Lesson 21 from A Comprehensive Commentary on the Words of My Perfect Teacher completes the five circumstantial advantages, covering the fourth — following the Buddha's teachings — and the fifth — being accepted by a qualified teacher.
On the fourth, the lesson distinguishes two kinds of Buddhists: the pseudo-Buddhist, who enters the Dharma out of fear or desire for worldly benefit, and the true Buddhist, who has recognised samsara as meaningless and genuinely seeks liberation. On the fifth, the lesson argues that without a teacher's pith instructions, even perfect scholarship and pure precepts lead nowhere — illustrated through Atisha's dialogue with his three disciples Khu, Ngok, and Drom. Atisha's reply is stark: perfectly kept vows without renunciation create only further samsara; diligent virtue without dedication is destroyed by a single wrong thought; learning and discipline without turning from the eight worldly concerns yields only worldly reward.
The lesson closes by completing the survey of all eighteen freedoms and advantages, and urging every practitioner to examine which they possess and which remain to be cultivated.
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These teachings were originally given in Chinese. The English version was prepared by our translation team and produced using AI-generated voiceover and lip sync.
meditation-practice
Lesson 21
2026-08-31
Lesson 21
Abstract
Key Quotes
“The Buddha and the teachings depend upon the spiritual friend. Thus said the Conqueror, supreme embodiment of all good qualities." — Condensed Transcendent Wisdom”
“Without a teacher, even the wise can't understand the Dharma." — Flower Garland Sutra”
“You may be able to keep the three vows perfectly, but unless you are determined to free yourself from the three worlds of samsara, it just creates further causes of samsara." — Atisha”
“You may be able to strive day and night to do good with body, speech, and mind, but unless you know how to dedicate the merit to perfect enlightenment, two or three wrong thoughts are enough to destroy it entirely." — Atisha”
“Not knowing the doctrine, a 60-year-old is still a child." — Precious Garland of Precepts”
