supplication to maÑjuÌri - nashua buddhist …audio.nashuameditator.org/hinayana07/int200.pdf ·...

SUPPLICATION TO MAÑJUÌRI I prostrate to the Bhagavat Mañjuàri. Your mind is completely pure and luminous, like the sun free of the clouds

of the two obscurations; You hold a text at your heart, since you see all the variety of objects

just as they are; You love like your only child all the multitude of beings, who are trapped

by the darkness of ignorance in the prison of saÙsÏric existence And are afflicted by suffering; your speech, possessing the sixty kinds of melody Roars mightily like a dragon; thus you awaken from the sleep of the kleàas,

liberate from the chains of karma And dispel the darkness of ignorance; you hold aloft a sword since you cut

all the sprouts of suffering; You are primordially pure and have completed the ten bhâmis; you have perfected

all the qualities; the kÏya of the elder son of the Victorious One Is adorned with the 112 ornaments. You dispel the darkness of my mind. I pay homage to Mañjuàri.

THE SCIENCE OF MIND

INT200 Sourcebook

THE NALANDABODHI STUDY CURRICULUM

Under the Direction of The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

Nalandabodhi Study Curriculum 200 Series

Published by Nalandabodhi P.O. box 95657 Seattle, WA 98145-2657 U.S.A. © 2002 by Nalandabodhi Individual articles by the Ven. Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche also © 2002 by the Ven. Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche. Individual articles by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche also © 2002 by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. Cover: Calligraphy "Renunciation" by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche also © 2002 by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. All rights reserved. Published January 2002 Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from Nalandabodhi or The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. This text is published as a part of the study curriculum of the Nalandabodhi Buddhist Path under the direction of The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. For further information: Nalandabodhi P.O. Box 95657 Seattle, WA 98145-2657 [email protected] www.nalandabodhi.org

mailto:[email protected]

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INTRODUCTION TO THE NALANDABODHI STUDY CURRICULUM

Nalandabodhi Study and Meditation Centers offer a comprehensive curriculum in Buddhist studies, which adapts the traditional curriculum taught in Tibetan Buddhist educational academies for Western audiences. Students progress sequentially through basic Buddhist introductory topics, the increasingly complex topics of the HÓnayÏna and MahÏyÏna studies, and conclude with the subtleties of the VajrayÏna. The curriculum is also supplemented by an advanced Buddhist studies program provided at Nitartha Institute. Such a systematically organized curriculum of Buddhist studies, which leads students through a gradual path, is for the most part unavailable elsewhere.

The Nalandabodhi Study Curriculum is the product of many years of work in transmitting, translating and adapting the traditional educational system for students in the West. Completion of the curriculum provides a student with a comprehensive foundation in all aspects of Buddhist studies.

The core curriculum is composed of original teaching materials, distinguished by their thoroughness and accessibility, with extensive references to leading complimentary works in Tibetan Buddhist studies. The core curricular materials were drawn primarily from the teachings of The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, who designed the curriculum as well as the advanced study program at Nitartha Institute.

Rinpoche is acknowledged as one of the foremost scholars of his generation in the Nyingma and Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Schooled in the traditional Buddhist educational system, Rinpoche has also studied in Western educational institutions and has taught Western students for many years. Fluent in the English language and well-versed in Western culture, Rinpoche has been able to develop a curriculum, which addresses the needs of Western students while maintaining a fidelity to authentic Buddhist teaching principles.

Overview of the Curriculum

Buddhist studies may be classified into three categories: the HÓnayÏna, MahÏyÏna and VajrayÏna, termed the three yanas, or vehicles. The Nalandabodhi Study Curriculum is designed to allow students to master the basic ground, path and fruition teachings of each yana.

Initially, the student may study introductory topics from courses such as "What is Buddhism?" "Karma, Merit and Magic: an Introduction to the Three Yanas," "Life of the Buddha" and "The History of Buddhism." Non-elective studies begin with the HÓnayÏna and MahÏyÏna curriculum:

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HÃNAYÀNA: THE PATH OF THE NOBLE ONES (NALANDABODHI STUDY CURRICULUM 200 LEVEL) MAHÀYÀNA: COMPASSION WITHOUT LIMIT (NALANDABODHI STUDY CURRICULUM 300 LEVEL) VAJRAYÀNA VIEW: DEVOTION AND ENLIGHTENMENT (NALANDABODHI STUDY CURRICULUM 400 LEVEL)

Levels 100 – 300 of the curriculum are available to the general public. The 400 level of the curriculum includes topics in the VajrayÏna ground, path and fruition teachings. VajrayÏna is considered a division of the MahÏyÏna, employing different methods, but traditionally is treated as an independent division for studies. For students interested in this level of study, completion of the 200 and 300 level courses and membership in Nalandabodhi are among the prerequisites for participation in the VajrayÏna curriculum.

The Nalandabodhi Study Curriculum is offered in conjunction with the Nalandabodhi Practice Curriculum for Nalandabodhi students. Together, these two curricula, designed and supervised by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, provide students with a thorough training in the philosophical and meditative disciplines of the genuine lineage of the Kagyü and Nyingma traditions. The Nalandabodhi Study Curriculum is developed and maintained on an ongoing basis by the Nalandabodhi Curriculum Committee. For more on the practice curriculum, contact a Nalandabodhi center near you.

We wish to express our deep appreciation to The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche for these teachings and for transmitting their heart essence to us with such precision, clarity and warmth and to Acharya Sherap Gyaltsen Negi and Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen for their advice and continual support of students. May all those who travel this path of study achieve realization and continue the sublime tradition of liberating suffering by pointing out enlightenment.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

On behalf of The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Nalandabodhi, we would like to acknowledge and thank the individuals who contributed in various capacities to the production of the materials for the Nalandabodhi Study Curriculum. We appreciate their dedicated efforts offered with boundless generosity, patience and diligence in the areas of archiving, research and compilation of teachings, transcribing, editing, proofreading, design, formatting and production of the source books. We thank those who are involved in the formidable task of translating the source books from English into other languages. Additionally, we thank the study coordinators of the Nalandabodhi centers and Study Groups, who implement the curriculum with precision and care. We are especially grateful to Acharya Sherab Gyaltsen Negi for his astute guidance and his kindness in sharing his knowledge of the details of this seemingly limitless path. May the collective aspirations of these individuals to provide a genuine guide to beings of this age swiftly bear fruit.

Special thanks to Tenzin Namdak Lama, Marty Marvet, Cindy Shelton and Tyler Dewar for their extreme hard work in accomplishing this task. We also extend our sincere thanks to: Robert Fors, Karl Brunnhoelzl, Amita Gupta, Carole Fleming, Lynne Marvet, Oona Edmands, Jirka Hladis, Andrew Clark, Meg Miller, Daniele Klapproth, Lyle Weinstein, Heidi Caltik, Kim McMeans, Kathy Penny, Jan Puckett, Jean Peters-Do, Deborah Calloway, Gerry Wiener, Dylan Vaughn, Carmen Rumbaut, Rachel Cheatle, Kris Shaw, Joshua Spett, Jesse Hollingsworth, Stella Young, Margaret Russell, Jan-Marie Martell, Laurie Milner, Kristina Bischoff, Brigitte Schnoor, Ani Chonyi, Bruce Roe, Tashi Wangmo and Migme Chodron.

While it is not possible to individually acknowledge the contributions of everyone involved with all phases of the archiving, recording, transcribing, editing and final production of the teachings included in this series, we are grateful to those students who continually express their devotion and commitment through this important work. Nalandabodhi wishes especially to thank Ari Goldfield, Dennis White and Clark Johnson for their consistent and generous support in facilitating access to the teachings of Venerable Khenchen Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Very Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche for the Nalandabodhi Study Curriculum.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION TO THE NALANDABODHI STUDY CURRICULUM.................. V

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................ VII

CLASS 1: DISCOVERING THE SCIENCE OF MIND .......................................................... 1

BUDDHADHARMA: SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY ............................................................... 1 TRANSPLANTING THE GENUINE DHARMA ...................................................................... 2

Pure Water ............................................................................................................................................2 Obsessed By the Container....................................................................................................................3 Awareness and Skillful Means ...............................................................................................................4 Continuity of Enlightened Heart ...........................................................................................................5

HÃNAYÀNA: THE FIRST PATH.......................................................................................... 5 Attention to Details...............................................................................................................................6 Discovering the Heart of Renunciation.................................................................................................7 Individual Salvation...............................................................................................................................8

CLASS 2: ESTABLISHING THE VIEW........................................................................... 11

STUDYING THE TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA................................................................ 11 Regarding Study as Practice.................................................................................................................13 Conceptual Understanding..................................................................................................................14

THE GREAT WHEELS OF THE TEACHINGS ..................................................................... 16 First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma................................................................................................17 Second Turning of the Wheel of Dharma ...........................................................................................19 Third Turning of the Wheel of Dharma..............................................................................................19 Indicative and Definitive Meanings.....................................................................................................19 Summary of Classifications ..................................................................................................................22

THE TWO VEHICLES OF THE TEACHINGS ...................................................................... 23 HÓnayÏna .............................................................................................................................................24 MahÏyÏna ............................................................................................................................................26 Collecting the Teachings of the Buddha .............................................................................................27 Three Baskets of the Teachings...........................................................................................................29

Discovering the Science of Mind

ShÏkyamuni Buddha

INT200: THE SCIENCE OF MIND CLASS 1: DISCOVERING THE SCIENCE OF MIND1

BY THE DZOGCHEN PONLOP RINPOCHE

What is Buddhism? To begin to answer this question, we must learn to distinguish the pure

buddhadharma—the teachings of the Buddha—from its cultural container. Buddhadharma is

the content that we are trying to bring from one culture and language to another country and

another language. Pure buddhadharma is the dharma that deals with our mind. It is a genuine

science of mind that works with the basic potential of our mind. Like genuinely pure water, the

Buddhadharma takes the shape and color of its particular container, but remains essentially pure.

We begin learning about these teachings with the HÓnayÏna, sometimes called the "vehicle of

details." This path begins by looking in a detailed way at our own experience. It seems that no

matter what walk of life we may be following, there is always a sense of dissatisfaction, a

fundamental urge to search for something new all the time. On the path we learn how to

penetrate that experience, make something useful out of it, and thereby liberate ourselves from

that suffering.

BUDDHADHARMA: SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY

For anyone who reads "dharma books," goes to "dharma centers" and

"meditates on dharma," it is especially important to understand what

buddhadharma is. Buddhadharma is the content that we are trying to

bring from one culture and language to another country and another

language. Pure buddhadharma is the dharma that deals with our

mind. It is a genuine science of mind that works with the basic

potential of our mind. It points out our basic potential, the positive

aspect of the mind, as well as dealing with our negative emotions,

the negative mind of kleshas and ego-clinging. Dharma works with

these two aspects of our mind as a pure and genuine science of the

mind. Dharma is also a genuine philosophy of life, which not only

talks about our mind, but also about how to apply that

understanding in everyday life situations. Thus, it is a philosophy of a

way of life, a philosophy in action. It does not just sit in a professor's

1 Class materials are excerpted from lectures by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche on: 1) The Life and Teachings of Guru Padmasambhava, Hamburg, Germany at Theksum Tashi Choling, 1997. Reprinted in Bodhi, Issue 4, Fall 1999. 2) The HÓnayÏna Path, Treasury of Knowledge Retreat, San Antonio, Texas, 1998.

INT200: DISCOVERING THE SCIENCE OF MIND • CLASS 1

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thesis as a theory of the mind, but it is also carried into our actions in

day-to-day life.

TRANSPLANTING THE GENUINE DHARMA

Pure Water

The content of dharma is like pure water—genuinely pure—which

we are trying to pour into different containers. In Tibet, with the

blessing of Padmasambhava, the Indian master who was largely

responsible for the establishment of Buddhism in Tibet, we prepared

containers of wood, brass, silver and gold and poured the water into

those. Water, having no shape or color of its own, takes the shape of

its particular container, and it reflects the color of the people who

created the container. It may even smell a little bit like butter tea,

because it is poured into that container. Nevertheless, water remains

water, all the time. The nature of the water is the same as the water

we saw in the Indian cup. When we bring the water of the genuine

dharma to the West, it is the same thing. We pour that water into

our Western container, perhaps a European container of beautiful

porcelain. We place the same water into our container here, and the

water takes the shape of the porcelain cup and reflects our color. It

even tastes and smells a little bit like its new country.

When we bring that same water into the American culture,

the water is the same, but the container is different. In this case, it is

a paper cup. Still, when the paper cup is strong and clean and pure,

then it performs the same function as a gold cup, or a crystal glass. It

does not matter. The container holds the water and performs the

function, but the container, the culture, is different. Pure dharma is

beyond culture and language. That can be experienced if you just

take a few seconds and reflect on it. What is dharma? When you

really reflect on what dharma is, you realize that it goes beyond any

language, form or culture.


3

Obsessed By the Container

One of the most powerful aspects of the dharma that we bring into a

different form and a different culture is its pure essence, devoid of

any cultural elements. When we reflect on the possibility of different

containers, it is crucial for us to contemplate the nature of this pure

essence, beyond all language and form, as well. It is easy to become

totally obsessed by the beauty of the container. It is always more

fascinating to look at something new and different. If we visit a

family in the same city and see something different, like different

silver, different china, or different interior decoration, it is

fascinating and refreshing. We are away from that boring stuff on our

wall that we have been looking at for twenty years. We are having a

great time seeing something totally new. Originally, there is a sense

of attraction to new objects. It is always very fascinating, but it will

not remain fascinating forever. We become so obsessed with a

certain object, perhaps a beautiful statue, that the object becomes

quite powerful, as a result. When we hold this statue in our hands,

our whole body shakes and shivers, and when we look at this statue,

tears come into our eyes. The experience is that emotional. It is such

a fascinating object. However, if we have that statue in our house,

sitting there on our shrine, in our bedroom, for twenty years, looking

at the same statue, we lose that original fascination. It becomes, in

some sense, a very boring object again. It has become no different

than our Picasso poster hanging on the wall.

For that reason, it is very important for us not to fall

impulsively into a reaction towards new fascinating objects. When

we do this, we get into deep trouble. We think these things are going

to save us from our boring old mind and from stuffy air. We think

they are going to give us fresh air and a refreshing mind. But if we

get trapped in the same obsession with form, we are going to be

trapped in this pollution eternally. There is no end to it. It is an

eternal chain, and it leads us into deep trouble. In America, they call

it deep shit. It is very expressive language, because you are really

getting into this deep ... thing, you know.


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Awareness and Skillful Means

It is necessary to maintain a certain level of awareness and skillful

means, in bringing this pure water into different containers. It

requires tremendous precision, mindfulness, and compassion in order

to fully transplant the same dharma and have it take root in another

culture. The water cannot exist without a container. Therefore we

cannot totally ignore the container and say, "These forms are not

important, what we really want is the water." How, then, would we

keep the water?

In every culture, when buddhadharma comes, there seem to

be two extreme views, which are also obstacles. In one view, we

become totally obsessed by the container and develop attachment to

it. Then we work all the time to preserve the old container. In the

other view, we say, "All the containers are bullshit, we don't want

these containers. What we really want is the content. Just the

water." However, we have no idea how we are going to keep the

water without any container. In order to balance these two views,

we need to have a precise and skillful method to transplant, or

transport, this water from one container to another container.

That process of precision and skillfulness is described in an

example given by the great Indian scholar, Chandrakirti. He said

that if a monkey is attached to his old abode, which is an old tree,

and if that old tree is slowly dying and falling apart, then the monkey

needs to swing to another tree. However, Chandrakirti says that

skillful monkeys would not let go of their old tree branch until they

could really get a good grip on the branch of a new tree. Only then

would they let go of their old tree, happily and safely reaching the

new tree, full of life. Whereas, unskillful monkeys would let go of

their old tree branch before they could get a good grip on a new

branch. In that case, they would fall and die. Therefore, on the one

hand, this swing that history and time are taking is a very dangerous

swing. On the other hand, there is no option. We cannot just stay on

this old tree forever. We have to swing. Whether we like it or not,


5

we have to swing to the new tree. Not being attached to one

particular form is part of the dharma. That is part of our practice.

Therefore, we must take this swing in the skillful monkey way.

Continuity of Enlightened Heart

The pure, genuine dharma, which has continued throughout history,

is the continuity of enlightened heart. It is the continuity of

enlightened realization. It is not the continuity of form, culture and

language. It is like baking a very delicious bread, a very nice German

or Turkish bread, and trying to preserve it by putting it in the

freezer. That is one way of preserving it. However, in doing so, we

lose the meaning of freshness, the day-to-day experience of fresh

bread. The bread only lives as a museum piece. Whereas, if you

receive the lineage of baking delicious bread, and if you continue the

skill of baking such bread, then that continuity becomes a living

tradition. It becomes not only a living tradition, but a beneficial and

powerful tradition as well. Therefore, continuing the existence of the

pure and genuine dharma, like baking fresh bread, is more important

than preserving a particular form, which would be like keeping the

bread in a freezer.

HÃNAYÀNA: THE FIRST PATH

The first path in Buddhism is the path of HÓnayÏna, which means the

lesser vehicle, or the basic journey, which is extremely important.

The vehicle of HÓnayÏna in the classical Buddhist path is known as

the vehicle of details. This vehicle pays very detailed attention to very

fine levels of the path and the practices of discipline. This vehicle or

path of HÓnayÏna is the basic foundation, which is very necessary.

For this reason, this path of HÓnayÏna is known as the lower vehicle

or lower path.

When we say "lower" here we are talking about the lower part of the

building. For example, let's look at the pyramid of Egyptian culture.

The pyramid is a very beautiful example of architecture. However,


6

in order to reach that peak, so to speak, you really need to pay very

close attention to the foundation, to how you lay the foundation and

to how you build one level on top of the other. It is a gradual

process to reach the peak. You cannot start from the top and build

to the bottom. You have to start from bottom and build up to the

top. In a similar way, the HÓnayÏna is the path of details. It is the

basic ground—the foundation path.

Attention to Details

On this foundational path, when we say "details" what are we talking

about? Let's say, for example, that you are going to the Oscar

ceremony. You have won an Oscar, and you are going to receive the

Oscar award and to attend the party. When you are going to go to

the Oscars, what do you do? Where do you start? You take a bath.

You dress very fancy, and then, when you go there, you pay

attention in great detail as to how you want to present yourself. You

pay attention to how you want to appear and what you want to say.

You have to pay attention to all the aspects of these details.

You have to start from the point of taking a bath. Then you pick out

a nice pair of trousers, and you make sure that you have a belt so

that your trousers won't fall off when you are on stage receiving your

Oscar. It is very important, but we do not realize that. We do not

realize how important the role is that our belt plays. You must pay

detailed attention to these things. Then when you get there

everything, everything works out well.

In the HÓnayÏna path, we pay detailed attention to every

level of karmic cause and effect—to the consequences of our

actions—and we work with the path of discipline, which is directly

connected with the spiritual practice of working with our karma.

Therefore, the HÓnayÏna journey begins with the detailed journey of

a disciplined path. This discipline and precision is a very important

to our path.


7

We all have a very difficult time working with discipline. It is

difficult whenever we start to do anything new. It can be difficult to

do anything old, too. For example, going to work is such a drag

every day. You have to drag yourself. You have to have the

discipline to wake up early enough to have the time to prepare for

your work and so forth. These are all forms of discipline.

"Discipline" does not necessarily refer just to monasticism. This is a

misunderstanding. We always think of discipline as being an

element of the monastic path, but discipline exists in every level of

path in Buddhism. Therefore, even our practice of sitting in

shamatha meditation is a very important discipline. These

disciplines are based on the HÓnayÏna journey, the first and the most

basic journey of Buddhism. Thus, HÓnayÏna is the first, foremost,

and most important journey in Buddhism.

Discovering the Heart of Renunciation

On the HÓnayÏna path, what we really discover is the heart of

renunciation. Renunciation is connected to the suffering of saÙsÏra.

Renunciation, at this stage, is connected to the nature of

impermanence that we all experience in everyday life, in every

moment. Renunciation also is connected to the thought of seeing

the possibility of freeing oneself from saÙsÏra. Therefore, the main

principle of the path here is a strong sense of renunciation. We look

at saÙsÏra, our everyday life, the life of an emperor or the life of a

panhandler on the street. We look at every aspect of life. It seems

that no matter what walk of life we may be following, there is always

this sense of dissatisfaction. There is a fundamental urge to search

for something new all the time.

Whenever we find that new thing in our life, then we go

back to the same basic feeling or same basic experience of mind,

which is dissatisfaction again. Then we have an urge for look for

another new thing. It is an endless journey. That state of mind

actually shows clearly the basic suffering of saÙsÏra—the basic

suffering of our fundamental existence. Therefore, the HÓnayÏna


8

path emphasizes penetrating that suffering. One penetrates that

feeling and those experiences on this path and makes something very

useful of them.

Individual Salvation

That thought or feeling of dissatisfaction can lead us to the state of

enlightenment, the state of liberation, freedom, because that very

basic notion of dissatisfaction causes the renunciation of saÙsÏra. It

causes the thought of wisdom. It causes one to see that there is the

possibility of freeing oneself from such suffering and pain. Therefore,

there is a great benefit to this nature of renunciation, the thought of

renunciation. Consequently, the HÓnayÏna path is strongly

associated with the thought of renunciation and the path of

individual salvation.

In a way, there is the sense of a very ego-centered spiritual

journey taking place here, because our main concern is individual

salvation, individual freedom. This makes sense in the beginning

because, if we want to help someone, we must have what he or she

needs. If we want to feed someone, we must have food first. If we

do not have any food, then what are we going to feed this hungry

little being? Therefore, the HÓnayÏna notion is "In order to help

someone you must have some enlightenment first." We must attain

some stages of realization before we can help others. Accordingly,

the first journey we take on this path is totally concentrated on self-

liberation. Individual liberation is the first path, the first journey,

which is called "the HÓnayÏna journey" in Buddhism.

Establishing the View

ShÏkyamuni Buddha

INT200: DISCOVERING THE SCIENCE OF MIND CLASS 2: ESTABLISHING THE VIEW2

BY THE DZOGCHEN PONLOP RINPOCHE

How do we approach the study of buddhadharma? Hearing or study is very much emphasized in

the practice of the Buddhist path and is regarded as practice. Study of the teachings of the

Buddha increases your wisdom, your insight, and your understanding. There are a variety of

ways that these genuine teachings, proclaimed by the complete and perfect Buddha, can be

classified. The complete Buddhist path is described in terms of the three great cycles of the

teachings (the three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma), the two types of meaning (indicative and

definitive), and the grouping of the teachings into two vehicles (HÓnayÏna and MahÏyÏna).

STUDYING THE TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA

All dharma practice, all aspects of the path of Buddhadharma, are

included in the three steps of hearing, contemplation and

meditation. These three steps contain all the various aspects of the

Buddhadharma. They can also be explained in other ways such as

ground, path and fruition or view, meditation and conduct. Since

there is a sequence to these steps, it is absolutely necessary to begin

with the step of hearing or listening to the dharma. Jamgön Lodrö

Thaye compares it to the ground that is necessary for there to be

crops. If there is no ground, nothing can grow. In the same way, if

there is no initial hearing of the dharma, there can be no

contemplation upon it. Without hearing and contemplation, there

can be no practice of meditation. For that reason, it is important in

the beginning to engage in impartial and wide hearing or study. This

means to learn to appreciate and understand the various aspects of

dharma within the HÓnayÏna, MahÏyÏna, and so forth.

At the same time, one’s study must not be restricted to the

formal study of Buddhism alone. It should include understanding

psychology, other philosophical systems, as well as some scientific

2 Class materials are excerpted from lectures by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche on The PrajñÏ of Hearing, The Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma and The Three Dharmachakras, from The Treasury of Knowledge Retreat (San Antonio, Texas 1993 and 1994). Rinpoche's talks here were based on Jamgön Kongtrül Lodro Thaye's The Treasury of Knowledge.


12

training. This is actually recommended in the Treasury of Knowledge

by Jamgön Lodrö Thaye. To back up his recommendation, he first

gives a detailed presentation of what is called “The mundane path.”

In the context of his original text, it is a detailed presentation of

Hinduism, because Hinduism was the only non-Buddhist religion

with which Buddhists were then familiar. Nowadays we have access

to a variety of philosophical systems, a variety of religions, and a

variety of approaches to psychology and therapy.

Yet as was said by Lord AtÓsha,

“life is short, and there is lots to learn,” or “life is short,

and the things one could learn are endless.”

What is recommended is to take the approach of the swan

drinking milk out of water. There is a legend that if you pour milk

into water, swans can get the milk out without drinking any water.

When they are finished, you end up with just water. This signifies

that within the massive amount of things one could learn, one has to

prioritize and select what is actually going to be useful. Therefore, it

is necessary in the beginning to establish some hearing, or learning,

as a ground for one’s practice.

There is a saying in Tibet,

“meditation without learning, or without having heard the

dharma, is like trying to climb a rock face without arms.”

The Buddhist path is a path of knowledge, a path of insight,

and a path of wisdom. One can try to attain awakening through

meditation alone without knowledge, without insight, and without

wisdom. With only the intention, “I am going to meditate until I

attain full awakening,” one is unlikely to accomplish very much even

though it is an excellent intention. For example, if someone without

arms or hands were to say, “I am going to climb that rock face

without assistance,” while it may be an excellent intention, he is

unlikely to get there.


13

One of the most important teachers in the Kagyu tradition,

Lord Gampopa, said,

“The dharma is complete when one combines hearing,

contemplation, and meditation in one’s practice.”

Typically, first hearing or study is presented and then

contemplation, which is the actual training in prajñÏ. Then, on the

basis of that, meditation is presented.

Regarding Study as Practice

Hearing or study is very much emphasized in the practice of the

Buddhist path. Study of or hearing the dharma is regarded as

practice. Generally people have a slight misconception about the

relationship between study and practice in Buddhadharma. They

think that study is one thing and then there is real practice; which is

something else. They think that study is not real practice, that real

practice consists of things like visualizing deities and reciting

mantras. Sometimes they think that study is all well and good, but

that you need to accumulate a great deal of merit, which can’t be

accomplished through study since study is merely intellectual. One

of the reasons we tend to look at things this way is that we are sick of

studying. We have spent our whole lives studying and we feel that it

has not really benefited our minds. But the type of study involved in

the study practice of Buddhadharma is the kind of study that

increases your wisdom, your insight, and your understanding.

Actually, there is no better way to gather the accumulation of merit.

It was said by the Buddha,

“If you fill the entire universe with the most precious

jewels and offered it to each and every Buddha who is

present anywhere, you would accumulate tremendous

merit, yet it would still be measurable. If on the other

hand, in the midst of this age of decadence, you’ve learned

and explained properly even one verse or one sentence of


14

dharma, the amount of merit you accumulate is

immeasurable.”

Approaches to Study

There are many different aspects to hearing the dharma. There is

literally hearing it in the presence of the kalyÏÚamitra [spiritual

friend], the presence of the teacher. But the term “hearing the

dharma” includes all forms of study. It includes reading books of the

Buddha’s teachings and, given the examples of modern technology,

it also includes receiving instruction by watching videotapes,

listening to audiotapes, and so forth. All of this is genuine activity of

hearing the dharma. All of it is very important.

There are many methods that one can use for study. This is

especially important for western practitioners of dharma because,

generally speaking, westerners have good study habits based on the

western educational systems within which they have been brought

up. If these habits of study can be turned toward this genuine path,

then you can make great use of the insight, which has already been

produced by your education.

Conceptual Understanding

The prajñÏ or knowledge associated with this first step of hearing is

conceptual understanding. This refers to a conceptual

understanding of the meaning of the words that you are hearing or

reading. At the same time, when you first read a book and generate

an understanding based on what you have read, you gain a certain

level of understanding; but it is not necessarily the most that you can

get out of that book. When you read it a second time, you will

understand it in a different way, in a fuller way. When you read it a

third time, you will understand it in even more profound way, and so

forth. It is important to remember that your first take or your first

understanding on a book or text may not be the final one. So trying

to get more and more out of what you study or what you hear is the

practice of the prajñÏ of hearing.


15

The most important point is not to get puffed up with

arrogance right after you first read a book and think you understand

it. This seems to be a fairly common problem nowadays. Obviously it

is a waste of the prajñÏ that has been generated up to that point

through the practice of hearing. The type of knowledge that is mixed

with arrogance and the thought, “There’s nothing more to learn, I

now really understand it,” is called “twisted prajñÏ.” The remedy for

this is to remember that there is always more to learn. Remember

that when you have developed one level of conceptual

understanding, there is undoubtedly more that you could understand

about that particular text. If you maintain this attitude of being

willing to go further and learn more, then the prajñÏ that you

develop will become the genuine prajñÏ of hearing.

When studying the dharma and learning new terms, new

words, and new ideas, people sometimes experience having more

thoughts. They have the idea that all that study does is to give them

more thoughts—it makes their minds wilder than before. In fact,

that is not what is occurring. Because you are being exposed to these

ideas, you are simply starting to become more aware of how many

thoughts you have. It is not that they are increasing; in fact they are

becoming less. However, as they decrease, they become more

evident because the confusion is somewhat diminished. Therefore,

you might think that things are getting worse when they are actually

getting better. This was said to me by my teacher Khenpo Tsultrim

Gyamtso Rinpoche, and I regard it as true.

Jetsun Milarepa said,

“Understanding is like a patch sewn onto clothing.”

This means that conceptual understanding of dharma, as

necessary as it is, is still an understanding that is not yet mixed with

the fabric of your mind. Such understanding is just something that

has been superimposed upon your mind: It is like a patch that has

been sewn onto the fabric of old clothing. This means that so long as


16

all you have is a conceptual understanding, when you experience

mishaps and unpleasant situations, such understanding will prove

insufficient to protect your mind from suffering. While it may appear

vivid while things are going well, it will seem insufficient at a certain

point because it has not merged with and dissolved into the fabric of

your mind. If you can remember that from time to time, it will be

helpful. It demonstrates why there is really no reason to be proud of

conceptual understanding, which is like sewing a patch onto your

mind.

The main subject or the main emphasis in one’s gradual

study of dharma is what is called the supermundane prajñÏ, or

knowledge that is beyond the world. This is taught in all phases of

dharma, in both HÓnayÏna and MahÏyÏna. The main subjects of

supermundane prajñÏ are emptiness, and the presence of Buddha

Nature in the mind. Generating definite or certain understanding

about these is the training in the prajñÏ of hearing. If this prajñÏ of

hearing is applied to all aspects of the Buddha’s teachings, then this

generates authentic supermundane prajñÏ.

THE GREAT WHEELS OF THE TEACHINGS

There are a variety of ways that the genuine dharma, or the

sat-dharma, proclaimed by the SamyaksaÙbuddha, the complete and

perfect Buddha, can be classified. These are based on the viewpoints

of the different vehicles. If looked at from the main viewpoint of the

MahÏyÏna, it is said that all the various teachings of the Buddha can

be summed up into what are called the "Three Dharmachakras."

Different approaches to assigning a division among the Three

Dharmachakras have arisen. One approach is based on time. In this

approach, the teachings of the Buddha are divided into three

distinct periods. The other approach is based more on topic. In this

approach, the division is made based more on what he taught. We

will be following the approach taken by most scholars, which

distinguishes, between the Three Dharmachakras with regard to


17

their topic. The reason for this is the uncertainty of a definite time

sequence in his passing from one of these dharmachakras to another.

Whether the Three Dharmachakras are approached by means of

topic or of time, the first topic did occur first in time. Therefore, the

first dharmacakra is the one with which we will begin.

First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma

After the Buddha attained full awakening, he remained, abiding in

samadhi, alone in the forest for a period of seven weeks. Immediately

upon his awakening at Bodhgaya, he is said to have said the

following:

“I have attained a dharma that is like ambrosia, that is

profound, tranquil, beyond elaboration, luminous and non-

composite. But nobody would understand this, so it is

better that I remain silent in the forest.”

With that intention, he went from Bodhgaya to Varanasi;

remaining in the forest there for seven weeks.

Before the Buddha’s awakening he had engaged in the

practices of ascetic mortification for several years. During that time,

he had acquired a following of five companions who were his

devoted followers in that path. When he realized that this extreme

asceticism was not a genuine path, he accepted food that was given

to him and went to Bodhgaya to attain enlightenment. His five

companions developed the attitude that he had broken from his

discipline and they repudiated him. However, when he reached

Varanasi, they heard of his qualities and desired to see him again.

The Buddha was residing in an area called the Deer Park in

Varanasi. They went to meet him and, when they saw the Buddha,

they were immediately overcome with confidence in him. At this

time, the gods Indra and Brahma exhorted the Buddha to teach, and

not to remain silent. As offerings and encouragement to do this, they

offered him a one hundred-spoke golden wheel and a conch shell.


18

When the golden wheel was placed in front of the Buddha, two deer,

a male and a female, came and lay down on either side of the wheel,

intending to listen to the Buddha. The retinue of his five former

companions was present. The Buddha decided that all of this

together indicated that it was appropriate to try to teach after all. He

gave his first teaching, called the First Dharmachakra, of the Four

Noble Truths.

The Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths four times in his

first lecture or sermon. The order in which he taught them was first

the truth of suffering; then the truth of the cause of suffering; then

the truth of cessation of or liberation from suffering; and then the

truth of the path which is the cause of cessation. As he taught these,

the five former followers were immediately liberated, and they

became arhats, with remainder.

The Buddha’s presentation of the discipline and ordination

of individual liberation or prÏtimoksha, as well as his presentation of

the path of the shrÏvakayÏna, the vehicle of the listeners, begins

with this sermon. At this time, and for some time thereafter, the

manner in which the Buddha ordained people as bhikshus was

simply to say, “Come here.” These words, spoken by the Buddha,

were sufficient to bring about complete ordination. So originally

there were no rituals or elaborate ceremonies connected with the

ordination process.

Gradually, the Buddha began teaching what is now referred

to as the vinaya, or "the taming." All of the teachings he gave at this

time are included in the format of the Four Noble Truths. He

presented the path based on the discipline of individual liberation,

the antidote for the cause of suffering, which is karma and the

kleshas. Severing the cause leads to personal liberation or nirvÏna.

This path, which he presented in the format of the Four Noble

Truths, is the truth of the path, the fourth Noble Truth.


19

Second Turning of the Wheel of Dharma

Following this presentation, the Buddha began presenting what is

called the Second or Middle Dharmachakra. The name of this is the

“Dharmachakra of Essencelessness” because it teaches a lack of

essence or inherent existence to all things, from form all the way up

to omniscience. Among the vehicles, it is classified as the MahÏyÏna

teaching. Many of the MahÏyÏna sâtras are of this dharmachakra.

The Buddha taught this at Vulture Peak Mountain near RÏjagÝha.

The Buddha gave these teachings in the midst of the retinue of

bodhisattvas and MahÏyÏna practitioners, such as the community of

the MahÏyÏna sangha of 500, and so on. He taught what is called

prajñÏpÏramitÏ, "the Great Mother." There were two main topics:

the expressly stated topics and the topics stated by implication, or

hidden topics. The expressly stated topic is emptiness. The hidden or

concealed topic is the stages and paths of the MahÏyÏna. The

essence of the presentation of the middle Turning if the Wheel of

Dharma is called “The Three Doors of Liberation.” These are the

ground, which is emptiness; the path, which is absence of

characteristics; and the result, which is the absence of craving.

Third Turning of the Wheel of Dharma

The Third Dharmacakra, called the “Dharmacakra of Thorough

Distinction,” was taught in various places to a retinue of

bodhisattvas. It is called this because, in the teachings of this

dharmachakra, the Buddha made clear distinctions between his

various statements. He divided them into indicative statements,

those having indicative meaning, and definitive statements, those

having definitive meaning. He would say things like, “When I said

such and such, that was an indicative statement; but when I said

such and such, that was a definitive statement.”

Indicative and Definitive Meanings

What we listen to consists of the three presentations of the dharma

by the Buddha, which are called the Three Turnings of the Wheel of


20

Dharma. The first of these, the presentation of the Four Noble

Truths, forms the basis for what is called the “Common Vehicle,”

which is also known as the "lesser vehicle" or the vehicle of the

"listeners" or "hearers." The Second Turning if the Wheel of

Dharma is called the “Presentation of the Absence of

Characteristics.” In this phase of teaching, Lord Buddha emphasized

emptiness and selflessness, the lack of true existence. The third and

final phase of his teaching is called the “Dharmacakra of Full and

Final Distinction.” This means that in this final Turning if the

Wheel of Dharma, he most clearly and distinctly distinguished

between the indicative meaning and the definitive meaning of his

various teachings. These three periods of teaching are associated

with specific sites in India. The first turning of the dharma wheel

occurred at Varanasi, the second occurred at Vulture Peak

Mountain near RÏjagÝha, and the third occurred all over the place.

The need for the Third Turning if the Wheel of Dharma was

principally that, until then, the Buddha had taught in a few different

ways. He had taught on a level that has called the indicative

meaning. In other words, he taught through indicative statements

such as the First Turning if the Wheel of Dharma. The Second

Turning if the Wheel of Dharma was principally made up of those

statements that later produced the Mind-only school. This school is

considered to be based upon indicative and not definitive meaning.

Consequently, he needed finally to identify and characterize what he

had taught as being either one way or another, as being either

indicative or definitive. He only did this at the end of his teaching,

in the Third Turning of the Wheel. Therefore, according to the

Treasury of Knowledge of Jamgön Kongtrül Rinpoche, in this

tradition we identify the Third and final Dharma Wheel as the

Buddha’s ultimate statement of the definitive meaning.

Indicative Meaning

The point is that in his great compassion, by which we mean his

complete dedication to the welfare of beings, and his considerable

perfect skill, the Buddha was able and willing to teach in any way


21

that would lead beings on a correct path to liberation and, finally, to

Buddhahood. That was his main concern. The problem is that some

people would have become terrified and run away if he had taught

them about absolute truth, emptiness, and selflessness and so forth

in the beginning. The way he taught in those situations was designed

to lead those individuals on the path towards an understanding of

absolute reality. What that means is that those teachings were not

direct statements of or about absolute truth. Those teachings were

concerned with relative truth or relative reality. Such statements

and such types of teaching are called statements that lead one to the

truth rather than definitive statements of the truth. This is what is

meant by "indicative meaning." Indicative meaning, drangdon in

Tibetan, is translated as “the meaning that leads you toward the final

understanding.” In some contexts, these can also refer to statements

with a hidden intention.

To give an example of indicative meaning: In his initial

presentation of dharma, the Buddha taught as though beings had

some kind of true existence. He would say that there are these five

aggregates of which a person is made up and a person made up of

these five aggregates spins around and around and around in

saÙsÏra; which is translated as “spinning.” He did not present the

idea of the selflessness of persons right on the spot.

Another example: In his first presentation of dharma, the

Buddha did not talk about the mind of awakening, which is the

intention to bring all beings without exception to Buddhahood. He

did not talk about the need for great compassion. This is because

what we really want in the beginning, what we are really hoping for,

is our own freedom. Fundamentally, we want our own liberation. In

the beginning, our basic motivation for practice is the thought, “I

can’t take this suffering any more.” One cannot present dharma to

someone in that situation by starting out with why you should think

only of others and not of yourself. It is unrealistic and the result

would be that people would be frightened away. For that reason, the

Buddha emphasized seeking one’s own liberation in his first


22

presentation of dharma. He said that one’s own liberation is what is

important. He did not present the approach to awakening that is

found in the bodhisattva view.

Therefore, indicative statements by the Buddha are

statements that indirectly indicate the path to awakening without

being a direct or definitive statement of the final nature of

awakening. These statements are not misleading: They lead you in

the right direction in a manner that is appropriate to your particular

concerns at that time.

Definitive Meaning

The other type of teaching is called the "definitive meaning."

Definitive statements are statements that do not require

interpretation. They are direct and, to some extent, literal. They are

final and do not indirectly lead to the meaning but rather they are

direct statements of it. For example, included in this category are the

Buddha’s teachings on twofold selflessness; his teachings on

bodhichitta, the mind of awakening; and his statements that final

awakening depends upon this and this. These statements do not

require further interpretation. Included in this category are his

teachings on emptiness in the PrajñÏpÏramitÏ sâtras, such as:

“Form is emptiness. Emptiness is also form. Form is no

other than emptiness. Emptiness is no other than form.”

Especially included as definitive are his explanations of the

presence of Buddha Nature and that the dharmakaya of buddhahood

pervades the mind of each and every sentient being. These are all

called statements of definitive meaning.

Summary of Classifications

In brief, there are usually two ways in which we refer to the

dharmachakras. The common names for them are: the First

Dharmachakra of the Four Noble Truths, the Second Dharmachakra

of Essenselessness or Absence of Characteristics, and the Third

Dharmachakra of Full or Thorough Distinction. However, according


23

to the tradition of Àrya Nagarjuna and Àryadeva, these three are

referred to, respectively, as the Dharmachakra Which Dispels That

Which is Non-Meritorious, the Dharmachakra Which Dispels Fixation

on the Self, and the Dharmachakra Which Dispels All Views. The first

was taught principally to lead individuals away from wrongdoing to a

path of virtuous actions; the second was taught to eradicate the false

imputation of a self; and the third was taught to eradicate any form

of conceptual view or position.

Sometimes the First Dharmachakra is called the

Dharmachakra Which Says There Is a Self, and the Second

Dharmachakra is called the Dharmachakra Which Says There Is Not a

Self. The reason for this is that in the First Dharmachakra, in order to

convey the idea of the aggregates or skandhas, the Buddha sometimes

speaks of them as a burden in a way that implies the existence of an

individual who is carrying such a burden.

These three dharmachakras are the teachings of the Buddha.

They were taught in the three ways that we have discussed here.

The Buddha’s teachings were not compilations from previous

traditions; they were not putting together bits of Hindu tantra,

Brahmanism, and so forth, as some have claimed. The Buddha

would teach spontaneously from his wisdom, and his retinue of

arhats, bodhisattvas, and so on, would record these discourses

mentally. They had the faculty of complete recollection or total

recall, which is part of what one has as an arhat. These teachings

were not researched by anyone in libraries, or pieced together from

various other sources.

THE TWO VEHICLES OF THE TEACHINGS

The Buddhist teachings are described as consisting of 84,000

different types of presentations. These are all varying remedies to

the different mental afflictions, which are included in the three main

root afflictions. If all of these are summed up, they consist of what

are called the three vehicles and four schools, or four philosophical


24

approaches. The three vehicles can also be summed up further as

just two.

When characterizing the vehicles as two, they consist of

what is called the HÓnayÏna and the MahÏyÏna. There is a fairly

common misunderstanding of the term HÓnayÏna, which can be

translated as the “Lesser Vehicle.” The term “lesser,” or actually

“little,” does not mean inferior. People hearing the term often think

this must be an inferior form of Buddhism. They think therefore

that it will not be of any help and that they had better go for the

"better" kind.

HÓnayÏna

It is not the case that the result of the HÓnayÏna is in any way

inferior or that the teachings are in any way inferior. The term lesser

or little is comparative only in the sense of the gradation of progress

through the path. It is the first vehicle that is practiced, like entering

the first grade. It is the basic or fundamental vehicle. It is called

lower in the same way that one would call the foundation of a house

lower than the walls or the roof. But just as the first thing that has to

be established in building a house is the foundation, the HÓnayÏna is

the only possible foundation for the MahÏyÏna and VajrayÏna

presentations and practices. It may be more helpful to think of it as

the basic vehicle rather than as the lower or lesser vehicle.

Main Teachings of the HÓnayÏna

What the Buddha fundamentally taught in the HÓnayÏna is the cause

and result of saÙsÏra and the cause and result of nirvÏna. He showed

that the cause of saÙsÏra is the false imputation of a truly existent

self and the resultant three poisons or the three root mental

afflictions. He showed that the result of the presence of this

imputation of the self and the mental afflictions is all the various

sufferings of saÙsÏra, which is the pain and fear of the six realms. He

also presented the cause of nirvÏna, the cause of liberation from this

suffering, which is the method one uses to free oneself from this

saÙsÏra. This method is the path; which consists of the application


25

of the four noble truths and the twelve links of interdependence.

And he taught the result of this path; which is nirvÏna - the

cessation of suffering or the transcendence of misery. This is

essentially the presentation of the four noble truths, the first two of

which present the cause and result of saÙsÏra, and the latter two of

which present the cause and result of nirvÏna. All the HÓnayÏna

teachings can basically be included in the four noble truths.

Main Practice of the HÓnayÏna

The main practice in the HÓnayÏna is the discipline of renunciation.

This depends entirely upon the recognition that saÙsÏra is suffering

and the resultant disgust with saÙsÏra. If you want to have genuine

renunciation, you must recognize the presence and pervasiveness of

suffering. Obviously, if you do not recognize the presence of

suffering, you will have no reason to earnestly seek liberation. So the

basic practice is first of all to recognize the nature of saÙsÏra to be

the three sufferings; which produces genuine renunciation. It is for

this reason that the Buddha’s first teaching, the first truth presented

among the four noble truths, is a clear presentation of the presence

of suffering.

Generally speaking, we all know that there is a great deal of

suffering in saÙsÏra, but it is hard sometimes to recognize the

appearances of pleasure as also being, in essence, suffering.

Essentially, suffering is fear. Even when we are enjoying something,

experiencing pleasure or happiness, we are filled with fear. We are

filled with fear when we possess or enjoy something pleasurable

because, we are afraid of losing it. If we have position or wealth, we

live in fear of losing it. It does not matter how much you have or

how little you have, fear is fundamentally the same. If you are the

ruler of a country, you fear losing that position; if you are a homeless

beggar on the street, you fear losing that position. The fear of

suffering, which is not only the fear of losing what you enjoy but also

of encountering what you especially do not enjoy, is the same for a

king or for a beggar. If you clearly understand the pervasiveness of


26

fear, then you understand how the basic nature of saÙsÏra is

suffering.

Therefore, if you understand the truth of suffering, the first

noble truth, and you recognize the presence of suffering, you will

have genuine renunciation. This is basically the recognition that

wherever you are born in saÙsÏra, whatever your circumstances are,

it is basically an experience of suffering. So the main practice in the

HÓnayÏna is the cultivation of renunciation and the study of the four

noble truths; which leads to one’s individual liberation.

MahÏyÏna

Renunciation is also an absolutely necessary basis for the practice of

the MahÏyÏna, the great vehicle. Without genuine renunciation,

genuine compassion is impossible. Compassion fundamentally

consists of recognizing the suffering of others and, as a result,

generating the intense desire that they be free from that suffering. If

you do not see your own suffering, and therefore do not recognize

the pervasiveness of suffering, it is impossible for you to see or

empathize with the suffering of others. Without some degree of

genuine renunciation, you cannot have a genuine or stable

compassion. For that reason, renunciation is very important for

MahÏyÏna practice. Genuine renunciation leads to genuine

compassion, which becomes the genuine aspiration to bring all

beings to full awakening.

The practice of MahÏyÏna has two aspects to it. These are

the general MahÏyÏna and the special MahÏyÏna. The general

MahÏyÏna is the practice of the six perfections; therefore, it is called

the pÏramitÏyÏna or "the vehicle of the perfections." The special

MahÏyÏna is the VajrayÏna, also known as MantrayÏna or

TantrayÏna. VajrayÏna is not considered a vehicle separate from

MahÏyÏna, but as a variety of MahÏyÏna.


27

Generating Bodhichitta

The MahÏyÏna path starts when you generate genuine bodhichitta.

Fundamentally, bodhichitta here is altruism. It is the genuine desire

for the benefit and welfare of others. On the basis of bodhichitta,

one can practice the general path of MahÏyÏna; which is the

cultivation of the six pÏramitÏs or the six perfections. To practice

the special MahÏyÏna, the VajrayÏna, two things are necessary. The

first is genuine bodhichitta, as in general MahÏyÏna. The second is

receiving abhisheka, or empowerment. On the basis of that, one

cultivates the main body of the path; that is, working with the

iconography of deities, mantras, and wisdom.

That sums up the Buddhadharma with respect to the

vehicles.

Collecting the Teachings of the Buddha

Eventually, of course, the Buddha passed into parinirvÏna. At that

time, his various students, including humans, gods and so forth,

recognized that there was a potential problem. While they

themselves could recollect the teachings completely, people in the

future, lacking the faculty of total recall, would not be able to do so.

So they felt that they had better collect his teachings. The Buddha

had appointed KÏshyapa as his regent. KÏshyapa convened what is

called the First Council. There were signs, such as spontaneous rains

of flowers and so forth when this was going on, that the gods were

rejoicing in this.

This first council occurred the year after the Buddha’s

parinirvÏna. The rule was that there had to be 500 Arhats to

convene such a council. Unfortunately when they all gathered

together, they only had 499 because Ànanda, the Buddha’s cousin,

had not yet attained arhatship. The further problem with this was

that the Buddha had predicted that three of his students would

collect the three sets of teachings he had given so that they could be

written down: Ànanda would recite all the sâtras; KÏshyapa would


28

recite the abhidharma; and Utpali would recite the vinaya. So it was

a big problem that Ànanda had not yet attained arhatship.

What had been happening was that Ànanda had had a

very happy life. As the Buddha’s attendant, he had a very pleasant

time. He had been a little distracted by the contentment of being

around the Buddha all the time, so he had not yet practiced enough

meditation to attain arhatship. KÏshyapa realized this. He realized

that the problem was that Ànanda needed a little more inspiration

to develop renunciation: He had not yet had quite enough suffering.

Giving elaborate reasons for doing so, he expelled Ànanda from the

sangha. At this point, Ànanda became extremely depressed. The

Buddha had passed into parinirvÏna, and he had been kicked out of

the sangha. He then wandered to a town. He found a few monks

there and began teaching them.

The monks whom Ànanda taught were good shrÏvaka

students of the Buddha. Ànanda taught them very well, and they

practiced with great diligence. One of them attained arhatship, and

he realized with his arhat ESP that his guru, Ànanda, was still an

ordinary person who had not been liberated. He went to Ànanda,

and said, “You know, if you just put in a little effort, you are very

close.” At this point, Ànanda, encouraged both by the renunciation

he received at the hands of KÏshyapa, and the encouragement of his

student and teacher, practiced and attained arhatship. So if you

attain arhatship, please call to me in the same way!

Ànanda was then reinstated into the community and,

meeting with KÏshyapa and the others, the Council began. The 500

arhats laid their robes one on top of the other, and seated on top of

these 500 robes, each in his turn, were Ànanda, KÏshyapa and

Utpali. They recited what they were supposed to recite. While

Ànanda was proclaiming or reciting the sâtras, the rest of the arhats

listened for mistakes. In the same way, while KÏshyapa was reciting

the abhidharma and while Utpali was reciting the vinaya, the rest all

listened. It was decided that what had been recited at that time was


29

the tripiáaka, the three baskets of the Buddha’s teachings. The

teachings were not actually written at that time, but they were

established as a certain corpus of teachings with a definite content.

They were not committed to writing until sometime after that.

The MahÏyÏna teachings were collected and established on

top of a mountain in the center of Magadha, in central India, on

which was convened an assembly of 1,000,000 bodhisattvas. These

one million bodhisattvas established the teachings of the MahÏyÏna.

In the midst of this assembly, the MahÏyÏna vinaya was taught by

the bodhisattva Maitreya; then the MahÏyÏna sâtras were taught by

Vajrapani; and the MahÏyÏna abhidharma by was taught by Àrya

Mañjushri.

The point of this is that the teachings of the Buddha were

collected by arhats and bodhisattvas who had total recall. They were

in that way able to establish an authoritative formulation, or corpus,

of teachings. This is similar to the way we do it nowadays, except

that instead of arhats and bodhisattvas with total recall, we use tape

recorders with total recall. So the unbroken continuity of these

teachings of the tripiáaka of both the HÓnayÏna and MahÏyÏna, as

well as the implementation of these teachings and practice from that

time up to this time, is primarily and initially due to the kindness of

these arhats and bodhisattvas who with their total recall were able to

make these teachings available.

Three Baskets of the Teachings

The tripiáaka, which means three containers or baskets, contains all

the teachings that we have which were actually given by the

Buddha. The first of these is the Vinaya, or “Taming.” On an

obvious level, this is principally concerned with the rules and

outlook of monastic life, the organization and behavior of the

ordained sangha of monks and nuns. But if you look closely at the

Vinaya, it presents a social philosophy.


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The second basket is called the Sâtra, which means “Brief

Discourse.” These are presentations by the Buddha of the stages and

paths of spiritual growth of the bodhisattva, the generation and

training of compassion, the practice of the six pÏramitÏs, and so

forth.

The third piáaka is called the Abhidharma, which means

something like “The way things are.” It presents the training in

prajñÏ, the training in knowledge. It presents the view of selflessness,

the view of emptiness, and shows that the root of saÙsÏra is the false

imputation of a truly existent self. Finally it presents the nature of

mind. It shows that the mind of any individual is sugatagarbha,

Buddha Nature, dharmakaya, the body of essential qualities; and

that it is an inherent cognitive clarity.

We mainly study these three baskets, which are the teachings

of the Buddha. The point of this study is to provide a basis for

contemplation. The point of contemplation is to provide a ground

for meditation. It is meditation, which leads one to awakening or

Buddhahood. Because of this relationship between these three

aspects of the path, they are always presented in this order of

hearing, contemplation, and meditation. Among these three, what

we are principally concerned with at this point is the practice of

contemplation, which is working directly with the generation of

prajñÏ or knowledge.

supplication to maÑjuÌri - nashua buddhist …audio.nashuameditator.org/hinayana07/int200.pdf ·...

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