No More Learning

For wise men to produce wonders, and
A verage men to understand with ease,
And so lesser men will put aside their passions, I write this Commentary on Difficult Points.
With so much meaning in so short a text, This treatise may be hard to comprehend; And without holy men [for guidance]
One will altogether go astray.
? COMMENTARY ON THE DIFFICULT POINTS 17
Therefore, an intelligent person
Wins the favour of a Guru, and
Asks for the right personal guidance which Is in accord with the Guru-tradition.
The Text
The instruction I give here came like drops of honey and nectar to me from the holy Gurus SuvaTQ. advlpa and the glorious and venerable Bodhibhadra. And faced with the repeated requests of Byang-chub-'od, my disciple of princely rank, and of the Monk Tshul-khrims rgyal-ba, my disciple of long-standing, I am going to gather up those drops of personal guidance I received, and follow both what my Gurus gave me, and what the siitras and treatises have to say.
Because Byang-chub-'od is ever asking me For the sevenfold explanation, saying:
"The meaning is not clear in your root text", I will write for the sake of his request.
He was referring to what the great scholar Acarya V asubandhu said:
"Those who preach a siitra's meaning
Should give short instructions which include:
[1] its usefulness, [2] a summary, [3] the word definitions, [4] its relevance, [5] objections, [6] responses, and
[7] explanation. " 1
Ifmen ofinsight rely on a Guru and are taught according to this method, they quickly comprehend the good Path of Mahayana- the Path of the great Wagons and the way of the Superior Person. [278b]
And thus I will explain the Path of the Bodhisattvas, According to the siitras,
Texts, and my Gurus' teaching.
? 18 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
Where does my explanation begin? It begins right there in the basic text, starting with the first stanza:
I BOW IN GREAT REVERENCE TO ALL PAST, PRESENT, AND
FUTURE VICTORS, TO THEIR DOCTRINE AND COMMUNmES.
I SHALL LIGHT ALAMP FOR THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT,
AT THE REQUEST OF MY GOOD DISCIPLE, BYANG-CHUB-'OD. (Stanza 1]
The first half of the stanza is easy to understand. In the second half, by "GOOD DISCIPLE" I mean a fit vessel for the doctrine of Mahayana. And who is this good disciple? He is the man we call Byang-chub-'od. "AT THE REQUEST oF" refers to his saying to me:
"In this area of Tibet there are persons who misinterpret the Mahayana Path of the Buddha's teaching. Gurus and Spiritual Friends are arguing back and forth about things they themselves do not comprehend. They all have their own logic to analyse their suppositions about the Profou. nd View and Broad Practice. With so much disagreement on all sides, I beg you to clear up these
doubts for us. "
And so, because of his repeated entreaty and for his sake, I do light this lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, following the teaching of the siitras and tradition.
If you ask where that Lamp for the Path to Enlighten- ment is to be found, it is the main part of my basic text from the stanza on the Superior Person [6] through to the last stanza [67] on Tantra.
Theme: Three Persons
In the opening stanzas about the Three Persons I show who is and who is not a fit vessel for Mahayana. The definitions of the Inferior and Mediocre Persons are easy to under- stand. It is this stanza which shows who is the fit vessel for Mahayana: [279a1
ONE WHO WHOLLY SEEKS ACOMPLETE END
TO THE ENTIRE SUFFERING OF OTHERS BECAUSE
THEIR SUFFERING BELONGS TO HIS OWN (CONSCIOUS] STREAM, THAT PERSON IS ASUPERIOR. (5]
? COMMENTARY ON THE DIFFICULT POINTS 19 This is what the commentaries have to say about the subject:
Or again:
"The Bodhisattva loves all creatures From the bottom of his heart;
As one loves an only child,
Ever desiring to seek its good. " 2
"As the dove loves her own chicks best, Sitting to brood them beneath her breast; So like her, with aversion overcome, Treat every creature with affection. "3
And the great scholar, Acarya Vasubandhu:
"A lesser man uses his resources to provide for the happiness of his own [conscious] stream. The mediocre man is not happy and so turns aside only [his own] suffering, but thereby remains in suffering. The holy man, because sufferings exist in his own stream, has the sole care to tum aside the very basis for others' suffering and give them happiness; for he suffers on account of their suffering. " 4
And he adds:
"Those who suffer because others are suffering, and who rejoice and are happy at the happiness of others belong to that class of men for whom there is no 'My'. They do not look to their own happiness, but rather make great effort, thinking 'I am able to save others from the great river of suffering. ' By its very nature their compassion rejoices both in their own suffering and at the happiness of others because of the strength they have cultivated in
compassion. "5 [279b]
Consequently, the person who by nature cannot bear to see his neighbour afflicted with calamity, who proposes to barter his own [happiness] for others' [suffering], who looks
? 20 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
upon every creature as his only child - as a father cannot bear to see an only son trapped in a blazing fire, or falling into an abyss or being swept away by a flood- I praise that kind of man here as being the fit vessel for Mahayana.
The Right Means for the Superior Person
It was with that kinq of Great Being in mind, that I wrote: I SHALL EXPLAIN THE RIGHT MEANS
WHICH WERE TAUGHT ME BY MY GURUS. (6)
By "GuRus" I mean the venerable and glorious Bodhibhadra and the venerable Suvafl). advlpa. As to "THE RIGHT MEANS", I will explain them fully in the following order: [A] Taking Refuge in the Three [Jewels], [B] the two aspects of Enlightenment Thought, [C] begetting the Superknowledges in order to work for the special good of others, [D] accumulating the Two Equipments through the union of Means and Insight, and [E] accumulating the Two Equipments through the extra-ordinary method of Mantra, that great [system] of Mahayana which swiftly perfects the good of self and others.
Notes to Dedication
1 Science ofPreaching, Ot. 5562, Vol. 113:245. 4.
2 OrnamentofSutras, Ot. 5521. Vol. 108:10. 3.
3 ibid.
4 Explanation of"Treasure ofPhenomenology", Ot. 5591, Vol. 115:189. 1. The
quotation is of paramount importance because it is evidently Atlsa's doctrinal and literary source for the "Three Persons" distinction ofspiritual qualities he introduces to all the later Tibetan lam-rim ("Steps on the Path") writings. The teaching device of triads in presenting qualitative degrees - low- medium-high - is common enough in all literature (aller guten Ding sind drei), and eminently so in Buddhism. But the three types of person presented here by Vasubandhu (and Atisa following him) are not to be taken as the same triple division of Paths (Hearer, Solitary Buddha, Bodhisattva) that the Perfection of Wisdom literature uses, since the inferior person is not even concerned about liberation- as the Hearer would be. Rather, the distinction is between the utter worldling (inferior), the Hearer or Solitary Buddha
(mediocre), and the Bodhisattva (superior) who seeks Enlightenment out of
compassion, and not justfor his own liberation. 5 ibid.
? Vehicle of the Perfections PART ONE
Higher Conduct
? I
II
THE TRIPLE REFUGE
SEVENFOLD WORSHIP: THE GOOD PRACTICE
Stanza Page
7 24
Sa 25
27 27 27
28
28 28 28 29 29 29 31 32
8b 34 8b 34 9 35
35 36 37 38
III
KINDS OF WORSHIP
A With Pleasing Objects
1 Actually present
2 Created by mind
B Meditative Worship
1 Sevenfold Worship
2 Supreme Worship
a With objective-basis
b Without objective-basis
THE HEART OF ENLIGHTENMENT
NOT TURNING BACK
IV
v
A B c
First Interpretation Second Interpretation Third Interpretation
VI REFUGE-TAKING
A Mahayana Candidate
B Preparation of Place
c Ceremony of Petition D The Training Involved
CHAPTER 1
The Triple Refuge
? 1
The Triple Refuge
The Triple Refuge
Going for refuge to the Three Jewels is the entrance portal, so to speak, to the great city of Liberation, and the foundation of the Thought of Enlightenment. I teach about this in the three stanzas [7, 8, 9] that begin:
FACING A PAINTED IMAGE OF THE PERFECT BUDDHA, OR IN FRONT OF HOLY RELIQUARIES AND THE LIKE.
By "FACING" I mean the kind of thing one sees in such Mahayana siitras as the Admonitions for the King, taken from the old Glorious Acts:
"The Enlightenment Thought is produced [just] by facing and seeing the body of a Tathagata. " 1
And all the Spiritual Friends say that this is true. [280a]
A fuller ritual for taki:r:tg the Refuges can be shown later [but here let me state it briefly]. First of all, beg that each likeness of the Three Jewels painted in the Twenty-seven Ma~qalas2 be present before you, and then invite also the [actually] purified Three Jewels from their respective abodes, wherever they may be in all the regions of the ten-directional world. Or again, you may prefer to place yourself in those very paradises, taking a worshipful posture, and reflecting that you are seated in the presence of each and every Buddha and Bodhisattva. Then, with
your palms flat together or cupped, join the hands at the crown of the head, completing the acts of worship, and perform the Three Heaps [of Confession, Rejoicing, and Entreaty]. Then afterwards, when you have presented the Guru with a gift, the Refuges can be taken. Of course, this
? should be prefaced with an understanding of [the difference between] the Three Jewels as Ultimate Reality and the Three Jewels as present before us.
Sevenfold Worship: The Good Practice
"GIVE WORSHIP WITH FLOWERS AND INCENSE" (Stanza 7b] illustrates Worship with Pleasing Objects. "AND wrrH THE SEVENFOLD WORSHIP" (Stanza 8] illustrates Meditative Worship. A bodhisattva on the Equipment Path, who is going to be an instructor himself, should be skilled in these matters of Worship because they afford great growth in the Equipment of Merit.
AND WITH THE SEVENFOLD WORSHIP EXPRESSED INTHEDEEDSOFSAMANTABHADRA (Stanza8a]
refers to that scripture known as the Deeds of Samantabhadra, [280b] the Royal Resolves, which is a part of the Stalks in Array Sutra. The great scholars and holy Gurus have described this siitra as a lamp for the scriptures of the Bodhisattvas' vehicle of the Perfections. It is the completely good [samanta-bhadra] practice ofa Bodhisattva who had attained the Great Level. It is the completely good
[samanta-bhadra] practice of those who have discovered the treasure found in endless oceans of Resolve. And it is the Resolve of "One Who Is Completely Good" [Samantabhadra].
(1
2
[The Royal ResolvesP
To all those Lions of Men who
In every corner of this world have Passed beyond the dimensions of time, I pay homage with body, speech, mind.
With the power of Resolve in good practice, I use bodies more numerous than atoms
To pay reverence to all
Victors my mind can perceive.
THE TRIPLE REFUGE 25
? 26 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
I place full faith in these Victors,
And their virtues of Excellence-
In these countless Buddhas, seated 'midst Their Sons, more than atoms upon atoms.
I praise all those gone to Bliss,
With oceans of endless laud;
I sing the virtues of all Victors
With the whole range of ocean's voice.
With fine flowers and fine garlands, Cymbals' sound, unguents and parasols, With finest lamps and pure incense,
I do worship all those Victors.
With finest cloth and excellent fragrances, With vessels of powder piled high as Meru, With special arrays of anything rare, Again to those Victors I do give worship.
I also devote to all Victors
All magnificent and supreme worship;
In the strength of my faith in good practice, I pay worship in homage to all Victors.
Whatever sins I may have committed
Out of lust or hatred or illusion,
Whether in body, speech, or mind as well, I confess them, each and every one.
I rejoice in all the merits of the Buddha's Sons, of Solitary Victors,
Of those still learning and those beyond, In the entire world's merit I rejoice.
I entreat the Supreme Wheel's Turning
From those who are Lamps throughout this world, Who through their steps to Enlightenment
Have reached unencumbered Buddhahood.
With folded hands, I petition all those Who long to teach NirvaQa, to remain For all creatures' welfare and happiness, Throughout ages that cannot be counted.
? 12 Whatever least Merit I have gained
In Homage, Worship, or Confession,
In Rejoicing or Entreaty or my Petition,
I bestow it on all for Enlightenment's sake.
13 I shall worship the Buddhas of the past
Wherever they dwelt throughout the worlds;
And may those yet to come, find their goal swiftly Through the steps to the Buddha's Enlightenment. )
First Interpretation
Now some Gurus interpret the Good Practice Resolves as sevenfold Worship in the following manner: [1] The first verse teaches Worship of Homage with body, speech and mind; [2] the second verse teaches the Worship of Body- Offerings; [3] the third verse teaches the Worship of Faith, with the Buddhas as its object; [4] the fourth verse shows the Worship of Praise; [5] the fifth and sixth verses teach
the Worship with Ordinary Things; [6] the seventh verse teaches Supreme Worship; [7] the eighth, ninth and tenth verses teach the Worship of the Three Heaps [Confession, Rejoicing, Entreaty]. Then they say the rest of the verses show the bestowal of the merit of this Worship.
Second Interpretation
Again, some Gurus find sevenfold Worship in the Royal Resolves [just from the fifth verse]: [1] finest flowers, [2] finest garlands, [3] finest music, [4] finest unguents, [5] finest lamps, [6] finest incense, and [7] finest cloth. They say that the "fr~grances" and "vessels of powder" [in the sixth verse] are included under unguents and incense; and that the "special arrays" [ofthe sixth verse] are to be made out of each of the above items as well as things not
[explicitly] stated there.
Third Interpretation
And other learned Gurus interpret the Worship as seven- fold by summarising them as Seven Limbs which comprise Meditative [281a] Worship. They say it clearly means this
THE TRIPLE REFUGE 27
? 28 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
kind of Worship because of the words following the seven- fold summation [in the twelfth verse] itself:
"I shall worship the Buddhas of the past and present Wherever they dwell throughout the worlds. "
These [three interpretations] are in no way contradictory, and one can take whichever one prefers.
Kinds of Worship
Now then, the kinds of Worship are twofold: [A] Worship with Pleasing Objects, and [B] Meditative Worship.
With Pleasing Objects
Worship of Pleasing Objects can be [1] either of things actually at hand, or [2] of things created by the mind. Things ac~ually at hand can be kinds of flowers, incense, music, a kingdom or one's precious gems. Or they can be one's own mind and its basis, or a son, daughter, wife, or servants and the like. Things created by the mind are all those most excellent things of the universe which have no earthly owners and cannot be appropriated by anyone- the
kinds of things mentioned in the Cloud ofJewels Siitra, the Garland o f Thought Tantra, the Seal, Worship, and Centre of Concentration Siitra, the Flaming Jewel; and the Progress in Practice. Other things created by the mind are the arrays of offerings found, for instance, in the Heavenly Treasure: the Seven Precious Things of a Universal Monarch's Kingdom, and jewels, gold, silver, conch, crystal, moonstone and sapphire, emerald, pearl and red-
pearl, ruby and diamond, cat's-eye, topaz, lapis [281b] lazuli, veined turquoise, beryl and shell-crystal, coral and quartz- whole showers of such gems, and countless palaces bedecked with jewelled banners, pennants and parasols. Moreover, one can take indescribable quantities of these things and offer them in the way the Flaming Jewel Formula
mentions:
? "Emitting a brilliance streaming with flowers,
With canopies of flowers and great mounds of flowers, Scattering flowery profusion everywhere,
The Great Beings gave worship to the Victor. "4
Using this verse, one can also offer arrays [as the Formula itself does] of incense, perfume, garlands and powders, cloth and gems, lotuses, victory garlands and royal banners - all in their panoplies of colour.
In the same sort of way, [imagine] a well-made parasol with its handle, colourfully fashioned of precious things, and providing an indescribable shelter for all the para- dises of the Buddhas. Then do the same with a royal banner, treating it as you did the parasol. Or use a pennant or victory flag, [seeing] their size and material and number.
Or again, [imagine] showers of colourful flowers, perfect in shape and fragrance; then showers of garlands and of parasols, of victory banners, pennants and flags, and all the ineffable accoutrements of fabulous castles. The same method of worship can be applied to lamps and showers of incense, as well as to the eating and drinking of refresh-
ments whose colour, aroma, and taste is excellent, or the wearing of soft and fragrant cloth.
Other mind-created things for offering are the pleasant and captivating sounds and melodies of music: of the lute and flute, of drums-snare-, kettle-, and bass-oftabor and conch, of cymbal and tinkling bell, the riot-drum- and the rapturous song of gods and men. [282a] Or just the hearing of melodious praise of the Three Jewels and contemplation of only one of its benefits - benefits more numerous than particles in a hundred ten-million Mount Sumerus of sandalwood powder! Even that description of worship is found in the Cloud o fJewels Sutra!
Meditative Worship
The second kind of Worship, Meditative, is twofold: [1] the Meditative Worship itself, and [2] the Supreme Worship. The former has the Seven Limbs of Worship of:
THE TRIPLE REFUGE 29
? 30 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
[a] Homage,
[b] Pleasing Objects,
[c] Confession of Sins,
[d] Rejoicing [at Virtue],
[e] Entreaty [for the Doctrine],
[f] Petition [for the Buddha's blessing], and
[g] Bestowal [of one's Merit on others].
[a] The Worship of Homage includes worship with the body as well as in speech. Bodily Worship is described in the first three verses of the Good Practice Resolves, where it tells what the object of one's attention is, what bodily offering means, and how homage is paid. The same topic is treated in the Three Heaps Sutra in the words:
"In touching right knee to the ground . . . in touching left knee to the ground . . . in touching right hand to the ground . . . beget the Thought: 'May all creatures in this direction remain on the Path'. "5
The same is to be understood for touching the left hand and head to the ground. [282b] It also speaks about the bestowal of the merit of that Homage:
"By this Homage of my five limbs, may the Five Obscurations of all creatures be cleansed away! May their Five Eyes be purified, and their Five Senses be perfect! May they remain in the Five Paths, and attain the Five Superknowledges unimpaired! May creatures born in the Five Destinies rise superior from those destinies, and attain to pre-eminent Conduct, Con- centration, Insight, Liberation, and to superior vision
and wisdom of Liberation! May they get to see the Buddha, hear the Doctrine, and join the Community! "6
Worship with speech is performed at the same time as the bodily Homage, making the obeisance and reciting hymns like the Three Jewels Praise or with whatever one is inspired. [b] Worship with Pleasing Objects has already been described.
? [c] For the Worship of the Confession of Sins, one may consult texts like the Golden Splendour, or [my] Confession of Failings, the Three Heaps Sutra, or the Removal ofAction's Obscuration. The Siltra Set Forth by Ak~ayamati shows that the very Confession of Sin does constitute Worship, in the words: "Even the confession of my own and others' sin turns into merit. "
[d] That Rejoicing [at Virtue] is also Worship is verified in passages of the Moon-Lamp Sutra, where one can see also that [e] Entreaty, [f] Petition, and [g) Bestowal, are all considered as Worship.
The Supreme Worship has two divisions: [a]withobjective- basis, and [b] without objective-basis. [283a] In regard to Worship with objective-basis, the [Questions of] Siigaramati Sutra says:
"0 Sagaramati, there are three things that are supreme for attendance upon, and worshipping of the Tathagatas. What are the three? They are producing the Thought of
Enlightenment, and comprehending the holy Doctrine, and begetting the Great Compassion for creatures. " 7
And the Gradual Rising Sutra:
"Good Sir, the bodhisattva who worships the Tathagata is one who looks for four certain qualities. What are the four? Faith in that excellent object of his veneration; and that other creatures, noticing him, will perform Worship also; and that from worshipping the Tathagata, his Enlightenment Thought will become steady; and that by seeing the Thirty-two marks of the Great Person, he will acquire the roots of virtue. These are the four qualities. "8
AndintheRiverofBrineSutra, theBlessedOnedeclares:
"Giving delight to creatures is also a form of supreme Worship. "9
THE TRIPLE REFUGE 31
? 32 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY A. dirya Santideva has this:
"If others are happy, the great Sages rejoice; If others are sad, the Sages are sad;
When others are content, all the Sages rejoice; Harm done others is harm done to the Sage. " 10
Then he adds:
"Henceforth I go as a slave to the world
In order to please the Tathagatas;
It is right that the mass of men put feet on my head,
Or even slay me-:- if only it please the Lord of the World. "
The Compassionate Ones are making the entire W orld their o w n - there is no doubt about that!
Is it not the Lords who appear in all [283b]
These creature-forms? How then not respect them? It is the same as pleasing the Tathagatas. " 11
And in the Compendium ofTraining he says:
"Worshipping with loving intent Constitutes a creature's greatness; Merit from faith in the Buddha Constitutes the Buddha's greatness. " 12
Or again from the Progress in Practice:
"There is no other means of pleasing the Victors
Except by showing deference to creatures. " 13
This whole subject is explained at length in that text, and it should be consulted.
As for [b] the Worship without objective-basis:
It is contemplation with the Perfection of Insight. In this case, there is no object of Worship, or Worshipper, or substances for Worship. Hence the Perfection of Insight Sutrasays:
? Whoever sees me as a Body, or knows me as a voice, that person sees me falsely. He does not see me. The Buddhas are the Body of Truth, and those who are guided have studied that Truth; yet its true nature is not to be seen, and no one can be conscious of it as an object. 14
The Chapter ofEver-Weeping should be studied, where this theme is clearly preached. And in the Lion's Roar Sutra there is this passage:
"If one does not see the Buddha when one has the concept of 'Buddha', then what need to say how impossible it would be when one worships the 'Buddha'. What then does worshipping the Buddha mean? It
means worshipping without producing the marks of a concept. The worship of the Tathagata is that which is without mind, without products of the mind, without concepts of 'Buddha', without concepts of 'Community', and without concepts of 'Person' or 'Self or
'Other'. "15[284a]
One should consult the sutra itself for the full meaning.
One could also appropriately quote the noble Asanga here:
"The Blessed Buddha is not as pleased by the Worship of Pleasing Objects as he is by Meditative Worship. " 16
And as to the Buddha being the Body ofTruth, a chapter of the Garlands ofthe Buddha says:
"The Buddhas are the Body of Truth; The Tathagata does not originate;
He is ! Jurified, just like Space. " 17
And the Heavenly Treasure Sutra:
"Ifthereisnoobjective-basis [tobefound]forthe Blessed Buddha in his essential reality, where will be the objective-basis for viewing him as a form with charac- teristics? "18
THE TRIPLE REFUGE 33
? 34 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY As the superior Acarya Nagarjuna has said:
"All things being empty of inherent existence, What is there to praise and who to praise it? Rejecting origination and destruction,
For which there is no middle or extremes, And subject and object have no place-
In this lies your whole power to praise! " 19
Such then are the different kinds of Worship, and the bodhisattva of dull or keen faculties should learn those which are suitable for him.
The Heart of Enlightenment
'Now let us return to the root text itself, and my words:
AND A MIND THAT DOES NOT TURN BACK . UNTIL THE? HEART OF ENLIGHTENMENT IS REACHED. [Stanza 8)
ln the ordinary sense, this Heart of Enlightenment refers to the site of the Great Enlightenment, the glorious Diamond Seat; or to the place called Akani~tha, the paradise of the glorious Heavily Adorned Sutra. Both these places are called the "Heart" because there [the Blessed One] attained the Diamond-like Concentration. But in the truest sense, the place where he acquired that Concentration should not be called the "Heart", because ultimately the Heart of Enlightenment is the very essence of Truth itself. As the Heavenly Treasure Sutra says: [284b]
"The Heart of Enlightenment is Space; Enlightenment has the characteristic ofSpace. "20
Not Turning Back
The WOrds"AND AMIND THAT DOES NOT TURN BACK" refer to a bodhisattva's [perseverance in] not turning back from the goal.
There are three interpretations of this: [1] he does not
? tum back after the Path of Practice; [2] he does not turn back after seeing the [Four] Truths; [3] he does not turn back after the Eighth [Bodhisattva] Level. One can study the full significance of these in the Ornament for the Realisations: Treatise on the Perfection ofInsight.
Or again, it can mean he does not turn back after the Mundane Paths; or after seeing the Truths; or after the Seventh_ [Bodhisattva] Level. For this interpretation, consult Acarya Jftanakirti's Cause o f Splendour: A Major
Treatise on Progress in Thatness.
Thereisstillanotherfourfolddivisionofnotturningback: [1] not turning back after begetting the Thought of Enlightenment; [2] not turning back in secret;21 [3] not turning back after acquiring Patience [in seeing that phenomena do not arise]; [4] [lacking in text]. 22
Refuge-Taking
The words "FIRST TAKE THE THREE REFUGES THRICE" [Stanza 9] mean that one should take them three times for each of the Three Jewels. Here let me give a summary of topics for treating the Refuge-taking: [1] Content, [2] Candidate, [3] Intention, [4] Time, [5] Training, [6] Disposition, [7] Criteria, [8] Method, [9] Acts, [10] Classification, [11] Interpretation, [12] Examples, [13] Penalties, [14] Necessities, [15] and Benefits. 23 Now let me talk about the subject of taking the Refuges.
Mahayana Candidate
Some persons live faultlessly in the Conduct proper to one of the seven Pratimok~a ranks. They are persons whose conversion comes out of the suffering of sa~sara. They are ever mindful of death. And they are by nature of greater Compassion and Insight. If they are Householders, then they have the Training of the Lay Devotee [upasaka] with its Five Precepts and forty-five practices pertinent to them.
[285a] If they are Religious, they have their own method of Training; for instance, the items explained in the Hearers
THE TRIPLE REFUGE 35
? 36 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
Level: the Ornaments of Virtuous Practice, and Qualities of Purification, the Four Resources and Four Modes of Life, and so on. They also have the best of rituals, paths of practice, livelihoods, conduct, and views. Furthermore, their [way oflife includes] zeal in the yoga of wakefulness in the early and latter parts of the night, propriety in food and restraint of the senses, and a fearful attitude toward even
the slightest infraction [of their rules].
Now suppose such a person, after much reflection, says
to himself: "If by all this Pratimok~a discipline, I am still not finding my own and others' good, how then shall I really do it? This so-called 'Great Vehicle' [Mahayana] is famed for its achieving one's own and others' good- I will seek it out from a holy Spiritual Friend. " And then he strives for a long time to please a holy man who will be suitable as his Guru. And when the Guru is won, with guileless heart he touches his feet with his head and says:
"Holy Man, have a kindly heart toward me. I beseech you to speak to me about the Path of Mahayana - that Means to fully achieve my own and others' good. "
Preparation ofPlace
Then the Spiritual Friend examines the disciple's disposition in three ways: according to his habits, his dreams, and his inspirations from both the mundane and supra-mundane gods. [285b] If he discerns that the disciple is a fit vessel, the Guru smiles and rejoices. And with no thought for esteem or gain or fine gifts, but with affectionate regard for that disciple, he goes about preparing a place [for the ceremony]. It should be pleasant and sturdy, and some
isolated area apart from [the eyes of] sinful men. For cleanliness he paves and polishes it with the five bovine articles. Then he should anoint it with sandalwood [paste] or the like, and scatter fragrant flower petals around lightly. He should have images of the Three Jewels in the place, and his small books and things on a shelf or Bodhisattva-
throne, arranging a canopy over it, and using whatever articles of worship he has- flowers, foods, decorations, and different kinds of music.
? Ceremony ofPetition
When this is done, the disciple, bathed and dressed in clean clothes, begs the Spiritual Friend to be seated on the high throne decorated with flowers. Then he visualises his Guru as [Buddha] the Teacher, thinking to himself, "This man is the Defender and Refuge of all creatures. " With good intention he then says:
" 0 Son of Noble Family, please heed me! In this state of sa:q1sara from beginningless time, I have been wounded by much suffering and have become very exhausted. I have no Master. I have no Defender. I have no Refuge. "
He repeats this three times, and then the Guru declares:
"0 man, you are depressed and weary from sa:q1sara, and your desire to enter upon the Path of the Great Vehicle is very right. Now you shallleam it! Since what we call the 'Three Jewels' can be the Master and
Defender and Refuge of those who are without master and defender and refuge, [286a] go for Refuge to them with pure mind and cheerful heart. Make the good of all creatures your goal. Gather up whatever things for Worship you have so that reverence and respect may be shown them [the Three Jewels] befittingly. "
Then the disciple kneels with both knees on the ground and folds his hands, and offering a flower he repeats the following three times:
" 0 Chief of Men, please heed me! From beginningless time till now, I have spun round in sarpsara, Greatly wearied by suffering.
I beg you teach me the Path Which puts an end to suffering. "
Thereupon the Guru visualises the Three Jewels in the realms throughout the entire universe, and reverences them with an ineffable array of bodies. With an inconceivable
THE TRIPLE REFUGE 37
? 38 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
[number] of heads for each body, he reverences them with the tongues of those heads. And when he has performed the aforementioned Sevenfold Worship, then the Refuges should be given.
The Training Involved
One who has taken the Refuges should then observe the proper Training: he should not pay homage to other gods; he renounces harm and injury to others; he does not associate with heretics or show them religious reverence.
Mindful of the eminent qualities of the Three Jewels, he takes the Refuges over and over. Mindful of their great kindness, he is ever zealous in worship, making first- offerings even before eating and drinking. Mindful of Compassion, he spreads these practices among other creatures also. [286b]
Whenever he has any need in whatever he is doing, he makes Petition, worshipping the Three Jewels, and rejects other worldly means.
The benefits that come from the Three Jewels are: [1] at the time of Cause; "[2] at the time of Path; and [3] at the time of the Result. The first are the benefits in the present lifetime; the other two should be learned from a Guru. 24
And so one who knows the advantages of taking the Refuges will repeat them three times a day and three times a night. He will preserve and not abandon the Three Jewels either out of human respect or jest or threat of his life.
1 2
3
4
5
Notes to Chapter 1
Ot. 887, Vol. 35:79. 1.
This set of twenty-seven ma~qalas is unknown to today's lamas. It may have referred to a series of temple-paintings (thang-ka) popular at Tho-ling in Atisa's time, or possibly;it should be read as "twenty-seven-fold", as the
mai]qala of Sitatapatra, the Diamond Crown (~~J4a) of the Tathagata Family in Action Tantra. See Mandala No. 8, Gdugs-dkar lha nyer-bdun- ma'i dkyil-thang, in Lokesh Chandra's Ma'! 'falas ofthe Tantra-samuccaya. Ot. 716, Vol. 11: 285. 3ff. The stitra is not actually quoted in Atisa's text since his readers would know it by heart, but is supplied here for convenience in studying his analysis of it.
Ot. 472 (SS: p. 291). Ot. 950, Vol. 37:114. 5.
? 6 op. cit. , 115. 1.
7 Ot. 819 (SS: p. 279).
8 SS: p. '279. The siitra is not found under this title in the Tibetan catalogues.
9 Unidentified.
10 Progress in Practice, Ot. 5272, Vol. 99:252. 5. 11 ibid.
SS: p. 155.
Ch. VI: 119.
Ot. 739, Vol. 21:255. 5. Ot. 760 (23), Voi. 24:41. 4.
12
13
14
15
16 Unidentified. 17 Unidentified.
18 19 20 21
22
23
24
Ot. 815. Vol. 33:28. 3.
Praise of Ultimate Truths, Ot. 2014, Vol. 46:34. 4.
SS: p. 249.
gsang-ste phyir-mi-ldog-pa. The phrase is interpreted in the lama tradition as referring to the First Bodhisattva Level, but the significance of the "in secret" or "privately" has been lost.
The omission of the fourth division here either is an oversight of the copyist, or the seventh or eighth Bodhisattva Level (the most commonly interpreted
as the point of assured perseverance) is to be understood.
The summary is taken verbatim from Atiisa's Instruction on Refuge-Taking (Ot. 5391. Vol. 103:195. 4). Inthatshorttexteachofthetopicsisdefinedand explained; however. here it is used only loosely as an outline of what follows. The times at which benefit comes from taking the Refuges is amplified in the
above text (note 23, page 196: 3):
[1]
[2] (3]
"At time of cause means in this life and in other re-rebirths: [a] In this life: it effects freedom from the Eight Great Fears, and makes friends with the 1,000 gods who rejoice in the Teaching and are without mis- chief. And at the hour of death it is a mental joy, and so on. [b] In other rebirths: it guides one from the suffering of samsara, and the suffering of evil destinies, and gives zest for the joys of higher rebirths and Nirvana.
At time of Path: It affords the practice ofthe Noble Eightfold Path, and of the Seven Limbs of Enlightenment and so on.
At the time of the Result: One attains the two Nirvanas and the Three Bodies. " ?
THE TRIPLE REFUGE 39
? I
BEGETIING THE THOUGHT OF ENLIGHTENMENT
Stanza Page
10-11 42
II
RESOLUTION-THOUGHT OF ENLIGHTENMENT
III
CHAPTER 2
The Enlightenment Thought
A Love 42 B Ritual for Begetting the Thought 43 C Interpretations on the Thought 44
1 Nature 2 Ritual
3 Growth 4 Training
D Preludes to Begetting the Thought 46 1 Purification of Mind
2 PresentationofGifts
E Praises of the Thought 46
12 49 A Qualities 49
B Studying the Siitras
C Reliance on the Guru 51
F Expanding the Thought
PROGRESS-THOUGHT OF
ENLIGHTENMENT 19 58
A Origin in Siitras 58 B Differ~ncebetweenResolve
D Repetition of the Thought
E Benefits 55
and Progress 60
13 50
13 55 18 57
? 2
The Enlightenment Thought
Begetting the Thought of Enlightenment
Having shown the special kind of Refuge-taking [for Mahayana], I address the topic of Begetting the Enlighten- ment Thought in the following twenty-three stanzas, starting with:
THEN, BECAUSE THE THOUGHT OF LOVE FOR
ALL CREATURES IS THE PREREQUISITE, (Stanza 10].
The word "THEN" means after one has taken the Refuges. By "ALL CREATURES", I point out the object in one's begetting the Thought, and that one cannot put a limit on creatures, thinking they end with just so many. As the siitras say:
"If a:ll realms throughout the world were to become one huge enclosure of water, and one man worked at dipping the water from it with the tip of a single hair for hundreds of thousands of years - that water might diminish some- what; but there is no such lessening of the realm of creatures. "
And the Deeds ofSamantabhadra: The RoyalResolves also says:
"The extent of all creatures is as vast as the limits of space. "1
When one has made creatures his object to that extent, then he can beget the Thought.
Love
"BECAUSE THE THOUGHT OF LOVE IS THE PREREQUISITE" refers to perceiving [all creatures] as one's mother2 - from which
? THE ENLIGHTENMENT THOUGHT 43
arises the thought of repaying their kindness: that is Love. Then out of the thought of Love comes the thought of Compassion, And from the thought of Compassion, the Enlightenment Thought emerges. That is why I said the Thought of Love is prerequisite. [287a]. The next seven lines follow this same theme.
Ritual for Begetting the Thought
"MUST BEGET THIS THOUGHT OF ENLIGHTENMENT" means that after taking the Triple Refuge, and carefully offering whatever he can in Worship to the Three Jewels and Guru Spiritual Friend, one then makes the maQ. qala in the presence of the Guru. Then with good and sincere inten- tion, he reflects within himself: "This Guru is the same as the Buddha seated before me. I too shall accomplish all the great deeds of all the Buddhas of the past, present and future. " Then kneeling on both knees and offering a flower
in his folded hands, he declares three times:
" 0 Omniscient One, epitome of wisdom, Purifier of the Wheel of Life,
I have no refuge in any Lord,
Except at your lotus feet.
0 Heroofcreatures,maytheGreatSage Bestow his kindness upon me!
May that Holy One grant to me the
Supreme and highest Enlightenment Thought! "
Then the Guru Spiritual Friend invites to witness all the Blessed Buddhas of all the realms throughout the universe, and all the Bodhisattvas who dwell on the Great Level, and all the Guru Spiritual Friends of past and present. In their presence he cleanses his [conscious] stream with the ritual of the Good Practice and the Progress in Bodhisattva
Practice. When the disciple has likewise thoroughly purified [his stream], he again makes his petition to the Guru with flower in hand. [287b] The Guru then reflects - without thought of profit, esteem or fame, or of [the disciple's] tone or verses or gifts-"Ah, this is wonderful! That in this age of great dread there should come forth a holy creature like
? 44 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
this! It is marvellous! " Such is the way to perform a ceremony [for begetting the Thought] with true Higher Intention.
Interpretations on the Thought
There have been different interpretations about Enlighten- ment Thought among the Acaryas of old in my country: King Indrabhiiti, Nagarjuna,, Sant}deva, Asanga, Daf! l~trasena, Candragomin, Siira, Santirak~ita and others. The opinions of these great scholars may differ on various points: [1] on the very Thought of Enlightenment itself; [2] on the ritual for the Thought of Enlightenment; [3] on methods for growth in the Thought; [4] in the method of Training [to be observed] with the Thought.
[1] On the first point, some Acaryas say that the Enlightenment Thought is the Resolve nurtured in the Mundane Paths when one is practising out of devotion. Others hold that Resolution is the Thought in so far as it depends upon an object [creatures], and is a species of Relative Truth. Others that Resolution is the Thought when it produces the basic virtues equivalent to the Equip-
ment Path's "Aids to Liberation". And others that Resolu- tion, which has yet to actualise its merit, is the Thought. Still others, that simply the Resolve to take Perfect Enlightenment as one's objective is the Thought, as in [the difference between] "Desiring to go, and [actually] going. " There are other opinions besides these, but to include them would make my text too big. [288a]
[2] For the different rituals [for begetting the Thought], one should consult the texts of the above-mentioned scholars.
[3] On methods of growth in the Thought, some hold that it grows through begetting it in front of a person; but some say it should not be produced except in the presence of a Buddha; others hold that it grows through the practice of
the Four Modes [of Compassion: seeing creatures as mothers: repayment of their kindness: compassion: Enlightenment Thought].
[4] There have been differences about the method of
? THE ENLIGHTENMENT THOUGHT 45
Training [involved], depending on five [kinds of] bodhisattvas:
[a] those who have first produced the Thought;
[b] those who are entering the Practice Path;
[c] those who will not turn back;
[d] those who have attained Patience [in seeing that] phenomena do not arise;
[e] those who have but one rebirth left.
Some hold that a Training pertains only to what is [pre- scribed] for the first two. Som~ hold that everything preached in the siitras must be observed. Some that only the Training of the Equipment Path need be observed.
Others that neither these Trainings nor any like them [need be observed]. Still others hold that the principal Trainings for those who have taken the Refuges are the ones [to observe] - instructions found in such siitras as the Stalks in Array, the Embracing the Roots of Virtue, and the
Producing the Power of Faith Sutra - but still the Eight Teachings on Forgetting and Not Forgetting the Enlighten- ment Thought [fou,nd] in the Questions of Kasyapa Sutra
are also to be kept.
These are only a few examples [of the differences]. Ifl set
down all the systems of the great scholars of the past, my text would be far too large. These great Acaryas were Mahayana Path's great men of philosophy, transformed by great love and compassion, their minds steady in both [the resolve and progress] aspects of Enlightenment Thought. Some of them had attained the power of the Great Seal. 3 Some saw the Truth [directly]. [288b] And the ones who
achievedthe"HighestMundaneVirtue"4 receivedinstruc- tion from Buddhas in Apparition Bodies. We must keep in mind that these m~n represerlt the Great Path itself, since their interpretations of the siitras are [at the same time] things declared by the Blessed One himself. However, my Gurus taught me that one should hold the system presented him by his own Gurus.
At least there are no differences of opinion about the method of Ritual for begetting the resolution thought for
? 46 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
Enlightenment. , The excellent Acaryas Nagarjuna, Asanga, and Santideva are all in accord. And my own Gurus, venerable and glorious Bodhibhadra and SuvarQadvipa, scholars of our own day, follow their system. IinturnfollowedmyGurusinthatsmallritual5 Icomposed for a group of my disciples; and mY, presentation is simply that of Nagarjuna, Asanga, and Santideva, and can be summarised as follows:
Preludes to Begetting the Thought
Two things are prerequisite, like watering, so to speak, for growth of the wish-granting tree of Enlightenment Thought:
[1] purification of mind, and
[2] presentation of gifts to the Guru.
The presentation of gifts should be made as described in passages of the Good Age Sutra and the Great Compassion. [289a] The purification of mind is what I have already pointed out in the Resolves o f Samanta-bhadra, and can be performed with the method of the Progress in Bodhisattva
J? ractice.