No More Learning

Isvara refers in this context not to Siva but to Indra. Refer to Sura, Jatakamala, Peking Tangyur, Vol. 128, p. 21; and for Brahma, ibi. d. , pp. 21-2. Also see the Sanskrit version of the Jatakamala (Darbhanga edn. , BST 21); and its English translation by P. Khoroche, Once the
150 The correspondence of the Tibetan to the Sanskrit is not precise for this particular verse.
151 Seminal point (thig-le, Skt. bindu) is the nucleus or seed of the en- lightened mind which comprises a range of meanings, from the white and red seminal fluids of the physical body to the seminal points of light which appear during All-Surpassing Realisation. In this context, the white and red seminal points (thig-Ie dkar-dmar) are the sperm and ovum which, in union with vital energy (rlung), create the three world realms along with their appearances, and become the source of rebirth in sarpsara. According to the resultant phase of the greater vehicle, these propensities are purified by the empowerment of supreme desire (,dod-chags chen-po'i dbang-bskur), whereas the empowerment of great light rays (,od-zer chen-po'i dbang-bskur) given in the causal phase of the greater vehicle merely purifies the two obscurations in a gradual way. For the distinctions between these two, see p. 247; History, pp. 912-13; and also Longcenpa, Treasury ofthe Supreme Vehicle, pp. 663-4.
152 Tib. dam-pa'i bdag is equivalent to Skt. paramatma. It is explained in the Supreme Continuum ofthe Greater Vehicle that the true selfis revealed when the dichotomy of self and non-self has been transcended (Ch. 1, v. 37): "It is true self owing to the quiescence of all conceptual elaboration with reference to self and non-self. "
FUNDAMENTALS: PART THREE
153 The third promulgation is called irreversible because there is no pos- sibility of its revelations being qualified or reversed, as is the case with the previous promulgations (Lama Sonam Topgyel).
154 I. e. Vajrasana. See above, n. 110.
155 These three essential natures are explained below in accordance with
Vijfianavada, pp. 160-2; and according to Great Madhyamaka,
pp. 169-77.
156 These behaviour patterns, which are mentally imposed, are held to
be form by the Refer to the discussion in Mipham Rin-
poche, mkhas-pa'i tshul-la 'jug-pa'i sgo, fols. 4a. 3-4b. 4.
157 See pp. 226-7 below; and the Glossary of Enumerations under sixteen
minor truths.
158 Refer to the Abhidharmakosavyakhya, Vol. 2, pp. 966-70, in which
Yasomitra compares this contemplation to a diamond drill which
pierces all, because it pierces all dispositions.
159 See below, pp. 160-2, for the basic tenets of Mind Only.
160 The self-centred buddhas are said to be rhinoceros-like because they
adhere to a course of solitary realisation, in which their meditation depends on the subtle subjective aspect of phenomena. See below, pp. 227-3l.
161 For the background relevant to this quotation, refer to S. Levi, Materiaux pour Fhude du systeme Vzj"iiaptimatra, p. 43, n. 1.
162 These are explained in Longcenpa, Wish-fulfilling Treasury, pp. 617-18. The third category holds sensa and consciousness to be mental attri- butes which are the two parts of one essential consciousness, in the manner of the white and the yolk of an egg.
144
145 146
147
148 149
Vajradhara is known as the sixth teacher because he . over th. e mandala of the Conquerors of the Five Enlightened FamIlIes: VaI- Ratnasambhava, Amitabha and Amoghasiddhi. This is, of course, quite distinct from the Bodhi Tree at Vajrasana
(Author).
The eighth level experienced by bodhisattvas is as the Imm? v- able (mi-gYo-ba, Skt. Acala) because there is no pOSSIbIlIty ofregresslOn
for one who reaches it. . I. e. the Bodhi Tree which subsequently became the location or Pomt
of Enlightenment for Sakyamuni Buddha at Vajrasana.
Refer to History, pp. 617-84. .
For the views of the main proponents of the later TIbetan schools,
refer to pp. 197-205.
Buddha Was a Monkey, Chs. 11, 17 and 29.
On Vemacitra, see the Divyavadana, 182. 13; the Siltra of Extensive Play (Lalitavistara), 241. 3; and the Mahavastu, 3. 138. 2.
The tale of the woodpecker is related by Sura in the Jatakamala, Ch. 34. For an English translation, see Aryasura, The Marvelous Com- panion, pp. 349-53; Khoroche, Once the Buddha, pp. . For the tale of Drdhasamadana, see Siltra of the WIse and Foolzsh
T341), Ch. 49.
Tib. mu-ge'i tshe nya-bo-che.
The noble creature (srog-chags des-pa) is the rohita fish. This is re- counted by Peltrul Rinpoche in The WOrds of My Perfect Teacher, pp.
230-31.
For the horse Ajaneyabalaha, see the Pali Valahassa Jataka, no. 196;
and also R. A. Stein, Recherches sur l'epopee et Ie barde au tibet, pp. 426, 510-11, where cang-shes balaha is identified with Hayagrlva on the basis of the bka'-gdams pha-chos bu-chos, and as the mount of
Ling Kesar.
The golden bee was an emanation of Avalokitesvara. Refer to
Kara1Jq,avyilhasiltra, pp. 47ff. , as cited in H. Dayal's Bodhisattva Doc- trine in Sanskrit Buddhist Literature, p. 49.
The primary source for this section is Longcenpa, Treasury of the
Supreme Vehicle, pp. 20-6. .
I. e. the Indestructible Seat at Bodh Gaya. See p. 115 above and HIstOry,
p. 409. . . Tib. sangs-rgyas stong-rtsa gcig is interpreted by the Author m thIS
context to mean the Thousand Buddhas. Longcenpa in the Treasury of the Supreme Vehicle, p. 24, reads sangs-rgyas stong-dang rtsa. gnyis. In his Dispelling Darkness in the Ten Directions, p. 131, he explams added two to be VajrapaI). i and MafijusrI. Pawo Tsuklak Trhengwa m the Scholar's Feast of Doctrinal History (dpa'-bo chos-'byung), p. 200,
maintains that in the Penetration ofSound (sgra thal-'gyur) the additional two are asserted to be lha'i bu nyi-ma rab-tu snang-ba and dga'-byed
dbang-phyug. .
14 Notes
Fundamentals: Part Three 15 181 Tib. gzhung-lam, Skt. granthamarga, refers to the texts and path of the
teaching on the Transcendental Perfection of Discriminative Aware-
ness (Prajfiaparamita), which is central to the bodhisattva vehicle. 182 Through their methodical order and planning such activities are said to be indicative of the transmitted precepts taught by Sakyamuni
Buddha.
183 This nature is respectively the buddha-body of form (gzugs-sku, Skt.
rilpakaya) and the buddha-body ofreality (chos-sku, Skt. dharmakaya). 184 The paths of learning (slob-pa'i lam, Skt. are the first four gradual paths traversed by bodhisattvas, i. e. those of provisions, connection, insight and meditation. The fifth path is that of no-more-
learning, or the final path See also n. 382. 185 There is an account of this incident during a past life of Sakyamuni
in Peltrtil Rinpoche, kun-bzang bla-ma'i zhal-lung, pp. 192bff.
186 This Tathagata Sakyamuni was the first teacher ofSakyamuni Buddha. 187 Refer to the section on nihilism, pp. 66-7.
188 The Archer is Saraha.
189 For Terdak Lingpa's biography, see History, pp. 825-9; and for his
brother, Locen DharmasrI, pp. 728-32.
190 On Mipham Rinpoche, who is known as Mipham Namgyel Gyamtso
or Mipham lampel Gyepa, see History, pp. 869-80.
191 On Atisa, the founder of the Kadampa tradition, see Blue Annals, pp. 242ff. ; A. Chattopadhyaya, Atisa and Tibet; and H. Eimer's works on
Atisa which are detailed in the final section of the Bibliography.
192 On Tilopa, refer to Taranatha, History ofBuddhism in India, p. 299n. ; and to H. V. Guenther (trans. ), The Life and Teaching ofNaropa. For the lives ofTilopa and the other great accomplished masters mentioned in the following pages, see l. Robinson, Buddha's Lions; and K. Dow-
man, Masters ofMahamudra.
193 See Guenther, The Life and Teaching of Naropa.
194 On Advayavajra or Maitripa, see Blue Annals, p. 731; and Advayavaj-
rasan:zgraha.
195 On Saraha, refer to H. V. Guenther (trans. ), The Royal Song ofSaraha;
and to M. Shahidullah, Les Chants Mystiques de Kanha et de Saraha.
196 Saraha appeared in a dream to Marpa Lotsawa 'and this song is a recollection ofthe teaching he received. See Nalanda Translation Com-
mittee, The Life of Marpa, p. 46.
197 On Milarepa, refer to L. Lhalungpa (trans. ), The Life ofMilarepa; G.
163
164
165
166 167
168
169
The Vijfifmavada are still trapped within the dichotomy because they hold intrinsic awareness to eXIst m an absolute They do not understand the coalescence of awareness and emptmess which is basic to the higher vehicles from Great Madhyamaka to the Great Perfection of Atiyoga (Ttilku Perna Wangyel).
170 171 172
173
174
175
176 177
178 179 180
280-1 of the Derge canonical edn. of the text: dbu-ma, yol: Tsha. This verse also occurs in the Ornament of Emergent Realzsatwn, Ch. 5,
For the five axioms (gtan-tshig lnga), refer to Longcenpa, Treasury of Spiritual and Philosophical Systems, pp'. 118ff. ; and HIL 7. 1, p. 112. Tib. yongs-gcod is equivalent to Skt. panccheda. The text wrongly reads
yongs-dpyod.
Tib. rnam-bcad, Skt. vyavaccheda. The text reads rnam-dpyad.
These impure levels of realisation are the first seven attained by bodhisattvas. Refer to the Glossary of Enum. erations leve. ls. This text is by Aryadeva, yet may be attnbuted to Nagaf)una. m the sense that it was he who imparted the Madhyamaka teachmgs to
Aryadeva (Khenpo Palden Sherap). . - - The Great Madhyamaka (dbu-ma chen-po) IS also kn? wn as Y
Madhyamaka.
As such it is not to confused the Svatantrika school. It integrates the VIew that all thmgs of intrinsically empty (rang-stong) of their own inherent substanualIty with the view that all enlightened attributes are empty of those ous phenomena (gzhan-stong). See below, 183-6. The given here does not occur in extant TIbetan text of Bhavya s Madhyamakaratnapradrpa, rather It paraphrases passages found on fols.
v. 21. 3A. Refer to D. T. Suzuki, The Laizkavatara Satra, p. 1 6. vanant
reading would be "the subject, object and . . See above, p. 55. These are exemplified by the Five Doctnnes of M. aztreya (byams-chos sde-lnga), and the Trilogy ofCommentaries by \byang-chub
sems-'grel-gyi skor-gsum). Refer to the first of Tib. sbyang-bzhi, Skt. *caturdha vyavadana, IS unIdenufied. Perhaps the purification of the four perverted views (see Glossary of Enumera-
tions) is intended.
The Guru of Suvarnadvlpa (gser-gling-pa) or Sumatra was also known
as Dharmaklrti Dharmapaia. He was Atisa's teacher. See Taranatha, History of Buddhism in India, p. 213n. . .
The third level of bodhisattva realisation is known as the Illummatmg
('od-byed, Skt. Prabhakarf). . . ___
The Vaibhasika, Sautranuka and VIJnanavada systems. . .
This refers the tendency to miss the experience realIty 198 or emptiness, and to reduce the apparitional (c. hos-can) mt. o
C. C. Chang (trans. ), The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa; and Blue Annals, pp. 427-37.
On Gampopa or Takpo Lharje, see sGam-po-pa, The Jewel Ornament of Liberation; also Blue Annals, pp. 451-62.
categories which are then with eXIstence. ThIS occurs in the Sautranuka and VIJnanavada systems. These three kinds of tantra or continuum are explamed below,
199 Ngamdzong Tonpa was one of Marpa's four main students who trans- mitted the Kagyti tradition. See Blue Annals, pp. 435-7,449.
200 On Zhang Rinpoche, see Blue Annals, pp. 711ff. ; also History,
pp. 655 and 92l.
201 On Karmapa III, Rangjung Dorje, refer to History, pp. 572-4 and
666; also refer to Karma Thinley, The History ofthe Sixteen Karmapas
of Tibet, pp. 55-8.
202 On Karmapa VII, Chodrak Gyamtso, see Thinley, The History ofthe
pp. 263-7. ute These are held to be the four attributes of ab. sol
to the Supreme Continuum of the Greater
This quotation is from the Satra of Queen Srimala Cf. A. and H. Wayman (trans. ), The Lion's Roar of Queen Snma a,
p. 106.
l' ding rea Ity, accor
'_ _ - - - )
Sixteen Karmapas of Tibet, pp. 83-7.
16 Notes
203 204 205 206
207 208
209
210 211 212 213
214
215 216 217
218 219 220
221
222 223
For Situ VIII, Dharmakara, refer to E. G. Smith's introduction to The Autobiography and Diaries of Situ Pa'fJ-chen. . . . This is the dri-ma med-pa zhes-bya-ba'i-cher 'grel-pa whIch IS contamed in the sa-skya bka'-'bum, Vol. 5, no. 65.
This work is no. 98 in the sa-skya bka'-'bum, Vol. 5. Our text wrongly reads snye-mo sgom-chen-gyis dris-Ian.
On the life of Tsongkapa, see Blue Annals, pp. 1073-9; R. Das Leben des lamaistischen Heiligen Blo-bzan grags-pa; and R. A. F. Thurman (ed. ), The Life and Teachmgs ofTsong Khapa.
On Tblpopa Sangye or Sherap Gyeltsen, see n. 1309; Blue Annals, pp. 775-7; and C. Stearns, Buddha/rom Dolpo.
Tib. gsang-mdzad. This reading is recommended Lama Sonam Topgyel in preference to that given in the text, whIch would read "secret repositories" or "treasuries"
These three synonyms for ultimate realIty m the outer tantras are respectively derived from Kriyatantra, Ubhayatantra and Yogatantra.
Seepp. 269-73. __. ". Iid See D. S. Ruegg, "Le Dharmadhatustava de Nagafjuna m tu es
tibetaines dediees ala memoire de Marcelle Lalou, p. 466. . . . . Cf. Nagarjuna, Root Stanzas on the Madhyamaka entitled Dzscnmmatzve A'wareness (Mulamadhyamakakarika), Ch. 18, v. 6. . .
Tib. bde-chen-zhing. As cited above on p. 127, thIS . IS the preferred reading. Here, however, our text gives bde-gshegs-zhmg. . _ . . This incident occurs at the end of the first chapter of the Vzmalakzrtzmr- desasutra, in which Brahma Sikhin considered the to be pure and Sariputra held them to be impure. After theIr debate, the Buddha intervened to say that the buddha-fields are always pure seen with pure vision, whereas Sariputra could not. actually . see thIS purity. This is also recounted elsewhere, e. g. by Mlpham Rmpoche
Fundamentals: Part Four 17
in his spyi-don 'od-gsal snying-po, p. 78.
.
6. an overall account of the bodhisattva path, refer to Dayal, The Doctrine in Sanskrit Buddhist Literature, Ch. 4.
nmth level of bodhisattva realisation is known as Excellent Intel- lIgence (legs-pa'i blo-gros, Skt. Siidhumatf).
Tib. ri-dvags me'i gtsang-sbra-can is a legendary speCIes of
which holds fire to be not hot but purificatory. It is referred to m the
texts of Madhyamaka (Khenpo Tsewang Dongyel).
This verse is also given in Ch. 10, v. 638.
Tib. gang-zag. The text reads gang-dag. . . .
Tib. bram-ze'i jig-tshogs-kyi lta-ba refers to the VIew of the. eternalIs. tIc
extremists, which is said to have twenty aspects. Mlpham Rm-
poche, grub-mtha'i mdzod bsdus-pa, p. 71; and S. CollIns, Selfless Per-
FUNDAMENTALS: PART FOUR
sons, pp. 118-19.
On Ngok Loden Sherap, refer to Blue Annals, pp. 328ff.
Tib. ma bral-bas. The text wrongly reads bral-bas. .
.
234 235
236 237
238
It is the bodhisattva vehicle, among the causal vehicles of dialectics which is also known as the vehicle of transcendental perfection. ' The unsurpassed vehicle of the tantras in general is here contrasted with the higher view of the tantras belonging to the vehicle of skilful
means. and suffering" (rnam-par byang-ba-dang sdug-bsngal) refer respectIvely to the last two and the first two sublime truths.
The mal). <;lala of seals (phyag-rgya'i dkyil-'khor) refers to the seals of the deity's body, speech and mind.
! he abi. ding nature of inconceivable reality is held to be vast because
contams manifold skilful means, and profound because it is essen- tIally discriminative awareness and emptiness.
Refer, e. g. , to ]amgon Kongtriil, shes-bya kun-khyab mdzod, Vol. 2, pp. 656-82; and to. Mipham Rinpoche, spyi-don 'od-gsal snying-po, pp. 146-8. The vehIcle of indestructible reality employs a series of four empowerments which enable one's awareness of pure enlightened
The text ascribes this treatise to Nagarjuna, although m
ofthe Peking edn. , Vol. 83, p. 90, 5. 5, it clearly states that VImalamltra
entrusted it to Nyak Jfianakumara in Pheny? l. . .
The theory of atomism developed in the school was
sively rejected by the Vijfianavada, and by the
tika. See M. Kapstein "Mereological ConsIderatIons m Vasubandhu s
'Proof of Idealism'" in Reason's Traces. .
Refer to the Glossary of Enumerations under ezght vows of the
. fi" h
These are referred to in the Glossary of EnumeratIons under zve, ezg t,
. .
224 225
226 227
228
229
230
231
232
233
See below, p. 229.
This is a meditative experience occurring on the path of connection
See below, p. 236; also Longcenpa, Treasury ofSpin"tual and Phzlosophical Systems, pp. 142-6.
I. e. they are superior to the pious attendants.
Although the ignorance which gives rise to the three poisons is reversed by the buddhas, the subject is not yet realised to be empty of the three mterrelated aspects of ignorance. Refer to p.