Here are my notes from an excerpt from Geshe-la's teaching on Wed June 11, a four line summary of the buddha's teaching – through this you can glimpse the depth of Geshe-la's understanding that enables him to unpack the entire path in these four short lines….
Do not commit any non virtue,
Perform only perfect virtue,
Subdue your own mind completely
This is the teaching of the buddha.
Do not commit any non virtue:
Because we don’t want to suffer, and suffering is not from no cause, a permanent cause, a worldly creator but rather, actions. Actions cause our problems. This line is also telling us to purify past actions and not create any more from now.
Perform only perfect virtue,
Because we all want happiness, which is caused by virtuous actions. Don’t lose the past positive actions and create more.
Do not commit any non virtue,
Perform only perfect virtue,
Mine and others happiness is destroyed by negative actions. If I harm others by harming their body, wealth and life now, in the future my own body, wealth and life will be harmed.
Subdue your own mind completely
If it is a virtue or non virtue depends on our own mind, as intention occurs in the mind. Virtue or not depends on subduing one’s own mind, by transforming the three poisons. This needs effort. We need effort first. Use effort over time to control the mind, to stop attachment and aversion, the kleshas (disturbing emotion/attitudes tib: nyon-mongs). It is the kleshas that give us a hard time.
As Shantideva says in the Bodhisattvacharyavattara (Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of life), on the state of sentient beings,
Although wishing to be rid of suffering,They run towards suffering itself.Although wishing to have happiness,Like an enemy they ignorantly destroy it
Sentient beings are unaware, do not see faults as faults: not seeing that suffering is caused by karma driven by kelsha, unaware of the law of cause and effect and dependant arising: the 10 virtues and the 10 non virtues, not understanding how to create the causes for happiness – not understanding that it comes from ethical conduct….
So the first level of subduing the mind is abandoning the 10 non virtues. The other trainings of concentration and wisdom are not possible without the training in ethics.
