddhist text, likely Śāntideva’s Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. Building on earlier material on anger’s faults, he guides retreatants through the practical methods for cultivating patience: arresting the causes of anger by recognizing that anger arises whenever we encounter unwanted situations or fail to meet desired circumstances; meditating on patience itself, including accepting hardships as necessary fuel for enlightenment; and fundamentally reframing those who harm us—recognizing that our own reactive mind, not the external agent, is the true enemy. He illustrates these teachings through concrete examples: sickness and medicine, work and reward, mishaps during interpretation. The session includes extended Q&A on confession and purification of past anger-driven actions through genuine regret, refuge, and virtuous deeds, as well as practical questions about handling anger in broader social situations and mediating between others. Pitched at serious practitioners in an intensive retreat setting.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 4. Day 1 Teaching afternoon.mp3
UUID: bdee2c86-c5a5-4801-9e91-56aaaf51ed8f
Teacher: Ven Thubten Dondrub
Collection: KI Retreat (Ven Thubten Dondrub)
Date: 2005 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 99.7 minutes
Words: ~4,972
Louis. So we we finished going through the text, went first through the let’s say, the shortcomings of anger, and and now we are going to start the next subdivision of those two. There is the advantages of and the benefits of patience. So so now we we we got into the next verse, which I’m not sure if if it is. Yeah, so it’s a it’s a on the verse on the sixth verse.
So, whoever thinks think of of of it in this manner and destroys it, and then Geshe-la refers to think of it in this manner as, like, meditating on its shortcomings and so forth, and destroys it, then this person here and hereafter will find only happiness. So here is this life, and hereafter will be all the future lives. We’ll find only happiness. Lost. This one? Okay.
So and then the the commentary goes on to to extend what what’s what’s just what was said in the verse. So after having thought well on the on the shortcomings of anger, the being, the person who who manages to destroy it, having destroyed it, will find in this life and in future lives only happiness only the cause of happiness. I’m sorry. So that being so, we should put a lot of effort in in in abandoning it, abandoning anger. So it is said in the in the sūtra the sūtra is if you translate literally, the sūtra is called Shes Rab Sūtra, and it said in this sūtra that not abandoning it, is indeed a great, huge shortcoming, huge fault.
This one? Loss. So now we go to the second main practice, which is engaging the mind in the methods to accomplish patience. So, the first one is arresting the causes of anger. The second of these will be meditation on the advantages of patience and benefits of patience again.
Yes. There’s only two subdivisions to this one. So okay. It’s a it’s a lot of divisions coming on. You you are you all following it?
Mhmm. Okay. So, again, so the we had we had again we we are in the section that is dealing with the methods to accomplish patience, right? So the first one of this is arresting the causes of anger, And this one, arresting the causes of anger has has has four subdivisions, alright, according to the commentary. So the first one of this is is called the nature of the cause or the essence of the cause and its shortcomings.
Then the second would be an instruction, just just an instruction on applying effort on the methods to oppose it. It’s just it’s just like a one sentence saying telling us to put effort on it. Then the the third one is is the actual method to oppose it. And the fourth one, So the the fourth one is the last this the fourth and the last one is after having investigated carefully and and in detail, investigated causes that give birth to anger, then we we apply efforts in abandoning it. Geshe-la was explaining to me the next verse.
It goes it goes something like this. Okay? According to Geshe-la’s explanation, anger arises from meeting with those things that we we do not wish or we do not want. And it also arises from from not being able to to meet with those things that we wish or we want. So that’s So having having having met with the with the with that which is the cause of distress, distressed mind, then that anger grows and destroys us.
And when they say it destroys us, Geshe-la mentioned on top of it that it destroys all the roots root virtues and collection of virtues and so forth? So so then Geshe-la is explaining to me the commentary on the on this last verse, and the commentary goes on to ask first, so how is it what is the mode of of of arising of of the suffering of our anger? Right? So it goes it goes pretty much the same as the translation I gave before. It’s like a so it’s meeting with what we do not want or wish and having those things having having the accomplishment of those things that we want or wish being, how say, arrested or stopped, interrupted.
And from that, there arises, how do say, greater mental distress. So same bit. So this is this mental distress, as we keep in mind, is is like the nourishment that gives that that increases anger in inside of us. And so, having found this nourishment, having met with this nourishment, and the body of anger grows grows more powerful and stronger and so forth, And then it destroys this life, our our this our life, and all our future lives. So then Geshe-la explained the the next verse, which goes something like, how do you say it?
Which is is actually the one the one verse that is instructing us to apply effort in opposing anger. Right? It’s the second of second division of the four that were what was that? That was the the the how do you say? It’s the arresting the causes of anger.
Right? So so then the verse goes to say, this So this anger, I have to this anger and no. This this the nourishment of this anger, which is this distressed mind that Geshe-la was mentioning, it is this distressed mind. The nourishment of this anger, I must one must destroy. At this point, Geshe-la gives a brief analogy?
It says that, for example, our body is nourished by food, and eating food, our body grows stronger and healthy and so forth. So it’s the same with these stresses that we meet, like finding the things that we’re meeting with the things that we not wish to, and not meeting with the things that we wish to, and so forth, that causes distress to our mind. And this distress is the nourishment of anger, so this is This stressed mind is that which we have to destroy, and which is the cause of anger, and then destroying it won’t give rise to anger. And then the verse goes on to explain the the verse goes on to say that that being so I mean, like like like this. So this this anger has no other function than to to harm me, to harm oneself.
This one. So again again, Geshe-la is explaining the explaining very briefly the the commentary that follows the verse, which is that doesn’t doesn’t add much information to the to the translation of the verse. So it’s like so that being so, my enemy one’s enemy, this So we have to destroy we have to destroy the nourishment of this anger, our enemy, with this nourishment, which is distressed mind. And like that, likewise, this this So this. Okay.
So this. So this anger which harms us and that has no other function than that is our greater is our main is our principal enemy, and we should put effort in destroying it. So Geshe-la is emphasizing that which is the cause of the nourishment of anger, which is this distressed mind. And Geshe-la explains again that this distressed mind is caused, comes about when we meet with those things that we do not wish to meet with, that we do not desire, and again, when we do not meet with the things that we do wish to meet with, those things that we like and that we do not manage to meet with them, to get them. So, okay, going back to the divisions.
So, the arresting the causes of anger has four divisions. We’ve been for the first one, which is the the nature of the cause and its shortcomings. We’ve been to the second one, which is the instruction to put apply effort in opposing anger. Now we’re coming to the third one, which is the actual method for opposing the anger. So this one has two subdivisions, alright?
So first one is called, it’s said like this, it unreasonable to give rise to this distressed mind, Right? And then and then the second division is just, like, the the reasons for that being so. Geshe-la says, we ask how to abandon this distressed mind, right, and we come into the next verse of the text. And the verse goes something like this. If whatever whatever whatever comes my way or whatever literally speaking, whatever whatever befalls befalls me, I will not I will not let my peace of mind be disrupted, and not having I mean, being displeased being displeased and disliking something, I will not be able to accomplish what I wish or the things that I want, and and all my virtue will decline.
Literally, this this is the verse. So so what so then whatever suffering, the the commentary goes on. So it says and I’m I’m basing myself now exclusively in Gena’s explanation of the commentary. Gena is saying that whatever suffering we meet, should not, I’d say, dislike it. We should think that the suffering is not going to remain.
Soon, it is going to change into something else. And and then and and and that being so, we should we should generate a mind that that is that is happy when when meeting with with suffering hardships. So and then the the commentary goes on. So the he says that a peaceful mind no. No.
It’s not a peaceful mind. It’s a okay. An undisturbed mind, and what would be the opposite of a distressed mind, an undisturbed mind, it’s antidote to a distressed mind. It’s a literal translation of the text, okay? So it is it is unreasonable for us to to to dislike anything that that occurred happens to us that that is is not something that we wish.
So all these happenings that we do not wish, we shouldn’t we should not not we should not dislike them. Because that is because if we get disturbed, distressed every time we meet with those things that we do not wish to meet, and then the result is going to be that our virtues will deteriorate, will disintegrate, literally speaking. So and that and like this. And following this, they they will come like So a lot of So then we we we go into the next verse, which probably all of you have have heard miss Hondes mention this verse before, and I’m not okay. I’m basing this one on this Steven Bastard’s translation.
So, why be unhappy about something if it can be remedied? And and what is the use of being unhappy about something if it cannot be remedied? Geshe-la is explaining after having investigated and analyzed carefully the causes of anger and and so forth. And then we take this as a reason, and then we we we we stop being angry go getting angry. So for example, if we are sick, and then we have to stop and investigate and think carefully.
So, if there is a cure for this disease, and then what we have to do is take the proper medicine, and getting angry with it or, you know, getting distressed because of it will not bring any benefit. So whatever whatever the situation, if if there is a if even if, okay, there is a cure for the disease, even if there is not a cure for the disease, again, say, getting angry will bring no no benefit whatsoever. So and that being so, we should meditate on patience. And I forgot — Tashi, Tsultrim Paldeus, I forgot to mention that this is a this verse refers to the second division, which is the reasons for why is, how to say, giving rise to a distressed mind is not alright. It’s not it’s unreasonable.
Okay? This one. Okay. So then the commentary goes on to explain again. I catch it?
So if there is if there is a if there is a solution for for a problem that arises for for for for an object that gives rise to to a distressful mind, if there is a solution for that, then So there is no there is no reason for us to get distress, for for us to dislike it. Again again, the text goes on to say, if if there is if there is a situation that we find that there is a to which there is no solution, then again, there is no benefit will follow from getting angry with it, from disliking it, creating aversion with it. And then the text itself gives an example, gives an analogy. It’s like getting distressed because of those things it’s like it’s like getting angry with empty space. And so that’s absolute there’s absolutely no purpose to it whatsoever.
So the the text the commentary goes to the next division. Okay? We we are still dealing with arresting the causes of anger, which has four divisions. Now we go to the fourth and the last one of of them, which is after having thoroughly investigated the causes that give birth to anger, then we put apply effort in abandoning Right? And this has three subdivisions.
Alright? So the these three divisions are are as follows. As follows, it’s like So it’s a the first one is a division of objects that give rise to to anger. So there is a a general presentation. Then there is Then there is those objects that we do not want to meet.
And then there is the not meeting those objects that we do we do want to meet with. So we do not we do not wish neither us nor our friends and families and relatives or anybody who is close to us to meet with suffering or to meet with derogatory conditions or situations or to meet with disrespect and so forth. And so we do not we do not wish that to happen to any to any of of those people or even us. But we, in relation to our enemies, we think we wish the opposite. I mean, we we we do we we think the opposite.
We wish those things to happen. So it’s it’s just like yeah. So it’s just like Geshe-la was briefly reformulating the whole sentence. Again, if when we meet when we and our friends and people that we, like, meet with difficulties, we are displeased and unhappy, But then when when our when our enemies meet with difficult situations, we are very pleased. So then the commentary goes on into a bit more detail.
So we and our friends and relatives and other people that we like, We do not wish to meet with feelings, painful feelings, and so forth. We do not wish to be humiliated or to be derogated in public and so forth. But yes, we wish the opposite of those things, right? We want to be praised and so forth. But to our enemies, we wish exactly that, suffering bad situations.
Loss. So in brief, the text goes to say this is related to the eight worldly concerns. The eight worldly dharmas are gain, loss, pleasure, misery, praise and degradation, fame or infamy. Right? Geshe-la says that from these eight worldly dharmas, you know, anger can arise arises.
Loss. This one? So then we went to the the first division. Now we go to the second division, right, of of three, which is, how do say, putting effort in abandoning anger after having thoroughly thoroughly investigated the causes that give rise to it. Right?
So then the second division of of this this section is So stopping arresting anger that arises in relation to to those things, to meeting with those things that we do not wish to meet with. Luz. So, the first one of them So, there’s three divisions to this. The first one of them is arresting the anger that arises in relation to oneself being derogated by by an enemy. The second will be arresting or stopping the anger that arises in relation to one’s relations or friends or loved ones being derogated.
And the third one is stopping the anger that arises in the anger that arises in relation to to to one’s enemy being being praised. So so again so again, the first one of these, which is stopping anger that arises in relation to one’s to one’s faults being exposed, one to one for to one being derogated. There are two divisions. So this bearing with any suffering that arises, and the second one, So so first one is bearing with with any suffering that arises. Yes.
And the second one is is bearing with situations like being derogated in public and so forth. So bearing bearing with with any suffering that arises has three divisions, and the first one is embracing how do you say? It’s a meditation on patience that embraces suffering, right, that accepts suffering. And Geshe-la gives an example, an analogy. For example, when we’re working very hard, for example, we work twelve hours a day, and then we meet with a lot of hardships and difficulties.
But in the end, we get a lot of money, and then we think we think of all this money, and then we start to to be pleased, to be happy every time we meet with with these hardships again. Right? So so we should think in in the same in the same according to this analogy, I mean, we should think in accordance with with this analogy. Right? So we we are trying to achieve the state of of Buddhahood, And in order to achieve that, we have to go through a lot of hardships, you know.
But if the result is Buddhahood, then going through these hardships is is no problem. We we we we we can generate this liking for them for these hardships and difficulties that we’re going to meet, and then and accumulating all the causes to Buddhahood and so forth. So so Geshe-la is saying, so when we we are working and making money, we can see the results, right, of our hardships and so forth. But when we are striving for enlightenment, we don’t see it. So we need the analogy for that.
So and while we are striving to achieve enlightenment, we should think that whatever whatever suffering comes my way, it’s it’s alright. It’s good. We should think like this. So the next division of these three, so I give you the first one, was a meditation on patience that embraces suffering. Then comes the meditation on patience that that So is the meditation on patience that So is the meditation on patience that So it’s it’s a meditation it’s on patience that, according to the explanation, bear will bear with any hardship you we meet while while studying and ascertaining the Dharma, the Buddha Dharma.
Right? While understanding the Buddha Dharma and studying it, we will accept any suffering that comes in the way. Loss. So the and the the third meditation, meditation of patience of that that thinks that that does that does not think of as of of someone or something that that harms you as as as an enemy or, yeah, as an enemy. That would be so.
This one. So Geshe-la has explained that this last meditation. For example, Geshe-la has given an example, two of us here. So if if I am interpreting and then I do a mistake, and Geshe-la reprimands me, and then I get angry with him, and then I shouldn’t get angry with him because, in fact, I did the mistake, and then and he just he just saw the mistake and reprimanded me. So we should see that we should see that the cause of this anger, this anger is coming from from me. Not it’s not it’s not he’s not causing it, actually.
So, it’s this is this how how this meditation is is applied, So so this Geshe-la goes on to explain this meditation, like, all these these beings that harm us, we shouldn’t we shouldn’t see them as our as our enemies. We should we should see the enemy in ourselves, and we should never we should never think, like, I’m a good person, or, you know, I do I do a good job or something. No. We should think, no. I I don’t know everything.
You know? So we we shouldn’t we should never, how to say, think highly of ourselves. We should instead think of we don’t know. I don’t know everything. You know?
I don’t have a lot of much merit. So he has all the reasons to get be angry with me and so forth. And and So he he was just repeating again. So we shouldn’t get angry with those beings that apparently cause harm to us because we should we should the enemy is inside us. We should we should see again the enemy inside us.
And yeah. So now now if anybody has any questions, please. Are you angry? Did you did you understand everything? Are you are you following me?
The divisions, my strange accent, is everything okay? So could you Yes? I’m following what you’re saying, but I can’t relate it to the text. Yeah. Give me tell me a bit.
Yeah. Was finished. I was explaining you something. We this is the rule text, and we are using a very detailed commentary on this root text. By, like Gershov Jay.
I have no idea where we’re up to now. We we the last verse we what was Patience. Myself has no disrespect. No. So the last verse, it was verse eleven.
Number eleven. For myself and for my friends, I want no suffering, no disrespect, no harsh words, and nothing unpleasant. But for my enemies, it is the opposite. So this was the last verse, and then we got into into a big piece of the commentary with many many subdivisions. Yeah.
Yeah. Just I just told him. Just for him. Yes. Mhmm.
Yes, please? Can I kindly just ask if in in this life, if we’ve had a lot of anger, say up until a few years ago, and we don’t want to go to the hell realms, is the best thing to do is to have patience now? Like what can we do to prevent any So he says so if first, said, okay. All of us have accumulated have have have got a lot anger in the past, in previous lives, and so forth. So all of us have all these negativities accumulated.
And the meditation on on patience, I asked him if that will be enough. Right? I said he said, no. It’s not enough. We have to meditate on patience also.
But on top of that, we should practice confession. We should generate genuine regret and think, oh, all those things that I did in the past, they’re they’re really not good. We should think it sincerely, you know. And then in front of the Three Jewels, the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, we should confess all those things and promise that we’re not gonna do them again. And if we do it properly, and then the results of this negativities, of this anger will will will become lesser and less less and less.
So can I explain two things? So one thing is that it is definitely not right to rejoice in all those negative deeds that we have performed in the past or any moment of anger that we had. It’s not our right to think, oh, this is good and so forth, because then rejoicing in that, it will the effect will grow. Right? It will be stronger.
And then and then he he went forth to explain that we should definitely confess every every negative deed that we have performed, and then he made it clear that there is no negativity, big as as it may be, that cannot be purified. Every negative deed can be purified through confession in this case. Okay. So so Geshe-la has explained that he’s mentioning here now that the four opponent powers, so which are genuine regrets, and then promising promising not to to commit those negative deeds that have committed in the past, not to commit them again. Then taking refuge and and the Three Jewels in front of the the Buddha, Dharma, and the Sangha, and then and then practicing virtuous deeds like prostrations, making offerings, and so forth.
And, yeah, this is the proper way to confess and purify those negativity. Thus, if you can do if you can do like this, then the the results of all those negativities will lessen in strength. So and then, Geshe-la goes on to say that if if one can realise emptiness, and then all those negativities will be completely destroyed. And then that is very difficult, not easy at all, I says. You want to keep towards this one.
Towards this one. Said it’s okay? That’s right. Okay. Yeah?
Oh, yeah. Any more questions? When talking about regret and confession, as part of the regret is that also coming up with solutions? I’m not sure of the right word to how not to repeat the same behaviour again or interpret the situation differently. Do you want to guess what I’m trying to say?
Yeah. Do you have to come up with a solution? Yeah. Once you’ve identified the regret, do you have to come up with a solution for that I’m not sure if I can I’m not sure if I if I got the meaning of your question, and, yeah, I’m not sure if I could get it through to Gela. So first, try to get to your to your question.
Right? I try to put forth. So, Geshe-la is explaining, for example, if we accidentally eat some poison, then we will get very sick, and we will vomit, and we have a lot of pain and so forth. We have to see the doctor, we have to go to the hospital, and then we think, now I’m going to die. Know, eating that was definitely not okay.
And then in this manner, we should regret our our negative deeds, past negative deeds, and think, but doing that was not okay. You know? Now I’m going to experience a lot of suffering and so forth. And then but then going back to your to your question, he was saying that if if you confess it properly, then there’s nothing else to do. It’s just like you confess from the depths of your heart genuinely, and then and then you just if your confession was properly done, you just won’t do the action again.
That’s what he said. Okay? So regret, when we we are regretting, we should think, oh, no. Doing doing that was not good, was not okay. We we should think like that, and then create the resolve inside us.
So, like like, eating that poison, eating that food that we didn’t know was poison, but eating that was eating that was not okay, and we think we regret, this is the intensity of the regret we have to have according to this analogy. Right? So No. It’s okay? We’ve been talking about anger a lot as between individuals, but anger as a like a fire spreading?
How do we protect ourselves if we see situations where anger is erupting? Yeah. Not on a broader society level. Maybe my translation was not clear, but we referring to anger also between individuals, but we’re also referring to to anything anything that that that that causes us harm in general. So so Geshe-la is explaining, note that anger arises from from from ourselves, from each one of us.
You know? Our anger arises from ourselves, and it’s it’s not out there. So when we meet with an unpleasant situation, a situation that we didn’t want to meet with, and then it doesn’t matter what it is. If it is a person or an object, we will get angry with with it, you know, because we will have that distressed mind, which is the nourishment, the cause of anger. What about if it’s in a situation where we’re not involved, we’re not the target of the anger, the anger is between others, but say we’re the only one available to mediate.
How do you dampen the anger between others if you’re the only one who’s So can I just explain what, at best, we we could talk with with those people and explain to them that, you know, point point out to them that the anger the anger that is coming the anger that he’s feeling now is is is his own responsibility? It’s coming from from his own actions. Mhmm. And then and then you get angry with your friend, and then that the fact that you are angry with him makes your your friend get angry and and goes in a vicious circle and and so forth. And just, like, talk to them, pointing out that the origin of their anger is is is caused by by themselves.
So there’s no benefit in getting angry, we should say, you know? We should tell them. Because it’s each one’s responsibility. So so after after if if how do you say? After the the the the anger the anger has dissipated, then then they end up liking each other, and from that happiness will follow.
Loss. Mhmm. Okay. Thank you. Oh, yeah.