Ifwe are attempting to use inferential reasoning to uncover the ultimate nature of absolute truth, then there is no direct arrival involved, because the process
consists
of considering what there is and gradually generating confidence in its ultimate
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Khenchen-Thrangu-Rinpoche-The-Life-Spiritual-Songs-of-Milarepa
In this way, unless our acts have been extremely unwholesome, the guru's blessing can help us overcome conflicting emotions and other obstacles.
Thus the guru's blessing helps us realize the Buddha- potential we all possess.
13. The word is derived from the Sanskrit acharya or a religious master. 14. The word deity is ofren used rather broadly, here it is referring to beings that are not enlightened. Local deities are beings who inhabit
specific places, although they are not visible to most humans they can be quite powerful and can cause harm or obstacles to one if they are not respected; just as we would get upset and angry if someone violated our home, we should consider and respect the home or territory of others, even if we cannot visibly see them. Therefore Buddhist practitioners often make offerings to local deities for good circumstances.
15. In the Sanskrit bodhi means "awakened" or "enlightened" and chitta means "mind," so bodhichitta means awakened mind. The generation of bodhichitta is based on the altruistic wish to bring about the welfare, and ultimately the total liberation, ofall sentient beings from all forms ofsuffering. What distinguishes bodhichitta from the ordinary compassionate aspirations to benefit others shared by all people of good will is the recognition that one cannot
ultimately fulfill these aspirations until one has attained the state of men? tal purification and liberation of Buddhahood, which is the
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source ofall positive qualities, including the omniscience that can see, individual by individual, the causes ofsuffering and the causes and path of liberation &om suffering. This understanding gives rise at some point to the initial generation ofthe aspiration to attain the state of Buddhahood in order to liberate all sentient beings &om suffering and to establish them all in states ofhappiness. This is called bodhichitta ofaspiration, which must be followed by what is called the bodhichitta of application, which is the training in loving-kindness, compassion, the six paramitas or transcendent perfections, etc. , which lead to the accomplishment ofBuddhahood. Aspiration bodhichitta and application bodhichitta are both
included in the term relative bodhichitta. Ultimate bodhichitta is direct insight into the ultimate nature. This st~te of primordial awareness is compassion and loving-kindness and gives rise spontaneously and without preconception to compassionate activity. -Lama Tashi Namgyal
16. Thisis TheSongofRealizationinGarmaChang'sHundre4Thousand Songs ofMilarepa, p. 6-7. Also in Rain ofWisdom, p. 202-204. 17. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa. Page
23-37.
18. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa. Pages
11-22.
19. Garma Chang translates this as eighteen days in The Hundred
Thousand Songs. The Tibetan is literally "eighteen days and nights" which is explained later in the song as nine daytimes and nighttimes. 20. In Tibetan medicine and meditation the body contains numerous subtle channels (Skt. nadi, Tib. tsa) which are not anatomical in
nature, but more like channels in acupuncture. There are thousands ofchannels but the three main channels are the central channel, which runs roughly along the spinal column and the left and right channels either side of this. Prana is the energy, or "wind," moving through the nadis. As is said, "Mind consciousness rides the horse of prana on the pathways of the nadis. The bindu is mind's nourishment. "
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Because of dualistic thinking, prana enters the left and right channels. This divergence ofenergy in the subtle body corresponds to the mental activity that falsely distinguishes between subject and object and leads to karmically determined activity. Through yogic practice, the pranas can be brought into the central channel and therefore transformed into wisdom-prana. Then the mind can recognize its fundamental nature, realizing all dharmas as unborn [empty].
21. Kleshas, in Sanskrit means "pain, distress, and torment. " This was translated as "afflictions" which is the closest English word to what causes distress. However, the Tibetan word for kleshas is nyon mong and these almost always refer to passion, anger, ignorance, jealousy, and pride which are actually negative or disturbing emotions so we prefer the translation negative or disturbing emotion since "afflictions" imply some kind of disability. The Great Tibetan Dictionary for example defines nyon mong as, "mental events that incite one to non-virtuous actions and cause one's being to be very
unpeaceful. "
22. Garma C. C. Chang: The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa:
"Challenge from a Wise Demoness," p. 38-57.
23. Tib. srin-mo. One of the many types of local Tibetan deities. In
translations from the Sanskrit they are equated with the Indian rakshasa demons. A Rock-Sinmo, is described in Tibetan folklore as the original female ancestor of the Tibetan race- the result of her union with a monkey. These two ancestral creatures became identified as emanations ofTara and Avalokiteshvara.
24. In Tibetan medicine madness is considered to be caused by an influx of subtle airs into the heart. The application of a golden needle is a Tibetan medical method, now very rarely used, which is analogous to Chinese acupuncture.
25. Latencies (Skt. vasana, Tib. bakchak) These latent imprints that enter the eighth (ground) consciousness come through the seventh (afflicted) consciousness. These imprints are not apparently the
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experience itself, but are described more like dormant seeds that are away from soil, water, and sunlight. These imprints are either positive, negative, or neutral depending upon whether they came from a positive, negative, or neutral thought or action. These imprints are then activated with experience and thus help create our impression ofthe solidity ofthe world. There are actually several kinds oflatencies: latencies which are associated with external sensory experiences, latencies which give rise to the dualistic belief of "I" and "other," and positive and negative latencies due to our actions which cause us to continue to revolve around and around in samsara. It should also be pointed out that different schools of Buddhism
treated these latencies differently.
26. With regard to the eight consciousnesses, the first five are called the
"consciousnesses ofthe five gates. " The gates are the five senses: eye ear, nose, tongue, and body. They are called gates because they seem to be the gates by means ofwhich your mind encounters that which is outside your body. These five consciousnesses operating through the five senses or five gates experience their objects directly. The eye consciousness actually sees shapes and colors, the ear consciousness actually detects or experiences sounds, and so on. It is direct experience, thefefore these consciousnesses are non- conceptual and do not generate any thoughts about the characteristics of what they experience; they do not conceptually
recognize the things that they perceive or experience.
That which thinks about what is experienced by the five senses and which conceptually recognizes them as such and such, and conceives of them as good and bad, in short that which thinks period, is the sixth consciousness, the mental consciousness. The
mental consciousness does not work with or appear on the basis of a specific sense organ like the other five. It inhabits the body in a general way and it is that which thinks. The fundamental distinction between it and the others is that the five sense consciousnesses, since they engage only in the direct experience of their objects, can
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only experience the present. For example, the eye consciousness only sees what is there now. It does not see what was there in the past. It does not see what will be there in the future. This is also true of the ear consciousness and so on. Not only can they not think about the past or the future, they do not even conceptualise or think about the present.
The sixth consciousness on the other hand can and does think aboutthings. The sixth consciousness thinks of the past, both the distant and recent past. But while it is capable ofthinking it is not capable of directly experiencing things the way that the sense consciousnesses do. It generates a generality or abstraction on the basis of the things that are experienced by the five sense consciousnesses. This means that when the five sense consciousnesses experience something, it becomes an object ofthought for the sixth consciousness, not in the form ofwhat is actually experienced but
in the form. ofa conceptual generality or generalization or abstraction that is created by the sixth consciousness as a duplicate or replica of what was experienced by that particular sense consciousness. For example, when I look at the glass that is on the table in front ofme, my eyes directly see that glass, but my sixth consciousness, my mental consciousness does not directly see it. It generates a generality or abstraction based upon what my eyes have seen, that it recognizes, that it thinks about, thinks of as good or bad, or having such and such shape and so on.
Those six consciousnesses are relatively easy to detect or observe because they are vivid in their manifestation or function. The other two consciousnesses are less easy to observe. For one thing the six consciousnesses start and stop in their operation. They are generated by certain conditions and when those conditions are no longer present they temporarily stop functioning. Therefore the six consciousnesses are called "inconstant" consciousnesses. They are not constantly there. They are generated as they arise. The other two consciousnesses are called "constant" consciousnesses. Not only
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are they constant, which means that they are always operating, but they are also much less observable.
The seventh consciousness is called the "afflicted consciousness. " This refers to the subtle or most basic level ofmental affliction or klesha. ? Specifically, the afflicted consciousness is the most subtle level offixation on a selfthat is unfluctuatingly present even when one is asleep. When sometimes you have a sense of self and you think "! ," that is not an operation of the seventh consciousness. That is the sixth consciousness thinking. The seventh consciousness
is present until you attain the first bodhisattva level and so on. Although it is not directly observable itself, it is the basis for all coarse fixation on a selfand therefore for all coarse kleshas.
The eighth consciousness is called the "alaya vijnana'' or "ground consciousness. " It is called the ground because it is the basis for the arising of all other types of consciousness. It is that fundamental clarity of consciousness or cognitive lucidity of consciousness that has been there from the beginning. Being the capacity for conscious experience it is the ground for the arising ofeye consciousness, ear consciousness, etc. It is, like the seventh, constantly present, constantly operating, and it persists until the attainment of final awakening or Buddhahood.
Along with the eight consciousnesses there is something else that is often mentioned. This is called the "immediate mind. " The immediate mind is not a separate consciousness. It is the function of the impure mind that links the operations of one consciousness to another. It is that impulse or force of habit that causes the six consciousnesses to arise from the ground of the all basis and the afflicted consciousness. It is that which causes the mental consciousness to arise on the basis ofa sense perception and so on. It is an identifiable function ofthe impure mind, but is not in itself a separate consciousness, therefore there are only eight types of impure consciousness. It is not considered to be a ninth. - Khenchen
Thrangu Rinpoche
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When we, as ordinary beings, hit a rock it is hard and hurts because of our latencies. However, Milarepa as will be seen in later stories has mastered or transformed the eight consciousness and its latencies so he can put his hand right through a rock because it is actually empty. This is much more fully explained in Thrangu Rinpoche's Transcending Ego, Namo Buddha Publications.
27. This refers to things being empty of inherent nature or shunyata. However, emptiness is inseparable from luminosity (Tib. salwa) and therefore this is not a blank voidness like the complete absence of something.
28. The failure of the mind to recognize its own true nature is what is meant by the term ma rigpa, or ignorance, the first level ofdelusion, obscuration or defilement in the mind. As a result ofthis ignorance, there arises in the mind the imputation of an "I" and an "other," (the other being something that is conceived as) something that is other than? the mind. This dualistic clinging, something that we have had throughout beginningless time and that never stops (until enlightenment), is the second level ofobscuration, the obscuration of habits (habitual tendency).
Based upon this dualistic clinging arise the three root mental afflictions: mental darkness (variously rendered by translators as ignorance, bewilderment, confusion, etc. ), desire, and aggression. Based upon these three afflictions there arise some 84,000 various mental afflictions enumerated by the Buddha, all ofwhich together comprise the third level of obscuration, called the obscuration of
mental afflictions (variously rendered as klesha, emotional affliction, conflicting emotions, etc). Under the influence o f these, we perform actions that are obscured in their nature, which result in the fourth level of obscuration, called the obscuration of actions or karma. - Khabje Kalu Rinpoche
29. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa. "The Song of a Yogi's Joy," p. 74-87.
30. The first recognition of the nature of mind, which is brought about
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in the student's experience through the intervention of the lama whether during a teaching, a ritual ceremony, or guided meditation becomes the basis for the student's subsequent practice of dharma, the purpose ofwhich is to enable the student to become accustomed and habituated to experiencing the world in the manner first pointed out. When through the practice ofthe path, the student's experience reaches the ineffable fruition of Buddhahood, he or she is said to have fully realized the nature ofmind. - Lama Tashi Namgyal
31. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa. p. 136- 149.
32. When you talk about guru in the Mahamudra lineage, there is the pure (dharmakaya) aspect of the guru, the distance lineage gurus, and the close lineage gurus. The distance lineage gurus start with the Lord Buddha and extend in a continuous, unbroken succession of enlightened masters and students all the way down to the Karmapa. We call that the distance lineage because it goes all the way back to the Buddha Shakyamuni.
There is the close lineage of Mahamudra as well. That lineage begins with the Buddha Vajradhara who bestowed Mahamudra teachings on the Bodhisattva Lodro Rinchen, which teachings then come down to Tilopa and Naropa. In the case of the great masters who received Mahamudra lineage transmissions directly from the Buddha Vajradhara, those transmissions happened a long time after Prince Siddhartha's paranirvana. The physical Buddha, the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, Prince Siddhartha, was at the time no longer
in physical Prince Siddhartha form. What happened was that first these great masters received the teachings of the Buddha and the Buddha's disciples through " distance lineages," and they practiced them. Through their practice they attained realization. As part of their realization the Buddha manifested to them, but not as Prince Siddhartha, as Buddha Vajradhara. So, Buddha, the sambhogakaya ofthe Buddha, and the nirmanakaya ofthe Buddha, which is Prince Siddhartha in our case. The Buddha Vajradhara means all in one- the ever present Buddha, the timeless Buddha.
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Then the BuddhaVajradhara transmitted direcdy to certain great masters, but only as a result of the realization of the teachings they had already received from their masters, whose teachings started with the historical Buddha. In this way, the Mahamudra lineage and many Vajrayana Buddhist lineages actually have distance lineage as well as close lineage. - Tai Situ Rinpoche
33. Dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, and nirmanakaya. Fully enlightened beings, Buddhas, and their manifestations are often understood by way of the. three kayas: The dharmakaya is enlightenment itself, wisdom beyond any reference point which can only be perceived by other enlightened beings; The sambhogakaya, often called the enjoyment body, manifests in the pure lands which can only be seen by advanced bodhisattvas; and the nirmanakaya which can be seen by ordinary beings as in the case of the historical Buddha, but this can also be any type of being or relative appearance to assist ordinary beings.
34. Tib. cho (spelled gcod) Apparendy originally spelt spyod, as in this verse and in Paldarbum's question, short spyod-yulas the translation o f the Sanskrit gocara.
35. This is commonly but not always pronounced "pai" in Tibet. "Phat" practice, common in tantric incantations, for cutting ego, involves saying the Sanskrit syllable Phat. It is used as a means of cutting distracting thoughts and to arouse the consciousness from drowsiness occurring in meditation. In applying it, the yogi first concentrates on the thought-flow, drowsiness, apparitions, or whatever hindrances appear, and then suddenly shouts "pai! " with all their strength. By doingthisthehindrancesareeventuallyeliminated. - CarmaChang.
36. The point ofdirect arrival here is an aspect ofthat which distinguishes between the Mahamudra approach and the approach using inferential reasoning.
Ifwe are attempting to use inferential reasoning to uncover the ultimate nature of absolute truth, then there is no direct arrival involved, because the process consists of considering what there is and gradually generating confidence in its ultimate
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nature as absolute truth. In the Mahamudra approach, however, there is a direct arrival or leap. What we are leaping past is conceptual consideration altogether, and what we are leaping into is the direct experience of the nature of our own mind. So, there is no consideration or analysis or labelling of substantiality, insubstantiality and so forth- we are simply directly looking at the nature of our mind, directly experiencing it, and thereby directly meditating upon it. - Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
37. This refers to the shaving of one's hair when taking ordination. 38. The display of miracles, such as leaving imprints in rocks, arises from the samadhi recognizing that all phenomena are uncreated and are, in fact, illusory. Whatever is required to benefit beings can be magically manifested out ofthe samadhi realizing this emptiness.
- Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
39. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa. p. 215-
223.
40. Gandhamadana. Tib. spos ngad ! dan meaning "aromatic" because
traditional Indian accounts describe a fragrant forest on its slopes. It is described in the Abhidharma as being at the source of the Ganges and Brahmaputra, and as the site ofthe wish-fUlfilling jambu tree. Anavatapta. Tib. ma dros pa meaning "unwarmed" suggesting a cold lake.
41. The Bonpo religion was present within Tibet before the introduction of Buddhism, and has developed and continued up to the present time.
42. Tib. bya rgod phung po'i ri which means "The Vulture-peak Mountain" which is at the capital of Maghada where the Buddha often resided and taught the Prajnaparamita sutras.
43. The Bon tradition circumambulates sacred places counter-clockwise, while Buddhists always go clockwise.
44. Tib. rdzu-'phrul phug. A temple has been built around this rock shelter. Zutrul Puki is on the southeastern side of Kailash on the final stage of the usual circumambulation of the mountain.
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45. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa. p. 287- 295.
46. Tib. snyi shangs gur rta. Nyishang or Nyeshang is the area that is now called Manang, which lies to the east o f the Kaligandaki river, to the west of the Maryadikola river, and south east of the Nepalese kingdom of Mustang.
47. Man is a generic name used by Tibetans at that time for areas from Lhahul in the west to Tawang in the east and inhabited by non- Tibetan, Tibeto-burman peoples. It has also been used for Bhutan, and the king of Bhaktapur and Patan is referred to in the chapter heading as the king of Mon.
48. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa. p. 275- 286.
49. The text has Yerang, the name for Patan at that time.
50. The text has Khakhom, the name of Bhatgaon i. e. Bhaktapur at
that time.
51. Tibetan aru and Sanskrit arura. The yellow or chebulic myrobalan
or Terminalia Chebula.
52. The Buddha's teachings occurred in three important phases, known
as the three dharmachakras or three turnings ofthe wheel ofdharma. The first turning includes the teachings common to all traditions, those of the Four Noble Truths, the Eight-fold Path, selflessness and impermanence, which can lead to liberation from suffering. The second turning expanded on the first, the fruition of its teachings on the emptiness of all phenomena and universal
compassion is Buddhahood. The teachings of the third turning are those on the buddha potential and its inherent qualities. For a detailed account of the three wheels of dharma see Thrangu Rinpoche's The Three Vehicles ofBuddhist Practice published by Namo Buddha Publications.
53. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa, pages 421-441.
54. Tib. sil ba'i tshal which means "The Cool Grove. " It is described as
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being just outside Rajghir, the then capital ofMaghada, but various
other locations are given, such as south-east of Bodhgaya.
55. Tilopa was the first to obtain the formless dakini teachings. Having traveled to Uddiyana, he received them directly from the formless wisdom dakini in a spiritual song. Basically, this song was comprised of nine instructions: 1. Loosen the seal knot of mind as ripening and freeing, 2. Look at the mirror of mind as samaya, 3. Slash water with a sword as activity, 4. Sun yourself in realization as samaya substance, 5. Look at the torch of wisdom as insight, 6. Turn the wheel of the web of nadi and prana, 7. Look at the outer mirror as equal taste, 8. Meditate on self-liberated Mahamudra, 9.
Hold the jewel of the great bliss teachings.
56. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songr ofMilarepa. Pages 463-
498.
57. Tib. snying-rje pad-ma dkar-po or the White Lotus of Compassion
Sutra.
58. Though the Tibetan is literally blue, this color/word is used for animals and people to denote dark gray or dark skinned.
59. A particular kind of Tibetan spirit believed to particularly be interested in influencing religious practitioners for its own ends.
60. Tib. mi-gyo-ba. The principal protector deity ofthe early Kadampas. 61. Gampopa was at this time . a monk and drinking alcohol would
have broken his vows.
62. A word based on a red sediment believed to be the menstrual blood
of dakinis at sacred places, or a red powder substitute.
63. The word "look" is used here, but clearly this has nothing to do with sight. The word is used to contrast it with analyzing or examining which has an analytical, cognitive component which isn't present in "looking" at mind. So looking at mind implies direct
and non-conceptual examination.
64. This is the translation of the Tibetan word salwa which is also
translated variously as "brilliance," "luminous clarity," and "luminosity. " We must not make the mistake of thinking of this as
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some kind oflight such as we get from a light bulb even though the words suggest this. Rather it is simply that continuous awareness, that knowing, that the mind always has.
65. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa, "The Evidence of Accomplishment. " Pages 658-661.
66. Tib. bragdmarmeaning "Red-Rock. " This mountain is the location of the chapter's events.
67. The obscuration of defilements prevents liberation and the obscuration of knowledge prevents omniscience.
68. The eight worldly dharmas are a concern with gain and loss, happiness and suffering, praise and criticism, fame and obscurity.
69. The ultimate or supreme siddhi is the stable realization ofthe radiant clarity or clear light nature of mind and all reality, which we know as complete and perfect enlightenment or Buddhahood. The relative siddhis are such qualities as loving kindness, compassion, intelligenq:, the wisdom ofinsight, 'spiritual power, protection, the removal ofobstacles, good health, longevity, wealth and magnetism etc. - Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
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? Glossary ofTerms
84,000 teachings. (Tib. cho kyi phung po gyad khri bzhi stong) 21,000 teachings on each of the Vinaya, Surra, Abhidharma, and their combination. Their purpose is to eliminate the 84,000 different types of disturbing emotions latent in one's mind.
Abhidharma. (Tib. cho ngonpa) The Buddhist teachings are often divided into the Tripitaka: the sutras (teachings of the Buddha), the Vinaya (teachings on conduct,) and the Abhidharma which are the analyses of phenomena that exist primarily as a commentarial tradition to the Buddhist teachings.
Afflicted comciousness. (Tib. nyon yid) The seventh consciousness. As used here it has two aspects: the immediate consciousness which monitors the other consciousnesses making them continuous and the klesha consciousness which is the continuous presence of sel? (see consciousnesses, eight)
Aggregates, five. (Skt. skandha, Tib. phung po nga) Literally, "heaps. " These are the five basic transformations that perceptions undergo when an object is perceived. First is form, which includes all sounds, smells, etc. , everything that is not thought. The second and third are sensations (pleasant and unpleasant, etc. ) and their identification. Fourth are mental events, which actually include the second and third aggregates. The fifth is ordinary consciousness, such as the sensory and mental consciousnesses.
Amitayus. Skt. (Tib. Tsepagme) The name means infinitive life. , Buddha
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of long life. Amitayus is the sambhogakaya form of Amitabhand a
usually depicted with all the ornaments ofa sambhogakaya Buddha. Atisha. (982-1 055 C. E. ) A Buddhist scholar at the Nalanda University in India who came to Tibet at the invitation ofthe King to overcome the damage done by Langdarma. He helped found the Kadampa
tradition.
Blessings. (Tib. chin lap) Splendour wave, conveying the sense of
atmosphere descending or coming toward the practitioner. One's root guru and lineage are said to be the source of blessings. When the student can open themselves with uncontrived devotion, the grace of the lineage manifests as blessings, which dissolve into them and awaken them to a sense of greater reality.
Bodhichitta. (Tib. chang chup chi sem) Literally, the mind of enlightenment. There are two kinds of bodhichitta: absolute bodhichitta, which is completely awakened mind that sees the emptiness of plienomena, and relative bodhichitta which is the aspiration to practice the six paramitas and free all beings from the suffering of samsara. In regard to relative bodhichitta there is also
two kinds: aspiration bodhichitta and perseverance bodhichitta. Bodhisattva. (Tib. chang chup sem pa) "Heroic mind. " Bodhi means blossomed or enlightened, and sattva means heroic mind. Literally, one who exhibits the mind of enlightenment. Also an individual
who has committed him or herself to the Mahayana path of compassion and the practice of the six paramitas to achieve Buddhahood to free all beings from samsara. These are the heart or mind disciples of the Buddha.
Bodhisattva levels. (Skt. bhumi, Tib. sa) The levels or stages a bodhisattva goes through to reach enlightenment. These consist of ten levels in the surra tradition and thirteen in the tantra tradition.
Buddha. (Tib. sanggye) An individual who attains, or the attainment of, complete enlightenment, such as the historical Shakyamuni Buddha.
Buddha Shakyamuni. (Tib. shakya tubpa) The Shakyamuni Buddha,
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often called the Gautama Buddha, refers to the fourth Buddha of
this age, who lived between 563 and ? 483 BCE.
Buddhafield. (Tib.
13. The word is derived from the Sanskrit acharya or a religious master. 14. The word deity is ofren used rather broadly, here it is referring to beings that are not enlightened. Local deities are beings who inhabit
specific places, although they are not visible to most humans they can be quite powerful and can cause harm or obstacles to one if they are not respected; just as we would get upset and angry if someone violated our home, we should consider and respect the home or territory of others, even if we cannot visibly see them. Therefore Buddhist practitioners often make offerings to local deities for good circumstances.
15. In the Sanskrit bodhi means "awakened" or "enlightened" and chitta means "mind," so bodhichitta means awakened mind. The generation of bodhichitta is based on the altruistic wish to bring about the welfare, and ultimately the total liberation, ofall sentient beings from all forms ofsuffering. What distinguishes bodhichitta from the ordinary compassionate aspirations to benefit others shared by all people of good will is the recognition that one cannot
ultimately fulfill these aspirations until one has attained the state of men? tal purification and liberation of Buddhahood, which is the
102
? Notes
source ofall positive qualities, including the omniscience that can see, individual by individual, the causes ofsuffering and the causes and path of liberation &om suffering. This understanding gives rise at some point to the initial generation ofthe aspiration to attain the state of Buddhahood in order to liberate all sentient beings &om suffering and to establish them all in states ofhappiness. This is called bodhichitta ofaspiration, which must be followed by what is called the bodhichitta of application, which is the training in loving-kindness, compassion, the six paramitas or transcendent perfections, etc. , which lead to the accomplishment ofBuddhahood. Aspiration bodhichitta and application bodhichitta are both
included in the term relative bodhichitta. Ultimate bodhichitta is direct insight into the ultimate nature. This st~te of primordial awareness is compassion and loving-kindness and gives rise spontaneously and without preconception to compassionate activity. -Lama Tashi Namgyal
16. Thisis TheSongofRealizationinGarmaChang'sHundre4Thousand Songs ofMilarepa, p. 6-7. Also in Rain ofWisdom, p. 202-204. 17. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa. Page
23-37.
18. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa. Pages
11-22.
19. Garma Chang translates this as eighteen days in The Hundred
Thousand Songs. The Tibetan is literally "eighteen days and nights" which is explained later in the song as nine daytimes and nighttimes. 20. In Tibetan medicine and meditation the body contains numerous subtle channels (Skt. nadi, Tib. tsa) which are not anatomical in
nature, but more like channels in acupuncture. There are thousands ofchannels but the three main channels are the central channel, which runs roughly along the spinal column and the left and right channels either side of this. Prana is the energy, or "wind," moving through the nadis. As is said, "Mind consciousness rides the horse of prana on the pathways of the nadis. The bindu is mind's nourishment. "
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Because of dualistic thinking, prana enters the left and right channels. This divergence ofenergy in the subtle body corresponds to the mental activity that falsely distinguishes between subject and object and leads to karmically determined activity. Through yogic practice, the pranas can be brought into the central channel and therefore transformed into wisdom-prana. Then the mind can recognize its fundamental nature, realizing all dharmas as unborn [empty].
21. Kleshas, in Sanskrit means "pain, distress, and torment. " This was translated as "afflictions" which is the closest English word to what causes distress. However, the Tibetan word for kleshas is nyon mong and these almost always refer to passion, anger, ignorance, jealousy, and pride which are actually negative or disturbing emotions so we prefer the translation negative or disturbing emotion since "afflictions" imply some kind of disability. The Great Tibetan Dictionary for example defines nyon mong as, "mental events that incite one to non-virtuous actions and cause one's being to be very
unpeaceful. "
22. Garma C. C. Chang: The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa:
"Challenge from a Wise Demoness," p. 38-57.
23. Tib. srin-mo. One of the many types of local Tibetan deities. In
translations from the Sanskrit they are equated with the Indian rakshasa demons. A Rock-Sinmo, is described in Tibetan folklore as the original female ancestor of the Tibetan race- the result of her union with a monkey. These two ancestral creatures became identified as emanations ofTara and Avalokiteshvara.
24. In Tibetan medicine madness is considered to be caused by an influx of subtle airs into the heart. The application of a golden needle is a Tibetan medical method, now very rarely used, which is analogous to Chinese acupuncture.
25. Latencies (Skt. vasana, Tib. bakchak) These latent imprints that enter the eighth (ground) consciousness come through the seventh (afflicted) consciousness. These imprints are not apparently the
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experience itself, but are described more like dormant seeds that are away from soil, water, and sunlight. These imprints are either positive, negative, or neutral depending upon whether they came from a positive, negative, or neutral thought or action. These imprints are then activated with experience and thus help create our impression ofthe solidity ofthe world. There are actually several kinds oflatencies: latencies which are associated with external sensory experiences, latencies which give rise to the dualistic belief of "I" and "other," and positive and negative latencies due to our actions which cause us to continue to revolve around and around in samsara. It should also be pointed out that different schools of Buddhism
treated these latencies differently.
26. With regard to the eight consciousnesses, the first five are called the
"consciousnesses ofthe five gates. " The gates are the five senses: eye ear, nose, tongue, and body. They are called gates because they seem to be the gates by means ofwhich your mind encounters that which is outside your body. These five consciousnesses operating through the five senses or five gates experience their objects directly. The eye consciousness actually sees shapes and colors, the ear consciousness actually detects or experiences sounds, and so on. It is direct experience, thefefore these consciousnesses are non- conceptual and do not generate any thoughts about the characteristics of what they experience; they do not conceptually
recognize the things that they perceive or experience.
That which thinks about what is experienced by the five senses and which conceptually recognizes them as such and such, and conceives of them as good and bad, in short that which thinks period, is the sixth consciousness, the mental consciousness. The
mental consciousness does not work with or appear on the basis of a specific sense organ like the other five. It inhabits the body in a general way and it is that which thinks. The fundamental distinction between it and the others is that the five sense consciousnesses, since they engage only in the direct experience of their objects, can
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only experience the present. For example, the eye consciousness only sees what is there now. It does not see what was there in the past. It does not see what will be there in the future. This is also true of the ear consciousness and so on. Not only can they not think about the past or the future, they do not even conceptualise or think about the present.
The sixth consciousness on the other hand can and does think aboutthings. The sixth consciousness thinks of the past, both the distant and recent past. But while it is capable ofthinking it is not capable of directly experiencing things the way that the sense consciousnesses do. It generates a generality or abstraction on the basis of the things that are experienced by the five sense consciousnesses. This means that when the five sense consciousnesses experience something, it becomes an object ofthought for the sixth consciousness, not in the form ofwhat is actually experienced but
in the form. ofa conceptual generality or generalization or abstraction that is created by the sixth consciousness as a duplicate or replica of what was experienced by that particular sense consciousness. For example, when I look at the glass that is on the table in front ofme, my eyes directly see that glass, but my sixth consciousness, my mental consciousness does not directly see it. It generates a generality or abstraction based upon what my eyes have seen, that it recognizes, that it thinks about, thinks of as good or bad, or having such and such shape and so on.
Those six consciousnesses are relatively easy to detect or observe because they are vivid in their manifestation or function. The other two consciousnesses are less easy to observe. For one thing the six consciousnesses start and stop in their operation. They are generated by certain conditions and when those conditions are no longer present they temporarily stop functioning. Therefore the six consciousnesses are called "inconstant" consciousnesses. They are not constantly there. They are generated as they arise. The other two consciousnesses are called "constant" consciousnesses. Not only
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are they constant, which means that they are always operating, but they are also much less observable.
The seventh consciousness is called the "afflicted consciousness. " This refers to the subtle or most basic level ofmental affliction or klesha. ? Specifically, the afflicted consciousness is the most subtle level offixation on a selfthat is unfluctuatingly present even when one is asleep. When sometimes you have a sense of self and you think "! ," that is not an operation of the seventh consciousness. That is the sixth consciousness thinking. The seventh consciousness
is present until you attain the first bodhisattva level and so on. Although it is not directly observable itself, it is the basis for all coarse fixation on a selfand therefore for all coarse kleshas.
The eighth consciousness is called the "alaya vijnana'' or "ground consciousness. " It is called the ground because it is the basis for the arising of all other types of consciousness. It is that fundamental clarity of consciousness or cognitive lucidity of consciousness that has been there from the beginning. Being the capacity for conscious experience it is the ground for the arising ofeye consciousness, ear consciousness, etc. It is, like the seventh, constantly present, constantly operating, and it persists until the attainment of final awakening or Buddhahood.
Along with the eight consciousnesses there is something else that is often mentioned. This is called the "immediate mind. " The immediate mind is not a separate consciousness. It is the function of the impure mind that links the operations of one consciousness to another. It is that impulse or force of habit that causes the six consciousnesses to arise from the ground of the all basis and the afflicted consciousness. It is that which causes the mental consciousness to arise on the basis ofa sense perception and so on. It is an identifiable function ofthe impure mind, but is not in itself a separate consciousness, therefore there are only eight types of impure consciousness. It is not considered to be a ninth. - Khenchen
Thrangu Rinpoche
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When we, as ordinary beings, hit a rock it is hard and hurts because of our latencies. However, Milarepa as will be seen in later stories has mastered or transformed the eight consciousness and its latencies so he can put his hand right through a rock because it is actually empty. This is much more fully explained in Thrangu Rinpoche's Transcending Ego, Namo Buddha Publications.
27. This refers to things being empty of inherent nature or shunyata. However, emptiness is inseparable from luminosity (Tib. salwa) and therefore this is not a blank voidness like the complete absence of something.
28. The failure of the mind to recognize its own true nature is what is meant by the term ma rigpa, or ignorance, the first level ofdelusion, obscuration or defilement in the mind. As a result ofthis ignorance, there arises in the mind the imputation of an "I" and an "other," (the other being something that is conceived as) something that is other than? the mind. This dualistic clinging, something that we have had throughout beginningless time and that never stops (until enlightenment), is the second level ofobscuration, the obscuration of habits (habitual tendency).
Based upon this dualistic clinging arise the three root mental afflictions: mental darkness (variously rendered by translators as ignorance, bewilderment, confusion, etc. ), desire, and aggression. Based upon these three afflictions there arise some 84,000 various mental afflictions enumerated by the Buddha, all ofwhich together comprise the third level of obscuration, called the obscuration of
mental afflictions (variously rendered as klesha, emotional affliction, conflicting emotions, etc). Under the influence o f these, we perform actions that are obscured in their nature, which result in the fourth level of obscuration, called the obscuration of actions or karma. - Khabje Kalu Rinpoche
29. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa. "The Song of a Yogi's Joy," p. 74-87.
30. The first recognition of the nature of mind, which is brought about
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in the student's experience through the intervention of the lama whether during a teaching, a ritual ceremony, or guided meditation becomes the basis for the student's subsequent practice of dharma, the purpose ofwhich is to enable the student to become accustomed and habituated to experiencing the world in the manner first pointed out. When through the practice ofthe path, the student's experience reaches the ineffable fruition of Buddhahood, he or she is said to have fully realized the nature ofmind. - Lama Tashi Namgyal
31. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa. p. 136- 149.
32. When you talk about guru in the Mahamudra lineage, there is the pure (dharmakaya) aspect of the guru, the distance lineage gurus, and the close lineage gurus. The distance lineage gurus start with the Lord Buddha and extend in a continuous, unbroken succession of enlightened masters and students all the way down to the Karmapa. We call that the distance lineage because it goes all the way back to the Buddha Shakyamuni.
There is the close lineage of Mahamudra as well. That lineage begins with the Buddha Vajradhara who bestowed Mahamudra teachings on the Bodhisattva Lodro Rinchen, which teachings then come down to Tilopa and Naropa. In the case of the great masters who received Mahamudra lineage transmissions directly from the Buddha Vajradhara, those transmissions happened a long time after Prince Siddhartha's paranirvana. The physical Buddha, the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, Prince Siddhartha, was at the time no longer
in physical Prince Siddhartha form. What happened was that first these great masters received the teachings of the Buddha and the Buddha's disciples through " distance lineages," and they practiced them. Through their practice they attained realization. As part of their realization the Buddha manifested to them, but not as Prince Siddhartha, as Buddha Vajradhara. So, Buddha, the sambhogakaya ofthe Buddha, and the nirmanakaya ofthe Buddha, which is Prince Siddhartha in our case. The Buddha Vajradhara means all in one- the ever present Buddha, the timeless Buddha.
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Then the BuddhaVajradhara transmitted direcdy to certain great masters, but only as a result of the realization of the teachings they had already received from their masters, whose teachings started with the historical Buddha. In this way, the Mahamudra lineage and many Vajrayana Buddhist lineages actually have distance lineage as well as close lineage. - Tai Situ Rinpoche
33. Dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, and nirmanakaya. Fully enlightened beings, Buddhas, and their manifestations are often understood by way of the. three kayas: The dharmakaya is enlightenment itself, wisdom beyond any reference point which can only be perceived by other enlightened beings; The sambhogakaya, often called the enjoyment body, manifests in the pure lands which can only be seen by advanced bodhisattvas; and the nirmanakaya which can be seen by ordinary beings as in the case of the historical Buddha, but this can also be any type of being or relative appearance to assist ordinary beings.
34. Tib. cho (spelled gcod) Apparendy originally spelt spyod, as in this verse and in Paldarbum's question, short spyod-yulas the translation o f the Sanskrit gocara.
35. This is commonly but not always pronounced "pai" in Tibet. "Phat" practice, common in tantric incantations, for cutting ego, involves saying the Sanskrit syllable Phat. It is used as a means of cutting distracting thoughts and to arouse the consciousness from drowsiness occurring in meditation. In applying it, the yogi first concentrates on the thought-flow, drowsiness, apparitions, or whatever hindrances appear, and then suddenly shouts "pai! " with all their strength. By doingthisthehindrancesareeventuallyeliminated. - CarmaChang.
36. The point ofdirect arrival here is an aspect ofthat which distinguishes between the Mahamudra approach and the approach using inferential reasoning.
Ifwe are attempting to use inferential reasoning to uncover the ultimate nature of absolute truth, then there is no direct arrival involved, because the process consists of considering what there is and gradually generating confidence in its ultimate
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nature as absolute truth. In the Mahamudra approach, however, there is a direct arrival or leap. What we are leaping past is conceptual consideration altogether, and what we are leaping into is the direct experience of the nature of our own mind. So, there is no consideration or analysis or labelling of substantiality, insubstantiality and so forth- we are simply directly looking at the nature of our mind, directly experiencing it, and thereby directly meditating upon it. - Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
37. This refers to the shaving of one's hair when taking ordination. 38. The display of miracles, such as leaving imprints in rocks, arises from the samadhi recognizing that all phenomena are uncreated and are, in fact, illusory. Whatever is required to benefit beings can be magically manifested out ofthe samadhi realizing this emptiness.
- Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
39. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa. p. 215-
223.
40. Gandhamadana. Tib. spos ngad ! dan meaning "aromatic" because
traditional Indian accounts describe a fragrant forest on its slopes. It is described in the Abhidharma as being at the source of the Ganges and Brahmaputra, and as the site ofthe wish-fUlfilling jambu tree. Anavatapta. Tib. ma dros pa meaning "unwarmed" suggesting a cold lake.
41. The Bonpo religion was present within Tibet before the introduction of Buddhism, and has developed and continued up to the present time.
42. Tib. bya rgod phung po'i ri which means "The Vulture-peak Mountain" which is at the capital of Maghada where the Buddha often resided and taught the Prajnaparamita sutras.
43. The Bon tradition circumambulates sacred places counter-clockwise, while Buddhists always go clockwise.
44. Tib. rdzu-'phrul phug. A temple has been built around this rock shelter. Zutrul Puki is on the southeastern side of Kailash on the final stage of the usual circumambulation of the mountain.
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45. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa. p. 287- 295.
46. Tib. snyi shangs gur rta. Nyishang or Nyeshang is the area that is now called Manang, which lies to the east o f the Kaligandaki river, to the west of the Maryadikola river, and south east of the Nepalese kingdom of Mustang.
47. Man is a generic name used by Tibetans at that time for areas from Lhahul in the west to Tawang in the east and inhabited by non- Tibetan, Tibeto-burman peoples. It has also been used for Bhutan, and the king of Bhaktapur and Patan is referred to in the chapter heading as the king of Mon.
48. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa. p. 275- 286.
49. The text has Yerang, the name for Patan at that time.
50. The text has Khakhom, the name of Bhatgaon i. e. Bhaktapur at
that time.
51. Tibetan aru and Sanskrit arura. The yellow or chebulic myrobalan
or Terminalia Chebula.
52. The Buddha's teachings occurred in three important phases, known
as the three dharmachakras or three turnings ofthe wheel ofdharma. The first turning includes the teachings common to all traditions, those of the Four Noble Truths, the Eight-fold Path, selflessness and impermanence, which can lead to liberation from suffering. The second turning expanded on the first, the fruition of its teachings on the emptiness of all phenomena and universal
compassion is Buddhahood. The teachings of the third turning are those on the buddha potential and its inherent qualities. For a detailed account of the three wheels of dharma see Thrangu Rinpoche's The Three Vehicles ofBuddhist Practice published by Namo Buddha Publications.
53. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa, pages 421-441.
54. Tib. sil ba'i tshal which means "The Cool Grove. " It is described as
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being just outside Rajghir, the then capital ofMaghada, but various
other locations are given, such as south-east of Bodhgaya.
55. Tilopa was the first to obtain the formless dakini teachings. Having traveled to Uddiyana, he received them directly from the formless wisdom dakini in a spiritual song. Basically, this song was comprised of nine instructions: 1. Loosen the seal knot of mind as ripening and freeing, 2. Look at the mirror of mind as samaya, 3. Slash water with a sword as activity, 4. Sun yourself in realization as samaya substance, 5. Look at the torch of wisdom as insight, 6. Turn the wheel of the web of nadi and prana, 7. Look at the outer mirror as equal taste, 8. Meditate on self-liberated Mahamudra, 9.
Hold the jewel of the great bliss teachings.
56. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songr ofMilarepa. Pages 463-
498.
57. Tib. snying-rje pad-ma dkar-po or the White Lotus of Compassion
Sutra.
58. Though the Tibetan is literally blue, this color/word is used for animals and people to denote dark gray or dark skinned.
59. A particular kind of Tibetan spirit believed to particularly be interested in influencing religious practitioners for its own ends.
60. Tib. mi-gyo-ba. The principal protector deity ofthe early Kadampas. 61. Gampopa was at this time . a monk and drinking alcohol would
have broken his vows.
62. A word based on a red sediment believed to be the menstrual blood
of dakinis at sacred places, or a red powder substitute.
63. The word "look" is used here, but clearly this has nothing to do with sight. The word is used to contrast it with analyzing or examining which has an analytical, cognitive component which isn't present in "looking" at mind. So looking at mind implies direct
and non-conceptual examination.
64. This is the translation of the Tibetan word salwa which is also
translated variously as "brilliance," "luminous clarity," and "luminosity. " We must not make the mistake of thinking of this as
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some kind oflight such as we get from a light bulb even though the words suggest this. Rather it is simply that continuous awareness, that knowing, that the mind always has.
65. Garma Chang. The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa, "The Evidence of Accomplishment. " Pages 658-661.
66. Tib. bragdmarmeaning "Red-Rock. " This mountain is the location of the chapter's events.
67. The obscuration of defilements prevents liberation and the obscuration of knowledge prevents omniscience.
68. The eight worldly dharmas are a concern with gain and loss, happiness and suffering, praise and criticism, fame and obscurity.
69. The ultimate or supreme siddhi is the stable realization ofthe radiant clarity or clear light nature of mind and all reality, which we know as complete and perfect enlightenment or Buddhahood. The relative siddhis are such qualities as loving kindness, compassion, intelligenq:, the wisdom ofinsight, 'spiritual power, protection, the removal ofobstacles, good health, longevity, wealth and magnetism etc. - Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
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? Glossary ofTerms
84,000 teachings. (Tib. cho kyi phung po gyad khri bzhi stong) 21,000 teachings on each of the Vinaya, Surra, Abhidharma, and their combination. Their purpose is to eliminate the 84,000 different types of disturbing emotions latent in one's mind.
Abhidharma. (Tib. cho ngonpa) The Buddhist teachings are often divided into the Tripitaka: the sutras (teachings of the Buddha), the Vinaya (teachings on conduct,) and the Abhidharma which are the analyses of phenomena that exist primarily as a commentarial tradition to the Buddhist teachings.
Afflicted comciousness. (Tib. nyon yid) The seventh consciousness. As used here it has two aspects: the immediate consciousness which monitors the other consciousnesses making them continuous and the klesha consciousness which is the continuous presence of sel? (see consciousnesses, eight)
Aggregates, five. (Skt. skandha, Tib. phung po nga) Literally, "heaps. " These are the five basic transformations that perceptions undergo when an object is perceived. First is form, which includes all sounds, smells, etc. , everything that is not thought. The second and third are sensations (pleasant and unpleasant, etc. ) and their identification. Fourth are mental events, which actually include the second and third aggregates. The fifth is ordinary consciousness, such as the sensory and mental consciousnesses.
Amitayus. Skt. (Tib. Tsepagme) The name means infinitive life. , Buddha
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of long life. Amitayus is the sambhogakaya form of Amitabhand a
usually depicted with all the ornaments ofa sambhogakaya Buddha. Atisha. (982-1 055 C. E. ) A Buddhist scholar at the Nalanda University in India who came to Tibet at the invitation ofthe King to overcome the damage done by Langdarma. He helped found the Kadampa
tradition.
Blessings. (Tib. chin lap) Splendour wave, conveying the sense of
atmosphere descending or coming toward the practitioner. One's root guru and lineage are said to be the source of blessings. When the student can open themselves with uncontrived devotion, the grace of the lineage manifests as blessings, which dissolve into them and awaken them to a sense of greater reality.
Bodhichitta. (Tib. chang chup chi sem) Literally, the mind of enlightenment. There are two kinds of bodhichitta: absolute bodhichitta, which is completely awakened mind that sees the emptiness of plienomena, and relative bodhichitta which is the aspiration to practice the six paramitas and free all beings from the suffering of samsara. In regard to relative bodhichitta there is also
two kinds: aspiration bodhichitta and perseverance bodhichitta. Bodhisattva. (Tib. chang chup sem pa) "Heroic mind. " Bodhi means blossomed or enlightened, and sattva means heroic mind. Literally, one who exhibits the mind of enlightenment. Also an individual
who has committed him or herself to the Mahayana path of compassion and the practice of the six paramitas to achieve Buddhahood to free all beings from samsara. These are the heart or mind disciples of the Buddha.
Bodhisattva levels. (Skt. bhumi, Tib. sa) The levels or stages a bodhisattva goes through to reach enlightenment. These consist of ten levels in the surra tradition and thirteen in the tantra tradition.
Buddha. (Tib. sanggye) An individual who attains, or the attainment of, complete enlightenment, such as the historical Shakyamuni Buddha.
Buddha Shakyamuni. (Tib. shakya tubpa) The Shakyamuni Buddha,
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? Glossary ofTerms
often called the Gautama Buddha, refers to the fourth Buddha of
this age, who lived between 563 and ? 483 BCE.
Buddhafield. (Tib.
