-- (Treasury of the
Buddhist
Sciences series) Includes translation from Tibetan.
Thurman-Robert-a-F-Tr-Tsong-Khapa-Losang-Drakpa-Brilliant-Illumination-of-the-Lamp-of-the-Five-Stages
?
Brilliant Illumination of t h e
Lamp ofthe Five Stages
(Rim lnga rab tu gsa/ ba'i sgron me)
Practical Instruction in the King of Tantras, The Glorious Esoteric Community
by Tsang Khapa Losang Drakpa
INTRODUCTION AND TRANSLATION
TREASURY OF THE BUDDHIST SCIENCES series
Editor-in-Chief: Robert A. F. Thurman
Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies, Columbia University
President, American Institute of Buddhist Studies
Executive Editor: Thomas F. Yarnall Department of Religion
Columbia University
Editorial Board:
Ryuichi Abe, Jay Garfield, David Gray, Laura Harnri gton, Thubten Jinpa, Joseph Loizzo, Gary Tubb, Vesna Wallace, Christian Wedemeyer, Chun-fang Yu
The American Institute of Buddhist Studies (AIBS), in affiliation with the Columbia University Center for Buddhist Studies and Tibet House US, has established the Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences series to provide authoritative English translations, studies, and editions of the texts of the Tibetan Tengyur (bstan 'gyur) and its associated literature. The Tibetan Tengyur is a vast collection of over 3,600 classical Indian Buddhist scientific treatises (sastra) written in Sanskrit by over 700 authors from the first millennium CE, now preserved mainly in systematic 7th- 1 2th century Tibetan translation. Its topics span all of India's "outer" arts and sciences, including linguistics, medicine, astronomy, socio-political theory, ethics, art, and so on, as well as all of her "inner" arts and sciences such as philo-
sophy, psychology ("mind science"), meditation, and yoga.
The present work is the cornerstone of a related series, which will comprise the Collected Works of Tsong Khapa Losang Drak pa (bLo bZang Grags pa, 1357-1419) and His Spiritual Sons, Gyaltsap (rGyal Tshab) Darma Rinchen (1364-1432) and Khedrup Gelek Pelsung (mKhas Grub dGelegs dPal bZang, 1385-1438), a collection known in Tibetan as rJey Yab Sras gSung 'Bum. This collection could also be described as a volu- minous set of independent treatises and supercommentaries, all based on
the thousands of work. s contained in the Kangyur and Tengyur Collections.
? THE DALAl LAMA
The foremost scholars of the holy land of India were based for many centuries at Nalanda Monastic University. Their deep and vast study and practice explored the creative potential of the human mind with the aim of eliminating suffering and making life truly joyful and worthwhile. They composed numerous excellent and meaningful texts. I regularly recollect the kindness of these immaculate scholars and aspire to follow them with unflinching faith. At the present time, when there is great emphasis on scientific and technological progress, it is extremely important that those of us who follow the Buddha should rely on a sound understanding of his teaching, for which the great works of the renowned
Nalanda scholars provide an indispensable basis.
In their outward conduct the great scholars of Nalanda observed
ethical discipline that followed the Pali tradition, in their internal practice they emphasized the awakening mind of bodhichitta, enlightened altruism, and in secret they practised tantra. The Buddhist culture that flourished in Tibet can rightly be seen to derive from the pure tradition of Nalanda, which comprises the most complete presentation of the Buddhist teach- ings. As for me personally, I consider myself a practitioner of the Nalanda tradition of wisdom. Masters of Nalanda such as Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Aryasaitga, Dharmakirti, Candrakirti, and Shantideva wrote the scriptures that we Tibetan Buddhists study and practice. They are all my gurus.
When I read their books and reflect upon their names, I feel a connection with them.
The works of these Nalanda masters are presently preserved in the collection of their writings that in Tibetan translation we call the Tengyur (bstan 'gyur). It took teams of Indian masters and great Tibetan translators over four centuries to accomplish the historic task of translating them into
Letter of Support
Tibetan. Most of these books were later lost in their Sanskrit originals, and relatively few were translated into Chinese. Therefore. the Tengyur is truly one of Tibet"s most precious treasures, a mine of understanding that we have preserved in Tibet for the benefit of the whole world.
Keeping all this in mind I am very happy to encourage a long-term project of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies, originally estab- lished by the late Venerable Mongolian Geshe Wangyal and now at the Columbia University Center for Buddhist Studies, and Tibet House US, to translate the Tengyur- along with major works by great Tibetan scholars
elucidating its teachings-into English and other modem languages, and to publish the many works in a collection called The Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences. When I recently visited Columbia University, I joked that it would take those currently working at the Institute at least three "reincarnations" to complete the task; it surely will require the intelligent and creative efforts of generations of translators from every tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, in the spirit of the scholars of Nalanda, although we may hope that using computers may help complete the work more quickly. As it grows, the Treasury series will serve as an invaluable reference library of the Buddhist Sciences and Arts. This collection of literature has been of immeasurable benefit to us Tibetans over the centuries, so we are very happy to share it with all the people of the world. As someone who has been personally inspired by the works it contains, I firmly believe that the methods for cultivating wisdom and compassion originally developed
in India and described in these books preserved in Tibetan translation will be of great benefit to many scholars, philosophers, and scientists, as well as ordinary people.
I wish the American Institute of Buddhist Studies at the Columbia Center for Buddhist Studies and Tibet House US every success and pray that this ambitious and far-reaching project to create The Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences will be accomplished according to plan. I also request others, who may be interested, to extend whatever assistance they can, financial or otherwise, to help ensure the success of this historic project.
May 15,2007
? Brilliant Illumination of the
Lamp ofthe Five Stages
(Rim lnga rab tu gsa/ ba'i sgron me)
Practical Instruction in the King of Tantras,
The Glorious Esoteric Community
by Tsang Khapa Losang Drakpa
INTRODUCTION AND TRANSLATION
by Robert A. F. Thurman Edited by Thomas F. Yarnall
Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences series Tengyur Translation Initiative
ley Yabsey Sungbum Collection
Published by
The American Institute of Buddhist Studies Columbia University Center for Buddhist Studies Tibet House US
New York
2010
? ? Tengyur Translation Initiative
Jey Yabsey Sungbum Collection Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences series A refereed series published by:
American Institute of Buddhist Studies Columbia University
80 Claremont Avenue, room 303 NewYork,NY I0027
http://www. aibs. columbia. edu
Co-published with Columbia University's Center for Buddhist Studies and Tibet House US
Distributed by Columbia University Press
Copyright (C) 2010 by Robert A. F. Thurman. All rights reserved.
No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system or technologies now known or later developed, without written permission from the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper.
20 19 18 17 16 15 1413 12 11 10 543 2 1 ISBN 978- 1 -9350 1 1 -00-2 (cloth)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Tson-kha-pa Blo-bzan-grags-pa, 1357-1419, author.
[Rim Ina rab tu gsal ba'i sgron me. English]
Brilliant Illumination of the Lamp of the Five Stages (Rim lnga rab tu gsa! ba'i sgron
me) : Practical Instruction in the King of Tantras, T he Glorious Esoteric Community I by Tsong Khapa Losang Drakpa ; INTRODUCTION AND TRANSLATION by Robert A. F. Thurman; Edited by Thomas F. Yarnall.
p. em. -- (Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences series) Includes translation from Tibetan.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-l-935011-00-2 (alk. paper)
l. Tripitaka. Sutrapitaka. Tantra. Guhyasamajatantra--Commentaries--Early works to 1800. l. Thurman, Robert A. F. (Robert Alexander Fararr ), 1 94 1 - translator. II. Yarnall,
Thomas F. , 1960-, editor. III. Title. BQ2155. T7613 2010 294. 3'823--dc22
2010046989
This work is gratefully dedicated to
His Holiness the XIV th Dalai Lama of Tibet,
and to all the Esoteric Community Yogi/ni Psychonauts back to Vajradhara, Shakyamuni, and Nagarjuna, and all the members of his Noble Tradition
Contents
Series Editor's/Author's Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi Sources, Conventions, and Abbreviations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi
Part One: Introduction
1 . What is a "Buddha Vajradhara," the Goal of this Tradition? . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. Who Are the Beings Who Maintain this Tradition?
-- (Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences series) Includes translation from Tibetan.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-l-935011-00-2 (alk. paper)
l. Tripitaka. Sutrapitaka. Tantra. Guhyasamajatantra--Commentaries--Early works to 1800. l. Thurman, Robert A. F. (Robert Alexander Fararr ), 1 94 1 - translator. II. Yarnall,
Thomas F. , 1960-, editor. III. Title. BQ2155. T7613 2010 294. 3'823--dc22
2010046989
This work is gratefully dedicated to
His Holiness the XIV th Dalai Lama of Tibet,
and to all the Esoteric Community Yogi/ni Psychonauts back to Vajradhara, Shakyamuni, and Nagarjuna, and all the members of his Noble Tradition
Contents
Series Editor's/Author's Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi Sources, Conventions, and Abbreviations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi
Part One: Introduction
1 . What is a "Buddha Vajradhara," the Goal of this Tradition? . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. Who Are the Beings Who Maintain this Tradition?
14 27 28 30 31
3. Who is the Inspiration of this Author?
4. Who Are His Honored Tibetan Predecessors and Mentors?
. 5. Who Most Needs the Esoteric Commu nity?
. . . . . . .
Part Two: Annotated English Translation
I. Introductory
II. General Learning of the Tantric Path
III. Explanation of the Perfection Stage of this Tantra in Particular 149
6. Who Are the Lucky Students of this Text?
7. How to Study this Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lamp ofthe Five Stages
(Rim lnga rab tu gsa/ ba'i sgron me)
Practical Instruction in the King of Tantras, The Glorious Esoteric Community
by Tsang Khapa Losang Drakpa
INTRODUCTION AND TRANSLATION
TREASURY OF THE BUDDHIST SCIENCES series
Editor-in-Chief: Robert A. F. Thurman
Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies, Columbia University
President, American Institute of Buddhist Studies
Executive Editor: Thomas F. Yarnall Department of Religion
Columbia University
Editorial Board:
Ryuichi Abe, Jay Garfield, David Gray, Laura Harnri gton, Thubten Jinpa, Joseph Loizzo, Gary Tubb, Vesna Wallace, Christian Wedemeyer, Chun-fang Yu
The American Institute of Buddhist Studies (AIBS), in affiliation with the Columbia University Center for Buddhist Studies and Tibet House US, has established the Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences series to provide authoritative English translations, studies, and editions of the texts of the Tibetan Tengyur (bstan 'gyur) and its associated literature. The Tibetan Tengyur is a vast collection of over 3,600 classical Indian Buddhist scientific treatises (sastra) written in Sanskrit by over 700 authors from the first millennium CE, now preserved mainly in systematic 7th- 1 2th century Tibetan translation. Its topics span all of India's "outer" arts and sciences, including linguistics, medicine, astronomy, socio-political theory, ethics, art, and so on, as well as all of her "inner" arts and sciences such as philo-
sophy, psychology ("mind science"), meditation, and yoga.
The present work is the cornerstone of a related series, which will comprise the Collected Works of Tsong Khapa Losang Drak pa (bLo bZang Grags pa, 1357-1419) and His Spiritual Sons, Gyaltsap (rGyal Tshab) Darma Rinchen (1364-1432) and Khedrup Gelek Pelsung (mKhas Grub dGelegs dPal bZang, 1385-1438), a collection known in Tibetan as rJey Yab Sras gSung 'Bum. This collection could also be described as a volu- minous set of independent treatises and supercommentaries, all based on
the thousands of work. s contained in the Kangyur and Tengyur Collections.
? THE DALAl LAMA
The foremost scholars of the holy land of India were based for many centuries at Nalanda Monastic University. Their deep and vast study and practice explored the creative potential of the human mind with the aim of eliminating suffering and making life truly joyful and worthwhile. They composed numerous excellent and meaningful texts. I regularly recollect the kindness of these immaculate scholars and aspire to follow them with unflinching faith. At the present time, when there is great emphasis on scientific and technological progress, it is extremely important that those of us who follow the Buddha should rely on a sound understanding of his teaching, for which the great works of the renowned
Nalanda scholars provide an indispensable basis.
In their outward conduct the great scholars of Nalanda observed
ethical discipline that followed the Pali tradition, in their internal practice they emphasized the awakening mind of bodhichitta, enlightened altruism, and in secret they practised tantra. The Buddhist culture that flourished in Tibet can rightly be seen to derive from the pure tradition of Nalanda, which comprises the most complete presentation of the Buddhist teach- ings. As for me personally, I consider myself a practitioner of the Nalanda tradition of wisdom. Masters of Nalanda such as Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Aryasaitga, Dharmakirti, Candrakirti, and Shantideva wrote the scriptures that we Tibetan Buddhists study and practice. They are all my gurus.
When I read their books and reflect upon their names, I feel a connection with them.
The works of these Nalanda masters are presently preserved in the collection of their writings that in Tibetan translation we call the Tengyur (bstan 'gyur). It took teams of Indian masters and great Tibetan translators over four centuries to accomplish the historic task of translating them into
Letter of Support
Tibetan. Most of these books were later lost in their Sanskrit originals, and relatively few were translated into Chinese. Therefore. the Tengyur is truly one of Tibet"s most precious treasures, a mine of understanding that we have preserved in Tibet for the benefit of the whole world.
Keeping all this in mind I am very happy to encourage a long-term project of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies, originally estab- lished by the late Venerable Mongolian Geshe Wangyal and now at the Columbia University Center for Buddhist Studies, and Tibet House US, to translate the Tengyur- along with major works by great Tibetan scholars
elucidating its teachings-into English and other modem languages, and to publish the many works in a collection called The Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences. When I recently visited Columbia University, I joked that it would take those currently working at the Institute at least three "reincarnations" to complete the task; it surely will require the intelligent and creative efforts of generations of translators from every tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, in the spirit of the scholars of Nalanda, although we may hope that using computers may help complete the work more quickly. As it grows, the Treasury series will serve as an invaluable reference library of the Buddhist Sciences and Arts. This collection of literature has been of immeasurable benefit to us Tibetans over the centuries, so we are very happy to share it with all the people of the world. As someone who has been personally inspired by the works it contains, I firmly believe that the methods for cultivating wisdom and compassion originally developed
in India and described in these books preserved in Tibetan translation will be of great benefit to many scholars, philosophers, and scientists, as well as ordinary people.
I wish the American Institute of Buddhist Studies at the Columbia Center for Buddhist Studies and Tibet House US every success and pray that this ambitious and far-reaching project to create The Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences will be accomplished according to plan. I also request others, who may be interested, to extend whatever assistance they can, financial or otherwise, to help ensure the success of this historic project.
May 15,2007
? Brilliant Illumination of the
Lamp ofthe Five Stages
(Rim lnga rab tu gsa/ ba'i sgron me)
Practical Instruction in the King of Tantras,
The Glorious Esoteric Community
by Tsang Khapa Losang Drakpa
INTRODUCTION AND TRANSLATION
by Robert A. F. Thurman Edited by Thomas F. Yarnall
Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences series Tengyur Translation Initiative
ley Yabsey Sungbum Collection
Published by
The American Institute of Buddhist Studies Columbia University Center for Buddhist Studies Tibet House US
New York
2010
? ? Tengyur Translation Initiative
Jey Yabsey Sungbum Collection Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences series A refereed series published by:
American Institute of Buddhist Studies Columbia University
80 Claremont Avenue, room 303 NewYork,NY I0027
http://www. aibs. columbia. edu
Co-published with Columbia University's Center for Buddhist Studies and Tibet House US
Distributed by Columbia University Press
Copyright (C) 2010 by Robert A. F. Thurman. All rights reserved.
No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system or technologies now known or later developed, without written permission from the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper.
20 19 18 17 16 15 1413 12 11 10 543 2 1 ISBN 978- 1 -9350 1 1 -00-2 (cloth)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Tson-kha-pa Blo-bzan-grags-pa, 1357-1419, author.
[Rim Ina rab tu gsal ba'i sgron me. English]
Brilliant Illumination of the Lamp of the Five Stages (Rim lnga rab tu gsa! ba'i sgron
me) : Practical Instruction in the King of Tantras, T he Glorious Esoteric Community I by Tsong Khapa Losang Drakpa ; INTRODUCTION AND TRANSLATION by Robert A. F. Thurman; Edited by Thomas F. Yarnall.
p. em. -- (Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences series) Includes translation from Tibetan.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-l-935011-00-2 (alk. paper)
l. Tripitaka. Sutrapitaka. Tantra. Guhyasamajatantra--Commentaries--Early works to 1800. l. Thurman, Robert A. F. (Robert Alexander Fararr ), 1 94 1 - translator. II. Yarnall,
Thomas F. , 1960-, editor. III. Title. BQ2155. T7613 2010 294. 3'823--dc22
2010046989
This work is gratefully dedicated to
His Holiness the XIV th Dalai Lama of Tibet,
and to all the Esoteric Community Yogi/ni Psychonauts back to Vajradhara, Shakyamuni, and Nagarjuna, and all the members of his Noble Tradition
Contents
Series Editor's/Author's Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi Sources, Conventions, and Abbreviations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi
Part One: Introduction
1 . What is a "Buddha Vajradhara," the Goal of this Tradition? . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. Who Are the Beings Who Maintain this Tradition?
-- (Treasury of the Buddhist Sciences series) Includes translation from Tibetan.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-l-935011-00-2 (alk. paper)
l. Tripitaka. Sutrapitaka. Tantra. Guhyasamajatantra--Commentaries--Early works to 1800. l. Thurman, Robert A. F. (Robert Alexander Fararr ), 1 94 1 - translator. II. Yarnall,
Thomas F. , 1960-, editor. III. Title. BQ2155. T7613 2010 294. 3'823--dc22
2010046989
This work is gratefully dedicated to
His Holiness the XIV th Dalai Lama of Tibet,
and to all the Esoteric Community Yogi/ni Psychonauts back to Vajradhara, Shakyamuni, and Nagarjuna, and all the members of his Noble Tradition
Contents
Series Editor's/Author's Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi Sources, Conventions, and Abbreviations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi
Part One: Introduction
1 . What is a "Buddha Vajradhara," the Goal of this Tradition? . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. Who Are the Beings Who Maintain this Tradition?
14 27 28 30 31
3. Who is the Inspiration of this Author?
4. Who Are His Honored Tibetan Predecessors and Mentors?
. 5. Who Most Needs the Esoteric Commu nity?
. . . . . . .
Part Two: Annotated English Translation
I. Introductory
II. General Learning of the Tantric Path
III. Explanation of the Perfection Stage of this Tantra in Particular 149
6. Who Are the Lucky Students of this Text?
7. How to Study this Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
