Geshe Thubten Palsang
At the age of fifteen, I entered the three major monasteries. Before the age of twenty, I devoted all my energy to studying, spending my days memorizing scriptures, engaging in debates, performing recitations, and attending classes... Due to my intense focus on these activities, I knew very few people, except for those who were also dedicated to their studies. After turning twenty, I fell ill and couldn't study as intensely as before. From then on, my entire life underwent a significant transformation, and I gained many friends.
I spent time with the monks responsible for temple duties who couldn't study; some monks were idle and preferred to live leisurely rather than study, they would sneak out when the disciplinarians weren't looking, and I joined them. I also spent time with some children. Meanwhile, I continued to keep company with those who were dedicated to their studies. After interacting with various types of people and analyzing the situations, I derived some conclusions.
There were two types of studious monks. One type emphasized both studying and practices for merit accumulation and purification. They were serious about recitations and relied upon their teachers in a proper manner. The other type prioritized studying over practices for merit accumulation and purification. After many years, those who focused on practices for merit accumulation and purification and having respect and faith in their teachers while pursuing their studies, even if they initially seemed average due to limited intelligence, made great progress and became excellent practitioners.
On the other hand, those who didn’t prioritize accumulating merits and purifying negative karma, and especially those who lack respect for their teachers, even if they were very intelligent initially and were expected to excel in their studies, were the ones whose progress gradually declined over the years, continuing on a downward trajectory.
A retreatant whom I know said that among solitary retreatants, there were those who were very diligent in accumulating merits and purifying negative karma. They allocated half or even two-thirds of their time to such practices, with the remaining one-third dedicated to the main practice. The other kind of retreatant didn't put much efforts into accumulating merits and purifying negative karma but focused primarily on the main practice. After many years, those who prioritized accumulation of merits and purifying negative karma tend to progress much better.
In his own case, during the initial few years of retreating to the mountains, he didn't read much scriptures or commentaries. For many years, he solely focused on accumulating merits and purifying negative karma. Strangely, later, when he revisited those scriptures and commentaries related to Madhyamaka, he experienced significant breakthroughs in his understanding.
This retreatant had completed his studies of the scriptures and commentaries before leaving worldly life for solitary retreat. If one were to embark on solitary retreat without having studied scriptures, it would be challenging to gain an understanding of them, no matter how much accumulation and purification they did. Because having only the "co-arising condition" but lacking the "proximate cause" makes it impossible to generate the required result.
This retreatant already had a foundation in scriptures, but during his retreat, he didn't spend time studying scriptures. According to his own account, he considered himself to have low intelligence and couldn't comprehend the scriptures. Strangely, after several years of accumulation and purification, when he reread scriptures, it was as if his mind had suddenly become clear. Not only did he grasp the contents of the scriptures, but he also experienced a different depth of understanding from before.
He said, "I didn't go to listen to teachings, nor did I study further. All I did was accumulation and purification. Apart from accumulation and purification, I can’t see any other reason for such a great improvement."
In the past, many outstanding practitioners also emphasized the importance of accumulation and purification. In recent years, though I do not dare claim that my feelings are 100% accurate, I also have the certainty that "indeed, this is the case!"
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About Geshe-la:
Geshe-la is recognized as an extraordinary teacher and meditator, having done numerous retreats over the last 20 years. This experience has resulted in Geshe-la being known for his profound comprehension of emptiness, and unique style of teaching which transforms some of the most difficult philosophical concepts to become easily understood and accessible.
Geshe-la has also extensively read the sutras and composed a two-volume book in which he provides the sutric sources of the Lam Rim Chenmo. He is very close to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and is frequently called to join His Holiness during philosophical discussions with other scholars. Geshe-la is an expert on the Pure Realms and has written two books and given several teachings on the subject.
