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SUPPLICATION TO THE ULTIMATE
ILLUSTRIOUS TARA
Elucidation of the Seven Verses
By Khenpo Samdup Rinpoche
04/17/2020 Page 1 of 585
Ven. Khenpo Samdup RinpocheSpiritual Director of the
Drikung Dharma Surya CenterFairfax, Virginia
drikungdharmasurya.org
Gar Drolma Buddhist Learning and Meditation Center
Dayton, Ohiogardrolma.org
Garchen Meditation CentreIn Vancouver, Canadagarchencanada.com
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Part One
1.1 Homage and
Meaning of the Title
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Homage:
Your body is Dharmakaya, essence of primordial emptiness,
Your unceasing enlightened speechis the soothing sound of Dharma.
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Your wisdom mind is the embodiment
Of profound vast knowing and love,
Mother of all Buddhas, Goddess Tara, to you I bow.
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Thus having begun with words of
veneration,
I shall elucidate the Seven Verses of Supplication to Tara for Protection,
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A text that arose from the expanse
of the awakened mind of the
Venerable Jigten Sumgön
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When he beheld a vision of
Illustrious Tara, Mother of all the Buddhas.
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This great being, whose life is
heralded by prophesies in multiple
sutras and tantras,
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Refuge lord of the Drikung lineage,
master over the three worlds,
Revealed the seven verses…
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After he had triumphed over the
four maras
And already become a buddha.
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The text can be sectioned into
three parts:
1. Virtue in the beginning with
the introduction,
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2. Virtue in the middle with the
main body of the text,
3. Virtue in the end with the
concluding section.
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Meaning of the Title
The Seven Verses of Supplication to
Tara for Protection:
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Set into seven verses analogous to
the seven aspects of primordial
wisdom…
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Referring to the union of emptiness
and compassion
On the ultimate truth level.
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On the relative truth level,
the seven verses
• Represent the seven Taras
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Tara of the Five Buddha Families
Represents of the five wisdoms on
the Ultimate Level
1. All-Pervading Wisdom
2. Mirror-like Wisdom
3. Wisdom of Equanimity
4. Wisdom of Discriminating Awareness
5. All-Accomplishing Wisdom
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One is only a sentient being
as long as,
One does not recognize
the nature of mind
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And is under the power
of the kleshas (the negative emotions).
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The Five Kleshas
1. Ignorance, delusion
2. Hatred, aggression, anger
3. Desire, attachment
4. Pride
5. Jealousy, envy
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Once that nature of mind is
recognized
And one realizes the wisdom…
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Of the indivisibility of emptiness
and compassion,
Free from negative emotions,
This very wisdom is the Ultimate Tara.
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There is no Tara to be found
outside of this.
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It is stated in the text
Meditation and Recitation of Amitabha
(here the word “Amitabha” is replaced with “Tara”):
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To behold intrinsic awareness, the form of Tara,
Mother of the Buddhas,
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Look at the mind free from subject-object grasping.
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There is no Tara to be found anywhere else.
The Dharmakaya of innate awareness – how incredible!
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Thus, primordial wisdom
is not found anywhere outside
Of the nature of one’s own mind.
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Part Two
Virtue in the Middle
2.1 General Depiction of
Dharmadhatu
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མ་སྐྱེ་བ་མྐྱེད་པའི་ཆོས་དབིང་ན།
MA KYEWA MEPAI CHÖYING NA
In the realm of the unborn mother,
the Dharmadhatu…
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MA - mother, essence of the
Perfection of Wisdom
From practicing Ultimate Tara,
the Illustrious Ones arise
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From the illustrious beings
come the teachings:
1. What to accept
2. What to reject
Both bring benefit for sentient beings
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Tara the Mother,
Perfection of Wisdom:
1. Gives birth (of wisdom) to all the
Illustrious Ones
2. Brings forth all altruistic activity
to benefit others
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Eight Extremes
Unceasing
Unborn
Not void
Not eternal
Without coming
Without going
Not disparate
Not one
NagarjunaRoot Text of Middle WayMula-Madhyamika
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Four Extremes
• Not arisen from itself
• Nor from another
• Not from both
• Not without a cause
NagarjunaRoot Text of Middle WayMula-Madhyamika
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• When we realize the meaning
of unborn…
We realize the meaning of the
perfection of wisdom –
the nature of emptiness
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In the nature of
emptiness-wisdom…
the dualistic clinging,
that perceives dualistic appearances,
is dissolved
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Which is Dharmadhatu,
the basic space of phenomena.
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The “unborn mother”
and “Dharmadhatu”
are inseparable.
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Tara Dharmadhatu
Appearance and Emptiness
Luminosity and Emptiness
Bliss and Emptiness
Awareness and Emptiness
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Therefore,
“Blessed Mother,
Illustrious Arya Tara”
Is the representation of
Dharmadhatu,
Basic space of phenomena, emptiness.
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Part Two
Virtue in the Middle
2.1 General Depiction of
Dharmadhatu
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The main section has two parts,
General depiction of Dharmadhatu
– the sphere of phenomena –
And a more extensive explanation.
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First, for the general depiction of
Dharmadhatu,
the first line of the root text reads:
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མ་སྐྱེ་བ་མྐྱེད་པའི་ཆསོ་དབིང་ན།
MA KYEWA MEPAI CHÖYING NA
In the realm of the unborn mother,
the Dharmadhatu…
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Generally when we say “MA,” we envision the relative-
truth level Illustrious Tara,
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appearing in her divine form
with face, hands,
and so forth.
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However, on the ultimate level,
“MA” or “mother”
Refers to the essence of the…
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Perfection of Wisdom,
Mother of all the Buddhas,
Appearing as the manifestation of
Illustrious Tara
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Also, it is from practicing
Ultimate Tara,
None other than perfection of
wisdom,
that all of the illustrious beings
have arisen.
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From the illustrious beings
come the teachings:
1. What to accept
2. What to reject
Both bring benefit for
incalculable sentient beings
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For that reason,
the Mother, Perfection of Wisdom
is known as
“She who gives birth to all the
Illustrious Ones” …
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And “she who brings forth all
altruistic activity to benefit
others.”
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These two understandings for
the exalted mother
are seen in several commentaries
on the perfection of wisdom.
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The meaning of the expression
KYEWA ME (unborn)
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Is explained in the section of
veneration in the
Mula-Madhyamika (Root Text of the
Middle Way)
by Nagarjuna as follows:
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Whatever is dependently arisen
Is unceasing and unborn, Neither void nor eternal, Without coming and without going,
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Not disparate (multiple) and not one.
The peaceful nature free from all conceptual trappings.
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I prostrate to this sublime truth taught in the teachings
Of the Perfectly Awakened Buddha.
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Eight Extremes
21
Unceasing Without coming
Unborn Without going
Not Void Not disparate
Not Eternal Not one
Nagarjuna Root Text of Middle Way
Mula-Madhyamika
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“Unborn,” or “non-arisen,”
is the main meaning
mentioned here in the text,
It refers to that state
beyond the eight extremes,
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Because once we understand what
is meant by unborn,
The rest is easy to understand.
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To quote from the Mula-Madhyamika again:
Not arisen from itself, Nor from another, Not from both.
Not without cause, All things whatever they are, Have never arisen at all.
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Four Extremes
• Not arisen from itself
• Nor from another
• Not from both
• Not without a cause
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Thus, using logic and reasoning
by refuting the four extremes,
We can establish that birth
and the others lack true existence.
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When we realize the meaning
of unborn
We realize the meaning of the
perfection of wisdom –
The nature of emptiness
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In the nature of
emptiness-wisdom,
The dualistic clinging that perceives
dualistic appearances,
Is dissolved.
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This is what is referred to
by the term “Dharmadhatu,”
the basic space of phenomena.
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The “unborn mother”
and “Dharmadhatu”
Are inseparable.
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That is what we are referring to
when we say:
“appearance and emptiness
inseparable,”
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or “luminosity and emptiness
inseparable,”
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or “bliss and emptiness
inseparable,”
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or “awareness and emptiness
inseparable.”
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Since she is never outside of…
or beyond
The basic space of phenomena –
Dharmadhatu –
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“Blessed Mother, Illustrious Arya Tara”
Are the words spoken to symbolize
the basic space of emptiness,
which Tara represents.
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This shows the nature of
Dharmadhatu:
Tara Dharmadhatu
Appearance and Emptiness
Luminosity and Emptiness
Bliss and Emptiness
Awareness and Emptiness
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The second line of the root text:
ཡུམ་རྐྱེ་བཙུན་ལྷ་མོ་སོལ་མ་བཉུགས།
YUM JETSUN LHAMO DROLMA ZHUK …abides the Blessed Mother,
the deity Tara
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As expressed above, the ultimate Tara,
Mother of all the Buddhas,
Refers to that very state of
Dharmakaya,
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Abiding in the realms and mind
streams of all sentient beings.
In the sutra it reads:
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Pure, lucid, luminous, undisturbed, Unconditional true nature:
This is the buddha nature (sugata garbha),
The Dharmata, always primordially present.
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In the Gongchig (Singular Wisdom Mind)
it is said:
All the buddhas have always been present in the mind stream of the sentient being.
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Thus, it has been taught that in the
mind streams of all sentient
beings…
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Buddha has always,
already abided,
As the nature of primordial
buddhahood,
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This nature is:
the basic space of emptiness,
the wisdom of omniscience,
the awakened mind,
which is Dharmakaya.
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So how do we realize this
Dharmakaya
in our own mind stream?
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We have to be introduced to the
inconceivable secrets of
awakened body,
The inconceivable secrets of
awakened speech,
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The inconceivable secrets of
awakened mind,
The inconceivable secrets of
awakened qualities,
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And the inconceivable secrets
of enlightened activity.
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In this way, when we say
“basic space of emptiness”
We understand this to mean
the inconceivable secret awakened qualities.
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These inconceivable secret awakened qualities can be
understood as
The four manifestations of great bliss, namely…
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1. The union of appearance
and emptiness
2. The union of luminosity and emptiness
3. The union of bliss
and emptiness
4. The union of awareness
and emptiness
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It is through these four unions
that we are introduced to the
True Ultimate Mother Tara,
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And recognition of that basic nature,
just as it refers
To the union of basic space and
wisdom –
The nature of emptiness, Dharmakaya.
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དྐྱེ་སྐྱེམས་ཅན་ཀུན་ལ་བདྐྱེ་སྐྱེར་མ།
DE SEMCHEN KUNLA DAY TERMA
She bestows happiness to all
sentient beings
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This line refers to the enlightened activities of the buddhas,
who are imbued with skillful
means and great compassion.
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With the non-dual wisdom of
awakened mind,
The buddhas appear in accord
with the needs,…
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…Inclination (preference),
And, capacities of sentient beings
In order to tame them
in whatever ways are necessary,
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Even sometimes in the form of
those belonging to the extreme
views of:
Eternalism, nihilism, and so forth.
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This is because,
By the power of previous
aspirations
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The buddhas will manifest
in any and every possible way -
if it is of benefit for taming sentient
beings.
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This is illustrated in the
Nirvana Sutra as follows:
Not blind, yet appearing as though blind,
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Not crippled, yet appearing as though crippled,
Not a child, yet appearing in the guise (aspect)
of a child,
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The buddhas manifest to ripen sentient beings.
Sometimes in the costume of Shiva and Brahma,
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Sometimes in the costume of the maras,
The way that enlightened ones enact benefit for sentient beings
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Cannot be fathomed (understood)
by ordinary people of the world.
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The reason the Awakened Ones
bring about the benefit of
sentient beings
Through a multitude of skillful
means is this:
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When they are on the path of
training,
They recognize the wisdom of
Prajñaparamita,
The Dharmakaya, to dwell
within themselves,
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And, they practice based upon
this understanding,
Gaining realization.
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Once they attain the state of
an Illustrious One,
By the power of great
compassion and
bodhicitta intention,
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They do not just stay fixed in the
pacified state of nirvana,
But rather, as the singular cause of
benefit and happiness for
countless beings,
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The teach the Dharma
in league (combination)
With beings’ constitutions (character),
faculties (capabilities),
and inclinations (preferences).
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To beings who do not know what
to accept and what to reject,
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Who due to ignorance create only
the causes of more samsara
And thus stay stuck there,
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The buddhas give teachings
with great love and compassion
On how to become free from
suffering.
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They show the paths to achieve
temporary and ultimate
happiness.
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Thus they engage in the benefit
and happiness of sentient
beings,
Revealing skillful means
through great compassion.
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Recognizing the indivisible nature
of skillful means and wisdom,
They themselves become free
from fear,
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And they bring others to that state
of fearlessness.
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བདག་སཇིགས་པ་གུན་ལས་སོབ་ཏུ་གསོལ།
DAG JIGPA KUNLE KYABTU SOL
I pray to you, protect us from all
kinds of fears.
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If oneself and all infinite sentient
beings can recognize
That primordially, we have always
been the Ultimate Tara,
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Then as it says in the scriptures:
You are your own protector. No one else can be your protector.
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On the level of relative truth,
as it appears to our confused
perceptions,
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All of us sentient beings
experience all sorts of
terrifying sufferings.
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However, on the ultimate level,
we have always been one
With the awakened qualities of
Illustrious Mother Tara,
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For all of Tara’s awakened qualities
have always been
Inherently present within the mind
streams
Of ourself and all beings.
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Apart from the mere distinction of
recognition or non-recognition,
All sentient beings have always been
buddhas.
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If we go for refuge from this
understanding,
That is ultimate refuge.
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From the perspective of the
relative level As it appears to our confused
perceptions,
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Sentient beings, because of not
recognizing,
Or rather not realizing,
the true nature
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Find themselves tormented
by all sorts of
Fears and terrors of samsara.
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We are thus supplicating that
very nature of Dharmadhatu,
Which is personified in the
relative truth appearance of
Illustrious Tara appearing
with face and hands.
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We are seeking refuge in
and protection from Tara
Until we ourselves realize the nature of ultimate reality.
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Part Two
Virtue in the Middle
2.2 Extensive Explanation of
Dharmadhatu
2.2.1 Faults of the Negative Emotions
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རང་ཆོས་སྐུ་ཡིན་བར་མ་ཤེས་བར། །
RANG CHÖKU YINPAR MA SHEY PAR
Not realizing oneself as Dharmakaya
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The meaning of this is encapsulated
by two lines from the
Abhisamaya- Alamkara
Omniscient wisdom itself is expressed as Dharmakaya
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As expressed above, the primordial
nature of mind is empty, essence of
clear light.
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Mind’s innate nature itself is
Dharmakaya,
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And the meaning of Dharmakaya is:
1. that primordial knowing, the union of luminosity and emptiness
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2. that primordial knowing,
the luminosity-emptiness
That is none other
than the momentary thought.
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Wisdom, or rather Dharmakaya, is
not apart from this.
04/17/2020 Page 141 of 585
This itself – the clear awareness of the present moment
Is the true face of relative truth phenomena.
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Without altering this, if you know its nature,
This itself is ultimate truth.
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Just as expressed in the above
verse,
when a positive or negative
thought or emotion arises…
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If we do not look deeper into it,
And instead simply get caught up
in its display,
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This accrues karma, becoming
causes of samsara.
However, when we examine the
thought or emotion,
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Look into the essence of the
thought,
It naturally ceases in its own nature,
And never truly existed.
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Recognizing this
is the cause of Nirvana.
That is, awakening to primordial
knowing Dharmakaya.
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This Dharmakaya is present in all beings.
The Uttaratantra states:
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Since the perfectly awakened buddha form is pervasive,
Since the suchness nature is inseparable,
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Since beings are in the family of Buddha,
All sentient beings are always
imbued with buddha nature.
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Thus, sentient beings are pervaded
by emptiness – the Dharmakaya.
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The suchness nature of Buddha
Is no better, no different,
Than the suchness nature of
sentient beings,
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For the suchness nature is inseparable.
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Beings who are bound in samsara
are still in the family of Buddha,
still have buddha nature.
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The Dharmakaya is there as the
ground, path, and fruit…
Present in everyone.
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The Gongchig (Singular Wisdom Mind) states:
The innately pure nature has the qualities of innate awakening and
re-awakening.
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What the above line illustrates
Is that in the basic ground,
The innately pure buddha nature
Is always present in sentient
beings,
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And like the sun and its rays,
It is already imbued
with all the innate qualities
Of purity and fruition.
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This already perfect state
Has always been innately
present in all beings,
Spontaneously.
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Even though temporary,
adventitious obscuration
(happening by chance)
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Can never defile or injure the innate
nature of mind,
Which is the very essence of
buddhahood,
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Just as clouds can veil the direct
view of the sun’s rays,
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Adventitious obscurations veil the
direct view of the Dharmakaya,
of its innately perfect qualities of
purity and fruition.
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On the path, through the two accumulations (wisdom and merit),
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We can clear away the obscurations
And directly actualize
the state of buddhahood imbued
With the two purities –
innate and realized.
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All sentient beings are permeated by
Dharmakaya buddha,
But they do not know it.
Analogies for this are given in the
Uttaratantra:
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Like a buddha in an ugly colored lotus,
Like honey amidst bees,
A grain in its husk,
Gold buried in feces,
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A treasure underground,
A shoot sprouting from a tiny fruit,
A statue of a buddha inside tattered clothes,
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A ruler of men in the belly of a destitute woman,
And a precious gem inside earth,
The buddha nature abides within
all sentient beings.
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Thus as demonstrated by the
above nine analogies,
All sentient beings have the fruit
of Dharmakaya,
But they do not know it is there.
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The reason for this is stated
in the second line
Of the second verse
of the Tara supplication:
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སེམས་ཉོན་མོངས་དབང་དུ་གྱུར་པ་ཡི།
SEM NYONMONG WANGDU GYURPA YI
…The minds of sentient beings are
possessed by negative emotions.
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As explained above, all of us
sentient beings,
Do not recognize this…
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Even though the Dharmakaya
has always been innately
present as our own minds.
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We are under the power
of the negative emotions,
as expressed in a sutra:
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All sentient beings are actually buddhas,
But they are temporarily obscured
by adventitious defilements.
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The adventitious obscurations
described here
Are divided into two categories,
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As explained in the treatise
Madhyāntavibhāga(Distinguishing the Middle from the
Extremes):
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These are shown to be the obscurations of the negative emotions
And the subtle obscurations
to omniscience.
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Why you may ask, are the
obscurations classed into
Two definitive categories?
04/17/2020 Page 181 of 585
The highest goal to be attained
by a person or individual
is twofold, namely…
04/17/2020 Page 182 of 585
1. The attainment of supreme
liberation from samsara
2. And the attainment
omniscient buddhahood.
04/17/2020 Page 183 of 585
Out of these two attainments,
what is it that obstructs
Our attainment of liberation
from samsara?
04/17/2020 Page 184 of 585
It is the negative emotions,
born from the grasping at
“I” and “mine” that obstruct
us from liberation.
04/17/2020 Page 185 of 585
What is it that obstructs the
second attainment,
The attainment of omniscience?
04/17/2020 Page 186 of 585
It is the ignorance of not
actualizing the nature of
phenomena (emptiness).
04/17/2020 Page 187 of 585
These two obscurations lead to
the grasping at a self-nature
of the person
And grasping at an inherent
nature of external phenomena.
04/17/2020 Page 188 of 585
Until this grasping at the
realness-of-self
And the realness-of-phenomena
is released,
The two obscurations are there.
04/17/2020 Page 189 of 585
In the Madyamika Ratna-Avali(Middle Way Treatise Mala of Jewels)
It is explained:
04/17/2020 Page 190 of 585
As long as there is clinging to a body,
There is self-clinging.
If there is self-clinging, then there is karma,
And from karma comes rebirth.
04/17/2020 Page 191 of 585
It has thus been taught
that as long as we have
grasping at a self,
We will not be liberated from
samsara.
04/17/2020 Page 192 of 585
If you want to know whether the
self-grasping can be released or not,
04/17/2020 Page 193 of 585
You can find the answer through
many scriptural verifications
And through reasoning, as
expressed in the
Madhyamika and Pramana.
04/17/2020 Page 194 of 585
The teachings reveal the antidotes
to help us actualize this
By showing how to meditate
And cultivate loving-kindness
and so forth,
04/17/2020 Page 195 of 585
As well as the antidote
to completely uproot self-grasping
Through the wisdom that realizes
selflessness.
04/17/2020 Page 196 of 585
According to the Buddhist scriptures,
the differences between the three
vehicles, or yanas,
04/17/2020 Page 197 of 585
Relates to the differing approaches
to purifying these two
obscurations.
04/17/2020 Page 198 of 585
The shravakas (hearers) and
pratyekabuddhas (solitary realizers)
of the individual liberation path,
04/17/2020 Page 199 of 585
Meditate solely on the selflessness
of the individual person
As an antidote to the obscuration
of negative emotions,
04/17/2020 Page 200 of 585
Through which all their negative
emotions are exhausted,
And it becomes impossible for
them ever to fall back into
samsara.
04/17/2020 Page 201 of 585
However, since they have not
perfected the meditation on
the selflessness of phenomena,
04/17/2020 Page 202 of 585
They do not become free of the
subtle obscuration to
omniscience.
04/17/2020 Page 203 of 585
The Illustrious Ones of the
Mahayana path,
Beginning from the path of seeing (the first bodhisattva bhumi, or stage),
04/17/2020 Page 204 of 585
Gradually purify both of the two
obscurations,
And these are purified
simultaneously.
04/17/2020 Page 205 of 585
Then, when the Illustrious Onesreach the eight bhumi,
In the manner of effortlessly
entering the Dharmata,
04/17/2020 Page 206 of 585
Even the subtle subliminal (inner)
sense of self-grasping
And all negative emotions are
completely exhausted.
04/17/2020 Page 207 of 585
From that point onward,
through the next three bhumis,
Known as the pure stages,
04/17/2020 Page 208 of 585
The subtle habitual imprints of
dualistic perception,
Or rather the subtle obscuration to
omniscience is purified alone.
04/17/2020 Page 209 of 585
Following 10 slides are directly from the book.See slides below for clarification of this next paragraph on book pages 46 to 48.
04/17/2020 Page 210 of 585
Aside from a buddha, it is
impossible for anyone who is still on
the path to be unhindered by even
subtle obscurations.
04/17/2020 Page 211 of 585
Here, when we speak of the
selflessness of phenomena,
there are two contexts.
04/17/2020 Page 212 of 585
One is the selflessness of
phenomena that is common to all
the vehicles of Buddhism.
04/17/2020 Page 213 of 585
The other is the selflessness of
phenomena specific to the
Mahayana.
04/17/2020 Page 214 of 585
There is what is known as the
grasping at the self-nature of
phenomena that takes a focal
object,
04/17/2020 Page 215 of 585
and the grasping at the self-nature
of phenomena that ensues from
dualistic perception.
04/17/2020 Page 216 of 585
Out of these three categories,
the first one is purified on the first
bodhisattva bhumi.
04/17/2020 Page 217 of 585
The second one,
grasping at the self-nature of
phenomena without focal object,
is purified on the eighth bhumi.
04/17/2020 Page 218 of 585
The second one,
grasping at the self-nature of
phenomena without focal object,
is purified on the eighth bhumi.
04/17/2020 Page 219 of 585
The following slides are
clarifications to pages 46 to 48 in the
book.
04/17/2020 Page 220 of 585
Aside from a buddha,
It is impossible for anyone who is
still on the path
To be unhindered by even subtle
obscurations.
There are two contexts:
04/17/2020 Page 221 of 585
1. The context that is common to all
vehicles (yanas)
2. The context that is specific to
Mahayana
A. With focal object - thoughts
B. Without focal object - perception
04/17/2020 Page 222 of 585
The first context is the selflessness
of phenomena that is common to all
the vehicles of Buddhism.
04/17/2020 Page 223 of 585
The second context is the
selflessness of phenomena that is
specific to the Mahayana.
04/17/2020 Page 224 of 585
In the Mahayana,
is what is known as
A. the grasping at the self-nature of
phenomena that takes a focal
point object, and
B. the grasping a self-nature of
phenomena that ensues from
dualistic perception.
04/17/2020 Page 225 of 585
The three categories:
1. That which is common to all
vehicles (yanas) -
The Afflictive Emotions
04/17/2020 Page 226 of 585
2. That which has a focal object
in the Mahayana vehicle -
Dualistic Thought
04/17/2020 Page 227 of 585
3. That which is without focal
object in the Mahayana vehicle -
Dualistic Perception
04/17/2020 Page 228 of 585
The first category:
The Afflictive Emotions is
already purified before entering
the bodhisattva path at the first
bodhisattva bhumi level.
04/17/2020 Page 229 of 585
The second category:
Dualistic Thought is purified on
the 1st through 7th bodhisattva
bhumi levels
04/17/2020 Page 230 of 585
The third category:
Dualistic Perception of grasping
at the self-nature of phenomena
without a focal object,
is purified on the 8th bhumi level
04/17/2020 Page 231 of 585
Following slides return to the text
of the book page 48
04/17/2020 Page 232 of 585
The Lalitavistara Sutra (The Play in Full) states:
04/17/2020 Page 233 of 585
When you are able to have the
forbearance to handle the
knowledge that there is neither
birth nor death,
at that time, I, Dipamkara, will
prophesy your enlightenment.
04/17/2020 Page 234 of 585
Here, the word “forbearance”
refers to the ability to forbear,
or handle, the truth that
phenomena are unborn.
04/17/2020 Page 235 of 585
This occurs on the 8th
bodhisattva bhumi level.
04/17/2020 Page 236 of 585
The stage of realization,
the realization of selflessness of
phenomena that is free from
dualistic perception,
is only realized when one
becomes a buddha.
04/17/2020 Page 237 of 585
Because we have accrued all
kinds of erroneous and perverted
habitual imprints in our minds,
04/17/2020 Page 238 of 585
conditioned existence arises
unceasingly in all sorts of
dreamlike appearances.
04/17/2020 Page 239 of 585
All this is made only of the stuff
of mind, and nothing other.
04/17/2020 Page 240 of 585
Therefore,
as long as mind is under the
power of attachment and other
negative emotions,
04/17/2020 Page 241 of 585
we will automatically enter and
get caught up in the play of
samsara - the three realms
04/17/2020 Page 242 of 585
and even the hand of the
Tathagata (Buddha) cannot make
it stop.
04/17/2020 Page 243 of 585
Only when we become free of
obscurations and gain control
over our own mind
will we finally gain control over
all phenomena.
04/17/2020 Page 244 of 585
It is not like we are fleeing a bad
place and running off
somewhere else to a better place.
04/17/2020 Page 245 of 585
. Without having to rely on
anything outside of mind,
if we simply recognize this
nature of mind,
the Mahamudra,
04/17/2020 Page 246 of 585
this is how we become free of
obscurations
and attain liberation
and the omniscient state of
buddhahood.
04/17/2020 Page 247 of 585
Not recognizing the true nature
of mind and
falling under the power of
attachment and
the other negative emotions
04/17/2020 Page 248 of 585
is how we become confused and
wander in samsara.
04/17/2020 Page 249 of 585
Whether we become confused or
liberated is rooted in
whether or not we realize the true
nature of our own mind.
04/17/2020 Page 250 of 585
To cite a doha by Sarahapa:
Emanating samsara and nirvana,Bestowing the fruit of our desires,To this wish-fulfilling jewel-like mind, I prostrate!
04/17/2020 Page 251 of 585
Going back to the Tara prayer, the
third line reads:
MA KHOR WAR KHYAM PAI
SEM-CHEN LA
These beings wandering in
samsara, who are my mothers.
04/17/2020 Page 252 of 585
With full realization of the true
nature just as it is,
04/17/2020 Page 253 of 585
she appears for the sake of others
in a relative truth form-body as
Illustrious Mother Tara,
and here we are calling out to her
with longing.
04/17/2020 Page 254 of 585
It is like a poor family who does
not know that in their home is a
precious wish-fulfilling gem,
04/17/2020 Page 255 of 585
so they continue to experience the
uninterrupted suffering of poverty
and destitution.
04/17/2020 Page 256 of 585
Sentient beings have always abided
as the very nature of buddhas,
but not recognizing this,
04/17/2020 Page 257 of 585
they continue to cycle around in
samsara through the twelve links
of interdependence that lead to
rebirth.
04/17/2020 Page 258 of 585
Here I will summarize the twelve
links:
The first link is ignorance.
This is the basic motivating factor
that propels one to take rebirth.
04/17/2020 Page 259 of 585
It refers to the ignorant grasping at
a self where there is no self
04/17/2020 Page 260 of 585
It is likened to a blind person who
wants to travel on a safe and easy
road,
but is unable to see where to go
and involuntarily falls down a
precipice.
04/17/2020 Page 261 of 585
Though we desire happiness,
because of ignorance
we do not know how to accomplish
the causes of happiness,
04/17/2020 Page 262 of 585
so we accrue non-virtuous karma,
thus creating uninterrupted
suffering for ourselves in samsara.
04/17/2020 Page 263 of 585
The second link is conditioned
factors,
referring to the karma that propels
the consciousness into a future
rebirth.
04/17/2020 Page 264 of 585
This relates to all the positive and
negative actions accrued through
the three avenues of body, speech,
and mind…
04/17/2020 Page 265 of 585
…stemming from ignorance that
cause beings to powerlessly cycle
in samsara.
04/17/2020 Page 266 of 585
The analogy is of a potter’s wheel,
which can spin all sizes and shapes
of pots.
04/17/2020 Page 267 of 585
The third link is consciousness,
referring primarily to mental
consciousness.
04/17/2020 Page 268 of 585
The consciousness at this point has
not yet accrued any karma.
04/17/2020 Page 269 of 585
This refers to the mental
consciousness where karma is
accrued from one embodiment to
the next,
where karma is stored until the
potency of that karma ripens.
04/17/2020 Page 270 of 585
For example,
it is like a monkey that cannot stay
in one place but jumps all around.
04/17/2020 Page 271 of 585
This consciousness is unable to
stay on one focal object;
it wanders off to all sorts of
objects.
04/17/2020 Page 272 of 585
The fourth link is name and form.
Here, name refers to the four
skandhas minus form,
namely, feeling, perception,
cognition, and consciousness.
04/17/2020 Page 273 of 585
Form refers to itself, the skandha
of form.
This refers to the body that we take
due to previous karmic causes from
our past life and bardo state.
04/17/2020 Page 274 of 585
From this life until we travel to our
future life,
we have taken a body in samsara,
and we are engaged in that body.
04/17/2020 Page 275 of 585
It is like the duration of travel on a
ship overseas.
It lasts until the ship reaches the
next shore.
04/17/2020 Page 276 of 585
The fifth link is sensory fields -
sense organs and sense stimuli.
04/17/2020 Page 277 of 585
This refers to the sensory fields in
the body
that are forming prior to the
completion of a full cycle
of the twelve links.
04/17/2020 Page 278 of 585
It refers to the sense organs
themselves - the eyes, ears, and so
forth - but without the placement
of the eye consciousness, ear
consciousness, and so forth,
04/17/2020 Page 279 of 585
in other words,
prior to the act of actual seeing,
hearing, and so forth.
04/17/2020 Page 280 of 585
It refers to the sense organs and
sensory capacity,
but without, or rather prior to,
the sense faculties being
experienced through
consciousness.
04/17/2020 Page 281 of 585
At this point,
only mental consciousness is
present.
It is like a completed house with
many windows that is still vacant.
04/17/2020 Page 282 of 585
The sixth link is touch.
This is where the sensory objects,
the sense faculties, and the
consciousness come together…
04/17/2020 Page 283 of 585
…and the mind that seeks to
interact with phenomena
on a sensory level comes about.
04/17/2020 Page 284 of 585
When the sensory objects,
sense faculties,
and consciousness come together,
04/17/2020 Page 285 of 585
a basic sense of touch,
as in smooth or rough, occurs,
but still it is not at the level of
interpreting that touch
as pleasurable or painful sensation.
04/17/2020 Page 286 of 585
It is like, for example, children
kissing.
Aside from the mere coming
together of sensory objects, sense
faculties, and consciousness,
04/17/2020 Page 287 of 585
children are not able to feel any
greater sensation beyond that.
04/17/2020 Page 288 of 585
Later on,
gradually they will experience
happiness or joy from sensations.
04/17/2020 Page 289 of 585
The seventh link is feeling.
This refers to the mind as
experiencing sensation or feeling.
04/17/2020 Page 290 of 585
The consciousness is becoming
more potent and now can
experience pleasure or pain,
happiness or suffering,
04/17/2020 Page 291 of 585
in dependence upon sensations of
heat or cold, smooth or rough, and
so forth.
04/17/2020 Page 292 of 585
It is like, for example,
if one’s eyes were struck by an
arrow.
04/17/2020 Page 293 of 585
The pain would be incredibly
sharp,
and one would not be able to see
anything around one.
04/17/2020 Page 294 of 585
In the same way,
during the phase of feeling,
the sensations of pleasure and pain
are very heightened.
04/17/2020 Page 295 of 585
The eighth link is craving.
This refers to the desire that has
the power to enact karma in a full
cycle of the twelve links.
04/17/2020 Page 296 of 585
This refers to the desire and
craving increasing toward
an object of desire.
04/17/2020 Page 297 of 585
It is like a person who drinks
alcohol and the more he drinks the
more he craves.
04/17/2020 Page 298 of 585
The ninth link is appropriating.
This refers to the desire that yearns
strongly to partake of the object of
one’s focus.
04/17/2020 Page 299 of 585
This refers to the increase of desire
and attachment for outer and inner
phenomena such as form, sound,
and so forth,
04/17/2020 Page 300 of 585
which is the desire that leads one
to reach out for
and try to appropriate that object
of desire.
04/17/2020 Page 301 of 585
It is like, for example,
a monkey eating a piece of fruit
and at the same time reaching out
for the next one and the next one.
04/17/2020 Page 302 of 585
The tenth link is becoming.
This is the karma that will propel
one to take one’s future rebirth.
04/17/2020 Page 303 of 585
When the conditioned karma that
was accrued in the previous life via
the third link, consciousness,
reaches its maturity,
04/17/2020 Page 304 of 585
one turns toward one’s future
rebirth, for example,
gathering in the womb of one’s
future mother
or in the egg of a bird, and so
forth.
04/17/2020 Page 305 of 585
The eleventh link is birth.
This encompasses the actual
taking birth of that embodiment
where the links of interdependence
have come together.
04/17/2020 Page 306 of 585
This refers to the period from
conception to taking birth.
For example, this is covered by the
nine months in the mother’s womb
and culminates in the actual taking
of birth.
04/17/2020 Page 307 of 585
The twelfth link covers both aging
and death.
This covers the time from birth
onward, as the body grows and
ages until it is left behind.
04/17/2020 Page 308 of 585
Aging refers to the changes that
take place as youth fades,
and death refers to the point where
the body is left behind.
04/17/2020 Page 309 of 585
Death is represented, for example,
by the indication of a corpse being
carried off.
04/17/2020 Page 310 of 585
Ignorance, conditioned factors, and consciousness are the three links that propel one.
04/17/2020 Page 311 of 585
Craving, appropriating, and becoming are the three links that produce one.
04/17/2020 Page 312 of 585
Name and form, sensory fields, touch, and feeling are the four links that are propelled.
04/17/2020 Page 313 of 585
Birth, aging, and death are the elements that complete the chain.
04/17/2020 Page 314 of 585
The twelve links also can be
subsumed into the first two of the
Four Noble Truths –
the truth of suffering and the truth
of the source of suffering.
04/17/2020 Page 315 of 585
In the Abhidharmakosha, it is
stated:
The first, eighth, and ninth links are subsumed in the negative emotions.
04/17/2020 Page 316 of 585
The second and tenth links are subsumed in karma.
The remaining ones are subsumed in suffering.
Thus it has been explained.
04/17/2020 Page 317 of 585
In order to make it easy to
understand the order of the twelve
links of interdependence
insofar as they function as the
source of samsara,
04/17/2020 Page 318 of 585
I have shown them by way of the
past, present, and future life,
and I have explained them in terms
of their functions.
04/17/2020 Page 319 of 585
For instance, the first one,
ignorance,
and the second, conditioned
karma,
begin from the previous life.
04/17/2020 Page 320 of 585
The third link, consciousness,
up to the tenth link, craving,
influence the present life.
04/17/2020 Page 321 of 585
Birth and aging and death
lead to the future life.
04/17/2020 Page 322 of 585
Thus, for all of the sentient beings
experiencing suffering in the realm
of samsara
by way of the twelve links of
interdependence,
the prayer continues:
04/17/2020 Page 323 of 585
YUM LHAMO KHYÖ-KYI
KYAB-TU-SOL
O, Blessed Mother, please protect
them.
04/17/2020 Page 324 of 585
Here we are praying,
“Please protect these beings from
the different kinds of terrors.”
04/17/2020 Page 325 of 585
We are saying,
“In me and in all sentient beings,
the Dharmakaya buddha abides.
04/17/2020 Page 326 of 585
Yet, because of obscurations,
we sentient beings do not
recognize the abiding nature.
04/17/2020 Page 327 of 585
By the power of negative emotions,
beings experience immeasurable
suffering in the realm of samsara.
04/17/2020 Page 328 of 585
O, Divine Mother,
you who has actualized self-benefit
through realizing Dharmakaya
and holds all sentient beings in
your great love and compassion,
04/17/2020 Page 329 of 585
please protect all these sentient
beings who are experiencing
uninterrupted suffering in the six
realms of samsara via the twelve
links of interdependence.
Please rescue them from their
delusion!”
04/17/2020 Page 330 of 585
This is really a prayer of protection
to the ultimate nature of great
compassion,
personified in the relative form as
the Illustrious Tara,
04/17/2020 Page 331 of 585
to protect us until the causes of
samsara - deluded perceptions –
are all exhausted.
04/17/2020 Page 332 of 585
2.2.2 Cultivating Wisdom through
Listening, Contemplating, and
Meditating
04/17/2020 Page 333 of 585
For the second subsection,
instructions are given on the
necessity of cultivating wisdom
through listening, contemplating,
and meditating.
04/17/2020 Page 334 of 585
In the Tara prayer the first line of
the third verse reads:
CHHÖ NYING NE GYÜ-LA MA
KYE-PAR
Not truly implanting the Dharma
Teachings in my heart, . . .
04/17/2020 Page 335 of 585
With this line we are reminded of
the four Dharmas of Gampopa.
The first is indicated in the prayer,
“Please grant blessings for the
mind to turn toward the Dharma.”
04/17/2020 Page 336 of 585
The meaning of this line is that
even though we may practice
sublime Dharma,
we have to make sure that the
Dharma is taking root in our own
mind stream,
not just on an external level.
04/17/2020 Page 337 of 585
It is for this reason that the holy
beings of the past have all taught
extensively
on the four thoughts that turn the
mind as methods for turning the
mind away from samsara.
04/17/2020 Page 338 of 585
Since we sentient beings, as taught
in the Buddha Dharma,
have been cycling since time
immemorial within this samsara,
04/17/2020 Page 339 of 585
the mind streams of sentient
beings have amassed strong habits
of self-grasping—
the cause of samsara and karmic
imprints.
Therefore, it is not easy to
renounce.
04/17/2020 Page 340 of 585
The reason for this is, first of all,
the sheer length of time we have
been gathering habitual imprints.
During this time they have become
quite strongly planted in us.
04/17/2020 Page 341 of 585
The second reason is that
in this modern century we have
excessive availability of the sense
pleasures,
04/17/2020 Page 342 of 585
so even if we try to apply an
antidote,
the allure of the desirable sense
pleasures is too strong,
and this makes it very difficult for
us to subdue - much less let go of
our desires.
04/17/2020 Page 343 of 585
In one of his talks, His Holiness
the Dalai Lama said:
“In olden days many Dharma practitioners, even if they did not have a great deal of exposure to and knowledge of many Teachings,
04/17/2020 Page 344 of 585
since they did not meet with many conditions in their environment that would provoke them,
there were many who accomplished their practice.
04/17/2020 Page 345 of 585
Nowadays there are exceeding amounts of factors in our society that would influence us,
so unless someone has sufficiently listened to and contemplated the Dharma,
04/17/2020 Page 346 of 585
it is very easy for the mind to change or be swayed in other directions.
Therefore, everyone, please carefully listen to the Teachings and contemplate their meaning fully.”
04/17/2020 Page 347 of 585
Through such words and others
like them, we can understand this
point.
In short, if we are unable to
awaken genuine renunciation
within our own mind streams,
04/17/2020 Page 348 of 585
we will not be able to find freedom
from the suffering of samsara,
and there would be no way to
achieve the peace of nirvana,
the states of shravaka or
pratyekabuddha arhats,
or the state of buddhahood.
04/17/2020 Page 349 of 585
Therefore,
if we repeatedly familiarize
ourselves with the reality of how
difficult it is to obtain the freedoms
and endowments…
04/17/2020 Page 350 of 585
…and with the impermanence of
life,
we will see the dissolution of our
clinging to and fixation on this
present life.
04/17/2020 Page 351 of 585
If we repeatedly familiarize
ourselves with and bring to mind
the infallibility of
karma - the law of cause and effect,
and the suffering of samsara,
04/17/2020 Page 352 of 585
we will see the dissolution of our
clinging and attachment to future
samsaric lives.
04/17/2020 Page 353 of 585
We will not be chained to the hope
of obtaining the pleasures and
happiness in the higher realms.
04/17/2020 Page 354 of 585
Without any longing or hunger for
heights of samsaric enjoyment,
an irreversible drive toward
liberation should blossom in the
mind stream.
04/17/2020 Page 355 of 585
If this does not arise,
it means that Dharma has not truly
taken root in our heart-mind,
04/17/2020 Page 356 of 585
and if it does,
it means that Dharma has taken
root.
That is also the sign of mind
successfully turning toward
Dharma.
04/17/2020 Page 357 of 585
The next line of the third verse
reads:
THA-NYE TSIG-GI JE DRANG
NE
. . . and following after words, . . .
04/17/2020 Page 358 of 585
Even if one already has awakened a
mind of renunciation,
the Dharma might not go along the
right path.
04/17/2020 Page 359 of 585
This could happen because of
following after words and labels in
the teaching.
04/17/2020 Page 360 of 585
That is why Gampopa prays in his
Four Dharmas,
“Grant blessings for the Dharma to
go along the right path.”
04/17/2020 Page 361 of 585
There are many instances in which
words of Buddhist texts seem to be
similar to non-Buddhist teachings,
04/17/2020 Page 362 of 585
and many instances in which
different philosophical traditions
within Buddhism seem to be saying
the same thing.
04/17/2020 Page 363 of 585
However,
in truth there are tremendous
differences among them,
as big as the difference between the
sky and the earth.
04/17/2020 Page 364 of 585
That is why Buddha taught the four
superior ways of relying,
and one of these ways is to
“rely on the meaning, not on the
words.”
04/17/2020 Page 365 of 585
This is a case in which one needs
to develop wisdom through
listening to teachings.
If you have the wisdom of
listening, you will be able to
awaken the precious bodhichitta.
04/17/2020 Page 366 of 585
A bodhisattva is one who, out of
compassion,
does not abide in the extreme of
nirvana,
04/17/2020 Page 367 of 585
and who, out of wisdom,
also does not abide in the extreme
of samsara.
04/17/2020 Page 368 of 585
When one has wisdom,
one looks at the sentient beings of
conditioned existence,
the beings who are lost in samsara,
04/17/2020 Page 369 of 585
and sees that it is because they are
ensnared in the web of self-
grasping ...
04/17/2020 Page 370 of 585
…and the great abyss of ignorance
that they are tormented by
ceaseless suffering.
04/17/2020 Page 371 of 585
It is from that recognition that
great compassion is born,
and it is from compassion that
supreme bodhichitta can arise.
04/17/2020 Page 372 of 585
If you have bodhichitta,
it means your Dharma has gone
along the right path.
04/17/2020 Page 373 of 585
The third line reads:
DRUB-THA NGEN PE LÜ-PA-LA
. . . beings who are deceived by
delusory philosophical views and
dogmas . . .
04/17/2020 Page 374 of 585
Even though one may have
awakened compassion and
bodhichitta,
one might not be able to dispel
confusion about how to practice
and meditate properly on the path.
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Enter Gampopa’s third prayer from
his Four Dharmas,
“Grant blessings to dispel confusion
along the path.”
04/17/2020 Page 376 of 585
People who strive for liberation and
omniscient buddhahood
must diligently apply themselves to
the methods for internalizing the
pure view of selflessness.
04/17/2020 Page 377 of 585
Not satisfied merely with obtaining
food and clothing for this life,
one should really question, is there
an afterlife or not?
If there is a future life,
04/17/2020 Page 378 of 585
are the resulting experiences of
happiness and suffering,
and the happiness and suffering we
are experiencing in the present life,
due to specific causes and
conditions?
04/17/2020 Page 379 of 585
If so, what are they?
Not only should we have an
understanding of these issues,
04/17/2020 Page 380 of 585
we should also be thinking about
the ways in which we can dispel
suffering and engender happiness.
04/17/2020 Page 381 of 585
What distinguishes the human race
from less evolved life forms in the
animal kingdom is that
human beings have intelligence and
the capacity for critical thinking.
04/17/2020 Page 382 of 585
Not simply content with the fleeting
attainment of food and clothing,
we are looking for something
deeper,
thinking about how to attain
everlasting happiness.
04/17/2020 Page 383 of 585
We should rely on the wisdom that
realizes the absolute nature
in order to realize the view of
selflessness,
beyond all extremes.
04/17/2020 Page 384 of 585
The reason is that without the
wisdom that realizes the absolute
nature
we will not be able to completely
uproot the three types of suffering.
04/17/2020 Page 385 of 585
That is why we must study the
meaning of interdependent
origination
to understand the meaning of
selflessness.
04/17/2020 Page 386 of 585
In order to understand selflessness,
we need certain clarity regarding
the subtle and grosser levels of
selflessness
as they are presented according to
the different philosophical systems.
04/17/2020 Page 387 of 585
I will briefly explain the different
assertions here.
There are two kinds of philosophy:
04/17/2020 Page 388 of 585
One brings an outlook on life that a
person has naturally
without relying on religious studies
or philosophical exposure.
04/17/2020 Page 389 of 585
In other words,
this refers to a view a person has
when he or she does not
study any particular philosophy.
04/17/2020 Page 390 of 585
The other kind is
one that changes the mind,
a philosophy that one arrives at
after studying and pondering.
04/17/2020 Page 391 of 585
An example of the first kind,
an outlook of an unchanged mind,
is the case of someone who has
never listened to or studied…
04/17/2020 Page 392 of 585
…nor pondered the teachings at all
and who does not question or
examine anything more deeply.
04/17/2020 Page 393 of 585
This person’s basic outlook, or
“philosophy”,
is simply the drive to accomplish
pleasure and happiness in the
present life.
04/17/2020 Page 394 of 585
The second category refers to
someone whose mind is committed
to a belief system based on
studying relevant scriptures or
applying mental analysis.
04/17/2020 Page 395 of 585
The second category can be further
divided into the classes of
non-Buddhist schools and
Buddhist schools.
04/17/2020 Page 396 of 585
There are many non-Buddhist
schools, but to name a few here,
they are the traditions of Vaishna,
Shaivite, Jain, Kapilavasta, and
Charvaka.
04/17/2020 Page 397 of 585
The first four mentioned follow the
extreme view of eternalism.
The last one follows the extreme
view of nihilism.
04/17/2020 Page 398 of 585
Traditions of eternalistic views
generally teach the importance of
engaging in moral conduct and
abstaining from sin, or non-virtue,
04/17/2020 Page 399 of 585
and they have many positive
features,
including encouraging the
cultivation of altruism and
compassion and such.
04/17/2020 Page 400 of 585
However,
they believe in an intrinsic and
eternal self and in a creator,
or lord, of the world.
04/17/2020 Page 401 of 585
The second class I will discuss here
is the Buddhist tradition.
To belong to the Buddhist class one
goes for refuge from one’s heart in
the Three Jewels.
04/17/2020 Page 402 of 585
The purveyor of Buddhism, Lord
Buddha,
taught us to abstain from causing
harm to others and refuted the
existence of a permanent, singular,
free will‒possessing self.
04/17/2020 Page 403 of 585
There are four major levels within
Buddhism.
04/17/2020 Page 404 of 585
Lord Buddha first gave rise to
bodhichitta and then proceeded to
gather the two accumulations in the
middle
and finally manifested the
attainment of perfect buddhahood.
04/17/2020 Page 405 of 585
Before the gathering of the first five
human disciples,
he turned the wheel of the Dharma
of Four Noble Truths in Varanasi.
04/17/2020 Page 406 of 585
Those who follow after the meaning
of the first turning of the wheel of
Dharma and who take those
teachings as the ultimate sermon of
Buddha…
04/17/2020 Page 407 of 585
…are said to belong to the
foundational yana of Buddhism
and are known as shravakas.
04/17/2020 Page 408 of 585
They belong to the two sub-schools
of Vaibhaishika and Sautantrika.
04/17/2020 Page 409 of 585
Then, in Rajghir on Vulture Peak,
during the middle turning of the
wheel of Dharma,
Buddha taught the Dharma beyond
characteristics to the disciples of
sharp faculties.
04/17/2020 Page 410 of 585
Those who took the meaning of
that as the ultimate sermon and
followed that are known as
Madhyamikas.
04/17/2020 Page 411 of 585
They belong to the two sub-schools
of Rangtong,
“Self-Empty Middle Way” school
and Shentong, or
“Other-Empty Middle Way” school.
04/17/2020 Page 412 of 585
In Vaishali and other indefinite
places,
during the final turning of the
wheel of Dharma,
04/17/2020 Page 413 of 585
Buddha taught the Dharma
distinguishing provisional and
definitive teaching
to disciples of diverse faculties.
04/17/2020 Page 414 of 585
Those who took from that sermon
that the ultimate teaching is the line
“phenomena are only mind”
belong to the Chitamatrin,
or Mind-Only school.
04/17/2020 Page 415 of 585
Those who took from that sermon
that the ultimate is the line
“mind, whose essence is empty and
whose nature is luminosity,
04/17/2020 Page 416 of 585
pervades all sentient beings”
belong to the Shentong school of
Madhyamika.
04/17/2020 Page 417 of 585
The latter is Jigten Sumgön’s
position …
and belongs to the definitive
teaching of the third turning of the
wheel.
04/17/2020 Page 418 of 585
I give a clear explanation of this in
my commentary
Gongchig Gongdon
(Meaning of the Awakened View of
the Gongchig).
04/17/2020 Page 419 of 585
In summary,
all four schools of Buddhism are one
insofar as they all teach that
phenomena by nature are devoid of
inherent self-existence.
04/17/2020 Page 420 of 585
However,
the dependent origination of the
absolute nature spoken of here is
suchness itself.
04/17/2020 Page 421 of 585
It is the subtle level of
interdependence of the aggregates
that serves as
the basis of imputation.
04/17/2020 Page 422 of 585
In other words,
by establishing this as the basis of
reasoning,
we see that there is an ultimate
nature to be actualized, and this is
the ultimate, subtlest level of
interdependence. To
04/17/2020 Page 423 of 585
In other words,
by establishing this as the basis of
reasoning,
04/17/2020 Page 424 of 585
we see that there is an ultimate
nature to be actualized,
and this is the ultimate, subtlest level
of interdependence.
04/17/2020 Page 425 of 585
To understand this,
first we need to understand the
interdependence of dependent
causation.
04/17/2020 Page 426 of 585
To understand dependent causation,
we need to understand the
interdependence of cause and effect.
04/17/2020 Page 427 of 585
Simply put,
to understand the subtle,
we first start by understanding it on a
crude or grosser level.
04/17/2020 Page 428 of 585
In modern terminology,
we need to understand it on the:
• material or physical science level,
• the psychological level,
• the level of chemistry,
• and so forth.
04/17/2020 Page 429 of 585
Even in these fields of science,
the doctrine of interdependent
origination is incorporated.
04/17/2020 Page 430 of 585
All phenomena are completely
subsumed within interdependent
origination.
04/17/2020 Page 431 of 585
It is for this reason that
Maitreyanatha said in the
Abhisamaya-Alamkara:
Without studying the five subjects of learning until becoming adept,
Even the Supreme Illustrious One could not have become omniscient.
04/17/2020 Page 432 of 585
Out of the five subjects of learning,
if we expand just the field of
mechanics or mechanical
engineering,
all the crucial points of today’s times
can be subsumed within this field.
04/17/2020 Page 433 of 585
Because of this,
we can see that in order to know
Dharma exactly and perfectly,
04/17/2020 Page 434 of 585
we need to use critical thinking
and to analyze with the wisdom of
discernment
to understand all the many different
systems of Buddhist and
non-Buddhist schools of thought.
04/17/2020 Page 435 of 585
With this basis of understanding,
gradually we can ascend to more
advanced doctrines,
and each time we move to a more
evolved philosophy the more
profound the view becomes.
04/17/2020 Page 436 of 585
Therefore,
in order to avoid pitfalls and traps in
our view,
and to gain certain understanding of
the range of subtle and gross
meanings of selflessness,
04/17/2020 Page 437 of 585
it is very helpful if we not only know
our own Buddhist philosophy,
but all the philosophical tenets and
viewpoints of non-Buddhist schools
as well,
both ancient and modern.
04/17/2020 Page 438 of 585
Thus,
for the sentient beings who are
misled and who are ignorant of the
differences and salient
characteristics of the philosophical
systems,
04/17/2020 Page 439 of 585
the fourth line of this verse reads:
YUM YANG DAG-GI LHAMÖ
KYAB-TU-SOL
O, Perfect Mother, please protect
them.
04/17/2020 Page 440 of 585
Here we are praying for all these
sentient beings that are wandering
down erroneous paths…
04/17/2020 Page 441 of 585
…because of ignorance,
because of not knowing the antidote
to samsaric suffering -
which is renunciation, bodhichitta,
and the view of interdependent
origination.
04/17/2020 Page 442 of 585
We are praying,
“May confused perceptions arise as
wisdom
04/17/2020 Page 443 of 585
In other words,
we are supplicating this very wisdom
itself - the wisdom that knows the
ultimate truth-nature,
the authentic path free from
confusion.
04/17/2020 Page 444 of 585
We are supplicating this wisdom
personified in the form of
Mother Tara
to protect beings and prevent them
from entering paths of confusion.
04/17/2020 Page 445 of 585
2.2.3 Mindfulness and Awareness
through Meditative Experience
For the third subsection,
even though the ultimate truth is
beyond articulation,
04/17/2020 Page 446 of 585
the importance of giving rise to
mindfulness and awareness through
meditative experience is taught.
04/17/2020 Page 447 of 585
The first line of the fourth verse
reads:
TOG PAR KAWA RANG-GI-SEM
Difficult to realize is one’s own mind.
04/17/2020 Page 448 of 585
The nature of one’s own mind is
extremely difficult to realize
and is beyond the framework of an
ordinary person’s intellect of
conceptual mind.
04/17/2020 Page 449 of 585
In the Uttaratantra it is stated:
“Since it is so subtle, it cannot be an object heard and so forth.
Since it is ultimate truth, it cannot be thought about.
04/17/2020 Page 450 of 585
Since the Dharmata is profound,
an ordinary worldly levelMeditation and so forth cannot objectify it.”
04/17/2020 Page 451 of 585
Since it is so incredibly subtle,
you cannot hear about it as the topic
of an ordinary worldly discourse.
04/17/2020 Page 452 of 585
Since it is ultimate truth,
it is beyond being the subject of
ordinary worldly contemplation.
04/17/2020 Page 453 of 585
Since Dharmata is extremely
profound,
it cannot be the object of meditation
of an ordinary worldly meditation.
04/17/2020 Page 454 of 585
On this topic, Mahasiddha Tilopa
said:
“I, Tilopa, have nothing to show.If you just see yourself, you will be free.”
04/17/2020 Page 455 of 585
Saying this,
Tilopa simply whacked Naropa on
the head with his shoe.
04/17/2020 Page 456 of 585
It is not that
the ultimate truth is something there
that he was unable to show,
04/17/2020 Page 457 of 585
but rather that
the very nature of it is something
that cannot be shown,
because it is beyond language,
beyond word, and beyond metaphor
or symbol.
04/17/2020 Page 458 of 585
In the praise to the Mother of the
Buddhas, the Prajnaparamita,
when we say, “Ma-Sam-Jömed,” or
“beyond articulation, beyond
thought, beyond expression,”
04/17/2020 Page 459 of 585
we are not saying there is something
there that can be articulated,
thought of, or expressed
or that we simply lack the ability to
do so,
04/17/2020 Page 460 of 585
but rather that this nature itself is
beyond word, thought, and
expression.
04/17/2020 Page 461 of 585
Although such a nature is beyond the
conceptual mind of ordinary worldly
people like us,
04/17/2020 Page 462 of 585
during the path of accumulation
we can focus on listening to the
teachings
and contemplating this absolute
nature.
04/17/2020 Page 463 of 585
Then,
during the path of approach
we envision this nature
in our meditation on the essence of
Dharmadhatu.
04/17/2020 Page 464 of 585
Once we achieve some degree of
meditative stability,
after that comes the path of seeing:
THONG NE GOM PAR MI-JE-PAR
Seeing, but not familiarizing with it through practice, . . .
04/17/2020 Page 465 of 585
On the path of seeing (the first
bhumi of the bodhisattva),
the glimpse into the absolute truth
nature of Dharmata is…
04/17/2020 Page 466 of 585
…compared in the Uttaratantra
to a newborn baby seeing the sun for
the first time.
04/17/2020 Page 467 of 585
The baby at that point
can only see light and cannot
recognize that he or she is seeing
the sun.
04/17/2020 Page 468 of 585
In the same way,
illustrious beings in the beginning
see a glimpse of the absolute nature,
but at that point it is still unclear.
04/17/2020 Page 469 of 585
If they become conversant with this
nature they have glimpsed,
they can dispel obscurations
and bring about all the awakened
qualities without exception.
04/17/2020 Page 470 of 585
Therefore,
give rise to diligence when
meditating.
04/17/2020 Page 471 of 585
Even though the absolute nature is
beyond signification and beyond
words,
it can be realized,
for it is the nature of reality.
04/17/2020 Page 472 of 585
This nature that cannot be described
is always with you,
connected to your own mind stream.
04/17/2020 Page 473 of 585
In fact,
it has always already been the nature
of your own mind.
04/17/2020 Page 474 of 585
This indescribable nature is not
worsened or degraded
when you are under the control of
the negative emotions.
04/17/2020 Page 475 of 585
This indescribable nature is not
improved or enhanced
when the innate awakened qualities
in your mind stream are unfurling
and your realization is growing.
04/17/2020 Page 476 of 585
Regarding this indescribable nature
and meditation, as Saraha says,
there is not anything you are
meditating “on,”
04/17/2020 Page 477 of 585
but at the same time there is not the
slightest wavering or deviation,
because there is nowhere else for
mind to wander.
04/17/2020 Page 478 of 585
Without anything to meditate on,
and without the slightest wandering,
letting mind rest in its natural state
without modification –
this nature of mind is what we call
“Mahamudra.”
04/17/2020 Page 479 of 585
In this “meditation”
with mind being aware and not
wandering,
04/17/2020 Page 480 of 585
if we remain under the watchful eye
of awareness without contrivance
(invention),
this is how we will awaken the
wisdom of meditation.
04/17/2020 Page 481 of 585
JAWA NGEN PE YENG PA LA
. . . those who are lost in the
distraction of unwholesome worldly
activities, . . .
04/17/2020 Page 482 of 585
This line refers to those who, though
they have the instructions on how to
sustain the natural awareness of
mind’s nature,
04/17/2020 Page 483 of 585
do not remain in the natural
uncontrived state of mind as
expressed above,
but instead succumb to the
distraction of ignorance, laziness,
and idleness.
04/17/2020 Page 484 of 585
Saraha makes this point:
It is this very mind itself that is the seed of everything -Emanating samsara and nirvana,
Bestowing the fruit of our desires:To this wish-fulfilling jewel-like mind, I prostrate!
04/17/2020 Page 485 of 585
In other words,
all the defects associated with
samsara arise in dependence upon
the mind.
04/17/2020 Page 486 of 585
Similarly,
all the good qualities associated with
nirvana arise in dependence upon the
mind.
04/17/2020 Page 487 of 585
When we do not apply ourselves to
recognizing the nature of mind,
which we do not yet recognize,
04/17/2020 Page 488 of 585
and instead
we remain lost in the distraction of
unwholesome activities,
this is called “samsara.”
04/17/2020 Page 489 of 585
Recognizing the nature of mind is
the path of nirvana,
but without this recognition,
sentient beings are lost in the
distraction of unwholesome worldly
activities.
04/17/2020 Page 490 of 585
Thus we pray:
YUM DREN PAI LHAMO
KYAB-TU SOL
. . . O, Mother, embodiment of perfect
mindfulness, please protect us.
04/17/2020 Page 491 of 585
Though sentient beings may have
glimpses into the innate nature of
mind,
so difficult to realize,
04/17/2020 Page 492 of 585
because they do not have
experience familiarizing themselves
with this nature,
they become lost in the distraction
of meaningless activities.
04/17/2020 Page 493 of 585
We are supplicating innate
awareness –
the ultimate mindfulness…
04/17/2020 Page 494 of 585
…to take form in the relative truth
appearance of Mother Tara
and protect us from the distraction
of unwholesome activities.
04/17/2020 Page 495 of 585
2.2.4 Defects of Dualistic Grasping
and Necessity of Dissolving Duality
04/17/2020 Page 496 of 585
The fourth subsection of the main
section identifies the defects of
dualistic grasping and shows the
necessity of dissolving duality.
04/17/2020 Page 497 of 585
The first line of the fifth verse of
the Tara prayer reads:
SEM RANG-JUNG NYI-MED
YESHE LA
The absolute nature of mind is self-
arisen, non-dual Buddha wisdom.
04/17/2020 Page 498 of 585
The meaning of “mind self-arisen”
is that mind is not something new
to be found or something
fabricated.
04/17/2020 Page 499 of 585
This self-arisen mind has always
been primordially
the indivisibility of luminosity and
emptiness.
04/17/2020 Page 500 of 585
This nature of mind is
primordially free from arising,
ceasing, and dwelling.
04/17/2020 Page 501 of 585
In the Mahamudra Upadesha on
the Banks of the Ganges River,
it is stated:
To be beyond all duality of subject and object is the king of all views.
04/17/2020 Page 502 of 585
As expressed above,
since it cannot be found to dwell
anywhere,
there can be no inherent existence
of an external object.
04/17/2020 Page 503 of 585
Since no conceptual mind can
grasp it,
there is no inherent existence of
an internal grasping subject.
04/17/2020 Page 504 of 585
Completely beyond all outer object
and inner subject,
mind as resting naturally in this
absolute nature of suchness itself…
04/17/2020 Page 505 of 585
…and experiencing it as it is,
this is the king of all views.
04/17/2020 Page 506 of 585
From the vantage point of mind’s
nature,
we are buddhas not sentient
beings.
04/17/2020 Page 507 of 585
However,
not recognizing that we have
always been buddha,
we sentient beings meaninglessly
experience the suffering of
samsara.
04/17/2020 Page 508 of 585
For example,
ice can freeze and take all sorts of
shapes and forms,
but in essence there is nothing in
any of those ice sculptures apart
from water.
04/17/2020 Page 509 of 585
In the same way,
no matter how many different
appearances arise in the outer
world,
in essence they are nothing other
than the nature of mind.
04/17/2020 Page 510 of 585
However,
referring again to the ice example,
due to temporary conditions of
temperature,
water and ice appear to be totally
separate entities.
04/17/2020 Page 511 of 585
In the same way,
due to karma and negative
emotions - that is, because of
self-grasping –
the confused perception of
dualistic appearance of samsara
came to be.
04/17/2020 Page 512 of 585
Although there are all kinds of
conditions that lead to water
freezing,
ice has never been devoid of the
nature of water.
04/17/2020 Page 513 of 585
Similarly,
no matter how many different
kinds of sufferings we experience
in the world of samsara,
04/17/2020 Page 514 of 585
the nature of our minds has never
changed,
has never been anything other than
the essence of primordial
awareness -
the Dharmakaya.
04/17/2020 Page 515 of 585
The Dongpo Köpa (Sutra of the
Array of Trunks) states:
Some world realmsAre burning in immeasurable fires,
But when the sky burns it remains unchanging.Such is the self-arising primordial wisdom.
04/17/2020 Page 516 of 585
As expressed above,
the nature of mind remains the
same, never changing,
but as the next line of the fifth
verse of the Tara prayer reads:
04/17/2020 Page 517 of 585
NYI-SU DZIN PAI BAG
CHAG-KYI
Yet,
because of habitual grasping to
duality.
04/17/2020 Page 518 of 585
The true nature of phenomena is
non-dual wisdom-awareness,
but not recognizing that,
04/17/2020 Page 519 of 585
all kinds of appearances
arising out of the confusion of
dualistic perception come about.
04/17/2020 Page 520 of 585
all kinds of appearances
arising out of the confusion of
dualistic perception come about.
This confused way of perceiving
reality is not causeless.
04/17/2020 Page 521 of 585
We have accumulated all kinds of
karmic imprints in our minds,
and because of grasping at an
objective reality,
we develop attachment and
clinging to a self.
04/17/2020 Page 522 of 585
Due to that,
we become confused,
mistakenly perceiving the six
realms of beings that arise in a
dreamlike appearance.
04/17/2020 Page 523 of 585
In the Pramana-vartika, it is stated:
If there is a self, then there must be cognition of other.
04/17/2020 Page 524 of 585
From the duality of self and other,attachment and aversion arise.
From the interconnection with these two - all vices arise.
04/17/2020 Page 525 of 585
Thus, as long as we have attachment and aversion,
we will be bound to the realm of samsara.
04/17/2020 Page 526 of 585
Thus the third line:
JI-TAR JYE KYANG CHING PA NAM
. . . beings are bound no matter what they do.
04/17/2020 Page 527 of 585
If the cause is there,
namely, grasping at an inherent
self of the individual and an
intrinsic self-nature of
phenomena, then no matter what
one does, one will stay bound in
samsara.
04/17/2020 Page 528 of 585
If the cause is there,
namely, grasping at an inherent
self of the individual
and an intrinsic self-nature of
phenomena,
04/17/2020 Page 529 of 585
The obscurations of the kleshas,
or negative emotions,
bind one to samsara,
04/17/2020 Page 530 of 585
and these obscurations come from
the grasping at a self of the
individual.
04/17/2020 Page 531 of 585
The subtle obscurations to
omniscience,
which come from grasping at an
intrinsic self-nature of
phenomena,
also bind sentient beings,
04/17/2020 Page 532 of 585
and these subtle obscurations are
there
until the arising of the vajra-like
samadhi,
which comes into play only after
one has attained the path of
seeing.
04/17/2020 Page 533 of 585
THUG NYI-ME-KYI LHAMÖ
KYAB TU SOL
Mother of non-dual wisdom,
please protect us.
04/17/2020 Page 534 of 585
The Entrance to the Bodhisattva’s
Way of Life (Bodhicharya Avatara)
reads:
04/17/2020 Page 535 of 585
At the time when the material and the immaterialDo not abide before the mind,
At that time, since there is no other object,All is completely pacified into the non-referential state.
04/17/2020 Page 536 of 585
As expressed above,
we are invoking that very
inconceivable non-dual wisdom in
the form of Mother Tara
04/17/2020 Page 537 of 585
and praying to her to protect us
by destroying every single seed of
dualistic perception without
exception.
04/17/2020 Page 538 of 585
2.2.5 Knowing to Distinguish
Between the Two Truths
04/17/2020 Page 539 of 585
The fifth subsection teaches that
we must know how to distinguish
between the two truths.
As the first line of the sixth verse
reads:
04/17/2020 Page 540 of 585
YANG DAG GI DON LA
NE-JE KYANG
Even though the true nature is like
that, . . .
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“True” here refers to the ultimate
truth,
or the absolute nature of reality.
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When we are speaking from the
context of ultimate truth,
even Milarepa said:
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“My Lama Marpa appears but is not inherently real.
I know all appearances are mind.
This mind that appears also is not inherently real.
I know mind to be emptiness.
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This luminous mind, not inherently real,
is introduced as emptiness,
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and this emptiness –not nothingness,
not a void –
is introduced as spontaneous presence.
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Recognizing the spontaneously
present awakened qualities,
there are said to be four natural
liberations.
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In the Sutra Alamkara, it is stated:
Seeing that there is nothing outside of the mind,
And then realizing that even mind does not exist,
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And with that understanding seeing that both are not real,
Nor neither,
is to abide in the basic space of phenomena - the Dharmadhatu.
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Also, Illustrious Milarepa said,
No meditator, nothing to meditate on.
No grounds and no path on which to journey.
No resultant kayas or wisdom,Therefore no nirvana.
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Thus it was spoken,
but who is at that level where there
is no meditation,
no path, no result, and so forth?
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Milarepa is speaking of a person
who has already actualized the
absolute nature, beyond any
reference point,
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beyond all subject-object
phenomena
and beyond grasping at realness.
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In the Heart Sutra,
where it states there are no eyes
and so forth,
this is the view from the context of
ultimate truth.
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If one does not understand the law
of cause and effect that functions
on the relative plane,
it is a great mistake.
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That is why the second line of this
sixth verse reads:
GYU-DRE-KYI TEN-DREL
MI SHE PE
. . .but they do not understand
interdependence of cause and
effect on the relative level.
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From the point of view of relative
truth,
the Mahasiddha Tilopa said:
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These dependently arising appearances,
Until you realize them to be unborn,
Naropa, do not divorce yourselffrom the chariot of the two accumulations.
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As expressed above,
if we realize the unborn ultimate
truth,
then we will have transcended
karma - the law of cause and
effect.
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However,
until we realize this ultimate
nature,
we must continue to apply
ourselves diligently to gathering
the two accumulations.
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We absolutely must understand the
law of cause and effect –
what to accept and what to abstain
from.
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If we do not understand this,
it is said that we will continue to
suffer ceaselessly in samsara.
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To understand cause and effect,
we must understand what causes
happiness and what causes
suffering.
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In short,
this is summarized in the four lines
taken from the sutra of
instructions given to Angulimala:
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Do no negative actions whatsoever.
Engage wholeheartedly in virtuous actions.
Completely tame your own mind.
This is the Buddha’s Teaching.
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The meaning of these words is
expressed by the master Arya
Nagarjuna,
who explains what is meant by the
line “Do no negative actions”:
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Anything coming from the three poisons –
desire, aversion, and ignorance,
is non-virtue.
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Thus,
non-virtuous mind is understood
to be a mind that is untamed
and non-pacified
and is under the influence of
desire and anger.
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To engage wholeheartedly in
virtue, on the other hand,
is also explained in the same text:
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Anything coming from a state free of attachment,
free of anger, and free of ignorance,
is virtue.
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Thus,
virtuous mind refers to a mind that
is pacified and subdued,
a mind that has been rendered “fit
for action”
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a mind that is free from
attachment, aversion, and
ignorance.
A mind like this is a mind that is
completely tamed.
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The fault of not recognizing this,
not recognizing the
interdependence of cause and
effect on the relative plane,
is emphasized in the third line of
the sixth verse:
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SHE-JYAI DON LA MONG PA LA
Those who are ignorant about the
true reality of phenomena . . .
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There are two kinds of
omniscience –
the wisdom that knows the true
nature just as it is
and the wisdom that sees the
multiplicity of appearances.
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Since we have not yet awakened the
wisdom that sees the multiplicity of
all appearances,
we are ignorant about the subtle
interplay of karma, the law of
cause and effect.
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Since we have not yet awakened the
wisdom that knows the true nature
just as it is,
we are ignorant about the absolute
nature of ultimate truth.
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For the sentient beings who have
wandered astray from the meaning
of the two truths,
the prayer reads:
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YUM KUN-KHYEN GYI LHAMÖ
KYAB-TU SOL
. . . O, Omniscient Mother, please
protect them.
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Apart from the two kinds of
omniscient wisdom,
there is no separate ultimate or
relative truth to speak of.
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For the sentient beings in samsara
who do not understand the
teachings on the two truths
and who are lost in ignorance about
the meaning of karma,
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we are invoking the wisdom of the
two truths in the relative truth form
of Mother Tara,
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and we are praying for protection
to destroy all the seeds of ignorance
regarding the true reality of
phenomena.
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3. PART THREE:
VIRTUE AT THE CONCLUSION
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Thank You Very Much!
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